Kalle showed up the next day bright and early, with a travelling pack that was bursting at the seams and bumping up and down with each step.
He was met by a chipper Harold and what looked like his sleepy-looking younger brother.
“Morning Kalle, this is Oscar, my brother. I might have forgotten to mention him, but he is all in. Ain’t yuh bud?” The sleepy looking, sandy-haired fourteen year old gave his older brother a suffering look, but then turned back to assure Kalle. “Yes, no need for worry, I will help out.”
The news was unexpected but Kalle needed just a moment to recover and decide to take it in stride. “Oh, sure… You are welcome to come. He has told you what it will be like though, yeah? If you are at all unsure of your alternatives, I’m positive we can find some people for you to stay with here otherwise, for example I could maybe talk to my old folks; since they will have more room now, with me leaving?” Kalle wasn’t feeling any real trepidation from the young lad, but he still figured he should make sure.
“No, no need really, my brother may have been acting presumptuous not mentioning your plans to me until last night, but he’s not lying,” And his next words teased out a smile, which was the sign of excitement Kalle had been looking for. “I’m all in, and if we stick together I won’t mind a challenge,” He looked at his brother and seemed to recall some memories. “Within reason. You guys have been planning this for quite a while, I take it?”
“No, we met yesterday.” They both quickly headed inside the tavern, leaving Oscar stupefied on the porch.
What followed was an intense session of planning everything from meals, to a route on the vague map Kalle had gotten from home, and how they would handle emergencies like running into predators or bandits. They shared what they had found out about their Skills, Oscar listening most intently at that bit, and then finally they planned out how to get the place sold.
“We will use our Skills as much as possible, and level up on the road, with the goal of looking for a place where we can learn more about our Classes, right? Then we find a nearby spot to settle, and then take things from there.” Kalle summarised.
One of the Spells Kalle showed the two was a pure escape-art that fooled the target into seeing its prey escape through a strange door that vanished upon closing. It was all an illusion though, a scene that played in the target's mind while the real you was busy running in a different direction.
Then Oscar unexpectedly piped up just as the two young Casters felt ready to head to town: “You have some good interplay, I’m sure, between [Spore of Dreams] and [Wailing Bolt] both being mental attacks, since one seems to be purely magical while the spores ought to be some sort of physical manifestation magic, so we have options depending on the resistances we may face,”
Kalle was not expecting this, and even Harold figured it would take longer for Oscar to warm up to their new companion enough to really share his thoughts. He took it as a sign his brother was doing some growing of his own.
“That’s not to mention [Escape Room] and [Regenerating Form] which should both be able to help us escape and survive tough situations where we get injured, if that second one is truly a healing spell that is,” The words left them both speechless for a good few moments.
After a good thirty seconds Kalle added. “Oh, and I also have a sort of finishing strike, I think, but I have not had a chance to use it on anything larger than an average boar yet, and it was already wounded, I just used it to spare it some pain. It is called [Mind Blast], but I need to be touching the victim.”
“That is still only eight of your Skills though?” Oscar pried.
“Yes, you’re right, I would tell you the rest, but they have a higher efficiency on the unaware it seems, and I am not fully sure how the last one works.” When Oscar looked sceptical he added: “I have told your brother the details of the one I used on him, so I hope you do not worry, but we may as well leave it off for now, so it maybe helps more,”
Oscar decided he could only trust his brother's judgement since it seemed mental Classes were quite tricky to figure out.
As that concluded the final strategizing, the three lads were soon headed into town fully packed, since they weren’t planning on taking no for an answer.
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Lena was leaning on her freshly renovated bar, enduring the late summer heat and taking her ease after a second lunch rush.
She was the owner of the new, yet to be named, inn & tavern, across from the general store and right by the town square.
It was not that she was some shrewd businesswoman who was trying to take advantage of tragedy to compete with the Hare’s Retreat, she knew the kid for Pete’s sake, and poor Ronald who used to run it.
But she had had this place since she was young; albeit in a smaller, not newly renovated form… And with the legendary pre- and afterparties that had taken place here, once upon a time, even if it was quite a few years ago by now... Eventually it led to this becoming the new natural watering hole for all the local drunks, once the lad had made it clear he needed some space.
It had started out being a lot of fun, but going on three months was pushing it as far as Lena was concerned.
