For a moment, time seemed to move slower as he flailed his arms and legs, and braced himself for impact. This was supposed to be a standard retrieving-a-lost-item from a dragon’s hoard, with the ‘lost’ part being questionable, as per usual. The forest they were in was quite standard as well.
Idyllic with tall trees, lush temperate vegetation, crisp air with a smattering of sunlight from a blue sky, and the chirping of birds around them. Birds chirping and other forest noises meant that it was safe. Usually.
So, where did that towering monster-demon-deer thing that just sent me into the sky come from?
“Climb up the trees!” He heard the adventure party leader’s yell just as his shoulder slammed into the slender trunk of a tree. The force of it bent the tree back before it straightened up, but it only flung him off in the other direction.
A painful groan escaped his lips.
Ash landed hard on the ground, grimacing as he rolled on to his side, clutching his abdomen, and let out a labored wheeze. He checked to make sure his glasses were still on, though with the magic infused into them, it wouldn’t come off unless he took them off himself. His eyes crinkled up and he repeated his mantra that had been giving him strength the entire time.
“Do it for Momma,” he said with a heaving breath. He grit his teeth. The reward for that lost item the adventure party had been contracted to retrieve would be just enough.
As his vision straightened, he lifted his head and saw the glowing set of six red eyes on the front of the demon deer’s head. The creature was at least twice his height and could easily fling him into the air with his claw-like antlers, as he’d unfortunately learned earlier.
“Ash! Do something!” The party’s rogue, Alana, was a young woman his age, covered from head to toe in leather and wearing a heavy, hooded wool cloak that always seemed to drape just above her eyes. “That’s why we hired you!”
Ash rolled out of the way and behind the back of the tree as the demon deer charged past him, kicking up dead leaves and dirt before stumbling to a stop and turning around to try to attack them once more.
Ash swore as he made eye contact with the demon deer. He scrambled up and rushed to the nearest, thickest tree.
“You told me that I’d just face regular animals and mythical beasts! Nothing about demon beasts!” Ash yelled. He was covered in a thin layer of topsoil, tree bark, and crushed leaves. If he looked in the mirror, he’d know that his favorite feature; his thick, shoulder length, and wavy pale silver hair that faded into a dark burgundy at the tips, had now looked peppered with dirt clumps and one leaf. “We didn’t agree on any demon beasts when I signed the contract!”
Why was she mad? He was the one who was misled about the duties of his hire.
“You didn’t tell us that you couldn’t deal with demon beasts! What kind of beast master are you?” Brenda, the healing mage, had been pulled into an opposite tree by the party leader. Her white robes were still pristine, as if she’d never set foot outside of a temple. Not a single golden hair was out of place.
“Demon beasts are only beast shaped. They are demons! Demons!” Ash shouted. He looked around, trying to scan the nearby trees and noticed that a party member was not in any of them. “Where’s Reggie?”
The party’s bard was a skinny, pale eighteen-year-old with a lute. Aside from his brown hair and yellow eyes, one wouldn’t think he was the younger brother of the party’s leader, a more...physically intimidating warrior, William.
“Reggie!” William called out and began looking through the trees. Despite his hulking physique and seemingly arrogant nature at first glance, William was quite a good and understanding leader. Reggie was his precious younger brother, and not even William’s girlfriend, Brenda, could say anything bad about Reggie without William disapproving. “Reggie, where are you?” The panic in his voice began to rise.
He jumped down a branch from the one he was on and was immediately stopped by another voice. “Wills, don’t come down! I’m fine!”
Ash turned his attention to a large rock and the carefully slicked back hair of the bard peeking up from above it.
“Reggie! What are you doing?” Williams’ voice was filled with panic. “Climb a tree!”
“Wait, why don’t you try to soothe it with your music!” Ash yelled. “Music soothes all the beasts and humans! Even some demons succumb to it!”
Reggie peeked up with helplessness in his eyes. He lifted up his lute with a shaking arm for Ash and the rest of the party to see. His lute’s strings were broken.
“I knew we should’ve spent more on the metal strings!” Clyde, the ranger of the party, punched the trunk of the tree he was sitting on, causing it to shake and send leaves falling to the ground. He turned to glare at Brenda. “Use the cat gut strings, you said. They’re affordable and durable, you said!”
“I told you to stop being so cheap with tools, Brenda!” Alana yelled. She clicked her tongue and sneered. “Everyone always has to watch the party’s purse except for Brenda when she needs to get a new crystal for her staff.”
Brenda almost choked as her face flushed. Her hand clutched the staff with a shiny crystal ball on the top that she was holding against her. “An inferior crystal won’t be as effective!”
