It did not take long before the lights in the distance resolved into the animari settlement of Verdantspire. A large gathering of armed guards, friends and family of the recently freed captives, and the elders were waiting for them. The cheers of the Animari fill the air, their joy and relief palpable as loved ones rush to embrace those thought lost forever. Tears of joy mingled with tears of pain and sorrow as they took solace in being reunited with those who had been missing.
Xavier, Ella, and the twins remained to the side until everyone had made it past then they moved forward to where the elders stood patiently. The lynari elder was flanked by the others and she wore a small smile on her face, as Xavier came to stand before her.
There was a new warmth in the eyes of the diminutive feline woman as she spoke. “You have done as you said you would, and our people have been returned. Wounds can heal now for those who lost loved ones thanks to your deeds. Today, you have proven yourself not just a wanderer, but a protector of our kin.”
As she spoke a prompt filled Xavier’s vision.
You have been completed a quest: Break the Bonds 1.
By aiding the Verdantspire Wardens in destroying a raiding party and rescuing the animari captives you have shown your trustworthiness to the elders of Verdantspire Haven. High Speaker Kaelith personally recognizes your efforts in aiding her warriors.
Quest Rewards: You have received +5000 personal relationship points with the Elders of Verdantspire, the Verdantspire Wardens and with each of the individuals you have assisted in returning. Relationship has gone from +0, Indifferent – "Your existence doesn’t affect me one way or the other. You’re like a potted plant in the corner," to +5000, Close Friend – "They know a little too much about you, but somehow that’s okay." Increased settlement relationship between Rynthavael and Verdantspire Haven +1000, Mutual Respect – We recognize your worth my friend and will lend a hand in tough times”. +5000 Experience.
One more prompt followed the quest update informing him of additional personal changes in his relationship with the twins.
You have received +3000 relationship points with Lianna and Liosan Frostride.
The points were not enough to increase his relationship level with the two again but it did take him more than halfway to the next one.
The Kaelith motioned for Xavier and the others to follow before turning and heading back towards the center of the settlement leaving the celebrations behind. Elder Kaelith spoke softly her voice only really loud enough for Xavier to hear her. “This victory has brought hope, but the Wildlands remain fraught with danger. If you are willing, there is more to be done.” Her words carried weight, hinting at even larger challenges yet to come.
Xavier didn’t immediately respond, expecting another quest prompt but when nothing appeared he looked towards the Lynari. “The people of Rynthavael are at your service as am I, High Speaker. What can be done to assist you further?” He was slightly off-put by the break in what was clearly a chain of quests but decided he must not have reached the requirements for its continuation.
With a slightly dismissive wave, she rejoined, “That can be discussed later Xavier, tonight we should feast and celebrate those to whom you have restored their freedom. We will have a ceremony in the morning to solidify the new relationship between our settlements.”
Xavier followed Kaelith deeper into Verdantspire where an impromptu celebration was being put together. While they walked their conversation turned to small talk and Kaelith described various parts of the settlement. As Xavier followed where she directed his attention, he noticed that there was only Animari everywhere he looked. After a while, his steps stopped, and he looked directly at the elder.
“This whole time we have been walking I have only seen Animari. Is that normal or am I missing something,” he queried.
The lynari’s footsteps paused as her eyes met his. She remained silent for several long moments before she shook her head sadly and started walking once again, “No, you are not mistaken. There was a time once when we traded freely with all, and these streets were filled with travelers. Times have changed, however. The elves have become insular with their leaders touting elven superiority to the west. In the mountains, the dwarves were never overly outgoing people, but the gates of their underground kingdoms have opened less frequently. To the northeast, the king who brought the nomadic tribes together was once seen as fair and just has gone silent, and now the kingdom is a den of barely veiled villainy and brutality. The tribes and clans of Animari have all withdrawn, taking shelter in hidden villages or coming to the sanctuary of Verdantspire. This is what we will discuss on the morrow.”
As she finished speaking, they rounded another one of the amazing buildings of the settlement. Like many of the others, it looked half-grown, half-built. Truly unique architecture as far as Xavier was concerned. They had come to the central hub of Verdantspire, and it was awe-inspiring. An enormous flagstone plaza nearly a hundred feet in diameter surrounded a central raised stone platform. What truly drew the eye, was what floated in the center, in a place of unmistakable reverence. There a crystalline obelisk hung in mid-air, roughly five feet above the exact center of the platform. Its towering form was smooth and multifaceted, though beneath the surface veins of emerald, gold-green, and pale silver traced a delicate lattice. A soft hum reverberated gently beneath the sounds of the crowd as they moved about on whatever tasks they were doing. The sound rose and fell in time with pulsing streams of light that extended from the base of the obelisk and sped off through clear crystalline channels laid amid the flagstones. Xavier had no doubt he was looking at another nexus of ley lines like that of the Syr’valen.
