“The Sol Viridis pt 2.”

“We barely just managed to get a horse and wagon, but we’re behind in the journey compared to the other parties for sure.”

Emrys says with her head in her map, her brows gently furrowed

“It’s no big deal; we can catch up!”

Jorvain says confidently, snuggling against the horse and rubbing the top of its nose.

“If we take this shortcut that I found on this route. “

Emrys presents proudly, holding out her map with a small smirk.

We all pause and turn to see Maelis hop off the wagon and onto Dain’s shoulder.

We all gather round Emrys.

“Alright, see here? Normally, you’d go straight, have to cut through these mountains, and go on an endless hike.“

She states, pointing to the map.

“But,”

She sings.

“If we take a right and walk up this mountain path, it should be shorter!”

“Perfect!”

Jorvain exclaims.

“You’re wonderful, Emrys!”

He says with a smile.

She turns red in the face almost instantly, sheepishly smiling from ear to ear.

“Oh, I-it’s nothing!“

She says, sounding way too pleased for the sentence to be believable.

“Well, it could be nothing; how do we know this is a legit shortcut? And if it is, do you really think we’re the only ones who took it?”

Dain asks with crossed arms.

“Plus, it’s uphill.”

Maelis adds.

“Is that a problem?”

I ask, unsure whether I should even add anything.

“With the wagon we have? Of course it is.”

Maelis says bluntly.

“Look, while those are all valid concerns, it’s just a risk we’ll have to take!”

Jorvain says with a bright-eyed smile.

“Why do you sound so confident? “

Maelis asks, their voice laced with irritation.

“What good will being unsure do? This shortcut is our only way to catch up.”

He replies, placing his hands on his hips, satisfied with his stance.

“Jorvain’s right.”

Emrys says with a proud smile.

“With how heavy our wagon is, our chances of catching up on the original path are slim, and that’s only if we take no breaks. “

Adds says, raising a finger and waiting for objections.

“Fair.”

Maelis says

“Dain? What do you say?”

Jorvain asks with a smile.

Dain crosses his arms.

“I’m not carrying anyone if they pass out.”

He says bluntly.

“Hah! “

Jorvain laughs

“Fair.”

“Oh, and what about you, Roba? Up for the challenge?”

Jorvain asks, turning to me.

I look up from my boots to see that all their eyes have settled on me as well.

“Oh, um, sure, why not? Whatever it takes to reach sloth.”

I answer, hoping it’s the right thing to say.

“That’s the spirit! We ready?”

He says with a grin, holding out his right hand to be met.

Emrys extends her hand without hesitation, meeting his, her head held high.

The rest of us hesitate.

“C’mon, don’t leave me hanging.”

He says while looking back at the rest of us.

Maelis reluctantly steps forth, adding their hand to the circle, and although Dain’s helmet is on his head, I can take a guess he’s rolling his eyes right now. But eventually, he joins too.

And all that’s left is me.

Jorvain looks at me with a smile, Emrys with a look I can’t quite place, although it makes me want to look away. Maelis looks directly into my eyes, unblinking, and I can’t see Dain’s face, whatever expression it might be wearing.

I take a deep breath and extend my hand.

“GO, TEAM!”

They all shout in sync.

“G-go, team.”

I add at the end.

“Alright! Off we go! This’ll be a piece of cake.”

Jorvain says with a confident smirk.

***

We trudge up the mountain’s path, panting with exhaustion.

“This isn’t a piece of cake.”

Maelis says from up on the wagon.

“Well, you’re not making it any easier by sitting on the wagon.”

Dain says through huffs, pushing the wagon uphill with Jorvain, who’s still smiling.

“Maelis is still right; I didn’t expect this to be so rigorous. I doubt any of the other parties took this path.”

Emrys says between pants, struggling to hold up all the rations in her arms.

“Well, that just means we’re the only ones to take this shortcut.”

Jorvain says, wiping sweat from his forehead and running his fingers through his hair.

“Are you sure I shouldn’t be pushing back there with you, Jorvain?”

I ask as I guide the horse up the mountain.

“I’m sure! Just help the horse out; it’s doing most of the work anyway. “

He replies with a smile.

