After snacking on some cookies, Colthorn, Wa Yong, Romeo, and the other boys continued to play in the park. They built snowmen, they tried to build an igloo but failed, they threw more snowballs around, and Colthorn even explained a bit about Stealthing in the snow. Once Colthorn learned that none of the other boys were an enemy and were actually some of Wa Yong’s friends, he was able to relax and have some fun. He laughed and played with them until it was getting close to lunch time.
“Romeo! Boys!” Romeo’s mom called, “It’s time to go!”
Some of Romeo’s friends waved goodbye and ran off, but Romeo and Casey stayed behind.
“Just a second, Mom!” Romeo shouted, then turned to face Colthorn with a grin. “It’s been fun Colthorn, thanks for playing with us. You wanna be Friends?”
“I want to be Friends with you too!” Casey shouted, already tapping away at the air in front of himself. He was most likely tapping at his Status page.
“Hey! No fair, I wanted to be friends with him first!” Romeo shouted back, and started tapping furiously at the air as well.
Soon, two blue screens appeared in front of Colthorn.
Friend Request!
Romeo Lawson is requesting to be your Friend.
Add this person to your Friend List?
[YES] or [NO]
Friend Request!
Casey Powell is requesting to be your Friend.
Add this person to your Friend List?
[YES] or [NO]
Colthorn grinned and accepted the Friend Requests. It’s been a long time since Colthorn has made any friends. Now, he was glad that his mom practically chased him out! Even though the two boys were about five years older than he was, they were friendly and nice to be around. They did like to banter though, which was why Colthorn thought of them as enemies in the first place, but once he got to know them and joined in it was fun.
“Come on, Colthorn,” Wa Yong said, patting his shoulder. “Let’s meet up with Alissa.”
The two left the park and went over to Alissa’s house. The Anvil’s Song was right across the street from Perfect Potions. The ground floor was her father’s blacksmith shop, and the family lived on the second floor. That was the common layout for small family businesses in Malroth... Well, maybe it was, Colthorn didn’t know. He’s never been to any other city before. It was common in the city of Cresthaven at least.
Wa Yong and Colthorn stamped their feet and did their best to brush off all the snow on their pants, boots, and cloak/coat and then walked inside. The storefront had a counter on the far side and the walls were covered in weapons and armor of all kinds. As soon as they walked in, the ringing of the anvil was heard coming from the back. The sounds of the smithy were blocked by the soundproofing enchantments that ran along the top of the wall. Just like how his dad had his lab and Wa Lin had her bakery, Mr. Songler also had his smithy in the back. Nobody was manning the counter, so Colthorn rang the little bell on the counter a couple times.
After a short pause, Colthorn heard faint footsteps coming down the stairs. Colthorn smiled. Just by the sound he could already tell that it was Alissa. Seconds later, the door leading to the back opened and Alissa stepped out.
“Welcome to The An...” Her customer-service smile transformed into a look of surprise before she grinned and leapt at him with arms spread wide. “Colthorn!” She shouted, nearly cracking his back as she hugged him.
Colthorn did his best to not suffocate in her chest but she was stronger and bigger than he was. He couldn’t even get his head out, much less break free, so he just hugged her back and tried not to pass out. Other than the lack of air, he was glad that Alissa was so happy to see him, it meant that she still thought of him as her friend. He was a little worried that she wouldn’t since he’s been gone most of the time for training... and ever since he passed her in levels, she’s been pretty competitive and upped her own training with her dad.
Eventually, Alissa had mercy on his soul and spared him from death. She held him at arm’s length and looked him up and down.
“Look at you, you’ve gotten bigger!”
“Yeah,” he said catching his breath, “You’ve... gotten bigger as well.” She didn’t have those last time... and she’s taller.
Colthorn finally got a good look at his friend. It’s been six months since he’s last seen her since he’s been training mostly in the forest. Before, he’d see her at least once a week, but ever since he started to really push himself he didn’t have the time to visit either Wa Yong or Alissa.
Alissa Songler was a bear Beastkin. She was 13 years old, a year older than Wa Yong and four years older than Colthorn. She had shoulder-length brown hair that liked to stick out at odd angles. At the top of her head she had large round ears like a grizzly bear, and she had a small fuzzy tail of a bear as well. Her eyes were large and round and were brown. She had lightly tanned skin and while she was strong, she wasn’t as bulky as Wa Yong. She was wearing light brown pants and a simple white pull-over shirt.
“Now,” she said with narrowed eyes, “Why didn’t you come visit me!? You’ve been back for a week now! I know it was the Week of Memnon but all your Quest was was to deliver some potions. That’s something you could do in the morning and be free for the rest of the day! You had all this week to come visit while I’ve been stuck in the forge doing a Quest with crappy rewards...” She was practically growling by the end, her grip tightening on his shoulders.
Colthorn gulped and said, “I-I thought you were busy and I didn’t want to get in your way... I was also helping run the store while Mom and Dad were busy...”
