Chapter 8: Earthmover
Sen woke first. For a brief moment he saw stars above his head and thought he should go back to sleep, but then he remembered that it was always night here. If he tried waiting for the sun, he'd be asleep forever. Sen crawled out of his bedroll. Everyone else was still sleeping peacefully, so he went about his morning routine in the quietest manner possible.
Whistler was the next one to wake up. Sen, Suda, and Ada all slept fairly close together, but Whistler was set up on her own some distance away. She did not handle mornings quite as gracefully as Sen. He could feel her tossing, turning, and groaning as she resisted the urge to wake up. She eventually gave up and started her morning. Sen idly scratched at his chin while she dug through their supplies for food. She was far less considerate of others than Sen, so she made enough noise to wake up Ada and Suda.
Normally they would be in a bit more of a hurry to move, but they felt safe at the moment. They were in the middle of an open plain; anybody who was following them would be visible from miles away. The Fogbender was nowhere to be seen, and Sen had seen no sign of the Hssk either, so they felt secure enough to sit down and enjoy breakfast together. Whistler tied her hair up in her ponytail, signaling that she was completely awake now, and looked Sen over.
"You should shave," Whistler idly noted. Sen scratched at his chin again. He hadn't thought about that. They hadn't brought any mirrors with them, so Sen had never realized that he'd started to grow some ragged facial hair.
"Eh, I say let him grow it out," Suda suggested. "Not like we're trying to impress anyone out here."
Suda had a considerably more impressive beard to his name. His had come in fairly quickly and evenly, unlike Sen's ragged patches of stubble.
"No seventeen-year old looks good with a beard," Whistler grunted. "They all just end up looking like…Wait, I have something for this. Hold on…No, I got nothing. They just look stupid."
"Like I said, who cares," Suda said with a shrug. "Nobody's judging. I mean, Ada doesn't shave her legs either."
Ada smiled broadly. Whistler nodded. That was an idea she could get behind. Sen scratched his chin again.
"All that said, my chin itches."
"I'll make you a razor later."
"I don't know how to shave either."
"That's fine," Suda said. "I'll teach you. We can practice on Gun."
Sen planted his feet on the ground and looked for Gun. His animal guide was the only member of the group who was enjoying his time in the Spirit World. Food was plentiful here, and the soil was always soft and easy to tunnel through. Gun was having the time of his life.
The badgermole answered his masters call, and emerged hastily at an awkward angle. He was deliberately facing away from Sen. Sen slammed his foot down again. Something was wrong. At Sen's demand, Gun turned around to face his master.
There was a large red gash on Gun's shoulder, and several smaller ones all over his face and neck. Something had attacked Gun. Sen rushed over to his animal guides side and examined the wounds, quickly doing the best he could to try and patch them up. He didn't get very far. Gun's attention was turned away again, far and away towards the horizon.
Sen tried to focus on whatever was concerning his animal guide so much. Upon further examination, there was an obvious disturbance in the soil, some distance away. The earth was being pushed aside, though Sen could not see what was doing so. It seemed as though there was a gap in the earth, that was moving rapidly towards them.
"You guys might want to brace yourselves for trouble," Sen advised. Gun was way ahead of them. His fangs were bared, and the striped fur on his back stood on end. Whatever was coming at them, Gun did not like it.
The earth began to rumble audibly. Whatever was beneath the soil was displacing massive quantities of earth. Sen could feel the gap growing larger and larger as it approached. Suda prepared himself for a fight, muttering all the while about how much he hated the Spirit World.
The source of the disturbance emerged from the earth, shattering the surface as it violently burst forth. Sen had been expecting something large, but he had not been expecting something quite so large. It was a great wormlike creature, covered in thick armored plates. Its head was clearly marked by massive spiny mandibles, powerful enough to eat through stone.
