Chapter -134: The Energy of Youth
Sarajin got him that night and enjoyed the rest of his birthday relaxing with his family. For once, there was no need to be silent.
His dad approached him with a present, a replica of the flute he always carries around to call Moses anytime. And then his dad initiated a hug. Even after everything that's been happening between them lately, Sarajin could feel his father's love coming from his embrace.
And his mom, not one to be one upped, gave Sarajin the gift of a nice pleasant dessert. She had been practicing this new recipe involving whipping egg whites into this soft, cloudy treat and today's batch seemed to be perfect to her liking.
And to his liking too, as he scared down so much of that whipped delight that he quickly crashed from sugar overload an hour later.
The last thing he remembered was his dad carrying him up into his bed and tucking him in, before he drifted off to slumber, thinking about the events that unfolded recently...And where he would go from here.
But first, some pleasant dreams about swimming through clouds made of that whipped delight...
Come the next morning he didn't immediately spring up to greet the day, but instead just kind of laid back and thought about what he should do.
The birds were chirping outside his window with Moses landing on the windowsill to say hello. Sarajin turned briefly to wave hello and then rested his hands behind his head with a sigh.
"Tanglefae, Aquamoria, Oreore, Pulsa Minoria and now Sancturia...I've gone to five other Tribes, but only gotten three of the Conduit Forms," He closed his eyes and breathed a heavy sigh, "So I still have...four other Tribes to go to, I think? Ice, Fire, Light and Darkness..."
He opened his eyes slowly and murmured, "And then after that..."
He remembered the end result of yesterday's trip, the image of Valic pointing at him with utter contempt in his eyes refusing to leave, a weight upon his guilty heart.
He reflected on the words Justek has repeatedly put in his head to think ahead...And he thought he was doing that with Pulsa Minoria, but it seems all he did was make things worse for them instead of better.
He sat upright and plopped his hands onto his lap with a sigh, "Maybe I shouldn't rush into 'helping' another Tribe so soon..."
"Sarajin, honey! Breakfast is ready!" Came the delightful sound of his mother downstairs, bringing a smile to his face and a spring to his step.
He hopped off the bed and reached for his poncho nearby, fitting it over his neck as he replied, "Be right there!"
He hurried down to the living room and found his dad sitting at the table with food already on his plate.
This was a normal morning for them, with smiles all around and no gloomy clouds hanging over their heads.
"So, how is my young man doing today?" His mom asked, setting both their plates on the table.
As he took a seat next to her he said, "I'm feeling a little tired still. Thanks again for that treat, mom!"
Sarajin leaned out and kissed her on the cheek, and she gave a weak but heartfelt chuckle.
"I'm glad you liked it, dear." She said.
They took a few bites of their meal and then Sarajin's dad looked at him and hesitated to say, "So...are you going to go to the surface again today?"
Sarajin froze with a fork full of egg in his mouth, glancing over at his mom as she sighed, "You barely spend any time up here these days."
It sounded like she was making an attempt to guilt him, only to cheerfully smile and say, "Buuuuut, if you're having fun I suppose that's all that matters."
Sarajin swallowed and said, "I've been enjoying myself still...for the most part."
"You haven't been getting into any trouble, have you?" His dad inquired with a concerned tone, "We saw the first storm clouds in a long while yesterday and I just want to make sure you didn't get hurt."
"I-I don't know anything about that," Sarajin found a fib being forced out of his mouth before he knew it, "I was at Oreore yesterday."
"..." His dad stared at him for a good long while and then closed his eyes, seeming to relent to his deceit, "Good. You should never be near the Southside of the planet. I mean it."
"...Mmm, ok dad," But as Sarajin said one thing, his mind expressed his true voice, "Dad worries too much, I've been handling the surface just fine."
He finished up eating and then helped his mom clean the plates since she seemed a little tired this morning. Afterwards he headed out, telling his parents, "I'm going to take a walk around today, later!"
He then headed out under the light of the clear sunny skies and walked through the village for a bit. It had been so long since he just enjoyed the company of his people but even after all these months down on the surface the daily routine around here hadn't changed.
The adults were still sitting around exchanging stories, the kids were still playing with the wind and woven balls, and the birds were still flocking together in the skies above.
The only thing that really stood out to him was when he caught sight of Nimus walking around in the middle of town, chatting it up with a woman around his age.
It was rare to see him in the village like this. Sarajin decided to run up and wave at him, "Hey, Nimus!"
Nimus looked over at the woman at his side and then with a few whispers shared between them the woman giggled and they parted ways.
Sarajin watched her leave and asked, "What's with her?"
"Oh, I'll tell you when you're older." Nimus said, slyly crossing his arms and nudging his brows up a couple times.
He then swung his head at him and yelled, "Good timing though, cloud puff! I have another letter for you!"
"A-Already?" Sarajin was stunned. It hadn't even been a day since he last saw Temporis.
While Nimus reached into the bag on his back Sarajin asked, "Can you read it for me?"
"Yeah of course," Nimus chuckled and then flashed a wink, "You must've really caught her eye to get another letter so soon."
"Ahem...!" He coughed, putting another parchment in front of his chest with one hand, "Dear Sarajin, thanks for the exciting time yesterday! I'd like to hang out again today, so could you meet me at Aquamoria within an hour? Oh, and you can bring your other friend along if you want."
"W-Within an hour?!" Sarajin recoiled in shock, "Doesn't that mean she's there now?!"
"Hehehe, well you better not keep her waiting if she is," Nimus wagged the letter in the air and remarked, "Women don't like to be kept waiting."
