To Father Viburnum of Aelder Creek,
I send you this letter in the hope that I will be able to assuage your immediate fears upon the arrival of my inquisitors. They have been instructed by me personally, and unless there is something egregious, there will be no punishments inflicted.
Your letter was received and although I find it unlikely to have occurred, am pleased with the lack of vital information that could have been intercepted. I and my stewards have checked our records and have been able to fill in the missing information, as well as decode your hidden message.
Since this letter will be secure in my men’s hands, along with instructions to only have your eyes to view its contents before destruction, allow me to be informal.
Calm down, relax. I understand the futility of saying those words, but I’m going to say them anyways.
Unless you were maliciously and intentionally not providing aid when asked, then you likely already have done more than enough. They understand the limitations of a small village’s resources, and likely picked yours for the quiet location below the notice of the average person.
In fact, this is a common occurrence for them, one that I can now share with you. Truly, had you discovered the boy’s true nature before the attack, he likely would have either left or, and I say this to reassure you, destroyed the entire village in order to keep his secret.
Believe it or not, commendations are in order for you. Not only did you provide a safe environment and aid to Travis when asked; but sending your former guard captain along with him to assist where needed, as well as provide cover for his tacit departure of the village, was a stroke of genius on your part. They often have trouble keeping a low profile, and as a result, seldom make many friends.
Speaking of friends, I was able to confirm that despite earning the title of Knight, Lancel Hopkins turned down any invitations to post flood celebrations and instead requested leave to visit his previous posting. Now, while the request to visit a previous post to say final goodbyes is quite common, doing so in spite of the festivities presented to him implies that he had to meet a deadline.
Whether or not Sir Hopkins knows of the boy’s true identity, it’s quite likely that he returned to your village for the boy. And given what occurred the night of Sir Hopkin’s return, it appears that our young Travis has things in hand already.
And with that thought, let me provide you with your instructions moving forward. First off, I’ve already ordered my inquisitors to determine a valid explanation for the miracle (which should be easy given that it occurred underneath an Aelder Tree, those things already have many fantastical tales surrounding them).
Second, you are to remain in the village unless Travis reveals his true nature to the world. This unfortunately prevents you from coming to visit so that we can have a fun chat discussing the nature of them, but it is prudent that you ensure that Travis has a place to return should he desire some peace and quiet. I know it will be impossible for things to return to normal in the village, but they usually understand and appreciate the effort if it’s there.
Finally, you are to inform the church of any major event that occurs in the village. Feel free to go into far too much detail, there’s records among our elven brothers of an entire branch being destroyed because the church failed to inform them of their beloved pet’s death.
Now go relax, have a stiff drink, or… let’s see, you’re unmarried… take a quick trip to the nearest brothel! Heck, put it on the churches tab! Oh! Even better, have Inquisitor Barberry authorize the expense. Go ahead and tell him to read this bit, if his surprised look doesn’t cheer you up, nothing will.
I’ll make preparations to receive Travis, although they can be difficult to predict, he’ll likely make his presence known to us once he finishes with his ruse of attempting to attend the Mage’s Academy.
The trunk that supports your branch,
Archbishop Artemisia
---
Arc
It was already past noon when we set out with Lancel and Travis on horseback and me tucked into a sleeping bag. I only wish that my vision’s range wasn’t so limited still. Sure, I could force it to stretch out, but my mana was still discharging from last night and it would only take longer to do so if I pushed my vision.
Regardless, I was excited to go on an adventure! We already had the makings of a great team: Travis, the chosen one hero (well, chosen by me in a fit of totally not madness), Lancel, the grizzled war veteran (actually, hang on, can he even grow a beard? I’ve never seen him with one. I’ll have to check my memories to see if he shaves.), and me, pulling double duty as the magical sword and wise wizard.
“We just need to pick up a rogue and a priest, and then I think we’ll be all set.”
Travis flinched at my [Message], defying his learned behavior to not react when others were nearby. He must have still been on edge from the fight last night and perhaps from also damaging the Aelder tree when he fell to pull me out. Oh, and there’s also the fact that it’s illegal for non-military to carry a sword, but I think he’s overreacting since it would only be a possible death penalty if Travis was over the age of 18.
