Knock knock knock.

Aster attempted to get Kanati to open his door yet again. He had been checking every night as he entered his Soul Space. No answer yet again. Aster gave a sigh and went to join Imbratisa and Hitsuki in the sitting area. Imbratisa handed him his usual mug which he took gratefully before asking them while gesturing at the sealed door in frustration, “I would know if he died in there right? Is dying even possible for any of you?”

The girls laughed and Imbratisa replied, “No die. We spirit here.”

Hitsuki spoke up, “I believe we can, like, die outside of the Soul Space though. We still have, like, a lifespan listed and if you die, then… well... we totally die too.” she added a little sadly.

Aster nodded, setting down his coffee, then gave out a loud groan of annoyance, “Then what’s his deal? Why won’t he come out? Why won’t he even speak to us?!” He threw up his hands as though giving up. “If he could at least say what he wants then I could at least try to accomplish it for him!”

Hitsuki nodded in agreement but Imbratisa looked hesitant before slowly saying with her thick accent, “Perhaps it not thing you can give?”

He gave a sigh and then made up his mind, standing as he replied, “I won’t know that until he tells me.” as he walked deliberately to the door again knocking once more and calling out, “Kanati, we’re going to talk now.” He placed his hand on the door and it vanished with a single thought, to reveal the tan man sitting cross-legged on the floor, a small campfire providing light as Aster realized the room looked like an open prairie with the sun just setting and the first stars beginning to shine.

Once he got over his initial surprise at the scenery he took in Kanati's appearance and frowned, starting to form an unhappy idea about why he had hidden away here. The gryphon-turned-man was shirtless but had hide leggings with breechclout and moccasins on. His piercing teal eyes seem to stare straight into him and the feathers woven into his hair gave him the exact impression of one of the first peoples of America and he had a sinking feeling he knew why Kanati would merge with the idea in his memories of the tragedy that had befallen an entire continent. It also jogged his memory of where he had heard the man’s name before, most likely ripped from his memories, the First Man and great hunter of the Cherokee.

Met with this new image of the man before him, he realized that perhaps he had gotten ahead of himself but still wanted to know, “Is there anything I can do for you Kanati?” he asked softly, some of his initial frustration deflating.

The voice that replied was low and strong, “Can you free me?”

Aster winced at that, slightly afraid that he would ask something along those lines because honestly, he didn’t think he could. “I thought I freed you from one cage only to put you in another… I… I don’t know how to release the bond, if it’s even possible, or if it’s fatal.”

Kanati gave a heavy sigh and looked up at the darkening sky as he said, “Then leave me. Let me dream of home, of my family, of the open sky which beckons me.”

Aster wanted to say more but realized that perhaps it was still too soon and he shouldn’t push him if he wanted to be a good companion for him, so he nodded silently and replaced the door and returned to the couch, flopping into it and staring at his own starry ceiling.

“Sooo… That, like, went totally better than I expected.” Hitsuki said. Aster gave her a raised eyebrow and she continued, “Yeah, he, like, actually spoke to you. I was sooo not expecting that. Are you, like, gonna try and find a way to release him now?”

Aster gave a little helpless shrug, “I barely understand soul bonding in the first place and you remember what your class description said?”

Imbratisa spoke up this time, reciting the line, “Only death shall part you from them.”

“Exactly, and I’m not particularly fond of the idea of killing Kanati just cause I can’t find a solution. Hopefully, I can find more information at the Grand Library but I’m not sure any of us should hold our breath.” He said irritably. He never liked running into problems he couldn’t solve.

The woodland gave way to open grassland as they traveled further down the road and it became pointless to go farther from the road to make camp so they set up a watch rotation. They were about two days from Chiplewich where they could stock up, getting a bit low on food, luckily their water pouches were refilling on their own thanks to the party ability so even if they went a bit hungry they would last long enough.

It was that night when they heard the hooves. Three riders, on what looked like Dark Gazelles, approached them as they sat around the campfire eating their evening meal. The mounts slowed as they got closer and the three of them got a good look at the strangers dressed in mostly black. The one in front and middle, a human man who acted as the leader, called out to them, “Ho there, travelers! On your way to Chiplewich? Any monster encounters on your journey? ‘Twas quiet for us so far.”

Saelak glanced at Aster who glanced at Donoma, trying to indicate that she should take the lead for this one. She smiled brightly at the stranger and nodded, “Been fair weather and fair travels so far. A Death Badger tried ta get da jump on us but I doubt that was da type o’ monster ya’d be worried ‘bout.”

One of the riders behind the leader spoke up, an androgynous Autumn Elf from the initial appearance, and spoke in a heavy British accent to Aster’s ears “A bleedin’ Badger’s got nothin’ on a Bulette.” they said with a laugh, “Thems will sense yous comin’ from a ‘undred meters away, they wills, and bite yer ‘ead off before ye even knew thems were there!”

The leader waved a hand at their companion, shushing them, “I’m sure these travelers are aware of the dangers in the wilds, Cainen.” Their eyes never left the trio though as they concluded, “We’re going to push forward but hope to see you in Chiplewich so we know that no Bulette took your heads. Rest safe, travelers.”

Donoma nodded saying, “May the Traveler hasten yer journey.” Which the others nodded at before kicking at their mounts to start galloping down the road once more.

Saelak looked at both of his companions as he said, “Did they seem a bit… off to either of you?”

Aster shrugged, “We haven’t passed many others in our travels so far, though it seems odd to stop when mounted. Why ask if the road they’ve already taken had monsters? They would have either run into some that we missed or would have found our remains potentially. They didn’t ask for anything, it was basically… small talk? Chit chat?”