Sen's examination of the beast was cut short as Gun ran forward at the giant worm. The serpentine behemoth likewise locked on to Gun and rushed forward at the badgermole. More and more it slithered out of its tunnel, and yet its segmented body seemed no closer to ending. Sen wondered if it even had an end.
Gun met the endless worm in battle, and sank his fangs into its armored hide. Gun's jaws were powerful, but even his bite was not powerful enough to pierce the armored exoskeleton of the worm. Gun latched on all the same, and tore at the worms hide with his claws. Occasionally Gun found the sense to earthbend, but even the rocks seemed to have no effect on the worm. It writhed and twisted, trying to find the right angle to bite Gun. It coiled its razor-sharp mandibles into place and prepared to strike.
A flying boulder struck the worms head from the side, knocking its bite off course. Sen could not pierce the worms hide, but he could certainly push it around. Sen sent another boulder flying, focusing on the inertia of the blow rather than precision. If he could not wound the beast, he could at least control it.
"Bloody giant worms, as if this place isn't bad enough," Suda mumbled.
"Careful there Bulk, you sound very close to saying a naughty word," Whistler joked.
Suda groaned and tried to do something about the worm. Strikes from his metal reels did nothing against the plated exoskeleton, so Suda borrowed from Sen's tactics, focusing on controlling the worm and preventing it from hurting anyone.
Whistler looked at her staff carefully. She wasn't sure if she wanted to get involved. Airbending wasn't really useful against large, armored targets, and on top of that, she didn't really care about the fight. She'd be perfectly happy to sit on the sidelines and watch the earthbenders flail at the giant worm. She did consider getting involved. It might be fun, after all.
Ada was apparently less indecisive. She drew her swords and zipped past Whistler, in a hurry to make it to the fight. Whistler shrugged her shoulders and sat on the sidelines.
The close-range melee between the massive Gun and the even more titanic worm was hardly interrupted by the arrival of the rather diminutive Ada. Despite being much smaller, Ada had her own usefulness in a fight. Unlike Gun, Ada's claws were made of an advanced titanium alloy. When she cut at the worm's hide, she actually left a mark. Unfortunately, the armored exoskeleton was significantly thicker than the width of her blade. Unless she was cutting the exact same spot several times, even her swords would never managed to pierce the worms skin. She opted for another approach. She flicked the switch on her sword's electrical mechanisms and gave that a try.
It was startlingly effective. The electrical current surged through the armored plating and caused the worm to writhe frantically in pain. Ada was launched to the side by a sudden thrust of the worm's midsection. Gun was tossed aside as well.
With Ada out of the way, the electrical current stopped, and the worm regained its senses, beginning a renewed assault. Ada tried to find her bearings and her swords, but the impact had dazed her. So far the electricity was the only thing that had harmed the worm, so she had to try again quickly.
Before Ada regained her senses, a burst of lightning struck the worms midsection, sending a visible surge of electricity through the armored plate. The worm writhed in pain once again, and apparently reached its limit. The bladed mandibles of the worms head vanished beneath the surface, and then the rest of the worm followed suit, leaving nothing behind but a few massive holes in the soil.
Sen took a moment to consider the options. Either they had been blessed with the shortest and most specific lightning storm in recent history, or there was another bender about. Sen assumed the latter. His assumption would prove wise when a middle-aged man in safari gear marched forward.
"I have far too many questions to fit into a single monologue," the stranger shouted loudly. "So I'll shorten it down to one: What in the sand-blasted Siwong are you imbeciles doing here?"
He stood before them expectantly, staring them down with his angular eyes. Sen looked over the stranger. He had a very weathered face; his skin was thick, rough, and dark, the mark of someone who had spent a lot of time in the wilderness. A few scars on his face and arms showed that he had made a career of living dangerously.
"Are you going to stand there slack-jawed all day, or am I getting an answer?"
"I think I like this guy," Whistler cracked.
"Oh good, one of them knows how to talk," The scarred man said. "Can you explain what you're doing here?"