The two rode out at a respectable canter, not saying anything to each other. It wouldn’t be surprising for Travis, given that it was the first time he was going past the forest where I would help him hunt varmints. Lancel on the other… umm, edge?... you know what? Hand. I’m going to stick to human terms… Lancel on the other hand seemed to be quiet for a different reason.
He kept glancing at Travis on occasion, but it was becoming apparent that it wasn’t that of an officer checking in on one of his men or a loved one checking in on Travis’ mental state. No, it was like he kept expecting Travis to do something spontaneously, or maybe… perform a miracle.
Right, the elephant in the room… maybe it’s time…
“Do you think I should say hello to Lancel?”
That seemed to snap Travis out of his anxiety and into full on shock. He stopped his horse, Lancel immediately noticing, “What’s wrong?”
Travis, spun his head back to the village and began to stutter, “I… umm… There’s…”
Lancel started to smirk, “Let me guess, you forgot something? And now we have to go back to that village that you just spent 2 hours saying goodbye to.”
I watched Travis continue to stutter, “At least ask him if everything is all right, he keeps staring at you. You need to talk about what happened.”
Travis took a breath to calm himself and searched the area to ensure that they were alone. “I know I asked earlier, but are you okay? Or is there something you want to ask me now that we’re alone?”
Lancel stopped grinning, took a good look at Travis, then at the direction of the town, and then towards the sky looking flustered, “I don’t know what to ask, and to be honest, I’m a bit worried about what you might say.”
Travis pulled his horse in a bit closer so that he could give Lancel a reassuring pat on the shoulder pad. The physical contact, though dulled from the armor, seemed to sink in and Lancel appeared to relax some before turning his head to Travis.
“After the Aelder Tree saved us, you seemed to be more worried about me and the others. It was like you didn’t even register that a…” Lancel’s voice cracked, unable to finish the sentence. He reached for one of his side pouches and pulled out a small carving and held it in his hands while he breathed heavily.
“What’s that?” / “What’s that” We both asked in unison.
“It’s a symbol of Apheros,” he showed the small statue of a tree with a round shield at its base, “I got it from Father Viburnum before I left, he said it represents the protection that must be given so that new life can flourish.”
“I thought you worshiped Torbolt?”
“Well,” Lancel lowered his head in shame, “after last night, I’ve been debating if I should.”
Oh crap! That’s not good. “Travis, let’s not piss off a god by converting one of his followers with my fake miracle.”
Travis stopped touching Lancel and idly tapped his right ear for a moment before speaking, “I think you should.” Travis took the statue from Lancel, “You’re from the Southern Plains, right?” Lancel nodded his head, “Well, according to the history book I read on the unification of the human tribes, our entire military is based off the doctrine that Torbolt’s churches established. I read that even though military service isn’t mandatory anymore, the majority that worship him still do.”
Lancel nodded his head again, “It’s why I joined the army. I never even questioned why; I just did.” He began to clench and unclench his hands still breathing heavily.
Travis reached out to grab his bracer, making his hand movements cease, “Well, I for one, am glad that you did. If you weren’t there last night, we would have all died. I was only able to wound those… things when we made it to the tree.” Travis made eye contact, “You managed to fend off and kill 18 monsters that supposedly died out centuries ago with only two guards and a teenager who doesn’t even know how to use his weapon. I don’t think the tree is the one who performed a miracle last night.”
Damn! I wish I had a jaw to drop, or maybe a mic for Travis to drop instead. The kid has clearly learned how to give an inspirational speech from his master.
The great speech however didn’t seem to take and Lancel began to hyperventilate. “Ok, try giving him a good firm hit. We need to snap him out of his funk.”
Travis, without question, gave Lancel’s shoulder a punch. He clearly regretted it immediately though when Lancel almost fell. “I said a ‘firm’ hit! Not to knock him off his horse!”
The altercation did get a rise out of Lancel though, “Travis! What the storm!”
“You’re acting as if Apheros himself showed up last night instead of, oh… I don’t know… a legendary breed of tree that’s famous for being able to repel monsters… repelled some fire monsters.”
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Oh, Travis you brilliant little bastard!
