"Ooooohhhh,” he said. The words from his mouth lingered like a revving motor getting lost in the distance.

Shit, shit shit, what is happening?

He tried to look around the tavern in alarm, but his eyes were still locked onto his open palms. He tried to shake his head. His eyes lifted and looked at the tavern hall, noting Merek busy behind the bar, Georg at the table was smiling, Fif too— His head shook transforming every image to a blur of motion.

“Agility can be one of the worst to get used to; Mmm it was a good choice too. But if you have motion sickness you better find yourself a bucket and fast.” Omny was saying but James had other things taking up his attention that he barely registered her words.

He went to grab the table’s edge and steady himself from the world shaking, but his hand moved so fast he nearly drilled his fingers into the heavy wooden board. A bit of pain on his fingertips grounded him to the present.

“HHh.. How long wwiill thiss llast?” he asked, and his mouth sped up and slowed down randomly. His words were barely coherent sounds. His tongue panged, he might have bitten it in his effort to speak.

“Just a bit longer. We are done here, you did well, James. The Omny cult welcomes you officially as a member. Tomorrow you will get a taste of what it is we do. I'll send someone to pick you up. Be ready by bellhalf,” She said as her massive hand smacked him on the back.

He was lucky he was already holding onto the table disoriented as he was, or he feared his face would have been planted right on it by the force of the blow.

He stood slowly, carefully controlling each limb to avoid crushing to the floor, or worse on another patron. It took less to start a brawl in a pub, and here most were armed. To anyone watching he must seem like a drunkard. His sense of balance was wrong, his body was doing things out of his control, and his thoughts weren’t aligned with the world. But…

This is a blessing. It is... amazing.

He had moved swiftly, while somewhat involuntarily. A reaction speed that was unlike him. And he had barely put any conscious effort into it. What would happen if he set his mind to it? How fast could he run now? He was feeling a tingling excitement at the thought.

Saying short and slightly coherent goodbyes to the group left him to navigate his way back to the bar, which required strenuous constant effort, snaking from table to table, avoiding chair legs that emerged on his path, and a hopping Martha that passed by him twice until he finally reached his destination.

He was so focused on his control that only when he heard a familiar voice did he notice the silver-haired occupant on the barstool sitting next to him.

“You’ve acquainted well in Avi’Gale, Wayfarer James,” said Nadia. She was musing on an empty glass held between her hands. “Congratulations.”

A faded black cloak enveloped her form. His eyes lingered on it. There was a punctured hole in her upper arm, right by her shoulder facing him. Something sharp had pierced through the cloth and her skin, showing a dark wound underneath. She didn’t seem to mind it.

“Are you okay?” James managed to say. He noticed it was gradually getting easier to align his thoughts with his actions and the words came out right.

“Oh, you mean this? This is nothing,” She said rubbing at the wound with the other hand. She grimaced slightly as an afterthought.

Before he had the time to think of a suitable reply, Merek leaned in between them from behind the bar.

“That was quite the show. From here you seemed as comfortable as a a horsefly caged behind a glass window. Ha! I'll have to thank Omny for beefing you up with a blessing, I can feel more assured of your skill now. How are you adjusting?” said Merek wearing a wide grin. If James wasn’t wrong there was an ongoing universal joke on the adjustment period after a blessing was bestowed. And for good reason.

“About that…it isn’t half bad. I think I’ll be used to the feeling soon enough,” he replied. A second later Merek nodded before turning to Nadia.

“Is it done?” He asked her.

Nadia glanced at James skittishly and back to Merek without saying a word.

James took the hint and made to rise from the barstool but Merek stopped him with a hand.

“Stay here a while, I want you to hear this. I’ll call Ann, she wants to listen to this too.”

It took a moment for Ann to emerge from the kitchen. Her once-white apron was stained with the night’s hard work, and her wavy hair was stuck onto her skin from the sweat.

“We are ready, go on Nadia.”

James felt out of place at that moment. He didn’t know why Merek had included him in this little gathering. What would be said seemed rather personal. Ann and Merek had an intent look on them.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Hiding her previous hesitation, Nadia told her story with professional accuracy. It was only after a few sentences that James started to catch onto the subject at hand. The dusk elf had been tracking someone in the city, and she had found him. Not only that, she had killed him soon after a unique opportunity turned up. The wound on her shoulder had been inflicted in that short and lethal fight. Shockingly, she had described all of it in great detail.

He was disturbed at the casual mention of murder, even more so that he was being included in the tale of it. Soon he understood the reason for both.

“Thank you,” Merek said closing his eyes. He wiped at one with his palm, leaving a wet trail behind it. “I’ll tell the story to Ditr myself when I cross over. He will be thrilled.”

Ann on the other hand had her lips sealed tightly. She listened, twitching her head sideways as if her thoughts pulled at her sharply.

