A Journey of Reiki

-Sybis-

The port was cold as the ship entered the reef. My hands were numb from the chill of the icy spray and unrelenting wind. I’d been on the ship Reefshark for nearly seven months now, and I was more than happy to be leaving it. The snowing lands of Snow Elf Territory awaited me.

Although I felt this place would be but another place for me to express my disliking of the cold, I had more to worry about than simply the cold. Unlike most in these lands, I wasn’t a Snow Elf, only half, and half a Forest Elf, but I would manage. I packed fur for the cold, but only because the Witch had suggested it. I’m glad I listened.

Though my appearance would keep my true race rather quiet, and I have my father who was a Snow Elf to thank for that, but a few things about me shouted beautiful forests, such as my height and my less-than-white-pale skin, but hopefully it didn’t matter, I was banking on this land being far less strict on race than my old land was.

A bell in the distance tolled against the sound of the wind and water, and the passengers and crew began filing off the ship in twos and threes. I followed in the back, adjusting my sword and bow with unconscious thought. My weapons were old, gifts from the people who raised me, but I couldn’t bring myself to part with them just yet, their sentimental value was far too high for me. They’d served me this far, and I could only hope they’d continue to.

The snow crunched under my feet as I stepped off the shabby plank they used for docking. Looking around, the city of T’uuk was nothing special to an elf, to any other race this place was legendary. The docks led directly into the market district, where beyond that the residentials stood all along the tree line, where beyond laid out the beautiful Elven woods that I’d heard so much about on my way here. I took a deep breath, feeling the cold air fill my lungs.

I took my short white hair and ran my hand through it, feeling the snow melt beneath my warm fingers and slick my hair in all directions. It was cool against my scalp and I enjoyed the cooling feeling it left me as I shook the water droplets away.

It had stopped snowing, which was nice if we’re counting the small victories, but I knew the first thing I needed to do was buy more adequate clothing. The Forest Elf garbs I currently wore simply did not have the thickness or warmth needed to survive long term in this place, and while I packed “warm” clothing by Forest Elf standards, that wasn’t saying much when you stepped into Snow Elf Lands. I also had to take into consideration my goal, and Judging from who I was looking for, I was going to be here awhile.

With the thought in my head, I pulled the photo out of my pocket, looking at it once again. Like me, the person had short white hair, but my eyes were white with a fine purple tint and his stung gold. Across my nose laid a scar, straight across the bridge where a sword once caught me off-guard, leaving my loss permanently marked. His nose was clear. His face shape, soft cheeks, strong jaw, and an oval face accompanied by the pale features and pointed ears of the Elves made him look exactly like me, though older, more rugged, far more tired. I refolded the photo and stuck it in my pocket, marching onward into the snow city of T’uuk, home of the Snow Elves at last.

The sun was falling slowly, the late evening well underway, and I’d have to acquire a place to sleep before the end of the night too, one of the many things on my agenda. First, clothes, second, sleep. Then I can begin in the morning.

Not many people had taken to the streets, but I did see someone far in the distance atop a tower that looked far too big for human comfort, but that was too far away for my liking.

The next best thing was to read the signs and hope I could find a clothing shop, or something similar. Thankfully, there were many in this town by the looks of the market district, and I found myself in one in less than a half-hour.

The warmth from inside was noticeable and pleasant, but the woman on the other end of the counter was far more pleasant than the flame. She was writing in a book, with other pages strewn about the counter that had facts and figures written all over them. A logbook of some sort, but of what specifically I didn’t really care. Her long white-blond hair hung straight around her Elven ears, and her blue eyes contrasted with the white circlet she wore around her forehead. She was shorter, like me, but still resembled the beauty of a Snow Elf. She wore light fur, nothing heavy, and in fact most likely lighter than my own. Snow Elves had a natural affinity to cold, though they weren’t completely resistant to it, it was definitely far more comfortable for her to step outside in what she was wearing than it would be for me to do the same. She was so distracted by her book that she didn’t see my entrance, so I spent some time looking around, waiting for her to finish her entrancing work.

