Rising Kite - A story from the world of HWFWM

“The Brights’ orchard? I’m sorry master, but then you have gone too far. This is the Luminous fields plantations. The Brights have their lands situated to the north of here. Maybe a day or two by wagon.”

The man Walker had stopped to ask for directions looked very apologetic, as if worried that Walker might take his displeasure out on him, so the pathfinder tried to look as unthreatening as possible when he answered.

“Ah, no problem, no problems, good man. I am ever grateful for the directions. You know what they say, the mind starts wandering when you get older,” he said, scratching the back of his head in chagrin. The other man, looking to be in his upper thirties, was already wrinkled and worn from the hard labor of working the land, and he gave Walker an odd look even as he smiled politely.

“I- ehm, just so, master. Just so.”

It took Walker a moment to realize that while the pair probably were around the same age, with Walker probably having four to five years on the man, they probably looked little alike. Silver rank did wonders for the complexion, after all.

“Ah, ehm, well-” Walker floundered before deciding on as swift a retreat that was possible in the awkwardness that followed. “I better get back to it then. Not even a diamond ranker can stop time, after all. Or can they? Either way, thank you kindly. May the heavens treat you and yours with kindness.”

Before the man could respond, Walker turned back north. Trees and bushes started springing up around him and his pace sped up; each step taking him further and further as his favored terrain sprang up around him. What looked like a decent walking pace turned him into a blur, and onlookers would mostly see a trail of greenery spring up only to wither and dissolve again seconds later.

“You have to stay in touch with things like this, Walker,” he chided himself. “And stop being so bloody proud of your grand wayfinder skills and actually use the heaven-cursed tracking stone.”

Retrieving the object in question, the small dot was indeed pointing north now rather than the steady south which it had been locked to for the past three months. And as he saw it, relief washed away the remaining self-recrimination. Kite had emerged, and was alive.

“At least that is something to put a spring in the steps of this old man,” Walker chuckled, and sped up. The man had said a day by cart. Walker’s pride would suffer indescribable damage if it took him more than an hour.

Dragonfly lay sprawled along the roof ridge of the Autumn Wanderers’ guild hall, staring up at the clouds. That roof had been their usual spot back at iron rank, when the building beneath them was an ordinary apartment complex. There was still plenty of activity there, especially during the time when most members were present. But as the guild had stayed true to the idea behind its inception, that was rarely the case; its members walked the Autumn lands to hunt monsters, heal diseases and injuries or to make sure that deliveries found their way to far-off villages.

Will and Serene also had their own duties at times, leading to some downtime every once in a while during their three-month intensive contract-clearing regimen. Besides the guild’s administrator - a stern older woman who was a recent hire - only Gold was currently in the complex. And while he was a solid dependable man, being a great conversation partner was not his strongest of suits.

So Dragonfly lay atop the roof ridge, thinking. About herself. The future. The cloud which looked like a bird. About Kite. And silver rank.

Having seen the light again when her latest power crossed the boundary, Dragonfly’s impatience grew. It felt so close, but she knew that was an illusion. The monster surge had allowed them to power through most of bronze rank at a good pace, but now things had slowed to a crawl.

“Persistence is the only guaranteed way forward, Dragonfly. And patience.”

Master Force had often spoken those words to her, and Dragonfly knew patience, much like Gold and talking, wasn’t her strongest suit either.

“Still, I think I’m getting better at it. Is this what getting older is all about? Becoming more accepting of time and its passing?” she thought, before chuckling. “Heh, it seems like Kite has rubbed off on you, Dragonfly over Sun’s reflection.”

Her musings were interrupted as a presence suddenly made itself known to her; a directed burst of aura, the spiritual equivalent of calling a greeting. And a moment later, deputy director Rupert landed next to her on the roof, his passage completely silent.

The rust-colored leonid looked much the same as he always had, which was unsurprising as silver-rankers did not tend to change much. He was short for a leonid, but that was something Dragonfly only knew in theory since it meant that he still towered over her where he stood, arms behind his back in his usual, dignified pose.

