Peak of Autumn, Week 5, Day 2

I looked down at the same grey-violet meat filling my sandwich, the same cut-up crocodile peaches, and took a sip of the lime green juice. It felt surreal. To be eating the same thing from lunch and to look over the knights being so nonchalant. Last time we had stopped, we’d been attacked. By a monster. A blight. But there they were, propping themselves up against the wooden posts, eating a stew and bread, laughing at a joke one of them made.

I couldn’t stop my eyes from scanning the forest’s edge. I caught a branch moving and froze, my breath caught in my throat before I focused on a dark blue bird shuffling into a nest on the very same branch.

I pulled my eyes away and picked up a fork. Terror or not, I’d told myself I wouldn’t stop eating. Not again. Not like when I awoke.

This is progress, I sighed to myself as I forced a slice of crocodile peach into my mouth.

Soon enough, I was done and standing up, steeling myself to talk to Dame Arella. The anxiety that haunted me was still there, but with every moment, it was becoming easier to push away –easier to ignore. But it was never gone.

No, I thought as I straightened my posture, this is progress.

I didn’t let my eyes stray back to the trees surrounding us. Instead, I kept my focus on Dame Arella –she was with Sir Neil this time, and she was laughing while Sir Neil shook his head.

“You shouldn’t say–” Sir Neil cut himself off as I approached. He was giving a jerky nod my way, “My Lady.”

I was suddenly all too aware that I had not brought Noir with me. I was also suddenly acutely aware of how unsettled that made me feel.

“Dame Arella–” My voice was quiet, shaky, all the things I hadn’t wanted it to be, but I persisted, “What can I do?”

She met my eyes, pushing back her blonde hair, “My Lady?”

I bit the inside of my cheek, and forced out the words, “I want to be stronger. Like Sir Neil. What can I do?”

Dame Arella blinked, then looked to Sir Neil, who had a peculiar expression on his face. As if he’d bit a lemon, and it tasted like rotting meat.

“Neil, our Lady wants to be like you.” A grin filled Dame Arella’s face, “Don’t keep her waiting.”

Sir Neil’s face contorted again before he cleared his throat, “I’m flattered, my Lady, but I’m hardly the strongest here.”

He looked pointedly at Dame Arella, but that couldn’t have mattered less to me.

“But you were the one who fought today.” My voice was no longer shaking, but it was still quiet.

“Yes, well–” He held up his hand as if to wipe away his accomplishment. Instead, I cut him off.

“And you won so fast.” I blurted.

“But–” Now both hands were raised as if to calm me, but I was ready.

“I couldn’t keep track of your moves. It was so fast.”

Dame Arella’s eyes danced between us. Every time I interrupted, I saw her smile widen. Sir Neil looked like he wanted me to buzz off, but I persisted, though it filled my stomach with lead.

“The blight was huge, and you handled it without breaking a sweat. I want to do that.” The someday was silent, but there nonetheless.

And maybe I was being annoying, and needy, and whatever else adults say about children who won’t take no for an answer, but at that moment, it didn’t matter that I was, in fact, being childish. My body was that of a child. My mind was different than in elsewhere. The struggles I faced here incomparable to the before. I can’t say for certain how I would handle the loss of my everything, but I know I never would have lost everything. So maybe I really was a child, being so new to this world. And I didn’t feel so bad about that thought as I had when I awoke.

Sir Neil slumped, letting out a long breath, “It’s a lot of training –that I can’t afford to take the time to teach you on the road.”

Dame Arella gave a soft smile, “I’m sorry, my Lady. But the truth is, the journey is long and dangerous. After speaking with the Captain, my offering to let you ride with us was misguided.”

I felt a part of me close up, “Ah.”

“That doesn’t mean we won’t help once we arrive at Fellan, though, my Lady,” I could feel the pity in her voice. And it felt like that was a consolation prize.

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I felt the tears prick at my eyes, I was so stupid. It’s only been a day. Why would I get my hopes up like this?

I clenched my fists and nodded, “All right.”

Dame Arella’s eyes were searching my face, and whatever she found caused her to deflate, “Is there anything else we can help with?”

I paused, my voice lost to me for a moment, before I let out a hoarse, “Can you help me set up the carriage for the night?”

With a nod, Dame Arella stood. There were few words exchanged as she opened the door and began taking apart the compartment, but I made sure to memorize what it was she was doing and how she extended the bench to be a proper bed. As she set it up, pulling a partition from beneath a cushion, she tapped a symbol on the door frame, and the lights in the carriage came alive. Once she was finished setting up the cushions, she reached under the bench and opened yet another compartment to pull out sheets and a blanket.

She finished quickly, and as Dame Arella was leaving, I spoke. An essential question burning within me.

“Where can I go to the bathroom and get changed?”

Dame Arella gave a strangled noise before darting to grab a bag from the back of the carriage –where the supplies were stored. When she returned, she wasn’t just holding the bag. She had several floating balls of light hovering around her.

