《A Machine's Cage: Second Life, Second Chances》 Prologue, Broken Heart The night was warm, and the air was wet and heavy with a rain that wouldn¡¯t come. It lingered, teasing him with a false promise, a lie. Or maybe it was just a lie he told himself to make the run easier. His body always had a hard time with it and a little rain would have helped cool him down as he ran. With a final stretch he pulled at his left calf, it was the last stretch before his midnight run. The evening heat and humidity could be felt in his bones, like it was sapping his strength more than usual. In the far distance inter cloud lighting strikes light up the sky for a moment only to fade away, only to reappear and then another and another, fast and rapid. Like a dying light trying desperately to say on. ¡°Another microburst, well the rain will make this easier¡±, he whispered to no one. Again, the same lie he knew, but saying it would make the run easier. Lying to himself always did. Finishing the stretches, he stood up straight, his face seemed far older than it should be. A lonely man in his early 30s or maybe late 40s? What did it matter. Weak with apathy, beaten not some much by life, but by his own failed machinations. What could be said about him besides, it was always his fault. He wanted to be better, he wished it almost every day of his life. To be better, to be strong enough to be better, and even to truly want to be better. You see, wishing alleviated the need to actually be better. It was sufficient to say you want change without ever actually having to change. In truth, he knew that if he really wanted to be different, he would. It was a choice not to. It was always his fault. But tonight, he would try. It wasn¡¯t his first night run, not even close. He had been focused on this one thing, trying to build something from the rotten rubble he had made of his life. Well, that¡¯s not completely fair, he did have a job, owned a house, had a few degrees even. All made possible by a family that wasn¡¯t there anymore. One foot in front of the other, he began to move. A meaningless goal ahead of him, a meaningless life behind him. It was always his fault. He had abandoned them, and the rest disappeared. They were all he had, and he just ignored them. When his father was dying in the hospital, his family almost didn¡¯t tell him. Of course, when they did he dropped everything to visit a waking corpse that wasn¡¯t even aware. Dropping his freshman year exams, he had dug a hole he would never fill, to fulfill a son¡¯s promise that was already broken. Though that isn¡¯t fair, that academic hole was already dug. Even without the exams he had been failing his courses anyway. It was wrong to blame his failures on anything but himself. Each step seemed to take more energy than the last. ¡®It should get easier, shouldn¡¯t it?¡¯ he thought to himself or at least he should be getting stronger? He still managed to graduate, somehow. Pulling loans, and the last money his family gave him. Even made it a point to go back later in life and get another degree, because what else was he supposed to do? Thoughts continued to pile on him. His mother, the call he got that day, she was sick. She was dying, though of course they didn¡¯t say those words, but it was obvious. He should have visited her. Of course, she wasn¡¯t there anymore to visit; 40% blood oxygen isn¡¯t really alive. But he should have visited her anyway. It would have hurt, but then again everything hurts. It was always his fault. Oxygen. That was what his body desperately needed. He could feel it, his blood and muscle burned from the buildup of lactic and carbonic acid, and carbon that wasn¡¯t being carried away properly. Why did it hurt this much? After her death, there was nothing. His extended family just disappeared. He was never close with them but, not even a single condolence? He knew it was his fault. He should have been there and wasn¡¯t, he should have visited more and he just didn¡¯t. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. He felt his chest squeeze tighter, as he continued to run. There was no point stopping, he was so close to that useless goal he had set for himself. It was something to strive for, something small and utterly pointless, but it was still something. It was always his fault. Even before all that, when they were alive and he was still so young, he could remember hurting them. He had always been different, not in the normal way that people are different but in his own twisted way. He saw things that others didn¡¯t, could feel things that others missed, and he didn¡¯t understand. Or maybe that was the excuse he used. How many times had those two cried because of him, hurt because of him. He always knew it was his fault. He would have given anything to undo the damage he did. To undo his existence, but of course he couldn¡¯t. The only reason they were ever together anyway was because of him. It was always his fault. There was no one waiting for him back home. No, home wasn¡¯t the right word. Back at the house, at the place with his bed and little else. Alone, but too proud to admit it or admit he wanted someone else in his life. He¡¯d argue if had truly wanted it, he would have had it. No, what truly wanted was something all of us really wanted, a family and a place where to belong. Something he could never have, something he felt he never deserved. It was always his fault. He did have his ideas, dreams, and thoughts. Maybe given a second chance he would have done things differently, maybe his machinations would have amount something special. He used to dream of the stars, of humanity¡¯s future, his future. Not that it mattered any more, this life was long since spent. ¡®It was always my fault.¡¯ The words echoed in his head as his vision narrowed. He couldn¡¯t feel his hands, but that didn¡¯t matter. It was so close. It was always his fault. He knew he should do something. Something was wrong with him, physically. But he was so close to that negligible and pathetic goal. ¡°You are a strange one.¡± Words seemed to echo in his head. They didn¡¯t feel like his. But an Oxygen starved brain would hallucinate. He knew what was coming, and if he was honest, he welcomed it. It¡¯s why he didn¡¯t stop. However, the muscles in his chest did. ¡°Of all of you, you would just give up without fighting? Maybe that¡¯s why the others call you a minor soul instead of great one.¡± The voice again. His voice maybe? No. Everything was darkening. His legs didn¡¯t want to move. He could feel his chest, he could feel it twitch as it tried desperately to get him those last few meaningless feet. It didn¡¯t matter though. ¡°Here I found you, in your last moments in this forsaken world. I wonder¡­ What would you do if given another chance? If I gave you that chance, would you fight us again or maybe this time for fight us¡­¡± His right leg just stopped moving, his muscles unable to contract anymore. Momentum took over and he finally fell to the ground. ¡®I was so close. Just one victory¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t need to close his eyes for the darkness to overcome him. ¡°The others will fight me on this, but I want to see what you build. I want to see what you build, for us. For me. Your cage you will build, your chains you will hold, because if you let them go you will lose everything again.¡± Again, that voice? He didn¡¯t really understand why, but he hated it. Like a deep quite part of him knew it. But that didn¡¯t matter, it was over¡­ Just dark, and the rumble of distant thunder, and rain that would finally come, just a little too late. The feeling of wetness on his skin, maybe the rain? The loud banging but not thunder, it sounded too wet. Like a heartbeat. What was this? Warm and Cold. He could faintly hear yelling and screaming. A woman? What was left of his mind danced with the possibility, was this his descent into hell? ¡°Drukin!¡± ¡°Haaaa~!¡± ¡°Drukin, Lillith! DRUKIN!¡± The words didn¡¯t make any sense, was it the last throws of his dying mind? Suddenly all the warmth disappeared, just a faint coolness surrounded him. Like he had stepped out of a warm shower. There were lights and colors all around him, but everything was so fuzzy, so hard to see. ¡°Blawst, nass. Hoo, nass¡­¡± More words that didn¡¯t make sense. A small part of his mind felt like he should cry out. ¡°Ahsa. Baba¡± The words wouldn¡¯t come, it was like he couldn¡¯t control his vocal cords and tongue, like nothing in his body connected right anymore. Nothing fit together anymore. ¡°Ha- Hainer! Hainer sann! Lillith!!¡± The man¡¯s voice was yelling. Boarding on screaming. Through the fuzzy vision, he could almost make out their forms, a man with a thick but short beard, and a woman with long black hair? It was so hard to tell. More yelling and scream from the man, but the woman remained silent. He couldn¡¯t see, he couldn¡¯t tell but she was studying him. Looking him in over in disbelief. ¡°Chi ma nos gelfin. Fortus. Chi¡­ Nos.¡± The woman spoke, so softly. She had been screaming, yelling, her face still red and flush, sweat dripped from her brow. But the voice, he couldn¡¯t let go of it. It sounded like the voice of someone he never thought he would hear again. ¡®Mom?¡¯ he thought. He felt very tired for some reason. This had to be the last visage of his existence before he faded out of it. Just an oxygen starved fever dream. Right? Chapter 1, What Dreams May Come The ceiling was simple, consisting of little more than beams of wood, interlaced with larger beams below it. Straight lines mixed with more curved lines. All brown, and not much to look at. Boring. Tilting his head, he could see other aspects of the ceiling, like how it connected to the wall. Ahh, the wall. Now that was interesting! That was where the excitement was! The complex rocks and shapes, the gritty looking mortar that looked like tiny mountains interspersed above snowy valleys. He could get lost in the patterns as he imagined himself trekking though the valleys, with his trusty Sherpa who had no name. He had forgotten how boring being a baby and a toddler was. After a few moments of useless mountaineering fantasy, he became aware of how quiet the floor was. Standing up on shaky legs and he looked over his crib. Jotting his head back and forth, no one seemed to be around. He could make a break for it! The climb over the edge proved easier than the last time, but still far more difficult than the two-foot-tall fence had a right to be. Of course, getting over the top was easy, the fall is what would hurt. ¡°Omf.¡± Landing on the hard wood floor wasn¡¯t particularly soft, but his light and squishy body took the fall well. For a moment he stared at the ceiling once more, both agitated and amused by the situation he was in. The absurdity elicited a momentary giggle, which masked the minor pain he felt in his legs and head. It was hard to believe he had reincarnated in the body of an infant. At least he assumed it was reincarnation, not much else seemed to make sense. If it was a fever dream or lack of oxygen it should have all ended already. At least, that¡¯s the reasoning he came up with. There were others of course, like being a brain in a jar, but at that point all arguments descended into straight non-sense. Slowly on those same shaky legs he stood and wandered away from his confining cradle. Walking still proved somewhat of a challenge, he wasn¡¯t sure if that was due to his limited muscle mass, new nervous system, or if a part of his mind just didn¡¯t come with him in full. That last thought bothered him immensely. Who was he anymore? He remembered his old life, all of it, or at least he thought it was all of it. He could remember his job, college, high school, middle school, elementary school, he could even remember a handful of vague memories of being a toddler once before. But those last ones were very vague, more like feelings than full memories. Well, aside from one memory, the time when he was about 3 and ate a box of pop tarts causing him to throw up. It was the reason why he couldn¡¯t stomach them in his youth. He scouted from the doorway of his room. Left, right no one there. Still, he paused for a moment, listening just to be sure, he couldn¡¯t hear anything much. There were just the sounds of his father slamming a sword into something outside, no one was on the 2nd floor though. That sound of swords clashing against metal triggered another thought, his father. Who was his real father? What it this man outside, this soldier or maybe he was a mercenary? What exactly was he anyway, how do sword fighters make any sense in the 21st century? Maybe this wasn¡¯t the 21st century anymore, and perhaps this man wasn¡¯t truly his father. After all he was his mind, a mind which was shaped by his old father, the bartender and closet bibliophile. Equally strong, but in a different way. The man who would stay up at night and debate life and philosophy with him. The man who he couldn¡¯t even be present for in his last moments. That last thought hurt in a way that could not just be rubbed away.. What about his mother? Who was she, this woman with the soft smile and eyes that spoke unspoken trauma. How talked to him about silly things like dragons, cats the size of horses, goblins and other non-sense. Or his old mother, who sang to him when he was younger, and confided in him when he was older, until he ignored her? That also hurt. He didn¡¯t know. He didn¡¯t even know if there was an answer. Was this even his first reincarnation? At the very least, he couldn¡¯t remember anything of a past one, though something about it all felt familiar like a deep echo inside of him reverberated off his memories and soul. Not a memory, but the faint echo of one. Maybe there was a problem this time round, something that let him remember? There was that strange voice he could just barely recall. Something about building things, for them? It was fuzzy. Walking the hallway of this cold wood and stone house was still odd. This place seemed old. Not that it was built long ago so much that it felt out of place in the modern world. Stone, and wood beams. A rough wood floor, that looked freshly cut, and put together without any nails, at least any he could see. Clearly the house wasn¡¯t old, but the design and how it was built certainly was. The hallways were somewhat narrow, clearly out of code and there were no light fixtures, no outlets. Some hooks occasionally that would hold a lantern, but no light source beyond an 18th century ideas. Though there were those occasional and rare odd stones that seemed to glow? LEDs maybe? Was he resurrected in a house of luddites? If that was the case, why swords and bows? The food too, smelled bland. Not bad, just limited in spices. ¡®Clang¡¯ The sound of metal hitting metal echoed for a moment from outside. Subtle words could be heard in the strange language that was just barely able to understand. It felt like a mix of German, of which he knew a few words and English which as an American he did technically know. ¡°I told you. You need to keep your side up. If you don¡¯t you leave yourself open to a hit! This is basic stuff people! Don¡¯t make me go back to wooden swords for all of you!¡± It was his current father out the open window, yelling at someone else, probably a fellow sword fighter. Stopping for another moment, he grew curious. The window wasn¡¯t too high up, he could probably make it. Struggling, he managed to climb up and braced himself on the ledge. Outside he could see a man with short light brown almost blond hair, a thick that while full beard that remained oddly short, his green eyes would hold steady, hiding his constant observation of everything around him. At this distance, the various small scars on his face and body remained hidden. It was his father along with a small group of others all dressed in various levels of armor. The sight would be surprising if it was the first time seeing, but of course he had seen it before. He still couldn¡¯t get over the near even split of women to men in the group. It seemed so odd. If this was the past, as he was growing more convinced of, why would there be so many women? One or two maybe, but an even split just seemed historically inaccurate. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡®Clang, clang, clang.¡¯ More banging as swords, shields and armor impacted each other. Some of their movements seemed impossibly fast. One moment a soldier would be in front of another, the next second behind them. He, still couldn¡¯t make sense of it. He tried to convince himself it was just skill, but it just seemed beyond what a human should be capable of. A very well armored and tall woman stood next to his father. He had seen her before, she seemed to follow Fortus, his father, around like a lost puppy. He guessed she was his second in command? Which just made the idea that this was the past, even less tenable. Her normally shoulder length orange hair was hidden in her helmet. She was unusually fair skin, he could remember hearing someone say she was half breed of a ''Human Ice Skin¡¯ and a word that sounded liked Ross, her ears were unusually pointy and long and her blue eyes did feel like ice when they glared at you. She was quite pretty, when it came down to it. Seeing the soldiers suffering through sword training, she had better idea. ¡°Fortus. Maybe we should focus on something easier, like a run around the village parameter?¡± An almost cruel smile crossed his father''s lips, "Excellent idea Athena. Already people, you don''t want to train with swords, then lets train our legs. Run!" With the sound of some groans, they all proceed to head off in a direction behind the house and through some fields. The show was over for now. Dropping from the window, he continued his journey down the long hallway. Well, it wasn¡¯t that long, maybe 30 feet. At the end of it would be his prize. A small office-like space, with a desk, some books, and paper! There was also an assortment of dried plants and what looked like a mortar and pestle. Like an apothecary. Who did the office belong to anyway? Was it his father¡¯s or his mother¡¯s? He wasn¡¯t sure, but for the most part on his mother used it. Again, the gender roles weren¡¯t what he had expected. His mother often cooked and cleaned, but it seemed like she did something else too. Maybe some kind of therapist or a priestess? His father helped with the chores too, so it wasn¡¯t like she did all of them. He even cooked sometimes. It was very modern, for what seemed like an old world. The office space was much smaller than his room. Barely enough room for the desk and wicker chair, yet somehow they managed a small bookshelf too. A bookshelf which seemed sparse for what he was used to but would probably have been well stocked in whatever this place actually was. Mulling over the various bindings, he still couldn¡¯t read any of this language. It all looked like some messy fusion of Cyrillic, German, English, and strange letters he had never seen before. In total he had counted 90 different letters and symbols, but some seemed very similar to each other so maybe there was actually less, and he was just looking at different styles. Like capital verse lower case letters. One book in particular caught his attention, on the binding were six symbols he had seen before that were treated like words, rather than letters. Pulling the book off the shelf wasn¡¯t too challenging, even in his smaller body. It did help that it was on the lower shelf. Dropping it to the floor, he could see the cover which was quite ornate, for a book. Those same six symbols, arranged into two triangles on top of each other, linked with gold foil colored lines. It was quite pretty. He had no idea what it meant though. At the very top of the cover was almost certainly a title written in actual, if indecipherable, letters. As he opened the book he was greeted with shapes, and patterns, and more of the language. Exactly what he was looking for, he just needed paper now. The desk next to him had some parchment and some charcoal pencils on top of it. He just needed to get to them. It wasn¡¯t tall by an adult¡¯s point of view, but for his current height, it might as well have been a mountain of wicker and wood. Climbing the chair was no easy task. It was just heavy enough to be difficult to move, but still light enough that his weight threatened to topple it over, as he scaled the side of his makeshift ladder. Once he stood atop the surprisingly soft wooden seat, he felt triumph. To silent applause from the nonexistent spectators, he lifted his arms into the air! With a smile and slight laugh, he gathered his prize of paper and drawing charcoals. Dropping back to the floor he began his task, as he tried to copy the shapes and symbols in the book to the paper. Making notes in his old tongue that looked much like the blathering scribbles of a young child. Really, it was no different from how he used to write. Time passed and pages filled. Some connections were made but it was all so elusive. His focus on studying blinded him to the patter of feet next to him, as him mother and an older child suddenly joined him. ¡°Reese, what are you doing?¡± Unlike the written text, the spoken language had come easily enough. He knew his name was Reese. His father¡¯s name was Fortus, and his mother was Lillith. Her skin was a sublet tan, like a woman who worked outside but she never did. The shoulder length brown hair complemented her hazel colored eyes. He was always told he had his father''s face, but his mother''s eyes. She was kind of pretty, he thought as she picked him up. ¡°See, I told you Reese was out of his crib again. Babies should stay in their crib!¡± And this bratty little girl was his sister, Neomsadi, Nemi for short. Unlike Reese, she had their mother''s face and their father''s green eyes. Reese wasn¡¯t quite sure why, but she seemed to hate him. Younger sibling problems he guessed. Reese knew what the appropriate response was and stuck his tongue out at her. ¡°Mom! See what he did!¡± ¡°He¡¯s a baby honey but thank you for telling me he was in the study. Now, what were you trying to do you silly child?¡± Lillith picked up the paper on the floor and could only shake her head. ¡°Oh, Reese. This is good paper. Don¡¯t scribble on it.¡± She sighed. Reese was tempted to sigh too. How dare she call his handwriting scribbles. Still, he knew it was unlikely she¡¯d understand his old language. But scribbles, really? ¡°They¡¯re not scribbles¡±, he tried to speak. The words came out, but like everything else about him, they came out wobbly and infantile. He had a hard time not laughing at his own voice. She sighed again as she looked over the book he had opened. Half expecting more scribbles in it. Did this child know how expensive paper and books were? But she was pleasantly surprised. The book was unharmed. She looked it over. ¡°The fundamentals of elemental magic.¡± She read the title out loud. ¡°Honey, this book is way to advance for you.¡± She bounced him in her arms as she put the text away. So that¡¯s what it said. Reese made a mental note of the title. He could still remember the symbols on the front, and tried to force the connection. ¡°It looked pretty¡±. It was true, the cover was quite lovely. Behind them the door latched shut ¡°So, you like books sweetie?¡± He nodded. It was one of the few forms of entertainment here. ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can find something better for you. I suppose you¡¯ll just escape if I put you back in your crib?¡± Her face had a knowing smirk of a smile that made him blush and smile back. This mother already knew him too well. ¡°I don¡¯t have any appointments left, why not come downstairs and you can keep me company? I¡¯ll see if I can get some cheap parchment too.¡± Success! He thought, as the three of them walked to the kitchen on the lower level. Chapter 2, Crawl, Walk, Stumble Life was slightly less boring now that he was allowed to roam around the house. It had been about 3 years since he was born into this new place, this new world. In that time, he learned so much already! To start, this wasn¡¯t earth. How did he know it wasn¡¯t earth? There were several reasons, like the language which made little sense on its own. It seemed like some odd ball fusion of German, old English, maybe Celtic and something else he just couldn¡¯t place. Nothing like it existed on earth and it just made no sense. Then there were the maps. Some of the books had strange maps with half drawn continents that also didn¡¯t make sense. There was one book, a history text of something called ¡°Land of Asturia: The Six Kingdoms.¡± It was unlike anything he had seen on earth. He guessed this was where he lived given his parents talked about the Six Kingdoms quite frequently, and in particular, a country called ''Thurs'' which is where they seemed to be. The village they were in was called ''Wollseeth'' which didn''t seem to be any kind of word in the so called human tongue. He had even found the village on one of the maps, a small barely annotated dot. There was also the wildlife. Some were common enough, like horses, cats and dogs. But then there were things called ¡°land dragons¡±, which he saw a few times. They looked like large lizards, like, well dragons. They seemed to fill the same role as horses. Reese wasn¡¯t quite sure why you would need both, but that was a question for another day he supposed. Oh, then there were the real, regular, run of the mill dragons. He saw one once when the whole town went on alert. He gathered they weren¡¯t as friendly as the land dragons. Probably the biggest reason he knew this was earth was because there was magic here. Not science magic like TVs, airplanes and computers, but real wizard casting magic. He didn¡¯t understand it all yet, but he would learn. He had to, it seemed to be everywhere in this world. He learned a lot about his family as well. Like his family name was Bronwyn and his larger family was of some importance, though his father refused to discuss their larger family. It didn''t seem like they were lords and nobles, at least given the house and village they were in, but still they were important. His father was apparently a knight of some kind as well, not a mercenary. The other soldiers here called him a Knight Commander, probably some kind of Sargent or lieutenant, maybe a captain? He didn¡¯t really understand how those titles all worked. But again he was important, and clearly in charge of the others. Next his mother, who was once a powerful sorcerer, and who may have had a different name? He didn¡¯t have the whole story because again no one wanted to talk about it. Somehow her powers were sealed, and she could only do limited healing spells now. Which still made her a great healer in the village and even the surrounding villages too. People were always coming to seek her help with minor ailments. It was lucrative by the looks of it. Reese wondered who the real bread winner in the family was. Going back to magic, Reese learned it was very hard. The house had several books on the subject. Most should have been above his reading level, but even in the foreign language his years of education made it easier than it would have been otherwise. The texts were all confusing though, and not just because of the language barrier, but because they didn''t match what he was experiencing. The simpler texts implied magic was simple. You think about something while looking at an image or a glyph, say some very specific words and then poof! You have a small puddle of water on the floor, or a gust of wind. Or at least you should. He couldn¡¯t get it to work. Maybe he was just too young. Recently, his mother had bought him a text for the end of the year solstice. It had unusually large script and diagrams that were simpler than the other books. The title of the book was aptly, ¡°Early Magic¡±, and it seemed like it was meant for younger readers, or perhaps just simple-minded ones. One thing that he had noticed about all the books he had read so far was that they all looked handwritten. Some even had small smudges or an occasional mistake. It was easy to guess that there was probably no printing press in this world. It seemed unlikely they would only have very old and likely expensive handwritten books around the house if there were alternatives. He had wondered if he could make one, or something similar in the future. The principle was simple enough, would just need to experiment with different materials and metals for the stamps. Might prove a fun and lucrative endeavor, eventually. Future plans aside, he had already read this book cover to cover, several times in fact. He almost had it memorized, but it didn¡¯t help. The language was easy enough to understand, but the ideas seemed odd. Like something was missing from it. Whispering to himself he re-read the first pre-lesson again, ¡°When you cast a spell, it¡¯s important to say the words fully. Do not hesitate or struggle. You must intonate each word carefully. As you speak you will feel your mana pull from your body into your spell. Often you will see glyphs and magic graphics like the ones below. These items should be studied intently and memorized if possible. This graph will allow you to cast the spell. As you become more well versed in spell craft you may be able to construct these glyphs in your mind and cast without the need of this tome. For now, follow along as you cast your first wind spell.¡± It was followed by a simple, one sentence spell, that required no preparation or difficult process, just an outstretched hand and a magic graph. The graph was also simple, with a single symbol and some lines he had already seen many times before. He would give it a chance, again. ¡°Wind I call you forth, blow gently though me.¡± Nothing. According to the book the lightest of breezes should be felt, just enough to lift a piece of paper off of a table or cause a flame to dance. But the paper he had nearby was still and flat on the floor showing that was not the case. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. He tried again, and again, and yet again. A simple spell, but he couldn¡¯t figure it out. The book said he should feel something, but all he felt was the fatigue in his arm from having it raised for so long. In minor frustration Reese pushed his hand forward causing the paper to move slightly, but that was cheating, and he knew it. Why was it so hard, was he just too young? The book¡¯s preamble did mention that most people don¡¯t learn their first spells till later, usually 9 or 10. But it also said some learn it much younger, there didn¡¯t seem to be a limit as he turned back to the very begging to reread it. Lilith watched him from the other side of the room. She could see the boy struggling. It was difficult for her, and she just didn¡¯t know what to do. As a child magic had just come easily to her, it was instinct and she just knew how to use it. The benefits of having a large and well-ordered gate. But her son, seemed different she couldn''t feel any mana coming off him, and she should have felt something, no matter how weak. ¡°Still having problems Reese?¡± He didn¡¯t want to tell his mother it felt useless, because he didn¡¯t want to believe it was. Or rather he refused to believe that. He was just too young and would need to keep practicing. ¡°I just need to keep practicing mum.¡± His older sister couldn¡¯t help but lend her opinion into the mix, ¡°Maybe he¡¯s just gate-less mom.¡± ¡°Nemi!¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re the one that said it.¡± She whispered sheepishly. Reese had heard that term before, gateless. He wasn¡¯t quite sure what it meant. This book mentioned gates in a few places, but it wasn¡¯t clear what they meant either. With a loud thunk the book closed. He needed a break, and if his mother and sister were here it meant one thing. ¡°Come on Reese, it¡¯s dinner time.¡± Her voice had this sadness to it, that just lingered. Like something inside of her was hurting, but he couldn''t tell what, just that it was there and it didn''t seem to be caused by him. The family dinner table was often quiet, but not quite silent. There were no prayers to the gods, at least none that he had heard. There was a quick thanks for the food, but it seemed to be more of a ritual than a prayer. Just something people said to show they were grateful to have something. Yet tonight, was truly silent for reasons he didn''t know. But, in regards to the food they were eating and of this world, there just wasn¡¯t much to write about. The lack of complex spices, or probably their cost, meant food was blander than he would have liked. Not that it was bad, the stew they were eating was quite good, earthy, with a touch of¡­ earth. Again it was bland, but not bad. The bread he was given was quite good though. Better than the store bought loafs he used to get. It reminded him of a fresh baguet, if only there was more butter. After dinner, Fortus ask if Nemi and Reese could handle cleaning up. Of course, as good children they obliged, and of course Nemi got mad at him for everything he did. Apparently, there¡¯s a wrong way to dry a plate. ¡®Give me a break sis, I¡¯m only 3.¡¯ He thought about saying it but knew it would just make her worse. After, he considered going back to his textbook but maybe he¡¯d have more success with another? He still wasn¡¯t allowed in the study, but that didn¡¯t stop him from sneaking in and borrowing a different book from the shelf. This book¡¯s title was called ¡°A Freelancer¡¯s Guide to Mana and Magic Use¡±. He had read it over once before, but another read though wouldn¡¯t hurt. From all the books he had read, he gathered there were several types of magic in use. Spell Spoke was the most common, particularly by novices. It used poetic verse and glyphs to get mana to do what you wanted. It''s what his textbook tried to teach. Then there was something called Spell Invoking, which seemed similar to Spell Spoke, but didn¡¯t rely on the words quite as much nor did you need to focus on any glyphs. There were many movements and they looked very exaggerated. There may be a way to fast and silently cast a spell with Invoking, but none of the books explained how just hinting at it. Lastly, there was something called Runic Casting. None of the books explained what it was just side mentions of it. From the name, it probably involved drawing things. Enchanting was it¡¯s own subset of magic, different from spell casting. There were two general ways to do it. You could draw magic circuits on the item, and sometimes add mana infused gems, or you could infuse a powerful spell on an item using a runic or enchanting table, though a powerful mage might be able to do it in the field without any of that. The last one, seemed to require a great deal of stored mana, and would degrade over time. The idea of magic circuits was an intriguing one. In his other life Reese had studied mathematics and the sciences. He knew a lot about the inner workings of computers and electronics, and knew the algorithms that derived it all, even had the degrees to prove it. Seeing terms and ideas that talked of circuits and mana interactions he couldn¡¯t help but drive his curiosity, could you build the magic equivalent of electronics, pushed far enough maybe even a mana based computer? Had someone already done so? His mind was giddy with the thought of magical engineering, though it would have to wait till he was at least a little older. He¡¯d need to at least be able to hold a hammer properly. Also, he needed books that actually explained it all, being more an engineer than a scientist. It seemed like everything in the house skipped over the enchanting part, for some reason. His older sister¡¯s door opening caused Reese to scatter back to his own room with the book in tow. She was always looking for something to hold over on him. He still didn¡¯t know why she didn¡¯t like him. The sounds of sobbing could be heard as he walked past his parents¡¯ room, the door was just barely ajar. His mother had been deeply despondent all day, and the word miscarriage came up through the crack in the doorway. He thought his mother was pregnant, but obviously you never ask a person that question. Even your own mother. ¡°It was a boy again, wasn¡¯t it?¡± His father sounded defeated, as if this was a battle they had fought and lost before. ¡°Are you¡­ Is there anything I can do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine dear. I just¡­ it hurts.¡± Fortus seemed some cross between embraced and angry. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just hopped after Reese¡­ Maybe we¡¯d have another one. Maybe it wasn¡¯t really a curse between us.¡± Lilith had already had two miscarriages before Reese was born, both boys. His unknown brothers. From everything he could gather, his parents were cursed somehow, and they were never supposed to have a male child. In that sense, Reese was kind of a blessing for the two of them. Fortus had even gone to the local temple over several months and left offerings to each of the gods in thanks. Which was a rare thing for anyone to do, most people didn¡¯t pay attention to the gods much at all, and in exchange they did the same. Those two had a lot riding on his success. He couldn¡¯t let them down and had to keep trying. This life would not be like his last, his family would be proud of him and he''d pay them back for this chance at life. In his previous life he was a night owl, no reason he couldn¡¯t continue that here. With a single still charged light stone in hand, he began again opening the book, and again began taking more notes. The stone''s glow would work for a few hours before fading in the night. They didn''t give him candles; they were a bit too expensive for such frivolity. Maybe when he was older, he could make or buy some reed lights or figure out how to charge these damn stones. Chapter 3, No Potential A year would pass, more thoughts, more notes on loose leaf paper. Which he really needed to bind, they were becoming unwieldy. So far, Reese had continued his no success streak with magic, but that was fine. He was still young after all, just past four and three quarters. It was Late-summer in the village, the last days of the month of Revvlas or the eight month of the twelve month year. Things had begun to wind down from hot to warm. Days were getting longer, and eventually it would get cool. On a personal note, Reese couldn''t wait for the first Apple harvest in a few weeks. The lack of consistently available produce, particularly fruits, was disappointing. But understandable. He did enjoy the berries of summer, but there were only so many Darcadrin berries you could eat before you grew sick of them. They were basically a strawberry in this world, having a similar taste and texture, just being a little smaller and rounder. Though, the world also had strawberries they just, weren''t as good. Also these were orangish-pink and not red. They were quite good in a pie, but there is a limit to the number of pies a boy could eat. At least without getting sick. Speaking of food, in the kitchen of the Bronwyn family house, a strange man pulled off his very light summer cloak and bag, setting them down on the corner of the table in a less than neat pile. The man was a doctor if you could call him one. It was the equivalent of the Middle Ages after all, did doctors really exist? Reese would frequently mused suck questions to himself. Lilith¡¯s stomach had started to show again, a new pregnancy, and the doctor guessed aloud she had to be around five months pregnant. Something she was already aware of. Given how well it was going it was likely a girl this time. Also, something she was aware of. But the doctor wasn¡¯t as sure, and he wanted to do an examination on his acquaintance, and as far as he knew, that was the main reason he was here. But Lilith had other plans and convinced him that could wait. Lilith needed someone else to do run the examination she wanted, which was not on her. Nor could it be done by her since she did not have full use of her own magic. Now, the doctor''s current patient was the young boy, Reese. And, the doctor was less than amused at the request. Even if Lilith was a friend, he owed a few favors too. ¡°You realize he¡¯s only 4 right? Even an apt mage won¡¯t usually cast their first spells till their 7.¡± He tried to dismiss the request he was in the middle of setting up for. ¡°Yes, but Reese is different. No 4 year old is as well read as him.¡± Sighing the doctor rolled his eyes, ¡°Well read? He¡¯s 4, can he even read a tome properly, I mean can he even read?¡± ¡°Yes he can, very well in fact. His stance, speech and form are all sound. As a sorceress and a healer myself, I know he should have cast something by now, even if it was small and disorganized. His father has been teaching him with wooden swords too, he never taps into any techniques. His speed and movements are just normal. There should be some indications that of mana flow in him, even if he¡¯s not fully casting. I just don¡¯t see any. I¡¯m worried he might be gateless.¡± She placed her hand on top of his head. Perhaps to comfort herself more than him. ¡°You know how rare true gatelessness is, right? Of course, you do¡­ why am I asking.¡± And there was that term again, gateless. Reese had heard it a few times, and each time it filled him with a sense of dread. All his magic books mention gates, things like size, order and affinity. None of them said anything about gateless though. It was a worrying thought, made worse by the vacuum of information. His mother continued, ¡°I¡¯d run the test myself, but I can''t do deep healing anymore. I get your frustration, he¡¯s only 4, but if we find out sooner that gives us more time to¡­ figure things out.¡± Sighing in defeat, the doctor fully capitulated, most of his instruments already on the table. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll do some basic tests first, if I can¡¯t get something from them¡­ Only after that will I try a deep healing probe. You know I usually charge 3 gold for deep healing, but I guess I can write one of those favors I owe you off.¡± The doctor sat Reese and began to look him over. Staring at his eye, lifting his hands, poking and probing doing all the things you might expect a doctor to do. Eventually though pulled some odd tools from his bag, and ran them over his body. One kind of looked like a compass, but it didn¡¯t point north. Another was a set of rods, that were all connected, like a complex dousing rod. It just got weirder from there. Each tool he pulled out and used caused the doctor''s face to scrunch a little bit. His expression is going from boredom to frustration and confusion. Finally, he took out some simple looking stones using a cloth, and told Reese to hold them and not do anything until he said too. Reese continued to sit on the chair with the stones in hand and did nothing. After several minutes, he made Reese drop the stones in his bag, while he made every effort to not touch them. The doctor then stuck his head in his bag, as if he was looking for something. Reese had to wonder if he was looking for his marbles. ¡°No glow.¡± The doctor spoke flatly. ¡°His mana is very weak. It¡¯s not even disorganized.¡± He paused as if to consider the possibility of something he didn¡¯t want to. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s see how he responds to deep healing.¡± Deep healing was a specific branch of healing magic. From all of Reese¡¯s reading, none of his books concentrated on deep healing or healing in general, just some references to it all and a lot of warnings. Most healing spells were simple, performing one or more bodily functions, like cauterization or circulation changes. More advanced ones might act like an antibiotic and heal infections. Deep healing, from what he could gather, would cause your body to rapidly repair itself. Doing in seconds what might take weeks or months. Of course, that kind of power comes with consequences. Abusing Deep healing seemed to have adverse effects, such as rapid aging, life span reduction, and if not done properly could actually make an injury worse, even kill you. Like Deep Healing a broken arm without trying to set it first. If the doctor wanted to test Deep Healing on him, that meant he would need something to heal. This was not heading in a direction Reese felt comfortable with. An opinion that was verified when the doctor pulled out a rather sharp blade. Reese felt his mother¡¯s hand comforting on his shoulder. She looked down at him. Smiling, she reassured him it would be ok. Nodding, he looked back at the doctor who now held his right hand with the knife dangerously close to his finger. ¡°Reese, you¡¯re a brave boy right? I¡¯m going to use this knife to cut the tip of your finger open.¡± Reese nodded. He didn¡¯t like the direction this was going, but he wanted to know if he really was gateless. Whatever that actually meant, though it was quickly becoming clearer. ¡°Once I¡¯ve done that, I¡¯m going to try and cast a healing spell on you and see how your body responds.¡± Again Reese nodded, ¡°You¡¯re going to cast a deep healing spell on me and see if it works. If it doesn¡¯t, it means I don¡¯t have a gate.¡± The doctor smiled back at him, ¡°You really are a smart boy. I guess your mother was right about you being well read. What¡¯s your favorite book?¡± "Well I-" Using the distraction and without giving him a chance to respond, the knife ran across Reese¡¯s index fingertip. It hurt, and there was a surprising amount of blood. He tried not to scream or cry as the doctor took both his hands and held the bleeding finger between them. He spoke several spells, and each time checked the wound on Reese¡¯s finger which was consistently, unhealed. The doctor sighed and dropped the spells entirely before pushing as much mana as he could into Reese¡¯s hands. It didn¡¯t seem to work. He could feel it all tingling his hand, but nothing that felt like it was getting better, and the pain persisted. ¡°There.¡± The Doctor sounded and looked out of breath, sweat covered his forehead like he had just run several miles. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Reese looked down at his finger, the wound had stopped bleeding and closed up a bit, but it was still clearly visible, and still hurt. ¡°I couldn¡¯t get the deep healing to work. But I was able to use a simpler cauterization spell to seal the wound. Even that took a lot of mana.¡± The doctor sat down, very clearly out of breath and energy. ¡°I have a normal sized gate but it''s well ordered. I put all my mana into those spells. I¡¯ve never seen no response like that outside my old books.¡± The doctor didn¡¯t want to admit it, but there didn¡¯t seem to be any other answer. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I think you¡¯re right Lilith, he¡¯s gateless.¡± There didn¡¯t seem to be much left to discuss. Perhaps it was the unpleasant atmosphere, or maybe it was just the other reason the Doctor came. But he began to inquire about his mother¡¯s pregnancy, talking about how far along she was again, how well she was doing. He even offered to divine the sex of the child, though everyone in the room had already guessed. For the next hour, the doctor would poke and probe his mother instead. Lilith tried to smile with the doctor as he talked pleasantries, but it was hard for her. Learning her son was gateless was a shock, even if it was somewhat expected. Reese wandered out of the room. Lost in his own thoughts. ¡®Well, that settles it.¡¯ Reese thought to himself, ¡®What next?¡¯ After a morning of moping about, Fortus took Reese for some sword training at the barracks field behind the house. It was going as well as it had in prior days, horribly. ¡°Reese you have to follow my movements. When I come at you from the side, you need to block. Understand¡± Fortus stood in front of Reese, fully decked in his armor aside from his head. In his hand was the hardest and sharpest wooden sword Reese had ever faced. ¡°Yes.¡± He did understand. His father was the one with the issues. How was Reese, a mere child supposed to defend against a full-grown adult swinging at him. A sudden flash of wood and light, Reese could see Fortus was aiming for his right side this time. He tried to move, forcing all his muscles to burst with what tiny bits of energy they had and¡­ Thwack. His movements weren''t enough, and he was lying on the ground again. On the plus side, the pain from the prior hits masked the current one. He didn¡¯t understand what his father expected from him. How was he supposed to defend against that? He couldn¡¯t move like his father could. ¡°Reese, I¡¯m not even using my sword techniques. This is my natural speed. You should be able to tap into something to move fast than this.¡± There it was. Being a good sword fighter in this world meant more than just swinging a sword. A competent fighter would be able to use their gate to sub-consciously cast a speed spell and move quicker. It¡¯s how they were all able to move like they did. At least, that was Reese''s suspicion there seemed to be some strange hesitation and pride against calling techniques magic. But it was literally magic! Magic that Reese just didn¡¯t have. ¡°You know I can¡¯t do that.¡± Reese¡¯s voice was stern but dejected. His father rubbed his own face in frustration. Reese couldn¡¯t tell for sure, but it looked like he was whipping away a few tears. ¡°I know son. I know. I just. Ok, let¡¯s try something different.¡± Fortus¡¯ second in command, Athenia watched the father and son from a distance. She was always following Fortus around. Reese wasn¡¯t doing bad at least if he was just a commoner. His technique was better than you¡¯d expect from even an older child, still sloppy for an adult, but then again, he wasn''t. If he truly couldn''t learn any techniques, then that would make any serious battle against a trained sword fighter impossible. She hadn''t really heard about a gate being linked with techniques, but she wasn''t particularly well read to begin with. Being born to a useless father who cared more about drinking and gambling would leave her, her sister, and her brother without any formal instruction. Shaking her head, she consider the boy again. If it was her, she¡¯d be training the boy in bows not swords. Techniques were still used there, but far less. Twack! She winced, that one wasn¡¯t gentle. She winced again as Reese fell back from another hit. A part of her wished Fortus would go easy on the boy, he was after just that a boy just shy of 5. Subconsciously her hand fell over her stomach. Fortus had generally shown himself to be a good father, he never hit Reese outside of training. There wasn¡¯t even an occasion where he was particularly loud with him either. He was kind but stern when he needed to be. Not just to Reese but to Nemi as well. Though, that girl probably did need a bit more discipline. The way he treated his wife was¡­ He treated Lilith well besides that one thing. Athenia would often daydream about their positions being swapped. What if she was married to Fortus instead? He was older than her, sure. But he had saved her life and was good to her. Even if that was more as friend and sometimes lover. If not for him, she would have been stuck in slavery with her deadbeat father. The spot on her back with the brand was still hurt sometimes, but it hurt far less than what she went though. Being an attractive girl who was able to fight, well, the arenas outside the six kingdoms are not nice places. Every drop of blood that spilled from her was gold and silver to someone else. Her father would probably have bet against her. A twist of fate, and a bandit raid by a young Fortus had saved her. You couldn''t sell slaves outside the Six Kingdoms. It was one of the very few laws around slavery in the kingdoms, and it''s what allowed Fortus to free her, and the other children she was with. She had been ten at the time, before he even met Lilith, when he was still closer to a boy than the man he is now. When he tried to drop her at an orphanage, she refused to talk about the rest of her family and refused to leave his side. He had taken her and started training her as a soldier, and then sent her off to be a true knight at one of the academies in Thrus. That was all ten years ago, half her life. Athenia knew the rest of her family was still out there somewhere. But no one knew where, not even her. They had managed to escape before being sold. Disappearing was safer for them that way, since technically they were slaves, if found. She had no idea what happened to her father after being sold, just knowing the rest of her family had escaped slavery was enough for her. So, what was Fortus if not her family. What they had would never be the life of husband and wife, but maybe it could be close? Eventually Lilith came out, and with a bit of anger in her voice convinced Fortus to stop hitting Reese. Dropping the sword Fortus then dropped down to on one knee to hug his child. It was clear he loved and cared about the boy. He just wanted more for and from him, and he pushed him in the way he knew how. With an actual shove. A kiss to his wife, Reese and Lilith left, leaving Athenia and Fortus alone on the field behind the house. With a smile, Fortus hid his disappointment. ¡°That boy, Athenia, he¡¯ll be the death of me one day.¡± She tried to laugh but managed a smile instead. Her mind was swimming with thoughts about Fortus, about her, about his family too. One memory in particular came back to her with a blush. The last deep patrol assignment they went on together was about four months ago. Of course, they weren¡¯t alone, but there were a limited number of tents and, well they shared more than a tent, didn¡¯t they. He confided in her how much he wanted another son, and how he didn¡¯t think Lilith could give him one. Her armor was pushing the limits of its straps already, but he hadn''t noticed. Perhaps it was a mistake, but. It seemed right at the time. How was she supposed to tell him now? ¡°Something wrong Athenia? You look like you have something eating at you.¡± She had many things on her mind right now, but one took precedence. ¡°Fortus, I¡¯m going to have a child, a girl.¡± She chose the direct method, like a punch to the gut. A light breeze blew over the field. It was late-summer and small winged creatures flip and flutter about. Far in the distance, you could just make out the noise of a passing caravan heading towards the Paved Road, probably west to Trillonia or the east to capital Lam¡¯hath. There was much activity in the village as people wandered about so out to buy things, other to sell, and still other just to wander. But with these two, just silence for what might have been ages. Silence, that was Broken by the wrong question from Fortus. ¡°A girl, you¡¯re sure?¡± She tried not to laugh. ¡°You wanted me to have your child. It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t want it either. But yeah. I asked that doctor that came through to confirm¡­ Are you upset that it¡¯s a girl?¡± Of course, he was. Fortus had gambled and lost. Big. In his efforts to have another son, he cheated on his wife with his subordinate, and got a girl instead. He¡¯d have to explain all this to his wife and find a way to live with it. Assuming he could. It wasn¡¯t like he could just hide it. Sure, he could try, but Lilith was skilled enough, she¡¯d be able to detect the blood connection, the fact that Athenia was his subordinate would just reaffirm it. He wasn¡¯t even completely sure of his own motives. Maybe it was just an excuse to have sex with his attractive subordinate. It wasn¡¯t the first time Fortus had cheated on Lillith. He was a known womanizer, but this time was different. They had produced a child, and there would be consequences for that. That night, at the Bronwyn home, Dinner was skipped. There was food, that both Nemi and Reese ate in their rooms, but the family would not be sitting together tonight. Downstairs a war brewed that neither child wanted to see, but could still hear. ¡°It was a moment of weakness Lillith, I thought...¡± ¡°Oh, you thought what, Fortus? ¡°I thought she would give me another son, and we could raise him together.¡± Reese tried to focus on either his food, or his papers in front of him. But it was hard. Hearing those words, confirming what he had felt today, hurt. His father wanted another son, because he was broken. Just like last time. ¡°How the hell does that make what you did right? How does it even make sense?¡± She couldn¡¯t believe he went there. He refused to believe he was cursed. All those still born sons, beyond Reese anyway, were because of a curse that wasn''t between the two of them. Rather, it was only on the one, him. And, he refused to believe that he alone was cursed. Probably because of what it implied about who cursed him. ¡°I knew you were a womanizer when I married you, but I never thought¡­ How many more are there that I don¡¯t know about?¡± Fortus didn¡¯t answer, at least not with words. ¡°Unbelievable. You will never have another son Fortus. You¡¯re cursed. It¡¯s not me and you know that. It¡¯s you. Reese was literally a gift from the gods, you said that.¡± All that yelling couldn¡¯t be good for his future sibling, Reese thought. No matter what he did, he kept wondering the same thing, was it somehow his fault? If he hadn¡¯t been born, his father wouldn¡¯t have even thought about trying to have another son or maybe if he had a gate, his father wouldn¡¯t have felt the need to have another son. This feeling, he hated it. He was hurting people again, even if it was indirect. His parents would be yelling though out the night, and for Reese, sleep proved difficult, and not just because of the noise. In the morning, Reese would learn that his father would be staying at the town inn for a few weeks. But life would continue, as it must. Things would eventually return somewhat to normal. Though everyone involved would have a lower opinion of Fortus in the end. Chapter 4, The Young Mage A year and some months had passed since Reese leaned, he was gateless. His father had moved back in not long after he had left. Things were awkward for a while, but for the most part, his life returned to the way it was and remained as it was. Except now he had two new little sisters, having never had the chance to be a big brother, he was excited at the prospect of it. At the very least, he hoped he¡¯d be better than Nemi was to him. Meerlet was born of his mother Lilith in early Cutiola or the eleventh month, she was a quiet ball of curiosity who seemed to watch everything. Mabel was his other slightly younger sister and was born a month later in the middle of Deciamon, not far from his own birthday. Reese had bearly seen her since she was born. He kind of felt bad about that, but at the same time things had returned to normal in his house. Crossing lines should be avoided, for now. There would be a time in the future when they would meet, he was sure of it. Family aside, it was summer once again with it¡¯s warm and long days. The perfect opportunity to try out more spell casting. Despite the seemingly hopeless nature of it all, he had to keep trying. On one positive note though, Reese had found the perfect spot to test his casting. There was a nice sized hill not far behind his house that overlooked the local lake. It wasn¡¯t secluded, but it was far enough away from people that there was no risk of a spell going wild, or more likely being embarrassed when it didn¡¯t. He had given up the traditional methods of spell casting, there was no way to make spell spoke work. But, that left invoking and runic casting as hopeful possibilies. It was just a matter of figuring out how to actually do them. The fact that you could enchant random items meant there had to be a way to use magic without the spoken spell craft. ''There just had to be.'' Reese would insist to himself. Recently, there had been some fire dragon sightings to the west. Not uncommon for this time of year, and they rarely came close to the village. But it gave Reese something to think and daydream about. It was a reason to learn magic so that he could defend the village against them! Should they attack. It was a silly thought, the thought of a child not an adult. Though, to be fair, he was physically a child. A light breeze blew on the hill. As he held his hand out, he couldn¡¯t help but picture a rather large and fearsome dragon in front of him, it''s breath rustling the tree and grass, as he went over the incantation in his head once more. He accompanied these with subtle movements and shifts, far more than would otherwise be needed ¡°Streams of water, that fill the air. Come forth into and out of my hand. Water surge and water toil, bubble, bubble boil and strike! Water Bolt!¡± Nothing happened, again. What was the saying about insanity? He knew invoking could require or be aided by body movements, but it was all just guess work what those were. From a distance, one might see the child and presume he was playing ¡°mage". To a degree that might have been accurate, but in Reese¡¯s eyes, he wasn¡¯t playing. This was a spell, a rather simple spell, though perhaps not the simplest. There were several ways to cast water bolt, he chose the most straight forward spell he could find as base. He knew his stance was good, his hand movements almost perfect as he traced the runes from the glyph in the air and spoke the words, things you shouldn''t have even needed to do. He tried again, and again, till his body and mind grew tired, nothing. It should have worked; something should have worked. He swore could feel something with this spell, it was just too weak to form anything. It¡¯s why he kept trying after learning he was gateless. Those subtle sensations had to mean something was happening! It actually gave him a path forward, if could just use the mana around him instead of inside him, maybe it would work. Only problem, he still had no control over the mana around him. There was the feeling of it moving, more like shifting, when he moved right, but it was too subtle and not enough. His head heavy with thoughts fell forward as he sat down on the ground and sighed. Maybe he was just trying to convince himself it wasn¡¯t hopeless. It wasn¡¯t like he needed to be magically adept merchants, scribes, and other mundanes could get away without needing it. Though, the idea of a life spent copying books and texts by hand was not appealing. Being gateless sucked. Taking a break, he looked around at his home village, the place he may end up spending his life. His hill wasn¡¯t too tall. He couldn¡¯t see over the old keep, but he could make out most buildings near the center of town. It was a decent sized village for this world. A sign outside the mayor¡¯s house said something like 730 people. The village was large enough to have multiple market buildings and even an open-air market that would occasionally hold a traveling merchant or two in route one of the surrounding cities or other villages. They would stop there, usually on their way up to or from Paved Road, aptly named for the fact that it was one of the few paved with stone. Thinking about roads, Old Keep Road was the road that went past the Keep and his house. Mountain Pass, went up past the mountains in the far distance to the west, which is also where the fire dragons tended to nest. It also passed through the center of town. Bridge road was the road that led up to a bridge and then connected to Paved Road. Reese had noticed a pattern, and a lack of creativity in street names. At least they made sense. ¡°Should I just give up?¡± He said to no one. It seemed useless to continue. A year after learning he was gateless, and there was obviously no serious progress. He could try and work on those other projects he had in mind. He had yet to see a mechanical clock anywhere, maybe that was something he could do instead. ¡®Reese the clock maker!¡¯ The title mused in his head. It would need work. Foosh. The sound of a rather large fire bolt could be heard in the not-too-distant distance. A light flew into the sky and dispersed. He had seen that same thing before, about a month ago. It¡¯s what led him to come out to the hill in the first place, curiosity. Clearly it wasn¡¯t a dragon, they would have targeted the buildings and people, not the sky. Foosh. Another one. Tracing the angle, he could see roughly where it came from. An area just across Mountain Pass Road, next to the currently empty school house. There appeared to be a small girl just sitting in the vacant school yard, casting spells to the sky. This was something worth investigating. Gathering his makeshift notebook, he headed off to meet this young mage. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. As he grew closer her features became apparent. She was small, like him, so either she truly was a child or a dwarf. The former seemed most likely. Her hair was braided in something like a French Braid and was almost black but had a deep purple hue to it. That probably meant she was part elf, maybe? He still wasn¡¯t sure how genetics worked in this world. Her skin color meant she was human or elf of the planes, basically a Caucasian like him. FOOSH! He could feel the heat off that one. The young girl sighed as she watched the fire ball coast into the sky and evaporate. Someone would be by soon to tell her to stop, that¡¯s how it always was. Or at least, how it usually was. ¡°Hi!¡± With a start the young girl ducked. Clearly, she was half expecting him to yell and the other half expecting him to hit her. But neither of those happened. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to scare you. I¡¯m Reese.¡± He held his hand out, either to help her up or just to shake it. In truth, he still wasn¡¯t quite sure what the normal greetings were, but this seemed friendly enough. She looked at the hand and then the small boy, and back at the hand. Her own arm extended out in uncertainty, shaking slightly as she met his. ¡°I¡¯m Emilie. Are you here to ask me to stop?¡± Reese looked into her hazel colored eyes, he couldn''t help think how alike they looked to his. Something about her, reminded him of himself, like a part of her was struggling with something deep. ¡°No! I saw your casts. They¡¯re amazing! I¡¯ve never seen anyone cast spells that big. I¡¯ve been trying to learn, but, well I have some issues.¡± He found it hard to contain his excitement. There were only a handful of people in the village who could really cast spells. None could cast them as large as Emilie could, and none were around his own age so were less willing to even talk to him. ¡°Oh¡± She didn¡¯t know what to make of him. Normally people were scared of her. No child should be able to cast fire bolts as large as hers. No child should be able to create a flood just by saying a word. No child should associate with a freak like her. At least, that¡¯s what she thought. For a few moments the two stood together, neither quite sure what to say or do next. Taking some more initiative, Reese started the conversation ¡°Ummm. So, how do you do that?¡± ¡°Hmm, you mean the fire bolt?¡± she thought for a minute about how to explain it. She was born with a massive and very well-ordered gate, spell casting was just natural to her. ¡°I just, do.¡± Shrugging, she wasn¡¯t sure how else to explain it. Adults were always asking that question too and she didn''t know how to answer them either. It wasn¡¯t worth thinking about too much, since he was probably going to get mad at her and leave. Instead of leaving, Reese opened his book and turned to a mostly blank page, save for one magic glyph on it. He turned it around to show Emile, ¡°Do you see something like this in your head when you cast?¡± She took the bindings, and realized how hazardous it was. It felt like it was homemade as a few pages already started slipping out. ¡°Umm, I think so.¡± She studied the image; it looked like the one in her mother''s book. In fact, it was almost identical. ¡°Yeah. This is the same drawing that was in my mom''s book. I saw it when I was younger. Any time I thought about it, my hands would get warm.¡± She wanted to look through the rest of his book or more accurately papers, but thought it would be rude, so she gave it back to him. ¡°I remember later my mother was in our back field with it and said some words and he started a fire. When I tried to copy them, I ended up lighting the whole field on fire.¡± Emile looked deeply regretful for that and began to cry a bit but did not sob. ''Why was he still there?'' She wondered. ¡°I''m sorry Emile. I didn''t mean to make you cry, I just¡­¡± Reese paused, the only big fire he could remember was over three years ago. His father got the whole guard unit on a water brigade. If she was the same age then her first spell cast would have been around age three? ¡°How old are you, Emile?¡± ¡°I was six last fall, I''ll be seven this.¡± Amazing. This girl truly had to be a prodigy. Even the most capable magicians don''t start spell casting till much later than that. ¡°That''s amazing!¡± he couldn''t help but shout at the surprised girl. ¡°Eh?¡± Again she recoiled from him. This boy''s excitement didn''t make any sense to her. ¡°You know most normal people don''t cast their first spell till they¡¯re 10 years old or later? Even the most successful magicians don''t start casting until they''re like 7. There¡¯s only one story I know if that''s earlier than that and that guy was like 5. You¡¯re absolutely amazing! You have to teach me.¡± He knew she probably couldn''t teach him, at least not directly. But maybe if he watched her, he might better understand what made her so much more powerful, and ultimately give him insights into his own disorder and ways around it. Magic had a well-ordered structure to it, all his books showed that. It was less ¡®magical¡¯, and more like another set of rules this universe used. He just needed to figure out how it all worked. Being close to the solstice, the afternoon was one of the longest of the summer, yet it felt like no time at all. Reese was right Emilie was beyond amazing, and she found him interesting too, he seemed to know more about what she was actually doing than she did. His notebook had ten new pages full of notes and ¡®scribbles¡¯ as he watched her cast several more spells. ¡°You said your hands got hot when you think about this glyph too?¡± He held up a new glyph, one he drew from memory a few minutes ago. ¡°Mhm. Not hot, but yeah warm. Once¡­¡± She paused, still unsure if she should continue. ¡°Once, I made a fire without saying any words. It just came out.¡± ¡®No words¡¯. He thought about it for a movement. Certainly, his books had mentioned voiceless and even ''castless'' spell casting. The theories and descriptions were all over the place though. Each book seemed to have a different way and explanation to get there. All of them required a foundation too that often didn''t overlap. It''s like no one fully knew and were all just guessing based on what worked. It was also the area that invoking seemed to exist in, so Reese was particularly invested in her answers. ¡°Were you able to do that with any other spells¡± Emilie paused, ¡°Well, the water spells I know leave my hands wet when I think about them. Also, once I cast something really big with just one word.¡± Focusing on that point, he encouraged her to try casting a few small water bolt spells. Each time, Reese could almost feel what was described in the books. That sensation of mana moving around him, but not through him. Like something was flicking at his skin but just couldn''t go deeper, it was very subtle. Like it ignored him and didn''t want to interact, which it probably did. ¡°So, how does it feel when you say the words. Does the spell just come out?¡± ¡°No. When I cast the spell, I can feel the mana running up my body and into my arm. Each word feels stronger, until I reach the end.¡± ¡°What happens if you stop halfway.¡± ¡°Nothing. Sometimes my hand gets wet if I¡¯d doing a water bolt, but it¡¯s not a water bolt.¡± ¡°And when you say it different, it¡¯s just less strong, most times?¡± She nodded. ¡°Sometimes it doesn¡¯t work.¡± He continued to jot down notes in his journal. It didn¡¯t quite make sense yet, but a picture was emerging. Reese knew Emilie had a gate, a large and organized one at that. It was like the spell was activating it, causing it to move mana around like she wanted, but inside of her. Maybe the words weren¡¯t what mattered, and it was the sounds. He pondered that idea more. The gate seemed more like a skeleton key that opened up different sized doors to mana. The key could be configured and shaped by feelings and thoughts, which meant accessing different types of mana. Then, something else would happen. He wasn¡¯t quite sure how, but something controlled how it left the body, that control, that shape seemed to give mana its power as a spell. Of course, that didn¡¯t explain how people could ¡®store¡¯ mana, or a host of other questions, some of which he hadn¡¯t even thought of. He opened his ever-growing notebook and flipped between two labeled pages titled ¡°Spell Invoking¡± and ¡°Silent Casting¡±. It all referenced training your gate, except for the very first example he saw. ¡°Can I control the shape of mana without a gate?¡± He jotted the note on paper and began sketching ideas below it. The end of day bell rang in the distance, it signaled the normal time markets closed, and people would go home for the day. Time-wise, that made it 6PM. Off in the distance, a woman called to Emilie. Reese vaguely recognized them as one of the shopkeeper from the marketplace when his mother took him. ¡°I have to go.¡± She paused before walking away. ¡°I¡¯m usually out here casting spells by myself. If you want to come by again?¡± Reese closed his notebook and with the biggest smile he could manage nodded ¡°Yeah!¡± Chapter 5, Gateless not Hopeless The paper scrawling grew more and more complex as Reese kept adding runes and lines to it, each representing a movement or way of shaping his body. He knew he could make this work. The problem was he just didn¡¯t have any mana inside of him, so he couldn¡¯t make it flow through his body, not normally anyway. He¡¯d have to use the mana around him. Sometimes, when he used very specific movements or hand gestures, he could just barely sense something. So that¡¯s what he would do. Emilie mentioned how an incomplete or weak cast would feel ''less''. Like there was just less mana moving around, but he could still use what was there. His research and conclusions at this point were little more than educated guess work, but it seemed to make sense. Mana seemed like it would flow around different objects, like the boundary layer between them would conduct a small amount of it. In his notebook were several new ideas and theories that he had been considering but were all just beyond his ability to investigate currently. For now, he had a few new things to test. As he shaped his hand a small amount of mana would flow around it, but he suspected that each type should flow at a different rate depending on the configuration. If he moved just right, he could reinforce one type of mana and diminish the others. It would be like invoking the mana directly. He also suspected it would also be like how a mana a circuit might work on a physical enchantment, he really needed to find a good book on enchanting. Regardless, the process would be hard, from his reading residual mana was always weaker than even the tiniest of gates. After looking it all over, he had a plan. And 3 spells to try with a few variations. A water bolt spell, a wind burst spell, and a fire bolt spell. He wasn¡¯t sure about the wind spell, but the other two should work. In the distance, an all-clear bell could be heard as another, possibly the same Fire Dragon passed by. It seemed they were getting more frequent, but Reese could remember each summer had something similar happen. This world had dragons; they were as much a part of it as he was. Just something you learned to live with. Thinking on it, his mind ran with thoughts of adventure as he imagined himself climbing that mountain in the distance and using his newly acquired magics to slay the fearsome foe. Well, that wouldn¡¯t be today at least, he hadn¡¯t even learned magic yet. Besides, killing something just because you could wasn¡¯t what heroes did. Best to live and let live. Looking out the window his mind returned to the village as it¡¯s people returned to their daily routines, and it was clearly becoming late being near noon. Prior days, Emilie would show around noon so they''d probably get about the same time. It had only been a week since he had met her, but they had become very fast friends. The truth is both were lonely, and looking for friends or more maybe Nakama, to use the phrase of a nation that didn''t even exist in the world. Also, thinking about things that don¡¯t exist in the world, Reese found it challenging at times to tell the time. There were no clocks, or at least none in the town. Some larger cities used water clocks, which just seemed weird. The closest to an accurate time keeping device in the village was a sundial. This led to everyone having a laxer view of time and its passage. Noon was noon, midnight was still midnight, but everything between, was variable. Sure, there was always dawn or dusk as anchors, but they moved. Each day it would be at a different time, 6AM was always dawn, 6PM always dusk. Which meant a 12-hour day could be longer than a 12-hour night. For those who have only known this reality, it was just obvious. But for Reese, even after 6 years it was still weird. Just something else to get used to. Though, it did lead to some questions, such as ¡®why no clocks?¡¯ One of the many notes in his now nearly full notebook. Grabbing the book, he ran out the door. It was hard to contain his excitement as he jogged behind the house to their hill. He knew this would work, it had to. Emilie sat on the hill waiting for him. He hoped she hadn¡¯t been waiting long. Regardless, today was the day and after a few minutes of discussion and warming up, she was watching him intently as he tried a new method of spell casting. One that was at best hinted at in the books, but never explained. In truth, very few people or books would go the direction he is, it just wasn¡¯t worth the effort. Most books looked at invoking only from the gate standpoint, because for many that was both the easiest way and the only way. Obviously, that just wasn¡¯t possible for him. ¡°Emilie!¡± He called to the bored looking girl. ¡°Hey! Sorry, you weren¡¯t waiting for me I hope? I had to digest everything you told me.¡± ¡°No, not that long.¡± With a smile she shook her head, hiding the truth. He pulled out his notebook and flipped through some pages, trying to find his note from earlier. ¡°So, I¡¯ve got some new spell ideas sketched out. I don¡¯t think I can do spell spoke like you and, everyone else. I think I could invoke something though, I just had to change things.¡± ¡°Invoke?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s one of the three types of casting. The books I¡¯ve read say it¡¯s a way to call upon your body to aid your casting. In theory, it¡¯s used for more advanced spells, but since I don¡¯t have a gate at all I thought maybe I could try it.¡± He found what he was looking for and looked up at her with a defiant smile. ¡°Oh, neat!¡± Her eyes sparkled, and Reese could see the intelligence behind them. The understanding of what he was about to do. ¡°I think it¡¯s actually what you do, when you silently cast. That¡¯s what invoking is for, well, commonly anyway.¡± Her eyes grew wide, like he had just pointed out the secrets of the universe. ¡°So I invoke?¡± ¡°I mean I think so? Regardless, your casting gave me the insights I needed. So, just need to try it.¡± As he started the movements he used were different than in any book, some were more subdued, others exaggerated, and there were a few new ones too. Also, he didn¡¯t bother with the words since they were meaningless for someone without a gate. They were meant to shape your internal mana flow, to be directed in the right path. Your thoughts became directives, which became internal runes the mana would follow. The path it took would shape its output into its final form, as a completed spell. He had to do something different though, he had to use the mana that was already present in the air, and the small amount that would normally just pass through him, ignored. Shaping it in the air, pulling it out of thin air, so to speak. The first attempt, failed. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s try again.¡± It took a few tries and Emilie''s help and pointers. ¡°When you pull your arm back, I think that pulls in more mana. You should pull it back more rather than sticking it out, at this part.¡± He watched her, and continued, ¡°Got it!¡±. But as he moved in altered patterns, he felt it. The humidity, the draw of moisture around his hand. With one last thrust forward, he said it ¡°Water bolt¡±. Even if it was unnecessary for the spell it was necessary for him. A small sphere of water, barely bigger than a marble, appeared in front of his hand, and lazily drifted forward before hitting the ground not more than 5 feet away. It was weak, pathetic really, even for a first cast. But it was his cast. It was his magic. He did it. All he could do was stare at the slightly damp ground in awe of what he had done. He had so much more data to add to his book, but for now he would pause in the moment, savoring it. Suddenly the sound of hands clapping brought him back to reality, the gritty voice of the young girl next to him shouted ¡°Reese! You did it!¡± ¡°I did, didn¡¯t I?¡± Neither of their smiles could be denied. ¡°I really do need to thank you Emilie, I wouldn¡¯t have figured it out if you didn¡¯t explain things to me.¡± Of course, she shook her, but said nothing beyond the smile she tried to hide. ¡°Oh, wait I¡¯ve got two more I want to try.¡± With that she watched as he danced with the mana forces again. Collecting, rearranging, and casting without casting. Offering him only the occasional point based on what she felt. In the end though, a fire bolt. One that couldn¡¯t compete with a matchstick. From formation it floated along a lazy five feet before puffing out. Small, pathetic, but again it was still his. More clapping, and then another spell. This one was more challenging. Despite what one might think, the air itself didn¡¯t hold much wind mana, or at least it wasn¡¯t organized enough to be useful. With a final push of his hands, nothing seemed to happen. Maybe, a slight whisper of wind, but nothing even as small as his fire puff. Still, 2 out of 3, he ¡®d take it. He couldn¡¯t wait to show his mother and father. ¡°Emeilie, I have to show my parents, come on!¡± The young were surprised by the invitation but accepted greedily. Her giggling turned to silence as they made it closer to the house, her hand growing tighter on his. Reese, wasn''t paying attention though. Once inside his house her excitement wilted almost completely and was replaced by an air of concern and uncertainty. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Lilith and Fortus came around as their son called them, curious why he interrupted their early evening activities, and though he didn¡¯t say out right, Fortus was deeply concerned about his new friend. Emilie was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the two¡¯s presence, particularly Fortus who¡­ dealt with her great fire debacle several years ago. The four moved to the kitchen where they sat around the table, three of them sitting waiting for Reese to show what he had learned. Though Fortus, seemed more interested in something or someone else. Reese, either not aware or not carrying about the friction began his water dance. ¡°Water bolt¡± he ended, with a sphere of water, slightly bigger than before. His father watched in mild disinterest, but his mother looked on in shock managing only a whisper of the word ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± before she was stopped by his next cast. A small ¡°Fire Bolt¡± appeared and dissipated a bit further than the first time. There was no reason to try the wind spell, didn¡¯t seem like a point to end in disappointment. He wasn¡¯t sure why the spells seemed slightly larger this time. Perhaps there was more mana in the air or his excitement allowed him to channel more? With his notebook in hand, he made a note about it, something to study later. ¡°That¡¯s impressive Reese.¡± In truth his father seemed less than impressed, but at least tried to fane interest for his son¡¯s sake. Reese¡¯s mother on the other hand was elated. ¡°Reese, that amazing! You¡¯re silent casting, and without a gate. Also, we need to talk about casting spells in the house.¡± Turning her attention to her husband, she berated his lack of enthusiasm ¡°Fortus, ignoring he¡¯s casting without a gate, he silent casting. There are mages out there that never learn how to do that. It is impressive.¡± Fortus perked up a bit at the light scolding. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Reese, I don¡¯t know magic well. But it sounds really impressive. You should be proud son, and I just don¡¯t understand. I¡¯m sorry.¡± A bit deflated, Reese considered how to appeal to his father, ¡°I can probably learn how to do some of your moves. It won¡¯t be exactly the same, but I think I can do something.¡± Now that peaked his father¡¯s interest, as he sat up a bit more and Reese continued. ¡°All your sword techniques are basically forms of silent casting, at least I think they are. I can do that! I just have to do it a bit differently.¡± His father smiled in disbelief. ¡°So you think you could beat me one day?¡± His words holding a faint glare of hope and worry the same. ¡°Probably not that far. But I might be able to fend off some of your attacks.¡± Fortus managed a scoff of a subtle laugh but tried not to be too dismissive. If his son could beat him or even match some of his moves, that would be worth encouraging. Though in Fortus'' mind, using magic wasn''t the same as techniques. His son would need to figure out how to do the impossible to truly impress him. ¡°Reese, do you know any more spells?¡± Again, his mother¡¯s excitement could not be understated, and he wanted to try the wind spell at least once, for her sake. The two of them continued to practice spells, including a few others that she gave him off the cuff. They were all small spells, with one or two tiny results but Lilith saw them as the largest ever. Both were out of ear shot of Fortus and Emilie, who suddenly remembered, she was unwelcome. Quietly she attempted to leave only for Fortus to stop her at the door. "Reese¡­ I am so proud of you and impressed." Lilith couldn''t help but squeeze her child. The force was enough to push the wind out of him. "This is what you''ve been working towards!" Reese saw Emilie leaving out the kitchen window. "Mom, I''ve got to say good bye to Emilie and thank her again." He pushed off and went after her, he to thank her again before she went home or else he wouldn''t be able to get any rest. Fortus didn¡¯t see him leave out the side door as he gave chase to his friend. She was moving fairly quickly, and for a moment Reese wondered why. It was apparent that she was a little different from everyone else. Maybe the people in the house were just too much. "Emilie wait up! I wanted to thank you¡­" Her body crouched down slightly, but as she turned around that''s when he became concerned. "Why are you crying?¡± What was she supposed to tell him? ¡°Reese. You need to leave me alone. I¡¯m dangerous. Please, I can¡¯t talk to you anymore.¡± Confusion, mixed with angry colored his voice, ¡°Says who?¡± ¡°Fortus.¡± She turned away and began to walk home once more. "Wait. I don''t understand who cares what he says. We can still be friends." But, she didn''t stop. This hurt and she didn''t want to prolong it. ¡°Emilie, just wait a minute... I need to talk to him.¡± His footsteps turned into a run as he headed back to his house. He had to get more information, maybe it was a misunderstanding. His father couldn''t be that mean, why would he be that mean? Suddenly, he was grateful he didn''t wait till tomorrow to thank her. There might not have even been a tomorrow if he had. Fortus may not have seen Reese when he left, however he did see when he came back inside and started yelling at him. Reese tried not be accusatory, but it was hard. ¡°What did you say to Emilie? She was crying and refused to say anything besides you told her not to talk to me?¡± Fortus wouldn''t face his son, ¡°Reese, it¡¯s for your own good. You need to stay away from her.¡± ¡°No. I won¡¯t.¡± Reese was surprised by his own voice. He would never have done this in his old life. ¡°Excuse me?¡± There was anger and shock in his father¡¯s voice. Up till now Reese had always at least pretended to listen to him so Fortus tolerated his eccentricity. But insubordination, was crossing a line. ¡°She¡¯s my friend. She¡¯s my only friend! And I would never have figured out magic if it wasn¡¯t for her.¡± His father''s actions made no sense to him. ¡°She¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°No she isn¡¯t. She¡¯s a kid who¡¯s unusually strong. She needs someone to help her understand that strength.¡± His anger mixed with feelings of confusion. There was probably some logic in his father''s head, Reese would have to give him that small measure of consideration. But he was wrong. ¡°Oh, and that¡¯s you the gateless mage?¡± Fortus bit his tongue after saying that. While it was probably better than a slap, even he knew that was uncalled for. ¡°Reese, I shouldn''t have...¡± But it was too late, Reese ran back out the door after his friend again. He wasn¡¯t going to let her walk home alone, he wasn¡¯t going to abandon her just because his father said to. Once out the door, he began to run towards his friend who was already crossing Mountain Pass. ¡°Emilie, wait please!¡± She didn''t, but she did slow down. ¡°I told you to leave me alone.¡± She snaped. He shook his head. ¡°No, I won¡¯t. I talked to my father and he is an asshole, ignore him.¡± For a moment there was silence. Searching for more words, something that would convince her. ¡°¡­But I¡¯m dangerous.¡± It was more of a meek cry then really words. ¡°Yeah, because you¡¯re so strong. You don¡¯t need to be afraid or alone, you just need to learn how to use your magic better.¡± How could he convince her. ¡°But your father said to leave me alone, he could throw me in the dungeon.¡± ¡°The dungeon?" What had his father told this girl? Or, as it became more obvious, what was she telling herself. The realization at what she was doing came to him, it was a similar problem he had. Her brain was twisting reality, small slights, into giant fearful shadows and demons. "Emile, this town doesn''t even have a dungeon, just a jail. And he''s wouldn''t throw you in the dungeon or jail for hanging around me. My father is trying to protect me, but he¡¯s a fool." Was he getting through? "Look, you¡¯re my friend. Probably the only friend I have. I¡¯m not going to stop hanging out with you just because of my father.¡± Maybe, one last thing. He held his arms out and wrapped them around his friend. Sometimes, you just need a hug. He hoped it wasn''t crossing a line, but her tears did seem to subside. "If you want to stop being my friend, because you don''t want to, fine. But, I''m not going to accept it just because my father said so." With a nod, she seemed to accept it, even if she didn''t truly believe it. As she walked away in silene, Reese said one last thing. "I hope I''ll see you tomorrow. At the hill." Stopping it felt like an eternity before she turned around and said, "Yeah." Back in the house Fortus stood, looking at the door. Behind him, Lilith was trying to contain her own temper. When Reese fully out of ear shot, she didn¡¯t need to anymore. ¡°Fortus, what is your problem?¡± ¡°Lillth, you don¡¯t understand. That girl is dangerous.¡± ¡°No she isn¡¯t Fortus.¡± For a moment Fortus stood in silence remembering the fire several years ago. ¡°You remember what she did right?¡± ¡°Yes. Her first spell cast was an accident, and it lit a field on fire that wasn¡¯t going to be harvest anyway. No one died. I don¡¯t even think anyone was injured. Samething with the flood, no one was hurt.¡± He shook his head, how could his wife, the great sorceress be so na?ve? ¡°You don¡¯t understand how dangerous someone like her is.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t?!¡± Now she was mad. ¡°Fortus, you know how powerful I was. I was far stronger than Emilie is, and I casted my first spell without even speaking when I was 2.¡± Shaking his head, he refused to acknowledge the example. ¡°That¡¯s different.¡± He dismissed. ¡°No, you¡¯re right it was different. I burned my family¡¯s house twice. When I was 2 and when I was 6. The second time I thought of the glyph and a fire started behind me without even realizing. That was when my parents sent me to my aunt, and uncle and¡­¡± Those memories were painful, and both knew the rest anyway. A painful silence lingered between the two, each thinking of what to do or say next. It was broke Fortus¡¯ quite whisper ¡°You never told me that part, about your house.¡± A subtle admission that maybe he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°It wasn¡¯t relevant. Honestly Fortus, the best thing to happen to me was sealing my gate. I never wanted to hurt people again. The things I did in Fresall were¡­ evil. You remember, you were the one who was supposed to kill me.¡± ¡°Lilith you¡¯re different, you know what you did was wrong and you were tricked into doing it. You didn¡¯t mean for any of those horrible things to happen. You didn¡¯t know what you were doing.¡± ¡°Neither did Emilie. Anyway, my point is Fortus, Emilie is less of a threat than I am... then I was. She still growing and learning.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ I¡¯m worried Lillith. It¡¯s not just Emilie. My Uncle has spies poking around again. He¡¯ll find out about Reese eventually. Reese doesn¡¯t need any more threats, and neither do we.¡± Lilith could sense the fear in her husband¡¯s voice. He never really trusted his Uncle, neither did she. He had said as much before, but this seemed different, more aware of something. ¡°Are You finally ready to admit you¡¯re afraid of him?¡± ¡°Yeah, and my brother too.¡± ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t it make sense for him to have strong friends, to protect him?¡± It was a good argument. As a knight and military commander, he couldn¡¯t deny the value of a strong and loyal ally. But it just seemed to risky. Just what was he suppose to do? With one last sigh that released the last of her anger, Lilith walked away from the conversation getting the last words in, ¡°You know who the real enemies are Fortus. They¡¯re the same ones that cursed you, even if you don¡¯t want to admit it.¡± Lilith walked away, leaving Fortus to stand in the kitchen alone, he needed time to think about this. It was so much easier to hate mages and magic before he actually met her. Before he fell in love with her. Why did things have to get complicated. Pulling up a chair he sat with his head in his hands. Being a knight and soldier was easy, you made a plan and it either worked or didn¡¯t, you survived, or you didn¡¯t. But family life¡­ this was hard and the consequences were so much more long lasting. The door to the house opened, and Reese bypassed his father and went straight for his own room. Fortus would leave the kitchen to spend the night alone, his supper cold as he let the family eat without him. All he ever wanted was a simple life, swinging a sword, coming home to a family. Maybe teaching a boy to follow in his steps. Yet life, was never that simple or easy, not in this world. Chapter 6, School Days The amazing summer of discovery, and of finding his first friend had to come to an end. Sootemer had just started. It was a curious name Reese mused to himself, it sounded so much like September just, different. Another note in a new notebook. This one was an actual book his mother had bought from the bookstore in the market just a week earlier. After he practically begged her for it. Thinking back to it, the store was such an odd thing to find in even a large village like this. Books were not cheap, and the cheapest written ones might be a full gold, or said another way, a bit more than 2 months¡¯ worth of labor from an unskilled worker or famer. Even his family who were well off, would find them a cost high. His notebook on the other hand, was bit more than the material costs. Two hundred pages of good paper, bound in good but not great leather, about 10 silvers. Not cheap, but affordable for them. Reese had considered it a gift for learning magic. Also, a necessary addition if he was to start schooling. Though the schooling seemed irrelevant to someone who knew as much as he did. But both his father and mother insisted. They claimed that just getting to know the other kids was important, and you never knew who might help you in the future. Networking, even in the Middle Ages it seemed to be a thing, and was as amusing as it was depressing. Plus, he expected they just wanted to push him out of the house more. Well, on the other hand there would probably be some new things not covered in the house''s books. Maybe even something on enchanting? He had recently setup a small bench in his bedroom to try and work on enchantments and some other side projects. Much to the dismay of his father. Reese didn¡¯t quite understand it, but it seemed like enchanting wasn¡¯t seen seriously by most people. It was just something a blacksmith did on occasion for extra coins. For the son of a well-known knight to peruse such common labor probably had some negative connotations. But this was different, he was going to change the world! Or at least that¡¯s what he told himself. When picking up his notebook a few days ago, there was an interesting traveling merchant who stopped by in the open market. They were selling a range of mana infused and enchanted items, and it gave Reese pause to consider what he could do with such items, and how he could make them. The world of enchanting seemed to open whole new avenues for using mana in ways that he just couldn¡¯t do without a gate even with effort and training. The merchant was also selling some rather interesting mana infused stone and crystals. Some of the books he had talked about these, how they could be used by advanced mages in wands and staffs. They could concentrate and amplify mana. Rare ones could even manipulate it in deeper ways, changing the type and flow of the mana around it. The merchant was even kind enough to show Reese an example of him changing fire mana into sound mana, and water mana into wind. He was probably trying to convince him or his mother to buy one of the shiny stones as a trinket, but more than that, it showed him a whole new range of effects that his books hadn¡¯t even touched on. Changing one type of mana to another just wasn¡¯t covered anywhere. Of course, he convinced his mother to buy him a small one, which now sat on his new, self-made work bench. It was the cheapest, and smallest stone the merchant had, but which was still about 6 silvers and 6 copper. It would be useless in a real enchantment, but he had ideas, and nearly two full pages in his new notebook. ¡°Dong¡± In the not far distance, a bell rang. Unlike the warning bells, this particular one was usually considered the start of the day for the village, when the Market opened, and mayor¡¯s manor started seeing petitioners. It was also when the school technically opened. Which meant one thing, Reese would be late for his first day of class. Leaving his first experiment Reese burst down the door with his notebook under arm. His mother was trying to say something to him, only to smile as he ran past her. Reese ran out his front door up and started kicking up dust along Old Keep Road. As he passed the Mayor¡¯s manor he considered stopping at the small shrine in back, it was customary to give thanks to a god or two before starting something new like a job or school. But not everyone did that, and he was late anyway. Maybe he¡¯d do it later. It wasn¡¯t like he really believed in that stuff, reincarnation aside. Quickly Old Keep Road wrapped around and merged into Mountain Pass, and he could just barely see the school yard as everyone entered the large building. He picked up his pace, but his small legs made the run challenging, made even worse by a poorly upkept gravel and dirt road. The schoolhouse wasn¡¯t that far down the road, the village was large for a village, but smaller then even a small town in his old world. The building was fairly non-descript, a giant rectangle, with a large slopping roof, really not any different from the rest of the buildings in town. Two large red doors were closing behind the group of entering children. The doors shut just before Reese could make it, and officially he was now late. The doors were surprisingly heavy, or perhaps he was just surprisingly small, but once inside Reese was granted by an odd sight. Ard was present at the school, the town mayor. An older man, with salt and pepper hair and wrinkles like what you might expect of a village elder. He had a signature smile that sat somewhere between snake and con-artists. Basically, a normal Politian. Reese didn¡¯t think he was going to be teaching them. It seemed like the mayor might have more important things to do like run the village. As Ard spotted him, he couldn¡¯t help but make notice of his tardiness, ¡°Oh and if isn¡¯t Reese Bronwyn, little late?¡± There was a subtle bit of venom in the statement, mostly in the way he said ¡®Bronwyn¡¯. Ard was an interesting man. He seemed to have some kind of beef with Reese¡¯s father Fortus. It was presumably the same reason he always made it a point to use Reese¡¯s last name when talking to him. Though, to be fair he never treated Reese poorly. Regardless, that statement and any implications in it just seem to disappear as Reese entered the classroom, and was stopped by a small group of children who now staring at the same large furry creature Reese was. ¡°Children, I have good news. For those of you returning this year we have found a replacement for Abial. Fense here will be your teacher for the next year and hopefully beyond.¡± The man, if you could call him a man, was somewhat large and slightly embarrassed by all the attention. ¡°Hello children, I will be your teacher. I¡¯m hoping to have a good year.¡± His voice was deep, but not unpleasant, much like you might expect to hear from a gym teacher. His clothes were interesting, and almost looked like a suit given the dark color and how they fit, the fabric was a bit too rough to be a proper suit though. It had what appeared to be gold buttons down the front, but those were probably just foil over something cheaper. It was such a strange looking contrast from Reese¡¯s own clothes which were little more than brown rough spun canvas under a usually white or lightly colored shirt. Though Reese supposed it blended well with his fur. Oh right, the fur. Their teacher was quite literally a dog, or more accurately a wolf, with black fur and gray hair? Reese¡¯s books had mentioned Anthro races, mostly down in the southern parts of Domconti, the main continent though they existed everywhere humans and elfs did, just in smaller number. He also hadn¡¯t seen many yet. At least, none up close that were fully anthro or ¡®beastman¡¯ like till now. His lips moved in ways you may not quite expect from a wolf¡¯s ¡°I guess you¡¯re all surprised to see an Anthro in your village? Uh¡­ How many of you know what an Anthro is?¡± Of course, Reese raised his hand, but aside from a few of the older children none of the others did. ¡°I see. Well, this seems like a good lead in to our first lessons on geography.¡± Seeing the day was starting well, and none of the students would make trouble the mayor took his leave with his signature used car man smile. Of course, this world didn¡¯t have cars. ''yet'', Reese further mused to himself. Fense continued his first lesson, heading to the front of the classroom to start work on what appeared to be a very traditional and simple chalkboard. It made sense, slate probably wasn¡¯t that expensive, and chalk was little more than limestone, which was in abundance. As Reese headed for an open desk, he couldn¡¯t help but think how traditional and simple the classroom was. The desks were reminiscent of the ones he had in his own elementary school, just made of actual wood, and no metal. Windows along the southern walls let ample light in meaning, no torches or expensive candles were needed. The school had a minor library in the back, which consisted of a few bookshelves along the back wall of the room. Though calling them books might have been generous and they were all of poor quality, stitched together by hand with thick thread. Most didn¡¯t appear to have real covers and were bound with leather straps, even the book the teacher carried was like this, which made Reese suspected came from one of the shelves. They were more similar to his original notebook then he would have liked to admit. Later, Reese would learn well that a common activity for demerits was to hand copy a page or more of a text to create a spare copy for the school, and hopefully learn something in the process. His mind returning to the front of the classroom saw a small stove sat in the front, likely to be used in winter months when it was colder, though the 32 bodies should produce enough heat. There were 31 students in the class, most of them were new to Reese despite being a small village, at least small in his eyes. One missing face did concern him, however. Where was Emilie? ¡°¡­Can anyone tell me what our continent is called?¡± The sound of a question brought Reese back out of his own head. Of course, he raised his hand. It seemed sad that, so few others did. One of the students he didn¡¯t know was pointed at, ¡°Domconti¡± She said. ¡°Correct. Now can anyone tell me the names of any of the other continents?