“Deputy director,” she greeted, sitting up.

“Good day, Dragonfly,” he replied. “I am sorry for interrupting you, but I happened to sense you as I was passing by, and there is news which I thought you would like to know. Kite seems to have emerged from the gate.” The leonid was merciful in that he did not leave Dragonfly hanging, and relief washed over her, like she had been half holding her breath for three months and only realizing it just now.

“He- he has? How do you know?” she asked, curiosity still finding its way through her elation.

“His tracking stone,” Rupert explained. “While in the gate, it would only ever point toward the aperture. But now it has shifted ever so slightly. We probably would not even have noticed if Jarvan hadn’t put the stone in a small ritual circle to sense any change, no matter how minute.”

“Heavens, that is great!” Dragonfly exclaimed, before a puzzled look came over her. “But, why would the director do that? Go through that trouble?”

“I do not think it too much of a secret that the director is fond of Kite; all of you, in fact. Your tireless work has significantly eased his running of this branch. And…” the leonid started, hesitating.

“Kite is his most reliable source of decently priced essences and stones,” Dragonfly said, completing the sentence with a smirk.

“I do think that might be a contributing factor, albeit only a minor one,” Rupert admitted. “Still, I thought that you might want to know. I am all too familiar with the feeling of worrying for someone close to you.”

And with that, the leonid was off, disappearing in a blur. Dragonfly did not lie back down, instead standing up and looking southward, as if her gaze could pierce through the mountains and forests as well as cross all the distance down to Orchard.

As Walker crested a hill, he knew that he had found the right place this time around. While the orchards and accompanying houses did not differ too much from others he had passed on the way, this one sure was as remote as the people he had met had said. The tracking stone pointed him straight towards the group of houses, but Walker didn’t need it at that moment as he could feel him. His boy had returned, and stronger too. Even at the distance, Kite’s aura felt very close to silver, like a flower who seemed just a hair’s breadth away from finally blooming.

At that moment he could also feel the surge of combat in the younger man’s spirit, but as there was no hostility or other flaring auras nearby, Walker wasn’t worried. Two other auras unveiled themselves as well, as if to greet him by announcing their presence. This did cause Walker to raise an eyebrow for two reasons.

First, there was a third silver-ranker present. And second, a fraction of one of the unveiled auras was right beside him.

“Hello Walker~!”

Walker knew who that squeaking voice belonged to even before he looked, but he still turned and bowed politely to Wander. One of her bodies had popped up from the grass nearby, and was waving cheerfully.

“Wander, good to see you,” Walker said, returning the greeting. The strands of grass around the rat started emitting a slight glow, growing to carry the rodent up into Walker’s waiting hands where she quickly scurried up his arm to perch at his shoulder. “From the relaxed greeting, I trust that everything went well enough?”

“Oh, they’re fine! We snuck Kite into the gate and waited around for three months. Then he emerged, gave some pointed comments to the mistress of the Pristine family about them being shady, beat one of their silver-rankers in a duel and left. Things went surprisingly smoothly~!”

“It is interesting how one’s level of power gives perspective to such statements. But as he seems to be well enough, I would expect that the consequences won’t be too severe?”

“That depends on the grudge carried. We do have some dirt on the Pristines now, and from what I dug up, any of their more active adventurers are quite removed from family politics. But we shouldn’t expect them to view Kite or anyone associated with him in a favorable light. On the other hand, the Pristine’s aren’t that impressive a family, at least not on a national scale. Now if they would have raised a gold ranker, it would have been a different story~.”

“Praise Fortune that they are yet to do so, then,” Walker replied. “Do you think that he has time to see his old uncle?”

“Oh, I’m sure. He’s training with Ivory now. That’s a random silver-ranker we kind of picked up, and he has been training Kite for a few days now while waiting for you.”

“Has he now? Our little Kite is never one to sit around without finding one teacher or another,” Walker chuckled. “Sit tight then, Wander. Time to go see my little chick.”

