by Liandra Jake
"He'll be a real trend-setter for sure!" Hunter replied.
Flake pulled Hunter back in, wrapping his tail as best he could around him. They returned to watching the drifting overcast. "I really like this place." Flake said as Hunter rested his head on his chest.
[X]
Nate and Janese were working on a special suit that had the potential to give Eric his legs back. They had been researching everything they could, working for over three months since Arend was out and unable to set them up with the right people. The first day, Janese had to explain what Eric suffered from.
'Eric's nerves were damaged by a toxin carried by his Orenth. Not only is it inert now because of it, it's stifling treatments that have been known to heal damaged nerves. We can't risk stirring up his Orenth too much, but if we can slowly siphon out the toxin, he may very well walk again.' Those words sat in Nate's head every time he sat down to work with her.
"Our best bet to pull anything out would be to use Grey Adamtinium fibers wrapped around the parts of his body where his Orenth is densest. If we rigged up a pump of some kind, we could get it to move in a flow and not erratically stir up his Orenth. It'll be more natural for his body as well." Nate explained.
Janese nodded rapidly. "And through the toxin's tendency for capillary motion, we can ensure that it won't spread to the rest of his body and also siphon all of it out. There's just the matter of how to store it for my research."
Nate nodded. "Arend should have an answer to that. He and his team have a truly terrifying information system set up. Plus he has the resources for the Exo-suit."
Janese smirked. "This might only be possible because of him."
Nate stretched and checked the time. "Anyway, it's late and Arend is out with Kronth. We don't have anything we can do until tomorrow."
Janese stood up. "I have to agree. Though I'll need some proper food before I can sleep." Nate almost leapt at the opportunity, having to check himself and ask as coolly as he could.
"Do you think we could go together or something? I know this place…" Nate trailed off with a roll of his hand.
Janese couldn't catch the grin that slipped out, thinking it better to not to have anyway. "I would love to." She replied, offering her hand.
Nate shot out of his head and pulled the laughing Janese after him. "You won't regret it! I promise!"
[X]
Pockle, Duke, Vladd, and Kyrel were gathered behind Jacob's shed, speaking in low tones. "You three have learned very quickly." Pockle said as she divided the three Termas and distributed the pieces equally.
"It's much easier when we have you to help teach us." Duke said as he divided his pieces again and hid them on his person.
"Though it's very suspicious." Vladd said.
"Always the cynic huh?" Kyrel commented.
"Adopted by a Pendragon or not, she knows things she shouldn't. I have to assume there's a motive behind that." Vladd replied.
"Vladd's cynicism aside, I've managed to locate the Air and Earth Termas." Pockle said as she pulled out an old map.
"That doesn't help with the cynicism at all…" Vladd said flatly.
Pockle glanced up. "Kyrel's natural Air and Earth abilities plus the 3 Termas he's already mastered allows for some very accurate divination of strong sources of Orenth. And using forgotten research notes on the Termas, I can get a ballpark."
"Well?" Duke asked, breaking their stare. Pockle tapped two spots on the map.
"The Halls of Nojorn Woods and a crashed Sereph fortress." Nem spoke out, dropping his cloak. The four stared with slack jaws. "I suggest getting a Pendragon involved." He said as he leaned against the shed. "Naturally, I can't let you inexperienced fools do this alone…" Nem continued as he snacked on a Moonfruit.
"…Naturally." Pockle replied, rolling up the map.
"I'll accept the Moon Terma as a bribe. Duke, Kyrel, you've got the Air. Vladd, you're with me." With an air of danger in his wake, Nem stalked off with the red-haired Changed jogging behind him. Pockle had no way to object to Nem's forced assistance, simply nodding at Duke and Kyrel.
- - - Catching Up - - -
Duke and Kyrel underestimated how far away Pockle had sent them. It took them over a week to reach it, and the mountain range was a few hours from any city. They hoped Pockle really was accurate as she said she was. They stepped out of the small pick-up truck they had rented for the trip.
"According to everyone so far, the fortress is on the other side of the mountain, right next to the edge." Duke said.
Kyrel adjusted his backpack. "I locked everything down, so the truck shouldn't be messed with." Kyrel said as he slammed the door shut.
Duke retrieved his backpack from the bed of the truck. He tossed Kyrel and ice pick. "I've been in high mountains like this before. Keep that on hand and only step where I do when it comes to the snow." Duke said as he swapped his jacket for a parka from the bag.
Duke had much higher quality equipment than Kyrel. He had two self-winding spring-loaded spools of rope flat on either hip, a string of flares across his waist, a triple insulated freestanding tent, and a week's worth of water and dehydrated food.
Kyrel had basic equipment he had bought on the way when Duke rented the truck. He spun the ice pick in one hand as they walked up a narrow path. He swapped hands as the path widened out and he walked alongside Duke. Duke eyed his causal use of the ice pick as an oddity. "Have you handled one of those before?"
Kyrel tossed up the pick and caught it with his other hand. "No, but I have used a sickle before."
"When the hell would you use a sickle?!" Duke exclaimed.
