Jason and Kera returned to the campfire and Lumi’s mage-lights. Aria and Belman had already cleaned and put their utensils away, while Pelk was finishing off his last bit of stew. Serif meanwhile was helping himself to more.

Ceri was riding in his customary position on Kera’s shoulder, and the rockhound was padding along behind her silently.

“Everybody, I’d like you meet Echo,” Kera said, giving the rockhound a small nudge forwards into the light. Jason saw her carefully avoided setting her hand down on one of the beast’s spines. Instead, she placed it behind the crystalline shoulder growths, and gave a light push.

“She’s a bit skittish still,” Kera explained, “but she should be safe if you want to come look. Just take things slowly please. Don’t crowd her.”

Pelk watched with interest, remaining seated as he cleaned his bowl. The two [Hunters] approached carefully with eager expressions. Echo shied back, but Kera put a hand behind her head and gave Echo a scratch, leaning down whispering indistinctly. The rockhound relaxed slightly. Aria and Belman then seated themselves nearby, while Kera coaxed the rockhound to approach and accept a bit of extra meat from each of the pair.

“How does this whole taming thing work, anyway?” Jason asked. “I know I asked earlier, but the behavior change is weirding me out. I mean, how does a monster go from being a ravenous, murderous beast to a calm, well-behaved companion with little more than a single spell? That seems sketchy somehow.”

“I can answer that,” Aria said, raising a hand. “I had a friend when I was a kid who loved animals and wanted to become a [Beast Tamer] when he was older. He explained it to me once.

“Apparently,” she said, “the Interface applies to basically everything that has a mind of any sort. Or so the Archive has determined.”

Kera nodded, confirming, as Aria continued.

“When someone wishes to ‘tame’ an animal,” the huntress explained, “whether as a familiar, a companion, a mount, or some other voluntary binding, there’s a process involved whereby the creature in question is then made to understand what kind of bond is being offered, and what changes will result from accepting.

Aria slowly reached out to give Echo a cautious scratch behind the ears. “Of course, the hard part is getting the animal in question to sit still long enough for you to actually attempt the process, be that magic ritual or simply repeated exercise of special skills. Even if you do, many creatures will reject the offer outright due to a high degree of independence, or perhaps they only accept bonds with members of certain races for reasons of their own.”

“Regardless,” Aria explained, “The Voice intercedes with the animal in question so that it knows what’s expected of it, and what it will get out of the deal. Typically, this means guaranteed safety, food, shelter, experience, and other things. Frankly, it’s a pretty good deal for a creature that’s more than likely to die at the hands of adventurers or another animal. Longer life expectancy and guaranteed meeting of basic needs is a pretty powerful motivator.”

Kera took over the explanation at that point. “Don’t forget the bond can be broken too. At least in my case. If I treat them badly or for whatever reason they don't want to stay with me anymore, they can just poof back to wherever I made the bond with them, or where I summoned them from, in the case of Ceri.”

“So I’ve got my own motivation to treat them nicely and see to their needs,” she finished, giving Ceri his own scratch on the head.

Aria cut back in.

“Think of it like a man who’s down in his luck,” she said, “who’s been offered a position as a manservant for a rich merchant. The man knows that he’ll be expected to act a certain way towards his master, and his towards master’s clients. Accepting the job doesn’t change the man’s basic nature, and he’s free to do has he pleases within certain restraints while on and off the job, with the threat of losing it should he act out too much. Doing so would result in the lost of his income - in this case, the needs and growth that Echo here gets from agreeing to the bond - so he chooses to follow the rules presented to him. At the same time, if the man’s master mistreats him too badly, he can always leave and try his luck elsewhere.”

Jason rubbed his chin thoughtfully, shaking his hand and wincing as he pricked himself on his accumulating stubble. Idly he reflected that it had been over a week now since he’d last shaved; he’d have to see to that when he got back. One more thing to add to the list.

“I guess that all makes sense,” he said to Aria. “Thanks for the explanation. I was curious.”

She inclined her head. “Welcome.”

After everyone had had their chance to marvel over Echo, except for Serif who had chosen ignore the whole thing, Kera shooed everyone off back to the camp.

