II. Discovery (Chapter One)
The hour to depart from the Guild’s quarters couldn’t come fast enough. After spending so much time inside watching your fearless leader heal, the idea of an adventure was gnawing at your heels. You spend the day gathering your equipment and provisions, as the journey to Spirit Lake could take a few days. Burt squirms with excitement with every passing shade.
“Tent?” Allard asks, as he looks at a list scribbled on parchment.
“Check!” you and Burt reply.
The inventory process seems to agitate Burt as he restlessly paces back and forth around your packs.
“Scroll?” Allard asks, looking at Burt.
Burt checks his pockets, then scrambles into his pack. He nervously looks back up and runs to his room to search for the scroll. In Burt’s absence, Allard holds up the scroll, and you both chuckle. Burt rushes back into the room and sees Allard holding it.
“Allard! That’s not funny!” Burt says as he grabs the scroll.
“You two are on Adventurer’s Guild duty. You are an extension of who we are and what we stand for. I suggest you two behave like it. Keep an eye out for each other. The road to Spirit Lake is broad and open. "There are not many places to hide if you run into trouble,” Allard says warningly.
“Hide? I have the Mark of the Phoenix! No one would dare mess with Big Moves Burt!” Burt proudly shouts.
“No one calls you Big Moves Burt other than yourself, Burt,” Allard says as Burt continues to stand with his chest out.
You pick up your pack and throw it over your shoulder, and Burt follows suit.
“May the currents flow in your favor,” Allard says as he opens the door for you two.
You and Burt make your way to the edge of Windrose City, where the walls block the view of the grassy fields just outside. It’s midday, and the sky is clear except for a few small clouds. The eastern gate before you stands wide open, inviting you to the road ahead. You and Burt lengthen your strides as the excitement of adventure rushes through your veins. It’s just the open road and the blue sky as you and Burt pass through the gate and onto the bridge over the moat. Once past the walls of the city, the noise of chatting whiskers dies down, and the many sounds of the city fade into the endless hymns of nature. The road is absolutely clear, other than a small black dot in the distance.
“Let’s slow down, there's no reason to run there,” Burt says with his arms outstretched, soaking up the day. “I’m so happy that we aren’t traveling north. Even though I’d rather be going to Amalhasu, a nice trip to a lake sounds enjoyable.”
You look over at Burt with the contract in your hand.
“I know we're working, but who says we can’t enjoy ourselves?” Burt asks, looking up at the sky.
You nudge Burt.
“That’s right, Allard did. But look, he’s stuck in the Guild’s quarters. Let’s try to relax a bit.”
You fold up the contract and put it back in your pack. The black dot in the distance is getting closer and looks more brown than black. It looks to be a whisker that is running. You look at Burt and point.
“I’ve never understood exercising. Seems like a waste of time,” Burt says.
The whisker gets closer until it trips over its feet, hitting the road. Burt chuckles a bit, and you elbow him. The whisker springs back onto its feet and starts running again. When the whisker sees you, it frantically waves its arms. Burt casually waves back as the whisker approaches.
“Go back! Go back to Windrose! There’s a beast near the land bridge!” The whisker shouts as he runs past you and Burt. His ripped garments barely clinging to his body.
You and Burt turn around and watch him continue on to Windrose City. The day is still bright and clear, with no apparent threats around.
“I wonder what got into him? It’s a lovely day out here,” Burt says.
You open the Atlas to see if there are any larger creatures around but find no indication of anything dangerous. However, the map shows the land bridge as a lighter shade of blue. You grab Burt’s attention.
“Of course! The land bridge comes and goes with the tide. That whisker must have just crossed earlier today when the tide was low. Looks like we will have to wait until tomorrow morning to cross,” Burt says.
You and Burt continue east as the road narrows and more trees dot the scenery. As the shades pass, the northern side of the road opens up to Tariam Bay. The fresh breeze from the water comes sweeping across the road. You and Burt decide to set up camp on the side of the road so you can cross the land bridge in the morning when the tide lets up.
“You set up the tents; I’ll get the fire going,” Burt says as he takes his pack off.
You start laying out the stakes and cover. You feel a little inexperienced, as you’ve only done this once. You grab the first pole and turn around to see Burt with a fire going already. You throw your hands up in the air.
“What? I have a propensity for fire magic,” Burt says. He snaps his fingers, and a small flame illuminates from his thumb.
You look back at the tents, then back at Burt.
“Okay! I’ll help!” Burt says as he gets up and dusts his hands off.
The camp is set up by sundown, and you lie near the fire, staring at the stars. You can hear the waves breaking gently along the rocks by the shore. The adventure is starting to feel more like a vacation. Burt passes you some dried fruit he brought from Windrose.
