Chapter 163 - 155

Studying maps of the grassland for an entire afternoon would typically have been quite boring, but since they were planning their adventure, Nick didn't mind. In fact, he found it quite interesting. Elia had brought out old ones that had belonged to her family for a long time and had not been seen by anyone but them before. It had been so interesting, in fact, that it was enough to draw Ogden away from his brewing for a while. "Ha! I knew those foxes were keeping some burrows well hidden!" He chuckled, looking over the marks for escape routes carved beneath the grassland. "I doubt many of them are still viable," Nick murmured, "with how active the monsters are, I'd be surprised if there hasn't been a cave-in for all of them." "Actually, most of these are protected by enchantments," Elia revealed. She had pulled her long hair back into a tight bun, and her amber eyes gleamed as she examined the map. It was such a difference from the happy-go-lucky girl he knew that it made Nick wonder how he could have missed her change. But then again, he hadn't been the only one to go through much in a short amount of time. Elia's family and community had been turned upside down several times in the past months, and she'd been at the center of it all. She has matured a lot. Even compared to how she was after the dungeon. Responsibility suits her. "Does that mean we can just go through one of them and avoid most of the dangers?" Rhea asked, bringing the conversation back to practicality. Elia sighed, shaking her head. "Nah, that wouldn't work. See, the closest path to us would actually bring us further away from the temples." She pointed, tracing the brown line on the map that stretched from a few miles north of Floria and continued directly until it vanished into the northern regions. "We would have to go through a significant portion of the way on the ground and then make a deviation for a few miles to intercept the only path that could take us to the first temple." "And we aren't even sure that you'll be able to hold your trials at the first temple," Nick completed for her, earning a glum nod. That was a bit of a sticking point for her. Not knowing if she would actually be able to complete her mission weighed heavily on her mind, but there wasn't much they could do about it until they got there and saw if the temples were still active. Whatever that means. Despite opening the supposedly secret archives to us, she's been pretty tight-lipped about that. Stealing a glance at Ogden, the only one who wouldn't join them, Nick wondered if it was his presence that made her reticent, but he dismissed the thought. Yes, the beastmen seemed to have an instinctive respect and wariness for the old alchemist, but if that was the case, she wouldn't have revealed their secret paths to him. "We will!" Elia replied, shaking her head. "The elders all agreed that at least one temple should be active. The Mask shrine was last used two decades ago, so I have high hopes." Nick looked where she was pointing, and suddenly, a few things clicked. Although the map was old enough to label Floria merely as a camping ground, it was easy to triangulate the distance. That…is where the smoke was coming from; where the Compass of Interesting Times was pointing. What were the odds that it was just a coincidence? Almost none, that was for sure. If Nick had learned anything about magic, it was that it's improbable for various signs to all lead to the same conclusion without being interconnected. Elia continued, tapping a closer location, "I still want to check the Messenger shrine first. It is said to be destroyed, but it will take us only a minor detour to check it out, and the spirit that watched over it was said to be quite resourceful. It might have survived!" "You know something," Ogden interrupted with a glint in his eyes, and Nick nodded slowly. Sharing the stories of his "training" session with the thunderhooves and Marthas' present took some time, particularly because Ogden was very curious about the specifics of his gift. "I knew that man would put his nose where it didn't belong," Ogden muttered. Nick tilted his head, urging him to elaborate. "The Prelate cannot poach you directly, kid, but he must really want to. He has formed a deeper connection with you than usual, which makes me think he sees potential in you. Potential he doesn't want to fall into anyone else's hands. He can't do much beyond offering you knowledge and precious artifacts, as it would allow your father to take the matter with the Duke. And everyone with a crumb of sense wants to avoid that." Ogden's face went hard, and though Nick knew nothing of the man who was in charge of the entire province, he could tell drawing him in would be a bad idea. I wonder if it will come to that. I don't know if he'd care about the domain expansion, especially if Marthas doesn't do anything to officially weaken the Captain's power. Given how worried Ogden looks, inviting him in might be worse than dealing with religious zealots… If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. "Marthas is many things, but not an idiot. He knows he can only get you by providing something that will lead you back to him. As long as you aren't foolish enough to accept his proposals for further teaching and avoid offending him, you'll be alright," Ogden concluded. "But my father never seemed particularly worried?" Nick asked. He'd been the one to be suspicious, after all. Though Eugene hadn't exactly been warm in welcoming Marthas, he also hadn't indicated he considered him a threat. He's been warier lately, and today's events certainly will change things, but Dad didn't seem to be about to launch an attack… Ogden scoffed, looking as if he'd eaten something unpleasant. "Probably because there wasn't much he could do. That man is several times more powerful than anyone else in this town and follows the constraints imposed on a religious leader to the letter. Of course, that has changed with the domain's expansion, but that's only because his influence is too entrenched to be fought now." That…made a surprising amount of sense. "I noticed that, at least," Nick murmured, "I thought Dad would have told me, though. We've been talking a lot, so why wouldn't he say anything about this?" This time, it was Rhea who answered, "What kind of father wants to tell his son he can't protect him? That he must leave because he's too weak to defend him if another man chooses to shatter the last remnants of civility?" Her tone carried a palpable