"I think it's time to stop for the night." Frederick smiled as they rode into a large clearing.
"We've been riding for hours… It'll be nice to get some rest." Russel observed.
It was roughly ten hours since the caravan had started it's migration, and Russel had become quite well acquainted with Frederick throughout the day.
'That old merchant had me engrossed in his travel stories like I was a little kid…' Russel chuckled to himself.
"Remember Russel, I'm making dinner for you tonight." Elizabeth said happily.
"Yeah… How could I forget.." Russel said.
'I got to know a bit more about her as well… She is still really weird though.' Russel thought.
"Hey Russel!" Oliver yelled, approaching Russel's horse.
"How was the ride?" Russel asked.
"Not terrible… Kind of boring thought. I was in the middle of the pack so I didn't get to do as much chatting as I did guiding." Oliver sighed.
"So how's everything going to be set up?" Russel asked.
"Rachel will be having others set up our area of camp. The others will be on their own until meals are served. Though for that you and Elizabeth are probably going off on your little dinner date." Frederick laughed.
"It's not like that…" Russel sighed.
"Anyway, I'm supposed to bring you all back to Rachel's carriage for a meeting." Oliver explained.
"Ok, let's go then!" Elizabeth explained, jumping off the carriage onto the back on Russels horse.
"Be more careful. You'll hurt the horse." Russel chastised, petting the horses neck.
"Are you calling me fat?" Elizabeth whined.
Russel sighed and started following Oliver, who now had Frederick riding behind him.
A few moments later they reached the carriage at the back of the group where Rachel and Navvare were waiting.
"Took you long enough." Navvare scowled.
"As much of an asshole as always I see." Russel fired back.
"Boys, stop acting like children." Rachel ordered. "I need you all to stay quiet and listen to me."
Everyone fixated their attention on Rachel who pulled out a piece of paper covered in writing.
"As you all should know by now, this journey is not actually a month, but about two." Rachel started. "This forest will take two weeks if we move quickly, and then another week on country roads to reach Redwater where we will resupply and no doubt some will leave our company."
"Why wasn't the plan to go to Okumura instead of going all the way to Southbeach?" Russel asked.
"Because the situation in Okumura is… Complicated at the moment. With the Oroborus syndicate getting out of control, and with how dangerous the city is since King Arthur rose to power, it is not safe there." Rachel explained.
"Along with that, in Southbeach port I have friends that will be willing to transport people into the other countries by sea. It's a well known group of mercenaries from Miraceaa made up of dwarves and elves." Navvare stated proudly.
"Not to mention that Southbeach itself is also a much safer city." Frederick chimed in.
"Moving on. Tonight we will have a meal from what we already have stored, but starting tomorrow we will be sending multiple teams out on hunting missions. Russel your assistance will be needed here as a guard." Rachel explained.
'Hunting… Great.' Russel sighed.
"Oliver, Frederick and Navvare will be working odd jobs around the camp. While I and Elizabeth will be building trust between our group and the people, considering we are the ones leading this migration, that is a necessity." Rachel explained. "Food preparation will be taken care of by myself, Navvare and some others from among the people."
"Rachel, can I please grab some food that I can cook?" Elizabeth requested.
"I don't see a problem with it. Just don't take it all." Rachel sighed.
Elizabeth ran off to grab supplies and the meeting was adjourned.
"Wanna eat with us?" Russel asked Oliver.
���I feel like that is a bad idea… She'll get pissed." Oliver laughed.
"Please. I need you to save me from being alone with that crazy girl." Russel pleaded.
"Fine… But if she gets mad, you're on your own." Oliver sighed.
"Agreed." Russel smiled.
"I'm back Russel!" Elizabeth called, running back towards them with a pan and bag.
"Cool. Let's find us a spot and get cooking." Oliver smiled.
"Huh? What do you mean? It's just me and Russel. You know that right?" Elizabeth leered.
"I invited him to join us." Russel interjected. "A meal is always best when you have more people to share it with."
'That is such bullshit… I feel gross just saying that.' Russel thought.
"Fine. If you really feel that way, then I'll agree to it." Elizabeth conceded.
The three walked off and found a small area near the trees to set up.
"I have everything we need to cook, we just need things for a fire." Elizabeth smiled.
"Ok. We can go get some firewood and firestarter easily." Oliver smiled. "Russel, you use Nocte to cut up some trees, I'll just go foraging."
"Ok." Russel said, drawing his sword.
He walked over to a thin tree and started chopping it into small lengths. He gathered them up and started back towards Elizabeth until he saw Oliver staring at the ground.
"Oliver are you almost done?" Russel asked.
Oliver moved his head slowly and looked at Russel blanky.
"Oliver? Are you ok?" Russel asked worriedly.
"Russel… Help me." Oliver murmured.
Oliver started to sway back and forth before collapsing to the ground.
"Oliver!" Russel yelled out.
