I didn’t realise the Heavens were into harems when I set out on my quest, everything just kind of spiraled out of control after a point. It was supposed to be a quick task to redeem myself for a sin I made without realising it, though I couldn’t have lived a happier life. But I never did thank the girl that put me on this path. I never learned her name.

- Excerpt from the last testimony of Garenall the Virile, who famously sired one hundred and fifty seven children with thirty nine wives.

“Tshhh. Ahhh. Tshhh. Ahhh.” Weldon was nursing his many cuts in the table area of the Frog Well, making that damned loud breathing sound and hissing in through his teeth all the while. He was rocking back and forth in time with his breath as well. It had been amusing at first, but he’d been doing this for fifteen minutes now.

I’d already asked him why he didn’t just use his healing hands on the cuts. It wasn’t like they were grievous wounds, after all. He had just told me, “A man must experience defeat in order to grow. Even- Ah!- if it stings. Especially if it stings.”

That had been funny since he talked so tough while being only a little less skinny than I was, and shorter to boot, so I let it slide. Now I had a headache building as I was waiting for the dinner I ordered. What I wanted to do was kick down the door to the Inn’s kitchen and make my own godsdamned meal, while what I likely needed to do involved something like an apology to Jevi.

I wouldn’t apologise for what I said, all that had been honest. It was the way I said it that grated now I was mostly freed from my melancholic episode. Again, it was unlikely I’d apologise for that without prompting, meaning I needed another way to say sorry without saying anything. That was difficult enough to think about without Weldon hissing and ahhing at the loss of our bout.

That had been enlightening. Weldon had Rezan to aid him in swinging his oversized blade, but didn’t know the first thing about actually swinging it. It had given me a distinct advantage in our spar, hence his many cuts. In all, it had been a flawless victory for me, and had gone a good ways towards further unsticking my melancholy.

I leered at him, wondering how close to one thousand I got, before shaking my head and kicking him under the table. “Stop making a scene. Just fucking heal yourself.”

“No.” Weldon whimpered. “I’m building character.”

“You’re building an annoying character.”

“Yes. Annoying to the evildoers of the land. That they may give up their evil ways in the hopes that I cease annoying them.”

“Evil like that baker boy?”

“Especially.” Weldon said with pained conviction.

I hummed. “It’s good to know you will bring down the full weight of the Heavens on any who stray from the light, no matter how small their transgressions.”

“Of- of course! The hand of justice deals evenly to liches and bandits alike!”

“And especially the guys who use bad magical items because they don’t know any better.” I deadpanned.

“Especially them.” Weldon stated seriously. “How else will the common folk learn what is right and what brings absolute justice?”

I sighed. Perhaps sarcasm was like a dragon for the earthbound Weldon, flying through the air and far from his grasp and reach.

“What happened to you?” Jevi asked as she joined us at the table. Weldon had been distracting to the point I didn’t see her come in. I noticed she had a bandolier now, and half its pockets were filled.

Hm. That seemed useful. I’d buy one for myself if I got the time, though from the looks of things it would be quite uncomfortable against my chest.

“I discovered- that my skills of dispensing justice require significant improvements.” Weldon wheezed out.

“He won’t fucking heal himself.” I cut in. “Instead, he’s making a scene in the name of building an annoying character.”

“For… Tshhh… Justice…”

“You sound like you’re dying.” Jevi said as she joined our table. “So. It’s dinner. Amber, make a decision.”

Not even a hello. I realised. Jevi’s eyes weren’t looking at me kindly. Best I could tell she was waiting for me to say something, either a yes or a no, and was giving me no indication as to which she wanted me to say.

“Decision about what?” I asked. She wasn’t giving me any indication as to what decision I was to make either.

“Our destination, and how many people we’re going to be traveling with.”

“That’s two decisions.”

“Then allow me to correct myself. Amber, make your decisions.”

I looked Jevi in the eye curiously. If the greedy, excitable, and manipulative Jevi I’d come to know over the past few days was warm, the girl that just sat down across from me was ice cold. It was more than just the words she was saying. The posture that had been relaxed and lazy in any and all occasions was now rigid and composed, her words gave away no hint of emotion in how they were said, but listening to them told me she was… not angry exactly. I couldn’t pin down which exact emotion it was. It had a palpable effect, and was certainly nothing I’d felt before.

It hit me much like I imagined I did Brynn when I first achieved rezan.

Hells, the effect didn’t just stop at our table. The whole inn, though only at half capacity, had been bustling with energy before. Now that Jevi was here, I felt tension in the air. People were leaning across their tables to talk in hushed voices, and I heard the name Cavaan a few times amongst the mutterings.

