When I woke up in the morning I pulled both of the foxes into my arms, waking them as well. I pulled Sky to my chest and kissed her forehead, sending a thought of thanks to her through our connection. To Luka, I pushed him on his back and sent feelings of appreciation and love, scratching his tummy. Their groaning about being woken early quickly fading. After around thirty seconds of me showing my love for them I got up, stretched, and threw on some clothes. I left my armor behind but took my sword and wended my way to the back of the tavern.
It was still dark out. I wasn’t sure if I simply was restless or if I needed less sleep due to stats, but I couldn’t seem to stay asleep longer than a few hours, aside from the previous night of course. I took some deep breaths and moved through my dances, completing circular runes through my footsteps. I felt the mana around me as I toggled [Portent of the Thaumaturge] and grinned at seeing the faint lines forming runes beneath my feet. It was a satisfying practice, seeing the crispness and precision I was able to accomplish within the runes I crafted.
After I completed each of my novice dances I asked Luka and Sky to try to trip me up, to distract me and shake up my ability to complete those same dances. Luka, to my surprise, immediately protested. He didn’t want to hurt me.
“Its okay buddy, if you help me train now I will get hurt less in a real fight,” I explained to the small fox. Still, the fox was scared I’d be injured. “I promise I’ll be okay, the scary one will heal me riiight up if I do get hurt.”
Finally he relented but just before we began Amelia stepped out from the shadows. How long she had been there I didn’t know. “Scary one? Is that supposed to be me?” She pouted at me and shook her head.
“Well, you have to admit you're a little bit intimidating.” I grinned at her, shrugging with my one good shoulder. The one that had been broken a few days prior was definitely healing quickly, but sharp pain shot through my body when I attempted to move it.
She scowled harder at my teasing, though there was a playful light in her eyes. “So, you're trying to practice dancing under pressure? Why didn’t you invite me?”
I nodded at her and readied my sword, asking the foxes to still try to trip me up. “Would you like to spar? I will admit,I’ve been curious about how you fight since meeting you.”
“Is that the only thing you're curious about?” She tapped her chin as though seriously wondering. “Hmm... No, for now let me observe.”
“Of course.” With that, and ignoring her comment, I resumed my dances.
As I stepped and weaved my mana into the earth, I felt the earth itself shift under me. Just a little. Luka wasn’t powerful enough to move it more than he did but even so it disrupted my movements. The earth directly beneath my foot slid backwards as I was attempting to lunge, causing me to fall to my knees.
“Oh wow, you can do that too buddy? Lets keep going.” I fell back into the rhythm of the dance, keeping [Portent of the Thaumaturge] active to see when and where Luka would attempt to trip me up. I was halfway through one of my short dances when he simply pushed a stone up through the ground just before I stepped, causing me to stub my toe. I winced and hopped around for a second, glaring at the fox. Luka didn’t even have the grace to look bashful, instead laughing as I cursed and hopped. Amelia simply chuckled from atop the crate in which she sat.
I sent a thought of playful derision to Luka who responded with what I translated as “Get good”. Sighing I raised my sword once more and started a dance, this time hopping over the stone the sly fox produced in front of me. He snorted and wiggled his haunches as though I challenged him by succeeding. Eyes narrowed, when I started my next kata he yipped to distract me and Sky blew some wind at my elbow, causing me to overreach with the sudden push. Luka slid my foot from under me and seemed to focus, trying to pull my other foot as well, but unfortunately his magic control was not quite to that point.
Still, I slipped. Thankfully, as I fell to one knee, I didn’t fall into the splits. I stood quickly and started again, listening to the titter of Amelia's chuckle and the chattering of the foxes each time they successfully threw me off of my dances. Each time they succeeded I sent a “Good job” or something similar. I grinned as they helped me practice, and felt my control slowly improving with the small obstacles they provided.
A small sheen of sweat dripped down my forehead as the sun started to poke above the rooftops. I could feel how tired the foxes were becoming and even I was starting to feel it, having my spells disrupted so frequently drained my mana quickly. Finally, after a couple hours of practice, I sheathed my sword and decided to head back into the tavern. Amelia followed me in and we sat at our familiar table. Within minutes, and without asking, a plate and a cup of juice appeared before me, courtesy of Kristen.
