So, that was something. I mean, getting beat around by an elf is cool and all but I’m feeling a bit sore now. I groan as we take the stairs back up into the main building.
I look over at Charlie, who seems to have had her pride bruised more than me. She doesn’t show it, but I can tell. Her smile doesn’t reach her eyes.
“So Sprouts, looks like y’all will need some proper training. By my assessment, you,” They point at me, “Are a caster. And your friend there needs to find the proper weapon for her abilities.”
Charlie looks up at the elf and says, “Uh, if it helps at all, I happen to have an idea for what I might need to work with. I’m going to do better if I can use thrown weapons.”
The elf smiles and looks off into the distance. “Mmm, throwing huh. Can’t say I’ve worked with a lot of throwing specialists before, but nothing I can’t help start you off with.”
We reach the top of the stairs and reenter the main hall of the Adventurer's Guild, the guild lady from before returning to behind the counter. Mom goes over and makes some conversation while we stand with the elven instructor.
“Ah, Instructor? Is there any way I should be addressing you?” Charlie asks, looking over at the dark skinned elf.
“Instructor will do fine, or Professor, if we’re in school.” The elf smiles and reaches into their cloak, and surprisingly pulls out their bow from before. “Almost forgot to pick this back up.”
“How’d you do that?” I ask, looking at her cloak.
“A simple binding enchantment I got done recently. Really handy to have it for your equipment, especially if you use some kind of expendable resource like arrows.” They sling the bow over their shoulder and show a quiver near their leg. “Might want to look into it if you’re going to be throwing things.” They wink at Charlie.
Mom comes back over and greets us. “Well, looks like everything is taken care of here. Unless you’d like to do more training today?”
The elf laughs and shakes their head. “No, best not to overdo it with this kind of thing. Plus I want to put together a good idea of what they need to learn, before becoming adventurers and students.”
They wave us goodbye as we leave the building and disappear in a cloud of whirling leaves. When I look around to find where they’ve gone, nothing is there but a couple of still floating leaves. Guess they can just do that or something then.
“So, Kiddos, got anything planned for the rest of the day?” Mom asks, looking around.
“No, I took a walk through the greenhouse district yesterday. Do you want to do anything?” Charlie looks over at me. I shake my head. I haven’t found anything I really want to check out yet, maybe while we’re waiting for school to start up I’ll find something neat.
“Well, if you feel like it, we should find you a place for rent. That is, if you don’t want to stay at the school.” Mom says.
I share a look with Charlie and it seems like we’re on the same page. “I think we want to find a place of our own, nothing against the school, but a little privacy might be good.” I respond for the both of us. Mom nods and we start walking further into the city.
The Practicals are pretty neat. While we’re walking I get to see a bunch of different people going about their business. Some people are walking out of shops, others are climbing down ladders that connect to what I assume to be houses stacked on top of each other. Plus there are these really weird lamps, Mom says they light up at night, on like every street corner. It’s so weird to be in a big city like this since I’ve only ever been in Hemlile before.
Mom takes us to a few different inns that we can stay at, but none of them really stick. So, she takes us to an office where they rent out houses for people to live in for a limited time. Eventually we end up at a smallish building, not too far from the school, that is maybe two or three stories tall. The third floor is open at the moment and we stop inside for a peek.
“This would be the last available house within your price range that is also close to the Pathfinder’s Institute.” The seller says, waving their hand as they show off the building.
We take the staircase that runs around the outside of the building and make our way to the top. It opens up into a small landing, enough space for us to sit outside on, and a simple wooden door. The seller opens the door with a key and displays the inside to us.
“Inside there are two bedrooms, a living space, kitchen, and bathroom equipped with arcane tech.” The seller rubs their hands together. “Perfect for independent living given its closeness to a market place here.”
I wander off into the room to see what it has to offer, and it looks fantastic. There is a window that almost completely covers the far wall that looks out over the city giving a beautiful view of everything. There is some gnomish furniture, similar to the stuff Charlie has back in the village, and some empty shelves on the walls. Looking into the kitchen, which lacks any walls to separate it from the living space, I can see an arcane ice box and stove. Very well equipped, Charlie should feel right at home in a place like this, me on the other hand, well I’ll need some time to get used to it.
