Dual Wielding

Kei Hayashi had been away from her home in Taravast for almost a year. She’d traveled north by metalway, cutting months off of the trip, and she wished she could do so again. If she could have returned through Falmouth, she would have been able to reach home much sooner. Unfortunately, smuggling a priceless gemstone out of a nation wouldn’t bode well for her reentry. At best, they'd confiscate the stone and leave her with nothing, and at worst, she could be imprisoned. Neither outcome was one she was willing to accept.

As she sized up the veldstrider that she would be stuck on for the next two months though, she began to reconsider that stance. The way the massive, insect-like creature swayed atop the grass blades made her stomach twist, and its alien features made her skin crawl.

She shivered a bit, the cool morning air biting her skin. The sun had yet to rise, so the world was still chilled and dark. Of course, the darkness only made the veldstrider more imposing–less a distinct, large creature, and more a faceless mass floating around in the dark.

Corrin and Wyn seemed to have no such issue though. While she held back, sticking to the solid ground of the docks for as long as she could, they’d begun loading their few belongings onto the saddle. They finished too quickly, and soon they were waiting expectantly at the top for Kei to join them.

“Come on Kei, let’s get going!” Corrin called down.

“It is no problem,” the voice of the captain, Ven, called from out of sight though. “That was fast loading, we’re ahead. She can say goodbye to the land if she wishes.”

With a sigh, she marched over to the side of the beast where the ladder dangled down, and reluctantly began to climb. “The sooner we reach the other side the better.” She reached the top and pulled herself into the saddle, which was firm but provided a welcome barrier between her and the strider's shelled back.

Shockingly, the air above the beast was actually warmer than below, and she soon saw the source. In the middle of the saddle was a round metal cylinder made of brass. It had holes bored into the side that glowed a comforting orange, radiating heat from inside. She was familiar with the device–a suntrap, which used magic stones to store heat and light from the sun during the day and release it at night. They were popular in Taravast in cases where a fire would be dangerous, though she was stunned to see one atop a veldstrider of all places.

Corrin caught her staring and shot her a broad grin. “Isn’t it awesome? It’s so much warmer up here.”

“This couldn’t have been cheap,” Kei said.

Ven yawned. “It was not, but it was worth the price. Doesn’t it provide so much comfort?”

Admittedly, it did. The soft glow radiating from the core gave the back of the strider a feeling of warmth beyond just temperature, and she was able to relax a bit more. “So… what now?” She asked.

“Now, we can be off.” Ven stretched and then ventured up towards the front of the saddle where he grabbed a thin metal rod with a loop at the end. He held it past the saddle and started prodding at something past the lip of the saddle on the creature's shell, seemingly tapping to some sort of rhythm. As he did, the shell suddenly rose higher out of the grass, causing Kei to gasp as they began to pull away from the docks. The veldstrider moved much, much quicker than she had expected, but the movement was still surprisingly smooth.

Within minutes, they had already put considerable distance between them and the cliffside, moving at a pace a bit faster than a walk as they ascended into the taller grass away from the city. In the darkness, it wasn’t long before she could no longer see Precipice at all.

***

It was always surprising how quickly one could adapt to new circumstances. Within thirty or so minutes, Kei had gotten over the worst of her reservations about traveling by veldstrider, and had joined the two boys in watching the grass drift by below. She’d been further worried that she would get seasick–as she tended to get on traditional ships–but the motion of a veldstrider was much smoother, and she didn’t have any issues.

The Grass Sea was quiet as they went, and the only sound was that of the strider brushing through the grass. This seemed to be an undesirable state of affairs for Corrin though, and the silence was broken by him asking questions of their captain.

“So how do you actually control this thing? Is that what the tapping is for?”

“Indeed. Look up here,” Ven pointed past the lip of the saddle. Kei walked over to see what he was pointing at, which turned out to be a softer portion of the strider's body where its shell opened up a little to expose muscles below. “Strider shells do not have much sensation, nor can they properly hear, so they cannot feel us walking around up here or listen to spoken commands. Thus, we interact with them via this nape, and train them to respond to certain tapped rhythms. For example…”

He tapped four times with one longer pause followed by two short pauses then a longer one again. Then, he reached into a leather bag hanging from the edge of the saddle. When his hand came out it was covered in a light brown powder which he scattered onto the grass in front of them. A moment later, a deep rumble bubbled up from under the grass, it was almost less of a sound and more of a vibration, like an earthquake as it thrummed throughout the sea, such was the power of the veldstrider’s howl.

