"Well, miss magic-smasher, I'd say you break it you buy it but the fault likely lies with me. What's your name? I'll be sure to pay you back"
"Elyon, and yours?"
"Quelin. I'll remember this, ooooh I'll remember it. "
Elyon just gave a nervous laugh as she glanced around. It didn't seem like Quelin was about to jump over the table and attack her, but they certainly seemed quite angry over the whole thing. Stepping back, Elyon gave a bow before turning and quickly walking away. Even if she wanted to say goodbye, the hatted girl had gone right back to talking under her breath and angrily scribbling at another sheet of wood.
With a sigh of relief, Elyon slipped back into the crowd and looked around for something else to do. The rest of the day passed without incident, the traveling lady taking her time to explore and try new foods. She made a few attempts at small talk although most of them ended quickly when she realized the other person was much too hungover to carry on a conversation. Although mostly uneventful, the day's slow pace and freedom went a long way in comforting her from her earlier homesickness. That, and she had stayed out wandering around far longer than she had planned. At the very least she could count on the rest of the city sleeping in, too.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
The feeling of a bound spirit dying was something that Elyon had experienced only once before. Bolting up in the bed, she gripped her head as cold sweat ran off her forehead. Quick, short breaths filled the air as she struggled to handle the feeling of her connection to the wisps she had scattered around her home town being plucked from the sky.
Each death was a sudden stab of pain that seemed to ripple across her entire body. The entire thing lasted no more than a few seconds, but it was enough to make the bile rise in her stomach. Forcing down the feeling of vomit and the urge to cry, she staggered to the window and flung it open before hanging half her body out. The cold air rolling over her was a comforting feeling, and she spent the next few moments looking as if she was about to fall out of the window. With shaky breaths, she retreated back to the bed, sitting on it and glancing around.
Not a single one of her wisps had survived, and they had all been wiped out at almost the same time. Had she run out of mana? It was possible, as she had never pushed herself this far away from her home. None of the books she had read on mana usage had mentioned range being a factor though.
Reaching to take a shaky sip from her cup, a loud knocking at the door caused her to jump and drop it on the floor. Reaching behind her, she drew a knife before stepping towards the door. What the hell was going on? She opened the door just enough to peer outside to the grim looking face of Ange.
"Ah, sorry about knocking so late at night, but I'm afraid we've got to leave now. Seems like there's some trouble down south and we've got to run an urgent message. I'll meet you downstairs as soon as possible, and we'll join up with Andy at the main gate"
With that, Ange disappeared from the door as a shiver ran across Elyon's body. It was easy enough to jam everything she had into her pack, slipping the knife into her pocket and tossing the book she had bought on the top of the pile. Her mind was still racing, but the fact they were leaving in the early hours of the morning didn't mean anything good either. Taking one last look at her room, Elyon followed the footsteps of her friend and headed downstairs.
The crisp morning air still held faint smells of the last night, and there were still a few people bundled up sleeping against various walls. If Elyon wasn't jogging to catch up with her comrade she might have found it amusing to check out the rest of the town so early in the morning. As they reached the gate, she noted that the earlier guards all looked much the same as the people she had passed. Only one remained still standing, although it looked as if they were about to tip over.
"Hey! Miss Magic Smasher!"
Whirling around, Elyon came face to face with a bent-over, hard panting Quelin. With a groan, they straightened up enough to look up at Elyon. Their eyes were bloodshot, hat half falling off their head once again. It was rather obvious by their ruffled clothing that they likely hadn't slept at all since the earlier day. Fighting for enough breath to speak they leaned against the wall.
"I built another measure for you, but this one's only single use since I only had a few hours to make it. Use it when you see fit, but you BETTER come back and tell me the results. If it blows up again, why I'll…"
They didn't finish their sentence, instead they just groaned and started to shamble off before speaking one last time.
"Safe travels!"
"Thanks!"
Elyon looked down at the box that was shoved into her chest by Quelin. She slid it into her pack as she watched the large hat disappear down the street. Turning back towards Ange, she noted that he seemed somewhat amused by the whole exchange, but not enough to ask any questions.