412 days later, I woke up with a start, my jaw aching from grinding it all night long. I wanted to angrily throw off the covers and stomp around without a care in the world, but I held myself back. Iona would end up bearing the brunt of my bad mood, and that wasn’t fair to her.
That was it. It was going to be six years and a day tomorrow, the moment the sun crested the horizon, and Auri wasn’t back. She was obviously still alive and doing fantastically well for herself - the never-ending levels she fed back clearly indicated she was alive and active - but I knew her. We’d promised, and no matter how bird-brained she could be at times, I didn’t believe for one second that she’d forgotten. Even if Auri had decided to stay at the Phoenix Peaks, it was entirely unlike her not to come back and at least say something, and our companion bond existed and was strong.
No, something was wrong, and I’d spent the last three months preparing for the eventuality that I’d need to go to the Phoenix Peaks personally to figure it out and fix things.
I started to stomp-sneak over to the kitchen when I heard Fenrir just outside the villa. My curiosity stronger than my stomach, I turned on my heel, changing directions, and went to see what the wyvern wanted.
He was fully decked out in his custom armor, ready to go to war. Sharp sheathes covered his claws, a thick breastplate covered his chest, and his wings had a light chainmail draped over them. He turned to me and growled as I left.
“We leave now? Auri?” His voice held a faint note of begging as he said more words strung together than I’d ever heard. I shook my head, patting his leg.
“Tomorrow. First thing. We’re going to go get her.”
Fenrir roared at the sky, the leaves and branches on nearby leaves bending back at the sheer force. I clapped my hands over my ears.
Well, now everyone was going to be awake.
I stormed back inside, bringing my bad mood with me. There was only one Valkyrie with us at the moment, and she pressed herself against the side of the wall as I passed, then hurried on out, muttering something about ‘time to get going again.’I bumped into Iona right before I hit the kitchen, my wife’s hair all frazzled.
“Everything alright? What’s got Fenrir worked up?” She asked, her hands flexing like they wanted a weapon.
“Auri.” I half-growled, half-cried. Iona’s face softened.
“We’re going to get her, alright? She’s alive, she’s fine. It could be as simple as she forgot to keep track of the time properly, or couldn’t get a ride. Maybe the living storm is acting up, and it delayed their travel plans.”
I shot Iona a foul look that said exactly what I thought of her ideas, then closed my eyes and took in a deep breath.
I wasn’t being fair to people. I should eat, drink, try to fix my head, and be nicer to everyone who was trying to lend me a helping hand. It wasn’t their fault. I shouldn’t be this cranky to them.
Fourteen eggs and half a pitcher of water later, and I was still a bit of a nervous wreck. Less angry with life, and feeling a hair contrite about it.
“Idea. You might not like it.” Iona suggested.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Let’s go to the Warden’s embassy in Sanguino, and ask for permission to visit the Northern Continent.”
I side-eyed her and sighed.
I knew her [Vow] wouldn’t demand that we listen to them if they said no, and it was something that could make our trip a little easier. It just felt like a waste of time.
Time that I’d otherwise fritter away with the jitters, and it could be productive. I’d finished the grand spell array to make copies of the Medical Manuscripts, a project I’d thrown myself into with endless enthusiasm to try and distract me, and it was done. I had a gigantic, working mandala, with a single copy in my storage and the entire thing memorized if I wanted to spend laborious hours copying it again.
Frankly, it was far better to have a copy myself, and cast a basic clone spell on the books. Ugh. It was one of the first spells I’d learned in School, a literal entry-level ability. It almost never came up on exams, it was so simple.
Making copies without using the language’s default ‘make a copy’ spell was on exams, and it just… blah.
Keeping my books in [Loremaster’s Library] and pulling them out and duplicating them was just so much easier than anything else.
“Alright, let’s do it.” I reluctantly agreed.
The two of us headed into the city. The Warden’s primary directive was preservation and protection of the Northern Continent, and as part of my [Loremaster] education, I knew why.
The short version was another agreement, between the highest levels of elvenoids and creatures like dragons, kirin, phoenixes, rocs, and the like.
They got the Northern Continent, unmolested, and we got to build civilization down south. Of course, they could still fly around and wreak havoc down here if they wanted to, while elvenoids were mostly barred from the North, and there were a few other details that made me think we got the short end of the stick.
At the same time, it did seem to mostly prevent dragons from pillaging and burning everything in sight, which also helped explain why they’d been so terrified of dragons in Remus and now they weren’t the ungodly terror of the skies.
They enforced ‘No Immortals fucking around in mortal lands’ because they were asked nicely at the Treaty of Kyowa, and for reasons known only to them, they’d accepted. They claimed it was to keep sharp at their current job, but I wasn’t sure if I believed it.
While the Wardens were headquartered in the Golden Council, they did have a small outpost in each Immortal nation’s capital. Lucky us, that was Sanguino.
