“Perhaps. But whether or not I’ve killed, it’s my business. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t pry into my matters like that.”
Tia shot him a guilty freckled smile. “Promise I won’t. Sorry.”
The trees grew denser, and the road pitched upward at the base of the Legion Mountains, winding its way up switchbacks.
“Surely he doesn’t hope to make the pass by nightfall,” Vir said, looking at the saddle between peaks that towered above them.
“Nah, look,” Tia said, pointing to a series of ledges just above them. It looked small from down here, but the fact they could see it at all meant there was a sizeable flat area there.
“These mountains are notorious for their caves. None of them are very deep, but they offer incredible protection from the elements… and from anyone who’d seek to do us harm. It’s a very defensible position, so I asked Aryan to halt the caravan there for the night.”
Sure enough, the upward slope evened out a half hour later, revealing a large plateau wide enough to park three wagons abreast. At one end of the plateau were sweeping views of the forested road and Zorin in the distance. If Vir squinted, he could make out the shimmer of the Runean Ocean, all the way to the horizon.
The other side of the plateau backed up into the mountain, where dozens of caves pockmarked the rock, looking like the air pockets in bread.
Aryan brought the caravan to a halt.
“Make camp!” the irritable leader shouted, prompting a flurry of activity as caves were chosen, fire rings made, and tents pitched.
Vir maintained his own camp in a small cave of his own, a short distance away from the others, keeping watch alone with Neel. That was, until Tia marched up and dragged them both over to the Spear’s Edge camp, where they had a roaring fire going at the mouth of a larger cave.
The moment Tia sandwiched Vir between herself and Haymi, Vason was sticking a deliciously scented vegetable skewer at him.
“Eat up!”
“Thanks,” Vir replied, awkwardly taking the stick. It felt odd to him that the party would be so generous and gracious to someone they’d only just met. Either they had hearts of gold, or…
“Well, it’s not an apology for earlier, but it’s basically an apology for earlier,” Tia said, clapping his back.
“Then I graciously accept,” he said, sliding a roasted bell pepper off the skewer. Cooked to perfection and dripping in a delicious savory sauce, it tasted heavenly. “So, uh, how did you all come up with your party name? Spear’s Edge?”
Vason, who’d been conversing with Tia, went dead silent, causing Vir to panic.
“I’m sorry, if it’s a sensitive—”
Then all three burst out laughing.
Wow, these people really love to joke around…
“Sorry. Spend any time with us and you’ll realize we’re more like a bunch of kids in adult bodies,” Vason said after he got his laughter under control.
“It’s stupid,” Haymi said. “The name. Our glorious leader over there wanted it to be Spear’s Tip.”
What a generic name, Vir thought.
“I argued against it,” said Vason, sliding some veggies off his skewer and mixing it in a bowl of brown rice. “Told her it was too generic.”
“Still think it sounded nice,” Tia mumbled, pouting.
“So, how about yourself?” Vason asked. “Ever thought of joining up with a party?”
Vir shook his head. Not only hadn’t there been an opportunity, the idea of traveling and fighting with friends was so foreign to him. The most he could envision was fighting alongside Maiya.
“You oughta try it sometime. There’s that saying, yeah? Once you find your destined party, there’s no going back.”
“I doubt I’ll be joining one anytime soon. It’s just me, Neel, and Bumpy for now.”
Vir considered hiding Neel’s name, out of fear it might lead back to him, but for one, Neel wasn’t trained to go by any other name, so he was bound to reveal the truth eventually. Also, Neel was a fairly common name. Just because there was a bounty out for an assassin by that name, that didn’t mean people would suspect a bandy by the same name.
“You and your bandy look close,” Tia said. “Known each other a while?”
Vir scratched his trusty companion’s back. “Ever since he was a pup. He’s been with me through thick and thin.”
Aroo! Neel cried, suddenly noticing he was the center of attention—a position he adored. Never one to waste an opportunity, Neel sauntered over to Tia and Vason, who petted him furiously.
“Bumpy’s more recent. He’s a good boy, even with his bum leg. We get along pretty well.”
“I was going to ask about that,” Haymi said. “You seem attached to the beast. Have you never considered fixing his leg?”
“Is that even possible?” Vir asked. He’d figured Riyan would have restored the injured animal if it were.
“It should be, if you take him to any sufficiently advanced Life mejai. For a price, of course.”
It was so like Riyan not to bother with anything he deemed unimportant. The moment he considered Bumpy beyond his healing skills, Riyan must’ve written the animal off as incurable.That was something he’d have to look into. Of course, a strong Life Affinity mejai would cost him an arm and a leg, but the hardworking Ash’va had more than earned it.
The conversation petered out, and Vir found himself reflecting on their earlier conversation.
A party, huh? Even if he did find a suitable party, what would even be the point? He understood parties augmented each others’ strengths, but he’d never really thought about the details.
“Say, how does your party work? Is it that three heads are better than one? Or is there more to it than that?”
To his surprise, it was the quiet Haymi who spoke.
“There is far, far more than mere numbers. A good party considers its members’ quirks and maximizes each member’s strengths while minimizing their weakness. Usually via roles.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” Vir replied. “I know a Life mejai would be uniquely suited to a back-line role, but aren’t Tia and Vason basically the same as Talent wielders?”
“It may appear that way at first glance, but their roles differ greatly. Vason, for example, has several defense-oriented Talents, which, along with his physique and his tower shield makes him well suited for occupying our enemies’ attention.”
Vason pounded his chest. “Any big baddie that comes our way? I make sure their attention’s focused on me, and not on the gals. I can take hits all day long.”
Similar to the Balar Rank Exam proctor, then? Vir thought, recalling the man’s Uncommon Tier Bulwark Talent. He suspected Vason possessed something similar. Then again, the proctor had a slew of abilities that gave him an offensive edge as well. Vason sounded more specialized in the art of defense above all else.
“Tia, on the other hand,” Haymi continued, “is more of an attacker. While she’s armored, her Talents skew more toward dishing out damage. It’s what she likes, anyway.”
“You got that, right!” Tia said, punching a fist into the night sky. “Nothing better than laying into monsters, am I right?”
Haymi gave Vir a wry smile. “As you can see, they complement each other well.”
“And you’re the mejai who hurls spells at her enemies?” Vir asked, eyeing the orbs that were strapped to her waist.
“Yes, and no. I do leverage my attack spells, but usually only to get Tia or Vason out of sticky situations. Most people seem to think of mejai as individual magic casters, raining destruction upon their enemies. While some certainly do take that approach, I’m more conservative. I mainly use my magic to augment my teammates. With my support magic, Tia’s blade can become thrice as sharp or as fast. Attacks that would kill Vason can be shrugged off entirely.”