Chapter Nine

Before the sun rose the next day, Tengeshi had prepared many bundles of his weapons in oiled leather. Each weapon was individually wrapped and coated in a self made oil lubricant which would prevent the weapons from rusting. He then placed all of the weapons within his travel pack. He had made a secondary travel pack for Elysia, so she could carry the other provisions. By the first light of day, the two companions said farewell to their home of six years and activated their agility runes.

Tengeshi moved in a planned route. Instead of staying still the past six years, he had set out and mapped the areas, ensuring he knew just how far they could make it each day and that there would be a rest area before the end of the day. He had set up more than one safe house in place of woodlands in the places he knew they wouldn't have any cover. Some were dug out, the same way he had created their last home. Others were made from caves and natural structures that existed before.

They raced through the plains like two arrows shooting out towards their targets. If they had run into anyone on the way, they would only be able to see the grass move.

Even with all of their glyphs active, Tengeshi planned the trip down to the last strand of life force. He knew both his capabilities, and Elysia's. He knew that they could last from sunup to sundown, as they had ensured before they stopped their life force training and focused more on combat and crafting. He had even stacked boulders on his back with weightless glyphs, running to the safehouse just to ensure he could make it without getting tired.

The sun continued its journey through the sky until it began to sink before they got to the first stop. Tengeshi and Elysia brushed the sweat from their brows before dropping their packs in their temporary home. Elysia took out two prepared meals from her pack and handed one to Tengeshi who accepted it gratefully. They both tore into their meal, ending it in just a few minutes.

Getting up, they both took a ready stance and drew their swords, filling the world with the echoless clashes of their blades. They danced a practiced routine, wearing each other out, yet neither gained any ground. Tengeshi relied solely on his technique without any help of glyphs aside from durability and silence. Even still, their arms blurred in the motion of their dance, not letting up for a moment.

As the last ray of light left the sky, they went into their shelter and to their own rooms, much like their old home.

The sun rose and set through their travels. Each day ended with steel against steel, yet it was always their own. The castle to the west was no longer a pinprick in the distance. The cliff loomed over them, even though they were still a day's travel from reaching the climb to the gate. Tengeshi could see the winding path that led up the mountain, but instead of continuing, he took Elysia by the hand and brought her off the trail.

Though she didn't question it, she did watch Tengeshi's eyes dart from a rock in the distance, to a tree a little further out. If she focused on the tree, she could barely make out a small cut across the bark. Is that a marker? Her thoughts were confirmed as they approached the large oak and saw a grass covered hole on the other side. "You were able to get this far?" She thought of the six years they had spent together back where they began. She had gone at least a few weeks without seeing him at a time, yet she didn't think he would have had enough time to reach this distance.

Tengeshi smiled in answer, then opened the hole to reveal a ladder leading down into the darkness. Unlike the other tunnels he had made, this one had given him the most trouble, yet it also yielded the best results.

As they dropped to the bottom, the glyph lights flared into existence as they lit the wall leading in one direction. When Elysia dropped from the ladder, she had expected to find their usual two bedroom home which had always been waiting in every tunnel they'd stayed in. But instead, a massive tunnel continued on, stretching through an unending darkness.

"We can use our agility glyphs here without worry." Tengeshi removed the block from his agility glyph, his body humming with life force.

They both disappeared in a plume of dust as they raced with superhuman speed. For the last month of their travel, they had not run into a single human, as if they had landed in a deserted land. Neither of them felt as if they would be discovered if they used glyphs. But the closer they got to their destination, the more likely they would run into more people.

Elysia kept pace with Tengeshi, The rhythm of their feet stomping the ground being the only way she could keep track of the time, yet as they continued on, she lost track of even that source of time. For hours, the only noise they made was that of travel, until Elysia saw the tunnel widen around them.

A few paces later, they found themselves in a wide chamber. Glyph lights surrounded them in every direction, lining the walls and making it seem more like daylight within the cavern. Elysia's eyes widened as she saw all of the passageways within the cavern. "When did you have enough time to do this?"

