《First Position》 A Conversation about Death, a Swordsmanship Lesson, and the start of a Lesson in Swordcraft ¡°Hey Rose?¡± ¡°Yeah Val?¡± ¡°What was it like, when you died?¡± ¡°Hmm. I didn¡¯t feel anything. Well that¡¯s not true, but I didn¡¯t feel the right things I don¡¯t think. I was still in full dive, so as far as I felt, I was just fighting a boss that I wandered into by accident and then mid-fight everything sort of went sideways.¡± ¡°Sideways?¡± ¡°Yeah. Um, I think that was my VR gear trying to comprehend the inputs my body was giving as I, um, breathed my last.¡± ¡°Do you know why you died?¡± ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t super unhealthy. I probably could¡¯ve stood to exercise more than I did or eat more ¡®actual food¡¯ as my mom would¡¯ve put it but all in all, I don¡¯t know why I died.¡± ¡°Then doesn¡¯t that mean that you could still be alive out there? Maybe you¡¯re just asleep!¡± ¡°Val. Buddy. I appreciate the sentiment, but I¡¯ve already been in here for like 8 years watching you grow up. I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m not getting back outta here.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t you miss your family?¡± ¡°I mean, I used to really miss them. Back when you were smaller and I couldn¡¯t talk to you I thought, every day, how much I wouldn¡¯t give to see Cecilia again, to hold her tight and never let go. To apologize to Mom for yelling at her that one time. Well, all those times. But I think I¡¯m moving on. And besides, I got you squirt. You¡¯re my family now, right?¡± ¡°Yeah! I am! I¡¯ll always be here for you! Also, I¡¯ve told you before, I¡¯m not a squirt! I¡¯m already 13! I¡¯m almost an adult!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, I forget sometimes. Sometimes I look at you and you¡¯re still the kid I saw when I first got here. Hard to think that you¡¯re gonna be a big hero here soon!¡± ¡°That¡¯s just what my dad wants me to be. The next generation of duke saving the empire. I don¡¯t even like the empire. Dad always says how worse it is in the barbarian countries but your stories make them sound so much nicer than here.¡± ¡°Well the game didn¡¯t describe it as the ¡®Despotic Empire of Treston¡¯ for no reason whatsoever. The Empire doesn¡¯t have a great track record for playing nice with other people. That¡¯s kinda how you get to be an empire.¡± ¡°Hey Rose?¡± ¡°Yeah Val?¡± ¡°You said before that there was someone in the empire you really didn¡¯t like. Who is that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you one of these days Val. You¡¯ve gotta get out on your own first though. You only got two more years until your quest starts, right? It¡¯ll be here before you know it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s my dad, isn¡¯t it Rose?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°It¡¯s ok, I¡¯ve known for a while.¡± ¡°Haha. What gave me away?¡± ¡°Um. The way you glare at him whenever he¡¯s in the room. The way you call him ¡®Ro-butt¡¯ instead of ¡®Robert¡¯. Um, one time when you thought I was asleep you said that you¡¯d never let him hurt me like he did you.¡± ¡°Ah. Gee. Um. Look, Val, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s a great guy, but-¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s not¡± ¡°- I just feel like- wait he¡¯s not?¡± ¡°Yep. I know he¡¯s not!¡± ¡°Aaaand how do you know that?¡± ¡°Because he hurt you. And anyone that would hurt a crafter who couldn¡¯t even put up a fight can¡¯t be a good person. Also, anyone that would hurt you can¡¯t be good.¡± ¡°Alright. Fair enough. Good talk buddy. I¡¯m. Um. Going to go float over there for a bit. See what I can¡¯t see.¡± ¡°We¡¯re gonna have another crafting lesson today, right Rose?¡± ¡°Sure are buddy. We¡¯re not done with what we were working on yesterday, right?¡± ¡°Right!¡±
So that kid over there, running off to the sword practice they hate? That¡¯s Val. Their father calls them Percival but I¡¯ve tried a lot of names for them over the years and Val is the one that stuck so that¡¯s their name to me. My name, as you may have gathered, is Rose. What you may not have gathered is that I¡¯m the soul of a girl that used to play a VRMMO named Legend of Treston so much that I died while playing it. Truth is, unlike what I told Val over there, I do know how I died. Or at least, I suspect how I did. Poison. I think my parents poisoned me. Yeah not great but that¡¯s just how that cookie crumbled. I had thought something was off about the taste of dinner that night but didn¡¯t think more about it until I was in game and suddenly my gear started getting weird inputs, almost like a certain girl in a Full Dive suit was spasming uncontrollably. Weird how that happens when your parents see you as nothing but a parasite when in reality you¡¯re the one paying their bills. But yeah I was the parasite, sure dad. It¡¯s not all bad, cause somehow my soul ended up here in LoT. I miss my little sister, Cecilia, who as my parents put it was ¡°actually our daughter unlike a freak like you¡± which I thought was a harsh comment towards someone you¡¯re supposed to love unconditionally but hey what do I know about familial relationships? Lia deserved better than them, which is why I tried to give her everything I could while I was alive. I just hope things worked out for her. Not like I have access to her info . Weirdly enough, if it can get weirder than a ghost in a VR game, I have access to my old character¡¯s menu and everything. My ghost also looks like my avatar, which I¡¯m eternally thankful for. I¡¯d hate to have to try and explain being transgender to Val over there, though something has told me for a while now that they may understand more than I give them credit for. But yeah I can access the menu, which means I can also access news feeds I was subscribed to in life, which is how I know for sure my parents poisoned me, cause it was in the papers. Lia is, well, was, in protective custody. Guess she¡¯s probably in foster care by now. At least I know she got what was in my will, the papers mentioned that at least. But yeah, hi! My name¡¯s Rose, no last name worth mentioning. I was a 16 year old Pro-Gamer, not, like, competitively professional but as in I made my living by playing games. Specifically by crafting high end gear for people in LoT. I was actually on retainer for the strongest guild in the game, Gilt Glow, and personally hold myself responsible for getting them to that position. Now you may be like ¡°But Rose! Can¡¯t you just level a character by spam crafting the same stuff over and over as long as you have the materials?¡± and to that I¡¯d laugh in your face and throw you out of my workshop because that¡¯s not how LoT works at all. Crafting in some games like you mentioned is all about inputs and outputs. Input material, output gear, output crafting experience, rinse and repeat ad infinitum until max level. However LoT has a lot more to do with cooking and mad science. There¡¯s no set way to craft any one item and on top of that, the exact timing for certain parts of the process changes from attempt to attempt depending on quality of the materials, quality of the tools, time of day, weather, star sign, the passing gnome¡¯s shoe size, current tectonic activity, and who knows what else. Oh and also the crafter¡¯s level in the various relevant skills. This is all to say that I was known as "The Mad Engineer¡± for a reason and it was because I may have been a little insane when it came to being able to make the things I did. Without any tools to measure any of the various conditions with, crafting requires quite a bit of intuition on the part of the crafter. A lot of feeling it in your bones, of putting your heart and soul into 5 pieces of iron ore and a smelter and knowing that if you pour it a second slower your ingot will be F-rank and you¡¯ll be headed back to the mines for another shot. To say I got addicted to the system quite quickly is an understatement. But yeah 3 years to get to the top of the crafter rankings in the play time I could eke out between attending school and scrounging money for VR Cafes. Then another year of living at the top of the world, or so it felt to me, with my own Full Dive Pod and paying my parents to leave me and Lia alone and then BAM ghost time. I think I¡¯ve said it before but being a ghost isn¡¯t the worst. I get to hang out with Val whom my soul has been attached to since I got ghosted (har har) by my parents. What was less impressive is that Val is the ducal prince of the Quentin Dukedom, the Sword of the Treston Empire. The Despotic Treston Empire that is. The baddies of the game Legend of Treston. Those guys. Val¡¯s not evil, heck I think most of the people in their life aren¡¯t but they¡¯re dad gives me bad vibes. Like major ¡®my parents¡¯ vibes. Whiiiiich is why I haven¡¯t even tried to sleep once since coming to this game as a soul. I need to be vigilant, in case someone tries to hurt Val. Most people in Val¡¯s life write off my existence as an imaginary friend or, as they grew older, a propensity to talk to themselves. Their Dad though, good ol¡¯ Robutt, has a tendency to look straight at me. He¡¯s never spoken to me directly, so who knows if I¡¯m just paranoid, but Robutt¡¯s healthbar does call him the ¡°Duke of Souls¡±, which can¡¯t be good for me. Or, well, maybe it explains why I¡¯m still around. I¡¯ve read plenty of stories about game devs using actual magic to make VR games work so maybe this is one of those things. I was finishing up some materials gathering in an unfamiliar area when an insidious fog rolled in. Which was my cue to start bolting but, as great as my luck is, I ended up running towards the source of the fog. A Giant of a man standing around seven and a half feet tall, a mountain of armor and muscle with a sword the size of me in his hand, pointing between my eyes. A four phase health bar with the name ¡°Robert Quentin- Duke of Souls¡± branded on it. Now I don¡¯t know about who you associate with but for me, I tried to avoid boss fights that had nothing to do with me. And from my extensive reading in the forums and on the wiki, not only was the good Duke Quentin a Raid Boss but they were also fought in a raid dungeon an hour¡¯s ride away from where I was at the time. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I have no idea what he was doing in that field that day and no way to find out. No one else ever mentioned on the forum that he showed up there so I think it was a one off thing which¡­doesn¡¯t actually make me feel any better. Just confused. Still, Val is a cute kid at least. Their arms look like twigs compared to their dad, heck their entire body looks like a twig compared to their dad. They have the same vivid red hair and emerald green eyes but where the Duke of Souls looks like some kind of fiery giant, Val has an ephemeral quality that makes it seem like they might disappear if you don¡¯t keep an eye on them. I¡¯m, uh, hoping that has nothing to do with long-term exposure to chronic haunting. Their hair is a little shaggy and hangs in front of their eyes, giving them a bit of a moody appearance but I know it¡¯s because they¡¯re really shy and want to hide from the stares of people who only see them as ¡°the Young Duke¡±. I think it¡¯s awful how so many people can look at a child, a unique and irreplaceable individual, and just see another iteration of their parents. Speaking of Val¡­ ¡°Percival, you must look straight at your opponent when dueling. There can be no room for hesitation, no room for misjudgement. Everything from the moment killing intent is sensed to the moment they lay dead at your feet must be known and understood exactly as you wish, or else it is your life that will be lost. Is that clear young man?¡± The Duke¡¯s echoing boom of a voice rattled the windows in their frames nearby while Val glared at the sword in their hand. It¡¯s hard to tell why they glared at the sword and not their father; despite their father¡¯s immense and overbearing presence, Val never cared about their dad being there or not and at times treated him like part of the backdrop. Kid was fearless about some things for sure. But still they were glaring at the sword. I floated up alongside and took a look at the sword myself. There wasn¡¯t anything particularly offensive about it, it wasn''t covered in wolf turds or anything. I could barely smell, but it didn¡¯t smell like rotting offal. It didn¡¯t look all that well balanced nor all that good of a piece but what could you expect from an NPC smithy. Heck, this might as well be a low level drop, that¡¯s what it was meant to be: starting equipment. Wait a minute. ¡°Hey, um, Val. Are you mad at the quality of the sword he handed you?¡± I got no verbal response but I did get a nearly imperceptible nod and I saw their eyes scanning every flaw and imperfection in the sword. Holy smokes I made a monster! During yesterday¡¯s lesson I had them go to the armory and showed them every defect I could in the weapons there. Granted they had kicked us out before long but really the quality of their arms left much to be desired for a Ducal Family. It wasn¡¯t the family¡¯s personal armory I suppose so I guess it was to be expected? Wait! Seems like Daddy Dearest noticed that nod. Oh shit! I start shaking Val¡¯s shoulder for all the no good it does me, not like they can feel it, but their dad is saying something. ¡°Percival I know you can hear me. If you feel truly comfortable ignoring my advice, then I suppose I have nothing left to teach you. Shall we arrange for a match to test today¡¯s lesson?¡± Aw crud puppies, that''s the part where he nodded! ¡°Very well then, Helias! Come, duel my son and test him on disarmament techniques!¡± A female knight by the Duke¡¯s side, one of his personal guards, known as ¡°The Knight of Flowing Sun¡±. She had to fight the Duke to a standstill in order to gain the position and she made that look easy! The Duke has to be punishing Val with this! Helias never struck as the type to bully a child unnecessarily but also she is being ordered to by her liege lord so who knows what she¡¯ll do! Aaand Val is¡­.still glaring at their sword. ¡°Oy! Val! Snap out of it! You¡¯re about to get your ass handed to you!¡± ¡°But Rose! Look at this thing they gave me to fight with! It¡¯s an insult!¡± ¡°You¡¯re gonna be a snob about weaponry now!?¡± ¡°Young Duke Percival, raise your blade please. If you do not I will be forced to attack an unready opponent and you may be injured.¡± ¡°Shit Val, just fight with it for now!¡± ¡°Fine! Fine! I¡¯ll fight her with it but I won¡¯t be happy about it.¡± Thank god Val can listen to reason to an extent because Helias was getting a lot of pressure directed at her from the big guy to teach Val a lesson about¡­I don¡¯t even know, listening to their father? Probably that. But thankfully Helias is actually kinda chill. Though HOLY SHIT she just started swinging! Jeez lady, give someone some warning before you just start trying to take their head off! I thought she was chill, but you wouldn¡¯t know it from the moves she¡¯s throwing at poor Val here! Her first move was to literally decapitate them. Val blocked it though! Damn, half the time her sword¡¯s a blur and the other half the time she is too. Most of what I see is the sparks flying where Val blocks her attacks with their sword. Every attack. And they¡¯re not even sweating! They even look bored. I knew they drilled the sword into Val from a young age, heck I¡¯ve been here for most of it, but this might be the best Val¡¯s ever fought. Holy shit even Helias is off put, she just stopped dead with that parry. She clearly wasn¡¯t trying her hardest but she¡¯s getting a, um, little more competitive it seems. Shit, seems like she isn¡¯t the type to lose easily. Val was just standing still blocking everything she threw at them but now it¡¯s a little harder to follow. Every time she goes to disarm him like the Duke just taught, Val either blocks it with their sword or suddenly their hand just isn¡¯t where it was a second ago. Huh, maybe I was too worried for them. It¡¯s been¡­.5 minutes now and Val hasn¡¯t given an inch of ground. Hasn¡¯t actually moved more than about a foot total actually and anything they gave up at one point they took back later. Meanwhile Helias is..um¡­almost dancing around Val trying to follow the Duke¡¯s command. I¡¯m getting bored but the Duke looks. Hmm how to describe that look. Can you imagine the look of someone who just got their cereal spat in? Mix that with the textbook picture of a proud father on the face of a grizzly bear and you have a vague image of the Duke¡¯s face. Honestly it¡¯s comedy gold. Buuuut I¡¯m getting bored so let¡¯s have Val end this¡­.if they can. ¡°Val, if you can hear me, can you kick her ass?¡± Another imperceptible nod but suddenly Val is nowhere to be seen. Holy shit did I vaporize them!? Oh no they just started moving as fast as Helias aaaaand I¡¯ve lost all sense of this fight. IT¡¯s like looking into a cloud of steam with sparks flying inside, though I know it¡¯s just their afterimages. I knew that my ghost counted as level 1 for some intents and purposes but it sucks that that means that all of my combat perception helpers are gone too. Not that I ever had many of those but I had the basic ones that allow you to see high-speed enemies move. Wait, does that mean that Val here is already on par with a boss? Helias flies out of the ¡°cloud¡± with a boot print on her face as she takes a dive into the floor and now Val is above her with a sword at her throat. Damn that seems like it hurts. Definitely gonna leave a mark or something. Holy shit does this mean Val is stronger than her? Are they stronger than the Duke? I think the Duke¡¯s asking that question as well. The Duke gives a few fake coughs into a fist and says ¡°A good showing Percival. Helias, you¡¯ll be spending the next few weeks training. Percival, you¡¯re dismissed from sword practice for the day. Either return to your studies on financials or find some other way to productively occupy yourself. Eltheim and Kenneth, train with Helias. The rest of you, with me.¡± Aaand off he goes. Good riddance. Helias looks kinda shocked, maybe a little concussed; that fall looked really bad actually. Val offers her their hand and she takes it with good grace and maybe a bit of nausea as she gets to her feet and wobbles a bit. Yeah, definitely concussed. ¡°Pass her either a green potion or a magenta pill whichever you have on you.¡± I whisper in Val¡¯s ear and they proceed to produce a small packet of hand-made pills in a light magenta color. Val proceeds to explain that taking one should help offset her nausea and help her recovery from the hard hit and also apologizes for the unsportsmanlike conduct of, and I am not joking here, ¡°spin-kicking you into the ground¡±. Helias seems to take it well and gives a bit of an uneasy laugh and proceeds to swallow the pill, though her face turns at the taste. Yeah I agree girl, those things are not nice to taste when you don¡¯t have the right ingredients to adjust for taste. Unfortunately for her, when I taught Val to make them, we didn¡¯t have access to Violet HIll Honey Mint leaves, and any other flavor will either dilute the potency or make it poison so we had to do without. But anyway, off topic, ¡°Val! When did you get so strong?! You wiped the floor with her!¡± Val just shrugged, walked over to a squire among the knights, and presented the sword, which, upon closer inspection, is missing quite a number of chips and pieces and was overall looking like a piece of scrap. No wonder Val didn¡¯t want to hit her with that thing, it would¡¯ve left a nasty scar. ¡°Throw this away, it¡¯s seen the last of its usefulness¡± Val says as they pass the scrapped sword to the squire who does a double take upon receiving it. Yeah this is the kid that passed the sword to Val not 20 minutes ago in ¡®pristine¡¯ condition. Just goes to show how hard Helias was hitting towards the end, how bad the sword was compared to hers, or both I suppose. ¡°So what¡¯re we doing after this Val? Going back to finances? I know how much you love budgetary tables!¡± ¡°Uggghhh not on your life! I¡¯ve had enough figures to fill up a lifetime, I want to learn more about crafting!¡± ¡°I kinda figured you¡¯d say that. So here, yesterday I showed you how you could go wrong with an average iron sword. We''ll see if we can¡¯t get everything ready to make one by the end of the week, how about that?¡± ¡°Yes! Wait, how? Don¡¯t we need a forge? I don¡¯t think the blacksmith is gonna let us borrow his forge just willy-nilly like that.¡± ¡°That, my dear friend, is why we have to make our own!¡± I place my non-corporeal arm around their shoulders, spreading the other translucent hand across the sky. ¡°Crafting is about the glorious journey from having sticks and stones and a dream, to making weapons and armor the likes of which haven¡¯t been seen in generations!¡± I curl my spread hand into a fist and spin to face them saying ¡°If you share my dream, then come with me to the hills out back behind the castle and we¡¯ll start this crafting journey together. Are you with me?¡± I look at them with bated breath but they just give me a resolute nod and say ¡°All the way! Let¡¯s go!¡± and run off leaving me to float behind them. I figure I should note that they can¡¯t actually leave me behind and vice versa. I have a range of about thirty feet where I can go through anything but beyond that I just kinda press up against a glass wall. If I¡¯m lazy and don¡¯t feel like thinking about floating, which is how I move my body, I can just kinda ride Val¡¯s coat-tails so to speak, though they tend not to like when I do this as they think it ¡®shows moral degeneracy¡¯ which I¡¯m pretty sure was a term I taught them as a joke but whatever. Once we got to the hills out back they arm themselves with a sturdy branch that looks around C-grade as far as materials goes. Well, if I were to use it for a staff or handle. For a bow it¡¯s the wrong type of wood all together, no spring to it really. Though a more springy wood can be good for certain staves, typically you want a stiffer wood and this is off topic. Sorry. Another note is that while I can access the remains of my player-character menu which I think is interesting from a whole ¡°ghost haunting the system¡± perspective, Val has their own kind of menu they can access, different from both a normal player-character menu and the one I have currently with certain features removed, such as the chat, world map, and logout features. I have tried to contact support before but all I got was an error message in the past. But Val¡¯s menu states their character class as ¡°Undetermined¡± which is not a status that can happen to a normal player. There are also a few odd things compared to normal that make sense from the whole ¡°NPC menu¡± perspective. They also have no chat, no world map, no logout, and no staff support. Also, neither of us has heard any other NPC talk about menus or anything so it¡¯s possible this is something unique to our situation. Val has said that they don¡¯t remember if they used to be able to open the menu before I was attached to them. I can also see their menu when they open it and vice versa. Anyway, crafting. I instructed Val to run around getting good rocks. What constitutes a good rock you ask? Good question. For our purposes, we need ones that are heat resistant, sturdy, squarish or with the capability to be shaped, and a few other details. Now if you were just eyeballing it, it would be really difficult to tell the right rock from the wrong rock and trust me it was difficult for me to learn the difference. But a smelter or a forge will know the difference and when they do they make that your problem. This is all to say that Day 1 of sword crafting was spent gathering the right rocks for the smelter and the forge. After about 4 hours we got what we needed. It was at this point that I wished, not for the first or the thousandth time, that I could interact with the physical world somehow so that I could draw diagrams of what everything was supposed to look like. Instead we had a rousing few hours of going back and forth with me pointing and telling where to put rocks and how to fit them together and in the end after a lot of grief the smelter was finished and the forge¡¯s base aspects were well on their way. It was at this point that that same squire, I think their name is Jackson, started heading towards us sounding out of breath as they informed Val that we were summoned for dinner. The Duke seemed to get a kick out of Val¡¯s dirty clothes, saying that it¡¯s natural for boys to go on adventures instead of staying indoors looking at ledgers all day. Val was quiet for most of the dinner and left once dismissed. While hanging out in our room, I showed them my menu with the wiki page for smelting up and walked them through the process to try and get it out of the way for tomorrow. I¡¯m looking forward to how well they do with their first try. Chapter 2: Sword Crafting Week and a Conversation about Family We¡¯re on Day 5 of Sword Crafting Week and so far we have achieved: And now we¡¯re on Day 5: Finishing! Which involves turning the plain sword blank into an actual weapon. Val is the picture of a dedicated apprentice as they take the whetstone to the blade. In the future we¡¯ll have a grindstone to do this with but for right now I think it¡¯s helpful to have the most control when sharpening. Helps give you a feel for the material and the sword to be. This is totally not because when I first started out I was too poor to afford the materials to make a grindstone and ended up making twenty swords and sharpening them with a whetstone. Five days of my life spent sharpening. I still get shivers thinking about it. My arm felt like it was going to fall off after the first three. But yeah, totally not having them do this due to past trauma. Nope, nuh uh. After a good long while spent sharpening to the point that a leaf dropped on the edge didn¡¯t even pause or shift as it was cut going down. Now that¡¯s a nice edge! Shame the sword won¡¯t hold that edge well, but that¡¯s F-grade for you. Next is the handle. Val managed to scrounge up some really nice wood for it, a piece of E-grade Old Growth Poplar. Since it¡¯s hard enough to keep its shape well while being soft enough to absorb shocks well on top of being porous enough to soak up the glue used for the handle wrap. Speaking of the wrap, Val is going to use some C-grade leather we made about a year ago right after the big hunt during the annual Feast of Augur, a celebration of the founding of the empire. Val isn¡¯t amazing with a bow and I¡¯m not super interested in killing things for sport so I¡¯m not actually sure how they managed to kill the thing but the Grass Boar they killed had a great pelt. It wasn¡¯t Val¡¯s first time stripping a carcass, their father taught them well there, but I¡¯m the one that showed him the proper way to tan the hide with what we had. Incidentally, a number of chemicals went missing from the apothecary around that time buuuut no one suspected us so all¡¯s well that ends well. The elemental nature of the leather will also add not only to the quality of the finished piece but also might give it a weapon skill which would be a huge boon to Val¡¯s education. I haven¡¯t told them about item skills yet as they don¡¯t have access to the magical materials necessary to get them, so if things pan out as I hope it¡¯ll be a great surprise. Typically item skills fall in one of two categories: passive or active. Passives are active all the time and give small buffs typically while actives need to be used with conscious thought and most times a keyword, phrase, or movement. I have managed to make a wand with the active skill: Fire Beam before which I got to activate at the press of a button, which ended up looking kinda like a medieval laser gun which I thought was cool as heck. Lia thought it was a lot of work for not much benefit but she never understood my aesthetics half the time. It did sell for enough to buy her a new laptop so I wouldn¡¯t have complained. Regardless, the skill granted by the Grass Boar Leather would most likely be a passive, my guess would be related to either stamina regen, health boost, or a similar defensive buff due to the nature element¡¯s affinity with support magic. For the pommel of the sword, Val found a lovely piece of E-rank Rose Quartz, which had a decent amount of enchantment affinity, meaning that post installation of the pommel, any enchantments we try to add on later will have a higher chance of success. Does Val know any enchantments as of yet? No. They uh, don¡¯t really know any magic. I know they have affinity for a number of magical schools but the Quentin Family isn¡¯t interested in ¡°The pitiful affairs of weaklings too scared to fight like real men, hiding in the back lines in a dress and taking the credit for the work of the real warriors like those damn cowards in the Chartrantan Ducal House!¡± A translation of the ¡®esteemed¡¯ words of Robutt Quentin could be said to be ¡°I¡¯m an idiot that doesn¡¯t understand party composition and if I ever run into a monster invulnerable to physical damage I will die whimpering like a lamb¡±. Buuut that¡¯s just my opinion. Val¡¯s a bit more agnostic on the whole ¡°swords vs magic¡± debate and I think could make for an amazing all rounder due to the way their brain is just kinda a sponge for knowledge. Back to the sword. When I wasn¡¯t looking Val finished it! It doesn¡¯t have a crossguard, I figured a simple design might be better and I think Val¡¯s skilled enough with blades that they won¡¯t slice their hand open the first time they swing the damn thing. Also, crossguards in the traditional European style weren¡¯t in use for much of the world. Honestly it¡¯s not a bad piece. Val seems to be waiting for me to say something to them, there¡¯s an expectant, hopeful look in their eyes that I don¡¯t want to disappoint. But let¡¯s check the stats first. Item Name: Boar¡¯s Thorn Item Description: Guardless Iron Sword Item Ranking: D-Rank Item Stats: Item Skill: Boar¡¯s Hide (Active): School of Druidic Magic. Upon use of the keyword , transmutes the user¡¯s skin to a thick boar hide, increasing DEF bonus from 10 to 30 and granting resistance to physical damage for 60s An apprentice¡¯s first sword, an act of service for and from their master, the first thorn of a new rose. Blessed to defend the young from the uncaring world. Jeezy Creezy! D-RANK?! ¡°Holy smokes Val! You¡¯re a natural! Look at this beauty! I know we found some good materials for the finishing touches but that alone wouldn¡¯t be enough to raise the rank from an F-rank blank to a D-rank finished product! Did you name it?¡± ¡°Yeah I did. Um, did you see the pommel?¡± ¡°Did I see what about the pomm- oh.¡± My voice trailed off as I looked at the pommel of the sword, the translucent pink gem that had previously been raw has been carefully shaped into the appearance of a delicate rose just beginning to bloom. ¡°Did. Did you do that for me?¡± I ask, my voice a little choked. ¡°Yeah! Why¡­ do you..not like it? Should I break it? I¡¯m sorry! I was presumptuous!¡± Val¡¯s expression shifted rapidly from a look of pride to uncertainty to horror. Meanwhile I was trying to hold back tears and didn¡¯t realize what they were about to do until it was almost too late. "NONONONONO VAL Don¡¯t you DARE Break that sword we spent a week making you dolt!¡± I shout at them as they start to bring the crystal pommel down against the anvil. Thankfully they have some amazing reflexes and muscle control, probably due to the excessive sword practice, and managed to stop the downward swing before any harm could be done. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°You idiot! You do the nicest thing anyone¡¯s done for me ever and then immediately want to take it away?¡± ¡°But. But you were crying! I didn¡¯t want to make you cry, I wanted to make you happy!¡± ¡°I¡¯m crying because I¡¯m happy, dolt! Gosh! It¡¯s really, really pretty and I¡¯m very happy that you made it for me. This was supposed to be me surprising you with the reveal and now everything¡¯s topsy-turvy!¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®surprise me¡¯?¡± Val asks, tilting their head like a puppy. ¡°Here, check the item description. I think you¡¯ll be surprised by something there. ¡°Wow, that''s a good ATK bonus! The sword I used during practice barely hit +20! But what¡¯s this Item Skill? I¡¯ve never heard of one like this!¡± ¡°Wait, you know about Item skills? Aw man and here I was thinking I¡¯d get to show you something cool!¡± ¡°It is cool! But what does it mean by ¡®keyword ¡¯? I can¡¯t just say ¡®question mark question mark question mark¡¯ in the middle of battle can I?¡± ¡°Nonono that¡¯s not what it means. That¡¯s the system¡¯s way of saying that the keyword is either not set, in the case of a crafted item, or undiscovered in the case of dropped items. What that means is that you get to come up with whatever you want it to be. You just say ¡°Boar¡¯s Hide Keyword Set:¡± and then whatever you want it to be after that.¡± ¡°Do you have any suggestions?¡± ¡°Nah, I was never very good at coming up with them. Like if the skill gave a defensive buff, I¡¯d just set it to ¡®Defend!¡¯ or ¡®Protect!¡¯. I was actually, um, publicly ridiculed for that at one point because someone was upset that when they meant to only use one of their skills they instead activated five at the same time.¡± ¡°What did you do about it?¡± ¡°Told him to stop being a baby and suck it up. Buuut that was because I was mortally embarrassed that my oversight had led to that so we¡¯re going to stop talking about it now, ok buddy?¡± ¡°Yeah yeah got it. Then, Boar¡¯s Hide Keyword Set: Thorn Armor!¡± ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°What, is it no good?¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine. Just not what I was expecting.¡± ¡°What were you expecting?¡± ¡°I dunno, nothing in particular I guess. Just not that.¡± ¡°Well sorry to disappoint¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not linger on this, it doesn¡¯t matter that much as long as you''re comfortable shouting that out loud during combat. Though at this stage you¡¯ll most likely only be fighting monsters so probably no one will hear you besides me and, as we have established, I do not care what you shout in the heat of passion.¡± ¡°In the WHAT NOW?!¡± Val¡¯s face turned beet red and their mouth started gaping like a fish. ¡°Pfft. Hehehehe. HAHAHAHAH. Ahhh sorry buddy, couldn¡¯t help myself. You simply turn the most delightful shade of maroon when I tease you.¡± ¡°Well! Well! I I I! You shouldn¡¯t! Do that!¡± ¡°I know, I¡¯m sorry Val.¡± ¡°We should go home now, Jackson¡¯s going to start looking for me here soon.¡± ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s head back. Tomorrow¡¯s sheathe day!¡± ¡°Wait there¡¯s more?¡± ¡°What do you want to walk around with a bare sword on your back? You¡¯re liable to cut off your butt doing that!¡± ¡°Dad walks around with Ythene unsheathed all the time though!¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to take safety advice from that man?¡± ¡°He at least knows swords!¡± ¡°While that is fair, there is also a difference between greatswords like Ythene and the nice little jian you have there.¡± ¡°Jian?¡± ¡°Yeah, a sword without a crossguard, double-edged blade, long reach. Yeah, seems like a Jian to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard that word before!¡± ¡°Oh, right, it comes from a country back in my world.¡± ¡°I forget sometimes that you¡¯re not from here. You just seem to know so much.¡± ¡°I have a little help with that, but thanks Val. I think I¡¯d rather be from here, all things considered.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t miss your home?¡± ¡°Not really. I miss my little sister but that¡¯s about it. Besides her, my home kinda sucked.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t miss your mom?¡± A sharp image flashes through my mind, doubled over and retching while I feel the horrible sensation of something being wrong inside me. The first time my mother poisoned my HRT meds, before I learned how to hide them correctly. ¡°Not even a little bit.¡± ¡°Are all parents not worth it?¡± ¡°Mine weren¡¯t but that¡¯s not to say yours aren¡¯t.¡± ¡°I wonder what my mom was like.¡± ¡°I. Um. I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t even remember anyone talking about the duchess.¡± ¡°Oh she wasn¡¯t the duchess.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°In the politics class, Mr. Kent said that no one knows who my mom was. My dad just showed up with me one day after being missing for a year.¡± ¡°I. How? HOW DID I MISS THAT!?¡± ¡°I dunno. I think that was a class you always called ¡®Duller than dirt put through wood chipper¡¯ whatever a wood chipper is.¡± ¡°I. Yeah, that does sound like me. But huh, who knew our Val had such a mystery to their backstory!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. Don¡¯t talk about me like that.¡± ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t mean to- yeah sorry. But yeah, now I¡¯m curious too.¡± ¡°About my mom?¡± ¡°Yeah! Maybe we¡¯ll find her one day!¡± ¡°I¡¯d like that. I¡¯d like to get some answers.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s set that as a goal for now, but also let¡¯s get back. I¡¯m looking forward to watching you eat a steak¡± ¡°Why do you like watching me eat?¡± ¡°Lets me imagine eating it myself. Not like I have a digestive tract anymore. OR physical hands. Or teeth. You understand, right Val?¡± ¡°We seriously need to figure out a way to feed you. I¡¯m getting tired of you drooling over every baked potato.¡± ¡°Look, baked potatoes are amazing and I will not have you disparage them.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t- whatever, let¡¯s just go eat.¡± Chapter 3: A Magical Discovery, a Magic Lesson, and a Conversation about Home and Gardens Val hid the sword under their bed, which I thought was cute and ineffective but figured that no one would actually steal a sword from the kid so kept my mirth to myself. The next step in their education, as far as I¡¯m concerned, is enchantment. Which, of course, means that someone needs to teach Val magic. Which will be difficult because there¡¯s no way in hell Robutt¡¯s going to pay for a magic tutor when he can¡¯t stand the idea of magic in the first place. Which is honestly hypocritical, like, man carries a soul-theft enchanted sword around with him literally everywhere. I saw him take it into the bath once. Like, first off that¡¯s paranoia and secondly, that¡¯s gross. Doesn¡¯t he know what he does with that thing? He kills people with it! Sorry if this is a controversial opinion, but murder weapons shouldn¡¯t take baths with people, there, I said it! Back on topic, magic and the teaching of it. Looks like it¡¯s up to me, which is bad because I¡¯m incapable of casting magic. I assume. Because of the whole no-body thing. In the game lore, it was said that the prevailing theory said that mana came from the body, kinda a by-product of cellular respiration. What that means is that I¡¯m effectively mana-less due to the whole ¡°not having a body¡± thing. Which sucks because I would really like a way to interact with the world besides asking Val to do things. Do I know magic? Tons, actually. I was a little obsessed with collecting spells so that I could have more enchantment variety and that led to a number of sticky situations. I kinda want Val to avoid some of those as they can get really, really dicey and I don¡¯t think Val can just throw bodies at the problem like I did. Well, the same body multiple times. If a quest or a dungeon was too hard to do in one go, my solution was never to back down and just keep flinging myself at the brick wall till either it broke or my body did. Considering the fact that pain is registered by the Dive Pod, granted, at a portion of the normal intensity, it meant that I was essentially self-harming. I¡¯m, uh, not proud of that I¡¯ll be honest. Wasn¡¯t in a good place. Val¡¯s been a blessing to my heart and I don¡¯t feel nearly as despondent and useless as I used to so life- ehem, death¡¯s looking up! I would be doing better if I didn¡¯t have Robutt giving me flashbacks to the moment I died every now and then when his expression darkens but beggars can¡¯t be choosers. How to teach Val magic without being able to show them magic. That¡¯s the question and I¡¯m stumped. There were two ways to learn magic in the game: The Repeat After Me and the Spelltome. Spelltomes are simple, they¡¯re books with instructions on how to cast spells in them. Magical textbooks if you will. Read them, understand them, and bingo bango you¡¯ve got a spell ready to cast. The Repeat After Me method was more difficult but frequently easier to acquire. Which is to say, you got someone to show you how they cast the spell and then you tried to copy them, rinse and repeat until victory. What this meant is that Spellcaster classes essentially circulated a giant pool of gold among themselves as payment to teach each other the spells they knew. It took pioneers like myself to track down spelltomes and thus introduce new spells to the circuit. Spelltomes, unfortunately, are expensive as all get out to make as they require special inks, parchments, and quills and are overall a pain to manufacture. Finding them normally involved a quest of some kind, or they were rare drops from dungeons. This is all to say that I can¡¯t show Val how I cast magic and I¡¯m loathe to send them off to a dungeon on their lonesome only to have them get chewed up by monsters and then bam not only is my only friend dead because of me, but now I¡¯m all alone. That¡¯s unacceptable. So that leaves me with somehow coming up with a way to get in contact with one of my old contacts, assuming they¡¯re still playing the game 8 years on. It was a huge MMO that had only come out a few years prior to my starting playing so I would think that some of them would still be around, even if they¡¯re only on occasionally for new content. Though that seems impossible to do considering I don¡¯t have access to either my friends list or the chat function. Either that or I come up with an amazing argument for Val to have with Robutt and get an actual tutor in here. Which might be necessary anyway as I have no idea how NPC magic differs from player magic. And then there¡¯s the fact that Val is, mechanically, something of a pseudo-player. Argghhhh this sucks, my brain is going to melt! ¡°-se. Rose. Hey Rose. SNAP OUT OF IT, JEEZ!¡± ¡°WHAAA!¡± ¡°Honestly! You were just sitting there clutching your head and whispering to yourself. It was super creepy and I tried to respect your autonomy or whatever but I¡¯ve had enough! You were spinning in a circle and it was really weird! What on earth are you thinking that hard about?¡± ¡°I. Um. Haaaa, ok I¡¯ll come clean. I¡¯m trying to figure out how to teach you magic.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just teach me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the thing, I don¡¯t think I can.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Well for one we don¡¯t have the materials nor do I have the physical capacity to write a spelltome. And for two, I can¡¯t show you how to do it.¡± ¡°Why not? You should have mana.¡± ¡°What? Of course I don¡¯t, I don¡¯t have a body!¡± ¡°Why does that matter?¡± ¡°Hello? Earth to Val? You¡¯re smarter than this, did they not teach you that mana comes from processing food in the body?¡± ¡°Yeah they taught me that. That it was an outdated theory. Current knowledge says that mana comes from the soul. As far as I¡¯m aware, you¡¯re only a soul so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem, no?¡± ¡°I. What? What?!? I could have cast magic this whole time!?¡± ¡°Probably yeah. I just thought you didn¡¯t want to get found out. I also thought you knew already.¡± It was at this point that I snapped my fingers and, though unfortunately noiseless due to the lack of necessary flesh to make the noise with, a small flame formed in the palm of my hand, which I proceeded to turn green, then dark red, then blue, shaped it like a swan, a teddy bear, and more as I felt entranced by the return of something familiar, some little facet of control returned to me. I wasn¡¯t the only one entranced by the ever-shifting flame. Val was staring with eyes the size of dinner plates, making occasional small noises of wonder. Eventually I had the flame turn into a stem that grew into a blooming rose whose petals fell one by one only to be caught in a swirl of imaginary wind, swirling across the empty space of the too-large bedroom we were in. As the flame petals settled against the flagstones and winked out one by one the sound of crying could be heard echoing through the chamber. God I¡¯m such a crybaby, but there was a lot of baggage that has been alleviated by that little show so you¡¯ll have to excuse me. ¡°Rose! That was amazing! You have to teach me how to do that!¡± Val said after a suitable time had passed for me to stop crying. I think that if I had a physical body I could convince Val to be a hugger but as it stands that dream seems impossible. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Sure thing. I absolutely will. What you just saw was a combination of two spells: Lesser Flame and Flame Shape. First we¡¯re gonna have to get you used to the feeling of mana. Every spelltome starts roughly the same way so here we go. Envision your body. Start at your toes and move upwards. Try to move one muscle at a time. As you do, breathe deeply and regularly. Feel the air go in and out. Feel your heart beat in time, rhythmically and regularly. The combination of all of these things is mana. Once you have that image in your mind, try to move the essence of your body around. Concentrate it in one place: usually your hands and fingers. Once it¡¯s in your fingers, envision a small flame dancing in your palm. Your fingers are flint, your palm steel. All you need to do now is snap to set your mana alight and bring the flame out.¡± Val scrunched up their face when I started the explanation but, as the near meditative practice of sensing mana went on, their face relaxed until I started the bit about concentrating mana in one place at which point the scrunch came back with a vengeance. They raised their arm, fingers in position and as I stopped speaking they snapped their fingers aaaand nothing happened. They stared at their fingers with a look of betrayal and tried snapping a few more times, which put the image of a stovetop pilot light in my head and I couldn¡¯t help but giggle. The look of betrayal turned from their fingers to my face and I had a damn hard time suppressing my giggles as that face just made it so much worse. Fighting off laughter I opened my mouth to reassure them but they interrupted me. ¡°Nope! No! I don¡¯t want to hear anything from you! Why are you laughing at me? Stop laughing!¡± ¡°I. I. I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t help it. You just looked so serious and then so betrayed I¡¯m sorry. Please, hehhehe, forgive me Val, hahaha. It¡¯s really out of my control, hehehe.¡± ¡°No, I won¡¯t forgive you til you stop laughing at me!¡± ¡°But you¡¯re making it worse! Hahahah!¡± ¡°Ughhh, you¡¯re unbelievable! Here I am, trying my best to do something nobody in my family has done for thirteen generations, and you¡¯re laughing at me when I fail the first time!¡± ¡°Hahaha, wait really? Thirteen generations without a mage? For a noble family? That¡¯s insane! Jeez what happened to your ancestor for your family to hate magic that much? I mean, you don¡¯t seem to have a problem with enchanted items or potions so what gives?¡± ¡°Um, I don¡¯t know all the specifics, but I think a mage stole the house progenitor¡¯s soul or something.¡± ¡°Wait what? Really? That¡¯s sick as heck!¡± ¡°Yeah, on top of that his son was badly burned, nearly to the point of death. It¡¯s rumored that the family¡¯s red hair comes from all the fire magic he absorbed during that attack. This is all stuff that happened when the empire was being founded so they were still fighting the Magocracy of Nandria. Apparently they were run in such a way that the more magic power and knowledge you had, the higher your status. The leader, the Archmagi, was said to be a mage of unparalleled skill and wisdom not seen since. He knew over a thousand spells!¡± ¡°Just a thousand? I knew like 1200 spells by the time I died. The only achievement I had left was ¡®Learn all spells¡¯ so I¡¯m pretty sure my collection was almost complete. Man now I¡¯m bummed because of my death again. Arrrggg I was so close probably!¡± ¡°Wait, you knew more spells than THE Archmagi?! That¡¯s incredible!¡± ¡°Yeah I was getting a good amount of money selling spells to people. Though I kept all my spelltomes. Figured they¡¯d look good on a shelf back in my house. Man, I wonder what happened to my old house. Haven¡¯t thought of going back in a while.¡± ¡°You had a house? Where? Can we go see it?¡± ¡°Um, it was in one of the late game cities, well, in the outskirts of one of the late game cities. Ummm, what was it called? Reinhold? Yeah that sounds about right.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that place dangerous? It¡¯s on the border of two danger zones!¡± ¡°Yeah it¡¯s coming back to me. It bordered the Forest of Blackheart and the Fields of Perpetuity. Yeah my house was on the edge of the fields.¡± ¡°YOU LIVED ON THE EDGE OF PERPETUITY!?!?¡± ¡°Jeez keep your voice down, do you want to get sent to an asylum for shouting at yourself?! And anyway yeah, place was full of monsters that gave great materials and a decent amount of gold. Only problem was that the city wasn¡¯t on a popular trade route. Wasn¡¯t a popular city for anyone but dungeon junkies really. Perpetuity and Blackheart had some great dungeons with some solid loot and fun fights. I had a spellforge, an adamantine anvil, enough materials stockpiled to last me at least two months of full time crafting, and I was set to expand again and actually have a storefront.¡± ¡°Wait, you didn¡¯t have a store? I thought you sold to ¡®anyone and everyone in the game at one point or another!¡¯¡± ¡°First off, terrible impression of my glorious self, keep working on it. Secondly, yeah I mostly sold things through word of mouth. I tried the whole ¡®blanket on the ground¡¯ thing but quickly realized I didn¡¯t have the patience for it. So instead I¡¯d act as a stop-gap member for parties. Like say a dungeon lets you take 5 people in but you only have 3 friends. I was a rando that offered to join any and every party going in order to show off my equipment and offer some free samples and in the end it seemed like either everyone knew me or knew of me. I also tried to make myself easy to find, had my in-game location on at all times and a big ol¡¯ sign on the door with my name and crafting proficiencies. On my profile I had a menu of things I sold in bulk and a text file listing my various crafting options for custom gear. I also-¡± ¡°Ok ok I get it, you were a bigshot crafter that just so happened to sell things by being nosy you can stop talking now.¡± ¡°Aww ok. But yeah, never owned my own store, always needed to invest in some other crafting gear or material so I never got the chance. Still, my house was cool.¡± ¡°That ¡®was¡¯ might be an ¡®is¡¯, you know?¡± ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true enough, but it has been 8 years. If it is still around under my name with all my crafting stations intact, something is probably broken by now. Also the garden¡¯s gonna be a mess. It had 3 types of mint in it. Just one would be enough to choke out the entire place; I shudder to think what¡¯s become of it now.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know much about botany, can you tell me about the plants in the garden?¡± ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s start with the mints first off. Violet Hill Honey Mint. Commonly called either Violet Mint or Honey Mint, depending on how much you like Violet Hill. Personally, I think the place is beautiful, especially in the morning when the sun reflects off dew on the thousands of violets covering it. Granted the violets will then emit a toxic pollen that puts creatures to sleep while the pollen is in their lungs. If you go with an air filter of some kind it¡¯s a nice place. The mint that you can find growing on the cliffside has an amazing natural sweet flavor on top of being minty. Alchemically it¡¯s an outstanding neutral; almost nothing interacts with it so it¡¯s safe to be used as a flavoring in tons of applications. We don¡¯t have any here as it is extremely expensive as most of what¡¯s available on the market is harvested from Violet Hill and most people tend to steer clear of the place. It wasn¡¯t easy to cultivate but I managed it in the end. Then we have Perfect¡¯s Mint, which was supposedly named after-¡± Chapter 4: A Remembrance of Magic and a Gifted Dream I kept talking well into the night, rambling about alchemical reagents I had learned to cultivate after much trouble. It took a long time for me to realize that Val was sound asleep and probably had been for quite a while by that point. God their sleeping face is cute, much softer and natural than the mask they wear around the castle. That mask comes off to a point when it¡¯s just the two of us but I wish they didn¡¯t have to wear one at all. But when you¡¯re pretending without knowing you are, the mask becomes second nature until either it consumes you or you shatter it. I want the best for Val but I think that learning how to shatter the mask has to be something you do yourself. I can¡¯t force them to change no matter how much I want to set them free. I can, however, provide all the support that I possibly can while I¡¯m here. But ohmygoshohmygosh I can do magic! Magic! Gods, it was like my second love in this game right behind crafting. I one time checked to see if I re-specced as a Wizard what my spell casting proficiency would be. Turns out, I would¡¯ve been able to mop the floor with pretty much any boss. Whether fortunately or unfortunately, I was a Witch, a spellcasting class focused on support and crafting, specifically alchemy but they get a few skills that are helpful to crafting anything. Part of why I chose Witch. I also chose Witch because there are so many cute outfits for them! Granted any class can wear any clothing except for exceptionally rare class-specific gear. Buuuut the witchy outfits really only feel right when they¡¯re on a witch. To me at least. Oh, right, Wizard is a class based around high damage output, specifically giving bonuses to area of effect spells. They also have a bonus towards the ease with which they can learn new spells which I always felt made them cheating fuckwads but that¡¯s just me. Man the more I think about it, the angrier I get at myself for giving up before I even tried to cast magic post-mortem. Currently I¡¯m experimenting with the plants in Val¡¯s flower box that they had to fight an entire squad of knights in order to get. I guess ol¡¯ Robutt felt that if something as girly as a flower box was going in his ¡®son¡¯s¡¯ room then by god he¡¯d make sure Val was masculine enough to outweigh it. Which is stupid and just goes to show how much of a prick he is. Right, experimenting. I started off using some very simple nature spells, like Lesser Growth and Seed Harvest. Lesser Growth does what it says on the tin: grows plants a bit faster. Like fast enough that if you look away and then look back you¡¯d be like ¡°wow that plant grew fast!¡± but compared to some of the higher level spells it¡¯s still slow as a molasses. We had a few marigolds that hadn¡¯t yet bloomed so I used Lesser Growth in order to speed them up a bit and they¡¯re gorgeous in the moonlight coming in through the window. I wish Val were awake so they could see it. Seed Harvest also does what it says on the tin, though there¡¯s a bit more of a magic flare to it. It¡¯s less a harvest and more a creation, cause the plant keeps its original seeds. Seed Harvest involves you choosing a plant in range that is fully grown, and then putting magic into it while making a motion with your hand like drawing a horizontal line with your index finger. I like to think it¡¯s a finger scythe harvesting the plants. When your finger reaches the end of the line, a little pile of seeds will start to form in your palm. I have used Seed Harvest in the past to gather seeds from megaflora before and let me tell you, Seed Harvest makes the same number of seeds every time and when they don¡¯t all fit in your hand they start spawning on top of the last one, which led to a severe concussion when I harvested the Giant Steel Pine¡¯s seed cones. Each one is about the size of a basketball and weighs as much as twenty pounds. Now imagine 5 of those stacked on top of each other without regard for balance in your hand. Yeah it was not a good time. Got a pretty penny out of it though. Steel Pines are great for armor as they are essentially steel mixed with a stupid amount of elemental nature. Normally, steel has trace amounts of both earth and fire, so having natural steel is a blessing for crafters and those that are focused around the nature element. So now Val has a small pile of mixed flower and herb seeds on their floor by the window, as when the seeds formed in my hand they just fell straight through. Whoops. Sorry to the maids, or Val, depending on which one gets to the pile first. Still, I¡¯m pretty pleased with the outcome of the experiment. What to test next that won¡¯t wake Val up? Or trash the room. Oooh got it. I¡¯ll just head outside. Man ghost powers can be great every once in a while! I close my eyes and think of myself floating through the wall. I can¡¯t do it with my eyes open as what counts as my body still reacts viscerally to the knowledge that people can¡¯t walk through walls and when I tried as a kid it hurt so so much. I don¡¯t even feel the wall pass through me and then I¡¯m outside of the second tallest tower in the castle, also known as Raven¡¯s Roost, because of the eerie attraction of an unkindness of ravens on the roof. Still, I like to think they look out for Val so I like them. Val also likes them, giving them little gifts when no one¡¯s looking. The ravens seem to understand the unspoken rule of these exchanges and will gift them little shiny rocks, twigs, little things. Val has a little box they made as a proof of concept when I was teaching them basic carpentry that they use to keep the gifts. I float to the roof and see the unkindness mostly asleep but with a few night sentinels. I give the sentinel a nod, they nod back. That¡¯s another reason I like them: ravens can see me! So can cats, bats, crows, owls, snakes, and vultures. I have no idea why it seems to just be these but I¡¯m happiest that the cats and corvids can see me. Cats are my favorite animal, followed by corvids of all types. I imagine sitting on the edge of the roof, swinging my legs over the void while I ponder what spell to use. I turn towards Frankie, the name I gave this raven just now, and tell him that I¡¯m about to cast some magic and not to freak out as I won¡¯t hit any of our friends. Another nod and he also hops over to stand beside me, looking out at the moon with me. Chin in hand I think about what magic I want to cast. The unkindness has put me in a gothic mood, so let¡¯s do some dark magic. Not like ¡°Banned for being evil¡± dark magic but ¡°operating off the element of dark¡± magic. Some people call it shadow magic, but it¡¯s not all shadow themed so I just say dark magic. I cross my fingers, pointed downwards. As I do, the very essence of the darkness surrounding me begins to creep over my body, coalescing in my fingertips dyeing them a pure and honestly beautiful dark. When I feel I¡¯ve gathered enough energy, in one motion I uncross my fingers and point them outwards in a flicking motion. This results in innumerable tentacles of that beautiful dark extending from my fingers like the lashes of a whip. They succeed in grabbing nothing, as I directed them into the void but had there been, say, a living creature there the Shadow Lashes would¡¯ve pierced them and developed hooks on the ends, effectively trapping the prey. It¡¯s a highly effective spell to limit movement. The longer you charge it, the greater the number of lashes and thus the greater the amount of force required to break free. Frankie gives a small cawing noise of approval and bounces over to rest on my not-knee, which amounts to him sitting inside my leg. As much as they can apparently see souls, it seems that nothing can interact with me. A shame because Frankie here¡¯s real friendly and I¡¯d love to pet him a bit. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Moving on, I decide to go a bit nutso with my next spell. As one of the top tier spells, period, it requires a bit of chanting. It sucks that the developers were amazingly good at coming up with cringe to force the players to say because the incantation was: ¡°Oh holy and most malevolent darkness, heed my call and gather to me. Grant me your power in this, my time of need, when all hope is lost. I call upon the Goddess of Night and the God of Murder, the spirits of shadow and the creatures of darkness and hereby make this pact: All I see and hate will be snuffed out in this, my Black Hole!¡± Meanwhile, whilst chanting that horrible incantation, I have been making a ridiculous series of hand gestures. Not that they gestures themselves are ridiculous, just the fact that there¡¯s like 30 poses you have to do. But once I¡¯ve finished the chant and the gestures I reach out my hand, palm down, then clench my fist. Immediately a pinprick of nothingness appears in the air about 400 feet in front of me, quickly growing to the size of an apple at which point it stops. Immediately when it was created, the air in the surroundings began to rush into the literal void, causing a howling wind. Leaves from the tall trees near it begin to get sucked into it and now Frankie¡¯s cawing up a storm and pecking at my leg. I quickly unclench my fist and the Black Hole dissipates as though it was never there. Frankie¡¯s cawing has awoken the rest of the unkindness and thankfully got me to stop the spell before anyone got hurt. I bow my head to Frankie and apologize for my thoughtlessness. He croaks once more and pecks my head but then makes a series of gestures and little noises that get the unkindness to settle down and return to their rest. As part of my apology, I promise not to use any area of effect magic while I¡¯m here. So what next? I¡¯m avoiding fire and light magic because strange lights appearing around Val¡¯s tower wouldn¡¯t be a good look for us. Similarly, Earth and water magic are out due to the amount of noise they create typically. Mind magic is out as I have no targets I dislike enough to do such things as the messed up spells like ¡°Induce Schizophrenia¡± which, devs? Not cool. I still learned the spell but never used it for obvious reasons. It also has such wonders as ¡°Induce Migraine¡± and ¡°Memory Erase¡±. The latter is one I used once and never again. I had been haggling with an NPC and things started getting heated and he said I was banned from his shop. That seemed unacceptable to me so I mind-whammied him and I¡¯ve regretted it ever since as he just stopped. Stopped everything. Stopped speaking, moving, and I was almost positive he stopped breathing for a solid minute. Then something seemed to snap and he started babbling gibberish and looking at me with a dopey smile, as though every care he¡¯d ever had had been whisked away, along with his higher brain functions. It was like he regressed to a 6-month old¡¯s brain. It was like I erased not just the memory of him banning me, but also every other memory he¡¯d ever made which if I¡¯m honest is one of the most fucked up things I¡¯ve ever done I feel. Jeez, now that I think of it, are there any acceptable spells in the school of mind magic? There¡¯s Mind Shatter, which literally shatters someone¡¯s brain which is both horrifying and gross. It also has an extremely low success rate so it¡¯s both not effective and also super messed up in concept. There¡¯s Temporary Hemisphere Separation, which, as its name suggests, separates the two halves of the brain from each other, which thankfully is temporary but also messes up a bunch of things such as learning new motor skills and a lot of verbal functions. So essentially, want to make someone in a position of power look incompetent to the average flunkie? This is your spell. Also, ¡°temporary¡± means two months. Which is frankly insane. I think the nicest spell in mind magic is ¡°Induce Dream¡± which, when this was a game to me, had a very narrow use case. Now that it¡¯s my afterlife, I bet I could curate Val¡¯s dreams, making sure they¡¯re pleasant. Or at least changing a nightmare to a comforting dream. Let¡¯s go do that actually. I close my eyes and imagine myself leaning backwards and somersaulting through the roof to Val¡¯s room below, flipping twice and landing on my feet perfectly. Who says this acrobatics shit is hard? Perfectly easy when your movements are based on your imagination! I digress. I look over towards Val, who seems to be having a not so nice dream. They¡¯re tossing and turning a lot while muttering something faintly. I¡¯m not one to pry into someone else¡¯s traumas or distress so I don¡¯t cast a simple air magic spell called Extend Hearing. Instead I float over to their bedside and gently place my hand on their head. This spell is mid-tier for mind magic and as such requires only a bit of a chant. Well, more of a song. I¡¯m not the best singer but I do enjoy singing so it doesn¡¯t sound awful, at least to me. ¡°Be still, be calm, and rest under my balm. May your dreams be sweet and keep you safe from harm.¡± A much less cringy chant to my ears but that might just be because of the purpose of the spell. There¡¯s also a song to induce nightmares and a song to remove someone¡¯s dream entirely, but again, limited use cases in-game so I don¡¯t remember those as much. The spell is mainly used in a quest where a tribe¡¯s chieftain is suffering from night terrors that all feature his tribe dying in fire. The chieftain saw it as prophecy, but the shaman suspected foul play. In the end, it turns out that there was a dream demon haunting the chieftain. The way you learn this is by casting Induce Dream on the chieftain and in the morning the demon confronts you looking to make a deal: unimaginable wealth in exchange for leaving it to its scheme. If you turn it down and tell the chieftain about it it turns into a trick fight with the trick being that if you Induce Dream on the demon with good dreams, it cleanses it and turns it into a dream spirit. I always liked that quest even though it didn¡¯t give good crafting materials, just because it seemed like a fairly straightforward ¡°helping someone with a problem¡± kinda quest. The tribe also pays you fairly well which is a plus for any adventurer. The dream I gave Val was something I dreamed a long time ago, one of those dreams that stays with you instead of dissolving when morning comes. It¡¯s about a ship on an ocean with the full moon beaming down. Inside the hold is a tavern with a large number of animal people all nursing their drinks and generally giving the silence free reign. Until one starts a song, low and slow and almost a hymn. A song about loss of common things and finding them again after forgetting them. A song about love and indifference. A song about compassion and a song about the bitter sweet taste of memories that we just barely can¡¯t grasp any longer. It starts with one voice but gradually, as the song moves them, more join in until the entire tavern is no longer silent but instead filled with this beautifully melancholy song. The dream ends when the song does, but you wake, or at least I did, with a feeling that the ship will continue to sail the moonlit seas, always calm but also missing what they can no longer remember. It might not be the happiest dream I could¡¯ve given but it is a memory I treasure and gives me a calm feeling in my soul whenever I remember it. Every time I write it down or try to tell someone about it I know in my heart that I can¡¯t give justice to it with just words. But, passing the memory through a spell should give an exact copy of the dream I think. Val seems to calm down, settling down out of their tossing and turning and relaxing their face. I¡¯m glad they don¡¯t seem to be as distressed anymore. I figure this is enough magic for one night and, checking my status screen, I¡¯m nearly out of mana. Turns out casting mid and high tier magic will take it out of you. I¡¯ll probably get it back by morning though so should be fine. Now that I know I can protect Val myself, I feel a lot better about standing guard at night. I imagine hopping up and sitting on the window sill and alternate watching Val sleep and watching the door to the room. All and all, the night passed uneventfully. Oh yeah, Frankie did end up coming down and hanging with me on the sill so that was cool. He left before Val woke up though. Chapter 5: Making Plans in the Morning and a History Lesson ¡°Morning sleepy head.¡± ¡°Mrrrnngghhh. Goood morning.¡± ¡°Have any dreams last night?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah I did. It was weird, I was in the middle of a nightmare and then it changed to a really¡­ephemeral feeling scene.¡± ¡°How well do you remember it?¡± ¡°The nightmare? Not at all. The second part of the dream? Really clearly actually.¡± ¡°Want to talk about it?¡± ¡°...No. No, I think I¡¯ll keep it for myself.¡± ¡°Aww, not willing to tell your best friend?¡± ¡°Nope, not telling.¡± ¡°Alright then, I won¡¯t pry. What¡¯s on our agenda for today oh noble of the messy hair?¡± ¡°Well first I¡¯m going to get dressed and such, from there the day is what we make it I suppose." ¡°Sounds good! I figure you¡¯ve got sword practice and lord¡¯s studies, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, seems that way. It¡¯s what I do every day so why would father change up a perfect formula?¡± ¡°Yeaaahhh ¡®perfect¡¯ alright.¡± ¡°At least he gives me time to myself.¡± ¡°I suppose that is a point in Robutt¡¯s favor.¡± ¡°So, what am I really going to be learning today?¡± ¡°Weeellll, considering you know one of the greatest mages to ever live, according to your own account I might add so you can¡¯t take it back, I figure it¡¯s magic teaching time.¡± ¡°....But I couldn¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°Oh pish, don¡¯t worry about it. Magic can be difficult for some people. Open up your status screen. See, right there, ¡®Mana: 20/20¡¯, that¡¯s probably your biggest problem.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Isn¡¯t that normal?¡± ¡°For your average joe schmoe farmer or whatever? Sure, probably, might even have less. For an aspiring mage? Terrible, can¡¯t do anything with 20 mana really.¡± ¡°...Oh. So, I can¡¯t cast magic then?¡± ¡°Errrr. WRONG! Try again!¡± ¡°Um. So, I can cast magic?¡± ¡°Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Come on George! Tell ¡®em what they¡¯ve won!¡± ¡°I. I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°Yes that¡¯s right, they¡¯ve won an all expenses paid course on Mana Expansion!¡± ¡°I am so confused right now, what are you talking about?¡± ¡°The package includes a week long mana training boot camp where they¡¯ll learn the tips and tricks the greatest mages use to expand their mana past the regular bounds imparted by circumstance! During the course if their mana doesn¡¯t expand tenfold the instructor will find a way to eat a boot!¡± ¡°I see you¡¯re just ignoring me now. I hope you finish soon, I¡¯m getting dressed.¡± ¡°Nooo wait I¡¯m not finished yet!¡± ¡°Too late! Your bit ran too long and I¡¯m sick of it so now I¡¯m ignoring you.¡± ¡°Awwww. If only you¡¯d seen Guess the Price you¡¯d get the joke.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not from your world! How could I have seen it?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair. Sorry I got too into the bit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright but I do have to get dressed now. Can you explain what you were trying to convey with normal words this time?¡± ¡°Fine, party pooper. Essentially, there are ways that you can expand your mana capacity, so I¡¯m going to use this next, like, week or so to show you how to do them and then you¡¯re going to do them for the foreseeable future.¡± ¡°How long is that?¡± ¡°Until we think that you have enough mana to comfortably and safely do what you want to do. If you only have a bit of mana and try to challenge a dungeon on your own, you¡¯re gonna get wiped out real fast and I¡¯m not ready to lose my best friend just yet. Alternatively, some of the methods are somewhat intensive and one requires access to potions as such aren¡¯t that feasible for permanent use. There are also some methods that I didn¡¯t use myself that I¡¯ll show you just in case you click with them better. All the mages I knew had slightly different routines for mana expansion. Eventually it¡¯ll become second nature to you, just another daily habit. Also, if you want to cast the really big spells, you¡¯ll need just¡­ so so much mana that it¡¯s not even funny. A lot of them are mana guzzlers that¡¯ll leave you passed out after casting them if you¡¯re not careful.¡± ¡°Alright. Something to look forward to I suppose.¡± ¡°Yeah! All you have to do is suffer through the most boring classes I¡¯ve ever experienced and then a bunch of strenuous physical activity!¡± ¡°Why do you make my routine sound so awful? It¡¯s not like it¡¯s that bad.¡± ¡°Au contraire mon amie. To me it seems like torture.¡± ¡°Did. Did you not do well in your lessons?¡± ¡°I did swimmingly in class. But math was my worst subject. English? Shop? Science? All fine, except chemistry and physics, I did horrendously in those.¡± ¡°Wait a minute, didn¡¯t you tell me that chemists were your world¡¯s alchemists? How could you do poorly in chemistry when you¡¯re such a good alchemist?¡± ¡°Well the thing about that is that I experimented quite a bit to get ratios correct and for the most part I eyeball quantities. But I still have no idea what a mol is.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Isn¡¯t. Isn¡¯t it a blind animal that burrows?¡± ¡°No. I mean, yes it is, but there¡¯s also a unit of measurement I think called a mol. It uses stupid big or small numbers in its calculations and I was never good at that math. I mean, I never wanted to be a chemist. Alchemy is so much more fun ¡®cause I get to find ingredients and then figure out how to prepare them and then combine them to get the desired effect as well as change ratios in order to find the most potent combinations. It¡¯s super fun when you¡¯re teaching yourself like I did because you have to figure out what effects an ingredient has on its own, whether it¡¯s poisonous, restorative, gives a buff or debuff, or something else entirely! This process usually involves eating the ingredient at some point.¡± ¡°That last part sounds awful! You had to eat all your ingredients!? Including stuff like viper venom and fire salamander eyes and all of them!?¡± ¡°Yeah! I mean, a lot of them taste nasty or have awful textures but it¡¯s necessary to find out what oral consumption will lead to. Like, the effects of tear grass are completely different when applied in different ways! Consumed orally it induces a state wherein you start to cry uncontrollably but if you grind it with a little fairy spring water you get a cream that when applied to the skin grants a decent amount of mana regen and water element resistance! Isn¡¯t that cool!¡± ¡°Yeah, it does sound interesting that it has different properties when applied in different ways but I don¡¯t think I could just eat random things to find out if they poison me or heal me or, I don¡¯t know, make my hair teal or something.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t found a material that color changes hair on its own yet, though there are plenty of compounds you can make that permanently dye your hair a different color, including new growth.¡± ¡°That¡¯s interesting. Anyway, time to get to my lessons. Lord Garrus won¡¯t wait forever and might have me write an essay on the Torrent Wars if I¡¯m late.¡± ¡°Then onwards young scholar! We must sally forth and, um, verily conquer the eternal foes of humanity: Death and Taxes.¡± ¡°Please never speak like that again. Also, isn¡¯t the saying that nothing is certain in life except Death and Taxes?¡± ¡°RIght you are, but consider that if we managed to kill Death and end Taxes we¡¯d be heralded as heroes?¡± ¡°I think we¡¯d be the greatest anarchists to ever live if we did that.¡± ¡°Yeah that sounds right to me. Well, maybe we¡¯d be Libertarians. Yeaaaaah maybe we should scrap that plan and just take the lesson like normal.¡± ¡°Pffft. Sure, a normal lesson for normal people.¡±
¡°In conclusion, the Torrent Wars were one of the most terrible conflicts to ever happen on the continent of Vanderilex. Some of the greatest atrocities to ever happen were committed during the war, including the genocide of the Jickien ethnic group and the siege and subsequent razing of Danzhold which was the largest settlement on the continent at the time. This war is the reason the term ¡°all-out war¡± was coined. Though it happened nearly six centuries ago its ramifications are still seen today.¡± ¡°Lord Garrus, I understand that the ramifications include the loss of the Jickien people which is an undeniable tragedy and the loss of Danzhold, but are there other ramifications?¡± ¡°Think of it through the lens of precedent.¡± ¡°Oohhh. So because the Kingdom of Reyful set the precedent of genocide and all-out war, they planted the seed of the idea that atrocities are supposedly permissible if the one that commits them is the victor.¡± ¡°Correct! Well done Percival! The greatest ramification of the Torrent Wars is the fact that for as long as people remember the tragedy that occurred at the hands of King Cesvar du Reyful, some will see his failure being that he didn¡¯t do more. There are many people born to power that do not know that people are valuable, both in the idea that every life is sacred as the patron goddess of the empire teaches, but also specifically to rulers. They forget that fealty is not a river flowing in one direction, but a road upon which one treads both to and fro. The people of the country are the ones that grow the food and prepare the meals you eat, manufacture and sell the clothes on your back and the ink you write with. Frequently it is the common folk that create trends that the nobility adopts. They are the main body of the military that keeps the empire safe from monsters and invasion. Meanwhile, it is the ruler¡¯s holy duty to provide safety for the people, to be wise in their decisions about infrastructure and laws, or to appoint competent people to positions in the bureaucracy that can do so in their stead. They have the heavy duty of authority, of holding the law in one hand and passing judgment with the other. It is their duty to lead the empire in such a way that it prospers and does not fall into decline. Rulers must also remember that if the common folk are dissatisfied with their rule, that there are more of them than there are of us. ¡°Many among the nobility would consider what I just said seditious, but it is the truth that the wise recognize and keep in their minds while they make decisions that affect the masses. We need only look to history to find examples of such actions. In fact, the fall of Reyful was due to the desertion of the vast majority of their armed forces after the Week of Wails, when the genocide of the Jickiens occurred. So disgusted by the orders of their superiors and actions of many who followed the commands passed down to them that two thirds of the army of Reyful vanished into the night. Without the might of its army, Reyful could no longer hold off the counter attack by the Danzhold Alliance. Remember this if nothing else I teach you throughout our time together: History is not simply past. It is our present and it is our future. History is a wheel and when it turns, it crushes those that do not heed its path.¡± ¡°I will remember this lesson, Lord Garrus. Also, I disagree with those that would accuse you of sedition. It seems to me that by teaching the next generation of nobility this lesson, they would in fact act more so in the interest of the empire as a whole.¡± ¡°I would be glad if you kept that thought in mind when you inherit your father¡¯s position one day, though I hope that that day is far off in the future.¡± ¡°I too hope that my father rules for much longer.¡± ¡°Alright then, class is over for today, however, I will require a twenty page essay on the Danzhold Alliance: why it was created, why it lasted past the purpose it was created for, the advantages and disadvantages for the member nations, and ultimately why it failed. That will be all I think. Next class will be next Dina''s Day; please remember to show up on time then.¡± ¡°I. I will remember to do so, Lord Garrus.¡± ¡°Alright, with that, I hope you have a productive swordsmanship lesson Percival, and a good day overall.¡± ¡°Take care Lord Garrus.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Alright that¡¯s it, Rose stop pretending to be asleep.¡± ¡°Honk, shoo, honk, shoo.¡± ¡°Oh come on, that¡¯s not even convincing as a snore. You¡¯re just saying the words ¡°honk shoo.¡± ¡°Nope. I¡¯m totally asleep, mimimimimi.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to count to 5 and when I finish I want you to be serious.¡± ¡°Impossible.¡± ¡°1¡± ¡°Not gonna happen buddy, I¡¯ve never been serious in my life and I¡¯m not-¡± ¡°2¡± ¡°-about to stop now.¡± ¡°3¡± ¡°Ok listen up twerp, you keep counting and I¡¯m gonna stay max distance for the rest of the day.¡± ¡°4¡± ¡°Hrrrnnnnggg. Fine! Fine! I¡¯m sorry that I can¡¯t sleep so I have to pretend and even then I can¡¯t do so convincingly! Are you happy now? Feel like a big girl, bullying a poor insomniac?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll apologize for not taking your feelings into account, but I will remind you that I have stated in the past that if you want to pretend to go to sleep, to do so convincingly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m totally convincing, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°When people sleep they don¡¯t talk.¡± ¡°That¡¯s factually incorrect for a subsection of the population.¡± ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s just drop it.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Also, by the position of the sun in the sky and the chill in the air I believe that you¡¯re going to be late to another lesson.¡± ¡°Aw crud puppies, let¡¯s book it!¡± ¡°Gods¡¯ speed young one!¡± Chapter 6: Sword Drills and a Lesson on Mana Man, the first half of every day is boring as all heck. Like, I get that it¡¯s basically Val going to school, but they don¡¯t have anyone to interact with that¡¯s their own age. I might look eternally 16 but I¡¯ve been haunting Val since I died 8 years ago and that makes me way older. Though I don¡¯t actually feel that older. And it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve had a variety of experiences since then so I haven¡¯t really matured that much I don¡¯t think. Still, Val¡¯s like my younger sibling and I love them dearly but they would benefit from having another friend besides me. Though they don¡¯t seem lonely. Hrmmm. But yeah, sword class is going the same as always, the instructor shouting out positions and Val moving to match them. Supposedly, what this does is train your muscle memory for various scenarios that will occur in a fight. First Position is a defensive maneuver where you hold the sword vertically on your left side to defend against the most common attack with a sword: a right handed horizontal slash. Second Position is blocking an overhead strike. Third is blocking from the left. The instructor mixes the positions around so that the movements from one to the next will be fluid and thus the knight will be able to react no matter how their opponent attacks. The instructor is a knight by the name of Sir Bernard Frostsword. Apparently he¡¯s the second child of a merchant that purchased a minor noble title. Sir Bernard wasn¡¯t content with being merely an assistant to his sister who would inherit the business and so taught himself the sword every opportunity he got. Turns out he was a natural and quickly became a fighting machine. During the Bi-annual Tourney he entered and won both the duel tournament and the hundred man melee. The Duke awarded him knighthood and the position of second to the Knight Commander of the Duke¡¯s order, the Order of Grace. So he¡¯s a big deal. And for the last 5 years he¡¯s been teaching Percival how to fight. The lesson isn¡¯t all about defense however. Sir Bernard throws in attacks throughout the drill. Val, who¡¯s been training this long and also beat one of Robutt¡¯s best guards just the other week, seems bored by the whole thing. They have the exact expression of a kid that understood a concept the first time it was explained but has to sit through the teacher catching up everyone else. Bored and slightly exasperated I¡¯d call it. But, nevertheless, they persisted in going through the motions. Now that I¡¯d seen them in an actual fight I could see how they weren¡¯t giving it their all. Whether that was to practice holding back or just because they didn¡¯t care to put in a full effort was beyond my knowledge. It seems a shame that Val can¡¯t give it their all, though at the same time even when they were in a real fight they still didn¡¯t seem excited. Or happy, or exhilarated, or anything really. Just the same bored expression they always wear when they drill. I don¡¯t know, I just want them to find happiness in what they do, even if it¡¯s not something they can control. Especially since they can¡¯t control what they do. I think a way to do that would, again, be to get someone else in the classes. Even if they aren¡¯t friends they might be rivals and then competition might give Val some drive. God I normally feel like their big sister but right now I feel like a worried mother. I hate feeling this way but seeing Val have that nightmare put me in a weird headspace. And it¡¯s not like Val doesn¡¯t enjoy anything. When I¡¯m teaching them about crafting their face lights up and their eyes sparkle. God I love seeing them that way. I guess the solution to their happiness is making things with their hands. Which I totally understand. ¡°A good showing, as always Young Duke Percival!¡± ¡°Thank you, Sir.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have a surprise for you for tomorrow¡¯s lesson, so look forward to it!¡± ¡°...Of course, Sir.¡± ¡°Very well! Off with you son, the day is still young and wanting!¡± ¡°I¡­Yes. You¡¯re right Sir, I¡¯ll be going now!¡± What on the Gods¡¯ green earth does ¡°the day is wanting¡± mean? ¡®Cause it sounds gross. ¡°Hey, Val, what the heck does ¡°the day is wanting¡± mean?¡± ¡°Um. I don¡¯t know. I just wanted to leave so I was smiling and nodding.¡± ¡°Sniff. I¡¯ve taught you so well. It brings a tear to my eye.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not the first person to smile and nod through an awkward conversation nor will you be the last. I believe this among other facts that contradict the things you¡¯ve claimed to have taught me.¡± ¡°Mhm. Mhm. Right you are Val, I agree whole-heartedly.¡± Val started to squint at me real hard. ¡°You¡¯re doing it to me now, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Of course, whatever you say Val.¡± ¡°Oh piss off.¡± ¡°Pfffttt, ok, I¡¯ll stop. Anyway, I believe that it¡¯s time for us to make our grand escape, before someone kidnaps you and forces you to do math or etiquette or whatever else nobles force their children to do.¡± ¡°Sure but where are we going for the mana expansion ¡®bootcamp¡¯?¡± ¡°You know that spring in the forest to the west?¡± ¡°Glenn¡¯s Spring? Of course I know it. We went there together, remember?¡± ¡°Yeah, I do, I just wasn¡¯t sure if you remembered. I know as a teenager I lost a lot of my memories all the time.¡± ¡°...Do you still forget things easily?¡± ¡°Um. Hmm. I don¡¯t think so. I remember most of what we¡¯ve been through together. I don¡¯t remember a lot of what I did besides playing LoT.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have memories of happy times with your family?¡± My mind starts to wander to the closet door where I¡¯ve shoved and locked away the vast majority of the memories of my parents, all of them too painful for me to know how to handle. The door seems to start bulging outwards, the memories desperately trying to escape and consume me. I put in as much effort as I can to push against it and keep it closed. On the outside of my head, Val seems to be waiting for an answer, maybe even a bit worried. Oh god I can¡¯t worry them with my own fucked up past. ¡°Yeah. Yeah, uhuh. Sure there are some. My younger sister got up to a lot of hijinks that she dragged me into. She was really cute as a tiny kid. Just a bundle of energy waiting to explode into action.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll make plenty of memories to fill in the spaces of the memories you forgot.¡± ¡°...Thanks Val. I¡¯d like that. I really would.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get going then. And Rose?¡± ¡°Yeah Val?¡± ¡°I want you to know that you¡¯re my best friend. You say it to me a lot but I feel like I don¡¯t say it to you often enough.¡± ¡°I hope that me saying it so often doesn¡¯t devalue the sentiment.¡± ¡°No. It makes me really happy when you say it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad. Alright! Enough with the sappy stuff or Imma start crying.¡±
Glenn¡¯s Spring was apparently named after the explorer that found it ¡°first¡±. Considering that he lived 400 years ago I¡¯m fairly certain that he was just the first guy from the empire that found it and marked it on a map with his name slapped on it. Kinda bugs me, but whatever, not like I can change it. I¡¯m also terrible at naming things so I couldn¡¯t do better than him I wouldn¡¯t think. It¡¯s an extremely beautiful and tranquil place. The spring is in a small glade in the middle of a deciduous forest with a lot of trees that have multi-colored leaves. When the sunlight shines through them it feels like looking into a sky full of jewels, or maybe a stained glass window that shifts with the wind. The spring itself is a steady trickle of crystal clear water flowing from the top of a small gray rock spire covered in soft moss. The water pools around the spire until it flows onward and forms Break Creek. I, uh, don¡¯t know why it was named that. Val practically skips into the glade and breathes in deeply after seeing the spring. Meanwhile, I¡¯m floating on my back, mostly looking at the sun through the leaves. The beauty of this game world still shocks me from time to time. After enjoying the view and taking a sip of water with cupped hands from the pool, Val turns to speak to me, eyes full of determination. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°I¡¯m ready! Let¡¯s get to it!¡± ¡°Give me 5 more minutes.¡± ¡°Nope! We¡¯re starting as soon as possible!¡± ¡°Sigh, Alright, alright. Where to start¡­ Right. So, first let me tell you that there are 5 techniques I¡¯m going to teach you, though most people only really click with 2-3 of them. First off is mana circulation. You remember the feeling of the mana inside you? How you can move it to your fingers? That¡¯s basically all mana circulation is, just moving it through your body. When you first start doing it it¡¯ll move slowly and sluggishly, but as you and your body get used to moving it it¡¯ll speed up. You¡¯ll also get more used to doing it and it¡¯ll become second nature at some point. I know of a few people that managed to do it constantly; just had a little subsection of their subconscious on circulation duty I guess. Make sense?¡± ¡°Yeah pretty much. But it seems impossible to move it subconsciously. I was worn out just by doing that much and I didn¡¯t even get to cast the spell.¡± ¡°Chin up me bucko!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Um. Don¡¯t feel bad about it, again, it¡¯s hard to cast magic when you¡¯re just starting out. Especially when you have low mana. Thus today¡¯s lesson.¡± ¡°Yeah, alright.¡± ¡°Anyway, get to circulating! I¡¯m going to cast the spell Mana Vision and watch your progress to see what you might need help with, sound good?¡± ¡°Wait, you can see mana?¡± ¡°With a spell, sure! Lots of things are possible with the right spell!¡± ¡°That¡¯s cool as heck!¡± ¡°It sure is! There¡¯s another spell that lets you- wait wait wait, you¡¯re not getting me on a tangent! Circulate!¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing it, I¡¯m doing it!¡± As Val said that I quickly cast Mana Vision which didn¡¯t even involve any chants or gestures. You just focus mana into your eyes while they¡¯re closed and then open them. Gives your eyes a cool rainbow-swirl effect in the pupil on top of letting you see the mana flowing through the world, and thus the mana flowing within creatures. Most living things circulate their mana a small amount on reflex, but humans are tricky. There¡¯s a lot we need to be taught instead of having the instinct to do it naturally. Which results in non-mages looking something like a stagnant pool: the swirl of colors that indicates their personal elemental mana mixture just kinda sitting there limpid, pooled into the lower half of their bodies usually. I have seen some people with their mana pooled around their heart. Those people tended to live to be like, 110 years old or crazy stuff like that. To my mind that seems to correlate with the image of wizened old mages and wizards, ancient crones still cackling over the cauldron years past their supposed prime, and such like. That¡¯s one of the main reasons I want Val to learn mana circulation and get it to a high level of proficiency: I¡¯d like them to live longer and be healthier. Val¡¯s mana is, for the most part, stagnant. There¡¯s a lot of light mana in there, mixed with a decent amount of fire mana. The last significant amount was a small amount of nature mana. There are of course traces of the other elements but those three are the most prominent. I guess what Val said about the family absorbing fire mana was true. Wonder how that really happened. I don¡¯t believe the story that a man was burned to a crisp, walked it off, and bingo bango my hair¡¯s now red because I absorbed the mana that was turning me into one of the fries that leaves the basket and stays in the fryer until they clean it. Maybe I should take this time, while Val is nice and quiet and I¡¯m bored, to talk about the elements. The list is Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Nature, Light, Dark, Soul, and Mind. Fire is self explanatory, has to do with heat and to a large extent destruction. However, nearly every spell that involves cooking is fire related. There are also a few restorative spells in the fire school, which indicates to me that the devs believed that fire isn¡¯t solely a force of pain and destruction, but also, when tamed, can be a source of life and warmth. There¡¯s the idea of the hearth being the center of the home, the solace one can get from a warm meal, and the expression does say that when you love someone they¡¯ve ¡°lit a flame in your heart¡±. Water is also, well, let¡¯s be frank here, most of the elements are self explanatory. Water deals with the wettest substance around. Conjuring it, manipulating it, freezing it, these are all things that spells in the school of water can do. Want to make a spike out of ice and shoot it at your foe? Water. Want to summon a tsunami to wipe out an invading army? Water¡¯s got you covered at the higher tiers. Need to refill your canteen in the depths of a dungeon? Water again! You can also breathe underwater or swim like a dolphin with water magic. There¡¯s not much in water that¡¯s super out of the realm of expectations I wouldn¡¯t say. Earth is anything related to dirt and minerals. Rocks, dirt, gems, metals, clay, you name it Earth¡¯s got it. It¡¯s got some great support spells, such as a spell to cover yourself in stone armor while buffing you to not be crushed by the weight. A spell to appraise gem and metal quality, very useful for merchants and crafters alike. A spell for restoring the fertility to farmed soil; crop rotation begone! A spell to form and solidify bricks and pottery without the need for a kiln. I don¡¯t really like that last one as much, takes the fun out of crafting with clay. The reason it hasn¡¯t completely overtaken the pottery business is that it only has 1 design for any one thing. Want a deep cereal bowl? How about a serving bowl? Sorry, you get a small, shallow bowl. Want a plate that kinda works as a bowl for your pasta? I¡¯m sorry, all I know is that a plate is a flat piece with a bit of a lip. But yeah, earth is great for buffs, mostly in the realm of the physical though. Not a lot of magic protection coming out of turning your flesh to steel, but if the sword your enemy¡¯s swinging at you is made of poor quality steel or, god forbid, iron or even copper? That enemy¡¯s going to have a bad day and a broken sword as the least of their worries. Moving on, we have Air which has a lot of buffs and some good damage dealers. Mostly dealing with speed and flight buffs, I¡¯ve used air magic in the past to not only have the power of flight but also to increase my speed fourfold which, let me tell you, made me essentially a human missile. I combo-ed it with some earth magic for defense: both the steel skin and the rock armor. I thusly became not a missile but a wrecking ball. God it was fun but gave me such a headache. But yeah, air magic can also turn wind into blades that can slash up your enemies. Were you wondering why there was no element for electricity? It got folded into air, probably because of lightning being a phenomenon that happens midair. Well not actually, lightning actually starts at the ground and goes up if I recall correctly. I digress, it lets you shoot lightning at people so that¡¯s pretty sick. Nature magic involves everything living. So animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, all in there baby. Spells to transform parts of your body into animalistic forms, like giving you a wolf¡¯s snout complete with teeth, or, for instance, giving you the tough hide of a boar for a bit. It lets you grow plants fungi and micro-organisms depending on the spell. I pulled a ¡°prank¡± on my friend one time that was just me growing the e-coli on his ingredients and thus poisoning him. I gave him a remedial potion soon after but he didn¡¯t forgive me for a while. I also decided that it might¡¯ve been too mean for a prank. Nature also lets you do stuff like harvest from natural resources without killing them. Need some wood from a 10,000 year old tree? Don¡¯t even think about cutting that thing down, use Wood Harvest on it. Need about 50 of a super rare mushroom you¡¯ve only ever found one of? Fungal Harvest is your best friend. You can even get meat or hide from an animal without killing it if it¡¯s chill with you touching it for like 20 seconds. Light magic is said by the empire to be holy, as they worship the Goddess of Light and Mercy. Which I think is hilarious for an expansionist empire but I didn¡¯t write the setting. Light magic works with not only shining a light in the dark, but also lets you do most healing spells. It has a few esoteric buffs as well, such as Saint¡¯s Succor which means you don¡¯t have to eat for 24 hours after applying it. There¡¯s a spell that turns undead and one that summons a literal angel to assist you in combat. There¡¯s also a high tier spell, literally Mercy¡¯s Judgment that heals everything in a ten mile radius. Cures their diseases, seals their wounds, can fucking cure a migraine and I heard it once delivered someone¡¯s baby mid-labor. It¡¯s a stupidly powerful spell and I¡¯m glad they balanced it so that the caster can only cast it once every six months. It also has one of the highest if not the highest mana costs in the game. It also isn¡¯t picky about who it heals, so using it on a battlefield is pointless unless you¡¯re a third party I suppose. Dark is my favorite school. Involves summoning, manipulating, drawing power from, darkness as well as vacuums, and cold without ice. It feels more like the absence of heat rather than a reduction of heat if that makes sense. Very cold in essence. Heck, one of the top tier spells is Absolute Zero which, let me tell you, ain¡¯t kidding when it says that. I cast it once and froze a fire dragon solid. My party¡¯s warrior gave it a love tap with a maul and it shattered like heated glass hitting water. Was pretty sick but also kinda grisly. Soul is a narrow field of magic. It involves altering, destruction of, capturing and or sealing of souls. It¡¯s how you can bring someone back from the dead: seal their soul in an object, heal their body quickly, then shove the soul back in. In theory it¡¯d work, in practice it has been attempted numerous times to, let¡¯s say less than stellar results. The mages attempting it all described a sense that something resisted the implantation of the soul. Makes me wonder if the gods forbid it at some point or if once the soul leaves the body the body dies for good. I don¡¯t muck around with soul magic at all though. Wigs me out. Like I know the spells I just don¡¯t use them thank you. Mind magic, as mentioned previously, is a bit fucked up and by a bit I mean almost entirely. I won¡¯t rehash the specific spells and their awful effects but suffice it to say that Induce Dream is far and away my fav spell in the school. There are a few good resistance ones, such as Resist Mind which lets you resist spells from the mind school better. Pre-mortem I kept this one active at all times. I don¡¯t like taking risks with my brian or my autonomy. ¡°-ose. ROSE!¡± ¡°Jeez no need to shout I¡¯m right here!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been spaced out for 2 HOURS! When was I supposed to stop, 2 weeks from now?!¡± ¡°It can¡¯t have been 2¡± I look at the sun. ¡°Holy shit it¡¯s been like 2 hours Jeezy Creezy I¡¯m so sorry buddy.¡± ¡°Can you at least do what you said you would and tell me what I¡¯m doing wrong?¡± ¡°Sure can friendo. Hmmm. It looks like you¡¯re doing a good job! Everything is flowing smoothly and your mana is maintaining a constant ratio. Seems good to me! If this is something you don¡¯t hate doing, you should repeat it for at least 30 minutes to an hour every day. Once it gets easier you¡¯ll be able to do basic tasks while circulating.¡± ¡°Hmm. I mean, I do find it a bit challenging but it did get easier over time. I¡¯d say that I don¡¯t hate it.¡± ¡°Great! Now then, the second method is-¡± ¡°Rose I hate to cut you off but we have to go home now.¡± ¡°Whaaat? Why?¡± ¡°Because dinner¡¯s going to be served soon and I don¡¯t want my food to be any colder than it usually is.¡± ¡°Wait your food¡¯s normally cold?¡± ¡°Yeah? I¡¯m a noble, it sits for ages until we eat it and has to be poison tested and all sorts of stuff. By the time we actually eat it it¡¯s usually stone cold.¡± ¡°That¡¯s awful! But worry not Val, I shall save you from disgustingly cold food!¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Through magic of course! A little spell from the fire school called Warm the Soul.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know that I need my soul to be warmer than it is.¡± ¡°No, ding dong, it warms up food which when eating helps to ¡®warm the soul¡¯¡±.¡± ¡°Why would food do that?¡± ¡°Uh, because warm food makes you feel all warm and happy inside. Trust me, you¡¯re gonna love it!¡± ¡°If you say so, I won¡¯t argue.¡± ¡°Excellent! Then, onwards!¡± Chapter 7: A Foe in the Wood and an Unexpected Savior As we were on our way back from the spring, following Break Creek back through the woods towards the castle, I felt like something was off. I looked at Val but they didn¡¯t seem to be noticing anything out of the ordinary so I was tempted to shrug it off as paranoia. But I can use detection magic again. There¡¯s different detection magic for each school, though some overlap a bit. I cast Detect Life from the school of nature, which lets me know of any and every living thing in the area. Doing that in a fairly lush forest, however, is a stupid idea because I immediately got a migraine from the sheer amount of information that got dumped in my brain all at once. Right, right, mostly for use in dungeons. Clutching my head, cursing quietly about how I don¡¯t even have a brain anymore how can I even get migraines anymore, I cast Detect Soul which will only give a reaction to entities with souls, which is pretty much any animal or monster. Besides undead that is. Detect Unlife is a dark spell. There we go! I¡¯ve got a family of birds¡­cowering in their nest. A rabbit curled up and shivering in its burrow. And behind us there¡¯s¡­something massive. Oh god what is that? It¡¯s soul feels like a mass of twisted wires, all taut and full of potential energy, waiting to snap and release destruction on its surroundings. ¡°Val. Val. Val.¡± ¡°What is it Rose?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got trouble.¡± ¡°Yeah we¡¯re going to be late at this rate.¡± ¡°No. Listen to me. We are in deep shit right now buddy. There¡¯s something behind us that the forest is terrified of. And considering I only noticed it with magic, it¡¯s probably hunting us.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ Rose, please don¡¯t joke about something like that. These woods are patrolled regularly by the Order, nothing evil can still be here.¡± I float in front of Val and motion to hold their face with my hands and stare in their eyes, trying to communicate every ounce of sincerity I possibly can. ¡°Val. Listen to the tone of my voice. I. Am. Not. Joking. Something is behind us. It feels like a compressed spring or a taut rope waiting to snap. It feels like a bundle of destruction waiting to break free and ruin everything around it. You have to run now Val. Run as fast as you can, I¡¯m going to try and hold it back with magic but I can¡¯t let you get hurt, ok? Tell me you understand and will do that for me.¡± ¡°I. I. Okay. I believe you. What happens if it¡¯s faster than me?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let it be. I won¡¯t let it hurt you.¡± ¡°I trust you. Okay, I¡¯m going to start running now.¡± ¡°Good. Don¡¯t stop for anything you hear me?¡± ¡°Yeah I do.¡± I nod to the most precious person to me, both our faces pale and determined. I motion as to kiss Val on the forehead and turn to find our adversary. I know where they are but still don¡¯t know what they are or what they look like. But with a soul like that I can¡¯t imagine anything good. It was about a hundred feet behind us, so I go to the extent of my range of thirty feet and look out into the woods. The woods are lush, yes, but I should have clear sight of it according to my magic. However¡­ there¡¯s nothing there. Alright, time for a light spell. Uncover the Invisible. I cast it at where I know the creature to be and¡­ nothing happens. My spell gives me the feedback that there was nothing invisible where I cast. Not good. That means it is either amazingly well camouflaged or it¡¯s a spirit. But it has a soul, so it¡¯s not an undead. An elemental of some kind? If so we might be fucked six ways to sunday. Of the elemental spirits, it could only be nature or wind. But. But the forest wouldn¡¯t react like this to an elemental! They¡¯re so intune with the natural world that they could kiss a rabbit on the forehead before it¡¯d run away from them! I hear Val take off sprinting behind me and feel the invisible wall that keeps me near them hit me in the face, yanking me backwards. Oh god, Detect Soul just wore off. Recast recast recast! OH MOTHERFUCKER! It¡¯s coming in fast! Um um um what the fuck do I cast to stop it?! I don¡¯t know what would affect a not technically invisible invisible enemy that has a soul but no body and.. WAIT! ¡°Goddess of Mercy hear my prayer! May all in attendance witness this offering of mana and tears and feel the grief with which I ask this of you! I seek to bind the soul of my foe, not for power over it or to seek its destruction but to protect those I love! I offer whatever you deem necessary in return and fear not the consequence! If my life you take I offer it gladly, if my honor you seek then take what little I have to offer. All I beg you is to spare my companions from harm and consequence this day! I beseech thee, Mercy¡¯s Prison of Sacrifice!¡± ¡°ROSE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?? DON¡¯T OFFER YOUR LIFE FOR ME!¡± ¡°AAAAGGGHRHRHRHRHR¡± Oh holy fuck this is painful. I feel my mana being ripped out of me. Not siphoned like I thought. I feel the lives of every animal in a 1 mile radius be snuffed out as their blood is ripped out. I didn¡¯t have any of my own so I had to improvise. God I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯m so sorry. IT was all I could think of. Mercy¡¯s Prison of Sacrifice does not, in fact, protect the caster and in fact frequently kills the caster. It does not, in fact, imprison an enemy¡¯s soul like you think it would from the incantation. Instead, it imprisons the caster¡¯s soul and places an impenetrable barrier around their allies. The more allies, the higher the cost. Not only does casting the spell at all cost around half my mana but I feel like I have negative mana. I¡¯m also directly in the path of the thing racing at Val. The primary effect of Mercy¡¯s Prison is..well¡­an exchange of sorts. An offer of a life for a life. If the offering and the reason you cast the spell don¡¯t kill you then you get off lucky, but as long as the spell is successful, your friends physically cannot die for the next week. An incredibly powerful spell that felt less desperate back when I could respawn. I feel it getting closer, feel the wires and cords of its being stretch tauter and tauter, the tension that is its being building up and as it approaches within 5 feet of me I feel the tension release and I brace myself. I¡¯m pretty sure since we¡¯re both just souls that this is going to hurt like I¡¯m dying all over again but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll actually die¡­probably. If I do, This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Goodbye for now Val. I¡¯ll find you again next time I think.¡± The cords are breaking towards me now and I close my eyes and scrunch up and prepare for pain. ¡°LIKE HELL I¡¯D LET YOU KILL YOURSELF YOU JACKASS!¡± I feel something shoot past me and suddenly the energy from the thing breaks against something, like an unstoppable force hitting an immovable object¡­only if that object could get flung forty feet through the air and several trees before stopping. What in the name of all that¡¯s holy just happened?! Wait a minute. Where¡¯s Val?! They¡¯re not running anymore they¡¯re¡­ They were the object that got hit. ¡°VAL! NO!¡± ¡°Uggghhhh.¡± ¡°NO! NO! YOU IDIOT! ¡°You¡¯re the idiot! Don¡¯t you DARE sacrifice yourself for me!¡± ¡°It was all I could think to do! Besides, you still have a life! I want you to keep it!¡± ¡°SHUT UP WITH THAT SHIT! Do you think I could EVER be happy again if you died for me?! Take that sacrificial bullshit and shove it up your ass!¡± I have, and I mean this in the best way possible, NEVER heard Val snap like this. They don¡¯t cuss that much or that severely as far as I know. I¡¯d be feeling proud if I wasn¡¯t so distressed I think. ¡°I¡¯m dead Val! How is my life worth as much as yours?¡± ¡°I said to SHUT UP WITH THAT HORSESHIT!¡± Wait a minute, where the fuck is the thing. Fuck fuck fuck where is it where is it OH GODSDAMNIT!¡± ¡°VAL WATCH OUT!¡± But I¡¯m too late. The energy is already released directly over Val¡¯s head. Again the force hits something it can¡¯t break and I¡¯m still confused as to how Val isn¡¯t a stain on the forest floor. But a freaking crater is made beneath Val¡¯s feet as they take a knee and clutch their head in pain. ¡°Oooohhhh gods, being a hero sucks.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t be one twerp! Just get back to running!¡± ¡°Godsdamnit why won¡¯t you LISTEN TO ME! I can¡¯t let you disappear and leave me alone!¡± ¡°Why are you being so stubborn about this?!¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re the most important person to me too! Does that mean nothing to you?!?¡± The tension was building again, I could feel it but still couldn¡¯t move. A prison is a prison after all. Theoretically I¡¯d be stuck here until I either perish or the spell wears off in a week. I probably should¡¯ve mentioned that in the game the spell had a 100% mortality rate for the caster, as it was only ever used in dire situations in raids and stuff. And even then I¡¯d only ever heard of it being used a handful of times by people that cared more for their party¡¯s success than their own profit. In the game, when you died after casting it, you couldn¡¯t log back in until the effects wore off. It is a brutal spell only for the desperate. The tension snaps through the air and I scream out of desperation and frustration. Val might not be able to die but as long as their protecting me they¡¯re stuck here tanking hits. I don¡¯t think the thing attacking us will ever get tired or bored so it can probably wait out the spell timer. And by the time it wears off Val will be in no state to run. We didn¡¯t bring provisions as we thought it was a day trip. On top of that, being immune from death doesn¡¯t make you immune from damage it seems. The spell will probably let them go down to 1 HP. Goddess of Mercy, what a joke. Val hasn¡¯t even stood back up yet and I¡¯m staring horrified as the cords crack down towards them. But then, the last thing I¡¯d ever expect happens. ¡°Urrff. You have some nerve showing your face again, Tamatia. I won¡¯t let you harm my son.¡± What. The. Fuck. Robutt just fucking appeared in front of Val and tanked the hit. He barely even shifted, dear lords what is he made of? Freaking pure steel?! He faces towards the empty space filled with hostility which, ever since he showed up, feels like it went from having a bit of fun playing with its food to emanating and aura of pure hatred and bloodlust. And Robutt¡¯s standing there letting it wash over him like it¡¯s nothing. He reaches up to his back and draws Ythene from the series of straps that hold it. Just as the thing attacks again he swings the sword into the blow and the cords are cut. Like a knife through butter. An ear piercing, soul shacking, heart stopping screech echoes through the forest as he cuts it. And Robert¡¯s standing there laughing, winding up another swing. ¡°You never could win against me Tamatia. You know I¡¯m always up for a spar but I can¡¯t allow you to harm my only blood. Now then, I summon the spirits of my ancestors imprisoned within this blade of olde. Grant me the power to rend the ether and the very animating essence of those that would harm my kin. SOUL REND¡± As he chanted, the thing, Tamatia I suppose, started to attack frantically, only to be met with each attack being either tanked or countered. In Robert¡¯s hands, Ythene started to glow blood red, casting Robert¡¯s face in an eerie light that made the man seem more demon than human, his face looking like some horrible grinning ogre or something. As he reaches the end of his incantation Ythene¡¯s light flares up bright enough to nearly blind me. Robert brings Ythene above his head and swings down with the force of a mountain, rending Tamatia in two. Tamatia, in response, seems to be spasming, little bits of it dissolving into the air around it but there¡¯s still a feeling of tension building, more and more until it feels like the world itself will snap when it gets released. Robert sees this and in response Crouches to cover Val with his body, swinging his cloak around to cover them completely. Like a nuclear bomb detonating the forest explodes as Tamatia disappears. Everything in a half mile radius is destroyed. I¡¯m destroyed, or so it feels to me. Fuck this hurts. I look over myself and see a thousand cuts and a number of rends in my ghostly form, a weird light blue mist rising out of the wounds. I feel like I just got mauled by mountain lion. Or used as a dragon¡¯s chew toy. I look over at Robert and Val to see Robert stand up with an unconscious Val in his arms, holding them to his chest. He turns and looks directly at me. ¡°Spirit. I¡¯ve watched you haunt my son. I thought you a possible danger. I can feel the power you hold, made clear by the spell you cast today. However, you have protected my son from grave danger and I can only thank you for your actions today. When the spell wears off and you are released, you may return to your position at Percival¡¯s side, as a protector. Just know, now and always, that should you turn against me or my son, what my blade can do against your kind.¡± ¡°Their¡­name¡­ is VAL.¡± ¡°I believe I know the name of my own son, spirit.¡± ¡°No¡­you don¡¯t. They hate the name you gave them. Can¡¯t you see¡­how they look after someone calls them that?¡± ¡°Speak not more of this, spirit, lest you invoke my wrath. My son and heir bears the name of my closest companion from my days at war. My second lost their life to save mine and I honor them through my son. I will not have you besmirch that honor. Good day, spirit. May we never need speak again.¡± ¡°Wait¡­you..bastard¡­ FUCK¡± As Robutt leaves, cape swirling as he turns on his heel, I feel my vision getting darker. Oh. Is this how you sleep? I guess I forgo- Chapter 8: Waking Up, the Aftermath, and a Visitor When I woke up, I was being carried up the stairs of my tower headed towards my bedroom. Last I remembered, Rose had started being really fatalistic and I jumped in front of her. What happened after that? Ummm. Hmmm. I remember being in pain, but not as much as I thought I¡¯d be in. Rose had been looking at a near empty patch of air, but the woods were silent, and I could¡­I don¡¯t know, feel, the energy of the forest flowing around the patch of air. And then it started to glow with this malevolent light and I knew it was going to hurt her, kill her, if I didn¡¯t stop her. I was scared but like hell I¡¯d just let her disappear and leave me alone. Gods I hurt all over. It feels like I was trampled by a whole stable¡¯s worth of horses. Sleeping would be nice but I don¡¯t think I can go back to sleep with this much pain. Wait a minute, who¡¯s carrying me? I look up into the sharp red beard and, as Rose has described it in the past, grizzly bear face of my father, who is looking determinedly up the stairs as he holds me close to his chest. I don¡¯t know what to feel right now. Why was he in the woods? Why is he carrying me? Why don¡¯t I feel safe here like I used to? It feels like the hug I waited years for and never thought I¡¯d receive, but it doesn¡¯t hold the affection that Rose said it would. Instead it feels¡­possessive. Like he¡¯s scared someone is going to steal something from him. I don¡¯t like that feeling. I suppose he sensed me stirring and moving my head as he looks down into my face, his still a flat mask of the Eternal Sword of the Empire, never showing weakness, or any emotion for that matter. I¡¯ve been told by the knights that on campaign he smiles and laughs regularly and feels like ¡°one of the men¡±. I¡¯ve never seen anything close to that from him. ¡°You¡¯re awake. Good. Can you stand?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sure I can.¡± I want to get out of his arms and away from him. I want to find out what happened to Rose. I need to get out of here, no matter how hurt I might be. He puts me down on my feet on the stairs and oh gods it hurts. Bile rises in my throat but I won¡¯t show weakness. Not to him. Never in front of him. I wobble and nearly tip down the stairs but I catch myself, planting my feet in a wider stance and look up at him with a mask to match his. Expressionless, devoid of any hint of what I felt underneath. I learned from the best after all. ¡°Good. Practice is tomorrow at the usual time.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± And with that winning exchange between parent and child, he about faces and returns down the stairs. As soon as he¡¯s out of earshot I collapse to the ground and sit on the stairs limply. God it hurts. Nothing feels broken but my head is swimming in acid and my legs are water. I rest for all of five minutes though it feels like a moment and then get back to my feet. I climb the rest of the stairs to my room and collapse on the bed. I want to find out what happened to Rose, why she would do that to me. Does she hate me? She was so quick to try and leave me. I know she¡¯s trapped here next to me but I thought we¡­ that we loved each other. Why would she want to abandon me at the first chance. I¡­ I just¡­ WHY?!? And the tears start flowing and I can¡¯t stop them. Limp in bed all I can do is choke back huge heaving sobs. Why this? Why now? I haven¡¯t cried since I was 7 why am I now? I love her so much that when I heard her say that awful incantation something felt like it broke in my heart. It hurts, it hurts so much. My heart hurts. I need to find her. Need to make sure she¡¯s alright. Why isn¡¯t she here? How can she be gone? She¡¯s always there but now she¡¯s not and WHY?!?
