The Bright is the result of a chunk of crystalline material fallen from the High Dungeon which, rather than a racial term denotes its location in relation to everything else, that is to say, the High Dungeon is the largest of the floating dungeons of Aerae. The crystalline shards that fell have formed a rather peculiar environment and has facilitated strange evolutions in the animals and sentients present. In short, the valley between the Rever Ice is so blindingly bright compounded by the reflective nature of the snow and ice forever present of the Rever such that beings possessing even some modicum of sight would have a hard time even being present. To say that The Bright is uninhabitable to seeing beings would not be out of place. Fascinating, however, is the culture that has formed in the sentients that thrive there. An odd amalgamation of appreciation for sound and touch. It simply wouldn't be possible to learn about this culture normally but the people of The Bright can just as easily leave it and tell us their stories. In truth, none can prove the reality of The Bright as standing atop the Rever Ice and looking down is blinding and dangerous. The magic absorbing properties of the crystalline shards from the High Dungeon prevent magical survey and odd electromagnetic fields prevent similar technological observation. I was fascinated by the people, environment, and animals that lived there. It is a sad irony that I became what I am.

- Patriarch Venul Yangthu, vampire

Luck squinted at the sun, it couldn't have been good for his eyes. He looked down to his pendant again. One of his family members were east, how far exactly could be anyone's guess but they had to be relatively close if the motes of light in the pendant only now began to split. The rest were north and Luck was heading there first. From his position in the Hydr Dunes east might mean Ardun or further. North from his position was an unknown so he would group with them first. The amount of gathering dots of light indicated how near he was as well. There was more pointing north than east.

"It's cooling down." Ace remarked. The night was now an uncomfortable warmth rather than a sweltering heat. Heading north it seemed the desert was rapidly chilling which presented another set of problems. At night, under the light of a waxing moon, it was worse.

"North of Ardun is the Frozen Zones. It'll likely get much colder." Luck decided to finally ask about the thing Ace had been fiddling with the past half day. "What are you doing with that anyway? What is that?"

"It's Aeran currency. Erok showed me, he kept his silver and gold understandably hidden but he tossed me this one." Ace was flipping it between his knuckles, a smooth brown coin flickering in the moonlight. An easy manuever for nimble fingers. "When they're stamped it's with magical authenticity apparently there are reputable banks scattered around Aerae. They're still expanding but their print on a copper, silver, or gold coin is accepted and recognized almost everywhere. So Erok says." Ace finished, examining the coin as it flipped between his knuckles. He held it up to the moon, squinting at the piece of copper.

The man was lying splayed across over the edge of the keid's saddle. The monotony of their travel was painfully dull. The vultures above loomed just as they had the first day of their journey. They were everpresent even during the night soaring right in front of the moon as if they could go beyond and perch on its beauty.

"Aeran currency?" Luck asked absently his mind distracted by the stars above. "Never thought of a bank existing at all. And if it did then it must be some bank. Aerae's a big place a standardized currency to encompass it all? That's pretty significant." Luck said somewhat impressed. He readjusted himself. The cushions on the saddle have long been compressed into their figures by now. It wasn't the most pleasant ride.

"Logistically it doesn't seem feasible. But then again." And Ace raised his hand as a spark jumped between his fingers and the coin lighting up the saddle with a flash. "I'm sure people have found ways of communicating long distance. Magic for one and tech too. Really I'm quite excited to see if there are better forms of the knowledge we already know. Fighting styles for one. MMA, Taekwondo, Jiu-Jistu, Muay Thai. Are there any combat styles superior to the best ones from home? It's a question to ponder." Ace flicked the coin into his palm and clenched his fist punching the air hard enough to snap his jacket's sleeves. Luck was reminded of Ace's expertise as the former mercenary moved through disarms on an invisible opponent.

"It's a good question too. Keep in mind the different inhabitants of Aerae and different combat styles become viable." He gestured to the keid traveling in front of them. "The ones from home are designed for the human body. There are a lot of people out there. Who knows what might be most effective when you've two extra arms for example."

"Huh. You're right. But yeah, that's one thing I'm interested in. I'm still quite curious what might be commonplace in an actual city. Peace seemed more like a frontier town based around the Arena Fields and central tower. I doubt that magically enchanted ice rooms are the extent of magical influence on city infrastructure."

"Still feeling like a tourist I see." Luck's eyes were drawn naturally to beauty so it wasn't odd that his gaze was drawn from under the saddle to stare at the stars. Silence passed, no other sound than the faint howling of the desert dunes. "You know, there are a few subraces of humans out there. Scient, Higher, Attuned, Lesser, Deep and Sense humans, odd names yeah but Spirit's never steered me wrong before. A combat style or two might've developed between them all. They go to war often apparently. I'm sure their homes might have some magical alterations to them as well." Luck said, chewing on some heat berries. Luck's palate seemed to agree with the spice. His tongue could appreciate the taste. Mr. Ark would've been just as impressed he thought.

