Soldierboy didn’t hesitate to run back and grab Armael. Armael. The man towed the priest away from the burned orchard, Noa blinking.

Ha! For once, it wasn’t him being manhandled! That almost made him grin, and he stepped after the priest, then felt a hand on his upper arm. Looking up at the knight, Noa cursed. What was wrong with these people!

Had to catch ‘em all, he supposed, rolling his eyes as he was towed behind the crumbling wall of a burnt building. He knelt beside Armael, and Caradec, then looked at Eliaz, who had two knights on him. He looked just as thrilled about this.

“With any luck, it’s just a scout,” Caradec said. “But Constable Zahur and Ambassador Tyrm should be arriving any minute.”

“Isn’t the point, if it is a scout, to make this look like a good hunting ground still?” Noa asked, his voice quickly dying down when he heard heavy footsteps and felt the ground shake. As he pushed himself up to look over the failing wall, his dark haired escort placed a hand on his head, prompting him to stay low.

“Let my knights make this place look enticing,” a soldier holding Eliaz said.

Noa pursed his lips, and found himself a little peep hole to peer out of. Sure enough, several knights paced not too far off. Far too nonchalant for comfort, in his opinion. Most of them hadn’t even drawn their swords, and the ones who had held them nonchalantly.

Cresting the edge of the burnt field was the bald, leathery head of what Noa assumed to be an ogre. The knights stopped, looking in its direction. As it came further into view, Noa’s jaw dropped. From the neck down, it sparkled, iridescent scales covering it from neck down. The sun bearing down on this thing reminded him of Edward from the Twilight franchise, only twice everyone’s size, fat, and ugly.

A loin cloth, it appeared, was the clothing of choice for this being, nearly as white as its tusks.

“Can swords even do anything against that thing?” Noa asked.

“Didn’t you read the book?” Armael hissed.

“Some of it. Tin stole it.”

His mentor huffed. “Too cursing hard to keep books away from that boy,” he grumbled.

“Palms of the hands, feet, and head are an ogre’s weak spots,” Soldierboy said. “But we won’t fight it.”

“What?” Noa looked at the man. “Why?”

“Just keep watching.”

Noa looked back out his peephole, seeing that the ogre had stopped. It stared at the knights, then scratched its massive belly with a hand as it looked around. Finally, it turned, and started back the way it came with a loud, groanish roar.

“Why?” Noa asked, raising his brow.

“It was a scout,” Soldierboy said, and stood up, looking over the wall.

“That wasn’t very... scout-y,” Noa said.

“Ogres aren’t known for their sneakiness, Newb.” Noa shot Eliaz a look, who smiled. “They’re going to be hesitant to come again after what High Prelate Caradec did.”

“Huh?” Noa looked at Caradec.

“I lit the fire, young Minister,” Caradec confessed.

Noa blinked. “You’re kidding.”

Caradec shook his head, then stood up. “I had to do something quickly after a man lost his arm, else people would have lost their lives. A tale for another time,” he said, and turned his head to the sound of beating hoofprints.

Noa, freed from his manhandler, stood up, and saw Zahur on horseback, several others behind him. He wore the same uniform as before, white with the church’s golden insignia, but the others wore black with the insignia, setting Zahur apart.

Constable Zahur, Noa repeated in his head.

Behind the knights were several trolls, Magenta dragging behind, a book in one hand, and a loaf of bread in the other. He looked far more civilized, wearing threads instead of furs. It was similar to the constable’s uniform, but in a light green that oddly did not clash with his pinkish skin.

“Back to our lesson?” Eliaz asked.

“Yes,” Armael said, standing and wiping his robes down, which did nothing against the soot stains. Damn, how many robes has this man gone through? he wondered. Armael looked at Noa. “Now that you know what you’re facing, think you can [Soothe] it without a happy place in mind?”

“Right...” Noa trailed. His happy place, huh? He scratched his head, thinking about everything he’d done here. I haven’t stopped moving, he realized. Everyday was something new━a new dilemma. Sure, he had good moments, telling trolls stories, hanging out with Eliaz, hell, he’d married Eliaz! Erm... correction, he officiated Eliaz’s marriage. Conagan was a pretty bright kid too, even when he was stealing. Did any of it count as “peaceful” though?

His previous life on Earth was boring by comparison...

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

A beach... Yes, he longed to return to the coast. He moved from Hawaii to Seattle because Washington was still on a coast, albeit far too cold and impossible to surf in, but the fishing was great.

Go to school, maintain a successful career, and live on a beach━that was the plan. A fresh new life where all of that was possible.

Armael waved a hand in front of Noa’s face. “Hello? Kid?” he asked.

“I’m still here,” Noa said. “And I might have something figured out.”

“Great, I was starting to think your life was too stressful,” Armael said.

“His life is too stressful,” Eliaz noted. “Noa, when was your last day off?”

“Day off?” Noa asked, looking at the elf. “Uuuh, when I went to talk to the carpenter,” he said.

