∞ Chapter 7.

There are four siblings in this world, all born together. The first runs and never wearies. The second eats and is never full. The third drinks and is always thirsty. The fourth sings a song forever.

- From the introduction of a Sirionean textbook on magic. Translated by Archmagus Siovanus Mitrus Vardenaai, (108-239 ABS).

"You're cheating!" Barnas howled, spittle flying from his mouth as he threw down his cards. Jak just shrugged. "You dealt this round." He commented dryly. The sun was dimming in the orange sky, and he sat in the first caravan with Morgan, the two hunters and Barnas playing cards. They'd been at it for awhile now and eventually the men started throwing in a few coins.

Jak still had the pouch in his Ar'gah, but he didn't know if it was still connected to the Sirionean vaults or if the vaults even existed any longer after the blast. He didn't have particularly high hopes for that. Besides, betting gold coins for silver would be suspicious, especially since these coins looked nothing like the Sirionean mint. Dorwine worked fast to put this into circulation, or maybe it came from outside. Regardless, it was a foreign currency, yet seemed normal to these people.

Jak reached out a hand and collected his spoils. 18 silver coins all in all, not too bad he supposed. The coins were of a size that you could lay four of them side by side on your palm, and fairly thin though not so much as to be frail and bendable. The edge of the coins were inscribed with Honored be S.V, the Scholar of Dawn.' and in the center of the coin was a pictograph of a sun ☼.

Not for the first time, Jak wondered who this S.V person was since their name was even to be found on coins. Ves had made mention of an S.V scroll before, so he gathered that S.V was a writer of some kind. It was strange that he'd never even heard of this person before, much less that there were minted coins in circulation bearing this unknown persons name.

The vague feeling of uneasiness in his gut that had been growing since his conversation with Mina, only expanded further as the second and less desirable possibility became more plausible in his mind. The 7th key master... was it even possible? And if it were, he surely wouldn't have done it on purpose, would he? Jak shook his head, banishing the discombobulations from his mind for the moment. This was not the time to ponder such outlandish theories. There was no proof.

"Looks like I ain't got a bleedin' chance at winning back me coin eh?" Morgan said, taking a swig of a small metal flask he kept in his front pocket. "Shouldn't have given him that silver coin to bet with then." Barnas growled, a grimace making the mans ugly mug even uglier.

"Now now, how was I supposed to join in the fun if I didn't have some start up capital. Besides, I lost my Hri'gah so I need to acquire proper clothes in Midshear. That'll surely require coin." Jak said with a smirk, letting one of the silver coins he'd acquired dance across his knuckles before flipping it into the air and catching it again.

"You weren't supposed to join in the fun." Barnas said sourly, crossing his hairy forearms over his chest and pouting. Barnas reminded Jak of a spoiled child, which nearly made him laugh out loud.

"Would you prefer I stayed in the back with the two infamous ladies then?" Jak said. Barnas scowled at him, but said nothing. "See? I thought not. Another round?" Jak said. He already had a pouch full of silver coins, but a little more could never hurt if he was unsure of his own capital.

Were he unable to access the vaults through the pouch, then these silver coins were all the money he possessed.

"I think not. You're robbing us blind, and blimey if I can't see it now." Morgan said.

Torkan and Keith nodded in unison. "Oh aye, how the fuck are you so good at this card game? You said you didn't know the Seven Crow Cabala." Torkan asked. He was a short man, but brawny and weatherworn and clearly strong enough to swing the axe he carried around. He was like a dwarf version of Barnas, but without the shiny bald head.

"I didn't, we had a similar game back home. Many of the same skills apply." Jak said.

His mind was elsewhere though. He heard rustling all around him as the procession of caravans advanced slowly. Slowly enough for someone to arrange an ambush, it seemed. Jak held up a hand to forestall the mens reply. "We are surrounded." He said quietly.

