A sharp knocking rattled the doorframe, before the door finally creaked open. A withered, gray-haired woman pushed the door open, and looked out cautiously. “Hello, can I help you?” the elderly lady asked, her body mostly hidden by the door.
“Hi, I’m here with your delivery from the guild’s postal division,” Troy greeted with a wave, Alcydes standing next to him. He then glanced down at the written name on the bundle of cloth, and asked the woman, “Just to double-check, but this is the ‘Grannie Agnes Apothecary’, right?”
At his question, the elderly woman visibly perked up. “Oh, you must have my potion supplies!” she crooned, and fully opened the door. With surprising speed, she snatched the package from Troy and looked it over. She shook it a few times, then finally pulled out her own pendant and tapped it to the guild’s seal holding the wrapping together. The seal shined for a moment, then green before it faded into thin air.
As the woman cracked the package open, the pungent aroma of spices hit Troy’s nose like someone spilled a tub of cumin and chili powder in a hallway. The woman cackled in delight, and soon closed the bag back up. “Excellent - This will make for some high-quality fireheart potions to help warm sailors out on the water,” she commented, her eyes crinkled in excitement, “Your guild should get the confirmation for the successful delivery shortly.”
Troy grinned at her answer. But as the woman turned back inside, she stilled at an unseen problem. “Actually, if you have some spare time, could you help me with a small problem?” the woman beseeched with a tremor in her voice, “I’m afraid my main cauldron has fallen off its stand, and my old bones can’t move it myself. Could a strong lad like yourself help set it back up?”
Troy hummed at the request, and eventually shrugged in agreement. “Sure, I can give it a shot at least,” he told her, and carefully stepped inside after her. As he looked around, Troy was internally surprised at how organized the apothecary was. There weren’t pots and loose packs laid out on every surface, or open flames next to vital ingredients. Instead, low-hanging shelves had labels on each front, with the jars and boxes given distinct sections for them.
“Well, dearie, there’s my cauldron,” the grandmotherly woman said with a pointed finger, “It’s still over the firepit, thankfully.” When Troy looked through the entryway, he winced at the sight of a massive, boulder-sized cast iron hemisphere tilted heavily on one side. After some inspecting of the carved hole in the ground, Troy stood back up with a huff.
“Yeah, that’s definitely stuck there. Especially with the rock being misplaced,” he tossed out, and looked around the room speculatively. As he glanced up at the ceiling, he paused in thought before he asked her, “A quick question, but how high does the cauldron need to be raised up?”
The woman tilted her head at the question, and tapped her wrist with a chipped fingernail. “Well, the stonework is built to let me just slip the wood in, so only far enough to pass over the stone ring,” she eventually answered. As Troy began to unravel his rope from his backpack, she peered at him with narrowed eyes. “What do you have in mind?”
“Good, that means I’ll need less force to move it,” Troy responded, and held his rope in one hand. With a rush of mana, Troy stared down at the rope before he finally uttered, “[Ranged Control - Rope].” His mana sank into the woven threads, and it soon began to twitch. With a mental push, the end of the cord rose up, and Troy made it jump over the ceiling beam.
After the controlled cord had looped around the cauldron multiple times and back over the wooden frame, Troy took hold of each end with both hands. While it was hard to tell if the beam would stay sturdy, the path of the weave should help make it work…! With a low groan, Troy pulled on the rope and stepped back. The rope quickly became taut, and soon, the cauldron began to lift up.
While the wooden support faintly creaked under the weight, the pot quickly realigned by the ropes pulled at its handlebars. Once it had visibly risen, Troy stopped moving and shifted his grip to only hold the rope in one hand. He then cautiously snuck forward, and as the grip became tenuous, Troy snagged the pot’s handle and pulled it over its fire pit. Now that the cauldron was in place, Troy slackened his grip and let the pot lower in place.
The cauldron set down with a low gong, and with his request done, Troy quickly recoiled the rope with his skill. “There we go,” he chimed, and turned to look at the elderly woman, “Does that work for you?” He watched as she walked around the pot, but as she knelt down, a burning sensation on his palm made him let go of the rope with a curse.
The elder looked it over a bit more, then clapped her hands together. “You did an amazing job here, young man!” she praised, and gave him a grateful smile, “Thank you for helping an old lady with her dilemma. I will be sure to let the guild know of your kindness.”
Troy smiled at the comment, and gave a nod back to her. “Anyways, I have to go confirm the delivery, but I hope you have a good day,” he told her, then threw his rope over his shoulder. As the elderly woman waved him off, Troy walked back outside and went over to Alcydes, the elven child lying slouched on the grass.
