《Two barbarians at the royal academy》 1. Orientation day If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. 2. Preparation Nadia left the bath with a profound smile. A personal bathroom with how water was a quality-of-life improvement she¡¯d become so very fond. Truthfully, it wasn¡¯t that hot, barely above room temperature, but it was a personal space and infinitely better compared to frigid river of home. She knocked at Varisa¡¯s door. ¡°I¡¯m ready when you are, mistress.¡± The response came in a heartbeat, ¡°It¡¯s Varisa. I didn¡¯t I ask for any weird titles and I have a name, Va-ri-sa.¡± ¡°I¡¯d never disrespect you...¡± Her vis-¨¤-vis cut her short. ¡°And yet you do. I can see nothing more disrespectful than giving me unwanted titles even though I¡¯m begging like this.¡± ¡°Yes, mis¡­ Varisa.¡± ¡°Good, if you¡¯re unhappy with the way I do thing, too bad for you because; my place, my rules.¡± Her face turned impish. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help remarking that you training was cut short today, much unlike your bath. I hope for your sake that our neighbor didn¡¯t hear your childish splashing.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t splashing around!¡± Despite her strong denial, she had a nagging feeling she might have enjoyed herself a tad too much at the very beginning. ¡°Since we¡¯ve got some time before our meeting with Agner, why don¡¯t we get a look at this famous restaurant? You¡¯re in?¡± ¡°Agner? Do you mean, the sir Enchanter who made the weapons you brought home?¡± Enchanted weapons and armor had been the stuff of legends, at least until Varisa brought multiple set back. ¡°Did I hear respect? For a weak central¡¯s man?¡± Then when Nadia displayed the right tone of red, she added. ¡°He¡¯s a nice and welcoming man, if a bit jumpy.¡± The jumpy part got Nadia worried, she¡¯d rather not do or say something offensive to the distinguished personage. ¡°Are you sure I need to go with you? I can wait outside if needed.¡± There was nothing distinguished about Agner, he was a fearful man who only ever met with his normal client after a lot or arm bending by his brother. The only reason Varisa met him in the first place was because she was with his ''Uncle Oto¡¯. ¡°Nonsense. He¡¯s open minded and easy to get along with. He tested my proficiencies, lent me some books and gave me pointer. He even promised he¡¯d give me an apprenticeship!¡± Despite his social anxiety, the enchanter was passionate about his work. Enough to become obnoxiously talkative with those sharing his interest. ¡°More importantly; restaurant!¡± Food was good in the kingdom, and she¡¯d heard nothing but good things about this eatery. Nadia followed with a sigh. The commons had only a two items selection per meal, the noble¡¯s quarter was strictly a buffet and the restaurant offered both buffet and menu. Varisa selected some few dishes she knew and some attractive desserts. ¡°Are you really sure you want me to choose for you?¡± Her tastes weren¡¯t quite the same as her friend. ¡°You know the local cuisine... And everything smells good anyway.¡± She knew only of broiled meat and stew, and everything here was on a whole different level of sophistication. They ate in silence, until every plate was cleaned off. ¡°How can food be this good?¡± In the rim, the danger of monster made expediency far more important than taste. ¡°It¡¯d better be. The prices are absolutely insane.¡± Because the school hosted children of high-profile merchants and not so high-profile noble, they had to provide the best environment. This was best exemplified the excellence of the chiefs. ¡°Is¡­ Is it not too much?¡± Nadia was in awe, what¡¯d happen if she became addicted to the lavish meals. ¡°Count on me, I¡¯ll make sure you don¡¯t get fat.¡± An easy misunderstanding. Nevertheless, it sounded more as much a threat as it did a friendly promise. ¡°Thank¡­ you?¡± Varisa laughed impishly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, dear. It won¡¯t be anything too crazy.¡± She moved to a nearby table and poured herself a small glass of a greenish concoction, gargle her mouth and spat into a cuspidor. Nadia sniffed the thing suspiciously. ¡°Strange, doesn¡¯t even come close to describing this smell.¡± She took a sip, sadly the taste was even worse than the smell and all she could do was refrain herself of chocking on the burningly refreshing and unpalatable liquid. ¡°What with this deranged custom?!¡± Somehow, this offended Varisa personally. ¡°It isn¡¯t that bad... It cleanses the mouth, refresh the breath and prevent tooth decay.¡± It wasn¡¯t good, but she like the minty aftertaste... and unlike their tribe¡¯s traditions; it had purpose. Two well-equipped soldiers flying the royal color watched them go through the gate silently. ¡°They don¡¯t kid with security, two Warriors at the door, some patrolling the wall and that crazy woman.¡± ¡°The main road is pretty long. Do you mind if we cut through the recreational quarter?¡± While not exactly dangerous, this area tended to be full of drunks on Seolsdays. Not that Nadia would know, or care. They¡¯d barely walked fifty paces when, a drunken man approached them. ¡°Hey girlies, wanna¡­¡± His pickup line was brutally interrupted by a kick to the nether regions. As he rolled on the ground in pain, Nadia stared down the other men menacingly. ¡°You¡¯re fre...fuc¡­bonkers! What¡¯d¡¯ya¡¯do that for?¡± Protested another drunk. She calmed down just as fast as she¡¯d flared. Warrior awareness bordered on the extrasensory and the only think she perceived from them was confusion and fear. ¡°You¡¯re a warrior¡­?!¡± Recognition sobered him enough perceive his mistake; those weren¡¯t fancy furs and killer looks but barbarians in leather trappings with the look of killers. ¡°We¡¯re sorry for the trouble ma¡¯ams,¡± Spat the nearest man as fast as his tongue allowed, ¡°this guy was clearly out of line.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you quick to abandon your friend.¡± Pointed Varisa impishly. He almost flared at the younger girl... Almost. ¡°What friend? I don''t even know that guy¡¯s name, nor any of the others¡¯ guy for that matter. We just ended up together at some point.¡± They weren¡¯t bad people, nor had any clue to what their supposed ¡®friend¡¯ had in mind. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. She acquiesced. ¡°I see. Will you excuse us then?¡± And left without waiting for an answer. Georg knew the man on the ground from work. Even on his best days, Dyrk was a brute, but he became especially bad whenever had a drink too many. ¡°I knew he was a dumb piece of shit, but I didn¡¯t think it was this much.¡± He smiled; what transpired was nothing short from karmic justice in his opinion. ¡°How is he?¡± Asked another nervously. He wanted nothing to do with the injury and the type of intention they typically raised from the authorities. ¡°He¡¯s breathing and nothing seems busted¡­ Apart from his balls.¡± They exploded in laughter at the masterful (for people as drunk as they were) witticism. ¡°Let¡¯s leave him here, I didn¡¯t see nothing, I wasn¡¯t even here to begin with.¡± Pressed Georg. With yet another nervous laugh. ¡°Leave who.¡± ¡°I think we should go; this part of town is dangerous... Ball busting dangerous!¡± His poor bout of humor raised another bout of laugh. ¡°Look at the time, I need to get ready for work. Don¡¯t you?¡± Implied Georg. Wise words indeed. They went their separate way, without another look for their former drinking buddy. ******************************** Unlike the school, the enchanter¡¯s mansion raised a reaction from Nadia, albeit the wrong kind. ¡°All this for one person? This goes beyond wasteful; this is madness.¡± ¡°There are living quarters for servants and security. and a strong room for material.¡± She had to admit that considering the owner, the reception room and garden were unlikely to see any use. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll admit there¡¯s a lot of wasted space.¡± ¡°Strong room?¡± This genuinely perplexed Nadia. ¡°How can a room be strong?¡± Architecture was hardly ever a semi-nomadic tribe¡¯s strong point. ¡°It means it¡¯s built strongly enough to deter thieves and Warriors.¡± ¡°It¡¯d have to be strongly built then.¡± Given the time and tools, she could destroy almost anything. Thanks to the shortcut, they were slightly early, yet there was a servant waiting for them at the gate. ¡°Mistress Varisa, it¡¯s such a pleasure to see you again.¡± Spoke an elderly woman fondly, ¡°If you¡¯ll follow me, the master is eagerly to see you.¡± ¡°Eager?! Agner? And here I was worrying about him forgetting yet another appointment. What about this venture of yours? Still going strong?¡± ¡°Thank to you, it does. Let me thank you again for we¡¯d never done it without you.¡± Varisa wasn¡¯t so certain seeing as Agner trusted the old lay. He¡¯d most likely have gifted her the money from his personal fund if she only asked. In retrospect was probably the reason she didn¡¯t ask. ¡°You repaid the interest in full when you didn¡¯t need to. I should be the one thanking you.¡± ¡°Who but you would have ever helped an old woman and her son start a new business? No one, that¡¯s who.¡± All that she ever did was emulate Baron von Estlugvael. ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short when all I did was provide funding. The idea and the talent to make it bloom were yours and your family¡¯s.¡± According to the baron, the goal of a society was to help talent flourish (then reap the benefit). Sadly, self-interest and traditions often triumphed over common sense. The housekeeper bowed one last time. ¡°Thank you again, milady.¡± For once, Agner couldn¡¯t wait to meet his client (read brag about his accomplishments). He looked almost looked like a child with a neat trick to show off, an illusion reinforced by his childish joy and hairless face. As soon as he saw his patron, he ran screaming joyously. ¡°¡°I did it! I¡¯ve gone and did it! It was just like I¡¯ve theorized, if we...¡± His face turned ashen at the sight of Nadia. Enchanter tended to avoided Warriors like the plague. He quickly moved to put Varisa between him and the intruder. ¡°Already?¡± Gasped Varisa. She''d expected it to take year. In fact, she¡¯d hoped to join in with the research after graduation. ¡°Come! Come witness my revolution!¡± The enchanter¡¯s excitement had already overcome his fear. He opened a door to reveal a shiny leather suit of armor with an assorted furred cape carefully laid on a large table. ¡°A Quaternal! Pardon me if I stress it out but before you, stands a high tier Quaternal of Kinetic diffusion, Self-Regeneration with Stress and Strain Strengthening.¡± Agner delight and pride were entirely justified as it only fell short to legendary items from the age of myth such as the draconic armor or the thousand-pound bow. The first was discovered intact in clump of magmatic rock, and the second was just as strong as it sounded. ¡°You¡¯re unfair. I have yet to step into the game, and you¡¯ve already left me without a goal.¡± Joked Varisa. ¡°Seriously though, how did you do it? Do you need more funds?¡± Agner boasted his efficiency again. ¡°I still have plenty; I¡¯ve only spent a few hundred crowns. Same with the material, I still have over two-thirds.¡± Nadia mind went blank. The whole herd Varisa bought for the village came to less than a hundred gold crowns. ¡°What¡¯s left is to refine the process.¡± ¡°...Sorry, I can¡¯t do more to help...¡± ¡°...admit, I haven¡¯t truly mastered it...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Nadia?! Nadia? Come back to us.¡± Shouted Varisa to her ear. ¡°What? Mis...¡± ¡°The armor is yours,¡± Explained Agner from the furthest side of the room. ¡°For the material, I used disaster tiger¡¯s leather, reinforced with Stone ape bone plates. For enchantments, I used stone ape dermis for strength, the skin and ligaments of a giant eel for resistance and elasticity and finally an adult blood worm¡¯s lymph for regeneration. The cape is pure Volcanic Goat¡¯s fur imbued with its own subcutaneous slime for protection against heat and cold.¡± This was way too much. ¡°Mi¡­ Milady. You should wear it. A treasure like this doesn¡¯t belong with the like me!¡± Begged Nadia. By comparison, Varisa garments were made of simple tanned shadow wolf skin or fur imbued with mid-tier regeneration and cold protection. Solid, comfortable but unlikely to protect her life. ¡°Too bad, it was custom-made for you. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed, but I¡¯m a few feet shorter." Items with mid or high tier regeneration were nigh impossible to adjust which considering their outrageous price was a major downside. With her target suitably mollified, she delivered the coup de grace. ¡°Do you remember how Oto needed the smallest of service, Nadia dearest?¡± The interested shacked her head. ¡°I haven¡¯t told, yet? This is such a tiny thing it probably slipped my mind. You see, there''s this pesky Dire wolf running amok in his domain. Eating cows, pigs, people... The usual. A real nuisance. I went and offered your service. To test your equipment, you know?¡± In Nadia¡¯s mindscape, massive herds of cows were throwing themselves into deep ravines, never to be seen again. ¡°You don¡¯t mind, do you?¡± Put like this, she had no choice but to surrender. ¡°No, milady! I mean, yes... I don¡¯t mind.¡± Ravealian can be confusing at time. ¡°Wonderful! Dire wolves are stronger and more resilient than normal shadows wolves but as solitary creatures they aren¡¯t as big of a threat. You shouldn¡¯t have a problem.¡± ¡°You think so?¡± She¡¯d survived some tougher fight, but never on her own. ¡°If even my brother, you can.¡± From Varisa¡¯s point of view, her brother exemplified everything that was wrong with Warriors; happy go lucky idiot with more muscle than brain. ¡°I¡¯ll be at Oto¡¯s, so there¡¯s no need to worry about me.¡± The baron had been her mistress¡¯ friend and supporter from the very beginning. He made the two barbarians'' entry into the very selective school¡­ But he wasn¡¯t alone, he had family and retainers... What if they did something untoward? Nadia¡¯s face was quite the amusing spectacle when in deep thought. ¡°I hear his youngest son is incredibly cute. Interested?¡± ¡°Come on Milady, I¡¯m not really¡­¡± Well, maybe a little, they guys back weren¡¯t her type... But that wasn¡¯t the problem. ¡°I trust this baron of yours is a good and rightful man, but what of his family and retainers?¡± ¡°Why hadn¡¯t I thought of that! His heir hates the very idea of me and might hired assassins or worse¡­ Well, I suppose we¡¯ll have to meet in secret like we always do.¡± What with this terrible jokester? Where did the woman she so admired go? Lamented Nadia. ¡°Can¡¯t you be serious for a beat?!¡± Her flustered anger only added to the prankster¡¯s delight. She turned to Agner. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to tell, but I¡¯d like to present the fur to Oto.¡± She waved her own cape. ¡°He¡¯s always liked mine, and I wish to thank him for his support.¡± Monster belonged to whoever fell them, rather than whoever the bounty giver was. Add to that that it took at least three normal shadow wolves¡¯ pelts to create a single cape and it was clear why her crude attire could be source a of envy even to a rich and influent lord. ¡°The Baron has done a lot for me, too. I¡¯ll imbue it for free... Well, I¡¯ll probably need to use the funds and parts you¡¯ve provided me with but...¡± Agner couldn¡¯t be trusted with money, his fortune was managed by his brother and the only money he could use freely were his research funds and allowance. Varisa suddenly clapped her hands, as though suddenly remembering something but the impish smile was a dead giveaway. ¡°I almost forgot! Do you have the other items?¡± ¡°Right, I forgot too. It¡¯s in the other room.¡± His badly hidden smile didn¡¯t help, if there were bad acting classes, they¡¯d be either the star pupils. Heck, they¡¯d be the teachers. Agner came back painfully dragging behind him a large leather bag, much like the one Nadia carried on their way to the capital. ¡°A magic bag?! It¡¯s enormous!¡± Exclaimed the warrior, with dreadful prescience. ¡°Open it.¡± They pressed with grinning anticipation. Inside the bag were a hunting knife, a dagger, a short sword, a buckler, a targe and even a Pavis with its assorted short spear. The last two couldn¡¯t have possibly fit the bag. First a priceless armor, then a priceless bag, and now multiple enchanted weapons. Her heart finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore; she fainted. Agner ran to the corridor panicked. ¡°Someone, call the apothecary! No, a healer, go fetch a healer.¡± Varisa whispered something. Surprise her friend was fun, but she¡¯d overdone it. She took the young woman pulse. ¡°Her breath and heart are steady. She¡¯ll be fine; we hinterlander are tough as nail.¡± Although, no so tough she could carry her friend, and all equipment all by her lonesome. ¡°Do you mind lending us a room until she wakes up?¡± ******************************** A young servant introduced the two women to the inside a magnificent hunting lodge. One would have a hard time figuring its intended purpose seeing as it was more beautifully decorated than most mansion, whether on the inside or the outside. Nadia wished she could have explored, but sadly, time was short. Varisa picked up a sealed envelope from a nicely crafted short table by the entrance, inside were a letter and finely detailed map. She read the letter, then looked at map with a frown. She handed it to her friend. ¡°Can you read it?¡± ¡°Sorry, I cannot.¡± As detailed as it was, the names were written in foreign characters. ¡°It¡¯s Ravealian, ancient Ravealian in fact. I can read Spirit characters well enough, but the orthograph is just plein weird. Give me some time¡± There were a multitude of ruins and dead languages to remind central¡¯s turbulent past. She spent beats looking back and forth between the two documents until. ¡°I got it, we¡¯re here and the beast is there, down south. It made its nest into a large artificial clearing.¡± The huntress heaved a sigh of relief. She had feared she¡¯d be given only have the general direction. Tracking is hard, and wolves¡¯ territories are as large as they¡¯re fast. ¡°What¡¯s this? Did you think I¡¯d takes up upon this job without confirming at least this much?¡± Sneered Varisa, overplaying the perceived insult. ¡°Do you take me for this much of a fool?¡± The huntress teared up. ¡°But¡­ I didn¡¯t... This wasn¡¯t what I meant¡­¡± ¡°Just kidding! I would have preferred if you also took take care of the tracking, though.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not confident in my tracking abilities.¡± Although well trained in combat, she had very little experience with monster hunting. ¡°You¡¯re fine, better than my idiot of a brother at least.¡± Nadia swore internally. ¡°You are right, my lady, if the best hunter of my generation can do it; I should have no problem.¡± ¡°There¡¯s only good old Varisa here, no ladies! Also, he¡¯s not that great. Things brighter than my brother lives under rocks.¡± ¡°Milady is right. My lady is indeed the only one here.¡± I was childish but it worked at working up her up. ¡°I have a name, you know?¡± Bellowed Varisa. ¡°Yes, milady, and what a wonderful name it is!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you, anymore.¡± Pouted the categorically not a lady. ¡°This pains your humble servant greatly, milady.¡± The younger woman stuck her tongue out and closed the door flamboyantly. As for the huntress, she started her journey with a victorious grin. 3. Hunting Now that she was downwind her target, Nadia started heading toward the clearing. A bird called, prompting her to stop; unfamiliar woods meant unfamiliar fauna and flora. Another bird flew to the first one, and she continued her slow progress. She was now about eight hundred paces from the clearing. There weren¡¯t many obstacles, which was both good and bad as it also meant her target would see her. Dire wolves grew big not only because they were strong, but also because they had the intelligence to avoid danger. ¡®Almost.¡¯ She adjusted the grip on her spear and unsheathed her sword with her left hand. Ideally, she would have preferred the pavis, but the environment didn¡¯t allow for it. As for the targe, it was unlikely to provide much protection against the large creature. She bolted down the calculated path at inhuman speed. Not fast enough to take the monstrous creature by surprise, though. The giant wolf avoided the spear by jumping forward and to her left side, the one with shorter weapon. The beast was also deceptively fast for all its cow-size, and discreet too. Maybe as much as its smaller cousins. She dodged the sweeping claw with ease but at the cost of her counter. She sneered, ¡°Clever dog.¡± In only took a few heartbeats to turn around, but by the time she was done, the creature was already a good ten paces away, standing on a mound. The glade was his domain, the broken trees its moats and walls, and the mound its watch tower, The clever knew apes and their tactics well, it surveyed the area for signs of reinforcement but found now. Still, it was too early to dismiss an ambush. The female ape was upon it again, jabbing her spear at its left eye. The dire wolf lunged under the shaft of her spear, but it was too late and took a glancing blow on the crown of its head. The reinforced bone broke with a sound of thunder and the beast let out powerful roar. A roaring dog was already an astounding surprise, but much more importantly painful enough to stagger the huntress. This tiny sliver of time was all it needed to run past her, albeit with broken bone and a gash across its jaw. It ran toward wit the determination to put as much distance as possible between it and this terrifying ape. Whatever awaited in the forest couldn¡¯t be worse than what it¡¯d left behind. It ran one of its many predetermined courses. This one was littered with obstacles it could easy jump over or across with its size but large enough to stop a small pursuer. Or so it thought; it could feel the pursuer drawing closer with every instant. Nadia cursed as another gap cost her precious time. She had long lost line of sight of her target, barely following by its trail when suddenly, there was a ledge and the beast running her. Since it could not outrun its pursuer, the wolf had selected this place for its last stand. It was its one and only chance to kill the ape before it touched ground. Moving with inhuman speed, Nadia, stabbed her spear into the giant back and used its own speed to propel herself upward. ¡°Damn dog! Look at what you made me do!¡± To begin with, a pristine pelt didn¡¯t exist in nature: all living things bore the scar of life, with maybe the exception of dragons (on the assumption they were organic, which was far from certain). Had the wolf been capable of speak, it¡¯d have listed complains of its own. Then again, so would have the livestock and people it had eaten. Nevertheless, it had other thing on its mind right now, like the fast-approaching wall if was about to ram into. The sound was deafening and the impact staggering. Even with her armor, she wouldn¡¯t have gotten out of this without serious consequences. Thankfully, the only one who got to suffer, was the wolf itself, and it wasn¡¯t about to end. With her left, she brought down her sword upon its neck and b lood spurted as the razor-sharp blade embedded itself into the axis bone. It turned around to bite only to be meet the shaft her spear. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Once again, the giant found itself smashed against the wall, but head-first this time. Nadia tore the blade from the absurdly thick bone with a grunt. The gash widened into an open fracture, which caused the dire beast to pass out from spinal trauma. In no hurry, the warrior took careful aim then thrust the tip of her spear through the eye socket. There¡¯d be no waking up from that. Nadia conscientiously cleaned her weapons, out of habits more than of need since there wasn¡¯t even a trace of blood. Pride overcame her; no one could deny her worth: she¡¯d became one of a bloodied... And not with some easy prey like most of the guy back home. Many, many bells later. ¡°Dear Nadia. I¡¯m happy to see you this soon. I thought it¡¯d take you longer, since you left this behind.¡± She kicked the magic backpack lightly. ¡°I... I made a travois.¡± A magic bag was far too precious to risk into the forest. ¡°It can carry hundreds of pounds and naked blades. Do you really think a branch is going to do lasting damage. Even if it did, it¡¯s imbued with regeneration.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t I hear about this?¡± Impishly. ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe because you fainted the first time? Or didn¡¯t listen to a single word I said the second?¡± ¡°I was still groggy at the time.¡± Countered Nadia. ¡°I see. What about the third?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure there wasn¡¯t a third!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, but there might if you didn¡¯t suddenly start treating like a stranger.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this your own fault for teasing me all the time!¡± Fondly, convincedly. ¡°That¡¯s what friends do! I read it in a book¡± She¡¯d always dreamed of a friendship like in her mother¡¯s book. ¡°Do they, though?¡± She¡¯d never seen or experienced it herself. Varisa wasn¡¯t sure, but she wasn¡¯t about to let reality get in the way of her dream. ¡°Staff, please?!¡± ¡°Yes milady? How can this old man help you?¡± This wasn¡¯t the man who greeted them this morning; to begin with he was easily twice their age. ¡°Rickerd, sir?! I though you left with Oto.¡± Why was he given a title when his master wasn¡¯t? ¡°This old man wanted to talk to ask for forgiveness... Milady, I told master he shouldn¡¯t associate with your kind. I called you a vixen. I thought you ¡¯d put master under your spell.¡± ¡°Not with these looks. Come on, even at his age Oto can do better than this.¡± She wished he¡¯d been younger and unmarried... but also knew in her heart they wouldn¡¯t have had as good of a relationship if he were. ¡°There¡¯s more to a person than their look. If I was fifty years younger¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± What an unexpected and amusing development. ¡°I¡¯d have acted like an idiot and ruined everything. Assuming I even got the courage to talk to you in the first place¡­¡± He shacked his head. ¡°I must admit I saw your kind as savages and backstabbers and I¡¯m glad you''ve proved me wrong.¡± Varisa was almost chirping. ¡°That¡¯s so sweet¡­ But you weren¡¯t wrong about the other stuff. My people are brutes, some are barely apes.¡± In case anyone wondered, she meant her brother. ¡°Milady?!¡± Protested Nadia. ¡°I¡¯m joking.¡± Not entirely, though. ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten about the salve. I''ll have it delivered to you as soon as we get back.¡± ¡°My master seems happier now, he lost haunted look he used to have.¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯ve always known him as the man he is.