JAIME FONTOYA

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“Three days,” Askeladd said as we rounded up in the common room of the farmers’ inn. “In that time, we must muster up seven warriors who are willing to fight for nothing more than food. Seven is an odd number and there are already three of us. We’re halfway there.”

“Looking for four others will be difficult. Especially if all we offer is food,” I stated. “Most of the people in this town are not as considerate as you nor as desperate as us.”

“We’ll find them. Even bears come down from the mountains if they’re hungry.”

“So what’s the plan, though? Do we just wait here until someone comes?”

Askeladd sat cross-legged across the inn’s door. “Hanzo, Toshi, and Ritsu, I want you to go around town. Look for people who look strong, reliable, and have a good heart. Bring them here, but don’t tell them anything.”

The farmers nodded and each left, heading in separate directions.

“What about us three?” I asked.

“We’ll be staying here and testing the people those farmers bring.”

Ilias, who had been sitting in the corner, put on his hat and picked up his cloth-covered staff. “If that’s the case, I’m going to take a walk.”

“Any particular reason?”

“I want to look for the twins. They’re in a similar situation to us, so I thought we should at least know about each other’s existence. Who knows, maybe they’ll join.”

“I see,” Askeladd turned to me. “Are you going with him?”

“I want to stay here with you.”

Ilias nodded. “Alright then. I’m off.”

And like that, Askeladd and I were left alone.

If I had gone with Ilias, the day would’ve been boring. We’d be going from street corner to street corner inquiring and investigating. If he wanted to do that, he could do it himself.

The farmers would be bringing back warriors that Askeladd was going to test. Most of the interesting things would happen here.

“So…” I said, breaking the silence. “How’d you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Slicing through both the kid and drunkard but leaving the kid unharmed. You also did it during our fight. Is it something I can learn?”

Askeladd chuckled, rubbing his head.

“Come on, we’re comrades now, right? I don’t see why you can’t tell me.”

“Fine. Unfortunately, it’s not something you can learn.” The knight unsheathed his blade. “Do you know what a cursed artifact is?”

“Yeah, the colonel of our village had a cursed sword. But he never told me what it could do.”

“My sword is a cursed artifact. I gave it the name Sting. It has the ability to let its user choose what it cuts or phase through. So in the situation yesterday, I had my sword phase through the little boy, but not through the drunkard.”

“A cursed artifact. I wish my sword was one.”

“We can try to turn your sword into a cursed artifact.” He unrolled the map of the farmer’s village. “You see this lake here? It’s a weak labyrinth—with the shore being the deepest and the middle being the shallowest. What we can do is leave your sword in the water for the next two months and hope mana infuses with it. Hopefully, it can give you a good artifact.”

“I hope it does. I heard most artifacts are useless or situational.”

“That’s correct, so let’s cross our fingers for this.”

“What about the thing you did with Ilias’ boulder?”

“Oh, that? That was one of the three sword styles. You’re excellent at the basics, so I want to train you in those styles. Or at least one.” Askeladd went on to explain. “There are three sword styles. One for offence, one for defence, and one that relies on gimmicks. Swordplay is more limited than jynx, but they are much more effective in fights.”

“So that’s why not many adventurers are jynxists.”

“Exactly. And the ones that are, are usually proficient with another weapon.”

Just then, Ritsu came rushing into the inn. “I found one, Ser.”

“Bring him in and allow him to walk through first.”

Ritsu bowed and rushed out. Askeladd picked up a broom and handed it to me.

“What do you want me to do with this?”

“Hide behind the door and whack the person that walks in. As hard as you can. We don’t have time to test them like how I tested you and Ilias and there’s a good chance they’ll say no. We’ll test them like this and explain the situation after.”

I positioned myself behind the door and raised the broom over my head, ready to put all my strength into the swing.

Askeladd stared at the doorway, making eye contact with whoever Ritsu brought. There was a moment where I thought no one was coming and I was right.

The warrior remained outside and began laughing. “I see… this is a joke.”

“Excellent!” Askeladd slapped his knees and stood up with a chuckle. “Please forgive us, we don’t mean any disrespect.”

He gestured for me to come by his side, which I did.

“My name is Ser Askeladd Bauer. We are looking for good fighters and you clearly showed the qualities of one. I’m very sorry we tested you out this way, we are just out of time.”

The man was a stout dwarf with two small axes strapped crisscrossing each other behind his back. He rested his war hammer on the ground, using it to support himself.

