I was only slightly surprised when the badge touched my hand and I was covered in a slight green glow for several moments. The badge faded and it reappeared on my chest where a nameplate would have been. It was also right above my heart.
“I'll teach you the phrase to speak to extend your status to Maylia.” The queen said and spoke several sentences. I understood the underlying meaning of it and thought about a better wording for it.
“Is it the words or the intent that matters?” I asked.
“The words are important, so that it conveys the full potential.” The queen said. “The intent needs to be there as well. You have to want them to be protected.”
I turned to Maylia and took her hand. I spoke the phrases exactly and she was covered in a slight green glow as well, then a smaller badge appeared just above her metal breastplate on her thick leather armored top.
“Now I have a question.” I said. “Does this status show when people look at me instead of being a chosen of what's her name?”
The queen let a complete smile appear on her face for only a moment. “Yes. It takes priority.”
“Excellent.” I said. “Maylia, let's go.”
“Don't you need a new list of tasks from the queen?” Maylia asked.
“She has a couple of hours to make it while we run errands.” I said and activated Mana Presence Run to let the energy flow over us. I adjusted it to include more mana and we glowed a brighter green. I turned to the queen and gave her a slight bow. “Your majesty.”
“I will be busy upon your return, so I will leave the list with a court attendant.” The queen said. “Oh, and there's no rush to do them or in any particular order. It's all at your discretion.”
“What if I decide to not do any of them?” I asked.
“That would be what 'at your discretion' means.” The queen said and I could see her trying not to laugh. “You should hurry. Your time to leave safely dwindles with each passing moment.”
Maylia and I jogged to the edge of the courtyard in an instant and stopped, then I turned back to face the queen.
“Thank you.” I said and she nodded, then Maylia and I ran. I used Mana Presence Hands to open and close the doors as we passed through them and then we were outside. I led Maylia to the stables and we went inside as we put up our hoods. I could hear soft crying from one of the stalls and we walked over to it. Inside was the young girl and her tears fell to the floor as she brushed one of our horses.
“I thought you liked brushing horses.” I said and the girl jumped and dropped the brush.
“YOU'RE ALIVE!” The girl yelled and ran to the stall door, climbed it in a second, and jumped off of the top and into my arms. I easily caught her and she hugged me tightly as she tucked her head into the crook of my neck.
“I'm not going to lie.” I said as she cried. “It was close this time.”
“I... I knew that... something must have... you didn't... come back... so long.” The girl hiccuped as she tried to speak.
“I was seriously hurt in the fight and if it wasn't for Maylia getting me to the capital in time, and the queen's intervention and special healers, I don't think I would have survived.”
“Hunter, you shouldn't tell her all of that.” Maylia said. “Just having you back is enough.”
“I don't want her to think that we were just wasting time coming back.” I said, and the girl eased her hold on me and leaned back. “I made a promise to you and you needed to know why I didn't come back right away.”
The girl kept one arm around me and wiped at her wet eyes with her other hand.
“I hope those sad tears are happy now.” I said, and she nodded. “Want to give us a hand with the horses? We need them to run some errands.”
The girl nodded and I put her down, and the three of us had the horses equipped up in only a few minutes. We led the two horses outside and Maylia climbed up onto hers.
“We're visiting the valley town of Bitosin to deliver something.” I said, and I saw her shake slightly. “First, we need to stop at a shop across the city and then at the barracks to visit the captain of the guard. Do you want to come along?”
“N-not to th-the town.” The girl said and her tears continued. “I can't... go back there.”
“Then just a ride around the town will have to do.” I said and held a hand out to her.
“I can climb up on my own.” The girl said defiantly, even with a wet face.
“I know you can.” I said and smiled. She hesitated for a moment and took my hand. I twirled her around in a circle to make her catch her breath, then I let her hand go and picked her up by the waist. She gasped as I easily lifted her and set her down on the saddle. I climbed up onto the horse and managed to barely squeeze onto the saddle myself; but, that wasn't very comfortable for either of us or for the horse, so I used Presence and mana to make a rounded solid shape just behind the saddle and moved back slightly.
