Aroused by the sounds of morning birds and the sounds of nature, Natalak felt his body lighten. Atop his head sat Lavrish, now fully clothed, still puffing her pipe.
"Morning." Lavrish gave a smile.
"Morning," Natalak said softly as he gradually sat up, letting the cloak gather around his waist.
"You should get ready," Lavrish suggested.
Raising her fingers, and at her silent command, Natalak's clothes that were set aside turned ghostlike. Shirts, trousers and a belt drifted through the morning air before being clad upon Natalak, one piece after another. And once fully clothed, his armour followed until the gauntlets remained in his hands.
Amazed by her magic, Natalak quivered, touching the materials of his armour. On the other hand, Lavrish watched with a faint smile, resting her chin on her hand.
"There…" She spoke. "Now you look like a respectable traveller again. A pity… the stars seemed to enjoy our previous night together."
And for some reason, Natalak froze as he gathered his bag.
"Um… Should we head back first?" Natalak gazed where the sun would rise.
"Relax, my dear boy… It's still early, and the caravan will continue after sunrise. We still have much time left." Lavished smiled as she let out a fragrant ribbon of smoke, as if inviting Natalak.
Blushing, Natalak tries to stay stubborn, still gazing at the sun when it comes up. But at this time of day, it might take another 3 hours before the sun emerges from the mountains.
"I forgot." Lavrish then removes one of her bracelets. "About the Veilmage thing, try wearing this… this should help in concealing Veilmage suspicion."
Hesitating, but for a lady offering one of her pendants—
"Could you please tell me why you suspect me of being a Veilmage?"
"Just a hunch… You see, my dear, seeing a person without any sense of energy or life, yet able to turn the battle in such a strange way, creates suspicion. Don't you think?" Lavrish said, crossing her legs as she let out another ribbon of fume. "The armlet I just gave you helps create a small surge of energy, just enough to reveal you're not a dead man."
"I see. Are there any other abilities this bracelet has?"
Lavrish smiled. "That's for you to find out; you are a man on the road. It would be dreary to spoil such surprises. Don't worry, it's not an item that trades with consequences. You can take it to some appraiser if you're still doubtful."
Natalak slowly nods. "Then how much does it cost? I do have some Shars—"
"You need not worry about that, my dear… the night of your time was enough."
"T-thank you then."
"As for your bag—"
Without asking for permission, she pointed a single finger and cast a spell with her magic. The bag started to change its shape, from a sack to a belt bag.
"Try pulling something from your bag." She adds before taking another sip of her pipe.
Following the lady's advice, Natalak sits, and somehow, the moment he pulls an item. A ribbon of mist seeps out from the bag before turning into the very item he desires— a pouch, so to speak. And when he tries to return, the pouch turns into mist before the satchel's mouth swallows it whole.
Surprised by the new adjustment of his bag, Natalak thought of something—
"You-you know about my bag?" He stammers, gazing at the lady sorcerer.
Lavrish gave a faint nod. "But of course… I know my precious items very well. But it's a pity that it now has another master to serve."
"Yes, I know that what you're carrying is an artefact of the old. Not to worry, it's not my habit of taking someone else's belongings." Lavrish stood. "For there are more essential things. I'm more fascinated." Lavrish leaned closer, slowly closing the distance between the two.
"This woman… but I guess a small bliss won't do any harm."
Natalak then, without hesitation, accepted Lavrish's invitation, as he too moved closer. And as their breath and lips collided, Natalak felt somewhat overwhelmed, prompting him to lie on the grass. He felt nothing more than warmth and the faint fragrance of Lavrish's herb. Unbeknownst to him, between their breath, something else drifts— not smoke from the pipe, but more like a faint glowing essence. A pale of glowing white mist escaped from Lavrish's lips and quietly dissolved into Natalak's own breath.
Placing her hand on Natalak's chest and with a gentle push, the two were submerged in the spirit realm. Stripping their clothes before returning to the material world in just a span of one second or less. Yet even from that sudden change of situation, both hands and mouth, Lavrish clamped tightly around Natalak.
