Where None Dare Venture: Chapter 3
"So... What brings traveler Alh'igri and his... friend... to these faraway lands?" began Mikri. The group was now pretty far away from the inn, venturing into depths of the thick forest, following the trail as many more had done before. The path was pretty muddy, and from time to time the group had to walk around the trees and branches that have fallen during the prior night. Alh'igri had been silent until then, and his companion seemed unapproachable at best. The girl did not feel very safe around the large man, his silhouette dominating next to her and the masked guy; her best bet for now was to get along with at least one of them. And since the large guy was clearly not in a talking mood, Mikri's choice was clear. Unfortunately, it involved a lot of weird talking.
"It is from a faraway place that Fate has brought one and one's friend, by the name of El'iaja," came the answer, half muffled by the mask as the man kept walking. "For many days we have merged our paths and become travelbound, for we both sought to reach these lands at the edge of this realm. As for the reason-" "We have no clue." The bulky mass of muscle named El'iaja spitted the words sharply. Mikri took a slight step to the side, cursing herself for accepting this job. "They pay well, at the very least," she sighed.
"It is of no use to be so angry, friend El'iaja. Traveler Mikri, it would be of great pleasure to me if the rude attitude was forgiven." The man bowed slightly as he said the words, accentuating the politeness of his words with his body. "Friend El'iaja is... a person that gathers strength as the day moves on," he continues his explanation. El'iaja exhaled loudly through the nose, visibly annoyed by his companion's talk. Alh'igri payed him no attention, focusing on Mikri's reactions. "Friend El'iaja doesn't enjoy being disturbed, and was woken up by one's morning exercises," he continued. The girl could sense a faint smile under the man's mask as he spoke about his friend. El'iaja grimaced. "How about we focus on the road ahead?" he growled angryly, picking up the pace.
The trio made their way forth, with Mikri acting as their guide, steering them on the right path. The road under them slowly turned from stone to dirt to barely walked patches of grass. Soon enough, the only indication of other people walking through the woods become simple markings on the bark of the many old trees, arrows indicating in many directions - all pointing to the growing depths of nature. Above them, the grey sky stretched far and wide, promising more rains and storms in the future.
"So, traveler Alh'igri woke up his companion too early?" Mikri laughed softly, quiet enough to avoid upsetting the large man, who was slowly leaving them behind as he marched on and on. "Well, one can understand the feeling. I hate... One hates waking up early as well." Alh'igri chuckled at the response. "One is pleased to hear the acceptance of traveler Mikri," he said softly, "because one knows the warm soul that friend El'iaja hides." The woman smiled. "I am sure traveler El'iaja is happy to have such a good friend as traveler Alh'igri," she said. The man just nodded. Mikri could swear he was embarassed.
"Guide girl. Where are we going? Is the Rift somewhere in that direction?" El'iaja speaks, turning towards the girl. "You better not mess with me or friend Alh'igri, oh traveler Mikri. Should I give you another reason to take us there?" he threatened. The girl shuddered, a glint of fear sparkling in her eyes, but she quickly recovered her composure. "Of course we're going to the Rift! But if you feel like fighting with crystalline dragons during their mating season, you may as well take the main road." She approached him, adrenaline spiking in her blood. "So if you want to do as you please, I won't stop you. But as long as you pay me to take you safely to the Architect-cursed place called the Rift, you better follow my directions."
El'iaja took a small step back, clearly surprised by the small woman's biting words. Reluctantly, he let the girl take the lead, his shoulders slumped. "Thank you. Now, we'll take a slight detour to a hidden part of this forest. We're looking for a large chunk of mana crystal - I know it is somewhere alongside these parts. We will take a few crystal with us. Is that okay with you?" El'iaja groaned. Alh'igri chuckled and slapped his friend on the back. "One is pleased with the arrangement proposed by traveler Mikri," he replied, turning his masked face towards the other. "Yeah, I am pleased as well. Please, then, lead the way forward." The woman nodded, turning away from the two men and leading the way, letting out a breath she didn't know she held. "May the Merchant make this all worthwile," she prayed in her mind. They kept walking in silence, and soon only the rustle of leaves could be heard as they moved onwards, step by step by step.
