Varian slowly leaned out from the mouth of the alleyway, scanning the street beyond for any sign of the city watch. According to Yong, there were more of them on patrol than usual thanks to the festival, which made returning to the inn that much more difficult. He had his eyes on two of the watch who were walking away from the inn towards the centre of the city, waiting until they'd rounded a corner before breaking cover and trying to look inconspicuous as they approached the inn. It was difficult to do thanks to the various scorch marks that each of them had collected through the trial, but he supposed in Bayangor, it wasn't that uncommon of a sight as no one really gave them a second glance. He sent Yong around to the stable to collect Prometheus and Ruddiger while he hurried inside and told the exhausted-looking man at the front desk, 'I'm really sorry but I'm going to have to check out early. Something's come up and-'
The man waved off his excuses, clearly too tired to care and silently held out his hand for Varian's room key. In moments he and Yong were back on the road, hastening away from the city before they could be stopped, quickly disappearing amongst the forest. Varian led them off the road some distance until he was satisfied no one would accidentally happen upon them before sitting down heavily against one of the trees, pulling out his mother's journal to where he had left off after the fire trial.
'What's that?' Yong asked quietly, clearly sensing Varian's dark mood.
'My mother's journal,' Varian explained quietly, 'I'm using it as a kind of guide to these trials.'
Yong leaned over his shoulder to look down at it curiously and Varian saw no need to hide it from him at this point. Yong knew exactly what Varian was doing out here.
'What language is that?' he asked.
'It's encoded,' Varian explained, pulling out his notebook to begin working on the next section, 'I guess she wanted to make sure that no one else could try to finish the trials before her. Smart...'
Yong fell silent, looking guilty before he muttered, 'I'm really sorry, Varian. If I'd been faster with those pedestal things we could have made it to the totem before that guy.'
Varian gave him a surprised glance. 'You don't have anything to apologise for! You were brilliant in there, Yong. I wouldn't have gotten out of there alive if you hadn't been with me. I should really be thanking you.'
Yong looked at him disbelievingly. 'You mean it?'
'Of course! Don't beat yourself up over it. We'll get some rest tonight and I'll figure out where the next trial is and we'll head out tomorrow morning. It'll be fine.'
Looking supremely relieved, Yong beamed and started to unpack Varian's camping supplies from Prometheus' saddlebags while Varian set about lighting a fire and getting some food prepared. Despite their failure to retrieve the totem, he was starting to feel more optimistic with a full stomach and warm fire chasing away the shadows. But that all came crashing down a few hours after Yong had passed out on Varian's bedroll as he translated the passage after his mother's completion of the fire trial.
"It turns out the order in which we complete these trials is actually the most important part. The totem we collected is essential to completing the rest of them, at least that's what Donnie thinks. We've worked out the next trial is in Galcrest so I guess we need to bundle up!"
Varian's heart dropped. They needed that totem. Without it, they couldn't complete any of the other trials. This quest was over before it had really even begun.
Hugo watched the two camping out in the trees, tossing the totem between his hands as he tried to figure out a way to approach without raising even more suspicion than he undoubtedly already would. Cyrus had just passed on Donella's latest orders, and now he was expected to not only return the totem to them, but also find a way to join them? He was furious at Donella for even putting him in this situation; if she'd wanted these two to have the totem, why bother sending Hugo out to steal it right in front of them? And now he was supposed to convince them he wasn't just some thief, but was wanting to join them to help them with the rest of the trials?
He grimaced. He'd always worked better alone. Other people were a liability thanks to their penchant for betraying him at the first opportunity. Though these two seemed to be a problem on the other side of the spectrum. They were too soft, always putting themselves at risk to help the other. He'd seen it first hand in that fire trial. Hugo was sure each of them had some ulterior motive that he just hadn't figured out yet, but that might be giving them way too much credit. They clearly hadn't experienced the darkness of the world, likely having grown up in a cushy home with big families that loved them dearly. Urgh.
Hugo leaned back, deciding against approaching them tonight. That Coronan was still up and reading from that book he always had on hand and he didn't trust him not to immediately attack if Hugo made himself known. He'd wait until tomorrow when he could properly turn on his signature charm to put them at ease. It always worked.
Varian woke up to Yong's arm smacking him in the face and he grumbled, pushing him away as he tried to go back to sleep. But the movement was enough to wake Ruddiger who was immediately awake, pawing at Varian to beg for his breakfast as he did every morning.
'Urgh, Ruddiger!' Varian groaned, trying to push him away, but he was persistent when it came to food. It was the whole reason they were camping out in the woods and not in a cosy Bayangorian inn right now.