“I’ll clean up here,” she said. “Its late, and we want to be on the way in the morning, right? I’ll keep the watch tonight with Ceri and Echo. I need to spend some time with them both, make sure they can get along, et cetera. You all go on and get some sleep. Someone can come trade me for last watch later.”

“You sure?” asked Lumi.

Kera nodded. “Its fine.”

“Oh!” she exclaimed, turning to Jason. “Can you make me up some kind of ink or paint or something for the morning? Doesnt matter what’s in it, though it’s for a ritual, so use your judgement, there.”

Jason considered for a few moments. He didn’t really have a knowledge skill per se for alchemy, but sometimes he got flashes of insight as to what was needed from various skills.

He blinked hard for a moment as nearly half a dozen skills pushed information into his mind; he was getting better accessing it on purpose, it seemed.

[Herbalism] and [Cooking] both supplied him helpful information about various plants and fruits that could stain and made for good pigments. [Engraving] and [Synthesize] provided means to make magical inks, while [Survivalist] and [Cooking] both provided some actual methods of processing simple charcoal into ink.

It took him a moment to process it all.

“Well, I’ll need the firepit for maybe half an hour,” he told Kera after a moment. “Charcoal, wood ash, soot, and water plus boiling is really all I need for very basic ink. Salt and vinegar would help too, if you wanted it to last, but I’m guessing you dont care…?”

“Not really.”

“Good,” Jason said. “I’ll show you how it’s done. You can mix in some arcane powder too to help it accept mana better.”

The night passed uneventfully, much to everyone’s relief.

Jason had shown Kera how she could make her own charcoal ink and provided her with a few vials of arcane powder, afterwards deciding that the weather was now clear and pleasant enough that he’d join her in sleeping out under the stars. Then he’d hauled his bedroll up from the cellar below, and set up a place to sleep a short distance away from the fire, enough to give Kera room to work and spend time with Ceri and Echo. It didn’t take him long to fall soundly asleep after the day’s exertions.

In the morning, everyone began their preparations for the return to Arnvale. After Jason prepared a hearty breakfast for everyone, Pelk and Lumi went off to scour the ruins for any fulgurite they could find, and Kera began preparing for the ritual she wanted to perform before they left. Meanwhile, the others struck camp.

“Jason!” Kera called to Jason as he finished putting away and dispelling the last of his cooking gear.

He looked over to see Kera laboriously drawing out an overly large, ornate casting circle with one of the charcoal sticks he’d given her. Echo was laying down in the center, head on her paws, watching the girl. Jason didn't see Ceri offhand.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Can you come please use that ink you gave me to inscribe some of your runes for me?”

“Uh, sure,” Jason replied, moving to join her. “Why though? They’re only for enchanting.”

“That’s actually not strictly true,” Kera said. “Remember what Flora told us? Spells are basically structured magic, with a kind of matrix that bends and holds the mana into place. Runes are, more or less, the same thing in written form, which is why you can learn them from analyzing spells.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Jason interrupted, holding up a finger. “Hang on, one sec.”

He took a moment to dump a few skill points into his [Analyze Spell] skill. If Kera was going to attempt another ritual, this time he hoped to be ready in case he could learn something from it.

“Ok, done,” he said. “Sorry; I wanted to spend some points before you started. Please, continue.”

“Well,” Kera began anew, “Runes perform the same function for rituals too. I spent a bunch of my skills last night before trying to tame Echo. I picked up Advanced Monster Lore, which I earned for super cheap thanks to my class and skills, plus those books. I also put some points into [Ritual Casting] finally while I was at it, which helped me figure out what I’d been doing wrong.”

Idly, Jason caught sight of Lumi and Pelk returning from their own task. Pelk descended into the cellar to find the other civilians while Lumi took a seat nearby.

“I’d wondered about that,” Jason said. “We, that is you, managed that successful improv ritual, and nothing you’ve tried since then has done anything.”

“Right. Well, that’s because I’ve been missing an important component as you saw last night: the arcane powder. Seems that’s needed for actual rituals. I guess the Voice decided to throw me a bone or something the first time since I didn't actually have a class and we used a substitute.”

“That seems a little far fetched.” Lumi said.

