”Here.” Ayero tossed a thick, rolled up cloth towards Hojo, watching as the man fumbled with the sudden heavy weight of the carpet. He quickly deduced what the object was, his eyes catching sight of the Balbaddan patterns decorating the rug. ”A magic carpet?” He arched a brow at the young woman. ”What happened to yours? Did you lose it to the dungeon?”
Shaking her head, Ayero offered an explanation. ”I want you three to head back to Kou. I’ve got a few loose ends to tie up here, but its best that someone goes on ahead to report in.”
Hojo hesitated for a moment, meeting Ayero’s stony face with his searching gaze. He didn’t sense that the woman was hiding anything or up to anything bad, but she’d been rather standoffish as of late. Though quiet, she did seem to be at peace the most when they would occasionally land the carpet to forage for food. From little snippets that she would tell him of her adventures, she seemed to prefer living off the land. He wondered how she was able to live in a large city like Remano, but didn’t think to ask her until now. Shouldering the carpet, he bowed his head briefly to the woman.
”As you wish. Leave it to us, but be careful.”
It had been about a week since Ayero departed on her own, several days after her own group had left for Kou. She trusted them enough to be on their own, and thought she didn’t start off far behind, the gap between them would grow more and more.
While she did stay behind to make sure that everything was in order with Balbadd and their dungeon clearing tax, Ayero felt as if she needed the solitude more than anything. Unconsciously, she gripped Eligos’ pendant tightly with one hand as she directed the carpet with her other. It had been a while since she had been alone (sans her beasts which traveled with her nearly everywhere) especially with her trip to the Kou Empire. She didn’t have much time to do any deep reflecting since the trials of Eligos, putting her duties as an ambassador above all else.
Eligos. She had entered Eligos with the intention of claiming his power, and succeeded in doing so. And now, she did not know how to use it. The more days that passed, the more she doubted that accessing Eligo’s power would be a simple affair. She didn’t know how to go about doing it, and it bothered her to no end. She’d overcome many trials in her life, but much of that had to do with physical and mental strength—and while she knew that would be a part of leaning to wield Eligos’ power, she still had difficulty grasping the magic part.
She knew that she shouldn’t let it be a deterrent, but it simply was. Magic tools were simple to use, as the user had to do little but aim it. It was the magicians who did the actual work, using their deep knowledge of the inner-workings of magic to create a device that would allow anyone to “perform” magic. Her ignorance of magic was not willful, but she never had much use for it until the past few years. She’d known magicians in passing, but it wasn’t until she became close friends with a few powerful mages that she recognized how ignorant she was on such an impressive topic.
Ayero uncurled her fingers from the eagle feather pendant she wore around her neck. The metallic charm had a small, neat magic circle etched into it.
It was strange to think that such enormous power was contained into such a tiny vessel. Furrowing her brows, Ayero released her metal vessel and let it fall onto her chest, dangling from the thin leather strap she wore around her neck. She wondered if it was alright to wear it like this, or if she should be keeping it in a safer place. She started wearing it around her neck only recently, hoping that seeing it more would remind that she needed to attain Eligos’ power.
”I wonder what they would have to say about this.” Ayero looked out toward the horizon, her mind turning towards Ariella and Azix for the moment. One was ambassador for Kou and a powerful magician in his own right, the other was some sort of divine being—as she understood it—who could not only wield enormous power, but could bring that power into this world for others to claim. Still, it warmed her heart to think of them. As important as they were, she couldn’t help think of them as friends first and foremost, before their titles and reputations.
She hadn’t had much time to meet with either of them between Eligos and Buer, each of them busy with their own duties. Azix’s knowledge of dungeons and Djinns proved to be invaluable, so she knew somewhat what she was dealing with. Unfortunately, they hadn’t had much time to discuss training said Djinn. As she understood it now after meeting Buer, accessing and training the power of a Djinn would probably be at least a little different for everyone.
Sighing heavily, the Fanalis woman tapped the snake wrapped around her torso, running her hand fondly along his black scales. Kabu lifted his head from her shoulder, having burrowed his face in her hair to protect it from the wind. Through a series of head and hand gestures, Ayero communicated what she needed from him. Moving slowly, the snake wound his way down Ayero’s arm and towards the edge of the carpet. He took the corner of it into his mouth, allowing Ayero to let go and flop onto her back. She would let the snake fly the carpet for a little while, using Tomato as a lookout. They wouldn’t need to turn otherwise, as there were few disturbances so high up in the air. The carpet simply needed a source of magoi, lest it fall from the sky.
Throwing an arm over her eyes to blot out the sun, Ayero resumed her train of thought. She started off as a simple girl from the mountains who knew little of the outside world. When she left her village, she could neither read nor write. It dawned on her how much things had changed since then. In her travels she had gained basic literacy, mastered sword combat, solidified her beast taming skills and learned to efficiently wield a bow. Her growing skills in combat and leadership earned her a comfortable rank within in the Fanalis Corps, and with it came many perks she didn’t think she’d need. While a part of her yearned to move around and be free, she appreciate the importance of having a place to call home. Her status and income allowed for her brother to go to a good school, where the young boy was currently studying.