“We’ll be leaving in three days.” I furrowed my brow, looking up from my eggs and bacon and potatoes and opened my mouth to say something, only for Amelia to continue talking. “The other job we saw for you was completed by someone else. I think it was that bard girl.”
“I see... Where are we headed next? Was it... Edderton?” I asked idly, remembering talking about it with Elric and Adrien at one point. More specifically recalling that they said the journey would be rather unpleasant for me.
“Correct! We won’t be spending much time there though, maybe a couple of days. They don’t have any quests for us.” She sighed deeply and dramatically. “Its gonna be soooo boring. Go on adventures they said, it'll be fun they said. All it is is walking from place to place and culling beasts that are weaker than us.” She mimed spitting on the floor.
“Its not so bad is it? And actually, why are you guys taking such small jobs anyway?” I had been idly wondering about it for a while now but hadn’t asked just yet.
“Something about seeing the whole country we live in instead of just the best places.” She shrugged at me then scooped Sky into her lap who immediately rolled onto her back and playfully nipped at Amelia's hand.
“Adrien's idea?”
She nodded an affirmative. “So, tell me Lios. Why are you an adventurer? For all the pretty girls?” She tilted her head at Kristen and I sighed.
“That’s a bonus, sure, but not the real reason.” I took a bite of my food, chewing slowly and thinking about how I wanted to answer. On one hand, this wasn’t related in its entirety in my past. My goals were fairly standard for people of this world, so regardless of what I did say I felt it wouldn’t cause suspicion, but at the same time I felt my companions were already aware most of my non answers were related to my secrets. “I suppose I just want freedom and the power to protect it for myself.”
“Hmm. You seemed pretty free in Arborton. With loving friends, a career in smithing, even a pretty girl on your arm. Why seek danger and violence in the name of freedom?” She had a shadowed look on her face. It was as though she were questioning why I, in my privileged years, would assume I didn’t have freedom. She was contemplating something more than what she was asking.
“In a place like Arborton... hmmm. Thats not right.” I resigned to think on my answer for a few moments as I continued to eat. To her credit she didn’t say anything even while she watched me curiously. “I dont think I’m made to stay in one place for a long time. I felt stifled where I was, the strongest person near me was my father and I’ve nearly met his level. I surely could have grown to be a middling blacksmith but, if I’d stayed, that’s the best I would do. And no matter what I’d have been free only under the shackles of the lord of the land. No, It’s much better that I continue on this path regardless of the difficulties and challenges.”
She was quiet for a few moments before she started laughing. “My my Lios, so gallant and serious all the time!” Her laugh tittered and she plucked some bacon from my plate to give to my companions. “You're a curious one, Lios, curious indeed.”
“Oh? And how so?” I tilted my head inquisitively.
“You seem much older than you are. Riddled with secrets. Esoteric classes that I’ve never seen before. Have the attention of a foreign god. Must I go on?” Amelia's eyes glimmered as she listed off what she knew about me. She stroked Sky’s fur as the fox acted like she was napping in her lap. “Oh and a companion pact with not one, but two magical little foxes.”
“You needn’t continue...” I sighed heavily, reminded again of the memories I recently acknowledged. Out of curiosity I checked my status, wondering what my [Distant Recollections] skill was. It seemed the higher its level, the more difficult it was to ignore those memories. Or rather, the easier they were to trigger and bring up to the forefront of my mind. It was at level 25, having gained a few more levels during my delve to my core space.
“If I swore an oath right now would you tell me your big secret?” Amelia asked breaking me from my thinking. I frowned at the question.
“Hmm... I don’t know. Why do you want to know so badly?” I finished off my mug of juice, it seemed to be a citrusy juice that I hadn’t had much in Arborton, not suncitra which was so popular in my hometown. Although it had been barely more than a couple weeks since I left, I already missed the grapefruit like fruit.
“I think whatever it is will be rather interesting. Maybe enough so to cull my boredom.” As she answered Elric and Adrien came down the stairs. Seeing us they made a beeline for the table.
“I’ll consider it.” I dryly replied and waved at the others. Amelia simply nodded, seemingly satisfied with my answer.