Jason shrugged. “As good an explanation as any. Compensation, remember?”

“Anyway,” Kera continued, “There’s a kind of gradated system for rituals. First, there’s all sorts of stuff that goes into what determines success. The intended effect is only a small part of that. Your circle structure, presence of runes, location, time of day, ambient mana, symbolism, and so on. Loads and loads of factors.

“Most of them individually have only a minor impact by default, if that much,” Kera explained. “But some things, like runes and the circle itself, are really important. The more powerful the effect you’re trying to go for, the more the important things become mandatory.”

Kera pointed to several empty spaces in her circle structure after handing Jason the pot of ink he’d made for her. “Here. Runes for Life, Bolster and Growth. Here, here, and here respectively, please.”

She continued with her explanation as Jason got to work, Lumi leaned forward, interested, resting her elbows on her knees.

“You don’t have to use most of those things for a ritual,” Kera said, “except for a little arcane powder, as long as you recognize that it’s likely to fail. For instance, you could do a kind of dowsing ritual with little more than a stick of charcoal, a bucket of water, a sponge, and a twig. At its most basic, [Ritual Casting] is a symbolism thing, just like we originally surmised.”

Kera watched Jason’s work carefully as she continued. “But here’s the kicker: adding even some basic, related runes to a simple ritual like that has a vastly stabilizing effect on the whole thing. We’re talking like, twenty-percent chance of success increased to a ninety-percent-plus chance for low-end rituals.

“The more complete and accurate your runes, the stronger the stabilization,” she explained. “Which means the more runes you know, the bigger and more powerful rituals you can perform, until you reach a point where you’ve abandoned symbolism entirely and are solely using chanted spells and rune sequences to perform the ritual.”

“At which point, you're now basically performing gigantic, temporary enchantments that alter the fabric of reality,” Lumi said, realization dawning on her face. “And after casting they create an effect that fades over time because there’s no permanent engraving, or they have already achieved something permanent.”

“Exactly,” Kera replied.

Jason pondered for a moment. “I wonder if that makes rituals more, or less, like my infusion and brewing skills, compared to yours and Lumi's traditional spells.”

“I think it lies somewhere in between. Because it uses both structure and not,” Kera said with a shrug.

Jason completed his last few lines and stood up. He dusted himself off. “Ok, that’s done. Now what?”

“Now I need you to paint ‘Continuous’ and ‘Capacity’ on Echo’s shoulders,” Kera said. She coaxed the rockhound to her feet.

“Uhhh… that doesn’t sound safe,” Jason replied. “I have no idea what would happen if I tried to engrave a living creature.”

Kera waved a hand. “It’s fine, it won’t hurt her.”

“Are you sure? What is this even for?”

“Positive. I’m just casting a ritual to extend the duration of a buff spell. It’s part of the process, and it’s nothing permanent. Those are the runes to make something store mana, right? That’s what I want. I don't want to tie up my mana all day, I’ll just store a whole bunch at once to power the spell.”

“Alright,” Jason said. He cautiously approached the beast, who huffed at him suspiciously, but remained still as Jason began to paint the runes onto the crystal growths that jutted upwards from her shoulders.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kera begin to place down her symbolic objects: Some quartz crystal fragments in a bowl of liquid, what looked like some spines and teeth from one of the dead hounds, and some long, coarse black hair that Jason though might be from one of the horses.

Ok, definitely stumped, here, he thought.

He finished applying the runes to both sides of Echo.

“That good?” he asked Kera.

“Yep, thanks!” she said. “Can you bottle the rest of the ink for me? I’ll have to re-do this every day til we get back. Maybe you could write down the runes for me somewhere so you don’t need to help.”

“I guess I should pay for some kind of rune knowledge skill,” Kera said thoughtfully a moment later. “Maybe you can teach me later.”

With an idle shrug, she gestured for Jason to move aside. She began muttering some sort of incantation under her breath that Jason couldn’t make out, and he wondered if it actually meant anything. From her explanation, it sounded like it wasn't actually necessary, just something she felt like should be done.

“Analyze Spell,” Jason commanded.