When I woke up, I was still a prisoner. Still leaking blue mist from the rents in my soul. Fucking horseshit why can a ghost feel pain? There¡¯s no magic that heals the soul, at least, not that I know of. Fuck I¡¯ve never heard of a soul being hurt before. Captured? Destroyed? Banished? Moved like a doll? All possible! Hurting a soul? Never. How on earth did this happen. Wait! Where¡¯s Val? ¡°VAL!?!??¡± VAAAALLLL!!!! Where are you!?¡± The only response to my call was the sounds of a forest at night. Though I was no longer in a forest. The trees and shrubs and cute little animals were all gone around me. Instead I was floating above the floor of a large crater. It looks like either the largest artillery shell detonated here, or like some god took a spoon and scooped out a piece of the world. Except for the center. In the middle is a small pillar of earth still standing. Wait, it¡¯s coming back to me. Val was hurt defending me like an idiot when I was defending them! That fucking little twerp I¡¯m gonna scold them so much when I get out of here¡­ in a week. Oh god that¡¯s gonna be so boring! Wait, fuck my stupid brain, I remember Robutt swooping in to save Val while I couldn¡¯t move and tearing the thing apart like it was made of wet paper. Then he looked at me and threatened me, all while saying I had to be Val¡¯s protector. No shit sherlock, Protect them from your fucking piece of shit crazy ass! GodsDAMN I do not feel good. I haven¡¯t felt¡­well, much of anything for the last 8 years and now I get to savor the feeling of being eviscerated! God I wish I could see Val. But they don¡¯t know the Message spell, so even if I send them a message I won¡¯t get a reply. What time is it anyway? We got attacked in the late afternoon aaaannd the sun is rising. Man I was out for a grip, huh? Better send a message to Val telling them I¡¯m alright, wouldn¡¯t want them to worry or nothing. ¡°Swift wind carry my voice to whom I choose and let them receive my Message. ¡®Heya buddy! Sorry about the radio silence, I just woke up! Crazy right? I¡¯m fine, no need to worry. Sorry I can¡¯t be there right now!¡¯¡± Message is a spell that allows the user to contact anyone they¡¯ve seen in the last 72 hours. It¡¯s limited to 25 words though, so you can¡¯t really hold a great conversation with it. Good for this case though, cause I just needed Val to know I was ok. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re worried. God they haven¡¯t really been alone for 8 years? I wonder how bad that is for a kid. Was I too invasive? Should I have left the room more often than I did? Ah Jeezy Creezy I hope I didn¡¯t mess their brain up by haunting them. Not like I had a choice but I¡­ would also have been lonely without them there. It¡¯s not like I could¡¯ve gone and talked to anyone else. Well, ok, now I know that seeing ghosts runs in the family, cause Dickhead Maximus over there decided now was the time to shit on me. Whelp, nothing left to do but sit here and wait¡­ aaaaannnddd wait¡­ Fuck I¡¯m bored.¡±
I lay in bed, limp, eyes surely red and puffy. I feel like I have nothing left in me. No tears. No soul. No emotions. All of it¡¯s gone. Everything¡¯s gone. Because she¡¯s gone forever. She left me behind and went off somewhere else. She¡¯s not dead. She can¡¯t be dead. I¡¯d know if she was dead, right? So she¡¯s not dead. Just gone. And I¡¯m here. Dead instead. Someone¡¯s knocking on my door again. Just like 2 hours ago. Just like 4 hours ago. Like fucking clockwork they come to bother the dead. I keep ignoring them. My door¡¯s locked, they can¡¯t get in so I¡¯m safe to be dead. ¡°Young Master? Please let me in. I have some food for you! It¡¯s been two days and you haven¡¯t left the room, surely you must be hungry by now. Please let me in.¡± Hungry? Hah, how can I hunger for anything except her? I¡¯m empty inside and that¡¯s how it should be. I don¡¯t deserve to eat because I couldn¡¯t stop her, couldn¡¯t save her, couldn¡¯t tell her how I feel. She¡¯s gone now and so is everything I care about. Hungry? Hah. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m going to leave this here across from the door. Please eat it soon. I made sure it was warm before I brought it up but it will cool soon so please eat it before then. We¡¯re all worried about you, so please come out soon Young Master.¡± What a joke. Care about me? No one cares about me. I thought she did but she¡¯s gone and all I can do is lay here empty. My hand falls off the side of the bed and hits something instead of the floor. With immense effort, because I have no soul or anything else in my body, I turn over and look at what I hit. It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s Boar¡¯s Thorn. With the pommel that made her so happy she said. The nicest thing anyone¡¯ ever done for her. Ever, she said. I guess it wasn¡¯t enough. But, but I can remember how she looked when she stopped crying. Her smile is like the sun, blinding in its brilliance. Her hair seems like snow with light shining from below, White with light blue accents. Her eyes like sapphire. No! Like the sky at dusk as the sun is just about to finish setting! A blue so dark it seems purple! The way she laughs isn¡¯t like tinkling bells like some people describe women¡¯s laughs as. Instead, it sounds unique every time I hear it, always shifting around, not bells, no, but an entire room of musical instruments, each played according to the rhythm and beat of whatever sparked the reaction from her. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. She. She¡¯s so kind. She makes me feel like I¡¯m¡­like I¡¯m me. Not the ¡®Young Duke¡¯, not ¡®Percival¡¯, but me. Val. I love it when she says my name, it feels so nice to have someone who knows who I am and loves me anyway. She¡¯s funny, always with a comeback or something snarky to say about anything. She doesn¡¯t take shit and when she gives it she either knows how much to give or apologizes if she goes too far. She¡¯s so smart, she knows more spells than the Archmagi! And how to make anything! She¡¯s gentle when I need her to be and serious when things call for it¡­
Yep. Still imprisoned. Still in the same place. God I¡¯m glad my legs can¡¯t cramp or else I¡¯d be in so much more pain. It¡¯s Day 5 of the Week of Regretting Life Choices and that means that, yes, I¡¯ve been floating here, against my will mind you, for ¡°5. WHOLE. FUCKING. DAYS!!! AAAAGGGHHHHRRRRHGHGHGH!!!¡± Unfortunately, screaming my non-existent lungs out doesn¡¯t actually make me feel better. If a ghost screams in a forest and no soul-whisperers are around, does she make a sound? The answer? Who gives a fuck I¡¯m so bored. SO. BORED. It¡¯s torture. Goddess of Mercy? Peh. Ma¡¯am I spit in your general direction¡­ or I would if I could. The sentiment is still there by gods! Gods OTHER THAN YOU YOU WICKED HARPY! I¡¯ve done EVERYTHING that I can POSSIBLY THINK OF to pass the time, which, NEWS FLASH for you folks, AIN¡¯T MUCH. I tried casting spells for all of 20 minutes before I started feeling lightheaded, which means my mana regen is off? For some reason? Looking at my status, my mana is suuper low. Which, great, 4 fucking days and no mana to speak of. Fuck me and my afterlife I guess! Now you might be thinking ¡°Oh silly, stupid, naive Rose, don¡¯t you know there are things you can do that aren¡¯t magic? Wow, gee, thanks random fuckwad! I never thought to try I Spy when I¡¯m trapped in a GODSDAMNED CRATER! What¡¯d¡¯ya see Rosie?! I SEE DIRT! FUCKING DIRT FOR A HALF MILE ALL AROUND. Well look up you stupid bitch! GUESS WHAT?!!? I! SEE! BLUE! AAAAAGHGGGHHH! Why did I do it? Because Val was in danger and it was all I could think to do. Didn¡¯t think about, I dunno, SOUL CAPTURE?!? Banish Life¡¯s Essence?!? You know, SPELLS THAT AFFECT SOULS!?!? Nope! Not me! My dumb. FUCKING. Ass. Could only think of the TOP TIER DEFENSIVE SPELL IN THE GODDAMN GAME!!! A spell once described in an interview with the devs as a ¡°SORT OF SOCIAL EXPERIMENT!!!¡± ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Let me out let me out let me out letmeoutletmeoutletmeoutletmeoutletmeoutletmeoutletmeoutletmeoutletmeoutletmeoutletmeoutletmeoutletmeoutletmeoutletmeoutletmeoutletmeoutletmeoutletmeout I¡¯m going FUCKING INSANE! And I¡¯m here alone for 2 more. FUCKING DAYS! ALONE! AAAAAAAAAGHGHGHGGHHHEOAJFNALFNALDKFNDMLFNNOIQNWNDDNCLCNCNAONQNCNX I¡¯ll never make it.
And. And she¡¯s gone. She left. Nicest thing anyone¡¯s ever done for me. Ha. haha. ha. ha. Oh gods she¡¯s gone. She left me. Why would she leave me. I love her and I thought she loves me but now she¡¯s gone and I¡­ I¡¯m alone. Why does this feel so bad? But she was my¡­ my best friend. Only her friend. Ha. hahaha. Yeah. Yeah that¡¯s right. I was never anything but a friend to her. God of course she wouldn¡¯t love me like that. She¡¯s amazing and I¡¯m nothing. Why wouldn¡¯t she leave me when she could? She¡¯s free now, she can go anywhere and do anything because she¡¯s amazing and I¡¯m stuck here, trapped just because I was born. Oh gods why was I born if it was going to turn out like this. Master of Fates I curse your name! It should¡¯ve been me instead! I just! I just. I. I just want to see her again! It¡¯s so unfair, Rose. Why did you leave me behind? Weren¡¯t we supposed to stay together through everything?
It¡¯s Day 6 and I¡¯ve been banging my head against my self-inflicted prison for the last few hours, to no result. I don¡¯t know what result I want: To break the prison or to knock myself out somehow but either way, no luck. Just as I stop and slide down the side of the bubble to the bottom and lay there lifelessly. haha. What a joke this afterlife is shaping up to be. God I miss Val. I wondered earlier if I had messed Val up by being near then 24/7 for 8 years but now I know that I was the one that got messed up. I miss them so much. Their smile when they make something. The excitement they only show me. I miss them. I want to protect them. Fucking Robert Quentin is¡­ a protective father sure but he¡¯s not a good father, and I need to try and mitigate any damage he might¡¯ve done to Val. But instead of that I¡¯m stuck here. In a prison of my own creation. ¡°? You do it to yourself, it¡¯s true, and that¡¯s what really hurts! You do it to your, seeelllfff~?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s there? Wait a minute, how do you know that song?!¡± ¡°Why I know many things! I¡¯m a traveler, you see, and I wander hither and yon collecting people¡¯s tales. I figured I would see what story a damage soul in the sacrificial prison of Mercy¡¯s Prison of Sacrifice had to offer me.¡± Looking out of my bubble I see a short figure at the edge of the crater. I can¡¯t make them out well in the dark from so far away. It looks like they¡¯re holding something, repeatedly holding it up to their mouth and then taking it away. Guess it¡¯s one of those long pipes you see sometimes in fantasy. Are they a gnome? A halfling? Dwarf? They¡¯re humanoid but indistinct. ¡°I do say, are you alright there? You have been staring a hole through me for the past few minutes. I dare say an honest chap would see that and start to feel things that would not behoove a beautiful young lady such as yourself.¡± ¡°Oh! Um, sorry! Also, kinda gross. My name¡¯s Rose! What¡¯s yours?¡± ¡°My! What a polite young woman! My name is inconsequential but you may refer to me as Dal, at your service.¡± Saying that, he swept off what must be a very wide hat and I think did a deep bow. That¡¯s the first time someone¡¯s bowed to me. That¡¯s¡­a weird feeling. ¡°Um. So, uh, what do you want to know?¡± ¡°Why your story, Miss Rose! Where you came from, where you¡¯ve been headed, and everything in between! I do believe, judging by the prison, that we have at least 2 days during which to converse so please! Regale me!¡± ¡°I. Okay, sure. I¡¯m happy that you can see me and even more so that you¡¯re happy to talk to me. I¡¯ve been so bored. Oh! Are you related to the Quentin family perchance?¡± ¡°The Ducal Swords? No, what a silly question. There¡¯s only three of them left after all!¡± ¡°Yeah, makes sense. So, my story?¡± ¡°Yes please!¡± And so I started to talk. About my life, my death, and my afterlife. Dal¡¯s a great audience, asking questions that stimulate conversation and my memory. I found myself talking about things I normally kept in my mind¡¯s closet. It¡­ didn¡¯t hurt as much as I thought it would, talking to Dal about it. I also found myself remembering a lot of little things, little moments of happiness and joy, that I¡¯d forgotten about. It was¡­nice. Really nice, actually, to tell someone about the fucked up shit that I went through, and to remember good things that I forgot about. By the time I knew it I was sitting next to Dal on the edge of the crater, both of us dangling out legs over the edge while I spoke about teaching Val how to make a sword, how they made me realize I could do magic still, how I was going about teaching Val magic, and then the fight in the woods. Dal was a halfling it seems. With brown hair cut short on his head with mutton chops and a chin-strap beard, all in brown with flecks of white and gray sprinkled in. His hat was a wide brimmed traveler¡¯s hat, travel worn and water stained. It had a feather in it the color of dawn in pristine condition, standing out against the plain hat. He did, in fact, have a long, curved pipe, carved in the shape of a bird at the end, which he shared with me as we talked. I¡¯ve never smoked before but it wasn¡¯t a bad feeling per say, just, a way to share a moment with someone it felt like. As my story came to an end with me explaining how I was going loopy inside the prison, he laughed heartily and told me that he was glad he¡¯d wandered by to listen. ¡°It is a good story. Very good. The First Act ends in tragedy but with a rebirth into a happier time in the Second. And then the start of the Third! So dramatic! I can see exciting things in your story coming up, Dear Miss Rose. I eagerly await our next meeting, such that I can hardly contain my excitement!¡± ¡°Oh! Are you leaving already?¡± He threw back his head a guffawed. A sound that was really nice to hear, like someone who knew life was a joke and he wanted everyone to know it. ¡°Whaahahaha! Already she says! My dear, it has been three days since you started your story!¡± ¡°What! THREE DAYS?!?! I have to go! I have to get back to Val!¡± ¡°Indeed! Go see her, tell her how much you love her, and make sure to give her a hug for me!¡± ¡°GreattalkingwithyoubutIgottagobye!¡± As I started sprinting as fast as I could and cast magic to make myself faster he laughed behind me, that same glorious guffaw, and shouted after me. ¡°Great things await you and her! A story for weary hearts and tired souls! Chapter 9: Reunion ¡°Percival! Open this door now before I add to the month¡¯s expenses! You¡¯ve missed a week of lessons and it¡¯s time for this episode of yours to end. Return to your studies at once!¡± God he¡¯s here. Just another fly buzzing around my corpse. Doesn¡¯t he know how empty I am? No, nevermind, no one¡¯s ever been as empty as I am right now. But. A tiny voice in my mind whispers advice to me. ¡°What if he does something to you? She never trusted him, aaaalways watched him whenever he was in the room, protecting you. You trust her, right? He¡¯s dangerous. You know what he is. The Eternal Sword. Swords cannot be kind. They can only hurt. All he¡¯s ever done is hurt and that¡¯s what he¡¯ll do again. You¡¯ve made him angry and it¡¯s going to get worse. You have to escape.¡± But where would I go? The only places I know are still on his land. ¡°The spring, the spring! Return to the spring! It will keep you safe. He doesn¡¯t care for nature or beautiful sights, he¡¯ll never think to go there!¡± Alright. I guess I¡¯m escaping. I sit up, still clutching Boar¡¯s Thorn. I strap it on, grab my cloak, and open a drawer in my dresser to retrieve a pair of daggers I made a bit after Sword Crafting Week. They¡¯re strong and I think they can hold my weight. I think. I¡¯m almost completely sure they can and thus I¡¯m willing to take that chance more so than the one shoulder charging my door right now. Thankfully, the door¡¯s made of some seriously thick and sturdy hardwood from the beginning of time or something. It¡¯s barely even budging. I don¡¯t have any rations but I think I can forage well enough, she taught me how to tell what plants I can and can¡¯t eat when we went to the spring last time. It¡¯s like second nature to her, to teach me things. I don¡¯t need water as I¡¯m going to a spring I can drink from. So! Time to escape!. I clamber up to the window sill and take a deep breath. Wow, that¡¯s, uh, a long fall. A little longer than I thought. Um, maybe this isn¡¯t a good idea. Just as I had that thought I jump out of my skin and start to fall backwards. Oh. So this is how I die. The last thing I see before my vision is filled with blue sky is my father standing in the rubble of the doorway, greatsword in hand. Our eyes meet and for the first time in my life I see emotion there: Panic. He sprints to the window but I¡¯m gone. The wind rushes around me and fills my ears. It¡¯s all I can hear. The exhilaration from the fall makes my heart leap in my chest and my whole body brace. Will it hurt a lot when I hit the ground? I hope not. My vision starts going black and then¡­nothing.
Alright so the fastest way to get to Val is to go in through their window. I stopped my mad dash at the base of their tower and looked up, sizing up the ascent when one of my worst nightmares happened in front of my eyes. Val fell out of their window. FUCK FUCK FUCK. ¡°VAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!¡± I screamed in horror and lost a few seconds with which I could be saving their life. Fucking idiot! ¡°Light as a feather, light as air, I will not die this day for to fly I dare, Limited Flight!¡± Roughly 5 seconds before Val hit the ground the spell kicked in and they stopped falling like some giant grabbed an elevator mid free fall. Which is to say, I heard something crack in Val which scared the absolute piss out of me. ¡°Um um um shit shit I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m sorry please don¡¯t die you can¡¯t die fuck fuck fuck. Spirits of nature, light, and water, come to me and show me what ails this poor wounded soul, Diagnostics.¡± Oh. My. Gods. I fucking cracked their goddamn spine. I¡¯m awful, I¡¯m the worst! Ok ok, Rose, stop panicking, you can fix this before they even wake up. ¡°Goddess of Light, I call upon your name, Luma ¨¦adrom, to heal one injured and suffering! Sun¡¯s Healing!¡± Thank everything that is was noon on a cloudless day or else this spell wouldn¡¯t have worked and I¡¯d need to think of something else. However, it was sunny enough out and that sunlight seemed to concentrate on Val, suffusing them in a warm sunny spot. The light lasted for about a minute before fading back to normal. I recast Diagnostics to make sure Val was alright and yep, everything¡¯s normal. Same Val as always. I¡¯ve, used a lot of mana today actually and am pretty worn out but I need to cast one more spell. ¡°Oh spirit of air, light and quick and temporary as every breeze, lift what I wish and take it where I desire, Levitate.¡± With this last spell I am drained but Val¡¯s now mobile. They are very unconscious so I figure I¡¯ll just float them up the tower. But why were they in the window in the first place? I look up at the tower¡¯s window and swear I see flame red hair for a second. Hmm. Did Robutt threaten Val? Why? He¡¯s usually indifferent to Val, and the one time I saw him as anything but was when he defeated the thing in the woods to save Val. Why would he then defenestrate them a week later? As much as I hate the man, that doesn¡¯t make sense. Buuuttttt if Val felt the need to escape badly enough that they were going to take their chances going out the window, then I need to get them away from here. A little voice in the back of my mind starts sharing its opinion. ¡°To the spring! You¡¯ll be safe there! Don¡¯t you remember the way the mana swirled and pooled there? No harm can come to those in that glade. Return to the spring and the Duke cannot hurt Val.¡± Mhm. Mhm. It¡¯s true that the mana in the spring¡¯s glade is interesting, a mix of water, earth, nature, and light. It could be possible for it to possess defensive properties to those inside. But that begs a different question. I quickly start moving Val away from their tower while thinking. ¡°So. Who else is in my head but me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°C¡¯mon, fess up. I know you¡¯re in there, whoever you are. I don¡¯t really think of Robutt as the Duke and I didn¡¯t think about the possible defensive properties of the spring¡¯s glade, so! Fess up and tell me who you are and what you want and I won¡¯t nuke you into oblivion when I find you. And if you¡¯re rooting around in my head space you¡¯ll soon realize that I know a LOT of ways to do just that.¡± I hear a deep sigh in my head, seems they¡¯re giving up the charade. ¡°Fine. I am the Goddess whose power you just called on. Lady of the Sun¡¯s Door, Progenitor of Life, Queen of the Firmament.¡± ¡°Why, Luma ¨¦adrom, a pleasure to make your acquaintance. But I will ask again, what are you doing in my head?¡± ¡°Foolish child, you speak to one who could snuff your fragile existence out as easily as swatting a fly and speak with such disdain?¡± ¡°Sorry but I don¡¯t respond well to threats or the bullies that make them so if you want something from me you¡¯d better nix the attitude.¡± Such pretention. But since my goal is to help your ward and not you, I will make the exception. I wish merely to protect my descendant. She has a destiny to fulfill and thus must not fall to her wayward father.¡± ¡°First off, you¡¯re gonna have to explain about the whole ¡®Val is your descendant¡¯ thing, because I¡¯m pretty sure the Quentins are mortals and always have been. Second, I¡¯m not a fan of destiny so it¡¯d better be along the lines of ¡®Val gets to live a happy life where they pursue any and everything that could bring them true lasting joy.¡¯¡± Another deep sigh followed. Man I must be amazing at pissing off authority figures if my track record in my life and afterlife is as good as this. ¡°You are quite annoying, do you know that? Very well. Val¡¯s mother is of my lineage. Also, the Quentins are mortal but are blessed by the God of Fire Vulphastune. And as for her destiny, it is both grander and simpler than what you spoke. I cannot say more, lest you destroy her path with well-meaning meddling.¡± ¡°Hmm. Fine. If you won¡¯t tell me what it is but don¡¯t want me to meddle in it, at least tell me this: WIll Val be happy? That¡¯s really all I care about these days. If the path you gave them isn¡¯t going to make them happy then I¡¯ll find a way to make it happy, and if that involves going through you, then so be it.¡± ¡°So much cheek for a soul already rent by an earthly affliction. So much spine for one that so recently begged me to save their ward, and didn¡¯t even fulfill the conditions of the contract made. I am being lenient with you, for your absence has already distressed her enough. Do not take chances like that again. You mean nothing to me but everything to her. You are her shield and you should be thankful that I do not throw away useful tools.¡± ¡°I so dearly want to meet you in person so I can punch you in the face, but you still haven¡¯t answered my question: Will Val be happy?¡± ¡°That is up to her. She will be content at the very least. At least, I am fairly sure. You are an unfortunate and unpredictable yet necessary variable. If anything will ruin her contentment and happiness, it is your meddling. When a light shines on one fork of a crossroads, do not run into the shadows out of petty spite. When she offers an idea that disagrees with yours, listen. It will be difficult given your stubborn personality but know that I will be guiding her.¡± ¡°Man I¡¯m going to call on you so often with every spell I have. You¡¯re gonna be sick of me by the time this is through.¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°I am already sick of you, calling upon my power frivolously will not anger me further.¡± ¡°I hope you don¡¯t call me again. I hope you won¡¯t call Val but I suppose that¡¯s probably off the table.¡± ¡°I also hope this is our first and final conversation. She will be my contact with the mortal world from now on.¡± As she finished speaking I found myself trembling. Fucking shit I swear my knees are about to buckle. A goddess? Talking to me?! Nope, nuh uh, not having it. Apparently I¡¯m great at keeping my cool under pressure but I feel like I¡¯m going to vomit. You ever stare down a dragon? I have and I didn¡¯t feel nearly as much all encompassing terror as just now. Fuck, do I have nerves of adamantite? Is this a skill I can market? Patent? Actually, no, fuck that, I ain¡¯t doing that shit again if I can help it. Thankfully, I seem to have pissed her off enough to leave me alone in future so that¡¯s a plus. I managed to wobble back to Glenn¡¯s Spring, Val in tow. This time, I could feel the difference in atmosphere, could feel the defensive nature of the mana here. I should¡¯ve realized the first time I stepped in here that it was in some way connected to the Goddess of Light. The light here is a little too perfect and soothing and unbelievably gorgeous. Damnit, I can¡¯t hate it, it¡¯s too pretty. Just being here makes me relax and release tension which is more important now than ever due to the amount of stress I was just under. Now then, it seems to me that I should make Val a bed before I dump them on the ground. I find a large patch of thick moss and cast Growth on it and bingo bango I¡¯ve got a comfy bed for one teenager. I direct the summoned wind spirit to place them gently on the moss, then dismiss it. Normally Val looks peaceful and relaxed while sleeping but this time they seem really distressed. Which makes sense, they did pass out after falling out a window to certain death. But I love to meddle, as the goddess said. ¡°Be still, be calm, and rest under my balm, May our dreams be sweet and keep you safe from harm.¡± This time I gave them a dream of a memory of ours. When Val was 8 and we made their first wooden box. I was super proud and they were ecstatic. It was a really, really nice day for me and I think it was the same for Val. After that, I just settle down and wait. This glade makes me feel safe, like the goddess said and I¡­almost want to¡­drift off to sle-¡±
¡°Rose, Rose! Look! I did it!¡± ¡°You sure did buddy! Man look at that, what a great box! Now then, test the lid and make sure it swings and closes properly and snugly. If it doesn¡¯t we can fix it.¡± ¡°It works just right! Isn¡¯t it great! Aren¡¯t I amazing?¡± ¡°Yes Val, you certainly are.¡± It¡¯s interesting. I remember this, but from the other person¡¯s perspective. Right now I feel everything that Rose felt back then: she was proud, happy, and there¡¯s this slight melancholy that I somehow know is because I remind her of her sister that she left behind when she died. I want to tell little me to comfort her but all they see is Rose being a proud teacher. Come on me! Can¡¯t you see that she¡¯s hurting inside? ¡°Now then, what do you want to use it for?¡± ¡°Umm. You know the ravens and the crows?¡± ¡°Yeah! I really like corvids, they¡¯re such smart and kind birds.¡± ¡°Well, sometimes I give them little shiny things and sometimes they give me things in return. They¡¯re my friends but I don¡¯t want to keep hiding their gifts where I have been because the maids throw them away even when I try to tell the that it¡¯s not trash.¡± ¡°That¡¯s awful! So you¡¯re saying that the box will be for the treasures the birds give you?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°That seems like a fine idea. Let¡¯s see if we can find a raven to give a gift. It¡¯s always good to reassure your friends that you love them still.¡± ¡°In that case, I love you Rose!¡± ¡°Aggghhh my heart. Help, help! Get a doctor!¡± ¡°Ahhhhhh!!!! What¡¯s wrong? What can I do?!¡± ¡°I need an ambulance, you just stole my heart.¡± ¡°I. What? How did I do that? How do I put it back!?¡± ¡°Pfffttt hahahaha no no no buddy, I¡¯m joking. See? Fit as a fiddle! It¡¯s just that you were so cute and sincere when you said that you loved me that I couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°Oh. Should I not have said that?¡± ¡°Oh no, no takesies backsies. Also you should say it a lot more because I love you too friend.¡± Gods I was so happy then. And Rose was too it seems, but there¡¯s still this feeling of¡­deep pain. Why does she hurt so much? Now that I¡¯m focusing on it, it¡¯s not even just emotional pain but actual, real physical pain. But she acts like it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ve never heard her seriously complain about pain so how does she ignore it? Is she just used to it by now? Has she always hurt this much? I can¡¯t even imagine that. And the emotional hurt, it feels like it runs deep. It¡¯s connected to the feeling of being a big sister it seems. Does she not want to be one anymore? Is that how she still feels about me? That I¡¯m her younger sibling? That makes my heart hurt a little. But it¡¯s better than her leaving me. Oh that¡¯s right. She left me behind. The memory was so nice I forgot. I woke up not in a cold sweat or any panic, just suddenly went from asleep to awake, eyes snapping open. Silhouetted against the stained glass light of Glenn¡¯s Spring is the woman I love, snow white and ice blue hair flowing down to one side as her sapphire eyes look at me with worry and then, seeing me awake, relief and happiness. I wonder what lies behind those emotions that she keeps hidden so well.
¡°Val! You¡¯re awake! Are you ok? Do you hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. And no I don¡¯t hurt.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the last thing you remember?¡± ¡°Umm. My father was trying to break into my room so I was going to climb down the tower but as I got on the sill he smashed the door and I. Yeah, I fell out of the tower. Am I a ghost like you?¡± ¡°No you idiot! I was there and caught you before you became a stain.¡± ¡°Not to criticize but I¡¯m fairly certain you don¡¯t have the physical capability to catch anything, let alone me after I fell off a tower.¡± ¡°Jerk! I used magic! I was, uh, a bit late in catching you so you kinda¡­broke a bit when I caught you. B-b-but I fixed it! No lasting damage!¡± ¡°Ok, so you saved me. I guess you¡¯re going to leave again now that you know I¡¯m fine? I won¡¯t stop you if that¡¯s what you want.¡± ¡°Why would I leave?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯ve always wanted to leave me?¡± ¡°Pfft, wrong, try again.¡± ¡°But you abandoned me at the first opportunity!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t abandon you! What gave you that idea?¡± ¡°The stupid spell you cast! You wanted to leave me so badly that you jumped at the chance to k-k-kill yourself. Just to get away from me! You hate me, admit it!¡± ¡°Dumbass! I don¡¯t hate you and I don¡¯t want to die! I cast that spell because it was a life or death situation and you¡¯re just worth that much to me!¡± ¡°Nothing should be worth your life!¡± ¡°YOU are worth so much more to me.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t be worth that much! It¡¯s too much!¡± ¡°Why won¡¯t you believe me that I love you that much?¡± ¡°Because I can¡¯t live without you!¡± ¡°Is. Is that right?¡± ¡°YES. And you were gone for 8 days. The spell only lasted for a week!¡± ¡°Wait, when did you hear that?¡± ¡°We read it together! Two years ago, in class! It was a class about old legends and one of them talked about that spell!¡± ¡°Wild. But also, you should know the point of casting that spell.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a protection spell, I got that. Still not worth the risk.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Ultimate protection spell. That requires a lot of input to get that output.¡± ¡°It¡¯s got a 100 percent mortality rate! That¡¯s unacceptable! Surely there was a less powerful but fully feasible spell you could¡¯ve cast!¡± ¡°So. Um. There was. But I didn¡¯t think of it at the time because the threat was imminent and I was panicking. It was something I¡¯d never even heard of before, I was scared shitless! So I did what I used to do while I was in that game and facing down an overwhelming unknown: Protect the party first. That¡¯s you buddy. You¡¯re the only party I¡¯ll ever want or need.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still mad at you for not coming back after the week was over!¡± ¡°I¡¯m. I¡¯m sorry, I lost track of time.¡± ¡°How! ON EARTH! Did you lose track of time while imprisoned in a bubble for a week? Just watch the sun, dolt!¡± ¡°Ok, first off, rude. Secondly, I was talking with someone.¡± ¡°Liar!¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious! Someone could see me and wanted to know my story for some reason.¡± ¡°Really. Someone just happened to pass by while you were there and just coincidentally could see you.¡± ¡°Yeah! His name was¡­um¡­gee I can¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°What do you mean you can¡¯t remember!? Fuck, Rose, you¡¯re not helping your case!¡± ¡°I swear he was real! But once I started talking to him it was¡­it was like I couldn¡¯t stop talking until my story was done. But I didn¡¯t want to stop talking. It was weird, I just started telling him stuff I¡¯ve never told anyone.¡± ¡°Wait a minute. This sounds like a story I know.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, My nanny as a kid would tell stories about the gods. One of them was about Ravdal Storytaker, God of Memory and Dreams.¡± ¡°Huh, how¡¯s the story go?¡± ¡°The gist is that he appears before people who are alone and about to, well, either die or go on amazing adventures, and asks them their story. And they tell him, without fail. But in the story the person was really happy after Ravdal spoke to them, even though they told everything to him.¡± ¡°Huh. Maybe he¡¯s also the god of therapy or something. But yeah, sounds like I met a God. Wild. But you understand now that I don¡¯t want to leave you, right? How many times do I have to say that you¡¯re my precious person and I never want to lose you, no matter what happens to me?¡± ¡°I understand that, but you need to get it through your thick skull that you need to forget about that last part. If I lose you forever I. I don¡¯t think I can go on.¡± They sound so heartbroken on that last bit that it surprises me. I lean forward and cup their face with my hands and tell them, staring into their eyes. ¡°You can and you will. I don¡¯t plan on leaving you but if I do, just know that you are strong enough to keep going. You have to be. You don¡¯t want me to die? Fine. I won¡¯t stupidly sacrifice myself again. But. You have to promise me that if I do end up leaving you somehow, that you¡¯ll continue down your own path.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to promise that.¡± ¡°You have to.¡± ¡°I.¡± ¡°Promise me.¡± ¡°Alright. I promise.¡± ¡°Good.¡± I lean in and kiss them on the forehead like I¡¯ve done a thousand times before when I¡¯m feeling sentimental but as I pull back their face is redder than their hair. Weird. ¡°Alright then. Are we agreed that we¡¯ll both live forever?¡± ¡°Pfft. Yeah. Yeah I think we are.¡± ¡°Excellent. Now sit up we have company.¡± ¡°What! Who?¡± ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken iiiiiit¡¯s ROBUTT! Come on down!¡± The figure at the edge of the glade tried to step forward but was stopped by a barrier that became visible as he tried to cross the threshold. ¡°Spirit! WITCH! Allow me to claim my son and return them home!¡± Chapter 10: Courage, a New Direction, and Fireside Discoveries ¡°Just so you know Robutt, you¡¯re not getting in here.¡± ¡°FOUL DEMON! RELEASE THIS SPELL AT ONCE!¡± ¡°So, first off, rude. Secondly, factually inaccurate. Third- ¡°SPEAK NO MORE TO ME HELLSPAWN! LET ME HAVE MY SON!¡± ¡°Third, I didn¡¯t cast that barrier. The spring is naturally enchanted. Those with evil intent cannot be inside of its boundary.¡± ¡°I WILL REND YOUR SOUL TO PIECES!¡± ¡°Also, a fourth little note, this place is sacred to your empire¡¯s patron Goddess. She¡¯s also the one blocking you from entering. Maybe, just maybe, you should check yourself before you wreck yourself.¡± ¡°PERCIVAL! COME HERE AT ONCE!¡± ¡°VAL is going to do no such thing as far as I¡¯m aware. I could be wrong. Hey, Val, do you want to go out there with that mindless waste of space or stay in here with the cool kids club, membership: me.¡± ¡°SILENCE CREATURE OF THE ETERNAL DARK! I! WILL! HAVE! MY! SON!¡± Val stood up, planted their feet in a swordsman¡¯s stance, and put their hand on Boar¡¯s Thorn, staring down their father. ¡°No. You won¡¯t.¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± ¡°You won¡¯t hurt Rose. I will not allow it.¡± ¡°That thing deserves no mercy! I thought it content simply being near you, but to SEDUCE MY SON and kidnap him, It deserves nothing but dispersement .¡± WIth a sudden, smooth motion, the tip of the Thorn is at Robutt¡¯s throat, drawing blood. One little push by Val and it¡¯ll be the end of the Duke. Hmm. Patricide isn¡¯t uncommon in the nobility, but it is frowned upon. Buuuttt this could be Val¡¯s path. Who knows? As much as I hate to admit it, the goddess of supposed mercy does scare the piss out of me just a little. So let¡¯s let Val handle this one.
Red. Blood red is all I see. So. He wants to hurt Rose? He won¡¯t take another breath. I draw my sword and rest it against his jugular vein. Robert takes a breath, seemingly catching up to the current situation. Then, that anger that he directed towards Rose finds its new target. ¡°Percival! You DARE raise your sword against your liege? Your father? Lower it at once and your punishment will be lenient.¡± ¡°Hmm. No. I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t lower your blade?¡± Robert slowly begins shifting as though to draw Ythene. Against me. Funny. Really funny. I lower the Thorn and start cackling. ¡°Hahahah, hah, haaaaah. Yep, I knew it. You¡¯re incapable of any emotion besides rage. I¡¯m positive that if we fought I would stand above your corpse. And you know it too. So. Leave. Now. If I see you again in my life I will end you. As this glade is precious to the Goddess of Light and Mercy, I will not profane it with your stinking blood. Be grateful, be pious, for it is her mercy that flows through me now to spare you.¡± My former father¡¯s face goes from a red like his hair straight to purple, veins bulging everywhere on his face and the arm that he lowers from where it was raised to grasp his sword. He growls at me, voice dripping venom. ¡°I have no son.¡± ¡°On this we are agreed. From today on, I return the name Percival and the name Quentin to you. They should still be in good condition, I never used them.¡± And, after spitting on the ground. He turns and walks back the way he came. Good Riddance. As he leaves my sight, I collapse to my knees and start breathing heavily. ¡°Holy shit Val, are you ok? You¡¯re shaking all over.¡± ¡°I. I. I. I¡¯m fine. Just. Scared to pieces.¡± ¡°Yeah, that was fucking insane. I can¡¯t believe you did that on your own! Congrats!¡± I can¡¯t hold it in anymore, I turn to the side and vomit out everything inside. Turns out I wasn¡¯t empty. Funny that. Though, as my bile leaves me, I feel the fear leave as well. All the fear I¡¯ve been living with for so long, along with the certainty that I was chained to my father, to my house, to my future. I¡¯m free! ¡°Whoa there buddy. Easy does it. You¡¯re ok and you¡¯re gonna always be ok, you hear me?¡± ¡°Hahaaha, Rose, Rose, I did it. I¡¯m free from him. I don¡¯t even have a name anymore.¡± ¡°Well, if you want it, you can always be Val. Just Val. Or maybe something else.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ok being Val, but do you have any suggestions for what it stands for?¡± ¡°Hmm. Maybe Valentine? Valence? Valkyrie?¡± ¡°I like the last one. Does it have a meaning?¡± ¡°Um. The Valkyries were a group of female warriors for a god from my world. They were the ones that decided the fate of a battle and would carry the dead to the afterlife.¡± ¡°Hmm. I don¡¯t know how well the meaning fits, but I like the cadence of the name. I think I¡¯ll keep it.¡± ¡°Alright, Valkyrie. Sounds like a plan. Now then, where are we headed?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, technically if we stay here, we¡¯d be squatting on the Duke¡¯s land. Which means he could remove us by force. Since we can¡¯t hunt the animals that come to the spring, we¡¯d have to leave to find food which would put us in danger of Robutt¡¯s revenge. So we need to skedaddle. The question is: where to?¡± ¡°Umm. Hmm. I, uh, didn¡¯t think of that part.¡± ¡°I know you didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Haha. Nah, don¡¯t worry about it. So, honor¡¯s student, what towns are around here? Extra credit if they¡¯re independant or seldomly visited by the Duke¡¯s men.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ There¡¯s the Town of Nevil to the north of us. They have an agreement with the Duke that instead of the Duke¡¯s men coming to them, they instead provide a larger amount of taxes in order to keep the peace in their town. To the south-west there¡¯s Fellpoint, which is a small community of minority peoples such as demonkin, beastfolk, and draconids. The Duke¡¯s men have never been terribly¡­cordial with them so if we say we¡¯re enemies of the Duke, they may welcome us. Then there¡¯s the City of the Falls to the south-east, which is a large city built in a canyon with numerous waterfalls in the vicinity.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see. I know of The Falls, and Nevil, but Fellpoint is new. I¡¯ve done a lot of quests in The Falls so I¡¯m fairly familiar with it¡­from 8 years ago. Buuuut it can¡¯t have changed that much. However, I gotta ask: how many people do you want to be around? Because The Falls is so much more crowded than Nevil. I¡¯m hesitant to say ¡®let¡¯s go to Fellpoint¡¯ simply because it didn¡¯t exist in my time as far as I¡¯m aware. You might also face significant hostility, what with your hair and unfortunate connection with the Duke. We have no way of proving we¡¯re against him, so they¡¯d have no reason to trust us. Also, since you¡¯ve never been there, and I¡¯ve never been there, it makes finding the damn place a chore, you get me?¡± ¡°Yeah. I was hoping to meet them. They say that the draconids are masters of metalcraft and I wanted to see how they made things. It would also be nice to be in a¡­less crowded area. But if you think they¡¯ll be hostile then maybe we shouldn¡¯t go there.¡± ¡°Now hold on. I know for a fact that those guys have some amazing smiths. I once saw one make a chain shirt in less time than this conversation. If I haven¡¯t told you before, that¡¯s normally at least a few day¡¯s work. Not to mention how the few masters I had the pleasure of meeting could blend form and function in any piece such that they were pure art. Val, I¡¯ve decided. We¡¯re going to Fellpoint.¡± ¡°What! I thought you were against it!¡± ¡°Aha, but, you see, this will be a great opportunity to advance your education. You¡¯ve been slacking in my absence, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I. Ugh. Fine, you¡¯re right, I wasn¡¯t crafting at all. But what if they really do hate me?¡± ¡°Hmm, a valid point. Counterpoint, what if they don¡¯t? We shouldn¡¯t put opinions in the mouths of people we¡¯ve never met yet.¡± ¡°Ok, ok. So, let¡¯s get going!¡± ¡°Hell yeah!¡±
The road to Fellpoint was not well maintained. Essentially, it was a pair of cart ruts that ran towards Nevil and The Falls. Since the spring was to the west of the castle, We went south till we ran into the ¡°road¡± and then started going west. It doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯ll be the longest walk in the world, but considering we have to hunt and forage all our meals it¡¯s taking longer than I¡¯d like. Thankfully, I can provide Val with plenty of water and I also don¡¯t have to eat, so that makes it easier on them. Though I have to say, their hunting method is a bit¡­odd. They stand still in one place for a long time. Eventually an animal makes its presence known nearby, at which point Val seemingly blinks into existence next to them, Thorn already drawn and on the downstroke to cut off the beast¡¯s head. It¡¯s really unfair for the poor animal, but Val needs to eat well so I can¡¯t complain, only hope they have more luck in their next life as, like, a nice Stone Oak. Ain¡¯t nobody beheading a stone tree. Well, woodminers might. Those guys actually love doing stuff like that. Oh well, Miss Deer, your next life might suck as much as this one, but good luck anyway. Now then, we¡¯re currently camping on the side of the ¡°road.¡± Val gathered the wood, because of course they did, and stacked it neatly into a serviceable campfire. Near the fire is a large flat rock that I had cleaned earlier, to use as a stove. I was about to light it when I thought better of it. ¡°Hey, Val.¡± ¡°What is it Rose?¡± ¡°Have you been keeping up your mana circulation?¡± ¡°Um. After we reunited I have been.¡± ¡°Good, now then, light the fire.¡± ¡°You mean with magic?¡± ¡°Duh.¡± ¡°Oh¡­um¡­ok. But no promises, alright?¡± ¡°Alright then, no promises.¡± With that Val nervously starts to concentrate. I silently activate Mana Vision. I can see that their mana is flowing smoothly with no little pools anywhere except for their fingers. The trick to casting a spell quickly and consistently is to pool it in the desired area, normally the hands or fingers, but also to avoid it becoming stagnant. Essentially to have a higher flow in one area, or maybe a higher concentration? Essentially a dam that pools water behind it but still allows some to keep flowing out. Val snapped their fingers and a flame reminiscent of their hair exploded in their hand. The look on their face is priceless. The amazement and wonder of opening up a whole new world of possibilities. I know the feeling well, it¡¯s what I felt when I first logged into Legend of Treston after all. I figure I¡¯ll give them time to savor the feeling. After a handful of seconds admiring the flame, Val tossed it lightly into the wood pile and now we have a nice fire to sit beside. I can¡¯t feel the heat really, but I can enjoy the light and warmth. This is why fire magic isn¡¯t all destruction I feel for the umpteenth time. Val took the cuts of meat they had prepared earlier and placed them gently on the stone after giving it enough time to warm up. Man I wish I could smell because the sound is amazing. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The last few days have proven that Val does not know how to cook. Which is understandable, as they were a noble. So I¡¯ve been trying to take them through a crash course on how to cook well enough that you don¡¯t poison yourself. Which is a skill I had to learn growing up. So far the result has been¡­less than stellar. Passable? I guess? I can¡¯t smell what they cook, like I said, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t tell charcoal when I see it. However, tonight seems to be going much better. They¡¯ve flipped the venison over and the cooked side seems to be a nice brown color, as opposed to the typical charcoal. My problem in teaching is that I¡¯m used to being able to adjust the heat. Wait a minute. Looking at the fire, and then at Val with my Mana Vision still active, I notice that Val¡¯s still connected to the fire and is controlling it still. Though, judging by their focus being on the meat and not the fire, they might be doing it subconsciously. My lord are they a magical genius?! Man oh man, I want to ask them about it so badly but I know that if I do that meat¡¯s going straight past well done to the realm of carbonized. I hate practicing self-control. After a little bit more, Val finishes cooking the meat and begins to eat it along with the salad of wild greens and some nuts we found. Oh yeah, they¡¯re not just using their hands to eat, we and by we I mean they, made some wooden utensils a few days ago. Sigh, they¡¯re such an amazing carpenter. Well, I might be biased, but they do absorb information like a sponge. It¡¯s honestly impressive how well they listen to me when I¡¯m teaching them. I can¡¯t wait to get to somewhere where we can set up a workshop. Oh shit! They can cast magic now! They could enchant the Thorn. ¡°Hey, Val!¡± Val looks at me with a face full of food, chipmunk cheeks and all. Ohhh they¡¯re so cute. No! Don¡¯t get distracted! ¡°Since you can cast magic, we can enchant Boar¡¯s Thorn soon! Enchantment is great since it can be done anywhere as long as you know the spell and have an item with enchantment capability.¡± A few seconds of silent chewing followed by a big ol¡¯ swallow. ¡°That¡¯s awesome! But, won¡¯t the fire magic I know interfere with the nature magic of Boar¡¯s Thorn?¡± ¡°Hmm. Not really. Magic doesn¡¯t ever really interfere with itself, no matter the elemental affinities. Like, fire and water can easily share the same item and have no problems, same with light and dark. So there wouldn¡¯t be a problem with doing so. The real question is: what kind of spell do you want to enchant it with?¡± ¡°How do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean that I know nearly every spell in existence so I can teach you any basic spell you¡¯d want to enchant it with. Which means that to narrow down the possibilities, we need to decide on what kind of spell you want, like an offensive spell versus a defensive spell. Buff vs debuff. That kind of thing. You already have a defensive buff on the Thorn, so it might be nice to add an offensive spell to it to give the item balance. Ooorrr, you could do the more fun and less recommended thing of going all out on one thing. Up to you on what you think would be more useful. ¡°Hmm. Is there a way to add a spell to defend against the thing in the woods?¡± ¡°Oh. Hmm. I think instead of defense with that thing the better options would be offense.¡± ¡°How do you mean?¡± ¡°Weeelll, the only defense that I can see working against it is Mercy¡¯s Prison which, as we both know, is off the table for us in the future. However there were a few offensive spells from the soul school that could¡¯ve possibly fended it off, such as Soul Capture or Banish Life¡¯s Essence. The last one is referring to a soul by the way.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like the idea of capturing a soul, especially one like that. What if it broke out?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t much like the idea either, but it¡¯d be a more permanent solution than Banish as that only works for a certain amount of time, ¡®Until next the sun kisses the sky¡¯s height¡¯ is the phrase from the incantation. Which means it wears off at noon. So best to cast it like, an hour after noon to get the best effect but that can be hard when you¡¯re ambushed like we were last time.¡± ¡°So Soul Capture is our only choice?¡± ¡°Weeellll, maybe. We wouldn¡¯t necessarily have to capture the soul and take it with us. We could bind it to something random, like a tree or a random boulder.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sensing a ¡®but¡¯.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the thing, the reason you usually take the captured soul around is either because it can act as a sort of magical battery that will recharge assuming you don¡¯t consume it all at once. I personally see that as cruel and villainous, as you¡¯re using the essence of someone¡¯s life to cast Fireball or whatever. The other reason is because the vessel for the soul to be captured does in fact matter when considering the soul escaping. Normally, since souls can¡¯t attack you, it¡¯s just a matter of ¡®soul leak¡¯ ¡°¡®Soul leak¡¯ is essentially the power of the captured soul diminishing over time as the vessel deteriorates from the magical energies flowing through it. Would this be alleviated by simply not siphoning energy from the soul? It¡¯s unclear. Some captured souls have been found in dungeons as old as a millenia, still intact and fairly powerful. However, those were significantly well crafted vessels holding extremely powerful souls, such as those of Dragons, Liches, and the like. On the other hand, I once saw someone capture a soul in a F-grade sword they had in their inventory and could watch it deteriorate in his hands so that was wild.¡± ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that for long term containment we¡¯d have to craft a suitable vessel?¡± ¡°Preciscely! And, unfortunately, we don¡¯t have anything on us that would do to make such a vessel for a soul of the caliber we encountered earlier. It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s big. Maybe not, um, physically? That¡¯s not right but, um, it¡¯s big power-wise I guess.¡± ¡°Well what materials are usually used versus what we¡¯d need for that thing?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see. Normally a gemstone of some kind, works better the closer the gem¡¯s elemental affinities line up with those inherent to the soul in question.¡± ¡°Souls have inherent affinities?¡± ¡°Yeah. Like, you mostly have light and fire affinity. Which might explain why you could stay connected to and control the fire you lit earlier.¡± ¡°I did that?!¡± ¡°Yeah bud. Honestly, probably helps explain why the meal today cooked so well.¡± ¡°I. Aww. I thought I just got better at cooking.¡± Oh no. I¡¯ve made Val look like a wet puppy I just kicked. Oh nooooooo, Vaaaallll don¡¯t look at me like that! ¡°I mean, um, learning how to control the heat properly is part of cooking and, um, oh please don¡¯t cry I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you sooner.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± A big sniff and they regain determination. ¡°It¡¯s fine! It tasted good and wasn¡¯t burnt so it¡¯s fine! But tell me next time Rose!¡± ¡°I knooow, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°But anyway, we need a gemstone and what else?¡± ¡°Right, gemstone to match affinity, a precious metal to set the stone in and conduct mana, and special ink, to ink the inside of the engravings on the stone itself.¡± ¡°What do they do?¡± ¡°The engravings are typically a prayer, typically to the Lady of Rest, she, of course, having sway over souls and whatnot. Then the ink can be almost any standard magical ink, but the ones best suited to soul binding are Juimine and Freivent The prior being made of a mixture of ectoplasm and the ashes from a 10-year gallows. The latter is a mixture of ogre blood and a lightning struck tree¡¯s galls. They¡¯re not the easiest to get the materials for, considering we have to walk everywhere. And also because you¡¯re still growing. Not that that¡¯s a bad thing, just that I don¡¯t want you biting off more than you can chew, you understand?¡± ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m certain the Duke¡¯s alchemist had at least a few of those ingredients. A shame we didn¡¯t think to rob him before we left.¡± ¡°Okaaayyy, seems I need to teach you about the consequences of our actions! When you piss off someone powerful, try not to add insult to injury through such actions as: property damage and theft. Because nine times out of ten, when you do that, they go from ¡®hating your guts¡¯ to ¡®actively hunting you¡¯. Granted, it remains to be seen whether or not the Duke is hunting us, but considering he was the one to exile us, I think it¡¯s unlikely. Now if we had stolen a number of fairly expensive reagents, I think he might find us just to take them back, or try to kill us if he couldn¡¯t. Now, I believe in your power to hold your own in a fight because you seem like a little pointy tornado when you go full tilt, but I saw Robutt kill that soul. Aaaand then he turned to me and threatened the fuck outta me. And I¡¯m still injured from where the soul, um, exploded.¡± ¡°Wait a minute! You¡¯re injured!?¡± ¡°Um. Yeah? Can¡¯t you see the blue mist rising from the gashes in me?¡± ¡°NO! I can¡¯t! Wha-what do we do?! How do we fix you! Oh god this can¡¯t be happening! You got hurt because of me, oh no oh no oh no.¡± ¡°Jeezy Creezy Val, get a hold of yourself! I didn¡¯t get hurt because of you, I got hurt because that thing was fucking stupid powerful and when it lost it threw a hissy fit like a toddler! A, really stupidly powerful toddler that can make a crater half a mile wide or some shit. Stupid powerful. And don¡¯t worry about it! I¡¯m fine enough, just, something¡¯s leaking and I¡¯m not sure what. Also not sure if it¡¯s leaving me permanently or if I regenerate it or what. Wait! Idiot! Status.¡± On my status screen, some shit had definitely changed. My class was now ¡°Hero¡¯s Protector¡±, well I was going to do that anyway but I blame the lightbulb on high for that. My level went from spasming between 1 and ??? to showing my actual level from the game: 99. Let¡¯s see. Hmm, I seem to be leaking pure mana, cause my mana is constantly dropping and regening, essentially spasming around two thirds of the way up the bar. Thankfully I put a lot of work into upping my mana regeneration rate while playing so instead of being completely tapped out, I¡¯m just low on available magic. Let¡¯s see, looking at my health I¡¯m at¡­yikes, 100/3500, damn I¡¯m nearly dead! Again! Shit maybe I should try to heal myself. I¡¯m worried that the reason I¡¯m at two thirds of my total mana is because of the spells I¡¯ve cast between when I was injured and now, so I¡¯m scared to cast more willy nilly in case I need to protect Val in the near future. I already don¡¯t have enough mana for any top-tier magic and would have to settle for something less effective in case of big trouble. God I wish I could take potions. Hmm. Maybe¡­ No, that¡¯s an idea for later on. Focus on what you can do first. Since so much of the screen changed recently, let¡¯s check the rest. Holy shit! I have a friends list again! C¡¯mon c¡¯mon, where¡¯s the guild? Damnit, all that¡¯s on here is: Friends: Valkyrie Dal Luma ¨¦adrom Error: Could not be listed Toffer ¡°Toffee¡± Zendzana Ooookaaaay. I get that Val¡¯s here, and also that the most unpleasant deity tried to get herself removed, but why are gods even listed in the first place!? Also, where¡¯s everyone else!?!? Where¡¯s Evie? Where¡¯s Preston? Lyle? Seraph? My entire Guild¡¯s gone! My entire contact network! I used to have hundreds of people on this list, how is it only Val, two gods, and- wait a minute. Maybe that¡¯s why? Toffee is here. But Toffee was the NPC I hired when I first started really making money to help me carry stuff and act as a kind of shopkeep. I kinda used her like an automatic answering machine. I¡¯d give people both mine and her contact info, and invariably when they called me and I didn¡¯t pick up, they¡¯d contact her and she¡¯d dutifully take down their username and order and when I had time I¡¯d read the list and fill the orders. But, she was an NPC. Wait, technically, all the people on the list are NPCs. Am. Am I an NPC? No, that doesn¡¯t seem right. But what it does mean is that I do kinda have a friend outside of Val out there. I¡¯m not counting the gods. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible for a mortal to truly understand a being like that (or in the case of Miss Shiny up there, pleasant enough) to be friends with them. I wouldn¡¯t mind meeting Dal again, but it would be weird to go grab coffee with him. Let¡¯s see if I can chat with them. Holy cow I can! Amazing! I¡¯m giving credit to Dal for this! Maybe I¡¯ll start praying to him? Would that be weird? He didn¡¯t seem like the type to stand on ceremony like that. More the type to kick up his feet and relax on ceremony while he smoked his pipe. But anyway! Let¡¯s try it out with Val!
