Closed Creatures and Connections [Alric]

[Zach Grasswind]

Zach’s brows knitted together for a moment as he listened to Alric speak. There was a definite affection for his anarchic city; the Drykas could hear it in his voice and see it in the almost forlorn smile that briefly crossed his mouth. But his words led Zach to believe that the man wanted something better. He seemed to want, or at least be able to visualise, some sort of future where the words Mizahar and peace went hand in hand. He wondered if such a thing could ever happen. Probably not in his lifetime.
“And you would change that about Sunberth? Do you think it is possible?”

Alric fell into contemplation and Zach took a swig from his cup, watching a small puff of sand swirl across the ground as a gentle breeze rolled through the courtyard. Was Lhavit a fine place? Zach thought he could say yes without hesitation, though the city was definitely not without its share of problems. Magekillers and poisonings, unpredictable weather… but it had come through those things, its people not hesitating to work together.

Zach was bought out of his own thoughts by Alric’s next words. He lifted his gaze to look at the man and started to chuckle. How did she manage to know absolutely everyone? He would never not be surprised, though he was starting to think he should expect it by now.

“Sorry.” He huffed another amused breath. “I do indeed, and I am assuming you mean Madeira in particular? She is a close friend of mine.” Zach smiled. “I suppose then that my offer of assistance is all but useless, seeing as she lives practically next door to myself!” He did wonder however, exactly who the spiritist was looking for. He knew she was not a born Lhavitian, so perhaps someone she had left behind?

As Alric ordered a second round, Zach drained his ale, setting the empty mug firmly down on the table. He sat back in his chair; arms crossed over his chest as he listened carefully to the man’s questions. He had the sense that they were not idle wonderings, but quite possibly the heavy weights that appeared to be pressing on Alric’s mind and so he suspected his companion wouldn’t mind if he took a moment to ponder over his answers.

The questions almost seemed to be the same thing, but as he ran them through his head again it was clear they were slightly different. They were hard to answer, especially not being in the situation himself, so he was merely speculating on what he might do.
“It depends on what this ‘worse’ is, I think. Would I find them again to see they are not what I knew or remembered and thus worse off for my knowledge, or vice versa? I might risk it; mental wounds can be overcome.” Zach should know, he had suffered what many of his kin would deem insufferable.

“Or is the worse perhaps injury? Death maybe? Then I likely would not, especially if these people were important to me. Is finding them again worth it? What would it change for me if I found them? Would I be better for finding them, even if I bought them destruction?” Zach was aware that he was answering a question with more questions, but he suspected that Alric wasn’t after someone to actually make his choices for him.

He mused again over the second question. It bought to mind someone important to him, and he tried to imagine what he might do if it was himself and Dev’Ania. Zach would walk through fire for her, he thought, would do anything to make sure she was safe.

“As for your special person… If they need you, and have let you know that they need you… I think I would go. If they are already in danger, then perhaps you can help them, and they can in turn help you. If they wanted me to be there… then I would be there. Assuming they understand what I may bring with me, then who am I to tell them what they want? Of course, I don’t know quite what risk we are speaking of, but if they were that important to me, I would want to help them if I had the option to.”

Zach watched Alric for a moment, trying to read the man’s expression before reaching for the new mug of ale and taking a sip. There was a lot more to the man than met the eye, and Zach had the sense that he was on the cusp of something important in his life. He couldn’t imagine feeling pulled in so many directions, and he hoped that whatever choices Alric was making worked out in his favour, for it seemed that luck might not have been on his side in times past.

