ã€ŠPrivate Diary of a Future [Villain] [Hero] [Other]ã€‹


 1 - Town of Fish - Cali

    Hey Diary,

    Hi! Hello! Welcome to my house! You are my new diary, after my last one met with an unfortunate accident yesterday involving my little sister trying to read it, and lightning magic.

    But she has LEARNED HER LESSON and will NEVER DO IT AGAIN under PENALTY OF DEATH.

    Anyways.

    I shall introduce myself. I am Cali Shenanigans, a neko living in Fish, a town near the center of Owonyan. I¡¯m nineteen, and live with my parents and sister in our flat above Mom¡¯s diner. I was the first person in town to figure out how to get two magical specialties, so I have lightning and charm magic.

    Well, ok, I didn''t ¡°figure it out¡±, I couldn''t decide if I wanted pink hair more than I wanted lightning magic, so I chose both at the same time. I thought the System would give me one or the other, but it gave me both. With lightning as primary, so I ended up with yellow hair and pink ears, which is still pretty cute.

    My job is mostly helping Dad. We kinda own a zoo. Well, Mom calls it a zoo. But they¡¯re all working animals. Like, we have two work horses, and two giant snails, then a pack of guard dogs, and one jackalope who thinks he¡¯s a guard dog, and we have eight chickens, and a cockatrice who takes care of the chickens. In the forest outside of town there are a couple giant ferrets, a herd of deer, and some snakes who are always willing to help us if we need help. And in winter a pack of icecats always visits us.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Anyways, I help out with them. Sometimes I help Mom with the diner, but I really don''t like to. Wisp, my sister who absolutely hasn''t read this far, is way more interested in cooking than I ever was.

    And that¡­ is about it. I wish I could say I''m gonna fill this diary with so many epic adventures and fun things, but¡­ I probably won''t. I never go anywhere. I''ve never even been to the city. I was born in this town, and I''ll probably die here, having never done anything exciting.

    I don''t mind, usually. I like the people and animals here in town. Taking care of animals is fun. But, there¡¯s a whole world out there, y¡¯no? Books talk about deserts and glaciers, and the creatures that live in those places. I mean, the icecats have seen more things than I have. And they just climb up and down a mountain every year.

    Just, being stuck in one place is kinda¡­ sad.

    My cousins went to the city to learn. But at fifteen I said I wanted to work with animals for the rest of my life, so I got a permit to use charm magic on them and an official salary from Dad instead of just an allowance. That¡¯s all I needed. Yay me.

    If I could go back in time, I''d tell myself to say I wanted to become a veterinarian.

    But oh well. My cousins are coming back this week, so I won''t be as bored.

    At least for a little while.

    Signing off,

    Cali

 2 - Goldvale - Maeve

    Dear Risa,

    I know you''re going to forget, so allow me to explain.

    As we were on our way to the docks this morning, you were being all dramatic and tragic, saying we¡¯ll never see each other again. We passed a bookstore. You had a brilliant idea, ran in, and bought me this diary.

    It is, I''ll admit, a lovely diary. Thanks.

    Anyhow, you said you want me to write all about my life and everything I do, then when it¡¯s full I''ll bring it back to you and you can read it.

    Very sentimental.

    So here I am, waiting for the boat to leave, writing this down so I don''t forget.

    And don''t worry. I''m gonna fill this thing. And I''m gonna make sure you read it. We all know how much you loooooove reading, so reading a whole diary should be eeeeeeasy for you!

    Yeah, Risa, I''m gonna tie you to a chair and force you to read this thing.

    But don''t worry! It¡¯ll be interesting! If I have to make crap up, I''ll do it! You will be entertained by whatever I write in here!

    I''ll start by a fascinating tale of my genealogy. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    For fifteen generations, my mother¡¯s family has been supreme monarchs of the proud town of Fish. Fish is, in fact, named after my mother¡¯s family! My great-great-great-great-great grandmother, Lucinda Fish, helped liberate the town from the reign of the kobolds in the nearby mountains.

    My father¡¯s family is a mystery. He was found as a baby, lost in the forest north of town, after having been dropped there by a dragon. All he had to identify him was a birthmark in the shape of a Y, so that became his name. Someday a royal family will see it and declare him the rightful heir, we¡¯re sure.

    In the meantime, he¡¯s just a normal healer. But he does a great job at it, which is why Mas also wants to be a healer.

    You know Mas, right? Right, Risa? You¡¯ve met him once or twice? You may recall? I recall him smiling in your general direction and your brain immediately turning into pink mush. You may or may not have been drooling. It was kinda gross, not gonna lie.

    I also have another brother, who I shall say nothing about because he¡¯s on the boat with me and writing his name might summon him. Don''t want that.

    And then I have a sister, who you haven''t met. Meriel. She¡¯s cute. I have two cousins, Cali and Wisp, who are also cute. Cali has a dual-specialty of lightning and charm magic, so she¡¯s got yellow hair and pink ears, you¡¯d love it. Wisp is¡­ seven. So kinda cute by default.

    Cali and I are the same age, but she¡¯s a beastmaster like her dad, so she didn''t have to go through extra school like we did. Lucky.

    Oh yeah, her mom and my mom are sisters, so she also has the ancient and noble Fish Monarch bloodline running through her veins. At midnight on the first of the year when we¡¯re both twenty, we shall duel to see which of us will have the glory of reigning over our fair town! It shall be a battle which our children and grandchildren shall speak of! It shall indeed!

    You can come watch, if you want.

    Ah, the boat is moving. I''m about to be incredibly seasick.

    Rrrregards,

    Maeve Zee

 3 - Town of Fish - Maeve

    Dear Risa,

    Yeah, no, I''m not gonna stop writing. You¡¯re stuck with this.

    So, after an absolutely miserable afternoon, night, and morning on a boat, I got home alive.

    Maki made sure and rub it in that he doesn''t get seasick. When it was time for dinner he ate his food and mine. Loudly. I would have tried getting away from him, but that would have required moving. And he would have followed me anyway.

    Brothers are the worst. Be glad you don''t have any.

    Mom and Dad were waiting for us when we got to the dock. And Cali showed up just as I barfed one last time getting off the boat. I kinda wished she hadn''t seen that, but once I was on solid land I was muuuuch better.

    So, growing up, there were four kids our age in town. Me, Maki (who always had to make sure we knew he was oldest), Cali, and¡­ Luke.

    Luke didn''t get to leave for school because his parents kinda don''t have money. Or at least, not enough for a year or two of food and board. They sent him to get a runesmith certification, and he did get it, but without any connections he pretty much had to come back here. He¡¯ll be the town¡¯s next runesmith when his dad dies, we assume.

    I haven''t really heard from him in two years. He¡¯s written to Maki, but not me.

    Apparently he¡¯s been working on a fishing boat. He¡¯s gained muscles. And lost all his baby fat. Aaand when I first saw him, it was kinda warm out, and he didn''t have a shirt on. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Girl. Risa. My friend. I am sorry I made fun of you yesterday for how you acted when you met Mas. If you¡¯d been here, I know you would never have let me live it down.

    Thankfully by the grace of the goddess Maki was ahead of us, talking to Dad and Cali. Mom saw, but she¡¯s not gonna bring it up.

    If Maki had seen I probably would have gotten back on that boat and let it take me as far away from here as possible.

    If Cali had seen¡­ I don''t know what would have happened. I know after I left for school they dated, but then they stopped dating? I haven''t asked her for details. I should probably do that before I see him again and forget how to walk. Again.

    Anyhow, Meriel was at school when we got home, which is why she didn''t meet us at the dock. Mer is kinda¡­ Well, she¡¯s fourteen now, and is starting to think about the future. She wanted to be a healer, like Dad, but that¡¯s what Mas is studying to become. The town doesn''t need more than one healer, so if she becomes a third, she¡¯ll never have work. I went and studied math and politics, so unless I piss enough people off I''ll probably follow Mom into working in town government. Which, it¡¯s pretty much run by just her, so there wouldn''t be room for me, Mom and Mer.

    Maki solved the ¡°what do I do¡± problem by getting training in the Royal Guard. Town guard is two people currently, and neither of those people have kits, so he¡¯ll be fine if he wants to move back permanently.

    I don''t know, I told Mer she might have to move to the city if she wants a fun job. But that idea¡­ Leaving home is scary, and she¡¯s still a kit. Maybe she¡¯ll figure something out here, but for the moment she¡¯s scrambling.

    If she decides to move to Goldvale, I''m sending her straight to you. Take care of her, Risa.

    And don''t you dare teach her everything you taught me. And if you tell her about the time with the alligators, I will end you.

    Sweetest Regards,

    Maeve Zee

 4 - Town of Fish - Cali

    Hey Diary,

    Maeve is back!!! And Maki.

    Maeve has the absolute most epic haircut. I don''t even know how she managed to get her hair to look like real fire, but she did! And she brought a whole box full of fancy soaps and conditioners for hair and ears and tails. She says I can try it if I want. But, if I do, and it¡¯s amazing, there¡¯s no way I could get more.

    So I¡¯d just live life knowing how fluffy my tail could be but isn''t.

    I don''t want that disappointment in life.

    Anyways, today was fun and nostalgic. We went to our old fishing spot, me, Maeve, Maki and Luke, and we just¡­ wasted four hours talking about nothing. Like we used to do.

    Maki suggested, since there¡¯s nothing exciting to do here, we should go up and watch the kobold¡¯s party tomorrow night.

    We know there¡¯ll be a party, there¡¯s always a party on the first day of summer. And it always sounds like such a fun party.

    There are¡­ Aunt Kimi says we have a peaceful relationship with the kobold town. We trade some things, and have never argued.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    But they¡¯re kobolds. We¡¯re neko. We have a mayor, who we elect (even if no one bothers running against my aunt at this point), but they¡¯ve got a king and queen. Who are full dragons, and might eat anyone who makes them mad.

    Or at least, everyone says they might eat people. I''ve never actually seen them up close, so I don''t know what they''re like.

    Which, is sad. Our town is only two hours away from the entrance of the kobold¡¯s cave town, and I''ve never been there! I''ve met a few kobolds in the woods, and seen a few when they come to talk politics, but I''ve never been into their town! They throw super fun parties, and all we¡¯ve ever done is listen to the music!

    It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s not fair. I feel like I''ve been trapped here my whole life. My cousins all got to leave, to see at least a little bit of what life is like outside the town, but I haven''t even been to a town two hours away!

    Even Luke has been up there. To be fair, I think he¡¯s the only one of us who has. But, still.

    So yeah. Tomorrow night, even if everyone else backs out, I''m gonna go spy on the kobold¡¯s party.

    I''m gonna see a dragon as something more than a shadow in the sky.

    And if they see me and capture me¡­ I won''t even care. I¡¯ll see more of the world being dragged through their caves to their prison than I''d see just sitting in my room.

    I know this is an irrational, emotional decision. But right now, the most I have to look forward to in life is the icecats coming back in a few months. I seriously have nothing else. No real goals or ambitions. I''m just¡­ stuck here. Waiting for something interesting to happen.

    So I''m going to make something happen.

    It¡¯s that or die of boredom.

    Signing off,

    <hr>

 5 - Town of Fish - Luke

    The group walked silently through the forest, ears perked and swiveling, catching every sound. Luke wondered how he¡¯d been convinced to join, but he knew how. Everyone else was going. He wouldn''t be left behind.

    Suddenly Cali stopped, spinning around to glare behind them. ¡°Are you kidding me¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Maeve asked.

    Luke glanced at Maki, knowing what was happening, and was surprised to see a knife in his friend¡¯s hand. Sure, he knew Maki had been working as a guard, but to see this erratic goofball with a knife out was¡­ concerning. Luke was concerned.

    Maki saw him staring and gave a lopsided smile. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Wisp,¡± Luke said.

    The siblings looked at him, surprised.

    Cali, arms now crossed, started tapping her foot. ¡°Come out before I make you,¡± she hissed at a bush.

    The bush responded. ¡°You can''t make me, it¡¯s illegal and I''ll tell Dad.¡±

    Cali rolled her eyes, tail thrashing, and stomped over. She pulled her sister out of the bush by an ear.

    ¡°Ow, ow, Cali, that hurts!¡±

    As Wisp got a very quiet talking-to, Maki put his knife away.

    ¡°How did you know?¡± he asked Luke.

    Luke shrugged. ¡°Wisp always follows Cali. Do you just¡­ carry a knife now?¡±

    ¡°Always, yeah.¡±

    They looked back at the girls, Luke not sure what else to say.