They all frowned in confusion and Barnas nearly scoffed at him. To his credit though, the man repressed his dislike of him when he saw Jaks expression. For that he deserved a modicum of respect, Jak supposed.

"How in the blazes do you know that?" Morgan asked, before glancing around the caravan and preparing his weapons. "Bandits you think?"Keith questioned, the men all quietly moving about to make their preparations. It seemed they weren't as careless as Jak had first thought.

Jak shrugged. "In truth I don't know what they are. Their language is strange, a mix of chips and growls. It sounds as though they are vomiting up every syllable they fling at each other. Judging by the tone though, they haven't been given the order to attack yet."

All the men with whom he had been playing cards these last few hours, stared at him incredulously for a moment before grimacing. "Gobs." Torkan and Keith said in unison.

Barnas nodded. "Sounds like their foul tongue alright. Can't hear them myself mind you, but... he can, apparently." Barnas said, an odd look on his face.

The men seemed to have an idea of what surrounded the caravan, though Jak was left in the dark. He cared not what they were though, only that they barred his path forward.

"Ready your weapons, one of them just emitted some very aggressive vomit sounds and the rustling got louder." Jak said.

The men rose to their feet, Morgan pulling out his mace and Axe. Barnas hefted his huge double-bladed axe and Keith grabbed his bow. Torkan had left his weapon behind in the other caravan and cursed, pulling a dagger from his boot instead.

As one, they turned to look over at Jak, no doubt judging their new companion and doubting whether he could fight or not. After a short silence, Morgan held out a hand, offering Jak his mace.

He considered refusing, since he didn't feel comfortable using a weapon like a common soldier. Yet it would raise questions if Jak began ripping these Gob creatures apart with his bare hands, or if he drew sigils for that matter.

"Much obliged." Jak said, accepting the mace. It had a good weight to it, and was made of cold hard metal.

"GOBS, GET READY!" Barnas shouted at the top of his lungs, no doubt to warn Ves, Mina and the cook. Jak hadn't even thought of warning the two women. Even if it was right to keep them on equal ground with the others, Jak assumed that since both of them knew how to draw sigils, they'd have something set up for detecting enemies or hostile intent. He couldn't be sure though, so perhaps the warning was warranted.

The drivers pulled on the reigns to stop the horses just as the creatures swarmed forth. Jaks eyes widened in surprise as he saw them.

They were nasty little things. Small grey creatures with sagging skin, glowing red eyes and thin gnarled arms, wearing rags and an assortment of broken armor pieces and equipment. They jumped out of the bushes on both sides of the road, circling to the front and back to surround them, all the while making foul vomiting sounds in their repulsive language.

Jak spotted an especially ugly specimen with a gigantic nose, sagging jowels and loose sickly grey skin. This creature wore a couple of weathered leather vambraces and carried a rusted short sword and a rotting wooden buckler. The thing didn't even have the decency to wear a loincloth.

The foul black worm dangling between its legs nearly made him puke.

"All the more reason to draw on them, I really don't wanna get close..." Jak muttered in Sirionean, then shook his head, and jumped off the caravan with the other men. "Torkan and Keith cover the right side, Barnas and Morgan you take the ones on the left. I'll deal with those infront. Go." Jak said, his commanding tone brooking no argument.

It looked like the so called B rank explorer wanted to argue, but once more held his tongue, instead flinging himself into the fray with a howl of rage, Morgan following close behind. Jak had little time to admire the big chunk of flesh dealing death, because the repulsive grey skinned creatures were almost upon him.

He strode forth, holding the mace casually to the side as he rubbed at his eye and adjusted his eye patch. Seeing his casual behaviour, the creatures hesitated for a moment. Then the first grey thing jumped at him with a scream. Jak swung without much thought, the mace smashing into the bald-headed creature with a crunch as blood and brain-matter splattered the ground.

The Gob was flung back as if hurled from a catapult. It's cranium caved in and crushed with great force, it spun rapidly through the air like a ragdoll leaking red before violently crashing into a tree with such speed that even the other Gobs froze for a moment to stare.