I was sitting and staring into the fire, berating myself for the umpteenth time for not protecting Rose properly. It wasn¡¯t until that moment in the woods that I realized how fragile she truly is. And how unfortunately willing she is to die for me. I need to become stronger, to make myself better gear and learn more magic and find a way to cut souls and monsters and gods and anything else if it¡¯ll protect her. Just as I resolve that, a weird sound rings in my ears. Bading! What on earth is ¡°bading?¡± ¡°You have, 1-. You have, 2-. You have, 13 new messages from ¡®Rose Brubaker¡¯.¡± What the heck? Messages? From Rose? Her last name is ¡°Brubaker¡±? How do I check them? I look over at her and she¡¯s giving me a shit eating grin and mouths the word ¡°Status¡± to me. O-okay. ¡°Status¡± Huh, some things have changed. Like there¡¯s this circle in the bottom right that says ¡°Chat¡± with a number 13 next to it. I look at Rose again and she mimes touching something with her finger. Sooo I guess I touch this circle? I do and the screen changes. There¡¯s a circle on the side with Rose¡¯s face in it with her name next to it as well as the number 13. I touch that circle and now there¡¯s a screen that says ¡°Chat with Rose¡± and then 13 rectangles with text in them. Chat with Rose: Rose: Test Rose: Awesome! Hiya Val! Rose: This is the chat system from the game! For some reason we can use it now! Rose: We can now communicate without speaking! If we encounter a silence spell we¡¯ll be able to coordinate! Rose: Ahh I missed this. But man, 8 years without typing makes this hard as **** to use! Rose: Oh come on! Stupid profanity filter! How come that ******* piece of **** system lasted this long? ******* no use to anyone! Rose: Well, you can¡¯t curse in chat, but it¡¯s still fine enough. Rose: So, how was dinner? Rose: How do you feel about the trip so far? Excited to get to Fellpoint? Rose: Um. Hmm. I want to keep sending messages but I¡¯m not sure what to send Rose: Let¡¯s test the filter. ****, nope, Freak, ok, ****, nope, Shizer, wow they let that through? Wild. Um. ***, nope, Butts, hehehehe. Butts. Butts butts butts. hehehehehe. Rose: So, munchkin, buddy, friend, pal, Val, in order to use this, there¡¯s either something called a keyboard that you can type at in order to make words appear on the screen. However, it takes time to learn how to type well. Instead, you can activate the subvocal speech-to-text option in the upper left. Looks like a microphone. Wait shit- Rose: Sorry, ran out of space on the last message. I realize you don¡¯t know what a microphone is. Um. It¡¯s the little oval shape in the upper left with an upside down T under it in the upper left. Just push it and you can whisper your message and the system will pick it up and write it down. I- huh. I look back up to Rose and she¡¯s no longer there. Suddenly my vision is a little misty, almost like¡­
Heheheheh. While Val was busy looking at their chat, I snuck up behind them. Which isn¡¯t hard when I don¡¯t make any sound while moving. As soon as they looked up to find me, I covered their eyes with my hands. ¡°Oh no! Val! You¡¯ve been ambushed by the Blinding Monster of Azyfoon! Quickly! Tell your best friend that you love them or you¡¯ll be consumed.¡± ¡°Pfft. Rose, quit playing around.¡± I lowered my voice and continued. ¡°I don¡¯t know who this ¡®Rose¡¯ is! I am the Blinding Monster of Azyfoon! I know nothing of love and have always wanted to learn. If I do not hear a profession of platonic love soon I might just eat this young one in front of me!¡± Val let out a deep sigh and responded in a flat, affectless voice. ¡°If it is love you wish to know about, I cannot help you. I am but an earthen golem who can feel no emotion due to faulty construction. I also taste like clay and thus would be bad to eat and give you indigestion, oh Blinding Monster of Azyfoon. Perhaps we could learn together.¡± ¡°Alright then, party pooper.¡± I switched back to my normal voice. ¡°I¡¯ll say it first, I love you buddy, and I think you¡¯re the best person in the world. You¡¯re my best friend and I never want you to forget that.¡± I¡¯m leaning over Val¡¯s shoulder looking at their face now and their face is red again! Are they sick? I wish I could put my hand on their forehead to check their temperature. Instead all I can do is ask. ¡°Val, are you feeling alright?¡± ¡°Um.Yep! Yep! I mean, yes. I am. Feeling ok. I¡¯m feeling ok. Fine, even! Don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°Uh. Alright. Just, your face is red so I¡¯m a little worried. Let me know if you start to feel woozy or anything and I¡¯ll cast a restorative spell, alright?¡± ¡°Aright!¡± Weird. I¡¯m going to have to keep a closer eye on Val in the future it seems, to make sure they¡¯re not overworking themselves.
Why is she so close to my face?! TOO CLOSE! Rose, for the love of everything, please believe me and STOP STARING AT ME! AAAGHHGHGHGH! Chapter 11: A Conversation Over Text and an Encounter on the Road After Val went to sleep, I kept thinking about Toffee. I guess she has a status screen now. Weird. Did she always? Does everyone now? I¡¯m almost scared to send her a message. What do I even say? ¡°Hi Toffee! It¡¯s been awhile! I haven¡¯t spoken or paid you in 8 years because I died and started haunting a small child! Do you want to grab a coffee sometime with my ward?¡± Like the fuck, that¡¯s no way to start a conversation with someone who proably, rightly, hates my guts for vanishing one day and treating her like shit for 3 years. I mean, what kind of person was I in her eyes during the days of the game? Does she even remember me? I haven¡¯t come across any records of me in any of the books Val¡¯s been taught, but they¡¯ve mostly been taught lie, ancient or military history, nothing more modern than like, the civil war 50 years ago or whatever. Fuck, I hope she doesn¡¯t remember me, I was a terrible boss. Fucking piece of shit Rose, goes radio silent in her workshop for days at a time, leaving you to man the phones and take orders because she can¡¯t be bothered? Awful, terrible, I¡¯m the worst! ¡°You have 1 new message from Toffer ¡®Toffee¡¯ Zendzana.¡± AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. What? No! What? How!? Fucking hell I¡¯m even more scared now! She contacted me first! What do I do, do I ignore it? No, idiot, don¡¯t ignore it, don¡¯t be an even bigger piece of shit than you used to be! Uuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I don¡¯t want to, I really don¡¯t but, here goes. Chat with Toffee: Toffee: You¡¯re alive? Wow boss, that¡¯s some great luck you have there! We should meet up, get the team back together! Where are you now? Where were you? Do you need help? Let me know what I can do! I¡¯m still living in my, ahem, our house. Come home soon, ok? It¡¯s been too quiet without you. Rose: I. What? You don¡¯t hate me for leaving for 8 years? Toffee: Why would I hate you? You definitely didn¡¯t leave on purpose, right? There¡¯s no way you¡¯d up and abandon all your work and materials for that long without a reason, right? Also, you were the best boss I ever had! These last 8 years I¡¯ve been bouncing from gig to gig but none of them have felt right, you know? Rose: I. Yeah. I swear I didn¡¯t mean to leave. Um, someone poisoned me. You asked if I was alive? Uh. The answer isn''t yes in the traditional sense. Toffee: That¡¯s a weird thing to say. Normally when people die they can¡¯t type anymore. Rose: Yeah, well I uh, am a ghost. I only recently regained the chat function. I¡¯m not sure entirely why it happened. I can¡¯t interact with the physical world except through magic. So far the only people who can see me are people from a specific family for some reason and, well, a pair of gods. Toffee: Hah. That sounds like you alright. One more wacky adventure I guess. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get a new body somehow, even if you have to build it yourself lol. Rose: That¡¯s your takeaway? Toffee: Haha, yeah, sounds like you is all. Boss, you one time left for 2 days and came back without eyebrows, holding a dragon¡¯s heart in one hand and the staff of the Archmagi in the other claiming you¡¯d gotten lost looking for a specific kind of mushroom. You then smacked your forehead and shouted oh no the mushrooms! Rose: I¡¯m mad that you¡¯re right. And they weren¡¯t just any mushrooms, they¡¯re quasi-phasic toadstools, they literally teleport not only between locations but also between dimensions! Do you know how hard they are to catch? And besides, that lich with his pet lizard were chumps. They had no sense of style or humor. Toffee: I¡¯m glad neither death nor 8 years a ghost have changed you. Rose: Oh yeah, you said I was the best boss you¡¯d ever had. How on earth is that true? I left you alone without instructions for days at a time! Toffee: You think that made you a bad boss? Lol, that made you an amazing boss. As long as I took down orders when they came in I was free to do whatever I wanted during work hours. That¡¯s how I read enough to get a degree at the Magic Academy. Rose: Really? What degree? Toffee: Restorative Arts with a minor in Offensive Spellcasting Rose: Going for a whole warrior healer kinda vibe? Toffee: More like a Oh you got hurt by that monster? Well I¡¯ll heal you but if you go down again I¡¯m going to fight it myself sort of thing. Rose: Lol that¡¯s great. Oh, also, on the whole ghost thing, I¡¯m currently haunting a teenager, have been for all 8 years. They¡¯re great, their name is Valkyrie, or Val for short. Toffee: Wild. Rose: Yeah, so uh, I hope you get along with them when we manage to get back your way. Toffee: Where are y¡¯all currently? Rose: The edge of the Quentin Dukedom heading towards a place called Fellpoint. Toffee: Never heard of it. Fellpoint that is, I know about the Sword Duke and all. Rose: Apparently it¡¯s a little community of non-human people. Like demonkin, beastfolk, and draconids. Seemed like our best shot when we got exiled. Toffee: Of course you got exiled. How does a teenager even get exiled? That requires the Duke¡¯s personal seal and like, why would he care about some kid that much? Rose: That kid may or may not have been his kid who, uh, almost killed him. Because he threatened me. Yeah Val¡¯s great but apparently has some violent tendencies when it comes to my life and people who put it in danger. Toffee: Aww, sounds like they have a crush on you Rose: Nah, I think they see me like a big sister figure. I mean, I¡¯ve known them since they were 5, no way there¡¯s romance in that cute little head. Toffee: Oof, family zoned. That¡¯s brutal boss. Rose: I¡¯m gonna tell you to drop this shit before you meet them, it¡¯s kinda gross. Val¡¯s like my little sibling and I¡¯m not gonna have you ruin them with your trashy romance plotlines. Toffee: Wow, rude. First off, they¡¯re fun not trashy. Secondly, I think it¡¯d be cute, you¡¯d be their first love! Rose: Just drop it. Toffee: Fine, but I¡¯m still gonna think it! Rose: Whatever. Oh yeah, have you heard from the guild? Toffee: Nah, they kinda disappeared too. No one can get in their building either. Maybe you could? You were a member after all. The building¡¯s also indestructible it seems, so the town can¡¯t knock a hole in it or anything. Rose: Lol, of course they can¡¯t get in. I¡¯m the one that built that thing and the one that warded it. It¡¯d take divine intervention to break the weathervane, let alone the walls. I¡¯m even a little insulted that they thought my work was that shoddy Toffee: Boss, pretty sure they just thought that the biggest plot of land in the city should be in active use and paying rent. Rose: We had it on auto-pay from the guild funds. Even as expensive as it was, I¡¯d think it¡¯d be paid up through about 2 years ago. Toffee: Yeah that was when they tried to really get in. Rose: Lol. Oh yeah! Are you still getting paid? Toffee: How do you think I afforded to go to university without pawning your stuff? Rose: Well, I guess I¡¯ll have to think of it as a house-sitting fee. Place didn¡¯t burn down, right? Toffee: Nah, place is still standing. I keep it clean too. Except for the vault, cause I can¡¯t get in because someone was paranoid. Rose: I just don¡¯t like people touching my valuables without me knowing about it Toffee: A miser as always boss. Rose: Rude. I still paid you for 8 years of not working didn¡¯t I? Toffee: And I am forever grateful, oh master of the business. Anyway, I have to sleep, you should too. Talk to you later! Rose: Yeah, sleep. Good chatting with you Toffee. Later! Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Toffee: Oh yeah, Boss? Welcome back. For real, it¡¯s been way too quiet with you gone.
When I woke up, Rose looked like she¡¯d been crying. How do I know? It¡¯s not because her eyes get puffy, but because she kinda hunches in on herself and just generally looks miserable afterwards. Even when she happy cries she does it. I think she doesn¡¯t like crying more than whatever made her cry. Maybe she was taught not to cry like I was, in which case, we¡¯re both bad at listening to instructions. I also know that she doesn¡¯t like it when I ask her what made her cry so I shouldn¡¯t, but I¡¯m so curious. Is it the pain she¡¯s in physically? Not only does she have that always pain I felt in the weird memory dream, but now she¡¯s honest to the gods injured? That¡¯s right! She¡¯s still injured! I need to figure out a way to heal her. But that would probably require magic I don¡¯t know. Hmm this is hard. Ah, she sees that I¡¯m awake and is wearing her ¡°I wasn¡¯t crying just now¡± mask. I hate it when she does that, I want her to trust me. ¡°Morning Rose.¡± ¡°Morning Val! Seems like a good day ahead.¡± ¡°Why do you think that? Some kind of divination magic?¡± ¡°Nah, just any day with my best buddy is a good day!¡± Fuck! Not that smile like the sun! Gah, my face is heating up and my heart is beating a thousand miles a minute. It¡¯s unfair how nice she is to me! ¡°I. I. Um. Yeah, it¡¯s going to be a great day.¡± ¡°Maybe you should drink more water. I¡¯m really worried about how red your face keeps getting sometimes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine! But maybe water will help?¡± I take out my canteen and guzzle the whole thing down in one go. ¡°Whoa! Easy there buddy! Don¡¯t drown yourself or anything! The water¡¯s not going anywhere!¡± ¡°Wow yeah I feel better loads better so much better anyway let¡¯s get going!¡± ¡°Geez and you say I talk fast. But sure, let¡¯s get going. Oh, and by the way remember a while ago when I mentioned I had a house?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Well turns out it¡¯s still around and still belongs to me. Same with all my materials from the old days!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great Rose! But how do you know?¡± ¡°I um, used the chat to get in contact with my employee.¡± ¡°You had an employee?¡± ¡°Yeah, her name¡¯s Toffee. She¡¯s great. Also I¡¯ve apparently been paying her for the last 8 years and she put herself through magic school with the money. Apparently, I¡¯m a great boss.¡± ¡°Hmm. That last one doesn¡¯t sound right to me.¡± ¡°You little twerp! If I had hands I¡¯d noogie you so hard!¡± ¡°Jokes on you! I don¡¯t know what that means!¡± ¡°Aha, the old and trusty shield of ignorance wouldn¡¯t save you this time, if only I had hands! If I only did I¡¯d-¡± ¡°Wait Rose!¡± ¡°Yeah Val, what is it?¡± ¡°I see smoke!¡± I whip around and lo and behold, over the next hill a steady stream of smoke rises from the road. Which is straight. So it¡¯s not a fire by the side of the road, too much smoke in the wrong place. I float up to my maximum height¡­and keep going past it. What? Am I no longer tied to Val? Wait! Not the time! About 500 feet in front of us on the road is a wagon on fire, I can see people in metal armor and¡­Ah fuck that¡¯s a kid. Something fucked up is happening here. I shoot down and shout at Val. ¡°Run! People need help!¡± ¡°Right!¡± Val takes off sprinting while I match pace, flying as fast as I can imagine and we arrive together just as one of the armored men raises their weapon, a glaive, to stab through the heart of a young demonkin girl. As he thrusts downward, Val¡¯s Thorn cuts the shaft in two and they carelessly smack the blade away into one of the man¡¯s companions. The two men don¡¯t even get to say anything before Val has them both incapacitated. Meanwhile, I quickly cast some water magic to put out the fire on the wagon¡¯s canopy. As I do I had seen an adult being attacked on the other side of the cart and sped over. The Demonkin adult, seemingly a man in his thirties, was kneeling in front of who I suspect to be the leader of the soldiers, one arm severed, swaying side to side from blood loss. The soldier commander seems to be reveling in the scene. That is, before I flick two fingers and his heart stops. I don¡¯t have a spell called ¡°Heart Stop¡± or anything. What I do have is a spell called Silent Lightning. Which essentially shoots an undetectable bolt of lightning at my target. If they are low level, it¡¯s an insta-kill. Very handy. Well, low level compared to me. The subordinates started looking around for the killer but their eyes passed over me like I wasn¡¯t there. Like usual. Good. Let¡¯s put the fear of me into them. I was about to cast a spell that would make their blood start to heat up. I know the two versions of the spell: Heat Blood and Boil Blood. I¡¯m using the first one now but before I get the chance a blur blips by and suddenly all the men are bent over clutching their ankles. Shit, did Val just cut all of their achilles¡¯ tendons?! Fucking brutal little buddy! Instead of worrying about them, I turn to the man on the ground who seems to have passed out. Fuck. Can¡¯t be helped. I cast Life¡¯s Embrace, a spell that closes wounds and restores HP over time. It should also restore the lost blood over time, so that¡¯s good. Unfortunately I¡¯d need a lot more mana than I have left to restore his arm. Well, the magic would grow him a new arm, but same difference. He¡¯d go from being all right to being alright. Man that was in awful taste, glad I didn¡¯t say it out loud.
As I finished wiping the blood off my sword and giving all but one of the soldiers on the ground the ¡°kick to the head¡± solution to insomnia, I look over at the poor man I assume to be a merchant based on his clothing. Hmm, seems he was badly injured and is now unconscious, however, his wounds have healed and he¡¯s resting easy. Suppose that was Rose. And she is¡­ wearing a shit eating grin and trying not to laugh. What on earth am I going to do with her? Well, no matter. Just as I turn to go make sure the girl from earlier is still ok, I hear a small sound come from her mouth as she peeks around the back edge of the wagon. She ducks behind the wagon when she sees me notice her. Is. Is she scared of me? I look down at myself and see I have blood all over me, not fully soaked but too noticeable against my clothing. Also, I¡¯m still carrying the Thorn. Whoops, no wonder she¡¯s scared of me. I turn to Rose and hiss. ¡°Hey, Rose. Can you clean the blood off me? The girl is scared.¡± ¡°Wow really? How could she be scared of a cute kid like you?¡± ¡°Just do it!¡± ¡°Fine, fine. Also, tell her that her, um, friend here is going to be asleep for a while but should be fine other than the missing arm. I, uh, will get rid of the severed arm before you two come around the corner.¡± She proceeded to twirl her finger in my direction and I could feel water rush over my clothing before evaporating, leaving me clean and dry. Man I need to learn that, can¡¯t rely on her for everything. She then turned towards the arm on the ground and started casting another spell. Something to ask about later, but the girl takes precedence. Sheathing the Thorn at my hip, I walk carefully around the wagon at a 10 foot distance, trying not to scare the girl by suddenly turning the corner. I keep my hands in the air, palms open facing her and a, I hope, gentle smile on my face. When she sees me, she blinks a lot. Yeah, figures. She then opens her mouth as if to speak but closes it again. I figure I¡¯ll take the lead here. ¡°Hi. My name¡¯s Val. I¡¯m just passing by and saw you all in trouble and thought I¡¯d help. You don¡¯t have to be scared of me. I¡¯m a nice person, I promise.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Can you speak?¡± She nods her head. ¡°Alright. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°...Emmy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lovely name Emmy. I¡¯m not going to make you tell me what happened. Instead, I¡¯ll let you know that the older man you were with is safe. He¡¯s resting now and will be alright. However, he did suffer a wound that I couldn¡¯t heal and is missing an arm. I¡¯m telling you this now so that you can try and prepare yourself for when you see him.¡± ¡°Daddy¡¯s missing his arm! Wawawaw what can we do to help him! Please, you have to help him!¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ve helped him all I can for right now. Do you know where you were going?¡± ¡°Um. um. Daddy. Daddy said we were going home to see Mommy and Lexy.¡± ¡°Is Lexy your sibling?¡± ¡°Yeah! She¡¯s my big sister. She¡¯s really nice, unlike Daisy¡¯s big brother who¡¯s always mean.¡± ¡°Alright. How about I go put your dad in the wagon and then you two can keep an eye on him and make sure he drinks some water when he wakes up, ok?¡± ¡°Ok. And you¡¯re sure he¡¯s alright? Even without an arm?¡± ¡°I think he¡¯ll be fine. Lots of people manage with only one.¡± ¡°Okay. I hope he¡¯s not too sad from losing it.¡± ¡°Me too Emmy. Alright, here, I¡¯ll give you a hand up into the wagon.¡± ¡°Thaaaanks!¡± I pick her up at the waist and gently put her in the back of the wagon. I think she might be five? Hard to tell. I then turn the corner to find the severed arm missing and Rose¡­ asleep?! She¡¯s passed out while leaning against the wagon. And she¡¯s not pretending for once, she¡¯s genuinely sleeping! This has never happened before! Oh no how much magic did she¡­ I look towards the father and yup. The fucking dumbass that I love has managed to regrow the man¡¯s arm. And from the looks of it that took a toll on her, which caused her to fall asleep. Fuck. Me. She¡¯s too nice for her own good. Maybe she heard my conversation with Emmy and heard how distressed she was and did it against her better judgment? Aggghhh, who knows with her! I pick up the father, who¡¯s a bit heavier than I expected, and get him in the wagon¡­which is hard given my height. I do manage though. So now the family is together in the wagon and Emmy is looking at me confusedly seeing that her dad has two perfectly good arms. I put my finger to my lips ¡°I managed to fix it but this is our secret. He never lost an arm, okay?¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± She nods her head a lot and then mimes sewing her lips shut. ¡°Excellent. Now, I¡¯m going to go tie up the men that attacked you so that they can¡¯t hurt you anymore, alright?¡± ¡°Ok. Be careful though! They¡¯re really mean. Meaner than Daisy¡¯s big brother!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be careful.¡± I step down from the wagon and turn my gaze towards the soldiers bearing the emblem of the Quentin Ducal House and get to work. Chapter 12: Mopping Up, Escort Duty, and a Dream of Magic I walk around the wagon, tying up the soldiers that I had knocked out earlier. While doing so, I found the captain whom Rose had. Um. Whom she had killed. Somehow, without leaving a mark it seems. I. Um. Guess she was desperate to save the father. I didn¡¯t get there soon enough to assess the situation before he was downed. Earlier, I had left one awake so I could ask him some questions and I went to ask them now, only to find a drag mark on the road leading towards the distance. I walked further and found the man crawling and dragging his body along. When he heard me walking up behind him he shouted in fear and started crawling faster. I grab him by the back of his armor to stop his movement, which is a little hard but he doesn¡¯t have the leverage to use his full strength it seems. ¡°Please! Spare me! I, I was just following the Captain¡¯s orders!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not an excuse to commit deplorable acts. You¡¯re the Duke¡¯s man, at least act like a soldier.¡± ¡°I. I. But, but this is what it¡¯s always like?¡± ¡°Soldiers acting as brigands? Does Sir Frostsword know about this?¡± ¡°I. The Captain said that the orders came from him!¡± ¡°Liar. He¡¯s a decent man. If you were following orders they weren¡¯t from him.¡± ¡°Then- Then you¡¯d have to ask the Captain where they came from! I¡¯m just a grunt, I don¡¯t know anything.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know how to act human, I suppose you wouldn¡¯t know where your orders came from. Now then, tell me, how long have the Duke¡¯s men been off their leash?¡± ¡°What are we? Dogs?¡± ¡°Well, as we¡¯ve established, you don¡¯t know how to be people. People don¡¯t take pleasure in hacking off a poor father¡¯s arm while their friends kill his daughter or worse. Dogs might be too generous, but snakes don¡¯t tend to act in packs. Coyotes maybe? Scavengers, eating scraps left by bigger predators, lashing out when they can¡¯t get enough to eat.¡± The man started spluttering in indignation, fear replaced by the mix of surprise and anger. ¡°Well the question, I suppose, is why they aren¡¯t getting enough to eat. So, scavenger, tell me, why has the hand that feeds you stopped?¡± ¡°Who? The Duke? The Duke¡¯s never cared what we do! And a little bit of extra money never hurt anyone!¡± My eyes go red again and I punch him, hard. I hear a crack and that brings me out of my rage a bit but my blood is still boiling. ¡°I was wrong. You aren¡¯t a scavenger. You. Are. DUNG. ¡®Never hurt anyone¡¯? YOU CUT OFF A MAN¡¯S ARM! You would¡¯ve killed his daughter if I hadn¡¯t stopped you! SHE! IS! FOUR YEARS OLD YOU SLIME!¡± And I hit him again, rage overtaking me. Fuck, I¡¯m better than this. But it¡¯s so hard to hold back when he looks like I¡¯m telling him something irrelevant. ¡°But who cares about a couple commoner devilkin?¡± ¡°I DO! And so does the Duke. If he caught wind of this, he who cares for his people, do you think he¡¯d turn a blind eye? His name is the Sword Duke for a reason, he doesn¡¯t carry Ythene around for show. And he has stolen many a man¡¯s soul who crossed him. But this isn¡¯t a matter for him to judge. It¡¯s a matter for the people you¡¯ve wronged. At least, the ones still alive that is. So what I¡¯m going to do is tie you up and gag you and all your friends. I¡¯ll leave your captain¡¯s body for the dogs and whatever other scavengers want it. I¡¯ll even take it out of its shell for them. He deserves it. But I¡¯m going to take you lot with me to Fellpoint and have them pass judgment on you there. Here¡¯s a hint: You should really start praying to the Lady of Light right about now, for she is merciful but I. Am. Not.¡± He started blabbering again but I was done with him. I gagged him and bound him, using rope from the merchant¡¯s wagon. I plan to either reimburse him the cost or make him new rope. I go to yank the man to his feet but remember that I cut their heel¡¯s edge, making them incapable of walking. Well, I seem to have made things harder on myself. I wrap the rope around his arms and torso in a harness and drag him back the way we came. He¡¯s in armor, he¡¯ll be fine¡­probably. By the time I return to the wagon, the other soldiers seem to be awake and look at me with resentment. Though not for long, seems one look at my face has them changing their tune, so to speak. And I am truly pissed right now. If they make one wrong move I honestly fear what I might do. Calm down, Val, just calm down. God it¡¯s so hard to calm down without Rose to help me. Though I also wouldn¡¯t want to show this side of me to her, I think it¡¯d ruin her image of me in her mind and I don¡¯t want that. I tie the harness to the rest of the soldiers and their post in the ground, then enter the wagon to speak to Emmy. Seems her father¡¯s awake! Good, time to ask some questions. ¡°Are, are you the one that saved us? Healed me?¡± ¡°I am. How are you feeling? Is anything out of sorts?¡± ¡°No, no, I¡¯m fine, just fine! Even better than fine! It¡¯s funny, I thought that in all the commotion that they¡¯d cut off my arm! Thankfully, it seems to have been a mistake my mind made from the stress.¡± ¡°That can happen I¡¯ve heard. Um, come outside. I¡¯d like to show you something and ask your opinion. Emmy, please stay in the wagon.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll come, traveler. And Emmy, please do what they¡¯ve asked of you.¡± ¡°Kaaayyy.¡± I jump down from the wagon and offer a hand to help the man down. He balks at the soldiers sitting on the ground around his wagon but steels his nerves, though I see sweat starting to bead on his forehead and neck. ¡°Sir, these are the brigands that attacked you. They may bear the Duke¡¯s colors but I believe them to either be deserters or to be rogue operators disobeying or simply acting outside their orders. I have questioned one but lost the stomach for it quickly. I¡¯m not asking you to do any more than I have, simply asking you if Fellpoint has the ability to hold and judge all of these men. If not, I will abide by whatever punishment you see fit.¡± ¡°I. Child, you are my savior this day, but I cannot hold sway over another¡¯s life. Do not ask that of me, I beg you.¡± ¡°Very well, I will not force the choice on you. But, I must reiterate, does Fellpoint have the ability to hold prisoners? To pass judgment on them?¡± ¡°Um. We have a few holding cells, mostly for when people get a little heated, they take them there to cool off for a bit before mediating the argument. I suppose they could hold them there temporarily. As for judgment, um, there are the Chieftains.¡± ¡°More than one?¡± ¡°One for each of the groups that founded Fellpoint. One for the draconids, one for the devilkin, and one for the felinoids. So, three overall. They, I mean, I suppose they could, well, might pass judgment in the Duke¡¯s stead. But! But it truly is a matter for the Duke, especially if they are deserters wearing his colors, then taking them to the Duke is the correct choice.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I cannot do that as I have been exiled. If I appear in the Duke¡¯s land once more I risk my life and freedom.¡± ¡°I see. That is unfortunate. It would take one as strong as you seem to be in order to properly guard them alone.¡± ¡°Yes. The next question I have is, how far are we from Fellpoint?¡± ¡°Only a few hours. Maybe 8 or so? We should be there before the sun descends.¡± ¡°Is the wagon in good enough condition to get you two there?¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Yes, It seems that the fire only damaged it superficially. As long as we replace the canopy when we arrive the wagon should carry us for many more years, gods willing.¡± ¡°Very well, then I will give you a headstart, so that you don¡¯t have to travel alongside these brigands.¡± ¡°Alright then. Oh yes, child, my name is Trunor, thank you very much for saving me and my daughter¡¯s lives. May I know your name?¡± ¡°My name is Valkyrie, though my friends call me Val, same as you might.¡± ¡°Then my thanks to you, Valkyrie, for our lives. May your travels be swift and worthwhile.¡± ¡°Yes. Go with Light¡¯s Blessing and Wind¡¯s Speed.¡± And with that, Trunor climbed into the driver¡¯s seat and got the freckums going, the six-legged, thick skinned beasts of burden lowing lowly as they resume their eternal trudge. Emmy poked her head out the back and waved to me enthusiastically. I waved back with a smile on my face. As they left my sight, I sighed, smile melting back into a neutral expression, and faced the dung tied up around me and got to work. They were all wearing armor and not all of them were incapable of walking. So I went to the woods by the side of the road and found a fallen log that would meet my purposes. I cut the log in half with the Thorn, which was harder than I thought it would be but my sword didn¡¯t sustain damage so I might¡¯ve gotten lucky there. Doubly so, I suppose, because Rose always throws a fit when I use the wrong tool for a job. ¡°The right tool makes light work. The wrong tool costs time and money on a replacement¡±. She also says that the only use for a sword is hurting things because they quite literally aren¡¯t built for much else. I¡¯m starting to see her point on both accounts. Either way, the inside of the log had started to become worm eaten, so I start to clean out the rot and soon enough I have two semi-servicabe sleds! They aren¡¯t the best but will serve well enough for the next few hours¡­I hope. Next, I use some fire magic to burn some holes near the front on both sides, then tie a rope through them with plenty of slack, for use as a means to drag the sleds. I then direct the prisoners that can stand to place those that can¡¯t on the sleds. They reluctantly comply and seem to protest even more with my next order. ¡°Alright, those that can walk will drag the sleds carrying those that can¡¯t. We¡¯re going further along the road. It normally takes a few hours to reach our destination so I hope we¡¯ll get there by dusk. If you do not walk, well, you know what I¡¯m capable of and I¡¯m tired of playing nice with you lot. So, you two, grab that rope, and you two grab that one. You¡¯ll get a break every hour. The only water around is at our destination so if you get thirsty, walk faster.¡±
It took 2 hours for my first escapee. During the hourly break, one of them decided they had a chance, or that their chances were better running than walking to their judgment. Well, He got maybe 20 feet before he got a kick to the head that sent him flying into a tree. I proceeded to drag him back to the sleds and threw him on one. ¡°He¡¯ll be another burden to you until he wakes up. I won¡¯t stop you from showing him your displeasure if that is what you feel. But, if you all try to run, I¡¯ll knock you out and then drag you back. I¡¯ll sit here and watch you until you wake up and then you¡¯ll go back to walking, just this time with a concussion. So, don¡¯t test me. You have tried my patience enough and I am not incapable of killing you.¡± I¡¯m lying to them. I hate this. I hate all of this. I can¡¯t kill them, no more than I can judge them. I¡¯m not a killer, I know that deep inside of me, I might get angry one day and kill someone, or do it by accident, and that scares me. I¡¯m not angry at these men anymore, just tired. They¡¯re deplorable but I was angry because I expected them to be able to realize that they were deplorable and fix themselves, but they¡¯re not repentant at all. They don¡¯t think what they did was wrong. They see themselves as above these people somehow. Detestable, deplorable people. I tried to reassign them to a different category in my mind but it¡¯s impossible to do. They¡¯re still people despite what they did. But that doesn¡¯t mean I have to forgive them, just that I can¡¯t kill them. I don¡¯t particularly want to keep hurting them either, I just want to be done with them. I miss Rose. I know that she did it to help me, but I hope she wakes up soon. Last I saw, she was still floating in that same space, asleep, even after the wagon left. I would¡¯ve stayed with her until she woke up, but instead I sent her a chat message telling her about what happened, how grateful Trunor and Emmy were, and about what I was doing now and where I was going. I just hope she wakes up soon.
I¡¯m floating. Yeah, duh I¡¯m floating but fuck you it feels different this time. Like I¡¯m in warm water lapping at me, but I¡¯m still so cold. I never really noticed how cold I am until now. God I¡¯m freezing. Maybe it¡¯s a good thing Val can¡¯t touch me, or else I¡¯d freeze them too. Oh god, that ache is coming back. Well, it never went away, but now I remember that it''s there and god damnit I hate it. I¡¯ve been hurting ever since I died but I forgot about it. How did I forget about this? It feels like I¡¯m melting inside. I want to scream. I open my mouth but nothing comes out, instead something fluid rushes in and now I¡¯m drowning and melting and oh god, can a ghost drown? I¡¯m panicking, I¡¯m panicking and just as I feel my brain beginning to break, the pain is gone suddenly. Instead of drowning me, the fluid is spread throughout me, and it feels better again, I can forget the melting again. Wait. There¡¯s someone here. I didn¡¯t notice before because of the pain but they¡¯re right next to me. My eyes snap open and I turn to face them, only to be met with a beautiful figure. They are so gender, is all I can think. They¡¯re masc and femme and both and neither and oh my god looking at them is mesmerizing. They seem to get a kick out of my expression as they give a light chuckle and start to speak to me in a voice that transcends sound and hits my heart directly. ¡°Hello there, Rose. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I¡¯ve been waiting for this for a very. Long. Time.¡± ¡°Who, um, uh, hehe, um, Hi. Name Rose is me. Um, uh, hi? Shit I said that before. Fuck. Um. Fuck. Sorry.¡± They lean their face in close, oh god too close, with a face like that you¡¯re going to melt my brain if you get this close. ¡°Hmmm. You don¡¯t have to be so nervous my dear. I assure you, I¡¯m friendlier than my daughter and won¡¯t play around with your memories like my dear nephew. So please, relax. You are quite safe here. I apologize for the unfortunate sensations you experienced on your arrival but they were necessary to help heal you, at least partially. Enough to get by, I suppose.¡± ¡°Um, I, Heal? Me you heal? Heheh sorry. You me healed? Agh, sorry. Um, but, name? Name is you? FUCK! HI! MY NAME IS ROSE WHAT IS YOURS?¡± They throw back their head and laugh like a babbling brook doused in birdsong. Oh my gods that¡¯s a sound I want to hear forever. ¡°My name, dear Rose, is Mandynox. I am the deity that presides over all of the magic in the world. Some call me the Divine Monarch. Some call me the Font of Magic and Divinity. For you see, I am the deity from which all the others came from. My sister and brother are mere expressions of myself at different times. And those gods and goddesses that are not my siblings are either my children or their children. I have existed since before the dawn of time. When my siblings were born out of my loneliness, together we crafted the world, stone by stone, tree by tree, ocean and mountains and vast plains and all the creatures that fly, run, jump, swim, and all other manners of locomotion. My brother found delight in creatures he could easily hold a conversation with and crafted the mortal races. My sister found delight in the wyrd and esoteric, and thus crafted all the monsters you see and have fought in the wild. I delighted in the small, the lovely, the oft overlooked, and crafted all the other creatures. So tell me, how do you enjoy our work?¡± ¡°I. Um. First. Uh. First off, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, your highness.¡± ¡°Oh please, do not stand on formality. I grew tired of it millenia ago when my nephew wouldn¡¯t stop coming up with different respectful terms of address.¡± ¡°Right. Um. It¡¯s, it¡¯s my favorite place. I love almost everything about the world. At times it feels like it was made to make me happy. But, uh, I have to ask: Why me? Why are you talking to me?¡± ¡°Why, because you showed up at the door to my domain, sick and cold, and empty. Not many can reach here, even fewer while unconscious. So I asked around and learned your name and your story, my most dear and annoying nephew told me. But he never asks the questions that matter to me. I¡¯m so glad you like the world we made. As to why it feels like it was made for you, it¡¯s because it was made for all who live or visit it. I am ever so glad you chose to stay here after visiting for so long.¡± ¡°Oh, um, so you know this world is a game?¡± Another bubbling laugh. ¡°My dear, the world and your life are what you make of it. If a game is what you make of it, then I suppose a game it is! Personally, I see it as a project, always ongoing, always needing a few tweaks here and there but so dreadfully easy to pick to death. As I have the heaviest hand among all of my family, I normally simply watch what happens and enjoy myself that way.¡± ¡°Can I ask you, why. Why am I here? Not here with you, per say, but here in this word at all. As far as I can figure, I, um, died while visiting and somehow became a ghost. Why did that happen?¡± ¡°Oh I haven¡¯t the foggiest! You¡¯d have to speak to my niece, She of Shadow and Whispers as a poet once called her. She detests the name, and everytime I tease her with it she shouts at me for years at a time. Quite entertaining I must say. She¡¯s so cute when she¡¯s mad.¡± ¡°Oh. Um. Ok. How do I get in touch with her?¡± ¡°Well I suppose that would be up to her and her interest in talking to you. So I suppose just try to get her attention somehow. Maybe by praying to her? She¡¯s not very vain but everyone likes presents now and again.¡± ¡°I. Um. Alright. I guess I can do that.¡± ¡°Seems like a plan then. Now then, while we¡¯ve been chatting, you¡¯ve been recovering outside of this dream.¡± ¡°Wait! You said you healed me before, what did you heal?¡± ¡°You held a memory of a deep pain from the moment your visit ended and your life here began. I cannot take it away entirely, but as long as you contain my power, it will be mostly eased. However, the more you use what you all call mana, the more the pain will rear its head. Do be careful when you return, dear Rose. As one who lives in our world, I am rooting for you to do your best and to be happy. I hope you can do that for me.¡± ¡°Yes, um, thank you, Mandynox.¡± ¡°Why you¡¯re very welcome. Now then, time for you to wake up I think.¡± ¡°You¡¯re very pret-¡±
¡°-ty. Damn.¡± Chapter 13: Waking Up Redux, a Prisoner Transfer, and Breakfast for Five I woke up seemingly where I¡¯d gone to sleep, except there was no one around anymore. I started wondering where Val was when- ¡°You have 1 unread message from Valkyrie ¡®Val¡¯. This notification was delayed due to: Heavy Slumber. To receive notifications while asleep, please change the setting under the ¡®Chat Settings¡¯ Subsection.¡± Huh. I never slept in the game before so that¡¯s new. Wonder what gives. Either way, reading Val¡¯s message, it seems the people we saved were named Emmy and Trunor and that they were very grateful. Meanwhile, Val¡¯s taking the soldiers to Fellpoint in order to have them tried for the crime of banditry and that¡¯s why they couldn¡¯t wait for me. Damnit Val, leaving me alone. Whelp, guess I¡¯ll have to go to Fellpoint to meet back up with them. But before I do that, let me FREAK THE FUCK OUT! WHAT? HOW! ANOTHER DEITY?! Why are they fucking all coming out of the woodwork to talk to me? Like, holy fuck, I am just some girl¡¯s ghost, like, chill folks. Like, it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t enjoy looking at, ahem, I mean talking to Madynox, just, why me? They said I just kinda, ended up there when I passed out but if that¡¯s so then what the fuck is up with my dreams?! I swear this game is getting wilder and wilder by the hour. Like, c¡¯mon, 3 supreme powers rolling dice over the fate of the world or some shit? Fuck me that¡¯s a bad sign. I don¡¯t want to be a chosen one or some shit, and unfortunately, the scariest motherfucker I¡¯ve ever spoken to seems to think that Val is one. And that they¡¯re part divine? Or something??? Okay! Enough stressing myself out! Time to go meet up with Val. Looking down at myself I see that the rents leaking mana are still there, which sucks, but checking my status my mana seems to be full again, and while still fluctuating a bit at the end, it seems to fill a bit faster than it used to. Or maybe it¡¯s diminishing slower? Something like that. It¡¯s not much, but in the long run it¡¯ll make a big difference. Also, the dull ache seems to have gone away, wait, nope, still there just diminished. I hope I can forget about it again, the fucking rents hurt enough on their own without constant death pain on top of it. I start to float, well, fly, as fast as possible following the road. Val, here I come!
Entering the settlement of Fellpoint, the air was tense. Word of the attack and the incoming prisoners had spread fast. The theory was further proved by a group of armed men and women who met me at the gate. Among them was a young felinid woman who carried herself with an air of command. After looking for rank insignias and finding none, I approached her. ¡°Ma¡¯am, are you the commander of these forces?¡± ¡°Interesting. Yes, I am. I take it you are Valkyrie?¡± ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Alright. Now then, you want me to take in a bunch of prisoners and force me and my peers to oversee their trial in place of the Duke?¡± ¡°I. Yes, that is what I desire.¡± ¡°If it was up to me, I¡¯d tell you to turn around and go suck eggs.¡± She let out an exasperated sigh, ¡°But it¡¯s not just up to me. We work on a vote system for major decisions. And executing the Duke¡¯s men, supposed deserters or not, is a major decision. For now, bring them inside, we¡¯ll take them to the holding cells. Why are they riding a log?¡± ¡°Um, I cut their heel¡¯s edge during the battle to keep them from further harming Mr. Trunor and his daughter.¡± ¡°I- I see. Very well, Worther, Miles, drag them inside. Quill, Xent, guide the others. Don¡¯t let them run amok.¡± The guards saluted and guided or dragged the men inside. Meanwhile, the commander turned to me. ¡°I know your name so it¡¯s right that I give you mine, Chieftess Natasha of the Felinid Tribe.¡± ¡°An honor, Chieftess.¡± ¡°So tell me, how did one as young as you learn to fight well enough to incapacitate a squadron of Ducal soldiers?¡± ¡°I have been trained in the sword from a young age and am blessed with talent beyond my years.¡± ¡°Is that right? Well alright then. Valkyrie, you have been invited to stay with Trunor¡¯s family for the evening due to your brave act. I will warn you however, the age of heroes is over: don¡¯t get in over your head kid. I¡¯m sure you have someone waiting for you, don¡¯t keep them waiting for a corpse.¡± With that she clapped me on the shoulder, closed the gate, and sat down, presumably waiting for the next group of guards to take her place guarding the gate. She didn¡¯t tell me where Mr. Trunor¡¯s house was, so I suppose I have to ask around. Unfortunately, my goal of arriving at dusk was off the mark by about 4 hours. By my reckoning, it was quite a bit after midnight on this summer night and I was exhausted. I went to the first home¡¯s door that I could find and knocked. There came a muffled curse, as though someone was rudely woken up at an ungodly hour and wanted to bemoan that fact but didn¡¯t want to wake the other people asleep in the house. After about 5 minutes, the door swung open and a draconid man in night clothes glared down at me and growled at me in a resonant voice. ¡°What do you want in the middle of the gods-be-damned night kid? People have work to do in the morning!¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sorry to disturb your rest sir, but I just arrived and wanted to know where Mr. Trunor lives? I¡¯ve had a long trip and just want to rest my head.¡± The man let out a deep, resigned sigh and pointed down a wide avenue. ¡°Go that way, his is the large home with a yellow door with pink flowers painted near the bottom. You can¡¯t miss it.¡± ¡°Thank you very much sir, I¡¯ll repay you for the trouble at some point in the near future.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah, whatever kid. If you don¡¯t need nothing else, I¡¯m going back to sleep.¡± With that he closed the door as quietly as possible and I assume did as he told me he would. I wandered down what a sign told me was ¡°Starlight Avenue¡± which I think is a pretty name. The houses here are also very pretty and eventually I reached a house matching the man¡¯s description. The flowers on the door are all at the height that a very young child can reach so I imagine that Emmy helped paint them. I knocked on the door and immediately heard a loud snort and the sound of someone falling out of a chair. The door swung open to reveal a devilkin woman¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re here! Finally! We expected you hours ago, Valkyrie! I sent Trunor to rest so he can run the shop tomorrow. Oh, do come in, come in!¡± The woman, presumably Trunor¡¯s wife, practically dragged me inside. The fireplace was burning low and near a plush rocking chair a mess of knitting had been dropped carelessly, almost as though someone fell asleep while knitting and then fell out of the chair. Whoops. Near the hearth was a bundle of blankets made up into a bed with a few pillows. ¡°Sorry that we don¡¯t have an extra bed. Trunor wanted to give up his side of ours but I made sure he kept it due to his back. He¡¯d have such a hard time of it if he slept on the floor that just getting up again would cause no end of grief! We really do appreciate what you¡¯ve done, ya see, but you¡¯re still young and fit so I told him ¡®That Valkyrie can sleep on the floor and bounce up in the morning fresher than spring water while you¡¯d lie there fresh as week old fish!¡¯ Oh! But the bed¡¯s made up from some of the best blankets from the shop and the pillows are brand new! Pegasus down! Softest out there! Oh listen to me blabber, I need to get to rest soon. But do you need a cup of water dearie? Maybe a spot of supper? I kept a plate in the oven to keep warm but, well, it would¡¯ve been warm a few hours ago but it¡¯ll taste fine cold or we could heat it up in a jiff at the hearth.¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. As I was recovering from the wall of words that just hit me and trying to parse them, I ended up asking for a cup of water and telling her I¡¯d just eat the plate for breakfast if that was fine with her. It apparently isn¡¯t, as ¡°no child in her house would eat a day old plate of potatoes for breakfast, it simply wouldn¡¯t do.¡± I received the water and did my best to usher her to bed and then collapsed in the nest of blankets and fell asleep immediately.
It was already dusk when I woke up, and I was supposedly a few hours away from Fellpoint. Now, I once read something about altitude and its relation to flight distance. Essentially, the higher up you are, the more distance you cover in the same amount of time. Something commercial planes make use of. So I figured, to make my trip faster, I¡¯d fly up into the sky for a while and then go towards Fellpoint. As I go a bit higher, I can see a few lights in the far distance which I assume are Fellpoint, so I start my trajectory over that way. Flying is honestly kinda boring when you can¡¯t feel the exhilaration of the wind moving past. However, the night sky in this world is always breathtaking compared to the real world. No light pollution to speak of, no smog, nothing but the black abyss, a hundred billion stars, and the moon. In other words, the flight is boring but has a great view. So great a view, in fact, that I¡¯m flying looking up at the stars. Man this is amazing, actually. Wait, how far have I gone? Fellpoint wasn¡¯t that far away. Turning back over I see the fire lights of the settlement¡­a few miles back the way I came. Whoops. Well, guess I¡¯m flying some more, but not looking up this time.
I woke up to a monotone, affectless voice. ¡°You have 1 new message from Rose Brubaker.¡± Chat with Rose: Rose: Hey Val! Guess who¡¯s in town? Assuming you made it to Fellpoint already that is! I¡¯ll be waiting near what I assume to be the town hall given its size and location. Hope to see you soon! I nodded in relief that Rose was awake and seemingly alright, then rolled back over and went back to sleep.
This time, I wake up to the smell of something delectable. I rise from the nest and look outside the window to see an amazing sunrise, reds and oranges and pinks lighting the clouds gold from below. I could watch that all day but my stomach¡¯s making some distressing noises so I leave the window and head over to the source of the scent, which I find to be the kitchen. There, Emmy and Emmy in 8 years are moving around the kitchen making breakfast. I assume the older girl is Lexy. I must have made some kind of noise, as they both stopped mid action and looked at me. Emmy beamed at me and put down the eggs she was about to crack and hurried over to stand in front of me, looking expectant for something. ¡°Hi Valkyrie!¡± ¡°Hi Emmy, how are you this morning?¡± ¡°Helping! I¡¯m making breakfast with Lexy cause Mommy¡¯s tired.¡± ¡°Yeah, she was waiting up for me and I got in late. I apologize for the trouble I put you all through.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind! Though Lexy was saying that ¡®that vagabond better be grateful.¡¯¡± ¡°Shu-shu-shush Emmy! Hahah, I uh, don¡¯t know where she got that from. I am thankful that you saved my family. We¡¯re making an extra serving for you.¡± The elder seemed desperate to cover up Emmy¡¯s mouth but couldn¡¯t leave the pan on the stove unattended. Instead, she¡¯s glaring at her sister who is entirely oblivious. Emmy, meanwhile, seems to have recovered quite a bit from her ordeal and takes after her mother. ¡°-so then I saw a blue bird flying in front of the wagon for a while and that was really pretty and Daddy said that they meant that someone was thinking of you which I said must be Mommy and Lexy and Daddy agreed and said that maybe even Daisy was thinking about me and that made me happy too and later on Grump and Trump needed to get fed so Daddy let me put the feed bags on and they looked so happy with their food and I was happy and Daddy seemed happy and it was a good trip over all if you don¡¯t count the bad thing but that was scary and I didn¡¯t like it but you came and saved us so I¡¯m glad I got to meet you Valkyrie and-¡± I figure that she has to breathe eventually and that that might be the end of it, not that I don¡¯t want to hear about her adventure, just that it¡¯s impossible to have a conversation when she talks so fast. Instead I nod politely and make little noises of affirmation towards Emmy to show her that I¡¯m paying attention but I think she¡¯d keep talking even if I didn¡¯t. Glancing over at Lexy who¡¯s splitting her attention between the food in the pan and Emmy and I, she seems to be holding in a laugh. After a while, the breath I¡¯ve been waiting for comes and Emmy seems to have run out of steam, looking content in having said her piece. ¡°Man, that sounds like a much more exciting trip than mine was!¡± ¡°I bet it was too! No way anybody has ever had a funner trip than me and Daddy did!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re right there. Lexy, can I ask what it is you¡¯re cooking?¡± ¡°Oh! Well, I have some bacon here in the pan and we were going to have some eggs and pancakes to go along but my helper seems to have gotten distracted, so it might be a bit longer. Which might not be the worst as Mom and Dad are still sleeping. Now then, Emmy, you¡¯ve spoken to your friend and they¡¯re hungry so do you want to help me feed them or just keep talking?¡± ¡°I¡¯m helping!¡± ¡°Oh really? Well then, that¡¯s fine. Again, I need you to crack and whisk the eggs in that bowl.¡± ¡°I know Lexy, you already told me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just making sure. Now, get cracking!¡± ¡°Kaaaaayyy!¡± ¡°I would offer my assistance but I¡¯ve only recently started learning how to cook and fear I would ruin it.¡± ¡°Thank you for the offer, but don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ve got it covered. You can take a seat at the table while you wait.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. May I ask your full name? I would feel a bit awkward calling you by a nickname this early into our acquaintance.¡± ¡°First off, my name¡¯s Lexandra, secondly, thank you for asking, thirdly, can I ask why you speak so formally? You sound like some noble or something.¡± Oh shit. I gave myself away so easily? Damnit! Oh god what if she connects me to the Duke?! ¡°I see that that might be a touchy subject. I won¡¯t pry, but you might want to change how you speak if you want to keep it hidden.¡± ¡°Um. Thank you for your advice, I¡¯ll try to take it under advisement.¡± ¡°You do that. Also, another personal question, are you a boy or a girl? I can¡¯t really tell.¡± ¡°I, um, I. I¡¯m not a boy. I¡¯m not sure beyond that.¡± ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re not sure? Either you¡¯re a boy or you¡¯re a girl, no getting around that.¡± ¡°I¡­ suppose you¡¯re right, Lexandra.¡± ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m not a fan of my full name being said with that posh accent. So, Lexy is what you¡¯ll call me, got it?¡± ¡°Yes, Lexy, understood.¡± ¡°Great!¡± She beamed a wide, bright smile at me and the morning light gilded her blonde hair, her amethyst eyes glittering with flecks of gold. My heart jumped into my throat there for a second and I could only nod in response. What just happened to me? I¡¯ve only ever felt that when Rose smiles at me, what gives?