The capital was large, sprawling, and it wasn’t like there were signs on every road saying ‘Warden Embassy this way.’ We could search the entire city if we had to, but fortunately, the Warden Embassy was well-known to the local guards, who always had a solid contingent near them.
All hail the local guards! They fixed most issues if given the chance. If only I could pay guards to do random tasks, they’d entirely replace adventurers overnight.
We had to cool our heels a bit - I wondered if mentioning I was a Sentinel helped or hurt our cause - but eventually the [Majordomo] elf came out with a sniff. Level 768 - I bet he was cycling his classes through. There was no telling if he was on his first, early cycle, or deep into the process. The difference could be huge in terms of stats and abilities.
Stolen novel; please report.
“The [Wardens] will see you now.” He said slowly in clear, perfect High Elvish, like we might not understand him if he spoke at a normal speed.
Elves were on an axis. Awarthril and Mormerilhawn, the [Referee] from the School, were on the nicer end of things. They had a tolerable grasp on their curse, and actively tried to be kind.
This jackass probably would’ve been a dick even without his curse.
Iona and I stood up, and he still managed to somehow look down on her, even as she towered above him. Frankly, it was almost impressive.
“This way.” He gestured, almost like we wouldn’t be able to walk through the door if he hadn’t pointed it out to us.
The only thing I could say in his defense was members of the general public were occasionally that dumb.
“Sentinel Dawn and Valkyrie Dusk for the [Wardens]!” He announced. We were hoping being recognized military elites, especially of the host country, would grant us some courtesies, one warrior to another.
Wardens didn’t have titles, names, or any other identifier besides their silver, impenetrable mask having animal shapes. Their masks were impossible for me to see past, and even disguised their body. It wasn’t like I could pick out a scar and identify the Warden based on that. It was a thorough, impenetrable disguise.
For mortals.
“Skinwalker!” Iona hissed, her mallium instantly flowing around her into protective armor. I reflexively took a step back, positioning myself behind Iona in the way we’d drilled so often.
One of the Wardens lifted his hands in a universal gesture, while the other one stepped forward, hands held out placating. Neither of them reached for their twin blades, slightly curved and on their waist. The poor [Majordomo] looked like he was going to pass out.
“Peace! We are aware of Anti’jhnii’s nature!” The Warden said. “They have their nature well under control, and would not have been inducted into our ranks otherwise.”
The [Majordomo] passed out. I reluctantly caught him with [Shroud] before he could crack the tiles with his thick head.
Several tense moments passed before Iona relaxed a fraction. I was pretty sure in a fight the Wardens would beat us black and blue, having over a thousand levels on us, but it was better it never happened.
“Fine.” Iona agreed, narrowing her eyes. She straightened up and stepped back, keeping some distance.
The Warden tilted his head. The skinwalker-Warden remained near the back of the room, hands clasped obviously in front of him. If he was a skinwalker though, it was a deceptive move, given how freely he could transform.
I understood that most skinwalkers had murderous instincts, like a stronger version of a changeling, but I could also believe one had managed to get a handle on it, perhaps with a skill.
“If I may be so bold, can I ask how you discovered Anti’jhnii?” The Warden asked. “We do not wish to cause undue panic, and any flaw in our protection could bring harm to millions.”
Iona smirked.
“It’s not warded against divine blessings.”
The skinwalker threw their hands up in obvious ‘oh what is this shit’ frustration and stalked out of the room. I tried to repress a few silent laughs, but my belly shaking was probably a little too obvious.
I couldn’t tell what the other Warden was thinking, not with their mask and lack of expressive body language, but I’d guess he wasn’t too amused.
“Divine blessing. I see. Many thanks to you. I will pass the information along. What did you want to meet for?” He completely ignored the elf passed out on the floor. Must not be a fan.
Medically, he was fine.
Iona smiled winningly, and I was confident in her silver tongue.
“Well! One of our friends, a phoenix, bonded companion to Sentinel Dawn here, went to the North Continent. She was supposed to be back by now, but hasn’t arrived. We’d like permission to go there and bring her back.”
“Denied.” The Warden said without a moment’s hesitation. His voice softened a bit. “I know it’s rough to hear, but a single lost soul doesn’t come close to qualifying under the rules. The fact that your friend is a phoenix actively hurts your case, as she’s considered to be in the ‘correct’ spot. I’m sorry. I hope she’s safe and makes it back.”
I wanted to scream and rage, throw things and break delicate vases. Intellectually, I knew it was a fear-anger reaction, but it didn’t make it any less visceral and real.
I had just enough self-control to let Iona drag me out of there before I could do something I’d really regret.
“Let’s go shopping.” Iona diplomatically suggested, successfully steering my mind off things. “I’m sure we can find one or two more things to store in your [Vault] that’ll be useful.”
