《Combat Archaeologist: Rowan》


 Chapter 1 - A Million Dreams

    Rowan was angry.


    Although there were a number of reasons for his current emotional state, the primary cause was probably the dagger that was currently jutting from his chest, sticking out from just below the ribs, blood staining his once clean brown shirt.


    Okay that¡¯s a lie, Rowan admitted. It wasn¡¯t clean. He grimaced as he felt the dagger move within him. He had been tempted to take it out, but the sudden drop in health from touching the hilt had been enough to discourage that. He had had few enough healthpoints before having a dagger plunged into him. He didn¡¯t need to go losing the few he had left. Checking his health, Rowan¡¯s face fell.


    31/150


    Watching as the number fell again, the one fading away to be replaced by a zero, Rowan forced himself to continue moving, fighting through the pain in his chest. If he didn¡¯t find a healer soon, then he was finished. Unfortunately, healers in Taureen weren¡¯t too keen to cater to alley rats such as himself, nor were they easily convinced to work for free.


    That¡¯s something to worry about when it comes up, his inner voice told him. If you don¡¯t get seen too soon, then you won¡¯t have to worry about anything at all. Except for how an alley rat is going to pay for passage to the underworld.


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Rowan muttered to no one in particular. Staggering slightly, he leaned against the wall for support. The end of the alley that had once seemed so short was now impossibly far away, retreating from his sight as darkness encroached on the edges of his vision.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    24/150


    The nearest healer''s house was a block away, a short distance under normal circumstances, but it might have well been in Fyrinth for all the good it did to Rowan. Chuckling darkly for a moment, Rowan laughed at himself. The situation was ridiculous, but all too common in Taureen. No one would question why a street-dweller was found dead, the guard would report it as a gang-related killing, and the populace would be thankful that another menace was gone from the streets. No one cared that Rowan wasn¡¯t a part of any gangs, or that his only relevant abilities had zero combat applications. All that mattered was his status, or lack there-of.


    16/150


    Feeling his consciousness fading, Rowan stumbled, his hand leaving a bloody streak along the wall as he fell bodily to the rough cobblestones of the alley below, twisting just enough as he fell to avoid plunging the knife in any deeper. Hopefully, some kind soul saw fit to leave a Silver Dirrin over his eyes, even Copper Gorins would do. Eyes closing, Rowan let out a regretful sigh. It hadn¡¯t been a long life, nor had it been a happy one. But he was still sad to see it go. Regretful almost. It was funny; until today, his only ambition had been to escape the streets of Taureen. But now that he lay dying, all his dreams seemed to be circling him, sadly informing him that with his passing, none of them would be accomplished.


    He had always wanted to be an adventurer, bravely going where others dared not and enacting justice wherever he saw fit. Or perhaps a mage, using the secrets of the arcane to wield powers normal men could only dream of. Hell, there had even been a time he¡¯d dreamed of life as an accountant, living safely in a home with as much food as he needed. Unfortunately, it seemed that none of those futures would come to pass. His health had fallen into the single digits, and the bleeding showed no signs of stopping. His dreams which had once seemed so lofty, but still possible, were now permanently out of reach.


    Sorry. Next time, I¡¯ll do better, Rowan promised them, his vision now completely dark. As the blood pooled around his body, the dreams departed along with his consciousness, leaving only the still form of a former alley rat, lying prone in an alley as he awaited death.

 Chapter 2 - Youre Finally Awake

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you bothered saving him, Darm. He¡¯ll be of no use in the dungeon, and from the looks of it, he doesn¡¯t have any other skills to speak of either.¡±


    ¡°Something about him called to me,¡± a second voice replied. ¡°Call it an act of faith if you want.¡±


    ¡°Faith? You? I¡¯d sooner believe that a dragon had given up its gold,¡± the first voice snorted. ¡°At least that has a chance of being true.¡±


    ¡°Your lack of faith wounds me.¡±


    ¡°And yours is the reason we got kicked out of that church party last month.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you were fed up with them as well.¡±


    ¡°That may be,¡± the first voice responded. ¡°But at least I had the good sense not to blaspheme Ceronis to her followers¡¯ faces.¡±


    ¡°Aye, well, lesson learned. And at least they had the good grace not to kill us.¡±


    ¡°No, they simply abandoned us seven floors deep in an unexplored dungeon and left us to fend for ourselves. If we hadn¡¯t found that secret passage out, we¡¯d both be dead right now.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re not, and because of that neither is this fellow.¡±


    ¡°How fortunate for him,¡± the first voice said dryly.


