Wiedergeburt 3

by Brandon Varnell

  At this moment, Kari was wearing one of the outfits she had gotten in the Endless Desert. Her top was a black and gold cloth that wrapped around her chest and back in an X-pattern. It went all the way around her body, and then came back to the front where it moved over her hips and formed another X in the front. Two long tails extended from the front and back of her clothing like a gown, swaying with the motion of her walk.

  “Who is that?”

  “I’ve never seen clothes like that before.”

  “Damn, that woman is fine. You think she’d drink with me if I offered?”

  “No dice. Check out the guy with her. They’re obviously together.”

  “Huh?! That’s a guy?! I thought it was a really manly girl!”

  I twitched at the last comment made by the peanut gallery, but I did my best to ignore them. Even now, after my body had been hardened and strengthened by the harsh environment and a lot of training, I still had a feminine appearance. This wasn’t the first time I had been mistaken for a girl. It probably wouldn’t be the last time either.

  Kari and I eventually found an empty table and sat down. Once we did, most of the patrons ignored us and restarted their original conversations. I sighed in relief. After having spent two years in the Endless Desert, I wasn’t used to being around so many people. Only a few of the cities we had been to in the Endless Desert had a lot of people, and while some of them were quite bustling, we spent more time traveling through the vast and empty dunes than we did the cities.

  Judging by the uncomfortable expression Kari wore, she was feeling the same way.

  Several minutes after we sat down, a plucky young waitress came up to our table.

  “Hey, there! My name is Jezabell! What can I get you two?”

  “We don’t know,” I said for the two of us. “This is our first time here. What do you recommend?”

  “Oh! First timers, huh? Well, in that case, I definitely recommend our Lava Crab Special!”

  I glanced at Kari. She tilted her head for a moment, her appearance thoughtful, and then she nodded.

  “We’ll have that,” I said to the waitress.

  “Okay! That’s two Lava Crab Specials! Would you like anything to drink?”

  “Just water please,” Kari said.

  “Got it! Just wait right here! Your orders will be up in a jiff!”

  As the cheerful girl walked off with a skip in her step, Kari and I turned our attention to the numerous people sitting around us. I glanced at a group of women several tables behind Kari. They were decked from head to toe in barbaric-looking armor with fur lining the outside. It looked uncomfortably hot in the sort of mild weather found in this region, but it also gave them an intimidating aura.

  All of them were looking at me.

  Several of them licked their lips.

  I grimaced.

  “Is something wrong, Eryk?” asked Kari when she noticed my actions.

  “Naw.” I sighed. “I’m just experiencing what it feels like to be a piece of prime beef hanging in front of a butcher’s store.”

  Kari tilted her head in obvious confusion, but she didn’t ask me to clarify. Instead, the two of us began listening into the various conversations going on around us. Most of them seemed to be the latest rumors about events that were happening within the city, but there was also some information being bandied out about ruins located some distance from Vahn, which caught Kari’s attention and caused her to listen in like a typical eavesdropper.

  “Hey, did you guys hear about those cultists who appeared several years ago? I heard a rumor they’ve returned,” a voice said somewhere to my left.

  “Oh, yeah. I think I heard something about shadowy figures that were exploring the ruins all across the Northern Plains. Didn’t they show up after the Six Great Sects Tournament? Rumor has it there are these people dressed in cloaks so big it hides their entire bodies. I heard they recently began inhabiting one of the ruins in the Evergreen Forest,” another voice said.

  “Those are the ones. There’s another rumor going around that they’ve been kidnapping people from small towns and villages all across the Northern Plains. No one knows what happens to those people who’ve been taken. No one hears from them ever again.”

  “Kidnappings, huh? What do you think they’re kidnapping people for?”

  “Don’t know, but it’s pretty creepy if you ask me.”

  “Come on, man. All of that is just a rumor. Shit like that gets spread around all the time. I doubt anything like that is happening. Midgard’s Six Great Sects would have put a stop to it.”

  “I don’t know. I heard Lady Alexis and Lord Rainere were grievously injured the last time they appeared…” The voice who’d first spoken didn’t sound convinced.

  “There’s no way that’s true. They’re the strongest people in the Northern Plains. I hear Lady Alexis even reached the Third State of Spiritualism when she was fourteen years old.”

  We stopped listening into the conversation when our food arrived, and the two of us conversed as we ate. I put the knowledge I had acquired about the cultists out of my mind. I had no way of knowing that in the years to come this so-called cult would turn out to not be a cult at all, but would eventually become one of the greatest banes of my existence.

  * * *

  The day after deciding that I needed to find an actual house with enough room to accommodate at least two people, I found myself visiting the Alchemist Association. It was late in the afternoon and I had just gotten off work from the library. Ms. Nadine had sensed that something was wrong with me and asked if I was feeling okay before I left. It must have been the bags under my eyes.

  I hadn’t been able to sleep much last night. The reason for that was obviously the Lamia girl, Lin, who had been living with me since before I realized she was a Lamia. Since I had taken her in, I couldn’t throw her out. I mean, I could, but the guilt I’d have felt from doing so would have been more than I could bear. However, we only had one bed, and it wasn’t even that big.

