by Turtle Me
Wanting to understand more about how ascents and the Relictombs worked, I asked the town chief, “So does Aramoor have an ascension chamber?”
“Of course!” The bear of a man huffed. “Aramoor may be a small city in the outskirts of Etril, but even we have an ascension chamber!”
“I see…” I muttered, slightly taken aback. “My apologies. I rarely leave the central dominion.”
The chief’s eyes bulged. “Oh n-no offense taken, esteemed ascender. Please don’t apologize! It is rare indeed for highbloods of the central dominion to travel this far out!”
With a polite smile, I went back to studying the map, glad that the chief’s internalized fear of the ascenders was working in my favor. Without it, he would be a lot more suspicious about my questions, I was sure.
Despite my questions, the truth was that travelling to the central dominion wasn’t necessary, at least not for some time. My true goal was to reach the next Relictombs. It didn’t seem like the specific ascension chamber used to enter into the Relictombs determined where you ended up once inside, so my first stop would be Aramoor.
Travelling on foot would probably be faster than getting a horse, but it would still take over a week to get there, even running day and night.
As I was thinking over my options, Loreni entered and bowed to the two of us. “Excuse my intrusion. I’ve brought some tea and snacks.”
“Perfect timing, Loreni,” the chief said. “Our esteemed ascender’s destination seems to be to Aramoor. Make some arrangements to prepare a horse and a guide for him.”
“Of course!” Loreni placed the tray carefully onto the table and turned to leave when she abruptly stopped. “Ah!”
Both the chief and I raised our heads.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you both,” Loreni whispered. “But perhaps the fastest and most comfortable way for esteemed ascender to get to Aramoor might be to just wait?”
The chief raised a brow. “What do you mean?”
“I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors, Chief Mason, but I just got a confirmation letter today confirming that a representative from Stormcove Academy is actually visiting Maerin Town to spectate and maybe even recruit one of our student mages,” Loreni explained.
“Ah!” Chief Mason snapped his finger in realization. “Stormcove Academy has a tempus warp!”
Just as I was about to ask Regis for some clarification on what a tempus warp was, the town chief turned to me excitedly.
“This is great news! If esteemed ascender stays until the representative from Stormcove Academy arrives, I’m sure they will be more than happy to take you back with them. This way, you can simply go through the temporary gate and arrive in Aramoor immediately.”
I nodded calmly, though internally I was still trying to wrap my head around the idea of a school official in a small city having access to such powerful technology.
‘It’s probably not as powerful as the one that the Alacryan who invaded Xyrus Academy used to enter and escape with Elijah… or Nico… or whatever the hell his name now,’ Regis suggested.
It was hard to swallow, but it made some sense that Agrona’s people had access to this technology considering how long he’d been dabbling in aether. And as astonishing as it was that a mere representative of a school had access to such technology, it also gave me hope.
The person from Stormcove Academy might not have a tempus warp powerful enough for intercontinental teleportation, but someone higher up might. If I could acquire one, I could go home.
‘Don’t get your hopes up. If Uto’s memories are any indication, Agrona is probably the only one that has access to something like that, and it’s not like he’ll just let anyone use it.’
Yeah. My life has never been that easy, I responded internally.
Standing up, I regarded both Loreni and Chief Mason. “Thank you both for your help. It seems like I’ll need to rely on your hospitality for a few more days then.”
The town chief bolted up to his feet, excitement radiating from his wrinkled face. “That’s great! There are a few homes left vacant for important visitors! They’re most likely shabby cottages compared to esteemed ascender’s estate in the central dominion, but please feel free to use any one of them!”
“I’ll be in your care then,” I said with a faint smile. “And my name is Grey.”
“Ascender Grey of Blood Denoir,” the town chief muttered as both he and Loreni bowed before me. “It’s an honor to meet you.”
After handing me the map, the town chief had Loreni escort me to the villa where I would be staying for the next few days.
Unsurprisingly, Chumo and Sembi—I caught myself using his name instead of calling him “Not-Chumo” and suppressed a smile—had remained next to the doors, keeping guard. When the two tried to follow along to “protect” us, Loreni shot them down with a glare, whispering, “Protect who? Esteemed ascender’s left pinky toe is enough to beat you two.”
Leaving the two withering guards to console each other, Loreni led me out of the administration building.
“You keep staring at me,” I mentioned, making Loreni stiffen.
“I—uh… my apologies, esteemed ascender,” she stammered, her eyes on her feet.
“I know I’m an ascender, but do I look that different from the people you usually see?”
“It’s actually my first time seeing an ascender in person,” she admitted, keeping her gaze glued to the ground. “And a man as… pretty as you.”
Regis let out a chortle.
“You didn’t mistake me for a woman, right?” I asked, immediately feeling self-conscious of my new appearance, despite what a silly worry it was.
She blushed, eyes wide. “Oh no! Not at all. It’s just that your eyes are so golden and features so sharp that it’s… very different from the boorish men that hunt mana beasts for a living.”
The mention of my eye color put a knot in my chest. I took a deep breath and tried to swallow the painful emotion.