Sarajin blushed and threw his fists up with his head hung between them, "B-But this is so sudden! I...I wasn't planning on going to the surface today!"
"I mean you don't have to go," Nimus smirked, "I can fly on down and tell her that you got sick or something."
Sarajin feverishly shook his head, "No no you don't have to do that! I'll go. I just...need to hurry up and go grab Justek!"
He started to run past Nimus only to pull back in a haste, "But first got to tell my parents I'm going!"
He only had enough time to wave back and say "Thank you, Nimus!" before he disappeared around the corner.
After letting his parents know what he was doing he quickly took off from the nearest ledge and flew his way over to Justek's place to pick him up.
Time wasn't on his side here as even if the two of them picked up the pace it'd take more than an hour to reach Aquamoria. And needless to say Justek was in no mood to run. In fact he was in a grumpy mood for most of the trip over.
"So remind me again WHY you're catering to that bratty girl's whims?" Justek mumbled, sounding a bit sore in the feet.
"What's wrong with her wanting to get out and explore?" Sarajin said in a chipper if not somewhat winded tone.
"Oh sure it'll start out that simple but the next thing you know you'll be getting dragged around everywhere, catering to her every need."
"You're being silly, Justek," Sarajin grinned, "Can't you try and get along with her this time?"
"I don't trust her," Justek said firmly, "And you shouldn't either."
"You'll see, Justek." Sarajin left it at that as they were nearing the shores of Aquamoria and wouldn't luck have it, Temporis was standing with her heels right on the border of sand and stone.
She was wearing the same garb as yesterday and had her hands behind her back, busy bobbing her waist forward and back with her ponytails jiggling around.
She stopped with her head leaning out and looked their way to shout, "Took you two long enough! I said 'within an hour'!"
She pointed at her bracelet over her head and proclaimed in confidence, "It's been at least two!"
Justek nudged his glasses up and remarked, "Well what did you expect, there's a lot of miles between my home and here."
Temporis crossed her arms and tilted her head, flicking her fingers off her elbow, "Can't you both fly?"
Sarajin flinched and said, "Well I can but I can't carry Ju-"
He then made a sharp turn to look at his friend to point out, "Wait...You CAN fly, can't you?"
Justek widened his eyes and quickly stuttered in his defense, "Y-Yes, BUT, only when I use that grotesque form of mine."
"Oh. I understand." Sarajin nodded.
"Riiiiight, you're from that...dragon place on the west side of Sancturia," Temporis bobbed her head around with her hands behind it, "Or...was it a wyvern place?"
She shook her head and declared, "What a waste! You should be using your powers to the fullest!"
Justek glared her way and said following a "Hmph!", "Some people aren't show-offs."
"Yeah?" Temporis put her fingertips over her smirking mouth, "You mind saying that again, Mr. Smartest Man in the World?"
Justek's pupils flared and smoke shot out of his nostrils. Before he could march one step closer Sarajin got between them and put his hands up, "G-Guys come on! We came here to enjoy ourselves, didn't we?"
Justek closed his eyes, letting his last word be a whisper of, "I swear pixie, someday Sarajin won't-"
But Temporis clocked him with the mute button in the form of her swinging her arms up excitedly and declaring, "Yeah! Let's go already! I'm sick of standing around!"
She turned around and was ready to leap out onto the sand bare footed. Sarajin caught her and swung his hand out to try and stop her, only for her to use aura to create sandals beneath her feet.
She then spun back and swung her hand towards the sand as she shouted, "C'mon, hurry up already!"
Sarajin gave a half-hearted grin and murmured, "A-Aura's really versatile."
"Yep, it can solve a lot of problems when you put your mind to it!" Temporis declared.
The three then headed into the Tribe proper but Temporis ran on ahead, holding her arms out like a pair of wings and spinning between the huts and the bustling people without a care of who she hit or what she knocked over.
"It's so warm, but the breeze feels spectacular!" She let gravity pull her down to the sand and with a hefty whiff she let out a sigh of relief, "Aahhh...so this is what the sea smells like. Mmmm..."
Sarajin and Justek hung back with Sarajin staring at her with some stunned look of awe, "She's...really passionate."
"A passionate disaster, for sure." Justek did get a little karmic enjoyment when a pair of Aquamorians just jumped over her and kicked sand into her face.
"Gah, gah!" As she swung her head up and coughed, it was said Justek's smile grew three sizes that day.
Unfortunately she didn't let him enjoy the moment for long as she brushed most of the sand off with both hands and then waltzed up to the two like nothing had happened.
"So! I heard from the stories that this is the only place you can catch fish in Genestasia!" She proclaimed, looking directly at Sarajin.
"You...want to learn how to fish?" Sarajin said.
"Yeah!" Temporis replied.
Sarajin paused for a few seconds with a dead-eyed stare before coming to a realization, "Oh no! I was in such a hurry to leave that I didn't grab my fishing rod!"
Temporis tucked her hands behind her back and remarked, "Is that a problem?"
"W-Well..." Sarajin scratched the side of his face and chuckled, "You see Temporis, here they got something called an 'economy' where you have to trade to-"
"Sounds boring." Temporis bluntly decided upon, leaving Sarajin to squirm and look a little meeker.
"I-I mean it's a lot to learn but it's the only way you can get a fishing rod if you're an outsider."
Temporis curled her bottom lip and closed her eyes, "Show me a fishing rod."
"Well...Let's go to the docks, there's bound to be someone out there fishing this early in the morning," And on a more certain and optimistic note Sarajin stated, "Hey! Maybe I'll be able to introduce you to Brine and Lulu!"
