Year: 3045 AGD

Month: New Year

Third Fifthday

Serenity Valley

Institute of Learning

The Institute of Learning was quickly becoming the best place Shawnrik had ever lived. As much as he loved the six months that he had spent at Nim’s with Victor, the Institute had given him something that he had only scratched the surface of before he came here. He loved to learn, and he loved learning how many things he knew absolutely nothing about.

Learning that you know nothing, and that no matter how much you learn you will still know nothing in the grand scheme of things, might put some people off education, but Shawnrik was not that type of person. Every little thing that he learned he hoarded away in a vault inside his head. Each new insight brought with it a dozen different possibilities that he had never considered before. He had been at the Institute for less than two Eightdays, but he knew that no matter how long he spent here he would have more to learn.

This revelation had come during his free time the previous day. He had gone to the library to find a book on mythology that Instructor Wildthorne had talked about during class earlier that morning. Finding the check in desk conspicuously empty, Shawnrik started looking around for the wayward Librarian. A short while later, Shawnrik found Travis Augustus milling about in the back room of the library where all of the information that didn’t quite fit anywhere else in the building ended up.

The old man noticed Shawnrik passing by the door and called out, “Aerick, could you come in here for a minute? I need your height; these bones aren’t able to stretch as far as they were once able to.”

Shawnrik, stunned at being called his father’s name, was slow to move into the room. “Sure, I’ll help Mr. Augustus. I’m Shawnrik.”

“Oh! Yes, of course, I should know that. I’m sorry; I used to see your father roaming these halls a lot when he was your age. He wasn’t quite as big as you are now, though.” The old Librarian looked lost in thought for a moment before realizing he was holding a heavy stack of books. “Could you put these up on the top shelf up there?”

“Of course,” Shawnrik replied, moving in to help. “Zeta Iota One penal records?” he asked, placing the first book on the shelf.

“Oh yes, rather dry reading that, but interesting. Very interesting. There is so much information in this one room that could cause riots in the rest of the world, and so few people wish to delve into these hallowed tomes. I have been in this valley for the last eighty-six years and I’ve yet to read even half of the books in this library. There are so many things that I don’t know, and quite a few things that I know that I wish I didn't, but still the search continues.”

“That sounds like it could be frustrating. All of that information at your fingertips and only being able to know a small percentage of it.” Shawnrik had said, placing the next book on the shelf.

“It is, at times, but the rest of the time it is kind of humbling to realize that one can know so much and yet understand so little.” Travis Augustus let out a sigh and sat down in one of the large comfortable chairs that had been placed there for readers. “Your father spent a lot of time in this room after he went through the Heartstone trials. I asked him once what he was looking for, and he told me, the secrets of our universe.”

The old Librarian had scanned the room, but the out of focus look in his eyes told Shawnrik that the man was reliving more memories, maybe even of his father standing in the very spot he had occupied. Shawnrik wished at that moment that he could go inside the old man’s skull and relive those memories with him. Shawnrik didn’t even know what his father looked like anymore, his memories from early childhood making the image gradually fade away as he got older.

“Did he find the secret?” Shawnrik asked, speaking quietly so as not to jar the old Librarian out of his memories.

“What? Oh, no, I don’t think that secret is in this room. He did find another purpose a few months later, however, when your mother told him that she was pregnant. Before that moment, I didn’t think there was a force in all of creation to slow that man down. In the end, it only took two words from the woman he loved to change everything. I’ll never forget the looks on either of their faces when she told him. She was as nervous as I’d ever seen her, not knowing how he’d react; his eyes, which were always so focused, clouded over for a second before gaining a whole new clarity.” Travis Augustus smiled at Shawnrik for a moment before his smile faded away. “Then those idiots on the Council had to make that decision…”

“Shawnrik, there you are!” Verrian said, rounding the corner.

“Hello, Verrian. Is something wrong?”

“No, I just went to use the bathroom after Philosophy, and when I came back out you were nowhere to be seen. I thought you were going to help me get today’s lesson for Basic Offense figured out.”