Loreni must’ve noticed my change in expression. “I hope you haven’t been offended by our behavior, Ascender Grey. Chief Mason is probably the only person in Maerin Town who has come across an ascender before, and while I have been taught the proper etiquette of talking to an ascender, Chumo and Sembi have not.”
“Based on how you all behave around me, it seems like ascenders tend to be pretty vain,” I noted, thinking about Chief Mason’s terror when he first entered his office.
“O-oh no, I mean… our town is a very remote and insignificant part of the Etril, much less all of Alacrya. It’s understandable that we don’t amount to much in the eyes of the great ascenders,” she explained, forcing a wary chuckle.
‘Elite mages being asses to the less-adept? Not very hard to believe,’ Regis chimed in.
We walked in relative silence for the rest of the short hike to the villa, which was on a gated path just off the edge of town proper. The dirt road led up to a secluded property surrounded by a ring of trees where three single-story houses faced each other, each with a grass lot divided by a tall white fence.
“This will be where you’ll stay until the exhibition ends. That’s in about six days. Chief Mason will notify the representative from Stormcove Academy of your presence and request them to take you along when they return to Aramoor,” Loreni informed me as she opened the fence leading to the leftmost house. “There will be a guard stationed at the gate to the path leading up here, and an attendant will be sent your way to help you with anything you need.”
“Thank you,” I said, giving the girl a friendly smile.
She handed me the keys to the house. “Of course, esteemed ascender. Did you have any questions for me before I leave you to your rest?”
“Just one.” I turned, looking past the high brick walls that surrounded the town. I could see several hills blanketed with trees. Based on the map, past those hills was the southeastern coast of Alacrya. “You mentioned mages
hunting mana beasts for a living earlier. Is anyone allowed to hunt here?”
“Yes! This area is known for its high population of rocavids, a mana beast indigenous to this part of the country. Their hides are very popular for leatherwork, and their hooves are often used to make tools,” she answered, like she was reading out of a manual. “Why do you ask?”
I rubbed the back of my neck, chagrined. “I lost most of my belongings during my last ascent, so I need some money.”
Loreni’s eyes widened. She was breathless with fear when she said, “The town chief can provide you with gold, esteemed ascender! There’s no need for you to work!”
“It’s okay,” I said with a chuckle. “I also want to stretch my limbs from time to time.”
“As you wish. If you’d like to go hunting, be aware that the beasts generally become more powerful as you travel north. I’d normally suggest caution, but…” Loreni trailed off, shrugging.
I nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. Now if you’ll excuse me, I should wash up and get some rest.”
The little villa, while modest and decorated minimally, was clean and comfortable. It had running water and the sort of indoor plumbing only found in cities in Dicathen, something I hadn’t expected in such a remote place. It had everything I needed to rest somewhat comfortably after my long weeks facing the constant threat of death in the Relictombs.
“Finally, some fresh air,” Regis said after he left my body. The shadow wolf stretched, then trotted around the one-bedroom villa, sniffing the gray leather couch and looking through the metal container inside the kitchen.
“I know you look like a dog, but is it necessary for you to act like one?” I teased, stripping off my clothes.
“Wolf,” Regis corrected. “And no. But for some reason, with my transformation, my nose is super sensitive to aether, which is basically food for me.”
“Good to know.” I stepped into the shower, pumping the lever until cold water began pouring down the dispenser.
After washing myself and my clothes, I rifled through the closet of generic attire and picked out a pair of tan trousers and one of the few shirts that didn’t have a gaping hole down the back.
This was the first time I had gotten the chance to look at myself clearly. The metal sheet that served as a mirror showed me a man that looked to be in his early twenties, thin yet toned with broad shoulders. Aside from the runes running down my back and the underside of my right forearm, I didn’t have a scar or blemish on my athletic body.
The face that stared back at me still had traces of Arthur, but it was unnerving to see myself so changed. My eyes were still large, but their golden color made me think of the asuras, and my now wheat-colored hair, which fell just above my shoulder in still dripping locks, seemed to me almost gray and lifeless compared to my original auburn coloring.
Considering where I was, it was actually great that I had a new appearance; I didn’t have to worry about someone recognizing me as the Lance that had killed thousands of Alacryan soldiers. But I couldn’t help but worry about how everyone I knew would look at me. How would my mother and sister treat me when they saw me like this? How would Tess?
“Still not used to it?” Regis asked, sitting just behind me.
I put on the black shirt and walked away, combing my hair back with my hands. “No.”
“You’re still you, princess,” he said, perhaps trying to comfort me. The shadow wolf followed me as I sank down on the couch, which faced the window overlooking the fenced yard.
“I know that.” I let out a sigh. “I just hope that everyone else does too.”
Anxious and impatient to progress in whatever way I could, I withdrew the relic from my new extradimensional storage rune.
The ancient mage had said this wasn’t an edict or an artifact, but more of a guide that would help me unlock a specific edict of aether.
“He could’ve at least told me what branch it was,” I muttered, studying the surface of the stone cube.
Seeing nothing significant on the surface of the stone, I imbued aether into it.
As soon as my aether touched the cube, a foreign aetheric substance from the cube reached back out to me, filling my vision like a blanket of glowing purple.