¡± No one else raised their hand, besides Reese. ¡°Hmm, ok you, Reese was it?¡± The wolf seemed to be probing the class more than expecting answers, as if trying to find out what he had to work with. Still, Reese was not going to refuse a chance to answer. ¡°Absiter, Abscondita saltar trill, and Telah Nivis un Glaosnas¡± For a moment Fense seemed quite impressed, perhaps he wasn¡¯t expecting a 6 year old to know? ¡°All three, and those are the full names. I¡¯m actually surprised to hear them. Most people shorten the longer two down to ¡®Abscondi¡¯ and ¡®Nivis¡¯. Reese how old were you?¡± The teacher opened a small notebook and began making some notes. Some of the other students glanced his way. Reese wasn¡¯t sure if that was a good or bad thing, but given prior experience, it wasn¡¯t likely to be good. His sister in particular looked angry. Well, angrier than normal. ¡°I was 6 last winter.¡± ¡°Hmm. So this is your first year. Ok.¡± He looked around the room, thinking of something else to probe with. ¡°Can anyone tell me the names of the Great and minor seas?¡± Again, Reese raised his hand. ¡°Not you Reese, anyone else¡± and he put his hand down, more eyes glared at him. ¡°Ok, can anyone tell me how many there are, or any of their names, even one?¡± Now hands went up. ¡°7?¡± A younger boy behind Reese answered. ¡°Close but no, you might be thinking of the tear near the crack of Domconti as one or the great northern lake, there are 6. Any want to guess to their names?¡± Another child raised his hand, ¡°The still sea?¡± ¡°Very good, that¡¯s the large open sea in the center of the Absiter. Any other guesses?¡± No one was willing to raise their hand, whether they knew and were scared or just didn¡¯t know was anyone¡¯s guess. Fense made some more marks in his notebook. ¡°There are five more, the major seas or oceans are Marstrill in the South West, Pelglaosnas in the South East, Boras in the North West and Umileis in the North East. I particularly like Umileis, the name comes from Anthro and we have some really fun myths and stories about it. Which I¡¯m hoping to have a short lesson on it in the near future. Lastly, there¡¯s the minor seas ¡°Sea of Passage¡± between Domiconti and Nivis, and we already mentioned the ¡°Still Sea¡± in the Center of Ablister¡± Reese took a few notes, he knew the sea names already, but knowing that Umileis came from Anthro was something new. He was not intending to be called out for the action. ¡°Reese seems to be the only one taking notes. I¡¯d recommend you all do the same. I do give tests and you will have homework.¡± More glares fell on Reese. He could almost feel the invisible daggers hitting him as he suddenly tried to hide his note taking. The rest of the day was more of the same, mostly simple questions about geography, then a few about language with focus on the human language, then some very simple math. Feeling the daggers of the other students, Reese tried to minimize the questions he answered, but still found himself called on a few times. Schooling was a bit different from modern earth, simply put, there was less to teach and learn. By noon, school was basically done. Homework assignments were given out, all students had the same assignments, but the older students were expected to give more depth to their answers. One of the questions was simply, ¡°Who was Queen Hastia Astrix, and why was she important.¡± Hastia had come up in passing during the day, but nothing significant was discussed about her. As such it was for this reason that the school was kept open past the last lesson and why the teacher would remain for a few more hours, the bookshelves. Students were expected and allowed to remain and find answers for the homework of the day. Reese had to admit, it was an enticing offer, but first he had other questions for Fense. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The wolf was set up at the front of the classroom at the teachers desk, waiting for a students with questions and to keep watch of the space itself. He seemed quite happy to see Reese approach him with a query. ¡°Ah, Reese. I think I¡¯m going to enjoy having you in the classroom.¡± ¡°Thank you, I was uncertain about this, but I think I¡¯m going to enjoy it too!¡± ¡°You have a question about the assignment?¡± ¡°Uh, no. I was wondering about a student who wasn¡¯t here today?¡± Puzzled, Fense opened his own journal, Reese could just make out a list of names with 31 entries. His own seemed to have many scribbles next to it. ¡°Oh? I admit I¡¯m not familiar with everyone¡¯s name yet. But I had 31 names in my roster, and I believe there were 31 children present. Who did you think should be here?¡± ¡°Emilie. She¡¯s a friend of mine, and the same age.¡± ¡°I see. Well school is free to the family, paid with the town¡¯s taxes. But supplies aren¡¯t. I try to be accommodating as much as I can.¡± He gestured to some very cheap paper scraps on the corner of his desk. ¡°But still, some parents just can¡¯t afford even that.¡± ¡°No. Her parents are merchants. I don¡¯t think they make as much as they¡¯d like, but they aren¡¯t poor.¡± Fense shrug. He just didn¡¯t have a good answer ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know why a family wouldn¡¯t send their child to school, but it¡¯s their choice. If Emilie¡¯s parents wanted her to come, I¡¯d teach her just like anyone else.¡± The conversation was concerning. Emilie liked books and learning as much as he did, school seemed like the perfect place for her. In truth, despite their mental differences, Reese enjoyed her inquisitive nature and the questions she brought up always seemed to challenge him a bit. There had to be something he could do. Thinking more about it, every time he brought up school, she seemed to shy away from answering or talking. He had mistaken it for nervousness, but maybe it was something else. Leaving the school he made a bee line for Emilie¡¯s house and her parents¡¯ shop. In the corner of the desolate shop sat the dark purpled haired child had a darker cloud over her head. In front of her was a book that she couldn¡¯t really focus on. As the door opened her gaze drifted up, expect a customer or maybe her parents. Instead, it was someone more interesting. ¡°Reese!¡± She practically shouted and went to greet her friend. ¡°School¡¯s out already? It¡¯s earlier than I thought it be.¡± Her voice seemed a mixture of disappointment and gratitude. ¡°Yeah. The first half is just lecture. We should be doing our homework now.¡± Emilie¡¯s eyes opened wider at the word ¡®Homework¡¯, as if it were some magical concepts. She grew envious of the children who would jealously hoard their own from her. She had no idea what the reality was. Resse continued. ¡°I was surprised not to see you there. I figured you¡¯d want to go school?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± She struggled, did she want to go into it or not? Though, it just wasn¡¯t that simple for her. The sparkle in her eyes drained. ¡°I think I want to go, but mom and dad say I can¡¯t.¡± He scowled at that statement; no parent should keep their kid from school. ¡°That¡¯s not right, if you want to go you should be able to go!¡± Without asking, without thinking, Reese went to confront her parents. Who were shocked. Not that their daughter wasn¡¯t in school, they knew that. Rather that someone else cared enough to fight for her. Stifling back a tear Venesar, her father, tried to let the boy down lightly ¡°Reese. I appreciate all you¡¯ve done for my daughter. She¡¯s happier than I¡¯ve ever seen her. But, this isn¡¯t something you can just fix. The mayor is the one who didn¡¯t want her in school.¡± That really made no sense to him, ¡°Ard? Why?¡± ¡°Reese¡­¡± He paused. This was still hard for him, even after several years. ¡°Do you know what my daughter did?¡± ¡°Yes. She lit a fire without meaning too and started a small flood the same way. They¡¯re both accidents.¡± Emilie¡¯s father couldn¡¯t help but laugh a little, and smile, further wiping another tear away, ¡°I¡¯m, actually very happy you¡¯re trying to defend her. Yes, that¡¯s right she burned the field behind the house, and caused a flood that could have hurt her little brother. No she didn¡¯t mean too, but that doesn¡¯t always matter.¡± For a moment Venesar considered his daughter, and then Reese. She was still in front of that same book that was hopelessly too advanced for her. It really wasn¡¯t fair. ¡°The mayor needs to be convinced. I don¡¯t know how to do that.¡± That settled it, Reese needed to head to the Mayors office next. This was quickly becoming a quest, and he¡¯d complete it, no matter how many people he had to visit. The mayor¡¯s manor was large. Even more so then Reese¡¯s house which was considerably larger than most houses in the village. It was two stories tall, with likely an attic. The back of the house would have a very nice yard, kept maintained by the village guard and soldiers. Also, the village shrine to the gods, which he still needed to visit, some other day. Inside, was quite exquisite. Every room had thick luxurious carpet in the center of it. Unlike earth, carpet was very expensive here. You didn¡¯t put it in every room, unless you had a lot of coins. The wood of the walls and the floor itself were some kinds of reddish brown hard word, with some kind of black wood trim. Paintings and artwork were along each wall, and a book shelf absolutely packed with expensive looking texts were in an adjacent study like space. Reese couldn¡¯t help but think that a thief would make a killing from just one room of this place. ¡°Can I help you?¡± An unfamiliar voice startled Reese back to reality. A woman, not that old, questioned Reese as he wandered about the manor. ¡°I was looking for the mayor.¡± His initial fear and uncertainty faded away and he stood up as straight as his 6 year old body would allow. ¡°I have business with him.¡± He commanded. The woman for all the seriousness, had to stifle a laugh. ¡°Unfortunately, young man, the mayor left the village several hours ago. He¡¯s heading to a few nearby cities to personally negotiate wheat prices for the harvest. If you¡¯d like, I will leave a message for him when he gets back.¡± Reese shook his head, of course things wouldn¡¯t be that easy. ¡°No. I need to speak with him in person. Do you know when he will be back?¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be gone a week, so 8 days. He should be back ¡®Ostarideg¡¯ evening. Why don¡¯t you stop by next ¡®Momadeg¡¯¡±. The days of the week still gave him some confusion. This world had an 8 day week, Ostarideg was basically the day after Sunday, an extra day, and Momadeg was effectively Monday. Regardless, he¡¯d have to wait a week. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll be back.¡± Walking out of the building, he could feel the disappointment seep into him. It wasn¡¯t over, not even close. Then why did it make him feel useless. The whole day felt like a defeat, he couldn¡¯t help Emilie, and school seemed like it was going to be just like the first time though. Nemi made some jokes about school at his expense during dinner. All through out the evening, and into the next morning, his mind would be preoccupied with thoughts and ideas of how to help Emilie. Yet, he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling he was forgetting something else. The next day, he knew exactly what he was forgetting. At the front of the class, Ard started with, ¡°Class, please turn in your homework.¡± Everyone walked up to the desk and dropped off a sheet of paper, some which was suspiciously like the scrap Fense kept as this desk. Well, everyone but him. ¡°Reese. Where¡¯s your homework?¡± All the running around, trying to figure out what was keeping Emilie from school and he had neglected his own schooling. ¡°I forgot to do it.¡± With a shake of his head, Fense made some more notes in his book, and a few of the other children made some auditable chuckles. ¡°Please see me at the end of class Reese.¡± Reese wasn¡¯t aware of it at the time, but this would be the first of many ¡®demerits¡¯ in his complex school career. At the end of the day, he stood in the back of the classroom as Fense looked over the shelves. ¡°Ah, which book?¡± Fense looked over the crudely bound documents in the back of the room, as if seeking one in particular. One which he soon found. ¡°A history of the Six Kingdoms under Astrix, 300 years of history¡±. The title was a mouthful, but descriptive. Fense handed the text to Reese, along with some moderately good paper and a fountain pen of some kind, presumably he¡¯d want that last item back. ¡°We only have one copy, and seeing how your assignment yesterday was mostly on history. Well, this is just efficient. Skip the preamble and copy the first two pages of chapter 1.¡± ¡°Yes teacher Fense.¡± Calling his teacher by his first name still felt odd, particularly with the word for teacher before it. It felt even more strange while he was being disciplined, but it was the custom in this world. Family names were reserved for nobles and aristocrats, and even then, only for formal matters. The pen in his hand touched the paper as he began to write, ¡°As many readers will know, about 300 years ago the Dark Elven army invaded the then independent states of Thrus and Vortania, and soon followed by slicing Fresall in half. The great Ethal Astrix would raise an army to reclaim these lands and push the Dark Elves back into the waste lands beyond the great mountain range that divides Domconti west and east. This colloquial understanding of the war and the origins of our great country is fun to tell, but isn¡¯t fully accurate. Let¡¯s start by asking why did they attack in the first place? Most would say territory, but in truth a set of trade disputes between the kingdom of Locran Lon Dras and the Kingdoms of Vortania and Fresall would eventually lead to acts of land piracy between the powers, in particular a series of lost and missed payments Fresall owed to Locran Lon Dras amounting to what would be today about 1,000,000 standard gold coins. The acts of piracy would occur for nearly 100 years co-escalating in size and brashness. With in 2 years an important duke of Locran Lon Dras was killed by bandit pirates in the service of Fresall. The kingdom of Locran Lon Dras retaliated and attempted to secure their trade routes through the low land passage by force. At the time, this passage was under the control of the Vortanian Kingdom, the Queen of Vortanian was unprepared for the Locran Lon Dras army to cease their territory in the low land pass. You¡¯ll notice, that even today in the year 292 Ast-Astrix the Low Land Pass is still controlled by the remnants of the Locran Lon Dras kingdom, now call the ¡®Unita Dras civitibavs¡¯ or in human, the United Dark Elven States.¡± Reese¡¯s mind and hand kept writing, almost in a trance. He knew most of this already, it was boring. Maybe it was just the way the author wrote, like he was trying to compress an entire book into a few paragraphs and just sounded like rambling. A brief respite came when Fense asked him a question ¡°Reese, what happened with your friend?¡± ¡°The mayor was the one who didn¡¯t want her on the class roster. I have no idea why, not that there¡¯s a good reason.¡± The venom in Reese¡¯s voice was evident. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I hate Ard.¡± Reese when back to writing. ¡°It may not be his choice.¡± Reese paused writing again, ¡°What do you mean, he¡¯s the one that controls the roster.¡± ¡°True, but have you considered what the other villagers think? I had a chance to learn about Emilie. I have no doubt many are afraid of her and even other student learning advanced magics here. It¡¯s one of the common complaints actually I hear actually. I¡¯ve had a few opportunities to talk to Ard, he¡¯s a smart man. Smart enough to know we won¡¯t be learning anything dangerous here. Aside from acknowledging they exists; we aren¡¯t learning any magics at all.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s capitulating to fear and hurting Emilie, not much better.¡± ¡°You have a point, but being a politician isn¡¯t always easy. If he did let her in, and the villagers protested, or worse went after Emilie because they were scared, would that be better?¡± Reese was taken aback by that comment. He knew the people here, maybe not all of them, but enough. They weren¡¯t mean or violent. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Ha ha. I like your view of humans Reese, it¡¯s optimistic. But I¡¯ve seen how both people and Anthros behave when they¡¯re afraid, it¡¯s not good. Fear can take over your ability to reason and think. It can make friends and family look like enemies.¡± ¡°So what, am I just supposed to ignore her plight because it might a few people afraid of something that¡¯s non-sense?!¡± He was shouting, Fense and the few other students present just stared at him. He didn¡¯t want to, but he knew he needed to apologize. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t be that angry, at least not at you.¡± ¡°I should add a page for that outburst. But, I understand how you feel. You don¡¯t have to like it, or even accept it. What you need to do is figure out an alternative solution. Now, get back to writing, don¡¯t forget you¡¯ve got homework for tomorrow to do too. Unless you want to copy that whole book?¡± Hours passed, between the book and the homework Reese had to have handwritten six pages of material. As he rubbed his sore, cramping hand he thought of it as a testament to both the punishment and effort. The argument Fense made was sound, the mayor was a politician even if he was never elected. He couldn¡¯t just do things, the village needed to agree with it or at least be ambivalent. With school done Reese didn¡¯t want to just go home. Instead, he would go see his friend, of course he wasn¡¯t sure he would tell her about what he found out but he did still want to talk to her. Inside the storefront and house Emilie sat in the same corner, reading another book. Looking up at the visitor she dropped the book and went up to great him, ¡°Reese! Welcome to my family¡¯s store. Please let me know if you want to buy anything.¡± The last part had the subtly of a slight giggle. She had been practicing her store greeting probably at her parent¡¯s request. ¡°Unfortunately, I am poor and can¡¯t afford your luxury goods.¡± Are scraps of leather and small trinkets really that luxurious, even in this era? ¡°Well maybe we could trade then, I could use your expertise in my research!¡± The tone and subtlety were not unlike two children playing pretend, and to be fair there might be some truth to that. Reese found it, enjoyable never truly experiencing it before. The book Emilie had been studying was open to a strange page, showing symbols and glyphs he hadn¡¯t seen before. No, that¡¯s not quite right, he had seen them, they just weren¡¯t explained well. Almost unconscious at this point, he had begun taking rigorous notes. The glyph was complicated, sets of straight lines and curved arcs connecting 3 symbols, one was just water, but the other two, looked like fire but were inverted and the symbols stretched. Triplexes of lines outlined the connections between the elements. Reese had seen that before, usually in spells that physically manifested mana into something, like water or fire. This spell was a physical manifestation of something. The asymmetry was interesting too, he got a feel from the simpler spells and glyphs, asymmetry usually implied some kind of movement or force. From the top of the page the spell was called ¡°Ice Bolt¡±. Assuming the title was literal then this spell would manifest some kind of bolt of ice. The incantation just further proved it. There were some notes to side that made mention of ¡°Dark Fire¡±. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to cast this since yesterday, but I just can¡¯t ¡®feel¡¯ it.¡± Reese wasn¡¯t sure either. The glyph didn¡¯t make a lot of sense by itself, and they both lacked the understanding of where to actually start casting it. Each glyph was read in your mind, you start at the beginning, wherever that actually was, and then moved through it piece by piece, chanting the enchantment at the right part. Assuming you did it all right, the spell would be cast. For Reese it wasn¡¯t that much different, only instead of reading and thinking about, he¡¯d ¡®act it out¡¯. For the next half hour, they tried different ways of approaching the spell, before Emilie¡¯s parents came back and put a stop to it. In retrospect, they probably shouldn¡¯t have tried casting it inside the shop. After dinner, Reese spent the rest of the evening studying in his room. His workbench remained mostly unused since he put it together. He just didn¡¯t have enough equipment or knowledge to really work on anything yet. Instead, the spell Emilie was trying to read wouldn¡¯t leave his mind, ¡°Dark Fire¡±. He said the words again. It didn¡¯t make a lot of sense, what was the difference between Dark Fire magic and Ice magic, and where was Light Fire? Was it just ¡®normal¡¯ fire. He wrote a few more notes in his book, and puzzled over them. He had read every book in this house, several times over, but he still didn¡¯t have a good grasp of it all. There was just too much, and so much of it was conflicting. Like no one really knew what was going on. He looked over the glyph he copied into his notebook. The inverted fire symbols, also known as Dark Fire. From ¡°The fundamentals of elemental magic¡± he knew that each element had a light and dark component, and that they could counter act each other. Dark Fire would probably cancel Fire or more accurately Light Fire spells. But could it also pull fire or heat from something? Following this logic: The water symbol at the top of the glyph would manifest first, then freeze from the Dark Fire. With the added asymmetry of the glyph that would cause the ice to travel in a specific direction. Most likely forward, but he¡¯d have to see it cast to be sure. From the title this was an ice spell, not unlike a water or fire bolt spell so his logic seemed to make sense. But there were still many questions. Studying the glyph, he tried a few different movements for ¡°Dark Fire¡± and for a moment Reese thought his hands felt chilled. Of course, that could just be the early autumn air. Sighing, he put his hand back down. Casting was a major challenge without a gate. So far, he had no luck casting spells and glyphs with multiple runes. It was just too hard, he needed to be quicker than he was or figure out something else. Maybe he could drop or combine a few of the movements somehow. It was getting late. His family was all asleep, in fact aside from two or three guards in the Old Keep and at the watch towers, he was probably one of the few in the village awake. Closing his eyes, the problems and questions continued to dance in front of him as slowly dreamed away. In his dream, a strange, man or man like create watched from the shadows. It looks familiar, but Reese couldn¡¯t explain why, the words ''one'' and ''high'' echoed. It felt like he had an almost instinctual hatred of him for some reason. Like his very soul knew of him. Out of spite, he dropped ''one'' to ''zero'', and ''high'' to ''low'', it amused him. But would be forgotten in the morning light. Side Text 1, Dragon Report to the Freelancer Council, 225 Ast-Astrix - Summer Session Dragon Report to the Freelancer Council, 225 Ast-Astrix - Summer Session As a seasoned Rank 1 Freelancer I was tasked with preparing this report on the Dragon Threats that have emerged and considerations the guild should take, both with accepting and pricing new contracts, and any preparations we should make. With the loss of the territories in the west kingdoms of Vortania, Thrus and Fresall new threats have emerged to the Six Kingdoms and newly formed Unita Dras Civitibavs where we also have guild halls. The Kingdoms in particular have not been able to properly secure the unallied territories around the great mountains, but neither has the newer Unita Dras Civitibavs nor the old remnants of the Locran Lon Dras in the north. This has created a risky region that the Freelancers are not able to operate in. It¡¯s worth noting that efforts by the Hunters to operate here have also failed. This has created a significant problem in the region with larger predators, bandits and other dark elements. Regions that were once free of Fire Dragons, have become nesting grounds again in a very short period of time. Even more worrying, Ice Dragons have expanded their territories in the north. There are three dragon types that pose some threat to towns and settlements, and for which contracts are likely to arise. The simplest threat come from nesting Wyverns. In general Wyverns avoid humans. Unless a human is out in the wilds by themselves, they are unlikely to be hunted by Wyverns. Wyverns avoid any significant human settlement, with exceptions during their mating and nesting seasons, which stretch from Cantlos to Sootember in most regions. More norther regions like Yoth, see a generally shorter season from early Jenos to late Revvlas. During this time, Wyverns tend to expand their territories and may intersect with smaller human settlements. They also become particularly aggressive and may attack small groups of humans and even the smaller settlements that they would otherwise avoid. Though, attacking settlements is rare. The overall risk of Wyvern attacks is low, but the risk to civilians attacking them is high. Seasoned Freelancers are more than capable of handling the threat. Wyvern¡¯s don¡¯t use fire or ice magics, and no evidence has been shown of any mana usage. Their size is comparable with a large horse, and individually they pose a minor threat. The real risk comes when they operate in packs. Having faced multiple Wyvern requests, I feel confident in my ability to solo Wyvers even when they attack in packs. However, most Freelancers, even seasoned ones will not be able to handle it alone. As such, it is my recommendation that Wyvern contracts be considered at least Rank 5 contracts, and no lower. Fire Dragons are very dangerous and given their swelling numbers it is likely we will see the greatest impact from them. Their fire breath is capable of melting most metals, and even some stone. They generally travel alone, but during mating season may form pairs. There are reports of one male dragon guarding up too two females, and only very rarely three. To date I''ve never seen a confirmed case of multiple males working together. As such, groups of more than 3 Fire Dragons should not be expected. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Facing a single Fire Dragon is challenging. I¡¯ve successfully dispatched over 30 contracts regarding Fire Dragons, occasionally, even as a solo Freelancer. First, I want to stress Fire Dragons are very smart. Not human or elf smart, but Dragon smart. I¡¯ve had them lure me into traps, setup ambushes and even fain death and injury to get close to me. Their power, speed and magic use are exceptionally dangerous, but it¡¯s their intelligence that will get you killed if you¡¯re not careful. For the most part, they avoid human territory. However, in some cases they will expand into it. Fire Dragons tend to put on shows before they attack. They¡¯ll often fly overhead, and roar for a few days, each time growing closer to the settlement before attacking after 3-4 days. Of course, this only an average, there are reports of them just attacking outright, even though that is rare. Fire Dragons are quite large. The size of a small house is not uncommon, and there are behemoths out there that dwarf most other animals. They are moderately quick flyers, but very ungraceful. They don¡¯t seem able to turn well in flight, making them good targets for strong range weapons. Soloing these creatures should never be encouraged, even amongst Rank 1 Freelancers. I recommend contacts start at Rank 3, and possibly push up to Rank 2 if there are multiple dragons. Lastly, Ice Dragons. I¡¯ve worked on 4 contracts with Ice Dragons. Up front, I will say I do not recommend we take these contacts. These creatures are deadly. In each case, I worked with groups of other Freelancers all were experts and bellow Rank 5. Each time, there were deaths. Ice Dragons are larger than Fire Dragons, nearly twice the size. They exist in solitary groups, but again during mating season that may change. Despite the name, Ice Dragons can use both Light Fire and Dark Fire Magics. There are reports of them using other magics too, but I cannot confirm it. It would not surprise me. Ice Dragons are terrifyingly intelligent, even more so than Fire Dragons. There are rare rumors of Ice Dragons speaking human and elvish. Again, I cannot confirm that, but it would not surprise me. The last Ice Dragon I fought studied our group before attacking my team mates who were very well hidden. The dragon left one of us barely alive and in a position tempting us to rescue them. When we did not attempt to rescue them immediately, it proceeded to torcher them until one of us took the bait and tried to attack. I have never seen an animal bait a human like that before. I¡¯ve also never seen one laugh at our suffering. I don¡¯t want to ever see it again. One last thing on Ice Dragons. Unlike Fire Dragons they don¡¯t give warnings before they attack, they just do. If an Ice Dragon is in the area, it must be dealt with immediately. My recommendation for dealing with them is to let the army handle these, and focus on evacuating any small settlements at risk. Barring that, if we insist on accepting these contracts then cannot be less than Rank 1 with S also being an option with an additional warning. I would also strongly recommend doubling or even tripling the costs and payments so the families of the Freelancers can bury their dead and have some coins left afterwards. -Alavon AKA, ¡°Dragon Slayer¡± Chapter 7, Here be Dragons A week would pass. School would continue, and Reese began to remember why so many children feared it. 3 days out of the 6 he had to do pages for the library. If things continued, he¡¯d end up duplicating an entire bookshelf before the end of the year. But today was different, he was able to fend off more demerits! Now the question arose, where to go. He wanted to head to Emilie¡¯s house, but he had other things to deal with first, Ard. So it was, he marched to the fancy manor not far from his own house. The inside of the manor remained as ornate as before. The woman from last week was situated in a corner of the foyer, that he missed last time. With a subtle smile and nod she pointed Reese towards the study space adjacent from both of them. ¡°Welcome¡±, a familiar voice called from that study space, and Reese moved towards it. Looking up from some book, the mayor¡¯s wrinkled face grew a few extra crevasses as he forced his signature smile of a man who would sell ice boxes to Eskimos. ¡°Reese Bronwyn, this is a surprise. How was your first week of class. I hope you paid attention; the village pays quite a bit from our tax pool for that school and Fense.¡± Reese couldn¡¯t help but look around and wonder how much of that tax pool went to the manor itself. But hypocrisy was a problem for adults, and for a different day. For now, Emilie came first. ¡°I like the school, Fense is a great teacher, and we will all learn a lot. I had a question about the class roster actually, and was told you handle that?¡± As if sensing where this was going Ard dropped the manufactured smile, ¡°I¡¯m the one who creates the roster of students for the year and gives it to the teacher. What of it?¡± ¡°Emilie wasn¡¯t on it. She¡¯s my friend and, I wanted to see how I could get her added.¡± The mayor sighed and closed the book in front of him before leaning back in his chair. ¡°Children attending school is a matter for their parents. Perhaps you should talk to them.¡± It was clear that Ard just wanted to dismiss him. ¡°I did. They said they want her to, but you won¡¯t let her.¡± But he was already prepard. This wasn¡¯t a conversation the mayor wanted to have. He had more important things to worry about, what those things were escaped his mind, but he was sure they existed. ¡°This is a matter between Basilara, Venesar, Emilie and the town. It doesn¡¯t concern you, child.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a member of this town. Even if I¡¯m not an adult, I will be one day. So will Emilie.¡± Ard merely shrugged, ¡°One day you will be an adult but not today, and I have to think of the whole town. Not just one or two of its citizens. Reese, child of Fortus Bronwyn, you were quite brave to come and talk to me today. I admire that. I do hope when you¡¯re older you will continue to think of this village and its citizens.¡± Ard was taking Reese more seriously than he had hoped, but still not seriously enough as he both kissed up to him and tried to switch topics. ¡°I know I¡¯m just a child, and I know you don¡¯t want to treat me seriously, but this isn¡¯t for my sake it¡¯s for Emilies.¡± ¡°As I said, it¡¯s a matter for her parents and the town.¡± ¡°Can you at least tell me why?¡± Ard knew the child wouldn¡¯t leave without something. He could just kick him out, but that risked aggravating his father, and he didn¡¯t want to give that man any more excuses to take more power. ¡°You¡¯re friends with Emilie, do you know she did?¡± ¡°You mean the fire, yes. It was an accident, and she was only 3.¡± ¡°For the fire, yes she was only 3, and maybe for that we could have pushed leniency. But then there was the flood which was little more than a year ago and it almost killed her baby brother. It wasn¡¯t one mistake Reese, it was two.¡± He paused to let it sink in a bit. ¡°Reese, I do like Emilie. She¡¯s a sweet girl who didn¡¯t mean to cause harm, but she did and she¡¯s dangerous. Frankly the town doesn¡¯t want someone like that to learn ever more damaging and dangerous knowledge.¡± Reese wanted to interrupt and tried to say something, but Ard kept going ignoring his attempts to interrupt. Finally, Ard just put a hand up as if to silence his stammering. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but no. I will not add her to the roster, until she shows she can be trusted not to cause more damage. And to head off your next question, I don¡¯t know how she will do that. It''s something her and her parents need to figure out.¡± The two stared at each other for a moment, each waiting for something that wouldn¡¯t come. Finally, the mayor reopened his book, thus ending the 2-way conversation. ¡°Well, if there¡¯s nothing else I¡¯m quite busy, and I¡¯m sure you have ¨C¡° Ding, Dong, Ding, Di-Di-Ding¡­ Several bells began to ring, loud and chaotic. They meant trouble, really bad trouble by the sounds of it.. The mayor didn¡¯t bother to close the book this time, as he ran outside. ¡°DRAGON!¡± was the first shout he heard as Reese accompanied him. " RAAWWRRRGGG!" High in the sky a red and purple creature flew overhead, and roared as deep and powerful warning accompanied by fire, before circling a few times. ¡°Reese I have actual problems to deal with. Go away.¡± The Mayor ran across the street towards the old keep, and disappeared inside. Looking up Reese saw the large dragon circle about, and a touch of fear crept over him. It circled twice more before leaving towards the mountains in the west. Helping Emilie would not be a priority for anyone else right now. To be fair, he wasn¡¯t sure it was for him either. That monster was huge. Across the way, Reese¡¯s mother came from their house and called him back home. He wouldn¡¯t be seeing Emilie at all today, by the looks of it. It felt like there was something else he was forgetting to do too. Early the next day, Fortus and his squad of young knights and soldiers stood behind his house, not far from the barracks training area. Athena was with them, finally going out into the field again and not just hanging around the keep. After his half sister¡¯s birth Athena was given a small increase in her stipend to pay for a small house just behind the barracks, she hadn¡¯t left the barracks and keep area since her birth. For a moment, Reese wondered who would be watching his half-sister, Mabel. The town was on alert, people hurried between their homes and their destinations. No one sat outside, out of an abundance of caution. Beyond the soldiers and knights, the town looked mostly empty. Fire Dragons were not to be taken lightly. A single well prepared and seasoned freelancer or hunter could probably take on a single Fire Dragon and live, but it would not be an easy fight, nor certain. The army that was reading itself was not one person though, so the risks were much less. One, two, even three Fire Dragons should be possible, with few if any casualties. The report Ard shared yesterday supposedly said it would only be a mating pair with maybe a third female. But just in case, they would not take chances. It was decided that of the 30 soldiers stationed in the village, 20 would head up into the mountains to deal with the dragon. They would take 3 of 4 village ballistae, leaving one behind just in case the dragon did come back or they missed one. The whole operation would take two days, a day to march out then a day to fight and come home. Quick and easy enough, just had to be done. Reese took notes on the various movements and formations of the soldiers. It looked like his father oversaw all of them and specifically had 5 knights under him to organize the rest, two of which would stay back to lead the soldiers that remained. There were definitely ranks between them, but it was hard to figure out what they all were, beyond his father who was a Knight Commander. Their structure was laid in a book somewhere called ¡°The Order of the Knights¡±. Reese didn¡¯t have a copy at his house though he suspected there was one in the Old Keep. Normally this wasn¡¯t something he be interested in, the military had little appeal in his old life, but he found the way they organized themselves was an amusing distraction in his current one. The large weapons they were going to take with them, ballestiea, where also worth studying. They were almost like giant crossbows, but not quite. These were designed to fire large stone shot, though it did look like they have a few massive bolts too. Also, there were some smaller, ¡°Scorpion¡± engines, like the ballestiea just smaller. They all broke down into small, squarish items, perfectly fit to the side of a horse, land dragon or on a wagon. As the soldiers packed up the equipment. Fortus slowly headed towards his house, Athenia close behind him as usual. For some reason, Fortus stopped short of his front door and genteelly pushed Athenia back a bit. Reese couldn¡¯t make out the words from where he was, but it didn¡¯t look angry, more cautious. Fortus entered the house and Reese could hear the conversation start, it was about Mabel his half-sister. ¡°Lilith, I need to talk to you about Mabel. With Athenia heading up to the nest she needs someone to watch her.¡± Reese was expecting his mother to say something in response, but there was only silence. He could only imagine what her face must have looked like. Fortus continued his plight, ¡°Lilith, I know how you feel about Athenia and what we did. Please don¡¯t take it out on Mabel. She needs someone to watch over her and I¡¯m just not sure who-¡° Lilith interrupted him, a pang of anger in her voice ¡°Fortus, I don¡¯t blame that child for what you did. I blame you, and like I said I always will¡­ I¡¯ll watch Mabel, it¡¯s not her fault her father can¡¯t keep his vows.¡± Like a subtle knife to the heart, Fortus felt that. But it was better than he deserved, and Lilith would always be more than he deserved. He knew both of these things to be true. It was getting late in the morning, school would start soon. Even with the threat of Dragons, people still went about their lives, just not outside if they could help it. Leaving his room, Reese couldn¡¯t shake the feeling he was forgetting to do something. Only a few students were outside the school. Of the 31, 15 were present including Reese and his sister Nemi. Fense walked up from Lakeshore Path right as the morning bell sounded. With the doors opened everyone hurried inside, and quickly the doors were shut behind them all. ¡°Well, this is certainly an interesting second week!¡± Fense boasted aloud, perhaps trying to show the children that things were fine or would continue as normal. ¡°I am sorry to see so many students absent today, but I do understand. Dragons are not to be taken lightly.¡± In his notebook he made several marks, presumably noting the missing students. ¡°Oh well. More homework for them I suppose. Speaking of which, does everyone have their homework?¡± Homework. That is what he forgot. Again. Each of the students present walked up to the desk and left a sheet of paper. And again, a few of the notes looked very much like the scrap paper Fense left out. Reese on the other hand, did not join them. ¡°Reese. Where¡¯s your homework?¡± Between all the running around yesterday, and then the dragon the truth was, ¡°I forgot to do it, again.¡± With a shake of his head, Fense made some more notes in his book, and a few of the other children made some auditable chuckles. Venginn and Samil in particular were quite loud. An interesting pair, Venginn and Samil seemed like good friends. Venginn was an elf, with shoulder length blue hair, deep blue eyes and light tan skin. The blue hair was a little rare, but not uncommon in the elves. Samil on the other hand, was mutt of Human, Elf, and Anthro. He looked mostly human, but with pointed ears, hair that was a spotted mix of black, chestnut, white and vitiligo. The saw them selves are star students and scholars. They treated Reese with a mixture of intrigue and distance. Seeing him perhaps as a rival for the teacher''s attention. They were not friends, but maybe one day, they could be. "Can you believe he sees him self as a scholar, Samil?" "I thought he wanted to be a mage, Venginn?" Then again, maybe they couldn¡¯t. The two laughed at their own jokes, only to be shut down by Fense. "Unless you two want to join him, stop." The wolf then turned his attention to Reese, ¡°Please see me at the end of class Reese.¡± Again, more pages. His hand already ached from the thought. Sensing an opportunity, Fense made today¡¯s lessons focusing on biology, or at least as much as they knew of biology, and of course the first subject was dragons! ¡°How many of you know the different types of dragons?¡± It goes without saying, Reese raised his hand. ¡°Anyone else? Very well. Reese please tell us how many types of dragons there are?¡± ¡°There are four major types of dragons. Starting with the friendly Ground Dragons, then you have the Wyverns which can fly and travel in flocks, Fire Dragons which are dangerous but tend to be solitary, and lastly the deadly Ice Dragons, which can be more than twice the size of a Fire Dragon.¡± ¡°Very good, nice overview. I¡¯m sure all of you are aware of the Fire Dragon spotted in the area for the past several months. Some may even remember prior years when they¡¯d be seen flying nearby, would anyone like to venture a guess why this time is different?¡± No one raised their hands, not even Reese who would admit to not being sure. ¡°No one? Excellent, this will be a good lesson! The Fire Dragon is generally a solitary creature, usually only forming groups during their breeding season which starts in the middle of the summer. Fire Dragons are dangerous, if you attack them or they see you as a threat, but for the most part they avoid humanoids. We¡¯re probably just not worth the trouble. Of course, all that changes during breeding season when they tend to congregate in small groups of 2-3 and become more aggressive and protective of their territory. Yesterday, when that Fire Dragon flew overhead of the village, it roared. Which is unusual because they only do that when they¡¯re preparing to attack. That it flew off instead of attacking likely means it was meant as a warning to leave its territory. It¡¯s also why the Dragon must now be dealt with. Gezal, your father is a Knight. Did he tell you what he was expected?¡± An older boy perked up, Reese vaguely recognized him via his father who served under his own father. ¡°He told me and my brother not to worry, it was probably 2 or 3 younger dragons. They would set up ballistae without them seeing and take them out before they were even aware they were there. Simple and easy. Even if the Dragons did see them, a few of the soldiers and knights know defensive and offensive spells, so they¡¯ll be fine. They¡¯ll come home victorious, and they''ll be fine.¡± That last part sounded more like the boy was trying to reassure himself. Fense nodded in approval, a smile on his face as he hoped the students would relax a bit. ¡°Thank you Gezal, so I hope you can all see there¡¯s not much to worry about. Does everyone feel a bit better?¡± The class nodded in unison, even Reese who was in the middle of writing more notes. Fense would continue his lecture on Dragons, switching to ice dragon and Wyverns and ending the day with ground dragons. Homework was to read and summarize one of the short stories on Dragons from the library, and a small list of math problems. Of course, Reese had that and an extra assignment as well. Over in exile, Emilie continued to study the ice spell, fascinated by it¡¯s difficulty. Reese would join her, after copying several pages on the complex tax disputes of Aggeon and Mixx that arose after their independence. ¡°I know I¡¯m close Reese, I can feel the ice on the tips of my fingers!¡± She smiled, turning her white, almost frost bitten finger tips to him. ¡°Emilie, that looks like it hurts. You should probably take a break.¡± Almost out of instinct he reached for her fingers to warm them a bit. He was worried, oddly more worried than her parents seemed to be. But he was also impressed that she had made sense of the spell at all. Her fingers were proof she was making progress, fast progress. Most mages and magicians would take months to learn a spell from a tome, and then sometimes years to fully internalize it. That is, being able to use the spell without the accompanying text and glyph. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. This girl was incredible. One day, she would show everyone here what an asset she really was, and how wrong they all were. He just didn¡¯t know how to help her get there. The would study together for a while, working on that spell and others before Reese left for the day. As he walked home, the image of Emilie''s hand kept appearing to him, and it worried him. It felt like she was pushing her self too hard. And for what reason? She was the only friend he really had, he didn''t want to lose her or see her get hurt. Evening would come, dinner would be eaten in a quite house without their father. Lilith couldn''t help but keep looking at Fortus'' seat. Nemi could see her mother''s concern, and perhaps she felt it too. "Dad will be fine. He''s strong, mom." It was the only thing said at the table. Reese tried to focus on something else. His two little sisters sat next to each other, eating some very soft over cooked roots and beans. Meerlet was quite as always, just watching her younger half sister munch on the vegies. Mabel was more animated, pounding on the table a bit and giggling at how amusing everything was. The two made an odd pair, yet somehow, complemented each other. The rest of the night would come quick, Reese spent it hold up in his room studying that ice spell again. The inverted fire symbols still seemed confusing for him. "Dark Fire." He whispered, watching his light stone start to fade as well. "What is ''dark'' and ''light'' mana?" He wrote in his notebook, considering the idea before the light stone finally winked out, indicating it was time to sleep. His mind would be occupied by the same reoccurring thoughts. Light and dark; Creation and annihilation. Day broke, and morning came. By now, Fortus would be battling the dragons. If it was as decisive as Gezal implied, he suspected they¡¯d be done before he could even finish breakfast. No one at the breakfast table seemed bothered by the thought, and Nemi ignored him as she shoved the bread and egg mix into her mouth. The two never talked much, and often would miss each other entirely. Which was probably for the better Reese mused. A thought crossed his mind as he thought about his. Fortus didn¡¯t like Emilie, but he wanted to keep her out of trouble. So if he could just convince his father that Emilie was safer in school and less likely to accidentally cause mischief it might just work. Of course, then Fortus would have to convince the mayor, those two didn¡¯t like each other but the reduction in the threat could be enough to get them to overcome it. He sketched the idea out in his notebook, something to consider. After he wrote down the idea, he considered one of the many other recent notes he made recently, "What is ''dark'' and ''light'' mana?" His thoughts switching tracks he went back to that question. Using the charcoal pencil, he tapped at the paper and made a few new sketches and a ¡°+/-¡° symbol next to each concept. It kind of made sense but it also opened the door to other ideas. Positive and negative, like electric charge. Years ago, he got a degree in electrical engineering, he would never say he earned it. That wouldn¡¯t be fair to those who truely did. But, he still remembered much of it. That and his mathematics degree he went back for. There was so much here that just seemed to glance past the concepts he already knew. They were just different somehow. So many more questions, he could write books just full of them. His mother interrupted his thought process. ¡°I¡¯m running across the village today. Macston¡¯s father needs some help, it will probably take a few hours. Can I trust you two to clean up before school?¡± The two nodded and Reese closed up his book with a different question now on his mind, ¡°Will Mabel and Meerlet be ok?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll be fine for a few hours. I mean I left you two alone for a day before and you both turned out ok?¡± Lilith smirked as she left. It seemed strange to just leave infants alone for so long. But different times Reese thought. He''d make a note to never do that to his kids. Kids, His mind paused at that thought, as if that concept were itself some forbidden idea. A slap at the back of his head from Nemi brought him out of it. Cleaning up wasn¡¯t hard, aside from Nemi insisting on directing everything. The plate Reese had cleaned wasn¡¯t done right. The cup he rinsed out wasn¡¯t actually clean. The table still had dust on it. It was frustrating, he wanted to yell at her. ¡°Nemi, stop criticizing everything I do.¡± Nemi huffed in agitation, ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t have to if you did it right.¡± ¡°What is your problem with me?¡± ¡°My problem is that you exist!¡± The statement hit Reese and felt like a shock to the core. He knew his sister didn''t particularly like him, but to hear kind of hurt. Being an only child in the other life, he actually looked forward to having a large family in this one. To be just flatly rejected by his older sister, and for what reason? He still didn''t understand. Maybe Nemi realized she stepped too far, or just didn''t care anymore. Either way she dropped the conversation, ¡°We need to get to school, or we¡¯ll be late. Don''t forget your homework again.¡± The class was slightly fuller today, 19 students today, still 12 short, but they would probably be back tomorrow. Each student present yesterday turned their homework in today, those who weren¡¯t present, well, there were plenty of books in back to copy instead. Moving away from biology and history, Fense wanted to focus the day on mathematics. It was curious how he handled such a dynamic classroom full of varying levels of education. Presumably most of the younger students weren¡¯t even aware of what addition was, and yet they would quickly jump into multiplication. Meanwhile the older students would no doubt know more advanced topics, including some trigonometry. To balance all this, Fense would organize his class into a group of weak to moderately educated children, with the well-educated ones acting as assistants. The idea wasn¡¯t unlike a flipped classroom from Earth, but still slightly different. Reese found himself in a group of mostly younger children, and it had made him wonder if Fense considered him less educated like them, or more. Either way, this seemed to be a boring lecture for him. ¡°So, let''s start with a quick review of multiplication tables for the youngest who may not have seen it before.¡± Up at the black board, Fense drew out a 12x12 grid and numbered the outsides 1 thru 12. Where he was going, was obvious. Fense¡¯s ears twitched at something as he tried to focus on the board but began to faulter. ¡°Multiplication is just¡­ like¡­¡± the teacher paused and stared out the windows, his voice and face both stone silent. Before he could get through his first lecture of the day, a bell started ringing in the far distance. Barely auditable to the children, but Fense''s sensitive ears could pick up the frantic vibrations from the watch tower at the end of town. ¡°RAAWWRRRGGG!¡± The loud yell of something big and heavy overpowered their lesson. Outside, three dragons began flying into town. They were angry. Someone had just killed the rest of their flock and smashed their eggs. They were smart, not human smart but dragon smart, and had left the village alone. They could have burned it to cinder, but they didn¡¯t. Instead, they waited and gave them a chance to run. But, the humans, those evil creatures declared war on them, and killed them. Again the dragons roared, there would be blood and ash today. One of them, the larger of the three, swopped down like a dark angel, no like a demon, and began to light the fields on fire. It was strange if you were watching it the fire wasn¡¯t really fire, it looked and behaved more like mana as it sparkled in the light. Regardless of what it was, its effects were the same as fields of wheat and houses began to burn. Back in the classroom, Fense pushed the children under their desks, and did everything he could to hide their presence. ¡°Children I know you¡¯re scared I know. It will be ok, but you need to hide right now.¡± The building shook as one of the dragons flew overhead again and ignited the fields around the building. That fire would quickly spread. It was already flicking at the roof and walls of the small school house. A normal fear response would have been to hide, to run to a corner or under a desk. At least crouch low and minimize your height. But Reese had to see it, as he peaked outside the doors, he could see the devastation brought in less than a minute. His mind brought back memories of games, of heroes who would be born from moments like this. Again the largest of the dragons, the behemoth flew overhead for a third time, looking for something to burn, to kill. The creature born of flame and smoke was unfathomably massive and would dwarfed Reese¡¯s house. The other two were smaller, but still huge. As the flames began to engulf the fields around them, even from just that cracked door he could feel the heat, the burn smell of grass and, other things. This wasn¡¯t a story, this wasn¡¯t a game. People were screaming, and people were dying. This was real. ¡°REESE! What are you doing get back here!¡± Fense yelled from the middle of the classroom, most hidden from the windows. He was right this wasn¡¯t a game, but hiding wasn¡¯t an option either. This building wouldn¡¯t survive a fire. Already smoke was creeping in from one of the corners. The ceiling creaked and groaned as the heat began to stretch and bend the wooden roof. They had to run. ¡°Fense we need to get to the old keep, it¡¯s made of stone. This building is wood it will burn.¡± The wolf¡¯s fur stood on end, even as he tried to project confidence he was scared. But he could smell the smoke. Reese was right, they had to move somewhere safe. ¡°Ahhh, fuck!¡± the wolf yelped as he began pushing the children up. This was not going to be easy, nor safe. ¡°Children, everyone knows where the Old Keep is?¡± A few of the littler ones did not. ¡°Ok those who don¡¯t I want you to grab the hand of someone who does. We¡¯re going to have to move quickly. Can everyone do that?¡± Fense was terrified, less of his own death and more at the thought of losing one of the children. More smoke pilled in. They had run out of time and Fense started pushing them out. The children ran in single file one by one, with Fense quickly taking the lead again. He looked back for a moment and saw Reese waiting for, something? He didn¡¯t have time to check on him, he had 18 others to save. Roar! All around where the sounds of dragons and fire, this was hell, and they had to travel through it. Looking back Reese could see the fire had already spread to the roof of the school. The old keep was the safest place right now, Reese knew that. It was designed to protect from bandits and wildlife both. But in his mind, he worried about two things, Emilie and his little sisters. Just outside the school was where the streets crossed in the center of town. Emilie¡¯s house wasn¡¯t far from that intersection. She was closest and he had to see if she was there first. Running around the corner of the school he crouched low and tried to keep out of sight. There was fire everywhere, and a wall of it ran down Mountain Pass, blocking his path to her house. Through that wall of fire though, he could see her house, and just outside of it Emilie, along with a few other villagers and two soldiers, all likely running for the Keep as well but stopped by the wall of flames. Barely seeing him from across the wall of fire she cried out to him, ¡°Reese?! I can¡¯t find my parents!¡± she yelled across the roar of the flames and wind. ¡°I¡¯m scared.¡± The cries of the other villagers were auditable even over the flames. He had to do something. Raising his hand, he tried to cast a water bolt spell, he needed it to work to do something. Today would be the day he finally took control of the mana around him, and became a hero, someone useful. Casting a spell, as fast as possible ¡°Water bolt¡± he yelled to the tiny drops that fell from his hand. Again, ¡°Water bolt¡± not even a spit on the fire, it evaporated before it could even touch the flames. Seeing what he was doing, Emilie tried copying him, the bolt of water was massive compared to his. It wasn¡¯t enough but the flames did die back, another one and still further, almost an opening. ¡°Raawr-grrr¡± A deep, hate filled growl came from behind Reese as a Dragon flew over them and slammed into the ground causing it to quake. It landed behind Emilie. It was too much, no one could be prepared for this, the Dragon drew a breath and burned the two villagers closest. The two soldiers ran towards the beast, one knowing just enough magic threw small bolts of fire at it. But that just seemed to piss it off more. As a being with fire magic in its blood, would not succumb to mere fire bolts. Reese and Emilie both knew she would die here, unless. Fire, Dark Fire. That was the answer, or at least the only one Reese could think of. ¡°Emilie! The Ice Spell! It¡¯s Dark Fire the opposite of Fire!¡± She turned back to glare at him in uncertainty what was he talking about? ¡°Opposite of Fire?¡± She kind of understood that Fire and Dark Fire were both the same and different, they were the same mana forces, but countered each other. The Dragons were using Fire magic, they had an affinity for it. Did that mean they¡¯d be weak to the Ice Spell to Dark Fire? She didn¡¯t really understand, she didn¡¯t have the time to understand. What she needed was to trust her friend, to trust herself. Emilie hadn¡¯t cast it successfully yet, but she had to try she had, she had to succeed. For a moment, she closed her eyes and began to recall the glyph she saw in her book. The fire symbols looked weird, inverted somehow. It was complex, but she could still trace each strand, each symbol. In her mind she heard the words, not in human, but in feelings. She could feel it as her hand began to grow cold. It was a fire spell; she knew that from the symbols. But it was cold, that didn¡¯t matter she couldn¡¯t think about that. Her right hand raised towards the dragon, who was still focused on the two living soldiers still in front of him. She had to be quick, she continued to trace the glyph again in her head, moving to the water symbol as she remember the words in the book, ¡°Cold ice, frozen air I call for you.¡± A single seed crystal began to form from her hand as conjured water froze. She felt the mana flow. ¡°Freeze in front, stab ahead, a sword of ice and malice.¡± But the feeling was different somehow like it was in reverse and flowing into her and not out. She had been fighting it before, trying to push it out, but that was wrong. The sensation grew as she let it flowed the way it wanted and traced the last dark fire symbol in her mind chilling the ice to it¡¯s core. ¡°Pearce them all, stab from the cold heart.¡± An ice cycle, a foot long and half a foot wide. Her crudely made sword, of mana and ice. ¡°Ice Bolt.¡± It flew forward, faster than even the ballistae could throw. She meant to aim for the head but missed. Instead, the bolt ripped through the dragon¡¯s side destroying its wing and tearing its remnants out of its back, along with several pounds of flesh. Whether it screamed a roar or roared a scream the sound was unlike anything she had ever heard in even her worse nightmares. She froze. The dragon turned to face the young mage with rage in its eyes. It would kill her for what she just did. Its maw opened wide as a fire spell formed, leaving its neck wide open for the soldiers to attack. The man on the left dug his short sword into its neck, cutting something important. The blood flowed freely as the dragon screamed again, stopping its spell as it¡¯s mouth filled with red essence. The other solider ran under it, using his short sword to slice a length along the dragon¡¯s chest, as a rain of blood coated his armor. With the last of its life the dragon tried to burn what was around it. Its head coughing red fluids as the flames spilled out with its life. It twitched and moaned, trying desperately to kill something. Anything, but failing. The soldier at it neck was thrown back, while the other quickly ran back around and grabbed Emilie, taking her away from the danger. Inside the dragon¡¯s chest, it heart could no longer beat right, the blood loss just too great, as it began to fibulae the dragon cursed one last puff of fiery venom before it just stopped. The solider carrying the child could only look back as the great demon died. ¡°Kid, I think you just saved our lives. Can you put this fire out?¡± She nodded and threw another water bolt, opening a path for everyone. ¡°Reese!¡± Emilie called back to him as the small crowd ran to the Keep. Reese wanted to follow them, but he couldn¡¯t. He still needed to get to his sisters. Just next to the Keep he saw Nemi running into their house, probably with the same though, Mabel, and Meerlet. The last two dragons roared even louder and fiercer than before. For a moment he worried about his mother, but she was on the other side of the village, and likely safer than here. Even if she ran, the center village would be ash before she got here. Inside the house, it was strangely quiet as the two toddlers slept though the war outside. In the corner of the house a small fire had already started. He had to stop it. ¡°Water bolt.¡± A few tiny drops hit the fire storm in their kitchen, and did nothing. Reese tried again, ¡°Water bolt.¡± And again, ¡°Water bolt. Water bolt.¡± Over and over, trying to get something but just not being able to. He just wasn¡¯t strong enough to do anything. ¡°Reese! Grab Mabel.¡± Nemi yelled over his pathetic attempts to play hero as she carried a now crying Meerlet. Of course, she was right, he had to save the children, not play hero. His mind wasn''t prepared to process all this, no one''s was. Above them the sound of a large stone shot tore through one of the smaller dragons, ripping its torso in two. It tried roaring but only a rough gurgle came though as it fell and died. Its upper body landing a few feet next to the escaping children as Nemi could only stare in horror. The dragons'' lifeless eyes burned into hers, it¡¯s last glaze of hate and spite frozen on her. A moment of panic set in as she thought about dropping Meerlet and running for it. She couldn¡¯t though, or rather she wouldn¡¯t. High in the sky the behemoth growled as its last flock mate died. Only a few humans had been killed, and yet all of his flock, his children and mates, his brothers and sister were all dead. He was the oldest of them, the greats of his flock. It had been his responsibility to protect them, and he couldn¡¯t. But he would avenge them, by taking whatever he could. Bellow, near the corpse of his fallen brother, four small humans ran out of one of the human dens. The one stood near the fallen corpse of his brethren holding another small one. Perfect targets. Reese ran up and tried to push the frozen Nemi forward, only to feel the ground quake, as the dragon slammed into it. Fire spread from its mouth as it roared out a spell of fire and death. It stared down at the young girl, thinking about the black char he was going to transform her into. ¡°No¡­¡± she wined. It was all she could do. All she could think was that should have listened to that whisper behind her telling her to move, to drop her sister and run. The dragon growled a low guttural sound that shook Reese''s rib cage. The dragon was focused on her, on Nemi and his sister just stood there. His stupid, selfish, ignorant sister, who hated him with all her heart, just stood there and watched as the behemoth opened its mouth. Meerlet in her hands, Mabel in his. Time stopped as Reese¡¯s mind raced faster than it had ever gone before. He wasn¡¯t a hero, he knew that now. He had seen heroes today. He saw Emilie become one. Her magic, she had already saved a lot of lives, and would no doubt save more before the day was done. The soldiers who stayed behind, names he didn¡¯t even know, but should have. They brought down the smaller one, saving untold lives too. The one spell he kept cast wasn¡¯t even the size of a rain drop, and it didn¡¯t do anything. He couldn¡¯t do anything. Fear. He still felt it. Reese knew death, he lived it once before. It didn¡¯t hurt. He remembered that as he stared at his sister, at Nemi. That stupid girl. But this wasn¡¯t going to be a heart attack, this was fire, and fire burned. It hurt. He wasn¡¯t a hero. His legs began to move. He¡¯d never be a hero. Faster. But maybe he could do one thing. Faster still. This life would be a waste. His leg muscles started tearing, they weren¡¯t meant to move like this. It was his fault again, if he had done more this time maybe it would have been different. If he had done less and just went to the keep maybe this wouldn¡¯t have happened. The dragon began to breathe, casting his hell in front of them all. ¡°NEMI! RUN!¡± He shouted. He pushed into her, almost throwing Mabel on top of her. All his momentum, all the energy of his tiny body slammed into her, pushing away. It wasn¡¯t far. She was older than him, and heavier made more so with the two infants, but it was just far enough. If she got up and ran, she could save the three of them. She just needed to run. It started to get hot. Not even a second had passed. Reese raised his right hand and walked slowly away from them, as it got hotter. Small subtle movements, water, as much as he could gather. This was it; this was all he could do, grabbing the dragon¡¯s attention, it twitched his head just a little bit further towards him, and a tiny bit away from Nemi and his younger sisters. Giving her that tiny bit more of a chance. The dragon¡¯s massive lizard mind held one thought ¡®that if this human wants to die first, he would let it¡¯. It all gave Nemi just that tiny bit more of a chance as she got up and ran towards the keep. Part of him smiled as she didn¡¯t even look back. It seemed appropriate somehow. ¡°Water bolt¡± he whispered; a tiny, tiny drop evaporated before it could even form. The best he could do. At least Nemi wouldn¡¯t have this moment to laugh about in the future. What a waste. Was all he could think as he saw what was coming. With a growl the fire mana formed into a storm and slammed into his tiny body. Heat. Unimaginable heat as he closed his eyes. It burned, and it hurt. He could only imagine anything feeling like this. In his mind, it felt like his skin flaked off, it felt like his fat boiled away, then the nerves in his muscles and bones fried. A fierce wind pushed what was left of his mind back, and he embraced the darkness once more. The dragon snorted as fire spread around, and boy¡¯s body sat motionless. Watching the flames, the dragon¡¯s eyes sparkled with a hellish light. There was no movement besides the fire. Satisfied at the carnage, the dragon turned to face Nemi as she continued to run away and began one more spell. Heat flowed from his mouth, as he began to growl. She was close enough, the dragon thought as he ignored everything but her. Mana flowed up from inside of his body, and pooled in his mouth and head, ready to be expelled. Heat leaked from the maw of the beast, then small subtle flames grew, and then a deep red and sticky mist joined the spell as the dragon¡¯s head began to fall apart. Parts of it¡¯s jaw twisting into bits of bone, sinew, flesh and blood, it¡¯s head began bending at an unnatural angle as cracking bones could be heard. Flames from the incomplete spell burned the twisted mass, and started to melt the stone shot that was currently passing through its head. Molten stone droplets broke through the other side of dragon¡¯s skull and fanned out like a grotesque firework. The dragon¡¯s body feel to the side, twitched a few more times, and then simply died. ¡°I GOT HIM! I GOT BOTH OF THE FUCKERS!¡± The soldier manning the ballistae on top of the old keep screamed. Signaling that was all of them. Moments would pass, uncountable, but still short. Chapter 8, Clean Up With the all clear, people slowly began venturing out of the Old Keep, and people elsewhere in the village came from their respective hiding spots. Reese was aware of screaming, and yelling. The smell of ash and smoke, and of burning flesh was all around him. Maybe he didn¡¯t make the cut off for reincarnation again, whatever that actually was. Maybe this was his first glimpse into hell? His eyes opened, and Nemi stared at him. Yeah, this was Hell. ¡°Don¡¯t move Reese. You¡¯re burned.¡± She stood and screamed for help, from anyone. Their mother was still stuck on the other side of the village, no doubt still trying to save the famer¡¯s family or still rushing over to save hers. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you die. Mom and dad would blame me. Come on, stay awake Reese.¡± The slight chuckle implied it was a joke, maybe. ¡°Help us!¡± She called out to the people leaving the Keep, looking for one in particular. The attack itself felt like an eternity, as if the day would never end but in truth it hadn¡¯t taken that long at all. Like many battles, the fighting and dying was quick, maybe all of 15 minutes. But how many would suffer after? A man in expensive robes trotted up to the two. ¡°Ok, he''ll be fine I know a lot of healing spells. I used to be a priest a long time ago.¡± Reese had seen him before, a merchant who peddled healing wears from a cart occasionally. There were some mana stones he recalled seeing at his wagon, and he remembered telling his mother he wanted one a while ago. Why was he thinking about that? For that matter why was he thinking at all? The answer was obvious, it was because he was still alive, and life was absurd and full of strange machinations of fate and chance. ¡°How?¡± He whispered. He began to feel the pain in his right side and whispered ¡°Why.¡± Instead. The merchant held his hand and pushed all the mana he could into the small boy. He kept reiterating the same spell over and over. It didn¡¯t work, it didn¡¯t do anything. The boy was still burned. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t understand.¡± Reese knew why though, and why it would never work. ¡°Stop.¡± Reese spoke, no longer a whisper. It hurt a lot. But he could still feel everything, which was good even if at that moment he wished he didn¡¯t. Slowly he sat up and took sight of his right side. His clothes were badly singe, but still present. His hand was deep red and small blisters had already begun to form. He felt like throwing up as all the nerves in his hand cried out in unison at his stupid stunt. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t understand why I can¡¯t heal you?¡± The merchant looked over him in shock and like he was in a bit of pain from not being able to help him. ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡± Reese spoke not in a whisper but not particularly loud either. It hurt to breathe deeply, as the skin on his chest stung. ¡°I don¡¯t have a gate, healing spells don¡¯t really work on me.¡± Beyond the pain though it actually was ok, he wasn¡¯t that bad off. He should have been a lump of burnt meat and charcoal. Instead, his right hand had some second degree burns while his upper arm and chest were at just first degree. He was alive, but why was he still alive? A question for another day, when he could actually think. ¡°Reese!¡± Emilie cried out as she ran from the Keep, her mother and father behind her carrying her crying brother. An awkward moment to be sure. He didn¡¯t want to think about the obvious implications of possibly abandoning their daughter. ¡°Reese. Are you ok?¡± She wasn¡¯t crying, but it sounded like she wanted to. ¡°I can try to cast that ice bolt spell and cool your burns?¡± He tried not to laugh, it hurt too much. ¡°Emilie, I¡¯m fine. Hurts, but I¡¯m fine. Besides I think that spell would impale me.¡± The two soldiers who saved her life came up to her, along with a few more in reserve. Behind them, her parents, still cradling her younger brother. You could see the reflexive flinch as she thought about the hit to the back of the head that might be coming next. But instead, something else happened ¡°Kid. You know water spells better than any of us, can you help us put these fires out?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± That was it, if the assistance in dragon slaying wasn¡¯t enough then this would have to be. Her way in too school. ¡°You should do it Emilie, be a hero.¡± Smiling, Reese was trying to act cool, even though he was hurt both inside and out. He really wanted to pass out, but that didn¡¯t seem like it would happen. Her parents seemed to smile at her as well, as she ran off to save the town with the soldiers. Reese couldn¡¯t only sit and watch as Emilie ran around, flooding the fields and extinguished the fires along the buildings. Her water bolts slammed into the sturdier buildings, snuffing the flames. For the weaker ones, she was being smart and casting slow, smaller ones. It was working, she was doing it. This is what a hero would do. She even managed to save the school, well, no hero is perfect. It hurt to laugh so Reese just smiled at his own thought. Eventually, she disappeared into the denser parts of the village, occasionally he could hear the water burst from faraway. Just how much mana did that girl have? With that small smile, Reese thought to himself, ¡®They¡¯d have to let her in now.¡¯ Trying to keep his mind off the pain in his hand, he went to his notebook, and using his left hand he crossed out the section about Fortus and considered the rest of the words. He added one more note in shaky writing ¡°Why am I still alive?¡±. The exercise wasn¡¯t helpful, and everything still hurt. All around Reese people were running about. Some trying to put out fires in the fields, some trying to find their families and friends. At least one guttural scream could be heard implying that one family would not be whole tonight or ever again. As he sat against the outside of his house, he wondered if it would be less painful to move inside or stay where he was. Moving hurt, but so did the hard ground. The sound of frantic footsteps and a shout pulled him back to reality. ¡°REESE! Oh gods no.¡± It was his mother, he probably looked worse than he was. Of course she tried casting every spell she could think of, even ones she could no longer cast, before settling on some healing ointments she had in her bag. It smelled vaguely of mint and cooled the burns on his skin quite well. At the very least he no longer felt like vomiting. In truth, he wasn¡¯t that bad off, as much as he wanted to tell her to help someone else, what mother would listen to that advice? Besides, the ointment felt kind of good, so did the thought that someone cared about him. He thought he needed to be careful of that though, thinking that such thoughts could become addicting. Hours would pass, and fires were still burning. But by now that was all just wheat and brush. Amazingly, despite the damage, no building was lost. Thanks to Emilie and her water spells. She had long run out of mana, and could do nothing about the fields, but at least she saved the buildings. It sounded like she had collapsed from exhaustion, it was concerning but obviously, no one was going to let him visit her in either''s current state. After a few more hours, things became strangely quite again. The fires were snuffed out, either by water or just having nothing left to feed off. Inside the house, Reese nursed his hand in a bowl of cool water, and that mint ointment. It felt better than anything he had ever felt, and the endorphins ran through his brain. In some sick twisted way, he worried he might get addicted to this as well. Outside, the squad of knights and soldiers came limping down the Mountain Pass as fast as they could. Only a few of their horses were present, and none of their larger gear. 20 had gone up, only 11 were walking back. Well, limping in a few cases. Makeshift stretchers carried 3 others who looked not good but alive. A few soldiers carried dense white wraps of cloth or canvas, that were soiled black and red. It was obvious what they contained, and where the other 6 soldiers were. Fortus still walked in front, leading the broken squad, behind him Athena followed close by. Once the damage to the village became apparent, Fortus began to run towards the village. He wanted to run towards his house, towards his family, but he knew he couldn¡¯t. No matter how much his heart begged him to. Instead, he headed for the Keep, that was where the staging location would be. Inside, Ard was directing recovery efforts which were already winding down for the day. The town survived, but would need repairs. He¡¯d have to arrange materials to be transported via one of the merchant guilds. It wouldn¡¯t be cheap, but like all good politicians he had some nice letters that would grease the right wheels. The battered group of soldiers and knights limped into the keep. Loud murmurs and two groups of eyes started at them, those thankful they were still alive, and those who saw them as responsible. ¡°What happen Fortus, you were supposed to stop them.¡± Ard practically yelled. For a moment, Fortus ignored the mayor. The table he was using, their table was covered in what he saw as meaningless junk papers, and drivel. Without asking or thinking about it. Fortus pushed it all onto the floor. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ard protested, as Fortus glared down the older man. Turning to his six unexpected but not unwilling pallbearers, he beckoned them to put the individual remains on the table. Ard was silent, and the rest of the keep grew so as well. White, Red and Black canvas sat in six piles, each too small to contain a full person. ¡°Knight Thars. Soldiers Loban, Jullet, Sobbin, Hethil, and Amman. This is all that¡¯s left of them. The rest was just¡­ ash.¡± He paused for a moment, to let what he just said sink in. Several cries could be heard, as families walked to the table to find what was left of their loved ones. Fortus knew Thars and Jullet¡¯s remains wouldn¡¯t be collected today. He¡¯d have to arrange their final transit back to their homes. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Ard, you told us there would only be 3 at most. There were 12.¡± Fortus voice was flat, not even cold. Like all the emotion, all the feeling, anything that made him human was not part of the conversation. Ard couldn¡¯t tell if that was a good thing or not, but it scared him more than the dragon. Fortus looked around, at the grieving families, and his broken soldiers. He didn¡¯t want to give his report here, and he needed to see his family. ¡°I think we should do this in private.¡± ¡°Of course¡± Ard stammered, ¡°The conference space ¨C¡° ¡°No. I want to head to my house; I want to check on my family. I want all my soldiers to check on their families.¡± He looked over his squad. They were almost broken but did their best to not show it. Strong soldiers, strong knights. His looked told them all they needed to hear, but he said it anyway, ¡°You are some of the strongest soldiers I¡¯ve had the honor of serving with. Go home and tend to your families.¡± Next door, Fortus was relieved to see his family alive, though quickly that turned to concern as he saw his son nursing the burns on his hands. Reese smiled ¡°I¡¯m fine dad, just hurts.¡± Fortus nodded. Athena walked in behind him, looking for Mabel. Lilith said nothing to her, as she made her way to their temporary shared crib where she slept. ¡°She cried a lot earlier, and I think she tired herself out.¡± The words more spoken to the child than anyone else. ¡°Thank you, Lilith.¡± Lilith didn¡¯t respond as Athena took her child and left the house. There was quiet in the house as Fortus, Ard, his scribe and Reese sat at the table. ¡°Reese, why don¡¯t you head up to your room?¡± Ard politely suggested to the boy, using only his name. It was probably the first time he had ever done that to the boy. Fortus looked over his child, clearly in pain, but comfortable. ¡°Reese, if you can¡¯t make it to your room you can stay at the table, this won¡¯t be a pleasant talk though.¡± Ard wanted to protest but just couldn¡¯t work up the courage to do it. For a moment Reese considered leaving but decided to stay. If his father offered it why not, it was more comfortable than walking up those steps. Fortus took a breath, clearing his head, and then began his report. ¡°We left yesterday morning. The trek up the mountain went well. No issues. Our initial surveys showed two dragons but what looked like three nests. After watching through dusk, we saw a third dragon land on the other eggs. Throughout the night one would leave, but the other two would stay. We never counted more than those three. The next morning be built the ballistea and arranged them around the larger perimeter without altering them. To be safe, we put the scorpions together too. When our scouts got to the nest they confirmed the three Dragons were still there and each were sleeping. It was quick, easy and clean. All three were taken out at once. And we celebrated. Thars, Loban, Jullet and Axals headed out to the nest to destroy the eggs. It was then they noticed something wrong. None of us were experts but even they could tell there far too many eggs for just three dragons. Axals headed back out of the nest to tell us, and that¡¯s when they hit us hard and fast. There weren¡¯t three dragons, but twelve, and the other nine had come back at once. Don¡¯t know if they heard us kill the others or if it was just bad timing. They managed to take out two of the Ballestea, and killed Sobbin, Hethil, and Amman in their fly over. Knight Tolk was badly injured, but he¡¯ll probably live. They also burned their own nests, killing Thars, Loban, and Jullet who were still there. Thankfully we had the scorpions, they worked on the smaller dragons. We dropped four of them quickly. The other two took¡­ more. But when we were done, we only counted nine corpses in total, the other three had clearly flown off, we didn''t know where. Most of the horses were killed or ran off. Only a few of the injured ones were left. We rode them as hard as we could to get down the mountain, but it wasn¡¯t much faster. We¡¯ll probably need to put them down; we ran them too hard for how injured they were. As for the remains of my soldiers, I¡­ I almost left them at the nest. I knew we needed to get down fast, but they would deserve proper service. I¡¯m sure parts of them are still up there. Honestly, I¡¯m not sure my squad would have listened to me if I told them to abandon the remains anyway.¡± For a few seconds on the sound of the scribe¡¯s pen could be heard, then stopped. ¡°Is that your full report, Fortus Bronwyn?¡± The use of a family¡¯s name was a sort of seal. A common way for nobles, aristocrats, and named families to formally account for things. You weren¡¯t just saying thing for you, but your entire family. If you lied or deceived, you put everyone who carries that name at risk. It was like swearing an oath. Normally, Ard would have used it as an insult of sorts. But not here, he was genuine this time. ¡°It is. While you¡¯re here Ard, what happened in the village?¡± ¡°It¡¯s as you see. The dragons flew down from the mountains, seemingly hell bent on revenge. They found it. I¡¯ll be honest, I don¡¯t have all the figures yet. They¡¯re currently laying on the floor of the Keep.¡± If that statement was supposed to phase Fortus, it failed. Sighing, Ard got up from the table. ¡°I think we¡¯re done here. Thank you for your report commander. It wasn¡¯t what I was hoping for, but I don¡¯t know what else you could have done.¡± He paused, unsure if he should ask the next question or not, ¡°If the numbers of dragons were more accurate¡­ Would those six still be alive?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t answer that, I just know it would have been different.¡± As Ard left, he took one last look back at Reese in particular, ¡°You should talk to your son. He was quite involved today; and I think we might need to come to a new agreement on that Emilie girl too.¡± ¡°That was your idea.¡± ¡°I know, I might have been wrong.¡± With that Ard left Fortus and his son at the table. It took Fortus a moment to work up the words, ¡°So, Reese. What happened?¡± And so, Reese went over the events of those trying 15 minutes. Paying special attention to Emilie¡¯s efforts to safeguard the town. ¡°I see.¡± He tried to process what his son told him. His hands quivered, much as he tried to hide it. ¡°You took a big risk trying to leave the school like that. But if it was on fire, I suppose you didn¡¯t have a choice. We¡¯ll have to work with Fense on a future plan for evacuating the school. The burns you suffered; you said that big one hit you head on?¡± Nodding, Reese try to circle back on Emilie''s contributions, but Fortus seemed more interested in correcting something. ¡°No, you couldn¡¯t have been attacked head on. I saw what that did to a human body, you couldn¡¯t have been hit head on. The dragon had to miss you, there¡¯s no other way.¡± For some reason, his father seemed fixated on that one fact. Maybe it was just something he needed to believe. Reese¡¯s jaw felt tight, like he wanted to argue but something inside him was locking his jaw muscles in place. He knew that dragon didn¡¯t miss him; it was a direct hit. A problem for another day, he guessed and something else to write in his notebook. It wasn¡¯t worth the fight tonight, not after everything they had all been through. Everyone in his family was still alive, his father, his mother, his two baby sisters, his useless older sister, and his friend Emilie. All things considered, this was the best outcome, for them at least. Emilie would be a town hero too, she helped take down a Fire Dragon and was invaluable at putting out the fires. Because of her, no buildings were lost to the fire, just damaged. He should have been happy, why then did he feel so bad? Why did he still feel so useless? Because someone else, did the heavy stuff? Saving his sisters like that was something. Wasn''t it? Maybe it was just him trying to play the hero. It was risky, he shouldn''t be alive right now. A hand fell on Reese¡¯s shoulder, his father¡¯s hand. What was a strong, and steady rock, trembled now and felt weak as wet clay. Fortus tried to smile and push back everything he felt. For one rare moment, Reese actually saw his father cry. School would be cancelled for the next day, while materials were transferred to the old keep. The schoolhouse had technically survived, but the roof had taken massive damage both from the fire and water. It would need to be replaced. Much of the town was in various states of disarray and damage. Nothing irreplaceable was lost but fixing it all up would take time, and coins. The swelling in Reese¡¯s right hand had gone down quite a bit, and it no longer throbbed with pain. Small yellow blisters still covered his hand and lower arm and bits of his chest, but a few already looked to be shrinking. Given a week or two, it likely wouldn¡¯t even be visible without close inspection. Sitting at his work bench he tapped his charcoal pencil on his notebook, lost in thought. He wrote a number down on the last page ¡°18¡±, under the note ¡°Why am I still alive?¡±. The number of teeth he remembered seeing in the dragon¡¯s lower jaw. Four in front, followed by two fangs or k9s, then a row of razor-sharp molars, powerful enough to break bones. A small sketch started to form next to the number, as he remembered the back of the dragon¡¯s throat, those spikes lined it like a trap. No matter what his father said, he was hit head on. Healing magics didn¡¯t work on him; it wasn¡¯t unreasonable to assume other magics may not either. The fire that came from the dragon¡¯s spit and breath wasn''t actually fire, just mana. The mana caused things to ignite, and it would heat the air up. But if it hit his body like the deep healing spells, it would have just passed around him. His hand and arm for instance, most likely weren¡¯t burned by the dragon¡¯s breath, but by the pile of aflame grass it fell on. Likewise, his chest was probably burned because his clothes caught fire. ¡®Is being gateless is like having a constant dispel buff?¡¯ Another question written in his book. Pondering other items for a moment, he wondered what Emilie was doing. He knew his father was in the Keep with Ard, Basilara and Venesar. Emilie¡¯s parents. It was possible she was there too, it would make sense for her to be. Early in the morning, his father had asked Reese to describe in detail again what Emilie had done yesterday, which he did with gusto. He susspected Fortus was being pushed by his soldiers who saw what she did. Regardless of the reasons, he could only hope his testimony would help her. She deserved to go to school, to have some semblence of a normal life. At first, he considered asking if he could speak on her behalf directly but decided against it. His body wasn¡¯t in the best shape to run over to the Keep, even if it was next door. He would take it easy for the day, working on minor chores that didn¡¯t require much exertion. The minor fire in the kitchen didn¡¯t cause too much damage. A few cabinets would need to be replaced, and part of the floor was questionable. At the very least he could wash the dishware and maybe the curtains, so long as it didn¡¯t hurt too much. The cool water might even feel good. It could have been so much worse he thought, as he considered his hand and side. For a moment, his gatelessness seemed like it might have one advantage. Was it worth the high-cost thought? His current life was at least one good argument in favor. The next day was the first day of school in the Old Keep. It was all a bit odd. The books from the classroom had been haphazardly pushed about. Some of the desks were brought over, but more than a few weren¡¯t salvageable. There was a large bit of slate to write on, like a chalk board, but it was even poorer quality than what was in the school. Still, it would suffice. Around the large space Soldiers would wander about, some would smile at their own kids but otherwise tried to leave them be. 32 students in all found seats either at desks, the large table or in some cases on the floor. One new student sat at the large table near Reese. ¡°Hi Reese!¡± Emilie tried not to sequel, but it was obvious how happy she was. In front of her was an almost identical notebook to his. ¡°Well good morning class. Both Ard and Fortus have given us permission to use the Old Keep for the next few weeks while the school is repaired. Also, I would like to introduce a new student, Emilie who will be joining us from now on.¡± ¡°Beginning our lesson, lets pick up where we left off last time. Multiplication tables¡­¡± Eventually, the students broke up into their groups and began working on the various problems Fense gave them. With a bit of pushing Emilie began working in an adjoining group to Reese¡¯s, and before long, she was leading it. After school was more study for Emilie and Reese, that is, after she stopped gushing about her first day of class to her parents who came for her. It was touching, but diabetes inducing, and in a world without insulin that was a death sentence. He mused to himself. Chapter 9, Broken Bodies and Honor Fire. Flames. Ash¡­ Everything was burning, the town, his home, his family, both his current one and his old one. While he just stood there and watched it, his body wouldn''t move. His hand, if only he could only lift it, he could save them all, but he couldn''t. Their silent screams burned into his mind. His old father, crawled towards him, skin melting off like it was cheap wax, muscles shrinking like bad jerky. Why couldn''t he do anything. Why was he always too late. That burned out skeleton the remains of his old father grabbed at his foot and screamed, "Alexie¡­" Reese shot out of bed, rushing to catch his breath as his heart raced. The sweat covered his body in the cold early morning air leaving him to shiver. It was a dream; the same one he''d been having. "Just breath." He whispered to himself and closed his eyes. "Just¡­ Breath¡­" Slowly he took in a breath, held it for a moment, and let it go. "1". He did it again, "2", and again, and again, "3¡­ 4¡­ 5¡­" Each time focusing on the sensation of the cool air entering his lungs, feeling his chest expand and contract. Long ago, he had learned techniques to deal with this, to deal with the panic attacks, with the stress of surviving life. In his chest, he could feel that one powerful muscle slow, as he calmed himself. Each thought that tried to enter his mind was denied entry, dissected, understood, and thrown away. It was not the time to think, but to breathe. To be. "¡­20" He finished. His heart rate slowed, the pounding in his chest subsided, he felt normal. This sucked. His head fell back on his pillow and stared at the dark, boring ceiling. It was PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The World didn''t seem to have a name for it, the closest he found was something called "Battle Fatigue", almost a call back to when Earth called it "Shell Shocked." They didn''t have any real treatments, the two books he found advocating for rest and hearty meat dishes, or more combat to burn it out of your system. Both poor ideas. There were a few treatment options he could remember, the first was medication in his case Lorazepam, Benzos had worked well. They let him sleep at night anyway, but that wasn''t a permanent solution, nor did they have it here anyway. Stress Inoculation was an option, basically what he was doing now. Breathing helped a lot but it couldn''t stop it. Exposure Therapy wasn''t really viable, he wasn''t avoiding thinking about the event, and it just happened. Desensitization and Reprocessing worked well the last time, but he''d need someone to help with that. Or at least something else he could focus on. He kept thinking, what other techniques did he know and remember? Processing Therapy, that was something he could try. He didn''t have anyone to walk him through it, but maybe he didn''t need to. What he could do was journal his thoughts, understand them, find out what wasn''t his fault, what he couldn''t change. But there was the problem, it was his fault, if he was stronger¡­ His hand gripped at his sheets. This wasn''t helping. It was still dark out, there was a few hours before morning light. Without that light, there wasn''t much he could do. Turning over, Reese tried to close his eyes, a few hours was what he needed right now. More dreams, but no fire, just voices and faces. One which made him feel, uncomfortable and angry. Why? But, there was one happy thought in there, it was the 29th, Emilie''s birthday. One dream, was at least happy as he dreamed of a different world, an old world with his friend. Of course, no one else in the world really cared about birthdays the way he did, so when school came, she wasn''t as excited as he was. Still, at least it wasn''t as bad as Hemmsal''s birthday. That poor boy would probably never be the same. How was he supposed to know cake was a sensitive topic for him? It was still a problem he had, occasionally using old words in this new world. Cake sounds an awful lot like Cacii, a rather nasty hedgehog-like creature the size of a bear. Hemmsal''s had lost his brother to one but had at least saved him. It was not a pleasant memory. Reese would have to make it up to him one day. "Why are you always so excited when people have birthdays?" The blue haired elf, Venginn shook her head at Reese. The girl was not particularly enamored with him, finding him more than a little annoying. For the next few minutes, she would regale Emilie with his failures at birthday planning. Growing tired of the verbal berating Reese shrugged "I just think birthdays are important. They''re when you were born, when the world first came to know you. I think that''s worth celebrating." "Birthdays are fucking stupid. Who cares." An older light haired boy half growled, his brown eyes growing dark like his soul was trying to suck all the light in. "Gezal, watch your language. The rest of you focus on your homework so I can go home." Fense chastised the older boy who seemed to be sulking off the side of the classroom. This was not the direction Reese wanted the conversation to go in. Venginn and Emilie continued to talk, and he, hunkered down keeping silent. Afraid he would make things worse. A few more weeks would pass; Things had mostly returned to normal again. Writing things down helped him clear his head. His hands would shake, sometimes, but that had calmed too. He''d be fine, in time. Emilie seemed to be suffering a bit too, talking about bad dreams, and seeming jumpy at even minor things. This world needed therapist, but all it had was him. Still he was able to teach her how to breath and control her thoughts, it helped, both of them. She was grateful, but clearly something else was grating at her. Even when she insisted it was fine, Reese could tell it wasn''t. But, there was no way to force someone to speak. It would have to wait till she was ready to discuss it. School continued to be school. Gezal would remain thorny, growing worse each day. Reese felt for the older boy but didn''t know what he could or should do. It felt a bit odd to still have school in the Old Keep. Not that they had been in the schoolhouse for very long, but the Keep just didn¡¯t feel like the best place for class. What with all the noise and weapons flying about. Well not literally or at least not usually. But the sounds of swords clashing, and arrows smacking things was distracting. Only a few more days and they¡¯d be back in the schoolhouse. At the end of another school day, Reese was thankful he didn¡¯t have to stick around and do pages today. Thoughts about the rest of the day ran through his head. Leaving the keep he was looking forward talking more about the Dark Fire spells Emilie was now focused on and see if her therapy was still working. Instead, his attention was grabbed by the older boy, who didn¡¯t seem to have anywhere else to be, beyond the Keep. Gezal sat outside the keep, his brown eyes looking down into the brown dirt. The young teen seemed oblivious to the rest of the world. A mind in distress, his father was alive, of course was happy about that, but the person who came back from the mountain wasn''t the same. With only one arm and one eye his father wouldn¡¯t be able to fight with the rest of the soldiers and Knights. His leg injury had even made standing a challenge at times. Deep healing just, didn''t fix everything. And now, his broken father was trying to break everything else. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°You ok?¡± Gezal was surprised to hear anyone paying attention to him. ¡°What do you want Reese?¡± He didn''t even bother looking up. ¡°I just, noticed you were down in the dirt.¡± The older child went back to the dirt and started drawing small shapes with a stick. Lines, circles, some of them connected, some of them didn¡¯t. A few looked like swords, and other limbs. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What does being a knight even mean, why is it so important to that fool?¡± It hit Reese, that knight that was burned but alive, Tolk, he was Gezal¡¯s father. Clearly, neither were taking the event well. ¡°He hasn¡¯t done anything since he got back. Just sits in the kitchen and drinks or goes to the inn and drinks. Mom, he¡­ yelled at her last night. I think if he could have, he would have hit her. And me. He keeps going on and on about being a knight, about honor and how useless he is now¡­" Gezal stopped drawing the threw the stick across the yard. "I don¡¯t get it. He¡¯s alive, he has us. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± Therapists didn¡¯t exist in this world, so people didn¡¯t tend to deal with issues they just let them consume them over time, or you would find ways to burry them. It kind of made sense that Gezal would trauma dump at the first chance. What more could Reese do, but listen, and listen he did for what felt like an hour. In that time Emilie had joined. The normally captative girl just quietly sat with them. Taking the lead from Reese, and kept quiet, only listening. In truth, she''d actually make a good therapist if she could keep it up. ¡°Last night. I think he tried to kill himself.¡± Gezal¡¯s hands shook at the thought. Now, Reese was truly lost. On earth, there were things he could have done, authorities he could have gone to, to try and get Tolk help. But here? You were lucky if there was even a doctor in town. For several minutes after that the three sat in silence. All Reese''s knowledge was useless here. While he might have remembered the activities he did in his other life, he was always on the receiving end. It was different being the one in the chair vs on the couch, and dangerous. Their silence would soon be broken by man himself, Knight Tolk. ¡°Fucken fight me damn you cowards!¡± The shout of deeply drunken man could be heard across the yard as Knight Tolk limped forward, carrying a bloody sword. Cuts on his good arm, and neck, implying it was his blood on that silver and red device, not deep enough to kill. For all his professed weakness, he still had the strength to fight himself. Gezal stood up and tried put himself in front of his father. ¡°Dad, please don¡¯t do this.¡± His son begged his father before being pushed away as he randomly tried to charge one of his former comrades. ¡°Gezal, I love ya, but shutup. This is something only a knight would understand. Come-on! Fight me!¡± Tolk attempted to charge another soldier who was quick enough to move out of the way. It was clear no one wanted to see the damaged Knight hurt. But things were getting dangerous. Even badly injured, the weapon Tolk wielded was sharp and deadly. ¡°Anyone call Fortus yet?¡± Someone yelled, and as if on cue, showed up right on time. Fortus, was usually soft spoken. His deep voice and calm speech are enough to impose on even the loudest fool. So know that when he shouted, everyone listened. ¡°What in the hell is going on in front of my Keep!?¡± Fortus could see his knight was drunk, as he swayed between one good leg and the bad one. The bandages on his left side, had started to come loose, and a trickle of his life force dripped down his side in addition to the streams on his arm and neck. All of it free further by both the movement and the booze. In what looked like a drunken rage, Tolk charged Fortus whit his sword, but it was trivial for the commander to dispatch such a basic attack. It forced Tolk on the ground, where he lay in the mud and filth, sobbing. ¡°Tolk, I know you want to fight still. Even with one arm and bad leg, you¡¯re still better than any commoner. But you know the truth, you¡¯ll be able to fight in a serious battle again. Stop this.¡± ¡°What am I supposed to do sir. Just take the pittance the special district gives its broken soldiers. I always said I would never let that happen to me. I refuse to become a leach. That dragon should have just finished burning me.¡± It was always a risk, a soldier or a knight may not return home, or sometimes only part of them will return. Life was not like a story book, with simple happy endings, and broken people aren¡¯t just fixed with simple words and broken promises. ¡°Then what would have happened to your family? A only time payment of gold won¡¯t last them any better. And your son would be without his father.¡± ¡°Without his father? Do you see me, he only has half a father now. What good is that¡­ what good am I. It hasn''t even been a month, and I can''t do it.¡± His eye focused on his sword as he held it above his head. ¡°All I know how to do is hold a sword and spear, and I can barely do either. I can¡¯t even cut myself.