The three of them headed to the docks and caught teacher and student working hard on their fishing techniques together, with Brine having just reeled in a decent-sized fish to put in his bucket.
Brine thus caught wind of their approach and leaned back to wave at them, "Hey, if it ain't Sarajin and Justek! How ya doing, chums?"
When Sarajin was closer Brine pointed out, "Oy, ya forgot yer fishing rod?"
Sarajin rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment while Justek mentioned, "Unfortunately we caught a major pain on our line recently."
"Eh?" Brine's vision was caught off by Temporis leaning right over his shoulder, using it as a prop for her chest as she glared at his fishing rod.
She paused to look over at Sarajin and ask, "This is a fishing rod?"
"Y-Yeah," He murmured, "Temporis, don't you think you're a little too...close to him?"
"Hol' up, whose this sparkly haired guppy ya brought with ya?" Lulu commented, standing up to look down at Temporis.
Temporis peeled away and put her hands behind head and flashed a giant grin, "I'm Temporis Aurora, an Aurian from Sancturia, and Adventurer extraordinaire!"
Lulu put her arms under her chest and cracked a feisty smirk, "Sancturia eh? That the city holed up in a barrier south of 'ere?"
"That prison? Yeah, that's where I'm from!" Temporis proclaimed with excitement.
"Heh, so yer friends with these two troublemakers, I take it?" Lulu said, causing both Justek and Sarajin to express separate degrees of confusion.
"I guess you could say that." Temporis said with a shrug.
"Well, name's Lulu Coraline, leader of Aquamoria and the grandest fisher in the world! So what's brought ya out to our waters then young lady?"
"I want to catch a fish and eat it!" She proclaimed without hesitation, leaving Lulu whistling loudly.
"Ain't ya a spunky girl?" Lulu nudged her brows up and chuckled, "But if yer gonna fish yer gonna have to earn yer own rod first."
Lulu looked over at her and remarked, "Ya did teach her about how things run around here, ya?"
"Well-" Sarajin tried to speak up but Temporis was already rubbing her hands in delight, ready to interrupt.
"Ah! I don't need any of that!" Temporis turned and plopped down next to Brine, shaking the salty seawater from his bucket.
She then looked back and forth between him and her hands for a bit, causing him to stare and chuckle nervously.
"W-What's she doing?" He murmured.
"Ain't got a clue," Lulu spoke, glancing at her two silent companions, "You two?"
They shook their heads with Sarajin noticing that Temporis' hands were beginning to glow. He kept his gaze glued on her as she proceeded to create a fishing rod all on her own in the same manner she did her sandals. And what's more she made it look EXACTLY like Brine's, down to the chips in the rod.
Brine hopped a few inches aside in surprise while Lulu widened her eyes, "Excuse me?!"
"Ooooh, that makes sense." Sarajin remarked.
"Hmph, now she's just being rude." Justek murmured.
While Brine was blacking out Temporis looked his way and gestured at the sea, "Hey could you show me how to use a rod?"
"Y-Yeah, sure thing, chum." Brine tossed his line out after a few seconds to catch his breath.
Temporis bobbed her head and murmured, "Ok...ok..."
She then mimicked his gesture with a less than perfect form. Still, her makeshift hook hit the water and floated with the same properties as a regular hook, down to the gentle bobbing.
"Huh, this is easy!" She declared, cocking her head over her shoulder at Lulu.
"Hey! Let's see how good of a fisher you really are!"
The air was still as Brine slowly slid away from Temporis' general location, which had become the focal point of Lulu's fiery stare.
"Oh ho ho, ya going right for the top, shrimp?"
Temporis smirked, "Sure am! You're no different than four-eyes there. I bet you aren't that great a fisherman."
Sarajin's heart skipped a beat but he was muffled when it came to intervening between these two. It felt like there were some pretty powerful sparks flying between their increasingly narrower glares.
Lulu brought her hand up beside her face and crunched it into a fist, "Alright then...Guess I'll just have to show ya a thing or two..."
Ten minutes later...
Lulu was standing proud next to a pile of small fish half as tall as her, her fists on her hips and her laughter bellowing from deep within.
But it was all playful on her part, as she looked at Temporis slumped onto her back with nary a fish to her name and said, "Better luck in a few years, shrimp."
"Wow..." Temporis gasped with her eyes wide open in enlightenment. She sprung right to her feet and looked at Lulu with a smile.
"Guess that body isn't just for attracting mates!"
"Schucks, yer too kind," Lulu closed her eyes and giggled some more, "Well, best not let this catch go to waste. Why don't I go get us a net and we can fry up a few fish to eat?"
Temporis rubbed her hands together and started salivating a waterfall, her eyes sparkling like stars in the night sky, "Yes PLEASE!"
She then snapped her fingers and her aura began to form around the pile of fish like a net, "Buuuuuut let me handle the heavy lifting!"
She then gestured her hand up to hoist the fish into the air, causing Lulu to whistle in delight, "Heh, ya ain't too bad, kid."
The two then walked off, leaving the boys behind to watch them chatting it up, both their hands behind their head.
"...What did we just witness?" Sarajin murmured.
"The birth of a dangerous friendship..." Justek said, dread filling his voice.
Brine propped his rod up by his side and remarked, "I still ain't sure how she made a rod of her own, chums..."
After tapping his rod down a couple times he looked to Sarajin and said, "Well while they're out havin' fun, why don't I catch us a couple more fish to eat?"
