PreCursive

  It had been three days now since on train had left Sancthaven, and acc to Grey, we were making good time. Our destination was a good-sized mining town in the mountainous equatorial region of the ti named Silvercrest. From what the Agent had told us, there were elements of the Uprising waiting there to receive the former hostages that we were esc.

  Speaking of, they were doing all right so far. Sure, there were pints about the bumpy nature of the ride, but nothing serious. I didn’t bme the kids for pining too much, as, well, you know. Children. But it was a little funny that some of the adults were a bit huffy about their aodations. , guys. You were just locked up in a prison cell not too long ago. I got the impression that some of them had never experienced much hardship in life.

  They’d survive a bit of a rocky terrain.

  Hell, it was worse on the driver's bench. After the first day, my ass went pletely numb. I still didn’t feel it.

  Either way, there weren’t many of the adults in the first pce. There were a total of thirty-six former hostages that we were esc, and only about seven of those had been full-grown adults. The rest ranged from ages as low as seven, all the to around sixteen. The teens had actually impressed me. They had really stepped up to help manage and take care of the younger ones.

  Today we had officially entered into the barest reaches of the Duchy of Helstein, which the town of Silvercrest resided in. Our surroundings had been gradually ging on the drive, with the vegetation thinning out. By noere definitely in a mountainous desert region. Pretty high elevation too, I think. I’d noticed the air being a bit thihese weren’t old, friendly-looking mountaiher. The sharp, bdelike spires of distant mountains domihe horizon. They looked mean, treacherous, and more likely to shank you than wele you. From the barest amount of geology I’d learned in school, I guessed that this range was very young.

  Still, they made food view.

  For now, the day’s drive had ended. We’d set up camp in the shadow of a nearby hill and built a boo stave off the encroag fall chill. I wasirely certaihe seasons ged on Vereden, but it sure felt like it was about to be winter on this p. I shivered and scooted a bit closer to the fire.

  We’d already had our dinner from the rations that came with the wagons. They weren’t anything special, just like the wagons themselves, but it was at least something to fill the belly with. I was starting to get a bit tired now though. I don’t think I was the only one. Most of the people I knew, including a majority of my panions, had already bedded down for the night. However, I’d been chosen for the first watch tonight. Venix used to take on all caravan guard duties, but…

  The Antium man was still atose, resting in Grey’s wagon.

  I’d just have to take Honoka’s word that he was going to be fine.

  I was startled out of my introspe by the sound of someotio me. Looking over, I found that it was Woodrick, holding a ed package of some kind under his right arm. The normally fident Sculpted gave me a wan smile.

  I…hadn’t actually spoken much to Woodrick. He might be part of our collective leadership with Grey and Honoka, but the guy had beey solemn since Caer Drarrow. My guess was the death of Aurum was weighing heavier on him than it did the rest of us. Presumably, he had known the golden Sculpted much lohan I had.

  “A good night,” Woodrick said quietly, breaking the silenear us. He o the horizon, where Elys was dispying a waning crest moon. “Did you know, the Sculpted have a particur retionship with the moon?”

  I turo face him with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah? What do you mean?”

  Woodrick leaned ba his palms, still gazing out at Elys. “Beyond the fact that everyone knows Grey has some kind of retionship with Elys, it was the first thing that most Sculpted saw. The Sed Initialization happe night, you know? Instead of being essentially born uhe warm glow of the sun, the Sculpted came to be uhe silver light of a full moon.”

  “But not yht? You were already aware by that time. Aurum,” I said, pausing for a moment before tinuing. “Aurum told me that you were already fighting for Sculpted independence by the time of the Sed Initialization.”

  Woodrick’s eyes flickered my way at the mention of the deceased. heless, he nodded. “Yeah. While Sylvia might have been the first of us to e to in old Grey’s tower, I was the sed. I’m roughly a year youhahough. I was…owned by a kindly old farming couple up north around Hollow Hill. They were pretty shocked when I suddenly started speaking back to them, you know.” He ughed at something, not expining.

  Still, I could imagine. I chuckled as well.

  “Still,” Woodrick sighed. “I…didn’t e over here to talk about old times. I came about Aurum.”

  I sat up straighter. “What about him?”

  Woodrick gazed down at the package resting on his p. “Funny enough, Aurum in particur loved the mooe being so gold and bright, he loved the hue of oonlight. In fact,” He said, looking up and leaning in with a sudden mischievous grin. “He used to have a little crush on Sylvia, you know? We think he might have been one of the first Sculpted to develop eveing romantic feelings.” He ughed lowly, before his grin faded. His gaze fell on the package again. He ha to me with a mencholy look on his woodeures. “I want you to have this.”

  I took it, fused. I was surprised at how heavy the ed package was. Meeting Woodrick’s eyes briefly, I looked down and undid the twine holding it closed. Brushing the cloth away, I felt my breath hit my chest at what was revealed to my eyes.