    As the two voices lapsed into silence, the clacking of wooden wheels over hard dirt filled the air, the uncomfortable shaking of the carriage jarring Rowan into wakefulness. Unsure of where he was, he kept quiet, pretending to sleep as he did his best to analyze the situation. The last he remembered, he was dying in a back alley of Taureen, victim to a knife in the stomach from an unknown assailant. Doing his best to remain quiet, Rowan moved his right arm, twitching it slightly as he brushed it against his stomach.


    No knife, some bandages. I¡¯ve been treated, and presumably saved from the sounds of it, Rowan realized. The only problem was that he had no idea who his saviours were, nor what their motives were. If there was anything that growing up on the streets of Taureen had beaten into him, it was that there was no such thing as a free lunch. It didn¡¯t matter what race you were¡ªelf, dwarf, orc, human, fae, or other¡ªpeople only helped those that could help them in return. Oh gods, I hope they don¡¯t want sexual favours.


    Cracking an eye open, Rowan did his best to get a glimpse of his surroundings. He was in what appeared to be a non-descript wooden carriage, the back wall a simple white curtain that prevented the dust and dirt from entering. Several boxes were piled against the wall, while a slim figure sat on the opposite side of the carriage, her expression hard as she stared at him. Does she know I¡¯m awake?


    ¡°I know you¡¯re awake,¡± the woman told him, dispelling any thoughts Rowan might have had to the contrary. Her voice suggested that she had been the first speaker he had heard, the one who had not been happy about his rescue. ¡°You might as well sit up and tell us who you are. I don¡¯t enjoy traveling with someone I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Raising his head, Rowan looked at the woman. On closer inspection, she was an elf, tall, with short hair and a hard look that seemed to warn him about what might happen should he disobey her request. At her side was a warhammer with a thin handle over a metre long and a large head that tapered to a spike at one end.


    ¡°I¡¯m Rowan,¡± Rowan told her after a moment. ¡°A street-rat from Taureen. Thank you for saving me.¡±


    The woman snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t thank me, thank that idiot,¡± she told him, jabbing a thumb toward the front of the carriage where a door opened to reveal a large halfling, sitting with reins in his hands as he directed the carriage forward.


    Hearing this, the halfling turned around, flashing Rowan a sunny smile and waving with his left hand, several rings glittering in the sun as he did. ¡°Hello, Rowan!¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m Darm, and this is Tethisarel, although she normally goes by Tethis.¡±


    Tethis grunted at this, but said nothing.


    ¡°We saw you lying in an alley with a knife sticking out of you,¡± Darm continued. ¡°Being the good natured sort, I took the knife out, cast a few healing spells on you, and brought you along with us. Tethis isn¡¯t too happy about that, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll win her over eventually.¡±


    Win her over? How am I supposed to do that? Rowan wondered, glancing sidelong at Tethis. The woman was tending to her hammer, carefully polishing the sharpened spike with a cloth. While Rowan had never been the overly imaginative sort, it did not take much imagination to imagine that hammer finishing what the dagger had started. It would probably hurt a lot more too, Rowan thought privately, doing his best to appear attentive as Darm talked.


    ¡°Yeah, saw you in that alley and I was like, ¡®Woah! A person!¡¯ Tethis thought you were dead, but I knew better.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Tethis interjected. ¡°I said we should leave him for dead, not that he was dead.¡±


    ¡°Details,¡± Darm said dismissively. ¡°Luckily for you, my boy, I¡¯m pretty good at healing magic because you were practically gone. A few more healthpoints in the negative and you would¡¯ve been meeting with whichever god of death governs Taureen.¡±


    ¡°Dothriss,¡± Tethis said.