Ace wasn't in a rush to reply. His eyes traced the awning of the keid's saddle his thoughts unknown to everyone but him. "Well, I do love traveling. Might make a map myself when we settle down. See the sights, you know?" Ace flipped over and looked out across the desert. Tric flew by silently and Ace handed her some soaked apples for her and Saga. The little dragon jetted away to the two companions' own mount. "Might as well visit the locals of our very own species. Might be weird to see though." Ace chuckled, watching his Tric fly by. The man seemed in a very good mood compared to the first week of the journey

Luck smirked at him. Ace seemed especially conversational tonight. "I take it you're finally warming up to Maxworth and Erok then. Normally you're the quiet one. The stoic Ace Vent finally deciding to open up?" Luck laughed good-heartedly.

He snorted. "Don't get me wrong, Lucky. I can go weeks, months even, without talking. Have done before, actually. Twice, I think. Doesn't matter. Those were on mercenary contracts with a team I couldn't trust and didn't know. Here I'm a free man with free speech. Took me two weeks, though talking to different species even if they're humanoid is slightly unsettling. Pair that with my elegant use of Common and you'll have to forgive my hesitancy."

"You speak to Tric just fine. Even to Saga every once in a while." Luck pointed out. "And come on, learning a new language is right up your alley. You're pretty damn fluent already." Amber eyes watched entertaining the possibility of some kind of enhanced learning tool.

Ace showed no sign of hiding anything but, then again, this was Ace Vent he was talking about. Luck found it best not to underestimate the man. Ace shook his head in exasperation. "You know what I meant, demon. Although I guess if I can communicate with the Amber Demon than I should be fine with everything else." Ace shrugged splaying his hands out in a grin that Luck found powerfully annoying.

Luck groaned knowing the night would be a long one. He'd been probing, but Luck still wasn't quite sure what Ace's other tools were from his impartation. He was insanely curious. From what he gathered Ace had done surprisingly well even impressing and catching Jerxos by surprise. Luck had no reference with which to judge. His impartation was strictly strategy, risk-taking, and luck. The factors determining rewards for one's performance was unknown to Luck. He had simply played the numbers and the game, swiping cards and tools when he could.

The campsite was just as uncomfortably hot as it had been since the drones had left along with their cold and blissful metal. Not that Luck experienced any of it, the aspect of the heatblind kept him cool. Spirit was holding tight to an aspect of the black armored beetle for him and would preemptively activate it in the event of danger as it had for the initial contact with the drone. Though he kept cool and comfortable he could see the effects on Erok, Ace, Nayah, and to his surprise Maxworth as well. They all did well to resist the mental deterioration as long as they did. Ace was trained for it and the others seemed to be built for it. A man made of rock and one made of metal and gears? Luck didn't think it would matter to them. But they were becoming more irritable in the heat.

As a whole, however, the boredom was getting to them.

After the first few days Erok and Maxworth brought up the idea of traveling during the night. Mainly the problem was how easily a traveler could be turned around in the dunes. There were scarce landmarks and without knowledge and skill in map reading and astrology, one would easily become lost. And not just any astrology but particularly of the stars of Aerae, otherwise Ace would be a suitable guide under the stars. Luck volunteered himself. With the help of Spirit the solution to the navigation problem was a mere upwards glance. They had been traveling nightly ever since taking the majority of the day to rest.

It was nearly the start of the morning which was the time they ended their nighttime trek. They would camp out from under sun, using the keid saddles as shade and relief from the blazing heat. Vurr was their main source of meat, the small burrowing mammals were the size of pigs and tasted like heaven. Dried jerky from the previous catch would often attract one brave enough, or starved enough to try for it. Erok's great hammer wasn't the best weapon to end them without ruining the meat so Maxworth was usually fast enough to slit open the throat of the creature.

Luck was still lounging in the saddle focusing and failing at rewinding time when he heard an odd bit of conversation.

"Erok will you spar with me?" Ace's voice came from the other side of the keid.

"Spar?" Erok questioned but grinned wide. "I will be honored to Ace. It shall break this boring travel."

Luck crawled on his stomach to the other end of the saddle to peer at the middle of their campsite which was simply the large clearing between all three keids with multiple travel packs and rations spread out among a small firepit. A vurr was roasting while Maxworth watched it but the metallic man glanced over at Ace.

"Apologies, Ace. A spar is different in Roken society. You must understand that Erok comes from a highly reputable group among his people. In the Rhoride Hammers, spars are done to the brink of death. I assume you do not want that." The metallic man said from his seat on a small rock. The shadow of the keid closest to him protected him from the sun.

