Garrick shrugs off Jarathus's ominous, foreboding words and makes his way to the training area. There, Kyra trained with a determination that rivalled, perhaps even surpassed, his own. Her progress was astonishing. Her movements became more fluid each day, a graceful dance of strength and magic she had long abandoned. Eventually, Kyra wins the fight, advancing to level five. She walks off the sand, wiping the sweat from her brow, noticing Garrick staring.
"Staring ain't training, idiot." Kyra spits into a bucket as she side-eyes Garrick.
Garrick, troubled, blurted out, "I'm worried about going to Hjalthor. I've got this bad feeling, like something terrible might happen."
"You're pretty pathetic when you want to be. Think of it this way, if we don't go to Hjalthor, then that fire mage bitch will be one step closer to, uh, I don't know, maybe destroying the fucking planet?"
"That's not what I'm saying... I don't think you and Meetle should go with me to Hjalthor. I'll go myself." Garrick weakly explains.
Kyra infuriated, stormed up to him, her face inches from his. "Are you out of your mind? Going alone is a death wish. You need us. Speaking softly like a child won't change that."
She tries to leave, but Garrick grabs her shoulders, meeting her eyes earnestly. "I care about you!... and Meetle. The thought of dragging you both into danger makes me sick." Garrick speaks loudly with passion, his voice trembling slightly but his eyes unwavering.
Kyra, taken aback, looks at Garrick. His wispy brown hair partially covers his blue eyes as her heart beats faster looking at him.
"... You'll die If you go alone. It ain't a stretch of the imagination to think me and the gnome can fight better than you, so use your brain for a second." Kyra slaps Garrick's arms away. "If you're so worried, go train and make sure you're strong enough to protect us if the time ever comes."
"Just think-"
"No! Shut your mouth, Garrick! I am here on my own doing. I decided to be here, I decided to go to Hjalthor, and I decided to use this fucking magic again. These decisions are mine, and I'm not gonna let a delusional idiot tell me what I can and can't do!" Kyra shouts with anger; her brow furled as she pushes past Garrick.
"I didn't mean...." Garrick begins to speak but stops himself as Kyra keeps storming away.
Garrick stays there for a while, annoyed at himself for not getting his point across properly until a ghostly figure slowly materialises from the air.
"Your presence is required in the device room." The ghost doesn't open its mouth, but Garrick hears its voice in his head all the same.
"Uhh... sure." Garrick confusedly responds as the ghost disappears.
Garrick, walking on, reaches the door of the device room and opens it, hearing the typhoon of Kyra's impatient tirade.
"Just spit it out already, old man. I'm already sick of standing around in this rubble."
Everyone stands in the room: Kyra, Meetlemire, Jessolyn, Lillian, Araval and Vyn, all waiting for Garrick's arrival. Vyn notices Garrick and begins his speech.
"Ahhh, excellent of you to join us, Garrick. Now that you are all assembled, I have news to relay. Lillian and Araval have collected news of Hjalthor, and we have spoken about what to do. This quest's nature is critical, which means the party must depart immediately for Hjalthor."
"Immediately?!" Jessolyn exclaims as she looks toward Meetle with worry. "No, that can't happen. I won't have Lalrin run off and leave us alone again, not this soon!"
"It'll be okay, dear. You can believe-"
"NO!" Jessolyn shouts over Meetle, which unsettles Symeera, who begins to cry.
"I'm sorry, Lalrin, but I won't let you leave me a widow and your daughter without a father. If that makes me selfish, then so be it." Jessolyn chokes back tears through her anger and leaves as Symeera cries.
"Jesso..lyn...." Meetle reaches an arm out, then stops and looks at his missing one instead, realising she might be right after all.
"Go to her, Son. We will speak about the details and keep you informed." Araval says with a slight smile through a sad face as Meetle worryingly follows after his wife.
"Garrick, Kyra, tomorrow morning, you two must head down to the Volmyr docks and board a ship. I will charter one, so don't worry about the cost. Two months is the timeframe we are working with, so you need to get to Hjalthor ASAP and get situated before the tournament where the artefact will arise." Vyn speaks with a sure tone, like what he says will happen no matter what. "I will warn you now and heed my words carefully. Do NOT fight Xzeralaki; your mission is to retrieve the artefact, nothing else. You will run from her because you both can't do a thing to stop her."
"Pfft. Lotta confidence you're showing there," Kyra scoffs as she leans against a small railing in the room, emitting a blasé demeanour.
"I have tremendous confidence in you both, which is why I am allowing you both to head there without me, but you lack the necessary training to battle with Xzeralaki effectively. You are both powerful in your own right, but fight smart, pick your battles and how you fight; your intelligence will be your weapon against Xzeralaki." Vyn's words pierce Kyra's indifference as she focuses on Vyn's observations.
"He is correct. You should take this time to rest up and prepare in your own ways. Dawn will be the beginning of the voyage to Hjalthor." Lillian utters, standing tall and equally serious as Vyn.
"What about the Archnobles? Surely they'll be there too since securing the artefacts is so crucial to them." Garrick curiously asks, his eyes fixated on Vyn.
"'They'll be there when the time comes', that is what I was told. You do your part, and they'll do theirs. Vyn replies.
"Rules upon rules, not my style, but let's see how it goes. If we're done here, I'm a bit busy training." Kyra
"Of course, Kyra. I appreciate you listening." Vyn replies as Kyra walks off, leaving Garrick with the three towering figures that seem to judge him silently.
"Elves. If magic is involved, you can be sure their fingers firmly grasp any sliver they can. Look at how they judge you; their disgust for you is so great that they can't even fake a smile when they look in your direction. You're disgusting to them, all because you're not an Elf like them." Jarathus' voice echoes throughout Garrick's mind.
"Garrick, my boy, I trust you in whatever decisions you make in Hjalthor. Tomorrow morning, I will have an item for you that will be essential for when the time comes; I'll let you know more about it then." Vyn smiles toward Garrick.
"Yeah.... I'll be ready," Garrick replies as he takes his leave, with only Vyn, Lillian, and Araval left in the device room.
"Sending two of them for such an important task is borderline suicide. Our son, Lalrin, was the strongest and best suited for this task, and even he is too much of a novice to be trusted completely." Lillian voices her opinion to Vyn as she paces the room, her mind unsettled at the impending departure. "You put too much faith in him. Internal utilisation isn't enough to bridge the gap to Xzeralaki, and you know it."
"Yes, It is borderline suicide, which is why I explicitly told them not to fight Xzeralaki, but Garrick is our best bet against her; not right now, but I do believe in the future, he will be able to contend with her. I am taking full responsibility for these decisions that are made."
Araval, who stood silent, listening intently, now chimes in. "I agree with Lillian; You put too much faith in Garrick."
"Garrick was the one who supercharged the gem."
Lillian and Araval's eyes open wide in astonishment at this revelation.
"What?! That isn't possible, even for him." Lillian stammers.
"There is much more surrounding Garrick than we can see. Leaking mana is one thing, but leaking such a potent amount is another, as you both will know. His potential for development is terrifying, and if left to his own devices, who knows what will happen." Vyn speaks with an ominous tone that holds a hint of fear. "Hjalthor is his first test, and we must let him experience a taste of what is to come."
End Chapter