By the time the party reached their destination, the sun had set below the mountains. The coldness of the night was slowly settling in as Mikri, Alh'igri and El'iaja made their way, traversing the thicket one after the other. The giant crystal was waiting for them in the middle of a glade, guiding the three to it with its faint glow. "We've made it," said the girl, taking the pickaxe out of her bag. The two man stared at the crystal, overwhelmed by its eerie beauty. How many people had ever seen this wave of blue light meekly fight against the darkness of the night? How many, besides them, would ever see its shine as they did, right there and then? El'iaja snapped out of the trance and grabbed the shoulder of his friend, gently shaking him back to reality. "One cannot help but gaze upon such a priceless view," Alh'igri mumbled. "Yeah yeah, we'll have plenty of time to watch it on our way back. Traveler Mikri, let's take what we came here for."
"On it. I won't waste any more time, don't worry. If you can help me, come and break some shards and put them away safely. Seven or eight of them should be enough for the three of us." El'iaja dropped his large backpack and took a few steps forward, crackling his knuckles and reciting some incantation, making the earth grumble beneath his feet. "Ulmaamhiafarii," he whispered, producing a long and sharp tool from the earth. He began striking at the cluster, making its milky blue color swirl in hypnotic spirals with every slam. "Okay, those are good enough, let's grab them and-"
The howls of a wolf pack broke the silence of the forest; one by one, the beasts made themselves visible, surrounding the travelers. Alh'igri drew his sword, a beautiful blade with a white as pure as his mask, a steel that Mikri could swear it was made of marble. As he recited a spell into its hilt, the blade began to shine pale white, a hungering aura enveloping it. Mikri equipped her shortsword as well, dropping her pickaxe. El'iaja readied himself, holding his conjured hammer, ready to smash the animals to pieces. "That's what we get for taking your Mial-forbidden shortcuts. What do we do now, miss guide?" he asked mockingly. "Oh, shut up! Have you never seen a wild dog before?" scoffed Mikri, looking around her, analyzing their position. "These are common wolves, they won't be coming closer to the greater gem. Their bodies cannot resist in such a mana dense area." She turned towards the bulky man. "Do you have some attack spells up your sleeve, big guy?" "Hmmmph. Yes, I do have some attack spells, but if you think about jump-" "All right I'm going in! El'iaja, cover me!"
Alh'igri had already started the fight, his enchanted blade slicing the wolves into halves, and their halves into quarters, splattering blood all around him. He moved with sure and quick steps, not wasting any droplet of energy. His strikes were sharp and true, perfectly splitting the poor animals. On the other side of the glade, Mikri jumped from target to target, narrowly dodging claws and teeth as she punctured the hearts of the wolves. El'iaja used his earth manipulation, hurling earth and stone at the wolves that tried to sneak past the two fighters. In half an hour, no wolf was left standing; one half of the clearing was littered with corpses, while the other was drenched in gore and blood. Yet, surprisingly, Alh'igri was the cleanest of the three by the end of the fight. No drop of blood touched his mask, cape or sword.
"Good job, team! I knew it would all be fine," cheered Mikri, cleaning her knives. "One is impressed by the valiant work of his companions," said the masked man. His friend simply gave a slight nod. "Better than nothing, I guess," thought the girl. She grabbed the shards left on the ground. "Let's go now, it should be safe. There is a camp spot not far away from here. We'll make a fire and settle down for the night." "Are you sure it's a good idea?" came a question from El'iaja. Mikri shrugged. "It's my personal spot, so I'd say yes. If you're wondering, those wolves have been eyeing us for a while. It's a good thing they are afraid of that shiny chunk of manastone." "If you say so," the man conceded, following her towards the first sleeping spot of their travel. "I hope it's not far away. All that warm-up made me hungry, har har har!" His raspy laugh made Mikri jolt with surprise. It was the first time she'd seen him laughing... or do or feel anything positive, for that matter. "So he can laugh, too, huh," she thought for herself.
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