Later that afternoon, Roderic woke up with his body feeling quite sore. He stretched both arms overhead, trying to work out the stiffness. Rising slowly, he felt quite hungry and thirsty. He then felt the need to hunt for food and find water by a nearby river, if he could locate one.
He then glanced over at the still unconscious knight. "Hmm, still sleeping I see," he muttered, before heading toward the nearest mountain to look for a river. Animals would likely come to the water to drink, which Roderic could use to his advantage. "Two birds with one stone," he thought. Roderic's face took on a satisfied grin just thinking about finally getting a well-deserved meal and something to drink.
As his body slowly warmed up and his mind started to clear from just recently waking up, he began gathering speed, slowly turning back into what it was yesterday. Weaving through rocks and trees as if it were nothing. His steps were silent, his focus sharp; he was a hunter in mind and body, searching for his prey.
Speeding up the mountain, Roderic spotted a rushing river, wide enough for multiple animals to drink from simultaneously. This was exactly what he was looking for. He felt his luck had finally turned for the better. Roderic wasted no time and immediately began his descent, following the river downstream as he searched for something to eat.
He was not worried about the animals running away as he was faster than most of them, and as an added bonus his steps were nearly silent, so most of them did not have any time to react before perishing from a quick blow to the heart.
Finally, he spotted a deer drinking from the river below, in one of the more calm areas where the current was more gentle. Roderic immediately reacted, leaping up into a nearby tree as he started moving from branch to branch.
Finally, he dove down, his right hand forming into a spear as he launched himself toward the deer in one swift movement. Ice crystals formed around his arm with a slight crackling sound. He hit the ground silently, sliding underneath the deer and stabbing between its ribs, piercing straight through to the heart before flipping back up in an unnaturally fluid motion.
No blood spilled as the deer collapsed, never realizing its death. Frost began to spread around the wound with crackling sounds that gradually faded to silence.
Roderic looked down at his hand, watching frost spread to his palm. "See Anna, there's no point in using your echo for every minor inconvenience," he thought with a touch of regret, before refocusing on the dead deer.
He knelt down by the river where the deer had been drinking, pulling out his waterskin and filling it. After filling it to the brim, he drank his fill, then refilled the waterskin to save for later.
Roderic hoisted the deer over his shoulder. "Lucky catch. Expected to be searching much longer than this, but it looks like the Binding Abyss is smiling upon me," he muttered to himself, his face lighting up with a wide grin stretching from ear to ear.
. . .
Back at camp, Lucian awoke and looked around, trying to figure out where he was.
"Where am I? Wasn't I back in the cave fighting that witch with Sidrian, Feli, and Seth? What happened..." Suddenly a wave of unbearable pain crashed over him. His face twisted immediately, his eyes squeezed shut against the agony. "Sh*t, that hurts!" Lucian groaned, slowly struggling to push himself upright.
"I can't remember anything. What could have happened to them?" Lucian wondered, pressing his palm to his temple. The cool touch eased his headache but did nothing for the dread settling in his chest.
"Anyway, putting that aside—where am I?" Lucian forced himself to his feet, limping toward the hill's edge where a pristine lake stretched below. Despite everything, he couldn't help but appreciate the serene view. "Beautiful place to wake up, at least," he murmured as a gentle breeze cooled his sore skin. Suddenly he realized something; there are two "beds" in the camp, and the fire looks recently lit. So there must be someone nearby who might know my situation and how I ended up here.
Lucian spun around and returned to the camp, searching for anything that might give him a clue. But as he knelt down to pull away pine needles from his makeshift bed, sudden hunger and thirst overwhelmed him. His mouth began watering as hunger pangs struck his stomach in waves. "Damn it! I should have carried supplies too, then I'd at least have some food." He glanced down at his only remaining possession. "All I have left is my sword." He drew it from its sheath to examine it. "Everyone's gone except you, it seems... wait, what's that? A nick?" His attention immediately focused on the damage he couldn't recall getting. He ran his fingers over the sizable nick, wondering how it had happened. He couldn't remember his blade being damaged.
