Mystic Heart Odyssey
Part 7: Downtime
Chapter 24
Here we go, folks- the final chapter of Downtime! It certainly grew well beyond the ``short'' excursion I initially planned, but I enjoyed writing it! And I hope you've enjoyed reading it. For the time being, at least, Lykou and Kuna have a new companion on their journey- and new adventures on the horizon!
-Llox
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In the morning, Gleam awoke with a start and sat bolt upright. For once, she wasn't the slightest bit groggy. In fact, her mind was abuzz. Her eyes darted around and widened as she took in the symbols on the wall with a fresh perspective. She excitedly popped up and hurried over to examine them more closely, eyes darting back and forth across them all.
The commotion caused both Lykou and Kuna to stir as well. Kuna was the first to sit up and rub his eyes, then peer curiously over at the energetic-looking squirrel. ``Gleam? Whatcha doin'?'' he asked sleepily.
``The shapes- writing- words-'' Gleam stammered as she frantically followed along and began hesitantly poking at certain, more prominent symbols. ``Move the... and then, with.... That must be...'' She continued mumbling and darting around the room, seemingly half lost in her own thoughts.
Lykou awkwardly tried to rub his eyes with his paws, then stretched and yawned. ``Huh? Whazza...?''
``Uhh... Gleam?'' Kuna asked, watching her with a mixture of curiosity and concern.
``Something... don't know what that means but... and maybe if Ku-'' Gleam continued rambling, then spotted Kuna and snapped herself out of it as she hurried over to him with a sheepish grin. ``Sorry, uh... good news! You were right, the messenger came back again. For the last time, unfortunately, and said- actually spoke this time!- and said a bunch of stuff I didn't understand, but they managed to explain some things at least, and... and they did another thing to me, and and... guys, I can understand the symbols now!''
Kuna's eyes widened. ``Wait... understand them??''
Gleam nodded excitedly. ``Yeah! They match with words, and I can't really explain how, but I can just... just, somehow the words show up in my mind when I look at them!'' she explained, then scratched her head. ``Uh, a bunch of them are weird words kinda like that `servitor' thing in my dream kept using, but I think-''
``Servitor?'' Lykou asked dubiously. ``Whassat?''
``Oh, whatever that dream-messenger-thing was. They called themselves some... long-name thing and said they were some kind of `servitor', whatever that is, but they said I could call them ATA for short,'' the squirrel continued. ``Apparently they aren't one of the people that made this place, but something else those people made. Sort of spirit-like but not exactly.''
Lykou and Kuna both gawked at her. ``They what??'' Kuna asked incredulously. ``People can't just... I mean... how??''
``Well I mean, they did figure out how to turn animals into people,'' Lykou pointed out, then furrowed his brow. ``And uh... kinda the other way around. So they were obviously really powerful.''
``They were!'' Gleam agreed. ``Like I said, ATA kept using all kinds of big, complicated words that supposedly all had to do with magic or something. But the important thing is now I can read those symbols! And uh,'' she paused and glanced around, then beamed at Lykou. ``A lot of it's still pretty confusing, but with Ku's help, I think we can get things working again so that it can turn you back to normal!''
Lykou smiled and his tail flicked around a bit. ``Alright, thank goodness! Don't get me wrong, bits of this have been fun, but I'm ready to be back to myself!'' He glanced over at Kuna and arched a brow. ``Although... I have some things to tell you about my night, too. Even after I'm back to normal, apparently there may be some, uh, lingering after-effects of all this.''
``Oh?'' Kuna asked with concern. ``Like what?''
``Sooo... a weird thing happened in the astral realm. I kind of... met myself. And not just a dream-me,'' the konuul explained. ``I woke up all animal-like, like this, but then I met another me in my usual form, except he was acting all animal-like.''
``Woah. That... sounds concerning,'' Kuna hazarded, wide-eyed. ``You sure it wasn't just a dream?''
``He originally popped up in one but then left the dream and came into the astral place with me,'' Lykou said. ``I felt a bit odd the whole time, too. Kinda... unusually mellow and absent-minded. Kept getting lost in thought and nothing seemed to phase me much. From what Aelana and Daisy said when they showed up, apparently it was a sign my soul was starting to, uh... do something kind of like what happened with them. You know, the whole soul-splitting thing.''
``Oh shit!'' Kuna blurted out, covering his mouth in alarm. ``Please tell me they said we can do something about it!''
``Yeah, that doesn't sound good,'' Gleam chimed in. ``Although, at least you have them to relate to if it does happen, I guess.''