I put my arms around her to take the reins and the girl leaned back into me, so that our weight moved as one. She used her hands to grip the saddle horn tightly and I flicked the reins to make the horse go into a trot. The girl gasped at the speed it displayed and tried to hide her surprise and delight. I didn't have to glance around to see that Maylia was beside me and half a step back, so that if anything happened, she could react in time to help.
We rode around the outskirts of the city to the other side to get to the first place we needed to go. The enchantment shop. We tied the horses up outside and the three of us went inside. We went right over to the counter and the old lady was waiting for us.
“You're late.” The old lady said with a smile. “I also see that you have come up in the world.” She motioned to the kingdom's crest on my chest and then she sighed. “I suppose you came to tell me that you don't need my services anymore.”
“I came to pick up the ring, actually.” I said.
“But... you are... the queen chose you as a personal vassal.” The old lady said. “She has the best artisans in the kingdom working for her.”
“Probably.” I said. “Except that Maylia and I visited every shop in this whole city and you were the only one to actually offer a solution to my problem.”
“That may be true, but...”
“Are you saying you failed and that it didn't work?” I asked.
“No, it's magnificent.” The old lady said. “My best work.”
“May I see it?”
The old lady reached under the counter and took out a small wooden box. “Before you put it on, you need to know that it will stop any external effect that tries to affect you.” She said. “I can't determine the actual extent, since I couldn't put it on to test it myself.”
“So, you're saying it might protect me only a little, or it could cut me off from everything that could affect me completely.” I said, and she nodded. “I guess it's worth a shot, since any help is better than none.” I looked at Maylia. “I almost proved that with my life.”
“Now we know what you're vulnerable to, so it was a valuable lesson to learn.” Maylia said. “Now we know why when the princess kicked you both times, it hurt you a lot more than it should have.”
I couldn't help but laugh at that.
“What's funny?” The girl asked.
“Until this moment, I hadn't realized that I could have died by getting kicked between the legs and in the back.”
“You have an odd sense of humor.” The old lady said.
“Only sometimes.” I said and looked at her. “How much for the ring?”
“It depends on if it works.”
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“Do you have something that can cause a similar effect to what I need protection from?”
“You know I do.” The old lady smiled.
“Did you only enchant what I wanted on the ring?” I asked.
“Of course not. There is basic protection and a minor mana boost. The ring's surface was huge and I had a lot of room to play with.”
“Anything on it to benefit you?” I asked.
“Anyone that sees it will know I made it and where to come to find me.” The old lady said.
“You don't think that it's a little dangerous to share your name and location to everyone?”
“Are you going to go out there and meet everyone personally?” The old lady cackled and put the ring box on the counter. “The normal people you meet are more than welcome to come and visit me, and I don't think the bad people you meet will be around long enough to find me.”
“I suppose that's fair.” I said and opened the box. The golden ring's coin-sized curved surface was covered in squiggly lines and etchings. I couldn't even begin to make out one image or letter out of the mess.
“You won't figure it out.” The old lady said. “Even if you knew how to read and write that language.”
I snorted a laugh. “You seem to know more about the current me than I do.”
“If the ring works like I hope it does, I'll give you the name of someone that can help you with that.”
“What? Really?” I asked and picked up the ring. It didn't glow green or anything.
“You are a personal vassal of the queen and you are going to wear one of my items.” The old lady said proudly. “That's going to help me more than you can possibly imagine and I need to try and help you in return.”
“If this works and stops them from influencing me...” I slipped the ring onto my index finger. “...then its worth to me can't be measured.”
“The lady and young miss need to step back to the edge of the shop.” The old lady said and picked up a small box. “This thing is... very powerful.”
“I vowed to stay by Hunter's side.” Maylia said.
“You still are.” The old lady said and pointed to the tiny badge on Maylia's chest. “Distance won't affect that.”
Maylia nodded understanding and she took the young girl over to the door to the shop, while she stayed in full view of me.
“Prepare yourself!” The old lady said and I braced for whatever was in the box. She held the small box and opened the lid dramatically.
“AhhHH!” The young girl screamed as a wave of fear came out of the box. I felt it myself, since I was so much closer; but, it didn't affect me. I looked into the box and inside was a tiny little lizard.
“Where can I get one of them?” I asked, and the old lady cackled a laugh and shut the box. The fear feeling went away immediately.
