Aether Beasts

The journey back to the camp with Elder Kaylin was completely silent. We were all tired in more ways than just physically. Sandra's anger had faded and now she just looked like she wanted to pass out. Misty looked about the same though for entirely different reasons. She'd just gorged herself and her body was probably trying to force her to fall asleep. I wasn't in much better condition. I had not used much aether, but that didn't mean that my body was tired. I was still at the first level of aether infusion so I didn't have the benefits someone like Kaylin had.

Luckily none of us had actually sustained any injuries, which I was very thankful for, although it also left me worried. We'd been saved by Elder Kaylin. Without him showing up we wouldn't have made it and despite being grateful, I couldn't help but be angry at my own weakness, even though there was a good reason for it.

Speaking of the elder, the coldness he'd shown earlier was still on his face, and every now and then he would glance at the unconscious Markem he was carrying and his rage would show in his eyes. A few times I thought he'd kill the traitor then and there, but he managed to stay calm and we made it back to the camp without any more deaths not that I would have cared if he'd killed Markem, the traitor deserved no less than death for what he'd done, but he could also be interrogated for information.

"I'll make this quick so you guys can head to sleep," Kaylin said as we moved through the camp.

At one point he stopped a passing disciples and after a hushed conversation he let out a sigh. "Elder Hyphen is away until morning so it seems we'll have to leave this conversation till later, but I suppose that isn't a bad thing. You three look dead on your feet."

We all just groaned in response. I didn't have the energy to make a witty reply or come back. The adrenaline that had kept me going was gone.

"Before you go, I just want you all to know how grateful I am, and the sect will be for what you've done," he said in a sincere voice. "We'll talk more about this tomorrow, but I want all three of you to go to sleep knowing that we can continue this war because of what you've done and that we still have a fighting chance."

Kaylin's words perked me up and I could Sandra smile faintly, and even Misty looked happy. We'd done it. We'd traveled to Orton and delivered the message and made it back in one piece against everything that had been against us.

After a few more kind words, Elder Kaylin told us he'd send Kara to fetch us tomorrow and sent us off to our tents.

None of us protested, and like a bunch of drunks, we stumbled over to our tents. I barely managed to get out a goodnight before I stumbled inside and dropped onto my bedding, asleep before my head even hit my pillow.

My dreams were filled with an odd mix of familiar scenes and complete unfamiliar scenes. I saw the town of West Vale, though it looked much smaller than I remembered. I saw people I recognized like my academy professors though they too looked different, younger. I saw my aunty speaking with two figures whose faces were blurred for some reason and the scene seemed to fade every time I tried to focus on them. I saw one of the cloaked figures handing a small warped bundle to my aunt but before I could see what it was the scene faded.

The unfamiliar scenes were odd. I saw a vast jungle and many odd humanoid creatures, some of which remind me of Zirani. I saw a large broken clock and a man in intricate robes sitting before it, in a meditative position. His body flickered in and out and his features seemed to age at an alarming rate then when he was old his face was nothing but wrinkles the process reversed and he became young once again only for the process to begin once more.

I saw a sphere of midnight that seemed to absorb all that was around it, even the light itself, though there was a shadow figure off in the distance that looked upon the sphere with anger and resentment, he could not move closer as between him and the sphere stood a strange creature that I couldn't make out.

More scenes and images flashed by until eventually, all became dark.

"Aiden, wake up!"

I was awoken the next day by Sandra and after staring at her for a long moment, the events of the previous day caught up to me.

"Kara came to take us to Kaylin, but I managed to get us some time to eat before that," she said. "Now wake up."

I mumbled out a confirmation then made my way out of the tent. I felt ten times better than I had yesterday and my body made several satisfying popping noises and I stretched out my limbs and back muscles. I hadn't realized at the time, but traveling that long at the speed we'd been moving had definitely done a number on my back and even though I'd gotten some sleep, I could still feel a bit of soreness in my muscles. It was stuff like this that made me wish I was at the second level of aether infusion. The passive regeneration and large boost it gave was a big difference and even normal folk who did not consider themselves arcanists attempted to get to the second level for the boosts and of course the extended lifespan.

Misty was already awake as well and together the three of us headed to the food area of the camp and as we did, I couldn't help but notice the hushed murmur and whispers that sounded as we passed by, and the glances we got. A mixture of awe, respect, and a few looks of gratitude which I guessed meant that news had spread.

That quickly? We'd only returned yesterday. Then again the steel heart was a tight bunch and a friendly lot.

We arrived at the food area and filled up plates for ourselves and headed to a table to eat. As usual, I had the most food while Sandra had a normal amount while Misty had baked traits and cakes. As we ate hungrily, several disciples approached our table to thank us and congratulate us on our mission. It was odd at first, but not unpleasant and every time we were thanked I felt a warm feeling in my chest. Misty looked uncomfortable every time some approached while Sandra just played it off.

"Things sure do spread fast in the sect huh?"

Sandra shrugged. "You get used to it. People don't really keep many secrets here if they don't need to and everyone's friendly with each other so rumors, especially good news, spreads very fast. Unlike other sects, the elders don't see much of a point in hiding things from everyone. After all, we're all fighting in this war."

"I guess that makes sense," I replied.

As we continued our meal I turned my attention to Zirani. "So When are we going to have that talk about Misty?"

"After your meeting with the elder," she replied. "I suspect we'll be waiting for the finale of this war."

After finishing up our meal, we left and headed for the tent we'd spoken to Kaylin and Hyphen in and Kara was waiting nearby with the two guards that were usually posted there. They waved us in with smiles and respectful nods.

Both Elder Kaylin and Elder Hyphen were waiting for us.

"There they are," Hyphen shouted with a smile on his face. "Your lucky charms. Good to see you all still standing. Kaylin never said but I assume the letter was delivered successfully?"

I nodded. "The mayor has it and we were there when he read it."

"And?" The elder raised a questioning eyebrow. "What did he say?"

"Well he seems to be on our side and is going to try and help us," I explained. "That's about all I got from what he said."

"That's good news indeed," Elder Kaylin said. "If he does as the letter requests then we might just be able to win this."

"What about Markem," Sandra blurted out. "What's being done with him?"

Kaylin's face grew cold. "He's being interrogated for information, and once that's done he will be put down."

"Nasty business that," Hyphen mused. "But I warned you not to place too much trust in someone that suspicious. It would have been fine and dandy if we knew what he was doing, but the fact he kept vanishing every few days wasn't something we could just ignore. The patterns also spoke for themselves."

Kaylin sighed. "I know, but what's done is done. Can we move on to brighter things now?'

"Of course," Hyphen replied with a smile as he turned to face us.. "Time to talk about rewards."