"I'm sort of just along for the ride, actually," Whistler shrugged. She pointed at Sen. "That guy's in charge."
"Leading by example, I see. What's your name, son?"
"I'm Sen. Sorry about that. It's just, well, it's been a while since we've seen another human."
"Tell me about it. You lot are the first people I've seen in…well, I can't for the life of me say how many years it's been. They were just wrapping up that Seventh Kingdom business when I left."
"That was nine years ago," Ada said.
"Really?"
The man removed something from the pocket of his jacket and began chewing on it loudly.
"I hope someone's been collecting my mail," He said casually. He extended his hand, and Sen shook it. "Name's Moldun. Now, I'll say it again, what's your business here?"
"Well, we were travelling, and we got a little turned around. One thing led to another…"
"And now you're out here at the back end of the Spirit World, up to your eyeballs in giant worm. Funny how things work out."
Moldun seemed oddly amused by their misfortune. Sen decided to move the conversation along.
"Do you anything about that thing that attacked us?"
"Sure do," Moldun said. "It's the whole reason I'm here."
Moldun spat out whatever he was chewing on and crossed his arms, examining the holes that the great worm had left behind.
"The locals call it Gaemundr," He explained. "Nobody's sure if it's a spirit or some one-of-a-kind monstrosity. All we know is that it's giant, near indestructible, and very, very nasty. Simple enough to scare off, if you've got the lightning, but obviously you don't want him getting too close to any settlements. That's where I come in."
Moldun held up his fingers, and they crackled with blue static. Sen backed away slightly.
"So, are you a volunteer, or…"
"Oh, well, a little bit of both. I am a member of a certain social club with a vested interest in keeping the Spirit World safe, but I did volunteer for this. I'm a hunter you see. Big game exclusively. Worked my way through every big nasty thing in the mortal world, so I struck out after the biggest and nastiest thing in the Spirit World. Had quite a bit of fun these past few years."
Moldun had a determined glint in his eye. If he'd stuck it out this long, Sen had no doubt that he would chase Gaemundr to the ends of the Spirit World. Sen was indifferent about hunting, but he did admire Moldun's determination.
"On that note," Moldun began. "I'd be most appreciative if you could lend me a hand. No shame in asking for help now and then, is there?"
"Well, there's no shame, but there's not much use either," Sen said. "We don't know a thing about hunting."
"I assumed," Moldun said. He looked away from Sen and wandered over to Gun. "What I'm really interested in is this fine specimen here. Gaemundr has a peculiar interest in anything else that tunnels."
Gun slowly crawled backwards as Moldun approached. The hunter was well aware that badgermoles didn't like anyone other than earthbenders, so he ceased his approach. He knew very well that even domesticated animals still had fangs.
"You want to use Gun as bait?"
"Technically," Moldun said. "Gaemundr's going to keep coming back for him as long as he's in the worm's territory. The Big Worm is very defensive, see, doesn't like strangers in his dirt. You can think of it as preparing for the inevitable."
Moldun turned his back on Gun and strutted back to Sen.
"So, what I'm proposing is a mutually beneficial arrangement. I've got years of experience fighting Gaemundr, and you've got the bait I need to draw him out. We stick together until the next time the Big Worm rears his ugly head, I get to scare him off, you get to not get eaten by a giant spirit worm. Everyone wins."
Moldun held out a weathered hand, expecting a quick shake to seal the deal. Sen looked over his shoulder at his friends. None of them seemed to have any objections. Gun might have objected, but he had no idea what was going on. He was smart, but not that smart.
Sen grabbed Moldun's hand. His palm felt as rough as sandpaper, but Sen shook it firmly nonetheless. Satisfied, Moldun began walking in the direction of a small, sloped hill, beckoning for them all to follow.
"We've got a bit before the Big Worm gets brave enough to have a go at your badgermole again. Meantime, I'll try and make hunters out of you."
