“Okay, so, you’re not saying the ‘r’ part enough,” Junia instructed.

“Fa-ar-sha,” she pronounced again. Really, she thought she was doing it well enough, but…

“Fuh-ore-sha,” was the correction by Junia. At that point, Mia was almost regretting her choice of topic.

After Junia had perked her spirits back up with a number of jokes, she’d asked if it was possible to learn any of the words of Godspeak while they were traveling. Junia had noted that any of the major spells or the sort were beyond her ability to teach without MANY more resources than they had on hand, but she could at least speak a few words of Moreo, if only because his were so basic. The one they’d started on was the spell that she’d already seen once or twice- the ability to light things up without burning. “It’s essentially cold fire,” was the explanation from Junia. “It’s super common and as you saw, even farmers with no training whatsoever can use it. It’s like, the basic of basics. Fire in general tends to be popular because it’s easy to call on and versatile enough to make it more than worth it, even though there’s a TON of other spells to learn.”

Mia had to admit that that made sense. “So…what about normal hot fire?”

“That’s usually the third thing most people learn,” Junia had said with a grin. “The second being ‘water sphere’.”

That seemed a touch incongruous. “Why water sphe- oh.” It’d came to her just as she was asking. “Just in case of an accident?”

“Bingo. And we might as well start. The word for asking for cold fire is ‘Fuorsha’. Try saying it.” Junia had pressed.

And so here they were. Unfortunately for Mia, it seemed as though something just wasn’t working out regarding her pronunciation. It SOUNDED simple enough, but something just wasn’t clicking, and she wasn’t sure what it was. “Is this normal?” she asked.

Junia shrugged. “Kinda. Took me a couple hours to get just the words down, but the imagery is important, too. Can’t just say it and hope for the best. You have to have what you want to happen show up in your mind, too.” There was a pause as they both took that in, but it was Junia again who spoke first. “Actually, maybe that’s the problem!”

The sudden outburst startled Mia, but she managed to catch on. “You mean me imagining it?”

“Yes!” Junia confirmed. “What are you THINKING about when you say it?”

“Well…just…a bit of fire, I guess?” she wasn’t sure how she was supposed to answer that, actually. Could she only do it with some sort of catalyst? Is THAT why Marcus was able to do that with his sword?

“Yeah, thought so. The concept behind it matters. You can’t JUST say the word and expect it to happen. You have to want it to happen, and to some effect. Oftentimes, it otherwise just won’t sound right. Meaning matters. So try something liiiiike…” She turned away, swiveling her head around they path they’d been on as she looked for something Mia couldn’t guess at. The answer, however, was fairly obvious. “That fallen branch right there! Imagine that going up in cold fire!”

Huh. Well, it made sense, she supposed. The idea of the branch going up in blue-white flames went through her mind, and suddenly it was as though something clicked. “Fuorsha!”

The word was loud, clear, and steady, and Mia felt something in the way of a sudden, if brief, gasp, like she’d lost some air- however, in an instant, the tree burst into flames. Not that it was going to turn to ashes any time soon, but Mia still couldn't believe it. She’d done magic!

“Wooo!” Mia cheered, both arms raised in victory. “I did it! I cast a spell!”

Junia just chuckled. “Whoa there, now. That was literally the basic of the basics. And it brings on something else I wanted to mention.” She leveled a serious eye towards Mia. “Did you feel weird when you managed to cast it?”

“Huh?” That threw her for a loop. “How’d you know?”

“Because, that’s the cost of cold fire,” she explained idly. “It’s not heated, so you just feel a bit exhausted for a moment. That’s the biggest rule of Godspeak.” It was now that Junia had Mia’s full attention. “We AREN’T gods, so using it directly takes a toll on us. It’s why most people prefer to get words engraved or stitched or something and maybe using a trigger word. Doing it via vocal Godspeak outright has a price. If that was an actually hot fireball, you’d have a mean case of the sweats right now.”

Ohhhhh, that was good to know. Although, now she was worried. “Is it possible to…y’know…”

“Die? Absolutely,” Junia said without missing a beat. “Overtaxing yourself to perform an aural spell is one of the most common mistakes leading to death a spellcaster can make.”

Mia suddenly didn’t feel like celebrating much anymore. “O-oh…”

But Junia was quick to notice, shaking her head. “Not that I think you’ll do it, of course!” Even Mia could tell that was a pretty quick attempt to save face. “Just something to keep in mind in case you really want to learn more in the mage arts. ‘Everything you take must be repaid.’ It’s lesson one. Every technique has a cost attached to it. It’s the smarter, more powerful mages that are able to make that cost NOT be themselves.”

