Agnes stared at the molweds waving back and forth in the field.
A: (Why?... Why here? And why are there so many of them!?)
Molweds were peculiar flora – Spongy flowers of a vibrant yellow that released a scream-like sound when the plant felt threatened. Even when removed from the soil, the flowers and stem of the molwed could continually release screams which made handling molweds an advanced trial for florists and herbalists alike.
The frequency of the screech was affected by the quality of the soil it grew upon, the air's humidity and many other factors yet researched upon. Progress on them was difficult enough as things stood due to the tricky nature of the molweds themselves. When molweds grew in large areas like the field itself merely crossing the vegetation caused multiple molweds to go off, resulting in splitting headaches and the like.
This feature had time and again been exploited to emulate the effects of an excited cheering crowd, but strictly speaking, they were not to be trifled with. Deforesters would quickly realize that fire was ineffective against its spongy and damp flowers so burning fields of them failed. As a defensive mechanism, it was particularly meddlesome and the only people who could openly interact with them without discomfort were the deaf, which made removing molweds a big problem.
Agnes was tasked with tutoring amateur magechanics on repairing a broken bridge. However, on his journey towards Rulid, he came across the startlingly large field that consisted almost purely of molweds which stood in his path, determined to bar his progress. It would be hard traversing around such a large and troublesome area, yet cutting and destroying the plants would only worsen the current situation.
It would be appropriate to say that it was no small obstacle.
A: (Do I take care of this immediately so nobody else would have to handle this field in the future? That would be best, but it would take too long. Or do I just try my best to waddle through this place? I have never seen such a large number of molweds in my life... If I make a wrong move, I might faint in the middle of the field and never wake again.)
Agnes twiddled his fingers and debated over using his tool to cross the field or to simply walk around it.
A: (Forming a snuffler is probably the most efficient solution but it's going to cost me a few of the Uzab runes, and they probably don't sell any of the high-powered runes there... If I make a glider here, I can probably smooth my way over this field but that's going to deplete the runes quickly too. If I form a bridge it's going to be a while before I can cross the field, not to mention if I build it too low it's going to trigger the molweds anyway. Or maybe I should just walk around these and save my runes?)
Agnes looked around for a better solution, hoping to receive at least some form of inspiration or guidance on what he should choose. Finally, with nothing else but the barren rocks and the trees, Agnes hit an ultimatum.
A: (I'm going to stick with crossing it directly since I don't have that much time. But should I use the snuffler or the bridge? The glider is going to cost the most so that's not viable. The snuffler drains the runes continuously since the construction is dynamic and I would need to run as fast as I can before they deplete. I'm going to have to save at least three Uzab runes for Rulid to execute the demonstration, so my speed decides how much I use. The bridge is slow and useless if it's too low, but if I do it right I only need to burn a single rune with its static nature.)
Agnes looked at his surroundings once more.
A: (Gods, Dardicel knows how much I hate choosing. I guess I'll spin around with my eyes closed until I no longer know which way is which. The next time I open my eyes, if I see the trees I'll build a snuffler. If I see the rocks I'll build a bridge.)
Agnes put his luggage down, closed his eyes and began to spin. He balanced his weight on his right leg and kicked his left foot against the ground, forming a circular momentum. He spun and spun until he no longer knew which direction he was facing, until his ability to balance went awry and he finally collapsed onto the floor.
*** ***
Agnes laid down his tools and placed a Uzab rune written on a wooden tablet in the center of the circle. With a simple hand sign, the pile of rocks in the surrounding region floated and came together to form a straight row of stones. Connecting them to each other was an occasional spark of electricity to align the stones should they drift too far apart.
On his left hand seated a symmetrical magic circle comprised of tiny, blue transparent stones and a single piece of ruby. It seemed as though it were a small-scale model of the bridge itself with the ruby being where Agnes was.
A: (Okay. The bridge is stabilized.)
Slowly, Agnes stepped onto the small floating stones one by one. As he walked further and further onto the bridge he shifted the pieces at the far end of his hand toward the front. The pieces at the beginning of the bridge disjointed towards the half-complete end. It slowly formed a bridge suspended purely by the floating rocks.
A: (Steady... Slowly now.)
Agnes made his way through the field when something sped past his face abruptly.
