Chapter 40

  Tireless Days

  Sunlight danced amongst a bed of mountain lilies as Hyato’s blade cut through another gibzori. The rolling grasses of the valley waved in the wind beneath the ashen form of a fading zori struck down by Wolf. The Drakmor mountains seemed determined to have a pleasant day as the party engaged in violent carnage.

  Yan cut apart the last of the foes with a sudden dash strike, “That’s the fifth group of Gibs today.” She complained.

  “Not like they stood a chance.” Wolf said, banishing his elemade weapons. “I didn’t even break a sweat.”

  “But they are slowing us down,” Michael said. “We need to go faster.” He picked up his pack that he had dropped during the melee. “We’re never going to make it to Cryston at this rate.”

  “Don’t worry.” Hyato said.

  “We might need to start worrying.” Sebastian showed the map, “We need to change routes.”

  “Again?!” Yan said. “What kind of map did my father make?”

  “Relax.” Sebastian advised, gathering the party together. “The rockslide that bars us is recent. We might have missed that path by a day. This new path will get us there in good time. See?” He showed off the new path to Michael and Yan. The others didn’t bother looking.

  “Wait...” Yan said, tracing her fingers along the path Sebastian had marked. “That heads awfully close to Drakle’s Tower.”

  “Is that a problem?” Sebastian asked, looking over the route once more.

  “Well, I was always told to stay away from there.” Yan said.

  “Who is Drakle?” Michael asked.

  “One of the provincial rulers of Cryston.” Sebastian said. “A powerful Mage, and grandson of Mystia.”

  “Mystia, the guy who invented Modern Magic?” Michael said.

  “The very same, and the King of Cryston.” Sebastian said.

  “What? But didn’t he make Modern Magic like, a hundred and fifty years ago?” Yan said.

  “Just because a hundred fifty is the average lifespan doesn’t mean there aren’t folks who live longer.” Sebastian said.

  “Besides, he’s a Wizard, right?” Wolf said.

  “No.” Hyato said, “A Mage. Not a Wizard.” Wolf looked taken aback.

  “An important distinction.” Sebastian said, “Hyato is right. But that’s not the point. We have to get moving, remember?” Under Sebastian’s guidance, he corralled the party into continuing along their new route through the mountains. Sunlight and wind continued to dance about in the air as the party made their way. Hyato paused to enjoy the scenery, long enough to need to rush to catch up to the others.

  The party made it another half hour of walking when another group of Gibzori crawled out of holes in the mountain ahead. One snarled as it broke the side of a cliff face to pick up a rock the size of its head in a clawed hand. “This is getting out of hand.” Sebastian said. “Yan, Michael. Can you two take care of these things while we move ahead?”

  Michael had already drawn his sword, and shrugged, “If you say so.”

  “Why not work together?” Wolf asked, having already created a set of electrified weapons.

  “If we stop to fight every half hour we won't make it anywhere. Those two are faster than the rest of us.” Sebastian said. “We’ll move ahead and take care of any more that show up, but leave them to Michael and Yan in the meantime.”

  Hyato nodded and started moving ahead, while Wolf harrumphed and folded his arms to do the same. A gibzori rushed towards Sebastian, Hyato, and Wolf; only to be cut down by Yan’s sudden aerial strike. “Leave it to us.” Yan said.

  The others kept moving as Michael and Yan stayed behind. The gibzori advanced at Michael, weapons bared. Michael struck the ground and unleashed a wave of darkness, flinging them skyward. Yan launched kunai that trailed strong green energy at the airborne foes. The kunai exploded on contact, leaving nothing but smoke.

  The remaining gibzori reached Michael fist first, slamming into him. He coughed and stumbled back, not braced for the amount of power the gib had. Yan dropped in and cut down the zori. "Don't drop your guard." She said.

  "Sorry." Michael regained his stance to keep fighting, swinging out a Dark Wind at the next couple zori.

  After another few minutes, the gibzori ambush had been defeated. Michael and Yan felt synergy well up inside them. "That's one more battle done." Michael said, sliding his sword into its sheathe.