``Luckily they stopped it,'' Lykou continued. ``Some weird ritual thing that bound us back together. But apparently now I'm more, uh... vulnerable to transform-y magic stuff. And I'll have two `normal' forms once I'm back to my old self. Not sure what that means, but I'm guessing somehow this will be considered natural for me, too.''
Kuna slumped back against the wall and rubbed his head. ``Fuck. That's... a lot,'' he said. ``I'm just glad they were able to do something. I wonder what that all means, though.''
``Guess we'll find out eventually,'' Lykou said with a shrug, then smirked. ``And I almost hesitate to say it, but... that probably means you could have an easier time practicing life magic on me if you wanted.'' His smirk quickly faded as he shot the sereva a playful warning look. ``But don't push it too far.''
Kuna suddenly grinned mischievously. ``Ohh, that could be fun. Whatcha gonna do if I do, huh?? Maybe I should make your fur pink or something.''
``I may not eat people, but I can bite and nibble!'' Lykou playfully warned with a grin.
The thought suddenly sent a strange, tingly feeling through Kuna. He twitched a bit and glanced away, blushing slightly, then quickly shook it off, deciding it was something best saved for contemplating later. Or ignored entirely. ``A-anyway, back to serious stuff,'' he said with a little shiver, then turned back to Gleam. ``Alright, so what do the symbols say?''
``Okay, let me look back over them again real quick,'' Gleam said, returning to the wall.
Lykou frowned, misinterpreting Kuna's reaction. ``Hey, you know I was joking, right? I wouldn't-''
``Yeah, I know, it's fine,'' Kuna assured him with a small smile, then turned his attention back to Gleam as she started reading things aloud. He got up and walked over to join her, and the two began puzzling together some vague idea for how all the magic in the building worked- or at least the bits they were concerned with.
Meanwhile, Lykou sighed and curled back up for the moment, getting lost in his own thoughts. Way to go, dummy. After all this time, you should know better than to make jokes like that around him. He saw his parents eaten by a monster as a kid, for fucksakes. Not exactly a great sign for an eventual relationship with him if you're gonna be that inconsiderate.
He put a paw over his eyes as he tried to clear his head. The thought stung- in fact he was a little surprised at how hard he was suddenly being on himself. But it made sense. Clearly, if he wanted to continue getting closer to Kuna and eventually, hopefully confess his feelings to him, he'd have to work a bit more on thinking before he spoke. Who am I kidding? I've got to become a lot more careful in general. He wouldn't want an impulsive idiot for a mate. Maybe this whole animal-body thing is more fitting than I realized....
Suddenly he furrowed his brow and shook his head, then sat up. Okay, this isn't like me. I'm being too negative. Must be the sleepiness and stress, he thought to himself. Let me see if I can help out. Or I can at least keep them company while they're doing... whatever it is.
He got up and trotted over next to the sereva and squirrel, then listened in as they discussed the words Gleam was reading. He didn't really follow much of it, but it sounded like they were struggling to figure a fair bit of it out as well, so at least he didn't feel dumb.
``Okay, so... when he's in the tube-room, put soul energy in the two glyphs on the sides, then move life energy through the three in the middle from left to right, wait five seconds, then back again,'' Kuna said. ``Uh, right?''
``I think so. If that's what `transference' means anyway,'' Gleam said with a shrug. ``I just read it, you have the vocabulary.''
``Pretty sure that fits,'' Kuna said, nodding. ``So... what after that?''
Gleam skimmed over the symbols again. ``Umm... `activate... recom... recom... bi... nation... systems... with... prime input'. Whatever that means.''
Kuna scratched his head. ``That's... huh. Which symbols are for, uh, `systems'?''
Gleam pointed to one of them. Although it blended with the other writing, it also strongly resembled another one of the glyphs they'd seen on the slab across from the tube that'd transformed Lykou. ``It's actually for both those big words, uh, somehow.''
``Oh, so recombi-whatever, too?'' Kuna asked with a faint smirk. ``Lot of syllables for one weird looking symbol.''
``Tell me about it,'' Gleam said.
``Still leaves one important bit out, though,'' Kuna said with a frustrated sigh. ``What's the `prime input'? Soul energy again? But they'd call it that, wouldn't they?''
``Wait wait,'' Lykou spoke up, suddenly remembering another key thing from his astral visit. ``Prime? Like... primal, maybe?''
Kuna and Gleam both glanced at him. Gleam glanced back at the wall, then shrugged. ``Maybe? But what's that mean?''
