The next morning, Gideon, Grimsby, Clonk, Berenyn, and Shylvena headed down the mountain pass to Emberly. Gideon had told Berenyn that he didn’t need to come if he wasn’t feeling up to it. However, the elf insisted that exercise was precisely what he needed, and Shylvena seemed to follow him wherever he went.
The five of them together were quite the sight. Elves were a minority in Acretan, and Grimsby had once again donned his complete disguise. To top it off, they were accompanied by a knight in full plate mail during the hottest days of summer.
The cart was almost empty, except for a few apple pies that Grimsby had baked for Aurora and Simeon as a token of appreciation for their continued assistance. Gideon walked next to the cart, enjoying the aroma of the pies. Grimsby had forbidden anyone from trying them until the pies were delivered, but Gideon’s stomach was already rumbling.
He was eager to pick up their new window from Aurora and procure more building materials from the village. He still had some of the money Kelvan had given him and was hoping that if he and Clonk could take care of a couple more Blight Tunnelers, they could make up the slack.
In the back of his mind, however, he kept thinking about returning to Prospera. After talking it over last night, he realized he felt less worried than before. Though Elysion’s heat was beating down on them, Gideon’s steps felt light and easy.
Before setting out that morning, he’d had another duel in Kelvan’s mirror, followed by half an hour of meditation. The duel went more smoothly now that Gideon was a little more comfortable with the environment and knew more of what to expect.
He had bombarded his reflection with a volley of [Hail of Stone] spells, wearing down its defenses before following up with a [Quake]. Unlike Gideon, the reflection did not seem creative with its use of magic. Once trapped by the [Quake], the reflection hadn’t been able to free itself before getting hit by an [Echo] of projectiles from Gideon’s staff. Constant aggression, without a moment of pause, had trounced the reflection. By the end, Gideon was sweating but completely unharmed.
Best of all, he hadn’t even received the dreaded [Low Mana Warning].
Kelvan had promised that the mirror would be a more formidable opponent next time—that with each victory Gideon achieved, Kelvan would slowly ramp up the difficulty. Gideon was already considering alternate strategies to win the next round.
He walked with his new staff hanging from one shoulder, which he had placed in a durable canvas carrying case to protect it from the elements. He’d found the case amongst Kelvan’s old things in the training chamber. Though weathered, it seemed well taken care of, and Kelvan had approved of Gideon using it. The initials K.K. were stitched onto the top of the strap.
Though his robes were still the gray color of a novice, Gideon was now an apprentice and should have worn dark red robes instead. The thought made him smile. He had spent so many years dreaming of advancing as a wizard when he was still at EnviroCharm.
Clonk was at the head of the group, humming to himself as they walked. Gideon thought he recognized the tune as a famous battle anthem, though he couldn’t quite place it. Meanwhile, Shylvena and Berenyn were having a quiet conversation in Elvish at the rear.
Gideon walked in the middle, still trying to decide what he wanted to do that night after they returned. Should he read more of the [Appraise] skill book or return to his geomancy studies and try to practice [Seismic Wave] and [Geosense]? Or crack open the vitamancy book he’d found in the library for the first time?
There were so many options that Gideon found himself daydreaming. In truth, he wanted to do everything. Still, he also realized he needed to make the most of his time. One of the things recommended in the [Appraise] skill book was to practice the skill as much as possible on as many different targets, even if it would only give him minimal information until he became more adept at it.
Surreptitiously, he pointed his finger at Clonk’s back and tried to imagine the skill in his mind. He looked with both his eyes and his magical senses, trying to perceive what lay underneath the surface level of reality in the flow of Clonk's mana, just as the book had instructed. He almost shouted, “Appraise!” before an image of Kelvan shaking his head popped into his mind, and he closed his mouth. After a moment of concentration, a status window suddenly appeared in his vision.
Congratulations!
You have used the skill Appraise for the first time. Appraise has been added to your skill list at Wood Rank, Grade D.
Gideon blinked, clearing the notification, eager to look at the one underneath it.
Status Name: Sir ??? “Clonk” ???
Warning: Further Information Unknown
Spirit’s Connection to System Has Been Degraded
What did I expect? Gideon thought to himself. If it was that easy, he probably could have told me himself.
“Ooh, that tickled,” Clonk said and turned around. “You trying to magic me, lad?”
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
“Sorry,” Gideon replied. “I was testing out Appraise.”
“Ah. It’s not very informative, is it?”
“No,” Gideon said. “Sorry.”
Clonk sighed, his helm hanging low for a moment. “If you ever learn anything, let me know.”
“I will,” Gideon said. “I’ll keep practicing.” Though Gideon doubted he would ever be able to tell Clonk anything that Kelvan couldn’t perceive himself. Not for a long, long time, at least.
The skill book had also recommended trying [Appraise] on objects, not just on people, so Gideon chose his next target, a boulder by the side of the trail.
Gideon looked at the rock, pointed at it—according to the book, pointing wasn’t necessary, but Gideon felt it helped him focus—and tried to activate the skill.
Boulder Description: It is a large rock.