Wrenching his eyes from the sight he turned once again to the feline elder at his side. Her smile was now knowing as she nodded and exposed her right forearm, and an intricate design coalesced into sight. At its center was a swirling vortex surrounded by elegant, vine-like tendrils that curled into leaf patterns glowing softly in a golden green color. The vines were interwoven with angular, shard-like shapes forming a stable framework glowing with an emerald hue. Spiraling arcs and feather-like extensions flowed through the design as well, their glow a gentle silver, adding a sense of motion and freedom. The mark shimmered faintly, and its elements appeared to subtly shift and swirl, almost as if giving life to the balance of the nexus’s energy.
Behind Xavier, Ella gave a small gasp as she covered her mouth with one hand. The duo of nexus masters both looked to the young woman and she flushed slightly shaking her head as if to indicate she didn’t mean to interrupt their discussion.
“I see you mark bearer,” She spoke softly. “Any who are bound to a nexus of magic can recognize another if they know what to look for. We carry a subtle aura about us that is quite distinct. This is another reason why we defend Verdantspire so fiercely. This is the Lir’Valis a nexus of Life, Air, and Earth.” The mark on her arm faded from view and she lowered the sleeve of her robe once again. “You do not need to show me your mark, I would additionally advise you not to show anyone you do not trust. You have shown your resolve in assisting our people and have taken the first steps towards building trust between my people and your settlement. Tomorrow will strengthen that trust and in time we may be more than just friends but true allies.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Xavier smiled broadly at the Lynari. “I truly long for that day High Speaker.”
He turned his attention back to the town center, and it was such in more than just name. The flagstone plaza was surrounded by shops and buildings of all sorts. A large hall dominated the northern edge, its smooth walls were traced with the emerald hue of elemental earth giving it a solid sensation. Xavier could envision it as the seat of the governing body of Verdantspire and had little doubt they would be having discussions there soon. It also gave him ideas for his own townhall back at Rynthavael and he made some mental notes to discuss with his crafters.
Continuing to the left of it, he noticed the first of three gardens all equidistance around the plaza. This one held moss-covered stones and plinths amid hardy plants clearly indicating its favoritism for the earthen element. To the west of the plaza, Xavier could see an open-air market where stalls and workshops were alive with business and trade. He thought it was interesting that the majority of the vendors he could make out all appeared to be either Vulpiri or Felvari. The fox and feline Animari held an obvious appreciation for commerce.
The next garden separated the market from the grove of trees that sat to the southeast. This garden, Xavier judged to be dedicated to the element of life as it was filled with serene, lush greenery and brilliantly vibrant floral blooms. Even at this distance, he could almost feel the rejuvenating energy of the place. The grove seemed slightly odd, but he assumed a forest haven with a nexus of life elemental magic wouldn’t be unusual to have copses of trees, but he did resolve to see what was so special about this one that it held such a place of honor near the nexus itself, that is if he had a chance to.
The last garden separated the copse of trees from the amphitheater directly to Xavier’s left. The garden was more open than the other two, consisting largely of sparse trees lined with breezy pathways. The trees were decorated with chimes and feathered ornaments that tinkled delicately as they swayed in the almost everpresent breeze marking the garden’s dedication to the element of air.
Finally, he looked to the amphitheater, it was carved into the hillside and seemed to both extend and make itself separate from the plaza at the same time. His passive ley line resonance let him feel the twists of the air ley line through the structure and he had no doubt it would perfectly reverberate with those who stood on the platform around the obelisk, carrying their words effortlessly to any who sat in the audience.
Xavier shook his head; he felt like a tourist seeing a world wonder for the first time. He mulled that thought a moment as he realized that’s exactly what he was. Only this wonder wasn’t just man-made… er animari-made… whatever it should be called, but a natural wonder as well due to the ley-line nexus. He relaxed and simply enjoyed the wonder of the place, eyes catching more minutia of the details such as the glyphs for each of the elements carved into the various flagstones, and the much smaller crystals that hovered in a low orbit around the obelisk moving positions slightly as the various energies moved from it to the channels. The place was a real marvel to behold.
