Neophyte World Builder

Chapter 131: One Life to Live

VOLAS

His lungs burned. His vision was dark. The constant buffeting of the muddy water slammed him repeatedly into rocks, jarring his senses.

He was going to die.

Volas still struggled. He thrashed. He kicked his legs, only to realize he wasn’t upright. The torrent of water had turned him about, and he was going deeper into the river.

The muck of the filthy river surged into his mouth as his instincts gave way, desperately urging him to take a breath. He felt the water pouring into his mouth, his lungs. The twisting and turning he’d done to face the right direction hadn’t been enough, and he felt himself fading…

A sharp impact slammed into his chest, and Volas convulsed.

Water spewed from his mouth and lungs onto the grass and dirt beneath. His hands braced as he coughed and vacated his lungs, inhaling burning gulps of air in between violent, body-wracking exhales. The spots in his vision were swimming all about, but somewhere his panicked mind realized he was on land, shivering.

One last cough, and Volas felt only a little water trickle from his mouth. His entire body ached and trembled, and he tried to roll over onto his back and just inhale, soaking up the daylight despite the chilly day. He could feel his skin quivering, his body shivering as the air cooled him.

Something caught him, propped him up against a soft and warm surface.

“Don’t lay down, you are likely to still have water in you. Sit up and breathe.”

He blinked several times at hearing that sweet, almost musical feminine voice. His eyes were still adjusting to the light, so all he could see at first was the silhouette of his rescuer, kneeling down over his shivering body. Slowly, the glowing emerald eyes resolved, though the rest of her was still shadowed.

An Aravel. What was an Aravel elf doing out here in the middle of nowhere?

Quiet, soothing words flowed from his rescuer’s mouth, and he felt a tingle overtake his body. The tingle was followed by a gentle, pulsing warmth that stayed the shivering, banishing the cold in steady waves of heat. He had enough mana awareness to feel that she was using magic on him, something to banish his threat of hypothermia.

What a humiliating first Achievement that was.

Volas dismissed the notification as he gave one last shuddering cough, easing into a simple panting. His vision was slowly clearing up, revealing the fancy tunic the Aravel wore.

“Thank you,” he croaked, blinking his eyes clear.

Slowly, his rescuer came into focus. Volas had only seen an Aravel twice before in his young life, both times a man. They rarely came out to this part of Kelesis, staying in their cities and administrating the trade with the other nations of the Homelands. Most would have felt insulted by a Calen like him even touching them, let alone getting his mud and grime from the river onto them.

And he had done just that. Volas could see that the gleaming, sleek fabric of the tunic was spattered with mud, along with the woman’s cheek and arms. He must have thrashed quite a lot, to get her so filthy.

She had that delicate, slender look of the Aravel, though. Even if he couldn’t see the glowing eyes, Volas could have told instantly that she was one of the High Elves. The ageless features also told him that she was likely older than him, even if she looked about the same age. Even if Aravel didn’t technically age for centuries, their bodies took on a vaguely ‘different’ look as the passage of time weighed upon them.

His ears began to burn, as he realized she wasn’t just Aravel, but she was lovely. At least, to his inexperienced eyes.

It was only then that his mind registered the clothing style. Expensive and fancy, yes, but also not at all the style of the Kelesis Kingdom. She wasn’t one of the Great Bloodlines randomly out in the wilderness, but a traveler of some kind.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, looking down at the filth he’d put all over the highborn beauty. In lowering his eyes, he caught sight of the bracelet.

For some reason, that hurt. Even though he had barely met the girl, and didn’t know her name, and she was an Aravel and thus far above his common blood, it still stung to see that she was already taken. He’d never had a chance anyway, but his ears twitched awkwardly at the confirmation.

“Don’t apologize for surviving,” the stranger said. “Just hold still. I think you only have bruises and cuts, nothing broken, but I want to make sure.”

“Okay.” Volas did as she asked, resting his head back with a deep breath as the magic gently probed his body. It was soothing, and his tail twitched a few times as he calmed himself. It didn’t feel right to just lay here while the stranger helped him, though.

“I… my name is Volas of Dulan’s Bend. Thank you again for rescuing me.” The words tumbled out awkwardly, in a rush.

The woman laughed lightly. “Please relax, Volas of Dulan’s Bend. Should I have just ignored someone in danger sweeping past me?” She lightly poked the side of his chest, which responded with a twinge of pain that made him wince.

“I’m Reyth of the Duskwall Sisterhood.” The statement came out casually, as did the next. “Your ribs are bruised from where I forced the water out. Sorry about that. They should heal quickly with my magic, but don’t strain yourself.”

Volas was still trying to comprehend what he’d heard. Even in his tiny village, he’d heard that name. “Reyth… the Dragon Maiden?”

She was definitely older than him. The Dragon Maiden had to be nearing two hundred by now.

Her reaction was a flinch, then a sigh. “That name is going to follow me down in history, isn’t it? This is your fault, you know.”

“Don’t blame me, the class name is [Dragon Bride], not Dragon Maiden. This is Messenger’s fault!”

