Having returned to Farleck after completing the quest with Blossom, SJ stood in the kitchen area as Terence stood at the stove cooking. He had picked up some impressive skills by working with Floretta and had been preparing meals for SJ on her return. It was nice to have the skeletons company when she was at the cottage. Brian and Charlotte took care of the odd pesky mole, and as a result, the vegetable garden was fully planted and the plants are growing well.
“How did you get on today?” SJ asked. It had become a common discussion point between the pair of them. Terence always wanted to show her what he had completed in her absence.
“This is going to take a few minutes to cook, so I can show you now,” he turned, smiling.
Terence carefully removed the stonework between the extension and cottage where there had been a wall at the rear and constructed an archway that led through to the extension. Walking along the hallway, there were five rooms leading off the hallway.
They turned the first room into a bathroom, and the second room was SJ's tailoring suite. The other three rooms were private rooms for each of the skeletons to use as they wished. SJ had been adamant that they had to have one each. Even if they never used them. Terence had built bedframes for each, and SJ had mattresses and bedding delivered from Killic by Greta. Greta had become her go-to for anything she needed. Between Greta, Jacob and Zej she got most of the items she required.
A rear door at the back of the property opened onto the training area. There was a sand ring, with sand from the lake being brought up and laid. They marked out the ring's circumference using small stones. SJ had been training against both Terence and Brian some evenings. Then, they placed three archery targets at varying distances, going back towards and into the forest slightly. Charlotte had been over the moon with the targets and used them regularly when not tending the gardens.
"Tada," Terence said, displaying the newly constructed training dummy they had built. SJ walked over to it. All the training dummies in the town were basic. This one was anything but.
“What are all the contraptions coming off it for?” SJ asked, confused.
“Here, let me show you,” Terence said, grinning. He walked behind the dummy and pointed out several pulleys and levers that were positioned there. As Terence moved the various levers, the dummy moved, and it could strike back. Its arms and legs could simulate attacks while using it.
“Wow,” SJ said, amazed at the work he had put into it. Terence had been keeping this latest project secret.
“It’s more realistic,” Terence said.
“It’s amazing,” SJ replied. “Can I?”
“After dinner,” Terence smiled.
They returned inside, Terence serving SJ a bowl of fish stew. Each day SJ returned, Brian would have been fishing, and there was now always a couple of fish hung up on a frame outside the cottage. Brian was trying to construct a smoker so they could also hunt for hoglings or similar and preserve the meat. There was no point currently, as only SJ was required to eat. Initially, she told them they didn’t need to worry about it, but they all were adamant that they did.
“The food was delicious, as always,” SJ said, finishing the stew.
Charlotte and Brian had joined them in the cottage now, and the four of them sat around the dining table.
“SJ. Can we ask you a favour?” Charlotte said.
SJ turned to look at her, “Of course, there is no need to ask. Just let me know what you need.”
“Do you mind if Brian and I visit Killic?”
The question took SJ by surprise. “Why would I mind?”
“We didn’t know if you wanted us to go there.”
“I have told you all before you can do what you wish. I don’t control you or decide how or where you live. If you wanted to move to Asterfal or anywhere else, that is your choice.”
If a skeleton could blush, SJ could have sworn the pair of them just had. “We aren’t used to freedom,” Brian replied.
SJ shook her head in response. “You are my friends, all three of you,” she said, looking around the table. “You aren’t my servants.”
The skeletons turned and looked at each other.
“I really want to visit the florist you have spoken about,” Charlotte said. “I would love to get some new plants for the garden to work with.”
“Of course. Blossom is amazing. I just did a quest for her today.”
“What quest?” Brian asked. He always got excited to discover what quests SJ had been completing.
“There was a thorned mandrake that needed getting rid of.” SJ then had to spend the next fifteen minutes running through a blow-by-blow account of what had happened.
“What did you want to get from Killic?” SJ asked Brian.
"I'm after some fishing gear and also wanted to see about some new daggers," he said, looking at Charlotte, as his current ones have become worn from all the gardening and digging he has been doing.
“Don’t blame me,” Charlotte replied, looking guilty.
SJ laughed. “Setu is a goblin friend who works at the docks as a fisher. He may be the best to speak to when you get there about gear. Here,” she said as she removed some silver from her inventory and handed it to them.
“We don’t need your money,” Charlotte said, shocked.
“What’s wrong with my money?”
“We can’t take it,” Brian said.
“How else are you going to pay for anything?” SJ asked.
“We have a few coppers from when we were with the necromancer,” Brian said.
“I don’t care what you have. Take these as a thank you for all the work you have done for me at the cottage since you arrived,” SJ said, placing two silver coins in front of each of the skeletons.
All three sat with their mouths open, staring at her in disbelief. “And if you see anything else while there that you can’t afford but want, let me know,” SJ said, pushing her chair back and standing up. “Okay. Who is coming to train?” she asked, smiling.
