The end is in sight, and I'm super ready to reach it! I really need a break from writing; as much as I like coming up with stories, pushing myself to get through them when I'm not all that motivated is tough, especially since I know that I have two on hiatus waiting to be completed even after this one is finished. I hate leaving multi-chaps unfinished though, and the only one I probably won't finish writing was more of an info-dump than an actual story. Going back and rereading what I had…ugh, it wasn't good. That being said, I may possibly rewrite and continue it if I ever feel the need to.
On the topic of this story, I do want to make a point of something in case people reading are wondering about it: I've been purposely avoiding Garet and Jenna's arguments and most of the interactions with Roxy. There are a few reasons for this, the main ones being 1) showing every scene about every little thing would be a waste of time and effort and 2) the important parts aren't the events themselves but the results of the events. Does it matter what Roxy did to upset Jenna? Does it matter how she flirted with Garet? Does it matter what Jenna and Garet were arguing about that got him kicked out? Honestly, I don't really think so unless it's relevant to the story. Some bits I'll show small details of, but otherwise the story can carry itself forward with allusions to what happened instead of the actual scene itself.
Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one
Expedition I
Garet stared at the wooden ceiling planks above his bed. Over the last few days he had counted them every morning, always able to reach the number twenty-six as his eyes reached the wall opposite from where he'd begun. The lines were somewhat hypnotic, able to clear his mind for the brief minute he used to count each plank before he was forced to think about why he was here. After recounting them for what had to be the tenth time, he no longer wished to look at them. Exasperated, he tossed the white sheets over his head and closed his eyes, sprawling his arms out across the empty bed in Isaac's guest room.
He could not recall the last time he and Jenna had gone a single day without arguing about something. It had been two months since the first time she kicked him out of the house, and things only seemed to have gotten worse since then. It did not matter whether it was over something one of them had done or some simple matter that should not have warranted an argument in the first place; all Garet knew was that things had been unbearably hectic as of late.
How long had he been here at Isaac's cabin? Three days? Four? He had not been keeping track. The only thing that occupied his mind was the stupid fight he had gotten into with Jenna before he ended up storming out with a pack. There was no reason either of them should have gotten so angry; all he had done was mention that it was probably time for them to purchase a better house so that someone with less income could afford the cheaper home they were currently living in. Beyond that, it had all become a mess of bickering and yelling, and try as he might Garet simply could not remember what it was they had even started arguing about. The only thing that mattered was that he had gotten angry enough to storm out and instead of simply going somewhere else he traveled all the way out to Isaac's cabin. The commute to and from work each day had been absolute hell, but he was too stubborn to go back on this commitment to stay out here, at least for the time being.
Luckily on this day he did not have to work, but that did not stop him from being awake before the sun came up. He had probably laid in bed for the past two hours attempting to fall back asleep before the sun finally began to peek over the mountainous horizon. Now that it was shining in and illuminating the guest room, he simply wanted to hide away until it was gone.
Of course, doing so was not an option, and with a few claps to his cheeks, Garet kicked the blankets off of himself, hopped out of bed, and threw on the first pieces of clothing he had laying about before heading into the main section of the lookout cabin.
The natural, slightly musty scent of wood filled his nostrils as he stepped through the living room and into the kitchen. Though he had never found out where the water came from on this dry, barren plateau, Garet did not at all mind the fact that there was a working tap in Isaac's home. Downing a glass of water, he quickly set a pan on the stove and heated it so that he could cook the meat he had purchased from Patcher late last night.
Isaac entered the kitchen as Garet's food was finished cooking, and though the Venus adept did appear tired, he looked like he had been up for a while now.
"You're up earlier than usual," the blond joked. Usually Garet was out of the house before Isaac was even awake, and with Mia gone he was awfully absentminded, which would explain why he had never noticed.
Rather than calling Isaac out on his incorrect statement, Garet simply smirked and played along, "What can I say? When my stomach's growling, it's time to get up."
In his mind, Garet could not help wondering why he still played this character for his best friend. The man, while certainly not in the best state of mind, had recovered enough to understand that his friends were not the same people they were in their teens. Isaac had to know that Garet was doing it to make him feel better, and Garet had a pretty good idea that Isaac was aware of it, yet it had become habitual to put up this front of the oafish, bumbling sidekick he had always been to the Venus adept.
