The night went by in a flash in the company of friends. All four of them passed out in the clubhouse and were awakened by Thyra the next morning when she couldn't find Forde in his hut. The next few days breezed by and Forde and Rune went out to test the flight suit one final time.
Sandstorm and Spikethorn glided high above the open sea. The water below sparkled in the sunlight, Thunderdrums travelled in their tens up ahead and the sky didn't have a cloud in sight.
"Not a cloud in the sky. The best conditions for our little test" Rune said.
he had his Sand Wraith inspired helmet on, the housing of the leather flaps on the side of his trousers and the fin mounted on his back. The contraption to activate it was mounted on his chest for ease of access.
"Agreed. With this fine weather, you should fly without any hitches"
Sandstorm cooed in agreement as Spikethorn let out a short chirp.
"Here goes"
Rune pushed his weight to the right side of his body as he slid of his saddle. Rune fell off and began his descent; his heartbeat increased and so did his breathing. It was a normal reaction as he still wasn't used to flight without his dragon. But would still be the person to enter a vertical dive and pull up in the last moment like it was a regular Tuesday.
After falling for about fifty meters, he finally pulled on the flaps, increasing the surface area of his body for the wind to act upon and caused his body to lift up. Rune got up into the air as he began to glide, he quickly hit the button on his chest as the fin extended from his back. Forde watched him closely as he began the next phase.
Rune moved from side to side, trying to feel out the effect of the fin to see if he would wobble like last time. The suit held firm, it didn't wobble like last time, and he didn't lose his balance or anything. Everything felt okay.
"Forde!!" Rune called out.
His friend rushed to his side to wait for his judgment.
"It works. I feel perfectly balanced. I didn't have to hold my breath and pray when making those turns"
"Woohoo!!" Forde screamed. "I guess the next phase is to work on building more. Make a few improvements here and there"
"Yep. But we're still going to tell the others that we are in the testing phase. I don't want unnecessary pressure on our backs for now"
The two chuckled between themselves as Sandstorm came to pluck Rune out of the air.
Back from their testing, the group assembled themselves together after breakfast in the clubhouse for a little briefing. The boys knew about the meeting in detail but not much had been discussed with Vyra or Thyra. Rune gave them a summary about what had happened during the meeting and the new course for the team.
"So guys, this brings me to a new task we have to take up"
"Hit us with it" said Sten, confidently.
"Well, when we hit the hunter's routes, they will eventually change their course"
"Meaning?" questioned Vyra.
"Meaning that we would have to do more exploration missions to find out where they are hiding"
"Exploration missions? Like going out, finding new islands and places type of exploration?" Forde asked as well.
"Yes, pretty much but to discover routes and encampments. Like the whole crimson Goregutter issue would've been avoided if we had discovered the island first" he added.
The whole team stopped and looked at one another, they each exchanged glances and then looked back at their leader.
"Is anything the problem?" Rune asked. He wasn't sure whether they liked the idea or not, or if it felt like more work to them.
"When do we start?!" Virgil exclaimed.
"To be honest, I was getting bored of this island. Let's go see the world" Vyra chipped in.
"I can't wait to explore and see dragons in their natural habitats. What if we discover new islands, a new species, or a hybrid dragon?" Forde fantasized.
"This is going to be exciting. We need to stock up. We are going to be on the road for a while" said Thyra.
"I'm not going to lie Rune, that's going to do us some good" Sten said, walking up to him as the others spoke to one another with joy. "The whole foiling ships and stuff was becoming routine. The Goregutter situation was a good eye opener. This whole exploration would be a good change of pace" he said giving Rune a light pat on his shoulder.
Rune nodded, his words were reassuring. "I figured. We did say we wanted to take on the world ourselves. It's going to really test us but home will always be home. Let's hope not to stay too long away from the Edge though. The hunters could cease that opportunity and deal a huge blow" rune added.
"Sure. We are all up for it"
With the meeting adjourned, people were preparing for the long trips they were going to have. A quick trip to the northern markets was already talked about. Vyra cornered Rune by the side of the clubhouse to have a little chat with him.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Well Rune, with all these expeditions ahead of us, I was thinking that you might need to change your look" she suggested.
"Huh?" he was totally confused.
"We might meet new people who have heard stories of you. You need to look presentable, royal, respectable"
"What is wrong with what I wear?"
"I mean it's okay… for field purposes, combat and all but not something that would get heads turned. I was thinking of doing a little shopping for you in the markets. That's apart from our supply run"
"Vyra, I don't know. I like the way I dress. It's me, I'm not pretending to be anyone. I just want to be myself-"
Vyra placed her hand on his cheek and cut in. "Rune trust me on this. You're going to need it. I won't do anything over the top, I promise"
The two locked eyes as her finger gently stroked his cheek. His resolve turned to wax in her gaze as he gave in to her suggestion.
"Okay. Nothing crazy okay?"
"You got it babe"
Vyra gave him a quick kiss on her cheek and walked of happily. Sten watched the whole thing from a distance and couldn't help but sigh. He shook his head and walked off; it was as if she had him on a leash. She had buttons she could press and he bends to her will.
Within an hour, Rune, Vyra, Thyra and Forde were all ready to go. Sten and Virgil were staying back to keep an eye on things just in case.
"Be careful out there" said Virgil.
