Dragon's Tale 111 (Patreon)

“Can’t we cast some kind of spell to create a carriage,” Xia begged after half an hour of uninterrupted travel, getting more and more exhausted by the walk as we traveled inward. “You’re a sorcerer, it should be easy.” 

“And you’re a sorceress, shouldn’t you be able to handle it even easier,” Theodora interrupted, not missing a chance to needle her. It wasn’t the first time.

“I’m a healer, which will be fun to remind you the next time you require me to heal you,” Xia responded. 

Theodora looked ready to respond, but I silenced her with a gesture. “Enough, both of you. If you have the energy to dawdle, you have the energy to scout,” I answered. “And, with my magical control ruined once more, there’s no way for me to create something that intricate, certainly not without revealing our location to anyone within a hundred-mile radius.” 

That was enough to silence both, which hadn’t been too surprising. Xia was already submissive before realizing that I was somehow linked to the ancient kingdom of Egypt, which just enhanced further. And, Theodora already had a strong case of hero-worship before I saved her from a terrible fate for the second time, just when she was convinced that all hope was lost. Unfortunately, even that wasn’t enough to keep their jealous sniping at bay. 

Annoying, but not enough to truly be problematic. 

We walked in silence, my attention still at our rear, afraid that our subterfuge would be discovered. But, at the edge of my perception, I could feel the ships battling, their spells explosive enough to keep the situation in control. 

“Where are we walking exactly,” Xia asked, looking exhausted, showing that she wasn’t used to physical activities.

“Away from the reach of the ships,” I answered. “We need to make sure we won’t be caught by a foraging party or a shipwrecked crew and ruin the only advantage we have.” 

“Can I at least heal myself,” she said.  

“No, magic use is too risky,” I said, trying not to sound annoying. 

She looked ready to argue more, but a dismissive snort from Theodora was enough to cut it short. Her wordless challenge was clearly enough to cut her complaining short. 

I couldn’t help but sigh at their pointless bickering, but I didn’t intervene. It at least keeps them distracted and motivated, allowing me to focus on more important issues. 

Like, trying to find water. 

I couldn’t cast anything delicate enough to help me map the environment — especially since using anything but the lightning was getting harder and harder after consuming even more Dragon Hearts — but that didn’t mean I was helpless. My enhanced senses allowed me to smell far more accurately. And, as we left the sea and its overwhelming saltiness behind, I finally detected a water source. 

I changed our direction silently toward that direction. I wanted to take a rest. Xia was tired, and Theodora was not any better. More importantly, as the adrenaline of the battle faded away, it left behind a mental exhaustion that was difficult to beat. 

However, as we walked, the rocky shore left its place to a sandy and dry interior, walking getting even more difficult as each step sank deeper into the sand. Xia, in particular, was getting even more exhausted. 

I thought about carrying her, but decided against it. She needed some toughening. 

“Should I cast a water-gathering spell,” Theodora asked a while later. “We’re getting thirsty.” 

“Not yet,” I said. “There’s water nearby.” 

“Really,” she said as she looked around, only to see a bunch of rocks and sand. “Are you sure?” 

I just nodded, which seemed to mollify her, just because I was the one saying it. 

Another turn around a hill, and we found ourselves in a little oasis with a beautiful, bubbling spring, surrounded by an inviting layer of thick grass, too comfortable to be resisted. “Finally,” Xia said as she rushed forward. 

Showing her experience with the wilderness was absolutely nothing. 

I sighed even as I swung my spear, which passed dangerously close to her face, and sank into a rock, which bled for a while before transforming into a lizard that was the size of the rock. “Never rush to a water source without checking it first,” I said. “Magical beasts love ambushing people there.” 

“I … I see,” Xia stammered, shocked by how close she had come to a violent attack, which could have easily killed her before she could react. 

“Well, at least we have our dinner while camping,” I said. 

“We’re going to camp? Isn’t it better to travel at night,” Theodora said. 

“Certainly more comfortable, especially since we lack proper clothing,” I agreed. “But, we’re too exhausted to avoid ambush, so I’m willing to waste half a day here rather than being ambushed,” I said. 

Also, at this point, we were sufficiently far away from the sea, and staying behind the wards and creating a few equipment first was more critical than anything else. In particular, shoes and water skins, but thankfully, the giant lizard had more than enough skin for all the necessities. 

Including making sheaths for all three weapons. After their reaction, it looked like walking around them in the open might not be the best idea. 

“Why don’t you two set up a concealment ward while I handle our dinner,” I said as I grabbed the sword. Which earned double gasps. “What’s up with the reaction?” 

“You … you’re going to use a Patrician weapon as a carving knife,” Theodora gasped. 

“It’s sharp, clean, and the only blade we have, of course,” I said even as I started walking. They looked shocked at my decision, clearly expecting me to treat it with respect, but I shrugged that away. Ultimately, it was a weapon. 

And, it certainly made it easier to go through it, the magic skin of the creature acting like paper as I cut forward, and even bones didn’t react anymore. “You look very proficient in that,” Theodora commented even as she drew a rune to create another ward stone. 

“It’s important to know how to hunt,” I said, not bothering to mention exactly how I had been trained. My grandfather might have been merciless, but there was no arguing with the results. There was no way I could have survived my adventure in Rome without his torturous training. 

That was enough to silence them, and I continued with my task, separating the skin first before cutting some meat from its back, which would be the safest part. Then, I carved a few runes on a large stone, and called Theodora. “Do you mind powering those runes,” I said. There was no way I could blow any rune that was weaker than a city defense array without blowing up with my magic once again out of whack. 

“Are you sure, these fire runes look weak,” she said. “I can replace them with something stronger.” 

“That’s because I want to cook the meat, princess, not turn it into charcoal. Have you ever tried cooking with something stronger?” I said, chuckling as she looked blushed. 

“Do you think our princess ever cooked a meal?” Xia said, not missing a chance to needle her. 

I chuckled as I caught Theodora’s gaze, the answer hidden in her self-conscious blush. I chucked. “Enough, put that ward on so we can have dinner,” I said. She put the runes on, and I started cooking the first set of meat, a heavenly smell filling the oasis. 

I continued working on the rest of the meat, separating it into different parts, some to be cooked immediately, and some to be processed and dried for our travel. 

As I worked, I noticed something interesting. A tendril of magic, spreading from the sword. I let it connect slowly, feeling like the sword was getting a part of me, as if it was trying to teach me how to use it. The connection was nowhere near as strong as I had with the Spear of Scipio, but nonetheless, it was efficient enough. 

Unfortunately, stopping to have dinner was a luxury, so everyone just grabbed a piece of meat whenever it was ready, snacking as we continued working steadily. 

I worked continuously, feeling the connection with the sword getting better and better, feeling that, even without knowing any unique powers, I would be able to use it in battle. 

I couldn’t help but glance at the bow, thinking whether I should practice with it some to see if I could create the same kind of connection. On one hand, it was a pretty distinctive weapon that might alert others. On the other hand, it might help us as I dug around the secrets of Egypt. 

With both sides of Rome inaccessible to us, it was my best hope. The evening arrived while I was thinking that. Theodora was already asleep, the act of powering the ward — and doing it alone to prove herself better than Xia despite her sorceress status — wiped her off. 

However, as I watched Xia create a small lake next to the spring and create a connected pool that filled rapidly before slipping her dress off, I decided that testing the bow was not the priority. 

Especially with the smoky gaze she threw to my way.