[Alric Lysane]

“I don’t know,” he replied in a thoughtful tone, “I suppose the real question is if anyone should have that kind of authority. Would I think it was better…perhaps…but would they? Lines have become blurred of late. I don’t think anything like that would last long unless people wanted it” “No…power taints the mind, I think. I don’t pretend to have the right to tell anyone what to do…especially when I don’t know what I should do…it would seem unwise” he grinned slightly at that. It was amusing in many ways but mostly it seemed fitting that someone of his blood had been raised in one of the lower places – or at least it was by how others spoke of their own cities. At least by the average standards. He had a soft spot still for the melting crucible that was Sunberth but he was not sure it still lived up to its namesake for him. It was also amusing that Zach asked him if he would change it. He supposed that a thousand years ago someone had asked on his ancestors something similar…and look what had happened. No…thrones are a poor things and encourage too many things… he mused to himself, a portion of his upbringing since the orphanage would stick with him for the rest of his days, even if only a small portion by its ending. “Ah, everyone knows everyone. I would ask you to spill her secrets but she seemed a hard woman to escape from if her ire was roused so…” he said in a jocular tone, “but there is no need…I have discovered what I am able to. But thank you for the offer. Hopefully she is happy when we next meet. I may ask you to vouch for me if she is not” he smiled around the stem of his pipe briefly. And then he listened and said nothing, Zach walking himself through much the same pathways Alric had set for himself and trailed several times now. It was funny how people could think the same – or close to it – despite being a continent apart. It was one of the few things he found so hope in these days, that there was a small spark of similarity, at least amongst humans. They all needed to feel safe, secure and contented. Some managed to find other things – wealth, success and power. A lucky few found that most precious thing – love. As Zach spoke, he wondered if he had found any of these things, he spoke as if he had some things he had found, but Alric did not press him whilst he spoke. “Tell me Zach, do you have something that you would do anything for? Or someone, perhaps?” he asked with some curiosity alongside his own musings, “and, if so, what would you do if you lost them? Would it have been worth the risk? Or do the risks matter less when the thing is more precious?” Alric knew he himself didn't have much tht fell into such a category, but he was curious as to what the man’s answers would be. It would tell him much about Zach the person, not to mention giving him a small insight into what people as a whole might do. He had few frames of reference beyond sheer survival and the more he could glean, the more sound he would feel about anything he chose to do. If anything. He was still batting that back and forth in his mind. The strongest urge was to find his parents...but there were other things he could do instead. He could even see if Zach's question might be worth more than first glance - could Sunberth change? “What if something threatened them? What would you do then?” he asked, the last of his questions of the kind before he'd move onto happier and warmer things. He continued to puff away, smoke curling around his face, sipping his second drink between the puffs. Zach seemed a decent man to him, likely possessed of a more rounded wisdom than Alric had. Certainly he seemed to have experience in far more things, as well as the world in general. He wondered if the friendly hunter might be another potential friend - he seemed to find them all at the Outpost for some reason.

[Zach Grasswind]

Zach nodded thoughtfully as Alric spoke of Sunberth. The Drykas had experienced two very different forms of government in his life – if Endrykas’ government could even be called as such that is. Lhavit though, just would not work without Aysel, Talora and the Towers. It sounded as if Sunberth had perhaps never had such a thing, so he could imagine that people would not take kindly to it being introduced. If people there were as comfortable committing misdeeds as it sounded then a leader born from that would no doubt be worse than no leader at all.

He let himself chuckle once again at Alric’s comments on their mutual acquaintance. Woe betides the person who got on Madeira’s ire. He remembered the day they met, the scene she had made. The small woman was just about the only person he knew who could put his fellow hunter Liard in his place. “I’m sure she will be pleased that you’ve found something at all.”

Alric seemed to hear something in Zach’s answers that the hunter hadn’t realised he had been saying. But it was not surprising, considering the subject matter. He gave a smile and a single nod of the head.

“I do indeed. If I lost her…” He puffed out a breath. “Honestly I couldn’t tell you. I’m not sure I could handle it. I had a loss before, maybe five years ago now. Not a person, but my Strider. We Drykas bond with horses, and that bond is deeper than family, than marriage, than anything else. I put myself in danger to help him without a second thought. As for how I handled the loss… well you know I am no longer in Endrykas.” He paused, bringing his thoughts forward to Dev’Ania.

“I would do the same now, I think. Well, I am not quite so reckless as I used to be, but I would go to the ends of Mizahar to make sure she is safe. If someone took her from me, I would never stop searching for her. We’re building a life together so I would take the risk for her every single time… it just wouldn’t work anymore if she wasn’t there.”