Jak grinned down at the short ugly things, twirling the mace a few times and walking towards them.

Wide-eyed with fear, the Gobs vomited words at each other in their foul language. One of them shouted something, and they resumed their assault. This time they came all at once. Jak danced about, avoiding their clumsy attacks whilst bashing skulls.

Blood was everywhere as he swung the mace, and with every swing another skull exploded in a mist of red. The stench nearly made him gag. Disgusting creatures, unwashed and uncouth and smelling of rotten flesh and excrement.

As he mowed them down, he truly wished he'd just drawn a few sigils and burned them. They were akin to the pus of a wound, to some sort of blight or disease on the land.

Once Jak had dispatched the dozen or so greyskins at the front, he turned around to see that Barnas and Morgan had killed about half of theirs, while Keith and Torkan was only managing to hold theirs off. Jak frowned. They were a little bit too weak on that side, constantly being pushed back and losing ground to the creatures, so Jak joined them.

With his help, they quickly slew the rest of the things on that side. "What the fuck man, you're a beast!" Torkan yelled with wide eyes, wiping sticky and disgusting Gob blood from his brow. Jak shrugged. "These things are like weak and incredibly ugly, smelly children. You hardly need to be a beast in order to dispatch them." He commented. He was covered from head to toe in various smelly liquids. Blood and brain matter and other stuff too, but the bath had to wait.

He cared not for Barnas, instead rushing to the back of the caravan where Ves and Mina were fighting.

His worry was unnecessary. Jak arrived just in time to see Ves decapitate the last of the Gobs. A few lay scorched on the ground, while one had a large icicle stuck through the eye.

"Nice work ladies." Jak said, grinning through the blood. He wiped at his forehead in annoyance. Why was their blood so sticky and smelly and blackish? Truly disgusting.

Ves gave him a look, her eyes wide and a sickly palor to her face. Then she bent forward. "Don't... look. Uuuagh." She said through clenched teeth before puking. As the sour wet slosh spilled forth from Ves, she fell to her knees her whole body strained. Mina strode forth and put a hand on her back as she puked some more, then Mina looked up at Jak and flashed her digits.

[Ves is fine. You hurt anywhere?]

Jak shook his head. "I'm good. It should be over by now. Barnas-" Just as Jak said that,

an arrow came flying from nowhere aimed directly at the kneeling form of Ves.

Without thinking, Jak drew a few sigils and the arrow disintegrated in a white flashburn. He heard someone cursing under their breath, then some rustling as whoever had shot the arrow retreated rapidly. He decided against pursuing them for the moment. In truth, he just didn't care enough to do that since their meager machinations were impotent in his presence.

"We're good. Whoever shot the arrow ran away." Jak said.

Ves hadn't seen, but Mina's eyes widened and she hurriedly freed both of her hands, clearly desperate to flourish her digits at him.

[Shock: What did you just do? What were those strange looking sigils?! How can you even draw when I don't feel any essence from you?]

Ves slowly regained her feet, wiping at her mouth with the sleeve of her shirt and looking a little pitiful and sick. She swayed for a moment before Mina steadied her. Jak just raised a finger to his lips, smiled and nodded to the women.

He hoped Mina understood his request and honored it. After all, he had saved Ves. Mina would probably feel beholden to uphold his wishes and keep this to herself. For now atleast.

Jak truly did not want Ves to start shouting at him again, though she'd probably need to recover a little bit before she was in a shouting mood.

Oh how wrong he was.

Soon after Jak rejoined the other fighters of the band, Ves and Mina walked over aswell. No longer did Ves look pitiful. Instead she had a look of pure fury plastered across her face. "This close to Midshear!? What the fuck are the guards and the explorers doing?!" She shouted. Jak noted how she clenched her fists. He didn't think this had been her first battle, but something about this had angered and disturbed her.