“Ollie! You gotta try out the beds! They’re so soft!” Charlie shouts from the other room. I walk in to see my friend rolling around on a large bed, bigger than mine was back home. “This is like a paradise!”
Mom chuckles as she enters, “You seem to like this one quite a lot. Not surprising, this is a very lovely apartment.”
“Are we going to be able to afford this?” I ask, thinking about how much money this is going to cost if we do end up here.
“We should be fine, I just have to get some of our money exchanged for some notes and you’ll be set.”
Mom leaves with the seller and me and Charlie go find something to do in the city. Mostly we just spend the rest of the day wandering and exploring some of the nearby places. You can find just about anything here apparently, well, except for magical items, those are back at the place we came in from.
Eventually we return to our new apartment and move some of our belongings in before turning in for the night. As I drift off I feel a sort of tug, like I’m connected to something and it’s trying to get my attention. I see a familiar doorway in the darkness as I sink out of consciousness.
…
I come to, back in the room where I’ve been meeting The Dreamer. Nothing has changed and she is sitting down at one of the sofas, dressed in a sweater and pants.
“Hey Ollie. Just wanted to check up on you, and ask a question.” She turns and greets me with a wave from one of her tentacles.
I walk over and take a seat on the other sofa. “Sure, what’s up?”
“...How’s your friend? Like dealing with the whole me thing.” She shifts nervously and stares off at something in the kitchen.
“Oh, well, uh, she wasn’t super happy when she woke up last time…” I trail off, sensing that she was getting a little uncomfortable.
The Dreamer sighs and sinks back into the sofa. “Great… I wish I could do something. Well, I could, but it would probably be worse. Guess I might need to just wait for this one, at least I’m good at that.”
“What could you do? I mean, I’m pretty sure she’s conflicted about being upset with you. Mostly because she thinks you’re pretty, but also because you seem to be genuinely sorry about all this.” I shrug and watch as one of The Dreamer’s tentacles floats off to the kitchen and returns with a tea pot and cups.
She turns bright red for a moment and then clears her throat. “Putting that aside for a moment, would you like some tea?”
“No thank you, I’m fine. But you said you could do something?”
“Yes, I could alter her memories. Which I’d rather not do!” She shoots me a worried look for a moment. “I don’t want to just go around messing with people’s minds. It’s not right…”
“Ah, I see why you’d say that that’s worse.” I look around and finally settle my gaze back on The Dreamer. “I actually wanted to talk to you about some stuff as well while I’m here.”
“I know, you came to the door by yourself. So what’s on your mind?”
I came to the door? Whatever, not important right now. “Well I wanted to know if it’s alright that I tell more people about what is going on with me.”
“Oh that, yeah no problem dude. Sharing is important, especially with allies. If you feel like you can trust them, I have no reason to doubt your judgment.”
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“That kind of leads to the next thing for me. Why are you so, um, casual? Like you're some kind of super powerful, all knowing, all seeing being! Yet you don’t really act like it.”
“Why would I? I’m stuck in a prison of my own making, no point in acting special or anything. You might be a mortal, but you’re not the only one who can die here. I just have a few more things in the way of that.” She takes a sip from her tea and starts to float off the sofa, just hovering in the air lazily.
“But, shouldn’t you be able to do more? Like with this Nightmare, why a normal person like me? Why not the gods?”
“The gods? They’ve tried to deal with a Nightmare before, didn’t really end well. And why don’t I do more, because I feel like I shouldn’t. It’s as simple as that.”
I sit there, staring as she gently floats and starts to rotate in mid air. This is all kinds of confusing. Maybe it just has something to do with being as powerful as her? Or living so long has done something to her willingness to act? Arrgh! Why does all of this have to be so confusing?!
We stay silent for a little while, her floating in the air just casually sipping tea. I think she might have honestly forgotten that I’m here. But, this does give me some time to organize some of my thoughts. Which brings me back to something I had forgotten about with all the stuff going on.
“Oh! I think I might have a name for you.” I say, looking up at the lady floating around, spinning in a circle now. She immediately stops and looks at me upside down, then quickly blushes faintly, before sitting down on the other sofa.