    ¡°You want me to go back alone?!¡± Wisp squeaked. ¡°It¡¯s like forever away!¡±

    ¡°Then maybe you¡¯ll learn your lesson about following me,¡± Cali growled.

    ¡°We can''t send her home alone,¡± Maeve said. ¡°She might get lost, and she can''t ask directions from animals. Let¡¯s just take her with us.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Maki asked, stepping up to his sister. ¡°It could get dangerous if we¡¯re seen.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s that or one of us goes home with her,¡± Maeve shrugged. ¡°I''m not doing that.¡±

    They all looked at the overly-innocent seven-year-old and sighed.

    ¡°I''ll be quiet, I promise,¡± Wisp said, eyes wide and ears up.

    Cali rolled her eyes, starting to walk again. Everyone followed.

    The sound of music got louder and louder, until they could hear individual instruments and words being sung. Finally they reached the mouth of the cave, stopping where dirt turned to stone. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°There aren''t any guards?¡± Maki asked, looking behind them.

    ¡°There¡¯s never guards here,¡± Luke said. ¡°There¡¯s a guardhouse a bit inside, just before it opens up to the main cavern.¡±

    ¡°Oh, ok,¡± Maki said.

    The group stared at the entrance, everyone nervous. Luke wondered if they were going to turn around and go home, but Cali stepped into the cave. Ears back, tail slightly poofed, she moved towards the music.

    Maeve followed, and Maki took Wisp¡¯s hand before walking in after them. Knowing it was a bad idea, Luke trailed behind.

    He¡¯d been to the kobold¡¯s village before, to trade. The slight upwards slope and glowing mushrooms were familiar to him. They snuck under the guard¡¯s window, crawling up to the ledge where he¡¯d discovered a fear of heights. Ears pinned back, they looked out and down at what had always been a boring market.

    It was anything but boring now. Colored, glowing mushrooms ran up the walls. A stage was set up in the middle of the cavern, a band playing their hearts out. Along the left wall was a long set of tables, piled high with food. Along the right wall there were two dragons, watching the event with smiles on their snouts. And everywhere else there were dancing kobolds.

    Luke¡¯s eyes widened. He¡¯d never seen so many people in one place. He¡¯d been vaguely aware that the kobold¡¯s town was twice as large as their neko town, but that hadn''t ever meant anything to him. Now, looking down at nearly six hundred people, he felt uneasy.

    ¡°That looks so fun,¡± Maeve said, watching them dance.

    ¡°I wonder what food they have,¡± Cali said.

    ¡°The kobold diet consists mainly of mushrooms and grubs,¡± Wisp reported, clearly echoing something she¡¯d read. ¡°They eat few vegetables, preferring a more carnivorous diet when traveling.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Luke told her, watching the band. One person had a strange string instrument that made amazing sounds. He wondered what it was.

    The song changed, and the kobold with that instrument got a brief solo before the other musicians joined. Luke closed his eyes, ears going up as he took in the sound. He listened, tail and fingers twitching to the beat. The song ended with a cheer from the crowd, and the singer announced a brief break for the band. There was more cheering, the sound of chatter growing.

    And then a dragon dropped onto the ledge next to Luke.

    ¡°Aha! I caught you!¡±

    The group scrambled back, away from the ledge, staring at the small black dragon. Small¡­ young. Luke wasn''t an expert on dragon ages, but the way this one moved reminded him of Wisp.

    ¡°We apologize,¡± Maeve told it. ¡°We didn''t mean to trespass.¡±

    ¡°But you did,¡± the young dragon said. ¡°And I caught you. You¡¯ll have to be my prisoners now!¡±

    ¡°I don''t want to be your prisoner,¡± Luke said, shrugging apologetically.

    The dragon frowned. ¡°Oh.¡± It gave serious thought to the matter, then smiled. ¡°I''ll take you to Dad, then! You¡¯ll have to be his prisoner, even if you don''t want to. Then he can make you my prisoners!¡±

    Luke shared a look with Cali. He gave her a tiny shake of his head, but she twitched her head in a nod. Cursing under his breath, he got ready to grab Wisp and run.

    He noticed Maki¡¯s hand was on his knife, and wished he hadn''t come.

    ¡°Or, how about this?¡± Cali asked, her pink eyes starting to glow as she activated her charm magic. ¡°You don''t want to leave the party, it''s fun. Go back down and forget you saw us.¡±

    Wisp took a breath to announce that using charm magic on people was illegal, and Luke clamped his hand over her mouth.

    ¡°The party is fun,¡± the dragon said, turning towards the ledge. Its words were lifeless. ¡°I will go back down and forget I saw you.¡± It spread its small wings, pushing off the ledge to glide down.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got five minutes,¡± Cali said, scrambling away.

    Luke picked Wisp up, dashing for the exit.

 6 - Town of Fish - Maeve

    Dear Risa,

    You¡¯ll never guess what I did last night. Mostly because you¡¯ve never looked at a map of my town¡¯s area.

    So, our town is on a river, at the base of a big mountain. Inside that mountain is a kobold village. We do some trade and stuff, but until last night I''d never been there.

    They always have a huge party on the first night of summer, and we decided to crash it.

    ¡­By ¡°we¡± I mean me, Maki, Cali and Luke. If I ever say ¡°we¡± without an explanation, assume that¡¯s the group.

    So anyhow, it takes like two hours to get from our town to the entrance of the kobold town. We¡¯d been walking like an hour and a half when we discovered Cali¡¯s little sister followed us. We couldn''t send her home alone, so we dragged her along.

    We didn''t fully crash the party, since it was kobold-only and we would have been caught so fast, but we got to watch. Kobold music is amazing. I wish they could send us recordings, and teach us how to dance. You¡¯d love it.

    After we¡¯d been listening a while, a baby dragon appeared out of nowhere and declared we were his prisoners. I just about lost my mind when Luke told him he didn''t want to be a prisoner, and that completely stumped the dragon.

    Yeah. I really need to ask Cali why they broke up. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Anyhow the baby dragon figured out that if he took us to his dad, the very adult dragon king, we¡¯d have to do anything we were told. Before he could go get his dad, Cali¡­ used a little, tiny amount of charm magic.

    Which, no, she doesn''t have permission to do that. She¡¯s only got a permit to use charm on animals. Dragons be people.

    Sooo we ran, and when we got home her mom was freaking out about Wisp being gone at night, and Wisp told about the charm use, which is a serious, legal issue, so we had to tell Mom, and for the moment we¡¯re all grounded.

    Yay us.

    Mom spent today waiting for someone to come from the kobold village to discuss Cali¡¯s ¡°attack¡± on, well, the prince. But no one did. So we¡¯re hoping no one noticed.

    I kinda¡­ feel mad about it? Like, we are legally adults. And one of us did break a law, with clear rules about punishments. Which, Cali having her permit revoked and getting marked would suck, yes.

    But it would feel better than being grounded. We aren¡¯t ten. We shouldn¡¯t be spared legal repercussions due to nepotism. Which is exactly what¡¯s happening.

    I mean, if someone does come down, Mom¡¯s plan is to act like she didn¡¯t know about it. Which I get, and yeah I¡¯d probably do the same thing if I was in her position, but it still doesn¡¯t sit right with me.

    So, we¡¯ll see what happens. If the dragons figure it out and get mad, or if they leave us alone.

    And yeah, I know writing down all the illegal things I do probably isn¡¯t wise, but, meh. I¡¯m admitting we weren¡¯t punished as we should have been. So it¡¯s fine.

    Besides, I know you won¡¯t ever tell anyone, Miss Yes-Officer-I''m-Of-Legal-Drinking-Age.

    Kindest Regards,

    Maeve Zee

 7 - Town of Fish - Cali

    Hey Diary,

    Charm magic is an odd thing. Dad has psychic magic, which is similar, but not nearly as dangerous.

    Psychic magic is more¡­ defensive. It gives feelings, vibes. And also insanely painful migraines. Like, if a bear is charging Dad, he can make it think it ran into a wall of pain, or make it think Dad is a friendly friend who only wants to be friends.

    Whereas with charm magic, it goes beyond feelings. I can make a bear believe I am and always have been its friend. Or I can make it look away and forget I exist. And with the Beastmaster class, I can tell it to spin three circles then lay down for belly rubs, and it will.

    Honestly, I probably should never have taken charm magic. But we choose when we¡¯re twelve! I wanted pink hair! And even if I were given the chance, I wouldn¡¯t want to give up cute pink eyes and ears just to get rid of a magic specialty I don¡¯t even use all that much.

    Anyways, I used charm magic on a person, and I should be fined, publicly reproved, and get a staple put in my ear so everyone knows I used my magic illegally.

    But my aunt is mayor. As long as no one outside the family finds out, I¡¯m just¡­ grounded. Mom says I need to learn that using charm magic on people can have serious consequences, yada yada, but then does everything possible to get me out of those consequences.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Kinda double standards there, Mom.

    She¡¯s just treating me like I¡¯m still twelve. And Dad just agrees with her, because they¡¯re always united on all decisions.

    I don¡¯t know, a part of me wants to go into town and force a bunch of people to dance or something. Something so obviously evil and illegal they have to take full legal action. At least that would get someone from Goldvale to come over and handle it, instead of Aunt Kimi.

    And from using charm magic with animals, I have it at a reasonably high level. There¡¯s math involved, but I could probably make a dozen people dance for a minute. More, if they don¡¯t fight it.

    I know some people think we need to find a way of banning charm magic completely. Because the potential for using it for evil is just too great.

    But we decide on magic specialty when we¡¯re twelve. Good luck telling all the twelve-year-olds out there that pink hair, while the option is available, shouldn¡¯t be taken. If we could change every year or something, sure, it¡¯d be different. But it¡¯s permanent. So what are they gonna do.

    Wisp said she wants green hair, like Mom. But being a cook with poison magic¡­ has its own drawbacks. We¡¯ll see what happens in five years.

    I don¡¯t know. If I was feeling kinda trapped before, now I¡¯m super trapped.

    I should have made Wisp go back to town alone. Or tied her up and made sure she didn¡¯t follow me. It¡¯s not all her fault, but¡­ It¡¯s a lot her fault. Mom might have not even noticed I was gone if she hadn¡¯t noticed Wisp missing, too.

    I¡¯m just frustrated.

    And I have work tomorrow. So.

    Signing off,

    <hr>

 8 - Town of Fish - Maki

    Maki pressed his ear to the door of the mayor¡¯s office, listening to his mom talk with the guard captain.

    ¡°I know that, as his mother and the person who pays your salary, I can''t have an unbiased opinion,¡± Mayor Kimi Zee said. ¡°I know he caused enough trouble growing up, but for the past three years he¡¯s been in the Royal Guard. He¡¯s been trained. He¡¯s had no complaints against him. He¡¯s done well. Your refusal to let him work under you is, on paper, illogical.¡±

    Captain Aya sighed. ¡°I recognize this, but people do act differently in their home towns than away from it. I¡¯m not refusing, I¡¯m just reluctant.¡±

    Maki took half a step back, annoyed. He didn¡¯t want to get a job only because his mom forced someone to hire him. If that was how it was going to be¡­

    He left. After a few minutes he realized his feet were taking him to their old fishing spot outside of town. That wasn¡¯t where his problems would be solved. They couldn¡¯t be solved anywhere in or around this town.

    Maki realized he had to leave for good.

    He went home. Maeve was laying on the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling, bored to tears. She looked at him, eyebrows raised.

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m¡­ gonna go,¡± he told her.

    ¡°Go where?¡± she asked. ¡°We¡¯re grounded, remember?¡±

    He smiled. ¡°We¡¯re adults, remember? If I want to pack up and go on an adventure, who¡¯s gonna stop me?¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Slowly, his sister sat up. ¡°You¡¯re leaving leaving? Really? Where will you go? What will you do?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, I don¡¯t know, and adventure,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Sure, but, what will you do for money?¡±

    Maki collapsed onto the couch next to her. ¡°So, remember how the first three months of training, Dad had to pay to get me in and get food and stuff? Well, after that, instead of having to pay, I¡­ got a salary. And I kinda didn¡¯t tell Dad.¡±

    Maeve stared at him. ¡°You¡¯ve been keeping all that money?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a lot, only two hundred silver a month, but yeah. Been saving it. And I didn¡¯t spend all my salary money, either, so¡­¡±

    Her fingers twitched as she mentally calculated how much he must have. Finally she reached a sum and hit him in the face with a pillow.