Kyrel shrugged. "I liked scythes as a kid, and a sickle was the closest I had nearby. I got into more than a little trouble because of it.
Duke chuckled. "You were a weird kid Kyrel."
"I still am." Kyrel replied as he continued to spin the ice pick.
They continued to hike up the mountain in an erratic pattern. Kyrel had to clear more than a few boulders and rocky debris from the path. As they passed over the shoulder of the mountain just below the snow line, they found what they were looking for.
A stone-grey tower lay surrounded by snow in the valley before them, mirrored by others in the blanket of white. The masonry was shaped with great skill, but couldn't hold up to time or the impact that brought them there. Only one of the seven towers was still standing. At the far side of the valley, a large section of the mountain was missing, where light blue sparkles shining in morning sun.
They found a crude path made of broken pieces of stone rising a few inches above the deep snow. Lanterns were hung from curled canes of steel driven into small floating pieces of land chained to the ground by chain links as thick as Kyrel's finger.
Duke led the way, melting the sheet of ice frozen on the stone path with bursts of flame from his feet. "Do you think it was destroyed?" Kyrel asked.
"No. Someone had to build this path and put up these lights." Duke replied. The upright tower was half buried by a large drift of snow. Duke melted a hole through to access the door.
As Duke reached for the knob, the door opened on its own. A very old face poked out of the door. The old Sereph was just as surprised to see Duke and Kyrel as they were to see him. He glanced at Duke's feet and grunted.
He waved them in, but didn't open the door wide. "Don't let the heat out." He grumbled. The two squeezed through the door and into a small, warm chamber decorated with shards of Korvan.
A few other old Serephs were sitting in old leather recliners by a small fireplace. The room was cluttered with many books piled up on desks and on shelves that lined the walls of the small tower. A single staircase led upstairs. The other Serephs turned to give Duke and Kyrel curious glances.
"What are you two doing out here?" One of them asked.
A Sereph stood to greet them. She looked younger than the others, but was still well more than Duke and Kyrel's age combined. "If I knew we were going to have some guests, I would have had these old
fools clean up a bit."
"It's alright." Kyrel replied. "If we knew there were still Serephs living here, we wouldn't have just barged in."
"And if we knew there was a path, we wouldn't have needed all this gear." Duke added.
She looked at them with newfound curiosity. Her brown eyes still sparkled despite her grayed fur and hair. "So you're definitely not from this area. Did you come with hopes of learning Sereph history?"
Duke and Kyrel looked to each other. The old Sereph who answered the door took a glance at Kyrel. "You're a BluZeph aren't you?" Kyrel turned towards him. He nodded. "And a little Felwake as well."
Kyrel nodded. "My father and my mother, respectively."
The other Serephs glanced at each other. Grumbling, the first Sereph shuffled into the corner. He came back with two Korvan. A light sky blue and a heavy earthly brown. "Now that you have those, leave us be. Your father has bothered us endlessly for more of those."
"That's not-" Kyrel began. The Sereph waved his hand. "It's all we have. Unless you want to go dig into that mountain."
Kyrel sighed and rubbed his forehead. The old Sereph walked in front of Duke. The younger Sereph brought him a cup of tea as he placed the Korvan into his backpack. "Thank you." Kyrel said politely as Duke was looked over.
"I know that face…" The Sereph said as he turned Duke's head with a hand. Kyrel listened closely for the possible name drop from the Sereph.
The Sereph glanced down at the Fire weapon on Duke's feet. "Hmm. But you don't have natural control of Fire…"
"It's natural in a way."
Duke replied. The old Sereph waved a dismissive hand. "I'm in no mood for riddles. Did you come for the same reason the BluZeph did?"
Duke nodded. "Although it's not what you assumed it was." He grunted.
Duke held a hand out. Around his palm, a muddy aura formed. A look of realization passed over the Sereph's face.
"…Zekerhänd…" He said softly. Kyrel's eyebrows shot up. Duke said nothing as he matched the Sereph's gaze. "So have your families decided to collect the Termas?" The old Sereph asked with a voice dripping with loathing.
"They are not my family." Duke said with enough force to make Kyrel take a step back. "I am only Duke. I was the one who stole the Fire Terma from them."
The old Sereph pointed to the door. "Leave. You don't know the power the Termas posses."
"I'd disagree." Kyrel replied, holding out a hand like Duke had. Each finger was coated in a different type of Orenth. Fire, Ice, Earth, Air, and Electricity met in the middle of his palm with growing intensity.
"Kyrel-" Duke was cut off by a loud pop as the Orenth vanished and a small multi-colored Korvan took its place. Kyrel had fallen back at the sudden sound, letting the Korvan clatter to the floor.
After some time, the old Sereph picked it up with awe on his face. "That hasn't happened before." Kyrel said as he sat up.
Beside him, the female Sereph's jaw was gaping. She stopped him as he tried to stand. "I-I-is that-" "Aero Fìra." Kyrel replied, dropping his backpack as he stood and presented the bow.
