Journal Entry #35
I think I might be getting a handle on this whole, being a witch thing.
I’m still a long ways from immolating or drowning a monster with a single thought, but I’m able to hurl small balls of fire and water now to distract our prey. The witch says I’m learning fast as well, which is a relief, because there is no frosted way I’d survive direct combat with a monster.
The orc tried to teach me some basic martial skills yesterday, but it did not go over well. I kept flinching every time he’d swing a padded quarterstaff, my stamina was completely shot after six minutes, and when he tested my skills with a crossbow, he discovered the reason I got so good at making traps.
It’s probably for the best that I never joined the army, knowing what I know now, I would have never been able to become a knight.
---
Arc
Snowsday, the 8th of Ninethmonth
Philiadra River – Pine Needle County
ETA to Loggercliff Fortress – 2.5 3 Hours
“Sorry about the holdup ma’ams. One of the yearlings came into heat late and got the bulls all worked up. Had to send in Underbite here to stop ‘em from goring each other.” The manatee rancher apologized to Captain Adaline and Seleyna as he used the butt end of his paddle to scratch his pet herder shark.
The Royal Knight waved him off with a grin, “Won’t be an issue. Our vessel can make up for lost time.”
“I’ll bet. That fancy boat of yours don’t even got any rowers.”
Seleyna smiled brightly at the rancher who had absolutely no clue who he was talking to, “Where are you taking your herd?”
“Got a swamp ‘bout two miles upstream this creek for their final graze, then after that we head north to Bellydrum Fortress for winter.”
I mentally shook my head at the ridiculous scenario, unlike my world where they were an endangered species, manatees here were a major food staple in the Lakeland region. Their fatty meat made for excellent summer sausage, their leather was naturally water repellant, and their chambered stomachs meant they could freely graze across the expansive number of interconnected rivers, lakes, swamps, and creeks that put even my home state of Minnesota to shame.
Then again, I might be translating their name wrong… I don’t think male manatees in my world had bull horns, and I’m pretty sure didn’t hibernate in the winter… Maybe I should call them Lakecows instead? But… they look so much like manatees…
I pondered the greater mysteries of the universe over the next hour, grateful that I had something to occupy my mind with while I eagerly waited for us to arrive at Loggercliff. Last night’s attempt for Travis to introduce me to Lancel ended up being a bust, and I couldn’t really blame the kid. The entire battalion arrived at Brushstroke late in the evening, nearly delirious from the lack of sleep, and barely had enough energy for a quick nightcap with the Jarl and staff. They at least got to sleep in this morning while the captains performed their covert operation to ship out the dwarven cadaver.
Merciful gods and God, I seriously hope nothing bad happens today. Adaline might very well turn this boat around if she has to make another call to the capital.
“CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?!” Lancel shouted over his private Message channel with Mattius, causing the poor lad at the opposite end of the ship to uselessly bring his hands up to cover the sides of his helmet.
“No need to yell. A whisper should be loud enough to hear.”
“Oh…” Lancel sheepishly noticed the looks he was getting on the aft deck, then modulated his volume to match what it would be if he were standing next to the mage, “Is this better?”
Mattius sighed in relief, “Yes, much better. Let’s see if you got it down now. Dispel your enchantment each time you finish responding to me then re-enchant with a fresh formation.”
“Okay… can you still hear me?”
“Yes indeed.”
“How about now?”
“Perfectly.”
Lancel beamed with pride and even saluted Mattius with a rocking set of bull horns, “Ha! Took my oldest brother months to get this down.”
Mattius chuckled at the knight’s exuberance, “Not surprised, I’ve been told by other mages that Wind and Lightning Affinities tend to kick in strongly for this spell.”
“Yeah, I’ll be honest, I don’t remember much from your explanation beyond cone width controls how much gets picked up and that tiny spheres are quieter. I’m kinda just guessing and going off what feels right. Is it the same for you?”
“No, my affinity’s… different. Not sure if it’s because I have a dual type or something else. I haven’t figured out what assistance I’m getting for Wind magic other than the normal ease in compression and retention, but for Earth magic I’ve noticed that I have a much easier time estimating distance and dimensions compared to someone else with an Earth Affinity.”