“Really? So soon?” She looks at me with mild confusion.
I nod and say, “Yeah, I asked my Aunt Clementine for a name that she would give to a daughter.”
“Oh… Then is it really okay for you to give it to me? Names are special, you know.” She seems to almost shrink, like she’s trying to hide.
“What do you mean names are special?”
“Well names mean things, they hold power. Your name has meaning, even if you or anyone else doesn’t know what it is. Plus it’s even more for a Dreamer like me. Our names become a part of our identity in the fullest sense.”
“Then why did you ask me to give you a name?! If it means that much, shouldn’t you have someone else do it?!”
The Dreamer looks up and locks eyes with me. “No.”
“No?”
“Names are special, and if I’m going to have one after all this time.” She pauses and takes a breath. “Then it should come from someone who I believe in and can see me with fresh eyes.”
That’s a lot more pressure than I thought it was going to be. Giving her a name holds that much weight? This is crazy, I can’t just do something like this! And especially to someone who is basically a god.
“You believe that I’ll give you a good name?” I ask.
“Yes, Oliver, I do.”
I gulp. “Well… now I feel like this name isn’t going to really live up to your expectations.”
She just smiles at me, a warm understanding kind of smile. Gods above and below! This is driving me mad!
“Marley. Marley Pollyanna.”
…Silence follows for the next minute. It feels like hours though. Her face doesn’t show any kind of reaction and it puts me on edge. Finally she moves and stands from the sofa, not looking at me but over past into the mist.
“Marley huh? Marley, Marley, Marley, Marley!” She does a little spin and her hair flows behind her. “My name is Marley!” She laughs with joy. “I have a name!”
A bright light green glow envelopes her as she spins and begins to float off the ground. A sort of sizzling sound comes from her, like something being fried. Then a loud bang as the light rushes out into the mist around us. I manage to shield my eyes at the last second to avoid being blinded.
When I open my eyes, Th– Marley, is floating still. However there’s something new to her look. Her clothes changed again, now a sort of verdant green colored sundress that leads down into a lighter bluish hue towards the ends. On her head is a wide, peachy colored, sun hat that gently rests on her hair. Most of her skin is covered, partially hiding her scars, as she descends and lands next to me.
Her eyes open and a massive smile spreads across her face. “Oliver! Thank you! Thank you so much!” Tears start to form in the corners of her eyes. “Quickly, come here!”
I move closer and she takes my hands in hers, holding them out in between us. My Inkling reveals itself and starts to shift as one of her tentacles drifts downwards and hovers just above it. More tears and a quiet sort of sobbing comes from her, to which I look up at her in concern.
“You’ve done so much for me.” She sniffs, holding back tears. “You keep helping me even though I haven’t done anything good for you.” Marley wipes her eyes with a tentacle. “But, now I’m going to give you something.”
I look down as my Inkling reshapes and becomes a purple silhouette of a head with three small stars above its head, green, red, and pink. Lines begin to form quickly after, stretching purple from my Inkling and winding down my arm. The two lines from before length ever so slightly as a new one appears.
“What is this?” I murmur out loud as a new sensation fills my body. Suddenly I feel more… open? Is that how I should describe it? It’s like a feeling that I can let things pass through me better, in a way.
Marley lets go of my hand and takes a step back. “Another gift. With enough practice, you’ll find all sorts of use for it.”
“You’re not going to tell me what it is?”
“I could, but do you really want me to?”
I think for a moment. Sure it is cool to figure out my powers, but it would be nice to at least know something before I accidently do something dangerous. “How about a hint?” I suggest.
She gives me a little half grin. “Sure. Let’s say that you should go ask your Aunt Clementine for a bit of tutoring while you wait for school to start up. And maybe bring up what she’s always studying as well.”
“Okay. Oh, uh, do you mind if I stay here for a little longer though? I wanted to read that history book, it seems kind of neat.”
“Of course, stay as long as you’d like. I’ll be around, though I need to take a quick trip out for a second.”
I grab the book titled, ‘History of The Perennial War And Its Aftermath’, and take a seat to start reading. While I do that, Marley walks off into an open space and uses her tentacles to pull open a hole in the air leading into a starry space. I notice her also pull out that small rectangle again and say something in another language.