“Yeah, neither will cat gut strings, apparently!” Alana yelled back.
On his branch, Ash crinkled his eyes. While this wasn’t the first adventure party he’d contracted with part time that argued, it was the first one that argued all the time. Sometimes, he wondered how they even managed to stay as one group when they were this dysfunctional. Surely, even being childhood friends had limitations to one’s patience...and sanity.
The sound of their bickering overwhelmed the sound of chirping birds and it almost made Ash forget that below them, a demon deer with six glowing red eyes and covered with a thick layer of pitch colored miasma, was still stalking them.
“Enough!” William shouted to silence them. “Next time, we’ll get Reggie metal strings! For now, we need to kill that demon deer or we’ll never get to the Teal Dragon Lord’s cave!”
“My dagger and Clyde’s arrows just go through it!” Alana said. “And Brenda’s useless.”
“You didn’t call me useless when you were bleeding out last time!” Brenda snapped with a glare.
“I meant in combat!” Alana waved her hand to the ground and the demon deer that was looking up and snorting.
“Reggie, if we set foot on the ground the demon deer is going to attack! I need you to make music to soothe it!” Ash yelled, ignoring the others, and focusing on the man on the ground.
He looked up at a loss. “But I can’t play my lute!”
“Don’t worry about your lute!” Ash shouted back. “You’re a bard! Any sort of music you make will work!”
Reggie’s eyes crinkled up. “Any?”
“Yes!” Seeing that he was interested, Ash jumped on the opportunity to encourage him. “Open your mouth and use your voice!”
He didn’t notice the others in the party tense. William’s eyes widened with fear. “Wait-”
“Use your voice! You can sing! You can do it! We’re depending on you!” Ash urged the other man with enthusiasm.
Caught up in Ash’s vigor, Reggie nodded his head. “You’re right...everyone’s counting on me.”
“That’s the spirit! Take a deep breath and put your heart into it!” Ash yelled.
Reggie gave him a determined look and nodded. He climbed on top of the rock as the demon deer’s back was turned. His eyes were narrowed as he clenched one hand and squeezed his broken lute in the other. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth.
A broken, tone-deaf cry filled the forest.
Ash’s eyes crinkled up as his mouth parted, staring at the man on the rock as the most heinous affront to singing reverberated around them like the cries of an animal at slaughter.
The birds had gone silent.
Even the wind seemed to have stopped.
It was then Ash realized he made a mistake.
Several pairs of eyes watched as the party’s mage sang as if their lives depended on it. And hearing him do so made Ash realize that they were going to die.
The demon deer jumped and whirled around, appearing almost startled by the voice. Its three pairs of red eyes were all wide before they narrowed into hateful slits. It lowered his head and let out a low snort. Ash wasn’t well versed with dealing with demon deer, but even he knew that a murder gaze when he saw it.
I’ve made a terrible mistake. Ash couldn’t take it. “Stop! Reggie! Reggie, that’s enough!”
The squawking badly masquerading as song gurgled to a stop, and Reggie’s wide, innocent eyes looked up at Ash. “Was it enough?”
Ash winced. “More than enough! This is my fault. I...misread the situation.” As terrible as Reggie’s noise making was, Ash didn’t have the heart to tell him so after Reggie had braved an attempt to save them. They needed another plan. “Why don’t you step back and we can figure out-”
“Look out!” Reggie was suddenly tackled to the ground, over the side of the rock where he’d been hiding earlier. Several screams rang out as dirt was kicked into the air.
The portion of the rock where Reggie had been standing just moments earlier was scraped by tips of the demon deer’s sharp horns. Ash stared at the grooves in the stone. Now the demon deer was solid. When Alana tried to stab it and Clyde shot arrows, they went through it as if the demon was made of a dense cloud.
The creature darted past before trotting to a stop, and locked its aim on the two brothers. It’s hoof scraped at the ground.
William reached back and grasped the hilt of a thick sword. He stood in front of his younger brother with determination masking his fear.
“William! Take Reggie up! Weapons don’t have any effect on the demon!” Clyde shouted.
“I don’t have any other choice!” William yelled.
Ash titled his head back and groaned.
He only agreed to join the party because he was told they needed someone who could deal with beasts. Only that someone needed to deal with beasts. They had people who could fight, a healer, and a bard. He didn’t need to do anything else.
He wasn’t being paid to do anything else, but it seemed he didn’t have a choice. He wouldn’t get paid if the party died. Ash reached into the inner pocket of his waist coat and was about to pinch a piece of paper neatly folded within when he saw William’s sword come down.
The party leader shoved Reggie back behind the rock before darting to the side to try to draw the demon deer away from his brother. Clyde’s words hadn’t been false. The weapon didn’t do anything except cut through whatever miasma surrounded the deer.