Lancel blew a raspberry, “Sounds complicated, and far over the head of anything I’ve learned so far about magic. We only got taught how to create Auras and practice maintaining our affinities at my camp.”
“Wait, that’s it? They didn’t try to teach you any other spells?”
“Our main focus was on getting retrained. Before I became a knight, the ability to suplex a bison was impossible, so yeah, that’s a big shift in mentality for someone who’s been fighting for almost a dozen years. You need to form completely new habits just to take advantage of all the boosted physical attributes from reinforcement. We can apply for further magic training in the future, but it’s easier and quicker to ask a clan mage or an amenable squadmate. Plus, I’m positive those courses are intended for prospective Royal Knights.”
Mattius nodded, “Ah, I guess that makes sense, the older noble houses would prefer to train their own as well. Easier to keep their secret arts hidden.”
“Exactly.” Lancel grimaced with a realization then slapped his forehead, “Ugh… storms, forgot to dispel and reenchant.”
“I think you’re okay.” Mattius chuckled as he checked the location of the nearby artificer, then turned to face away from the deck, “Hey, since I’ve got you on a private channel... Can I ask you something?”
Lancel took note of the Dust Mage’s shift in tone and found his own private corner of the aft deck to whisper back, “Yeah, go ahead.”
“You’ve known Travis a long time, has he always been… umm… a bit, uh… off?”
The former guard captain bent over with laughter, needing to grip the railing for support, but eventually calmed enough to respond, “Oh, he’s always been an armadillo amongst turtles, preferring to roll off and do his own thing instead of sitting still and blending in. He’s the only kid I’ve ever known to power through his daily chores just to pick up extras from around town.”
“So, he’s always been an overachiever?”
“Yep, ever since he was ten and randomly decided one day to stop being the town bully.” Lancel sneaked a peak at Mattius, and upon noticing that his fellow Packer was remaining cautious, must have decided to cut right into what was clearly bugging the kid. “Something got you worried?”
Mattius sighed, “I think all the stress he’s under is starting to get to him. He’s taking a ridiculous number of courses, barely has any time to relax with us, and nearly every instructor and noble on campus gossips about him the second he passes by. It got worse after Travis did his practical exam in the arena with the queen and diplomats observing. He collapsed in on himself the next day while going to church and was completely adrift. He only talked when we asked a question, barely ate anything, and stopped carrying around his poleaxe. He snapped back to his usual self a few days later, but…”
“Yeah, I’m worried now, too. I’ll try talking to him tonight.”
Mattius smiled, “Thanks, I don’t have many friends, and would rather not have one snap and go on a murderous rampage because his sword told him to kill everyone.”
---
Travis
Loggercliff Fortress – Flume County
Nestled on a cypress covered hill (tall enough to make even the highest near my hometown closer to an anthill in comparison) and built with a contrasting rusty-red stone from the local quarries, Loggercliff was by far the prettiest star fortress I’ve seen. The steep path uphill was lined with evergreens and bushes covered in dark purple huckleberries, trenches filled with river rocks sang as water trickled down, and instead of the usual claustrophobic crowding of buildings inside the inner wall, there was a large park with a spring-fed pond and an absolutely enormous Aelder Tree looming over it all.
“You’re lucky I wasn’t planted in this tree. You would’ve broken your neck pulling me out.”
I heartily agreed as I kept looking up and up, and up, and… Was it taller than the lodge?
My musings got interrupted by the rambunctious contingent coming to greet us; a deeply tanned Lakelander man in the lead with cinnamon and sugar hair, a pair of mages flanked by a dozen knights, twelve times as many soldiers, and a countless number of civilians.
“A fine greeting to you all on this auspicious day! I grew worried when word came upstream that a behemoth was spotted near Brushstroke, but it appears that Apheros has blessed you with his protection.”
Seleyna, with her hair down and a regal smile gracing her lips, stepped forward with Captain Adaline and Aguk to shake forearms, “This is quite the welcome.” She stepped back to view the crowd better, then elevated her voice so it could be heard by all, “On behalf of the crown, I thank you all for hosting us this evening. Your fortress is a natural wonder with its beauty, and I deeply regret that our stay here will be so brief.”
