(32.3) Cosm Island Interlude

Winter stops digging for a moment. His emotions storm beneath the surface with no place to go.

Aki lowers herself off her seat and kneels down next to Winter. She takes an audible inhale and places a gentle hand on his, leading him to follow her breathing.

"It's okay, it's okay. I understand." She soothes.

Winter sniffles but straightens up. He tosses a small rock into the bonfire and turns to look at Aki.

"Sorry about that. Moving on," He claps his hands together. Winter takes one final deep breath and continues. "Even if I can get the power that made Winter a superboss here, I think it'd be better to learn how to use it safely. I bet I could make sure nothing happens to the Cosmites too. Especially since the power boost should finally let me stop Necra eating other summons in my shadow."

Aki eyes him steadily but doesn't push him. Being able to feel exactly what someone else feels doesn't mean she understands them.

Despite everything, memories and emotions are only a part of what makes a human.

"I understand. So I guess we'll be going our separate ways tomorrow, huh?"

Winter gives her a big, ear-to-ear smile. "Yeah! But connections are important in business, so let's eat and drink well tonight and save the rest for tomorrow, hm?"

"Your body is too young to drink," Aki pats Winter's head then stands up. She follows Winter's lead past the campfire to join the recovering sailors and the islander healers who greet them both with a drunken glee. "But after today, I definitely need it."

She and Winter get pulled into the cheery crowd and somehow end up with food, drink, and a blanket each.

"Lady Acolyte, over here!" Aki gets pulled away by a revalin and ork sailor to the medical tent. Many injured sailors lying in reed bedding with simple pillows stare at her expectantly. Meanwhile the pair that dragged her in have a twinkle in their eyes.

"Tell us about the temple! The battle was epic, I heard." The ork slurs out. The bandages around her face from having her jaw nearly ripped off somehow doing an astounding job since she can somewhat speak.

"I think you guys need to-"

"Please??" The revalin man coos, flashing his colourful, if mangled, plumage to try and convince her.

"Ah…" Aki caves, feeling the excitement and impatience from the entire tent. "Okay, sure I guess."

Soon after, recounting the battle in the temple becomes a spectacle as Aki bounces from the medical tent to the mouth of another tent, then back to the bonfire area as more people – sailor and roused islanders alike – listen to the tale told over and over.

***

"I'm gonna die…"

Aki groans loudly, reasoning that if she's louder than her aching muscles and pounding headache they'll go away. Perhaps gripping the heavy cotton blanket like a lifeline might help.

Instead her groaning makes it worse and the blanket does nothing..

"That is the result of not immediately returning to rest after completing your task, Aki." Dent's chastises.

His low, deep voice comes from outside Aki's tent without an ounce of sleepiness despite the early hour. From inside her tent, she sees his armoured silhouette silently go over the supplies Winter had asked the Cosmites deliver, placing bundles in one spot or another.

"Before you ask, yes, your own bag is out here as well. I have already organised the contents for you."

Aki rolls over and gets dressed, agonising over her aches while Dent recounts the manifest of supplies inside their bags.

"We were offered to break fast before departure but I declined the generosity." Dent informs Aki once she steps out of her tent. "Do not make that face. Instead I asked for extra provisions for the journey. Come, we are to meet an Outrider on the beach closest to the mainland."

Yawning, Aki grabs Dent by the gauntlet as a lead, and follows him down to the beach where their departure was set.

The morning air is brisk and pleasant, with a pleasant salty aroma from the still seabreeze.

Looking around the beach, only the gentle sound of waves washing against the shore and the call of birds can be clearly heard. If Aki strains her ears, she can faintly hear the rising bustle of injured sailors waking up for one reason or another in the camp she just left.

Aki and Dent crest a dune overlooking the beach nearest the mainland and see a dark beach barren of any sort of plant life that adorned the rest of the shoreline.

By the water's edge was a thick wall of fog closer and fuller than everywhere else on the island. Standing before the fog is Winter holding a long branch like it's a sword and waving it at them.