The rest of the evening passed quickly, with all of them taking turns fighting against Terence’s new contraption. It was hilarious for those watching, not so for the one of them struck by the solid wooden appendages Terence had made it out of. It added a sense of realism to the training, and SJ wanted to speak to Lorna about implementing them at the main training ground in Killic. She even discussed patenting, which confused the skeletons.
SJ was standing in her bedroom at the cottage in Killic, where she had just returned. She walked to the wardrobe where she had been leaving her questing gear. She removed the items and dropped them into her inventory. As she was finishing, there was a knock on the cottage door.
“Darren,” Dave said.
SJ unlocked the door and let him in. “How was Asterfal?” she asked as soon as she saw him.
“Boring being confined to the wagon,” he replied glumly. “Alice wouldn’t even let me visit The Bugbears.”
“You are surprised?”
“No,” he said.
Over the past month, their relationship quickly developed into that of a brother and sister. Whenever Darren had questions about females, in other words, Alice, he would broach the topics with SJ. It was both sweet and annoying all at once.
“What happened this time?” SJ said, looking at the face Darren was pulling.
“I did something stupid.”
“What?” SJ asked, frowning.
“I asked her if she would marry me.”
“You what? You have only been seeing each other for a month,” SJ said, shocked by his revelation.
“I know. It was stupid of me. We were lying on the wagon roof the night before last while travelling back. Looking at the stars, and that just slipped out.”
“And what was Alice’s response?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“No, she didn’t say a thing.”
“So, what’s your problem?”
“I mean anything. Since I asked, she has said nothing to me.”
SJ stared at him. “Did you say anything else to her?”
“No. I have been too embarrassed since.” Darren stood with his shoulders sagged and looked close to tears.
“He is an idiot,” Dave said.
‘Why?’ SJ thought in reply.
“Dryads have strict codes for betrothals. Alice has to speak to her parents before she can answer anything.”
‘Explain.’
“Dryads have a very complex hierarchical structure within their families. Their families would organise and confirm most requests for marriage. Once confirmed, they would announce the proposition of a request.
‘Oh. I did not know.’
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Darren had walked to the dining table and sat in a chair with his head in his hands. “I am such an idiot. Why did I do it?”
“Agreed,” Dave said.
“Because you have feelings for her,” SJ said. “I think I know why she isn’t speaking to you.”
“Why?” Darren asked, looking up at SJ hopefully.
“They have strict familial rules. Any marriage request normally goes through parents before any communication between parties. Dave just explained it to me,” SJ said.
“She has no parents,” Dareen replied.
“She must have a guardian or similar then or relatives,” Dave said.
“Does she have a guardian?” SJ asked.
Darren’s face scrunched up as he cringed.
“What?” SJ asked.
“Zigferd,” Darren replied.
“Zigferd is Alice’s guardian?” SJ was now the one in shock.
“Yes. Zigferd took her in as a child and has been her guardian since her parent's death.”
There was so much that SJ still didn’t know about her friends. This solidified Zigferd’s behaviour when Alice had gone missing.
“I did not know,” SJ said as Dave laughed at the news.
“If there is one person Darren didn’t want as her guardian, it would be Zigferd. Hehehehe,” Dave said.
‘Stop being mean, Dave,’ SJ thought.
“Sorry, it’s just too funny,” Dave gasped.
Darren and Zigferd’s relationship had not started well, and it didn’t seem to matter what Darren had done since. Zigferd always looked at him as though he was trouble. His continual reaction towards Darren now made complete sense, as he was so protective of Alice. The revelation had thrown SJ off completely.
She gathered her thoughts and responded, “Maybe this is a good thing. If you show how serious you are, maybe Zigferd will start coming around.”
“And maybe he will turn into a werebear and eat me,” Darren replied.
The comment made Dave laugh even harder than before.
“Anyway. How did it go with Alice being able to set up the quest?”
Darren looked up, “It worked. She could configure it while in Asterfal.”
“That’s great news, at least,” SJ said, smiling.
“Not sure there is much point in my staying in Killic now,” Darren sulked.
“You don’t know that for certain,” SJ retorted.
“As if.”
SJ would no longer entertain his melancholic mood. “Get up.”
“What?”
“I said get up.”
Darren pushed his chair back and stood, turning to SJ. “What?”
SJ had been trying to think of something to say to snap him out of his mood. Nothing came to mind, so she did the only thing that did: she slapped him across the face.
“Ow,” Darren said, rubbing his cheek. “What was that for?”
“Feeling sorry for yourself. Stop being so stupid and pull yourself together. You are acting like an adolescent teenager. Not a grown man,” SJ snapped.
The anger in SJ’s voice took Darren by surprise. “Sorry,” he stammered.
“Now man up and put your big-boy pants on.”
SJ was certain that Dave was rolling around the floor. He seemed to struggle to breathe, and he laughed so hard in her head. She could imagine this little robot doing cartwheels. SJ felt terrible after just slapping Darren and turned away. “I have things to do, so if you have finished feeling sorry for yourself, maybe you can give me a hand?”
“What do you need?”
