The next morning, Jasper stirred sleepily in his bed. A gentle shaft of sunlight lit up his form, the warmth seeping deep into his bones as he flipped onto his stomach, nestling deeper into the welcoming cushions. Hands begin to massage his back, digging into the tense muscles and knots along his shoulders and neck. “Hmmh…” he muttered. “That feels good, Layla.” He was on the edge of drifting back to sleep when his mind cleared enough to remember that he hadn't been on earth in a long time; whoever was rubbing his shoulders was definitely not his ex.

Jasper flipped over, startling the woman who had been massaging him, who stepped back with a quickly muffled shriek. As soon he saw the uniform she wore, he relaxed though. Just one of Rā’imu’s servants, he realized. With a sigh of relief, he plopped back onto his pillows, wallowing in the cozy blankets..

“Did the massage not please you, my lord? I can offer you other services, if you wish.” Her hand rested on her hip, where her robe was tied tightly shut.

Jasper hesitated for a moment - it had been an awfully long time for him. The servant was a ravishing beauty, thick raven hair tumbling down her shoulders, her luscious form barely hidden by the thin silk robe she wore. But he didn’t feel comfortable accepting the servant’s offer, as he could not be sure how voluntary her offer really was. Nor, for that matter, was he sure he wanted to accept Rā’imu’s “gifts” - the Djinn’s comments from the previous night about the game had put him on edge.

Reluctantly, Jasper shook his head, forcing an awkward smile. “No, the massage was more than good enough.”

The servant stepped closer, her hips swaying as she ran a gentle finger down his forearm. “Are you sure, my lord,” she practically purred. Any hesitation Jasper had previously had disappeared in an instant, replaced instead with the certainty that she had been sent to seduce him. He pushed her hand away firmly, unable to keep the irritation out of his voice. “No thanks.”

She withdrew her hand, her sultry invitation immediately replaced with prim professionalism. “Very well, Lord Jasper. Breakfast awaits you in the garden and, once you are finished eating, Lord Rā’imu is hoping you will join him on a hunt.”

A hunt? Jasper was a bit surprised that the noble would want to go hunting after his father died in a hunting accident, but he was game for it. Although, he mused, I highly doubt it can live up to the last one.

The rest of his party was already in the garden when he emerged from his private cottage. It was a beautiful day. The sky was a brilliant blue, with nary a cloud to cover the heavens, while a gentle breeze wafted off the nearby mountain, the playful zephyrs brushing past his cheek.

A table was spread for them, piled high with dishes and treats of every type imaginable and a pot of the same sickly-sweet drink the captain had served them. He sat down beside Ihra and begin piling food on his plate. She leaned over to him, speaking in a hushed tone. “Did you have a visitor in your room too?”

He arched an eyebrow. “So it wasn’t just me, then?”

The pretty elfling shook her head. “No, all of us had a visitor. Well, not Tsia,” she amended, snickering quietly. “I guess Lord Rā’imu didn’t feel comfortable arranging sex for his sister.”

Jasper choked on the scone he was devouring, the dry crumbs going down the wrong direction as he fought to keep his laughter down. After his fit of coughing had subsided, he raised his voice. “So are we setting off on the hunt directly after breakfast?”

Ihra begin bobbing her head as puzzled looks crossed Nēs̆u and Tsia’s faces. "What hunt?" Tsia asked.

Jasper sighed. "Well I guess that answers that question. Rā'imu's beloved sister and her servant aren't going on the hunt - just the two of us. I just hope this guy isn’t another Nabul.”

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The three departed shortly after breakfast, riding toward the heavily forested mountain. To Jasper’s surprise, the three rode alone, no servants accompanying them. Rā’imu chattered on incessantly, acting like a tour guide as he pointed out each and every interesting point along the way - and a good many uninteresting things as well. It was only after they left the main path, heading into the forest, that he fell silent.

“So, what are we hunting?” Jasper finally ventured, his eyes scanning the shadows for any signs that they were being led into a trap. The Djinn reached into his saddlebags drawing out two bundles, tossing one to each of them. Jasper opened it up cautiously. Inside was a set of five small daggers. He pulled one of them out, examining it. “What are these for?”

