Lith had conflicting feelings since he had walked more than one mile in Yondra's shoes. Ever since he was a small child, he had always chased his ambitions, spending with his loved ones less time the more he grew in power.
He was worried about making Yondra's same mistakes and waking up one day to realize how much he had lost only when it was too late. Raagu's words about how short-lived humans were compared to Awakened echoed in his mind, making Lith second guess his path in life for the first time in years.
After they returned home, Lith decided to take a bit of time off from his research and spend it with his family. His leave was about to end and with all that had happened, he had put Kamila's first for too long.
He wanted to make sure that his family knew how much they meant to him, even though it meant falling behind on his schedule.
***
A few days later, while they were having their afternoon tea in Quylla's quarters, Friya waltzed triumphantly in while holding a scroll in her right hand.
"It wasn't easy, but I finally did it. I found a place that satisfies everyone's requirements for our leisure trip. Due to spring, Rothar caves have become a dungeon infested by a still unidentified race of monsters."
"And how is that relevant?" Lith asked.
"Rothar caves are near the trade city of Javvok, which means we can sleep in a good hotel and that Kamila can come to us anytime she wants thanks to the city Gate, smartass." Friya replied.
"I get that part." Lith rebuked her. "I mean why monsters and more importantly, why us? Can't they deal with it on their own?"
"Of course they can, but that's not the point. Quylla wants to practice offensive magic under supervision. It's not like she can skulk on city roofs and hope for crimes to happen, nor she can wait for the next nutjob to take a swing at her.
"Monsters are the perfect practice target. They are strong, ugly, and you don't feel guilty when you kill them because they treat every living creature like we treat our dinner."
"I'm okay with it." Phloria sighed. "I need to vent quite a bit of frustration and simply training won't do. I just got suspended from duty until further notice."
"You what?" The others blurted out in unison.
"Headmaster Onia has been true to her word." Phloria said. "A special committee has been formed to evaluate the events in Kulah and assess if there was something that could have been done differently.
"Until their investigation is over, I'm back being a civilian."
"I call bullshit!" Lith said. "A bunch of paper pushers can't judge a life or death situation by reading reports while drinking tea in the safety of their office."
"Yet that's exactly what is going to happen."
"Don't worry, sis." Quylla said while hugging her. "I'm sure that Mom and Dad would rather kill them than let something bad happen to you. Plus, there's Constable Griffon on your side."
Phloria didn't reply. She was well aware of how influential the Ernas household was, but hoping that, despite the fact that so many important assets of the Kingdom had been slaughtered like fish in a barrel, no one would be held accountable for it was just naïve thinking.
Someone had to take responsibility for what had happened. Berion was too high in the chain of command while her soldiers were just grunts. Hence Phloria was the only living member of the expedition who could be reasonably pinned with the blame.
"Out of curiosity, what were the other requirements you had to fulfill?" Lith asked Friya, to lighten the mood and not let Phloria dwell too much on the bad news.
"Phloria wanted a place rich of natural treasures for her Forgemastering experiments and I wanted something that would look on the resume of my Crystal Shield guild." Friya said while handing each one of them a mana stone shaped like a round shield.
"You're all recruited, by the way."
"When do we leave?" Phloria asked.
"Whenever we want. All in favor of moving out at dawn?" Friya said.
Her proposal was accepted unanimously and then they resumed their business as usual. Lith went back to his research, Phloria secluded herself inside Orion's Forge to keep her mind busy, Quylla continued with her tier five spells training schedule, and Friya started to make arrangements for their trip.
Later, that night Lith discussed the last details of his plans with Kamila. They had just returned from Lutia, where they dined every other day with both their families, making everyone incredibly happy but Lith.
He felt like the misunderstanding was getting worse just like his mother's expectations were growing by the day, but there wasn't much he could do. He wanted to spend some time with his relatives and since Zinya was their neighbor, it would have been incredibly rude to keep the two sisters apart.
"Do you think you can make it to Javvok without stressing yourself too much?" Lith asked. "You're already working a lot and I don't want to burden you with another chore."
"You're not a chore, silly." She said while putting her arms around his neck and kissing him. "Besides, as long as you're waiting for me on the other side, stepping out of the Ernas's Gate or Javvok's is the same."
"Damn, I have yet to leave and I miss you already." Lith said while running his hands on her back and then lower.
"Since when squeezing my butt is a form of goodbye?" She giggled.
"I miss it already as well." He replied, happy of how easily a Skinwalker armor could be taken off.
***
The following morning the group reached Javvok and went to check-in at their luxurious hotel.
"It's a waste of money." Lith grumbled, cursing for not having thought about it beforehand. "Why don't we just commute from here and the Ernas household instead of staying in a hotel?"
"It's not a waste of money!" Friya rebuked him. "If we go back and forth, it would be as if we never left, plus everyone here needs to unwind big time. Maybe you live our home as a free resort, but for us is a constant reminder of our duty. Plus parents!"
"Agreed." Said the other two women in unison. They loved Jirni and Orion, but after spending so much time together they were starting to feel like little girls again and itched for being treated as adults.
"Gods, it has been years since my last vacation. What about you guys?" Phloria said.
"I think it's my first." Quylla replied. Back when she was an orphan, survival was her priority and once she had enrolled in the White Griffon academy, she had never stopped practicing magic for more than a day.
She had never traveled anywhere if not for work-related issues.
"Same." Lith said. Whenever he wasn't working for the army or his family, he had spent all of his free time inside his tower.
"All the more reason to not commute. You need to stay away from books and labs for a while. Just have fun." Friya said, leaving Lith flabbergasted. He had no idea how to have fun without a computer and some video games.
Mogar offered little entertainment for someone like him who had no interest in arts.
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