There was a still moment as Eli stared at the three people who had been blithely discussing his capture only a minute ago, their moronic companion now moaning at his feet. The broad guy, Bearach, looked almost shell-shocked from where he kneeled on the road. The woman with the strange falsetto voice, Malitea, was also kneeling, but with her fists pointed at the sky. With the lack of any glow inside her core and dejected expression, he figured the pose was some form of surrender in this culture. But it was the swordsman, Fasuto, that had much of Eli’s attention. The man remained standing with his sword before him, though his arms were visibly trembling under the weight of Eli’s aura.

He’d known that the foursome might react poorly to him appearing beside the road, but he’d also hoped that the distance and his empty hands would buy him enough time to explain things. He’d admittedly been amused at their response to his surprise, but he also couldn’t fault them for it. The swordsman and baggage handler had reacted with respectable professionalism, though the third guy had almost tripped while trying to draw his sword. A glowing light had started building in the woman’s core as if preparing to defend herself, but Eli had simply waited in the tall grass, holding in his laughter at their antics.

However, after answering the swordsman’s initial questions, things had gone decidedly downhill. First, the clumsy guy with the pretty face had used some mind control power on Eli, which was just about the quickest way to piss him off after all the shit he’d gone through with Boruta, the Goon, and the glowing soil. But then they’d gathered around their oversized backpack and started talking like he wasn’t standing there.

With Guide providing the details of their conversation, he’d followed along, quickly putting names to faces. It had been an illuminating discussion in a few ways. Their assumptions about whether he was a Bound, a thuard, and the rest definitely called for further investigation. Unfortunately, he’d underestimated how they’d react to his invisible ring hiding his power, and their talk had quickly devolved from there. The last of his amusement had evaporated when Malitea acquiesced to Earnan’s suggestion, even against her two companions’ counsel.

When the pretty boy had walked up with some device hidden behind his back, Eli had tried to warn them away one more time. He only wanted to leave peacefully, and he’d have preferred not hurting a bunch of idiots in way over their heads. But when that failed, and the bastard swung for Eli’s groin, the gloves had come off.

Pushing energy into Hypermind, he’d had little trouble blocking the idiot's punch. Eli had even managed to refrain from ripping the man’s arm out of its socket, instead settling for kicking the legs out from under him. In slow motion, while Earnan’s body had been pivoting lazily through the air, Eli’s flat hand had come down on his leather-armored back and slapped him into the hard turf.

Figuring there was more than one way to end this fight without further bloodshed, he’d then decided to turn this mess into an opportunity to test one of his theories. Pushing a bit of energy into his aura, he imagined it spreading out before him. But instead of just shoving it out in all directions, he took a page from his first practice session with Dara, focusing on his aura encompassing only the area around the five of them.

He’d barely started but had to pause as Fasuto took a slow step forward, brandishing his sword. Behind him, Bearach had been raising his axe while Malitea gathered power in her core beside him. Whether they had intended to attack or simply defend themselves, Eli had decided to illustrate most emphatically why assaulting him was a losing proposition. And with that thought, he’d released a fiery two-handed blast that drew a literal line across the road.

With all three quickly stepping away from his blazing demonstration, he’d again pushed out his aura to fill the air around them. And just like in Herria when he’d inadvertently flooded that whole section of the frontier town, he could detect everything encapsulated within his power. It was disorienting and somewhat uncomfortable, somehow sensing the people and every little bug, animal, plant, and pebble. He couldn’t even imagine how hard it would be to try it while moving, and he’d resolved to practice this more later.

In reaction to his crashing auric power, Bearach had collapsed to the roadway, his axe clanking on the stones. Malitea had raised her fists, the glowing energy extinguishing from her core. Fasuto had frozen stiff, his sword and body standing between Eli and Malitea.

“Either sheath that weapon or try and use it, asshole. Just know that the moment you move towards me, your life ends,” Eli said with the same cold voice. He could respect the swordsman’s resolve, but he was also done playing nice.