The store held more than just clothes, it held other fashionables as well as bracelets and necklaces and other sorts of jewelry, as well as boots and cloaks. But I was more interested in the fur, and in particular, a mix between the white Elven plate and black inlaid fur I saw on a distant shelf near the middle. I approached it, taking a careful eye and a moment to inspect it. The inner fur looked warm, and even better yet, my size, which was out of the ordinary for Elves who were typically taller than most humans. The Elven white metal on the outside had a minimalistic decal of the Elves, curving lines and smokey haze added for decoration and elegance. I was more a fan of simplicity than anything else, but the small amount of flourish the armor had was nice. Plus, dungeon hunting was a part of my score to get stronger, and the armor would come in handy.

I was busy looking at it when the woman at the counter noticed me, her voice was low, shyer, and her face I noticed had a naturally depressing look to it. Though whether that was her emotion or just her facial build, I wasn’t quite sure.

“Hello there, I’m sorry about the wait sir…” She shuffled out from behind the counter and approached my side. Her head remained bowed, and I could see she meant her apology, though I didn’t mind the wait.

“That’s alright, I was looking at this armor while I waited. It’s nice.” She looked at the armor with me, as if she had never seen it before.

“It is good craftsmanship, Finwen did well with this.” She stroked her hand down the Elven metal slowly, her fingers small and gentle, but sure in their actions.

“Finwen?” She seemed confused by my question at first, looking up at me with a lost look in her eyes before she snapped out of it.

“Oh, you must be new around here. I don’t really pay much attention…” She zoned off again, her mind racing to another place before her eyes refocused, her mouth moving again. “Finwen’s the artisian around here, he has everything me and Belrae don’t…”

“I didn’t catch your name, I’m Sybis.” I gave her the traditional greeting of the Elves, touching the tips of my ears and bowing my head. She replied with the same gesture, her cheeks burning with embarrassment as she stumbled over her words.

“Oh, I’m sorry! My name is Cinth…” She rubbed her hands self-consciously together. A pang of sympathy edged through me. My sister is-- was shy. She did the same, not a people person. I understood.

“No need to be sorry, I’m not in a rush anyways, Cinth.” I offered her a reassuring smile, laced with a bit of teeth-chattering. I hadn’t completely warmed up yet. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She seemed to relax a little, her cheeks clearing, but she still didn’t make eye contact, which was ok.

“Were you planning on buying this?” She gestured to the armor and I made a decision.

“Yes, I believe I am, as a matter of fact. How much is it?” Cinth did some calculating in her head before answering me.

“I believe six-hundred gold should suffice Sybis.” I was surprised by how cheap it was but accepted the offer. “Excellent,” She pulled the armor piece off the rack and brought it to the counter. “Firstly, the coin, and then we can find you one that fits you perfectly.” She raised a finger as she stated this. “Nothing is worse than armor that doesn’t fit.” I nodded. It was true, loose armor was a hazard in battle, nothing to be joking about. I had almost died once because the chain mail I wore was too long, and tripped me in battle. It’s how I got the scar across my nose.

“I couldn’t agree more. Let me count the coins.” I brought my coin purse out and counted six-hundred bright golden coins, putting them in a separate bag she had given me and handed it over to her. She took it slowly and placed it under the counter, picking the armor back up with a gentle sigh.

“Come with me to the back, we have different sizes of this armor, maybe one will fit you. If not, you can get your coin back.” I smiled, nodding.

“Sounds good enough for me, Cinth.” She walked from around the counter and passed me, where I began following. Opening a door for her, she led me into a smaller room in the back of the store with grey walls and lanterns adorning the walls for light, as well as a sunroof that would normally bring beautiful sunshine through, but for now, only the moon could be seen from above.

Chests and crates of all shapes and sizes lined the walls and floor, leaving only a little room to maneuver around. She led me to a chest whose lid was clear and set the armor down. I stopped beside her and waited. She turned to me and without a single blush or stutter, told me to take off my leather and shirt. I blinked at her for a moment before listening. I slid my bag off, followed by my tattered sword and bow, finishing with my leather and shirt, revealing a pale chest line with muscle from hard work and years of fighting.