A: "!?" (What... Was that?... It's not safe. Rearrange the stones to form a circle around myself first...)
Agnes shifted the stones on his left hand around and formed a fanning, circular shape around the ruby. The rocks at his feet floated about and formed the same circle around Agnes. He glanced around and tried to grasp what was happening to find only the rocks, trees, molweds and the wind about.
A: (... Nothing at all? That was so fast I could barely see the blur. Was that a galerider? I haven't seen one live before. What a pity – I've only seen illustrations of them, so missing one that flew right by me is kind of depressing.)
With that in mind, he reassessed the severity of the variance.
A: (I guess that's why they're called galeriders. Still, if they are dancing about it's not going to be safe forming a cheap bridge. I've already come this far, so I should go the extra mile and use another rune.)
Agnes felt up another wooden tablet and expended the second Uzab rune. He picked up the ruby with his left hand, which caused all the blue stones to float off his hand and in the general position they were before, now suspended around the ruby. With the ruby pinched between his fingers, Agnes mentally arranged a few of the stones such that they formed little platforms before him.
The stones automatically shifted and adjusted themselves to his front, hell-bent on adhering to the formation of the blue stones in his hand as closely as possible. The troublesome process of moving each individual piece forward was no longer necessary.
A: (I've already used a second rune, I may as well use it efficiently.)
He raised a few stones to around his chest level so he could grip onto them should the galerider return and throw him off-balance by surprise. With his safety nets in place, Agnes finally had the peace of mind to continue walking.
*** ***
Agnes eventually made it to the end of the field intact. He looked around for an effigy and found a thorny vine growing on a rather large rock. Agnes slowly set the ruby on the rock and cleared the area of immediate danger.
With a snap, the blue stones clumped together around the ruby. With that same snap, the stones floating about attracted and melded themselves onto the large rock, forming an interesting sculpture of sorts. The ruby on the rocks popped loose and he caught the precious gem in his hand.
A: (It was a bit of a waste because that galerider never came back... Oh well. Can't be too careful about these things.)
Agnes crashed his butt onto the ground for a brief moment of recovery and took the chance to admire his sculpture while recovering his stamina.
A: (I'm not sure what to make of the shape... It kind-of looks like a little girl with twin tails and really stiff hair- Who's that?!)
Behind his sculpture was a red-haired young lady of about sixteen years wielding a large grey greatsword. With a slash, she broke the sculpture cleanly in half and proved the handiwork of the blade.
A: (Whoa!! All the way through three inches of rock with a weapon made for flesh?! I better get back!)
Agnes rolled backward and planted his feet onto the ground before springing up and away from the warrior and her ridiculous strength.
A: (That sword... It has a blunt and thickened tip, the kind Rugnudi smiths always use. That's how she crushed through the rock without getting her blade stuck, it's a hybrid bludgeon of sorts. Was she waiting for me?) "Who are you?"
Without giving him the time to react the young lady ran forth and smacked Agnes on his left side with the sword's fuller. It may be an act of mercy to spare the weapon's bladed edges, but the strength of the swing was tremendous even for her size. In a single blow, Agnes was knocked out cold from the numbing pain.
*** ***
Crackling sounds filled his ears. Agnes woke up to a campfire with the brief scent of roasted boar meat wafting about. There was a red-haired girl on a rotting log nearby enjoying the warmth of the flames.
A: "... Ugh. My side..."
Agnes clutched his left and felt up the swell on his side.
"You're awake."
A: "And you are very rude to attack me like that. If you weren't going to kill me, at least knock me out with less pain or something!"
"I see. I'll keep that in mind for my next target."
A: (Next target?) "What do you mean, next target?"
The red-haired girl looked away from the boar kebab and locked eyes with Agnes. Her greenish irises reflected the light from the campfire which gave the illusion of a monster with glowing eyes.
R: "Don't mind what I said. I am Roberia, Matalpalhallafaelladrapahamo Roberia. Remember that name, will you?"
A: (She dodged my question. By Dardicel's rump, my side hurts so much I can still recall the moment she smacked me. What is with that ludicrous name?) "... Okay?"
Roberia watched the meat intently so the boar kebab would not be overcooked.
A: (Why does she even want me to remember her name? Is she trying to build a reputation for herself in these parts or something?... Well, a girl of her physique landing such a blow really is worthy of praise, I suppose. But she said that her name was Matal... Matalpal-something. That's way too troublesome to remember! Is this supposed to be a joke?)
