Year 765 The Storm Crawler Charge

Connor didn’t explain further, “We need to keep moving.”

Rhea didn’t try to argue right now doing exactly as he asks, going back to the task at hand. Though she made sure to show she is upset still by pouting and a stomp follows with each of her tiny steps. For a small woman, she really has a large personality. He adores those sides of her but he is too focused on the task, since seeing the Saoirse fill him with more paranoid. That specific female Saoirse always had the male twin following her since they were all children and that man is now the general of the knights of Chimeric Empire. At least, that’s what his intel told him the last time he saw him…

Wait, that prick is bound to show up at any point but if all three are here….then something is going on.

“Connor.” Rhea’s voice kicks him out of his mind and he saw why. A platoon of knights are blocking their only exit.

“Why are they here?” Connor asks out loud to no one in particular, guiding Rhea behind some barrels and crates. Azar lazily follows them with a bored yawn.

“What? Just burn them.”

Is that all you can think of? Thankfully, his wife had a bigger brain than this idiot.

“I know another way but….” She inspects the two, grimacing. “It might be a tight squeeze for you.”

“That’s better than having the empire breathing down our necks.” Connor made sure to give the other male mage a very pointed glare. Rhea wouldn’t comment, just turns around to take the path back. Connor and Azar are not too far behind, she took them through an alleyway passing some old neighbors chatting. They saw her and commented on the odd tint of her hair, they notice Connor giving them a glare and decided whistling was a better past time.

After some time, Rhea took them to the wooden city wall  There is a gap that they there about the size of a person. She wasn’t wrong to mention that it might be harder for them to squeeze through, it’s going to be a tight passage.

“Here it is.” She didn’t wait for them, slipping right through it fine and waiting at the other side.

Connor took off his father’s rifle that’s straps around his back. Then he did his best to squeeze through, The wood of the fence scrapes his vest and coat. He thought he might’ve caused holes by the time he is at the other side. Thankfully, no such thing happen. Rhea is lucky to be small.

“This is too much effort just to avoid some knights!” Azar complains from the other side of the gap.

“Then stay, I don’t care.” Connor really didn’t, his attention is on Rhea who scans the perimeter of the jungle with longing. It is like she is ready to vanish into them. Connor sidles up next to her, looking onward. “Do you miss it?”

“Sometimes.” She said simply after a small sigh, it’s weird for her to be this quiet. She’s been consumed with more than he knows, there’s a lot she hasn’t told him and whatever it was what triggered this strange behavior in the first place.

“Rhea. Are you up for this?” When he asks that she hop in place because of the shock.

“What? Of course I am.” Rhea forces a smile then changes the subject entirely. “Azar! Hurry up!”

Azar cusses, finally making through the gap. He didn’t really have much clothes on him so his skin had a few scuff marks from the wood. Out of pure spite, Connor hopes that one of those tiny wounds makes him sick.

Rhea no longer waits for them, walking towards the jungle line which is just a quarter of a nautical mile away. The males are quick to follow her tail, walking in complete silence that screams with tension. The trees are much taller than he expected when the enters the jungle. They reach the skies  taller than any building he knows, vines looping around the branches and hung from them. These vines easily touch his head at times. Manuk’s rays shine through the leaves, only dotting the lichen covered ground. They are in the shade but the heat here condense on them like a sticky and hot layer. Connor isn’t acclimated to this kind of humidity, already wrapping a headband around his forehead. Azar didn’t seem bothered by the heat but his skin vaporizes the humidity touching him, having this light layer of steam haloing him.

Rhea is perfectly fine, not a single sweat beads her face. He isn’t even sure if she ever did sweat around him. Her hair did look like it absorbed some of the humidity, the bounce of her curls no longer as strong. She didn’t try to do anything to fix it, in fact she looks happy with the way she stretches. Even the bugs didn’t bother her much but this is where he did try to apply the repellent he made.

It is in a bottle that he packed away, orange in color and it smells like citrus. It works the best against these bugs from chowing down on him. He didn’t want to contract anything he couldn’t survive from.

Rhea peeks over her shoulder, wrinkling her nose than moving forward. He guesses she didn’t much like the smell, there are a few that do.

There isn’t a single comment from Azar which is strange. Connor relish at the fact that Azar is too uncomfortable to.

Rhea lead them for some time, till the chirping of the night creatures fill the silence. Manuk’s throne long gone and the only light is from the glow of bugs crossing around them. Rhea stops, staring outward. “We should camp here.  It’s Stormcrawler season and they can wake up before the monsoon.”

Azar made himself at home, finding a sloping root to make himself comfortable in. His frown said it all, “I hate how wet this place is”

“Perfect humidity for Stormcrawlers.” Rhea turns to Connor, waiting for him to agree.

“Alright. I trust you.”

Rhea nods, now hunting for things to burn. She knew best what to find compared to Connor, she’s lived in this jungle for a long time. He found it fascinating feeling like he is under water with this humidity. His clothes are already wet from it.

