Beyond the Borders
Their group woke with the sun the next day. Wil and Florina managed to grab one or two hours of sleep before Dorcas arrived with his own horse, and their group set off. Then, they'd gone on for a few hours, Dorcas, Sain, Lyn, Kent, and Florina riding on horseback, and Wil and Alysia walking.
"We've almost reached the Lycian border." Kent announced. They had stopped for a moment in a forest to gather themselves before pressing onwards. Alysia was happy to have a moment to rest her feet.
"Once we cross the border, we'll be safe from bandit attacks, right?" Lyn asked.
"We should be." Wil confirmed. "I doubt they'd be willing to pursue us across the border."
Sain grinned. "Lycia at last! It's been far too long. Tomorrow, we dine on a feast of Lycia's finest food!" He paused, and then added, "And the mistress of the inn at the crossing is said to be a beauty."
"Ah, yes. Food and love. No better was to restore a soul." Alysia said sarcastically.
"Sure to be an evening to remember, right Kent?" Sain asked.
"If your behavior remains as it is now, then we'd best stay elsewhere tonight." Kent chastised. "We aren't here to sight-see, and you know that!"
"Oh, come now! That's hardly fair!" Sain objected.
"Kent, the inn will be fine." Lyn said.
Kent conceded the point, but Sain continued on. "Lyndis, you are indeed an angel sent from on high!"
"It's nothing." She said. "Forget it."
Florina smiled. "Perhaps we'll be able to get a good night's sleep for once." She said hopefully.
The sound of footsteps broke them out of their musings. They turned to see three men running towards them. "Shit." Alysia muttered. "If nothing else, those bandits are a persistent bunch. To arms!"
"Don't think you'll get away so easily!" The bandit leader said. "You leave alive, and the world will think we've gone soft!"
"And you think we care for your reputation?" Lyn said, drawing the Mani Katti. "We will get to Lycia. Stand in our way, and you won't live to regret it!"
"Cheeky little bitch, aren't you? Get 'em, boys!" The bandit leader rushed away, and suddenly the woods were filled with bandits.
As Alysia was taking in their surroundings, she heard a scream. She looked in its direction to see a bandit archer firing his bow into the trees. Suddenly, two fireballs streaked out of the forest, striking the archer in the chest, incinerating him.
"That scream came from the forest." She realized. "Florina!" The pegasus rider came over to her. "I need you to take me up. Everyone else, stay together for now!" They nodded, and Alysia hopped onto the pegasus.
The pegasus circled up into the sky, and Alysia marveled at how small everything seemed from so far up. She cleared her head, noted the location of a nearby armory, and looked below for the source of the fireballs. Soon, Alysia caught sight of two people on the edge of the forest. One, a pink-haired girl, was dressed in the robes of a cleric. The other, a purple-haired man, wore the robes of a mage. He appeared to be injured. Alysia pointed the pair out to Florina. "There. Take me down." Florina nodded, and they descended.
Alysia leapt off the pegasus and ran up to the pair. "Excuse me?" She asked. The pair looked over to her. "Why are you two fighting these bandits?"
"It just happened." The purple-haired man said shortly, hurling a fireball towards a charging brigand.
"That's not true!" The cleric shouted. She pointed a finger at Alysia. "Those ruffians thought we were with you!" She accused. "You got us into this situation! Now, you're going to get us out of it!"
"Serra," The mage said, "If you'd not have been so meddlesome, then all of this could've been avoided." The mage looked back to Alysia. "Please forgive us. We will trouble you no more."
"If you're going to fight anyways," Alysia said, "then wouldn't it be a good idea to team up? We'd finish this fight faster that way."
"That's a great idea!" Serra exclaimed. She turned to the mage. "Erk, go help them!"
Erk sighed. "Very well."
"Thank you." Alysia said. "My name's Alysia. I'm glad to hear that you'll join arms with us."
"Our pleasure!" Serra said. "I'm Serra, and this is my escort, Erk." She turned to Erk. "Be a good boy and fight now."
"Actually, Serra." Alysia said. "It looks like your friend is hurt, and I don't think I brought a vulnerary with me. We should get back to our group so that we can patch up that wound of his."
"Don't be silly!" She said. "As his master and employer, I am perfectly capable of looking after one contrary mage! Since I'm such a generous person, I'll heal him for you."
She lifted her staff and pointed it at Erk, who was instantly surrounded in a halo of blue light. To Alysia's surprise, the arrow wound in Erk's leg disappeared, though the hole in his red robes still remained.
Erk tested his weight on the leg. "Not sure how I got into this mess, Alysia." He admitted. "If I'm going to fight, though, then allow me to show you what else magic can do!" Erk climbed to the peak of a hill, and summoned an orb of fire, then hurled it at an archer at the bottom of the hill. Alysia followed up after him, Florina and Serra close behind.
"Florina, go tell the others that now is the time to fight!" Florina nodded, and her pegasus took flight. As the rest of the group made their way out of the forest, a swordsman approached from the base of the hill. Erk easily picked him off with another quick fireball. Florina's pegasus crossed back over the sky, and across a lake to the south, seeking out a swordsman on the far shore.
To the north, Sain and Kent engaged a group of axe-fighters, easily dodging their swings, and sneaking in blows at each opportunity. Wil was engaged in a duel with an opposing archer, easily eliminating his foe with a well-placed arrow. Alysia looked around, and picked out Lyn, darting in and out of a small grove of trees as she fought the leader of the bandits. Alysia smiled.
