Chapter 12: Setting off
Calen felt that he heard the term before, so he asked Isara if it meant something specific. She thought for a bit and shook her head:
"Ashbound is just an old term for people who are doomed, I don’t think it’s tied to any specific fate or situation."
It was already getting late, so they said goodnight to each other, and went towards their respective bedrooms - tomorrow was going to be a long day, so they should rest as much as they can.
***
Tharosk was tired.
He hasn’t slept since he left the fortress for the livestock check almost two days ago. It wasn’t an abnormal amount of time during an invasion, but he has to admit that being stationed on this backwater world has made him soft.
It was almost dusk when they reached their next stop - another building marked by dustling sorcery.
"Kaerith, prepare a gate."
"Right away, sir."
The Mindcarver took out a very long needle and a bottle of black viscous liquid out of his saddle bag. He dipped the the sharp end of the needle in the bottle, and stabbed the the stone wall of the building. Instead of stopping, it went through the brick, and Kaerith started drawing the shape of a door.
A few seconds later the building had a new, pitch black entrance.
The gates were a rudimentary application of the power that allowed them to invade other worlds, and they could only penetrate inanimate matter in a limited area. What made them useful was that unlike Worldbridges, they could be created by any Serakhiin with right tools, not just specialised Pathseekers.