Just as breakfast finishes cooking, bacon cooked so that it was still slightly chewy, pancakes fluffy and covered in syrup, and eggs well scrambled, Emmy runs off up the stairs, shouting for her parents. Lexy looks embarrassed and calls after her ¡°Emmy! Let them rest!¡± but that seems to be an admonishment that came too late. Emmy soon enough comes flying down the stairs, followed by the much more sedate treads of her parents as they enter the kitchen. Trunor looks terrible, I suppose he¡¯s not a morning person. ¡°Oh don¡¯t give him such a look as that dearie! My dear Trunor might look like spoilt milk but it¡¯s just his disposition come the morn, soon enough he¡¯ll be right as rain and raring to go! My, but thank you dears for cooking breakfast for us! Such a delight to have you two around to help out as always! Oh! Valkyrie, I never did ask, and I feel a bit ashamed for not being able to tell, but you¡¯re young and pretty so it¡¯s hard to pin it down. Are you a boy or a girl?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a girl Mom, gosh. Like, how can you not tell?¡± Lexy says, giving me a wink across the table. It¡¯s¡­weird. It¡¯s not uncomfortable to be called a girl, and a weird feeling is welling up, like when Lexy smiled at me earlier. Was it the wink? I guess that must be it. ¡°Oh I¡¯m so sorry! You must feel terrible! I¡¯ll tell you, I wasn¡¯t tryin¡¯ to say that you looked like a boy! No, on the contrary, it¡¯s simply your proportions! A girl your age is normally a little rounder.¡± ¡°MOM! What do you think you¡¯re saying to the girl that saved Em and Dad?!¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t tryin¡¯ to say nothing! Just that a few good meals that¡¯ll stick to her ribs¡¯d do her good is all! She¡¯ll not grow up healthy if she just stays all sticks!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine Mom! Besides, she¡¯s probably stronger than all of us! The way Em told it, she took on the entire army by herself! So I¡¯m taking that to mean that there were at least 3 soldiers. None of us are strong enough to take down 3 armed men by ourselves! It¡¯s got to be all muscle! Right, Valkyrie?¡± ¡°Um, you can just call me Val, Lexy. And while I am somewhat strong, I wouldn¡¯t call it abnormal.¡± ¡°Nonono!¡± Lexy says, shaking her hands in front of her. ¡°Not abnormal, just that it¡¯s not like you¡¯ve never had a warm meal before!¡± ¡°This might be the best meal I¡¯ve ever had, so maybe your mother isn¡¯t entirely wrong.¡± ¡°See Lexy! You should trust a mother¡¯s intuition in these things! Don¡¯t worry dear, eat as much as you like!¡± Lexy¡¯s mother said as she piled my plate higher and higher. Well, I am hungry. Chapter 14: A Delayed Meeting and a Crime in Progress I¡¯m so boooooorrrrred! Where the freaking sassafrass is Val? They super should¡¯ve been here by now! Like, what gives!? I¡¯ve never been a people watcher and all I have to do right now is people watch. I¡¯m pretty sure that this is the town hall, more so now than I was last night, because of the amount and kind of traffic it¡¯s getting. Early in the morning it had a lot of people dressed smartly going in, presumably to do bureaucracy. Later, getting towards noon, there were a lot of people in more common clothes lining up, presumably with some problem or other that they needed the government''s help with. That seems in line with ideals from the real world, which is cool of the devs to put in a more medieval fantasy game. Same with the Council of Chiefs. Makes it seem like the wind is changing from purely imperial powers to something more nuanced. Maaaan, I wanted to check out the crafters in town with Val today but I guess they¡¯re going to keep me waiting. Ugh. Fuck it! I¡¯m just gonna think about different alchemical recipes to pass the time, Val can hang out wherever they want to I guess. To make the most basic potion of healing you need 1 part medicinal grass to 2 parts green slime. To increase its efficacy, add 1 part lavender. To upgrade it to a mid-grade potion, use 1 part willow bark to-
¡°I¡¯m going to the town hall to meet a friend.¡± ¡°Oh you have a friend in town?¡± Trunor asked me, eyebrows raised. ¡°Yeah, at least, she should be here by now. We got separated on the road but had agreed to meet at the town hall on such an occasion. She may not be here yet, I¡¯m unsure.¡± ¡°Oh, well, if you want a guide to the hall I¡¯m more than happy to oblige.¡± Trunor said amiably. ¡°Oh no he¡¯s not! My dear Trunor here¡¯s got plenty of work to keep him busy after his trip, not least of which is checking the inventory after the attack, unloading the wagon of said inventory, writing up the report on imported goods for the aldermen. And that¡¯s not even all the work that needs done aside from running the store which his lovely wife and daughters will be doing meanwhile. I¡¯m sorry to say dearie that you¡¯ll be on your own for this trip. Don¡¯t you worry though, it¡¯s the largest building in town, right near the square you came in from, you can¡¯t miss it!¡± I look over at Trunor to see his reaction to his wife¡¯s rapid monologue and find him nodding mechanically and eating his breakfast with methodical movements. He seems used to giving way to his wife¡¯s high-speed chatter. Looking at their daughters, Emmy seems too focused on her food to pay any attention to anything else and Lexandra- I mean Lexy, seems to be a mirror of her father. ¡°Thank you ma¡¯am. Also, I¡¯m embarrassed to ask now after all you¡¯ve done for me, but what is your name that I might thank you properly?¡± ¡°Oh my! Did I truly not tell you before? Oh I¡¯ll lose my head next! Don¡¯t think too poorly of me for this dearie, but I¡¯m Angelica. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± ¡°Likewise, Miss Angelica. Alright, I¡¯ll be off now.¡± ¡°Take care dearie.¡± ¡°Yes, safe travels and swift returns, Miss Valkyrie.¡± ¡°Good luck with all your work, Mr. Trunor.¡± ¡°Thank you Miss.¡±
-and 3 parts of troll toe nail adds a regenerative effect. Adding more will only waste material while not enough replaces the regen effect with a poison effect targeting the user. To make a potion of warmth, you need 1 part volcanic sunflower, 2 parts salamander salts, and 2 parts antlion sand. For max potency, burn the sunflower and collect both the smoke and the ashes. Heat the salts over low constant heat and let the gasses released mix with the smoke while mixing the ashes with the sand. Allow the gas and smoke mixture to settle, add the solid mix of ash and sand to the bottle with the coalesced gasses, then mix in a small amount of fairy spring water, mix by gently twirling the bottle in a clockwise motion until it turns a burnt orange color, at which point stopper it and shake vigorously until it is bright orange. To make-¡± ¡°You have 1 new message from user Valkyrie ¡®Val¡¯¡± Chat with Val: Val: Look down! Well twist my arm why don¡¯t you? I look down to see Val trying to loiter nonchalantly and failing miserably. I guess I should go save them from all the stares they¡¯re getting by letting them move away from here. Swooping down, I end up behind them and shout next to their ear. ¡°BOO!¡± Oh man, the way they jumped out of their skin was priceless. The way they reached for their sword handle, however, wasn¡¯t. They then turn towards me with a hurt look. Oh no, you can¡¯t look at me like that, I¡¯ll feel like I kicked a puppy. ¡°Hey buddy! I was starting to think you¡¯d forgotten about me!¡± ¡°Oh, sorry. I got held up at Mr. Trunor¡¯s house. His daughters made breakfast for me.¡± ¡°Oh. That sounds nice.¡± ¡°Yeah it was.¡± Hmmmmmm. I wonder how old this other daughter is. Maybe Val made a friend? That¡¯d be nice. I wonder what her name is and what she¡¯s like. ¡°So where are we headed to Rose?¡± ¡°Well I guess there¡¯s the crafters, but don¡¯t you need to speak to the Chiefs?¡± ¡°Oh, I suppose I do need to talk to them. I don¡¯t know how to get a meeting with them though.¡± ¡°Hmm, That¡¯s fair. Maybe they¡¯ll find you if they need you? I¡¯m sure people are keeping tabs on you.¡± ¡°Wait, really? Why would they do that?¡± ¡°Well look around. You¡¯re both the only human I can see around, the only one wearing clothes of such fine material, and one of only a handful of people besides the guards wearing a weapon. You¡¯re pretty noticeable even without your penchant for talking to yourself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking to myself, I¡¯m talking to you.¡± ¡°Yes, the invisible girl that no one else can hear. I¡¯m sure everyone knows I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. I forgot.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it Val, I figure let¡¯s just head out to the crafters for the time being. Do you know where they are?¡± ¡°I. No. I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Whelp, guess you¡¯re asking around.¡± ¡°I guess I am.¡± Val looked around and everyone else in the square quickly averted their gaze. Well, that¡¯s a good sign that we¡¯ll get the information we need. Walking up to the first person they saw, a leporin woman who towered over Val, Val ignores her expression like a deer in the headlights and starts talking. ¡°Excuse me ma¡¯am, I¡¯m new to town and was wondering if you could give me some directions.¡± ¡°Oh, hahha, sure. Um, what¡¯re you looking for kid?¡± She laughed nervously and looked like a child caught doing something bad and trying to weasel their way out of it, though Val seemed a bit oblivious to the whole situation. ¡°The crafting district.¡± ¡°¡®District¡¯ huh? That¡¯d be optimistic, Fellpoint having districts. Nah, but there is Maker¡¯s Street. Lot¡¯s of craftspeople live there, thus the name.¡± ¡°That sounds perfect! Can you direct me there?¡± ¡°Oh! Right, directions. Um, if you head west down Kepler Avenue, it intersects with Maker¡¯s Street after a while.¡± ¡°Thank you ma¡¯am!¡± ¡°Yeah, um, have a good day?¡± ¡°You too!¡± Val hurried off in the direction the woman indicated, though I looked back and saw that she was looking a bit embarrassed. Serves her right, I know that Val is the best kid in the world, despite the fact that they look like they¡¯re talking to no one most of the time. Kepler Avenue seemed to be a higher end residential street, the houses were a bit bigger than most other streets and most had glass windows which, while not that rare in a bigger city like Reinhold, aren¡¯t common in a smaller settlement like this one. Which means that either there is a thriving glass business in this city or, slightly more likely, that they were imported at great expense. Looking closer at the homes, I could tell that a lot of care was put into them based on how the foundations were laid: the stones were fit together quite snugly with very little mortar used, which means that a lot of time went into laying them. The road here is also paved with stones that are laid with care. I didn¡¯t really think to look at the paving elsewhere in Fellpoint but thinking back I think it might all be this neat. Huh, guess these folk really like good roads. Which I can¡¯t blame them for honestly. Reinhold has a number of godawful roads that make transporting fragile goods in bulk a nightmare. Before I learned most of the vast bevy of spells I now know, it took a lot of packing material to safely get a cart of preserved reagents from a supplier in the city to my house out in the boonies. Anyway, Maker¡¯s Street is coming up and yeah, roads look just as nice. A dark grey stone with flecks of some kind of crystal. Man that must be pretty at dawn or dusk. Yeah, this street is mostly commercial it looks like, signs hanging from just about every doorway, many buildings with display windows, stalls lining the sides of the streets, more than one blacksmith working at an outdoor forge to take advantage of ambient cooling. Man I¡¯m starting to get really excited here! Surely it couldn¡¯t hurt to watch a few at work, right? Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
I¡¯ve been walking on Maker¡¯s Street for a little bit and turn around to speak to Rose about where she wants to go first, only to be met with blank air. Damnit, where did she disappear to? I¡¯m really not used to her being able to leave me so easily. Let¡¯s retrace our steps. An alchemist¡¯s shop called Cures by the Bottle, a carpenter¡¯s named Foagle Family Furnishings, a blacksmith¡¯s named The Rending Blade aaand there she is, watching the smith at work in his forge¡­and yelling at him.
¡°OH COME ON! WHAT¡¯RE YOU DOING!?!? You haven¡¯t even hammered out all the impurities and you¡¯re going to- AGGHHAAHGHGH NONONONONO! STOP STOP FOR THE LOVE OF THE GODS STOP! ¡°He can¡¯t hear me! He can¡¯t hear me and he¡¯s ruining it! What does he think he¡¯s going to get out of quenching it this early? I¡¯ll tell you what he¡¯ll get, ¡°A BROKE ASS SHITTY BLADE THAT¡¯LL BREAK AS SOON AS YOU TRY TO SHARPEN IT YOU FUCKING MORONIC MEATHEAD!¡±
  1. I can¡¯t watch this. I¡¯m going to be sick. I haven¡¯t eaten in 8 years and I¡¯m going to throw up. I don¡¯t even have a digestive tract and ¡°I¡¯M GOING TO THROW UP BECAUSE YOU¡¯RE SO BAD AT YOUR JOB!¡±
Oh thank god, Val is here. ¡°Val! Val! Please for the love of all that¡¯s holy you have to stop him. That¡¯s perfectly good D-rank metal that he¡¯s ruining! It¡¯s a crime! A crime against the gods, against nature, and most importantly, a crime against me. He doesn¡¯t even deserve a trial, just death! Stop him quickly!¡± Val whispers to me under his breath. ¡°Rose, calm down. I¡¯m not murdering a man for being incompetent.¡± ¡°YOU SHOULD GODSDAMNIT!¡± ¡°If you feel this strongly about it, why don¡¯t I go talk to the master smith.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you. Oh my god he needs to be fired I swear.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he still an apprentice? Isn¡¯t his job to make mistakes so he can learn?¡± ¡°If he¡¯s going to FUCK UP THAT BADLY that he needs to go back to kindergarten.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is but I¡¯m pretty sure it was insulting.¡± ¡°It was.¡± ¡°Ok, let¡¯s just go speak to the master.¡± Val walked into the store after giving the apprentice a respectful nod that the man did not deserve. At the counter was a young felinoid woman with some very muscular arms that seemed terribly bored to be there. I can sympathize. If I wanted to be making something but was told to sit at a counter and wait for people to buy things I¡¯d be bored too. She seems a bit less bored looking at Val, but who wouldn¡¯t be? ¡°Hello. Is the master smith in today?¡± ¡°Why? Got a custom order? I can take the details down now and let you know when the master has time to hear out the rest of it.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯d actually, um, like to lodge a, um, complaint? Against the apprentice outside?¡± ¡°Votive? What¡¯d he do this time? He didn¡¯t make a pass at you did he? I swear, I¡¯ll kick his ass into next year this time. It¡¯s bad enough he hits on any adult that moves but now he¡¯s turning into a pedophile? I¡¯m gonna kill him for this one!¡± She said as she jumped up from her stool and began to storm around the counter. Val grabbed onto her arm, protesting. ¡°Nonono! Please, he did nothing untowards to me!¡± ¡°Oh, are you sure? No flirty words, no winks, god he has a terrible wink, no weird gestures you maybe didn¡¯t understand?¡± ¡°No, no, he didn¡¯t even speak to me!¡± ¡°Alright, then what¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°HE¡¯S MURDERING MATERIAL IN FRONT OF THE GODS AND EVERYONE! He has to be stopped!¡± I shouted in Val¡¯s ear. ¡°He. Um. He¡¯s wasting a lot of material, and I thought the master would want to know.¡± ¡°IT¡¯S NOT JUST A WASTE IT¡¯S A CRIME! I¡¯M TELLING YOU HE NEEDS TO BE LOCKED UP!¡± ¡°Weeeellll, apprentices are expected to make mistakes. As long as he realizes that he¡¯s making the mistake it should be fine.¡± ¡°REALIZE IT!??! HE MADE 3 SWORDS THE SAME. WRONG. WAY!¡± ¡°It, um, didn¡¯t seem like he realized the mistakes he was making.¡± ¡°Uhuh. And you did squirt? No offense, but you don¡¯t look like a smith, not with your noodle arms.¡± ¡°I, uh, am something of an apprentice myself.¡± ¡°Oh yeah? You got proof?¡± ¡°I forged this sword myself.¡± ¡°Mind if I see?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Val passes her Boar¡¯s Thorn while I¡¯m still seething. She takes it out of the sheath and sights down the blade, taps it with a finger nail in a number of places, tests the edge, and overall gives it a twice over. ¡°This isn¡¯t bad work. The blade itself is somewhat plain but the finishing is what makes it worthwhile. So I¡¯d say your master¡¯s good but you¡¯re nothing special.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°Because apprentices don¡¯t finish blades, we just make and sharpen blanks.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who finished the blade.¡± ¡°Horseshit¡± ¡°No, I truly did.¡± ¡°Well then, if you did, you¡¯re better at a number of other disciplines than smithing. Cause, again, the blade itself is nothing special.¡± ¡°I¡¯d bet the Thorn here against any one of Mr. Votive¡¯s swords.¡± ¡°Alright. I don¡¯t have much of a horse in this race, aside from protecting the master¡¯s reputation. So I¡¯ll go ask the master how best to settle this matter, which is quickly turning into a matter of honor between my master and yours. I¡¯ll have you know, and we¡¯ll see what¡¯s what.¡± ¡°Sounds fair. When you tell your master, please apologize to him on my behalf for the inconvenience.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll accept. Now, wait here and don¡¯t go anywhere. If you do I¡¯ll let the whole town know that you¡¯re only good for slinging shit.¡± ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll wait patiently.¡±
About 10 minutes passed while I waited for the master smith to arrive. Meanwhile, Rose was fuming beside me, muttering things along the lines of ¡°I can¡¯t believe they¡¯re letting him keep working while we¡¯re waiting. How much damage will he do in the meantime.¡± ¡°Rose, you have got to calm down! It¡¯s not even your materials, why are you so upset about this?¡± ¡°Because! Because! Because! Sigh. It¡¯s because I didn¡¯t think that he was an apprentice, I just saw a smith working and thought he needed to know better. I¡¯m also disappointed that this might be what the craft has devolved to in these last 8 years.¡± ¡°Devolved to?¡± ¡°Shoddy work. Shoddy, slapdash, ¡®Looks good in a scabbard and not much else¡¯ work that¡¯ll get newbie adventurers killed. That¡¯s why I¡¯m upset.¡± ¡°I see. Is it a personal reason or just worry for people in general?¡± ¡°My first sword I bought from a blacksmith that told me it was his finest piece. I went out all happy to have a masterwork sword, ignoring the system ranking on it, and fought a wolf. Guess what? One chomp from the wolf and my ¡®masterpiece¡¯ sword was shards. I died because I trusted that sword and it failed me.¡± ¡°Well I can see that that would be a sore spot for you.¡± ¡°Hello. Are you the young man that thinks their work better than my apprentices?¡± A short figure, about 4¡¯3¡¯¡¯ walked up to me, his muscles making him nearly as wide as he was tall. He had no hair on his head but a magnificent beard, plaited in an intricate pattern and ornamented with numerous pieces of metal in decorative shapes. ¡°Hello sir. I am the person, not man, that thinks that your apprentice is wasting material on swords that would get someone killed if used in the field.¡± ¡°I see! Person eh? Not a man? Sorry that, my eyes must not be what they used to be. So, let¡¯s see your piece. Nat, call Votive in for me.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± I hand him the Thorn, as loathe as I am to let someone else handle it twice in one day, it seems necessary for this test. The master does much the same as Nat did, but also a few other things, such as licking the flat of the blade, smelling it, giving it a few test swings in different forms, and over all using all of his senses to examine the blade. Votive, the draconid apprentice came back in aside Nat looking nervous and holding the 3 sword blanks he had made. The master seemed satisfied with his inspection of the Thorn and handed it back to me and barked at Votive. ¡°Go sharpen one of those. The best one you made.¡± ¡°What best one? They¡¯re all shit.¡± Rose spat venomously. Man I¡¯m a little unsettled seeing her this angry at someone other than the Duke. Votive placed the other two on the counter and hurried to the grindstone in the corner and took to sharpening the blank. ¡°Well, your blade¡¯s nothing to sneeze at, but I think my Nat has the right of it when it comes to the metal¡¯s quality. However, we¡¯ll see how it stacks up to Votive¡¯s. I can tell by the way you hold yourself that you¡¯re quite used to using that piece there, but knowing how to use a poor blade well and using a good blade poorly are two separate things. A master fighter can survive for quite a while with a blade they know to be poor quality while a beginner can trust a good blade to cover for some of their mistakes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried about when a beginner is handed a poor blade that cannot cover for them.¡± ¡°Aye, as all smiths should be. Granted, no smith wants to make poor quality work, but the most dangerous smith is one confident in their own incompetence to the point of dooming some poor soul. That¡¯s why I¡¯m agreeing to this challenge of yours, by the way. Seems a good lesson for Votive if you¡¯re right, and a good one for you if you¡¯re wrong. Either way, the youth learn and I get a show. Gwahahahh!¡± A guffawing laugh broke from the man at that. I think I like this gruff master smith. He¡¯s honest and knowledgeable. Maybe not so much as Rose is, but he seems a bit easier going than she is when it comes to crafting. She can get really intense and while that¡¯s not a bad thing, it can make learning from her hard. ¡°Um, sir, if I may ask, are you a dwarf?¡± ¡°Aye I am. What gave me away?¡± ¡°The beard, mostly.¡± ¡°Hah! Most say my height! Glad to see someone who knows something about something. Any guess as to my clan?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m lacking that knowledge.¡± ¡°Nah, no worry. Most outside of the clans don¡¯t know much about ¡®em. These ornaments here are the signs of the Dolomite Clan. Name¡¯s Girraghen Bouldergrasp, at your service.¡± ¡°Pleased to meet you, Master Girraghen. My name¡¯s Valkyrie.¡± ¡°And this here¡¯s Nat. Say your greetings Nat.¡± ¡°Heya squirt, names Natalie Greenspire but just call me Nat.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you Nat.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah.¡± ¡°Despite her awful personality she¡¯s my best apprentice. Gotta put her on counter duty sometimes to keep her from overworking herself.¡± ¡°Whatever sir, I¡¯m telling you you need to let me work more. I make the only stuff you sell worth a damn besides your customs.¡± ¡°Um. Master, I¡¯ve finished sharpening.¡± ¡°Alright then. Nat, fetch me a bunch of iron ingots will you?¡± Chapter 15: A Competition of Masters, the Certainty of Taxes, and Weapon Smithing 102 ¡°Right, so, what we¡¯ll do is we¡¯ll have each of you use your sword to try and cut an ingot. Then we¡¯ll check for damage to the blade. Rinse and repeat until the first sign of damage. It seems like Valkyrie¡¯s blade hasn¡¯t seen much use and is undamaged, which is good for our purposes. Sound good to you both?¡± Votive looks between me and Girraghen nervously. ¡°Um. Master, I¡¯m not really comfortable with this competition, I¡¯m worried about what Valkyrie will do without her blade.¡± ¡°Valkyrie, your thoughts?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I won¡¯t lose.¡± ¡°HAHAHA! Fighting words! Let¡¯s get to it then!¡± Val and Votive both line up in front of the table holding the ingots. A quick glance shows that they range in quality, from F to D rank. Most are F though, must¡¯ve felt like getting rid of some subpar materials I guess. Votive goes first, his blade going through the ingot with only a bit of resistance. Val follows and cuts it like butter. Like I thought, superior. It wasn¡¯t until their 4th ingot that something happened. Votive¡¯s blade, which I knew was building up stress, damn near exploded on contact with the metal. Finally, vindication. Like I kept shouting at him, he made the core too brittle by overheating it.. It might as well have been the same sword as back then with the wolf. Meanwhile, Val keeps cutting ingots, doing 4 more before they¡¯re finished with nary a mark on the blade. ¡°I see we have a clear winner! Now then, Valkyrie, kindly tell Votive what he did wrong so he can correct the mistake in the future, as this all started from your complaint.¡± ¡°Um, well, I¡¯m not-¡± ¡°He overheated the core like an idiot, made it too brittle!¡± ¡°-sure I have a nicer way to say this other than that he overheated the core of the blade, reducing its strength and causing it to become brittle and prone to breaking under enough stress.¡± ¡°Well said, if a little wordy. You catch that Votive?¡± ¡°I, um, yes Master. Thank you, Miss Valkyrie.¡± ¡°Alright then, Votive, back to work. Nat, back to the counter. Valkyrie, if you wouldn¡¯t mind indulging me in a conversation.¡± ¡°Oh, alright then Master Girraghen.¡± ¡°What I like to hear! Come back here with me.¡± With that, Girraghen led Val into the back of the store to what I suppose might be the office where someone handles the financials. He sat down in a chair with a swivel built in and turned to face Val who ended up on an upholstered wooden stool. Looking around the room, it was sparsely furnished but decorated quite nicely. On the walls were framed scraps of ancient paper with diagrams drawn on them, crafting recipes recovered from dungeons no doubt. On the small desk was a framed portrait of Girraghen next to another dwarf who looks like the spitting image of Girraghen. A twin perhaps? There¡¯s a very large leather bound book open on the desk filled with numbers and order descriptions, so presumably the order book. Jeez this thing must go back 50 years at least of heavy business. Man¡¯s been doing well for himself. But, hmm, looking at the portrait of the younger Girraghen, it sparks something in my memory but I¡¯m not sure¡­ ¡°First off, I¡¯d like to properly ask ya if yer a boy, a girl, or if ya jes don¡¯t know. Dwarves are a little more understanding about that kinda thing, being as we all look much the same, what with the beards and stout constitutions and all. Ye don¡¯t have ta answer me, I¡¯d just like to set the record straight so¡¯s the rest of this conversation flows smoother.¡± ¡°Um. I¡¯m not really sure what I am. Just not a boy.¡± ¡°A¡¯ight, then, Valkyrie, I¡¯ll be honest with ya. I knew Votive was mos¡¯ likely making a mistake. I was waitin¡¯ for him ta figure it out himself. I haven¡¯t been selling his swords, just melting them back down to ingots like I do all my first year apprentices. He may look like a full grown man to ye, but he¡¯s just a kid to his own kind. Draconids live longer than most folk asides dwarves and elves. However, I think this story had a happy end. Now, I also noticed something about yer blade, if ye¡¯d pass it here.¡± Val hands over the sheathed Thorn and Girraghen holds it firmly and unsheathes it part way. ¡°This work looks very similar to the work of an apprentice of mine I had 10 years ago. Maybe the smartest girl I ever taught and also one of the most stubborn. I haven¡¯t heard from her since then but I used to hear about her all the time. Not anymore. Not for what feels like a long time. Does the name ¡°Rose¡± mean anything to you, Valkyrie?¡± ¡°I. Um. I. Uh.¡± Val looks at me out of the corner of their eye, I suppose asking me if it''s ok to tell GIrraghen about me. I shrug. I¡¯m still racking my brains over when I was Girraghen¡¯s apprentice. ¡°Um. This may make me sound crazy, but I am haunted by her ghost. I have been since I was young. She has been teaching me how to craft things since I was 7 years old.¡± ¡°Hmm. Hold on a second.¡± Girraghen starts digging around in his desk drawers, which seem to be full of random knick knacks and office supplies. Wait a minute! Hot damn I do remember him! There¡¯s a really long quest chain that teaches you how to smith weapons. Not all crafting disciplines had a quest chain like this but weapon smithing I guess was deemed important enough. It also wasn¡¯t easy. If Girraghen is treating Votive like he is, he¡¯s mellowed out tremendously. Gods, his training was spartan when I was learning from him! Well, wait a minute. Oh yeah, the quest chain never specified who you were supposed to learn from, just from a smith. So, obviously, I tracked down the best smith I could feasibly reach and begged him for 2 weeks to teach me. Maybe that¡¯s why he was so hard on me. But yeah, he taught me the basics and then quite a bit more about weapon smithing. I, uh, can¡¯t believe I forgot him honestly. How in the flying fuck did I run into him here out of all places? As I was ruminating, Girraghen managed to fish out a somewhat odd looking device: a pair of spectacles with something that looked suspiciously like the ear trumpet device from one of those ancient telephones. He put them on, held the ear piece to his ear and whistled 3 notes: high, low, high. And then he started looking around the room until he saw me and gasped. ¡°Rose! It is you! Where¡¯ve you been? Too busy bein dead ta visit the old man you bothered so much to drag out of retirement to teach ya?¡± ¡°I. I¡¯m fucking sorry what? What!? You can see me? Can you hear me!?¡± ¡°Still got the foulest mouth around I see! And yes, I can hear ya. I take it you¡¯ve been unnoticeable for quite a while.¡± ¡°Except for Val and one other person who¡¯s a piece of shit yeah.¡± ¡°Must¡¯ve been lonely for ya.¡± ¡°Um. Yeah. Yeah it was. I¡¯d probably have gone insane if not for Val. They¡¯re my life line.¡± ¡°And your apprentice I see!¡± ¡°Yep! They¡¯re a quick study. Can you believe the Thorn is their first sword? They even carved the pommel while I wasn¡¯t looking!¡± ¡°I see! Its finish is quite nice. I especially like the handle, good wood well carved and a decent job with the leather. Grass Boar is it?¡± ¡°Hunted and tanned by this kid over here!¡± ¡°Impressive! Ye¡¯ve got yourself a talented apprentice here it seems.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t I know it! Man, it¡¯s been so long since I could talk to someone other than Val who¡¯s not a complete cunt! And you¡¯re a crafter on top of that! This is great! Oh man, do you know Toffee? Did I ever introduce you two?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe ye did, but I¡¯d love ta meet ¡®em.¡± ¡°They¡¯re the girl that basically ran my business while I spent my time crafting and hunting down materials and spells. They¡¯re the best. They¡¯re still out by Reinhold house sitting for me.¡± ¡°I see, been to see her have we?¡± ¡°Um. No. Do¡­do you know what the ¡®chat¡¯ feature is?¡± ¡°Hmm. I believe I do. Let¡¯s see.¡± With that he makes a few gestures that I know go along with operating the status screen, then starts typing. After a little bit, man he¡¯s a fast typist, I get the system message from the forever affectless voice. ¡°You have 1 new message from Girraghen Bouldergrasp.¡± Chat with Girraghen: Girraghen: Heya missy. Need ya ta enchant a few of my pieces in the back when you get tha chance. ¡°Alright mister, when did I say I¡¯d enchant anything for you?¡± ¡°I figured, as penance fer fergettin yer old teacher like ye have, a few enchantments on mah best pieces wouldn¡¯t be too far fetched.¡± ¡°I. Hrmm. You have a point, however, I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Pray tell, why not? I know from the stories I heard of ye that ye had mana practically oozing out yer ears back before you left.¡± ¡°Right, well, not sure if you can see it but I, um, am literally oozing mana right now. I got hurt pretty bad and, I guess since I¡¯m just a soul with no body or blood, the price is my mana. So essentially I¡¯m constantly bleeding mana all over the place and it fucking sucks. Thankfully my mana regen is keeping me afloat but if I use mana too much I¡¯ll pass out and I¡¯m really not keen to see if I wake up again.¡± ¡°I see. Well, it¡¯s a shame but can¡¯t be helped. It¡¯ll have to wait ¡®till after ye heal. What hit ye hard enough to cut a soul?¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Another soul. One juiced up on some hateful power shit on a hateful power trip. It, uh, was a tense moment for Val and I and we ended up having a ¡®sacrifice-off¡¯ which ended up with Val unconscious and myself imprisoned while that asshole I mentioned earlier killed the thing and absconded with Val while I was helpless. Oh, also, the way I got hit was when the thing died it exploded and made a crater the size of Fellpoint in the woods. Kinda a piece of shit thing to do if you ask me, which it didn¡¯t, which I thought was quite rude.¡± ¡°Hah! Of course ye found it rude. Get caught up in a land rendin¡¯ explosion and all ye can think is that it didn¡¯t ask ye fer permission first. Good ta see yer as full of yerself as ever.¡± ¡°Well, you know what they say, ¡®fake it till you make it.¡¯ I was faking it for a long time before I started making it but now I am actually a little pissed that it attacked us for no reason and then threw an explosive tantrum when it lost.¡± ¡°As to be expected. Also, who was this mysterious asshole ye keep mentioning?¡± ¡°Um. Duke Robert Quentin.¡± ¡°Ahhhhh. The Sword Duke. Or perhaps, in this instance, the Duke of Souls, though not many say that these days.¡± ¡°Yeah I thought it was weird that no one used that title when that¡¯s what he was always called back before I died.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the funny thing. Never did use ta bother him, but suddenly one day 12 actors were hung fer slander and insult of the Duke¡¯s personage. All anyone could figure they¡¯d done was write a new play ¡®bout the Duke¡¯s achievements in the war, titled ¡®The Duke of Souls¡¯. I wonder what changed ¡®bout him.¡± ¡°Hmm. Good question. Val, any insights?¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to talk about this anymore.¡± ¡°Right. Sorry Val. Let¡¯s move on Girraghen.¡± ¡°Sure. I¡¯d hate to upset them. Let¡¯s see. Want to see some of my latest works?¡± ¡°Absolutely! Man I was mid-way through figuring out a new way to layer steel that I think could¡¯ve made a much superior blade but uh, died before I could finish doing it. I¡¯ll teach you what I figured out and see if you can finish the puzzle. It¡¯s hard to smith when you have no hands, you know?¡± ¡°I can imagine ¡®twould be, ¡®twould be. Now, come along youngster, there¡¯s a lot ta teach ya.¡± ¡°I. Me? But Rose is my teacher.¡± ¡°Val, buddy, I love teaching you, and I¡¯m not going to stop being your teacher. But for crafting, learning the basics from someone that can correct how you hold tools and show you how to do things is better than mere verbal instruction, which is all I can give. It¡¯s a great opportunity to learn while we¡¯re here. We also don¡¯t have anywhere to be, so might as well right?¡± ¡°We do have somewhere to be eventually, Rose. Did you already forget about the meeting with the Chiefs?¡± ¡°Chiefs, shmiefs, no sense in worrying about the government. C¡¯mon Val, there¡¯s stuff to learn and stuff to make. Everything else is secondary.¡± ¡°I. Huh. Is that what you really think?¡± ¡°I mean, duh. If I cared about politics I would¡¯ve paid taxes with money.¡± ¡°Rose, did ye not pay yer taxes?¡± ¡°Nah, when it came time for them to be ¡®past due¡¯ I would just give the tax guy some potion or magic knick knack I made and send ¡®em off. Normally they didn¡¯t bother me again ¡®till next month.¡± ¡°Um. Rose, did you not pay attention in my civics classes? Taxes are only due yearly. Why were you paying them monthly?¡± ¡°Wait, what? Was that little weasel ripping me off?! I¡¯ll fucking wring his neck the little pissant!¡± That shit head! I can¡¯t let him get away with this! Chat with Toffee: Rose: Hey, Toffee, is the tax guy in Reinhold the same as when I was there? Rose: Cause if so, you need to beat him up for me. Rose: Better yet, just rob him blind. Rose: That¡¯s what he did to me for 2 years and turnabout¡¯s fair play. Toffee: What? What are you on about? Rose: You need to repo about 20 months worth of taxes that I paid to that **** head Rose: If he can¡¯t pay, have him pay with his life. Toffee: Jeez, Rose, I can¡¯t go killing a government official! Why on earth are you saying this all of a sudden? Rose: Because he collected taxes from me every month! They¡¯re only meant to be collected annually! Toffee: Rose, he did that because you never paid what was owed. He sold whatever you gave him to try and cover your debt and normally it took him all year to add up to the income tax you gathered being the freakin¡¯ busiest crafter this side of the frickin¡¯ Jewel River!¡± Rose: Oh. Huh. Wild. Well, maybe don¡¯t kill him then. Or rob him. Just leave him alone I guess. Man that¡¯s the boring option though. Also, if I wasn¡¯t paying him enough he should¡¯ve just told me. Toffee: He did. Multiple times. You just never listened. You barely spent more than a minute total talking to the man. Rose: Surely you¡¯re exaggerating! It must¡¯ve been longer than that! Toffee: What¡¯s his name? Rose: What a silly question, of course I know his name, we met every month for like 2 years! Toffee: Then it should be easy to tell me his name, no? Rose: Frankly, I¡¯m insulted you¡¯re asking me such a simple question about a man I knew very well. Toffee: Then if you knew him so well, What. Is. His. Name. Rose: Even if I told you, it wouldn¡¯t mean anything to you. You¡¯ve never spoken to him so how would you know his name? Toffee: Because I¡¯ve spoken to him extensively while waiting for you to finish up whatever it was you were doing and find whatever thing you were going to try and bribe him with that month. Don¡¯t think he and I didn¡¯t know what you were up to with that by the way. Rose: I can¡¯t believe my own employee thinks so little of me that I¡¯d forget a trusted colleague''s name Toffee: You were the one telling me to murder him for not cheating you out of the bribes you were giving him. Rose: Fine, I was bribing him. Happy now? Toffee: I¡¯ll be happy when you tell me his name. NOW. Rose: Fine! Fine! I give up! There¡¯s no reasoning with you, you harpy! His name is. Um. His name is. Um. Bob Taxman. Toffee: Oooh, so far and yet even farther! His name is Jeremy Lewis, turning 48 this year with a wife and 2 children; Mary Lewis and her sons Henry and James, ages 5 and 9 respectively. I won¡¯t tell you Mary¡¯s age because it¡¯s rude to tell a lady¡¯s age, at least, according to Jeremy. Check and mate boss. Rose: Harpy Toffee: Hermit Rose: I¡¯ll have you know I¡¯m in the company of not just Val, who I¡¯m no longer stuck to, but also my old mentor Girraghen. Toffee: Huh, never heard of him. What¡¯d he teach you, how to cuss worse than a sailor? Rose: No **** for brains, he taught me how to smith weapons. Toffee: Oh wow he¡¯s real. Sorry, didn¡¯t mean to offend an actual person Rose: It¡¯s fine, just he¡¯s pretty ******* awesome and I wanted you two to meet but if you¡¯re going to type like this at me then maybe his delicate sensibilities wouldn¡¯t be able to stand up to the abuse you hurl at everyone around you. Toffee: Nah boss, you¡¯re just getting a biased view of me because I only hurl abuse at you. I¡¯m really quite nice to everyone else. Rose: The **** girl? Why you doing me dirty like that? Toffee: Because you can take it like a big girl. What, do you want me to stop? Rose: Nah, you¡¯re fine. Toffee: So as refreshing as this chat and humiliating you has been, did you have anything important to say to me? Rose: Nah, talk to you later Toffee: See you boss! Looking up from my furious typing I find that I¡¯ve been abandoned. Those rat bastards! I fly through the building looking for them and find them way in the back in a beautiful workshop kept tidy, with some state of the art equipment. I can appreciate the quality of the pieces left to be finished. My old teacher made a glaive out of what I think is an alloy of orichalcum and mithril with an adamantite edge. The alloy provides strength at a low weight cost, while the adamantite provides a durable cutting edge that¡¯ll keep keen for a decade or more without needing sharpening, provided you aren¡¯t hunting dragons with it. A very nice, very expensive piece. Plenty of room for enchantment on it but nothing there¡¯s yet. Actually, none of these pieces are enchanted. ¡°Ah, I see ye found my work without me needin¡¯ ta show ye. Have ye taught young Valkyrie the different metals yet?¡± ¡°No, we didn¡¯t have access to many back where we were.¡± ¡°Well this¡¯ll be informative! C¡¯mere Valkyrie. Now, see this? What¡¯s it made of?¡± ¡°I¡¯d say iron? Just well made iron?¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s steel. My own steel, mind you. Any smith should be able to make their own steel. That way you know its quality before you start to work with it. See how the metal is brighter than the iron of yer blade? It¡¯s ¡®cause the impurities in the metal were beaten out, on top of the charcoal that¡¯s been added to the process to reinforce the metal. Now then, see these lines in the metal here? That¡¯s from what¡¯s called layering the steel. Where we beat it flat, fold it, beat it flat again, and repeat over and over again to further strengthen it. Now if ye look closely, the metal for the core of the blade is different from the edge. Why might that be?¡± ¡°The core needs to be more resistant to shocks so that it doesn¡¯t explode like Votive¡¯s did. The edge needed to be harder to hold keen longer.¡± ¡°Textbook answer! Indeed. Now, normally when working with steel and iron and bronze, common metals, they¡¯ll simply be two different types of the same metal. Now if ye look at this piece, ye¡¯ll see that there¡¯s a lot more going on color wise. What¡¯s this metal?¡± ¡°It¡¯s green, so is it mythril?¡± ¡°Correct and incorrect. It¡¯s an alloy of mythril and another metal. Mythril itself is fairly flexible, too flexible to hold shape well. However, it¡¯s extremely light, meaning ye can make a weapon the same size that someone with lower strength and higher flexibility might wield. What metal might I have mixed with the mythril?¡± ¡°Um. I¡¯ve heard of adamantite being hard, is it that?¡± ¡°GWAHAHAH! No, no. Good guess but the killer of adamantite is its weight. It weighs ten times as much as steel per volume! No way I¡¯d make the majority of a weapon outta that stuff unless I was making it for a giant! No, I mixed it with Pine Steel. In fact, it was the last of the stuff yer master fetched fer me years and years ago! I use it sparingly, as it¡¯s dangerous to collect and annoying to transport. When I sent her to get the shite, I didn¡¯t expect her to actually return, and with not 1 but 13 cones too! Each one nearly as big as me!¡± ¡°Wait a minute! You told me I had to return with a baker¡¯s dozen or you¡¯d throw me out on my ass you shithead old fogie!¡± ¡°Well can ye blame me? You¡¯d been glued to the forge for days on end, only stopping to sleep, not even ta eat! Ye were startin¡¯ ta go so flame-blasted loopy that ye called me Harrison! An¡¯ insisted that I divorce the goose I married! I don¡¯ even need ta tell ye that ye were about to lose all of what few marbles ye had left!¡± ¡°It¡¯s called a healthy work ethic!¡± ¡°Healthy nothing! Ye were killin¡¯ yerself in front of me! Ye can¡¯t blame a man fer savin a girl from ¡®erself!¡± ¡°Yeah, by sending me to get fucking Steel Pinecones? How on earth does that make sense?! I was concussed for like 4 days cause of them shits!¡± ¡°But were ye dead?¡± ¡°Oh fuck off old man.¡± ¡°Um. Excuse me, but are we going to continue the lesson or are you two going to keep arguing?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s arguing?¡± ¡°Aye, tis a healthy discussion between peers.¡± ¡°I. Okay. But are we going to do something, I dunno, more productive?¡± ¡°I suppose we can get back to teaching, if, this senile old man admits his mistake.¡± ¡°Fine, fer Val¡¯s sake, I admit ¡®twas wrong ta save ye from drying yerself out in front of the forge by sending ye to collect a highly dangerous ingredient.¡± ¡°Thank you. Alright, now then Val, why would we use-¡± Chapter 16: A Summons As Rose and Girraghen were teaching me enough about metals to make my head start to hurt, Nat ran into the room looking flustered. ¡°Sir! Sir! Miss Valkyrie has to leave, she¡¯s been summoned by the Chiefs! I don¡¯t know what she did, but Chieftess Natasha seems kinda pissed!¡± Nat then turned to me and said ¡°Miss, I¡¯ll be praying for your soul and health. I don¡¯t know how you pissed her off but it¡¯d be better to throw yourself on her mercy as soon as possible¡­ or maybe off a bridge to get it over with.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything I did that would warrant going to such lengths, but I guess I¡¯ll have to return another time, Master Girraghen.¡± ¡°Aye, take care Valkyrie. Go deal with them and hurry back.¡± I then look at Rose who seems eminently torn between her perceived duty to guard me and her love of crafting and her old friend. In the end she left her point in the triangle of people and came to my side. ¡°Alright kiddo, let¡¯s go see how bad this¡¯ll be.¡± I nod slightly at Rose and follow Nat back through the smithy to the storefront where Chieftess Natasha was waiting, this time out of her armor and in a tunic made of painted and beaded leather, the decorations forming a picture of a turtle on the back and what seemed to be a mountain lake on the front. It seemed to be tailored to her and accentuated her muscle that was hidden by her armor last night.
Wow, this woman is built. I mean like, throw me across the room kinda built. Damn. I look over down at Val and see them blushing. Yeah buddy, I understand completely. Looking back at Natasha I notice the expression on her face after ripping my eyes away from her muscles. Oh fuck, other Nat was right this woman is pissed. Face like a thunderstorm. Wait, that description isn¡¯t as metaphorical as I thought. We enter the room, stand dumbstruck in the doorway for a few seconds, and then the smell of ozone fills the room and I see Val¡¯s hair standing on end. They¡¯re still enraptured but I¡¯m not! This gorgeous dame is a fucking Storm Caller! ¡°Val. Val. VAL! VAL! VAL WAKE THE FUCK UP BEFORE YOU GET HIT BY LITERAL LIGHTNING!¡± Val starts out of their stupor and starts talking a mile a minute while Natasha¡¯s expression stays as dark as ever. ¡°Um umumuum Ma¡¯am, I¡¯m sorry for staring and for being late to the summons and and um please stop whatever you¡¯re doing with the lightning and such. I¡¯m sorry to have offended you in any way but I feel that we could easily solve things amicably if you¡¯d only just stop building up charge for a lightning strike.¡± ¡°Hmm. So, if you¡¯re so desperate to keep your life, tell me: Why have you made a Chief of the Council hunt you down to attend the meeting discussing the problem you dumped in our laps. You wouldn¡¯t be the type to skirt responsibility now, would you? I¡¯ll let you in on a little fact about Fellpoint: We have no executioner. We don¡¯t even have the death penalty unless the crime is truly beyond heinous. Though normally the townsfolk deal with that before we get a chance to step in. So in this instance, when the Sword Duke¡¯s men are behind our bars, and awaiting a justice that steps out of the hierarchy of the nobility, we don¡¯t have a precedent and thus must discuss at length before setting one. So, as the one to bring us this problem, we thought it only right that you plead your side of the case. That the men are guilty is not a question: Trunor and young Emerald both identified them as the assailants and are trusted residents of this community. The question is, as I¡¯ve stated and want to drill into your skull is what we do with them and if we even can or should do anything to them.¡± Sparks of electricity are currently jumping between the different metallic weapons in the room, moving in a radius outward from Natasha, gradually encroaching on the doorway we¡¯re in. ¡°Um. I¡¯m sorry for missing the meeting but noone informed me of its time or that I should attend.¡± Her expression grew less dark over the course of her rant and at this turned a bit stony and she cussed something in a language I didn¡¯t know and continued speaking. ¡°I. Ugh. When did you leave Trunor¡¯s house?¡± ¡°Fairly early? Right after breakfast.¡± ¡°They should¡¯ve been there by then.¡± She drags a hand down her face. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll need to have a talk with Quill, she¡¯s apparently slacking. Alright, I¡¯ll cut you some slack this time since it seems that it wasn¡¯t entirely your fault. However, in future, if you cause this big a problem for other people, be more proactive in taking responsibility, ok? I¡¯ll also apologize for losing my cool a bit.¡± The smell of ozone gradually fades out and Val¡¯s hair settles down, though it looks a bit frizzier than before. While I breathe a sigh of relief, Val does the half bow, half curtsy thing that is the formal greeting in the empire and says ¡°I would like to thank you for your tolerance of my ignorance in these matters, Chieftess Natasha. I am still young and was fairly sheltered for most of my time growing up and thus am ignorant of many matters of common sense and courtesy.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah, whatever kid. Let¡¯s just hurry it up and get a move on, you¡¯ve wasted enough of the Council¡¯s time.¡± She said, though with the slightest upturn of her lips that might¡¯ve passed for the beginnings of a smile if you squinted hard enough at it.
Entering into the Town Hall, while it was a large building it was not richly furnished like one might expect of a governmental building. Instead of delicate and plush furnishings meant to convey wealth, instead the place seemed to be trying to convey a sense of solidity, of stationary existence. The chairs in the reception area were thick and solid, made of ordinary hardwood and seemed like they would be difficult to pick up and move. The counters seemed to scream ¡°We are and will always be here for you.¡± Looking closer, each piece of woodworking seemed to have simple yet unique designs carved into them. Most simple nature imagery, birds and branches, vines and flowers, clouds and streams, that sort of thing. Some carvings were simple shapes and patterns. None of the symbology laid any claim to the traditional stylings of the Empire or Dukedom that dominated the home of the Sword Duke. Refreshing. I took all that in at a glance while following Chieftess Natasha into the Council¡¯s chambers through a large set of double doors carved with images of the different communities that make up Fellpoint at work building and living in the town. Inside the chamber, four people in formal garb waited, seated at a round table. There was a single empty chair that Chieftess Natasha quickly occupied. To her immediate left is a draconid man, somewhat thin but seemingly made of lean muscle wearing a robe of many fabrics and colors interwoven with metal ornaments. His horns are inlaid with white gold in swirling patterns and knots that trick my eyes as I try to follow them. Draconid faces are hard for me to read but I think he might be angry at the whole situation. To her right is a demonkin woman with dusky purple skin dotted with white freckles that seemed like stars in the night. She is wearing a coat with a stiff high collar in a military style and form fitting slacks, both in white trimmed with gold. From her head a pair of straight horns curve back along her head; her hair cut short in a lop-sided bob. She has a serious, contemplative demeanor that seemed the equal of life¡¯s greatest questions and thus ready to tackle today¡¯s discussion aptly. Besides these three there is another man, human, seemingly good-natured with a somewhat strained looking smile on his red, full face. His hair, starting to bald on top, gives him the start to a tonsure. His nervousness is conveyed through the sweat soaking through his clothes, a plain tunic of good quality and sturdy fabric and a woolen kilt. As there is nowhere for me to sit, I stand in front of the table, the three chiefs sitting on the other side, the human man breaking the balance by sitting off to my left on the side of the table. After Chieftess Natasha sat down, silence reigned. The chiefs stare at me, I stare back. The key to diplomacy is to be unyielding, to be nervous or unsure of one¡¯s self is to preemptively cede to the demands of the opposing party. They want to put the lives of those men back in the hands of the Duke, and I cannot allow that injustice. After a few moments that feel much longer they break first and we can get down to the heart of the matter.
Man this is stressful. I¡¯ve never been in trouble with the law before, not even enough to go in front of the principal back in school. I don¡¯t count any of the quests from LoT, video games are different from real life, there aren¡¯t permanent consequences for players. But there are for other NPCs and I¡¯m just floating here biting my non-existent nails waiting for someone to speak first. Just as I¡¯m about to tell Val to say anything Natasha leans forward on the table, fingers interlaced and starts the meeting. ¡°Valkyrie. You have been summoned here for a reason you already know but I will restate so that everyone can be clear. We are here to discuss the possibility of taking legal action against the criminal soldiers detained by you against this duchy¡¯s jurisdictions. That the prisoners are guilty is not in question due to the testimony of the victims in the case. I will start us off by saying that I believe that acting against the flow of the law will only jeopardize this town¡¯s stability, indiependence, and the safety of its citizens. I cede the floor to Chieftess Azalea Nightingale, speaker for the demonkin within Fellpoint.¡± At this the beautiful demonkin woman in the amazingly tailored suit speaks in a voice reminiscent of her name. ¡°It is my current belief that, while aptly deserving of punishment, the physical punishment many of them have already received ex-judicially at the hands of young Ms Valkyrie here is enough for the crime of accessory to the fact. That the primary perpetrator and leader of the gang of thugs has already received a terminal sentence leaves very little in our hands. The victims have also stated that they are not out for more blood than that which has already been spilt. It seems to me that prudence in this matter is key to avoid sullying the name of our fair town. I cede the floor to Chief Tomorrow¡¯s Tonight of the draconids.¡± She sat down and the draconid man stood up and spoke in a low baritone that seemed to harmonize with the glass in the room, reverberant and resonant. ¡°It is our belief that assault of one of our own is assault against us all. It is our belief that a thief with a hand is a thief again. It is our belief that chances grow slowly and must be given sparingly or not at all. It is our belief that defense of one¡¯s self and others is not a noble act but a necessary one. It is our belief that rope given slack is a rope lost forever. It is our belief that 17 ropes snapped taught at noon is the surest defense of ourselves. It is our belief that the Duke would see the sense in our deeds, for he too does not brook offense to his person. I cede the floor to Seneschal Godwin Fairplay, speaker of the majority minor.¡± Damn holy fuck that guy¡¯s intense. He delivered it like a speech, like freakin Caesar taking control, like goddamn stone cold. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. At this point the human man wiped his head and started stammering. ¡°Ye-yes yes thank you, Tomorrow, thank you. Sorry, sorry, Chief Tomorrow. I forgot there¡¯s a gallery this time round. Yes, well, I think that it was a terrible thing, simply terrible what happened to poor Mr Trunor and young Emerald, dreadful really. Ooh gave me the shivers last night just thinking about it. That could¡¯ve been Hyacinth you know! Or even my dear young Rhodes, strapping lad though he may be, he¡¯s but ten. Would be a shame, a dreadful awful shame I¡¯ll say it again. Yes yes, of course Natasha, sorry, Chieftess Natasha, no need to glare at me so I¡¯m getting there I¡¯m getting there. Just working up to it you see. Now, with it being so dreadful the only thing I can think of that would be worse would be the reprisal from the Sword Duke should he count his men and realize a squadron went missing near the road to Fellpoint, men supposedly here for our safety though, as we can all agree I should hope, only to scare the daylights out of us. Yes I agree with Azalea, sorry, sorry, I¡¯ll get it one day, Chieftess Azalea. Prudence is key. As of yet, all we have done is hosted the men in our fair town and tended to what of their wounds we can, however many of them will simply not walk the same way again. Simply dreadful way of it I thought, hearing what Valkyrie¡¯d done to them. But that¡¯s neither here nor there I¡¯d say, what¡¯s past is in fact present and future too if we don¡¯t do something about it and I think we should all agree, though I understand my standing here is simply a voice and not a vote, that giving the men over to the Duke with an explanation along with this young Valkyrie here would be the safest thing for the town to do and would accomplish as much justice as is necessary. Thank you for your time good people. I cede the floor to Chieftess Natasha. See! Got it in the end, haha.¡± Holy cow how can you talk that much and say so little. Also, how dare you tell them to throw Val under the bus! That rat bastard! If I was corporeal I¡¯d give him a piece of my mind and a little extra to go with! Honestly the nerve! Oops, Natasha¡¯s speaking again. ¡°Yes, thank you, Seneschal. So far, as I have gathered. The demonkin believe that we should release the men to the Duke as a punishment has already been meted out. The Draconids call for summary execution by hanging for all involved. The beastfolk believe that we should hand them over to the Duke for punishment and wash our hands of the situation and the majority minor agree with the caveat that we throw Valkyrie here in with the deal as a way to appease the Duke. Is this summation acceptable to all?¡± Nods all around. Also holy crap That¡¯s what the draconid Chief said? When! Jeezy Creezy this is getting more and more intense. I¡¯m kinda on Natasha and Azalea¡¯s side here, just let the Duke take care of them from here. Val did fuck them up something fierce and I don¡¯t see the reason to potentially put Fellpoint at risk because of a grudge. I also already dealt with the main perpetrator so it seems all good in my book. Natasha spoke again after the nods. ¡°Then next we will hear from the petitioner. Valkyrie. What would you have us do, having heard our starting positions, and why.¡± Val, who I¡¯m not sure has blinked once yet, has been staring across the table, eyes flicking to the eyes of one chief then another. That¡¯s really creepy Val, don¡¯t do that. You¡¯re not only gonna wig them out you¡¯re gonna wig me out. Uggh. Val takes in a deep breath and starts to speak.
