Lindle and Madam Holly looked at each other silently for several moments. He didn’t say anything as the seconds dragged on, and she didn’t either, refusing to even drop the grin. A minute passed.

Eventually Lindle gave up. “I don’t get it.” He flatly stated.

Madam Holly wheezed and slapped her knee. “I was hoping that I’d get a good reaction out of you, but that was fun in its own way. I can tell we’re going to have fun together.”

Lindle raised an eyebrow. His earlier nervousness at meeting with someone with her reputation was slowly fading away. “So were you joking then?”

“Not at all!” She chuckled. Still seeing his confusion she waved him down to take a seat. He did she started to explain. “You and I,” she gestured between the two of them mockingly, “will form a group and take the trial together.”

Almost another minute passed with him staring at her before she sighed. “Boy, you don’t need to just stare at me like a rock whenever I say something. I won’t bite your head off if you tell me what you think.”

Lindle puffed out his cheeks and blew. “Well… Okay? That doesn’t seem like it should work. For several reasons. I mean, you’re an elder. The rite is meant for a group of unleveled children to take, we’re not allowed to take any adults or outsiders with us. You’re…” He hesitated, but she grinned and gestured for him to go on. “Too old.”

She chuckled again, and Lindle was glad to see he had read the mood right. “Normally you would be right! But let me correct some misconceptions you have. The milestone rite is for any Glacian child to take as a group. However, and this is the part you’ve gotten wrong. It’s not that adults aren’t allowed to take the rite, it’s that no one is allowed to take the rite twice and that a Glacian is only considered an adult by tradition once they take the rite.”

“I…” Lindle paused, recalling what she had said about not taking the rite making him an overgrown child. And if she was suggesting she take the rite despite saying no one was allowed to take it twice… “Wait, you’ve never taken the milestone rite before? So you want to take it with me?”

“Really made those Intelligence points work for it did you?” She smiled. “It’s a bit of an open secret that I’m by definition the most powerful child in the village, though clearly one you’ve never heard.”

“But how?” Lindle asked. “You’re famous, and one of the migration leaders. How could you never have taken it before?”

She shrugged. “Simple. I was born out of cycle like you, and just like you they didn’t know what to do with me, so they just pretended like nothing was strange and life moved on.”

Lindle frowned. Logically he knew some other people must have been born out of cycle like him, and he had even heard about some being born, but the sad truth was that the cycle was in place because without it people simply didn’t survive their first migration. “I’m sorry.”

“Bah. Honestly, it’s not that big a deal. Sure I angsted about it when I was a little girl but people stopped caring once I actually grew up and anyone who gave me grief about it learned how to behave themselves after getting knocked around a little.” She smiled as if she was fondly reminiscing. “Really it’s a wonderful excuse to let loose and have some fun acting young. My husband certainly doesn’t mind.”

“Oh. Apology rescinded?” She laughed again so Lindle continued. “Then why do you want to take it with me after all this time?”

“Well even if it doesn’t matter to me, it’ll still matter to you for a good few years to come. When I heard one of your old teachers mention it, I figured it’s as good an excuse as any to finally get it done. It’s not as if you have any other options.”

So essentially it was a random whim, but at least it was a kind of a nice one.

“I guess…” Lindle had really mostly forgotten about taking the trial in the years after everyone else had taken it, but at the time, the feeling of being left behind had run deep, and now that it was at the forefront of his mind again, he couldn’t deny that it had ever really gone away, just hidden behind everything else. “Okay, fine, yes. I still am not sure that completing the trial hiding behind someone over level 50 is really in the spirit of the rite though.”

“Who said anything about letting you depend on me? This is supposed to be a group activity you know. I’m sure I can lure over enough monsters that you can fight your fair share.”

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Lindle started sweating and Madam Holly laughed again. “Oh, this will be fun. Now I’m joking. Well, about the attracting a horde of monsters part, not about you pulling your own weight. Might be a good chance to whip you into shape, maybe earn you a good feat, most do during their rite.”

Lindle didn’t stop sweating. “I already have three…” He muttered. It was well known that feats got progressively harder to earn the more of them you got during each tier, including before you got your first class. On average people would earn three, Lindle didn’t want to know what she could have planned that would earn him a fourth.

