Evengarde Rest listened as Valerie described what had happened at Etris.
"I see… the source of his power makes sense now. I was right to not be hasty in my decision to go for the forge. We need to figure out what happened to you, Valerie… it troubles me."
His scarred fuschia and jade eyes turned to face Quies. He shuddered as Evengarde held his gaze, as if studying the composition of his very soul—listening intently to the sound of his song.
"What's your name?"
"Quies… s-sir… Maestro…"
Evengarde held his gaze for a moment before extending a hand.
"Good to know you, Quies. I'm sure you've heard lots about me, but you can just call me Evengarde. I'm far too young to care about honorifics."
He grinned slightly. Quies raised his hand and gave Evengarde a firm handshake.
"With these circumstances, I foresee us working together in the near future."
"Right. Is it about the forge?"
"Yes. We can arrange a time to discuss later. In fact, meet me later this evening, right here."
The two of them lowered their hands as Evengarde looked towards Valerie. She stood with her hands in the pockets of her matte coat.
"Valerie, I believe it's best for you to stay here—if you're fine with that. I sense something worrying embedded within your song."
She gave a small nod before addressing Quies.
"I swear I will drown you myself if you get into trouble again."
"I won't… probably."
She gave him a tired look that had a whole lot of 'yeah, right' behind it. Turning back to Evengarde, the three made a few closing remarks before Quies left.
This was the first time Quies had the chance to talk to the elusive swordsman. The first time he stepped into this room, maybe a few days ago, he thought that the man wouldn't even spare him a glance. Now, here he was asking Quies for a favor.
It must've been striking to see the progress he had made in a span of a little under three days. To be honest, Quies was rather impressed himself. His knowledge of swordsmanship was exponentially broader than before, and his connection to the song was deeper and more resonant. His mastery over his own attunement was flourishing too.
Though, he knew he still had a long way before true resonance—and even past that.
As he began walking away, Evengarde had a final remark to make.
"Oh, and thanks for punching that kid in the face for me, Quies. He was rather… painful for the mentors to teach."
He gave a small reassuring grin.
***
Quies covered the cross shaped sun with his hand as he walked out of the other entrance to the temple. Behind him, he could hear the serene sound of water rushing down a short manmade waterfall. He walked past a few guards cloaked in white, giving them a short glance with his heavy eyes.
Exiting the temple and descending the stairs, the wind reappeared and began to lightly toss his tunic.
'So… what do I do while I wait.'
Maestro Evengarde Rest had told Quies to meet him later this evening, but from what Quies could tell, the morning was still in full swing. The sun still hadn't reached its apex yet.
As he walked down the stone path, a memory suddenly reappeared in his mind. It was Valerie when he first stepped foot on the Isles of Vigil.
"That should be good for a week…"
The memory faded.
'Where did I remember that from?'
He thought hard while walking across a stone bridge. His steps slowed as he pondered, eventually stopping at the middle of the bridge and leaning against its wooden railing. Looking into the depths of the fissure, his mind began to turn.
He tried to recall everything that had happened that day. Fragments of different events appeared in his mind.
He remembered when Valerie was guiding the boat inland, into the docks of the Isles of Vigil. He sat on the side of the small schooner, while Valerie was up at the stern. Despite being at rest, Quies felt like he was about to throw up with how Valerie was maneuvering the ship.
He distinctly remembered her almost scraping the side of the ship against one of the stone pillars that surrounded the island. He could literally reach his hand out across the deck and touch it.
'Well, then she crashed it into the dock anyway.'
Then he remembered climbing the ladder, getting the food, the stairs—which didn't exhaust him as bad this time—and then….
'Right, it was when she was talking to the innkeeper.'
He thought for a moment longer, remembering the exact scene.
'That was two days ago… ish… and a week is… so that means…'
He turned his head to the left. A beautiful two story building with curve-sloped roofs stood there—across the bridge. That was the inn where he had spent his night on his first day here. Though, he wondered whether that week would still be applicable to him. There were factors such as what name Valerie booked the room under, and the inn's policies in general.
Then again, he was feeling pretty damn tired. He didn't sleep too well, after all.
With a slight refrain, he turned and walked towards the building.
'Worth a try.'