“Oh right, sorry. I figured you would head here when you were done, so I just came here. Mr. Augustus was just telling me about my mother and father. Apparently, he used to spend quite a bit of time back here.”

“What? Aerick Heartstone, warrior extraordinaire and heartthrob to all women, spent a lot of time in the Institute’s library?” Verrian had asked.

“Your father might be able to tell you a story or two, young man. Aerick was the type of guy who had to be as good as he could no matter what the task was before him. The same focus and dedication that leant itself to him becoming one of the greatest warriors of his tribe was also a large driving force for his education here. Of course, the fact that Lilly worked here might also have had something to do with the amount of time he spent here. He courted her for over a year before she finally gave in to his advances. But enough reminiscing from an old man, you boys have learning to do, so get out and do it!” He followed his statement by lifting himself up from his chair and shooing them out of the room.

∞∞∞

“Terrazil to Shawnrik.” Verrian said, sitting across from him in the cafeteria. “Hey, are you okay? You have been somewhere else all morning!”

“Yeah, sorry, I’m okay. I was just thinking about my conversation with Mr. Augustus yesterday.”

“Hey, it's not every day that you learn things about your past from a crazy old Librarian. But you need to get your head out of the clouds, because the girls are heading this way again.”

Shawnrik sighed quietly, making sure to not let it show physically. Ever since the two groups met up on the second Firstday, the girls had been popping up at every lunch and dinner; before that day, he couldn’t remember seeing any of them around, but after that day it seemed like they were everywhere. The five girls swooped down on their table, no longer bothering to ask for permission as they had the first few times. Shawnrik stood up to grab another chair from one of the nearby tables as Verrian moved the chairs closest to him to make room for the seventh chair.

“Oh, he is such a dear,” Vivianne said, placing her tray on the table.

Rebecca and Syranna took the seats next to Verrian. Sara sat down on Shawnrik’s left, and Olivia sat in the newly acquired seat to Shawnrik’s right. He wasn’t really sure how the seating arrangement had come to be, but it was how they seemed to sit at every meal. What had once been a nice quiet time for him to talk to his roommate had turned into a table full of conversations. He missed the extra time he used to have to ask his roommate questions, but something about having the girls there was nice.

“He really is, isn’t he?” Olivia said as she smoothed her clothes and messed with her hair a moment before taking her seat. “What have you boys been up to?”

“Well, besides Linguistics and Social Sciences, I’ve been trying to pull Shawnrik out of his head since last night,” Verrian said, missing the look that Shawnrik shot him trying to make him shut up. For some reason, whenever the girls came around, Verrian started talking about whatever was on his mind, even if it made him, or Shawnrik, look like an idiot.

“Oh yeah? What kinds of thoughts occupy the mind of a Giant such as yourself?” Vivianne asked, before wincing and glaring at Olivia.

“Half-Giant,” Shawnrik replied, not realizing he had just been complimented. “The old Librarian, Travis Augustus, was just telling me some things about my parents yesterday. I know almost nothing about them, so it has me thinking about how many other things I don’t know.”

“I was right, then,” Sara said, drawing the eyes of the entire table. “I told Rigael that you probably didn’t know anything about your parents or their history, but he said you were just a silver hare.”

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“Ok, first, what is a silver hare? Second, you mean Rigael Ironfist?” Shawnrik raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, well…” Sara looked surprised that she had spoken and now noticed that everyone was looking at her. “A silver hare is this silvery rabbit-like creature that lives in the north, near Stalwart. They have this habit of never looking directly at something, as if they are too good to notice the rest of the world around them. Even when you are shooting at one they will just hop out of the way and continue doing whatever it was they were doing, as if you trying to kill them meant nothing to them.” She took a breath and looked at Shawnrik. “As for Rigael Ironfist, yes that’s who I’m talking about; my brother, your cousin.”

“Cousin?” Shawnrik’s hand stopped halfway to his mouth, food momentarily forgotten. “Then you’re…”

“Also, your cousin.”

“Are there any other…”

“Cousins around? No, not at the Institute, at least.”

