The next morning...

“You are such an idiot! The Maniac must have tainted your mind for you to behave like that!” Rilien was shouting at Aster as the half-elf was finishing filling his bags with the last of his few belongings. The bandages under his shirt were working overtime trying to mend his wounds with the life magic they were infused with. The clerics had done an amazing job in fixing the worst of it when he was half-carried back the night before with barely any health remaining. He had gotten dangerously close to dying, remembering seeing his health pool hit 44/200 before he blacked out.

He hooked the simple bronze clasp on his dark green cloak as he finished donning it, “I stand by my words, Rilien.”

His oldest friend was pacing the room, obviously freaking out, “Perhaps we can make an appeal to the Queen?”

Aster gave a solemn chuckle as he carefully placed his pack over his shoulder, “If her son is like that, I can’t think much of her power over him. If he’s become as spoiled and sadistic of a brat as we saw then I doubt she tells him ‘no’ very often.”

They walked out of his room and made their way through the temple. Rilien’s face took on a look of desperation that was echoed in his voice, “But we can’t just accept this!”

Aster stopped in front of the final door and, turning to place a hand on the panicking elf’s shoulder, said with a calm smile, “Rilien, everything will be fine, but this is happening.”

Aster opened the door to reveal Saelak standing there dressed in his usual fine light blue clothes, if you could call them that with how much skin showed, with a finely crafted leather backpack on, Aster had a sneaking suspicion that the pack was a rare and expensive dimensional bag. Saelak gave the two of them a slight grin as he pushed his glasses further up on the bridge of his nose and Rilien let out an exasperated, “Oh, abyss no!”

Aster gave a sigh and walked past the pair of elves and into the courtyard as he said lightly, “Come to say farewell, Saelak?”

“Sure, Farewell Rilien!” the young adult cheerily called out as he waved at the red head and fell into step behind Aster. All three men continued out onto the fairly empty street occupied only by a lone dog wandering around that perked up as Aster passed and begged him for pets. Aster obliged the stray dog as he patted it on the head and said with a sarcastic inflection, “Ha ha… now go back home.”

“You heard him, Rilien. Time for you to leave us.” Saelak said over his shoulder at the sulking noble. Rilien returned an unimpressed glare as he continued trailing them.

As they reached the gates leading out of the city, Aster turned to both of them and put his fist on his hips as he stated, “You are both the Scion of your House, there’s no way I’m allowing you to follow me.”

Rilien looks down in despair, trying to desperately come up with a solution to the problem. Saelak meanwhile gave a shrug and walked past Aster, replying nonchalantly, “Good thing I’m no longer the heir then, so you don’t have to worry.”

Aster grabbed Saelak’s arm, halting their movement, “What do you mean by that? What did you do?”

Saelak shrugged off Asters grip, turning to look at him, and stated with an obvious hint of anger in his tone, “I mean that, after everything that happened last night, I told my family that I would not be part of a House that cares more about their status than their friends and those who have been loyal to them. So now my brother is Scion and I’m leaving with you.”

“That was a foolish and rash decision. I'm disappointed, Saelak.” Aster said with a frown, crossing his arms. This is not what he had wanted to come from his actions.

Saelak seemed to grow even angrier as he bit back, “You think I’m going to just stand by while…” he trailed off like he caught himself before saying something he might regret then said in a softer voice, “... while you disappear from my side?” He grit his teeth and turned away to move back towards the town gates, What’s done is done. Let’s get going, it'll take a week just to get out of the Winterlands.”

Aster sighed heavily, “Kids are so stubborn…” he muttered as he followed his friend.

They stopped at the smithy on their way, saying farewell to Falakuan who insisted that Aster take a nice set of blacksmithing tools to at least be able to repair his gear as thanks for his years of service. They met a similar scene at the leatherworking shop, Alima bawling openly and shoving tools into his pack. She also managed to convince Aster to take the enchanted quiver and scabbard set that he had fawned over and been saving his money for. He focused on the items and a green display showed above each of them.

You acquired: Quiver of Returning

For archers that need more time for shooting instead of cleaning.

Quality: [ Marvelous ]

Availability: [ Rare ]

Type: Storage

Effects:

Arrows that have been bound to this quiver will return to it when activated.

You acquired: Scabbard of Returning

For sword enthusiasts who have trouble keeping track of who they left their blade in.

Quality: [ Exquisite ]

Availability: [ Rare ]

Type: Storage

Effects:

A weapon that has been bound to this scabbard will return to it when activated.

Aster thanked his teacher profusely as he was shooed out the door to be on his way. He stopped by the library, returning the books he had borrowed.