¡± Resolute, kind and enthusiastic. Rickerd brushed his finger across the dirty fur. ¡°What a wonderful fur, even my old unfeeling hands feel warm and fuzzy.¡± ¡°Nice, isn¡¯t it? It was all my Nadia¡¯s work.¡± She sounded like a proud mother. ¡°Hunted and delivered within the single day.¡± Between her teeth, she added. ¡°Unlike my useless hack of a brother, she also walks the walk.¡± ¡°What was that milady?¡± Inquired the warrior? ¡°Nothing.¡± They said their goodbye and when they respective way. After some time, Nadia inquired: ¡°Why are you so kind to random Ravealian but so harsh toward our owns?¡± ¡°I like to think I treat people with the respect they deserve.¡± Stupid, petty, mindless, conniving... She had a lot to say about her people, little good. ¡°The old man is Oto¡¯s butler. A devoted but ruthless man. He has even more influence than his own master, in some circle. I had never expected someone like him to admit his wrong.¡± Their pigheaded elders certainly wouldn¡¯t have. ¡°Mis¡­ Varisa, do you really hate your brother this much?¡± ¡°You heard me, uh? From my point of view, he exemplifies everything that¡¯s wrong with our tribe. A stupid, incompetent brute, but everybody likes him because he killed a monster as a child. I can¡¯t believe my father prefers that oaf over me.¡± ¡°Are you jealous?¡± She had a hard time believing the word coming out of the once cold headed hero. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? I¡¯ve being ostracized for doing the right. I¡¯ve sacrificed everything from them, even my own self! And yet! A bloody moron who can¡¯t find his own ass without a guiding hand is their hero? All because he killed few monsters! Everybody kills monsters! We¡¯re bloody hinterlanders, that¡¯s all we ever do!¡± ¡°I never knew¡­ You seemed so calm and assured.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what it means to suppress oneself! But it''s all in the past now.¡± The bitterness didn¡¯t escape notice. ¡°Is it really.¡± ¡°I try and need to, my dear Nadia. No one can help those who won¡¯t help themselves. Our current mutually beneficial relationship is the best I can hope from them.¡± The arrogant smile of the elder council flashed into her mind. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about them overtaking you.¡± Varisa burst in an incontrollable fit of laughter, so much she had to lie down to find her breath again. ¡°Do you believe them capable?¡± ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t think so.¡± But if they did, they¡¯d ruin everything. ¡°What about you? Will you run back to them with all my secrets and contacts?¡± Nadia walked herself into it, but it still hurt. ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind long ago to live as a Warrior. You are the only master I want or need.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my girl!¡± Spoke Varisa softly, barely holding up her tears. ¡°Still, my advice is to keep your options open. You never know, maybe someday you¡¯ll wish for little barbarians of your own.¡± ¡°As if! Wait, are you telling me to report to them?!¡± ¡°Your choice. You don¡¯t have to tell them everything, nor the truth. Blame it on my corruptive influence on young, impressionable women; that¡¯s what they always do.¡± Nadia; the most corrupt of them all; laughed heartily. 4. School Nadia woke up even earlier than normal. On her way out, she encountered Tina doing her round. ¡°Did I spy an early rising nerd going out for exercise? I thought your race extinct.¡± She smiled. ¡°Just kidding, with that physique you¡¯ve got to be someone¡¯s bodyguard.¡± She didn¡¯t know the word, but it sounded synonymous with weakling... Which she had to admit, did apply to most student. ¡°I¡¯m Milady¡¯s bodyguard. A Warrior as you can see, and a student.¡± ¡°You¡¯re with that thick bodied nerd? The rich barbarian chick; I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll get this year weirdo¡¯s award... I¡¯m betting on it.¡± Every word out of that woman¡¯s mouth was an insult, yet she couldn¡¯t find in herself to get angry at her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a weirdo yourself?¡± ¡°Held the title three years straight when staff isn¡¯t even supposed to be game!¡± If you want to exercise, do you mind if we train together? I¡¯m fed up fighting the same idiots over and over.¡± Tina was (according to herself) super nice and sexy and couldn¡¯t fathom why she had so much trouble keeping her training partners for more than one or two sessions. ¡°Yes, please!¡± What luck! To find a sparring partner out of the blue without even looking... Even if it was such a foul mouthed one. They started slowly, to get a feel of each other¡¯s ability, then went increasingly faster until the space between them became a blur. It lasted for who know how many beats, until Tina suddenly jumped back to ask for a break. ¡°You¡¯re insane, girl.¡± Beamed the older woman with a wide grin. ¡°I thought I was going to die.¡± Even if Nadia was stronger and faster, her opponent was no push over. The dorm guardian interpersonal combat techniques were better developed and finely honed by years of experience. ¡°Funny hearing this from you... I get why my mistress told me not to underestimate the people from central.¡± She¡¯d walked in with a sense of superiority but wasn¡¯t so assured anymore. ¡°I get you¡¯re used fighting with a weapon, right? Your unarmed form is messy and full of hesitations. Still, if you¡¯re this strong without one... What kind of crazy monster did you fight over there?¡± ¡°Mostly ones that prey after livestock, some shadow wolves, great apes, and the occasional wyvern.¡± Her eyes became vacant as she remembered something tragic. ¡°There was a stone ape once.¡± Tina whistled, visibly impressed. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you won?¡± Bitterly. ¡°I barely survived, but I can¡¯t tell as much for my friends.¡± ¡°That¡¯s as good as a win. I wouldn¡¯t face one, not for all the gold in the world. Can''t spend it if you¡¯re dead.¡± Nadia acquiesced. ¡°I... We should have run away.¡± They¡¯d been foolish enough to believe they could slow the beast until reinforcements arrived. She knew better now, even with her new equipment she wouldn¡¯t stand a chance alone. ¡°You know you¡¯re weirdly rational for a Warrior? I think we¡¯ll get along just fine!¡± Cheered the lady. ¡°Is that why you¡¯re working here?¡± Inquired Nadia. The woman was clearly too strong for the job. ¡°Sure is! The pay is good, the food is great and there¡¯s a plenty of thirsty young men. The lack of challenge is weary sometime, but nothing plenty of money and love can¡¯t deal with.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cow¡­¡± The word trailed on. ¡°Sorry, I have no right judging you.¡± ¡°Sensible and tactful?! I¡¯m liking you more and more. Want to meet tomorrow too?¡± ¡°I¡¯d be thankful, I have no one else to train with.¡± ¡°I feel you. All the good ones are out hunting, joining some army or dead. Mostly the last one. It¡¯s like there are only newborn babies and Failures left.¡± Failures was the name given to people who were born with greater strength than normal but none of the senses and instincts displayed by the real deal. Their heightened aggressivity combined with a lack of opportunity often drove them toward illegal jobs. Nadia¡¯s excused herself and headed to the commoner¡¯s refectory. The taste was just as great, albeit with limited choice and portion. The food and accommodation alone made Tina¡¯s choice worthy of consideration. When the two young women reached their classroom, they were met with the sight of their fellow talking angrily among themselves. The source of their ire was an unofficial notice glued at their door. ¡®A institution of learning is no place for commoner and beast. Get back to your field and forest where you came. Signed: A prideful Ravealian.¡¯ Varisa read the notice twice, then took an ink pen out of her pooch with a wide grin on her face. Her edit looked like this: ¡®An institution of learning is no place for commoners and beasts. Get back Return to the fields and or forests where whence you came. Signed: A prideful (accurate but wrong) Hopeless Ravealian who should learn how to write their own language.¡¯ This elicited a good laugh from the crowd. Even the teacher shirked his duty and left it there for all to see. To most teachers, noble included, they were waste of school resources and an embarrassment. Sadly, as living standards increased, it could not be helped that their numbers grew. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. With a few written words Varisa had gone from unknown entity to class hero, pun intended. It was said that for the next few days, commoner students could be seen smirking at their noble counterpart. As the one who wrote the note, Isabella von Ostschwalwald, was quiite obviously outraged. As her family territory was modest and her likelihood of inheriting almost nil; she didn¡¯t have much cause to sustain her pride to begin with. No need to say, she wasn¡¯t reflecting on her mistake. As far as she was concerned, she rather she couldn¡¯t make any since rightness was her birthright. Like many traditionalists noble, her view of the world was simple; there were the pure blooded on one side, and the plebe whose only role was to sustain their masters. The fact the world had not been this way for decades had yet to register with them and their insistence on purity had brought nothing but troubles, beginning with birth defects and sicknesses, Many nobles had realized the problem early and married with prominent Warriors of lesser birth, but a privileged mentality wasn¡¯t so easily vanquished. Isabella considered everything wrong that ever happened to her was pure pettiness born from her brothers¡¯ inadequacies. ¡°How dare this low-born filth! What is the staffs even for?! This calls for retribution!¡± They were there to enforce regulation obviously, many of which clearly stated against privileges. ¡°Your name¡¯s being tarnished; you should ask your father for help.¡± Stella von Lettia was one of the few nobles who¡¯d enlisted of her own will to further her aptitude with earth and water and better benefit the domain. ¡°Yes, father will know what to do. You know, your ancestry may be dime, but you still think like a noble.¡± ¡°Although, you might want to hold out some information, or he might say you brought it upon yourself.¡± Urged Stella, knowing full well it¡¯d have the opposite effect. ¡°I did no such thing. The school... No, the country is at fault for allowing this filth to stand...¡± She shivered. ¡°...as though they¡¯re our equals.¡± ¡°You are right, this is unacceptable.¡± Beneath the kind and understanding mask, was a burning hatred. Unlike the ¡®pure¡¯ moron before her, Stella properly understood who the stain was, and how it¡¯d be removed. ¡°Blood doesn¡¯t lie, even if it¡¯s only half.¡± Isabella had meant it as a compliment. But it was fully taken as an insult. ¡°You¡¯re too kind.¡± Answered the mixed blood amiably, barely containing her desire to strangle the girl in front of her. In A-3, Auer, started the first class of the year: an introduction to the spirit¡¯s language. In central, everyone was familiar with the characters as they often appeared on old buildings and official texts... But this was barely the first step. ¡°Let¡¯s start with something easy, shall we? Can one of you the name of the tenses?¡± ¡°Me!¡± Shouted a girl with her arm extended. ¡°Ravaeas?¡± He sighed, visibly put off by her all-too-eager-to-please enthusiasm. ¡°Again? Someone else? Anyone? Go figure¡­¡± He sighed even louder. ¡°Proceed please.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. There are three basic tenses, present, past and future like in Ravealian. Each tense has two modes and two stances. The modes are continuous and discontinuous, the stances are direct and indirect.¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s right. Please explain and illustrate their use with some examples.¡± ¡°Continuous is exactly what it sounds, ¡®It has rained for three hours straight¡¯ is a continuous mode since a duration is given but ¡®It started raining.¡¯ Is not.¡± She looked at the teacher for confirmation. ¡°That¡¯s right. It can be confusing in this context since Raining is never instantaneous but remember this simple rule: it is continuous when a duration is stated and discontinuous when there¡¯s none. As simple as that. Explain the stances, please.¡± ¡°Yes! Um, both simply relate to whether the speaker is involved with the action. Direct if they are, indirect if they aren¡¯t. ¡®We¡¯ve been tackling this problem with the clerk for hours.¡¯ Is present, direct and continuous while ¡®The clerk will work on solving the problem with the client.¡¯ Is future indirect and discontinuous.¡± ¡°In the second example, there¡¯s is no indication of time, and the speaker isn¡¯t involved in the resolution. Simple as that! Can I also get you to explain the nominal modifiers?¡± ¡°Um¡­ If we take the previous examples¡­ ¡°I¡¯ve been this problem with the clerk for hours¡¯ translates to ¡®The-problem-solving-clerk-and-me-are-in-the-process-of-working-out-a-solution¡­¡¯¡± Her voice trailed, as she became increasingly unsure. ¡°You made one big mistake; the subject always come first and if involved in any way then the speaker is always the subject. ¡®Me-and-the-clerk-for-an-undisclosed-number-of-hour-have-been-working-out-a-solution-to-the-problem-that-plague-us-both. You had the right idea, though. Unlike with our modern langue every word beside the subject is a nominal modifier. Something as simple as it¡¯s raining can become sentence like ¡®Water-from-the-sky-falling-down.¡¯ or if you¡¯re under the rain ¡®Me-water-droplet-from-the-sky-falling-down-on.¡¯¡± Nadia and a few others were already looking desperate. This was hardly a language and more of a linguistical torture device. ¡°¡®Sun-the-sky-lets-shine-unobscured.¡¯ Is the shortest translation I know for ¡®A sunny day¡¯¡± Explained the teacher with a smirk upon his face. ¡°Also keep in mind that the declination for articles and adjectives depend on the tense, gender and position relative to the verb.¡± Varisa, who already learned some and consumed quite a few of Agner¡¯s book explained. ¡°It¡¯s quite likely it was never intended to communicate with human, or orally for that matter. Many believe it is mostly a human construct to help us put our thoughts into words, same with the written form.¡± ¡°An accurate observation! Varisa, was it? If the spirits are immortal and can read thoughts directly, why do they need a spoken language at all? They don¡¯t, but we do.¡± He tapped his head with his index. ¡°The human mind work by association, we need the framework to stop it from straying.¡± ¡°Some unconvinced students protested while other who already had some practice nodded emphatically. ¡°Close your eyes and picture a flame.¡± Ordered Auer They did as was asked. ¡°Wood or charcoal?¡± Suddenly exclaimed the teacher. Voices of ¡°Charcoal.¡± ¡°Wood.¡± and ¡°Ah!¡± answered his questions. His point proven, he sneered. ¡°I think we illustrated our problem perfectly.¡± -------------------------------- Many days later, Baron Veigh Von Ostschwalwald raged alone in his office. ¡°You useless moron of a daughter.¡± The cause was his correspondence, more specifically a notice of expulsion from the Royal school of Spiritualism and a direct explanation by his worthless daughter of the how she managed to get herself expelled on the very first day. The door opened suddenly to let two young men in. ¡°Father?! Are you alright?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not alright. This is this stupid daughter of mine! Again! I ordered her to keep a low profile, I¡¯ve explained, I¡¯ve pleaded so many times... but to no avail. Two years, a mere couple of years and I could have married to some other idiot... Was it really too much to ask?¡± ¡°Are you recalling her?¡± Asked the eldest with anticipation. Arnold never had much love for Isabella, but ever since she¡¯d taken upon calling his wife and son ¡®the bitch and the mongrel¡¯, he¡¯d wanted nothing more than to end her himself. A sentiment his wife abundantly shared. ¡°She¡¯s always been a traditionalist.¡± Commented Erwin nonchalantly. Unlike his brother, his approach toward was one of indifference. ¡°Call it what it is; freaking laziness.¡± From the baron point of view, tradition was but the recourse by which the indolent justified their continued existence and undeserved position. People like her called tradition their castle and blood its foundation, to which he usually answered by pointing the many ruins scattered across the land. ¡®A mud castle built on a shifty base.¡¯ He¡¯d tell them. ¡°What of Lucia?¡± Unlike the eldest, the youngest sister was well loved, and not only by her own family. The girl was so endearing that despite a lack of invaluable talent (although this could be considered a talent), she still received engagement proposals by the dozen. Friends, family, even servant and villagers doted on the girl as though she were a most beloved pet. ¡°I''ll tell her as it is. The girl is too meek, she needs to grow up.¡± As the head of the family the final says was his. ¡°If you say so.¡± Their tone still let enough of their feeling that their father raised an eyebrow. ¡°How does a hunting incident sound to you?¡± Proposed Arnold. Isabella was a terrible huntress, but she enjoyed it inordinately. ¡°You can leave the execution to me¡­¡± ¡°No! I¡¯ll do it myself¡± Interrupted the aging man. ¡°She¡¯s still my daughter. I won¡¯t let anyone make a mockery of her death.¡± ¡°She made one of her life, though.¡± Pointed Erwin jokingly. The elder man turned his scowling head slowly and deliberately ¡°Son, do you have anything constructive to bring to the conversation?¡± ¡°Sorry, father.¡± Then he then quickly remembered some recent occurrence. ¡°Weren¡¯t there some bandits operating down south three or four weeks ago?¡± It was a stretch, but given the proper narrative, they could make it work. ¡°I don¡¯t like it! I¡¯d never make that kind of mistake.¡± Shot the elder brother. ¡°That¡¯ll do. No one care anyway.¡± This was the sad truth, so called incident were common, and it was in no one¡¯s interest to investigate them. A few days later, it was declared that Isabella died in a bandit raid and that the bandits bore marks of her valiant defense. They were quickly identified as remnants of a group who¡¯d been away during the attack a few weeks ago; a group of barbarian mercenaries gone rogue. According to the grapevine, very few came to the funeral, and then again only in deference to her father. According to yet another rumor, so distraught was sweet Lucia that she uncharacteristically lashed out at her bereaved father in the middle of the wake. 5. More school Varisa was sitting on her bed, her back against the wall. She put the book down she¡¯d been reading to massage her temple with both hands. It contained a hundred spells, and nothing else... No explanation, not even a comment. They¡¯d been told to read and learn and that there¡¯d be a test within three months. ¡®What¡¯s with those?¡¯ She¡¯d made multiple translations, but still couldn¡¯t figure what over half of them were supposed to do. She knew the problem didn¡¯t lie with her as she was arguably better with Ravealian than most Native speakers. The problem was with the vocabulary; it was overly specialized and niche. Heck, there¡¯d been cases where she couldn¡¯t find the stupid words in regular dictionaries Nadia knocked. ¡°Mistress, would you like to get breakfast with me? There isn¡¯t much time left before the refectory close.¡± It had been over two hours since Nadia left to train with her friend Tina et they were indeed cutting short on time. ¡°Coming¡­ and thanks for inviting me.¡± The distraction was welcome. ¡°Thank for what? Don¡¯t we eat together every day?¡± ¡°That¡¯s for me to know and for you to ponder.¡± She wasn¡¯t about to admit she was stumped when Nadia had it much worse than her. She promptly changed the subject.¡°How was your training?¡± This time, the answer was enthusiastic. ¡°Tina is a weird one. She¡¯s weaker and slower than me by all account but I keep finding myself on the defensive. There wasn¡¯t anyone like her back home.¡± ¡°She¡¯s older and more practiced fighting people, what did you expect?.¡± Interpersonal combat was hardly a priority in the monster filled hinterlands, apart maybe from a select few tribes who sold their services as mercenary, which intersected well with their banditry activities. ¡°What of your studies?¡± Enthusiasm drained from her face. ¡°Um¡­ Er¡­ I¡­ I can summon a light and that¡¯s about it.¡± She manifested a shinning heatless orb over her left hand as a demonstration. This was a most common spell, used by thousands daily. ¡°Change it to a cube over your head, if you please.¡± Requested Varisa. What defined a true mage from the common user was the ability to alter and build spells to suit their needs. ¡°Um¡­ Okay.¡± The light faded as Nadia relinquished her grasp over it. Not long after, she recited a slightly different spell. ¡°Is that alright?¡± As he asked the question, she cocked her head sideway and the light followed suit. ¡°Wonderful!¡± Her newfound ability to come up with a new spell on the fly was proof of her progress. ¡°Do you want to hit the library with me?¡± She had ordered a few books for her and Nadia¡¯s use. ¡°Yes, please!¡± She needed all the help she could get, and despite sharing quarters, they spent surprisingly little time together. ¡°Common or restaurant?¡± Proposed Varisa as they neared the refectory. Red in the face, Nadia asked bashfully they head restaurant. She loved the selection of desserts, although the cost of each item felt shameful to her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you invite Tina tomorrow? I¡¯m sure she¡¯d delight to eat at someone else¡¯s expense.¡± One didn¡¯t need much contact with the woman to understand her hedonistic nature. The young warrior overtly laughed at the all too accurate description. ¡°You don¡¯t mind? I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be delighted.¡± The food was delicious, and with their meal and ablution finished, they headed to the library. More specifically, to the copy shop near the entrance. ¡°Good morning miss Varisa.¡± Called the clerk joyously. She was a young dark-haired woman with pleasant feature and even nicer smile. ¡°Good morning, Clara.¡± She presented a large paper card, ¡°I was informed you received my order?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, although not all of it. Let me see¡­Mnemonics to the spirit tongue. Check. Ravealian and spirit language dictionary. Check¡± She took the card presented to her to stamp out the two titles before handing it back then from behind the counter, she recovered two heavy red books with a grunt. Varisa winced, she had not expected the bilingual dictionary to be this ridiculously massive. ¡°Want some help?¡± Asked Nadia. The book was easily half as big as the petite woman. One couldn¡¯t help but wonder how it hadn¡¯t yet come apart under its own weight. The dark-haired girl winked. ¡°I¡¯m a lot stronger than I look but thank you for offering.¡± She then flipped the page of one of her many registries. ¡°There was a down payment of one gold crown and a half for the dictionary plus three silver crowns and a half for the other which makes¡­ That¡¯ll be five gold pennies; one silver crown and five silver pennies.¡± Varisa handed down a crown. ¡°Thank you for the rushed job, I never expected it to be this... massive. Do you mind putting the leftover as down payment for the last books?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not supposed to... But I¡¯ll make an exception for you since you¡¯re such a good customer.¡± Answered Clara playfully. This got Varisa to sharpen her eyes critically and start nagging. ¡°The service has been acceptable so far, but I wouldn''t get too complacent if I were you. I can still go to the concurrence.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t though, there¡¯s literally no one else.¡± Protested the little black-haired woman. ¡°What you mean to say is: there isn¡¯t yet. If you catch my drift.¡± Said Varisa menacingly. The clerk cried out overly dramatically. ¡°You¡­ You wouldn¡¯t dare?¡± Fake tears glistened in her eyes as she pleaded ¡°Do you have no heart? Will you put me... No, all of us out on the street our with your financial might?¡± ¡°Work hard, so that it does not happen.¡± Her smile turned evil. ¡°Or even better, come work for me.¡± ¡°You! You¡¯re really after my body, aren¡¯t you?!¡± Gasped Clara. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Varisa made a show of looking at Clara¡¯s body from different angles. She loved these bouts of silliness she¡¯d read about but never experienced herself... Until recently. ¡°Yeah, you got me there. What¡¯s your price? Everyone has one.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll never make me betray my husband.¡± Countered Clara vehemently although her hands flashed a large gold coin and a three from behind the counter.¡± She too loved playing around, something she hadn¡¯t had many opportunities to since she joined the library. ¡°Deal! I¡¯ll have mine for take-out.¡± ¡°Oh, no! Woe is me! Sinful, lustful me! To think I have sold my soul for money¡­¡± A door opened violently from behind the counter to let pass a blond-haired woman in her mid-forties. ¡°Mind your voice! I can hear you from the other side.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Answered both culprits as they bowed their heads in perfect unison. ¡°No need for theatrics, just keep your voice down!¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Responded the pair. ¡°This was so embarrassing.¡± Commented the hinterland girl, still basking in the fresh new experience. ¡°Damn right it was!¡± Responded Clara. ¡°This is all your fault Varisa. You''re such a good sport.¡± ¡°Me? Who are you kidding, you are!¡± ¡°Come one, you know I don¡¯t hold a candle to you¡­¡± ¡°Please, watch your tone, milady.¡± Interrupted Nadia a finger pointed at the door. While she herself had no interest in such banters, she was very happy her mistress found someone to play along. Of only she limited her games to correct the time and place. ¡°Sorry, ma¡¯am.¡± Answered the duo joyously. The two hinterlanders collected the books and stepped through the main entrance into the library proper. It had three sections, each with its own level. On the first floor were the entrance, the main information counter and a largest study room. Its alleys contained specialized dictionaries, manuals and a plethora of exercise books. The second level configuration was about the same, albeit with a smaller study room to make place to alleys filled with books on technical and natural philosophy, religion, history and even some fiction. The third and last floor was dedicated to the conservation and restoration of ancient tomes. It was overseen by a special information counter and its access strictly restricted to the research staff and students under their supervision. At regular interval, all over the library were warning placards listing the rules of the library: The two women sat side by side at an empty table on the first floor. ¡°What can I help you with?