Luck nodded. "Spar" translated to something along the lines of "to the brink" in Roken. Luck thought it referred to fully testing yourself against someone. Forcing them to the brink, to the maximum of what they could draw from. It was an interesting case where the word was defined differently through the culture of those speaking the language.

"Ahh, no not at all. I've just not been practicing as much I'd like. I'd like to shake the rust off, stretch some unused muscle." Ace's common had improved significantly. The man might've read through the entire dictionary he had on the trip. It was like him Luck decided.

Erok lay his great hammer on a rock nearby the cooking pit. "We will spar then. No weapons or magic. Only the body. We will have it as the majority do. Simply say "I yield" and the spar shall desist." The roken planted himself in front of Ace making apparent the difference in height.

Ace came to Erok's shoulder his body, fit for a human, was nowhere close to as large as Erok's rock form. Ace's face had a soft sharpness to it, a subtle hint of the danger the man was capable of. The ladies loved the look but Luck knew better. He recognized it for what it was. Everyone was born innocent, a default in life. Ace, like Luck, had lost that innocence.

He stepped back as Maxworth indicated the grounds for the bout using a stick to point around the clearing. "I'll allow this whole area as fair game. Everything within the confines of the keid on three sides. No magic. No weapons." The gentleman repeated. "I'll stay out of your way and step in if the match goes too far." He turned surprisingly to Luck. "Luck, sir, if you wouldn't mind assisting me as well?"

"Me? Sure, of course, Maxworth." He vaulted over the saddle and sat with feet dangling on the keid's flank. He could propel himself off into the clearing if something came up. "I'll step in if necessary."

"My thanks, Luck." He continued. "With that, are you two ready? Official dueling rules dictate the combatants must stand no more than four meters from each other." It was a good distance, the clearing had a diameter of maybe twenty meters. He was curious to see how Ace would handle this.

They took their spots and Erok spoke first. "I am ready Max." His hands were held oddly low as if he'd be going for Ace's waist. The roken's stance was firm and if Luck was interpreting it correctly, aggressive as well. It was hard to make sense of Erok's arm placement.

Ace showed him his profile. His jacket was tied tightly to his head keeping his black hair out of the way and his hands came up open-palmed to protect his bare chest. "Ready Maxworth." The stance was cautionary. Smart.

The sunrise broke the horizon in a slow way, infant rays of sun fell upon the clearing. Ace glistened with sweat his bare chest and muscles defined by the light. The man seemed uncannily calm. Opposite of him, Erok tilted his head at the human across from him, not knowing exactly what to expect but recognizing a hint of something he didn't see often.

"Begin!" Maxworth commanded.

Erok approached swiftly, his feet kicking small tufts of sand upwards. He was aggressive. Ace approached slower, watching his opponent closely. Suddenly, Erok lunged low and thrust his forehand high aiming for Ace's jaw. The lunge was fast and at odds with Erok's somewhat rigid stance. But Ace dodged it. His arm pushed on Erok's and the roken recovered by twirling with the motion to face Ace again.

Erok regarded Ace with interest. Luck thought he could see Erok replaying the events in Peace. The roken must've been wondering who exactly they were right about now. Ace, in typical fashion, was grinning with a cocky sureness.

Erok's body was harder, larger and the roken didn't seem to have a problem stamina wise. Ace, on the other hand, was severely outmatched without his magic.

And yet, Luck watched as his best friend advanced. Erok dropped low, his arms and stance wide. It wasn't a normal combat stance, but Luck realized it would probably work on the vast majority of unintelligent beasts that roamed Aerae. Ace darted forward, slipping between Erok's arms before stomping violently on his thigh and shooting off the roken.

Erok frowned. Ace darted forward again but Erok was ready, grabbing Ace by the shoulder and throwing him towards Maxworth. The metallic man stepped aside as Ace rolled up to his feet, slight red scrapes across his back.

Luck looked down on his friend who happened to be thrown right in front of him. "Need advice?" He teased.

"Not now, Lucky." His friend was laser-focused on Erok who seemed to be approaching again.

Ace cracked his neck. There was a subtly in the way he stood that Luck recognized for what it was. He seemed a little livelier, wilder. A large side of Ace that manifested in a small way. Luck realized with a shake of his head that his friend was having the time of his life.

Ace ripped forward in a running drop kick. Erok's face lit up in surprise as he grunted at the impact stumbling a total of four feet backward but staying on his own. Ace used the momentum to roll backward back up onto his feet. The man was grinning and Erok shifted his strategy again.

Erok let Ace come to him, watching him in a way that was eerily observant. It was the type of observance that one normally kept hidden in the underground. Intensive. Luck knew it all too well but he knew how to hide it as well. Though, Luck supposed there was no need for Erok to hide his motives in this case. All the same, Luck noticed it.

