Missteps V.2

Chapter Four – Nighttime Talks

The group traveled for a few more hours, until finally the long shadows of the trees told them that the day was at an end. Carric led the group towards a small clearing that was relatively flat and clear.

Jun rolled a fallen log over towards where Carric set up a small fire pit. He cast an uneasy eye overhead at the few patches of dark cloud that languished by. “I should probably mention that Ander and I don’t have a tent.”

Carric cast his eyes up as well. “We just had a big downpour yesterday, so I don’t think we’re in danger tonight. I had been hoping that we’d have blue skies for this journey.”

Carric looked over at the others in the group. Ander had the pot back out and was in the process of rehydrating some berries. Lia and Iados argued over how to lay out the bed rolls; Lia argued for a circle around the fire while Iados didn’t see any wrong with them sleeping in a long row. Kerri was out of sight.

Carric’s brow furrowed. “Where’s the bard?”

Jun looked around. “She said she was gonna gather wood for a fire.”

Carric sighed. He stood up and grabbed his bow. “She shouldn’t have gone alone. Keep an eye on the rest of ‘em. I’ll yell if we need help.” Carric disappeared into the woods in the direction Jun said Kerri went.

After ten or so minutes had gone by, Jun pulled Iados aside outside of earshot. Iados leaned against a tree and waited for Jun to speak first.

“You almost died.” It was a statement. Even though only two inches separated the two of them in height, the experience reminded Iados of being scolded as a child.

A grin spread on the akudaem’s face. “I know, I was there.” He hadn’t been an obedient child.

The stern look on Jun’s face remained unchanged. “In the course of one day, you’ve been knocked unconscious three times. I’ve seen you prone more than I’ve seen you fight. I’m going to have to insist that for the next fight, you either wear armor or you stay out of the fray.”

Iados’s eyes narrowed. “Lia hired me as her bodyguard, just as Ander hired you.”

“Then wear the armor and do the damn job then.” Jun crossed his arms. “A bodyguard can’t do their job if their dead, otherwise it’s a waste of coin.”

“And if I refuse to wear the armor?” Iados countered.

“Then you will die in the next fight.”

Iados didn’t have a comeback for that. He turned on his heel and headed back to the light of the campfire. Lia and Ander munched on dried jerky as they chatted, and offered some when Iados plopped down next to them.

“Question: where were you planning on getting this armor?” Carric asked as he came up silently behind Jun. He settled against the tree, relaxed, with three rabbits held in his hand.

“I figured I could take it off one of the girls.” Jun turned to look at the half-elf, a little unsettled that he hadn’t heard Carric approach.

“Hmm, I’d like to see you try.” Carric chuckled softly to himself. Jun didn’t seem as amused and the conversation dwindled into an uncomfortable silence as the two of them stared wordlessly at each other.

“Is it my turn for a lecture from the big strong berserker?” Carric finally asked, the smile falling from his face. Jun considered him for a half-second before he shook his head.

“Your main job here is to be our guide, and as long as you stay alive then we’re good.”

“Not real big on the compliments, are you?” The ranger patted him on the shoulder as he walked past to join the rest at the campfire. He handed the rabbits over to great exclamation.

Jun took a couple of minutes to just take in this new group he’d found himself with. Kerri had also returned, and already had her lute out. Lia and Ander both skinned a rabbit, and from the look of concentration and the speed of their hands, it might have been a race. Iados acted as judge, while his hand reached into a pocket and pulled out a marble. Unconsciously he rolled the marble around his fingers with remarkable dexterity. Carric stretched out near Kerri with his eyes closed.

“Jun!” Ander called out to the Berserker with a wave. Jun smirked and headed over.

“So, why in the world is everyone seemingly headed towards this settlement?” Kerri asked as Jun sat down.

“Because of the legend attached to it.” Carric said, his eyes still closed.

Kerri tilted her head. “What legend? All I heard was that it’d been lost for a hundred years or so.”

“According to the tales, some religious order was based there.” Ander explained as he cut off strips of meat. Lia was slower than he was and had just gotten the rest of the skin off. “Supposedly, it was a secret order that hoarded magical artifacts.”

“A secret order, really?” Kerri leaned in closer to the halfling, curiosity and disbelief written all over her face. “Do you realize how many stories have some sort of ‘secret society’ as the big bad? You can’t believe all of them.”