Basic Rune Learned: Extend

Well at least I got something out of it, Jason thought, pleased. Kind of surprised I can learn new runes from a ritual I put some into, though. Seems a bit of a cheat. Then again, it’s kind of random, and not guaranteed.

He’d remember that, for the future at least. Maybe he and Kera could work something up.

Kera pulled out two vials of powder and walked her way around the circle, sprinkling some here and there. Then, suddenly, she gave a command, and activated the circle.

“Evolution Surge!” she cried.

The circle flashed blue, and Echo suddenly tripled in size, her form rippling in a way that made Jason slightly nauseous to watch. But it was over quickly, and the rockhound’s form had changed dramatically.

Echo was now the size of a horse, nearly as tall as Lumi was at the shoulder. Her body and tail had elongated somewhat as well, giving her a sleek, streamlined look; with that tail, Jason thought she resembled a manticore more than ever. All she lacked was the wings.

Her spines had shifted slightly as well. They’d grown longer and thicker, but now a left clear, flattened ridge in the center where a rider might sit.

Lumi clapped and gave a small cheer.

“You… turned your dog into a horse…?” Jason asked, dumbfounded.

“Please,” Kera said dryly, giving an exaggerated eye-roll. “Echo is more than just a mere dog,” she continued with a grin. “You’ll hurt her feelings.”

Jason rolled his eyes back at her. “Sorry, Echo,” he drawled, trying to give his best chastened-child impression.

Lumi stood up and came over to get a better look.

“That is so awesome! What else can you do with that spell?” she asked.

Echo began twisting and flexing as Lumi examined her, as if the rockhound were happy with examining her newfound size, and as well as pleased by the attention she was getting. Kera reached up and gave her a vigorous rub on the muzzle with one hand.

“All sorts of things, as it turns out. Mostly the spell ties up a lot of my mana to give a short duration, major change. It’s kind of like my [Morphic Modification], except only usable on pet-types. But I got to thinking right after Echo agreed to accept the contract that I didn't really have a good way for her to keep up with us on the way back. I didn't want her to have to run all the way, that’s just mean.”

Jason laughed.

“So your solution was this…?” he asked. “Well, it’s very Dungeons and Dragons, I have to say. I approve.”

“Lumi,” Kera asked, turning to the other girl. “I don't actually have a proper saddle, of course, but you’ve got Advanced Horsemanship, right? Can you and Jason help me maybe rig like a pad or a blanket or something? I don't want to chafe her all day.”

Jason nodded. “Piece of cake with [Basic Tailoring]. I’ve got that spare stuff we picked up from Jerrik in the case of needing clothing repairs, so I’ve got cloth, leather, and padding.”

“Lumi?” he asked.

“Hah! Never thought I’d really be using that skill. Lets do this. By then, the others will be ready to leave.”

——————

An hour later saw Kera up and riding about on Echo, grasping the thick crystal spines along her back as a pommel; the rockhound didn’t seem to mind. Fortunately, she didn't need reigns since she could communicate her wishes directly.

She was fairly unsteady at first, but with some extra coaching from Lumi, Kera seemed to get the hang of things by the time everyone was ready to leave. She even managed to cast [Calm Animals] on the horses while mounted, to give them the chance to grow used to the sight and scent of the rockhound while they traveled.

In short order, they were leaving the ruins. To Jason it felt like they’d been there for a whole week, even though they’d been gone from Arnvale for only four days, and had been at the ruins a mere day and a half. And yet they’d gained a great deal; Jason had acquired a great many new ingredient sources, and both the girls had gained multiple levels during their foray. Jason was regretting his decision to hold off on perhaps acquiring an [Engineer] class; if he had taken it before leaving, he’d probably be several levels in by now.

They took their time leaving the Crystal Wastes at first. Every hour or so, Pelk called a halt, and they’d dismount and spread out, canvasing the surrounding area for more fulgurite for Jason.

The dwarf was honestly shocked at how plentiful it was.

“I don’t understand it,” he said to Jason after their fourth stop. By then, it was late morning, almost noon, and everyone had put their sun-goggles back on.

“Normally,” he explained, “you wouldn’t find many at all from any given storm with the best of conditions, even high up on the mountainsides where you can get a kind made from certain kinds of rock. The temperature and conditions have to be just right.”

