Ortai Legacy: Arrival

9.1 - Arka Shortage (L)

The next morning, I awoke to a pounding headache. Too dizzy to get up, I took a swig of arka in bed. My headache cleared, and I spotted a note on the inside of the bedroom door. Still a little unsteady, I shuffled to the door.

"I'll be in Holis until this afternoon. You can go outside if you cover up, but don't leave the area directly around the house. There's an anti-scrying field that covers the lawn and outhouse but no further. If you have any questions, contact me telepathically. - Mar'kost"

Well, I couldn't imagine wanting to wander around in the blazing sun, so that wasn't really a problem. I would've preferred to spend the day reading novels or painting, but this was actually the perfect opportunity to learn some useful information.

I reluctantly sat at the desk and leaned my polearm against it. "Hey, could you give me a crash course on magic and monsters and stuff? Basically anything I'll need to know to survive on Vangorn and fix up the ship? Mar'kost told me some, but I was never really interested in a lecture before."

Weylan raised an eyebrow. "I am capable of lecturing at length. How many myriblinks would you like me to speak?"

Something told me he'd go on forever if I didn't stop him. "To be clear, a 'crash course' is a short summary of important topics. I don't need to know the specifics of ship mechanics or monster biology or whatever."

"Ah, I understand. In that case, let us begin with your weapon's capabilities."

***

He did not, in fact, understand the concept of a crash course. Or maybe he honestly thought that the charging rate of my weapon's magical battery was as important as the fact that it could shoot bolts of lethal energy once I reached Level ten. Whatever the case, he lectured me on my weapon until lunch.

After a quick refueling of arka and trip to the outhouse, we moved on to discuss monsters. Apparently, they were descendants of the few animals that had mutated due to arkegy exposure instead of dying from it. The mutations affected their mental state to the point where they would often attack arkegy-rich creatures without debating whether their prey could actually be their predator. That was both good news and bad news; it meant that they weren't smart enough to plan ahead or work in legitimate packs—though it didn't stop them from swarming together at times—but it also meant that everything from the smallest bug to the largest beast would go after a walking arkegy source like me.

Before Weylan could cover too much terrifying monster lore, Mar'kost knocked on the bedroom door. I let him in, and he sat on the end of the bed.

"I filed the claim. The auction will be in a week." He sighed. "I also asked around and checked newspapers, but there was no sign of an Ortai—or a strange human—who appeared within the last few days."

That wasn't particularly surprising, but it was still disappointing. "Thanks for checking."

He nodded. "How was your day? I didn't sense any contact from you." A hint of concern colored his tone.

"I was fine. I just had Weylan teach me some stuff."

"Oh. That's... good." His gaze wandered to my arka flask, which was sitting next to a water cup on the desk. "How much arka do you have left?"

I checked, even though I didn't really need to. There was barely enough for one meal. If I stayed here past dinner, I'd wake up tomorrow feeling awful. I might even pass out on the way back to the ship, and my impressive weight could make it impossible for anyone to carry me to the Source. I could literally starve to death. What a delightful reminder of my fragility.

"I have to go back to the ship tonight."

"I'm sorry."

I laughed. "What're you apologizing for? You didn't design my crappy body."