In the morning, Sying met Collei early to go on patrol with her. When they met up with Tighnari, he began to check Collei's grip strength due to her Eleazar. Sying thought testing it was pretty pointless, but he stood there patiently and let it happen.
"Now, please remember that you still need to be careful, understand?" Tighnari told the girl.
"Yes, I will. By the way, Master, I still haven't received the patrol route for today." Collei reminded him.
"Look, Collei, today's patrol will be a long one, so you won't be coming along this time. Besides, there's a chance we may encounter...well, you understand." The Forest Watcher retorted.
"Why can't she do long patrols? Her Eleazar doesn't define her ability to do well. And she can handle herself just fine." Sying growled.
"And I have a Vision too!" Collei shouted, showing her master her Sumerian Nova Vision. "Am I useless to everyone now?"
"You've never been useless, kid." Sying reassured his daughter. "Some people just can't see how wonderful you are." Collei smiled at him happily as Aether walked over.
"Now that you're both here, how are you guys feeling?" Tighnari asked, avoiding the earlier conversation.
"Is there anything I can help with?" Aether wondered.
"It seems you and Sying don't like to take it easy. In that case, perhaps Collei could take you two for a patrol south of Gandharva Ville for the day. And if you're feeling up to it, you can be responsible for cleaning the Statue of the Seven." Tighnari decided.
"There's Eight Archons, you dumb dog." Sying mumbled.
"I'm not sure you count as one. Also, I'm a fox, not a dog." The Forest Watcher countered, as a ranger called him over.
"So, Collei, what are we going to do today?" Aether asked. "Cleaning the Statue doesn't sound like a job for rangers."
"Well, a ranger's responsibilities can be pretty diverse. We handle a variety of tasks, like checking the condition of outlying roads, maintaining forest facilities, ensuring fire prevention standards are met, and providing assistance to travelers and locals. As for Master, well, he has to handle more dangerous areas of the rainforest. Today, we can perform routine checks on the pathway lamps as we make our way to the Statue of the Eight." Collei explained. The two boys followed her around the patrol route and ended up at a large rock formation where the Statue was.
"I'll head up there. Aether, you should come up later and get your Dendro powers." The adeptus announced as he began to climb.
"By the way, Collei, do you know anything about the Dendro Archon? You know, what's she like?" Aether wondered.
"That depends. Are you referring to Greater Lord Rukkhadevata or Lesser Lord Kusanali?" She questioned.
"Greater Lord Rukkhadevata? Is that the name of the former Dendro Archon?" The Traveler inquired.
"Uh-huh. Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was Sumeru's first Dendro Archon. She created the rainforests as well as the Wall of Samiel around the desert. Her works provided a means of peaceful living for everyone. To the people of Sumeru, she is not only a symbol of wisdom, but also of power and kindness. Unfortunately, she disappeared in the Khaenri'ahn War. According to what Master told me, the sages later found the newly born Dendro Archon and whisked her back to Sumeru. To celebrate the reinstatement of their lost deity, the sages dubbed her "Lesser Lord Kusanali" and let her reside in the Sanctuary of Surasthana." The Forest Ranger explained.
"What happened next?" Aether asked.
"I'm not sure, sorry." Collei apologized.
"Aren't you from Sumeru? You should know these things, right?" Aether inquired.
YOU ARE READING
Meraki
Fanficthe soul, creativity, or love you put into something; the essence of yourself that is put into your work. In which the King of Khaenri'ah plans to overthrow the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles.