The final place was the home of Soyokaze, his combat teacher. The old air elf gave him a solemn look as he simply handed him a long thin bundle wrapped in cloth, not letting Aster argue as he said, “May this help protect you on your journey, my young disciple. May the Traveler guide you on your path.”

Aster bowed deeply, “Thank you for all of your guidance, Sensei. You have surely saved my life many times and will continue doing so through your teachings.” As he left he glanced down, inspecting the cloth-wrapped gift in his hand, slowly unwrapping it to see that it was a katana with a wickedly sharp and gently curving blade that seemed to be made out of some sort of ruby steel that shined blood red in the sunlight, set in a redwood hilt wrapped with black cord and a simple black tsuba protecting the wielder’s hand. He focused on it more to view the item’s information and gasped, surprised by such a grand gift.

You acquired: Crimson Destiny

Forged on the night of a full Carnal Moon, during the month of Maniluna, by a Blood-Blessed master crafter, this blade desires the life blood of its enemies.

Quality: [ Masterwork ]

Availability: [ Mythic ] [ Unique ]

Type: Weapon - Sword

Level: 1 (100/300)

Effects:

+1 Dexterity. (1 * level)

+1% Critical Strike Chance. (1% * level)

+1% Critical Strike Damage. (1% * level)

Applies a bleed for 1 damage per minute. (1 damage * level)

Fated: This item gains experience along with its wielder.

Bound: This item is bound to its wielder and cannot be wielded by another person unless given freely.

These stats were amazing! The orange color of Masterwork and the dark gold of Mythic rarity were something he had never actually seen before. While his teachers were skilled crafters, the highest quality he had ever seen was the yellow labeled Exquisite, except for his ring which he discovered was much more valuable than he thought due to it’s Flawless quality. He had discovered when he started working with Falakuan the Blacksmith that the levels of quality progressed from [ Trash ], [ Poor ], [ Paltry ], [ Meager ], [ Flawed ], [ Acceptable ], [ Decent ], [ Fine ], [ Good ], [ Great ], [ Excellent ], [ Superb ], [ Amazing ], [ Exceptional ], [ Marvelous ], [ Exquisite ], [ Masterwork ], [ Wonderful ], [ Flawless ], to [ Perfection ].

The dark blue “Rare” label was also the highest level of availability he had seen in town. The rarity levels went from [ Ubiquitous ], [ Common ], [ Uncommon ], [ Scarce ], [ Rare ], [ Unusual ], [ Epic ], [ Mythic ], [ Legendary ], and last was [ Artifact ]. He was blown away that his teacher would give him such an amazing item and he felt even more gratitude towards the old elf. He quickly bound the sword to himself and then to his scabbard of returning, adjusting it at his waist til it felt just right and easily drawn.

As they reached the town gates, Rilien grabbed Aster's arm this time and said in a pleading voice, “Aster… please… don’t leave me…”

Aster paused, looking at his distraught friend and giving him a soft smile, “Saelak is right, what’s done is done. The only path we can take is forward.” He patted Rilien’s hand before gently removing it from his arm, “I’ll send you messages when I can and I know we’ll see each other again someday.” He gave him a hug, “I love you, Rin, and I’ll miss you. Thanks for everything you’ve done for me.” Rilien held onto him tightly, fighting to keep his tears at bay.

They parted and Aster turned to catch up to Saelak who had paused to look back at the pair and giving a smug smile as Aster left Rilien at the gate looking frustrated and helpless.

Aster elbowed him in the side as he caught up and reprimanded, “Oi, if you were smarter, you would be standing next to him; so don’t look like you won some sort of competition.”

Saelak grunted slightly at the impact and said coolly, “I’m glad I’m not smarter then. I don’t plan on leaving your side again.” an annoyed and determined expression crossed the elf’s face, “I failed to protect you last night, even though I promised to… I don’t want to ever feel that helpless again.” He gave a warm smile, “After all, you’re my best friend.”

Aster smiled back and unhooked a scroll case that was on his side. He flipped the cap on one end and pulled out a tough canvas, unrolling it to reveal a map. After studying it for a moment he looked up at the sky, shielding his eyes from the blazing sun. It was probably one of the last hot days of the season. “We should reach the next town by nightfall. Let’s hurry, I don’t enjoy the idea of travelling in the dark.”

As they traveled in amiable silence, Aster’s mood slowly grew sadder as he contemplated the situation he had pushed Saelak in. Bird flitted around the pair, one landing on Aster’s shoulder as he tried to figure out the best way to convince his friend to return to his family.