He saw her gather up some burnable nests and twigs. Connor decides to help her build this camp. Rhea didn’t make a comment but her face shows the discontent towards the male mage’s reluctance to assist.

He made the campfire with the stick and nest, then circle the pile with rocks. Rhea didn’t stop gathering till they had a healthy pile that can last all night.

She lit the campfire he built, with her powers it wasn’t much effort. Connor sat down, leaning on the trunk of a tree closest to the fire. Rhea made her way next to him, but she kept her distance. He could tell she is conflicted, usually they would happily use each other for sleep.

Maybe she needs space. He didn’t like it though, but he wasn’t going to force her.

“I can take the first watch. My eyes are great at night”, She says making the campfire dance with a twist of her wrist. Rhea has been practicing like this to mimic what she had done at the Caem residence. She hasn’t been able to re-enact the skill.

Connor didn’t respond yet, watching her make the fire dance. His thoughts trail back to the artifact, they are so close but this talk of these Stormcrawlers had him accept Rhea’s suggestion right away. After some time with the watching, he found the motivation to ask. “About those Stormcrawlers. I’ve heard some tales but never seen them.”

“Aggressive and hungry, these beasts are always perpetually looking for food. They are blind, with three long claws, a large mouth and they only appear at night during monsoon season. They normally stay underground and fear fire. My father used to tell me he had to fend off against them while my mother was in labor-“ She stops to giggle sadly, “Sorry. He used to always talk about it every full moon at this time. His bad habit became mine and never went away.”

Connor took a few minutes to absorb the information in silence. She didn’t say anything more, now pulling out her rations to eat the meat jerky. After some time, his mind registers what she meant by every full moon. “Your birthday is coming up?”

Rhea blinks, not responding right away. That irks him so he watches her with his brow twitching. Her answer became a simple shrug, “Maybe…?”

“Rhea. That’s not an answer.” Connor is in disbelief, if he could look into her mind to make sense out of her behavior he would in a flash. This woman knows how to test his patience.

“I don’t know the exact day. But the twin moons were at its fullest. At least that’s what my parents told me.” He scan her nervous fidgeting as if she was in trouble again. She is for not telling him.

Moon at its fullest. He counts his fingers from the last time he saw the twin moon being at its fullest at this calendar month. He’s is a seafarer the skies are his tools to navigate so he memorized the moons rotation with the celestial stars. He figured it out in a matter of breaths. “That’s in FOUR days. You were never going to tell me.”

Outrage isn’t the only emotion that fought to be in the spotlight of his mind.

“That might be true but I have not celebrated my birthday about five crest moons. It just….is not important to me anymore.” Rhea no longer ate, she states at her food with a sad expression that darkness her features. Something else is bothering her and it was obvious

“That” Connor pinches at the bridge of his nose to reel back his negative emotions. Her sadness changes his priorities, “Never mind. When we do get out, you can’t run away from your birth day.”

He hears Rhea giggle, feeling elated that she was in good enough spirits to. “I do not think you will let me. But if we must, I want to know your birthdate.”

“Fifteenth of Gasparg Voidbut I have a feeling you won’t remember.” He gave her a pointed stare which had her straighten her spine and stick her tongue out at him.

“Pfft! I am not incompetent of everything. In a few months you will not be able to run from me.” It felt nice to hear her banter again, he didn’t quite liked her lackluster commentary earlier.

“I’ll take your word for it.”

She grins but the yawn creeps up on his beautiful wife. He beckons her to come closer with one arm out, she did just to crawl into his embrace. Even in the heat of this humidity, he didn’t want to let her go. He won’t unless the stormcrawler rips his arm off. “I insist you go to bed first. I’ll keep watch”

“No…I will stay up.” She quarrels but her head already plops against his shoulder. Her eyes are shut, peacefully melting into him. She lightly snores next, not even waiting to argue with him more  She must’ve been so tired.

“Goodnight…” He kisses her on her head, not even caring if Azar saw. Then again that mage didn’t even move after he laid down on that root.

Besides he would have made comments if he was awake. Connor is truly alone with his own thoughts. He is glad about one thing, Rhea is in his arms and she won’t leave him. At least not yet.

He wonders furiously how she can be so quick to fall asleep despite her stubbornness. He would probably never get the chance to know, regardless it brought a smile on his face just breathing in peace.

If only he could have that same serenity, he might just benefit from it. All the same, he was never given the opportunity of tranquility. Born in an uptight family, cabin boy for a notorious pirate ship, then captain. He just never learned to calm down, except maybe around her.

His unease fuels his decisions, if something felt wrong he will change it, not wait for it to get better. That sometimes won’t even make him feel better, just worse. He truly couldn’t even admit his own feelings towards the one next to him right away.

His alchemy master taught him one thing, confidence is an act to get things done otherwise do not quickly forget the anxiety. Sometimes he wonders if the part that Rhea fell in love with isn't really the true Connor.

He’d slain the thought from his mind, focusing on the task at hand and feeling more confident in that than the very notion that someone can genuinely love him for who he is.

If he can get the keys maybe then he could truly accept himself.

Afterall, the mystery treasure could solve all his problems.