"Incredible!"
Aurelia was practically jumping up and down in excitement, her eyes shining like topaz as she watched Kanan brew the potion. It was hard to believe that this was the same detached girl that had rode in the carriage with him.
"To think that an antidote could be made with just these materials! I've never seen a recipe like this in my books. Where on earth did you learn it??"
Kanan gave an awkward laugh. "Like I said, I've lived in the village all my life. My teacher there taught me everything I know.
"Her name is Argana," he added. "She's an herbalist, so this is what I've learned the most about. As for the recipe, we're limited to local materials out here so we've learned to make do with what we have."
Saying so, he mixed in the final ingredient, completing the elixir.
"Argana…" Aurelia whispered, thoughtfully. She felt that the name was familiar, but couldn't place it. "I'd love to meet this Argana someday. I wonder if my teacher knows her!"
Probably not, Kanan thought. With Argana's personality, he couldn't imagine the old woman had too many connections outside of the village. She barely showed her face outside.
"Looks good," said Kanan, admiring his handiwork. "Let's get this over with."
The two of them packed up the impromptu workspace they had set up and headed back to where the Lazumu was laying in pain. The driver knelt beside it, stroking its feathers and talking to try and bring it comfort.
The bird was stiff — the poison evidently no longer constrained to just its legs, having spread through its body in the meantime. Its chest still heaved with breath though, its organs yet unaffected.
"How'd it go?" Asked the driver, worry evident on his face.
Kanan flashed him a reassuring smile. "Good. We have the medicine right here. After drinking it the Lazumu should be up and running in no time."
"Would you mind lifting it's head? It might not be able to swallow otherwise."
Listening to his instructions, the driver and Aurelia hoisted the Lazumu up, with Poppy prying its mouth open as Kanan poured in the medicine. Emptying the vial, he held the bird's mouth closed and gently massaged its throat to make sure the liquid went down.
Minutes passed, and just as the driver was beginning to worry that the treatment had failed, the Lazumu coughed and sputtered. A weak cry emanated from its throat, its muscles visibly relaxing as the poison was purged from its body.
The driver hugged the bird, crying happily. "Thank you, thank you!"
Kanan shook his head. "It was nothing, really. You should wait for a few hours before having it run again, just in case. We'll head back to our carriage for now."
Having nothing more to do they returned to the carriage, where the two they had left behind bombarded them with questions about the incident.
A few hours later the journey resumed as normal, with the only difference being that the cabin echoed with a girl's excited voice as Aurelia spent the remainder of the trip excitedly discussing alchemy.
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The next day, the party arrived at Redwind City without further incident. The carriage driver parked outside the walls, letting the passengers out near the city's gate while the rest of the caravan proceeded on through the commercial entrance.
Only Kenric stayed onboard, saying that he still had business with the company. Before he left, though, he handed Kanan a card emblazoned with the Silverlight Merchant Company's crest.
"Hold onto this. If you show it at Silverlight's store here in the city, they'll give you that reward you were promised." He explained.
Leaning forward, he whispered in Kanan's ear. "You might get some benefits, too. I can't speak for other places, but at least here in Redwind I'm sort of a big deal."
Saying so, he winked at Kanan as he walked away, signalling the driver with a wave of his hand and getting back onboard. The Lazumu took off, leaving Kanan and the others behind.
The three of them headed into the city together, briefly stopping to register their identities at the gate. Then, as they passed through, the city unfolded before them.
The sight was unlike anything that Kanan had seen in his life. Neatly paved roads threaded through the city like a spiderweb, people and spirit beasts busily walking among them. A metallic tube thundered overhead, the faces of the people inside flashing by. A train! Kanan had read about them, but seeing one in person was a novel experience. And the books hadn't mentioned that they could be raised overhead like this one!
The cries of vendors echoed from the road ahead, food stalls and souvenir shops lining the streets by the entrance, coaxing in weary travelers and excited tourists. Larger buildings could be seen rising up in the distance beyond — likely inns and other businesses important to visitors, Kanan figured.
"Hey, earth to Kanan" came a voice, snapping him out of his daze. He turned to the voice to see Aurelia looking at him with a somewhat mocking expression.
"You really are a bumpkin, huh? You're standing in the middle of the street like a Skeltral sucked your soul out. First time seeing so many people?"
"First time seeing… everything," responded Kanan, still overwhelmed.
Aurelia laughed. "Well, I'm glad to see that there are still things that you don't know. I was starting to lose confidence."
"Anyway, I was trying to tell you that this is where we split up. The two of us are heading there," she said, pointing at a massive white building that could be seen in the distance, looming over the city.
"The academy. We've gotta go check into the dorms and get settled. Have you decided where you're staying yet?"
"No," said Kanan, shaking his head in denial. "I'm supposed to meet with one of my master's friends. I'll probably stay with them for now, but I'm not sure."
"Well, once you've done that and registered as a Tamer you must come see us at the academy, OK? Just ask for me by name at the dorm. They'll know who you mean."
