James rode the elevator to the sect while Jamie clung to his sleeve. Her soul felt nervous and afraid as she watched the other cultivators that were riding with them. More than once, he had to reassure her that everything would be fine.

Stepping off the platform, they hurried to the gate to the inner sect where Jamie showed a badge before walking through. The guards tensed when they saw him, their hands going to their weapons. Ignoring their obvious hostility, he followed Jamie.

Just before they were about to turn down the street to the workshops, a squawking noise sounded overhead that stopped everyone in their tracks. Looking up, James started laughing as dozens of vultures kept their distance. A single bird lowered itself down to him, landing in the main square.

"I see you found me," James said with a smile. Reaching out, he ran his hand over the head of the black bird. All of the cultivators were gathering with weapons as he and the vulture watched. "I think you are causing a commotion."

Tilting its head as if to shrug, they both continued to ignore everyone else.

"What brings you down here?" James asked.

Looking past him and to the west, it squawked and pushed on his shoulder.

"Is something out there?" James questioned as he followed the bird's gaze.

Nodding, the vulture flapped its wings and James could feel fear flowing along its soul.

"Something powerful enough to scare you," James murmured. What could that possibly be? He wondered to himself. Frowning, he kept looking to the west when he felt his eyes widen. "The giant?"

The bird nodded again.

"Today?" James asked.

Shaking its head, it flapped its wings.

"Two days?"

Cocking its head, it gave him a 'maybe' look.

Wincing, James continued to look west. "Not more than three."

This time the bird nodded before jumping back into the air. Hovering just overhead, it squawked.

"Keep an eye on it," James said. "I'll need to confront it before it reaches the city."

Bowing its head, the bird rose into the air. Scanning the cultivators, James frowned. They could obviously feel how strong the vulture was and didn't dare attack, which he was thankful for. He didn't want to kill anyone else for attacking his friends.

Turning on his heels, James returned to Jamie's side. "We have to hurry and enchant."

"What's wrong?" Jamie asked. "You don't look happy."

Shaking his head, he leaned in and whispered, "remember how we talked about the giant Forsaken?"

"Yeah."

"It followed us…"

Eyes wide, Jamie gripped his sleeve. "What do we do?"

Frowning, James stepped back. "We lead it away or we fight. Either way, we have to kill it. It's not going to stop following us."

"We?" Jamie asked nervously.

Chuckling, James shook his head. "Luna and me. We'll likely need the elders' help as well. It'll be fine."

Furrowing her brows, Jamie simply stared at him. Picking up her pace, she led the way down the street, not saying anything.

Rubbing his chin, James ignored the eyes on him as he followed. He needed to concentrate and finish his business in the city as quickly as possible. If the giant was going to be here in three days, he was going to need to meet it before then.

Lost in thought, he almost didn't realize when Jamie stopped and pulled him into her workshop. Locking the door behind her, she clapped her hands.

"Enough brooding." Pointing to the storage, she added, "get in there and help me grab some rings. We need to make more of those rings for Master Marion. After that, we experiment on weapons and armor."

Nodding, he was thankful for the distraction. Moving to the storage room, his eyes widened at the sheer volume of crates waiting for them. "Umm…"

Jamie joined him and laughed nervously. "You're going to be very busy…"

"You're not helping me?" he croaked.

"I'm the brains of this operation. You're the energy. You've got this."

Letting out a slow breath, he searched through the goods until he found a small box of rings. A mixture of gold and silver stood out and he carried it out to the worktable.

"These won't take long," he said. "I'm getting faster each time."

"Good. I'll look at the armor and come up with runes and ideas," Jamie offered. "I'll write them down and carve the runes. You'll just need to power them."

Rubbing his hands together, he pulled out the first ring. Carving his rune into the ring with his finger, he gripped it tightly and closed his eyes. It only took two minutes to power it fully before setting it aside.

"One down," he muttered. "Only a several dozen more to go…"

Minutes passed as James focused on one ring after another. His soul was starting to feel strained as he reached the end of the rings. Opening his eyes at the end, he found Jamie loading all of the rings into a box and sealing it shut.

