CHAPTER 13 - "Trees and Fireflies"
This web novel is a draft of the story. Please expect frequent changes and updates as I see fit. Enjoy! -Cloki
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-It was nearing 7:30 PM. Siegfried and Azure had just saved the Fungi Campsite from Gurix's attack, and were now on their way to the nearby town of Oakheart to confront Rigel, and get Siegfried's curse removed. Oakheart was still a few miles away, and the sun was beginning to set, meaning the party would need to travel through the night in hopes of reaching Oakheart in time...
-12 and a half hours remain on Siegfried's curse clock.
Theresia: "*RAW! AW!*
-Theresia carried Siegfried and Azure in the carriage, and ran through the forest at a high velocity, with a proud aura that represented that of an eagle flying high above the clouds, as free as can be, despite Theresia herself being a flightless bird.
Siegfried: "I'm glad I have you, Theresia, with you guiding us, we're for sure gonna make it to Oakheart. Azure-san, how are you holding up?"
-Azure was sitting in the back of the carriage, securing the supplies they had been given by Koh at the camp. She securely tied the bags of food, jugs of water, and removed the mysterious bottles from her shirt. She secured everything onto the floor.
Azure: "I'm doing just fine, Siegfried. You know, what do we do if Rigel isn't at Oakheart? I know that's where Gurix said he was, but for all we know, he could have been lying to us."
Siegfried: "Well, that's a risk we're going to have to take, Azure-san. This is our only option. While you were asleep, Gurix offered to take me to Rigel, and remove my curse where I to heed his words on the cult. I declined."
Azure: "Why did you decline? You could have lied to him and gotten your curse removed."
-Siegfried glanced at Azure with eyes as pure as diamonds, and said-
Siegfried: "I didn't want to leave you behind."
-Azure's eyes widened, and her mouth opened slightly.
Siegfried: "I'm not sure they would have let me go either. One of them is a shaman, and the other is a dark-poison mage hybrid who also happens to be a very skilled assassin. I could never imagine taking them both on alone."
-Azure blushed slightly, realizing Siegfried's concern for her. She looked at Siegfried, smiled, and said-
Azure: "Well, the path you chose to take worked out in our favor. We took down Gurix, even if it was only temporary, we saved the camp, and you got to take me with you. However, it cost you a large chunk of time off of your curse clock."
Siegfried: "It's a price I was willing to pay to protect you and the four fungi-knights. With you and I together, and this aura shifting spell, I think we should have no issue convincing Rigel that we are on his side, without actually being on his side. The aura shifting spell is used to confuse your opponents right?"
Azure: "Well, Gurix did teleport himself away, correct? Who's to say he isn't with Rigel right now, telling him what had just occurred? I don't think it will be as easy as simply shifting our aura to match his, Siegfried. This could come down to another battle..."
-Siegfried glanced at Azure, who was wearing a look of concern on her face. She opened one of the bottles of what appeared to be water and began to drink it. She smiled smugly and offered another one to Siegfried, and he accepted. Siegfried took the bottle and drank from it. It tasted funny. He then looked back to the trail, and said-
Siegfried: "Well, Azure-san, you're a mage yourself right? To be honest, I haven't seen you cast any combative spells yet. I understand you're a proficient healer, and can use movement spells with ease, but how are you in terms of actual battle abilities?"
-Siegfried thought back to when he first met Azure, at the entrance to the guild house. She aimed her want at him, almost as if she was ready to battle right there. Furthermore, Siegfried was wearing the colors of the dark mages, meaning Azure was, in theory, ready to battle a dark mage all by herself. This got Siegfried thinking about her abilities.
Azure: "Well, to be honest, Siegfried-kun, I haven't had to use many combative spells before meeting you. Sure, I know a few spells, but they're all basic spells. I haven't had the time to learn any advanced spells yet."
[[ -There are four levels of spell casting, each with its own prefix. Depending on which prefix you use, your spell will cast with a different strength, however, the stronger the spell, the more mana it will consume. The prefixes in order of least to most powerful are as follows: (No Prefix -- Ri -- Ol -- Ex). ]]
Siegfried: "Ah, me neither, I haven't even learned any spells besides Sphaera yet!"