Volas tilted his head, finally yanking his eyes away from the lovely sight of his rescuer to… another Aravel sitting on a rock nearby, overlooking the rushing river.

This one was also quite pretty, but her clothing was completely clean and not quite so decorative as Reyth’s. She was leaning back casually, her tail waving, and watching the entire thing unfold. He saw a bracelet on her wrist as well, and even in his dizzy and fatigued state he could do the math. This was Reyth’s fabled partner, the one that no one had ever actually seen.

Same sex relationships were frowned upon in Kelesis, though not exactly forbidden. Many had speculated that Reyth had one, given her origin in the Sisterhood, but it was still something Volas struggled to internalize. He turned the thought over in his tired mind, only to be interrupted again.

Volas blinked a few times in confusion. Meeting the elusive lover of the Dragon Maiden was special, he knew, but that Rank on the Achievement was like a slap in the face. He’d heard there were ten ranks – everyone knew that – but Rank 10 was reserved for the first person who achieved it.

To be given a Rank 9 Achievement meant that he was among perhaps eight people who had done this before.

How did someone end up reaching adulthood while barely meeting anyone?

“U-uhm…” Volas stammered. “What?” He couldn’t think of anything to say. That ‘Bonus Effect’ was just too much to add to everything else he was struggling with.

Reyth lifted her ears slightly in a subtle, soothing expression. “This is Akasha. Don’t worry, she won’t hurt you, she’s just a little distant.”

“I am a shy maiden, who only wants to live a quiet life with my beloved,” Akasha added wistfully, swishing her tail in a hint of playful emphasis.

Far from the refined elegance she’d demonstrated thus far, Reyth merely let out a scoffing huff and sighed. She patted Volas on the shoulder and rose to her feet, to settle on the rock next to Akasha.

“No, you stay there.” Reyth pointed to him when he struggled to sit up. “You’re still recovering, and you shouldn’t move until we’re sure you’re all right.”

Volas eased his head back again and coughed, still feeling a little rattle in his lungs. He dipped an ear affirmatively, only to pause as he watched Akasha flick a hand at Reyth. All the mud and grime from the river flew off of the Dragon Maiden, balling up into a little clump in the air that sailed into the water.

This wasn’t a high mana area. That sort of silent manipulation of the world took incredible discipline. Volas fidgeted awkwardly and flinched as his ribs protested the movement.

Reyth looked down at herself, then gave a disapproving swat of her tail to Akasha. “If you can bother to clean me up, at least get the water out of the poor boy’s lungs. I know you can do that without it being a problem.”

With a huff and an annoyed sway of her tail, Akasha looked back at Volas. “Fine.”

Volas felt his entire body convulse in a flare of pain, and a violent cough surged through him. Akasha wasn’t gentle in ‘clearing him out’ at all, filthy water erupting from his mouth and nose, leaving both raw and burning as he gasped for breath. He trembled after the energetic spasms, gulping a few lungfuls of air.

Though… he was breathing easier than he ever had before. It was as if he hadn’t been using his full capacity even prior to falling in the river, and now he could breathe free and clear.

Reyth winced. “Don’t take that personally. Akasha can’t make it not hurt. She did the same thing to me, back when we first met.”

“That was different,” Akasha grumbled lamely.

Settling his head back again, Volas sighed and caught his breath. “Thank you. Um… what does it mean that you owe my soul a favor?”

That question made Reyth tilt her head, but Akasha just leaned on Reyth’s shoulder and waved her tail dismissively.

“It means you’re a coward, and you shouldn’t be.” She didn’t even look over at Volas as she tossed that insult out. “I owe a favor to a few people’s legacies, among them the original seven elves who first discovered the Duskwall. None of them have taken their favors yet, not even the gods.”

Slowly, Volas pushed himself to his feet and took a deep breath, moving cautiously so he didn’t strain anything. “I don’t understand,” he mumbled honestly. “What does that have to do with me?”

Akasha squinted at him. “You weren’t going to leave your home, were you? That’s just going to waste. The message said the favor extended after you’d die, didn’t it? That’s been going on for a while. I never really met Duvad, but that’s your legacy, and I hear he was bold and brave. You should be going on an adventure, not mooning over an elegant elderly lady like my lover–GAH!”

Mid-sentence, Reyth casually shoved Akasha off the rock, where she splashed into the river unceremoniously. The Dragon Maiden slid off the rock and walked over to Volas, who stared at the waters uncertainly. Akasha hadn’t come up yet.

“Um, is she going to be all right?”

Reyth lifted her ears in amusement. “She’ll be fine, she just likes to say that sort of thing to get a reaction from me.”

“Water’s really cold today,” Akasha noted, startling Volas as she spoke from behind him. Dry and healthy, without any sign of just having emerged from the river other than a slightly disheveled tunic, which she was adjusting back into place. He hadn’t even heard her approach.

“Duvad hmm?” Reyth looked thoughtfully at Akasha, then tilted an ear at Volas.

“So… shall I escort you home, or take you on an adventure?”