She's learning quickly. She thought. She's using the trees as cover for her attacks, forcing her opponent to make firewood as they fight. She watched on as Lyn delivered the final blow. The bandit leader fell, and the rest of them scattered. Alysia caught Florina's attention, and they flew over to Lyn and the others.
"Nicely done, Lyn!" Alysia said as they touched down. "That should do it."
"I'm surprised, Lyn!" Serra said, dismounting from Kent's horse. "You're stronger than I thought your were."
"Your magic amazes me, as well." Lyn admitted.
"Only those in the service of good can wield a stave like my own." She said.
"You were a tremendous help to us. Good luck on your journey!" Lyn said.
"Thank you." Erk said. "Good luck on your journey as well."
They turned to leave, when Sain's voice rang out. "What have we here?" He asked. "Another wildflower? Perhaps a butterfly?" He stopped his horse a few feet from Serra. "What an absolutely beautiful sight!"
Serra blushed. "Why thank you, kind sir." She said coyly. "Are you one of Lyn and Alysia's companions?"
"Please call me Sain, O beauteous one!" He said.
"I'm Serra, Sain." She said, introducing herself officially. "I serve House Ostia."
"And I serve Castle Caelin." Sain replied.
"Would that make Lyn a member of the marquess's family?" Serra inquired, now eying Lyn with what Alysia swore was a look of appraisal.
"The granddaughter of our lord." Sain confirmed.
"Such an important person so far from home?" Serra said, descending into thought.
A worried glance crossed Erk's face. "Serra, what devious scheme are you concocting now?"
"Having a person of power in your debt is never a bad thing." She said, thinking, a devious smile growing on her lips.
"You can't seriously be thinking-" Erk started, before being cut off by his companion.
"Sain, do you think we could join the lady Lyndis's company?" Serra asked. "She seems like a nice person, and I'd be very honored to help her return home." She winked at Sain, who's face lit up almost immediately.
"Of course!" He said immediately. "We would be happy to have you both aboard!"
Alysia nodded. "It would be nice to have some additional fighting power in case things go from bad to worse."
Serra frowned. "Are you being hunted by someone?"
"It's an inheritance dispute." Sain confirmed. "Assassins lurk around every turn."
"In which case, my healing powers and Erk's magic will come in handy." Serra said.
"They would be extremely helpful!" Sain said.
"Unbelievable." Erk said.
"It is!" Serra said, not quite catching the sarcasm in his voice. "Our good deeds will build a debt of gratitude beyond imagination!" She walked up to Sain, and the two struck up a conversation almost immediately.
"I... I think I'm going to be ill." Erk said.
"Tell me about it." Kent agreed.
Later that night, as the others settled into their rooms at the inn, Alysia was awake, washing up for what felt like the first time in years. As she washed, she noticed that her body was covered in various marks and scars, and even an odd tattoo on her right shoulder blade that she couldn't quite make out.
When she finished washing, she returned to her room, and dressed in her normal clothes, with the Sylvanas tucked into a satchel that hung by her side. The role Erk played in the battle today had reminded her of its existence and power. She wanted to do more to help, and learning to use the Sylvanas would be a good first step. She wanted to talk to Erk about how to use it.
She opened the door, and was surprised to see Erk standing there, ready to knock. He remained that way for an instant before putting his hand down. "Good evening, milady." Erk said.
Alysia noticed his eyes drift to the satchel at her side. "I wanted to talk to you about it, actually." She said, motioning for Erk to come in. He nodded, and walked into her room. They settled a low table flanked by mats, and Alysia put the Sylvana on the table.
"May I?" Erk asked. Alysia nodded, and Erk picked up the emerald tome reverently. "The Sylvanas is unique among Anima tomes in that it is what is referred to as a 'Living Tome.'"
"What does that mean?" Alysia asked.
Erk pulled out his Fire tome. "This tome will do one thing and one thing only: Create balls of fire. No variations whatsoever. The Sylvanas is different. Its power is limited only by its user's creativity, and by the fact that it is a tome of Nature, of the earth itself."
"So, while I can't use it to fling fireballs or create lightning bolts," Alysia summarized, "it can do other things specifically pertaining to the world around me."
Erk nodded. "My studies on the subject are rather limited, I'll admit, but bards tell of its use as a powerful offensive and defensive tool: impaling enemies on spikes of stone, and summoning giant walls of earth to deflect attacks."
Alysia whistled, and took the book back from Erk. "I guess it's not exactly something that you can teach me, then, is it?"
Erk shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. However, if you do decide to utilize the Sylvanas in the field, I will warn you of one thing."
Alysia cocked an eyebrow. "What?"
Erk's always-grave face darkened even further. "Don't push yourself too far too fast. Anima magic involves the spirits of the world around you, channeling them through the tome and congregating them within yourself, before releasing them as magic. If you bite off more than you can chew, and put too much strain on your body, the results can be fatal. I've seen pupils try to skip basic fire magic and go straight for more powerful Elfire tomes. The lucky ones survived with scars to remind them of their folly. The less fortunate were reduced to ash in seconds."
Alysia nodded. "Thank you for the lesson and the warning, Erk. I'll take them both to heart."
Erk nodded, and rose from his chair. He bid Alysia a good night, and left the room. Alysia shrugged out of her traveling clothes and into the lighter wear that she'd picked up in a shop in town, after heading to the armory and picking up some new weapons to replace the worn ones they'd been carrying. Then, she went over to the bed, and looked out the window. There was a beautiful view of the sun as it started to set.
On the window sill was a potted flower. Alysia took the potted plant, and set it on the bed. Then, she took the Sylvanas out, and began to read...