The words hung in the air, the still moment only building. But then Fasuto finally swirled his blade around with a practiced flourish that ended with his sword sheathed. He continued the movement, smoothly dropping to his knees, performing a kowtow with his forehead touching the stone roadway. He leaned back slightly, his head still bowed but his hands hanging limp. Malitea followed suit, bending forward and assuming the same position with Bearach matching them a moment later.

Eli blinked, recognizing the strange pose that the dipshit guards outside Herria had assumed. He shook off the memory as he focused on the whimpering man at his feet. A quick flash of Lifesight revealed that the idiot was mostly fine, with some glowing turbulence near one hand indicating a broken wrist. It seemed like too light a lesson for someone that would misuse their gift. Heck, the idiot had even used his power on Bearach earlier. It was clearly time to make a more lasting impression.

“I haven’t forgotten about you,” he snarled, though he wasn’t quite as angry as he let on. Still, it wasn’t hard to recapture the feeling as he remembered that moment when Earnan first used his gift. Eli’s mind had gone blank for a split second before he’d heard his own voice answering against his will.

Pushing a little energy into Hypermind again, he grabbed a fistful of the leather covering Earnan’s back and pulled. With a despairing cry, the idiot was launched into the air. When he was a couple meters high near the peak of his short trip, Eli simply nudged the man’s trajectory slightly, revealing his terror-filled eyes.

The idiot barely had a chance to realize what was happening before Eli wrapped a hand around the man’s neck, pulling him in close. “If you ever use your power on me again, I will rip you in half,” he growled, his voice echoing strangely in the air as it had in Herria. He pulled the blubbering man in even closer, their noses millimeters apart. “And if I hear about you abusing others with your power, I’ll make sure I take my time. Understand?” Judging by the twitching neck muscles under his hand, he figured Earnan was trying to nod, but that wasn’t good enough. “Tell me you understand,” he whispered, his words reverberating in the air with menace. “Convince me that you aren’t going to do something stupid as soon as you’re out of my sight. Otherwise, I’ll take care of this problem right now,” he finished with all the threat he could muster, relaxing his grip so the idiot could speak.

Earnan whimpered, tears streaming, his mouth soundlessly working as if he’d forgotten how to speak. “I s-s-swear,” he finally managed to get out. Perhaps seeing the dissatisfaction in Eli’s expression, he continued, “I swear by the Oververse not to misuse my gift on others,” he almost yelled. The little lights floating around him did a little dance before a flash of light confirmed his vow.

“Good enough,” Eli said, releasing his grip and dismissing the fool from his mind as Earnan collapsed to the turf in a miserable, crying ball. Shaking his head in disgust at wasting so much time on these four, he glanced at his HUD’s clock, realizing that sunset would be here in only a couple of hours. It might have been a long and shitty day, but he was still hoping to find an inn or somewhere with an actual bed.

“Please, oh merciful one, this was a misunderstanding,” Malitea begged from where she and the other two were kneeling in the same strange pose.

“Whatever,” Eli responded, dismissively waving his hand at the lot of them as he began walking south.

“Please, Wanderer, let us make amends,” he heard next from the swordsman, Fasuto. “Tell us what we can do to balance the wrongs we’ve committed.”

Something about Fasuto and Bearach’s miserable expressions made Eli pause. Malitea was barely better than Earnan in his book, so he didn’t care much about her, but the other two seemed to at least have some basic decency. Plus, it wouldn’t cost him much if it meant getting the information he so desperately wanted.

“Alright,” he finally sighed. “As I asked, before that dipshit friend of yours got a case of the stupids, what’s the road south like? Is there any kind of town or place I can stay around here? Even better, is there a road that goes to Herria?”

“Of course, Wandering One,” Fasuto replied with feeling, bowing forward for a moment. “From what we experienced, this road should be safe to the south. There are scattered homes and farms where you might find rest, but with Eld Forest so close, most choose not to live on this side of Bishal. The first true settlement is Osky, perhaps thirty kilometers away, and they have a Lodge where you could stay.”