Kei stiffened at the overwhelming sound, but Ven was unaffected. “That rhythm means I have a treat for it.”

“The powder?” Kei asked, collecting herself while Corrin laughed with childlike glee at the powerful sound.

“Veldstriders feed on the grass through their legs as they traverse it. The powder is a special mix of spices that they enjoy. It sticks to the grass below, so they get to taste it as they eat.”

“Can I try?” Corrin asked.

“I don’t recommend eating it,” Ven said sagely.

“Not eating it! I want to toss some out!”

“Be my guest. Siensa will certainly enjoy the extra feed.”

Wyn looked over, his gaze breaking from the view for the first time. “Its name is Siensa?”

“Her name, but yes.”

“Do you always use Siensa? Or do you change veldstriders?”

“I’ve been working with Siensa for fifteen years now, since she was just a juvenile and I was but a child. I can only hope we’ll continue to work together until I retire or die,” he smiled.

“Do you–” Wyn paused, considering something. “Do you think you have a sort of sense of how she is feeling at any time?”

Ven tilted his head thoughtfully. “An interesting question. I suppose I sometimes get the impression that she is hungry or happy. Though I’d imagine anyone could do the same if given long enough to know a creature.”

“You said you hope to work with her until you die,” Kei interrupted. “Do they really live so long?”

Ven chuckled. “Veldstriders can easily live for over a hundred fifty years, and she’s only thirty six. No doubt she’ll outlive me.”

“A hundred fifty?” Corrin exclaimed. His hand was covered in the same powder after having thrown some over the side, and he was brushing it off.

“They are quite long-lived,” the captain nodded. “Furthermore, full grown striders have no natural predators.”

“The young get hunted then?” Kei asked. “What by?”

“Reapers and grass drakes mostly.”

“What are those?” Corrin asked, wide-eyed.

“They are two of many reasons The Grass Sea will kill you if you fall into it. Reapers are similar to striders in that they reside in the grass itself rather than on the floor, and they are adapted to be camouflaged within it. They have strong piercing limbs that can crush a youngling’s shell. Sometimes they’ll attack adults, but they tend to give up once their first attack is unsuccessful.”

“And grass drakes?”

“Pack hunters that can climb up from the ground. It takes a whole pack to bring down a juvenile, but they can if given enough time. There are plant species that can trap and kill a veldstrider, and grassward does it by proxy, but thanks to the reach of their legs, it’s rare for a strider to actually get ensnared.”

Kei glanced over the side into the grass. The thickness and density of it prevented her from seeing more than twenty feet or so down. As she peered into the darkness, she got a tense feeling in her stomach as she wondered what else might be lurking below. Reapers, drakes, and even hostile plant species…

“I’ve got to admit,” Corrin grinned, leaning over the edge, “a part of me really wants to dive in and see what’s down there.”

“Considering you are my escort for this journey, I’d rather you didn’t. Even spirit knights must tread carefully in the depths of the grass here. Though I suppose we’re still in the proverbial shallows.”

“Seriously?” Wyn reentered the conversation.

“It’s true,” Kei confirmed. There were countless tales of doomed expeditions on the floor of the Grass Sea in Taravast. “It’s well known as one of the most dangerous places on the continent outside of dungeons. I’d think only Aleris and Elysia would be more so.”

She noticed Ven flinch slightly as she mentioned Aleris, the ruined kingdom to the south of Edria, and she studied him a bit more closely.

Could he be–?

“Hey look! What are those?” Corrin shouted, pointing off the side of the saddle. The sun had just begun to rise, letting them see more of the endless expanse of grass. Behind them, the Northern Plateau rose up once more, breathtaking in its enormity. As far as the horizon in either direction, it stretched from end to end, still appearing towering even from miles away.

Corrin however, was pointing off to the side where countless creatures were leaping out of the top of the grass, traveling in the same direction as the strider. They were about the size of cats, with long bodies, three thin legs on each side, and small wings that flapped quickly, keeping them aloft a moment longer before they dropped back below.

“Ah,” Ven said. “We call them leapers. In terms of the food chain here, they’re at the bottom. Quite tasty little things, maybe we’ll catch some at some point and cook them up.”