The two resumed their desire, filling their surroundings with the sounds of their passion.
Four hours later…
Dawn passed, and the gleam of sunrise emerged. And once breakfast was served, the caravan resumed its journey.
In those hours of rolling wheels, Natalak and Lavrish sat facing each other, with Lavrish lecturing Natalak on the vastness of Vashkeil. And whilst the two were busy with their own words, the two adventurers who were on horseback would look at each other— probing the two's relationship.
Time passed, and after crossing seven or more miles. On a straight and little-to-no-curves road, the caravan reached the fork in the road. The caravan stopped, and Natalak soon disembarked from the wagon.
"Travel safe, dear young man," Lavrish called, giving Natalak a wink.
Replying with a nod, and just as the caravan resumed its journey, Ziana stood from the box seat and waved her hand.
"Mr Natalak! Don't lose that envelope that I gave you!" Ziana voiced.
"Aye, I won't lose it!" Natalak replied as he, too, waved his hand.
It took time, but once the caravan had faded from his sight, hidden by trees and the structure of the land. Natalak took a deep breath before walking the road that led to Endregar.
"Dang…" Natalak muttered as he looked above the sky. "Doing two Lavrish at once seems tiring; I'd better find an inn or a village to rest."
Natalak steadied his pace, walking the beautiful, lonely road just as he was scouting the surroundings. The soft howling wind and the falling leaves slowly accommodated the lonely traveller. Crossing more miles without encountering an enemy or a pedestrian, he noticed a cottage fifteen blocks away. Feeling relieved as dusk approached, he took a closer look and saw that the building was abandoned, or perhaps—
"Banditry?" Natalak whispered.
He opened his eyes and realised he was looking at a farmhouse. The half-harvested wheat fields stretched around it, while the animals, hungry and calling out, begged for food at his arrival. His gaze dropped to the ground, and from the fresh muddy footprints, he could see there had been a struggle.
Ignoring the sound of animals, Natalak knocked. Though when he saw the partially open door—
"Hello? Anybody home?" Natalak called, slowly opening the door.
The door creaked open, allowing light to spill in. A few steps inside, Natalak noticed the place was empty and abandoned. Pots filled with food were scattered and discarded on the wooden floor. Chairs and other furniture were overturned, but notably, cabinets and chests remained untouched. Surprisingly, the food that was torn open is still fresh and unspoiled, as if the damage occurred just last night.
Pondering, Natalak steps out and gazes at the sky. He estimated that it would be another four hours before dusk arrived—and, that said, rain was coming.
Without giving a second thought, Natalak went to feed the livestock. He searched the cottage for any grain and hay; fortunately, he found a stockpile of hay, and the grain was in the barrels and carts. He could tell that this was preparation for the winter.
Grabbing a handful of hay, Natalak tested the livestock. But hungry as they were, the animals didn't care who the person was as they quickly snatched the hay. Once the hay was scattered for the livestock, Natalak walked towards the poultry. In his hand was a bucket of grain— scattering a handful of grains. He moved to where the flock of sheep was housed; clearly, from their sound, they were starving.
Two hours had passed, and the once rowdy, hungry animals faded into silence. The glowing stones that encircle the whole farm turned brighter as the sunset begins to take its exit. The dark clouds and the rumbling of thunder signalled Natalak to take cover as night begins to set in.
Inside, Natalak paused for a moment, pondering as he observed his surroundings. After roughly three minutes, he took a deep breath and surveyed the area again. He checked everywhere, but no one answered his calls, and he found no bodies. The only item that caught his eye was the family painting, which depicted a family of four—a son and a daughter, each with an identical necklace. For the first time, Natalak hesitated to plunder the place. As darkness gradually fell over the land, Natalak revealed a small pyramid-shaped device, about the size of a matchbox.
Twisting half of the device opened the pyramid like a flower before emitting a glowing light brighter than a modern household light bulb. Outside, thunder and lightning grew more aggressive, and heavy rain poured like a storm.