“What are you talking about?” She asked confusedly, “Why would you be in my way? Now, come on, lunch is almost ready upstairs!”
They made their way through the door into a hallway that led to the forge, but they turned and went up some stairs. At the top of the stairs they arrived at the kitchen/dining room where Alissa’s mom was cooking lunch. On the wall next to the stairs were several hooks and shelves for coats and shoes. Colthorn hung his cloak there and took off his boots and placed them on a shelf.
Mrs. Songler wasn’t a bear Beastkin, she was a wolf Beastkin. Alissa got the bear features from her dad. She wore a simple blue dress and a white apron. Her black hair was tied back in a ponytail that went down to the center of her back.
“Come, sit down,” Mrs. Songler said, waving a wooden spoon at the table in the center of the room. “We’ve already spoken with your parents and let them know that you’ll be having lunch with us.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Songler,” Colthorn and Wa Yong chorused as they went to sit down.
Alissa excitedly sat down next to Colthorn. “So, what Skill did you get from the Quest?”
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“I got Quick Blooded. Here, look,” he said, sharing the page with her and Wa Yong.
“So cool,” she said, grinning. “You’re so lucky. You always get the good Quests...”
Colthorn froze. Good Quests? He smiled awkwardly. “I guess I do get some good rewards from them.”
“Alissa!” Her mom shouted from by the stove, glaring at her.
“What?” She asked confusedly... then her eyes went wide and her face pale. She turned back to Colthorn, saying, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it like that! I know you’ve had it hard with that Quest. I’m sorry!”
“It’s okay. I’m practically done with it already,” he said, raising his hands in a calming gesture.
Mrs. Songler came over, wiping her hands on a towel. “Oh? You are almost done. Level 98, congratulations.”
“Level 98?!” Alissa jumped to her feet. “Already!?” She sighed and slumped back into her chair. “I thought for sure I finally passed you... I’m level 94.”
That wasn’t too surprising. Most people become Tier 1 around fourteen or fifteen years old. If Colthorn hadn’t gotten his Quest, then he wouldn’t have even started training yet. Most parents only start training their children at ten years old.
Colthorn grinned. “The secret is getting lots of Skills and training them to the cap. The largest amount of EXP you can get at once right now is the fifty from getting a Skill. Sure, you can get EXP from crafting and hunting, but if you get even more Skills and use them all while you craft and hunt... then that just means more EXP.”
Mrs. Songler, Alissa, and Wa Yong all fell into a quiet contemplation as they thought about what he said. The silence dragged a little longer than Colthorn felt comfortable with, so he spoke up again.
“Anyways, I’ve been learning Skills from both my mom and my dad... I know you’ve been training your blacksmithing Skills with your dad, maybe you can learn some Skills your mom has. Then you’ll level up even faster.”
Mrs. Songler was a Tier 1 Housewife and she had a lot of Skills related to housekeeping, caretaking, cooking, tailoring, and other miscellaneous things. It was a Jack-of-all-trades kind of class.
“Housewife Skills...?” Alissa was looking at her mom with wide-eyes. Slowly, she glanced over to Wa Yong, then quickly looked back to her mom when she saw him staring at her. A small blush crept into her cheeks. Mrs. Songler wasn’t as oblivious as Wa Yong was and grinned at Alissa. Alissa coughed and said, “Mom, will you teach me some Skills? Just so I can level up faster. Yes. That’s the only reason.” Her face was bright red now.
“Yes, I can teach you,” her mom giggled, then she spared her daughter more embarrassment and turned to Colthorn. “So, I thought you said you were done with training? Don’t you need two more levels?”
“Yeah, it’s just that my dad wanted me to take some classes from the Adventurer’s Academy first. They also want me to learn swordsmanship.”
“Ooooh... I was wondering why Alli suddenly wanted a longsword.”
As they continued chatting, Mrs. Songler went back to cooking. When Lunch was finished Alissa went to get Mr. Songler. Mr. Songler was a burly bear Beastkin. His arms were as thick as his legs and he was covered in hair. His eyebrows were so bushy that they practically hid his eyes. He came in, wiping his hands on a sooty rag which he then stuffed into a pocket. He grunted towards Colthorn and Wa Yong and sat down at the table silently.
As lunch was being dished, Mr. Songler rumbled, “The sword good?”
Colthorn jolted in his seat. “Ah, yes. I like the sword a lot.”
“Good,” Mr. Songler grunted, then turned to Wa Yong. “How’s your mother? Everything good?”
“Yes, Sir. She’s doing good,” Wa Yong said.
“Good,” Mr. Songler grunted again, then spent the rest of lunch quiet as he ate and listened to everyone else chatter.
Once everyone has eaten their fill, Mrs. Songler dished the leftovers into containers and placed them all into a bag. Mr. Songler grabbed the bag and handed it to Wa Yong.
“Here. Take it home.”
Colthorn, Wa Yong, and Alissa all left to play again. After dropping off the bag of leftovers, they all went back to the park to play.
