The Blade of Kenai

Part 1: Chapter 7

      Kazdyn followed Kenai, suddenly becoming Kenai's shadow, having swapped places from their usual roles. Villagers were peeking out of their windows or around walls trying to watch Kenai. He had suddenly gone up the social status within the past few hours, and he hated it.
      "Don't they have anything better to do?" Kenai muttered gruffly as they stepped up to Soren's door and knocked. The door opened almost instantly and they were pulled inside by urgent hands.
       Soren looked like an entirely different person than he had earlier in the day, with ruffled hair and puffy eyes.
      "Kenai I have everything." A various assortment of items littered the couch, some put away more nicely than others.
      "Oh wow," Kenai said as he wandered over to the couch to get a closer look. There were small vials of potions, mostly labeled as healing elixirs or instant fire starters. An old pocket-sized book called 'herbology' was settled between a necklace with a crystal dangling from it, and a map, both sparked Kenai's curiosity and he first picked up the map, folding the flaps open to reveal a land he had never seen before.
      "That is the last physical proof we have of the surface world. I hope it will be of some assistance to you, although I have no idea how correct it will be. The entire biome of the land could have been altered, and I'm guessing that none of the cities still stand." Kazdyn moved to stand beside Kenai, leaning over his shoulder to also explore the map. There were many rivers with strange names that sounded foreign in his mind.
      What's this? A clearing in one of the forests was bright and looked somehow more special than any other place labeled on the map. Astral's Realm.
      "What's Astrals Realm?" Kenai looked up at Soren who was watching him soak everything in. Kazdyn also looked up, intrigued and waiting for the answer.
      "It was a sacred pool. Many Gods lived there when the Demons began to take over." Kenai took in a sharp breath when Pella's words replayed in his mind. But supposedly, the Goddess can withdraw it from you. Kadzyn must have also made the same connection, and they both looked at Soren with the same hopeful eyes.
      "There is no way to know if it is still there," Soren said sorrowfully. Kenai hadn't expected him to know of its existence, but the reminder of how small the chance of coming face to face with a God caused Kenai to sigh quietly to himself.
      He moved on to the necklace, realizing it was Daithe's as soon as he held it up. I can take her with me now, too. The increasing amount of objects from the people he loved eased the nervous feeling that had been gnawing at his stomach. He lifted it over his head and let it hang around his neck, he tucked it under the top layer of his tunic. To keep it safe.
      While focused on the necklace Kazdyn had moved on to the potion vials, holding them up one by one to examine.
     "Kenai look at this one!" Kazdyn was smiling as he held it up for Kenai to read the label. Invisibility.
     "Hey, I didn't know they made those." Kenai grinned and set it down, reaching for the next potion Kazdyn handed him. Instant flames, wound healing, recovery of weapon damage. Kenai undid the belt loop over one of the larger pouches on the sword sheath straps, placing them carefully inside the pocket that seemed conveniently made for holding delicate vials, with padding between each of them.
      Next, Kenai flipped through the small booklet, every page dedicated to a different kind of plant, describing its properties and whether or not it would kill you.
      I have no idea what any of these are. The more Kenai learned about the surface world, the more stupid he felt. He put the book in the same pouch as the potions and buckled it shut.
      Lastly, Kenai picked up the strangest contraption he had ever seen. Soren began explaining after seeing the look of pure confusion.
      "That is a glider." Kenai lifted it by what he assumed were handlebars. A stretch of fabric was attached to 2 bars of wood that sat parallel to each other above the handlebars.
      "It was commonly used on the surface world to get around, typically by jumping from high places and, well, gliding to your destination." Kenai knew where Soren was going.
      "Is this how I'm going to get down there?" Kenai hadn't thought about how we was going to reach the surface and it sounded terrifying, but also made sense. Well. I don't have much to lose.
      "Well..." Soren said hesitantly. "It was the only thing I could come up with." Kazdyn had remained unusually quiet and finally broke his streak.
      "I wanna try!" He sounded giddy with excitement and they both looked at Soren with a sudden burst of excitement, who closed his eyes and shook his head. Kenai sensed Kazdyn shifting his weight from foot to foot. "I'm sorry Soren, I don't know how I forgot." Kenai had also been distracted from his mission by the idea of a game with the glider and he, too, was sorry.
      Kenai was suddenly gripped on both shoulders by Soren, who burrowed his eyes deep into Kenai's.
      "I have one final request," Kenai nodded. "I beg of you to tell no one of our small world's existence. The results of our discovery could be catastrophic. Tell no one of Elhein."
      Kenai nodded slowly, letting the weight of the great importance that had been placed on his shoulders before closing his eyes in letting out a deep breath.
      "I think I'm ready," Kenai said, and he felt Kazdyn tense next to him. "I just need to stop by my house one last time." Soren's eyes softened.
      "Yes, of course, please."