The Lakelander man, who I by now determined was the jarl, grinned back with barely contained excitement, “I do apologize for our exuberance, it has been a few years since our last royal visitor, and well…”
Seleyna cut him off with a casual wave of her hand, “No need, the purpose of these Master Message Stones is to strengthen our limited communication with each other after all.”
The jarl leaked a nervous chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck, “In that case, if it will please you Princess Seleyna, it’s local tradition to conduct all ceremonies underneath the Aelder Tree in honor of this fortress’s founder Theodore, Chosen of Apheros.”
The princess tilted her head in thought, allowing her to perceive the subtle nod from Captain Adaline out of the corner of her eye, “I see no reason to object.”
The entourage flanking the jarl broke off to begin setting up for the ceremony, leaving the elected official to mingle with our two squads while we waited. He was quite the charismatic man, taking his time with introductions to learn the name and a little about each person (even the spartans), though it apparently wasn’t necessary for me.
“You must be the young man Travis I’ve been hearing so much about.”
“Uh, yes… I’m Travis of Aelder Creek.” I stumbled over my words as we shook hands. “You know who I am?”
The jarl smiled as he looked over my shoulder at my poleaxe, sparking an odd sensation of jealousy in me before he leaned into whisper, “My nephew was inspired after getting to inspect your weapon and tried to convince me in one of his letters to cut off a branch of our own tree to replicate you.” He shook his head, “Had to explain to the boy why it’s not wise to simultaneously anger a church, a minor god, and the god of Fertility, but I guess I can’t fault him for trying. Hopefully he won’t do something foolish and become another cautionary tale we warn our foreign guests with whenever they greedily eye our tree.”
“Who is your nephew?”
“Oh, where are my manners, I’m Rufus’ uncle, Hezekiah Crestwell.”
Rufus… who is—?
“President of the Polearms Club”
“Oh, that clarifies things.” I intentionally sighed, “I owe your nephew an apology, I haven’t once made it to any of his club’s meetings.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that, schoolwork should always take priority, and if Rufus’ complaints about classes have any value as a measurement, you probably have a larger than normal workload given that you’re the first daft bastard to try and learn all the elements.” Hezekiah glanced once more at my poleaxe, “If you don’t mind me asking, how did you come across such a rare material?”
“The village I grew up in, Aelder Creek, has a tree as well. One evening, when I was simply standing underneath it, a large branch broke off above me and fell right into my hands. Scared me half to death thinking that I’d get into trouble if the priest spotted me, so I woke up my town’s woodworker and begged him to help me cover up what happened.”
The jarl threw his head back in a hearty laugh, “Oh-ho, do not tell my nephew that! The little brat would start camping out here every night in hopes of getting his own boon.”
I politely joined in with my own chuckle, then nodded to the tree, “The Aelder tree in my village is a sapling compared to yours in size. Do you have any idea how old yours is?”
“We do, to the date in fact, but its age is not the reason for its unusual size.”
I raised my eyebrow inquisitively, inviting him to continue.
“It was the early years of the United Human Kingdom, necromancers were still running rampant, Oskar the Chosen had died protecting the fledgling capital from destruction, and our ancestors of this fortress had their home overrun by a wandering behemoth. Theodore, the only surviving knight, rallied as many fleeing survivors as he could, eventually setting up a defensive line on this very cliff.”
The jarl paused after noticing everyone listening in and took a step back to allow them to hear.
“The attracted monsters were relentless, leaving Theodore and his people trapped with no access to water or food. Only a miracle could save them, and thus, Theodore prayed for one. The might of Apheros surged through him, allowing him to sunder this very cliff, tapping into the region’s vast network of underground rivers to slake not just our ancestors’ thirst, but fill their bellies with fish. He then shaped the stones, creating a crude wall to safeguard his people, and with the last of his borrowed power, saturated the hillsides with trees and fruiting bushes to hinder their attackers.”
Hezekiah looked forlornly towards the Aelder tree, “Tragically, mortals were never meant to wield divine forces, and the effort of performing the miracle caused Theodore to fall dead once Apheros ceased to use him as a vessel. The people he saved venerated his sacrifice by burying him next to the pond he created, and the morning after his funeral, this Aelder tree sprouted from his grave.”