Then it hit him, a flash of memory that made him wince. A monstrous figure with pristine white gleaming scales, wind howling around it. Then darkness. "That's it!" he muttered, rubbing his temple. "Something dragon-like. It knocked me aside like I was nothing." He absently stroked the stubble on his jaw, trying to piece things together. "The others must have escaped while that thing was distracted. Someone found me afterward, a hunter maybe, or a traveler who heard the commotion." It was the best scenario he could hope for, though doubt still nagged at him. If his companions had escaped, why hadn't they come back for him?
Snap!
Lucian suddenly heard a stick snap from the direction of the tallest mountain in the region. He then saw a figure walk out holding a massive deer over his shoulder, as if it was nothing. "How's that even possible?" he thought, his mouth wide open. "A deer that size weighs as much as an ale barrel, yet he carries it like it's nothing." The effortless display of strength made his skin crawl.
"Damn, he's already up," Roderic muttered under his breath. He'd hoped to be present when the knight regained consciousness, to offer reassurance and explanations before confusion set in. Now he faced the awkward task of approaching a disoriented, armed man who would see him as nothing more than a threatening stranger emerging from the wilderness.
Lucian felt a spike of fear. If this stranger had ill intentions, he'd be helpless to defend himself. But seeing that massive deer, all he could think about was cooking and eating it. He pointed at the carcass with a trembling hand. "Um, sir, could I perhaps have some of that deer? I'm starving and desperately thirsty. I'd even pledge my service to you for just a thick cut of that meat." Saliva gathered at the corners of his mouth as he spoke.
"Of course, that was the plan from the beginning," Roderic replied, raising his free hand in a calming gesture. He then approached the starving knight and walked past him toward the campfire. "I know you have questions for me, but I'd prefer to explain everything after we eat, if that's okay with you."
Lucian was in no rush himself, thinking, "Questions can wait. First I need sustenance and a drink," so he simply nodded and followed behind to help prepare the meal at their established campfire.
Reaching the campfire, Roderic placed down the sizeable deer, drawing a knife from a specially designed pocket.
The knife had the same eye symbol as the flint and steel, with a blue handle and an icy blue blade.
He then skinned the deer carcass before cutting big slabs out of the meat, throwing away the organs, frozen meat, and skin as those parts were not really needed right now.
He then placed two solid rocks on either side of the fire before laying a flat rock across them on top, creating a cooking surface over the flames.
Lucian grabbed the already cut-up meat and arranged it neatly in a nice line on the flat rock.
The meat began sizzling quickly, as the fire was burning nicely. Lucian then sat down, watching the meat cook. Roderic was cleaning up the mess and throwing it in a pile a little farther away, so scavengers could dispose of it later.
Roderic then came back and sat on the other side of the fire, then proceeded to ask, "So what is your name, knight of the Kingdom of the Sun?" tilting his head, a slight grin appearing.
Lucian wasn't all that astounded, as there were only Solarin knights in this kingdom, as well as having the sun symbol of the Solarin knights proudly emblazoned on his chest.
He then replied, "My name is Lucian Rubedo, and as you said, I'm a knight of Solarin, also known as the Kingdom of the Sun. Nice to meet you, sir." His expression was quite welcoming.
Roderic responded back, "What a pleasant name, Lucian. My name is Roderic Frost. I'm from an underground city named the Shifting Sanctum. My strength and power are considered normal there." Roderic felt no concern in spilling this, as his plan was to make him come with him anyway.
Roderic then grabbed one of the meat slices, flipping it with his hands, seeming to not mind the scalding heat that radiated from the meat. Lucian was about to stop him until he remembered this fellow wasn't normal at all.
Lucian waited for Roderic to finish off the meat slices and sit down again before asking, "So do you know what happened to my squad?" He couldn't bear the uncertainty any longer.
