Depthless Hunger

Technically Kai could have been traveling faster, but he couldn't feel any guilt over taking a little more time. What was the point of training so much if he couldn't build a life with friends? Just spending time with Inafay again had been a pleasure, and Orotaisin had proved interesting in a laid-back sort of way.

The others of the team were more conventional Windborn, strong enough to aim for the Frontier and thus not as petty as the others he'd met. So far he hadn't gotten to know them well at all, but they seemed like decent enough people. They were proud of their home nation while also understanding that the incursions were the greatest threat.

Their travels were a bit strange, half efficient sprint and half race. All the Windborn had speed-based powers that meant they could travel faster than even most flying vessels - for once Inafay was the slow one, constantly straining her wind abilities to keep up. He would have been struggling if not for Thunderbird's Wings.

At first they'd just spoken about everything that had happened to them since they parted. Kai wasn't sure what to say about Rosemount or the others, but was happy to finally talk over Krysal with someone else. Inafay seemed to believe that the changes were for the better and promised that he might even be able to communicate with people there eventually, if they met up with the Frontier elites.

One day, a week into their trip, the two of them headed off to a smaller town to chat while the others checked in with local monster hunters. Apparently they needed to correspond with other teams and meet up with some other trainees. Inafay showed him a strange restaurant that served drinks that had air bubbles pumped into them somehow. It was sort of interesting, but he was more eager to talk alone.

"So what is it?" Inafay asked between sips. "You seem like you have a lot on your mind."

"I'm just trying to sort through some things," he said. "This may seem weird, but how did you and Orotaisin...?"

"Yeah, it might seem strange. I never would have imagined it when I came here. See, the Frontier elites sent me to the Wind Union to awaken an elemental ability - you probably guessed that. What you probably don't know is that the Elemental Nations can be... weird about family lines. They're convinced that the right parents will produce more children with elemental powers. But that doesn't always mean 'pure' lines and they try to incorporate other people..."

"So your Wind Class made you an extremely eligible marriage candidate?"

"Yeah. I was going to say you can't imagine, but maybe you can." Inafay winced as if the memories alone pained her. "It was flattering to get so much attention right up until I understood what they wanted. If you'd asked me a month into being here, I'd have told you that I'd never marry a Windborn in a million years."

"But you changed your mind?"

"Because Orotaisin was different. Nice, but he didn't really pursue me. Eventually I found out that his parents had been pushing him to become a prince and lead their clan, a whole bunch of oppressive obligations." Inafay smiled fondly as she spoke about him, then smirked. "So it's ironic: I'm exactly the sort of person his parents would want him to marry, but I took him away to join the Frontier elites."

"Heh, I can imagine." Kai took a drink in order to order his thoughts, but nothing came together. "I'm glad you're happy together."

"It's been a slow road, but I'm really glad I met him." Inafay's eyes abruptly narrowed. "Now why exactly are you asking all this? You were never the most emotional sort of guy."

"Well..." He had wanted to tell her about his own confused emotions and get her insight, but suddenly that felt foolish. Running back to one of his only female friends to ask how women worked. Yet he felt like they had something in common there, so he'd value her opinion, if he could just figure out what he actually wanted to ask...

Shouldn't it all be easy? Zae Zin Nim had expressed her feelings and they'd even kissed on a couple occasions, so she just needed to warm up a little. Yet Omilaena's offer, which he should have been able to dismiss easily, wouldn't leave his mind.

Inafay stayed silent for once, letting him get his thoughts together. But before he could, they were interrupted by two large men looming beside their table.

"You can't sit here," one growled. Kai instinctively braced himself... and then saw that it was Raghi Tonjin.

"Holy shit, Raghi and Lofgan!" Kai stood up and embraced the Tonjin brothers. They both thumped him on the back fiercely, as if trying to cause bruises, but they didn't let go right away. Eventually he pulled back to smile at them.

Both of them were as muscular as before, but they looked even less like twins. Raghi wore a pair of Irunian gauntlets on his belt and had several new scars, while Lofgan wore a Windborn tunic and let his hair grow out in a tousled mess. The two had clearly developed far beyond the time when they'd been thugs hired by the Lantrian clan.

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Even though he was most glad just to see them again, Kai couldn't help but check their souls.

Name: Raghi Tonjin

Total Power: 147

Scrapper Class: 23 (33)

Physique Level: E-3 (89)

Soul Level: 5 (25)

>

Name: Lofgan Tonjin

Total Power: 122

Whistlewind Class: 41 (51)

Physique Level: F-8 (46)

Soul Level: 5 (25)

>

He felt a surge of pride at their progress, but wasn't sure if that would be condescending. They could have been strong crystalliers, since he was sure their strength was backed up by real skill and experience. Right now, though, they were just old friends. The hard part was to figure out what to say to stop all the grinning and back-slapping.

"I figured it would be a surprise," Inafay said with a sly smile. "These are the ones we were coming to meet."