---
Galehaut stared down at me with disappointment as I washed out the beer drenching my formal arming jacket, peered towards Reidar and Seleyna as they darted about like a dragonfly across the dancefloor in time with the polka, then back to me with a shake of his head, “I’m starting to wonder if that bardic tale has more truth to it than fancy.”
I glowered, “My father is a dairy farmer, not a formal soldier, and I’ve never struck a deal with Aelder or The Hooded One.”
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
The large man held up his hands in surrender, “I know, Lancel’s told me as much, but… a Lakelander that can’t dance is about as rare as a brown-skinned orc or a bearded packer. What assurances can you give me that Aelder didn’t broker a deal with you?”
My anger was stoked, but before I could retort, Lancel barged into our conversation, giving Galehaut a comforting rub on the shoulder, and placating me with his signature grin.
“I think it’s time to give up on the dancing lessons big guy. This one’s a lost cause.”
The tension broke, and I gave Lancel a friendly smile as he nudged his friend towards the dance floor, but quickly stopped him before departing to whisper in his ear, “Hey, we need to talk. Can you come find me outside after a dance or two?”
He nodded, and I gave a quick wave before dodging the wall of onlookers trying to make my acquaintance, then slid outside.
The evening air was cool, crisp, and as still as a boulder as I strode into the empty central park. A pair of loons idly swam in the water, singing their haunting tunes, and added to the relaxing ambience as I drew in a deep breath. My mind felt more at peace as I took in the isolation, grateful that today was the last day of being crammed onboard a ship for a few weeks, and that I was finally ready to tell someone my deepest secret.
“Uh, Travis… the tree is waving at us…”
I sucked in a breath and looked up. Yep, one of the lower branches was waving in the nonexistent breeze.
“Just a sec… activating my auto-translator… got it.”
“TravisTravisTravisTravisTravis! Over here! Over here! Arc,” the child-like voice whined, “tell Travis ‘Hi’ for me!”
“Travis, Aelder wants you to know he said hi.”
I exhaled, bringing up my hand to massage the bridge of my nose, then stepped towards the tree to greet it, “Hello Aelder, it’s an honor to meet you.”
“Boo… Arc, tell him to do it right!”
“Do it right?” I whispered to Arc.
“I don’t know, maybe he needs to be addressed a certain way? Or–“
Aelder interrupted, 'Ugh… you dummy… attune to my bark!'
Oh, right… that makes sense… that’s how it worked… last time…
“Hey,” Arc whispered with reassurance, “if you don’t want to, you don’t have to.”
“Thanks, but… we need to talk to him. He can maybe answer some of your questions.”
I took a steadying breath, closed my eyes and extended my hand towards the tree, pausing only briefly before making contact, then felt my mana slowly synchronize with a portion of the bark as I raised the embedded mana to match mine. The Wood Mana was as dense and saturated as my poleaxe, making it sap up my concentration so much that I nearly leapt out of my boots when a toddler wrapped around my leg in a hug.
‘Travis! I missed you! Whoa, you got huge!’
My brain felt like it somersaulted inside my skull or something as I… heard? the child speak, but… not with my ears. I opened my eyes to look down, hoping that would help, but there was both no one there and a small non-descript boy or girl? A migraine started squeezing hard as I tried to focus on the child (Was it even a human?), but it grew too painful, and I was forced to close my eyes again.
‘Sorry,’ the now somber child apologized, then let go of my leg, ‘Dad said I could talk to you now that you’re a true paladin, and I got super excited.’
“Travis, you okay?” Arc whispered into my ear via earring.
“Yeah, it’s not as intense now.” I whispered back then directed my attention to the tree, “Was that you just now Aelder?”
‘Yep! Sturdy, right?’
“It is. I’m grateful that you grabbed our attention, I’m not sure I would have thought to try and speak with you on my own.”
Aelder giggled, ‘You’re welcome. I’m just glad you came out here! It was funny watching you dance, you were all like whoa! and Reidar and the princess was like whee! You should have sang though, then it would have been just like the story! Oh, can’t wait for the book to come out now. I bet Torbolt is gonna get even more grumpier.’
A small pit formed in my stomach, “Book?”
‘Yep, Biblia told me preorders are even biggerer than the next Torbolt the Calf book!’