anger, and Nick remembered that her family had faced exile. Still, he shook his head. "That feels way too convoluted. Dad would have told me if he thought I needed to leave because of Marthas. He certainly wouldn't have let me hang around the temple!" Ogden shrugged, "Think what you want, kid. But try to put yourself in his shoes. If he knew you were already planning to leave, why would he have such a humiliating conversation? He's probably hoping to have the situation more under control by the time you return." Suddenly, his father's determination to grow and reach Prestige started to make sense. Nick fell silent at that, and fortunately, the others had the tact to return to the planning and avoid bringing the matter up again. "The fire at this Mask shrine could indicate that it's still active, but it might also just be that bandits took it over. You shouldn't put too much hope on it," Ogden advised Elia, who nodded but didn't seem discouraged. By the time they had reviewed everything, Nick had gained some stability. I will speak to him again before we leave. I want to know if there is any truth to this. If he truly fears that Marthas might be trying to influence me and is agreeing to send me on this mission only to keep me away while he tries to handle it all on his own. "One last thing, brats. Since I'm sending my apprentice away for the next month, the least you can do is get me some grassland ingredients." Ogden grinned, standing up and grabbing a scroll. He handed it over to Rhea, who took it with a sigh. "We'll try our best." She murmured fondly, and Nick was surprised to notice that there was some actual affection between the two. "Of course, work must be paid. I have prepared a set of potions for you each, so make sure to get me all those ingredients, or I'll have you work your debt off when you come back," Ogden finished, opening a nearby chest and revealing three sleek wooden boxes. Rhea's expression softened, and Nick smiled, inclining his head in thanks. Ogden could be a hard-ass most of the time, but he wasn't cruel; more importantly, he cared in his own way. I'm sure he'll actually make us pay if we don't bring the stuff back, though. Nick expected to return home to find his mother preparing dinner and to wait a while to speak with his father. He had already packed most of his things but thought he would use the time to get everything ready so he could leave first thing in the morning. Instead, he'd found several more signatures within his home than he had ever felt. After connecting what he was sensing with the faces he recognized, he relaxed, realizing it was his parents alongside Darien and a few other soldiers. They didn't often visit since they already spent most of their days with Eugene at the wall, and even Elena occasionally dropped by to spar or discuss a security matter. Still, it did happen sometimes, and he figured that with the Purification of the Ashes that morning, they might have just stayed together the whole time. They weren't discussing anything serious, at least. That made him lower his guard. "Hello, everyone!" He exclaimed as he pushed the door open, earning a chorus of welcomes and hellos. As he'd sensed, there were about ten people in the living room. To any distracted observer, it seemed a perfectly innocent gathering, with people drinking light beer and eating snacks while they chatted. However, now that he was close enough, Nick's eyes honed in on something that didn't make sense. There was a map of Floria spread out over the table, with red markers indicating the temple and a wide area surrounding it. That is the expanded domain, at least the portion that extends across the center of Floria. All of a sudden, Ogden's words didn't seem so outlandish. "Oh, dear, it's already so late. We shall continue this tomorrow, yes?" Elena clapped her hands, and the men dutifully stood up and started filing away, thanking her for hosting them. Nick, however, kept his eyes on the map until Darien rolled it up and put it away in his pouch. He lifted his gaze to meet his father's, knowing they needed to talk. He still waited until the last man was gone before sitting down heavily on the couch. "Is this about the expansion of Sashara's domain?" He asked, and his parents both blinked in surprise. "Don't say that!" They shouted in unison. "What?" Nick asked, confused. Then, he pieced together the incomplete map with their reaction. "Wait, you're working out the size of the expansion? You know it doesn't extend up to here, right?" The two adults exchanged glances before sinking back into the couch. "No, Nicholas. We didn't know that. Your father is attuned to fire energy, so he's been working hard to find how far Marthas expanded it, but it still takes time to notice such an ephemeral effect." "Oh." Nick blinked. "Well, I can tell you it extends up to halfway through the beastmen quarter. It's not even close to here." "That is good news," Eugene said tiredly. "Thank you for telling us. I couldn't sense anything around the house, and given how far it is from the temple, we decided to hold a meeting here in the hopes we could keep away from their eyes, but it's good to have confirmation." Nick kept glancing between them. He had felt the domain expand and was shocked at the brazenness of the move, but managed to get over it once he found the boundaries. What would it be like not to know how far it extended now? Okay, I can see why they were so stressed. "Sooo, do you want me to stay a while longer to help you out?" He asked. If they were so worried about the domain—which they should be, given that it was a blatant breaking of the status quo—he could help draw the new lines. "NO!" They both shouted in unison, and Nick was left blinking in surprise once again. Eugene sighed, running a hand over his face. "I don't want to involve you in this, Nick. Marthas is playing a dangerous game, and he's already shown more interest in you than I'm comfortable with. You also have an important task to see to. While I'm thankful for confirming the house is safe, we will handle this on our own." Nick was about to respond that it wouldn't take him much time at all and that he was already involved, given his part in summoning Sashara. However, one look at how serious his father was stopped him. "I'm not saying I don't trust you, Nicholas. You are a remarkably intelligent and gifted young man. However, this is not your battle, and your presence here could complicate matters." His father said, and there wasn't much that Nick could say after that.