Roderic had not fully prepared himself for the question; he wanted to explain it after they ate, but still attempted to explain anyway. "They're dead... they died fighting Anna the wind mage. Or what I believe you knights call her, a witch." Roderic's eyebrow slightly twitched, his grin cracking slightly.
Lucian started spacing out, the realization not fully hitting him.
"Umm, are you going to respond soon or nah?" Roderic thought, his smile starting to waver even more.
A small tear formed and fell down Lucian's cheek.
Awkward silence hung between them before Lucian finally broke it. "I should have expected this. This is my fault. If it were not for my incompetence, they would still be here." He wiped his tear away before continuing to sulk to himself.
Roderic was at a loss for how to respond. He tried to say something comforting. "You know, when your path suddenly disappears into nothing, you can still move through that emptiness and hope to discover a new direction. Or at least... what I'm trying to say is, never lose hope. You might find something that can fill the space left behind."
Roderic immediately realized how cringy his attempt at comfort sounded. He felt like stabbing his claws straight into his own head.
"Thanks," Lucian said, feeling his mood improve slightly. He still felt the slightly cringe aura of Roderic's words, but as he was quite depressed at the moment, he attempted to ask about the city Roderic mentioned, as a way to put his mind elsewhere.
"So I'm wondering, where is this city you talk of? The name the Shifting Sanctum has never been on any map I've read or heard of." He asked, quite unsure, as this city was quite the mystery in his eyes. In Roderic's explanation, countless abnormal humans were scattered everywhere in this crazy city.
Roderic was surprised by the sudden change in mood before getting serious again.
Roderic then looked into Lucian's eyes, his hands gripped tightly together over his mouth. "To be more accurate, the city is named the Accursed City of the Shifting Sanctum. The reason for that is that it's an abandoned nest of rend. This is totally out of standards for rends, as they usually only stay in the place where they first ascend into. We believe this was caused by a God named the Binding Abyss. He prepared it all for us mages, so we could worship and devote our lives to morphosis and let us use the power he has granted us to study and live a life of peace and quiet."
Lucian was taken aback by the information, as he had never heard of this Binding Abyss before, and it all sounded quite crazy. "How are these so-called mages anyway? Why do they need to devote themselves to this so-called god, and how does it hand out this power called morphosis to its believers? And what is a rend anyway?" Lucian thought, his view of the world changing at a rapid pace. All he knew before was that wielders of magic were only maniacs who didn't follow the order of god and could harm citizens of the kingdom. His belief starting to falter, he had no hope of returning to the kingdom anyway, as there was no life to be had returning. The kingdom would look upon him with disdain as he was now the only survivor of the witch hunt.
He had no family, no friends. The only source of happiness for Lucian was a king to follow. And now that king would most likely banish him, as King Sol was cruel to his subordinates who failed or couldn't finish their tasks.
Lucian looked upward, looking straight into the sky. The sun was bright, shining brightly on his face. He then looked downward and with some bitter confidence asked, "Could I join you on whatever adventure you are heading on? Perhaps I could see this so-called Accursed City as well." Lucian said it as a joke the first time, as a way to show how much he needed the food, but as there was no hope to be seen at King Sol's side, the only plausible future for him was to find another place to call home or become an adventurer with this so-called mage.
Roderic was taken aback, as he never expected Lucian to be the one asking.
"If you want, you can. I don't really mind another person joining me," Roderic said, feeling quite happy with his sudden victory. He usually failed at manipulating people as he was quite bad at it, but this man named Lucian was apparently pretty easy to get on board.
Roderic then suddenly noticed a problem. "We don't have horses!" Suddenly Roderic thought of something before asking Lucian, "So I'm wondering, when you and your squad came here, did you guys have horses?"
Lucian thought for a moment before responding, "Yes, if we head left from the cave where Anna is, we should find the horses my squad and I rode in on."
"But that's close to where the wind rend is..." Roderic thought, a bead of sweat forming on his brow. He definitely wasn't strong enough to take on a rend.