As the kid threw a small dagger up and down in the air, Troy gave a small cough to get his attention. “Alright, that’s taken care of,” he told Alcydes, then pointed back towards the town center, “Let’s head back to the guild to mark this last quest off for the day.” Alcydes visibly perked up at this, and caught the dagger before he darted over to Troy.
The two walked together in silence for several seconds towards the guild. As they passed under a withered tree though, Alcydes suddenly asked, “Why did you help her?” Troy glanced down at Alcydes in surprise, and the boy flushed before he added, “You’re already doing two to three quests a day. And Glass quests are only dropping things off. You could already be a Brick-ranked adventurer if you did more. So why did you help her?”
Troy pursed his lips at the question, then scratched his head in contemplation. “Well, that’s a big question,” he told Alcydes, then turned contemplative, “But I guess it comes down to multiple reasons.” Now that he had Alcydes’s attention, Troy began to count it off on his fingers, “Firstly, doing all these quests helps me get more familiar with the town. It’s important to know who’s who when you’re new to town; Secondly, as I’m only a Glass-Rank like you said, I’m able to use this to safely practice my own skills while I’m still starting off; And thirdly, don’t forget we gotta drive back and forth to the house, so I can’t cram several quests in at one time. Hell, even three a day seems to be pushing it. And with how many years they’ve lived, you should always help your elders when they need it.”
“But why help her needlessly?” Alcydes persisted, visibly confused with wide eyes, “It’s completely pointless.”
Troy smirked at the question and tapped his nose. “I think you’re taking the idea of benefits a bit too narrowly.” When Alcydes turned from confused to bewildered, Troy confided in the boy, “You see, when it comes to standing out among your co-workers, a major factor is reputation. Sure, there might be a dozen folks who have the same skills, but if you know one is trustworthy, you tend to go with them over someone you don’t know.” When Alcydes tilted his head, he gave a grin and added, “Besides, old folks are always great sources of information. Always treat them nicely, and they’ll be happy to teach you if you’re interested in learning from them.”
Alcydes was still confused at the explanation, but Troy ruffled his hair and began to speed up. “Anyways, we should probably get going to make dinner back at home. Race you to the guild!” he jested and sprinted towards the guild. Alcydes let out a noise at that, and soon ran level with Troy as they both raced towards the main hall.
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Troy let out a heavy breath as he stumbled through the door, mud splattered all over his pants. “God damn, those shelled bastards are getting crafty,” he grumbled as he trudged back in, Alcydes following shortly behind.
As Alcydes quickly scrambled over to the counter for an orange, Troy walked over to the garage door and stepped out into the extension. After he scooted around his car, Troy pulled out his pendant and pointed it at the empty space. “[Storage - Release],” he commanded, feeding mana into the pendant while his mind focused on the ATV. A quick flash of green filled the room, and soon the ATV re-appeared on all four wheels.
Troy did a quick circle around, giving it a once-over for any dents, then finally walked away. As he did so, Troy took off his backpack, and pointed his pendant at his adventuring gear. He then chanted, “[Storage]” again, and his equipment vanished into the guild tag. Troy smirked in awed amusement at the pendant as the glow faded. While it had taken him a few days to learn the skill from Alcydes, it was honestly a miracle at how it stored things for him. If he ever figured out how to make it scientifically, he could make a killing in the shipping industry.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Troy snorted at the idea, and pocketed his pendant on his path back to the kitchen. All that would get him would be attention on all scales, and that wasn’t what he needed.
As he entered the kitchen, he tossed the bracelet in a drawer before he sat down next to Alcydes. “So, what should we make for supper tonight?” he asked the kid as he glanced around, trying to figure out his options, “We could make some chicken stir-fry, chicken soup. Maybe some hot dogs and handmade fries…”
Alcydes continued to nibble on his orange slices, then swallowed his mouthful of pulp. “Could we have beef?” he asked, looking up at Troy expectantly.
Troy fought back a grin at the boy’s wide-eyed look, and tapped his chin in exaggerated thought. “I suppose we can do some beef stroganoff,” he eventually relented, and stood up to walk over to the fridge, “Let me just see if we still have any ground beef.” Thankfully, Troy only had to rummage through his fridge for a moment before he soon had the meat cooking in his pan.
As Troy flipped the meat over in the pan, keeping the meat brown, he froze when he heard the doorbell ring. He glanced over at Alcydes, the elven boy on high alert, then turned the burner on low. “Wait here. I’ll go see who it is,” he told Alcydes, and snuck up to the front door. Once he arrived at the entryway, he peered through the peephole, only to blink in surprise at Carter standing on the doorstep. What was he doing here?
