A fox mask. That was the best we could narrow our options down to when the deal had to be finalized.
White in color, small in size and decorated with few blue stripes--fancy in some way, but knowing that I'd have it on me 24/7 instantly reduced all of its fanciness to nothing.
The reason for the mask itself was to conceal my identity. Both to make it harder for those hunting me down to find me and to block any suspicion about my abilities. Aeron was a prince, and despite his little popularity, he was known.
A magicless prince suddenly taking on quests and showing off even a child's level of magic would raise questions that I, quite frankly, was not going to be bothered answering.
That being said, I still didn't like the idea of masking my entire face anytime we went outside--the only reason I even let the idea go through was because of the mask's attributes. It was a artifact once retrieved from a dungeon.
'Kitsune mask'- commonly used by low ranked mages and healers to passively channel small amounts of magic within the surrounding area.
It was a weak item that was good enough for use, a lot more useful for me since I practically couldn't chant spells out like every other mortal being could--thanks again your highnesses.
I could tell why high ranked mages never used this as well, I'd put it on for an hour when we'd left Varentis and only a small amount of magic was practically in my soul well. I couldn't visibly see it--but I could feel it. With it, I could estimate about a single spell every half an hour. The levels of the spells had to be low too, that meant no doom flare class of spells were being pulled out of my ass until I had enough to spend.
Besides, I wasn't going to pull another one of those again. I'd been healed but my body still had the lingering pains--a reminder: power like that wasn't free.
"As much as I appreciate hearing your thoughts, master..." Mes begun, her voice slicing through my thoughts like a hot knife through butter. Her usual subtitles flying into my view, their golden text seeming a bit brighter than usual.
"I can't help but worry about your mental health--talking to yourself is healthy, unless its at your level."
The less I talk, the less the readers understand.
Having her in my mind wasn't a pleasing experience either, that coupled with the fact that we'd been on the move for nearly two days now. At this point, I'd be leaving this damned cart with both my ass and head in indescribable pain.
"I have a woman talking to me in my head, a holy knight ready to slice my head off if I even as much as look at him funny..." I let out, momentarily lifting the edge of the sheet covering the cart's end.
"...and an unknown killer willing to have dungeon bosses slice me apart for no reason...I'd very much rather talk to myself, Mes."
"Lance existence shouldn't be a worry to you, master. I sense no hostility from him."
"Yeah, sure." I let out, letting out an exhausted sigh as I let go of the light fabric.
The journey had been a lot to handle for me--two days in that cart, my ass had fused to the wood.
Back in my past life, even car rides were a bother to me. I'd often rather use my trusted bicycle to work and back than using those cursed steel stallions--being in them automatically gave me motion sickness.
But at least I was comfortable in those damn things.
Lance didn't have enough on him to hire a horse cart from Varentis to our destination; said he dropped most of his stuff when we got raided.
Just who in their damned minds goes dungeon diving with cash on them? Was he planning to bribe the monsters or something?
Luckily for us, our knight in shinning armor knew a couple of people from the merchants guild that were heading where we were heading. Gave us a lift in exchange for his security throughout the journey.
It was bumpy, uncomfortable and for sure not meant for carrying people; but hey, at least I had some apples I could munch on if I got hungry--or bored.
"A whole council of them yet they decide on giving me an infinite soul well with no easy way of pouring magic into it." I sighed out.
"Well, maybe if you hadn't died you wouldn't have needed magic."
"Great input, Mes. Just the kind of words I'd like to hear from a voice in my head."
Complaining would most definitely just waste my energy--it had been doing so ever since I got reincarnated as 'the magicless prince'. Fixing that whole 'magicless' first would have to take priority. Then maybe some complaining could be added.
In terms of combat abilities, I wasn't strong enough to handle myself against stronger foes--but in terms of magic? Can't deny that they gave me a broken skill. So long as I had enough, anything in my way could be blown past. Better yet, I didn't have to spend years learning spells, mastering them then forcing them into my soul well...all I needed was a name and a target.
Best way to channel magic into me was through artifacts; my mask, for example. Which was precisely why we were on this journey to begin with. Our destination was a land where magic was practically limitless.
Sylvalis, the elven heaven. Home to the greatest mages to have ever lived, their ancient king being the first of them and most definitely the most known. Hundreds of years past his death and the guy still had a creepy amount of presence lingering on the forest's trees. Some say he IS the trees, guarding the kingdom itself and protecting their nature from being defiled.
If I wanted to be well armed for any random attack, artifacts from them would most definitely be the best route to choose.
Unfortunately though, it seemed our journey was going to be much longer than we'd expected.
Randomly, the cart came to a sharp stop; the sounds of people talking seeping into my ears.
"A military checkpoint? All the way over here?" The driver let out, an annoyed sigh escaping him as he alighted his vehicle with lance calmly doing so as well.
His voice erupted again, this time further away. Far enough for me to be unable to hear his words--I was too lazy to get up just to see what was going on. Had it been an emergency, Lance would have knocked on my cart to let me know; as he once did when we'd been raided by bandits along our journey.
Surprisingly, Lance's voice faded in too--seemed annoyed but still calm. It was surprising, since the guy barely got mad at anything that...well...wasn't me. After a while, they got back on the cart--the driver clearly pissed but remaining composed.
"Damned knights...the route through Blackheart will add a day or two on our schedule," The driver let out, snapping his reins to have the horses moving again, "...unless we run into more of these 'roadblocks' of theirs."