¡± Asked Varisa softly. ¡°Sadly, a lot. I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t even understand the translations you made for me.¡± Responded Nadia in the same voice. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to explain, but the language is missing a lot of words and concepts.¡± Many a reclusive tribe didn''t have a name for their tongue for it was the only one they knew. Nadia opened her textbook to the dreaded chapter. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Those spells require too much outside knowledge and for the few I get; their usage seems pointlessly narrow.¡± So much for escapism whined the younger girl internally, it was the exact same problem. ¡°I see we share the same grief.¡± Unwillingly admitted Varisa. She didn¡¯t want to believe it, but maybe they really lacked something as foreigners. A booming voice resounded into the library. ¡°I can¡¯t find any. What¡¯s the bloody heck with that?¡± Complained a noble around thirteen. He was soon joined by other youths of similar standing, age and noisiness. Angry stares turned on them from all direction but to no avail. On the contrary, they looked as though as they enjoyed the attention. ¡°This place is a dump.¡± Snobbishly fussed another one. ¡°How can the staff be so bloody useless?¡± Spat a slightly older boy in (self-)righteous fury. ¡°Pure noble should have our own space. One that doesn¡¯t stink of mongrel.¡± His sight was directed at Stella von Lettia, a girl from the same class who¡¯d told him what she thought of his ideas, and how far up his ass he could shove them. In response, she simply pointed a finger at a placard SILENCE IN THE LIBRARY behind her. Sadly, rather than stop him from making noise his eye was drown to Varisa¡¯s dictionary that he promptly snatched. A red cover meant personal property. To the stupid arrogant privileged youth, a commoner¡¯s property was as good as theirs. ¡°This is milady¡¯s!¡± Growled Nadia. ¡°Put it back right this instant, or I¡¯ll make you.¡± He explained, as to chiding a child. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s your problem? I¡¯ll give it back once I¡¯m done with it.¡± He then lamented to his friends, with a tough look. ¡°What¡¯s with these people? No sense of property...¡± His scream filled the room was Nadia made true on her promise. Unfortunately for them both, in her rage she¡¯d failed to properly control her strength and broke the boy¡¯s fingers under the heavy tome. Suddenly, as though they¡¯d been waiting for the occasion, library¡¯s enforcers entered the fray. ¡° What¡¯s with the commotion?¡± Asked their leader with a disdainful smile. ¡°This bitch attacked Basil without provocation. Do something, damnit!¡± Urged a young noble. ¡°Really? Miss, did you attack this man?¡± Nasty intention transpired his falsely neutral tone. It was Varisa who responded? ¡°The boy stole a book. Dear Nadia put it back where it belonged, albeit a bit strongly. How is it her fault that he didn¡¯t let go?¡± ¡°Really?¡± The tone was sarcastic as he pointed at the unconscious teen. ¡°How does not letting go of a book end up into a broken hand?¡± ¡°That bitch attacked out of nowhere.¡± ¡°Animals, the lot of them.¡± Yeah! Put them down.¡± ¡°Not even their books.¡± Clamored the noisy nobles. ¡°This is now an inquiry. Swear by your honor, and in the name of his majesty to tell the truth and only the truth.¡± The somber gravity of his tone was largely offset by the rictus on his face. ¡°He took the book without permission, the tall one threatened him and snatched it back when he wouldn¡¯t surrender his steal.¡± Quickly surmised Stella von Lettia more afraid her silence would be held against her that of what her fellow would do to her. ¡®Traitorous scum.¡± ¡°Look at that, the filthy mongrel sides with her fellow bitch.¡± ¡°Learn to read, cretins.¡± Responded Stella unabashed. She was too happy with what happened to her former nemesis to let any of this get her down. ¡°I need you to swear, milords, on your honor.¡± Strongly asked the librarian again. ¡°Yeah, yeah! Do your damn duty man.¡± ¡°Hurry-up and get those beasts out.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t it matter, Basil¡¯s hurt! Call a healer damnit.¡± A rare voice of reason in an ocean of stupidity. The enforcer asked again. ¡°This can wait until we¡¯ve established the truth. Did that woman attack unprovoked, or did she not?¡± ¡°She did! Are you happy, now? Call a bloody healer!¡± This apparently satisfied the enforcer as he claimed. ¡°You lot are guilty of perjury, causing a disturbance, offensive language, breaking the peace and abetting a thief. Take them away!¡± ¡°What?! Who do you think we are?!¡± ¡°Who you are and where you hail from doesn¡¯t matter as there are no privileges in this school. Which you should know if you lot ever paid attention to anything but yourselves. Not that it matters, you¡¯re all guilty of perjury, on front of your peers and before inquisitors mandated by his majesty himself. Pack your things, your families will be officially informed of your dismissal.¡± ¡°We did nothing wrong.¡± ¡°She started it.¡± A librarian pointed at the placards on the wall. ¡°Lie all you want, we observed everything that transpired. As for you¡­¡± ¡°This is an outrage!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll hear from my father.¡± ¡°Who do you think you are?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch me¡± He rolled his eyes fed up with the boys¡¯ protest. ¡°Lock them up while I finish here, please.¡± He turned back to Nadia. ¡°As I was trying to say, violence is not tolerated within the library. It¡¯d be one thing if you were protecting yourselves or your belongings, but neither were directly at risk. Do you agree?¡± ¡°I do...¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but both and the boy will be consigned to your rooms until a decision can be made. If you work outside, an exception can be made but we will need to confirm with your employer.¡± ¡°I... Hum¡­Do not work.¡± ¡°Much simpler then. You may be called to state your case. Are you familiar with the procedure?¡± Even if at a level, he sympathized with her, he wished he could just kick them both out like the others and be done with it. Sadly, jurisprudence was fuzzy with accidental harm, and considering the price of the book, it was well within the definition of self-defense. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Acquiesced a despondent Nadia. That day, Varisa realized two things out of the whole incident. Firstly, the natives were as troubled by the assignment as she was. Secondly, the school was out to crush troublemakers, the Hopeless in particular. Later the same day in the principal office. ¡°Matia dissolved their parliament. According to rumor the king had most of them executed for treason.¡± Announced Elias von Siltt somberly as he sat. ¡°I¡¯m sure his majesty would also delight in removing some of his barons.¡± This was from his host Mulheim, the principal. ¡°Feudalism is dragging us down. We were decades behind Utravalia, and now Matia is passing us by. Can you believe this?¡± ¡°If only we could get those frontier idiots to cease their senseless skirmishes.¡± Elias, a noble and a frontier idiot himself, could not agree more. ¡°Speaking of idiots, we¡¯ll have at least six less to deal with. Five committed perjuries during an investigation and another was caught red-handed stealing from the restaurant.¡± ¡°Damn them! What little we get from the nobles don¡¯t even start to cover the damages their stupid progeny causes!¡± The pair had come to a similar position but from wildly different background. Elias, fifth son of minor traditional noble, was kicked out of home at a young age by incompetent siblings fearful of his talent. Mulheim on the other hand, was the beloved son of a merchant. He¡¯d received a good education and had been expected to take over the business... until a minister poached him from his own family. At the time, his majesty¡¯s father¡¯s cabinet was eager to recruit people without connections to put in charge of reforming the school. A monumental task which¡¯d probably go to the next generation as they¡¯d been at it for over forty years. According to ancient text, the country technical level was far below what the Cardinal empire had enjoyed at its most decadent, below Ultravia¡¯s, and probably soon below Matia¡¯s. It couldn¡¯t be helped that Ultravia sudden modernization and reformation had come as a surprise to all, not least to the Ultravian themselves. Embroiled as they were in internal affairs, the three kingdoms enjoyed their first time of peace in centuries (apart from the occasional disputes between frontiers idiots) but everybody knew the next war would be all the more terrible for it. 6. Punishment The very next day, Varisa got up early to inform Tina of her roommate¡¯s situation and hopefully learn something helpful. ¡°Hi, this is the first time we spoke with one another, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I was expecting you, but not this soon. Want to ask me about little Nadia?¡± ¡°Figures you¡¯d already know, you are staff... Despite your looks.¡± ¡°Thorny! Well, despite my looks, I''m still the girl dorm¡¯s guardian. It sucks though; just when I found someone nice to train with.¡± ¡°I should have stressed more on how weak Normals are.¡± ¡°The way I see it, she¡¯s shown a lot more restraint than I¡¯d have expected from her. But the rules are the rules and if you went and punched every asshole you come across; you¡¯d run out of knuckle long before you¡¯d ran out of target.¡± ¡°Quite the colored way to put it. I had asked Nadia to invite you for breakfast but... Will you join us for breakfast? Only if you¡¯re free.¡± ¡°You mean? At the restaurant? You¡¯re paying.¡± Her voice trembled with anticipation. ¡°Ye...¡± Was all Varisa could say before a screaming dorm¡¯s guardian interrupted her. ¡°I¡¯m free, whenever, wherever!¡± Varisa laughed softly. ¡°Thanks for looking after my friend, I should have made myself more available to her.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that be the other way around? With her being older and your bodyguard to boot? Anyway, she¡¯s my friend too¡­ Sort of. I like her; she¡¯s got a head on her shoulder, and makes good use of it... Most of the time. This is rare, and even rarer with Warriors.¡± ¡°I know all too well, believe me.¡± She¡¯d wasted most of her life dealing with egotistical idiots. ¡°And no case was ever more pitiful than my brother.¡± ¡°Was? He¡¯s dead?¡± Enquired Tina. ¡°The bastard¡¯s got an old barbel¡¯s luck.¡± Wyverns, are aggressive, and lethally venomous flying monster who lack immune to their own venom. Territorial to a fault, they can¡¯t stand the sight of one another outside mating season. The males; also known as barbel; often ends up as their mate pick me up snack after breeding. ¡°Suicidal, lucky, somewhat strong and a complete ass!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what most Warrior who lived past their teen are like.¡± Pointed Tina. ¡°Boastful, rash, brainless idiots without an ounce of survival instinct?¡± Surely that couldn¡¯t be. ¡°Boastful, rash, brainless idiots without an ounce of survival who lived long enough to tell the tale.¡± It wasn¡¯t that Warrior were suicidal, simply that a lot of them died before they could learn from their mistake. ¡°You¡¯re overestimating my brother by a long shot if you think he¡¯s got the wit to tell a tale.¡± ¡°There are quite a few hunters out there who can¡¯t find their own ass without a map.¡± Brashness shouldn¡¯t work as a species survival strategy, but they were hedonistic enough to make it work. ¡°Forget the map, in of my brother¡¯s case you¡¯d have to guide him every step of the way. Did I mention he was a self-righteous prick too? Even though he didn¡¯t have a clue of what was going on.¡± She sounded irate. ¡°The wannabee hero type, uh. I feel for you. I quit hunting because I couldn¡¯t stand being surrounded by fools¡­¡± As an epicurean she had her own set of priorities. ¡°Let stop talking about that. It¡¯s depressing.¡± She had a lot of memories of her good-willing brother working against her and the common interest. The older woman looked at the younger one as if to study her then asked. ¡°Like it here?¡± ¡°School is hard but a much welcome change. I also don¡¯t mind the luxury.¡± ¡°No kidding? I wouldn¡¯t neither.¡± They both laughed. ¡°Let¡¯s meet at first bell.¡± ¡°Good for me.¡± Confirmed Tina. As Varisa entered the room, she found Nadia in the middle of some light muscle training. ¡°Hello, mis... Varisa¡± Saluted Nadia. ¡°Hello, sweaty¡­ I mean sweety.¡± It wasn¡¯t funny, but she couldn¡¯t help herself. She sniffed herself. ¡°Sorry. Let me take a bath. It¡¯s just that I need to move around.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± Stated Varisa. ¡°It totally is, though.¡± Countered Nadia. ¡°It¡¯s partially mine. It¡¯s clear those... People can¡¯t think rationally. I should have been more cautious and avoided the library.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have to hide from the like of them! The worst thing is that I wasn¡¯t even trying to harm him. If he¡¯d just let go...¡± If only he¡¯d taken the lighter book. If only she¡¯d been calmer... No amount of rumination would ever change the past. ¡°I know you weren¡¯t. The staff too. I¡¯ve offered to pay the healing fees, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll help, expulsion seems to be the default punishment around.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Eh?! They¡¯re going to kick me out?¡± She hadn¡¯t realized how grave her situation was. ¡°Nothing¡¯s been decided yet and there are lighter punishments too...¡± This was just that decades of students pushing the limit had work the staff¡¯s patience thin. More importantly, it wasn¡¯t a case where money and influence could help. ¡°I¡¯ll be on my best behavior.¡± She didn¡¯t want to get separated again after just few weeks. ¡°If needs be, I¡¯ll rent a place nearby.¡± This wouldn¡¯t be as grand as what they had here, but still better than nothing. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± She grown to enjoy the routine here, she even made a friend and rival, and above all although it sometime made her head hurts, she liked the lessons and people here. ¡°There¡¯s always hunting. Do you remember the tavern we went to on the day we arrived? The owner offers intermediary services.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± It¡¯d once been her dream to become a hunter. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­¡± The sudden realization made Varisa¡¯s eye grow wide ¡°Don¡¯t tell me?! You really like it here? For real? Even then lessons?¡± Nadia nodded and Varisa suddenly took her into her embrace. ¡°I had always feared you were only putting up with it because I asked you to!¡± Her cheeks went red with embarrassment. ¡°Mis¡­ Mistress.¡± This was the first time she saw her this emotional, and it was tremendously embarrassing. ¡°Va-ri-sa! How I¡¯ve longed for a friend, someone who¡¯d get me, if only even a little?¡± There¡¯d been this one girl, but she was dead, and Oto felt more like an uncle than a friend. ¡°It¡¯s hard, but interesting. I really like it here and more importantly; I don¡¯t want to be separated.¡± Varisa was hardly the same person she¡¯d once admired, but that wasn¡¯t a problem; in fact, she liked it better this way. ¡°I¡¯ll find a way.¡± Affirmed Varisa. ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°To tell the truth, I¡¯ve always feared you only went along for my sake, but if you truly like it here, there¡¯s no need for me to act reserved. I¡¯ll talk to our teacher. If it doesn¡¯t work out, I¡¯ll try with the board. I¡¯ll bribe my way up the ministry if I have to.¡± This was more likely to get her expelled too, but she was this resolute. Nadia squeezed back ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll reheat the water for you.¡± As water was still lukewarm, she cast a truncated version of her usual spell, but to her surprise, fumes rose in the air. Confusion crept upon her face. ¡°Nadia, can you ca... No forget it, enjoy your bath.¡± ¡°This alone was worth coming.¡± Chimed Nadia as she jumped in. Hot water was a rare commodity, and now she could make as much as she wanted with a simple spell. Next room, Varisa laughed with mirth. ¡°To think it was really this simple.¡± she muttered. She¡¯d found the answer... One answer to that insane assignment, and it was incredibly simple: detailed spells aren¡¯t needed. On the contrary, without proper understanding, excess details were far more of a hindrance. ¡°You seem content.¡± Commented a fully dressed, but not quite dry Nadia. ¡°Dry your hair¡­¡± She started a spell that appeared, but quickly decided otherwise in favor of the tried-and-true solution, a towel. Nadia protested, flustered. ¡°I can do it myself.¡± ¡°You should have spoken sooner, because I¡¯m almost done.¡± They met with Tina near the entrance. Anyone could see her high expectation from her countenance. ¡°Hi Nadia, doing well?¡± Her answer came short and contrite. ¡°Hello and sorry; I¡¯ve messed up badly.¡± ¡°Bah, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine.¡± Affirmed the older woman with befitting carelessness. Nadia on the other hand, wished she could be that serene. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s eat!¡± Prompted the guardian, true to her priorities. As they entered the room, she spied the tables and let out a cry of excitement. ¡°There¡¯s a buffet! How many plates can I get?¡± Varisa cocked her head in confusion. Did this really warrant such exultation? ¡°As many as you want.¡± ¡°You sure? Really sure? I eat a whole lot, you know?¡± Pressed the woman again. ¡°Eat as much as you want.¡± Confirmed her host. ¡°Really, no take backs?¡± She¡¯d eaten boys out of their salaries in the past. The back and force was worrying though ¡°You sound so desperate you¡¯re actually making me nervous. How does one gold penny as a limit?¡± Even by restaurant standards, this was an absurd amount of money to spend on a single meal. ¡°Come on, not even I can eat that much!¡± The costliest dish was a half silver penny, meaning she¡¯d have to eat two hundred of those to spend her budget. Nevertheless, now that she had a limit, she started stacking the plates with the expertise of a buffet veteran. ¡°Look at her going.¡± Commented Nadia, appalled. When Tian finally seated back with the other, she had accumulated by herself enough to nourish all the student in the room. ¡°At a buffet you need to target rare dishes, and to avoid grain and starch.¡± ¡°Will you really be alright eating this much?¡± Wondered Varisa. ¡°It didn¡¯t matter if it was filling or not, the volume alone was excessive¡± She answered proudly. ¡°Nope, but turn out I can bring the leftovers home.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Since servants and bodyguard weren¡¯t authorized inside the building, the had to deliver directly to the dormitory. ¡°Make sense.¡± Conflicts between students often devolved in duels or even full-scale confrontation back when it was still a school for nobility. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if it appears like I¡¯m interrogating you, but do you have any idea of what they intend to do with Nadia?¡± ¡°Nothing yet, but I feel like she¡¯ll be fine.¡± Witnesses confirmed she¡¯d simply slammed the book one the table with intention to cause harm and then it was within the law to defend one¡¯s property. The real problem was with the place the incident occurred as they didn¡¯t want students to try and resolve their problem with violence. Even more importantly, Varisa was a welcome source of revenue. ¡°At least, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll kick her out.¡± She knew that just as there existed item to enhance strength, there were items that did the opposite. ¡°Is there any way I can appeal?¡± ¡°You can try speaking with your teacher, or the staff.¡± She frowned as she tried to remember something. ¡°This is a long shot but there some sort of prize for student who perform particularly well or something like that. Not sure when or if it applies at all though.¡± It didn¡¯t. The prizes, along the line of books and better amenities, only applied to scholarship students. They weren¡¯t the only one to find the subject problematic, i n the principal¡¯s office the same day. ¡°What should we do?¡± Asked Principal Muhlheim. ¡°From my point of view, it all comes to how well she performs in class.¡± Elias had no idea as more involved with management and relation than scholastic affairs. ¡°Not bad, she¡¯s in the lower middle tier.¡± With over five hundred students, this was a sweet stop for a foreigner. ¡°You are telling me that a Warrior... An uncultivated barbarian Warrior, is performing well enough to be in the middle of the pack? And she¡¯s here from her own volition too?¡± He regretted not getting involved earlier. ¡°Isn¡¯t she a treasure?¡± He¡¯d love to pick her brain out to see what made her tick and if it could be replicated the feat with their own brand of morons (Warriors). ¡°It''s so hard to get a Warrior to volunteer, much less one with a functioning brain. I''d love if we could make an exception, but we can¡¯t risk creating a new system of privileges when were still battling the old one.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t such a grave offense though.¡± Injuring a thief was hardly as a crime. ¡°Two broken fingers when the ¡®thief¡¯ wasn¡¯t even trying to run? And in the library no less. That counts as assault from my point of view. A shame, when we consider the matter of her liege.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard¡­¡± He stopped mid-sentence as his mind finally caught up on what he¡¯d just heard. ¡°Do hinterlanders even have fiefs?¡± ¡°Maybe, I don¡¯t know. No two tribe is the same. The eldest calls the youngest Milady and Mistress all the time.¡± Explained the principal with a shrug. He couldn¡¯t care less whether she was nobility. ¡°Whatever, it doesn¡¯t change a thing! She owes her place in school to baron Estlugvael, the rising star. Not only that, but even Agner the enchanter also made an appeal on her behalf.¡± The man agoraphobia was well known. ¡°What?!¡± A daughter to one, and a mistress to the other and yet also a barbarian. That didn¡¯t make any sense. Oto had been unusually thigh-lipped about the whole affair, so he couldn¡¯t entirely reject the idea of her being either his mistress but... ¡°I know she¡¯s not being entertained. She has her own sources of income.¡± Muhlheim quickly looked at the information he had. ¡°We¡¯re not far in the year, but she appears to perform slightly above average. She seems to have a rare interest in theoretical magic.¡± Theoretical magic was both the most important and least lucrative topic. A searcher with a good source of income sounded like a dream come true. ¡°Hopeless bastards, they¡¯re only good at causing problem.¡± ¡°He sure keeps with the family¡¯s tradition of being a pain in the ass. Didn¡¯t I tell you? The little shit is a second cousin of mine... Or whatever. I don¡¯t keep track; they breed like rabbit and don¡¯t stop until they¡¯re dead.¡± If it was not yet obvious, Elias loathed nobility, with a special hatred aimed at his own family. ¡°We could start by allowing the girl to stay as an attendant. Then, down the line, we make a small exception to allow her back into the library.¡± It wasn¡¯t perfect, but it¡¯d give them a chance to study her case. Elias, who was more familiar with the law explained. ¡°The boy actions fall under mischief but hers can be interpreted as assault, pure and simple. Too bad, if she weren¡¯t a barbarian, I¡¯d have offered her an apprenticeship.¡± There weren¡¯t many positions available and granting one of the few to some foreigner would be sure to ruffle some feathers. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m grasping at straws but can¡¯t we¡­¡± He struggled to put his thought in order. ¡°The blame is shared, isn¡¯t it? Can¡¯t we threaten them both with expulsion and decide who stay according to their performance?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Not a bad idea.¡± The boy was inept, his grade a joke and there was a tradition of granting boons to student who performed well. ¡°It even makes it sound as if we¡¯re keeping with the school¡¯s principle of fairness.¡± A cruel smile formed as he formed a scheme to entrap the boy. Duel weren¡¯t as common nowadays but still very much part of the nobles¡¯ mentality. Faced with certain expulsion or a duel against an apparently clueless barbarian Warrior, there was little (can¡¯t never say no with idiots) doubt which he''d choose. ¡°You¡¯re the expert on nobility, I¡¯ll defer to your opinion as always.¡± ¡°You can count on me.¡± He was glad, chances to get back at his estranged family were so rare. The next morning, an expulsion notice was published, it listed the name of the student alongside the crimes they¡¯d committed. It was also announced that since the last two students weren¡¯t involved in any crime but were equally responsible of the incident, their future would be decided by their respective performance at the upcoming exam. Even if by accident Tina had been right. 7. Exam ¡°It¡¯s just a test, like any other. You can do it!¡± Encouraged Varisa. Nadia had never felt this nervous before, not even facing certain death. She responded hesitantly. ¡°Yeah. Just a test.¡± A group of noble youth, bunched up in front of the classroom hindered their passage. ¡°How much for a pass?¡± Asked a kid with colorful clothing and excessive facial hair. It made him sort of look like a circus monkey. By some unknown mean they had heard of Varisa¡¯s connection with baron von Estlugvael, and concluded the worst as evidenced by their word. Usually, she would have passed them without a look, but they had indirectly insulted Oto with their insinuation, and that would not pass. She turned to face the boy with feigned surprise (In case anyone was wondering, her acting had not gotten any better). ¡°Whose monkey is it and who¡¯s the ventriloquist?¡± The smile disappeared on the boy face; he was very touchy about his facial hair. ¡°You almost got me there! It is a puppet, right? There is no way a beast this ugly can be real.¡± It was neither particularly funny nor clever, but every chance to laugh at the other side¡¯s expense was welcomed. ¡°Damn ugly bitch, go back to your forest!¡± Shouted back the boy in outrage. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you the one to go back, though? But to answer your question, I have no intention to pay for your services, no matter the price. Don¡¯t you own a mirror? Get a good look at yourself; you¡¯re in no shape to whore yourself.¡± It got even more laughs than the first time, including from his allies. Sanding at the edge of the crowd was a boy who hadn¡¯t let out a sound during the exchange. His stare was fixed on Nadia from as he caressed his left hand. There was no anger, no fury, but fearful eyes unnerved her more than any insult from his friends. She hurriedly stepped into the classroom to escape the sight. On each desk was a stack of paper and when the bell ran, the teacher told them to start. She read the questions.