He ran forward and picked Oliver up in his arms. He checked him carefully and found that Oliver was uninjured and breathing shallowly, he was only unconscious.
"That's a relief… But what caused him to fall unconscious?" Russel mused.
Russel heard footsteps behind him and quickly drew his sword, spinning to face the noise.
"It's only me!" Elizabeth exclaimed, putting her hands in the air.
Russel sighed and put his sword away before picking Oliver up.
"Don't scare me like that." Rusel told her.
"Excuse me if I came when I heard you yell." Elizabeth scoffed.
"Sorry. I just got worried about this idiot when he collapsed." Russel sighed.
"What happened?" She asked.
"I'm not sure… He just suddenly went still and fell over." Russel explained.
"So he is uninjured?" Elizabeth asked.
Russel nodded and started shaking Oliver, trying to get him to wake up.
"Leave him be for now. He shouldn't be in any danger, so he'll wake up when he wakes up." She reasoned.
Russel carried Oliver back to their spot before going to grab the fire wood. He set up the fire structure and gathered some tinder to help it start.
"Need some flint?" Elizabeth asked.
"No. I can light it, just turn around." Russel told her.
"Ok…" Elizabeth said, clearly confused.
Russel tried to use his flames to light the fire, but found that it wouldn't work.
'What? Is it because I haven't used them in a while?' Russel wondered.
He tried again but still was unable to get the flame to light. He tried over and over again until he got really frustrated.
"Are you not capable of lighting a fire?" Elizabeth mocked.
"I can do it! Just don't look!" Russel growled.
"Are you doing indecent things to the fire pit? I knew a boy once who had that kind of tendency.?" She mocked.
Russel growled in frustration and tried once more. Luckily he was able to produce a spark large enough to set the wood ablaze.
'Interesting… So I couldn't use my flames until I was on the cusp of anger…' Russel mused.
"It's lit now." Russel informed her.
Elizabeth turned around with the pot in her arms, already full of food.
"It's about time. I thought you were never going to be finished." She rolled her eyes.
Russel grunted in response and slumped down against a tree. He stared down at his hands, trying to figure out more about using his abilities.
'Every time I've used them I've always felt some kind of intense emotion… Whether it be fear, anger or pride… So can they only be activated by a strong emotion?' Russel wondered.
He looked to make sure that Elizabeth was busy before he tried anything. He tried to recall his memories and feelings from the Eastcliff attack, but even though those feelings returned, he could not activate his abilities.
'This is perplexing… Do I have to be experiencing the emotions naturally at the time? Or is there some other unknown parameter?' Russel thought, trying to wrap his head around the concept.
"What's up with you staring into space over there?" Elizabeth asked.
"Nothing that concerns you." He replied gruffly.
Elizabeth sighed and walked over to him.
"You know, it wouldn't kill you to be nicer to people." She told him.
"I don't need to involve anyone else in my problems, and I was never good at making friends to begin with." Russel replied.
"You and Oliver seem to have become friends. So why is he an exception?" She asked.
Russel thought about her question for a moment before responding.
"I guess, it's that I saw that he had my back when we fought together. During these times it's good to have someone like that. And he made it very clear I can trust him." Russel sighed.
"Well you can trust me. I'm not going to do anything to hurt anyone." Elizabeth promised.
"I don't need anyone shouldering my problems and responsibilities but me. That's why I refuse to idly make friends outside of battle. It amounts to nothing but trouble for both parties. Especially when I'm one of them." Russel said sternly.
"Well I think that your notion on friendship is stupid. Especially when you say that you were never good at making friends." Elizabeth smirked, thinking she had outmaneuvered him.
"The only two people in this world that I could consider friends both died because of me and me alone. If it wasn't for me they would still be living peacefully in Eastcliff to this day." Russel grunted.
"Eastcliff isn't around anymore, so your thought doesn't hold up." Elizabeth told him.
"It still holds perfectly." Russel informed her.
"Are you claiming that Eastcliff would still be around if you hadn't been there?" Elizabeth
"I don't want to talk about it." Russel growled, deflecting the question.
Elizabeth stared at him before sighing before bending down and kissing him on the cheek. She pulled away and Russel looked up at her in confusion.
"A sign of goodwill. You don't need to hide things from me, I can act as your confidant." She told him.
She walked back over to the fire and tended to the pot. Russel lifted his hand and touched it to where she had kissed him.
'Maybe I should tell her. It would be good to tell someone. I can finally talk about all the feelings I have! There is no reason not to trust her!' Russel thought happily.
He started to think rapidly about all the things he could tell her and about her in general.
'She is so amazing! I should ask her to marry me and forget about Kathleen! It'll be happily ever after by the time we get to Southbeach!' He thought.
He started to feel his eyelids droop as he stared at Elizabeth, who was smiling warmly at him.
He opened his eyes and found himself back on the hill overlooking Sylizen. He looked around and saw the woman of purple flame strolling towards him.
"Why am I here?" He asked.
The woman stopped straight in front of him and spoke.