While Troy would normally be happy to see his cousin, the presence of Alcydes in the kitchen was a burning weight on his mind. It would be easy to explain away the ATV and rifle being used, especially when there was wildlife and dirt trails around the house. But how on earth could he explain just having a kid out of nowhere? Troy fought with himself mentally, but when his cousin began to press the doorbell insistently, Troy sighed in frustration before he finally opened the door.
As the door swung inwards, the burly man stopped playing with the doorbell and gave a wide grin. “Troy! I thought you had been out!” Carter greeted before he pulled Troy into a big hug.
Troy squirmed at the unexpected contact, but Carter gave a shaky grin. “Sorry about that, Carter,” he responded, and barely slipped out of the bear hug, “I just woke up from a nap a bit ago and was making some supper.”
At the mention of food, Carter perked up and sniffed the air speculatively. “I’m smelling hamburger… and noodles? Are you making beef stroganoff?” he asked aloud, quickly identifying the meal. When Troy gave a slow nod, Carter grinned and walked past him without any warning. “In that case, how about I join you for supper? I haven’t seen you all week, outside of that phone call!” Carter offered as he strode towards the kitchen.
Troy froze in shock at Carter’s blatant self-invitation, then immediately spun around and hastily rushed after Carter. “Actually, I was only making a small batch for myself, since I had run out of ground beef,” he bluffed, mind awhirl with possible excuses, “However, if you want to pop by tomorrow, I’m sure I could-”
Troy’s words cut off when he slammed into a now-still Carter, and he stepped back out of instinct. As he looked at his cousin, Troy’s heart sank at how Carter silently stared at Alcydes. The elven child stared back undauntingly, surprising Troy at how he met Carter’s curious gaze steadily. After an awkward staring contest, Carter broke it off to give Troy a multi-faceted glance, then finally put on a wide grin.
“Why cuz, you didn’t tell me you had a guest over,” Carter teased, and walked over to Alcydes with a jolly gait. Alcydes tensed at the large man approaching him, but Carter stopped a few feet away and sat down across from the kid. “Gotta say, I didn’t expect to see one of Troy’s friends pop over so soon. What’s your name, kiddo?” Carter asked, resting his chin on propped hands.
“...Alcydes,” the elven boy eventually answered, his hand reaching under the table. While Alcydes was highly suspicious of the new arrival, Carter chuckled and leaned back in his seat.
“Nice to meet you, Al,” Carter replied, giving a small wave to the kid. Troy stared in amazement, only for Carter to give him an expectant look. “So, is there any chance I could have a meal with you guys, ooor…?” Troy flushed at the question, but as the scent of smoke hit his nostrils, Troy cursed before he ran over to the stove. After the food was saved and mixed together, the three soon began to eat the meal together, an awkward aura over the table.
As Troy bit down into a particularly burnt chunk of ground beef, Carter looked at him speculatively. “So, Carter, how did you meet your friend here?” he asked, before he took a big bite of his meal.
Troy chewed slowly at the question, using his mouthful to keep from answering immediately. When he finally swallowed, he began to answer, “Well, a day or two after I moved in, I had heard something out in the woods. Went over to it, only to find Alcydes here running on foot from a big boar.”
Carter let out a whistle at that, and looked at him in interest. “Really? How big was it?”
Troy scratched his chin, then lied, “Well, it wasn’t Hogzilla, but it was definitely a sizable beast. At least three feet tall?” When Carter grew more excited, Troy was quick to add, “However, I didn’t kill it myself. I fired about twenty shots at it with your old rifle before it finally ran away.”
Carter glanced over at Alcydes, then let out a slow whistle. “Damn, talk about an absolute beast!” he commented, then rubbed his chin, “Gotta say though, I’m surprised a hog could tank twenty shots and still run away. It must’ve been a boar among boars.”
Troy shrugged at that, then gave a sheepish grin. “I’ll be surprised if all the shots actually hit,” he admitted, then stabbed a sizable chunk of beef, “With all the adrenaline at the time, I would be surprised if half the shots landed. Still, with all the blood it spilled, I’d be surprised if the beast is still alive.” Especially when he had gotten a fat porkchop from the pig served to him three days ago…
Carter slumped at that, then poked at his stroganoff. “At least the coyotes will be eating well,” he grumbled, and took a big mouthful of his food. From there, the rest of dinner passed relatively quietly, with Carter making the occasional joke. Once the last of the stroganoff got eaten up, Troy took the plates from all around the table and carried them over to the sink.