The war hammer was much smaller than I expected. When I read about war hammers in a book the colonel made me read, I always imagined them as fancier sledgehammers. But that wasn’t the case. The war hammer this dwarf carried resembled a one-sided pickaxe with a much smaller head.

Shouldn’t the head be thicker and bigger to do more damage? He might as well carry a spear. I don’t get why, but I can have Ilias explain it to me later.

“You say you’re looking for good fighters?” the dwarf warrior wondered. “What for?”

“We’re about to start a campaign to fight off bandits.”

“Bandits? Very interesting. With the lack of soldiers in these parts, I’ve heard crossing bandits is becoming more frequent.”

“You’re interested?”

“Who are you fighting for, or is this a request from the Adventurer’s Guild?”

Askeladd gritted his teeth. “It pains me to say this, but our employers are farmers. A whole village of them. Bandits will raid their homes in two months and they are looking for sentinels to guard it.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Farmers? That is very unusual. What are they offering?”

“Three meals a day.”

Suddenly, the dwarf’s demeanor changed. “Hmm… I don’t have time to meddle with those affairs. Taking a D-Tier job from the Guild can earn me more.” He shook his head. “My ambitions are greater.”

“You won’t reconsider?”

The dwarf marched away. Ritsu sighed and continued looking for more suitable warriors.

“What a shame,” I said, sitting down beside Askeladd. “He was really talented. I could tell right away.”

“Yeah.” Askeladd sat beside me. “You say you’re from Gilead? I find it odd that an elf is living in a terran village.”

“I’m half-elf.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

“I’m also adopted. The colonel in charge of Gilead, Colonel Camaro, took me in.”

Askeladd took an interest when I said that. “Do you know what happened to your parents?”

The information I just learned a couple of days ago came racing back through my mind. It had slipped my mind because of this whole teleporting situation. The mixed emotions I felt were returning as well.

But Askeladd wasn’t trying to be rude. He just wanted to know.

“They were in the military and I thought they died during a battle…”

“But?”

“The colonel was hiding the truth from me. Probably as a way to keep me innocent and let me enjoy my childhood. Ilias found out the truth and he told me a couple of days ago. Right before we were teleported.”

“It must’ve been a tough couple of days.”

“My parents were in jurisdiction of a town close to Gilead. While I was still a baby, they were murdered by Scar. I was spared for some reason and I appeared in front of Ilias’ house.”

“In jurisdiction?” Askeladd questioned. “Was the town called Thanril?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“And you’re half-elf and half-terran with green hair. Is your last name Fontoya by any chance?”

It is.

But wait, I don’t think I told him my last name. Yeah, I only told him my first.

“Yeah, how do—”

“Your father was an elf whose name is Jannalor and your mother was a terran whose name is Delena. No wonder you looked familiar.”

Wait, how does he know my parents’ names?

Did he know them?

He suddenly pulled me into an embrace that left me confused. “I was about to ask yesterday but we were interrupted by the farmers.”

“Hold on,” I said, pulling away. “Did you know them?”

“Know them? More than that, Jaime.” Askeladd rummaged through his coat and produced a yellowed envelope with a folded letter. The piece of paper had been folded and unfolded so many times that some of the creases began to tear it. “Read this.”

Dear Askeladd,

How long has it been since we last saw each other? King Arthureus didn’t want to separate us so he gave both Delena and me jurisdiction of Thanril. We got married before we left the Capital. I’m sorry we didn’t invite you, but we couldn’t wait and wanted to have the good fortune of a new marriage before we settled in Thanril.

Anyway, we just introduced a baby to our family. We haven’t decided on the name yet, but it’s a girl!

Askeladd, we know exactly who to name as her godfather. We want him to be you! I know asking this out of the blue is a bit sudden and greedy, but would it be too much for you to come to Thanril so we could name you as our daughter’s godfather?

Sincerely yours, Jannalor and Delena

PS: The baby has taken an interest in the toy swords the villagers gifted her. She’ll be a swordsman just like you.

“I’ve been looking for you ever since the news of their deaths and your disappearance came to me. I never expected you to be so close to where they died.”

“You’re my godfather?” My hands trembled to the point that I almost ripped the letter in half.

“I’m not your godfather. I made it to Thanril a week after their deaths.”

“You were looking for me all this time?”

Askeladd laughed in disbelief. “I was.”

“Why are you all the way in the east?”

“I feared the worst and thought you got sold into slavery. Young elves go for a lot because of their lifespan and you were just a baby. Slavery is outlawed, but a whole mountain range cuts off the east from the rest of Armestis. It’s much easier to evade the law here.”