Rā’imu leaned back in his saddle, pointing to an opening in the trees ahead. “I don’t know how familiar you are with the customs of us northerners, but we Moon-kissed only hunt beasts that offer us a challenge. There’s a cave up ahead filled with little critters we call Qarāhi." He winked at Ihra. "They're actually kind of small and cute, but don't be fooled by their appearance. Qarāhi are surprisingly dangerous and highly territorial. They’re also weak to fire magic, so when we hunt them, those are off-limits.” He grinned at Jasper. “You think you're up to the challenge? If not, I suppose you could use your fire.”

Jasper found himself smiling back. “Challenge accepted.”

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As he crawled through a tiny, cold, cramped tunnel deep beneath the earth two hours later, Jasper's initial spark of enthusiasm had long since been thoroughly quenched. Rā'imu's claim that the cave was filled with the creatures turned out to have been a bit of an exaggeration. Thus far, he had encountered only one.

A Qarāhi, it turned out, was something similar to a frost slime, but far more annoying. He had just pulled himself through a tight opening in the rocks when he stumbled upon the creature. It was no more than two feet high, a brilliant blue, and obviously gelatinous. To his shame, Jasper had let his guard down - after all, slimes weren’t exactly a dangerous enemy in most games. They were usually what you fought after the obligatory rat quest.

The creature had not shared his hesitation. It dashed towards him with surprising speed, latching onto his arm where he discovered, much to his shock, that the Qarāhi had a wicked sharp set of teeth.

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With a yelp of pain, Jasper slashed his knife through the slime now sucking on his arm. The blade passed through harmlessly, the wound sealing up immediately without even a trace of damage. But the Qarāhi did let go of his arm, dropping to the floor. Its mouth opened wide and a shard of ice suddenly shut straight into Jasper’s face. His toughened skin tanked the brunt of the blow, the icicle shattering without harming him, but by the time Jasper had succeeded in brushing the ice out of his eyes, the Qarāhi had disappeared, leaving him with a slightly bleeding arm and a rather battered sense of pride.

Since then, he had yet to see another. Smothering a sigh, Jasper pushed further down the passage, forced to turn to his side to squeeze through a tight section. Jasper glared at the tight walls with disfavor, dismayed to see the passage was even more cramped up ahead. If it comes down to a battle, I barely have room to swing my arms.

Still, Jasper felt confident that the next encounter would go better; the fight may have been a bit of a disaster, but he had noticed one key detail. Although most of the creature had been gelatinous, a small, hard object floated in the goo. It's got to be a core. Weighing the dagger in his hands, he smiled. Rā’imu had only said he couldn’t use fire spells but, thanks to Aphora, he had the perfect spell for these monsters - Heartstopper.

When he finally crawled out of the cave hours later, Rā’imu was already waiting by the entrance, a proud smile on his face. The Djinn sat beneath a tree, four cores arranged at his feet. Ihra was not there, although, from the sounds echoing behind him, Jasper guessed she was on her way up. He sauntered over toward the lord, who looked at him smugly. “Well,” Rā’imu asked, “did you manage to get any? Don’t feel ashamed if you didn’t. Most people struggle on their first hunt - the Qarāhi's cores are constantly floating around, so they're surprisingly hard to hit.”

Jasper shrugged, keeping his face straight as he reached into his bag. “Oh, I guess I got a few.” Slowly, he dropped his trophies beside the Djinn. One, two, three…when he was done, nine cores lay on the ground.

Rā’imu snatched the cores up, an incredulous look on his face as he examined them. “They aren’t scorched,” he reluctantly admitted. He tossed the cores back to Jasper, grudgingly with respect. “I take it you’ve hunted Qarāhi before?”

Jasper shook his head. “Nope, first time.”

“Then how?” Rā’imu looked flabbergasted and Jasper took pity on him. “I have a skill that was perfect for it. Learned it from your mother, actually.”

A pained look briefly flitted through the Djinn’s eyes before he quickly looked away. “Of course you did,” he muttered softly.

Jasper plopped down beside the Djinn, leaning back against the tree. A gentle breeze blew against his voice while a chorus of birds warbled unseen in the branches above him. An awkward silence filled the space between them as they waited on Ihra to emerge from the cave. Rā’imu broke first.

Rummaging in his bag for a second, he pulled out a letter and slid it across to Jasper, who picked it up with a bemused look. “What is this?”

The young lord shrugged. “It came for you a few days ago, sealed shut, affixed with the royal emblem.”