    ¡°Right, Dothriss. I always forget that Taureen observes the Valendian pantheon,¡± Darm replied. ¡°Feels like they should be with the beast gods, given their proximity to the region.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°It was established as a Valendian outpost. It makes sense that they would observe the Valendian gods,¡± Tethis retorted.


    Staying silent as the pair bickered, Rowan took the opportunity to check his health.


    121/150


    It seemed that Darm had not been lying when he¡¯d said he was good at healing magic. Rowan¡¯s health was close to full, far closer to full than it normally was, given the poor conditions of the streets. Keeping his head forward, Rowan glanced around. Now that he was sitting up, the cart had become far easier to observe. It was sparsely decorated, with only the white cloth curtain at the back and a few crates stacked against the walls to show for decoration. A pair of backpacks sat on the bench beside Tethis, while a small bed of linen had been placed on the bench that Rowan currently found himself seated upon.


    Traders? Rowan wondered. The contents of the cart seemed to suggest that Darm and Tethis were wandering merchants of some sort, roving the continent peddling their wares to whoever could afford them. However, the hammer that Tethis was tending to, along with Darm¡¯s use of healing magic, seemed to suggest that this was not the case. While traders were usually versed in some form of combat, Darm and Tethis both seemed far more practiced than any merchants ought to be. Plus, there was also the line that Tethis had dropped earlier about being left behind in a dungeon. Are they adventurers then? Whatever they were, Rowan was about to find out, for Tethis had fixed him with a hard gaze, like a predator observing a tiny creature that had wandered into its domain.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Rowan asked nervously, his voice cracking slightly as he stared back at the elven woman.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Tethis demanded.


    ¡°Rowan.¡±


    ¡°Last name?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t have one. I was born on the streets.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re alarmingly well spoken for a street rat, why?¡±


    ¡°There was an orc matron who made it her job to teach us how to talk properly. Told us that we would never rise up if we couldn¡¯t even speak. She took the lessons very seriously.¡±


    ¡°Why did you attend? Street rats where I¡¯m from usually spend their time stealing and hiding from the law. Attending lessons would have been seen as a waste of time.¡±


    ¡°The other street rats didn¡¯t like me,¡± Rowan explained. ¡°Called me bright-eye and beat me. Matron Redfang wouldn¡¯t allow violence in her lessons. She was the only one who was allowed to be violent.¡±


    ¡°Why did someone try to murder you?¡± Tethis asked, changing tack.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Rowan said nervously. ¡°I didn¡¯t see my attacker. I was returning from the market, going to the Seventh district bridge, where I sleep, when I was attacked. By the time I knew what was happening, I had been thrown to the ground and there was a dagger in my chest. I tried to get to a healer, but I bled out too fast.¡±


    ¡°Did you steal from anyone important? Choose the wrong mark?¡± Tethis demanded. ¡°Answer me truthfully, street rat, I won¡¯t have a liability in my carriage.¡±


    Rowan gulped, the glint in her eyes told him that she was serious. If she deemed him a burden, he would be booted from the carriage without a second thought. ¡°No, none of that. I made sure that everyone I stole from were just ordinary merchants. I never targeted the town guards or any nobles. I didn¡¯t even mess with kids from the academy. I really don¡¯t know why I was attacked!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s telling the truth, Tethis,¡± Darm said from the front. ¡°Street rats get attacked all the time. It¡¯s likely he just had some food on him and someone else took an opportunity to get it. Happens everyday.¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Tethis snorted, leaning back as she observed Rowan seriously. ¡°Fine. What are your talents, street rat?¡±


    For a brief moment, Rowan considered lying, but the look in Tethis¡¯ eye chased the thought from his mind. She already knew he was a petty thief, his reputation wouldn¡¯t get much worse if he told her about the rest of his skillset.