Some small trees grew up around Walker, and he took one step, and then another. It took no more than six to find himself standing among the houses, close to where he was sensing Kite’s aura.

His young protegé was indeed training, standing on one of the sloping hills a few dozen meters away from the houses. Outwardly, Kite looked about the same as when Walker had seen him last, with the exceptions that his hair was a bit longer and more unkempt and that his spirit felt almost close to bursting. And, of course, the pair of extra spectral arms.

Kite was currently whirling in place, fully focused on defense. All around him, lances of compressed air manifested to strike at him from every angle, their caster being a blonde warrior dressed in robes with distinct colors, probably from some local sect.

Kite’s staff was in his hands, lashing out to dissolve one of the incoming projectiles while taking a measured step to one side. One of the spectral arms carried his glass shield to cover another of his flanks while the other additional limb flicked out to dissolve yet another lance of force. The pace kept increasing, but Kite seemed to have eyes at the back of his head as he continued his measured dance.

“Quite a spectacle,” Walker remarked as he appeared close to some of the local kids, keeping his aura close so as to not startle them too badly while giving them his best smile, practiced after many a trip to far-flung villages.

It had its intended effect, as the closest of the children, a girl about seven years old, quickly recovered from her surprise to give him a toothy grin. “Uncle, it's so cool! They’ve been doing this every day now, and Kite is just getting better. It’s just like in the stories grandpa is always telling us.”

“I think Ivory is the strongest,” a nearby boy added, nodding along with his sage opinion.

“Well, duh, he’s the teacher,” the girl shot back. “Wouldn’t it be weird if you knew more than mom?”

“I will, some day,” the boy protested, their squabbling continuing while Walker took in the rising tempo of the practice. Kite had to add his own barriers by now to keep up with the barrage, and Walker noted that there were now two of them appearing with every casting.

Walker could understand the sentiments of the young ones. With the three vortices hovering around him and the additional, spectral arms, Kite was surely starting to look like a creature of myth. A fledgling one, but nonetheless.

The practice went on for a surprising amount of time before the older man, which Walker assumed was the sect disciple Wander had mentioned, decided to end the practice.

“Junior brother, you are performing admirably. My thousand lances will not be able to overcome you anymore,” the man said, Walker’s silver-ranked hearing easily picking out the words. “Are you quite sure that I cannot persuade you to at least try out for joining the Wandering Winds sect? I am sure that we would be of equal rank in no time!”

“Thank you for your assistance in tempering my path, senior brother Ivory,” Kite responded, bowing politely. “But my answer remains the same; my path would not flourish within a sect at the moment, even though your Wandering Winds sect does sound like a grand place.”

“So you say, junior, but you will have to forgive me for not giving up hope,” Ivory said, returning the polite bow. “As for now, I believe that you have a visitor. The long-awaited uncle, maybe?”

“It is indeed,” Kite said, turning to Walker and raising a hand in greetings.

“If you knew, how come you didn’t choose to end our session early?”

“It is embarrassing to admit, senior brother, but most of it was pride. It is not every day that you get to show off a little for your mentors, no?”

“Well, Kite, once more you impress this old man,” Walker said, leaning back into the grassy slope where the pair had remained seated for most of the afternoon, enjoying the summer breeze while Kite once more told the story of his adventures within the gate. “And your prize… Truly, it's a shame that my path isn’t one which to take on the queen’s trial, as such heavenly treasures would surely give anyone the chance to grasp the heavens. And now you, little Kite, have two of them.”

The spectral arms flashed into existence, Kite holding out the pale, semi-translucent arms to regard them. “I had hoped for potential, uncle, and the queen of Jade and Sky sure delivered. But from training with Ivory, it feels like I have also added yet another mountain to climb. While they are instinctive enough to use, actually incorporating them properly into my path will take a lot of time and work.”

“Most worthwhile things do, little, Kite. From the way you told things, one might almost be deceived to think that the challenge of the gate is an easy one.”