-Azure gave a confused look toward Siegfried.
Azure: "How is it that you and I are about the same age, yet you haven't learned magic yet? Was magic not taught in Meistead?"
-Siegfried was then presented with another dangerous question. He decided to make up a believable lie in its place to protect his true identity.
Siegfried: "In Meistead, we were instead trained in the art of Melee Combat, that is, the art of the sword and other handheld weapons. I'm a fair swordfighter, however, all of my equipment was seized when Hasher raided the town."
-Siegfried was a competitive fencer back on Earth, so if he needed to, he could easily show Azure his proficiency with the sword.
Azure: "I see, that is interesting. Here in Formai, we have a swordsman academy for those looking to join the military and enter the Durman League of Knights. I'm sure you saw a few knights in the guild house. They usually hang around in there to recruit new adventurers to their academy."
-Siegfried remembered the red-haired knight he saw in the guild house. He wore a brilliant white coat with an emblem on it, resembling a horse head with a crown on it. He was easily the most intimidating person in the guild house, yet he was also the most elegant. He was equipped with a single sword sheathed on his hip and wore silver gloves. Perhaps he was a high-ranking member of this "League of Knights".
Siegfried: "I do remember seeing a few men in there who looked like Knights. If we return to Formai in the future, we'll have to check out this League of Knights, it sounds interesting."
Azure: "Mm! I agree!"
-Azure looked at Siegfried from the back of the carriage and thought back to how he had protected her sleeping body at the camp and fended off Gurix. She blushed once more and thought about how Siegfried could one day potentially end up as her knight.
Azure: "However, back to the main topic of conversation. The combat spells I know are very basic, and considering we don't have any sharp weapons with us, how do you expect us to have any chance in hell of defeating Rigel, and perhaps also Gurix if he is there too?"
Siegfried: "Hmm..."
~~FLASHBACK~~
-Siegfried remembered the words Camriel spoke to him in the Nexus of Light.
Camriel: "If your life is in peril, and you are at risk of dying, I will lend you my power, to get yourself out of any situation."
Camriel: "Simply say these words, and I will help you." -- [Numen auxilium mihi]."
~~BACK TO THE CARRIAGE~~
-Siegfried glanced back to Azure, put on a smug grin, and chuckled-
Siegfried: "Heh, you've got nothing to worry about Azure-san. Trust me."
-Azure crawled her way toward the front of the carriage and sat next to Siegfried. She looked at him, and her eyes widened. Suddenly, Siegfried's aura began to change all on its own and reverted itself to its original form, the aura of a god.
Azure: "...I trust you, Seigi-kun."
-The party continued down the trail. As it approached about 8:00 PM, the sun had set beyond the trees, and the forest began to grow dark. Azure and Siegfried were seated next to each other, riding off into the sunset.
-However, it soon grew dark-
Siegfried: "Azure-san, is there anything back there that we can use as a source of light? I don't remember Koh giving us anything in terms of torches or lanterns, and it's starting to get kind of dark."
Azure: "I was wondering if Koh had given YOU anything to provide light, he supplied me with nothing."
Siegfried: "um...--"
-Siegfried looked at Azure, and he could barely make out her face. However, she wore a look of annoyance.
Azure: "Well, if the forest gets too dark, I'm sure I could somehow use an air spell to clear the air for the moon to shine through, however, I'm not sure it would provide us with much of a light source."
-Siegfried pondered his options and realized that there were none. He would have to brave the dark and guide Theresia through the dim forest carefully. Her speed naturally began to decline as the forest grew darker and darker. But then-
Azure: "Wait! Seigi-kun, look!"
-Azure pointed to the right where a group of bright fireflies began to emit their light on the trail. As the sun set beyond the trees, and the forest grew dark, more and more fireflies began to glow their yellow and blue light.
Siegfried: "Are these...fireflies? Are they even in season yet?"
Azure: "I completely forgot that they were in season! Siegfried, on warm spring nights like these, thousands of fireflies come out, and provide their light in forests and grasslands such as these woods! This is perfect for us, look, the path is becoming visible again!"