The other Serephs were now gathered around Duke and Kyrel, having a heated debate in a language unheard to human ears since Serephs defaulted to human language. Kyrel noted that unlike a Pog's babbling, the Serephs had something more elegant and sophisticated. They all scattered when a consensus was made. Some went upstairs, and others went to books spread around the room.
When they returned, they were all carrying a book of some kind. Duke and Kyrel were confused until they pulled a small, crinkled piece of paper from the spines of each one. The first Sereph stacked in Kyrel's hand, who immediately drenched them in Air. He closed his fist, opening it as the Orenth faded. What was left behind was a crumpled wad of ancient paper. Kyrel smoothed it out and folded it neatly.
The female Sereph approached Duke with a large, old book bound with blackened leather. Duke read the title aloud. "The History of The Great Wars: The Terror of The Terma."
"It's one of three remaining copies." She explained. "Outside them, you can only learn about them from an ancient Monster."
Duke glanced up. Kyrel beat him to the punch. "Why are you giving us these?"
The old Sereph held out the Korvan Kyrel created. "We believe it takes a pure heart to create Korvan without a catalyst. If there were any malice or conflicting feelings, your Orenth would have been able to condense this purely." Kyrel took the Korvan and held it up to the light. Unlike any made with human machines the Korvan, even stained by five different colors, was translucent with no flecks or imperfections to be seen.
"In time, as it begins to absorb Natural Orenth, it will grow in power until it rivals the Legendary Weapons." He explained. Kyrel nodded, placing it with the others.
"Wait…" Duke said, holding up a hand. "Doesn't that mean Kyrel can continually produce Korvan to make super-powered Legendary Weapons?"
The old Sereph nodded slowly. "For that you would need someone impossibly skilled in Korvan Engineering; most disappeared right at the end of the Great Wars without passing on their techniques." Kyrel and Duke shared a look and laugh at the inside joke. Kyrel returned the empty cup to the, now confused, female Sereph.
"Thank you all of you! We might drop by sometime!" Kyrel called as he and Duke slipped out the door.
"Why were you laughing!?" The old Sereph called back to them, huddling with the others to keep warm.
"A Myshcell!" Duke called back with a wave.
[X]
Vladd and Nem had a hell of a time finding the Hollows of Nojorn. Neither had ventured so far west into the Nojorn Woods despite their extensive experience. The journey to the woods was shorter than Duke and Kyrel's but the ruins of the annihilated Guild were near impossible to find. When they finally did, they were surprised at who they found, as were the two for them.
Vladd and Nem were about to stumble into a training session. Wake and Nojeski paused as Vladd's griping could be heard. "We're never going to find this damn place! We might as well call and tell Arend so he can call that Shadow Clan remnant!"
"Calm down!" Nem exclaimed. "We don't need to get him-" Nem stopped as he and Vladd emerged from the undergrowth.
The four shared stoic glances before chuckling at the irony. "You two are from Dragon's Den right?" Wake asked. Nem nodded, still laughing. Vladd took a chance to look at the two. Nojeski hadn't changed, still as matte black as one could be.
Wake however, was now shaped and molded into a monster of a fighter. His hybrid armor had to be reshaped to accommodate for his muscle growth, and his buster was now covered in more chips, cracks, and fractures than before. Vladd could tell it would definitely break soon if nothing was done.
"What brings you out here?" Wake asked.
Vladd opened his mouth, but Nem cut him off. "The Earth Terma."
"It was destroyed with the Guild." Nojeski replied without hesitation or change in demeanor. "Burned to the ground in the library." Nem glanced over at Vladd, who was already walking to the center of the slightly overgrown clearing.
"What is he-" Nojeski asked as Vladd held a hand to the ground, making it tremble.
"He's strong!" Wake exclaimed. "I felt him shift the earth!"
As Vladd walked back, Nojeski saw the dusty piece of paper now in his hand. "Is that what I think it is?" Nojeski whispered.
Nem nodded. "That would make number four." Nem found his feet dangling as Nojeski lifted him by the collar.
"Why are you collecting such devastating weapons!? Is Dragon's Den planning to use the Legendary Weapons and the Termas to conquer this chaotic world!?"
Nem didn't struggle in the man's grip. "A time will come when people will search these out, people more dangerous than our Guild. It's safer for all involved if we collect and use them than leave them be to whoever wants them. A new era is beginning to dawn and leaving things like this unprotected threatens its existence. We used divination to find this and the Air to the north. What prevents others from doing exactly tha
t?"
"What era is so important you'd dabble in lost arts to find these damned relics!?" Nojeski demanded.
"An era of invention and enlightenment brought on by a man born from the remnants of the Great Wars, a man who is a guiding light for those struggling in this dark aftermath. Arend will always say he's only a man, but he is a man who will save us. Arend Myshcell is a man who brings hope for man and Monster alike."
Nojeski let Nem drop to his feet. "Do what you will. But when your search devolves into a war, I won't take any part. Not even for a man like Arend, regardless of his potential or what power he showed me during that fateful Request." Nem brushed himself off as Vladd rejoined him. Wake and Nojeski returned to sparring.