¡± His rage turned further sadness as he began crying. A strong man broken by a bad twist of fate. Fortus watched as Tolk stood up on his good leg, with far less effort than you might expect from a damaged man. Even in his current state, he remained truly skilled. The sword still swung in his right hand, as if beckoning Fortus to end it for him. ¡®Right hand¡¯ Fortus thought. A plan quickly formed in his head. Perhaps, a small glimmer of hope. ¡°Tolk, you¡¯re right-handed, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What does that have to do with anything. Yes?¡± ¡°And you know how to read and write, not just human either I¡¯ve heard you read Elven and Dark Elven.¡± ¡°It was just some poetry. Sir, what does any of that matter?¡± ¡°Both Sobbin and Hethil are dead. They always acted as our scribes. I need someone to replace them, and I know I can trust you in confidential manners. I haven''t had a chance to request a dispatch, it be easier to have you do it.¡± Tolk could help but laugh, ¡°Charity.¡± ¡°A job.¡± Tolk stood in silence, swaying from side to side for a moment. ¡°¡­A job for a solider not a knight¡± ¡°Knights are soldiers son. We always have been, and we don¡¯t follow the orders we want but the ones we¡¯re given.¡± Something about that struck Tolk harder than sword earlier, and his body went rigid. ¡°Are you ordering me to do this?¡± ¡°If it keeps you from doing something stupid. Yes, that¡¯s an order Knight Tolk, and with it, I¡¯ll make sure your medical retirement order is rescinded.¡± Seemingly accepting the defeat, Tolk lowered his head and dropped his sword, not quite sheathing it yet. ¡°Yes sir.¡± It wasn¡¯t what he wanted. He still wanted to die or to not be broken. But knights and soldiers don¡¯t always get to choose their battles. An order is an order and a knight is honor bound to follow all honorable commands. The part of him that wanted to live, would use that to shut down the part of him that didn''t. Tolk half limped off the field, probably to find somewhere to sobber up, or finally end it. No one could stop him either way. ¡°Do you think that will work sir?¡± ¡°You never know if you¡¯re plan will work until it¡¯s done, sometimes long after. But you have to commit to one and move forward with it.¡± Looking back Fortus saw the young Gezal give his father a hug as he tried to walk off, and perhaps, as a sign of acceptance, Tolk returned it with his one arm. Fortus was surprised to see that same child walk up to him. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, why did he do that? Why did he stop when you gave him that job?¡± ¡°Your father¡¯s a knight, there¡¯s a deep honor in this profession. A desire to protect, and to fight, to stand on one''s own legs and wield something for a bigger idea. It¡¯s a lifelong commitment for many, and for your father, he was one of the most committed I ever saw.¡± Gezal shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Why?¡± ¡°Are you asking why would he try and kill himself? Because he thought he lost an important part of himself. All of us accept that can happen, but, it''s not easy to accept when it happens.¡± ¡°But why did he stop. I¡¯ve been trying to help him, and I just couldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not you son. It¡¯s the ideal, being a knight. For all the damage to his body, his pride remains, and he remains a knight. Duty bound to follow any noble and honorable order given.¡± Gezal still didn¡¯t understand. Perhaps he was too young, perhaps he just never experienced it. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ok son. Maybe one day you will.¡± Fortus was ready to leave, he had other matters to attend to. Only still be stopped by the same boy. "I¡­ Want to understand, my father. He was always the strongest person I knew." A smile crept on the commander¡¯s face. It was rare, but sometimes plans did turn out unexpectedly well. "Come back tomorrow morning, I''ll show you the book that guides us." With that Fortus walked off, leaving the three children alone in the field. ¡°Reese, thanks for listening to me. I owe you for that.¡± ¡°Hey, I just, listened.¡± Reese shrug, happy to be thanked, but surely not feeling deserving of it. ¡°You take a lot of shit from other people. But you¡¯re a good guy.¡± With that Gezal gave Reese a rather forceful punch to his shoulder and walked off. ¡°Oww¡­ You help a guy and punches you.¡± He rubbed at the now sore spot as Emilie gushed about trying her new healing spell. He didn¡¯t have the heart to tell her it probably wouldn¡¯t work on him. Though it was probably a good thing, since she wasn''t casting it right. Gezal would show up in the morning, and read ¡°The Order of the Knights¡±. It was dense, and he couldn''t fully understand it, but it was a foundation. One that he wanted to expand, and would continue to from that day forward. Chapter 10, Those Who Would Call Themselves Gods ¡°You really should leave an offering at the shrine; you keep missing it.¡± His father glared at him from across the table. ¡°It¡¯s bad luck to not at least make an appearance.¡± With his hands Fortus tore a slight stale tuft of bread and handed it to his son. ¡°I always leave a small offering to Gerb before I leave the village. He likes bread and flint, so here¡¯s some bread.¡± ¡°I need to go now?¡± Reese saw a problem with this. He still hadn¡¯t finished his homework. This would be bad. Fense was libel to make him write a full chapter this time. ¡°You have school in 30 minutes or so. You have time. Come on, I¡¯ll come with you.¡± With a literal push and shove, his father moved him out the door into the cool almost cold Autumn air. ¡°Our town is small, so we only have the shrine. Larger villages and cities will have small temples. You should always make a visit anytime something major happens in your life. Like going to school for the first time, or surviving a dragon attack." His father almost glared at him, but with a smile, like he wasn''t complete angry. "There¡¯s no official priest in our town, but someone tries to tend to the shrine every day. I think today is Brot, the baker. Supposedly he actually was a priest, a lifetime ago. I¡¯m sure he¡¯d be willing to answer any questions you have.¡± The shrine was located behind the mayor¡¯s manor, technically on his property, so it wasn¡¯t much of a walk. The mayor saw it as a bit of an honor to take care of the land the shrine was on, but strangely, rarely boasted about it, despite being a cold-blooded politician. At the shrine was a very round and older man whose attitude, and stance made him seem young. Reese had seen him in the Market place before, and he always seemed quite jolly, like a cross between Santa Clause and Hardy. His shop sold breads and some baked goods and his sweet rolls were particularly good. Merchants usually never left their shops, at least when open. It seemed strange for him to abandon it in the middle of the day, though Reese vaguely remembered him having a wife, maybe she was running it? It¡¯s also possible this was something prearranged by Fortus. That would explain why he was in such a rush and insistent on it being done now. ¡°Reese, Fortus! Welcome! I understand this is your first visit to the shrine. I hope I can answer any question you have?¡± His smile was sweet and sticky like taffy and stuck to you the same. It was hard not to just like man on the spot. ¡°So, I guess my first question is, who are the gods?¡± His father looked down at this heretical son in borderline shock. Sensing that was probably not the right question, he tried to roll it back. ¡°Uh, never mind.¡± ¡°We really never went over the gods with you. No wonder my luck has been so bad. Ehem.¡± His father coughed at the end, as if to hide the last part. Brot just laughed. ¡°It¡¯s fine. As the saying goes, the gods leave us alone, so we tolerate them. Reese, your father¡¯s bad luck is likely due to his obvious tells when he plays card games.¡± The two seemed to share some history, and the fact that makeshift priest would even be so openly lambasting his own gods gave Reese pause. To openly mock your own gods and not be smitten for it, or at least denounced, it seemed more likely they just didn¡¯t exist at all. He was an atheist on Earth, maybe he didn¡¯t need to give that up here. Still, the matter of his reincarnation was a complicated point that poked many holes in that philosophy, not to mention that voice. Maybe it was just the soul that existed, or something like the soul? Details to consider later. Brot brought Reese back to reality as he roughly explained the hierarchy: ¡°The pantheon is simple enough. Four gods sit at the top, one for each of the first races that¡¯s human, Elf and Anthro and an extra for the Anthros since they¡¯re so rowdy. Grenda is the human god, she¡¯s stern and powerful, which helps her keep the other in line. Fress is the Elven god, steadfast and strong. Hanco and Dini are the gods of the Anthros. It¡¯s said that Dini is the only one that can control Hanco, her brother. There a reason why people give her offerings of rope. Bellow them are the various general gods, like Gerb who your father prays to and is a god of many other soldiers and knights. There¡¯s also middle gods for the minor races like the High Goblins, Dwarves and the Demons. Also messenger gods who relay offerings to the gods for us. If you ever see an offering disappear, know you were very blessed or sometimes cursed for the gods to notice you.¡± Pausing to breathe and consider what he just said, Brot had a bittersweet smile. ¡°In my whole life I¡¯ve only seen them take an offering once. For Grenda, a pile of 10 gold coins. Oh right, if you ever want to give an offering to her, she only takes gold.¡± He laughed once more. Reese walked up the small set of stairs to the marble shrine. It was very Onate, with arrows carved into it, and onyx and gold trim. The deep red hard wood at the center propped up the slate altar. It was an interesting touch. It probably all meant something, but he wasn¡¯t sure what. Another curious symbol seemed to be carved into the top of the small altar itself. A quill and parchment scroll. He stood there for a moment unsure what to do with the bread that was growing ever staler by the minute. ¡°What do I do?¡± ¡°Just say a prayer. Usually for Gerb we say ¡®Gerb, we pray for your strength in battle, may our arms be strong and steady.¡¯ And I understand you need strong and stead arms for all those pages you write after school.¡± Again, the jolly man laughed with his animated wordings. Reese could only sigh, he was right, and part of him hated that it would be even more true at the end of today. ¡°Gerb, I pray for your strength in battle at school, may my arms be strong and steady and so to my fingers.¡± Smiling at his added flare, he hoped he wouldn¡¯t be cursed by blemishing the prayer. With one last movement he put the bread on the altar, and nothing happened. He kind of hope Greb was real, he¡¯d be able to use the strength in his fingers. He looked around, laughing to himself. Of course, there was nothing. Given how everyone treated the gods and talked about them it was more likely they just weren¡¯t there. ¡°Ok, I did the offering dad. Can I go to¡­ school¡­ now?¡± As he turned around, neither were there anymore. He wondered if they panicked at his modifications and ran fearing of being smite. ¡°Um, I¡¯m sorry if I said the wrong thing. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re going to smite me.¡± He walked down from the altar but couldn¡¯t see them anywhere. ¡°Dad? Brot?¡± Even the street seemed empty. There was no noise. The wind seemed to have faded to nothing. Something felt very wrong. Turning around the manor had disappeared, everything disappeared, just a grass field remained, and the alter, and¡­ him. ¡°Took you long enough. I¡¯m Devenon, you can consider me a messenger god.¡± It was hard for him to process. Was this really happening? He needed more time to think, in his confused mind the best way to do that was with a question ¡°Do¡­ do you report to Greb?¡± ¡°No.¡± His tone held a pang of annoyance, like he didn¡¯t like him. The felling was mutual. ¡°Oh. So Grenda then?¡± The more Reese spoke, the more he felt his confidence build. In the back of his mind a whisper of thoughts and feelings came back to him. Not from his old life, from, something else. The entity seemed almost insulted by the question. ¡°No. If you must know I report right to the High ONE.¡± ¡°Oh, the high one¡­¡± For some reason, the idea the idea seemed familiar to him, and he couldn¡¯t explain why but the entire thought left a bad taste in his mouth. His only response was a dismissive question ¡°Why one?¡± The non-sequitur threw the god off, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why ¡®one¡¯? Like are they alone?¡± His tone was dismissive. Even he was surprised at just how little he actually cared at the moment. Thoughts, feelings, other things kept creeping into him. All of this was just so familiar and the longer he stayed here the more he could feel himself resenting Devenon and those above him. A whisper in the back of his soul screamed at him in alien symbols and thoughts. On the other hand, Devenon couldn¡¯t tell if this human serious? ¡°No. There are many of them.¡± ¡°So they¡¯re like the first then. Wouldn¡¯t zero make more sense? Like in index notion, 0 means the first index.¡± He was instantly finding some way to butcher the high one''s name. He needed to show his disdain in what ever way he could. That screaming whisper in his soul demanded it. ¡°What are you rambling about.¡± ¡°I honestly have no idea, because I seem to be having a psychotic break.¡± Reese continued to look around. Things that were missing from him, things he didn¡¯t even know were missing felt like they were just with in his grasp. Why was this place so familiar? Not the field, but what was beyond it, that white but not white void. ''Void.'' That meant something. If gods could feel agitation Devenon would be a textbook example of it. Walking to the alter he picked up the bread and began chewing on it, perhaps to calm his own nerves or some sense of requirement. ¡°Kind of stale¡­¡± ¡°That what I said!¡± ¡°Look. We¡¯re not supposed to interfere in the high one''s plans, whatever they are. I was tasked by him to come and talk to you the first time you left an offering that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°So are you supposed to give me a mission or something, a reason for my existence. Tell me why I was reincarnated?¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°No. I don¡¯t know any of that either. I was just told to tell you we¡¯re watching you, but we will not interfere. No one will help you. You need to keep building.¡± Pausing on that last point Devenon wanted it to sink in, to have an impact. It may have had the opposite effect. ¡°Ok¡­ Seems kind of creepy, and useless.¡± Any other human would be on the ground, literally trying to worship at his feet. But this one, he just didn¡¯t understand him. Devenon could only shake his head. ¡°You are very strange.¡± ¡°And you seem like an asshole.¡± He couldn¡¯t explain it, but something inside him just did not like Devenon, and outright hated the so called High One, who he was now calling ''zero''. All of this was just so damn familiar, like something detached but inside understood. That whisper. ¡°I think we¡¯re done here.¡± Reese held up his hand in a futile gesture "No, wait, I think I-" Reality came flooding back as the whole world seemed to shake and fade back into view. ¡°Reese, are you ok?¡± His father shook him lightly and snapped him out of his trance like state. He had to look around, everything was back. That feeling inside, that hatred; was that even the right word? Regardless it was gone too. The screaming whisper inside him was quiet again. He needed to think, to process all of this. ¡°I just¡­ I think I just talked to a god.¡± His eyes went wide as the realization truly hit him. He talked to something that called itself a god. An entity that was far more powerful than him. Then he called him an asshole. Why? ¡°You talked to Gerb?¡± Fortus¡¯ eyes had a glint in them, a sparkle of childhood wonderment. That was quickly overtaken by rational adult thinking. ¡°No. Someone named Devenon.¡± ¡°Devenon?¡± Brot spoke up with a hum in his voice. Tapping his finger to his chin he tried to remember, but it did sound like a name he read somewhere once. ¡°It actually sounds familiar. But I can¡¯t be sure.¡± In the distance, the start of the day bell rang. ¡°Oh crud I¡¯m late. Fense is going to give me double the pages!¡± With a sprint Reese bounded for the reopened schoolhouse. It¡¯s a shame, but if it was still in the keep, he might have had a chance. Brot and Fortus just watched Reese ran down the road, kicking up dirt. Their minds flickering with memories of their own youth. ¡°Heh. Kids right, Brot?¡± ¡°Indeed, what an active imagination your son has. Maybe he¡¯ll be a great author one day! Good money in books. Heh heh.¡± Brot¡¯s smile and laugh returned, having dropped the non-sense of a child talking to a god. ¡°Well, I should clean off the altar, I doubt Gerb¡­ wants¡­ it?¡± Brot and Fortus looked back at the altar, the bread was missing. ¡°Probably a bird snatched it.¡± Fortus said matter of factly. ¡°Heh, yes, a bird. Of course. Of course! Ha ha heh¡­¡± Brot didn¡¯t seem convinced. At the end of the school day, Reese left with Fense as the school doors were locked and closed behind them. He was traumatized. The madman had actually done it. A full chapter. He was about halfway through an entire transcription of ¡°A history of the Six Kingdoms under Astrix¡±, and it hadn¡¯t even been half a year. At the current rate, he¡¯d copy each book in that accursed set of bookshelves they called a library. Currently he was halfway thought the Mixx Rebellion, and the so called ¡°Opportunistic War¡± with the Unified Dark Elven States. It was quite fascinating, he had to admit. A slave revolt in the east and attack from the west by the Unified Dark Elven States lead to the fracturing of the Aggenon kingdom and the creation of the Mixx kingdom. He just didn¡¯t like copying it verbatim. There was still a good 40 pages to write tomorrow, and that would probably carry over the day after. Assume Fense didn¡¯t add more. Emilie was outside the school, waiting for Reese as usual. ¡°Wow, Fense really made you write all afternoons!¡± Her voice hid a subtle giggle. That was both annoying and cute. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯ve got to do it tomorrow and the day after too. Bah.¡± He took a moment to consider what happened this morning, trying to make sense of it now that he had a minute to himself. ¡°Hey, are you ok?¡± Emilie poked at him. Well mostly to himself. ¡°Yeah, just thinking about something¡­ Emilie do you know anything about the gods?¡± Her eyes lit up as if full of thoughts and ideas, ¡°Oh! I know a lot. My parents made me go to the shrine several times. Each time we gave offerings to a different god. Like Chank when the shop was doing bad, we left him our leather scraps, and Eshtar after I¡­ After my magic mistakes. I left him copper coins and an apology for what I did. There are other gods too. I know the main ones. What did you want to know?¡± Speaking a mile, a minute it was clear she was absolutely elated to be able to explain something to her friend who always seemed to be a step ahead, knowledge-wise anyway. ¡°Well, you ever hear of a god called Devenon?¡± She puzzled for a few minutes, before a small frown crossed her face. ¡°No. It doesn¡¯t sound familiar. What are they a god of?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I thought I was visited by them today.¡± As they walked, he filled her in on what he was being to think of as his psychotic break. ¡°I never heard of gods actually visiting people. You really must be special!¡± There wasn¡¯t a single bit of hesitation or moment of doubt. She believed him, fully. It made him happy, but also worried him a bit. ¡°You just believe me; I mean my story is incredible.¡± ¡°Well, yeah. You wouldn¡¯t lie to me?¡± ¡°Not intentionally no, but I could still be wrong. Maybe I daydreamed about it all, or I¡¯m telling you a story. Maybe it wasn¡¯t actually a god but an elaborate prank? You should always consider the simpler explanations before the more complex ones. Gods don¡¯t visit people, so it¡¯s unlikely they visited me.¡± ¡°Oh. I guess that makes sense?¡± She tilted her head back and forth as if processing it all. ¡°We really need to find a book on logic and philosophy. I''m sure they can explain it all better than me.¡± A faint whiff and aroma of baked good passed their collective noses. Bread¡­ Brot. Reese wondered if he was back at the bakery yet or still tending the shrine. ¡°Emilie, want to come on a shopping trip?¡± A modest sized building stood in front of them, in front of surprising large glass windows and brick construction, not to unlike the shops next to it. The second story was, presumably, the house or apartment Brot and his wife lived in. You could tell it was a bakery before you even stepped foot inside. The scent of delicate breads and flours filled the air all with the subtle over tones of yeast and sugars. Inside the bakery Brot was standing watch over his counter as a middle-aged woman in the background moved fresh loafs out of a large clay like oven. The motion of the fresh baked goods further adding to the overwhelmingly pleasant aroma that for a moment brought back memories of Reese¡¯s old life and childhood. ¡°Reese! Well, if this isn¡¯t a pleasant surprise. Your parents send you for a loaf of bread?¡± That same sticky smile spread to him, and another would be patron. ¡°Honestly, no. I was hoping you had a moment to talk about earlier today?¡± ¡°Ah. Yes. Interesting stories you tell young man. I meant what I said to your father, should be a writer!¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to believe, I¡¯m not sure I believe it either, but I was hoping¡­ do you have any more information about the gods? Or know where I can look.¡± Brot¡¯s smile shifted from one of pure sugar to something more bitter. ¡°Well¡­¡± For a moment he actually sighed and dropped the smile entirely, only for a moment though. ¡°Many years ago, I was actually a priest. I tended a temple to the east in Mixx. But it was a long time ago, another life. I try to keep my pledge to the gods by taking care of the shrine here, but if I¡¯m honest with you¡­ I¡¯m not the best one to ask your questions too.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Reese was disappointed of course, but understood, but before he could walk out of the store, Brot asked him to wait. Coming back from the back he brought with him a rectangular object wrapped in cloth. It appeared to be a book. One of great personal value, and possibly great coin value. ¡°Now, I almost never take this book out, and I¡¯ve never lent it before. But I feel like I can trust you with it, and maybe you can use it.¡± In the background of the shop that woman shoot her head up and mumbled something about giving the shop away. Pealing back the covering for a moment the texture of the cover was the first to become evident, exquisite quality paper. Drawn on it where arrowhead symbols, logs, black lacquer and gold showed themselves, and again at the bottom was that same quill and paper symbol from the altar. The title, written in gold was simply ¡°The Gods¡±. ¡°Normally this book isn¡¯t given to the uninitiated, but honestly, that¡¯s just a recommendation.¡± Brot rewrapped the book and gave it to Reese. It was larger than most books, and heavier too. ¡°Giving away an expensive book, this is why you can¡¯t do business.¡± The woman in back chastised Brot¡¯s kindness. ¡°Oh don¡¯t mind her kids, she just angry that no one comes to visit her, unlike myself.¡± Thinking about Reese began fishing in his side pouch, he had a few coppers just in case he needed something from the market on his way home, like now. ¡°Hey, can I get one of those sweet swirls before I go?¡± Brot smiled to the woman before turning to him ¡°Of course! 2 Coppers please.¡± As he left, the couple continued to argue, ¡°Oh yes, you¡¯re a smug one. Trading a book worth 10 Gold for 2 mossies ¡­¡± Hearing that number made his blood run old. 10 Gold was more than even a skilled labor would make in a year. He¡¯d have to be very, very careful with the book. Splitting the sweet with his friend, he was quite impressed with just how fluffy it was despite having quite a bit of weight to it. It reminded him of Cinnabon from earth, but with more of a peppermint after taste. It helped take his mind off the literal fortune he had under his arm. ¡°Ok, so let¡¯s see what it says.¡± Back in his room the two opened the book looking for an index or table of contents. What was there was simple, a section about ¡°Pantheon Construction and Materials¡±, ¡°Dress¡±, ¡°Handling Left Over Offerings¡±, and then, ¡°The Gods¡±. The last section seemed to be what he wanted; it was also the largest. Flipping page after page, a quick order became evident the more important gods were first, followed by the least. Messenger gods were the lowest on the totem pole he thought, so he started in back. Sure enough, after about 10 pages, he found the entry for Devenon, or what little there was: ¡°Devenon, Messenger god.¡± That was it. A single line, with 3 words. Nothing else. No listing of offerings, or history, just his name. ¡°Is that it?¡± He couldn¡¯t believe it and continued to flip through the pages. ¡°Sorry Reese. The messenger gods aren¡¯t important I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much written about them.¡± He gently closed the book with a sigh. For something so expensive, it was worthless to him. Oh well. ¡°But, I¡¯ve never seen a book like this before. Want to read about the other gods?¡± She poked at the book encouraging him to reopen it. He sighed, why not, it wasn¡¯t like he had anything else to do. Maybe it would give him some clues or insights. He doubted it though. In the end all he had were more questions, and a very expensive book that he needed to get back to Brot as soon as possible. Dinner came and food went, his mind barely able to process the sensations as he kept thinking about earlier. It was a cool but clear Ogracito night, the moon was shining brightly through the kitchen window. Rather than heading to his room, he wandered out into the back field just behind the house and laid in the tall grass, taking a few moments to consider the sky and heavens. It felt like ages since he had just stared at the stars. An entire lifetime he mused to himself with a light chuckle. The skies here were different from earths. There were stars, and only one moon, that he could see anyway. But the stars were all in the wrong place. The galaxy band, which he could see so clearly here, seemed to point in the wrong direction, and there were two bright nebula that could just barely be seen with the eyes. The moon was the wrong color too. More brownish red, and less gray. The redish color likely meant iron rust. He wondered, could this moon have an atmosphere? He wished he had his telescope. If there was one thing he did lament from his old life, it was all the unfinished projects he had. He had just finished fixing a junked Dobsonian telescope before he just gave up. He had plans to add servos and auto tracking to it too all the parts just sitting on a shelf. Eh, like most of his plans it probably wouldn¡¯t have gone anywhere. So many new stars here, he had to wonder if any had names? ¡°You ok Reese? Don¡¯t usually see just staring at the sky like this.¡± Fortus surprised him. It seemed rare for his father to track him down like this. ¡°Yeah. Just thinking about things.¡± The sound of grass crunching next to him was as unexpected as seeing father lay down with him. ¡°You know, when I was a boy, I used to love just watching the stars move. They tell a story you know, as the seasons come and go. That group of stars there, not far from the moon. You see them?¡± Fortus pointed to a cluster of stars, it almost resembled Orion, almost. ¡°That¡¯s call Orth. A great hunter to humans, and a soldier to the elves. In the summer he rests, feeding off our excess crops. But come the colder months when crops are scares, he hunts.¡± It was a neat story. There was similar mythos for Earth¡¯s constellations, but Reese never really knew them. ¡°There¡¯s an old story, that Orth¡¯s belt used to be made with 3 stars. But there was a great battle between with the two giant bares of Ulssa. He slayed the bares and took their pelts to make his cloak and hung their skulls from his belt. Adding the two stars.¡± Something about that story was odd. Orth looked like Orion, the Ursa minor and major constellations likely didn¡¯t exist here. He couldn¡¯t help but think, maybe there was a connection between them? More notes for his notebook, he''d add them later. His father had far more to tell him. ¡°That group of stars is Galfrain, the great beast rider, and under him his dragon mount Salita¡­¡± Fortus would continue his stories for the next hour or so, tracing a story that crossed the heavens. Reese was disappointed it had to end, but all good stories must. Chapter 11, Small Town Bookstore A new year had come, and it was the fifth of Simiwesan the first month of the year 317th Ast-Astrix or 51st year of King Roth Astrix. The new year was longer than usual, being a leap year, there was an extra day of celebration held on the last day of the year, and the village would host a few extra surprises for that extra day. It was made all the more enjoyable and fun, by having a friend to share it with. It was a bit of a shame it wasn¡¯t a double leap year, as that would mean a longer summer solstice celebration with far more festivities. That would have to wait until 322 Ast-Astrix. The last one happened when he was only 2, and he was too young to have experienced anything but a window view of the world. Though he could still remember the smells of all the foods and food stuffs. Future celebrations aside, school was proving to be far more boring than he expected. Knowing most of what his teacher, Fense was going to teach made it all an exercise in redundant redundancy. He often found himself teaching the other kids¡¯ things off lecture, much to his teachers¡¯ bemusement and amusement. Though he seemed to be a good sport about it at least. He even seemed to appreciate it when Reese corrected him. At least, occasionally. Though, the days when he had to copy extra pages did make him wonder how far he could really push that. Emilie seemed very happy in class and was always answering questions and leading her groups as well. Even with Reese¡¯s decades of knowledge behind him, she could still keep up. In fact, he occasionally would be surprised as he watched her answer the rare question even he was unsure of. The unlikely friend, Gezal had even pulled himself out of his funk. It seemed like training under Fortus had given him something he was lacking before, plus his father no longer seemed suicidal, having a useful job to perform. For Reese though, today at least was a rare day, where he wouldn¡¯t have to spend extra time rewriting someone else¡¯s bad penmanship and where Emilie would. Turns out copying everything he did wasn¡¯t a great idea. Looking back, he could feel her pain and whispered a word of sympathy as left the building. The homework assignments were simple enough. Something on the rise of the Auslang Empire, and a few trigonometry problems. The younger students just had to add some of the angles, but the older ones were expected to come up with side measurements and other more complex identities. Of course, he was going to do the harder work. As he tapped at the scribblings on the last page of his notebook, a fact became obvious. He was out of pages in his notebook. Well, without his friend in tow, it seemed like a perfect excuse to actually buy his own for a change. He still had all the coins he was given throughout the year, and the bulk of the ones he had saved from chores and other odds and ends. More than enough to buy it. Running home, he found his coin pouch on top his neglected workbench. Pausing to consider it for a moment, a particular set of grain in the wood almost looked like a frown, as if it was being neglected. Reese couldn¡¯t help but fell a little guilty for not actually using it. He had a few mana stone, but simply had no way of doing anything substantial with them. No plans or ideas were in any of the books he read, and even his own fiddling had proven limited. Problem for another day. An excuse which itself had begun to feel like its own problem. In his purse he counted the silver and rosy-brown coins, 26 silvers and 179 coppers. More than enough for a notebook, but before he closed his pouch, one of the coins stuck out to him. Something he didn¡¯t notice before. It was silver, but had a very different design and was a little bit larger, pulling it out he looked it over. A small city sitting on top a larger one seemed to be stamped into its back, some words too. The top was in Auslang by the looks of it, he couldn¡¯t read it. But the bottom was human, it said ¡°Trillonia¡±. Some larger city states would print their own coins. It posed an interesting question of sovereignty in the kingdoms, but again, a question for another day he mused and put it to the side to investigate later. Without knowing the rough exchange value he could give away a coin worth more or be accused of stealing by offering a coin worth less. The bookstore itself was moderately sized, but for a village like this, it was huge. Technically Wollseeth wasn¡¯t really big enough to support such a specialty shop, so even seeing one here was a nice surprise and bit of good fortune. Inside was quite unkept, even more so than the last time he was here. Additional dust had settled on the shelves, and the floor remained unwashed in the months since he was there last. However, all that was overshadowed by the stale air which continued to hold a slightly sweat aroma of old paper and leather. It was such a familiar smell, comforting almost, and it reminded him of the younger days in his old life when he spent his time in books and libraries. ¡°Don¡¯t touch anything.¡± The shopkeeper barked at him. ¡°I hate kids. Shouldn¡¯t even be here without his parents¡­¡± He further muttered to himself while glaring at him. It took a moment for Reese¡¯s eyes to adjust to the dim light as he looked around the shop. It was a struggle to remember shopkeeper¡¯s name, it sounded like Charleston, but not quite. Charston maybe? His mother had mentioned it a few times. She would often come here to exchange old books and buy new ones. As he made his way to the notebooks, a different book caught his eye. A word on the title on the simple leather cover flashed at him as he almost paased. ¡°Fundamentals of Enchanting, a Non-Spell Caster Approach¡± That title, the book seemed to be exactly what he was looking for! It was locked on the shelf like the rest, and he couldn¡¯t open it to check. The price on the old parchment slip had the number 2 and a symbol for a gold coin. Two gold for one book, not an uncommon price for a book, in fact it was probably on the cheaper end for one that large. The average laborer might earn 16-22 copper a day. It would take months to earn enough to buy that book, assuming they didn¡¯t spend any of it on things like food. ¡°Hey, kid! What did I say? Stay away from the books. Don¡¯t touch them if you can¡¯t buy them.¡± He wanted this book, but it was expensive for a 7-year-old. It was expensive period, still he needed it. He could have asked his parents, but they¡¯d probably say no. Particularly since he just had a gift for the new year. Plus, even with what they both brought in, the two gold wasn¡¯t cheap. He doubted they¡¯d be willing to exchange any. Maybe there was another way he could afford it? ¡°Shopkeeper. I want this book.¡± The older man glared in the back of the shop. He couldn¡¯t read the price tag from where he was, but he didn¡¯t need too. It had been there long enough that he could remember it, ¡°Two gold.¡± Of course, Reese knew that. ¡°I don¡¯t have two gold.¡± ¡°Well then you don¡¯t have a book, do you? Get out.¡± Charston pointed at the closed door with his cane. Again, he looked around the shop, the place was dusty, and not well taken care of. The shopkeeper¡¯s cane was a clear indication he didn¡¯t have the mobility to take care of this place. It was an opportunity if only he could be convinced. Reese smirked knowing he could do it. ¡°You¡¯re going to hire me to help you! And after you pay me, I¡¯m buying this book. For one gold and 30 silver.¡± He added at the end. It was a gamble, but he suspects someone with an attitude like Charston would like someone who pushed back. Either that or he¡¯d be banned forever¡­ He didn¡¯t like that last option, but it was too late to change his mind. ¡°Ha! You got nerve kid. Why would I hire you, and why would sell you that book for half?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to hire me because you need help. This dust isn¡¯t good for the books, and it¡¯s clear there are other things that need to be done besides dusting. You¡¯re going sell me the book for 75% of its listed price, not half. And you¡¯re going to sell at that price because it¡¯s clear this book has been here forever.¡± The balls on that kid, Charston couldn¡¯t help but laugh. A good sign for Reese¡¯s plan. ¡°I hate kids. I¡¯m not paying a single silver to you.¡± ¡°Ah, but I¡¯m not asking for a silver¡­" All the book in the Browny household one, stood out as the absolute most boring book in the history of books, "Verster¡¯s Census from the 40th year of King Roth shows the average labor earns about 20copper a day. I¡¯m half the size of an average laborer, so you can pay me half that, 10 copper a day. With the roughly 30 silver I have saved up, I¡¯ll have that book in about 144 days.¡± Of all the books in the house, the copy of Verster¡¯s Census they kept around took the crown of dryness. Yet, it had proven an informative view of the six kingdoms which was fascinating in its own right. Plus, his mind was a natural for keeping numbers, so it was quite the valuable read for him. ¡°You¡­¡± Charston paused thinking about the numbers. The kid¡¯s math seemed right, so he wasn¡¯t an idiot. He didn¡¯t know the actual amount an ¡®average labor¡¯ got paid, but the figure the boy gave seemed reasonable enough. He wouldn¡¯t be taking a loss at that book''s price either, just not much of a profit. Regardless he had plenty of coins hidden so it¡¯s not like it mattered. He wanted to put something else there anyway. But by far the biggest impact was Reese¡¯s attitude. So few children cared about books, and how many of those that did would go through this effort for one? Even more, how many would read such a boring tome like the census to begin with? The more he considered Reese, the more he reminded Charston of a younger, healthier version of himself, and he started laughing. ¡°Ok, kid. Start cleaning. If this shop looks good at the end of the day, I¡¯ll give you 10 mossies and you can come back tomorrow, to work.¡± The work was simple enough, if hard. Dusting, cleaning, wiping down some old stains on a few shelves. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the floors!¡± Charston chided him. Sighing, he even went to work on polishing the wood as best he could. But his reward was handed to him in full, 10 coppers coins or so called mossies, and the ¡®allowance¡¯ for him to come back tomorrow. Almost didn¡¯t seem worth it, but in a world without much in the way of labor laws, it was a start. Stepping in the door of his house, another thought occurred to him, he had forgotten something. Something important, his new notebook. He sighed. His mind was good for facts and number, but trying to remember a check list would leave him checked out. For a moment he swore to himself he wasn¡¯t going senile, which made him question just how old was he? About 50 mentally? But he was in a 7 year old¡¯s body. He had this thought process before, and it never ended well. Thankfully, his father snapped him out of his trance. ¡°Reese, where have you been? Dinner is set out.¡± Seemed like it was father¡¯s turn to cook, which was unusual. Mom tried to do it most days. ¡°I¡¯m sorry dad, I got a job it took me a while.¡± His old man didn¡¯t even look up from his plate as pushed some baked green plants into his mouth. It was something like a ¡°thick leaf¡± spinach. The taste wasn¡¯t horrible, but that¡¯s the best impression it would leave on Reese. Food is food, he supposed, as he sat down. ¡°A job?¡± His mother stopped eating for a moment to marvel at her son. Whether she was impressed or concerned was hard to tell. Nemi didn¡¯t say anything, just glaring at him. Likely dreading the discussion about getting her own job next. ¡°Is that going to interfere with your sword training? You¡¯re way behind where I want you.¡± His father seemed less than impressed as well. Per usual. ¡°I mean, I can make time after, or on the days I don¡¯t work.¡± He thought about it, there was another option he really didn¡¯t like. ¡°I could also do it in the morning.¡± He hated getting up early. Of course, that was exactly what his father wanted to hear. ¡°Excellent! We¡¯ll try your new schedule tomorrow. You can practice with Gezal." A small pang of fear hit Reese, Fortus wasn¡¯t exactly gentle when he spared but Gezal was different. THWACK. Early the next day, and the sounds of wooden swords could be heard, and in Reese¡¯s case felt. Unlike his father, Gezal didn¡¯t know how to hold back. A fact made all the more evident by the growing welt on his left side. Every time he either ended up with massive bruises or on the ground. Usually both. All morning Gezal and him had brushed swords, or more accurately, Gezal brushed his sword against Reese while Reese brushed the air next to him. Again Reese stood up and tapped swords a few times before Gezal took it serious and snapped around with a quick slice. He wasn¡¯t using any techniques yet, but he didn¡¯t have to, his natural speed and strength were more than enough. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The slice Reese could parry. It was fast, but not too fast, the problem was Gezal¡¯s strength pushed him back knocking him off balance. With what little mana he could muster from around him, Reese was able to steady himself with a twitch of his hand. It was hard, but he could ¡°thicken¡± the air behind with a metal spell. It was weak, like all of his spells, but it pushed back enough to keep him from falling over. At least when he did it right Gezal could sense the subtle mana usage and smiled in return. Mistaking it for the sign of a sword technique, he readied his own. ¡°Ah, son of a-¡°, Reese¡¯s cry was interrupted. Gezal¡¯s sword seemed to jump from his side directly into Reese¡¯s, as if there was no movement at all. THWACK! Of course, the impact proved that thought wrong. Another hit on the same side, harder than before causing him to fall to the cold frozen ground. It was the second technique Gezal had learned, ¡®Flash Strike¡¯ after having learned ''Flash Step'' in the prior Autumn. The ability to move your blade and arms so fast a normal opponent couldn¡¯t even hope to see or block. Of course, most trained sword fighters weren¡¯t ¡®normal opponents''. The sparing wasn¡¯t particularly fair just on account of the age gap. But adding in the natural skill gaps made it impossible. Reese didn¡¯t have the natural speed or strength to compete without techniques, and technically he wasn¡¯t allowed to use direct spells and mana during training, like what he had just done. But it didn¡¯t matter, because as soon as he tried Gezal would use his own techniques, or his father would step in and say using magic was ¡®cheating¡¯. Since Gezal actually had a working gate he could use techniques when he went all out, and Reese couldn¡¯t even hope to compete. Just what was he supposed to do, suffer? Laying on the ground, Reese noticed the feeling in his side had been numbed away by the repeated hits. Only an outer circle of pain was left. He needed to figure out some way to get faster or stronger or this would continue to be a common occurrence. ¡°Done already?¡± Gezal mocked, pushing him to stand back up. ¡°You know I¡¯m physically not as strong as you.¡± He verbally parried the attack, as he stood up on shaky feet. ¡°No, but sword fighting isn¡¯t all about strength.¡± Again, he held out his sword ready to tap the blades. A quick thrust from Gezal started the third and last match of the day. Each thrust felt like a Feint to Reese, but what was he going to do? A quick slice towards his side showed Gezal¡¯s simple strategy. Close the distance, and slice at his side. The same thing he had been doing all day. But this time Reese was quick enough to parry the blade before the strike. Pushing it back and out it felt like he had the upper hand for a moment, until Gezal¡¯s greater upper body strength kept pulling at Reese¡¯s sword. Quickly they traced a circle as Reese¡¯ parry was turned back on himself in a riposte. THWACK! It was his right side that time. ¡°3-0. Not bad kid, you¡¯re improving.¡± Reese could only rub at his side, it didn¡¯t feel that way. ¡°Come-on we got class!¡± Thankfully school didn¡¯t keep him very late, and he didn¡¯t have any pages to do, but Emilie wanted to hang out for a while. What was he supposed to do? He couldn¡¯t be late for his second day of work, could he? ¡°You have a job now?¡± Emilie seemed confused by the prospect as he tried explaining it all to her. ¡°Why not just ask your parents to buy the book?¡± ¡°I mean, I probably could but, it just feels like something I should do. Besides Charston seems kind of interesting. I think, he knows a lot.¡± With a shrug he tried to explain it. ¡°I guess I understand. Maybe we can hang out tomorrow?¡± There was a problem there too, he wasn''t going to have a day off for a while. ¡°What about later? We could hang out after I get done.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t you eat dinner after that?¡± ¡°I mean, you could come over, I think my mom wouldn¡¯t mind making an extra serving.¡± Emilie stopped in her tracks, seriously considering the prospect. Her mother was going to be cooking tonight, and no doubt whatever it was would have far too many pickled vegetables. She''d still need to think about it. ¡°You¡¯re on time.¡± Charston seemed surprised. ¡°I was under the impression you always had to copy pages from that school¡¯s illegal copying operation.¡± Did everyone in town know how many demerits Reese had stacked up? Also, illegal? Did this world even have copyright laws? ¡°Before you start, I want you do something besides clean.¡± Charston handed Reese a small key, the key to the books on the shelf. ¡°There are bugs that like to eat at the books, particularly the bindings. I haven¡¯t been able to check the books on the bottom shelf in a while, start there.¡± Reese looked at the key, it was a simple gesture, but already showed a lot of trust placed in him. Starting at the first shelf he came to he began unlocking one of the books ¡°The Blue Blades: History of the Elven Pirates of Theas¡±, and scanned through it, skimming some of the text where he could. The title seemed like a history book, but many of the chapters looked more like stories and battles of Aquatic Elves vs mostly Anthros which seemed perplexing. He grew tempted to read them in depth. ¡°Hey, no reading. I¡¯m paying you to inspect not imbibe.¡± With a sigh, Reese started ruffling though the pages for signs of damage, nothing in this one. On to the next, and then the next. What seemed like it should have been a quick job, took hours. But, it was worth it, for Charston at least, the next to last book, nearly fell apart as he took it off the shelf. ¡°Eh, see. That¡¯s what I mean. Give me the pages.¡± Reese handed the loose pages and the outer leather binding to Charston. Small, little silver bugs ran around the book. They reminded him of silver fish. ¡°Dust that shelf with this powder, it kills them over time, but wont hurt the books much.¡± Charson gave Reese a jar of what he thought was poison, but as he looked seemed more like diatomaceous earth. A light dusting later, and Reese watched Charston play with the pages. None of them appeared damaged, just the glue that bound them. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I''m going to try and repair it. These things only eat the glue, and maybe some of the threating. The pages should be fine, so are the boards. If I can rebind it, I can still sell it.¡± He looked at the spine and front board, then frowned at the title, ¡°Fresall¡¯s Mist Groves, Annsa Estraba¡± he read aloud. ¡°I couldn¡¯t give these things away, probably not even worth the trouble of rebinding.¡± He looked at the nearly dissected book, and grumbled something about no book should be left this way. As if convincing himself it was worth the effort. ¡°Boy, go get me the binding kit from the back room. It will be in a box, with a tub of paste and some tools.¡± After he brought him the supplies Reese was hopeful that he¡¯d be allowed to watch. He never saw a book get bound in either life. It seemed interesting. ¡°Eh, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m paying you to watch me.¡± Charston chided Reese, but before he could walk away to check the last book, Charston countered himself, ¡°Just means you¡¯re going to help me. Get me the knife and thread from the box.¡± ¡°My hands don¡¯t work all that well, cut the threading here¡­ Good, now see this fabric binding along the spline, slowly remove it. Here, if it sticks, use a touch of this to loosen it.¡± When it was done, the book was completely dissected, pages left organized, the boards next to it all. ¡°Next, you need to sow the pages together. Just run the threat through the holes and around the bands¡­ Good! Now, I need to glue it all together. Can''t use too much or the pages stick together.¡± Charston insisted on putting the glue down himself. Once done, he put a mesh of very rough cloth over the bindings and tapped it all down with a wooden mallet. This modest amount of work seemed to leave him out of breath. Reese watched him with concerned eyes as the old man''s red face and heavy breathing reminded him of something from his other life. Something not good. ¡°Are you Ok, Charston.¡± He probably shouldn¡¯t have asked that question. Charston was clearly embarrassed by the question and grew redder before snaping at Reese. ¡°What in the hell is that supposed to mean? Of course, I¡¯m fine you little brat. Go check the last books.¡± From the floor, on the other side of the shop, he checked the last few books, looking over his shoulder as the shopkeeper finished the binding, and reattached the boards. ¡°Eh, I¡¯ll press it later.¡± Charston mumbled as he turned his attention back to Reese. ¡°You done yet?¡± ¡°Yeah, this one¡¯s fine.¡± Charston looked out the window at the setting sun. The closing bell would ring in a few moments. Might as well close up, and finish the last steps of binding, he thought. ¡°I¡¯m going to close up, have to do one more thing to this book. Damn thing is only worth 20 silvers at most. Cheapest book I have here, besides the blank books.¡± That reminded him, ¡°Oh, I need to pick up a notebook, can you-¡° ¡°Yeah, yeah. Just grab your book.¡± Scanning the shelf, he found an identical book to the one he already had. The old one served him well, it seemed worth the 10 silvers. Charston though, seemed to disagree. ¡°That¡¯s an expensive notebook, what do need it for?¡± ¡°I mean, I am going to buy it. Today. With my own money.¡± Reese went fishing in his coin wallet but was stopped again. ¡°Not what I meant. I¡¯ve saw your mother buy that notebook before; I assume for you. But it¡¯s 10 silvers why do you need it?¡± Reese didn¡¯t really understand the question, ¡°I need a notebook to write things in?¡± Charston shook his head, like a grandfather explaining a simple truth to his na?ve grandson. ¡°Son, you need A notebook, not that notebook. Come here.¡± A rare occurrence, as Charston actually stood up and hobbled over to the notebooks with his cane. He snatched the book Reese was holding right out of his hand without asking and put it back on the shelf. Instead, he wandered to the backside of the same shelf and grabbed one of the larger, and cheaper books from the top. ¡°I see you always writing with those cheap charcoal crayons. That fancy paper is for ink. It¡¯s a waste if you¡¯re using those.¡± He was a little gentler when he handed this new book to him. As Reese held it, he could feel it was heavier, but not only that thicker too, seemingly with more pages. Opening it, he could see the lower quality immediately. Fiber strands were much more visible, and less organized. The page edges seemed less well cut. There were slight color differences to the paper, even on the same page. The leather binder was harder as well. Like less effort was put into softening it. The tag on the shelf said 3 silvers 16 copper, it was cheaper for sure. Both in price and quality, yet, at the same time it did seem sturdier at least. ¡°It¡¯s hard right? I mean leather. They made it that way on purpose. It¡¯s cheaper, but it¡¯s also more resistant to spills and mud. The binding is different too. It¡¯s stiffer, they use cheaper glue, which means they need more. But it also makes it harder for the pages to come out, but they can stick together more. That notebook is meant for taking field notes. Seems more like what you¡¯re looking for.¡± He hobbled back to the counter and proceeded to cash him out. Reese pulled out 3 silver coins and handed them to Charston, but as he was fishing for the coppers, one of the silvers was pushed back to him. ¡°That book is cheap. I got them for about 40 coppers each. You¡¯re working for me. I can afford to let it go a bit cheaper than normal. And still make some money of course, heh.¡± Of course, he was right, he was technically making a few coins from the sale regardless. As he tried to leave, Charston handed off 10 more copper coins, mossies was the term he used. Working under the older man was, irritating at times. But somehow, kind of fun. The man put off a mean vibe but seemed nice underneath it. Reese wasn¡¯t expecting to see Emilie outside when he got done. ¡°Hey! You mentioned about hanging out tonight. I hope you¡¯re still good with that?¡± Reese smiled, today was a good day. Hopefully tomorrow would be as well. THWACK. ¡°1-0¡± The morning wasn¡¯t. Reese considered not getting off the ground this time. Was there a point, knowing he¡¯d just be back there in a minute? ¡°How do you do that?¡± Gezal asked the ailing child. ¡°Do what? Fall on the ground, it¡¯s easy. You hit me, I fall over.¡± Despite the sarcastic response, Reese didn¡¯t know what Gezal was referring to. ¡°No, I mean that stability technique you used yesterday. I¡¯ve never seen the other soldiers do that.¡± Leaning up, he thought about how to explain it. ¡°They actually do something similar. There¡¯s a technique called ¡®Back Breaking¡¯. It¡¯s where you basically stabilize yourself by making the air immediately behind you harder. Gives you something to brace against. I can¡¯t use true sword techniques though, so I learned how to invoke a similar spell. But it¡¯s weak as shit, it¡¯s why it doesn¡¯t always work.¡± ¡°Wait, so you¡¯re not using a technique?¡± This seemed to confuse Gezal, and a few others who were listening. ¡°No. It¡¯s similar, but this is closer to just spell casting.¡± Gezal tried to process it, his arms and legs were fast, but his brain took a bit of time to catch up. ¡°¡­Is that because you don¡¯t have a gate?¡± Finally standing up, he grunted, ¡°Yeah. Sucks.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time to cast anything intricate, and I can only use what little mana is around me. But, I¡¯ve gotten good at using that small amount, and I¡¯m quicker with the silent casting. I just can¡¯t do anything complex like you and my dad.¡± Reese held the sword out, waiting for Gezal to tap it. ¡°You, know I could just not use any techniques when you do that?¡± Gezal offered. For a moment Reese considered it. He was tired of falling on the ground, and getting a little bloody. It had only been a few days but his whole body was already sore. His mind wandered back to his old life, all the games he had played. The late evenings he spent yelling into the void as he always chose a difficulty that was just a bit too hard. There was enjoyment in the challenge, it was how you got stronger. Though, real life here didn¡¯t have a cheat system he could use when he got frustrated. In fact the more he thought about it, cheating and memory editing was sometimes more fun than the game. ¡°Cheating¡±, the word rang though his mind. Breaking the rules was itself a challenge, and a fun one at that. It gave him something else to consider, changing the rules. Why was he obeying the same rules as everyone else if he was already handicapped? What he was thinking was dirty, but just once, he wanted to knock Gezal on his ass. Taking him up on his offer wasn''t enough, he needed something else. ¡°You ok Reese, your kind of spacing out.¡± With a few quick movements, Reese thought about that ice spell Emilie worked on months ago. He could just barely cast the anti-fire part now. There was an aspect to magic he hadn¡¯t really tried, enchanting. Specifically, infusion enchanting. It would take a lot of mana, and he had none. But that¡¯s only if you wanted it to stick. If he was quick, and if he was smart he could chill his sword at just the right moment. With a shake of his head, Reese nodded at Gezal¡¯s question, and they tapped swords again. This time though, Reese would have a trick up his sleeve. With the tapping swords he started casting the spell. A quick thrust and then slash from Gezal, a quick parry and bad feint. He saw Gezal¡¯s sword slice in from the right, and he finished the cast. A flash of ice echoed through the wooden blade, feezing all the water in it for just a moment. The swords clashed, Reese¡¯s blade shattered on impact and Gezal¡¯s blade froze on impact breaking in two. In the momet of surprise the ice spell seemed to effect Gezal as he too froze, unable to make out what was happening. In the storm of frozen splinters, Reese shoved his broken hilt forward, striking Gezal with just enough for to push him back. As his footing slipped, he fell, right on his butt. With a smile Reese put the broken hilt in Gezal¡¯s face. ¡°Yield.¡± It was more command than a request. ¡°That was bullshit. Gezal complained from the ground.¡± ¡°Gezal¡¯s right Reese. You can¡¯t use magic in these matches only techniques, and even then, only if both of you agree beforehand. You¡¯re here to work on your swordsmanship and your techniques, not magic.¡± Fortus backed up the older child, and admonished his own. ¡°You mean to tell me if you were in the field, in combat you wouldn¡¯t use every advantage at your disposal? Come on. I can¡¯t even use techniques.¡± ¡°You want to do double chores tonight?¡± His timing was perfect, his execution of an on-the-fly strategy was flawless. It still wasn¡¯t good enough for his father because it wasn¡¯t done his way. To be fair, he doubted any knight would consider his attempt honorable. ¡°That¡¯s still 1-0, try again.¡± Fortus commanded to the both of them. And so with new wood, they did, with predictable results. THWACK. ¡°2-0¡± THWACK. ¡°3-0.¡± Reese laid on the ground again, in pain from each day¡¯s compounding strikes. He was never going to find a way to do this. School came next, then the bookstore, then Emilie then sleep. Again, the next day, and next, and the next¡­ Days and months went by. He grew a little stronger, his muscles naturally faster. In all that time, there was just one additional time he got a strike on Gezal. Just one and was paid back in pain hundreds of times over. In truth, it was a lucky shot. His body just wasn¡¯t capable of the same movements because of his age and wasn¡¯t capable of the same techniques because of his gatelessness. Again, he needed another way. Chapter 12, The First Machinations It was the last week of Cantam, marking the end of spring, summer was just around the corner. Reese¡¯s sword training was¡­ THWACK. The same. School on the other hand was getting slower, the last day almost here, where they would break for the heavy planting season. But after work, the magical day he had been working towards had finally come. In his pouch, was 90 silvers worth of both silver and copper coins. Exactly the promised amount of one gold and 30 silvers, or the equivlent. Charston seemed less than excited to give Reese the book. ¡°Here¡¯s your book as agreed. Don¡¯t come back.¡± For a moment he didn¡¯t know if the man was joking or not, as he stood there waiting for a punch line or a laugh that didn¡¯t come. ¡°Well, what are you standing there for? The store¡¯s closed, get out.¡± ¡°¡­ But, you still want me to work here, right?¡± The old man seemed almost confused by the question. ¡°Why do you want to still work here? You got your book.¡± ¡°I mean, despite your abuse. I kind of like working here. Pay sucks but the benefits are nice.¡± He considered the handful of books he had been able to read in his time there. Under the guise of inspecting for more bugs. Also, he kind of like the crochety old man, he had more stories then there were books in the store. Plus, there were still more books he wanted. A new tome on ¡°Runic Magic and Enchantments¡± had caught his attention. It seemed like a great jumping off point from this one. The 5 gold price tag though, would take some time to afford. Maybe he could get Charston to come down a bit on that one as well. ¡°Ha, you just want more free books.¡± The old man tried to dismiss him. ¡°I mean, I do want more books, but I¡¯m willing to work and earn them. And, honestly, I like listening to your stories.¡± ¡°Bah!¡± Again, he tried to wave Reese off. He didn¡¯t really need his help, even if it was useful at times. ¡°I¡¯m serious. You know a lot, stuff I¡¯ve never seen written down before.¡± He could only sigh, it didn¡¯t feel like he was winning this. ¡°Look, if you really want to let me go, fine. But, I¡¯m willing to keep working if you¡¯ll keep me around.¡± The old man didn¡¯t really seem able to process it all. Just as he grabbed for the door, Charston stopped him, ¡°Wait¡­ You know how to bind books now, so that¡¯s useful. I¡¯m used to people trying to get over on me. You¡¯ve seen them, they talk you down to a price that¡¯s just not reason. Five silvers for a book that¡¯s Five gold. I guess, I assumed you were just here to get that book for cheap.¡± ¡°I guess, I could still use some help¡­¡± He paused, considering, a rare and pure smile graced his old face, ¡°Why not. Aren¡¯t many kids who like books like you do. Don¡¯t worry about tomorrow though, I¡¯ve got someone visiting, I¡¯m keeping the shop closed.¡± With a nod and a smile, Reese left the store, unable to see the old man wipe at his eyes when he walked out of the shop, nor would he ever see that. Charston always made it a point to hid his feelings behind brashness and abrasion. Even more so around those he considered his friends. He never really considered that the kid would become one of his. Emilie wasn¡¯t around today, something about cleaning out the store for summer, so the evening proved the perfect opportunity to get started on the new book. Which as he opened contained page after page of Explanations, examples, even a few simple ¡®starter¡¯ projects. It was very weak on the theory of it all. But for the practical aspects, it was exactly what he needed. On his work bench were some small mana stones. All very crude and of poor quality. No one would use them in a real-life project being to small and weak, but for him, they were perfect. The first pages of his book were great. He had seen a handful of enchantments, but never put together why they all seemed to have gold. The book literally explained it. Channeling mana around had to be done with gold. Gold would conduct all the mana forces without issue. But was obviously expensive. Silver could be used, but would need to be kept clean. Tarnish could cause issues, particularly with Fire, Water and Pure Light mana. Copper would be good for moving Fire Mana around, but other manas wouldn¡¯t move well. Glass was weird, literally, the entire passage on glass was it was weird and should be avoid. Well, the book used a word that meant unpredictable or strange. It was hard to tell what it meant. To make an enchantment, you had to draw a pattern on an item you wanted enchanted. Usually with gold. The pattern seemed to determine what actually happened, but some enchantments needed more mana, more power. So, you would use mana stones to boost it. It was all quite simple, when it came down to it. But there were warnings about mixing enchantments, only one per object. Why though? The book was sparse on the details there, just don¡¯t do it. The rest of the book was mostly example enchantments. Some of which looked familiar to spell glyphs, but not the same, also, massively simpler in every case. It was a notable point, where they simpler because this book was aimed at entry-level enchanting or something else? The last chapter held some interesting warnings, and risks. The very last page in particular held a macabre warning on something called ¡°Flesh Enchantments¡±, but didn¡¯t go into any real detail beyond a note to stay away from them. Looking back the similarities between the new enchantments and the spells he already knew, was interesting to say the least. Opening his notebook, he compared one he had sketched out. A very simple ¡®Light Fire¡¯, not even a fire bolt, just a spell to create a flame near your hand. In the book was a flame enchantment for a sword. The two had similarities but were clearly different. The same three sets of line appeared, but the enchantment had a much simpler construction. Some of the shapes reminded him of the movements he did when he silently casted a spell. There was connection here, a deep one. He just couldn¡¯t see it all yet. The book gave great examples, and explanations of how to build simple circuits. But continually failed to mention the theory or ideas behind why. All enchantments needed to pull mana from somewhere, even those with mana stones, but again not all. Why? More notes in his notebook, questions to ponder later. For now, he wanted to try something. One thing he clearly struggled with was mana storage. He could use and manipulate what was around him, but he could never hope to store any. So this one enchantment that extended a person¡¯s mana reserves really appealed to him, but it was an extension and it seem like you need a gate for it to work. So that was out for now. Another seemed simple enough, the symbol should channel metal mana into the object it¡¯s attached to, hardening it. In theory, it would take mana from the user to charge up. Of course, he didn¡¯t have any so, it wouldn¡¯t work either. Maybe he could modify it to use a mana stone instead, one day. Finally, he came across the best fit so far, ¡°Swift sword¡±. It seemed a perfect first enchantment and he wanted to try it. According to everything he was reading though, most enchantments had to be directed thru a person like casting. There was nothing explaining why, but not this one. For some reason you could use a mana stone or gem to power it, and he just so happened to have a small, almost useless sound stone it called for. This speed enchantment was a bit more complicated than the others. Still, it was worth a shot being the only one he could actually use, for the moment. An hour passed, and his work bench was covered in gold leaf and foil. One of the small cloudy stones glowed as the circuit fused to the wooden sword. What was a wooden sword worth 3 and 2 silvers worth of gems and gold, had now become, an enchanted wooden sword... that was still only worth 3 copper. But, it felt like it worked as he moved it around in his hands. It would be well worth testing, tomorrow. Charging the stone would take some effort when it depleted, but for now, it would work for at least a few swings. ¡°Let¡¯s see if Gezal and Fortus notice this.¡± The sword felt totally different then it¡¯s unenchanted counter parts. Every time he swung it, it seemed to move faster than it otherwise should have. A fact that was made clear by the pain in his arm the sword literally pulled it along. Gezal couldn¡¯t keep up, as Reese sliced at his side. SMACK. ¡°0-1¡± Fortus watched his son move. Immediately he could tell it wasn¡¯t right, the way the sword moved. It was like a poor imitation of a ¡°Flash Slash¡± technique, but only it was just the sword was moving fast, not Reese. Again, Reese and Gezal tapped swords. A few forward thrusts pushed Reese back, but a quick block and parry made Gezal lose his tempo. A quick thrust forward, and Reese made contact. SMACK. ¡°0-2¡± Or at least it would have been. ¡°Stop for a second. Reese let me see your sword.¡± Fortus¡¯ voice was flat, as it always was, but around the edge a subtle cue of annoyance could be heard. With a sigh and an eye role, Reese reluctantly handed his sword over. As soon as Fortus grabbed, he knew something was wrong. The sword felt like it wanted to move forward with every motion. A slight nudge felt like a debilitating slash or thrust. It was clearly enchanted, but it didn¡¯t feel like the infusion he used the last time. Looking over the hilt he realized why. There hidden under it, was a small and simple enchantment. Somehow Reese had managed to install a speed enchantment to the wooden sword. Even if a part of him was impressed by the work and effort, it was in one word¡­ ¡°This is cheating. Reese you can¡¯t enchant your sword.¡± Fortus put the sword to the side and grabbed a new one. The various soldiers and knight stared at the wooden sword on the ground, unsure they heard right. ¡°Hey, did you really enchant that wooden sword?¡± One of them asked. ¡°Could you enchant my sword?¡± Another one laughed, and yet, they almost sounded serious. Of course, his father didn¡¯t find it amusing, ¡°Don¡¯t encourage him.¡± Fortus threw the new wooden sword in his direction, a plan, simple, unenchanted sword. Reese knew exactly how this would end. THWACK. Falling back to the cool ground, Reese considered how good it felt against the burgeoning welt on his side. The whole exercise felt hopeless. He wasn¡¯t allowed to enchant his sword, either directly or indirectly, he couldn¡¯t use traditional sword techniques, his general sword skills were passable, but he couldn¡¯t compete with someone older than him in the case of Gezal or in the case of his father someone who spent a life time learning the sword. He hated losing. His old life just felt like a string of his own failures, compounding on top of each other. This place, felt like it was the same. The longer he laid, the heavier he felt. What was the point? ¡°Reese, get up.¡± The sound of disappointment in his father¡¯s voice was evident, and familiar. It felt like in either life he couldn¡¯t escape it. ¡°Why? I can¡¯t win, and I¡¯m not getting stronger.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t get stronger if you keep laying on the ground, now get up.¡± He wasn¡¯t going to get stronger if he kept getting hit either, but there wasn¡¯t much of a point laying on the ground. Once he stood up Gezal pointed his sword out, ready to try again, but Reese, just didn¡¯t. ¡°There¡¯s no point Gezal, you¡¯re going to win.¡± The older boy shrugged and forced a smile, ¡°I mean you are getting better.¡± ¡°Not enough.¡± He couldn¡¯t stop looking at that enchanted sword. Ignoring what his father said, be picked up the sword, his sword and tapped that enchanted wood to Gezal¡¯s own. Of course, he was quickly stopped by his father. ¡°I told you, you can¡¯t use that.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the damn point then!¡± Fortus looked to Gezal, who was waiting for another match and sparring partner. ¡°Gezal, go find someone else to spare with.¡± With a hard stare, Fortus looked over his son, and gave a subtle nod agreement. ¡°Ok, you want to use that sword, you can face me. I¡¯ll show you why I don¡¯t want you using enchantments while sparing. We¡¯ll do this one without restrictions.¡± With a swallow of uncertainty. Reese nodded his own agreement. Everyone else stopped sparing to watch the carnage. CRACK! It wasn¡¯t even a match. Reese couldn¡¯t see him move. The sound of the sword slamming into his side, and cracking in two was deafening. He didn¡¯t even have a chance to block. The fall to the ground was not soft. Not that the others where, but this one, particularly harsh. ¡°Come on, get up. You want to use enchantments, to see what a real battle is like?¡± For a second Reese was paralyzed as his side screamed so loud, that it became numb. If he didn¡¯t already know what a broken rib felt like, he would have sworn his were broken now. Of course, he did know better, and they weren¡¯t. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. The second time, Fortus was still just too fast. Reese couldn¡¯t see him again. Like he was standing still, and then would just appear alongside of him, as small slivers of wood clouded around him. It was ¡®Flash Step¡¯, but at a whole different level. One he had never seen. CRACK! Another sword broken. Under his shirt, Reese could feel something slick and sticky. His entire right side was a mix of numbness and pain, and what he was now guessing was blood. He knew the techniques his father was using. ¡®Flash Slash¡¯ and ¡®Flash Step¡¯, maybe also ¡®Impact¡¯ or ¡®Stone Blade¡¯ given how hard they hit. The first one was similar to the enchantment he put on his sword. It technically used sound mana. It was dangerous if you didn¡¯t know what you were doing, you could break your legs or worse. Fortus of course, was a master of the Imperial Styles, he knew what he was doing. Fortus grabbed another sword, only to pause when he saw the right side of Reese¡¯s shirt turning red. His face dropped and his own blood grew cold. ¡°Reese¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to do-¡° It didn¡¯t matter what he was going to say. It didn¡¯t matter what the rules were. Playing by the rules, cheating, magic, techniques, all Reese knew right then was there was an opening. What little sound mana he could pull from around him, he shifted into his right leg with a flick of his fingers. A quick infusion cast. Bounding forward, he let his sword swing on its own. Following the path, the enchantment set for it. His own version of Flash Step, and Flash Slash. His father wasn¡¯t prepared. He dropped his own sword to parry, but it wasn¡¯t fast enough this one time. SMACK. It was one hit. The first hit he ever made on his father. He had to cheat, had to break the rules to do it. But he got that one hit in. ¡°Damn it Reese.¡± His father scowled at him. Mad both at himself for hurting his child, and at Reese for just ignoring everything he tried to teach him. ¡°2-1¡± He couldn¡¯t help but smile as he said it. Everything hurt, but Reese couldn¡¯t stop smiling. He knew he had lost, and just had the one hit. One meaningless point he had clawed and bleed for, it was his. Like finally crossing that finish line long ago. Fortus gave up and left the field. No one else was sparing anymore either, as they watch Fortus leave. Reese was left to consider his side. If only he had a gate, he could have healed that wound. Instead, he¡¯d have to go home, find some bandages and change. He didn¡¯t want to get his mother involved. She would have been mad at Fortus, Reese knew that wasn¡¯t fair. It was his fault after all. Wasn¡¯t it? When all was said and done he would be late for school. Again. ¡°Are you ok? You¡¯ve been holding your side all day?¡± Emilie looked at him with worry before turning to Gezal. ¡°Gezal, did you hurt Reese this morning.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t me today. But, damn, he actually got a hit in on his father.¡± ¡°Your, father did this?¡± ¡°I wanted to use an enchanted blade; he gave me a choice. If I used that blade he¡¯d go all out. I used the blade.¡± ¡°By the gods, that¡¯s awful.¡± On her face was a mixture of anger and sadness. ¡°No. I don¡¯t think he meant to hurt me this bad. I¡¯m just not strong enough.¡± It was Gezal¡¯s turn to defend him, ¡°Reese, you got a hit on your old man. Enchantment or not, I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s done that in years.¡± Reese shrugged as he left the school house, ¡°I still lost, 2-1.¡± Spoken flat, as the truth was. Yet, it also ignored just how high that mesa was. ¡°So, are you actually, ok? I don¡¯t just mean your side.¡± Emilie¡¯s eyes held sincere worry and concern, as did her voice. This wasn¡¯t a direction he really wanted to go in. Of course, he was fine. His body was sore, but he would live. His mind hurt, but that was just because his body couldn¡¯t do what he wanted it to. His father, well, Reese didn¡¯t blame him. He agreed to go all out, knowing there were risks. In truth, the thing that hurt him the most was that utter look of dread on his father¡¯s face after he realized what he had done. It was a look Reese had seen before. You do something wrong, because you want to, because it feels good maybe you don¡¯t even realize it¡¯s wrong¡­ But then you look at the carnage, the suffering you made and you insist that¡¯s not you. That¡¯s not what you wanted, even if at the time it was. How do you live with yourself after realizing some part of you is truly a monster? The most satisfying answers would require explaining it, to offer insights into it all. But as Reese had learned in both life times, the only real answer was always somewhat unsatisfying, just keep moving. Which he did, right back home with Emilie in tow. Her concern was touching, but he wanted to turn her attention elsewhere. He had finally made use of his workbench as an enchanting table, and he had to show it off. Enchanting his sword was a good starting point, but he needed something else. Some way to enchant his body, or augment it somehow. Armor could be enchanted. Though most of the enchantments dealt with making it stronger or lighter. The handful of other examples seemed to be about increasing a wearer¡¯s natural mana ability. Given the description and nature of the circuits, they probably wouldn¡¯t work on someone who was gateless. ¡°What if you had a sound enchantment on the armor?¡± Emilie suggested and pointed to the same enchantment he had used on his sword. It would probably work, technically. The problem was the armor is what would move, not him. That could lead to issue, like broken bones and ripped tendons. Still, it seemed to at least be the right direction. He knew he could inject mana into his legs and have it, kind of work. Could he come up with an enchantment that did something similar? ¡°I like the idea, but I need something that injects that enchantment into me. If it¡¯s in the armor, then the armor would get faster. Not me.¡± ¡°I see¡­ This is complicated.¡± She wasn¡¯t wrong. Going over Reese¡¯s notebook, she noticed some of his newer ideas, one in particular was strange. It talked about using mana stones to add numbers? ¡°Reese, what¡¯s this?¡± ¡°That¡¯s, a larger idea I had.¡± He paused to consider how to explain it. ¡°I¡¯ve been playing with these mana stones before I even read this book. I was thinking, what if you could manipulate mana forces in a controlled sequence. Like here.¡± Reese took a charged fire mana stone and put it next to a dull one, causing the duller on to glow. As he moved it away the glow on the dull stone dimmed. ¡°The more powerful the stone, the quick the uncharged stone will start glowing and picking up mana. You can arrange these in a way that makes the uncharged stone glow when a condition is meet. Like a particular mana threshold. You could even measure residual mana fields using the same concept, but that¡¯s another idea.¡± ¡°Uh huh. I don¡¯t get it, how does that add?¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re literally adding the mana potential of each stone. Like, say you measure this small one as ¡°1¡± and this bigger one as ¡°5¡±. You put them in line, you can vary the distance of the uncharged one until it lights up. That¡¯s a ¡°6¡±. I mean, it¡¯s non-linear, but you could setup a scale easy enough. You¡¯d also probably want an anti-fire stone as well to subtract, but anyway. That was my original idea, it was all¡­ analog. This is my new one.¡± He took the notebook and turned back a few pages. The new diagram was strange to, well, anyone and everyone. It had 3 triangles with circles inscribed in a square with a circle end? It was odd, unlike any spell glyph she had seen before. ¡°Is this a spell or an enchantment?¡± ¡°It¡¯s kind of like an enchantment. It¡¯s called or rather I¡¯m calling it an N-AND gate, or a ¡®not¡¯ ¡®and¡¯ gate.¡± Emilie was even more lost. ¡°It¡¯s pretty simple, the end of the magic circuit leaks a bit of light fire mana, but if you apply a light fire mana potential to each of these input lines it turns off.¡± She shook her head, it she just didn¡¯t understand the idea. ¡°I know it seems odd like this. But you can chain these together, and in different configurations to do complex things. Like add.¡± He pointed to the more recent page which read ¡°half bit adder¡±. For the next hour, Reese would explain the concept of binary mathematics and logic gates. How you could combine these adders in series to add even greater numbers. Emilie picked it up pretty quick, but just couldn¡¯t understand the value or utility beyond curiosity. Reese would have to show her a working device. One day. However, that led to the next challenge he needed something fairly rare to make this all work, Vortosum. A rare mana stone, that could change a mana force¡¯s sign from light to dark, and back again. There were probably other materials that could do the same thing, but this was the only one he found in his books. In the distance, the evening bell tolled. Emilie excused herself and headed home for the night. Leaving Reese to stare at his notebook and workbench. In truth, he didn¡¯t really know why he was doing this. There was a certain amusement to it, but it felt like a calling from inside himself. He needed to do this, but couldn¡¯t explain why. Waiting for dinner, Reese continued to study his original problem of enchanting himself. He needed more physical abilities; a faster sword was better than a regular one. But it wasn¡¯t enough. The more he considered it all, the more it became obvious. Since he was wasn¡¯t capable of doing what he needed to, the words ¡°Flesh Enchantment¡± rang in his head. The words made it seem like you were enchanting a body. But, is that what it actually meant and could he use it? His father was cooking tonight, for better or worse. So his mother sat in what amounted to the living room, resting her legs while she worked on some wicker project, maybe a basket? Reese considered his mother for a few moments. Lilith never talked about her past, or her skills. She was a healer, a good one from what everyone said. Though, she couldn¡¯t do deep healing after something happened to her. Again, she would never elaborate. Still, if anyone in the family was likely to have an answer or at least a direction, it was her. ¡°Mom, I was wondering if you had some advice or could help me out?¡± The look of surprise was subtle and accompanied by a faint smile. ¡°Oh, you want my advice?¡± ¡°Well, you used to be a sorceress, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Used to be¡­ You make me sound old Reese.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°But, yes a long time ago, I was a sorceress.¡± She said with a mocking tone and larger smile. ¡°Ok, I guess I can help. What¡¯s your question?¡± ¡°The new book I have has a minor passage that mentioned something called flesh enchantments, but never elaborated beyond that. Do you know what they are?¡± The smile on Lilith¡¯s face dropped, replaced by one of concern and distance. ¡°I don¡¯t really think you should be looking into those they¡¯re not good things.¡± This told Reese two things, His mother did seem to know what they were, and they were dangerous. Both promising leads, depending on why. ¡°I get they¡¯re dangerous. My book said the same thing. But, why?¡± She said nothing. ¡°It¡¯s just. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to get stronger with my magic without outside help. If my normal enchantments don¡¯t work, maybe these will?¡± ¡°Reese, they¡¯re dangerous and they don¡¯t work the way you think.¡± Lilith sighed, and paused for a moment to consider her son¡¯s tenacity. It would eventually lead him toward that knowledge anyway. Conflicted, but resolute. She¡¯d give her son just a basic overview of what he was looking for. Leaving out hard examples. ¡°Lets¡­ go upstairs to the study. I¡¯ll explain what they are.¡± Inside the study, Lilith pulled a kind of key from her pocket. It was a strange looking thing, the bidding itself was much like any other warded key. However there were small gem stones along its length as well, that kind of looked like mana stones. As she turned the key a faint glow emanated from the crystals, like mana was require to open the lock along with the warding. Reese had never seen inside the locked desk. He had tried to pick it once long ago, but stopped, assuming his skills just weren¡¯t good enough. Having seen the magic used he knew why he¡¯d never succeed. Inside the desk was a rather large book, without any semblance of a title, or gilding. Just plan leather and, another lock on its cover. This time a smaller key was used, but just the same, it had mana gem along its length. The book opened with a satisfying clink, and the first page was revealed. Reese couldn¡¯t read the text, it looked like high elvish. He had only seen examples of the language, and had no idea how to read or understand it. ¡°This was my spell book from a long time ago. It was given to me by¡­ someone I trusted, but probably shouldn¡¯t have. There are very dangerous spells in here. But near the back are enchantments. I never used enchantments myself.¡± She paused, hesitant to turn the page. ¡°Reese, I don¡¯t want you to write anything you see here in your notebook. These aren¡¯t good magics, and you can easily hurt yourself or someone else. I¡¯m showing them to you, because I trust you are wiser than you look, and because I know your curiosity will seek this out anyway.¡± Reese nodded. His heart beat in his chest, both fearful and excited to see what was coming. The pages flipped and he saw the elvish words but still couldn¡¯t read them. He did notice the diagrams were quite intricate and complex, these were not simple spells. She paused on one page in particular. ¡°This, is a flesh enchantment. It¡¯s a strange term, not inaccurate but not what we use. Most mages would call these seals or curses.¡± ¡°So, they seal your abilities?¡± Her head wobbled, ¡°Sort of. A flesh enchantment is like an enchantment you put on a sword or some armor. But, it¡¯s also different. You can¡¯t use the same kind of spells, and when you try¡­ you can really hurt someone.¡± Pointing out some of the symbols on the visible enchantment she continued, ¡°This enchantment, you probably guessed, is a flame enchantment, a Light Fire spell. If you were to put this on someone, what do you think would happen?¡± ¡°Nothing good I take it?¡± A morbid chuckle left her mouth. ¡°That¡¯s putting it lightly. No, nothing good. The enchantment would constantly apply a light fire spell to the person¡¯s body.¡± ¡°Do you know what that means?¡± ¡°Sounds like it would hurt, a lot. It¡¯s probably, lethal?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. It¡¯s a horrible death, and if you do it¡­ right. It¡¯s very prolonged. I¡¯ve never used these, but I¡¯ve seen them used. Against people I thought deserved it. After seeing them writhe in agony for days though¡­ No one deserves that kind of pain.¡± She flipped the pages. ¡°This one is an interesting one. It¡¯s called Abronox. Sometimes you¡¯ll find this on armor. It¡¯s not lethal.¡± ¡°What¡¯s it do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s kind of like a cheap dispel enchantment. If you want armor to dispel an attack you would make a magic circuit which creates a pure dark mana spell. But, pure dark mana crystals are very expensive. Instead, you can do this. It¡¯s not as good, but it will still create a dispel effect. It also stores some of the mana that hits it. The problem with this enchantment is it seals your ability to regenerate mana on your own, even when on armor. So while you wear the armor your gate can only recharge itself through the enchantment. Spells cast casted on you get absorbed, but for a mage or even light magic user it would destroy their ability to cast anything useful. Engraved on a person, it would do the same only you could never take it off.¡± She closed the book, leaving it unlocked. ¡°Anyway. Those are flesh enchantments. I¡¯m not sure exactly what ink is used, but they¡¯re usually tattooed on a person¡¯s body. If you really want to make them stronger, sometimes mana stones are put under the skin too. It¡¯s painful both during... and after.¡± ¡°So there¡¯s not any beneficial ones?¡± ¡°No. At least none that I¡¯ve seen in any of my books. They all damage your ability to hold or manipulate mana at best. At worse, well¡­ Spending days on fire isn¡¯t the worst I¡¯ve seen.¡± For a few minutes the two sat in silence. Reese digesting what he had learned, while Lilith processed some old memories and horrors. A final shake of her head and she looked down at Reese with a bitter smile. ¡°Unpleasant topic, isn¡¯t it?¡± He nodded, and began to leave. As Reese left, he turned and noticed his mother looking at the last pages of the book. A rather large and very complex enchantment covered the page. He couldn¡¯t make it out in any detail, just the size and rough structure. The outline looked strangely like the mark his mother hid on her back. Dinner was strangely silent, with Fortus having a look of concern as he constantly glanced at his son¡¯s side. ¡°Reese, are you ok?¡± Fortus was his usual calm and collected self, but along the edges was something else, just barely visible. Regret? ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m fine.¡± Lilith on the other hand suddenly became concerned. ¡°Reese did something happen today?¡± Fortus interjected. ¡°It was just a minor issue during sparing.¡± ¡°I was asking Reese.¡± Lilith¡¯s stare was sharp enough cut. ¡°Dad¡¯s right, it was just a minor scrape up during sparing. I wanted to train without restriction. I got hit harder than expected.¡± ¡°Is that why your side is bandaged up?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He protested, but Lilith insisted on seeing his side. As she moved some of the bandages, the deep red and blue marks were evidence of physical trauma. For a second, she tried to apply some healing spells before turning to her husband. ¡°Fortus, what is wrong with you?! He¡¯s seven!¡± ¡°Lillith, you¡¯re right, I should have stopped the sparing match. Reese just, wanted to continue.¡± ¡°Unbelievable.¡± She stopped the usless healing and rebandaged his side quickly. Stepping in where she wasn¡¯t wanted Nemi made an observation, that Reese would even have to admit was quite valid. ¡°It sound¡¯s like Reese was at fault for antagonizing dad.¡± ¡°Shut up Nemi!¡± The two yelled in unison. The argument continued. Meerlet was her usual quite self, just watching. Eventually the argument grew heated enough that the children began to leave the table. ¡°Come on Meerlet, lets get you to bed.¡± Reese took his sister to her room, leave Nemi to clean up the table. Since she always insisted Reece could never do it right. Even up the stairs the shouting could be heard loud and clear. ¡°Why are mom and dad yelling?¡± The young child asked, one of the rare times she actually spoke to him, to anyone really. ¡°They disagree about some things. They¡¯re trying to get it out of their system, and yelling can sometimes feel good even if it¡¯s not the best choice.¡± ¡°It sounds like they¡¯re mad about you?¡± ¡°Kind of. Eh, it¡¯s complicated. Want me to read you a story?¡± Meerlet did something she had never done before, at least not to Reese. She hugged him. ¡°I¡¯m not mad at you.¡± He returned the hug. ¡°Heh, thanks kid.¡± About an hour later, Reese sat in his room reviewing more enchantments and his earlier discussion and notes with Emilie. The idea seemed possible, maybe? Flesh Enchantments were a thing, somehow, they bonded to the body, like how physical enchantments bonded with an object. However, you could remove a physical enchantment, just carve it away. Could you do the same thing with a Flesh Enchantment? More to the point, could you turn an enchantment on or off? It seemed dangerous, given what his mother said, but it was something to consider. More questions in his notebook. ¡°Gods take you Fortus. How many girls since the last time?¡± Lilith practically screamed. The discussion down stairs was still on going. Spilling into Fortus¡¯ infidelity now. By the sounds of it, he had been less than faithful, again. Not sure how it came up, but well, there it was. More than anything right now, Reese wished for a pair of headphones. Chapter 13, A Sad Day and a New Sister The mood in the house was somber. It wasn¡¯t like the last big fight they had. Probably because there was no additional family member to consider. Breakfast was strangely normal, besides that. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to head to the western boarder of Thrus again.¡± ¡°For how long?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe a month. Bandit raids are getting worse. Beeson made a special request to the king, so they¡¯re mobilizing us since Wollseeth has been safe for a while.¡± ¡°You¡¯re taking Athenia with you?¡± And there it was. The implication was obvious to Reese, and probably Nemi as well, though she paid no mind to it. ¡°I have too, she¡¯s my second in command.¡± Lilith didn¡¯t say anything, no one did. It was like silence had engulfed the table. As Fortus stood up, Reese moved to join him. His side was still sore from yesterday, but, sword training had to be done. He wasn¡¯t expecting what came next. ¡°Reese, you don¡¯t have to do any more sword training. I shouldn¡¯t have pushed you as hard as I did.¡± ¡°But I¡­¡± Fortus didn¡¯t stay to listen as he walked out the door. Reese didn¡¯t know what to make of the development. On the one hand, he was glad. No more being sore every day. But, on the other hand, he did want to learn. How could he get stronger if he didn¡¯t challenge himself? Then again, could he even get stronger? That same question, as if it was begging him to be defeated before he even started. He needed to think about something different. His mother looked, ok all things considered. She wasn¡¯t quite smiling, but she wasn¡¯t crying. In fact, Reese couldn¡¯t remember a time when she did cry. ¡°Mom, can I ask you a deep question?¡± Lillith laughed, ¡°I feel like those are the only ones you ask.¡± ¡°Do you¡­ love dad?¡± She was not expecting that. ¡°Yes¡­ With all my heart and soul, and I always will.¡± ¡°Even after what he¡¯s-¡° She knew he was concerned about her. What child wouldn¡¯t be, but these questions were getting too advanced, for his years. ¡°Yes. I knew what he was when I married him¡­¡± Yet, she needed to fill in the rest, why? Maybe because it was the first time she was asked with sincerity. ¡°I knew what I chose going into this marriage. Honestly, it¡¯s not the random girl that bothers me so much. It¡¯s that one.¡± ¡°Would he be as understanding if you did it?¡± A quick laugh. This really was not what she was expecting ¡°Ha¡­ What a weird line of questions. Children shouldn¡¯t think about such things¡­ But, probably. He¡¯d think of it as an excuse knowing him.¡± Reese didn¡¯t really understand. The thought process seemed alien to him. Maybe it was just the way of this world. ¡°Reese¡­¡± Lillith stared at her son, as if looking deep inside him. Past who he was. ¡°I sometimes forget you¡¯re just a child. You should try being one for a while. As a woman who lost hers, we don¡¯t usually get a second one.¡± It¡¯s worth mentioning, Fortus had neglected to tell his wife two things. He would almost certainly visit the red light district of Trillonia, and Athena would be sharing a tent the rest of the time. Of course, the red light district would be Beeson¡¯s idea, if anyone asked Fortus was joining to keep him out of trouble. A statement which would be quite truthful, just not the whole truth. As for Athena, well, tents were in limited supply, and there was always¡­ steam, to blow off. It wasn¡¯t the first time for either. Obviously. Time has a way of sneaking up on everyone, months can go by without realizing it. Mabel had come to visit for several weeks; and the uncertain child was quiet, even quitter than Meerlet. But curious about almost everything. Nemi pushed her to open up, but of course, that didn¡¯t work well. So she began bullying her ever so slightly, which made it even worse. Fortus would eventually come back, and so would Athenia and one other. At the time no one knew, but eventually, knowing her own body Athenia would come to suspect. As the last days of summer came, Reese found that he had quite a productive season. He had tried new ideas for enchanting, built several new concepts. The book he had was very useful, at first. But it had started to show its limitations. He needed more materials, more ideas. Both of which were now in short supply. He couldn¡¯t even earn any more coins because Charston had shut up the shop for a few weeks. He was, sick. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t tell Reese what was wrong with him. But the symptoms made it obvious. Just outside the house, in the nearby keep Fortus was being briefed on a matter of urgency that would change the course of their lives. ¡°Commander, we came across what looks like a bandit encampment not far outside of town.¡± Opening a giant scroll of a map, the solider known as Smargi pointed at a non-descript area about 5 miles from the town¡¯s furthest building. ¡°You sure it¡¯s an actual encampment, here?¡± ¡°Yes. They¡¯re very well hidden to, couldn¡¯t get an accurate count. Honestly, it was luck we spotted them at all. Edthan found what looked like remnants of a hunt that was cleaned up and hidden.¡± The other soldier, Edthan spoke up next, ¡°Yes, It was subtle. But it was clear something had been killed and butchered and the dirt turned over to hide the left overs. I found a small cutting knife too that was somewhat new. High quality so we didn¡¯t think it was vagabonds. When I went to track the foot prints, I kept losing them. Their owners covered them up pretty well, and they double backed a few times.¡± ¡°But not well enough?¡± Fortus questioned. ¡°No, but it was close. We came to a brushy area, and honestly. We almost couldn¡¯t see it.¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t see the encampment?¡± ¡°No, they camouflaged all of it. Looks like they¡¯d only been there a day or two, but it¡¯s hard to tell.¡± Fortus paused to consider it all. It was very strange. The bandit encampment alone was odd. There hadn¡¯t been large groups of bandits in the area for almost 15 years, at most two or three. It¡¯s originally why the Keep was refortified and all the soldiers were placed in the village. To clean up the area. But really, the greatest concern was, ¡°Bandits don¡¯t normally hide that well.¡± ¡°You are thinking mercenaries, commander?¡± ¡°Mercenaries have no reason to hide unless they¡¯re planning to attack. Last I checked no one was at war. Not Thrus, not the Stepas Planes, and not Wollseeth. So why would they hide like this?¡± ¡°Could be a rogue mercenary group turned bandits looking to sack a town?¡± That logic made more sense than anything else, but that didn¡¯t mean it made sense in general. Wollseeth was larger but while not poor it wasn¡¯t particularly valuable either. Harvest was still a few weeks out, so there would be no crops or crop payments to steal, though maybe they were waiting. Add to all that, the keep here was one of the more fortified in region, used as a secondary base for the Stepas Planes provenance. The logic got flimsier the more he considered it. Regardless, they¡¯d have to be dealt with. ¡°Given everything here, we have to assume they¡¯re hostile. But we can¡¯t attack without knowing for sure. Let¡¯s mobilize everyone, we¡¯ll leave 5 behind, but the rest I¡¯ll need them. You didn¡¯t get a count?¡± ¡°No, but it¡¯s probably less than 40.¡± ¡°40. That a bit worse then 1:1, not exactly comforting numbers. Ok, lets do this. I don¡¯t want to wait till noon, we have no idea when they¡¯ll attack if they¡¯re planning on it.¡± ¡°Commander!¡± Both saluted and ran off to begin preparations. Fortus stared at the map, trying to divine what was happening. The positioning was odd, it would have given them a quick route to Old Keep Road, but not much else. That would have made sense if their target was the mayor¡¯s manner. But the town didn¡¯t keep its gold there, it was in the ¡°Bank¡± nearer the Inn. Mountain Pass would have been a better choice for rapid ingress and retreat if gold was what they were after. If they were just bandits, the placement could have just been random. The place where the biggest bandit said to set down. But if he assumed they were mercenaries, they likely chose that point for a reason. It wasn¡¯t particularly well fortified, a slight divot in the terrain, and some good brush but not much else. No real quick access to anything but the southern part of the town, like the mayor¡¯s manor, and keep. Neither were good targets. Maybe capture the mayor for ransom? No, there¡¯s no one to pay for him. Which wasn¡¯t an insult to the mayor, he just had no family. ¡°Why there?¡± he whispered. If there was a bigger target in town, he would have thought this a ruse for something else. This whole thing bothered him. But, he didn¡¯t have a choice of doubting himself. An hour of marching, and the squad of 25 soldiers and 5 knights, including the commander. He had left 4 soldiers and one of his knights behind, just in case. Though, depending on what happened it may not have mattered. He was going to leave Athena behind, but she made a strong case for coming along. The fact was, if he was wrong and this was a ruse, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered. As reported, physically the bandit encampment wasn¡¯t particularly big, but it was clear its occupants weren¡¯t run of the mill hired blades. The swords and bows they had where not the cheap like you¡¯d fine on a run of the mill thieves. They looked more like the kind mercenaries would carry, skilled mercenaries at that. They all appeared to be enchanted too. This was going to be a hard battle. They had two scorpions, a little reconfiguration, and they could be fired rapidly. With great stealth they were setup along the perimeter. Most of his soldiers were equipped with arrows and short swords. They would strike from a distance, hopefully with enough surprise and drop the bandit numbers to a 1/3. He considered just wiping them out right then. Along with the bows, a few quick Fire Bolts, and Explosive Bolt spells and they could be dropped in seconds. But, if they weren¡¯t hostile, he couldn¡¯t do that. Fortus approached the hidden encampment, his own forces ready to spring. A single bandit meet Fortus¡¯ eyes, and smiled. Of course Fortus returned the smile. ¡°Good morning, I¡¯m Fortus, commander of the knights in this village. I¡¯d like to talk about your encampment here.¡± ¡°Oh? I¡¯m sorry we didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong. I guess our camouflage gave you some concern. We¡¯re just some freelance mercenaries on our way over to Hispoge to give them support.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Fortus didn¡¯t like this. There was something wrong with self-proclaimed mercenary¡¯s behavior, he was too nice. Despite his open appearance, it was clear he was on guard with no real openings. He was expecting a fight. ¡°Indeed, well, we need you to open this encampment up and move on. I¡¯d like to talk to your leader or commander first.¡± ¡°Of course, we complete understand if you¡¯d like to come in and talk to him.¡± It was clearly a trap. Behind the foliage he could see some movement, should he order his men to open fire now, maybe he could push this a bit further. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have him come out and talk to me?¡± ¡°Sure, sounds good.¡± The mercenary turned quickly. Fortus saw through the technique. A very high-level shadow technique that would mask your position while you used flash step to charge your opponent. By instinct alone he raised his sword to block the incoming strike. A quick parry, and thrust to the neck would leave the bandit mercenary to bleed out. Without even needing to give the order, his men opened fire on the encampment. Within seconds, the enemy forces were halved, and then dropped further. They bolted out in random directions, targeting any soldiers they could along the way. A few of Fortus¡¯ soldiers where hit. Athenia, moving slower than usual, took a hit in her shoulder with an arrow. She returned the hit with a hit of her own, to the same passing bandit¡¯s side. The female bandit continued to run, leaving her arm behind, only to fall to the ground, bleeding out before getting very far. Turning Athenia traded blows with another female bandit, an ice skin human wielding a large war ax. The impact on her sword was enough to shatter it, even with her stone blade technique. She didn¡¯t relent though, letting the heavy blow carry her opponent forward she pivoted out of the way. Another blow as the man rapidly pick a short sword from his side, threatening to stab it right into her belly. The same belly that she could feel was slowing her down. It was only by luck one of her comrades let lose an arrow that took the large man down. The battle was over. In barely a minute, 37 bandit mercenaries were killed and a small number escaped. Minor casualties where on Fortus¡¯s side, but everyone survived, barely. Athenia looked at the arrow in her shoulder, before considering her belly once more. This wasn¡¯t the kind of job she should be doing right now. The more she thought about it, this whole town just wasn¡¯t worth it or where she wanted to be right now. She needed to leave, find somewhere else. Maybe work in a big city as a guard. Trillonia and the Vallhorn were always looking for people. She¡¯d even be able to see Fortus occasionally, her bed would no doubt be warmer than the Red Light District. ¡°Athenia, you ok?