After Eliahope’s story, the group sat around the now coals - eating their breakfast in relative silence. Elaihope felt the effects of the serum wane as she breathed a sigh of relief. Finally.
“I understand the uncomfort and the tightness of the chest that happens when taking a truth serum, thank you for agreeing to such.” Sterline muttered, “I now can confirm my friends are safe, and that you are indeed a friend as well.”
Eliahope averted eye contact. Friends seemed like a bit of a stretch, but it also wasn’t… terrible. The term acquaintance seemed to be a better fit for the situation. “Why do you say we’re friends? What do you mean by that?”
“Well.. We’ve eaten together, we’ve shared stories, we’ve trusted each other while sleeping, and we’ve experienced combat together. That is the bond of friendship.”
“I see, I didn’t know it was that easy.” Eliahope helped the others pack up camp, quietly pondering if that was truly all it took - and how many friends she may have if others held the same belief. She had meals with others on the road, she had shared stories to those who asked. There, seemingly, was another element that her compatriots were assuming - the quiet agreement of a contract handling closeness and connection. “Humans truly are amazing creatures.”
They all loaded back into the wagon, with Sarhi and Alix once again sitting in the front. Sterline sat next to Yasha, leaving Eliahope next to Theodar.
“So… before the battle, you and Sarhi mentioned Fovera… Is she commonly worshiped over here?” Eliahope mentioned turning to face Theodar.
He scoffed, closing up a book, “She’s disdained. The weeping woman is the deity responsible for death - her son is responsible for monsters. Her name is only used in vain in Hearan.”
“Why do you disdain her.? The stories I’ve heard of her are… frankly saddening. Pitiful, if anything, but I cannot remember anything that made her disdainful.”
Theodar rolled his eyes, “That’s because you grew up on Myenlun. I’m sure you’ve heard lovely romanticized stories of all three of the first sisters. She’s the deity of death - her one and only son is the father of monsters. She is responsible for death and our biggest threat. Why would she ever be revered?”
“Well, I always found her story somewhat… poetic. I guess.” Eliahope muttered, “One of three triplets, her other sisters outgoing at the start of life, though herself terribly self conscious. The sister who spent the most time with the beginning and the end as her sisters frolicked with the new life. Fovera sat on the side lines, and found she could only admire life in death - and so became the deity of death and the afterlife. She has a spirit menagere in the afterlife as she could never appreciate life above. She met an elven spirit whom she adored, and he - while nameless now - in life he never knew such kindness and care. They had her only son, who wished to create much more fantastic spirits for his mother, and a challenge for the mortals who began to have too much hubris as they were ravaging the forest.”
The group had gone eerily quiet as Eliahope began to tell the tales she had heard, “Did.. did you worship Fovera? Are you a death-desiree?”
“No no, though in Myenlun it isn’t… uncommon, especially during funerals it is custom to at least have a small shrine to her present.” Eliahope waved off, though making a note of the term “death-desiree”, “I’m just a friend of books - and I find the history intriguing. Though I will add that here, she seems to have a more sour tinge..”
After some quiet and brief conversation, the group quietly rode along for hours. Small conversations popped up, though with the vast meadows stopped by the forest on the horizon, and almost nothing else in sight but the dirt path ahead of them.
As the sun hit midday, Eliahope began to see something on the horizon, it appeared to be a settlement of some kind, though it stayed on the horizon - the cart seemingly not heading towards such. “What’s that over there to the West.?”
“Oh, no need for your attention. That’s just the town of Colk.” Sterline noted, not looking up from her stitching. “A little fishing town. The thing they’re best known for is the shell fish in the area. They have a monster crab that is very popular with the higher class in the capital, Yregres.”
“It’s wolf sized! The ships that hunt them have magical metal undersides so their claws can't damage them - I heard they’re absolutely delicious!” Sarhi beamed, with Alix seemingly lost in a daydream about seafood.
Eliahope’s stomach grumbled for a moment as she found herself reminded of the dishes her aunt would make for her in the embassy - a far cry from the salted pork and broth she had been surviving off of for the months since she left. The twinges of home-sickness only grew stronger by time. “You know, if you’d all like… maybe I can buy some food and make us a meal once we hit Luesall, as a lovely parting gift.”
The group appreciatively nodded.
_
Night came once again, and with it another watch with Yasha. And again, silence permeated.
“I… I am sorry.” Yasha muttered while poking at the fire. “I care for them. And you lied. And I still do not… know why.”