"Oh, by the way, Isaac," he said as he wolfed back his food, "Ivan's coming up here later. Told me to let you know, but you were asleep when I got back last night."
"Really? He's usually so busy with his inventions, not to mention all the wedding planning he has going on. Did he say what for?"
"I think it had something to do with his soarwing-whatchamacallit. He said if all goes smoothly, he'll leave it here for me to use to get to and from Kalay quickly."
"Smoothly?"
"Beats me, he said the thing wasn't quite ready yet. Something about missing one key component."
A frantic rapping at the door caught both men's attentions, and Isaac was quick to answer it. From here, Garet could hear Ivan's voice as he and Isaac started talking about whatever it was that the Jupiter adept had come all the way up here for, as well as why he was up here so early. When the Mars adept eventually joined them in the living room, the younger man was still dancing around the subject of why he was here. Feeling impatient with Ivan's stalling, he yelled at him to get on with it.
"I need you two to travel to Talon Peak in Morgal to retrieve a feather from the Mountain Roc."
The room was silent for a moment, Isaac and Garet a bit too stunned to respond. The two residents stared blankly at the Jupiter adept standing in the doorway. Ivan, on the other hand, seemed to find a sudden interest in his hands, feet, and anywhere that wasn't near the faces of his two friends. When he managed to find his voice, the first thing to come out of the Mars adept's mouth was not exactly what should have been the question at hand.
"Where the hell is Morgal? And what's a Mountain Roc? Why would a rock have feathers?"
Ivan shook his head at his companion's lack of knowledge, leaving Garet feeling rather idiotic since he was not asking as his persona but as his actual self. "Morgal is a new region far to the east. If I'm not mistaken, it's on the other side of Angara, and is inhabited by people known as beastmen. The Mountain Roc is a giant bird that is sacred to the beast tribe. To obtain a feather from such an important part of their culture would require that you speak to the king in person."
Another silence ensued; however, Isaac was able to think of something to say before they were left in another daze.
"So, you want us to travel across the continent to retrieve some feather from the wings of some giant, sacred bird… and we have to meet some beast king to do so?"
"Correct."
"Can I be so bold as to ask why?"
"It's actually for your benefit, Isaac. You've dedicated the rest of your life to keeping tabs on Mt. Aleph, but it's unapproachable on foot. Watching it from a distance isn't much of a way to study what's going on around it. The soarwing will allow you to fly around the area much closer to Mt. Aleph so that you can survey the area. However, the amount of psynergy it requires to fly it is tremendous, so you'd probably only get about an hour's worth of flight in its current state. The Mountain Roc's feathers should provide an extensive amount of lift to the machine, allowing you to fly for a very long time with minimal loss of psynergy."
Ivan certainly wasn't mincing words this time, but Isaac seemed not to notice or care about the fact that they knew he was dedicated to living out here.
"This all sounds good," Garet began, "but why do you need us to get it? You have legs."
Ivan blushed and looked down at his feet, something that only seemed to happen now that he and Sam were engaged; before now he had been overly cocky that his girlfriend was such a catch. "I, uh, I'm a bit busy planning my wedding. I don't have much time to travel across Angara, and I figured since you guys aren't spending time with Mia or Jenna right now that you could maybe do this for me…"
Garet twisted his mouth in apprehension. "As much as I want to help, I've got work, Ivan. I can't just go off on some adventure that could take us months, or even a year, to complete." A journey across Angara would take a significant amount of time, not to mention that the land was constantly changing. Progress would be hampered at every turn, making what used to be a four-to-five-month journey into something irrational.
"Oh, but that's the thing," said Ivan, returning his gaze to Garet, "I've already talked to some people about helping you out. Piers said he'd be willing to sail you to the Morgal capital, Belinsk, and Roxy said she'd cover your job until you return."
He wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of Roxy covering his job for so long. Not only would it create yet another reason for Jenna to be angry with him, but he would undoubtedly feel indebted to the flirtatious shopkeeper. Then again, with him and Jenna trying to give each other space, this could be a good opportunity to leave for a while.
Garet shook his head at the thought. Even if they were going through a rough patch in their relationship, that was no reason to simply abandon for her with only a simple "I'm going on a journey for Ivan." Doing so would only further damage their already unstable relationship.