"We're still in training at the Frontier," Raghi explained. "We're not strong enough to be sent out on assignment yet."

"But you're getting there! Come on, pull up seats and we can all talk about old times. We're the only people from Monskon City in fucking leagues."

"I'm buying," Kai said, then gestured toward Raghi. "Still mulberry wine?"

It turned out that while Raghi was just as committed to mulberry wine as his drink of choice, Lofgan had become obsessed with a strange sort of ale from the Earth Union. The restaurant had some in the basement, a little more expensive than the local stuff but still trivial for him. Kai brought a round and they all clustered around the table to talk.

So they told him about clan politics in Monskon City and Kai repeated some stories about Krysal. The two definitely didn't want to talk about the Lantrian clan, but he got the sense they had stayed long enough to collect their paychecks and then headed south. After a number of adventures they'd managed to gain enough strength to try to join the Frontier.

"Usually they wouldn't let us," Raghi explained. "They try to draw from the best of each city, those who surpass their generation. And we're not that strong."

"Yet," Lofgan put in quietly.

"But with all this trouble after the incursion, they're spread thin. So they set up a group to go mopping up monsters. We're not the toughest, but we faced some real nightmares during the battle, so we managed. That was how we earned our training."

"What does it actually take to join?" Kai asked. "It's funny... I dreamed of joining the Frontier elites my entire life, but they don't exactly post a requirements list."

"That's because they're more concerned about character," Inafay said. "They need power, but if they recruit people who will try to exploit them and run, it will ruin the organization. So it's usually a multi-step process, starting with just testing you unofficially. There's no fancy entrance ceremony, you just keep working with them more and more closely until one day you find your place."

"Which isn't necessarily as an elite," Raghi said. "They need allies to keep everything together in the Frontier nations, and like Razz showed us, they need merchants and politicians even more. But if they trust you, they're willing to offer a lot."

"Is that why you're here?" Lofgan asked.

Kai hadn't gotten to that yet, so he just nodded. "Yeah. That would be an even longer story, but I'm here to meet them. I have some things they might find useful and I hope they can help me advance."

"Well, I'm sure they'd be happy to have you." Raghi clapped him on the shoulder and laughed. "You and Inafay are the type they're really looking to recruit."

Not long after that, the other Windborn returned and they all headed to the next town, passing from the southern tip of the Wind Union into the Water Union. Along the way Kai got the sense that the Tonjin brothers might want to talk to him alone, but they were always surrounded. As they got closer, he began to think more about the fact that he was about to reach his goal since returning.

Even though it had been less than a month since he returned to Deadwaste, and only three months since they separated for the ocean voyage, Kai missed Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena almost as much as his old Goralian friends. He was a little behind schedule, so part of him hoped that they would be waiting for him, sipping their own drinks and demanding to know when they could get back to training.

When they arrived at the outpost, Inafay introduced him to Talndim Bundrin, an older Frontier elite who apparently handled a lot of the training. He might have some gray in his hair, but he still looked like he was in the prime of his life and had the single strongest source of mana Kai had ever felt. As much as he wanted to ask about all that, he had higher priorities.

"So why are you here?" Talndim asked him. "If you aren't coming to sign up, here's only so much we can do for each other."

"I want to talk about phases of power," Kai said. "I know you have a deeper understanding of them, at least deeper than mine. I've pledged to come back for the next incursion, but for now I have a lot of resources for the Frontier to offer in exchange."

"Phase training is complex, too difficult for most, and a bit of a state secret." Talndim tilted his head back and seemed to look into Kai's soul. "But you look like a man who saw higher phases in person."

"More than once."

"You're a son of Goralia and the others have all vouched for you, so I think we can work something out. If you can help us with a few issues, no one will object if we help you with yours. And if you do come back for the incursion... well, we're going to need all the help we can get."

"That's great." Kai wanted to begin showing the resources from Rosemount, but he had to ask. "I have two companions with the rest of the resources who should be coming this way. One from Cloudspire and one from Rosemount. Is there any chance they've been here already?"

Talndim gave a wry chuckle. "Not that long ago I met the most suspicious woman I've ever seen, trying to get in and making a similar offer. Sorry to say I told her off and she left."

"Damn. Which way di-"

"I say 'the most suspicious woman I've ever seen' and you assume it's your ally?"

Yeah, that sounded like Omilaena. "I'll vouch for her, but we have to find her first. Which way did she go?"

It seemed that Omilaena had headed northeast into the Water Union, presumably to scout or try to intercept their routes. He was irritated that she hadn't waited, but honestly more irritated that she wasn't there. But for now, he traveled with Inafay and the Tonjin brothers, so he didn't mind so much. Everything seemed to be improving until he saw Inafay's expression.

"Northeast, as in toward the Southern Water Palace?" she asked. "That's where we need to go next."

"So that's a nice coincidence?" Kai asked, knowing it wouldn't be.

"Not at all. Our next assignment is to deal with the Prince of Tides before he can start a war."