Zach was gripping his mug quite tightly at this point, though the Drykas had not noticed. “If someone threatened her… I suppose I would try to find them before they could hurt her.”
He recalled Alric’s earlier questions again. “But if I was the danger to her… or if I would be putting her in danger though… gods, as much as it would kill me to do so I would stay away from her. The world would be bleaker without her in it, even if I didn’t get to be next to her. But I wouldn’t stop trying to find a way to make it right, remove my own danger so that I could see her again.”

Realising that his knuckles were turning white, Zach let go of his mug with a grimace. He met Alric’s eyes again with a wry smile and a shake of the head.
“I think I am starting to understand your predicament, friend.” Of course, he didn’t know if the man was talking about a love or not, but clearly there was someone he cared about out there in a risky situation. He drummed his fingers on the table.

“I assume that the paths you are thinking of can all be realistically walked by yourself?” While it was true that Zach would do anything for Dev’Ania, he was logical enough to know that technically, not everything was possible.

[Alric Lysane]

Alric was thoughtful as Zach spoke and as his words unfolded he began to wish he hadn’t asked in truth. The man had suffered much it seemed, likely more than he shared and deeper than he could put into words by the sounds of what he was saying. He was surprised about the comments about bonding with horses, he had never met a horse he would consider that deep a bond possible with. Then again Zach was a Drykas and perhaps more different to Alric than appearances would suggest. He knew there were different types of human, though he had only ever met one other and she hadn’t seemed too different to him. To feel that deep a bond…I suppose that would drive you away if you lost it. Why would you want to stay in the same place, ever reminded? he mused to himself, empathising as much as he could and turning Zach’s words around in his head. He couldn’t say that he had ever had that type of bond with anyone else, let alone anything else. He had no point of reference for it but he had an imagination. He thought about his parents, the memories coming back day by day since the Dreamwalker affair. He could remember now, between the studying and the hiding, that he was very loved. The bond was a child’s bond with his parents but there was a deep emotion there. And the seeds of growing rage at their treatment and ultimate abandonment. Those opposed feelings were the strongest he could summon up. Not comparable perhaps but it was something. “I don’t know,” he said after a while, “at least part of the paths I can do so. As for the rest…I suppose it would depend on circumstance” he continued. He knew he couldn’t go to his parents though he wanted to, not until he was better able to defend himself – and them. The physical training and hardening he could so himself. Or at least, he could find ways to make himself more of a weapon. Sunberth was a violent city with no shortage of dangerous situations to hone one’s skills in that regard. That didn’t solve the magic issue though, no that he could not resolve in Sunberth. If he tried to, he’d likely be dead before he could get very far. Rumours and whispers of underground mages abounded but he didn’t trust them. They felt like they designed to draw someone in to then be exposed. But he would have to contend with magic at some point. For now, though, he pushed that thought aside and made at least one decision. He would focus upon getting stronger, harder and more able to withstand the tortures he had seen, that woke him up at times in the depths of the night. As for the others – the journeys open to him and what paths to take after he had become a weapon to be put to the throat of Arcadius…that would come later. Which left the other thing - Syka and Tazrae. The words of Florentin, no matter when they were uttered, would be as true in the present. Find something Alric felt strongly for and control it, to control him. There was little that fitted that definition but she was one of them. Despite their brief meetings there was an affection there, a friendship. She was likely invovled no matter what Alric did, she was the monster's grand-daughter after all. He did not believe her involved with him, not even he was that paranoid. But she was at risk, if so far physically removed as to have that risk muted. Alric was fairly sure Florentin was in the East somewhere, though he knew now where. And Syka is about as far West as you can get apart from Lhavit, perhaps. It would seem wise to not bring the East to the West without necessity he concluded, Zach's words aiding the process. “Your words are wise, likely because you know already. Perhaps I will start down the lone path and see where it leads. Hopefully it will be enough,” he said after some thought, “but I did not mean to bring up such memories. I would ask you to tell me of the Drykas but it would seem poor conversation now after your tale” “You sound like you have found happiness though, and that is something more enjoyable to discuss. She must be a beauty to have snared the hunter that is supposed to snare, no?” he asked with a small smile. “Is she also a hunter?”