    ¡°Sneaking, stealing, and running away,¡± Rowan told his inquisitor. ¡°Those are my main talents. I¡¯m especially good at running away.¡±


    ¡°Not yesterday, you weren¡¯t,¡± Darm said with a booming laugh.


    ¡°What about lying?¡± Tethis demanded, ignoring her partner¡¯s interjection. ¡°That¡¯s not one of your talents?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Rowan responded bitterly. ¡°Truth or lie, it never mattered. No one believes street trash.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Tethis replied.


    There was silence at this declaration, neither Rowan nor Tethis seeming to know what to say to further the conversation. As Rowan glanced awkwardly around the carriage, Darm turned around, the reins going slack as he faced Rowan. ¡°In that case, how about you join us?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Tethis shocked voice rang out, her head whipping around to face her companion. ¡°Have you gone mad?¡±


    ¡°No more than I usually am,¡± Darm replied, waggling his eyebrows suggestively at her. ¡°You¡¯ve been talking about adding another to our party recently, well, here he is.¡±


    ¡°I meant a trained fighter!¡± Tethis protested. ¡°Not some whelp who recently met the wrong end of a letter opener.¡±


    ¡°You would never trust a trained fighter,¡± Darm retorted. ¡°You only trust me because I basically saved your life. This is a boy with absolutely nothing going for him. A raw, uncut stone with no allegiances or affiliations. You take him in, train him, and he¡¯ll be forever grateful to you for both saving his life and giving him a purpose. There¡¯s no way he would betray us after that.¡±


    ¡°And if he did?¡±


    ¡°Then you can only blame our shit luck,¡± Darm chuckled. ¡°You don¡¯t have to recruit him right away. Why not give him some training. We¡¯re still a month out from Karsolnia. Train him a little, see how he does. If he doesn¡¯t perform up to your expectations, then kick him out in Karsolnia. I¡¯ll give him a few coins to get him started and he can begin a new life far away from Taureen.¡±


    There was silence for a moment as Tethis considered this. ¡°Fine. But if I¡¯m not satisfied with his progress by Karsolnia, he¡¯s done. No matter what you say in his defense.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Darm chuckled. Looking back at Rowan, who was still in a state of shock at this declaration, he smiled kindly. ¡°No need to accept right away. We¡¯ll let you ride with us tonight, and if you don¡¯t want to, then we¡¯ll drop you off at the next city we stop at.¡±


    Nodding mutely, Rowan attempted to process what had just happened, while doing his best to ignore the daggers Tethis was shooting his way. This all felt too good to be true, and at any other time, he would have been exhilarated. Now, however, he simply felt tired. He had nearly died, then somehow woken up alive, and now been extended an invitation to join an adventuring party. None of this would ever happen to a street rat such as himself, so realistically, he was probably dead, and this was just the dream of one caught between life and death.


    However, dreams were the one thing that all men both rich and poor could enjoy, and Rowan did not intend to leave one so pleasant as this. If in the morning, when he awoke, the dream revealed itself to be real, then he would deal with the situation as it presented itself, but for now, his body needed rest.


    With that thought, sleep overtook Rowan, his head lolling against the padded seat of the carriage.

 Chapter 3 - Ill Make a Man Out of You, Street-rat

    ¡°Wake up.¡±


    Tethis¡¯s cold voice brought Rowan to wakefulness, tearing him out of a dream about sweet hot apple pies. He had stolen one once, from a merchant hailing from the western provinces, and the memory of the taste had tempted him ever since. Raising his head, he gave his waker a bleary look, his hand reaching for his waistband where he normally carried his knife, wondering for a moment just what was going on.


    ¡°Get up,¡± Tethis told him. ¡°Throw on some clothes then meet me outside.¡±


    Right. Rowan remembered. I almost died yesterday but got saved by a halfling and an elf. That explained why he was here, but not what Tethis wanted with him. From his current knowledge about the haughty elf, it could be anything. Although Darm had told her to train him, there was no guarantee that she would listen. From what he had seen, Tethis seemed to exist in a perpetual state of dissatisfaction, ready to lash out with a harsh word at anyone that drew her ire. Given the current situation, she was as likely to be calling him for breakfast as she was to be leading him to a shallow grave. Hoping that it wasn¡¯t the second one, Rowan threw off the light cotton blanket that had been draped over him, wincing as his side twinged where the knife had entered. Although Darm had healed him, the wound still throbbed, reminding him that it had only been a day since someone had attempted to turn him into a street rat shishkebab.