That wasn’t the only thing he noticed, however. As the High Speaker had said earlier, there was a celebration being put together in honor of those who were liberated and those who were instrumental in that freedom. All around the plaza tables and chairs were being positioned. Food and drink were being placed in multiple locations, ensuring that one was never far from something to enjoy. The scents and sounds were a cacophony near to overwhelming if it hadn’t been so joyous in nature. Up on the raised platform, a small troupe of players took their places and soon music of a primal, visceral nature filled the air lending to the celebration. From where he stood surrounded by the elders and the detachment of Wardens who seemed to be everpresent around them, Xavier could see people streaming in from the paths and alleys that joined the plaza to the rest of the settlement. Hundreds if not over a thousand souls were easily present and Xavier got a good look at just how large this place actually was, in souls that called it home if nothing else. It made him honestly happy that he was not at odds with them. They would wipe his small village from the face of Arath if they were, it also made him worry about the trials to come if Kaelith’s words were an indication.
The celebration went long into the night and much enjoyment was had by everyone. Xavier was thanked and hugged multiple times by those he helped to free and those who were friends and family to them as well. Several times he was roundly kissed and winked at, much to the seeming irritation of Ella as she remained close to him. He noticed that the twins were receiving much the same treatment as well though, so he didn’t think much of it simply assuming it was individuals caught up in drink and celebration of life.
Interestingly, Lianna seemed to be more flustered by the attention than receptive to it. She did not try to hide or shy away, simply the soft white fur of her cheeks took on a noticeably reddish tinge that Xavier was curious how happened. He didn’t know fur could blush, maybe that was something of this world since he knew for a fact there were no cat-girls or any other sort of animal person on Earth. Liosan on the other hand, seemed to revel in the attention and merriment. He was performing with tumblers, dancing with anyone who caught his attention, and drinking and eating as if he were not going to see the next sunrise. Strangely, even with all of that Xavier never heard a sound come from the young man’s mouth. Yet another oddity he would ask Lianna about if he got the chance, and if the prompt he received earlier about her mood change towards him was true.
The soft light of predawn had started to light the morning sky by the time Xavier and Ella were shown to rooms where they could rest and recover. Xavier had questions he wanted to ask of the young woman, but they seemed to elude his drink-addled mind and she shook her head as she guided him into his room and aided him to bed. Nearly as soon as his head touched the soft down filled pillow sleep claimed him for its own. Ella smiled gently over the man as he slept before she made her way to her own room and succumbed to exhaustion herself.
A loud knocking on the door shook Xavier from the pleasant dreams he had been lost to. Forcing his eyes open and blinking away the dregs of slumber he called out and pushed himself into an upright position. “I’m up, stop with the noise, it feels like you're banging directly on my head!”
He winced at how the sound of his own voice made his head throb and even the bright light of the day made his head hurt and he could not help but wonder just how much he had imbibed the night before. Opening and closing his mouth to get a dry bitter taste from it he looked to the door as it opened, and Ella walked in fresh as she had slept a full night and had not been partying until the wee hours of the morning.
“The High Speaker asked me to wake you. She said the ceremony is ready and your presence is required.” She smirked slightly at his discomfort before holding out a small vial. “Drink this it will help. I had a feeling you were overdoing it last night.”
Xavier took the proffered vial and looked at it dubiously. It wasn’t that he distrusted Ella anymore, she was bonded to him after all and he had missed her presence, he just distrusted anything but water to drink at the moment. Taking a deep breath to steel his resolve he tipped the vial back and swallowed the contents. A pleasant ginger flavor filled his mouth and warmth suffused his body. Soon the headache and draining hangover left his body and he felt refreshed.
He looked at the vial and then to Ella. “That was amazing, I would have given my right arm to be able to sober up and avoid hangovers like that back on Earth.” He snapped his mouth shut realizing he didn’t know who might be around to hear his words. She sighed and looked at him shaking her head.
“We are alone currently and too high up for someone at the window I believe but you need to be more careful Master. We don’t know who you can trust with the fact that you are not of Arath,” she admonished him. Her tone was not in line with her words in any way. “Come now, get dressed it seems you have a busy day ahead of you and the gods only know when we will be able to go home.”
He waited for several moments for her to leave the room before he got out of bed and followed her suggestion. Moving over to the basin of water that had been left on the side table he quickly washed his face and ran his fingers through his hair. It had grown longer and was starting to get unruly since he had come to the world. He would need to see someone to get it cut short once again before it started causing issues.
After only a handful of minutes, Xavier stepped out of the doorway to the room he had been using and joined Ella in the hallway. He was glad to have her there, not only because he was becoming accustomed to her presence, but he also had no clue where he was or where he needed to be for that matter. He sighed inwardly, he really had drunk too much the night before.