[Zach Grasswind]

Zach took a long drink of his ale as he watched Alric. He could almost imagine he could see the thoughts turning themselves over in the man’s head.

He gave a nod when Alric eventually spoke. He knew well that a person could make as many decisions and plan as much as they wanted to, but there would always be things out of their control. Other factors would force change, forks in the path. Further still, there were always unknowns, things that could never be planned for.

Alric lapsed into thought once again and Zach kept quiet, not wanting to interrupt. Thoughts were fleeting things, like birds, and he didn’t want to scare any important ones out of the man’s head. He sipped on the ale, idly watching a few other patrons in their own conversations. While Zach had had to make a few decisions in his life, some impulsive and at least one life-changing, he had never faced a conundrum such as the one it seemed Alric had.

“Well, I wish you luck with that path then. I hope it leads somewhere positive for you.” Zach offered him a smile and then lightly shook his head. “Ah, it’s of no worry. The memory is an old one now, I have long moved past it. I would be happy to tell you of the Drykas if you wish to hear it. We are a very proud people, rich with tradition.”

Zach paused, before adding on a note that Alric may find of interest. “And you will find no safer place than with them either.” Of course, Cyphrus wasn’t exactly what one would actually call safe, what with the wildlife, but that was not what he meant. If a person wanted to not be found, Endrykas was the place to go. One had to know a Drykas well enough to be personally escorted to the roaming city of tents, otherwise it would not be found.

He smiled again, and this time Alric would be able to tell that he was thinking of a certain person. A chuckle left his mouth at the man’s quip. “She is very lovely.” Zach had never met anyone like Dev’Ania before.

“A hunter she is not though. She is a Konti, from Mura.” He waited to see if any recognition lit Alric’s face, for Zach assumed that it didn’t sound likely that any of the pale women of Mura would be found in Sunberth. “She is a fortune teller. A good one too at that.” While Zach had never actually had his fortune told, he knew that Dev’Ania’s little shop was quite popular.

Hesitantly, Zach ventured the question back to Alric. It sounded like he had someone or a couple of someone’s that he cared about, judging by the nature of his questions. He didn’t want to force the man to say more than he wanted to however.
“Please don’t feel obliged to answer me if it’s not something you’d like to speak on, but I am assuming you have someone of import too? Whoever it is, I hope it works out in your favour. You know, at the end of your path.”

[Alric Lysane]

“I have only met one Konti and she was a herbalist. Quite a stubborn one too considering she took the time to speak to me in a common tongue she wasn’t used to” he chuckled at that. Ari’ellin had been quite indefatigable and he suspected she would achieve what she wanted to in the end. Anyone who could wilfully and optimistically speak in broken words and still get what she wanted in then end was to be given a small measure of respect. At the mention of his love being a fortune teller he remembered the way Taz had spoken about such things and his terribly blunt and possibly rude response. He preferred to make his own fate, he had said. Well fate had royally kicked him in the tender bits and proved to him that he did not make his own fate. He wouldn’t have made it the way it was if so. He found himself reconsidering the idea, that perhaps this fortune telling business might be able to provide him some measure of direction…some readiness for when the time of hunting came. “I used to think fortune telling was…well…foolish. I am not so sure anymore. Fate has a way of forcing you to reconsider,” he said thoughtfully, looking at the man directly, “perhaps if your lovely lady is as good as you say she is perhaps she might help me. But later…if I am able to” He left it at that, there was little more to say and truthfully he didn’t wish to drag Zach and his lady into the middle of his fight by accident. No, he would wait and prepare and see if anyone came for him immediately. If he was safe for a time, if he could become stronger then perhaps, he might reach out, send a letter to Lhavit perhaps. Zach had clearly had enough tragedy and had found happiness now, Alric had no right to disrupt that. “They matter to me, yes,” he said softly, “thank you for your kind words Zach. I am not sure the path has a happy ending. But it is nice to hope” he said with a half-smile. He sipped his ale further and put in an order for some simpler foods for them, breads and meats and so on. He liked Zach, he was reasonably straight forwards and he cared for a stranger even though he had little reason to. He clearly cared for his lady back home and had overcome personal trials to still stand and be seemingly victorious. If the world had more people like him in it, Alric thought, it would have been able to sort itself out by now. He found himself wondering whether he was unique or if all Drykas were like him. “If you don’t mind then I would love to hear of the Drykas. Are they all like you? I mean, hunters and dog breeders. I take it that horses are a big part of the culture from what you’ve said?” he asked with no small measure of curiosity.