When Ruddiger began nibbling on his fingers, he finally sighed and sat up, glaring down at his attempt at an innocent smile.
'You're seriously hungry? After everything you stole last night?'
Ruddiger didn't look guilty in the slightest, clasping his hands together in a begging motion that had Varian's grinning despite himself and rolling off of his bedroll to face the day. Yong was still passed out, splayed out like a starfish and taking up the majority of the space in Varian's tent and he made a note to buy some more camping supplies at the next opportunity. He was quickly coming to love the kid, but he needed his space. Outside, a thick morning dew covered everything outside, including Prometheus who didn't look impressed as he swung around to face Varian.
'I know, I'm sorry,' Varian said quietly, stroking his muzzle, 'But this little thief made sure we couldn't stay in the city overnight.'
Ruddiger hung his head but his shame only lasted until Varian began preparing breakfast, the smell coaxing Yong from his sleep.
'So what's the plan?' Yong asked as they ate.
Varian sighed, unsure himself. 'I don't really know. Mom's journal says the next trial is in Galcrest which is fine, but... it also says we need the totem to complete it. We can't keep going without it.'
Yong froze, looking shocked. 'But... we worked so hard.'
'I know,' Varian muttered back, 'But sometimes life doesn't really care about how hard you work for something.'
Yong flinched and he immediately felt bad. 'Sorry. I'm just frustrated. But that guy seemed to know what he was doing, and he had alchemy as well which means he's probably got a workstation somewhere. If he's a well-known thief, we might be able to track him down. We should check the noticeboards back in the city and see if anyone's heard of him. We might get lucky.'
It wasn't much of a plan, but it was all Varian could come up with. He wasn't just going to slink home and admit defeat. If he had to, he'd search all of the Seven Kingdoms until he found that totem again, or march straight into Galcrest and force the second trial to comply with him. He turned away as Yong processed this, kicking dirt over the campfire and packing down his tent and bedroll.
'Yeah. Yeah, okay!' Yong exclaimed as they began to break camp. 'We'll hunt that guy down no problem! We can be detectives!'
'Some detectives if you can't even notice the person you're chasing is standing right behind you.'
Varian and Yong spun around, gaping in shock at the thief leaning against one of the trees with that same infuriating smirk as he raised an eyebrow at them. In an instant, Varian had his staff extended and ready to strike while Yong fumbled for his firecrackers. Even Ruddiger hissed, moving to crouch on Varian's shoulder. Only Prometheus looked indifferent, though that was the donkey's natural state regarding most things.
'You!' Varian snarled.
'Me!' the thief replied brightly.
'What are you doing here?' Varian continued, 'Come to steal more of our stuff?'
'Shockingly, no,' the thief replied, reaching into the satchel at his side and producing the totem he'd taken the night before. Varian's eyes widened at the sight of it before fixing back into a glare at the thief.
'Why are you here?' he demanded coldly, 'And don't try to sell us on some change of heart nonsense.'
'Fair enough. Here.'
He tossed the totem and Varian snatched it from the air, glancing at it to make sure it was the real thing and not a trap. But it did look like the totem the thief had taken from them last night. So why was he now returning it?
'Name's Hugo,' the thief continued, 'I uh... guess I should apologise for our less than stellar first meeting yesterday, huh?'
'Don't bother,' Varian shot back, 'I wouldn't believe it anyway.'
'Ouch. You're a feisty one. Look, I am sorry for taking that totem thing. I've just been researching the Trials of Demanitus for so long that when I finally got to this one and saw you guys already there, I kinda panicked. Not my proudest moment, I'll admit. But I overheard you talking about completing them as well and I did some thinking.'
'Was it hard?' Varian snapped and Hugo barked a laugh.
'You really are a tough one, I'll give you that. But I thought about how we might all have a better chance of completing the rest of these trials if we worked together rather than against each other. I'm all for the spirit of competition and stuff but in this instance, it's probably not the best idea.'
Varian absolutely didn't believe Hugo at all. There was something about the arrogant smile, the cocky way he spoke, even the nonchalant way he held himself, as if he was trying to put up a front to hide his true motivations. Varian had seen enough of it from Eugene, Lance, even Kiera and Catalina. And he knew not to trust it.
'No,' Varian snapped, shoving the totem into his satchel. Hugo gaped in shock.
'Wait, what? But I gave you the totem back!'
'Which you stole in the first place,' Yong pointed out.
'Point is, I want to help you out! You could use someone with my skillset.'
'And what's that? Stealing and stabbing us in the back?' Varian asked.