She didn’t like it, but she understood, the spider-girl letting the matter go with only a single huff. “Right…good to know. Well…what’s the word for normal fire, then?”

Junia allowed a wry grin. “The word’s ‘Fosh.’ Can you try that one?”

Mia could only give a self-depreciating grin as she tried and failed. “Fash?”

Junia blinked, then frowned. “Okay, you sure you’re not doing this on purpose?”

Mia could only really glare. No, it made since why Junia thought she would, but she had to resist every last swear that passed through her head to do so at the trouble. She needed to find another branch, and quick…!

A couple of hours later, they broke for lunch, Mia having indeed felt like she’d been stuck next to a fire all morning. She had been instructed to ‘imagine a spark, not a blaze’, and had been told very specifically that that was another common pitfall of new learners- not allowing nature to take care of itself once you got it started. “You rarely need to imagine the whole process, just what starts it, unless it’s something REALLY advanced,” Junia had pointed out. Mia had taken the advice to heart, and had tried to keep it simple- by this time she’d been able to at least start small candle fires reliably, and she’d agreed to Junia’s STRONG suggestion that she leave it at that for now. “The next thing we’re having you learn is Water Spray,” she’d informed her. “Very useful for a bunch of non-combat purposes. Like now,” she motioned with her hand. “Ler Aquilo.”

There was a moment where the air itself seemed to shimmer, and then a short, mild spray of water sprang forth; a gentle, soft current that quickly filled up the bowls they had pulled out. “We’re having stew.”

“Again,” Marcus said, but with little heat to it. “Usually ends up being the quickest and most filling thing you can eat out in the wilderness.” He’d not interjected much in the magic lessons, largely because of his general disinterest in the art in general. Eventually, he’d starting chiming in about something he DID know- the Guardian Spirits.

It wasn’t much more than what she’d been told before; of how each of them was an exemplar of their race ascended beyond mortality, but she wasn’t expecting how THOROUGHLY Marcus would know of his chosen patron deity. Loren was apparently ‘the strongest, fastest, smartest man’ ever. Not in that he was supreme in all those areas, but he was rather very very very good at everything. Supposedly, he’d gotten his status as Guardian Spirit after he uncovered and concocted a cure for a great plague that had befallen humanity ages past, and one day held an entire city essentially by himself thanks to his physical power, cleverness, and determination. She had to admit, it was a riveting tale, and it made her wonder. What were the others like, then? “You’d have to ask someone who reveres them,” was the answer she’d gotten. If, by chance, this thing that spoke to her before she woke up WAS a Guardian Spirit…then what had happened to them?

“Y’know, I didn’t think you’d be so into all this history and stuff,” Marcus said as he dug into his meal- a few stray pieces of meat, some natural seasonings, and a few small vegetables. “But, guess I can’t blame you. If I woke up without remembering much of who I was, I’d want to know plenty, too.”

“Somehow, I have a hard time believing that,” Junia snipped back with a smile. Marcus just snorted and grinned.

“So…Dundaril,” Mia spoke up again. “It’s really better?”

“Yup,” Marcus said after taking a long sip. “Got actual defensive walls, a real inn, some decent shops, all that. It’s mostly a fishertown, but they sell some pretty solid fish.”

“Oh. That’s good!” She wasn’t sure if she liked fish, but she’d try it, she figured.

“Very. I dunno how the locals will take to you, but I’m thinking we can at least stay on the outskirts and not cause too much trouble,” he admitted.

“...ooh, yeah,” Junia suddenly frowned. “That’s right, they’re kinda careful about that sorta thing, right?” Upon Mia’s questioning look, she elaborated. “They got raided a bit ago by some cultists. Didn’t do much damage, but it was a close call, and they’ve been awful careful about letting people in since. You’re…probably gonna get some tongues wagging,” she admitted.

“Oh…well, that’s expected, I guess…” Mia wasn’t exactly happy to hear that, but at least she knew in advance.

“I know for a stone fact that the one inn they got’ll take you, though,” Marcus says confidently. “They’re on the edge of town, too, and I know the owner. He’s so desperate for business he’d let ANYONE sleep there.”

“He wouldn’t be so desperate if he weren’t so out of the way,” Junia poked. “But I guess it’s a good thing in this case. I can’t imagine any of us are gonna enjoy sleeping more than one night in the woods.”

“Wait, we’re camping out again?” Mia asked. "I'd thought we’d get there within the day."

