“What’s up with you?”

Bjorn looked up from a crate he was sitting on, at Taya, who had seemingly appeared before him from nothing with Peng and Ruhak in tow.

He sat huddled outside the singular medical tent the Ascomanni had, staring down at the cobblestones as he waited.

“Taken a look around at all?” Bjorn asked, gesturing to their surroundings.

The refugees who knew him looked on with scornful glares. He didn’t even want to think about what they thought of him. But his mind didn’t really give him a choice.

“A couple of scary glares. So what?” Taya shrugged, “I saw lightning shoot into the sky. Which means you clearly did something cool.”

“I found out that I can...Stop plague deaths? Kind of.” Bjorn said, “I can absorb the light and the energy and redirect it somewhere else in the form of lightning.”

All three widened their eyes.

“Damn.” Ruhak muttered, “That is impressive.”

“Where’s Cecile?” Taya asked.

“She’s checking to see if I did more harm than good.” Bjorn said, “How were things on your end.”

Taya hissed, “See...we kind of have to go to Koinelia.”

Bjorn blinked, “To where?”

“See, the guilds here don’t have the ability to let us expand.” Taya said, “So if we want any more than five members, we’ll have to go to Koinelia. And I reckon we’ll need more than five to fight the Nikan or Sarfait.”

“Actually, funny story, the people that invaded my home weren’t the Sarfans. They’re giants. Frost giants. From fairy tales.” Bjorn said, “I know it sounds crazy, but…”

“Gods damnit. That’s the third.” Taya hissed.

“What?” Bjorn frowned.

“I believe you. But now we really need to get to Koinelia.” Taya assured him.

Bjorn paused for a minute, his jaw frozen, but he quickly regained control of himself.

“I...Alright. We can leave soon, then?” Bjorn asked.

Taya frowned, “Absolutely.”

The medical tent’s flaps burst open as Cecile walked out with a sigh, “Good news, Bjorn. She’s perfectly healthy. Aside from, you know, the injuries and whatnot.”

“Thank the gods.” Bjorn sighed.

“Oh. Afternoon.” Cecile nodded to Taya and the others.

“C’mon, you two. We have several things to discuss.” Taya ushered them to her. “And maybe we can do it in a place where Peng and Bjorn are getting fewer death glares.”

Bjorn was thankful to follow them out of the refugee camp as Cecile was caught up on the guild business.

As they walked through the city, following Taya’s lead, the Sklaveni abruptly stopped in the middle of the street and swiveled around to face them.

“Alright.” Taya said, “I want to know how everyone’s feeling. Because the trip to Koinelia is pretty long and in the opposite direction of where some of us want to go.”

“Thought about it a little. I’ve got nowhere to go.” Ruhak said, “Plus I’ve always wanted to see the capital of my home.”

“Bjorn, you’re on board, right?” Taya asked.

“No one as of right now is going to help me fight for my homeland. So yes. I’m on board.” Bjorn said.

“Cecile? Peng?”

Peng sighed, “Look...I don’t mind you all, but...I’m so far from home. I can’t just go to  war with my homeland. I mean, there are tons of good people there. I know that wars tend not to care.”

Taya nodded, “Well, if you want to go home, we’ll be going east as well. We can travel together until we reach Koinelia. Can’t hurt to have some companions on the road these days.”

Peng nodded, “I suppose I can see the logic in that. Alright.”

They all looked at Cecile. She’d never seemed very intent on helping fight a war. She was a doctor, after all. But then again, Bjorn was still completely unaware of her motives for...well almost anything. But now what?

“Well, it’s either I patch up people who accuse me of being a witch every few months or I patch up you morons.” Cecile said. “And I’d rather contribute an effort to actually put an end to all this chaos. Regardless of how idiotic I think it is.”

“Good enough for me.” Taya smiled.

“The trip will take at least two months.” Ruhak said, “We should stoc-”

Taya loudly sucked air through her teeth, “About that, remember when we left everything we wanted to sell on our boat down in the lowlands?”

Bjorn pinched the bridge of his nose, “Okay, so we have no money. And we’re supposed to make it all the way to Koinelia with zero funds.”

Bah! We’ll figure it out.” Taya grinned, “Now, the world awaits us! Let’s fight an empire!”

_____________________________________________________________________

Turns out all the plays lied when talking about epic quests that heroes took. They never bothered to mention how tedious travel was.

Ruhak collapsed next to the small fire Cecile had started as the sun began to set. These highlands were a bitch and a half to traverse.

Not only was there the forest of rock formations to maneuver around, but the ground itself was so inconsistent in elevation, Ruhak swore he broke a bone in his ankles with each step.

They’d been on the road for a week, heading east through the highlands. From there, it was Sklaveni forest and through the border into the city of Dimale. Then a ferry ride to Koinelia.