The pit in my stomach turned into a cavern. Torbolt the Calf picture books have been a number one bestseller for the last two calendar cycles, even outside the Southern Plains. When I was at the Hopkins estate, Silia demanded that I read at least one story from her massive bookcase to her every day.
“I’m adding ‘talk to your lawyer when we get back’ to the quest log, you might be owed residuals.”
I let out a full four-count groan, drew in a fresh breath, and tried to steer the topic into something productive, “Speaking of Torbolt, Apheros mentioned that we should do something to apologize to him. Got any ideas? Or should I ask him directly?”
‘Don’t talk to him, he’s still mad at both of you, and me, but he won’t shock me cuz my dads would beat him up.’
I sighed, “I did steal Arc from whoever his Chosen is.”
‘No you didn’t! I let you take Arc so you two could have fun. My Domain, my rules. Torbolt’s mad about the other thing you took from his Chosen.’
Other thing?
I glanced down at Arc who… shrugged?
What the… ugh, if this is some fever dream, I’m not going to be surprised in the slightest.
“What was the other thing?”
A mental image of a child grinning mischievously from ear to ear popped into my head, ‘Uh-uh-uh, I already gave you each a boon, you don’t get another!’
“Boon? Oh, you letting me take Arc?”
‘Nope, Arc’s was not smiting him when he cut a branch off my tree, and yours was letting you claim it instead of the church so you could make that super sturdy poleaxe.’
“Okay,” Arc tried to placate before thoughts of telling him off could surface, “I’ll admit that wasn’t my brightest idea. Oh, I’ve got an idea, ask if he’ll take your poleaxe as an offering to swap out for a different boon.”
“I’m not doing that.” I glowered to Arc and thought back to my previous interactions with Adamanrion and Apheros. A realization suddenly hit me, and I looked back up at Aelder, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but if I want something specific from a god, I need to do them a favor, right?”
‘Yep. Do you want a favor from the almighty and powerful Aelder?’
I thought it over. Asking for advice on how to make Torbolt not angry at us wouldn’t help us much since we’d still have to complete the task to appease the storm god, and it’s possible that Arc and I can figure out something on our own. If I want help from a god, it should be something only a god could help with.
“Your dad mentioned that Arc’s housing is damaged, could you help us fix him, or at least tell us how?”
‘Hmm… I was never anchored, so I can’t help, but… my Paladin is super smart. I know he could help you.’
“That’ll work. Do you have a quest we can complete for you?”
An image of a curious child flared in my mind, ‘Quest?’
Shaking it off I tried to refocus, “Umm… yeah, quest. A task we have to do to get a reward. I guess it’s kinda like exchanging favors, but it implies that one of the parties needs to go on an adventure to fulfill their half of the bargain.”
‘Ooh, that sounds like fun! Let’s do that!’ Alder cleared his throat, then deepened his tone to match that of a teenager, ‘In Coldspring Fortress, there is a boy in desperate need of your help. His name is Steven, and when you meet him, you’ll know what to do. Accomplish this task, and I will send my Paladin to help Arc.’
I glanced down to check if Arc was onboard, but I didn’t need to. I could already feel the excitement pouring out of him.
“Let’s do this bud!”
Nodding, I turned back to Aelder, “Quest accepted.”
---
Lancel
“Are sword lessons at least going better?” Lancel asked his irritated dancing partner. The wide-shouldered man was so personally affronted over Travis’ lack of dancing skill that it proved without a doubt that, despite being a goliath, Galehaut was certainly a full-blooded Lakelander.
“We’re making progress…”
Lancel couldn’t help but laugh, “That bad, huh?”
The two paused their conversation so they could thread the needle and form an arch, then split off with three other couples to allemande, do-si-do, and finally end the song bowing to each other. Feeling flush from the exertion, the two decided to grab refreshments and move near an open window.
Galehaut sipped on his beer as he gathered his thoughts, then finally lowered it, “It’s not that he’s a bad student… he’s a great one in fact, does everything I tell him and self-corrects any bad form. The problem is when it comes time to spar. He’s slow, constantly overthinking his next move, and the few times I get him to react instinctually, he falls into the same predictable patterns over and over again.”
