The day's light was fading when Parker finally made it to the Air Altar. The rings of flowers were lit underneath the endless purple sunset that stretched overhead. It almost looked like an entirely different scene. The only part that looked identical was the golden altar and the silver crystal that hovered over it.

  Parker hesitated, remembering the crystal-thing that had chased them through the woods. The column of crystal at the core had been a different color than the crystal hovering over the altar. The column of crystal had absorbed energy from the surroundings where the crystal over the altar radiated it out. Even reminding themselves of those facts, Parker still approached slowly.

  When they were closer, it looked like the sunset was reflected off the silver crystal. It took on a fiery orange and purple that mimicked the day's dying light. Parker opened the canvas pouch and carefully placed the four seedpods into the golden bowl.

  Nothing happened.

  Parker wondered if they had missed some vital instruction. They reached for the bowl again, to look for another readable phrase hidden in the finer text. Just before their fingers touched the bowl, a weak thrum of power radiated from the crystal.

  It was nothing like the chord that was struck when the other Gamblers offered up their goblins. Since the pressure was weaker, Parker was able to see what happened. The seedpods evaporated into wisps of silver energy that floated up into the air to the crystal.

  A soft clink filled the plateau as a single, faded copper coin fell into the golden bowl. Parker smiled as they picked it up. The overwhelming presence that someone was watching them came back. Parker knew there were no other Gamblers nearby watching. The feeling was arcane and it felt like something was wondering why they were pleased.

  Parker didn't respond but they did bow in gratitude to the crystal above the altar before leaving. It wasn't much of an elemental coin. The copper was tarnished, the symbol of air on the coin's face was incomplete, and it felt half-hollow. Still, it was enough for Parker. More importantly, it was proof.

  Following that success, Parker made a grave mistake. When they returned to the bayside town, their encounter in the woods came back to mind. Parker tried to find any information they could about the crystal-thing that had haunted their energy. In the process, they tipped their hand too far.

  Balan's house was closed, lights out and no one answered when Parker knocked. That led Parker down toward the pier, where they stopped in to talk with Aaron at the tavern.

  Aaron was happy to share information, and coffee, with Parker. The tavern was bustling with activity and Parker had to wait patiently to get enough information to actually learn anything. Each tidbit was shared in turn as Aaron helped nearby patrons and had a chance to stop for a few seconds to talk with Parker.

  Parker was able to learn about a smith nearby who could do something with the elemental coin that Parker had earned. Aaron did mention that it seemed off from the usual coins, but nothing on these islands was truly unusual anymore.

  Aaron was also able to shed light on the crystal-thing that Parker had encountered. It was called a Sprite and it was the weakest pure elemental being in the archipelago. Gamblers hunted them for offerings and they were considered a rare but surefire way to get a pure elemental coin.

  That was when Parker had tipped their hand. A nearby Gambler overheard where Parker had seen the Sprite and before midnight, that Gambler had successfully hunted it down. While Parker was still chatting with Aaron at the bar and coming up with a way to pay for the information as well as the coffee, the Gambler offered up the Sprite at the Air Altar.

  Aaron had agreed to let Parker help around the tavern as payment, but he made sure that Parker knew it was a one-time deal. While Parker was clearing tables and cleaning dishes, the Gambler made their way to an office by the pier and bought passage to the next island with the silver coin they got from offering the Sprite.

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  Finally, as Parker was leaving the tavern to look for the smith that Aaron had mentioned, the Gambler started to feel guilty about what they had done.

  At the smithy, Parker learned that the copper coin was far weaker than usual and couldn't make any sort of helpful enchantment. Still, they were able to trade it for several vials of copper shavings. That was fine for Parker for now. They were almost out of food and needed the vials as currency to get more.

  It wasn't until the next morning when Parker was headed to the gym to do an even lighter workout that they learned about their mistake.

  The other Gambler had been looking for Parker nearly all night. They blocked Parker's path with a sullen, tired glare. Parker did not recognize them and tried to go around. The Gambler adjusted the heavy pack on their back and said, "Excuse me, are you Parker?"

  Parker nodded.

  "My name is Leon… I was in the tavern last night."

  Parker nodded again, trying to think of why the Gambler approached them. "Did you forget something there? I don't actually work there. I was just helping a friend."

  Leon shook his head. "No, no, I was there when you were talking about the Sprite."

  Parker's heart sunk a few inches and was prodded by their ribs.

  Leon continued, "I've been on this island for a few months now and I hadn't had any luck hunting goblins... When I heard about the Sprite, I left without thinking. I found it pretty quick and it was a pure offering. I couldn't help but feel like I poached your link through."

  Parker shook their head. The dull prodding at their heart solidified into slight despair. "That's okay. It's okay. I wasn't able to hunt it anyway. I had it right there and I just ran."

  Leon frowned. "If you say so..."

  That was when Parker asked a question that seemed to break the awkwardness between them. "You said that you were stuck here for months. Are you able to move on now that you got the pure Blessing of Wind?"

  Leon nodded with a slight smile. "My ticket is for later this morning. That's why I wanted to find you. Even if you said it was okay, I still feel awful about it. Not awful enough to give up my ticket, you understand?"

  Parker nodded. "Of course."

  Leon smiled, "Right. I can't give you any gear or vials to repay my poaching but I can give you some advice."

  Parker nodded slowly. Advice was exactly what they needed.

  Leon said, "to me, it seems like you're avoiding something. From what the others were talking about, you've only been here for a little bit, but you haven't really tried anything yet. You won't get anywhere staying here. Find one of the camps in the woods. The Gamblers there are more willing to share as long as you help out."

  Parker had a hundred questions but, in the distance, they saw that same metallic ferry from their first day on this island. That was Leon's ride to the next island. Instead of holding him up, Parker thanked him, and they parted ways.

  With a new slew of worries in their mind, Parker went into the community gym and was glad that no one else was up this early. This workout was barely more than stretching and warming up, but Parker didn't want to overdo it and lose the morning like yesterday.

  The rest of the morning was spent studying the flowers of the hillside. At first, they had been solely concerned with the tuftbulbs but now they noticed others. There were buttercups, nettles, and dandelions of windswept varieties dotting the hillside in tight clusters. Parker also found some natural growths of the lettuce and cabbage that they had been eating.

  With each cluster, Parker could tell the difference between normal plants and the odd ones. Dandelions didn't hold the energy of the island in the way that the tuftbulbs did. Most of the lettuce did not hold any of the energy either, but Parker was able to find a few growths that did. They harvested one carefully, but as soon as it was removed from the ground, the energy leaked up to the sky.

  Parker was partially disappointed but also relieved that it didn't get immediately pulled in by a Sprite. Even if a Sprite was supposed to be an easy ticket, Parker had no idea how to deal with them. At least the lettuce seemed healthy enough to eat, so even without the energy, Parker still stowed it in a pouch for later.

  While there was no great revelation, Parker did learn that the island had two categories of plants. Some plants fed off the island's energy, using it as a food source, like the tuftbulbs. Then some plants fed off more natural resources like the soil and the sun. These were the dandelions and lettuces. While they pulled energy from the island, it was more like a contaminant, not their primary food source. It wasn't earth-shattering but it was a difference. It seemed that some of nature drew on the island's energy as if it were a Blessing itself. Parker wondered if that was what made an offering valuable to the altar.