Eli nodded. He wasn’t exactly sure how fast he could jog with the recent changes to his body. Still, he was up for trying to make it there, especially if the road was as safe as Fasuto claimed.

“To reach Herria, I’d normally suggest a trail a few hours north, but with your warning, that might not be safe.”

“Oh? Was it a trail heading off this road that goes directly west?” Eli asked. At Fasuto’s nod, he continued, “yeah, I’m pretty sure I already saw that one. Unfortunately, the trails and even this road disappear once you travel further north.”

Fasuto’s eyes widened with surprise before he settled again, nodding quickly. “As you say, Wandering One. Then, I’d suggest continuing on this road to Osky and then Bishal. From there, head west to Pasca, and then take Rathadamor to Herria.”

Eli nodded again, committing the simple directions to memory.

“Though, if you’d prefer flying direct, you might find an airship in Bishal,” Fasuto continued with another bow. “I believe there are regular trips for resources and trade, which usually means there’s at least limited service between the two.”

“Airships? Are we talking airplanes, or is it more like a blimp?” Eli remembered Wolf mentioning something about them just before the fight with Boruta, but they’d never had a chance to talk about it. He was definitely interested, assuming it was safe, which seemed probable with them using it for commerce.

“I apologize, Wandering One. I don’t know those words,” Fasuto said with another bow.

“That’s alright. I’ll figure it out once I get to Bishal.”

“Wandering One, if I may?” Bearach asked quietly, barely above a whisper.

“Sure, go ahead,” Eli replied, noting the looks of astonishment that Malitea and Fasuto were giving their companion as if just realizing he was there.

“If you seek lodging in Bishal, my family has a small establishment with limited accommodations. It’s called Tralaithe’s Rest, in the Merchant District. For someone of your stature, it is undoubtedly too rough a place, but it would be an honor for you to stay there,” Bearach said quietly with his head still bowed.

“Huh, I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks,” Eli replied with a bit more warmth, though still unsure if he’d take the man up on the offer. There was definitely something he liked about the broad-shouldered guy, but he was also a bit cautious after the recent confrontation. Thinking about it reminded him of why he’d originally stopped them. “Uh, and you are all still heading north?”

“We are, Wandering One.” Malitea quickly interjected before the other two could speak.

“Can you all look at me? It’s getting weird talking to the tops of your heads.” When the three eventually looked up at him, he nodded with encouragement. “That’s better. Now, as I was saying when we first met, a bunch of folks were hiding and watching the road maybe an hour north. See that hill there?” He pointed at the grassy slope with a few trees dotting its crest. “Beyond it will be a few more. The tallest one I saw had a three-story building hidden among the trees, with maybe fifty people scattered around. Also, two groups of four watched the road, one on each side. I’m pretty sure I caught at least one more group roaming around, so it’s probably safe to assume there are others.”

The three kneeling people had turned at his pointing, but Fasuto looked back with a questioning frown. “Wandering One, how did you get past them if they’re watching the road? Is there a secret path not on the maps?”

“Oh…yeah. Well, I took a detour inside the forest,” Eli admitted, grimacing at remembering the glowing soil and his experience with it.

“You willingly traveled through Eld Forest?” Malitea asked incredulously, her strange falsetto vanishing to reveal a more natural voice.

“Yeah, and I definitely wouldn’t recommend it,” Eli grumbled, and the three nodded with varying degrees of enthusiasm. “Oh, and I’d be extra careful when you get close. At least one of the watchers had a way to detect auras.” Fasuto’s eyes slid over to Malitea’s at these words, exchanging a look.

“Alright, time for me to hit the road,” Eli said, glancing at his HUD’s clock. “I hope you stay safe. Oh, and try not to be complete shits the next time you run across some stranger on the road. See ya when I see ya,” he finished, tossing them a little salute.

“By your strength, Wandering One,” all three said, bowing low again with their foreheads touching the roadway.