    ¡°Ow! Come on, it¡¯s not like you told Dad you moved in with Risa and weren¡¯t paying rent any more!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but I used that money!¡±

    ¡°On dumb hair stuff!¡±

    ¡°Shut up, my hair looks amazing now! Besides, I used most of it on food!¡±

    ¡°Anyway! I¡¯m going on an adventure! Wanna come?¡±

    She stopped. ¡°You¡­ want me to come?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, adventuring alone would be boring,¡± he shrugged. ¡°I want to ask Cali and Luke, too. But if you don¡¯t come, I don¡¯t know, I might be sad or something, whatever.¡±

    Maeve jumped up. ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m in. When do we leave?¡±

    Maki scratched the back of his head. ¡°I¡­ was thinking about midnight?¡±

    ¡°What was all that about being an adult?¡± she asked, unimpressed. ¡°If we¡¯re adults, why are we sneaking out and running away?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not running away,¡± Maki said, getting to his feet. ¡°It¡¯s a tactical retreat from possibly hostile forces.¡±

    Maeve snorted. ¡°Ok, fair.¡±

    ¡°But all we can take is a backpack,¡± he told her. ¡°This¡¯ll be a proper adventure. Not a vacation.¡±

    ¡°But- My hair stuff¡­¡± She thought it over, then shrugged. ¡°Mer is going to be absolutely thrilled with what I leave here.¡±

 9 - Town of Fish - Maeve

    Dear Risa,

    So! I¡¯m going to see you soon! Maki has convinced us to go on an adventure!

    ¡­I might need to write you an actual letter asking if we can crash at your place a night or two¡­

    We will be leaving in three hours, at one in the morning. I¡¯m wasting time so I don¡¯t try to repack again.

    Do you have any idea of how much all my hair and fur products weigh? It¡¯s pretty crazy. I¡¯m not giving up the essentials, like the bar for ears, or the tail powder, but most other things are staying here. I¡¯m going to steal your stuff when I get to your place, and I¡¯m not repentant about it. Given how many times you¡¯ve used my perfume, we¡¯ll call it even.

    I forgot to pack my perfume¡­ And there¡¯s no space left¡­ I wonder if Maki could be convinced to carry it for me.

    Update: He cannot be convinced to carry it for me. He just laughed in my face and shut the door. Rude.

    Anyhow, we went to the diner Cali¡¯s mom owns for dinner. So we were able to talk with her about it, and she was extremely willing to go. If we¡¯d asked her to leave right that instant, without even packing, she would have come. Luke came in to pick up food, and he was slightly harder to convince.

    He actually, like, wanted to talk to his parents about it. Weird. But I guess it¡¯s good someone knows we weren¡¯t, y¡¯no, kidnapped. Again.

    ¡­I told you about that, right? When you asked why I wore a tracking necklace. How someone tried to kidnap us when we were little, but we were rescued by someone with lightning magic that we mistook for divine magic. Dad was really, really scared for a while, but we¡¯re fine.

    I should ask Cali if she still wears the necklace. If she does, it might explain how Wisp found us so easy.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    I now realize that us leaving without any kind of note saying we¡¯re fine might bring up bad memories for our parents, and I should write something.

    Yeah, I¡¯ll go do that.

    Quickest Regards,

    Maeve Zee

    .

    *****

    .

    Luke looked up as his dad knocked on his open door.

    ¡°Hey, your mom is making muffins for your trip, and requests I ask if you have enough clean underwear,¡± the older neko said, smiling faintly.

    Luke looked at his backpack. ¡°I do,¡± he said. ¡°And if I didn¡¯t, I¡¯d lie.¡±

    His father smiled, then stepped in and held out a book. ¡°I¡¯d like you to take this.¡±

    Luke took the book of runes, staring. ¡°Are you sure? I¡¯m going to the city, I can get a new one.¡±

    ¡°This one has¡­ extra notes.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Oh.¡± Luke realized what they were, and stuffed the book deep into his backpack. ¡°I¡¯ll keep it safe. Are- Are you sure you trust me with them?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± his dad said, putting a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I''m proud of you, and I trust you. Inside is a letter I wrote for you when you were twelve, after¡­ Read it when you¡¯re alone.¡±

    ¡°I will. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°When you get away from here, she might contact you. Don''t- Don''t think she cares about you. She cares about how entertaining you might be.¡±

    Luke nodded. ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Good. And, in general, be careful.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    There was an awkward pause, then Luke leaned in for a quick hug.

    His mom apparently sensed that there was a display of affection happening, and appeared in the doorway.

    ¡°Out of the way, Calvin, I need a hug, too,¡± she said, pulling Luke into a tight hug.

    Luke flailed dramatically. ¡°Ak- Dad- Help-¡±

    ¡°Hush,¡± his mom ordered.

    Luke obediently hushed, and hugged his mom back.

 10 - Traveling - Cali

    Hey Diary,

    I''m doing it! I''m on an adventure! We left home last night at one in the morning, walked until dawn, napped for an hour, and continued walking.

    So far, adventuring has mostly been walking.

    But it¡¯s been fun. Last night we met my giant ferret friends, and they agreed to stay away from town for a day or two in case Dad asks if they saw us. Then this morning I met a flock of ducks who helped us fish in exchange for a muffin Luke¡¯s mom made. And in the afternoon a couple squirrels followed us for a while, telling stories. Squirrels have the funniest stories.

    They left when there was a tiny earthquake. There¡¯s been like one earthquake a week lately, but the squirrels still aren¡¯t used to them I guess. They ran off yelling about their nuts.

    After that, I was able to spend hours talking to Maeve. The guys were behind us, practicing knife moves or something, so we got to talk about anything and everything. It¡¯s been too long since I''ve been able to pour my heart out to my cousin.

    She poured her heart out to me, too. We cried a couple times.

    And the best thing is, there were no little sisters anywhere to be seen! We escaped without Wisp noticing! If she¡¯d followed, I probably would have charmed her into going home. Illegal or not. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    I kinda wonder if Mom and Dad are going to try tracking us down. I hope not. I mean, I''m doing this. I¡¯m not going home. So if they come and insist I go back, it¡¯ll just get messy. But if they come and just say goodbye, I''d feel super guilty about sneaking away.

    I left Dad a letter. I assume Mom will read it, too, but I''m kinda not as close to her as I am Dad. Wisp is Mom¡¯s baby, and it¡¯s clear which of us is her favorite. Especially since Wisp likes to help in the kitchen. But I prefer hanging out with Dad and working with animals like he does. So, yeah.

    Anyways, I told them basically what Maki said. I''m legally an adult, and I want to go see the world, so that¡¯s what I''m going to do. I don''t want to argue, or for them to try talking me out of it, so we decided to leave at night.

    Honestly, Dad¡¯s main concern would be that Luke is coming with us, but he hasn''t seen how obvious of a crush Maeve has on him now. Besides, we all have the proper curses and protections in place.

    Oh, when we get to the city, Maeve and I will stay at her friend¡¯s house, while Maki and Luke are going to stay with Mas. Or at least that¡¯s the plan. We haven''t confirmed this with anyone, but they¡¯re positive it¡¯ll be ok.

    If it isn¡¯t, I''ll get to spend a night in an inn! I''ve never been to an inn, so that¡¯ll be exciting. And I''ll be able to eat food that isn''t Mom¡¯s! If someone wrote out the number of times I''ve had a meal that a relative hasn''t cooked, it¡¯d probably be less than a dozen.

    There are so many foods and flavors I''ve never experienced.

    I''m glad I''m going to the city with my cousin. She knows all the good places to visit, and can teach me everything.

    I hope I don''t act like too much of a country girl. I hope I don''t do anything to embarrass Maeve in front of her friends.

    Maybe I need to ask Maeve for a code word in case I''m doing anything dumb¡­

    Signing off,

    <hr>

 11 - Traveling - Maeve

    Dear Risa,

    Flipping hell I was not built for two days of solid walking. We¡¯ll be in the city tomorrow, and I think the first place I¡¯ll need to go is to get a foot massage.

    And then straight to Robbie¡¯s for one of those extremely unhealthy fish pies. I''ve probably lost a pound or two, with all the walking, so I can eat like five pies guilt-free!

    Not that I had any guilt to begin with, what with my ¡°supernaturally fast metabolism¡±. I do pity you, Risa dear, with your supernaturally slow one¡­

    Anyhow, on to juicy gossip!

    So, apparently Cali never really wanted to date Luke in the first place. They only got together because, after me and Maki left, they were the only two people our age in town. Everyone thought it was weird they spent time together but weren''t dating, so they gave up and said they were together. But they were never really interested in each other.

    At least, that¡¯s what Cali said. I am praying Luke feels the same.

    Oh, speaking of Luke, he and Maki are going to ask Mas if they can crash in his dorm room while we¡¯re in the city. I¡¯m debating asking if you can come with us to see him¡­ Presumably when you read this you''ll know what happened. You¡¯ll know if I was nice and brought you along, or if I was mean and left you behind.

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    I''m sure I''ll have been nice to you. I''m always nice to you, even when you don''t deserve it. Because that¡¯s what beeeeest friends are foooooor.

    That and helping each other spend money.

    I guess¡­ Growing up, I always called Cali my best friend. But she¡¯s really my cousin, and the way we talk and stuff is more like family than friends. We are friends, but it¡¯s different from what you and I have.

    One thing Cali and I haven¡¯t talked about yet is money. Obviously, what with you being set to inherit a giant bank and all, you and I always talked about money. You probably know my financial situation better than anyone. But I know nothing about how much money Cali has, or how she plans on getting more. Or what type of restaurant to take her to. Or even if I can take her to the spa.

    I don¡¯t know if she¡¯d be mad if I paid for her or not.

    Crap. I¡¯m going to have to have another awkward conversation with her.

    I know Luke has a couple things he can sell. Did I mention he¡¯s a Runesmith? He¡¯s a Runesmith. He has a handful of enchanted gems with him, and in the city I know he¡¯ll be able to walk into just about any shop and either create or enhance a rune or two. So I¡¯m not worried about him.

    But Cali¡­ Unless a rat king has moved to Goldvale and needs to be politely asked to leave, I don¡¯t know what she¡¯d do. She¡¯s good with animal training, but there aren¡¯t a lot of animals that need to be trained.

    Yeah, I should go ask her about that.

    Loveliest Regards,

    Maeve Zee

 12 - Goldvale - Luke

    As they got close to the city they passed more and more people. Luke had never thought of himself as nervous in crowds, but he realized he¡¯d never truly been in a crowd before. At least not like they were when they walked through the city gates.

    Sure, he¡¯d been to the city once before, but his dad had taken him. And they¡¯d arrived on a boat. So they¡¯d gone from no crowds to sudden crowds and fairly quickly back to no crowds.

    Now, with the number of people around steadily growing, Luke''s anxiety was rising.

    Maki and Maeve didn¡¯t seem to notice the crowd at all. They were used to the city; this was familiar territory for them. Cali had stared wide-eyed at everything until Maki told her doing that made her a target for thieves. Now she was walking arms linked with Maeve, only looking at the things her cousin pointed out.

    They went through an open market near the gates to a wide, store-lined street, then around a park towards the biggest building Luke had ever seen. As they drew closer, Maki¡¯s older brother appeared, coming around the park from the other direction. Maki called out as Maeve waved, and they started walking faster. Luke and Cali followed, Luke wishing they could talk in an empty area of the park rather than a busy street corner.

    Mas saw them and paused, making the woman whose hand he was holding stop and look around. They waited as the group got closer, then Mas let go and stepped to pull Cali forwards.

    ¡°Cali, here, this is Lara, my girlfriend,¡± he said quickly. ¡°Lara, this is my cousin, Cali. And that¡¯s her friend Luke. They are two normal people who I am not ashamed to know or admit I¡¯m related to.¡±

    Cali beamed. ¡°Nice to meet you!¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, too,¡± Lara said, a smile growing on her face as she glanced back at Mas. ¡°And the two behind you making funny faces?¡±

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    Mas gave a dramatic sigh. ¡°Those would be my siblings.¡±

    Maeve shouldered Mas aside and held out a hand. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Maeve, so nice to meet you! Cali and I are going to a spa this afternoon, would you like to join us?¡±

    Mas shoved himself back. ¡°Great idea, but damn, we¡¯re just too busy learning how to save lives, no time to-¡±

    ¡°You know, I would absolutely love to join you,¡± Lara told Maeve, giggling slightly.

    ¡°No, no you wouldn¡¯t,¡± Mas said flatly.