Justek said, "I still would like a Saltpuffer."
"Heh, I'll see what I can manage chum, I've been...reelin' very confident in my abilities lately!" Brine grinned wide but both his friends stone cold stared at his bad joke, leaving him to feel limp with embarrassment.
"Ah, forget it..." He weakly gestured his hand down past his face and then walked further down the dock to continue fishing.
Sarajin then looked at Justek and said, "See? You were worried for nothing. She's doing just fine!"
"So you say," Justek murmured, his arms as firm as his opinion, "She's simply that good at pulling the wool over our eyes, that's all..."
Sarajin stared at him for a few more seconds and then shrugged.
The three of them enjoyed the rest of the day together in Aquamoria. It was a nice break after all the tensions of yesterday and really, it helped Sarajin think about what he should do next.
Come the next day he left home ready to venture out to a new Tribe. Which one, he wasn't sure of, but at least he'd run the idea by Justek and go from there.
However, as he made his way to the usual ledge he was intercepted by Nimus who had come to deliver another letter from Temporis.
"A-Another one?" Was his reaction at the time, but he accepted it with little fuss afterwards.
Nimus read it off to him, "Hello again, Sarajin! This is your favorite Aurian here ready to go on another adventure! This time I'll be venturing to the mystical forest of Tanglefae to try and enjoy some of their tasty fruit! So yeah, come on down and join me! ...And four-eyes can come too, if he wants."
Sarajin stared blankly at Nimus who only offered a shrug and words of condolence, "Get used to this, cotton puff."
"I...guess so?" Sarajin chuckled and then proceeded to take flight over to Justek's place to pick him up.
However before he could be convinced to leave he had some rather choice words for Sarajin.
"AGAIN?!" He shouted, causing Sarajin to have to wipe some spit off his face.
Justek then put his arms up against his chest and tapped his foot on the ground, proceeding to pinch the space between his eyes and grunt, "You're never going to unite the Tribes if you're constantly playing games with that pixie girl, Sarajin."
"I-I know that," Sarajin waved his hands out, "Look. This'll be the last time for a while and then tomorrow we'll go to a new Tribe. Ok?"
Justek cautiously raised his head and brows, then with a long sigh murmured, "Fine."
Thus Justek begrudgingly followed him along to Tanglefae. With it being a shorter trip they didn't have to keep Temporis waiting nearly as long as they did last time.
However, from the way she was feverishly bobbing around to pass the time you'd think she had been there for a whole day.
"Fiiiiinally!" She shouted, pulling away from the bushes with a smile.
"So! Sarajin, what kind of fruit would you recommend?" She said, getting within a few inches of Sarajin's personal space and nearly pressing her face up his chest.
Justek grabbed her by the forehead and shoved her across the ground in that same pose, "Stop right there."
"What what what?!" Temporis shouted.
Justek crossed his arms and, not wanting to deal with this nonsense as much as he could, closed his eyes and gestured loosely at Sarajin, "Explain the rules to her...As though it'll make a lick of difference."
Temporis curled her lips and looked dead ahead at Sarajin for answers, which he proved slowly given how awkward the mood felt, "Y-You can't just go picking fruits all willy-nilly, Temporis. You have to get permission from the Titan first."
She closed her eyes and shrugged, "So just take me to them."
"What." Sarajin said blankly.
"You got their power, obviously you know where they are."
"W-Well..." Before Sarajin spoke up enough Justek stamped his foot down and spoke like a father reprimanding their child.
"Sarajin, don't."
"Why not?" When Justek glared at him Sarajin got the hint and then looked at Temporis, who was tilting her head around without a care, "If you want fruits I could just make them."
She closed her eyes and insisted, "No. I want to try them straight from the plants that made 'em to see how they compare."
"Without that to look forward to this place is nothing but a menagerie of trees." She said, puffing her cheeks and pouting.
"That's not true at all," Sarajin said cheerfully, "There's plenty of other beautiful plants you can find in the forest."
She jerked her gaze his way and leaned forward, putting her fists on her hips, "Oh yeah? Then prove it!"
She stood and made her way into the forest proper, twisting back to look over her shoulder and say, "Come on! I want to look for these so-called 'beautiful plants' you're talking about!"
Sarajin and Justek followed her but with Justek putting a hand on his shoulder to get his attention, "She's goading you into doing things her way."
"Justek, she just wants to explore," Sarajin said, giving him a rough brush off, "Chill out already."
"Mmmrrr...!" Justek grunted.
Sarajin kicked up the pace to be beside Temporis and he could tell just by looking at her face that she was undergoing a feeling of awe towards her surroundings.
"Like what you see?" He remarked, causing her to flinch and stiffen her gaze forward, her hands tucked neatly behind her head.
"I guess this isn't too bad," She smiled and craned her head back, pulling all the scents available to her through her nose, "Aaaah, I could imagine this place being a good napping spot."
"Oh, you want to know what a good napping spot is around here?" Before Sarajin could get the next word out Justek had rushed up behind him and whispered bluntly into his ear, "Sar-a-jin!"
Sarajin pulled back a little to stick to his side, with Temporis making the occasional peek to try and catch what they were talking about.
"What now, Justek?" Sarajin whispered, sounding just the tiniest bit annoyed.
"Are you not going to listen to me?" He said.
"It's ok if I just take her there. It's not like I'd be introducing her to Ividae."
"Hrrmmm," Justek pulled back and sighed, "Fine, I suppose you have a point."
Sarajin then turned back around and said "Hey, Temporis!" only to find that she was nowhere in sight.
