by Liandra Jake
Arend smiled. "An Orenth Purifying Filter. And judging by this pond, a powerful one."
"Seriously?" Michael asked. "Talk about a deus ex machina; who knows what the universe will decide to hand you in the future?"
Arend dunked Corenden and walked up onto the shore where his clothes were. "I'm going to check it out before we head out." Arend said as he grabbed his bag and sat in a sun warmed pile of stones. Arend smiled gleefully as he looked over every detail of the Korvan.
Iode and Corenden spent as long as they could in the pond while Arend got dressed and Michael did his usual check and recheck of the supplies. In the moments before they set of, Michael took a final look at their location based on the sun. "Alright! I'm calling it! Time to go!"
Iode waded out from the water and shook what he could off. Corenden flew up into the warm breezes to dry off. He rejoined them as they started back into the jungle.
In only about fifty minutes, everyone but Michael was surprised to find themselves in a football field sized clearing. A few tents and fire pits were scattered across it. A thin man reading a book nearby on a small crate glanced up at them as they trampled over a wall of ferns. He had a pair of small, round glasses that were probably actually made of glass. His face lit up when he saw Michael.
"Michael!" He exclaimed as he slid a bookmark into his book and left it on the crate.
"Paine, good to see you." Michael said as he shook his hand.
Paine glanced over at Arend and the two Pog with a raised eyebrow. "Who are these people? Your friends?"
"The name's Arend. Know where we can put this down?" Arend replied with a nod to the canoes.
"Right there's fine." Paine pointed back to the small crate he was sitting at previously. Iode and Arend hurried over to set down their charge.
Corenden stood proudly before Paine. "My name's Corenden. Arend and I set out for training from Sareville."
Paine shook his hand slowly. Arend and Iode were more than relived to not have to carry around everyone's crap anymore and had gained a little pep in their step.
Arend happened to glance at Paine's book as he passed. "A History Of The Great Wars, The Era Of Warships." Arend read aloud. Paine glanced over. "Looks like an old copy." Arend said to Paine.
"It is. My father bought it from a peddler passing through my village. It's why I'm here."
"Heh." Arend laughed. "Weapons Of The Great Wars brought me here."
Arend said as he brought out the old book he had shown Nojeski. Paine walked to meet him and motioned for the book. Arend gladly gave him it
"It's a good copy. Though the binding looks a little worn." Paine let the book fall open. "The weapons of legend? I don't think you'll find any of them here though." Paine said as he leafed through the sketches of Legendary Weapons.
"I've encountered two already." Arend replied. He turned around and pulled up his hair to reveal the back of his neck. A shallow scar ran across it. "Got that from Aquaporus."
Paine shook his head and handed back the book. "Believe what you want. I'd sooner believe you've ridden in an airship."
Arend shrugged in reply as he replaced his book in his bag. "Can't argue with you on that. Telling you I scratched it in return wouldn't persuade you otherwise."
"So why are you here?" Paine asked Michael.
"We're here to get a book translated from the Sereph Runeset." Michael replied.
Paine's glasses slid down his nose slightly as he raised his eyebrows. "A book? Really!?" It was hard for him to contain his excitement.
A large group of people wandered into the clearing from across the way. The path was well worn by their footsteps from years of traversing it. The new visitors attracted a great deal of attention.
"Floxes? What are they doing here?"
"What's with the canoes?"
"Hey is that Michael?"
"Michael! What are you doing here!?"
"Who's the kid with him?"
Arend, Iode, and Corenden were cupping their ears from the uproar. "SHUT UP!" Arend screamed over the crowd. They quickly fell silent. "There's no need to be so God damned loud!" He exclaimed. Iode and Corenden nodded in approval.
"Quite right you are! One cannot study in a noisy environment!" And old man worked his way through the crowd. Outside his wrinkled face, he looked in extremely good health for a sixty-something. "Aegith Isleses." He said with a bow.
"Arend, Corenden, and Iode." Michael replied, introducing them.
"Isleses? That sound familiar." Corenden said as he tapped his chin.
"I don't know where you could have heard it outside me. I have a grandson, but he's in some benign Guild. Something's Den." Aegith said.
"Dragon's Den?" Corenden suggested.
"Yes! That sounds right!" Aegith exclaimed with a nod.
"Ha! I knew it!" Corenden exclaimed. "It's Pike!"
Aegith's eyes lit up. "You know him? Is he well?"
"Arend and I are in the same Guild. He still dresses in suits all the time." Corenden replied.
"Good, good." Aegith nodded. Arend could definitely recognize the accent they shared. "So, Arend is it?" Aegith said, turning to Arend.
"Enough. We have important business." Michael cut in.
"Nonsense! Come sit, I'd love to know more about your friends." Aegith said as he led them to the next fire pit over.
Paine grabbed his book from the crate on the way. Iode and Arend quickly followed with the canoes.
"So Arend, would you care to tell me more about yourself?" Aegith asked once everyone settled. The sky was surprisingly dark.
