MAGNUS

The trip to Holt was uneventful, mostly the six of us sitting in an emptied wagon and camping out when we didn’t have an inn handy. It was in Holt that things changed, though not truly for the worse.

“Why are you picking up Vertweed?” Mai asked.

Mai and Richard had come with me to pick up extra supplies, while the other three had gone to acquire food for the trip. I tucked some of the green fronds of Vertweed into a pouch, cinched it closed, and said, “There is a section of the road that borders Aster Forest. There is a high concentration of Air aspected beasts there.”

“Right I saw that on the map, how does Vertweed help? It’s a seasoning,” she said.

Richard answered, “For humans it’s a seasoning. Most of the critters in Aster don’t care for the scent of burning Vertweed though. Toss a handful in the campfire and it will avoid issues. Kind of like using citronella for mosquitos.”

Mai nodded in understanding as I looked through the other items on offer. Most weren’t needed, but Pank’s Handy Haversack seemed to carry such a wide assortment that I felt I could spend months just finding uses for it all.

The proprietor, Brendon Panks, sidled over to us and said, “Making a trip to Bloodfang?”

I nodded, and not wanting to give too much information away I promptly threw Richard under the carriage, “Richard is from Mountain’s Rest. We were going with him over the winter break from school.”

“Ahh, so your students from that new Academy up past Dun Tyr then. My daughter wanted to go, but they said she’s too young,” he replied.

“From what I have seen all the students would be considered adults in any nation of the Alliance, but still young enough not to be firmly set in a trade. I think the youngest I saw was sixteen, but he was an orphan that had been taking care of himself for the past few years,” Mai replied.

“Ahh, that explains it. She’s fourteen now, about the age where some schooling wouldn’t be a bad thing; but not so old that she would be considered more than an apprentice,” Panks said.

I nodded and said, “I think the Academy is intended as advanced schooling after the basics are learned. The last few months was mostly just making sure everyone was on the same page for the knowledge we have, and a few more advanced courses that would be difficult if you didn’t know the basics already.”

Richard pointed out, “It’s also the trial year. I think they picked students that were already far enough along to make it easier to determine what to teach.”

The merchant nodded along, “Well then, I hope she can get in when she’s a bit older. She’s got a good head, but doesn’t really want to run the store. That seems to be the goal of my youngest.”

He pointed out a small sandy haired boy who was cheerfully taking money from another customer before handing them a wrapped bundle. I smiled and agreed with the merchant before handing over my own coin and bidding farewell.

We met up with the others at the edge of the square and grabbed some food from a cart that was selling some type of noodle soup with meat and vegetables. After grabbing a bowl I sat down with the group at a table and said, “If we head out after we eat we can probably make it to the edge of the Aster Forest before nightfall.”

Tak swallowed his mouthful and said, “You know the area better than we do. Are there any dangers we need to be aware of?”

I motioned to Richard as I had just taken a large mouthful myself and he said, “Nothing out of the ordinary really. There are some creatures that are territorial in the forest, but they are a bit away from the road. The imps were a bit of a surprise back when we started school, but chances are Fenris made sure they know to stay off the mountain.”

Mai looked at us quizzically and Jessica said, “When we went to collect the wonder boy here we had a run in with a couple dozen Crimson Imps and a Red Ogre. It wasn’t much of an issue once the wolf showed up, but it got a little dicey before that.”

I swallowed and pointed out, “One, we are better prepared than we were then; and two, there are six of us as opposed to just the three of you. I’m pretty sure either of the Kono’s could handle a Red Ogre on their own.”

Vara nodded and said, “Yeah, from what you told me it was only the ambush that kept you on the defensive with the imps that caused a problem.”

Jessica shrugged and we finished eating.

The road out of Holt was easily wide enough for two carts and well traveled, if not as well kept as the one between it and Dun Tyr. I knew it wouldn’t last though, just past where the Aster Forest bordered the road was the large farming village of Kerrick’s Hill, and the roads beyond were small enough that large caravans couldn’t use them. Our pace was much faster than I had expected, though after some thought I realized it was due to the physical fitness courses we had all participated in. When we reached the intended campsite the sun still had another hour before it would set, and while the air was brisk there wasn’t any sign of snowfall on the horizon.

Takahashi asked, “Should we press on for a bit?”

Richard shook his head and said, “I’ve made the trip from Mountain’s Rest to Holt with the village smith before. The forest is not a friendly place, though the Vertweed will help. It’s better to pass through it’s border swiftly. We planned for one night along it so let’s stick to that.”

Mai asked, “What kind of dangers? I know you said some of the creatures were territorial, but what about things that might actively hunt us.”