  Lying in the package were two bars of solid gold, shining uhe light of the bonfire.

  It couldn’t be…

  I carefully set the package down before looking back up at Woodrick. “Is this…?” I didn’t even want to finish the sentence, in case it was offensive.

  heless, Woodriodded. “It is. I learhat your friend Azarus was an aplished smith back with the pirates, and asked for his assistance. I…don’t suppose you’re familiar with Sculpted funerary traditions?”

  “I didn’t even know you guys had any,” I said with wide eyes, gng back down at the bars of gold.

  “Well, we do. Obviously, they’re young, but it’s arisen i years among the endless flict. Let’s be ho here,” Woodrick ughed mirthlessly. “Sculpted aren’t flesh. Most of us aren’t made of things that are going to rot easily. We’re made from materials that are useful in other circumstances. Unlike you fleshies, we don’t believe in being buried or cremated or eve out to sea. We want to be useful in some manner, even after our passing.”

  I blinked rapidly in shock.

  “Upon the death of a Sculpted, we generally request that our bodies are…processed for the raw materials. Then, those materials are distributed to the rades of the departed. I’m not sure if you know this, but the materials that Sculpted are made from bee highly mystically charged. Perfect for crafting. We ask that they use those materials with their Professions to create something useful. This way, the recipient is both geing Impact for their own adva, and so they have something to help protect them. It’s our way of looking out for those we leave behind,” Woodrick finished solemnly.

  Oh.

  I see.

  I looked back down at the solid bars of gold that Woodrick had gifted me, wrought from the corpse of Aurum. God…

  This was so morbid.

  “Look,” I said to Woodrick, unfortable. “I…appreciate it, but I’m not sure Aurum would have wanted me to have this. You see-” I expio the curious wooden man how Aurum had grown almost frightened of me during the fighting in Caer Drarrow.

  Still, Woodrily shook his head with a sigh. “Don’t worry about it,” He said, g me on the shoulder. “Seriously. Aurum was…a very i soul, despite the flict he found himself embroiled in. It was a sistent issue with him. He was unfortable with the realities and brutalities of war, but didn’t generally hold grudges against people. I’m sure if he had survived, you would have been able to patch things up with him.”

  If he had survived.

  I took a deep breath and Woodrick. “All right. Okay. If you’re sure. But, uh,” I trailed off for a moment, distracted by the shine of the gold for a moment. “I…have no idea what to use this for.” Not that I to making anything right now. My crafting had kind of fallen to the wayside with the loss of my arm. I’d found that I could still do it, of course. Aetherial Melding didn’t really he use of both arms. I just…hadn’t been in a very creative mood.

  Even though I really o repce my spare retractable spear. I hadn’t been able to find it in the ruins of Caer Drarrow.

  Woodrick chuckled. “It’s fine. I don’t expect you to jump up and begin crafting anytime soon. I know you have more pressing s,” He said, nodding at the stump of my left arm. “Just keep it in mind. All I ask is that you don’t simply sell it off.”

  No problem there. I’d feel like a monster if I did that.

  Woodrick didn’t leave after that. He kept me pany during my watch for the rest of the night.

  It was…nice.

  The day, we finally reached the town of Silvercrest.

  It was built at the base of a particurly tall mountain that stretched up high into the sky. If I squinted my eyes, I could eves snoed peak.

  Hah, okay. I got it.

  The town itself retty rge. Bigger than anything I’d seen ial, it still wasn’t as sprawling as Rhoscara. It hugged the base of the mountain, even crawling a good amount up the face of it. It was a rugged town, without any particurly tall buildings. Instead, the tallest structures iown were from smokestacks, billowing coal-bck smoke into the air. Everything else in Silvercrest looked to be squat and funal, to my eyes.

  If I’m being ho, the town itself was a bit…shall we say, utilitarian. Even Marrowmist had been more charming to my eyes than this pce. I’d been expeg a better-looking town than this, from a-sounding name like ‘Silvercrest’.

  At least the mountains were o look at.

  At the sight of the town, Grey had called a halt ton train. Those of us who were driving the train had jumped down from our be Grey’s gesturing and approached him. When I reached him, Grey was the town with a far eye.

  “Ah-hah!” He excimed in satisfa. He motioned for me to take it from him, pointing to the gates of Silvercrest. I took the device from him and looked through it.

  Outside the gates, I could see a small encampment of soldiers. Flying above the camp was the blue and white fg of the Uprising.

  I lowered the far eye and gnced over at Woodrick who had joined us. “Looks like you’re linking up with yuys soon.”

  Woodrick’s wooden brow raised in surprise, accepting the far eye from me. He looked through it himself. “Look like it,” He said in satisfa.

  “It appears that Ageon was correct, then,” Grey said. “Silvercrest should be safe to approach. e. The Uprising awaits us, in the shadow of Mt. Helgar.”