As with many things, it seemed simple in digestible steps. But in the back of Ruhak’s mind, he couldn’t shake the feeling that those geographical challenges weren’t the problems they should be worried about.

The world was going through a weird time and statistically, it would be wise to expect to encounter something completely foreign and unknown. According to Bjorn, his people had been brought low by fairy tale creatures. Then, there was that prince. Yes, they sunk his boat, but wouldn’t that give him all the more reason to persist in chasing them down? They hadn’t exactly covered all their tracks.

“Ruhak?” Cecile’s soft voice broke through his whirlwind of thoughts as she offered him a bowl of stew. Defeating bandits and looters had actually been rather lucrative, as many of them had bounties on their heads and their equipment could be sold off for a reasonable price. “You alright? You seem out of it.”

Ruhak nodded, accepting the bowl, “Just thinking.”

“You do that a lot.” Taya pointed out from a log she’d turned into a makeshift stool, “I’d argue a little too much.”

Ruhak shrugged, “I’m a thoughtful person. I feel like we’re bound to encounter something far more dangerous than bandits, whether it be that prince or something else weird. It doesn’t sit right with me that we’ve just been...walking all this time.”

Taya nodded, “That’s probably the case.”

“So what are we going to do about it?” he asked.

“When they come, we’ll stab them.” Taya said.

Ruhak sighed, “Taya...that’s just stupid.”

“Is it?” Taya pursed her lips, “Alright, what do you wanna do about it.”

“Cecile and I.” Ruhak showed his right hand, “We have Scars like you. And no symptoms. We should learn to do the same thing you and Bjorn can.”

Taya nodded, “Fair enough. Let’s see if you’ve got what it takes. I haven’t exactly taught many. But if you have the capacity to be a Shedim Master then you should’ve already bonded with one. Bjorn, you come over here too.”

Bjorn glanced up from a conversation he was having with Peng, “Uh...alright.”

The Ascommani walked over.

“Take a seat with them. I’m going to teach you all some magic.” Taya rotated her wrists, cracking the joints.

Bjorn raised an eyebrow, “Thought you said it wasn’t magic.”

Taya threw her green flannel cloak aside, “Shedim Mastery, lesson one. In order to even start learning how to control a Shedim, you have to be able to manifest it first. This is done by sheer willpower. You may have powers, but no control or gain of your power can be exercised until you’ve seen your Shedim and spoken its name.”

“How are we supposed to know its name?” Cecile asked.

“You do that later. Channel your power first. Get your Scars glowing.” Taya said.

“Just willpower? What are we supposed to do or focus on?” Ruhak asked.

“Well, you should maybe focus on what you’re channeling your willpower into.” Taya said, “But other than that, it doesn’t matter.”

Ruhak took a deep breath. If you say so.

He closed his eyes and...tried to focus his will power. Whatever that meant. The concept was so abstract, how were they expected to follow it like a set of concrete instructions?

“How is this supposed to work? What actually is my willpower supposed to be?” Ruhak asked.

“Stop asking questions and figure it out for yourself.” Taya said.

“I did it!”

Ruhak looked over at Cecile. The Scar around her abdomen and right side of her chest glowed a bright bluish-green through her clothes.

“What? How?” Ruhak demanded an answer.

Cecile shrugged, “Well, all that went through my head is the fact that I knew I could do it, if those two could.”

“Wait…” Bjorn frowned.

“No offense.” Cecile half-smiled.

“Some taken.” Bjorn muttered.

Ruhak closed his eyes and put his focus back on manifesting his powers. He just had to know he could do it. And he could...couldn’t he?

Well, what if he was wrong and he didn’t have what it took? He didn’t know what exactly to do. There were no experts. Hell, there were no scholars he could turn to for wisdom period!

No, he told himself. You can at least do this. Trust in Taya.

The Sklaveni may not have been the smartest person in the world, but as far as he was concerned, she was the closest thing to an expert on this form of magic. And she believed they could do it...

Ruhak pushed himself, a wave of cold running across his body. He opened his eyes to find the Scars on his hands glowing a sort of off-white limestone color.

“Good.” Taya smiled, “Next thing hasn’t been done by anyone here. It’s a little more concrete. You feel that chill in your veins? Force it out. That’ll manifest your Shedim. I’ll demonstrate.”

Taya’s Scar glowed deep purple. Then her eyes were full of that same color. Dark violet fog streamed off her skin and coalesced behind her into a humanoid form that floated just above the ground.

Ruhak had seen her Shedim before, but never really got a good look at it. The figure was a woman that looked remarkably like Taya in facial structure. It had pale greyish white skin and long, ebony black hair that seemed to float as though it were submerged in the sea. It was draped in low cut, flowing black robes and its hands were caked in crimson blood. The phantom seemed to not be entirely there. Almost as though it took effort to even perceive her form.