``Something else Aelana and Gleam mentioned. Supposedly there's some kind of super special energy under everything else that makes up the weave or something,'' Lykou excitedly explained. ``Nobody even really knows if its real or not, but Daisy seemed to think maybe whoever these people were, they might've figured out how to sense and interact with it.''
Kuna stared blankly at him, then facepalmed. ``Oh. Great. So we need someone to not only sense, but manipulate a kind of energy that nobody even knows for sure exists,'' he grumbled. ``Wonderful.''
Lykou folded his ears down and withered a bit. ``Fuck. There's got to be some way...''
``I don't think even Inkari can do that, if even Aelana and Daisy don't know for sure if it exists,'' Kuna pointed out. ``Maybe there's something else in these ruins that could help...''
Gleam looked around the room again, taking in as much information as she could understand from the strange writing. ``...let's try anyway.''
``Huh??'' Kuna asked in confusion. ``We're missing-''
``Maybe. But if I understand things right... the worst that could happen if we do everything else right is nothing,'' Gleam said. ``It'll just sit there waiting until it gets whatever that `primal' energy is. So at least it'll be ready if we find out a way to give it some.''
Lykou and Kuna exchanged a look. The feral konuul shrugged awkwardly. ``I guess it's worth a try. If nothing happens, at least nothing's lost.''
Kuna frowned. ``I don't like taking chances like that... especially when it puts you in danger.''
The canid smiled and rubbed up against his leg a bit. ``You heard Gleam. I trust her. Not like we're going anywhere anytime soon with me like this anyway.''
The sereva glanced over at the console, then the tube, then back to the canid and sighed. ``Alright, but get ready to jump out of there at the slightest sign of something going wrong, okay?''
``Of course,'' Lykou said, then hurried over to the tube chamber.
``Alright, here we go,'' Kuna said, walking over to the pedestal with Gleam following along behind him. ``Make sure to watch the symbols. If any of them change, I'll need you to interpret, er... `read' them I guess.''
Gleam nodded and stood next to him as he looked over the slab of stone in front of him. She gently set a hand on his arm and shot him what she hoped was an encouraging smile, even if she was a bit nervous herself. ``You can do this, Ku. I believe in you.''
Kuna smirked faintly for a moment. ``Thanks. If only magic worked purely on confidence and belief,'' he retorted, then gave her a quick side-armed hug. ``But I appreciate it.'' He took a deep breath, then manifested the pale blue glow around one hand. ``Well, here we go... these two on the side, right?''
Gleam nodded. ``Mhm. Then the other kind through there,'' she said, gesturing to the connected symbols along the middle.
The sereva nodded back and imbued the two symbols on the side. They slowly lit up as he fed energy into them, and, a few moments later, some of the large gemstones in the walls started glowing again as well. There was a faint humming sound in the air. He and Lykou shared a nervous look, but the canid nodded to him after a moment from within the tube. After hesitating for a moment, Kuna refocused on his life energy and let it flow through the middle symbols, carefully and slowly guiding it from left to right. He held it there for a few moments, then twitched when a few of the other crystals lit up and flickered a bit, accompanied by a brief buzzing sound. He then guided the energy back to the other side. A large, circular symbol appeared on the opposite side, glowing with a faint white light.
They waited. Nothing happened. Kuna sighed. ``Well, it was worth a try, but it doesn't look like anything's going to happen,'' he said, then looked over at Lykou. ``Might as well-''
Without thinking, Gleam reached down to run her fingers over the new symbol. ``This one looks l-'' Before she could finish her sentence, a burst of energy arced from her fingertips to another nearby glyph that had remained unlit. She quickly drew back her hand and winced. Suddenly, a column of shimmering light surrounded by arcs of crackling energy shot down from a shiny sphere buried in the ceiling that they hadn't noticed before. It landed directly on the new symbol, causing Kuna and Gleam to instinctively jump back, and the building began to tremble.
Kuna looked over to Lykou in alarm and started to cry out and rush towards him, but it was too late. The shimmering field appeared in front of the tube again and several more blasts of energy burst from some of the formerly-cracked crystals in the wall, knocking him and Gleam over and singing their fur and clothing slightly. After several chaotic moments of shaking, sound, and mist leaking from some cracks in the wall, everything calmed back down.
Terrified that something had gone wrong, the sereva got up and rushed over to the tube. But as soon as he reached the entrance he immediately bumped into a stumbling, familiar figure. ``L... Lykou??'' he asked, starting to grow cautiously excited.