However, when it did so, there was a slight spark. The blade of the sword reacted with a slight light, and Ash leaned forward. William kept running and Ash wondered if he even noticed the reaction.
“Wait...William! Is your sword magic?” Ash yelled.
William glanced up with a glint of pride on his face. He grinned and lifted up the sword. “Did you notice? I got it from the dwarves of Alum Mountain when I was on my first adventure with our father! It’s the Sword of Echoes!”
Ash’s draw nearly dropped. “You...you have a magic sword? And all you’ve been doing with it was slashing and cutting?” He cried out, his hands shaking at his side and almost wanting to pull his hair out.
A month. Nearly a month that he’d traveled with this adventure party and no one told him their leader had a magic sword! At least a year of his life felt as if it had been sucked out of him in an instant.
William slashed at the demon deer once more, but had no effect. He wove through some trees to try to distract the demon deer, but his efforts only seemed to annoy it.
Ash closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Do it for Momma.”
He pushed himself off the branch and felt the wind rush up around him before he landed and rolled forward. He darted up and ran towards William and the deer.
“Ash! What are you doing?” Clyde shouted. “Get back up the tree!”
“Are you crazy!?” Alana yelled as he passed her tree. “Get out of the way!”
“You wanted me to deal with a beast, so I’m going to deal with the beast!” Ash yelled. He reached into his pocket and took out a small slip of paper. He pinched it between two fingers and charged it with magic energy. The formerly blank looking piece of parchment only the size of his hand began to glow with white circles, formations, and text the others couldn’t read.
He saw the hind legs of the demon deer ahead of him and threw the paper forward. Instead of fluttering uselessly to the ground, it cut through the air like a blade and hit the back of the deer’s hind quarters, embedding itself into the miasma like a knife in flesh. The demonic creature immediately let out a loud hiss, jerking its head upwards and stomping its hooves as it cried out.
The impact area began to smoke, as if the paper had burned the creature.
“What is that?” William asked with wide eyes as he stepped back to avoid the demon deer going berserk in front of him.
Ash ran around the creature and skidded to a stop in front of William. “Sword!”
“What?”
“Give me your sword!” Ash said, holding his hands forward with expectation as he kept his head turned towards the demon deer in case it attacked.
William let out a small, disbelieving chuckle. “Oh no...I’m afraid not. You’re new to the team, Ash, so you probably don’t understand, but I don’t lend my sword to anyone-”
“William, if you don’t give me your sword, I can’t get rid of this demon!” Ash cried out, taking a step forward. Willam frowned and stepped back.
“Tell me what to do and I’ll fight it!”
Ash rolled his eyes. They didn’t have time for this. The demon deer was going to refocus on them soon, and then attack.
“All right then! You have a Sword of Echoes, right? A level three, class D magic weapon. Relatively common and often given as gifts by the dwarves of the Obsidian Mountain Range. Echoes are sound, which is based on air, so gather air elemental energy and infuse it into the sword. Hold it there until you attack and release it just before impact, then use your internal energy to steer the trajectory of your attack! It’s very simple!”
The blank look in William’s eyes told him that William did not, in fact, think it was very simple.
The other man’s hands squeezed the grip of the sword as his eyes crinkled up. “What is air elemental energy?”
The corner of Ash’s eye twitched.
“William, just give him the sword!” Alana and Clyde screamed.
“Wills, quickly!” Reggie yelled.
Reluctance was written all over William’s face, but at his brother’s desperate cry, he looked at his sword. He gripped part of the hilt in his hand as he raised it towards Ash in offering.
Ash reached down and grabbed the sword. He pulled it towards him, only for William to keep his grip. Ash sunk his shoulders. “Really?”
“Sorry....” William loosened his fingers and as soon as the resistance weakened, Ash snatched the sword. He shoved William out of the way before jumping to the side to avoid the deer that had made a charge towards them.
“Stay down!” Ash shouted as he reached into his pocket once more to get another magic slip. He charged it with magic energy and threw it at the demon deer to get its attention.
It hit the creature’s shoulder, sending it into a rage as the slip seemed to burn into the miasma. It turned around, snorting and lowering its head at Ash. The six red eyes locked on to him and Ash checked his glasses once more, pushing them a bit further up his nose. His eyes met the demon deer’s.
His body shifted, aligning his hips to face the creature as both hands gripped the hand-and-a-half just firm enough so it wouldn’t fall. His shoulders relaxed as he held the sword over one shoulder.
The blade began to glow, illuminating the fine decorative cuts made by the dwarves in the sword, as magic energy collected. He silently called out to the demon deer, urging it to come forward.