"I can't protect you forever." She said.
"What do you mean?" Russel asked.
The woman slapped him and caused him to blink, immediately when he opened his eyes he saw Elizabeth looming over him.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"You're awake!?" She said surprised.
"Yes. Why are you hanging over me?" He asked.
"Oh! It's because you looked so cute sleeping!" She smiled happily. "Anyway dinner is almost ready."
"Ok." He nodded.
She walked back towards the fire leaving Russel to his thoughts. He thought back to the woman of purple flames words, and his thoughts about Elizabeth.
'I'd normally never think of those things… And falling asleep like that when I wasn't tired… What is going on?' Russel wondered.
Russel looked over to Oliver and saw that he was still asleep. He got up and walked over, slapping him on the cheek. When Oliver didn't wake he got a bit more suspicious.
"Are you feeling unnaturally tired by chance?" Russel asked.
"No, not at all. Is something the matter?" Elizabeth asked.
"Just curious is all." Russel sighed.
"The food is ready." She informed him.
Russel sat down and was given a plate of food. It was a simple stew with meat and vegetables, nothing out of the normal.
'I need to be on high alert. Though I doubt this girl is capable of anything, I need to be wary of monsters who may be playing tricks.' He thought.
"What's wrong? You are starting to worry me." Elizabeth said.
"Nothing." Russel assured her.
Elizabeth took a taste of the stew and started to choke and cough. She fell onto her side and her coughing worsened.
"Are you alright?" Russel panicked, dropping his stew and grabbing her in his arms.
She continued to cough and Russel cursed under his breath, surprised that something as simple as having dinner made for him could lead to such a problem. He picked up Elizabeth and quickly grabbed Oliver before running back into the main camp.
'Hopefully the fire will just die down… Though I'm not sure since I did use my flames… Anyway, more pressing matters need attention. Who around here can help medically?' Russel thought.
He reached the main camp and ran straight into Navvare.
"What are you doing, running like a mad man!?" Navvare cried out.
"Perfect, just the person I needed." Russel sighed in relief.
"I'm not a person, I'm an elf you dimwit." Navvare scowled.
"Regardless, these people need help." Russel informed him.
Navvare looked and saw Elizabeth and Oliver in Russel's arms.
"Come with me." Said the elf.
Navvare led Russel over to one of the carriages that housed the wounded, and had him set the two down.
"What happened?" The elf asked.
"Oliver was collecting firewood and suddenly collapsed, Elizabeth ate something and started to cough violently. Now she appears to have passed out." Russel told him.
"I could have deduced that bit." The elf rolled his eyes.
He started to look at Elizabeth first, opening her mouth and smelling it.
"That's gross." Russel said.
"Poison leaves a distinct odor." Navvare informed him.
He checked the pulse on both of them before closing his eyes and holding his hands above them.
"Statum." He whispered.
His hands started to glow faintly, but soon the light dissipated.
"They both have had a spell placed on them." Navvare sighed.
"Check me too." Russel insisted.
Navvare sighed and raised his hands. After the glowing stopped he looked at Russel in confusion.
"Interesting. Two spells linger on you… Sleep and Mind Attack…" Navvare told him. "As for them, Oliver is affected by Sleep and Elizabeth by Poison."
"I thought you said poison leaves an odor?" Russel questioned.
"Normal poison does. The spell Poison doesn't leave a physical trace, you have to use Status like I was in order to see it." Navvare explained. "The amount of energy used on these spells exceeds the human capacity of ten… So there is no way that anyone in this camp could've done it but me, but I've been here the whole time. To cast a spell you need to see the target."
"Is it possible multiple people are to blame?" Russel asked.
"Only one in seven thousand beings know magic these days, even among a race like the elves. After the extermination of magic it was banned and mages were killed. So the odds of having multiple people knowing magic in this group, not to mention use it against you is extremely slim." Navvare told him. "Most likely this is the work of a monster like a Pixie with a high energy limit."
"I don't really understand what you are saying, but I understand the important bits." Russel smirked. "So how do we help them?"
"Luckily all the spells are either temporary or a weak variant, so they should pass with time. Just leave them here for the night and they should be fine by morning." Navvare told him.
"Ok. You know, you're not so bad, for an elf." Russel laughed.
"I wish I could say the same for you." Navvare scowled.
"Any chance I could learn some magic?" Rusel asked.
"Depends, are you ok with becoming a criminal?" Navvare asked.
"Doesn't really make a difference." Russel told him.
"Fine then. Some basic attack spells could serve you well as our guard." Navvare admitted. "Meet me at my tent after you hunt tomorrow. We'll talk then."
"Great. I'll see you then." Russel said.
He turned to leave the carriage before Navvare spoke up.
"Try not to tell people I was using magic. It causes problems." Navvare requested.
"Now why would I rat out my soon to be teacher?" Russel chuckled.
He walked out into the cool night air and sighed.
"Tomorrow is going to be a long day." Russel frowned.