    Donning a shirt and pants that had been left at the foot of the bench he had been using as a bed, Rowan left the carriage, not keen to be late for whatever Tethis wanted him for. If she was going to kill him, he¡¯d prefer she at least be in a good enough mood to make it quick. The thought of the many things she could do to him with that warhammer of hers was enough to make Rowan shudder, even in the warmth of the early morning sun.


    The carriage had stopped at a small lake not far from the road, small, twisted trees eagerly sucking the nutrients from the soil as they crept horizontally over the waters of the lake. Next to the lake sat Darm, a trio of fish roasting over a small fire in front of him. Seeing Rowan emerge, he waved cheerfully, a greeting that Rowan awkwardly returned. Smiling at this, Darm suddenly jolted as a kettle above the fire started to emit steam. Pointing at it, one of his rings flashed briefly, the kettle levitating off the small scaffold it had been placed on and moving to Darm¡¯s side.


    So he is a mage, Rowan realized. He had already known this from Darm¡¯s comments about healing him the day before, but seeing it in person was a different matter entirely. Levitation was not a skill just any magic user could employ, it required training, something that was out of reach to street rats such as himself, fortunately for the local merchant stalls.


    A dozen metres away from the fire stood Tethis, her forearms bare as she swung her warhammer. Medanas was hot this time of year, the sun baking the earth in the day, and the moon bringing only slight relief at night. Despite the early hour, a light sheen of sweat already covered Tethis, her graceful movements at odds with the savagery of her strikes. Seeing Rowan, she did not pause, but instead finished her current set. Putting her warhammer down, she wiped the sweat from her brow, before tossing a large branch from beside her to Rowan. Catching it, Rowan stared at the stick for a moment in confusion, his gaze flitting between it and Tethis who was staring at him with a calculating look.


    ¡°Ummm¡­¡± Rowan began, but Tethis cut him off.


    ¡°Fifty pushups,¡± she ordered.


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°No talking back.¡±


    Deciding it was best to just obey, Rowan dropped to the ground, putting the stick beside him as he began his pushups. Two minutes and twenty pushups later, Rowan¡¯s arms were in agony. As a street rat, he had a thin, wiry build. His lack of nutrition meant that he had never really built up any major muscles beyond those needed to run away from angry merchants and townsfolk, and this had never been more obvious to him than now. Tethis was not exactly helping matters either, barking orders at him whenever his butt dropped too low or his stance faltered too much.


    After what seemed like an eternity, but was actually closer to ten minutes, Rowan collapsed, not for the first time as his arms gave out. ¡°Fifty,¡± he said weakly.


    ¡°Sit-ups next,¡± Tethis ordered, cradling a cup of the hot liquid that had been brewing inside Darm¡¯s kettle.


    With a groan, Rowan rolled over, doing his best to catch his breath as he stared at the blue sky above. For a moment, he briefly wondered if perhaps it would have been better had Darm listened to Tethis and just left him to die in the alley, but quickly, he dismissed those thoughts. As a street rat, opportunity was something he had never been afforded. Now, opportunity was being dangled right in front of him¡ªall he had to do was seize it.


    ¡°One,¡± Rowan began, slowly performing his first sit-up.


    After sit-ups came squats, followed by running, lunges, and burpies. Collapsing on the ground, Rowan winced as muscles he hadn¡¯t known existed made their existence known through a series of spasms and burning pain. Is this hell? Rowan wondered. Did I die after all, and this is the afterlife I was given? As Rowan considered this possibility, a whistling sound filled his ears. Rolling frantically to the side, he barely avoided the stick that had just slammed into the area where his head had been only a moment before.