Ace darted forward again, avoiding flat-out fists he struck with his feet lest he break his fingers on the rock man. Luck could see the struggle Ace had. Erok would grab him by the arm and by supreme force of will Ace would execute the correct break. Erok's strength made it hard even when the right move was used.

Ace was a tangle of limbs, dodging between Erok's large arms and dangerous grappling fists. It was almost inhuman the way that Ace maneuvered between Erok's attacks. When he did get caught it was with the knowledge he could escape, taking cheap shots on his way out. Already, Luck could see bruising on his friend though the adrenaline probably didn't allow the man to feel it yet.

Erok landed a glancing blow that sent Ace careening to the side. He recovered but was met with a fist to the gut, knocking the air out of him. Ace recovered from that too pulling Erok's arm forward. He ducked between another arm and stomped on Erok's thigh again, shooting off into another roll. Erok frowned.

Ace laughed, it was a solid strike to the stomach but not something that would've stopped Ace Vent. In comparison to Erok, that man was small but Luck reminded himself that Ace was extremely fit no matter how the match seemed. Most importantly, he was probably one of the most dangerous men that Luck knew. And that was saying something.

Ace advanced again despite everything. It was almost a dance as Ace got under and between Erok's larger form. The former mercenary, in an itchingly familiar tactic, lobbed a fistful of sand at Erok's face. Erok grunted in annoyance, temporarily blinded. Ace kicked at Erok's thigh for the third time resetting the dance again.

Erok grimaced, a microexpression that Luck instantly noticed. The roken was frowning at Ace's grinning face. Luck noticed that the roken didn't seem taunted or annoyed but rather Erok's face betrayed his puzzled interest.

Ace charged again but this time Erok dove forward at his legs. Ace jumped immediately, his hands pushed on Erok's back as he vaulted over the roken. Rock shot from Erok's back and encased Ace's hands in that small moment. Ace jerked backward with a curse.

Erok stood himself up, Ace attached by the hands and hanging facing outward upon Erok's back.

"Do you yield-" Erok began.

Ace tucked in and flipped his legs backward and upside down to hook under Erok's jaw. The roken choked in startled surprise either not expecting that flexibility in Ace or not even entertaining the possibility of being choked in that position.

"Yield," Ace grunted, his body curled up on Erok's like a backpack.

His legs crossed over each other, tightening on Erok's throat and pulling his neck from his head. Erok grunted and threw himself to the floor. Immediately though, Luck saw Ace pull to the left so Erok would fall on his leg. Ace grunted painfully as his side slammed on the sand a second after Erok's did.

Ace's bare body was soaked in sweat, straining to tighten his hold on Erok's throat. The rock holding Ace's hands loosened and he lost his leverage, the pressure on Erok's neck subsided for a moment and the roken reached backward to grab at Ace. Ace dodged the grappling hands and flipped upright twisting to ride on Erok's shoulders. They twisted on the ground and a cloud of sand went up blinding both Maxworth and Luck.

If he could work around Erok's strength Luck knew Ace would win. On the ground, Ace was a decent grappler in Luck's opinion and the Amber Demon was well versed in bare handed disarming. And Luck knew for a fact with an even strength he could easily subdue Erok. The problem now was only his size and the power in his limbs. Luck leaned forward, feet still dangling over the saddle.

Slowly, the cloud settled, particles of dust blowing away in the wind.

The result was expected. Erok held a bruised and bloodied Ace down by the chest. Erok, in a testament to Ace's skill, was breathing deeply. He had finally pinned Ace down in the cloud of sand having kept him a long arms distance. From earlier Luck realized that aside from disrupting vision the sand didn't even irritate the roken's eyes. It made sense, the man was a literal rock. He would've had the advantage with the sand flying everywhere.

"A worthy spar, Warrior Ace," Erok grunted in pain, some significance in his speech. He looked down at his leg. His thigh was chipped, a sizeable chunk of rock missing from his left leg. "Not often something smaller than I brings me true injury."

"It was well worth the exercise, Erok." Ace said good-naturedly. He was scraped and bruised from rolling in the sand, breathing just as hard if not deeper than Erok did. Both his hands and wrists were a grotesque purple, likely from being encased in rock then pulled along with his acrobatics. Erok still did not remove his hand from Ace's chest.

"Do you yield, friend?" Erok grunted.

Ace stared at Erok. His eyes wandered to the rays of sun that caught the sparkling particles of sand. His eyes found Luck's own amber irises and the former mercenary grinned. "I yield, Erok. You win." The roken grunted in approval.

In short order, Erok released Ace and helped him to his feet. Despite their bout, the campsite was just as it had looked like before. Sandy, with a cooking pit and a vurr still roasting under Maxworth's supervision. Travel packs and the occasional cooking supply were dropped around the campsite in favor of more space on the saddles to sleep an stretch.