The now once-again-bipedal konuul shook his head and braced himself against the wall, then grinned and wrapped his arms around the sereva. ``Yes! You did it!'' he said, picking the sereva up and spinning him around excitedly. After setting him down, he wavered slightly, then looked over at Gleam, who'd just picked herself up off the ground, and rushed over to her to give her a hug, too. ``Both of you!''
Gleam let out a surprised squeak and hugged him back, though her smile had a tinge of guilt. ``Yeah, hehe...''
Kuna hurried over and practically tackled the konuul in another gleeful hug. ``Fuck yeah!'' he blurted out, then shot him a narrow-eyed look. ``No more scares, dammit!''
``I think I've had enough poking around ruins for a while,'' Lykou agreed. ``Let's have breakfast and get out of here!''
``S-sounds good,'' Gleam agreed, fidgeting a bit.
``Hey, what's wrong?'' Lykou asked, noticing her uncomfortable demeanor. ``You just helped Ku bring me back to normal! You should be proud!''
The squirrel folded her ears down and rubbed her arm. ``Yeah, out of sheer luck. I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing,'' she mumbled, avoiding meeting either of their gaze. ``That zap could've done something much worse... I knew better than to go touching that stuff but I still did without thinking about it...''
``The important thing is that it worked out,'' Lykou said, giving her a gentle squeeze.
Kuna glanced between them for a moment, then sighed and hugged her as well. ``I'll admit I was a bit freaked out and mad when I saw what you were doing, but he's got a point,'' he said with a soft smile. ``If you hadn't, we'd still just be stuck. Like Kou keeps reminding me, sometimes you have to take risks, no matter how scary they are.''
``I still should've been more careful,'' Gleam said.
``I won't argue that, but it's not like we have any room to judge,'' Kuna said. ``And hey, this time it worked out for the best. So let's just be happy, alright?''
``Exactly,'' Lykou said, hugging them both tightly. ``Ahhhh, fuck yeah it feels good to be back to normal!''
``One of your normals, anyway,'' Kuna pointed out with a smirk. ``We should really figure out what exactly that means before it comes up the hard way at some point.''
``Let's... not dwell on that right now,'' the canid said. ``I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. Let's eat and get back on the trail!''
``Sounds good to me,'' Gleam agreed. ``I'm ready to get away from these ruins once and for all.''
*****
A small puff of smoke curled up from the side of a hill in Clovaria, well away from any road or town, and adjacent to a small patch of forest. It was small enough that nobody would have seen it without being fairly close to the hill in question. Normally, nobody would have any particular reason to be that far away from any of Clovaria's towns- even bandits. But for the one individual- well, pair of individuals- searching for exactly that sort of thing, it stood out more than enough. Doubly so because when the wolpertinger swooped down closer, they recognized the odd scent associated with it.
``There ye are,'' Daisy muttered quietly as she landed on the less forested side of the hill and scowled. ``Finally decide ta stop hidin' did ye? Ah'll-''
She paused and frowned for a moment.
``Ach, c'mon, let me jest-... no, ah ken, but she deserves-... no, ah wasnae goin' tae-! Jest a nibble fer-... ach, fine, fine!'' She rolled her eyes and sighed. There was a flash of light and burst of mystical fog. A moment later, Aelana stepped out of the fading mist, wavering slightly, then dusted herself off and straightened out.
``Right, time tae have words,'' she said as she started cresting the hill. Another individual might have moved slowly and watched their step in order to remain stealthy- but this was her domain. Well, hers and Daisy's technically, she reminded herself. They'd watched over Clovaria for centuries and had come to know virtually every hill, valley, lake, cliff, and forest within its borders like the back of their hand (or paw). And that closeness with the land, paired with their royal Sylthean heritage, meant that they never had to worry about sneaking around the way others would. Any debris that would have snapped or crunched under Aelana's feet moved itself out of her path. Bushes shrank away to let her pass, then closed up behind her again. Tree limbs were sure to shade her from the sun without getting in her way. Wildlife kept a respectful distance, sensing her focused, purposeful stride.
But the moment she passed over to the other side and emerged from the small patch of woods, Inkari chuckled without even looking back. ``Nice to see you letting Daisy have a fly during the day, but I appreciate you convincing her to let you do the talking.''
``Dinnae mak me reconsider,'' Aelana said in an icy tone as she approached the witch lounging in the shade of a larger oak tree. ``Jest when ah start reconsiderin' what tae think o' you-''
``Have some nice chats with the boys, have you?'' Ink asked nonchalantly. ``I'm sure they've had some very interesting stories to tell.''
``Oh aye,'' Aleana said, walking around to glare down at the jarzin with her arms crossed. ``Like their little hike through the bleedin' Kryck.''
