We sat in the waiting room for the Davo Dugo Guva, each member of the team inspecting weapons and other such items, just as Ysevel and I had our first time.
Krozz had brought us some food and bitter and while most of them, except for Mom and Syldir, were a little hesitant to try it, I felt the need to urge them on and give it a taste. I was grateful to see looks of pleasant surprise on all their faces, and I could have sworn I saw Syldir ask him something about his recipe.
After our brief, yet satisfying meal, Irun and Athar set off to prepare the room for the second part of our plan, while Mom's entire team couldn't help but marvel at the complexity of the weapons on the racks; even going so far as picking a few of them up and giving them a few practice swings.
I could feel Kalia's pride flowing through my core as she watched Haldir pick up a bow and flex it once or twice.
"This is an incredible weapon to be sure. I'm not even sure Maikell could craft something like this," he said idly, holding it out in front of him to examine it more closely. "He'd better be able to, now that I've given him some of our clan's secrets," Kalia pouted with a huff, though the feeling she was giving off hadn't changed.
In fact, her pride had only grown stronger.
"I think anyone in Caegwen would kill for a weapon such as these, but if what you say is true, then I cannot wait to see what he'll have in store for us when we return," Vyra said, finishing her sentence with a firm thrust of her spear. Kalia turned and looked to Ysevel and I with a slight grin on her face.
What are you plotting this time, battle-sister? I asked, even though I didn't need to. I think it would be beneficial to each of them to have similar gifts to those you have, don't you think? Kalia returned with a grin.
"You don't seem impressed by any of this," Eirenne said, giving me a glance and knocking me out of the conversation. "I spent roughly a decade getting my ass handed to me by Kalia, and every time she would use some variation of these weapons. Think I've had my fill," I chuckled, getting a strange look from Eirenne.
"A decade? But you were gone for less than a month! How is that even possible?" she asked, but before I could answer, none other than Sabura appeared in the doorway. "Sabura!" Ysevel rushed over to him, giving the tall, lanky hegraphene a warm embrace. "Lady Ysevel. It's good to see you again, both of you," he said, giving me a warm smile as he patted the back of Ysevel's head.
"S-Sorry, who is that?" Vyra asked, leaning in toward me. "He's what they call a Duranjin; a sage, if I were to translate it. Oh, and before you ask, he's not blind. Caught me by surprise, too," I said, holding up a hand as soon as she'd opened her mouth.
"Can I run experiments on him?" Derion asked bluntly. "While I am sure that I would be an excellent test subject, I came here for a different reason altogether, Sir Derion," Sabura smirked and gave him a nod. "I never get to do anything these days," Derion muttered and returned his focus to a pair of daggers beside him.
He wasn't even surprised that Sabura knew his name, Mom sent me with a surprised look. You know Derion better than I do. You also know he doesn't give a shit about that sort of thing, I shrugged, getting a nod of agreement from Mom.
"I welcome you to the Davo Dugo Guva, and as such, I must inform you of the rules for this glorious event," Sabura began, spreading his arms just a little. "The what now?" Vyra asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
"Think of it as a competition, but where you are your own worst enemy," I said, not wanting to give the surprise away. "Precisely, though, since this is a rite of passage for us hegraphenes, any who do not wish to participate may do so," Sabura continued for me.
"What about them?" Haldir asked, gesturing to The Mouth and Syldir. Sabura turned and faced the draconic duo, and I could feel a sense of deep respect flowing from him. "These two will be our honored guests. Although it has been a very long time since I last saw the two of them in the same room without being at each other's throats," Sabura chuckled, offering them a slight bow as he greeted the two dragons.
W-Wait, how long have you known them? I asked Sabura directly. Since the day they saved us from Mideia, he said, his tone carrying a weight I hadn't expected it to. Saved? What? Ysevel and I asked in unison. "It's true, though it's a story for another time," Syldir replied as if she'd heard everything, though I suspected it was the looks on our faces that gave our question away.
Then what could have made Buruz act that way? I wondered, getting no answer from anyone I knew could have read my thoughts.
"R-Right then. Well, this is awkward," Bernar said, breaking the silence that had followed her answer. "Please, Saruban, continue with the explanation," he continued with a mispronunciation of the sage's name that nearly made me chuckle. "It's Sabura, but of course, Bernar," he replied with a pained smile.
Sabura explained the rules of the tournament just as Kalia had to us the first time. It was short, but the concept of not using mana was foreign to the rest of them, save Mom, who'd already gone through a duel with similar rules. "So this is where it came from," she said with a handful of nods in understanding.
"Now, before we begin, who here is going to participate?" Sabura asked, glancing around the waiting room from beneath his blindfold. Eirenne, Haldir, Vyra, Ren, Derion, Mom, and Bernar raised their hands first, followed shortly after by Meliss, to whom Sabura tilted his head. "Are you certain about this, young one?" he asked, taking a step toward her.
Meliss struggled to find the right words to say, but neither Sabura nor I could deny the look of determination in her eyes. "Oh, I see. Here, allow me, young one," Sabura said, putting one hand on her throat and the other on top of her head. I could feel the Wraith mana scouring her body, relieving the parts Syldir hadn't been able to fully heal.
Of course, there wasn't much to be done about the cracks in her skin, but she already wore them like a mark of pride without complaint.
A scarlet hue filled the room momentarily, leaving the others who didn't know he was a fellow Wraithborn in utter shock when Meliss dropped to her knees and began to cough. Ysevel and I rushed to her side, just in case, but she held out a hand to stop us.
"I apologize if that was uncomfortable, but you should be able to speak more freely now, as sometimes the mind struggles even though the wounds have healed," he said in a warm and supportive tone as he extended an armored hand out to her. "Th-Thank ye, ser," Meliss' voice cracked briefly as she rubbed her throat.
"You are very welcome. There is still much to learn about the ways of the Wraithborn, though I suspect you all will come to know them soon enough," Sabura said with a smile aimed at the others. "Aaaaand that's supposed to mean what, exactly?" Eirenne asked, twitching her gaze between Sabura and Meliss.
Of course, he only smirked and gave Ren a knowing nod.
"In any case, I wish you all the best of luck in your battles, and know that I will be watching you all with great interest," he said as he began to dismiss himself. "Wait a moment, Duranjin. There is something I would like to discuss," Syldir said, holding up a hand. "Ah, you mean in regard to what is inside the case," he said, already turning his head to look at it.
Silence fell between us all as we waited for his answer. It was evident that he already knew why we'd come, but I could tell he was still a bit uneasy with the answer he was about to give as his brow furrowed, scrunching the cloth.
"I will allow it, but only if one of you is willing to take responsibility for him. However, I cannot say for certain if the other members of the clan will accept this way of going about it. I take it you do not mean to kill it?" Sabura sighed as he turned to face us.