Chapter 73 - Swift Travel

After officially joining Night's Edge, Boramir and I headed back up into the guild building. Only to find that the members of Edge of Night are currently throwing a loud party in celebration. 

How lovely. 

Wading through the drunken adventurers and pats on the back, Boramir and I found ourselves in the back corner of the room, sitting at a table with three other people. 

The two I knew quite well by now, those two being Arnold and Sylvia. The third was a young beastkin, who I don't think I've ever met before. His ears were rounded at the top, whilst his forearms up to his wrist were covered in fur. 

Bear family? I need to look into beastkin more, I'd hate to accidentally be rude to one. 

"Hello, I don't believe we've met. I'm Gust." I say, sticking my hand out for the short bear to shake.

"A pleasure to finally meet you, I'm Ruka, the person who found you kids." He said, yet before I could ask any questions he stuck his finger to his lips and continued to talk. "I know exactly what you want to ask, just give me a minute. In the meantime, mind if I ask you something?" He said, looking up at me as his left eye slowly started to glow with ethereal green magic.

"Ask away." I have nothing to hide. 

"How did you start fostering the son of a wind spirit? And a noble one at that?" Ruka asked, his deadpan tone and expression never leaving his face.

"What?" What?

"What do you mean what? Your son, Antonio 'Icefield' as you call him is half wind sprite. He's also being chased by a group of three Fae that not even my eye can identify." He said, tapping under his left eye as it continue to glow brighter and brighter.

"Are you sure? I thought his parents were the humans that were frozen around him when we found the boy. Also, how do you know all of that?" I ask, my mouth moving faster than my brain can even keep up.

Are you kidding me? Antonio is the direct descendant of a wind spirit? How is that even possible?

"Well, I'm just about ninety-nine percent sure. I searched and searched for one Antonio Icefield and nothing came up. When I searched for Surge Thundercrash, I found a full blood Tiamat traveling with a half-blood wind spirit with the given name of Antonio WitchThread." Ruka said, simply shrugging as if that was not major news. 

The son of a wind spirit?

Wind Spirits are one of the few remaining immortal races on the planet, and at one point were considered the mortal enemies of the Tiamat.

Now that may have all been propaganda from both the Spirit and Demon clans, but the sentiment has survived millennia. 

Due to being such hunted creatures, especially mature Wind Sprites, whose wings can be sound for millions of Soldi wherever you go, they typically never leave the Fae Wilds. 

For such an elusive race to not only remain outside of the Fae Wilds but have a child with a human, something extraordinary must have occurred. Or, something very, very dangerous.

However, if I'm to believe this beastkin, this does explain a great many things about Antonio. No human child should be able to contain and wield such precise control over mana, yet he utilized water, wind, and earth magic as if it were second nature to him.

Also, for a child so young, he seemed strangely lucid and in control of his own thoughts and emotions. I figured there was simply a vast racial gap and that all human children were able to think and adapt as he was, but if he were to be born from a spirit it would make sense. 

"Aye, buddy, you listening?" The beastkin said, waving his hand in front of my face and pulling me out of my own head. 

"Very sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment," I say, which is the truth. There are many questions I need to ask Antonio, all of which are quite personal. 

Thankfully, I can tell that the boy still views me as a father, so he should be relatively honest with me. No matter his blood, he's still a child. 

"No matter, I did kinda drop a bombshell on you. Anyway, the image and information are ready, so get ready to memorize it." Ruka said, as his eye suddenly flashed a brilliantly bright green light, nearly blinding me. 

Yet, within that flash, it felt as if the information was being sent directly into my skull. 

What I saw and learned made me both viscerally confused and anxious. Antonio and Surge were sitting atop a carriage, owned by the current leaders of Elarus, the Delarus family. They were surrounded on all ends by guards, and it was obvious that they had no freedom of movement. 

The image also came with information, giving me an exact distance in kilometers and an exact direction to travel in to reach the location that I had just been given a glimpse of.

I won't know until I hit full speed, but thankfully it shouldn't take me too long to reach the two of them.

From the looks of disdain and discomfort on the faces of the guards, as well as the fact Antonio and Surge looked on edge, it was obvious what had happened. 

A member of the Jeralik royal family had captured Antonio and Surge, mostly likely after either Antonio and Surge had revealed themselves as Tiamat's. 

After being informed that they were such a dangerous duo, they were apprehended immediately. Thankfully, the royals who captured them seem to be reasonable, as they simply threw them atop their carriage and are taking them alive.

It's most likely due to the fact that their children, but one could hope that they simply are reasonable people and wouldn't kill on the basis of race and clan. Although some human and elven royals act with such prejudice, so I cannot say for certain. 

"So, did you get everything you need?" Ruka asks, placing a black eyepatch over his now completely grey left eye. 

"Yes, thank you very much," I say, lowering my head in a bow as Ruka simply scoffs.

"No need to thank me, just pay me. For finding two people, at such a distance, on such short notice, that'll run you eighty thousand Soldi. I won't be able to use my eye for months now. " The greedy beastkin said, sticking out his palm as if I could give him such an exorbitant amount of money.

"Ahem. Ruka, I told you that the guild will handle the payment of your services and that the customer would not be in your debt." Boramir said in a low tone, causing Ruka to draw his hand back.

"Boramir, I don't think I'll ever be able to pay you back such an amount," I say, feeling as if the world was going to fall out from under me. Am I going to have to stay here and work for years just to pay that back?

Was that his plan all along?

"Worry not brother. You've already done enough for the guild, we can take care of the funding, you owe us nothing aside from what we already agreed upon." Boramir said, gesturing toward Sylvia. 

I had nearly forgotten. On top of everything that had happened in this conversation, I'm meant to escort Sylvia on my journey. Wonderful, that's going to add multiple months onto my travel time unless Sylvia is down to be carried. 

"Wait, Gust is taking Sylvia to act as her bodyguard?" Arnold asked, speaking for the first time since his food had arrived. 

"Yes, he'll act as her shield as his payment. He's joined us and become a member of the family." Boramir explained as Arnold put on a large toothy grin. 

"Perfect, I'm coming with," Arnold said, popping a cut piece of steak into his mouth.

"Alright," I say, knowing at this point that arguing with Arnold at this point would be useless. He's the type to follow through on anything he sets his mind to.

"Well you agreed to that quite quickly," Boramir said, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Alright then, I guess I'll have to pick up the slack around here without you Arnold."

With that, the celebration and day came to a peaceful end. 

///

The shining rays of dawn broke through the window, breaking me out of my comfortable slumber. 

Today's the day. It's been three days of preparing since the celebration, and today Arnold, Sylvia, and I are going to be setting out to find Surge and Antonio. 

The city has been a treat, to say the least, and I think I understand why Blaze was so fond of this place in particular. I've made new traveling companions, and found a powerful group of allies that I can call a new family. 

That being said, this family bound by magic is nothing compared to the real deal, but it's close enough to bring me joy. I'm sure the trip to the children is going to be tricky, but I just can't wait to introduce these two to Surge and Antonio. 

No matter how long it takes, I'm sure the outcome is going to be promising. 

Walking over to Arnold's bed, I shake him out of his trance-like sleep and start getting ready. 

Get ready kids, your father is on the way.