Moldun reached the summit of the sloped hill and grabbed a patch of dirt, pushing it aside. He had set up a perimeter to keep Gaemundr away from civilized lands, and in the process he had built, and abandoned, dozens of small hiding places from which to stalk Gaemundr. He didn't intend to invite his new friends inside; the blind was barely big enough for him on his own, but he did keep useful supplies in some of his hideaways. Moldun grabbed a duffel bag he'd tucked away in the corner years ago and perused it, mumbling to himself while he searched.
The hunter soon emerged and handed Ada a strangely bundled package. She unwrapped it to examine the contents, and found it mainly consisted of pistons and gears.
"Thumper," Moldun explained. "Gaemundr has a funny way of seeing through the dirt, just like the badgermole there. These things throw him off.""
"Then that'll affect me, too," Sen said.
"Really? Never mind then."
Moldun grabbed the devices and tossed them back in the hole. He'd take a good man over a good machine any day.
"I was going to put you in charge of the traps, but I guess you'll just be in the thick of it with the rest of us. Put those butter knives to good use, sweetheart."
Ada refrained from commenting on that entire sentence. Moldun turned to Suda and Sen.
"Now, I have a plan," Moldun said. "All we've got is my lightning and the girly's knives, so what we're going to do is-"
"Actually, Moldun, I had an idea, before we get started on anything."
"Don't ever interrupt me again," Moldun said flatly. "But you go ahead, boy. Speak your piece."
Sen reached to Suda's waist and grabbed the end of the metal reels. He unraveled a short section of the strand and ran it between his fingers.
"These will conduct electricity, right?"
To experiment, Ada tapped the edge of her sword against the exposed line. Sen quickly retracted his fingers as an electric shock travelled through them. Ada apologized, and Sen glared at her for a while before continuing on.
"I say we wrap these around Gaemundr's body and shock him all over, all at once. Better than hitting him one section at a time, yeah?"
"Clever boy," Moldun said with a coy smile. "Good thinking."
Sen nodded firmly. He elaborated further on the plan. Suda would focus on wrapping as much of the metal as he could around Gaemundr's body, while Moldun, Ada, and Sen would work to make sure that the lines got an electrical charge. Reluctantly, Ada handed one of her swords over to Sen. With three different sources of electrical charge, it was guaranteed that one of them would manage to shock Gaemundr.
As one final note, Moldun turned to Whistler. She didn't let him give his orders.
"Don't look at me, I'm not doing anything."
"Excuse me?"
Sen stepped up to his airbending master. Whistler shrugged off his enquiries, so he repeated himself. Moldun took a step back as Sen dealt with the airbender.
"What do you mean you're not doing anything?"
"It's pretty much the most straightforward sentence in existence," Whistler said. "I'm not going to help you fight a stupid giant worm. You've got your new hunter buddy, he can fill my spot."
"What is this about, are you scared?"
Whistler stepped forward and stared Sen down. He knew very well that she was not afraid, but he also knew that attacking her ego was a good way to win an argument.
"This is just a pointless and stupid diversion. I promised to teach you, and that's it. Helping you get sidetracked wasn't part of our deal, so I'm not doing it. Pretty straightforward."
"We all have to do things we don't want to do sometimes, so-"
Moldun coughed loudly, demanding their attention. He was holding out two curved knives, one for each of them.
"What's this supposed to be?"
"Knives. Settle your arguments the old fashioned way."
"I'm not stabbing anyone just because I'm lazy," Whistler objected.
"Well if you're not mad enough to gut each other, you ain't mad," Muldoon spat. He tucked both knives into his belt. "Quit wasting my time with your hormonal bickering. I wasn't going to have her do anything anyway."
"Wait, really?"
"Of course not," Moldun said. "You airbenders haven't got the stones for a real hunt."
The look on Whistler's face said she was about to unleash a verbal tirade of epic proportions, but she froze before she started. She leaned in conspiratorially to Sen.
"Hey, Four Eyes, you can basically read minds, is this guy using reverse psychology on me?"