Eliaz gave him a blank stare.

“Perhaps, after learning the spell he needs to,” Caradec said, looking at Armael, “give him some time to himself.”

“What? No, I don’t need time,” Noa said. “Besides, we need to be prepared for these ogres!”

“And we will be. They might be scouting the area for days before the next attack,” Caradec said. “Ideally, we will capture one of the scouts, and have you work with it to evolve the ogres.”

That... was actually an extremely sound plan.

“Fine, I have my happy place,” Noa said.

“Kan,” Armael said, and the knight pulled out one of his swords, the dull one, it looked like.

“Run,” Soldierboy grinned, swinging his sword.

Noa jumped, moving past the knight that had manhandled him, and danced around the burnt wall. He looked for his sword, which still laid on the ground a ways out. Running, his mistake, Noa thought. Running━he was good at that.

He darted for the sword, the knight chasing after.

Happy place, happy place, happy place, Noa repeated in his head, trying to run while thinking of his “happy place” at the same time. Nearing his blade, he scooped it up, and pulled a strand of aether from his chest. Turning, he shot the aether to the oncoming knight, forcing it into the man’s head.

System [Lesser Telepathy] level 1 → 4.

“Really?” Noa huffed.

Soldierboy chuckled. “Saying ‘happy place’ is not envisioning it,” he said.

Right. Beach, beach, beach.

“Did you just call me a bitch?” Soldierboy scowled.

“No!” Noa leaped away from the knight’s swing, then pulled his weapon up to block a backswing. He hissed, his blade whipping aside from the knight’s strength. This man was not happy about the accidental insult. “Ocean, breeze, flowers, beach, man!” he tried, narrowly dodging a lunge.

“Liar!”

Noa ducked, when the lunge turned into a slash, feeling the steel swipe through his hair. Envision it, he thought, using that clue. Then shook his head. This is stupid. He pulled a new strand of aether, and shot it to Soldierboy’s head.

Remaining calm; inflicting calm was the goal, and that certainly couldn’t happen if Noa’s heart was racing. So, he took a deep breath, trying his damndest to remember the salt of the sea, wind blowing it in his face.

For a moment, he thought he vaguely smelled it, and in dodging the next attack, Noa felt something click. It wasn’t so much that his heart slowed, or that he himself was calm, but that he desired “calm”, whatever the hell that meant. Really, it felt like he was more focused, and he saw the next attack before it happened. He could feel Soldierboy’s intentions. The man was purposefully making Noa’s heart rise by pretending to be angry. He knew that Noa had said beach!

System [Lesser Inquiry] acquired.

System [Lesser Inquiry] level 1.

“Oh, come! On!” Noa yelled, taking a dull sword to his stomach. He coughed, stumbling back.

“You didn’t do it, did you?” Soldierboy asked, and Noa just wanted to wipe that smirk off his face.

“How? How am I supposed to remain calm and invoke a sense of peace?” he asked.

Someone tapped his shoulder, and Noa turned, seeing Magenta standing there. “Like stories,” he suggested.

“How long have you been watching?” Noa asked.

“For some time. You tell stories, Noa Bard. Stories invoke much emotion! Tell story,” he motioned with a hand to Soldierboy.

“I swear...” Noa trailed. If a troll that can’t even use spells is better at this than me... he thought, huffing. Part of him, a very big part of him, really hoped this would work though.

Noa tried to pull a strand of aether and...

System Mentality aether depleted.

That was new. “Uh, do you have different aether pools for different classes?” he asked.

“Until classes are compounded,” Soldierboy answered, and lunged.

Noa jumped away, and pulled... His pockets were empty.

“I’m out of aether!” he said when Soldierboy next swung. His sword stopped short, and the knight rolled his eyes. He pulled out a sapphire and tossed it to Noa, who fumbled to catch it. Then the knight swung again, Noa barely blocking.

Cursed man! Couldn’t hardly give him a second!

Noa pulled a strand of aether from the sapphire, and shot it towards Soldierboy, the aether sinking into his mind like it had before. After designation, Noa started, using a story he felt was most applicable to the knight.

However, instead of words, he shared images.

“As you wish,” Wesley said. Yes, perfect. A knight-ish character, in love, on a peaceful little farm before a long and harrowing journey. His “princess”, Buttercup, to await him.

Soldierboy froze, blinking. “Huh,” he said.

System [Lesser Soothe] acquired.

System [Lesser Soothe] level 1.

“That was an... interesting feeling,” Soldierboy said, and slowly sheathed his sword. “Um, I feel like I should go support a lover I don’t have now. Barely. Good job?”

Noa smiled. “Finally!” he exclaimed.

“Great,” Armael said from his spot nearby, arms crossed. “The higher the level, the more potent it will be. Come back here this time tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Noa said, handing his dull sword to Soldierboy, who also took the sapphire back. What am I going to do with my day off...? he thought, then smiled.

Maybe it was time to talk to Carpenter Harn again.