As the plates began to soak, Troy walked back over to Carter and tossed him an apple. “So, that help calm your ‘worries’ after not popping by for a week?” he asked, and began to eat his own apple.
“Yep. It was good to see you’re doing well enough, if you’re making meals like this,” Carter joked with a pat of his belly. As his bearded cousin looked around, he slowly stood up and began to head towards the door. “Anyways, I have some last-minute papers and equipment to give you for the rifle,” Carter commented, and pointed a finger to the driveway as he said, “If you’d like, I got them right in my backseat.” Troy sat up in surprise, but soon shrugged and stood up.
The two walked outside, and Carter unlocked the truck with a quiet thunk. As he leaned into the car though, Troy’s blood chilled when Carter began to talk in a low voice. “Now, Troy, I know you’re a good man at heart, so I won’t be throwing accusations out like a conspiracy theorist,” Carter calmly stated as he set his pistol on the hood of the engine, “But I know there hasn’t been any proper javelinas this far north in months. And I’ve worked with CPS often enough while on-duty to know when a kid’s not doing the best.” With his pistol in hand, Carter turned back to Troy and intently asked, “So, why is the kid at your place, rather than a foster home or his family?”
Troy’s heart raced in his chest like an engine drum, and he took in a deep breath as his thoughts raced. He knew he didn’t talk about jobs with the family, but how the hell did he forget that Carter was a cop?! It was practically a guaranteed guilty sentence if he said the wrong thing!
Troy took in several breaths to calm himself before he looked Carter in the eye. “I know that the situation is sketchy as hell, and I wasn’t lying about the boar,” he told his cousin, his hand clenching tightly, “But the kid didn’t have anyone with him, and he wasn't talking about any family he could go to. Add into it the old rags he was wearing, I couldn’t let him keep living by himself.”
Carter scowled at the answer, but relaxed his posture as he processed the information. “Alright, I can see why you’d bring him into your place,” he relented, glancing at the house past Troy for a minute, “But why not call the cops over a kid showing up? I know that the local guys won’t judge you, but it’s still pretty suspicious.”
Troy frowned at the comment, then looked down at his hands. With how little he knew about the bracelet, he couldn’t just tell Carter ‘Hey, I have a super-secret special piece of jewelry that lets me travel to worlds, oh, and it also might’ve belonged to uncle Eric.’ However, while he might have a problem with telling the full truth without all the details, there was enough to share at the time.
“Well, I was going to originally,” Troy stated, “However, despite running from a boar and living on his own, he isn’t acting like a kid who was lost by himself. With how he’s wary about meeting new people, touching anyone, speaks as little as possible, and doesn’t have any missing reports despite his deformed ears…”
He glanced back at the house with a frown, and Carter followed his gaze. “You think he was a victim of a trafficking ring,” Carter concluded, his hand coming back to hold his pistol protectively. When Troy gave a short nod, Carter cursed under his breath and ran a hand through his hair. “Dammit, I hadn’t considered that,” he growled, “We haven’t had any cases around the area at all, but if he had been evading them for a while…”
Now starting to pace, Carter muttered several profanities low under his breath before he finally rounded on Troy. “Has he said anything to you about possible suspects?” Carter demanded with a pointed finger.
“No, he’s been silent on that,” Troy refuted with a shake of the head, “I tried asking him about it, but he nearly had a mental breakdown before he could answer.” Granted, it didn’t help that Troy knew fuck-all about the other world, but with how Alcydes acted and tried to keep up the lone wolf act, he wouldn’t be surprised if there was a slave ring lurking around in the capital or other kingdoms.
Carter brewed on the lack of information, then finally lowered his pistol with a shaky hand. “God damn it, this is a real mess,” he hissed, then looked at the house. After a few seconds of thought, he finally looked back at Troy and gave a curt nod. “Alright, I can see why you did that,” he commented, and tossed his pistol in the truck before he fired it, “I won’t bring CPS down here with guns a-blazing, but promise me you’ll at least let him do an interview with the station at some point. In the meantime, I’ll start asking around if there’s been any missing cases for a possible lead. Deal?”
“Deal,” Troy responded, and got a small smile of thanks from Carter. As his cousin began to climb back in the truck, Troy’s expression faltered at the guilt of raising the wrong alarm for Alcydes’s sake, but gave a short wave as Carter drove away. Once Carter vanished from sight, Troy let out a slow breath and walked back towards the house with a brooding mind.