It was two days after Edan’s talk with Tali. She had refused to elaborate on her answer and instead insisted he would come to understand with time. Edan had no clue what he was meant to understand and when the time would be.

  He had returned to Harvey’s confused, grumpy, and wet.

  True to his word, Reema and Sanik didn’t get angry at Edan for leaving the store once he explained Harvey’s insistence. Sanik had shrugged and said it was fine. Apparently, the entire block was actually the headquarters for the Thieves Guild. Most of the stores were a front and most of the store owners were members.

  Edan couldn’t be bothered thinking too deeply about it. Instead, he spent the days helping Harvey out or moping around, feeling sorry for himself. Cassie joined him for a bit. She’d had a falling out with Lorien over something small, the other girl telling Cassie she didn’t understand Sect life and that their friendship had grown old.

  While Edan would have done his best to avoid gossip, he’d grown bored enough to show an interest. It was only after Cassie had used his shirt as a tissue to wipe her runny nose that he decided he had better places to be.

  Reema and Sanik had been gone for most of the time. Sanik had come back yesterday looking depressed. Over dinner, he’d explained that something major was happening up at the Academy. Not only were members of the school actively searching for them, but there was also talk of pulling in resources to begin a proper manhunt. Sanik expected wanted posters any day now.

  Harvey had expressed shock at the lengths they were going, something Sanik didn’t have an answer to.

  Reema had likewise been busy trying to find ways for them to leave the city, should the need arise. A prospect that was becoming increasingly more likely. She’d had little luck. What contacts she was still on good terms with were being watched closely. Of those, the ones that would take the risk were either unavailable or asking for insane amounts of Tokens.

  It was for those reasons that both of Edan’s parents agreed that he should take Tali up on her offer. Harvey agreed as it was likely the barges heading up the Kentushi River were being watched, but the roads into the forests to the north? Not likely. There was nothing up that way but danger and death.

  Early on the third morning after they’d escaped the dungeon, Edan slipped out of Harvey’s. He had a cloak wrapped around his shoulders, the hood drawn up to hide his face. Sanik accompanied him.

  “At least the rain will make it hard to track us, and it gives us a reason to wear our hoods up,” Sanik said as he pulled his own cloak tight around him.

  The last two days of rain had turned the roads into shallow streams of muddy water. Fat drops of rain pounded down on the rooftops, overflowing gutters and turning overhangs into small waterfalls. The sun should have been rising, but the thick cloud cover was impossible to penetrate leaving the morning grey and miserable. A few of the stores around them had their lights on, the orange and white squares struggling to illuminate the gloom.

  Edan ducked his head low and followed his father along the sidewalk. He was glad his boots were high quality. He’d have hated to walk in wet socks. The streets were empty, other than the occasional bit of floating trash that washed past.

  The pair tried to keep to the edge of the footpath, closest to the stores, in the hopes of some protection from the elements, but they’d barely made it to the end of the block before they were both sporting wet patches where their cloaks had opened on accident.

  “Lovely weather, aye?” Sanik said loudly, struggling to be heard over the pitter-patter of rain. The cheer in his voice was impossible to ignore and Edan laughed.

  “Perfect weather for a stroll,” he answered.

  “Remember when you were young and you used to run out to the backyard so you could play in the mud when it rained like this?”

  “A little. Why?”

  “No reason,” Sanik answered. “Just thought you might want to stop for a bit. There's some nice mud right over there.”

  Sanik pointed towards a patch of waterlogged ground. Edan kicked water at his father, wetting his own pants in the process.

  Chatting to pass the time, father and son walked out of Stratta. They passed the Traders Guild, its wrought iron gates closed and the compound inside covered in puddles. Not a person moved in the downpour.

  “Where exactly did Tali say she was?” Sanik asked as the buildings began to thin out.

  The structures around them grew worn and broken down. Most were abandoned, though Edan saw a few of the cities poor or homeless huddled under sagging roofs, the doors of the buildings long since reduced to splinters. The gardens, once well-tended and neat, were overgrown bushes and long grass, their blades sagging under the weight of the raindrops.

  “She said to follow the old road north until it stops. Then continue until only grass remains.” Edan shrugged. “She’s been very mysterious lately.”

  “She’s a woman. They’re all mysterious.” Sanik answered before tilting his head in thought. “Though, she is worse than most. I’d imagine it’s not by choice, so we can’t judge her too harshly on it.”