“This is the life! I’m glad that old whisker isn’t here to monitor our every movement,” Burt says as he pulls out a warm bottle of ale. “Do you mind?”
You shake your head, declining the offer.
“I wasn’t asking if you wanted some. Will you use your frost magic? Ale is always better cold,” Burt says as he passes it to you.
You hold the bottle and concentrate. Controlling magic in such a specific, minute amount is more difficult than you thought it would be, but after a moment, you feel comfortable managing the mana required. Once the ale is cold, you take the first swig.
“Hey now, go easy on that!” Burt laughs.
You hand it back over to Burt.
“What do you think that whisker was talking about earlier today? The road has been desolate since we’ve been on it,” Burt says.
You shake your head and open the map to find any clues. Nothing. You lie on your back again, looking at the stars, and point straight up to a constellation.
“The Head of Ardeinae,” Burt says, taking a sip of his ale. “It’s always been one of my favorites. I love how the neck twists and turns like a snake.”
You begin to shoot tiny icicles into the sky, pretending to hit the constellation.
“You got ‘em!” Burt laughs.
You begin to yawn, and with its contagious behavior, Burt yawns too.
“It’s about time to hit the hay,” Burt says.
You and Burt head to your tents for the night.
You wake up before dawn to the sound of silence. The tide is so low that you can’t even hear the waves dancing on the shore. You walk over to Burt’s tent only to find that he isn’t inside. You look around the area for him. You run to the bay to see if he has gone to look at the tide. The water had just receded. You see Burt in what would be the bay, standing in shallow water and watching small fish flop around looking for deeper pools. Burt sees you and comes running over.
“It’s time to go. We have to cross by midday or the tide will swallow us,” Burt says.
You head back to camp and break it down. The sun is on the horizon as the two of you begin your trek across the land bridge. It was another lovely morning, the kind where the silence is taken up by the breeze and the chirping birds. You and Burt pace yourselves, as it will take a few shades to cross the land bridge.
You make great time, and, before you know it, the trees of the Eastern Forest are visible in the distance. The tide has started to come back ever so slightly, but you manage to keep your feet dry. The cranes and herons are busy feasting on the vulnerable fish that were unlucky enough to be caught by the low tide. There are thousands of them. It is intimidating, as they’re almost the size of a whisker. You and Burt continue until you see the birds blocking the road up ahead. You’ll have to walk around in the shallow water. As you approach, you notice that they have gathered around a large dead fish, which looks like something out of a deep sea story. Sailors had told stories of these "whales” but you’ve never seen one before. How can a fish grow to such a size?
“I don’t like this. Let’s be careful.” Burt whispers.
You take a detour around the carcass. The cranes and herons sense your presence and begin to squawk in a threatening way.
“They think we’re trying to steal their meal. Just keep your head down and keep moving,” Burt says under his breath.
Eventually, the birds start to walk toward you. With each step, the squawks became more intimidating. Then suddenly, without warning, one of them flies in front, blocking your route. You are slowly being surrounded.
“We have to fight them off. They’re just birds. You just freeze them and I’ll burn them up, got it?”
You nod toward Burt.
The moment you cast your first spells, the attack starts. Cranes fly at you from every angle, flapping their wings and pecking. Burt casts a fire spell that takes out two cranes at once. However, there are dozens swarming around you. You build ice blocks from the surrounding water, freezing the cranes in place.
“Run!” Burt shouts.
You begin to run and cast at the same time, but it is of no use. You can’t see which direction you are running, and the cranes are becoming more aggressive with each cast. You and Burt abandon your training and begin to swat at the birds with your arms and legs. You can't imagine what Allard would think if you both died to a flock of cranes and herons.
Burt falls to the ground as he can’t see where he’s going. You cast a protective ice shield around him. You fall to the ground beside him and do the same. The birds continue to peck at the ice, but at least you can think for a moment.
You look at Burt, who's laughing. How can he be laughing at a time like this? Suddenly, a large shadow covers the land like a large cloud. You can’t make out exactly what it is through the ice and swarming birds, but the herons and cranes immediately started to disperse.
“Finally! That was ridiculous!” Burt shouts from his ice shield. “We need to get moving before the tide comes back.”
The sun returns, and the day is brightened anew. Then once again, the sun is covered. You look up to the sky and find that it’s not a cloud. You look at Burt and tap on his ice shield.
“What?” he asks as you point up to the sky. “Oh no.”
At that moment, a large heron, the biggest bird you’ve ever seen, swoops down and picks up the whale carcass with ease. The heron doesn’t even land; it just uses its talons to sweep it off the land bridge before flying away.
“We need to get out of here now!” Burt yells.
As soon as the giant heron is well into the sky, you melt the ice shields, and you both make a run for the other side of the bridge. The tide is coming back in full force, but you make it across the bridge just before the water reaches waist height.