As the three dames of the night settled on the sky, it became apparent why so many stayed despite doing their fair share of the work and bagging more than they could carry.
Preparations for the Festival.
People with earth magic made large pits and even larger bowls of stone, water mages sourced and purified water and lastly, the fire under the bowls was lit. Whatever we can’t carry we eat. The unwritten rule of the yearly Azure Crab Festival as adventurers from the entire beachline we fought across for days gathered to… socialize I guess.
Not long after the fires settled on a stable orange dance dozens of carriages approached in the distance and as they arrived their purpose became increasingly clear. People from nearby towns flocked here en masse to eat and join the festivities, which I later learned is a genuine thing. A celebration that’s held every year in honor of Runir for calm waves and Kyra for bountiful harvest. The new arrivals didn’t come empty-handed, however, barrels and then many many more barrels rolled off the carriages filled with… yep, alcohol. They also brought some other ingredients, sweets and whatnot, enough to feed an entire army but the sweet and vibrant smells coming from those barrels remained the focus of our attention.
“Can we try?” I beg.
“Yes, can we try? Please?” Valka joins.
Let’s be honest who wouldn’t be curious about something so popular?
The liquid poison of the mind is basically flowing in rivers here and the only thing standing between us and a test run is permission from parents. The wine back in Salermo tasted awful, not to mention that particular night was maybe the second worst in my entire life. All in all, that one doesn’t count.
“It’s a bad idea.” Mom shakes her head. “You’re too young.”
The rest of us, Dad included, just look at each other with incredulous gazes. Even right now there’s a tankard in her hand almost emptied. For the third time.
“Luna, were you any different at their age?” The only one with the power to stand up to the tyrant raises a valid question. “And I don't know about you but I would feel much more at ease with my daughter getting wasted when we’re around. Imagine if she had her first glass in the Academy, with some boys…”
Nice speech Dad, although let’s not go down further on that path. There will be no wasted Elyssia or any boys trying to get me drunk. If they value their limbs that is.
Mom’s resistance crumbles in seconds under the combined assault and soon we all have some mead in our hands. The bystanders cheer and laugh as we get our drinks, turning the curiosity-filled exploration of the two tiny fighters of the beach into a spectacle.
It smells sweet, fruity, and somehow rotten at the same time… a weird combo.
The parents drink with practiced swings and Valka doesn’t show too much caution either, with all the Endurance she has, so I also gulp deep to not seem like a wuss. It's disgusting and savory at the same time. Like eating stale dark-brown bread with a bucket of honey. It hits just like the wine, making my body all warm and tingly, except this time the taste is also to my liking.
Then comes the food, finally. I asked for a taster time and time again and got denied mercilessly despite all the work I’ve put in. Heartless old ladies and their pride in cooking, After an endless wait, however, it's finally time to dig in. Okay, it was like ten minutes but it still surprisingly felt long with an empty stomach.
“Arggh!” Valka growls and bites the crab's leg ferociously.
“No no no, this is how you eat it.” Dad takes it upon himself to show her how to eat crabs along with a bunch of other seafood. Although I’m pretty sure I heard the shell crack between Val’s jaws which is pretty terrifying.
Masking my thoughts I take a bite and… man it makes the last two days so worth it. Soft like butter, sweet with just the right seasoning. Exactly the way I remember it from back when we lived in Meliorport.
Just as I truly begin to enjoy the food and mead to its fullest, some quiet music starts to play. A fast and jolly melody that matches my mood perfectly. Soon the plates get refilled and the tankard in my hand gets a lot lighter just like my head. Even the air tastes a little funny and my feet are starting to tingle…
I might come around again next year.
***
“Only two gold and twenty silver?” I complain as we exit the Adventurers’ Emporium in Granhall. “C’mon, we brought back so much and spent days massacring crabs?”
Yes, we brought back all the crabmeat we could, meaning everyone carried as much as the backpacks could fit while Mom kept them frozen to preserve their quality. Selling the goods to the nearest town would’ve fetched us even less, although I’m not sure this pathetic reward was worth the loaded trip.
I’m well aware it represents a monthly wage for some poor talentless folks but compared to what I returned with from Salermo…
“So, can I get my share now?” I demand rather than ask for some money of my own since I really did work for it this time. This money I earned through hard work, without stealing even if it’s not a crime when the victims are criminals.