I’d already suspected Jevi to be a Chosen One. This confirmed it. That didn’t make crafting a response any easier, however. If I spoke wrongly here, I’d gain an enemy I would rather do without.

I frowned, glancing at Weldon, who was missing this tension utterly. Then back to Jevi, still ice cold and waiting. She was pushing for a decision now, and while I sympathised, I wasn’t going to cave to this demand.

So I destroyed her tempo entirely by tipping my chair back, kicking my boots up onto the table, and letting out a long and irritated sigh. “It’s been a long fucking day, Jevi. I want food, then I’ll think about that shit.”

Jevi didn’t smile, but I got the distinct impression I’d gotten the yes or no question right. Now I just needed to know what the question was in the first place. “That seems fair.”

With that admission, whatever was building tension in the room faded. Someone shouted, “Why’d the bard stop playing!?”

“But what did happen to Weldon?” Jevi continued, heedless of her effect.

“Amber… Jewel… Ahhh…” Weldon pushed out. Jevi turned her eyes to me with her eyebrows raised curiously.

I rolled my eyes. “We had a spar. Nothing impressive.”

“The only other place I’ve seen such wounds is in my Aunt’s torture chamber.” Jevi commented, making me frown at the implication. “She had a controlled environment, though admittedly she claimed the wounds were there to maximise suffering, and were deeper. I think she only got up to one hundred and forty seven cuts? It didn’t look as dense as Weldon’s do… And you did that in a spar?”

My frown had only gotten deeper. “I’d like to meet your aunt.” Jevi snorted. “And not exactly. At first we were fighting until the first strike. Then the constant stops became annoying so I changed it so he would win if he touched me once.”

“An impossible task!” Weldon lamented.

“Though an informative one.” I scolded. “I trust you learned which areas you are lacking in?”

“... Yes mistress.”

Jevi snorted again as I got more practice rolling my eyes. I was already a master, but this wasn’t something I was willing to become rusty in.

“Two dinners.” A server announced, holding a tray whereupon sat two wooden plates stacked with the food I so desired. I gestured towards me and Jevi, leaving Weldon without a meal.

“But I paid for that.” Weldon complained.

“An honourable man does not let a woman go hungry.” I replied blandly, picking up the slightly rusty fork that had been delivered with the meal. I think I heard Mary telling that line to Avien once, and it had the desired effect here. Of course, I doubled down on it. “And as the loser, you aren’t allowed to eat until you heal yourself and stop bleeding all over the table.”

“Ahhh...” Weldon breathed out in pain, lamenting the rules that he had inflicted upon himself. And also how Jevi tucked into his meal without any kind of hesitation.

\V/

“I want to head east, much like you do.” Jevi said. “Only I want to travel along the northern plains to Ballesmara, not through Cavaan.”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

I frowned, trying to recall why the name felt familiar. It was a rustling on my arm that reminded me. My bracelet from Taranath had moved slightly at the mention of the Elven city. It spent so much time inert that I forgot it was alive sometimes. I made a quiet resolve to pay it a little more attention, well aware I’d likely forget again.

“That’s the city state that’s not part of the forest itself, right?” I checked, looking back to Jevi sitting cross legged on her bed. We were upstairs in our room once more, having fed and watered ourselves. There was still tension between us, but much lesser than before.

Jevi nodded. “That’s… not quite why I want to go there. I’m more interested in the area around the city.”

“What? Is a wooden city on stilts atop a region of hotsprings not strange enough for you?” I demanded.

“No, it’s quite strange. I’m interested in the creature that allows Ballesmara to be independent.” She said. I raised an eyebrow, not being familiar with whatever she was talking about. “Prijet; the Spirit of the Springs.”

“Sounds impressive.” I half lied. Titles were normally earned through great actions or obvious themes. As an example for each, Voxis Verygood was the Author of Demonscript, while Taranath was the Lord of Frozen Roses. Perhaps Vycar being called Living Magic was a better example of the latter, but the point was that this ‘Spirit of the Springs’ was also an example of a title given through theme.

There was no indication of how powerful Prijet was from its title, just that he was. And the only things I really knew about it was that it was in Ballesmara, all the way on the other side of Kreg’uune, and that Jevi was interested in meeting it.

“Do you know if it speaks?” I followed up.

“It may, but when seeking audience with such creatures the ability of speech normally doesn’t play into things.”

“Hm.” That could actually work for what I wanted to do as well. It protected a city state, and not only that, it protected a city state that was primarily populated by elves. The issue with that being how Jevi and I were humans and likely weren’t the most welcome in such a place. But Brynn had historically been granted blessings by elven deities, meaning not all hope was lost. “We can do that.”

