It was no challenge to find the port city Brua. Many ships, not entirely dissimilar to Henosis’, sit docked along the coast. It is one of the fundamental differences I’ve noticed since I lived in the nation; the intense advancement of technology, or rather, adaption of Henosis’.

Besides the rail network within the country, there wasn’t really anything else like it. But now, with all the equipment, vehicles and weaponry the Empire left behind after their failed invasion, New Vetus has evolved in capability. While rare, I occasionally spot one of those automated carts driving around below.

It unnerves me to be this close to the water, but I don’t have to fly over it again, so it’s not like I need to be afraid. Without some major objective to keep my mind off the sea, I can’t help but feel my gaze dragging back toward it, as if it were to reach out and grab me.

Maybe it’s a pointless concern, but I don’t think I could ever forget the day a wall of mist blew in from the ocean faster than my tribe could run. I’m sure I could avoid it now, but the titan that followed will always be beyond me.

Once again, Grímr stays behind as I fly down into the city. If what Adalbern said about the ursu having talked about me, then it’ll probably be easier to find Gerben by making my presence known.

Flames swirl around me as I come into a landing out the front of this city’s central continae. It takes no time at all to change. Barely thirty seconds and I’m standing on two legs again, with the focus of a dozen pair of eyes.

It’s strange; the more time I spend in a shape other than my normal form, the less it feels normal. It’s hard to imagine taking on any other body than that which I grew up in permanently, but it’s possible. My falcon form has become far more comfortable, as it becomes normal.

I’ve considered more optimal forms for battle, but when my answer is ‘just burn it’, the form in which I do so hardly matters. Maybe relearning the spear will be a good opportunity to experiment?

Enshrouded in flame as I am, none of the ursu come close. They simply watch on with a mixture of admiration, respect, and… fear. Coming from a race of intimidating giants, it feels strange. Each is almost twice my height, and yet I’m the one feared.

People talk. I knew that considering most the pact nations know my name… my nickname. The ursu have likely spread both the story of the gulag and Tore’s freedom. What I’m unsure about is whether they know about the battle against Kalma. Tore has been clear to his people to treat me as a guest, but I get the feeling he has told no one a detailed account of our fight.

I pull my flames into my body, retaking a controlled form, and step toward an ursu chosen at random. “Can you take me to Gerben?”

“Ah, sure.” She seems startled to be spoken to, but quickly leads me toward the docks. Of course he had to be that way.

I sigh inaudibly, but fall in step behind her. Once out of the way of those who saw my flames, I still attract eyes — an albanic in their nation isn’t a common sight after all — but most watch above, where Grímr circles a few hundred metres in the air.

When I first arrived in New Vetus years ago, it was possible to spot individuals from other races, particularly the albanic, but there is none of that now. As we walk, the only people I can see are ursu. Now that Tore is in control, I wonder if the races of the pact nations will become more welcome.

Soon, as we pass through the docks, I catch sight of something that makes me abandon my guide. With a brief thanks, I rush off to the pillar of water lifting a boat out of the water. There at the stone edge that drops away into the sea is Leal. Her inscriptions glow bright as she concentrates on lifting the heavy load out of the water.

She’s controlling an immense amount of water. I guess having such a large body of water around is rather helpful to a mage like herself. I don’t want to go that close to the water, but I also want to talk to her. So I shout to her from a distance.

“Hey, Leal! Are you busy?”

The wide pillar of water buckles, almost dropping the large boat before she regains control. Her head tilts back my way. “Solvei?”

She returns her focus to lowering the ship into a prepared wooden frame. As the water Leal controls no longer needs to carry the weight, her markings dim, turning off. The liquid loses its form and gushes back into the sea.

Instead of approaching me, Leal stands stiff. Her eyes remain on the boat she’d just lifted, away from me. I know she saw me, so it makes things rather awkward that she’d ignore me. Still, that she would still be reluctant to talk to me isn’t unexpected, but it is disappointing.

“Leal.” I step forward. Even if she refuses, I will not leave until I’ve at least asked. “I’m returning to the wasteland to find my tribe’s relics. Do you want to join me?”

Leal’s shoulder’s bunch up before she turns to me. “Solvei… it’s still too soon. Regardless, I’m too busy here to be leaving just like that.” Even as she says so, her eyes never meet mine. Instead locked with the stone below her feet.

I force a smile. I knew her answer long before I arrived, but I’m still let down. “Ah, o-” before I can continue, a gruff, older voice interrupts.

“Sure she can. There’s nothing here that we can’t handle without her.” To the side, Gerben makes his appearance. He now has a walking stick and a band of cloth covering his eye.

“Dad? I can’t just leave,” Leal says. “Besides, you know what she did.” She glances my way as if she doesn’t want me hearing.

“You’re right, I do.” He steps my way, and I look away. Leal wasn’t the only one hurt by my actions. His large hand falls on my head and I flinch before realising he hasn’t hit me. I glance up as his hand stays resting in place. A sad smile spreads over his face. “I also know that it wasn’t intentional.”