"No, actually," Sen said. "He legitimately thinks you're too much of a wimp to handle it."
Whistler took a deep breath, stepped towards Moldun, and unleashed a verbal tirade of epic proportions. The stream of insults and curses that poured out of her mouth was harsh enough to peel paint. Sen wasn't sure that everything Whistler said was actually a swear word, but she was certainly angry enough to make it sound like they were.
As the ranting and obscenities ground to a halt, Moldun actually cracked a smile.
"I haven't heard swearing like that since I was on a whaling ship," Moldun said. He made it sound like a compliment. "You're not like any airbender I've ever met."
"That's right," Whistler said stubbornly. "And I'm going to…"
Whistler paused, and held a finger to her chin. She couldn't actually think of what she was going to do. Airbending wasn't much use against giant armored worms.
"I'm going to do something," she declared defiantly. She'd find some way to prove Moldun wrong, no matter what. Spite was a powerful motivator.
"If you say so," Moldun shrugged.
Now that they were all on the same page, Moldun began to go over the finer details of the plan. He intended on handling most of the work himself, seeing as he was the only actual hunter, with the others acting as backup. The only one with a role of any major importance was Gun, and his entire job was to sit on the surface and be bait.
"Now, just tell your fuzzball to take a seat down there at the bottom of the hill, and then we'll play the waiting game."
"Is it alright if I sit with him?"
"Knock yourself out, kid," Moldun said.
Sen proceeded to the bottom of the hill and sat down beside Gun's massive frame. Gun had rolled himself into a ball and laid down at the bottom of the hill, trying to relax after his earlier battles. His thick fur and skin had kept him from getting too badly hurt, but he was still tired and in pain. Sen sat down next to the badgermole and ran a hand along his fur. Gun relaxed visibly.
"You know, I've never had any problem getting you to listen to me," Sen said. "Wish it was that easy all the time."
Gun scratched his face with one of his clawed forelimbs. He barely understood the things that Sen said out loud. They communicated through vibrations in the ground, and there were few ways to communicate a situation as complex as Whistler through such a simple means of communication. Sen sighed loudly. Gun did respond to that, turning his head until Sen could look at his face. Sen adjusted his glasses and looked over his animal guide. He'd gotten much bigger in the past year.
Sen maintained a silent vigil over the open plain. He could feel Moldun's eyes watching every inch of ground with hawk-like precision. The hunter was quite determined. Some of his companions, less so.
It took about ten minutes for Whistler's patience to run out. She started rummaging through Moldun's hunting supplies idly.
"You promised not to steal anything," Suda reminded her.
"I wasn't going to," Whistler objected. "I'm just trying to pass the time."
Whistler dug past a variety of knives, traps, and other hunting supplies before she saw anything with potential. A handful of Pai Sho tiles sat at the bottom of Moldun's bag.
"Hey, have you got a board to go with these?"
Moldun tore his eyes away from the plains for a while to look at the tiles in Whistler's hand. He seemed surprised to see them, like he had forgotten they existed long ago.
"Must have left it in another bag," Moldun said dismissively, turning his attention back to the hunt.
"So much for game night," Whistler sighed.
"Don't you still have those playing cards?"
"I'd rather get eaten by the worm than play Pagu-Pagu," Whistler snorted.
"Don't tempt fate," Moldun cautioned.
Suddenly, the hunter held up his hand and bade them all to be silent. They froze on command, but they did have to wonder why. Even Sen, with all his extra senses, could not sense the impending danger. A lifetime of hunting dangerous game had given Moldun a peculiar sense of awareness about these things, though. His narrow eyes zeroed in on the eastern horizon.
"Places, everyone," Moldun ordered. "We may only get one shot at this."
Ada nodded wordlessly. Suda and Whistler braced themselves for the incoming attack.