"The spar has concluded. The victor is Erok." Maxworth announced loudly.

This had the effect of waking the sleeping members of the campsite. Nayah popped her head up from the keid on the other side of the clearing. Luck smirked as her eyes found Ace's battered body with interest before she shook her head and slumped over the saddle. Saga padded up to the lip of the same saddle and made eye contact with Luck. Luck waved dismissively at his concerned companion and Saga turned to nap again. Tric slept through it all.

The campsite followed suit. Maxworth and Erok turned in. Ace fell soundly asleep and soon after so did Luck. They would wake up in the evening and set out again under that stars. There was no need for setting watches since nothing ever bothered them in the desert save for the ever looming vultures above.

But despite that, Luck would occasionally wake up during the day to find Maxworth across the clearing moving through strange forms or simply just staring into the dunes. He was the only one aside from Nayah that would sometimes stay up. In Nayah's case, she would often look back towards Peace, her fingers absently poking at the pouch on her side. Luck, not for the first time, wondered at Maxworth and Erok's motivations.

Of course, Luck was never truly far from waking. He and Ace slept light, a small disturbance would wake them up as they tended to drift right under the veil of sleep. Add to that, Spirit was in constant use of Luck's sensory inputs, both physical and magical and he wasn't ever truly in danger of being caught off guard. His S.I. would warn him of anything.

He woke to the night, a quiet shuffling of travel packs and the movement of the keid under him. His keid was just rising from resting in the sun the entire day. Vague silhouettes lit up by the glow of the moon moved inside the camp. Maxworth, Erok, Ace, and Nayah were grabbing their packs if they had one, or a skewer by the dying fire if they didn't, a few yawns traded between them.

"Here." Ace hefted himself over the saddle handing Luck a skewer while munching on his own.

"Thanks, Ace."

Luck smiled softly, moving to the front of the saddle to what had easily become his favorite moment of their routine day.

He always felt small looking at the bright painting of light above. The stars. They shone with a soft brilliance that reflected admiration in amber eyes that twinkled just as brightly. He was just one man and the thought was both comforting and strange. In the city, he was so much, such a large figure in his world. But here?

It was beautiful. A beauty of nature that tugged on his soul. Stars blinked at him, the portrait unmarred by the lights of the city or civilization. He stared at a pure night sky. Points of light that could've housed millions of lives if one were to just believe in the possibility. Constellations that layered and layered upon themselves. Luck loved it. Fashion, style, clothing, it was all unbelievably insignificant compared to the sublimity of mother nature.

Dull green intersecting lines appeared slowly as if acting as unobtrusive as possible, connecting certain groupings of stars and indicating the cardinal directions based on background calculations. Though they were visible only to him, the lines of dull green added its own beauty to the picture.

A pleasantly cool breeze brought Luck's attention down from the stars.

Ace sat quietly looking at him, still holding his ribs and showing no signs of the pain he should be feeling. Such was the will of the man. "It's crazy, isn't it? You never have a sight like that back home. Not anywhere." He said softly.

The keid moved on a silent march, their steps only known by the rocking of the saddle. Luck laid comfortably on the cushions. "Yeah. I never see anything like this in the city." Stargazing was something he never had the luxury of.

"Like a man sparring with a rock?" Ace chuckled then winced at the movement.

Luck laughed. "Exactly."

The conversation lulled and Luck took the time to look back above. They were still heading north and the temperature had normalized. It wasn't too hot anymore. It was a comfortable temperature. Which meant that in truth it had gotten much much cooler.

Ace laid down to rest. His body was damaged but it wasn't anything serious. Spirit's cursory analysis surprisingly noted no broken bones or lasting injuries. The worst of his injuries was the bruise across his stomach with his hands close behind. Ace had refused Luck's offer to help. Apparently, applying Luck's Troll's Blood to his bruises or drinking it as Spirit had suggested was simply not to Ace's taste. It was Ace, after all, Luck shrugged in indifference, all that meant was that he didn't have to cut open his hand.

He hopped down from his keid walking alongside the beasts. His feet crunched on the film of fine sand that covered the tough rocks that they now traveled upon. The keids' jointed hooves made little sound even walking along this terrain. Chittering creatures popped up from hidden holes to watch their procession and it was just these animals that Erok and Maxworth were talking about as he approached.

"Can we hunt those Max?" Erok rumbled, a slight hunger in his voice.

"They are not worth the trouble Erok. Angering too many will lead to a constant harassment through these parts." Maxworth replied, metallic eyes regarding the flat pockmarked rock they traveled upon.

The silence of the night was enough that Luck's approach was easily noticeable. He reached up to the lip of the saddle, kicked off the side of the keid and hauled himself over. The move was just barely audible but both heard him.

"Greetings, sir." Maxworth turned.