Gerben turns to Leal, but my focus doesn’t leave the ursu above me. “What happened was a tragedy. There’s no denying that. But I cannot blame a child for a mistake.”

“A mistake?” Leal scoffs. “That mistake killed people. Killed Mum.”

Gerben lifts his hand and approaches Leal. “Did I tell you that when we first met Solvei, we forced her to drink water. Almost killed her. Nobody is immune to mistakes, but they can learn from them so that they won’t be repeated. If someone isn’t aware what they are doing is a mistake, it is up to those around them to act as guides.”

Gerben stops before Leal, pulling her into an embrace. “I know you miss your mother, but I also know you want to join Solvei.”

Leal tries to deny, but Gerben speaks before she can raise her voice. “Go. It’ll be good for you.” He angles his head back. “You’ll take care of them, right?”

Before I can guess at who he’s talking to, Grímr lands beside us. He touches down smoothly, not even cutting open the stone with his talons. “Of course,” he says. “Though Solvei hardly needs help, I intend to make sure they both remain safe.”

Gerben nods, satisfied. “Solvei, remember that death worms are deadly to us. Don’t let her get bit,” he says to me before looking down at his daughter. “And Leal, never remove the gloves and boots I’ll give you.”

“Wha… but,” Leal stammers, but Gerben is already leading her down the street, back into the thick of the city.

She may not be entirely willing, but I’m excited Leal is joining us. Grímr snorts at me, and I realise I’m grinning. Gerben has nothing to worry about. I’ll burn away any worm that comes within a hundred metres of us.

❖❖❖

It takes Leal and Gerben a couple hours to get her ready for travel in the wasteland. While those two acquire what they need, Grímr and I wait outside the city, leaving them some time together before we steal Leal for a journey.

I’m surprised Gerben was so pushy to get Leal to travel with us. She clearly still has her reservations, but unlike with me, she can’t seem to say no to her father.

When she finally arrives alongside her dad, I have to silently thank Grímr for being here. I struggled to carry Leal back when I carried her across the ocean. With all the weight she’s carrying along, there’s not a chance I’d be able to take off. Not only does she have a backpack about the size of her body, but she carries along a suitcase nearly as big.

Catching my uncertain eye, Gerben lets out a deep chuckle. “Leal refused to leave without taking all her mage tools. Good luck.” He hugs Leal once more before stepping away.

I suddenly remember the box Adalbern gave us. With some physical flames, I unstrap it from amongst Grímr’s new saddlebags and send it into Gerben’s hands. “Almost forgot, sorry. That’s from Adalbern.”

He gives the wooden package a brief glance, but returns to seeing Leal off. I help her tie down her baggage to the alicanto’s chest. I smirk at Grímr, the big bird looking more and more like a pack-pholo, a mule. He glares down at me, but I only grin wider.

The boots and gloves are thick, even on an ursu like Leal. I hope they’re more comfortable than they look. I’m once again reminded that some things I consider harmless might be lethal to others. On our journey, I’m going to make sure Leal gets some enhancement into her body. The Henosis general took dozens of those sandworms before any effect showed itself, and that was with the Void Fog enhancing them. With enough energy in her, she could become resistant.

I’m slightly disappointed Grímr doesn’t buckle under Leal’s weight, but I probably shouldn’t have expected him to. He could carry our entire team, plus Imiha and that mermineae, Aana, without a problem for weeks on end.

I wonder what happened to Aana? Nothing great, I’m sure. Best to not think about it.

I join Leal upon Grímr’s back, and soon Brua is nothing more than a dot on the horizon behind us. Even with the expanse ahead of us, Leal’s attention stays locked behind us. I want to speak up and reassure her, but do I have the right to do such a thing? Would she just hate me if I tried to take her mind off her father?

His speech about not blaming me felt genuine, but I’ll never not feel guilty for what my inattentiveness caused. I appreciate his words, and will definitely try my best to improve myself so such an incident could never happen again. I need to improve my control so that I can stop a fire no matter how large, how far, or how strong it is.

After an hour of flight in silence, Grímr finally breaks it. “Solvei, where are we going? Where in the wasteland is this spear of yours?”

I’d stayed by Leal’s side hoping we could talk, but that’s not happening, so I take the form of a bird and fly ahead. As annoying as it is, the best way to find where my tribe fell would be to reach the southern coast and follow it west. Eventually, we’ll come across the devastated cliffs.

And so, the three of us spend the next couple days coasting through the air until we hit the ocean. I’m glad to see Leal having refocused her attention on the magnificent sights such high altitude provides. Though we still haven’t talked more than basic exchanges, I have hope we will progress as we travel.

We will find the cliffs without issue, but the search for the agglomerate might take a long time. Plenty enough to recover my friendship with Leal. Hopefully.