“We need more juice.” I promptly answered, starting to tick items off my fingers. “Different kinds of juice. Auri’s tastes might’ve changed. Also, I was thinking about our kindling stockpile. Twigs, dried wood, and the like are fine, but what if we need something really hot? Let’s see if we can find any magnesium. We’ve got a few barrels of water, but let’s get a few more fireproof buckets. I’m sorry, I know these are crazy unlikely, I’m just…”
Iona hugged me from the side.
“Why not a couple of extra shovels, in case we need to hide a few bodies?” She suggested. “We’ve got a half-dozen, but hey, a few more can’t hurt.”
“Yeah! Also, let’s double check where the School is going to be, and triple check our intercept course math.”
Bless Iona a thousand times over. I was something of a nervous wreck, and I could see her carefully guiding and steering me to more productive, or at least not self-destructive, activities. I let her. Why not? I knew what she was doing was for my own good, and no matter my training, no matter my mental fortitude, something being wrong with Auri was a subtle knife slipped through all my defenses. A chink in my armor, the same way I’d go mad with worry if something happened to Iona. I knew, deep in my bones, if something happened to me Iona would plow through all obstacles to fix it.
“Sleep?” Iona suggested. “It’s better to be well-rested before we go out.”
I paced back and forth in our bedroom, chewing my lip.
“No, I won’t be able to and I’ll just drive you insane.” I said. “Might as well not sabotage both of us.”
“Want to do a vigil together?” Iona said.
I couldn’t stop the pained look that crossed my face. Sitting still for hours? I could barely sit still on a good day after dinner!
Iona’s smile at the look on my face was pained.
“I’d suggest reading a book or something, but I think I know how well that’d go. Wake me up an hour before sunrise, please, so I can get ready?”
“Sure.” I said.
We were waiting, hoping against hope, that Auri would make it back a hair before the deadline. There was a hefty letter waiting for her if we happened to miss each other, but I felt that was unlikely.
Something had happened.
In an attempt to distract myself, to not make an utter nuisance of myself as I waited, I chose to fly at top speed around the mountain, resisting the urge to throw out [The Rays of the First Dawn] at poor unsuspecting trees.
I still had enough self-control that I wasn’t going to blindly lash out at things. With the power I had at my fingertips, I couldn’t.
Dawn was just starting to be a suggestion on the horizon as Iona boarded a yawning Fenrir. I quadruple-checked my calculations, and oriented myself east, where we’d intercept the School of Sorcery and Spellcraft.
“Let’s-”
mana
I didn’t even get to finish my sentence before Fenrir took off with a mighty blast of Lightning and Ice, leaving a frosty patch behind him.
We were off to the School of Sorcery and Spellcraft, where Artemis and Julius were.
Where we’d be able to cross the ocean in safety, before arriving at the Phoenix Peaks.
[Name: Elaine]
[Race: Chimera (Elvenoid)]
[Age: 38]
[Mana: 3,674,600/3,674,600]
[Mana Regeneration: 11,402,681 +(23,649,101)]
Stats
[Free Stats: 0]
[Strength: 40,261 (Effectively: 322,088)]
[Dexterity: 64,805 (Effectively: 690,044)]
[Vitality: 157,948 (Effectively: 2,467,938)]
[Speed: 145,180 (Effectively: 2,857,578)]
[Mana: 367,460]
[Mana Regeneration: 1,231,724 (+ 2,364,910)]
[Magic Power: 416,668 (+ 18,250,058)]
[Magic Control: 416,389 (+ 18,237,838)]
[Class 1: [The Arbiter of Life and Death - Celestial: Lv 876]]
[Celestial Mastery: 876]
[Aurora Curialis: 771]
[The Stars Never Fade: 55]
[Luminary Mind: 602]
[Universal Cure: 876]
[Etheric Aegis: 222]
[Shroud of the Stellar Sea: 650]
[Zenith Everlasting: 609]
[Class 2: [Butterfly Mystic - Radiance: Lv 768]]
[Radiance Affinity: 768]
[Radiance Resistance: 768]
[The Rays of the First Dawn: 768]
[Lepidoptera: 768]
[Nectar: 768]
[Solar Corona: 768]
[Wings of the Mythical Sunbird: 768]
[A Raging Tempest of Golden Phoenix Feathers: 768]
[Class 3: [Ancient Loremaster of Legend - Spatial: Lv 256]]
[Spatial Authority: 256]
[Manuscript Mastery: 256]
[Blink: 195]
[Loremaster's Library: 256]
[Vault of Ages: 92]
[Rapid Reshelving: 256]
[Astral Archives: 256]
[Lust for Lore: 256]
General Skills
[Long-Range Identify: 532]
[Technical Drawing: 79]
[Companion Bond between Elaine and Auri: 876]
[The World Around Me: 216]
[Oath of Elaine to Lyra: 876]
[Sentinel's Superiority: 876]
[Persistent Casting: 650]
[Tender Gardening: 108]
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