"A dozen of the creatures from the front. 9 from the right." Jak said, looking over at Barnas. The man had an unreadable look in his eyes as he replied.

"12 from the left also." Barnas said. He sounded like he'd run out of angry energy or something.

"16 from the back." Ves said. Her voice was a little shaky, and she sounded drained like Barnas.

"Well that was fucking disgusting. What were those things?" Jak asked as he walked over to Morgan and handed the gore-covered mace back to the man. "They be Goblins, gobs fe short." Morgan said, wincing at the blood covered mace. "Be surprised if you haven't atleast heard o' the buggers before, us explorers have ta deal with them now and then." Jak shook his head. "I haven't. What kind of haelhole could spawn such ugly, deformed abominations?"

Morgans eyebrows rose, but a loud sigh from Ves caught everyones attention. She walked over to stand before him, opening her mouth to speak but paused then closed it again. "Come with me," Ves said, sounding a little deflated as if she'd given up on something.

Not quite knowing what the woman was up to, Jak followed quietly. Just before they were at the tree line Ves turned around to call back. "Oh and Barnas I expect you and the guys to stay and guard the caravans while we look for the river. It can't be that far from here. I am NOT travelling the rest of the way to Midshear covered in stinking chunks of Gob." Ves shouted, nearly growling. She turned, scowled at Jak and then stomped off into the forest with the grace of an Elephant on stilts, twigs snapping in her boot stomping wake.

Ves stalked through the woods for a time in silence, her hands clenched as she marched towards where Jak presumed the river would be.

He decided that he'd waited long enough, and so took a few long strides and caught up with the furiously marching woman.

"Mind telling me what Gobs are?" Jak asked, matching her pace. She spared him but a short, angry glare before turning her attention back to her march. "River first. I can't... you smell too much, stay back." Ves said. Sighing to himself, Jak did just that, but he wasn't put out by her strange behaviour.

"Why's Mina not coming with you? Surely she'd want a bath aswell after an encounter with the uncouth Goblin creatures." He asked, but Ves just harumphed, not even glancing in his direction. He wondered what was up with her.

"She didn't get hit by much blood, she can just change her dress. Besides, you just wanna see her naked don't you?" Ves asked.

"I wouldn't mind." Jak said, which made the woman trip over a root and fall face first into the underbrush with an oof. Jak was a little worried when Ves didn't immediately get up.

He approached her again, noticing that she was shaking slightly. His sensitive ears picked up quiet whimpering.

He was about to say something when she jumped up in a whir of dirt and leaves, one of which managed to stick itself to his forehead. He noted that Ves hadn't fared much better. Her blood covered body was now stuck with leaves and dirt aswell. By the sands they were a mess, Jak smiled as the woman turned.

Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears for some reason, but upon seeing Jak those eyes widened. "Pfft. Hahaha, you should see yourself. There's a bloody leaf right in the middle of your forehead! Suits you!" Ves laughed, her shoulders relaxing as a few tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Hey it's not my fault that the blood of these Gob creatures is unnaturally adhesive. Besides, you should see your own face. Much worse than mine." Jak remarked with a smile.

Ves chuckled and turned. "Shouldn't be far now." She said.

"I can hear it babbling away already." Jak replied, noticing that Ves was veering off course slightly. He grabbed her arm. "This way you dirty woman." He said, briefly wiggling his eyebrows at her which made the leaf on his forehead move up and down. Ves' eyes widened, but she somehow managed to contain her laughter to a few strangled sounds and a red face.

Ves said nothing as Jak led her by the arm towards the river. When they finally got there, all he wanted was to jump right in, but he forced himself to calm down. It had been many years since he'd felt so filthy. His hair was greasy and Jak was sure that there was Gob brain stuck in it.

He shuddered, imagining the unmentionable parts of those Goblin things stuck in his hair. Sands forbid.