“I think you need to ease up on the expectations. Travis didn’t grow up swinging around a toy sword or playing ruggleball. Storms, he’s never even gotten into a fist fight with another boy. It’s going to take some time before he can build up enough experience to hold his own in a sword fight.”
“Experience isn’t the issue, it’s that he’s not trusting his sword to–” Galehaut cut himself off with a sharp inhale through gritted teeth, then released it all in a single huff, “Never mind, you’re right, I just need to be more patient.”
‘Not trusting his sword?’
Lancel narrowed his eyes at the handsome man as he took a pull from his stein. Was Galehaut hiding something?
“Hey, your family must own an adamantine weapon or two, right?”
Galehaut grinned, “I can only say that we own at least one.”
Lancel rolled his eyes, “Is there any truth to the rumors that wielding one will turn a person crazy?”
The inner-ring noble hummed in thought, took a swing of his beer, then after a full minute, eventually answered, “Men in possession of an adamantine weapon have gone mad, but it is just as often that they will become a hero. It’s up to the wielder to decide their fate.”
That… wasn’t the reassurance he was hoping for.
Lancel looked out the window, he could barely make out the massive Aelder tree in the dim lanternlight but knew instinctively that Travis must be underneath it.
‘I should go talk to him.’
“I’m going to check on Travis. Guard the fortress for me?”
Galehaut agreed with a nod and grunt, allowing Lancel to slowly work his way past the crowd of onlookers obstructing the entrance, and ultimately exit the lodge. It was well past sundown, and although there were lanterns hung from the buildings, very little of their light seemed to penetrate into the park. He focused on the mana in his eyes, trying to only nudge the pulse-rate up high enough to help see better, but ended up overshooting and creating a somewhat uncomfortable pressure in his eye sockets. It wasn’t crippling, so he plodded along the glowing yellow path, past the pond churning with blue light as fresh water bubbled up, and eventually found a gray Travis sniffling next to a wall of verdant green mana.
The kid was rubbing his thumb against the pommel of his sword as he muttered just audibly enough for Lancel to hear, “It’s not as bad this time… No, I’ll be okay.” Travis abruptly stiffened, then slowly turned around to face Lancel, “Oh… uh, you made it…”
“Yeah, you wanted to talk…?”
Travis swallowed hard, looking less like a man in this instance and more like the young boy he once caught stealing sweets from Mildred’s store, “I did… umm, I’m just not… uh, not sure how to start.” The kid paused to think then nodded, “Yeah, good idea. Lancel, do you remember when we left Aelder Creek, and how I told you that what we saw wasn’t a miracle?”
“Yes…” Lancel replied cautiously, “you suggested it was the tree defending itself from open flames.”
Travis inhaled deeply, then looked directly at Lancel in the eyes, “I lied to you. It wasn’t the Aelder Tree, it was my friend Arcane.” He then unclipped his sword from his belt and held it up by the scabbard, “Arc, would you like to say hello?”
Lancel stared at the old Northman sword in disbelief. Was this some kind of prank? He looked up in the hope of seeing a smarmy grin, but all he saw was an earnest expression on Travis’ face. His blood grew cold as the seconds passed. Was Travis being serious? Did he grossly underestimate how much stress the lad was under? Has the kid gone mad?
He reached up to grasp Travis by the shoulders, “Travis, if this is a joke, it’s not funny.”
“What? No, it’s not. Arc…, say something.”
Lancel closed his eyes as he tightened his grip.
‘Torbolt, give me strength.’
“Travis, everything’s going to be okay. I promised your parents that I’d keep you safe, and that’s what I’m going to do. I’ll talk to the captains, we’ll return to the capital on the next ship, and find a therapist or a priest that—”
The tense moment was interrupted by hysterical laughter. Lancel looked around, ready to stab the inconsiderate bastard eavesdropping, but grew confused after realizing the source came from between him and Travis.
“Sorry, sorry, couldn’t help myself…”
Travis growled at his sword, “That wasn’t funny. Lancel thought I was crazy.”
“I beg to differ. Besides, it’s not like he’s going to instantly believe you. Just look at him. He’s staring at my spell, only seeing an output formation, and probably wondering how it is that I’m able to listen in, despite hiding somewhere far off in the distance.”