"I'll do it," came Isaac's response.
"R-Really? You're serious, Isaac?" Ivan asked incredulously. Garet's expression also matched Ivan's.
"Yeah, I haven't got much else to do around here, and if this can help me understand Mt. Aleph better, then I'll do whatever it takes."
"You sure about this, Isaac?" Garet asked, still in shock and disbelief. "I know you want to keep your mind off of Mia, but don't you think this is a bit drastic?"
Isaac shrugged, seeming not to have noticed that Garet had dropped his dumb best friend act. "I have no idea how long Mia's going to be gone. I figure if I'm going to do something, it may as well benefit me in the long run. Besides, no one said you have to come, Garet. If you want to stay here, I won't be offended."
What should he do? This was all too sudden, yet he couldn't stand here contemplating forever. Ivan was staring at him expectantly, and the look on Isaac's face almost seemed like the man was challenging him to take on another adventure. They both wanted him to go, and while he would likely end up regretting either decision, Garet eventually caved in to their silent demands.
"Pah, like hell I'll let you go alone! Last time you went off on your own you disappeared for ten years! If you're going, then I am too. Brothers stick together, Isaac."
Though he said that, the idea was more or less to keep an eye on the emotionally unstable Venus adept. He was still vulnerable to cracking at any moment, and if they were to take a ship with Piers, that meant they would have to go along the northern edge of Angara, passing by Imil in the process. Someone needed to be there in case Isaac suddenly broke down or insisted that they stop at the wintry village.
With mixed feelings on his mind, Garet could only cringe a bit at the sound of Isaac's unfamiliarly enthusiastic voice.
"So when do we leave?"
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"Well…I suppose that's that," Garet said awkwardly as he stood in the doorway of his house. "I-I don't really know when we'll be back; probably not for at least a few months…"
"I see," Jenna said, keeping her eyes away from him as she stood on the other side of the doorway. Though it was apparent that she still wasn't happy with him, he could tell that she was disheartened to hear that he would be away for what could be a long time.
"But, you know… Maybe this'll be good for us," he stated shakily. "I mean, if we spend a long enough time apart…we'll start to realize just how much we missed having each other around, r-right?"
Jenna bit her lip and kept her gaze fixated away from him. "Yeah, that's true…" The solemnity of her voice was eating away at him, and he could feel his resolve to do this dropping with each second that passed. "I'll, um…see you when you get back, then."
"Yeah…d-don't…don't wait up or anything."
Their goodbye felt incomplete, yet with the way things currently were, Garet would feel even stranger if he attempted to give her a hug or anything of the sort. Staring longingly at her for a few more seconds, he sluggishly backed away from the house for a few steps before slowly turning around and heading off without looking back. The sound of the door shutting was more painful than he could have imagined, and it took the last few drips of resolve he had left to head towards Kalay Docks with his chin up.
The smell of salt filled his nostrils, and he could see Piers' dragon-headed ship sitting at the edge of the docks as he passed through the entry gate. Waiting at the bottom of the gangplank, Ivan, Sam, Piers, and Isaac were talking lightheartedly amongst themselves. Garet started to wonder if this was the wrong choice and contemplated telling Ivan that he couldn't do this after all. At the same time, though, he had committed to this, telling Jenna he would be gone and also thanking Roxy for going through the trouble of covering for him. What would it say about him if he went back on his word to everyone at the very last minute?
"Long goodbye?" Sam asked as he approached them.
"I'd rather not talk about it," he said, handing his bag to one of Piers' deckhands.
"Do not fret, Garet," Piers chuckled, clapping a hand to the Mars adept's shoulder. "I will make this trip as smooth and swift as possible. We will return before the journey even feels like it has begun."
He smiled as a sign of thanks, but the action was done more as a formality than because he actually believed Piers' words. Truth be told, Garet felt as though the long journey had begun the moment Jenna shut the door behind him, and it already felt as though an eternity had passed since that heartbreaking moment that could not have been more than an hour ago.