[Zach Grasswind]

Zach chuckled as Alric recounted a meeting he had previously had with a Konti. He knew that the women of Mura grew up learning Kontinese, though Dev’Ania he presumed had learned common from her parents too. Perhaps not all of them did.

The Drykas smiled wryly at the man’s next comments. Zach used to be of a similar mindset, though he had always entertained the idea that some fortune tellers may actually be worth their salt. Since meeting Dev’Ania though, and knowing what he did about her Divination mark, he knew with absolute certainty that there were people who truly could see into a person’s future. He didn’t think that he would want to know his, not now when he was so content with where his life was heading. But for a person in a situation such as the one Alric was in… well it might be useful.

Alric seemed to have much the same thoughts. “It is true that there are some who are merely playing at it for money and entertainment, those you should avoid unless you are after amusement. I am sure Dev’Ania will help you if you would like her to. Whenever that may be.”

He would have to float the idea to her later in passing. She was endlessly generous though, and Zach did not for one moment think she would refuse. He didn’t think she had ever actually visited The Outpost before, so that was even more reason to bring the Konti to visit.

Zach inclined his head in a nod in response to Alric’s gratitude. There was nothing more to say on that particular matter, for it seemed that the man had reached some sort of decision. All Zach could do was offer a prayer in the hope that he would find success on his path, wherever that took him. He liked Alric, at least the little he was coming to know of him, and hoped that he was wrong in thinking about what lay in wait for him.

The food did not take long to arrive once Alric put in his request, and Zach chose a piece of bread, tearing it into two before taking a bite. He chuckled, the sound a little muffled as he chewed, then swallowed and took a drink before responding to the question.

“I am but representative of a small fraction of my kin. Horses you are correct on though. They are our family as much as our brothers and sisters are. As I said earlier, there is a certain kind of horse that a Drykas will form a bond with. As far as I know we are the only people who can do such a thing. It’s what makes a Drykas, a Drykas. We are marked after we bond, to show we are truly part of the clan.”
Zach moved his arm in a way to indicate the dark lines of tattooing peeking out from under his shirtsleeve, on his upper arm.

“As for the Drykas themselves… I am part of the Emerald Clan, the hunters. There are six others, and each has their own ‘speciality’, if you will. We have healers and warriors, craftsmen and mages. We are a city of people, always moving, so we need to be able to take care of ourselves. Everyone can do a bit of everything at the end of the day, but we all have our places.”

Zach chuckled again, mostly to himself, when he realised he was speaking as though he still lived in the moving city. While it was true that he still carried the marks of a Drykas, he no longer considered himself to be a true member of the Clan.
“Of course, I am not what you would call a typical Drykas, not anymore at least. It is not often one of us leaves, not forever at least. The families need everyone. The Sea of Grass is not as innocuous as it sounds.”

He paused, waiting for Alric to ask any question before fielding one of his own. “Have you ever been outside of Sunberth, Alric?”

