POV: Erroi

I almost forgot several useful items at home, but thankfully, I retrieved them before we got too far from the house.

We had left our house to take advantage of the gift given to us by birthright: warm bedding. Such a gift was not to be wasted or scoffed at, for such acts of heresy should land you behind the walls. Hræ waved me over to ask me something.

”What do you want to do with the money?” Good question. That amount of money would make anyone a target.

“Buy better bedsheets.” Then the doctor chimed in.

“I could get better soporifics for k... Ed like dreamwood sap. It also tastes divine when mixed with fruit juices. ”

Hræ was considering what to do with the money. ”I wanna travel south and see the sights there. You keep talking talking about it so it seems worth visiting.” This is the worst question I think I've heard her ask me. If I encourage her, she will gladly go. If I forbid her, she'll want to do it even more. The doctor looked at me, seemingly knowing everything I'm thinking.

Maybe feigning ignorance would help. No, she knows I am never half-assed about anything.

“Only if Ed and I get to go with you.”

“Deal.” FUCK! I thought that'd work. Kykvandi signalled me fight to the death. OH!

“If you can beat me in a fight, I'll let you go to Zerura.” He was a genius! There's no way she'd beat me in a fight!

But oh, she was skilled in diplomacy beyond my years. “You'd hit your own daughter? You monster!” She was good.

Stay strong. “You're a big girl. I'm sure you can handle being hurt if you wanna go to Zerura.” I felt a little guilty saying that, but I was running out of ideas. She stayed silent the rest of the way. Kykvandi was figuring out what to say.

“I... I'd buy... I don't know.” I don't blame him.

“We could visit all the workshops and see if anything catches your eye.” He frowned.

“I shouldn't have to look at people working to figure out what I like to do.” Man you're annoying sometimes.

“We'll see about that when we get there.”

“...Maybe We could buy some nicer clothes with the money.” It must be hard for him to avoid sounding combative.

“Yeah, undergarments sound stupid but they feel wonderful.”

He was starting to frown. “That seems pointless when you already have pants on.”

“Yeah, but that's the beauty of them. They make you feel so much more comfortable.”

Kykvandi raised his eyebrow “Have you ever even worn anything under your pants?”

“Once.”

“And how did it feel?” Kykvandi said.

“It felt great! Made me feel soft all around. Nothing moves out of place, and yet you feel unrestricted!”

Hræ was groaning loudly and tried to ignore us.

The canopy started to darken the road. We were close.

”So, Ed, have you been touched with the fortune of luxury when you lived by yourself?”

”...Warm linen bedsheets.” Oh, I shouldn't have asked him that.

”I... I'm sorry.” He breathed sharply out of his nose. ”Don't bother.”

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

…

”It's alright. I wasn't trying to be crass.” Oh thank goodness.

”You scared me there for a second. I thought I'd said something mean!”

”No, no. It's alright.” The tension dissipated and we kept walking through the dark forest.

We saw the clearing through the forest. The road was almost completely smooth, save for massive indents littering the road.

”hey, what do you think those giant tracks are?”

”They look like dog tracks.”

An idea crept from the far reaches to the forefront of my mind, an idea so evil and queer, so disturbing yet entrancing.

”Sniff'em.”

”I beg your pardon.”

”Sniff the tracks.”

”What makes you think i have the ability to track scents?”

I turned to the doctor. ”Can he smell real good?”

The old man nodded and pointed to Kykvandi's face. ”He's a grief demon, all his senses are on par with angels.”

”Sniff'em, boy.”

He looked offended, but kneeled to the track. I leant forward and dunked him into the dirt. He pulled me with him and tried to choke me with his legs. I damn near fainted, but he stopped and sniffed the air.

”It's Milder's dog. They're in town.” He must be one of the members of the group he was in.

”How old are the scents?” He sniffed longer and longer. 2 days. One day before I arrived. Well, shit. Now the question is how long these disguises will hold up before we're discovered. Seeing as one of them is from the Island we're going to have to do our best to not draw suspicion, but if my hunch is right, we might have a safehouse in town.

”Hey Crowen. You think they will have cherry wine?”

”most indubitably!”

”Well, that's good. Hræ, how skilled a medic are you?”

”I'm fairly confident in my skills.”

“If any of my limbs were to be removed, could you reattach it with a fair bit of confidence?”

“depends if it's your leg or your dick.”

I chimed in at that moment. “Hey, if it's not yours, you give it back.”

She sighed again but we just giggled a little. We neared the entrance to the town. We huddled up and I painted my face with markings to help hide my face. Tiger stripes to go with my tiger skin. When patrolling guards rode up to us, we relaxed and split into 3. Hræ walked with the doctor, and we seemed like travellers huddling together for safety.