“I feel very fortunate that my path has been able to hold up, but had I not had the fortune of having Immortality available, I would not have been able to conquer it all. A few of the rulers that were a favorable matchup, maybe, but a silver ranker is terrifyingly resilient to one such as I. My path is one of endurance and attrition, after all.”

“Don’t forget annoyance,” Walker added, the pair chuckling as they remembered auntie Crow’s declaration from way back. “And do not get me wrong, little Kite, you have fought hard to earn each and every victory in there. You making it sound almost easy is just your uncle fawning over the growth of his little boy.

And speaking of fighting hard, how would you deem the chance of success for our dear disciple here? From what I gathered, he is also looking to challenge the gate.”

Walker nodded back towards the house, where the pair could see Ivory going through his own practice. The inner disciple moved as if weightless, leaping and bounding while carried around on shimmering, heavenly winds. All around him, the air itself struck alongside him, lances of compressed air accompanying his conjured, ringed sword which chimed loudly with each movement.

“While it would be presumptuous of me to claim I know fate, as I do not know the whole of his path, senior brother Ivory would probably stand quite a good chance of passing the queen’s trial as he is now. Especially with the adjustments in preparations which he has done now after our talks.”

“I see,” Walker said, looking back towards the inner disciple with an evaluating glance. “What makes you think that? Do you know his essences?”

“I do, actually. Wind, harmonic, renewal and resonating.”

“Isn’t that the same as Serene?”

“Had she not taken the divine essence, yes,” Kite confirmed. “But where she became the supportive anchor of any group, Ivory is a self-sufficient mobile warrior. His winds aid both in mobility and offense, he has a good array of different attacks and his renewal essence lets him keep on fighting even when things get heated and plans fail.

We already knew that the same essences may lead to vastly different paths, where one is looked down upon while the other is praised. But actually seeing it does get me thinking as to why. I know that culture is complex, but to have some of us actually look down on those like Serene who are reliant on cooperation? That does seem odd.”

“Your uncle hasn’t walked far from these lands, little Kite, but I have heard of many strange customs and ideas. Maybe ours is just one more in a long line of ideas sprung from people being people.”

“It might be,” Kite acknowledged, looking pensive. “But I’m wondering if it has to keep being that way.

Still, back to your question, it is my humble opinion that senior brother Ivory would have a good chance at conquering the queen’s trial. From our few days together, he seems to be a decent man. I will pray to Fortune for his success, should he find his way to one of the gates.”

“And you, little Kite? Will you be looking to conquer one again in the future?”

At his uncle’s question, Kite reached into a nearby pouch, producing a small token the size of a coin. It too bore the seal of the Queen of Jade and Sky, its borders lined with silver.

“At least the queen seems to have given her blessing. Who would I be to oppose her will?” he answered with a smile, which eventually turned a little bit crooked. “Even though it was clear that it was not her will for people to ride the gate back to her abode. The gate actually pulsed out a barrier before leaving this time around.”

“Farewell, junior brother Kite. Even though I might have despaired that Fortune had abandoned me when I had to enter the Pristine family’s service, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise,” Whistling Ivory said, bowing to Kite in gratitude where he stood at the border of the Bright orchards.

“Farewell, senior brother. I do hope that Fortune continues to favor you, and thank you for your guidance these past few days. I have learned much, and it has greatly helped me consolidate my path.”

“Our karma is still out of balance, and I will ever strive to find equilibrium,” Ivory replied. “But duty calls, and I have been away from the sect for long enough. I hope that our paths may cross again in the future.”

“If it pleases you, consider aiding any outcast you find worthy as aiding me,” Kite replied. “Karma is a vaster concept than just between two people, or so the priests of Fortune say, at least.”

“I will reflect on your words. Take care, all of you. May the heavens keep you.”

“And may your path allow you to one day reach them.”