Ayero had arranged for Vin to go to one of Remano’s top boarding schools, wanting the child to get an education. It was something she thought she had never needed, but the world was changing. Vin was a smart boy, and if he did well in school he wouldn’t have to fight for a living. Not that there was anything wrong with fighting—there was great honor to be had in being a soldier—but it was dangerous, and she knew firsthand how life was living by the blade. If he went to school he could become a teacher, or a government official. Something stable that would give him a comfortable life.
Until this moment, she had always thought of herself as a simple girl from the mountains. Despite her abilities and military rank, in the back of her mind she still considered herself a simple person who had no need for studying, magic, politics and the like. But the world was changing, and Ayero decided that it was best to embrace it.
”Uh…Lava, Eligos!”
Ayero held the eagle charm gripped tightly in her hand while striking a confident battle pose. They had landed several hours ago, and after a quick hunt, the Fanalis tried to awaken Eligos. Kabu was in the process of digesting a whole wild rabbit as he watched Ayero with Tomato. Both beasts recognized the word “Eligos”, but otherwise had no idea what their red-haired companion was up to. Usually she used a time like this to train, but her blade and bow were laid out on the magic carpet. Instead she was just standing there, holding the eagle pendant. And yelling. At nothing.
Frowning, Ayero nearly glared down at the eagle face staring back up at her. She knew enough to know that a certain set of words released the Djinn from its vessel. She had even witnessed Azix equip into his Djinn form, so she had somewhat of an idea what to do. But how was she supposed to know what the magic words were?
With a look of determination, Ayero thrust her fist outwards once more.
”Kill, Eligos!”
Her voice bouned off the hills, full of resolve. And yet, nothing happened.
”Destroy, Eligos!”
”Erupt, Eligos!”
”Incinerate, Eligos!”
With a heavy groan she would only emit when alone, Ayero flopped onto the ground. Tomato hopped forward curiously towards her companion, not entirely concerned as she could see that the fall was deliberate. When the bird gently tapped Ayero’s forehead with her beak, Ayero felt almost as if it was adding insult to injury. ”You don’t think I’m a failure, do you Tomato?”
When the bird tilted her head to the side and chirped, Ayero smiled softly at her creature friend. The smile faded as Tomato moved towards her torso, watching the bird with curious eyes. It only took a few more moments for Ayero to realize why the bird had come over in the first place. The pouch of seeds and nuts Ayero used to reward Tomato for responding to commands had fallen from her person, and the bird was taking advantage of the treats spilled out onto the ground. With another exasperated groan, Ayero jabbed her fist toward the sky.
Closing her eyes, the warrior focused everything she had into her arm. With more dungeons rising and more King Candidates appearing, she couldn’t be left behind. She was sure that news of her dungeon conquering reached Reim by now, and she couldn’t bear the thought of returning virtually empty handed. She had to learn how to use this great power. She owed to Octavius for all that he had done for her, to the people of Reim she sought to protect. With those heavy thoughts on her mind, Ayero called out to the hills once more.
”Decimate, Eligos!”
Eliminate, Eligos!
”Slay, Eligos!
Suddenly, a startlingly familiar feeling engulfed Ayero. While she was trying to place it, a thick black mist twined along the arm that was holding the pendant. Her heart nearly leaping out of her chest, Ayero sat up suddenly, transfixed on her arm. [i]”Is this really happening?! Did that do it?!” She realized the feeling to be similar to that of using a magic tool, in the sense that the vessel was drawing magoi from her.
The black smoke faded, giving way to Eligos’ weapon equip. Ayero found herself staring at a rather large blade.
The weapon’s material had the color and consistency of cooled lava, the blade being lined with what appeared to be molten lava. It almost seem to pulse with heat an energy, as if there was fresh lava flowing within it. Ayero marveled at the axe for a moment before clambering to her feet and straightening out. ”Incredible…” Even though she was technically alone, Ayero felt the need to contain her giddiness inside. Could Eligos see her? Was that how this worked? She didn’t want to appear unprofessional in front of him.
Drawing in a steady breath, Ayero released her hold on the equip. The black sword disappeared into a cloud of smoke, leaving behind the eagle charm in Ayero’s hand. ”And again….Slay, Eligos!”
For the next several hours, Ayero would practice activating her weapon equip. The more she worked, the similar she found it felt to using a magic tool. However, the force of the weapon equip felt far grander than that of a tool, and Ayero knew that she still had yet to tap into her weapon equip. She was determined to become more intertwined with Eligos and his power, but this was enough for today.
Fatigued by the constant use of her weapon equip, Ayero finally collapsed to the ground. Sprawled out ungracefully, the woman used the last bits of strength to pull her limbs closer to her and roll over so that she was somewhat comfortable as she drifted to sleep nearly instantly.
Later that night, a shadow cast by the moonlight crept along the grassy hills. Ayero and Tomato were asleep, the bird nestled into the woman’s red hair like a nest. Kabu was draped across Ayero’s torso, awake but resting as he was largely nocturnal. The snake caught the shadow from the corner of his large red eyes and raised his head to investigate.
A thin needle suddenly pierced Kabu’s neck, causing the snake to jerk in alarm. But the toxins quickly worked their way into his system, paralyzing the creature. Tomato began to stir slightly, but was silenced with a paralytic needle before she could even wake up fully. Several more needles found their way into the sleeping Fanalis woman, ensuring that she’d remain asleep for quite a bit longer.
[Djinn Equip Training: 2277/4000]