  1. Write a lesser spell that improve the fertility in a sandy ground.
She didn¡¯t know. She should have, but nothing came to mind.
  1. Write a spell to cleanse water.
It was an easy spell she used daily but once again she was unable to write anything down.
  1. Write a spell to light a streetlight.
Streetlight? She couldn¡¯t remember an example like this in the book... Maybe something they studied in class.
  1. Write a spell to summon drinkable water.
She somewhat remembered a spell to extract water from the air and ground, but the wording eluded her.
  1. Write a spell to bring water to ebullition.
This, she knew by heart! She and Varisa had devised a series of spell to meet every kind of needs, from heating bath to boiling a cup of tea. She wrote down the answer with heartfelt assurance, and the fog which had taken over her mind cleared. It felt so evident now, but every lighting spell was the same. She wrote down her answer. The water summoning and cleansing spells quickly followed suit. Time flew by, her confidence grew with each question answered and before long, it was the end. ¡°I thought my heart would stop when I saw you look dazedly at your copy.¡± Confided Varisa ¡°I¡¯ve answered all fifty questions but...¡± her voiced trailed with uncertainty. ¡°But?¡± She knew the answer because she felt the same. ¡°... I¡¯ve lost all confidence in my answers.¡± As expected, they were the same. ¡°I am not so sure of my own answer, either.¡± In her heart she knew most people could not memorize a hundred of complex spells alongside the system and the natural philosophy to make them work. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even if we both fail. I¡¯ll make it work, even if I have to teach you myself.¡± Varisa hadn¡¯t stopped writing a spell book for their, and she didn¡¯t even like them. ¡°Thank you.¡± Life and people were so much more agreeable here. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re going to pass.¡± Affirmed Maisie, a classmate. She was a cute but serious girl with long dark hair and an inherited penchant to create useful connection. ¡°See you next week, Nadia.¡± Affirmed Aurelia reassuringly. ¡°Considering the opposition, IT probably couldn¡¯t answer anything besides ITS name.¡± Ria hatred the Hopeless was very personal as her fianc¨¦ was a second year ¡®mongrel¡¯. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see the bastards weep and whine when they kick him out.¡± Joked Sylvester. Or maybe not. For once in a blue moon, he sounded serious. Even Gerald Myar, who seemed like to hold a grudge against her, stuttered out some reassuring words. ¡°You can¡­ do it!¡± Almost all classmates offered words of encouragement and Nadia felt a bit ashamed that she couldn¡¯t remember their name. ¡°Thank you. All of you.¡± It was a such a nice moment it tugged at Auer¡¯s cynical heart. But the moment passed, and her stress came back with a vengeance. Unable to watch her friend freak out any longer, Varisa invited her to a hunt. ¡°What kind of hunt?¡± With less than three days before them, there were very few options available, none of them interesting. She hadn¡¯t thought this far, but she had a solution. ¡°Remember the Tavern we ate when we first arrived? The owner works as informant and intermediary. He¡¯s a pretty useful guy to have around and I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll find us something.¡± ¡°Um¡­What do they do exactly?¡± The words were pretty obscure, so it was little surprise she didn¡¯t know either. ¡°Bhurke¡¯s making uses of his relations from his time as a hunter to intercede between hunters and clients. He¡¯s knowledgeable about the market, the geography, the whereabout of monsters and the method to hunt them. Like I said, very useful¡± ¡°Excellent!¡± As someone who already had trouble shopping, client negotiation was far beyond her. ¡°Let us go then; we might as well eat there while we¡¯re at it.¡± As they approached the tavern, they felt something was off. ¡°I can¡¯t feel a single warrior.¡± pointed Nadia. Since Varisa only ever went a night, she had no way to know but, The Hunting Lodge was hardly befitting its name at any other time. She looked around in confusion. ¡°It¡¯s like an entirely different¡­ What¡¯s going on?¡± She quickly approached the counter to enquire. ¡°Is Bhurke around?¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Who¡¯s asking?¡± The young woman manning the counter didn¡¯t seem to appreciate the question or the one asking for that matter. ¡°Sorry. I should have introduced myself. I¡¯m Varisa, I was acquainted to Bhurke by Baron Estlugvael.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± She clearly wasn¡¯t. ¡°Doesn¡¯t ring a bell. Wait until tonight if you really need to meet with my old man.¡± Varisa noted the condescending tone and the fact she¡¯d failed introduce herself in return. She truly had no love for her father or anyone he associated with. ¡°Nadia, what do you think about today special?¡± Suddenly asked Varisa to deescalate the tension. Although lacking in comparison to their usual meals, the unfamiliar garnish looked scrumptious. ¡°Fine by me.¡± ¡°Two specials and two glasses of your best wine.¡± Ordered Varisa, putting easily ten time the money as was needed. The look on the woman¡¯s face softened a little. ¡°Do you offer the same informant service as your father?¡± ¡°Three silver pennies and clients¡¯ information, two for job information, miscellaneous information is on a case by case. The intermediary services are available only with Father.¡± ¡°Flat rates?¡± Bhurke was all about commission, unless he didn¡¯t trust the other party. ¡°Can you point me to some prey with regular demand, but within fifteen hours of travel from the capital by cart.¡± ¡°Nearby and lucrative? Do you want you quarry to jump quartered and clean into your arms?¡± Ridiculed the daughter. ¡°It¡¯s neither about money, nor challenge. Anything is fine really.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not choosy, then you should definitely try Aurochs. There¡¯s a herd grazing up north, at the Ode and Elbe¡¯s confluent. It¡¯s about half a day¡¯ up travel by carriage. That¡¯ll be two silver pennies, thank you.¡± ¡°Anything to be on the lookout for?¡± ¡°They¡¯re big and there¡¯s a lot of them. You¡¯ll know when you see them. That¡¯ll be another silver penny if you please.¡± She received the request sum. ¡°If that¡¯s all you need, I¡¯d like to go back to my actual job.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything else to provide? Like which parts are valued or how to hunt them?¡± ¡°That¡¯ll be two silver crowns.¡± She collected the sum with a light smile before offering the requested information. ¡°The meat and guts are always in high demand, because the guts tend to dilate and explode shortly after death. The guts juices are corrosive and poisonous and taint any meat they touch within seconds. Horns and skulls are popular trophies.¡± ¡°What about their behavior or the method to hunt them?¡± ¡°Do I look like a Warrior to you? Unless you want to ask me the best way to cook their meat, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be of any help. Will that be all?¡± Her tone implied she¡¯d very much like it to be so. ¡°Weel, this isn¡¯t much to go on. Thank you for time.¡± ¡°A waitress will bring your plate in a few minutes, have a nice meal.¡± Her smile was devoid of warmth. ¡°I will.¡± The food looked nice¡­ much unlike the staff. ¡°What did you learn?¡± Enquired Nadia as they sat. ¡°There¡¯s a herd of aurochs about half-a-day north. Since they¡¯re large bovine monster, we should expect them to stampede but that¡¯s all I know... Besides how great the meat tasted.¡± ¡°Was it really that good?¡± Monster, whether animal or plants, tended to be a lot tastier and nourishing than their normal counterpart. ¡°It must have been considering you ate an entire pound for lunch.¡± They only had it once, when a large successful hunt made the price drop quite a bit. Remembering the taste got her motivated. ¡°This isn¡¯t much information to go, but I think I can make use of the rivers to pick them from afar.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know it applies, but I saw a bunch of cows swim once and they were pretty fast.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have expected that.¡± ¡°Never did I! We were all panicking, but the damn things weren¡¯t even remotely disturbed.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°It sounds doable but get ready to run. Remember they¡¯re monsters and not your average cow.¡± If a monster rabbit was a match for a fox, what kind of strength should they expect from a monstrous Bison? ¡°What¡¯s a monster?¡± As a student residing in a peaceful society, she¡¯d grown a lot more inquisitive. ¡°Good question but let me ask you one in return, what¡¯s a Warrior?¡± She¡¯d done a lot a reading since a few years ago. This put Nadia in a bind, as a Warrior herself she knew she was stronger other humans, but not why. Suddenly, an idea surfaced. ¡°You don¡¯t mean they Warriors, but animals?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the most prevalent theory. It¡¯s not like anyone know what really differentiate a Warrior. Physically, everyone is the same.¡± At least, as far as their current technology could tell. ¡°It makes all sort of sense. A lot of monsters don¡¯t act any different from their normal brethren, until they try to tear your head off that is.¡± I was an experience every rim born shared, for some, it was also their last. ¡°Dessert?¡± Bhurke¡¯s daughter was as disagreeable as they get but her food bore no sin. ¡°Let¡¯s pick up some with the provisions.¡± Proposed Nadia, who¡¯d made a list of cheap treats she wanted to try out. ¡°I''ll take care of the cart and supplies, you handle our gear and dessert. Leet¡¯s meet me up at the school gate.¡± ¡°Leave it to me.¡± She headed toward the school at a rapid (but legal) pace. It was morning when they reached their destination. All over the horizon were so many bovines you couldn¡¯t see the ground. ¡°She was right, you can¡¯t miss them.¡± Commented Nadia in a small voice, her breath taken by the sight. ¡°This is on the level of a roaming landmark.¡± This was no exaggeration as there were Bison as far as the eye could see. ¡°How many hundreds there are?¡± There was a hint of fear in her voice. ¡°You mean thousands, don¡¯t you?¡± Retorted her friend, just as shaken by the sight. ¡°That was an incredible sight. I¡¯m glad we came. Let us get back.¡± Varisa breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Veni, vidi, victus. I agree, proceeding with the plan is insanity.¡± ¡°What language is that? What does that mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the old Cardinal empire¡¯s tongue. It means, I came, I saw, I was vanquished.¡± Nadia frowned and Varisa immediately regretted her words. Never speak of defeat to a Warrior. ¡°Don¡¯t you see the size of these things? They¡¯re twice as large as a cow.¡± With one major difference, most of it was muscle. ¡°Yeah, at least.¡± Her tone lacked conviction, and it frightened her friend. ¡°Imagine a stamped of those things? A stone ape would be reduced to a stain on the ground within seconds.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m not putting myself in front of¡­ That!¡± The ape reference worked. ¡°Come, get back in, we¡¯re leaving.¡± The young woman taped the seat beside her. ¡°I can¡¯t do it.¡± Repeated Nadia over and over to convince herself, but her instincts weren¡¯t letting her to go. ¡°I spied some Caerbannogs earlier¡± Also known as death hare; they were deceptively vicious monster in the shape of rabbits. The danger didn¡¯t come from their strength though, but from their unquenchable bloodthirst; they¡¯d kill, eat and reproduce until there was nothing left to eat, then turn against one another. A weak monster with the disastrous effect for the ecology. ¡°Mistress, you really don¡¯t mind if we turn back without even trying after coming all this way?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t, not in the least.¡± She waved her arm at the monstrous herd of giants. ¡°It¡¯d be weird to not be afraid when faced with this.¡± ¡°I am not afraid!¡± Protested Nadia in defiance of the facts. ¡°I just know my limits.¡± Varisa bit her lips, Fear wasn¡¯t another touchy topic with Warrior. ¡°I¡¯m saying that bitch at the tavern set us up, and we don¡¯t have the number. No point in staying, right?¡± ¡°Caerbannogs? Do you think I¡¯m a coward.¡± Vociferated the huntress. ¡°I know you aren¡¯t, and you know it¡¯s best to kill them on sight.¡± Nadia roared. ¡°I¡¯ll do it! I¡¯ll hunt those damn Aurochs! I¡¯ll show you I¡¯m no coward!¡± Varisa blanked out for an instant. ¡°Please don¡¯t!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t fail you, milady!¡± ¡°H... How the heck do you get to that from what I¡¯ve been saying?! You aren¡¯t failing anyone! I don¡¯t want you anywhere near those things!¡± ¡°I have the perfect plan. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± It was like talking to wall... No, it was much worse than that, at least the echo didn¡¯t reinterpret your words. ¡°Just be careful not to get hurt, okay?¡± ¡°My victory is assured!¡± Varisa recovered her bow alongside some arrows and proceeded to follow the death hares¡¯ trails. She didn¡¯t want to watch. Nadia also picked up her bow, a few quivers and a long spear before declaring full of vigor ¡°I¡¯m going, milady!¡± Said lady was long gone, though. Not that it mattered, her boiling Warrior¡¯s blood controlled all her actions. The huntress took position on the furthest side of the river. At this point, the stream was over seventy paces large and at least seven paces deep and then the current was also so strong she had to put on some effort just to remain standing. It was without doubt the perfect place. She stabbed her spear into the ground and readied her bow. The first arrow struck into one of the mighty bovine neck, sending the mighty creature in a frenzied charge against¡­ Nothing really, it simply tore apart at whatever was in sight. The surrounding Auroch quicly followed suit. Soon, there were dozens of stampedes each aimed at their own random direction and little by little, they joined into larger column of deathly rampage. Although random in appearance, it was the herds reforming. Luck seemed to favor the huntress as a small group started running alongside the river, right in front of her. Deftly, she launched more arrows and felled beast after beast. Without warning, the herd arced its path towards her, to cross the river. It was clear the monsters weren¡¯t interested in fleeing. Quite the contrary, now that they¡¯d found a target they were entirely intent on crush her under their hoof. She killed and maimed seven more, but the remaining giants stomped over them without a care. Nadia put the bow into her enchanted backpack and readied her spear. Each of her strike was fast and precise, but nothing could stifle the bovine tide, not even a wall of their dead. It was time to change strategy. With a cuss, she jumped on the back of the most massive creature she could see. Although in the middle of swimming, it attempted to roll on the side but was blocked by the animals around it. Alas, her she hadn¡¯t accounted for the giants¡¯ madness. She barely had time to jump on another before her involuntary mount was gored by its brethren. There lied the truth of their mind-numbing numbers: between their mindless violence and toxicity few creatures ever lived to enjoy their meal. ¡°Freaking crazy insane assholes, they don¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass about collateral damage.¡± Cursed Nadia as she precariously jumped from one animal¡¯s back to another. Most of the monsters already lied dead, mostly from infighting, but what was left was just as manically devoted on stomping her to oblivion as ever. To make matter worse, other herds had already crossed and were running intently towards her. Finally, reason won, and she did what she should have done from the very beginning; she ran away. It was night when she encountered a cart moving slowly down the road. It was filled with glowing meat. She sped forward, hopeful. ¡°Varisa, is that you?¡± The wagon stopped. A small figure jumped down, to charge toward her with tremendous speed... Only to sock her in the face. ¡°You stupid moronic idiot of a woman. Don¡¯t you know how worried I was? Do you?!¡± ¡°Sorry...¡± There was nothing else she could say. It was entirely her fault from start to finish. ¡°Are you? Really?¡± Acting contrite wasn''t the same as learning of her mistake. ¡°Did you recover all this?¡± Asked Nadia to deviate the conversation. ¡°I did. While I waited for you. For hours, I didn¡¯t know if you were dead!¡± She wasn¡¯t going to let it go this easily. ¡°What about the glow, though?¡± ¡°A preservation spell, as you very well know. Stop trying to change the subject, I¡¯m still angry at you.¡± ¡°Sorry. I swear I was never in any real danger. They had me run leagues before they finally let go, though.¡± And this hadn¡¯t been easy terrain either. Unbeknownst to them, it was the right was to hunt Aurochs. With lures and recovery groups acting separately. Frenzied bison ran after whatever animal caught their sight, but the calm ones couldn¡¯t care less about the fate of their companions¡¯ carcass. ¡°I only found three usable carcasses. The reset had been trampled down, and I couldn¡¯t look into the river.¡± Even with the right precautions most of the quarries ended this way, it was quite frankly down to luck that she found anything usable. ¡°This is that damn woman¡¯s fault.¡± Complained Nadia. Although not entirely inaccurate, it very much glossed over her own responsibility in the matter. Varisa reluctantly agreed. ¡°She got us good.¡± Admittedly, the only reason she recovered the corpses was so she could smear their victory all over the wench¡¯s face. Much later, at the Hunting Lodge tavern. ¡°Hi, Bhurke. Long time no see.¡± ¡°Hi Varissa.¡± Responded the one-armed giant of a man sitting behind the counter. He couldn''t have been a true giant for his skin wasn¡¯t the right color. ¡°What the heck are you carrying?¡± ¡°A fine Auroch¡¯s skull as you can see. It¡¯s a gift for your daughter.¡± The very notion made him laugh heartily. ¡°Her? She hates anything to do with hunter. She¡¯d even pass on opportunities to make more of her beloved money to screw one over.¡± ¡°As I''ve learned. I¡¯ll let you have it for free on the condition you display it somewhere she can see.¡± ¡°Deal! On the condition you tell me what she did?¡± Free stuff or not, he was curious. ¡°Thanks to her, my friend had the mighty unpleasant time of running from a herd Aurochs for half-a-day.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that your friend¡¯s fault?¡± ¡°While I can¡¯t deny my friend acted like a complete moron, your daughter purposedly held out important information.¡± ¡°Tsk¡­ She can be such a pain at time.¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, scratch that. She¡¯s a pain, period. She hates me and all hunters by extension. She couldn¡¯t be happier if I kicked the bucket and left her this tavern.¡± ¡°Let me guess. Absent much? Little money sent home?¡± ¡°I might also have spent some quality time with women and alcohol.¡± He didn¡¯t seem the least regretful. ¡°I knew you weren¡¯t the nicest of man, but it sounds like you¡¯re both a terrible husband, and a horrible father.¡± ¡°My wife was only married me to have me buy her this tavern. I don''t think my daughter is mine, either.¡± ¡°Stop! Please stop, let us talk about something else, it¡¯s too depressing. Did you get the information I asked?¡± ¡°Sort of, some friends looked into it, and you were right about your folks.¡± He laughed snidely. ¡°As you¡¯d expect, with their negotiation skill they got absolutely fleeced...¡± Varisa sighed, somehow her day had gotten even worse. 8. Result Today was the day, but for now it was business as usual., at least as far as miss Melbe was concerned. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it possible, but you¡¯re more scatterbrain than usual.¡± Complained the grammar teacher, a tall, blond blessed with pleasant feature that belied her terrible personality. ¡°I won¡¯t punish you since today is special, but I won¡¯t be so understanding next time.¡± Auer¡¯s knocked. She quickly gathered her book and left the room with an out of character wink. ¡°The floor is yours, Mr. Auer and good luck: they¡¯re untenable.¡± ¡°Hello my dear students.¡± This teacher was unusually jovial. ¡°I know you¡¯re all in a hurry to the answer to a very specific question, but I don¡¯t have It. The only thing I have for you are the results of last week examination.¡± He turned to Sylvester Wallner with a faint smile. ¡°Before I start, I¡¯d like to ask this mister Wallner about his answers. What were you thinking?¡± Sylvester let out a long sigh. Why was it always him? ¡°There is no way anyone can memorize all that cra¡­ nons... It¡¯s too much to learn in so little time.¡± ¡°Miss Varisa, I¡¯d like to ask you the same.¡± ¡°The examples we were given were um¡­ Overly specialized? Even if I were to memorize them all, I¡¯d still have doubt about using them. Maybe, as a foreigner, I lack the common sense of a true Ravealian, but I don¡¯t believe I was the only one having a hard time.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± His tone sounded severe, but everyone could tell he was playing around. Whether it was a good or bad thing, was yet to be known. ¡°I¡¯ll stand with Sylvester on this. There is no way that every student can memorize and understand all of this.¡± She sounded confident, but hoped she wasn¡¯t ridiculing herself. Sylvester flashed her two intertwined fingers at her, a sign of friendship and sympathy. ¡°You are wrong. Two people in this very room have not only memorized every spell but also understood how to apply this knowledge correctly. Ravaeas, Myar, be proud; you both get perfect scores.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Exclaimed the pair with great satisfaction. ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. You¡¯re the outlier. In the thirty years I¡¯ve worked here, there¡¯s been less than twenty people who¡¯ve done what you did. Sylvester, Varisa, good job on achieving a perfect score the normal way.¡± Sylvester and Varisa gasped in shock. Her delight was nevertheless downplayed by her anger at the teacher and his stupid stunt. Today really wasn¡¯t the day to play this kind of joke. ¡°I know it sounds harsh, but the point is to test your critical thinking and learning abilities. You¡¯ve probably grown sick of hearing it, but the spirit tongue is a rich and versatile language with numerous ways to express a concept.¡± Half the class nodded in agreement; they indeed were sick of hearing it. ¡°If we all agree, I¡¯d like to know why for the love of the spirits, year after year some students insist on rote memorization, then completely fail at it.¡± His sight stayed longer than normal on few students in the back. ¡°Why insist on doing it the hard way when you don¡¯t have the capacity?¡± The school average was fifty-two. Low, but the exercise aimed at teaching a hard truth. Spiritualism was as much literature as natural philosophy. There¡¯s even a saying: ¡®Spell is discourse¡¯. ¡°I¡¯ll distribute the copies according to seat order, stay silent and wait your turn. Stephan, not bad. Lucas, you can do a lot better¡­¡± Since the two Rim born were near the back, they were among the last to receive their copy. ¡°Nadia, you pass, if barely; apply yourself better. Varisa, help your friend, she needs it. Rudolf, your penmanship is the worst I¡¯ve ever seen...¡± ¡°How much did you score?¡± Pressed Varisa Nadia answered crestfallen ¡°Fifty-six, nineteen good answers, twenty-seven passable, four fails.¡± This put her slightly above the average, which a net improvement compared to a few weeks ago but... Was it be enough? This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°I know you¡¯re in a hurry to get your answer, but the ranking will only be posted at noon. You¡¯ll have to bear with me until then.¡± He smirked. ¡°Thankfully, I¡¯ve got something to occupy our time; like the good, bad, and awful answers I¡¯ve taken not of.¡± Much, much later. ¡°As you this, this last spell doesn¡¯t accomplish the set goal. Sure, it technically enriches the ground, but you¡¯ll find people very much mind when you turn their dry fertile land into marshes.¡± He directed his gaze at Lucas who suddenly found much keen interest in observing the wall. ¡°Always ask yourself before you cast a spell. What will it accomplish, what are the ramifications?¡± A few students rolled their eyes as they¡¯d heard it the first time. ¡°I see you, punks. Levant, don¡¯t you know perfectly pure water is just as toxic as dirty water?¡± Levant shrugged. What with old people and their obsession with water? The Ravealiaean youth having had free access to clean water for all their lives didn¡¯t understand the danger. ¡°Okay, maybe this one will strike closer to home. Don''t throw a fireball when a spark can do the trick.¡± The well-known incident got a few laughs from the crowd. ¡°Finally, it¡¯s fine to leave some details out but make always sure the intent of the spell is clear!¡± He shouted. ¡°DON''T EVER LET THE SPIRIT DECIDE! They¡¯re even more clueless about us than we about them! Be firm, be clear, don¡¯t hesitate to test the water, but don¡¯t ever leave it to them. Wallner, give me a bad example?!