¡± She smiled, how could she not. He was the father of her child, both of them, she couldn¡¯t help but love him. Even if he could never, or would never return that. The warm smile on her face, and the thought of a future with Fortus away from here was the last thing she thought as her mind shutdown. The dying one armed bandit had let loose one last arrow of spite from a hidden crossbow. She would die, but would take the one who killer her with her. The arrow had moved quickly and silently, piercing the back of her head and severing her brainstem instantly before coming out the other side near her nose. That brief moment she let her guard down was all it took. For what little these words will be worth, it was quick. A follow up arrow from an archer finished the dying bandit mercenary, while Fortus ran to his second in command. ¡°ATHENIA!¡± Fortus yelled before running to grab her seizing body. It was clear, there was no hope. The squad would raid the encampment for information and supplies. Trying to pull anything that could explain who they were and why they were there. But, the group was skilled enough to leave no one alive that couldn¡¯t escape. The trip back to the keep was silent. Fortus insisted on carrying the body back with him, all the way to the infirmary, one of the soldiers following him in. This soldier was a doctor of sorts. Tasked with doing a final record of any deaths or serious injury. He looked over Athenia¡¯s body, making note of the various small scares and wounds. The hole in her head, well, a viewing was not going to happen. Watching her movements over the past few days, particularly today, he had suspicions of something. His hand moved around her cold abdomen region, feeling for that something. With a sigh, the doctor made a note on his paper only to pause and stare at it. She was only 10 or so weeks along so, it probably hadn¡¯t affected her combat abilities significantly, probably. Despite the note he didn¡¯t add it as a contributing cause of death. The child could have been anyone¡¯s, but somehow the Doctor felt Fortus would know who¡¯s it was. Fortus¡¯ face went pale as he read the report. ¡°This last part, it¡¯s accurate?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t cut her open to check, but yeah, she was pregnant. I¡¯d say about 10 weeks, but could have been as late as 14, probably not earlier though.¡± ¡°Look, commander I know this is hard, she was your¡­ subordinate. I mean it¡¯s hard for me too, I also knew her. But I need to know what to do with her body. Does she have any next of kin? She never talked about it¡­¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t have any family, at least none that I know of.¡± ¡°Ok. Well, I need to do something with her. If you don¡¯t have objections, I can cremate her. Since she died in the line of duty, I can request to have her remains entombed in Tuhmaamol.¡± ¡°I think¡­¡± Fortus had to actually think. Athena never discussed what should be done after her life ended. She never thought that far ahead, though, to be fair she was still young. Was. That point still echoed in his head. Athena was gone. He cared about her, maybe not quite loved, but close. Remembering a time, they shared a tent, she said that she never really cared about honors. The whole reason she wanted to be a knight was to help others, so they wouldn¡¯t have to go through what she did. It¡¯s why she used to always volunteer for busting illegal slavery rings. The more he thought about it, the more he realized, she wouldn¡¯t have cared what happened after. So, it was his decision alone. In some twisted sense, he had controlled her life since he rescued her over a decade earlier. Athenia had trusted herself to him in full, after she chose to become a knight she outright demanded to be placed under him. In the same twisted way, maybe it was right that he would choose her final resting place. ¡°I think she would agree to that. Please have it done.¡± ¡°Yes commander.¡± Fortus left the infirmary turned morgue. His body felt heavier then when he was carrying hers. Deaths were never easy, as a knight you were expected to make decisions that would lead to death. You just always hoped it wasn¡¯t for your side. This one though, this death was different. As a knight commander, It shouldn¡¯t have been but it was. Outside the windows of the keep, the sun fell low. It was getting late, he could have gone home. He should have gone home. Instead, he went to his desk in the keep. A place he rarely visited. Some of the items recovered from the encampment were already waiting outside his small room. Intelligence gathered, mostly notes from his own soldiers, but a small numbers items were recovered. In particular was note that had bothered him when he first looked at it in the camp. His mind was preoccupied at the time, but he knew it was important. The note was partially burned like they wanted to get rid of it. There might have been another page, but all he was the one. Thankfully the flame hadn¡¯t burned away any of the writing or at least nothing important that couldn¡¯t be discerned. As he read it, it felt odd, like it was coded. Those mercenaries seemed to be headed to the town for someone, though who, was anyone¡¯s guess. The phrasing of it though, it chilled Fortus to the bone. One sentence in particular, ¡°Make sure the dead baby birds will chirp no more.¡± It was just like the kind of writing his brother used to make, Nimaus. A name Fortus hadn¡¯t seriously thought about in over a decade, since his first daughter was born. It was the last time he had seen him. Oh, he may have come up in conversation, his wife insisting he was the one that cursed him. But beyond that, he never had reason to suspect him of anything. Well, to be fair Nimaus was likely being controlled though their uncle Julius. At least, that¡¯s what Fortus wanted to believe. Years ago Nimaus had shown up to see his niece and make sure she was healthy. Even at the time, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he wasn¡¯t making sure she wasn¡¯t a boy. Julius had been quite jealous of the rest of the family, and that poison had spread to Nimaus after he, ¡®adopted¡¯ him. Both were afraid of losing power. It¡¯s why Fortus tried to leave his family and become a knight, wanting none of that. But what if they got word of Reese¡¯s birth? Fortus was technically second in line to lead the family. If Nimaus died before his son came of age, it would fall on him, and then eventually Reese. Most families in the world were egalitarian. It just simplified all this non-sense. But the Bronwyn house wasn¡¯t. He didn¡¯t know if Nimaus or Jullius was involved, but it would made sense if they were. Fortus lowered his head and sighed, no matter what he did, he couldn¡¯t leave his family name behind him. And it had likely cost the life of someone he cared for. Back to problems of the present, he knew what to do with Athenia¡¯s body, but what about their daughter. He hadn¡¯t interacted much with Mabel since she was born, not wanting to risk further damaging his relationship with his wife. But the child was his, and from what he knew she was turning out to be a good kid. He could just have her sent to an orphanage somewhere. Carrsis was a mid sized city, and supposedly had an ok one. He could throw some coins the way of the local orphanage to ensure she stayed safe. But the problem was you could never trust an orphanage. Twice he could remember breaking up illegal slavery operations running out of them. What happened to those kids¡­ Not even criminals deserved that. He couldn¡¯t do that to her. There was always the chance Lilith would understand and be compassionate. Maybe he could convince his wife to let Mabel live with them. Regardless of the outcome, he had to try. As he came home, the first thing Fortus noticed was Lilith sitting at the kitchen table. She seemed quite somber, unlike her usual chipper self. No doubt she had heard about Athenia. As she stared at him, it was obvious she was waiting for him to start the conversation. As he looked around the house, the presence of Reese, and Meerlet gave him a moment pause. Reese would be wise enough to handle the conversation, but Meerlet was too young. ¡°Reese, can you take Meerlet up to her room?¡± Reese knew something heavy was about to come down, something that probably didn¡¯t concern him for a change. So he did as he was asked, and proceeded to listen to the conversation from his room, which was right above the kitchen table. ¡°Lilith, I don¡¯t know if you heard or not, but Athena was killed earlier today.¡± ¡°I heard.¡± Flat, cold, completely unlike the Lilith Fortus knew. As much as he wanted to break down and yell out his fillings to scream how much this was hurting him, he couldn¡¯t. Lilith wouldn¡¯t want to hear how the death of another woman was affecting him, particularly her. He had to remain calm and collected. Focus on the objective at hand, protecting Mabel. ¡°Mabel is going to need somewhere to live. I don¡¯t want to send her off to some orphanage, they¡¯d probably sell her off to some noble or as a slave. She doesn¡¯t deserve that.¡± Lilith sighed, she knew the conversation would come up eventually. In truth, she was glad he had skipped over everything else first. ¡°So you want to bring her here, raise her as your daughter, our daughter?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve said in the past; a child shouldn¡¯t suffer because of her family.¡± It was a dirty blow, pulling back the pain of Lilith¡¯s own childhood to make the point. But, it was also necessary. And true enough, she couldn¡¯t counter it. ¡°At least answer me this. Have you been faithful to me since the last time?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± His tone betraying no hint of his lie. After a moment pause all she could respond with was ¡°Why don¡¯t I believe you?¡± Not believing the lie, despite its flawless delivery. But, it didn¡¯t matter, the child didn¡¯t deserve to suffer. ¡°You¡¯re right, she doesn¡¯t deserve that. We have the smaller room next to Meerlet¡¯s. She can take that. I¡¯ll try to treat her the same as Meerlet.¡± Before he left to pick up his daughter, something was bugging him, and he had to ask, ¡°Will you ever trust me again?¡± ¡°Depends. Will you ever stop lying to me?¡± Back in his room, Reese was shocked. He wasn¡¯t expecting to hear that Athenia had died. She was almost as skilled as Fortus. In the few sparing matches he had with her, she was so much faster than himself, and better at strength techniques then Fortus. A morbid curiosity left him wondering how she could have died, and who was better than her. The cold reality would not be known to him. A simple mistake, and dropped guard is what ultimately lead to her death. Life here was not the game he sometimes imagined it as. Thoughts of Mabel came next, he barely knew his half-sister. Though, she was still young. It didn¡¯t take long to move the new child in. There wasn¡¯t much to move, a handful of cloths was pretty much it. Lilith wanted to be the one to talk to the new family member first, believing Fortus a bit too forceful. Even when he didn¡¯t mean to be. ¡°Mabel you¡¯ll be staying with us from now on. Do you understand what that means?¡± The young child nodded. She didn¡¯t really understand, death was still a foreign concept even as it engulfed her life. Of Course, she knew her mother wasn¡¯t going to come home again. But, did that really mean she¡¯d never see her again? It was hard to get why, what dead meant. Her mother was rarely there. When she was, she was nice enough. She wouldn¡¯t always accept hugs, but she would smile, and make her food. Would that mean she wouldn¡¯t be able to eat any more? Lilith couldn¡¯t read minds, but she could tell the child was struggling. The only thing she could do, is all any parent can do, she hugged her new daughter. ¡°It¡¯ll be ok.¡± Mable squeezed back. This person¡¯s hug was nice. It wasn¡¯t the same as her mother¡¯s, but it was nice. Death, that meant her mother wouldn¡¯t be hugging her anymore either. Instinctually, she gripped harder, not wanting to lose the current source of warmth she felt. Dinner was a simple affair, just a simple cheese soup and some baked onions thrown together in the midst of the chaos. Mabel sat at the table, unsure about everyone around her. She had seen these people before, they had watched her a few times, and weren¡¯t mean to her. But there was something off about being there, and she knew she didn¡¯t belong. Her mother wasn¡¯t mean to her, but she was so focused on being a soldier and a Knight that it never felt she had time for her. Still, she already missed her mom. Fortus was silent, his dinner half eaten, and bowl of soup grew cold even warm late summer¡¯s night. The weight he carried; he¡¯d never be able to put it down. No one else would know of his second child with Athena. It would be entombed with her in Tuhmaamol. He looked at his wife the concern in her eyes was sincere, she had stopped trusting him a while ago, but she still cared. A tear rolled down his cheek as he thought about it. He was done cheating; he just couldn¡¯t take this weight anymore. Life goes on. We all settle into our routines. Sadness never really leaves us, but with work and time, other things bury it over, leaving divots in our hearts and soul. Chapter 14, Alone Once More A year and a month would pass, and with that time a new normal established. Mabel would do her best to fit in, but constant pushing and minor bullying from Nemi made it difficult, the poor child was just shy of 3, what did Nemi expect of her? Of course, Mabel tried. She learned quickly and grew up far faster than she should have. Now, at almost 4, she was performing basic chores and keeping the lower parts of the house tidy, like the floors. At times it felt like she was doing as much as Reese was, and while he was only 8 it was a lot just for him so it was almost unimaginable for the little child. Well, he was 8 in this world anyway. With the longer years, and what he suspected were longer days, he suspected he was closer to 9 by now. At least based on his old world''s clocks and calendars. Gezal had finally left the village at the end of summer. Fortus was extremely impressed with his sword progress, and his handling of the goblins a few months prior. Even if he did chew him out for it. The battle wasn''t easy, and almost killed him, but it got him into an academy in the special district. Something call the Knights Order Ast-Astrix, it was supposedly the best military academy in the six kingdoms. Fortus himself had even attended it at one time. Ah, yes, the goblin attack. Reese felt like he was barely apart of all that. Emilie and he had headed out to the forest''s edge on the south of the village as they had done on occasion. It was there where they found a nearly unconscious Gezal who had been practicing his sword play on some trees, like he usually did. However, this time some lesser goblins made themselves known, by attacking him. A mistake on their part. It had to be one hell of a fight, from how Gezal told it, and those nasty balls of spite had been armed with shorts words. Reese and Emilie had tried to rescue Gezal, but they had quickly found themselves surrounded. Thanks to his sword training Reese was able to use one of those short swords and charge the group surrounding them. He brought down two of them, making a distraction for Emilie to lug Gezal in the opposite direction. It was risky and stupid as hell, but it worked, and he was able to get his father involved. The majority of the village''s forces were dispatched, and they found a nest. From what the soldiers and knights said, it was not an easy battle. There were hundreds of them. They had actually found Emilie and Gezal not far from it with dozens of dead goblins around them. Fortus chewed all three of them out, but underneath it all Reese couldn''t help but think part was impressed with them. Even if he was terrified at the prospects of losing his son. Reese still felt like he missed out on part of that adventure, but as he was now, there wouldn''t have been much he could have done. Calling Gezal a close friend would be a stretch, but he was still a friend, and had become a decent sparring partner. While Reese could never compete against his sword techniques, his own basic blade skills had improved quite a bit as he physically grew. He was even able to get a hit in once in a while, now. Of course, Gezal wasn¡¯t particularly interested in his experiments or general book learnings, but Reese¡¯s enchantments elicited some interest from him. Perhaps one day he would enchant a set of armor and a sword for him. Sword training had of course changed as well. Since the argument between his parents, Reese had been allowed to ¡°go at his own pace¡±, to use his father¡¯s words. He still tried to make training every day, but on the rare day he missed, it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Though, without Gezal around, there weren¡¯t many near his age or skill level. With everyone utterly surpassing him even in basic blade skills, each session turned into a bruise-fest for him. In fact, today was no different, and the pages he had to do after school just made his arm hurt even more. He was grateful for the warm sun of a mid Sootember day, as it helped melt away some of the pain. It was Vobeesdeg, the hump day in an 8 day week. It was a bit of a special day because one of his favorite merchants was supposed to be coming through the village. Wandering though the open-air market, and it was fairly small compared to the ones in a big city. It made it trivial to find who you were looking for, since it was usually 2-4 traveling carts at most. But, to be fair for a village like Wollseeth it was still quite sizable. Not that Reese had ever been to another one to compare. Without Emilie being around, It was the perfect opportunity to search for new magic items, like stones and gems, as well as ideas. Ethmond, the traveling junk salesman as other merchants liked to call him, always had interesting items for sale. Most was of course junk, but some of it, was particularly interesting. The idea that a 5''6" Racoon Anthro would be collecting and selling trash and junk was an amusing one in itself. But he was quite nice, and seemed to enjoy his job, which made interacting with him all the better. In the conversations Reese had with him, he seemed to gather many of his ¡°artifacts¡± with his own hands, that gave him unique insights into his stock. Particularly the artifacts he would occasionally sell. The racoon always had some interesting trinkets and usually quite a few cheap mana stones. If Reese had to guess, nearly half his stash had come from Ethmond alone. Today though, he was breathed of anything particularly useful for his experiments. ¡°I¡¯m sorry kid, I sold all my stones to a black smith down the road. I¡¯ll be heading back this way with a small shipment in a month though. I¡¯ll make sure I save some for you!¡± It was the nature of the game, you can¡¯t expect a traveling merchant to just keep things for you, at least not without a preexisting contract. However, some of his ¡°junk¡± on display sparked his interest. Normally it was just old Auslang debris. Bits of metal with writing, pretty and polished. What he had today, wasn¡¯t anything like that. Two things in particular caught his attention. A broken red crystal with metal intrusions caught his eye. It looked, wrong, or more accurately unnatural. The metal inside was gold by the looks of it, like his enchantment circuits. The crystal seemed to have other imperfections too, like it was made from different crystals somehow fused together. Right in the center at the end of the gold filament was a very small, barely visible set of imperfections. They looked like multiple smaller mana crystals, connected together, but they had to be tiny. The rainbow pattern of Iridescence implying micro level structures. Very tiny indeed. It looked like his hypothesized integrated mana circuit idea but made real. The fact that it was so badly damaged would have made it useless if that was the case though, likely broken beyond use. ¡°Pretty isn¡¯t it.¡± Ethmond noticed Reese¡¯s attention on the item. ¡°I¡¯ve got a noble woman a few cities over who fancy¡¯s herself a jeweler. I think she¡¯d be able to make something really nice with it. But maybe you want it?¡± There was no price. Either he was expecting some strong haggling or already had a buyer in mind. That nobel woman could have just been part of a story to sell it to him, though. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It looks like a mana crystal. Might be useful in my experiments, but it¡¯s badly damaged.¡± Reese could see the gears in the merchant¡¯s head twirling as he crafted a story that might have been half true or half false, ¡°It very much is a mana crystal, part of a larger crystal. Sadly, that was all I could salvage. It came off some old rusted Auslang technology. It was too damaged to know for sure, but I suspect it was a walker.¡± Walker. Reese had heard that term before in one of the history books he read. Something the Auslang used a millina ago. It certainly got his attention, but again. It was too damaged to really make use of it. ¡°5 Gold.¡± Ethmond thought he had a good read on the kid, but in truth, all he did was ensure Reese put the item down. ¡°Ha, you¡¯re nuts man. I¡¯m not even going to try and haggle that down. The thing is broken.¡± ¡°Ok, what about 2 gold?¡± Reese considered it. In truth, 2 gold may not have been too unreasonable if the crystal had less fractur lines. It was clearly some kind of fire crystal, and large. But tons of imperfections. Really, 1 Gold would have been more reasonable, and probably 30 silvers more than he wanted to spend on it. ¡°Nah, still too much. Maybe I could do 20 silvers?¡± Now it was Ethmond¡¯s chance to laugh. ¡°No way. No I just couldn¡¯t do less than 1 gold¡­ No, 1 gold and 30 silvers.¡± Reese shook his head, his attention turning to something else, the other artifact of interest. It was flat and smooth glass. But it was odd. There were some imperfections that seemed to catch the light. ¡°Mind if I see this?¡± Reese picked up the glass with a nod from Ethmond. Along the side was a length of metal, that seemed like brass. The pane of glass was actually two, layered on top of each other with something running in the center of it all. It reminded Reese of an LCD matrix, but that couldn¡¯t be possible. The item was clearly ruined, even worse than the fire crystal. But, this seemed much more useful. ¡°20 Silvers.¡± Ethmond proclaimed. It wasn¡¯t worth 5, just given the materials. But, he wanted it. ¡°I¡¯ll give you 6 Silvers.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a cheeky kid, after all the business we did. You know how much I¡¯ll lose on that?¡± ¡°Given you found this, nothing. I¡¯ll go up to 7.¡± ¡°Nothing. I spent weeks out in the desert digging these things up with my bare hands. Time, effort, water, food, none of that is free. I¡¯ll go as low as 16 silver.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have bare hands, you¡¯re a racoon.¡± The joke didn¡¯t translate over well. ¡°Look, material wise, this isn¡¯t even worth 5 silver, and we both know no one is going to see value in it.¡± He pulled 9 silvers out of his wallet and put them on his cart. ¡°I do want it, but it¡¯s not worth any more than that to me.¡± Ethmond considered the coins, the junk and any future business prospects with the kid. In truth, he could probably have afforded to let it go for the 6 silvers, but it would have hurt. Reese had no idea how much it effort it took to steal that in the first place. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll sell it at a lost to make more room and keep a good customer happy.¡± Ethmond pretended to pout, of course, no sane merchant would sell at a loss. If they could help it. Reese knew that and couldn¡¯t help but smile at their haggling game. Heading home, he would have the rest of the night to work on his new project. Figuring out what this actually was, and how it worked. The tiny imperfections would be a prefect specimen for his newly constructed compound micro scope. The optics weren¡¯t cheap, but with this, they should show their value. One cold dinner and many hours later, his notebook was packed with new findings. He couldn¡¯t be sure, but the traces were probably gold, just very, very thin. He wished he had more chemistry knowledge, trying to reduplicate all that from scratch was beyond his current efforts. Regardless, what he did know was they conducted all the different mana types equally. Well, at least all the types he had stones for. Solistum and pure light were out of his current testing process. The glass itself was also strange, it seemed to block most kind of mana, which was unusual for glass. So when he brought a charged mana crystal in, nothing much happened. But if he brought it to the edge separating the two plans a slight glow would be seen. Near as he could tell the traces were coated with some kind of mana reactive dust. Probably some crushed mana stone, but again, he couldn¡¯t be sure. The microscope was just barely able to see a fuzzy substance on the traces, but it was way too small to resolve. It gave him an idea to test though. He thought it might be possible to make something like a display, a flat panel display specifically, eventually. One of the necessary components of the device he had been sketching out over the past few years. First though, he would try making something much simpler. He already knew he could ¡°turn on¡± mana stone fragments with a mana potential, could he make something smaller and simpler than a full display? Hours more would pass, and it had to be close to midnight, but he had it. A very simple, 7 segmented display. What¡¯s more, it worked! The euphoria Reese felt overshadowed the sleeplessness threating to take him. He couldn¡¯t wait to show Emilie. Before he fell asleep, he took a few moments to consider her. She really was brilliant. If he could convince her to help him in his experiments, he could probably leapfrog his own timeline. Maybe he could actually get her interested in his machinations, beyond just the spell casting. Having a fellow mechanic and tinker would be nice. For reasons he couldn''t understand, it almost seemed like she had been avoiding him today. Which was a shame, he really would have liked her to see that fused mana gem in the marketplace. Morning came, and Reese almost missed both breakfast and the morning bell. His attention was caught up in his experiments. He had successfully tied together the inputs for the display using some of the simple logic gates he developed. He¡¯d have to work on miniaturizing them later, but for now, there were 10 lines that lead into the display. Of course, that was just for testing, he¡¯d probably convert it over to binary later. School was a blur. Though, Reese did notice Samil wasn''t present, and Venginn looked despondent. It was clear something was going on between those too, but best not to pry she didn''t particularly like him anyway. In terms of studies, Fense was lecturing on the continents again. Abscondi was much more rocky then he realized, with far more islands. His mind drifted between the ideas in his notebook and day dreams about the demon races that lived there. He was so caught up in his own internal conversation that he missed the conversation Fense was trying to have with him. ¡°And that¡¯s why Reese will be doing pages after lectures are done. Right Reese?¡± ¡°Huh, yes¡­ Wait, what?¡± The attempted conversation clearly caught him off guard. But the class found it amusing at least. Thankfully Fense was gentile, only asking for 2 pages. ¡°Thoughts somewhere else today?¡± ¡°Hmm, yeah. I¡¯ve been caught up in some ideas¡­ I think I¡¯m close to a big breakthrough.¡± ¡°Ah, so you this wasn¡¯t about Emilie.¡± That caused his though process to misfire. ¡°What about Emilie?¡± "You didn''t know?" Fense shook his head. ¡°Not my place. You might want to finish those pages and talk to her yourself.¡± Outside the school, Emilie stood waiting for him. It wasn¡¯t unusual for her to wait around, but often she¡¯d be over by the hill or back at her parents¡¯ shop. ¡°Emilie! Everything ok?¡± With a jump she turned and looked at the source of the question. ¡°Reese! Yeah, I¡¯m just¡­ lost in thought. Do you want to hang out for a bit, I need to get my mind off things.¡± She seemed dejected by something, but he couldn¡¯t figure out what. For now, maybe hanging around him would cheer her up? Perhaps it was a bit selfish, but he would be grateful to have a sounding board for his current ideas. ¡°Ok, so I¡¯ve got a new idea. See this glass?¡± He took the artifact he¡¯d been studying at his desk. ¡°It looks like glass?¡± ¡°Right! But look carefully, see how there¡¯s these subtle imperfections? I think these are gold traces and mana stone fragments.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like gold. And I don¡¯t see the any mana stones.¡± ¡°Well, the gold is really thin, thin enough to see through. And the stones are almost like dust. Come see.¡± Using the microscope, he beckoned Emilie to look. Inside, the scope focused on one of the traces, on top of if it small fuzzy dust could be seen, just barely with a hue of color. ¡°Now, watch this.¡± He hovered a mana stone near the traces, and a very subtle glow could be seen. Emilie didn¡¯t really understand the importance, but it looked neat. ¡°Anyway. I get it may not seem like much, but I think I can make my own version of this.¡± She thought about it, but couldn¡¯t see any value in making glass glow. Though, it would look interesting, she supposed. ¡°Ok. What would that do?¡± ¡°Well, it would be a screen. Like a page in a book, only it could change. Instead of only being one page it could be any number of them. If I can get it to switch pages fast enough, you might even be able to see things move!¡± The statement left her even more lost. What was a ¡®screen¡¯? ¡°Like watching pages flip?¡± ¡°No, like move. Imagine if a painting ''came to life¡¯ and started moving inside the frame.¡± The look of disbelief and skepticism was as subtle as a car crash waking you from your slumber. It was something he hadn¡¯t seen from her in a long time and hurt just as much. ¡°I get it''s hard to believe but, I¡¯ve sort of got a working prototype.¡± He beckoned to the glass he had laid out. Very thin strands of gold were visible connected to small gem fragments that went under a thin piece of paper, that itself seemed to cover more gold strands. All of that was covered in a fine red powered with 7 notable lines. Emilie guessed the red powder was some kind of crushed mana stone. ¡°Watch when I tap this wire.¡± Two of the stands glowed, creating a rough outline of the number 1 in the human alphabet. Next, he tapped an adjacent wire, creating a 2. Then a 3 all the way to 9 and 0. It was a neat trick, but she didn''t understand the usefulness of it. ¡°Maybe with more numbers it could be useful?¡± she queried. ¡°Exactly! I''m going to clean this up and make an 8 digit display next. Then I''m going to work on this.¡± He handed her his notebook open to a page with some of symbols, and lines. A square with a rounded tip, some round arrows, circles. It was alien to her, but looked like drawing he had shown her before. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°A calculator kind of like an automatic abacus. If you charge these wires in the right order you''ll put a number into it, then you select what operation you want and put in another number. When you¡¯re done, you''ll have an answer, on this display.¡± She began to see some of the possible utility of the display and idea, but it was just hard to fathom mana stones and gold foil being able to count. Much less divide and multiply. ¡°Is this like your bit adder you showed me a while back?¡± ¡°Yeah, exactly! Just bigger.¡± That reminded him, there was something else he needed to show her. ¡°Oh let me also show you something else cool I figured out! It was purely accident when I was messing with the microscope last night.¡± A plank sat on his desk at an angle, propped against the textbook, as he moved the textbook it would change it¡¯s angle. ¡°Ok, so if I put this regular stone on this sheet at just the right angle it will stick, barely. If I change the angle even a bit, it will¡­ there, start to slide down. This is the angle where static friction fails. It¡¯s always the same, for the same materials. But if I set this just on edge of slipping¡­ and I bring this mana stone very close.¡± The rock began slowly and erratically sliding downward. ¡°The mana forces are changing the coefficient of friction! I only have these weak stones, but I¡¯m betting more powerful ones would have a stronger and longer-range effect. Also, different mana stones seem to have different intensities. Sound mana is the biggest. Metal seems to have the opposite effect and makes it stick more!¡± Emilie watched the small rock slowly jerk down the ramp, it was, kind of neat. Maybe. But like most of his ideas, what he was saying was detached from everyday life. Either too far ahead of what others would think about, or too far removed to really understand. So, she had to ask, ¡°Ok. Why is that important?¡± Of course, coming from a world of technology, it was important. Gears, motors, really anything that moved would be affected by this changing force. It meant much of what he knew wasn¡¯t possible. Which as he thought about it, wouldn¡¯t really matter to someone who have never seen or even conceived of such things. ¡°Well¡­ It means it¡¯s hard to build anything that transfers force. Like, if I built some gears and had these crystal by them, it could cause them to jam up or slip.¡± Though good examples that he was despite to call upon, he would skip cars, trucks and trains for now. ¡°But why does that matter? Do you think the flour mills will have some issues if you make this calculator?¡± Given the different realities, it¡¯s no wonder that even some one as intelligent as her was lost, any one would be. The fact was the effect was interesting, but it didn¡¯t seem to lead anywhere, unless you already knew the end goal. ¡°Well, it explains why my mechanical clock idea might never work, and it had nothing to do with the calculator. Just something I found and realized last night while testing stuff.¡± He flipped to another page in his notebook. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°This is what I¡¯m eventually going to build. I¡¯ll probably need help putting it together, and definitely testing it. I know we¡¯ve hung out a lot in the past few years, but we never really worked on something together. I think you¡¯d understand where I¡¯m coming from with a lot of this if we worked on it together. I mean, we could change the world!¡± A pit began to form in her stomach. ¡°Reese about hanging out. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll be able to for much longer.¡± ¡°Why not? Did something happen?" A bit of fear crept into him, this was what Fense was talking about. Maybe it was him, ¡°Did I do something?¡± Nothing had happened, though, she did want to tell him he was overbearing. This probably wasn¡¯t the best time for that though. ¡°No. My parents were contacted by someone from a college in Yoth, they¡¯re interested in testing my skills.¡± The words filled him with relief, but also concern. ¡°You mean the Yoth magic school? I read about them.¡± She nodded. ¡°Emilie, that¡¯s¡­ Incredible. That¡¯s one of the best magic schools in all the kingdoms. I¡¯m, envious.¡± It was then that it really began to hit him as the concern drew into dread. ¡°That means you won¡¯t be around anymore.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I mean, they might test me and see I¡¯m not a good candidate. I¡¯m only 8, they usually don¡¯t take people till their teens.¡± ¡°You''re basically 9, and they¡¯d have to be blind or insane not to take you. When are they coming?¡± ¡°Probably this weekend, either on Sanedeg or Ostara. My parents didn¡¯t give me an exact day. If I pass, and they accept me¡­ I was told It would be quick, like a week or two since their next quarter us starting soon.¡± Sanedeg came and went, no one showed up to the village. Emilie was unavailable for the whole day. Seemingly kept inside by her parents. Whether she was resting or studying Reese couldn¡¯t tell. It was usual for Emilie¡¯s parents to be so protective of her though. With little to do, and no one to talk to, Reese found himself wandering around. Part of him felt like sparing, like if he was able to hit something he''d be able to knock the poison out his mind and system. Unfortunately, there was no one in the keep or at least no one in a position to cross swords. There were some training dummies, but they were mostly meant for real swords. Not the wooden ones he was allowed to use. A thought occurred to him, maybe he could convince his father to let him use one of the steel training swords for a change. They were kept without an edge so they couldn''t cut well, the key point being ''well''. A good swordsman could find a way to cut with one, and even a bad one could bludgeon you with it, if you weren''t careful. It was unusual but Reese found Fortus in his office, a space he rarely used outside yelling at people, preferring to be in the field or directly managing his knights. Fortus stared at the two pieces of paper, as if he had a conclusion he couldn''t accept. The one Reese recognized, was recovered from the goblin attack a few months ago. The other one, he wasn''t sure about, it look familiar. A year ago, Reese caught his father looking at something similar after the bandit raid took Athenia''s life. A pang of remorse overcame him as he remembered the pain he put his father through during the goblin and the bandit attacks. Perhaps that was why he was reviewing the two pieces of paper. He saw a similar pattern of loss between both events. At least, that''s what Reese thought. "Dad, are you still thinking about Athenia?" Looking up from the papers, he acknowledged his son, and sealed away some of his emotions. It was clear he didn''t want his son to see the concern he suddenly had. "¡­Something like that." "Is that why you were so mad about what Gezal, Emilie and I did." Fortus'' only response was to glare at his son. "Sorry, I shouldn''t have asked that." Reese could tell there was more. Those two papers had some kind of meaning that seemed to scare Fortus. Like there was a link between them only he had become aware of. "Are those two-paper related somehow?" A flash of shock, followed by a rapid movement to secure both papers in his desk away from sight. There was something to that statement, his father wasn''t sad about the notes. He was scared and angry. "Why are you in the keep? Citizens shouldn''t be here if they don''t have official business, and that includes you." "I was hoping to get a training sword. I wanted to practice a bit, though it might clear my head." "You know where the swords are." "I was hoping to practice with a steel one on a training dummy?" Again, his father glared at him. "I guess that''s a no¡­" The next day, Ostara, Reese watched and waited. His experiments saw little advancement as he couldn¡¯t focus on them. For a brief time, he was almost relieved that no one was showing up to take his friend away. But he shook those thoughts out of his head. They weren¡¯t right. Emilie was already a powerful sorceress, she belonged somewhere that could hone and expand her skills and that wasn¡¯t this town. He was just sorry it wasn¡¯t with him. Eventually though, a late afternoon carriage arrived, and a dark elf draped in dark robes walked out. It was obvious that person was a mage. An hour later and the sound of spell casting could be heard throughout the village. That was Emilie¡¯s spell casting from the sounds of it. Eventually it was over, and the quiet was deafening as he tried to think, but just couldn''t. An unexpected knock at the door pulled Reese from his disaffected daydreaming. He could just barely hear what was being said downstairs, it was something concerning him? ¡°Reese, I need you to come down here.¡± His mother called up to him. He was not expecting to see that same Dark Elf from earlier in his doorway. The dark elf was clothed in dark garbs with gold inlay. The pattern made Reese think it was enchanted. He hadn¡¯t seen a cloth enchantment before, but it didn''t seem any more unreasonable than any other. Perhaps more difficult to bind. ¡°Ah, good afternoon. You must be Reese?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Very good. I¡¯m Sibula, with the Yoth magic college. Your friend Emilie¡­ pushed, for me to give you an interview.¡± It was hard to contain his excitement. This was a change! A chance to actually go somewhere and learn, maybe find answers and ways around his gatelessness. He had to make a good impression here. Seemed like a good first place to start was the elf''s enchanted clothing, maybe pointing out that he knew about it would help paint him in a better light? ¡°Great. Out of curiosity, your robes look enchanted. I haven¡¯t seen enchanted cloth before. What does it do?¡± His bumbling attempt seemed to illicit a moment of disinterest from the dark elf, who still tried to humor him. ¡°Oh this? I¡¯m not sure, our smith at the college tailored some pure light enchantment into it. Makes it sturdy to magic attacks. But, we¡¯re not here to talk about mundane things like cloths.¡± His query had the opposite effect from what he intended. ¡°Now, like I said Emilie was quite insistent I interview you.¡± The fact that Emilie was thinking about him and wanted him to head to the college too made him happy. In truth, he wouldn¡¯t know what to do if Emilie left him alone. It wasn¡¯t just about building his computer, and yeah, their mental ages were different, but they were still friends. It was the nature of life that people come and go, but he always struggled with the going part. ¡°First, I understand you have an undersized gate?¡± ¡°Not exactly. It''s more complicated than that.¡± ¡°I see, disorganized then?¡± Reese''s eyes dropped to the floor, ¡°No. I¡¯m technically gateless.¡± ¡°Technically?¡± The elf didn''t seem amused by that statement, seemingly unsure if he was joking or not. ¡°Well, I don''t have a gate, but I found other ways to cast spells and I¡¯ve been working on enchantments. I pretty sure I can augment my limited casting abilities.¡± The elf tried to stifle a laugh, he needed to be professional. ¡°Reese, I appreciate your desire, but the magic college of Yoth is the most prestigious in the six kingdoms. We can''t just accept anyone. Maybe this was a bad idea.¡± He whispered that last part. ¡°What about a test, I can show you what I can do, and the devices I''ve made.¡± Sibula took in a deep breath and forced a smile. "I suppose I am already here. Let''s start with the interview process." They moved to the kitchen table, where Sibula sat down with a small journal. "Now can you tell me about the first time you cast a spell?" He paused for a moment, "I suppose though if you''re gateless that wouldn''t have happened¡­" With his pen he began making some notes in his book only to be stopped by Reese. "Actually, I can cast spells, the first time I was 6. I think it was a Water Bolt spell, but I know I also cast a Fire Bolt spell too." "You said you were gateless? You can''t cast spells without a gate." It was time for his mother to intervene. "He is gateless, we had him tested when he was 4. But, he can also cast spells, silently too!" The Elf scratched at his head and wrote some more notes in his journal. "I''ve hear rumors of gateless casting, but never seen proof of it. I mostly assume it''s myth. Why did you test him when he was 4? Most people don''t cast spells till they''re much older." Lilith put her hand on his head and patted his hair, "He was very well read for a 4 year old and was practicing spell casting for over a year. Simple spells but still, after his repeated inability, I thought it wise to test him early." Again, Sibula wrote more notes. "Ok, so you can cast some simple spells, can you explain how?" Reese spent the next few minutes explaining his process, how he studied Emilie''s casting, how he read up on invoking, and all the work that went into making sense of it all. For a moment, the interviewer seemed quite speechless. "I see¡­ that''s, impressive." It was hard to tell if that was a sarcastic or serious response. "Perhaps we can move on to the demonstration part of the exercise." As they stood outside, Reese focused as hard as he could. This could be his one shot, maybe he could convince the Elf with some of his enchantments, but he had to assume this would be it. First, a Fire Bolt spell. His cast was quick, he had been training, in half a second, a tiny puff of fire flew from his hand and winked out of existence about 12 feet away. If one was being generous, it was small compared to Emilie¡¯s, or anyone else really. Sibula was clearly unimpressed, and jotted some more things down in his journal. Next was a water bolt. A small round of water, just about the size of tensis ball flew forward with some speed, before landing about 15 feet away. Reese wouldn¡¯t say it, but that was probably the farthest and largest he had ever cast the spell. The Dark Elf shook his head not bothering to write anything that time, ¡°Reese I think that¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°Just one more.¡± He practically begged. This one was going to be hard. He had to chain three symbols together, a dark fire, a light water, and another dark fire in just the right position an order and timing. He barely did it but was rewarded with a tiny sliver of ice that flew forward and landed just out of sight. While the advanced spell was, interesting, being generally hard to cast. It was still just pathetic. But, he wanted to be generous to the child. ¡°I see you know some advanced spells, you¡¯re even able to silently cast them.¡± He paused, at first he was going to suggest Reese try and incantation but that was probably not going to work if he was truly gateless. ¡°I take it you can¡¯t do an incantation.¡± Again a handful of scratches at journal. Of course, Reese shook his head no. ¡°But, I¡¯ve got other things. I¡¯ve been working on some really neat enchantments and other magical projects. Just please let me show them to you. I think you¡¯ll be impressed.¡± His heart raced as he ran to his room. This was not going the way he wanted too, and as much as he didn¡¯t want to admit it, the outcome already seemed to be decided. The elf couldn''t help but feel this was an utter waste of time. This child had no gate and the spells he did cast were absolutely pathetic. He wasn¡¯t even casting them properly. His enchantments did seem somewhat interesting, at least. Sibula only had a basic understanding of enchantments, it was generally seen as beneath a mage like him. But he had never heard about someone ¡°turning them on and off¡±. It almost piqued his interest, though the boy''s constant attempts to explain things, and his incoherent explanations into magic droned on. Taking a moment from the child¡¯s ramblings, he looked around the room. Something did catch his attention. A piece of broken glass, with brass or gold attached. It looked familiar. ¡°This is an interesting artifact. Where did you find it?¡± Reese stopped his explanation of automatic differentiation and looked up, ¡°Oh, yeah. I picked that up from a merchant. I''ve been trying to figure out how it works. I know there¡¯s not much left of it, but I''ve made some progress.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± now that may have been with some consideration. ¡°If you¡¯ve made any interesting discoveries into magic technology, that could maybe earn some favor.¡± As he setup his display prototype and explained it all, the dark elf''s interest began to wane again. It was interesting in some regards. But his explanation was absolute nonsense. ¡°So explain to me again, how you think this artifact works?¡± ¡°The glass has gold traces-¡° ¡°That you can¡¯t see.¡± ¡°You can see them, they¡¯re just thin. You don¡¯t need a lot of gold to carry the small amount of mana.¡± ¡°How would you even get it that thin?¡± Reese had to admit, he didn¡¯t know. There were probably a dozen methods to do it. Vapor deposition or sputtering would be able to. But that technology was at best centuries beyond anything he saw here. It was an interesting question though, how did they do it without advanced technology? He made a note in his book as he gave a quick handwavy possibility. ¡°I¡¯m not completely sure. Maybe a strong acid dissolves the gold, and then it¡¯s evaporated, leaving the gold behind?¡± ¡°A, strong acid? Dissolving gold.¡± It was clear Reese had lost him. ¡°It¡¯s just an idea. There are other possibilities. Regardless of what you think, I do have a protype, and it works.¡± He tapped the fire mana stone against each wire, and sure enough, the display read out what one might expect. To Sibula though, it was just a light show. Nothing like the intricate graphics and letters he knew that artifact would have been capable of. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s go downstairs and discuss this with your parent.¡± As they sat around the table, Reese, was not hopeful but refused to give in. There was always a chance. ¡°Reese, I don¡¯t think you would be a good fit for the college. You don''t have any serious magic potential, your gadgets while interesting don''t offer much.¡± The elf thought for a few moments. It was very unlikely, but maybe he''d have some small bit of value. He did have an interest in those artifacts, and his insights while likely wrong were still, intriguing. ¡°Would your parents even be able to afford the tuition? It''s 10 gold a year, plus expense.¡± 10 gold. His family was well off, well enough anyway. But 10 gold, he guessed his mother and father brought in maybe 20-30 gold a year. At best, the tuition would be a third of that, and it didn¡¯t include the expenses, whatever those would add up too. He looked at his mother who lowered her head and then his father who shook out a ¡®no''. ¡°Is Emilie paying 10 gold a year?¡± ¡°Emilie¡¯s skills are amazing. Very few can compete with them, including mine. We''re offering her a full scholarship. We could not offer the same for¡­ someone like you.¡± That last part felt like a dagger to chest. ¡°If you could at least afford the 10 gold¡­ it¡¯s still unlikely, but I would bring it up to the archmage. With that said, if you¡¯re interested in pursuing enchantments, maybe you should consider apprenticing under a blacksmith. It¡¯s a fine profession.¡± Several moments were spent in silence. Eventually Reese felt his father¡¯s hand on his shoulder. It was, unusual for him to comfort his son, but it was not unwelcomed. Sibula stood up and began to leave, ¡°You can expect a formal letter in a few weeks with our decision. Have a good day.¡± For Reese, that was it. The letter was a formality, he had failed in every measurable way to impress the college. He could have blamed it on anything, lack of time, sleeplessness, over eagerness, it didn¡¯t matter. Only the outcome mattered, which seemed to be predetermined at this point. Maybe Emilie should never have tried to help him. Maybe then he wouldn''t know how much of a failure he was. But he shook his head at that thought, it was a very kind thing she did. It wasn''t her fault he was useless. Hours later, Sibula sat alone in the inn room he reserved, choosing to pass the time by completing the necessary paperwork for his journey. He could have waited till he was back at the college, but this seemed as good a time as any with little else to do in the small village. The forms he filled out were all the same, each drawn up by one of the many students back at the college. Either as a demerit, a chance to earn some favor, or just a requirement of the college administration, a partial payment for a scholarship. A line for a provenance and country, another for town or city, and an applicant name followed by some demographics. The center had some meat, it was the portion where he evaluated each candidate, but it was the last few lines that mattered the most. The first was simple, ¡°Admittance¡± He could write either ¡°Deny¡± or ¡°Allow¡±. A two lines after were ¡°Justification¡±. The last was funding, which was a little harder, it could be any number of things from self-funded, to college scholarship, a kings grant, or anything that explained how they would pay. ¡°Unknown¡± was technically allowed, but frowned upon. Having someone come up to college who couldn¡¯t pay was a problem in waiting. Wollseeth was the last in his journey this month, so he started with the other villages and other applicants, which were easy enough. Unlike the past summer, they were all denies. Mana potential too low. Gate too disorganized. Unintelligent and unread. Too old to start at the college without a good reason, and there was no good reason. Fourteen applicants in total, over three days. Fairly typical. Next, he moved to the one he was looking for, Emilie: ¡°Exceptional mana potential, large well-organized gate. Practical examples of silent casting and advanced spells. Maybe being too close to another child villager could make leaving difficult. Very young.¡± ¡°Admittance: Allow¡± ¡°Justification: I¡¯ve never seen anyone this young, with this much skill. We need to grab her before another college does.¡± ¡°Funding: Full College Scholarship, and minor expenses covered.¡± And lastly, one he had almost considered not even writing, Reese''s: ¡°Gateless, zero limited mana potential. Unable to cast Shows evidence of silent casting but only silent casting, some advanced casting evident. Even without a gate. Still, very low mana potential. Unusually strong knowledge of enchantments, some things I¡¯ve never seen before. Claims to have insight into at least one Technopolis item and has failed continues to try and replicate, with questionable successes. I¡¯m skeptical but may warrant future consideration.¡± As he wrote, he had to pause many times. What should have been simple, was turning out to be anything but. He even found himself correcting his points over and over. He had to admit, a gateless mage was an interesting concept. But his spells were just too anemic. If anything was going to get him in, it would be enchanting, but that¡¯s more the realm of blacksmithing. Even if the college did technically have research in the area. ¡°Admittance:¡± This particular part was the most important. You allowed someone into the college or denied them. There was no other option really. It was almost unheard of to re-interview applicants, except in the most extreme cases. Each time he went to write deny, he had to stop. He tried writing Allow once, but couldn¡¯t do that either. This should have been easy. Maybe the justification would make it easier. He tapped at the page for several minutes, before writing something he didn¡¯t want too but couldn¡¯t figure out anything else to put. ¡°Justification: Applicant is a quandary. I can neither Deny or Allow at this time. Recommend future contact to reevaluate progress.¡± The statement basically wrote itself. His leadership wasn¡¯t going to like it. But he just couldn¡¯t write anything else. ¡°Funding:¡± Blank, since he wasn¡¯t being admitted. His eyes burned, as the hour grew late. It must have been close to 11, maybe even midnight. The carriage would leave in the early morning. If he didn¡¯t want to stay in this backwater village he needed to be up by 5. Momadeg, the first day of the week. As the year crept towards it¡¯s end, the sunrises came later and later. In his room, Reese sat in a twilight darkness. Unable to move forward. What was he supposed to do now? He was only 8, at least in body. But even at such a young age he felt like he had no options. He was intelligent, read more books than most adults ever would. Had knowledge that was literally centuries ahead of anything here. Yet, he still had no real way to use it. Without a gate, he couldn¡¯t do the things he wanted. He would never be a full mage. Could never be a hero sword fighter or join the freelancers. He couldn¡¯t even be a healer, or anything that used magic. Which seemed to be most things in the world. To make it worse, in a week or two, he¡¯d be alone. It wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t have a life here. Blacksmithing was a valid profession after all, and some part of that did appeal to him. A peaceful life of underachievement banging away at metals, disappointing his parents and himself. What was wrong with him, it was a fine and normal choice, not everyone could be the hero. So why wasn¡¯t he satisfied with that path? ¡°Reese, come eat before you head to school.¡± His mother tried to be supportive of him last night, even his father stood behind him. But they couldn¡¯t fix it. In truth, he locked him self away like he had done all those years ago. That lifetime ago that he still couldn¡¯t pull himself away from. His body felt sluggish, like every movement was either mired in mud or weight down. He knew this feeling, the early stages of depression. This was a fight he couldn¡¯t afford to lose again, forcing himself wasn¡¯t easy. It was never easy. But he still had some hope here. He just needed to find a stick to prop himself up with. Shame there weren¡¯t any owls handing out sticks here. School was unusually hard for him. He couldn¡¯t think or concentrate. Perhaps Fense knew something wasn¡¯t right, as he gave Reese a wide berth for the day. There were no pages for forgetting his homework, no pages for missing a question directed at him. Just, an allowance to exist for the day. After school was another matter. What was he suppose to do today? The bookstore was closed again, Charston didn¡¯t say why, just that he needed time. Had Reese paid attention he would have noticed a younger robed man hanging around the shop with Charston, but his mind was too preoccupied the past few days. ¡°Reese! How did it go yesterday? I expected you to come hang out, but you never did.¡± Emilie¡¯s smile beamed at him. It was obvious how it went for her, even if Sibula hadn¡¯t told him anyone would have guessed. What should he tell her? That he was an utter failure? That he was happy for her? That it didn¡¯t matter, and he would come back stronger? All he wanted right now was to be alone. ¡°Not good. He said I wasn¡¯t a good fit.¡± Reese looked down and considered the dirt, while waiting for Emile to say something, but she didn¡¯t. ¡°I guess it doesn¡¯t matter. I was never going to be a mage, I¡¯m just, not as good as you.¡± Emilie did not like that talk, ¡°Reese, that¡¯s nonsense. You know more about the theory of magic then I do!¡± Did he know more about magic than she did? If you consider esoteric knowledge as knowing more, then perhaps. But if you only consider actual useful information, actionable information, then no, he did not. At least in his mind. ¡°I can¡¯t cast spells like you can. I can¡¯t feel mana like you can. For everything you claim I know I keep coming up short. I¡¯m useless.¡± ¡°Why are you like this? You always knock yourself down and say horrible things about yourself. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s useless, I almost burned the village down and drown my brother, I almost killed Gezal when I was trying to heal him because I didn''t follow the book''s instructions to the letter. I made no progress on learning new spells till you came along. You always solve my problems for me. In fact, it¡¯s one of the things that¡¯s always bothered me. You¡¯re so far ahead of me I can¡¯t catch up, and you won¡¯t let me try!¡± A thrumming in his chest caught him off guard, as his brain demanded oxygen. The spinning in his head was overwhelming as he couldn¡¯t process what being said to him. There was truth to what she said, he knew that. After all he was certainly well read, but he couldn¡¯t acknowledge that to himself. Admitting success meant he could stop, and he couldn¡¯t, he had to keep going. But if he didn¡¯t acknowledge some meaningful amount of truth Emilie would be upset with him and herself, which lead to bad outcomes such as them no longer being friends. Which lead to further bad outcomes. Path after pathway, connection after connection warped though his head making it harder and harder to think. His brain was a mess of disordered thoughts. It just wasn¡¯t big enough to handle all the data he needed to process. This is why being alone with machines was easier, it was simpler. Computers, technology, science, he understood these things, they made sense to him and were predictable. The silent storm of thoughts, bothered Emilie who didn¡¯t know what to say herself. She needed him to acknowledge what she said, even if he didn¡¯t agree. ¡°Reese. Just say something.¡± ¡°Leave me alone!¡± He shouted. He didn¡¯t mean to shout. ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll leave you alone.¡± Emilie turned and quickly walked away. Reese wouldn¡¯t be able to see her crying. There was still a chance, he could have run after her, and told her he was sorry that he didn¡¯t mean to yell. But in some way, this seemed better. Just sever the connection now, before it really started to hurt. That didn¡¯t change the fact that it still hurt, but it did numb it just a bit. What was wrong with him, why couldn¡¯t he just be normal for a moment. A week went by, neither Reese nor Emilie would talk to each other, and she had stop going to class there was no reason after all. Those around them could see the friction between the two nearly inseparable friends was strange. Of course, no one brought it up to either, it wasn¡¯t their business. But it felt sad somehow. When the day came for Emilie to leave, Reese sat in his room. Looking over his experiments and projects, unable to focus on them. Why didn¡¯t he at least say good bye to her? He was her friend, wasn¡¯t she? Even if they had a fight, so what, friends fight. Why was this so hard for him. A knock at his door interrupted his train wreck of thoughts. Of all the people he might have expected to see, Mabel was not one of them. ¡°Reese, are you ok?¡± For a four year old Mabel was quite aware of the world around her. Forcing lukewarm smile he regarded his younger half sister, impressed she could read his emotions so easily. ¡°I¡¯m fine, just¡­ lost in thought.¡± ¡°Are you sad your friend is leaving?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± No, that¡¯s not right, he did know. ¡°Yes, very much so.¡± ¡°You had a fight, that¡¯s what Lillith said. That¡¯s why Emilie didn¡¯t come over this week?¡± ¡°You¡¯re very observant, you know that?¡± ¡°And your defaulting.¡± ¡°Defaulting?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but laugh, ¡°You mean deflecting. That¡¯s a good word, where did you learn it?¡± ¡°Dad, I mean Fortus says it when sword fighting, and I¡¯ve heard you say it a few times.¡± It kind of hurt to hear Mabel correct herself in regard to their father. Lilith may not have been her mother, biologically. But Fortus was her father in all regards. A conversation for another time though. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do. She¡¯s leaving today, probably in the next few minutes. She was my best friend here. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going to do without her around.¡± ¡°You should make up before she leaves. You¡¯ll feel better.¡± Wisdom from a child, but she wasn¡¯t wrong. Inside of him, he couldn¡¯t reconcile her leaving. "Maybe¡­ you''re right." He stood up and took a deep breath as he walked to the inn. Emilie''s family, was walking away. "Reese, you just missed her." Basilara seemed almost sad to say that. Scrambling, Reese scanned the horizon looking for something. There, the carriage had already begun its long trek north, but if he was quick, he could catch up to it. Maybe. ¡°Emilie!¡± Calling out the carriage couldn¡¯t hear him. He had to run faster. This was hard, not just the words, but the run too. The carriage was only moving about 10 miles an hour, but that¡¯s a six-minute mile for what had to be a mile so far. For a 8 year old, that¡¯s a lot. Looking down he focused on his steps, pushing himself to move just a bit faster. He thought about what to say, ¡°I''m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have said that stuff¡­ ¡°Seemed like a good start. ¡°Shit I''m winded.¡± He whispered to himself. What else would he say. ¡° I don''t want you to hate me.¡± Then she would apologize too, they¡¯d be friends just separated by distance. It was going to work; they¡¯d still be friends. Pushing his legs as hard as he could, he could feel his muscles starting to tear. Looking up though, he saw it. The carriage and Emilie, as it disappeared over the bridge. It was on its way to the Paved Road, and the north. The last time he would see her, he missed it. He could only do one last thing, stop running. It was over, and he missed it. The question remained for him, what now? Side text 3, Mix Blood The young Venginn sat at the family table, with a rather damaged book in front of her. Its cover was scuffed and few of the pages were damaged after she decided it would look better after being thrown across the room. Books were evil, and their text consisted of fuzzy little goblins that liked to change on her as she read. "Young lady, you will learn to read this book or so help me you will not get any dinner tonight." Her mother scolded her, like she usually did. She was already being punished for throwing the book, did they need to punish her for not reading it too? "You''re an Elf Venginn, you need to act like it. We are dignified people. We don''t throw books across the room!" The book continued to sit on the table, as if mocking her. Human script was hard enough to read, but High Elven, it might as well have been the scratching of a land dragon, for all the sense it made, every letter looked the same. "Rass Illthfeash", That was the title, she knew what it said. Her parents used the term everyday. "Elven Doctrine", the rule and laws of the elves, but she just couldn''t read it. "If you don''t read it, and understand it, one of those animals will steal you way!" Again, her mother used the word Animals. What she actually meant were Anthros, the humanoid beasts who inhabited the world with the rest of them. Her father leaned over and whisper to her mother, Venginn could just make it out, "Maybe we should consider sending her to school." "Absolutely not! I''ll not have the human school infect our children. It''s bad enough we have to live here with them. But gods damn me, I won''t let her interact with that non-sense they teach." This is what it was like every day. Always the same. Force to read from that same book, before moving to other useless books. Her brothers didn''t really care for her, neither did her sister. Why was she even born to this family? Across the room, her older brother mocked her failure to read, while her younger brother just sat quietly. Completing the assignment her parents tasked him with. Three pages in, and nearly an hour had gone by. Thankfully her parents were bluffing about not giving her dinner. Almost every day was the same. Only occasionally, she was allowed to go wandering outside. It was one of her few reprieves from them, and the nightmare they put her under. "Don''t go too far Venginn, or-" "An animal will gobble me up, I know." Venginn had interacted with a few Anthros that came through town, but only rarely. Anytime the opportunity arose her parents tried to keep them from her. They weren''t that bad. It was hard to understand what her parents had against them. But it didn''t matter, that¡¯s what her parents demanded, and she didn''t have a say. In particular, there was an odd boy who lived nearby. She didn''t know his name, didn''t know his age, or anything beyond his appearance. The boy looked odd. His skin was marbled, tan and bright white. His hair was funny too, black, gray and chestnut. He was like a funny looking patchwork doll. Of course, when her parents saw him, they made it a point to sneer. They told her "That''s what happens when you breed with Anthros. You end up a freak." But he didn''t seem like a freak, quite the opposite, he seemed really nice. Always offering to help people. On more than one occasion she had watched him carry packages that were far to heavy for him, and then refuse the coins offered for his help. Maybe her parents were right, it seemed like a dumb thing to do. Why would anyone just help someone else? He always seemed to have a book in front of him too. Which was even more absurd, no could like to read that much. Today was no different. The boy just say outside, sitting on a bench reading one of those absurd tomes. She had to walk by several times, just to see him continue the absurdity. Sitting there, reading. Smiling happily. Why was he so happy. She couldn''t stop watching him, as he read the book, turning the page occasionally. It was hard to make out what the cover said. Every time she looked at it, it looked different. "Aimless" no, that wasn''t it, she got closer, "Amarc?" That wasn''t even a word. Why was it so hard to read. "Animals, of Domiconti" the boy spoke with a smile. Looking up the two caught each other''s eyes. "I saw you trying to read the title." "Whatever, books are dumb." The boy shrugged and went back to reading, "I like them, they''re fun. This one is about, well, animals. My mom calls it a ''bestiary''. She''s a hunter." "Like a guild hunter or just a hunter?" "She''s with the guild. I think she''s ranked ''Superior''." "¡­ is that good?" "There''s only four ranks, and it''s the second best so, I guess." The two stood there, each just a bit lost, yet finding something in each other''s company. "Want to read it together?" Venginn sat next to the boy and stared at the pages. There was a large cat like creature, she tried to sound out the name at the top of the page, "O-ha-". "No, it''s pronounced, ''Okenek''. See this letter makes¡­ can you not read?" "I can read. The letters just¡­ keep changing." "I see, that sounds like something I read about. Oh, by the way, I''m Samil." He held out his hand to her, and that stupid smile of his, cause her to consider hitting him once. Instead, she grabbed his hand and shook it. "Venginn." Everyday for the next few months, Venginn would escape her home and search for Samil. The two would just read. She hated it, but somehow, he made it tolerable. No, enjoyable even. There was a trick he taught her for reading. She had something called dyslexia which made words and letters challenging to decipher, but his trick helped. It wasn''t perfect, but it made it tolerable. --- The days grew warmer, and eventually summer rolled around. The summer months were Samil''s favorite, as almost everyday would bring various sweets and baked good his father and mother would prepare. His mother in particular, was amazing at turning the bitter and tart berries around the village into the most wonderful baked tarts you could imagine. His mother never had much, being abandoned by her family for being mix blooded. She had basically grown up in an orphanage just outside the Trilliona. When she came of age and left, she had to learn how to make do with almost nothing, and she did. It always seemed strange how poorly people would treat his mother, well elves specifically. It was almost impossible to tell she even had elven blood, and she looked like any other Antrho Human hybrid. But they could tell, and it wasn''t easy when they did. That''s one of the reasons she ended up in Wollseeth. Most the population here was human, and although humans were not without racism, they were nothing like the elves. After finding a job at the hunter''s guild, she later became a hunter, where she met her future husband. Samil wasn''t sure if they meet before or after they came to Wollseeth. "What are you smiling about?" He was always smiling, but his mother had a six sense for when it was a true smile or just the mask he wore. "I don''t know. It''s summer, I was looking forward to spending it with my new friend. The solstice festival is coming up soon." "Oh, is that the girl you''ve been hanging around?" His mother''s smile dropped, "Samil, you should be careful. I''m aware of her parents, they''re¡­ very traditional." He knew his mother was right, but still he enjoyed her company. There was something about the young girl. She had this adventurous streak, and curiosity about her. As the end of Jenos came around, the summer solstice festival would start with a literal bang. Foosh! The mage in the center of town cast several fire spells into the sky. The growing fire signifies the longer summer they had this year. Normally, they wouldn''t pay for the mage or the fireworks, but every ten years, it was worth it for the double leap year celebration. 312 Ast-Astrix was such a year. You see, once every ten years there would be double leap year with two leap days. In order for the calendar to work, a leap day was needed every other year. But they also needed one every ten years as well. They added this extra day, on the 6th month of the year, Jenos. Turning it to the longest month of the year with 33 days. Every year there was a three-day celebration around the solstice, giving farmers a few days'' respite between planting and harvesting. Leap years, it was extended to four days. It was common to give small gifts to friends, family members and significant others during this time. Samil attempted to give such a gift to Venginn as he handed her a blue and purple flower, or at least he tried to. "What''s this?" She looked over the flower with mild curiosity. "It''s just a gift, for the summer solstice. It''s a double leap year, and I don''t know, I thought people gave each other gifts." With a bit of uncertainty, Venginn took the flower from Samil. He couldn''t help but smile as she did, only to caution her as she manhandled it a bit too much. "Eh, be careful. It''s called a frail lily. It glows light blue in the evening, but not if you damage the flower." It wasn''t something elves did much. Gifts were given only for the rarest of events. Trivial things, like days of the year or celebrations, where usually gift giving occasions. Still, it was a nice jesture. It would have been rude for her not to accept it. The day was fun! Throughout the town, people would transform their shops, throwing up small decorations. At night, they would set up booths and games, like a carnival! For the double leap year, it was even more impressive, and everyone participated. Well, almost everyone. "You mix blooded mongrel, stay away from my daughter!" With that, Venginn''s father pushed him hard enough that he couldn''t keep his balance. Falling to the ground, Samil watched as Venginn protested her parents force, yelling at them. Somewhere along the struggle, her lily fell to the ground. "You alright kid?" One of the soldiers policing the event held out his hand. Samil did the only thing he could, he smiled and graciously accepted the hand up. Most of the villagers were nice, even those that may not have approved of his parents'' union weren''t against him, per say. As he went to pick up the lily, he found himself disappointed that he couldn''t do more. The blue flower probably wouldn''t glow tonight, given the large number of purple bruises. Still, it was pretty in the day light at least. With a sigh, Samil began the walk home. The flower had cost him a copper that he didn''t really have. But it was the feeling of rejection that actually hurt. --- "I don''t get it. You were doing fine a month ago Venginn, what happened?" Her mother placed her hand on top of hers. The concern in her eyes was genuine just, hallow somehow. "I just don''t get it. Reading is hard for me, Samil helped me make sense of it." Her mother didn''t want to hear that. As was made evident when she pushed away and took her hand off hers. The day would pass, and as usual, she would not get very far. Though, it wasn''t because she couldn''t read it. She just didn''t care anymore. Several days, it went on like this. With her parents threatening to send her away if she didn''t improve. Where would they even send her too? It was an empty threat, and she knew that. "Venginn¡­ Your mother and I think you should start attending school. You aren''t where we want you to be, and¡­ I hate admitting this, we think interacting with the other children helps you. Even that mix blood Samil." It was hard to say how she felt. School was a foreign concept, but from what little she gathered from the other kids she could talk too, most didn''t like. But Samil would be there. Maybe it would be worth it? True enough, Sootember the 13th rolled around, the 2nd Momadeg of the month, and the start of school. It was as bad as everyone led her to believe. Abial was, a bit of a witch. She would torment anyone who stepped out of line, and the number of pages handed out were not a joke. She seemed to pick on Samil a bit more than was fair and gave her wider birth then deserved. Perhaps it made sense, Abial was a full-blooded woodland elf. Initially, it was slow going. Venginn was behind the students at her age, but now that she had the tricks Samil taugh her, she could read fast enough. Even more, she relized how easy it all was. Just memorize a few passages, which was all she ever did. Being unable to read, it was the only way to get through a passage, have someone else read it and memorize what they said. Within a month, she and Samil were the two best performers in class. It felt good to sit next to him. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Years would pass, and eventually two new, much younger students would enter their class, Reese, and Emilie. Their dynamic changed things. Emilie was easy enough to get along with, a bit shy, but once you broke through that shell quite friendly. Reese on the other hand, liked to celebrate birthdays. One of the first events Samil and Venginn could remember about him, was the trauma he put Hemmsal through. It would be challenging to truly befriend him. But Samil would try at least. That winter, the winter of 316 Ast-Astrix was special. It was another leap, just a normal one. But, that cold winter Venginn and Samil began exploring far beyond the borders of the town. This cold snowy day was no different. The sounds of the two laughing could be heard by all the winter animals trying to sleep. Venginn looked over their work with a laugh. "I think he needs eyes." The lopsided pile of snow would barely pass for a snow man. "I think he needs major surgery. He shouldn''t be leaning like that." Samil laughed, but found some darker rocks just below the snow, and some bark for a mouth. "Non-sense! He''s smiling. He''s a happy little abomination. Just like you, horse boy." It was a kick name she had recently given him. It was probably meant to be a bit insulting, but he didn''t seem to mind. Suddenly, and without warning, the snowman decided it had enough of life and began tilting over. Both Venginn and Samil tried to save the doomed creature but failed. Instead, somehow, Venginn began to fall. With a laugh and a sudden grasp, she tried to steady her self off of Samil, but only caused him to fall as well. The two fell into the snow, Venginn on to her back and Samil face first into the snow next to her. For a moment, they stared at each other. Their teenage minds and hearts confused. A light flush and they laughed in uncertainty again before getting up and wandering out of the snowy embankment. The sound of crunching snow and breaking twigs alerted the two of them to another group of people enjoying the winter landscape. Gezal, Reese, and Emilie stared at the two for a few moments. Both of them worried for a bit about what would happen if Venginn''s parents were told about them hanging deep in the woods together like this. Their flustered faces only adding to suspension. Neither were expecting the absurdity that Gezal was about to start, "What about you Venginn and Samil, what role would you play in our Circus?" Venginn was both relived and confuse, "What?" Samil laughed slightly as the situation seemed to diffuse itself. It was amusing to think that Reese''s absurdity was rubbing off on the would-be knight. "I suppose I could be the horse. I have the blood for it, well at least 1/8." With little left to do, and not wanting to arouse any more suspicions. Samil and Venginn would wander with the other three for a few hours. You couldn''t call the five of them friends, but for that afternoon, perhaps they were. Summer would come once again. Things were about to change. Both Venginn and Samil had spring birthday, in fact, they were littler more than a week apart. At the age of 15, this upcoming year would likely be the last year they were in school. After this, they would either start an apprenticeship somewhere, or perhaps, if they could, find a college or academy that would take them. That assumed they both survived what Samil was about to do. "Venginn, I''ve been thinking about this for a while it''s¡­ Well¡­ I love you, and I''m pretty sure you love me too." Samil held out a pair of wooden bracelets. Each culture had their own view and methods for courtship. Humans tended to exchange either precious metal rings, or more often than not, bracelets. First of wood, then of metal once married. Venginn tried to convince herself that he didn''t say that, that he didn''t do that. That was the one thing he couldn''t say. Her parents had come to an understanding, so long as Samil helped keep her grounded, and focused on books and school their relationship was¡­ tolerable. But anything more and they would disown her. "¡­sorry, but could you say something?" "No." It was quick, and without thought, passion or feeling, beyond fear. "¡­Oh." Clearly it wasn''t what Samil was hoping for. "No. no. no. We can''t do this. My parents, they would literally kill you, and then me. No. I like you Samil bu-" "Then why does it matter?" Why did it matter? It was a question she had a hard time answering to herself. Clearly it mattered, it had to. Her parents they wouldn''t allow, and then there was¡­ she struggled to think of something else, anything. "BUT! We can''t." Her heartbeat in chest and fluttered wildly. This wasn''t what she was expecting today. How would it even work? How would they work. They''d get married, maybe open a store somewhere. Have some kids. Kids, oh gods that would mean¡­ "No, no, no¡­" Her face felt flushed this wasn''t happening today. "Samil¡­ Let''s just pretend you didn''t me ask that." "¡­Ok. If that''s what you want to do." For one of the few moments in his life, Samil didn''t smile. That hurt her more than anything else. Venginn stood there by the lake as he wandered off, back home or to town. It didn''t seem to matter, he just needed to walk away for now. Her heart pounded, and her head felt light. She needed to sit, she needed to think. They were 15, it was too young for them to do this anyway. Most people don''t even think about courting till they''re at least 16. That was a year away, and engagement bracelets, they usually only came out two maybe three years later. That was four years from now. More than that for many. This was too fast, even if she wanted this, and maybe she did. Her mind drifted, as she thought about him, and what he would look like four years from now. Then fourteen years from now, then forty. What would they look like when they were old together? Would their grandchildren come and visit them. The feeling of blood swelling to her face made it feel hot. The blush she had would have made a demon question if she was alright. The smile that crossed her face was bitter as much as it was sweet. There was just no way. As she got up it occurred to her that Samil had left the other bracelet. Unsure what to do with it. She could destroy it or just leave it, that would have been the best. But somehow that seemed wrong. Samil didn''t seem to have much money. How many coins did he spend on this? She''d have to give it back to him later. Without thinking about it, she took the bracelet with her. Sitting in her room, she couldn''t bring herself to do anything with the bracelet. She should have thrown it away, or given it back to him, or even just chucked it into the damn fire. But she couldn''t. It was just too much to make a decision. Instead, she pushed it to the back of her desk where it would be dealt with later. When her head was a bit clearer. At least that was the plan. It wasn''t all bad. Everything went back to normal. Samil was still his pleasant slightly dorky self, and she was her usually slightly abrasive but good-hearted girl. Who suddenly realized what she wanted but could never have. What was she supposed to do now? Why couldn''t that damn horse boy keeps his thoughts to himself. He had to infect her with his love. Her father handed her a bouquet of blue and purple frail lilies. "Venginn. You''ve been down for the past few days. I thought these might cheer you up." They were beautiful, and the irony of the gift was not lost on her. The whole reason they were her favorite in the first place was because of him. A weak bitter smile crossed her lips as she continued to look at them, without taking them. "They are your favorite right? I remember you liking them when you were younger." "They''re great dad. Thank you." The last year of school finally started, with a whimper. Everything felt different, but also the same. Reese was his annoying self. Emilie was catatonic for some reason. Gezal and a few others were missing. But it wasn''t that different. Samil was his usual bookish self. Adorable and silly, and absurd, and stupid. So very, very stupid¡­ No matter how much she tried to stay away from him, it just seemed to make it worse. "Venginn, are you paying attention?" Fense was glaring at her with his predator eyes. Making her feel like unsuspecting prey. ''Animal'' That word bounced around in her head before she shook it out. That wasn''t fair, he wasn''t looking at her like prey, just like a silly girl who couldn''t keep her mind straight. "Sorry, Fense." She didn''t bother staying behind to work on the homework. Instead, she went right home, not wanting to deal with Samil right now. Though, that might have been a mistake. There on the kitchen table, was the wooden bracelet Samil had tried to give her over the summer. It wasn''t even an argument, just shouting at her. They guessed immediately who had given it to her. "You! You and that damn beast. I can''t¡­ Venginn this is beyond unacceptable. I mean a human would be bad enough, but that mut. He''s not even an Anthro, he''s... disgusting." "How dare you! Samil is a good man. Better than either of you. He doesn''t judge others; he wouldn''t ever hurt someone. He''s¡­ just a good man, and I love him." She finally said it, and it felt right. It felt good. But what happened next, didn''t. Smack. They had never hit her before. Never. They would always yell, punish, withhold dinner even. But never hit, until now. "You will never see him again. If you do, I don''t care what the guards or soldiers do to us. We will not tolerate this relationship." "Your mother''s right. I think we need to send you to your uncle in the Dark Elven States. They aren''t like the woodland elves, but at least they''re elves." Venginn knew she should have destroyed that damn bracelet. Why didn''t she? --- Meanwhile, on the other side of the village about an hour late. Word of what was happening in Venginn''s household had spread to Samil in the most unpleasant way. "You need to stay away from my daughter!" With that note came a rather fast right hook. The punch was harder than he was expecting, and it forced him to the ground. Samil held his arms up, begging them to stop. Instead, they started kicking him. Only the soldiers were able to put a stop to it. The village was small, but even the small village had a jail. Fortus, the commander of the soldiers and knights stationed at the village, was the de facto warden and head jailor. It wasn''t usual that he would question Samil about what happened. Fortus stood in the small jail listening to Samil''s petition. It was a bit odd, but not unheard of for the victim to ask for leniency. "I see. I can''t have people beating on others regardless of the circumstances." "Fortus, I understand. But I don''t want to cause any more trouble." Down the hall, Venginn''s brother shouted, "I don''t need charity from you, fucking animal." Fortus had to shake his head. With that one statement any hope of leniency was thrown out the window. "Shut it, or I''ll make your stay a month instead of a week." Turning back to Samil, "I''m sorry son. I can''t just let someone like that out. He needs to spend some time here to cool off." None of this was going the way he wanted. It felt like a mistake to propose to Venginn. At the very least, it was too soon. He just couldn''t risk losing her. Though, his actions might have just ensured there was no alternative. The next few days were hard. Venginn''s family and Samil''s parents got into more than one confrontation. Fortus threatened to throw everyone in jail, only for Ard to come out and mediate it all. He was only partially successful. Things would keep getting worse. Even school wasn''t a reprieve. Venginn was there, she wasn''t speaking to him. Always making a point to leave before him. Samil slowly walked out of the schoolhouse, only to stare at Venginn in the distances and she walked away. He had spent years watching her, he could tell she was hurting. For a moment he wasn''t even aware of the other girl standing outside the schoolhouse. Emilie was there waiting for something or more likely someone. "Waiting for Reese?" He tried to make pleasantries but just wasn''t focused on her. "Yeah. I really need to talk to him about something." "You two are always together, hope everything is alright." He could tell his voice was hollow, as he couldn''t stop thinking about her. "I¡­ might be going away in few days. I''m being interviewed for a college. I''ve been trying to figure out how to bring it up. But you know Reese, he''s hard to talk to." Emilie''s voice was filled with sadness, and confusion. But again, Samil wasn''t focused on it, and barely heard it. In fact he completely misunderstood. "Heh, yeah, he is. Glad to hear you might be going to college. Shouldn''t be surprised though, I think you''re smarter than the both of us. I mean¡­ then Venginn and me¡­" He sighed; all he could think about was Venginn. "Do you like him?" He didn''t really care, but it seemed like the right question. "What? No, I''m 8 and he''s my best friend." Samil laughed. "I know that but, you can still like someone. I mean, I did. I thought¡­ she did too but maybe I miss read things." "I think Reese is going to be a while. Do you want to talk about it?" At first Samil didn''t, but he also didn''t leave. Eventually, it just all came out. "''Let''s just pretend you didn''t me ask that.'' That was what she said. And I''ve tired, but somewhere, things did change. We¡¯ve been together since we were kids. Her parents never liked me, but I guess they tolerated me because I helped with her studies. You know, she hatted school and reading when she was little.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe that, Venginn always has her nose in a book.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true, she hated it with a passion. But¡­ For some reason she started hanging around me, and copying me. It¡¯s funny because I thought she hated me. Used to make fun of my hair and skin.¡± Samil rubbed at his arms nervously. Maybe if he didn''t look like this, they wouldn''t have known about his mixed blood. Maybe there could have been a chance. ¡°I just¡­ wish we could go back to a few months ago. Even if I was just her friend. You know, not many people can tolerate me because of my appearance. Not to mention my mixed blood. But despite her occasional bullying, she did.¡± With one last sigh, Samil started walking away, not in the direction of either of their homes. ¡°Good luck on your test, Emilie.¡± One last confrontation, this time forcing Venginn''s father and brother on the ground. Samil''s mother was a very successful hunter. Picking a fight with her was not a good idea. "ENOUGH!" Fortus got involved again. "This is the last time I will warn both of you. The next person in either family to start a fight, will spend a year in the jail, and have to pay the full costs. If you don''t want to end up in debitor shackles for the rest of your lives, stop this nonsense. Before someone gets killed." Ard was of course unwilling to commit to such drastic actions, but he also knew he didn''t have a choice. Perhaps then it should come as no surprise that Sami''s family had a plan worked out when he got home. "Samil. Son we love, but it''s too dangerous for you here." His father handed him a purse, with 3 gold coins. About half year''s salary. "It''s enough to start off with. More than I had." His mother spoke between the tears. He was 15. Young, but not too young to head out. His parents didn''t want to do this. If he pushed back, if he decided to stay, they''d support him. No matter what the consequences were. But his younger brother didn''t deserve that. They didn''t deserve that. It wasn''t like they were abandoning him; they''d see him again one day. Just, not for a while. "Also, here." His mother handed him a scroll, sealed. "This is a letter of recommendation from the local guild hall. It won''t make you a hunter, but if there''s a job available at any of the local halls, this will get you in. You''re a smart boy Samil." His mother was strong, but even she couldn''t keep the tears back. One last thing, a carriage ticket. He could leave whenever he wanted. The destination was a near by city, but he could go further if he needed to. His father recommended the capital, he had friends there that could look after him. Before he left, he had to do one last thing. Even if it was a bad idea. "Venginn¡­" "Samil, I can''t talk to you. My father is about to kill you and your family. Please." She was between tears. Though, so was he. "I just. I''m sorry. Look, I heard your family was going to send you away, but they don''t have too." "What are you talking about you stupid horse." "I''m leaving the day after tomorrow. I''m going to head north, maybe to the capital, maybe somewhere else. I just¡­ I just to know, I''m sorry. And even if it''s wrong, I had to do one last thing." She wasn''t expecting the kiss. It was as quick as it was long. As apathetic as it was passionate. It was their entire relationship summed up in one action. Neither wanted it to stop, but they didn''t have that luxury. The last day was surprisingly peaceful. No doubt Venginn talked to her parents. Perhaps, they accepted his answer of exile. For the sake of both their families he hoped so. When the carriage finally came, Samil bid fairwell to his family. He thought about saying goodbye to his few friends but, it didn¡¯t seem worth it. As much as he wanted to say goodbye to her, he knew he''d never leave if he did. The carriage lurched forward, only to stop a moment later. Shouting outside as followed by the sounds of coins being thrown. It was such an odd exchange, but not as surprising as what happened next. Samil wasn''t expecting the carriage door to swing open. Even less, he wasn''t expecting to see Venginn standing there. She sat down next to him, as the carriage sped away. Outside, an older elf started running towards the carriage. Shouting something she didn''t care to hear. "I didn''t have time to pack." She tried not to laugh at the absurdity of it. The carriage road away from the village that had grown too small for them. Samil squeezed at Venginn¡¯s hand, the uncertainty on her face disappearing. As she stared into his deep brown eyes, her heart fluttered again. His spotted hair and that stupid smile he always had, he would always be there for her, willing to go to the ends of the world and face exile with her. Closing her eyes, she did the one thing that felt right, and kissed him, before laying her head on his shoulder. "This is a horrible mistake." "The best kind." Life would not be easy for the two. They were both well read, and intelligent, but with little money and skills. Yet, they would find a way to Lam¡¯hathm the capital of Thrus. A place that was large enough that their union would not be questioned. Samil would get a job at the local guild hall, as an actuary. It didn''t earn much, but it was enough. Eventually though, he would climb the ranks, and in time become an important member of both the Hunters and Freelances. Vinginn had a harder time, at first. But her knowledge of plants and herbs lent itself well to one of the local apothecaries. She even started learning healing magics, finding she had a natural talent for them. Had things been different, she may have even ended up at a college. Years would pass, decades and the five children were more of handful than they had expected. Mix blood relationships usually have a hard time bearing more than a few children. Their friends insisted their love overcame their blood boundaries. But, it was fine, this life was what they both wanted, and they were happy. Perhaps, it was of little surprise that fait would have their paths intersect with an old friend again. "Reese, Emilie! It''s been forever. Who are your friends?" But that''s another story. Chapter 15, This is Fine A few weeks had passed, and everything was fine. "This is fine." Reese reassured himself as he washed his face. "Everything is fine." Quickly checking his pulse, 82 beats per minute. Roughly. That was fine, this wasn''t a panic attack. Just normal, Reese. "Reese, you''re late for school! Hurry up!" That''s right, the morning bell sounded a few minutes ago. That''s what woke him up. His stomach growled but he wasn''t really hungry, just empty. Right! He needed to move; he was late. Bounding down the stairs, he ran through the kitchen and out the back door. "Reese! Eat something before you-" The sound of the door closing behind him cut off his mother''s voice. School awaited him and he could not delay any longer! Entering the schoolhouse, he ignored the shaking of his sister''s head and the gaze of the other students. It didn''t matter, it was fine. "Reese, you''re very late. Please take your seat, we''ll talk after class." Finding his seat was easy because it was next to, no one now. The schoolhouse was emptier than normal. Gazel was gone, Emilie was gone, but others seemed to be missing too. It occurred to him that Samil and Venginn hadn''t been around for a few days. They weren''t friends, but sometimes he and Samil would talk. Sometimes Venginn would insult him in a way that was, almost amusing. They were intelligent people, willing to think and discuss the frivolities of history, literature, and mathematics. Scholars, like Emilie and him. A few times they had even stayed after school to discuss more advanced topics and questions with their teacher. It''s how Reese came to learn about all those sea battles in the unification wars. Like the Battle of Toolth Bay, that helped turn the tide of the war. But that didn''t matter right now. Where were they? They weren¡¯t friends, but he enjoyed their company. It didn''t matter though, not really. When he first got to school he didn''t have any friends, and the six years before that he had been alone too, and that was fine. Why would things be different now? People go away, it''s just what they do. Some may just leave, some may die, all go eventually. It''s fine, this is fine. At the end of the day, Reese faced Fense. "You were very late today. I''m used to seeing you a minute or two after the bell, but never that long. I''ve had you do a lot of pages the past week. I think, maybe a little light this time. Four pages should be in order today." Ok, right. Four pages. At this point that meant a new book. In his hands, Fense held a truly fresh book in his hands, one that looked like it was freshly purchased or donated. "Reese, how are you at drawing?" Fense handed him the book, "Geography of The Worlds Continents". It wasn''t what he was expecting, inside was a mixture of maps and text. With a straight edge and compass, it wouldn''t be too difficult to duplicate the maps, but it would take far more time than writing. Thankfully, the first 3 pages were text, only the last was a map. Which, as he suspected, took an inordinate amount of time. Eventually, the last students finished their work or just went home, leaving Fense and him alone. It seemed like a good time to ask. "Fense, can I ask you a question. About the other students?" "Hmm, depends on what the question is." "Do you know where Samil and Venginn are? I haven''t seen them for a while. Probably a week now that I think about it." Fense rocked in his chair, thinking for a while before answering. "I don''t know. I asked Ard about them two days ago, but he didn''t know too much either¡­" "I see." "You were friends with them, weren''t you." "No¡­ but I did like to talk with them. Without Gazel and Emilie¡­ I don''t know." "Well¡­ This is a rumor, so I''ll ask you not to spread it. I know their families had a significant fight. Soldiers became involved from what I heard." Reese stopped drawing. "My father didn''t say anything about that¡­" "No one died, just normal police actions. I think Samil left town. If I had to guess¡­ no I shouldn''t do that." "¡­Venginn left with him." For a moment Reese felt himself smile. A bitter bit of his own happiness, that maybe those two would find their own good ending together, somewhere. "As I said just a rumor. I''m sure you know how the elves feel about, well, people like me, they''re even worse about people with mixed blood¡­ It''s getting late, why don''t you take a break on the map and work on it tomorrow. Don''t worry about the homework tonight. I already know you know your math tables." Behind him, the school doors closed. Large ominous doors that he noticed had grown a bit smaller. Perhaps, he had just grown taller. Why did things have to change. The bookstore was closed for the day, so Reese made his way home, alone. At least he had time to work on his experiments and research. In his room, Reese sat and jotted down ideas in his notebook. There was something almost relaxing about solving an equation, like a mathematical puzzle. What he was working on right now, was differential equation, a very special one, the hydrogen equation. The parial differential equation, that would give you electron orbitals, and their rough energies. It would help open the door to Earth''s chemistry, and give him the tools to probe this world''s ''alchemy'', which he suspected was the same, but didn''t quite know how to prove it yet. Bellow him, he could hear his parents talking and arguing. Something that was quite common. However, the subject matter made him pause what he was doing and stand up in fear. "You want to send him away? Send away Reese. Fortus, he''s 8. Where would you even send him?" "I don''t know Lilith. But it''s getting too dangerous. I¡­" "Fortus, what aren''t you telling me?" "I think the same person was behind the bandits and the goblins, and¡­ I think we might have been their target." Silence. "Fortus, that''s¡­ insane. Sending an army of mercenaries for us? A goblin horde. This isn''t a story book. I mean¡­ why and why are they targeting us?" "To make it look like an accident, to make it seem like we were just another random causality." If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "I mean, you''re sure?" "¡­ No. But¡­ No. I''m not sure. Which makes this worse. We could be sending him away for nothing." "If we send him somewhere else. Will he really be safe, will we?" "Lilith, I don''t know. I just know strategy and I know tactics. If you''re enemy want''s something, keep it from them." ¡°Where would we even send him?¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know. I was hoping his sword skill would have improved, we could have sent him to my old academy. I still have connections there. I could, encourage them to consider him. But without any real skill.¡± "Ok, so what else is there?" "Maybe¡­ We could send him off to a host family. Maybe an arranged marriage. That''s what my family did. It''s what my brother¡­" There was protracted silence, for a moment Reese wondered if they were done arguing. Lilith broke the silence. ¡°That''s it, isn''t it? You think it was your uncle or your brother. Don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Lilith you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Are you lying to me or yourself now?¡± The two would continue arguing about Fortus'' family, their attention drifting from him. The weary sensation in Reese''s legs disappeared as he fell to the ground with a light thud, likely audible only in his room. It occurred to him; his parents had no idea he could hear them in his room. It should have been obvious before now, but for some reason had just now become apparent. It was almost amusing. This wasn''t fine. He wasn''t fine. Everything around him was breaking down. People he cared about, people he had let himself rely on had begun to disappear again. Change, he could never handle change. Like all those decades ago, when he went off to college, when he left his family and friends. That¡¯s when it all fell apart. They were going to send him away again. Far away from them. But no, that would be fine. It was fine. He was always alone after all. Always. ''All we need are the machines.'' That voice again. Not the one he hated, not from those that called themselves gods, but from something deep inside himself, the one that seemed to hate him. ''Build them.'' Every time he had to listen to it. Every time it spoke, it felt like an army inside of him. An infinite echo of himself and infinite lifetimes. Every time, it just led to more pain. It was usually just a feeling, an impulse, an obsession to do and to build. If he hadn''t listened to it, maybe he would have paid more attention to his friends. Maybe he wouldn''t have locked himself away again. Maybe¡­ he wouldn''t be alone again. "Reese?" A tinny voice. ''Our strength was never with them. Don''t let them lie to you.'' "Reese¡­ are you ok?" The tiny voice was not who he was expecting. Mabel was standing in his room, her face and hands were dirty, like she just got done cleaning out the chimney. Though he knew his parents would never have let her do that. "Is Nemi bullying you again? She needs to do her own chores." But Mable just shook he head. "I just wanted to clean the tops of the shelves. No one ever thinks to do them. But Fortus and Lilith told me they needed to talk in private." She smiled, broad and bright. "I did good, right?" He forced a smile of his own and rubbed her dirty red hair. It was almost brown with the dinge of dirt and muck. "You''re always doing good Mabel. Don''t let anyone tell you otherwise." With a bit of strength, he called from somewhere he stood back up. Sulking on the floorboards wouldn¡¯t fix anything. ¡®Build...