“Mooornin kid, always up so early?” Adrien tittered in his shoddy northern accent as he approached. Finally I was beginning to decipher it naturally rather than needing to spend several seconds to translate.
“He’s always up this early to train or something.” Amelia sighed and giggled.
“I can’t grow if I sit on my hands, might as well get an early start and start the day off strong.”
“It is so. Oh, by the way, we have your gold from the wolf pelts and the quest.” Elric tossed a pouch of coins in my direction, just out of reach of my right arm. I leaned out of my seat to snatch it from the air, astounded at my ability to catch it. If this were on earth I’d have likely clumsily let it slip past me and smash into the wooden floor.
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The pouch was heavier than I expected and I let out a shocked yelp when it slammed into my palm. It didn’t hurt but it felt like it should have. I quickly tied it to my belt. “So, we leave in three days?” I asked to confirm.
“Aye. That we will, lad.” Adrien clapped a hand on my good shoulder, his grip firm and calloused from years holding a sword. “During our travels ye best be prepared to sweat.”
“When am I not?” I laughed with them as Kristen noticed their arrival and quickly scuttled over to take their order. I raised an eyebrow, for me she had just brought out the meal this morning, anticipating my wants. She blushed as we made eye contact on her way over and turned her attention to my tutors. She quickly got their orders and one for Liana who was supposedly on her way down.
“We will be finishing our final quest today and tomorrow, Liana won’t be able to help you though. You’ll need to find a way to entertain yourself.” Elric grinned at me toothily.
“I think I can manage. Whats your last quest, anyway?”
“We are tracking a beast in them woods. A type of chimera. Unsure what sort o’ monsters its mixed with other than a snake and a wolf, but theres likely some other bits too. Ye ever seen one o’ them? Mighty terrible they are.” Adrien shuddered at the thought of facing one. “Mighty high level too, typically.”
“So no Lios tagalong?” I noticed Liana coming down the stairs and shifted from my seat to the one next to me so she didn't have to squeeze behind me. “I’d love to even be able to witness such a conflict. I sure could learn from it.”
“You, Lios, need to focus on recovery. When we start moving again you’ll be pushed to your limits every day and wont have time to focus on your recovery.” Amelia glared at me, as though the thought of my reopening the wound she had helped heal was the height of aggrievement toward her.
“Aye lad, and we’ll be arriving in Ironfell just a few months before the swordsman's tournament. Have ya heard o’ it? Tis called Rhosha’s Crucible. Do ye know the tale of Rhosha boyo?” Adrien looked excited to tell the tale so I simply shook my head. I had heard a minor amount about the warrior, but not much.
“Hers is a tale wreathed in blood, adventure, and defiance. Listen well lad, for she stepped on a similar path to ye. Rhosha was a young lass, an orphan locked in the midst of a city that did not offer a means of escape for those like her. The impoverished and the damned, the downtrodden and meek. She, however, was determined to find her own path. Legend says she got her start in the forest around her town, the great city Ironfell. Alas, such a place is not fit for children, specially not those without means or instruction. Twas centuries ago, four if memory serves, and while things have improved since, at that time there were no things such as orphanages there. At that time the town was the size of your Arborton.
“And so, in this quaint town, Rhosha would wander and search for her opportunities. She was not trained in the blade, nor any other combat skills. She hadn’t even a class yet. And yet, desperate for a way away she set off on her own into the plains to the east. These plains, of course, being the Wastes. She wandered along the borders, the barrier still strong, an’ inched her way through them into the wastes proper. I tell you this not lightly lad, do not follow in her footsteps. The wastes are not a place for the young and hopeful. Even now they are ridden with ghastly foes and monsters that, if not for the barrier, would tear down the walls of Ironfell. But yet she went.”
At this time we noticed Kristen was standing at the edge of the table listening raptly, her eyes wide. On the table three plates of food and a new mug waited for me.
“Ah, lass, Would ye care to listen as well? Pull up a chair. Anyway where was I?” Adrien waved at her to sit. The tavern, aside from our table, was empty. Her father, the tavernkeeper, was meticulously washing glasses and mugs and didn’t look like he needed any help. She ran quickly to tell him she was going to listen to Adriens story before returning and dragging a chair from one of the other tables to ours. Liana scooted to the side so Kristen could sit next to me, a playful glint in her eyes.