¡± He murmured, ¡®Me again?¡¯ before answering. ¡°Something like ¡¯Make the water hot¡¯¡± ¡°Exactly! Just because you made it work a few times doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯ll always will. It¡¯s either learn or burn.¡± ¡°You mean it¡¯s entirely random?¡± Asked Jakeb worriedly. He was the type who made short spells whenever possible. ¡°Human mind is a thing of connection; you never know when it¡¯ll derail. I¡¯m not bashing you over and over with the same warnings because I like it. Yours, and more importantly, other people¡¯s life depends on it. Don¡¯t ever forget that.¡± He recollected himself before excusing himself. ¡°Sorry for the slight overtime. For those interested the results are on the billboard by the library.¡± The students rushed to the site and as expected, it was already overcrowded. With a polite but strong touch, Nadia opened the way. ¡°Eleven perfect scores.¡± Noted Aurelia as she scanned the displays from top to bottom at speeds the other couldn¡¯t hope to replicate. ¡°There¡¯s Nadia at one hundred and sixty-three, and that von Cochem reprobate is one hundred and seventy-three with a fifty-one grade. You did it!¡± A first, Nadia was stiff and unresponsive Nadia, but as they congratulated her, she started hugging them in response. ¡°Ouch.¡± Protested Gerard as she bear-hugged him. ¡°Stop! You¡¯re hurting me!¡± For once, there was no stutter. ¡°Sorry.¡± Even if she tried to control herself with him, he was frail beyond belief. ¡°Why... Never¡­ mind.¡± This was neither the time nor place. ¡°Um?¡± She quickly forgot about it. ¡°Let¡¯s have a feast at the school restaurant tonight.¡± Proposed Varisa ¡°I¡¯m paying obviously.¡± ¡°Are you for real?¡± Sylvester, with his usual lack of manner, spoke out loudly what the other only dared to think. ¡°For real! Bring some friends, because I¡¯m feeling generous.¡± She turned to Nadia with a hint of worry. ¡°But not Tina.¡± There was no telling how much she¡¯d eat and if there¡¯d be anything left for the others. ******************************** Earlier at the vice principal office. ¡°Great uncle, you have to help me. If I go home, I''ll be killed or worse!¡± "Once a ruling has been made, it can¡¯t so easily be overturned.¡± It was never stated it was a competition, he¡¯d left the terms deliberately vague so he could fudge the results. ¡°I know that.¡± Basil had an uncanny sense of when people wished him harm, and he¡¯d joined the noble clique to keep himself from harm... A very bad decision in retrospect. ¡°I wondered if you could help me join an apprenticeship. I¡¯ll do Anything as long as it keeps me away from home!¡± ¡°Do you really understand what it means? Without your family¡¯s support, you¡¯ll be treated the same as any other apprentice.¡± ¡°Hard work and simple living condition. It sounds like paradise compared to home.¡± As the fifth son of a minor noble family, he never had much prospect a fact his elder siblings ingrained into him with violence. ¡°Many a noble would choose death over such conditions.¡± Or so they¡¯d say. ¡°Better than being my brother¡¯s training dummy. My mistake was joining a clique.¡± He¡¯d only did so to protect himself from bullying. So much for turning his life around... ¡°There is a procedure but...¡± There might be some value in the boy, after all, but first he¡¯d have to test him. ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡± A pessimist knew everything had a price. A misguided, sad little boy but not desperately stupid. ¡°As an act of goodwill, and to demonstrate your seriousness. I want you to apologize to those you¡¯ve troubled: teacher, staff, classmates, including the two foreigners.¡± ¡°I¡¯d lick their boot clean to get away from my family!¡± His eldest brother once forced him to do just that, and it''d been a muddy day. ¡°I¡¯m not asking about your fetish.¡± Joked the vice-principal. A loveless and prideless child was easy to guide and use. Moved, he cried. ¡°Thank you. Thank you very much, great uncle.¡± He¡¯d acted in desperation but hadn¡¯t expected mercy. ¡°I heard that girl broke my hand by accident. Is that true?¡± ¡°Probably, real Warriors are genuine monsters.¡± And she was strong enough to overpower Tina after all, who was already match for the royal school guards. Basil shuddered and gulped. ¡°I¡¯ll start with the staff.¡± ******************************** The school restaurant was full. At first, there¡¯d only been a few extras, but now the spongers vastly outnumbered the guest. Sadly, Varisa was too drunk to care, and Nadia didn¡¯t know how to resolve the situation without violence. ¡°Jerks! All of them. Even my father! I should have left them to rot!¡± Sobbed the host. ¡°I hear you! They¡¯re like ¡®Work harder, Sylvester.¡¯ ¡®Put some effort, Slyvester!¡¯ Fuck them, I¡¯m top of the year!¡± Grumbled Wallner as he poured himself some wine, although mostly around his glass. ¡°Yeah! Yeah! I hear you!¡± This was Stella Von Lettia. ¡°Mongrel this, mongrel that! Freaking retards, they¡¯re fifty years late to the party and don¡¯t even know it!¡± Empty glasses and bottles littered the table. Their three monologues rarely intersected with each other, but that was apparently enough encouragement to lay their heart. Back in the rim, strong Alcohol was rare commodity only available by trade, she never had a chance to taste. In Central, money was the limit, and she had a lot of it. Varisa shook an empty bottle of spirit over her glass, to no avail, not a single drop. She next turned to the pitcher of wine, but its former content now laid upon the table and floor. She then spied a small keg of beer, but it was similarly empty. Sadly, it gave her inspiration. ¡°Wait... Wait a minute. Beer and bread are the same thing, right? Cereal and yeast. Then, why don¡¯t we ask the spirit to make it into alcohol?¡± Her male smashed companion agreed whole heartedly. ¡°This is... genius!¡± Stella was left with enough intelligence left to remember it wouldn¡¯t suffice, but sadly not enough to put a stop to it. ¡°Isn¡¯t wine and beer aged or something?¡± ¡°It¡¯s... rotted, I think.¡± Contributed Sylvester. The trio of drunk worked on a new spell which (hopefully) would liquefy, age and turn the bread into a delicious elixir. It was a spell like there¡¯d never been before, and it may have worked if it weren¡¯t the impossible stamina drain. In a matter of seconds, they fell into slumber. A pungent smell quickly spread across the room, overwhelming, guest, spongers and staff alike. Many fell vomiting, others ran to the exit, but few got away unscathed. 9. Headaches of many kind ¡°Good afternoon, Varisa.¡± Shouted Nadia in her friend¡¯s ear. Said friend woke up with some difficulty. ¡°Good morning...¡± As her brain caught up, she inquired. ¡°Did you say afternoon? What time is it?¡± Confirmation came. ¡°It¡¯s past noon, the morning classes just finished a moment ago.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up!¡± Protested girl. The older girl explained coldly. ¡°I did! Many times! But someone I won¡¯t name refused coming out of the bathroom. This same person apparently went back to sleep as soon as I left.¡± Pictures of people and alcohol flashed. Too much of either. With a dreadful sense of foreboding. Varisa asked ¡°Tell me straight; what happened?¡± ¡°You got drunk. Complained loudly about our people, first to anyone who would hear you, then to anyone who wouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Oh no...¡± She remembered talking at length, but not about what. She feared the worst. ¡°What did I say?¡± Nadia voice was tired. ¡°Then, you sat to drink and complain some more. I swear, If I hear another complaint in this lifetime, it¡¯ll be too soon.¡± She didn¡¯t have time to feel relief because memories of casting a spell and of the most repugnant ever surfaced. ¡°This wasn¡¯t the end of it right? What the heck did I do? I didn¡¯t hurt someone, did I?¡± ¡°Define hurt.¡± Joked Nadia.¡± You and your friendly little group of crazed drunk conjured... Something foul beyond measure. There was a stamped, vomiting then even more vomiting... it was awful. Consider yourself lucky there wasn¡¯t any real damage. With this many people, I still don¡¯t get how no one got hurt.¡± Varisa hid her face behind her (smelly) sheets to whisper. ¡°Remind me to never drink again.¡± Nadia answer full of enthusiasm. ¡°That I will!¡± Offhandedly. ¡°Also, you¡¯re grounded for two weeks with detention on Feesday and Seolsday.¡± ¡°This can¡¯t be! I have a appointment this Seolsday!¡± Even if it was unlikely to accomplish anything, it was a meeting she couldn¡¯t afford to miss. ¡°Can¡¯t do anything about it, not that I would. Don¡¯t you think you should hurry? Unless you are also intent on skipping afternoon class.¡± ¡°Hot damn, you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll get dressed in a... What the heck is that smell?¡± ¡°I¡¯m quite confident that¡¯s you. I¡¯ve prepared some scented soap, mouthwash and clean cloth, they¡¯re in the bathroom.¡± She¡¯d used them profusely on herself and her cloths but still felt haunted by the smell. ¡°You¡¯re the best!¡± Claimed Varisa as she ran awkwardly to the bathroom. She soon found out that that her classmates weren¡¯t faring better, Sylvster looked particularly haggard. Sir Doltz greeted her with a beaming smile. ¡°Miss Varisa, better late than never. Could I trouble you to answer a few questions for me? It seems your little escapade left most of my students disabled.¡± The edge in his voice was uncharacteristic of him. Technically a noble, the spirit language specialist was kind, understanding, and well-liked by student and staff alike. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to, sir.¡± ¡°This is all I ever ask.¡± He pointed several sentences in the past discontinuous indirect tense. ¡°I put a few deliberate mistakes; can you point them out?¡± ¡°Um, on the first line... the adjectives black and malleable termination aren¡¯t in accordance with the object?¡± ¡°What would be the proper way to conjugates?¡± ¡°The TL consonant, sir?¡± ¡°Would it, now? I can get the around the ground being an actor, but you¡¯ll have to explain to me how it managed to become the caster. Sylvester your turn?¡± ¡°Why is it always me?¡± Complained the boy with good reason. He wasn¡¯t even late. ¡°That¡¯d be the KL consonant.¡± ¡°Yes, it would. Although considering it¡¯s either one or the other I¡¯m not sure there¡¯s much merit to your answer. Why don¡¯t you get it from here?¡± He pointed at Gerald. ¡°My head is killing me.¡± Murmured the boy, massaging his temple. ¡°Speak louder, I didn¡¯t hear you.¡± ¡°Sorry sir! Still on the first line, there¡¯s a statement missing as there is color but no indication as to what item it pertains to...¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. As time passed, the teacher got more and more brutal with his question, and when the class finally ended, he singled out a few students. ¡°It seems like the only ones I¡¯ll be seeing this Freesday are Aurian, Aurelia, Lucius and Ria. ¡°I wasn¡¯t at the party.¡± Protested Lucas. ¡°All the more reason then since you don¡¯t even have that as an excuse for your poor performance.¡± Countered sir Doltz. ¡°See you on Freesday.¡± ¡°This is your fault...¡± Complained Lucas but a single look from Nadia was ebough to put an end to whatever remonstrance he had. ¡°Look at the time, I must hurry home.¡± ¡°Indeed, you should be going.¡± Confirmed the warrior. ¡°Sorry,¡± apologized Varisa to the remaining classmates, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have ordered Alcohol when I can¡¯t stand my liquor.¡± Quite a few classmates had been angry at her, but they had ample time to reflect on their own mistakes since this morning and they were quite a few. ¡°I¡¯m also at fault,¡± Acknowledged Lucius. ¡°I should have put a stop when my friend barged in with people I didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Same thing.¡± Said Eleanora, I invited two girls from A1, but a bunch of jerks followed and wouldn¡¯t get no for an answer.¡± Konrad and Inge had similar stories, but Varisa their fault stemmed from hers. ¡°I should have made a guest list and asked the staff to limit entry.¡± It struck her as odd that the staff didn¡¯t do anything until it was too late. ¡°You think the school let things escalate on purpose?¡± ¡°Is it me, or is the staff devious and merciless?¡± Aurealia found the entrapment and subsequent decimation of the Hopeless particularly vicious, and even if she agreed with the goal, she could not agree with the method. ¡°I think the same,¡± acquiesced Lucius ¡°they skip warnings and go straight for the harshest punishment possible.¡± ¡°Sorry to leave you like this, when I¡¯m the cause of the problem, but because I¡¯m the cause, I need to see the principal.¡± Stated Varisa. Having misconstrued her visit as further disciplining, her classmates offered words of encouragement as she left. The teacher lounge was nothing special, just a bigger classroom with larger desks and a small table adorned with various teas and stationaries. ¡°Excuse me, sirs.¡± On school ground, Sir was used to address all teachers, whether male or female, noble or commoner. ¡°I¡¯m Varisa. I¡¯m grounded this weekend and the next, but I have a business meeting...¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you.¡± The one who answered was a tanned middle-aged man she¡¯d never seen before. There were other teachers she didn¡¯t know and all of them looked at her with curiosity. The man continued. ¡°This is beyond our authority; you¡¯ll have to see the principal. Wait here while I ask him if he can see you now.¡± ¡°Thank you?¡± It sounded as though they were expecting her. As sound as he was gone, another man approached her excitedly. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t trouble you, could I ask you a question. It¡¯s about a plant.¡± ¡°I do not mind, but I may not know the answer you seek.¡± He showed her a drawing of an herb of six pointed leaves with brownish specks. ¡°Have you ever seen this plant when you were there?¡± It was common plant used to create all sort of balm. ¡°I know of it; we use it to mix medicine, but as far as I know, its gel has effect on its own.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, but that¡¯s what make it so great. It doesn¡¯t interfere with the body and very rarely react with other compounds.¡± ¡°I may be able to order a shipment, but things are getting complicated. That¡¯s the one reason I need some time off this Seolsday.¡± Her relationship with some of the tribes was degrading fast. Eagerly. ¡°Even a few seedlings would be great.¡± Varisa laughed bitterly. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± She¡¯d warn the tribe against selling the seedlings obviously, but whether they listened to her or not was another matter. She wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the elder did it just to spite her. A few beats later, the teacher from earlier came back with good news for a change. ¡°Sir Siltt will meet with you. The vice-principal¡¯s office is the second from the last.¡± ¡°Thank you for your help, sir.¡± The teacher reassured her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. Every year come with its own fiasco and although it was on a whole other scale, it wasn¡¯t that bad.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She left hurriedly and knocked at the vice-principal''s door. ¡°Come in.¡± As soon as she entered, he spoke in a slightly amused tone. ¡°I hear you can''t take your punishment this week-end but will settle for any other day of my choosing.¡± ¡°I understand how it sounds. As I¡¯ve said, I¡¯m not asking to reduce my sentence, I really don¡¯t mind taking more supplementary lesson or whatever punishment you see as long as I¡¯m allowed to attend this meeting, I have on Spritesday.¡± ¡°A business meeting. With whom if I may?¡± ¡°With Baron von Estlugvael¡¯s representative and some clients. As you probably know, I act as the representative for various eastern woods tribes; we¡¯re working on setting up a better system for both parties.¡± ¡°First time I hear about it. A representative for what exactly?¡± ¡°Mostly negotiation on imports and exports. You know how the tribes used to barter whatever they had on hand with whomever? I make sure the goods are sold through proper channels and at a proper price.¡± ¡°I had doubt when I heard a girl your age and with your origin had so much money on hand, but this makes sense.¡± His mind erred on various plans to integrate the tribes into the kingdom but decided the great forest and the mountain beyond were too much trouble to warrant the effort. ¡°I hear you have the support of a successful enchanter and the potential to become one yourself. Why enter school when you could have become their apprentice?¡± ¡°Because a diploma is required to learn and practice higher tiers of spiritualism... And, because I¡¯m not sure Agner is capable of teaching.¡± ¡°Could I ask you why you¡¯re so interested in spiritualism?¡± Most of the time, the goal was money or a better life, but that couldn¡¯t be the case with her. ¡°The world is changing fast, but my people don¡¯t. I think they¡¯ve regressed beyond what they were centuries ago. I¡¯m writing a book of simple useful spells for them.¡± The fracturing of the cardinal had forced many people out of central, including her ancestors. He nodded. Her influence on the tribe seemed positive overall, and a single book was unlikely a threat. ¡°I see, your wish was to help your people.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s say things are complicated and I have no intention of returning. Ravealia is my home now, and it¡¯s much nicer than the previous one. At first, I admit I intended to send Nadia back... But she likes it better here and they don¡¯t deserve her.¡± The overly frank response left him perplexed. ¡°You¡¯ve abandoned your home and yet still want to help them?¡± ¡°The tribes hate changes, even for the better. My own tribe resent me, for providing them with ample food and trade. Whatever I do, they ruin with malicious ignorance... Why do I even bother with them?¡± Varisa sense of duty was on the breaking point, and it didn¡¯t help that the friendly tribes were mostly ones she had almost no contact with. Elias quickly moved away from the sensitive subject. ¡°How much time will your meeting take?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll starts at noon and should last for... Three bells at most.¡± Oto had already put a plan in motion, all was left was to get a few more people on board... then wait until the self-sabotaging homegrown morons ruined everything again. ¡°I¡¯ll allow it, but in exchange you¡¯ll have two more day of detention on the following week. Do you agree?¡± ¡°I agree. Thank you for your comprehension, sir... Even you made an example of us.¡± ¡°What makes you think that?¡± He liked her spunk, it took some courage to say it to his face. ¡°All of us had our doubts, but the punishment was too swift and too light. Even the damage seems too few in retrospect.¡± He smirked. ¡°We didn¡¯t set you to fail, quite the contrary. Apart from a little damage control, we left things go their natural way, and a precious lesson ended up being taught.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t deny my own mistake. If there¡¯s ever a next time; I¡¯ll make sure there''s a guest list, and no alcohol.¡± She¡¯d sworn never to get drunk again. ¡°Learn from one¡¯s mistake is the spirit of this school, pun intended. As goes the saying ¡®Those who¡¯ve never made a mistake have never tried anything new!¡¯¡± It was a nice saying. ¡°Who is it from?¡± ¡°No one has the faintest clue.¡± The author and civilization that birthed them were long lost to time. ¡°Have a nice day.¡± ¡°Same to you, sir.¡± ************************************************* Weeks later in Estlugvael territory, a caravan was stuck at a tollbooth. One which had allowed them free passage up until now. The corporal hated barbarians but didn''t let it show. ¡°Can I have your permit, sir?¡± Obviously, said barbarian had no idea what he was talking about. ¡°Um... Why aren¡¯t allowed passage as usual?¡± ¡°There¡¯s been some trouble and now all caravans headed to the capital needs to pay toll or show permit.¡± The soldier knew very well wouldn¡¯t have one, and they didn¡¯t. ¡°How do I get one of those permit things?¡± ¡°There are three choices. You can request one by submit this form and a fee. You can use the new trading post arranged by his lordship. Or...¡± This one was his favorite. ¡°You can head back and try you luck in another domain.¡± For the caravan spokesperson, the choice was easy, he hated the long trek to the capital. ¡°Do they sell livestock? And alcohol?" ¡°They sure do.¡± Confirmed the officer, as he marveled at their baron brilliant scheming. 10. A nice spectacle ¡°I have Light, Earth and enchanting.¡± Proudly declared Varisa. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I have Earth, Water, Fire and light.¡± Responded Nadia. ¡°I wish one of us got Healing.¡± In order of commonality first came light and darkness, followed by the four elements, enchanting and finally healing. ¡°I, for one, am not sorry at all. It''s overly complicated and dangerous.¡± Healing was by the most difficult discipline. A healer needed to be proficient It involved a lot of external knowledge, such as regular medicine and chemistry before he was allowed to practice. Even then, it was no simple task to keep a patient alive throughout the often-painful process of healing. ¡°I get it, but think about it; Monster parts are flesh, blood and bones... What if you could heal, or spirit forbid regrow them?¡± The idea had tremendous potential for riches, and the patient were very unlikely to complain. Students were tested for higher elements right after they obtained their first-year diploma. No one knew what the criteria were, but in every known case it was either none or a few. And there laid the kingdom¡¯s problem as specialization was a steep investment in time and money which very few people could afford. ¡°I¡¯ll go for enchanting class, obviously and try to learn some light and earth on the side.¡± Earth was the second most complex specialization after healing, but she was only interested in a small subset of skills. ¡°Water!¡± She could have chosen earth and light to follow her friend but decided instead to follow her heart. Varisa felt a bit saddened but proud. ¡°I thought you''d say that.¡± ¡°Where will we stay during the break?¡± Inquired Nadia. The time was approaching fast but there was no sign of them moving out of the dorm. ¡°I forgot, to tell you. In my case, starting next week I¡¯ll be at Agner¡¯s for my apprenticeship. Don¡¯t you worry, I was allowed to rent our room over the break too and I¡¯ve left you with enough to money to eat out every single meal then some.¡± ¡°Err... I can¡¯t come?¡± She¡¯d made no preparation, assuming it''d be the case. ¡°Agner wouldn¡¯t mind...¡± He most certainly would, but he wouldn¡¯t dare to speak up, and for most people it was the same. ¡°But there isn¡¯t much you can do at an enchanter¡¯s place.¡± ¡°I can help around. Carry heavy stuff and...¡± There were servants for that, and it didn¡¯t sound that helpful to begin with. Even to her. ¡°You should find yourself a nice workshop for...¡± Varisa burst out laughing. ¡°Sorry, I imagined you as a lab hand.¡± ¡°That¡¯s rude!¡± Nadia herself found the idea ludicrous. ¡°And this isn¡¯t funny either! What do you expect me to do alone for two whole months?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been told us to prepare months ago. My girl, what have you been doing all this time?¡± She knew the answer was training. ¡°You can find work at a factory, a workshop...¡± She couldn¡¯t help but snigger again. ¡°Or hunt.¡± ¡°Factory, workshop? What¡¯s the difference?¡± Her social skills had vastly improved, but she wasn¡¯t yet at the point where she could act as a productive member of society... And whether hunters counted as productive members, was debatable. ¡°Factories¡¯ workers tend to do simple repetitive jobs while workshop¡¯ take on more detailed jobs.¡± Either way, most apprentices ended up doing menial jobs and boring repetitive tasks. ¡°Hunting it is. I didn¡¯t learn magic to become a servant.¡± ¡°It¡¯s spiritualism, and you¡¯re quite the rude one yourself to insult every worker ever. Let us hit Bhurke.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t we always?¡± ¡°It¡¯s his fault for being so convenient. We can try another intermediary if you feel adventurous. It shouldn¡¯t take more than a few days to get an appointment, and maybe a few months to earn their trust.¡± ¡°Same is good! No, it¡¯s great!¡± The tavern was full. Mostly Warriors and they suit of admirers of the opposite sex (sometimes the same, sometimes both). The only reason why the two hinterlanders weren¡¯t swarmed by their own entourage of flattering parasite was simply their origin as central tended to see people from the rim in one of three fashions: The giant listened to their explanation with a difficult face. ¡°You want to work, but not with strangers if possible? Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but you don''t have a single acquaintance besides her, right?¡± He pointed at Varisa. ¡°I have friends!¡± Protested Nadia. ¡°Can they hunt?¡± He knew where she was schooled. ¡°Yes!¡± Some of them could. ¡°Will they?¡± ¡°No...¡± Tina was all about enjoying her break after all, and Varisa wasn¡¯t an option. ¡°I get you don¡¯t want to put your life in some stranger¡¯s hands. Nobody does...