"Make sure not to buy anything overpriced. Always bargain with those filthy traders you hear me? Always negotiate the price with them!" Sten echoed as they took to the skies.
Virgil turned to him with a raised eyebrow after his emphatic cry.
"What? Traders can be very deceitful and scumbags. You have to take the price down or they'll make a fortune of you"
Virgil smiled and shook his head.
The four riders arrived on the island where the Northern Markets was and landed on the far side of the island. Their dragons were kept hidden in the trees and bushes until they came back. The place wasn't very welcoming of dragons.
"Be good Rampage. We will be back soon" Thyra assured her dragon.
The four walked into the market with stalls and traders all around. It was fairly busy, traders trying to attract buyers with their calls.
"We all have our lists. Thyra and Forde, you're on the food and the essentials. Vyra and I are on clothes, and miscellaneous"
The four split into two and they went their separate ways. Thyra and Forde walked together, with Forde's head buried in the list. Her eyes were fixed on him as he they walked, thoughts filling her head on what could be.
'The two of us on a walk alone. It feels romantic, almost like a date. Is this a date? No, no, no. It's not official' she thought.
"Fruits, veggies, a chicken? Hmmm. I think we can get it all in one go. Don't you think?"
"What? Yes, yes, yes" Thyra said, Forde's words breaking her train of thought.
As they walked, Forde stopped in his tracks as he spotted something. He walked up to the stall and they were selling lamps. Forde was sucked in, he needed one for his bedside. He looked at the samples; the trader had to offer and narrowed his options down to two.
"Which do you think looks better?" Forde asked Thyra.
"I think you look better?"
"What?"
Thyra realized what she had said. She was too focused on him that she didn't know when her thoughts slipped out of her mouth.
"I mean the golden one looks better" she said nervously as she cast her gaze elsewhere. Not the ideal situation at all.
Rune and Vyra had already acquired some items off their list. They had purchased arrows for Virgil, two sharpening stones for Rune and Sten, papers, pencils, and other essentials. The next items to tick off were clothes, Vyra's strong suit. Before they could embark on a shopping spree for her partner, they had to get some coats cloaks for cold regions. Then they could move on to their side quest.
Vyra picked out cloaks and coats based on the criteria the others presented and they looked fine and fashionable in Rune's eyes. As long as it did the job, he didn't care what it looked like. As long as there were no holes or tears, he was good.
"Okay Runy, that's everything essential. Now it's time for your shopping" she said with a little chuckle.
"Great" he wheezed.
Both his arms were already full with things and now they had to get more. His arms were killing him. Vyra hit the shops, humming a tune as she had Rune try out different tunics, furs, boots, rings, decorated metal clasps and even a belt. Rune was highly uncomfortable but went with it anyway, anything to make her happy. Thankfully, her budget couldn't everything her eyes saw, he was saved in a sense.
"I think these are enough for now" she said grinning.
"You think?" he said, his tone laced with exhaustion.
By the time the two made it back to their dragons, Forde and Thyra had been waiting for them for over an hour. Her shopping spree went a bit too far.
"Took you long enough" Forde said with some annoyance.
"Those bags look a bit too much for what was on the list" Thyra said with some suspicion.
"Don't worry about it. This is coming from my purse, not the team's" Vyra assured.
"If you say so"
Sandstorm gave Rune a worried rumble, seeing how tired he was. Rune could only fake a smile for him to show that he was okay. He needed to rest after this. They loaded they good onto their saddles and ensured that their ropes were well secure. It would be a waste to lose anything as they travelled.
By the time they arrived back on the Edge, the sun had set. Sten and Virgil had grown weary of their absence. What promised to be a short trip to the market took far longer than expected. They were both relieved when they saw them approaching, but they still wanted to know what took them so long.
"I'm glad you all are in one piece, safe and sound" Virgil said as they dismounted their dragons.
"I hope you didn't overspend. And I want to believe that you gave those traders a good run for their money" Sten emphasized.
"Bro, what's it with you and not spending too much on them traders?" Virgil asked with genuine concern.
"What? I'm frugal when it comes to money. I really don't like overpaying for things" Sten admitted. "In other news, what took you guys so long?"
"Us? We were done with our list within an hour. You should ask those two lovebirds" Forde said, pointing at Rune and Vyra.
Rune and Vyra looked at themselves a bit awkwardly. All they could fester up, were some nervous chuckles.
"I knew it. Both of you would go and do some couple's shopping" Sten accused.
"It's not what you think" Rune said jumping to their defense.
"Save it. As long as you gut what we needed it's fine"
"It's not our fault. Some of those traders were hard to negotiate with. It took forever to strike a deal with them" Vyra said.
"Yeah, and you were the one that told us to negotiate on everything. You gave us instructions and we obliged. Unless you don't want us to get good deals anymore?" Rune joined in.
Both he and Vyra had turned the tables on Sten and pushed the narrative in their favor.
"Well, I wouldn't know they'd be that tough to deal with did I?"
"Forgive us for trying to save some extra cash just as you asked" said Vyra.
Sten took a long hard stare at both of them. The two shared glances at one another before their gaze returned to Eruptor's rider. He huffed and turned away, there was no way he could win that argument. Rune and Vyra looked at one another and chuckled, the whole thing was amusing to them and they enjoyed how things went in the end.
The goods were unloaded and dispersed among themselves before dinner was eaten. Tomorrow would mark the beginning of their expedition campaign into the unknown.