The creature scraped the ground with its front hoof and then shot forward. Ash narrowed his eyes and adjusted his grip. As the creature closed in, he took a step forward, never stepping out of his trajectory as he brought the sword down.
The energy clashed with the miasma, sending dark smoke and sparks of light into the air as it cut through the creature with ease. Ash felt the rush of energy flying out all around him as the body of the demon deer seemed to split in half as he cut through and dissipated into the air.
He continued to move, taking a quarter step to the side before cutting upwards on the back half of the demon. His movements were fluid; a seamless flow of attack, one after another, without the least bit of hesitation. The creature let out a scream as the miasma turned into smoke and seemed to burst.
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When the miasma and light cleared, all that remained was Ash still on guard facing where the deer should’ve been. In front of him, a fragment of what appeared to be a leg bone had been broken in three and fell to the ground.
Ash relaxed his stance and took out another magic slip. He charged it and placed it over the small broken bone pieces, watching as the pieces turned white before dissolving into powder. The paper slip burned up and disappeared.
He took a deep breath and lowered the sword. Somewhere in the distance, the birds began chirping again, as if there never was a demon deer in their presence. Ash looked around to make sure no one was hurt. William was standing a few paces away, his mouth agape.
“How...how did you do that?” William said a breathless voice as his arms dropped at his side.
“It’s a medium-low level demon. Several kinds of magic, including holy magic and air elemental energy are effective,” Ash said as he shoved the hilt of the into William’s chest and walked past. “Demonic energy needs to either be cleansed or dissipated by other energy sources. Air elemental energy has hints of light energy, so that helps with dissipation. The slips are light energy.”
William looked taken aback. He turned and followed behind Ash. “You...you can use magic? But what about sword work? Your footwork-”
“I started formal classes the moment I could walk and both my older brother and mother are proficient, so everyone in the family, including my baby sister, can use a weapon,” Ash replied. He reached the rock where Reggie was hidden. “Reggie, you all right?”
He reached down and extended his arm. Reggie blinked himself out of his stupor and nodded. He raised his hand and grasped Ash’s before being pulled up. Ash patted his shoulder.
“Just some slight bruising, but the beast never touched me,” Reggie replied. “Thank you, Ash.”
Clyde and Alana landed on the ground next to them. Alana’s eyes were wide as Clyde grinned and patted Ash’s back. “You didn’t tell us you could fight!”
“You didn’t hire me to fight. You hired me to deal with beasts,” Ash replied. He held up a finger and looked pointedly at Alana. “Of the regular and mythical kind only.”
Alana snorted. “How were we supposed to know that there would be a demonic beast here?”
“She’s right. This forest isn’t supposed to have demonic beasts.” Brenda needed to be carried to the ground by William. “Had we known, we would’ve hired a cleric instead of a beast master.”
“Beast tamer,” Ash corrected as he removed his glasses to wipe them. With his eyes lowered, they couldn’t see the real color. When he put his glasses back on, his eyes were the same color as his brother’s, a deep blue with some gold flecks. He ran a hand through his hair and ruffled out the dirt. He looked at his hand with the mud and leaves from his hair and twisted his face with disgust. “Let’s get moving to the next village. See if we can get some replacement strings for Reggie’s lute...maybe buy a bath.”
William nodded and let out a small cough. He returned his sword to his sheath. He still seemed a bit struck by what had just happened. “Let’s go,” he said. “Greenstone Village is nearby...I’ll buy everyone a drink.”
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“We didn’t get far, did we?” Ash could hear Reggie’s footsteps coming. He, the contract hire, was boiling water in a small kettle he’d brought with him. After getting Reggie’s lute fixed, they loaded up on some more supplies and continued on their way, but didn’t get more than an hour's trek from the village before the sun began to set.
This prompted them to find a place to camp and set up before it got dark.
Of the party, the trio that took turns cooking were William, Alana, and Clyde. As expected, Brenda had never touched a stove in her life, and Reggie had once burned himself, so William insisted he keep away from the camp fire when they were cooking.
Tonight was Clyde’s turn to cook. He was the best cook of the lot, as his parents had migrated from the Cloud Continent, and weren’t used to cooking in a more rustic environment than the Iverian Continents had. As a result, Clyde, the eldest child of his family, took the reins of cooking and other household chores.
He grew up in the city near where the others were from and when his classmate, William, said he was going to form an adventure party, Clyde found a way to escape parentification. At least in his own family.
Ash used a stick to lift the kettle from the fire and bring it closer to him. “Far enough. We don’t want to be too far from the village, anyway. I think being so deep in the forest encountering the demon deer shook us.” He dug into his bag, which appeared like a flat, envelope-like leather satchel across his back, but contained a space for storage. “Tea?” he asked as he took out a metal canister.
