CHAPTER 63: I’m still around
My name is Shane Karosaki and I’m a mechanical engineer and against my will I landed up in a fantasy kingdom called Aryonne. I’ve already shared a lot about our previous adventures, but I thought you might appreciate a recap of my new life up to now.
Despite some similarities with earth, in that world I’m surrounded by fantasy creatures, most of which would love nothing better than to have me over for lunch, and then not in a friendly way either. Despite my rather rocky start there, I managed to make some good friends. I worked for a boss that liked sleeping when he should be working, and I somehow hooked up with an ex-military commander called Karato that liked to beat the crap out of me during sword practice sparring sessions. Personally, I think he kept an eye on me on the behest of King Leopold, ruler of the Kingdom of Aryonne, but that didn’t bother me in the least. A failed military campaign we supported forced my boss and I to spend some time in the capital city of Shimmerstal. I got to meet King Leopold for the first time. Both Karato and King Leopold treated me well and I had no room for complaint.
Other than that, an unscrupulous slave trader tricked me into buying a beautiful female catkin slave called Hana, who has fortunately turned out to be someone I like and who helped me on many of my adventuring quests. Unfortunately for her, she’s closer to me that she would probably prefer because I was stupid enough not to read the fine print on her slave contract first. Because she cannot remove her slave collar, it still controls her, and she is bound by the collar contract and can’t move further than fifty paces from me. If it sounded remotely romantic, then until one discovered the toilet is usually further than fifty paces in that fantasy world. In a place without modern indoor amenities, well you can guess the rest. Let’s just say we spend a lot of time together.
Hana and I completed an exciting quest to collect marsh iron from the Wildermere Marshlands in the North and then we returned to Obon.
Then there is the small issue of my aptitude for skills. Skills it turned out was a way to physically manipulate matter through something called ethereal energy. For some reason the people of that world are unable to utilise it although most of them seem to have it. Perhaps because I’m not originally from that world, I can use it.
While on earth, my father taught me a lot about that fantasy world for some reason. Although at the time I confess I thought he was only two steps shy of becoming an asylum resident. When everything he taught me came alarmingly true, I wondered if he tried to prepare me for that place, knowing that one day I would go there? I now want to look for him when I’m able to do that.
Once again, I found myself in Obon with the Marsh Iron Quest completed and Obon resupplied with enough food to last a while. Thanks to Hana, the excellent adventuring team called the Red Sparrows, and my skills we came through and survived.
As for the general goings on, Haruhime accepted Hana’s presence quite amicably it seemed, but I still sensed a deeper underlying current of jealousy. Haruhime crammed Hana’s bed into my room once again because she thought of us as married for some reason, regardless of my protests to the contrary. Who knew what sorts of strange cultural things happened in Aryonne? The day following our return from the Marsh Iron quest, Karato and the old man sat down with Hana and I for breakfast at the Inn. The recent food restrictions must have been really bad because Haruhime served us an insipid, thin, warmed up soup, the same dinner leftovers from the previous night. I hoped that the inn quickly received the new supplies since we brought with a lot of effort, fighting hordes of goblins, direwolves and ogres to get it there. Generally, the food in the inn wasn’t that fantastic, but it was far worse than usual. Thankfully Karato distracted me with a subject I long pondered about.
“How would you like to start dungeon delving? Personally, I think you’re both more than ready to enter the dungeon.”
After I heard from Haruhime the surprising news about Obon’s dungeon, I hoped to have a closer look at it. I just wasn’t sure how to go about it though. I mean, do you just go waltzing in and slaughter anything that moves?
“Yes, I’d like to go delving.”
“And you Hana?”
She nodded enthusiastically. I’m glad he asked her; I didn’t want to place her at risk if she didn’t want to participate. Karato continued explaining.
“Then the old man and I agree that I will help train you both to delve the Adios dungeon starting with and continuing from the next moon cycle.”
A moon cycle held about six weeks. Converting moon cycles into weeks all the time did my head in. I thought I would be used to that by then.
Yea olde white bearded mind reader calling himself Grenfell must have known because he immediately commented.
“You can have the next three days off Shane. You deserve it.”