"My family name is Myshcell, if that helps with anything. I died shortly after birth and was brought back by my father with the use of a Pendragon's Orenth. He, my mother, and my little sister; a combination of Ace the Black Monster, and another Pendragon named King, who actually had very little to do with their deaths. I grew up with my mom's brother, grey features and a new heart to show off. I learned how to set Korvan and plan on founding my own weapons shop some day." Arend spat out quickly.
Aegith nodded. "Good enough for me. We all need a goal for our life."
"You're really not off-set by his story?" Corenden asked.
"I knew Strike Myshcell. I know that chin anywhere." Aegith replied.
Arend' eyes lit up. "So his name really was Strike?"
"No. It's something he made up when he faked his death a long time ago. I'm sure he had the same people after him when he actually died. I can't tell you much outside he had quite the variety of quirks." Aegith replied.
Arend nodded knowingly, leaning back against the canoes. "I have a picture, but it's quite old." Aegith said as he began to feel around on the inside of his shirt.
He pulled out a crumpled, unsealed, dusty envelope. Before he gave it to Arend, he snuck in small envelope into it. He gave Arend the all too familiar salute and a wink. Arend looked down at what Aegith had given him. He stood up and walked away from the fire. What lay within the two envelopes was for him and him only.
Arend found an open tree that would allow him to read in the moonlight. He was a good distance away from the group to ensure he would remain alone. Within the unsealed envelope, Arend found the picture Aegith had spoken of. Arend' human-plus eyes could easily make out who were in it. The two in the center were easy to recognize. Draken, and surprisingly enough, Nojeski. The short old man to the left had the same oaky eyes Aegith had. Even so far in the past, he still looked old.
The handsome man to the right had same chin Arend saw in the mirror. He had a wider head than Arend, but the joyfully silly grin was just the same. He had deep navy blue hair that was combed back smoothly. 'I guess my mom had the messy hair. I could never tell back then, everything's so muddled.' Arend thought. He turned his attention to the other envelope. Arend' name was written on it. Arend cut it open with his L-tool.
"Yo-ha Arend!" Arend grimaced at the greeting. 'This should be great.' "No seriously son, I know what you must be thinking. To start off, I'm sorry I
couldn't spend more time with you. How do I know? Well, I know the people after me, and no, I'm not telling who.
"By now you must be realizing just how different you are from the Myshcells your mother would have told you about. You're special. Human and Pendragon joined in harmony to save you. The Pendragon must have had a compassionate soul. I can't say I've liked what I've done, but hearing you cry out for your mother was what made me truly happy.
"On to more important matters, how are you? It's a cheesy question I know, but it needs to be asked sometimes. Know your goals and don't give up until you can grasp them. Myshcells are good at that. I hope you enjoy living In Sareville. It's a nice and peaceful place. You and your sister should have lots of adventures in such a large city.
I don't have a letter for her, as she won't remember me too much, but do tell her I love her just as much. I know a letter can't compensate for my absence, and for that I am truly sorry. I'm sorry for having you leave you and your mother to deal with my problems. By now you three have moved in with your uncle. I can tell you're already destined to be a skillful Kruxsetter. You learn so fast we're surprised you haven't started taking anything apart!
"You've had to have met Aegith by now, or at least heard of him. I've got a few friends in Sareville that can point you his way when your time comes. I hope you both find love in your life. Whether it be man, woman, or Monster. (Or all of the above. The world's a big place!) As long as you feel it truly, it doesn't matter who it is. (Even though people will definitely flip shit if your other half is some kind of tranny monster. I've seen things Arend, its best if you keep an open mind. Or else you'd go insane!)"
Arend snickered. 'Something tells me he's been in a more than a few awkward situations.'
"I can't explain just how much I regret having to do this. My final advise to you is this; be wary of things that sound too good to be true. They usually end up biting you in the ass. Be good, be happy, be loved.
Your fool of a father,
Teneo Myshcell"
The last page of the letter was a list of books and page numbers. "These are the pieces of the Final Weapon. It's up to you to piece them together." The entire set A History Of The Great Wars was listed. Arend' book had the word "Everything." Written beside it and was circled in red. Arend folded everything up and slipped into the special section of his bag where his book was. Dropping down from the tree, Arend headed back to the camp.
Corenden and Michael had told Aegith about Richard and the book Corenden had obtained. Iode had gone to sleep a little outside the tents. Arend pulled his blanket up to his face on his way past. Aegith was showing them a device that had the potential to point out the Sereph's powerful Korvan. "Since humans had a different type of propulsion in the war, they could use this to easily find their enemies."
Corenden rotated the compass-like box in his hands. The arrow on the top side shifted occasionally. It turned to Arend as he joined the group. Corenden handed it to him without a second glance. Arend had the box apart before Aegith could object. "What are you doing!?"
"If it can handle a crashing airship, it can handle Arend' tinkering." Corenden replied.