Lancel not quite convinced tried to interrupt, “But, it cast spells… and…”
“According to your field guide, there’s plenty of monsters capable of basic spellcasting. And I would hardly call those spells, all it did was swirl around a bunch of Water and Air and loosen the Earth underneath the fire monsters. Something, that I’m sure would come in handy for a tree that can supposedly outlive 12 generations of elves and numerous forest fires.”
I wanted to defend my usage of magic, feeling insulted by his words, but Travis was on a roll.
“But those lights…” Lancel spoke weakly, now that he was losing the argument.
Travis paused, taking a moment to scratch his right ear. “Those lights were created by fusing fire mana together.”
He tapped his ear, then replied, “Those lights were likely created using fire mana. It probably does that to help weaken fires and attract friendly beasts.”
Lancel began to huff and puff, creating a scowling face, not appreciating the seemingly mundane explanation, “So what happened wasn’t a miracle?”
“The miracle that occurred was that the only casualties were a boar and Pig-man’s back door.” Travis huffed and began to pull his horse away. “Now come on, I was hoping to have an adventure! Not sit around discussing religion.”
Lancel took a moment to absorb the conversation, then began to urge himself back into normalcy by shaking out his arms and torso. “Now hang on, do you even know where you’re going?”
---
Travis
We rode on for a couple of hours, following the winding road as it meandered around rivers, creeks, and lakes. Lancel and I were mostly silent, although Arc would occasionally pester me with some inane question or comment. Despite that, I was starting to relax as I rode my horse.
“Hey, what’s your horse’s name?”
I leaned forward to scratch my horse’s ear and read his identification tag, “5751054. Figures, Dad would go out of his way to buy one with a lucky name.”
“Wait, is your horses name just a number? I get it for market animals, but this is your companion that you’ll be taking with you on your journey.”
I scratched my left ear, trying to signal for Arc to shut up, but he kept at it.
“At least give him a nickname! How are people supposed to tell stories of your heroics when your horse is just a string of numbers?”
Seriously, it’s just a horse. I’ll probably be forced to sell him after I enroll at the academy.
I turned to Lancel, an idea forming in my head on how to pacify Arc, “Hey Lancel, do you ever give your horse a nickname?”
Showing surprise at my out of the undergrowth question, he took a moment before answering, “Hmm, the only horse I’ve ever given a nickname was the one I learned to ride back when I was a kid.” He chuckled to himself, “Honestly, I’m lucky if I even keep the same horse for a whole month with how often they get rotated. If I didn’t keep their second tags in my pocket, I’d have lost a least a dozen mounts by now.”
“That’s so callous! How can you do such a thing to a noble creature?”
“Do you ever think it’s a bit cruel only giving them numbers?” I asked, hoping Lancel could provide an answer to Arc’s protest.
“I used to, back before I joined the army. My dad was in the calvary division, and since they did extra training and kept their steeds long term, they’d often give their horses nicknames.” Lancel gave his horse a friendly pat, “That changed after I joined the army. When you join, you’ll be given an identification number that you need to memorize, and your squad of 12 that you go through basic with all share the same number minus the last digit.”
“It may seem strange at first, but for me it all clicked into place when I fought in the spring flood for the first time.” He paused to gesture with his hands, “Seeing the mass of soldiers stretching from horizon to horizon made me realize that I wasn’t just a single person anymore. I was one of many; the myriad of rain droplets that make up the clouds, my shield, combining with the others to form a storm front, my foot, multiplied by my brothers to create the thunder, and my spear, thrusting in concert to strike as lightning.”
I couldn’t help but smile at Lancel’s speech. He was back to his confident self that I remembered fondly. He caught me smiling and returned with a grin of his own.
“That doesn’t answer the question!” Arc shouted in my ear, ruining the moment.
“Umm, we were talking about horse names?” I awkwardly brought up.
“Right,” Lancel flustered for a quick moment, “the same thing goes for the horses. Every single one is just another drop in the cloud. Storms, one can argue that they’re treated better than us soldiers. They’re always the first to bed down and last to rise for duty.”
He began to giggle to himself, “I still remember my commanding officer once ordering our pack mule to dig the latrine, but when he failed to do so, my C.O. disciplined my squad for failing to carry out our mule’s orders since he had a higher rank than us.”