Ditr’s killer is dead.

“How much heat should we expect?” Merek asked somberly after finding his composure.

“They will prod the tavern in the following days, maybe, looking for clues. I was careful not to be seen. If anyone followed me here, they were too good for this city. However, just a look at your ‘muscle’ will convince them you hadn't been involved.”

With that said, all three turned their attention to James.

“Nadia, don’t be rude! Please, don’t think badly of us, James. Ditr was–hard to replace,” said Ann apologetically.

“No offense taken,” James replied looking at each one, still feeling stiff physically and emotionally. The blessing had settled down in his body. Whatever it had done to him, it had left him stiff and aching in the weirdest of places. Emotionally though, someone had just committed murder and told him all about it in cruel detail. That was a first for him and he lacked the internal thought process to absorb it and move on.

“Will the Fiend of Hazar get involved?” Merek asked.

“No. With this, even my involvement comes to an end. You keep things tight, Merek. I’ll avoid passing by these parts for a while to avoid any fallout coming your way. I’d better get going.”

“Follow Ann upstairs, there is a nice window you’ll find very accommodating, in case someone did follow you here,” Merek said, but there was no concern in his voice.

She must be quite good at it, James thought; An assassin? Or a scout of some kind. He shivered slightly, remembering their previous interaction. If she had tried to rob him, he had been ill-prepared to face her.

It seemed they had similar thoughts since she addressed him next, “And as of right now, you better forget everything, Tor’s or Perncok’s ears better remain clean and clear of it all.”

He didn’t need the persuasive gleam in her eyes to do as she said. If she were stuffed in blessings as he feared, he wouldn’t even notice when he died. Oh, how naive he had been. “I won’t say a word.” He promised.

Things had become quite complicated in a short amount of time. He had seen and felt the difference a blessing could provide. He didn’t know the extent of the change on the body or the number of blessings one could carry, but it was clear that he had to consider this every time he was sizing someone up. Even a child could be stronger than him. Maybe. He couldn’t know.

Once Nadia followed Ann through the kitchen door, he went for Merek, “That was a lot to take in.”

“I would have left you out, but we might see a bit of trouble before it quiets down and I wanted you to know what it was for. Ditr, was a friend, and he always took care of his own. He took a liking to you and gave you a chance. Have no illusions, if not for his word you wouldn’t be here.”

“I…I appreciate it. If not for your help I would probably be on the streets, I’ll help out if there is trouble. I’m just a bit hesitant after feeling the power a blessing can give to someone.”

“There won’t be any real danger, don’t worry, or the city will burn down on us all. Even if we rushed the plan since there was a good chance to get him, there is little connecting us all. They’ll do some posturing, a bit of pressure, and give you a few bruises.” Merek chuckled as if he had said a joke.

James tense as a rope holding a bridge from collapsing didn’t share in the laugh. “Who’s they?” He asked.

“The Guild, of course, the filthy guilt of Avi’Gale.”

—-

It was morning, getting closer to bellhalf. James was readying himself for breakfast and for what Omny had set up right after.

Farming something that starts with an F.

Yet the cult group had made it sound dangerous, so naturally he was bringing his knife with him. That was a given after discovering blessings were a very real situation. He briefly imagined himself struggling to subdue an 8-year-old in front of a crazy competitive parent who had somehow given the child a blessing of greater strength.

At almost 40 years of age, he had seen many videos that proved the determination of a competitive parent should not ever be underestimated. He was certain things in this world wouldn’t be much different. Somewhere in Avi’Gale a child of a single-digit age could beat him bloody. He just had to be good enough to spot it from a distance and fast enough to make a run for it.

His job as security had taken on a very depressing light as well. He hoped that at least the Minor Agility would make up for some of his lack until Omny’s training kicked in. The blessing of the Wayfarer hadn’t shown any benefits yet on the matter.

Ann greeted him leisurely from the kitchen counter which was decorated with sliced veggie parts. She made some space with one hand and shoved him a plate filled with eggs with the other.

It was still quite early prepping for lunch, and her subdued demeanor told him she was cooking more to get her mind off her thoughts. Likewise, he didn’t bother her. If she felt torn over last night’s, he should leave her to sort it out unless she asked him. Martha’s father– Fiddle, James remembered after a moment, and Merek were nowhere to be seen.

Bellhalf rang in the distance and he thanked Ann for the breakfast. He got up to wait in the tavern hall but when he emerged from the narrow kitchen door there was already someone there waiting for him. The gleemix in rusty chain mail and two axes fastened at his sides sneered at the sight of him, his foot was tapping impatiently on the floor.

“So slow! Dumb human, the Fghels won’t wait all day!” He said rudely.

“What the hell will they do? Get up and leave?” He said defensively. Now even plants had to push their schedule on him.

“Yea? They do that.”