Now before you soil your underpants at the thought of a Chosen waltzing into your village, then destroying everything by opening up a sinkhole underneath the entire town (yes, that has happened); keep in mind that not every god uses such a heavy-handed approach.
Ignitious’ Chosen for example, once tricked all of the flat-earth conspiracy nutters in the three kingdoms into attending a convention at The Capital. She then had everyone locked into the main hall for her hours-long keynote presentation on why that wasn’t true, and how they should feel ashamed for ignoring the effort that Ignitious’ church puts into updating the school’s curriculum for children every year. Rumors state that she only had to burn a handful of people that gave non-apologies to the Queen’s Public Education Committee.
One of Torbolt’s Chosen, Gaias the Handless, is famous for traveling from tavern to tavern, fancy street to back alleys, just to speak to the broken soldiers of the endless war against the monsters, provide aid if possible, and listen to their stories.
Of course, not every Chosen succeeds in their given task. Just ask Dengril, Chosen of Adamanrion. Despite their incredible journey of rebirth, one errant comment caused their entire church to split, resulting in what I personally believe is the reason no Chosen of Adamanrion has presented themselves since.
---
Arc
So, that just happened…
Ok, let’s not panic… that god didn’t seem angry at me or started questioning why I was trapped in a sword. So… that’s probably a good thing…
Ugh, I’m oddly thankful for my sword body, if I was still tethered to a meat sack I definitely would have defecated right there on the spot. And I didn’t even see the god, just the equivalent of a speakerphone.
As for that favor… what an odd request. Also, they called Travis my paladin…? Ugh, this is too much to process, and that god only expanded the number of questions I have.
Ok, well… before I contemplate on that, I need to make good on my agreement and convince Travis to help out Durinn, hopefully that won’t be too hard.
“If you ever need help with preparations for your presentation in the future, just let us know.”
The bearded dwarf began to nod their head energetically at Travis and his friends, “Yes! Please. I don’t know why, but every time a crowd of people pay attention to me, I just start panicking.”
Well, Step 1 complete, I guess.
“I’ve got quite a few suggestions, but I recommend that you begin by having Durinn visualize what a successful presentation’s outcome would look like in their mind. They’ve probably seen other graduate students present their thesis or invention to receive their Master Mage rank.”
Travis gave my pommel a rub, then asked the dwarf, “Why did you invent this?”
Durinn scratched their head, “Well, I originally did it because ranged spells are hard for me to cast. But, once I finished some of the design work, I realized that it would work for anyone who has trouble detaching their synced mana.”
Travis nodded along, “I noticed that, normally detaching that much synced mana feels like I’m pulling out body hair, but your invention felt more like it was shaving it off instead. Imagine if every Knight in the kingdom had access to one during the flood; it’d be like doubling the number of mages.”
Drozuk butted into the conversation, “Not just Knights, but Spartans, Commandos, Warrant Officers, and even Witches. I think you might be lowballing your estimate Travis.”
Travis grinned at Drozuk, then looked to Durinn, “Start by focusing on what’s the most important. Your presentation doesn’t need to be flawless; you just need your audience to see the same future that you do.”
Durinn nodded their head, “Ok, that sounds easy enough.”
“Good, because for the next step, you’re going to be giving multiple speeches to us every week to help you prepare.”
The dwarf slumped their shoulders, clearly not excited about the task ahead of them.
---
Travis
Woodsday, the 30th of Fifthmonth
I finished changing out of my school uniform, then gave Arc’s pommel a rub to say goodbye before stepping out of my room. Drozuk was there, lounging on one of the couches, then raised an eyebrow at me.
“Your commoner disguise needs work.”
Disguise?
“What? These are the same clothes I brought from my village.”
Drozuk, not looking convinced, brought his eyes down to my feet, “Maybe don’t wear a pair of designer boots then. They’re a dead giveaway that you're wealthy.”
I rubbed my eyes to help relieve the increased blood pressure, “I know nothing about fashion. I made these boots myself, even sourced the leather from some local varmints outside my village. Also, I’m not wealthy in the slightest. I don’t even have my allowance from the kingdom due to a paperwork issue.”
“Yeah, but is the thief about to rob you know that? Or how about the factory worker that’s been saving up to buy a new pair of lower quality ones for themselves? All they’re going to see is some well-off teenager who’s probably had everything handed to them.”
I rolled my eyes and gave out a strained sigh, then heard a knock at my door. I went to open it and ended up groaning yet again at the sight of Jethro.
