Svnyo, Dykur and Cryst all took points in a triangle around Naph and his ride containing Bulwark and his accessories. All floating above the island of Monite. The three were still waiting for other three to join them.
"Dykur, tell me they are alive." Cryst gazed down unrelentingly.
"They are," Dykur assured. Yet, he gripped his spear tighter instinctively.
Svnyo however, was unaffected thoroughly. She rather began checking her nails.
'But when did she get gloves?' Naph looked at her holding thin silk gloves in her left while she judged her right hand's nails.
There were still plenty more things hung on his mind that he hadn't had the moment to say or react to properly.
Now he had.
"Cryst, I never once doubted your friend let alone have any doubts within me. So why say that?" Naph pierced her with his gaze.
"Huff," Cryst scratched the side of her head. "Fine, yes. You are right."
Anaphol's gaze did not subside. Cryst felt it on her. And she was unaffected.
But she chose to answer for she believed in her friend. "While it is true you did not doubt my friend nor any of her words were countered by you. I said so," she turned to look at Naph, "because there was a doubt about to blossom in you that I had to purge. One made by the two Regdaians. Now which one specifically I don't know."
"What about-"
"The conversation after closed it further. You'll still need to be taught about cata and lesio. That will help you understand the situation better." Her eyes did flicker down to the dust cloud covering the view to fountain crossroad and dozens of building blocks of the coastal area.
Right at that moment came three more people, flying up through the dust cloud. One wore a brown and beige suit, another held a staff and the last one was unhanded in simple clothing ill suited for combat by Naph's experience of it.
'But I am at most times in ill suited clothes.' His neon jacket fluttered as if in agreement.
It was the ill suited clothed one that reached them first. Flying to a still in front of Naph, he introduced himself.
"Hey kid, I am Ovier."
And proceeded to go above the formation as if to stand as its lead up high.
The next two arrived in the same instant it took Naph to register what Ovier looked like. Brisk hair, coloured black, eyes of deep brown. Everything else of his face? A near blur.
"Hey, I am Nert," said the polite beige and brown suit wearing guy.
Nodding to his introduction, Naph began to respond but the other one spoke next without stop.
"Hi, I am Litto," spoke the one with the staff that breaks and reassembles.
Naph again was in the middle of responding to Litto, but Cryst cut in.
"Ok, so we have introduced ourselves. Now let's move."
And without giving him a warning, all six flew up with Naph right in the center of their formation. The direction? Upwards.
As they climbed, Naph glanced west. The view was magnificent.
A rising sun rose up from its murky depths of the ocean. The mesmerizing sight temporarily took Anaphol's worries. But then only his ride revolved around to come in front of him.
'Bulwark.' His mind's clouds darkened.
Not waiting for someone to explain, he asked. "Why are we climbing?"
"There's safety through altitude." Said Litto. Naph held a puzzling expression. He heard the term for the first time. "Uh, I am sorry? But what is-"
"He means there's safety by gaining height. Since beings that could fly and make their hunting ground this high, they always tend to migrate more." Dykur filled in. Looking at him, he continued explaining to Naph.
"This also allows people to avoid the more feral and abundant amount of caestre that exist in the oceans, seas, straits, etc." He twirled his hand as he said it.
Gold hues that saturated the sunset sky slowly dimmed as a bluish tint began replacing it. The sun still hadn't rose quite much. Only by like two or so fingers breadth had it rose. Naph checked that himself.
Nert seeing the way Naph checked it said, "ah, so you know how the fingers and the sun's position connect together in the sky?"
"Yeah, I learned it from where I originate from." A bitter taste and dreaded memories scratched his mind. He pushed them down. "It was required to know it, since the sun's supposed position sometimes told us when a mob of caestre will attack."
Nert nodded and understood. "A similar practice grew in Jhorime as well. Some caestre are time connected. You will learn how." He smiled. "Jhorime has great teachers still."
Naph's eyebrows furrowed. "Is this more of a getting me into a school? Or are you guys even remotely concerned for what maybe happening or has happened in Sevenren?"
It was Svnyo's turn, "Sevenren as a territory is now being attacked by every territory in Confederation of Tarna while they try to collect and make a stronger army that will siege and retake the territory."
She placed her right palm on her cheek ever so smoothly and lightly. The sight after would have melted many. Naph's concern did not waver in front of this cuteness.
Continuing her own way of easing the boy in for Jhorime, she said. "As for the city of Sevenren, it is not faring well. Many have died, there's a supposed resistance formed on the spot. And that's all we could get."
Her eyes twinkled.
"Hmm," Naph took silence. He was considering whether he had done right. Cryst however was having none of his doubt.
She snapped back, "Keep doubting like that and I will knock you out. The next time you wake up will be in a comfy bed in Jhorime. You want that?" She drifted towards him.
The entire group kept rising into the clouds above. They had reached far and still Naph could not see the mainland of Tarna from this height.
'Of course, even the tallest mountain on Tarna does not allow one to see a lot of Tarna so why should rising this close this up will.' Naph nodded to his inner thought, except Cryst thought he was nodding to her question.
"Oh so you do!" She readied her hand to strike Naph's neck.
"No, no, no, wait! Wait! Wait!" Naph screamed suddenly in a panic. "I want to end that battle being fought in Sevenren as fast as possible. Like today itself."
Cryst lowered her hand. "Ok, we still have to rise way more. So do talk with us such that we know when you are ….uh, uncomfortable… because of the air."
"Uh, why would I be uncomfortable because of just air?" Naph's panic from being struck vanished under subtle curiosity based panic of being uncomfortable.