“Just like that?” Jevi asked, a little bewildered.

“I see no reason why we can’t do what both of us are suggesting.”

Jevi’s expression flickered to something furious for a moment. “How could we travel to the north and south of Lake Luzi at the same time?”

I looked at her, my own expression unchanging. “We’re not. It’s vital we get lost amidst the coming war. Did you hear the rumours downstairs? It’s happening and it’s going to happen very soon. There will be no better chance.”

“I know!” Jevi shouted, lunging forward, but not enough to reach me. “I’ve been hearing those rumours all fucking day! And still I hear them coming from you! The miraculous swordswomen from nowhere that can’t kill, who shouldn’t have the slightest idea of the state of the world, somehow still knows about a local fucking war!”

Well that was another item off a checklist I’d already finished. “I was told by a normal looking man over a campfire. He told me some other interesting things as well.”

“Oh? Like what!?”

“That the Crown Princess isn’t actually missing and is, in fact, on a quest for her country, for one.” I decided to wait on revealing the part about the Vitorian Envoy for the moment.

Jevi paled. “I expect she is.”

“Specifically with the Vitorian Envoy.” I said, making Jevi frown.

“I doubt that.” Was curiously the first thing she said to that.

“Why?” I demanded.

“It’s not in her character.” Jevi said, not looking at me for the moment.

“You sound like you know her well.” I commented.

“I do.”

“Avien thought he knew me too. You saw how little he really knew.”

Jevi frowned again. “Perhaps you’re correct.” She neither looked nor sounded convinced. “And who was this ‘normal man’ claiming such things. I’ve heard no rumours of a quest, only talks of brewing war.”

I hummed. “Honestly, he was forgettable. Only there for exposition.”

“I’m trying to make sense of what is coming out of your mouth, but it’s difficult.” Jevi shook her head. “Did you catch his name?”

“Scajose.”

This time Jevi hummed. “I don’t know that name.”

“Neither did I until I met him.” I said, stating the obvious. “I’d be surprised if he showed up again. He might, but…” I shrugged.

“Amber, do not tell me you are believing that man at face value.”

“So what if I am?” I demanded, making her recoil a little. “Jevi, remember that I am a Chosen One. The life I live is very different to yours, just as it is different to the baker boy I terrified earlier today, as well as Avien’s and Weldon Pine’s. Since meeting you, I have fought a man called Ratmaker, sent my supposed fiance on a wild goose chase across the country, been ambushed and captured by bandits, then fought my way out, and found a dumb fiendish secret in a bakery.

“Before that, I was learning how to swing a sword using magic, fighting my way out of magical compulsions, fleeing from a demon, and having wood explode at my touch. Amongst all that, a man offered me a place across the fire, and offered an honest answer in exchange for exactly the same, then told me a bunch more stuff I didn’t ask for and offered me my first pancakes to boot. For me, that is normal.”

I hummed, then decided to wrap it all up nicely. “Mind, I am only referring to the events of last week.”

Jevi was gaping at me. I found the sight funny. “All that in ten days?”

I shrugged. It was my life and therefore all I knew. I still hadn’t talked to many people, and the people I talked to were likely to be Chosen Ones themselves because that was how the world worked.

Her mouth clicked shut. “Even so, I would not trust a man spouting tall tales such as that.”

“Oh, he wasn’t a man.” I gave an impish grin, then wiped it from my face. “But we’ve become sidetracked. I want to travel through Cavaan and then whisk us away once the fog of war rises. I will go with or without you, and will fight you for it should you oppose the idea of separating yourself from me more than traveling through a warzone.”

Something in what I said made Jevi’s back straighten. Then she was palming her forehead and standing from her bed to rummage through her things. I raised my eyebrows in a silent question as she straightened once more with her sword in her hand.

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of this earlier.” She said as she strapped the scabbard to her belt. “You and I both practice the sword. For all your aversion to killing, you still revel in practicing your craft. I should’ve been thinking this the moment I saw Weldon’s state this evening.” She drew her blade and angled it towards me. “We shall duel. Should I win, we travel along the northern plains. Should you emerge the victor, we travel through the war.”

I narrowed my eyes. As much as I liked the simplicity of that proposal, Jevi hadn’t seemed to notice the power flowing through her voice. The words washed past me, and I knew that if I accepted they would be binding. Not to the extent that I would die should I break the terms, but enough to severely inconvenience me. The angelic curse Lavina tried to inflict upon me came to mind.