“What do you think? Do I look like a peasant?” Jethro spun around, showing off his simple long-sleeved shirt and pants made of linen, but calling it a peasant’s outfit was definitely a stretch. For starters, it was clearly tailored to Jethro’s athletic physique, the dyes were too bold in color, and it looked like someone had intentionally cut a few holes in the garments since they weren’t in places that usually got torn.
A deep laugh echoed from behind me, “I take it back, your disguise is fine Travis.”
I shook my head, “Are you adamant about not dressing like a noble? Don’t you want to sit with your family?”
Jethro lifted his slightly trembling hand while grinning, “Oh, uh… they won’t mind. In fact, I got their blessing to do so.”
Something seemed off about his statement, and Arc seemed to agree, “How much do you want to bet that he hasn’t told his family who you were, and is scared of how they’ll react?”
Hmm, not sure if I want to take that bet…
I put my hand on Jethro and started guiding him to my room, “Fine, I’ll lend you some of my clothes, but in return, you’re taking me shopping. I have a wedding to go to in two months, and I have nothing to wear.”
Jethro smiled, “Deal.”
---
Arc
So, now that Travis is gone, should I spend the next 4 hours thinking on the implications of what that god said, or should I do something else?
Without even pausing to debate, I sent my focus out into the training yard, gleeful that I had a conveniently located distraction outside. Sure, I wouldn’t be able to see the entire practice due to my limited range here, but at least I only had to go through one wall.
Adrian looked a bit nervous as Hector held him back from the morning run and led the teen to a figure wearing what I think might have been a set of molded leather armor, but with a tight hood and mask, multiple knives strapped to their forearms, and some odd-looking boots. Hang on, is that a ninja?
Hector gestured to the rogue, “Initiate Adrian, this is former Commando Captain, Andri Bachelot.”
Ah, so that’s what a Commando looks like… that explains the assassin garb.
Hector left the rightfully trembling Adrian, who flinched when the commando spoke in a rasping voice, “So, you’re a half-elf?”
“Yes sir. Just discovered yesterday.”
The commando nodded, “How are you holding up?”
Adrian was taken aback by the question, but managed to croak out, “It’s… strange. On one hand, it hasn’t sunk in yet, but… on the other, a lot of stuff makes sense now.”
“Hmm… I won’t be able to help you with that, but I can help you in other ways.” They pulled back their hood part ways to show off their pointed left ear, “Unlike you, I got left at the guard barracks as a child. Was raised by the Queen’s Spartans until I turned 12 and discovered that I was having trouble with mana reinforcement. Got lucky in that the previous Queen was willing to bribe a Watcher to secretly train me, and after training, was placed in the Commandos.”
Adrian’s eyes were as wide as dinner plates, no doubt wondering if he would have ended up the same if his father hadn’t chosen to raise him.
“Alright, that’s enough talk for now. I’m going to teach you a set of movement exercises that should help you mentally connect with your body.”
The commando then began to have Adrian try out different dexterity-based skills, such as juggling, handstands, tumbling, balancing his body on the edge of his shield, and knife twirling after gifting Adrian a set of knives to strap to his forearms. The weapons and holsters had lightning inscriptions on them, allowing the user to use gravity to drop the knives to their hands or back into the holsters.
Oh, 15-year-old me is super jealous of him! (And current me.) I would have had so much fun playing superhero with those.
---
I later took extra notice of Mattius when he began his heavy one-handed weapon training today, since the girl he’d been fancying decided to stand next to the now nervous lad. During one of the water breaks, Mattius finally built up enough courage to talk to her.
“I’m jealous. You’re way better at switching positions than me. I feel like I’m waving my arms jerkingly like a clock instead of a smoothly spinning waterwheel.”
The girl turned her head in surprise, “Oh, umm, thanks. I… uh, am jealous of you too. I saw you shield dive that monster during your arena match. I don’t think I’d be smart or quick enough to do that.”
Mattius tried to scratch the back of his head, but awkwardly got a handful of helmet, “Thanks. My brothers taught me that trick. We used to make a game out of trying to secure a bouncing ball in the training pit.”
Their water break ended, stopping the conversation there, but I did catch Mattius grinning extra hard and putting in double the effort into making sure that every swing of his weapon was perfect.
---
Travis
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
5751054 and Jethro’s horse met us outside the stables, and we started making our way to church. After chatting with my horse and Jethro for a bit, I pulled out my letters from my parents and Franklin to help pass the rest of the time and opened the one from Dad.
Travis,
Haven’t gotten a letter from you yet, but I know that mail is usually slow for the first couple of weeks after the travel ban ends, so I figured that I’d just send you a quick update.