“Who says you can’t?” Iados said as he watched Lia move onto the last rabbit. Ander poured the rehydrated fruits into his mess kit, and then dumped cubed rabbit meat into the pot. Soon the air was filled with the smell and sound of sizzling meat as Ander and Lia added the meat of the final two rabbits as well.

“From what I’ve heard, they’re followers of Zhagra.” Jun commented. Iados shuddered.

Kerri side-eyed the akudaem. “Zhagra, they’re an evil deity, right?”

“If you consider a god of ‘forbidden secrets and cruelty’ evil, then yeah he’s an evil deity.” Iados’s face was serious, and the light coming off the campfire did nothing to bring his violet skin out of shadow. “My crew and I met up with some of his followers, and those are experiences I’d rather forget. This is a god that survives off the life force of others, and his followers are very good at providing that force to him by any means possible.”

“So if this place was the home of followers of Zhagra, there’s a pretty good chance it’s gonna have some nasty surprises in it.” Kerri took a swig out of her waterskin.

“That’s why the Sylph Heart Circle sent me.” Ander stated nonchalantly. With this announcement Carric, Lia, and Jun all groaned and hung their heads.

“Okay, what’s that all about?” Kerri looked around the group, a confused look on her face. Iados smiled and shook his head.

“The Sylph Heart Circle, located in Sageburrow, as part of the Kingdom of Pryria,” Ander recited. “Is an organization dedicated to locating, cataloging, and relegating magical artifacts and users within the Kingdom of Pryria and beyond.”

“Wait, ‘beyond’?” Kerri asked, and Carric nodded.

“They want to become THE magical authority.” He explained. “They’re a pushy and relentless group.”

Lia added the rest of the meat to the pot.

“The organization first came into being about 1500 years ago.” Ander continued on. From the tone of his voice, this was an explanation he’d given many times. “It started as a small school for teaching the next generation magic, but after the Great Calamity that decimated the Kingdom of Skonia, it grew. Students of the Sylph Heart Circle were the first ones that went out and gathered magical artifacts out of the region. Soon after, the Circle began to specialize in their study of these artifacts. Through this study, the Circle was able to then create their own magical items and artifacts.”

“In layman’s terms, they found a way to profit off a great tragedy.” Carric surmised. Ander twisted around to face the resting half-elf, but no sound came out of his open mouth.

Lia smirked as she reached out to flip some of the cubes. “Their ability to create their own magic items is what drew the attention of the elven tribe of Stonepine. According to my Uncle, the elves were intrigued by the possibility or non-nature-based magic. Stonepine and the Circle ended up becoming trading partners for nearly a thousand years.”

Ander turned back to the pot. He reached over and grabbed the rehydrated berries. Using his fork, he began to mash them. “It’d be nice if Stonepine remembered to hold up their end of the bargains.”

“Perhaps if the Circle still had something to contribute, the elves would be more willing to trade still.” Lia retorted as she began to divvy up the cooked meat into everyone’s mess kits.

“We have plenty to contribute, you elves are just picky.” Ander muttered his breath. He put the now mashed berries back into the pot and added some wine from a wineskin he pulled out of his bag. As he stirred the mixture, Lia pulled out bread from various ration packs of the group and added them to the mess kit bowls.

Kerri cleared her throat. “So, Ander’s on a mission from this Circle place, hoping that some Zhagra followers left anything behind in this settlement.” Kerri set aside her lute and then leaned back on her elbows. “Why was it ‘lost’ in the first place?”

“No idea,” Jun did some arm stretches as he watched Ander fiddle with the berry mixture. “Wasn’t until someone found the place that anyone bothered trying to find any info on it. They’re not really sure on that 100-year-old date either, that’s just when the place disappeared from any written records.”

“Who found the place?” Iados reached over and grabbed Ander’s wineskin. He took a swig out of it before he passed it over to Lia, who did the same.

Carric got the wineskin next. “A wyvern and their rider were forced to make an emergency landing in the area after a freak hail storm a few weeks ago. While they were looking for shelter, they came across the settlement.” He passed the wineskin to Jun. “They brought back a rubbing from a cemetery as proof. As soon as they made it to the nearest town, Rocklyn, the rider couldn’t wait to spread the word. Word spread throughout different taverns, and now we’re all here on a treasure hunt.”