Sarajin frantically turned his head around and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw she was just examining a tree off the side of the road.
"I thought you had run off again." He said, joining her in kneeling down in front of the tree. But it wasn't just any tree, it was the one with blue moss.
"Hey, what's up with this moss?" She said, giving it a good couple of knuckle taps, "It's got a different aura than the rest in the area. Feels more...warm."
"I was going to tell you. If we follow where the moss is pointing," Sarajin gestured in that direction to ensure her attention, "We'll find a great napping spot."
"Well what are we waiting for?" Temporis sprang to her feet and went right on the move.
Sarajin struggled to keep pace with her when she was this motivated, especially when he was trying to walk around the bushes while she just leapt right over them like a bunny.
But she had to stop upon arriving at Ividae's resting spot, just as any outsider would when graced with so much serenity packed into one warm, sun-drenched spot.
And no big surprise, Carmine was resting up at his usual spot, a fact Temporis pointed out with a blunt and rather rude call-out, "Hey hey! Someone's already taken this spot!"
This caused Carmine to slowly open his eyes and raise his head up, letting out a petite yawn as he rubbed his eyes and mumbled, "Hmmm? A new face?"
When Sarajin and later Justek came into the area Carmine rested his hand atop his knee and smiled, "Oh, Sarajin. Is this girl a friend of yours?"
"Yeah," Sarajin said and, feeling a little out of breath, gestured weakly at her, "Carmine Rose, meet Temporis Aurora. She's from Sancturia."
Carmine raised his brows and murmured, "Sancturia, you say?"
Temporis had her hands behind her head with her eyes closed, "I can see why this is a great napping spot. I'm sensing a lot of that warm aura gathering in this one location!"
She strutted forward and with a sharp turn around, wiggled her butt at the knoll and began to let gravity take her down.
"Ah, Temporis, I wouldn't-!" Sarajin, bless his soul, would just have to watch as Temporis' faced the consequences for her quick decision making.
For the moment she sat down Ividae lifted itself up slightly and caused her to slide right off into the ground with a gentle shake.
"Oof!" She grunted, immediately turning her head around as Ividae sank back into the roots and reared its tree trunk neck back, letting out a moan of discomfort.
"What the heck?! The hill's alive?!" Temporis sprang up and a couple seconds later, had Ividae's featureless face rubbing noses with her.
It continued to moan, causing Temporis to take a couple steps back.
Carmine rubbed his chin and remarked, "What's wrong, Ividae? You sound upset."
Justek crossed his arms and had great joy criticizing Temporis' actions, "Well I'd be upset too if some random stranger chose to plop down on my back."
Temporis put her hands up and Ividae wiggled it's snout around, "Waaaaait, Ividae? YOU are Tanglefae's Titan?"
When she said that Justek was immediately firing daggers from his eyes at Sarajin, who nervously chuckled and uttered "Ooops."
Carmine, however, smiled and planted his hands down on Ividae's back, "It's alright, Ividae, I don't think she's a threat."
Ividae continued to hold its head out and moan. Temporis looked it in it's...eyes, she supposed, and said, "Hey I'm sorry. I didn't know I was sitting on your back. In my defense though you shouldn't have made yourself so inviting to sit on!"
Ividae's following moan was drawn out and trembling. Temporis brushed her hands aside and smirked, "No hard feelings, right?"
Ividae was silent for many seconds, then slowly pulled it's head back upright, settling all the way back into the ground.
Carmine looked up at it and then relayed it's voice to it's new guest, "I think they're ok with letting you lay down on them now."
"Really? Cool!" Temporis then proceeded to do the exact same thing she did before, but at least this time Ividae didn't budge an inch.
Temporis then sprawled out, putting her hands behind her head and closing her eyes.
"Aaaaaah, now this is paradise..." She murmured, tone honeyed by the feelings of bliss swelling inside her heart, "The sunlight's falling perfectly between the leaves, and the overall aura of this place just makes me want to drift asleep for days..."
She poked one eye up and glanced aside at Carmine, "I like your taste, Rosebud. You and I will make good napping buddies."
"Rose...bud?" Carmine's eyes widened and he turned to look at Sarajin, who just laughed and rolled with it.
Justek, however, sighed and made a remark of, "I swear, this girl has no manners."
Everyone, even Ividae, turned to look at him with a blanketed stare. He quickly noticed this and with a brutish scoff said, "Ex-CUSE me?"
Carmine's smile creased out as he closed his eyes, "So, I have made another friend then..."
Ividae shook a little, causing Temporis to poke her eyes open and chuckle, "I think someone's jealous."
Ividae raised a root from under its body and swatted her across the top of her head to make her wince. It then let out a gentle moan.
Temporis closed her eyes and continued to smile, "Y'know what Sarajin, forget the fruits for today, I just want to sit here and nap."
"You know what, that sounds fun. I haven't gotten a good nap in for a while." Sarajin smiled and then settled down on top of Ividae below Carmine's spot.
He patted between him and Temporis and said, "Come on Justek, join us!"
"If it's alright with you, I think I'll head into the village and see if the leader has any new books to read."
Temporis poked one eye open and chuckled, "Yeah, not like you'd ever want to have FUN or nothing..."
Justek paused in place for a moment, visibly curling his fists before he continued on his way.
The rest of the day went by without any real excitement. Just a bunch of friends sitting around, enjoying nature quietly.
But now that THAT was over with, for sure, Sarajin was prepared to visit a new Tribe the next day.
...Except...