“These little darlings are rare and very expensive, because of what they can do.” The old lady said. “When they experience an emotion, they use mana to boost that feeling to others.” She tucked the box back under the counter. “You should feel it when I feed him his favorite greens.”
I waved Maylia and the girl over. The girl looked crossly at the old lady, who pulled out a small wrapped candy.
“You were more susceptible than most.” The old lady said and held the candy out to the girl. “If you don't face your fear soon, you won't be able to ever face it.”
The girl looked at the candy and didn't take it.
“It's just candy.” The old lady said and put it on the counter, then pulled a second one out and unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth. “The surface is too soft to hold an enchantment.”
I looked at her. “That means you tried.”
“Very astute of you.” The old lady said and the girl took the candy.
“Well, we know the ring kind of works.” I said. “I still felt the fear, though.”
The old lady nodded. “Yes, that would be an appropriate side effect.” She said and a book materialized in her hand and she opened it to a blank page. “Yes. Yes. You will know what the effect feels like and it won't affect you.” She said and scribbled a bunch of nonsensical words onto the page.
“I hope it works the same way if I ever meet them again.” I said.
“It will, or you can bring it back for a full refund.” The old lady said and closed the book.
“How much is it?” I asked.
“A gold coin.”
“YOU THIEF!” The girl with us yelled and I felt a pulse of mana from her.
“Hey, take it easy.” I said.
“NO!” The girl exclaimed. “She can't charge you that much for one item!” She said. “You could buy five expensive horses and their full kits for that!”
“It's a one of a kind item.” The old lady countered. “I can charge as much as I want to.”
“You old hag!” The girl spat. “You know he'll pay anything you want after what he said before!”
“I'm sure the queen will loan him the money he needs.” The old lady said, amusement in her voice. “Shall I charge him two gold coins instead?”
The girl growled in response and I knelt on one knee beside her. I touched her shoulder and her mana jumped over to me. I held in my surprise at the strength of it and she turned to face me with anger on her face.
“I never asked you your name.” I said in a calming voice.
“It's Afyne.” She said and her face slowly lost its anger. “Afyne Ivoneth.”
“It's very nice to meet you, Afyne.” I said. “Thank you for looking out for me.”
“Hunter, you don't understand.” Afyne said, her voice full of concern. “Most people...”
“...won't see a gold coin in their entire lives.” I finished the quote, and she caught her breath.
“You... you do know.” Afyne said. “I'm sorry. I thought...”
“If I hadn't had a conversation with the captain of the guard, I would have been completely unprepared for how much things cost.” I said and cupped the side of her face. “I won't tell you to stop speaking out; but, I will tell you to speak to me in a normal voice and not yell at the seller.”
Afyne's face flushed red and she bit her bottom lip as she made the best puppy-dog eyes I had ever seen. Maylia had to look away from the cuteness to hide her reaction and the old lady's hard expression softened at its power.
“You are pretty dangerous.” The old lady said to her and we both turned our heads to look at her. “The cost is still one gold coin; but, I'll forgo a lump sum and you can pay me in instalments.”
“What about other clients that come in because they see the ring?” I asked. “Do I get a commission on those sales?”
The old lady gave me a crooked smile. “Ah, I see your plan.” She said. “You think you can defer the entire cost of the ring if you send me enough new clients.”
“Would that work?” I asked. “If, say... you put aside ten percent of each sale for me as a commission.”
“Ten percent!” The old lady almost yelled.
“That's only five copper per silver.” I said. “Or one copper for every ten you earn.”
“Most of the things I sell are fairly cheap.” The old lady said. “It will take a long time to earn enough to pay the ring off.”
“It all adds up eventually.” I said. “Five sales, a hundred sales, or even a thousand sales.”
The old lady cackled. “You could never personally meet a thousand people that would want to buy items from me.”
“Is that a challenge?” I asked, and she cackled again.
“All right. I'll accept the ridiculous ten percent commission on sales, just to see if you can send me so many people.”
“You drive a hard bargain.” I said and stood as I held a hand out to her. She took it and gave it a shake and let it go. I reached into my bag of holding and took out the small sack of coins the captain of the guard gave me and passed a single gold coin to the old lady. Both she and Afyne's mouths dropped open at the sight and watched me wordlessly as I put the sack back into my bag of holding.