The entrance guard was eyeing me up and down, he seemed to hold disdain for contestants. “one of the warriors, I assume.” I bowed and showed him my name on the list. He let me in, but now it was Ed's turn. He walked the walk and talked the talk so well the SAME guard let him use his spear as a walking stick to the doorway.

He didn't even ask if he was a damn contestant. Maybe I should have acted like an old man too. Straight to the booth, the host was the same, and greeted us with enthusiasm. He pointed us to the inn all the fighters ate and rested at.

“I ask you now, large man, where could I rest my legs and find cherry wine?”

He thought about it, and shrugged. We would have to find it by ourselves.

POV: Seicig

I had been checking the front gate every day since we got here for the elf convoy, but no such luck. On the first day a weird doctor named Melor arrived, and the next day, a doctor, his nurse, and 2 recent warriors came through. Who knows, the day is not over. I didn't dare disturb my master, but we needed this money soon or we would have to restrain ourselves every day to the inn. I returned to the inn, locked myself in our room and set the orb on the table.

The orb began to pulsate its coordinates, followed by the location of the orb. It was closer. I held my hand to it and concentrated. Once again, a face formed from the clouds inside. But it was different. Younger. It was an elf.

“Cyfarchion, Arianhord.”

“Byddwch chi'n siarad â mi fel Seicig.”

“Rydym yn ceisio cyrraedd mewn tair noson, Seicig.”

“diolchaf ichi o gorneli fy enaid.”

I cut the connection. This was good. Now I could rest easy knowing all is going to plan. This caravan wasn't simply a vessel for our money, we could use it to hold Kykvandi when we find him. Now I put my trust in the group to find and capture Him.

I needed information on this town, that words alone couldn't convey. I need people. I walked down to the dining area, full of the contestants. They would do well. I sat with a man named Kalla. He greeted me with a nervous smile. He believed I expressed physical attraction to him. He was privy to the location of a list with powerful names, and he believed a man selling plants would know where it was.

I walked away and exited the establishment before he fainted from the stress, a price to pay for the weak mind. I spoke to a merchant selling fruits about where he procured them, but the only thing he held in his head was his crippling fear of not being able to provide for his family. For its size, this town was filled with chaff and dregs, none who possessed an inkling of the power I held.

I walked in the middle of this busy street and took little bits of their thoughts every moment. It was an exquisite feeling. So much knowledge, but none of it was useful. None of these fools knew anything. I bumped into an old man. He apologized profusely, but I knew it was an act. He was so incredibly annoying I just wanted to kick him down to the ground. He left me in a sour mood.

Maybe I was too forceful with my techniques. I returned to my room and rested for a spell. To push so much led to great exhaustion, and I was still inexperienced with my powers.

I closed my eyes for a second, and I was suddenly in a white void. In front of me was a book. It was made of gold, with the words "our vows of love" on the front, made of silver. I opened the book, but the names were scratched out, as if an animal had torn it.

I promise to never leave you while we are bound by love

I will not hurt those who i need not harm

I promise to raise your son, to see him become a powerful warrior

I will keep you safe from those who wish to hurt you

I promise no never hurt you in anger or fear

I will care for you even if I starve myself to death

I promise you my secrecy for all your transgressions

I failed you

You let me die

I would take my life to see you breathe again

You deserve nothing after letting me and your son die like animals

I hope you can find it within yourself to forgive me

NOTHING COULD MAKE ME FORGIVE YOU

The vows were replaced with descriptions of someone being torn apart and tortured. I flipped to the last page and a hand grabbed my shoulders.

“Seicig! Wake up!” It was Milder.

“Kyn, what happened?”

“What?”

“I said what happened?”

“Who's Kyn?” I... don't know.

“Nevermind that. I was meditating.” He let go and I stood up. My dress had been stained so with sweat it took me a moment for the cold air to once again set in.

“Something's wrong with your eye. It's twitching a lot.” It was burning. The pain built up from behind the eye, and I felt the need to scratch it out to stop the pain, but Milder stopped me. He carried me to a doctor, and he observed my eye.

He saw nothing wrong with it, simply a bug bite. Or an allergy. He gave me a fungal fluid for washing my eye, and this song and dance was beginning to bore me.

They all say the same; insect, infection, allergies, disease, headache. Yet nothing helped. So many times people have offered their help with the assumption they're smarter than me. They're all fools. The only one that can help me is myself.

I returned to our room. My laboratory would help me discover my affliction.

I took my bottle of spring water, and poured a droplet in my eye. This water didn't react to anything, so I could take my tears and analyse them for irregularities. The earth crystal would not rock. The water crystal stayed still. The lightning stone was inert. The wind stone would not stir. But the fire stone, it was warming up. It was an inflammation.

My heart was racing. I had finally figured it out!