19 Masag, 891 ED

Buwan, 16:11

Wild Mage’s Camp, Reserves of Zaban

“So I’m curious, and I think we’ve known each other long enough that it’s not awkward for me to ask. Well, not so awkward that it might be rude to ask.”

I presented the question to Gogo without warning as I sat down, a wrapped pack of venison in my hands. We’d just stopped for our mid-day meal, and I was preparing to make a rich beef stew with the meat and some vegetables I’d managed to trade for. It was far from my favorite meal, but it was cheap, and the portions would ensure another meal or two after we’d both filled our stomachs.

“Now you’ve got my curiosity truly roused,” Gogo said, flashing me one of their mischievous grins. “What burning question will you ask of me?”

“Are you male, or female?” I asked. “Is it neither, or are you more fluid, changing as the times fit?”

“Ah,” Gogo tilted their chin back and looked at me sideways. “Not that it will change my answer, but why does it matter?”

“It doesn’t,” I said with a shrug. I was telling the truth, of course, but I liked clarity on anything I could get it on. “I just like knowing the full picture. You’re not the first person I’ve befriended who is fluid or not what they appear. Sorry if the question bothers you.”

Gogo continued to watch me in that peculiar way for several seconds, then shrugged. “It’s not a bother. But Anjali did warn me that some outside Baithak would find it strange. To tell you the truth, I didn’t understand until I left the village.”

I waited patiently, sure that they’d give me an answer to my question if I were patient enough. After another sizable delay, Gogo let out a sigh. “I’m fluid. It depends entirely where I am in the world, how I feel.”

“What kind of situation changes it?” I asked. Whatever the answer, I was sure I could keep it in mind. “Which areas of the world make you feel like a man, and which like a woman?”

“Nature makes me feel feminine,” they explained. “But if I cannot feel the nature around me, I become more irritable and definitely more masculine.”

“Ah,” I nodded my understanding. Internally, I was glad that the system was simple. I’d read some stories in which there was a definite difference in when they assigned to one gender or the other if indeed they decided at all. For Gogo’s case, I’d just have to keep an eye on our surroundings. And that was that.

“Well, thanks for telling me,” I said. Then I lifted the wrapped packet of meat. “Fancy some beef stew?”

She gave me that mischievous grin again. “Thought you’d never ask.”

______________________________________________________

Your [Cooking] life skill has been increased to Apprentice. You may add your proficiency bonus to any Cooking check made in the future! In addition, you are now proficient with all Cooking Tools!

That was alarmingly fast, I thought. Did it really only take two or three meals to gain proficiency in Cooking? Or was it taking into account my already established skill with cooking and making meals? Not that it had any way of knowing how good I was before, of course. Or maybe it did. If this world could understand me the way that I understood it, it was possible.

I put the thought out of my head and glanced around at the mostly deserted camp. It had been about six hours since that meal and the resultant increase to my Cooking skill. Gogo was nowhere to be found, as were many of the mages that had filled the training area the previous night. They were probably out securing goods for the evening meal, I thought. I knew they weren’t praying, as Temple Day wasn’t until tomorrow.

Temple Day. It was the last day of the week. It was also a day set aside for offering praise, worship, and tribute to the many Divines of the world. While there was some work still done, the majority of people took the entire day off. After visits to the temple, they enjoyed time with their family and friends, or even alone, relaxing after four long days of work. It was called ‘Temple’ Day just because of how many chose the day to pay tributes to the Divines.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Would I pray to any of the Divines tomorrow? I understood the benefits of it, of course. The Divines of Ahya were much more involved in the world than other stories you or I might read. If you were a particularly high-ranked follower or just got plain lucky when trying to communicate with them, you might even get a divine appearance, where you can see them. The Divines were all mortal once. In a way, they still were. Their histories were known by those left behind, and without their worshippers, they’d die.

I could pay tribute to any and all of the Divines, of course. There were no laws against or for any particular deity. Some of them did have Divine Laws prohibiting certain actions, but in every country in the world, there was nothing stopping you from visiting whoever you wanted. Of course, most here in Zaban, loving nature as they did, would appeal to Grimr Longfang, the God of Nature. Some might appeal to Noctis Ciayol, the God of Herbs.

“I can almost hear you thinking from over here!” A voice drifted to me, breaking me out of my deep thoughts. Glancing up and around, I could see Gogo near the center of one of the training areas holding their spear and beckoning me closer. “Come over and get some practice in!”

I came closer, grabbing the handle of my sword with one hand. “What makes you think I need or want practice?”

“You might not want it, but you definitely need it,” She said shortly and threw something else at me. I caught it and realized that it was a shield wrapped in fabric. I shook my head at once. “You don’t like using a shield?”

“I prefer the magic I can use with the free hand,” I said, offering the shield back. She took it with a shrug, and I drew the sword. “But I suppose you’re right. I could use some practice.”

Gogo hesitated a moment, then laid the shield down on the grass. “Feels a bit unfair. Besides, I could use some time getting used to the spear alone.”