After Ivan had explained to them exactly what they would need to do, giving them written instructions as well as a letter to present to the beast king of Morgal, Isaac and Garet boarded Piers' ship. With all the preparations complete, the gangplank was taken away, the mooring was untied, and the ship gently began to pull out of port, leaving behind the waving couple until they became nothing but specks in the distance. With hardly a word, Garet quietly headed into the cabin and down to where his belongings had been brought. Neither Isaac nor Piers questioned it, as the Mars adept had been quite prone to seasickness in the past, leaving the obvious assumption that he was simply feeling unwell due to their current situation.
While only bothered slightly by the ship's relatively gentle rocking, Garet truly hoped only to avoid social interaction for a while. It was hard enough knowing that he would be on a ship that would almost inevitably make him sick at some point, but to have to leave while his relationship with Jenna was already on such rocky ground left him filled with regret. Of course, it was too late to turn back now, and he was sure that he would be feeling regret over not going with Isaac if he had stayed, but that did nothing to ease the feeling eating away at him right now.
Hoping that he might pass as much time as he could, he rummaged through his belongings until he found an empty book inside. Piers had taught them long ago that one of the best way to pass time was to keep a trip log of some sort and to make sure that there was at least one interesting thing to jot down on each day. Making his way over to the desk, Garet groggily slumped down in the seat, beginning to feel the effects of his seasickness setting in. Hoping to hold out for at least the next hour, the Mars adept clutched at his stomach while the other tightly gripped a quill and started to write on the first blank page.
"Day one…"
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Snow floated down upon the frozen seascape, leaving a chillingly silent atmosphere as the Lemurian ship gently drifted between the floating icebergs. Aquatic creatures poked their heads above the water every so often, some choosing to haul themselves up onto the icebergs while others followed the ship with harmless curiosity. Off in the distance, glaciers rumbled as large chunks cracked off of the main body, splashing magnificently into the frigid waters below.
Aboard the deck, Garet bundled up his jacket tighter, teeth shattering and body shivering as he produced some floating fireballs around himself. Piers' crew frantically moved about to sweep the snow off the ship, using it as a tactic to both work and keep warm at the same time. Though the wheel used to be placed illogically at the front of the ship with no cover, Piers had since moved it to an insulated cabin above the entrance that led to the inner decks below.
"How are you holding up?" Isaac asked as he approached Garet from behind.
"N-Not as b-b-bad as I thought it'd b-be," he chattered somewhat unconvincingly, giving a quick thumbs-up before shoving his hands back beneath his cloak.
"Heh, I guess it'll only get better from here," Isaac chuckled and adjusted his scarf. "Piers said we've just passed the northern tip of Angara and should be able to head south along the coast from here."
"G-Great, I can't wait to warm up a little."
The Venus adept smirked, but his smile quickly disappeared as he gazed out at the landmass that was Angara. Garet followed his gaze knowing fairly well what Isaac was trying to look for in the distance.
"I'd heard the land was changing," Isaac spoke softly, "but it surprised me that it took us almost a month to reach this far north. I thought the route from Karagol Sea to the open ocean was a lot closer."
Having only finally developed his sea legs a little over a week ago, Garet was more annoyed than surprised that they had only gotten this far. While he could handle the idle rocking of the ship on the waves, any sudden movements or storm-sized waves made his stomach lurch. Even thinking about it made his head start to spin.
"If we're lucky, we might be able to cut through to this Morgal place faster, though," he responded as optimistically as he could. "I doubt things could have only developed to slow us down."
"With the luck we've been having for these past few years, I don't exactly feel like Weyard is on our side." Though Isaac was doing his best to seem lighthearted, it was apparent that the snowy atmosphere was doing nothing to help his longing for Mia, and the closer they got to Imil the more anxious he was sure to become.
Days went by, and Garet's suspicions about Isaac were confirmed as the Venus adept spent more and more time staring into the distance from the edge of the ship. The extreme, non-traversable landscape had slowly sloped down into the flat, white plains this region was known for, and it would only be a short matter of time before Imil would come into view. In fact, it was not entirely unlikely that lights from the village would be visible by tonight.
"I am sorry," Piers spoke in that gentle yet unmoving voice of his. "As much as I would like to stop in Imil, I am afraid that we would be caught up in their matters for far too long. I am quite aware of the war going on there, and while it pains me to simply pass, we have our own concerns with the ever-changing currents and landscape. You must understand, Garet."