Reggie nodded. “Oh, yes, please. You make excellent tea.”
“It’s the family business,” Ash said with a slight grin. “Go and invite the others if they want some.”
“No need to say any more,” Alana said as she and Clyde joined them from opposite ends of the camp. “What is it tonight?”
Ash held up the metal canister to show them the label. “Tonight, we’re having herbal tea. What did I say about herbal tea?”
“Good for digestion,” Reggie and Clyde said at the same time.
“Exactly. Our herbal tea tonight is chamomile from the eastern Ashtar Empire,” he told them as he put a few small spoonful’s into a metal strainer. “It’s earthy and warm. You can taste some hints of fruit.”
As he steeped the tea he looked around. He raised a brow and Clyde seemed to understand. “Brenda has already gone to sleep and William is on watch.”
Ash gave an understanding nod. “It’s tough being the leader of an adventure party.”
“My brother is very responsible,” Reggie replied with a hint of pride. He let out a small gasp and sat up straight. “Ash, I hope my brother didn’t insult you when he hesitated to give you his sword. It’s very precious to him.”
Ash shook his head, brushing off the incident. “It’s nothing. It’s common for people to be protective of their weapons. I’m only glad he let me use it. I wouldn’t have been so demanding if it weren’t an emergency.”
“Still, that was quite impressive,” Alana said, leaning forward and still wearing her cloak over her eyes. “I have to admit, I didn’t think you had it in you.”
“Yes, you never mentioned it during the interview,” Clyde added.
Ash shrugged as he steeped the tea. “Your ad was asking for a beast tamer, not a swordsman or a magician.”
“So, you have multiple skill sets?” Alana asked.
Ash chuckled. “I’m just flexible,” he replied. “Actually, I’m not that good of a swordsman.” The blank looks on Clyde and Reggie told him that they didn’t believe him. He took a deep breath and shrugged once more, holding his hands helplessly up in front of him. “Trust me. Compared to my older brother, I still have a lot to learn.”
“You have a brother, too?” Reggie perked up. They were about the same age and Reggie had been particularly excited to adventure with him from the start. “You’re the younger one, too?”
Ash nodded and took out cups from his bag. “Sword, archery, chess, three instruments. Not to mention book smart. My brother can do it all. He’s much better suited to stay home and handle matters of the family business. I hate to admit it, but I can only do so much, you know? When my mother immigrated with my brother and I, I was just a toddler. My brother helped my mother the most.”
“Is he all right with you leaving?” Clyde asked, raising a brow. “It’s just the three of you.”
“Four. Technically. Legally,” Ash replied. “While going to where we live now, Momma adopted our younger sister. She’s only seven. If Momma’s working, she has to take Effie with her.”
Alana nodded. “Life is hard for a single mother.”
“Exactly.” Ash agreed at once, even pointing at Alana to acknowledge her. “Our mother works so hard for us. I need to do this for her.”
He received both sympathetic and impressed gazes from the other three. He checked the tea and lifted the pot. They chatted a bit more over their tea, and once Alana and Clyde were done, they retired for the night as they had watch duty for the other two-thirds of the night.
Reggie remained with Ash. “Do you ever feel as if your brother is better than you at everything?”
Ash paused. He looked up, over the rim of his tea cup. “Not everything. Certainly, I have my own set of skills. My brother is older than me and has learned more. Our formative years were...different. And, in a way, he was forced to grow up much faster. Was given more responsibility. He had to react to that and I understood. If anything, he sheltered me from having to take on too much responsibility so I didn’t have to go through what he did.”
Reggie looked out into the darkness and Ash glanced over. He couldn’t see, but had a feeling William was in that direction. “He’s so good at everything...I just can’t compare. Except with music.”
“You have different strengths, that’s all,” Ash said. He lowered his tea cup and looked at Reggie. He took a deep breath. “Do you love your brother?”
“Of course!” Reggie snapped his head in Ash’s direction. “He has always taken care of me! It’s as if everything he does is....” He lowered his eyes and trailed off. Ash didn’t push him, but finished his tea, allowing the other young man to gather his thoughts. “He’s doing this for me.”
“The quest?” Ash raised a brow. From what he was told from the Adventurer's Guild before going to be interviewed, this party had mainly done smaller quests. Nothing as dangerous or would take as long as going to retrieve something from a dragon’s hoard. I was wondering why they suddenly took such a jump in difficulty. “Go on.”