It did not take long for Ivory to disappear from view, crossing the formation-enhanced border of the orchards as he flew southeast. Kite and Walker stood alongside Braid and Wander, each of them ready for departure as well. While the stay at the orchard had been pleasant, Kite longed to return home. Or at least to the people who made up that concept.

Braid exchanged a few more words with the bronze-ranked matron of the family, arranging for future business before eventually saying his farewells as well.

“While it has been pleasant, I believe that there are many up north who would be glad to see us return,” Walker noted.

“From what you’ve told me, the guild has been keeping busy, and my friends as well,” Kite said. “The final push towards silver rank awaits, so I assume that there won’t be too much rest in stock for me.”

He turned to Braid and Wander as he continued. “What will the pair of you be doing now?”

“Well, this has been quite the relaxing trip. Plenty of rest, good food and just the bare minimum of spying. I think that I’m ready to actually get back to work~”! Wander said with a grin, enough of her bodies having come together to form her human body.

“There is a certain project underway, after all. One which I have heard that you might be joining, should you reach silver,” Braid said meaningfully. “While the scope of it is ambitious, it is a good opportunity for us.

As for deployment, we will see. Most of our work in Bastion should be completed, but the adventure society will never lack more contracts for us. I almost dream of just staying here and focusing on my craft for a few more months, but I am afraid that some branch director would come knocking sooner rather than later.”

“They really like Braid~,” Wander added. “Must be all that thinking, which he seems to be so good at. Connecting threads, you know~?”

She looked expectantly at her companions, deflating as no one gave much of a reaction.

“Really? Nothing? It was a thread-joke! Regarding Braid! Bah, I always remain unappreciated~.”

When one followed someone like uncle Walker, the distance literally seemed to vanish beneath their steps in what felt like a trek through an infinite forest, the world beyond having only been glimpsed through the conjured plants that surrounded them. Walker’s power, aptly named Verdant Wanderer, allowed him to move with greatly increased speed and ease through his domain. And as he could choose to include others as well as conjure said domain these days, this meant that a trip of several weeks was cut down to days as Kite, Braid and Wander had followed Walker on the trip to Bastion.

The only downside to the power was that it only took effect if one actually walked the ground of the domain, meaning that Kite couldn’t ride Glint to make up for his lacking speed compared to the silver-rankers. Still, the trip was surprisingly nice and leisurely, and had been a good way to further relax and unwind from the trials of the gate.

Their first destination was Bastion. Not only was it closer than Gilded, but it was both where Braid and Wander were going to tie up some loose ends of their own and where Kite would find his family these days.

That was why Kite found himself leaning in and smelling the little tuft of onyx hair of the toddler in his lap for what felt like the hundredth time, while listening to his aunties tell him about their new life in the city. Both auntie Crow and auntie Dove had, of course, been overjoyed at his return, while Raven, true to her age, had been a bit hesitant and shy for a little while before eventually stomping over on her little legs and lifting her arms towards him with a somber expression, her demand made clear.

“I still find it a bit hard to adjust to seeing you here,” Kite noted, sitting in a room of mostly familiar furniture and decoration, but arranged in new, unfamiliar ways in the fine apartment his aunties rented in Bastion. “Not that I mind it! It will just take some time to adjust,” he hurriedly added.

“While it took some time, it has been rather novel,” Crow noted, sipping her tea with her usual dignity. “Although I believe that my dear Dove is starting to long for some more space and greenery.”

Kite’s visit had, also unsurprisingly, begun with another telling of his adventures within the gate, but he found himself relieved when the conversation had moved on. Not that he minded sharing his trials, but rather that he had other things of which he wanted to discuss with his family.

“Speaking of space, have you been able to go and take a look for yourselves?” he asked, the question causing auntie Dove to brighten.

“Oh Kite, we did. It's a wonderful place! Compared to the Autumn lands, the magic feels denser. And from my cursory examination of the local flora, there should be enough variety of growth-conditions for a proper garden!”

“And with ‘proper’, my dear Dove means a garden bigger than the whole village up north. By several times,” Crow chimed in.