    Lara looked at him. ¡°Wasn¡¯t I just complaining that my claws are being worn ragged? Getting them properly filed down at a spa is exactly what I need! And I¡¯m sure you can cover for me being absent today, right? Like I did for you last week?¡±

    Maeve took her hand and looked at her fingers. ¡°Oh, girl, we need to get you in there asap. Cali, change of plans, we¡¯re going to Risa¡¯s after the spa. Come on.¡± She linked arms with Lara and they started walking away.

    Before Mas could protest, Maki threw his arm over his shoulders.

    ¡°Sooo, Mas, mind if Luke and I crash at your place for a night?¡±

    ¡°What? I mean, if you want to sleep on the floor go ahead, but-¡±

    ¡°Cool, thanks!¡±

    Mas glared, catching his brother¡¯s wrist before Maki got too far. ¡°But what are you doing here? What are Cali and Luke doing here? Why did you sneak off in the middle of the night? Seriously, dude, Mom was freaking out.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to the Traveler¡¯s Guild,¡± Luke explained. ¡°We¡¯ll see what needs done where, and head out.¡±

    ¡°We left without telling anyone because if we did, Mom would have us stay to prepare, then Dad would come up with a reason to not go, then Aunt Nikki would demand a going-away party, then Cali would need to stay just a little longer for some animal reason, and three years from now we¡¯d still be there,¡± Maki added.

    Mas released Maki to scratch an ear, sighing.

    ¡°I told my parents,¡± Luke added.

    ¡°The four of you are joining the Guild together?¡± Mas asked.

    ¡°Yep!¡± Maki said.

    Mas thought it over, then nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve got a decent set of skills. They¡¯ll probably send you to see if the head of merchants needs anything delivered over land. Although I have no idea what they¡¯ll ask an Arithmetician to do.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t hear?¡± Maki asked. ¡°When she graduated, Maeve was asked if she wanted to advance to Auditor or Banker class, and she took Auditor.¡±

    ¡°She did?¡± Luke asked, just before Mas could ask the same.

    ¡°Yeah. I told her not to, duh, but she said the perks were good.¡±

    Mas shrugged. ¡°Well, I hope you¡¯re ready for the exciting life of finding corrupt politicians.¡±

    Luke started to have doubts about joining this adventure.

 13 - Goldvale - Cali

    Hey Diary,

    Wow. Just, wow.

    This city is amazing.

    I don¡¯t know if all cities are like this, but I¡¯m starting to think I¡¯m a city girl at heart.

    Sure, we¡¯ve only been here¡­ eleven hours, but in those hours we went shopping, then went to a spa, then had lunch, then met Maeve¡¯s friend, then went shopping again, then had dinner at a fancy restaurant, then came here and relaxed!

    Maeve¡¯s friend is Risa Halibut. Of, y¡¯no, Halibut Bank. So yeah, they¡¯re just a tiny bit stupid rich. Risa has a whole wing of a mansion to herself. I have never seen a house so big or fancy. She¡¯s got, like, actual maids who do all the cleaning and stuff.

    And Maeve lived here for a whole year!

    I just¡­ want this. This is very nice.

    And yeah, I know Risa¡¯s father worked very hard to make all this money, and Risa has a full-time job now too, but¡­ It¡¯s just all so nice.

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    So fancy.

    So big and elegant.

    And I''m¡­ completely out of place here. I mean, the shelf in the shower has five bottles on it and two bars of soap, and without the labels I would have had no clue what they were for. I mean, I didn''t know there were separate shampoos and conditioners for hair and tails. And I''ve never seen special soap for¡­ down there¡­ And the soaps were specifically for ears and feet. I''ve never used special feet soap before, and I don''t know why I couldn''t have just used the normal body wash.

    And that¡¯s just the stuff for in the shower! There¡¯s like twenty powders and creams in the cabinets for when everything is dry!

    Sorry, I just¡­ When Wisp was born, my bedroom was cut in half so she could have her own bedroom, too. As I grew out of clothes, they went to her. We have one bathroom, and Mom buys all the soap and stuff. The one time Maeve gave me a fancy body wash, everyone used it. Everything I''ve ever had was small and cramped and shared and preferably multi-use.

    So seeing a huge bathroom with very specific items in it, and I can spend as long as I want in the shower¡­ I don''t want to go home. I''m never going home.

    I''m going to learn how to fit in here as fast as possible, and I''m going to work hard, and I''ll make enough money to get my own huge house with a big bathroom and an insane number of soaps and conditioners.

    That or I''ll die trying.

    I feel like I should feel bad. Like I should write to Mom and tell her I''m sorry for running away. But I''m not sorry. At all.

    This is probably the best thing I''ve ever done.

    Sure, I don''t know what I''ll be doing tomorrow, but it¡¯ll be fun. And whatever I do day after tomorrow will be fun, too.

    Maybe in a month I''ll feel differently. We¡¯ll see. Until then, this is too fun.

    Signing off,

    <hr>

 14 - Goldvale - Maki

    The group walked into the Traveler¡¯s Guild, Maki in the lead. He felt official, wearing his new leather breastplate, greaves, and vambraces. They were imitations of what the Royal Guard wore, tweaked just enough to avoid impersonation charges. He¡¯d been debating buying personal armor for a while now, and felt no regrets.

    He especially felt no regrets when the cute girl working the front desk saw him and her ears perked up.

    Sadly, Maeve noticed, and immediately went to the not-cute older lady who was also working the front desk.

    ¡°Hello, we were looking for information on how to join the traveler¡¯s guild,¡± Maeve said in her Official voice. It was a copy of their mom¡¯s Official voice, and always made Maki slightly annoyed.

    ¡°Solo, partial party, or full party?¡± the lady droned.

    ¡°Partial and full party, please,¡± Maeve said.

    The lady handed her two sheets of paper with teeny tiny writing on it, and waved Maeve towards a row of chairs along the wall.

    Knowing Maeve would make a good decision, Maki followed Cali to an information board. Luke took a seat next to Maeve, reading along with her.

    ¡°Maki,¡± Cali whispered, pointing to a poster. It advertised a spot for a Beastmaster in a team capturing wyverns.

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    ¡°No, you don''t want to be a part of that trade,¡± Maki told her, shaking his head.

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s called a ¡®high-risk, high-reward¡¯ job. If you make it out alive, you¡¯re rich. But you might not make it out alive,¡± he explained. ¡°The people who take those jobs don''t care if they die or not, so they¡¯re not very nice.¡±

    ¡°Oh, ok.¡± She scanned the board again.

    Maki spotted an ad for a traveling circus, and debated telling Maeve it was the perfect place for her. Although he suspected that if she joined, she¡¯d end up owning the thing within a year. Or at least handling all the finances.

    Then he saw a notice for a Runesmith wanted to put protection runes on every wagon in a caravan. He pulled it off the board and walked over to Luke.

    ¡°Partial has more benefits, but we have no choice of who we¡¯re put with,¡± the Runesmith was saying.

    ¡°True, and full does pay enough to replace those benefits, just after the job is done instead of before,¡± Maeve mused, glancing at Maki. ¡°What?¡±

    Maki handed the notice to Luke. Luke scanned it, a smile growing on his face.

    ¡°Let me do this job, and I''ll have enough to buy all the recommended equipment,¡± he told Maeve.

    Maeve nodded, getting to her feet. ¡°Ok! Let¡¯s see if we can get approved as a full party!¡±

    Cali walked over, holding a paper. It read, ¡°Help needed!!! Someone with experience dealing with rabbits invading crops!¡±

    ¡°Think I could do this?¡± she asked Maki.

    Maki checked the location; about half an hour¡¯s walk outside the city. ¡°Yeah, absolutely.¡± He looked at the group. ¡°We¡¯ll get registered here, then Maeve can show Luke where the caravan is, and I''ll take Cali to play with bunnies. Meet up tonight at Risa¡¯s?¡±

    Everyone agreed, and they went back to the front desk.

 15 - Goldvale - Cali

    Hey Diary,

    I did my first real, official job all by myself today! Well, Maki was there, but he doesn''t count.

    So, well, I should start by saying we went to the Traveler¡¯s Guild this morning! While Maeve was deciding if we wanted to be a full or partial party (I don''t know what the difference is), I looked at the information board. Someone wanted help dealing with an infestation of rabbits.

    I hadn''t done rabbits before, but I''ve dealt with infestations of  rats and ghost spiders, so I was sure I could handle them.

    Anyways, Maki said he¡¯d take me after we were done at the Guild, and he did!

    The men who own the orchard, it¡¯s a plum orchard, had no clue what to do. They kinda thought someone was going to come and try to kill all the rabbits. Which wouldn''t have worked.

    I asked the rabbits why they were in the orchard instead of the empty field next to it, and they said a family of foxes moved into their old warren. Which is a good reason to leave. So I went to the field, found the foxes, and asked them to move into the new, smaller warren in the orchard, and let the rabbits move back into their big, old one.

    They didn''t want to. And the rabbits didn''t want to move into a warren that smells like fox now. Thankfully, I have a permit that lets me use charm magic on animals.

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    It took like half an hour, but I charmed all the animals into being where I wanted them to be.

    And for that I got paid four gold. I''ve never held that much money in my hand at once in my whole life. I almost asked if that wasn''t too much, but Maki interrupted.

    So yeah! I have money!

    Or, I had money. I spent three of those gold buying all the equipment the Guild recommended I get.

    OH YEAH! We were approved as a full party! We¡¯re being lent a simple wagon with one horse (I haven''t met the horse yet), since I can handle animals and Maki can make sure no one steals the wagon. Tomorrow we¡¯ll be off to a town where they need an auditor. Maeve happens to be an auditor, so yay! We don''t know what Luke will be doing, but if the town doesn''t have a runesmith living there, he¡¯ll be able to do a ton of work. So that¡¯ll be good.

    Oh, while I went with Maki to deal with the rabbits, Luke went and did work, too. So we¡¯re all working and making money like adults!

    Well, Maeve hasn''t made money yet, but she''s the one who negotiated with the guy at the Traveler¡¯s Guild to get us registered and get us the job.

    I asked why we needed to be registered, why we couldn''t just go somewhere, and Maki said it¡¯s a trust thing. Like, lots of people carry swords, but if someone robs a bank they call the official guard to come help. Lots of people travel, but to send something from one place to another and make sure it gets there, they want official travelers. And travelers do other things, like get people with specific classes to towns that need them for a little bit. And report on road conditions. And explore new areas, looking for specific things.

    I hope we get sent to explore a new area someday. It would be the most amazing thing ever to go somewhere no one has ever been.

    I''ll have to dream about that tonight.

    Signing off,

    <hr>

 16 - Traveling - Maeve

    Dear Risa,

    Ok! So! It¡¯s been a few days since I''ve written, because I didn''t feel the need to write and talk about what I did when I was with you. You know what we did.

    But now, alas, we have parted ways, and I don''t know when I''ll see you again, Risa dear! Woe is me!

    As you surely have forgotten, with your poor, poor memory: we got to Goldvale, found out Mas is dating, spent the night at your place, went to the Traveler¡¯s Guild the next morning, I got to hang out with Luke all afternoon, and we spent another night at your place before heading out this morning.

    I know I told you, but I''m going to tell you again because it was funny:

    The asshole at the Traveler¡¯s Guild agreed we could be a full party, but didn''t want to lend us a wagon. I asked for one after he decided to send me as an Official Auditor to a town called Bendsville. It¡¯s a little town, and mostly they¡¯re just sending me to test if I actually know what I''m doing. Sure, he had a mini test for me that I did perfectly on, but it is true I don''t have a reputation yet.

    Anyhow, I told him that if an Official Auditor arrives on foot, I''ll be laughed out of town. He tried saying we wouldn''t know what to do if something broke on it, and I pointed to our certified Runesmith. Then he said he doesn''t know if we can handle a horse, and I asked what part of ¡°Beastmaster who has held a permit to charm animals for the past six consecutive years¡± he didn''t understand. Finally he said we might have it stolen, and I let him know my brother, who until two weeks ago was a member of the Royal Guard, would be happy to let the Guard know he has a poor opinion of their ability to keep roads free of thieves. And also that they can''t train their guards well enough to defend a wagon against a couple random muggers.

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    He gave up at that point. You know I always get what I want.

    And it¡¯s not like I was asking for a full carriage. We got a little wagon, with six levitation runes to keep it out of the dirt, and an arched canvass covering for shade. Maki and Cali, as guard and driver, sit on a little bench in front. Whiiich means I get to ride in the back with Luke all day!

    He spent most of the morning carving extra levitation runes in case one of ours breaks or whatever, and we talked the whole time. Then when he was done he said he had to study something in his rune book. Sooo he¡¯s reading his book, and I''m writing in my book, and am I reading too much into this? I''m reading too much into this.