"Yo! Cotton puff!" Right as he was heading out of the city, the sound of Nimus' approach caused him to wince and hesitate to turn back around.
"Another letter?" He said tiredly.
Nimus slowly pulled said letter out from under his arm and wagged it at him, "You know it."
"...Go ahead and read it." Sarajin replied, letting out a very long sigh.
This time the message was, "You still need to show me around Oreore, Sarajin! So buck up and get on down here pronto, we got ore to mine and jewels to find! ...Dragons are once again to be considered optional for this adventure."
Nimus chuckled, "This is all a part of growing up, kid."
Sarajin closed his eyes and pulled his head back, dragging himself around and flopping off the side of the city to head out...
And when he got to Justek, all he had waiting for him was crossed arms and the sound of tapping toes.
Justek raised one brow and every single bad thing he wanted to say was being beamed into Sarajin's head.
"I know, I know..." Sarajin gestured his hands up and mumbled, "But hear me out."
"Go on." Justek prompted.
"At least in Oreore we'll be able to try and work on a way to figure out the Titan's trial." Sarajin said, but his commitment to this plan wasn't enough to convince Justek. Not in the slightest.
"Assuming you aren't dragged around by that pixie's leash." He mumbled under his breath.
"Say that again?" Sarajin wondered.
Justek gave a rough gesture of his hand up and said, "Why don't you just admit you like being around her more than me already?"
"W...What?" Sarajin's eyes widened, as did Justek's, with his eyes shifting to the right and him biting his teeth down to let out a hiss.
Sarajin said, "Is that what's been bothering you?"
"Y-You misheard me." Justek said, his glasses fogging up.
Sarajin grinned and chuckled, "Justek, I'll make a lot of new friends out there but you're always going to be my first and bestest friend."
Justek turned his head aside and nudged his glasses up, his cheeks a light shade of pink, "I swear, Sarajin, you were hearing things...I-I'm hardly concerned about such matters."
He then faced him and said, "At least try and stay focused this time."
"Ok, I can do that." Sarajin said, trying his best to project confidence worth believing in.
The two then ventured across to Oreore where, surprise surprise, Temporis was waiting at the entrance, dancing playfully around the legs of an Argent Heaver heading inside.
She twirled around and then stopped in place when she seemed to catch them coming...Right as an Argent Heaver was ready to crush her underfoot.
Sarajin bit his teeth down and ran ahead, only for her to take a quick look up and use her Time Drive to get out of the way in the blink of an eye.
She stumbled towards Sarajin and looked back, her heart clearly beating out of her chest, "Whew! That was close!"
She turned and with a carefree grin barked, "Not!"
Sarajin put a hand on his chest and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Temporis then remarked, "Boy, it sure is loud around here, isn't it?"
"Finally, we agree on something." Justek remarked.
"I love it!" Temporis grinned from cheek-to-cheek.
"Of course you do..." Justek sighed dryly.
"Hey, Temporis," Sarajin looked her in the face and waited for her to look back, "Today me and Justek are going to try looking around for hints on how to take up the Titan's trial here."
"You haven't gotten their power yet?!" Temporis sounded shocked.
"Well it's pretty...complicated." Was quite the underestimate.
"How hard could it possibly be?"
Justek furrowed his brow, "The Titan forms the crust of our very planet."
Temporis' eyes bulged out and she pointed down, "So it's...very big."
"Yes. Very, very...VERY big."
Temporis whistled and then remarked, "Well, I'm definitely gonna want to see that thing for myself if you manage to get it to appear!"
"Sooooo, what shall we do until then?"
"Hopefully I can introduce you to Johnathan, he's the leader of Oreore, and he knows plenty about mining." Said Sarajin.
"Wow, you're on friendly terms with all the leaders you've met so far, aren't you?" Temporis replied with another whistle, "That's kind of impressive, Sarajin!"
"I-Is it really?" Sarajin rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.
"It kind of is, given the state of the world." Justek remarked.
"Alright then," Temporis said, not missing a beat, "Lead me to the big man in charge!"
One trip through the ravine took them right to where Johnathan and Ezekiel were working hard, this time with some other fellow miners.
They were hauling giant metal boulders out of the cavern, with Johnathan chanting to pump them up, "Heave! Heave! Heave!"
His men added to his cries in unison, "Ho! Ho! Ho!"
"Ha ha ha!" Johnathan, "That's a good work cry gents! Keep yer spirits high, the Titan's smilin' upon us today!"
Sarajin approached him from behind and found his heart beat rising from the sheer joy in everyone's hearts, "You're all in high spirits today!"
The two Gaias turned around and Johnathan had such a huge grin on his face even his beard seemed thin in comparison, "Well, if it ain't Sarajin and Justek! Ya came at just the right time!"
"That's a lot of metal you're hauling out of those caves." Justek remarked, as the line of men dragging boulders out seemed without end.
"Ya bet yer grit it is!" Ezekiel shouted, "We're celebrating the good fortune that's fallen upon us recently!"
"Good fortune?" Sarajin said, tilting his head.
Johnathan closed his eyes and let out a string of guffaws, "Yep! Just the other day when me and the boys were rounding up Argent Heavers in the wastes we noticed those thievin' rats took heavy damage to their city!"
Sarajin flinched while Johnathan continued to celebrate unimpeded, "And that seems to have stopped their drones, since we ain't seen hide nor hair of 'em for a few days now! So we're mining out lotsa metal to celebrate!"
Ezekiel crossed his arms and grinned, "Those thievin' jerks musta got what was comin' to them!"
