Chapter Three

Tengeshi woke and sat upright. His carving pin in hand with a plate as he carved out the new symbol for agility. He knew that this girl from his dreams was right. The new ability would serve him quite well on his trip to town. He thought what he thought every morning when he woke up. "Is she real?" He said quietly to himself. "Will I ever meet her if she is?"

It was one thing to dream of a girl for his entire life, but what if he ever truly met the girl of his dreams? Would they ever be able to meet, or would there be some force that kept him from her? Or were they even within the same age? Such thoughts had always invited their way into his head after waking up. Only by looking at a new glyph was he able to pick his way back to the task at hand.

Taking his carving pin, Tengeshi took a small scrap of leather and scratched the glyph on it. He then took a needle and thread and began to sew it onto the inside of his shoe. "Keerla said for the glyph to remain on the heel of the shoe." He said silently to himself as he finished sewing it. Instead of placing the leather with the glyph facing his heel, he had it facing out, as if it were showing through the shoe. "I can't have my father seeing a glyph on me. I'm sure he wouldn't understand it. But what if someone from outside notices it?" He silently approved of his decision and began sewing another glyphed leather scrap to his other shoe.

After he was satisfied with his labor, Tengeshi placed the shoes on his feet. The moment the glyphs touched him, he felt the sucking force on his life force. "Woah!" he yelped as he felt the draining and quickly put up his guards to block the flow. It was surprisingly easy for him to do, seeing as though he had watched Elysia do exactly that for most of the night. Though that one thought put everything into perspective for him. "She isn't a dream." His eyes lit up at the thought.

He had always wondered how he could have imagined an elf. He had never seen one. The stories of elves were that of three foot tall creatures who fixed shoes, not what he saw in his dreams. When he began seeing Elysia's training in glyphs, he paid extra attention, even if he didn't really believe it was real. Yet here he was, for the first time blocking the flow of life force on his very own glyphs as if he had learned them in her place.

As he was with Elysia the entire night that she had been practicing the agility glyph, it took little time for his body to get used to the changes when he took the blocks away, but no time whatsoever for his mind to grasp the concept. He used the agility glyph to speed from one side of his room to another, but then put up his blocks once more. He knew that he would need whatever life force he had in order to make the trip to town today.

As excited as he was to get going, Tengeshi quickly washed with his water basin and threw on his travel clothing. He then took a large sack he had sewn shoulder straps made of leather and placed it on his back. On the shoulders, he had placed lightness glyphs so that he could lift more weight. This was something he hadn't tried yet, for fear that the glyphs truly did work. Now, he no longer had that fear. He felt the pull of his life force into the glyphs, but he swiftly placed blocks to cut the flow. To do this was surprisingly easy. It wasn't as if he had to hold his attention on the spots he needed to guard against. Instead it was as easy as a thought.

Tengeshi opened the door to his room and joined his father at their small dining table. Grabbing a small loaf of bread, he broke it open and began to eat. Since his mother had passed, the table had always been quiet during meals. Tymore had insisted that eating meals was a time for silent reflection before the day started, or ended.

"If you are ready to go, make sure you are back before midnight in the next few days." Tymore put two pieces of silver on the table. "One silver is for your stay within Tarrin." he said as he got up from the table and left towards the smithy.

Tengeshi nodded as he placed the last bite of bread in his mouth. He was used to his father giving instructions and leaving without a word spoken back. He knew that every detail would be followed regardless of the next words. Opening the door to leave, he looked at his father for a moment before heading down the path of trees and into the clearing. When he saw nothing but flat land before him, he stretched his legs in anticipation for what he was going to do.

Feeling the same giddiness that Elysia had felt when she had first used the glyph, Tengeshi allowed the flow of life force to enter the glyphs on his feet. The moment they activated, he could feel a current of energy running through his body, as if he couldn't stand still if he wanted to. He allowed that feeling to take over and began to run. The moment his feet began to move, it was as if he was floating at high speeds, the grass blurred as he moved at rapid speeds. He needed only to step on the ground to move twenty feet ahead in a second.

In the span of a minute, he could barely walk, let alone run, so he placed the blocks back on the glyphs and sat down for a moment and looked back at the cluster of trees his home was located in. His eyes widened as he saw the distance he had already gone. The trees were still visible, yet they were at least three miles away. "This would have taken hours to walk." He said to himself in amazement as he looked down at his shoes. Though they were sturdy, he wouldn't have thought they would survive the trip. He had already seen telltale signs of his big toe making its way through the leather and thought he'd have to replace them before leaving back home, yet they were still in the same condition they were in when he had left.