    But come on, Risa! Girl, you saw him! I''m sure you understand!

    And yeah, I know, hotness does not equate a good boyfriend. But that¡¯s why we talked. He¡¯s way more cautious than anyone in my family, so he actually does this thing where he thinks about what he''s saying? Meaning everything he says is smart? He asked why I went with Auditor instead of staying a flat Arithmetician or waiting until something else came up. And he understood when I explained! Like, even you weren''t convinced, and Maki asked if I could switch back, but he got it! And he said there¡¯s something similar that happens with Runesmith, and he looked happy when I understood!

    So yeah, I don''t think this is just a simple crush.

    I could write about this for hours, but I''d better not.

    Soooo¡­

    Insincerest Regards,

    Maeve Zee

 17 - Traveling - Cali

    Hey Diary,

    First day of travel! It¡¯s been so fun!

    Most of the day I spent riding in the front of the wagon with Maki, but Maeve joined me for a couple hours in the afternoon.

    The horse we got assigned is named Peanut. He doesn''t have much to say, but he¡¯s a good horse. He asked if I could add peanuts to his feed bag. We passed a town, so I got some for him. Peanut said he prefers walking through country than towns or cities because it smells better. Which, yes, I agree with that. So we¡¯re on good terms.

    Obviously that''s the most important thing. I don''t know what I''d do if I didn''t get along with the horse. Probably cry.

    Anyways, it got dark way after we¡¯d passed the last town, and the map says the next town is pretty far, so we¡¯re camping! In the city we all got sleeping bags, so I''m nice and comfy in my brand-new sleeping bag.

    The Guild has a book on suggested ways to do things, and it suggests for groups of four that two people sleep inside the wagon, and two people sleep under it. That way no thieves can come along and find an unattended wagon.

    The book suggested we take turns keeping watch. I just tied Peanut to the back of the wagon with a long rope, and told him to please make a lot of noise if someone that isn''t us wakes him up. He agreed.

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    So yeah! I get to sleep in the wagon next to Maeve! She insisted that the guys sleep in the dirt while us proper ladies get the not-dirty place. There was some grumbling, but they agreed. I think next time we sleep on the road they¡¯ll insist we take the dirt.

    I wouldn''t even care. I''m having so much fun.

    A teeny, tiny part of me wonders how Wisp and my parents are doing. If they¡¯re still freaking out about me leaving, or if they don''t care any more. I kinda wish I''d brought my message stone, but I know if I¡¯d done that they would have used it to order me to come home.

    If I had one, I would have told Dad about the rabbits. And I would have told Mom about the fancy restaurant Maeve took me to. And I would have told Wisp to stay out of my room, because I know she¡¯s been in there.

    I¡­ do miss them. I''m not homesick, at all, but I miss talking to them. I guess it must be different for Maki and Maeve, since they were away for a long time before now. They¡¯re used to it.

    And it must be different for Luke, because he actually said goodbye to his parents. He told them what we were planning on doing, and they approved of his leaving. Or at least, that¡¯s what he said happened.

    Well, his mom did make us muffins. So it must be true.

    I hope my and Maeve¡¯s parents don''t get mad at Luke¡¯s parents about that. I mean, Luke was always in our group growing up because he¡¯s our age. But his parents didn''t ever really hang out with our parents. They¡¯re nice people, but they¡¯re¡­ cautious. It''s always felt like they¡¯re scared of saying too much around our parents.

    Or maybe only Maeve¡¯s parents; her mom is mayor, after all. I guess that would be scary, if she wasn''t my aunt.

    Anyways, it¡¯s getting late and Maeve is already asleep. I should follow her example.

    Signing off,

    <hr>

 18 - Bendsville - Luke

    The group reached Bendsville at about noon. The town was small, smaller even than Fish. They stopped at the diner for lunch, rented both rooms at the tiny inn, and¡­ waited half an hour for Maeve to fix her hair and put on makeup.

    ¡°Does it always take this long for her to put on makeup?¡± Luke asked, enhancing a stove¡¯s fire rune for the lady who ran the inn. In exchange for this work, they¡¯d all get free breakfast the following morning.

    ¡°Yep,¡± Maki said. He was sprawled in an overstuffed chair, staring at the ceiling. ¡°Maeve is what¡¯s commonly known as ¡®high-maintenance¡¯. But if we want a shot at the mayor taking us seriously, she does need to look as professional as possible.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Luke hesitated. ¡°Should I do something to look professional?¡±

    Maki glanced over. ¡°Nah. You look like a craftsman, which is what you are. Maybe you could pick up a tool belt or bandolier or something for your tools? But you¡¯re fine.¡±

    Luke finished carving and pushed mana into the runestone. A ring of fire appeared over the stone. He felt the slight, constant tug of mana from the stone, and cut it off. The fire died.

    He got up, ready to call the innkeeper that it was done, but stopped when he heard footsteps on the stairs. Maeve and Cali came down, both girls smiling.

    Cali looked like she usually did. Her short yellow hair was maybe a bit neater than normal, and she had an extra earring or two in her tall pink ears, but her clothes were the same sturdy and comfortable-looking things she always wore.

    Maeve, though, looked like she owned a whole country. Her clothes were professional-looking and pristine. Her bright red hair flowed behind her in a way that made it look like real fire. Behind glasses Luke hadn''t seen her wear before, her eyes radiated intelligence. And the way she held herself radiated authority.

    Luke felt¡­ so very far beneath her. He was lucky she even acknowledged he was in the room.

    Maki apparently didn''t feel the same. ¡°Wearing glasses makes you look blind, not smarter."

    ¡°These have runes to enhance sight-based class abilities,¡± Maeve told him, reaching the bottom of the stairs. ¡°You haven''t seen them before?¡±

    ¡°I guess I¡¯ve never seen you do official maths,¡± Maki shrugged. He rolled to his feet. ¡°We ready?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she said, adjusting her blouse slightly. She gave the world a dazzling smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go meet the mayor.¡±

    ¡°Uh, I need to-¡± Luke held up the runestone, then walked to the kitchen.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    The innkeeper was there, cutting up vegetables. Luke handed over the stone, she verified it worked better now, thanked him, and he went back to the main room.

    That done, the group left the inn. They went to the next building over, a converted house with ¡°Bendsville Town Government¡± engraved on the door. Maki opened the door, checked the room, and stood to attention as he motioned everyone else inside. Maeve walked in first, followed by Cali then Luke.

    An older man was lounging behind a desk, doing paperwork. He sat up as Maki closed the door, blue ears twitching.

    ¡°Hello, how may I help you?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Maeve said, her voice brisk and formal. ¡°I am Maeve Zee, an Auditor working with the Traveler¡¯s Guild. I believe you are Mayor George? If so, you will have been informed of our arrival.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me,¡± he said, sitting even straighter. ¡°I don''t believe someone as pretty as you could be an Auditor.¡±

    Maeve gave him a predator¡¯s smile. ¡°And I don''t believe someone as ugly as you could be embezzling government funds. Let¡¯s see if we¡¯re both wrong, or only you.¡±

    Cali snorted. Maki had a neutral smile on his face.

    Before Luke could decide if he was amused, terrified of how the mayor would react, or in love, there was a faint gold flash and a piece of paper appeared in his hand. He glanced at it.

    [I like her.]

    Luke shoved the paper into a pocket, his ears flattening and tail going rigid.

    ¡°Right,¡± the mayor growled. ¡°Before you begin, Miss Zee, I also received word of a Beastmaster and Runesmith coming. I assume those are your companions?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Maeve said. ¡°Cali is a Beastmaster with a permit to charm animals, and Luke is-¡± She paused for half an instant, confusion flashing as she looked him over. ¡°Luke is the certified Runesmith. Maki is my guard; he will be staying here with me as I work.¡±

    Maki saluted.

    Mayor George nodded, finding two pieces of paper from the mess on his desk. ¡°I sent word out. Two farmers in the north of town requested the help of Miss Cali, and I¡¯ve got a whole list of people who need a Runesmith.¡± He held out the papers.

    Cali bounced up and took hers. ¡°Ok! I''ll take Peanut and see what they need done!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, miss.¡±

    Luke managed to relax enough to step forwards and take the list. There were about twenty names on it. He gave the mayor a nod and scanned the page. He decided he¡¯d ask the innkeeper where the first person was, then work down from there.

    ¡°Very well, then,¡± Maeve said happily. ¡°I will need a desk to work at, and all your town finance books from the past five years.¡±

    The mayor hesitated. ¡°Five years? I believe I only have records going back three years¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh? Legally, you are required to keep records for ten years,¡± Maeve said, a bit apologetically. ¡°If you can''t give me the records from five years back, I will have to report that, and the king will have to order a full investigation.¡±

    ¡°Actually, now that you mention it,¡± Mayor George said, getting to his feet, ¡°I think I have them stashed in the attic. I''ll go check.¡±

    Maeve¡¯s smile turned evil again. ¡°Yes, you do that.¡±

    He hurried off, and she turned to Luke. Before she could speak, Cali bounced in to hug her.

    ¡°Ok, I''ll see you at dinner!¡± Cali dashed out the door.

    Luke turned to follow.

    ¡°Hey, you ok?¡± Maeve asked him, reaching out to touch his arm. ¡°You looked freaked out there.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Luke said, managing a half-smile. ¡°I¡­ It¡¯s nothing. Just-¡± He felt magic hit the paper in his pocket. ¡°I should get to work.¡± He hurried out the door.

    As soon as he was out of sight, he pulled the paper out. The words had changed.

    [O Chosen One, are you ashamed to know me?]

    He glared at the sky.

 19 - Bendsville - Maeve

    Dear Risa,

    Riiiiiisa. I was born to do this work, and the Goddess knows it.

    I got offered a bribe today. Sure, first the moron tried to say I didn¡¯t know what I was doing, but I asked in what universe 40 - 23 is 0, and he switched rails to saying he wasn¡¯t all that great at math.

    Which is true. There were a few legitimate mistakes in those papers.

    But there were also several illegal not-mistakes in there. And then he asked if I could possibly adjust my report if he gave me the great, huge ¡°tip¡± of¡­ five gold. ¡­I know, right? Ha.

    Maki got it. He asked for five gold to not inform anyone the mayor had attempted to bribe the auditor. So legally, the only one who accepted a bribe was a privately-hired independent guard.

    Y¡¯no, as much as I complain about my idiot of a brother, I¡¯m glad he¡¯s here. He¡¯s the perfect guard for me. Like, when the mayor kept trying to check what I was doing, or try to make small talk, Maki just said ¡°please do not interrupt the auditor¡± in an Official Guard Voice, and it worked! And you know how hard it is to be left alone to work! Then when the bribe came up, I just looked at Maki, and he took over.

    He also knows how I like my coffee, which is handy.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    So yeah! First job done! It took five hours, then I sent off my report with the provided telepaper, and an hour later the message stone activated saying they¡¯ll look over it tomorrow and say how I did!

    Meanwhile, Cali was off playing with animals, and Luke was carving rocks for people.

    Luke actually has a lot of work to do here. He asked if we could stay another day as he finishes. I guess they don¡¯t have anyone who knows true runesmithing, only a blacksmith who knows how to copy simple things. So he¡¯s making a lot of money here.

    Speeeeaking of Luke, he acted kinda weird today. When we met the mayor, everything was fine, and then he suddenly freaked out. As far as I remember, he freaked out when the mayor called me ¡°too pretty to be an auditor¡±.

    It wasn''t a jealousy thing, it was a full-on panic. And when the mayor left and I asked if he was ok, he ran out of the building.

    So yeah, I don''t know what happened. I could use your advice on this, Risa.

    I don''t really want to ask Cali¡¯s advice on this, because she¡­ kinda doesn''t notice when people are having a hard time if she¡¯s happy. And right now she¡¯s overjoyed about absolutely everything. Everything is going great in her life, so why isn''t everything great in everyone else¡¯s lives?

    Like, Maki left home half a year before I did. I was sad about that; I missed him. A week later, she turned sixteen and got her Beastmaster class. Cali had no clue I was depressed as hell.

    Yeah. If I ask her what she thinks is up with Luke, I know she won''t have noticed anything.

    Maybe I should get a set of message stones and send one to you just so we can talk whenever I need my best friend. And you can talk to me whenever you need advice on makeup. It''d have to be a pretty expensive one, though, if we keep traveling away from Goldvale.

    I''ll think about it.