"What news, friend?" Erok added, the roken was sitting against the saddle opposite from Luck, nursing his leg. It, like his chest, was chipped.

"Ah, we're heading north from here." Luck told them. "My destination is towards the Frozen Zones now. I've no idea how long the detour will take but I'm looking for someone up there." Luck got straight to business. "Thank you for traveling with us but if you insist on Ardun we can split up here. You are welcome to take a mount."

"You intend to brave the Frozen Zones with this group?" Erok voiced his surprise. "There are dangers in the mountains worse than the dunes. Ice wraiths and snow leopards among them. The hardest of my people face casualty there."

Maxworth nodded, tilting his head. "This is true, sir. The System has just updated as well. I doubt you are keen to find what ancient dangers have awoken in the zones. North is the direction most of the hardiest adventurers take to enter Ardun, and even then, sir, it is with large groups. I hear the fatality rate is quite high."

"It's not my choice, Maxworth. I have people important to me in that direction. I would brave the dangers of the world to see them alive and well again." Luck said simply. "I couldn't leave them even if I wanted to."

Maxworth glanced to Erok who shrugged. The rock man responded. "The System still grants power to those who are foolish enough to test it, Maxworth. You say you wanted power, gentleman. This is how one gains it." Erok rumbled in Roke.

Erok didn't seem to care where they went. From what Luck gathered he was a wandering warrior from his tribe of people. He didn't know why or what his purpose was but he would ask some other time. For now, it seemed Erok was waiting on Maxworth's decision. Luck looked on patiently, he was in no rush.

Maxworth had paused, the gears under his clothes shifting and whirring silently. A sight Luck still found fascinating. "We can accompany you to the Zones, sir. We will see what the System has in store for us. Our purpose for Ardun was to gain power but it seems I can now do that in the Zones." He said the last part slowly.

He pondered the end of that sentence for a single second.

Without preamble, Ethodthem manifested.

Pay Heed!

New Quest: Conquering the Frozen Zones!

The Zones are home to snow clad dangers hidden in the white cold that blankets the jagged mountains and caved depths. Powerful creatures awaken from below. Defeat a Frost Drake.

Frost Drake: 0/1

Rewards: Unknown.

Luck's eyes found Maxworth's silver irises, faint clockwork behind his gaze. He no doubt saw the same thing. A quest. To kill a Frost Drake?

"So it seems." Luck said reading the prompt. "I take it you're coming with us then?" Luck tilted his head, already knowing the answer.

The two exchanged looks and nodded at once. "To the Frozen Zones, friend," Erok replied.

Maxworth gave Erok a subtle glance that Luck caught. "We will travel with you, sir. I'd like to discuss the quest later, however."

"Of course." Luck nodded, turning around.

Luck hopped down from the lead keid patting the beast and thanking it for the days of travel. He had become fast friends with them in the week that had passed. He walked slower, allowing the keid that Ace was mounted on to catch up to him as his mind drifted to Ethodthem and the Frost Drake.

Spirit? What type of creature is that?

A Drake is a type of magical beast. Winged creatures capable of flight and hunting down prey even larger than they. They have been extinct for centuries having been killed off long ago. They are as large as the keid and are similar in their elemental attunement to jorths. The difference, however, is that the attuned element to a Drake manifests in a physical way. Solid ice armor, icicle spikes, claws, frozen to the touch. Drakes are violent and one must be wary of their breath attack. A Frost Drake is capable of freezing its prey solid within moments under the effects of its breath.

Ethodthem's awaking long-dead creatures? Luck assumed if any creature would pass unnoticed by some great hunt or other it would be one frozen solid under tons of ice and snow. Why a frost drake? Had Ethodthem noticed our path?

It brought Luck's curious mind to the nature of how quests formed and how the System gave them out. With the update, the only thing Luck had noticed that was different from when he arrived was how his tools were organized and the updated screens. There was an inherent knowledge in his... soul, he decided, that allowed him a concise and succinct summary of his capabilities that just wasn't there before. Ace had been the same way. In his mind, he called them his tools but they were the aspects of his person that the System deemed noteworthy. Aside from that new inherent knowledge he knew nothing of the new update.

How do quests form Spirit? What else does Ethodthem govern? Prior to the update, that is. I don't expect you to know of the new System.

Quests are naturally occurring phenomena, accepted as part of the world. In general, they are formed in times of great crisis, need or opportunity. They are missions without purpose, issued by Ethodthem to people in the right position to take action. To slay a necromancer and save a village or to enslave that village and raise it from the dead, Ethodthem does not choose or waver in the mortal dilemma of mortality. Great feats whether pure or twisted are the only things Ethodthem sees and deems worthy of reward. The many aspects of Ethodthem are mostly a mystery to the layman. Like a force of nature, most Aerans accept its influence without a true understanding of its governing. It is a constant debate at the Annual Scholar's Meet. Some of the other things Ethodthem governs aside from Quests are Titles, Powers, Feats and if one were to believe cotemporary forward thinkers, Statistics.