  We’d had no choice but to share it.

  Sleeping with a beautiful Lamia was something of a novel experience. I wouldn’t say it was unpleasant. Lin had wrapped her tail around my body like we were lovers. At the same time, she had snuggled herself against me, pushing her bare breasts into my arm, which had been pinned to my side by her tail. As a cold-blooded creature, her body had been a little chilly, but I would at least admit to myself that I had enjoyed it.

  The problem I had about sleeping with Lin was partly because it was so enjoyable, but it was also because I loved Kari. While I had allowed her to share my bed because we only had the one, I didn’t want this to become a habit.

  Everyone in the Alchemist Association was hard at work when I arrived. The stands inside of the walled-off square were bustling with a lot more people than the first time I had come there. People in rich mauve alchemist robes stood behind their booths and sold off the pills they had made, smiling as each jar filled with pills was exchanged for quite a few valis.

  Most of the people buying alchemy pills were obviously Spiritualists, which I could tell not only because I could sense their Spiritual Power, but also because they were wearing armor. Gleaming breastplates shone in the light. The clothing underneath was made mostly from wool, thick and durable. Vambraces and greaves protected their forearms and shins. Each person had a weapon of some kind either strapped to their back or hanging at their waist.

  I ignored these people, wove my way through the crowd, and entered the main building through the double doors. It didn’t take long for me to reach the Refining Hall on the second floor. There were a lot more alchemists present than I remembered from last time. I counted at least thirty new faces.

  Feinrea was not in the Refining Hall. I figured she was in her office, so I walked around the edge of the room to avoid disturbing the alchemists working. I knocked on the door when I reached her office at the other end of the room.

  “It’s open,” a voice called from ins
ide.

  I entered the room and found Feinrea hard at work. Her desk had been cleared of parchment to make room for her advanced alchemy set. Several of the beakers and flasks were filled with various glowing liquids. Feinrea was studying each of them, a pair of glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose. She would stir some of the liquids, add some new ingredients that changed the color, and then nod before grabbing a small quill and jotting down notes in a leather-bound book.

  “You seem to be hard at work,” I said as I walked further into the room.

  “Eryk.” Feinrea greeted me with a smile. “Ever since you taught me how to make those alchemy pills, I have been experimenting with the various effects and reactions that certain ingredients have to each other. For example, it seems that you cannot mix ingredients with the flame and water elements together without a catalyst to act as a coagulant. Since the two elements are in opposition to each other, you need to use a non-elemental base that can subdue the violent reaction that happens when you mix them.”

  I nodded a little at her words, but I didn’t comment too much on them. I wasn’t really an alchemist. I could refine alchemy pills, but I only knew how to make specific pills because they were something I needed to know how to make at the time. I had never studied the various reactions in depth. All the knowledge I had came because of necessity and not actual interest, unlike Feinrea who seemed to live, breathe, and dream alchemy.

  Feinrea was what I would have called a true alchemist. She could spend hours researching the various effects that happened when certain ingredients were mixed together, jotting them down in her leather-bound book, and mixing more ingredients to see how they interacted. I was certain that it wouldn’t be long before she began refining original alchemy pills.

  “Are you here because you need more ingredients?” asked Feinrea.

  “No.” I shook my head. “I’m actually here to learn about how the Alchemist Association is doing… and also because I am thinking of buying a house.”

  “A house?” Feinrea blinked, startled by my sudden proclamation, but then she shrugged as if it didn’t concern her. “In that case, I assume you are here for your share of the valis we’ve accrued. You are in luck. Within the last two weeks, the Alchemist Association finally began churning out a real profit. It seems the alchemy pills we’ve been creating have finally caught on. We’ve reached a point where I’ve had to hire on a lot more people to help with the refining process.”

  “I noticed,” I said. “It seems your brother and a few others are teaching the new alchemists how to refine pills.”

  “Those new students are nowhere near the point where they can work efficiently,” Feinrea admitted. “However, I am hoping they will be able to refine some of the pills within at least the next month. If they can’t, we won’t be able to keep up with the demand.”

  I spoke with her for a little while longer, but I couldn’t afford to stay for too long. Once I learned how the Alchemist Association was doing, Feinrea moved over to a safe that was sitting behind her desk. She undid the lock on the safe and pulled out a large bag of valis.

  “This is your cut of the profits.” She set the bag on the desk, which produced a jingling sound that could only come from money or metal clicking together. “Our current profits for the last two weeks equaled about 600,000 valis, which is more than our combined annual income for the last ten years. After subtracting the cost of the ingredients, our own cut, and the cut that the Valstine Family received, your cut comes to about 150,000 valis.”

  After buying clothes for myself, I had 50,900 valis from when I auctioned off the Five Finger Flame Whip Technique at the Valstine Family’s Auction House. With this, I now had 200,900 valis. I didn’t know how much a house would cost, but I was pretty sure this amount would be more than sufficient.

  “Thank you,” I said as I gratefully accepted the bag.