-Siegfried noticed that the path in front of them was indeed visible again. He then turned and looked at Azure. Her face was visible again too and was now being illuminated by the auras of light emitting from the fireflies. She was smiling.
Siegfried: "Well, if these fireflies can provide us with sufficient light to get through these woods, I'd say our chances of getting to Oakheart are as good as guaranteed. Let's not jinx it though, we should keep going."
-Azure looked confused.
Azure: "j-jinx? Siegfried, you use a lot of unusual words. What is a jinx?"
-Siegfried had yet again used a term unfamiliar with the inhabitants of Provincia. he decided to explain this term to Azure, to see if perhaps there was a term that was already used in its place.
Siegfried: "When you jinx something, it basically means you prevent it from happening due to your positive outlook on its probability. For example, you could say it won't rain tomorrow, and by saying that, it will rain the next day, and thus you've jinxed it."
Azure: "Ah, so it's like an omen of bad luck?"
Siegfried: "Essentially. It's best to let fate decide the outcomes of situations such as these instead of trying to force your agenda on fate."
-Azure giggled to herself.
Azure: "You're so weird, Seigi-kun. But at the same time, I feel that you are very wise. You haven't eaten much since we left the Inn this morning, would you like some food? It's not good for your mana vat to fast the entire day."
-Siegfried then noticed that he was actually very hungry, despite all distractions. He looked at Azure and nodded.
Siegfried: "Yes please, Azure-san. I'm famished! Since that battle with Gurix, my stomach's been practically begging me for food, and I somehow have ignored it all this time. I'd love to eat."
-Azure then crawled to the back of the carriage-
Azure: "Okay! Let me see what we have in this sack of goods. There are some warm bread rolls in here, as well some cooked Grook meat. Which would you like?"
[[-Grooks are chicken-like birds that roam the lands of Provincia. Their meat is one of the most traded in all of Provincia, as the Grook is the most densely populated animal in Provincia.]]
Siegfried: "I'll have a bread roll and some of that meat, it sounds tasty!"
-Azure gave Siegfried a bread roll and set a small wooden palette of Grook meat next to where he was sitting. As Siegfried continued to guide Theresia through the firefly-lit woods, he began to eat.
Siegfried: "mm, this Grook meat is delicious! It goes perfectly with the bread roll, and the drink from this bottle washes everything down perfectly. Now that I think about it, this drink has a specific taste to it, Azure-san. What is it?"
Azure: "*giggles* Ah, did you read the bottle before you drank from it? Take a look at what it says!"
Siegfried: "Okay, one second."
-Siegfried looked at the bottle and read the label. It said in bold letters [[SKIME]]
Siegfried: "Skime? Is this alcohol? I knew it tasted funny, however, it actually tastes pretty good, Azure-san."
Azure: "Indeed it is! Skime is a famous beverage that is served often in Guild Houses! It's an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting and distilling mana flowers, as well as numerous other herbs, including the famous "Moonlight Hyacinth" flower, which helps give Skime its distinct taste! It's then all mixed together, and water and liquified mana is added to boost the effects. Don't worry, it's not addictive."
Siegfried: "Where'd you find this?"
Azure: "Soh gave it to me before we left, hehe."
-Siegfried took another look at the bottle, and then back at Azure, who was drinking from her bottle of Skime. Siegfried had a surprised expression on his face, he never expected Azure to be the drinking type. However, he continued to sip from his own bottle of Skime, and returned to guiding Theresia through the woods.
Siegfried: "Well, Azure-san, just make sure not to get too drunk before we arrive at Oakheart. I need you battle-ready if Rigel is there waiting for us."
Azure: "Ah, no worries Seigfried, if I find myself getting tipsy, I'll just use a healing spell on myself to lessen the effects temporarily. Hehe."
-Siegfried turned back to the path, continued to eat his Grook meat, and drink his Skime. He and Azure were nearing the town of Oakheart by now, and it was nearing 9:30 PM. The adrenaline from their previous battle was keeping them awake, and the illumination of the fireflies was providing adequate light for them to see where they were going.
-The path was still brilliantly illuminated by the fireflies, and Siegfried could see the trees in the distance, the distant oak trees...
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