Lancel hadn’t actually noticed that part of the Message spell was missing, but now it was the only thing he could focus on. Was there a hidden input somewhere? A talented commando able to read lips? Someone guessing? Or was it really…?
‘No. That’s impossible.’
Travis reached up to pat Lancel on the shoulder, “Lancel, this isn’t a prank. You’re the first person I’ve trusted enough to share this secret with. To be honest, I’ve been terrified of what might happen if someone found out. A thief already tried to steal Arc, and they only thought he was a rare sword. Can you imagine what would happen if people found out he could talk? Or even worse, could use magic?”
“I… I… I’m sorry Travis, but this is too ridiculous. Even for you.”
Travis’ shoulders slumped, but he held firmly onto the sword he was claiming could talk, “Okay, extraordinary claims need evidence… Arc, maybe tell him something only the two of you would know?”
“Won’t work. I can tell him that he didn’t pay his tab at the inn before he left your village, but he’ll rationalize it away as you spying on him or an informant feeding you information to con him.”
“Wait, I didn’t pay my bill?”
“Eh, Rosanna didn’t exactly go out of her way to remind you before you left. I think she might have done it on purpose to be honest.”
Lancel felt a crack in his shield form, but still clung to it tightly, “Alright, let’s assume that you are a magical sword. Prove it. Cast a spell that Travis, or even a talented elf from a distance couldn’t do.”
“Hmm… okay, I got something.”
Motes of Light and Shadow condensed around Travis’ sword, then poured off, swirling together to create tiny animals. Bison, cows, deer, pigs, goats, and even a cursed duck began to walk along Travis’ arm. They rounded his neck, proceeding down the other arm to walk along Lancel’s neck and shoulders, then returned to Travis via Lancel’s arm.
Lancel began to hyperventilate as the edges of his vision drew in and wondered why his knees suddenly didn’t feel strong enough to support his weight.
“Lancel? You okay?”
“I… I need to sit down.”
---
“So,” Lancel started as he sat leaning against the massive Aelder tree with Travis, “you really did learn how to use magic by watching me.”
“Yep. I was stumbling in the dark trying to figure out how to teach Travis. I got lucky with you being so dedicated to becoming a knight, there wasn’t any witches or hunters for me to observe.”
Lancel took in another deep breath and exhaled as he listened to the story of how Travis met Arc, how the sword taught him magic, and what happened that fateful night when Alder Creek was attacked. It… it recontextualized his view. Travis wasn’t some genius prodigy that Phymur smiled upon, nor was he gifted knowledge by a god, he was a regular kid who happened to make the right connection at the right time.
“A few more things happened while we were at the Mage’s Academy, but it might be best if we hold off on that for now. I’m getting the impression that you’re nearing your limit.”
“You’re not wrong, but it’s more that I… well, Travis secretly knowing magic all along was an ‘ah-ha’ moment. Knowing now that you were the instigator…” Lancel sighed, “It corrects flaws I didn’t even know about, but I think the implications are what’s truly bothering me now. Gods really are real, and some of them are trapped spirits in swords?”
Lancel thought back to his conversation with Galehaut, ‘Hold on, does he know something?’
“Well, I think I’m going to call it a night and let you two talk in private. Travis, Lancel, I’ll see you in the morning.”
A pregnant pause filled the air before Lancel could build up the courage to speak out with Travis, “Is he really…?”
Travis patted him on the shoulder, “I got a test. Swords are terrible, poleaxes and spears are clearly the superior weapons.” Silence filled the air, and Travis made a satisfactory grin, “Yep, he’s not present. I think I can tell now, it’s like sitting in a common room with people, but looking up and discovering that the person sitting across from you disappeared without you knowing.”
Lancel wasn’t quite sure he got the metaphor, but was willing to trust Travis, “Are you… em… I…” He took another deep breath to try and properly organize his thoughts, “Do you trust him?”
“Yes.” Travis stared up at the night sky in thought before explaining, “He hasn’t told me much about his past before he died, but as far as I can tell, he has never intentionally lied to me.”
“Why would he hide knowledge of his previous life?”