  “What do you mean?” Edan stepped over a crack in the road. Water streamed through it like a river through a canyon. Tufts of grass struggled to keep from drowning. Edan’s boots splashed through the puddles, his pants long since soaked and sticking uncomfortably to his skin.

  “I can’t identify her, so she’s definitely higher level than I am. She’s also from a powerful faction. Powerful people from powerful places often have responsibilities others wouldn’t understand.”

  “She said something similar,” Edan admitted. “And I get that she can’t tell me everything…but I was just asking for directions!”

  Sanik laughed.

  "I've got to give her my respect though," Sanik continued. "whatever is going on up at the Academy is big, and somehow we've ended up smack in the middle of it. They would have leaned on her hard to give them details on your mother and me...or just me, I suppose, since the elder didn't see your mum."

  "But she didn't."

  "Nope, not even to ease her punishment."

  Eventually, the road beneath their feet became more dirt than cobblestone. The buildings this far out were little more than skeletal frames of wood or stone in a sea of wild grass. This was further out than Edan had gone when he had been following the group for Harvey.

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  The dirt path rose gently over a hill and as it sloped down the other side the path tapered off, reclaimed by nature.

  “Well, there's the end of the path, and there's the grass,” Sanik said, stomping forward. The ground beneath his feet turned muddy and pulled at his boots. “Careful.” he cautioned.

  Edan chose to walk slightly to the left of his father, not at all eager to follow in his muddy steps. “So now we continue until all that remains is grass.”

  Squinting through the rain, Edan looked around. He couldn’t see far but what he could see was barren and empty. The dark shadows of trees off in the distance set a foreboding background, but near them were little more than grassy planes.

  “There aren’t any monsters out here are there?” Edan asked, curious.

  “Nah, the sects often get their junior members and outer disciples to sweep through here killing anything that might become a threat. It’s pretty good experience for them.” Sanik scratched at his beard. “You wouldn’t want to be out here alone during the Season of Storms though. The beast tides are fairly easy to predict, but you’ll get a few high-level monsters hanging around here looking for trouble.”

  Edan looked up as thunder rolled across the sky. A second later lightning flashed, illuminating their surroundings. Edan felt part of him reach out to it, eager to understand. The lightning faded as quickly as it had come and Edan felt that part of him go dormant.

  Maybe I need to study storms to increase my Path of Lightning? Edan wondered.

  “I think this is it,” Sanik said, coming to a stop.

  Edan turned in a slow circle. They were standing among knee-high grass.

  “How can you tell?” Edan asked.

  “Because I can’t see the path anymore, there's grass everywhere, and if we continue to head in that direction,” Sanik pointed over Edan’s left shoulder. “We’ll enter the forests.”

  Edan turned around to see and jumped back with a yelp. A lumbering form appeared from the rain, its shape gigantic.

  Behind Edan, Sanik laughed at his son's reaction.

  “Not funny,” Edan muttered. “How long have you known she was there?”

  “Since we stopped,” Sanik admitted, still laughing. “You really need to start relying on your high perception, son.”

  “There is much that needs to be remedied,” Tali said, her soft voice somehow carrying through the rain. Rain plastered her hair to her face and soaked through her brown robes, making it stick to her muscular frame.

  “Tali,” Sanik said by way of greeting.

  “Honoured father.”

  “Te'Roro Bwaka,” Edan said, dipping his head in respect.

  It was about time they started acting like Master and disciple.

  Tali nodded at Edan.

  “Good.” she turned to Sanik. “You may leave.”

  “Hold up,” Sanik said. “I’m not just handing my son over without a few questions. Where are you staying? Do you have a camp?”

  “Yes.”

  “Reema and I would like to come visit. Where can we find your camp? Better yet, why don’t you show me so I can find it again later.”

  “You will not visit. Edan will visit you when he is able.”

  Sanik looked like he wanted to argue but Edan stopped him with a shake of his head.

  “Fine. But this is temporary. We’re looking for a way to leave Stratta. You’re welcome to come, but Edan will be coming with us.”

  Tali dipped her head, streams of water running down her brow and pouring from the tip of her nose.

  It was time.

  Edan stepped forward, grabbing his father in a tight hug.

  “Don’t worry Dad, I’ll come visit soon. You guys just focus on staying safe. They’re looking for you too.”