Peng, whose mind had been elsewhere during this rest, yelped at the Shedim’s sudden appearance, like the both of them had the first time they saw it.

“This is the Phantom Queen of Crows. My Shedim.” Taya said, “Your turn.”

This step was far easier for Ruhak. He did feel the cold. So he pushed it out just by tensing his muscles. His was the first out.

He turned to find a dark skinned man far larger than him towering over his form. The only strange part about him, aside from the general glowing aura was the fact that he had a lion’s head.

“Look like any familiar gods to you?” Taya asked him.

“What?” Ruhak frowned.

“Elder Shedim are often portrayed as gods. There’s almost a guarantee your culture has a god similar to this Shedim in its pantheon. It’s the only way to figure its name out.” Taya said.

He narrowed his eyes, trying to recall all the gods in the old Hikupti pantheon. It wasn’t easy, considering how the Koini had merged their pantheons together.

Ruhak snapped his fingers, “Of course! The Warrior King’s Faithful Companion!”

Upon speaking the name of the deity, the Shedim returned to his body in a flash of light, shocking him with a wave of coldness.

“Gods and demons!” Ruhak yelped.

“Once you say the name, the Shedim is bound to you permanently and you can start growing your mastery over its power.” Taya said.

Bjorn was the next to have a person pop out of his body. In a flash of lightning, a man materialized behind him. The man was as tall as Bjorn standing up and was covered in a far heavier, more concealing version of Ascomanni armor, with a bluish-grey cape. Through the eyeholes of the helmet, Ruhak swore there was nothing inside except electricity behind them.

“I just have to say its name?” Bjorn asked.

“Yep.” Taya nodded.

“The Weathering Storm of the White Sea.” Bjorn said. The Shedim vanished just like that.

After a minute or two more of trying, Cecile finally got her Shedim to manifest. Pristine blue water seemed to be drawn out from her skin, coalescing into the shape of a woman who had as much similarity to her Master as each of their Shedim

The Shedim’s flesh was made from that bright blue water, while its long, loose hair was formed from some kind of aquatic plant. Aside from its eyes, its face didn’t exist. It wore a white linen dress that billowed out at the bottom and jewelry made from plants and amber.

“Any gods?” Taya asked.

“Er...Sarfans are monotheistic, Taya.” Cecile said, “We don’t exactly have a pantheon.”

“Well did you used to?” Taya asked.

“There was some paganism there in the past, but it’s all been forgotten. Scrubbed out by monks and scribes.” Cecile muttered.

“Well, do you have other things that aren’t gods?”

Cecile thought for a moment, “We have patron saints. Actually…” she started talking to herself, running through a list of names until she reached one, “Gwendolyn, Patron Saint of Rivers?”

Nothing happened.

“Does she have another title?” Taya asked.

“Um, I think it was...Mother of Rivers atop the Mountain Peaks.”

The Shedim was sucked back into her body. Cecile shuddered before gasping with relief.

“There. Now you can all fight without yelling at me for help.” Taya said, “Now in exchange, I want double rations tonight.”

“Taya,” Bjorn muttered, his eyes glancing between Ruhak and Cecile, “What’s that pulse I hear? It’s like a heartbeat.”

“Oh. That’s how you know if other Elder Shedim are around. Elder Shedim become more and more...well, not intelligent, but active the deeper your bond is. The pulse gets louder the more active or powerful a nearby Shedim is.” Taya explained, “It’s odd you don’t have to focus to perceive it, though.”

Ruhak took a deep breath and focused, similar to when he got his Scars to light up. He could hear them too.

A loud and constant thumping came from Taya and Bjorn's direction, while a distinctly different, but much softer beat came from Cecile.

Ruhak chuckled, “Hey. I can hear it too.”

“Useful, right?” Taya asked, “It even helps you detect Elder Shedim who are being Banebended. Though, typically you’ll hear ear piercing screeches instead of a pulse while a Banebender’s Shedim is being used.”

“So this’ll help us detect the enemy?” Cecile asked.

Taya shrugged, “It’s certainly better than nothing, but...it’s not exactly reliable all the time. A more powerful pulse might intervene with your ability to hear a weaker one. Which is a problem because Bjorn and I have strong pulses.”

“I can hear Cecile’s just fine, though.” Ruhak said.

“Then you’re lucky today.” Taya said.

As conversation died down and Cecile returned to rationing out their supper, Ruhak leaned back and just let himself listen to the pulses of each of his companions again.

Except this time there was something else.

He glanced over towards Peng. Ruhak swore he could hear the faintest little pulse coming from...was it the man or was it the spear?