[Alric Lysane]

It was a fascinating subject Alric found as Zach started to talk, and he could feel his curiosity rising and the back of his neck tingle as it always did. It was strange thing to entertain, the idea that you could form some sort of bond with a horse. He understood about pets and even knew riders who would trust their mounts more than their friends. There was that bond but what Zach spoke of seemed different, deeper and more profound. Perhaps it was like Taz and her Bree, though in a different way, he mused. That humans had gained the ability to do it...he wondered if there were more things out there in the world that he had not heard of but were just as fantastical. Likely, I’ve never been anywhere other than Sunberth, as an adult at least. Not that that isn’t full of its own weirdness of course he thought to himself, considering whether travelling once this was all over would be something worth doing – assuming he was still young enough. There was a lot of the world after all. “Tattoos? I have always wondered what they were like…getting them I mean. At least the reason you got yours was a meaningful one, I know plenty of drunks who have awoken with things they later regretted,” he said with a snort of amusement, “sounds a hard life though, moving all the time. Do they spend no time in the same place?” The Drykas sounded like a grand tribe, though perhaps only if you were one of them. Self-sufficient and possessed of many skills it was clear. And few left, Zach confirmed. Did that mean few ever went…or went and came back too? Were they dangerous? Not that he would do anything about it but Zach painted a rather nice communal picture that he felt likely presented a simplistic picture. Not that he blamed him, he hardly knew Alric and he couldn’t expect a full history lesson of an entire culture at a tavern table. Perhaps, in time, he would learn more. “This Sea of Grass is dangerous then? Sounds kind of similar to Sunberth, though in a crude way. We have our…factions…banding together to try to become strong. Not like this family…clan…structure you speak of perhaps but it is funny how people everywhere always find strength, and safety, in numbers. Like it is…ingrained” he mused, scratching his chin. “No, no I have never been outside of Sunberth that I remember. At least no other big places like cities or the like,” he responded with, feeling somewhat under travelled compared to the hunter opposite him, “I have thought of it, and been offered places to go. I’d like to, one day. I think the closest place is Sahova, though I don’t think I’ll be going there,” he gave a wry smile, “but Zeltiva is…I think the last sailor I asked said something like 20 days away? Perhaps I will go there one day and from there…who knows?” “Perhaps you could make some travelling recommendations given that you are far more travelled than I am? “

[Zach Grasswind]

Zach laughed. “Yes I know a few who have woken up much the same after a feast where the drink had flowed to find a new… how should I say… ‘piece of art’ adorning their bodies. As for receiving one in the normal way… I was fifteen, it was half a lifetime ago. It hurt a bit sure, but I was more preoccupied with the amount of time it took.” Zach pushed up his sleeve to show Alric clearer, the intricate inked lines reaching up over his shoulder. “Sitting still for such a long time was torture to a fidgety boy.”

He gave a nod at Alric’s assessment of the Drykas. “It’s not easy, I guess, compared to living in a regular city. But it’s how it has always been so we don’t mind. You just get on with it. We live in Pavilions, like massive tents, and they’re easy enough to take down when it is time to move on.”

Zach paused for a moment, thinking on how best to explain the Run. “We do spend time stationary, and we move in the same way each year. Each season is spent in a different part of Cyphrus. We have so many horses that we would clear the land to barren soils if we did not move.”
He took a chime to sip on his ale and chew on some more of the bread and meat. “I enjoyed it though, I think most do. You get to see more places, meet more people. I’d been to five different cities by the time I could ride a horse.”

“Dangerous, I think, is an understatement. The Sea of Grass is as wild as anywhere. You know how I said you won’t find Endrykas without one of the Drykas to lead you? Even if you did know where the city was, you’d likely die on the way to it if you went by yourself. It’s full of predators that will not hesitate for one second to attack you. Then there’s the weather, grass fires, Hai I’m fairly certain there are probably evil spirits lurking out there too.”

His voice softened a little when he continued speaking. “A Drykas usually doesn’t live for as long as he could. You never knew if a casual goodbye with someone would be the last.”

Zach took a long drink of ale, nearly draining the mug. “I think you’re right about that you know. It’s in nature too. Prey and predator. Herds of deer stick together for protection from the packs of wolves that hunt them. It makes sense that humans would do it on a base level. I guess we all come together to face danger by our nature, no matter if it’s thanks to our city or the wildlife.”