“Well, a young girl, she stepped into the wastes and the very air, the heat and dust and wind, nearly did her in. But she was lucky, near her entry were a cave. A deep cave. She dove in and abandoned the arid surface finding herself face to face with a skeleton of a man. At his hip a rusted blade, and in his pack a series of dilapidated books. Save for one. I know not what the style was, but it were a powerful technique. It was a tome of martial arts, the sort of which would be typically found much much further to the east, near the clans. The martial peaks who devoted themselves, not unlike ye, to martial prowess.
“Hesitant to desecrate the corpse, she buried it while taking the rusted sword and the tome. She had, when she abandoned the town she grew up in, taken some amount of food that would last some time. Knowing she barely survived the short journey from the border to this cave she decided to stay and dedicate herself to the sword technique she had found. With the rusted blade and the tome of swordplay she stayed, its said, twelve days and eleven nights in that cave. Half starved, and without much water save for the drippage on the caves walls, she taught herself from crumbling pages and with a sword that could hardly pierce flesh. For twelve days she stayed and practiced and by the end of it her flesh was healed enough for her to brave the sands of the wastes once more.
“And so she returned to the town, to Ironfell. There, she had to beg for scraps and do tiny jobs for meager coin. She told nobody about the sword, which she left as a tombstone for its owner, and she strived to survive for a number of years while secretly practicing her swordplay with a stick. Her hands bruised, broken and calloused, she grew up. She reached ten years, sadly almost unheard of in those times for those without guardians.”
Kristen and I were entranced by the story much to Adriens chagrin. I had heard a small amount of the story before but not much. I wordlessly passed Luka to the other teenager who happily started to pet him as we listened enraptured.
“But, she gained a class. And with this class she pushed into the plains to the west of the town and she sought the lower level creatures that always seemed to be nearby. She used her stick, not having saved enough for a quality sword. Also knowing that even with her practice, the sword she had her eyes on was much too heavy for her small body to wield. She took on the horned rabbits and the boars, selling their parts for coins and only keeping a small amount of meat for herself. She built herself a hut in the plains, away from the city, so she could stay out and hunt longer. Quickly the townsfolk who had ignored her for much of her years recognized her. Praised her for her strength. She ignored the praise, and continued to hunt by herself. This was before the guild hall for adventurers was developed, there was no system in place to find hunting contracts at this time. Other than, of course, the town board where such jobs were posted at the time.
“She fought every day. She killed beasts over and over, selling their parts to the butchers and leatherworkers. The bones to the smiths, for even though they were brittle they made for decent armor. She grew quickly in both fame and strength, her level rising faster than most of the townsfolk believed possible. And then, she stopped appearing. She vanished. She went back to the wastes, perhaps a bit too soon, and wouldn’t emerge for years. Not much is known about her journeys. Not much known about how she survived in there but it is said she remained for nearly ten years.
“She was forgotten about by the town. And then one day. One day after a good many years a horde of monsters broke free from the barrier that protected Ironfell from the wastes. This is something that occurred on occasion, every half century or so. But the town, they were not prepared for the size of the horde. It was led by what seemed to be a sentient undead, a being with a great obsidian blade with cracks and nicks on its surface. For three days the town fought against the horde. The peaceful citizens forced to raise their blades in defense of their homes.
“And then, after days of begging the lord to send his soldiers, a savior arrived. Rhosha. She came back through the barrier of the wastes, looking haggard. She wore worn and broken pieces of armor stolen from the hordelings. And she challenged the leader of the horde, who was later deemed to be Progenitus, a knight of the kingdom that once ruled the wastes before the cataclysm that destroyed it. She matched him with her blade, strike for strike and parry for parry. And she slaughtered any of the footsoldiers that gathered near. With a roar she summoned flames and lightning. A blast of force pushed the horde to their brittle knees and the townsfolk, those who remained, were struck with a vitalizing rain. The thing with Ironfell is that rain is infrequent. It isn’t quite so bad as the wastes proper, but the climate is warm and rain is rare. But this rain seemed to close their wounds. This rain seemed to bolster their strength. Their speed. And as she fought the leader of the horde the townsfolk hoisted their weapons and rejoined the fray, invigorated. They didn’t know at the time that the warrior that had come to save them was she who they had praised ten years ago for her tenacity, strength, and courage. The one they had written off as dead and gone.