Arend shook his head. "One of the Korvan is damaged. Right now it just points to the strongest source of Orenth nearby." Arend explained as he popped out a light blue Korvan with numerous cracks throughout. The arrow no longer twitched when he did so. Aegith took back the device. Arend looked at the crack pattern of the Korvan. "It's got a very weak trace of Orenth, but nothing a machine can track." Arend said.
"We figured that the warship crashed close to an ancient Sereph monument. We also think the same monument was what caused the errors that crashed the airship." Paine explained.
"Makes sense. The only way a Korvan like this can break is by overloading. This monument must be made of the same stuff this is, only much, much more powerful." Arend replied. The man translating Corenden's book looked up.
"He's right, but the book only mentions it. It's normal for books written by Serephs to have their people's history in a brief section of longer books like this, and this one is no different. It's a cookbook of Sereph foods. It has more use to them than it does us."
Arend tossed the Korvan in his mouth and began to chew. "Hmm…" He said thoughtfully as the weakened Korvan disintegrated in his mouth.
Everyone watching was frozen with a look of disbelief mixed with mild disgust. "What the hell?" Michael said, gesturing at Arend' display with confused hands.
"It has the consistency of rock candy and kinda tastes like it as well. Then there's some faint subtle flavor that's hard to nail down." Arend said as he continued to chew.
"How are you chewing that!?" Paine asked with a frustrated frown.
Arend shrugged. "I guess it's another Pendragon thing."
Michael shook his head. "Try not to make a habit out of it. You don't know how it will affect you."
Arend sniffed, tilting his head slightly. "It's that way." Arend said, pointing to the Southeast. "About a two hour trip if we hurry."
"Later Arend." Corenden said as he plopped down on Arend' head. "We need to sleep first."
"Alright. I could probably use more sleep. G'night." Arend laid back with his head on Corenden's chest.
He was asleep in seconds. The others followed suit. Some moment later, Corenden shifted slightly and finally fell asleep. Aegith stayed up a little later, watching Arend sleep. 'He's definitely your son.'
The camp rose well before the sun. Arend had awoken before his friends and ran into the jungle in search of food. Aegith woke them an hour after he didn't return.
"He's hunting?" Iode said with a raised eyebrow.
"I don't want to know what poor animal he ends up catching." Corenden said with a shudder.
"He doesn't eat them raw does he?" Aegith asked.
Michael shrugged. "I don't know what to expect from him anymore. He grow stronger daily, and so does his hunger."
"It's terrifying to think of what he might become." Corenden said.
Arend' footsteps could be heard as he rejoined the group. "G'morn' ya'll. I ate everything so don't bother asking."
Michael looked up to him as he stirred breakfast. "I don't think we want whatever it was you caught. We're leaving once we eat."
Arend was unsettled by the looks the others threw his way. "What's with you guys? It's not like I'm going to go crazy or anything. I know my behavior has changed dramatically lately. I just don't bother mentioning it. As time goes on, splurging on these urges helps keep my mind clear, and now I feel like I could do anything. Don't think the smile on my face is carefree. I worry about the same things you do, but dwelling on them is not how I work."
Arend was met with silence as everyone was focused on the campfire. "Arend." Aegith said quietly.
"What!?" Arend replied grumpily.
"You're on fire." Corenden said, pointing to his feet.
The toe of his right shoe was resting on a coal that had fallen from the fire. Wildly swirling white flames cloaked his foot up to the ankle. "Ahh!" Arend exclaimed as he stepped back .His flamed cloaked foot slipped and he fell onto his face.
Arend rolled over. Both his hands and his feet were coated in the flames up to the wrist and ankles. A memory flashed in his head. With a strike like a cobra, Arend grabbed Corenden's hand. He jumped, but stopped when he realized it didn't hurt. His arm slipped out with little resistance, even with Arend' vice-like grip.
"What is it?" Michael asked.
"It's Orenth." Corenden said softly.
"Ha! I saw King use something like this when we fought." Arend said.
Stiffening his muscles, Arend managed to get himself off the ground, with this ass sticking in the air. "Corenden, give me a push!" He exclaimed.
Corenden pushed him tentatively. Arend floated across the campsite, practically frictionless. Corenden grabbed him by the belt loops in his pants, locking himself against Arend' lower back and using his wings to float around the camp.
"You're
fucking kidding me." Iode said as he watched them float around the other tents, startling and enchanting the archeologists.
"Do you know how ridiculous you look!?" Michael called after him.
Arend did a one handed hand stand in reply. Aegith burst into laughter. "Sit down and eat your breakfast. Some people can just find more fun in life then the rest of us."
Michael grudgingly poured himself and Iode some of the breakfast soup. Corenden and Arend' fun ended when they ran into a tree. Corenden left to eat while Arend tried to gain control of his new power. The soup pot was scraped clean when Arend flew by at an astounding speed, now standing upright and skating across the ground. He slid to a halt in a cloud of dust. He had figured out how to call forth a different kind of flame. They were the same color as King's wings, and increased friction greatly, almost allowing Arend to walk on air.