``Ah yes, I thought you might have thoughts about that,'' Ink replied after taking another puff on her pipe.
``Thoughts?? THOUGHTS?!'' Aelana blurted out lowering her arms and balling her hands into fists. ``Ah've half a-'' She stopped herself when she saw the glint in the jarzin's eye, then rolled hers up. She wasn't about to give her the satisfaction of making that little joke again. She cleared her throat, then continued, ``Ah'm tempted tae let Daisy sort ye oot efter all. What were ye fookin' thinkin', Ink?! Them boys are pure, `n' ye goan send them tae yin o' th' dreichest, most dangerous-''
``They made it out, didn't they?'' Ink said with an infuriatingly calm smile. ``And with some new equipment to help them out, and some valuable experience, too.''
``Exp- Ink, they damnwell could `ave bin trapped!'' Aelana snapped, scowling at her. After a moment her expression turned more sad and disappointed. ``Do ye really have no shame?''
Ink sighed and sat up, stretching a bit. ``Lana, you know I plan things out carefully. They more than had it handled.''
``Aye, bit what if they hadn't??'' the lepne continued. ``It's Kryckwood we're haverin' about here! That place is unpredictable! It-''
``You said it yourself, those boys are too good for him to have an interest in keeping them,'' Ink said, fiddling with her pipe idly. ``I may take chances sometimes, but not with something like that. Trust me, I knew they'd be fine.''
``How kin ye be so s-'' Aelana began to demand, then paused as she processed Ink's comments. ``Wait. You said `him' just now.'' Her eyes slowly widened. ``Ink, did... are ye tellin' me you've actually gone and met-''
``Old man Kryck. `Aye','' the witch replied with a little glint in her eye. ``He likes to go by Wodryck when he manifests a mortal guise, though.''
Aelana gawked at her for a moment, then spoke in a hushed tone, ``Naebody has.... ever...'' She shook her head after a moment and narrowed her eyes at the jarzin, unable to resist a slight smirk. ``Ah suppose if he'd reveal himself tae anyone, it'd be you, wouldnae it? Yer lucky he didnae kip ye.''
Inkari chuckled. ``It's actually not the first time. We've spoken on odd occasions. He's tried a few times, but I always slipped away. It's a little game of ours. I managed to earn his respect enough that he stopped trying eventually,'' she explained, then took another quick puff. ``But that's how I came to know some of his more interesting... stories. And worked out an arrangement with him.''
``Arrangement?'' Aelana asked skeptically, giving her a scrutinizing look. ``Whit kind o'... `arrangement' exactly?''
``Pretty straightforward. One of his stories was getting a little... stale. And he wanted to shake things up. And there were some less-wicked souls that'd been caught up in it for some time, and he felt like finally letting them go,'' Ink continued. ``But of course, he's not the sort to just let things go on a whim. No, it has to be in a fitting way that works within his narratives.''
``So ye sent the boys tae do yer dirty work `n' free some lost souls,'' Aelana said flatly. ``Why even risk it? Ye could `ave done it yersel'.''
``Ah, but then those two would have missed out on a golden learning opportunity and an interesting story to tell. He had no intention of keeping them either way,'' Ink insisted. ``Plus, he was willing to let them have that axe if they could suitably impress him, and I knew they needed something like that for their journey. Wouldn't have been as significant to them if Lykou hadn't earned it himself.''
``Ah... s'pose. Still, tis reckless and dangerous o' ye, Ink,'' the lepne chastised. ``What if he had nae intention o' keepin' his promise? Or if them two couldnae impress him enough tae escape? They met-'' She paused and shuddered, then lowered her voice. ``They met Dark Aggy, Ink!''
``Oh I'm aware. And I'm sure that was very educational for them,'' Ink reiterated. ``Rest assured, she's one of his most prized treasures. He wasn't about to let her follow them out, no matter how crafty she was being about it.''
``She gave them potions, Ink. `n' one o' `em swapped `em aroond. Lykou a sereva `n' Kuna a konuul,'' the lepne pointed out, arching a brow. ``'n' they were lucky t'wasn't anythin' worse.''
Ink laughed. ``Oh yes, I'm aware. I'd have intervened if the side-effects were worse. As it is, though, that was quite amusing to see.''
``Amusin' fer you mibbie, but-'' Aelana started, then paused and squinted at the jarzin again. ``Hauld on. `See'? Ye scryin' on them two reg'lar?''
``Well obviously,'' the witch replied. ``Not everywhere all the time, but at least once a day in most places. And more often in more dangerous places. Honestly, Lana, give me some credit. The last thing I'd want is for one or both of them to actually die.''