'Someone who knows their way around the Seven Kingdoms,' Hugo insisted, 'No offence, but you two don't look like you've spent all that much time away from home. I've seen what the world is really like and you both don't stand a chance.'
'I know plenty about what the world can be like,' Varian hissed, surprising even himself with the amount of venom in his voice, 'Don't act like you know anything about us. Now, we're leaving and you'd better not try to follow us.'
'Or what?' Hugo drawled.
Without warning, Varian drew a sticky trap and threw it straight at Hugo who made no move to avoid it. It exploded around him, pinning him securely to the ground, though he didn't look too put off by his new predicament.
'That's cute,' he said, 'But it won't take me long to get out of this.'
'Uh huh. Good luck with that.'
Varian took up Prometheus' reins and stalked away into the trees towards the road, Yong trailing behind him.
'I don't get it,' Yong muttered once they were out of earshot. 'Why did he give it back? If he wanted to do the trials himself, why didn't he just go to Galcrest?'
'He probably doesn't know where the next trial is,' Varian replied, keeping his voice low. 'I've met my fair share of thieves and conmen in my life. He's out for something, probably the Eternal Library or some other treasure. Trust me, the moment we let our guard down, he'd have stabbed us in the back.'
'Well that's hurtful.'
Varian yelped and spun around again, staring at Hugo standing only a few feet behind them, no sign of Varian's trap anywhere on him.
'How'd you get out?' he demanded and Hugo shrugged.
'That smoke bomb last night wasn't all I can do. You're not the only alchemist around here.'
He strode past them, ignoring Varian's glare and the glowing staff pointed at him. 'Now, I know the next trial is in Galcrest and I know I can beat you both there. I can either wait for you to get there, or we can travel together, but I promise it'd be safer for all of us if we stick together. The road between Bayangor and Galcrest is filled with bandits and thieves.'
'Friends of yours?' Varian asked.
'Fine, fine,' Hugo sighed, 'I can see you need some time to think on it. But I'd just like to point out that I didn't have to come back, you know. So you kinda owe me one.'
'You're only doing this for yourself,' Varian retorted, tugging Prometheus past him as Hugo stepped aside.
'Guess I'll meet you at Galcrest!' Hugo called after them.
'That didn't appear to go according to plan,' Cyrus commented after the two kids had turned the corner and disappeared from sight.
'That Coronan kid is stubborn, I'll give him that,' Hugo replied, 'But don't worry. We know they're heading to Galcrest next. I'll get in with them. Now you can tell Donnie she needs to stop micromanaging me when I do my job. If you want this to work, I can't have you popping up every five minutes to check on me.'
Cyrus glowered at him but seemed to silently concede his point.
'I'll meet you in Galcrest for an update. Don't keep me waiting.'
Hugo rolled his eyes as Cyrus turned back to Bayangor, leaving him alone on the road. Well, not completely alone. From his pocket, a small, mechanical squeak sounded and he looked down at Olivia crawled up onto his shoulder.
'That alchemist is gonna be a tough nut to crack,' Hugo commented to her, petting her bronze head with one finger. 'But no one can resist my charms forever.'
Varian knew the thief was following them, strolling along nonchalantly behind them whenever the road straightened out and making no attempt to hide his presence. Varian had Ruddiger watching him from Prometheus' back just to make sure he didn't try anything, while he constantly scanned their surroundings. He suspected the thief was driving them towards some kind of ambush, giving them the totem to lull them into a false sense of security. But the only people they saw were other travellers keeping to themselves as they passed.
When they stopped for lunch, the thief stopped too, settling down some distance away and snack on some kind of trail mix while seeming to converse with himself. No, that wasn't right. There was something shining in the sunlight on his shoulder. Hugo looked towards him and grinned and Varian glared back before turning away, pulling out Ulla's journal to keep working on the next step of their journey.
'Does it say where the trial is?' Yong asked quietly, conscious of Hugo's presence nearby.
'I'm working on it. She's just talking about the mountains right now. Looks like she tried to travel there in the winter and the passes were all closed off. But we should be okay at this time of year.'
'Wouldn't be too sure about that,' Hugo called striding over, 'Spring can be deadly in the mountains. Snow melts and avalanches are pretty common.'
'No one asked you,' Varian retorted, slamming his journal closed as Hugo looked down at it curiously.
'Just some friendly advice,' Hugo continued, continuing on the road ahead of them, 'You're not going to get very far under a few thousand tonnes of snow and ice.'