Eye contact is necessary. It is necessary. It is necessary. Don¡¯t stare at one person too long, move between them. How long is long enough? A few seconds probably. But how many is a few? 3? 5? 10? Unclear. Take a deep breath, clear your mind, and speak your piece. ¡°They deserve the death I would not give them. The only reason the Captain is dead is that if I had not used lethal force Mr Trunor would be dead in his place.¡± When you lie don¡¯t blink. Don¡¯t flinch. Don¡¯t hesitate. Say it as a fact and believe it as a fact. If Rose hadn¡¯t killed him, I¡¯m sure Trunor would be dead. ¡°If you asked me if I regret the actions I took, I will only tell you that I regret that they were necessary. However, knowing that Mr. Trunor and Emmy are safe is enough to balance the scales in my mind. That¡¯s only personally, however. This is not just about the safety of Mr. Trunor and Emmy, but about the safety of the entire town. No one should need to fear leaving the gates for the day, merchants need to trade and hunters and herb gatherers need the forests. Miners, fishers, picnickers even, need to know they will not be accosted, robbed, and killed simply for leaving their home. This is about sending a message to those others that would come to Fellpoint and commit violence fearing no reprisal. Let them know that you are strong enough to defend yourselves and willing to do what must be done. The Duke will not deliver these men the justice they have earned, nor will he care if it happens a thousand more times. Trust me. He is cruel and apathetic both. Thank you.¡± ¡°Psst. Val. Hey. That, uh, that¡¯s real extreme, and like, I get that you¡¯re mad and don¡¯t trust the Duke, but it¡¯s because he¡¯s such an asshole that they really shouldn¡¯t kill those people. Like. Sending a message is cool and all but like nah actually. It won¡¯t do what you want it to and might really come back to bite these folks. No the Duke won¡¯t punish them but also the Duke would TOTALLY punish Fellpoint for going against the law. Hell, they weren¡¯t even technically in their jurisdiction to begin with! I think. Don¡¯t let a grudge get these people killed. It¡¯s not too late to change your mind. Just apologize and tell them you reconsid-¡± Rose goes quiet as I look at her. I don¡¯t know what she sees in my eyes but I know what I¡¯m feeling inside and it is a cold and ugly fire at the thought of those men waltzing back into the arms of the Duke to go back out with a pat on the back and a slap on the wrist to continue spreading their evil in the world like a plague. I will not stand for it, cannot stand for it. I look into the eyes of Natasha and will her soul to catch fire with this ugliness inside me, to understand the disgust I feel from the simple knowledge that those men exist in the world, let alone would be allowed to walk free. She meets my gaze and does not falter like Rose did, but Rose is not a leader, she was not trained to make hard decisions and I love her for that, that she can be naive and caring. But leaders must make decisions that would make others blanche. Natasha understands this, I think, and thus can meet my gaze. As I slowly shift to the other two chiefs I see a similar reserve of strength in them. Even if they do not agree with my decision, I am confident that they will have weighed the decision with the appropriate counter-balance for each of their peoples. Natasha speaks again, still seated as she has been since we entered this room. ¡°You do not speak with the wisdom of your age, or perhaps you do, just tainted with other knowledge. Interesting. Only time and reflection will determine your regret or lack thereof, but I can tell you now that you do not yet know what you will feel a year from now. As for me, my decision stands: We cannot spit in the face of the Duke¡¯s authority. If we had an army of similar might I still would not, simply because my duty is to the lives of my citizens and unlike the Duke I value them higher than my own. I will not waste them lightly. I do not write messages in blood on a corpse¡¯s skin for parchment as you seem to want me to do. Chieftess Azalea, your final decision?¡± I feel my fists clench tight, nails that have grown longer since my exile biting deep into my palm. The ugliness burns colder, deeper. Azalea stands up and speaks once more. ¡°It seems clear to me that you, Valkyrie, hold more malice in your small frame than is wise. If you would make decisions for the many people of this town as you seem to want to do, it would do you well to learn to divest your anger from your logic. I do not say this out of fear, I say it out of empathy for the lives that would be lost: Those men were punished enough. There is no evil in this world without redemption and I have heard those men plead for their lives and their health. One of those they may never have returned to them. I will not take the other. My decision to release them back to the Duke stands.¡± My palms are cold but warm and wet at the same time. The Draconid stands before Azalea sits down. Reptilian face and eyes impossible for me to read but posture clear. ¡°It is our belief that wisdom is pertinent. It is our belief that mercy is a precious treasure: oft horded, rarely gifted. It is our belief that rash judgements lead to harsh reprisals.¡± Here he takes a deep sigh and I see his fists unclench. ¡°It is my belief that each of those men deserve death for their crimes were it within my power, but it is our belief that many of my people have died before for honor and satisfaction. It is¡­it is our belief that the men must return to the Duke, however distasteful it may be. Valkyrie.¡± He looks into my soul through those classic windows and I hear his voice resonate with the cold inside. ¡°You hold strength inside, but you lack what you need. I too, once lacked it. I have learned, through dedication to us instead of I, how to imitate it. For if you cannot have what you need in its purest form, an imitation will suffice. In my previous decision, I closed my ears and spoke only for I, not for us. I have had time to consider, and I see myself in you and it is not a good thing to see. A mirror is only appealing when we see what we wish. Learn from my mistake before it becomes your transgression. It is our belief that the men should be returned.¡± It hurts. The cold fire wants to reject the words but I can feel them echo in my head. He¡¯s right, he¡¯s right and I know it. But it hurts. They all agree that those disgusting things should go back but, they¡¯re right. At some point they stopped being people to me and started being some kind of monsters. Well. Their deeds certainly were monstrous, but if hurting someone for no reason is monstrous, where¡¯s the line between what they did and what I did? Is that what he means? What am I missing? The fire¡¯s going out but it¡¯s taking me with it. I want to clutch at my chest, to feel the holes it¡¯s burning out of me but I can¡¯t show weakness. I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t.
Man Val looks like someone shot them. Like seriously, they look one second away from clutching at their heart and falling over. They¡¯re crying I think. I guess they didn¡¯t care what I said but Chief Tomorrow¡¯s Tonight has a way with words. I suppose. It¡¯s really interesting to hear him speak, though it¡¯s a similar vocal pattern to most draconids of higher standing. I think it¡¯s how they¡¯re taught. Like how people who go to college speak differently from people in the trades or whatever. But he really emphasized the difference between speaking for himself and speaking as a representative of his people. At least, I assume that was the difference between the ¡°I¡± and the ¡°us/our/we¡± usage. I¡¯d love to have a long conversation with him, but that¡¯s kinda impossible. Oh yeah! About his name, Tomorrow¡¯s Tonight. Draconid names are all possessive phrases that typically get abbreviated to just one of the words. It seems his nickname is Tomorrow or Tomorrow¡¯s. I remember a quest NPC from the mid-game that was named Morning¡¯s Glory. Their quest was something to do with their garden mysteriously disappearing overnight. Turns out, a faerie had played a trick on her that made her garden age backwards rapidly until all the plants went back to being seeds and bulbs in the soil. It was an easy quest for me since my friend Julian, aka The Silver Praetor to the forums, was actually a huge mythology nerd and helped me prepare an offering of milk, honey, and bread. Of course, this was only enough to get the fae to listen to us, afterwards the bargain was made that Glory would continue to make similar offerings each day and as long as they came, the faerie would return gift with gift and the garden would grow exceptionally well. Of course, we couldn¡¯t just say that to the faerie, we had to talk around it in euphemisms and hints and oh my god it wasn¡¯t actually easy I lied, I forgot, it was so so hard. One little screw up and we could¡¯ve angered the fae and gotten ourselves seriously cursed instead. Right! Val! At some point they left the council room. Shit, I didn¡¯t hear what Natasha said to wrap up but the Chiefs are all still here, minus the human man from earlier who talked a lot. Don¡¯t remember his name. Senchie? Maybe? Anyway, Natasha¡¯s speaking again with her head in her hands. ¡°Uggghhhhh I hate this. I hate everything about this.¡± ¡°Surely you don¡¯t hate Valkyrie, do you?¡± This coming from Azalea. ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I want to, kinda, but they¡¯re just a dumb kid. Probably raised by some hard ass that told them to always take an eye for an eye or something equally stupid. They need to learn nuance. Did you see the look in their eye earlier when they were staring at us? Felt like it could melt steel or something. Creepy. They need to learn to be their age.¡± ¡°They are young but aged by hardship. Again, I see myself in them. They will grow from this experience I believe. How they do is unknowable but I believe that they will grow positively from this. It is one thing to believe in what you are taught. It is another to teach yourself. But failure teaches us all whether we want it or not.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean that you see yourself in them Tomorrow. You¡¯ve always been steadfast as long as I¡¯ve known you but never bloodthirsty for no reason.¡± Azalea spoke again. ¡°For no reason? No, never was I. But petty reasons? For just reasons? For personal reasons? Always. My father was a warrior first and a father last. He did not raise a son, he trained a warrior in his image and I will always see the world through the lens of combat and bloodshed because of it. As a child I was a monster and I accept this as part of myself and who I was. It was not until I had grown more and finally saw the fear in my mother¡¯s eyes when she first met me that I realized that I was simply my father again, a man I had hated as long as I could remember. It is not easy to renew oneself but it is necessary. To prune that which no longer serves a purpose, to excise a traitorous organ before it can kill. If they stay around, I will see if I cannot speak to them again. I believe they heard my words most clearly but that could be my own conceit whispering in my ear.¡± ¡°No. You¡¯re right. Didn¡¯t you see the tears in their eyes when they left? They heard you and some part of them understood. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t hate them. They aren¡¯t a killing machine with no heart and a vague sense of black and white justice, they¡¯re just a kid on their own and it shows. That they have as much power as they do is certainly a double-edged sword. If you can kill that easily growing up, what¡¯s to stop you from seeing every problem as something to be solved with violence?¡± ¡°I AM! I¡¯m what¡¯ll stop that. Val won¡¯t be that horrible person, I¡¯ll make sure of it!¡± I scream at Natasha but my words fade into the void unacknowledged. I don¡¯t think I like her. Even if she says that she doesn¡¯t hate Val, she doesn¡¯t know them like I do. Val wouldn¡¯t be that person¡­right? I. I can¡¯t be here anymore. I shoot out through the big doors into the reception of the town hall looking for Val but they aren¡¯t there. They aren¡¯t immediately outside the building either. Ah, fuck, where the hell are they?! I need to be there for them! I should¡¯ve just left when they did but I got fucking lost in my own head you stupid idiot Rose! I shoot them a message asking to meet up and where to do so but I don¡¯t get an answer back. Fuck, Val don¡¯t ignore me! Please don¡¯t ignore me, I¡¯m worried about you! ¡°VAAAAALLLLL!!!!!¡± Chapter 17: An Alley, Ugliness, and a Return Behind the Town Hall there¡¯s an alley that doesn¡¯t seem like it gets a lot of traffic. There¡¯s a pair of big crates here, empty and deteriorating but big enough to hide myself behind and between. With my back against a dirty brick wall, sitting on the cobbles that smell like mold and mildew I have my head in my knees sobbing like I¡¯m a fucking baby. Why does it hurt so much? Why can¡¯t I get his words out of my head? What am I missing? Is there some part in my brain or my heart or my soul that just, isn¡¯t there? Did Robert fucking excise the part of me that I needed to make the right decisions? To not feel this way? I¡¯ll fucking kill him if he did. I¡¯ll kill him even if he didn¡¯t. But, would that be the right decision? I can¡¯t tell anymore. It hurts. There¡¯s no more fire but the burns are still there inside. I was cold and now I¡¯m colder but my tears feel hot on my face and cold on my arms. I don¡¯t want to cry anymore but everytime it stops I remember the words he said, that I¡¯m broken. That I¡¯m wrong. Should I not have helped Mr Trunor and Emmy? No. No Rose agreed to help them. Rose killed the Captain. Even if I¡¯m wrong, Rose isn¡¯t. Should I just let her do the thinking for me? I thought I could live without her at least a little bit but maybe I was wrong. Would she let me do that? It¡¯d be nice to not feel this way and if all I do is what she tells me maybe I won¡¯t feel like this anymore. I keep hearing this stupid bell somewhere and I wish they¡¯d stop ringing it. ¡°Hey kid. You look like shit.¡± Who¡¯s there? Wait. ¡°Wh- who¡¯s there?¡± ¡°I am. I knew Tomorrow¡¯s words hit you hard but didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be this hard.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t stop. I keep hearing them and they hurt.¡± Chieftess Natasha sighs and slides down the wall to sit next to me. She¡¯s holding a sandwich and seems to think about something before speaking again. ¡°Alright. What about it hurts?¡± ¡°Inside, where the ugly was.¡± ¡°Oookay. Sure, we¡¯ll go with that. But why does it hurt, kid?¡± ¡°He said I¡¯m broken. That I¡¯m no good.¡± ¡°When did he say that?¡± ¡°You were there! You heard him!¡± ¡°Nope. I heard him but I didn¡¯t hear that.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°He said ¡®You lack what you need¡¯. He also said he lacked it too. Is he broken?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Right. He might be one of if not the best man I know. That¡¯s why he¡¯s so good at punching people in the gut, with his fists and his words. He hit you hard but only as hard as he thought you needed.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t need this.¡± ¡°Sure you did. You¡¯re what, 11?¡± ¡°13.¡± ¡°Sure, 13. You¡¯re only 13 and out for the blood of 17 men? Who didn¡¯t even kill anyone that you know of, just roughed them up a bit. Now should they be punished? Of course. Did you already punish them like Azalea said? I lean towards yes but the verdict might still be out on that one. But do they deserve to die? I can¡¯t see that. A life is not so cheap a thing.¡± ¡°What do I lack then?¡± ¡°I think what he was getting at was a lack of empathy. You didn¡¯t see your face in there but there was a lot of anger. You also haven¡¯t heard those men speak. They aren¡¯t monsters, they¡¯re people. However detestable they may be, they¡¯re still people. But even then, I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s exactly what he meant you lacked. It might be, on second thought, a lack of perspective. When you get that angry you stop seeing the then and only see the now. The reason we all decided what we did is because we know what the Duke does when his authority is challenged. He leaves behind salt and ashes. If we killed those men we would have killed not only them, but the 5000 or so other souls in this town. It¡¯s not easy making decisions for other people, but you have to keep them in mind and most importantly, keep yourself out of it. That¡¯s what he was talking about I think.¡± ¡°I really thought I was right. I really thought I knew what would be best. But it was so ugly inside.¡± ¡°Ahhhh. Yep. That¡¯s why it hurt so much. The uglier it gets the worse it feels when it leaves you. It¡¯s not there anymore, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. I think it¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°Good, that¡¯s good. It¡¯s a tough thing to get used to but it¡¯s necessary. Letting it go, that is. It¡¯s especially necessary for you. You can¡¯t let that ugliness dictate your actions moving forward, it¡¯s too easy for you to hurt someone the way you are now. Noone should be as young as you and carry that much responsibility, but the world doesn¡¯t operate how it should most of the time. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡± ¡°That I¡¯m dangerous?¡± ¡°Well. Yeah, basically. But there¡¯s more to it than just that. You¡¯re dangerous, but only if you let your anger and hate and whatever else take control and dictate what you do. It¡¯s learned behavior, you see. It¡¯s easy to just let loose and kill who you think needs killing for one reason or another. The worst part about killing is that it gets easier the more you do it. I learned that the hard way, So did Tomorrow. The way he puts it, it got so easy he found it hard to do anything else. He learned though and you can too. He¡¯ll also tell you that he¡¯s learning still, and that¡¯s true I think. He has a lot to learn and unlearn. You do too but you¡¯ll get there.¡± She tousles my hair which feels weird. It¡¯s annoying that now I have to fix my hair but it¡¯s not all that bad of a feeling. She stands up and stretches. At some point I stopped crying and just listened to her. So I¡¯m not broken, but I¡¯m dangerous. I¡¯m not a shattered pot, I¡¯m not a cart without a wheel, I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m. ¡°So I¡¯m a rabid dog?¡± ¡°Pfft. No no no. You¡¯re not rabid by a long shot. If you were, we wouldn¡¯t be having this conversation and we wouldn¡¯t have had the last. No, you¡¯re like¡­ like a dog that¡¯s been kicked a lot. You snap at what you think is trying to kick you again and worry it till it can¡¯t anymore. You just need to learn how to differentiate and to calm down when the time comes. You¡¯re not necessarily wrong to think that way I don¡¯t think, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve been through but I don¡¯t think people who¡¯ve had a comfortable life have the drive to be as powerful as you are. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m saying anymore.¡± She ran her hands down her face and continued. ¡°It¡¯s. It¡¯s like this, okay. Return what you¡¯re given, kindness for kindness, hate for hate. But try not to do lasting harm if you can help it. No one should be judge, jury, and executioner and no one as young as you should be any of the above in my opinion. Protecting people is a good thing, don¡¯t ever think otherwise. But there are degrees of retaliation. Cutting the ankles of those men so they couldn¡¯t run? Unacceptable to me. Putting them through a death march because you felt you had to hurry, unacceptable to me. Protecting Trunor and Emerald? Worthy of praise.¡± So I¡¯m not rabid. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m hurt is what I am I think but that might go away. Where¡¯s Rose? Why isn¡¯t she here? Oh yeah, I ran away while she was thinking. I shouldn¡¯t have done that, she¡¯s probably worried. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being so much trouble Chieftess.¡± ¡°Oh, no. You weren¡¯t that much trouble. You¡¯ll learn and you¡¯ll grow and you¡¯ll be a great person one day I¡¯m sure. Just keep your head up.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Thank you. I have to go find my friend now.¡± ¡°That old dwarf, yeah? Master Girraghen yeah? Go for it. Who knows, you might be better at swinging a hammer than a sword.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­Girraghen, of course. I will take my leave now.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, scram kid.¡±
¡°Master, why are you wearing those weird glasses all the time now? They¡¯ve got to be the worst fashion statement I¡¯ve ever heard of!¡± ¡°Nat, you can¡¯t be telling me that these aren¡¯t the height of fashion! BWAHAHAHA nah, Nat, I¡¯m kiddin¡¯ ya. They¡¯re magic glasses, let me see and hear a friend of mine I haven¡¯t in a long time.¡± ¡°Yeah right old man, like you have any friends.¡± ¡°I take offense at that, I do. I have plenty of friends, they¡¯re just not around to visit anymore. It¡¯s why I was so happy to get the chance to see her again.¡± ¡°Oh it¡¯s a her, is it? Has spring come for you old man?¡± ¡°Oh gods no! She¡¯s much too young for me. Also, she¡¯s even more stubborn than I am! Any decision made takes 3 hours and 4 arguments! Nay, she¡¯s a fine friend but would be horrible as a partner.¡± ¡°Alright, sure, I¡¯ll believe you for now old man. But anyway, will I be able to meet this mysterious friend?¡± ¡°I s¡¯pose it depends on Rose. When I knew her previously, she jumped between single minded focus on her crafts and single minded focus on expanding her clientele. Though now she might be a bit starved for conversation so she might be all for talking to ya. Speak a name and they shall appear! Rose! Welcome back! But where¡¯s young Valkyrie?¡± ¡°Heya Girraghen, I, uh, lost Val.¡± ¡°Lost them? How on earth did you manage ta lose them?¡± ¡°I got lost in my head, ok! Gosh, lay off man. It was really stressful and now Val¡¯s gone and I need to find them but I didn¡¯t know where they went so I came back here to wait for them. I¡¯m like, 80% positive they¡¯ll show up. I sent them a message so they should know I¡¯m here waiting for them.¡± ¡°Ah, well, I s¡¯pose that¡¯s how it goes. Either way, come, sit down as much as you can and meet Nat!¡± ¡°Pfft. You must be going soft in the head Girraghen, you know she can¡¯t see me.¡± Girraghen passes his magic glasses to Nat who puts them on dubiously only to gasp in surprise and fall off her stool. Well, I suppose I am amazing. ¡°Hiya! Name¡¯s Rose! I¡¯m this old codger¡¯s first apprentice.¡± ¡°GAAHHHH GHOST WHAT THE HECK!¡± ¡°Oh hush up, not like I¡¯m gonna eat your soul or anything.¡± ¡°YOU¡¯RE GOING TO EAT MY SOUL!?!?¡± ¡°I said I¡¯m NOT going to do that. Honestly, some people. This is why I let Toffee do all the talking to people.¡± ¡°Ok, so, so you¡¯re not evil, yeah?¡± ¡°In what sense? In the tabletop game sense or in the traditional story-book sense?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Um. I¡¯d say I¡¯m inherently selfish but I don¡¯t eat babies or kick puppies or anything like that.¡± ¡°I. Okay? So, um, first apprentice, huh? Wha-what happened to you?¡± ¡°I died. Thought that was obvious.¡± ¡°I meant how you died!¡± ¡°Ohhh. Yeah, not telling.¡± ¡°Whaaaat that¡¯s no fun!¡± ¡°Yeah, well, neither is dying. Don¡¯t particularly care to remember it often. But anyway, if you¡¯re gonna be calm from now on, my name¡¯s Rose.¡± ¡°Right, sorry, name¡¯s Natalie but you can call me Nat.¡± ¡°Righto Nat. So how¡¯d you meet short, stout, and grumpy over there?¡± ¡°Oh, that. Welll, I heard he trained like ¡®the greatest smith of a generation¡¯ so I figured I could do one better. So I came and bugged him for a while until he caved. Said he didn¡¯t want any more apprentices after the last one. I told him he¡¯d better make time for one more and wouldn¡¯t you know it, old man¡¯s not half bad at teaching. Seems to have a knack for it. Though it¡¯s weird, I thought he¡¯d only ever taken on a single apprentice before me.¡± ¡°Guilty as charged.¡± ¡°Wait. What? No. No way. No way you¡¯re the greatest smith in a generation!¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I be? Well, at least, I was. Again, kinda dead for 8 years.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s crazy! You don¡¯t just get to meet people like that! They exist in stories and not in real life or whatever! No way you¡¯re that good anyway.¡± ¡°First off, fuck you. Secondly, if you¡¯re gonna be a negative Nancy about the whole thing, take the damn glasses off. I don¡¯t have time for assholes, ok kid?¡± ¡°But you¡¯re younger than me!¡± ¡°Dead. For. 8. Years. You don¡¯t age as a ghost numbskull.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, fair. But yeah, fuck you too, prove it.¡± ¡°Prove what?¡± ¡°That you¡¯re the greatest smith of a generation! I want to see it!¡± ¡°How the fuck am I supposed to hold the fucking hammer idiot, I¡¯m incorporeal.¡± ¡°I mean, we have glasses that let me see and hear you, I¡¯m sure we can make you ghost gloves or something.¡± ¡°That¡¯s stupid. It doesn¡¯t work the same way at all The glasses work off of sensory affecting enchantments, essentially fine-tuning your senses to be able to perceive the ethereal plane. Gloves that a ghost could wear would have to be made out of, hmm, probably a blood-quenched silver-mithril alloy with a lining made of weirwood fibers, probably stud the knuckles of each finger with a Dead Onyx or a soul gem of some kind, use a super conductive material to trace a circuit covering the hand meeting at a pair of nexuses on the back and palm. Would definitely need to do the work at the night of the new moon, ideally on the winter solstice but that might be asking for a bit much. Like that¡¯s for high-performance extreme precision instrumentation. Just doing it on the blue new moon would suffice for most practical purposes. That¡¯s all not even taking into account the enchantments. You see, we¡¯re gearing this shit towards primarily soul magic as the ghost is the ethereal manifestation of a soul postmortem. Now why did we use Dead Onyx you ask? Why, because we need a connection to the physical realm and a mixture of earth and dark gives us the bridge we need. The weirwood lets the soul kinda soak into the inside of the gauntlet, the blood-quenched alloy allows for a highly conducive magical contact between the soul-infused weirwood and the outer network of earth-dark magic coating the outside. Works as a semiconductor, allowing a connection while still providing enough insulation to protect the soul. I would enchant it with-¡± ¡°Stop stop stop! Holy fuck what the hell!? I said one thing that you said was impossible and now you¡¯re giving me detailed instructions on how to make it?! Who the hell are you?!¡± ¡°Yeesh, so rude. I¡¯m possibly the greatest crafter the world has ever seen and that¡¯s not an exaggeration.¡± ¡°BWAHAHAHA! I see you¡¯ve found Rose¡¯s charm, eh Nat?¡± ¡°Sir! She¡¯s a genius!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Why does she have to be such an asshole about it?¡± ¡°Hey! I take offense at that remark. Between the two of us, you¡¯re a much bigger asshole than me!¡± ¡°HA! Rose, well, she¡¯s a special kind of person. Hard to get along with but great if you can manage it. Also, can be too smart for her own good, but most of the time she¡¯s not got anything going on between the ears if you catch my meaning.¡± ¡°Nat. I need you to give those glasses to my old friend right now.¡± ¡°Um. Are you going to hurt me if I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°I should think that would be obvious by my tone of voice.¡± ¡°Um. Yeah, alright then. He-Here you go Master, she, uh, wants to talk to you.¡± ¡°Ach, I seem to have hit a nerve. Nat, be a dear and watch the counter for me. If I don¡¯t come back in 3 hours just know that I¡¯ve perished and I want to be buried with my tools.¡± ¡°Alright Master. Also, if you die, I¡¯m changing your will to say I¡¯m your sole inheritor.¡± ¡°Fine, fine, just make sure to give something to the others.¡± ¡°You done with your last words old man?¡± ¡°Yes Rose, I suppose it''s time to face the music for my unfortunately true remark about your nature.¡± ¡°Oohoohoo, you¡¯re in for it now.¡± Chapter 18: Mediation, Lesson Plans, and Attack It¡¯s taking me a while to return to Girraghen¡¯s smithy. Every turn I make feels wrong, is this street right? But what if it¡¯s not? What if I missed the turn three turns ago? Do I go back? Why is this so hard all of a sudden? I always know where to go with Rose here but she¡¯s gone again. Why does she keep on leaving? Does she like Girraghen more than me? No, that¡¯s silly, it¡¯s just that she hasn¡¯t seen him in a long time and wants to catch up. Yeah, yeah that¡¯s all it is. Was it a left or a right here? I guess left.
In the end I think I took 3 hours to find my way back to the smithy. Why did it take me so long? Ugh, I¡¯m a mess. Okay Val, you can go in there. No problem, just go in and act like nothing happened. You didn¡¯t have a breakdown in an alleyway, you didn¡¯t wander like an idiot for multiple hours trying to go someplace you¡¯ve already been. Breathe in, breathe out. Okay. I open the door and am greeted threefold. First by the ding-a-ling of the bell above the door, second by Nat at the front desk with a strained hello and a customer service smile that¡¯s seen better days, and thirdly by the sounds of Rose shouting and Girraghen apologizing through what could either be laughter or tears. ¡°So Nat, um, how¡¯re you doing?¡± ¡°Oh fine, just fine. I have no idea what the asshole genius is saying but I kinda think Master laughing through it is only making her angrier.¡± ¡°Asshole genius?¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re friend Rose.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not an asshole.¡± ¡°Was to me.¡± ¡°Were you rude to her first? She¡¯s never rude to me.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t any ruder to her than to anyone else I don¡¯t think.¡± ¡°Hmm. Well I can try and mediate I guess, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be any help.¡± ¡°Hah! Good luck. It¡¯s already been half an hour.¡± ¡°Wow. Um, what did he say to get her that riled up?¡± ¡°Basically called her an airhead.¡± ¡°Hmm. Okay, I think I can fix this.¡± ¡°May the gods go with you.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Walking into the back I see Girraghen in his office chair doubled over with Rose floating above shouting a mixture of obscenities and a lecture on the behavior of older men towards young women and the failings of modern society. She¡¯s saying it while trying to hide a smile, I can tell from her eyes and her lips twitching. Ok, so this is all in good fun. I clear my throat but that doesn¡¯t seem to do much so I start waving my hand in front of Rose¡¯s face. ¡°You gods be damned donkey¡¯s anus, how can you not understand that when you talk to a lady of my stature and capability that you keep such disgraceful, malformed, and INCORRECT thoughts to yourse- VAL! You¡¯re back!¡± ¡°Ha ha. Yeah, I am. I see you two were having fun.¡± ¡°Bwaaahahahahaah whew, oh my stars I cannot breathe! Whew, oh goodness, Mercy look upon me! Ok, ok. Hahahahahaha. Whew. Yes, Valkyrie, we were reenacting old times it seems.¡± ¡°This dwarf, with the spine of a hedgehog and the brain of a pig, had the gall to say I ¡®had nothing going on between my ears most of the time!¡¯¡± ¡°I see. So you spent half an hour cursing at him?¡± ¡°Wait what? It¡¯s only been a few minutes!¡± ¡°According to Nat, who¡¯s sitting next to the clock, it¡¯s been over half an hour.¡± ¡°Oh. Um, sorry old man, guess I got a bit carried away.¡± ¡°No no, ¡®tis fine lass, reminds me of teaching you.¡± ¡°Aw, that¡¯s sweet.¡± ¡°Aye, I still have the nightmares!¡± ¡°You want me to kick your ass from beyond the grave?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry, I won¡¯t do it again.¡± ¡°Good, as long as you¡¯ve learned for now.¡± ¡°So, um, can we go back to the lesson now?¡± ¡°Oh yeah! Man I totally blanked on that, sorry Val. Yeah, Girraghen, let¡¯s hop to it and train us a new smithing prodigy!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, but I cannot neglect my other apprentices. If they¡¯re going to be under me, they¡¯re also going to have to do customer service work as well, just like all the others.¡± ¡°Eh, that¡¯s probably fine. Heck, might even be good for Val to get experience talking to people other than me and teacher figures.¡± ¡°I can talk to people!¡± ¡°Hun, I love you to death, but when you talk to other people it feels like you¡¯re either philosophizing or saying the bare minimum to get by. We need to train your small talk.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of small talk?¡± ¡°To make other people feel welcome and relaxed so¡¯s you can charge ¡®em more and they won¡¯t care a bit!¡± ¡°Dammit it old man! That is not the point! Look, Val, it¡¯s a matter of learning how to relate to other people. Most people don¡¯t want to get to know you through talking about morality or crafting techniques, they do it by talking about little things like the weather, or what they want that little porcelain tchotchke for. It helps to build a rapport, which will eventually open the door to talk to other people about more serious topics. Also, from a business woman¡¯s perspective, having a good rapport with customers keeps them coming back, which helps increase income without jacking prices for no reason just because you might be able to get away with it.¡± ¡°Huh. Uh, alright, I can give it a try I guess.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a good kid Val, I ever tell you that?¡± ¡°Multiple times a day sometimes.¡± ¡°Hmm. Must be because it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Alright, enough of that, let¡¯s get to business.
¡°So you made the sword on your hip. It¡¯s a good piece, especially for a first attempt. But I don¡¯t know why she had you start with something so large. Normally I start young smiths off with daggers or kitchen knives, given their proclivities. I feel that you¡¯re a dagger sort of apprentice but speak now if you object.¡± ¡°Can I make both?¡± ¡°Ha! Good work drive! But which will you do first?¡± ¡°Hmm. I already have a weapon, so I think I¡¯d rather have the knife. I¡¯m still learning to cook but Rose told me sharp knives are important.¡± ¡°Indeed they are! It¡¯s a safety thing you see. With a dull blade you push harder to make the same cut and if it slips it makes a worse wound that¡¯s harder to heal. Alright, so a kitchen knife. First step! Materials. What do we need for a good knife?¡± ¡°Um, metal and wood?¡± ¡°Spot on! What kind of metal and what kind of wood.?¡± ¡°Probably steel and, um, a softwood that would be easy on the hand to hold?¡± ¡°Part right part wrong. You would use steel, which I¡¯ll have you make yourself, but you also need a hardwood, like oak or ironwood, to give the handle durability and yourself a firmer grip. With kitchen knives, control is key and we want to give the chef every advantage.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make my own steel?¡± ¡°Correct! That¡¯s truly the first lesson I teach. What is steel?¡± ¡°Carbonized iron?¡± ¡°Correct! Though there¡¯s a bit more to the steel we¡¯ll use, that being steel that won¡¯t rust. We do that by adding in chromium. The ratio can be imprecise but usually about one part chrome to nine parts regular steel. So what kind of forge do we need to make steel?¡± ¡°Um, I think a crucible?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s if you want to make regular steel. But, thanks to our resident genius-¡± ¡°Thank you, thank you.¡± ¡°-we made a forge that can get much hotter using the storm winds to fuel the flames.¡± ¡°Right, because fire is a mixture of fuel, heat, and air, right?¡± ¡°Also correct! Increase any of those and you get a hotter flame. And hot flame is what we need for steel.¡± ¡°Does it have a specific name?¡± ¡°Aye! Our resident narcissist named it ¡®Rose Steel¡¯.¡± ¡°Well what else was I supposed to call it?! Not like you guys have Damascus!¡± ¡°The hell¡¯s a dam¡¯s ass got to do with anything?¡± ¡°I- fuck, nevermind, I never said anything. Sure, I¡¯m a narcissist, just get on with the lecture before I find a way to kick your teeth in old man.¡± ¡°So fiery today! But anyway, I have a stormforge over by the seacliffs, when a storm comes a whipping off the sea I head out and make the steel I need to keep us going. We close the shop on those days and all make what we can. Our local weather mage claims there¡¯ll be a storm day after tomorrow but we all know how accurate their readings are!¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Wait, weather mage? Since when was that a thing?¡± ¡°Hmm, you must¡¯ve been cooped up somewhere for quite a while m¡¯dear! Been about 6 years since the College of Weather was instituted. Every midsize town that can afford to keep one on staff hires a mage from the College to help tell when the weather will take a turn. However, it seems that a third of the time their predictions are off or just plain wrong. They say it¡¯s a natural outcome of their divination magic not being able to predict the whims of gods but I feel they¡¯re just bad at their own magic!¡± ¡°I. Huh. And where would I find said mage?¡± ¡°Ach! Don¡¯t you go stealing a woman¡¯s livelihood now! She¡¯s a hard working girl and trade secrets are trade secrets!¡± ¡°Pfft. Not for long they¡¯re not! You said they¡¯re basically a city official so I¡¯m guessing I¡¯ll find them in city hall. Val! Will you be ok if I take off for a bit?¡± ¡°I. Um. Uh. Um. I¡¯d rather you stay?¡± ¡°Oh. Well, alright then. We can go find the mage another day I guess.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Now then! Tangents aside, let¡¯s see how you hold a hammer!¡±
Ow. Ow. Ow. My arm hurts so much. I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s been 3 hours of non-stop hammer swinging. He says I keep holding it like a sword when I need to hold it like a tool. Is that all I¡¯m good for? Fighting? Natasha says that I¡¯m dangerous and I know I am but is it that obvious? Should I leave the Thorn somewhere? I wish someone could give me answers but they all keep telling me to think for myself. ¡°Alright! Since Girraghen¡¯s done torturing you, let¡¯s go over your magic practice! Have you been circulating your mana regularly?¡± ¡°Um. I. Yes?¡± ¡°Gonna take that as a no. Alright, so get back into the habit of doing that. It¡¯s slow progress but steady progress I promise. But, since we have the time now and have nowhere to be really, let¡¯s teach you the second method of mana increase!¡± ¡°Oh right! You said that there were multiple methods.¡± ¡°Indeed I did! The second most common method, though one I have difficulty with, is termed Mana Oscillation. Essentially what you do is take your mana and push it out in a bubble around you without any other purpose than to be a bubble. Then, you start breathing deeply and try to manipulate the mana to flow with your breaths, basically expanding and shrinking the bubble at the same time you breathe while keeping a steady rate. Uh, think of the difference between DC and AC electricity.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Ah fuck. Sorry, bad analogy. Um, uh, fuck me ok. You know how blood flows through your body, leaving and returning to the heart?¡± ¡°I think you told me about that before?¡± ¡°Yeah, so blood does that. That constant flow is also called circulation and it¡¯s the same as Mana Circulation. Now think of your heart beat, constant and steady. It can increase or decrease but it stays the same for long periods of time. If we¡¯re not doing much of anything, we have what¡¯s called a resting heart rate which is like, the slowest it¡¯ll get normally. Here, feel your pulse. Feel how it goes in pairs with space in between? When you feel it, that the heart contracting, or for a breathing example, taking a breath out. The space in between is when the heart re-expands, sucking the blood back in, or breathing in. When you do that you¡¯re jumping between, or oscillating, between a positive and negative value. This is all to help you visualize. Did you get any of it?¡± ¡°I. Maybe?¡± ¡°Good enough! Now, try it. First, imagine pushing your mana out slowly and steadily.¡± Hmm, the only visual that helped remotely was the breathing one, because I can see my chest expand and contract. If we take that as the basis of the exercise, then the first bubble might just be a deep exhale out. So, breathe in to grasp hold of the mana, and out! ¡°Hey, great job! That¡¯s a damn fine bubble!¡± ¡°Please be quiet this is hard.¡± ¡°Oops. Yeah, yeah, fair. I¡¯ll just float here, quiet as a mouse.¡± Ignore her for now, ignore her for now. Ok, ok. Now that it¡¯s out, we have to keep it from going back or leaving completely. Oh god this is hard. I feel it trying to fall out of my grasp like wet soap. The harder I hold it the quicker it seems to start leaving. Ok, calm down. Light touch, hold it steady, hold your breath and hold it steady. Cool, ok. Now a little in, a little out, little in, litt-oh fuck that¡¯s a lot out! Damn damn Get it back get it back!¡± ¡°Aaand it¡¯s gone. Man, good first try!¡± ¡°What do you mean good first try!? I failed completely! It¡¯s all gone and I¡¯m here!¡± ¡°Whoa! Ok, get back to breathing regularly, in and out, nice and slow. Can you do that for me?¡± What does she mean breathe regularly!? I am, I am, I am, wait, no, I¡¯m hyperventilating, but I can¡¯t stop it. Breathe normally? Have I ever done that before? I can¡¯t remember. I can¡¯t remember how to breathe! Oh god oh god ohgodohgodohgod. Wait, wait, I¡¯m slowing down. What¡¯s going on? I try to focus my eyes on something and there¡¯s Rose, chanting slowly. I, I feel something in me that feels¡­not wrong but not mine either. It¡¯s flowing through me slowly and it feels like everything in me is slowing down too. Right, in and out, in and out. The blood stops rushing in my ears and I can hear what she¡¯s saying. ¡°Mandynox, Font of Magic, please hear me and help Val. Please hear me and help Val. Mandynox, Font of Magic, please take my magic and help Val if that what it takes. I want them to be calm. Please this is scaring me so much help them calm down.¡± Rose. Rose I¡¯m fine. Wait. ¡°Rose. I¡¯m, I¡¯m ok.¡± ¡°Really? Oh thank goodness. Also, thank you Mandynox. You had me worried there Val. You haven¡¯t broken down like that in a while, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s not nothing. Please tell me if you can.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Alright, just know that at any point if you can talk about it I¡¯ll listen. I¡¯m here for you, ok Val?¡± ¡°I. Yeah. Yeah, I know.¡± But you haven¡¯t been there so much recently. I know you have your own things but I want to be with you all the time like we used to. It hurts when you¡¯re away. I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m scared of myself when you¡¯re not here. What if I hurt someone on accident? I¡¯m dangerous and only you can keep me sane. I want to tell her so much but when I open my mouth the words stick and it hurts a lot. ¡°Alright. Maybe let¡¯s put a pin in this one for now. Here, let¡¯s find a place to meditate and practice circulation, ok?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah okay. Where would be a good place?¡± Rose smirked and pointed up. ¡°Up on the roof. It¡¯s good to have a few sensations to focus on and roofs like the warmth of the tiles and the wind in your face. At least, I find it relaxing, the dichotomy of the heat under and the cool above. Also helps me focus on the flow between fire and wind mana, though maybe you¡¯d get more out of feeling the sun on your face and the heat from the tiles, the flow of fire and light maybe?¡± ¡°Whatever you say Rose.¡±
I took Val up on the roof to meditate, I hope it helps them get their mind off whatever¡¯s worrying them so much but that never really worked for me so I¡¯m just grasping at straws. If I had the ability to manipulate things I could probably make some medicine to help them but that would be a long and potentially dangerous process, not least because I am not actually qualified to prescribe mental health medication. Also because I¡¯d kinda be winging it based on a few skills and spells I have, one of which lets me determine the effect of an ingredient or medicine on its own. I would have to trial and error my way into the right combination. I¡¯m also not a therapist, which is probably the best way to help them but, uh, I also never went to therapy. Not like my parents would shell out for their ¡°disgusting devient son¡¯s¡± mental health or anything crazy like that. The closest I got was a conversion camp and that was, uh, the opposite of helpful as you might expect. Though I swear I knew a therapist at one point in game. They were really nice to talk to but I feel like if the therapist complains to you about their problems while you complain to them, it¡¯s not therapy it¡¯s just being friends. Gods what was her name again? Hrmmm¡­ fuck I¡¯m blanking. Let me message Toffee. Oh wait, Val first. ¡°Alright, find a place that you feel comfortable to sit down on first.¡± ¡°Hmm, there¡¯s a kind of flat area over there¡­¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan then. Next, find a pose you can stay in for a while without hurting yourself or anything. Ok good, now close your eyes and focus on the things around you. Are the tiles warm?¡± ¡°Yeah, they feel really nice.¡± ¡°Is the breeze cool?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°How about the sun?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Ok. Now, look inside you and feel your mana. Can you feel the different elements?¡± ¡°I. Um. There¡¯s a lot of heat but even more than that there¡¯s a lot of¡­um¡­sunlight in me.¡± ¡°Great, imagine holding one of those in each hand and slowly start to push them, fire from below and sunlight from above, rotate them gently throughout yourself. Nice, easy cycles, around and around. Once you¡¯ve got it going, all you have to do is give it a little push every now and then. Focus on what you¡¯re feeling and let the cycle fall to the back of your mind. Don¡¯t worry if it stops, you can always start it again.¡± Val seems to be concentrating, but not straining, and it looks like their mana is flowing smoothly. I see them starting to treat each element differently, which is a lot harder for the smaller trace elements. Seems like it¡¯s ok to talk to Toffee now. Chat with Toffee: Rose: Hey Toffee! Just checking in to see how you¡¯re doing. Not dead yet? Toffee: Nope, not in the slightest bit dead. Fit as a fiddle in fact. But what d¡¯ya want boss? You never chat idly Rose: Haha, caught me, um, this might be a weird question, but do you remember the name and hopefully have the contact details of that scythe wielder that was also a therapist? Toffee: Scythe wielder? Therapist? Um, shoot, let¡¯s see. Going off that vague as all get out description I¡¯m guessing..wait, pronouns? Rose: She/her. Toffee: Hmm. I don¡¯t remember any therapists but I remember Julia Featherheart, from the Night Reapers guild. I think you did a few jobs with her. Besides that, the only other she/her scythe wielder I can remember is, um. Had a sky blue hood, wore a lot of frilly dresses that I feel wouldn¡¯t do well in melee combat, um, her name, her name. Rose: Take your time. Toffee: Oh hush up. Um, goddess she had like, a scythe 4x bigger than her. It was really good quality, um. Rose: Oh! Tatiana was her name! Toffee: How did I jog that one loose chief? Rose: Um. I remember the order. She told me, and I think I quote, ¡°Make it so ******* big. LIke make the biggest scythe you think I could wield and then double it. **** me up with it ok?¡± Toffee: Oh my god I remember now! You came back here swearing about needing more materials and I was like ¡°What do you need?¡± and you said like ¡°APPARENTLY 3 FROST GIANT¡¯S WORTH OF BONES I GUESS!¡± Rose: God I made it out of frost giant bone? Man, really should¡¯ve used either water serpent ribs or, hmm, yeah an adolescent¡­ green dragon¡¯s bones. Wait, no I remember now, I did it because she was not just a scythe wielder, but also was a spellblade focused entirely on ice magic. Toffee: Wow boss, you remember all that shit? Rose: I may in fact be a crafting nerd Toffee: I didn¡¯t say it, but you¡¯re right Rose: Anyway! Do you have Tatiana¡¯s contact info? Toffee: Let me check Toffee: Going through the guild list, the Night Reapers are based in Castle Mort in Count Larkfield¡¯s territory. But, boss, most people you hung out with are, um, missing. Rose: Missing? Since when? Toffee: Um. They seemed to start going missing around, um, five years ago? It was big news, like, four of the largest guilds just disappeared all of a sudden. Like, no sign of the members anywhere. I swear I told you about this already. Rose: Um. Maybe you did? I¡¯ll fess up, I have no memory of you doing so. Toffee: Hah, sounds like you. But that¡¯s why I was so surprised to see you were back! There¡¯s only like, one other client of yours still around. Rose: Really? Who? Toffee: Um. Sylvanatas Greenwinter. Rose: Who in the ****? Toffee: Oh come on, don¡¯t say that. He was a super repeat customer. Every time you made nature mana boosters he came and bought out the entire stock. He also always asked if you were available and I always told him no. Rose: Oh right! The Elven Stalker! I erased him from my memory! Toffee: Wait, stalker? Rose: Yeah, he¡¯s the reason I learned how to disguise my face in crowds. Everytime I went to the Elven Capital Yggdrasil he would find me immediately and ask me on dates or invite me to parties. He didn¡¯t seem to be that strong but I was still terrified of the man. That¡¯s why I gave you that standing order to give him what he wanted and make him leave immediately afterwards. Toffee: I¡­I see. Not to be insensitive Boss, but why didn¡¯t you ever tell me about it? Oh god it¡¯s not like I can just say ¡°Cause I thought you weren¡¯t sentient at the time!¡± Fuck um, think Rose! Toffee: Hello? Boss? I¡¯m sorry if that was a bad question, you don¡¯t have to answer if you don¡¯t want to. Rose: Um¡­no it was just something I didn¡¯t want to trouble you with. Toffee: I see. Boss, just so you know, I wouldn¡¯t have been troubled by it. I¡¯m here for you no matter what you need, ok? Just come talk to me whenever. I know you can handle yourself physically but if you need emotional support I¡¯ve got your back. Rose: Thanks Toffee, That means a lot. Toffee: No problem! Oh right! You said you needed a therapist, yeah? Guess who knows someone who knows someone? Rose: Could it be my employee of the year 10 years running? Toffee: Yes indeedy! Although that title means somewhat less when I¡¯ve been your only employee for those 10 years. Rose: And I didn¡¯t fire you once in that time! Toffee: Fair enough! But yeah, here, let me talk to Katie who knows Leaf. Rose: The therapist''s name is Leaf? Toffee: Yeah? And? Your name is Rose and I go by Toffee who gives a flying fart what someone¡¯s called? Rose: I was just surprised is all, ok! No need to jump up my *** about it! Toffee: Fair, sorry, but I¡¯ll head off first. Ttyl! Alright, so, therapist get! Well, soon anyway. Hopefully Val likes them and can open up to them. But why does Leaf¡¯s name ring a bell? Eh, who knows. Chapter 19: A Thief in the Night and Dreams of Dark and Light Val passed out on the roof. I, uh, probably should¡¯ve seen this one coming. In my defense¡­ I¡¯ve got nothing. Oh well. Roofs can be comfy¡­until they¡¯re not, or you fall to your death. Though I¡¯m here so Val totally wouldn¡¯t die from a fall. Or freezing or anything else. But I wish there was something I could do to make them more comfortable. There¡¯s no ¡°conjure blanket¡± spell. Hmmmm. Wait! I¡¯ve got half an idea for something. ¡°Sun shine down and grass fill you, soft to the touch and soft on the eyes, I summon Woolton to serve me now!¡± As I finished the chant and a little summoning circle disappeared and bam! A tiny orb of fluff appeared. A small black head popped out followed by four tiny black legs. Truly the most fearsome protector of mine, Woolton! The, uh, sheep. Yeah, sure he¡¯s a rare animal but he¡¯s terrible for anything mechanically other than being a source of crafting ingredients. However! He is amazingly soft and super adorable! I wish I could hug him now. He¡¯s looking at me expectantly yet clearly without any thoughts between his ears. ¡°Heya Woolton! It¡¯s me, Rose! Been a bit, huh buddy?¡± ¡°Baaaah!¡± ¡°Yeah don¡¯t I know it. Sorry about the delay of game, but, uh, would ya mind snuggling with that kid there? Their name¡¯s Val and they¡¯re great. I¡¯m sure when they wake up they¡¯ll be an ace petter.¡± ¡°Baaaaah!¡± ¡°Alright, good boy Woolton.¡± Woolton proceeds to snuggle his way into Val¡¯s arms. Val instinctively hugs him and they both seem plenty content. Keeping Woolton summoned isn¡¯t a huge drain on my mana but isn¡¯t completely insignificant so I¡¯m kinda actually hoping Val wakes up soon. Since I have a vague idea of what Woolton¡¯s doing at any point while summoned, I dive through the roof back into the smithy to go bother- I mean hang out with Girraghen. Looking as hard as I can I can¡¯t find the old dwarf for crap. Which is weird cause I thought he lived here. Maybe I¡¯m just the kid that thinks the teachers all live in the school. Hrmm. Well shit. The place is locked up I think, Nat¡¯s gone home, Haven¡¯t seen the draconid criminal to fine art in a while, all day really, aaaand I don¡¯t know of anyone else who hangs out here. So. Hrmmmmmm. What the fuck do I do with myself?