Reggie furrowed his brows. He lowered his empty tea cup and put it on the ground, keeping his eyes on it. “I want to go to the Imperial Music School in Solyek, but...it’s expensive. Our parents were mid-level adventurers at their peak, before they retired after our dad was injured. Even if we’re doing all right with a shop in town, it’s still a small rural shop. It's not enough to send a child to Solyek to study. We needed more money and my brother is good at fighting so...here we are.”
Solyek was the imperial capital of Dareisol, the largest empire composed of two kingdoms in Eastern Iveria. It was where Ash had gone to meet the party and be interviewed for a contract position.
“So, he’s hoping to earn money to send you to school?” Ash asked. He smirked and nodded, giving Reggie a supportive, gentle punch to the shoulder. “Then, do him proud. Big brothers are going to be big brothers. If they’re any good. I’ll help you get that urn, and when you get into the Imperial Music School, you can show the world that his hard work to send you there wasn’t in vain.”
Reggie nodded. “I am very lucky.”
Ash chuckled. “It’s good you recognize that. I think you’re lucky, too. Your brother takes such good care of you.” He lowered his voice and leaned forward. “Even Brenda can’t open her mouth and say anything crass.”
Reggie laughed. “I don’t know what my brother sees in her, but if she makes him happy, I’ll support him.” He looked towards Ash. “What about your brother? Is he protective?”
Ash let out a snort-laugh, but his eyes filled with mirth. “He’s protective when he needs to be, but he’ll be strict. Tough even, when he’s trying to teach me. If I make a mistake, he’ll go over it with me...after calling me an idiot. And he won’t hesitate to beat me in any match. He says he wants me to earn a win.” He let out a small snort. “Seventeen years and I can count the amount I’ve won in any sort of spar on one hand.”
Reggie laughed. “But you have a good relationship! I’m envious. I wish Wills would be more willing to teach me and to spar. I cried once when our father was teaching us, and now he won’t so much as let me hold a wooden training sword.”
“At least you don’t have to go to bed bruised.”
Reggie’s brows shot up. “Is your brother violent?”
Ash shook his head. “No, he’s just a formidable fighter, so it’s bound to happen when we spar.” He began to rinse and wipe the tea cups clean to put them away. He smiled softly. “I know I make him sound overpowering, but if I’m being honest, my brother has always been quite gentle.”
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His long, slender fingers curled into the man’s hair, giving him a firm grip. A moment later, he pulled his shoulder back, bringing the red-faced man’s face up before shoving it, hard and fast, into the solid oak table top.
This was not the usual image of Henry Atractas, the eldest and adopted son, of the owner of Snake, Scarab, and Sons.
All around them, other guests of the tea house gasped with both shock and interest as the man dressed neatly in a white, buttoned up shirt, a dark green waistcoat, and a knee length black apron over blank pants slammed a middle-aged man’s face into a table without remorse.
The black tie that had been neatly tucked into the younger man’s waist coat had almost fallen out as he pulled his arm back and then pushed the older man’s face into the table surface once more, causing the plates and cups on the table to bounce.
“I gave you a warning and it seems you don’t listen,” the twenty-four-year-old server with the gold bar on his tie said in a calm, even voice as he pulled the man back. Blood was streaming down the large man’s nose as his combed-over hair fell out of place. “This is a respectable establishment.” He slammed the man’s face on the table again. “A comfortable and safe place for all customers, including children and women.”
A thud shouted after another head slam, causing bystanders to wince. “Oooh....” The older man groaned, in a daze. It was almost enough to gain pity.
“If you want to act like a beast yelling, cruising, and throwing tableware, take it to a pub!” Henry then turned and dragged the man to the double doors of the ground floor of the most famous tea house in the city.
Two servers held the doors open so he could drag the injured, and still drunk, man out. They emerged at the top of three steps leading down the street, just beneath the portico at the front of the tea house. Witnesses watched as the tall, good-looking man with long burgundy hair and blue eyes lifted the larger man with ease, and then tossed him into the street like a sack of trash.
The larger man groaned as hit the stone paved main street. He seemed to shake himself to focus and pushed himself up with his arms. He looked up, towards the steps and the younger man at the top.
“You...you dare do this?” As he talked, spit and blood bubbled in the corners of his lips. He loosened his jaw and a moment later, spit out a tooth. He glared as it fell to the ground beside him. “You!” He looked back at the other man. “Do you know who I am?”
The younger man raised a thick brow as his pale, slender fingers adjusted his black tie to its proper position tucked into his waistcoat with casual nonchalance that didn’t match with the cold anger in his voice. “Do you know where you are? A pathetic individual like you who’d attack a mother and child isn’t worthy to come within ten paces of our tea house.” He glared at the man and then looked around. He let out a whistle and waved his arm in the air once upon the sight of a familiar patrol uniform.