``Even you kin slip,'' Lana said pointedly but quietly, giving her a look.
The simple statement was like a dagger out of nowhere straight into the jarzin's heart. Inkari immediately stiffened up and shot the lepne a piercing glare of her own. ``I. Am well. Aware,'' she said through gritted teeth. ``I don't need reminders.''
There was a tense, uncomfortable silence between them for a moment. Finally, Aelana's expression softened a little. ``Right. Ah'm sure you don't. Bit thas fer sendin' them through th' Kryck anyway.''
Inkari continued to glare at her for a minute, then looked away and took an extra long drag from her pipe. ``Fine. You got your barb in. Well done.''
``You earned it,'' Aelana retorted, then sighed and walked over to sit down next to her. ``But enough o' that. Back tae th' point, if yer checkin' in oan them two on yer own, why dae ye have that Zynshal lad followin' `em.''
Inkari turned to her with a mysterious smirk. ``Why indeed.''
``You `n' yer damnable secrets,'' Aelana muttered. ``Sometimes ah wonder why ah bother askin'.''
``I am jarzin, remember?'' Ink replied. ``I can't just go around revealing everything.''
``Fine. But mibbie ye can help them lads with somethin' fer once?'' the lepne pressed her. ``Lykou's a bleedin' four-legger at the moment! They cannae exactly trav-''
``I think they have it handled,'' Ink assured her. ``Which is... a pleasant surprise, to be honest. I was fully intending to step in if they couldn't figure something out, but I checked on them this morning, and he appears to be back to normal.''
``...oh,''Aelana replied simply. ``Ach. That's a relief. T'was a close call.'' She narrowed her eyes at the jarzin again. ``Jest what dae ye ken aboot them ruins anyway? Dinnae tell me Gleam wis part o' yer grand schemes also.''
``Actually no,'' Ink said with a delighted grin. ``That even took me by surprise. I don't really know much more than most about that place. But I had a feeling those two might discover something, because they seem to have a knack for that kind of thing. I had my suspicions about the place- the murals and statues are pretty clear, after all. But I never imagined they'd actually end up... well, doing that.''
``Ye dinnae say?'' the lepne replied with a satisfied smirk, crossing her arms. ``So the great schemer is still capable of bein' surprised, hmm?''
``I do try to leave a little wiggle room to keep things interesting,'' Ink said. ``This squirrel friend of theirs is a delightful and fascinating twist to their journey. I may have to reassess things a bit to take her into consideration.''
``Aye, she's developin' some kind o' magic as well,'' Aelana replied. ``Daisy `n' ah would love tae meet her in person, but we're nae about ta leave Clovaria.''
``Why Lana, what's wrong, afraid to let Clovaria watch over itself for a bit?'' the jarzin teased. ``It'd do you both some good to visit the world outside your domain again for once! I know, how about you let me take over for a bit? I can-''
``HAH. Yer hilarious, Ink,'' Aelana retorted flatly.
``Can't blame me for trying,'' Ink said with a shrug.
``Ah can `n' ah do.''
``Suit yourself,'' Ink replied. ``Anyway, maybe you can have them visit here again.''
``Yer daft. They're nae about tae turn around `n' backtrack all tae way to Clovaria fer a social call,'' Lana retorted. ``Not that they could anyway, if ye'll recall.''
Ink shot her an amused look. ``...you... do know there's another way, right?''
Aelana stared at her in confusion for a moment. ``...what dae ya mean?''
``Oh. Oh this is great,'' Ink said, practically giddy. ``The jarzin has to remind the sylthean queen about her own peoples' portals.''
``Och, what about `em?'' the lepne demanded, getting frazzled. ``Ah ken plenty, `n'-''
``They may be different from normal spirit gates, but the two can work together, remember?'' Ink reminded her. ``And I understand Kuna's making more progress with his soul magic lately.''
``Aye, he's pickin' up scryin' noo on his own, the bright lad,'' Aelana said. ``But ah dinnae see how-'' She froze suddenly and her eyes slowly widened. ``Wait...''
``Ah, there it is,'' Ink taunted.
``If he kin scry ta us... oh crivvens, ah'm an eedjit!'' Aelana said, bringing her hand to her face. ``He ken that glyph, `n' if we jest visit one o' the auld gates while he's scryin'... all he'd have tae do is find a decent surface `n' use Lykou's knife ta carve it!''