<<<>>>
When Colthorn went home that night, he wasn’t sure what he was going to see, but it certainly wasn’t this. His dad was still alive and looked like he wasn’t even beaten up! Of course, he could’ve just drunken a potion, but he looked more than ok. He was grinning... and so was his mom. They were just sitting on stools behind the counter and were happily gazing into each other’s eyes.
Colthorn paused as the door closed behind him.
“Uh... So, is Mom not mad anymore?” He asked.
“Mommy-” Jornan suddenly coughed and went bright red. He turned to face Colthorn while Alagossa fell over laughing. “I mean, your mom and I made up. Just... uh... don’t bring up her age again, ok?”
“Huh? Why?”
“Because it is considered rude to ask a woman about her age.”
“... but that’s dumb. How else am I supposed to know?”
“That’s just how it is.”
“But I want to know how-”
“Alright boys,” his mom interjected, standing back up from the floor. “That’s enough of that now. Let’s close up shop and go make dinner.”
<<<>>>
The next couple of weeks went by quickly. Colthorn, Wa Yong, and Alissa did their best to catch up on lost time and played nearly every day. Sometimes Romeo and his other friends would also come and play in the park with them, but it was mostly just the three of them. During these weeks, Colthorn didn’t do any training at all, and barely used any of his Skills. He did gain four levels in Analyze though, because he was in the city and was able to use it more often. And he also gained five levels in Running from all the playing, he did mix in a few uses of the Quick Blooded Skill as well and got six levels in that. Those were the only Skills that he gained levels in.
The city was festive, with wreaths, garlands, candle lights, and dark blue triangular flags. The people of Cresthaven were celebrating the setting of Licno, the Teacher Moon, which marked the end of the year and the beginning of a new one. People drank deeply and ate roasted meats, they played games in the streets, and most importantly, at night, they spent time with their family.
When Licno rises or sets, it is tradition for those who follow the Sibling Moons, to have a night where children can ask their parents anything and the parents cannot get mad. It is a time for teaching and development, not for chastisement or punishment. Licno is the Teacher, after all, and he blesses all those who seek knowledge. Of course, before “The Questioning,” families gather around and have a nice dinner with family and loved ones.
The Leokasts, the Songlers, and the Was were all practically family so they all met in the Was’ house for the end-of-year dinner because they had the extra ovens in the bakery. The women were in the kitchen cooking and gossiping. The men, Jornan and Mr. Songler, after being kicked out of the kitchen, were both sitting around the table sipping drinks and talking about work and both local and national news. Colthorn, Wa Yong, and Alissa were chilling in Wa Yong’s room after playing all day in the streets.
Once dinner was ready, everyone gathered around to help set the table and to move all the food over to the table. There was a large roasted Fire-snouted Boar, a Tier 2 beast that Alagossa had hunted for the occasion, potatoes and gravy, green beans, small loaves of bread, and salad. For dessert there was a large apple pie. They all ate with gusto while swapping funny stories that happened that year.
When everyone was done eating and had enjoyed a slice or two of pie, there was a quiet contentedness as they all sipped at drinks. The kids sipped at juice, of course.
“Well,” Jornan said, looking around the table with a smile. “What do we say? Should we let the kids ask their Questions?”
Once everyone gave some noise of agreement Colthorn immediately raised his hand.
“Yes, Colthorn?” His dad chuckled.
“How old are you, Mom?” He asked, looking at Alagossa. “It’s the Night of Questions so you can’t get mad.”
She groaned and put her face in her hands while the others chuckled.
“237,” she said, finally looking up.
“So you’re not over three hundred years old?”
“No, Little Coal, I am not over three hundred,” she sighed.
“I have a question!” Alissa exclaimed, blushing slightly. “How did you meet and marry Mr. Leokast?”
Alagossa’s resigned face lit up as she grinned. “I used to be friends with his parents. His father was an adventurer and I sometimes did Guild Quests with him and his party. I was also friends with his mom, who ran Perfect Potions before Jornan. I stopped by the shop for potions every once in a while. Well, Jornan here has been determined to marry me ever since he was little. He was annoying. He never stopped trying to woo me despite me rejecting him multiple times. Well, one day I got hurt really bad... paralyzed on the left side. And this idiot went out himself to find a rare herd in the Green Ridge Mountains.”
All the kids gasped. The Green Ridge Mountains was a Tier 3 area.
“He came back covered in wounds, but he went straight to his lab and made a potion to fix me... I remember laying there in the Guild’s infirmary, left side paralyzed, and barely being able to move my right side. Jornan slammed the doors open, covered in blood, and limped right over to me and poured that potion right into my mouth. The nurses were furious at him, but when I was able to move again, they forgave him. After that, I felt bad for him and went on a date with him. Turned out that he’s not that much of an idiot. So I went on a second date... and then another, and another, and now here we are.”
After many questions and answers, it was getting late and it was time to go home. Colthorn went to bed feeling satisfied that he finally got the answer to the question that’s been plaguing him for the last couple of weeks.