Cinth’s eyes went wide as her hand came forth, stopping an inch from my skin. Her eyes looked up at me, and I nodded to her. Her hand pressed against my stomach, tracing one of the many scars on my body with her fingertips. I didn’t say anything, but I let her observe my life’s story. She stopped at one that was nasty, a puncture scar in my right hip. She rimmed it with her finger, bringing her hand back quickly and holding it back with her other. I had gotten that one from an arrow, shot from someone who was less-than-happy with my approach toward their camp. In fairness, I shouldn’t have taken the job anyways, but I couldn’t go back now.

Cinth’s shyness had come back full force and she took a step back, stepping too far and tripping over a chest, where she fell on her butt, knocking over the displayed set of armor. I caught it before it hit the floor, but just barely. I picked it up, loosening the straps on the side so I could put it on.

I gave her a brief smile as I slid it over my head. It fit perfectly, conforming to my body easily as if the armor was meant for me. I slid my bag over it, along with my sword and bow. They all snapped into place without difficulty. I hadn’t been this excited about an outfit for a while, but I was content with the fit and efficiency of this particular plate, and I expected no less from Elven craftsmanship. The fur inside kept me warm, but the plate on the outside was heavy enough to stop life-threatening attacks from things that weren’t ungodly powerful. I nodded to Cinth, who still sat on the chest, her face burning hotter than the lanterns on the walls.

“This fits perfectly. Thank you, Cinth.” She mumbled something under her breath resembling ‘you’re welcome’ but I wasn’t quite sure.

I helped her up and she led me to the front again, shutting the door and locking it with a mutter of a word. Magic. It was something I needed to learn on my quest to grow stronger, but I was nearly incapable of it, as nobody I’d ever met had anything more than basic knowledge of magic and how it worked. Or they had the power and were trying to use it to kill me, either or.

She took her place behind the counter. “Thank you, Cinth, for your help. I have a question however if you don’t mind entertaining me for a moment more.”

“What’s your question?”

“Well I’m new in town, and I need a place to sleep. Any suggestions?” She gave my question some thought before mumbling an answer.

“I can’t think of anywhere… Elves don’t drink so we don’t own a tavern in town, but if you don’t mind the smell, we have stables next to here you could sleep in…” Her off-putting nature was growing on me, and I would’ve found it cute if it weren’t for the idea of sleeping with the horses. But, desperate times called for desperate measures.

“I can make do. Thank you, Cinth, I appreciate all of your help this evening. I do have another question though, do you have any magic-users here? One that would be willing to teach?” Her gaze fogged off again, returning once more with her answer.

“Yes, Belrae and her sister Uvesilin would be willing. Well, Belrae at least.” She offered me a shy smile. “They live in a small cabin by the crystal woods.” I nodded my thanks to her. I turned to walk away, but she stopped me a second before she left my peripherals, her hand gripping my arm lightly.

“Sir-- I mean Sybis, are you staying in T’uuk?” Her eyes indicated hope, and curiosity as well.

“I’ll be here for a little, for sure. Why do you ask?” She let go of my arm faster than she had grabbed it and looked toward her feet.

“Just wondering… Have a good night, Sybis.” I wished her the same, walking back out in the cold evening, the moon now high, the sun is nowhere in sight. I could smell the stables before I could see them, walking around the edge of Cinth’s store with a small amount of defeat.

The two horses inside seemed more than happy to share a space with me as they nickered and neighed at my arrival, but it did little to suppress my disappointment. I pet one’s muzzle roughly, and it bent its head in appreciation for my generosity, and through this gracious act it allowed me to enter the empty stable unharmed. I cleared the bed of hay to make sure nothing had used it, and it turned out that it was fresh, which was at least a small luxury. I silently thanked whoever cleaned out the stables.

I hunkered down for the night, setting my weapons to the side of me as I closed my eyes, the morning close yet far, but also only a singular rest away.