  He turned to catch up with the others, stopping when Yan grabbed his elbow. "Hey, real quick." She said. Michael turned to listen. "Are we a couple?"

  "I... Definitely know what you mean." Michael said, shifting his eyes side to side. Then he smirked.

  Yan laughed, "Right. What I mean is, are we together romantically?"

  Michael scratched his head. "I'm sorry I don't understand."

  "It's okay. I mean, do you like kissing, and stuff?" Yan asked.

  "I like kissing." Michael said. "We haven't done that since we left your village. What do you mean, and stuff?"

  Yan's face flushed red, "You know what? Nevermind. We'll figure that out when it comes time." She took a moment to pause. "Do you want to kiss me more?"

  "Yeah." Michael said.

  "Okay. Can we keep this a secret from the others, for now?" Yan asked.

  Michael shrugged. "If you want."

  "I just don't want to embarrass them." Yan explained. "In case it bothers them."

  "Oh, okay." Michael thought back. "Like how Sebastian snuck off with Jess and Lyn? To kiss them?"

  Yan's eyes widened and her face flushed red, "No! Yes. Wait... No. Don't worry about that." Yan shook her head and started walking. "Let's just catch up to the others." She said.

  "One moment." Michael said, stopping Yan this time. She turned to ask what he wanted as he leaned down to meet her lips with his. They kissed for a long moment before parting. "You said only when the others aren't around."

  Yan nodded, a bit of a dazed look on her face. She smiled. "Okay. Yep. Let's go catch up."

  Using a mixture of running and jumping, Yan led Michael along the path the others followed. They moved like birds, gliding fast through the air. For a few moments here and there their eyes met and they shared smiles.

  As they neared the top of an incline they could hear the others ahead. Yan bumped Michael with her shoulder, a small show of affection. “Looks like we’re almost caught up.” She said.

  “Too bad.” Michael said, smiling.

  The party came into view as they reached the top of the slope. A sword clashed against a heavy log and Hyato tumbled along the ground as he was overpowered. Sebastian, struggling to fend off several small gibzori, glanced over and saw them, “About time!” He said, “Help!” Michael and Yan were shocked for a moment, before diving into battle to help their comrades.

  The day dragged on for the party, a slow trek through the mountains along with battle after battle. They had almost no time to pause for lunch, assaulted by so many gibzori they stopped counting. Their dinner was eaten in stony silence and Michael assembled the tent.

  Wolf groaned and moaned as he shambled into his room, slapping a bedroll onto the ground without bothering to undo his hammock. “Finally.” He grumbled, falling asleep before he hit the ground. He didn’t bother to close his door flap.

  Hyato managed to set up his own hammock, moving slow and silent. His eyes gazed off into the distance, more so than usual, before he closed up the canvas door to his space.

  “Good night.” Sebastian said, retiring to his own area without so much as a yawn. Michael wondered if he could hide his fatigue better due to the military training, but also remembered the man complaining about his feet when they first entered the mountains. Michael shook his head.

  Yan looked to Michael and opened her mouth to speak, but her words dissolved into a long yawn before she could say them. She covered her mouth with her hand and yawned for several seconds, blinking both eyes in a weary motion. “Mm, night.” She said.

  “Night, Yan.” Michael said, closing Wolf’s canvas door as Yan retired to her own area. Michael walked over to check the outside of the tent once more to make sure things were secure. The spot they had stopped at looked safe enough in the twilight when they arrived, but by the end of dinner the night had already gone dark. Michael secured the tent stakes around the place and double checked their firepit before heading into the large tent and closing it up.

  After retiring to his own room, Michael set out his bedroll. He’d opted for a more comfortable bedroll like Sebastian and Yan, instead of a normal bedroll and hammock like Hyato and Wolf. Michael fluffed up the pillow and laid aside the simple armor he wore most of the time. He crawled under the cover of the bedroll and shifted about to get comfortable, then closed his eyes.

  Michael lay there, listening to the rhythm of breathing from the rest of the tent. It was muted through the canvas walls, almost inaudible. Michael inhaled a deep breath into his nose. He cleared his throat, and scratched his left forearm. His back itched.

