"Alright, this concludes our business," Richard said as he tucked away the crystal. "It will take us a few days before we set out, so you should get friendly with the rest of the members."
"I'll do my best," Heron replied.
"You oughta; these are people who will protect you, so don't want them to miss anything aimed at you," Richard laughed. "Also, we'll not be going to Tuska directly; we will be doing a few missions. I hope this is fine with you."
"Yes, I assumed that would be the case. But I'd like by the end of the next cycle to cross Tuska's border."
"That is a reasonable demand. If you prove yourself, consider it a deal. Now shall we get back?"
On their way back Richard was driving slower, and while still noisy, they could have had a conversation. But Heron didn't know what to ask. A lot has happened in the last few days, and he wasn't even acclimated.
At one point, Richard broke the silence. "May I ask you how you got your hands on this crystal? Is it related to the person you are tracking down?"
"My father Haran gave it to me before abandoning me in that mill. He also told me to get to Tiwaz and seek the Bratti family."
"Do you know anything about the Bratties?"
"No, I only have the pendant and know my father is related to them. Do you know anything, sir?"
Richard paused for a bit. "No, nothing comes to mind. I asked only because of mission details. The more you tell me, the better we'll be prepared for whatever is ahead."
"If I knew more, I'd share," Heron replied.
"I figured," Richard nodded. "Also, Heron. You'll be doing some special training too. I'll speak with Irene. You are not to share this with others. Understood?"
"Umm, I guess that is fine, sir. But may I ask why?"
"You are more sensitive to crystals, which is nothing dangerous in itself. But if you were to interact with them during the battle without proper adjusting, you'd become a liability. And I don't want others giving you a hard time because of it."
"I don't know why it is happening. Last time it was during the trial. I was being healed, I think. I remember only a black void with patterns of faces forming like a wall, trying to talk. I heard only one voice. I haven't spoken to anyone about it. But you are right, I'll be a liability if I don't share these types of occurrences."
Richard looked over at Heron and gave a brief smile. "Thank you for sharing. You can trust me. Marcus informed me about the past instances. But in my experience, people who encountered this phenomenon were fine once they acclimated. In the cities, we do it since we are born, we forget what a shock it would be for a villager to use any crystal-powered tool that requires him to be a proxy."
"A proxy?"
"I figured you lacked knowledge. I'll be filling you in as time goes on, but for starters, a proxy is what we call a crystal user. The most common case is that you use the catalyst to direct your thoughts into crystal, and then it converts them into a command. Some just need any spark like the blower to know you want to turn it on and off. But for others, you need to focus on how they should work. So it takes training to master some of them."
"Ok, that makes sense."
They continued to drive in silence, and they arrived at the gates as the day was switching to night. Richard drove Heron in front of the tavern.
"Do you have spare clothes?" Richard asked.
"Yes, I bought some newish clothes when I was returning from Altaria yesterday. This girl, Emilia , mentioned secondhand stores, so I ran into one on my way back."
"Well good, get all you need washed and I'll reimburse you for the costs. Also, ask the keeper for directions to Jamtara's furnace. We'll be at that pub in two hours, and I'd like you to join us."
"Thank you, sir," Heron said as he was exiting the cabriosteamer. "I gladly accept."
"Then I'll see you tonight." Richard waved and drove off.
As he entered his room in Altaria, Richard, still covered in dirt, went over the small wooden desk. The desk was plain looking and unobtrusive, but at the bottom there was a small hole, one for a small key. He pulled out a necklace with a key, crouched under the desk and unlocked a hidden compartment.
He then pulled out what looked like a small stone tablet with seven holes on it forming a crystal in shape. All slots were carved in and polished, but one slot was occupied. In the said slot, there was a red crystal with yellow sparks flowing within it. Richard pulled out the pouch he had got from Heron. He went over to a cabinet and, after a bit of searching, between what were his clothes, he found a pair of gloves.
He put the gloves on and then reached for the blue soul crystal, and placed it in one of the free slots in the tablet.
The creators blessed me with luck. Only five more to go. He smiled as he put the tablet back into the compartment.