“I need you to come and meet Cristy.”
In the month since the attack on her, SJ had been so focused on her level that she had only briefly seen Cristy and had sworn that she would spend the day with her as soon as she reached level 15. She wanted Darren to teach her in archery. She knew she could take her to the cottage, but Darren was at a much higher level than Charlotte was.
“I know you have been to the fletchers, and I need you to help pick a bow for her.”
“Sure,” Darren replied, looking a little happier with something to consider rather than his predicament with Alice.
“Which bow do you suggest?” SJ asked Darren.
They were standing in the Fletcher's shop. SJ had never visited before, and the wide range of styles and varieties of bows available to purchase amazed her. Cristy was keeping the fletcher busy by asking her many questions. Darren and Cristy had got on like a house on fire. Darren had been acting as the silly uncle and spoiling her rotten. SJ’s inventory was currently full of toys and clothes Darren had bought for her. She could see that Cristy could get away with murder with Darren.
“This one,” Darren said, picking a small bow from a stand. “It’s an elven bow used for training.”
Cristy had been experiencing a growth spurt for the last few weeks, and she was sure that she had grown another six inches. Dave had explained the basics of gnoll growth, and she was sure that it was normal and would likely continue at this rapid pace until she reached full size.
SJ took the bow from Darren. “What makes this so good?”
"You can vary the string tightness so that you can adjust it as she gets more proficient and stronger."
SJ noted the small screw-style thread at the base of the bow. The bow was two feet, about half the size of Darren's short bow he used.
“Once she has the basics and grows a little taller, one of these would be better for her,” he said, showing an actual short bow approximately three feet, “before deciding if she wished to stay with short bows or move to longbows.”
The longbows were massive and stood taller than SJ and Darren.
“Okay. What about arrows?” SJ asked. There was a selection of arrows to choose from.
“For training, I would get bodkins. They are easier to remove from targets since they don’t have barbs,” Darren said.
SJ looked at the differing heads the arrows had until she found them. “What length?”
“Cristy needs to try the bow, and we can confirm. They must be a couple of inches longer than she can draw.”
“Cristy?” SJ called.
“Yes?” Cristy said, walking over.
“Darren thinks this one is best for you,” SJ said, handing her the bow.
Cristy took it, her eyes wide in awe. “Are you certain?” she said to Darren.
“Yes. This is best for you as you learn and also for your size. Titch,” he finished laughing.
Cristy kicked him in his ankle in response.
They had been bickering like this all day, and SJ just rolled her eyes.
“See how far you can pull the string back?” SJ said.
Cristy got hold of the bow by its grip and then pulled the string back. It didn’t go back very far.
“Here,” Darren said as he adjusted the string tension. “Try again.”
This time, Cristy pulled the string back much further. “Perfect,” Darren said as he selected the arrows she needed. “Now all you need is a quiver and to decide how you want to carry it.”
“Carry it?” Cristy asked.
“Yes. My quiver is on my back, as you can see. You can get ones that sit on your belt.”
“I want a back quiver like yours,” Cristy answered excitedly.
“Do you have anything in her size?” Darren turned to ask the Fletcher. SJ had never met her before and didn’t know her name.
“Yes. Give me a moment,” she replied, walking through to the back of the shop.
After a few moments, she returned with a small quiver that Cristy immediately put on. It fit her perfectly after a couple of strap adjustments. Darren had selected twenty arrows and dropped them into her quiver. Darren wore his bow across his shoulder most of the time, and SJ couldn’t help but smile when she noticed Cristy copying Darren. She now had the look of a fledgling archer.
“How much?” SJ asked.
“I’ll get it,” Darren said.
“No. SJ smiled and said, "No, you've had enough of being conned today."
Darren frowned.
“You realise you have bought Cristy everything she has asked for today?” SJ said.
SJ turned to the Fletcher before he could respond.
“58 copper,” she replied.
SJ had been expecting it to cost much more. “That sounds cheap?” SJ said.
“You are a councillor,” the elf smiled.
SJ blushed at the comment. She hadn’t been feeling much of a councillor recently. “Thank you,” SJ replied, feeling embarrassed.
SJ asked Lorna to allow Darren to show Cristy the basics of archery during the afternoon. Cristy was hung on his every word the whole time, and by late afternoon, she had complained that her shoulder hurt. Darren found her progress really impressive and promised to bring her back in another couple of days.
SJ had performed some of her own training and, after finishing a punishing routine under Lorna’s guidance, had been watching the pair.
“I think we need to get you home,” SJ said as Darren fired a few arrows into the centre of the furthest target. His accuracy was uncanny.
“Probably best,” Darren said, collecting his arrows.
After dropping Cristy back at the orphanage and unloading her inventory, to the dismay of Madeline, who had told them both off for spoiling her. SJ and Darren made their way to the inn to grab some food. They were walking along, talking casually, when Darren suddenly came to a standstill as a huge hand grabbed him on his shoulder, halting his movement.
“We need to talk,” Zigferd said.