Burrowing into the distant mountains, the sun had begun to set, painting the sky in a tapestry of a fiery clouds that had come to rain down fire on the land. Wind blew ever so relentlessly, heralding a cold night that quickly stepped into the day's place, ready to let all witness the darkness of the cold month that was Lunus.
Despite the fact that they'd ventured beyond the city, yet again, Kane and Bauer found that their travel was going rather smooth. For the many hours they'd been walking, there was a distinct lack in the nefandites' presence, which under normal circumstances would've been a relief for them, though this time around, it was eerily gnawing at their minds.
Though, of course, it went without saying that they were still grateful, given the fact that the real battle lied within their aching soles, begging for rest. Their bodies shivered, despite being protected by clothing and armour.
Kane's fingers felt like they were going to fall off with how cold he was, even through his gloves. At times, he'd even struggle to blink with how stiff his eyelids had become. Sometimes, he'd even go as far as to use his crooked twig to produce a constant stream of fire to not only give them an easier time through the snow, but also to warm him and Bauer.
Occasionally, he'd glance at the stagecoach's horses, wondering just how it was possible that even with a bit of cloth, they were able to pull through the freezing cold. Hell, even the drivers were shivering! All while the three men got to enjoy the warmth of the stagecoach, happily relaxing, knowing that the two-thousand silver they'd otherwise be obligated to pay lied at their discretion.
Truly rough times for those who weren't rich.
Nevertheless, Kane was growing quite eager for some action as he watched dusk settle in, blanketing the world in darkness, wherever he looked. He was eager to figure out exactly what a water enchantment entailed in the realm of magic, especially since there was so much of it in the form of snow.
As the stars began to reveal themselves, the stagecoach came to a halt. Kane and Bauer looked back, confused. They clearly remembered being told that there would be minimal rest, so it felt out of the ordinary that they'd be stopping now, especially when it hadn't even been half a day.
"Tiny, Giant!" called out the man in blue, opening the window and sticking his head out. "We will be taking a short rest now. The horses need to sleep for a bit anyway, so feel free to rest if you wish."
Well that was kind, they both thought, looking at each other as they wondered what they were going to do.
"You wanna rest while I take the first watch?" asked Bauer, his teeth chattering.
Kane looked all around, staring at the snow. "And where would I even rest? In the damn snow?"
"You could melt the snow."
"And get my clothes wet when that's the only thing protecting me from the wind? Are you stupid or an idiot?"
"Just melt the water too, dumbass."
Oh... right. Truly, Kane was too smart for his own good, though he raised a brow as he released a stream of fire. "Okay, but water boils. It doesn't melt."
"Man, I don't really give a fuck about this magic bullshit."
"It's basic fucking science you moron!"
"Kane, I don't give a," he took a deep breath as though he were putting all within his mind and strength into a single, "fuck."
"Alright, alright, cool it, pissy," he replied as he finished with creating enough room to rest on some charred grass. "I'll rest for an hour or so."
Wasting no more time, Kane laid in the charred grass, groaning as he stretched and enjoyed the residual heat, and in the next moment, he fell into a slumber the second he closed his eyes.
And sadly, his rest would feel like it only lasted a second, before Bauer ended up shaking him awake.
"What the fuck?" he said, his voice still laced with sleep, while his eyes struggled to understand what he was looking at.
"Are you okay?" asked Bauer, placing a hand on the side of his face and tapping it lightly. "Your eyes look like they're burning."
About a minute of silence would pass by until Kane would eventually snap out of his groggy state.
"Honestly," he said, shivering as he stood up with the help of Bauer, "I can't tell if it's better that they feel like they're burning in this cold or if that's making things worse... How long did I sleep?"
"According to the drivers, it's been about an hour and a half."
Kane looked up at the stagecoach, taking notice of one of the two fast asleep, while the other struggled to keep his head up.
"Are they also taking shifts?" he asked, looking around as he blew a hot breath into his clasped hands.
"Yes. We're only resting for three hours. That should be enough for the horses. Now move." He pulled Kane out of the way, quickly laying on the patch of grass. "Wake me up when needed."