It was then that I was led outside the circle of tents towards the tree line. I felt my heartbeat quicken. It’s just trees. Just trees, I told myself –but I could still feel the thundering in my chest, thoughts of blights and other forest beasts swarming my mind. As we walked, Dame Arella plucked the magelights from around her and directed them to trees, leaving a path of light back to the camp. It made the forest appear darker in contrast.

It was as I was imagining a rabbit with horribly sharp teeth biting into my flesh that we stopped before a much taller tent settled in between two trees. It was taller than Dame Arella and looked to be as wide as the carriage itself.

“It’s enchanted,” Dame Arella spoke quietly, her eyes scanning the trees as she directed the last magelight to light up the entrance to the tent.

She handed me the bag of clothes, and I took a breath before opening the tent. I braced myself for a hole in the ground or something equally rudimentary, but as I stepped inside, my shoes didn’t sink into the dirt ground –no, there was a stone lining atop the forest floor. The tent was a light purple, and the canvas had no decorations, but the inside of the tent held a bathtub, toilet, and sink. There was a stack of towels on a small table and three bars of soap. As I approached to put the bag of nightclothes down, I saw that each bar was labeled in a dainty script – ’shampoo,’ ‘conditioner,’ ‘soap – opal lily.’

I went to the bathtub and saw similar engravings as on the tub at the estate –not nearly as many or as complicated, but they were there. And so, at least, it would be a warm bath. I decided I needed just that.

I watched as steam rolled off the water, and I gingerly took off the overly complicated outfit I was wearing from the Affirmation –untying ribbons and being careful not to snag the lace as I slid off the shorts and leggings. As I did so, I caught sight of two brown stains on my shirt collar, one on each side. My ear bleeding had truly been something serious then. I had felt the liquid running, but it wasn’t in a place for me to be able to see it until now. So I made my way to the sink, where a mirror was attached to the back, and I pulled back my hair and inspected my ears. Dame Arella had cleaned off the dried blood earlier in the day, but I was still surprised to see no remnants of the wound. My ear didn’t even sting.

I only have one strike left, I thought darkly. Neither of the two I currently have were my fault, yet here I am. At risk of losing what is most precious to me –my memories of elsewhere.

I turned away from the mirror and went back to the now full bath. As I sank into the water, I let the harsh sting ground me. Reluctantly, I pulled up one of the notifications from the morning. The one that I had my suspicions about and that I dreaded dearly.

[Congratulations! You have reached the first threshold of Divinity! Skill capabilities re-calibrated.]

I watched as the green system notification hung in front of me. I already knew what it meant. I shouldn’t have been able to make such a detailed knife from shadows, after all. Not when previously I’d only made simple shapes. Just in case, I had to confirm for myself. I’d never tried to examine any of the previous notices. But now seemed like the time.

“[Inspect]”

[First Threshold of Divinity: User has accumulated 100 points of Divinity. User’s potential is exponentially increased with every point in Divinity, and after reaching the First Threshold, all Skills work more efficiently by a factor of 10. All capacities, cooldowns, and quantitative Skill aspects are drastically improved. All metaphysical aspects are moderately improved. All Passive Skills are now able to be minimally molded, similar to Active Skills.]

[Affected Skills: Inspect, Weaving, Quick Calculation, Silent as a Shadow, Weave of Darkness, Otherworldly, Mental Fortitude, Shadow Conjuration, Shadow Manipulation, Shadow Animation.]

I let out a slow breath, dismissing the notice –only briefly acknowledging none of the gifted Skills were affected. Is it because they came from the Divine?

In search of a distraction, I let my eyes roam the room. As my eyes focused on the toilet, I used [Inspect]. It was something, anything, to help get me out of my own head. I had been neglecting the Skill, anyway, so this was good.

[Enchanted Toilet, Tier 1, Rare]

[Made of porcelain and magisilva, this item is enchanted with several mid-level water enchantments.]

[Crafted by Coriander Quillen]

I stared at the information, swallowing. It had never been this detailed before. I curiously looked at the sink.

[Enchanted Sink, Tier 1, Rare]

[Made of porcelain and magisilva, this item is enchanted with several mid-level water enchantments.]

[Crafted by Coriander Quillen]

I wondered, briefly, if Coriander Quillen was a good crafter or not. Surely, they must be? I looked down at the tub I was soaking in.

[Runic Tub, Tier 2, Rare]

[Made of porcelain, magisilva, and magigold, this item has been engraved with runes of fire and water, as well as water echantments]

[Crafted by Brighton Quillen]

I tilted my head, looking to the side, where the bars of soap were resting.

[Opal Lily Soap, Tier 1, Uncommon]

[Soap infused with the essence of an Opal Lily. Includes minor amounts of Starfire Roses and Primordial Lavender.]

[Crafted by Franny of Wig]

Franny of Wig sounds different from the Quillens. They must be some kind of noble house. Franny must be a commoner. I focused on the bar of conditioner next to the soap, wondering if it, too, was made by Franny of Wig.

[Mimic, Tier 1, Level 4]

[A monster that can morph into inanimate objects.]

I froze.

“What?”