Chapter 157 - 150

Nick knew he wasn't exactly the perfect child. He hadn't made life easy for his parents, especially given how open he had been about his powers, despite his best efforts at secrecy. He wouldn't change anything about what he'd done. Without his efforts, Floria might not still be standing, but that didn't mean it had been without consequences. His parents had come to respect his strength, but it was difficult to see their youngest son throw himself into danger again and again. So, while his first instinct was to search through his mother's things without asking, he decided to wait for her to come back and use the occasion to spend some time with her. If Arthur's expectations proved true, he probably wouldn't be able to spend much time in Floria—though he was still not sure things would be as dangerous as the man claimed. Unless there is something else he's not telling me… He'd return occasionally, but now that the idea of an adventure had been planted in his mind, he couldn't deny his desire to explore the world on his own. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long, as he could feel her walking down the path, dragging the carcass of a massive thunderhoof. A mischievous smile appeared before he could help it, and Nick decided to be a dutiful son and assist his mother with bringing the groceries home. A snap of his fingers conjured a gust of wind around her, grasping the monster's corpse and tearing it from her hands. "HEY!" She yelled, taking an aggressive step forward as if to attack an invisible enemy, before she stopped. "Nicholas Crowley!" "I'm just trying to help!" He made sure to project his voice through the wind, and he didn't need his senses to know she was stomping her way back home. When she finally wrenched the door open, Nick made sure to look like the picture of innocence, having already put the thunderhoof on the hanger to draw out the last of the blood for her convenience. Elena's eyes roamed around the house, but when she could find no sign of mischief, she sighed, shaking her head in amused exasperation. "You know, some mothers would kill to have their sons help around the house like me," Nick teased. She rolled her eyes and went over to the sink to wash her hands. "Some mothers don't have to deal with you or your brother," she shot back. Nick fell silent, beginning to realize that he was actually doing this. This "mission" to help Elia had a specific time limit attached to it, so he'd be back before the month was over, but that didn't mean he would stay once that was done. He knew himself: if he started traveling around, he would not want to return to this quaint little town until his wanderlust was exhausted. That wasn't a bad thing, but he knew he would miss spending time with his parents. Having noticed his silence, Elena turned around and saw his pensive, melancholy look. "Oh, love. What's going on?" She asked, hurrying to hug him. Nick relished in the contact for a moment before deciding that now would be a good time to break the news. He knew his father wouldn't be resistant to the idea. And maybe the fact that he had a strict timeline to return by would make the whole thing easier to swallow. "You know I've been trying to help with the beastmen situation, right?" He asked, muffled by her hug. Elena released him, meeting his eyes. "I know, Nick, and we are all very grateful for the effort you've put in, but you shouldn't feel responsible for it. Your father and I have been working hard to smooth the tensions." Nick nodded. "Yes, I know. I've seen you guys at work the other day, but I've been talking with Elia, and she learned something that could really help." Realizing that this wasn't a simple discussion, Elena sat down and gestured for him to continue. Nick made sure to explain what exactly her role in the community had been as the daughter of the nominal leader, noting that she became much more significant once she developed a second tail. This culminated in her discovering that she could make her role and rule permanent if she received a specific Trait, obtainable by undergoing a trial at any of the nearby temples. "And she asked Rhea and me to go along with her. I think this is something that could change things, Mom. I want to do this." When Nick dared to look back at his mother, he found a very conflicted expression. Elena was evidently proud, but she also did not want to lose her remaining son so quickly. "If this is something that's absolutely necessary, I could always take her on my own. It'd be quicker, even." She proposed. Nick shook his head quickly. "No, Mom. It has to be something earned. She made sure to explain how the entire journey to get there must be done either alone—something I won't allow her to do, as she'd risk her life in the grassland—or with equals. Rhea and I are the only ones who fit that requirement. If she were to breeze through the trial thanks to someone stronger, she wouldn't get the Trait." Elena pursed her lips, evidently not pleased. "We should wait until your father comes back home to speak more on this. He'll want to have a say, especially if little Elia would be recognized as a leader of the beastmen after this." That was fine with Nick. He doubted his father would put up much resistance, especially given the conversation they had already had in the forest. "I'm ok with that, but would you mind if I asked you about any spare equipment you have left from your adventuring days? If we end up going, I want to be ready for anything." Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Surprisingly, that made Elena perk up. "Oh, that's a good idea. I haven't taken that stuff out of storage for years, but you could use it now that you've grown. Even if you don't go this time, I doubt you'll spend your life here away from danger." And that was that. As punishment for startling his mother, Nick was sent up to the attic to grab her old chest. He didn't mind, as unlike most people, he had a built-in air filter and the dusty hell couldn't touch him. Opening the latch made a squeaky, grating noise, and an annoyed meow told Nick he wasn't actually alone. "You sure you want to come with?" He asked, and Talbot jumped up the stairs, giving him his answer. Nick joined him with a chuckle and soon entered the one part of the house he had never been in. That didn't mean it was unknown to him, as his senses had long since developed enough to scour every inch of it, but he still took a moment to take in the sight. The attic was relatively small, given the amount of stuff it contained. Decades of clutter had accumulated, making what could have been a spacious area feel quite narrow. Nick immediately found his target; the large chest near the latch had clearly been placed there long after everything else. However, he didn't rush toward it, as he was more interested in discovering what else he could find. There shouldn't be anything actively magical, as he would have noticed long ago, but many things, particularly when enclosed in sealed spaces, could escape his senses. A series of tarps covered a good portion of the stuff, but it didn't take long for Nick to discover that it was merely old furniture. He still made sure to open every drawer, just in case something had been hidden inside, but beyond the dusty clothes that he knew would have made him cough without