"What should my dinner be?" Natalak muttered, tending the fireplace. "Perhaps a fried meat should ease the night rain." Natalak smirk.
It took another hour of preparation and cooking, but when the food was ready, Natalak dined like a king. Meat, ale, and various foods were served on the table only for him to enjoy. However, many of the ingredients used were from the house. And while he dined like a free king, he pulled the envelope from Ziana.
"If you ever want to come visit Mavigrid, use this card if you have trouble entering the border. And thank you for saving my life…"
He turned to the card and saw that it was made of pure gold and hummed with magical energy. A quick study indicates that this was owned by a noble—the crest of Mavigrid and the noble house of Alustroll.
"Hmm… perhaps the visit can wait. I think I'll try visiting Mavigrid once I get what I need." Natalak murmured before storing both the card and envelope back into his artefact.
Upon which the card was stored, Natalak glanced at the crackling fire, listening to the sound of heavy rains and the hammering of thunder. Then he spotted a certain necklace inserted under the cupboard. And clearly, from the broken chain, the necklace had been detached in a struggle.
"This necklace?" Natalak said, then a thought came to his mind. "The family painting." He continued comparing the necklace.
Pulling the Adra's map, spreading the canvas and with a twitch on the casing's button. The 2D canvas changed into 3D details.
"A village just two miles from here? No, from Lavrish's words, this looks like more of a teleportation stronghold." Natalak whispered as he leaned back, shifting his sight to the empty house. "I'll see what I can do."
Weary from the travels, Natalak slept on the floor, tightly clutching his sword.
The night continued, but for the others, far away from Natalak, a conflict of emotions arose.
Before dusk, before nighttime arrives— Chifya, unaccompanied, strolls towards the temple of Adra. Sometimes pausing, and eyes scattering. Sensing no person was shadowing her, Chifya quickly entered the temple—
"I need more of that purification water." Chifya implored, her voice demanding, as she crossed her arms.
The orc gave a disappointing sigh. "That was the last bottle I gave you. Unfortunately, Aziru's priest disappeared right after he went to investigate the blight. You might need to go to the nearest village at Endregar, or the nearest teleportation stronghold."
"Can you make an order?"
"Hmm…" The orc pours himself another mug of wine. "I can—"
Before the orc could continue, Sheila barged through the place, and for some reason, this made the orc smile.
"Ah, this will be fun." Whispered the orc before sipping the wine.
"So, this is what you've been doing all along?" Sheila spoke in an upset tone.
"S-Sheila?! What brings you here?" Chifya's eyes widened.
Sheila frowns. "What brings me here? What brings you here? I wonder why your boots were muddy this morning." Sheila voiced, yet still her tone was not that of a shout. "And why the purification vial was empty."
"I-I can explain." Stammers the half-elf. "I've dealt with this before, so I know—"
"I don't care about that… you didn't trust us enough even to tell us." Sheila's hand clenched tighter. "Aren't we comrades? Aren't we friends who are supposed to help each other?"
"I-I'm sorry, Sheila." Chifya looks away. "I was afraid if something happened, I'd drag all of you with me." She adds before silence claims the room.
"Seems like your companions have finally caught up to you." The orc stood. "I'll go prepare the things that you need." He added before leaving the two in silence.
In the absence of another presence, Sheila stepped forward. Then, without giving any warning, the girl gave Chifya something even she couldn't foretell— an embrace.
Face buried into the half-elf's chest; arms clammed tighter around Chifya. And for the half-elf, the actions that Sheila gave were not those of a companion, rather more of a sister.
"Don't do that again…" Sheila's voice trembled. "Please… I've already watched someone walk away saying the same thing. I've already lost too many comrades." She added, fingers clutched tighter at the half-elf's back.
"I understand," Chifya replied softly as she enfolds Sheila's head. "I promise I won't go alone, but can you keep this from the others?"
Sheila paused: "I will."
"Thank you." The half-elf whispers.