“And it’s tired too!”

Emrys exclaims

“Emrys, you can do this! Remember that one time I broke my leg?”

He asks

“When we were fighting the cyclops.”

She remembers in what seems like an instant.

“That’s the time! And then you carried me all the way back to the nearest town; you didn’t falter even once.”

He states passionately.

And it makes Emrys blush.

“B-but that’s different, your greatness! You were hurt; had I given up, we never would’ve gotten back, and I would’ve failed you.”

She shouts

“But if we don’t make it up this mountain, we’ll return to Acedia with our heads held low with shame, having failed to live up to the hopes of the people! And that’s even worse.”

Jorvain says, looking off into the distance, with a deep look in his eyes.

“Equally worse...”

She adds.

“Emrys, Jorvain’s right; we’ve been through worse. We can get through this.”

Dain agrees.

‘I... agree too.”

Maelis says.

“But we should still take a break, get our energy up, and continue.”

“Doesn’t that defeat the point of the shortcut?”

Dain asks.

“The other parties have probably taken breaks too.”

Maelis argues, hoping off the wagon roof.

‘It won’t hurt to take a small break; we should probably give the horse a break too.”

Jorvain adds.

“Fine.”

Dain says finally.

And once we’re at an even point along the path, we stop.

***

Jorvain feeds the horse apples as he eats one himself; Dain rests against the mountain, Maelis peers down the walls, and Emrys sits at Jorvain’s feet, fanning herself with the map.

I wipe the sweat from my forehead and look out at the view.

The mountains seem to stretch out for miles, as far as the eye can see. The clouds sit on the horizon, the sun hidden behind them.

According to Emrys, the journey will take weeks, so I don’t think we should wait too long to get back on the move, but Jorvain agreed with Maelis and said we should rest.

‘Hey, Roba, come here.”

Jorvain calls out, signaling me over to him.

I stand to my feet and head over.

“Wanna feed the horse? Don’t know its name, but the man from the stall wasn’t lying about its appetite; it’s already eaten three apples!”

He laughs.

I sigh with a small smile.

“Not sure it should eat anymore.”

He laughs.

“Good point. Hey, that sword of yours,”

he says, gesturing to the sheathed sword at my side.

“Yeah?”

I say, looking down at it, sheathed and wrapped in full red cloth.

“It can capture the Ardor of living things once their soul is weakened, right?”

He asks, curiously.

“Uh, yeah, it does, but I don’t have much. You have to be the one to weaken it unless it willingly gives its soul up.” I answer.

“That’s fine, I’ve got a feeling it’ll come in handy.”

He says with a knowing look.

“I hope so.”

I say, filled with uncertainty.

“Trust me, it will!”

He says confidently.

I don’t understand it, but it is somewhat reassuring.

“Let’s get going; it’s not even nightfall yet. We can’t just sit around,”

Dain says, straightening up and moving from the mountain.

“Fair, I think we’ve rested long enough.”

Jorvain agrees.

‘Sure, let’s get going.”

Emrys says, rising to her feet.

“Maelis?”

Jorvain calls.

“Sure.”

They say, moving from the mountain's edge back to the wagon.

“Oh no you don’t, you’re walking just like the rest of us.”

Dain says, stepping in front of them.

They sigh

“Fine...”

Suddenly, Jorvain hits his fist against his palm with a grin.

“I’ve got an idea!”

He says, full of excitement.

***

“Emrys, would you play us a tune? A motivational one! Something that inspires the spirit.”

“Sure, Jorvain.”

She smiles.

“Huh, but is now the time for a song?”

I ask with furrowed brows.

“Emrys isn’t just an archer; she’s a bard too! And with the Ardor from her music, she can affect the Ardor of others; it’s amazing! Show him, Em.”

He says with a proud smile.

She takes a deep breath and takes her harp-shaped bow from off her back, and begins strumming it as if it really were an instrument.

Each string responds to her fingers, elegant and nimble; they glow and vibrate with colors. And as she starts to find her tune, the strings turn a vibrant moss green.