Eliahope sighed and gave a small apologetic smile, “It’s alright. For what it’s worth, I do apologize for lying.” she curled up a little closer to the fire, but had an idea, “My aunt once gave me an extremely valuable lesson. ‘If you don’t understand something, make it a game to know it the best you can. Ask questions.’ So - you seem deeply against lying.”
“Y-yes. Like everyone.” Yasha muttered, now becoming uncomfortable.
“Well, not everyone. Elven customs think there is nothing wrong with lying to people you have just met - lest they be thieves or killers, as the saying goes. Why are you against lying?”
“Because truth… is the most valuable thing you can hold.” Yasha struggled with her words, though her stance was unwavering, though it seemed she struggled with the local language, now the Eliahope was actually listening to her.
“Where are you from.? What is your home language?”
“Askanash. To the North, and the tongue is aska.”
Eliahope thought about that for a good moment, “ How would you feel about having this conversation when I find some magic. I can’t cast any, but maybe in the morning I can ask Theodar or Sterline if they know any spells to… assist in understanding.”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Truly, You would have my greatest thanks.”
“Then so be it.”
With such, the rest of the night went without stir or trouble. Eliahope had found that since the two had exchanged some less tense words, as well as she had found some reasoning for the quiet nature of Yasha that she didn’t find the air as tense, and the silence between them grew on her - knowing no malice was meant by such.
Morning came and quickly as the night. All arose, broke their bread, and got back upon the wagon.
“We should reach Merchant’s point by nightfall. That’s where the roads meet.” Sterline was hard at work, seemingly embroidering something on the skirt of her dress - giving little attention to the road ahead.
“That’s good news.” Eliahope looked out upon the meadows and found herself bored as she looked at her new acquaintances. Yasha was sitting with her eyes closed, Sterline was hemming, Theodar was reading, and Sarhi was chatting with Alix about which city was the best. “So, where are you all from.? You now know my whole story and I know nothing about almost all of you.”
Sterline was quiet, raising an eyebrow at Theodar - who rolled his eyes, “Alix, Sarhi - Eliahope has questions for you.”
And with a snap turn Alix turned around, seemingly no longer giving a care over their previous debate. “Who am I?” He puffed out his chest before handing the reins to a disgruntled Sarhi, as he muttered to her “Don’t worry show-off you’ll get your chance,” before fumbling and crawling into the back of the wagon.
“I, Alixandre Agnas, and the GLADIATOR-” as he bowed deeply, “- of Vorte, the northernmost settlement of Hearan. The Settlement that MADE Hearan an Empire.” He took a seat before continuing, “A poor and orphaned boy - tired and hungry as he scavenged the streets for scraps and sinew. And one day - he stole from the wrong person. A noble, whomst had me quickly arrested. Now, in a new settlement, law was somewhat… wibbly wobbly. I was given a chance! I could fight more for my immunity to my past crime, OR I could rot in a damp and dark cell. And All I’d ever known was fighting, so I thought, why not fight more? AND! Get this - If I won a battle? I would get PAID! With Money! I could NEVER dream of a better deal for me. Either I would earn money doing what I had been doing since birth, or I would die trying!”
“They adorned me with a medal of Beaolt. The Patron Deity of Hearan! The GOD of MERIT and WEALTH! I took it as a blessing. My first fight was against a wolf - and by all means I would have been just another meal for the hound. But, I was blessed. Beaolt BLESSED me, and I won and was given housing and food and GOLD.” As Alix told his story, he acted out anything he could emphasizing his story as one of trail - but Eliahope couldn’t help but notice the quiet sadness of his story and he continued.
“I became known as BEAOLT’s Champion - and was given my true name, Alixandre. I soon became a source of entertainment, and as the city grew due to amazing trade - so did my dirt pit become an arena. People from the city and tourists would come to see my fights. The beasts got larger before they became monsters, first mundane and then magical. All the while earning gold, better housing, wine and meats instead of crusty bread. I lived as a King as far as I could tell. And then - one day - the beast became something I didn’t expect. A man - a fellow man.” Alix attempted building suspense, his tone turning darker. “As I saw him faced off in the arena - he was announced as a different arena’s champion. He was their prisoner - and today, we would fight for a thousand gold pieces, and our complete freedom. One thousand gold! I couldn’t even imagine what I’d do with that money - but the issue I found was that we’d both been raised in this environment. I was only a lad of 16, having been in the arena for 8 years. But this was an ADULT. A MAN. He looked like he could have been no younger than 30. But he didn’t have a blessing like me. And in that moment, a thousand gold was as good as mine, as well as the ability to leave this stupid little town for the CAPITAL. To be a full fledged legend amongst the people that bards would sing of in every tavern from Yregres to Colk.”