"Of course," said Kanan, his voice strained. He was mostly sincere — he would go see her eventually. Just maybe not right away. Aurelia's passion for Tamer studies was a little… overwhelming. He needed a detox after the carriage ride. There would still be time to visit her after he had explored the city.
Seeing Kanan's half-hearted attitude, Aurelia leaned forward with her hands on her hips, glaring at him suspiciously.
"You must! Don't forget!"
They said their goodbyes, with Lewis petting Poppy one last time before setting off. He left with a reluctant face, waving goodbye to the spider as the two of them walked away.
Kanan wasn't sure that he would see the boy again in this massive city, but you never know. Fate has a funny way of reuniting people.
As their backs disappeared, Kanan set his sights on the stalls ahead. He would go see Professor Quartz in due time, but a small detour couldn't hurt.
—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Later that night, Kanan stood outside the entrance of Quartz's lab, clutching his stomach. He had gone overboard with his sightseeing, greedily purchasing all sorts of unfamiliar treats. Poppy's condition was no better, having gorged on snacks tailored to spirit beasts. Sent into a food coma, she had retreated to the beast space.
He pressed the buzzer at the entrance, and moments later a tired-looking man in a labcoat emerged, looking at Kanan curiously through his thick lenses.
"Hello there. May I help you? If you're to speak with the Professor, I'm afraid that we're not accepting any more visitors today. You can make an appointment in the morning," he explained.
Kanan introduced himself, handing over Argana's introduction and explaining that he had just arrived today. He decided to conveniently leave out the part about when exactly he arrived, and why he was so late. Some things are better left unsaid.
The man took the introduction, scanning over it quickly before nodding.
"If you're the Professor's guest, that changes things. Come in, and I'll let him know that you've arrived."
Kanan was led inside, taking a seat in what seemed to be a welcoming area for guests. A few minutes later an old man entered the room, his footsteps accompanied by the clacking of a heavy cane. He was tall, standing slightly above Kanan despite his hunched shoulders. Despite his apparent age, though, his eyes carried a youthful glimmer that couldn't be hidden.
This must be Professor Quartz.
A dog-like beast followed him into the room, its head coming up to his waist. It paced itself to the man's steps, its gaze filled with alertness as it swept over Kanan. Yellow markings decorated the white fur of the beast.
It was a familiar creature to Kanan, an Archound. A thunder beast of the same species and tier as the Arcwolf he had encountered long ago. Possessing a loyal, protective temperament, the Archound was the favored evolution path of the Sparkpup among Tamers and could be considered the main line.
"So, you're Argana's little protege, huh kid? She sure thinks highly of you! Ignores this old man's letters for years and then asks for a favor out of nowhere. I couldn't tell you how surprised I was when she contacted me, saying that her disciple was showing up and to take care of him."
He spoke rapidly, his free arm waving through the air dramatically.
"Her. A disciple! I wouldn't have thought of it in a million years. But people change I guess, eh? Time waits for no man."
As he said so, his eyes flickered with an unknown emotion — Guilt, perhaps, or maybe regret.
Kanan was lost for words, unsure of what to say. His master had neglected to mention that she had been neglecting her "friend" for so long.
Seeing his hesitation, Professor Quartz continued, waving his hand dismissively.
"Don't worry, don't worry. That's just how the old woman is, I'm not upset about it. She had her reasons. And you, my friend, must be something special. Argana is a lot of things, but a liar isn't one of them. If you're half as impressive as she says then having you around will only bring good things."
Just how much had Argana bragged about him? She was always stingy with praise when Kanan was there in person.
"It's not that extent," Kanan said with a wry smile. "I just learned a bit of Breeder knowledge. My other skills are still far from being up to par, I haven't even contracted a second beast yet."
"No need to be modest, it sounds like it's more than just "a bit." And reaching the Second Circle at your age is already plenty impressive. It seems like that woman didn't bother teaching you common sense, which is just like her."
Quartz stared off into space for a second, reminiscing.
"Anyway, it's already late, let's get you settled. We have plenty to talk about, but it can wait till tomorrow. The lab has an annex where some of the employees live, you can stay there for now. Theo, my assistant, will show you the way."
Quartz headed back to the lab, with the bespectacled man who had let Kanan through the door walking in shortly after. The man, Theo, led Kanan to his room, offering some quick advice as to where the essential facilities were before excusing himself.
It was a simple room, with only the necessary furniture and a television, but it was still luxurious in Kanan's eyes. Things that were taken for granted here, like electricity and heating, couldn't be found in his remote village. Even the bedding was of higher quality, made with fabric and down all the way through instead of the stiff leathers he was used to at Argana's, let alone the hay he used before that, barely better than the cold ground.
The difference in the quality of life between the cities and the outside world could be keenly felt. The cities are the cradles of humanity; the cruxes of human civilization. Here, humans could develop and prosper, unaffected by the harshness of the wild. Melody village, situated in an area that couldn't quite be considered humanity's territory, simply couldn't compare.
Kanan summoned Poppy to show her their new space. After taking a look around, she promptly jumped on the fluffy bed, rolling around blissfully.
He joined her, jumping into the bed and wrestling the spider, and the two rolled around noisily until an angry researcher showed up to scold them.