Saelak had noticed Aster’s souring mood and adjusted his glasses and he said bluntly, “I’m not going to change my mind.”

“That’s what I’m worried about.” Aster said darkly, not glancing away from the road. He was brought out of his reverie by white flakes falling in his path, “What the-?” He glanced up at the sky, seeing no clouds, only snowflakes. He couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face as he gazed at Saelak’s magic. His friend gave a satisfied smirk and Aster lightly punched his arm, “Don’t think this gets you off the hook.” his smile wouldn’t leave though as he continued walking.

The snow suddenly swirled in a vortex before dissipating to reveal an ice sculpture of a begging dog. Aster blinked at it for a moment before bursting out in laughter, “Bwahaha! Nice try but begging won't work with me.”

Saelak leaped in front of Aster then clapped his hands together inches from Aster’s face and dramatically revealed a flower made from clear ice that reflected the light in a myriad of colors. Aster found himself mesmerized and blushed slightly then gave his friend a suspicious look as his eyes narrowed, “What is this supposed to be?”

Saelak gave a playful grin, “It’s an ice rose.”

Aster rolled his eyes, “Yes, I can see that. What’s it for?”

The mage chuckled, “We’ve been friends for 7 years, don’t think you’ve hidden your fondness for roses from me…”

Aster’s face flushed slightly in embarrassment and crossed his arms, “More begging?”

Saelak’s chuckle become tinged with nervousness but his words were determined, “More like consoling, I’m coming with, whether you like it or not.”

The half-elf frowned at that but slowly accepted the beautiful gift.

You acquired: Lasting Ice Rose

A finely detailed ice sculpture of a rose that will not melt.

Quality: [ Fine ]

Availability: [ Uncommon ]

Type: Decoration

Effects:

Will not melt and is more difficult to break than normal ice.

They continued traveling, making small talk and made it to the next town without incident. The next day was more of the same and the day after that, until a week later they had reached the gates of the border town that marked the boundary of Tsukiyuki, the Winterlands, Aster and Saelak stopped staring at the tall wooden walls.

“Well, this is it.” Saelak said with a hint of excitement.

Aster closed his tired eyes, they had repeatedly argued the matter over the last week of travelling, He took a step to stand in front of him and turned to look at him, “Yup. My last chance to convince you to turn around.”

Saelak crossed his arms defensively, “The rangers are still watching.”

Aster glanced back at the tree-line and saw some elusive shadowy figures that had trailed them the whole trip, “Exactly, They’ll be able to see that you merely escorted me to the border. Not that you’re turning traitor…” Honestly the followers had made Aster nervous for most of it, wondering if there was some certain trigger or time-limit that might cause them to attack him, but they had simply watched from a distance, trying to remain as hidden as possible. Aster knew that the chance of them attacking would drastically increase should he attempt to go back towards the trees.

Saelak interrupted his paranoid thoughts with an annoyed harrumph, “Hmph, as far as I’m concerned, they’re the traitors.” He attempted to walk around Aster who moved to cut him off and not let him get past. Saelak’s hands became fists on his hips as he said haughtily, “I’d rather be a traitor to my house than a traitor to myself. So I will follow you even if your back is all I see. I think I’ve made that quite clear by now.”

Aster looked away a bit miffed for a moment before looking back as if to say something but stopped as his eyes grew wide and he pointed towards the trees behind Saelak yelling loudly, “Fireball!”

Reflexively, Saelak spun in place, arcing his hand from the ground towards the sky in a swift motion and a giant wave of water appeared, shielding them both from the oncoming attack… which never came. The mage was confused for a moment before turning back to question Aster only to find him no longer there. In a panic he looked up towards the bordertown and saw short back hair with a streak of blonde disappear into the small crowd that was moving through the road beyond the gate. Saelak relaxed slightly and gave an amused grin, “He thinks he can get rid of me that easily?”

Saelak began to follow when two armor-clad arms belonging to masked elven rangers blocked his path. A slightly muffled voice spoke bluntly, “Please return to your home now, mi’lord.”

Saelak gave them a cold glare which caused a slight flinch in the previously silent one and they spoke up, “The Cursed one has crossed the border. Your Clan demands your presence, Young Master Shinkirou.”

Meanwhile, Aster watched from a few alleys away and gave a slightly relieved sigh when the rangers stopped Saelak from following him, ‘Hopefully they can get him to go back.’ he glanced down at the icy rose he was twirling in his hand, he had created a new habit over the last few days of taking it out to look at when he wanted to calm down and think. ‘I’ll miss him, but this is for the best.’ He carefully tucked the flower away in his pack and began walking further down the alleyway to disappear in the darkness.