  Silence stretched out as Michael tried to sleep. He turned to lay on his side after what felt like hours, then shifted to his back again when his arm started to hurt. His feet felt a bit cold, so he shoved some of the covers over them to keep them warm. The covers felt uneven.

  He couldn’t sleep. There had been so many battles today, Hyato had been rubbing his arms and Wolf complained about his calves from all his jumping around. Yan seemed to be dizzy from all the energy she’d used, and Sebastian didn’t speak a word or explain anything at dinner. They were all so tired, and sleeping without a sound. Yet Michael couldn’t stop fidgeting. His arms and legs felt ready to burst with energy, like he could keep fighting all night.

  Meditation should do the trick. He always felt calmer when he spent synergy, so maybe he could meditate without using it? He took in a breath and exhaled over the course of a few seconds, then repeated himself. Breath in and out, a repetitive action to center himself on. Michael kept breathing like this, tuning out the world. In and out. Breath. Exhale.

  It didn’t work.

  Michael’s eyes snapped open, taking in the faint outline of light from the small light glass kept in the main room. “Ugh...” Michael said under his breath, contemplating closing his eyes again. His body itched for action, and he couldn’t stop himself from standing back up.

  He entered the main room and looked around. There were no time pieces around to check on things like back in Yan’s village. He should have asked for one. Michael left the tent and looked around.

  It was a cloudy night, so if there were moons to gaze upon, he could not do so from here. Only a few specks of starlight made their way through the cloud cover. Michael stretched out his arms, wondering what to do. He had so much energy, especially after eating. Maybe he could run back to Aeronemar village and ask for a clock. He glanced at the road leading back that way. It had taken them two days to walk this far, how long would it be if he air jumped the whole way there?

  A repetitive sound drew Michael’s attention and he looked down, only to find himself tapping his foot on the ground. He stopped, and banished the notion of running back to the ninja village. No matter how he looked at it, it was a bad idea. Hadn’t Sebastian said there were dangerous Zori out at night? Why did they not attack the tent, was there something special about it?

  “Michael?” Sebastian said, peering out of the tent, along with a dazed looking Hyato. “What are you doing?”

  “Can’t sleep.” Michael said.

  “Is that why you’re tapping your foot?” Hyato asked. Michael looked down to notice that his other foot had begun tapping of its own accord. He stopped.

  “Sorry.” Michael said.

  “How are you not tired? You did as much fighting as anyone. Maybe more.” Sebastian said, stepping outside.

  “Your stamina.” Hyato said, “It’s gotten stronger.”

  “I guess so.” Michael said, shrugging. He kept his arms folded over his chest, the night air was cold without his chest armor.

  “Too strong.” Sebastian said. “You need your sleep. If you stay up all night and are tired tomorrow it won't help anyone.”

  “I would love to go to sleep.” Michael said, “Believe me.”

  Sebastian frowned and rubbed his chin, eyes closing from fatigue. His head drooped after a long moment of thinking, so Hyato nudged him in the side. Sebastian’s eyes snapped open. “So, you just need to use up that energy.”

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  “Okay, I can do that.” Michael said, “How about I fire off a bunch of Dark Wind attacks? That should tire me out before long, and doubles as training.”

  “No.” Sebastian said, “Don’t do anything to draw attention. The last thing we need is to be fighting Night Zori right now.” He shuddered.

  Hyato nodded and patted Michael on the arm. “Sword training is too loud too. Just do quiet muscle training, push ups or squats.”

  “I could be training so many more things at once.” Michael said, frowning. “Like elemancy or something.”

  “Even manipulating wind is too noticeable.” Sebastian said. “Just do the muscle training.”

  “And aim for stealth, train that too.” Hyato offered.

  Michael continued to frown, but nodded. “Okay, but I’m doing it out here. I don’t want to keep you guys up.”

  “Good. Try to get some sleep as soon as you can.” Sebastian said, and headed inside the tent. Hyato looked like he wanted to say something for a moment, then went into the tent as well.