    Thinkingest Regards,

    Maeve Zee

 20 - Bendsville - Cali

    Hey Diary,

    We are currently in the itty bitty town of Bendsville. Population about 100. The nearest town is a full half a day away, so yeah, the people here are super isolated.

    I mean, Fish has 300 people, give or take, but Tree is only two hours away. Sure, Tree is also tiny, but it¡¯s got a couple things Fish doesn''t have, and Fish has a few things Tree doesn''t. So we aren''t totally isolated, waiting desperately for someone with specific skills to pass by. All we need to do is write and ask them to come.

    So yeah. We got here yesterday at noon. After lunch and stuff, I went out to a sheep farm and asked why the sheep were avoiding one specific hill. They just said ¡°shaky¡± and ¡°hot¡± and ¡°bad ground¡±, so I think they mean there¡¯s like a geyser or something under there? I recommended the owner get some kind of geologist out to see what it is. Or expect an explosion soon maybe.

    Then I went to another sheep farm, and he had me track down a couple sheep who ran away from the scary shears a few months ago and got totally lost. The other sheep kinda knew where they were, so it didn''t take super long. Then I had to charm the sheep into coming home, and then I had to charm them into thinking that the sound the shears made was actually really nice.

    Oh, I rode Peanut to all those places. He¡¯s not a riding horse, and I didn''t have a saddle, so it wasn''t the most comfortable thing for either of us. I think I might need to get a flying carpet and a harness.

    I''m getting paid enough that I''ll be able to afford one soon, probably! I mean, I don''t exactly know how much they cost, but it can''t be more than a riding horse and saddle. Maybe Luke knows.

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    Anyways, then today I went and talked to a lady whose dog had puppies a month ago. They¡¯re pet dogs, not working dogs, and the puppies are starting to chew on things. The lady wanted me to charm them into not chewing.

    I told her that might cause the puppies permanent harm if they didn''t chew on anything, and that it would be better if she got specific chew toys for them. And then she yelled at me! Which was very rude, so I left.

    Some people really don''t understand animals. I mean, I know only beastmasters get the talk to animal spell, but seriously, some people don''t understand that animals are living, thinking, growing creatures, too.

    Like, if a baby was crying because their teeth were coming in, the solution isn''t to put a spell on the baby to make it shut up. Sheesh.

    Oh well.

    After the rude puppy lady, I went to a farm with a bunch of farm cats. The people there mostly wanted to know how many cats they had, and if they were all healthy. Then they were gonna take all the ones that weren''t neutered or spayed to the vet when they go next month. Turns out, there were eighteen full-grown cats, and twelve kittens. I charmed the kittens and the ones that aren''t fixed into thinking tuna is the absolute most delicious thing ever. Which cats already kinda think it is, so the charm will last a long time. That way, when it¡¯s time to catch them, all the owner needs to do is shout ¡°tuna¡± and open a can, and they''ll come running.

    I told him to give them tuna once a week until then, just to reinforce the spell. He was nice.

    After that there were a couple people who asked if I was a full veterinarian. Which I''m not. I can''t heal everything, which is sad. I might multiclass into healer if I ever get the option; that¡¯s what Dad did.

    Anyways, tomorrow we''re heading out again. Maeve got a message asking her to go check out some other town¡¯s mayor, so yep! Off we go!

    I need sleep for tomorrow, so,

    Signing off,

    <hr>

 21 - Traveling - Maeve

    Dear Risa,

    I passed whatever test they¡¯d set up for me, and they offered me another job!

    I mean, duh. Obviously I did a good job. I¡¯m me. I always do perfectly at everything.

    But it¡¯s good to have that verified by someone who gives me money to do it.

    Also, apparently my dad and uncle went to the Guild in Goldvale looking for us. Which I would be super embarrassed about, but the guy who gave us our registration told them to get lost because none of us are minors, so they have no legal right to request we be recalled.

    I rescind my ¡°asshole¡± comment about him from¡­ two letters ago. Especially since my next job is in the opposite direction from Goldvale.

    I suspect we¡¯ll eventually be close enough to Default that they¡¯ll ask us to check in at the Traveler¡¯s Guild there, rather than ever go back to Goldvale.

    And yeah, you¡¯re right, what kind of moron named a city ¡°Default¡±? I thought it was cool for a while, but it¡¯s dumb. I should know better than to like something you think is dumb.

    Of course, if I don''t ever go back to Goldvale, I might never see you again! That, Risa dear, would be a true tragedy.

    In other news, Luke hasn''t acted weird again. So I really don''t know what to make of that whole thing. Maybe I should ask Maki to ask him about it.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Oh, I might have kiiiinda had a flag waving over my head that I have a crush on Luke this morning. When I came down for breakfast, Cali and Luke were there, having what I thought was a serious conversation. So, being the poised, graceful person I am, I elegantly inserted myself into their conversation and enquired the topic.

    ¡­I fell off the last stair step, tripped on a rug, crashed into Cali¡¯s chair, and went ¡°hey, whatchya talking about¡± like a compleeeete moron. You would have been ashamed, Risa.

    And then it turns out Cali was asking Luke what magic carpets cost.

    I wanted. To die. At least Maki wasn''t around to see.

    Anyhow, we are now on our way to the town of Dogroofs. A part of me wonders why it¡¯s called that. Another part is convinced the roofs will all have dogs on them. And the first part thinks that can''t possibly be the reason, right?

    Maki and I have a bet going on if that¡¯s the reason. I¡¯m betting against. We¡¯ll be there tomorrow, so in my next letter I''ll be able to tell you if I won the bet or not.

    There¡¯s a lot of weirdly-named places in our fair nation of Owonyan. Like, my town is Fish. Cuz it¡¯s a good place to fish. And next town down is Tree. Cuz there¡¯s a big tree in the middle. Then we¡¯ve got Default City, and Dogroofs, and Vodka. Along the coast there¡¯s Oneport, Twoport, Threeport, and Fiveport, but no Fourport.

    If I ever meet the person who named all these places, I¡¯m gonna tell them they should have done better.

    I wonder if other countries have names that make more sense. Hey, someday I might be going to other countries! I''ll for sure let you know if the names are better or not.

    Most Impatient Regards,

    Maeve Zee

 22 - Dogroofs - Maki

    The town of Dogroofs was a logging town, surrounded by thick forests. To keep out wandering animals, it had a high wall around it.

    As such, Maki couldn''t get a good view of the town¡¯s roofs until the wagon passed through a wide, arched gateway.

    He held out a hand. Maeve put a silver piece into it.

    Sure, some of the roofs looked like a child had painted a dog on it with crayon, but there were quite a few well-done and artistic dog paintings.

    Maki decided he had to ask the mayor how that got started. Sure, it was interesting, but why?

    Maki turned to look at everyone. ¡°Where first? Food or inn?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still kinda early,¡± Cali said. ¡°Inn?¡±

    Maeve nodded. ¡°Inn.¡±

    Luke, staring intently at a random piece of paper, apparently hadn''t heard the question. Maki was hungry; if he got Luke to say food, Maeve might change her vote.

    ¡°Yo, Luke,¡± Maki called.

    Luke twitched, shoving the paper into his pocket as he looked around, ears flat. ¡°Yeah? What? Sorry.¡±

    Maki shared a glance with Maeve, then looked back. ¡°Food or inn first?¡±

    Luke relaxed. ¡°Oh, inn. It¡¯s still early.¡±

    Maki sighed. Lunch would have to wait.

    They found the inn, and Cali tended to the horse while the other three went to get rooms. They decided on two rooms again; girls in one and guys in the other. It was a practical way to save money, and frankly Maki had grown used to sleeping in barracks. Sleeping in a room alone unnerved him somehow.

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    They carried their backpacks up the stairs, Maeve choosing the room that overlooked the town¡¯s square. The guys got the room that faced another building.

    As Maki tossed his backpack onto a bed, he saw Luke looking at the piece of paper again. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    Luke twitched, glanced to make sure the door was shut, then looked at the ceiling before folding the paper. ¡°It¡¯s a¡­ magic paper that¡­¡±

    It flashed gold. Luke unfolded it, frowned, and handed it over.

    [Hi, Maki]

    Maki glanced at Luke, confused. ¡°Uh, hi?¡±

    It flashed, and the words changed.

    [Luke is annoyingly honest and also bad at keeping secrets. So I will tell you directly: he is one of my chosen souls.]

    Maki felt his ears slowly fold back as he realized what he was reading. Whose words he was reading. ¡°Chosen? Like, to be a priest?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Luke said. ¡°To be entertainment.¡±

    ¡°How¡­¡± Maki shook his head, trying to get his thoughts in order. ¡°So, somehow the Goddess Bonnie chose you to be¡­ entertaining.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s complicated,¡± Luke said. ¡°It''s why I''ve never been anywhere or done anything. Dad hoped she¡¯d change her mind.¡±

    The paper flashed.

    [Ha.]

    Luke saw the word and glared at the ceiling. ¡°Well, it worked. You didn''t notice I wasn''t in Fish for over a week.¡±

    [Fair. But now I''ve noticed, and I¡¯m sure your life is about to be very exciting!]

    Maki held the paper away from himself. ¡°Is that a threat?¡±

    [Hopeful thinking. Divine intervention to promote excitement is frowned upon.]

    ¡°Ok, good. I think.¡± He looked at Luke. ¡°Wait, when were you chosen? How long has this been going on?¡±

    Luke took the paper. ¡°Since I was twelve.¡±

    Maki sat down heavily. ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ probably shouldn''t ask any more questions,¡± Maki decided.

    ¡°You can ask, I just don''t know if I can answer,¡± Luke said.

    ¡°Right.¡± Maki got up, leaving his backpack on the bed. ¡°I''m gonna go find lunch.¡±

    ¡°Ok, I''ll¡­¡± Luke looked at the paper. ¡°I''ll be a minute.¡±

    Maki went to the door. ¡°Yep. No questions.¡±

 23 - Dogroofs - Maeve

    Dear Risa,

    The quaint town of Dogroofs is named after its roofs, which all have dogs on them. The roofs all have dogs on them because¡­ the town is named Dogroofs.

    They mayor seemed very confused when I asked which happened first. I guess it just came into existence like this.

    Anyhow, we got here this morning and after lunch got to work.

    Luke didn''t have as much work, this town has a Runemaster, but the mayor asked him to double-check the wall¡¯s protection runes. A squirrel got in recently, and the local runemaster says it¡¯s nothing to worry about. The mayor still worried.

    Cali was asked to go out with a party of hunters to track and put down a pack of dire wolves. She was horrified, started a speech on how animals act on instinct, and the mayor said he didn''t care what happened to them as long as they stayed away from his town. So she happily left with a group of hunters this afternoon. I lent her Maki. They¡¯re spending the night in the forest, somewhere in the wolves¡¯ territory.

    And then I got to work. This mayor, Rufus, is much nicer than George was. He had everything prepared when I showed up, and we had tea together at promptly 3pm. He had one honest, legitimate mistake in his taxes, and was horrified until I told him it meant he¡¯d been paying more than he ought for the past five years, and as such he should be getting a letter from the government asking how he would like to handle his reimbursement as soon as my report is verified.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    At the end of the day his wife came in, and she asked if I''d like to have dinner with them. Whiiich dashed my hopes of having a romantic dinner alone with Luke, but I couldn''t really say no. Luke was invited, and he spent most of his time playing with their kits.

    And Risa. Kits love this guy. It¡¯s¡­ Aaaah

    At first they came to me like ¡°oh wow, pretty hair!¡±, but Luke had a couple random runestones in his pockets, and taught them how to juggle elements. They were getting pretty good at it by the time we left, and from the way the mayor¡¯s wife was smirking at me, I''m sure I just had big ol¡¯ hearts for eyes.

    What should I do, Risa, what should I doooo???

    I can''t tell him I love him tonight, because we had wine with dinner, and he might think I''m just tipsy or something.

    I need to change the subject. You¡¯re probably tired of hearing me gush about him, anyhow.

    Cali left the horse here. Apparently Peanut is a type of horse that doesn''t do well off-road. Which is kinda weird to think about. I mean, it¡¯s a horse. I kinda thought they were all the same.

    I asked the innkeeper if I needed to do anything to the horse tonight, and he said he had it covered. So that¡¯s nice. Because I have no clue what I¡¯m supposed to do with a horse. Feed it, probably? But how much? And what do they eat? Cali got the horse peanuts, but I assume they don''t only eat peanuts.

    I hope the dire wolves don''t eat her and leave me to care for the horse¡­

    Nah, that would take a miracle.