    ¡°Never leave your weapon behind,¡± Tethis¡¯s voice rang out from above him.


    Weapon? Rowan thought frantically, doing his best to puzzle out the meaning behind Tethis¡¯s words. Casting around, his eyes fell upon the stick that she had tossed him earlier, still lying in the dirt where he had left it. Dodging another of Tethis¡¯s swings, Rowan threw himself toward the stick, wincing as his injured side skidded along the ground. Ignoring the pain, he grabbed the stick, rising and facing Tethis with it as she approached.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Seeing his stance, Tethis snorted, swinging the long branch she held horizontally in an almost careless manner. Raising his stick to block the blow, Rowan parried the blow, catching it just in front of his chest. Before he could celebrate this minor success, he was thrown backwards, a fresh pain in his throat telling him just where Tethis had caught him. Rolling over, Rowan coughed, hacking up a glob of phlegm as he attempted to relearn how to breathe. How is this training? This is torture! Rowan thought indignantly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just watch after you block,¡± Tethis told him, standing over him with a bored expression. ¡°Move out of the way or counterattack. Again.¡±


    Standing up with an unwilling expression, Rowan grabbed his stick, facing Tethis once more. An hour later, every part of him was covered in bruises, the stick having been broken on three separate occasions by Tethis¡¯s powerful strikes. The woman clearly had no concept of holding back or taking it easy. Every action she took was serious, as if the one she was facing was a veteran of many battles and not a recently deceased street urchin.


    ¡°Come get breakfast!¡±


    Darm¡¯s voice saved Rowan, pulling Tethis away from her victim just as she was preparing for another strike.


    ¡°We¡¯ll resume in the afternoon,¡± Tethis informed him matter-of-factly. ¡°Make sure to keep your weapon with you.¡±


    Staring at the branch in his hand with disgust, Rowan sighed, following Tethis toward the fire where Darm had prepared a delightful array of seared fish and fresh bitterleaf tea. Taking an appreciative sip from the mug he had been offered, Rowan felt some of the pains from his session with Tethis slipping away. He had never had the opportunity to try tea before, it had always been out of reach for him as a street rat. But he could see why the noble shops always stocked so much of the stuff¡ªit was delicious. Nursing the mug, he took a bite of the fish Darm had cooked, reveling in the taste. Despite being just an ordinary river trout, the fish had clearly been cooked with some sort of spices, creating an indescribable blend of flavour that Rowan eagerly devoured.


    As his fork clanged against the plate, heralding the end of the food, Rowan looked at it sadly. The meal had been delicious, but it was also a reminder that this was something alien to him. Soon enough, Darm and Tethis would grow tired of him, and then he would be abandoned, forced to fend for himself once more. Unless I can prove my worth to them. If I can do that, then maybe they¡¯ll keep me around, and I can continue to eat delicious food such as this. Rowan nodded to himself; it was a good plan. The only problem was that there was very little he had to offer, especially to two accomplished adventurers such as these. Briefly reconsidering the merits of being used for sexual favours, Rowan shook his head. He had vowed long ago never to do that, even when such delicious food was being put in front of him. As his stomach waged war with his morals, Darm stood up.


    ¡°Right, let¡¯s get this show back on the road. Karsolnia¡¯s a good continent away, and if I get in the habit of wasting time I might never shake it, so let¡¯s go!¡±


    Following Darm¡¯s lead, Rowan helped pack up the campsite, packing everything away into the carriage as they set off once more.


    Thus began what would become Rowan¡¯s routine for the next few weeks. In the morning, they would make camp, Darm cooking as Tethis tortured Rowan with tree branches and exercise. In the afternoon, they would stop for lunch, where Tethis would force Rowan to practice various martial forms, moving his body into various positions which resembled a slightly violent dance. On the first day, she had attempted to get him to resume the morning exercises, but Darm had put a stop to that after Rowan had thrown up the contents of his breakfast all over the ground, telling Tethis that she was being too harsh with him. Afterwards, he had given Rowan a double serving of lunch. That had been an excellent day.