  With his mind focused on silence, Michael started doing squats, then moved to push ups. The training was boring, but his muscles and body went from pulsing with energy to a numb weariness after countless repetitions of the exercise. After a full hour of muscle training in silence, Michael managed to head inside and fall asleep.

  The next day arrived as a reverse of the previous. A sea of clouds hung in the sky from the beginning of the day, casting a neutral grey across their little section of Sera. Michael joined Hyato’s morning sword drills, and packed up the camp by himself while the others milled about.

  After some insistence, Michael carried some of everyone’s luggage for them, taking on extra weight. Wolf was happy to let Michael take some of the burden, but Yan seemed confused and concerned. “You okay Michael?” She asked.

  “Didn’t sleep well.” Michael said, straightening the pack on his back. “Wasn’t that tired.”

  “Did the training help?” Hyato asked. Michael shrugged and started walking.

  Wolf followed after first, “You able to fight like that?”

  Michael drew his sword and swung it. The pack on his back seemed secure enough. “Guess so.”

  “Good, because there will probably be more Zori around.” Wolf said.

  The party followed Michael as he trekked along the route towards the edge of the Drakmor mountains. They followed the trail to a river valley, then continued along the river bank. When Hyato or Sebastian commented on the surroundings, Michael gave a brief grunt in response. His face showed his evident frustration.

  A tense morning of travel was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Zori. The travelers were not surprised in the least to see the enemies appear, all arming themselves for battle. Three Elazori crawled from the waters, all twisted slimy beings like water slugs the size of large dogs.

  Yan and Hyato moved to strategic positions while Sebastian assessed the foes. The Evari Tactician was about to give orders when Michael thrust his sword forth and let out a bellow. Michael’s black sword cracked the air and unleashed a devastating cyclone of dark force as he used Dark Wind.

  Michael’s strongest attack swept over the Elazori and carried them across the water, slamming them into a nearby wall. As sudden as they appeared, they faded into misty dust as the enemy was slain. Wolf dropped his weapons and chuckled, while the others all looked on with wide eyes.

  “Let’s not slow down.” Michael said, starting to walk again.

  “Wait, Michael.” Yan said. When he didn’t stop walking she caught up to him and walked at his side. “Is everything okay?”

  “I already told you.” Michael said. “I didn’t sleep much, and I don’t feel tired.”

  “And that’s a problem?” Yan asked.

  Michael stewed in silence, exhaling instead of speaking. The others had matched pace and Sebastian offered a theory, “His body might not be tired, but his mind probably is.”

  The idea made Michael blink, “That might be it.”

  “So you are trying to tire yourself out?” Yan asked.

  “By the end of the day.” Michael said.

  They walked in silence for several minutes, listening to the sound of the river flow alongside. Hyato yawned, earning a glare from Yan. Then Wolf chimed in, “Michael. Open every battle like you did, and throw in some fire for good measure.”

  “Okay.” Michael said.

  “You don’t want to hear why?” Wolf asked.

  “You’re going to tell me anyways.” Michael said, adjusting the oversized pack on his back as they started to walk uphill.

  “Using elements adds extra strain, so it should wear you out faster. And doubles as training.” Wolf said. Michael nodded, accepting the idea.

  “Then that is the plan.” Sebastian said, “I wonder whether it would be good or bad to hope for as many Zori encounters as yesterday.” He looked up at the overcast skies. “Yan, does this look like storm weather?”

  “No.” Yan said, “Not today at least.”

  “That’s probably for the best.” Sebastian said.

  “Let’s keep moving. We can’t waste any time.” Michael said, moving ahead with the others.

  A wall of fallen rocks had settled into place on the road, blocking the path. Evan knelt down and examined the dirt at the base of the rockslide. “It’s only a few days old at the most.” He said, looking back towards the man tapping his foot in plate armor and the small healer. “Looks like no one has come through this way.”

  “I guess we have to go around,” Fara said, looking at the map. “That will be quite a delay though.”

  Evan jumped over to Fara’s side, looking over her shoulder. “What was this map of, again? It seems so crude.”