Donoma nodded, “Yer right, if they be weary and wantin’ ta talk, they would’ve asked ta share camp, but stoppin’ just ta exchange a few words…”

“And get a good look at our marks,” Aster interjected, leaving the implication hanging in the air.

After a moment Saelak asked, “You don’t think they sent people after us do you?”

“O’ course they would,” Donoma said, shaking her head as though she should have thought of that sooner.

“But why would they just leave then? Why not try to capture us before we caught on or changed our direction?” Saelak pressed.

Aster tapped his friend’s forehead, “This is most likely why.” Saelak scrunched his face, “You are a force to be reckoned with. None of them had more than one Blessing; they can’t go up against a Trimagi let alone all three of us.”

Saelak flicked his forehead, “You’re a Trimagi now too, you know” he said laughing slightly, “I understand your point though. Still, it’s a bit unnerving. Do we change course?”

Aster shook his head, “No, we’ll stay on our path for now. It could have just been bandits who changed their mind when they didn’t find a weak target or simply just an awkward encounter. We’ll take watches like normal and should arrive at town soon. Hopefully no trouble will be there to meet us.”

Saelak scoffed dramatically as he teased, “With your luck? It’ll be a miracle to not run into trouble.”

“And you’re certain it was them?” Came Lux’s voice from the small magenta glowing sphere in the lead rider’s palm.

“Yes, sir. All three match the descriptions given and we got a decent look at the half-human’s mark. Sure enough, t’was an upside down Spirit symbol,” they replied confidently. The group had pulled off the road briefly to trigger the communication device once the camp had left their sight.

“Wot yous wants us to do, boss? Gut ‘em? Net ‘em?” Cainen asked into the sphere from their leader’s right side.

“Ryden, take your team ahead while we pursue. Stall them if you have to but don’t let them leave Chiplewich before we arrive.” He gave a slight sigh of frustration, “I’m not sure you three alone have the power to capture them and we want them alive, for now. Tail them and inconvenience them. We will be there within 3 days with Wind steeds.”

“Yes, Magistrate.” Ryden replied and then stopped feeding mana into the orb, letting it go dim once more. “Cainen, Sylven, we ride on. We need to prepare for our guests' arrival in town.”

To their surprise, they made it to Chiplewich two days after their encounter with the riders without any more incidents, though that also meant they were dangerously low on supplies. They were cautious as they came upon the first buildings, this town was smaller than the last and didn’t have much in the way of walls, gates, guards or accommodations. It acted much like how Aster remembered large truck stop areas being back on Earth, there was a single inn with attached diner and a small market for people to trade goods and stock up on supplies with the only homes belonging to the few who kept the town running as a trading post and rest stop.

Their plan was to simply stock up their provisions, sleep in a bed, then keep on moving, putting more distance between them and the country they were wanted criminals in.

Aster tried to keep the hood on his cloak up and covering his new marks as much as possible but he was perceptive enough to notice the surprise on people’s faces when they caught a glimpse of it. He had made triple sure his title was set to “Party-Goer” so as not to draw more attention to himself, as his group refilled their bags with food rations and bait for trapping and fishing, though they wouldn’t see a river or ocean again for a while.

The next trek of their journey would be about a week and be taking them into the rocky terrain of the home of the Mountain Dwarves. Fortunately, there would be a pretty well traversed road until they reached the main gate and entered the mountain passage that led to the heart of the city. According to what Aster had read, the entire mountain had been carved into a city fortress.

Aster was also grateful to finally find and purchase his own spacial bag. It was only a small one but it was better than nothing in his opinion.

You acquired: Small Dimensional Bag

So much stuff, so little space, so have your own pocket dimension for it!

Quality: [ Acceptable ]

Availability: [ Rare ]

Type: Storage

Effects:

Can store 250 pounds, not exceeding a volume of 10 cubic meters.

Weighs 5 pounds, regardless of its contents.

Once they had finished their shopping and felt prepared for the next stretch of travelling, they rented a room at the inn with the innkeeper giving a wide grin and waggling her eyebrows suggestively when Aster voiced that they would be sharing a room. Before Saelak could give out a protest, Donoma wrapped her arms around both of their necks and smiled broadly at the dwarf, “Gotta keep me boys in line, ya know?” to which the lady cackled before handing over a set of keys with a room number etched in wood attached. They bowed in thanks and retreated to the room for the night.

They took watches, still unnerved by their encounter on the road, but at least when they slept it was in one of the two small beds filling the room. In the morning they changed into clean clothes, the bundle having been washed overnight by the inn staff for a modest fee that Aster felt was worth every copper. Feeling refreshed they ate a hot breakfast, chatting amicably, and then headed west out of the small village.

They decided to forgo the singing buff this morning so as not to draw unwanted attention and as they moved down the road at a relaxed pace Saelak broke the comfortable silence, “I’m actually a bit amazed that nothing went awry during our time there. Maybe that bunny is bringing you some luck, Aster.”

The summer elf face-palmed, rubbing her eyes in frustration before saying exasperatedly, “Why would ya say that and curse us?! Now we’re gonna run into a dragon or somethin’!”

Saelak looked at her a bit affronted, “How could me just saying something cause bad luck?!”

Aster interjected, chuckling at them, “It’s called a flag, and you just totally raised it.”

Both of the elves were about to question what he meant, when all of them staggered suddenly and were interrupted with a red prompt.

Alert! You triggered a Quicksand trap!

Reflex check failed; you are stuck.

Strength check failed; you are sinking.