``Which may be a little tricky, but I'm sure he's up for the task,'' Ink said. ``I'm sure they wouldn't mind another short visit to your domain again as long as it didn't involve losing any progress.''
``Aye! Ah'll be sure to tell `em next time ah hear frae the lads,'' Aelana said excitedly.
``Be sure to let them know who gave you the idea, too,'' Ink pointed out with a smug grin.
Aelana smirked over at her. ``Okay, okay, ye redeemed yerself a wee bit. Dinnae let it get ta yer heid, tis big enough already.''
*****
Lykou was very grateful for the trail through the valley. The fatigue from both sleep deprivation and the strain on his body from the transformation meant that a more arduous hike through the underbrush of a typical forest would have been much slower. As it was, the group ended up stopping a bit more frequently for breaks, much to his frustration. Still, at least they were finally moving again. Eventually, though, they all became aware of a certain strange feeling.
``Hey guys?'' Gleam spoke up, eyes darting around nervously. ``I-''
``You feel it too, don't you?'' Lykou asked quietly, glancing off to the side wearily. Even knowing there weren't supposed to be any particularly dangerous creatures in the valley, the slight chance he might have to protect himself and the other two after all made him anxious. He was in poor fighting condition. ``Like we're being watched.''
``Good to know it's not just me,'' Kuna chimed in, looking off to the other side. ``I don't sense anything big nearby, though.''
``Just stay alert, just in case,'' Lykou said. ``Probably just another weird quirk of this valley, but better safe than sorry.''
They continued walking for a while longer, with increasing unease. The feeling came and went, but never left for good. Eventually, the forest started to thin out as they began ascending an almost artificial-looking slope on the side of a mountain. The fact that there was less and less brush for any theoretical predator to hide behind should have reassured them, but the fact that they still saw no signs of whatever might be watching them despite the openness just made is seem all the stranger.
But finally, quite exhausted, the trio reached a relatively flat area at the top of the slope a little past midday. And much to their relief, they saw the next arch, standing between another pair of hand statues. They'd finally made it to the other end of the valley. And the eerie feeling of being watched had also largely subsided, for the moment at least.
Lykou slumped over on a nearby boulder to catch his breath, then immediately took a few big gulps from his waterskin. After that, he pulled out some salted meat and began devouring it hungrily as he slowly slid down to the ground. Gleam sat down next to him, while Kuna plopped down on his other side, each pulling out their own lunch as well.
The squirrel ate a bit more slowly than usual, staring out at the valley with a distant look in her eyes. Lykou eventually picked up on it after he'd curbed his hunger a bit. ``You alright, Gleam?''
``Mm? Oh, uh, yeah,'' Gleam replied absently, with a soft, almost sad tone in her voice. ``I'm fine...''
Lykou and Kuna shared a look, then the sereva slipped around to sit on Gleam's other side, and rubbed her back softly. ``Just now hitting you, isn't it?''
The squirrel blinked a few times and shot him a questioning look. ``Huh?''
``You're about to leave your... well, home, in a way,'' Lykou said, wrapping an arm around her. ``The only place you've ever known. It's a big step.''
``I guess so,'' Gleam said after a moment. ``Not like I really had the ability to `know' much about it until recently, though,'' she added with a faint smirk, trying to mask the mixed feelings bubbling up unexpectedly within her. After a moment, it faded. ``It... does feel kind of... strange, though. You think I'll ever see it again?''
``Hard to say,'' Kuna said. ``Lykou wanted to eventually set up a trade caravan thing to re-visit a couple of the places we've been to, somehow- like Clovaria. Depending on how that works out, I imagine we could come by here again some day.''
``As long as we warn people away from the ruins,'' Lykou said pointedly. ``Don't need any more transformation shenanigans.''
``Fair point,'' Kuna agreed with a light chuckle.
``It's funny, I... don't have any reason for it,'' Gleam said. ``But now that I'm about to leave it behind, I do feel kind of... weirdly sad.'' She let out a brief, semi-forced laugh. ``Not like there are any other people here for me to miss or anything.'' After a moment, her expression once again turned a bit more melancholy. ``Maybe that's the problem, though...''
``Aw, Gleam,'' Lykou said, hugging her close. On her other side, Kuna joined in.
The affection did warm her heart a bit, even if she still felt a certain weight on it. ``I guess it's just really starting to hit me that... I'm kind of alone, in a way.'' She quickly smiled at the two and hugged them back. ``Not fully, of course. Just... you know...''
``No memory of your family, or a tribe or anything, yeah,'' Kuna said, nodding a bit. ``I get it. But hey, that's why you're coming with us. Your past may be a blur now, but we're gonna make sure you've got a happy, memorable future.''