his constant filtering of the air, he found nothing. The opposite section had a more interesting composition. What looked like the remnants of an armory were held there, and it didn't take Nick long to realize that the swords, spears, axes, and shields belonged to his grandfather. It's not surprising that Dad put all this stuff away the moment he inherited it. I would have done the same, given how cold that man was. He still made sure to extract the swords from their sheaths to inspect them and was pleased to find that they were in good condition, albeit a bit dusty at the handles. Hmm, some of these seem stronger than ordinary steel. They are not actively enchanted, but they were forged using magical means. He had wondered if he would find a cursed blade. His grandfather certainly seemed like the type to bear strong enough grudges to give birth to one upon his death, but even a more thorough sweep yielded nothing of the sort. I should still keep these blades in mind. These might make a good basis if I ever want to make one for Dad or Devon. Other interesting finds included a gallery of portraits depicting what seemed like a dozen children. Nick had no idea who they might have been, besides their obvious resemblance, indicating they were part of his family line. Additionally, there was an ornate mirror propped up against the far wall, adorned with silver and rubies, marking it as a very expensive heirloom. It was entirely mundane, but it was interesting to note that his family did have some wealth hidden away. Unfortunately, Nick couldn't find anything that might have belonged to Aleister, his occultist ancestor, but that didn't surprise him all that much. His father had made it clear that Nick's grandfather had cleansed the house of his presence. Eventually, he abandoned the search and used telekinesis to lift his mother's chest, gently floating it downstairs. "It took you a while," Elena said, having sat down in the living room while she waited. Talbot sat next to her, having grown bored of the search once it was clear that nothing interesting could be found. "I was curious," Nick admitted, setting the chest down. Elena chuckled, shaking her head, and grabbed the latches. She then heaved, straining her muscles as she opened the chest. "What? That wasn't heavy!" Nick exclaimed in surprise. "Ah, it's a security feature. It automatically becomes much harder to open if it hasn't been opened in an hour. Makes it a lot harder for thieves to steal anything if I'm nearby." She explained, oohing and aahing as she pulled out clothes, satchels, vials, and knives. "But wouldn't they still be able to open it?" He asked, receiving an unimpressed look. "You can't stop a Thief from stealing your stuff if you aren't nearby or are willing to shell out for very expensive enchantments. Unless you have one of those spatial pouches like your father, you can't bring everything with you either. This is just a way to make stealing more inconvenient, and the younger thieves won't have the strength to open it anyway." "Ah," Nick nodded. It didn't seem very secure to him, but she was the one who had spent years traveling around. He would defer to her knowledge. "Alright, here's what you'll need in case you leave," she began. From the glint in her eyes, Nick knew he was in for a long lecture. Talbot sneaking away didn't help his confidence either. Sitting through a two-hour lesson on the dangers of the wild, how to set up a proper camp, and how to recognize when a spot was safe enough to do so in the first place wasn't Nick's definition of fun. However, he understood it was his mother's way of coping with her anxiety about his impending departure. Nick had kept quiet through it all, nodding and humming to show he was listening, and hadn't informed her that he already knew how to do most of those things, having spent several days in the Green Ocean in the company of experienced rangers and adventurers. Eventually, she ran out of steam and sent him off with several nifty tools that he was sure would come in handy once he actually left. One of the most interesting items was the statuette of an owl that had been carved from the ivory horn of the first thunderhoof she'd ever slain. "I almost forgot about this little guy." She had murmured, before handing it over, "It's a fantastic good luck charm. I never got attacked in the night when I had it next to me." The owl had no magic, but Nick still accepted it, as he felt a significant spiritual weight from it. His mother's hopes, wishes, desire for safety, and trust had been placed into the little statuette. That emotional link could be very useful for what he was about to do. It was nearly dusk when he left, and Nick knew he only had a couple of hours before he had to return home, as he wanted to be there when his father came back. Mom would try to persuade him to keep me here. It's better if I tell the story myself. Those two hours promised to be very interesting. He could sense his mother in the kitchen, working through her anxiety by carving up the thunderhoof she'd hunted, which meant he had free rein to proceed with his more esoteric preparations. Talbot appeared at his side without needing to be called, and Nick waded through the darkening fields, searching for a suitable spot. His usual training area wouldn't do, as there was too much leftover mana from his various experiments. He could cleanse it, but that would take time and effort. It was better to simply look for a place that had yet to be touched. He had to venture a bit farther than usual, but he eventually found it. About a mile from his house was a meadow filled with butterweed flowers. It was far enough from the fields that no one should notice the fluctuations, yet close enough for him to tell if his parents left the house to look for him. A careless wave of his hand cleared a circular space in the middle of the meadow. He then ensured the earth was properly packed and took a moment to check that no magical plants were nearby, lest they influence the summoning circle. "The last time I summoned anything, I made a mess. My Shikigami got possessed, and I couldn't do anything about it." He commented when Talbot meowed curiously. "I don't want anything to interfere this time." The spirit cat strutted to the center of the circle and sat down, as if to convey that nothing of the sort could happen with him present. Nick smiled in thanks and joined him. Today's ritual would be relatively simple as far as summoning spirits was concerned. Nothing like the [Ritual of Familiar Summoning] he'd used to give form to Talbot. A simple Thelemic circle was carved into the packed dirt, and he set seven candles at the edges, using each as a point of a heptagram. The seven-pointed star would balance the ritual, and while it wouldn't offer the power of a pentagram, Nick didn't need to summon anything that strong. A snap of his fingers ignited the candles, and he placed the first of the two monster cores on the ground, beside the thunderhoof-bone dagger his mother had given him months earlier. She had wanted to replace it with something better, but he had resisted. The attachment he had formed with it, along with its purpose as a gift meant to protect him, would make the binding all the stronger. The ivory owl would serve the same purpose. "Alright, let's get this show started."