Just as she was gathering some energy for a bite for herself, she noticed how another bout of entertainment had arrived.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Yesterday she had been watching curiously as the very same Harold, backed up by the perpetual new kid, had stumbled in, proclaiming how they had a big sale to make and for those looking to make a good business deal to gather around.
Salman who ran the general store had had a glint in his eye from the very first stumble, and was quick to ridicule their words. Despite them insisting on their sincerity and him having the grace to back off, the tone had been set and the rest of the square had their say at the lad’s expense before the pair sheepishly swore to return in a more coherent state.
Now here he was, with a very different kind of backup; Dunner, and with his brother Oscar hiding in the background.
Lena greeted them with a sneer. “Oh, and what have we got here? Lunch is over, so you know. I doubt you’re here for drinks, after how it put ideas in your head yesterday,”
Harold took the words more calmly than she expected. “Don’t worry, I learned a lesson alright. I was just hoping you had time for a talk?”
The small inn still had some guests, including the couple of town guards from before, but they had had their fill since long, and were really just biding the time until this curiosity arrived.
“Lena, I know you’ve been running an inn here, and I was hoping maybe you enjoyed the work compared to your weaving, but also maybe wanted your house back?” Harold initiated.
Lena looked at him with open curiosity, urging him to go on.
It was true she had the [Weaver] Class, and at a rather high level too. But she hadn’t gotten very lucky at all with her Skills, merely becoming an efficient mass-producer, and with new generations picking Classes every year she was further and further away from creating weaves of true, unique value.
And her Skills certainly cut down on the time she needed for the production too, so may as well get herself a proper side-gig like this. So, she had all kinds of reasons to say yes. But that's not how you negotiate.
When the words failed to get Harold much more than a blank stare he courageously went on. “And if so, you could buy my place and run an inn from there instead, while using this house for something quieter?” He tried, feeling reasonably well over not fumbling his words.
“Hah, 'I should buy it' he says, using what money Harold? I notice you skipped over the part where you mention the price yet, and why would I want to walk all the way over there anyway... Just because you have a slightly larger house and some chickens and the room to brew your own drink?”
Oscar looked dismayed in the background. He had heard all about the harsh reception the newfound partners' attempt had earned them yesterday.
Dunner was about to interject when suddenly the younger guard guffawed from behind them.
“Lena, that is just too harsh,” He nudged the tall woman next to him. “Will you please help the kid out, one more time Captain?” He kept nudging his superior while sporting a bit of a mad grin.
His superior shoved him back lightly but had a smirk on as well. The woman coughed in her hand and spoke up. “Come on now Lena, we all know you’re sick and tired of having every occasion for a party end up here. And that you’ve been planning on running this place as the inn-portion, with the raucous tavern parties taking place somewhere else, safely outside of town as it should,”
When the aproned woman simply shook her head in amusement at them interrupting her negotiations, the Captain turned from Lena back to Harold. “And you, you’re planning on leaving, right. Those were more than just drunken words yesterday?”
“They were,” Harold had never tried to look so serious. Dunner was holding his breath, while Oscar looked around with suspicion.
“And you have a magic Class to boot, meaning he’s qualified for the village funds Lena.”
It was a well-kept secret that Salcret sent the young adults who decided on combat- and magic Classes out on the road to get tempered, should they wish to. It was a harsh world, but Salcret was founded by such travellers. With a bit of funding and some luck, you could see a high level face return to contribute many times what they were given.
The innkeeper was smiling and throwing her hands up in surrender by this point.
“Wait, how do you know I’ve got a magic Class?” Harold felt urged to ask.
The helpful Captain had already been walking up to him, with the Hexstone at the ready. When she touched him it shone with a much brighter green than its normally faded state. “If I was not sure before then that confirms it. You better learn to control your Passives.” She winked.
When the trio eventually got out of there, they had written a deed since their father seemed to have misplaced his, sold it, and shockingly walked off with 210 silver coins. Dunner had barely said a word. Harold remembered his father only bought the place for 160, and they’d sold off parts of the stores since and managed to kill a lonely apple tree on the property. He numbly mentioned these tidbits to Kalle, who had managed to sneak away for a moment, and was back in his usual form.
“Sure, but that was like 13 years ago. Call it inflation.”
Harold and Oscar both nodded along, unsure of the word, but with knowing expressions. They were ready.