    Distracted Regards,

    Maeve Zee

 24 - Dogroofs - Cali

    Hey Diary,

    I just got back from a day and a half of hiking! It was super fun!!

    My job in this town was to find a pack of dire wolves and get them to live further from the town! So yep, I got to meet a pack of giant, fluffy wolves!!!

    Dad is going to be so jealous. I guess there was a pack around Fish when he grew up? But they moved before I was born. So I''ve never met them before.

    But yeah! We hiked all afternoon, made camp, and at dawn the wolves came to check out who we were!

    I guess I should say, the group I was in was me, Maki, the town guards Sara and Pop, and a guy named Joe who has a farm with mostly chickens.

    Joe said the chickens haven''t been laying well since the dire wolves moved closer. Well, Joe asked if I could get the chickens to not be afraid of the wolves, and I said it¡¯s a really bad idea to make something as dumb as a chicken fearless. He thought it over for three seconds and agreed.

    Anyways, the wolves came by at dawn just to see who we were and if we might taste good. I told them we¡¯d taste nasty, but they didn''t believe me. So I asked if one of them could bite me, very gently, to prove it.

    The leader was willing, but Maki apparently hadn''t understood the whole ¡°very gently¡± part, and freaked out when the wolf stuck her mouth around my arm and started chewing.

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    That almost started a whole thing, but it turned out ok. I still have both arms! Maki has all his limbs, too! And no one else got bit, either. Charm magic sure does have its uses.

    After I¡¯d charmed the leader into thinking I¡¯m about the worst-tasting thing to exist, I asked the wolves if they wouldn''t mind living further from town. They said they couldn''t, because an ursa major had recently moved into their old territory.

    Ursa majors are one of the biggest, scariest things in the whole world. One full-grown ursa major could easily kill a whole pack of dire wolves.

    They eat magic. They don''t kill things, exactly, they just trap their prey and drain all its mana. A lot of things, after having been pinned down by a house-sized translucent bear thing, die of fright. I¡¯d probably die of fright.

    So yeah, they¡¯re kinda bad news. Maki said he¡¯d alert his contacts in the Royal Guard that there¡¯s a beast out here they need to take care of. And as soon as the ursa is gone, the wolves promised to move away from the town!

    Then we had breakfast, packed up, and came back to Dogroofs! There was a tiny earthquake on our way back, but nothing else interesting happened.

    When we got here, Luke was teaching a group of kits how to pass elements with runestones. It¡¯s not really ¡°passing¡±, it¡¯s just timing activating your stone as soon as their summoned element gets within range. I joined, and we showed off some of the really cool tricks we¡¯ve figured out. For some reason, having a group of nine-year-olds think I¡¯m the best and greatest feels good.

    According to one kit in a small town, I am the most awesome lightning-user in the history of ever. Take that, famous people with lots of degrees and awards!

    It¡¯s silly. But I had fun.

    Anyways, as soon as the sun sets we¡¯re going to have dinner. The sun is almost gone, so¡­

    Signing off,

    <hr>

 25 - Traveling - Maeve

    Dear Risa,

    I did another excellent job, and they¡¯re sending me off to a town named Potat.

    Maki wanted to bet me if they grow potatoes there or not. I declined.

    And yeah, the town is on the way to Default. At this rate I should get one more job, then they¡¯ll ask us to check in there. I think I''m going to get a super strong message stone set and send you one. I need to talk to you, Risa! Writing just isn''t enough!

    Oh, there was a warning on this next job, saying the mayor of Potat has charm magic. Which is interesting. Thankfully, I have a cousin who uses charm magic, and she tell if anyone is under a charm spell. And she¡¯s kinda resistant herself.

    So if the mayor charms me into giving her a good report, Cali will find out and break me out of it.

    Oh yeah! Cali wasn''t eaten by wolves. That¡¯s good.

    Maki said they came to investigate, and she let one chomp on her arm. Which¡­ is a thing I can see her doing, yes. Honestly, if she got her arm eaten by a dire wolf, she¡¯d just think it was a hilarious story to tell kits.

    It¡¯s not that she doesn''t fear dangerous animals, no. She¡¯s their friend. So a giant wolf monster wants to bite her arm? Why not! It¡¯s a friendly bite!

    Her dad is the same way. He¡¯s almost died several times from being attacked by animals. He¡¯s got scars all over, and is missing half an ear. Oh, they¡¯re the ones who have a cockatrice as a pet. That should explain everything. They just have a bird that can paralyze people with a look hanging out with all their normal chickens.

    And yes, both Cali and my uncle have been paralyzed by it.

    So yeah, she¡¯s got no sense of danger around animals.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    But Maki does. He said when the wolf bit her, he kinda freaked out and almost messed things up. She¡¯s promised to let him know if she ever asks anything to bite her again. Which¡­ means she¡¯s going to ask things to bite her.

    I love my cousin, I really do, she¡¯s cute and happy, but she¡¯s kinda not the smartest person in the world.

    She¡¯s fun to be around, though. I¡¯m glad she¡¯s with us, and I¡¯m not stuck in a group with two guys. If you were with us, that would be even better, but alas, you have a job to do and a fortune to inherit. It¡¯s tragic that you can''t come wandering around the country with us.

    ¡­Huh, the horse is kinda freaking out.

    If the book ends here, I died.

    Apologetic Regards,

    Maeve Zee

    .

    *****

    .

    Maki held the reins as Cali jumped off the wagon¡¯s seat, heading to the horse¡¯s head.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked it. ¡°What¡¯s¡­ Oh.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Maki repeated, his ears swiveling.

    Cali turned to look into the forest, ears up and tail poofed, and that¡¯s when Maki felt it. He didn''t hear anything. He didn''t see anything. But he could feel an enormous magical presence stalking through the trees.

    An ursa major.

    ¡°Cali, get in the wagon, we¡¯re running,¡± Maki ordered.

    She swallowed hard, staring into the forest.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Maeve asked quietly, moving to stare as well.

    ¡°Ursa major,¡± Luke said, climbing out of the wagon.

    Maki stared at him. ¡°Are you insane? We have to go! Now!¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Cali said. ¡°I need to find out why it¡¯s here. It¡¯s not supposed to be here. It¡­¡±

    Luke nodded. ¡°I have to see it.¡±

    ¡°By Bonnie, why?¡± Maeve hissed.

    He frowned at a piece of paper in his hands. ¡°I¡­ just do.¡±

    Maki shared a look with his sister.

    ¡°You two have fun,¡± he told them. ¡°We¡¯ll wait for you a safe distance away.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Maeve said. ¡°Bye.¡±

    Maki flicked the reins, and Peanut bolted.

 26 - Traveling - Luke

    Luke stepped off the road, into the forest.

    Was this stupid? Yes. Did he hate it? Also yes. But he had a piece of paper in his pocket telling him to go with Cali.

    He couldn''t do anything to protect his friend from a literal magic-sucking monster, but maybe the goddess watching with a bucket of popcorn could.

    A low rumble sounded out, the only sound in the forest, and the two nekos stepped towards it.

    Luke hated this so much.

    Cali pointed, and without a word started jogging. Terrified, Luke followed. It didn''t take them long to see the beast, sitting against a tree, staring in their direction.

    It was huge, as tall as a house, with a dark blue translucent body made of roving pinpoints of lights, like stars. Its face and paws were the most defined things; clusters of stars that made bright shapes in the darkness.

    <ul>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Temporary passive spell granted: Understand Animals.</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Passive skill Understand Animals now active.</li>

    </ul>

    Luke waved the notification away, glancing at the sky as Cali stopped and waved at the monster.

    ¡°Hi! I¡¯m Cali! What do you call yourself?¡±

    The ursa major tilted its head at her. ¡°I am Me.¡±

    ¡°Crap,¡± Cali hissed to Luke. ¡°It¡¯s not aware enough to have a name.¡± Then she smiled at it again. ¡°Nice to meet you! Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Mountain hot,¡± it told her. ¡°Ground bad. Danger. Safer here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but it¡¯s not safer here,¡± she said. ¡°There¡¯s people here. They¡¯re scared of you. The dire wolves are scared of you.¡±

    ¡°I am stronger than wolves,¡± the ursa major said, which was true. ¡°I am strongest. You are weak. You look delicious; two types of magic.¡±

    Cali¡¯s ears folded back. ¡°I taste very nasty. What do you mean, ¡®ground bad¡¯?¡±

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    In Luke¡¯s pocket, the piece of paper flashed. The ursa¡¯s eyes snapped to him, and it got to all four paws. Luke stumbled back a few paces, his tail poofing.

    ¡°Strongest magic,¡± the giant beast said, stepping towards him, sniffing. ¡°Most strong magic.¡±

    Luke pulled the paper out of his pocket and threw it, turning to run. With a flash of lightning magic, Cali teleported next to him, grabbing his arm to stop him.

    ¡°Don''t run, it¡¯ll chase,¡± she hissed, then turned. ¡°Wait, ursa major, if the ground was good, would you go back?¡±

    The monster pawed at the paper on the ground, sniffing deeply. Gold magic filtered up from the paper to its mouth. When it was done, it looked at Cali.

    ¡°Bad ground will not be good again. I will stay here. Stay safe. More strongest magic?¡±

    A paper flashed into Luke¡¯s hand. He glanced at it.

    [Just cuz I promised Calvin you wouldn''t die ;) ]

    He crumpled it up and threw it at the ursa¡¯s feet.

    As it was distracted, Cali let go of Luke. Her eyes started to glow pink. ¡°You should go ba-¡±

    It looked at her, and the line of charm magic between them became visible. It opened its mouth, and more magic filtered from Cali¡¯s chest. She fell to a knee, gasping as she tried to cut the magic off. A line of yellow started filtering through the pink, then over three or four seconds the magic turned completely yellow.

    Luke¡­ was frozen. He didn''t know what to do, what he could do. Cali fell to her hands, the yellow magic starting to fade from her hair.

    He spun to face the ursa major. ¡°Stop! Stop and I''ll get you more- more strongest magic!¡±

    The line of magic coming from Cali snapped off as the monster looked at Luke. ¡°More strongest magic?¡±

    ¡°More! Here!¡± He held his hand out.

    Nothing happened.

    The ursa blinked.

    Nothing continued to happen.

    Luke glared at the sky. ¡°Seriously?! Please!¡±

    ¡°I will eat your magic instead,¡± the ursa decided, and opened its mouth.

    A thousand pieces of paper popped into existence and began fluttering down around them. The ursa grunted in delight, sitting down as it swiped a few pieces out of the air.

    One got to Luke¡¯s eye level and stopped.

    [I am not yours to command; you are mine. Now get back to the road.]

    ¡°Thank you,¡± he breathed, and picked Cali up.

    She gasped and whimpered, clutching at her core. Breaking into a run, Luke prayed Maki hadn''t taken the wagon far.

 27 - Traveling - Cali

    Hey Diary,

    Wellp, I messed up.

    We met the ursa major. It was the biggest, scariest, most amazing thing I¡¯ve ever seen. It was beautiful and terrifying. And, knowing full well it eats magic, I tried to charm it.

    It said the ground was bad up in its old home. Which is kinda weird, cuz that¡¯s what the sheep back in Bendsville said. Like, exactly how they described the hill they wouldn''t go to. I just wanted it to go back, ignoring the bad ground.

    It¡­ grabbed my magic. Somehow. And pulled it out of me. It started with the charm magic, then switched to lightning. I guess it liked the flavor of lightning better, cuz it took a lot of my lightning magic. It took enough that my hair started turning grey, like a kit who hasn''t chosen their specialty yet. Now that my mana is back to full, my hair is¡­ more pink. I tried a couple minor lightning spells, and they aren''t as strong. I can tell. I haven''t tried any charm spells, so I don''t know if that magic is stronger.

    I haven''t tried¡­ cuz I''m scared.

    Charm magic isn''t good magic. People don''t trust people with charm magic. With reason. I liked having yellow hair and a mostly yellow tail cuz it showed I wasn''t really a charm magic person. I just used it a little! For my job! But I mostly have lightning magic!

    And now, I mostly have charm magic. I''m worried I¡¯ll be an expert at it now. Magic is intuitive, based on feelings. I don''t want to feel like I could charm anyone I look at into doing whatever I want them to. That¡¯s¡­ bad.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    Evil.

    I don''t want to be evil.

    I don''t want people to be afraid of me.

    I shouldn''t have tried charming the ursa. It was all going fine until then. We should have just left when it said it wasn''t going home.

    It¡¯s night now. We aren''t in a town, we¡¯re just staying on the side of the road. I can''t sleep. I want¡­

    I want to ask my mom what to do. I want my mom.