Shaking his head at all the stiff formality and weirdness, Eli turned south to continue his journey, barely sparing a glance for the crying man hiding in the tall grass.

***

Bearach watched the Wandering God walk away from them, idly noting that he was barefoot. Soon enough, the giant picked up the pace, settling into a run that had him speeding south. In little time, he was barely a speck on the horizon before a dip in the roadway finally hid him from view.

Malitea cleared her throat as she climbed to her feet, breaking the heavy silence that had settled on them following the powerful being’s departure. “Fasuto,” she said, turning to her dionadar. “Will you be able to scout ahead if we make camp here?”

As if that wasn’t exactly what he’d suggested earlier, Fasuto slowly nodded, climbing to his feet. “I will, mistress, but could I request a few minutes? I find,” his words trailed off as his eyes went to the southern horizon where the Wandering God had disappeared. He blinked, clearing his throat. “I find that I need some time to refocus. With something like an aurata out there to detect our approach,” he continued, shaking his head. “That might explain why the two previous teams disappeared.”

Bearach tried to pretend he wasn’t there, kneeling on the roadway as the two talked, unwilling to draw their attention. Malitea still used common speech without the high tonal inflections appropriate for public discourse, as if she were talking with close companions. Doubtlessly, the recent encounter had her distracted.

She dug through their pack, standing a few moments later. In her hands was her folded prayer blanket as well as Fasuto’s. “I’ll take some time myself, but then we’ll go together.” She held up a hand at his budding protest. “My dionadar, I know what you’ll say, but the aurata changes things. I’ll go along, but once we’re closer, I’ll fall behind so as not to disrupt your stealth. That way, I can keep an eye on you. And if the worst happens, I’ll be able to return with word of your honorable sacrifice,” she finished in little more than a whisper, handing him his prayer blanket.

The ordinarily stoic swordsman stood there, his jaws bulging from clenched teeth. After a few moments, his expression relaxed, and he bowed slightly. Straightening, his eyes moved past Malitea to settle on Bearach.

Flushing with embarrassment, Bearach looked down at the roadway, wishing he could be anywhere else after getting caught observing their private discussion. Watching Malitea turn out of the corner of his eyes and approach where he was kneeling, he knew he was in the wrong and deserved the punishment she’d give him. If only he’d moved away earlier when they’d been distracted by the Wandering God’s departure.

Her pale leather shoes stopped beside him, but she didn’t say anything, only clearing her throat as if he wasn’t already intensely aware of her presence. Looking up, he was shocked to see her holding out a hand. He could only stare at her palm, his mind trying to process what he was seeing. But after hearing something suspiciously like a chuckle from her, he finally reached up, taking the offered help.

With seemingly no effort, the slight woman lifted him to his feet. “Bearach, you’ll make camp while we’re away. Please be sure to do what you can to conceal our presence,” Malitea said, her words still lacking the expected high speech.

He flushed, realizing that her earlier use of Common around him hadn’t been an accident. “At your command, Gifted Malitea,” he replied, his embarrassment peaking at hearing the tremor in his voice.

She let out another chuckle but quickly sobered as her gaze turned to the nearby tall grass where Earnan hid. With his Cluintin, Bearach had heard the coward moving about, and at least his crying had finally ceased. Likely, he was too mortified to stand and show himself. However, he was only making more a fool of himself, which was an impressive feat given his recent actions.

“Keep an eye on that one, too,” she said with a nod towards the nearby grass, a little anger seeping into her voice. “We’ll have some explaining to do upon our return to Bishal, and I think we’ll need him for that.”

“Of course, Gifted Malitea.” He couldn’t quite manage to keep the disgust out of his voice, but she simply nodded before turning away, her arms wrapped around her golden prayer blanket.

He glanced over to find Fasuto looking at him without expression. After a moment, the swordsman touched two fingers to his chest before gesturing at Bearach in the traditional salute between warriors. Surprised anew, Bearach could only stare as the dionadar walked away.