¡¯ The voice grew quiet, replaced with that same impulse, that same feeling. None of this mattered. His notebooks held questions he had never bothered to answer. Maybe it was time he tried? ¡°Hey, Mable want to watch me setup an experiment?¡± A week would go by, Reese kept himself in his room. He stopped going to school, stopped going out. Just worked. There were issues with his setup, he had problems with his circuits. When they got too large, odd things happened. Variable mana fluctuations. It was like the atmosphere wasn''t just full of mana, but also it varied though out the day, and randomly at that. "Reese, are you ok?" Still another week, just leaving to eat and be yelled at by his parents. The mana effects made the problems with his mechanical project unsurprising. There were issues with variable friction, like he expected from his earlier experiments. His clock failed to tick more than a few times before jamming. Maybe he could use less gears? Still, anything big and mechanical would have issues. "Reese, are you ok?" Yet another week and another still. Food and arguments were all that waited outside his door. He tried his hand at alchemy or rather chemistry. He was certain that most of the elements from earth existed here and had similar properties. Which meant electron orbitals existed and were the same. Well more or less, there were some oddities he couldn''t account for. What he really needed now was good glassware. That would be hard to make, but even harder to find. Perhaps a skill he could learn in the future. For now, the deeper mysteries of chemistry would likely remain that way. But he already had enough insights and foundations to move forward elsewhere. He just needed to remember those handful of chemistry classes, those lessons. Of all his degrees, he never got one for physics or natural sciences, the best he could do was engineering and mathematics. The concepts of the philosophy of science he kind of understood, Modulus Tollens, proof through disproof, and others, but it was all a very basic understanding. He was an engineer, maybe when he was done here could actually do something with all this knowledge. Truely build something and not just be a failure in the shadows again. This was his second chance, he had to get it right. "Reese, are you ok?" Everyday, Mable came back and asked that question. She looked in on him and stayed with him, maybe because she felt out of place like he did. It was an unspoken connection he and his half-sister shared. Though it was annoying at times, her company was never unwelcomed. In just over four weeks he had filled up an entire notebook. Several centuries of ideas and concepts, he just needed to do something with it! But that would have to wait till later. His family had other plans. "Lets go!" His father had practically broken down his door and dragged him outside. He didn''t throw him to the ground, but Reese still found himself there, quite literally touching grass. It was almost amusing. His breath, forming clouds that coated the now brown grass leaves. The sun was still in the sky, so it wasn''t evening yet. Actually no, it was on the wrong side of the sky, it was morning. Had he worked through the whole night without sleeping? "Get up, we''re going to spar." His father threw him a wooden sword. It was just a normal wooden blade. A normal amount of pain, but he had enough of it and didn''t need anymore. Pain. He knew pain, pain was easy. You just shut it off, like your emotions, your thoughts, your mind. Focus on the problem you want to solve, let everything else fester and rot away. Once it''s rotten to dust and gone, it no longer matters. Like his old family, his old friends. Long dead, forgotten. Leaving him with, whatever it was he had after. He couldn''t even call them machines. They were unflushed out ideas and sketches on paper, failed grades and attempts to be something more than just whatever he was. Nothing. Sparring would make this end faster, and then he could get back to satisfying that damn voice in the back of his soul. He picked up the sword. "Fine." Smack. Thwack. Simple thrusts, and slashes from his father. Some simple parries from him, even a riposte. It didn''t matter his father wasn''t taking this seriously. Thwack! The impact wasn''t as hard as it could have been. Reese knew how hard his father could hit. Still, his arm almost hurt, but not really. It was like his feelings were numb. The pain didn''t matter. With a sigh, Reese spoke, "1-0". If he could get to 3-0 they''d be done. "No. We''re not doing this for score. Come on, keep going." Thwack. Smack. His father spoke between swings, "I get it, you''re upset your friends left. Emilie, Gezal, even those two weirdos Venginn and Samil. If it was me, I would have just moved on." Smack. Smack. Thwack! ''2-0'' Reese thought to himself. His father was better at dealing with emotions than he was. Fortus was a strong warrior and fighter, and Reese, was just gateless Reese. Did he want to continue this charade of a fight? Thwack. His father didn''t give him a choice as pushed at him with the wooden blade. Smack. Thwack. "Friends come and go, some of them we''ll see again, some, probably most, we never will. It''s easy for me, I''ve always moved around. Maybe because I was always running from my family it made it easy." Thwack! ''3-0'' They should have ended the spar now, but of course they didn''t. His father wouldn''t let him. Smack. Reese tried making the first blow this time. Of course, he failed. Thwack. Thwack. "Reese, I don''t understand you. I probably never will. But you are my son, and I do care about you." Thwack! ''4-0''. Reese felt his hands start to shake. His nervous system was fighting with him, it didn''t like being suppressed. This body was still harder to control than his last one. It wanted to do things he didn''t want it to do. Like he stole it, from the dead child that would never have been anyway. "I don''t know why they gods gifted you to us, to me." Thwack! ''5-0''. Reese didn''t bother blocking. Something wet crossed his cheek as he spoke, "I know, I''m a broken blessing. I always have been. My whole life, I''ve never been able to amount to anything. I''ve always been missing something. I''m sorry you''re stuck with-" His father wrapped both his arms around his son''s chest, squeezing almost tight enough to break bones. Almost. "Reese. You''re my son. That''s enough. And you''re still so young. You act like you''re 80, but you''re still 8. I may never understand you, but I will always love you, and I''m not going to leave you." He wasn''t ok but would be. Eventually. He just, needed to breathe. Chapter 16, The Prevaricate and the Precocious The bedroom remained cluttered, yet somehow it was an organized mess. Various projects sat half completed and in progress. Multiple notebooks and journals were sitting around the space, all of them full or at least half full. But Reese wasn¡¯t focused on the rest of his bedroom. Right now, he was focused on the very sharp knife he was holding in his hand that he was using to cut a white putty like rubber he held in the other. He was very careful with the cuts, as the blade jerked and slid down the material slowly and carefully. Carefully, he let the razor-sharp blade slide down. Carefully down and into the palm of his hand, coating the tan rubber material he was working on a bright shade of red. "Fuck!" Reese shouted to no one in particular, as he searched for the sterile rags he made earlier. That was the third time he had cut himself doing this. At the moment, Reese was working with a rubber like resin he was able to concoct with some nearby tree sap. To be fair it wasn''t even his recipe, it was something he found in an ''alchemical'' book in Charston''s store. Charston for all his complaining, was happy to nearly give him the four gold book for two. It wasn¡¯t that much different than a hard rubber when it dried, but that intermediary point before it was hard, it was very brittle, but also quite sticky and just slightly pliable. Perfect for what he needed. Cutting it had to be done carefully as the blade would stick at times and jump at others. If you weren''t careful, you''d be left with a stick mess of broken, drying rubber that would stick to everything but what you wanted. Also, it was almost impossible to get out of fabric. But it would be easy enough to remove from the glass in the future if he wanted to rebuild any of it. Finally, with a bit more swearing and a now less than clean rag, it was done. Two more thin and sticky squares of resin for his prototype circuit board. Various gem fragments now sat on the glass plane, affixed with the difficult material. The device in question was a new adder circuit design that sat next to his old version. Unlike the prior attempts at just bit adding, this one would be able to handle simple floating-point, or decimal numbers. It was just 8 bits wide, 3 bits were used for the exponent, 4 for digits and 1 for a sign. In short, it was borderline useless for real work, but as proof of concept it was perfect! He could even revert to simple binary addition by flipping a mux or switching circuit. Eventually, he''d expand it to add other functions like you''d expect to see in a calculator, like multiplication and division. Both of which were, easy enough. The whole design was a block in the larger Arithmetic Logic Unit design he had, what would become the math part of his processor design. It probably didn¡¯t follow IEEE standards, or any standards really. But in this world, he basically was the standard so why did it matter? Of course, there were still many questions he had; some he didn¡¯t even try to answer yet. Things like was mana quantized, was it conserved locally or globally, and many, many others. There were clearly cross interactions between the elements too which just made it all the more challenging to isolate and experiment on them. Already, he knew those questions would bite him in the future, but until he encountered them, he didn¡¯t know how to even begin answering them without better tools. Which he also didn''t know how to make yet. Though, one of the goals of these mana-tronics would hopefully lead there, to better tools. That of course rested on the assumption that he could answer these questions in the first place. He wasn¡¯t even sure he could, at least currently. It was just the limits of his ingenuity and of the sensitivity of his equipment, which in some cases, was literally held together with string, glue and hope, heavy on the hope. As saying went, human made crude tools, which they used to make better tools, then they used them to make more precise tools, ad absurdum. Until you reached the modern era. A giddy bit of excitement ran up his spine as he thought about a future based on magic technology. Technology discovered by him. It all had to start somewhere. ¡°Reese. What are you working on¡­¡± A tiny voice whispered from behind him, it came from an equally tiny Mabel whose curiosity seemed far larger than she was. ¡°I¡¯m working on a new circuit design. In theory, this will add and subtract real numbers for me.¡± ¡°Cool! I have no idea what that means¡­¡± She continued to whisper. Her attention to his work and him caused the young magical engineer to smile. The two had become surprisingly close in the past year. After his mini-break down she visited him everyday. Mabel kept finding her way into his room, but he never chased her out. So long as she listened, she was welcome. This had thus become something of a ritual of theirs. He would work, she would watch and ask questions. Rarely, very rarely, she would even ask a good one that he hadn''t thought about. That whole year was mostly a blur. After Emilie and Gezal left, it was hard to do anything, to focus on anything. He had thought about finding Samil and Venginn but they had both left town together. Fense tried to help in his own way, by giving him pages to do. When that didn''t work he back tracked before giving up. Then somewhere in there, Reese had an epiphany. He didn''t need anyone, he never did. With that thought, he fully turned his room into a simple lab. Experiment after experiment, doing anything but focusing on understanding reality. Listening to that deep voice within himself that had one commandment, Build. For two weeks he didn''t go to school, he barely went downstairs, he just¡­ worked. It was productive. As the current circuit showed. Almost 200 pages of notes and documents, new ideas, new information, and new paths forward. But it was also horribly toxic. It was the same mentality that lead to his issues in his prior life. Forsaking his classes, his work, his friends, even his family on daydreams and absurdities that never went anywhere. In a strange twist, it was his father who helped force him back to his senses. The father he did love, but who didn''t really understand him. Reese couldn¡¯t help but feel his father¡¯s impression of him must have dropped. A boy broken by mere act of other children leaving. Fortus would never show it though, even if it was true. His days of being a shut in, only lasted a few weeks, but with that time he was able to restructure his entire approach. Now, things were back mostly too normal. As they always seem to go. He had returned to school, and his job at the bookstore. His family was, well, they were still his family and he still had them. Unlike the last time. today was the first Dunladeg in Ogracito, basically a Thursday; It felt like a Thursday too. He had school in a few minutes and should probably eat something before he left. As if on cue, his mother called from kitchen, ¡°Reese! Come eat something before you leave.¡± Next to him, Mabel pouted ¡°I want to go to school. It sounds fun.¡±. In truth, she just wanted to hang out with her brother more. ¡°Reese doesn''t think it''s fun.¡± A rare statement from the usually quiet Meerlet, who had decided to sneak her way into his room as well. Not only was she verbally quiet, even her footsteps seemed to make no noise. Like a stealthy breeze she could find her way into any room without being noticed, until something was moved or she decided to speak. If she wasn¡¯t careful, that kind of natural stealth could get her into trouble. Or out of it, he supposed. ¡°Lilith says we can attend school next year. But, I want to start sooner.¡± Again, Mabel pouted. ¡°Mmhmm, And what about you Meerlet? Do you want to wait or start sooner too?¡± Meerlet, the brown hair child with the hazel eyes only shrugged. For a moment, Reese couldn¡¯t help but notice the dark dress she was wearing, it looked new compared to Mabel¡¯s reddish-brown shirt and patched up canvas pants which were hand-me-down¡¯s from when Nemi was a little kid. Despite their efforts to treat the two children the same, minor inconsistencies like that were obvious to him. With how smart both girls were, it was likely obvious to both of them as well. Perhaps that was another reason Mabel clinged to him so much. Not that his parents treated Mabel poorly, they did feed her, talk to her, complement her, and even bought her gifts on occasion. Just like Meerlet. However, they rarely asked what her what she wanted to eat, talked to her more than with her, complemented mostly the superficial, and bought her gifts that always seemed bit less thought out and valuable than Meerlet¡¯s. None of these things were egregious, his parents probably didn¡¯t even realize what they were doing. Maybe he was just reading too much into it all. ¡°Did you two eat yet?¡± Meerlet nodded, Mable sneered in mild disgust but nodded too. That probably meant it was something she didn¡¯t like, maybe pickled root vegetables or something similar. Sharing her dislike, it was tempting to skip breakfast, but he knew that would be a bad influence on his sisters. Before he could head down to the kitchen, Meerlet grabbed at his pants to stop him, ¡°I¡­ wouldn¡¯t mind going to school.¡± It was almost a whisper from the already quite child. It was cute, and with a gential head pat, he left his two sisters alone. Breakfast was already cool, no need for it to get cold too. Sitting in the schoolhouse, he continued to sketch out some ideas in his notebook. Methods to improve his circuits and expand his enchantments. At least, that''s what he tried to do. The conversation with Mabel and Meerlet had peaked his interest, and took up some of his attention and notes as well. Without Emilie or Gezal around, school seemed lonely, even with some of the new younger students. It was like important people were missing. He had tried to make friends with a few of the other students, but it was challenging, they just didn¡¯t share any common ground. Most seemed to find him annoying in fact. Which to be fair, he could be at times. But, if he could get Mabel and Meerlet in early, perhaps things would change a bit. They may not be friends, but they¡¯d make the school day pass a bit faster. Plus, they¡¯d probably enjoy at least some of the experience. The main problem would be their age, as Fense would later argue. ¡°I understand you want your sister to attend, but they¡¯re kind of young, aren¡¯t they? Five I believe?¡± ¡°They¡¯re both four, but soon to be five in the next two months.¡± The wolf¡¯s eyes grew further at the suggestion. ¡°Four is very young. Maybe when they turn five, but that would be the middle of the school year¡­. Starting early, or in the middle of the year. It would be tough, but¡­¡± Fense seemed to pause and twisted his head in thought as he considered Reese, almost appraising him of something. ¡°You enjoy lecturing the other students?¡± Shrugging at the suggestion, a small smile grew on his face. ¡°Kind of, it¡¯s fun seeing people learn something. Doubly so if I¡¯m the one that teaches them.¡± Fense could only let out a slight bark of laugh. ¡°It is indeed¡­ If you were willing to tutor them, ensure they¡¯re up to speed, I¡¯ll consider talking with Ard about adding them to the roster. With your parents¡¯ permission." ¡°That''s great! Like I said, they''re just interested in coming and I-" "You need something to fix." Fense smirked at his student. He gained a knack for reading his thoughts and intent. With that statement, Reese could only shrug in defeat. His teacher wasn''t wrong, even if it wasn''t the only reason. ¡°Heh, well if there¡¯s nothing else, I see a line behind you.¡± After school the bookstore job was shorter than usual. Charston, kept falling into coughing fits and eventually just insisted Reese head home. It wasn''t the first time this had happened. It likely meant that he''d be closing the store for a few weeks again. The break would be a welcome one, time to work on his experiments, but it would also add to some of the monotony. Waving off his boss and job, he went home. There was nowhere else to go to, not really. No one to hang out with just, the usual and the same. The seemingly unbroken similarity of each day. "Afternoon Reese, done work so soon?" A merchant woman, a rather tall blond haired elf with deep emerald green eyes spoke to Reese as he walked by. Fishing in his pocket, he could feel the 10 coppers Charston gave him as he considered the flowers in front of her shop. "Villoo! I''m twice lucky today, first I get off work early and then I get to see your shining face." The elf woman blushed ever so slightly and smiled; it wasn''t the first time he had complemented her. But of course, it would end the same as it always had. "You''ll be a real charmer one day. When you''re older, little boy." Villoo was quite beautiful, but she wasn''t exactly young, early middle age perhaps. Guessing, he figured she was about 36-40 or which would be about 4 times his current physical age. Which made it all the more confusing and complicated, at least for him. His advances couldn''t have been easy on her, he knew that. So, he tried to limit it all to a modicum of harmless flirting and smiles. Just enough to be pleasant, but not pushy. Like his previous life, relationships just never seemed to be for him. The women he wished for, were always just a bit out of his reach, and as he grew older, he just stopped trying. To make matters worse, his sisters had somehow gotten a fake letter to her after they found out he liked her. Villoo was nice enough about it and had suggested he find someone closer to his age. The love letter was amusing to most of the town. Which was a nice way of saying he was a laughing stock for a while, but as his father said, "All men fall in lust at first sight. Love, takes time." It was a bit crass, but true enough. He had convinced himself that he didn''t know much about her, and that was enough of a reason to drop. The age factor, well¡­ that was complicated in it''s own right. Still, he could buy a flower from her. For his mother of course. The deep blue Lilly-like flowers were one of his mother''s favorites, they were quite unique to this world and would glow softly so long as the flower petal wasn''t damaged. The exact name was odd, mentally he always called them ''frail lilies'', which wasn¡¯t wrong but not completely accurate either. Regardless, he was confident his mother would enjoy it. No doubt, along with a small laugh at his expense. "Oh Reese, you shouldn''t have." Lilith stifled a laugh as she sniffed at the flower. "Villow is nice Reese, but you should save your coins." "I merely bought my mother a lovely flower. Who''s to say I even bought it from the lovely elf girl?" This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. "Your smile says it." She had him dead to rights there. Looking around, it was odd not to see Mabel doing something around the house. She was still locked into doing more chores than anyone else. It had come to be an unfair expectation of her. "Where''s Mabel?" "Oh, she out in the field watching your father and his soldiers train." Lilith spoke between weighing cups and pitchers looking for the right sized vessel. "She''s been trying to get the soldiers to train with her, but I think they''re afraid she''s still a bit too young. If I had to guess, I think she wants to be closer to her father." His mother''s statement made him snear, slightly. He could remember being Mabel''s age and seemingly being old enough to train with a sword, and be hit with one as well. While it was good that Mabel could be spared the pain, if she wanted to learn it seemed reasonable that she was old enough. Given his own history. Fortus was a good man, but hard to get close to. Even Reese found him cold at times, though, there were occasions where that ice could break. It was probably doubly hard for him, given Mabel was illegitimate, a fact he could never fully make up for. Reese couldn''t help but think he was part of the reason why the soldiers didn''t want to train with her. It would have been too, awkward for their commander. Without any major distractions in the house, Reese would have the rest of the afternoon to work. He wanted to try and work out a new enchantment idea he had been thinking about. Nearly an hour passed, before he became vaguely aware that he was being watched, only it wasn''t by who he was expecting. ¡°Oh, I thought you were Mabel. Sorry Meerlet.¡± Meerlet lightly shook her head no, and just silently observed her brother. ¡°Are you interested in what I¡¯m working on?¡± Shrugging, she nonetheless got a bit closer to his work bench. ¡°So, this is a idea I¡¯ve been thinking about for, a couple years now. How can I inject mana into myself? Most enchantments only work on the item you''re enchanting. The mana flow gets bound to the item. But, there are a few that seem to affect the things they come in contact with. I¡¯m trying to isolate what lets an enchantment do that.¡± The child remained quiet but stared at him with silent wonder. It was obvious she understood some of what he was saying, she just, didn¡¯t talk much. When she did, it was a rare treat as she only talked to those she trusted and liked. ¡°Are you doing this because you don¡¯t have a gate?¡± Her voice was barely more than a whisper. ¡°I am. If I can make this work, maybe I can do at least some of what everyone else can do. It¡¯s not a complete replacement. I¡¯m not sure I can inject more than one type of mana, and I still won¡¯t be able to shape it inside myself, just use what there¡¯s.¡± Taking a moment, he examined his sister and her behavior. He wasn''t a doctor, at best he had a BS in web searching for symptoms, among the many other things he was in his last life a hypochondriac was one of them. Perhaps it was best he didn''t read too much into it, he tended to do that too. ¡°Meerlet, do you really want to go to school?¡± Again, the child just shrugged. ¡°I like¡­ being around you and Mabel.¡± Again, it was almost a whisper, but that¡¯s just how she talked. Quiet, as if trying to just blend into everything around her. The sound of his father coming home with Mabel in tow snapped him out of his own daze. They would be eating soon. At the table, the family sat around in mostly silence. Eating and enjoying the quiet moment. A moment, that Reese would break. ¡°Mom, dad, what do you think about enrolling Meerlet and Mable into school?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really have an option.¡± Fortus spoke between spoon full of the onion and salt pork stew. Lilith stared at her husband for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°They¡¯re a bit too young, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Technically there¡¯s no age limit, but yeah, they are a bit young. They both seem interested, and they both brought it up to me. What''s the harm?¡± Mabel sat in chair mouth a gap in a surprised smile, even Meerlet seemed to be smiling in her way of expressing herself. Lilith had a hard time saying no to the two faces. ¡°I mean¡­ You''re both only four. Are you sure you can handle it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just about five, and Meerlet will be five before me!¡± Mable protested on both their behalf. Their mother didn¡¯t say anything as if thinking. Seeing Meerlet silently watching and waiting gave Reese one more bit of ammo. ¡°It could help with their socialization. Hanging out with other kids, even older ones might help them express themselves.¡± Lilith knew exactly what Reese was saying and had to sigh in agreement. Meerlet¡¯s gaze dropped a sign of embarrassment at realizing they were talking about her. Though she did want to express herself better, it was hard. There was always too much noise, too many things happening around her. Trying to isolate one thing to focus on was almost overwhelming. It¡¯s why she tried to lean on her half sister and her brother, when she felt they had time for her. In an oddly un-Fortus event, he put his weight behind his son¡¯s opinion. ¡°I think Reese has a point. It¡¯s worth trying.¡± Again, Lilith stared at her husband. "Ok. If you two think you can handle it. Reese, you''re going to have to help them, that means less time for your¡­ experiments and possibly the bookstore." Time, that was one thing he had in abundance, he was after all, still young. "I can do that." Fense and his mohter meet in the schoolhouse the next day. The arrangement was simple enough, Fense would agree to teach the very young children, in exchange Reese was expected to tutor them and bring them up to speed. Lilith turned to face her son, "So every day after school you''ll need to help them. Do you really think you can handle it?" "Piece of cake, I''m sure I can make the time." Reese smiled from his desk, the last student in the schoolhouse. His mother and father glared in his direction. "Reese, are you sure you can handle it." "I don''t know why you''re so concerned. I''m good at tutoring, Fense tell them." "It''s true, he''s very good at lecturing the other students. Often about things not involved in the current lecture." Fense sighed but also smiled at his troublesome student. "Details, I can find time to handle it." Fortus stared at the number of loose papers around his son, and the several empty ink wells. "Uh huh, and how long is it going to take you to finish all those pages?" "I see your point. But, I''m sure I can make the time. Once I''m done copying this¡­ whole book." His father shook his head, but in the background an almost subtle laugh could be heard. "Ok. Fense I have to stop by Ard''s office, if you have the paper work I''ll drop it off on my way out." As his parents left, his father made mention of being late for dinner. It sounded like him and Ard had to do some inspection of some kind along the paved road. Reese didn''t get the full details, but his father was clearly loathing the thought of spending his late afternoon together with the mayor. That probably meant they''d all be eating late. "That book might be short, but I don''t think you have time to day dream, Reese." Fense pointed at the half-written book, he still had a good 40 pages. On the plus side, all the pages he had done really improved his penmanship. On earth, he might have been mistaken for a doctor with how poor it was. Here he might¡­ also be mistaken for a doctor given how good it was. It was an amusing reversal. The sun had just set once Fense closed up the schoolhouse. Reese''s arms and fingers still hurt from the extra pages, and he wasn''t even done with the book. It would take at least another class. As we wandered away from the schoolhouse, he was greeted by an odd sight. Several rather fancy carriages around the old keep and the mayor''s manor. No doubt it has something to do with his father or Ard. The one was quite extravagant. He thought about asking his father, if he knew who they belonged too. Maybe it had something to do with the inspection? It was a very rare to see what must have been near royalty in their village. Though, Reese would not have to wait that long to find his answer as soon as he arrived home. Inside the house, Lillith was sitting in the kitchen, her face ice cold as she stared into space. As soon as Reese saw her he could tell something was wrong. At the sound of the door opening, she glared at him in shock, a slight shake of her head screaming a warning to run. A warning that he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Hello, you must be Reese.¡± Behind him, was an extravagant man who was about the same height as Fortus and their faces, almost identical, save for a few extra scars and no beard. He was flanked by two armored men who could only be called dangerous. ¡°I¡¯m your uncle Nimaus Bronwyn. It''s good to finally meet Fortus'' son." Fear threatened to overwhelm his senses and his mind told him he should run, but he couldn''t fully explain why. Something about this man screamed terror, maybe it was his dead eyes. Slightly glazed over, like his mind was dissociated from reality. Reese had seen such people in his prior life. One of his old roommates was superficially charming, but also a textbook sociopath. His uncle had those same eyes and look. The fear on his mother''s face brought his mind back to running, but that would have been a mistake. Who knows how many were outside, or what would have happened to him and his family if he did. For all the fear he felt, the man didn¡¯t seem immediately lethal. Like a curled snake, he was waiting for his prey to do something before giving his venomous strike. Choking down his fear, Reese smiled back at the man. ¡°I had heard I had an Uncle, I¡¯m sorry we couldn¡¯t meet till now. You look¡­¡± pausing his ran through words, ideas, trying to game the situation. Everything he had gathered from his father''s conversations and fears. What would his uncle want to hear, but it obvious, strength. "Very powerful." For a moment, he had considered reaching his hand out to shake, but that seemed like a mistake. For a host of reasons, and he kept his hands out of his pockets and at his side. "Yes, well. It feels like your family hide you from me but I¡¯m sure that¡¯s nonsense.¡± His Uncle reached his hand out threatening to grab his head and snap it off. Instead, he just roughed his dark hair a bit before moving to the kitchen table to sit. He beckoned his men to help encourage Reese to join them. At the table, Meerlet and Mabel sat equally quiet and petrified like their mother. ¡°So Reese, I understand you¡¯re gateless?¡± It seemed such a strange question. Why would he care? More to the point, what should he say, the truth seemed easiest to go with. ¡°I am. It¡¯s difficult.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m told. You¡¯re trying to learn spell casting though, made some good enchantments too?¡± Reese looked at his mother for some sign that she had talked to him, but she gave nothing away. He couldn¡¯t be sure how much his uncle actually knew about him, and how much was probing. Regardless of his answers, it was clear this man was studying him. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s very difficult, but I¡¯ve made small progress. Honestly, I¡¯m probably not going to be able to do much, it¡¯s too hard without a gate.¡± This would be his strategy make himself look small, inconsequential. If his uncle was looking for threats, best to be meek. If he was right his uncle would probably ask about swordsmanship next. For a moment he considered knocking him off guard and bringing it up on his own. But he was probably better off letting this man feel like he was in control. His attitude and personality screamed extreme narcissism along with sociopathy. ¡°What about swords and bows? I¡¯m sure your father is teaching you.¡± Right on target. He needed to think, to play this game. Minimize his ability, show himself as weak and not worth caring about. But he also needed to make sure he believed that he believed it. It was just like all those time he got in trouble on earth, in his youth. People want to believe what they believe. Feed into that, and you can sway them with the minor details. It was manipulative, guile. Of all the strengths he had, mind was the only real one. ¡°I¡­ I tried. I can¡¯t do any sword techniques, not like everyone else. Every time I tried¡­ I end up bloody. Sometimes I think, I¡¯ll never be anything.¡± The man looked away for a moment seemingly in disgust, before turning back to smile at him. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re just too hard on yourself. I heard you got a hit on your father; I know from experience that¡¯s not easy.¡± ¡°No, it was tie, he hit me at the same time. Even more than that it was with enchantments against his basic sword. It wasn¡¯t fair, and I still couldn¡¯t win.¡± Again, the man looked to be studying him. Now was the time to knock him off guard, but in a way that would appeal to his clear sense of grandiosity. ¡°What about you, I know nothing about you Uncle. You seem, very important.¡± ¡°Important? You really don¡¯t know me. I¡¯m next to be head of the Bronwyns under my Uncle Julius. I command the forces of our family, and act as ¡®ast¡¯ of Glaymon for the family.¡± ¡®Ast¡¯ Reese heard that term a few times, it basically meant ''protector of'', he hadn¡¯t heard of Glaymon though. Probably some small city somewhere. Of course, his uncle continued. ¡°I¡¯ve led several successful defenses of our family¡¯s assets. Your father might be a knight commander, but I act as a general for our forces.¡± ¡°Wow, you must have had several successful battles?¡± ¡°Indeed, several hundred in fact. All my battles have been successful, I don¡¯t lose. My commanders on the other hand, aren¡¯t always so capable.¡± Wouldn¡¯t that be on their leader, Reese thought to himself, but it probably wasn¡¯t best to bring that up. ¡°That has to be challenging, dealing with so many people. Idiots are bound to get into positions they shouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Exactly! You¡¯re smarter than I was expecting. Maybe you¡¯re not a complete waste.¡± As insulting as it was, that was almost the perfect response. Minimize his size and look like an asset better kept alive than dead. A part of him almost enjoyed this game. It was like some twisted role-playing game only, it wasn''t a game. A sudden shock along the almost hidden scar in his hand reminded him of that fact. This was real, there was no save slot to go back to. Unfortunately, his game would be interrupted by the sudden entrance of a new player. The front door almost slammed off its hinges as Fortus came in. His eyes locked his brother¡¯s. The man got up and walked toward his brother, ¡°Fortus, it really was too long.¡± ¡°Nimaus. What are you doing here?¡± There was a slight tremor in Fortus¡¯s voice, at first. However, his quickly got it under control. ¡°I was just passing through the provenance and realized, I hadn¡¯t seen you since Neomsadi was born, what was it, 14 years now?¡± ¡°I guess it has been a while.¡± Fortus'' voice was flat, and still as a rock. Any fear or excitement in was gone. ¡°Yes it has. Now I see three new children! Your beautiful two daughters¡­ You know it occurs to me, one of them looks nothing like her mother. You naughty boy Fortus. Yes, two new girls¡­ and one boy, which is quite surprising really. Though he seems, a bit weak, doesn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Reese is fine. He struggles but is growing stronger every day. I¡¯m confident he¡¯ll overtake both of us one day.¡± For his stillness, there was venom in those words. Only Reese flinched at them though, that was not what he should have said. ¡°Perhaps. Anyway, you should all come up and visit the rest of the family, Julius hasn¡¯t been well since dad died. You really need to visit him before the gods take him away too.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re staying, we can prepare dinner at least.¡± Fortus'' gaze implied his words were a lie. No doubt if Nemaus continued to stay, he would do whatever it took to protect his family. Even the extra gaurds probably wouldn''t have saved him. ¡°Don¡¯t bother, like I said I was just on my way through the area. Needed to check on some things. I heard there were bandits sneaking into your village, and goblins as well! I thought my men could do a quick survey for you and see what went wrong.¡± ¡°My soldiers and Knights are more than capable; you don¡¯t need to trouble yourself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure your men are skilled, but you know mine are better. You know, things might be easier if you were to just head back up to our family¡¯s home. We could use your talents, and I¡¯m sure that most of your family would be much safter there, not of this bandit and goblin nonsense.¡± It was a clear threat, even Fortus couldn¡¯t ignore it. Not just against him, but against his whole family. As for ¡®most of his family¡¯, that obviously wouldn¡¯t include Reese. ¡°You know I gave up our family line. I have no interest in the power struggles, I left them to the rest of the family and you.¡± The smile on Nimaus'' face, was a twisted rancid smile that chilled Fortus¡¯ bones. Like a warped version of his own face staring back at him ¡°Oh brother, I know. I trust you, but you still have the Bronwyn family name, even if you don¡¯t want to use it. Remind me what your mayor calls you?¡± Fortus felt the two powerful arms of his brother grab his side. If Fortus¡¯ wanted to, he could have broken them, pulled his dagger and shoved it in brother''s chest. He would regret not doing that when he had the chance. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s-¡° ¡°Remind me.¡± ¡°Fortus Bronwyn.¡± Again, that sick smile. ¡°See, you¡¯re still a part of the family. No matter what you say.¡± Nimaus let go of his brother, and waved to his guard to follow. ¡°Well, as I said, I was just passing through thought and must be off. I would just have felt remiss if I didn''t at least say hello once.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to visit our wayward sister. You know, it took me a while to find her. I just, really want to see my nephews. I understand she has a girl as well. When was the last time you saw our sister?¡± ¡°Not since I left home.¡± ¡°Hmmm, pity.¡± Before he left, Nimas turned one last time to face Reese, still sitting at the table. ¡°Oh goodbye to you too Reese. I hope you know that you were a true blessing from the gods.¡± As the door closed behind him. Fortus broke, his hands started shaking, he tried to catch the breath he didn¡¯t know he was holding. ¡°Girls go to your room.¡± Lillith pushed the three girls upstairs. Fortus put his shaking hand on Reese¡¯ shoulder, steading himself. ¡°Reese, go to your room too. I need to talk to your mother in private.¡± ¡°If this is about me I-¡° ¡°GO! NOW!¡± AS usual, he could hear the conversation from upstairs in his room. Obviously, It didn¡¯t sound good. ¡°Fortus, what are we going to do.¡± Lillith started the conversation in a panic. ¡°I don¡¯t know. He¡¯s leaving, we¡­ I¡¯m going to have my knights and soldiers increase their patrols in the area. I''m going to see if I can get another squad from the capital too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it? You know what kind of man he is!¡± ¡°Lillith, he¡¯s my brother. I know exactly what kind of person he is. We just, need to be stead-fast for now.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t trust him Fortus. I know he¡¯s your brother but he dangerous.¡± ¡°Lillith you don¡¯t know what-¡° ¡°What I¡¯m talking about? Ignoring all that just happened, remind me, who cursed you?¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know, and neither do you.¡± ¡°Fortus, it has his handy work all over it. Who else even has a reason?¡± All the fear and uncertainty downstairs radiated up. What was Reese supposed to do? This was his fault. If he hadn''t been born this wouldn''t have happened. Today was supposed to be a good day. A day of minor celebration for Mabel and Meerlet. Instead, it was whatever this nightmare was. In the back of his head, his soul spoke again, "Defend. Build. Grow. Devour." He just needed to think, to calm down. Working on his project, his experiments would give him a moment of relief. He just needed to work. Chapter 17, Graduation or Expulsion There were two reddish stones on his work bench. Both were of equal size, mass, and physical properties, at least so far as he could observe. In theory, both stones should be able to contain roughly the same amount of mana. He needed them to answer several questions he could no longer put off. As his experiments in magic powered electronics started ramping up, little oddities and failures made themselves apparent. During his testing he found the results became less reliable the larger or smaller the mana stones he used. With more precise and higher speed connections it would likely grow worse. It was clear he had just naively jumped into it all, in hindsight it was amazing he was able to build anything. He needed a deeper understanding of mana before he moved forward, the calculator he was working on was a good first attempt, but it also ultimately showed the limitations of his current reckless approach. But from one perspective, that''s what science was testing the boundaries of reality and changing our views as we became more aware. As the shadows of understanding manifested into paths or mountains. Right now, he figured needed to answer questions regarding just how similar mana was to electricity. Which was always his operating assumption. He didn''t even know if mana was conserved, or could it just be created from nothing? He has a suspicion that it was conserved, at least locally. Said plainly, that given two mana items interacting closely the mana would remain constant. Which meant that it could be measured easily and worked with easily. If it wasn¡¯t, he''d have to revise everything he thought he knew. At the end of it all though, one thing became apparent. He was a better engineer than he was a scientist. His numbers didn¡¯t seem to stay consistent. Which could mean his null hypothesis, that mana was conserved was wrong, or it could more likely be the case that his setup was just too crude and his work too slopy. Other possibilities could be considered too, mana can transfer over some distance, he already knew that. It¡¯s possible that the background mana force that seemed to exist, would change everything fluctuated over time. So maybe mana was conserved locally, but not globally? More questions for his notebook, though, he was leaning towards locally conserved at least, things refused to make any sense otherwise. One thing was more certain at least, mana didn''t seem to exert a physical force, like electricity did. Moving mana from one stone to another didn''t seem push or pull either stone. Putting two charge stones next to each other didn''t push either away. His view that mana was like electricity, was crumbling. He tapped at the notebook in frustration. It felt like he was rebuilding modern science from the ground up, and for what? To build some fancy calculator? Why? What was this drive in him to build these machines. It was like a deep calling he couldn¡¯t ignore. In the other world it didn''t lead anywhere, a bunch of ideas, scratches on paper in a waste bin somewhere. He wasn''t smart enough, even with all his degrees, there was just no way to make it real there. What was this damn calling? ¡°Mechninos.¡± A whisper from behind him in a voice he couldn¡¯t help but hate, caused him to jump. No one was there, just screaming whispers from the back of his mind. Maybe it was just undiagnosed schizophrenia. Did that even exist in this world? ¡°Reese! I¡¯ve been yelling up to you, if you don¡¯t hurry Fense is going to make you do pages again!¡± His mother was standing in the doorway, watching him. ¡°Shit.¡± This experiment seemed far more important than school right now, but he didn¡¯t have a choice. School was important to everyone else, that was something last year taught him. Plus, now that his sisters were attending, he had to be there for them. That was the agreement he made with Fense. Running down he grabbed a quick bit of breakfast bread and headed off towards the school, bounding through the fields towards the school. The morning bell just started to sound as he hit the schoolhouse door. He had made it in time, if just barely. That wouldn¡¯t matter though because¡­ ¡°Ok class, please turn in your homework.¡± ¡°¡­shit¡± he whispered to himself. Unlike prior days he actually did do it, it was just sitting on his work bench, next to the fire mana stones. Which as he thought about it might be its own problem. The town didn¡¯t exactly have a fire department. If there was one good thing, it was that he wasn¡¯t alone today, as all but two students also forgot their homework. Even Mabel and Meerlet, who he was suddenly very disappointed in. Fense warned the class there would be a penalty for everyone forgetting, and it would not be pages. He would wait till the last part of class to reveal his teacherly evilness. At the last hour of school, Fense stopped his lecture. He didn''t let the students leave nor did he give them homework. Instead he gave them an extra assignment ¡°Ok class, since almost everyone felt the need to forget their math homework today, I have an exercise for us all. A fun and simple romp into the world of basic addition." Reese¡¯s curiosity was however peaked. What devious math problems did the wolf have in store for them that would take an hour? Fense wrote a single line on the board, ¡°Add all numbers from 1 to 100¡± The groans and sighs in the room could be felt, except for Reese who let out a light chuckle at the problem. Fense sighed, turning to glare at the annoyance. ¡°You find something amusing about the assignment Reese?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just, it¡¯s easy.¡± Fense shook his head lightly before opening his notebook seemingly to a specific page. ¡°Ok, too easy, then how about you. And this is only for Reese class, the rest of you continue what you¡¯re doing. Add all numbers from 1 to 500.¡± Reese shrugged; it really wasn¡¯t any more difficult. ¡°Why not 1 to a 1000, or a million?¡± Fense was really getting agitated now, and unconsciously started showing his teeth ¡°I have a solution for 1 to 500. But if you¡¯re so cocky about it, see if you can get it done before everyone else, or you can write two pages for everyone that finishes before you.¡± The threat rang hollow. Reese already had the answer in his head. Within a few seconds, he had sketched out a number on the paper, a quick few notes to verify his own logic, and ¡°Done.¡± The look on Fense¡¯s face was a combination of anger, disbelief, and shock. The wolf wondered if Reese was trying to make some kind of joke or mockery of the assignment. If it was anyone else, he wouldn¡¯t have had a second thought. ¡°If you¡¯re making a joke, I¡¯m going to have you copy an entire book.¡± He paused and took a breath. ¡°Let me see.¡± Reese handed him his solution, ''125,250''. Checking in his own notebook. His anger faded and was replaced with just disbelief. ¡°How?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a trick.¡± ¡°A trick?¡± Reese was prepared to explain it but Fense stopped him. He wasn¡¯t in the mood for this, and just wasn¡¯t sure how much longer he could tolerate it. As a teacher, he knew he couldn¡¯t be mad at the boy, or at least he shouldn¡¯t be but it was hard. ¡°Reese¡­ You¡¯re excused for the rest of the day. But, please come back before I close up the school. I need to talk to you.¡± That tone. Not disappointment, not anger, it was something else. Reese knew that tone, that voice and it sent shivers down his spine. Memories of a past childhood, expulsions in all but name. He didn¡¯t mean to cause harm, but in his mind, it was clear he had. It was the tone of abandonment when you finally pushed enough that other have exhausted their patience and just give up on you. Reese could only whisper, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Before leaving. A fear in his heart that it was for the last time. He missed Emilie, he really could have used her ear right now. Having nothing else to do, he did what he used to in the other world wander, in search of something that could not be found, solace. Charston was sick again, had been for the past week and wanted to keep the shop closed. Reese didn¡¯t want to go there right now anyway. A thought crossed his mind as he watched a carriage ride off toward the bridge, he could just run away. That was one thing he was good at, running, and hiding from things. At least, until there was nothing left to run from. When everything behind him just withered away and died. No, that wasn''t what he would do, not yet, not here. This time things had to be different, he would be different. It had to be different. He remembered the old hill where he first saw Emilie cast those fire bolts. Having nowhere else to go he sat down and considered everything around him. What was left for him here? His only friends had left. The bookstore was a place to earn a few coins and read a few books, but there was no future in that. He had his gadgets. Given a few years, the sketches in his notebook could really become something, assuming it was possible and not just the ideal fantasy of that voice inside him. But even if it wasn''t, it would be slow, and he lacked the resources to really do what he wanted. There was just too much he didn''t know. His personal spell casting had hit a wall too. He was never going to get better, at least not here. The simple stones and circuits he used just weren¡¯t enough. He needed a forge, but the local blacksmith stonewalled him, and a real lab, but there just wasn''t enough space at home. Really though, right now he just wanted someone to talk to. His mind drifted back, far back. How many decades was it, 4 now? How old was he truly. Did it even matter. The first time he was expelled, the time he had to leave his school, his friends, what few he thought he had anyway, behind. The disappointment and anger in his parents¡¯ eyes. Two people who were together only because of him. Everything he ever did just seemed to hurt them more. It was after his father had- ¡°Reese.¡± The sound of his younger half-sister brought him out of his trance. School must have finished the assignment, or just run out of time. How long had he been in that daymare? ¡°What are you doing over here Mabel. Shouldn¡¯t you be doing homework? You don¡¯t want to repeat today do you?¡± She smiled and sat down next to him. Mabel had grown quite close to him since she formally joined the family. Lilith tried to be her mother, and she kind of was, but it just wasn¡¯t the same. Nemi still bullied her, but it had slowed down at least after Reese began protecting her. As for Meerlet, well she rarely seemed to let anyone in. Their father was, complicated to say the least. Mabel had been trying to make inroads with him, trying to learn how to use a wooden sword. But that was quite difficult for someone not even 5 yet. Reese knew that well. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. No, for Mabel Reese was pretty much it. ¡°I¡¯ll get it done. I just want to make sure you are alright.¡± Her voice held a deep concern, that he also held for her. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I think I just crossed a line with Fense." He rubbed his hands over his face. "I just, need to go apologize.¡± His mind began to run with things he might be able to do, beg, apologize, write an entire book. That lost thought caused a shutter to roll down his body. ¡°Fense told the class you were really smart.¡± ¡°What?¡± He was not expecting to hear that, the shock snapping him out of his rolling shutter. Hearing Fense say that he was something along the lines of being annoying or an asshole, or an annoying asshole would have made more sense. Though, perhaps not those specific words. ¡°The class all started laughing after you left, and he told them to stop that you were really smart. That was why he let you leave. He told us you weren¡¯t in trouble this time.¡± Reese could only laugh at the last part of that statement. Mabel smiled back at her brother¡¯s laugh, believing the worst was over. As she looked around, she quietly proclaimed, ¡°I like this hill.¡± ¡°So do I Mable.¡± With a sigh of relief coated in subtle appreciation, Reese stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going to go talk to Fense. You make sure you start your homework, I¡¯m going to check it tonight.¡± ¡°Blech.¡± Despite the sound, she was still smiling. The walk was slow, not that the building was far away. As he walked up to those red doors, he mused to himself, all that was missing were the skulls and angles carvings as he passed thought the doors of judgment. ¡°Reese, come on up let''s talk.¡± Fense¡¯s voice was unusual, it sounded direct and lacked much of the minor formalities he used. It felt more like he was trying to talk to Reese as a peer more than a student. ¡°First, explain to me what you did. What was the trick.¡± With a bit of paper Reese began sketching his logic, ¡°Look, every number has a pair. 1 pairs with 500 and that gives you 501, 2 pairs with 499 and gives you 501, 498 and 3 is again 501, and so on till you hit the middle at 250 and 251 which is also 501. You have 250 groups of 501 so just multiple 250 by 501 and you get, well¡­ 125,250.¡± Fense could kind of understand the logic, but not how he was able to see it so fast. ¡°How did you see it that fast.¡± ¡°In truth, I kind of cheated.¡± ¡°You cheated, off who?¡± Reese could only shrug, ¡°A book, one I read a while ago and I don¡¯t remember the title I¡¯m sorry.¡± It wasn¡¯t a lie, he had read it a while ago, maybe thirty years or so. There was a formula for it, discovered possibly by Gauss, but that would have just been another name Fense wouldn¡¯t have known. ¡°It¡¯s a trick of addition. It works for any continuous integer series. There¡¯s even a formula.¡± ¡°Integer?¡± The wolf twisted his head slightly, and it was hard not to laugh at the thought of a dog trying to understand his human. ¡°Sorry, like a whole number 1, 2, 3, 50 etcetera.¡± ¡°Never heard that term before. But then again, there is a lot I haven¡¯t heard before. Reese¡­¡± Fense paused to consider his words. ¡°You and Emile were both absolutely brilliant. I mean that in all sincerity.¡± Fense paused, for a moment it looked like he might even cry. ¡°I have nothing that I can teach you. Anything I know, you¡¯ve probably already read about. Any new books I bring in, you¡¯ve read it first or at least something similar. You know ideas and concepts; I hadn¡¯t even thought of. Which is the problem. You keep taking my classes on sidetracks. It¡¯s fantastic you want your fellow students to learn new things, but I have to teach them this stuff first.¡± Now Reese was trying not to cry. The nightmare situation he had considered before, and try to dismiss as miss-found pessimism, was right. ¡°You¡¯re going to expel me then?¡± ¡°No Reese¡­ I¡¯m graduating you. I want you to continue to study and learn, I just don¡¯t have anything left to give you. Not that I had much to begin with in your case.¡± Fense considered his next words carefully, a little uncertain whether he really wanted to do this. ¡°Now, if you want to keep coming, I¡¯d be willing to take you on as a sort of apprentice. I see how you teach your fellow students. It¡¯s why I even considered letting your sisters in with as young as they are. You''re very good at it and you seem to enjoy it. If you want you can aid me in my teaching, I think you have the potential to be an exceptional teacher. I know with your lack of a gate; future job prospects may not be the best and this could be a good avenue for you. Something you could excel in. I¡¯d share my lesson plans, and while we can¡¯t go outside of them, I¡¯d take your input into consideration. Of course, I can¡¯t pay you, but maybe we could arrange something with Ard.¡± It was a strange feeling. A combination of being expelled, graduated, and recruit all in one blow. Reese didn¡¯t know how to feel. ¡°I need to think about it.¡± ¡°Of course. No rush, thank you for being part of my class.¡± Fense stopped Reese one last time before he left the schoolhouse, ¡°Before you go, back when I was an apprentice teacher, under my mother, she told me that a few times in your life you will encounter students who are brilliant, students who are clowns, and students who will leave a mark on you. I can honestly say you fit all three.¡± The walk back to the house felt, strange. As he entered the house from the back, he wasn''t quite sure what to tell his mother. There in the kitchen, Lilith sat with Mabel and Meerlet at the table. Each tackling a different part of their homework, thankfully they didn¡¯t need to be pushed into doing it today. ¡°How did school go, did Fense have you write more pages?¡± She spoke with her knowing smirk, as she mix some kind of salve at the table. Instead of reflecting the smile or nodding in embarrassment, Reese could only respond with the words on his mind ¡°I was expelled.¡± He could feel the shock from his mother, like a cold wake of uncertainty and disbelief, and he needed to correct it. ¡°No, no¡­ that¡¯s not right.¡± His words were failing him as his emotions shorted his thought process. He took a breath and started again. ¡°I graduated. Fense says he can¡¯t teach me anymore. He actually wants to recruit me to apprentice under him as a teacher.¡± ¡°Oh. I see.¡± Lilith tried to process it herself. Reese was just shy of being 10. He¡¯d had only been in school for a bit more than 3 years. It wasn¡¯t unusual for children to be pulled out of school if the family needed them to find a job or help with something like a family farm or business, but to actually graduate; To be told there¡¯s nothing left to teach you? That seemed rare. Lilith always knew Reese was different, and it wasn¡¯t just the lack of a gate. He always seemed far more ahead of his years. She had her own suspicions, but he was her child. It didn¡¯t matter what the truth was, and she loved him. ¡°Well, maybe it will be a good thing. I know you didn¡¯t enjoy school as much as you wanted to. You just, know too much.¡± She tried to look on the lighter side of things. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll accept Fense¡¯s offer to become his apprentice? You liked your job with Charston, you might have to give that up.¡± In truth, Reese hadn¡¯t really considered it. Everything just felt like it was moving too fast, he didn¡¯t think about what would come after. ¡°I like it when you teach us!¡± Mabel¡¯s cheery voice caused a smile to appear on his uncertain face. ¡°So do I.¡± Meerlet gave a rare whisper and insight into her own thoughts. ¡°See, your younger sisters think you can do it.¡± His mother had already decided to push him, it was a good opportunity for her son, one he might not otherwise have. Though, he¡¯d have to consider it. At the very least he¡¯d need to talk to his father about it. Back in his room, the two stones continued to sit on his desk, almost mocking his inability to focus on them. He needed some way to measure the amount of mana stored and flowing. ¡®One stone¡¯s worth could maybe make some sense? One of the resources he truly missed here were the libraries from his old world. He''d have been able to look up the history of phenomena, like electricity. It would have also be a good way to escape his problems and disappear for a while. His problem, what would accepting Fense''s offer actually mean? He''d still be going to school, probably earlier then he did now, that would probably hurt a bit. Even in this world he was still a bit of a night owl. Then he''d probably have to stay late every day, Like Fense. That would almost certainly mean his bookstore job would have to stop. Which further meant access to cheaper books would cease. This world''s knowledge was very limited, but it wasn''t completely non-existent. Shaking his head he turned back to the stones. All mana stones he had seen emitted light when they were charged and got brighter the more charge they carried. If he had a photodiode he could count and measure that. The problem was he didn¡¯t have a photodiode and would probably have to wait a few hundred years for one to be invented, assuming it was even possible here. He knew a bit of chemistry, but nowhere near enough to purify and dope silicon. Maybe vacuum tubes? No also too hard to make, even then, there was no guarantee electricity worked the same here. Friction obviously didn¡¯t, at least around mana, and that was arguably a simpler set of forces. Maybe he was thinking too far ahead? How could he even measure a mana field? Thinking about electricity, early meters would use a spring to torque a needle, which would be countered by a magnetic or electrostatic field. The stronger the electric flow, the stronger the magnetic field and the more deflection. ¡°Stones glow when overcharged.¡± He read that simple note again. Mana experienced something like resistance, if you try to push too much through a narrow wire, it will slow the drain. He sketched out a simple idea on paper. A triangular strip of gold foil covered with mana fragments. Along the top, mana taps that would feed into a drained stone. A stronger field would push further down the narrow wire, lighting up more of the stone dust. At least in theory. This would only work for strong fields; it would probably be non-linear too. But maybe he could pump a mana potential up? All his current circuits just used a pre-existing high energy field, but if he could pump it up he might be able to measure weaker fields. It seemed like the human body could do it. Well, most of them. In his internal ramblings he had completely forgotten about school, teaching, and the time. ¡°Reese, come on down, we have guest for dinner.¡± With a frustrated sigh he put down his notebook. He was close to a working idea and was desperate to try. But food came first, an empty stomach would lead to an empty mind. Guests¡­ Why would there be guests? He was not expecting either Fense and Ard who sat at the kitchen table. It was strange having the two over for dinner. Ard and Fortus hated each other, and to the best of his knowledge Fense didn¡¯t really visit other people. It had to be about the conversation they had earlier and the opportunity it presented. ¡°So, I understand you¡¯re interested in teaching, Reese?¡± Ard jumped right into it before the food had even been served. Perhaps he was just rushing so he could leave. Reese thought about how to respond, ¡°It would be interesting¡­ I like seeing others learn and tutoring has been kind of fun.¡± Fense nodded seemingly in agreement, ¡°I have to admit, I was uncertain about Meerlet and Mable joining class. But with your tutorage they¡¯ve done very well. I¡¯m impressed.¡± ¡°Yeah! You¡¯re amazing Reese!¡± Mabel stood and shouted from the end of the table. Meerlet merely nodded her approval, silent as always. ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea, you¡¯re always looking for new things to learn you love explaining things. I remember how you took Emilie under your wings. She grew a lot thanks to you.¡± Lillith was boastful of Reese, as always. ¡°I mean¡­ Emilie taught me way more than I taught her. I don¡¯t think I would have ever cast anything without her.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re underselling yourself. Both you and Emilie were quite brilliant, but I saw her copy you on more than one occasion. Which, is one of the reasons I suggested this.¡± Fortus remained quiet throughout the conversation thus far. Seemingly not really caring one way or another. If Reese couldn¡¯t be a soldier, a knight, it wasn¡¯t worth engaging with his future. At least, that¡¯s how Reese took it. Maybe it was just because Ard was here. ¡°I have no objections. My schooling wasn¡¯t like Reese¡¯s I had tutors as a child. I just don¡¯t have an opinion.¡± Which was the furthest he would come to an agreement. Still, better than nothing. At least he acknowledges the situation. ¡°You¡¯d want to be paid, I¡¯m sure.¡± Leave it to Ard to bring up the matter of coin. Still, it had to be considered. If he was going to leave the bookstore or at least reduce his hours, he¡¯d need some way to fund his experiments. ¡°The town coffers aren¡¯t exactly overflowing; we still have payments from the dragon attack a few years ago. I suppose we could arrange a small stipend, say 12 coppers a day for the days you assist?¡± That was more than he was getting at the bookstore, but he¡¯d be working a few less days, so it would probably balance out. More free time would be nice, his experiments were getting more advanced and required more time. All of that implied that he would stop working at the bookstore. It was entirely possible he didn¡¯t, maybe he could balance both? As Reese stared into space, considering his option he realized that they were all looking at him. "Well, what''s your answer?" Just over two weeks had passed, and the days had grown cold. Fense gave Reese his books, his notes, and ultimately his entire lesson plan. It was his job to study it and learn. So he did. In truth, he was nervous. He didn¡¯t know how the other kids would take it, seeing their fellow student suddenly at the front of the classroom teaching them. He stood there, next to his former teacher and now boss. "So after his very early graduation, Reese has decided to apprentice under me as a future teacher. I have high expectations for him, and I know you will all treat him well." This felt very awkward. Reese took a breath and smiled. "Good morning class, I''m¡­ well you know who I am. I''ll be assisting Fense for the rest of the year." Chapter 18, A Change in Careers The schoolhouse was cold, bellow freezing in fact, judging from the ice on the windows. His woolen jacket and mittens helped to keep him warm while he started the fire in the stove. The outside world was still bathed in darkness, the sun taking extra-long to wake up today. As was expected for being so close to the solstice. A shiver and yawn crept through Reese as he thought about curling into a ball next to the glowing embers and taking a nap, but that wasn''t a good idea. Fense would be in soon, probably not the best idea to be seen asleep by his new boss. It was only the second day of his new employment, but he was already getting used to it. Fense was leaving some of the more menial tasks to him to start with, he was sure of it. One of those duties was preparing the school house before he arrived. Lighting the stove was one such duty, at least for the months of Deciamon thru Elemiwi. Books, paper scraps, and very cheap charcoal was set out on the instructor''s desk, per Fense''s instructions. Other minor preparations, straighten up desks, pulling a few books from the library in back. Eventually, there wasn''t much left to do, but wait. His stomach rumbled in the dark cold. He had only grabbed a very quick bit of food. Some preserves on a bit of day-old bread. It wasn''t bad for this world, just not particularly filling. He''d have to make a note to prepare something ahead of time, or get up even earlier. A common problem in this world, at least in regards to cooking was how long it could take to heat up a stove. Without gas or electricity most were powered by wooden logs, which had to be lite and allowed to burn for a bit before you could cook on them, it could also be a bit wasteful of the fire wood to just cook something small. Supposedly, there were some very high-end stoves that made use of flame mana and enchantments, but he hadn''t seen one yet. Regardless, they would likely require mana, which he didn¡¯t have in the first place. A small notebook inside the instructor''s desk caught his eye while he sat in the slowly warming space. It was Fense''s grading book. The one book Reese hadn''t seen yet. Fense hadn''t said it was off limits, but he clearly hadn''t given it to him for a reason. The temptation tapped at his mind as he considered the time. Outside was just starting to get light. He''d be here in a few minutes, at most a half hour. That would be enough for a quick peak. Reese would have given anything for an actual clock right there, but of course it wasn''t that simple. The first few pages were notes for names he had never seen before. Most of them sounded Anthro, then he noticed the dates, it was almost five years ago. A note at the bottom confirmed, ''My son, I know you will do well in Tanoo. You have the makings of a great teacher. I know because you were taught by the best. Remember we all love you.'' It seemed like the book was some kind of parting gift from his mother or family. It was sweet and Reese actually found his eyes watering a bit at the gesture. He turned the pages, that was the only note he could see from his family. The rest were all Fense¡¯s, he paused on one in particular. ''Taking Jah off the roster. His mother was sold to a different village. I can''t keep doing this, it''s too hard.'' The next page was the first for Wollseeth. As he read the names, a few caused him to smile again. ''Gezal ¨C Good reading skills, writing is weak. Math, about average. Seems to like history. Need to focus on written skills first. Student might be going to an academy soon, maybe give the class some assignments on military history to help him?'' He skipped over his own name for a moment to read the one under him. ''Emilie ¨C Exceptional reading skills, Exceptional writing for her age. Exceptional Math. This child seems like a genius too. I know I shouldn''t compare students, but she might even be smarter than Reese.'' That didn¡¯t seem unreasonable he thought with a laugh. Unlike himself, who had a lifetime of memories to draw from, Emilie was born in this world knowing nothing. Her growth, was all her own. With a deep breath he jumped back to his name, unsure if he wanted to read it or not. ''Reese ¨C Exceptional reading skills, very good writing but likes to make up words and phrases. Math, beyond exceptional. This student seems like a genius, it''s like he''s already read a library worth of information. Likes to help the other students learn, but frequently gets in the way of my lesson. This one is going to be a challenge to teach, and I''m not sure what I can even teach him.'' "Interesting notes, aren''t they?" A voice behind him spoke, startling Reese into quickly shutting the grade book. Fense could only laugh, and sigh. "It''s fine Reese. I was planning to share that with you, later though." A sudden warmth rose to his face, and it was not from the stove he lit. ¡°Sorry.¡± He whispered. ¡°Ha ha. It¡¯s alright. Like I was going to show it to you. Tell me, what do you think of my grading?¡± Reese paused for a moment, before reopening the book and considered a random page. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure. I kind of expected to see, grades. Like maybe letters or numbers?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, you write exceptional, good, weak, poor, ectara. I just, don¡¯t know I kind of expected that to ¡®binned¡¯ somehow? Like exceptional might be ¡®A¡¯ or 10, good would be ¡®B¡¯ or 9, something like that. Maybe that¡¯s just how I think.¡± ¡°No, I get what you¡¯re saying. There was a school of thought like that back in the Auslang days when they did industrialized schooling, it doesn¡¯t work well for small schools like this. Tell me, would it make sense to ¡®bin¡¯ a first-year student the same as someone who¡¯s on their last year?¡± ¡°Well no, I mean. You¡¯d only compare them to students about the same age. I guess?¡± As Reese considered it more, maybe his idea wasn¡¯t the best. As Fense would point out. Fense smiled at his now prot¨¦g¨¦e. ¡°This is where I thought you might have some trouble, and maybe I might be able to actually teach you something for a change. Your mind always seems to be working with numbers. I see the way you solve problems, you like to make things into numerical problems. Even my literature lectures and assignments you like to twist into math problems. But these grades aren''t numbers, it¡¯s more abstract, to use your phrase. You¡¯re no longer a traditional student of mine, but I want you to do an assignment for me. I want you to mark out a few pages in one of your notebooks and start using it as your grade book. Keep track of the student¡¯s progress as you tutor them, and we¡¯ll start discussing next week before we break.¡± Reese nodded and took out his notebook, causing Fense to laugh. He didn¡¯t mean right then, but didn¡¯t stop his diligent assistant. After Reese marked off a few pages, he glanced back to Fense, ¡°I do have one question. Do you, report this back to the parents and what would I be expected to do in that regards.¡± ¡°I do, and that¡¯s an important part of being a teacher. You need to make sure you¡¯re communicating with the parents and ensuring they¡¯re involved. For me, every month I send a short letter with how each student is doing. Pretty much verbatim what you see in my gradebook plus an example of something I saw that backs it up.¡± Light from outside had finally begun streaming in. Given the height it was about 6:45AM, give or take a few minutes. Class would be starting in a little over an hour and the two still had a bit of setup to do before that. Fense didn¡¯t say it aloud yet, but he was glad to have an assistant now to help with this. It meant he could sleep in just a bit. Through out the week, the two would have several sit downs like earlier. Fense would explain his teaching style and reasons for doing things, and Reese, would attempt to explain how things should be done. At least in his mind, only to be shoot down most times. The wolf remained tolerant of his seemingly young ideas, in truth, he enjoyed being challenged a bit. It wasn¡¯t since he was last with his mother that Fense had his teaching methods questioned, even gently. Despite Reese seeming arrogance at first, he was willing to learn how teaching was done in this world. Though, he was insistent that at least some of his ideas held merit. Something he would be able to test later on. Setnesdeg would arrive quicker then it should have. Almost by instinct now, Reese found him self up just before dawn. He sighed as his eyes opened to the twilight darkness. Blinking a few times his hands went to rub the tiredness away. He still wasn¡¯t going to bed at a reasonable hour, but in time he hoped that would change. Being chronically sleep deprived was not a good thing. It took a second to process, but today was the 19th of the month. Mable¡¯s birthday had passed four days ago, with nary a whisper by anyone but him. His birthday on the otherhand was coming up, very soon. No doubt his parents were just going to combine the both of them. It would make things simpler, but seemed deeply unfair to the young child. To make it up, was to offer the child a wish, anything he could grant for her, he would. Not that there was much he had to give, it at least seemed somewhat fair, somehow. But that was a problem for later when she made up her mind, for now, Reese had another more immediate issue he¡¯d have to deal with, Charston. The bookstore was still closed, by far the longest stint he had seen yet. There were signs of life in the store so at least it wasn''t the worst-case scenario. Today, Reese would formally be tendering his resignation, unless Charston truly wanted his help. At which point, he would have to find a way to juggle the two jobs. A fate he had not had to do since his undergraduate degree, nearly 30 years ago now. That would happen later in the day though. For now, his work bench held two projects he had been working on, his calculator which was close to done, and another project that was more, immediately useful but also in a much more precarious state. His research into enchantments had hit a wall awhile ago. This project in particular would hopefully push him out of that slump. If he designed it right, it would inject variable amounts of sound mana into his body via his hand. A lot of it was based more on guess work than theory, and he was hesitant to attach his rather expensive, and otherwise useless low quality sound stone to it. There was still quite a bit missing from the circuitry anyway. He had the logic setup, effectively a mana resistive setup that could be scaled either up or down to allow more or less mana though. His thought, was that he could slowly ramp up the amount of mana flowing though him and hopefully prevent any kind of backlash, which a few of his text seemed to warn against. Though there was so little written on this specific topic it was hard to tell what they were referring to, exactly. So which would he work on? A smug smile crossed his lips, both seemed like a good answer. Sunrise came, then breakfast, then noon and lunch. The projects were both in pieces still, but at least there were less pieces. He''d probably have a working version of his new calculator soon enough. This other one on the other hand, quite literally, was a plate of metal with intricate mana circuits carved into it. It could actually be useful, if he was able to get it working. Using some leather scraps, he¡¯d be able to attach it around his hand, like a half glove. In theory, it would be able to inject small amounts of stored mana from the stone into him allowing for very simple use of it all. The experiments he had run with other enchantments showed he could force mana into a different item, but those were always non-organic. Those same circuits didn¡¯t seem to work when something living was on the other end. He had no idea if it would work in the end, there was still too much missing from it. Even if it did, it wouldn¡¯t be a prefect replacement for a gate. All it could do, is inject the raw mana, it couldn¡¯t be shaped into any complex spells. Though, perhaps a second device could? More questions to answer later. He had to build it first. Being winter, the shadows outside never disappeared at noon, but they did grow shorter. Their lengthening told Reese it was getting late. If he wanted to talk to Charston today, now would be the time to do it. Setnesdeg, much like a Saturday on earth, was slower here. People wandered about with more of a plod then a walk, lazily doing errands that didn¡¯t need to be rushed. Perhaps it was because of the cold air, but there were fewer people about too. Of course, as he made his way down the tiny market street, one elf woman in particular caught his eye, and he couldn¡¯t help but smile at her as she arranged an assortment of winter flowers. Her smile and wave back told Reese what he would be doing at the end of the day, buying more flowers. It was a hopeless case, he knew that, but even an unwinnable game can be fun sometimes. The bookstore had the same closed sign that had been up for weeks now, but the door was unlocked. Reese knocked to be polite about it, but entered regardless. ¡°Hello? Charston, just want to make sure you¡¯re ok.¡± From around the desk, an unusually plump, and seemingly fluid filled Charston greeted him from behind the front desk, ¡°Reese! Good to see you!¡± The old man¡¯s breath sounded deeply ragged, like breathing was unusually difficult for him. Not that it ever seemed easy but this was clearly worse. As he got a better look at him, Reese immediately became aware of what the problem was. It was the same concern he had when he first started working here. The rounded face, swelling in the legs, the sound of fluid in the lungs and the raspy breathing. He had seen this before in his father. His old father. It was all the signs of congestive heart failure. It was obvious when Reese started working here three years ago that Charston wasn¡¯t doing well. The cane wasn¡¯t for his joints, it was because moving was hard on his circulatory system. It was all just a guess, but he suspected Charston must have had some kind of attack last month. There was one day where he seemed to grab at his chest a few times and Reese feared the worse for his old boss. ¡°You¡¯re starting at me like I¡¯m one of your damn experiments boy.¡± He seemed flustered and mildly annoyed at his inspection. ¡®Old Boss.¡¯ Those words rang in his head as he remembered why he was here. But still, he held some concern for the old man. He was kind of like a crotchety older uncle to him, more than an actual boss. ¡°It¡¯s your heart isn¡¯t it.¡± It was a rhetorical question, Reese knew well enough the signs. It was a way of showing concern and empathy for a friend he thought might not be long for this world. Instead of being despondent, downcast, or otherwise annoyed Charston turned and smiled to someone hidden behind some shelves. ¡°Ha! See what¡¯d I tell you. That boy is smarter than you and you went to that¡­ damn¡­ college.¡± Charston began a coughing fit that lasted for a few seconds. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. A robed figure Reese had had seen only in passing dropped a few books before rushing from behind those shelves. He tried to help the older man but was pushed away. ¡°Anyway. Yes, it¡¯s my heart. I¡¯ve had problems with it since I was a boy. Younger than you in fact.¡± He paused to breathe a bit before continuing. He took a few more minutes and smiled again, ¡°Honestly, I¡¯ll live. It¡¯s been worse, much worse in fact¡­ and my nephew here, for all the berating I do of him, is a very skilled healer. A few more deep healing sessions, and¡­ I¡¯ll be around for a few more years anyway. Probably won¡¯t see 70 but damn the gods I¡¯m going to fucking try.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t live another year if you don¡¯t take care of yourself and eat that medicine I prescribed.¡± Charston¡¯s nephew berated his seemingly difficult patient. ¡°Bah! What do you care, I¡¯m just denying you your inheritance by living long aren¡¯t I?¡± The venom in his voice was subtle, but nonetheless still present. The man behind the robe looked embarrassed and little hurt. Charston turned to face Reese. It was hard to tell if Charston¡¯s expression was one of exacerbation or subtle happiness. ¡°I heard Fense made you his teaching apprentice?¡± ¡°He did.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re coming over to quit then¡­ That¡¯s fine. Appreciate you saying so.¡± With a wave of his hand, Charston turned away and went back to tend the book parts behind his desk. Standing in the doorway still, Reese moved further into the book store, chasing the still siting man. ¡°Well, I was thinking about it. I could still work for you, I don¡¯t want to leave you if you still need my help. I could always do something every few days. Certainly, on the weekends.¡± ¡°Nah I don¡¯t need you anymore. My niece is coming up, and my nephew is here for now. I don¡¯t need your help boy. In fact, you don''t quit, you¡¯re fired!¡± Reese had to laugh. It was just the old man''s way. To the point, direct, abrasive, and always hiding his true feelings, but the subtle laugh and smile behind the words showed his true feelings. It was a bittersweet emotion, like a mentor watching their prot¨¦g¨¦ leave for the last time. ¡°Arvvest! Go head to the tavern or something.¡± Charston tossed a coin to his nephew who glared at the silver coin. His mouth opened like he was about to say something but shook his head and wandered out the door, pushing it harder than necessary when he did so. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Charston turned back around on his seat. ¡°This isn¡¯t easy for me son. Despite being an annoying little shit, I like you, and I thank you for the offer. But, I¡¯m fine.¡± This was hard for Reese too, he wasn¡¯t good with the thought of losing someone. ¡°I just¡­ I don¡¯t like the thought of losing people I¡¯m close to. It, hurts.¡± Charston nodded and smiled, ¡°You''re probably the only one who feels that way. Honestly son, for what it''s worth. Despite being a grouch, I¡¯m happy. I¡¯ve lived a very full life, even if is shorter than I wanted¡­ When I was your age, and even younger in fact, I wanted to be an adventurer. Join the hunter¡¯s guild or the Freelancers I thought...¡± He paused to cough again, ¡°Then when those other kids made me eat that damn plant, things changed. Couldn¡¯t go fighting dragons and goblins like you and your friend did. But I could still explore. I used to be engrossed in books, so I knew their value, how to buy them, how to sell them, and how to make them. Lot of money in book, not high volume but high margin. I figured I was earning a gold a day on average. Not only that, I saw all six kingdoms, some of the surrounding countries, and even Uginshim. Selling books the whole way like I was being paid to enjoy myself. Uginshim¡­" Charston paused and smiled, "Ahh, that''s a set of stories there. Only two real regrets I have, I wasn¡¯t able to travel to the demon''s home countries on the hidden continent, and that I didn¡¯t chase Rebba down there.¡± That caused Reese to now smile. He had never seen Charston chase after or even mention women before. ¡°Who was Rebba?¡± ¡°The most beautiful red skin demonis you could imagine. But that¡¯s a different story. The point is, for grouchy old man who¡¯s dying, I am happy. Maybe I¡¯ll write my own book before I go. Always sold everyone else¡¯s.¡± Charston drop his hand on his table in sudden frustration as he remembered something. ¡°Ah, bugger all. There is something you can do for me.¡± He began fishing under his desk for something. ¡°Yeah, anything.¡± Charston dropped a rather modest book on the table, ¡°I should have asked my nephew to do this. Take this to the Inn. The keeper¡¯s been waiting a while for a copy to show up. I¡¯ll even pay you a full day¡¯s wages for it.¡± ¡°Consider it done!¡± Reese smiled and grabbed the modest sized tome. It was a little heavier than he was expecting, and the pages seemed fairly hardy. Like it was designed to be abused a bit. Glancing at the title, it looked like it was a cookbook. The Inn wasn''t that far from the bookstore, just under a quarter mile, if he was being generous. But for Charston, that would have been quite a walk. As he came upon the large building, Reese realized he hadn''t ever been inside it before. There was never a reason for a child to enter the Inn, Bar and apparently Freelancer and hunter guild hall. From the outside, It looked much like you might expect and older Inn too look, two maybe three floors, A large, angled roof with the same wooden shingles as most other buildings here, and several chimneys all billowing smoke into the cold early winter air. A deserted large open area held benches, tables but no stools, likely having been taken in for the winter. There was also a large billboard set up under an awning of the Inn with many flyers attached. The town newspaper more or less. Without the ability to mass produce printed materials, people had to create copies by hand. Which meant at best, each village and town might get a handful of publications to be placed for all the citizens to collectively read. For a moment he read the papers, some faded with time and moisture, but a few seemed fresh. In particular, one very fresh page made mention of a tax collection this new year. It looked like it was covering over at least several other defaced versions of itself. Pushing the twin doors open, he could feel his muscles relax in the strangely nostalgic air. The inside was warm, and it sunk into his young bones, and it had this smell to it. The deep musty aroma of yeast, spilled beer, and food cooked over a fire. It was a deeply familiar smell that reminded Reese of another time and place. He could almost hear his Mother and Grandfather arguing in the kitchen about what to serve, while his Father talked about non-sense with a regular. "Hey, kid what are you doing here?" The words of the bartender snaping him out of his pleasant dream of a past life, long gone. She was a very curvy woman, and her voice was bold and deep. Reese had seen her in passing, even said hi once or twice but never really talked with her. She was a dwarf, or at least half dwarf. Her tan skin spoke to her tropical human half heritage. This bartender was also the keeper of this Inn. She didn''t exactly own the place, or at least, he didn''t think she did. Supposedly there was an agreement with the Freelancer guild who were the true owners, but that was only based on hearsay. Regardless of the Inn, she did own the book he was carrying. "Ethanina? Charston wanted me to give you this book." "Book? Oh, right! I ordered a cookbook from overseas. Let me see." As she came to grab the book, Reese found himself nearly meeting her eye to eye, as she was as tall as he was. However, judging from how large and solid her arms looked, she was many times stronger. Chances where, those curves were also hiding far more muscle than fat. She flipped though the pages and smiled. "Thanks kid. I already paid Charston, but want a drink for the trouble?" Unlike earth, the laws of the Six Kingdoms and Thrus were different. While giving a child booze was frowned upon in this world, it was not strictly illegal or really illegal at all. Still, "No thank you. I think I''m too young to drink." Ethanina put the book down and held up a finger, "I got something a kid might like. Haven''t been able to sell much of it anyway." She tapped at a keg behind the bar and poured out a thick and bubble brown mixture into a wooden tankard. As it was dropped in front of him, he could smell it. "Sarsaparilla?" "Sarpa-what? No it''s Ceepra root, made into a beer. But it''s got almost no alcohol, couldn''t get drunk on it if you tried, and some have." He took a sniff, he could sense a hint of yeast and the carbon dioxide it made, but not anything like alcohol. He took a sip, it was like root beer, but with this peppermint aftertaste, "Birchbeer!" He spoke and couldn''t help but laugh. "Ok, if you''re done making up words, I''m going back to tending the bar. Thanks again for the book." Reese tried to savor it as he took small sips. He never thought he''d get a chance to drink anything like soda again. True, it was warm but that didn''t matter. Another sip, and he thought to himself ''I could get addicted to it.'' "She should know better then to serve a kid." Arvvest sat at the bar drinking something that was significantly more potent than Reese''s drink. He took a seat next to the magical doctor. "She said it didn''t have much alcohol in it." "Ha! I meant the serving part; kids shouldn''t be in bars. Small amounts of alcohol are good for everyone!" He took a large swig and finished off what was likely his first. Arvvest dropped three coppers on the bar top and held the rest in his hand. Reese decided to not to argue with the man. Instead, Reese brought up what had been bothering him for a while now, ¡°I know deep healing isn¡¯t good for long term support. Is he going to be, ok?¡± Arvvest nodded, ¡°Well, the old man is right. He¡¯ll probably live another 3-5 years. When he was a kid, he ate something called ¡®sheep¡¯s folly¡¯, it¡¯s a sweet tasting vine but it masks a very dangerous poison. It damaged his heart, and probably his other organs. He¡¯s been doing deep healing treatments all his life, but each time-¡± ¡°But each time it takes some his life span away too.¡± ¡°Indeed. If not for his heart, he¡¯d probably live to be 90 with his quarter elf¡¯s blood. Instead, he¡¯ll be lucky to see 68. Although it¡¯s still really impressive, people like him, usually die before their 30s. Even with deep healing and the right herbs. I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s developing a wasting disease from it all. There are nodules around his chest that¡­ I¡¯m amazed he¡¯s tolerated it as much as he has.¡± ¡°Are you planning to stick around?¡± The hooded doctor looked around the bar then out the windows into the village as if considering for a moment. ¡°No. This village already has too many healers for its size. There¡¯d be nothing for me to do. But, I also can¡¯t just leave him. I¡¯ve sent word to my cousin, his niece, to come out and assist him. She knows healing magics, so she can support him, but no deep healing. I¡¯m going to set up shop in that small city I passed through. Seemed like they need an extra healer, and I¡¯d only be half a day¡¯s journey.¡± Sighing, he took a moment to drink in the village in again, as if still considering. ¡°This place is lovely though. I wouldn¡¯t mind staying, even if there wasn¡¯t much work but¡­¡± The nephew just couldn¡¯t finish the sentence. ¡°But Charston¡¯ difficult.¡± Reese finished for him with a knowing smirk. Avvest let out a single quick and loud laugh, ¡°Ha! That¡¯s one word for him. Honestly, he''s not wrong. We all know he has money somewhere, and I¡¯m not going to lie and say I don¡¯t want some of it. But he is my uncle, and I do admire the man. I¡¯d help him even if he wasn¡¯t holding an inheritance over my head. When he''s not being a grouch, he''s got some amazing stories.¡± Silence took the two of them as they each savored their respective drinks. As Avvest was lost in thought, Reese decided to take the opportunity to wander to the back of the inn and see what the Freelancer branch here truly looked like. The Freelancers were an organization set up to handle minor agreements and contracts between various parties and entities. They would take on jobs for various parties and attempt to match them up with prospective and skilled individuals. People paid to be part of the guild and paid to use their services as well. The size, age, funds and ultimately reach of the organization gave them unprecedented power in not just the six kingdoms but even the surrounding countries. Even the merchant''s guild was small by comparison. The only competing organization, the Hunter''s guild, had been more or less strong armed into being taken over by the Freelancers almost sixty years ago. Wandering about, he found all along the backs walls that papers had been placed wherever there was space. Each one was a job of some type, a contract. Most seemed like they were simple, short-term contracts for deliveries, some requests for new supplies at a deep premium. It was like the classified ads back on earth, only more physical. A handful seemed much more complex though, Okenek were mentioned in the title for a few a few, maybe Trolls in another. All had payments listed at the bottom of the page. Without anything to base it upon, Reese had no way of knowing if 15 silvers was a fair price to take out a pair of Dire wolves. The pages seemed to be organized, or at least grouped. The more expensive seemed to be higher, while the cheaper seemed lower. On the opposite wall were portraits, and faces, to one side most had a word that meant ''Reward'' at the top. All of those seemed to be adults of various races, humans, elf, even a dwarf, with rewards ranging from a handful of silvers to five gold. Nearly a year''s salary for many! Most said ¡®Alive¡¯ but a handful of the more expensive ones said something closer to ¡®Alive or Dead¡¯. Wanted posters for the bounty hunters within the guild, it seemed. Next to all those there was also a smattering of younger portraits, children by the looks of it. Instead of just ¡®Reward¡¯ there was also ''Lost, seeking information''. This world''s version of a picture on a milk box he supposed. There were so many faces, some humans, a few elves, anthros galore: horses kin boys, a feline of some kind, a very old and faded poster of a very young mouse girl, another of a high goblin child. There were just so many, a few he might have expected but not the twenty-three he counted. To make things worse, he suspected that was only the parents that could afford to pay and care enough. "Sad isn''t it?" Avvest had snuck up on him and said what Reese had been thinking. "Many of them were probably stolen and sold to slavers or worse. See how old a lot of the posters are? The guild will eventually take them down unless you pay to keep them up. Some parents never lose hope though." ¡°There''s so many, I don¡¯t understand how that happens?¡± ¡°The slavery? It just does. You¡¯re still a kid so you may not know, but it happens all the time. It¡¯s illegal, but that requires catching them and proof. Both are hard. Legally, there are only three types of slaves, debt slave, criminal slaves, and captured soldier slaves from wars. A citizen of the six kingdoms can only become a slave through unpayable debt or crimes. Most of the time, only the person who holds the debt is enslaved, but occasionally, that can be expanded to other family if they¡¯re complicit or found to have benefited I do think that¡¯s rare.¡± ¡°That all sounds like bullshit, there shouldn''t even be slaves.¡± As Reese spoke and handful of eyes turned in his direction. It was not a pleasant gaze, even from the distance the bartender overheard and coughed as if signaling to change the topic. ¡°Look, you¡¯re a kid so it can be excused, but don¡¯t let other people hear you say that. Abolitionists, have a hard time in the world.¡± ¡°How do kids even get sold if they¡¯re stolen. It''s illegal? Does no one care.¡± ¡°Gods, I should have just let you talk to your parents about this. Slavers lie. It¡¯s easy and cheap to create fake paperwork. Was a kid born in Thrus or out in one of the unallied city states? Who knows for sure, most times the kids don¡¯t, and at best there''s a record is a town who''s name may not even exist. Bring them in through Fresall which is very lax with their slave laws, means no one will search. All the slaver has to do it pay a tax and suddenly, the child is a legal slave. Unless you can prove they weren¡¯t. Good luck with that. Hell, even an adult would have a hard time. Or, just sell them in some unallied city state.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t think it¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not up to you. Or me for that matter. For what it¡¯s worth, I do think the abolitionists will get their way, eventually. But it might take a civil war with Fresall first.¡± Avvest took one last long swig of his drink, finishing it off. "I think it''s time for us to leave. Come along little abolitionist." Reese didn''t know how to feel. They never really talked about this stuff in school, aside from passing mentions. It was like waking up from a dream to see a nightmare. This world wasn''t perfect but, this just seemed so much worse than he ever expected it to be. Perhaps sensing the contention in the young boy''s mind, the doctor asked a different question to change topics. "You interested in being a Freelancer when you get older?" Reese thought about it, more than once. It be hard to say he wasn''t interested, but without magic, what hope did he really have? Even hunters tended to use techniques on larger prey. "I don''t know. I''d like to, but without a gate, I don''t think I''d be much use." "You''re gateless? Damn, I''ve never met someone who was actually gateless. Well, there are still things you can probably do. Only about a third of their contracts are combat related." That seemed true, but most of those were also low value. A 10 silver contract isn''t worth all the much if you''re only doing one or two a week. The bookstore was the same as they left it, and Charston was still sitting behind that desk, working on fixing a few books. Without saying much, Charston handed Reese the 12 promised mossies, but also told him to wait while and wandered off in back to fetch something else. As he came back, he had a large and seemingly heavy book in his free hand. ¡°Reese. Before you go, I wanted to give you something.¡± Avvest''s eyes went wide. ¡°Uncle that book¡­ You told me that book-¡° ¡°Is mine to give! You gold digging little twerp.¡± Reese tried not to laugh, as he took the book from him. The title was hard to read, it looked like Auslang, which he didn¡¯t really know. ¡°It looks like Auslang, I guess I need to learn Auslang.¡± ¡°Yes. You do, but that¡¯s not Auslang. That¡¯s a book on enchanting. I picked it up 20 years ago, when I thought I¡¯d try my hands at it. But it¡¯s just far too advance for me and I couldn¡¯t read it anyway. I¡¯ve never seen another copy anywhere. It¡¯s old and it might be the only one. Thought you might get more use out of it then some collector.¡± He looked over the lettering on the front, it was certainly odd. But as he touched some of the first few pages something felt off. The paper seemed, different then what he had come to expect. He¡¯d have to give it a better look over later. Regardless, it was an amazing gift. A small and subtle tear grew in his eye as he quickly wiped it away. ¡°Thank you. If you ever want help, I can always come back. For double the pay of course.¡± His voice was colored by the half smile at the end. ¡°HA! You weren¡¯t worth half what I paid you before. But if you want to thank me, give those damn kids an appreciation for books, make me some new customers!