Book 3: Chapter 13 - New Bloom (RAW)

The Festival of the Undrawn, also known as the Contest of the Saints, is an annual event held in the City of Dust, Al-Lazar. Warriors from all over the continent, and occasionally from beyond, travel here to test their mettle against each other.

From this pool of brave fighters, the Shareholder families of the great city frequently select their guards and entourage. In the fabled times of yore, it is whispered that certain noble families ventured beyond the confines of tradition, choosing their consorts from among these gallant fighters to fortify their bloodlines.

Various businesses of the city often sponsor a fighter to increase the number of customers and to bring these minor houses of trade some measure of prestige. Winning the tournament is a tremendous honor. Yet, for the Shareholder families, the triumph of a fighter they have sponsored is more than a mere victory. It is an investment of prestige that pays dividends in influence at the city’s Council, giving their voice greater weight, especially in matters of war.

- The Fanciful Travels by Beron de Laney 376 AC.

In a rare moment of introspection, my thoughts danced across the fading memories of my old world, as together, we walked on warming sands. At this juncture of my life, no doubt many of my old circle of friends would falsely label me a sociopath, others would hit closer to the mark of a psychopath, and the even less imaginative would call me a narcissist. I would prefer to think of myself as something far more noble, I was a survivor. Case in point, I had survived all of the ridiculous trials and tribulations that this game had thrown at me. Who cared about them anyway, I doubt any of them would have been of any use to me in this world, I thought to myself, eyes focusing to the front.

Kidu led the way ahead of us, his long stride eating up the distance. Every now and again he would stop and wait for us to catch up, a vague tic of annoyance occasionally playing about on his rocky features. Worried, he had offered me a Healing potion. I refused his offer as politely as I could, my magic more than enough to see to my well-being. Shrugging his massive shoulders, he explained to me that they had made a temporary camp while they had searched for me. According to him, the caravan was a day’s travel ahead and Laes promised to wait only for a further four days before he would have to resume travel.

Along the way Cordelia had whispered prayers over, eyes closed as she offered her supplication to her goddess. I felt a tingle of radiance, holy energy, wash over me. It was a similar sensation to my own Heal spell, but there was no holy song nor angelic light. Out of a corner of one eye, I saw Larynda try and copy Cordelia, only to completely fail. This drew a beautific smile from the Temple Knight, satisfied as she was that her goddess had answered her prayer. It was more than the words of a chant that gave one control of magic, I concluded.

An hour or two passed, and the distinctive shape of a huge Xaruar was now clear to see. Minutes later, a man wrapped out in a collection of loose flowing cloth walked out to meet us.

“Well… well… if it isn’t the man blessed by the luck of all the gods. Avaria’s tits you really did survive getting gobbled down by a Guardian! Not that I doubted for a moment!” Elwin half-shouted in obvious joy, before he ran the last few paces to give me an uncomfortable hug. I had never been comfortable with public displays of affection, preferring to keep an appropriate social and physical distance away from people.

“What’s with… your attire? I almost didn’t recognize you…” I inquired once he was done with his public outburst.

Holding up his arms to display his new garments, he began to explain. “These… bit hot now around these parts. The Raven folk started wearing ‘em, and I thought why not? They looked a bit hot, but surely they can’t be worse than a thick padded jacket. In fact, surprisingly cool. Course, you look as if a giant sandworm swallowed you up and spat you out!” he added with a grin.

Unable to think of a witty rejoinder, I just gave him a weak smile in response. I took a quick glance at what was left of my robes, my garments that had survived encounters with monsters and gods. It was definitely on its last legs.

Elwin I knew was speaking the truth, I really did look like a mess. As for the Rogue, he was wearing garb that was a close approximation to the desert clothes of Bedouin tribes of Earth. The loose-fitting cloth prevents sweat from evaporating quickly and allows the air to circulate, hence helping the body retain fluids. These clothes also protected people from the hot winds and dust storms. I would have to see about acquiring some once we rejoined the Ravens.

Still, a part of me could not help but feel that it looked a little silly on him. He looked, at least to my eyes, like a tourist trying the local costume. As for Larynda, it seemed that the heat did not touch her in the slightest. No doubt due to her recent mastery of the element of water.

Cordelia as always looked beautiful, despite being in full armor, a single line of sweat on her delicate brow was the only evidence of the effects of the heat or physical exertion.

It was actually the stolid Kidu that worried me the most. He was sweating buckets, his dreadlocks drenched. The heat was most definitely taking its toll on him. Larynda offered him a water flash which he proceeded to gulp down. It was to his great credit that he did not offer a word of complaint, and inside I found myself respecting his stoicism. Or was it simply a form of youthful bravado? Hopefully, he would not suffer from heatstroke.

Like an afterthought, Pakum walked up to me and offered a bow.

“Welcome back, Honored One,” he offered in a nasal voice, bowing deep.

He held both his hands out and for a stupid moment, I thought that he was waiting for a tip. An awkward few seconds later, I realized he wanted to relieve me of the silly amount of water skins I had about my person. Gratefully, I fulfilled his wish. What was surprising was that I barely felt the difference. Had I turned into the human variant of a pack mule?

Less burdened, and much lighter of spirit, I spied Patches staked down next to Pakum’s sleeping Xaruar and our mounts. A stab of guilt spiked through my heart for I had barely spared a thought to my bovine companion. Walking down to check on her, my hand unconsciously reached for treats inside my pack that weren’t there. Shaking my head at my old man moment, I settled for giving her a good stroke. Delighted, she gave me gauntlets a good licking.

“Forgive me, Master Gilgamesh, but the caravan waits for us upriver. Though in our search for you we have taken care of most the monsters, I fear that it is best that we rejoin with them,” suggested Cordelia from behind me.

Though I longed to just simply rest, I had an image to maintain. If Kidu could endure the heat then I could deal with a ride.

****

Up on my mount, I relished the vista before me. In the time I had spent under the earth, the desert had bloomed. Expanding from beyond the banks of the straight river was an explosion of life. The bleached sands had given way to lush a carpet of grass, and large horsetails that rivaled trees had sprung up. The land was so vibrant with life and raw vitality that every glance revealed movement. Animals had awoken from their annual slumber, frolicking among the greenery. Were it not for the endless expanse of barren sand at the edge of my vision, it would have made a mockery of the name, ‘The Whispering Wastes’.

Cordelia and Elwin rode ahead of us, and I rode alongside Kidu and Pakum on their Xaruar. Behind the large proto-dragon, Larynda rode on Patches, a big smile on her face. Pakum had erected a large covering over the Xaruar, providing both him and our Hunter a measure of refuge against the sun.

To pass the time, I decided to ask Pakum a quick question, “Why did you not search for me while riding? Surely, that would have been the best way to go about it?”

It was then that the Xaruar decided to pause for a moment as if it was considering my question before chomping down on some new greenery. Pakum annoyed, idly tapped his riding cane against the large creature's head, causing it to give up its snack.

“With all respect Honored One, the sands a mile beyond Samasutum are treacherous. We could not risk any of them getting stuck. It was a miracle that we were able to find you. I prayed for you every day,” he answered with complete earnestness.

I had suspected something along those lines. Walking across the sands had indeed been a slog, with the occasional odd weathered rock mixed in a random intervals making it difficult to traverse. That sort of terrain would have been dangerous for the horses. It was indeed lucky that I had been found at all.

For a moment it looked like Larynda had something to add, but I pretended to not notice and turned away. I simply could not deal with anything else at the moment. I needed time to unwind and decompress. Also, I was sure that she would find a way to tell me whatever it was on her mind later anyway, as was the annoying nature of children.