The city’s public safety patrols were considered the best and were serious about their jobs. They knew well what chaos drunkards with money could do in a top-tier city that had nearly everything.
“Young Master-I mean, Manager Atractas,” one of the patrol guards said as he reached the street in front of the tea house. “What’s going on?”
“This drunkard caused a scene in the tea house, yelling at a mother and a child, and then throwing things on the floor, including two tables of other guests,” Henry replied in a calm and collected voice. “Sober him up and I’ll press charges.”
The guards nodded and gathered the man, who resisted, calling the younger man a liar. The commotion outside drew the attention of patrons inside the tea house, who came and verified the young manager’s story. Once the drunkard was taken away, Henry let out a low breath.
He turned around, putting on a pleasant, yet apologetic smile on his face. He gave the other two servers a nod, who immediately began ushering their guests back in to deal with the aftermath and calm their seated guests.
As he walked back across the floor, he greeted everyone who was near him and apologized, assuring them that their meal would be comped. He made his way to the epicenter of the incident. The tables of two patrons had been turned over in the scuffle, but thankfully, they were regulars who were close to the family.
Still, Henry showed them the utmost respect as he came to make amends. Both overturned tables had been returned to their place, with new white table cloths, and place settings currently being placed. The first table had been collateral damage as the old woman seated there had come to the defense of the woman and son who were attacked.
“Mrs. Brekling, I’m terribly sorry that you had to go through such a thing. Are you all right? Such a dreadful man. I should’ve forced him out the moment he raised his voice,” Henry said as he bent over and gently put his hand on an older woman’s shoulder.
As one of their establishment’s oldest customers, Mrs. Brekling had been present at family events held at the tea house. The wealthy old woman came from a prominent family, or rather families, from different merchant cities. She had struck out in her youth to make a name for herself in Carthage Harbor, which made her sympathetic to Henry’s aunt, who had also immigrated there.
Sharp, successful old business people were not to be trifled with, and Mrs. Brekling proved that by keeping her calm even when the man swept her tea off her table and pushed it over.
The older woman with graying hair gave him a thoughtful smile and patted his hand. “Oh, it’s all right, Henry. Sometimes, there is no escaping such a horrid person. I’m glad Femke and Lencio are all right.”
“Regardless,” Henry said as he began straightening out the table that another servant put upright. “I do apologize. This is not the kind of experience we wish upon our guests here. Your bravery shouldn’t be wasted on him” He looked towards the server bringing replacement tea and flatware to the table. “Bring Mrs. Brekling a complimentary pot of our house blend and our signature fire egg tarts.”
The server nodded and bowed his head, while the old woman’s face lit up. The fire egg tarts were expensive as the eggs used were from rare fire chickens raised on the mainland. There was a purchase limit per day.
“Henry! My boy, you needn’t trouble yourself.”
Henry shook his head and put his hand over his heart. “I insist, Mrs. Brekling. Please enjoy. I know how much you love fire egg tarts. But just a few.” He stood up straight and lifted his hand, holding his thumb and index finger just two finger widths apart. “Keep in mind your health. We want you around for a long time.”
The old woman gave him a pleased look and he turned to the next table. His smile fell into an apologetic one just as another server finished resetting the toppled table of the victim. “Madam Stravos, I’m so sorry.”
The woman was a young mother who had frequented the tea house from the moment it opened. She shook her head, but was still shaken. “It is I who should apologize, Henry. That man resented that Lencio was named heir by his grandparents instead of him after Lencio’s father died.” The young mother’s eyes reddened at the thought of the husband she had only been married to for two years before he died in a storm at sea. All she and the Stravos family had left to carry late Mr. Stravos’ legacy was Lencio. “I didn’t know he’d come here to wait for us and make trouble as soon as he returned.”
A few other people who were regulars and familiar with her checked to see if she was all right and she graciously accepted their kindness, though it was clear she was still shaken.
Henry bent his knee and knelt beside the chair where a little boy was holding on to his drawing that had tea spilled over it. His eyes were red, and Henry looked at the carefully crayon colored drawing of two figures holding hands along with something that appeared to be a dog.
One of the figures was obviously Lenio with his dark hair and blue eyes. Holding his hand was a little girl with pale blue skin, blue eyes, and a dark line that made an outline of what would be her white hair. The scribble of a dog in gray and white was the family pet.
“The likeness is amazing, Lencio,” Henry said. “Every picture you draw gets better and better.”
Lencio’s big eyes watered. “It’s ruined....” he said in a quiet voice. His chubby little hands gripped the paper. “Effie won’t like it.”
“What are you talking about?” Henry smiled. “Effie will love it! Your next art exchange will be great.”