He waved as he left them behind and Varian considered charging after him if only to stop him from getting ahead, but quickly quelled his anger, opening the journal again.
'Is he telling the truth?' Yong asked nervously, 'Are avalanches a thing in Galcrest?'
Varian didn't know much about the water kingdom, only that it was one of the more isolated amongst the Seven Kingdoms due to the roads to access it being blocked off for at least four or five months of the year. They should be open now that the weather was warming, but Hugo might have a point. They'd need to be careful if they were going to avoid any avalanches.
'We'll be okay,' Varian assured him, 'There are towns on this side of the mountains anyway. If we have to, we can always wait until the roads are safer. Not like he can complete the second trial without the totem.'
Yong pondered for a moment before asking, 'Are we going to burn it? Like it was supposed to at the trial?'
Varian pulled the totem out of his back and examined it more carefully. The alchemical symbol for calcination was burned into the top of it, but he wasn't sure if he trusted himself to be able to do it properly without knowing the kind of temperatures needed or if the flames required a certain chemical fuel.
'We'll do some experiments tonight,' Varian finally said, 'We'll be able to see the flames better in the dark.'
That evening, the found another safe spot to camp out of sight of the road and Hugo promptly materialised from the shadows as Varian was unpacking Prometheus.
'Need a hand?' he asked and Varian glowered at him before turning away, deciding that maybe ignoring him would be the better choice. However, it did nothing to deter Hugo who flopped down next to the campfire Yong was constructing, giving him a crooked grin. He watched them both silently as Varian raised the tent and as Yong started the fire.
'Nice work, little man,' he said, looking down at the flames taking to the wood with gusto.
'Thanks!' Yong replied brightly before realising who he was talking to. 'Oh, I mean... Go away.'
'Nah,' Hugo said, 'I just love your sunny personalities too much. Right, Goggles?'
'Don't call me that,' Varian shot back.
'Fine. Hairstripe it is.'
'Or that,' Varian snapped.
'Well, what am I supposed to call you?'
'Nothing. You're not with us.'
'Well, Nothing, it kinda looks to me like I am. Sure, you could try to trap me again, but I'll just get out of it and keep following you. I'm not sure how much clearer I can be when I say that I'm working towards the same thing you two are. I've already apologised for taking the totem, so what'll it take for you to trust me?'
'A miracle,' Varian retorted, rounding on him, 'I know liars when I see one and you're the most obvious example I've ever seen. I don't know what you really want but I can guarantee it's not in our best interests. Now I've been nice in not trying to blow you up, But you're really testing my patience.'
'With those firecrackers? No offence, Shortstack.'
'No way, Varian's got way cooler explosives than me!' Yong replied and Varian shot him a stern look as he quickly snapped his mouth shut.
'Varian, huh?' Hugo asked with a grin, 'That's cute.'
Varian glared at him, pulling the vial of yellow powder from his armband.
'Ooh, was that too much?' Hugo asked, tensing slightly as Varian took a step towards him.
'Last chance,' Varian muttered darkly.
Hugo just grinned, on his feet in an instant, his own vial of chemicals in his hand.
'Guys!' Yong exclaimed, exasperated. 'Come on, I'm tired and hungry. Maybe we could try to get along?'
'With this guy?' Varian demanded, never taking his eyes off Hugo, mildly infuriated that he had to look up at him.
'Don't worry, I won't stab you in your sleep,' Hugo laughed.
'See, the fact that you're thinking about that is just another reason I don't trust you.'
Hugo huffed and finally turned away, moving to the far side of their little camp and sitting down against one of the trees.
'Happy now?' he asked.
'No,' Varian muttered but at least he was far enough away that he wasn't an immediate danger.
He put away his vial of sleep powder and turned back to the fire, starting to prepare a meal. He could feel Hugo watching his every move but steadfastly ignored him, trusting Ruddiger to warn him if he tried anything. But he couldn't help glance up as he was handing Yong a bowl of soup. Hugo had pulled out that pouch he'd been eating from earlier in the day full of trail mix, nothing close to a substantial meal. Varian couldn't help wondering if that was why he was so skinny, recalling how often he'd accidentally miss meals thanks to being distracted by his experiments. But he quickly shook himself, refusing to feel any kind of similarities to this stranger. It was only after they'd finished eating that Varian turned to the totem problem. He pulled it out and examined it for any clue but aside from the symbol on it, there was nothing.
'Does the journal say anything?' Yong asked quietly but Varian shook his head, already having checked it throughout the day.
'Looks like Mom and her partner let it burn in the trial,' he replied, 'Do you remember anything about that flame on the pedestal?'