I find myself in Girraghen¡¯s forge and find the weapons he asked me to enchant. Checking my mana reserves aaaand yeah, 90% and dropping slowly. Man Woolton, you¡¯re taking more out of me than I thought you would. Fuck, that ache¡¯s coming back again. Hah, guess it never left. Gotta get my mind off it, gotta think about something else. Should I bother Toffee again? No, that¡¯d be too soon since last time, right? Unconsciously I start spinning backwards, chin in hand, trying my best to think of something to think about. God this never works but I HAVE to take my mind off it. Thankfully, no inner ear means no dizziness. On about the 20th spin back upright something feels off. On the next spin I know something¡¯s different in the room, but what is it? I stop spinning and find someone in the room. They are eyeing the weapons with what might be a critical eye, it¡¯s hard to tell because they¡¯re dressed all in black including a mask over their face. Essentially, a stereotypical ninja look to them. They take out a leather satchel with fine embroidery on it and start shoving the better pieces into it. Cool! A bag with a space enhancement. You don¡¯t see those often outside of player crafters. Players all start with a certain amount of allotted volume for their inventory that can eventually be expanded through items such as an ESB, or expanded space bag. As the bag¡¯s quality increases so does its volume and of course the price. There were bags available from NPC crafters but they were only the lowest tiers. If you really wanted something good, you bought one from a crafter. Wait, shit, now¡¯s not the time for getting lost in thought, the thief¡¯s about to escape! Shit, um, non-lethal, non-lethal. Um um um got it! ¡°Vines of the jungle heed my call! Grow, grasp, intertwine and ENSNARE my target!¡± Thick green vines break the stone floor of the forge and grow rapidly in the direction of the thief. Just as they¡¯re about to hop out the window the vines succeed in snagging their foot. They seem to take it in stride and quick draw the wakizashi on their back and cut the vine restraining them, then fall backwards out the window while slashing at the vines that try to follow them out. Fuck! Once they hit the ground outside they¡¯ll be out of the spell¡¯s range! AFTER THEM! I shoot out of the forge through the wall and find the thief resheathing their sword and starting to chant. ¡°Darkest night after brightest day, shadows permit me passage through your world and allow me to move as you do. SHADOW STRIDE!¡± And like that they would have sunk through the shadows they were standing in and been able to move from shadow to shadow quick as you please. Would being the operative term there, as I managed to fire off a counter spell before they could by snapping my fingers while flinging my arm horizontally across my body. There we go, now they¡¯re losing their cool a bit, hand on the sword hilt looking around them for the culprit. As they do, I cast a pair of chantless spells, one to form a platform of solid air beneath their arm and another to cut just the strap of the bag, dropping it on the platform. I was hoping they wouldn¡¯t notice it but I guess the weight difference was noticeable enough that they started looking for the bag. However, a quick little chant fixes that problem: ¡°Light bend and break, shift and slither where I will and hide what I will from sight: INVISIBILITY.¡± And like that the bag disappears without a trace. I start moving the platform back through the window when I notice two things: I hurt so so much, more than I might have ever hurt since dying, and also my vision is going black. Fuck, guess I¡¯m out of mana. Damn you Wool-¡±
When I woke up I found myself holding something fluffier and extremely comfy. Looking at it it looked like a ball of cotton? Maybe? Wait, once I moved a little head popped out of the fluff and looked at me with bleary eyes. ¡°Baaaahhh¡± ¡°How did you get here little fella?¡± ¡°Bah¡± ¡°I hate to break it to you guy, but we¡¯re on a rooftop right now. How on earth did you get up here?¡± ¡°Baaahhh¡± ¡°I see.¡± I don¡¯t see. ¡°Were you dropped by a bird or something?¡± ¡°Bah ah.¡± It said while shaking its head. Holy cow is it sentient?!¡± ¡°Um. Ok. Can you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡± ¡°Bah bah!¡± It said, nodding. ¡°I. Huh. You¡¯re not a normal sheep are you?¡± ¡°Bah ah.¡± Another shake. ¡°Do you have something to do with Rose?¡± ¡°Bah bah!¡± Another nod. ¡°Do you know where she is?¡± ¡°Bah- ba¡­bah ah¡± It seemed super confident then looked around and ended with a head shake.¡± ¡°Well buddy, let¡¯s look for her together.¡± ¡°B-¡± Wait what the heck? Just as it went to answer in the affirmative (I assume) it freaking dissolved into blue particles. That¡¯s¡­more than a little distressing. Ooookay so I know it had to do with Rose, who is a master of magic despite being dead and injured. Sooo maybe it was a summon? Who on earth would bother binding a sheep to a contract? Well, it was really nice to hold. But since it dissolved, either Rose dismissed it¡­or she ran out of mana again. And if she did that, there must¡¯ve been a good reason. She knows she can¡¯t regen her mana like she used to! What the heck happened that she needed to waste all that mana! Dammit all! Where is she?!? Jumping off the roof I land in a small roll and run straight into the reinforced door of the forge. ¡°MOTHER OF LIGHT AND MERCY!¡± Hot damn that hurt like hell! Alright, makes sense, it¡¯s dusk so no wonder the shop¡¯s closed. Alright Val, calm down, think a bit. If doors don¡¯t work find a window. Sprinting full-tilt round the building I find a window with shutters flapping in the night wind. Hopping up to grab onto the sill I pull myself through and fall through a cloudy patch of air. Landing on my back onto something that collapsed under me, I stare up into my favorite person¡¯s sleeping face, mana leaking out of her like a sieve from innumerable small cuts and a few large rents in her form. ¡°Rose, what did you do to yourself this time, and why?¡± Standing up and reaching out to her, I feel a wave of dizziness and fatigue washes over me. ¡°What? Why¡­.¡± The last thing I feel before everything goes dark is hitting my head on one of the tables in Girraghen¡¯s forge.
Darkness, all I see is darkness. I know my eyes are open but why can¡¯t I see? Wait, I can¡¯t sense anything anymore. Did I die for good or something? I guess Mandynox can¡¯t bail me out this time. Fuck, I wish I¡¯d at least been there with Val when the whole thing went down. Stupid idiot Rose, fucking rushing off and leaving your best backup. Leaving your best friend behind. Why¡¯d I do something so stupid? I, I, I didn¡¯t mean to leave them alone. Why am I always such a fucking selfish piece of shit! FUCK! Fuck¡­ ¡°Why do you weep, spirit?¡± ¡°Because I left behind my best friend asshole! I¡¯m dead for real this time and now they¡¯re on their own! Just leave me alone.¡± ¡°Such bold words! And what strong legs you have!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Such strong legs to jump so far to conclusions such as that!¡± ¡°Numbnuts, if I¡¯m not dead dead, then why can¡¯t I feel anything?¡± ¡°Why, because you¡¯re an uninvited guest to the realm of death.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°My my, that must be your favorite word!¡¯ ¡°No, my favorite word¡¯s a tie between Val¡¯s name and fuck.¡± ¡°Hahahaha! How lucky this Val must be, to have a partner as caring as you!¡¯ ¡°They¡¯re like a little sibling to me, of course I care about them. They¡¯re¡­they¡¯re all I really have these days.¡± ¡°You hold the favor of many gods yet believe that a single mortal is all you have! I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re naive or simply willfully ignorant!¡± ¡°I. What?¡± ¡°Again, I must say, your favorite word must be what! But yes, I sense the favor of our progenitor as well as my dearest brother. Though I can almost taste the displeasure my aunt showers you with.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Can I just say that y¡¯all¡¯s family tree is confusing as heck.¡± ¡°Hahahah, that¡¯s simply because you never paid attention to any of the religious figures or texts during your stay here. But, be that as it may, I suppose it is nearly past time for introductions. Allow me to start, you have the eternal honor of visiting She of Shadows and Whispers. Now then, you have heard my name before but can you remember it?¡± ¡°Um. Well. My name is Rose first and foremost. However I am terribly sad to inform you ma¡¯am that I suffer from CRS disease.¡± ¡°CRS?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t Remember Shit disease.¡± ¡°Fufufufu I see. Since that is the case, simply refer to me as you like, however, I will be judging you based on your choice.¡± ¡°Um. Ok. Also, can you please show yourself? Not to be rude to the socially anxious but it¡¯s really disconcerting not seeing anything.¡± ¡°Oh dear I expected you to be more perceptive with how highly my brother spoke of you. If I told you that I was not hidden, what would you assume?¡± ¡°I. Um. Fuck. That you¡¯re the all encompassing darkness I find myself existing in right now?¡± ¡°Correct! I am the plane of death. Welcome to your future, one day. I come for everyone eventually. I even have a sense that one day I will have to invite my family over permanently and that would be that I think.¡± ¡°Cool cool, um, that¡¯s not going to happen any time soon yeah?¡± ¡°Fufufu who can say?¡± ¡°Great, got it, cryptic and anxiety inducing is death, though now that I think about it that fits perfectly so yeah go ahead, fuck me up with worry fam.¡± ¡°Excellent. Now then, I have a question for you spirit. Why do you think you are still here?¡± ¡°First off, I gave you my name, it¡¯s Rose. Secondly, I have no clue. I¡¯m like 99% sure my parents poisoned me before I logged on and after that I don¡¯t really know what happened.¡± ¡°Surely you must understand that I did not claim you for a reason, yes?¡± ¡°I. I guess? Sure, yeah, makes sense I guess. I fucking died in the game, might as well be suspect to the whims of its gods too. Nothing else in my life makes any goddamn sense afterall why would basic logic or my own religious beliefs!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t get so worked up dear, of course you are subject to the laws of the land you visit!¡± ¡°BUT IT¡¯S NOT REAL! NONE OF THIS IS REAL! IT¡¯S JUST- It¡¯s just a game. A stupid game that I loved too much to let go, so when I died, I spent my last few seconds imagining that I could still live on in the only place I felt safe in my entire life before that was taken from me by the people I was supposed to have been able to trust with my life! IT¡¯S. NOT. REAL. And neither am I. I¡¯m just a fake. A fake person that doesn¡¯t know why anything good would ever happen to him. I¡¯m a fake girl. I¡¯m a fake sibling. I¡¯m a fake child. If I wasn¡¯t a fake then why would my parents hate me so much?! This world was my only hope for sanity and they fucking killed me in it. So why would anything be real when all I know is being fake?¡± ¡°My dear, I can assure you you are real.¡± ¡°HOW!? How can anybody anymore! There¡¯s NO ONE LEFT from the real world! NO ONE! THEY ALL DISAPPEARED! I¡¯m all that¡¯s left so what proof do I have that anything is real?!¡± ¡°If everything is fake as you say, just a last fading dream before eternity takes you, why do you persist? Surely you could wake yourself up if you tried?¡± ¡°Why would I wake up? It wouldn¡¯t matter anyway, I can¡¯t go back to a world where I have to depend on the very people that killed me once. And I¡¯m not strong enough to make it on my own. The only thing that keeps me sane is Val and now I¡¯m here if here even exists and I hate myself because I¡¯M NOT REAL!¡± ¡°Hmm. In all you¡¯ve said, the only thing you¡¯ve ever hinted at being real is Valkyrie. Why is she real to you when you are not?¡± ¡°Because they- Because¡­ Because like I said, they¡¯re all I have left really. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re real or not but if they¡¯re not then I¡¯m completely fucked and nothing would matter and I¡¯d have to find a way to kill myself fully. The ONLY reason I¡¯m around is because they kept me somewhat sane and I- I keep leaving them behind for stupid reasons. I get so into what I¡¯m doing that I trick myself into believing that anything matters besides them and it all falls apart. I just¡­I just¡­ I¡¯m so scared, that I¡¯m right and that nothing is real. But nothing can convince me that it exists.¡± ¡°Would you like to know why you are still here?¡¯ ¡°What good would it do to know? It¡¯s not real anyway.¡± ¡°Why does reality matter so much to you?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it? Reality is all we have to base anything off of.¡± ¡°Then if Val is all you have, all that¡¯s real to you, can you not base reality off of her?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­how would I go about that?¡± ¡°Simple, anything they can interact with or perceive must be real. The ground they walk on is real since they are and they don¡¯t fall through. The things they hold, the things they make, the people they talk to, the things they talk about, can all be perceived as true by using her as a basis.¡± ¡°Why does your entire family misgender them? They don¡¯t see themselves as she/her yet so why do all of you do it? It¡¯s kinda really pissing me off and I am emotionally unstable enough as it is and the fucking sensory deprivation ISN¡¯T HELPING.¡± ¡°Because we know her future. It is so brilliant that we cannot help but see it coming. Ever since Vulpastune crafted the sun and presented it to the Lord of Day, giving birth to the Lady of Light and Mercy from our progenitor¡¯s fascination with the device, we have seen her story on the horizon, bright as the dawning sun.¡± ¡°I see. Still, I¡¯m letting my displeasure be known. Don¡¯t skew their view of themselves early. Let them come to their own conclusions. I want them to be happy in their own skin and will fight as hard as possible to give that to them.¡± ¡°Fufufufu, from a mental breakdown to threatening the Divine Family I see. You change tunes quite quickly little minstrel. No wonder my brother was so entertained!¡± ¡°Who they heck is your brother?¡± ¡°Raxdal? You met him after you were wounded, spoke for about 3 days I believe?¡± ¡°RIGHT! Dal! Hey, can you, um, ugh, nevermind.¡± ¡°Do you want to speak to him again?¡± ¡°Yeah, I really do actually. I think it would help a lot.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try to ask him about it. But be warned, he¡¯s a hard person to get a hold of sometimes, always wandering.¡± ¡°O-ok. Can I ask something?¡± ¡°Of course, but I can¡¯t promise an answer.¡± ¡°Why¡­why did I start feeling so bad when I came here? I wasn¡¯t feeling any of this before.¡± ¡°Oh dear, you must understand, when souls come to me, they lay themselves bare, it¡¯s part of moving on, to tell of themselves and find some closure. However, not many living find their way to me so I apologize for that. However, it might be positive in the long run. As bright as Valkyrie¡¯s future is, yours is shrouded for me. I hope that you find solace.¡± ¡°What do I do about the pain? It keeps coming back.¡± ¡°My dear spirit, death offers only one solution to pain. I do not think that you want what I can offer in that respect. Now then, I believe you have been kept here long enough, it is time for you to return to the realm of life and light. One day you will return and I hope you will find peace in that.¡± ¡°Wait, wait, I can¡¯t go back like this. I still feel so awful, I can¡¯t show this to Val.¡± ¡°Farewell young one.¡± ¡°Nonono-
-NO! God dammit not again. What am I supposed to do?¡±
When I came to I opened my eyes and immediately wished I hadn¡¯t. I must¡¯ve been a dozen miles or more in the air, staring down at the ground below, hearing the wind rushing past me. Oh god how the heck did this happen?! Looking around I see that the sky is a sea of blue and then it hits me. I¡¯m not falling, I¡¯m sinking. Sinking in the sky, the air I heard the wind over the waves. And above the waves? Another layer of this weird blue water-air but it¡¯s closer to air than water so I can breathe it but still feel it in my lungs. I¡¯m not drowning, I know that, but it¡¯s weird. This has to be a dream, right? ¡°Sure is kid! But, like, only sorta. I brought you here to hang out with me for a bit, uh, didn¡¯t mean to have you hit your head like that. Ah, but I¡¯m sure your dead friend will help with that. Huh, that might¡¯ve come out wrong. I meant your friend who is dead but you still talk to because she¡¯s, like, a ghost? Eh, you get me, right kid?¡± ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°Whoops! Hold on a sec!¡± And then from behind something grips my collar and hoists me out of the not-water and into a fucking boat? Made of light? No, made of fire? If fire was light and also solid, that would be this boat. I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m done. I¡¯m done thinking, this is too weird.¡± ¡°HAHA! Whoo, kid, you give up too easy. That¡¯s your problem I think, you know, like, when the going gets rough the rough get going but for you if you don¡¯t know where to go you just freeze. You feel me?¡± ¡°I¡­what?¡± ¡°Ok, say, like, um, hold on give me a sec¡­¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Ah geez kid I said to give me a sec! Hyperithon, by the by, but right now that¡¯s besides the point.¡± ¡°Wait, you mean the Lord of Day? That¡¯s you?!¡± ¡°Aw shucks you don¡¯t need to use any titles with me kid, I¡¯m just an ordinary guy, you know? Just call me Peri, ¡®kay?¡± ¡°I-I, what do you mean? How can I possibly be able to use a nickname for one of the original deities?!¡± ¡°Because I asked you too? Look, all I hear most days is people praying and it¡¯s all titles and my full name. And, like, people change over time. I never told anyone to call me those titles and I came up with Hyperithon when I was real young and wanted to sound all macho and stuff. But that¡¯s just not me anymore, you feel me? So yeah, Peri. It¡¯s nice and short. I mean, do you want me to call you Val or Valkyrie? Or just kid?¡± ¡°Um. I, I suppose Val is ok, Lord Peri.¡± ¡°Peri.¡± ¡°I-¡± ¡°Come on now, you¡¯re killing me smalls.¡± ¡°Sorry, I-wait, how do you know that phrase? I¡¯ve only ever heard Rose say that before.¡± ¡°Oh, well, the place Rose is visiting from has a lot of like, plays and stuff is the best way to describe it I guess. I like to listen to some of them when I¡¯m sailing.¡± ¡°Oh. I thought it was just Rose being weird like usual.¡± ¡°Nah kid, she just likes referencing stuff. I think she¡¯s bummed that no one gets them though.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Anyway, why did I bring you here again? Hmmm. I¡¯m like, 90% sure it was to do more than just chat, though I wouldn¡¯t mind doing that. Oh, right! So, uh, Rose kinda went to Plury¡¯s place and she¡¯s probs gonna be real messed up when she gets back. I wanted to warn you to be careful with her and to not let like, any mean things she says to you hit too hard.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Plury?¡± ¡°You know, Plury, my niece. Umm, does Plurania ring a bell?¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°Um, shoot what do the folks below call her now¡­AH! Got it! She of Shadows and Whispers. Man, I love my niece to, well, her, but she can be real edgy some times. I dunno, maybe it¡¯s a phase. I¡¯m worried for her cause most of the time we can¡¯t talk to her due to the whole, ¡®not technically being dead thing.¡¯ But yeah, she¡¯s visiting Plury, which is weird since I thought she wasn¡¯t supposed to go there for like, a while. But it¡¯s whatever I guess.¡± ¡°Wait back up, why is her visiting death going to mess her up so bad? Is it like, a plane of eternal torment or something?¡± ¡°No no no! Man, if Plury did that I¡¯d have to go and talk to her. No one deserves that. Nah, but you can¡¯t really feel anything when you¡¯re there unless Plury talks to you or something. Besides that, you know what they say right? ¡®All is laid bare before the last gaze of death.¡¯ Basically it¡¯s a way for her to counsel souls before they move on. But, like, for the rare mortals that visit it¡¯s real bad sometimes. Just, like, all the walls you build up in your mind come crashing down and she normally doesn¡¯t have the time to put them back together before they have to leave again. It sucks and it bums me out when it happens but it is what it is.¡± ¡°But Rose is always so¡­well, she¡¯s normally fine, right? What would mess her up so bad?¡± ¡°Whoo, kid, she¡¯s got a lot going on in her mind. She just chooses to ignore or try to forget most of it. Also, people that go through the stuff she did normally have a lot of trauma and doubts they have to work through, and she¡¯s never had someone to talk to about all of that.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t she talk to me about it? We-I, tell her everything.¡± ¡°Val. Kid. You might feel like an adult but you¡¯re still a kid. Rose is an adult that met you when you were 5, there¡¯s no way she¡¯d dump her problems on you. She wants to be better to you than anyone really ever was to her growing up I think. It¡¯s, like, hmm. Alright. Say something really bad happened to you. Like someone stole all your money and your sword and everything, get me? Who would you go to for help?¡± ¡°Rose first off. Now, maybe Girraghen?¡± ¡°Right, the adults you trust in your life. Would you go to Emmy?¡± ¡°No! She¡¯s like fiv- oh.¡± ¡°See? Same principle. Don¡¯t get me wrong, kids are people and everything, but they don¡¯t have like, all the tools they need to help others through their problems. Laying your troubles on a kid is only going to stress them out to no end.¡± ¡°Okay, I understand that. But then why call me here now if I can¡¯t help her?¡± ¡°Well, for one thing, you¡¯re the only one that¡¯s going to be able to see her when you both get back to the mortal plane. The other thing is that I wanted to like, get you somewhat prepared for whatever she might lay on you. Know that it¡¯s not your job to fix her or anything like that. Find someone that can help her work through it all, be there for her while she needs it. Oh! Right, I have a gift for you that might help out.¡± ¡°A gift Lo-, um, Peri? What did I do to deserve one?¡± ¡°What do you mean what did you do? You¡¯re basically family kid, I¡¯m not against giving gifts to kids that need ¡®em. Here, hold out your hands.¡± I did what he said to. He proceeded to hold both of them in his. They dwarfed mine, rough and calloused from supposed centuries of hard work sailing. They were also very warm, in a really nice way. The warmth spread through me and I could feel my mana reacting to it inside me. After a little bit of time it started to harden just under my skin, just a thin layer but that feeling of warmth was still there with it. It felt like a mixture of my fire and light mana. He moved his hands from cupping mine to hold them gently. He looked me in the eyes and squeezed my hands and started speaking in a gentle voice. ¡°There¡¯s something you¡¯ve never really had that both you and Rose have been missing the entire time you¡¯ve known each other. I think it¡¯s something that everyone should be able to do so I wanted to do this for you. What I gave you is a part of my blessing. Normally, what it would do is let you make a solar shield around yourself. This isn¡¯t on that level. What it does is keep a layer of solar mana like a second skin. With it, you can touch Rose. She is going to desperately need a hug and I think it would mean a lot to her if you were the one that did it for her.¡± ¡°I. I can touch her now?¡± Tears were welling in my eyes at the thought. One of the things I¡¯ve wanted to do for my entire life is finally within my reach. I wanted to wipe the start of the tears away before they could really get started but didn¡¯t want to take my hands away from his. He smiled gently at me and asked me something no one ever had before. ¡°Hey, Val, you mind if I hug you? You know, give you some experience so you know what to do for Rose when you get back.¡± ¡°I. Sure. Yes.¡± He stood up and went to pull me to my feet. Was I sitting this whole time? I guess I was. He broke contact with our hands and wrapped his huge arms around me. I¡¯ve heard from Rose that some people aren¡¯t great at giving hugs in her opinion because they squeeze like they¡¯re trying to kill you. I was a little worried that he would be like that but instead it started gently and proceeded to get firmer gradually. It¡¯s so nice and warm. I, I feel so safe here. Why did I never know I needed this? Why didn¡¯t anyone do this for me before. I wanted to just enjoy it more but thoughts that I¡¯d been cheated my whole life raced through my head. I shut my eyes tight and tried to make the thoughts go away and stop ruining this for me. Eventually he started rubbing my back in small circles. At some point I noticed the warmth and pressure leave and found myself laying on my side in the forge, being shaken awake by Girraghen. His worried voice was overshadowed in my ears by Rose¡¯s sobbing. Chapter 20: First Touch and Running Away ¡°Valkyrie! Valkyrie! Val, gods be damned wake up! Lord of the Flame wake up!¡± As I¡¯m coming around with a smith hammering out the dent in my skull from the inside, Girraghen is shaking me and shouting my name while Rose¡¯s sobbing fills my ears and chills my soul. As soon as Girraghen¡¯s four twins coalesce back into him, I shakily stand to my feet and stumble over to Rose. She¡¯s hovering close to the ground, curled up in a ball of tears and misery. What happened to break her down like this? ¡°Rose. Rose are you- no, you¡¯re obviously not okay. It¡¯s ok Rose, it¡¯s ok. I¡¯m back, I¡¯m here.¡± I kneel next to her, hands hovering near her without touching yet. She¡¯s completely unresponsive; ignoring me completely, trapped in whatever nightmare that¡¯s consuming her. I gulp once and finish moving my hands, wrapping around her shoulders and holding her tight to me. She feels so fragile but also so real. It¡¯s like she¡¯s the only thing in this world that exists in this moment and yet she¡¯s hurting so much it breaks my heart to pieces. As I hold her she keeps sobbing for a long while but eventually the sobs turn to heaves and then to just heavy breathing. ¡°Rose, you¡¯re safe now. You¡¯re safe and I¡¯m here and you¡¯re here and we¡¯re together and it¡¯ll be okay, I promise.¡± Rose doesn¡¯t respond with words, just turns slightly and hugs me tightly like I¡¯m the only thing in her world which, thinking on it harder, might be somewhat true. As far as I¡¯m aware, I¡¯m the first thing she¡¯s been able to actually touch in 8 years. I can¡¯t even imagine it. I thought I was cheated for not being hugged but what would it be like to feel nothing for 8 years? She¡¯s clutching me like a lifeline, too hard to feel good for me but that¡¯s ok, if nothing else I can be here for her to cling to. She buries her face in my chest and goes back to crying. Now I know why Peri helped me practice. I slowly start rubbing circles on her back and can feel the dress she¡¯s always in, presumably the only thing she can wear anymore. Gods can she even feel the dress? We stay like that for longer than I can really keep track of but in the end she lets go and looks at me with dull eyes and punches me in the gut with her words. ¡°Val. You¡¯re the only thing in this world that¡¯s real to me. If you tell me something¡¯s real or true I¡¯ll believe you but until you do, I, I think everything around us is just fake. Fake, like I am. Val, you¡¯re the only thing that¡¯s real and I¡¯m just¡­ just a shadow of a copy of a memory of someone that was never real. If you ever get tired of me haunting you, just let me know and I¡¯ll disappear.¡± ¡°No! Rose, you¡¯re real. You¡¯re real to me, more so than anything else I¡¯ve ever known. You can never disappear or else I¡¯d just have to spend my life looking for you. You said that if I said something¡¯s real then you¡¯d believe me, right? Then the first thing I¡¯ll say is real is you. You¡¯re not just some shadow or copy or whatever, you¡¯re my best friend and I can¡¯t live without you.¡± ¡°Ahh, that¡¯s the only thing I can never believe I think. I¡¯ll stop talking about it for now, but I don¡¯t think you can convince me otherwise to be honest. But don¡¯t worry about me, ok? I¡¯ve never been worth caring for anyway. Alright, I¡¯m better now! Let¡¯s go mess with Girraghen or something, eh?¡± ¡°Rose! You¡¯re not better! You just told me not to care about you but how could I possibly not?! You¡¯re the only one that¡¯s ever cared about me and that goes both ways! Rose, don¡¯t just¡­don¡¯t just act like you don¡¯t matter, because you do! You matter more to me than I do to me! Don¡¯t say- ¡°Val, don¡¯t say nonsense like that. You matter more to me than anyone so don¡¯t value yourself less than that, ok? You¡¯re worth so much more than I am and you still have a life to live ahead of you! One day you¡¯ll move on and that¡¯ll be great for you! You just, just don¡¯t worry about me, ok? It¡¯s alright to be selfish, care about yourself more. Life is hard and it¡¯s worse when you worry about people that don¡¯t want it. I¡¯ll be fine, if you want me to hang around still I guess I will. So stop crying and I will too. I¡¯m just, just going to go off by myself for a bit. ¡°Rose, please don¡¯t go! I¡¯m scared that you¡¯re just going to disappear forever on me somehow and I don¡¯t think I could stand that. So please¡­don¡¯t go. Just stay here and we¡¯ll keep talking like we always do and you¡¯ll realize that I¡­ that I love you more than anything else.¡± ¡°Val, I love you too but it¡¯s¡­it¡¯s too hard to be around other people right now. My head¡¯s so messed up and I just¡­ need some time to get it all in order.¡± ¡°But I could help you get it in order! I want to help you! Please!¡± ¡°Val, you¡¯re my little sibling, there¡¯s no way I can put this on you. All I¡®d do is mess you up like I am. So, give me some time. If you want to find me again, come to Reinhold. I¡¯m the little shop out in the boonies by Perpetuity. I¡¯ll be waiting for you, ok?¡± ¡°No! No please! I don¡¯t want you to leave!¡± ¡°Sorry Val, I¡¯l see you soon, ok? I know you¡¯ll do well. Maybe stick with Girraghen for a bit, learn a thing or two and show me next time we meet up, ok?¡± ¡°WHY WON¡¯T YOU LISTEN TO ME!?!? Don¡¯t go!¡± I felt her hand ruffle my hair and for the first time felt her kiss my forehead like she has for years and then she floated up a bit and snapped with one hand and swept her hat off her head in a grandiose bow, as the hat moved over her body she vanished until nothing of her was left. ¡°ROSE!!! What am I supposed to do now?¡± I truly broke down this time, curling up into a ball similar to the one I¡¯d found Rose in at the start of this disaster and just, felt. And hurt. I heard a slightly rough voice cough once and speak behind me in a small voice. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll go make you some tea then. We¡¯ll get her back Val, don¡¯t worry.
I finally got to convey some of my feelings for Val to them physically, which was good. I was never shown anything like physical affection from anyone in my family but my little sister, and even that was just an occasional hug when I did something for her. I always wanted to have someone to be close to like that and I¡¯d given up on it long before I died. It was really nice, though I don¡¯t know if I did it right. It¡¯s hard to do something you¡¯ve only ever seen on TV or in movies and have it work like you want it to. I had to go though. I couldn¡¯t let them see me break down constantly. I¡¯m supposed to be their support but when I¡¯m broken myself there¡¯s no way I can be there for them. Girraghen will take care of them, he¡¯s changed a lot in this past decade or so, mellowed out considerably so I think it¡¯ll be good for Val. Is that just an excuse? I don¡¯t know. It feels fake, but I¡¯ve always been fake so what else is new. As I chuckle hollowly to myself I finally notice that there¡¯s someone else in the room I¡¯m in. I, uh, also remember that I¡¯m in a room that¡¯s both familiar and alien. It¡¯s my house, obviously, so it¡¯s familiar. All the stains and burn marks that wouldn¡¯t come off are still there. But almost all of the furniture has been moved around, repaired, or replaced entirely. Where I¡¯d had a couple dozen bunches of herbs hung to dry at any given time, now there¡¯s a few woven charms and talismans throughout the place. Sitting at the counter looking at me wide-eyed is a familiar face that hasn¡¯t changed since I died. Toffee¡¯s light brown skin broken up by patches of much paler color seemed healthy, so she must be taking care of it. Her pointed ears were drooping down in what I knew was an elven expression of worry, and she seemed to be saying something to me. Unfortunately, I was still a little deaf from teleporting so I shrugged at her, tapped my ear and crossed my arms in an x and mimed typing to her. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. New Message from Toffer ¡°Toffee¡± Zendzana Chat with Toffee: Toffee: What the heck Boss!? Not even a warning before you pop into existence next to me?!? Not a ¡°hey heads up Toffee, gonna drop by the place later, get ready so you don¡¯t spit out your coffee and AREN¡¯T WEARING YOUR PAJAMAS?!?¡± Rose: Um. Sorry about that, Toff. I just. I feel a little broken right now and needed to come home for a bit. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t say anything to you first. I should¡¯ve, you¡¯re right. Toffee: Wait wait wait. Something¡¯s really wrong, you didn¡¯t cuss at or poke fun at me once. And broken?! Does that have something to do with all THE HOLES IN YOUR BODY?! Rose: It, um, has a lot less to do with the holes than you¡¯d think, actually. But, um, I did visit Lady Death? And that fucked me up really badly. Like, you know how you purposely forget memories that just hurt you? Well I remember all of those now so it hurts a lot. I¡¯m just, not in a good headspace right now and didn¡¯t want to **** up Val with my shitty problems. ¡°Hey, can you hear me yet? I¡¯m sick of typing to you when we¡¯re two feet from each other.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah I can Toff.¡± ¡°Jeezy Creezy Bo- Rose, are you ok?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ve made it clear that I¡¯m decidedly not, thus the whole ¡®running away back home¡¯ thing.¡± ¡°Yeah, stupid question, sorry. Is, is there anything I can do for you? Tea? Coffee? Um, shoulder to cry on?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t drink anything dummy. But, um, I might appreciate someone listening to me for a bit.¡± ¡°That I can do! Here, let me get another cup of coffee and I¡¯ll be right back. Actually, if you feel up to it, just come with me. Then we¡¯ll come back, I¡¯ll go find a good chair to sit in and you can, I dunno pretend to sit in one? How corporeal are you?¡± ¡°As far as I know, completely incorporeal.¡± ¡°Hmm. Wait! The talismans!¡± ¡°What about them?¡± ¡°How do you think I can see and hear you?¡± ¡°I- huh. Yeah, talismans I guess?¡± ¡°Yep! As long as you¡¯re in this house people can see you. Um, do you mind if I try to touch you?¡± ¡°I mean, go ahead. I¡¯d love it if you could.¡± ¡°Hmm. Dirty. Sorry, first thought worst thought. Anyway.¡± She held out a hand to me and I met it half way. I felt a small amount of resistance, not anything like actual contact but something was a lot better than nothing. ¡°Alright, so, some progress but it¡¯ll take us a bit to fine tune and overcharge or whatever you want to do to get you back here with me again.¡± ¡°What¡¯d¡¯ya mean by that Toff?¡± ¡°I mean, you¡¯re home again! So shouldn¡¯t we get back in business? I¡¯m ready to send the message to my boss saying I quit as soon as you say the word. But coffee first!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t jump the gun or anything Toff. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯d do that right now, I¡¯m so messed up right now.¡± I followed Toffee at a slow pace into the kitchen which, unlike the main room, looked roughly the same. The pots, pans, and utensils I made ages ago were all still there, looking as good as the day they were forged. The ice chest I enchanted was still covered in a thin layer of frost. The preservation runes on the cabinets and shelves were all intact, though a little worn. They should¡¯ve been serviced about a year ago, they¡¯re clearly losing strength. When newly installed, they could keep food in the same condition forever. Now I¡¯d be surprised if they kept food fresh for a month. Well, still better than a regular fridge. Toffee moves over to the first contraption I¡¯d made when I got the place: the coffee maker. Sweet mana from heaven or wherever you get coffee beans from in this world. With well practiced movements she pours herself a fresh mug. Man I would kill for some coffee right now. I follow her to the main room where she goes to a chair I¡¯d made ages ago with some red cotton I¡¯d gotten from a quest chain. The stuff was too thick to really make into clothes of any kind that would be comfortable to wear so I figured it¡¯d be good for upholstery. It used to be my favorite chair for coffee breaks. Guess Toff agreed. ¡°Alright Bo- Rose. I want to hear it all. Everything that you¡¯ve gone through but kept from me, all the little things that make you doubt or hurt yourself, physically or emotionally. I want to help you as best I can but I need to know what¡¯s going through your head first. You don¡¯t have to tell me anything but everything you feel comfortable sharing I¡¯ll hear.¡± ¡°Alright then¡­ So I didn¡¯t have great parents-
Over the course of the rest of the day and several cups of coffee later, Rose told me about herself and her life. She spoke of her parent¡¯s abuse, about her gender, about how she wasn¡¯t originally from this world and had seen it as a kind of game, how that¡¯s how all her friends from back then saw it. How she had always been made to feel like less than a real person, how she felt like she was fake no matter what she did: in her world she couldn¡¯t stand pretending to be a boy, in this world she was always scared that people would realize that she wasn¡¯t a ¡°real¡± girl. She told me about how she died, how her parents let her eat dinner when they usually didn¡¯t and how, after she logged into the ¡°game¡±, she started to hurt and eventually died. She talked about meeting Val, about their time together and how she felt that maybe everything would be fine. She pushed the thoughts of being fake away so that she could better focus on taking care of Val to the greatest extent she could. She talked about all her meetings with the gods and how many questions they left her with. And finally she spoke of the visit to Lady Death and how confusing and painful it was. She spoke of waking up to find Val there trying to comfort her and how wrong that felt to her, because she was the one that protected Val in her mind, and to see them so full of worry and concern for her felt like a betrayal of all that she had stood for. When she was done she looked hollowed out and empty, like a shell of her usual vibrant self. Now I¡¯m starting to question how much of that image was a carefully crafted mask and how much was truly her. I stood up from my chair, a little wobbly from sleep deprivation, and did what I could to hold her. She cried quite a bit, which was weird cause I couldn¡¯t feel the tears, just the heaving sobs. Eventually she straightened herself and took a shaky breath and let out a hollow laugh, breaking my heart with each new noise. ¡°Thanks Toff. I¡­ I needed that I think. It helped me get my thoughts in order. I¡¯m¡­maybe not broken? But still real fucked up. I still don¡¯t want Val to see me until I can pull myself together for a long enough period of time.¡± ¡°Just be careful you don¡¯t take this excuse to hide from them forever. You care too much about them to become a deadbeat sister.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll go back, or they¡¯ll come to me. It¡¯s just that I need some time. Who knows, maybe I¡¯ll figure out the talismans. I¡¯m probably going to need your help with them. Assuming you¡¯re the one that made them that is.¡± ¡°I am. And I can totally walk you through the process¡­in the morning. I seriously need some sleep right now.¡± ¡°Alright. See you in the morning I guess.¡± ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t. I¡¯m not letting you out of my sight. You¡¯re coming with me.¡± ¡°What? Um um what?¡± ¡°You heard me. You can feel some resistance to things now, yeah? That means you can lay on the other side of the bed. I¡¯m already in my pajamas so I just need to brush my teeth and I¡¯ll be all set.¡± ¡°But I can¡¯t sleep on my own? I¡­I don¡¯t want to go back to some other god and get more cryptic shit shoved in my head.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s what happens when you run out of mana, yeah? I can give you some of mine and can also cast Sleep on you. It sucks that you can¡¯t target yourself with it, but I know enough general magic to do that much at least.¡± ¡°I. Is there anyway I can get out of this?¡± ¡°Now Rose, why would you want to get out of sleeping next to your dear employee and good friend that just wants to help you?¡± ¡°Because¡­um¡­no reason.¡± ¡°Exactly. Now, let¡¯s get going, shall we?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Finally! God she¡¯s so stubborn sometimes. It¡¯s a good thing I can be so persuasive. Also, I¡¯m just so worried about her when she says she¡¯s only slept like, three or four times in like eight years. That¡¯s insane. I don¡¯t care about body or not, that¡¯s over working yourself. I quickly brush my teeth and gesture for her to lay down on the bed first. She does so slightly awkwardly, and I follow and slide in next to her. I look at her long enough to make eye contact and before she can dart her eyes off again, I gently poke her forehead and her eyes immediately close and I hear soft noises from her. I hope she sleeps well for a long time. Now then, time to sleep myself. I brush a bit of hair back from her face and close my own eyes, hand holding hers, begging her to stay here with me again. Chapter 21: Coffee, Mirrors, and Anvil Tea When I woke up I felt warm, which was weird. Also, I didn¡¯t have some wack ass dream about gods and cryptic messages and a bunch of other horseshit. Just, kinda turned off and restarted. It was weird after not properly sleeping for eight years. Why was my back so much warmer than my front? Turning around I see Toffee had decided that I would make a good hug pillow in the middle of the night. Though, she, uh, put an actual pillow in me to let her arms stay in the right position. I felt like I should be blushing but couldn¡¯t because of lacking the requisite blood. I did, however, slip lightly out of her grasp by floating upwards to the side, which unfortunately disturbed her arms enough to wake her up. ¡°Uh, morning Toff.¡± ¡°Ugggghhhhh.¡± ¡°Okay, not a morning person, got it.¡± ¡°Coffee for Toffee.¡± ¡°I. Huh. As in you need coffee? I can¡¯t exactly help, I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯ll just pass through.¡± ¡°Cruel.¡± ¡°I beg to disagree but oh well. C¡¯mon, get up, meet the day enough to make yourself coffee and get going, eh?¡± ¡°Meerrrgghh.¡± ¡°Toff. I¡¯m like 90% sure you¡¯re just joking right now so I need you to wake up. I¡¯m getting a wee bit tired of talking to half asleep you.¡± ¡°Spoil sport.¡± ¡°I just want to hold an actual conversation with you, ok?¡± ¡°Fine, that¡¯s fair. Alright, Toffee, here we go, and a one and a two and a here we go!¡± Toffee managed to swing herself out of bed aaaannnddd fall on the floor unceremoniously, taking the blankets off the bed with her. After about 5 seconds on the floor she stood up wrapped in the blankets, hair completely disheveled. Honestly she was adorable. She gradually let the blankets slough off as she made her way to the kitchen and started to make coffee. She did so with methodical, practiced motions. I don¡¯t remember when I taught her to use the espresso machine I¡¯d made so long ago but she seemed to be a master at it. I guess 8 years will do that to you. ¡°Hey Toff, when¡¯d you learn to use the machine?¡± ¡°Watched you use it, wasn¡¯t that hard.¡± ¡°I. You learned by watching me?¡± ¡°Duh. This is the only machine like it in the world I¡¯m pretty sure because you¡¯re some kind of genius, so obviously I had to watch you to learn how to use it.¡± ¡°Some kind of genius huh? What kind I wonder?¡± ¡°The annoying kind that asks too many questions. Now give me like five minutes to drink this coffee and then we can talk and I won¡¯t bite your head off.¡± About ten minutes passed while she enjoyed her coffee in the nice chair in the front room, her legs curled beneath her, still wearing her pajamas, which were lilac decorated with cornflowers around the edges. They looked super comfy and I kinda envied her for being able to wear clothes and be able to feel the fabric. In the past eight years I¡¯ve tried to remove my dress, WHILE VAL WAS ASLEEP, but couldn¡¯t catch hold of it. It was just like the rest of me: nothing. All in all though, I felt a lot better after sleeping like a normal person. Which is weird, like, wouldn¡¯t I no longer need biological processes? Or do I still have a mind that needs sleep but can¡¯t make myself tired because I have no bodily hormones to do so with. If that¡¯s the case I need to find whoever made me a ghost and punch them, god or not. It¡¯s just a dick move. Dick. Move. While I was ruminating on my sleep cycle and lack thereof, Toff finished her coff and seemed much brighter and more like the Toffee I¡¯m used to. ¡°Alright! So. Which do you want to tackle first: your mental health or your, for lack of a better term, physical health?¡± ¡°Normally when someone asks about my mental health I tend to run away, but I feel that that¡¯s not an option I really have right now. Still, I¡¯d kinda prefer fixating on physical first.¡± ¡°Alright. So, you¡¯re hurt real bad huh?¡± ¡°Kinda an understatement but yes.¡± ¡°Alright, have you tried a healing spell?¡± ¡°I-. Not on myself, no.¡± ¡°Fucking¡­ Rose!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Why on earth do you never think of yourself?¡± ¡°I feel that I¡¯m plenty selfish if that¡¯s what you mean.¡± ¡°No, like, health wise. You¡¯re always doing this or doing that and getting hurt or hurting yourself in the process and it¡¯s like the thought of taking a break or HEALING yourself never crosses your mind!¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s unfair, in dungeons and on quests I heal myself plenty!¡± ¡°But do you know how many times you came home beat to hell and back while looking ecstatic because of the new ingredient you managed to get?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really see why that matters to you, but I just¡­ get really excited and bing bang boom I¡¯m fighting a hydra and what does it matter to you?¡± ¡°It matters because YOU matter to me dolt!¡± ¡°I. Okay. Putting that aside for right now, let me try to cast a heal on myself. Though no guarantees, the Deity of Magic already tried to patch me up but I may have ruined their efforts already. ¡°You. You RUINED the efforts of THE DIVINE MONARCH?!?¡± ¡°Um. Maybe.¡± ¡°Girl, please, what the fuck am I going to do with you?¡± ¡°Um. Help me?¡± She let out a deep, bone weary sigh and continued. ¡°Yes. You¡¯re right. I¡¯m going to keep helping you. So try some healing and we¡¯ll go from there.¡± I figured I¡¯d shut up and just cast the magic. I tapped my toes three times and spun around while saying ¡°FLASH HEAL!¡± targeted at myself and the results were! Less than spectacular. ¡°So no change huh?¡± ¡°Yerp. Status says the only change was a loss of mana.¡± ¡°Hmm. Ok, here¡¯s an idea. Hold out your hand.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She takes my hand in both of hers. One holding my hand from underneath and the other laying gently on top, not passing through the weak resistance. She spoke in a soft, resonating voice. ¡°What¡¯s mine is now yours, my power I choose to share. Mana Transfer.¡± I felt a cool breeze run from my hand through my body following the path my mana was circulating in and as it passed by my wounds it didn¡¯t blow through and leave like I thought it would. Instead it¡­congealed? It, and I use this word lightly knowing that it probably isn¡¯t the correct usage but I¡¯ll be damned if I can think of another, formed a clot and stopped most of the mana bleed. Instantly I felt the pain lessen and I took a shaky breath in. Not that it truly did anything but the mimicry of a bodily process helped me cope with the¡­lack of pain? I guess most people don¡¯t need to learn to cope with that but it was kinda like I¡¯d been constantly bracing myself for a hit and after hitting me for weeks on end someone finally told me that I could relax a little. ¡°Any better now?¡± ¡°I.. I feel so much better actually. It¡¯s like, like your mana stopped the bleeding. And I¡¯m not in as much pain. I¡¯m¡­thank you Toff.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, don¡¯t mention it. I¡¯m glad I could help. And if it¡¯s not a permanent fix I¡¯m willing to do it again, though it did take most of my mana to- stabilize you I guess?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry it took so much-¡± ¡°Pfft, no. Don¡¯t say you¡¯re sorry for this. I did it because I wanted to. Don¡¯t demean me or yourself like that again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sor-¡± ¡°Nope!¡± ¡°Right. Um. Ok, cool, so now that the wounds are done with we can move on to the talismans, yeah?¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Don¡¯t jump topics to avoid the part you don¡¯t like.¡± ¡°Fine. Fine! Let¡¯s talk about my mental health. I¡¯m a fake person that might also just be broken inside. Happy?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not. I¡¯m actually distressed that that¡¯s what you see yourself as. But I¡¯m not a professional, I¡¯m just your friend. I want you to see the therapist you asked me about a little bit ago.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to see a therapist. See! Look at me! I¡¯m fine now!¡± ¡°First off, yes you do. Secondly, you¡¯re not fine, you just said that you were broken!¡± ¡°Broken people can be fine.¡± ¡°Rose, please, I¡¯m worried about you.¡± ¡°I said I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re not! Have you seen yourself in a mirror lately?¡± ¡°No, I know what I look like. And mirrors are hard to come by.¡± ¡°I think you should go take a look. There¡¯s one down the hall in the bathroom.¡± ¡°I know there¡¯s one in the bathroom, I put it there.¡± ¡°Please Rose.¡± ¡°I- Fine. I¡¯ll go look.¡± When I made it to the bathroom I started feeling trepidatious. What did I look like these days? I can¡¯t actually remember the last time I saw myself. Looking in the mirror after about a minute of hesitation, what I see in front of me¡­is still me. But instead of my usual lackadaisical grin, what I saw was someone desperately trying to smile and failing miserably. It honestly kinda scared me. I- ¡°How can I look so miserable when I feel fine?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re not fine. Can you see it now? I¡¯m worried that you¡¯re going to find some way to hurt yourself really badly for no reason other than you think that you don¡¯t matter. Even if right now you don¡¯t matter to yourself, you matter to me and you matter to Val. I can¡¯t speak for them, but I know that after meeting you again after eight years of silent wondering and worry I¡¯m so happy to have you back and I¡¯m terrified that I¡¯m going to lose you again so please, let me help you help yourself.¡± I swallowed hard, avoiding looking at the familiar stranger in the mirror and instead looked at the nicest thing around: Toffee. I might have made this bathroom but it¡¯s a little spartan. I had planned on decorating it at some point but never got around to it. But Toffee was still nice to look at, her coffee colored skin broken by patches of cream played well against the color of her pajamas. I would say her smile was brilliant if she was smiling. She isn¡¯t. Instead, her face is creased with worry though her expression is gentle. I. I guess she is genuinely worried about me and now I can literally see why. ¡°Alright. I get it. I look like someone killed my dog and offered me a slice while holding a gun to my head and telling me to thank them for the food. I just. I don¡¯t know what to do about¡­well, anything anymore. It used to be so easy to just, ignore the shit and move on like it didn¡¯t matter and eventually I shoved and locked it all away and it stopped hurting so much. Wasn¡¯t perfect, I¡¯ll admit, but it wasn¡¯t this.¡± ¡°Rose, that wasn¡¯t healthy to begin with. Bottling up your emotions is a recipe for disaster. Didn¡¯t you ever think to try and get help?¡± ¡°Hah. From who? Help requires money and I didn¡¯t have any really. Enough to get by but it¡¯s not like my parents wanted me on their insurance or anything.¡± ¡°But Rose, you¡¯re one of the wealthiest people in this world, how can you say you just had enough to get by?¡± ¡°Because- um.¡± ¡°Because?¡± Because it¡¯s all fake. It¡¯s all pipe dreams and fairy tales. But. But. I can¡¯t say that to her, she just wants to help me and genuinely cares and I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t reconcile the thought that she¡¯s just an NPC running off a virtual intelligence with this, this person in front of me reaching out a hand in one of my darkest moments. It¡¯d be awful to tell her that she isn¡¯t real. I¡¯m awful for telling Val that. God they must hate me. I ran away after telling them that the person they spent eight years with didn¡¯t exist and that their reality was false. God I¡¯m. I¡¯m trash. Garbage of the lowest order. I might as well- ¡°ROSE!¡± All of a sudden the dark thoughts in my mind flew away like a murder of crows and I was staring into Toffee¡¯s too close face while her hands held my face. ¡°Stop it! Stop thinking whatever that was. I could see it on your face, you went from bad to worse in a flash! Do you see why I¡¯m worried? I- I don¡¯t want to lose you but I¡¯m scared that if I let you go or leave you alone for more than five minutes you¡¯re going to think yourself into doing something irreversible. So please. Talk to Leaf. See how you feel. It¡¯ll get better, I promise.¡± That¡¯s not what I was thinking. Well, I guess I was heading there but her golden eyes are staring into my soul and I can¡¯t help but forget the bad when faced with them. All I want is to tell her what she wants to hear, whatever will make her happier. ¡°O- Okay. Okay. I¡¯ll¡­I¡¯ll talk to her. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m like this.¡± ¡°Stop saying you¡¯re sorry for things that you don¡¯t need to apologize for. I¡¯m not mad at you, I¡¯m worried for you. Please learn the difference.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll try. Can you get in touch with her for me?¡± ¡°I did that last night when you got here. I was just waiting for you to ok it so that we could get you to talking with her. She¡¯s already on her way here from the capital. She said it¡¯ll take her about three days. So just, just hold out until then, ok?¡± ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll keep on keeping on.¡± ¡°Now then, with that out of the way, what do you want to do?¡± ¡°Um. Can I hug you? I haven¡¯t really ever gotten to do that except for recently and it¡¯s really nice actually.¡± ¡°Of course you can hug me.¡± She wrapped her arms around me and the faintest pressure enveloped me. But more than that, her warmth really filled me from top to bottom. It sucks that I¡¯m some kind of warmth vampire; always taking, never giving, but that¡¯s just what I am it seems. I tentatively put my hands on her back and try to pull her closer to me but my hands sink through and I have to try again. A light touch, enough to hold but not to.. I dunno, properly embrace? It¡¯s not like the hug Val gave me, though I don¡¯t remember that one much except that I probably hurt them. After a short eternity she let go and looked at me, a little less worry in her face. ¡°Doing any better now?¡± ¡°A bit. But I think I know what I¡¯m doing next.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Before the therapist gets here, I¡¯m working on the talismans more. I want. I want to be able to hug you properly and make things. God it¡¯s been so long since I made anything and it¡¯s getting to the point where I¡¯m about to really go out of my mind.¡± ¡°Alright. Then for now, let me be your hands.¡± ¡°Sounds good Toff.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s first, Boss?¡± ¡°Well let¡¯s go over what you¡¯ve done so far to reach this effect.¡± ¡°Well I made some paper from kisper reeds.¡± ¡°What method did you use?¡± ¡°I used-
Rose was in trouble. Not physically, but mentally. The things she told me before she left made no sense to me, but I could understand that they came from some kind of deep pain in her. That¡¯s why I begged her not to leave. She shouldn¡¯t be on her own, she shouldn¡¯t have to shoulder this alone. Girraghen swiftly returned with the tea he promised and set it up on the anvil, and placed two chairs beside it. He then picked me up off the floor like I weighed nothing and plopped me in one and sat in the other. As he poured us both cups he spoke in a quiet voice, so unlike his usual, boisterous self that it shocked me. ¡°Alright Val, here¡¯s some tea. I figured some mint wouldn¡¯t go amiss, helps me calm down at least and I reckon we could both use it at the moment.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to calm down. I need to find her! How- Where- Why did she leave when I asked her to stay?¡± My voice quavered as I found myself on the verge of tears; the adrenaline leaving me cold and scared. ¡°She¡¯s stubborn as an ass, for one. Once she makes up her mind it¡¯ll take all the king¡¯s horses and men to convince her otherwise. Second, she sees ya as someone to protect. I think that her first thought, outside of whatever darkness was rearing it¡¯s ugly head, was to keep ya safe from that darkness inside her. Possibly to preserve her image as dependable fer ya, despite the fact that she ran away like a deadbeat. Really, we can only hope she realizes her own nonsense sooner than later and lets us know she¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°She should depend on me when she needs it. I¡¯m not a child anymore! I- I can protect her!¡± ¡°Physically yes, I¡¯m sure ya can. But yer wrong. Ya have the strength of an adult but are still growin¡¯. Yer young and there¡¯s no way ya can have the experience needed to truly help her help herself in this I think. Would it be good for ya to be there to help comfort her when she¡¯s going through it? Maybe. I do think she finds respite in yer presence and conversation. However she shouldn¡¯t and doesn¡¯t want to make ya share the weight of her trauma. Just as ya wish to protect her, she wants to protect you.¡± ¡°But- But- I just- I don¡¯t know anymore.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s alright Val. Ya don¡¯t need to understand it all. I won¡¯t tell you ta relax, I think we¡¯re past that right now, but I will tell ya to take it easy for right now, get yer thoughts in order and let her know yer alright and that ya miss her. She may not respond right away but it¡¯s good ta do what¡¯cha can ta let her know yer still there. I¡¯m not much of a devout man, god-fearin sure but not devout, but I agree with the temple-types that faith is key in many parts of life. So, join me in havin¡¯ faith in the girl to pull herself together.¡± ¡°... Alright. You¡¯re right. I should have faith in her. It won¡¯t do me any good to jump the gun and run after her.¡± ¡°Right, she said where she was goin¡¯ to. She¡¯s back in her old shop, the place she calls home. She might have someone there ta help her sort herself out. Who knows, this might not take near as long as it might¡¯ve otherwise. All we can do is have faith and show her we¡¯re here when she needs us.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Now then!¡± He downed the rest of his tea and stood up, dusting off his hands. ¡°Let¡¯s figure out what yer gonna do next. If you want to try and rush straight to Rose I won¡¯t stop ya, but I will warn ya off it. It¡¯s a long ways from here and ya shouldn¡¯t journey that far on your lonesome. If ya ask me, which ya haven¡¯t but I¡¯ll tell ya anyways, you should look for someone to make the journey with. They don¡¯t have to be strong as you, else ya¡¯d be lookin all year, but someone ya get along with well that¡¯s willing ta go with ya. Besides that, I think ya¡¯d enjoy spendin¡¯ time here with me learnin¡¯ what¡¯cha can from me to show Rose later when she¡¯s in a better place. Asides from that, I don¡¯t have any recommendations other than ta take it easy and not rush yourself in any one direction. Rose sets a bad example as she¡¯s too hard on herself.¡± ¡°Someone to travel with? The only person I can think of is Rose.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s fair, she¡¯s been with you all this time, but I hate to tell ya it¡¯s an answer that won¡¯t work this time. Consider your options on who you¡¯ve met and who knows? Maybe ye¡¯ll meet someone else that¡¯d be happy ta go with ya.¡± ¡°Right. Of course. As much as I want to go after Rose¡­maybe you¡¯re right that i should study here for a while.¡± ¡°Sounds good. I¡¯m happy ta have ya join me here. I¡¯m sure Nat and Votive¡¯d be happy to hear it as well. Well, Nat at least. Votive¡¯s a bit wary of ya.¡± ¡°I can see why that would be the case.¡± ¡°Aye. Still, it was probably for the best Rose got so indignant about the work. I try not to watch the apprentices like a hawk, I find it tends to put unnecessary pressure on them that shows in the quality of their work. Still, lessons learned are lessons learned. Right, now then, you¡¯ve just woken up and had a bad morning I¡¯d say, so let¡¯s set ya ta work to get yer mind off of it.¡± ¡°Of course sir.¡± ¡°Now then, I¡¯d like it if ya could show me what Rose has taught you practically starting from the top. Well, at least in the blacksmithing field. Not sure how I¡¯d judge most others, I¡¯m a bit of a specialist. She¡¯s the odd one out fer being a jack of all trades, master of all.¡± Chapter 22: Three Days Gone and First Steps Forward Three days passed in a flash. Rose and I have been working on the talismans most of the time, she truly is a genius when it comes to making just about anything. She says that this branch of charm making is one of her weak points but you wouldn¡¯t know it from watching her work. Everytime I hit a block she¡¯d be there with a suggestion on how to improve it. Granted, the whole process is a lot of trial and error on top of the occasional trip to town to buy some of the less rare reagents. In the end, we got her corporeality up to the point that as long as she didn¡¯t suffer a high impact or what I would classify as a decent amount of pressure, nothing would pass through. Towards the end of the three days before Leaf arrived, Rose was working along-side me, taking over most of the more advanced processes such as speeding up the paper making as well as making the ink. She left most of the scribing to me, saying that ¡°the characters required aren¡¯t normally compatible with my brain. I can read them but writing them is a whole other matter entirely.¡± She still wants to increase their efficacy, that way she can smith and such like without her hammer flying out of her hand on every strike. It¡¯s gone unspoken but I think she also is afraid that if she doesn¡¯t perfect the charms she¡¯ll never be able to ¡°be real¡± again. I¡¯m still awfully concerned for her but having something to do and being able to work on it hands-on seems to have improved her mood quite a bit. She hasn¡¯t been able to give me a true smile yet but sometimes while working I¡¯d look over and see her face at peace, or so it seemed to me. But distractions aren¡¯t enough to help her move past her wounds, which is exactly why I wanted her to talk to Leaf. Midday on the third day, as we¡¯re hanging the newest talismans, I hear a polite knock on the door. Opening it, I see a short girl quite unlike anyone else I¡¯ve seen before. She had ears pointed yet longer than an elf¡¯s and eyes that were entirely a dark, forest green with golden pupils that seemed to radiate a light of their own. Despite this, her most defining characteristic I¡¯d say was her hair, which took the form of innumerable flowering vines that reached to her waist, blooming with a myriad of colors. She kept it in a high ponytail. Overall she felt like something out of a fairy tale and I unconsciously took a step back. Letting out a small sigh she held out her hand and said ¡°Pleased to meet you, my name is Leaf.¡± ¡°Um. Toffee. Sorry, I simply wasn¡¯t expecting your¡­unique appearance.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯ve never seen a dryad before.¡± ¡°I, um, haven¡¯t?¡± ¡°Oh! My apologies. Most of my clientele is significantly traveled and well versed in the small communities on the fringes of the empire. However, that¡¯s neither here nor there. May I assume you are Rose, my client?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m Toffee. Rose is inside. Please, come in.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± As I usher her into the front room, I notice Rose has left her position hanging talismans and seems to be struggling with a window, trying to force it open. However, that window is the one that sticks the most and I usually need a crowbar to open it. ¡°Rose! Don¡¯t you dare try and run away!¡± She turned around quickly with a bit of a guilty look on her face. ¡°I¡¯m not necessarily trying to run away. I could be opening this window in order to feel the breeze! It¡¯s a beautiful day outside and I won¡¯t let it go to waste!¡± ¡°Ahem. Pardon me. I believe it was mentioned just now but are you my client, Rose Brubaker?¡± ¡°I. Um. Yes.¡± ¡°Alright. Pleasure to meet you, my name is Leaf. Do you have a private room where we won¡¯t be overheard? I greatly value patient confidentiality and most of my clients feel the same.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, we can go to the lab. Sorry if it¡¯s a bit of a mess, I, uh, kinda forgot you were coming. I was so caught up in work that it slipped my mind.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright, but please, lead the way.¡± With that the two walked into Rose¡¯s lab and shut possibly the most secure door in the world. It doesn¡¯t have the curses active right now but it does have so many different locks and locking spells that it would take a master thief days on end to crack. It¡¯s keyed to Rose¡¯s mind, so as long as she wills it to open it pops open.