“I’m not sure, his knowledge is… strange. He knows things that no one else alive knows. Like how all those stars up in the sky are distant suns, with their own planets revolving around them. I thought for the longest time that he wasn’t even a hominid, but now… I wonder sometimes if he’s much, much older than he lets on. He’s never added anything when I read my history textbooks to him, occasionally asks if something exists, and seems utterly confused about some of our customs.”
“Hmm… all the more reason to keep his existence a secret. If he was alive before Ragnarök…”
“Yeah…” Travis looked up at him, “You won’t tell anyone, right?”
Lancel shook his head, “No, your secret is safe with me.”
Travis let out a long breath, releasing all the anxiety he clearly held as he leaned against Lancel, “Thanks, I… I feel much better now.”
Lancel wrapped an arm around his little brother, “I’m just glad you decided to share, your friend Mattius is getting worried about you.”
“Yeah, Arc mentioned that. I might need to tell him next.”
---
Reidar
Reidar gripped his idol in a vice as he snuck his way outside. He hadn’t met any of the other gods yet and given that Aelder is often credited with being the first minor god, it felt like he was ordered to fight an Elemental Eight instead of working his way up the danger rating of monsters.
Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. Aelder is excited to meet you.
‘My interactions with children in the past have rarely gone well.’
Then this will be good practice for you.
Reidar held back his groan; Apheros had a point. He didn’t want children running away from him out of fear or flinching whenever he needed to touch them to heal. Perhaps the nature god did know what he was doing.
So, aside from the obvious, things going alright for you? I see you’ve gotten to spend time with your mage friend, and have even been dancing with the princess almost every night…
‘Yes, Seleyna suggested it as a way to ingratiate comradery between the Spartans and nobles in the battalion.’
Ah, is that the excuse she’s using? Smart gal, you should definitely start courting her before some inner-ring noble or up-jumped farmboy beats you to the dock.
‘We’ve been over this; I’m not allowed to engage in a romantic relationship with royalty.
And I’ve told you; it’s a stupid law written as an overreaction to the queen taking advantage of Spartans who didn’t have the choice to say no.
Reidar actually let a groan escape him. Yes, he did have… an attraction to Seleyna, but… even without the law forbidding it, it was never going to be anything more than a dream. He was far too inept when it came to social gatherings, and she was… ugh, she was everything he wasn’t. Seleyna always knew what to say, could boldly do something aberrant and claim it was her privilege to do so as a princess, and to top it all off, was breathtakingly beautiful as well.
Sorry bud, didn’t mean to put you in a dour mood, I’m just glad I got a chance to talk with you.
‘That brings up a point of inquiry, I was under the impression that you were worried my connection with you would come under notice. Is that not the case right now?’
Meh, there’s a couple of commandos with eyes on you right now, but no one important.
Reidar held back the urge to roll his eyes, ‘And my late-night excursion won’t garner unwanted attention?”
Nah, they’ll just assume you’re performing a religious practice in private. You haven’t exactly been overt in your worship of me.
Reidar had to concede the point, it was moments like this that the god reminded him of Braxton. The old Spartan always seemed to have and endless font of wisdom to spare, he hoped that someday that he could do the same to a squad of initiates.
The air outside was cool and refreshing as Reidar walked along the path to the Aelder Tree. He was still nervous, but Apheros’ talk penned in his anxiety as he attuned to the tree.
‘Reidar!’
The sensation of a child glomping onto Reidar’s leg filled his senses.
‘Hello Aelder, it’s an honor to finally meet you. I’ve been told that you have a boon to grant me on behalf of Elafred?’
‘Yep, Elafred’s an anchored soul, so it’s harder for her to give out boons in person, unlike me… but I already sent you mine. You can thank me now for being so sturdy.’
‘I was unaware you were blessing me with a boon as well. I thank you greatly, though, I must inquire what it is I was gifted?’
‘Hehe, don’t worry, you’ll find out eventually. Bird dad helped me set it up.’
‘I will take you at your word then. Is there something I must do to receive Elafred’s blessing?’
‘Yes,’ the minor god responded in a slightly more mature tone, ‘to receive the boon of Elafred, you must complete a perilous quest that’ll test all aspects of your being.’
Reidar felt his spine straighten, ‘What is this quest?’
‘You must… rescue a cat from a tree.’