Interesting, but not that surprising. All the composite affinities were widely known, so Percy had a pretty good idea what they were getting ahead of time. He still had no clue what Micky could use the new affinity for, though he certainly hoped the bird would get another mutation or two the next time his beast core advanced.
“Percy, we need to get out of here.” Nesha reminded him.
He nodded. It would be a while until Deimos figured out what had happened to Jason, but that didn’t mean they could afford to waste their precious head-start. Of course, they still had some unfinished business in the Whistling Woods. Sighing, Percy walked over to Jason’s mutilated corpse – just the man’s bloodied belongings, really, as Micky had already devoured anything even remotely edible. Percy doubted he'd get as much stuff as he’d looted from Rambert, but a scion of the Divine Root ought to have some valuables of his own.
“Such a pity we can’t keep this.” he said, picking the communication device up.
Percy would have liked to examine its enchantments a little longer. It was definitely one of the most advanced pieces of tech he’d seen on Remior. Engraved with multiple interconnected runes, it could even be considered a nascent version of magiscript. Its scope still fell short of the Vault’s standards, but he could learn a thing or two studying it.
That said, he couldn’t risk the possibility that Deimos could track it down. Besides, he couldn’t even activate it without the correct affinities. Tossing it by Nesha’s feet, Percy watched her tear it to shreds with a couple of butterflies, before stomping the fragments into dust and scattering them in the wind. That ought to have been enough.
“Hmmm? Is this what I think it is?” Percy asked, picking a familiar-looking object from among the tattered robes.
“Wow, these assholes are filthy rich, aren’t they?” Nesha echoed his feelings, also recognizing the spatial amulet.
“What’s inside it?” Nesha asked again.
Shrugging, Percy opened the device before scanning its contents. Though he failed to suppress a grimace soon after.
“Tsch. I’m sure he had more elixirs when he started his mission, but he’s drank most of them by now. Only a few weeks left.”
“Is that everything?”
“Well, he does have a couple dozen healing potions. Other than that, it’s mostly money, food and fancy clothes. The money and the food we can keep, I guess. But the clothes we’ll have to get rid of…”
There was also a dose of Aurora Dew in there, along with a few yellow Guild robes. Percy guessed these were the things Jason had relied on to locate them. Storing the consumables away, he poured all the garments into a pile on the ground. He and Nesha would have to get changed too. They hadn’t had the chance earlier, given the urgency of their escape, but they couldn’t afford to look like nobles from here on out. Luckily, they’d had the foresight to pack a few clean linen outfits within their first couple of days at the mansion.
“Hey, what’s that?” Nesha asked, pointing at a bronze badge glinting among the man’s robes.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
It depicted a series of roots emerging from the underside of a cloud – the Divine Root’s insignia.
“I guess it’s like his identification or something.” Percy said. “It’s enchanted.”
“Should we destroy it too?”
“No. The enchantment is quite simple. It’s not releasing much mana either. I doubt anybody can track it from afar. It’s probably just there to verify the authenticity of the badge, and to tell it apart from others.”
“What’s the point in keeping it, though?”
“Well, we are trying to infiltrate the Thirsty Valley. Maybe it’ll help.” he shrugged.
Separating the man’s belongings into two piles, Percy left Nesha and Micky in charge of destroying the first one, while taking his sweet time storing anything they wanted to keep within the spatial amulets. Percy’s original amulet, as well as the five he had taken from House Tantalus were already full, but the new one had a lot more space.
By the time they were done, the sun had already come out. Percy tossed his surroundings one last look – he had no idea when he’d next have a chance to visit home. Possibly never. The trio was about to head out, when they heard the sound of footsteps.
“Who’s there?” Percy asked, drawing mana out of both cores. His companions prepared themselves too, though everyone relaxed once they caught sight of the newcomer.
“Elaine?! What are you doing here?!” Nesha asked.
“Hey guys! I’ve spent all night looking for you!” Elaine greeted; an apologetic smile plastered all over her face. “Thank Phoebe you’re all ok! I wanted to come with you from the beginning, but I couldn’t leave without telling my parents goodbye. I don’t know if I’ll ever see them, or Owain again.”
“What do you mean?” Percy asked, not liking where this was going.
“What else? I’m coming along. To the Thirsty Valley. And wherever you end up going after that.”
“Have you lost your mind?!” Percy snapped. “Go back to the mansion before anybody sees you with us! This isn’t a game, Elaine! You can easily ruin your whole future!”
Elaine rolled her eyes at his outburst.
“Percy, I’m not an idiot. I know damn well what I’m doing. I’ve already discussed it with Grandpa and Uncle Galahad at length.”
Percy was taken aback.
“You’re telling me, Galahad agreed to let the family’s most promising Green leave with a banished criminal?”
“Well… not exactly. He was against it.” Elaine reluctantly admitted. “But Grandpa was ok with it. Look! He gave me this!” she replied, dangling yet another spatial amulet in front of Percy and Nesha.
“He even allowed me to bring three months of elixirs with me. FYI, that’s the maximum anybody can take on a mission.” she added a moment later. “Oh, but officially I’m just going out to hunt scorpions again for a few months. No need to bust my cover if I can help it.”
Percy’s jaw would have hit the ground if it wasn’t attached to his face. It took him a whole minute to find the words to reply.
“Why the hell would he do that?! I already feel like shit for all the trouble I’ve caused. The last thing I want is to have this on my conscience too…” he muttered.
Elaine shook her head, however.
“Percy… do you know the difference between Galahad and Grandpa?” she asked.
“What sort of question is that? I guess Galahad is a bigger jerk?”
“Yes, but that’s not what I’m talking about. It’s true that both of them have warmed up to you after coming to terms with your potential, but Uncle Galahad is still a step behind. He only sees you as an asset. He would like to have you around, if possible, but not if the price is too high.”
Percy nodded, though he still had no clue where Elaine was going with this.
“Well, Grandpa is different. By now, he understands the truth about you. As do I.”
“You’re the future of House Avalon, Percy! You’re more important than any of us will ever be. The things you have already achieved are more than our entire family has managed in 2000 years! One day, we will all be defined and remembered by the way you lived! No price is too high to ensure your safety!”
Percy didn’t know what to say in response to that. That was quite the high praise. And he knew his cousin was sincere about it too. Still, it did little to curb his guilt.
“What if House Avalon comes to be hated by the rest of Remior because of me?”
Elaine pulled him into a tight embrace, before replying.
“As far as I’m concerned, you’re the future of Remior too, Percy. Even if those idiots are blind to it…”
Neither Percy nor Nesha said anything more to dissuade Elaine. She’d already made it quite clear that she had no intention of turning back. Instead, they brought her up to speed on the events of the previous night, before the group of four finally set out.
Percy still wasn’t too happy about this, but there was no denying that Elaine was quite a powerful helper to bring along. Using Circulation, his cousin could probably beat even the likes of Jason. Just like that, their group’s fighting strength had shot through the roof.
And there was one more thing she was bringing to the table.
‘I suppose Micky just gained himself a teacher…’