¡± His voice trailed. ¡°Nobody sane at least.¡± The women ears perked up as they waited for the full story, but it never came. ¡°I can introduce you to some decent teams, but they¡¯ll be the one to decide whether they can work with you. I won¡¯t help you, and neither will she.¡± He turned to Varisa. ¡°Understood? I don¡¯t want to hear of no bribe.¡± ¡°Hey, I resent that. Is it really a bribe when all parties benefit?¡± ¡°I¡¯m quite sure it is, and even if it wasn¡¯t, I can¡¯t endorse this kind of attitude.¡± Affirmed the giant. To Nadia. ¡°There¡¯s another option. There¡¯s always a load of people looking for training partners. It hardly pays, but it¡¯s a good way to build yourself a reputation.¡± Her blood boiled at the idea. ¡°Sounds awesome!¡± Why was she only hearing about this now? ¡°No, it isn¡¯t. Your chance to find a good challenge are almost nil. In fact, with your strength, you¡¯ll need to fight them by the dozen. The second problem comes once you¡¯ve made a name for yourself. You get so much offer you need to beat the challengers aways with a stick, and that¡¯s not counting the morons who jump you in the street.¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Varisa inquired. ¡°Speaking from experience?¡± ¡°I may not look like it, but I was pretty formidable in my youth.¡± Silence fell on the tavern as dozens of incredulous looks shot his way. ¡°What with you lot?! It¡¯s true! I¡¯ll have you know I¡¯m still fit for my age!¡± While he was but a shadow of his former self, his degraded state was still abnormally strong. Most rookies didn¡¯t stand a chance, and even hardened veteran would struggle against him. He grumbled angrily at the patron before turning back to the pair. ¡°Still interested?¡± ¡°Yes, I still am.¡± It was only for a few weeks, and it''d be nice to see new fighting styles. ¡°Sound interesting for sure. I¡¯m sure you¡¯d have been a great addition to any party...¡± Commented Varisa. ¡°Thank you for the compliment.¡± Beamed Nadia. ¡°...and who know, with some luck you may have learnt teamwork.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ve turned it into an insult. I can work with others just fine, thank you!¡± ¡°Just to be sure but... You know haphazardly hitting the same target doesn''t count as teamwork?¡± ¡°Obviously! Who do you take me for?¡± Now, she was peeved. ¡°A proud member of our tribe.¡± Poor deluded fool, sobbed Varisa internally, she¡¯s been corrupted her beyond salvation. She spoke in a calming manner. ¡°Yes, you are absolutely right.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t pander to me!¡± ¡°The arena is always looking for fresh...¡± Cut in a ruggedly handsome man at the counter. He didn¡¯t get farther as the giant of a man scoffed loudly. ¡°The arena is for sissies. I¡¯ve seen better fights in my backyard.¡± He laughed derisively. ¡°Hey, here''s one heck of an idea; why don¡¯t we replace you and your pals with insects?! I''m sure they could make it work with all their projection bullshit.¡± A gladiatorial fight was very impressive to the general public, but not so much to the average Warrior. The man sneered. ¡°Ignorant, the public wishes for art, not the kind animalistic brutality you¡¯re so fond of...¡± ¡°Your excuses are as pathetic as your fights; if you want to do something artsy, then paint.¡± Cut Bhurke. ¡°I feel watching paint dry is bound to be more exciting than whatever it is you people do, anyway.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been to the Arena.¡± Commented Varisa out of the blue. ¡°What do you think, Nadia? Want to have a look?¡± Suddenly put on the block and having no idea what they were on about, she turned to Bhurke inquisitively. ¡°I honestly thought was funny the first time.¡± It¡¯d be comedic gold if only the actors weren¡¯t so annoying. Although he didn¡¯t care much for the evaluation, the gladiator took it as his cue to reenter the conversation. ¡°I''m Arnold, a gladiator. Think of our discipline as a mix of sport and an art; much like a dance performance mixed with combat.¡± The owner snorted; he knew what the gladiator was really about. ¡°Give up, if you¡¯re a household cat, she¡¯s like an ocelot.¡± This was a good ranking on his part, even if it fell short of his former tiger¡¯s self. Nadia wondered how strong he¡¯d been and why he never got his arm healed. She was about to ask when Varisa pinched her with a threatening ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± ¡°Is it a sensible subject?¡± ¡°For everyone but him. Please, I can¡¯t bear to hear it another time. A giant blood worms ate his arm; it¡¯s cursed and will never heal unless the worm is killed.¡± ¡°What a terrifying creature!¡± Exclaimed Nadia ¡°What is?¡± Asked a curious Bhurke. ¡°The Lake devils!¡± Explained Varisa in a hurry. ¡°Terrifying creatures, aren¡¯t they!¡± ¡°Aye. They¡¯re a nasty bunch. I saw one swallow a fishing boat, crew oars and all... That was the last time I ever got in view of the lake.¡± The crowd¡¯s approved with a murmur. The consensus was that it was a land of monster unfit for human life. More so than the even hinterland and even the three great powers wanted nothing to do with it. Although, the lakes¡¯ denizen didn¡¯t care about what humans wanted and a large amount of human resource was spent on containing them. ¡°I remember a fishing village being razed to the ground three or four years ago.¡± Said a patron. ¡°Nah, that¡¯s bullshit.¡± Denied the owner ¡°It barely ate a fishing hut before it was cut down by a patrol.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°Boring.¡± ¡°Am I the only one who find it weird it ate fishing hut?¡± ¡°Yep, you¡¯re the only one.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want to meet one in the water.¡± ¡°Won''t see me on a boat... ever¡± Arnold was already back on the offensive. ¡°I have a fight this Seolsday, I can give you complementary ticket if you¡¯re interested.¡± Although the profession enjoyed a great deal of popularity, it was never as spouse material. Much to his and his colleagues¡¯ chagrin. His wooing target flashed an apologetic smile. ¡°We¡¯ll visit it on our own term, thank you. My friend taught me there nothing¡¯s more expensive than free stuff.¡± Quite often, free things are weighed by the attached strings and all that jazz. Varisa walked beside him to whisper something to his hear. ¡°She likes cute guys, and you don¡¯t quite fit the profile. Better pull out all the stops if you want her to even look your way.¡± He winked and whispered in kind. ¡°Thanks for the intel.¡± Then all loud. ¡°Come this week, dear, I¡¯ll show you the best dance ever!¡± The sudden outburst bewildered Nadia, who agreed meekly. ¡°Ok... I will.¡± Varisa added with a smile. ¡°I look forward to it.¡± As they left, Bhurke gave the gladiator a tap on the shoulder. ¡°I doubt those two still remember your face by the end of the week.¡± ¡°Shut up! This time is for real, I¡¯ll be married by the end of the year.¡± Protested Arnold drawing laughter from the other patron. ¡°So you say every year for every girl you meet! Accept the truth, the only lifelong partner you''ll ever find is a pet parrot!¡± ¡°Teach him to say, ¡®Marry me¡¯ to every girl it sees, and you¡¯ll have a body double indistinguishable from the real one.¡± Nadia had caught up by now. She turned to her friend for advice. ¡°How do I let him down?¡± Her only previous experience involved a kick to the groin, which didn¡¯t seem too opportune this time around. ¡°How should I know?¡± Apart for being a day early Varisa¡¯s experience was the same to a tee. Some believed he took a kick to it. ******************************** The crowd cheered and booed as the horse passed the finish line, Nadia and Varisa included. The arena was only the fourth largest building in the capital, but what it lost in size, it more than made up with energy. ¡°It won!¡± Beamed the former. ¡°I get that a horse need muscle but... Yuck.¡± Complained the latter with a nauseated expression. ¡°That¡¯s what we call being a sore loser.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind that I lost, but I like horses, and that thing is abomination to all equidae. It''s like its muscles have muscles of their own.¡± Floating over their head was a projection of the spectacle created by a mix of light and dark spells. The term ¡°spiritualism revolution¡± wasn¡¯t a hyperbole, spells were omnipresent. ¡°I should have put a bet.¡± Murmured Nadia. ¡°Heck no, Oto called it a road to ruin and depravation.¡± Varisa always put a lot of faith in his words. ¡°Even Agner agreed, and he almost never leave his house.¡± ¡°Come on, it can¡¯t be all that bad. Tina said it was fun and exciting.¡± ¡°If anything, you¡¯re proving my point. No betting.¡± The spendthrift epicurean words carried a lot of unfavorable weight. ¡°Come one, just once.¡± If it¡¯d been this intense without a bet, what would it be like with one? ¡°If I win, I drink as much as I want tonight, if I lose...¡± ¡°I stopped being interested!¡± Never again would she care for a drunk. ¡°The gladiators are up next. That guy... Whatshisname said he''d be in one of the fights, right?¡± ¡°Bernard... Was it? I¡¯m sure it sounded similar.¡± The program only listed the stage name, which they hadn¡¯t bothered learning. ¡°I think it rhymes with old... Gerald?¡± ¡°No, Gerald is our classmate. The scrawny one with the constant frown.¡± ¡°Well, whatever... I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll remember when we see his face.¡± Or so they assumed, but the male gladiators were all the same type of rugged handsome characters. Their female counterparts were mostly cute girls with the occasional older woman mixed in-between and for some reason, the latter were much more popular. As for the fighting. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful, like a dance...¡± Commented Nadia. ¡°Yeah... I¡¯ve never seen anything like that. It doesn¡¯t seem choreographed, does it?¡± ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t.¡± Eagerly. ¡°I want to try.¡± Varisa acquiesced. ¡°I get what you mean...¡± Then remembering what Bhurke said. ¡°What about it looks like comedy exactly?¡± To the unknowledgeable, it often appeared like the contestant worked together rather than against each other, but this wasn¡¯t a true and a single mistake could easily lose them a limb, or worse. Nadia loved it. ¡°It¡¯s flashy and over the top... But that¡¯s what make it so great.¡± Bhuke¡¯s opinion came from a hunter¡¯s sense. where big showy move, or finisher as they were called, were a shortcut to early grave. In fact, he¡¯d seen many a youngster dies this way. ¡°Yeah. Useless in a real fight, but nice to look at. Also, no matter how you look at it, the exchanges and overall strategy are sound... As long as both parties respect the same rules.¡± The sixth combat was Arnold¡¯s. He entered the fray with a light heart. Blissfully unaware he¡¯d been thoroughly forgotten, he announced joyously, ¡°I dedicate this fight to my beloved. When I win, I''ll propose to her.¡± Stefen Roared, his opponent, was immediately overtaken by jealousy, I¡¯ll crush you here and now. Like I¡¯ll allow a youngster to get married before me!¡± ¡°We¡¯re only a year apart, dingus.¡± The gladiator popularity had turned into some sort of self-perpetuating curse. As the source of their promiscuous reputation, it made them sound like great as one night stand partners, but not so much as spouses. . After a long flurry of blow, Arnold raised both his hand over his head. In gladiatorial fights, this was considered an open challenge. Stefen rose to the provocation with a low-key laugh and a pose of his own. The enchanted blunted sword came down with enough force to shatter stone, but he held firm while hiding his grunt with a scoffing sound and a repartee. ¡°Is that all you can do?¡± In return, he kicked Arnold in the thigh, then hit him to the side with the flat of his sword. The attack lacked flashiness, but these ¡®light jabs¡¯ only aimed at wearing out his opponent. It should be noted this kind of light hit would have indubitably shattered a normal person¡¯s bone. Arnold hid his pain with a bright smile as he countered with a flurry of light blows. His opponent parried easily and both Warriors started dancing around each other. Sometimes they¡¯d land a light jab but nothing that¡¯d put an end to the match. The exchange only lasted a few beats but to the gladiators it felt like forever. Exhausted, Stefen enquired. ¡°You prick, why won¡¯t you go down?¡± Arnold ached from all over his body and was just as exhausted, but he answered dandily ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m more surprised you¡¯re up this late, grandpa.¡± ¡°Curse you! I wish she rejects you!¡± Spiritualist knew how to transmit sound, but for some reason it was never implemented. ¡°Your tears are what motivates me. Won¡¯t you be my best man!¡± Following the verbal jab, came an equally devastating uppercut to the jaw. That night, when Arnold dropped by his second favorite tavern, his promised was alas nowhere to be seen. he inquired about his predicament to the owner. ¡°The barbarian girl from the other night? She hasn¡¯t been back. I¡¯ll tell her when I see her.¡± His fight was the talk of the town, and he really wanted to capitalize on it. ¡°When will that be?¡± ¡°How should I know? She¡¯s a student, I¡¯ve only seen her a few times.¡± He eyed the gladiator suspiciously. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t know?¡± ¡°She was a Warrior and seemed familiar with the place. I thought for sure she was a regular.¡± What an unexpected blindsight. ¡°Where the heck did you get the idea. I mean, you¡¯re a regular.¡± He shook his head. ¡°If you people took a few beats to think before proposing, maybe you¡¯d find a girl.¡± ¡°Says the guy who got ripped off by his wife.¡± Commented a patron. ¡°At least, I''ve had a wife and kind.¡± It most case it would have closed the argument but... ¡°Yeah, but does it still count if they both hate your gut?¡± Asked someone. 11. Vacation This was the first time Nadia had been on vacation so to speak, and she found it incredibly boring. Varisa spent most of her time doing weird experiments with the enchanter, Tina was mostly out playing (whatever that meant) and the few students who didn¡¯t go back home and had work. Speaking of Tina. ¡°Hello, do you¡­¡± The guardian was dressed to kill. ¡°Sorry pal, I¡¯ve got a date today.¡± ¡°Please, I¡¯m bored to heck. Is there anyone else I can train with?¡± Entreated a desperate Nadia. ¡°Aren¡¯t you desperate? Me think you should find yourself a few men. I¡¯d share some of mines but...¡± A gift from the heart she hoped her friend would turn down. The young Warrior had some interest at in romance but not in sex for its own sake. Even so, she understood Tina well enough to be moved by the offer. ¡°I¡¯d never steal one of your... boytoy was it?¡± ¡°I only said I¡¯d share! Not that you¡¯d ever have a chance to steal from me. Say what, I¡¯ll train with you a little if you let me use your bathroom, scented soap and all that jazz. Deal?¡± ¡°Deal! I¡¯ll heat the water for you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s one spell I¡¯d love to learn... Too bad I don¡¯t have a head for words.¡± She¡¯d tried, but never went anywhere with her study. She couldn¡¯t even remember the simplest light spells. Tina ran home to change into something more comfortable, then the two started training. Thanks to the recent display at the arena, Nadia felt somewhat playful, and her opponent quickly adjusted. When Gerald Myar passed by, he found a small circle of student looking at something. Few knew Nadia was a Warrior, and even fewer saw her train as early riser were rare. As the crowd cheered, the two fighters became even more enthused with their display. Tina loved the attention, particularly from boys while Nadia was simply having a blast. Unlike gladiatorial fight, it wasn¡¯t a display meant for the general public and before long the guardian pleaded for a rest. ¡°Stop! I can¡¯t go on like this. Are you trying to kill me?¡± ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m just as beat, honestly.¡± Her face reddened as she confessed. ¡°I lost myself to the cheering.¡± ¡°So did I.¡± Her smile grew predatory as she watched the boys flushed face. ¡°And so, did them.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you ever think of anything else?¡± This was no joke but a genuine question. Tina ignored her. ¡°Let¡¯s take a bath. I¡¯ll clean your back.¡± Nadia jested. ¡°I know you don¡¯t normally swing that way, but that smile of yours makes feels dangerous.¡± ¡°You¡¯re no fun! The water, make it scalding hot and what kind of care product do you have?¡± ¡°Scented soaps for the body, another for the hair, and an herb mix for the bath. What do you mean scalding, that too vague.¡± As a mage, she¡¯d learn to be precise. ¡°Scalding is scalding. Can you dry my hair too? I don¡¯t want to be late.¡± Nadia sighed, even though she was the same less than a year ago. ******************************** Born of a normal family Gerald was amusingly (not for him) the only normal child. None of his sibling were particularly strong, but their Warrior¡¯s instincts made them unsuitable for business. The funny twist of destiny didn¡¯t stop there. He¡¯d learned a few days ago that he was a healer, and they wouldn¡¯t let him go back to his family business. A healer with a broken body, born in a family of merchant and who wanted nothing more than to be a Warrior... Atavism can be cruel thing. When he first saw the two barbarians, his jealousy and resentment were brought to new height. Really, why were born Warriors wasting their talent learning spiritualism? He understood they had their own circumstances and that physic alone a warrior doesn¡¯t make but how could he not get angry to see people discard what he¡¯d always yearned for. With time, he let go of his resentment; they acted nothing like the Warriors he knew and were serious in their studies... And then he saw Nadia fight the dorm matron. He always reassured himself by calling strength, a tradeoff for intelligence but there was a girl blessed with both. Irrational anger overtook him. Why was someone like her allowed to exist? Why did he have to suffer this weak body? At that moment, he swore he¡¯d make himself strong, but irony wasn¡¯t done with him yet. He¡¯d die sick and resentful at the early age of thirty but would be forever remembered by future generation as a great sage and the father of congenial therapy. ******************************** Stefan fell on the floor screaming. ¡°So cool. Do it again, I¡¯ll parry it this time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the fifth time I''m hearing it. Let¡¯s do something else.¡± Nadia didn¡¯t share the thirteen-year-old enthusiasm, in fact she was bored to heck with opponents of his caliber. So much that she wondered about joining a workshop or whatever. ¡°How did you get so strong?¡± Asked the boy excitedly. How did she? That was a good question. Her parents were terrible teachers, and worse parent or maybe it was the other way around. Either way, their idea of training was to gang up on her to beat and berate her whenever she failed at something. ¡°In my tribe, children learn by killing small monsters. When needed, we work with older children to fend them until reinforcement arrive.¡± Men hunted, women protected the village and children looked over the herd. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Obviously, there were always some men staying in the village, like the elderly and men between two hunts but the first line of defense was the children and always been. Very badly trained children. ¡°So cool! My parents won¡¯t let me hunt. Stupid Normals!¡± Normals and warriors rarely saw eye to eye, especially when it came to parenting. ¡°According to our elder, it¡¯s to separate the strong from the weak.¡± She too used to think this was the way, and then Varisa came around. She theorized the reason saw so few dangerous monsters, was because the stronger ones kept them away. Not because of good sentiment, but only because the human¡¯s herds were easy prey they didn¡¯t have to look after themselves. A dog-eat-dog attitude was a Warrior prime instinct, but the teen answer surprised her. ¡°That¡¯s dumb. I mean, it sucks they won¡¯t let me hunt, but they¡¯re paying for my training and it¡¯s not like I wish Normal harm or anything.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯re already wiser than I was at your age. A stone ape killed most of the children I grew up with. Those who died were the strong and courageous.¡± Stefen gulped, stone apes were infamous for their blood rage, once they started killing, they didn¡¯t stop until everything easy prey was dead. ¡°How did you survive?¡± ¡°I was saved because of luck. Curse the elders, their teachings don¡¯t make people stronger; it makes them dead.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Simply said the kid. ¡°What for?¡± ¡°For reminding you of that incident and speaking out of turn. Will you train with me again?¡± He liked her, she was nice and unlike the others she didn¡¯t leave after a single exchange. ¡°You¡¯re a sweet kid. If you have Warrior friends, I¡¯ll take all of you at the same time the same price.¡± If he had any friend like that, he¡¯d be training with them. It gave him an idea, though. ¡°Why don¡¯t you propose group sessions at a lower price then?¡± The sum was negligible for Nadia, but for teens it was steep. ¡°Do you think it¡¯d work?¡± Better keep the idea a secret from Tina, she didn¡¯t need another method to enlarge her harem. ******************************** Agner entered the room decidedly. ¡°I hear you haven¡¯t left the room in four days. Is that true?¡± Varisa was covered in ashes from head to toe, this alone was a testament to how much material she¡¯d used. ¡°Like you¡¯re one to talk.¡± ¡°I make sure to eat my meals and sleep four hours a day.¡± There were plates full of foods scattered across the room, also covered in ashes. The girl reparteed. ¡°I¡¯ve got the blood of a Warrior, a few days without sleep or food won¡¯t kill me.¡± Agner couldn¡¯t help but laugh bitterly. ¡°Since when do Warriors need less food than normal people. Not that it matters, you¡¯re hurting yourself.¡± She retorted aggressively. ¡°Do you think my time would be better spent on pointless menial labor like the other apprentices?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t put words in my mouth. This isn¡¯t like you, I¡¯m worried.¡± ¡°What isn¡¯t like me? You barely know anything about me. I¡¯ve been here two weeks and that¡¯s the third conversation we¡¯ve had!¡± This was true, but if the housekeeper was worried, so was he. Heck, even he could tell she was hurting. ¡°You¡¯re the most rational person I know, but you¡¯re acting foolish.¡± ¡°I''m tired of being rational, and I¡¯m even more tired of being screwed over by the very idiots!¡± She pushed away the ash to find a letter. ¡°¡°Do you remember how Oto set up a trade post to prevent my stupid brethren from being fleeced?¡± ¡°I do remember my brother being elated at the cheaper price.¡± The previous merchants bought low to sell high. Oto¡¯s approved dealers were more far reasonable with their profits. ¡°Well, those bastards followed suit, and when I tried warning my fellow about them, they send me this.¡± She handed him the letter and the stepped back in fear. ¡°Not good considering your tone.¡± ¡°They¡¯re ordering me to stay out of their bloody affairs!¡± Most tribes were grateful for the warning and glad to continue working with her, but the problem laid with the one that refused. ¡°Those cretins. It was supposed to last beyond my death, but they ruined everything. Out of spite! And they dare act like they¡¯re the cleverest bastard in the whole damn world.¡± Oto made sure the merchants working at his trade post, exchanged good quality items at a fair price. The competition wasn¡¯t as kind and their alcohol was cheap poison. Agner was neither a friend nor a mentor; she didn¡¯t care about putting a strong front with him. For the first time in years, she let herself go and cried. ¡°Screw them, I give up. I don¡¯t care anymore!¡± Agner didn¡¯t know how deal people period, much less their emotions. ¡°Should I call on Nadia?¡± She didn¡¯t answer. He approached her slowly, ready to bolt out at the slightest sign of danger and put a hand on her back. ¡°Don¡¯t give up, thing won¡¯t always be this bad. Dawn will come.¡± Varisa laughed weakly in between two whimpers. ¡°What¡¯s the heck is that even supposed to mean?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I never understood it myself, but my mother used to say that.¡± It did work though. ¡°My father advice was to brush it off. He¡¯s a kind man, a decent good warrior but damn did he suck at parenting.¡± Agner felt genuinely surprised, he¡¯d been under the impression she was a daddy girl. ¡°I thought you admired him?¡± ¡°I love him, a lot. He¡¯s the best man our tribe ever had.¡± ¡°Is that a compliment or...¡± He should have asked, but he just couldn¡¯t help himself; he too had had parental issue. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t.¡± She laughed heartily. ¡°He¡¯s as dumb and incapable as the rest of them. He just happened to be among the nicer parents... Which isn¡¯t saying much.¡± ¡°That''s harsh.¡± His relationship with his father was terrible, but even he wouldn¡¯t go that far. ¡°But entirely deserved.