Thief of Time

If anyone headed towards Julan Barony were to look up right now, Claud reckoned that they would run helter-skelter towards the nearest branch of the Folders’ Association. Said person would probably be cursing and screaming for help, as what seemed like an aberration — nay, a monster — streaked through the skies.

“Still, flying in this manner does make me feel a bit…weird,” said Claud, “for lack of a better word. Fortunately, you’re light, but still, I can’t help but feel like a mount.”

Lily, who was sitting on his back, said, “This is definitely a breakthrough in personal transportation, though. I already had the makings of an idea when I noticed that Flight doesn’t care about what posture or baggage one had.”

“One mana-user riding another,” Claud murmured. For some reason, this particular phrase made him feel…odd, but it was probably a product of having a beautiful lady sit on his back. It was possible that he might awaken to something.

Claud cleared his throat forcefully, expelling that thought out of his mind. “If we do it like this continuously, we’ll be able to reach Julan by nightfall. However, my mana has limits, so…”

“That can’t be helped, I guess. We are already way ahead of our original schedule.”

After a few more minutes of flying…and of Lily sitting on his back, Claud was forced to descend.

“Your turn,” said Claud.

“Touch the wrong parts of my body, and I’m going to roll over,” Lily warned.

“I’m quite sure someone’s hands were roaming around my body earlier, though,” Claud mumbled. Lily had been rather insecure for the first half of their short flight, and he had to endure quite a few probing hands as she reached around for a good handhold. Eventually, she had settled on his belt, but not before Claud had stifled his instincts more than five times.

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” Claud replied. “Right, where’s a good place for me to hold?”

It was Lily’s turn to mumble something.

“Sorry, what?”

“My hips,” she replied. “There’s no belt there, but it does at least provide a firm handhold.”

Claud eyed her hips, and then agreed.

He didn’t have much of choice to begin with, so there was no point in dragging out the process. Putting on the backpacks that Lily had been wearing earlier, he watched as she tore up the skillstrip.

She floated in mid-air for a moment, before shifting her body into a horizontal position.

“G-Get on, then.” Lily glanced at Claud. “Hurry up.”

He clambered on.

Now that he was the one riding, Claud couldn’t help but note the sheer absurdity and suggestiveness of their current pose, but his instincts — which usually only triggered when it came to matters of life and death — warned him to not say anything stupid for the duration of the trip. Placing his trembling hands on her hips, Claud took a deep breath.

“I’m ready.”

“Okay.”

It was a simple word, but before it even had a chance to disperse, Claud’s vision had turned into a blur. His heart lurched as an unprecedented force assailed his senses, a force that had been notably missing whenever he flew on his own, and it was all he could do to not scream from fear.

Or to tighten his grip on the lithe body below him.

Under the noon sun, Claud and Lily flew on for another twenty-five minutes, surprising all sorts of birds as they tore through cloud after cloud. They had passed the third town on their way to Julan, halfway through Lily’s Flight, and it was in a deserted clearing that they landed.

Claud’s heart was still beating madly, from a fear he didn’t know existed. Lily, on the other hand, was looking rather refreshed, and by now, the master thief knew why. The use of Flight freed the user from all sorts of attendant forces, which meant that they wouldn’t feel gravity or the wind. However, anyone hitching a ride had no such luxury, which meant that they were subject to the full power of ascending and descending violently.

“You feeling alright?” Lily asked.

He dry-heaved twice. “Never better. Let’s take a break first, before we continue our trek to Julan.”

“You don’t look so good…why don’t you lie down for a moment? I’ll make some food for you.” Lily eyed Claud’s face, which was probably a stark white, and then rummaged through her backpack. It didn’t take long for her to start a fire, but in that time, Claud had thrown up last night’s dry rations.

He hadn’t dared to strengthen his grip on her hips, which meant that the ascent and descent portion of the trip had been rather…taxing on his psyche. Further compounding this issue was his readiness to activate his Flight Skill at the moment’s notice, since he didn’t quite know if she had taken umbrage to the way he shifted his butt halfway through their trip.