“You aren’t,” Kerri reminded Carric as she was handed the wineskin next. Ander spooned his reduced berry sauce over the meat cubes. “Did the rider find out why no one had ever returned?”

“No, but he didn’t stick around that long either. Just long enough to confirm what the place was.” Carric explained as the food was finally passed out. “So, we’ve got explanations for everyone but Jun, Lia, and Iados on why they want to go to this creepy settlement.”

“I was just hired to be Ander’s bodyguard.” Jun took a bite of the food. The meat was a little bland, but the sauce kept it from being too dry.

Iados gave Lia a little nudge.

Lia raised a finger as she gulped down her bite. “I just wanted a little adventure in my life.”

“Uh huh, try again.” Kerri said around a rabbit cube.

Lia sighed and rolled her eyes. “Fine, if you all must know, I’m a member of a group called the Elder Door Sanctum.” Lia admitted.

Four sets of blank faces stared at her as they all chewed. Only Jun nodded.

“It’s a strictly Elven group, right?” Jun asked, and Lia nodded. Jun took another bite. “I’ve heard of ‘em, but I have no idea what they actually do.”

“We’re a small society that goes out and gathers information and knowledge that might otherwise be lost.” Lia explained. “Unlike the Circle, we’re not that concerned with magical entities. Our mission is to ‘protect and expand on forgotten technologies that might influence the modern world’.”

“What kind of technologies?” Ander used his bread piece to soak up some of the last remnants of the sauce from the pot.

“Mostly farming or blacksmithing techniques.” Lia elaborated. “We either find ancient texts, or we interview people.”

“So, what do you think is at the settlement?” asked Ander.

“I don’t know, but I’d like to explore and see what there is.” Lia shrugged. “To be completely honest, this is the first time I’ve left home.”

Iados stood up and stretched. He turned his gaze over to Carric. “Are we the first group you’ve led to the settlement?”

“No, you’re my second. The first group made it a little farther than we are now before they decided not to continue. Like now, we ran into a lot of trouble, and ended up losing a member of the party.”

“Have you heard of any parties that have made it there and back?” Worry started to creep into Kerri’s eyes as she polished off her food. Already Jun had started to gather the empty food vessels and wipe them out.

Carric tossed a piece of wood into the fire. “Not yet.”

The group descended into silence as they digested all the information that they’d received over the past few minutes.

It was finally Kerri that broke the silence.

“So what kind of crew were you in?” She turned towards Iados. “You said, ‘my crew and I’ met up with some of Zhagra’s followers.” Kerri reached over and quickly cleaned up the last of the dishes with her spell. It was much easier on her thanks to Jun’s efforts.

Iados shrugged. “I used to be a pirate, not a big deal.” Kerri opened to ask something else, but the akudaem held up his hand. “Before you ask, all you need to know about my time at sea is that it’s over. Now, I just need to put as much distance between me and the sea as I can. I’m here now because she’s paying me.” He pointed at Lia, before he moved to stand up.

A large grin spread on the bard’s face. “So, you’re a gigolo?”

The akudaem stumbled in surprise. He quickly turned around, shock on his face. “I’m not a gigolo.”

A smile spread on Lia’s face. “I hired him to be my bodyguard.”

“With benefits,” Kerri wriggled her eyebrows. Lia laughed and threw her head back. Smiles appeared on everyone else’s faces around the fire.

“Hey, she’s the one that started that conversation, I just ended it.” Iados knelt down and pointed towards Lia again. Lia reached out and pushed the finger out of her face.

Carric raised a hand. “I’m curious, do you find that the horns and tail are a hindrance or an aid?”

“But Iados doesn’t have a tail.” Ander clarified. He turned to look at Iados. “Why don’t you have a tail?”

Lia’s jaw dropped as horror filled her eyes. She reached over and slightly smacked Ander’s shoulder. “You can’t just ask someone why they don’t have a tail.” She hissed.

“Why not?” Jun crossed his arms. “Seems like a good conversation starter.”

“It’s just rude,” Lia stammered. “There might be a really bad story behind it that he doesn’t want to talk about.”

“It’s ok Lia.” Iados laughed. “My lack of a tail is a common question I get. I’m surprised it’s taken this long for it to come up.”

“Well, we have been a little busy trying not to die and all that.” Carric smirked as he fed more wood to the fire.