“But here…?” Pelk said with a gesture all around. “It’s incredible. We’ve found several pieces every couple of miles.”

“That’s normal storms, though, right?” Jason asked. “This was hardly normal. The sheer volume of lightning was incredible. The only time I’ve ever heard even similar was when my parents back home foolishly decided to sit out a hurricane in our home instead of evacuating.

“What’s more,” he continued, “I highly doubt that storm formed naturally. That ruin would’ve been ground down to dust years ago if it were a regular thing.”

“Aye, you mentioned that before,” Pelk replied.

“And I agree with him,” Aria said, shaking her head. “I’m no expert by any means, but I’ve met people who’ve passed through. Never heard mention of the like before.”

“Why would a storm like that just come up out of nowhere though?” Pelk asked.

“Um,” Kera said hesitantly, holding up a hand for attention. “Aren’t we supposed to be on the lookout for some kind of evil wizard? You know, because of the dungeon?”

Everyone looked at one another. They looked out at the flat, crystal wasteland all around them, with no shelter in sight.

“We’ve got plenty, now. Maybe we should just forget the rest of the fulgurite and hurry back…?” Jason suggested.

“Let’s,” Lumi said hastily as everyone made bee-line for their mounts.

They reached Wasteland Station in record time.

Kera slid from Echo’s back with a groan as soon as they reached the top of the winding path that led up the ridge to the waystation.

“Ok, definitely need a proper saddle,” she complained. “Echo says she’s fine, but I’m sure as hell not. My legs are killing me.”

“Usually that’s because your riding posture is bad,” Lumi said as she dismounted as well. Most of the others followed suit.

“Well excuse me if I’ve never ridden a big, spiked, dog-monster before,” Kera grumbled in reply.

“I thought you said she wasn’t a dog?” Jason asked facetiously, trying to keep his face completely blank.

Kera blew a raspberry at Jason.

One by one, everyone led their horses to the central space outside the cabins.

Lumi raised her voice. “Ok, everyone, time for a break,” she said. “Let’s tend to the horses and give them a rest, and have something to eat. But we aren’t stopping here for the night. I’d rather we get back as soon as possible, so that means we’ll be camping at the forest’s edge again.”

“That sounds great an’ all,” an unknown voice drawled loudly, “but I’m afraid I’m going to have to ensure that you aren’t with ‘em, girly.”

A heavily tanned man Jason had never seen before stepped out from the cabin to Jason’s left. He was wearing a tunic and breeches that were dyed scarlet, over which he wore a bronze, rune-etched breastplate. His arms and legs were likewise clad with bronze boots and vambraces, and he wore a gold-lined, scarlet cloak with the hood up, covering his hair. He carried a long, blackened staff, and a rapier hung at his side.

Lumi dropped her reins and drew her sword, turning to face the stranger.

“Excuse me?” she said.

Serif, who hadn’t yet dismounted, narrowed his eyes and leaned forward in his saddle.

“Hang up. I know you, don’t I?”

The man leaned against his staff and spat idly into the dirt.“Possible, I s'pose. Lotsa people know me.”

“Most to their misfortune,” he said with a grin.

“Red cloak, bronze armor, staff...you’re that slaver from Baradell. What was the name...?" Serif snapped his fingers. "That's right, Vittorio Salazar.”

Salazar held one hand over his heart, a exaggerated, pained look on his face. “Slaver? Me? I’m hurt. I’m merely an agent of the law, bane to criminals everywhere, willin t’ hire myself out to any who’ll pay my modest fee to bring swift justice for those who have been wronged.”

Serif spat angrily on the ground. “Bullshit,” he swore. “You might call your countrymen's system of spell-binding criminals to life service justice, but the rest of us with brains just call it slavery.”

“Potato-potahto” the man replied, waggling his fingers. Then he shrugged. “It's still their choice. Could always just accept the axe.”

Lumi scoffed. "Hardly a choice at all."

“What’s scum like you doing out here, anyway?” Serif asked, eyes narrowed. “Captain heard you were in the region. You do know that we’ve got standing orders to keep you away from the town, right?”

