System [Lesser mend] level 9 → 10.

Healing a broken bone was a lot like trying to keep the Fellowship of The Ring together. Like the fellowship had broken apart, so had Noa’s thumb when he ripped a hand free from his bonds the night before. He got a [Lesser Examination] spell in, which told him that the fellowship had split in half. Wonderful. Like he didn’t know that already. After two [Lesser Mending] spells, he ran out of aether, and ended up crashing for the night. A day full of manure shoveling, followed by an active and deadly night really took a toll on a guy, particularly one that was only getting two meager meals of bread and questionable chowders a day.

After sleeping, Noa reassessed with another [Lesser Examination]━leveling up to 4━which told him that two of the hobbits had reunited with the rest of the fellowship. In other words, something was mended, he just didn’t know if it was the bone, the ligaments, or whatever the hell else went into healing.

Three [Lesser Mend] spells later, and Noa’s thumb was finally starting to feel normal again, albeit stiff. He was certain it could probably use another mending and perhaps a restoration spell. At least the fellowship was fully reunited, if a bit scarred.

Now, he laid on his back, staring up at the two slits in the ceiling where sunlight seeped through. Elvethor hadn’t returned, and the only conclusions were either he was having a very good time, or he was dead. Most likely the latter. Either left Noa to his own thoughts, which involved being highly concerned about being abandoned here and dying of starvation. Even if he did get out, he was likely going to die to She-monstrosity for not showing up to work this morning.

“May the odds be never in your favor...” Noa grumbled, then lifted his head when he heard a door. All the way at the end of the hall, two sets of armored boots descended down the stairs, and Noa sat up to get a good look at the two men in full plate. They even had pink plumes in their helms. If not for their sheer size, they too would have been kind of cute.

Silently, one of them pulled a key out, and placed it in the lock. He twisted it slowly, peering at Noa with cold gray eyes. A sense of dread washed over Noa, like the dozens of fears that were floating in the back of his mind were yanked to the front. Death became the least of these terrors as he scurried back until he was pressed against the back wall, his heart racing at the new pressure in his mind. He grabbed at the dirt with his left hand━the good one━and threw fistfulls as the knight stepped forward, each step a threat of torture.

Waterboarding, the wrack, bone shattering, needles under fingernails, and the list went on.

“Back! Stay back!” Noa screamed, and as the knight stepped right in front of him, unfazed by the dirt, he cowered, hiding himself behind his good arm.

“Weak,” the knight spat, his words grating against Noa’s ears like fingernails on a chalkboard. He grabbed Noa’s arm and dragged him to his feet.

Noa yanked in a sorry attempt to free himself, and then immediately gained an entirely new impression. His fears were soothed, each loud voice in his mind silenced and getting tucked back in a corner. Then it went further━everything was soothed, even his own voice. He didn’t so much feel numb as he did asleep, and when he finally woke up, he was sitting in a dining room.

Blinking himself out of the daze, Noa’s eyes widened as he slowly looked around. The ornate table before him was massive, having a cushioned chair on each end, and twelve on either side. There were three candelabras on the table, except that they held opalescent aether stones in the shapes of candles. Clever. Although, they weren’t necessary right now with sunlight spilling in through long arching windows.

“━take him a moment to wake up.”

“What?” Noa asked, leaning towards the voice. It was Blondie the Barbarian, who sat at the head of the table. He squeezed his eyes shut, and rubbed at the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb━his thumb aching at the action.

Hell’s bells, he thought, letting out a soft groan. They wouldn’t need to torture me... He felt dumb, and the dumb he felt was a new kind of “dumb”. He wasn’t entirely sure if he should have realized sooner that he’d been the victim of a mental attack, and yet, he’d been so consumed by it that there wasn’t room to consider what was actually happening at the time.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

“Was the [Enchanter] really necessary?” Elvethor said, directly across from Noa.

“I needed to gauge his mental fortitude, especially if I’ll be lending my resources to train you both,” Blondie replied, and Noa opened his eyes, looking at the woman.

“Train us?” Noa asked. “Damnit, Elvethor, I’m supposed to be shoveling manure right now!” he banged on the table, then hissed, cradling his affected thumb.