Iados laughed. “Fair enough, it’s actually not that big of a deal. I was three, and my mother took me out shopping with her. Being the big kid I was, I insisted on carrying my own bag, a bag by the way that I could barely see over. So, while my mother was busy haggling at a stall, an apple fell out of my bag. It rolled into the street and I chased after it. Next thing I know my mother’s screaming behind me, and when I look up there’s a horse literally about to step on me. Needless to say I was trampled and nearly died if not for the monks. They saved my life, but not my tail.”

“What monks?” Lia took down her braid and began to comb her hair with her fingers.

“They’re a small order called the Shadow Totem based in Esterwill. My mother works for them as a housekeeper: cooking, cleaning, and shopping so that the monks can run their school without distraction.” Iados explained. “My family lives in a small cottage on the grounds.”

“What was it like to lose a tail?” Kerri asked.

“It sucked.” Iados’s gaze moved to the fire. “The other akudaemian kids made fun of me. I had to learn how to walk again. Without my tail, I completely lost my sense of balance. The monks taught me how to fight as a way to help me get my balance and confidence back.”

Jun chuckled. “I’ve never seen a monk like you, though I am more familiar with the Vigneron monks, the ones in the brown robes.”

“Technically I’m not a monk since I never took any vows. When I was sixteen I left the monastery and joined a merchant vessel. The monastery was starting to really struggle financially so I figured I could make some money and send it home.”

“How’d that work out?” Kerri asked.

Iados chuckled and shook his head. “Now very well. Two weeks out, we were attacked by pirates and I jumped ship. Spent the next five years as a pirate.”

Kerri opened her mouth to ask something, but Carric interrupted her.

“Well, this has all been very enlightening, but we should get some sleep.” Carric climbed to his feet. “I’m thinking three watches of two each should be good. How about all of you?”

“Sounds good to me.” Lia answered as she stood up. “I’ll take first watch. “

“I’ll join you.” Iados stood up too. “Who wants second?”

“Wake me and Ander.” Jun called out as he settled onto his bedroll.

“Why do I have to be on watch with you?” Grumbled the halfling as he settled under his blanket. “Why can’t I take last watch?”

“Because I’d much rather have fighters on watch than magic-users.” Jun mumbled. Within a few seconds his breathing evened out and he was out. Soon everyone was quiet and still, save for Lia and Iados. The two of them walked a bit off from the fire, Lia with her quarterstaff, and Iados his sword. Their eyes scanned the darkness around them.

“So, now that we’re alone, should we talk?” Iados learned against a tree.

Lia walked to the other side of the tree and settled down at the base. “About what?”

Iados flicked his eyes in her direction. “Last night? Us sleeping together?”

“Oh, we’re gonna have that talk.” Lia bit her lower lip for a moment before she turned and faced Iados. “Listen-”

Iados moved over and covered her lips with his finger. “If you want to pretend it never happened, then ok. You wouldn’t be the first person I’ve had a one night stand with.” Iados told her. “All part of the pirate lifestyle.”

Lia reached up and removed his finger. “Do you think I’m ashamed that we slept together?”

Iados’s eyes went wide. “No, it’s just that some people put too much stock in a night like that. Since we’re going to be working together I’d thought I’d try to clear the air.”

Lia crossed her arms. “For the record, I’m no stranger to one-night stands. Last night I needed to unwind and relax. I was hoping that you wouldn’t be opposed to doing it again in the future.”

Iados raised an eyebrow. “You want to use me for sex?”

Lia smiled. “Among other things. Any issues with that?”

Iados crouched down so that they were eye level. “Have you ever had a ‘casual relationship’ like that?”

“Yes.” Lia leaned forward. “Have you?”

He nodded. “Lasted only a few months. We worked together and it got weird.”

Lia tilted her head. “Well I can’t imagine that a small ship in the middle of the ocean can offer a whole lot of privacy.” The elf grinned. “She jump ship on you?”

“At the time we were port-hopping, so privacy wasn’t that much of an issue. Actually ‘he’ left the life and I didn’t follow.” Iados hesitated as he let Lia notice the pronoun change. “That gonna be a problem?”

Lia shook her head, a grin still on her face.

“Good.” Iados grinned as well. He stood back up and moved to the other side of the tree. The two of the settled into a comfortable silence.

It was Kerri who broke it. “Explain to me again how you’re not a gigolo?”