The Crystal

Departing

"Are you ready to leave?" asked Ymir. He was already wearing a valeris cloak, with a packed bag slung over one huge shoulder. His hair was pure white, not from age, but from his heritage. It was said that he was decended from the northern frost giants. "We should leave as soon as possible. Come gather your items and stow them away."
Together the four companions left the hall and headed towards the armoury.

"Where are we going from here?" said Ymir. He had to walk slowly not to leave the younger elves behind.

"We're haeded north to the home of the mapmaker." said Tanis.

"Audmila? I suppose you're after one of her enchanted charts so that you can track yourselves? I should warn you that she doesn't give free favors. For a map from her, she will require first a task from you."

"What sort of task, Elder Ymir?" asked Kreija. They entered the main armoury door and walked to the counter. Fealthor rang the bell, then they continued to talk as they waited for someone to serve them.

"Please, dispense with the pleasantries. It would make it much easier if you just call me Ymir. Audmila's tasks cannot be accomplished by strength or skill alone. Oft as not what she wants is a particular magical object. To obtain these objects from their guardians can be dangerous, and is a task only attempted by expert treasure hunters."

"Excuse us," said Tanis, turning to the clerk who arrived. "We're the ones journeying to Alfheim, and we've come to recieve our gifts. I believe they were; quivers of plenty, veralis cloaks, commorbs, and the dormant elf crystal."

The clerk nodded affirmatively. "I will get them for you immediately.." He stepped into a back room and the companions heard several loud thuds as he unlocked the vault.

"You seem to be knowledgeable about these tasks, Ymir. Do you have previous experience with them?" sad Tanis, as he leaned against the counter.

"Indeed I do. I was the one who gained the knowledge of the quivers of plenty from her. Thses magical regeneration devices were created by the creator. The creator is an object which can creat any item in abundance, with perfect design. I found the creator for Audmila in exchange for free use of it."

"If you were able to find it yourself, why didn't you just keep it for yourself?" Fealthor asked. Kreija and Tanis nodded in agreement. "Then you would own it and have full access to it."
At that moment the clerk returned with the items, interrupting Ymir's response.

"Here they are. Good luck on your journey and give these objects good use. We're all rooting for you!"

Taking thei gifts, the three friends stowed them in their packs. Tanis carefully layed the crystal into a prepared slot in the side of his pack. Secured and protected, it was safe from observation and thievery.

"Let's continue this discussion as we walk, shall we?" said Kreija. "We will have many days to talk while on the trail."

Everyone heartily agreed to this. They left town as quietly as they could manage, but there were still crowds waiting to see them off. Many heartfelt goodbyes were spent before they finally left.


Thankfully it was warm and sunny that day, though as harvest time approached, that weather was sure to abate.

For a while, they were silent as they walked. The bees were out, pollenating the many flowers found in those woods. The connection between elves and nature was most pronounced in times like this. It was directly from nature that elves drew their power, giving an unlimited source of power for their magic.

Elves are like nature, Tanis thought. We are kind and gentle. We can caress and bring fertility and life. But at the same time, we are powerful. At times we are considered harsh or cruel, though never unfair. Though we rarely lose our temper, the onslaught of elven rage is like a summer storm with all the uncertainty of action there portrayed.

We shold be fine on this journey, although I am happy we also have the protection of Ymir, should it be required. We should reach Audmila within a fortnight, provided that all goes as planned, Tanis thought. I'm not sure how long the task will take us, but it can't be too long. Once we aquire our chart, we can start our real journey. We'll set off east, and then... well, I'll think of that when we come to it.

Looking up, Tanis realized it was almost dark, and past time to stop for supper.
"Let's look for a good place to stop." he said. "It will be getting dark soon and we should make camp before the night creatures come out."

"I didn't want to disturb your serenity, but I'm ravenous!" Fealthor exclaimed, making a face of agony.

The others laughed at this, but they too were starting to feel the hunger, gnawing at their insides. They soon found a suitable cleared and set about making camp.

Looking around, Ymir sized up the area. "Ok, we need someone to get the water, I'll make the fire and start dinner, and one person should set up the hammocks. The other gets the delightful job of digging the latrine. We'll rotate chores so as no one gets an unfair load, so who's doing what tonight?"

Kreija volunteered to hang hammocks, and Fealthor said he would take latrine duty, leaving Tanis with finding water. Setting out, he stopped occasionally and listened for the sound of running water.


Arriving back at camp with the water, Tanis saw Fealthor and Kreija talking together near the hammocks. They would be sleeping in the open tonight, while the weather was still fair.

Walking over to Ymir, he noted that the older elf had already started a fire and was roasting something over it. It was unlike the rabbits and other animals they normally dined on at home, so Tanis didn't recognize what type of meat it was.

"What is it?" he asked, settling by the fire. He set down the buckets of water on the ground near the fire, but not close enough to heat up.

"It's jormungund. This type of snake makes for wonderful eating. Only be careful if you're considering it, as its venom will kill you if it's not properly prepared. The only way to nuetralize the venom is by getting the poison glands to boil."

Grimacing slightly, Tanis peered at the odd roast, then looked away. After a moment Ymir spoke again.

"You and your little friends didn't want me with you, did you?"

"Well, we're not exactly thrilled at the idea that we need someone to watch us. When we first heard we were recieving a companion we were kind of disgruntled. After some thought though, I realized it's probably a good thing, as none of us have much worldly experience, and it never really hurts to have an extra hand in peace or trouble. It makes me feel a lot safer knowing we have such a powerful ally with us."

"I was sent for your safety, from others and yourselves. You are all still very young for elves. Your experience in the world, as you said, is very limited, and some things are not as would be expected." Ymir squeezed his shoulder affirmingly.

"I know this, but I'm not yet sure of how much the others do." Tanis replied. He glanced at Fealthor animately showing Kreija something.

"It looks like th meat is done." said Ymir, switching to a cheerful tone. "Let me get my spices and let's feast!" Ymir walked over to where the hammocks were prepared. Reaching into his pack, he said "Feathor and Kreija, food's ready. I think I've got some bread in here also."

Returning to the fire, Ymir seasoned the jormungund and laid out of the meal of bread and snake meat. "We'll gather some fruits or vegetables on the way tommorow, to add a little more variety to our meal. For now we can just eat the easy stuff."


That evening, as he was lying in his hammock, Tanis realized he was done with his first day on the road. He was going to spend countless others like this, traveling towards their destination.