Sen could feel Gaemunder now, though only vaguely. The way it tunneled was strange, unlike anything Sen had seen before. It was difficult to tell how fast the worm was approaching. Sen held up his hands, signaling to Moldun which direction Gaemundr was coming from. Just as Moldun had suspected, the worm was approaching from the east.
The approach continued, almost imperceptible to any but Moldun and Sen. Moldun had a faint smile on his face. He lived for moments like this. The tension and tenuous calm that precipitated the sudden violent outburst of the hunt. Days like this reminded him why he'd taken up hunting in the first place.
Moldun's faint smile cracked into a full grin as the first cracks appeared in the soil.
"Showtime!"
Gaemundr burst through the ground with a furious cry, filling the air with discordant noise. Sen covered his ears briefly, then recalled that he had a job to do. He gripped his borrowed sword tightly as Gaemundr approached. Gun pawed the ground anxiously, waiting for his opportunity to strike. Gaemundr's serpentine charge brought him ever closer, and eventually Gun snapped.
The two great beasts collided, with Gun leaping above the worm's mouth and landing, claws first, on Gaemundr's face, just above the snapping mandibles. Gun grabbed the worms armored skin tightly and slashed at it with massive claws, trying to cut through the thickly armored hide. His efforts were futile, but they did serve to distract Gaemundr and keep him above the surface.
Suda was far too close to a giant thrashing spirit worm for his comfort, but he did an admirable job of getting Gaemundr tangled in his metal lines. Suda snaked the metal reels around Gaemundr's armored segments, covering as much space as possible. When he had run out of line, Suda called out to his allies and let them take over.
The great hunter Moldun remained on his hilltop perch, trying to line up a clear shot on Gaemundr's hide. Sen's plan would never work unless the electric current made a direct hit onto the metal lines, so Moldun wanted to make sure he made the first shot the last. He was a professional, after all. Sen and Ada could run in and get themselves smacked around by the worm as much as they liked.
Sen found it difficult to keep abreast of Gaemundr's frantic writhing. The worm was in a rage now, as Gun's massive claws were still bearing down in it. Gun's attacks, though ultimately ineffective, was still greatly infuriating to Gaemundr.
The raging duel continued for a time. Sen almost considered calling Gun off, but as the badgermole was clinging to Gaemundr's armored hide, there was no way for the two to communicate. He and Ada did the best they could with what they had, but it was difficult for them to approach. Gaemundr was moving much more quickly than he had been on their first encounter.
Suddenly, Moldun let out a loud whistle of satisfaction. He had his shot.
An arcing bolt of lightning coursed through the air, striking Gaemundr's side and the metal cords wrapped around him. Blue electricity surged through every inch of the metal lines, and through Gaemundr's armored skin. The great worm suddenly began to writhe even more frantically then before. Gun was tossed aside by the furious squirming, and Gaemundr's massive body began to shift from side to side. Too much, in fact. As he flailed, Gaemundr started to move towards his attackers.
"This will not end well," Moldun said.
As Gaemundr's massive frame began to move their way, Sen dropped his sword and lunged at Ada. He grabbed her tightly, and then opened a rift beneath their feet, sinking the both of them into the ground just as Gaemundr's serpentine body rolled overhead. Sen and Ada remained under the cover of the surface, feeling the ground shake as Gaemundr writhed overhead.
Suda had already put some distance between himself and the worm, so he was fairly safe, but Moldun had kept himself much closer to the fray. He began to swear loudly as Gaemundr's writhing carried him closer and closer to the hunter.
The massive tail of Gaemundr flailed wildly, and Moldun's famous reflexes were not quite fast enough to save him. The armored tail struck him in the side, sending him flying. He did not land well, and he felt, and heard, something in his arm go pop. That was not going to be pleasant. Even more so, he was now lying on the ground, and there was still a giant worm rolling his way.
Coming to a sudden halt, Gaemundr howled in pain once more. Blue electricity was once again surging across the worms body. Suffering from the renewed jolts of pain, Gaemundr completely abandoned the surface and tunneled rapidly back into the depths, kicking up massive clouds of dust.
