Chapter 65 - Family Reunion

My eyes shoot open and I find myself laying comfortably in the back of the cart.

A dream. It had to have been a dream.

I mean some of it was a bit believable, but really brain? Do you expect me to believe that my dead father just randomly came back to life?

Sitting up and getting out of the cart, it appears I've slept until dusk. Stretching and erecting a wall around the cart and campsite, as usual, I can see Teresa and the rest of the party happily chatting with someone around the fire.

Sweet, I don't have to start or set it up tonight.

"Sorry for passing out on you guys, just had the strangest dream. My dead da-" I say, freezing in place as soon as I lay my eyes on him.

Sitting next to Flare, cooking a piece of deer on a large stick, is Gust.

As I look at him, and he looks back at me, a warm smile comes over his face.

"You've made some interesting friends," He says, his eyes matching the warm tone he uses.

What?

"What? Aren't you dead?" I ask, my mouth moving faster than my brain.

"You think a bit of ice is enough to put me down? I thought you knew better than that, especially since you and Surge were out before me." He says, standing up and walking over to me.

Before I'm even able to move or respond, Gust brings me into a warm bear hug.

"I'm so glad you're safe. I've been searching like mad for anyone left from the village. Where's your sister? Did you two leave together?" He asks, breaking the hug and looking down at me expectantly.

"Uh- w-" Before I'm able to mutter anything out, Teresa takes it out of my hands.

"Surge was the other Tiamat correct? I'm very sorry, she passed from an attack by a group of assassins." Teresa said as Gust's face becomes crestfallen.

"Oh, I see. Did she at least die honorably?" Gust asks, looking to me for an answer.

"She died on her feet," I say, stealing a line from Earth to hopefully make Gust proud.

"That's good, that's good." He said, trotting back over to the fire and sitting down with a heavy sigh.

The mood had taken a turn south, but there are a few questions I need answered.

Taking a seat next to Gust, I look up at him with a mix of confusion and regret.

"How are you here? Well, I guess more accurately, how are you alive?" I ask as Gust looks down towards me with a look of slight confusion.

"Well, for starters, I would say I'm alive in the exact same way you are. I broke out of the frost spell and began to travel. How I got here is a bit of a tale, if you're willing to hear it." Gust says, asking as if I wouldn't like to hear his story.

"Of course! We have the whole night for you to tell me." I say, sitting into a relaxed pose, as Flare and Ivy move a bit closer to hear as well.

"I guess it would all start around the time I awoke from my frozen slumber..." He said as he began to retell his journey so far.

--- Point of View: Gust Renarus, directly after the fight with Richard Silverwind ---

I lost. That thing was a monster, and there was nothing in my arsenal that could even come close to destroying him.

I'm assuming that whatever spell he was relying on had a hard limit to its regenerative properties. However, a battle of attrition with an immortal-bodied person is always a bad idea.

The other option would be to destroy his entire body, leaving nothing to be regenerated from, yet I'm no mage.

Limping my way back to the ruined village of Taf, instantly I can feel the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

Bloodlust. Pure raw malicious intent seemed to be coming directly from the town in which I just left.

This was a bit expected after I made my presence known in town, yet this happened much too quickly. Someone is after me, not out of just racial difference, but out of something more.

I can't stay here, who or whatever is causing this massive amount of malicious mana is not going to simply let me heal.

Heading back into my home, I pack everything important and worthwhile and head eastward. There should be a larger and hopefully less racially sensitive town, that way I can register as an adventurer.

I'll need money if I plan on tracking down Antonio and Surge.

After collecting my things and making sure the rest of the village is unchanged, I take one final look upon my still frozen wife and decide to leave a note.

'Marble, I have left on a journey to find our children. I will find both the source of this spell and the people responsible for the monster hoard after I know the two of them are safe. I don't know when I will return, but I will. This page is made from blinktree parchment, simply inject your mana into it and I will see whatever is written. I love you.' It's a simple and short message, but I know she'll understand.

Heaving my bag over my shoulder, I quickly leave the village and make my way east.

--- Present Day ---

It was at this point in the story that I turn and call to Sylvia, the Wind Sprite I had hired.

"Sylvia, would you mind bringing me my bag? I have something I need to show Antonio." I call out.

Arnold and Sylvia have erected their own hut made of stone, and have been resting in it ever since Antonio's surprise attack.

Apparently, Golemancy takes a large amount of mana, yet usually, that can be recovered by later destroying the earthen golems and summoning the mana back to you, yet since Antonio destroyed them with ice magic, there was nothing to recover.

On one hand, I'm impressed with how far the boy has come, whilst on the other, he needs to work on his temper. Even if I may be calling the kettle black in that regard.

After about a minute of waiting and making idle chats with Antonio's traveling companions, Sylvia wordlessly brings me my bag and quickly retreats to her stone tent. I think I remember her being a bit shy when we first began to travel together.

Opening my bag, I bring out the blinktree note, passing it to Antonio for him to see.

"Has Marble written anything back? Can you even tell if she's injected her mana into the other half of this?" He asks, his inquisitive mind never ceasing, even now.

"Unfortunately, I won't know that she's seen my letter until she fills her parchment with mana and replies. Hopefully, she'll break from the prison of ice soon." I sigh, taking the parchment back and rolling it up to place it in my bag.

"Who are those people? When did you start traveling with a sprite and a human?" Antonio asks, setting me back on track.

"I'll get there don't worry. The next interesting bit of the story takes place after around two months of travel, once I had reached the trade city of Torn.." I said, reminiscing about the beautiful city.