After making a mental note to think up suggestions on how to improve the trip back home, he thumped his chest twice and covered up the small patch of soil that had been dirtied by vomit. Taking a few sips of water to assuage his heaving stomach, he returned to Lily, just in time to see a roaring blaze, as well as a pot of stew suspended above.

“Your doing?” Claud asked.

“I always liked cooking outdoors,” said Lily.

“Good for me, but where did that pot come from?”

“It’s an artefact,” Lily replied. “It can take on a more compact form, and helps cook meat faster.”

“Such an artefact exists?” Claud asked. “But how can it have two separate functions? Artefacts are only supposed to have one skill embedded inside, right?”

“It’s a composite artefact. A pot capable of shrinking, as well as an internal source of heat.”

“Oh.” Claud lost interest immediately. “I thought there was some breakthrough in artificing or something.”

“Yeah…keep dreaming. Simple artefacts with multiple functions or abilities are pretty much relics from the gods.”

Claud blinked twice. “From the gods?”

“It was said that of the Coloured Gods, the Indigo God had only one artefact in his mortal life,” said Lily. “A small simple baton, one that could create lightning, ice, fire, water and wind.”

A small hiss escaped Claud’s lips. “Such an artefact exists?”

“Supposedly, anyway. The Rod of Ages apparently went with its owner when the Coloured Gods toppled the Gods of Virtue,” Lily replied.

A nice herbal fragrance burst out from the pot, and Lily fell silent. As Claud watched her add some seasoning inside, his mind wandered over to Crown, who had fitted the description of what Lily had called ‘something from the gods’. The little guy could nurture Pure-Life gems, aid its owner with mana-burning with a fifty-percent discount, and most importantly, was a great pet without much maintenance required. No matter how he sliced it, Crown was probably indeed a product of the gods…not that he was intending to return it to them, however.

Crown was too cute to give away.

The box in his pocket quivered at that very moment, as if it could read Claud’s thoughts, and the master thief let out a chuckle.

“Something wrong?” Lily asked.

“I was just reminiscing about my youth,” Claud replied, lying through his teeth. “When I went out into the field for the first time. Back then, I remember eating the oddest things when I went hungry, which was why I now bring dry rations with me at all times.”

“Those biscuits you were eating last night?” Lily asked. “Right, you didn’t share them with me, did you?”

“I thought you had your own,” Claud replied. “Well, if you don’t have, I don’t mind sharing with you, though. Just a word of warning; they’re not exactly food anyone with a normal palate would find appealing. For eat-on-the-spot rations, I have hardtack, biscuits, cheese and dried potato slices. If you want something that can be cooked easily, there’s salted meat.”

“No vegetables?” Lily asked.

“No vegetables,” Claud replied. “They spoil too easy.”

“That’s a pity. Still, you really are prepared for anything, aren’t you?”

Claud didn’t reply to that comment, choosing to fish out a piece of dried meat from his backpack. “Mind if I toss this in?”

“Sure.”

The pot bubbled merrily on as she slid the slab of dried meat inside, adding a meaty fragrance to the herbal mix.

“This mix smells great,” Claud noted with a smile, before bustling around to hide some traps in the area around them. “You’re a great cook.”

“You don’t need to be a great cook to make some nice-smelling stew,” Lily replied. “Do you want to learn the basics?”

“Sure, why not? Just give me a few seconds…” After setting up some simple nets and knives, Claud sat down on the ground and crossed his legs. He looked up at her a moment later, in an attempt to emulate the students he saw whenever he passed a school.

Lily chuckled. “I like your display of sincerity.”

“Teachers deserve respect,” Claud replied. “Do begin!”

“Fine, fine. So, when it comes to cooking herbal soups, there are some things you need to take note of.” She took out a small notebook. “For instance, when dealing with leafy greens…”