The clouds of dust were quickly scattered by tactical bursts of airbending. Whistler cleared away the dust, so that everyone could look at her. She was holding the sword that Sen had dropped.
"Told you I'd do something," She bragged. When everybody else had been hiding and running, Whistler had managed to grab a sword and give Gaemundr a second shock, scaring him off completely.
"How lovely for you," Moldun grumbled. "Please get me a medic."
Sen and Ada left their hiding place in the soil, and Ada focused on treating Moldun. They had limited medical supplies, and it looked like Moldun would require quite a bit of treatment. He seemed oddly lucid, though. The fact that his elbow had been completely dislocated didn't seem to bother him very much.
"Hey, airbender, in that bag you were digging through, did you see a bottle with a red label on it?"
Whistler nodded and retrieved the bottle.
"Is that some kind of anaesthetic?" Ada asked.
"Something like that," Moldun responded. He unscrewed the bottle's cap and downed the contents in one large gulp. Ada shook her head.
As Ada got to work treating Moldun's arm, Gun crawled up to Sen. The badgermole was apparently under the impression that he had done a good job, and believed that he deserved a treat. Sen gave him a pat on the head and fetched some food.
"Now what?"
"Now you kids –ouch – you kids get me out of Gaemundr's territory, and then-" Moldun paused for a moment to swear. Ada was forcing his elbow back into place in a rather painful fashion. "And then I'm getting out of this blasted Spirit World. I think I've overstayed –Aaagh!- overstayed my welcome."
Ada had the courtesy to warn Moldun she was about to do something very painful, and Moldun grit his teeth. His face turned red as Ada did her work, but the pain quickly passed.
"Why do you have to be so good at this," He grunted. "Anyone else would just slap a splint on it, but you, you've got to pick at it."
"Because I'm not a huge fan of people losing their limbs, Moldun," Ada replied. Moldun cracked a painful smile.
"Of all the random imbeciles I could've come across out here, I think I'm glad it was you kids."
Ada nodded and put the finishing touches on her work. Moldun stood up immediately, despite Ada's protests. He waved his good arm dismissively.
"This ain't the first time I've had things broken," He explained. "I can handle myself."
Moldun had Suda grab what was left of his supplies and led the way out of Gaemundr's territory. The beast had been scared quite thoroughly now, so it was unlikely to return to human territory any time soon. At least long enough for Moldun to return to the material world and find someone to replace him.
"So we just walk away, then," Sen said angrily. "Even though Gaemundr is still out there."
"Ah, it's no problem," Moldun said. "You listen to me, kid. There's no shame in walking away from a fight. Lots of people go through a lot of grief because they don't know when to quit. Everybody thinks they've got to be tough, but even Gaemundr knows to run when the fights lost."
"But he's still out there," Sen said. "We haven't changed anything, we just delayed it. I mean, you even got hurt. If anything we made things worse."
"We bought ourselves some time," Moldun said. "Sometimes that's the best you can hope for. Besides, me, I've got nine years' worth of news to catch up on. Best to start sooner rather than later."
Moldun took a moment to think about it. Nine years was actually a lot of time. He may have missed some very important events.
"Well, tell me, did anything ever happen with that Energybender idiot?"
"Yeah, actually, there's kind of been some-"
Moldun interrupted Sen with a loud sigh.
"Well then I suppose my timing is just about perfect. I better be getting back to the real world, then."
He seemed a little disappointed for reasons Sen could not quite understand.
"Should've just stuck with hunting clubs," Moldun mumbled to himself.
With that mysterious comment aside, Moldun ceased talking about his plans for the future. They walked together for a while, getting out of Gaemundr's territory, while Moldun regaled them with hunting stories from his past. After travelling a good ways together, their paths split, with Moldun heading for the Republic portal alone, while Sen and his friends continued forwards to the Polar portals.