Vara said, “I think the Gust Mantis is the biggest threat.”

I shook my head, “Close, they are the most common threat. The real threat is the Jade Spinner.”

Richard shuddered and said, “Oh yeah, those things. Gust Mantis’s are aggressive, but not too difficult to deal with. A Jade Spinner is just death on eight legs.”

Mai and Tak weren’t as familiar with the local critters so Richard and I explained. The Gust Mantis was a four foot tall praying mantis with an affinity for air elemental attacks, usually replicating the Wind Blade spell. They tended to travel in pairs and were ambush predators, but usually avoided groups of humans larger than three. They also were highly susceptible to fire. Jade Spinner’s on the other hand were big enough to grab a draft horse, almost immune to fire, and tended to set traps in the territory they had claimed.

Vara smiled and said, “I wouldn’t worry too much. They tend to stay in the deep forest. They are more of a threat for those hunter’s crazy enough to go after their silk. It makes excellent clothing, but the cost is so high because of how risky it is to hunt them.”

We started making camp and talking about the creatures that were native to this area. Mai and Takashi were, as expected, more familiar with the creatures native to the Azure Islands. Jessica was less interested in the creatures and more interested in getting a warm bed.

After a warm meal most of the group bedded down early, leaving Vara and myself seated at a campfire, a bundle of Vertweed ready to be tossed in. She asked, “What do you think Morgan is up to?”

“Probably napping under Alara’s branches again. It’s his favorite pastime, and she won’t let him catch a chill,” I answered with a small smile.

She looked pensive for a few minutes before asking, “Do you think he would let us do a hunt on the mountain?”

I shrugged, “Maybe, it depends on the crystals you use and what you're hunting. A large number of the creatures on the mountain now are sentient. It’s become something of a sanctuary for them since he took up residence. There are the wild beasts that you can use a standard crystal on, but he will break the bindings on anything sentient unless it wants to go with you.”

“I didn’t think beast bindings could be broken,” she said with a questioning tone.

“He can do it. He always said that he didn’t like doing it because it enforced his own principals on another, but I know he has done it a few times,” I said.

“Is it only with beast bindings?” she asked.

I shook my head, “No, that was a more recent discovery. He told me that it was something anyone that could see the aether flows could learn.”

She sighed before saying, “I wonder if Ezekiel could give me Aether Sight. It sounds so useful.”

“I think he wants to get a solid handle on the entire process before doing a Talent binding that complicated. Remember what happened to that Flood Beetle,” I pointed out.

She shuddered and said, “Yeah, a botched binding like that creates a monster; and it evolved in a unique way too.”

“I think they will want to keep how to Talent bind a secret until people with the ability are vetted. It could cause quite a disaster if someone intentionally created a monster wave,” I said.

“Oh great, now you’ve given me nightmare material,” she said with a glare.

“Hey we are camping, aren’t ghost stories standard?” I asked with a smirk.

“Magnus Ward, if I want a ghost story I’ll go to Stormfall Manor,” she said with a bit of dramatic flair.

I laughed with her and said, “Then you could bring a ghost story with you wherever you went.”

She grinned and patted one of the summoning crystals at her waist. “How do you think I know the ghost stories about that place are real?”

I gaped and stammered out, “You caught one of the phantoms?”

She continued to grin as she explained, “Caught might be a stretch. Remember that Talent I have, Empathic Aether?”

I nodded so she continued, “It lets me communicate in emotions and images with creatures that don’t have true sentience. Apparently it also increases the chance of a unique evolution that grants sentience.”

I nodded in understanding and said, “Since only the old Noble Phantoms are aware that means you could communicate with the Wisps and Geists right?”

She replied in a happy tone, “Exactly. I got a Volt Geist to come with me. Apparently it was unhappy being stuck there seeing the same moldy walls all the time.”

I grinned at her and said, “That’s going to make Integrated combat interesting. Most ghost aspected creatures can’t be harmed with a normal physical attack.”

She nodded, “Yeah, between him and Kitsu I have a pretty solid line up. I want to find something with an elemental aspect though, hence the question about a hunt.”

“Well we can ask, your Talent makes it more likely for something to come willingly,” I said.

We sat in silence for a little longer before she tossed the bundle of herbs into the fire and bade me a good night.

I silently mused to Varis, “Do you think you can help me make a summoning crystal? I wouldn’t mind contracting another creature as well.”

“Yes, when we get to the mountain I’ll help you make a couple of crystals. Remember that your supply of aether will make it require an open binding like mine,” she replied.

I smiled and headed for my own tent for the night.