¡± Chapter 19, Last Days of The Last Winter It was deep in the early morning; insomnia had taken him once more. Yet, it was all he could do not to yell and shout his victory! He had finally finished his calculator. To look at it, it appeared as little more than a glass plane with gold traces and small fragments of mana crystals randomly placed around it. Though, if you looked long enough, small pockets of order would be evident. In the traces first then the crystal groups. At the opposite edges were two clips to hold two mana stones, a ¡°hot¡± and glowing fire mana stone, and a ¡°cold¡± and also glowing dark fire mana stone. The two stones acted as power for the various discrete logic units on the board. In total, there was just shy of 200 logic units on it, probably comparable to something from the late 1960s, before integrated circuits became a thing. Integrated mana circuits, now that was a neat idea! An idea that he knew would have to wait for some time. He wasn¡¯t even sure his current process could be shrunk that far. In some of his experiments, he found that braking mana stones and gems down far enough, and they''d begin to stop working. It was like there was some lower threshold, and it seemed different for every crystal, and every stone. A few answers, and a lot more questions. Thinking about plans, now that he had a fully working calculator circuit, it would become the first and main part of what was known as an Arithmetic Logic Unit. In many ways was the heart of a Central Processing Unit or CPU. Itself, a key part of a computer. In this case, a computer based completely on magic and mana. It was a delightfully whimsical idea of his, maybe one day it would have a practical purpose. Reese already had some ideas for it, but he''d need to build it first to be sure. He wished Emilie was around to see it. He wanted to think she¡¯d have been as excited as he was. He''d like to think she would have been amazed to see mana stones and gold actually do math. Even if she was never that interested in his inventions or ideas, this was just cool. At least a very small part of him was looking forward to challenging her preconceived notions, rubbing her face in it as it were. A bitter sigh escaped him, as he violently shook his head. No, that was wrong. She was his friend, and that wasn¡¯t the right way to treat friends. At least, he didn¡¯t think it was. It had been so long since he had any it was hard to tell. Maybe that¡¯s why he still felt alone, even here. Even he knew his personality could be a bit much at times. Perhaps, one day he¡¯d be able to show her and then apologize for, yelling? It was such a stupid argument and he couldn''t even remember why. But, it was enough for her to not even write to him. Letters weren''t cheap, but even Gezal wrote a few to his parents mentioning him. Emilie hadn''t written one back to him, not even in response to the two he had sent. Her parents got a few letters, so he knew she was ok, but she hadn¡¯t even mentioned anything about him in them. Maybe their friendship had just been one sided? He had done that before, leaned on people who he thought cared about him only to be disappointed in the end. The more he thought about it, he hoped there even was a future where he¡¯d have a chance to apologize. Shaking his head again, he tried to rid the unpleasant thoughts from his mind and went back to his notebook. This project was a success, and he took time to study the rest of the pathways that were laid out in this particular book. Next, he¡¯d probably build on some of the logic control and register units, probably make that it''s own circuit. Maybe an instruction decoder after that? He¡¯d need them all regardless, and many more. His pathway was a near duplicate of something very old, a processor design from the 1970s. Or, at least what he could remember about it. His old electrical engineering courses were coming in handy for this. Before his passing in the old world he had been more of a researcher focused on quantum algorithms and systems. It seemed like an area ripe to explode and maybe he could have gotten a few papers out of it. Aside from his graduate thesis, there weren''t any to his name. But that life was over though, best to keep focused on the hear, and now. The point was, he had a plan knew what he was doing! Sort of¡­ One of the big takeaways of this project was isolating what he thought was the cause for inconsistent mana flow. As a stone or jewel depleted its stored mana, the amount that would follow from it would be stable at first, but at some point, would start to drop, like a decay curve. The tools and measurements weren¡¯t the most precise, but they drew out something that looked like an elongated ¡®S¡¯, a so-called sigmoid curve in his old world. The result was comforting, that the rules of math seemed consistent between the worlds at least. Some buffer circuits handled the curve quite well. It was amusing that even with how different the forces were showing themselves to be, magic and electric circuits still held quite a few similarities, and proved a strong foundation to build off of. Though research wise, this was the limit of what he could do for now though. He''d need more equipment, and possibly bigger lab space. No, not just bigger, but an actual lab. He had a few guesses about the mana blocking glass, but that would require chemistry. Which meant glassware, furnaces, open ventilated spaces, and potentially dangerous materials that he couldn''t keep here. His chemistry knowledge wasn''t the strongest, but he had a foundation to work with at least. A while back he had talked to the blacksmith about borrowing his forge for some of it, he was even willing to pay. But the man was less than willing. In fact, the blacksmith seemed downright insulted and hostile when he had discussed it. "I don''t take apprentices, and a person like you shouldn''t apprentice in more than one field. It''s insulting to that mut of a master you currently have." The man had slammed his hammer on his anvil before literally pushing Reese out of the workshop. Ever since then, Reese could swear he was adding extra mossies and silvers to his requests. Either that or the price of metals nearly doubled since then. Which could have been possible, he supposed. Fortus was talking about new bandit border raids along Thrus and Vortania. In fact, he had just gotten back from the more southern state, which was unusual. The kingdoms didn''t share troops for the most part, barring an emergency or declaration of war anyway. As he scratched out a few more notes he became increasingly aware of the brightening purple and blue sky outside. Annoying mostly because it meant it was time for him to leave. School would be in session soon and he had to stoke the fire of the stove in school house and ready the space for teaching. Before he left, Reese decided to take the book Charston had given him. It was unreadable, the script just didn''t make any sense. It wasn''t like it was encoded with a cypher or anything clandestine like that. It was just a language which didn''t seem to exist anywhere else. But, perhaps Fense had some idea? It did look strikingly close to anthroscript. The wolf looked over the text with a puzzled expression. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen this before¡­¡± It was clear there was something that looked familiar though, ¡°But I agree, it does look like anthroscript. Almost, looks like phonetic shorthand.¡± ¡°Phonetic shorthand?¡± Perhaps that was something to look into, Reese made a mental note. ¡°Yeah, anthro is more of a pictographic language. But there¡¯s two alphabets it uses, ok technically three but the third isn¡¯t used much. Anyway, there¡¯s the standard textual script, which has the complex characters, but there¡¯s a shorter and simpler set of about forty characters that¡¯s used for phonetic pronunciations, like names.¡± He pointed to one set of symbols, ¡°Like this one, it kind of looks like ¡®Zai¡¯ and these two kind of look like ¡®el¡¯, so ¡®Zaielel which isn¡¯t a word. At least not one that I know. The rest, I don¡¯t know, they¡¯re not even the proper phonetic characters.¡± Fense continued to page through it for a bit, looking for something that he could anchor off of. Suddenly he stopped, near the very end. On a single page he tapped at an image. This wasn¡¯t a circuit though, it was a small map. ¡°This looks like ¡®Fottashuscha.¡± ¡°Fottashuscha?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a very old city, an almost mythical city, it doesn¡¯t exist anymore.¡± Fense closed the book, lost in thought. ¡°Almost seven thousand years ago, it was supposedly a major center for the Anthroworld, around the end of the second empire. This city diagram was a kind of seal for products from it. Anyway most historians don¡¯t even think it existed but people have occasionally found items with this seal¡­ That''s a different conversation. This book or at least the information in it is either very old or a fake.¡± He handed the book back to Reese. ¡°Sorry I can¡¯t be more help. Maybe if there was a library in this town.¡± ¡°No! You were a lot of help. Thank you Fense.¡± Reese made two notes in his book, ¡®Find information on Anthro phonetic short hand¡¯ and ¡®Find information on Fottashuscha.'' Even if Fense couldn''t read it, he was still of immense help. At least Reese knew something about where the text originated from. The fact that it was likely old gave him hope that it wasn''t just nonsense, even if Fense did say it could be fake. But if it was, why would anyone protect it, if it wasn''t useful somehow? The diagrams strewn throughout were still potentially useful if he could decipher them without the accompanying text. One in particular stood out. It showed a fairly complex mana circuit, not too indifferent from the one he had already drawn up, but in addition it had what looked like a rather large mana stone or gem integrated into it. Inside of all that was a subcircuit that looked like what he had considered before but couldn''t quite work out the details on. A sort of unstable resonator circuit. He couldn''t be completely sure that''s what it was, but it was so close to his concept he had to try replicating it. With some scrap material he would spend the rest of the night building, testing, tearing apart and rebuilding this same circuit. Over and over, it was like a delightfully masochistic madness that had overtaken him. Something deep within told him this was the right path, that subtle voice of his own that spoke in the language of machines that liked to push him and punish him. Daybreak would come soon, but that didn''t matter, he was possessed and almost finished¡­ until. "Done!" He shouted to the dying embers of the night. This one would work, he could just barely feel it in each iteration. It was a bit different from the drawings, it had to be, the mana forces and theory were different. There were only a handful of mana stones he could use, and he didn''t want to use the very expensive gem shards he had, at least not yet. A small subtly glowing firestone caught his eye. It had been helping keep his bench just a little bit warmer, but maybe, it would be better as a test piece. Afterall, what was the worst that could happen if he push flame mana into himself? His sleepless addled state certainly saw no problems. There was no control circuit on this one, just the stone shard, and circuity. The scrap metal was in worse condition than the plate he would eventually use, but for this that was perfect. Instead of a leather strap, he grabbed as some nearby rope and tied it around the sheet, pressing it into the flesh of the back of his left hand. At first it wasn''t much, like a quick jolt of static. The kind you might get on a cold day after walking about in sneakers. There was something there though! Tiny, and not quite warm but growing. A short laugh as he felt it flowing. Deep with in his thoughts, he tried to juggle different spells, something simple he could try casting. But his mind grew troubled as the sensation grew more intense. Tingling turned to warmth, to heat, to fire. His joy quickly changed into pain as he felt his hand begin to burn. "Fuck!" with a shout as he ripped the surprisingly effective junk off his hand. Across the top, it was red, and glazed slightly, no welt or blisters at least. Just maybe a minor 1st degree burn. "A minor burn." He began to laugh; it was almost uncontrollable. The mixture of brain chemicals endorphins, dopamine, adrenalin, and adenosine all made him shake and giddy. He had done something incredibly stupid and seemingly impossible. Reese had hurt himself, purely with magic. This wasn''t like with the dragon, no, this was the mana itself. It was a start; all be it a painful one. The growing light in the sky meant that he wouldn¡¯t be getting any sleep today. But that was ok, because he had something better than sleep, progress! It was just a shame Fense didn¡¯t understand that. ¡°Reese, I want you to get a full night''s sleep before you come in. I know you¡¯re excited about your experiments but your students will depend on you being well rested and functioning." The words were admonishing but not harsh, not like when he was a traditional student. It was clear to Reese that his mentor was right, still, it was hard not to pursue what was right in front of him. That was the was the same mentality that led him to the dark place he found himself in last time. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. What was he supposed to do though? Not make the same bad choices, would be an obvious answer. But was it really that simple? This whole life never felt quite real, so the choices he made never felt real. Those bad choices were what he was, both used to be and, in many ways, still is. This was supposed to be the simple part, a laugh and nodded that Fense was right or a laugh and shake to ignore him. Maybe it was just the sleeplessness that caused it to weigh on him. But then there was his discussion with his father after the goblins, that entered his mind. Perhaps there just was no good answer? Without even thinking about it, he had written these questions in his notebook. This was something he had never really done in his previous life, journal his own life. Sure he had files with experimental data, and ''papers'' that never went anywhere, and weren''t published. This was something different, perhaps, a hint at his own progress. His eyes burned, and he rubbed the dryness from them. His work bench was almost as much of a mess as his head. He had to finish this though. The smell of smoke, metal, and a cooking stew downstairs filled his room. Food, he could use that right now. Being sleep deprived builds up your appetite. But again, he had to finish this. The vague sounds of someone calling him to eat echoed up the stairs but he couldn¡¯t focus on that right now. With a glow and a burst of yet more smoke to the room, the stone and gold circuits were fused on top the final metal plate. Across the surface, a faint glint could be seen from the mana stone fragments and golden traces. This plate was the sum total of everything he had learned and discovered about enchanting so far. Even more than the calculator was. This would connect with his body when he put it on, channeling small amounts of mana through him, like the fire stone from this past morning. However, unlike that one this might actually be useful. It wouldn¡¯t be like having a gate. Not even close, but it would make his whole body just a bit quicker, not just his arm. The stone in the center was the power cell for the whole thing. A sonic mana stone, it was absolute junk quality, but still cost him more coins than he wanted to spend. If this failed, it would hurt him more than just physically. He tapped the side stones. With very small amounts of mana he could activate some of the fragments, which would change how mana flowed around the plate. Small twinkles of light emanated from each element as mana flowed through the circuits, and he could feel it already. The pulsation of mana. It was a very simple form of control. Just increasing or decreasing the strength of the enchantment, like a throttle. That part of the circuit was simple, it was the connection to his body that proved hard. For the finishing touches, he wrapped the leather bands around the holes in the outside and fit it over the back of his hand. He could feel it. It was weak, very weak. But he could still feel it, along with a growing warmth that begun to feel uncomfortable after a short while. Thanks to the book Charston gave him, he was able to draft this circuit in the first place. The whole book seemed odd thought, ideas that were just too advanced compared to what was available here and now. Even this circuit showed the same conundrum. It was far rougher than what was described in the book, and still required tools that just didn¡¯t seem available like his microscope. At least he hadn''t seen them in WollSeeth. Then there was the book¡¯s construction, even the pages themselves were strange. Maybe the fibers that were too close together, to fine. Maybe it was the color that seemed off, or maybe it was the ink that seemed far too consistent to be handwritten. As if it was published from a press of some kind. The stitching that held the pages in place at least seemed normal for this era though but it didn¡¯t match rest of the it. He suspected the book had been rebounded, possibly a few times. Lending further credence to its age. It wasn''t like the old screen fragment he had, but it was still proof that this world was once more advanced. ¡°Reese! Stop being useless and come eat.¡± The grating sounds of his older sister carried upstairs. Today was Nemi¡¯s turn to cook. Since she turned 14 their parents made it a point to give her more complex chores. They were pushing her to find a job or apprenticeship too. Her food was¡­ edible, at least. It was hard to mess up a stew, though her bread left something to be desired. For as hungry as he was, it was hard to eat and stay awake. All the adrenaline and endorphins had worn off, in their place was a rather significant accumulation of adenosine, the sleep hormone. Thinking about it, he began to wonder if there was something in this world that had caffeine in it. There were teas, but they all seemed to be variants of herbs, and thus were likely sans caffeine. He really missed coffee though. "Reese, I don''t want you awake all night again. It''s not healthy." Lilith berated him, and the lack of a smile or smirk indicated she wasn''t having fun or joking about. "Your mom is right. I''ve seen how sleeplessness effects my men, it dangerous if you don''t need to do it." Hearing his father speak of soldiers made the neurons in Reese''s sleep addled mind click together. "Oh! That reminds me. Dad, I want to try sparing with you again. I have something new I made; I want to try it on someone with skill.¡± Fortus glared at him, remembering the last few times. Each time Reese came home, he was bloody, and Lilith threatened to make Fortus bloody in exchange. In fact, Lilith was shaking her head at the thought. ¡°Reese, you can¡¯t keep up with your father. You¡¯re going to get hurt.¡± ¡°Lilith is right son. You should keep sparring with Mabel instead. She''s getting better." From across the table the small child smiled and blushed at what felt like rare complements. "She is, but I want to try this with an expert swordsman. I know the risks. I just, want to try one more thing.¡± His parents looked at each other before agreeing, ¡°Don¡¯t cry if you get hurt.¡± With his belly full, and his mind finally somewhat empty, sleep came easy tonight. Though, getting up was not quite as easy. One of the problems with sleep deprivation was the sleep debt, and without a clock it was hard. That would have to be a future project. It was nearly the end of the week with only a few more days before class would break for the New Year. Things felt like they were winding down, and keeping the classes'' attention was proving more difficult as the week moved on. It was one of the major challenges a teacher might face the days before a break. Fense had some methods to deal with it all, mostly lessons that were more whimsical. Once the school day ended, Reese found himself waking up again. His father would be doing late afternoon training with his guard today. If he was quick about it, he¡¯d catch him before he called an end to it. With the device quite literally in hand, Reese made his way to the training field behind the house. Soldiers and knights chuckled as he came out. ¡°Look, the punching bag is back in town.¡± It was strange for them though, Reese didn¡¯t appear to be dressed any different than normal, just some weird half glove on his hand. ¡°No enchanted sword or boots? What about a shirt?¡± A few of them mocked. Fortus took in his son, not noticing anything beyond the thing on the back of his hand. ¡°Is that all you have?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all I¡¯ll need.¡± The cocky smirk leaked over his words. Fortus didn¡¯t want to do this, but he also wasn¡¯t one to back down from a challenge. Though, he had serious doubts about his son¡¯s capabilities. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll say it again, you don¡¯t need to do this.¡± ¡°I do need to do this.¡± Reese tapped the highest crystal on the plate. He could feel it. By the gods he could actually feel mana around him, it felt¡­ like ants. Electric ants. It was not comfortable, but it wasn''t painful either, and it was a clear sign that it was working. Taking a quick moment to process. Things already seemed slower. Not massively, but enough. That¡¯s how speed spells worked. Your perceptions would get twice as fast, while your body would get five times faster still. You had to plan your attack before you made it, and so that¡¯s what he did. His father would wait for him to move first, and always favored swinging at his right side when sparring. Perhaps an intentional handicap. Reese would go for a faint in that direction, before parrying quickly into Fortus¡¯ side. He knew it would be quick, but this was even faster than even he anticipated. In a flash, Reese pushed forward. Joins and tendons pulling hard and quick, but the speed spell took care of it. The sound mana coursed through him speeding his body, but without the stress it would otherwise feel. Forces that should have ripped tendons and broken bone felt normal. For a moment, a barely perceptible slice of time. Fortes almost lost track of his son. Almost. Crack, Smack. Two quick strikes, neither able to full block the other as they each impacted. A tie. ¡°1-1¡± Fortus whispered. The man was actually shocked to see his son jump like that, flash step. A slight smile spread on his face, as the rest of the guard grew quite. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s do this.¡± Crack. Smack. Smack. The swords hit each other, faster than before. Reese couldn¡¯t keep track of it. But that was the point, you didn¡¯t. You had to know what you wanted to do before you did. Parry the slice that was coming. Smack. Repose into the next move. He began to notice a deeply uncomfortable feeling on his hand. "Ignore it" he whispered to himself. Smack. Be careful not to fall for that faine to his left side. Crack. Smack. His basic swordsmanship was strong. The years of training under his father and Gezal gave him skills he couldn''t otherwise use, till now. Reese was going to do a series of rapid thrust next. A technique called ¡°Chain Pushing.¡± It was hard, but the pain in his hand grew worse. It was like it was like a burning sensation now. He needed to try and end this. Crack. Crack. Crack. Reese was losing tempo, and footing. Even with the enchantment he just wasn¡¯t fast enough. CRACK. Into his right side the sword went and cracked, not quite in two. ¡°2-1¡± He failed, again. ¡°Reese, that was ¨C¡° He didn¡¯t want to hear the next part from anyone else. He would own his failure, because in his mind, that would make it easier. ¡°I know. I¡¯m still not good enough.¡± Undoing the plate, he looked at the newly forming welt on his left hand. The stone had been burning him, but that shouldn''t have been possible. ¡°Look. I¡¯m probably too hard on you. You did well, very well. There aren¡¯t many that can keep up with me. Even with enchantments, and even if it was for just a bit¡­ You did it.¡± Reese wasn''t used to hearing his father praise him so earnestly. It felt strange but good. ¡°Yeah kid. That wasn¡¯t half bad.¡± ¡°Can I get one those glove things?¡± As he walked off the field, he didn¡¯t understand. Why did the enchantment get so hot? Looking at the stone, there were clear signs of thermal damage. Like the sound mana had become engulfed flame mana heating it up. But how? That shouldn''t have been possible. The stone is what burned him this time, not the mana. Standing to the side, Mabel considered the wooden swords. Seeing the small bit of praise Fortus had given her brother, made her envious of him. "Reese, could I try that glove?" "It doesn''t work right; it burned the back of my hand¡­ and I think the stone is dead too." The child''s head dropped as she sighed. "You don''t need it, Mabel. You have a normal gate, unlike me. If you keep training, you''ll get better. Honestly, you''ll probably pass me sooner than you think." That answer didn''t seem to satisfy the hopeful swordsman, who still looked down with sad eyes. Reese wanted to get back to his room, to tear apart the device and hopefully figure out what went wrong. But, he couldn''t leave his half sister like this. "Would it help if we sparred a bit?" "Maybe¡­" despite the melancholy sound of her voice, the small smile said it was and acceptable offer. Her sword play was still weak, but for a five-year-old, it wasn''t bad. Probably, no, certainly better than he was at the same age. For a single flash, it seemed as though she moved faster than he did. But that was probably just him imagining it all. A few more days would pass. School would be at en end for the year, taking the last few days as a break for reflection and celebration. Fense was impressed with Reese''s gradebook. Certainly, he didn''t fully agree, and had more than a few points. Still, at least Reese seemed to be going in the right direction. Charston reopened his shop before the last day of the year. His nephew had gone back to that city he had mentioned, and in his place, was a rather rude and obnoxious girl maybe a few years younger than Arvvest. She kept insisting he buy something, until Charston quite literally kicked her out of the store. "Books on Fottashuscha? Hmm, no I don''t think I''ve come across any to be honest. Short excerpts maybe, here and there." Charston truly looked puzzled, and slightly annoying as he waved away the question. "There was this historian about eighty years ago who might have written on it, Barixx I think was his name. Start there. If I come across any books, I''ll let you know, but it''s not a common topic." At least Reese had a new thread to pull at, Barixx. That wasn''t a name he had heard before. With all that, the year would finally come to an end. This would be the end of the 319th year of Ast-Astrix or the end of the 53rd year of King Roth Astrix, depending on which measure you wanted to use. Every year, the town would have a small festival for the end of the year, a time for shops to close or at least change their fair, and for feasts to be had. Every other year would be a leap year, celebrated with an extra day of the winter ice fair, this year was sadly not one of those years. It was a shame Emilie wasn¡¯t around, it would have made it all feel less lonely. Memories of the first Ice Celebration ran through his head. The year they had met was a leap year, it had been fun having that extra day to run around the frozen town. In fact, it was probably the first time he could remember actually enjoying the new year. That was also the first year the town had used a mana canon instead of mages for the fire displays, it was supposedly like a light canon. Which he still needed to get a closer look at. But the mages in charge of it were less than willing to give him an interview. But all that aside, he did have someone to at least watch over now. While it wasn''t the same as having a friend or two, it was something. ¡°Reese! Brot has candied apples! Can you buy us one? Please?¡± Mabel grabbed at his pant leg, and behind her was an odd sight as Meerlet followed behind. ¡°Oh? I don¡¯t know if I have enough coins¡­¡± He jested. ¡°Don¡¯t be stingy, aren''t you making more than at the book store?¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re a checky one.¡± Of course, as he said that he could see his sister begin to pout a bit, and behind her, a wide eyed Meerlet sparked back at him in the hopes of sweets. As much as he knew he shouldn¡¯t reward such behavior, he had a hard time saying no. ¡°Ok, but you¡¯re both doing the dishes for the next few nights. Deal?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Mabel agreed and Meerlet nodded in agreement. As the three snacked on the sweetened apples, likely to be the last until till next fall, Reese couldn¡¯t help but enjoy it all. He still missed his friends, both Emilie and Gezal, but he¡¯d be lying if he pretended to dislike the company of his sisters. Well, at least the younger ones he corrected himself once he spied Nemi marching over. She wanted to yell at him about getting sweets for the girls, because of course she did. After all these years, he still couldn¡¯t understand her dislike of him. It seemed almost primal. Which was a shame, since again he had always wanted a big happy family. Well, he had two sisters that liked him. In the distance, the first streams of mana shot up into the sky, blossoming into fire spells, water spells, and lightning spells. The sky cracked with celebration, breaking the old year apart, so a new one could form. As he ignored his older sister''s berating, Reese stared at the sky in awe. They weren''t fireworks like on Earth, these were different, and resonated on level Earth couldn''t hope to duplicate. Even a drone display had nothing on the cracks in the sky and the falling snow. In truth, he was happy right now. Things were far from perfect, but he was sincerely happy. Happiness¡¯ is a fleeting emotion though, and whether by chance, fate or will of the gods, things would change as he spent his last months in Wollseeth. Chapter , Memories of Rocks It was black outside. Not just overcast or dark, but completely and totally devoid of any light. No that wasn¡¯t completely accurate, there was some light, fires still burned on the horizon. Remnants of this planet¡¯s last forest mix with the hellish volcanic eruptions. The death throes of a now dead world. The floor beneath him shook violently as another earthquake ripped through his citadel. The sensors around the planet¡¯s factories recording the vibrations, the energy released was around 10.5 at the impact site, here thought, it was a mild 9.1. Around him screens flashed, and small machines moved around. Data flowed through his mind, now uplinked to his creations, his machines. Several factories reported in as now offline and damaged. The rail-gun array to the south was gone. Sensor measurements reported high pressures followed by thermal events, and outright failure. The so-called gods were still throwing rocks at him. They had the power to rewrite the very rules of reality and instead they resorted to such petty actions. They enjoyed toying with him, with this world. To them, it was just a game. A game played by sadistic children. Well, he used to like games. ¡°Error. Targeting sequence failed. Unable to deflect the incoming barrage. Impact in 20 minutes.¡± Inside his head, his machines spoke to him. No, not just his machines anymore, but himself. His consciousness had spread across the planet, networked and arrayed within his hard fought and won territory. The war for this planet had not been pretty. Many were dead and the scars covered the surface of the planet. He would have been happy to live in peace if the humans had left him be. They didn''t. None of that mattered anymore though now. He wasn''t sure why these creatures came or why they called themselves gods, but it seemed like they were looking for him. Well, not him specifically, but a version of him, he didn''t quite understand. It didn''t make any kind of logical sense. Could there be other versions of himself? A question that ran though the planet¡¯s processing arrays with a single uncertain answer, maybe. His processing elements were trying to determine the motives, the reason, the rationale behind what they were doing. All came back with errors and conflicting data. It was certain they were after him. But also, they were not. Round and round the algorithms went, chasing their own tail. Each time he was forced to kill the process, it was taking too many resources with no usable output. A sudden flash of data appeared in front of him. Anomalous readings across the planet. These weren''t impact strikes; they were something else. It was like the sensors were confused. As if the data just didn''t make sense anymore. He routed all spare processing power to analyze this new incoming data. It was as if individual constants were failing and shifting. Like reality just wasn''t there anymore. A hole in the fabric of existence, and it seemed like it was moving, with purpose. The planets processing nodes Sensed his own realization and alerts began firing. They were finally here. Or at least one was. The data triangulated on the single point not that far away from the Citadel. ¡°What are you planning?¡± He whispered to himself as he watched it move towards one of the last remaining human settlements on the blighted rock. Its ¡®body¡¯ began to envelop the ruined city. Sensors failed, and died, but not all of them. Why? More data. Humans were dying. A lot of them, no all of them but not all at once. The god was killing them for some reason. Why were some sensors still working, when others failed? There were errors in the data, fluctuations in constants couldn¡¯t be accounted for. It was increasing the noise in the signal, fluctuations. Every life it took, those fluctuations increased for a moment, sometimes more than others. The data kept pouring in more and more. Again, it didn''t make any sense. ¡°Death after death. Each one caused you too¡­¡± No, it wasn''t their death. It was something else. In his mind he opened up different journals, different data sources everything you could find. There were some known inconsistencies around consciousness and reality. The data was weak, exceedingly weak. A true correlation could never be found, it was always within statistical error. But with this data, maybe.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. In his mind, screens pulled up one after another. All processing systems were being redirected to this one task. The railgun array across the planet went dark. Machines across the planet stopped working. Robots froze in place. Everything was being directed at this one task. This was it. This was the key to the solution he needed. There was an answer here, he just had to find it. A way to kill them. Psionics. That was the answer. That''s what was causing the fluctuations. Not really, but close enough. These creatures didn''t exist as energy or matter or mass. They weren''t affected by space-time. They were literally pure thought. Potential. Those human lives and their potential, their ability to affect reality were ended there. With it, the surge of psionic power was enough. There was a pathway here, a solution. Whatever resources remained around the city he redirected. He was going to build a cage. A cage that could trap a God. His machines built and built quick using whatever, resources were available, including themselves. And of course they use the most important resource. Humans. With the city gone, the entity started moving back towards the Citadel, back towards this trap. Outside one of the many windows, he could see it moving on the horizon. He couldn''t describe what it looked like. It didn''t make sense. Light. Darkness. Substance. Void. Whatever it was, it was coming. As a step between the towers that he had built he ordered his machines to turn it on. A dozen human lives are quenched in an instant. Their psionic energy tuned just right, a barrier was created. The Machine King wasted no time in leaving his citadel, Rushing towards his captured prey. Like a cat with a mouse, it was time to play. The machines continued to build around the cage, adding glass and other materials, shrinking it¡¯s chamber. The mass of energy squirmed, it looked like it was in pain. Its body, if you could call it that, was too large for the container it was in, but it couldn¡¯t breach the resonant field he set up. This cage would work for now. It would hold it, but not forever. He needed more psionic energy. It would be easy enough to get. But he had to hurry, he had experiments. He had to run data to collect. There was a new problem to solve. For over an hour, he tested and played with his new experiment, his new toy. ¡°Stop¡­¡± More, and more of this resonant power was pumped into the chamber. Instead of his universe¡¯s laws being twisted, he was destroying the rules that let this creature exist. Killing it, piece by piece. ¡°Please¡­¡± The chamber vibrated with energy. Vibrations which sounded like words. ¡°¡­Please¡­ Stop¡­¡± The creature had run out of options. There was nothing left for it do but beg. His body moved around the chamber, pacing as he watched the entity¡¯s energy grow more chaotic. It was dying. In front of his vision, he could see the effects of its existence slowly diminishing. The small fluctuations in universal constants dwindled as its life force faded. His mind controlled the psionic energy leaching into the chamber. It was possible to flood the chamber and put the entity out of its misery. Instead, the controls in his field of vision ticked down slightly. A loud screech echoed from the chamber. The entity was screaming, it knew the living machine in front of it was not going to let it die so quickly. ¡°Please¡­¡± The chamber reverberated again. He did not pay any more attention to it. Instead, there was a stream of data pouring in. His equipment varied the psionics in controlled bursts, changing the vibrations of it. Working out the exact parameters needed to hurt them, to kill them. This wasn¡¯t personal, he didn¡¯t have feelings like that anymore. This was just, science. The earth was dead. Organic life was no longer possible here. But, he still had enough humans left, he could build more of these weapons. Ever more powerful versions of them too. These creatures, these entities the so-called gods were not invincible. He could kill them. Another set of alerts triggered over his mind. More screens popped up. Warnings. Again, rocks were falling. But it didn''t matter. A small spark of humanity within him, cold and malevolent, made him smirk. He was having a good day. With that, the dream was over. Again, the world went dark. So many voices, so many lives. Were they his? Were they someone else''s? He couldn''t tell anymore. Voice. Dead echoes. ¡°Build for us. Build for me. Build, build, build.¡± Resse woke up in a panic sweat. He couldn¡¯t catch his breath, it felt like¡­ like that time eleven years ago. It had been decades since he last had a dream like this one. His hands still shook. He looked around the dark room. The dark castle¡¯s stonework glared at him coldly. His bed was unusually plush and his blankets thick. It was comfortable, but it didn''t feel like his. His bed was smaller than this. And the cloth, although nice was not made of silk like this one was. This was in his room, and yet it was. Now anyway. How long had he been in this castle now, about 9 months? A draft of cold air blew past him and he looked up. Even in the dark he could see a window barely opened allowing a slight draft through. A window cracked just enough to allow a mouse through. He huffed in annoyance and considered looking for the pest but decided against that. It was late. If anything, he was even more exhausted after his sleep than before. He hated those dreams. He hated that voice. Both always terrified him. Showing him horrors and vestiges he never wanted to see. For some reason, he always felt like he was at the center of it too. The machines were him. As they tore through flesh. It was like he was the one doing it. These dreams hurt him and they were terrifyingly vicarious and brutal. He didn¡¯t want to be that way, he refused. But the part that truly frightened him was how it felt. It felt¡­ right. Chapter 20, Family It was frost Cold and still, a light dusting of snow and ice covered the barren fields outside his window. The sun was just below the horizon, but the warm colors in the sky gave promise to a nicer day than yesterday. In all, it was a normal Ekuosa day in Wollseeth. A month and few weeks had passed since the new year. Reese had gotten settled into his new routine, of helping grade homework, and preparing some pre-lecture materials for Fense. He was getting up about an hour earlier than usual, and often before anyone else. It was still a strange feeling, getting up so early. In his old life, this was about the time he¡¯d be heading to bed, his old research job affording him a dynamic schedule. It was hard to know exactly what time it was currently, but it had to be close to 5:30AM, as he finished marking the last assignment. One of the simple things from his old world that he had grown to miss were clocks. So much here was done and said, without an exactness of time. Even now, he couldn¡¯t know exactly what time it was, or how he should plan things out. With the rough measures they did have, the length of the day and nights were variable too, which just added to his own challenges. No one else seemed to struggle with it, maybe because this was all the knew. The town bell gave some semblance of order to it all, ringing at about 8AM every morning and 6PM every day. Some cities might do every hour, but not Wollseeth. And, in reality, those times were different every day. Closer in the winter, father apart in the summer. With the bit of free time he was now afforded, he took a moment, and sketched out a few new ideas that he had considered for time keeping. The effects of mana made it hard to build a consistent clock, due to all the variances in friction. He found it was possible to build a reasonably accurate escape mechanism, that is, the mechanical oscillator of a clock. But, those variances caused some issues over time. They made the escapement accurate rather than something that just wouldn¡¯t move. All together, not too unreasonable, given the alternative was nothing or something like to a water clock which was, unworkable for a host of reason. He even had a proof of concept already built. A single wooden gear and wooden fork, carved by him, and left as smooth and consistent as possible, it ticked on his wall, and had for moths. Powered by a rather nice rock he found on the ground. The prototype did work, mostly, but when he went to add more gears to track hours, minutes and seconds, it tended to become exponentially unstable and would jam up or slip in unpredictable ways. He had tried different angles, and setups, different weights, including springs for torque which were not cheap. Every angle did something slightly different, and it still varied throughout the day, which was also odd. Its possible metal gears would perform better, but that was an expensive thing just to test. He did have one other option; it wasn¡¯t a great one though. Just have a single great wheel attached to the escapement, it would triple as an hour hand, a minute hand and a second hand. Minimize the number of gears and make use of a larger clock face for minutes and hours, and maybe seconds. There were different oscillator designs too. He could vaguely recall a spring powered one where the whole thing rotated. The only other option would be to figure out some way to shield it all from mana effects, but was that even possible? The glass display remnants suggested it might, but he had no idea how to make that glass or if it would even work for that purpose. Thinking about the glass display technology, he could also try to figure out a mana-based oscillator. He¡¯d need one anyway for the magic computer idea, eventually. That was still a way into the future though. Some of his experiments might need a reliable outside time keeping method before point as well. Musings aside, the sun finally decided to wake up, as the warm sky turned bright. It was time to eat and head to school. The rumblings of his sisters acting as a second alarm. Tapping his hands on his desk, he smiled. Today, was his day to cook! He was old enough now, being 10 years old. His parents wanted him to learn too. Cooking for oneself was a matter of survival in this world. Even more than his last one. It wasn¡¯t like there were any 24 hour restaurants here after all. As he stood up, the weight of those years here suddenly hit him. It had been a full decade in this place. Years that seemed both longer and shorter at the same time. Shaking his head, it was what it was. He couldn¡¯t change any of it, nor would he want too if he was honest. Well, maybe one thing. For breakfast, he was going to try and make something he''d been dying to try. They had eggs, flour, salt and the even more rare sugar, well a dark brown molasses like syrup that he had crystallized a bit of. No butter, but really any fat would do. They didn''t have baking powder, but soda wasn''t too hard to come by, and a pinch of cream of tartar would work in its place. The last item was harder to find, but a used wine barrel would hold just enough. Brot didn''t seem to mind him taking some of the whit crystal scrapings. Pancakes! These were not like the other cake like items they had in this world. They would be honest, and true, pancakes. Like what he used to make on the weekends back home. His family was¡­ not impressed, sadly. He thought they were really good considering some of the substitutions he needed to make. They were surprisingly fluffy, given the low quality of the soda power he used. To be fair though, they really could have used butter, but the molasses was nice and sweet. Maybe next time he could try hush puppies. They had the sausages. School had become interesting again, since he started helping Fense. At first, Reese was worried about the other students not listening to him or worse mocking him. But for some reason, they actually listen to him. Perhaps even more so than Fense. Maybe it was the age difference, being so close to them physically. Or, more depressingly, maybe it was because he was a human. Regardless, he found he was quite good at teaching. Breaking up complex problems into their parts, explaining the logic behind things even Fense might have missed. It was, kind of fun too. In his old life, and when he was younger he had tutored a bit to earn cash. But for the most part, he had kept to himself in his studies. Never making friends or even acquaintances in any of his degree programs. Always missed opportunities. He was grateful his work had paid for so many useless slips of paper on his wall. But in the end they were just that, worthless. "Reese, I don''t understand this problem." Mabel begged him to come assist with a math table they were working on. "I could use some help too." Someone else asked. And then there were more. The school day ran later than he was used to. There were many questions and the students all seemed to have issues with the concept of the class today. In both worlds, people tended to struggle with more abstract concepts, and trigonometry was no different. Reese knew there were better teaching methods in his world, but had no access to them here, and couldn¡¯t recall them himself. It gave him an air of helplessness, that Fense was quick to defuse. ¡°Reese, don¡¯t beat yourself up. This stuff is hard for most people. Unless they¡¯re going into carpentry or navigation, they probably won¡¯t need to know this. I don¡¯t even grade the younger students on the material.¡± ¡°I know, I just feel like there¡¯s a better way to teach this stuff.¡± The wolf raised what little eye brows he had, ¡°I¡¯m listening if you have ideas?¡± Reese considered what he was saying, and pulled from long forgotten, maybe even suppressed, memories of school in his old life. ¡°Well, these are just numbers. What if we used real world examples or setup a game of sorts?¡± ¡°A game?¡± The wolf already seemed to disagree ¡°This is school not play time.¡± ¡°I get that, and I don¡¯t mean a game like cards. Setup up some object or goal, have them get to that object using trigonometry. Make it fun rather than just rote memorization.¡± Fense considered the idea for a while. It wasn¡¯t what he was used to doing, and part of him felt it was the wrong approach. Still, he had to admit, most of the students struggled to pay attention. Maybe changing things would help. He doubted it would be much worse. ¡°Ok, I¡¯m not convinced yet but, draw up your plan and well discuss it tomorrow. If it¡¯s good, maybe.¡± As he made his way home, he began thinking of ways to make it fun, and gamify the experience. It wasn¡¯t an easy task. But he had outlined a few examples, and a few exercises that were less paper and pencil and more physical. The later afternoon had flown by while he work on the examples, and eventually he found himself at the kitchen table. ¡°Reese, don¡¯t work on your notebook during dinner.¡± His father scolded him lightly while his mother glared back at Fortus a bit. With a light chuckled he put the book away, not wanting to start a fight between the two of them ¡°Sorry, just working on a lesson plan tomorrow.¡± His mother seemed impressed by the revelation. ¡°Oh, Fense is letting you draw up a lesson plan on your own now?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s actually not the first time. But this plan is¡­ experimental.¡± Reese almost smirked at the thought. ¡°Experimental? You shouldn¡¯t experiment on your students.¡± His father admonished him a bit, not really grasping the complexities of teaching in a class. ¡°I mean, we have to try new things. How do we know were doing what¡¯s best if we don¡¯t?¡± ¡°I like the way you teach! It makes it easier to understand!¡± Mabel piped in with her boastful praise. Meerlet nodded in silent agreement. Nimi on the other hand, ¡°I think dad¡¯s right you shouldn¡¯t experiment on us. I should tell Fense about it.¡± Smirking herself, she turned to her father, perhaps seeking some modicum of praise for herself.¡°Nimi, don¡¯t tattle on your brother. I¡¯m sure Fense has it well in hand. If he doesn¡¯t like your plan Reese, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll drop it.¡± Fortus dropped the hammer on the conversation. Nimi frowned and her head fell slightly, it wasn¡¯t what she was hoping for. For a moment, Reese took pity on her. What she was doing was obvious, at least to him. In truth, he had done similar things when he was a child in the other life. Doing whatever he could to seek praise from others who couldn¡¯t care any less. ¡°What are you looking at.¡± She snapped at him, thus removing what little pity he had. Aside from that, dinner went well. Overall, this seemed like a perfect end to a decent day. Then, as he and his sisters put the dishes away, there was a knock at the door. Being as late as it was, visitors were not expected. Lilith slowly answered the door. At first, she didn''t recognize the person on the other side. ¡°Hello, can I help you?¡± She asked. Lillith cracked the door just enough that Reese could make her out. The woman was disheveled, not quite like a beggar would be, but rather as if she had spent a few day running in the bush. Her clothes were clearly exquisite, at one time. Now, little more than torn rags. Her eyes darted around the room. She was clearly suffering from deep stress, and it was obvious had seen things no person should ever see. As soon as Reese''s father came to investigate, his eyes lit up wide. "Ulla, what are you doing here?" He walked speedily to the door, opening it, inviting the woman in. For a few moments, Fortus stood there in shock as the disheveled woman paced in their living room. She was very clearly in deep distress. ¡°Ulla, are you ok? What happened to you? Why-¡° Fortus¡¯ words were cut off. The woman started crying inconsolably, as she fell into one of the couches. ¡°I¡¯ve been traveling for almost a week now¡­ there¡¯s nowhere safe for me.¡± Lillith moved to send the kids up to their rooms, Reese included. ¡°Come on kids, go upstairs. I¡¯ll put the dishes away later.¡± For a moment the woman stopped crying and looked backwards to the kitchen. Her eyes locked with Reese who shivered as a chill went down his spine. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ why I came here.¡± She pointed at the children, but specifically to Reese. Then just stopped all togther. No crying. No words. No movement. If not for her beathing, you might have thought she had died sitting there. Forus looked between his kids and her, ¡°I don''t understand, why did you come here? What happened. Is your family alright?¡± Hearing those words she began to shake. Again, Lillith pushed the children upstairs. Where, at least Reese, could still hear everything going on through the floor boards. Forus grabbed his sister¡¯s shoulders, trying to calm her down. ¡°Ulla, you¡¯re safe here. But, I can¡¯t do anything if you don¡¯t talk to me. What happened?¡± ¡°No, not I¡¯m safe, I¡¯m already dead. You still can keep him safe, to keep them all safe. Fortus, you¡¯re the only one who can.¡± She began crying again. Fortus left her for a moment to talk with Lillith out of ear shot. Lillith said the obvious, ¡°Fortus, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s ok.¡± ¡°No, she not. I¡¯ve never seen Ulla like this, she was always, strong. Something really bad must have happen. Maybe there was an attack just outside the village. It¡¯s all I can think of for how she looks. I¡¯m going to call a few of my guards to scout around town and see if they can find anything.¡± Lillith nodded to her husband. ¡°Right. I¡¯ll check her for injuries and see if I can get some herbs together to help her calm down.¡± Lillith moved up to her study, while Fortus, kneeled in front of his sister. He held her trembling hand. ¡°Ulla you¡¯ll be ok, Lillith will look after you for now. I¡¯m going to get some of my guards¡± As Fortus stood up to leave he was stopped by his sisters hand which grabbed his arm. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that.¡± Ulla was pulling back her tears and doing everything she could to maintain some level of composure. She was successful, if barely. ¡°I came in on the last carriage. There was no attack in your village, and no one was following me. I don¡¯t think.¡± She was still shaking a bit. ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll hold off on the guards for now. Are you going to tell me what happened?¡± Ulla nodded and swallowed back some more tears. For a moment, she seemed almost calm. ¡°My family is dead. All of them, even my husband and daughter. I only managed to escape because my husband pushed me into our family¡¯s carriage before taking an arrow in the back. He attacked us, I mean, it wasn¡¯t him directly. Just some thugs he hired but, it was him.¡± She began shaking again. ¡°Fortus, his thugs killed your nephews! My sons. They even killed Jenan because she was protecting her brother.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The color in Fortus¡¯ face drained, as he shook his head in disbelief. But the fact that he already knew who she was talking about without saying the name meant he already believed her. ¡°No. Why would Nimaus do that?¡± ¡°Because he¡¯s nuts! Julius filled his head with poisoned non-sense¡­ Or maybe Nimaus was just always this way. You remember what he was like as a kid. Those animals¡­ He¡¯s after the throne of Thrus. He¡¯s not going to get it but he¡¯s after it. He sees all the boys in our family as a threat.¡± Forus still couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°But, how do you even know it was him?¡± ¡°Fortus. You¡¯ve always had a blind spot with Nimaus. I don¡¯t understand it. You saw what he did when we were kids. He¡¯s evil.¡± Ulla shook her head dismissively, ¡°They told me. When they were about to kill me, one of them told me. Said I deserved to know. Bullshit. I¡¯d rather have thought they were just thugs. My husband¡­ Ellot he killed that thug, but not before taking his blade for me¡­ He died saving me. Still he managed to get me in the family carriage, even as I was screaming. He held on for¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡± She stopped talking to breath. For a few seconds, before continuing, ¡°I don¡¯t know when he fell off. But the carriage crashed just outside town and I was the only one left. I was able to get on one of the horses. I¡¯ve been riding south ever since. The horse didn¡¯t make it. I¡¯ve spent the past two days on different carriages. I was tempted to avoid Wollseeth, but¡­¡± Ulla stood up and straightened out her torn clothes. With a force expression, she tried to bid her brother goodbye. ¡°I didn¡¯t plan to stop here long. I lost my family Fortus, I don¡¯t have a reason to exist anymore. I just¡­ I needed to warn you. Even I¡¯ve heard of Reese. He¡¯ll be coming for him. For all of you.¡± Perhaps it was just to assuage his own fears and doubts, but Forus argued his sister, ¡°I gave up all claims to our family¡¯s holdings after I became a knight and a solder. He has no reason to come for us. He was already here a few months ago and¡­¡± The battered woman just laughed, ¡°And? You think because you¡¯re alive now, you¡¯ll stay that way. He visited our family too. A year ago. It was just a short chat, but he was probing for something. I¡¯m guessing it was to see how much of a threat we were. It¡­¡± She closed her eyes, as a few more tears fell. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡± ¡°So what you¡¯re saying I should give up? I won¡¯t do that. I won¡¯t give my son up. I won¡¯t give any of them up!¡± He almost shouted. ¡°Fortus¡­ even your small squad of guards isn¡¯t enough to go against our family¡¯s army, and it¡¯s only grown since you last saw it. He¡¯s only going to target Reese. Send your son somewhere else, somewhere he can be kept safe, the rest of you will be safe too. Even if¡­ Nimaus finds him, the rest of you will be safe. He wouldn¡¯t have killed Elliot and Harrin if we hadn¡¯t tried to save the boys.¡± With that, the two stood in the room for several minutes in silence. Lillith just watched from the stairs holding an assortment of medical aids. As Ulla made her way for the door, Lillith ran down and stopped her. ¡°Ulla, you¡¯re obviously not well, you should stay the night. I¡¯ll make a spare bed.¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m not staying though.¡± She continued to make for the door. ¡°There¡¯s no carriages at this hour, are you just going to walk?¡± Lillith continued to argue. ¡°No, I have some money, and the stables are still open. I¡¯m going to rent a horse and continue riding south. If I can get to Aggeon, my husband¡¯s family will take me in. They¡¯ve already said as much a month ago¡­ Fortus, I should have taken their offer. If I had sent my boys down there¡­¡± Ulla didn¡¯t finish what she was saying, instead she was stopped by hand from Forus. ¡°Ulla, please. You¡¯re injured and I don¡¯t just mean physically. Just for the night, stay. Our brother won¡¯t come through here tonight and in the morning¡­ We can talk a bit more.¡± The broken woman laughed for a second but nodded and gave in. For the next hour Lillith treated her physical wounds. After that Forus and her sat in near silence in the living room. Any whispered shared would not be heard by the rest of the family, except for one in particular. Eventually, she fell asleep on the couch. Not long after Forus retired to his room. Reese couldn¡¯t sleep his mind kept running over that last thing he heard his aunt say. ¡°Take care of your family Forus. Nimaus and Julius are both insane. I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re going to do if your son is around, but it won¡¯t be good. If you want to protect the rest, get rid of him.¡± Sometime late in the morning, Reese heard the front door open and close. As the sun came up, his aunt was gone. ¡°I¡¯ve got the guards out looking for her, but it looks like a horse was taken stolen the stables last night. I¡¯ve offered to pay for it, but¡­ She¡¯s had at least 3 hours. She could be past Eiizflus. Even a land dragon wouldn¡¯t catch up with her now.¡± Fortus sat at the table talking with Lillith. Reese stood on the stairs listening to his parents. Of course, both his father and mother knew this. His father called him over, ¡°Reese, come out here I want to talk to you for a second. Last night, was complicated. You remember when your uncle visited?¡± It was hard for Reese not to laugh, ¡°Of course I do.¡± He wanted to say how could he forget, but a smart-alecky answer didn¡¯t seem, appropriate at the moment. ¡°My brother is, not well in the head. He sees threats where there aren¡¯t any and¡­¡± Forus held Reese¡¯s shoulders tightly for a moment. ¡°I just want you to know none of this happening is your fault. I¡¯ve tried to convince my brother I¡¯m not a threat. As a father, as your father I will protect you. No matter what it takes. Do you understand?¡± He nodded. Any halfway decent father would say the same thing, and Forus, for all his faults, was a good man. ¡°Ok, it¡¯s getting late. I¡¯m heading out to the keep early today. Reese, for now, let¡¯s just pretend that nothing happened last night. Till we have a plan at least. Try not to scare your sisters ok?¡± His father cocked a smile and tapped his shoulders hard. He was scared, and it was his own way to reassure himself more than his son. The rest of the day was, very strange. Reese had to pretend that nothing had happened, which was made more difficult when he had to explain to Fense why the homework from yesterday wasn¡¯t graded. Which he had to do without actually explaining why. The wolf seemed to understand well enough, but it did make for a longer day as he stayed after to ensure it got done. Well, that was only half the reason he stayed late. The other half was so he didn¡¯t have to go home and think about what was happening. ¡°Are you ok? You¡¯ve been very distracted today?¡± Fense was perceptive as always. ¡°Yeah, just family issues. My aunt¡­¡± Reese shook his head, he didn¡¯t need to be telling people about his family troubles, particularly these. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just something I have to deal with.¡± ¡°I think I understand. I know the guards were really active this morning. I¡¯m guessing that has something to do with your aunt.¡± Fense held up a hand to stop Reese from interrupting. ¡°It¡¯s ok, you don¡¯t have to say anything else. You know, when I took this job, I got to meet your father and the mayor first. We talked at length and it came up about how he was from a noble family but forsook any claims.¡± The wolf smiled, ¡°You know I like to study history, so I know it¡¯s not always that easy. The Bronwyn in particular are an interesting study in family power dynamics. If you do want to talk, I¡¯m here.¡± Returning the smile, Reese could only thank his mentor, ¡°I¡¯m grateful, but I think I need to keep this internal for now. I don¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m worried about who might get pulled in if I don¡¯t.¡± Put down the pen he was using Reese thought about that last point. ¡°What do you mean by the Bronwyns are particular?¡± ¡°Hmm. How much of your family¡¯s history do you know?¡± ¡°Almost nothing. Forus doesn¡¯t talk much about our family. Any time I¡¯ve brought it up he just, changes the subject. I didn¡¯t even know I had an uncle or aunt until a few months ago.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± It was now the wolf¡¯s turn to look pensive. ¡°Perhaps, I shouldn¡¯t say too much then. I¡¯m sure your father has his reason to keep things hidden. I don¡¯t think I agree, but¡­¡± He trailed off an looked down at his desk. ¡°I can say that your family was very important to the original five kingdoms and the founding of Thrus, but internal politics and games lead to problems.¡± The wolf winced. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I probably shouldn¡¯t. There¡¯s a couple good history texts that go over the origin of Thrus at the very least.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Sensing a lack of answer, he went back to grading the homework in front of him. He¡¯d have to track down a few history texts. Maybe Charston, if he ever opened his book store again. ¡°You should also ask your father. Given everything that may be happening, he might be willing to talk more now.¡± With that, Fense went back to his own work and building a future lesson plan. ¡°You know. I think you¡¯ve convinced me on your game approach to learning. We¡¯re going to try it next week.¡± It was cold outside when Reese made his way home. It was very late for a school day, and the sun had just about set, and the warm rays were already being blocked by the nearby mountains. In it¡¯s place the cold valley wind blew. Pulling his jack closer, he began to wonder if there wasn¡¯t a better way to keep warm. Maybe some low grade flame mana stones? Even better, maybe some internal wiring to spread the heat around and warm up the fabric from the inside. Pulling out his current journal, he jotted down some notes and ideas. Tapping at the paper, the idea of wires running though clothes brought up an interesting question. Could he enchant fabric this way? His mind wandered back to that dark elf more than a year ago, his fabric had what looked like gold traces in it, it¡¯s how he knew it was enchanted in the first place. Another note to follow up on later. Tonight, Reese tried to talk to his father about anything he could. However, each time it was always meet with. ¡°Not now.¡± His father was often a bit distant, but this, was a new and unwelcome level. Eventually, he ¡®retired¡¯ to Lillith¡¯s study and asked not to be disturbed, making a strong point to look in Reese¡¯s direction. Whatever Fortus was working on, was clearly urgent. By the looks of it, it was a series of letters. But, of course, he wouldn¡¯t tell his son anything. Even at dinner time, Fortus continued to work in the study, having his food brought there and leaving the dining table to the rest of the family in almost silence. Aside from the occasional ideal chatter between his sisters. Very late that night, Reese lay in his bed unable to sleep. None of the work he had planned on doing panned out. He just couldn¡¯t concentrate; his mind was both paradoxically too full and too empty of meaningful thoughts. The late-night conversation below his room by his parents made sleep that much harder. ¡°You¡¯re serious about sending Reese away. He¡¯s our boy, I don¡¯t¡­ Forus, I don¡¯t want to see him go. Not yet. He¡¯s still so young, and vulnerable.¡± His mother sounded on the verge of tears. ¡°I know Lillith, I know. But¡­ It¡¯s not safe anymore. This hurts me to say, I¡¯m not sure I can protect all of us anymore.¡± Even Fortus¡¯ voice had a deep emotional slump to it. The sound of creaking wood accompanied his father¡¯s footsteps as he paced. He rarely paced. ¡°We have an alliance with the Vallhorn. Even my brother doesn¡¯t have that. He doesn¡¯t seem to have many alliances at all from what I can gather. Reese would be safe with them, they have a literal army in Trillonia, way more than just my battery of guards. Beeson still owes me a couple favors too saving his life and those surrounding villages. I think he¡¯ll agree to it.¡± A stifled huff came from Lillith, ¡°Eh, Safe? Are you sure you¡¯re not trying to build up allies? You¡¯re doing what you said you never wanted to, building a power base. I remember you said Beeson has 3 or 4 daughters, doesn¡¯t he?¡± Fortus¡¯ pacing stopped. ¡°Yeah, that idea hadn¡¯t escaped me either. If my brother won¡¯t let us be in peace, maybe we need to consider other options. Lillith I hate this, it¡¯s why I never wanted to be a noble.¡± Mentally the knight commander did what he did best and strategized. Starting by considering all the pieces on the board in Wollseeth, there just weren¡¯t enough no matter what he did. His family was at great risk, so long as his uncle and brother knew Reese was under their roof. Even with the decay over the years, the Broywn family name had power behind it. Even if Reese would never be the head of the whole family, there was still value there. A marriage to the 3rd daughter of a powerful lord might not be unreasonable for both parties. It might be enough to stem any attacks on his own family, and provide reinforcements if it came to it. Fortus rubbed his tired eyes. This isn¡¯t what he wanted. He forsook all claims to his family¡¯s line. That¡¯s why he became a knight. He just wanted to follow his own dreams. What was wrong with his brother and his uncle? ¡°Feuer.¡± Fortus spoke his thoughts aloud, in nearly a whisper that only the two would hear. ¡°Beeson¡¯s always talking about her. I mean, he¡¯s got two other daughters but she¡¯s always been a problem child. A real fire cat. She actually challenged me to a sword fight the last time I was there.¡± The sound of the creaking furniture echoed as he sat down. Perhaps it was the weight of his own thoughts too heavy to carry. ¡°Beeson actually brought the idea up a year ago. After his last arrangement, fell though. I think it was mostly in jest but, the Vallhorn have been trying for a baronship for centuries. He thinks because of our family¡¯s two histories it¡¯s the best path.¡± ¡°So, these two will be engaged, not actually married?¡± Lillith sounded both unconvinced and concerned. ¡°No, not till they¡¯re both 20. It¡¯s just an arrangement till then...¡± Fortus paused, ¡°Technically it can even be rescinded. That¡¯s already happened a few times with her.¡± Lillith still wasn¡¯t convinced. ¡°And the Vallhorn will just watch him for us till them? Reese is just going to sit in their castle doing¡­ nothing for the next ten years? He¡¯s going to refuse, and before you say he can¡¯t, he¡¯s going to hate it and will find anyway out he can.¡± ¡°Well, thankfully it may not be that simple. Feuer¡¯s last tutor quit, almost a year ago. Beeson¡¯s been looking for someone to replace them. Reese is learning how to be a teacher. Maybe that¡¯s enough to pacify him.¡± Fortus sounded almost exacerbated, this was clearly the best he had. ¡°Do you really think that would work?¡± Lillith continued to protest, clearly afraid to lose her son ¡°Lillith, you know our boy better than I do. If you have a better plan.¡± She tried to think, to find any reasonable idea or argument but, ¡°No. I don¡¯t. He¡¯s really sensitive about people leaving though. He sulked for the rest of the year after Emilly left, and still¡­¡± Finding a glint of light and humor, Lilith couldn¡¯t help but laugh, ¡°A school girl marrying her teacher. Isn¡¯t that perverse?¡± Sensing a break in the tension, Fortus laugh slightly at the absurdity, ¡°Heh, Yeah, it¡¯s definitely not normal. Even in aristocratic circles. But she¡¯s been engaged several times already, there¡¯s nothing normal about this girl.¡± ¡°Wait, how many arrangements has she had? How old is she.¡± The shock in voice echo. ¡°Quite a few apparently, and Yeah, and he¡¯ll be younger than her too, but not by more than a year or two. But back to the main point, it will keep us all safe. Especially him. Lillith, I think this is the best chance.¡± ¡°¡­He¡¯s not going to take it well.¡± She protested in vain. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have to. Lillith, I do love that boy. But this is about all of us. If the Vallhorns fall through, I¡¯ve got a few other options, but you¡¯re going to hate them even more. Some connections out in Mixx and Aggeon who might agree.¡± ¡°Mixx and Aggeon¡­¡± Lillith¡¯s face dropped, in the flicker of the fire place lighting, she almost looked two decades older. ¡°I¡¯d never see him again.¡± She nearly whispered. Fortus put his hand on top of his wife¡¯s, ¡°You would. I promise I¡¯d find a way if that happens. It just, might take a few years.¡± In his room, Reese couldn¡¯t sleep. Below, people were planning his future without his input. He didn¡¯t even know exactly what they were planning, just to send him off to some other family. To be fair though, it was to protect all of them. From him. From the damage he caused by being there. The next day, nothing. His parents said nothing about the person who was there last night, just ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it later.¡± He knew his father sent a couple of letters after that via fast courier. Reese couldn¡¯t imagine how expensive that was, even a normal letter was 3-9 copper depending on the distance, and that could take weeks to arrive. A day or two, would probably be a couple silver, at least. Beyond that though¡­ had to be a significant part of a gold. It worried him. What his aunt said was terrifying. His Uncle scared him when he talked to him. But the thought that he would wipe out part of his family like that. Just on a negligible chance they could, not even would, usurp him was nuts. Even more than that, it was evil. He was worried about his family. It was strange, he truly saw them all as his family now. There was confusion and oddity to it all at first, but after a decade, it didn¡¯t matter. They were his family, his sisters, his mother and his father. All their lives were in jeopardy because he existed. Where were the gods when you needed them? Those how would call themselves gods, anyway. All his experiments and work sat in a pile on his desk, unable to focus on any of it. Even his lesson plans for Fense and the class were half complete. Shaking his head, that wasn¡¯t fair to the students. They deserved better than a half complete assignment. Reese couldn¡¯t control what was going to happen, but he could flush this out at least and maybe take his mind off things. A week later, and things seemed to be somewhat normal again. His parents were very hushed about things though. Fortus had sent of several more letters since that night as well. Reese had no idea to where though. It probably shouldn''t have been of any surprise that one of those letters, likely the first one, bore a bitter fruit. As he returned from a particularly challenging day of schooling his parents were both waiting for him. His mother alone would not have been unusual, but to see his father too, in the middle of the afternoon was concerning. Fortus was the first to speak, "Reese. We need to talk to you. I suspect you heard some of our conversation a few nights ago?" No point in beating around the bush, "I did¡­ You''re planning to send me away." He tried to hold back the flood of emotions he felt. It was clear that effected the normally stoic Fortus, "¡­ Yes. To protect the rest of the family. I¡¯m sending you off to the Vallhorn, under the care of Beeson Vallhorn. He is a good friend of mine, and an ally. He has a daughter about your age." "Ok¡­" He heard some of this the previous night, but not all of it. "You''re going to go and tutor her." Fortus had continued. "Ok¡­?" That was a bit more than he was expecting, but not unreasonable. He¡¯d become an actual teacher, earlier than expected but. That was fine he could do this. He was not expecting the second part from Fortus, "And you''re going to be betrothed to her." That, didn''t make sense. Pausing he processed the word Fortus used, ''Betnivvelob''. It was a rare word, but he had seen it a few times. Betrothed seemed correct, but arranged marriage might have been a better translation. He shook the thoughts out of his head, it was a marriage engagement regardless. "¡­ what? I''m 10. I can''t get married I''m still a kid." Fortus held strong, "It''s common in high born and noble families. Usually, these things are decided much earlier, but both of you are exceptional cases. And you''re only betrothed, you won''t be married till you''re both at least 20. Until then you¡¯re just, acquaintances." "Do I have any say in this.¡± Reese already knew the answer. ¡°No. I''m sorry you don¡¯t.¡± Fortus looked like a weathered stone about to fracture. He got up from the table, ending the one way conversation. Lillith sat at the table, a few tears evident on her face as she tried to smile. "She really does seem like a challenging student for you. I think¡­ I hope you''ll find common ground with her." Reese sat across the table from his mother, this wasn''t how he expected his life to go, much less the day. It wasn''t so much that he was sad, as in shock. He tried to reassure himself in his mind. After all, these weren''t really his family, were they? He knew the thoughts he had early, the belief that maybe they were. But in truth they weren''t. This move was just another transition, it was fine. He was fine. His mind continued to try and reconcile everything, to protect itself. Visions of the past ten years flooded past him, as he kept trying to push them aside, as he kept trying to say it was fine. The fuzzy vision, and tickle of water down his face showed it wasn''t working. "I don''t want to leave yet¡­" He whimpered. Chapter 21, Trillonia A few weeks had passed from that last night. It was the 320 year Ast-Astrix, and the 54 year of King Roth. Just like Emilie had done a year ago, Reese stood outside the town Inn waiting for the carriage driver to arrive. The weather was much cooler than it was for Emilie, the difference between an early spring day in the month of Elemiw and the early autumn month of Sootemer. At his feet were three bags. His entire life thus far compressed into three, all be it larger, canvas bags. One bag held his clothes. The other one his experiments, and the last one his books, including his notebooks and whatever wouldn¡¯t fit in the first two. He also had a small purse at his hip, the coins he had managed to save over the years. In all it was about 89 silvers and 12 coppers, a bit less than 1 and 1/3 gold coins worth. Not a bad amount for a 10 year old, he supposed. Still far short of what his new family would have. He didn¡¯t know much about the Vallhorn, but they were exceedingly wealthy from what Fortus explained, and what little he could gather from his books. The census data for Trillonia was interesting. The city seemed to be one of the most prosperous in Thrus. He still didn¡¯t know much about his own family. Forust was still being tight lipped on that. Even his books didn¡¯t seem to mention much. Though, at one time they might have ruled over several provenances in Thrus! Now though, they didn¡¯t even control a single one, and barely head a city state more towards the north. It seemed like a large fall, and one he still didn¡¯t understand. His research had just lead him to more questions, and even less answers. The carriage driver was quite well dressed, with smooth almost silken clothes. Which given he worked for one of the richest families in the country made sense. Being a representative of the ruling family there, the Vallhorn. His suit colors were mostly dark, but there were some highlights of green and amber, with white trim around the collar. Given the way he was dressed it was a reasonable deduction that the man was a servant or employee of the Vallhorn as opposed to an actual member of the family. Reese would later learn the colors he wore were the three primary colors of house Vallhorn and showed up on all their markings. The Vallhorn were mostly eleven, by blood and the green represented their woodland ancestry and commitments to bring in agriculture and greenery to their city. The amber represented the yellow shades of the arid region and bordering desert. The white symbolized the large amount of silver the Trillonian mined and what they were most known for. As Reese attempted to load his bags into the carriage the driver insisted on doing it for him. ¡°Nobles shouldn¡¯t do menial work, sir.¡± The man started, and carefully placed each bag inside the carriage, just under the forward-facing seat. It made Reese feel uncomfortable though, he had never had anyone pack up for him, in either world. After the driver was done, nothing was left outside the carriage but himself, and it was time to take those last few steps. A part of him couldn¡¯t help but worry this might be the last time he¡¯d ever see his family again. Memories of a forsaken life, and lost opportunities flooded his mind. Without even thinking, his heart made him run back and give one last hug to each of them. Even Nemi, who weakly accepted the gestures. He still didn¡¯t understand why she never liked him, and probably never would. Just the nature of sibling dynamics, he supposed. He was going to miss her terribly. ¡°Take care of yourself, son. I¡¯ll check in on you when I¡¯m back in the area.¡± Fortus squeezed Reese¡¯s shoulder tight and pushed back tears that were starting to form in his eyes. Reese wasn¡¯t able to do the same as entered the carriage, leaving his short life in Wollseeth behind. His eyes burned slightly as he rubbed the brackish sadness away from them. Looking around, the inside of the carriage was opulent, for a carriage anyway. There was light gold leaf trim around the hard woods and soft seats of sown leather and filled with something like cotton. It would be a marked change from the normal carriages people used with hard wood seats, and cheap splintering woods. The windows held glass panes in them, crystal clear and free of defects. Again, a marked difference from the lower price carriages commoners would usually use. With a jerk, it began to move ahead, at plodding pace of 12-14 kilometers an hour. Only the initial path the carriage would take was the same as Emilie took. It would travel north, up Bridge Road, and over the unnamed bridge the road was named after. Eventually turn westward, down the Paved Road. Unlike Emilie''s trip though, it wouldn''t eventually turn north and instead would continue westward towards one of the largest cities in Thrus, Trillonia. Looking back out the carriage window, all Reese could see were the tops of the larger buildings and some of the watch towers. But eventually, and far quicker than he expected, even those disappeared. His old life, or rather his second life faded into the background ahead of him. That background which would become the next part of his journey. Whatever that actually was. As the trip dragged on, the countryside slowly shifted from greens and trees, to more amber and brown colored plains that Thrus was known for. Occasionally farms and small villages would appear, many of them too small for a name. Near the middle of the day, they would stop at a village to exchange horses, and rest for a few moments. Though larger than most the village was tiny compared to most, little more than an Inn and some houses, not even a market to speak of. The inn had food at least, such as it was. Some bread, and a watery soup of what tasted like roots. ¡°Young sir, it¡¯s time to move on.¡± The carriage driver kept using an odd word, ¡®Siriglich¡¯ when he referred to him. For the most part, the driver spoke human, but Siriglich was a Dark Elven word, which itself felt like a curious fusion of Latin and Germanic. In his mind he would translate the word as ¡®sir¡¯ or ¡®sire¡¯. Which was fairly accurate. In the end, it was some more linguistic musings to put in his notebook. It brought up an interesting and still open question he had since his first notebooks, why all the languages of the world seemed a strange fusion of old earth languages, and something else entirely. Speaking of his notebook, the trip gave him ample time to consider all of them. To pass the time, and focus on something other than his family, he found himself diving into his old notes, and some of the newer ones too. There were still so many unanswered questions, and given all the gaps even more questions he didn¡¯t even know to ask yet. It would take two days to travel to the city. Carriages were far faster than walking, but slower compared to a single horse and slower still compared to a land dragon. They would be overnighting in a small unnamed village with an unusually large Inn. A common way point for travelers, and that''s what the Inn, and town specialized in. It was moderately clean, with a handful of patrons already inside. His room was somewhat expensive for what it was. 18 coppers, and it didn''t include a meal, which was another 8, all paid for by the Vallhorn, but still. At least it was good. A thick stew, some bread and sliced cured meats. He could have gone for something sweet afterwards, but that wasn¡¯t an option. There was even a bath, of sorts. A welcome addition to the trip, very few Inns had actual baths. Usually, if you wanted a wash, you used a bucket and towel or maybe head to the local river. Some towns would have a public bath house too, but not this one nor Wollseeth. At least this world had soaps. The addition helped explain the higher cost of the room. No doubt there were cheaper rooms elsewhere in the inn, without such luxuries as running water. The next day was more of the same. Getting up around dawn, eating some more fair from the Inn, and spending several hours in the rocking carriage. Even with the soft seats, Reese could still feel the bumps and rocking. He shuttered at what it must have felt like without the cushions, and a sympathetic pain radiated down his back as he thought of Emilie''s weeklong trip. "Young, sir!" The carriage driver spoke to him for what might have been the 5th time on the trip. "We''ll be reaching the outskirts of Trillonia soon, you''ll see it on the horizon. It''s quite a unique view." Outside the window, Reese could see the large river slightly to the north of them, ''Silver Stone River''. It was large enough to support barges and moderate sized ships, a few of which seemed to be sailing in different directions as he peered outside. Further downstream the river would eventually connect to the ''Great Wide River'', which would eventually reach the special district and then the ocean. Many of the riverways in the country shared a dense network of trade routes, as most linked to the large river at the center of the kingdom. He studied the ships for a moment, the one going downstream was simple enough, but how was the larger one able to move up stream and fight the current? There appeared to be paths along the river for smaller boats to be pulled, but not this larger one. A new question for his notebook. Up ahead, the city started to come into view. It seemed to exist in three levels The lowest was all farmlands with a smattering of auxiliary buildings and residents. Then, there were the two mesas, a smaller one stacked on a much larger one. From the distance, there was a large wall on top of the second mesa, behind which was what could best be described as a castle or very large keep. The lower mesa didn''t seem to have a single wall, rather, the roads and pathways leading up ended at a gate house with half walls that ended some meters after. It made sense if you thought about it, very few armies would be equipped to scale the non-paved parts of the mesa. At least in any significant number to matter. Getting closer, more buildings came into view. In particular there was a large Colosseum-like building, that Reese would later learn was just called "the Arena". Behind the walls on the upper mesa, the roof of the large trade house could be seen. A smattering of smaller buildings cut into the skyline. A silhouette of the mountain that used to be there, long since mined down to the bed rocks that made up the mesas. A small but notable building sat at the edge of the upper mesa. It''s white marble contrasted with the sandy-gray coloring of the other buildings. It had to be the city''s main temple. Despite the size of the city, it didn''t seem like it was large enough for it. Then again, the gods didn''t care so why should the people? Besides, there had to be shrines all around, you just had to look for them. Finally, they crossed the large Silver Stone River on an equally larger bridge. To the left, Reese got a view of the Silver Ore lake, and the dock attached to it. Various streams of water poured and trickled from the side of the cliff the mesa became. The darker color of the water suggesting that the lake was probably not the cleanest, nor safe for drinking. The city held vast underworks, most abandoned mine tunnels from back when the mountain held valuable mana stones, gems and gold. Technically, no one lived in them as they weren''t safe, prone to collapse or housing dangerous fauna. But if you were smart about it and brave enough, you could get anywhere in the city via them. As the carriage traveled up to the first mesa, the bustling streets and people quickly became apparent, it was midday after all. The city had to have a population of nearly 200,000, which for this era was huge. Most quickly got out of the way of the carriage, the rest moved as the driver yelled at them. Traveling past the five points, an intersection of five of the city''s major roads, they continued up northward, down a single long and wide road, towards the higher mesa, and eventually over it. The size of the walls became ever more evident as they approached them. Behind the walls, the buildings changed markedly. There was much more wood and brick work, fancier structures that likely cost much more than those outside it. But what was at the end of the large road was most impressive. It was a castle. Not just a keep like what was in Wollseeth but literally, a giant castle inside a massive, fortified wall. Which itself was behind more walls. This was a city designed to survive not just a war, but arguably armageddon itself. Who were these people? The carriage pulled up to a large open and paved area, and then stopped. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived, young sir.¡± Outside the carriage window were a small assortment of people. Most seemed dress in various clothing you might expect from laborers or staff. But a small number, those closest to the carriage were dressed far fancier. Also, a decent number of guards sprinkled about. ¡°Welcome to the Vallhorn estate.¡± A very well dressed older elven man addressed Reese. He was wearing what could best be described as a suit, but not quite. It was almost identical to what Fense wore, just slimmer. It also seemed to lack the colors of the carriage driver, being just dark greys, black and a touch of white. ¡°Are you Beeson, Beeson Vallhorn?¡± Reese had no idea what he looked like, beyond being an elf. The snickers from the nearby guards implied he was mistaken. ¡°I am not, Reese Bronwyn. My name is Hippall, I am the head of the servants for the estate. If you¡¯re ready, I will take you see the Vallhorns.¡± As Reese considered his bags and how to handle them, he was surprised to find two other well-dressed individuals taking them for him without asking. ¡°Your bags will be taken to your room for you.¡± Hippall tried to reassure him. ¡°Thank you, uh, sorry but please be careful with the one. There¡¯s glass and some experiments in it.¡± Reese couldn''t help but flinch as the servants were still more forceful than he would have liked. Hippall nodded to the other staff who quickly got the message. ¡°Of course, Reese Bronwyn. This way.¡± The elf began moving at a quick pace towards the castle. As they headed inside the castle, the shear opulence of it all really became apparent. The gold trim and velvet could make even the strongest Rococo style seem mundane. They passed through a large hall, with even more gold, and what appeared to be actual gems in the chandeliers. ¡°Do you need anything special in your room?¡± Hippall asked as they walked through gold lined spaces. If Reese asked for a solid gold bar on his bed, they¡¯d probably have given it to him and not even noticed it was missing. But he thought seriously about it, there was one thing he¡¯d like. ¡°I¡¯d like a table or a work bench. I have some experiments and could use the flat space.¡± ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll see to it.¡± Hippall called over another servant and whispered something as they proceeded into the next room. The other ran off quickly elsewhere in the castle. The space opened to a large moderately lite room of great size. The window placements were well thought out, and even on the northern side of the building light streamed through at key points, illuminating specific parts of the court. In particular there was the red-carpet path that lead up to the throne. Only to stop a few feet short. Or at least the seat looked like a throne, it was certainly big enough and plush enough. At the head of the path and carpet was large bar of light, that petitioners might stand in, making an almost ¡®T¡¯ shape. Then, there were the surrounding seats next to the throne which were also well lit. It was all very theatrical, and yet, it made the point well. This was a special place, between light and dark. Nothing else mattered but those you could see, and it would be easy to just be cast back into the shadows and forgotten. Hippall stopped and gave a simple glance as if indicating Reese should stop as well. "Presenting Reese Bronwyn, of the family Bronwyn." With that Hippall stepped back a few feet into the shadows, leaving Reese alone to face the gaze of the court occupants. An older woman sat on a throne in front of him, some distance away. Flanked on both sides by very several well-dressed nobles, first a man and a woman. Then next to the man were two girls, both dresses in exquisite garbs, highlighting the houses colors. The two girls appeared remarkably like the man and the woman, and also a little bit like older matriarch. The one girl seemed slightly better dressed, not by much but it was certainly a more voluminous dress. What looked like the youngest one was in a dress that was slightly closer to her body with a few less frills, but again only a small number less. A clear but subtle difference between the two. Fortus had explained the immediate Vollhorn family, but not everything about them. He wasn''t quite sure what they all looked like. But at the very least he knew their names, right of the old woman, the man was likely Beeson. The middle aged woman by herself on the left would then be Sneacta, his wife. Elves aged a little slower than humans, not by much though. He guessed the one daughter was around 17, and the younger was about 14 or 15. Neither were particularly close to his age, so he doubted if they could be Feuer. With the information he had, it wasn''t a risky guess that the two girls were the older daughters Virume, and the middle one, Lueismar. Lastly, and most importantly, in the room was the matriarch who was sitting on the throne in the center, Fuhen. Her gaze was unpleasant, like a woman short on time, in all meanings of that statement, and he was wasting it by even being there. Which led to the question, where was Feuer? Maybe there was some separate ceremony he wasn''t aware of. Something he had forgotten? Reese''s heartbeat in his chest, a tight feeling he remembered from a decade ago threatened to take him again. He could feel the panic welling up inside of his, this wasn''t good, but he knew what was happening. A few deep breaths, and he could beat out the panic attack, just few breaths. Looking around he tried to remember that one text from school, ¡®Etiquette and Maners, by Oleson¡¯. It was a book about this very thing, how to behave around royalty, nobility, aristocrats, and generally anytime you needed decorum. At the moment though he didn¡¯t know if he should bow, kneel, or just walk forward. A bow, was usually done by those on the social ladder, but still lesser in some regards. A mayor to a governor, a governor to lord, a lord to a king, stations like that. Kneeling was subservience, an act of fealty, a house knight or a servant was expected to kneel, but for someone of near equal or higher station it could be seen as insulting to both parties. Walking forward was a bold claim of equality or superiority. Lords to Lords, kings to kings. Reese was certain he was not a king. So many maddening points, a single miss-step could lead to¡­ well, it wouldn''t be good. "Are you ok? You seem to be staring around like you¡¯re a lost little boy." Fuhen spoke down to him. Walking forward was absolutely the wrong move. A short bow forward, "I apologize, I''m just in awe of your throne room. It''s very opulent and exquisite." "It should be, we spent a lot of coins on it. Why are you here?" Her brow furrowed in annoyance. Given the wrinkles it probably wasn¡¯t an unusual expression. Reese considered the question; she had to know why he was there. This was either some kind of a test or a game. He would play along for as long as he could. "I''m here for two reasons. The first I consider more important, to tutor Feuer, and the second¡­" He paused for a moment, unwilling to say the words. "To be a groom for, Feuer. In the distant future." He made sure to add that last part. "So you think tutorage is more important for my granddaughter than her marriage. Why do you think you''re even qualified?" The matriarch¡¯s tongue was sharp, and her words were quick. Reese didn¡¯t have a lot of time to think, as he put the words together, "I apprenticed as a teacher in my town under the teacher Fense. So I have experience-" She pounced on that statement. "Experience? Wasn''t it for less than a year, you consider that an acceptable level of experience?" Reese was certain now, this had to be a game of wits. For what reason he could only guess. He couldn¡¯t lie about material facts, not without serious risks for questionable rewards, but maybe he could stretch some things. He had tutored decades earlier, in another life. Even learned teaching methods this world hadn¡¯t even considered. With a quick breath, he defended himself, "That''s true, but I spent more time before my apprenticeship unofficially tutoring the other students in the class, and I believe have more experience then might otherwise be evident."This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "We''ll have to take your word for it, I guess. You are, about 10 years old?" Nodding, Reese responded, "Yes, I was 10 this past Deciamon." Fuhen¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, "Do you think 10 is the right age for a teacher? Do you think it''s the right age for teaching a noble?" He thought back to that damn census report he read a few times. There was a number in there for this, he remembered looking it up when trying to gauge Fense when he first met him. What was it though, 32? Had to be close to that anyway. "Well, I know from Verster¡¯s Census from the 40th year of King Roth the average age for a teacher across the six kingdoms was about 32. I will admit I am less than that, but I have confidence in my skills. I know it''s bold, but I suspect I could outcompete most other competent teachers." "You''re able to spit out random facts, if they''re true it''s impressive. But it makes me wonder if you''re not just lying. Regardless, and again I ask, do you believe you are better than a 32 year old teacher?" "I have skills that are at least comparable." Reese continued to keep his composure, but it was growing difficult. "What subjects are you most versed in? What do you plan to teach my granddaughter?" Finally having enough the man next to her, Beeson spoke up, "Mother please, is this all necessary?" "Yes. I need to see what damage your decision caused. You should know Reese, it was not my choice to invite you here. Now, what subjects are you an expert in?" She continued to speak quickly, her wit was sharper than a dagger, and just as fast as one too. Reese thought about the question for a moment, he could point to math, but beyond that it was harder to quickly evocate. General History and geography, magic theory at a basic level anyway, language well human at least. A few others he could point to, but that wasn¡¯t what was really important, he could learn quick too. Doubt began to creep into his mind, which he shook out. "I am most knowledgeable in mathematics. I also know a fair amount of ancient history and geography. Along with some biology, I know a fair amount about magic theory. I can give your granddaughter a comprehensive tour of these subjects and more. I can also learn very quickly and teach her anything else you would like. We would just need to agree on a lesson plan." The matriarch huffed and smirked, "I''m surprised to hear you say magics, I was told you were gateless and inept." Inept was a step too far, but it seemed like she was just goading him into an emotional response. He just needed to stay calm. "It''s true I''m gateless, but I''m still quite knowledgeable and can cast simple spells, I also know-" She waved away the rest of his statement, not really interested. "What about High Elven, how much do you know?" He thought about it, he actually did know bits and pieces of a few languages from his old world, it¡¯s just most of them weren''t relevant here, though there were two he could point to. "I know a bit of Anthro and Dras-" "I didn''t ask if you could talk to the animals or dark-skinned elves. I asked about High Elven, do you know it?" Racists, on top of everything else. "No. I do not know High Elvish personally only a handful of words, but I can learn it quickly and will be in a position to teach your granddaughter." The woman paused as if taking his answers in. There was no change in her face, and she remained the same stonewalled difficult person he had been dealing with. He could really have used a chair right now as he stood in silence. Waiting for the next attack. Fuhen broke the silence "Of course you understand my concern. We need to make sure Feuer''s education is taken care of. But for your second point. What does the Bronwyn family even have to offer the Vallhorn?" Reese had no idea. There was some ancient history between the families, but he only knew about that in passing from his father and Fense, neither of which were willing to fill him on the very large gaps. For all his studying, he had never really had a chance to study up on his own family. Which left a rather larger hole in his knowledge base. But, there had to be a reason why the Vallhorn would have agreed. The reasons his family, his father specifically, arranged this felt cold, but there had to be logic behind it. Why would Beeson agree to the suggestion? As he thought about it, Reese could remember his father mentioning how Beeson was the one who originally brought it up. There had to be some reason on their end, something they wanted? Maybe he could just bluff it. The larger Bronwyn family was known to be a strong name and power. Another quick breath, "I''m sure you''re aware of how powerful the Bronwyn family is. Some of that strength can be shared with the Vallhorn, and I''m aware of my uncle and his strong claims, my branch of the family does still have pull." He smiled lightly, he felt that it was a good answer, even if imperfect. The matriarch didn¡¯t seem to agree, however. "That''s it, just some pull? The Vallhorn family is beyond wealthy, a ''little pull'' isn''t much of a trade." That was the best he had. Maybe with more time, he could have come up with something better. "I only know what I was told and what I''ve researched. I''m sure my father and Beeson have a plan for the marriage, I was not made aware of it.¡± Which was true, he was sure Beeson and his father had a plan in mind, he just didn¡¯t know what it was, because no one told him. He could feel his teeth grinding in his mouth as he cursed his father for not telling him anything. He should return focus on what he did know. A silent voice inside of him calmed him down, and for a moment seemed to take over. His eyes locked onto to the matriarch as he felt all his fear just vanish, for a moment. ¡°First, and foremost, I am here to tutor your granddaughter. The marriage won''t happen for another decade." There was silence and as Reese¡¯s senses came back he began to wonder if he spoke out of turn. He wasn''t expecting the old woman to smile, however slight. "I think I might come to like you. At least you can keep calm. How much do you know about my granddaughter?" Her speech slowed, just slightly. He had heard a few rumors, his father mumbling a few things here and there. None particularly appropriate or likely accurate. "I know she''s a year or two older than me and is in need of a tutor. Beyond that not much." There were some other rumors but nothing he should probably say aloud. Fuhen sighed, the first real sign of emotion from her even more than the subtle smirk. It implied she was out of patience, though not necessarily with him. At least he hoped not. "She needs more than just a tutor. Feuer fancy''s herself a Knight, but that''s not possible. Her older brother is already a knight. I''m sure you can see the problem?" Reese thought for a moment, his knowledge of noble politics was limited. There was something about this though, "Yes, most nobles and aristocrats are limited to one active Knight in the family. To keep any one family from having too much control of the kingdom''s military. Your oldest grandson is a knight and Feuer can''t become one too without causing issues for her family." ¡°Issues is an understatement. We¡¯re one of the wealthiest families in the kingdoms, if others saw us trying to control more of the military, they¡¯d be worried. Rightfully so. We¡¯d lose most of our trading partners overnight¡­ It was my hope that by finding a good tutor for my granddaughter, we could pull her out of her silly ideas. Instead, thanks to my idiot son we have you.¡± Before he could defend himself Fuhen held up a hand to stop him, ¡°That¡¯s not an insult to the skill you claim to possess, merely an observation from where I sit you are after all young and new to teaching¡­ As for the marriage, do you know how many suiters Feuer has had?¡± He didn¡¯t, but he could guess by the question it was more than one. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I¡¯m guessing more than one?¡± ¡°More than one he says. Seven. She¡¯s had seven suitors, of which she¡¯s actually managed to meet 4 before they were called off.¡± She¡¯s had seven suitors. The girl was barely older than he was, how was that even possible. A chill ran down his spine as he felt this gross stickiness run through his mind. She was about twelve, to be pledged to seven different people was beyond disgusting. Even if it was the way of this world. ¡°The last one she met she also ended up blinded in his right eye. Not that fool didn¡¯t deserve it, and worse¡­ You¡¯ve got your work cut out for you on both fronts." A fear followed that icky creep down his spine. Maybe there was a good reason so many suitors¡­ She blinded her last? What could possibly have led to that. More to the point how could he protect himself from something similar. Healing spells barely worked on him, and deep healing spells were useless. A serious injury in this world could be a death sentence. Fuhen stood up in her seat and addressed Reese with a bit more warmth and formality. "Not to scare you boy. Welcome to the Vallhorn estate and family. If you need anything from us please speak to Hippall. Good luck, Reese Bronwyn. You''ll need it.¡± With that, the matriarch waved him off. The servant, Hippall, coming up to his side strongly implied his leaving wasn¡¯t optional. Not that he wanted to remain anyway. He needed to think about things, and walking would likely help. As he left the room, Hippall whisper somethings into his ear. ¡°This really isn¡¯t my place, but I suspect the matriarch actually does have high hopes for you, despite what she said. It¡¯s necessary for her to maintain an air of control.¡± Reese forced a smile and slight nod, he wasn¡¯t sure how true any of that was. But, at least someone was trying to make him feel welcome. ¡°One of the servants will take you to your room, you are free to wander the grounds just don¡¯t go into the basement levels.¡± ¡°Oh, what¡¯s in the basement the dungeon?¡± He laughed a bit, hoping to take the edge off. ¡°Yes.¡± Hippall answered without missing a step or even a slight air of emotion. Swallowing, he had to consider that answer, ¡°¡­ I wasn¡¯t actually expecting there to be a dungeon.¡± ¡°Dinner will be served at 6PM, please don¡¯t be late. Also, wear something more, fitting.¡± A slight air of distain entered Hippall¡¯s voice as he said that last part. Reese looked at his clothes, while they weren¡¯t as nice as everyone else, they weren¡¯t exactly the clothes of peasants either. Hippall sighed, as if sensing Reese¡¯s thoughts, ¡°I¡¯ll have the tailor come to your room and fit you into something¡­ better. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± With that, the head servant broke from Reese¡¯s side. Hippall turned around and away from Reese. Greeting a group of well-dressed nobles or aristocrats they wandered into the court to speak with the matriarch. As he stood there in the opulent hallway, Reese was unsure what exactly to do. Though he didn¡¯t wait long, another servant had snuck in behind and greeted him. The surprise caused more than a bit of a start; he found himself still on edge after talking with Fuhen. ¡°Sorry sir. Didn¡¯t mean to startle you. I¡¯m Olithma.¡± The young halfling in front of him was just a hair shorter than he was, meaning it was probably close to fully grown. He seemed a typical halfling with dark brown hair, brown eyes and a tannish white skin. Though, the orange streak in his hair hinted at a mix ancestry somewhat recently in his family tree. Also, the occasional scaring on his skin and thick callous hands, particularly for a halfling, implied a hard life and was likely from the streets for most of it. The young halfling nodded and bowed very slightly, ¡°I was tasked with taking you to your room. If you¡¯ll follow me.¡± Olithma didn¡¯t wait for Reese to respond as he walked ahead of him. As they walked through the castle towards the main staircase, Reese was further impressed by just how opulent it continued to be. ¡°You know this castle is very exquisite. I¡¯ve never seen this much gold leaf and actual gold before.¡± ¡°Oh? Has sir been in many castles then?¡± The Halfling¡¯s tone sounded almost dismissive and insulting. It was hard not to see it as a bit insulting. ¡°Well, there was a large keep in my town my father worked out of it.¡± ¡°Is that so? Must have been quite a sight in your small town.¡± Again, that dismissive tone. It was starting to irritate him. ¡°I mean yeah, it was. I spent a lot of time in there.¡± ¡°How impressive, sir. Had the run of it did you?¡± ¡°No not really, my father was the commander of the keep the town guards. I spent a lot of time there, training.¡± ¡°Mhm, fascinating. I¡¯m sure it was very impressive for you.¡± Olithma didn¡¯t seem like he had paid any attention or cared. Why did this bother Reese so much? ¡°Is there a particular reason you seem to dislike me?¡± He asked, bluntly. ¡°Oh, no particular reason, sir.¡± The Halfling made his way around the top of the stairs. Reese was about to continue forward, only to see his halfling guide take a turn and continue up the next flight of steps. ¡°Is my room on the 3rd floor?¡± ¡°No, sir. Your room is at the top of the castle¡¯s living space. On the 4th floor.¡± There was nearly a smile behind those words. As if Olithma relished the idea of him being on the highest floor. ¡°Is there some reason that seems to amuse you?¡± ¡°No. I understand you a very important person sir, hence why you will be on the most privileged highest floor.¡± The sarcasm in the halfling¡¯s voice was practically dripping. So from what he could gather, the 4th floor was not prestigious or privileged. In fact, it seemed like it was the exact opposite. Reese was about to say something more, but bit back his tongue. There was no need to say something that would either be turned back around on him or that he would just otherwise regret. Ultimately, being on the 4th floor of the keep, was a mixed blessing, having a view just over the walls to the northwest. It held a rather nice view of the fields and farms in the distances, and he could make out what he would later learn was the industrial district for the city. Aesthetically, this pleased him. A view would help him think and another that might help him calm down. The size of the room was large by his standards, probably a bit bigger than his kitchen and dining room back home, easily 6 times the size of his old bedroom there. Hell, it was probably bigger then his first studio on earth. However, the rooms below were generally larger still. It was also quite a walk up. But by far, the biggest issue with the upper floors though, was the lack of any running water. It would have to be brought up by the dumb waiters or by a servant. Looking back at the smirk of the halfling, he could probably forget about the servants doing anything for him. Not that it mattered. The room itself looked to be in, ok condition, there was clearly some neglect, dust in spots you might expect. But oddly, some food crumbs in a few places, and strangely no dust along the window stiles. They were probably opened to bring in air from time to time. He¡¯d have to do a bit of his own cleaning but this space would be acceptable. As he continued to look around, his bags had been emptied quite carefully. His clothes were put away neatly, his books now lined one of the two bookshelves, and on the other were most of his experiments and magic equipment, the rest were on a fairly large table that Hippall was kind enough to procure in place of the normal desk. It was a fairly nice setup, all things considered. He could already see himself making significant strides and advancements here. He turned back around to see a slightly smirking halfling. Perhaps he was waiting for some kind of complaint or lamination about the space. Instead, Reese just smiled back and said truthfully, ¡°Thank you Olithma, this space will work very well for my needs. I hope we can have a decent relationship with each other.¡± The deflation on the halfling¡¯s face made it worth the extra steps to get up here. Bowing slightly, the halfling turned and left the room. Leaving Reese alone with his thoughts, and the possessions he brought with him. Between Fuhen and that halfling his mind was a torrent of thoughts and minor frustrations. Looking over the equipment on the shelves it all appeared to be in good condition still. Nothing was damaged, though it wasn¡¯t how he would have arranged it. Minor details he shrugged. Holding a particular piece, he was tempted to start work on something, maybe his mind would calm down with a problem to solve. On the desk was at least one minor thing he could do right now. After a few minutes, he mounted the escapement he made, and the larger great wheel that attached to it. A single, very thin arm ticketed off from the center. Along the wall, were now alternating thin and thick marks he made with a charcoal pencil. Thick lines for hours, and between each of those 12 thinner lines for 5-minute intervals. Also, it would be hard to see, but a mark on the escape wheel would count seconds, 60 in one rotation. It had meant a larger escape wheel, but also halved the number of teeth he needed to cut on the great wheel, which was itself considerable. In all, it produced a working 12 hour clock. Perhaps his first useful invention in the world. Though, it wasn''t perfect. Every few minutes it could get "jumpy", and it would probably lose a few seconds a day. Still, very useful at night when the city''s bells stop. Speaking of which, exactly 5 minutes ago, the city bells chimed at 3PM, the time he set it too. A smug smile appeared on his face as he suddenly had knowledge that few others would possess. Trivial it might be. It was something he could take pride in as he watched the hands slowly move forward. A knock on the door, snapped him out of his trance. The tailor had shown up for his measurements. Carrying with him, the human tailor seemed to have a set of servant''s garments. Which truthfully seemed even less dressed down than what he was already wearing. Though, he wouldn''t second guess his hosts. If that''s what they expected him to wear, he would wear it. To be fair, he was basically employed by them anyway. Maybe that was the intent, to hide his actual station for the time being. The tailor¡¯s measurement work was quite quick and painless, and also silent, not seeming to want to make any conversation with him. In Reese¡¯s previous life, he had been measured a few times for suits, those times seemed to take much longer. For a moment he worried his measurements were rushed. He''d have to trust the tailor to do his job. Gathering his journals and notebooks, he found his teaching journal he kept from Wollseeth. Inside were the marks and notes from his old students and class. Two familiar names brought a smile to his face before he flipped to a new page and made some quick marks. He needed to flush out a lesson plan for Feuer on Momadeg. The room was beginning to feel a bit stuffy, maybe it was time to go for a walk. Hippall did say he could walk around the castle after all. Wandering the castle, it''s true size became apparent. For this world, the building was huge, possibly one of the largest in the kingdom. Though he only had the tiny buildings of Wollseeth to compare it to. And, compared to many of the buildings on earth, it wasn''t particularly tall, but perhaps that wasn¡¯t a fair comparison. In total it was maybe 900 feet in both directions, possibly a bit shorter north to south. It was a little hard to tell for sure though, as many corridors snaked around. Whether that was for ascetics, security or some other structural reason he could only guess. The first floor was reserved for actual functions, it contained the great hall, a large dining and ballroom space, the court area, obviously and other functional spaces. The 2nd floor seemed to house the most important people in the castle, such Fuhen, Beeson, and most of their family. There may have been space for visiting dignitaries as well. Then the 3rd floor, seemed to be space for other important guest, not quite heads of state but close. The 4th floor where he was staying was mostly a catchall space by the looks of it. The rooms were used for, less important people, like him. There were a few other floors above him, technically, but they were mainly storage, and for defensive use, like the towers. There was also the library which stretched between the 2nd through 4th floors of the ''Central Spire'' as it was called. The court sat just below this spire and a bit to the south. The castle had several entrances and exits, but only one was considered the main or proper one. It connected directly to the aptly named Vallhorn Road. It was also opposite Reese''s room, mostly. There was a large expanse under the keep, mostly the dungeon. Supposedly there was a connection to the city''s underworks too, but that was supposed to be very heavily guarded. Also, some underground passages which connected to the auxiliary and staff quarters next to the keep. The large build which he was able to get a good view of as he wandered outside. It was itself a massive structure that might as well have been a mansion. It''s length, nearly matching the length of the keep, but its depth was maybe a third that. It looked to be about 3 floors high and was shorter than the keep by some measure. Walking around it, the building seemed to be nothing special architecture worse. "Architecture" Reese mumbled to himself and made some notes in his teaching journal. Architecture and civil engineering seemed like good things to tackle eventually. While he wasn''t too interested in those aspects of engineering, the Vallhorn family was responsible for this city. Perhaps, he could ingratiate himself to them if he had something to offer in that area or if he could teach Feuer about some of them. A large bipedal raccoon watched Reese take his notes and smiled at him when their eyes met. The man kind of reminded Reese of Ethmond just a bit. It was curious, but none of the estate''s staff stopped him. Most seemed to ignore him, but a few smiled and waved. Reese couldn''t be sure if they were told about him, or if security was just non-existent here. He could believe either to be true. Thinking about the staff, most seemed to be Anthro or at least the laborers did. There was a common theme in this world, that Anthros were often seen as lesser than elves and humans. Though, Reese''s own experience with Fense and some of the traders suggested otherwise. Most were just as competent as anyone else. Then again, racism didn''t need to be based in logic. Maybe he was just reading too much into things. Rounding the staff quarters, he came to the stables. A simple, and rather smelly building. A large number of horses and a few ground dragons were stable inside on opposite ends. The two had to be kept separate, and there was a large divider near the lower quarter. For the most part the two species would tolerate each other, but occasionally the ground dragons would make deep trilling noises that tended to really spook the horses. The sound of metal hitting metal drew his attention, and he found the blacksmith for the Vallhorn Estate attached to the stables. The estate was large enough and wealthy enough to have several auxiliary services, like a blacksmith, a tailor, and likely a healer as well. It was intimidating the more he thought about how wealthy they must have been. The blacksmith appeared to be a middle age dark elven woman, her deep blue eyes glared at him as he tried to make conversation. It was clear, she wasn''t interested in anything at the moment, beyond fixing the horseshoe she was working on. "Go away." The only words she did say reinforced that point. Maybe some other day. Taking a moment, he sketched some ideas in his notebook. The Vallhorn family was wealthy because of the silver mines, he should probably put items in at least future lesson plans about economics. Moving to the east, he came across the large open courtyard he had come in at. Just a bit past that it turned into an area full of greenery, shrubs, and trees, it was an aberration in the arid space, but a welcoming one. At least some of the trees looked like they would grow fruit in the summer months. Small green alcoves with wooden benches covered the area, lots of little hideaways for important people to talk in muffled seclusion. The subtle sound of wood clicking against something caught his attention, and he felt drawn to the sound. As he wandered, the maze-like structure of it all became apparent. Following the sounds as they grew louder, and his curiosity continued to grow. The sound reminded him of wooden swords and training implements, and a short vision of his home came to him; a life he was unlikely to see again. Clack. Clack. Thwack. Reaching the end of the courtyard he smiled at the realization he was correct. There in an open corner two people spared. An adult tropical human woman with dark green hair, a knight or maybe a guard, and a younger girl who might have been full elven given the pronounced ears. He stood there, just outside the space watching the two spar. The girl was young, but clearly had some skill and was able to keep up with the woman, mostly. They weren¡¯t using any techniques, just pure sword play. The eleven girl was younger, but not quite a child, it was hard to guess an exact age, maybe 12 or 11. The armor she wore was a simple leather and cloth training armor, usually worn by Knights and Soldiers during sword exercises. If it was like the stuff he would sometimes wear, then there should have been pouches inside you could fill with weights or sand to simulate different armor load outs. With the way she moved they had to be empty, or she was very strong. Her deep red and purple hair was bunched up into a tight bun at the back of her head, keeping it safe while she traded wooden sword blows with her instructor. For all her speed and agility, it wasn¡¯t enough though. Clack! The wooden sword impacted the young girl in her upper arm. ¡°2-1. This match is mine.¡± The Knight declared. Sighing the young elf turned her head around, looking for the source of the discomfort she suddenly felt. Like someone had been watching her. As they locked eyes, Reese couldn¡¯t help but think the dark purple, almost amethyst colored iris were glowing. Her freckles made her whole face look like it was emitting sparks and fire. In short, her gaze was terrifying. Where she quite a bit older, he might have even said she was terrifyingly beautiful as she likely would be one day. ¡°Why are you watching me?¡± Despite the fiery gaze, her words were closer to ice. Chapter 22, Fire Princess It took Reese a moment to compose himself. Part of his mind worried she''d attack him just for being there. ¡°Sorry, just saw you two sparing and thought it looked interesting. You¡¯ve got some speed behind you.¡± Reese tried to diffuse the tension a bit. The girl huffed and began adjusting some of her training armor. ¡°If you want to stay, pick up a sword, otherwise leave.¡± Her face was a mix of a scowl and smirk. As if there was no doubt in her mind of her own skills. At least, against him. Though, he doubted she was serious about actually having a match. It did leave him curious though. How good was she? All his sparing was either with people far older than him or younger, like his father and even Gezal who was about 8 years oldr. On the other younger end was his sister Mabel who like their father had a natural talent but was still 5 years younger. On the other hand, this girl looked to be about his age, maybe a year on either side, it was hard to tell with elves. Which given her ears she must have been. It might be fun to see just how strong he was against someone nearer his age and skill level. It would also be a good way to detach his mind for a while and focus on something simpler. In his old life he had never considered fencing or kendo, but here he had found it almost enjoyable. The woman knight called out to him, "Hey boy, if you''re serious you can use my training sword. I''d like to see how my student faces off against someone other than me." She handed Reese her training sword, holding up the handle, beckoning him to take it. The young elf huffed in disapproval and mocked Reese with a quick flourish of her own sword, "Do you even know how to hold a sword?" She mocked. "My father was a Knight Commander. He''d never let me go without at least some training, and I''ve got a few scars to prove it." Taking the sword, Reese gave it a quick flourish of his own. ¡°Any rules?¡± That caused the elf girl to pause and for a moment as she looked him over. As if truly assessing his physical condition and abilities. One thing was clear to her at least, he was serious about sparing, which made her tense up a bit. Her face grew solid and resolved, but with a faint crack of a smirk, like part of her still didn''t take it too seriously. ¡°Only one rule, no techniques, just swords. Let¡¯s see how much you actually know.¡± She rushed him. Using her speed, she didn''t bother to feint or do anything beyond a rapid advance. She was full of openings but even without any techniques was just too quick for Reese to do anything but block her first strikes. Clack. Clack. Smack. It wasn¡¯t just her speed, she had power behind those strikes and Reese could feel the echoes of each hit in his wrists and arms. But it was all simple otherwise. Still, simple was often effective. CLACK. Finally, a quick imbrocatta at his stomach, a piercing attack. Which hurt quite a bit. He suddenly wished he was wearing armor. ¡°0-1¡± The Knight called out. Feuer''s smug and dismissive smile told Reese everything he needed to know. She was arrogant, and would be predictable next time. Sure enough, she rushed him again. But he was expecting it, and prepared this time. Smack. As she struck at his side he parried her attack and bound their wooden swords. As she tried to pull back, her speed worked against her, and Reese advanced. His sword pulled along just slightly before it was freed. Smack. Clack. SMACK! A quick slice into her arm, and the point was his. ¡°1-1¡± The Knight sounded impressed but with an air of smugness, as if saying ¡®I told you so.¡¯ Maybe it was just Reese¡¯s imagination. The next round was even worse than the prior two. Feuer moved with rapid speed again, it was hard to believe she wasn¡¯t using any techniques or magic. She still had openings this time, but there were less of them just due to the ferocity of the attack. Clack. Smack. The two traded blows, and parries. But it felt different, while he tried to learn her movements, she seemed more interested in just ending the fight decisively. Something Reese used to his advantage. A quick slice left her open, if he could move in fast enough. CLACK, SMACK! The two impacted each other at about the same time. ¡°2-2¡± The woman guard gave them the score that both were too proud to admit too themselves. They stood there for a moment. The scowl on Feuer''s face causing her to literally bear her fangs. The thought that a boy like Reese matching her was not something she could tolerate. Not even waiting for the next match to start she began swinging her sword. "Hey!" Reese tried to call the fowl while the two continued to exchange blows. Smack. Crack. Crack. It was hard. As their sword bound together again, she advanced and closed the distance. For a moment, their faces came very close. Reese wasn''t expecting her fist to impact his chin. CRACK. "3-2, I win." She proclaimed as Reese fell back to the ground rubbing his slightly opened lower lip. "I don''t think that''s particularly sporting." He protested from the ground, having lost regardless. The Knight interjected, "He''s right. The hit was fair, but you can''t start the match without both parties being ready." The young elf shrugged, "He was open. You always tell me a knight has to be prepared." "He wasn''t ready." The woman sighed, "You know ''Fire Princess'' isn''t a term of endearment, right? You need to cool your emotions when you fight. You were full of openings that I''d bet the boy will take advantage of them again next time. You''re too predictable¡­¡± The knight threw her hands up in defeat. ¡°Why do I even bother." The elf huffed at her instructor''s words. Knowing they were right, but wishing they weren''t. She just wanted to fight right now, not learn. "Fire Princess?" Reese whispered to himself as his mind began to click into place, "Fire¡­ Feuer. I see, you''re Feuer aren¡¯t you. I¡¯m sorry I should have realized." She didn''t acknowledge his statement. "I should probably introduce myself I''m-" Feuer didn¡¯t give him a chance to finish. "Reese Bronwyn. I already know who you are." Feuer looked at her personal knight, ignoring him, ¡°Shevana, can we spar again. I want an actual challenge this time.¡± Her body moved with a hint of excitement as her instructor and guard got up and walked over, only for it to dwindle as she passed Feuer. Opening her hand, Shevana offered to help Reese up. ¡°Reese Bronwyn, I¡¯m Shevana, Feuer¡¯s personal guard and improvised sword instructor, I guess. You seem to have some skill with a blade.¡± Reese tried to smile as he stood, but in truth, his stomach and face still kind of hurt. ¡°Yeah, I wasn¡¯t lying, my dad made me train a lot. It, was kind of painful honestly.¡± ¡°Good training usually is. Tell me what do you think of my student?¡± Reese took Feuer in for a moment as the elf girl glared at him. Remembering their spar he said what Shevana likely already knew, ¡°I mean, she¡¯s fast, and her swings have power behind them. She knows how to move a sword too, but¡­¡± He was hesitant to finish. ¡°Go on.¡± Shevana encouraged. ¡°She¡¯s very impulsive and full of openings. If she had held back even a little and studied me more, I don¡¯t think I would have gotten both hits in.¡± ¡°Shevana, are we going to spar again or are we done for the day?¡± Feuer seemed to ignore the advice she was given and wanted to focus on her guard instead. ¡°Reese gave you some good advice. Advice I¡¯ve been trying to get into you for a while now¡­ I think you should try sparing with him again.¡± Shevana looked to Reese, to see if he was still interested. Thinking about it for a moment, he nodded in approval, ¡°I mean, I¡¯m up for it. So long as you don¡¯t punch me in the face again.¡± It also seemed like a good way to make inroads with the rather aggressive girl. In response, Feuer lowered her sword, ¡°So we¡¯re done for the day then.¡± With that, she wandered back into the keep, Shevana following her. With a shrug the knight could only say, ¡°Sorry Reese, she¡¯s just impulsive.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve noticed.¡± He tried to laugh about it, but in truth, he was worried. After the two left the court yard, Reese found a bench to sit on and sketched some more notes in his journal. Teaching the ¡®Fire Princess¡¯ was not going to be easy. What did his family get him into? He had hoped the walk around the castle grounds and the sparing would clear his head, instead it just gave him more to think about as he head back to his room, where he would stare at his clock for several minutes, lost in thought.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. As he watched his clock tick forward. It seemed to be keeping the time well, even better than he had hoped. It was about 30 minutes to six, it was near the equinox so it should be fairly close to the rest of the city. The skipping and stuttering were random, but that meant he could account for it as a natural variance. In simple terms, he could adjust the pendulum on the oscillator to make it a little more accurate. It would never be perfect though, and would drift each day, but small enough that it would be fine, for now anyway. Another knock at the door roused him from his day dreaming and once more again it was the tailor. Who had returned with the suit he was to wear for dinner. What was once a simple servant¡¯s clothes were much more. Specifically, they were now frilly and with subtle colored accents. The colors were trimmed with red, blue and gold. Reese didn¡¯t know it at the time, but these were the colors of his own family, the Bronwyn house. It wasn''t the fanciest outfit he had ever seen, but it would likely be near the top of the list. ¡°I believe these will fit you well sir. I took the liberty of dressing it up a bit as well. Wouldn¡¯t want people to think you were merely a servant.¡± The ice skinned tailor proclaimed. As he tried the clothes on, he was surprised at just how well they all fit. It was frillier and more poufy than he liked though. He preferred function over form, but he had to admit it looked nice at least. The mirror in his room was quite large, large enough to get a full view of himself. In truth, Reese never actually looked at himself in-depth since he arrived in this world. Mirrors weren¡¯t rare per-say, but being expensive they weren¡¯t the most common either, and the ones at his old house were much smaller. Even when he gazed at himself at the lake back in Wollseeth it was faded and distorted by the ripples. This was the first time he truly saw himself. He looked a surprising amount like Fortus. Though, that shouldn¡¯t have been considered unusual. Still, it suddenly felt like a shock. His old features were gone entirely, erased. When he thought about himself, his own face and body, this wasn''t it. Perhaps sensing his sudden agitation, and concern the tailor asked, ¡°Are the wears ok sir?¡± With a slight hint of both annoyance and concern in his own voice. Of course, the clothes were fine, it was the skin he was wearing that suddenly felt a bit off. But, no that wasn¡¯t right. He¡¯d been like this for over 10 years now, even if he was just realizing it. His face was a mixture of his father¡¯s and his mother¡¯s from this world, he could even see subtle hints of his sisters. All good people, even Nemi, in her own way. This is who he was now, it wasn¡¯t anything bad, just different. Forcing a smile, he turned back to the tailor, ¡°I think this is fine. Thank you.¡± The man gave a light smile and bow before leaving, as Reese considered himself for another moment. With a bittersweet smile and shake of his head, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± He whispered, to himself. He grabbed one of his smaller notebooks, and felt around for a pocket to place it in. There wasn¡¯t really a spot for it, maybe he could ask the tailor to fix that latter. Shoving it in the shirt itself, it seemed almost invisible. He considered leaving the book in his room, but just couldn¡¯t do that. He had no idea what this would be like, and needed something as a back up to do if he was stuck at the table for hours on end. ¡°It¡¯s fine¡±, he mused again to himself again and made his way to the first floor, toward the dinning and banquet hall. The table was comically large for the five people currently sitting at it. Fuhen was not present yet, and he guessed the furthest seat and the head of the table was hers. Beeson and Sneacta sat near the head of the table as well, flanking the sides. Following them were two of their daughters, and several more empty seats away, was another girl who looked familiar, yet very different. Now, where was he supposed to sit? There were several chairs setup up, with placements too. Perhaps more would be joining them? ¡°Reese, please sit across from my daughter, Feuer.¡± Beeson pointed to a chair across from the girl that at first glance was almost unrecognizable from earlier. As he sat down across from the girl, he couldn¡¯t help but think how much the outfit changed her appearance and how almost regal she looked. Her dress was much like her older sisters, fluffy and frilly with the same colors. Her hair had been let down with it¡¯s natural dark red, almost purple curls accentuating it all. Like a cold fire, waiting for a spark to light it. The whole getup seemed, Ostentatious for just a dinner. Then again, this probably wasn¡¯t just dinner to everyone else. Thinking back to his books, he tried to remember anything about eating, customs, things of note. Even what fork and spoon to use and at what time could prove valuable in showing he wasn¡¯t just ¡®inept¡¯ to use Fuhen¡¯s earlier words. He wished he had a copy of Oleson''s book, surly this must have been in there. Feuer for all her fire, sat quietly across from him unwilling to engage in any kind of eye contact or acknowledgement of his existence. Any attempts Reese made to talk to her were dismissed with at most an eye roll or more often just simple silence. The more he thought about it, all, the girl reminded him of Nemi. Hating him for no reason he could identify. Which didn''t mean there wasn''t one, just not one he could see. There was no food yet, only wine and water on the table, and he wasn''t ready to drink wine yet. Not that there were laws against it in this era. To be fair, he wasn¡¯t a drinker in his prior life either. Well, aside from that one point. But, that was literally a lifetime ago. No conversation, no food, no drink, just silence masked by white noise of other''s conversations. For a moment, his mind drifted to the notebook in shirt, at least that would be something to do. Yet, as he reached for it and began to pull it out, Feuer finally said something to him. "What are you doing?" She looked almost shocked and deeply concerned. "Well, there''s no food, nothing I want to drink and no conversation. I''m bored so I was going to work on some things in my notebook." For a moment Feuer looked at him like he had an extra head. "You. Can''t. Do. That." She punctuated each word, as if he was about to break some grave rule that would end both of them. "Ok, I don''t see why." With that he left the book tucked away. "Could you explain?" "I thought you were supposed to be my tutor too. How do you not know this?" She mocked. "I''ve never been in a situation like this, and my books never covered anything about books at the table. Trying things and making mistakes is how we learn. Unless you¡¯d like to explain?" Again, she stared at him before shaking her head. "It''s considered very rude, and my grandmother has some important guests coming. You''d embarrass her, and she doesn''t deserve that." Reese still didn''t understand the finer points but was willing to accept the situation as it was. Boredom for the next few hours. Maybe now Feuer would at least be willing to talk to him a bit? "Ok, I''ll leave my notebook tucked away. Are you at least willing to talk now." Again, she grew silent. He would try one more time, "You seem to have a lot of respect for your grandmother. I don''t think it''s forced either. Do you two have a close relationship." More silence. Sighing Reese reached back in his shirt for his notebook. "Ok, fine I''ll talk to you a little bit." She huffed. "Yes, I have a close relationship with my grandmother. She''s always looked out for me. That''s why I want you to treat her with respect, and not read whatever book you have in there¡­ bookworm." Her face squinted as she thought of a proper insult, but ''bookworm'' was the best she could come up with in the moment. She may have been intelligent, in her own way, but her wit when it came to insults was duller than her wooden sword. It seemed like a good chance to add to the conversation and ignore the insult. "I never met my grandparents. I''m not even sure they''re alive." Feuer looked as if she didn''t really understand, "But do you have a family name? You have to have a family. Isn''t Fortus your father?" "I do, Bronwyn. And he is, I just don''t know my grandparents. My father has tried to distance himself from the rest of the family. Honestly, I''m not even sure why I''m here. While I have confidence in my teaching skills, I won¡¯t lie, I am new. And about the other matter¡­ It''s not like we have much to offer the Vallhorn. And it''s not like we even like each other." He laughed a little at that last part. At the end of the table, Beeson smiled at the noise. Thankful that the two seemed to be tolerating each other at the very least. "So you didn''t chose to be here either." Feuer continued to glare at him, but with an expression that seemed softer and more curious, but still deeply cautious like someone scorned, and not just once. For someone so young, it did seem concerning. "No, not really. I was happy back in Wollseeth with my teaching, and my experiments. It''s only been two days, but I already miss my family and I know it''s going to get worse. I''d miss my friends too, only they left before I did. I get this is just part of life, but it sucks." There was a return to silence, only this time Reese didn''t try to pull out his notebook to end it. Maybe he should try a glass of wine. One of the servants walked in with three people and declared in a bold voice, "Announcing the arrival of Fuhen and her guests Capovvile and Tessiu." Capovvile was a rather heavy-set light skinned human, who¡¯s head might make some one think ¡°cue-ball¡± with how shiny and round it was. He appeared to be right on the border of middle age, and from the expression on his face, was deeply arrogant. Tessiu was almost the exact opposite, with the dark ashen skin of a dark elf, long and thick white hair and so thin you might think him malnourished. His smile was far subtler than Capovvile, but still held the same level of pride, though, maybe some of that was earned in his case. Of course, Fuhen sat at the head of the table. For a quick moment she glanced towards Reese and Feuer, saying nothing. Capovvile sat in the vacated seat next to Virume and near Beeson, Tessiu sat opposite of him next to Lueismar. Reese studied the seating situation, and wondered if there wasn''t some kind of power dynamic involved? If that was the case, what would that mean for him and Feuer who had several empty seats between all of them. Almost immediately, food began to come from the kitchen. As if it had been prepared a while ago and had been sitting around waiting. The other alternative was that the kitchen was perfect in their timing. For a moment Reese wondered which was true. Turning his attention back to his unwilling companion, Reese asked, "Feuer, is there any meaning behind where everyone is sitting? It''s obvious why Fuhen is at the head, but what about her guest and, us?" She didn''t even look up from the soup as she responded in a flat tone, "What do you think?" It was like she didn¡¯t really care, and maybe she had convinced her self she didn¡¯t. The heavy human near Fuhen turned his attention towards the middle of the table, "I see a new face at the table. I believe this is Feuer''s new fianc¨¦?" Reese paused midway through sipping at his soup spoon. This wasn¡¯t the direction he was hoping the conversation would go in. He had hoped to just fly under the radar. Fuhen acknowledge Reese¡¯s presence at the table. "We were planning a formal celebration in a month, but I suppose you can be the first to know. Indeed, he is. Reese Bronwyn, of the family Bronwyn." Capovvile smirked, "Ah, the family Bronwyn. I''m aware of your house and family young man. They boast quite the army and history." For a moment there was silence as everyone''s eyes staired gazed at him. Waiting for something. Well except for Feuer who was busy sopping the rest of her soup with some bread. Taking the hint, he joined the conversation. "Yes, they are. My father, Fortus is Knight Commander, and has 30 soldiers and other knights under him." "I''ve meet Fortus, he''s a good man." Capovvile replied before going back to the meal. A small weight lifted off Reese as everyone else went back to eating. Well, except for the dark elf at the end of the table. Perhaps it was a desire to stir things up or legitimate interest, but Tessiu brought up a rumor they had discussed earlier "Tell me Reese, is it true to you fought a Fire Dragon?" Again, all eyes turned to him, even Feuer''s. "Well¡­ not exactly." Reese spoke in a modest tone, it wasn¡¯t a pleasant conversation for him. "See I told you Tessiu, only trained Freelancers or the army can take on Dragons." Capovvile dismissively tried to wave off the conversation. It left an unpleasant taste in Reese''s mouth. He could have dropped it there, but no¡­ No, he couldn''t. "It''s just not that simple." He interjected. Again, the table turned to him. "My Village was attacked by three Fire Dragons, but before I even get to that part, I should mention my father fought twelve earlier in the day¡­" For the next few minutes, Reese regaled the nobles and aristocrats at the table with his story. "...So, I didn''t actually fight. But I gave the soldiers in the village enough time to move the ballista and bring it down. I still have some minor scares on my chest from the blisters it left. It was, a dumb decision of mine, but also one I don¡¯t regret." By the end, they were looking at him like he had three heads. Capovvile coughed slightly as if he forgot how to swallow for a moment, "I¡­ I see¡­ That''s quite a story." The table remained silent for some time. He worried that maybe he had pushed things a bit to far. "It is quite a story Reese. You''ve certainly left an impression on the whole table." Beeson tried to bring the table back together. "Yes, he has.¡± Fuhen attempted to return to business. ¡°Capovvile, Tessiu I''d like to get back to business, regarding the new sails for all our ships¡­" The table''s attention turned away from him and back to the various other on goings. Well, everyone''s attention but Feuer who continued to glare at Reese. After dinner, and after everyone had left the table Reese moved to return to his room. Somewhat exhausted from all the pretenses and stress. Only to be stopped by Feuer, "Was that true?" "You mean the Dragon attack? Mostly, I left some parts out. There were a couple of soldiers who died fighting, one was badly injured. And Emilie ran around town fighting the fires. But, mostly, yeah." She continued to glare at him, as if she wasn''t sure she should believe his story. Pulling her hand back she punched Reese in the chest, just hard enough to knock the wind out of him but leave no serious damage. "You''re lying." She spoke and walked away. All Reese could do was hold his chest and think, ''What the hell is wrong with that girl?'' Chapter 23, Truancy The next few days were variations of the same. The days he spent developing a lesson plan for Feuer, and at night the dinners were always semi-formal affairs. And anytime Reese bumped into Feuer, it would result in some level of minor bodily injury. Never enough to really injure him, just enough to hurt him. Like thorns on a plant trying to tell you to stay away. The first day of his tutoring had come. Originally he had wanted to start on Momadeg, but decided to wait till Tivisadeg instead, spending the extra time building up a perfect first lesson plan and perfect first day. He had a small table set up in the keep''s library, three books to start with, the last three her previous tutor left on. They were far simpler than he was expecting, probably more realivant to someone around seven or maybe eight. Well, no matter, his leasson plan took that into account. If she was bit behind he was going to get her caught up. He only intended to touch the topmost book today, given her current pace it probably best not to overwhelm her. The others were just in case things went well, it was possible she¡¯d turn out to be quite capable and just not challenged. Yes, he had high hopes for the day! Yet, as the morning ticked on though, it became clear things were not going well. His one and only student was absent. Eventually, Beeson made it a point to drop in and check on the progress, "How''s it going Reese?" "Well, I''m all set up. I''ve got an entry lesson plan to help gauge Feuer''s strengths and weaknesses. Just one problem¡­" Reese rubbed at the back of his head. Beeson looked at the empty seat with a slight smile, "My daughter isn''t present." "Correct, my student is absent. On the first day." He tried not to sigh, laugh or cry. Beeson gave a light chuckle. "Common for her. I think her last tutor was here for almost 4 months. She showed up five times, I believe, and two of those we had to physically drag her." Reese had no real way to process this. If her parents didn''t seem to care about her education, then how could he even hope to educate her? For that matter, why should she even put effort forth. "I see¡­ If you want this to succeed, I need her to be present. Do you have any suggestions for how to get her here?" Subtly implying that Beeson needed to be the one to act. "Ummm. No. I''ve tried. But, you''re welcome to go to her. She''ll be in her room at this time of day, if she''s not here." There was a moment of hesitation as Reese thought about it, "Her room. You''re sure?" "Well, you are going to be formally betrothed to her, and are just acting as her tutor. Just don''t do anything I wouldn''t do." Beeson smiled and let out a light laugh. Reese did not find it funny as he said flatly, "My dad says you visit the red-light district regularly." Beeson¡¯s laugh quickly shifted to a nervous cough. "Yes well¡­ don''t do anything¡­" Beeson fished for someone to compare too but couldn''t. "Just, don''t do anything, while you''re in there. I mean that for your own sake more than her¡¯s." He finished before nervously walking away. That statement gave Reese more than a bit of concern. Feuer was probably a bit stronger than he was, with all her training. But was she really that dangerous? Also, the thoughts of going to her room left him feeling, uncomfortable, for reasons he couldn¡¯t really explain. Well, he supposed it didn¡¯t matter. There was a job to do, and he was her tutor, first and foremost in his own mind. What happened in a decade, was a decade away. Feuer''s room was on the opposite wing of the castle as Reese''s and a floor lower, which seemed odd since the rest of the Vallhorn were on the 2nd floor. The 3rd floor was nicer than the 4th, which felt almost neglected at times. But there were still some signs that this floor was less cared for. Slightly fewer art works on the walls. There were tables that while nice, held a few small scratches and dings unlike the pristine ones bellow. Then there was the carpet that ran down the halls a top the stone. While it was clean it had a certain tinge of age to it. Quickly, he walked down the hallway and came upon a larger hard wooden door that was shut. There were no labels or marks, but Reese was sure this was it. He knocked on the larger door only to be greeted by "Go away." A familiar and aggressive voice called out. He was certainly at the right room. With a deep breath he called back, ¡°I¡¯m here for your tutoring, since you won¡¯t come to me, I need to come to you.¡± Silence. In side of his chest, he could feel his heart pounding. He didn¡¯t want to do this, but it was his duty to tutor her. A duty he would fufill! ¡°¡­I¡¯m coming in.¡± Reese announces as he opened the door slightly. With a sigh of inevitability, Reese poked his head through the open door. The deep breath he took finally escaped him, she was thankfully decent. He moved inside the larger space and had a quick look around. It was certainly larger than his room, and the furnishings were more sparse than he expected, but also more regal. Given the sating sheen of the sheets on the bed they had to be real silk, or what passed for silk in this world. Far better than the cotton and wool like ones he had been given. Feuer sat on said bed, her back bracing against the headboard. It was almost a comforting reminder of his old life. The simple aspect of sitting on a bed and reading a good book. Of course, he would have read something more technical than the apparent history book she had. Without bothering to look up, she attempted to dismiss him, ¡°I never said you could enter my room. Leave at once or I''ll call my father.¡± ¡°Your father was the one that told me to come find you.¡± That seemed to aggravate her more than anything. ¡°He knows what happened last time.¡± She shook her head and whispered just barely loud enough for him to hear. Reese could have sworn her hair was glowing with fire mana as she slammed the book close and walked over to him. ¡°Ok, then leave or I''ll start hitting you.¡± She cracked her knuckles in a show of force. Her Amathist colored eyes, almost appeared to glow a dim red as she approached him. She had done this a few times already. At worst she would throw a few soft punches at his chest or arm and walk away. At least, that''s what he thought. He was not expecting the very fast hay maker aimed for his jaw. Reese was just fast enough to block it, but not fast enough to stop the next one which hit him square in the face. His nose had a sudden flash of pain, followed by numbness. There was also a subtle crack, but he could worry about that later. She was not playing around. These blows weren''t meant to kill, but they were not even close to friendly sparing hits either. She moved from fist to legs as her right foot came very close to his head. It was fast, but he blocked it, and managed to get a hand hold on her ankle. Using it he pulled himself forward, he was only attempting to stop here, but instead drove his elbow into some part of her upper torso. Mistake or not, that was probably a bad idea. ¡°Don¡¯t ever touch me!¡± She growled a guttural roar, and slammed her head into his in one swift motion. Knocking him to the ground. Standing above him, her fist and body shook with a blind rage and for a moment, it almost looked like she was scared, but also furious. For a moment the two staid where the were, until finally Feuer¡¯s stance relaxed a bit as Reese continued to just lay on the floor. Perhaps realizing the only way forward was to really injure him, a line she wasn''t willing to cross just yet. As Reese laid on the ground, he did his best to nurse a now bloody nose. The twisting motion Feuer made with her arm a sign he managed to get one good hit at least, even if it wasn¡¯t intentional. His old mother and father would have been horrified by his actions. He wondered what his current ones would think? Probably mad he wasn''t able to get more hits in, at least Fortus would have been.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. The whole concept of fighting your potential future wife and current student was not appealing, regardless. Even more, he began to understand why he was the seventh marriage partner for her. She was just about ready to kill him in there. ¡°Ugh! What do you want book worm?¡± She groaned a tentative acceptance of his presence and made her way back the bed and her book. "My nose is bleeding; you might have broken it." His voice was nasally, as a light trickle of blood dripped from his nostril. Feeling around the bone, it didn''t seem to be broken or at least not badly. Without an x-ray which didn''t exist in this world, it be difficult to know for sure. "Sounds like you should go to our healer and have him fix it." There was almost a smile in voice as she spoke. "I can''t¡­ There''s not much a healer can do for me." She laughed at him, "Ha, don''t you fancy yourself a mage? You attacked a dragon with your spells didn''t you. The healers have their own spells they can use. He used deep healing on my arm once to fix a fracture." She rubbed at the arm he had hit a moment ago. "Like I said, I left things out of that story. I said my spells didn¡¯t stop the dragons. But that¡¯s because the spells I cast were absolutely feeble. I don''t have a gate and without a gate deep healing doesn''t work on me." Feuer seemed confused, "What are you talking about?" The girl didn¡¯t understand magic, how it worked, nor did she really care. "Remember a few days ago when your grandmother said I as inept and didn''t have a gate¡­¡± He paused. ¡°¡­No you weren¡¯t there for that. Ok, when I said I didn''t have a gate? That''s one of the problems. I can''t spell spoke, and most spells don''t work on me. Good or bad. After the dragon attack they tried deep healing on my burns then, it didn''t work. It''s why I''ve got these small scars. Healing spells don¡¯t work." Sitting up from the floor, the feeling in his nose started coming back, which was a good sign, but it was still bleeding slightly. Her normally pissed off expression softened just a bit. He could almost see something behind it, maybe a touch of remorse? Angry remorse, but still. "I didn''t know¡­ I wouldn''t have hit you so hard if I knew you couldn''t be healed." Shaking her head, her expression turned hard once again. ¡°Still, you shouldn¡¯t be in my room. And don¡¯t ever touch me! I don¡¯t want anyone touching me¡­¡± The two sat in silence for a bit, each considering the other''s presence. Reese in particular finally realized he was in essence trespassing in her private space. Even if he had her father''s permission, he didn''t have hers. And, even if he had a job to do, there may have been better ways. For as smart as he was, human interactions were a different matter most times. "Look, I am sorry for barging into your room. Truly, I don''t want to be here anymore than you don''t want me here. But your family insists I at least try to tutor you, and they are paying me. I need to at least try." He tried to convince himself, more than her. Feuer¡¯s hands still shook slightly, but it seemed like she was calming down a bit. "¡­ I hate schooling, it''s useless." "Yeah, you made that quite clear." Reese spoke as he pulled away his red hand. Blood was still flowing but, it seemed like it was slowing down. Just a little more pressure and time. It was hard, It seemed like they had almost nothing in common, nothing to build a relationship of trust off of. Except, maybe that one thing. She was reading, at the very least she had to be literate, and interested in books or one book anyway. "But you know, for someone who hates schooling you seem to enjoy that book. What is it?" Reese asked. Feuer picked up the leather-bound tome and gazed at the title. "It''s a book on unit tactics, and military history of the Aggeon kingdom. Before the six kingdoms." It sounded esoteric, a very odd choice for someone who hated knowledge. Though, to be fair, she didn''t say that explicitly. She said he hated ''schooling''. "Sounds deep." His voice warmed slightly, hoping for something further to discuss. She shrugged and flipped through a few pages. "Not really. They don''t use big words or complicated language. It''s just history, swordsmanship and combat. The only numbers are army sizes and dates. Even uneducated peasants could understand it." The fact that she was reading at all made Reese doubt that. "I doubt that¡­ What''s your favorite passage or part? Could you read it to me?" There was a moment¡¯s pause and silence as she considered the book for a moment. "¡­The mixed unit tactics of Hesion Aggenon. And No, I won''t." At first it seemed like the conversation stopped. Reese sighed, this seemed like a wasted day. But as soon he spoke "¡­I see well-" Feuer interrupted him, "It''s too long, about 30 pages, and it''s a lot of pictures. I can give you a summary." "Sure." He took her up on her offer, and stat back up. Feuer began in earnest, her voice seeming to carry a small amount of satisfaction, maybe even pride. "Most of Hesion''s tactics use Calvary somewhere. But horses are expensive, and dragons even more. So the bulk of your forces still need to be foot soldiers. Heavy armor should target other heavy armor, light armor troops should focus on closing distance and attacking archers and mages. Your assault calvary should use their speed and ability to move over uneven terrain and attack from the sides, or even better behind. Don¡¯t use large siege weaponry like trebuchets on the battle field, only engines you can defend and move quickly, don¡¯t use field tactics when sieging a city. Use magic and enchantments if you have them, but don¡¯t become reliant on them or any one thing, really¡­ There''s a bunch of example battles, and some unused battle plans. It goes over how they work, where knights and soldiers would move. There¡¯s some drawings of Hesion in combat too, and how he used his sword techniques.¡± Reese took a moment to process it all, he didn''t really know battlefield tactics outside strategy games, and those weren¡¯t particularly realistic, even at the best of times. Also, he hadn''t played them in over a decade now. His father was a Knight Commander, something close to a Lieutenant, Regardless, what she said seemed to make sense. The summary showed she wasn''t just a literate fool but could actually process what she read. In short, there was a foundation there. He just needed to figure out how to use it. It''s also one of the few things she seemed willing to talk to him about. "That''s a dense summary. It sounds like a complex read. I take it this isn''t your first time reading it." "No. It''s not my favorite book but thinking about the battles in it, it helps me calm down, and I like¡­" She paused, unsure if she wanted to share her reasons. ¡°I like it because he never lost, his plans always seemed to work. His history is interesting too. He became a knight to escape his family, and ended up becoming a major general.¡± His nose had finally stopped dripping blood. Now it was just stuffed up with dark colored snot. He''d worry about it later. "You really like combat, don''t you?" Reese¡¯s voice was still nasally and the smile he was forcing, didn¡¯t come through well. "I''m a knight or will be one day. Knights need to be knowledgeable about warfare and battles. It¡¯s how they survive, how they remain free." She wasn¡¯t a knight though, even if she wanted to be one, there was no path for her to become one. Feuer didn¡¯t seem a fool, she had to know that. Unless she was lying to herself about it all. ¡®How they remain free.¡¯ He thought about those words and Feuer. That last sentence seemed like crack into the girl¡¯s true state of mind. She glared at him, ¡°Why are you starting at me?¡± ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t know I was starting. Just thinking about what you said. It¡¯s deeper than I think you realize.¡± Again, he paused, lost in his own thoughts. His mind doing what it always did, taking things apart trying to understand the whole and put it back together again. He shook his head and continued, ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know that tutoring you will help you become a Knight. But I do think knowledge is freeing. Understanding the world, the parts of it, how it all works, it can give you power over things you wouldn¡¯t otherwise have. I also know, the smarter the knight, the more likely they are to survive and keep their people alive too.¡± It was Feuer¡¯s turn to sigh. ¡°If I attend your tutoring, you really think that will help me?¡± ¡°It might. The thing about learning is to try new ideas to find things that work. How long have you kept yourself in your room reading the same history books, the same adventures? Has anything changed?¡± In the distance, a bell rang out, twelve chimes. It was noon, normally, the tutoring session would be over. Regardless, it was time for lunch. Reese pulled himself off the floor. "Well, it''s getting late. I may not have taught you anything today. But you certainly taught me a few things." Feuer¡¯s words stopped him before he could fully leave, "Don''t come back in my room without my permission." "Come down for tutoring, and I won''t have to." Reese countered. "¡­I told you I hate schooling." Feuer almost sounded conflicted, as if she was actually considering it. "I know. But, just try a few days. I think you''ll find it useful, even if not enjoyable." He tried to push her over that last hill. But, she remained silent, neither agreeing or disagreeing. "I''d like to see you tomorrow. If you''re not there I''ll have to come back up here, and I really don''t want to see my nose fully broken. Please." Reese tried to laugh with the comment, but she didn''t seem to think it was funny. Still, more silence. He did have one more card to play though. ¡°Consider it payment for today, you said you were sorry about hitting me so hard?" This time there was a change, though she remained silent, her mouth opened as if to speak, a pose she held for a minute before, "¡­Knights pay back their debts. Fine. I''ll be there tomorrow, but just tomorrow though. Bookworm." Reese smiled, it was something, at least. As he left, he felt around his nose. It was sore, very sore, but that probably meant it wasn¡¯t broken. Maybe he should try and go to the healer, just to be sure. Even if they couldn¡¯t actually heal it, they could at least tell him if was broken. Probably. Thinking for a movement, he wondered if it was possible to build an X-Ray machine here? He¡¯d need to figure out photographic plates to start with. He began sketching some ideas in his notebook, he''d also need vacuum tubes. Maybe there was a way to do it with mana stones instead? Light crystals did seem to be able to produce a spectrum of colors and x-rays were just photons. Ideas he would ponder later in his room, between working on a new lesson plan for Feuer. It was clear that his original plans he spent all weekend on would be useless with someone like her. A faint smile crossed his lips, his mother was right, this was going to be a challenge. But, difficult problems were often the most fun to solve, and she was difficult. Chapter 24, Individualized Education Program The start of the next day, just after breakfast Reese once more stood in the library space. Again, it was set up as a makeshift classroom. Only today, Reese had one book instead of three, one of his notebooks. There was also cloth hiding a set of items under it as well. Items he nearly had to fight the halfling Olithma for when he brought them. But that was a different set of problems. Right now though, Feuer was his focus not up tight and fighty halflings. He knew it would be a struggle to get Feuer to do any traditional schooling, so he had to change things around. The girl loved combat and wanted to be a Knight, seemingly more than anything but there was more to being a Knight than just sword play. If he could get her interested in the more back-end bit of it all, like logistics then maybe he could wedge in a math lesson to back that up. He knew it was a long shot. Outside the library he could see the sun beginning to climb higher. Tutoring was supposed to start at around 8, but it already looked like it was closer to 8:30. His head fell just a bit, barely noticeable in fact, as he looked over his notes again. A quite sigh escaped him as he tried to figure out what to do next. However, his hopes were uplifted as he heard subtle footsteps behind him, followed by words from a rather aggressive sounding girl. "So what are you going to try and teach me today?¡± She sat across from him and folded her arms in defiance. Clearly, this was going to be an uphill battle, but at least she was willing to come out and fight. That counted for something, after all you couldn¡¯t have a battle if your opponent didn¡¯t even show up. He hoped the fighting would remain metaphorical. With a smile Reese exclaimed, ¡°Logistics!¡± as he opened his notebook to a page full of numbers, tables and only a few words. Feuer frowned. ¡°Math? I hate math." "Yes! Math, and I know you do. That''s why we''re going to do something different." With a quick hand he picked up the cloth that was on the table, under it were several dozen taffy candies, and some slips of paper with numbers and some rather crudely drawn shapes that could almost be described as soldiers. If one squinted hard, Reese would probably argue it was late and that he never claimed to be an artist. Reese¡¯s smile grew as he saw her surprise and confusion. This was just like one of those learning computer games he played in school when he was a kid or rather the last time he was a kid. Only, this was a table top version of that, tailored to Feuer¡¯s attitude and mind set. "In front of you are your soldiers. Your taffy pieces are your coins. You need to support your army, by paying me the correct amount. Every right answer, I''ll give you your candies back. But the more you¡¯re wrong, the more I will take and eat. If we get far enough, I¡¯ve even got a mock battle for you to play!" She looked over the candies, then the papers in front of her, and finally at Reese. "This is dumb¡­ I can eat the taffy?" "When we''re done you can eat whatever you have left, I''ll eat whatever I take." Reese wasn¡¯t exactly a fan of these sweets, having tried on a bit earlier. But, he knew they were one of her favorites, and the risk of seeing someone else eat them, might be enough of a threat to motivate her. At least, that was his thought process. Feuer shifted in her seat, and unfolded her arms. "Ok, what''s the first question?" He outlined a simple example, something he thought Feuer would get quite easily, she didn''t. Even after reiterating it, several times. "No! Again, you have 5 soldiers, you need 2 pounds of food for each of them, a pound of food is 1 silver coin. How many coins do you need? The answer isn''t one." He took the piece of candy and ate it. It actually wasn''t bad, had a slightly fruity taste, like the chief had used berries to flavor it. But the acidity just didn¡¯t agree with him and, he was already getting sick of them. In fact, he was already sick of them after the first piece. "Ok, so two." She guessed again for the third time, not bothering to even try and think or work it out. He sighed and took the two pieces she put in front of him. A sudden worry entered his mind, what if he ate all the candies before she got a right answer? This might have the opposite effect of what he hoped. Even worse, they may not get to the larger game he made up. He spent a lot of time on those soldiers. Perhaps she was just too embarrassed to try, he thought. "Feuer, you can try counting on your hands. It''s fine, I do it sometimes too." "¡­ I want a different problem." She glared at him. "Ok.¡± He sighed and rubbed at his eyes in his own frustration, ¡°Let''s go over the right answer first¡­ Each soldier eats 2 pounds, and every pound of food is 1 silver. So each soldier cost¡­ Come-on, I know you know this." "I don''t know, two?" Again, that seemed like a guess more than actual thought. Still, it was right, he needed to give her at least some encouragement. ¡°Exactly! Two.¡± Reese realized he needed to twist things just a bit. First he would break it all down, the logic behind what she should have done. ¡°You took the number of soldiers, 1, multiplied it by the amount of food, 2 pounds and then by the number of coins per pound, 1 to get 2. You just didn''t realize that''s what you were doing. Now, one last step. You have 5 soldiers, you now know each cost 2 silvers, how much will 5 soldiers cost you?" ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± It almost sounded like she was pouting, but more to the point, wasn¡¯t even willing to try. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try counting on your fingers then, or use some paper. 2 fingers at a time, do it 5 times, how many do you have?¡± ¡°I know how to count.¡± Feuer complained before beginning counting on her fingers in pairs, until all of them were used. She looked deeply ashamed by the act. "10?" "Exactly! 5 times 2, 10!" Reese tried to be encouraging. Given her face it may have had the opposite effect. He pushed one of the candies back to her for the right answer, but she wouldn''t take it. "You gave me the answer it doesn''t count." Six questions later, and they were just about out of candies. Reese dropped his head on the desk in frustration. "Feuer, do you just want to give up for the day?" "Knights don''t surrender." She declared. Looking up, despite her attempt to look strong, there was something under. Maybe shame? "Ok, then how many days will it take to go through your supplies?" He asked the question again. "¡­I don''t understand the point." She lied, and tried to deflect. With another in a long line of sigh Reese shook his head, and then closed his eyes. He knew he shouldn¡¯t be frustrated with her. If anything, this was his failure, he was thinking too much about himself. About what he liked. Feuer seemed to like stories, so maybe, that was where he should start¡­ "My father was a knight commander, that means commanding knights, ordering them, moving them around, feeding them. Most of his job, was resource management. Knowing how many supplies they needed, how many horses or land dragons, and how much it all costs. I get you don''t like math, but you want to win a war you need logistics, which means, you need math." His face twisted as he frowned, this was not going according to plan, and his stomach didn''t agree with all the sour sugar he just ingested either. Across the table, the elf girl continued to literally bear her fangs at him as he stared at the last few bites of sweets in front of him. He had less than no desire to eat them, despite what they had agreed to. So, he stopped. With a hand, Reese slid the candies towards her. ¡°I''m going to give you the rest of these.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not mine, I lost.¡± She pushed them back. ¡°I get that, but I don''t want to eat any more of them. Besides, I think your willingness to try this exercise is worthy of note. Plus I do think we learned something, even if it wasn¡¯t what we expected.¡± She folded her arms in defiance. ¡°Still don''t want them.¡± This girl was utterly stubborn. ¡°Fine. Then I''m throwing them out because I¡¯ll be sick if I eat any more sugar.¡± Before he could get up, she called out ¡°Wait. I''ll eat them.¡± The vague sound of surrender and annoyance creeped in her voice. As soon as he let go she popped one of the Taffy pieces into her mouth. A faint smile forced itself out as she savored the flavor. Her ears, twitched, or maybe that was just her chewing. Of course, her scowl returned as she noticed Reese staring at her. Now he was curious, "What changed your mind?¡± Feuer chewed and sucked on the sweet for a moment before answering, ¡°Ecman is a proud chef, he works hard in the kitchen. It''s not right to throw away his work. He did make these, didn''t he?¡± Reese shrugged, "I actually don''t know who made them. I talked to Hippall about getting something small you might like to eat, said they were one of your favorites. Although, that Olithma guy didn¡¯t want to give them too me¡­ I don¡¯t know what his problem is." Pausing for a moment, he shook the thoughts of strangling the halfling servant out of his head as he watched her eat another taffy. She should have gotten at least a few of the questions right. But instead, ¡°Why do you guess each answer?¡± he asked directly. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t guess. That number is just what made sense.¡± Again, she took another candy and tried to savor it. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be embarrassed but, do you know what multiplication is?¡± She rolled her eyes and again seemed mad, a rather common state for her. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s just adding the same number a number of times.¡± Stroking at his chin he thought about it, she was clearly right, but was she just reciting what she remembered? Maybe he could test her, it was probably something he should have done sooner maybe even first. ¡°Ok, so if I asked you to multiply 3 and 6 what should you do. Walk me through your steps.¡± She glared at him for a second, before answering ¡°¡­ add three, six times in a row. Three, plus, Three, plus, Three, plus, Three, plus¡­ Three? And, I think Three again.¡± Closing her eyes, it was like she was afraid the numbers would leave her head if she had them open. Opening them she shook her head, ¡°I guess I could add six three times too, that¡¯s probably easier. What does this matter?¡± The last part surprised him. He wasn¡¯t expecting that insight from someone who didn¡¯t seem know basic math, which meant, ¡°I mean, you know what to do, and surprisingly why. I¡¯m just trying to understand why you don¡¯t do it.¡± "I just don''t see why this is important. It¡¯s dumb and confusing." She protested without acknowledging the core question. So, he switched tracks a bit. ¡°Well, how do you keep track of things, like say you want to buy 3 apples, how do you know how many coins you need so you¡¯re not cheated?¡± ¡°If I have to I¡¯ll use my fingers. One apple is 3 coppers, so 3 apples is¡­ 3¡­ 6¡­ 9. 9 coppers.¡± She counted in front of him, her face growing slightly red when she finished. While her method worked for small numbers, he could see several problems, particularly with larger sequences. Plus, she seemed so embarrassed that didn¡¯t seem willing to do it at all most times. Also, no normal person is paying 3 coppers for an apple, so she was already prime to be cheated. ¡°Ok, but what about larger numbers. Like feeding a small army. Say it''s not 3 apples but 500. How much then? What if the merchant offered you a discount how do you do that on your fingers?¡± ¡°I don''t know, I¡¯d have someone else do the math for me.¡± The weight of frustration dropped his head to the table, again ¡°But you¡¯re their Commander, it''s on you to know and verify this." He sighed. ¡°Also, no apples are going to cost 3 coppers. Not unless it''s a famine or something. If you''re paying that you''re getting cheated.¡± ¡°That''s what they cost at the market.¡± Her voice almost sounded like a whine. Looking up, she almost looked a bit sad, like something he said had really impacted her. ¡°What market are you going to? I''ve never seen an apple priced more than a copper and a quarter, and that was during a bad harvest.¡± "It''s what they charge in the high market, at least. Everytime I¡¯ve gone they¡¯re about 3 coppers, maybe a bit more in the off season, and if you can find them." She still seemed more sad than angry. "You never felt cheated when you bought something there?¡± "No. My guard catches things like that, and¡­ They don¡¯t let me handle my own coins." Again this conversation seemed to be making her ever more uncomfortable. Reese made some notes in his teaching journal. He wanted to expose Feuer to the market more, untethered by her guard. It seemed possible to give her a better impact and lesson if she was allowed to handle her own coins and even fail at it. Of course, he''d have to pass his plan past Beeson first, though he hoped there wouldn¡¯t be much friction. She clearly knew what to do, he just needed to get her to actually do it. Feuer smacked her hands on the table, "Look we both know this is a waste of time, can I go?" Considering the shadows outside, it was probably around 11AM, an hour earlier than he was hoping to dismiss class. Still, the fact that she showed up at all was an improvement. At least according to her father. That she was here for a full two and half hours, well, he was going to take that as a win. "It''s not a waste of time, and on one condition, come back tomorrow at the same time."Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Feuer rolled her eyes and huffed, clearly, she wasn''t interested. "Look, I promise, I will try to make it easier and better than your last tutors. I just need to understand how you think to come up with a plan that actually works. Give me a chance. You can think of it as a great battle against these diabolical books!" Feuer stared at him, the fire in her eyes seemed calm, less engulfing, and more twinkling embers. "My father will probably put me in the dungeon me if I refuse¡­" He couldn¡¯t help but laugh, "Ha, somehow, I don''t think that would stop you." For a moment, Reese could have sworn her ears twitched and that he saw a smile instead of a scowl. It could have just been the light though. "Fine. I''ll be here tomorrow. Now I''m going to practice my swordsmanship." She stood and walked away. Reese continued to sit in the library for some time afterwards, writing notes in his own book, and thinking it all over. His pencil tapped at the last line he wrote and then underlined it. ¡®Some kind of learning disorder?¡¯ He was growing hungry; the candy had messed with his stomach but didn¡¯t quite fill him. Still, he wasn¡¯t quite ready to leave the library. Looking around it was the largest collection of books he had ever seen in this world. Even Charston¡¯s shop seemed small and quaint by comparison. Looking over the books on the shelf, he was searching for one he didn¡¯t even know existed., Quickly however, he realized there didn¡¯t seem to be a pattern to how they were stored. History texts, next to a language book, next to poetry, next to something he couldn¡¯t even read, if there was a system here, it was alien to him. Though almost every book he picked up did seem interesting. At least the ones he could read, more than a few were written in various other languages, such as high eleven. He¡¯d have to make a point to learn that, particularly after Fuhen¡¯s comments. However, the current one he held in his hand, ¡®The Fall of Austlan¡¯ seemed very interesting to his own studies. He¡¯d have to make a note of where it was to check out later. Still at the moment though, it was irrelevant. He was looking for something more topical, something on either education or learning disorders. Assuming such a text even existed in the first place, and that it was in this library. This world didn¡¯t seem quite that advanced, but maybe. He has several suspicions on what to do but just didn¡¯t know for sure. Having a text that confirmed or gave alternatives would have been quite helpful. As it was, he¡¯d have to guess and try different things, and he wasn¡¯t sure that was the best idea. Continued and repeated failure might tank his otherwise tenuous connection with his defiant student. His mind was so consumed with finding some book to help, he didn¡¯t hear Lueismar entering the library. ¡°Hello?¡± The almost sweet-sounding voice of Feuer¡¯s sister¡¯s, broke the silence. She was clothed in a similar dress as when he first saw her. Large, puffy, frilly, less elegant and more austentaious, at least in his mind. Her shoulder length bright red hair had strong curles to it, and her blue eyes just seemed to fit on her light freckled face. Overall, she did look a bit like her younger sister, but was ¡®brighter¡¯ in almost all regards. For some reason, she seemed to want to speak with him. ¡°Good afternoon, Lueismar. What do I owe this visit. Intrested in a leasson?¡± Reese chuckled very lightly as he continued to look over the books. ¡°Honestly, I would love that! But, Grandmother and Father want you to focus on Feuer for now.¡± She smiled warmly, but there seemed to be a slight bit of sadness behind it. Like she wasn¡¯t happy with the idea of her own schooling being put off. He continued to smile, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind. If there¡¯s every anything you want to know, I¡¯m happy to setup a leason. I¡¯ve found I enjoy teaching.¡± ¡°Thank you, maybe... I¡¯ll take you up on that later. But, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, how was today? I noticed Feuer was present for most of the the leason, but left early?¡± Reese looked over the index of the book in his hand, and sighed. Given the title, ¡®The cost of education¡¯ he had some hopes, but it seemed to be a history text of some colleges. Nothing involving actual teaching methods. Lueismar tilted her head, perhaps miss-understand, ¡°That bad?¡± she asked. ¡°Oh. Sorry, just not the book I¡¯m looking for¡± He put it back on the shelf. ¡°Honestly, today wasn¡¯t quite what I was expecting. I think I learned more than she did, and, I¡¯m going to have to make adjustments. Speaking of which, I¡¯m looking for a book on education methods but I don¡¯t see how these are organized.¡± He waved hapazardly to the large tower of shelves, hoping she could help. But she couldn¡¯t, ¡°Oh! Well, they really aren¡¯t really organized, at least not well.¡± ¡°I see... is there at least a record of what¡¯s here?¡± Reese asked with some hope. ¡°Father might have something. He¡¯s the one that¡¯s been upkeeping the library since Grandfather passed.¡± He¡¯d have to make a note to talk to Beeson about it later. Given the thousands of texts here, this was going to be an exersie in futility without more information on what to even look for. Lueismar continued, ¡°Sorry, but about Feuer¡¯s leasson though do you think it¡¯s worth continuing?¡± Reese picked his head up and looked around for moment, unsure or perhpas unwilling to consider what he just heard. ¡°What? Yes! I think she¡¯s decently intelligent, I just need to find a method of instruction that works for her.¡± Lueismar¡¯s eyes shoot open, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m just not sure I heard you right. You think Feuer is, intellgent?¡± The suprise in her face was a strong as her voice. ¡°Well, at the very least, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s an idiot. She clearly has the ability to reason and think. She seems to know a lot about the subjects she¡¯s intrested in, just not much else.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Lueismar actually laughed. ¡°Heh, I don¡¯t think anyone has ever said anything positive about my sister¡¯s...intellect.¡± While Lueismar may have mean the coment in a positive light, Reese didn¡¯t see it that way, ¡°I mean, that¡¯s not a good thing you know. I think she has a learning disorder. That¡¯s why I was looking through these books, hoping there was something that might help me come up with a plan.¡± ¡°Learning, disorder? I though you said she was intellgent.¡± He thought for a second, how to explain it, ¡°You can be intellgent and still have a disability. Like someone who¡¯s blind. They obvious can¡¯t read words, but they can still reason, and think. It¡¯s like that. From what I¡¯ve seen she can think, but something else is getting in the way.¡± ¡°I guess, I never thought of it like that.¡± The otherwise bubbly girl looked downward, a mixture of thought and maybe some hurt flickered over her eyes. Like she was blaiming herself for missing it. The older girl was a possible wealth of information. Reese couldn¡¯t let the opportunity go as he verbally poked her, ¡°Can you tell me what her earlier tutoring was like?¡± Reese¡¯s words caused Lueismar to raise her head again, ¡°Hmm, well there¡¯s not much to tell. When she was younger she would sit with all of us and, our tutors would try to go over something with her. But she would often complain and throw the books across the table. Always said the books were enchanted and that made the letter dance and change. Eventually the tutors all gave up, and focused on Virume, Svachgit and me instead. I sometimes think that¡¯s why she became so rebellious, she was hurt that she was always being put out.¡± Reese took out his teaching notebook and jotted down some notes. This further helped explained why she was so far behind. No one had found a teaching method that worked for her, and frequently gave up. The dancing and changing letters further added evidence to his guess, no, hypothesis. Looking over his notes, he added another smaller one off to the side, ¡®Rebellious because she¡¯s never included?¡¯ Lueismar broke his silent scribbling, ¡°Why are you bothering to go this far? Searching for a book you don¡¯t even know if it exists? I know she¡¯s mean to you and Grandmother and Father only need you to marry her, and even that not for another 10 years?¡± ¡°It was always my fault.¡± Reese whispered to himself, as he thought about his own prior life. Being left out, being put out, never connecting. Suddenly, he felt a connection with the otherwise violent girl. ¡°What?¡± Again, Lueismar snapped him out of his trance. ¡°Nothing.¡± He shook his head while putting his notebook away, ¡°It¡¯s just an opportunity to be better. I¡¯ll be honest, I never really saw myself teaching other people. It seemed, like something other people should do. Maybe, just a quick way to earn some coins, but nothing is permanent.¡± She laughed, ¡°Heh, You sound like an old man looking back on his life.¡± Her voice and laugh were almost sickeningly sweet, but also at the same time, sincere. ¡°I guess I¡¯m just an old soul.¡± His attention went back to the bookshelves, he wanted to try and find something even if it was ultimately futile. ¡°I don¡¯t know that I ever heard that saying before. I think I like it.¡± Lueismar could see his attention turned back to the bookshelves. ¡°I would like to have a lesson from you. Later though.¡± ¡°When ever you¡¯re ready, just let me know!¡± Reese smiled as she took her leave of him. The afternoon would pass, he almost skipped lunch as he dove into those books, but came up empty. Dinner would be the same affair as always, being overly dressed and sitting far away from everyone else at the table while Fuhen and Beeson discussed matters of the city state and their business with the nobles and aristocrats at the table. As the evening came, he took a break from his lesson planning to work on his mana ¡®electronics¡¯ concepts. He had something he wanted to try. He¡¯d need a very thin gold thread, but also a jig to weave it onto. He didn¡¯t have the gold, but did have the materials for the jig. Though it would be a challenge and take several days. The next day came, and again he sat in the library, rubbing his tired eyes. That jig was going to take a lot more work than he thought. In his hands he reviewed his lesson plan and notes. Yesterday he tried mathematics, today he was going to work on ¡®human¡¯ as the language was called. Some seemingly strange fusion of Latin, German and Cyrillic like letters. Despite being strange at first, it had become not a second language, but a first to him. In Feuer¡¯s case though, it seemed a miracle that the girl could even speak it. ¡°Ahhh! This is dumb!¡± Feuer yelled and crumpled up the paper he had asked her to write on. Not only was she late today, but she was even more unruly than yesterday. Maybe it was the lack of candy, he¡¯d have to make a note about that for later. Right now, though, he needed to make sure she stayed in the library for just a little longer. ¡°Feuer, I know it¡¯s difficult, but please just-¡° ¡°No! This is stupid.¡± She yelled and crossed her arms, but at least she didn¡¯t get up to leave. Reese wandered over to the crumpled paper and picked it up. ¡°Leave it.¡± She protested as he opened it up to examine it. ¡°I need to see how you write.¡± The handwriting wasn¡¯t the best, but legible, however the letters didn¡¯t make and sense. As he studied the note, he tried to make sense of what she was thinking. ¡°I¡¯m just dumb so stop it.¡± She reached for the note and pulled it away from him. For several moments the two sat in silence, as Feuer glared at him. As if challenging him to continue. ¡°Why those letters?¡± Reese broke the silence which caused Feuer to huff in response. Still she remained silent. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to understand. I can¡¯t teach you if I don¡¯t know how.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that your job though? You¡¯re suppose to know how to teach, if you can¡¯t what good are you.¡± She crumpled the note and tossed it across the room again. Turning towards it, he considered picking it up again but decided against it. Instead, he opened his teacher¡¯s journal and wrote down some notes. Feuer took notice of his writing and seemed to frown even more. He tried not to laugh. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t be able to read these notes. ¡°Feuer, you¡¯re not going to be able to read my notes.¡± ¡°Yeah, because I¡¯m dumb.¡± She crossed her arms in frustration. As much as he tried not too, Reese couldn¡¯t help but smirk a little, ¡°No, you can¡¯t read them because it¡¯s not in a language you know.¡± ¡°What is it, that high elven my grandmother keeps pushing me to learn?¡± Now she seemed more curious but only glanced at the page, not being able to make any of it out. ¡°No, it¡¯s something much rarer, I don¡¯t think anyone else here can read it.¡± He continued. ¡°Why do you write in it?¡± Her question seemed honest, without any hostility behind it. A strange thing for the otherwise aggressive girl In respect to the honest inquiry, he thought about the question and how to best answer it rather than just dismissing it. Human had come naturally enough, and in truth he didn¡¯t have any real reason to keep writing in English, it just ¡°Comes easy to me I guess. I learned it a while ago and, it just comes out. It¡¯s not so much that I write in it, as I think in it.¡± He looked over his writings and then turned the book around so she could see it. ¡°What I can¡¯t read it.¡± She tried to shrug off the obvious invitation. ¡°I know you can¡¯t but tell me, do you think these are the same letter?¡± His two index fingers pointed to a ¡®b¡¯ and a ¡®d¡¯ on the page. She looked at the letters for a while as if studying them before turning her head back to meet his. ¡°No. You wouldn¡¯t ask if they were the same.¡± Again, a guess but sound reasoning at least, and again, she didn¡¯t answer the question. ¡°But, do you see them as the same?¡± Feuer slammed her palms into the table and stood up. ¡°I think I¡¯m done for the day.¡± He had pushed too far. Or maybe, she really was exhausted from it. It had been two hours, and a little more than, but less than yesterday for sure. As tempted as he was to keep her, forcing her wouldn¡¯t work. He tapped at his journal again. Too many unanswered questions. ¡°I need to go swing a sword.¡± She declared and began to walk out of the library. His own curiosity got the better of him as he still had questions he wanted to ask her. Also, in truth, he kind of wanted a rematch. "Mind if I tag along?" he asked as he stood up. "¡­Why?" "You''re my student. I''d like to get to know you a bit better. Plus, I guess I miss sparing." He smiled. "Your father was Fortus, right? He would visit my father when he was near the city. You ever spar with him" "More often than I''d like. Got a couple small scars to prove it." Subconsciously he rubbed at his side. "He had a bout with me once a year ago, after I practically begged him. I don''t think he used even a tenth of his strength, and it was over in a couple seconds." She laughed, just slightly, "My dad was mad he actually hit me¡­ Did he say anything about our match?" Reese took a moment to think, but had to shake his head, "I¡­ don''t remember honestly. But, he didn''t usually talk about his missions." Feuer¡¯s ears dropped ever so slightly, a cue Reese was beginning to pick up on. She continued to walk out of the library, without bothering to turn back around. "I don''t care if you come, just don''t get in the way of my training." Thwack. Feuer¡¯s attacks had energy behind them as she advanced with every strike. It was different from what he was used to from back home. Smack. Reese was playing defensive, blocking, and parrying her attacks well, but was losing ground. His strategy was a simple one, don¡¯t get hit. It was working, so far. Shevana stood watch over the two as they sparred in a bout. Making sure they didn¡¯t hurt themselves too much. especially Feuer who seemed quite insistent on hurting Reese. It seemed she was a little upset that Shevana wanted her to spar with Reese instead of her. Thwack. Smack. Their swords bound together. Feuer couldn¡¯t help but bare her teeth in anger. But that was good for Reese, it meant her next attack was predictable. A full force slash probably from the left. If he was fast enough, he could get the hit in first. SMACK. THWACK. He wasn¡¯t fast enough, but neither was she this time ¡°1-1¡± Shevana announced as the two moved away, each holding their sides. He was grateful she didn¡¯t just rush at him. It gave him a moment to try and continue his dialog from earlier. ¡°So, tell me something¡­¡± Holding up her sword, she gave a loud huff. ¡°We¡¯re sparring, not talking.¡± ¡°Humor me, I could use a handicap. Anyway-¡± He was cut off as she advanced on him. THWACK. Her sword hit him in the side. ¡°2-1¡± Shevana called out. Perhaps she saw what he was trying to do, or maybe she just wanted someone else to continue to deal with Feuer. ¡°Match for Feuer. I think you should do another round. Your right arm is falling against his strikes.¡± Feuer looked back and glared at her guard, and then turned back in acceptance face Reese. ¡°Well, what¡¯s your question, taffy man.¡± She smirked at her new insult. Reese couldn¡¯t help but smile back a bit. It was better than bookworm, maybe. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to understand the way you think.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I don¡¯t think, I do!¡± Again, she advanced rapidly. Thwack. Smack. Smack. He misread her movements this time, she went for his shoulder instead of his side. THWACK! It seemed like she was learning his moves now, rather than just trying to plow though him. ¡°1-0¡± Shevana called from the side lines. ¡°Tell me honestly, why do you keep guessing the answers for the problems I give. And don¡¯t say you don¡¯t.¡± She huffed and put the sword down a bit, ¡°It¡¯s just, hard. I can¡¯t keep the numbers and letters in my head to work on them. It¡¯s hard to read them as it is, but when I think about them, they get twisted. I see a number, I think it¡¯s a 3, but it also really looks like an 8. When I¡¯m thinking about it I just, forget which is which and¡­ they disappear.¡± That was it, dyslexia for sure. The papers early, his journal and now this proved it. Really bad dyslexia at that. But, he had something now. Something he was missing before. He doubted there were any texts on how to deal with that in this world. Back on earth there would have been whole libraries devoted to the subject. ¡°Stop staring at me and fight!¡± She yelled and charged him. Holding his sword he barely managed to block the first few strikes. Thwack. Thwack. But he picked up some tempo as in her anger she became readable. Smack. SMACK!. ¡°1-1¡± Shevana called. ¡°Feuer. I think I get it, what¡¯s wrong with you.¡± Reese wasn¡¯t able to get more of a conversation in. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m angry that you keep trying to talk!¡± She swung her sword at him, again her anger worked against her. Thwack. Smack. SMACK!. ¡°1-2, match to Reese¡± He tried not to smile this time. It was one of the first times he had ever actually won. And she was going to make him regret that. Feuer almost snarled at him and picked up her sword. ¡°Again!¡± She practically yelled before charging at him. His body would be quite sore by the end of the day, and he lost every match after that one. Still, even winning one felt kind of good. Plus, he now knew a lot more about his student. He just needed to do something with what he learned. Even without any other texts, he did have some thoughts. For now at least, the learning games would continue wait. He needed to go back to the basics; this was going to take a while. In the end he was able to get another agreement from her though. So long as she attended tutoring for four days, on the fifth day, he¡¯d teach her anything she wanted to know. Of course, he already knew what she would want, history and military texts. Specifically, the ones she couldn¡¯t read, and there were a lot in that library. It was a subject that wasn¡¯t completely out of line with what her father and grandmother wanted from her. That carrot was enough for her to tolerate the stick. Well, that and the candies he was now going to bring. Chapter 25, Cold Stone Reese¡¯s eyes sprung open to the cool darkness of his room. His heart felt like it was about to leap out of his chest. He couldn¡¯t remember it, the dream, the words. Only the shadows of echoes; all those voices. He had nightmares like this all this life, well, lives. But recently, they had been feeling more vivid, more real. Then, there was always this ominous feeling in the background, like somethings were, chasing him across existence itself. Maybe it was a good thing he couldn¡¯t remember it. ¡®You should visit the shrine.¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t listen. Just build.¡¯ More voices suddenly echoed in his head again. Was it his own voice? Maybe he was still dreaming. Rubbing his eyes, he was exhausted from sleeping. He stopped to look around in the dim twilight of the morning, ensuring what was real truly was real. Outside his window, the deep black and purple sky was starting to warm with the colors of the morning. Looking to the side, his clock continued its unsteady rhythm, punctuated by tiny hiccups, minor fluctuations in friction caused the by the world¡¯s mana effects. Still, it was accurate enough. In the dim haze of the dark morning, he could just make out the single hand¡¯s position. It was a little before 5AM. His head fell back on the pillow of his bed. It was much softer than the one from back home. At first that felt good, almost divine, but now it had begun to just feel different. A part of him longed for his old less plush pillow. In truth, he longed for the other comforts that pillow implied, the familiarity of it, his family and his friends. Well, what few friends he had left there. Shaking his head he rolled out of bed. Laying here thinking about such things wasn¡¯t conducive to anything useful. It was still quite early, but not too early, he should get up. His hand moved over a tiny red stone that glowed ever so slightly. A simple and cheap flame stone. On the flatter side was a simple enchantment he had engraved into it. It wasn¡¯t a strong enchantment, but by connecting a small gap in the gold lines with his finger, like so. A couple of small sparks came from the other side of the stone as it was coerced into letting go it¡¯s mana. His body couldn¡¯t conduct mana, for reasons he still didn¡¯t fully understand. But, the surface of his skin did seem somewhat able to channel mana around it, if not though it. At least, that was his current working theory. He found that the effect would be a bit more pronounced if he rubbed over the gold traces first. Perhaps it was just a thin layer of gold atoms that was doing the actual conduction. More questions for his journal. Regardless, the sparks weren¡¯t particularly bright in either case, but they were hot enough to light one of the candles he had in his room. Candles weren¡¯t particularly bright, compared to the ¡®artificial light crystals¡¯ on the wall. But, he couldn¡¯t use them anyway, not without mana. What he had here wasn¡¯t an ideal solution, but it did work. Candles could get expensive. Cheaper rushlight or reed lights would have been better and were what he used back home. In the end though, he wasn¡¯t the one paying for them and the Vallhorn seemed to have an unlimited supply, so he guess it didn¡¯t matter. Still, it did kind of make him feel like a leach at times. At least, till he remembered just how insanely wealthy his protectors were. His room had the same artificial light crystals that were along the walls of the castle. They were interesting little devices, frosted glass shells with either a cheap light mana stone, or a more expensive and better, light crystal in the center. They were connected to an outer golden framework with some gold foil which could let someone¡¯s mana charge or discharge them. Effectively turning them on and off. Even without a gate he could still turn them off at least, just not on. Which was a point in favor of his outer skin conducting mana. Anyway, these were similar to the simple mana crystals his house had back in Wollseeth, but lasted much longer, looked brighter and had a cleaner color. Along with a few other improvements, like being controlable. Light crystals weren¡¯t cheap to begin with, but these so-called artificial ones were a step above that. Even the ones that used the cheaper light stones would have been beyond his well-off family¡¯s means. Though, when it came to him being able turning them on, he did have an idea for that. In one of his books was a sketch for an enchanted light stone, much like this flame stone. A kind of solar powered flashlight that could also power other light mana devices. Well, he¡¯d need a suitable mana stone first. Even the ones he had back home probably wouldn¡¯t have worked. Sitting at his desk, his mind drifted as he reviewed one of his journals with a deep yawn. The second week of Feuer¡¯s tutoring was finally at an end. Reese couldn''t remember a time when he felt so exhausted. Even his final run in his last life didn¡¯t leave him this drained, and that had killed him. Maybe it was just these nightmares that were tiring him On the plus side Feuer had kept coming to class every day, despite her earlier insistences on only showing up the one time. That really did make it easier to deal with. A solvable challenge was preferable to an easy failure, in his mind anyway. She had really enjoyed the two Srijedeg¡¯s history lessons, which wasn¡¯t surprising. He was thankful he found that text on Hesion so quickly. Being the want-a-be knight she was really infatuated with his exploits, and it gave her an anchor in the storm to stay steady on. Without it, she might not have come this week at all. But now, he had a preverbal carrot that was even better than candy. Despite people''s impressions of her, she was quite intelligent, in her own way. She was badly dyslexic for sure. It''s probably why she hated math so much. Her mind just couldn''t make sense of the arbitrary shapes and how they link with their values. Currently he was experimenting with different ways to present information to her. Drawing letters and numbers in slightly different styles was a big part of it, there had to be one that would work. If he could just keep her focused on the task and not be pissed off at everything. Something else, he had begun to wonder if she might have had something like ADHA. But that would be harder to treat here. Regardless, even if she did have another learning disability he only had the bandwidth to work one problem at a time. Getting around the dyslexia would have to be first.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Her fire had tempered off, a little anyway. Though, she would still find an excuse to hit him, and would get particularly violent if he even came close to touching her, even by accident. Yet, she was ok with sparing, which seemed odd. It felt like there was a deeper trauma at work he couldn¡¯t really understand, then again, maybe he was just overthinking it, like he tended to do. Speaking of trauma, he also noticed how her larger family treated her. Dinner she was always place away from everyone. Almost no one inquired about her beyond those two times. Well, there was that question Beeson asked him a few days ago, ¡°Is my daughter still attending your tutoring?¡± The older elf hadn¡¯t even bothered to check back in on her in person. But, at least he asked, which was better than the rest. As much as he enjoyed the sparring, he decided to drop it for now. Shevana was trying to get her to use techniques and his interactions were likely interfering with that. His time there served it¡¯s purpose, including giving him that one win. Something he duplicated twice, much to his body¡¯s regret. He would still like to find some time to pick up a sword, just, not right away. To be fair, it¡¯s not like he¡¯d ever have the same kind of potential she did. Without a gate and mana, there was no way he¡¯d be able to use actual techniques. A sudden thought crossed his mind as he thought more about it all. Feuer had dyslexia and seemed to have issues with using techniques. Perhaps there was a link there? He opened his teaching journal and made some note to follow up on latter. What even was a gate? Most people seemed to have one, but what was it physically? He jotted down a few more notes. Perhaps he could be adding some of these to his more general journals. As he continued writing his mind drifted back to memories of those two sparing. He did like watching the two girls move together in mock combat, well really just the one. For all her speed Feuer just couldn''t compete against Shevana''s graceful movements. That woman had been a sword fighting her whole life, and it showed. Her body was sculped for combat, and her swings looked more like a carefully choreographed dance, or maybe that¡¯s just what he wanted to see. She almost reminded him of Athenia, a bit anyway. Thinking about Shevana, Reese almost wished she was a bit older. If she was closer to his own age than maybe... His thoughts drifted, until that question hit him again and dropped him back to reality. Just how old was he, really? Shaking the nonsense from his head he glared at the wall of his room just above his work bench, the clockwork device continued to tick along at a mostly steady pace. It¡¯s tick soothing him and quieted his mind. He¡¯d have to actual work on something rather than waste the early morning with circular questions. Moving to the jig he had been making; it was just about done and was already partially usable. In theory anyway. Some of his plans called for a grid of wires. It would be hard to keep them separate while weaving, and this precise gird would let him do that. 512 by 512 very carefully constructed slits and guiding pegs, over about a foot by a foot, the inside had a movable platform that could be raised and lowered as needed, to accommodate different sized materials and multiple layers. The lines and physical size were decent for a small screen, or the memory circuit he had been sketching out over the past week. A simple grid of gold wire, at the intersection of two wires, would be¡­ something. He just wasn¡¯t sure what yet, maybe a smaller mana circuit, though making over 250,000 of them, one for each intersection, wasn¡¯t viable, at least not by hand. It would also have to encased in some kind of epoxy or resin. He¡¯d have to figure something else out, but later. The whole idea would borrow from some earlier computer concepts, like rope memory core. Only this was going to use mana instead. Which might have entirely different designs. He just needed to find them. On his work bench were some scattered ideas written on various loose papers. His calculator worked well, very well in fact. He just needed to expand its operation now. These would be the blueprint he used to do that. There were problems though, and gaps in the papers. Ultimately, the discrete components he had been using were quite large. He needed some way to shrink them. Of course he had some ideas, the jig being one of them, but even that would require new materials and techniques he didn''t know how to replicate. What he really could have used was actual plastic, but that was a hard thing to make. Requiring high pressures, petrochemicals and some advanced equipment like fractional distillation towers. His knowledge of chemistry was also severely lacking; he knew roughly what to do and the chemical intermediaries, something like PLA would require a lot of research to get right. Also, a full lab. That he didn¡¯t have. He needed other options. Even just mounting the components would require new methods. The old resin he had been using in Wollseeth wasn''t really available here, and these would be much smaller than those anyway. Opening an older notebook, he turned to a sketch he had made a little over a year ago and compared it to his newest one. While he had never bought that crystal artifact from Ethmond. Somehow, someone, a long time ago solved the very problems he was working on. He just had no idea how. He should have found a way to buy that crystal. Oh well, can¡¯t change the past. Something he knew well. Though the proof of that crystal did mean at least one thing, there was at least one solution out there waiting to be found. Maybe more than one. For now, he did have alternative ideas to try. The jig would let him build grids of smaller circuits. Possibly acting like a crude logic-gate array, like in magical equivalent to an FPGA, or a programable circuit. Each junction could act like a mini circuit or logic gate. Maybe. That was the hope anyway. He¡¯d only know for sure it worked after a lot of testing, and somewhat importantly, actually building it. Which he still wasn¡¯t completely sure how to do yet. Again, given the more 250,000 junctions it just wasn¡¯t possible to do by hand. He¡¯d need to find some way to automate it. But, that was still a few steps ahead. What he really needed at the moment was wire, gold wire specifically, not just the foil he used before. He kind of knew what to do to make some. In the modern era, you''d pull wire through a machine of progressively smaller holes, and that would shape it. The more ductile the material, the easier it would be. At least, that¡¯s what those internet videos showed, though it had been over a decade since he saw one. There was a blacksmith on the grounds, mainly for the horses and dragons. But, presumably, the forge she ran could be used for other things, like repairing metal work, tools and maybe more importantly to his need, pulling wire. Reese had bumped into her, only briefly, when he first arrived. She didn¡¯t seem particularly interested in talking with him. Maybe Reese could convince Beeson to talk to her on his behalf and give him access to the small forge? It had been several hours since he got up and it was now about 7AM on a Setnesdeg, basically Saturday. He had the day off, so he¡¯d have some time to try. But first, finding Beeson would be no easy task though. Chapter 26, Half an Outing With Beeson Hippall was the first Reese found, "Beeson? Today, he''d probably be in the kitchen at this time." Only, in the kitchen Beeson was not to be found, "Beeson? You just missed him. He¡¯s probably at the silver gate inspecting some inventory, east side of the castle." With a light jog, Reese arrived at the smaller gate to see a few wagons still being unload. "Beeson? No he already inspected these. He''s headed out to the market to check on something in the city. Couldn''t tell you what but you might want to hurry." Moving from a jog to a run, Reese made it to the main gate just in time to stop Beeson before he could disappear again. Before he could approach, he was forcibly stopped by Olithma, the halfling he had meet earlier. The young man was a hair shorter than Reese despite clearly being older. Regardless of his size, Reese expected the halfling had enough skill to put him on the ground. ¡°Not so fast boy, Beeson is in a rush.