"Going to take them to him right away?" he asked.

Jamie nodded. "Yes. I'll grab some food while I'm out. I engraved the armor and my book is right there with the ideas for the runes. Do what you can."

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Nodding, he picked up the book. Jamie left the workshop and hurried away, leaving him to thumb through the pages of her designs. A bookmark was conveniently in place, showing him where to start.

The first design was simple and was on most of the armor as he sorted through it. From leather vests and leggings, to bracers and gloves, they were all denoted with a star symbol. It wasn't what he would have chosen, but Jamie wanted him to push Qi deflection into them. It needed to withstand all sorts of Qi, and would protect the wearer from rival cultivators.

Picking up the gloves, he searched his soul and found his reserves replenishing steadily. If he slowed down and enchanted at a modest pace, he would be fine.

Resting his fingers over the engraving, he started filling it with his soul energy. The process took nearly half an hour to finish, but when he pulled away, the black leather had taken on white veins and radiated power. He could feel his energy coursing through the armor, giving it a life of its own.

"Done?" Jamie asked.

Snapping his attention to the side, he found the woman eating bread and cheese on her bed. With a smile, she used the chunk of cheese to gesture at the gloves. "You did both at once? I'm impressed. Took you longer though."

"It had to," he said. "Creating the rings drained me quite a bit. I needed to slow my pace or risk running out of energy. We wouldn't want that."

"Would you eat me?" she questioned.

"Possibly," he admitted. "More likely, I would drain your soul until you died. It hasn't happened before so I can't answer with certainty."

Shrugging, she stuffed the cheese into her mouth.

"Not worried?"

Shaking her head, she chewed before swallowing. "You wouldn't hurt me."

"Why are you so confident?" It didn't make sense to him.

"I just am," she answered. "I can feel it in the air. You'll protect me no matter what. That includes from yourself. Still, you should take your time. We have all day."

"Yeah…" he said softly.

I wish I understood why some people were terrified of me and others happy to be around me. Luna felt comfortable quickly after meeting me. Was it because I wanted her to be? Was it because I felt bad for her and connected with her?

Sighing, he knew he wouldn't get the answers he sought. Luna didn't have the same problems with her soul. She got along with everyone and could even eat and drink. Why couldn't he?

None of it made sense to him. He wished it did, but without more research, he didn't know if he would ever get the answers.

Picking up another pair of gloves, he started the process again. Just before he closed his eyes, he noticed Jamie coming to sit next to him. Resting her knee against his, she picked up her stylus and a necklace. They had more than enough items to get through for the next couple of days and beyond.

Luna laughed as she leaned against the wall of the shop. The general store catered to beast demi-humans, and Amber was more excited than a kid with candy as she picked through packs and supplies.

"Why do you need a pack?" Mender questioned. His eyes were flitting over the different clothes that were provocative with a red face.

"Eyes up here, bub," Amber teased while pointing to her eyes. "I know you want to imagine me in some of that underwear."

"No!" Mender quickly said, waving his hands back and forth.

Giggling, Amber finished picking a pack and started searching through the bedrolls. "I want something comfortable, but also something someone can share with me."

"James is mine," Luna reminded her.

"Meh."

Growling, Luna scared the other customers as Amber started laughing again.

"I'm not going to steal your man," Amber said. "I'll find my own man, thank you very much."

"You can have Mender," Luna suggested. "He's already picturing you naked."

A badger demi-human scoffed and glared at the man.

"I hate you," Mender mumbled. "Why am I the one stuck in this store with you two?"

Skipping over to the man, Luna wrapped her arm around his shoulder and directed his attention to Amber. "Just wait until James sets up the baths. You'll be able to see her in all her glory."

"I really hate you…"

Amber picked up a bedroll and blanket and added it to her pack. "I'm sorry, Mender, but you're not my type."

"I'm not?" Mender's tone spoke of his confusion.

Luna left the two to talk while walking around the store. She needed to get money from James and come back tomorrow. There were plenty of outfits that she wanted to try, but she already knew he wanted her in her chest wrap and shorts. Still, there were some very revealing outfits that she could test out for special nights.