The idea made Kei a bit queasy.

The sight of the leapers was fascinating, especially when large birds came swooping in from above to catch them out of the air, but as they moved, she found her thoughts drifting to the letter tucked away in her bag. Before she had left Falmouth with the magic stone in her possession, she’d contacted her brother to inform him of the potential delay. He’d sent this reply soon after receiving her letter, directing it to the first place they’d known she would pass through.. As much as she’d wanted to hear from him, a part of her wished she hadn’t read it–it made her heart ache terribly for home. Worse, it reminded her of her failure, and the fact that even if she returned home, her troubles would not be over.

While the rest of them watched the leapers, she walked back to her pack and read the letter once again.

My favorite sister,

Hope you’re still alive, it would be unfortunate if you never received this. Then again, perhaps I’m a bad brother for having any doubts at all, as I’m sure you could scare off most trouble with your stubbornness alone. Though I’m saddened to hear you won’t be returning as soon as planned, if the gemstone is as valuable as you claim, then it is likely worth the delay. I hope it proves unnecessary though and Pelior is as helpful as we hope. Regardless, I’ve sent this to the guildmaster of Precipice and told him to keep an eye out for you. I’ve been discussing future trade with him for the last couple months, and he seems like an interesting fellow. If you could measure his worth in person, I would greatly appreciate it. Letters are so formal, and we can hardly afford to use magic mirrors right now.

It’s been much quieter around here without your snide remarks, and much to my dismay, I’m starting to think I actually enjoyed them. Running the family is a pain in the ass–picture me wearing a meat suit surrounded by a pack of rabid wolves and you’ll about have the idea. The old man left so many fires I think I could drain the serpent’s strait and still not put them all out. That said, I think I’m starting to get the hang of things, so perhaps I’ll be successful after all. The real problem is, the rate at which I’ve been getting proposals has increased. I got three last week alone. Three! I’m not ready for marriage Kei, and especially not to these viperous noble women. I need you back here to fend them off with a stick, it would be rude if I were to do it.

She rolled her eyes at that part. Her brother didn’t want to get married yet, and few women could actually catch his eye, but he did like the attention.

Regardless, I’ll continue to hold things down here until your triumphant return. I’m sure you’re having much better luck than I. Know that you are missed, and I look forward to catching up in person. Make sure you don’t have boring stories to tell me when you get back. I feel you of all people need reminding of this. As important as your task is, don’t forget to enjoy the journey. I hope you meet some interesting people, and when you get back we’ll have much to do. Also, if you get the chance, I would love for you to write back.

With love,

Oli

It was certainly like her brother not to focus on any of the important things. The fact he mentioned the family issues at all likely meant the problems had gotten worse. What would happen when she returned unsuccessful? The thought gnawed at her–even with the stone she’d salvaged. She needed to do more, be more–she just didn’t know how.

She looked over at Wyn and Corrin, who were arguing about something on the other side of the strider. It wasn’t fair to involve them in her troubles. She would just have to figure something out in time. But there was nothing she could do from the back of the strider, so it seemed her brother was right as always.

She tucked the letter back into the envelope and put it back in her bag, trying to put her doubts and fears with it. She’d just helped solve one problem in Precipice, and considering how long she would be stuck on The Grass Sea, she thought she’d earned a break.

No more worrying for today Kei. Let’s have some fun.

She walked over towards the two boys she’d come to respect and trust.

“Hey do you want–”

“Yes, we have something akin to fishing,” Ven said, apparently answering a question they’d asked. “It’s not quite the same, but you can catch all sorts of things like–”

Corrin began to laugh maniacally. “I told you! You’re going to lick my boot Wyn!”

Wyn’s face was pale as he gestured wildly towards Ven. “He said akin! Not quite the same! It doesn’t count! I’m not licking–”

“You’re going to lick it!” Corrin cackled as he started taking off his boot.

Kei turned and walked to the other side of the saddle instead. Maybe for now she’d just enjoy the scenery.

The sun had reached up further into the sky, and she could now see far into the distance where karsts and giant trees stuck up above the veld. From afar, the way the wind blew across the top of the sea made it seem as though there really were waves traveling across the surface. If she paid attention, she might’ve heard a brief scuffle and some shouting behind her. Perhaps she would’ve heard someone retch too. But really, she couldn’t say, she was just enjoying the beautiful view.

Ah yes. Grass.