  “Your mum and I are used to staying hidden, besides,” Sanik made his eyebrows jump. “Things might settle down enough for us to get that baby made.”

  “And on that note, I drown myself in a puddle.” Edan mimed diving into a nearby pool of rainwater making Sanik laugh. “Love you, Dad.”

  “Love you too, son.”

  “Come.” Tali motioned for Edan to follow.

  Turning his back on his waving father, Edan followed Tali deeper into the wilderness. The grass field around them faded as trees took their place. Small at first, they were little more than saplings with thin branches and bright leaves. The deeper they went the larger the trees became until they towered over the pair.

  The canopy above provided some cover from the rain, but water collected on leaves, and each drop became a small bucket worth being dumped on their head. The smell of moist soil filled the air. Twigs crunched under Edan's feet.

  “Remove your cloak,” Tali said, stepping over a large branch. Bright orange fungus grew along it like a rash.

  “And the rain?” Edan had to scramble over the same branch, his boot slipping on its wet surface.

  “It is just rain. It cannot hurt you.”

  Not thrilled at the thought of getting wet, Edan complied. He pulled his cloak from around him, bundling the wet cloth into a ball that he tucked under his arm. Slung over his back was his pack.

  “Pass your pack.”

  Tali held her hand. No sooner had Edan handed it over, than it vanished. He assumed to her spatial ring, though he realized she wore none. She must have a different storage device.

  Satisfied, Tali continued on, the ground beneath their feet tilting up. Edan followed, brushing his wet hair out of his face. The ground grew steadily steeper until Edan was almost bent double to keep his balance. Tali seemed to have little issue, her feet drove into the ground with each stride, her balance perfect.

  “The honored father was correct,” She said once they stopped at the crest of the hill. “You must learn to rely on your stats. You behave as if you are ungraded. This must stop or your own mind will limit your strength.”

  Edan took a deep breath in through his nose, focusing on it to help center himself. It was easy. He wasn’t out of breath. He didn’t even feel tired. Edan took another breath. He could smell the forest. Not just the moist soil, but the sharp natural scent of sap, the earthy scent of mulch and decaying leaves that blanketed the forest floor.

  Tali waited, her amber eyes closed, her face peaceful.

  Edan felt his clothes against his skin. It was uncomfortable. But it actually wasn’t. He was just used to wet clothes being uncomfortable. If he focused Edan realised it was just pressure. Like the rain that soaked him. It was cold, he could feel that much, but the cold didn’t penetrate deep. It didn’t affect him.

  “That's trippy.” Edan laughed, holding his hand out as he slowly closed his palm, feeling the muscles in his forearm bunch.

  “Listen,” Tali said, tapping her ear. “What do you hear?”

  Edan closed his eyes, doing what she did, and just focused on listening. Each raindrop beat a different pattern at a different volume. Some, like those closest, wanted the most attention, but past that the pitter-patter from high above reminded Edan that there was a whole canopy protecting them. The sound overlapped and combined to create white noise that was oddly comforting.

  “Now, we run.”

  Edan opened his eyes, surprised, as Tali took off running down the other side of the hill. Edan shouted out and sprinted after her. Tali moved through the forest like a wrecking ball. She avoided trees where she could, but twigs and branches became splinters. She didn’t hop over fallen logs but stomped through them.

  Believe in your stats! Edan told himself, looking to Tali as inspiration.

  Edan jumped over a fallen log, easily clearing it. He hit the ground hard and rolled, his high dexterity helping to guide his movements, turning the once clumsy action fluid. Springing to his feet, one foot slipped in the mud but his balance shifted and he continued without issue.

  Edan realized why Tali had made him run. Everyone knew how to run. After a certain point, it became instinct and since it was instinct, Edan didn’t think too hard about it. He just decided on his path and his body did what it could to accommodate him, pulling from his stats as needed.

  Ahead of him, Tali shouldered her way through two trees that had grown too close to each other for her to pass. Each trunk was as thick as Edan’s waist but exploded like chipped confetti.

  Edan was too close to slow down so he jumped. Crossing his arms before his face to protect his eyes from flying splinters, Edan cleared the jagged stumps before the trees hit the ground.

  Landing in another roll Edan jumped to his feet, a smile plastered across his face.

  There was a tree in his path. Inspired by Tali and with the smile still on his face, Edan ran straight into it, intent on its destruction.

  And bounced off with a crack.