Father Viburnum told your mother and I that he’d send you a letter telling you about what happened with the Aelder tree, and to not worry. It’s been tough, but considering how quiet everything is now, it’s almost hard to believe that the attack wasn’t some crazy dream.
Planting has been going well, the early spring this year left most of the fields dry enough to start seeding right away. Mabel gave birth to twins two days after your departure but had no problems licking the calves clean once a few of the other cows helped her out. Connor’s leg is still broken, so the rest of the town and I have been helping him out in the field as much as we can.
Everyone in the town misses you. Especially Franklin, the big log nearly drunk himself silly when he caught Ingrid kissing Ryan behind the shop. I… miss having you around also.
With you gone, I’ve been having to think about the farm’s future. It’s a lot of work for only your mom and I, and we won’t stay young forever.
Your Dad, Eagan
P.S.
So, funny story. The day I was about to send my letter to you, the guard comes in with a fresh delivery of mail, and the one you sent me was included.
I’m not exactly sure how to react, though maybe that’s because it hasn’t sunk in yet. I read out loud the part about how you used to sneak off to practice spells to help me come to grips with what you wrote, and while a few of the townsfolk had a few “a-ha” moments, it still seems too fantastical of a tale. Even the guards that fought with you that night partially broke their silence about what happened that night to state that they didn’t see you cast any spells.
It’s all surreal to me, I’m adding on to your letter right now at the inn and drinking out of the town’s bottomless mug of ale that Franklin just gave to me. Did you know that us old fellas had a betting pool over who you’d end up apprenticing to or marrying?
I didn’t even bet that you’d do anything specific, just that you’d do something that none of us would expect. Ha, looks like I won.
I’m going to need to think on the “wintering at the capital” invitation. It would be nice to see you, but this whole “you becoming a mage” business, still has my head spinning. It feels like it was only a few months ago that I caught you in the barn pretending that your pitchfork was a soldier’s spear, yet for some reason, claiming that you were practicing to become a mage.
Dad
I set down the letter and let out a deep sigh, and must have made a melancholic face, because Jethro leaned close to me, “Don’t worry, I’m sure your dad just needs some time to adjust.”
I snapped my head towards him in surprise, which sent him laughing.
“You did that thing when you study, where you read out loud,” Jethro started giggling, “I think you’ve been slowly driving Bridget crazy with that habit.”
My face heated up, turning a deep red, “Oh, umm… sorry.”
Jethro shook his head at me, “It’s alright, I don’t mind. I’ve actually been trying that out when I’m studying in my room, to see if it helps with retention.”
We made our way to the church eventually, having to go through another crowd of protesters, but managed to make it in time for the hourly service. Jethro kept darting his head around, acting like he was about to get caught doing something wrong, and I had to elbow him to stop drawing attention to himself.
We pulled out the hymnals and were bookmarking this week’s song selections when I heard a familiar woman’s voice behind me.
“Mind if I join you?”
I turned around, and my eyes fell upon the same acolyte that I met last week, but it took a few seconds for me to be sure it was her. The robes had changed from a set of brown ones to an emerald-green set with gold trim, her hair wasn’t in a braid this week, allowing her long wavy brown hair to fall past her shoulders, and her skin looked completely free of any blemishes.
My mind blanked for a moment as I made eye contact with her green eyes. Is that green face paint on her eyelids?
Jethro rescued me from my stupor by interjecting, “Not at all, it’s always a pleasure to be joined by one of the sisters of the church.”
“Yes.” I blurted out, “That would be nice.”
Gah! What’s wrong with me? Just say something normal. Ugh…, where’s Arc when I need him? Ok, think… Arc’s advice for Mattius was to give a compliment as a conversation starter…
“You look very lovely today.”
Wait, no… Arc said to not start by complimenting a girl’s appearance.
A bewitching smile crept across the girl’s face, making my heart thump loudly in my chest, and my lungs acting as if I just finished running a dozen laps around the academy.
Ok, try to calm down. You can salvage this… just, say something else.
My eyes darted around, trying to find something to talk about, and landed on the green robe she was wearing, “That robe, it uh… brings out your eyes.”
What the rot is wrong with me? I just did it again!
My attempts to remain visibly calm apparently failed, because she started to giggle, “Thank you. I just got promoted to Sister. Hence the green robe.”
Apheros then showed mercy on me by having the Archbishop begin the service.
---
Arc
A quiet Travis and his friends (now including Drozuk) sat at the lunch table listening to Adrian talk about his new tutor.