The Drykas didn’t think he had ever heard of Sahova, but Zeltiva did ring a bell. “The former is a new one to me, but I have heard Zeltiva is a wonderful place. Apparently, they build ships there. I always wanted to visit when I was a child but it was too far from the Run.” He pondered for a few ticks before continuing.

“I suppose the best place I have visited would be Riverfall. You won’t ever see anywhere like it. It’s this city built into a cliff with a massive waterfall in the middle. I’d never miss a trip there when Endrykas passed by. It sounds like Syliras is not too far from where you might be headed either – I know plenty of trade caravans pass between there and Zeltiva. The city is inside the castle. I used to watch the Knights sometimes when my parents took the dogs to sell.”

He smiled at the memories. “I mean, if you really want to travel, you could join up with Endrykas for a few seasons. Then you can see lots of places.” He gave Alric a light, one-shouldered shrug. “If you wanted to. I know being on the move literally all of the time is not for everyone.” He had the sense that Alric was tough enough to do well in the migratory city.

He pulled another piece of bread in half and chewed thoughtfully. “What’s it like, staying in one place for all your life?” He couldn’t imagine it, though the Drykas was facing the prospect now of settling, and he found that he was not too worried by it.

[Alric Lysane]

“I can sit still for a while well enough, if it’s less about boredom than pain then I’m all the more tempted to think about it myself” he said, briefly wondering what he would have put onto his skin if it were to be more permanent than dirt and blood. He made a note to find out if there were any symbols that might relate to his blood, not that he knew much about it beyond the average person in Mizahar. He would learn properly in the coming season was his plan and so he tucked it away for future consideration as he continued to listen. Zach painted a pretty picture of Drykas life, so much so that he could only read between the lines and assume that whatever this tragedy that had driven Zach from it had been quite horrific. He was less fond of the description of the land, though, it sounded like somewhere he could trul get lost – that much was true. Perhaps, even, with luck he could gain access to the tribes and their migrations. He was not sure that he was cut out to survive such a lifestyle though. Musing he supposed that he would only find out if he ever tried. He added it to the mental list of places he could run to if needed. Top of the list was the one he had already been invited to, then Zeltiva and then with the Drykas, now. Quite a list for someone who never thought to leaving Sunberth before he thought to himself. “You’ve given me much to think upon Zach, as well as more options than I thought I had before, you are a decent sort indeed,” he said after a while, “you have seen – or heard of – many places that I could never have imagined. I don’t know when I will go, or ever, but at least I know there are some places worth…visiting” “As for Endrykas, I have no idea how I’d get there but it does sound intriguing. Not sure I like all the spirits of the grass but I suppose everywhere has its downsides” He wondered about Zach’s own question, how to answer it and whether he had ever really considered it. He had just lived where he lived. How would he classify what it was like? In many ways he was like a ghost in his own city, some people knew his name, but no one really knew him in the city. He liked it that way before, and he even more so since he had found out who he really was. “Living in Sunberth has its benefits I suppose,” he said after a while, “you get to have a paying job and you learn the place like the back of your hand. Some people get to know you and perhaps that leads to some things more than if I travelled. You get to see changes over time more closely perhaps, how the buildings change, grow, decline and then disappear…” He talked for a while, being more philosophical and talking of the idea of living in a city more than his own personal experience, largely because he had never really thought about it. He didn’t want to give Zach nothing in response to his freely given information so he added a few extra details to his own musings, things which he knew to be true for others but perhaps not for him. He knew families, ones that had been there for many generations and had a deep, bone level love for the place. The mines and history were discussed, as well as the ghosts of the lighthouse and graveyards. After a while their meeting went the way all natural first meetings did, they finished their food and drink in smaller conversation, the deep and large words forgotten for the time being. They grasped forearms in farewell and Alric watched Zach walk away to retrieve his new hound wish good luck wishes. He had the feeling that it would not be the last time they would meet, another strand of fate that had been handed to him, if a smaller one than Tazrae. “I hope you find happiness for the rest of your days hunter” he whispered into the last of his ale before he started to make his own way home. He was not sure, on balance, his own days could say the same.