  “My contact gave me that map.” Rex said, arms folded as he glared at the rockslide.

  “Right, your ninja spy? I wonder why they sold out these targets.” Evan mused.

  “Anyone will do something for money.” Rex said, rubbing his finger and thumb together with a cheeky grin.

  “Hard to believe you’d spend all this money like this.” Evan said, “I thought you were stingy. Maybe they should call you Rex Miser.” Evan said, chuckling.

  “That’s not a good one.” Rex said, waving his hand as if to deflect the title.

  “You’re never gonna find a good title, mate.” Evan said.

  “I will, and it will be what I am called in the history books!” Rex said, “And this isn’t a loss. It’s an investment, once I catch that bounty I will have enough money to pay you both and recoup all my expenditures. And it will be my third Feat of Strength.” Rex took a step closer to the rockslide.

  “What were your other Feats?” Evan wondered aloud. “Some other huge bounties?”

  “Oh here we go...” Fara said, rolling her eyes.

  Rex drew a greatsword from his back, examining the edge. “No. My first Feat was the tremendous task of slaying a Dragon. The battle was one of fury and valor, and I took the beast down. First I sundered a wing, then I cut through its neck. The head is displayed in a museum in Anamos, and it’s horde was a good start for building some wealth.” Rex ran a hand along the flat of his sword, and small crystals began to form along it. He added to himself, “Though most of the money went towards fixing that cathedral.”

  Evan listened with intense focus, as Fara sighed for having heard this all too many times. “So,” Evan said, “What was the other one?”

  “That battle was far more intense.” Rex turned to face Evan and Fara, removing the gauntlet from his left hand. “A Mist Demon, from the Nether. A mighty beast with a body made of storms and wind, at least twice the size of the dragon. It was an incredible foe, and by far the most challenging enemy I have ever faced.” He showed off his left hand, where an ebony ring gleamed on his middle finger. “I claimed this ring from it. A powerful artifact that brings luck in battle. Not enough for him to avoid being slain, of course.”

  “Him?” Evan asked.

  Rex replaced the gauntlet and ignored the Feral ranger. “Fara.” Rex said, “How long would going around the rockslide set us back?”

  “If we go around, assuming we can find another way onto these paths.” Fara said, holding up the map given by their contact. “It could be a few days' setback, or even a week. We could miss their exit into Cryston.”

  The map was a hand drawn map of the mountains, showing several recent paths from one area towards Cryston. It seemed to be a hasty copy of some other map. Rex ground his teeth. “I won’t lose, not my investment.” He turned to face the rockslide.

  “Yo, this thing is too unstable to climb.” Evan said. “We need to go around.”

  “Nothing gets in the way of me, and what I am after.” Rex said, lifting his greatsword above his head. “I’ll kill anyone or destroy anything that gets in my way.”

  “What?” Evan said, backing up. Fara took several steps back as energy gathered around Rex. With a roar that shook the rocks around, Rex began to emit a heavy orange energy from his greatsword. “Don’t! You’ll bring the whole pass down!” Evan warned.

  Heedless of Evan’s warning, Rex slashed forth. The tremendous impact of his swing unleashed a shockwave and several large Kuldo Crystals at the rockslide. Boulders came crashing out from the blockage, sending dust and pebbles in all directions. Rex fell to one armored knee, covering his face with an arm.

  The dust settled fast as the winds carried it away into the overcast day. An opening had been forged in the blockade, though it looked unstable. “Good. We can continue.” Rex strode forth to the other side of the pass. Fara and Evan looked at each other, and then joined him. They moved with careful speed, wary of rocks falling on them as they crossed.

  The paths on the other side seemed rather clear. Evan moved past Rex and poked around, scanning the area with his keen eyes. Rex rested as Evan searched, and after a few minutes Evan perked up. “I found something!” He said.

  Fara healed Rex, recovering some of his stamina for him with her magic. “You need to eat to recover the rest.” She advised. Rex pulled out a trail snack and began to munch.