R: "... Hey, stranger."
A: (What does she want now?) "What?"
R: "You don't mind if I take all the coin in your pouch, do you?"
A: (What!? She's taking all of my gold!? That's brutal!) "What?!"
R: "Well, you see, stranger, I don't travel with a lot of things. My goal is to practice and train my stamina by running to the next town and sleeping at the inn there. But, see, you weren't strong enough and fainted on the first hit. I just wanted to simply immobilize you, see? I wanted to knock you onto the floor, take my fill as usual and run to Rulid immediately. But you fainted, so I had to set up for the night here using your stuff, see? So... I'll be taking it all."
Her explanations left much to be desired, seeing how poor Agnes got the wrong idea.
A: (Unbelievable... She's running from town to town as a form of training? Hastily making her way around, fighting and beating up any travelers on her routes, and taking their belongings on her back as training weights before selling them as goods for coin...)
R: "I'm not comfortable with people looking at my sleeping face. So I'm going to have to ask you to leave, see?"
A: (Ask me to leave while using my stuff?! That's as good as telling me to drop everything and starve!!) "You take and use my stuff without permission, and you expect me to leave in the middle of the freezing night?! Who do you think you are!?"
R: "... Uhh..."
A: "I mean, come on! I have had the worst luck these few days! Sneaking past an Earthtiger with all my stuff clinking and clanking and almost getting killed, dealing with thieves at night, crossing a field full of molweds nobody bothered to clear, and all my efforts of trying to cope with time wasted by you?! Give me a break, Dardicel!! Stop throwing all these trials at me when I'm actually busy!! Why does it have to be me anyway?!"
His outrage caused the girl to shrivel back slightly.
A: "... Sorry. I overreacted a little. Just so you know, I really had it bad these past few days."
R: "If it makes you happy, I've only taken your gold and borrowed your groundsheet. I haven't touched any of those other things in your backpack. I only have a problem sleeping when someone else is nearby, see?"
A: (She... She's not going to take all my stuff?... Oh, she was referring to the coin in my pouch. I was going to be really upset if she tripped while carrying the sensitive equipment in my baggage.)
Agnes gave his belongings a quick glance.
A: (The equipment looks untouched. That's a relief.) "Leave those as they are, please. I need them to teach others how to reconstruct and repair a bridge properly."
R: "... And, well, if you come back tomorrow morning you'll find your groundsheet to be intact. If you come back early enough and not have it snatched away by wildlife, I mean."
A: (At least she seems civilized enough to return my belongings. A warrior... Rugnud?) "Are you from Rugnud by any chance?"
R: "Yes. I am. Please leave soon and allow me to sleep, stranger. I need the energy for tomorrow, see? I haven't slept well for a long time since I left Rugnud, see?"
A: (She means no harm. Her eyes aren't wide open – She simply just wants to rest. A Wanderer, perhaps? She does give off the air of being one, kind of.) "Okay. Consider this... Consider this as a thank-you, for sparing my life."
Agnes staggered away from the campsite slowly, clutching his side still throbbing in pain.
*** ***
Less than an hour elapsed. The sun had already risen in such a short time.
A: ('Tomorrow' sure came quickly... I wonder if she's still asleep.)
Agnes caressed the swell in a circular motion and slowly trudged back to the camp. What little remained was the groundsheet next to the glowing embers of a fire.
A: (Did she seriously sleep for less than an hour? That's not very healthy, is it? I wouldn't mind if she rested a little bit longer since she did spare my life. Then again, as a warrior, she's probably afraid of being attacked in her moments of weakness like when she is sleeping. Even as a victor it seems she doesn't trust that I can't overpower her. A cautious type, is she?)
He walked toward his backpack and reached for a bottle of medicated oil. He applied and gently massaged the swollen wound with the heat rub.
A: (It's going to be hard managing without my pouch... I might need to work a little at Rulid before I go back for some gold to hire a coach.)
Agnes checked his inventory once more.
A: (She wasn't lying about it – Everything except the gold and the groundsheet's been left untouched. Such blatant honesty... Matalpal-something Roberia, huh?)
Agnes put away his equipment and continued his journey towards Rulid.