    She¡¯s a chef, a cook, but she has green hair. Green magic has lots of healing spells, but the other side of that coin is poison. It¡¯s called poison magic. People from out of town would walk into the diner, see the cook has poison magic, and walk right back out.

    They don''t know anything about her. But they see she can turn anything poisonous with a glance, and don''t trust her around food.

    I''ve felt that a teeny tiny bit, having charm magic, but there¡¯s laws around it. I have an earring that¡¯s only given to people who are allowed to use charm magic. Since I have- had yellow hair, people would first see a lightning user, then notice charm magic at the same time as my permit earring. It was ok.

    Now people will see me and only see the charm magic user.

    But that¡¯s a future me problem. The current me problem is: my cousins are mad at me. Maki said to not go, that it was stupid and I could die, but I went anyways. Maeve stayed with him, taking Peanut to safety, but Luke came with me.

    I''m not sure what he did exactly, I was too busy trying to not be eaten, but he saved me. He saved my life. Maeve is¡­ upset about that. I can tell she was trying to not be, but she is.

    I know how to apologize to Maki: tell him I¡¯m sorry I did the dumb thing he told me not to, and that he was right. But I¡¯m not sure how to apologize to Maeve.

    I guess I''ll just stare at the stars until I figure it out.

    Signing off,

    <hr>

 28 - Potat - Maeve

    Dear Risa,

    We got to Potat this afternoon. They don''t grow potatoes here; the innkeeper said the town layout is shaped like a potato.

    I was kinda making fun of the name, and Luke got weirdly defensive. He said coming up with names is hard, and I shouldn''t judge people for how they name things. That¡¯s¡­ a weird thing to be defensive about. I suspect he''s kinda mad at me in general, and just wanted an excuse to snap at me. Which I get, for reasons I''m about to explain.

    I¡¯m jealous of you, Risa dear. You get to read this in the future, presumably after we¡¯ve spoken, so you know what¡¯s about to happen. Or what will happen in the next few weeks. I don''t know yet. And waiting sucks.

    So, yesterday, we traveled through a forest. The horse suddenly started freaking out, and Cali said there was an ursa major nearby. Which, yes, that would freak anyone out, right?

    Well, not Cali. She said she wanted to talk to it, because like I said last time, she has no fear of animals.

    Maki and I were 100% not on board with her going to talk to the giant monster bear, and Maki threatened to leave her there. I agreed. And then¡­ Luke got out of the wagon. He went with Cali, and before I could figure out what to do, Maki told the horse to keep going.

    We left them on the side of the road with an ursa major.

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Yes, we¡¯re assholes. Trust me, I know. But I didn''t want to die!

    After five minutes of running the horse got tired, so we stopped and tried deciding how long we¡¯d wait for them. Thankfully it wasn''t too too long before Luke came down the road¡­ carrying Cali.

    She wasn''t dead, the ursa just pulled most of her lightning magic out. Somehow. And you know how when you get super low on mana it feels cold and achy in your chest and then you black out? Yeah, that¡¯s what happened to her.

    But it scared me, seeing her passed out like that.

    Anyhow, Luke got to us, said we should just go, and hasn''t talked about what happened. Cali also hasn''t really talked about what happened. I asked, but she just apologized for doing something stupid. Which isn''t an answer.

    So yeah, my dumb cousin was dumb and got hurt, and the guy I have a crush on saved her life.

    That¡¯s three of us kinda unhappy and with mixed emotions.

    The fourth, Maki, is unhappy and has mixed emotions because he abandoned our friend and cousin in the middle of the road next to a giant monster. He¡¯s a guard. He¡¯s oldest. He¡¯s always been the one who tries to protect us. And he straight-up abandoned someone who then needed help. So he thinks everything that happened was his fault.

    I don''t know, Risa, what do I do? How do I fix this? It¡¯s not something that can be solved with a handful of sentences.

    ¡°Cali, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alive, that¡¯s all I need.¡±

    ¡°Maki, you¡¯ll do better next time, it¡¯s ok.¡±

    ¡°Luke, I¡¯m sorry we took off with the wagon, and also I''m in love with you.¡±

    ¡°Ok everyone, let¡¯s forget yesterday happened and move on.¡±

    If it were that easy¡­

    To hell with it, I¡¯m turning off my impulse control.

    Unwise Regards,

    Maeve Zee

 29 - Void - Bonnie

    The Watcher of Tiros was searching through geotechnical reports while having an argument with her Chosen One. Or, one of them.

    ¡°I can''t save everyone around you, I¡¯m only allowed to directly protect you.¡± Her words appeared on a piece of paper in the mortal realm.

    Luke read the paper, glaring. ¡°Why not? Just because they haven''t made a deal with you doesn''t mean their lives are less valuable than mine.¡±

    Bonnie shrugged, even though he couldn''t see her. ¡°You know, your dad failed at this job because he had too much empathy. He couldn''t handle not being able to save and protect everyone. I can handle it. I¡¯m sorry, but I don''t make the rules. You¡¯re the only person I can directly protect.¡±

    ¡°You don''t make the rules?¡± Luke asked, after reading her words. ¡°How do you not make the rules? You¡¯re literally-¡± He stopped, an ear swiveling to the door before looking at it. His thrashing tail stilled as he stepped towards the door.

    Bonnie smiled; nekos were so cute.

    On the other side of the door, standing nervously in the inn hallway, was Maeve. Bonnie waved her screens about dirt away, focusing on her chosen one and his drama as he opened the door.

    ¡°Hey,¡± he said simply.

    ¡°Hey, were you¡­ talking to someone?¡± Maeve asked, scanning the room.

    Luke¡¯s tail twitched. ¡°Just shouting at the sky.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Maeve hesitated, her hands curling into fists.

    ¡°Yep,¡± Luke said as the awkward silence drew out.

    ¡°Luke, I''m in love with you,¡± she blurted out, ears flattening against her skull.

    After a few seconds, in a tone that implied she was completely insane, Luke spoke one word. ¡°Why?¡±

    Bonnie facepalmed. Deciding this qualified as mortal danger, she pulled both teenagers into the Void and dropped in next to them.

    ¡°You¡¯re not doing too good in the smarts department today, are you, kid?¡± the Watcher of Tiros demanded of her Chosen One. ¡°That there was spectacularly stupid.¡±

    Maeve had unconsciously grabbed hold of Luke¡¯s arm, and was staring wide-eyed at Bonnie. ¡°Goddess¡­¡±

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°No,¡± Luke said, moving in front of Maeve. ¡°Send us back. She¡¯s not-¡±

    ¡°She is one of the smartest people on the planet,¡± Bonnie interrupted. ¡°Her whole family places in the top ten, and there are six of them. It¡¯s annoying. And dangerous, which is why they were put far from the others. I was going to call her little sister, but nothing says I can''t have both.¡±

    ¡°Call?¡± Maeve asked, stepping around Luke. ¡°Have?¡±

    Bonnie smiled at the girl. ¡°How would you like to work for me for eternity after you die? I can''t say what the job is, but it involves an insane amount of math. In return for agreeing now, I will allow you to remember this conversation, and I will watch over you. I will do everything in my power to ensure you die a natural death at a ripe old age.¡±

    Maeve frowned, thinking it over. Finally, she glanced at Luke. ¡°Will he be there?¡±

    ¡°After he dies, yes.¡±

    ¡°Don''t agree,¡± Luke said under his breath.

    ¡°Why not?¡± Maeve asked. ¡°It sounds like a good deal.¡±

    ¡°She just wants entertainment,¡± he said.

    ¡°Not from this one,¡± Bonnie said. ¡°I need someone who enjoys math. Entertainment is a secondary perk.¡±

    ¡°Forgive me,¡± Maeve said, ¡°but why did you¡­ call Luke? I mean, he doesn''t seem happy here. Like he didn''t have a choice.¡±

    ¡°I didn''t,¡± Luke grumbled.

    Bonnie smiled at Maeve. ¡°Simple. You know the holy writings well enough; you know the story about the youngest god?¡±

    Maeve nodded slowly, confused. ¡°He fell in love with a mortal and was banished¡­ Why?¡±

    Bonnie pointed to Luke, who cringed. ¡°That''s his father.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Oh.¡± Maeve took a step away from Luke, staring. ¡°Ok. So your dad¡¯s not a changeling. Yeah. I- Do you have a chair?¡±

    Bonnie waved, and a chair appeared behind the neko. She collapsed into it, running her fingers through her hair.

    Luke looked worried. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of things I¡¯m not supposed to talk about. I wasn''t specifically trying to¡­¡±

    Maeve looked at Bonnie. ¡°If I accept, will I get to learn everything? Would any question remain unanswered? I mean about the universe; how the world works, why things are the way they are.¡±

    ¡°In time,¡± the Watcher of Tiros promised. ¡°Not right away, but you will learn everything eventually.¡±

    ¡°I accept,¡± Maeve said.

    Bonnie smiled. ¡°Great! Now, before I send you back: Luke, Maeve has had a massive crush on you for a while now. Maeve, Luke is completely smitten with you, but thinks you¡¯re far too good for him. Which you are, but don''t let that stop you, he¡¯s got a good heart. Now, go figure things out, I have work to do.¡± With a wave of her hand, they were back in the inn.

    Another wave, and Bonnie was back in her office. She pulled up her geotech screens, and immediately saw the problem. It was amazing how taking a break could clear the mind and make hidden things obvious.

    The ocean¡¯s tectonic plate was pushing up against the continent¡¯s tectonic plate, and it was cracking. The continent was close to snapping.

    The Watcher cursed, wishing she didn''t have to figure this out on her own.

 30 - Potat - Maeve

    Dear Risa,

    I have to talk to you. But I can''t, so this will have to do.

    So, you know how in my first letter here, I said I¡¯d make things up if I needed to? Yeah, so, you can assume everything I write today is just a fabrication of my overactive imagination.

    I told Luke I love him. Instead of acting happy or anything, he just looked at me like I was crazy and asked why. I was halfway through wishing for death when we were summoned by the Goddess to her realm and she chewed Luke out for being stupid. Apparently he¡¯s one of her chosen ones or something, she didn''t really say.

    And then she said I was one of the top ten smartest people in the world, and asked if I wanted to be one of her chosen ones. She also said I was too good for Luke, and I kinda want to ask who she thinks I¡¯m not too good for.

    Well, she said she wanted to make Meriel one of her chosen ones, but since I happened to be there she offered the position to me. She implied she¡¯ll ask Mer later. And honestly, if it were me or Mer, I might have backed out. I mean, none of us really considered joining the church, but I could see Mer being some kind of¡­ prophetess.

    Wow, that¡¯s weird to write.

    Anyhow, Goddess Bonnie offered me infinite knowledge in exchange for doing math for her for eternity, and I accepted.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    So I now have a plan for after I die. Yay.?

    Then she told me Luke is ¡°smitten¡± with me, and sent us back to the inn. I¡­ had too many questions to do anything with that information. We talked, and talked, and then Maki came up and said it was time for dinner. We ate, then went back to our rooms, and I spent a couple hours asking questions to the Goddess.

    Then it was morning, and then I had work, and it took me all day because I was super distracted, then dinner, and I''m back in my room now. And I''m going insane.

    I haven''t talked to Luke all day. Should I go to him? I went to him last time, so it¡¯s his turn. I shouldn''t push things. Right? I don''t want to seem clingy or pushy or whatever. I shouldn''t.

    I should just change topics. Right.

    It¡¯s one thing to know I¡¯m the smartest person in the world, because obviously I am. It¡¯s another thing to get perfect scores on tests and be at the top of my class. It¡¯s another thing to get a letter saying I did perfectly at my very hard job which requires a great deal of intelligence.

    But having Goddess Bonnie say I¡¯m one of the smartest people in the world¡­ just proves this is made up, because there¡¯s no way that actually happened.

    I assume she was exaggerating. She had to have been, because she said my whole family is insanely smart, and there¡¯s no way¡­ Maki¡­ who has more liquid funds than you do¡­ Crap.

    And Meriel is fourteen. If she¡¯s one of the smartest people in the world at fourteen I can''t wait to see what she does. I kinda want to write Mom about that. Mer has to be taught and protected. I almost want to run home and kidnap her.

    I should ask who the other four smartest people are. The Goddess implied they were dangerous, and I need to protect my little sister. Make sure they don''t pose a threat to her.

    So yeah, that¡¯s what¡¯s been going on with me. Or, hasn''t been, since this is all totally made up.

    Yep.

    Fabricated Regards,

    Maeve Zee