"Aeron, put on your mask, we're helping someone make it to Blackheart Kingdom" Lance calmly called out, "We'll take a break there, we're in no rush Karl"
'What a bother' I thought to myself. Blackburn wasn't far from where we were, but it still was an annoying distance away from me--couple that with the fact that I had to have a mask on my face through it all...I wasn't looking forward to it.
How did those superheroes I used to see in comics manage to pull this off?
"Pardon, I don't mean to bother you young lad..." An elderly voice let out, their hands spreading the sheets open as they tried to board the cart, "...could you be a dear and help this aged one for a moment?"
Sweating and short on breath, she'd been walking for a while and that was clear. No wonder Lance decided to offer her a ride.
The old lady stared at my masked face as a moment of silence was shared between us. I'd wanted to refuse since I had found a comfortable position to rest with, but my moral compass wouldn't let me. I'd seem like an asshole even to myself if I went down that path.
"Take it easy miss, take my hand." I responded, finally rising from my spot and stretching out my arm to support her.
A warm smile drew itself on her face and our palms connected.
For a fraction of a second--a moment that felt like a mere moment, a chill ran down my spine.
Everything around us felt...dangerous. As though the very walls around me wanted to reach out and tear my limbs apart. The moment had taken me by surprise, came and left like a breeze that would leave most people doubting whether or not had passed.
The moment had passed in a blink yet the feeling it came with lingered on for long enough to have me unaware of time itself. I'd been back on my seat, facing her, by the time I came back to my senses.
One thing was clear, she wasn't an ordinary old lady--and she sure as hell didn't seem like she wanted to hide it. The smile on her face revealed it all.
"Such a powerful young lad venturing vile and corrupt lands like these..." She begun, her voice calm yet holding an eerie tone in its well hidden backgrounds.
"Forgive me, I don't understand what you're talking about."
"Oh but you do. Not many things can go past this old woman's eyes, boy." She responded, a muffled cough escaping her after she'd finished her words.
Her eyes then turned to Lance who was visible through an unsealed window connected to the driver's area. Some whispered illegible words left her mouth and with the wave of her aged fingers, a seemingly invisible barrier was formed. The only way I could even see it was due to the fact that I was on high alert.
Best bet was that the lady before me was none other than one of the people trying to kill me...someone who knew about my identity as a reborn being.
"Wouldn't want those who are uninvolved to bother us now, wouldn't we?" She calmly added, her gaze locking back onto me.
"Who are you..." I begun, my hand reaching out to my sheathed blade with my eyes locked onto her figure, "...and what the hell do you want?"
"Easy boy, I mean no harm to you or your companions." She laughed out after noticing my reaction, "I assure you, you're not my enemy...yet."
"Yet?"
"You have simply made it to the river, boy." She continued, a chilling atmosphere surrounding her as she spoke, "...whether you choose to cross the bridge or swim to the other side is what determines whether you are friend or foe."
Cryptic and nearly poetic, but I was by no means a detective nor was I a poet. Cross the bridge or swim to the other side? I had no time to think about riddles like these with both the Architects' quests in mind and the looming fact that people want to kill me.
"The hell do you mean?"
"I have said enough." She responded, reaching into her bag and re-emerging with a small book in her hand, "...they will soon know about your existence, what you do after that is up to you."
Again with this 'they' 'they' talk. Who is this 'they' that both the old lady and the deceased bull were talking about? What made me even more confused was why she was randomly telling me all these cryptic messages. Who was she and what did she truly want?
Unfortunately, I never found out. My mouth had been sealed, unable to conjure up the right questions to ask because of the fear that had taken over my body. She was clearly frail, old and defenseless in terms of combat--but in my eyes, all I could see was a loaded gun with a finger resting on the trigger. I couldn't confirm it...but I could clearly tell that one wrong move was all it would take to have a bullet flying through my head.
As such, the journey to Blackheart remained silent with only the occasional page flips she'd make being the only source of noise.
She'd alighted with a glance being sent my way as her 'goodbye' or perhaps 'see you soon' before disappearing into the crowded streets of Blackheart.
"Master...all communications between you and I had just been severed." Mes finally spoke out, her voice ironically being a calming thing to hear after the whole encounter, "...what happened, master?"
To block communications between me and the irritating voice in my head...even more proof that the 'old lady' I had spent that short hour with was nothing far from a hidden beast. In some way, I could still see her presence walking through the crowd like a tiger that had just come back from a successful hunt.
"a lot..." I responded, scratching my head with my eyes still glued to the crowd--watching to see whether or not the beast had truly gone.
"We'll rent a room closer to the south-side exit," Lance's voice cut in, stretching slightly as he alighted from the cart itself, "you should probably set up shop here temporarily, Karl."
"I'll pick you two up at dawn then." He responded before slowly leading his horses through a different route, leaving Lance and I to ourselves.
Swiftly, he walked past me slapping the back of my head saying, "You'll be easily caught off guard if you keep zoning off like that."
"S-sure...my fault." I responded, still clearly not fully back.
He'd noticed my unusual reactions but chose to remain silent, he'd made it clear multiple times before why we even were a party. To keep an eye on me so that he could confirm whether or not I was a threat and also in hopes that he could find out who those making hits on me were. Whatever bothered me other than that was past his interest, it was why I never bothered mentioning the lady.
It was part of it...the other part was that I didn't really know how I'd describe her.
Friend? Enemy? She was none yet all at the same time...
'whether you choose to cross the bridge or swim to the other side...' is what makes me her friend or foe according to her words. What she meant? I couldn't tell--but something tells me that I was about to as two guards placed a firm grip on both Lance and I's shoulders.
"You two," a voice rumbled from behind, armored steps closing in, hands clasped ominously behind his back. "Pardon the interruption--the King demands your presence."