Eventually she does come back after a while and is happily humming to herself. I don’t get far into the book, it looked somewhat manageable, but apparently it isn’t as simple as I thought. On the plus side, there are some beautiful, if a little grim, illustrations to help tell the story. I do get tired and say goodbye to my newly named friend, walking back through the door I came in from and drift off properly into sleep.
…
I wake up, in my new bed, and stretch out. It feels good for the most part, not the bed, the naming, but I can’t really shake the feeling that I could have done better or something. Sighing, I roll out of bed and head into the kitchen for something to drink. The arcane sink is really handy, it can produce both hot and cold water! Those gnomes sure do know what people want.
“Good morning, how’d you sleep Ollie?” Charlie comes walking out of the other bedroom and greets me. She looks like she’s been up for a while now, which isn’t that surprising any more.
“Slept fine, had a nice dream.” I reply, sitting down at the small round table inside the kitchen area.
“A dream? Anything cool happen in it?” She walks over and opens the ice box and pulls out an apple from our leftover fruit, taking a bite out of it as she sits down across from me.
“Yeah, check this out.” I hold my hand out between us and allow my Inkling to show itself. The same purple silhouette of a head with the three stars above it forms. “Pretty cool right?” I give her a slightly smug look.
Charlie scoffs and takes another bite from her apple. “I’ll get mine to be fully developed soon too, just you wait. Then I’ll be well on my way to being that cool girl we saw in the mirror.” She smiles to herself and looks over my shoulder out the window.
“Feels weird living together, and on our own. I mean, I guess I knew Mom was going to head back to the village at some point, but it still feels a bit odd.”
“That’s fair. Though it’s not like anything is going to happen.”
I cock my head to the side and give her a stare. “Really? Not going to try to bring a party up here at some point? A date?”
She returns my stare with one of her own. “With you around? Not likely. You’d scare off any girl I bring up here with all your oddness.”
“Ooo, them’s fighting words. What’s to say you don’t scare her off first with all your mushy eyes?” I cross my arms and lean back.
“Ha! Like you’d know how I flirt.” She laughs as she takes another bite.
“Oh I do. Gotta say, you definitely aren’t subtle at all. Like with Marley, you were practically drooling over her.” I say, earning a confused look from my friend.
“Marley? Who’s that?” Charlie asks, finishing her apple and tossing the core into a bin next to the stove.
“Oh right. That’s the name I gave to The Dreamer.”
Her face pales ever so slightly, with a quick flash of some kind of displeasure at the mention of The Dreamer. “You’re wrong. I was not drooling over her! It’s not my fault she’s so good looking! It’s honestly pissing me off.”
“I can tell. Sorry, I probably should bring her up should I.” I sink a little into my chair.
Charlie sighs. “No, no. It’s fine. I just don’t really feel all that comfortable with the idea of her. It’s not your fault she scares me, well not directly at least.”
I figured she wasn’t a big fan of Marley. Someone possessing your friend and then making them commit murder isn’t what I’d call a good first impression. Though it looks like she isn’t all that conflicted on where her opinion is for Marley. Definitely anger, probably should give her some time to cool off more before any more meetings. If those ever happen anyways.
As I finish collecting my thoughts, a knock comes from the door. I go over and open it up, and standing on the other side is Mom and also the elf from before. The both of them step inside and take their shoes off, a rule Mom has ingrained in me since forever.
“Good morning, Mom, um, how should I refer to you again?” I ask the elf.
“Instructor Greenwood, Professor Greenwood, either will do I suppose. Though you should call me professor when school starts up again, unless I tell you otherwise.” Instructor Greenwood says, looking around.
The both of us guide our guest into the living room and sit down on the sofas. Mom says a quick goodbye, something about today being a big deal for our training and she doesn’t want to mess anything up. She’s going to visit her sister and her other friend from the guards later though.
Instructor Greenwood claps their hands together to get our attention. “Well Sprouts, today we’ll be taking a little trip outside the city walls. Your first lesson is going to be on basic monster hunting. That’s right! We’re gonna go shoot some slimes!”