Jasper frowned as he weighed the paper in his hand. The wax seal on the letter was broken.

“We were also told to prepare for a royal emissary to arrive in a few days and keep you here until he did. I must admit, I was most confused when you arrived with my sister, and my curiosity got the best of me.” He grinned weakly. "Hope you don't mind."

With shaking hands, Jasper opened the letter and scanned its contents. His pulse quickened as he skimmed through the handful of lines. What the hell?

Lord Yas̆peh,

The King was most pleased to hear your mission in the north was successful. A messenger has been dispatched to meet with you. If this missive reaches you while you are still at Dūr-Yarha, please remain in the city until our messenger arrives; otherwise, please return to the capital city.

Through your service, you have brought much honor to our house, my nephew, and in return, the King has decided to grant you the recognition you have sought for so long. A new assignment already awaits you.

The Steward of Flames

Jasper's brows nearly reached orbit as he read the brief letter. Successful mission? Steward of Flames? Recognition? What the hell is this crap? He reread the letter, looking for the missing punchline.

“An interesting letter, no?”

Rā’imu’s voice floated past his ears, shaking Jasper out of his thoughts. He waved the letter in the air. “Is this a joke?” He flatly demanded, looming over Rā’imu rather aggressively.

A flicker of confusion passed through the noble’s eyes, but he raised his hand placatingly. “I admit, I may have…taken it upon myself to verify the letter's content, but I would never, ever, forge a royal missive. Personally, I’m rather attached to my head.” The Djinn patted his small, spindly horns fondly. “Besides, aren’t you happy about the letter? It sounds like your house is prepared to recognize you. Us bastards have to stick together.”

Jasper's mind was reeling, but he somehow managed to compose his face. Clearly someone - whether it was Rā'imu, the Moon-kissed, or the actual Royal House - was taking advantage of the events in Kār-Kuppû; until he figured out exactly what was going on, Jasper decided the best course of action was simply to play along.

He nodded curtly, releasing his grip on Rā'imu. “Sorry, it’s a touchy subject.”

Rā’imu nodded, his usually breezy attitude suddenly serious. “I understand. My father acknowledged me at birth, so I never had to fight for recognition, but now that he has passed, many in our House feel free to make their disdain for me known. If I had only inherited my mother’s strength-” He trailed off, his lips twisting in a grimace. “Anyways, I’m sure it was tough being a bastard of the royal house.”

Jasper scrutinized the Djinn closely, searching for some hint of dishonesty, but saw nothing but sincerity. The letter, he concluded, hadn’t been made by Rā’imu, which meant someone else was involved. “When is this emissary supposed to arrive?”

Ra’imu lifted up a second letter. “They sent us directions too; the emissary should arrive in the next few days and until then I was to keep you two entertained.”

Their discussion was interrupted as Ihra emerged from the cave. The blonde looked somewhat worse for the wear. She was plastered in mud and blue slime and her usually beautiful hair lay limp and flat against her neck as she trudged over to them.

Rā’imu stood up in an instant, rushing over to her with a genuine expression of concern as he took in the sorry state of the "guest" he was supposed to be taking care of. “What happened to you, my lady?”

“Yeah, what happened, Ihra?” Jasper trailed behind, curious but not concerned. He'd known Ihra long enough to recognize the satisfied glint in her eyes.

“I had been in the cave for about two hours and hadn't seen anything. I was starting to get a little thirsty, so when I came across a lake, I bent down to get a drink. One of them must have been hidden somewhere behind me because, as I knelt beside the pond, something smashed into my back and tossed me into the lake where, as it turns out, a ton of the little slimes were chilling.”

Jasper winced. “Yeah, I let the first one get the drop on me too.”

She waved off the Djinn noble’s attempts to help her, as she opened Nabul’s bag of holding, a victorious glint in his eyes. “Worked out for me, though.” She tossed a handful of cores on the ground and then another and another. More than twenty cores rolled across the grass, coming to a stop beside the tree. “Well, did I win?”

Jasper begin to laugh as the Djinn’s jaw dropped.

The ride back to Rā’imu’s was a little more relaxed as Jasper now felt confident that the Djinn did not intend to hurt them. Of course, he had a new wrinkle to worry about, but he did his best to push it out of his mind. It's a trouble for another day, he reassured himself. Can always come up with a plan tomorrow.

But sometimes tomorrow comes early.