284
Bow’s Blight
ELEANOR LEYWIN
I smirked at Elder Rinia. Her wry sense of humor was one of the things I really liked about her. While everyone else in the underground town walked around as if every day was one long funeral, the old seer could still find humor despite everything that had happened.
The smirk slowly slid off my face as Elder Rinia fixed me with a piercing, humorless stare.
“Wait, are you being serious?” I asked uncertainly.
“Serious as a… as a…” Elder Rinia trailed off, her mouth opening slightly, her eyes rolling up toward the roof of the cave as she grasped for whatever she was trying to say. “Damn, I forgot the phrase—but yes, I am very serious.
“If you think you’re ready for the dangers of battle, then prove it. The creature that haunts these tunnels is a genuine danger—to me, to you, and everyone else in the colony. Want my wisdom? Well, you’re going to have to earn it, Ellie dear.”
I again found myself not really sure what to say. Elder Rinia was an enigma; I couldn’t even begin to guess at the reason behind her actions, so I had to assume that hunting down and killing this blight hob was important to the mission in Elenoir somehow.
The image of blue slime spilling out of my mouth and nose came to mind and I tasted peppermint again. Or perhaps Rinia needs some part of the blight hob for her stores?
“Do I need to bring any part of the beast back?” I asked.
Elder Rinia grinned slyly. “Clever girl. Yes, kill the creature and bring me its tongue as proof.”
Nodding to myself, I realized that I was both excited and afraid. I thought about the battle at the Wall, how the thrill and adrenaline of the fight had clashed with the terror I felt as I watched the horde slaughter our soldiers on the battlefield…
It was always like that, I guessed. Even my brother must have been afraid sometimes, but I knew he’d been eager to fight—and to grow stronger—too.
He said he just wanted to be strong enough to protect his family, but if that was true, why did he sacrifice himself for Tessia?
I wasn’t sure I’d ever understand.
“Now, there are a couple things you should know,” Elder Rinia said, interrupting my thoughts. “The blight hob won’t just stand around and try to fight you, especially not with that giant bear protecting you.
“If it can’t sneak up on you, it’ll try to lead you into a trap. Don’t let it. If you can catch it lying in wait for you and put an arrow in its black little heart before it has a chance to move, that’s your best bet.
“And whatever happens, don’t let the thing breathe on you again. That was the last of my frost snail blubber for who knows how long.”
“Shouldn’t you know when you’ll get more?” I asked. “Being a seer and all?” Despite my nervousness and my fear, a giddy energy was starting to wash over me, and I couldn’t help the big, silly grin that appeared on my face.
Scowling, Elder Rinia said, “Why, you little—” then rocked herself to her feet and began to shoo me away. I hopped up and, still grinning, let her usher me toward the “door” of her cavern home. “Don’t come back until you’ve learned some respect—and don’t forget that tongue!”
Giggling, I slipped through the crack and out into the dark tunnel. My bond was a big, fuzzy shadow guarding the entrance. He turned his wide head to face me as I approached, and I ran my hand up his snout and between his eyes, giving him a scratch. Boo closed his eyes and huffed in pleasure.
“You ready for some action, big guy?” He grunted, a rumble from deep in his chest that would have been terrifying if he wasn’t my bond. “We’re going hunting.”
We started our hunt by returning back to whe
re we’d encountered the pack of cave rats. Two more of the creatures had already found the bodies and were busily cannibalizing the remains.
We approached in total darkness, the light artifact now hidden within a deep pocket of my loose trousers. I had decided it was safer to move in the dark than to give away our location with the lantern stone, relying instead on my mana-heightened hearing to guide us.
Still, Boo wasn’t exactly stealthy, and the cave rats heard us coming. They puffed themselves up and hissed threateningly, protecting their meal, but they turned and fled when Boo charged them.
When I was sure they were gone, I pulled out the light artifact and held it up. “Boo, see if you can get the blight hob’s scent from the roof.” I pointed at the rough stone above our heads.
My bond stood on his hind legs, reaching his shiny black nose right up to the tunnel ceiling, and began to sniff around. After only a few seconds, he dropped back to all fours and lowered his wide snout to the floor, continuing his deep sniffing.
I followed as he led us away from the chewed-up corpses, moving slowly, his nose pressed to the ground.
After about a minute, Boo stopped and turned to look at me, his intelligent eyes shining green in the dim light of the lantern stone. He huffed, his sides expanding, then shook his shaggy hide like a wet dog.
He had the scent. “Okay, let’s go get him, Boo.”
My bond grunted, then took off, moving quickly now. I stowed the light artifact again and followed, my bow ready.
The blight hob had covered quite a bit of distance since it had attacked us. We followed its scent for an hour, then two, but we still hadn’t caught sight of it.
The tunnels around our underground town were a winding, criss-crossing maze, and the blight hob moved as though it knew we were hunting for it. Based on what Elder Rinia had said, I wondered if the mana beast was paranoid, always creeping around as if something was stalking it.
I was walking just behind Boo, my right shoulder pressed against his left flank, so when he jerked to a stop I knew immediately.