“Yana will survive a day without you,” Elvethor said, raising an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with your hand?”

“I broke my thumb because someone wouldn’t untie me before leaving.”

“You could have just waited. I told you I’d talk to her.”

Noa deadpanned the man. “Son of a gun, Thor! How was I supposed to know you wouldn’t end up dead!”

“What’s a Thor?” Blondie asked.

“Him!” Noa pointed at Elvethor, who cocked his head.

“Is that an insult?” he asked.

“Hell no! Thor is the god of love and thunder!”

Elvethor blushed. Beet red, completely. “Ahem, what?” he asked, his voice significantly higher. Noa couldn’t help the smile that grew on his face, reinforced by Blondie’s reaction.

Blondie, the barbarian, guffawed, slapping the table as she leaned towards Elvethor. Huh, she wore a dress today. What a good look on her, yet not less threatening. “Love and thunder?” she asked. “You?”

“I don’t know him,” Elvethor said, hiding his eyes behind a hand as he sank in his seat.

“You’re lucky I find you so funny that I won’t report the heresy to the church,” Blondie pointed at Noa.

“Hey, Thor is just a myth, not an actual god,” Noa defended, then jolted when a candelabra flew from the table and smashed into a stony wall with a loud crash, deftly missing the window. It crumpled to the ground in a mess of bronze and aether light.

Noa cringed. Please don’t be my haunt... He’d been hoping that the poltergeist would have left him alone by now, but that seemed... well timed to what he said. Wait. Was Thor real? I’ve been living in a world with a system and magic, so why can’t the Norse gods be legit? Oh hell, what if... all of mythology was real to some extent. Noa did not want to meet any of the Greek gods if he could help it.

“Lila... do you have anyone around with telekinetic magic?” Elvethor asked.

“Hmm, I don’t believe I do. It must have been an angry spirit,” Blondie said.

Elvethor looked directly at Noa, who gave a sheepish smile. Yeah... whatever was haunting him wasn’t done with him yet, it seemed, and Elvethor was catching on. Fast. Yeah, because you kind of told him, dimwit.

“Just an angry spirit,” Elvethor nodded. “Probably nothing to worry about.”

“It’d at least have to be a Greater spirit to do that,” Blondie said, humming. “But you’re right, happens all the time. Now, where were we?”

“Training!” Noa immediately blurted, then looked at Blondie. “You were telling us about this training thing you’re going to have us do?”

“Right, of course. I’m going to get Eliaz training with the sword to get back in shape, even if he abandoned his offensive class. You might be a bit young, so best get you━”

“I’m not twelve,” Noa rolled his eyes. oh look, the dining room had a rather decorative ceiling.

“You’re... not?” Blondie asked, and Noa opened his mouth to say more, then looked at Elvethor as he made chopping motions towards his neck, feverishly shaking his head. Blondie shot him a glare, and Elvethor stilled, looking innocently. When she looked back at Noa, he was at it again.

Why wouldn’t he want me to reveal my age? Noa wondered.

“You certainly took the [Enchanter]’s pressure like a twelve year old,” Blondie noted.

“I grew up sheltered. Very... Overprotective, um, household, you know?” Noa said.

Elvethor facepalmed, and Blondie gave Noa a look that said she was up to something, and he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to like it. A smile crept onto her face, and she leaned towards Noa while he leaned away. “Overprotective. Sounds like you’re important?”

“I shovel manure?” Noa said, uncertain. She didn’t miss that part, did she?

“Hiding from something?”

“No?” Noa looked at Elvethor, who gave further hand motions, these ones not making a lick of sense.

“Well, if you’re a grown man━”

“He’s twelve! Definitely twelve!” Elvethor blatted.

“I’m twelve!” Noa said in a panic, and it was his turn to facepalm.

“If you want to make it out of here alive, I’m sure you’ll agree to an arrangement to wed one of my little sisters, no?”

“I’m very twelve!” Noa tried again, shying away from the grin that took over the blonde’s face.

Elvethor banged his head on the table a few times.

Noa gulped. He got the feeling that even if he rejected the proposal, he’d be dealing with the [Enchanter] again. “I suppose we can... arrange something?”