Luck pushed the other aspects of Ethodthem to the side, he would have Spirit expand on those some other time. His mind already whirled with those possibilities. And the rewards? What does one normally achieve through pursuing quests?

Again, Ethodthem, though ever present is still as vast in its machinations as Aerae is wide to an ant. Rewards are given without fail, no matter the situation one finds themselves in. Recall the pendant and map attained from Diversi, God of Variance who happened to be in the right place to reward you. Your Greater Boon delivered to the center for your Grove as well, for instance. The forms in which a reward may take match no set of static criteria. There are, however, keywords that arise often in quest reward descriptions shared by adventurers seeking to expand our understanding of the System. These keywords are Lesser, Greater, Power, Trait, Knowledge, Information, Item, Potion, Weapon, Armor, Companion, Boon, Magical and Nothing. Quests containing Nothing as a reward are a topic of much discussion.

He did recall The Pools, Diversi had explained it to them then as well. If he thought about it, the map and pendant rewarded must cost a fortune. A map that expansive? Created by a master cartographer? The accuracy it held would've been invaluable in itself, no matter how much of Aerae it had mapped. And yes, it was a small corner of the world, but it was a lifetime of travel, more than enough to keep someone busy for decades. That was the reward for saving a people poisoned by their livelihood, the water in which they lived. Luck believed it was fitting, though he never truly did it for a reward.

He had no idea how fortunate he was to have come across that quest and complete it the way he had.

With a start, Luck realized he actually had another quest. Call him strange, but he wasn't used to using these new senses. One with Nature, his magical senses, and even his physical senses had changed so it wasn't far-fetched that Luck had missed out on this one. Although, this feeling came from the same place that his inherent knowledge of his capabilities came from. It was from the same place that relayed his Time, Nature and Earth magic. The same place that told him of his Omnilingual, Exceptional Regeneration, Troll's Blood and One with Nature Traits. The same place that listed his Familiar Bond to Saga and his Evolving Dimensional Room.

He opened the quest.

Pay Heed!

New Quest: Mystery of Ethodthem

Ethodthem is a force that permeates the very structure of Aerae. You know its purpose is to shift power to those capable but to what end? What powers this force of nature? What beings set it into place? Discover the origin of Ethodthem.

Rewards: Unknown

"Ah." Luck remembered, climbing onto the keid that had walked beside him. They were ominous figures in the night but Luck could feel their presence through One with Nature with ease. The stars above were too peaceful tonight to be bothered by thoughts of the sort. His mind moved back to the quest.

It was the quest he received as a reward for completing the previous "Mystery of Aerae" quest. Had it been so long since he last checked? Was this a common awareness of Aerans that they always checked? Or was Luck simply oblivious to it? Where would he even start to complete that quest? The Annual Scholar's Meet? Spirit had mentioned that many times in the past so it must be a reputable event. Luck put that on the backburner as his thoughts were interrupted.

"I take it they're with us then." Ace said as soon as Luck got himself over the saddle and settled into the cushions.

Luck smirked, finding Ace grinning. "Yeah, they are. Maxworth's on some quest for power and Erok's seeing him through it." He relayed.

"Did the frost drake have anything to do with it?" Ace chuckled his chest rising and falling, not even wincing at the movement Luck knew for a fact was agony. Luck wasn't surprised at his stoicism. At this point, Luck wondered if Ace consciously ignored the pain with mental effort or if his pain tolerance had simply just risen that high. He assumed the latter.

"You got it too then?" Luck asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, and if I haven't missed my mark so has Nayah." He gestured gingerly to the other mount where Saga, Tric, and Nayah resided.

Her hair was tousled but she was sitting up, it was the first glimpse either had had of her since night fell. Her eyes wandered about as her eyebrows shot closer in consternation. In the next moment, her head swiveled to Ace and Luck.

Ace raised his hands in a noncommittal gesture, playing up his pain and rolling over and below the lip of the saddle, out of view from the mind mage across. Luck gave Ace a flat stare as his friend grinned at him, hidden from sight.

Nayah turned her attention to Luck. He sighed, a culmination of many irritations over the past few days.

"We're heading North to the Frozen Zones. I've people important to me up there." He said simply. "I'll allow you to turn around and take a mount if you wish." The light of the moon caught orange hair.

"The Frozen Zones." She said flatly. "You do know that such a trip will be impossible this time of the year? It's the coldest at this time of the year, solid ice blocks the major pathways which were small to begin with! Not to mention that predators get more desperate, more violent during this time! And a Frost Drake? That's impossible! They've gone extinct centuries ago in the Scale Hunt! They took thousands of lives Luck! It is suicide!" Her voice was a rising crescendo that rung loudly in the night, the following silence only more pronounced. The faint huffing of the keid and quiet clopping of their hooves dominated the silence.

