As I mentioned before the last one of these 'collecting secondary characters for the Gate of Finis' stories, there's a reason why I've written roughly one a month - and had a lot of fun getting into the secondary character's heads while doing so. These stories are all leading up to a running collection coming next month: What Happened at The Gate of Finis?
There'll be one story every week in May (as usual) all of which lead on from each other as the travelers and their friends take on the Gate and Lyblac.
I'm mentioning this now - with still two stories left before this month ends - because these five stories are going to mark the end of Travel On.
I have had an absolute blast writing Travel On and have no doubt that I'll come back to it if I ever get inspiration for another one off or, inevitably, when Octopath 2/Travelers of the Continent comes west. However, after nearly two years of writing pretty much exclusively Octopath fanfic thanks to my time to write being so limited (not so much at the moment thanks to these *momentous times* we're in at the moment - stay safe! - but it's harder to write at the moment for completely different reasons...) I've made the difficult decision that it's time I take a step back and work on some new projects - both fanfic and personal.
Anyway, there's still a good seven stories left after today's so this is still a little way off! I just figured I'd mention it today since this is the last of this type of story. If you want a complete list of all these, as I'm now calling them, 'Characters for the Gate' stories, I've put a list together at the bottom of the first chapter, beneath the spoilerless stories list.
Enjoy! And I promise, Travel On's going to go out on a high!
Z'aanta had starred in enough stories to last him a lifetime, however he was rather looking forward to watching H'aanit start writing her own.
Aged Arrows
Over his many years, Z'aanta had been a part of many an adventure, many an outlandish story – that, yes, he would admit he embellished when he told them again. From meeting Suzanna to saving her from an assassin, from fighting the Clifflands dragon or any one of his missions with the Knights Ardante, every adventure came with a story to tell.
Yet not one of his stories had made him half as proud as the one he heard from H'aanit on their way back from Stonegard. That she'd managed to best a beast that had bested him was worthy enough of praise alone, yet the fact that she'd made friends while doing so, that she'd managed to help them beat their quarries and rise to their own adventures… It was enough to bring a proud tear to the old man's eye.
To think that his prentice had managed to surpass him, had managed to best a dragon at a much younger age than he… Perhaps he should have made some travelling companions to help him on his missions rather than tackling them alone with Hägen... But no, while that may have made him a better hunter, a better person, it might have undercut his adventurous stories just a little.
Not that he'd say such a thing to H'aanit.
Not that he had much of a chance to say such to H'aanit for, as soon as they arrived back in S'warkii, she begged his pardon and left with her travelling companions once again. Apparently there had been nine of them at one point of their journey. The ninth was a young man intent on finding his father and desperate to go his search alone, their paths crossing very infrequently as H'aanit and her companions provided him with information.
And now H'aanit and the others seemed to have gotten it in their heads that something bad had happened to the lad.
To be frank, following his petrification this last hunt, Z'aanta was rather content with resting in his quiet home, hunting only for the people of the village as a new hunter took over from him. He supposed, if he was being rather honest with himself, he was starting to feel he was a little too old to be running around the continent on the tail of another quarry. Though his arrows still flew straight and true, he'd be lying if he hadn't noticed that they were falling a little short of his target. His axe swipes too, he'd noticed that they no longer had the power they had had in his youth.
Z'aanta was by no means feeble nor was he ready to throw down his bow and retire, however the idea of going on hunting adventures as he had in his youth seemed rather far-fetched now.
Still, he certainly felt he had enough spirit in him left for one last adventure, one last grand story to cap off the tale of the great hunter Z'aanta and his partner Hägen. And he rather hoped to complete this adventure beside H'aanit, to see how much she'd grown, how much she'd embellished in her tale of hunting Red-eye.
It was as though the very fates themselves had listened to his request for one last adventure, for when H'aanit returned – alone and troubled – she had a singular proposition for him.
"Master," H'aanit had called to him immediately upon her return, her face tired and worried. Linde herself was coiled like a spring, feeding off of her mistress' emotions. "Mighten I aske thee a favour?"
"For thou, H'aanit? Anything!" Z'aanta smiled on her, he owed her his very life after all and it wasn't often that she asked for anything. He cleared his throat before adding, "Unlessen thy favour involves leaves."
"Nay, I need not leaves." H'aanit shook her head head before squinting at him. "Hast thou been to Victors Hollow since thine returne?"
"Why, H'aanit!" Z'aanta raised a hand to his chest in mock surprise at her insinuations. "Thou woundest me with thine accusations!"
"Hägen?" H'aanit turned to the wolf, listening closely as he snickered and told her not this time.
"That thou wouldst trusten Hägen's words beforen mine!"
"Hägen dost not feelen the need to lie as thou dost." H'aanit shook her head. "Howeveren, that ist not what I wished to ask thee."
"Nay?" Z'aanta tilted his head to the side in interest. Normally when H'aanit came to him with a concerned face as she had now it was to do with his spending or drinking habits. This certainly was a rare circumstance. "What mighten I do for thee, mine dear prentice?"
"Wouldst thou accompany mine companions and mineself to former Hornburg?" H'aanit took a deep breath, barely meeting his eye as she worked up the courage to explain why.
Before she could, Z'aanta let out a laugh. "H'aanit, ist that all thou wishest to ask? Of coursen I will accompany thee and thine friends."
"Thou dost not even knowe why..." H'aanit looked up at him with strangely soft expression. It wasn't often that he saw such an expressive H'aanit – unless she was angry at him, that was. "And thou wouldst come anyway?"
"For thou, H'aanit, I wouldst walken throughe Hell itself to helpen thee."
"Humorous that thou mentione Hell..." H'aanit shook her head and offered him a beaming smile. "No matter, thou wilt come?"
"Aye." He ruffled her hair, treasuring the pouty expression he received in return. He hadn't seen H'aanit this troubled since she'd been a child, whatever she was asking him to do was clearly important and challenging. But he could hear about it on the way to Hornburg. His gut told him this was going to be an adventure that put all his others to shame, a story that historians themselves would tell until all parchment and ink in Orsterra had been used up. "The great Z'aanta hast yet to turnen down a mission! Or a request frome his dear prentice."
"Whaten aboute the time I askened for leaves for new arrows?"
Z'aanta cleared his throat as he and Hägen followed H'aanit and Linde out of S'warkii and back on the road. "I believen I taught thee the importance of makening thine own arrows from that request."
"Hmm." H'aanit hummed, returning to her general disappointment of her master, though her smile and gratitude was still plain to see. Whatever story Z'aanta had just gotten himself into was clearly one for H'aanit to star centre stage in, one for her to tell. And he couldn't have been more excited to see her in action.
