Chương 177: Chapter 176 [The Clearing]

The clearing looked even better than Leo had expected when Torren first suggested it. He turned in place, taking it in properly—the spring at the center, the trees falling away all at once at the edge like the space had been carved out on purpose. Something rustled low in the undergrowth nearby, likely nothing they'd find back on Earth. Flowers grew along the treeline in vivid shades—purples and blues mixed in with deep reds and golds, colors far too rich to be natural back home.

"This is nice," Phil said, dropping his bag onto the grass.

"I know we live a few hours away from a literal alien village—no offense, guys—but this place just seems... I don't know. Magical, I guess?"

"I don't think that's surprising. I'm native to this land, and I still find this place beautiful," Torren said warmly. They spread out, claiming patches of grass and setting food out on a blanket brought from the flat. Shai wandered over to the edge of the spring, trailing a hand through the crystal-clear water. Rika climbed onto the smooth stone rising out of the center and stretched out, waiting for Phil to begin.

Phil stood a little apart from the rest with both swords drawn, turning the steel slowly in his hands.

"Fire Coat works on anything I'm holding," he muttered, mostly to himself.

"So I can't test that here. I could try Fireball, but something about casting explosive spells on my own swords to see if they eat through the magic doesn't fill me with joy."

"Marcus said your enchantments are different from Leo's," Sam said from where he sat, one hand stroking his beard.

"Maybe it's like Parmo's Quiver."

"What do you mean?"

"You know how he summons arrows? Maybe you can trigger spells or abilities through the blades. Try calling out a few spell names while swinging them around." Phil considered that, unable to come up with a better idea. He held one blade out and cleared his throat.

"Fireball!" Nothing.

"Flame Strike?" Nothing. Luka started snickering from where he sat.

"Oh, piss off. You got a better idea, genius?"

"Nope," Luka said, still grinning broad.

"Carry on, though. This is great." Phil tried a few more names, swinging the blade through the air on each call like that might help.

"Inferno! Combustion! Conflagration!" Nothing happened, except Rika joining Luka in laughing at him from her perch on the rock. He stood there for a second, breathing hard through his nose, then hurled the sword into the ground out of sheer frustration. It landed with a dull thud in the grass a few feet away.

"For fuck's sake," Phil muttered, already regretting the outburst. He took a step toward it. Why the fuck did I do that? Now I've got to go pick it up... The sword materialized in his grip. He hadn't moved more than a stride. His eyes had been fixed on where the blade had landed, catching the exact instant it vanished, right as the cold steel returned to his palm.

"No fucking way," Phil breathed, staring at his hand. Everyone went still. Leo sat up properly.

"You have to be shitting me." The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"I didn't even do anything," Phil said, eyes wide.

"I just thought about picking it up, and it was just... there."

"There's no way that's the only power your swords have," Shai said, her tail going still.

"Yeah, if that's the case, the UI is proper taking the piss," Parmo added. Phil threw the sword properly this time—a hard, overhand toss out toward the treeline—and consciously willed it back. It snapped instantly back into his palm. He let out a short, disbelieving bark of a laugh.

"Best. Sword. Ever."

"Try the other one," Rika said, sitting up straight.

"Marcus said the runes were different on each. Similar, but not the same." Phil switched weapons, taking the second sword in his right hand. He threw it the exact same way, picturing it snapping back to his palm. It didn't.

"Huh." He frowned at his empty hand.

"Well, that failed. Hang on, let me go grab it." He vanished. For a second, nobody said anything, because there was nothing where Phil had been standing except flattened grass.

"Woah, what the fuck?" Parmo gasped.

"Where'd he go?" Sam was on his feet in an instant. Torren went still beside him, and Shai's hand instinctively found the hilt of her saber. Then, from somewhere deep in the treeline, a voice shouted:"NO FUCKING WAY!" Phil stumbled out from between the trees a moment later, a sword in each hand, looking like someone had shaken him upside down and put him back together the wrong way round.

"You alright?" Leo called, already jogging toward him.

"I'm... yeah." Phil stared down at the sword in his right hand.

"It was like blinking. One second I'm standing there, the next second everything around me's completely different and I've got no idea where I am—and then I realize I'm holding both swords and standing next to a tree." Sam's eyebrows shot up.

"So the second one isn't a recall. It's a straight-up teleport."

"Apparently."

"You've got Flash!" Parmo said excitedly, bouncing on his feet.

"Imagine if you get good at that! You could throw your sword in the air, blink to it, catch it, and throw it again before you even hit the ground. Super fast travel!" Luka nodded.

"Or use it to blink over castle walls."

"Yeah, but I'll need to get used to the sudden shock of being somewhere totally different," Phil said, rubbing his temple.

"Not sure how momentum affects it, either. If inertia carries over when I blink, that could seriously fuck up my landing."

"That's a very good point," Sam said. His gaze drifted away toward the spring where Rika was perched, noticing something for the first time.

"Torren," Sam said, gesturing toward the water.

"That rock looks weird. Don't you think it looks more like a giant crystal or gem than a boulder? The surfaces are way too straight." Torren looked over, as did everyone else, following his gaze to the stone rising out of the water.

"What am I meant to be seeing?" Parmo asked, squinting.

"It looks man-made," Sam said.

"Natural rock doesn't weather like that. Water and wind round things off over time. Those edges are near enough exact geometric angles." Torren nodded slowly.

"I've noticed the same over the years. My best guess is it's magic ore, though I'm no expert. Straight, geometric growth fits—I've heard traders describe ore forming in distinct crystalline patterns depending on the type."

"You never thought about mining it?" Phil asked.

"If it's magic ore, surely it's worth a fortune."

"No." Torren shook his head firmly.

"Never wanted to. If that stone is part of why this place feels the way it does, I'd rather not find out the hard way what happens when you dig it out."

"Reasonable," Sam agreed.

"There's likely a whole vein of it beneath the spring," Torren went on.

"A cavern, maybe, full of the stuff. It would explain why the tree line is so uniform, or why the air feels so charged. With enough magic ore in one place, I wouldn't be surprised if there were Fae hidden away in this forest—though I know this isn't officially their territory."

"Fae? As in tiny fairy creatures?" Leo asked.

"Yes, though they come in many forms. The small, winged folk are just what most people think of," Torren explained.

"Fae territories are marked on trade maps, same as any dwarven hold—sovereign ground. My tribe's traders have passed a few over the years. This isn't one of them; it's too far north. But it has that same feeling."

"Did you two know about this place before?" Leo asked, looking between Shai and Rika. Shai's tail flicked softly.

"We used to come here before Stonehall got busy enough that neither of us had the time." She looked around at the canopy, quiet for a moment.

"We didn't tell many people. It was nice having somewhere secret."

"It really is relaxing here," Rika added from where she lay across the stone, looking like it had been custom-built for her. Luka had gone completely quiet during the conversation, his eyes fixed on the dragon egg resting in the center of the blanket. He frowned, leaning in close, and went dead still.

"It's rolling again," he whispered. Everyone turned. The egg was nestled deep in the folded fabric to keep it upright, but the sudden shift was unmistakable. A sharp wobble to the left, then a lean back. A few tense seconds passed before the egg went still once more. Luka looked up at the group, his face a mixture of sheer terror and wild excitement.

"It's getting closer. I can feel it."