Rebirth: Over the Horizon

Callia interjects before the bard can say anything rude. "We would be grateful to accept your offered hospitality, Chen Xi. I can see how you have earned your other title."

He smiles bashfully. "My other…ah. You've heard of that." He chuckles. "It's just something people came up with."

"I don't mind it, but it's just a nickname. I'm not sure I've properly earned the title."

Callia smiles. "Of course I have heard of Chen Xi the Generous. It is a name featured in many legends of the age."

"Generous, modest, and, if I recall correctly, a chef without peer. Would I be correct in guessing that Utheral, God of Hearth and Home, tasked you with climbing this mountain?"

Chen Xi looks at Callia with wide-eyed surprise. "Yes, yes he did. How in the world did you know that?"

Adam and his companions sit by the fire, providing introductions and telling the tales of the journeys thus far. Chen Xi seems content mostly to listen.

Tiara speaks little but confirms that she was instructed to climb the mountain by a vision sent from Methris, God of plants and trees.

Dannis, predictably, takes the longest, somehow managing an even more verbose and exaggerated telling of his story than the last time he heard it.

Chen Xi manages to look convincingly captivated throughout, even during the most blatantly boastful portions of the bard's tale.

"… And so, after saving us from the rampaging giant, we climbed the mountain and found your campsite. That brings us to now."

"How fascinating. The five of us were each chosen by a different deity to come to this place on this day."

"And you say the giant spoke of being chosen by Palindera? That's half of the Twelve. I wonder if the others…"

As if in answer to Chen Xi's unfinished question, the sound of metal scraping against stone comes from the cliffside below.

He trails off, and the entire group moves to the precipice's edge to look for the source.

Suddenly, a man rockets up the side of the cliff, reaching the campsite in an instant. He stands atop a bizarre metal contraption.

It is a strange coppery disc, belching smoke and flame from underneath.

It somehow seems able to propel the man upwards despite being completely disconnected from solid ground, hovering in midair.

'Is it a Drone?' Adam was not surprised, he has seen this many times in the real world.

The man himself wears a black cloak and hood, obscuring most of his features. He shoots a grin at the shocked group besides Adam. "Don't mind me. Just passing through."

"Stop! Thief!" A woman's voice can barely be heard, shouting from further down the cliff. "Somebody, stop him!"

Adam takes a look and glimpses a young woman desperately clawing her way up the cliffside. She wears a pair of goggles over her eyes.

"And that's my cue to leave." The cloaked man kicks at the metal disc. It wobbles but continues propelling him upwards.

"Anyone, please stop him."

'In this situation, I have to be a bit selfish.'

Adam catches the hooded man by surprise, grabbing him by the cloak and pulling him off the disc and onto the ledge.

As soon as his feet are pulled from the device it plummets, drained of whatever magic was keeping it aloft.

The woman with the goggles manages to snatch the disc as it falls near her. The thing must be lighter than it looks. "Thank you!" She calls out. "Keep him there, will you?"

The hooded man looks quite offended, squirming out of your grasp and frowning as he brushes off his cloak.

"Really now. This is just a misunderstanding. One which will cause all of us a wholly unnecessary delay."

Moments later, the woman with the goggles climbs onto the increasingly crowded ledge.

She has dark dusky skin and her hair is a mass of tight black curls.

She wears numerous leather belts over her clothes, each adorned with a variety of strange metal contraptions.

Adam was surprised to see a modern NPC in this medieval era.

The goggled woman marches over and glares at the hooded man. "Moron. Imbecile. Simpleton. Do you have any idea how foolish that was?"

Chen Xi steps between the two, smiling nervously. "Maybe this was just a misunderstanding? Whatever problem we have here, I'm certain we can work past it."

Callia glances sideways at him. "This man stole from her. Her response seems justified to me."

The goggled woman continues to fume. "This idiot stole an experimental prototype transportation device from me and attempted to use it without any sort of instruction or training."

"He could very easily have gotten himself killed. Or worse, he could have destroyed the device."

She cradles the disc protectively. "This took weeks to engineer."

The thief pulls back his hood, offering a smile he seems to think is very charming.

"Well, I wouldn't be much of a legendary thief if I just asked you for permission to borrow your little doodad, would I be?"

"Legendary thief?" Callia's eyes narrow. "Of course. The moustache should have been a giveaway. Pergia, the Shadow."

Pergia grins, stepping back and bowing. "I see my reputation does indeed precede me." He gives the goggled woman a grin.

"I suppose I owe you a little apology. I normally only deign to steal from royals, nobles, and others with more gold than sense."

"But please understand, I'm on a special mission from Elthnorn, God of Robbery and Trickery. I needed to ascend the mountain as quickly as possible."

"As I thought," Callia says, frowning. "More travellers brought here on quests from the Twelve."

She looks to the woman with the gadgetry. "It is the same with you, yes?"

The woman looks suspicious, but nods in answer. "I am Daedala, court inventor and architect of King Moros."

"Sillene, the goddess of Craft and Smithing ordered me to climb this mountain."

Chen Xi smiles. "How fortuitous. Well, if we are all here on the same quest, we should all enjoy a meal together. Please, we were just about to have soup."

It appears everyone is willing to take the old man's suggestion. Mountain climbing is hungry work after all.

But, there was someone who was very suspicious of this old man.

'Is he trying to take over the leadership and use them as a meat shield?'

It was naturally Adam.