“Ah, a challenge aye? I’m a bit excited now. I’ll need to pick out somewhere nice and challenging.”

Lindle fumbled over his words. “Well I’ve already picked out a class. A crafting one, so I don’t want to earn anything that could make me lose it, or not fit my build.” Lindle doubted that a feat he could earn from risking his life against a giant monster or whatever else Madam Holly might have in mind for him would net him something rarer than Artificer, never mind three sometimes that would push it out of his options, but he didn’t mention that.

She paused. “A crafter?” She looked at him up and down, raising an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

He frowned and nodded. He had faced a lot of pushback once he had shared that he had no intention of pursuing a martial class as he grew up, as well as some mocking and accusations of cowardice from the other children, but he hadn’t ever had any thoughts of changing his mind once he had made it up.

Scanning his face, Madam Holly shrugged. “It’s your choice. Hmm…” She put a hand to her chin and considered. “In that case… a man’s got to be able to gather his own supplies, yes I do believe I’ve got an idea.” She cackled to herself a little.

That didn’t seem good. He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.

“You go on home. As the eldest in our little group, as is tradition, taking charge of planning how we undergo the rite falls to me, pending the approval of an elder of course.” She smiled innocently as if she wasn’t an elder and capable of approving her own plan. “I’ll come find you the day after tomorrow so we can leave. Ah, let me escort you out.”

“Wai-” Before Lindle could say anything else the world blurred as one moment Lindle was in the room, and the next Lindle was outside the White Hall, a flurry of snow kicked up around him. People glanced at him standing dumbfounded but continued on their way. Did she just grab him and move him outside before he could react? he looked around for her, but the most powerful child in the village was nowhere to be found.

***

“So yeah, I have no idea what she’s planning, but if I die in two days that’s going to be why.” Lindle finished his story to the trio of adventurers.

They were all sitting at one of the booths downstairs in Mr. Dalton’s Inn. Rosato and Dorothea were both nursing drinks as Chip had a glass of juice. Theodore was out on a solo monster-hunting quest. They all exchanged glances.

Rosato spoke first. “Are you going to be okay? You’re making this sound kind of dangerous. You don’t need to do this if you don’t want to. You’re planning on leaving sometime in the future anyway right?”

Lindle had shared his general plans with the adventurers, who had been happy to support Lindle in his goal to become a wayfarer for his class. Generally speaking, they were all wayfarers as well, even if Chip was reaching an age where if he didn’t advance tiers soon it would probably mean retirement from adventuring.

“Well yeah, but it’s not like I want to leave forever or cut ties or anything like that. This is my home.” He sighed. “And yeah, I’m probably being a bit melodramatic, she’s one of the migration leaders, I don’t think she would actually risk my life or anything. I do want to do this, it’s just probably going to suck.” He sulked a bit. Once he had finally unlocked Artificer, he had been looking forward to a few months to dedicate to exploring Ethos and preparing for his class risk-free.

Seeing that he wasn’t being pressured against his will or at serious risk, an amused smile came over Rosato’s face and he patted Lindle’s shoulder sympathetically. “In my experience, high-level individuals can be quite a handful when they hit old age, they tend to find interesting ways to amuse themselves.”

“Ah. I can’t wait to become an old lady Veteran.” Dorothea sighed dreamily. “The fun I could have messing with apprentices by acting the eccentric old witch. You’re so lucky Chip.”

The halfling snorted and shoved her, causing her to almost spill her drink. Chip turned to Lindle. “As long as everything’s alright, all you wanted was to blow off some steam?”

“Yeah. But I also wanted to invite you all to the after-ceremony. The rite itself is for Glaicans only, but afterward, there’s a small ceremony to celebrate. Usually it’s a big affair involving the families of everyone who participates, but if it’s just going to be me and the old lady I think it would be nice if you all came. Theodore too.”

The adventurers all smiled and nodded. Over the past few months, they had all talked regularly between the quests they took and Lindle’s practice with Nothing. Outside of his Mom and Nothing he couldn’t really think of anyone else he wanted there.

Maybe he could invite some of his old school friends like Humphrey, they had all drifted apart once they passed their rites and gotten classes, but perhaps he should do it anyway.

For now though, Lindle had to get ready for another trip into the Reach, this time with a crazy old lady who could beat a Frost Wyrm to death with her fists.