¡± She pondered. ¡°You should consider yourself lucky; if I''d been born in any other tribe, you may very well have been looking at a full-scale invasion by now.¡± It was frightening that he couldn¡¯t deny the possibility and it didn¡¯t help that he felt threatened as her anger hadn¡¯t really abated. She spoke abruptly. ¡°Do you mind if I take a few days off?¡± ¡°Not at all. In fact, I recommend you do.¡± He prayed no one did anything to piss her off, not while she was in his vicinity; she was like a volcano about to erupt. ¡°Good. I¡¯ll go kill...hunt something to pass my nerve on.¡± As she headed back to school, she found something unexpected on the way; a billboard with job offers for spiritualists and among them was... Recruit a contingent of mages for a siege. Proficiency with the earth element is preferred, but not mandatory. Pay is six gold crowns apiece.¡± This was a ridiculous amount of money, sufficient to pay for the full tuition, living expenses and still leave enough to buy a house and maybe a small trade. She went to enquire to the nearby recruiter but was stopped in her track a teacher. ¡°This isn¡¯t a job, this is suicide. The reason why the pay is so high is because the survival rate is less than one out of six.¡± This was unexpected. ¡°If you¡¯re going to dissuade people, why post it at all?¡± Barely a few steps away, was a recruitment booth manned by very annoyed soldier. This must have been quite the common occurrence as he didn¡¯t even speak up. The teacher explained. ¡°We can¡¯t refuse a request from nobility, but there¡¯s nothing stopping us from informing the applicants. Please, pass your way, the dead and their families don¡¯t get nothing.¡± The soldier face ticked; it was most likely true. ¡°The family of the deceased don¡¯t get anything. At all?¡± This truly terrible deal targeted the most desperate debtor only to leave their next of kin with dead family and unpaid debt. ¡°Exactly, and Baron Von Leatz who posted this request is notably shrewd and untrustworthy. There couldn¡¯t be a worse employer.¡± He looked at the soldier disapprovingly, but he simply shrugged his shoulders. Varisa thanked the teacher and headed back to her room as he sighed in relief; he¡¯d just save another life. Nadia wasn¡¯t home and she was left alone with her thoughts. Idea of revenge and murder floated into her mind, but she always found herself drawn back to that job offer and more precisely, to the role of a spiritualist in a siege. She remembered. ¡®Earth is preferred, but not mandatory.¡¯ She understood how spiritualism could be used to weaken walls and foundation but wasn¡¯t so sure about the other elements. Light was useful, but a double-edged sword. Same with darkness. Fire was helpful, if you didn¡¯t care about damaging the city. She could also think of a few ways to destroy walls or bar the enemy access to water and by the time her friend came back, she was totally on board with the idea. ¡°Nadia, I¡¯m thinking about enlisting in a siege. It should only take a few days and I want to learn how...¡± ¡°No! You shouldn¡¯t! This a terrible idea. The worst idea!¡± Even excluding the obvious reason, this went contrary to everything her friend¡¯s strived for. ¡°But...¡± ¡°No but!¡± ¡°However,...¡± ¡°I don''t want to hear of no ¡®however¡¯.¡± ¡°Nevertheless...¡± ¡°Stop listing the dictionary! This is a terrible idea.¡± ¡°How does a spiritualist fight? Aren¡¯t you curious? I never even thought about using spiritualism in combat, but there¡¯s are a lot of options. Light or darkness to blind your opponent, noise to deafen them, moving the ground under them to make them lose their footing, you can even collapse their walls or redirect their water supply.¡± Nadia flinched, it sounded interesting. ¡°I... We should experiment on our own.¡± Something was off with her friend; she couldn¡¯t let herself be swayed. ¡°Think about it. We¡¯re but fledglings when central¡¯s been using spiritualism in battle for thousands of years.¡± This was bold-faced misrepresentation; Central¡¯s current knowledge was but snippet of the cardinal empire¡¯s which already a far cry from the Spirit kings¡¯ era. Varisa saw she was gaining ground. ¡°War may not come for our generation nor even the next, but make no mistake, it will come; nothing can stave off the great beast.¡± This was one hard truth she couldn¡¯t deny but... ¡°There must be better ways tough, like history or strategy books.¡± ¡°Do you remember seeing one at the library? Do you really think they¡¯ll see strategy books to foreigners.¡± She went for the kill. ¡°I won¡¯t be in any danger as long as you¡¯re there to protect me, right?¡± ¡°Yes, there¡¯s nothing to fear with me at your side.¡± ******************************** ¡°Why are you back too?¡± The teacher had a defeated look, on his face she was the thirteenth one in two days. Year after year, the number of students driven into debts grew exponentially but the grants from nobility had long stopped making a dent into spawns¡¯ expense. ¡°My friend is a Warrior, she¡¯ll protect me... And the others too.¡± ¡°Really?¡± There may be light at the end of the tunnel but... ¡°How strong is she?¡± ¡°Strong enough to take on a normal soldier, but not quite at the level of a royal guard either.¡± It sounded like bragging. He knew he should stop them, but there were so many students walking to certain death he felt like clinging to any hope, no matter how tiny. He turned to Nadia. ¡°If it¡¯s in your power, please protect them.¡± They walked to the booth and the soldier welcomed them by releasing bloodlust. ¡°Stronger than a soldier, are you?¡± Nadia answered in kind. ¡°Want to try me?¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good. I don¡¯t like sending kids to their death, so I¡¯ll ask you the same thing he did¡± ¡°Does it mean we won¡¯t be fighting besides you?¡± Asked Varisa. ¡°Yeah, the main force will be barba... Hinterlanders mercenaries. Who know, maybe they¡¯ll put more of an effort protecting their kin.¡± The place they were going was quite far from home. ¡°Not likely.¡± Answered Varisa matter-of-factly The soldier sighed, then smiled tiredly. ¡°Yeah, I thought so.¡± 12. War Wilhem of the Odr tribe spat in disgust. ¡°Children, again. Cheap bastard.¡± There were two unusual entities among them, as not only they weren¡¯t children, but they wore tribal armor. In the short few years, they¡¯d worked together, the leader¡¯s sentiments toward their employer had quickly grown from apathy to discontentment to contempt before flourishing in outright hatred. Leysr, his untrustworthy right-hand man shrugged his shoulder. ¡°What does it matter as long the walls are toppled?¡± ¡°Sorry, I forgot who I was talking for.¡± Wilhem didn¡¯t like seeing children die, not even the enemy¡¯s. He¡¯d still kill them in the line of duty but would always feel bad afterward. Leysr was the type who¡¯d kill parents and spouse if it benefited him in the slightest. He was a bastard through and through, but to Wilhem¡¯s chagrin, a charismatic one. ¡°Make sure they don¡¯t die until they topple the wall.¡± Von Leatz was the cheapest lord he had the displeasure to work with, and the funds for the battlemages was part their payment. ¡°That doesn''t mean you can kill them after, either.¡± The lieutenant complained. ¡°I won¡¯t order my men to die for some Ravealian brats.¡± ¡°We agree on that point.¡± The leader caught Leysr by the throat. ¡°But if I find another stab wound that has no place being there on them kids, I¡¯ll give you a few of my own. Are we clear?¡± The man croaked. ¡°We¡¯re clear, boss.¡± ¡°Then get along, your face makes me want to vomit.¡± They¡¯d have killed one another a long time ago assuming they could get away with it. The lieutenant walked away muttering ¡°Stupid prick, I¡¯ll get you someday.¡± under his breath. Wilheim turned his attention back on the thirteen children plus two. ¡°I¡¯d like to believe you¡¯ve already been briefed on your role, but since it¡¯s Baron cheapskate we¡¯re talking about, I¡¯m quite sure they didn¡¯t.¡± A quick glance at their panicked face told him everything he wanted to know. ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake!¡± He calmed himself. ¡°You lot cast your spells from behind the mobile palisade. My men will try to protect you but... Once the walls are down and the charge begins, you¡¯re on your own. I¡¯d run as fast and as far I could if I were you.¡± Fear gripped they Spiritualist face as it dawned on them that no one cared one bit about their survival. ¡°What about you two?¡± Inquired the leader to Nadia. ¡°I¡¯m my lady¡¯s bodyguard. She''s come to learn and observe.¡± ¡°Do I need to pay you?¡± ¡°No, sir. I...¡± ¡°Then you aren¡¯t my problem.¡± He turned to Varisa next. ¡°You can really do magic?¡± She confirmed. ¡°I have the same training as everyone else.¡± This surprised him more than a little.¡± You¡¯re from the south, right? They let you into their fancy school?¡± Seeing how he didn¡¯t have a spiritualist of his own, she understood where ¡°Only because I could pay my tuition and lodging.¡± He spat. ¡°Tch. Useless.¡± It¡¯d be nice if he had the means to get himself a real mage. Nadia looked at the man severely, but he didn¡¯t even look back. ¡°Take your position. They have at least one master archer on their side. Only look through the peak holes, hide yourself well or you¡¯re dead.¡± The young spiritualist acquiesced but their fear was clear for all to see. *************************** ¡°There is no way we¡¯ll withstand their assault. Set the fire starters and get ready for evacuation, we¡¯ll leave at my signal.¡± Despite his barbarian garb, Andrey was fully equipped in enchanted weapons and armor. He was an Utravalian officer, tasked with commercial raiding, sabotage and assassination. ¡°Andrey¡± Called his lieutenant Maxim from the north side of the wall. ¡°They left us a way out.¡± As expected, the baron von cheapskate, he only ever paid the bare minimum and that¡¯s what made his fief such great place to operate from. ¡°As soon as the wall go down, I want you to light the fires and scatter north. We¡¯ll regroup at base four. In the meantime, I''m counting on you to kill them spiritualists.¡± Even low tier spiritualists were considered high value targets to turn or kill. He had a dozen archer, each with their own enchanted bow and twice that number of melee specialist. It was a lot of enchanted items by army standard, but not enough to make up for the difference in number. They first pelted the palisades with normal arrows but found no weakness to exploit. His archers could shoot ten time per beat, but they only had a few special arrows each and only a few beats to make it count. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Squads, concentrated fire.¡± Each squad shot at the same target. ¡°Girl, third on the left.¡± Shouted a soldier. She was dressed differently than the other and went out of her way to block arrow that weren¡¯t even a threat. ¡°Special arrows, one volley.¡± The wall breakers arrows were precious items imbued with increased resistance to impact and increased piercing; but even though they should have gone through the girl¡¯s shield they fell on the ground harmlessly. Andrey¡¯s heart quickened. Different clothing and enchanted weapons were indisputably the sign of a bodyguard. ¡°Full assault!¡± Twenty-one arrows pierced through the palisade, but not one of them hit the target hiding behind. He''d felt the target move at the last second but wasn¡¯t sure whether it was on purpose or not. There wasn¡¯t much time left, he could already hear the wall tearing. ¡°Retreat!¡± When they were but a few leagues away, Andrey called to his lieutenant. ¡°Maxim, I want you to take a man and observe the target we missed. Something felt wrong with them.¡± ¡°Yes, boss. It¡¯s almost like they dodged.¡± ¡°Kill them if you find an opportunity. Same with the others. Do not take unnecessary risks.¡± Those last words implied death was preferable over capture. ******************************** An unprecedented eleven out of the fourteen spiritualists had survived. Baron Cheapskate wasn¡¯t going to like the expense, which in turn made Wilhem a very happy Odr indeed. That¡¯s why, when his lieutenant approached with the ridiculous idea of recruiting the two southern girls, he didn¡¯t shoot him down as he usually would. Even if they wouldn¡¯t join, their presence on the battlefield was indication they loved money enough to risk their life. If so, a somewhat safer teacher¡¯s work was something, and that was an investment he was more than willing to make. Even if he was loath to admit it, the lieutenant was as handsome as he was charismatic. The bastard even had three wives back home, and from he¡¯d heard, they had yet to try and kill him. Still, he warned him. ¡°Don¡¯t be too forceful. I want a good relationship with them.¡± Leysr didn¡¯t like his current situation. Despite the precaution, his new women were already with kids, and he didn¡¯t like the idea of two new noisy mouths to feed. Oh yes, it was high time he left for greener pasture and thankfully he''d found just what he needed. He approached the pair with a bright smile. ¡°Hey you two. Could I speak to you two privately?¡± The taller one shot him down immediately. ¡°If you¡¯re looking for a lover, look elsewhere.¡± The small on the other hand looked distracted and barely responded to his presence. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. Boss¡¯s been looking for a mage to work with for some time. Come on, follow me, it¡¯s too noisy to talk.¡± The mercenaries were still busy putting down the fire, and it was indeed hard to hear one another over this racket. ¡°Varisa?¡± The taller girl enquired the smaller one¡¯s opinion, but her eyes were drawn to something far away and she wasn¡¯t paying attention at all. ¡°Did she get a bonk on the head or something?¡± He didn¡¯t care either way, his focus was the Warrior.¡± ¡°Okay, but not too far. Over the hill there will do.¡± She clearly distrusted him, but he didn¡¯t mind. ¡°Fine by me.¡± It should mask enough of the noise and put them out of view; nice. Before they left, she took a short sword from the bag, and he beamed. ¡°A magic bag, you¡¯re one girl of means.¡± Varisa followed them absentmindedly. Even better. ¡°We wanted to know if we could call on you for another assignment...¡± She cut him short. ¡°No!¡± ¡°Hey! No need to be so aggressive. Another thing my boss had in mind was to have you teach our kids. We could even send them to you if you don¡¯t trust working in our village.¡± As the tall girl eyes became pensive, he acted on this sliver of distraction to strike. He¡¯d known what the bags were worth from the moment he¡¯d saw them. They were his retirement fund, away from his noisy kids, and murderous superior. With the two bags alone, he could live in luxury for years, and then there was the content. ******************************** ¡°You don¡¯t think she¡¯s unto us, do you?¡± Asked Aleksandr. ¡°That can¡¯t be, we¡¯re too far.¡± They were assassin, trained at hiding their presence and killing intent. ¡°Should we strike now?¡± He wanted to be done with this mission, the girl gave him the creed and no amount of reassurance by his superior could change that. ¡°That guy is clearly up to no good, we might not...What the f...?¡± One moment the mercenary was pouncing to strike, the next what was left of his arm and head were flying into the air. The tall woman hadn¡¯t even moved, she looked just has flabbergasted as them. The girl presence vanished. She was still there, fetching something from her bag. ¡°Run!¡± He bolted, zigzagging randomly. His intuition was never wrong, but this time, it was too late. The first arrow shattered against Maxim¡¯s head and sadly for the assassin, his skull didn¡¯t fare much better. As for Aleksandr, zigzag or not he wasn''t able to outrun his own messenger of death either; a second shot pierce through his armor and into chest with uncanny speed and precision. He wasn¡¯t dead yet, but now that he couldn¡¯t move, he knew it wouldn¡¯t be long. ******************************** ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Cried Nadia, if she had acted faster, her friend wouldn¡¯t have had to break her vow. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time! Follow me.¡± The mercenaries were coming, and she doubted they¡¯d listen to their explanation with the body of their comrade fresh at their feet. Thankfully, there was a good hiding place nearby. ¡°Who are they?¡± Said hiding place of theirs already had two unidentified corpses on the ground. ¡°I think they were among the defenders. Most likely acting as assassin.¡± Her assumption came from the quality of their equipment. ¡°That''s some good stuff. I doubt they¡¯re from the rim.¡± She hadn¡¯t dropped out of the water stance yet. It wasn¡¯t by fear of the backlash or of being attacked, but because she¡¯d have to confront her shame and stupidity head on. ¡°Why would assassin be after us?¡± It made no sense; they weren¡¯t important people or anything. Varisa had blamed all her troubles of this technique, and sworn herself to never use it again, but she¡¯d always knew it wasn¡¯t true; she simply didn¡¯t want to acknowledge her mistakes. ¡°I should have listened to you.¡± And Agner¡¯s. Heck, even her brother had raised some good points... ¡°Why are you speaking like that again?¡± It was freaking her out, she¡¯d forgotten how unsettling it was to talk to her when she was in that state. Varisa she fell out of her awakened state and groaned in pain. Nadia immediately moved to support her. ¡°Sorry, I must have pulled a muscle... Or ten.¡± She was aching all over, so much so she couldn¡¯t tell the damage. ¡°That¡¯s what I get for going all out after years of slacking off.¡± ¡°Can you walk?¡± Asked Nadia. She laughed softly. "I think I can limp.¡± It was funny how confronting her recent mistake had given her a new look over her older ones. She laughed. ¡°This is a good pain; it gives me clarity.¡± ¡°Clarity of what? What is that even supposed to mean?¡± ¡°It means I don¡¯t need to change our people.¡± Her voice trembled. ¡°Are you... Do you want use to go back?¡± Varisa laughed cheerily this time. ¡°Heck no! Screw them! I should never have tried to force my view upon them; they¡¯re to make their mistake and I''m free to stop caring.¡± She smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll still offer my service to the amicable tribes, collect my due but it¡¯s their choice whether they want my aid! I don¡¯t need them, I have everything I need here, including a dependable friend.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± It sure was nice hearing it. ¡°Uh? I was talking about Clara, but yeah, you¡¯re nice too.¡± She raised a hand panickily to protect herself and groaned in pain as she pleaded. ¡°Don¡¯t hit me. That was a joke!¡± ¡°There¡¯s funny and there¡¯s mean, please learn the difference.¡± Growled Nadia. ¡°Sorry, it was too tempting.¡± She looked at her hands. ¡°I think I broke some fingers too. Everything hurts so much I can''t tell... Do you mind if I start training with you?¡± ¡°I sure don¡¯t, but weren¡¯t you trying to hide your abilities?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t use my techniques, and the current me is below average anyway.¡± According to Oto, the techniques she used were long lost and appeared only in legends. Considering the way she acquired them; she was inclined to believe him. Nadia looked at her nonplussed, it didn¡¯t seem like their concept of average meshed out.¡± ******************************** Oto was very happy with the gift he just received as this wasn¡¯t something that could normally be bought. "Son, did you see what little Varisa sent us?¡± Wolff scoffed. ¡°Where did the wench steal them from, this time?¡± The bows were impressive, but still a far cry from the one his father lost. ¡°I gather they were Utravalian assassins.¡± Unlike Varisa, he was up to date with politics. The young man glossed over the important detail to hone on the part that suited his agenda. ¡°So, she did steal them.¡± He played with one of the weapons; it was a perfect fit. ¡°Son, there¡¯s been more trade, and fewer bandits than ever. I couldn¡¯t have dreamed a luckier encounter.¡± And she¡¯d proved herself a diligent student, unlike a certain someone. He scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re did all the work; anyone could have done what she done.¡± ¡°But no one did.¡± Even if it were an easy task (and it wasn¡¯t), someone had to want to do it. ¡°I''ll give you that... Still, she stole my inheritance.¡± The three brothers had grown listening to the heroics of their ancestors and dreamed of the day they¡¯d create his own. Of the three, he was the only one who hung on this. ¡°My son; it takes more than an item to be a hero; these may not be legendary item, but they suit people like us better. Nevertheless, I¡¯ll try to convince her to give it back.¡± He¡¯d seen what the weapon could do in the proper hands, and those weren¡¯t his nor his son¡¯s. 13. Encounter with a weird type There were some screams outside. He¡¯d heard his kidnappers argue about whether they should ransom him, and to whom but never this loudly. A barbarian, a girl this time, entered the room. He was quite sure weren¡¯t any women amongst his kidnappers. Maybe she was the buyer they were talking about. Her face was even more emotionless than a porcelain mask. Frightening. ¡°Do you know where the keys are?¡± Her accent was thick worse than any of the men so far. ¡°A strange question to ask a prisoner, don¡¯t you think?¡± She opened her arms at a distance before her. ¡°Put your hands in front of you like this and look away.¡± As soon he looked away, he felt a light tug and the weight of the chain dangling by his sides. ¡°How?¡± In barely a heartbeat, she moved to cut the ones at his ankle. Her blade was but a claw fitted to bonny handle, hardly something one¡¯d expect to cut through metal... And they¡¯d be wrong. She beckoned him outside. ¡°Follow me.¡± There were some corpses, dozens of them... And the merchant who¡¯d been captured along with him. The girl, who ought to be in the middle of their teen, asked. ¡°Did you already gather your stuff?¡± ¡°Yes, young mistress; it¡¯s all in here.¡± Oto recognized the man as Borgur, a big merchant physically speaking, and a loudmouth. He¡¯d never seen the man so fearful, not even when the bandits were beating on him. ¡°Then, everything else is mine? I want things sorted out before my companions arrive.¡± The way only her lips moved, gave an uncanny feeling. ¡°Why was she giving them their stuff back? Most adventurers would simply do them him, if only to spare themselves the complication. ¡°Weapons, armors and currencies are mine. Do we agree?¡± Currencies, this was a strange way to put it. ¡°Yes, young mistress, such states the law¡± Was that a smile she just flashed, or did they dream it? Oto gulped before asking. ¡°The bow on your back is m...¡± ¡°Mine!¡± The first displays of emotion she¡¯d shown, and it looked as defensive as if he¡¯d tried to steal her child. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I''m Baron Oto von Estlugvael and this weapon¡¯s been in my family for generations.¡± She was his savior, and it was hers by law, but this was a legendary weapon. The others look at him like he was insane and made discreet movements to tell him to shut up. The girl caressed the bow fondly. ¡°It wasn¡¯t always, though.¡± Shameful as it was, she was right; it¡¯d been looted from the corpse of an ancient hero by his ancestor then hidden from sight until it was forgotten. The way she said it was strange though. ¡°Do you perhaps know of its wielder?¡± ¡°Probably. Some of them at least. It¡¯s that old.¡± Indeed, the legend could be traced all the way back to the Spirit Kings¡¯ era, although there was always the possibility of multiple weapons with similar attributes. If she truly knew what she held; there was no way he¡¯d convince her to part with it. ¡°Could I ask where your companions are? I¡¯ve to see them.¡± She answered matter-of-factly ¡°They¡¯re at the caravan, they should catch up soon.¡± She looked at the men. ¡°Mind helping me gather my share?¡± ¡°Absolutely not, young mistress! It¡¯s our pleasure.¡± The girl seemed slightly taken aback by their enthusiasm.¡± ¡°How should we call you?¡± Suddenly asked the baron, which made the other frown again. She answered without looking back, ¡°I¡¯m Varisa.¡± Already she was occupying herself with sorting through the bandit''s possessions, and it was clear she their worth. Oto picked on it. ¡°Are you, maybe, unfamiliar with money?¡± ¡°While I understand the concept, I¡¯m unfamiliar with the actual denomination or their exchange values.¡± The wording was unnaturally academic. ¡°Did you learn Ravealian language from a manual or something?¡± She truly wasn¡¯t as emotionless as it initially appeared because blushed a little. ¡°There are a few old books in my village, and I read them all. I know of things, but...¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Not how they really work.¡± She nodded empathically. ¡°I know the feeling all too well, sometimes, all I can do is nod along.¡± Those little exchanges had given him a lot of information, but he still lacked the crucial elements. ¡°Please work, with your hands, not with your mouth; we don¡¯t have much time left.¡± ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± As a Lord and a Warrior, he was familiar with corpses and looting, but he hadn¡¯t done either in over two decades. It was truly shameful that the merchants were having less problem than him. When everything of value had been stripped away, Borgur declared. ¡°That should be all.