He blinked the notification away. Though it was useless, he couldn’t help but grin. It was starting to feel a little more natural.
For the next few minutes, he tried appraising every object he could see—patches of grass, dirt, and different types of trees. As they descended the mountain, the trees grew thicker on either side of the path and more varied. Though the notifications only told him things he already knew, it was an easy way to pass the time.
After a moment, he realized there was another target he wanted to test out. Pointing at the apple pies on the cart, he focused again.
Grimsby’s Homemade Apple Pie
Description: It’s delicious!
According to the skill book, the descriptions for such objects came partly from Gideon’s own perception and what he could see beneath their surface, as informed by his rank in the [Appraise] skill.
Then he tried it on Grimsby himself:
Status Name: Grimsby Harrington
Warning: Further Information Obscured
Ah, so the warning message was a little different this time. The system had more information on Grimsby, but Gideon wasn't adept enough yet to perceive it. “Your last name is Harrington?” he asked.
“I come from a long line of Harringtons. Or, I used to.” Grimsby chuckled. “Don’t know what they’re up to these days.”
“Were most of them chefs?”
Grimsby’s jaw flew open, and he cackled so loudly it echoed through the mountain pass. “Nah, bub. I was a bit of a black sheep, I’m afraid. Pops was a highwayman and blackguard, and my Mom was a professional gambler and con artist. I’m afraid to say I severely disappointed them by not following in their footsteps. But they’re long dead now, and I’m still kicking, so I guess I got the last laugh, didn’t I?”
Gideon thought about this new information for a moment. Though it surprised him, it also made perfect sense. Was that why Grimsby had been defensive about being labeled a thief the other day? No wonder.
Perhaps his parents would have been proud of the Rattlebandit moniker, however.
Sir Clonk abruptly stopped in the middle of the road, and Gideon was so lost in thought that he almost walked right into the knight.
Gideon leaned around his plated shoulder, trying to see what had caused such a reaction, only to catch sight of a massive brown bear standing to one side of the trail, staring at them intently.
Strangely, the bear stood on two feet, and their paws were folded awkwardly in front of their body. After staring at the group for a long moment, the bear let out a growl and slammed its front feet into the dirt as if trying to intimidate them.
“Grimsby, do your thing!” Gideon shouted.
“What the blazes are you rattling about?” Grimsby said, turning towards Gideon.
“You said you wrestled a bear once, didn’t you?”
The bear growled again and began to approach.
Grimsby turned his skull back and forth between Gideon and the bear, then shrugged. “Oh, did I say that?” Grimsby asked, chuckling. “I’m afraid I don’t seem to remember that particular conversation, bub.”
“Really?” Gideon said. “Because you said it just the other day. We were coming up the mountain, and you said, and I quote, ‘I’ve got all the stats. I wrestled a bear.’ Sound familiar?”
“I remember!” Sir Clonk said helpfully. “I remember everything except all the things I don’t remember. Now you can demonstrate your technique for us, Grimsby. I am eager to see which wrestling style you trained in.”
The bear sprang forward, charging towards them. There was something that Gideon still found strange about the situation, an unusual look in the bear's eyes that hinted at more than animal instinct.
Clonk held out his hand and said, “Halt right there! Lest ye be wrestled to the ground by my companion. He comes from a long line of hardened criminals and circus performers, so beware!”
Gideon could have sworn the bear gave Sir Clonk a strange look, almost as if it understood him, before dodging around the armored knight.
There was no time to get out his staff, but Gideon held out one hand, a [Hail of Stone] beginning to form in his mind. But his sense of caution stayed his hand. He couldn’t shake the feeling that despite the bear's aggressiveness, there was more to them than met the eye.
Instead of a spell, Gideon used [Appraise], and a status window materialized.
Status Name: Melissa Mossbrook
Warning: Further Information Obscured
What? How does a bear have a name?
Gideon found himself quite speechless as the bear stood on her hind legs and reached into the cart, sniffing the apple pies. He could have sworn the bear made a noise that sounded like, “Mmm,” before she grabbed two pies, bowed her head towards their group, and strolled away.
For a moment, no one moved, standing in shock as the bear—walking on two feet again, pies balanced carefully on her paws—sauntered off the path and headed back into the forest, seemingly without a care in the world.
Grimsby began to chase after them, raising his fist as he shouted, “Hands off my confectioneries, you foul beast!”
“Wait, Grimsby,” Gideon said, reaching for the skeleton’s arm, though it was too late. “That’s not a bear!”
As Grimsby reached the edge of the trees, vines seemed to spring up from the dirt, wrapping around the skeleton’s legs, holding him in place as the bear disappeared into the foliage. From somewhere deep in the trees came the sound of a young girl’s laughter.
“No, indeed not,” Berenyn said. He’d come up behind them, his footsteps so quiet Gideon hadn’t noticed. “That’s a druid.”
----------------------------------------
Copyright © 2023 Tater Prince. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or used in any manner without the prior written permission of the copyright owner, except for the use of brief quotations in a review.
This novel is only posted here on Royal Road. If you see it anywhere else, please let me know! Thank you.