Only three days? I felt that completing that marsh quest deserved at least a month. Three days it was then, it would have to be sufficient. There were a few things I wanted to do around town in that time. Karato then rattled on about other things, but I only mentally re-joined the monologue when he mentioned our future plans.
“When you start, I’ll take both of you for early morning training sessions and then after lunch’s you’ll work at the Dryad like usual. However, I would like you to spend half a day with me at the guild tomorrow for a dungeon delving induction course.”
Just when I thought I could live an ordinary, sedentary life, it seemed I couldn’t escape Karato’s training sessions although I couldn’t complain seeing he was escorting us into the dungeon, somewhere neither Hana nor I operated before. Karato arranged to meet us at the adventurer guild at sunrise the next day. The guild strongly recommended that all newbies to the dungeon, like us, undergo half-day induction courses so our first day of training ended up being more of a teaching session with the guild.
After we said fare thee well to the bearded ones, I took Hana to a remote area outside the town. Where no one could watch us, I transferred some clothing from my storage into the large cloth bag the old toothless hag at the second-hand clothing shop in Shimmerstal gave me. From there I led her to a ramshackle of a house.
“Ah, this could probably be described as my first house. For all intents and purposes, I practically consider it my home.”
I said to Hana, who looked surprised for some reason. I think she didn’t expect me to divulge information about myself, or perhaps she was wondering why I stayed in such a rundown place.
Alma, who was alone at the house, met me at the door.
“Hi Shane, it’s good to see you again. I thought you were in Shimmerstal? You’re looking particularly well. And who is this beautiful young lady with you?”
“This is Hana. Hana this is Alma.”
Alma then caught a glimpse of Hana’s slave collar.
“Well Hana, it’s nice to meet you. If Shane is anything to go by, I think I’m in for an interesting story. As you can obviously see, we’re not ones for pomp and ceremony so please come in and sit down.”
Sitting down at that table was giving me nostalgia. I couldn’t believe it; why would I feel like that, there of all places? It wasn’t the house, that much I could tell. I decided it was only because of Alma, Orilay and how the family unselfishly accepted me. Hana’s quick senses took a good look at the house, she could plainly see they were poor. I didn’t know it at the time, but something reminded her of her home.
“I’m sorry you just missed Orilay Shane, he left early this morning.”
“They’re still working with all the monsters in the forest?”
Alma had a twinge of regret on her face, I could see she preferred that Orilay not be there.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Yes. It’s regrettable. We’re only lucky the monsters haven’t attacked the encampment yet. You’ve seen for yourself that we live a fine line. If something happens to Orilay, not only will these children have lost a father and a breadwinner, but I will have also lost my husband. Between the lack of food in town and lack of money, if it wasn’t for your help a while ago we would’ve been in far worse condition by now, probably needing to take a loan from Mr. Marset. His interest rates are so high we would’ve battled to pay off the debt.”
I felt a fire burn inside of me, I could feel my hands and face burning as anger started to consume me. I was ready to visit that Mr. Marset and put things right. That’s when Hana, who had been sitting next to me on the bench, took my hand in hers. I felt a cool sensation wash through my body as if I had been dipped in the sea. Hana and Alma looked troubled. I felt better and I didn’t want Alma to dwell too long on the present problems, so I asked her a question.
“Alma, what would you like, if someone could grant you one wish?”
Alma never expected a question like that. Her life was filled with the reality surviving day to day. Dreams were for people who could afford them, far from Alma’s reality. For the first time in a very long while, she told someone a small dream of hers.
“I’d like Orilay to have a decent paying job here in Obon. He used to earn a decent salary as an adventurer working with the military in Shimmerstal, but after we moved here we’ve decided that working as an adventurer in the dungeon was just too dangerous. We didn’t have the money to start our own business so we do the best we can with the available work.”
She didn’t mention why they moved to Obon out of all places, and I didn’t feel free to ask. I continued with another subject.
“What business would you start if you could?”
“What kind of question is that? I don’t dare dream of it, it’ll just work me up, it will.”
“I’m serious Alma, what would you do?”
She seemed almost shy to tell me, as if relating a secret.