“The inn next.” I said and led Maylia and the girl out of the shop.
“You have gold coins.” Afyne mumbled as I put her up on my horse. “Actual gold coins.”
“I wonder how much the bounty on a garglemacer is?” I asked and climbed onto the horse.
“It would have to be at least the same as those criminals.” Maylia said. “Or perhaps more. It is on the top of the captain's list.”
“Well, we'll find out soon.” I said and we rode our horses to the inn. The innkeeper was happy to see that we were still alive and was grateful for the return of the room key. I had been very tempted to stay a while longer to take a proper bath, since it had been several days since the last one. I fought that urge though and we left the inn to head to the barracks to visit the captain of the guard.
He tried to pretend that he didn't know we were coming with evidence and acted surprised when I took out the carcass of the garglemacer. Afyne screamed and hid her face against Maylia at the sight and she held the girl as she cried. I popped a tooth and a scale off for the captain of the guard as proof, since I knew exactly how to do it, and he gave us the bounty. It was twice that of the criminals we had been paid for before, and the young girl with us only stared at the sack with wide eyes and didn't say anything. We rode back to the stables to drop her off and when I tried to take her off of the horse, she wouldn't let it go.
“You're not coming back, are you?” Afyne asked, her eyes still wet.
“We'll be back to sell the carcass to the queen in a few hours.” I said.
“No. Here. To the stables.” Afyne said and wouldn't look at me.
I sighed. “No, we won't be coming back.”
“Then take me with you.” Afyne said. “Please.”
“This is no life for a child.” Maylia said.
“I'm not a child.” Afyne said.
“Afyne, I can't be responsible for...” I started to say.
“Then teach me.” Afyne said and cut me off. “If you don't think I can make it because I can't fight, then teach me how to fight.” She said, and this time she did look at me. Her eyes were full of pleading passion and tears started to flow from them again. “You killed the monster that ate my parents.” She said. “No one... no one else has ever been able to do that.”
“I didn't do it alone.” I said.
“I know that.” Afyne said and glanced at Maylia. “I want to be a great fighter like her.”
“We cannot teach you everything that you may need to know.” Maylia said. “If you are a magic user, or if your skills are more for divination, we can't...”
“No, I know I'm supposed to fight.” Afyne said. “I can feel it.” She said and closed her eyes as she started to mumble. “I'm just... no one will... too afraid...”
I didn't feel any wavers in the Presence while she spoke, so I knew she wasn't lying. “I'll agree to take you along... for a while.” I said and she looked at me with hope on her face. “On one condition.”
“Anything!” Afyne exclaimed.
“You need to come to Bitosin with us.”
Afyne started to shiver and shake and she closed her eyes and bent over the saddle to let the stream of her tears fall onto the horse. It took her several minutes to compose herself and for the crying to ease enough for her to talk without sobbing.
“W-wh-why?”
“Like the old lady in the shop said. You need to face your fear.” I said. “Avoiding it will work for a while, probably even years. Unfortunately, you won't be able to rely on yourself if every time someone mentions the town, the garglemacer, or your parents, you break down and start crying.”
“What do you know about it?!? Afyne nearly yelled.
“A lot more than you think.” I said and put a hand on hers. “I'll tell you all about it on the way.”
“I... I didn't agree!” Afyne said and tried to get of the horse as I climbed on.
“Yes, you did.” I said and hugged her from behind. “When you didn't say no right away and just cried, that was confirmation enough for me.”
“I... I don't... want to go!”
I felt the Presence waver and smiled. “It's all right.” I said and rested my chin on the top of her head. “Both I and Maylia are here. We won't let anything happen to you.”
“But... but...”
“I considered letting you go and you could live your life how you want and could keep hiding from it and yourself, then I remembered something.” I said and flicked the reins and the horse started to trot.
“Wh-what did you remember?” Afyne asked.
“Myself as a scared little boy after my parents were killed.” I said and I felt the girl shiver. “Then a very kindhearted woman took me in and cared for me. I resisted at first, mainly because I didn't want to be treated like a child.” I said and Afyne stopped resisting and leaned against me. “She taught me a very valuable lesson and I'm going to teach it to you.”
“Wh-what lesson?”
“Everyone needs someone to care about them.” I said.