The river was about waist deep and a few people wide, not the most impressive sight. But to Jak it was like seeing an oasis after a month in the desert. He couldn't stand this any longer. He had the creepy crawlies from thinking about what kind of Gob parts may be stuck in his hair.

He removed the roughly woven linen shirt that they had given him and threw it on the ground, deciding to keep his Ar'gah and shoes on. Easier to wash them that way. Then he jumped in with a splash, the cold water giving him goosebumps on his upper body.

He dipped his head into the river, whipping it about and using his hands to thoroughly rinse it from any unwanted Gob parts. When he finally felt somewhat clean and wholesome again, he popped his head back up. As he broke the surface he saw the still dirty Ves standing frozen at the side of the river. Her mouth was slightly open and her eyes were glazed over. She saw him looking and promptly straightened, losing her absent look.

"What's the matter?" Jak inquired with a smile. He just couldn't help but feel good. His spine tingled and he had goosebumps from the crisp, cleansing water streaming down his back.

Ves shook her head. "Have you no shame? I'm a princess and you act like this. You even went in first!" Ves said. Jak just smirked at her. He still doubted the validity of her claim, since he couldn't fathom what kind of kingdom would allow their royalty to travel the wilds with such poor protection. He could clearly see the cute blush on her cheeks. It reminded him of other pink things.

"Oh shit, what's that behind you!" He yelled out. Ves spun on reflex, grabbing her sword. "What? Another ambush?" Ves asked, her shoulders tense.

Masking his sounds with a quick sigil sequence, Jak went over to the waters edge. Then he grabbed at her clothes and pulled. Ves dropped her sword with a short shriek of surprise as he pulled her off her feet and into the water with him.

She crashed into him as they both fell into the river. A moment later, they emerged. Her face was much cleaner than before, though he spotted a few leaves still stuck in her blonde locks.

"The... you- you scoundrel!" She shouted, jumping forward and tackling him underwater again. She pushed at his chest with her hands while they were under water, but Jak didn't let go of her clothes. Instead, he pulled them both above the surface again and grinned, still holding her close.

"Much better now." Jak said. Ves' face was almost entirely pink at this point, and she averted her gaze from him. He used this chance to run a hand through her fascinating blonde hair, removing the last few leaves from her wet locks.

"There. I think I got all of them. No more throwing up now that you're all clean. Now that we're both clean." Jak said, smiling at her. Then he realized he was still holding her close. With his strength she'd probably find it hard to escape, not that she was trying to at this moment.

Still, he let go. He did not want to make her feel uncomfortable, but realized that his sentiment was rather redundant, since the woman was probably already very uncomfortable.

Suddenly Ves shook herself and stopped averting her gaze. Instead she glared up at him looking like a beaten pup that had just been violated. Then her gaze hardened and he was reminded again about just how sharp those azure crystals of hers were.

So sharp they could cut- Ves whipped her arm upwards, punching him in the jaw. He let his head bounce back, since he did not want Ves to break her fist on his face.

Getting a sudden idea, he resisted the urge to laugh again. Instead, he made himself limp and fell backwards into the river with a splash. As Jak went under, he exhaled to make some bubbles.

For a moment, she stood there staring down at him with her fists clenched and her face flushed a bright red.

When she saw the bubbles however, her eyes widened in panic and Jak almost felt sorry for messing with her. Still, it was her fault for being such a violent woman, so he continued to play dead even as she grabbed him and dragged him from the river. She had her arms around his bare chest as she pulled him onto the riverbank with a cute little grunt of effort.

She looked like she'd calmed down a bit, nearly looking at peace. A small smile tugged at her lips as she stood there looking at him. The eyepatch was just perfect for tricking her into thinking he was unconscious, while still observing her properly. His inheritance had no trouble seeing through the fabric of the eyepatch.

Hmm. She was smiling down at him now. That wouldn't do. Jak stopped the movement of his chest and went still. Tapping into N'shasa, he even forced his heart to cease beating, instead circulating blood with the internally written sigils he'd had to painstakingly and permanently engrave inside in order to become a master rank N'shasa practitioner. Anything less for an Arahan wouldn't do.