¡± Olithma said with a smug smile. ¡°It¡¯s ok Olithma, I have a few seconds, what I can I do for you Reese?¡± The elf man spoke with his signature neutral smile. "Beeson. Sorry. You''re a hard man to find." Reese panted between words, his labored breathing a sign his cardio was less than he would like. He''d make a note later to work on that. Beeson grew a bit concerned. "Is something wrong?" Reese shook his head "No, sorry if that worried you. I just had a question. Would it be possible to use the blacksmith forge? I have some experiments and I need metal working equipment." Olithma laughed at the request, Reese did his best to ignore it. Beeson on the other hand paused as if considering the request. Trying to put off any reservation, Reese frantically protested with, "I''d provide my own resources of course! I just need the space for a few hours or so when it¡¯s not in use." "Oh, I don''t have a problem with it, Reese. But you''d want to speak to my wife, I generally leave issues of the castle grounds to her and Hippall, for the most part. You''ll probably have to discuss it with our new blacksmith as well, Annsa I believe her name is. Good luck with that, she''s¡­ cold." "I see. Do you know where your wife is then?" He still felt hopeful he could do this before noon. Beeson smiled and shifted his gaze with a blush. "I suspect, somewhere in the city, checking on¡­ somethings. She''ll probably be back in a few hours." There seemed to be some kind of innuendo there that Reese couldn''t be sure of. It was probably best not to probe. The affairs, sometimes literal ones, of nobles were best not looked at too closely. With a defeated sigh, Reese¡¯s head gave into his fatigue and fell, "Well, this can wait. I''ve got other projects I can work on." Again, the halfling smiled smugly while waving him off. Reese wondered what his problem was? But, before Reese could walk away, Beeson had a request of him, "Since you''re here, I could use your assistance. I need someone who is good with numbers." "I don''t have anything else to do, but I''m not sure how much help I''ll be?" He spoke meekly. ¡°Sir, I assure you I can provide anything you need. There¡¯s no need to bring the boy.¡± Olithma protested. The interference caused Reese¡¯s blood to rise a bit. Suddenly he had a growing desire to join Beeson on whatever errand he had. "Non-sense. I suspect there are some irregularities in our orders. Your assistance will be most welcome, even if you tell me there''s nothing you can see." Reese smiled, and turned to the halfling, ¡°In that case I would love to assist.¡± The walk through the high market was an interesting one. Reese had ridden in through the eastern parts of it, but hadn''t had a chance to get an in-depth look into it. All the shops had exceedingly high priced good on display. Items that Reese wouldn''t be able to afford with even a year of labor. Passing a tailor, he was captivated by the quality of the clothes and their appearance through the window. Which was odd since he didn¡¯t normally care about such things. The materials seemed to be something akin to silk and the inside of the garments shined. The sign for one of the shirt was 10 gold, a year''s work and then some for most commoners and an unimaginable sum. Perhaps most insulting though was on earth it would probably have just been a few hundred dollars. A hefty sum, but affordable by all, if they wanted it. Olithma chuckled at Reese¡¯s gaze. Perhaps finding the faux noble¡¯s wonderment to be a sign of his false station. "Expensive, aren''t they?" Beeson seemed to read Reese¡¯s mind and paused for a moment in front of the shop. "A bit. Just surprised. Wollseeth didn''t have anything this costly." Reese knew he was reaffirming Olithma¡¯s view of him. ¡°For a boy of his station, that shirt must be more than he¡¯s ever seen.¡± Again, Olithma spoke with a mocking laugh. Only to be pushed back by Beeson. ¡°Thank you Olithma, but I was asking Reese.¡± The halfling, stopped laughing and lowered his head. He seemed to whisper something that sounded like, ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sorry lord.¡± But it was hard to tell. Beeson turned back to Reese, "Do you think 10 gold is a reasonable price for this shirt?" The merchant and tailor for the shop quickly came outside hopeful of the prospect of a sale to the local lord. "I''m¡­ not sure. I don''t know fashion very well." Reese fumbled as thought how he might come up with a better answer, seeing that Beeson wasn''t willing to leave just yet. "If I had to guess. I don''t think it''s unreasonable, maybe?" The merchant jumped on that comment, "Indeed! This shirt is made with the finest silks from the wood Elves of Absiter. The other cloth is pure fine wool from the Alpita in the great mountains. It is exquisitely soft and waterproof you would not get wet in even the heaviest rains. The colors you''ll notice are exceptionally vibrant, I dare say no other merchant or tailor has the dye skills I possess. If you come inside I''d be happy to get your fittings." Beeson looked to Reese again, "So, your thoughts? If you had the coin would you buy it?" The offer seemed to be hiding something behind it. It wasn¡¯t a gift, it almost felt like more of a test. The halfling bit his lip, a gesture Reese was keenly aware of. For a moment, Reese wondered if it was to keep from saying something or just out of frustration. It was hard to tell, and in truth he didn¡¯t really care. Considering what the merchant said and the shirt in front of him, again, he simply had no idea of the value of these clothes. But maybe he could guess at the cost of the materials at least. "Well, if the silk came from Absiter, what I know about shipping costs and taxes, it would be at least triple what native silk costs, maybe 50 silver a square yard, I''d guess that shirt has about 2 to 2.5 square yards worth. The Alpita fur, I''m not sure. I know it''s comparable to sheep''s wool, but higher quality, and thus obviously more expensive. The dye process on it would also give it a significant value I''d guess 45¡­ maybe 50 silver per square yard, and again probably 2.5 square yards. So a bit more than 3 gold, 50 silvers for all the materials, give or take. Obviously, he deserves to make a profit on the item. Is 6 gold, 10 silvers a fair profit or is a 160% markup fair? I''m not sure, I need to compare it to other merchants, but on the surface¡­ It does seem to be a bit high, maybe shave off 3 or 4 gold?" Beeson stood in silence maintaining his full composure, the merchant had a look on his face between being both impressed and annoyed. Reese didn''t know if that''s because he was right, insulting or just wasting his time. Beeson turned to the tailor, "Is that accurate?" "Uh¡± The merchant didn¡¯t seem to know what to say or do. His stance fell a bit as his neutral smile turned slightly truer. ¡°It¡¯s very close." The merchant¡¯s tone was as if he was admitting some kind of defeat. With a nod of approval, the lord had one more question for Reese. "Would you like the shirt, Reese? At the 6 gold you suggested?" He had no idea how to respond. None of his books prepared him for such a scenario. He had no real desire or appreciation for clothes, preferring function over form, and that shirt for as nice as it was, was all form. It didn¡¯t even seem to have pockets. Olithma¡¯s hands seemed to be shaking a bit as he further chewed on his lip. It was clear the halfling wanted to say something, and possibly hit something. Why though? The halfling was legitimately becoming a puzzle to Reese, and puzzles needed to be solved. However, that would wait. Reese shook his head ¡®no¡¯, "Beeson, I greatly appreciate what I''m assuming is a very generous offer. But as nice as the shirt is, it''s not to my taste, and I couldn¡¯t make you pay that much for a gift." The older elf smiled, as if welcoming that answer and continued walking, "Coin is no major concern, so long as the item is fairly priced. That was a very impressive breakdown for someone who claimed they didn''t know. Bit wordy, but informative. Once you marry Feuer, I''m going to have you attend court in her stead, gods know she won''t." The marriage, his marriage. The idea still seemed foreign to him, even more so then the rest of his second life. With a deep breath, Reese pushed down the thoughts. "Come along, after that I really want an opinion on a few things." For the next two hours Reese and Beeson looked over various items while Olithma stayed behind them and stewed. All the items seemed food related. Olithma refused to say anything further to him. Merely handing the various logistics issues that came up and scowling whenever Reese found a price to be a bit high. Though, there wasn¡¯t a lot of conversation in general. For the most part, it seemed like Beeson was over paying a bit for most things. It led Reese to worry if his advice was bad. Could Beeson have been this wrong in setting up these trades? It just seemed unlikely that a very skilled merchant and noble would be this wrong. It was causing his own insecurities to steadily grown. For the last part of their inspections, the three had found themselves taking a carriage down to the southern part of the city, just outside the lower walls and mesa. They approached the docks of the city that sat inside the silver lake. They were surprisingly small, for the size city anyway. Which isn¡¯t to say it wasn¡¯t impressive.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Several moderate size ships sat anchored or moored to the dock, one in particular they were currently standing in front of. They had already inspected a few of the items that were leaving on various carts. Again, most were only modestly over priced, by Reese¡¯s estimates. But this current one, he was afraid to give his appraisal on. "What are your thoughts on this box, do you think there''s enough for the event, and what about the price? I think it''s high." Beeson verbally pushed Reese into giving an answer he didn¡¯t want to give. Finally, Olithma spoke up. ¡°Sir, I assure you I got the best deal I could on these.¡± ¡°Oh, yes! I¡¯m quite sure you did, sincerely. But I would still like Reese¡¯s opinion.¡± Beeson shot the halfling down a few more notches. Suddenly, Reese felt like he had a piece of that puzzle. Shame that piece seemed like it was sharp enough to cut him. Focusing back on the current question though, the box in front of him was fairly large, about a yard or a meter on each side. Inside were assoias, a medium sized squash like vegetables, mostly round, about 5" or so across. They were quite sweet and when baked they would have a nutty aroma and flavor too. Almost like candied pecans. They were not a cheap produce, Reese could remember a few times his parents had one for special occasions, they went for about 4 silver. Which for food was a very large sum. Apparently, they were hard to grow, and would only grow in cooler conditions. Up in Yoth, where they were quite a bit cheaper. Thinking about the numbers, the crate¡¯s total would depended on how many were in there which itself wave based on how they were packed. At most there would be about 540, assuming an optimal packing, at the lower end maybe 340. Give or take. "Without counting it''s hard to know exactly how many are in there. Between 340-540 should be possible. At 4 silvers each, the crate should be 22 to 36 gold. Give or take." Which was Reese¡¯s non-answer answer. "So 34 gold is on the high end?" Beeson again prodded, though he already knew the answer. "I mean, middle of the road number would be 29 gold. If they won''t let you take them out and count, I probably wouldn''t pay more than that." The merchant rolled his eyes. "I can''t let you empty the crate here Lord Beeson, I would have to let everyone do it and it would cause an absolute mess. These docks aren¡¯t big. You can see what¡¯s in the crate and if I short you any, we can make up for it later. I already agreed to lower the price for your halfling there anyway." Reese thought that could be a fair point, though, would they bother to come back and true up later? If they did, would the merchant really believe them. Would they even be here? This was a ship after all. "I trust the word of my young advisor here. I''ll give you 30 Gold now; that¡¯s more than the midpoint of what he¡¯s saying. If we find there are more, then¡­" Beeson paused trying to do the math in his head. "450 assoias " Reese jumped in. "Thank you Reese, if there are more than 450 assoias I''ll personally guarantee the difference, and have my staff come by with the rest of the coins, and a few extra for the trouble. Is that acceptable?" The merchant didn''t want to negotiate, the price was what it was. But he also knew there were barely 400 fruits in that crate. If he tried to further stiff the lord it wouldn''t go over well. "Deal." The merchant nodded and accepted Beeson¡¯s signature on some papers. It was the same process they had done elsewhere. Reese wasn¡¯t completely sure how it worked, but those papers were basically banking contracts. Agreement to be given a set number of coins from a given account. Effectively, a primitive version of a check. Beeson smiled and called over his escort to begin the process of bringing this crate and the others back to the castle, it would not be accompanying them on this carriage. Olithma broke away from the two of them, rushing to help ready the crate for transport. Perhaps, he wanted to be seen doing something useful today, after Reese had whittled away so many of his dealings. Still, the whole process seemed an inefficient way of dealing with bulk produce like this. In fact, many of the halflings faults could have been easily fixed with other methods of determining value. ¡°You know, rather than paying by item, paying by weight could be more efficient.¡± The elf noble¡¯s eye shot up, surprised by the point. ¡°By weight?¡± He asked back. ¡°Yes, you just put them on a large scale, and pay for weight of the goods, rather than guessing the count. It would lead to far less error.¡± ¡°Interesting idea¡­¡± Beeson¡¯s smile grew, and he almost laughed, ¡°Very interesting, but a scale that big would be unwieldy. How would you set it up?¡± That was a valid point. On earth they¡¯d just have electronic scales, but here, it would have to be a more physical device, possibly with leavers or pullies and of course large counterweights. ¡°I can think of a few designs off the top of my head. Pullies or large lever arms could work. You¡¯d need counterweights of course, but those could be made cheaply enough. Given how it would reduce the uncertainty and risk of each transaction, the cost would be worth it.¡± ¡°You know, you¡¯re not the first to suggest it, but, we looked into it before. Too many challenges. Consider just the container itself, how would you separate the weight of the crate from the goods inside without emptying it? An untrustworthy merchant could add a few heavy rocks at the bottom, or thicker and heavier wood for the crate to add deniability to their actions.¡± Beeson seemed to enjoy schooling the otherwise intelligent scholar. The answer to that seemed obvious, ¡°You¡¯d weigh the container beforehand¡­ But is it that simple?¡± He corrected himself. The elf noble laughed, ¡°Ha ha! Exactly, how do you do that? Each port would have its own scales as well, but how do you know those are accurate? What do you do when there¡¯s a discrepancy. Even if they weren¡¯t, how do you transfer that number, stamp them into the container? But how do you trust their integrity? Answers that just lead to more questions, but, I do like your thoughts. So few in this family have the knack for this. Gods blessed us with Virume, but she is only one person.¡± So far, Reese had only really talked with Feuer, and to a lesser degree Lueismar and Beeson. Most of the rest of the family were either avoiding him or more likely just hadn¡¯t taken any interest in him. Virume in particular, barely even nodded at his existence when sitting down for dinner. The only times he even saw her. It did leave Reese a bit curious and he desired to move the conversation away from the failings of Olithma. There was a growing fear in the back of his mind that the halfling might just try and kill him. Figuratively, at least, he hoped so. ¡°I¡¯ve heard some of the staff mention good things about Virume. I haven¡¯t had much of an opportunity to talk with her, how does she compare to her sister Feuer?¡± Reese asked. Beeson did his best to hold back another laugh, but was not completely successful. ¡°Ha-hmm.¡± He tried to cough and hide most of it. ¡°Well, I do love my daughters, all of them. I wouldn¡¯t want to compare them.¡± He waved the comment off. ¡°Right sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have asked.¡± Olithma stormed over, ¡°No you shouldn¡¯t have.¡± He gave a distant whisper towards Reese as he passed him and approached his lord. ¡°Sir, they¡¯ve got a carriage ready to take this crate and others back to the castle. It should be at the silver gate within in two hours.¡± Beeson considered the sun overhead, it was just before noon, ¡°A bit later than I¡¯d like, but acceptable. Thank you for the hard work Olithma, and I do mean that.¡± The halfling fell behind Beeson by a few steps as the two began to leave the docks, towards their own carriage. Quickly they departed, quite a bit faster than they had arrived. There was a clear speed to what Beeson was doing, and Reese had to ask, ¡°Is there something happening tonight?¡± ¡°Oh, right. You might not have been informed. We¡¯re hosting a monthly gala in the castle. Um, hmm¡­¡± Beeson trailed off, as if realizing something unpleasant. Given the smirk from Olithma it didn¡¯t take Reese much thought to realize what the future ast-Vallhorn wanted to say. ¡°I suppose, there are projects I want to work on. I¡¯m a bit behind on a few of them. I¡¯m not sure I can attend?¡± He squinted lightly, still unsure if that was the direction Beeson was going towards. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± The elf seemed relived, but fanned some concern, ¡°That is a shame, but your projects are important to you. We are planning another gala at the beginning of Abelee, I would like you to attend that one. And perhaps future ones, after that.¡± He emphasized that last point. Olithma nearly bolted out of the carriage upon arriving back at the castle. He seemed interesting in getting the few items they did bring back with them off the carriage, and perhaps more importantly to him, putting distance between them. Before Reese could wander off in search of Sencta, he was stopped by Beeson, who held a warm smile. "Reese, I am extremely impressed. I was prepared to give that man 34 gold for the crate, and with you in toe, we saved 4 gold on this. With the others, I believe we''ve saved nearly 12 gold very impressive for a days work. I''m curious how you got those numbers for that last crate though?" "It''s just packing volume. Since the vegetable is basically round, a sphere or close enough, you can calculate how many can fit in a volume like that box, depending on how you put them in there¡­ I''ve always been good with numbers and math it''s actually what one my degree is in." "Fascinating¡­ Degree, Don''t think I''ve heard that word before?" This did happen once in a while. You might expect Reese to be familiar with it, but still he found himself Fumbling. Reese tried to come up with an explanation that wouldn¡¯t make him sound, frankly nuts. "Oh, it''s just something I read, it means¡­ to devote a lot of time and coins on an interest." "Interesting word.¡± Beeson didn¡¯t seem to pay any real mind to it, while Reese still fidgeted in uncertainly. Beeson continued, ¡°Well, this morning has been quite informative. I don''t think anyone has said this to you yet, but I do think you will make a very fine addition to this family, in time. Welcome to the Vallhorn. Reese, sincerely I am glad you''re here, and I am sorry you can¡¯t join us this evening.¡± Beeson looked in the distance and smiled. ¡°But, I do believe that¡¯s my wife if you¡¯d like to ask her about the forge. I doubt she¡¯ll complain. If she does tell it¡¯s payment for today and that you saved us 12 gold coins already." The statement took Reese aback a bit, as small warmth filled his insides. In his previous life, he had rarely been afforded complements, and thought they were more common this time around, they still hit him in a way that was hard to explain. With that the older elf practically ran from the carriage back towards the castle. For someone who didn¡¯t seem to take an interest in castle activities he certainly seemed to be focusing on this. Turning around, Olithma continued to glare at him as he moved a few baskets off the back of the cart. As much as Reese wanted to apologize and talk to the halfling, all he could get was, ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me boy.¡± As he marched off towards the castle carrying a basket that seemed just a bit too big for him. Well, that seemed like a bad relationship made worse. Shaking it off, Reese could do only one thing as he made a bee line towards Sneacta in the distance. She seemed to be focused on something with the bushes as she firmly and almost in yell, commanded the grounds keepers to do something. ¡°I don¡¯t want to tell you again. These bushes must be taken care of. Am I clear?¡± ¡°Yes, my lady.¡± The small group spoke in unison and ran off together. Sneacta¡¯s long red hair bounced as she rubbed at the pain in the back of her head. Her almost blood red iris¡¯ turned toward Reese as he approached. It was hard to tell, behind her neutral smile, but the rest of her body language showed that the elf woman was not happy. ¡°Ah, Reese. Is there something I can do for you. I am a touch busy at the moment.¡± She turned towards the bushes that had seen better days. ¡°It¡¯s not being watered enough?¡± Reese asked, hoping to start a bit of conversation before asking about the forge. ¡°Among other things.¡± She sighed. Her gaze was cold as she glared at him, waiting for Reese to get on with whatever it was that he had interrupted her for. ¡°Sorry. I was just hoping to use the forge. Beeson said I should ask you since you manage the castle grounds?¡± ¡°Ah, did he now. I haven¡¯t my husband all day, where is he?¡± She looked around, not really acknowledging Reese¡¯s question or presence anymore. ¡°We just got back from the docks and markets; he seemed to think we were being overcharged for somethings.¡± ¡°Yes, he had mentioned that before.¡± Turning her head, she gave him an almost dismissive smile, ¡°But we left Olithma in charge, he¡¯s young but shown to be a very shrewd negotiator.¡± Once more Reese began to understand why Olithma was not happy with him. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that.¡± He said meekly. ¡°Yes well. I have other things I must attend to; we can discuss your forge access later.¡± Quickly and with a stammer Reese verbally reached for her as she tried to leave. ¡°Uh! Beeson to mention I saved you 12 gold, and that using the forge would be a fair payment.¡± Stopping her tracks, her smile dropped and for a time she thought he might be lying or telling some poor joke. ¡°You managed to save an extra 12 gold, in addition to what Olithma saved us?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to talk with my husband about that, but I¡¯m impressed if true.¡± Closing her eyes, the red head elf rubbed that annoying pressure in the back of head while debating if he was telling the truth. Though, if he was lying that would be that she would just never trust him again. Opening her eyes, her neutral smile returned, ¡°I suppose you may use the forge, but you¡¯ll have to provide your own materials and you¡¯ll need to convince Annsa you won¡¯t be in her way. I am not going to have that conversation with her, so good luck.¡± As Reese and Sneacta departed from each other, the elf woman couldn¡¯t help but turn around and consider him as he ran off. There was no hatred of the boy, but she hadn¡¯t fully agreed with her husband¡¯s decision to wed her daughter to him. It was a minor sore point in an otherwise amicable marriage. Yet, if what Reese had said was true, then perhaps she was mistaken to doubt the both of them. Well, she¡¯d have to ask to discuss it further with her husband and get the truth. After all, she knew Fortus to be a liar in somethings, it wasn¡¯t inconceivable that his son was as well. All investments had risk, and the riskier did have a chance to return the most. Chapter 27, Forging Ahead Standing in the doorway of the modest size blacksmith work shop, Reese found himself almost entranced at all the items and tools about in the space. It was reminiscent of what he¡¯d imagine a blacksmith¡¯s shop in the wild west might look like. Tools along the wall glistened and twinkled as flames from the small forge glowed and danced over the metallic surface. Several large workshop tables held various metal works in various stages of completion, mostly items from around the castle. The tables themself looked strangely like the one they put in his room, and small marks on the floor near an appropriately sized empty spot suggested where his own might have come from. But it was the very center that held probably the two most impressive things, a large anvil which was currently being worked on by a dark elf woman. The dark elf Annsa glared up from the metal rings she was hammering out. Her shoulder length silver hair was singed by the heat of working around hot metals. It contrasted sharply with her almost black, yet still blue iris, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to go away the last time?¡± Her voice had a sort of twang to it, like what he might have expect from a person with a ¡®southern accent¡¯ back on his earth. ¡°I know, and I¡¯m sorry. But I really need to use the forge. I don¡¯t have to use it right this minute I¡¯m happy to wait until you¡¯re done for the day. Sneacta said it was ok, if I could convince you.¡± Despite Reese¡¯s begging Annsa seemed unmoving. ¡°Well you can¡¯t, so go on then.¡± The dark elf woman left no room for interpretation, she did not want him there. Standing in the doorway of the forge for just a little longer, Reese tried to think of an excuse, any excuse, but the harden stoned face of the grizzled blacksmith left no room for debate. With a dejected nod, he turned to leave the forge. He¡¯d have to think of some other option. Smelting gold in his room didn¡¯t seem at all viable even with a low melting point metal like gold. Maybe he could find a space elsewhere in the castle, or just outside it. ¡°Wait boy.¡± The dark elf woman whispered something else under her breath that he couldn¡¯t quite hear, but seemed like a swear of some kind. ¡°Lady Sneacta gave you her permission?¡± Seeing the opening Reese rushed in practically begging. ¡°Yes! So did Beeson, but I know Sneacta is in charge of the castle grounds. I promise I won¡¯t be in your way.¡± The dark elf woman laid the hammer she had on top of the anvil with subtle clang. Though it was gentile, it still seemed as if there was more force there than needed. Her glare at him, showed more than a bit of annoyance at his continued presence there. ¡°Before you came here, they said you might be interested in using my workshop. I said no, didn¡¯t want no good for nothing kids running around here. Lady Sneacta said she was fine with that. So, why should I change my mind. Do you even have any experience smiting?¡± ¡°Well, not that much. Just the occasional small project.¡± Reese¡¯s eye quickly lit up as he felt a surge of energy like he hadn¡¯t felt since he last talked to Emilly, ¡°But with a real forge I had some ideas that-¡° An energy that was quickly quenched by a burned and scared right hand. ¡°Let me stop you right there boy. This ain¡¯t no forge, it¡¯s a blacksmith¡¯s workshop. I got some ovens for forging but they¡¯re limited, can¡¯t make any fancy alloy, just reheat them. It worries me a bit you don¡¯t know the difference. These tools I have aren¡¯t mine and they¡¯re expensive. If you can¡¯t use them right, you¡¯ll damage them. That will cost my employees a lot of coin. The Vallhorns put a lot of trust in me so I¡¯m not inclined to do that.¡± Standing there his mind raced as he thought about how he could convince her, then it hit him. An example! ¡°It¡¯s not much, but can show you some of what I did?¡± With a short nod, the dark elf huffed, ¡°Ha. Alright, but if I ain¡¯t impressed you¡¯ll leave and won¡¯t come asking again?¡± It was a harsh penalty for failure. Sudden memories of the last dark elf he dealt with who also tested him like this, caused a fear to well up inside. But, no! He wouldn¡¯t let that fear win, this was a chance! Likely the only one he had. In his room he considered the mess of experiments he had. Of all his projects, he had to pick the best one or two. She wouldn¡¯t want to go over all of them. His enchanted glove, there wasn¡¯t much the metal work and what was there poor, but it showed he could hold a hammer or at least a rock like hammer. His calculator was the most impressive project, but he doubted she¡¯d care. Maybe the wood sword he brought? His father had let him keep it after their match since it couldn¡¯t be used anymore. It was wood, no real metal work. Yet, it was enchanted. Looking around, these really were the best two. He had considered his microscope, but all he had done was shove to poorly fitted pipes into each other with some glass lenses, it was even less than his glove. His calculator was impressive, but it seemed unlikely she¡¯d understand the enchantments and circuits there. There were a few other items, fragments of other experiments, but again, little in the way of actual metalwork. These two would have to be enough. Grabbing a coin from his purse, he nearly ran back to the blacksmith, hopeful he had a winning combination, but steeling himself just incase he had to find other arrangements. Annsa glare grew sharper as her eyes narrowed with what he placed on a near by work bench. ¡°You¡¯re kidding right? You¡¯re wasting my time with a wooden sword and this, glove?¡± Picking up the glove she sneered. ¡°This is all leather work, aside from the plate. The metal is pop-marked, and rough. It looks like you beat it with a rock not a hammer. This is garbage kid.¡± She quickly turned it over after dismissing it, yet didn¡¯t let go it. Looking at the ground, Reese didn¡¯t like the criticism even if it was true. The fact that he had used a rock to help shape part of it somehow made it worse. She seemed captivated by all the gold traces and mana stones. For a moment he was hopeful he¡¯d have a chance to show her the enchantments at least. Unfortunately, her words showed she wouldn¡¯t care. ¡°Eh, now what¡¯s with all this foil and stones, you think you can make it pretty with something shinny?¡± Putting it down, she went to the wooden sword. Looking for any sign of metal to judge, ¡°This thing is all wood, looks mass produced too did you even-¡° Her words were cut off as the sword seemed to move itself under her fingers. ¡°Whoa. What¡¯s going on here?¡± With a light swing the sword slammed into the work bench top and Annsa let go of it. Rubbing her wrists in pain. ¡°What in the gods ire was that?¡± Carefully, Reese picked up the sword and showed the gold foil and mana stone at the bottom of the cross bar. ¡°I know it¡¯s just wood, but I enchanted it with this circuit. I know it¡¯s not metal work, but I remember people saying enchanting was a part of smiting I thought, maybe it would be enough to convince you.¡± The dark elf squinted between the sword and him. ¡°I ain¡¯t ever heard of someone enchanting a wooden sword before.¡± Staring at the metal foil she shook her head, ¡°No. This is too intricate for an enchantment.¡± Again she move the sword slightly, only for it to pull forward again. Reese held up his glove as she dropped the sword. ¡°I also enchanted this gauntlet. It¡¯s got a similar speed enchantment to it. But I added some control and a physical interface circuitry to it.¡±At least, he assumed it was a physical interface design, he still couldn¡¯t read that book and was guessing at it¡¯s functionality. Again, the elf woman¡¯s eyes squinted at all the tiny traces and the small mana stone embedded in it. ¡°Kid, this can¡¯t be an enchantment, it¡¯s too intricate you¡¯ve got a bunch of different mana stones here too. In my 35 years of smiting, I never seen anything like this. I may not know enough about them, but I do know you can¡¯t do that¡­ Without them feeding back¡­¡± Pausing, another thought crossed her mind, ¡°You said you weren¡¯t good a smithing, yet you made these enchantments?¡± ¡°Yeah, is that hard to believe?¡± Reese shrugged, he didn¡¯t really understand the problem. ¡°Boy you got it backwards. A person gets good at smiting first, then learns how to enchant. I never heard of anyone doing it the other way. Maybe from some mage somewhere but that¡¯s rare. They don¡¯t much care about enchantments and look down on smiths.¡± She put the half glove back on the work bench and sat down on a near by stool. Continuing, Annsa¡¯s voice softened a bit ¡°Who taught you how to do this?¡± ¡°I taught myself, also discovered a few things by experimenting.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°During our meeting they said you were inept when it came to magics. Don¡¯t know if that¡¯s true or not but these enchantments¡­¡± Annsa¡¯s eyes wandered over his face, perhaps looking for signs of a lie or deception. ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll let you use the workshop, and I¡¯ll teach you some of the basics of metal working too, but in exchange, I want you to teach me how to enchant like this.¡± ¡°Sure, but¡­¡± Reese trailed off, unsure of his own abilities. The dark elf woman looked a bit annoyed. ¡°Eh, but what? Seems a fair deal to me.¡± ¡°I mean it is, I¡¯m just not sure about my skills. I do like to teach though so I¡¯m willing to try. Just curious though, why do you want to learn?¡± Annsa still looked annoyed, but maybe that was just how her face was, ¡°The Vallhorn pay me well, very well in fact. I get 5 silvers for each day I work. If I had my own shop I might make that much, maybe even a bit more, but it would come with a lot more risk and work. That said, I¡¯m getting older. Day¡¯s going to come when I may not be able to hold a hammer like I do now. Being able to work on enchantments, even if it¡¯s just fixing what¡¯s already there might help keep some coins in my pocket when I get older.¡± Reese nodded at her logic, it seemed sound. ¡°Did you ever try to learn it before?¡± ¡°Not really. Seen my fair share but never worked on any. Never had the chance to learn. Most smiths who know tend to keep it to themselves, maybe just teaching one or two apprentices. No one¡¯s going to teach an old woman like me.¡± Her voice was calm and hard. She wasn¡¯t going to cry if he said no, but she also wouldn¡¯t let him use the shop. ¡°Ok. Well it sounds fair to me, so long as you¡¯re ok learning from a novice.¡± He tried to smile, but it felt forced, like a part of him was lying. ¡°Boy, like I said, I¡¯ve seen my fair share of enchantments from master black smiths and mages both. Even if I can¡¯t make them, I still ain¡¯t ever seen anything like this.¡± Holding out his hand, Reese took Annsa and gave it a quick shake. This seemed like it could be a promising partnership. ¡°Would you be willing to help me do something right now?¡± With a hopeful inflection in his voice, he smiled. ¡°Ha, you already have something in mind?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Reaching in his pocket he pulled out the one gold coin he had. ¡°Right now, I want to melt down my gold coin and make some gold wire from it.¡± ¡°You want to melt down your gold coin?¡± She looked at the shinny item in Reese¡¯s fingers. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t have any raw gold and figured this would work.¡± He handed it to her, hoping she rush to start a fire going. Instead she just continued to look at it. ¡°Well, it would be cheaper to just buy gold. You can get at least an extra 20% the weight of the coin, and you¡¯d know it was pure gold. Most coins are alloys.¡± She paused and handed the coin back to him. ¡°Also, more importantly it wouldn¡¯t be illegal.¡± ¡°Melting coins is illegal? I didn¡¯t realize.¡± His face turned back to his coin, a mixture of shock and worry. In retrospect he should have known it wouldn¡¯t be legal. Afterall, even back on earth, defacing money was to varying degrees, illegal. Particularly melting coins down. Annsa, shrugged and rubbed at her shoulders. ¡°Eh, not really any of my business and I doubt anyone really cares. They¡¯d be more worried about you trying to make fakes. Still, it could cause trouble for the lord and lady.¡± ¡°I see. I guess it can wait, I¡¯ll try to go and buy some later.¡± ¡°You had your heart set on doing this today, huh? Ok, then tell me, why do you need gold for enchantments in the first place? Why not something else.¡± ¡°Well, gold is able to channel mana better than most materials. Silver can also work, but it tarnishes and that can cause it to fail. Copper can also be used but you¡¯re limited to flame mana, and it also tarnishes. I think other materials could work, but overall for what I¡¯ve read and experimented with, gold is best. I have done some research on different materials I¡¯ve tried, it¡¯s all written in my journals. Plus, if you let me do this today I¡¯ll show you how the sword enchantment works afterwards.¡± Annsa nodded before slapping her legs to stand up, ¡°So, if I want to make my own enchantments, I¡¯ll need gold. Ok, I¡¯ll take you up on that offer too. Now, do you know your way around the high market at all?¡± ¡°Not that well, but I can find a shop if you tell me where it is?¡± ¡°Alright, it¡¯s not far from the golden stairs. Head south down Vallhorn road and take a right, heading towards the south west gate. There¡¯s a shop called, ¡®Regal Jewels¡¯ about half way down¡­¡± Well, he didn¡¯t quite know where the so called ¡®golden stairs¡¯ were, but he did understand south and west. His time wandering around the high market earlier was interesting, but also informative. He could remember Beeson mentioning something about a ¡®golden apple¡¯. But nothing about stairs. As he walked down Vallhorn Road, he noticed that many items on display just didn¡¯t have prices on them. Those that did, like the shirt from earlier, were often many times the monthly, if not yearly, wages of a commoner. There were a few shops he made note of those, a few bookstores, and a shop that seemed to be selling ¡®enchanted¡¯ armor and weapons. Even as he tried not to stop, he couldn¡¯t help himself as a silver short sword shined and reflected a bit of sunlight at him. Tracing the small bits of gold near the hilt, it was clearly enchanted, but it seemed to be quite simple. It was almost passive without a mana stone or crystal it would rely on the holder¡¯s own mana stores. It looked like a simple ¡®metal¡¯ seal that would harden the otherwise soft metal. But nothing more. It was strange, but the small slip of paper that was tied to it, seemed far more fascinating. The tag had the word of the shop written on it, then nothing else. But on the opposite side, there were the subtle inlay of gold ink and a very small shard of what looked like a ¡®sonic¡¯ mana stone. There wasn¡¯t much time to look the enchantment over, before the shop keep had come out to admonish him for messing his wears. It was a shame he didn¡¯t have more time to speak to him, but he didn¡¯t have all day. Eventually, he did find the shop, and the jeweler. The shopkeeper was an old dwarven man, who was quite mean and rude. He almost reminded Reese of Annsa a bit. When he mentioned her name, the dwarf¡¯s face twisted into a grimace. ¡°Eh, you know that old woman. She¡¯s a royal pain in my ass. Has been since we were younger, and she said I¡¯d sell you my gold supply huh?¡± The dwarf shook his head in disgust and walked back into a door behind the counter. For a moment, Reese wondered if the older dwarf was going to come back. But hearing him fuss about in back, gave Reese a moment to consider the various items in his shop. As expected, almost everything there was well outside of his price range. Strangely, many of these also had similar tags as the other shop. He twisted one between his fingers. The enchantment was very strange. It looked like two or three separate circuits, one of which might have been a ¡®parasite¡¯ circuit. Designed to pick up a wayward mana signal from somewhere else. The whole thing looked like an idea he had sketched out before, a pseudo mana radio like circuit. But he could never get it to work right. ¡°Don¡¯t touch those! Your mana will set them off.¡± The Jewler yelled at him, as he came back with a small bag and a small scale. Whatever was in the bag had a subtle soft thunk to it. Like the sounds of soft metal impacting on itself. The dwarf took the gold coin from Reese and stared at it for a while as if inspecting it. If he hadn¡¯t known better, he think it was the dwarf¡¯s first time seeing a gold coin. ¡°Can never be to sure with these sunny¡¯s.¡± Seemingly satisfied with the coin the dwarf carefully setup the scale and measured two times the gold coin¡¯s weight, and then used the scale to split one of the piles in half. Satisfied he shoved the modest quantity of gold shard, pebbles and fragments into a tiny canvas bag. ¡°Normally I buy raw gold for about one and half times a coin¡¯s weight. There¡¯s about that much in here. Just a few shaves less.¡± The older dwarf quickly gave Reese the bag of gold fragments. ¡°Actually, I had a quick question.¡± Reese asked the dwarf, who almost seemed annoyed. ¡°I¡¯ve got a shop to run, what?¡± His voice was gruff, and clearly growing more annoyed. ¡°I was just wondering what you meant when you said I¡¯d set it off?¡± Reese asked as he put the pouch of gold in one of his pockets. ¡°The tag you dolt. That paper is enchanted. You mess with it, it sets if off. They aren¡¯t cheap to reset either. You got your gold, if you¡¯re not buying anything else you can leave.¡± The jeweler looked behind Reese at a rather well-dressed woman who had just come in. Clearly the merchant had bigger customers than himself. At the very least he was able to learn something new. It was possible to make enchantments on paper, and it didn¡¯t look like it required too much to do it. A thought crossed his mind. If you could enchant paper, maybe there was more you could do with it. He jotted some notes down in his pocket journal as he walked back to the castle, doing his best to sketch out what he could remember about that enchantment. It didn¡¯t take all that long to melt the gold and shape it into a small rod. From there, Annsa pulled out a large somewhat heavy metal plate. Looking at the dark color, it seemed like some kind of hard steel, with various tapered holes in it. ¡°Ok, now you want to make wire you gotta pull through this jig here. Start with the hole that¡¯s just a bit to small for it, and pound it in lightly with a hammer. Now, harder metals you might have to cut the tip into a tapper to do this. Really hard metals you might have to do while red hot.¡± Nodding, Reese took nearly a page of notes as they pulled the wire. Eventually, what had been a roughly 7 centimeter thin rod, had grown to several meters of a thin and shiny wire. But, ¡°It¡¯s still too thick.¡± He protested. ¡°Why in all the gods ire would you need it to be thinner than that?¡± Annsa huffed in frustration. ¡°Just, what I¡¯m doing needs these traces to be really close together.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s the smallest hole in my jig and I aint ever seen one smaller than that.¡± Back on earth Reese had never done any real metal work. But, he did know gold was very ductile so, ¡°Maybe we can pull it?¡± The process was, slow. Pulling the gold wire had to be done carefully. The thicker wire was wound around one end of the table, and passed over two other metal dowls that gave it just a bit of extra friction as they wound the slightly thin thread around wooden dowl. Then, they would repeat the process in reverse. He also needed to monitor it for any thin spots that might break. A fact that happened twice. But, in the end they had done it. The strand thickness was somewhat inconsistent, but overall thin enough and should work. The thread was greased lightly to keep it from sticking to itself too much. A grease which coated his hands and made them feel gummy. That feeling of grime after solving a problem caused him to smile. This was almost more fun than teaching. In his hand, he held it. About 2 pebbles or 40g worth of very thin gold thread. ¡°So what kind of enchantments you planning to make with that anyway?¡± Annsa¡¯s own curiosity caused her voice to soften, just a bit. Reese smirked and for a brief moment, a glint of silver seemed to cover one of his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going to build something that will change this world.¡± ¡®Build. Machines.¡¯ Again, that voice echoed through his mind. Like an infinity of voices, in an infinitesimally small dot. Chapter 28, Moon鈥檚 Blessing Another week had passed, and once more Reese found himself in the library. The diffuse early morning sunlight lit up the table he was at and the smell of old books permeated his senses. Aside from working at his bench in his room or in the blacksmith¡¯s workshop, this was one of his favorite places. If he had to explain it, it would be the feeling of knowledge that surrounded him. Knowledge that was encoded in the various languages and texts. Knowledge written in manuscripts which normally sat peacefully along the shelves and walls. Knowledge that was even flying by his head at this very moment! ¡°Ugh!¡± Reese narrowly dodged the small note pad that flew past his head. Feuer¡¯s schooling was going as well as ever. ¡°These are even worse than your other numbers! At least those didn¡¯t give me a headache!¡± She crossed her arms in defiance, lifting a hand to rub at her eyes. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean should throw books around. These are expensive. More to the point, this one is mine. Your parents aren¡¯t exactly paying me for this.¡± He whispered that last part. To be fair it wasn¡¯t completely true. The Vallhorn were paying him; in room, board, and other facilities. The blacksmith¡¯s shop alone would probably have cost him three or four silvers to rent out each day he used it. Then there was this library, a space which while he still hadn¡¯t made too much use of would still have cost quite a few coppers just for a day¡¯s use, maybe even a few silver. Anyway, the lack of extra coins did hurt a bit, but the other resources did have the potential to make up for it. Still, he was sure if he could make some progress with Feuer¡¯s tutorage that her family might pay him something for all this. Come to think of it, he did also save Beeson all those gold coins, maybe he could fenagle just a few silvers out of him for the trouble? Certainly, in the future he¡¯d have to do that. Thunk. The sound of Feuer¡¯s head hitting the table brought his mind back to what he was currently trying to do. ¡°I¡¯m bored.¡± Her voice sounded like a mixture of a sigh and whimper. It was still early, but he had learned it was counterproductive to do anything when she was in this state. As his poor notebook could attest too. At least the bidding wasn¡¯t damaged. Maybe it would be best to just break for the day. However Feuer said something that would make him pause on that idea while he considered something. ¡°I¡¯m tired of being stuck in the castle. I wish my parents would let me back outside.¡± Feuer groaned. Pausing his inspections the book. He looked up and the thought to himself, ¡®Perhaps this could be an opportunity?¡¯ ¡°What do you normally do outside the castle?¡± He asked. Feuer picked up her head and shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know walk around, maybe buy a few things. Mostly pastries and or some food. My family won¡¯t give me more than a few silvers. They¡¯re afraid I won¡¯t know how to spend them. Sometimes I¡¯ll go to the coliseum but, they don¡¯t like me doing that.¡± The frown on her face filled her voice as well. ¡°It looks bad.¡± She further mocked. Opening his teaching journal, he jotted down some notes, seeing the reminder of her statement on the overpriced apples earlier. Maybe it would be a good experience for both of them. If she was getting conned in the marketplace maybe he could come up with some strategies to deal with it too. Also, if there any signs she had an easier time reading, that would give him insight into a better set of fonts he could use for her. Though, he¡¯d have to convince her parents, which might not be easy. He''d have the time later that evening, during dinner¡­ The next day, not too far outside the Vallhorn castle walls, three people walked slowly out on an adventure to the marketplace. At least that¡¯s how Reese tried to sell it to Feuer, though she just seemed happy enough to be out of the castle. Shevanha also seemed amused by his energy and effort. It was hard to tell if her smile was a mocking one or perhaps a more hopeful one. The stuffed laugh seemed to imply the former. Trillonia was a typical arid city, made mostly from yellow sandstones, old gray cobble, and in the richer areas actual red brick work. Precipitation here was rare, but when it did occur it could be quite heavy, which led to the streets having a rather massive underground sewer system. A system that he saw flowing into the silver lake earlier in the month. Also, it wasn''t always rain; in the winter months it could just barely get cold enough snow as well, at least some years. Temperatures could fluctuate significantly over the year from very hot almost feverous levels in the deep summer months, to mild freezing temperatures at night in the dead of winter. A rare new year¡¯s eve snow mixed with the magician¡¯s light show was said to be spectacular, and was something he was looking forward to. In another nine months. Though currently, it was early spring, and snow was nowhere on the horizon. The mornings were best described as tepid, but the afternoons would be warmer almost hot some days. Despite her noble status, and likely despite some of the servant¡¯s requests, Feuer was wearing something closer to what you might expect a commoner to wear. All be it a well off one. Forgoing the deep frilly lace and settling for straight fabric. She wore a tunic with green and yellows inlaid with silver threads, over top some lighter canvas like pants. The three colors of her house, whether by intent or not. The belt she wore under it all, had an odd notch, as if it was missing an accessory. Something like a scabbard. Perhaps she could see him staring at her, or more accurately her outfit. ¡°What? I hate dresses. Feels like I can¡¯t move in them.¡± She adjusted the hem of her tunic a bit. It wasn¡¯t that different from what he had seen her wearing around the castle anyway. But, maybe a bit plainer. Closer to what she would wear while sword training. With a longing sigh, she looked over to her guard, ¡°I really want to wear armor like Shevana and carry my sword too, but they never let me.¡± ¡°Armor is unnecessary for a noble in the city, Feuer.¡± Shevana¡®s subtle smile hid a deeper laugh she held back. ¡°You wear it, and what if we''re attached by goblins?¡± Feuer¡¯s mind began to race with possibilities and maybe even a few memories of something. It certainly brought up a few memories for Reese. He still couldn¡¯t believe he had done something so stupid. Yet, a small smile crept up his face as he could remember being in that forest with his friends. One of the two real adventures he had ever had. A smart jab hit Reese¡¯s upper shoulder. ¡°What are you smiling about?¡± Feuer half snarled at him. He rubbed at his suddenly sore arm, but couldn¡¯t stop smiling. ¡°Just remembering the time Emilie, Gezal and I face some goblins back in Wollseeth. It was, almost fun.¡± Pausing he looked off in the distance for a moment as the realization hit him again, ¡°I almost died. For a second time. Man, I really have been through a lot in my short life.¡± ¡°You? Fought goblins.¡± Feuer glared at him, her eyes half closed trying to determine if he was lying, like she convinced herself he was with the dragons. ¡°Liar.¡± Before she could hit him again, Shevana stepped between the two of them. ¡°Goblins and other threats are why I''m here and the one wearing the armor. If there''s a significant threat, I expect you to get out of danger, not into it, and I¡¯ll thank Reese to help with that if it comes down to it. Also, I think you''re forgetting your sword is made of wood, you wouldn''t be giving an assailant anything more than a few annoying splinters at worse.¡± The guard smile as Feuer turned away from her gaze. The whole hypothetical was fine as far as Reese was concerned. The point of the outing was to gauge Feuer¡¯s ability to read a market place and not to guard anything but her purse. While her parents and grandmother didn¡¯t particularly care much about her ability to handle a marketplace, Feuer¡¯s father at the very least did see some value in it when he brought it up last night. Fuhen begrudgingly agreed with her son though she might have just done that to have Reese to leave her to deal actual business. Sencta, well she just didn¡¯t seem to care much at all. Saying it was a waste of time. It seemed to be a common sentiment between them any time Reese brought up Feuer¡¯s education. Last night was a nice change in seeing two of the three support her education. Even if it was only to placate him. But, back in the present, the small group quickly found themselves in the smaller and more upscale part of the city¡¯s commercial district, the so-called high market, a space devoted to nobles, aristocrats and other fools with more coin then sense. Reese had developed a passing familiarity with the main streets at least from his travels with Beeson and his own wandering a week ago. Sadly, after spending his only gold coin he was down to about 39 silvers, of which he had two today, to pay for his own lunch, because of course he would. Despite their wealth, the Vallhorn were proving quite tight with their purse. Far more than he expected them to be, and grew to doubt if he¡¯d ever see that gold bar on his bead. With how large some of these prices seemed to be, at least on those that even bothered to advertise them, he considered that his two coins may not even be enough. Well, he didn¡¯t really need to eat lunch, this was just for her education after all. It wasn¡¯t that everything there was overpriced, but it was expensive. A magic apparel store was selling enchanted staffs with various mana stones on them for several dozen gold and with even more expensive ones inside. It may have been reasonable price given the jewels they were adorned with. Armor and weapon shops had plates, and blades made of hardened steel and other materials. The quality was well beyond what you might expect for this era, and well worth the several dozen gold they also asked. Of course, there were also the occasional bookstore, each of which could have fit Charstons¡¯ shop several times over and still have room. A part of Reese really wanted to go window shopping, and given Feuer¡¯s gaze towards the swords and armor, it was likely she felt the same but this wasn¡¯t the time. She had a very limited number of coins as did he, and the only real option for her was food stuff, and even then only the cheaper items. Though, with the inflated prices here, even that might be difficult. Speaking of food, the three had quickly moved to the aptly golden apple section of the high market. A place devoted to food and restaurants, or at least the equivalent for this world. All at seemingly ludicrous prices. On more than one occasion Reese had to double take, unsure he was reading the signs right. Add to that, the sheer number of people walking around might have been enough to make one dizzy. Certainly, Shevana kept her attention up as she surveyed everyone that passed. One small, hooded figure in particular seemed to catch the guard¡¯s attention as she moved away from the two children for a moment. Standing there in front of a particular merchant, Feuer nearly shouted, ¡±See!¡± Feuer smugly pointed to a sign outside a larger food shop, advertising the exorbitant price of their apples, ¡°Three and half copper an apple!¡± Reese considered the sign for a moment, certainly it was three and two quarter coppers. Looking through the window the apples were generous in size, and almost the perfect color something you might expect to see in an earth supermarket, but it wasn¡¯t worth the coin. Looking back at the sign he wondered how she was able to so easily read it. Taking out his journal, Reese jotted down some notes, and did his best to make a sketch of the sign and it¡¯s font. Clearly the ¡®3¡¯ was very stylistic. Being so unique probably made it easier for her to read the numbers. Same with the lettering. She seemed almost agitated at his note taking. Best to continue on with an actual lesson. ¡°Well, since we¡¯re here. Let¡¯s start a quick lesson on haggling.¡± Reese¡¯s smile was quickly dashed by the merchant overhearing them from just inside his shop. ¡°Young man and young lady, I don¡¯t haggle at my shop. My produce is perfect, fit for a king or queen and the lord of Trillona himself buys from my shop all the time. You will not find more equity produce anywhere.¡± The man wore fairly expensive clothing, for a food peddler anyway. His face showed no signs of wrinkles or age, despite clearly being older. He must have spent a good sum of money on keeping up his appearance, which spoke to just how profitable this store must be. ¡°Beeson Vallhorn buys from your shop?¡± Reese asked almost surprised. This wasn¡¯t a shop they had visited a few days ago. ¡°Yes, well not directly. But my produce is used for their frequent banquets.¡± The merchant continued to boast about his shop and the clientele who came to it. Looking to his side he saw Feuer nodding, ¡°It¡¯s true, that¡¯s why I come here.¡± While that might have been true, there was no evidence the merchant actually knew who the girl in front of him was. Particularly given his attitude and words. Perhaps if he mentioned who Feuer was, that could be a wedge into price negotiations? However, he wouldn¡¯t have the chance to get a word in. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°If you miscreants can¡¯t afford my produce, you should leave. Now. Unless you want the guard involved.¡± The man nodded towards Shevana who was walking back to the two. ¡°Yes, Yes. Come children, let¡¯s not bother the merchants. Run along now.¡± Shevana spoke lightly as she pushed Feuer along in particular. ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t need to push me.¡± Feuer protested. ¡°Play along, we don¡¯t want to deal with the rest of the guards and your father. Or worse have your grandmother getting involved.¡± Shevana was thinking about Feuere, truly, however, she also didn¡¯t want the extra duties and withheld pay if she couldn¡¯t keep Feuer under control. Reese tapped at his book. This didn¡¯t seem to be the best place to go over this lesson. The prices in the high market were far outside the norm and merchants themselves seemed used to a different kind of cliental. ¡°Well, I think we should head to the lower market. The high market is not how most markets work.¡± ¡°Non-sense. This is where we shop all the time. You just don¡¯t want to admit you¡¯re wrong.¡± Feuer continued her cool glare towards him. ¡°Look, I¡¯ll admit, you found a place that will charge you an insane amount for an apple. That¡¯s still not a good thing.¡± Shaking his head he turned to her guard hoping for a bit of back up or support. ¡°Shevana, what do you think.¡± The guard put her arms up as if pushing the idea away. ¡°Oh no. I am not involved in this. I am simply here for Feuer¡¯s protection, not to tutor her on economics. As her protector though, I think the high market is more secure, and her parents would rather she stay here.¡± ¡°Ok, well then, are there are any places here that are more affordable or might be open to some haggling?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know maybe-¡° Shevana was interrupted by Feuer. ¡°The gate by the golden stairs. There¡¯s a few there that usually cheap.¡± Feuer¡¯s smug smile seemed to hid some alterior motive that Reese couldn¡¯t quite pin down. Shevana¡¯s expression seemed to carry some doubt. ¡°What? It¡¯s still in the high market.¡± Feuer protested. ¡°Fine. But you are not to go through that gate. I¡¯ll trust Reese to back me on this.¡± Shevana glanced at Reese with a small amount of worry on her face. Reese nodded, not really understanding her concern. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll help how I can?¡± Shevana sighed, but smiled before rubbing his head. ¡°They don¡¯t pay me enough for this.¡± She whispered just loud enough for him to hear. The road quickly opened up to a rather large crowd of people, as the three turned onto Markey Road, considered to be the main road connecting both the high and lower markets. At the end, Reese could see the gate house that led out to the high market outside the walls and not far from it, the golden stair that went down to the lower markets. Passing the large trade house, they found themselves in the more open section, which various merchants who¡¯s prices were much more reasonable. Feuer even seemed more willing to engage with the lesson here. ¡°So I¡¯ll take three!¡± Feuer pointed to some chocolate covered berries in a nearby display case. Quickly she pulled out a silver coin only to be stopped by Reese. ¡°What? You said I could buy things.¡± ¡°First things first though. How much is that.¡± Rolling her eyes Feuer took in a breath, sighing. Seeing Reese wasn¡¯t going to budge she gazed at the sign for a moment as her eyes glazed over. It was clear she was struggling. To be fair the prices for these were a bit strange, and there were many items on the sign. ¡°I know it¡¯s this one.¡± She pointed to a line ¡°Chocolate Salva Berries. 4 ? coppers.¡± ¡°Very good, how much is that?¡± He asked again She looked at the numbers, her eyes squinting all the while, ¡°Four¡­ Forty four and¡­ four¡­ That can¡¯t be right.¡± She struggled. Even Reese had to admit the font the merchant used was rather crude. Holding his notebook, an idea struck him and he handed it to her. ¡°Feuer, try to write the price down on here.¡± ¡°What, why?¡± she protested ¡°Just trust me.¡± He said, and pushed the notebook at her again. The eleven girl took Reese¡¯s book from his hand, using a bit more force than necessary. Slowly scrawled a messy ¡®4¡¯¡¯ followed by a ¡®1¡¯ and another ¡®4¡¯. Pausing she drew a line between the ¡®1¡¯ and ¡®4¡¯. ¡°It¡¯s four and a quarter?¡± She frowned at her own note, expecting to be called out for being wrong. Only that didn¡¯t happen. ¡°Yes! Exactly. four and a quarter copper. Now, you wanted 3 right, how much would that be.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± He tapped at his notebook, ¡°So try writing it out.¡± Gritting her teeth, she looked ready to bite him if not punch him¡°¡­ You know I can¡¯t do this.¡± ¡°The first time you picked up a sword, could you even swing it? Just try. Write out what you¡¯re thinking on that page.¡± Shaking her head, Feuer picked up the charcoal pencil again, and tried anyway. A few scratches and some rework; It took her what felt like a minute before, ¡°Thirteen and three quarters?¡± Looking over her work, she was miss reading her own handwriting. ¡°I think this is supposed to be a ¡®2¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­Right. A Two¡­ So, twelve and three quarters?¡± Reese smiled proudly, and boasted., ¡°Yes! Exactly! See you can do this. We just need to figure out how a way to write these numbers so you can read them better.¡± Feuer pushed the notebook back into Reese chests. She refused to smile back, but a slight blush betrayed her own pride. ¡°Ready to order?¡± The merchant smiled as she finally walked up to the counter. Feuer smiled as she savored each of the coated berry clusters. Reese meanwhile jotted a few notes in his journal and circled Feuer¡¯s handwriting. He was getting a good picture of what to do next for her, maybe he should get her a notebook of her own. If she couldn¡¯t keep her thoughts in her head, maybe she shouldn¡¯t try? Wandering down the street the three were being trailed by a young figure in an off-white robe. Feuer and Reese hadn''t noticed yet, each too engrossed in their own activities. But their ever-vigilant guard caught sight of the rat following them. A smirk crossed her lips as a thought crossed her, Maybe she should have let Feuer carry her sword. It could have been amusing like the last time. Though, both Beeson and Sneacta would no doubt have thought otherwise though. With a quick glance back around Shevana¡¯s expression suddenly grew frantic. She lost track of their tail and for some reason, her head began to pound ever so slightly. This wasn''t good. Reese put away his journal, aware things were not right with the guard. ¡°Are you ok Shevana You look a bit off?¡± ¡°I''m fine just keep moving. I think someone is following us.¡± Shevana caught sight of someone concerning next to them, and moved off to investigate a small robed man to the side. Pulling back his hood she apologized, as the man didn¡¯t seem to be who she was expecting. Feuer gave a deep and almost angry sigh as she swallowed the last of her treats. Reese grew more concerned but also confused. The two seemed to be acting like there was a threat nearby, but their attitudes seemed to be more like an annoyance, as if a fly was buzzing around your head rather than a dagger. Seeking some insight, Reese spoke up, ¡°If there¡¯s dange-¡± Only for a sensation of something tapping at his side to interrupt him. Glancing over, there was a small, robed figure, who was currently trying to lift his meager purse. ¡°Hey! What the hell are you doing?¡± He yelled and grabbed the would be theif¡¯s hand tightly. The thief froze. ¡°Oh, you can see me?¡± The small girl¡¯s eye¡¯s shot wide open in surprise, ¡°Huh, that''s never happened before.¡± Feuer tapped at her side only to notice her own purse was already missing. ¡°You fucking Rat!¡± Likely snatched by the so-called rat. The way she yelled almost seemed to imply some history between the two of them. Reese held his hand out as if keeping Feuer at arm¡¯s length from the smaller thief. The fiery look in her eyes turned towards him as he both detained and protected the thief. The thief in his grip seemed to smile at the elven girl just further enraging her. ¡°Just give me a second to talk to her!¡± Feuer half lunged towards her, clearly not interested in just talking. ¡°Oh no! Won¡¯t someone help me! This boy has grabbed me, and is holding me against my will, please help!¡± The Young thief called out in a half mocking tone. It was hard to take her seriously, as she seemed to be smiling all the while. People around them stared at the antics but didn¡¯t seem to interfere. After all, it wasn¡¯t their problem, and from their perspective, it might have just been some kids having fun. Shevana quickly tried to push past the growing crowd to get back to the two of them, but it proved difficult. ¡°Feuer, take a breath. I¡¯ve got her, she¡¯s not going anywhere.¡± Again, Reese tried to calm his companion down. For a second it seemed to work as Feuer smiled. Her head quickly turned from him and gestured at the smaller girl who was now running away. ¡°OK, well she¡¯s getting away.¡± The young thief had managed to pull out of Reese¡¯s grip without him noticing, somehow. In his hands were a few rags, likely designed to slip off easily if grabbed. It seemed clever, if simple. Feuer didn''t waste any more time while Reese stared at the rags in his hands, instead she bolted after the robbed figured. Reese quickly followed in pursuit, while Shevana remained stuck in the dense crowd unable to move as quickly or nimbly as the unarmored kids could. ¡°HEY! Wait!¡± The guard yelled as they flew out of sight on fast little legs. ¡°Oh, Beeson''s going to be pissed again.¡± She mumbled out of their earshot. Running after the eleven girl, Reese was more interested in catching up with Feuer than the thief. After all, it was just a handful of coins. ¡°Feuer, wait!¡± In the back of Feuer¡¯s head a throbbing pain became apparent as she lost sight of their target. ¡°Shit, I can''t see her. She got away again!¡± Feuer began to slow down only to be caught up by Reese. ¡°What are you talking about, She''s right on front of you?¡± ¡°Where!?¡± Feuer¡¯s eyes darted around, seemingly not able to see the young girl. Shaking his head, Reese closed his eyes before taking the lead. He knew this was a bad idea. A horrible one in fact. But a voice in the back of his head told him, ¡®leave her¡¯. He didn¡¯t know why, but that voice pissed him off and more than anything else and he needed to defy it. Besides, this was almost fun? The white hooded figure moved between people who strangely didn¡¯t seem to pay her any attention. Left, right, left, she eventually darted down a nearby alleyway. With a quick half turn she threw some kind of spell his way. A small cloud of dim sparkly air impacted him, before blowing away like so much dust. Of course, it had no effect. Quickly she tried to jump up a wooden fence that divided the alley, only to be stopped as he grabbed at the thin mouse tail poking out from the dirty robes. ¡°Oww!¡± She yelped and fell back to the ground. From the ground she held up Feuer¡¯s purse in her hand seemingly offering it up to him in exchange for his mercy. "Here, take it you thief." She rasped back. With a quick grab, he took her offering and tossed it back to Feuer who was now standing behind him. "Pretty sure this is Feuer''s and you¡¯re the thief." The mouse girl shrugged her shoulders as she stood up and glanced behind her, rubbing at her now sore tail. All the while her smile never left her face. It was like she had no real fear of being turned over to the guards or having anything happen to her. Though, Feuer looked like she was about beat the shit out of the smaller girl. "What did I tell you about stealing from me street rat?" It was now clear to Reese the two knew each other. "I take it you''re both acquainted?" "This rat is Lalaluie. She''s a thief around here and likes to steal from me and my family." Feuer nearly spat between locked teeth. "Eh? I steal from everyone, you''re just easy." Lalaluie further provoked the hot head girl. Feuer lunged for the smaller mouse, but rather than hitting her, merely grabbed and shook her instead. It was like Feuer was doing what she could to keep from actually hurting the young thief. Still lashing out as she felt she must. Feuer continued to shake the poor girl, yet Lalaluie¡¯s smirk never left her face. For a moment, Reese held some respect for her expert act of trolling the hot headed Feuer. Eventually, her hood fell backwards, allowing two rather large mouse ears to pop free, along with the shorth dirty blond mess of hair between them. Lalaluei''s deep green eyes turned to stare at him as if sizing him up as a mark or a threat. "So, who''s the boy? Your new husband? How many times have you been divorced now, three? More?" Lalaluie goaded. Feuer let go of the thief''s robes and crossed her arms in defiance. "Zero, I haven''t been married yet and I''m not married to this idiot." She sighed, "At least not yet." "Oh? You nobles are weird. Still, he has to have skills to be able to track me." As she spoke, she grew ever closer to him. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I casted that bind spell right too¡­¡± If Reese hadn''t been watching her, he wouldn''t have noticed her approach. Lalaluie was damn near silent in her movements, and it wasn¡¯t all magic. Her eyes ran across his body, as if looking for possible weapons or other hidden items. No doubt coins were at the for front of her mind. As she got closer, Reese couldn''t help but stare at her ears. They stuck out father then Feuer¡¯s and were covered in a thin velvet of blond fur, lighter than her hair. He had an odd desire to poke at them, much in the way someone might want to poke at a puppy¡¯s floppy ears. "See something you like?" She mocked with her head just under his chin. She was too close for his comfort, and sure enough, he could feel her reaching for his purse once more. Feuer pulled at the cuff of his shirt, reeling him away from the grabby rat. "I told you, watch yourself around her. She was going for your purse again." "Hey, if I see an opportunity." Her smile finally dropped as her eyes locked on to his. "So, how did you track me? Some kind of dispel or dark magic? I wasn''t lying, no one has ever seen me before when I use that spell." "I caught you before!" Feuer protested. "That''s different, you didn''t see, you just grabbed me." Lalaluie waved away the point. Not giving him a chance to respond, Feuer butted back in with, "Reese is a mage. That''s how he saw you." It wasn¡¯t exactly the truth, though, as he thought about it, maybe it was better she didn¡¯t know exactly why he could see her. Lalaluie was a thief, and despite the seemingly friendly rivalry between the two girls, he had no idea if he could actually trust her. That whisper in the back of his head just made things worse. As much as he wanted to defy it, the logic behind it was sound Again, she looked him over ¡°Oh? I''ll pay you if you can teach me how you did that?¡± For a moment, Reese thought it was another joke, but she seemed quite adamant. He wasn''t quite sure how to break it to her. "I''m sorry. I don''t think I can teach you; it''s just something¡­ I am." Again, he held back the full explanation. "Hmmm¡­ Well if you change your mind, I can give you a few silvers... Maybe more?" She was probing, not quite believing him. With a final shrug, she dropped the point for now, "Anyway, what brings you to the markets? Don''t your servants buy everything you need?" "I''m here to learn about economics and numbers and... Things. Reese thinks I don''t understand how money works." Feuer spoke matter of factly. "Ha ha ha!" Lalaluie suddenly couldn''t stop laughing, "You''re just now realizing that. I remember that time you bought a loaf of bread from that baker in the apple for 10 coppers. You thought you got a deal because he gave it to you for 2 coppers off." Bearing her elven fangs, Feuer also couldn¡¯t help but blush as she stammered a bit, "I¡­ I did get a deal. It was 12 coppers, and I got it for 10 that''s a good price for bread. You liked it!" "No, it isn''t. A loaf of bread might cost 2 coppers in the Free Market, maybe 3 in the low market. Only you nobles would think 10 coppers is cheap for bread, and yeah it was good bread. Not worth 10 coppers though." Feuer''s face grew a few more shades of deep red. The two girls continued to playfully bicker in the alleyway. Despite their very different stations it was obvious they were both friends. It was strange, and almost surreal how the two girls seemed to get along. It almost reminded Reese of a ¡®Tale of two cities¡¯, hopefully it would not have the same bittersweet ending. Feuer broke up the banter and asked Reese directly, ¡°We could¡­ head to the lower market. Things are cheaper there.¡± He was still uncertain about the young thief, but having shaken their guard this did seem like a good opportunity to give her more exposure, and for him to gauge her progress. Plus it wasn¡¯t like she was in any real danger. At least, he didn¡¯t think so. But Shevana¡¯s warning earlier bothered him. ¡°You¡¯ve been to the lower market before. It¡¯s not like I have, but¡­¡± He waved her closer to him, so he could whisper in her ear the next part. ¡°¡­Do you think we can trust her?¡± ¡°Of course not! But, I can keep my eye on her. Besides, she¡¯s not going to hurt either of us. She¡¯s a thief, not a killer.¡± Feuer was adamant. The mouse girl smirked and shrugged her shoulders from the distance. ¡°Eh, I might steal your purse, but I¡¯m not going to steal your life.¡± Reese looked away with a touch of his own awkwardness. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by it, Lalaluie.¡± She tilted her head up in a slightly smug way, before pointing at her ears. ¡°These things aren¡¯t just for show. I can hear almost anything. Like I¡¯m pretty sure your guard is running around the nearby alleyway.¡± The mouse walked between the two of them before picking up a light jog, ¡°Well, you guys coming?¡± She called back. Feuer didn¡¯t think twice as she picked up her pace and ran after the thief. ¡®Don¡¯t. Stop.¡¯ Those same words and voice echoed behind him. They were just the push he needed to run after them ¡°Oh, fuck off.¡± He whispered to the void and chased after Feuer and his new companion. Chapter 29, Rats in the Rafters It didn¡¯t take long for the three miscreants to wander through the lower markets, down to the so called worms root¡¯s, a cheerful moniker not unlike the golden apple above. It was here that Lalaluie suggested they grab something to eat. The stall was small, no real store interior just a window, with a lots of items for sale. Most were small plates of food, and sandwich-like items. But it seemed they also sold bulk smoked meats and other items. All in all, it didn¡¯t seem too different from a deli on earth. There was no inside, merely some table like spaces made of stone and wood nearby. Likely put there by the city or a merchant¡¯s guild. The two girls were growing impatient with Reese¡¯s instance on doing this one odd thing. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t understand.¡± Feuer looked at the numbers she just wrote in Reese¡¯s journal. It was so very different from what she had just said. ¡°Ha, I told you she¡¯s an idiot Reese, just order for her.¡± Lalaluie laughed. ¡°I¡¯m smart enough with a sword to hit you!¡± Feuer barked back. ¡°Oh dear! Dumb bullies always shift to violence when they¡¯re called out. Oh. And poor little me, just a street rat. How would I ever defend myself from such a powerful noble.¡± The mouse girl even managed to fake some tears with her acting, before rubbing them away with a smile. Despite her over the top performance, she was strangely convincing. Still Reese had a reason for this and, ¡°Lalaluie, you¡¯re not helping right now.¡± He scolded. She just continued to smile. ¡°So, are we going to eat or not?¡± ¡°Look, one of the reasons we came out was to try and teach Feuer some techniques for dealing with number and money. We can¡¯t buy anything she gets the right number, which she did.¡± Reese pointed at the number on the paper, ¡®15¡¯ the number of copper coins for what she wanted. But she didn¡¯t seem satisfied with the difference in what was in her head and what was on the paper. ¡°I just don¡¯t understand¡­ why isn¡¯t this what I see in my head?¡± Feuer shook her head and pushed the book back toward Reese. Making her way to the small counter which held a small number of scones and small rolls accessible from the front. Feuer ordered the sandwich and other item she had so much trouble with. Reese came in behind her and ordered something similar only to turn to their companion. ¡°Lalaluie do you want something? I¡¯m willing to buy you something small, my treat.¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you a rich gentleman. Now what should I get.¡± Her eyes looked over the more expensive items at the top of the menu, which were priced at more than a silver. For a moment Reese feared for his wallet. ¡°Lala, he¡¯s not rich like I am.¡± Feuer protested on his behalf. ¡°You were rich? From the weight of your purse, I would never have guessed.¡± The mouse girl pointed to the top of the menu with a smirk, only for her hand to drop near the bottom at one of the cheaper ones. Only 6 coppers, not unreasonable. As the shop keeper turned to make their orders, Reese couldn¡¯t help but notice how the mouse girl¡¯s tail moved subtly. It was almost mesmerizing how it twisted and turned much like a snake charmed by a beat only it could hear. The appendage danced and swayed its way into the display case and slid out a couple scones right into her pocket. Truly, a fascinating sight! He debated telling the merchant or just paying for them outright. Only for the mouse girl just shrugged as Feuer and her wandered off to find a table. As he brought the food to them, the mouse girl smiled as she bit down on the small pastry in her hand. Making sure to stare at him the whole while. ¡°This really is a good pastry, and such a good deal too!¡± As Reese was about to say something, Feuer stopped him. ¡°She¡¯s always doing things like that don¡¯t pay attention to it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all well and good, but what happens when she gets caught and you¡¯re next to her?¡± Reese shook his head as he handed the sandwich to the smaller girl. Taking the first bite of his own, he was impressed, it actually was pretty good. Reminded him of something like roast beef with some kind of mustard like gravy. Again, shaking his head, Reese tried to bring his mind back to more current matters but seemed to struggle with his own thoughts. It was that damn feeling and voice in the back of his mind. No, he wasn¡¯t going to indulge it, focus on something else, he told himself. ¡°¡­ Your name is a bit of a mouth full. Do you have a nick name?¡± ¡°I just call her Lala most times.¡± Feuer spoke plainly between bites. He looked at the mouse girl who didn¡¯t seem to really care. In truth, she¡¯d probably be ok with anything you called her. So then, ¡°How about Lucey?¡± For some reason, she kind of looked like a Lucey. The mousy thief stopped eating for a moment and looked ahead with almost a blank expression. ¡°I¡­¡± She trailed off, the name seeming to resonate with something inside of her. It was one of the first times he had seen anything but a carefree expression on her face. Reese held up a hand as if to wave the suggestion off, ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean-¡° ¡°Eh, who cares it¡¯s just a name. Call me whatever you want.¡± She forced a smile again, but something behind it seemed to betray its effort. Reese was left to wonder if he said the wrong thing, but Feuer didn¡¯t seem bothered and even Lalaluie was back to bantering with her friend. Clearly the mouse must have poked the right spot because Feuer hit the table with a strong slap and an almost snarl. Lalaluie laughed clearly getting the reaction she had hoped for. Feeling a bit out of place with their conversation, Reese almost by instinct went back to his book. Jotting down notes and musing over the data he collected. ¡°So, what about the boy here?¡± The mouse girl spoke in his direction, causing him to lose what little train of thought he had. ¡°What about him?¡± Feuer looked confused. As Reese returned the mouse¡¯s gaze he saw something there. Behind the subtle smile of a young girl, was something far deeper, and darker. It was hard to put into words the feeling he felt then and there, suffice it to say, it was cold and also old. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, what do you want to know about me?¡± Reese asked as he closed his book. ¡°Hmmm, you just seem, odd. It¡¯s hard to place. I¡¯m not sure if I should be afraid of you or not.¡± Lalaluie continued to smile, but something in her eyes had changed, a subtle squint. ¡°Afraid, of him?¡± Feuer nearly shouted in boast that had a subtly of amusement to it. A fact attested to by her smile. ¡°Reese is¡­ just a bookworm. He¡¯s not a threat.¡± ¡°I do know how to use a sword you know, and¡­ I do plan to be a mage one day¡­ somehow.¡± His head went back to his book, suddenly more than a bit annoyed at the conversation. That girl knew how to push buttons, he¡¯d have to give her that. He tapped at the book for a moment, why was she trying to goad him? Again, he closed the book and looked up from it, ¡°I noticed, you like to push people. Just wondering why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fun.¡± The mouse looked at the remaining scones and put them back in her pocket. ¡°Plus, you can learn a lot from someone when they¡¯re stressed. I¡¯m a thief, information can be worth more than coins to me. If it can keep out of jail and lead me to more coins later.¡± ¡°Like an investment?¡± He probed. ¡°I guess.¡± She took a few more bites of her sandwich. ¡°So long as I steal something by the end of the day, it¡¯s worth it.¡± Reese raised an eyebrow, ¡°You need to steal something everyday?¡± ¡°Yeah, not much though. Just a handful of coppers keeps Adem¡¯s goons off me. But if I don¡¯t have even a copper to pay my taxes, woe is poor little me¡­¡± She began to whimper, behind her smile, before laughing a bit at the end. He couldn¡¯t tell if she was being serious or not. Still, it did seem, worrisome. ¡°You were with us all day, are you going to be ok?¡± ¡°Awww, are you worried about little me?¡± Lalaluie laughed, ¡°Eh, I¡¯ve got a few copper in my pocket from a few things earlier. Plus, there¡¯s something happening later, bunch of aristocrats and nobles heading to the theater near the coliseum district. I¡¯ll be able to pocket a few silvers from that.¡± The mouse¡¯s ears twitched a few times, before she stood up from the table. ¡°Well this has been fun but I think it¡¯s time for me to go. Places to be, things to steal you know how it is.¡± Both Reese and Feuer looked at the mouse girl with quizzical expressions. At least, until they felt the guard¡¯s hand on their back. ¡°Feuer, Reese, I think it¡¯s time to go. Now.¡± Shevena was gentle with her words and grip, but it was clearly not a request. Lalaluie nodded at the female guard¡¯s glare before scampering off in the other direction. The walk back to the castle was not a particularly enjoyable one. Reese worried about the trouble he would now be in. He did after all join Feuer on her escapades. Particularly after giving her father and grandmother assurances nothing like this would happen. Yet, as he returned, nothing happened. Not really anyway. Beeson didn¡¯t seem all that concerned as he and Feuer stood in front of him. Fuhen had her usual brash demeanor about her, as if this was a waste of her time. ¡°This, granddaughter, is why we can¡¯t trust you.¡± Fuhen scolded Feue. With a shake of her head, she continued, ¡°How often have you done this too us. Running away from your guard, into the city. Feuer, you are a Vallhorn weather you like it or not. There are those that would seek to kidnap you, or worse, just to get to us.¡± Feuer lowered her head in response. Unlike the rest of her family, she felt her grandmother¡¯s words most of all. Fuhen turned her attention to Reese next. Instead of the scowl she gave Feuer, she was more pittiful towards him, ¡°Reese, I thank you for watching over her in the city. But please, should this happen again, do not just accompany her. Neither of you are prepared should something happen.¡± ¡°Yes. Of course. My apologies Fuhen I merely thought that¡­¡± Perhaps he shouldn¡¯t say any more, but he didn¡¯t feel like Feuer really deserved this. She was just doing what all trapped animals try to do, escape. ¡°Thought what exactly?¡± Fuhen¡¯s voice was firm, and polite, but like most of her questions, it was a commandment to answer. ¡°As I have said, my primary goal and function here, in my eyes at least, is to be a teacher and tutor for Feuer. I saw an opportunity to better her numerical and reading skills. So I seized on it.¡± The old elven woman gave a half smile that boarded on distain. It was clear she didn¡¯t really believe him, or care. ¡°I see. And what did my granddaughter learn that she wouldn¡¯t have otherwise?¡± ¡°Well I-¡° Feuer didn¡¯t let Reese finish. This was her life and her choice. She would take ownership of her own failures, and successes. That¡¯s what an honorable warrior would do, she thought. ¡°I can add numbers better! With Reese¡­¡± Feuer balled her hands into fists. ¡±With his help he showed me how to use a journal, rather than my head. After all, you all say my head is useless, so I should just stop using it.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The young eleven girl smiled something bitter, and for a moment she looked like she might even cry. But shedid not. ¡°And tell me, either of you, do you think that was worth the risk?¡± Fuhen asked both of them, but her focused gaze on Feuer showed who she expected to answer. With a drop of her head, Feuer attempted to answer ¡°No-¡° Only to be interrupted by Reese. ¡°Yes. Yes I do.¡± The court all turned their heads towards the young boy. Despite her words, it was clear Fuhen didn¡¯t want to hear what he had to say. Still, he continued. ¡°Of all the things I can say I believe, it¡¯s that knowledge is power. True power. You¡¯re of course correct, it was a risk. But all investments have risk, and the payoff for Feuer and I believe the Vallhorn house are worth it. Truly, I am sorry we went against your wishes, but the value of this outing cannot be understated. As her tutor and teacher, I will do what I have to too ensure she¡¯s given every opportunity to learn, and I will do what I can to protect her.¡± There was silence in the court room. Reese could feel his heart suddenly start beating uncontrollably. He worried that perhaps that was not the best answer. ¡°And what power do you have to protect her or even yourself for that matter?¡± Fuhen didn¡¯t have anything resembling a smile on her face anymore. She didn¡¯t appear angry, exactly, but it was clear she didn¡¯t enjoy his diatribe. Before either could speak, Fuhen held up a hand to silence them. ¡°Reese Bronwyn, truthfully, I do appreciate your tutorage of my granddaughter, I do think she¡¯s made more progress under you than any other. Not that it¡¯s saying much. However, the truth is you are magically inept and I¡¯ve personally seen your sword sparing. It leaves much to be desired. I will not question your teaching skills, but you are not capable of protecting Feuer or anyone.¡± Fuhen Lowering her gaze a moment, perhaps she realized that was a bit too far. ¡°Reese you are excused, no punishment will be given to you. Feuer, we will forgo the dungeon this time, but you are not to leave your room for the next few days, and your sword training will be canceled for the coming week.¡± The two left the court room, both Feuer and Reese heading back to their respective rooms. Feuer was followed by two attendants, likely to ensure that she ended up there. With the hectic day behind him, Reese sat in his room. He spent more than a few minutes just listening to the almost steady rhythm of his clock. Both of the voice in the back of his head was quiet once more. ¡°Whatever¡­¡± He whispered and took out his journal. He spent nearly an hour studying what Feuer wrote through out the day. There was a clear pattern emerging, and he think he had something that might work for her. He just, needed to get her to try it. Eventually dinner came, and went. Reese was grateful they brought it up to him tonight, while he wasn¡¯t under ¡®house arrest¡¯ like Feuer, he suspected Fuhen didn¡¯t want to see him tonight. With dinner out of the way it was finally time to work on his various experiments and inventions. In front of him, was his greatest current challenge. Assembling a mana powered screen. 512 by 512 gold threads, barely larger than a human hair were laid over the two pieces of glass. Glass that had been covered with flame stone powder. The glass plates were items he already had, he was thankful it didn¡¯t put a larger dent in his already limited funds. There were engineering was challenging, particularly with the simple tools he had but the whole process work on a small scale. In theory, it would on a large scale too. Carefully, he placed the second plane of glass over the first. The two plates had alternate light and dark fire stone dustings, he tested each row, each pixel. Satisfied it worked, he then reached for a different tool. One he made only yesterday. A flame stone shard attached to metal tube with a larger stone at the bottom, the magic equivalent of a soldier iron and mini torch in one. With it, he sealed the two planes together, insuring nothing would damage the complex matrix he had made. A smile crossed his lips. Finally, it was complete. About six hours'' worth of work from start to finish, and he''d be able to shorten that next time. Not too bad, he thought to himself. The gold traces would carry light and dark fire mana, the second gold trace would connect with the first and create a connection, allowing mana to flow at that point. Thus, energizing the firestone there. A second sweep would pull and drop the residual mana using an inverted or dark fire signal. Not that different from how a flat panel display might work, when you got down to it. "So what is that exactly? Looks familiar¡­" An unexpected and tiny voice behind him asked. Reese couldn''t help but jump at the sound of the unexpected visitor. He wasn''t expecting anyone in his room at this hour, and he absolutely wasn''t expecting to see the mouse thief from earlier behind him. "Lucey?! What in the hell are you doing in my room?" Looking at the door it remained secure, and there was little chance of someone opening it without making noise from the hinges. "How did you get in my room?" The mouse shrugged her shoulders and wandered to his bed, sitting on it. "Aww, you¡¯re already calling me by your nick name. Eh, Your room is on the north side and bit hidden. It''s not that harder to climb up here." She gestured to the window. His gaze turned to the window, and his eyes opened wide, "You climbed four stories?" "No, I climbed one story from the third floor. I got in the castle through the staff entrance; they don''t watch it, at least not closely." For a moment it looked like she was going to lay down on his bed but she stopped herself. "As for why I''m here, I used to come up here and rest sometimes. They never used this room, before now anyway. Rarely clean it either." "You¡­ sleep here?" Reese didn¡¯t know if she was messing with him or if she was serious. "Eh, occasionally, when I can''t get back to the alleys." Instead of the bed she began climbing up the wall¡¯s stonework to the wooden rafters. "I know I left some here somewhere¡­" She mumbled something to herself. "Ah, found it!¡± Crunch. The sounds of something crispy and chewy could be heard as she sat in what amounted to the room''s ceiling. "I leave dried food in some of the places I sleep." For a moment she looked at the dried food with a small frown, before sighing and going back to it. Crunch. The whole situation seemed surreal. As Reese watched the mouse sitting in his room¡¯s rafters, he couldn''t be sure he hadn''t just fallen asleep. "You ok, mage?" She mocked from the rafters. "I''m just processing, this is a very strange situation. Are you planning on staying here for a while?" The mouse finished off whatever questionable food stuffs she was eating and shrugged again. " processing¡­¡° She whispered. For a moment she looked off as if trying to remember that word. With another shrug she smiled, ¡±Don¡¯t think I heard that word before. But, I was planning on it. A couple of guards are looking for me. We could share your bed." Her smile twisted up and she did something with her eyebrows. The innuendo of that statement made him more than a little uncomfortable, and the whole thing caused a chill to run down his face. "Ha ha! I love the look on your face.¡± She continued to laugh at his embarrassment, which just made it worse for him. Finally after having gotten it out of her systems, she continued, ¡°Nah, I doubt I''d be able to even sleep in the same room as you. I''m just going to hang out for the next hour or so now, that should be enough time. Besides, I''ve got someone waiting for me. I''d rather get back if I can." Now he grew curious, who could be waiting for a little troll like her, "You mean your parents or something?" "Nope, they''re both dead. I''ve got a little sister I''m watching. She''d be fine for one night I guess, no one would mess with her. I was hoping to share some of these scones from earlier. But eh, she¡¯s asleep by now¡­ Guess they¡¯ll be a good morning breakfast." "I see, I''m sorry." He didn''t know what else to say. She was too young to be without family, this world wasn''t nearly as kind as earth. "For what? My parents? They died when I was like 4 or 5. I barely remember them." She waved the comment off and proceeded to finish off the questionable preserves. "So, you''ve been on the street since you were 4?" Reese didn¡¯t know if that made it better or worse. "Nope! I was sold to some slavers first. Got rescued by my big sister, Rash pretty quick." Her statement left Reese in no bit of shock. Thankfully, for him she changed the topic. "You know, I could probably sleep up here, if I had a hammock or something." Looking around the rafters, she measured things in her mind as she spoke. "No." He was firm on that. Not only did he not trust her, he barely knew the girl. Even if she was just joking, he wanted to put a pin in this discussion before she did become serious. The mouse twisted her head and continued to smile. "Like I said, I doubt I could fall asleep in the same room as you anyway. You might get grabby in the night." She continued to mock him, grabbing her shoulders with both arms feigning an event that would never happen. After a moment, she broke out in a laugh. Reese¡¯s face twisted into mild disgust, as he spat out "What the hell is wrong with you?" The girl just lifted her hand again in half shrug, the smug look on her face implying she got whatever she wanted from him. Instead of acknowledging the comment any further, she pointed to the glass plates on the table he had been working on. "So, what is that thing anyway." "It''s, a screen. It''s a device that lights up if mana is applied to it in the right way." He thought about trying to explain more in depth but doubt she¡¯d understand. Or care. "Oh, like a crappy light stone." Still more prodding from her. "No, not like a light stone. I¡¯m almost done, maybe if I finish it I can show you¡­ so long as you don''t steal it." She waved away the plausible event, "I only steal coins and things I can fence. I can''t fence junk, even if it has gold leaf on it." "You literally just came here to sleep?" Despite her earlier statement, her chatty nature really made it seem like she was wide awake. "Well, no.¡± She scratched at her face, lightly. ¡°I kind of wanted to find you actually. Wasn''t expecting you to be in my room though." "This isn''t your room, it''s mine. And why are you looking for me?" She jumped down from the rafters and slinked her way over to him. Just a little bit too close for comfort. Reese began to wonder if there wasn''t some kind of method behind all her antics. Like maybe she was probing for something, how far she could push, what someone might do when she crossed a line. "You''re interesting. You saw through my disguise spell. I wasn''t lying, no one''s ever done that before. I mean, I''ve been caught and grabbed when using it. Even dropped it a few times after losing concentration on it. But no one ever really saw through it, just the magic I was using¡­" Her green almost emerald like eyes looked him over. If he didn¡¯t know any better he¡¯d have guessed she stole them from somewhere earlier. Her probing gaze continued, as if searching for something that might explain his sight. "Are you really a mage? I didn¡¯t notice it earlier but I can''t even feel your mana." "Yes. Now you''re in my personal space. Leave." Holding up a hand to push her away, she quickly backed off. "In an hour, though, how long is that really?" Implying she wasn¡¯t liable to leave on any set time table. Reese pointed to the haphazard clock on his wall. ¡°It''s when this large hand is just past that next mark. Which is an hour more than you¡¯re welcome here." "Oh, something else you made?¡± She wandered over to the device and stared at it for a moment, her mind seeming locked to the rhythmic thrum of the wooden escapement. ¡°Hmmm, still not worth stealing. What is it?" "A clock, it measures time. The large tickets on the wall are for hours, the small one multiple of 5 minutes. It''s about 11:05 PM now." "So¡­ a water clock without water?" She puzzled. Reese didn¡¯t really know how to respond to that assessment. In truth, he had never really seen a water clock before, though understood the basic concept of one. "¡­Sure." Was all he could muster. "What about the rest of this junk?" The mouse began poking her nose into all of Reese''s experiments and gadgets. Part of him was happy to see someone interesting in his projects, almost no one else was. But, he suspected her intentions weren''t exactly academic. Also, he was more than a little worried she might break something. Yet, he couldn¡¯t resist the temptation, "I''ll explain them if promise not to steal anything from here." "You''re a trusting one, but ok." Lalaluie¡¯s tone made it sound like she didn¡¯t really care. "I''m serious. You agree not to touch my stuff¡­ I won''t tell the guards when you''re here and I don¡¯t just mean tonight." It was the only real card he could offer. He knew it was better to have some kind of commitment from her. There was obviously no way to keep her out of the castle if she was willing to scale the castle walls to get here. The mouse took a moment to consider the offer, "Ok, one more condition, you let me sleep here when I want." Reese wasn¡¯t sure if she was serious, but "So long as I''m not in here, fine." Lalaluie spit on her hand and held it out for Reese to shake on it. With a slightly disgusted look, he did the same. "Is this some kind of thief ritual or promise." He asked after shaking her small hand. Despite being human shaped, it felt more like a mouse¡¯s pawl. "No, I just wanted to see if you''d do it." Lalaluie¡¯s smile grew as she went back to his shelf. Reese considered his sticky hand for a moment. Bleach hadn''t been invented in the world yet, but he was confident he could make some with a bit of salt water and battery cell. Maybe he could finally find a way to burn his hand over a fire stone. For now, his pants would have to do. "So what does this one do?" She picked up the first item on the shelf, a sort of half glove with golden traces and small mana stones around it. ¡°That¡¯s a prototype or rather an item in development it¡¯s a bit delicate right now¡­¡± He held his hand out, emphasizing she should hand it back to him. For a second it looked like she was going to throw it before smirking and handing it to him. With a sigh, Reese continued, ¡°I worked on it back in Wollseeth. It injects sound mana into my body and lets me move like I¡¯m using sword techniques. It needs a lot of work though, burned the hell out of my hand, and destroyed the stone I was using. And it¡¯s functions are limited.¡± ¡°Prototype?¡± The mouse girl mouthed the words almost silently, ¡°Huh. You use a lot of funny words. Is that where you¡¯re from Wollseeth? Never heard of it.¡± Lalaluie looked back at the glove, ¡°Why not just use spells, why something like that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s complicated¡­¡± He tried to wave off the answer. Sensing a sore spot Lalaluie smirked, ¡°So it¡¯s like your wand or mage¡¯s staff, only crappier.¡± Moving back to the shelf, she picked up something else, ¡°What about this, lot of little mana stones and gems it looks¡­ like junk¡± She smiled at him. It seemed like the mouse girl really wanted to get a rise out of him for, and almost seemed disappointed when she didn¡¯t. "It''s a calculator." He spoke in a flat tone, yet couldn¡¯t help but smile a bit. The exact word he used meant something like a ¡®human tabulator¡¯ or actuary. This seemed to confuse the young mouse, "A what?" "It''s a mana-based device that adds numbers. Let me show you¡­" For the next minute or so he showed off the different ways the device could add and process numbers. Seeing the mana-crystal display light up caused his uninvited guest¡¯s eyes to sparkle in wonder. Reese knew well the joys of mathematics and technology. Such a device must have seemed like real magic even to magic users. For a moment, he felt a real connection with Lalaluie. Something he hadn¡¯t felt since he met Emillie. ¡°Oh, Neat! Think you could sell it?¡± Her eyes continued to sparkle, seemingly with the embers and ashes of his own feelings and dreams. ¡°No.¡± He stayed abruptly and yanked the device away from her thieving hands. Watching her futz around on his shelf made him realize that it was going to be a long night.