Interlude [7.5] Survivor Part 1

The march from the Nazem territory was smoother than anyone could have imagined. The traitorous noble wendigo fool made infiltrating the kingdom and sabotaging infrastructure child's play. It was almost too easy, which was what had everyone on edge. Being this deep into the savages' territory was nerve wracking to say the least.

Bláinn was in the middle of the six-party formation of infiltrator druids. It was his first real mission since being chosen by his clan to become a warrior after his familiar finally evolved into the Delta class. The young man fresh out of training never expected to be hand selected to take part in such an important mission in the heart of the wendigo savages' homeland. He felt immense pride that he and his steel wolf familiar would be able to strike back against the wendigo savages that desecrated the holy Diredian Forest.

Grim, the squad leader, held out his hand. "We will set up camp here for tonight. Finn, Bláinn, Kara: you and your familiars secure the position. Ivar, Sindri: you two are on set up. I want this place hidden."

"Yes, sir!" everyone stated in unison.

Bláinn looked over the group of familiars which dutifully followed their masters. His own familiar was Gordo, the Delta class steel wolf. Finn's familiar was a Delta class shimmer glider, a small rabbit-like creature with the wings of a bird. The creature could bend light around itself while it flew, making itself nearly invisible, or direct that light at opponents to blind them. Kara's familiar was the most impressive in the group. It was an Alpha class familiar crescent panther, and was not only huge and powerful, but because it was an Alpha it was intelligent and could speak.

"We will do a wide sweep," Kara said; her voice was swift and to the point. "Finn, send your familiar up and alert us if he sees anything. Bláinn, you ready?"

"Yes ma'am," Bláinn responded.

The familiars all dispersed, following the wills of their individual masters. The druids set out as well to insure their familiars didn't miss anything. Night was fast approaching and the forest was already dark. Bláinn had no issue with the darkness as he was a nature mage, and could see life itself as an ethereal glow all around him as if it were day. His comrades, on the other hand, had to use enchantments on their green combat robes to gain Night Eye.

The walk was silent as each member looked sharply out for any sign of being followed or hunted. After several large laps around their camp they decided they were in the clear and started heading back. It had been a long three weeks of travel, and they were all exhausted. They felt more at ease here than in the plains they'd spent the last two days in, since they had the field advantage deep in the woodland.

Bláinn glanced behind him when Finn's familiar zipped through the air and landed on his shoulder. The Shimmer Glider was hard to see, and if not for his ability to see life he would have missed it altogether.

"You know, Finn, I've only ever seen Shimmer Gliders as pets. My little brother has one back in our clan, but no one has bonded with one. They're a bit… mischievous. What made you want one as your familiar?"

Kara looked back at the familiar as well; with the perimeter secured she felt more at ease to talk. "I've been wondering the same thing. The little guys have a reputation of being difficult familiars."

Finn grinned. "They are quite mischievous, with a habit of getting into places that lead to trouble. Thing is, back in my clan I was pretty much the same. My nickname was Shimmer because of how much trouble I used to get in." He pet the small shimmer glider as it nuzzled up to him on his shoulder. "So, the bond just came naturally to me. Turns out we're a matching pair. What about you, Bláinn? A steel wolf familiar is pretty impressive, and your bond is strong."

"My clan breeds steel wolves, so I was just following tradition." Bláinn scratched his neck sheepishly. "We actually became Delta bonded only a few months ago. He's the lone wolf type, literally, and likes to wander, but he has my back. I know that for sure." Bláinn looked over to Kara. "Our bond is nothing compared to yours. An Alpha Familiar! That is insane. I've only ever heard rumors about them."

"He's right, what did you two do to get your bond to that level?" Finn asked.

Kara's mood shifted darkly. "Sköll and I just look out for each other. Alpha bonds aren't like others; they only come through adversity. Let's just say there's a reason I volunteered for this mission. The wendigo savages need to be put down. The Salstar's especially, after what they did."

"After what they did," Bláinn repeated softly. Recognition flashed across his face after he looked at her for a moment. "Are you part of the Kossiale Clan?"

"Can't be a clan if there is only one member left." Kara practically bit off each word.

Bláinn and Finn looked at each other, seeing that they should probably change the subject. It wasn't that they didn't also have their reasons for wanting to take the wendigo down. It was more out of respect for whatever happened to Kara and Sköll. Honestly, up until that moment Bláinn thought there were no survivors of the Kossiale, not after the Salstar heir wiped them out seven years ago.

"Uhhh, we're coming up on the camp now," Bláinn stated.

"How can you tell?" Finn asked. "I know we're going in the right direction but I don't see anything."

Bláinn pointed at his eyes which had a faint almost imperceptible glint of magic. "I have See Life so I can see the addition of plant growth in the area."

"Is that something that can give away our position?" Kara asked.

Bláinn looked around. "No, once the magic finishes dissipating from the new growth it'll look just like any other part of the forest." 

There was a lull in conversation after that as the trio finally rejoined the camp. The new plant growth all around made it impossible for someone to see them from outside of their small area. The bushes closest to them had mana continuously coursing through them. The effect would muffle all sound leaving camp while simultaneously allowing those inside to perfectly hear anything outside.

The three made their report to the commander and settled in for the night; well, everyone but Bláinn since he had the first guard shift. He picked a few lives from a nearby tree for a snack as he sat down at the edge of the camp. He had his familiar, Gordo, stand guard at the opposite side of camp.

Bláinn used the peace and quiet to study the plants that were infused with mana. He was also a botanokinesis mage, but his skills were no were near the same level as Sindri or Ivar. He could tell how much he had left to grow just by seeing how the mana flowed throughout the entire plant and even into the ground and air. He could only hope that one day he would be able to use the spells to the same efficacy. 

He moved to his hands and knees at the base of one of the bushes. He carefully dug up some of the soil, just to get a better look at the root system. He was so entranced by his self-imposed study session that he didn't notice Kara walking up to relieve him until she was right behind him and coughed to get his attention. He shot to his feet, his face several shades redder from embarrassment. 

Bláinn saluted her. "K-Kara, hey, is it time to switch already? I would have gotten you."

"Yeah, looked like you were on the way," Kara said sarcastically.

"Okay, so I would have gotten you eventually," Bláinn said.

"What were you doing, anyway?" Kara asked.

Bláinn immediately took the lifeline to explain himself. "Oh, I was just admiring the spells at work. It's the first time I got the chance to really see this spell used. I just wanted to get a better look at the roots."

"Ah, it must be nice to be able to commune so deeply with nature," Kara stated almost absently. "Unlike my magic that's just meant to destroy."

Bláinn was taken back by her sudden admission. He knew she was an electrokinetic mage and a powerhouse to the team. Her powers were going to be instrumental to any encounter they had, but she was right; he didn't know what else she could do with electricity. He could tell she accepted his silence as agreement, but he didn't know what to say.

"Electricity is just as much part of nature as any plant. Sure it is destructive, but nature is also destructive; it's a cycle," Bláinn said earnestly, scratching the back of his head. "Anyway. I think I'll get some shut-eye now."

Kara didn't respond to him; she just stood there and watched him gather his things. He wasn't sure if he'd said the right thing or just upset her more, but he wasn't there to help her through whatever she had going on. 

"Thank you," Kara said in a voice so small that Bláinn thought he might have imagined it.

"You're welcome?" he responded.