"This?" Tengeshi swirled his finger around the room indicating the chamber. "I didn't make this portion of the structure, actually." His smile brightened as he took in her surprise. "We aren't the only ones who thought to burrow into the earth." He then blocked the flow of life force to agility before they continued.

Tengeshi waved Elysia to follow him. Together, they took one of the many paths, Tengeshi looking up at the beginning of the passageway before taking it. "We're pretty close now, we can walk from here."

"How do you know where we're going?"

"I put markers on every entrance. The one with five strikes is the path we need to take." The glow from the glyph lights passed him over and over, yet Elysia could see the satisfaction on his face as he looked around himself.

As they exited the tunnel, they found themselves in a corridor of sorts. She looked around and saw their standard living area, the two rooms for sleeping and another room which led to another tunnel, where she assumed the forge would be located. They took this tunnel which stretched on for close to a mile. When they finally exited, it was in the most spacious room she had seen yet.

The other forges Tengeshi had made were simple rooms with the stone forge and anvil, yet this one seemed more grand. He had already made barrels which held various types of ore. He also had many different shelves built into the stone wall. There were also tables in the corner, each one with a symbol. One was for weapons, while the other had a crude drawing of armor.

In the center of the room rested the forge. It was the standard large stone which was hollowed out. Elysia marveled at the detail, if she hadn't seen Tengeshi leave the forge at their last hideout, she would have assumed that he found a way to bring it with him. Even the spout for the molten metal seemed to be carved out in every detail just like the last. Next to it rested a large shelf with molds of weapons and armor. Next to this was a large stone table, smoothed out to perfection. She could swear she saw the light from a glyph light reflecting off its surface.

Tengeshi took off his pack and began to unload the weapons onto the proper shelves. Soon, it looked as if he had set up a shop deep underground. Crude iron swords mixed with elegant steel swords with designs Elysia had familiarized herself with over the years.

Tengeshi had brought every single piece of armor he had worked on within the last six years. His failures as well as his successes. His father had ensured he kept every single mistake he had ever made. Keep everything, that way you learn from your failures. Without the knowledge of your shortcomings, you will never break free from them. Tengeshi remembered fondly the words of his father as he set dented armor along with the cracked pieces.

He remembered the first year of forging on his own. He picked up a dagger with the blade cracked through the center, remembering when he had forgotten to adjust the temperature gradually, instead using the cooling glyph to its full potential instantly. The blade had split before he could hammer it even once. "This dagger started the six year journey I've been traveling." He nearly whispered as he placed it on the top shelf of the finished works. "It will always be my greatest accomplishment." Broken from his revere, he smiled at Elysia. "We are home for the foreseeable future. I think the next thing to do is rest for the day, then we will set out to the city in the morning."

Elysia didn't complain, though she hadn't carried any of the wares, she did bring the sleep blankets and any of the food they had left. They went back to the common area and she dropped her own travel bag, retrieving the last of their food. Looking at the dried meat and berries, she split them with Tengeshi. "We will have to get more food tomorrow." She wrinkled her nose at the berries. They had picked them from the bushes a few days ago at one of their last resting spots.

Tengeshi took a few berries and sat on the ground near Elysia. "I'll be bringing in a few of my weapons to see if the local blacksmith might buy them from me." Though the chances were slim, sometimes his father had sent him a few villages over to sell his wares to other blacksmiths, in the hopes that they had fallen behind on their craft. Though the price wasn't as grand as commissioned work, he knew it would be good enough to fetch a decent price. Even if it was a fraction of what the work was worth, it would still be enough to pay for a stay at an inn, maybe even a warm meal. "One way or another, we will take a step forward tomorrow." He popped the remaining berries into his mouth, his stomach still growling in protest. Before he got up, Elysia split the dried meat and handed him half. He took it gratefully.

They finished their small supper in silence, partly thinking about the looming changes, and partly recovering from the long day of travel.

Elysia got up and stretched, her armor shone with the light of the glyphs lining the wall. "We should prioritize clothing over food. We've grown out of the clothing we started with, and I'm sick of having to choose between a fur pelt and armor."