Salazar lounged casually against the doorframe, completely unconcerned by the fact he was facing seven armed adventurers and civilians. As he launched into an explanation, Aria whispered something to Belman that Jason didn’t catch. Belman began gathering up the horses.

“I wouldn't normally wander so far out this way,” Salazar began, “but I happened to… ahem, apprehend, someone carrying an heirloom that was rather badly missed by a wealthy merchant in Feron. I arranged a discrete meeting with the owner, and returned it for a modest fee-”

“You mean you snuck in and threatened to destroy it unless they paid up,” Serif accused.

Salazar continued on, ignoring him. “After which, I happened to receive an offer I simply couldn’t refuse, to track down yon girlie here.”

He gestured in Lumi’s direction.

“From who?” Jason interrupted suddenly, his heart sinking.

“Now now,” the man said with a tsk, “A lawman should never reveal his clients. All you need know is she’s a wanted woman. Don’t ask me why. Don’t matter none to me.”

“Lawman?!” Serif exclaimed, outraged. “Half the freeholds would hang you as a slaver if you set foot anywhere near their borders with your friends in tow. If it weren’t for the fact you aren’t stupid enough to bring them anywhere near…”

He trailed off with a splutter, looking around hurriedly.

“I’m gettin’ real tired o’ you,” Salazar said with a stern look in Serif’s direction. “You’d best shut yer trap before I stop playing nice.”

He stood up straight, moving away from the door, holding his staff loosely. “Now you’re ruining my mood. I was running pretty high from watchin’ that big ‘ol storm I kicked up. Amazing stuff, huh? Ne’er thought a simple lesser storm-calling could turn out that crazy. S’prised you lot lived through it, really. Gave me a bit of a shock when my locator said this morning that you were still kicking, an’ even better, headed my way finally.”

“Locator?” Jason asked.

He didn't actually expect an answer, but Salazar seemed to enjoy monologuing, and Jason wanted to keep him going long enough for Belman to get the horses clear of what was inevitably going to end in a fight.

“Never heard of an [Enforcer], boy?” he replied, one hand on his hip. “Why don’t you have old angry-pants here fill you in. Go on, I’ll wait.”

Jason turned to Serif, who muttered some kind of foul imprecation under his breath before answering Jason’s question.

“Vittorio Salazar, here, is an [Enforcer] and a [Bounty Hunter], among other, more unsavory things. He’s well known as a essentially a magic-wielding, thief-catching, thug-for-hire in actual law enforcement circles. Anyhow, both classes possess skills that assist in tracking down a target. They’re supposed to be used for seeking out lawbreakers, but they work just as well for other things.”

“Anyhow, a common one for individuals who use magic as part of their repertoire,” Serif said with a nod toward’s the man’s staff, “is a spell that uses a personal belonging as a sort of compass, to determine distance and vague direction.”

Jason was both confused and worried. He looked at Lumi.

“How is that even possible?” He asked. “I’m pretty sure we haven’t-”

Salazar interrupted. “Everybody leaves traces boy.”

He withdrew a small bundle from a coat pocket, and tossed it into the dirt in between them. Jason could see it clearly in the afternoon sun:

Several strips of ragged t-shirt, soaked in dried blood, tied together in a knot.

“Even,” the man said with a meaningful look, “in the middle of the woods.”

Jason’s mouth ran dry. If Salazar had been following them since before Seraptis, then that implied…

His thoughts were cut off as the man continued.

“Now, I’m still in a pretty good mood,” Salazar said, stepping forward. “So I’ll cut you lot some slack, seein’ as you’ve somehow lucked into surviving the gods’ own wrath out there yesterday.”

“All I’m after is the girl. You leave her to me and carry on your merry little way, and tell whoever that she died in the storm or what have you, and I’ll let you leave in peace, no hard feelings. You don’t want me to have to get rough.”

“You do realize there’s seven of us and one of you, right?” Kera asked.

“Well….” the man trailed off. Then he brightened, holding up a finger. “Oh! That’s right, I forgot to mention. When I say I’ll get rough... what I really mean is them.”

He whistled once, a sharp, piercing sound that hurt Jason’s ears. The doors to the other two cabins opened, and several figures emerged.