“It blew my mind when Andri told me that you guys don’t have to actively amp up your mana with each strike or occasional step to keep momentum. I wish someone would have told me, could have discovered that something wasn’t right way sooner.”
Mattius chuckled along with the others, though Travis seemed a bit distracted, “Yeah, it’s more like the exact opposite for me. I need to actively focus on not triggering my mana just to keep my amperage buildup from growing too high.”
The group kept talking, but I noticed that Travis was barely participating, “Is something bothering you? You’ve been really quiet since you came back from church.”
Travis shifted in his seat before he reluctantly reached up to tap his right ear.
“Ok. How about we sneak away a bit early so that we can talk properly?”
My pommel gets scratched, and I can physically feel Travis’ nervous tension transfer into me. Oof, something bad must have happened at church. Though, looking at Jethro’s non-stop grin since returning, I’m confused as to what that could be.
Drozuk leaned forward to talk to Jethro, “By the way, I’m curious, is the rumor that Travis is a talented singer true?”
Jethro’s grin somehow grew wider, and I saw Travis sport a look of dread on his face, “He is.” Jethro started chuckling deviously, “In fact, he’s so good at singing, that the most beautiful Sister of Apheros in the entire kingdom asked to join him for church service.”
Travis looked like a cornered deer and began to tremble. Jethro, empowered by the table’s enjoyment of Travis’ embarrassment, decided to go for the kill, “Not sure why he was in such a hurry to leave, I mean, Travis was such a virtuoso with words.”
Mattius, perhaps missing the sarcasm, gave the frozen Travis a playful shoulder punch, “I’m not surprised, your advice worked wonders for me today.”
Bridget, with a playful look of surprise, looked towards Mattius, “Oh? What did Travis tell you?”
Mattius, ignorant of Travis’ now heavy breathing, proudly smiled, “A bunch of things not to do mostly, the big one being to not objectify the girl I’m interested in and start by complimenting her on something she clearly put effort into.”
Bridget’s playful look transitioned into a genuine one of surprise, “Hmm, that is good advice. Having some sleazy guy come up to me and compliment me on my eyes is a huge turnoff.”
Travis, unable to handle the tremendous amount of stress he was clearly under, grabbed his tray and quickly left the table, barely muttering that he had to get to class.
The table was silent for a moment, before Bridget turned to Jethro, “Umm, did something happen?”
Jethro looked towards the direction Travis left and shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t get it. He was obviously nervous, but he wasn’t stumbling over his words too much. If I remember right, he said that she looked lovely today, and that her new robe brought out her eyes.”
Bridget shrugged her shoulders as well, but if she said anything else, I missed it due to Travis carrying me out of range.
“Calm down bud. It doesn’t sound like the world ended for you.”
Travis snuck in between a pair of buildings and leaned against one while he let out a huge groan, “I did the one thing you told me not to do when talking to a girl.”
“By telling her that she looked lovely today?”
Travis slid down, burying his head between his knees, “Ugh, it was the only thing I could think of. She was pretty last week when I met her, but today… she looked extra…”
“Ok, I think I may have accidentally given you bad advice. A generic comment on a girl’s appearance is perfectly fine if it’s clear that they put effort into doing so that day. In fact, they might get upset if you don’t notice that they did something to change their outer appearance.”
Travis lifted his head, “Wait, but you said…” He lowered his head back down, looking frustrated, “Ugh, none of this makes any sense…”
Wish I could tell you that it gets easier, but… if my experiences are anything to go by…
“Unless you gain the ability to read women’s minds, you’ll never be able to perfectly say the right thing each time. Besides, words aren’t the only way to communicate with someone else. What’s important is that you keep trying and learn from what didn’t work.”
Travis let out a deep groan, “I could have used my wingman.”
Ouch, that hurt.
“Ok, I’ll come to church with you next week if you want, but there’s something I’ve been holding off from telling you, and I’ll need to tell you first.”
Travis, shocked out of his self-loathing, turned his head towards me, “Oh, umm… what is it?”
“I originally didn’t want to go into the church because I was worried about encountering a god, but last week when you went… I think you received a blessing. One that allows me to feel your touch on occasion. I didn’t want to say anything right away, but since it hasn’t gone away…”
Travis looked off into the distance and set his hand on my pommel, allowing me to feel his warm hands, “Whoa, that’s… wait… How? Why?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe as thanks for protecting your village?”
Travis kept a grip on my pommel while he verbally began to think, “That’s why you were asking if anything strange happened…”
“Yeah, I’m still confused on that part. Father Viburnum’s books described that to receive a blessing, you had to make a deep personal connection to a god. I don’t mean to question the strength of your beliefs, but…”
Travis grinned, “It’s alright, I don’t really follow any of the four tenants that strongly, I haven’t even prayed at one of the individual altars in a long time either.”
