Sorcerer… Cyborg???

Chapter 101: Sandstrider

[No Silane, you have to be different. You must have a soul, you reincarnated along with me. If you do end up becoming some warped creature, I'll be there right along with you.] Kothar consoled Silane, trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince her, he could feel the sadness radiating from her.

[Alright, we'll talk about this some more later. But for now, ask Sandstrider about what he wants. I'm sure he'll want something in return for not taking you to Krieg right away.] Silane still sounded scared, but she pushed down her emotions and thought about the practicality of the situation.

"Tell me then, Sandstider, what can I do for you?" Kothar asked Sandstrider, maintaining the straightforward attitude that he had always preferred, watching to see the reptilian's reaction.

"After seeing this craftsmanship of yours, I knew. You could be no thief, the man who hired all of us Freeman to eliminate you and return the artifact you have in your possession to him, must have lied, but for what reason? I think it is clear, you must be able to offer something of equal value to the rewards he offered." Sandstrider grinned at Kothar, and chewed on the end of his pipe.

"This man, he is a great master of space, he would give many of Freeman what they want, great treasures filled with Spatial energy, which the Pebble will allow us to use to travel great distances. I think you must be able to do something similar, this is no simple device you are crafting." Sandstrider tapped the side of a massive wing strut that lay behind him, creating a ringing sound.

"Why do so many Freeman desire Spatial energy so much?" Kothar felt sick inside, he knew that Krieg didn't care if he lived or died, but to hear that he had hired people to find him an skill him only added insult to injury. 

"You see, bit by bit, the planes move further and further from one another. Many eons ago, it was a simple task to hop from one plane to another, but as time goes on, it takes more and more energy to travel from one plane to another. This holds true for everyone amongst the myriad planes, and the Freemen, so many of us being so poor in resources that we desire any amount of Spatial energy so we can travel beyond a small cluster. It would be like giving a man stranded on a desert island a great ship." The reptilian blew successive rings of smoke out through the smoke that rose from the fire, and the white smoke of the fire wove through the floating vibrant green of the rings.

"I could help you. But not now, I do not think I will have anywhere close to the amount of Spatial energy that the man who hired you can offer for a long time. You would have to wait a long time." Kothar decided to be honest with Sandstrider, so far, as far as Kothar could tell, the reptilian Freeman had been honest with him. As far as Kothar could tell, Krieg was at the very least at the rank of an Advanced Mage and even with ridiculous mana density on Atla, it would be a long time before Kothar could near his old mentor's massive mana reserves. 

"No problem, we Earthborn are known for our patience, and for our long lives. I will wait. For now, I shall mislead the Freemen in search of you, and give you an opportunity to complete what you are doing here and leave this plane." Sandstrider stood up and stretched his arms wide, revealing his enormous wingspan, and a hint of the bulging muscles hidden by his loose robes.

"Record these coordinates, young Kothar. For now, you need not know what they are or where they lead, but once you know where they lead and that you can go to this place, then you must take me there." Sandstrider said solemnly, passing Kothar a piece of slate, upon which he had scratched a string of numbers with a sharp claw.

"I will be able to contact you with the Pebble device, and you can do the same." He picked up the box that he had placed the Pebble devices in and gave Kothar yet another serious stare.

"Be wary of what you say with this device nearby, and take care in accepting any missions that it offers to you." Sandstrider kept the box shut, waiting for Kothar to assent.

"I've learned my lesson already. A 'welcome' mission almost got me killed." The sarcasm in Kothar's voice was palpable, and he nodded at Sandstrider.

"I shall give you respite, as is the tradition of the Earthborn, for a dying and sickly enemy. But be wary, I shall not be so merciful if we meet again." Sandstrider's voice boomed out loudly as he spoke firmly to Kothar. He took the Pebble devices from the box, tapping them together as he did so.

The reptilian strode away, waving to Kothar before turning around and leaping out of the hollow within the tree, without a second glance.

[That was something, wasn't it.] Silane finally said, after Kothar had stood there dumbfounded for a while, surprised at how abruptly the Earthborn had leapt from the hollow after reclining so comfortably by the fire.

[Whether he was telling the truth, or was just some eccentric powerful Freeman, I want to get this ship finished and get the *** out of here.] Kothar responded, clearly exhausted, first having been blasted by an enormous amount of electricity, then being tensed up from the expected intruder and finally being bombarded with a series of bizarre revelations about the Pebble Network. Just one of those things were more than enough to give him a reason to take a nice bath, meal and relax for a good while.

But he was in no position to do so, for all he knew, the Freemen pursuing him drew ever closer, and now he knew for certain they were after his life. Kothar needed to finish his ship, and leave Atla as soon as possible.