Luck's voice was calm, not needing to be raised to carry across the moonlight. "You're scared." The girl didn't know what she wanted. In some respects, Luck hated the unnecessary. The girl was arguing when deep down she knew her real reason.

"I am not." She responded.

"You don't want to bartend Nayah." Luck said boringly, his arms under his chin and upon the saddle as he challenged Nayah's confused, hesitant gaze with his own. "You don't want to hear third-hand stories from a second-hand bartender. You don't want to be reminded of the things your father did. You don't want to be reminded of things your father lived. You don't want any of that."

Nayah's hair flashed orange.

Luck shook his head. "It won't work Nayah. You don't want to learn to bartend. Face it, there's another reason you've come along with me." His voice was a gavel, the truth of a judge. "You blame the Goddess of Fortune for your father's death but that's not the truth. Even a goddess can't help everyone. Your father died living his life and you're afraid you'll die doing what you love as well."

Nayah, even from a distance Luck could see clearly, was breathing hard, uncontrolled. Saga roused and regarded her with a sleepy eye, small concern in the shar's eyes.

Luck smirked, a large knowledge in the small beginnings of his smile. An almost cold calculation and reading that came from more than a decade of practice. In the moonlight, his amber irises might have been just as vast as the stars above. His eyes held a secret only they knew as well, the fact she was Illuse. A perfect magic battery. Yet, despite that, his words were truth as he spoke. Cold and cool as the metal of an inactive combat drone.

"You want to adventure, Nayah. To live as your father did. To make your own memories somewhere that isn't Peace or peaceful. And for whatever reason, your mother had been stopping you until now. Though I believe I'm one of the few people who know why."

And that cold calculative side of Luck turned warm and knowing. Comforting rather than disconcerting. It was a soft, blunt reassurance of desire. A little nudge towards the truth of oneself. He had that air about him that allowed him the skill. He smiled softly, unknowing to his normally controlled expression. His mind wandered to the past few days. There had been doubt in Nayah's eyes, actions, and speak ever since they left Peace that pained the compassionate side of Luck. The heat of the desert was no help to her mindset. She was suffering, had been for years it seemed, and Luck just couldn't watch it any longer. Only a few hints, her reaction to Leah's temple, her father's story, a few others and he found the problem. It was a classic case of wanderlust.

Luck held her eyes for a moment, a tear streaked down her face and she looked spent.

He made eye contact with a sleepy eye behind her. Keep an eye on her, Saga.

Saga shifted towards her. I will Amber Eyes. This one is strange.

That she is, Saga.

Luck turned back inwards after watching Nayah lie down to find Ace staring at him.

"What? Something on my face?" Luck joked.

"Not at all." Ace shrugged, his eyes moving upwards, staring at the stars above. Luck looked at him for a moment before shrugging it off himself.

He gave a single glance over toward Nayah. Psychology wasn't something Luck studied. One thing that Luck could say with confidence that he knew though, were the effects of negative emotions. There was enough of that where he came from. There was an underlying stress he could notice easily when something weighed a man down. Almost everyone in the underground had it and even if they did they'd walk with straight backs despite the weight. Nayah had no such posture and Luck noticed as soon as he had spare time to do so.

Helping someone was always something Luck could take the time or effort to do. He nodded to himself mentally some small part of him lighting up as he remembered people he had helped in the past. He had always loved to see them thrive afterward and perhaps that was selfish of him. He didn't care.

He took another subtle glance towards Nayah, his eyes could've just as easily been mistaken for scanning the desert beyond than checking on the passengers of the keid.

Minutes later and he found himself doing the same thing as Ace, staring at the stars from under the awning. The ambiance of the night was supremely soothing to Luck. There was an appreciation of beauty to be had everywhere he looked. Ahead of them, he could see Maxworth sitting up quietly, as silver as the moonlight that struck him. Erok talked to him quietly, the roken was surprisingly the most talkative if not the most eloquent of the group. But his voice kept low as if in quiet respect of the night. Perhaps he was gossiping about Nayah and Luck's conversation if he heard it. Everyone was awake but the night was sleepy.

Looking down at himself he cringed at the same black pants he had been cringing at for the past week. He needed to change. He needed new clothes. He recalled the beautiful clothing of the Subaqa, the airy and flowing robes they wore. He had been dying to get into the closet of his dimensional room. Evodim had it stocked with clothing. It was Luck's dream. When he could finally slow down he would put on a completely new look.

He sighed, feeling through his connection with nature the small mammals moving under the rock below them. They didn't mean harm but he could feel a current of excitement from the small animals that came simply from something happening in this dull desert.

And it was indeed dull.