Arc continued to grumble, but I got distracted when we finished our path through a small wood and caught sight of Lakewell Fortress.
It was hard to get a proper view from the outside due to the glacis obscuring the outer walls. The large mounds of dirt were designed to create a long and difficult uphill approach before sharply dropping off into a ditch before the outer wall. The purpose, according to my textbooks, was to force monsters to slow their approach and group up tightly together so that mages and soldiers could efficiently eliminate all threats.
We followed the road, it being the only area clear of thorny plants, sharp rocks, and other walking hazards; until we reached a drawbridge that allowed for easy access to cross.
Now able to see the fortress better, I was able to better see the taller star shaped walls of the main keep, as well as one of the ravelins. Arrow shaped and detached, their function was to provide high ground for the army and long-range weaponry, and to provide an obstacle before the main gate to the inner fortress.
We continued following the winding path to the inner fortress, my head on a swivel, trying to take in as much as possible of the scenery.
Lancel began laughing lightly at my wonderment, “Once we get squared away inside, I’ll take you to the top of one of the bastions so you can get a proper look. Though I should warn you, once you’ve seen one fort, you’ve seen them all.”
We worked our way inside, finally breaching the gate and allowing the small, cramped city inside to become visible. “Huh, these houses are a lot more different than I expected.” I commented on the multi-story buildings that shared side walls and sometimes roofs.
“Yep, space is at a premium inside here, so even the buildings get frisky with each other.” Lancel shares, and then takes a moment to show how the front side is still different on each building, “Technically, none of these are houses; the ground floor is usually a store, the second floors are workshops, and the top floors are where the owners live.”
I followed Lancel to the central building that not only was large enough to take up half the available ground space but stretched to at least double the height of the nearby walls. The roof was quite strange, being multiple tiers of steep roofs, only breaking occasionally for windows or short recessed walls.
“Is that a Northman style building?” I asked, excited at the huge departure in architectural style.
“What gave it away?” Lancel began to chuckle at me for straining my neck upwards, “Let’s get the horses stabled and ourselves a room for the night. It’s still early, so we can walk around before supper is served.”
The inside of the building was massive, the entire bottom three floors made up a grand feasting hall with firepits scattered down the middle. A bar and kitchen occupied one side, the other side had a series of counters and desks, and stairways and balconies stretched out above us leading to the rooms.
I gawked at the spectacle, not caring about the looks that I knew others were giving, while Lancel got us a room. “Isn’t he a bit young for you Lancel?” came the voice from behind the counter.
Lancel’s face quickly turned a deep red and gave out a restrained growl, “He’s 17, and I’m escorting him to the capital while the travel ban is still in effect. I expect there to be two beds when I arrive at our room.”
Arc was laughing so hard that I could barely pick up the interaction. Lancel turned after completing the transaction, looking embarrassed, “Here’s your key for the room. Let’s unload our gear, and I’ll show you around the fort.”
---
Night approached, and after a walking tour of the fort, I was more than ready for our evening meal. I showed my key to the guard in front of the buffet and excitedly began to pile food on my plate. Lancel followed suit and we were soon seated at one of the long tables across from each other.
“Mmm, swamphog…” Groaned a content Lancel, “I’ll never understand how such a terrible smelling animal tastes so good.”
I nodded in agreement, a bit surprised at Lancel’s poor manners, but after looking around at the other feasting patrons, I recognized that I was the odd one out. Well, might as well join in.
“Is this all monster meat?” I asked between bites, finding myself getting fuller at a faster rate than normal.
“Yep, they got to do something with all of the things they kill.” He leaned in towards me, “Plus if you’re ever able to enhance yourself with mana like I can now, the mana enriched food helps to calm your internal mana and keep you from burning through food.” He leaned back and began to stretch his limbs, “I’m feeling much better now, pushed myself a bit too hard last night. Could barely stand after using my new sword.”
“Can you ask him about that sword, I think it must be enchanted or something, there’s a permanent spell formation on it.”
I finished chewing my food and was about to ask when someone from across the hall called out to Lancel.