  Evan returned to the others several minutes later, “There are five of them, travelling that way.” He pointed out a path. “We are about a day behind.

  “That’s them.” Rex said, rising to his feet with surprising agility for an armored person. “We’ll go a bit faster and cut them off. Let’s go.” Rex gathered his hired allies and made his way along the path through the Drakmor Mountains, following the trail of five travelers using a copied map.

  Flying the skies above the cluster of mountains betwixt Myrrh and Cryston was a peculiar species of Gull. Grey feathers with scarlet plumage adorned these indigenous avians, and their presence in the sky meant crystal growths were near. These Drakmor Mountain Gulls were numerous, so a few would not be missed.

  Yan slumped to a seat outside the tent, wiping sweat from her brow. “There. Dinner.” She said, offering the captured Drak-gulls to Sebastian. He accepted them and plucked a feather from each, casting a spell that caused the other feathers to shiver and pluck themselves from the birds.

  “Do you specialize in household spells?” Wolf asked, leaning against a column nearby. The evening light shone through the dusty architecture of the old Broken Times fortress they were in, casting an orange hue on their new campsite.

  “There’s no limit to how many spells one can learn.” Sebastian said, “So might as well learn even ones that seem silly.” He placed the feathers in a dish and plucked the last dozen or so feathers that the spell missed while he prepared dinner.

  Hyato’s knife flashed across the cutting board as he minced tubers and other vegetables to add to the stew. “It means we don't have to pluck birds.” He said. Wolf nodded, turning away to look at Michael.

  After a long day of travel, with intermittent battles against stray Zori, Michael seemed no more exhausted than when they set out that morning. He had fought almost every Zori alone. His brutal efficiency made their journey faster than normal, yet he was not tired. Michael continued to do squats, frowning to himself. After another hundred reps, Sebastian called out for everyone to gather for dinner.

  Michael joined the others around the firepit, accepting a bowl of food. He sat back on a small chunk of rock from a nearby wall. The taste of the thick stew danced along his tongue. His shoulders seemed to lose their tension as he ate.

  “So, Michael?” Wolf asked, “Are you tired?”

  The Phanokai champion was looking at him, and so were Yan and Hyato. Michael swallowed his stew. “No.” He said, a bit of vitriol in his tone.

  “Really?” Yan said, leaning in from Michael’s right. “But you used Dark Wind twenty seven times, and used a ton of elements as well.”

  “You kept count?” Hyato said, eyes widened.

  “Yeah...” Michael said. “I guess that wasn’t enough.”

  “We need to figure something out.” Sebastian said. “Losing sleep can be harmful in many ways.” He said, “I think.”

  “Don’t worry!” Wolf said, grinning. “I already thought of the perfect solution.”

  Michael perked up, looking over. “What is it?”

  “We’re going to spar!”

  After dinner and clean up, everyone gathered around an open plaza near the campsite. The suns teetered on the edge of the horizon, threatening to fade from sight. Long shadows of standing columns and collapsed walls stretched over the battleground. “Is this really going to accomplish anything?” Sebastian wondered. “I don’t see how a simple spar could exhaust him.”

  “Right.” Yan said. “He fought all those Zori today and those fights didn’t tire him out. Shouldn’t we think of other activities to use up his stamina?”

  Hyato smirked and said, ‘Other activities’ under his breath near Yan. The ninja girl flinched and shot him a glare, but the swordsman looked unabashed.

  “This is nothing, Nothing, like some wimpy battle with a Zori.” Wolf said. He conjured in his right hand a spear made of flames. Michael’s ears twitched and he stood up straighter. “A battle against me? A Champion of Flames! A Champion of Lightning!” Wolf conjured another spear, one of crackling lighting in his left hand. “Draw your sword, Michael. Come at me with all you got!”

  Michael’s empty violet eyes were wide, he felt a tense energy surround him. His heart beat with excitement as he drew his weapon. “You’re making this sound really cool, Wolf.”

  “You’re saying that now.” Wolf said, adopting a stance with his spears out at his sides. As usual, he did not stand the way his conjured weapons were meant to, for his alternative focus weapon training. Michael thought he knew what Wolf’s real weapons were. “But after this, you’ll only be thinking two things.”