“Nope. Dundaril’s a bit over a day’s ride, and that’s without you sl- coming with us.” Junia flinched a bit at the inadvertent slip, but Mia’s downcast look told her that she’d heard. “Hey, relax, I don’t mean it as an insult. It’s just how things go.”

“Yeah,” Marcus said, agreeing. “Honestly, this is probably about the speed the carriage is gonna be once we get to Charloom. It’s just how this kinda thing works. Don’t think too much over it.”

Well, easier said than done, but… “Thanks. I’ll try.” It was the least she could attempt.

“No big. Now eat your soup, eh? S’probably cold by now!” He chuckled, and she turned to finish her own meal. Before much longer, they were packed up, and back on the road.

Fortunately, the road was quiet as they continued to travel on it, meaning no one else saw the strange trio. “You really think ol’ Kreely’ll let her sleep there?” Junia asked out of the blue. “When I met him, he was really ornery…”

“Absolutely,” Marcus replied as their steeds trotted down the road. The beasts were clearly used to Mia now- she’d sidled up to one as best she could and it didn’t even flinch as she looked it in the eye as they went. “He’s always mad because people never STAY. I’ll just let him know we’re in for at least two days and he’ll bend over backwards to invite her in!”

“Why two days?” Mia asked again. She was asking a LOT of questions, but as far as she considered, it couldn’t be helped. She had too much to learn.

“Oh, that’s because we’re gonna have to spend at least a day to get some actual supplies and repairs done,” he casually responded. “I need some gloves that need stitching up, and I know Junia needs a couple things repaired.”

“My bag’s getting loose,” she clarified. “Much longer at this pace and it’ll bust open. Charloom’s got a better seamstress, but she’s WAY more expensive than the leatherworker in Dundaril. I just need cheap and decent right now.”

Oh. She supposed that made sense enough, and didn’t wonder further.

The evening came, and before it went, they once again stopped to set up camp, heading a bit beyond the treeline and into the woods- to avoid anyone stumbling on them and having ‘ill thoughts’ according to Junia. “Alright, so, dinner is-”

“Actually, I was thinkin’,” Marcus interrupted. “How’d you like to actually try an’ hunt for dinner, Mia?”

She hadn’t expected THAT, nearly jumping out of her skin at the offer. “W-wait, what?! Me, hunt? Uh, I-”

“Yeah!” he pressed, getting clearly excited. “C’mon, you said you could spin webs, right? Or at least you said SOMETHING about webs.” True, she had mentioned it when they were just on their way to Germin… “I wanna see that in action!”

For some reason, this caused her face to heat. “Well, I, uh-”

“Calm down, you’re embarrassing her,” Junia quickly jumped in, squinting her eyes at Marcus in disapproval. “I’m betting web-making is one of those personal things you’re not just supposed to do all willy-nilly, right?” she looked back at Mia, expecting a solid confirmation and the end of the topic.

And yet…for some reason, Mia found it hard to say ‘yes’. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe because a part of her wanted to see for herself if she could do it? Maybe a part of her just wanted to impress her new traveling companions. But for whatever reason it was, she found herself shaking her head. “N-no, I’m just…I can do it, I mean, I just-”

“It’s nerves,” Marcus said confidently. “No big deal! Everyone gets ‘em! It’s how you grow stronger! Gotta just get over ‘em! C’mon!” And before she could really register, he’d grabbed her and began dragging her off into the forest. “We won’t be long- if we can’t find anything or it goes bad, we’ll just snack on rations for the night! Shouldn’t be too much further to Dundaril when we wake up, right?”

Junia just sighed. “Just…don’t push her too far, okay?”

“Ugh, you worry too much. C’mon, spider-lady, let’s go!” And thus was Mia dragged into hunting by a roughly half her height boy. ‘I really hope I can get this right…’

It was serendipity that they left when they did, however. Three minutes later, Junia heard the clopping of hoofbeats coming from the direction of the road. A number of them, too.

Junia decided to take a peek, and quickly darted back into the treeline when she realized what she saw. The shining of steel breastplates in the evening light.

The various weapons on their persons- swords, staves, and bows, all engraved meticulously and thoroughly.

But what most shocked her was the blood-red, flowing sashes around their waists. That, plus the stylized hawk’s head told who they were plainly.

Junia could only grimace as a full party of six knights swept past her, traveling the road. Not a one of them looked in her direction. And so Junia had but one important question rolling around in her head towards the members of a group that had made their name in monster slaying. The order that had stopped a war by their lonesome. The group who, if rumors were to be believed, did not play well with others.

‘What are the Ruby Hawks doing out HERE?!’