“That’s what I thought”
A moment of silence passed between us, but I noticed the foot traffic increasing on the sidewalks.
“Rot! You need to get to class!”
Travis’ eyes bulged, then leapt off the ground and started sprinting off to class.
---
Travis
Rainsday, the 31st of Fifthmonth
I shook out my arms in preparation for another set of exercises during morning drill but was interrupted by a [Message] spell from Sir Felicity.
“Initiate Travis, your lawyer has arrived, and has requested an hour of preparation with you before your hearing with Administration.”
I looked around, then noticed the lawyer that Matriarch Rabiria hired to fill out my wardship paperwork, Vincent Antworth. I grabbed my bag from the ground and walked over to where he was standing.
“Travis, I apologize for not coming by earlier. Fifthmonth always swamps my firm every year with the amount of new wardships that need to be filed, though from the message I got from you, this seems like a simple enough matter.”
I shook the extended hand of my lawyer, “It’s quite alright, I’m just glad you could come. I still can’t believe that I needed to contact you in the first place.”
My lawyer shook their head, “Honestly, this isn’t even in my personal Top 12 for frivolous cases.” He gestured away from the training yard, “Let’s go somewhere quieter, that way you can tell me your version of events.”
We found a bench near where my hearing was to take place, and I told him my version of events.
“So, you’ve been mocked, denied financial aid, and accused of fraud. Do you have any other grievances with Administration that you’d like for me to know?”
I thought for a moment, then got prompted by Arc, “Oh, I think I’m getting blamed for getting the paladins kicked off campus. One of my friends said that they heard a senior student say bad things about me.”
Vincent nodded his head while writing down my statement and gave a small grunt, “Letting false rumors spread about a high-profile student, as if you aren’t already under enough stress.” He put his pen down, “That reminds me, if you have troubles with the coursework and either need to request an additional year or forgiveness from a poor performance in class, make sure you contact me. I’ll be able to help you with your appeal.”
I nodded my head in thanks, then followed him to where my hearing was to take place.
---
“Furthermore, rather than correct the obvious mistake, Travis has been forced to waste his limited free time waiting in line for an administrator that refused to fix the issue, stressing over today’s hearing, and right now is missing out on valuable combat training that could save his life one day. Need I remind the council that Travis is not the child of Knights, Mages, or even Hunters? He’s never held a spear in his life.”
I watched in awe as Vincent tore into the pitiful accusation made by the administrators. (One being the person that filled out my entrance exam application, and the other the woman who accused me of trying to commit fraud.) He was able to deliver so much passion in his voice, and he easily won over the random selection of senior staff in the room, though I had a feeling that Professor Quinsandoral didn’t need much convincing.
The five staff members put in their votes over who was at fault, and the votes ended up unanimous in my favor. The next vote was to determine the punishment.
“I can confirm that Travis’ evaluation form was filled out incorrectly. I assumed at the time that it was a poorly made joke by an applicant who knew that they couldn’t pass. Travis, however, not only surprised me that day, but put me in my place for judging him before he got the chance to prove himself.” My professor glared at the administrators, “I vote for immediate termination. Harassment of a potentially gifted student should not be tolerated here on campus."
This one ended up splitting, and after the administrator’s lawyer put in their vote, the count was tied at 3-3.
I whispered to my lawyer, “I just want an apology to be honest.” He nodded, then put a hold on my vote to begin negotiations. After some back and forth with both the other lawyer and the professors, an agreement was made, and I voted to not terminate the administrators.
In exchange, the school would release a public statement detailing the reasoning for the dismissal of the paladins, and the administrators would provide monetary compensation for both my lawyer’s time and my emotional distress.
To celebrate, Vincent took me to the tavern located just off campus for lunch and a celebratory non-alcoholic drink.
“Hopefully next time we meet, it’ll be three years from now, and I’ll be negotiating your marriage contract.”
I nearly choked on my drink, much to Arc’s amusement, and had to pound my chest to clear the liquid that entered my lungs. Vincent also got a good laugh at my reaction, then relaxed back in his seat for the bar's hourly performance.
“Ladies and gentlemen, beards and beardless, for today’s entertainment here at The Exotic Axe, we have, by popular demand, Norvin the Shadowweaver, here with his telling of ‘The Farmboy, the Spartan, and the Princess.’”
“You should probably ask Vincent about libel laws here in the kingdom.”