Song of Shadow and Light (BxB)

Chapter 40

Two days later, the group prepared for their departure. They would have left sooner, but Thaddeus needed more time to recover. If he were human, it would have taken longer for him to get better. He didn't want to listen to Atticus, but the demon could sense when he was around his own kind. Kaelan stayed silent about it, but he had to feel it as well. After all, the cleric was a natural at sensing demonic energy. Thaddeus' recovery time also wasn't normal for a human being.

Kaelan grabbed the clothes that sat on the desk in his room. The forest king promised custom-made clothes for Atticus and Kaelan, and Faunus kept his word. The clothes were delivered sometime during the night when Kaelan was sleeping. Kaelan examined the clothes before putting them on, relieved they weren't anything strange. The robes were green and white, with gold trimming, and the pants were dark green. The footwear he was given were white thigh-high boots with heels. A green ribbon was also provided for Kaelan to tie back his hair.

Once he was ready, Kaelan left the room to join the others. Kaelan, Atticus, and Thaddeus were each given a room to stay in, while Estelar returned to his home. The fae would join them again when they were ready to depart. During their stay in the palace, Kaelan gave Thaddeus his space. He wanted to spend time with the warrior, but he needed his rest. He wouldn't recover if Kaelan were there to distract him.

The rest of the group was waiting for him at the edge of the kingdom. Even Thaddeus, who needed the extra rest, was there before him. The warrior smiled at him when he approached. Thaddeus glanced at Kaelan's attire.

"You look good. It's a shame I won't have easy access to your body anymore, but I like this on you as well," Thaddeus teased, not bothering to stay quiet.

Kaelan blushed. He was glad not to be stuck wearing only Thaddeus' coat. The coat might have covered him, but it didn't change the fact that he was completely naked underneath it. One slip and anyone would have been able to see his privates. The clothes Faunus provided him suited him much better. He wasn't embarrassed while wearing these, and he didn't have to worry about any strangers accidentally seeing him nude.

"It's not like you'll never see me like that again . . ." Kaelan shyly answered and looked away.

His response made the warrior chuckle. This time, Thaddeus leaned in close and said only loud enough for Kaelan to hear, "Let's fuck once we reach our next destination. I am feeling better, and it's been a couple of days since we had sex."

Kaelan smacked Thaddeus' chest. "Don't you think you anything other than sex? Besides, we didn't close the portal. We agreed we would sleep with each other after each portal we closed."

"That hasn't stopped us from hooking up before. How many times have we had sex now without completing our quest?" Thaddeus teased.

The cleric huffed, then turned away from the warrior. He wouldn't entertain this conversation for a moment longer. He knew if he did, he would eventually give in to Thaddeus' request. He wanted to sleep with the warrior, but he also didn't want to make a careless mistake on their quest just because he wanted to get fucked. They would still have plenty of time to spend time together, so there was no reason to rush into things. He decided to ignore Thaddeus and join the others, who were bickering with each other.

When Estelar noticed Kaelan approaching, a big smile lit up his face. He stopped whatever argument he was having with Atticus to rush over to Kaelan's side. "Kaelan! I hope you had a good rest. We're ready to depart whenever you are, but may I ask where our next destination is?"

Kaelan had almost forgotten he agreed to let the fae tag along. After abandoning them in the swamp, Kaelan didn't completely trust Estelar. There was also Faunus' warning to take into consideration, but Kaelan did promise to let him come with them. He wouldn't go back on his word. He would just have to keep a close eye on him. If Estelar posed a danger to their group, Kaelan had no problem kicking him out. He would only tolerate so much.

The cleric took out his map from his bag to check their next destination. The next realm appeared to be one in the sky, on the outskirts of Merania Kingdom. Merania was Kaelan's home, so maybe after closing the next portal, they could take a short detour and visit his kingdom. It would be nice to see Azai and his friends again. They closed a couple of portals now, and he would like to tell Azai his progress. He also had a few questions for his father.

"We'll be visiting a village outside of Merania. Our next realm is to close in the sky portal. After that, it'll be a water realm," Kaelan answered. These were the last two minor realms before they would head off to fight the major demon lords. Their quest would become much more difficult after these next two realms.

"A sky realm . . . how are we supposed to reach that?" Estelar asked.

As of right now, Kaelan didn't have a clue. If they couldn't figure it out, they might have to return to that realm later. It wasn't like Kaelan had to close the realms in order, but he was following the instructions Azai left on the map. His mentor marked which order he recommended to close the realms. It worked out for them so far, even if they didn't get to close the earth realm this time.

"I'll . . . improvise. For now, let's head to the village." There was nothing left for them to do in the Glenariff Forest for now. Kaelan was ready to head to the next portal.

Before they had the chance to leave, Faunus joined the group. The forest king had a couple of his guards accompanying him. He smiled at the group, and said, "Before you leave, I wanted to thank you once again for your help. If it weren't for all of you, I don't think things would have turned out this way. As a token of appreciation, I have one more gift for you."

Faunus held out a hand, and one of his guards placed an object that was wrapped in fabric. The king approached Kaelan and held out the gift to the cleric. The object felt light in the cleric's hands. He unwrapped the gift to find a bejeweled dagger. The gems in the handle were of all different colors and it sparkled when the sun hit the gems.

"It might look like a weapon, but it has more magical properties than that. This dagger is able to guide you through the darkest of places, whether you get lost somewhere physically, or mentally. Use it wisely, because you will only be able to use its magic once before it becomes just a normal dagger," Faunus explained.

Kaelan wasn't expecting another gift from the forest king, but he appreciated it. "Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty. And I wish you the best of luck in restoring your kingdom to its former glory. When you need our assistance again, then please don't hesitate to contact us."

This wouldn't be the last time they saw Faunus. They would have to return to this kingdom one day to finish their quest. There was the possibility that Shale would stay in hiding, but Kaelan doubted it. After angering the demon, he would come back with a vengeance.

They said their goodbyesto Faunus and his citizens as they departed from the Glenariff Fore