“How come you didn’t recognize me yesterday?”

“Green is a strange hair colour, but I’ve run into so many elf girls with green hair that I didn’t think much of it when I saw you. Especially since you and Ilias looked well off.”

“How close were you to my parents?”

“Your mother was terran so I didn’t know her for long, but your dad and I were peas in a pod. Before the Nelbrandt’s militarization, each race and house had its own military. Your father and I met when we were recruited by house Valois.”

Fate was a strange force. A few days ago, I just learned the truth about my parents. If Askeladd really was telling the truth, then it meant he was my connection to them.

Scar took my parents’ lives. Askeladd went to the opposite side of the world from where I was to find me. And by some miracle, the gods played with fate and teleported me to him.

I didn’t know how to react. All these years I wanted to know more about my parents, but the colonel wouldn’t tell me. All I knew were their names and the assumptions I had in my head. Not only did Askeladd know them personally, but he was supposed to be my godfather—basically a second father.

And he had the letter to prove it.

I didn’t even conceive of the thought of hugging Askeladd. My body just leapt onto him and wrapped my arms around his body.

“Woah!”

Small amounts of tears welled up, but enough for me to wipe them away without noticing. “Could you tell me about my parents?”

He stroked my head. “Your father was a bastard and your mother was a gentle girl. I’ve got a lot to tell.”

It’s a miracle. A couple of days ago after finding out the truth about my parents, I was at my lowest point. And now, as if fate made it so, I ran into my would-be godfather. No, screw would-be. We’ll find a church and we’ll sign everything that’s needed to make this official.

He wasn’t my parents, but he was a piece of them—and I was fine with that.

Toshi had been patiently standing outside. “Ser, I found one.”

“Good, bring him in.”

“One thing, this one’s a woman.”

“That’s no problem. As long as they’re strong, their upbringings don’t matter.”

Toshi nodded and ran off.

“Do we do the same thing as last time?”

Askeladd handed me the broom. “Yeah, it’s good practice.”

I stood by the door in the same position. I noticed a shadow enter the building. Once I saw a figure, I swung as hard as I could.

“Zenyatta!” the woman I was about to strike screamed.

Just then, a skinny and lean figure with large pants materialized. Its arms were long and a belt made of rope was tied around its waist. On its wrist were wooden shackles and its face was covered by a wooden tribal mask with a headpiece resembling the sun. Above its shoulders and legs were three floating orbs forming a triangle.

This figure appeared in between the woman and me, catching my stick by slapping its hands together.

I haven’t seen one before, but I know exactly what this is.

“You’re a Familiar User!” I grinned. “I’ve never seen a Familiar before.”

“Same here,” Askeladd said. “Please, I apologize. We mean no offence.”

The woman had the same dark skin as her Familiar. She wore armour, but it was made in a way that showed her slender figure. Her hair was white and she wore a wrap to cover her forehead.

She shot a look at me. “Girl, if you’re going to ambush someone, make sure they can’t see your shadow.”

I glanced below her and noticed what she was talking about. A window behind me revealed my location by exposing my shadow.

That’s how the dwarf earlier must’ve known.

“My name is Askeladd Bauer and her name is Jaime Fontoya. There’s one more, but he’s not here right now. We ask for your help.”

She was willing to listen. “The name’s Mondatta Reggatta and my Familiar’s name is Zenyatta.”

“What can it do?” I asked.

Mondatta shot me a glare and ignored my question.

That’s right—don’t reveal your abilities to strangers.

“What’s this help you want?” she asked.

Askeladd then went on about the details of our campaign. Mondatta was less friendly than the dwarf earlier. I sat down, waiting for her to storm out.

She stood by the door before pacing around the inn’s common room in thought. She went up to Toshi, who kept his gaze down.

“Two months against a band of bandits and two of our allies are children. Not only that, we’re fighting for farmers and we’ll gain no valour nor lands nor titles, except for a full stomach,” she said. “Most people would say doing things out of the goodness of your heart is ludicrous.”

Askeladd rubbed his head. “We understand.”

“However, I don’t consider myself most people.” Mondatta sighed. “I didn’t grow up poor so I can’t empathize with the farmers, but I do pity their situation. Besides, two children who can contend with bandits is something I want to see. And you, Askeladd, I find your character the most compelling. I’ll gladly join your campaign.”

Askeladd bowed to her and glanced at me with a grin.

Everything was falling into place. There were now four of us which meant there were only three more to go.