  “What will I be thinking,” Michael asked, grinning as he took his battle stance. He focused to stop the shaking in his arms and legs, quenching his excitement for battle.

  “You’ll wonder how you could ever beat me.” Wolf said, “And you’ll be too tired to stand.”

  “Bring it on.” Michael said.

  “Fight!” Hyato announced, assuming the role as referee without being asked.

  Wolf exploded forth in a spinning jump, whirling his weapons around as he closed the distance towards Michael. The Champion swung his weapons forth to slash, while his opponent rolled to the side in a burst of wind.

  The Champion was tenacious, turning to chase Michael with a fiery kick from the ground. Michael dodged around a column and launched a wave of energy from the tip of his sword at Wolf. Energy lanced up from the ground below Wolf, and there was no room to dodge.

  With fleet fiery feet, Wolf kicked from the wave of energy on a burst of flame. He spun through the air, riding the wave and changing course to sail at Michael. Michael brought up his sword in defense, but Wolf’s slash broke his guard and sent him tumbling to the ground. Wolf landed and stopped his attack, looming over Michael. “Tired yet?”

  Michael coughed, but got from the ground to his knees, “No.” He said, defiance in his voice.

  “Then get up. Let’s continue.” Wolf said, waiting for Michael to recover.

  The spar continued, and after another round those watching seemed to let out a sigh of relief. Neither of the fighters were going too far. “I’m going to bed.” Sebastian told the other two, “Goodnight.”

  Yan and Hyato bid Sebastian a good sleep as he left for the tent. Then they watched the sparring match continue. After another round Yan glanced at Hyato. “That thing you said earlier...” Yan started.

  “Yeah?” Hyato said. “What thing?”

  “When you mentioned ‘other activities’ and laughed.” Yan said, giving Hyato a suspicious look. “What were you talking about?”

  “Oh, that.” Hyato shrugged. “Just a joke.”

  “Oh really?” Yan said. Hyato continued to watch the fight, not meeting her gaze. She stared at him for several long moments. “Because, back in Nita. You said something about Michael and I ‘always’ sharing a room.”

  “Did I?” Hyato wondered aloud.

  “Why would you say that?” Yan said, “When that was the first time we had been at an Inn as a group.”

  “That’s a good question.” Hyato said. In lieu of a response, he gave another shrug.

  “You’re hiding something.” Yan said.

  “Everyone is hiding something.” Hyato responded. “And most of them have reasons for it.” Yan frowned, but turned back to watch the sparring match meant to tire out Michael. Her thoughts touched on ‘other activities’ for less than a moment. Maybe more than a moment.

  After the sixth round Hyato excused himself to retire to sleep. The sparring match continued through an eighth round when Michael fell to one knee panting. “Okay.” He said, right hand balled into a fist, “I can’t continue.”

  “Good.” Wolf said, dropping his elemental weapons. “I may not be able to beat your stamina... but you can’t beat my skill.”

  “Yet.” Michael said, stowing away his weapons. “I lost this time, but I’ll win the next.” He offered his hand to Wolf, who completed the greeting. They gripped each other’s right shoulders for a moment, then turned to head to the tent.

  “You can try.” Wolf said, chuckling.

  Yan walked with Michael into the tent, and by the time he reached his bedroll his legs were aching in utter protest. Michael struggled to get his armor off for a moment, when he felt Yan’s fingers on his back. He tensed up for a moment, and then she removed his armor. Michael let out a long breath.

  “Goodnight, Michael.” Yan said, leaving his room.

  “Night....” Michael said, crawling into his bedroll.

  The warmth of the covers surrounded him, and they felt nice and heavy over his sore limbs. The throbbing sensation of his arms and legs slowed over the next few minutes, and Michael felt like he was tall, stretching out in his own space. His feet felt so very far away, and the warmth of the bed was bliss after the chilly mountain air outside. Eyelids heavy, Michael let out a long yawn, then fell asleep.