“Well, from what Kite told of his ambitions, we could surely treat ourselves to enjoying all the room,” Dove retorted, defending her ambitions. “Can’t you just imagine it? Our own family compound?”

“I’m sure it will be wonderful, dear. But you will have to be patient for a while yet. I’m sure you can feel how close our little Kite is to joining us at silver rank, but you also know that the final stretch can take more time than one would like. You were terribly restless there at the end.”

While auntie Dove gave an indignant blush, Kite spoke again.

“While I am looking forward to it as well, auntie Crow is right. I will have to look to properly consolidate my path too, as I have my new additions to work into it,” he said, his spectral arms appearing to play some more with Raven. The toddler had not batted an eye at the new addition to Kite’s arsenal, thoroughly inured to magical shenanigans such as her older brother suddenly having metallic tattoos trace his face and sprouting a new set of limbs.

“Now I am suddenly the only one without additional appendages,” Dove complained, looking with jealousy at Kite handling the toddler while still having a pair of hands free. “I might just have to grow some of my own. I wonder if there are any plants suitable?”

“I’m sure you can do anything you set your mind to, love,” Crow consoled before turning back to Kite. “From what I gathered, this will only be a short stop before continuing up north? Anything else you need done while in the city?”

“I will stop by Peony to drop off more materials, and also take a trip to the Relentless family. As I hope that silver rank is drawing closer, it is time to decide on the item I have held off on commissioning from their crafters. With these -,” he said, inspecting one of the spectral appendages, “- I have some more ideas to work with.

But yes, I will then continue north. I promised Dragonfly, Will and Serene to make the final push towards silver together. And I freely admit that it feels good not to have to take on every upcoming challenge alone. Apologies, little beauty.” The last statement was added in response to what felt like a pointed look from Glint where she was enjoying being gently stroked across the fins by auntie Dove.

“With everyone and their neighbor knocking at our door these days, your aunties will not sit idle, little Kite, of that I assure you,” Crow replied with a nod. “Send us word when you can. We will assist in preparation in whatever way we can.”

“Oh, and bring your friends again! I’m sure that Raven would love to meet them!” auntie Dove added. “Wouldn’t you, little chick?”

Raven only gave her a somber look in response, before returning to feeling out Kite’s spectral arms with chubby little hands.

Dragonfly tried to keep her steps measured as she walked through the streets of Gilded, but the way that other passersby half dove out of the way from her passing, she suspected that she did a poor job of it. In her hand, she kept a small note which she had found waiting for her at the guild hall, completely forgetting about it after reading its contents.

As she finally drew close, feeling the familiar aura, Dragonfly decided that walking around the fence to the actual gate of her garden was quite unnecessary. With a burst of strength, she leapt into the air, plowing through parts of the foliage of a tree in her garden before landing in stride at the graveled path leading up to her house she had been gifted by master Force.

Kite sat waiting for her on the small porch at the front door, clearly having sensed her as well. His face, now lined by streaks of pale metal, brightened and he bowed ever so slightly in a playful formal greeting.

“Greetings, Dragonfly. The staff at the guildhall thought that you would be back soon, so I took the liberty of procuring something to eat.”

His eyes twinkling, the odd streaks of metal lit up slightly, and a half-transparent arm of the same color appeared, reaching down and procuring a basket filled to the brim with meat skewers, a simple formation keeping the food as fresh as if it had just been taken from the grill.

Dragonfly paused, the scene stirring some memories from way back, albeit the backdrop had been the view from up at the adventure society campus. But even through the odd, new additions, her response was similar.

“You planned that out in advance, didn’t you?”

Kite’s grin turned a bit more sheepish. “I… may have rehearsed it once or twice…”

Dragonfly didn’t feel the need for more words. She walked up to him, taking the basket of skewers in one hand and taking Kite firmly by the arm with her other, and led him into the house, closing the door behind them.

A perceptive observer would have made out Kite saying; “I’ve missed you too,” just before the wooden door slid shut.