Still, it would simplify things. But first, there was another matter to attend to. “Before I agree to anything, I want to know where you stand when it comes to travelling with Weldon. My stance is that he is a Chosen One, a fairly aimless one at present, and therefore is nothing but a boon until his backstory catches up to him.”

Jevi lowered the sword, pouting at how I ruined her moment. “He is a curious character. Weldon has fangs, but knows how to use them even less than the silver fox cub.” I couldn’t disagree, but was grateful she didn’t use Avien’s name at the very least. “I will not deny that he strikes me as important, but he speaks frequently with one I cannot sense and it is most disorienting.”

Ah. Now that I thought about it, someone constantly listening to a voice only they could hear would be disconcerting to an observer. It wasn’t something I had much experience with myself, though I was used to seeing it on others, but again, in Veliki…

Always in Veliki… Why did my thoughts constantly stray this way? Why did I always compare things to what I used to know? When was I going to become original?

I cleared my head of the tangential thoughts. “That’s just his mom. I’ll get him to introduce you.”

“If he comes with us any further.” Jevi stressed, though my claim obviously confused her.

“Then how about we stake Weldon’s continued company on the duel... as well?” I frowned. I didn’t like how All kept doing that to me.

Jevi crossed her arms, having put away the sword and thought about it. “I will of course be fighting for him to cease keeping us company.”

“Then I will fight for his right to keep us company.” I sighed out. “Then how shall we fight? If we did this here and now our room would be destroyed.”

“Where did you and Weldon fight previously?”

“We did it in an alley until a guard stopped us and had us move to one of their courtyards.” I said.

Jevi barked out a laugh. “Well, do you remember which courtyard this was?”

“It was more of an open ground at a barracks.” I frowned, thinking back. “It’s not far, and I think they’ll remember me. They certainly will have remembered what I did to Weldon.”

For a moment I saw Jevi reconsidering the deal she had bound herself to, then it was gone. “Perhaps not certainly. Shift changes are based off of sunset, which occurred when we were eating.”

“The story will have spread.” I rebuked, grinning at the memory. “I know stories, and from the way the guards were jeering at Weldon, today was a day that I made a story. It will have spread, if only so far as the next shift.” A thought occurred to me. “Are you sure you want to go there though? I recall you being skittish around the guard.”

Jevi raised a finger. “That is only when I could potentially be in trouble. This is not one of those times.”

I shrugged and stood to gather my things. Maybe this duel would actually be a challenge.

\V/

I was right about the story spreading. When we were approaching the courtyard where I beat up Weldon, we passed a group of three tired older men telling a story with vigour that belied their composure. It was, of course, the tale of a blond boy getting cut repeatedly, and I recognised the storyteller as the one who asked us to move in the first place.

“Hey Derik, I’m back.” I called out.

His head snapped around, before a grin spread across his face. “And this here’s the girl that did it! Never seen a blade so fast that kissed so softly.”

I huffed as Jevi giggled.

“Why are you back, and who’s this?” Derik asked. “I’m off duty right now, so I probably won’t be much help.”

“We were looking to borrow that courtyard again.” I thumbed towards the barracks.

“You found another victim?” Derik grinned. The two men he was with were looking at us with interest. I fidgeted as Jevi stood straight and stared back at them. “Think this one will put up a fight?”

Jevi said, “I will,” as I said, “She better.”

“Ha!” Derik gave his fellows a shove on the shoulders. “Boys, we’re doing a double shift. I wouldn’t miss this if the king himself told me to!”

And just like that, Jevi and I found ourselves in a sandy courtyard, surrounded by half a dozen guardsmen that had heard the story from earlier that day. Jevi had traded her steel sword for a wooden one, seeing as she didn’t use rezan like I did, and made me promise not to cut it in half during the duel. We’d made another few rules like how we’d score this.

We’d be having up to three rounds. The first to strike a ‘debilitating’ blow won a round, and the first to win twice won the agreement. Derik would be officiating this since it was an actual duel. I considered making magic against the rules like Brynn had done with me, but decided not to. It seemed a bit far fetched.

We were all ready to go when Jevi palmed her forehead again. “How could I forget!”

She patted her pockets, obviously failed to find what she was looking for, then went to the nearest suit of armour that wasn’t worn and picked up a leather bracer. She looked at it. “It’ll do.” The next thing I knew, it had impacted the sand at my feet.

I frowned and picked it up. “What’s-”

“Aha! You picked it up!” Jevi declared, angling her sword. “Now this is official!”

I sighed and threw the bracer to the side, and settled in to wait for the duel to begin.

\V/