The moustached man sighed and scratched his head. Piers' logic was sound, and he knew that asking would be a long shot, but it pained him to see his best friend absentmindedly spending his days simply standing at the edge of the ship, hoping for some sign of life to reveal itself amidst the permafrost. Other than that, the only thing Isaac seemed to look forward to each day was the return of his pigeon, with which he had been using to exchange letters with Mia.
"Need you spend so much time worrying about Isaac?" Piers asked after the brief silence. "It is understandable that he is feeling a bit anxious, but I do not think that he will do anything reckless should we pass too closely to Imil. To be quite frank, I am actually a bit more concerned with you, Garet."
"Huh, with me? Have I done something to make you worried?"
"Hmm, not exactly, per se. Usually you are quite open about how you are feeling and such, but so far I have yet to see you make any sort of remark other than how cold you have been since we passed into the northern regions. Has something been bothering you?"
Garet wondered if he should tell Piers about his problems. There would be no harm in doing so, and yet he had come along on this journey partly because he wanted to forget the problems and focus on reparations. Of course, the problems had to be addressed in order to do that, but was it worth it to get a third party involved? The last thing he wanted was for Piers to feel like he was babysitting Isaac and him.
"Things are just a little strange right now," he downplayed the situation. "I mean, Isaac and Mia are dying to be together, yet they've been forced apart by some pretty extreme circumstances. Meanwhile, Jenna and I have the luxury of seeing each other all the time, but we can't even go a single day without fighting about something or other. I'm supposed to be supporting Isaac right now but…I don't know, I guess I don't really feel like the right person to be helping him out."
"I do not see what it is you are meant to be helping Isaac with," Piers said somewhat matter-of-factly. "As I said before, he seems understandably anxious, given the circumstances of his situation; however, I do not think he has or will do anything particularly irrational. On the other hand, you seem to be bottling up your emotions, masking them with some kind of false happiness reminiscent of how you were when we first met. Sooner or later, I fear that it may be you who breaks down, not Isaac."
Piers certainly was not wasting time in getting to the point, and Garet was a bit taken aback by just how blunt the statement was. Had he really been acting in the way that he was saying? While he knew the happy persona was stupid, he had not felt the pressure of keeping his emotions to himself. Perhaps that was the inherent problem: that he would not know until he could not contain them any longer.
"In any case," Piers quickly spoke again, "I will do what I can to pass by Imil swiftly, and if possible do so at a time while Isaac is asleep. If things go as I suspect they will, he will go back to his normal self the farther we distance ourselves from that village."
Garet found himself at a loss for words, and could only nod in acknowledgement before quietly stepping out onto the cold-infested deck. What was supposed to be a friendly gesture towards Isaac had completely flipped, putting Garet in a rather self-conscious mood. He had no idea that his actions gave off the impression that he was hurting; if anything, he thought that he had been doing a fairly good job of keeping it contained. Though he wanted to conclude that Piers had only noticed because he had lived long enough to pick up on these kinds of things, using an excuse like that was quite weak, especially considering that Piers had spent only a small fraction of his life interacting with people outside of Lemuria.
Turning towards the bow of the ship, Garet spotted Isaac leaning on the rail, his blond spikes fluttering in the wintry breeze. Instead of going to him, however, the Mars adept kept his distance and watched from afar; having already failed to steal Isaac's attention from the coast for the past few days, trying again today seemed pointless.
With a quick sweep of his hand, he cleared a nearby bench of the thin layer of snow that had piled on and took a seat as he bundled his body up tighter. Even in the current situation, did it truly appear as though Garet was suffering more than the distraught Venus adept staring longingly at a snow-covered coastline? Trying to accept that he was in more pain that Isaac was farfetched; at most, they were on equal terms, but Garet simply could not see how his own feelings and actions reflected those of a person in pain. Things were not going exactly how he wanted them to, but they were not powerful blows to his mental and emotional wellbeing.
Yet, when he thought about it more clearly, the fact that he was sitting around brooding over it might have been exactly why he appeared so stressed out. Surely if anyone saw him now for a few moments before speaking to him, they would easily be able to tell that his upbeat attitude was nothing more than a front to make himself appear happier than he really was.
Taking a long, deep breath, Garet shut his eyes and tried to clear his mind of anything negative, replacing it with hopeful thoughts for the future: thoughts of restoring his relationship with Jenna, proposing to her, and making sure that their lives together would move towards a future they could both feel excited about.