"Y-Yeah..." Sarajin said, faking a grin.
Johnathan then continued to smile as he asked, "So, ya want to help out? We still got some loose metals in the middle rows that could use some dislodging."
"A-Actually," Sarajin hastily tried to shift the topic away from Pulsa Minoria, "I wanted to introduce you to a new friend who's interested in learning how to mine."
"Oh, ya made a new friend?" Johnathan swerved their head around and remarked, "Where might they be, lad?"
Sarajin flinched and immediately turned around to try and find Temporis. Fortunately she had just walked over to the nearest wall...Unfortunately, she was eyeing the heavy tools laid out against it.
"Temporis, be careful! Those things are VERY heavy!" Sarajin shouted with his hands cupped around his mouth.
Temporis bent at the knees and put one hand around the pick-axe that was almost as big as she was. She then pulled it up in one quick motion and threw it over her shoulder, letting out the tiniest huff of effort.
She then turned around and the tool being on her like that was such a jarring sight that Sarajin's eyes almost rolled out of their sockets. Justek's glasses slid off his face to be fumbled around in his hands, and Ezekiel and Johnathan were just...silent.
Temporis strut her legs with very long steps and a proud hum, stopping firmly in front of Johnathan with a salute at the ready, "Are you the big boss man around here?"
"Why yes, yes I am lassie," Johnathan smirked, "Ya got a lot of muscle in those tiny arms, dontcha?"
Temporis closed her eyes and proclaimed, "We Aurians are as tough as the toughest metals!"
Johnathan gestured his hand aside and said politely, "The name's Johnathan Gaia, what's yers lassie?"
"Temporis Aurora!" She responded.
"Well young Temporis, since ya've already got a good grip on that there pick-axe, why don't I show you around and find ya a nice place to work in private?"
"Sweet! I'd love to mine some jewels if possible!"
"Well let's not get overeager now. Everyone's gotta start with the basics," Johnathan then turned to his men and shouted, "Ya keep workin'! I'll be back in a few!"
He then gestured to his son, whose mouth was still slacking, "Keep an eye on 'em for me boy."
He then started to walk off with Temporis, giving her advice along the way, "So, how's yer shoutin' voice? Cause the key to keeping the spirits high is to shout as you work."
"Oh! I think I know what you're saying. It's like how I'll sometimes catch Gabriel shouting names as he swings his weapon!" Temporis then swung her pick-axe up high in both hands, "Ground Piercing Heaven Strike!"
She then slammed her pick-axe into the ground hard enough to make Johnathan hop an inch off the ground.
"HA! That's fine technique lassie, but uhhh, save it for the caverns..." After that their conversation trailed off into the distance.
Ezekiel turned to Sarajin and muttered, "Where do ya keep findin' all these freakishly strong folk, Sarajin?"
Sarajin continued rubbing the back of his head and giggling, "H-Hopefully this one won't cause a cave-in."
He could feel Justek glaring at him from behind and turned to shake his hands at him. After that was over with Sarajin then turned to Ezekiel and asked, "Oh by the way, Ezekiel."
"What's up?" Ezekiel asked after clapping the dirt off his hands.
"I was hoping you or your dad might know about the Trial of your Titan."
"Trial of the...Titan?" Ezekiel tilted his head back and had this glazed look in his eyes, like his brain was shutting down trying to recall anything.
"I know he said the Titan's too big to show up but like...They would still have to have a Trial like all the other Titans, right?"
Ezekiel swung his head down and wondered, "Oy hol' on a second, what brought this up in the first place? How do ya know about the Trials?"
Sarajin flinched and then turned to Justek, who quickly brushed his hand up and sighed, "You might as well tell him, I doubt he'll spread the word...He's so dim he might just forget it by the end of the day."
"Ayyyy..." Bemoaned Ezekiel.
Sarajin quickly got him up to date on what he was doing nowadays, causing Ezekiel to remark, "Peace among the Tribes? Ha! That's a good one Sarajin. There ain't no way pop's gonna ever make peace with those thievin' metal munchers!"
"Haaa, I thought you'd say that." Sarajin groaned.
"Can't say I know much about the Trial though," Ezekiel remarked, "Nobody's probably done it since Oreore was formed so our ancestors didn't have a reason to pass the knowledge down."
He then turned to the right and suggested, "Maybe ya'd have better luck checking the ruins?"
"Really?" Sarajin said.
"Sorry brother," Ezekiel shrugged, "Ya could always wait for dad to get back and ask him."
"That's alright," Sarajin nodded, "I'll think about checking the ruins out."
Ezekiel smiled and proudly pumped his fist against his chest, "Glad I could help somewhat! Now, I oughta get back to work!"
He faced the men hauling metal out and pumped his fist into the air, "Heave! Heave! Heave!"
"Ho! Ho! Ho!"
Sarajin and Justek turned and decided to walk off to somewhere a little more quiet to talk this out.
Sarajin fell against the wall in a slump and seemed to deflate with a sigh, "Oreore's Titan is really hard to draw out..."
"Fitting that the Earth element would be the hardest to obtain so far," Justek commented, injecting a little dry wit into an otherwise sour mood, "Seems like the ruins might be our only option going forward."
"The only problem is there's so many out there," Sarajin commented, "I think if we're going to explore them...I first need to get better control over my Water Conduit Form so we'll have plenty to drink."
"Good thinking," Justek commented, "What appears to be the problem though?"
"Anytime I try to create water it...disperses," Sarajin mimicked the effect by closing and then opening his hand, "It's a struggle to hold it together."