Lencio lifted his head to look at Henry with reluctance. “Really?”
Henry smiled. “Really. When she gets back with my aunt, she’ll be excited to trade with you. She said she’s been drawing using a new paint set she got.”
The corners of Lencio’s lips tugged into a slight smile. “Okay....”
“Okay,” Henry said. He gently patted the four-year-old’s head. “How about I get you your favorite honey crunch cookies?”
Lencio gasped, his eyes wide. He only usually got those when Effie was there. He clutched his drawing. “Is that okay?”
“Of course it’s okay. Effie doesn’t own the honey crunch cookies,” Henry said with a laugh. Technically, Ash had created them, but since the idiot ran off whenever the slightest notion adventure came his way, Henry had him teach the chefs at the tea house so Effie could get a steady supply.
Effie would eat them whenever she missed Ash.
Henry called for some cookies to be made just for Lencio, who was given some envious looks from other guests. Those cookies weren’t on the menu, but Effie gave them out on her birthdays to familiar guests.
After making sure that all the guests were settled and buying a round of tea for them all to make up for the startling scene, Henry walked back to the front counter where the floor manager was waiting for him. The pleasant smile on his face melted into a neutral expression, with only his sharp lapis blue eyes narrowed to show his displeasure at the disturbance.
“I’ve contacted Mr. Patricio, sir,” the middle-aged woman with short, graying hair told him. Mr. Patricio was their lawyer. “He will deal with Madam Stravos’ disturbing brother-in-law.”
“I can see why the Stravos family left the company too late Mr. Stravos instead of that psychopath,” Henry replied in a low voice. He reached the front desk and took a seat at a desk in the section where reservations were made and private parties checked in. “Aunt Margeaux, please call Tank and Sheldon.”
The woman nodded her head and handed her position to the hostess before going to get two large men who were servers with the private booths and rooms in the upper floor. She led the two towering half-orcs, one half-human, and the other half-snow elf, down to the ground floor.
They were dressed in similar uniforms as everyone there: crisp white shirts with their dark green waistcoats, black pants, and apron. Floor staff weren’t required to wear ties, but their hair needed to always be pulled up and kept neat.
The half-orc was easily a head and a half taller than Henry, who was already above average in height. Both servers were hulking with their shirt sleeves so tight, almost appearing painted on to their muscular arms.
“You call for us, sir?” Tank asked. Tank was the older of the two, his voice a bit raspier than that of his cousin.
Henry kept his eyes on a record book of the day’s guests, but raised a hand to motion for them to come in front of them. Like two soldiers, they stood to attention in the marble foyer where guests with reservations were greeted. Tank had the faintest green skin with a bald head and red eyes typical of the orcs on the Dragon Continent.
Sheldon was a bit slenderer and had a slightly darker green skin. Honestly, it was either going to be the green of the orcs or the blues of the snow elves, like Effie. If it weren’t for his green skin and how thick he was, he’d pass as a regular snow elf. He even had that luxurious snow-white hair that while braided, still reached his waist.
Effie was often envious, as her snow-white hair was fluffy with some curls.
Henry raised his eyes to look at the two servers. “When Madam Stravos and Lencio leave, escort them home. Take the horses and stay close to her carriage in case her estranged brother-in-law has something else planned. Two hours of overtime pay and guard pay.”
Both servers nodded and then hit their fists to their chests. “Yes, Younger Master.” They chorused. Henry gave them a nod to both approve and dismiss them.
Margeaux stepped forward. “Sir, one more thing. We received a message from Orm Point. The Second Young Master’s party has passed through to take a boat to the Dragon Continent.”
Henry paused in the middle of writing. He looked up and ahead of him, narrowing his eyes. “Do we know what they’re doing on the Dragon Continent?”
“Basil from the Adventurer’s Guild says that the dragon they’re tracking has their nest in the eastern forest of the region. The dragon has taken the gold and mother-of-pearl urn of the young daughter of a ducal family in West Iveria. They’re paying an exorbitant amount to get the remains of their daughter back,” Margeaux said with sympathy in her voice.
Henry slowly nodded his head, also sympathizing. No parent wanted to bury their child. At least not decent ones. The expensive urn showed how much the family loved their daughter; to have her remains stolen would only add more heartbreak.
“Do we know which dragon?”
“The Teal Dragon Lord.” Henry nodded once more, but didn’t reply. Margeaux raised a brow. “Should we send the Second Young Master some assistance?” she asked.
Henry was quiet, appearing to consider doing so.
“Nah.”
“Young Master?” Margeaux drew her head back with surprise.
Henry lowered his head and continued writing, as if he didn’t just get an update about his brother who’d run off. “He’s a big boy. He’ll be fine.”