    In the evening, they would set up camp, Rowan helping Darm to stable the packbeasts that pulled the carriage before Tethis inevitably pulled him away for more training. Fortunately, night was also when Darm would heal him, using various magics to soothe the many aches and pains that Rowan picked up throughout the day. During this time, he would also have Rowan practice strange breathing exercises, telling him that it made healing easier. Not wanting to question the one person that could keep his demonic training instructor in check, Rowan simply followed Darm¡¯s orders, breathing in the manner instructed as the warm feeling of Darm¡¯s mana filled his body.


    Earlier in life, Rowan had dreamed about travelling with adventurers such as these, learning to fight and camping out under the stars. Never had these dreams contained Tethis, however, who quickly put an end to any romantic ideas he might have once had about adventuring. Training soon became the most feared part of his day, followed immediately after by the most anticipated part: the meals. Everything Darm cooked was delicious, the slight bump formed by the halfling¡¯s belly clearly well-earned, and Rowan eagerly devoured anything and everything the man saw fit to put on his plate.


    In this manner, two weeks passed, the carriage having left Taureen far behind it as it rolled north, the scrublands giving way to forests and meadowlands.


    On the fifteenth day after Rowan was saved, the carriage turned east, heading into the woods rather than sticking to the treeline as they had been doing until now.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be skirting around the flatlands and the Sarmatian Mountains,¡± Darm explained when Rowan asked why. ¡°It takes a little more time, but it¡¯s far safer. The tribes and groups that live within are far more aggressive and hostile to outsiders than those that would accost us in the border region. Miriarda Forest is a little dangerous, but it¡¯s nothing that we can¡¯t handle.¡±


    ¡°Take this,¡± was all that Tethis had to add, handing Rowan a shortsword, roughly the same length as the sticks he had been using to train with up until now.


    Fighting back the urge to ask why as he could tell Tethis was not about to be forthcoming with her answer, Rowan merely accepted the weapon, handling it gingerly as he examined it. The shortsword was plain with a blade just under two feet in length and a short, narrow handle that allowed him to hold it comfortably in one hand. The blade was razor sharp with a slight wavy pattern to the metal that seemed to distort under the light.


    Seeing Rowan¡¯s discomforted expression, Darm chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s her way of saying that we¡¯ll be relying on you to help us if we¡¯re attacked. Rejoice, it means she trusts you enough with a sword that she doesn¡¯t think you¡¯ll die instantly to any passing Girscaw or bandit.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I think?¡± Rowan replied.


    ¡°Just take it as a compliment,¡± Darm advised sagely. ¡°It¡¯s the best you can hope for from Tethis.¡±


    ¡°The scabbard,¡± Tethis said bluntly, tossing him a belt with a leather scabbard attached which he caught gratefully, sheathing the blade inside before tying the belt to his waist.

 Announcement

    Hey all,


    It''s been a while haha. Sorry about the disappearing act, but there was a lot going on. To put it simply, Rowan got picked up by a publisher (yay!) who helped me realize just how much work the story really needed (boo...) I stubbed it, intending to come back once the story was edited to post again, then a bunch of stuff happened, and it took nearly two full years before those edits were finished.


    Whoops.


    But that''s in the past. I''m making this announcement to let everyone who was wondering about the series know that it did eventually release on amazon and actually has done very well. In fact, there''s two books and a third well on the way.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    The name of the series on Amazon is Loremaster for anyone interested. I''ll also be posting a link in the author''s note.


    I know it''s been a while, but let me know if anyone would like me to start posting chapters for book 3 up here. Obviously I can''t post book 2 since it''s on KU, but if there''s enough interest I don''t mind posting the work in progress.


    Finally, I''ve also got a new fic going on here on RR that''s been co-written with another author. It''s called Gilded Glory, and it''s a fun story about two adventurers who hate each other. So go check that out as well ;)


    Anyways, that''s the update. I''m alive, Rowan has not been abandoned, and I might start posting again if there''s enough interest.


    Thanks for all the support you''ve given me over the years, and I hope to see you in the comments!


    - Lighthouse