"Hmm, I don't know what the problem could be." Justek muttered.
"Guess I just have to keep working on it." Sarajin murmured.
"Then heading out to the ruins is not on the table at the moment," Justek crossed his arms and leaned further into the wall, glancing out at him from the corner of his eyes, "You mentioned wanting to go somewhere new? What were you considering?"
"Well..." Sarajin put his hands behind his head and gazed up at the sky, "There's only four other Tribes right? Ice, Fire, Light and Dark..."
"Yes. Cryofloe, Canofloe, Caimanabel...And Obscura," Justek said that last one with a particular disdain, "Of the four, I would suggest-"
"How about Cryofloe?" Temporis' voice chimed in as she was suddenly beside the two, covered in dirt and sweat from head-to-toe, one of her ponytails having come undone.
"That was fast!" Sarajin shouted.
"Heh, yeah...Caused a cave in by accident," Temporis swiped her hand through her hair and stood up, "Guess I don't know my own strength!"
"Ha!" Justek smirked.
"Soooo Johnathan took away my pick-axe and told me to work on that before I try again," She then put her hands behind her head and smiled, "What a cheerful guy though! You wouldn't think he'd have such a big heart behind all those muscles!"
She then turned her head and remarked, "So anyways, if you're thinking of another new Tribe to go to, I heard Cryofloe's a pretty thrilling guess to visit! And Canofloe is literally neighbors with it too so we can hit both at the same time!"
"'We'?" Said Justek with a crude circular gesture, "What is this 'We' business?"
"Uhhh, cause I'm coming with, obviously?" Temporis chuckled, "Ooooh I'm sorry, do you have a problem with that?"
"As a matter of fact I do," Justek flared his nostrils and pulled off from the wall, "You can't keep forcing us to do what you want. Sarajin's on a mission-"
"For peace yeah yeah I don't have a bad memory," Temporis then flashed a cheeky grin, "Just sounds to me like someone's je-al-ous I'm spending time with Sarajin."
"L-Listen here you...pixie!" Justek was about to throw hands when a shadow started to grow over the three of them.
"HEADS UP DOWN BELOW!" Shouted a miner up above.
The three craned their heads back and saw a massive boulder falling to crush them. Temporis quickly got out of there with the help of her Time Drive but Sarajin and Justek were frozen in place, seconds away from getting hurt if not killed.
Temporis grit her teeth and uttered "What the HELL?!" before dashing forward and using her Time Drive again, grabbing both Sarajin and Justek and pulling them out of harm's way with the boulder inches above where they once stood.
She then tripped and fell, knocking them down as time resumed and the boulder smashed apart into huge metal chunks.
Sarajin sat upright with a hand on his beating chest while Justek laid down, staring up at the blue sky with a vacant gaze.
Temporis got on top of him on all fours and started screaming in his face, "What is wrong with you?!"
Justek's gaze hardened and he stood up, shoving her off as he screamed back, "Get off me you crazy girl!"
"Oh, I'm sorry for saving your life!" Temporis crossed her arms and closed her eyes, "Cause it seems you were too busy not wanting to save either yourself or your best friend!"
Justek curled his fists and grit his teeth, "N-Now wait just a damn moment."
Temporis turned and thrust her pointer finger into his chest without fear, "You too proud to use your powers that you'd rather let someone die?! Someone with your bloodline could've crushed that boulder with ease!"
Justek went dead silent, with Sarajin stepping in to shake his hands at the two of them, "H-Hey, it's alright...We made it out, didn't we?"
Temporis stared at Sarajin for a moment and then slowly peeled her finger off of Justek, putting both hands behind her head and looking longer at Sarajin with one eye open. She was totally peeved off but tried to show the tiniest fraction of restraint as she said, "What if I wasn't here?"
"..." Sarajin went silent too, but unlike his friend, he mustered up the courage to say, "Well...Thanks for saving our lives, Temporis."
"Of course, dying's such a waste of life," Temporis then turned around and not even a couple steps away, looked over her shoulder at the dumbstruck Justek with one more blunt remark, "You know...When Gabriel handed out that lesson I don't think it was just Sarajin he was talking to."
Justek's body was trembling, his stare continuing to remain vacant as he followed Sarajin and Temporis like a mindless puppet.
All he did consciously was raise his shaking hand, and clench it into a fist with a quiet "Tsk...!" of frustration.
The rest of that day went by pretty quietly. The three of them joined the Gaias for dinner late at night and then learned a little more about Johnathan's feats of strength.
Justek stayed quiet the whole night, not even uttering a peep...
When it was time to part ways the trio met at the western entrance of the ravine, where all Temporis had to say was, "So...We'll meet up at Cryofloe tomorrow then?"
Sarajin nodded and with a perky smile Temporis proclaimed, "Great! See you guys there!"
She then headed off on her merry way, whistling a tune to pass the time.
Justek then started to head off too, but Sarajin caught up with him and put a hand on his shoulder tenderly, "Hey, you ok? You've been quiet ever since the boulder fell."
Justek weakly nudged his glasses up and muttered, "I'll be fine, I just...need some rest."
Sarajin frowned and then patted him on the back, "How about I keep you company on the way back? It'll be no trouble, I can fly back home pretty quickly!"
Justek swallowed hard and then forced a smile, "If you don't mind being with dead weight, then fine..."
The two then began their long walk through the wastes, for what would be the beginning of yet another long string of events...
And on this night, the full moon shone bright. But soon, it would not shine white. For a shade of violet slowly began to rise over it...
Next Time: The Face of the Beast