After 3 days Girraghen seems to have a good idea of what I know and what I need to improve on. Namely my smithing and smelting skills. When I showed him The Thorn again, he remarked once again on the blade¡¯s mediocre quality while remaining mildly flabberghasted at the quality of the handle and other finish work. ¡°How long¡¯ve you been training in these other disciplines?¡± ¡°I started carpentry when I was seven.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re now?¡± ¡°Thirteen as of this past spring.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impressive work nonetheless. When did you start smithing?¡± ¡°Um. A few weeks ago? And it was really only the one week.¡± ¡°Alright. Novice it is then. She taught you how to smelt metal from ore, how to form a blade, and how to finish one. Now, usually, the smith isn¡¯t the one to finish the weapon as it requires disciplines that we don¡¯t tend to learn. However, I¡¯ll try ta give ya practice with it as well. I can provide ya with basic materials but ye¡¯ll have ta fetch any specialty materials ya might want ta use. If ya do, I¡¯ll walk ya through how ta use em. Sound fair so far?¡± ¡°It does. I thank you once again for teaching me.¡± ¡°I told ya las¡¯ time not ta worry ¡®bout it. I see it a doin¡¯ a favor for an old friend. We¡¯ll get¡¯cha ta being a master in no time! Or, well, at least a journeyman level. Alrighty then, let¡¯s get down to business. Now, we¡¯re gonna be working with iron to start with, so go find me some ore to smelt.¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡±
¡°Ugggghhhhhh¡± ¡°Rose? Are, are you alright?¡± Toffee asked me with a look of concern on her face. ¡°I am so fucking exhausted that I feel like I could go to sleep.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s unusual, correct?¡± ¡°Um. Yes, Ms. Leaf. It is. I, uh, am dead as you might be able to notice. The first time I slept in 8 years was a few days ago when I ran of mana.¡± ¡°Hmm. I¡¯ll try to keep that in mind moving forward. But, just so you know, you are not abnormal for feeling tired after a first therapy session. Many of my clients find it emotionally draining.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. Um¡­ Thanks.¡± ¡°For what in particular?¡± ¡°I dunno. Listening? I guess? I know I¡¯m real fucked up so I guess thanks for not running away screaming when you don¡¯t even know me.¡± ¡°Rose, it is my job to listen to my clients when I don¡¯t even know them. That¡¯s one of the reasons for therapy: to seek an unbiased outside opinion and use that to help frame your problems. Let¡¯s meet again next week shall we?¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Yeah, yeah that sounds ok.¡± ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll take my leave. I¡¯ll be sticking around in town though so if you find yourself in need of my services before the arranged time, come to 636 Yawgtree Avenue, it¡¯s the office I¡¯m renting while I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Excellent. With that, I hope you both have a pleasant day and hope that the next session goes as smoothly.¡± Leaf takes her exit, softly closing the door behind her. I float listlessly over to my favorite chair and sank into it a little too far and didn¡¯t have the energy to correct myself. It felt SO NICE to be able to just¡­ rest. To feel exhausted and be able to do something about it besides just waiting for it to go away. After that first night here, Toffee had INSISTED that she cast sleep on me every night because and I quote ¡°You desperately need to turn off at some point and this is the only way.¡± Toffee wandered over and placed a hand gently on my shoulder and leaned in close enough to be personal without being overbearing and spoke in a soft voice. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need anything from me?¡± ¡°Just hanging out would be nice, but I think I¡¯d like to think some on my own. But having you nearby would help I think.¡± ¡°Of course. Hang on just a sec while I grab something to do.¡± She left the room and it was me and my thoughts for a bit. Normally when I sit with my thoughts I try everything in my power to avoid them, run from them, banish and bottle and throw them in a closet and lock the door. This time was a bit different. Leaf had given me a bit of homework: to try and sit with myself and think about all the shit. She said that if I started to stew and was miserable, to stop and talk to Toffee or someone else. Not that I had anyone else to talk to though but the sentiment was nice. I guess¡­I guess I could talk to Val, but¡­ I left on such a bad note that I¡¯m worried they¡¯ll never want to talk to me again. What if I ruined everything, cut off my only family because I was too fucked in the head to realize what they were trying to say to me. I wandered back to my death, seeing Robert across the field from me, Ythene in hand and pointed at me, all while I slowly, painfully felt my insides liquify or whatever poison does to someone. I quickly pulled the shutters closed on that memory, feeling the bone deep terror of that moment resurfacing. Trying to distract myself, I focused on other sensations and sounds and found myself listening to a quiet ¡°click clack¡±. Turning towards it, I see Toffee with a knitted shawl around her shoulders, knitting away and counting stitches. It¡¯s a soothing sound, a sound of creation and quiet focus. As I focused on it and on Toffee¡¯s hands I felt my head nodding and my eyes unfocusing, letting the sound wash over and through me. I heard a distant voice, as though coming from underwater, or maybe I¡¯m underwat-
As soon as I noticed Rose¡¯s focus on my knitting and her head nodding I figured she was done thinking and was ready to sleep, poor girl. Still knitting, I cast Sleep on her again and watched her slip into her world of dreams. Hopefully she has a good one though last night she woke up panicked. I pick her up out of the chair, still feeling light as a feather, and walk her to the bedroom, laying her on the bed where she sinks into it just a bit. After getting into my night clothes, I lay down next to Rose and join her dreaming.
Surprisingly, I dreamt of Toffee, holding me in front of the fireplace, logs burning merrily, mug of tea in my hands and blanket wrapped around the two of us while a blizzard raged outside. Taking a slow sip of tea I taste a hint of ginger and honey mixed with the green tea, the spice perfect to dispel the chill from outside. Leaning back into her chest, I look up into her eyes and feel the breath catch in my throat. Gods have her eyes always been this pure a shade of purple? Royal, with small gold flecks dancing as her gaze shifts to me. She looks down at me and smiles and I feel my heart melt into my shoes. This¡­this isn¡¯t normal, this can¡¯t be real. Somehow I¡¯m dying but it feels so nice that I think I don¡¯t mind it so much this time. ¡°What are you thinking?¡± ¡°Um¡­ That I may have died again?¡± ¡°Pfft, no silly, you didn¡¯t die. I think you might just be happy.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way this is just happiness.¡± Leaning down and kissing my forehead, making my stomach do ALL KINDS OF WEIRD THINGS, she whispered in my ear. ¡°I think we both know that you feel something besides happiness, but happy is definitely there in spades.¡± ¡°Um, um, um, um¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°What¡­else, is there besides just happy?¡± ¡°I can think of a few things, but why don¡¯t we just enjoy this time together right now, ok?¡± ¡°I. Um. Yeah, sure, I can get behind that.¡± ¡°Great! Now, if I could get a sip of that tea, that¡¯d be lovely.¡± I just kinda¡­relaxed? Deflated? Collapsed into her chest while offering up the tea like a divine offering, one that was quickly accepted and appreciated. She gave it back and wrapped her arms back around my waist and rested her head on my shoulder, humming a soft song that I swear I can almost just remember. This feels so¡­amazing. Just, comfortable, cozy, relaxed. My hyperactive brain all focusing on the various things making me happy and it just¡­ all feels like such a dre-
-am. Fuck. Wait. No. Was it a dream? I still feel a lot of the warmth I felt in the dream¡­And the gentle pressure of Toffee hugging me¡­Oh. Because she is. Somehow I ended up back in bed and she¡¯s asleep behind me, holding me close and humming the same song she sang in my dream. ¡°What¡¯s that song?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°The song you¡¯re humming, what is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a song my mother sang to me when I was a kid. It always made me feel safe whenever she sang it, I¡­wanted the same thing for you.¡± My heart started racing a little bit after realizing some of the implications of my dream. Did I¡­like Toffee? See her as something other than a friend? If I did she was going to get so squicked out when she found out. Like, I¡¯m fucking gross and a horrible person that abandons people the second something starts to go wrong for me and I used to be a boy and if she likes girls and I¡¯m not a real enough girl for her what¡¯ll I do when she finds out oh godsohgodsohgods- ¡°Rose! Please, stop thinking whatever you¡¯re thinking right now. It¡¯s ok, you¡¯re here, you¡¯re safe, it¡¯s all okay.¡± She¡¯s holding me tighter, arms partially passing through but still enough that I can feel the intent. I feel my back getting kinda wet and is she¡­crying? Oh gods I made her cry. I¡¯m terrible. I¡¯m THE WORST friend ever. She¡¯s been so worried sick about me and obviously she can read my mind enough to know when I¡¯m thinking shitty fucking thoughts like that. Taking in a shuddery breath I start to turn around to face her. ¡°I¡¯m. I¡¯m sorry, Toffee. I¡¯m just¡­sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say you¡¯re sorry for doing nothing wrong! It¡¯s just, you can¡¯t keep thinking about yourself like you¡¯re terrible, or the worst, or WHATEVER you were thinking. Every time you do, you freeze up and start shaking and it¡¯s really scary for me because I- I just don¡¯t know what I can do to help you. So please, let¡¯s just get started with the day and who knows? Maybe working on the talismans will help you calm down. I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t help you more. I was really hoping you¡¯d have a good dream but I guess that was too much for me to ask of the universe.¡± ¡°No no no! I actually had a really good dream!¡± Her eyes light up, amethyst seeming to glow with her joy, tears forming a lens that slowly leaks off to the sides. ¡°Really? You¡¯re not just saying that?¡± ¡°No no. It was really nice, and you were there!¡± ¡°Really? Now I¡¯ve got to hear about it!¡± ¡°We-¡± Oh gods no. How on earth do I tell her about the dream without letting her know what it was about?!? ¡°Yeah? What were we doing?¡± ¡°Um. Um. Um.¡± I couldn¡¯t feel my face heating up because no blood but I did feel everything else about the process of blushing. ¡°That good huh?¡± ¡°What!¡± I meant to be nonchalant but it came out way more as a squeak than anything else. ¡°Hmmmmmmm, okay. Okay! I¡¯ll keep this in mind.¡± ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± ¡°Oh nothing.¡± At that she stretched out like a cat and ohmygosh she¡¯s so pretty and, and, and, um. Wow. She stopped and looked at me a little quizzically and I looked away really fast but I still heard her small chuckle and could I just die already? Mercy? Want to finish me off already? ¡°That would be delightful for me, but I¡¯m afraid dear Valkyrie would be beside herself so no. Thorn though you are I cannot smite you for good just yet. Ask me in a few years and I¡¯ll clear my schedule.¡± Aaaaand like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over me I remembered a very important fact I had learned over the last few weeks: The gods were SUPER real and had a penchant for LOUNGING AROUND IN MY HEAD. Now that all the joy had been washed away by pure terror I got out of bed and followed Toff to the kitchen where I heard the magical sound of the coffee maker working, identical to the day I¡¯d made it. Say what you want but I make things to last. Chapter 23: A Glimpse of Danger to Come, a Quest to Come, and a Brazen Confession May miles away from Rose and a few from Val, a man sits on a throne, back ramrod straight and nearly motionless, the only sign of his displeasure his index finger slowly tapping on the arm of the gilded throne. Three men kneel in front of him, equally as silent. The silence breaks as the courage of the middle supplicant does. ¡°Yo-your Grace, if, if it pleases you, I¡¯ll begin my report now.¡± The Duke is a statue of sandstone, expression uniform and nearly unnaturally still. Only the gentle tap tap tap of his finger betrays his living nature. ¡°Right, so, um, we were deployed to the road to Fellpoint, the city with the vermin and the whatnot all livin¡¯ together all peaceful like. The captain said it didn¡¯t matter if a fews of ¡®em went missing on the roads. Roads are dangerous and all and we could bring home enough seized goods to please Your Grace. So¡¯s we were doin¡¯ jus¡¯ that and it was going fine, all the boys having a grand ol¡¯ time, when outta the blue some little shit started taking us apart like a butcher does a bunch of swine! Couldn¡¯t ¡®ave been savager, a real beast of a man, taller than the captan and twice as mean ¡®e was! Had a sword longer than I am tall! Was a whirlwind of violence and blood the likes of which I ain¡¯t seen off a battlefield! Captain got struck down as if by thunder! I an¡¯ the boys fought like true soldiers we did but there was nothin¡¯ we could do against him! In the end it was me, and Joseph and Martin ¡®ere left standin¡¯ back to back to back, holding him off as good as we could but my sword broke and that was the end of it. He took us captive and started marchin¡¯ us like animals towards Fellpoint, mutterin¡¯ ¡®bout justice and a bunch of other horsepiss of the same like such that I nearly threw up me lunch I did! When anyone tried to pull a runner to come alert the Dukedom of this atrocity he cut most of our heel¡¯s edges he did after knockin¡¯ ¡®em silly! It was with great determination that we lived through the ordeal and made it back to inform Your Grace of our mistreatment and this threat to the realm!¡± The taps stopped. The statue stood. The statue moved forward, stopping only once his foot was on the back of the middle man¡¯s head and he pushed down, and down, and crack. There were two men grovelling on the floor of a throne room with a monster between them. The beast opened his mouth and growled a word. ¡°Truth. Now.¡± ¡°Um um um, right, yes, so. Jeffery wasn¡¯t wrong that the Captain said those things, nor that one person wrecked the troop. However the person was a willowy kinda of sort, hard to tell if they were a boy or a girl having just seemed to have started changing like kids do. Damn good with a blade though, and ruthless. But, but, you probably don¡¯t care about that Your Grace. So, so, we were marched or dragged to the town of Fellpoint and locked up. We really thought we were gonners, but had faith in you Your Grace. We were right to place our trust in you as they released us soon after and gave us a wagon to use to return. And that¡¯s how we ended up back here to tell you about it Your Grace.¡± ¡°Very well. Dismissed. Take it with you.¡± The Duke ended derisively, giving no indication what ¡°it¡± was but the soldiers left seemed to know, as they grabbed the body of Jeffrey and dragged it behind them, a crimson trail left behind. Servants rushed into the room and with efficient, practiced motions cleaned both the floor and the Duke¡¯s boot of the gore. They left as quickly as they had entered and the Duke had returned to being a statue, with chin resting in hand he spoke to the air. ¡°Percival. So that¡¯s where you went. Still making a mockery of me I see. Disobedient children must be punished. That witch cannot keep you from me anymore, O¡¯ son of mine.¡±
¡°ACHOO!¡± ¡°You alright there Val?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, guess someone¡¯s talking about me. I hope it¡¯s Rose.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t they normally say that means they¡¯re speaking ill of you?¡± ¡°Eh. As long as Rose is speaking of me that¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°Alrighty then, if you say so. Now then, back to work! I¡¯m glad Rose already gave you a rundown on leatherwork as it¡¯s crucial to what you want to do. Armor craft is much more time intensive and materially expensive. Now, this kind of lamellar armor, we¡¯ll need a good bit of high-quality leather, steel or an similar alloy, I¡¯d say giant spider-silk for the threading. Alternatively, I ¡®spose ya could use some kind of durable bone if ye can find some instead of the metal, though at that point I¡¯m not sure what yer doin¡¯ here with me!¡± ¡°So you¡¯re telling me to go out and hunt something?¡± ¡°Aye! I expect ya ta be outta my hair for a few days at least, so best pack some provisions. Here¡¯s the results of the sales of your practice pieces from these last few weeks. It¡¯s not the most but it¡¯s sizeable for an apprentice.¡± Girraghen placed a pouch that clinked in my hands. ¡°Um.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°What do the different metals mean?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Well some of these coins are made of silver, and some are electrum, and some are copper, so I wondered if there was a meaning for the different metals.¡± ¡°Did-did no one ever teach you about money Val?¡± ¡°Um. I was taught economic theory and financial management and investment. But, uh, no I was not taught about the value of individual coins.¡± ¡°Did that dolt apprentice of mine not teach ye either?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call her a dolt. But, uh, no. She did not. At one point she said that it¡¯d be too hard without any coins to practice with, but that was when I was seven.¡± ¡°Alright. Well then. The Treston Electrum is the basic unit of currency. Silver coins are worth half an electrum, copper worth a tenth. Gold coins are worth five electrum and platinum worth ten. Any questions?¡± ¡°Why are there no gold coins in this pouch?¡± ¡°HAH! Ye think I¡¯m made of coin, do ya? No, Val, this is what ye¡¯ve earned. Important context: one copper is the standardized worth of a loaf of bread. A meal in an inn is usually around three coppers. If you¡¯re ever wondering if someone¡¯s trying to rip you off, just think about ¡®How much could I feed myself with this same amount?¡¯ and ye¡¯ll do fine.¡± ¡°Alright. Well, I suppose I¡¯m off.¡± ¡°Great! Take care Val. Don¡¯t get eaten!¡± ¡°Oh um, do you have any leads on a creature that would be best for this?¡± ¡°Hmm. There are a good number of creatures in the area, but it¡¯s hard to say what would be best. I¡¯m not very used to using materials from beasts that don¡¯t incorporate metal into their bodies in some way or other. However, you do have a line to the best crafter in the world and I¡¯m sure she wouln¡¯t ignore you if you asked her.¡± ¡°I. I¡¯ll think about it. Goodbye for now, Girraghen.¡± ¡°That¡¯s Master GIrraghen to you while you¡¯re my apprentice!¡± After a slap on the back from Girraghen that nearly laid me flat, I left the smithy, coin purse in my vest pocket, and left for the market. It¡¯s a little daunting, leaving the smithy without Girraghen¡¯s comforting presence. I¡¯ve been there for a few weeks now and have only left once or twice to go shopping for supplies for my black smithing practicing. I have a new sword, the best one I made for practice. It¡¯s better in some ways than the Thorn but I can¡¯t bear to part with Boar¡¯s Thorn. It¡¯s¡­ too precious to me. Checking the stats for the new sword, I see: Item Name: Flame¡¯s Edge Item Description: Steel Gauntlet Sword Item Ranking: C-Rank Item Stats: Item Skill: Flame Edge (Passive): School of Destructive Magic. The sword is a conduit for fire mana, allowing one to circulate mana through it as an extension of their body, allowing boosted elemental properties and imparting magical cutting force to the weapon. Sword made by a talented apprentice. Forged with dedication, a solid weapon for a burgeoning spellblade. May their mana see them through to a future with less turmoil. Yeah I didn¡¯t know what the flavor text was really hinting at. Though the thought of being a spellblade is nice. Unfortunately, I haven¡¯t been able to circulate my mana through it effectively enough. It¡¯s like there¡¯s some kind of dam between me and it: I can feel a trickle flow through it but when I try to increase the flow I cut it off instead. If Rose was here I¡¯m sure she would show me the best way to do it out of four different methods but instead I¡¯m left fumbling in the dark. Wait, Girraghen said to ask her about the armor! Maybe I can ask about the sword at the same time. Chat with Rose: Valkyrie: Hey Rose! Can you answer some crafting questions for me? Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Valkyrie: Rose? Valkyrie: Alright, guess you¡¯re busy. I¡¯ll just leave the questions here and you can answer when you feel like it, okay? Valkyrie: I¡¯m planning to make myself some armor. I want to experiment with different armor styles from the different cultures here in Fellpoint so I¡¯m planning on making lamellar armor in the style of the dragonkin, a helmet with cheek plates in the devilkin style, and greaves and gauntlets in the style of felinids, with leather and natural scales. For the lamellar, Girraghen says I need a few different materials, primarily leather, spider silk, and either bone or metal of some kind. I¡¯d like the leather to be the same for the extremities and the chestpiece. All and all, I¡¯m wondering- Valkyrie: -what kinds of materials I can get around here that would work best I guess. Valkyrie: Also, I made a sword I can¡¯t really use. It says it¡¯s a fire mana conduit but everytime I try to circulate through it my mana flow gets abruptly cut off. I don¡¯t know what to do to make it work. Valkyrie: Also, I miss you. Cheeks burning, I close the chat window and head to the market to shop for supplies.
Man I might be a creep, but I can¡¯t help it. I keep catching myself staring at Toffee and then she catches me and it¡¯s so awkward right now that I can barely stand it. It SUPER DOES NOT HELP that we sleep in the same bed. I have tried to get her to let me sleep in the chair but she adamantly refuses, saying stuff like ¡°Women need proper beauty rest which is impossible to get while sleeping upright.¡± and ¡°Do you really think me so heartless as to kick a woman out of her own bed?¡± and in general just, being near me. I don¡¯t know why she wants to be so close to me, especially with how I know I¡¯ve been looking at her lately. It¡¯s just¡­ she¡¯s SO DAMN PRETTY that I can¡¯t help it! Like, like, the way she tucks her hair behind her ear when she¡¯s reading, the look of focus when she¡¯s making something, her eyes that I get lost in, her skin like intricate latte art begging me to touch it, it¡¯s ALL TOO MUCH! GAAHHHH how have I NEVER NOTICED IT BEFORE!?!?? Well, obviously because I¡­didn¡¯t think of her as a person, just a computer program. Uggghhhh I hate myself so much. I treated her so poorly, no matter what she says I know that I did and it¡¯s just so hard to even try and accept her forgiveness. She¡¯s heard me talk about the basics of my life before death and seemed confused but sympathetic. Honestly it kinda hurts that she pities me so much for what happened with my parents. It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t find a way to cope. The gam- this world was my coping mechanism and now I get to live here forever in the body I¡¯ve always wanted so why¡­ why do I feel so empty? Just, like, I don¡¯t fit in my own skin? Gah, Leaf¡¯s sessions have been going strong and I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s helping more than it¡¯s hurting but I think it¡¯ll get better eventually. Leaf says it¡¯s just a matter of figuring out what I want to work on and going from there but I just¡­ don¡¯t know how to put it into words. I wish I could just say that I want to forget forever. To pretend that my life started when I died or something. That way I wouldn¡¯t feel like¡­ like an imposter, like someone wearing a mask all the time. I NEVER want to go back to looking like I did, so why does it feel so bad to just¡­ be me? I dunno, and I probably never will. Working on the talismans has been going well, it¡¯s gotten to the point that I can almost pick up something heavier than a pen! I also don¡¯t pass through furniture anymore so that¡¯s neat. I think my clothes still count as part of my body so sometimes I kinda feel naked? If that makes any sense at all? ¡°Whaaatcha thinking ¡®bout?¡± ¡°Gahjafnjadnanonesgoene!¡± ¡°Hahahaha! Sorry to startle you, but you had such a serious look on your face and weren¡¯t moving so I wanted to know what was up.¡± ¡°Oh. Um, nothing much?¡± ¡°Bull.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I said that¡¯s bullshit. If you don¡¯t want to talk about it you don¡¯t have to but don¡¯t lie to me and try to make it seem small.¡± ¡°How do you know I wasn¡¯t just thinking about new crafting recipes?¡± ¡°Because your face wouldn¡¯t have looked like you were at a funeral, it would¡¯ve been lit up like the Solstice Festival.¡± ¡°I do not look like that!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right! You didn¡¯t look like that just now. So the question is, what got you all down in the dumps out of nowhere?¡± I finally turned back to look at her and holy katzenjammer kids she¡¯s so close! ¡°Bah, ba, um, um, what was the question?¡± ¡°Are you feeling ok? Are you sick? Can you get sick?¡± She said while putting her hand on my forehead, supposedly to test for a fever I¡¯m pretty sure is impossible with the whole, ¡°no bodily functions¡± thing. Still, her face is so close and so beautiful and her eyes are like pools that I can¡¯t help but drown in and and and whoopsie there I go falling over. ¡°Rose! You really aren¡¯t feeling ok! That¡¯s it, you¡¯re getting into bed and getting some rest. Clearly eight years without sleep can¡¯t be solved with two weeks of normal rest!¡± ¡°Wait wait, Toff, I¡¯m fine, really, I just lost focus for a second there it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Just shut up and come with me, or do I have to carry you like a princess to get you into your own bed?¡± Images of Toffee carrying me bridal style and throwing me on the bed and getting on top of me and- NOPE NOPE NOPE do not go there Rose! That way lies madness and disappointment! Wait, oh no, while I was lost in the THOUGHTS WE CANNOT THINK, Toffee apparently had enough and picked me up anyway! Why is her face always so close?!? Why is she strong enough to carry me? Why is this the safest I¡¯ve felt in¡­ my entire life? Fuck really??? Grabbing some of her shirt I open my mouth to speak, she looks down at me and the words just sort of¡­melt away and I¡¯m left here opening and closing my mouth like a fish out of water. ¡°Hehehe, cute.¡± She mutters under her breath, smiling gently and shooting my heart twice over. ¡°What?!¡± I squeak out. She didn¡¯t just call me cute, right? I¡¯m like the opposite of cute! I¡¯m like, the worst person so why¡­? ¡°I. Said. You¡¯re. Cute.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because you are, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t be cute, don¡¯t lie to me.¡± ¡°Oh really? Who¡¯s really the one lying to you here? ¡®Cause from what I know, you¡¯re one of the cutest people I know.¡± ¡°What about me could possibly be cute?¡± I said. Well, pouted really. I don¡¯t want to act this way, but it¡¯s hard not to when she¡¯s clearly teasing me. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Just now, you were blushing so hard that your entire face was tomato red, which was pleasant to see. The way you opened your mouth only for nothing to get out was precious. The way you bite your lip and hum when you¡¯re thinking about crafting, your exuberance when discussing recipes and generally teaching people how to craft themselves¡­ need I go on?¡± ¡°Nope! Nope, that¡¯s, uh, that¡¯s plenty.¡± ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll stop there but just know that I could go on.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± ¡°Yeah Rose?¡± ¡°Toffee¡­ Um, Toff, do you actually like me?¡± ¡°Pfft. Yeah I do you dolt.¡± ¡°Umm¡­just, how do you like me?¡± ¡°Whatcha mean?¡± ¡°Well, you used to just call me Boss, but ever since I got here you¡¯ve been using my name more and more, and then you said all that embarrassing stuff just now, and in general you¡¯ve been taking really good care of me and helping me when I don¡¯t deserve it so just¡­ why? I guess is what I¡¯m asking?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­ Do you want to know the easy answer, the hard answer, or the dirty answer?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a WHAT!?!?¡± ¡°Easy, hard, or dirty, take your pick.¡± ¡°Umm, umm, why is there a dirty answer?¡± ¡°I feel like that one should be obvious.¡± ¡°IT¡¯S REALLY NOT!¡± ¡°Hahahahah, alright alright, no need to shout in my ear. I take it you don¡¯t want to hear the dirty answer then?¡± Thoughts of Toffee and me doing dirty things once again flash through my brain and and nope nope nope do not think of that do not think of that it¡¯s not going to happen you¡¯re misunderstanding somehow. ¡°Hmm, looks like you already have an idea of the dirty answer from that look just now but I suppose I¡¯ll move on. So, easy or hard answer, which do you want?¡± ¡°What exactly makes them easy or hard?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess easy is more flippantly worded and hard is a bit more eloquent.¡± ¡°Can¡­can I have both?¡± ¡°My my my, someone¡¯s greedy today. Fine, I don¡¯t mind. Let¡¯s see. We¡¯ll do easy first. I like you. Simple as that. You might be super dense but I also like that about you. One day I hope to truly love you and you me. The Hard answer goes something a bit like this. Everyday you bring light and joy into my life. Your smile feels like the sun shining on a spring afternoon. Your laugh is always something new, exciting and mysterious and just plain silly in turns. Even though now you only have the one dress you still have great taste in fashion that I greatly appreciate. Your mind is razor sharp and your social graces are nearly non-existent which results in an endlessly entertaining dichotomy. When you feel sorrowful or self-destructive it hurts me more than any physical wound I¡¯ve ever received and I want to do nothing except pull you from the thoughts that seek to wipe out your smile. You¡¯re everything I want in a partner and I want to keep you in my life for the rest of time. How¡¯s that for an answer?¡± ¡°My head is exploding. I would say my heart but that exploded after the easy answer so I¡¯m just going to sit here quietly for a bit.¡± ¡°But Rose, you¡¯re not sitting, I¡¯m holding you and as might be obvious by the fact that I¡¯m sitting on the bed and haven¡¯t let go yet, I don¡¯t want to put you down just yet.¡± ¡°Um. That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Rose but could you speak up? I didn¡¯t quite catch that?¡± ¡°I SAID IT¡¯S FINE! So just, keep holding me, okay?¡± ¡°Alright then, I can do that. Also, Rose, I don¡¯t expect you to reciprocate right away. Just, keep it in mind. If it makes you uncomfortable, I¡¯ll leave it be.¡± ¡°NO! No, I just- it¡¯s a lot all at once¡­ but again, I don¡¯t hate it. Just¡­ give me a little time to come to grips with it. But, also, can you promise me something?¡± ¡°Anything Rose.¡± ¡°Can you keep hugging me now and then? It¡¯s really nice and I never got to experience it before.¡± Toffee¡¯s grip tightened a little on me and she started shaking a little. Oh. I guess she hated the ide- ¡°Your parents never hugged you?¡± ¡°Haha. Um. No, not that I remember. They were always distant and¡­um¡­ didn¡¯t appreciate certain proclivities of mine.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°I always wanted to wear pretty clothes like dresses and skirts. I always wanted to play with dolls and stuffed animals. One time when I was six they caught me trying on my Mom¡¯s bra. It, uh, never ended well for me.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to answer you don¡¯t have to but if you can, tell me, did they hurt you?¡± ¡°Haha. Yeah. Yeah they did. I told you, didn¡¯t I? My Mom¡¯s the one that poisoned me. I guess they¡¯d finally had enough of their failure of a son.¡± My throat was dry, choking up. I never felt like this when talking about it before so why does it hurt so much now? ¡°I wish I could go to your world so I could kill them for you.¡± Toffee spat with such loathing that it kinda scared me a little. I never knew she had this side to her. Looking at her face from below, it seemed sculpted in barely contained rage and a dealy glint in her eyes. She seemed like an avenging angel, ready to smite down those that dared harm her charge. ¡°Toff. Toff it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s in the past. What¡¯d done is done and they can¡¯t hurt me anymore. Just¡­take a deep breath and come back, okay?¡± A deep shuddering breath ran in and out of her and as she looked back down at me the sculpture cracked and she was the same Toffee I knew again, as though no trace of the angel was left. I think I finally understood why angels said ¡°Be not afraid.¡± They might be terrible to their foes, but only to protect people. At least, that¡¯s what I felt from her in this moment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Rose. I lost my head there for a second. I¡¯m really sorry if I scared you. It¡¯s just¡­ the thought of someone hurting you makes me furious.¡± ¡°No, no it¡¯s okay. I was a little scared but I¡¯m also a little¡­ happy? Just, don¡¯t fly off the handle for something that doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°Why do you keep saying that you don¡¯t matter?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°Rose. Please. Shut up about that. You mean everything to me and I hope that you can come to mean something to yourself. In fact, I know you can, you just need time. Loving someone else is infinitely easier than loving yourself, but you need to make yourself your first priority. That¡¯s why I¡¯m more than willing to wait and be here for you until you get there. Just know that I¡¯m not going to abandon you anytime soon.¡± I felt hot water coming to my eyes and running down my face. Wait, that¡¯s not right. I can¡¯t cry. So why¡­ why can I? It is the talismans? But¡­there¡¯s nothing in them that would let me do that. I don¡¯t understand anything anymore but also¡­ it¡¯s really nice to be able to cry. I haven¡¯t been able to properly cry for- for forever really. I found myself clutching onto Toffee and burying my face in her stomach, just letting everything out. I distantly felt her rocking me and saying something I couldn¡¯t hear. Somewhere along the way I felt myself slip away into the oblivion of sleep. Chapter 24: Lullabies, Whispers from the Dark, a Promise and a Runaway As Rose started crying in my arms I feel my heart break just a little. She¡¯s so different from her old mask that it¡¯s startling. How much pain has she always been in if the mere thought that she can love herself makes her break down so much? Rocking her gently I sing a song my mother once sang to me when I was young. She isn¡¯t a child but she was in pain and it feels like the right thing to do. ¡°~Down in the valley, valley so low. Hang your head over, hear the wind blow. Hang your head over dear, hear the wind blow. Hang your head over, hear the wind blow.~¡± After quite a few minutes I feel her breath steady out and see that she fell asleep. Singing all the while, I lay her down in bed and pull the covers over her. She¡¯s a little weird, she can¡¯t stand the feeling of a top sheet, preferring to feel the softer blankets. She¡¯s weird but I still love her. Leaning over, I wipe the last remnants of her tears away and she leans into my touch while asleep. That¡­ that¡¯s so precious! Gods she¡¯s the cutest person I know and I can¡¯t wait for the day she comes to terms with that for herself. Checking the time outside the window it¡¯s mid-afternoon, not even dinner time yet, buuuut maybe it¡¯d be good to get in a little nap. Wait. No. I shouldn¡¯t. Looking back it feels like I¡¯ve been taking advantage of her and I¡¯m honestly disappointed in myself for doing so. She said she doesn¡¯t hate it, but is that just because she¡¯s growing dependent on me? I hope not, but I¡¯m going to lighten up for right now, until she comes to me in her own time. Arrrggghhh but it¡¯s going to be so hard! C¡¯mon Toffee! Stay strong! This is for the good of both of you! Whelp, since she¡¯s asleep, guess it¡¯s time to read that book I left off on when she got here!
The market sure is a bit overwhelming. Stalls line the streets, merchants loudly hawking their wares or animatedly haggling, complaining about how they¡¯ll go out of business with the prices people are asking from them while the customers complain about highway robbery and all the supposedly ¡°usual¡± things that happen in markets day by day. According to Rose, the primary difference between the stalls and the stores is that stores have set prices that are usually a it higher than what you could get at a stall by haggling well enough, but at a stall you run the risk of getting truly ripped off if you¡¯re not careful enough. Also, treating a stall merchant like a store and not haggling will not endear you to the market as a whole, the merchants getting their fun from the art of the deal. I don¡¯t have a lot of money, but most stalls don¡¯t sell anything like road rations, many focusing on more domestic needs: fresh (and not so fresh) groceries and street food of occasionally dubious origin guaranteed to give you the runs. At least, that¡¯s what Girraghen said before I left. Wandering around a bit, feeling lost and the weight of the task growing heavier with every step I accidentally bump into someone, sending us sprawling in a tangle of limbs. I manage to catch myself right before I¡¯d fall on them completely but, uh, that might¡¯ve been not the right move. Beneath me is Lexy, her face flushed red with a halo of scattered food. ¡°I- I- I¡¯m so sorry Lexy, I wasn¡¯t looking where I was going!¡± ¡°Um um that¡¯s fine but, uh, could you let me up? Certain people might misunderstand something about our relationship if they get pinned underneath someone as cute as you.¡± ¡°Right! Right! Sorry, sorry.¡± Getting up quickly I offer her my hand and she takes it only to look down and groan. ¡°Ugghh now I have to clean all this up.¡± ¡°Would you allow me to assist you? It¡¯s the least I could do to help after being so rude, it¡¯s my fault after all.¡± ¡°Why thank you, my overly formal friend! Here¡¯s the bag, still in one piece at least, and the meat didn¡¯t spill out so that¡¯s a blessing.¡± Together we bend over and start picking up the various green groceries from the well-paved streets. Reaching for the last piece of fruit on the ground, I feel a warm touch on the back of my fingers, seeing Lexy had also reached for it. I flinch back instinctively and so does she, the feeling of the touch was electric somehow. Face hot, I recover a bit faster and hurriedly place the apple in her bag and stand back up. ¡°So, Val, what¡¯re you looking for here? Last I heard you were apprenticing with Master Girraghen. How¡¯s that like? Is he nice? I¡¯ve only ever heard good things about his work.¡± ¡°Master Girraghen treats me quite well; learning from him is quite rewarding. I¡¯m actually here because of my next project.¡± ¡°Oh? Do tell!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to be making myself some armor. I don¡¯t normally fight with any but I want to see if being able to take some hits is better than worrying about dodging everything thrown my way. With good enough materials, I might be able to keep a similar level of dexterity as I have now. Though I will have to basically relearn how to fight with the way the armor will limit the way I move in certain ways.¡± ¡°Sounds interesting! So you¡¯re here to buy materials? If so, you might want to check out the adventurer¡¯s guild!¡± ¡°No, actually, I¡¯m here to shop for supplies for a hunting trip to gather the materials myself.¡± ¡°Hmm hmm! Maaaaaan, I¡¯ve always wanted to do something like that!¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Go on an adventure! See new places! See cool monsters! Fight cool monsters! I want to be more than just a merchant like my parents and I definitely don¡¯t want to end up some stay at home wife doing boring chores all day for some jerk.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine doing that either. I¡¯ll warn you though, fighting¡¯s not all it¡¯s cracked up to be. It¡¯s really dangerous, even more so with monsters for me.¡± ¡°What d''ya mean?¡± ¡°Well, I was taught how to fight other people, not monsters. I was taught to fight something that wields a weapon in a traditional style, not a beast that¡¯s body is its weapon, nor a more humanoid monster fighting in a style i¡¯m not familiar with.¡± ¡°Then if it¡¯s so dangerous for you, why are you doing it?¡± ¡°I want to. I don¡¯t want to be someone that can only harm people, I want to protect them as well.¡± ¡°Well, I know you protected Dad and Emmy from other people, buuuut I guess it¡¯d be good to be able to protect people from monsters too. People that live outside of cities have to be super careful don¡¯t they?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard so, yes.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Hey, Val?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Can. Can you teach me how to fight? Can you take me with you? I promise not to get in the way and I won¡¯t be a burden! I can help you carry whatever you get from the monsters so please? Can I?¡± Looking into her puppy dog eyes I felt my heart throb again, like it did back when I had breakfast with her family. It feels like it¡¯s trying to hammer itself out of my chest. My face feels like it¡¯s on fire so I can¡¯t help but look away. ¡°Um. Um. Yeah, I can do that. But! But, you have to listen to everything I say, okay?¡± ¡°No problem there! I¡¯ll do whatever I need to!¡± ¡°I mean it! If I tell you to run, you have to run, okay? Even if it means leaving me behind. You¡¯re first priority is yourself, alright?¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°No buts. If you can¡¯t follow that rule I can¡¯t take you with me.¡± ¡°I- Alright. If that¡¯s what it takes, then I¡¯ll do it!¡± ¡°Okay. First off, let me ask you, how much mana do you have?¡± ¡°Um? Let¡¯s see¡­ says I have 230!¡± ¡°Okay! That¡¯s good. Do you know your affinities and how to cast magic?¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Umm¡­ what¡¯s an affinity?¡± ¡°Okay then, we¡¯ll be putting mage aside for right now. How strong are you?¡± ¡°Pretty strong! I help carry the water for the house and I help move the inventory! I can carry three sacks of grain at once!¡± ¡°How much does a sack of grain weigh?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­a lot? Yeah, a lot!¡± ¡°Okay. Do you have any money you can use to buy some equipment?¡± ¡°I¡­ I have some savings!¡± ¡°Do you have it with you?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°Alright then, why don¡¯t you go home and grab your money then meet me at Girraghen¡¯s forge, you know where that is, right?¡± ¡°Yeah I do! Alright! See you in a bit!¡± She took off running, groceries slung over her shoulder. Figuring I needed to worry about this first, I start heading back to Girraghen¡¯s.
Val¡¯s standing in front of me, back to me, sword drawn facing off against something. Some kind of beast in the shadows, Red eyes burning in an indistinct face. A dark, vaguely masculine voice whispers in my ear, a susurrus telling me to give up, to give in, to lay down and die. Another voice joins the first, feminine and alluring in that sensuous way that reeks of trouble. It tells me to betray Val, to stab them in the back before they grow up enough that they realize that they no longer need me, to bind their hands and chain them to me, to never let them grow apart, to clutch them tight, that they are mine and mine alone and if I can¡¯t have them no one can. One moment their back is turned, the next their blade is in my heart, Val¡¯s face is so so cold. I know that look. It¡¯s exactly like Robert¡¯s face was when I died. Cold. Soulless. Devoid of any emotion. Val¡¯s green eyes don¡¯t look like mossy meadows or sparkling emeralds anymore. They look like poison. Like what I must have eaten so long ago that melted my insides. Suddenly, It¡¯s Toffee holding the sword, my avenging angel¡¯s wrath turned on me. She leans in and whispers to me in a voice I know I recognize but can¡¯t associate with the Toffee that said she loves me, only the angel that once stood to protect me. ¡°How could anyone love a freak like you?¡± The voice and face switch back to Val¡¯s, similar only in that I cannot associate it with the sweet child I know, only the monster forged in their father¡¯s likeness. ¡°Do you truly think I need someone as worthless as you by my side? How can I look up to someone that can only achieve failure after failure?¡± Another voice with another face, one I wished I¡¯d forgotten long ago. ¡°What a son you are. Parading around like a perverted whore, staining our home, our family name, our daughter with your disgusting fantasies. You¡¯re not my child. You¡¯re not even human.¡± Again and again, the voice and face changes, cycling through the people I know, the people I loved, the people I sought to protect and the people I wanted to acknowledge me for who I am. Again and again they break me down, punching me in the gut, in the heart, in the brain with their soft words slithering through my ears. All the while the sword remains in my heart, I¡¯m bleeding out, I can feel it. I¡¯m growing colder, so much colder, losing feeling everywhere, becoming a corpse again. Last time it hurt enough that I couldn¡¯t think. This time, it doesn¡¯t hurt as much physically so I can have all the time in the world to think about how much the words are tearing me apart. Why am I trying to be loved? How could anyone ever love me? I¡¯ve known my entire life, I¡¯m not a person. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not even alive. I don¡¯t think I ever was. Not since I was so young that I can¡¯t remember it at least. I can¡¯t cry. I¡¯ve never been able to cry. I¡¯m hollow, broken, worthless and despicable. Waking up isn¡¯t instant. It¡¯s not a sudden transition from the dream to reality. There¡¯s no sense of relief that the nightmare is over, no realization that it was just a conjuration of my fucked up head. No. It¡¯s a sickening move, with nothing changing. The sword¡¯s still in my heart, the blood still gone, the words still echoing in my mind, and I don¡¯t know that they¡¯ll ever leave. It¡¯s not a cold sweat, there¡¯s nothing in me to sweat out after all. Even though I say that there¡¯s nothing in me, why is my face wet?
Rushing back home I want to skip I¡¯m so excited! Finally! Action! Adventure! Romance! Wait. ¡°Romance? Do- do I like Val? She¡¯s really pretty, and she¡¯s so nice, and she¡¯s strong and smart all at once. But, do I like her?! Come on Lex! Snap out of it! This is about action and adventure, romance can come after!¡± Thoughts sorted out¡­ sorta, I wonder¡­ I haven¡¯t been to the baths in a while cause Mom and Dad keep telling me to watch Emmy and carry this here and clean that and ugh. Do I smell? Oh god I must. And Val was so close she must have been able to smell it. Oh god does she think that I don¡¯t care about hygiene? What if that ruins my chances!?! What do I do what do I do what- SMACK Both cheeks aflame, I¡¯m back out of it. She didn¡¯t say anything, didn¡¯t even look like she smelt anything. It¡¯s fine, it¡¯ll be fine. She¡¯s a smith¡¯s apprentice to begin with! She probably sweats more than I do! But. But she did smell really good, like smoke mixed with flowers. Oh man, that¡¯s probably creepy to think, that someone smells good, right? No one says stuff like that! I can never tell her that. Okay, okay, we¡¯re here, it¡¯s fine, let¡¯s just drop the groceries, grab the bank, and off we are. Action! Adventure! Ro- Nope! Excitement! Yeah, that! ¡°I¡¯m home! Anyone here?¡± There might as well have been crickets chirping. Huh, guess they¡¯re all out too. Weird that little Emms isn¡¯t home but whatever. Dropping the bag in the kitchen, placing the meat and other more perishable stuff in the ice box, I run upstairs and pulling up the floorboard where my treasures are hidden. My diary, my box of rocks I like, the hawk feather that landed on my head when I was eight, the four leaf clover dad preserved in glass for me. The bracelet grandma left me. And finally, the bag with what¡¯s left of my allowances from the past five years. It¡¯s¡­ less than I¡¯d like, buuuut a girl¡¯s got to have fun! I¡¯m not the best with money but I¡¯m not the worst. Not like Sandy Clarke. That girl¡¯s constantly mooching when I know that her parents give her more than mine give me. Whatever, I¡¯ve got no time for fools, I¡¯ve got an adventure to go on! It, uh, helps that I¡¯m going on an adventure with basically the girl from my dreams. But I can¡¯t think like that! Grabbing the pouch and carefully replacing the board in the same direction it was in before I took it out, I¡¯m off! Waitwaitwait. If I just leave without telling anyone, they¡¯ll get super worried, right? Buuut if I go and tell Mom and Dad, they¡¯re gonna to tell me not to go! Guess it¡¯s note time! ¡°Dearest Mother and Father, It is with great joy and some sadness that I must let you know that I will be traveling for an unknown amount of time with our family¡¯s friend and savior, Miss Valkyrie. She has agreed to teach me the way of the sword and in turn I will assist her in her endeavors on a hunting trip outside the city. I believe it to be a wondrous opportunity for the advancement of my education and career and hope that you too will see it in this light. Tell young Lady Emerald that I will return with gifts from the wilderness and perhaps lands far away in due time. I will be safe as houses with my boon companion to watch my back as I face off against the monsters that threaten our peaceful life here in Fellpoint. With warmest regards and unending filial love, Lexandra ¡°Pfft. Hehehehe, man I wish I could see the looks on their faces when they read this masterpiece of the written word! Elegant! Flowing! A little bit wordy, I¡¯ll admit, but! My handwriting is perfect and I know it. I spent SO LONG getting it just right. It¡¯s a true showing that I¡¯m an adult now and can make my own decisions, thank you very much! Placing my note on the table on top of the bag of groceries to make sure they see it when they get home, I¡¯m off like a shot to Girraghen¡¯s! ¡°ADVENTURE HERE I COME!!!¡±
Looking over the gear I¡¯ve made so far, I think the best fit for Lexy is either a spear, easy to learn and use even at lower strength levels, or a slashing sword. Any bludgeoning weapon is out as well as thrusting swords, not to mention any polearms or greatarms. Though I don¡¯t have many of either of those, my best weapons are the new sword on my hip and a rapier I made as a test. It¡¯s light, can be used to either slash or thrust, and requires dexterity more than strength although strength does help it. ¡°What¡¯re you up ta Val! Thought I¡¯d sent ya off already! Don¡¯t tell me yer switchin¡¯ up fighting styles right before ya set out! That¡¯d be a disaster and a half! BWAHAHA!¡± After jumping out of my skin from Girraghen¡¯s slap on my back, I catch my breath enough to reply. ¡°No, I found a travelling companion like you said I should, but I need to outfit them. I figured if I gave them a weapon I made, it would cut down on initial costs for equipment so that we could focus on buying her armor.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! Glad ta see ya take my advice for once! Is she coming here ta get kitted out or are ya just gonna pick for her? I¡¯d recommend against that last option. Never put a weapon in someone¡¯s hands without givin¡¯em other options. They need to find the one that works and feels best for ¡®em. Now that¡¯s not ta say we can¡¯t give ¡®em advice away from foolishness. Kid as thin as a stick comes in wantin¡¯ a Zweihander? Imma try an¡¯ gently dissuade ¡®em.¡± ¡°Um, yes, I already invited her over. She shouldn¡¯t be too long behind me.¡± ¡°Great, great. I¡¯ll help you two pick what works best for her.¡± ¡°Thanks Girraghen, that would be great.¡± ¡°Bah, don¡¯t mention it. Wouldn¡¯t want either of ya kids to die cause the weapon wasn¡¯t right. Oh! Right, do they have any experience in combat?¡± ¡°Um. No. I was planning on teaching them while we travelled and having them stay back in most fights.¡± ¡°They may not appreciate your consideration, but that¡¯s probably the best plan.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±