Shawnrik stared at the Stroml’dier girl. Moments before, he had been a kid with only a quiet grandfather, and now he had a whole branch of family that he never even thought about before.

“You aren’t going to hug me or something, are you?” Sara said, eyeing him. “Not that I could stop you if you wanted to, but I’d rather prefer we didn’t.”

“What? No, I would never do something like that,” Shawnrik replied, realizing that he did in fact feel the urge to reach out and touch his new found cousin, if for no other reason than to prove to himself that she was real.

“Well, I’m glad that is all out in the open finally,” Olivia muttered.

“Wait, you knew?” Shawnrik said turning to the brown haired gypsy girl.

“Well, she is my roommate,” Olivia replied, as if that was explanation enough.

“But you didn’t even try to tell me…”

“Your messed up family is none of my business yet, I’ve got enough on my hands dealing with my own.” Olivia huffed. “Besides, I promised Sara that if you didn’t know that she could be the one to tell you.”

Across the table, Verrian mouthed the word yet to himself, eyeing Olivia.

Turning back to Sara, Shawnrik asked, “So is that why Rigael hates me? Because he thinks that I think I’m too good to recognize him as family?”

“I don’t think Rigael hates you, not really,” Sara replied. “At least, not you specifically. Whether he realizes that or not, I couldn’t tell you. Growing up, there were two people that he idolized more than any others, the first being our father, Warrior Chieftain of the Stroml’dier. The other, of course, was your father, Aerick Heartstone, the only man in the tribe’s recent memory who had completed the Heartstone trial.” Sara looked down at her food, moving the grains around her tray with her utensil for a moment before continuing.

“When the elders found out that your mother was pregnant, and your father had asked for her hand in marriage, they did a stupid thing. They forbade it. They told your father that as the holder of the tribe’s secrets, they could not allow him to wed outside the tribe. They told him that he could keep Lilly as a second wife or a mistress, but he must come live with the tribe when he finished his time at the Institute. I’m told that Lilly told him to accept, and she didn’t mind being looked down upon by his tribe as long as she was with him, but anyone that knew your father had to have known what his answer would be. He told the elders that he loved Lilly, and that they and his child did not need the Stroml’dier.”

She looked up at Shawnrik as she finished her tale. “That is when the elders did something that nearly tore the Stroml’dier apart. They told my father to kill yours, saying that the secrets that your father knew were too dangerous for an outsider to possess. My father, being the honor bound idiot that he was, decided to follow their orders. Aerick tried to talk him out of it, but it was all to no avail. The only way that he was going to leave was for one of them to die.”

Shawnrik stared at his cousin. “So, I’m guessing because we lived in Safeharbor together when I was little that my father won?”

Sara nodded, maintaining eye contact.

“My father killed your father? His brother?”

“It was not his fault, the blame lies with the elders,” Sara said, hatred taking control of her features momentarily. “If those old fools would have let him go peacefully, my father would still be alive.”

“Yeah, but if my father would have just…”

“No!” Sara said, slamming a hand onto the table. Noticing that every head in the room had turned her way at the outburst, she lowered her voice and moved closer to Shawnrik. “Everyone knew what your father’s answer would be to such an ultimatum; Aerick Heartstone was not a man to do anything by half measures. If those old idiots and my idiot father had not been so jealous of his prowess, none of this would have had to happen. My brother does not hate you, he doesn’t even really hate your father, but my father deeply ingrained in him the fact that the elders must always be respected and obeyed that he can’t even see who he really hates.”

Shawnrik looked around the table, finding nothing but compassion in his friends' faces. “I think I need to get some fresh air.”

“Shawnrik,” Sara said, grabbing his forearm as he stood from the table. “My brother is young and impulsive. If he does something stupid, please don’t kill him. Give him time to realize who his true enemy is. He’s smarter than he looks; He’ll figure it out in time.”

Nodding, Shawnrik told the table he’d see them at dinner.

Dracair Territory

Death’s Edge

“I swear this forest is trying to kill me.” Rundig said, pulling several long thorns from his chainmail.