I hold out my hand and Dad drops… one two, three, five… ten silver. Is he serious? That’s less than five percent.
I stare at him with the eyes of disbelief and he snorts. “Sure, you can get more if you’re fine paying us back for the money spent on your supplies. Deal?”
A quick calculation tells me it's not a deal. Not even close. I don’t really need the money but I still feel robbed somehow.
“Don’t look so dejected sweetie.” Mom pats my back. “Think of it like another lesson. A gentle taste of the abomination called taxes.”
A small tiny part of me prefers stealing over this type of robbery. Because I feel like the victim here. Mean but fair I guess, just what I’m used to from my parents.
With the job done and the reward received we make our way back to the Fort where the parents drop us off and go take care of their… whatever adults do. They mentioned a few times that my whole Blessing-kidnapping-training situation does provide them ample free time to enjoy themselves and keep their marriage healthy.
Not that they hate me but why can’t they enjoy themselves with me around? I want to enjoy stuff too…
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Meal?” Valka asks as we walk across the front desk.
The guards and other staff members are so used to us coming and going by now that they don’t even look up from their work when hearing our voice.
“You read my mind.” I grin.
She just scoffs and we continue the banter all the way to the mess hall. The majestic place of unlimited delicious food. I can’t even imagine the amount of work the cooks have to put in to feed all these people…
I snatch up a plate and walk to my usual spot but freeze halfway there, almost dropping the plate as my jaw goes slack. The seats are taken. Heads with auburn, brown, and green hair stuff their faces in silence just the way I always demanded back when I was the fourth one sitting next to them.
“Eli, what’s wrong?” Valka asks.
At the mention of my name, all three heads snap back with vastly different expressions appearing upon seeing me. Disbelief on the red, an ear-to-ear smile on the brown, and mammoth tears on the green.
“Huh, you’re back?” Is all I manage to say, just as surprised as them, before a body slams into me.
I feel the beat of my heart quicken and happy bubbles rise in my stomach. I hoped when wandering the forest alone that no one else met their end that day and after coming back everyone told me that dagger dude, Milara, and I were the only casualties. But seeing them, confirming it with my own eyes is the real deal.
Kayla and then Victor pile onto me and we fall to the floor with giggles and grunts and… the plate shattering.
“Who’s acting up again!” A man storms over with a furious face. Because we’re causing a ruckus obviously. When he sees the three of us jumbled on the ground and the shattered remains of the plate his cold eyes lock onto us. “You look old enough to know the rules by heart by now,” He must’ve had a bad day. “And yet brawl on the ground like…”
Someone hurries over and whispers something in his ear that breeds the lovechild of confusion and embarrassment which ages into a frown and dies with a huff.
He turns around and leaves as if nothing happened…
“Was nice talking to you too.” I whisper, and the glace he gives me from the corner of his eye tells me I wasn’t quiet enough. “And Kayla, don’t smear the snot into my shirt!” I grumble and push her head face away from my chest.
She just giggles and pushes back with Victor also teaming up against me, keeping me. After a quick zap, the two of them are left groaning on the ground while I get up but that’s my way of showing caring and how much I’d appreciate not lying on the cold ground.
I find August with Valka, the two of them exchanging a few words and observing us with mocking smiles. I don’t like my best friend and the guy I barely tolerate beside each other. So I do something about it.
“Good to see you.” I say to August and slap his shoulder.
A rat move because the light tap is followed by the signature delivery of electricity that has the boy collapse as an unfortunate consequence. I made it a little stronger especially for him.
To your place, filth. Don’t you dare stand next to Valka and corrupt her!
I don’t hate his guts that much anymore. Of all the people I’ve met, he’s far from the worst since his competitors are gangsters, thieves, and thugs. This is just my way of showing appreciation to someone who doesn’t deserve it all that much.
[Warrior lvl 87]
[Ranger lvl 89]
[Druid lvl 85]
The gap isn’t as big as I expected it to be. I still have a good thirty-plus levels on them so I can hand them their asses with no problem. I hope. Although it is a bit concerning that they barely got fifteen levels on average in almost an entire year. Maybe because not too many things are out to eat you in the capital city of the strongest country on the continent. Maybe, hopefully.