``Exactly,'' Lykou agreed. ``And who knows? Maybe there are other squirrel people out there, and we just haven't met them yet!''
Gleam smiled a little more, then lightly bumped her head against his chest affectionately. ``Maybe...''
``Still, it makes sense you'd be feeling a bit overwhelmed right now,'' Kuna said, snugging up to her some more. ``So take your time. We won't leave until your ready.''
``Thanks,'' the squirrel said, then sniffed a bit and rubbed her eye. ``It's all just... kind of a lot.''
``Yeah, that's understandable,'' Lykou said. ``Anything we can do for you?''
Gleam chuckled a bit as she wiped a couple more tears out of her eyes. ``You're already doing all I'd ask for,'' she said, then embraced them both again. ``Hey, my life's really just starting, right? There's a lot to look forward to! And I can't wait to see what other places look like. And maybe we'll see some friendly spirits or something.''
``That's the spirit!'' the konuul said, rubbing her back some more. ``New adventures to have, new friends to make, new things to see and experience- welcome to our amazing journey, Gleam.''
``We're very happy to have you with us,'' Kuna agreed with a smile.
Gleam sniffed and rubbed away a fresh batch of tears and smiled as well, wrapping each of them in a tight hug, one at a time. ``Thanks guys.'' She took a deep breath, then looked at the half-eaten apple in her lap. ``Well, let's finish eating and get going, then. Tomorrow won't wait for us!''
Lykou and Kuna chuckled and dug back into their own food. A short time later, they gathered around the arch and the sereva used his magic to activate it. Gleam jumped back slightly and gasped at the swirling vortex of color and light. ``Woah... a-and this is... s-safe?''
Lykou nodded. ``Yup. Lets us jump from one place to another, far-away place in just a few moments.''
``A little dizzying and wild until you get used to it, though,'' Kuna warned. ``So just brace yourself. And uh, there's a good chance you'll stumble a bit when you come out the other side no matter what.''
Gleam gulped. ``Dizzying huh?''
``Yeah, it's kind of crazy. Lots of sights and stuff swirling all around you and you feel like you're moving in a way you can't really describe,'' Lykou explained. ``And then the next thing you know, you're popping out the other side in a totally new, different place.''
``It's natural that you might be a bit scared at first, but it's perfectly safe,'' Kuna assured her, rubbing her shoulder softly. ``And hey, remember, we're right here with you.''
``I think it's actually kinda fun, once you get used to it,'' Lykou said with a grin.
``Great,'' Gleam replied unconvincingly. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves, staring at the portal. ``Well... I guess this is it then.'' She glanced back at the valley for a moment, then, on a whim, waved to it with a half-grin. ``Bye weird ruins and all the other critters here. Good riddance to those damn squirrel eating birds. Bye familiar river, trees, mountains....''
Lykou chuckled. ``I'm sure they'll all miss you too,'' he said, patting her on the back, then approached the portal. ``Well, I'll lead the way. I suggest you go between Ku and I since it's your first time. See you on the other side!'' A moment later, he vanished through the portal as Gleam watched on in wide-eyed astonishment.
Kuna smiled and gestured towards the portal with his head. ``You heard him. Your turn!''
Gleam twitched and bounced anxiously on the spot for a moment, then clenched her fists. ``Right. Just... get it over with, Gleam. Here... I... GO!'' She took another deep breath, then clenched her eyes shut and ran into the portal, vanishing behind Lykou.
Kuna stepped up to the portal next. He paused briefly before stepping through, glancing back at the valley in contemplation. It'd definitely been one of the most eye-opening and mysterious places they'd visited, and for all the stumbling points they'd had, he was glad they'd seen and experienced it, in the end- for the most part, anyway. But just as he was about to step through, he furrowed his brow and looked around. For just a moment, he thought he sensed something- not just that feeling of being watched, but a brief burst of life energy nearby. But no sooner had he sensed it, than it was gone again. He shivered a bit, then hurried through the portal, pushing it out of his mind. Whatever other mysteries the valley had, he was happy to leave them behind.
Around half an hour later, strange footprints appeared and vanished in the soil leading up to the portal, which had since closed. A large set of eyes opened out of thin air and examined the arch. Strange pulses of light glimmered near them, briefly illuminating some tendrils and a dark blue-green hide. The portal re-opened and the lights faded, once again concealing the strange-looking figure. The eyes faded away as well. All was eerily quiet and still, then something unseen passed through the portal, its motives and identity as mysterious as the valley it was departing.