  Feinrea smiled as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. The action was elegant, but it also caused her massive bust to heave. Maybe it was a consequence of her own absent mindedness, but she didn’t seem to be wearing breast bindings like most women did. If that fabric wasn’t so thick, I was sure I’d be able to see her nipples.

  “We should be thanking you. My Alchemist Association was on the verge of collapse when you showed up. Had you not done so, we would have likely disbanded within the year.”

  I nodded. After seeing the state they had been in when I first arrived to buy that alchemy set, I could only conclude that she was probably right.

  “In either event,” Feinrea continued, “If you want to buy a house, I recommend finding a landowner who has properties for sale. Your best bet will likely be the Eieren Family. They’re one of the Three Heavenly Families. Unlike the Leucht and Kriger Families, who focus almost entirely on maintaining their martial prowess, the Eieren Family is best known for owning a lot of real estate. I can give you a map that displays all of their businesses, if you’d like?”

  “I would appreciate that,” I said.

  Feinrea went over to a shelf on her left, grabbed a scroll from one of the cubby holes, and walked back over.

  Her desk was still covered by her alchemy set, so she had to place the scroll on the edge. It turned out to be a map of Nevaria. It was a basic map that showed roads and buildings, along with several historical landmarks like the statue of Nevaria’s founder located in Merchant Square. Feinrea took her quill again, dipped it in a bottle of ink, and circled several of the buildings, which were represented by squares and rectangles.

  “Here.” She handed me the scroll after rolling it up. “I’ve marked down the buildings where the Eieren Family does business. If you go to any one of these locations and tell them you are looking to buy a house, they should be able to help you.”

  “Thank you.” I nodded to her. “I really appreciate the help.”

  I was a little surprised Feinrea knew about the Eieren Family’s business locations, but upon further thought, I realized she probably did business with them. I didn’t know much about them, but I was sure the Eieren Family had their hands in many different businesses.

  “Not at all.” Feinrea gave me a warm look. “Come to me anytime you need help.”

  I thanked her again and soon left the Alchemist Association, but I didn’t head straight to one of the Eieren Family’s business centers. As much as I wanted to hurry up and buy a house, there were other things I needed to do that were just as important. Fay was likely waiting for me at our new training spot. I couldn’t neglect her training or my own.

  * * *

  Our training had completely changed. Where before Fay and I would work on building our strength, stamina, and speed, and strengthening our Spiritual Pathways, now we were working on practicing Spiritual Techniques and exhausting our Spiritual Power to increase our capacity. To that end, I had Fay practicing the Flash Step.

  While the Flash Step was easy to learn, it was hard to master. The difficulty of the Flash Step lay in the precise control required to move from one point to another at incredibly high speeds, training your eyesight to clearly see while moving at high speeds, and training your brain and body to respond quickly during high-speed movements. Currently, Fay was still having trouble landing on the exact point of her target. Either she overshot the target or she didn’t move far enough.

  “It’s very frustrating,” she said as the two of us sat and relaxed. We’d been training for about three hours. Both of us had already exhausted our Spiritual Power and taken a Spiritual Recovery Pill. While the pill helped refill our reserves, the two of us discussed the Flash Step.

  “It certainly can be.” I nodded as I leaned against a tree. “Aside from requiring precise control, you also need to have very sharp eyes so you don’t miss your target. It takes a lot of effort and hard work to really master.”

  “You don’t seem to have a problem,” Fay muttered a soft complaint. The unconfident expression on her face said that she was almost certain she’d never master this technique.

>   I’d seen this look on her before. It was the same look she’d given me after I turned her down. The expression of hopelessness seemed to appear during times of hardship, but it also slipped out whenever she thought I wasn’t looking.

  I smiled. “I also created this technique myself. However, even I had issues when I first began using it. You are honestly really lucky. You haven’t broken a single bone while trying to learn the Flash Step.”

  “I suppose you have a point,” Fay admitted.

  A moment of silence passed between us. The gentle sounds of the forest echoed all around: the chirping of songbirds, the sound of crickets, the croaking of frogs, all of it blended together to create a soft music. It was almost enough to put me to sleep.

  As I sat there, I glanced at Fay, who sat close enough that she was right by my side, but far enough that she wasn’t touching me. I wondered if she was doing this on purpose. It felt like she was trying to discover what our boundaries were. She had yet to sit close enough that our thighs touched, but she had been sitting just a little closer with each day that passed. I wondered if she knew I was onto her.

  I discarded the thought moments later. Fay was too straightforward, so I doubted she was capable of this kind of subtlety. It was more than likely that she was unaware of what she was doing.

  “Hey, Fay,” I began suddenly, “are you planning to enter the Spiritualist Grand Tournament?”

  While Fay looked surprised, she still nodded. “I am. The Spiritualist Grand Tournament is an important event that can grant people a lot of prestige. Spiritualists who prove themselves to be strong are often given more power than other people.” She looked at the canopy of leaves above our heads as her fingers dug lightly into the ground. “If I can prove my strength during the Spiritualist Grand Tournament, then I will be able to properly decline the Leucht Family’s marriage arrangements.”