Tengeshi closed his eyes as Keerla had told Elysia and focused on the life force within his body. He could tell just by his exhausted state that he had very little energy left, but it was almost frightening to see just how little. As he focused, he could see just a wisp of life force within his body. Gulping, he took out a water skin from his travel back and took a long swig. He then closed his eyes once more and focused on the life essence. As he watched, the energy seemed to grow more visible yet at a slow pace. It wasn't until a half hour later that he felt he had enough energy to keep going.

Unblocking the glyphs once more, he took off at full speed, running through the field like an arrow that was released from the bow. He lasted for much the same amount of distance as he did last time, and rested the half hour necessary to replenish his life force. As he did this over and over, he noticed the subtle increase in life force that occurred after he drained it completely. It took a short period longer to gain his life force back after complete drainage, but the wait was worth it in the end.

Tengeshi stopped for the last time only a mile outside of the town of Tarrin, the only town within twenty miles of them. Sweat covered his face and stuck to his clothes as he took his water skin from his travel bag one last time. "This took not even half the time it would normally take." He looked back at the direction of his home and couldn't believe it had only taken three hours to traverse the entire twenty miles, and most of the travel time was resting from over exertion of his life force.

When he took a moment to look within, he smiled as he could tell his life force had expanded by nearly half, making the glow of the energy much more thick than when he had first started the trip. "Though this is an insanely large gain for me, it has to be nothing for the elves." He thought of the elves who used the agility glyphs for sport, running fifty miles in under ten minutes. He still had a long way to go before he was that good.

As he thought of the few glyphs he already possessed, he wondered how many glyphs were accessible to Elysia through her training, or just how many there were in general. "How would anyone have more than a few of these glyphs on them at a time anyway?"

With so much to think about, Tengeshi shook his head to clear it and smacked his cheeks a few times. "There will be plenty of time to think about such things." He started his way towards Terrin with a purpose. His father had sent him to get more food to last the week. Though he had gotten to Terrin in less than a third of the time necessary, he felt like relaxing for a while before getting an inn for the night.

Walking into the town, his nostrils were assaulted by the scent of honey baked bread and roasted meat. His stomach growled in approval as his feet took him to a food stand. He looked up at a heavyset man who held a cleaver, slicing off long thick chunks of meat from a hanging cow and placing them on a metal slab over a fire to cook them. Tengeshi's mouth watered as he saw various seasonings being thrown on as he flipped the meat.

The man threw a glance at Tengeshi and gave him a smile. "If looks could eat, I'm sure I wouldn't have any food left. What'll you have?"

The two silver weighed heavily in Tengeshi's pocket as he watched the man he knew to be named Hogard place a pot atop the cooking slab, adding fresh vegetables. Soon, the aroma of vegetable stew added its scent to the tantalizing food. "I will have one large slab of beef to go with your stew." Tengeshi wiped his mouth and stared at him. Hogard was one of the best food venders within Tarrin, which was probably the reason he had his stall placed at the entrance, that way the first thing travelers smelled was his cooking.

"That'll be ten copper pieces." Hogard held out his hand expectantly. Tengeshi fished around in his pocket and brought out a small purse. He had brought his own savings to go with the two silver pieces. He took out ten copper, which left him with the two silver, and forty copper left. Placing the money in the man's hand, he waited patiently for his food.

"Able to afford a little more this time around, eh Tengeshi?" The butcher kept one eye on him as he took a slab of meat and poured a helping of stew into a wooden bowl.

"Father got a larger commission than we were planning." Tengeshi nodded as he took the plate and bowl Hogard handed him.

"Must've been that knight that rode through." He said while stroking his chin, leaving a grease trail from the meat he had just handled. "That man gave me a silver piece just for a slab of meat." Hogard's eyes went slightly dreamy as the thought of the large sum of money.

"Not too much traffic going through the town?" Tengeshi asked through mouthfuls of stew. The beef was already almost gone around the time he had received it. He could understand a little why he'd be so hungry. It had only been three hours since his last meal, but his body had been working overtime due to the glyphs. It was easy to assume that the stamina necessary for the trip wouldn't be different due to using life force, just the time needed to use it.

"Careful or I might be needing to bring you to the healer's house for choking." Hogard looked disapprovingly at him. "But yeah," He scratched the back of his neck as he looked at the exit to Tarrin. "Things have been pretty quiet out here since the last gargoyle scare."