¡± ¡°I see, thank you. Let us head for the road then.¡± It only took them about a bell to reach the road, and it mostly due to the cart getting stuck every so often. Oto wondered out loud. ¡°How did they bandits make camp this near the road without anyone noticing?¡± Varisa answered him. ¡°They probably moved near the road to exchange you.¡± She pondered for a moment, even with her emotionless face he could tell it she was faking it. ¡°Do you people know merchants who¡¯d be interested in this kind of stuff?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± Answered Borgur who specialized in tools and heavy equipment. ¡°The workshop I work with don¡¯t make or sell weapons.¡± Eager to take her attention from himself, he turned to one of his companions. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a jeweler friend?¡± The man looked absolutely panicked. ¡°He only deals in cheap stuff. Copper, wood and ivory. You know? Not gold and silver.¡± She looked satisfied. ¡°I see. If you think of something, please tell me.¡± Barbarian usual method of trade was to find a random cattle merchant to barter everything they had brought with and even the best-intentioned merchant would have trouble offering a fair price in those condition... It should also be noted that there weren¡¯t many people positively inclined towards hinterlanders to begin with. ¡°Why don¡¯t you let me help? As payment for saving me.¡± This was exactly the kind of opportunity they¡¯d been looking for; she to facilitate the transaction and him to ingratiate himself to her. ¡°There¡¯s a lot besides that. You sure you don¡¯t mind?¡± It wouldn¡¯t be long before he¡¯d learn what she meant by a lot. ¡°Who are they? Why did you bring ¡®them¡¯ to us?¡± Asked the convoy leader, very unhappy to see them. ¡°I freed from bandits. They promised to help with the exchange of goods.¡± The whole village had been disappointed by the results of the previous exchange, which they blamed on the merchant¡¯s untrustworthiness and greed. ¡°Killing your own kind for merchant scum. How appropriate.¡± He spat. His companion moved away from him while looking at the girl in terror. She answered without anger, stating the facts. ¡°They were preparing an ambush for us.¡± Despite their fear, the merchants were starting to regret their earlier decision; there were so many monster parts that even half a percent commission would make for a considerable sum. As for Oto, he couldn¡¯t have wished for better development. Scorn and fear had created an irreconcilable chasm between the girl and the other, which he could exploit to the kingdom and his own benefit. He cleared his throat to get their attention, ¡°Normally, I¡¯d advise auctioning this kind of material, but... Is enchanted weaponry of interest to you?¡± ¡°Magic weapons?!¡± This was every Warrior¡¯s dream, even their leader abandoned his previous hostility. Thanks to his enchanter and Hunter¡¯s acquaintances, Oto knew how ridiculously valuable their cargo was. ¡°There''s two ways to proceed; fast or slow. With the former I could only get you a few hundred cows, but with the later you¡¯d look at half a thousand head, and weapons at the cost of a few months. What say you?¡± This was very tempting, but they could stay this long nor come back empty handed. ¡°I¡¯ll stay.¡± Proposed Varisa. Just as planned. Oto then added to the offer with a smile. ¡°The loot for the bandit camp alone is enough to buy you a dozen heads. I know this doesn¡¯t sound like much, but it doesn¡¯t cost you anything and can be arranged in a few short days. More importantly, this way you won¡¯t have to go back empty handed.¡± The leader jumped at the opportunity. Not only would he¡¯d be rid of the monstrous girl, but he¡¯d be bringing home a dozen cattle head with more to come. What wasn¡¯t there to like? ¡°I accept!¡± **************************************** Wolff scoffed. ¡°Glad to see you didn¡¯t run away, girl.¡± ¡°I¡¯d hardly call that running away when I¡¯ve been stuck at school all year long.¡± Varisa turned to Oto. ¡°As promised, I will return the bow, assuming I find them worthy.¡± She was more interested in making one herself, although it was still a valuable research sample. ¡°I¡¯ll show you who¡¯s worthy.¡± He was extremely confident, for he had something no one else had, something far beyond the wench¡¯s comprehension. Yes, he¡¯d finally get back his due... ¡°Now than I finally met you, I¡¯m sure; marry me!¡± Spoke the girl after what looked like forever. Lowe, Oto¡¯s youngest son, answered ¡°I feel the same. Gladly!¡± The pair seemed entranced with each another. It was the strangest thing for his family as contrary to his cute appearance which rivaled the prettiest girls (Wolff had once heard his wife whisper she wished she had his look), the young man was a total muscle for brain. ¡°Brother, Father. I¡¯m removing myself from the competition; my soulmate is far more important than some bow.¡± This went in complete opposition to what he¡¯d been saying up until now. ¡°Wait, wait, wait. This is going too fast.¡± Screamed Wolff. ¡°You know nothing of her, and she¡¯s a barbarian! Father, brother, say something!¡± The pretty boy shrugged. ¡°I know more of her than I ever did of the fianc¨¦es you two forced on me, and since when does being acquainted matters to you?¡± This got Oto laughing, and the middle brother Bar to nod emphatically. He too had to deal with more than his share of miserable mismatches thanks to his busybody of an elder brother. Varisa too thought things were progressing to fast. ¡°Are you sure? He¡¯s nothing like what his face suggests, you know?¡± She¡¯d joked about it a few times because of her friend¡¯s taste in men but to think it¡¯d happen... Nadia acquiesced. ¡°I heard so many stories I feel like I¡¯ve known him for year. He truly is my match.¡± She¡¯d grown a lot calmer over the last few years, but she was still a Warrior at heart. ¡°You are even more resplendent in person.¡± He turned to his family. ¡°I may lack in knowledge or comprehension, but I at least know this; we¡¯re meant for each other.¡± Bar Joked. ¡°Who are you and what have you done with my brother?¡± This was the most words Lowe had ever stringed together, and he hadn¡¯t mentioned training even once. It was supposed to be his great reveal, his glory day. He activated his secret technique and his aura changed completely. He declared with a calm belying his previous appearance. ¡°Let us proceed with the competition.¡± Varisa looked at him gravely then turned to Oto. ¡°Did you know about it?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± He was just as surprised as her, when did his son learn to do the technique. He took his bow, one of the two she¡¯d gifted them, and shot the targets in quick succession with fluid movement and perfect precision. He dropped out of the technique. ¡°What do you think of that? I¡¯ve recreated the legend!¡± The young barbarian moved in position, and her presence suddenly disappeared. He could still she her, but it felt though she¡¯d became part of the decor. ¡°This is the full form.¡± She shot THROUGH the fives targets faster than he could register and dropped from out of the technique. ¡°Color me impressed that you managed the first and second form at your age. Here,¡± She handed him the ¡°thousand-pound bow, it¡¯s in good hand.¡± The bow? Who cared about that? Excited, and angered at the same time, he questioned Oto. ¡°Fa... Fa... Father, why didn¡¯t you tell me about this? Va... Mistress, please, take my worthless self as a pupil.¡± ¡°I did want to pass my technique.¡± She paused a moment as she pondered her schedule. ¡°Starting next month, I should be able to stay for two months. Is it fine with you?¡± Bar raised his hand. ¡°Can I learn too?¡± ¡°Brother, you¡¯re being rude to Teacher.¡± As the eldest and heir, he was quick to point out his younger siblings¡¯ mistakes, but not so at minding his own. ¡°Me?¡± It wasn¡¯t even ten beats since he¡¯d last called her a wench. ¡°But you were calling...¡± ¡°Mind your manner! I¡¯m sorry teacher, he won¡¯t interrupt you again.¡± Varisa smiled, the overtly enthusiastic attitude was like the same as his father¡¯s when she¡¯d first discussed the technique with him. She explained. ¡°The first form is very hard to learn as an adult because a fully developed self was much harder to suppress. If you two have children, it might be beneficial if they start learning early.¡± ¡°If you do not mind me asking, what age were you when you started teacher?¡± She hesitated a little but answered truthfully. Their father already knew anyway. ¡°I was three.¡± Wolff grew even more excited, if possible. ¡°Are... Does it mean you¡¯re a chosen one?¡± There was no denying she¡¯d been born with innate knowledge. ¡°Yes. I do not believe in destiny though... Not anymore.¡± Wollf meditated on the hardship the technique might cause to a developing child then professed. ¡°I won¡¯t force them.¡± Varisa smiled. ¡°Good.¡± 14. Please, don鈥檛 let me meet them The little creature growled and thrust its minuscule spear, although a better description would be a almost straight, almost pointy stick. The weapon, for lack of a better word, hit Bodin straight in the shin and broke harmlessly. ¡°It¡¯s going to be one of those days.¡± He sighed as more of the little people surrounded him weapon at the ready. They were armed with swords(short sticks), spears (longer sticks), clubs (larger sticks), shields (he¡¯d have to say, it was probably bark) and quite obviously: sticks. The creatures were harmless, and it was seen as a source of bad luck to harm them. ¡°What got you so bothered littles ones?¡± They snarled and shouted menacingly... As menacingly as a frail two-feet humanoid could get at least. Bodin couldn¡¯t help himself anymore, he laughed and laughed until he spotted the totem. ¡°Varisa?¡± His own daughter made into a god. He suddenly felt like vomiting, not because he found the idea repulsive but because of the way they¡¯d treated her as a monster. From the little one¡¯s point of view, the very thing that had made her own people fear her, made them revere her: she was incomprehensible both in strength and mind. He gripped the pouch at his side, it contained his daughter last letter, and the reason why he¡¯d went on this long patrol by himself. ¡°Shit!¡± He headed back, Elder Bura should be gone by now, and she wasn¡¯t... When he reached home, the elder was in the Yurt, talking with his wife. He cursed, ¡°It¡¯s definitely is one of those day.¡± ¡°Bodin,¡± She exclaimed, ¡°just the man I was waiting for.¡± ¡°Salutation, Elder, I didn¡¯t expect you.¡± Not after he¡¯d done everything in his power to avoid her. ¡°So, it seems. You know, I¡¯ve had to delay my departure by days waiting for you, but we¡¯ve finally met.¡± The old woman¡¯s eyes were boring holes in his skull. ¡°How auspicious.¡± What else could he say? She was a very influential elder among the tribes, and a force to recon with despite her age. He wasn¡¯t sur he¡¯d win a fight against, heck, he wasn¡¯t sure his son could. ¡°Let use get on to business then. Did your daughter answer my request, will she come home?¡± There was a book on her lap, a spell book of sort written by Varisa. ¡°I see my wife already gave you the book...¡± She interrupted him. ¡°Will she?¡± Shit! He took the letter from his pooch and handed it to her. There was a reason why he hadn¡¯t shown it to anyone, not even his wife. The elder¡¯s eyes grew more and more severe as she read. Dear father, I thought I¡¯d notify you that despite some complications at childbirth, my son and I are both healthy. As for your actual inquiry: fuck you. I have a life, stop trying to ruin my life. Lovingly (and one-sidedly), Your daughter Varisa. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for the disrespect.¡± ¡°Yes, you should. Not for the disrespect, but for what you and your people did to her.¡± She¡¯d wanted the girl to inherit her position, but the was no way it was going to happen. Easy to say, for an outsider but they¡¯d been the one who had lived with the impossible monster. ********************************** Varisa sat to meditate, partly for training, partly to calm herself. She couldn¡¯t believe those stupid elders still denied her the right of passage when even her moron of a brother had been allowed to. She muttered. ¡°There¡¯s no way this idiot succeeded on his own.¡± Fighting was one thing since it was the one thing, he was good at, but tracking a prey AND finding his way back? On his own? There was no way. She was objectively stronger than anyone else, but she wasn¡¯t allowed out there because ¡®women are precious¡¯ and ¡®they should stay and protect the village as the last line of defense.¡¯ Liar, if it were true then the safest sending her alone would be the safest bet; she was the strongest after all, probably stronger than everyone combined. But she couldn¡¯t lose herself in anger, she started meditating and conjured vision of a tiger in her mind for image training. She¡¯d never saw the lords of the forest, but since they were quadruped of the feline family, she could predict their movement based on their morphology alone. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. To some extent at least. With monster, strange quirks and abnormalities had to be expected. Like, using their tail as a weapon or a fifth appendage for movement. The image looked quite ridiculous, but she knew better than to laugh. She continued her training for some time, but no matter how many times she tried, she couldn¡¯t see herself win. She was still in the middle of training when the screams came. The village wasn¡¯t far, barely a few hundred paces away, but it felt like thousands. She was greeted by men, recently bloodied hunters who ought to be out on patrol, and woman running away from the carnage. There were corpses strewn everywhere, human and animal and in the middle of them was a stone ape, beating on a teenage girl blocking his path. ¡°Bojana!¡± The girl was only a few steps away, but there was no saving her; she was already too far gone. With tears in her eyes, Varisa charged. Gone were her techniques and training, she was only driven by primal rage and her desire to pummel the beast into the ground and to oblivion. A Stone Ape driven by bloodlust could not be stopped, it would kill and beat on the corpse of its victim for beats on end... But it stopped to let out a cry of abject terror and raise it arm in a meager act of defense. It wasn¡¯t enough. Nothing short of a giant could have stopped Varisa as she was now. She broke its arm, slammed its face into ground and started on punching. The cries soon stopped, replaced only by the rhythmic sounds of pounding and the occasional gasps of the onlookers. There was a groan. The beating stopped. Then another groan. Varisa, covered in bits of blood, flesh and bones rushed at its source. It was Nadia, badly hurt but still alive under the bodies of her friends. ¡°Thank the spirits.¡± Cried Varisa as she extracted the older girl from under the pile and carried her away to examine her. There were some tears, broken bones but nothing immediately fatal, at least not with her knowledge of anatomy. The adults stared helplessly, too afraid to move, until an irate elder Nemanja screamed she stops whatever she was doing. ¡°Let go of my granddaughter who accursed monster child!¡± She didn¡¯t. She couldn¡¯t, not until her situation was stabilized. ¡°Shut up, you damn fool. I''m saving her life!¡± He raised a hand to hit her but was stopped by the people around him. Between a mere elder and the monstrous child in front of them, they were much more afraid of the latter. ¡°Let me go, you damn oafs.¡± He tried to it them, but he was but a feeble old man whose glory days where long gone... Not that they were ever that glorious to begin with. Varisa extracted the last bone fragment from her thoracic cavity, with this there should be no more risk a piercing a lung. Sadly, she was no healer: the rest would be up to Nadia and to luck. ¡°Make sure she¡¯s well cared for.¡± She walked down the river to clean herself up; she stunk like a rotten corpse. By the time she was done, the runaways who had turned tail were looking for survivors and answer. She should have waited more... Watching the grief-stricken parents gather what was left of their progeny was too much to bear. ¡°This is all your fault.¡± Screamed a broken-hearted father at her, ¡°if you¡¯d be there rather than sleeping on the job as you always do...¡± ¡°I¡¯d be just as incompetent as you and dead. The better question is: where were you?¡¯¡± No matter how many times she explained, they refused to understand what she did was training. She saw elder Branimir, a vile brute much unlike what his name suggested, berating the trio of hunter she had seen earlier. ¡°Worthless, useless, pieces of trash, why were you not fighting the beast. You should be out hunting, why are you here at all?¡± As Varisa had expected, they were supposed to been on patrol, and why were they missing half their number? The elder shifted his focus to her. ¡°Damn bitch, sleeping on the job again, were you? My (great) granddaughter is dead because of you. I should kill you here and now!¡± She absolutely hated the useless old brute, ¡°You¡¯re welcome to try, if you think can do better than the ape.¡± He was taken aback by her answer. ¡°You¡¯d raise your hands against me, and elder?¡± ¡°If you raise yours against me, why wouldn¡¯t I answer in kind?¡± As far as she was concerned, the elders were worthless fools. Her brother intervened with the most (In)opportune timing. ¡°Sister, watch your tone. Sorry elder, let me speak to her in private.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll allow it.¡± Said the old coot regally. ¡°Sister, I know things have been hard on you lately, but you need to listen to the elders, they know what¡¯s good for the tribe.¡± ¡°Bojan, shut up and do what you do best; get lost. I do not want to see you right now; your very name is an insult to my diseased friend.¡± Why did she have to die? Why not those useless moronic pieces of trash? ¡°Varisa, you can¡¯t speak to people like that and expect them to listen...¡± She went away, anything out of his mouth was not worth listening anyway and stopped on a hill to meditate. She needed it, she was still immature and at the rate things were going, there was little doubt she would murder someone in anger before long. ¡°Varisa.¡± Called her father¡¯s voice. She turned to face him, strangely calm considering the recent. ¡°Yes, father?¡± He gulped. ¡°The elders want to speak with you.¡± ¡°You mean, make accusations, and shift the blame?¡± She had calmed a little. Only a little. Bodin laughed nervously, he and his son had been requested to participate, but it was doubtful whether she could be soothed at all. When the trio entered the large Yurt, they were greeted by five old grumpy men and two irate ones: elder Branimir and Nemanja. ¡°Girl,¡± stated, the former. ¡°You have been summoned to answer for your crimes. For years, you¡¯ve been known for sleeping and the job and shirking your chores. This dereliction of duty has caused the death of many of ours precious youth, what say you?¡± Varisa growled. ¡°It¡¯s called training, you people should try someday.¡± Bojan chastised her. ¡°Sister, please. Listen to your elders for once.¡± ¡°Brother, you are mistaking sage for age. Being old did not change them, they are the same cowardly idiots they have always been.¡± There way the tribe elected their leaders favored the meek and the cowardly since they were the most likely to survive. ¡°Silence,¡± Raged Branimir ¡°if it weren¡¯t for you putting strange ideas into her head, my granddaughter would still live.¡± ¡°Decrepit old fool, if it weren¡¯t for her slowing down the beast, many more would have died.¡± Tears started to trickle on Varisa¡¯s face. Her friend was stronger, and kinder than anyone; not the type to leave others to die. ¡°How dare you make light of Bojana¡¯s sacrifice! ¡°You might have well killed her yourself.¡± Shouted the old man. ¡°You cowards did! Where were the hunters, today? Aways from danger! Like the cowards you have raised them to be!¡± As always, the brave had died so the cravens could live on. ¡°I''d have preferred to see you exiled, but there are so few of us right now...¡± Varisa closed her eyes and when she opened them again, she was a totally different person. ¡°You people aren¡¯t fit to rule, I demand a change of elders.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the will of the people.¡± Explained Bojan, and it was true. They were terrified of her, but even more terrified of what she¡¯d do if exiled. Reining her in with a husband what the solution they came up with. ¡°You people aren¡¯t fit to rule, I request a change of elders.¡± Six out of the seven elders backed away from her with fear in their eyes. Branimir alone stood his ground, mostly because he was deaf to all criticism. He scoffed. ¡°Only a bloodied can ask for change of Edler.¡± ¡°What of the Stone Ape?¡± It was a solo kill most of the tribe could confirm. ¡°By your own admission, you didn¡¯t do it alone.¡± Technically true, yet entirely wrong. ¡°Sophistry.¡± Since there was no point in arguing with fools, and they would never allow her the rite of passage, she¡¯d have to do it on her own term. Outside waited a boy, one of the many idiots who followed her brother around. He looked at her from head to toe with a disappointed look. ¡°So, you are my wife. Your looks are bad, but you are strong, and I am strong; you will bear me some strong children.¡± ¡°I know he¡¯s coming a bit strong, but he really is a good guy; I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be happy together.¡± Explained her brother. Well, considering the limited vocabulary, he was indeed fit to be her brother¡¯s friend. She kicked him in the balls, and he fell on the floor moaning and groaning in both pain and pleasure. The sight was so revolting it kicked her out of first form. That was what they chose to be her husband: a weakling and a buffoon? ¡°Bodin, if this foul creature is your friend, then hurry and remove it from my sight before I smash it.¡± Compared to that, even her brother seemed like a vast improvement, and already it pained her to admit they were the same species, much less family. ¡°If anyone ask, I will be in the forest. Hunting.¡± 15. Welcome Back ¡°Welcome back.¡± Saluted Varisa, who was taking care of her Nadia¡¯s business, and apprentice in her absence. ¡°Where are your kids?¡± ¡°At their uncle¡¯s. Where¡¯s yours?¡± Varisa could have taught them directly, but they much preferred learning from their older cousins. ¡°Also, at his uncle¡¯s place. He decided he wanted to be a merchant.¡± Despite inheriting both his parents¡¯ talents in combat and spiritualism, he much preferred the quieter life of a trader. Nadia shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s kids for you. Next month he¡¯ll want to become a royal guard or a minister. More importantly though, look at this.¡± She conjured vapor from around her hand, it was hot but not scalding. Shockingly, there were no reference to fire or heat in the spell. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°I¡¯ve finally achieved it, the perfect steam bath spell.¡± Limited to a single element, and with almost no stamina drain, this truly was the ultimate spell. ¡°Oh, right, I almost forgot who I was talking to.¡± In a single decade, Nadia¡¯s bathhouse had become a fixture of the city. There were three distinct chains catering to the poor, middle class and the wealthy, each with their own range of care products. It was also massively popular with students, and she had dozens of applications each year. ¡°Here are the apprenticeship applications for the years.¡± ¡°What about you, making some progress?¡± She leaned very much toward the hands-on approach. That or she didn¡¯t want to take away from her busy schedule to teach them something. She didn¡¯t mind helping as she wasn¡¯t so busy, but it sometimes got annoying. Now was a good example. ¡°Ignoring the question as always. As to answer your question, no progress whatsoever.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too much of a perfectionist.¡± Varisa¡¯s bows, were highly sought after and equipped the best of the royal guard. It wasn¡¯t rare to see one of her ¡®failures¡¯ sell for hundreds of Gold Crowns. ¡°Says the woman who spent two years researching bubble bath.¡± Her goal was a legendary item, thousands of years old, and she always made sure to make time for her son and friends. ¡°The size of the bubble is important, you know? The composition too. It affects the smell and water quality and...¡± She could go on for hours if left alone. Authors notes English isn''t my native language, nor is it spoken in the country I live in, so... Expect strange quirks of langage. This version is the third based on the same premise in about three years. I left I left a lot of details open in the final chapter, because they didn''t really matter. I had an explanation of what Warrior were and how she acquired her power, but since it went against the focus of the story, I left it out. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Who''s the dady? Choose your own... as long it isn''t Oto; he''s a gentleman very much in love with his wife. In the final chapter, I made Varisa acts her age, which is why she comes out quite abrasive compared to the earlier chapter. If you have a good idea for a title or a synospys, I''m open.