We moved on to checking the ores, spider web, and more while Bonte dismantled the nightmares.

I also sold the trees I uprooted when I killed the Giganto Cyclops. Those were dirt cheap, though.

“We use hemp,” Étienne explained. “Wood is... too troublesome to work with, and trees take too long to grow back. Depending on how much E'er a tree has absorbed, it's also difficult to make anything out of it.”

I nodded, looking at the five silver coins in my palm. Even though I gave the man a decent amount of large trees, the monetary return was absolutely not worth it. “How about houses?” I inquired.

“Those are old,” the catman nearing the end of his 1900 years of life calmly explained. “Everything made out of wood should be around five hundred thousand years old by now.”

I hummed. “What about-”

“Exceptions exist, naturally,” he interrupted me with a raised eyebrow.

“Right,” I muttered with a nod, choosing not to be pedantic.

Bonte returned and told Étienne about the spiders.

After a few minutes of checking and appraising the spoils, the two Tigeas reached an appropriate price.

The old man handed the younger a bag of coins.

Bonte took it, but Étienne didn't let go.

“This might be the last time we see each other,” the old man sighed. “I don't have much time left.”

My companion nodded. “You did great things with your life, Grand master,” he told him with a smile. “You helped spread Yvanna's legacy, and ,more importantly, you were like a father to most of us.”

Étienne took a deep breath. “Don't let your mother hear that,” he sighed. “She tried once, you know?”

Bonte laughed. “Well, you're a fine man,” he joked and patted his shoulder. “Can't say I blame her.”

I blinked a few times. Ah, yes... hit me with the disconnect, why don't you.

Étienne chuckled and shook his head. “Live good, Bonte,” he said and spread his arms.

Bonte hugged him. “Thank you for everything, Grand master.”

“You're welcome, my boy,” he replied and patted his back.

I nodded a few times.

The two let go and the old man turned to me.

I offered a hand. “Thanks, Étienne.”

He nodded and shook my hand. “Take care of my boy, Your Excellency. He's like a son to me.”

I smiled and nodded. “I will.”

“Good,” he whispered and released my hand. “Take care yourself as well.”

I nodded again.

The old man looked at us and smiled. “Well? Get out of here,” he chuckled. “I'm not dying that soon.”

Bonte laughed and turned around. “Bye, old man.”

I followed and we left the building.

Out in the streets beneath Paarjo I looked at Bonte next to me.

He didn't seem sad about the inevitable death of his mentor.

I remembered Yolin's words. “Death doesn't have to be painful,” is what she said.

“You good?” I probed anyway, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He turned to me with a confused face. “About?”

“The inevitability of death,” I specified.

Bonte smiled and patted my hand. “All good. Life is a cycle, buddy.”

I nodded and removed my hand. “Alright, then,” I muttered and walked to the spot we left our mounts.

We rode back to Split Tower while chatting.

Bonte told me a bit about the time he spent as Étienne's student.

The man was strict, but not overly so.

“You see,” he retold from atop his Untu. “The first test was to retrieve an object from the Thibault family. Undetected, unscathed, and more importantly, in the same day.”

“You were sent to steal?” I asked, a little surprised.

He chuckled. “No. The Thibault family was asked to prepare a few houses for us to go into. They had guards, enchantments, and traps set for us.”

“I see.” I nodded.

“Five houses were prepared,” he continued. “But I got a specific item, so if I went to the wrong house... that'd be time wasted.”

“How did you complete the task, then?” I probed, interested in how Scouts are taught.

He bit his lips and winced. “It wasn't my best moment, I admit,” he excused himself. “I went there during lunch time and... made them think I was an orphan. They let me in and I nibbed the items. I left before they noticed since my item wasn't there. I did the same thing until I found my objective.”

“Yikes,” I muttered.

He nodded. “This was over a century ago,” he explained. “I was a kid. The Grand master praised me for my ability to trick people. He also scolded me for choosing an orphan as my disguise.”

“Well,” I started with a sigh. “A ten year old doesn't have the brightest ideas.”

Bonte nodded in agreement.

“Didn't they... appraise you?” I inquired. “To see if you were a Scout?”

He turned to me with a smile. “It was the first test,” he explained. “To see if they'd let you in. I hadn't picked my path yet. If I failed there, I'd go to the Wizards next.”

I gave him a dubious look. “You don't strike me as the Wizard type,” I commented.

“I'll have you know I had quite the potential,” he chuckled. “But that wasn't for me. Being a shadow triumphs over controlling one.”

I nodded, pretty impressed at his commitment to the bit. “Don't you control shadows, though?”

“Not like that,” he pointed out, then thought for a second. “I don't use shadows as a weapon. I used them on myself.”

“Ahh,” I breathed in understanding. “I see now. Does a... what was the name? Shadow Adaptor?”

“Shade Adept,” Bonte corrected me.

I nodded. “Yeah, that. Do they, like, cut things with it, or...?”

“Yes,” he replied. “They can turn shadows into solid.”

I tilted my head in confusion. “Isn't shadow the absence of light?”

His eyebrows scrunched up. “Uh... obviously?”

“So... they.. manipulate light?” I tentatively asked.

“Well, am I a Shade Adept?” He asked with a chuckle. “I don't know the formula for it, but I know they do. Shadow to solid, gas, liquid sometimes. It's a pretty cool class.”

“Not cool enough, I assume?” I joked.

He giggled. “Not at all. Besides, it's like... the one Wizard Class that does that. The other shadow-related ones are pretty mid in my opinion.”

I hummed. “It's better to strike from the shadows, then?”

He nodded with a proud smile. “You get it.”

We continued chatting while riding through the underground streets of Paarjo, then went up a long set of stairs to the surface.

The suns were nearing the horizon, and the clouds in the sky were painted orange and pink. They also looked fluffy, and a little heavy.

“Looks like rain,” Bonte muttered, looking up at the sky. “In about twenty minutes.”

“You can tell that?” I inquired, a little surprised.

He nodded. “Naturally.”

I nodded in approval. “That's a cool skill to have.”

“Want me to teach you?” He offered.

I smiled and gave him a nod. “That'd be awesome.”

Bonte chuckled. “We'll have a lot of time after we leave Paarjo, and the trees will help a lot as well.”

“Thanks, bro,” I laughed and patted Sonya's neck.

Before we reached Split Tower, however, and just after twenty minutes, the skies decided to soak the world.