“But she was there, and she was strong. Stronger than the butcher believed possible. Faster than the leatherworker could imagine. More resilient than the blacksmiths greatest armors. She was strong and she slew the once great, undead form of Progenitus. And as the undead lord fell she focused on the thousand strong horde of undead and slaughtered them in mere moments. This force that the town had struggled against was defeated by one lass, who, ten years ago was a simple orphan hunting horned rabbits and great boars.”
Adrien stopped talking for a moment to sip on his drink. As he did I felt my mind whirling. Everything he described could attribute this Rhosha as having the same class as me. The invigorating rain and the blasts of air fire and lightning seemed reminiscent of sword dances. The toppling of a strong army, and its leader in less than an hour. I felt a tug in my chest that I needed to enter the wastes as did my likely predecessor. Elric caught my eyes as I considered the possibilities and gave me a toothy grin. The brief distracted was put on hold as Adrien continued the story.
“But that was not the end of her legend. You see, she returned to her little hut in the plains. Word of her spread to the lord who sent for her for an audience. To his ire she refused and he sent his men to drag her to his fortress, where he sat refusing to send troops to save his city of Ironfell. But as they came to take her she overpowered them without killing a single one. Afterwards, with her denial of the lord, warriors came to challenge her. When they were defeated and she was victorious they all seemed to ask her how she became so strong. Then, she pointed to the wastes. She said to them ‘I grew strong by surviving the wastes. Survive there for a year without rest and mayhap you can offer me a challenge.’. And so, the warriors began to explore the wastes in an effort to climb the mountain she represented.
“Tired of the constant challenges she set a week where she would accept any challenge thrown her way. She offered up her own techniques for whoever would defeat her. And yet, year after year not one person could best her in swordplay. And the city grew, as more folks came to challenge and then stayed to face the wastes. Over time the reputation of the wastes and the treasures and challenges it held grew, and when the adventurers guild came to being those adventurers sought its challenge. Even still, every year Ironfell hosts Rhoshas Crucible, a challenge for those who battle. It has expanded to a month long ritual of combat that attracts those from around the continent, around the world. Although, Rhosha herself no longer participates in the combat she watches over it. Word is she seeks someone in which to pass her mantle even to this day.”
There was quiet after the leader of our group finished his story. I wondered briefly how much of it was muddied for Kristen with Adriens accent, but it seemed she had heard all of it. Adrien and the others stood up abruptly.
“Ah. it seems our leader distracted us, we must make way to complete our quest if we wish to make good time in our departure.” Elric said as they all walked towards the door.
My mind was whirling, I barely heard him but lifted a hand in farewell. Kristen, too, stood up passing Luka back into my lap. She bowed slightly before rushing to help her father at the bar.
I considered the story I had just heard. Ten years in the wastes, from what I knew, was practically unheard of. The fact that Rhosha was even still alive seemed insane to me but I remembered that as one gained levels, as their vitality increased, they gained the longevity. I wondered how high her stats were. I guessed that she had likely gained a seed of some sort, had her own tribulation at some point.
I tucked the tale deep into my memories and refocused. I wouldn’t get to that level by simply wondering about her. I would need to work just as hard as she did if I had any hope of thriving in the wastes as she had. I stood abruptly, much to Luka’s discontent, and headed up to the room where I sat and started to condense my mana. For now, I could not practice my swordplay as well as I liked but I could delve and I could condense the mana in my core.
Before I delved I emptied the pouch of coins into my hand and counted four gold. My eyes widened at the amount, I had killed a dozen wolves for this. I wondered how much was coin from the pelts and how much was from the quest itself. I stowed the coins in the bottom of my pack with the rest of my money but kept a few silver in my coin purse, and the remainder of my copper. Around fifty or so. All told, it seemed I had around 5 gold, 80 silver, and 56 copper pieces. A veritable fortune after having lived in Arborton making a total two silver a week for several years. To think, in just a few weeks I’d made more during a single quest than I had in four years at the smithy.