She adopted a low crouch, presenting the weapon toward me. “Ready when you are.”

They didn’t seem to use any of the stances I’d imagined when I wrote about Ahya’s combatants, I noted. Of course, that could just mean that the world itself had invented a new style that I wouldn’t know. Or Gogo could simply be self-taught. Sometimes a warrior did learn on their own, resulting in a unique style. I held my sword in a standard grip, the blade slightly leaning to one side. Neither offensive nor defensive.

Initiative Check: 8 (+2) = 10

You do not have the advantage!

Either Gogo had never shown the full extent of their skill with that weapon, or I hadn’t been paying attention during the fight with the bandits. Whatever the reason, the tip of her spear was within my reach faster than I could blink. Time seemed to slow down just as it had when I’d fought the bandits, but not nearly as strongly. I tried to bring my sword around in time to block her spear.

Attack: 11 (+2) = 13 [Failure]

With mere inches to spare, my sword caught the tip of her spear and knocked it to the side. With one smooth flick, I freed my weapon, then swung back. The sword wasn’t a training weapon, and I had no desire to permanently injure her, so I aimed for the part of her body covered by her armor and swore to avoid hitting too hard.

Attack: 12 (+4) = 16 [Failure]

I could hardly believe my eyes. Weren’t they around the same level as me? If so, then how could that have failed? Nobody at level one should have a defense rating that high. But either way, the butt end of her spear came up and around just in time, knocking the blade of my sword down. Then she struck at me with the butt of the spear, and I ducked out of the way and tried to strike at her with the pommel of my sword. Another miss. We both jumped back then.

“Not bad,” Gogo said, her teeth bared in an excited grin. “That quick thrust never failed to hit anything before.”

“Well, I’m pretty fast,” I replied. “But not as fast as you. I didn’t think you’d be able to knock my sword away with such little space.”

She laughed a deep and booming sound that echoed back from the densely packed trees, making it sound as if there were more than one Gogo. “I’ve always been good at hitting stuff with the spear. Person, beast, or weapon, it makes no difference.”

“What about magic?” I asked and lifted my free hand. Gogo’s eyes narrowed in concentration as they felt my mana building and crouched again, ready to react. I willed myself to cast Strike, using Ki instead of Mana. The flash of white light was especially bright against the dim lighting of the air around us. Whether because of the speed of my casting or through sheer dumb luck, Gogo wasn’t able to cut the spell down or avoid it. It struck her in the middle of her torso, knocking her back onto the ground.

“Ha!” They exclaimed, rolling back to their feet at once. “Magic is always trickier! But don’t think you’d be any better off.”

Without warning, their body vanished into the earth. I knew that spell. It was burrowing, a sort of constant movement spell that the Wild Mages used to change location. It wasn’t as fast as actual teleporting, of course, but it still moved you at speeds normally unreachable by conventional methods. I whipped around at once to get ready to strike as Gogo popped out of the ground. But to my surprise, they’d chosen to appear in front of me, which now meant that they were behind me.

Something heavy but small hit the middle of my back and knocked me flat onto my stomach. I let out a faint groan and tried to roll over onto my back. But for some reason, I couldn’t get my body to move at first. I could see words in my field of vision, telling me I was stunned. Oh great, I thought. So Gogo either knew a spell that could stun or had some training as a monk. But the effect didn’t last very long, and I was eventually able to push myself back to a standing position.

“Good point,” I said, rubbing my ribs. I’d obviously been hit with the butt of her spear, but it still felt as if my ribs themselves had been hit as well. Almost as if the weapon had skewered me. “Not so easy to dodge.”

“Makes you want to learn some anti-magic, doesn’t it?” They asked, and I nodded my heartfelt agreement. “I tried to find one of these people to teach me it last night, but the only one I found wasn’t willing.”

“What did you offer in return?” I asked. “That’s how things here work, you know. You have to make it worth their time, and they don’t take gold.”

“That’s just the thing,” Gogo said, letting out a sigh of frustration. “They’re not a Wild Mage. They’re an outsider. They know how to counter magic, but won’t even give me a second of their time.”

“Why not?”

“They wanted someone to go find something or someone for them. It sounded like rambling nonsense if you ask me. And I didn’t want to take on a full bounty that might leave you behind. You were busy with that hunt.”

That piqued my interest at once. Not the chance to learn some anti-magic, though that was tempting, but the hint of a quest. It would be the first one I’d ever taken on, and I didn’t think this was a chance I should pass up. “Well, would you be willing to take it on with me? If we help him out, then we can learn the magic.”

Gogo took a few seconds to consider it. Meanwhile, I scooped up my sword from where it had fallen on the ground and slid it back into its scabbard. For a strike that had only done 2 damage, it was exceptionally painful. No doubt I’d have a nasty bruise there if I could see it.

“Alright,” Gogo said. “I’ve found quests to be boring things before, but if it’s what’s needed to learn the spell, I’ll do it.”