"Just a little longer," he muttered under his breath. "Once this journey is over…I'll make things right. I have to…"
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"Almost ready, Isaac?"
"Yeah, just let me finish up this letter."
Garet watched as Isaac scribbled along on a piece of parchment, hastily blew on it, and rolled it up before tying it to his carrier pigeon's leg to be sent off to Mia. Once the bird was out of sight, the two men stepped out onto the deck of the ship, gazing out at the unfamiliar landscape before them.
It had been a little over three months since they had first set out from the Karagol Sea, and the journey along Angara's northern coast had been filled with new sights and discoveries. Though they knew that releasing Alchemy would have a drastic effect on the world, none of the Warriors of Vale could have suspected that it might change so much in only eleven years. Garet's heart leapt at the prospect of stepping into this new land, though he could not deny that the amount of change he had seen over these past few months frightened him slightly.
"Mia is really something," Isaac said as they stepped onto solid ground. "She must be up to her neck in healing duties, but she still always manages to find time to read my letters and write back. I can't say I'd be able to do the same if I had gone instead of her."
It seemed as though he was simply speaking aloud as opposed to telling Garet, which left the Mars adept with an odd feeling. Neither he nor Jenna had once contacted each other in the past three months, and Isaac's constant messages to and from Mia were incredibly enviable. How was it that those two could manage their relationship so well? As far as he knew, they had never even gotten into a debate over anything, much less an actual fight with each other. If there was some secret to their compatibility, Garet needed to find out what it was!
He sighed and shook his head, knowing that it was not possible such a secret existed. Even if it did, it was hardly likely that Isaac was aware of what it was, meaning that asking about it would lead absolutely nowhere.
"I shall accompany the two of you to Belinsk," Piers said as he stepped off the gangplank. "I must greet the king as well, and extent my thanks to him for allowing us to dock on his land."
"Have you met the king before?" Isaac asked as the three of them started heading along the path. "You make it sound like you're familiar with him."
Piers gave what could only be described as a nervous smile, which did not bode well with his two companions. "Familiar is a rather exaggerated term. The king and I are acquainted, though I hardly believe he will remember me, as our meeting was not particularly grand or of any special significance."
"What was he like?" Garet asked, hoping to quell some of his poorly hidden nerves.
"King Albalupus is…well, to put it lightly, he is not what one may refer to as a gentle ruler. Ah, by no means does that make him a cruel man, but he is rather, shall we say, rugged. I suppose it is due to the fact that the beast clan elected their first king through a tournament of strength, which is to say that his majesty is unquestionably the strongest member of the beast clan."
Garet gulped as quietly as he could, trying to imagine what this demi-human might be like based off of Piers' somewhat vague description. The idea of meeting a beastman still had not fully sunk in, and he was having trouble picturing what a hybrid animal person might look like. According to Piers, they were not so different from the werewolves in Garoh, but he seemed to have forgotten that Isaac's party had never been to the werewolf village to experience what that was like.
"In any case, the king is a Jupiter adept and has an ability similar to Ivan and Sheba. As a warrior himself, he has great respect for strong adventurers, so I do not believe there will be any problems when going to meet him."
Those words should have been a relief, but Garet only felt more pressure bearing down on him to meet King Albalupus. Would he be uncompromising if they could not prove that they were of equal or superior strength to him? The very thought of trying to prove themselves in front of a man that was supposedly the strongest in the entire kingdom was more than intimidating; it was outright terrifying.
Garet's thoughts mattered little, however, as the trio soon found themselves stepping into the stone-paved city of Belinsk.
For a kingdom that had only established itself a few years ago, the capital city was certainly bustling with activity, as people buzzed about in the marketplace. From the centre of the town square, a band could be seen playing loudly enough for the entire city to hear, and the animalistic residents all seemed in high spirits as they went about their lives.
"Amazing," Isaac muttered and nudged Garet, to which he could only nod in agreement.
"It is quite the spectacle," Piers chuckled and gestured for them to hurry along.
They garnered some curious looks from the townspeople as they passed through, but were otherwise able to reach the castle without any real interruption. Garet could not help wondering if humans were a rare sight in this city of beasts; though he suspected that must be the case, as he had not seen a single other person besides themselves that was not covered in fur or feathers.