Anyway, before they can even get up, or worse, retaliate, I sprint for another plate and plop down on the bench they just vacated to pile food in front of me indiscriminately. I wave for Valka to follow suit and maybe act as a shield but also to flik the mushrooms over on her plate. I don’t like mushrooms.
“Yep,” Victor grunts while crawling to his feet. “That’s definitely Elyssia.”
Kayla just rushes at me again and throws her arms around me. “Thank you.” She whispers. “Thank you for, thanks- thank- it’s good to have you back, thank you so much .” She buries her face into my hair and stays like that for a good few seconds.
“You’re welcome.” I return the hug.
August isn’t so subtle and marches at me with a vengeful frown. Valka tries to stand up and stop the incoming source of danger almost instinctively before I drag her back to her bum.
“If he knows what’s good for him he won't start a fight. Firstly because he’s aware of how it ends when my mealtime is disturbed. Second, the rules forbid it.” I wave merrily with my fork before engorging the potato on it. “And third… because I’m much stronger now.”
“But didn’t you just start a fight?” Val asks, her eyes still on August.
“I just slapped him as a friendly gesture and he collapsed. I cannot even fathom how what might’ve caused it.” I speak dramatically and with undisguised mirth.
“Get off your high horse!” August growls. “Last time you got lucky and this time-”
“This time I’m a few steps ahead of you. Now shut up and sit down! You know my rule.” I tell him commandingly while looking at the other two to signal they are no exceptions. My fiendish grin might work against my serious demeanor but I just can’t help myself.
“NO!” Kayla declares with surprising finality. “No fighting. Not right now.”
“She’s right, you’ve got some explaining to do.” Victor seconds and sits down, squeezing us all closer.
August, as always, communicates with stares instead of words, and as unfriendly as that face is it still shows some signs of curiosity. But I don’t relent. I also want to share all that happened, learn what life is like in the Academy, and just basically chat with the people I deemed the closest things to friends. However, if I allow for an exception now then it will set a dangerous precedent.
“After!” I grumble and continue eating.
***
As it turned out, no matter how stubborn I was, or how irritated I acted, they could still move their mouth to my great despair. Kayla kept on spewing words which was no surprise while Victor tried to break my facade of ice with laughably weak jabs. Even August spoke from time to time which was wild.
Valka did the talking instead of me. She’s the best. Maybe to earn cookie points with me or to get in the good graces of the others…. beats me. First, she introduced herself and almost went to lengths to avoid sensitive topics when I made one thing clear. We were all Blessed at the table, fellow unlucky souls.
Naturally, she got excited, the same thing for everyone else, and a few duels were agreed upon then and there. Then the discussion steered towards my miraculous survival, life in the forest, the beasts, the Sanctuary, and everything that followed.
“Wow, so you lived with the beasts? And met an actual Lord? Like a big and scary one?” Kayla keeps gushing about my adventure in the forest even though the story has already moved on. “And it helped… But what about those fruits and why lighting? And how could you burn so many trees down? And was the little one really that fluffy and- and and…”
Oh, I think she’s finally broken. The excitement overload got her in the end and we’re free at last.
Since it’s lunchtime and Valka has to attend the upcoming lecture unlike the rest of us, she gets to do the dueling first. She has much to learn about the world so that’s her plight. We have about an hour, so it's plenty of time for her to crush all of them, twice.
August has been the most skeptical about Val’s Blessing and Skills, especially after hearing about her lack of training. He’s asking for it and so he shall receive.
After all of us, except Kayla, change into training clothes and we make our way to the courtyard which surprisingly isn’t entirely empty. Six other kids around my age are taking up most of it, training their Skills with sweat running down their faces even though it's lunchtime.
A squad. If I had to make an educated guess, they are candidates for the Academy slots and are a lot more enthusiastic than I was. Judging by August’s and Victor’s faces I’m not the only one who came to this conclusion but I sure as hell won't be the one to deliver the bad news.
So with silent nods, we agree to simply ignore all of them and postpone that conflict for another day. The two Warriors take up position in the dueling ring and I activate the inscriptions shielding the outside observers. Another shining example of how extremely versatile and useful inscriptions are and a perfect opportunity for me to study them.
I doubt the duel will be any more exciting than the inscriptions.
After both Val and August signal they’re ready Vitor takes up the mantle of judge and starts the fight. “Begin!”