“Well, if you insist. My mother taught me to sew, and I’ve always wanted to be a seamstress and have my own shop. If I may boast for a short while, I’ll say I’m one of the better out there. Even those in the capital would battle to hold a candle next to my skill.”
Alma’s hope fired far brighter than I realised. A flame like that needed fanning, not with false hope, but with tangible acts.
“Would you be willing to train others if you could start your own shop?”
“She nodded. I would love to train these children.”
At that moment I developed another mission in my life.
“I’m assuming your limitation other than money, is the materials?”
Alma nodded.
“You’re right there.”
And then I saw the shutters closing on her hope again.
“I’ll tell you my dream then.”
The shutters stopped for a moment as I spoke of my hope.
“I’ll tell you my dream, I’ve shared with no one. Not even Hana here, who has been the closest to me, knows of it.”
Well, you can guess that both Hana and Alma’s full attention focused on me.
“I want to change Obon. Not only do I believe that, but I also know I can. You were the first people that took me in when I had nothing. I would not only like to repay that kindness to you, but I would also like to do that for Obon and make it a place where people would dream to live.”
“How just how are you planning to do that?”
Alma asked.
“One step at a time, and I always start at home. Would you join me, no, join us in this endeavour?”
I put the large bag of clothes on the table and started taking them out. I took out the second-hand clothes, the rabbit fur lines moccasin type indoor shoes, and the small mittens and even my proselytes’ donated clothing were added to the pile. I arranged for them to be washed at Violet’s inn beforehand if anyone wondered about that.
“What’s all this?”
Alma asked as she looked at the small fur lined moccasin shoes. Something didn’t seem right about her attitude though, almost as if inherited a burden. At that moment Hana wisely interjected.
“Shane. Could you step outside for a while, I’d like to have a moment to speak with Alma?”
Hana gave me a deadpan face I couldn’t read. Or rather, I could infer that it was a not-so-subtle message to go somewhere within fifty paces where I couldn’t hear their conversation. I wondered who was the slave in our relationship? Dumb question, I guessed.
“I’ll be outside.”
Hana watched Shane leave and then she turned to Alma.
“Shane is like a block of ice under the midday sun. His heart will melt at anyone needing help. But don’t mistake what he’s done here as charity.”
There was a dead silence as Hana paused for a moment for her words to sink in.
“Shane sees what he’s doing as his duty to you. Whatever you’ve done to earn that, consider it something rare and precious. If you reject this, it will devastate him, and goodness will suffer today.”
“But this is so…so overwhelming, why would he do all this for us, what about him and his survival?”
“No need to worry about his survival, I won’t let him die. I’ll give you my word that if doing these things for you means he’ll suffer, I’ll be the first to stop him.”
Hana took out five small gold coins, took Alma’s worn hands and put the gold coins in it and closed her hand again.
“This is charity, just between you and me. I’m giving this to you so that you can look Shane in the eyes, without concern for the future, and tell him that his dream will come true.”
Awash with emotions, Alma’s heart couldn’t keep pace with her mind. The power Hana emanated before her was plain overwhelming. How could a slave say and do such deeply powerful things unless she loved Shane more than any amount of gold coins could. That she would be willing to give out so many gold coins, to ensure Shane’s success. And just how much money did that slave have on her, was that normal?
“Besides,”
Hana said in a lighter tone and a smile,
“take him on his word because he’s going to change Obon. I’ll guarantee it.”
After I returned to the house, both Hana and Alma smiled at me. I didn’t know what had transpired there, but I decided it wiser not to ask. Despite my initial misgivings, Alma happily thanked me for the clothing. She seemed particularly happy at getting some new children’s clothing. She paused at the set of neatly folded men’s clothes.
“Ah, yes…that. Some nice men donated those to charity. Feel free to sell them or use them as you wish.”
Alma watched me like the very first time she helped me when she gave Tomu that clip on the head. I felt like she searched my soul with that gaze. I decided it a convenient time to change the subject.
“Where’s Tomu?”
“He’s playing out in the bush. I’ll tell him you’re in town again. I know he’ll be very happy to see you.”
“I couldn’t help but smile, although I wasn’t sure if being appreciated by a boy with a mercantile spirit was a good or bad thing.”
By the time we left Alma I was looking forward to the next few weeks.