Ves still stood there with a lazy, nearly content smile on her face, but finally noticed that something was wrong. "Shit!" She exclaimed, quickly pressing an ear to his chest to listen for breath and heartbeat. "Nothing. Shit shit shit. This bastard... I thought he was strong..." Ves said, her voice nearly breaking as panic set in.

Next the Ves woman pressed two small elegant fingers to his neck to feel for a pulse, but cursed. "Why didn't I bring Mina along...shit shit shit. Dumbass, Ves you dumbass!" She said, muttering to herself. She got down on her knees, and he could feel one of her hands now resting on his chest near his heart.

He knew of the revival technique used by those without access to lightning sigils of course. It'd been taught to everyone in Sirion from the lowliest demin to the likes of him and his father.

He also knew that before she began pressing against his chest, she'd give him some air.

Ves did just that, taking a deep breath before pinching his nose shut. She hesitated for a moment. He had to admit she was kind of cute even if she was small and nearly flat chested like a little girl. He felt her hand trembling slightly on his chest as she moved her lips closer and closer to his. The sharp resolve in her crystal eyes hardened even further, and she lunged for his lips to blow air into his lungs and save his life. Then he felt her lips on his, cold, wet lips.

When Ves was about to disengage in order to start pressing on his chest, Jak wrapped an arm around her back and pressed, effectively locking her mouth to his.

Her eyes widened into giant blue saucers as Jak kissed her. She had cold, firm lips, plump and soft. They tasted sweetly as they gave under his assault.

Jak opened his eye and looked at her as he kissed her for real, molding her lips to his own. He gradually eased the pressure of his arm so she could escape from him. But she didn't. Not immediately. Instead she stayed there with wide eyes, cute pink cheeks and responding lips. She was shocked, but she was kissing him back.

Then as suddenly as it had begun, it ended. Ves jumped back from him, landing on her butt in a most unladylike fashion and scrambling away from him on all fours. "Wha-wha-wha- whatareyoudoingyoustupididiot!" She said in a high pitched voice, her face colored bright red.

Jak sat up and grinned at the woman. "I didn't do anything. I just got revived with your astounding mouth to mouth skills. Most impressive I have to say."

Tears in her eyes, Ves looked betrayed. Actually Jak thought she looked like a child about to cry from embarrassment. He did feel slightly bad for her.

"When did you..." she said in a quiet voice. "When did you regain consciousness." She asked in a quiet voice, looking down and fiddling with a leather strap on her armor that had come undone.

"I didn't." Jak replied with a grin, getting to his feet. There was dirt stuck to his back, but with the trusty river by his side he figured it was no big deal.

"What do you mean, you were clearly...oh. Oh no you didn't just do that." Ves said, looking up at him. She still sat there on the ground looking a bit out of herself, with a bright red face and moist eyes. Okay she wasn't just a little bit cute.

Jak cocked his head to one side. "Whatever do you mean?" He asked innocently, puffing out his cheeks and poking them with a finger as a child might.

Ves sputtered, then let out a defeated laugh, her moist eyes finally releasing a few tears. Then she looked up at him and Jak became a little worried. He hadn't meant to push her so far, just tease her a little. She looked almost broken, smiling and crying at the same time.

From the first time he'd seen her at the campfire, to the assassination attempt with the arrow earlier, it was clear that Ves didn't have it easy and he'd just messed with her and perhaps pushed her over the edge.

"You were awake the whole time." Ves said, her voice so low Jak almost didn't hear her.

He nodded. "The whole time..." she repeated, trailing off at the end. Then very slowly, she got to her feet, carefully making her way over to stand right infront of him with tears still streaming down her face. She took a deep breath. He could even see her chest expanding as she filled her lungs to capacity. Then she cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted: "YOU STUPID IDIOT!"