The slow melody suddenly shifts, building in pace. I feel my shoulders, once tense, begin to fall with ease, but my pace doesn’t slow in the slightest; in fact, it increases, following the music.

And it’s not just me; Dain almost falls as the wagon jerks forth with the sudden increase in the horse's speed.

“Give me a warning next time.”

He grunts

“Do you feel that? The way your spirit starts to swirl with the music?”

Jorvain asks, his tone full of life.

“I do.”

I say in awe.

“That’s Emrys for you.”

He says with a playful grin.

She blushes, looking away, keeping her tone steady.

“And Maelis, would you summon something to help us move the wagon? “

He asks with a smile

“I guess I can try. Stand ahead; I’ll need some space.”

They say reluctantly, but a sudden sternness appears in their gaze.

They widen their stance, spreading their arms; their staff levitates from their hand and begins to spin, rapidly picking up pace as a swirling aureate aura surrounds them.

The mountain shakes ever so slightly as the uneven ground before them begins to shape itself, forming into mini stone golems.

With imperfect and rough exteriors, bedded with moss and flowers.

My eyes go wide with disbelief as they command them to move forth without so much as a word till they’re pushing the wagon along the mountain.

Dain steps back, lowering his hands.

“Sorry, Dain, I think your Ardor is a little too destructive for the job. Give the golems a hand, Kay?”

Jorvain says with a grin as he suddenly lifts his sword, holding it high with his right arm.

The clouds begin to separate, and soon the sun's rays shine through; with their light, the moss and flowers along the golems' backs sprout and grow, giving them more energy.

“That wasn’t a coincidence, was it?”

I ask.

It’s incredible how they all work together with such ease, like perfectly aligned cogs in a machine turning to Jorvain’s will.

“There we go! Piece of cake, just like I said.”

He says, smiling from ear to ear, and as I look around, surely enough the others are smiling too; I bet under his helmet, even Dain is.

But the machine that they are, the cogs work perfectly as they are, so do they really need another? Wouldn’t that stop the machine?

Where do I fit, and if I do, how can Jorvain see it when I can’t?

A hero like him, who can view things differently from others, different from me.

The sound of Jorvain humming mixes beautifully with Emrys' music, and we carry on with ease as the sun begins to set.

***

Soon night falls, and we set up camp.

The campfire illuminates the night sky, attracting bugs and sending smoke on the wind to the clouds.

“Is it really safe to sleep here for the night?”

Maelis asks.

“Well, Emrys said it herself; with how rigorous this road is, I doubt any of the other parties took this path.”

Jorvain says, sounding unsurprisingly confident.

“So...?”

Dain asks, drying the sweat from his hair now that his helmet’s off.

“So, we’ll probably be fine! We should be up by sunrise.”

Jorvain says, setting his sword aside and letting his hair loose from his ponytail, as he takes his armor off.

“I agree; if we’re up early, it should be fine.”

Emrys adds, taking off her hat and quiver.

“Are we all gonna fit in that tent?”

I ask, knowing the answer. No, we will not.

“Nope, wanna do rock paper scissors?”

Jorvain suggests with an excited expression on his face.

“Sure.”

I agree.

No one argues, and soon we’re sitting around the campfire, playing rock paper scissors.

After the first few rounds, Jorvain and Dain have lost. Dain, who sits there with crossed arms and a sour face, doesn’t seem pleased by the fact. Jorvain, on the other hand, looks as happy as he probably would’ve been had he won.

This leaves me, Emrys, and Maelis.

“I’m good on the tent; I like the mountain view.”

Maelis says plainly.

“Huh, no way, you’re really passing it up for the view? You hate the cold, Maelis!”

Jorvain exclaims

“It’s not cold, and it wouldn’t be much warmer in the tent.”

Maelis says, sounding completely uninterested.

“Are you sure?”

I ask for good measure.

“Yes.”

They say plainly, turning away and lying down on their sleeping bag.

I’m going to bed.”

“Night!”

Jorvain replies lovingly.

They do not respond.

“Good ol’ Maelis, well, that leaves our two winners! Emrys, Roba, the tent is yours. You two good with sharing? You could always fight to the death!”

He says with a hint of excitement in his tone.