Pinching the sheer material between her fingers, she found it soft, and surprisingly good quality for a demi-human shop. It even had a hole for tails and she could already picture the blue fabric against her alabaster skin.

"Do I need rations?" Amber asked, pulling her attention.

"No, but you will need staples to add to meat. Anything that can keep well and that you desire. Also seeds if you can find any."

"Seeds?" Mender asked, finally over his embarrassment.

Nodding, Luna moved to the food section. "Grab some of these potatoes and tubers. Things we can plant easily. We can store them in the rings and plant them once we find a place to settle."

Amber started grabbing an assortment of vegetables and fruits. Adding everything to her pack, she smiled. "We're really doing this, aren't we?"

"We are." Luna shared her smile. "We might even let Mender sleep in a building."

"Hey!" Mender protested. "Why am I being singled out?"

"You're the only guy right now," Luna answered with a shrug. "Plus, you turn a nice shade of red when you think about Amber naked."

Another few shoppers glared at the man while he blushed again.

"I'm stepping outside," Mender mumbled.

"You want to step outside in the demi-human district without an escort?" Luna questioned.

Mender made a beeline for the door as quickly as he could. Amber laughed as she walked over to Luna. "I think we scared him away."

"We did," Luna said with a growing smile. "He's too easy."

"Isn't he a cultivator?" Amber's lips turned down as she frowned. Scrunching her brows together, she stared at the door as it closed.

"He's one of the good ones," Luna said. "They are hard to find."

"Isn't James one of the good ones?"

"He is, but he's also naïve. Someone has to show him how the cities are really like. Not to mention the sect politics that he didn't know existed. He's hopeless at times."

"You don't make him sound flattering…"

Eyes softening, Luna turned to the cat. "Just wait until you see him in the wastelands. I wouldn't want anyone else leading me."

Hefting her pack onto her shoulders, Amber went to pay. Left to her thoughts, Luna closed her eyes. Her husband was currently securing enchantments for their future. They would have a steady supply of money to buy what they needed before leaving, but it was up to her to find more people that might want to come. She needed an alchemist still, but how do you convince someone to give up everything and start an experimental cultivation?

Elder Bo opened his eyes as Elder Tim stormed into his sanctuary. The sheer anger that was radiating off the man fluttered the golden tapestries around the meditation hall. The burning torchers flickered before nearly going out as the cultivator lost control of his Qi.

"Something troubling you?" Bo asked.

"Why are there Forsaken flying above our mountain?" Tim demanded.

Cocking a brow, Bo stared for several seconds. "Interesting, isn't it? An unknown man appears from the wastelands and a flock of Forsaken follow. Yet they do not attack, nor descend on the city of mortals. Instead, they take turns flying west as if keeping track of our problem."

"This humors you?" Tim snapped.

"It does." Smiling, Bo stood. "James is now aware that trouble has followed him. Do you know of anyone that has befriended Forsaken before?"

"No," Tim begrudgingly admitted.

"Exactly. It makes you wonder what else he might tame. Or at least come to agreement with. I want to foster a relationship with the man and you should as well."

"He's a danger to our sect!"

Tim's anger nearly pushed Bo back a step. "I'm sorry you feel that way." Bowing, Bo added, "I believe we will not see eye to eye on this subject. I wish things could be different."

Scowling, Tim glared at him. "You're choosing his side over that of your sect?"

"No," Bo said calmly. "I'm choosing his side so that we can grow stronger. You are blinded by tradition. Your mind is closed. Your cup full."

"Are you mocking me?" Tim growled.

Sighing, Bo straightened his back. "No, Elder Tim. I'm simply stating facts. But I fear, I cannot stop you from acting on your instincts or desires."

Taking a deep breath, Bo left the sanctuary and Tim behind. He wanted no part of what the elder might do to their guest. The man that was making new enchantments for their people and growing their strength. It saddened him that some people could be so blind to the acceptance of others. The five dead cultivators were testament to the direction the sect had taken.

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