Theo, observing Kael's utterly stunned expression, couldn't suppress a small, almost imperceptible chuckle as he adjusted his spectacles. "Relax, I'll go get it."
With that pronouncement, the young mage calmly began his walk towards the colossal, slumbering serpent.
'Yep, definitely a crackhead.' Kael thought, his mind still struggling to process the casual mention of being swallowed whole.
As Theo drew closer to the seemingly docile beast, the serpent, as if sensing an intrusion into its domain, slowly began to open its eyes. Two black, vertical slits, gleaming with an unsettling intelligence, were revealed.
It didn't stir to attack the approaching mage; it merely lay there, a picture of languid indifference, observing its potential next meal as it calmly advanced.
But Theo, too, seemed utterly unbothered by the now-awake and watchful reptile. He continued his steady pace until he was just a few feet away from its massive head.
That's when Kael noticed it – a faint, almost transparent gas was slowly emanating from the serpent's scales, swirling subtly in the humid air. Theo was mere steps away from walking directly into it.
But just as the mage was about to enter the shimmering mist of probable paralysis, something even stranger occurred. A sudden, localized gust of wind, seemingly from nowhere, swept through the area, dissipating the hazy gas. Simultaneously, the serpent, which had been resting its head on the mossy slope, slowly raised it.
Shit
Kael cursed internally, bracing for the inevitable attack on the oblivious Theo.
But what unfolded next defied any logical expectation.
The massive head of the serpent lowered, not in a predatory strike, but in a gentle, almost affectionate gesture, nudging Theo's leg.
"…"
Kael could only watch, jaw slack, as Theo casually reached out and began to rub the serpent's broad, scaled head as if it were a particularly large and docile house cat. He just stood there, utterly stunned, the earlier terror replaced by sheer bewilderment.
After a moment of this bizarre interspecies petting session, Theo reached towards the serpent's back and plucked a vibrant, red-glowing lily from the strange garden growing there. Then, turning his back on the colossal reptile, he began to stroll slowly back towards Kael, as if he had just completed a leisurely walk in the park.
Theo sauntered back to Kael, the red-glowing lily held casually between two fingers. Kael, still reeling from the bizarre display of interspecies affection, stared at Theo with a mixture of disbelief and suspicion.
"The hell was that?" Kael finally managed to stammer out, his eyes flicking between Theo and the now peacefully slumbering behemoth in the distance. "Are you… some kind of snake whisperer? Or perhaps… a snake in disguise yourself?"
While saying this he instinctively took two steps back.
Theo merely shrugged, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips as he carefully tucked the glowing lily into a pouch at his belt. "Let's just say it's a… branch of my aspect."
Kael frowned, the term 'aspect' echoing in his memory from the others' introductions.
"Aspect? What exactly does it mean?"
Theo gave him a sidelong glance, a hint of his usual condescension returning. "Honestly, Kael, your ignorance of basic Archive terminology is… astounding."
"Yeah, yeah, I've heard that before," Kael retorted, a touch of defensiveness in his tone. "Just tell me what an aspect is!"
Theo sighed, a sound of long-suffering patience. "I'll explain later. Right now, time is of the essence. We should head back to the rendezvous point. The hour is almost up."
Without waiting for a response, Theo turned and began walking back in the direction they had come, leaving Kael to follow, still mulling over the strange encounter and the cryptic mention of 'aspects'.
They retraced their steps through the dense undergrowth, the journey feeling quicker this time with a shared destination in mind. As they approached the clearing where Niko's stone pillar stood sentinel, they found the rest of the team already assembled.
Karn was hefting several lengths of dark, fibrous bark, his short stature not hindering his evident strength. Liri stood beside him, nervously fiddling with her fingers. Niko, ever the orchestrator, was directing Rylen, who seemed to be constructing a crude, bowl-shaped structure from woven branches and stones, lined with the strange bark Karn had collected. It looked remarkably like a makeshift furnace.
"Great, everyone's back," Niko announced, his gaze sweeping over Kael and Theo as they arrived.
"Got your piece?"
"yep." I replied
"Perfect. So, Rylen, I believe the next step is yours."
Rylen nodded, his usual friendly smile in place. He turned to Theo. "We'll need the fire in there," he said, gesturing to the furnace-like structure.
Theo nodded in acknowledgment. He reached into his pouch, carefully retrieved the red-glowing lily, which was now wrapped in a piece of soft, dark cloth, and approached the crude furnace.
With a deliberate gesture, he turned the flower over inside the bowl. The head of the lily unfurled, and a viscous, molten liquid, resembling miniature lava, slowly poured out from its core, settling at the base of the furnace.
In the next instant, a heavy column of vibrant flame erupted from within, casting flickering shadows across their faces.
The heat radiating from the makeshift furnace was intense, and the air crackled with newfound energy.