"Okay," he replied, watching as Bauer fell asleep immediately, wishing that he could've had that time to himself. Now, however, with nothing to do but keep watch, he decided to ask the driver how much longer they had until they'd reach the manor.
The driver who struggled to not doze off quickly shook his head, waking himself up from his drowsy state. "Uh, perhaps an entire day... hopefully not two."
Kane tilted his head as he frowned. "Perhaps? What do you mean perhaps? Is this your first time going to the manor?"
"N-no, but something strange has been happening in these lands recently."
Kane gestured with a spinning hand for him to spit it out.
"Nefandites weren't always this common around Tyraleth," continued the driver. "Sure, from time to time, there'd be some issues, but over the course of these last three weeks, the number of nefandite related incidents has been rising more than ever."
Kane looked down as he held his chin, his brows creasing evermore. Fuck, is it because Thalamar was destroyed? Why else would there be more here? They have nothing else to do back there.
"So, with that in mind," said the driver, "that's why I'm estimating our remaining travel time. Under normal circumstances, we'd be there within a day."
Kane sighed, his breath turning into and icy smoke immediately, turning away as he pulled out the grimoire from his pocket. "Alright, thanks anyway."
"Hey, can you do me a favour?"
Kane looked back with a raised brow as he said, "What?", nearly failing to catch a pocket watch that appeared out of nowhere.
"Can you keep an eye out for the time while I rest a bit? Thanks."
"What? You didn't even let me..."
Alas, the driver entered a deep slumber, and Kane could only helplessly stare at him, shaking his head as he looked at the time.
"It's only twenty-one?" he asked himself, restricting himself from yelling out of anger that dawn was still so far out of reach. It especially didn't help that he was the only person to keep an eye out for any potential threats lurking in the darkness. "Ah fuck it all, I guess I'm not reading through the tome."
He pocketed the grimoire, taking a look around as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the icy air. It was peaceful, quiet—save for the howling of wind, and so very lonely. Though, he could only spare himself these few seconds before he decided it was time to do a full sweep around the area, making sure that nothing was headed their way.
Luckily, the coast was clear, for now, at least.
Seeing that he had some time to kill, he took out Medeya's wand and stared at it once again, losing himself in his undulating sea of endless thoughts. At some point, however, he'd return to reality, and again he wondered just what he could achieve with a water enchanted wand.
"Well, may as well resort to Maleagant's notes," he said, pulling out the brown pouch and sifting through the parchments.
Of course, that itself was, as he would put it, "a task and a half". Specifically, finding the right parchment related to wand enchantments, but even then, his perseverance would prove rewarding, with him finding an unread parchment that talked all about enchantments.
Enchantments mainly come in the four main types of magic, which you should have memorized, along with their derivatives, by now. There is one exception, and it lies with the nefandite arts, but unless you tread the path of a nefandite, there is no need to elaborate. Enchantments are determined by the materials the wand is crafted with. If you are able to manipulate the element without verbal commands, then it means that you are dominant in its enchantment, and thus, you have a connection with the wand. This is only one of the two parts of a connection you share with a wand.
"And to think," he said aloud, "I could've just fucking looked here to learn more about what a connection was... No, why didn't he just put it all in one parchment? Why does it have to be so difficult to learn?"
The other half lies with the mental factors. Be it anger, happiness, hate, or love... These are merely a few of the things that can influence the connection, and it is what establishes the strongest connection. Going back to the enchantments, if you are dominant in the given element, it would allow you to seamlessly use the enchantment to a certain degree. For example: You may have a fire enchanted wand, and thus, you can cast nonverbal fire spells by calling upon the enchantment.
The lightbulb turned on in Kane's head as he stared at the parchment with a loose jaw, thinking back to the first time he accidentally used the crooked twig to cast a fire spell. "So that's what it fucking was."
He rolled up the parchment, placing it back in the pouch, and took out the crooked twig to see if he could call upon the fire enchantment without issuing a verbal command again.
But just as he pointed the wand at the snow, a bright ball of light flew high into the air towards the west, lighting up not just that direction, but also the stagecoach.
Fuck! "Wake up! Wake up!" he yelled, watching as a band of nefandites was headed straight for them.