"What scare?"

"Well, it seems the gargoyles are getting a bit more adventurous." Hogard sighed as he sliced another piece of meat from the cow. "Been seeing a few just a few miles south of here almost an hour past full night."

"Just a few miles?" Tengeshi's eyes went wide when he thought of what that meant. "Don't they usually stick ten miles away from Iryopyn Forest?"

"Aye." The butcher grunted. "Which means someone is doing something interesting enough to gain their attention. I fear what that could mean for us." He flipped the meat as he looked up into the vacant sky.

Tengeshi thought back to the man who had used a sword against a gargoyle's warhammer and wondered just how far from the forest that could have happened. He gulped down the rest of his stew and handed the dishes back to Hogard. "Thanks for the food."

"Make sure you stop by again on your way out." The butcher waved a piece of meat at Tengeshi as the boy set down the market path once again.

Tengeshi waved at the man behind him and kept walking. "I know I need to get food, but maybe I should get my room first."

Though Tarrin was emptier than usual, the town was still a safe haven for travelers and a frequent pit stop for adventurers. If he wasn't quick about it, he might not have a room for the night. That being said, he went to the largest building in the center of town. He smiled as he saw the familiar sign of "Hearth" hanging above the door.

Opening the door, he was surprised to see only a few groups at the tables, and only two people at the bar. Normally when he visited, the place would be crawling with people. It seemed Hogard was right, the gargoyles really were affecting business in town.

Walking up to the bar, Tengeshi sat on an open stool in front of the barkeep who was just finishing cleaning a mug and placed twenty copper on the counter. "I'd like a room for the night."

The barkeep put the mug on a shelf behind him and took the money. "A room is thirty copper a night." His eyes bore into Tengeshi, giving no room to argue.

"I've been coming here for years with my father, the blacksmith and not once has the price changed." Tengeshi said with a sour face. It was obvious that this man was trying to swindle him out of his money.

"Well, I'm here to tell you that the price has changed. It's about time people started paying what this place is actually worth. With the free meal that comes included in the price, it's twenty copper for lodging and ten for the food."

"With that price, you'd be lucky to keep your regular customers!" Tengeshi raised his arms in exasperation. "The gargoyles are more active, so you raise the price just to earn a profit?" He glared at the barkeep. "I'll take my twenty copper back." He held out his hand and looked expectantly at the man.

"You sure about that?" The man raised an eyebrow. "There's no other place to spend the night in town." He gave a smirk. "The closest cover from here is around ten hours away from here, if you go at a decent pace towards the forest. You wouldn't make it before true night. He placed the money close to Tengeshi's face. "The guards don't let anyone sleep outside either, so it's here or nowhere."

"Then I'll take my chances with no where." Tengeshi glared at the innkeeper. He vowed to one day find a way to pay this man back for his insult. To take advantage of a dangerous situation was the same as kicking someone out knowing full well they would die. This man could care less if Tengeshi lived to see another day.

Taking his copper, he left the Hearth and headed back to the marketplace. There was still plenty of time left before the sun set. If he hurried, he could get the supplies he had come for in the first place, and leave Terrin before nightfall. Having already a sour taste in his mouth from the barkeep, Tengeshi rushed off to gain his father's supplies. There really wasn't much to get. Starting at the produce stalls, he grabbed a large sack of potatoes and carrots. He then moved on to the meat and grabbed a few chickens as well as a quarter of a cow, all wrapped up in individual bags to keep them apart.

After getting a few more odds and ends, Tengeshi finished the rest of his purchases within an hour's time. As he looked at what was left of the money, a smile crept onto his face. "Father always lets me keep what's left, so that means I am one silver and twelve copper richer." He placed the purse back within his pocket. Taking one last look around town to ensure he didn't forget anything, Tengeshi went out the way he came and traveled the worn path. As the sun faded in the distance, the light of the blue sky dimmed and stars could be seen twinkling into existence. "It took me three hours to get here." He looked at the vast distance. He had already begun supplying life force to the lightness glyph, taking away the weight of the bag. "I might be able to make the trip within the same time, if not, there are always small wooded areas along the way.

Tengeshi vowed as he looked at the vast expanse that if he saw the forest before true night, he would find a place to hide. But if he could make it home before, he could relax and tell his father someone had given him a ride home. With that thought in mind, he released the blocks on his agility glyphs and took off into the setting sun.