Chapter 352 - To Bore City

"Either way, I'll still fulfill what I've already promised," continued the man. "Tomorrow, I'll have Jarrit take you to Bore City, where you'll spend the night convincing your father to return to Iron Town."

"And--"

"And on the morning after, I'll let you see your son."

Sighing, Ania nodded. "Thank you…"

"You're welcome. Thank you for the wonderful meal, Ania, Puula. I'll be taking my leave and will see you when the time comes."

The man's figure vanished before anyone could blink or question his sudden leave. But that was to be expected after the many previous times. No one bothered asking more after they had already spoken plenty throughout the meal.

Still filled with jovial energy, Jarrit stood up and properly bowed to the beasts. "Thank you very much for the meal. It's been too long since I've tasted such delicacies and can only hope I'll have a chance to enjoy them in the future."

"You'll always be a welcomed guest in the clan," offered Vloz, nodding in return.

"I'll be off then. Tonight, I'll stay with Hurman, so don't worry about me. Also, what time would you like to leave tomorrow, and how many am I taking?"

"Is the first sunrise too early for you?" Ania asked, getting the mage to shake his head. "Then I'll be waiting at the formation before then… Puula--"

"Would you like me to come?"

"Yes, but only if you'd want to."

Nodding as well, the fox chief stood up. "Then I should leave and get a good night's rest. I've only visited the nearby territories, so seeing the regional capital of another prefecture will be eye-opening. But should I tell--"

Abruptly, a familiar voice softly echoed through the room. "Until your return, Netra isn't to know about your plans to see Oli. But if you'd like her to experience such a visit, then she's allowed to tag along. Only she's not allowed to know of Ania seeing Oli, otherwise, I'll be forced to send you home without even a glimpse of the young man…"

As the voice faded, both mothers shook their heads. Puula sighed, "If possible, I'd love for Netra to experience the city as well. Is that alright with you, Ania?"

"That's fine. But we'll have to be careful to not mention Oli throughout the trip. Vloz, did you want to go too?"

Blinking, the leopard thought for a moment. "I would like to see the city again. But I'm not sure if--"

"The territory will be fine during your two-day venture…"

After the final words of the man were shared, Vloz sighed as well, "If that's the case, then I'd like to tag along."

"Anyone else?" Jarrit asked.

But Ania quickly shook her head. "The fewer people that know of this trip, the better. Thanks to Hurman and Nixt, we'll be fine to leave for a little bit."

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow morning. And again, thank you for the wonderful meal." With one last bow of his head, Jarrit flashed away in a blink of purple energy.

"Good night, Ania. I'll be waiting at the formation with Netra," added Puula. "Do you need any help--"

"I can clean up. Don't worry about it. Get some rest!"

The two friends smiled as they each went their separate ways. Ania got up and recruited Vloz to help her clean the table. Puula ventured toward the academy to make sure Netra wouldn't exhaust herself training through the night.

Vloz made quick work of the table and Ania washed the utensils with haste. They were both eager for the speedily planned trip to Ania's hometown. 

The night passed, easier for some than others.

As the first sun peeked over the horizon, Jarrit teleported to the formation. He wasn't surprised to find four people already waiting for him. But he was surprised to see the bags under Ania's eyes. "Ania, are you--"

"I'm fine. Let's hurry up and leave before the rest of the town knows we used the formation," Ania stated, slightly grumpy.

Vloz added, "We've already informed Hurdo and he'll inform the others about our brief absence."

"Good. Then all that's left is leaving." Jarrit explained, "I'll have to travel through Trighton's formation first. It will only take an extra moment, but making two jumps will tire me out till tomorrow."

"That's fine. It will give us some time to see the city," Puula mentioned with a smile. She looked at her daughter, who also showed a tiny grin of excitement.

Jarrit gripped his staff with both hands and chuckled. "In that case, don't blink."

With no other warnings, a tinge of spatial energy poured into the formation underfoot. Then, the energy was amplified and bounced back onto the traveling party. Before the light of the first sun could creep over the school walls, they had vanished with only a trail of dispersing energy left behind.

Everyone was overcome with a strange feeling all at once. They felt themselves on unstable ground, as if they were able to fall into an endless abyss, but suddenly they found footholds before their brains could process the strange phenomena. However, they were immediately hit with the same feeling a second time, only a second later. 

A wave of purple energy filled the formation within Bore Palace, catching the guard by surprise. But the moment the guard spotted the man who had caused it, he chuckled, "What brings you, Jarrit?"

"I'm just bringing some friends to the city, as they have some business to attend to," answered the old mage, disregarding the nausea the others felt. "However, I'm sure King Zelsh would be interested in meeting them as well, if he has the time."

"Will they be staying in the palace?" asked the guard.

Nodding, Jarrit replied, "That's probably best."

"Then I'll make sure his majesty knows. Would you like to see him now, or do you have other business to attend to at the moment?"

"Who's here at this hour?"

A low, booming voice filled the hall and formation area, lightly shaking the ground.