Yong shrugged. 'Looked just like a normal flame to me. No colours like in fireworks.'
Varian glanced at their campfire then toyed with one of his Flynnoleum orbs. He knew it burned far hotter than a regular fire, but would it have any effect on the totem? Maybe black powder or some other source of fuel would be better.
'Let's just try it with the normal fire first,' Varian suggested, 'And if that doesn't work, we'll try something else.'
Yong nodded and Varian gingerly set the totem into the campfire, making Hugo frown at them across the camp.
'If I'd known you were just gonna burn it, I'd've kept it!'
'Shut up,' Varian retorted, 'If you hadn't taken it in the first place, we wouldn't have to be doing this.'
He turned back to the fire, squinting as he watched the totem amongst the flames. They were licking at its unremarkable brown surface, but nothing seemed to be catching. The calcination symbol was starting to glow which he took as a good sign, but that was all.
'I think it needs to be hotter,' Varian finally said, pulling the ingredients for his fire suppression foam from his gear. 'You wanna try black powder first?'
Yong nodded, quickly measuring out a small handful from his container, taking care not to let any spill over the fire. Varian nodded, pulling his goggles down. He prepared to activate his fire suppression in a second and Yong threw the black powder onto the fire. At once, the flames leapt upwards, turning a brilliant orange and white, sparks flying about into the air. Varian watched the totem as closely as he dared, the symbol shining brightly now. But it still didn't seem to be hot enough, the flames starting to die back again. With a sigh, Varian pulled a small orb of Flynnoleum from his bandolier and gestured to Yong to move back. Only once he was a safe distance away did Varian drop the orb into the flame, leaping backwards as it exploded into a pillar of green flames.
'What are you doing?' Hugo demanded, covering his face, but Varian ignored him, staring at the totem which had started to glow a brilliant red. Slowly, the fire burned back down and Varian stared at the totem which had changed right before his eyes. Moving gingerly, he pulled it from the fire and dropped it on the ground, staring at its new appearance. It looked like a strange, four-sided pyramid with its top cut off. There were intricate runes all along its surface that Varian recognised from Demanitus' writings. But what caught his attention most was the small orange gemstone that shone like a tiny flame at the top of the shape like a torch. He tentatively reached out, finding it already cool to the touch and turned it over in his hand. He tapped the gem and it moved, as it it was being held there by a magnetic force rather than being set in place. He slowly pulled it away and stared at it, trying to figure out what it was exactly. Yong moved closer and even Hugo dared to approach, looking intrigued.
'Looks like some kind of topaz or something,' Hugo commented and Varian was too distracted to bite back.
It was reminding him painfully of the black rock amber, but it almost appeared faceted. He longed to start conducting some experiments on it to try to figure out what it was, but he didn't dare for fear of damaging it or destroying it completely.
'So which one is the totem?' Yong asked, 'The little base piece or the mineral?'
'I'm not sure,' Varian admitted, 'I'll have to do some reading.'
He glanced towards Hugo who still looked fascinated by the whole thing before his face shifted back into that signature smirk as if to hide what he was really thinking. Varian scowled and shoved the two totem pieces into his satchel and pulled out Ulla's journal, resolved to at least get some more answers. To his credit, Yong tried to stay up and keep watch over Hugo, but within an hour, he was asleep next to the fire and Varian dragged his blanket over to lay over him. Hugo also appeared to be asleep, but Varian knew not to trust it. He reached for his sleep powder again and was about to tiptoe over when there was movement from Hugo's pocket. To his surprise, he realised he was looking at a small mechanical mouse that moved to perch on Hugo's shoulder, watching Varian with unblinking eyes. Ruddiger cocked his head curiously, starting to approach. But when he got within a few feet of Hugo, the mouse leapt down and squeaked angrily, startling him enough to race back to Varian with a hiss.
'Wouldn't try it,' Hugo mumbled, one eye cracking open, 'She's my little guard mouse. And she can be very protective.'
Varian looked away, trying not to marvel at the artificial creature. A completely autonomous robotic animal like that had to have taken years to figure out. It reminded him strongly of his own automatons, but even those hadn't acted on their own, requiring some kind of input from him to control. No, he refused to be intrigued or anything. There was no way this thief was smart enough to develop something like that. He had to have stumbled across some of Demanitus' designs or something, just like Varian had.
He finally put his journal away, casting one last distrusting look towards Hugo and his guard mouse before settling down with Ruddiger curled against his neck. Above him the stars were shining, not all that different to the ones he saw in Corona. And he fell asleep thinking of his home and the family he'd left behind.