I glance at Emrys, who seems less than thrilled but reluctant to fight.

“I need to change first.”

She says as she moves to the tent, zipping up the door behind her.

I have this strange feeling she doesn’t like me..but then again, what reason does she have to? I’m probably not the only one questioning if I belong here. I’m sure the others feel the same.

Soon everyone’s asleep, I put the fire out, and head to the tent.

Emrys never lets me know when she's finished changing, but there’s no way she’s still changing, is there?

I reach my hand to the zipper, but I'm hesitant.

“Emrys?”

I whisper, moving close to the tent so she’ll hear me.

“Are... are you finished in there?”

I pause, waiting for an answer, and the snores coming from inside do just that.

I unzip the tent, and she’s asleep in a nightgown.

I sigh in relief and move to the other side of the tent, slowly moving to my sleeping bag, careful not to wake her up.

I set my sword aside and lay down, pulling the covers over my shoulders.

I glance at my sheathed sword.

Will it really come in handy? I’ve only managed to capture things like slimes and goblins, nothing special or big like a cyclops or a golem. Even if it’s not much, I have to be useful somehow, especially since I can’t even use Ardor anymore.

I sigh, and soon, I fall asleep.

***

I awake to the gentle chirps of birds overhead and crickets nearby.

I slowly rise from my bed, hunching over till I unzip the tent and step outside, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

As my vision adjusts, my eyes settle on the early sunrise.

And Maelis, who sits on the mountain's edge, holding their staff out for a bird to rest on.

Their hat lies in their lap, their long hazel hair lightly swaying in the morning breeze.

I turn on my heel to return to the tent—but they turn around and lock eyes with me just as I do.

I sigh and walk to the edge of the mountain, 5 feet away from them, a gap formed between us.

I glance over and follow their eyes to the small sparrow, hoping along the wood of their staff.

As I take a seat, the bird flies away.

“S-sorry...”

I mutter.

Looks like I should’ve gone back in.

“That’s okay, it was just ready to go. And my arm was getting tired, so maybe I ought to thank you.”

They say with a sigh of relief.

It’s probably dumb that I’m somewhat surprised at the warmth of their response, but I guess I worried I’d make things awkward.

A silence stretches between us, and maybe I spoke too soon, cause now it feels awkward, but when I glance at them, they seem totally at ease.

I clear my throat.

“Should we wake the others? The sun’s beginning to rise.”

I ask.

“Let them sleep a little while longer; we all worked hard yesterday.”

They say.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right. I’m the only one who didn’t do anything...”

I mutter.

They glance at me.

“You led the horse.”

They say plainly

“Huh, yeah, but then Emrys ’ music led it along, and I just stood there,”

I say, looking away.

“Guess that’s true. You’re still new to the team, so my guess is Jorvain is just figuring out who you are and how you work. Once he does, he’ll know what to do with you.”

They say somewhat wistfully.

“Really?”

I ask.

“Yep, the same happened with the rest of us, even Emrys.”

They say as they nod their head.

“I see, thank you.”

I say.

“For what?”

They say in their usual monotonous manner.

“Just, uh, nothing,”

I mumble.

The silence returns, but this time it doesn’t feel so awkward.

“Hey, uh, how did you get so good at expressing your Ardor?”

I ask, fiddling with my fingers.

They pause, glancing at me.

I clear my throat.

“I just mean, yesterday with the golems, you summoned them with such ease.”

I state

“It’s a simple summon.”

They reply, plainly, with a blank stare.

“Still, how do you...”

My words fall flat, and I let out a sigh.

“You have to control your emotions and inner world; Ardor is the manifestation of the feelings that fuse with your soul. So if one's not in order, the other won’t be either, and of course there are cases when your feelings are so negative, the ardor you manifest is harmful to yourself and others.”

“I see.”

I say, looking down the mountain into the forest beneath.

Their gaze lingers for a moment before returning to the view.

“Let’s get back to bed.”

“S-sure.”

Maybe it was dramatic of me to assume all the members disliked me. If I can find my place here, surely I’ll become a true hero, like the rest of them, like Jorvain.

And find my way.