“So I fought. And I fought as though I was wrestling with a beast. He was never human to me - and I was most likely never human to him. One of us would die for our sport, and the other would leave a hero. And after a small scuff, I was VICTORIOUS.” He roared with pride as he stood up, hitting his head amongst the beams above the wagon holding up the canvas that kept them protected from the elements.
“So, with my opponent slain, I was given my reward, but what was so quickly discovered was that I was no longer accepted in my town - and was seen as no hero once I left the arena. I was an escaped prisoner. And those faces who cheered for me in the arena turned to those of skepticism and fear. I was only welcome to the ferryman, who for 10 gold pieces sailed me to Luesall - I didn’t know how much of an absolute rip off that was, but at the time with a million coins jingling in my pockets it felt like chump change to get off that stupid land.”
“So, I got to Luesall, but it was quiet and dumb and there was nothing worth money there so I quickly hired a group to take me to Yregres. And I got there! And for a year I lived BETTER than a king. I HAD the monster crab from Colk, I rented a luxurious apartment next to nobility and made tavern friends who partied in my home every night. And once I felt my pockets tighten a little bit, I went to the Arena in the capital. I figured I could earn money, booze, and status the way I had previously - by fighting. And then…” Unlike Alix, he got quiet - “I fought once. I got a cut on my heel and I bled and bled and bled. Lucky for me they didn’t believe in fights to the death. My opponent was named champion. And I had lost for the first time in my life. With the last of my money, I bought booze, a new foot, and a tent and made my way for Ablos. And that’s where I met these chuckleheads, and became an adventurer, the closest I could get to being a gladiator and the glory of battle with my now fake foot - can’t have magic in the arena.” He kicked off a boot relieving a craftsman prosthetic of metal and magic - the symbol of Beaolt (a coin with a cursive W/M in the middle for wealth and merit).
Eliahope was taken back by this tragic tale of essentially a child raised to battle for the entertainment of the cruel (in her eyes), and was never taught anything but battle, and was only released after he had spent his entire childhood fighting for survival. And then, as an adult who had no experience, never grew up, and only showed maturity in combat. Through his story-telling, she imagined a life where maybe he didn;t have to fight and claw at survival - maybe one where he was a bard.
“Alright, talks-a-lot - MY TURN!” Sarhi roughly pushed Alix into the driver’s seat (almost losing balance), and pushed herself back into the wagon.
“Okay, I am Sarhi Eixiria. My gramma was one of the first boats from Myunlun to the capital Yregres. She was a sword smith, and her skills were used during the battles that helped forge Yregres. My grampa died - according to mum - he died in the war on Myunlun’s side when Yregres was first forming, but gramma didn’t care for how Myunlun was treating their widowed, so she packed up my ma and they sailed off! I was born in Luesall, where my mom had set up her home and smithy, and da is a sword wielder! So, I not only know how to wield my sword, but also know how to sharpen steel with some mastery. And, I always wanted to be an adventurer! I heard they can make a million gold, and as long as you're brave and strong and true, you can become a legend. Soon I met Sterline and Theodar in Luesall, and then joined Yasha and Alix in Ablos - where years later we also picked you up!” Sarhi rambled off her short history, which while giving a picture, spoke more to her inexperience and naivety - her story was starting, nowhere near having reached the heights she hoped.
The whole cart went quiet, Theodar felt the eyes burning on the back of his neck, though without looking up from his book he cleared his throat, “Well Yasha, people are awaiting your story.”
“I am from Askanash. Family lived in a druid circle outside of town - I was a guard. Circle disbanded, and I was left without work. Met with Alix in Ablos.” Yasha huffed, “Your turn Theo.”
Theodar sighed, rolling his eyes exasperated, “FINE. You want the most boring story? Yasha you KNOW it would have been more entertaining to talk about your circle.” he huffed, “Fine. Fine fine fine. I attended the absolute best arcanis school in the Hearan Empire - founded in Yregres. I graduated - valedictorian. And I was despised because no one got my AMAZING sense of humor and sarcasm. Before my time really. So, I set off to potentially study in Luesall, under Lady Samfa, a true visionary for her time. And she said she’d let me work with her in her alchemy lab if I went on a five-year tour with Sterline, who had come to her in hopes of finding a traveling partner.” Theodar darted his eyes towards Eliahope before returning to Yasha, “Are you satisfied?”
“With your story, no. With your… irritation, yes.” Yasha smirked, closing
her eyes and leaving against the wagon once again