Next to him – or to be more precise – towering over Winter, is a dark-skinned man with white tattoos, down-turned ears, and a wide scar across his neck that is visible even from a distance in the twilight. His hair is set into locks and pulled back into a single curly tail, making the outrider's figure seem all the more larger.

"Good morning!" Winter greets them with a lot of energy Aki hadn't been expecting. "It's not much of a fanfare since everyone's still sleeping off yesterday's troubles but I thought, at least I should say goodbye properly."

"In here there's enough food for a week." He taps his foot on another bag at his feet then points a thumb at the Outrider. "And his name is Garoc. He'll be taking you guys."

Garoc pounds his chest once with his right hand and nods. After Dent and Aki return his geeting, he turns on his heel and unsheathes a large, hooked blade made of a blue material.

In one swift motion, he draws the blade along the fog and its shape changes. Where the blade had touched, the fog is pulled away by phantasmal roots that resemble blood vessels.

The fog extends inward, the otherwise still wall swirling endless into an ever darkening gradient.

Garoc huffs, barely hidden self-satisfaction on his face when he notices the astonished looks and Dent and Aki's faces. He motions for them to follow his lead as he steps into the fog vortex and…

Fwrriiipppk

He disappears with a concerning ripping sound.

"...Is this safe?"

Dent doesn't humour a response. Instead he adjusts his bag and the extra supplies on his back while stuffing the remainder of the bulk within the subspace of his inventory.

"Okay, I guess." Aki turns back once more to the island and Winter, who kicks at the sand awkwardly.

"Uh, well, good luck Aki. Tell Dent I hope he stays safe, too. Uhm…"

He straightens out his gloves and awkwardly gives her a salute before turning it into a half bow.

"Sorry, I don't know the protocols for acolytes and stuff. They weren't in Carnia Love."

"Don't worry about it. A real Acolyte wouldn't care." Aki smiles and ruffles his hair. "Right, Shur?"

Aki adjusts her cloak and bag, tightening the strings of her magic pouch around the strap of her bag and steps through the foggy vortex.

Unlike the Space Gate, there is no long passage. Instead, it feels warm and surprisingly dry for being a mist wall.

The ground shifts quickly, from soft sand to splashing water. Then it turns into forested ground.

Fwrrippk!

In the next moment, Aki is standing in a wooded area. Standing a few paces away and pouring over a map are Dent and Garoc.

"We are only a few days' journey from Deika City from this point." Dent doesn't look up from the map but speaks certain that Aki is paying attention. "Garoc has agreed to take us to the nearest road. In exchange, we shall deliver a letter in his stead."

"Oh, okay. No problem with me." Aki joins the two men to look at the map. "Who's it for?"

"I know, it is why I accepted. As for the recipient… a proxy will meet us at a bar called Scorpion's Rest. Unfortunately we will need to ask for directions inside the city."

He tosses Aki a thick bundle containing dried meat, warm braided bread, and a container of soup.

"Breakfast. Eat on the move."

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the tent." Aki grumbles.

Once everything is packed away, Garoc sets off surprisingly swiftly and silently for a man of his stature. Occasionally looking over his shoulder to see if Dent and Aki still follow him.

At the speed they move from there, Aki only sees blurs of greens and browns fly past her. Somehow she manages to finish her food without losing too much of it.

By midmorning, they reach a dirt road. Garoc stops at the edge of the forested area and points down the right side of the road then raises three fingers.

"Three days, right? We really appreciate it, Garoc. Thank you."

Dent nods and Garoc responds similarly. Then the towering man hands Aki a letter sealed with yellow wax contrasting the green reed parchment of the letter's body.

With his duty done, he steps back into the shade and disappears.

Aki raises her brows at the suddenness. "That was cool."

"Since we have the time and food now, we should use our time wisely." Dent proceeds down the dirt road. His left hand light against the hilt of his blade and his steps quick. "We can extend our travel time so that we can get proper rest, ensure our gear is in proper order, and perhaps squeeze some more combat training."

"Okay. As long as we get there before the auction starts, that's fine with me."

"Fear not. We shall." Dent turns to her and draws his blade. "Now, let us have a moving sparring session until we find a suitable spot to camp?"

Aki's muscles already ache, but she agrees.