“My friend, if this forest was trying to kill you, it would have done it the moment we crossed its boundaries,” Warren said, as he strolled effortlessly through the brambles. “There is more potential violence in this place than any other area I have ever traversed.”

“Yer a druid, can’t you talk to the forest and tell it that we come in peace?” Rundig grumbled to his Human companion.

“Death’s Edge forest. Hear me! This heavy-footed Dwarf who is carrying more forged metal than some battalions wants you to know that he means you no harm.”

“Oh, listen here, Warren thinks he’s a comedian now,” Rundig said, ambling along behind his companions. “Come back here and I’ll…” Before he could finish his statement, a thin branch slammed into his helmet, nearly knocking him off his feet.

“It looks like this forest doesn’t like you threatening one of its guardians,” Za’erath said, trying not to laugh at his companion’s discomfort. The deeper they moved into the thick underbrush, the more difficult the effort became.

“It’s a good thing that no Dracair will dare enter this forest, because you are all making enough noise to tell every living creature within shooting range exactly where we are,” Elandria said, stepping out of the woods to the group’s right. She had been ranging ahead to look for a better trail and any sign of danger.

“Hey, don’t lump me in with these clowns. Especially that one,” Za’kereth said, pointing to his brother.

“Well, to be fair, you have been humming to yourself since noon.” Trenton said from his position behind the Grey Elf.

“What did you find?” Sergeant Mcdowell said, pushing his way through from the front of the line.

Elandria knew he had seen her returning to the group; the old Dwarf’s eyes were sharper than most Elves. “No better trails than this one, I’m afraid. There is a stream up ahead, and I’ve seen signs of something casing our perimeter, but haven’t been able to lay eyes on whatever it is yet.”

“I’ve seen movement behind us a few times as well.” The voice of Corporal Jameson said, coming from behind Trenton Grimbash, his form completely hidden by the Half-Ogre.

“Bah, I wish Drake was still around to go see what it is,” Sergeant Mcdowell spat.

A moment of silence dropped around the group then as they remembered their fallen comrade. Drake and Bredwin had both died on the raid of the Orc encampment where Ashur, Dunnagan, and Shawnrik had been held. Drake had taken an arrow in the eye, and Bredwin had been beheaded by the Dracair Assassins as they were leaving the area.

“How about you, Warren? Any idea what is out there?”

“If I were to venture a guess, I would say it is the creatures that are called the Death’s Edge Wolverines. Though from what I’ve been able to discover in my research at the tower, they have little in common with their ancient namesake besides a basic similarity in appearance. In fact…”

“Oh good, another lecture in Ethology and Zoology is about to begin. Could we at least find a place with a little more space before you continue this tirade? I feel like this tree is trying to get to know me a little too personally,” Za’kereth said with only the tiniest trace of sarcasm apparent in his tone.

Elandria knew that he really was fascinated by the things that Warren had to say, as he was one of the few people who would listen to the Druid as he talked about various flora and fauna for hours on end. His brother Za’erath would also sit and earnestly listen to anything the druid said, but the priest was like that with everyone.

“Za’kereth has a point,” Sergeant Mcdowell said. “It’s getting late anyway. We should find a place to make camp for the night.” As he finished his statement, he looked at Elandria.

“There’s a small stream up ahead with a little waterfall that we should be able to reach before we lose any light, and there are several good locations for setting up the hammocks.”

“Alright, you heard the lady. Keep the chatter to a minimum and keep your eyes and ears focused. There’s a reason this forest is called Death’s Edge. Let’s be sure to stay on the living side of that edge.” As he moved to resume his place at the front of the group, the Sergeant began to mutter to himself, “Hey, why don’t you go scout Dracair Territory and see if you can find out if there are any more enemies headed our way, he says. Oh, and while you’re out there, look for any information about the boy. Then this morning we find out the durned Princess could be heading through, kidnapped by a durned Changeling!” He snapped a large branch that was impeding his way a little too forcefully.

“It could be worse,” Trenton added his deep voice full of a dark mirth. “They could have actually sent us on a job that was possible.”