"Before we continue," Piers spoke seriously as they stopped before the bridge crossing the moat, "please take heed to what I said before. The king is not exactly a delicate man, but he has great respect for strong warriors. I would advise that you two carry yourselves as such; it will surely make this a much easier task."
Only able to nod, the two of them followed Piers and made sure to keep their chins up and chests out as they did whatever it took to make their presence as battle-hardened men known. Handing the guards at the door the letter from Ivan, the armoured wolf man allowed them to pass through the gates and led them up to the throne room.
"You have been granted an audience with his majesty," the guard spoke gruffly. "He is waiting at the end of the hall beyond these doors."
With that, the guard returned to the front of the castle, leaving the three men to enter the audience chamber where the strongest man in all of Morgal awaited their arrival. Taking a moment to steady their resolve, they pushed open the doors and strode as confidently as they could along the long carpet leading up to the twin thrones.
As they stepped before the throne, it took all of Garet's resolve not to collapse before the beastman who sat before them. Covered in a silvery white fur, he wore clothing more befitting of a wild warrior than a king. With one elbow leaning against the armrest while his chin rested on his palm, the intimidating man exuded an aura of power and superiority, almost seeming bored with the three who now knelt before him. As they rose from the ground, Garet tried hard to meet the king's piercing green eyes, though it was near-impossible not to notice that one was forced shut by an incredible scar that tore down nearly half his face.
"Let's skip the formalities," he snarled in a bored yet menacing manner. "I'm the king around these parts, but I'd have to be an idiot not to know three of the heroes that saved the world. No sense in callin' me by all the fancy 'your majesty' and 'your highness' crap that everyone else does 'round here. Name's Albalupus, but I'd rather you called me Alpha, 'Lord' Alpha if you really must add some kind of honorific."
Somewhat taken aback by the gruff king's extremely direct introduction, the three human men found themselves at a loss for words, to which the king smirked at the edge of his mouth.
"Anyway, I got your buddy's letter a while back, and I've been expectin' you scrubs for quite some time. Looking to do a bit of mountain climbing, eh? Sounds like fun, and I'd be damned if I passed up an opportunity like this to sit around on my ass in here for another day."
Suddenly leaping up from his throne, the wolf man landed powerfully in front of them, his muscular frame towering before them as if to further show just how powerful he was.
"Enjoy yourselves for today, scrubs. We leave for the mountain at daybreak, no questions asked. We'll meet in the centre of the town square, and I swear I'll hunt you down if you're even a second late. Dismissed!"
And before any of them got the chance to say even a single word to the king, he leapt over their heads, landing all the way at the end of the hall and exited the audience chamber with what could only be described as a triumphant roar. Once he had exited the room, both Garet and Isaac collapsed to their knees, and Piers rubbed at his temples in what almost seemed like exhaustion.
"Does anyone know what just happened?" Garet panted.
"I think…we just met the king?" Isaac answered in a similar manner. "And apparently he already knows us."
"Indeed," Piers groaned. "Though we should feel grateful that our deeds have been acknowledged by such an important figure, it appears that he will be personally accompanying us on our expedition tomorrow. I had not even planned on joining the two of you, but I suppose there is no other choice at this point."
Each man looked at each other and let out a long sigh. Today would mark the first notable point in the journey for the Roc's feather, and it seemed that it would begin with a very exhausting and unexpected first step.
Heh, I'm looking forward to next chapter, mainly because I'm not sure exactly how I want the mountain expedition to go just yet. In fact, I wasn't totally sure how I wanted to write the character for Morgal's king until basically when Piers started talking about him. He isn't an OC, but because he doesn't actually appear in the games, I could only base his character off of the small descriptions I got from the GS Wiki. His name, Albalupus, is alba lupus put together into one word, and it means white wolf in Latin. Alpha is obviously in reference to how he's basically a wolf man and the king of the nation.
I said it was only going to be two chapters, but with the way things are going, I might even spend the whole next chapter on the mountain expedition and finish up the journey two chapters from now, giving this short little arc three chapters, which is way more than I had planned when I started writing this story (I thought it would take one at most). Also, though I don't think his role will be all that important, look forward to seeing a familiar character in the next chapter ;)
Thanks for reading and please review!
–GengaJupite