“Lancel! There you are. I was expecting our new Knight to come join us hunters for a final feast before he becomes all burdened with ‘duties and nobility.’” The man parted through the crowd revealing himself to be the hunter that met with Mildred this morning.
“Sorry Trent,” replied a grinning Lancel, “already busy with duties. Got to escort this young calf to the capital.
Trent gave back his own smile, then after looking at me, moved to sit at my side. “Name’s Trent, I think I met you this morning, right?”
I nodded my head, “Hello, I’m Travis.” I then reached out to shake his outstretched hand.
“Well, I’m glad that you took the hint I gave, it can get messy when us hunters have to remove people with high mana from their homes.”
Lancel gave an astonished expression, “Wait, what?”
“Don’t tell me our brave Sir Knight hasn’t had the chance to train his mana sight yet.” Trent began shaking his head, “you do know that nearly everyone here would do almost anything to have access to the training you’re getting now, right?”
Trent gave me a firm pat on the back, “If you decide that the army isn’t your thing, come back here and ask for me. I’ll get you trained up as a proper monster hunter. You’ll be able to keep your village safe and even get to visit it from time to time, instead of getting stationed at some random town or fort between floods.”
Lancel began to frown at Trent, but I interrupted him before he could speak, “Thank you for the offer, but I’ll be applying at the Mage’s Academy once enrollment begins in Fifthmonth.”
Trent begins to laugh and Lancel gives me a wink, “Sorry Trent, but this one has been training to be a ‘mage’ since he was ten.”
---
Trent stuck around for a while, inviting others over and telling me stories about the different monsters that they’d been hunting in the area. It was becoming apparent that Lancel was getting annoyed with Trent trying to sell me on becoming a monster hunter though, and to be honest, I was as well.
“I think I’m going to call it a night,” I announced to the group, “that nap I took earlier is starting to wear off. Plus, it feels like this day has been going on forever.”
Lancel gave an approving nod, “I’ll join you after a bit, we’ll head out bright and early tomorrow.”
Finally alone, I quickly washed up and made it to my room, “Can you hear me alright Arc?”
“My range isn’t back to its maximum, but it’d be redundant since the walls here are harder to see through. I have to keep my focus on you right now just to hear you.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have left you in the stable…”
“No, you’re fine. It’d be suspicious if you carried your sleeping bag up when you got a nice bed to sleep in.” Arc paused for a bit, “How are you doing? I know things aren’t going how you originally planned. Plus, I think you got yet another person trying to decide your future for you.”
“Honestly, I can barely even register Trent’s offer. There’s been too much happening today.” I laid down on the bed above the sheets, too tired to tuck in. “Do you know what’s going on with Lancel? He didn’t seem surprised when I mentioned that I still intended on applying at the academy.”
“Well, during the Fall Festival, Lancel was convinced that you wanted to join the army. Perhaps he thinks that you always intended to, and that the academy is just an excuse so that you can go to the capital and enlist without your parents knowing? He intended to escort you to the capital even before the attack, so maybe he has decided to help you?”
I gave out a groan, the anger helping motivate me to tuck in, “Why would he think that? I’ve never stated that I wanted to join the regular army.” Another growl escapes from me, “Why does no one think I can get into the Mage’s Academy?”
“They all think it’s an impossible goal for a poor farm kid. Plus, you’ve been adamant about not showing off your abilities or telling people about me.” He took a moment before asking, “Can I ask why? You’ve had plenty of chances, even today with just Lancel.”
I buried my face with my blanket, feeling embarrassed, “I… didn’t want to lose you.” I waited for a response, but didn’t hear one, so I decided to explain, “At first, it was because I didn’t want everyone in the village swarming around and pestering you, but after I found out that you were actually a sword…”
I shifted to a sleeping position, “I was excited that I’d get to take you with me, but now I’m scared that if I tell even one person, you’ll get taken away and experimented on.”
“Well, before I forget to do so. Thank you. I know you don’t enjoy lying to people, and the fact that you’re willing to do so for my sake means a lot to me. However, I won’t let you keep my secret if it will bring you harm or ruin your future. Besides, I’m not scared of a group of mages trying to probe me…, I’ve met far more dangerous beings.”