Chapter 56: Berry and Manny

“A-ahh?” Enya muttered, bewildered by the sudden embrace from this random girl. Strangely, it wasn’t uncomfortable—it was actually kind of warm, though the girl’s strength was a little alarming. Enya let out a small groan from the tight squeeze. “Ahhh, you’re so cute!!” the girl squealed, swaying left and right with Enya still caught in her grip.

“I’m… sorry about this, Mr. Skeleton,” the boy said with an apologetic bow. “My sister Berry is… really extroverted. She saw you both walking down the street and wanted to see what was happening. It’s not… everyday you see a skeleton strolling around town,” he explained, his tone polite.

Pell gave the boy a nod, mildly entertained. The boy seemed polite—almost too polite. He glanced down at Enya, who was mouthing a desperate ‘help me’ as she struggled in Berry’s vice-like hug. Pell let out a chuckle, clearly enjoying her predicament.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of near-suffocation, Enya was freed from Berry’s hold and hurried over to Pell, clutching onto his lower rib as if for support. The two strangers now stood in front of them, watching with bright eyes.

“Sorry about that! Let’s start fresh. I’m Berry, and this is my older brother, Manny!” the red-scarfed girl announced, giving a quick bow while also slapping her brother’s back. Manny, in contrast, offered a deeper, respectful nod.

“I’m… Enya! And… this is Pell!” Enya said, patting Pell’s lower rib, a little breathless but managing a smile.

Berry’s grin widened. “I was just on my way to grab a crepe before registering at tournament signups, and then I thought I saw a skeleton in the street,” she said, leaning forward with her hand cupped beside her mouth as if sharing a grand secret. “And guess what? I was right,” she whispered—though not very quietly—“It was you two!”

Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she leaned back and studied Enya with a curious look. “Actually, only one of you is a skeleton. This little adorable girl isn’t one, right?” Berry said, eyes narrowing in playful suspicion. “I think…?”

Manny placed a hand on his sister’s shoulder, gently pulling her back, though her intense gaze stayed fixed on Enya all the same.

“What my sister means is that she got curious when she saw a walking skeleton and wanted to meet you both. I apologize for her… enthusiasm,” he said, bowing once more, his voice calm and polite.

“Hey! I’m not rude! You’re rude for apologizing so much!” Berry shot back, crossing her arms with a huff.

Enya and Pell both noticed a subtle twitch in Manny’s jaw as he maintained his bow, likely a well-practiced reaction to his sister’s antics.

“Tournament?” Enya asked, intrigued.

Berry took the opportunity to step forward, mirroring her brother’s move by pulling him back with one hand. “Yep! The city’s holding its annual tournament for admission to Lightway Academy in a few days. It’s called the Beacon Tournament,” she explained, excitement lighting up her face. “I’m surprised you two don’t know about it. It’s one of the biggest events of the year, besides the slime fall festival!”

“Woahhh…” Enya breathed, her eyes growing wide with wonder. She glanced up at Pell, her grip on his ribs tightening. “Can I join?!” she asked eagerly, her voice jumping with enthusiasm as she turned back to Berry.

Pell leaned down, speaking softly into her ear. “Didn’t you mention wanting to find your family or something? Kind of hard to do that if you’re participating in a tournament, and off at school in the Second Realm,” he reminded her.

“A-ah… yeah…” Enya mumbled, her excitement dimming for a moment.

Berry, picking up on this, offered a gentle smile. “I wouldn’t recommend joining if you don’t have any experience fighting, Enya. The tournament can get pretty rough, and if you don’t know magic or how to defend yourself, it could be dangerous,” she warned, her tone both warm and concerned.

Enya squared her shoulders, her eyes bright with determination. “I can fight!” she declared proudly.

Enya meant this wholeheartedly. She had survived the dungeon alone for nearly two months, facing off against countless monsters and even the dungeon boss itself. She might not have won every fight, but she’d fought hard—and now she even had some offensive spells in her arsenal that she was growing accustomed to.

“Thanks for the info, but unfortunately, the kid needs to go meet her family, so staying in school here for an extended period probably isn’t an option,” Pell said, glancing down at Enya. She really needs to get her priorities straight, he thought.

“Time shouldn’t be much of a problem, depending on how long you have,” Manny replied, raising a finger as if to emphasize his point. “People can still enter the tournament for prize rewards and also apply for a shortened term of about one month instead of the usual half-year semester. Talo sees quite a few visitors this time of year, and the tournament is one of the biggest highlights and attractions. The academy has set up an expedited course to teach a condensed version of their curriculum. You’ll learn most of the basics, but a lot of the main content will be reserved for the full term.”

Pell felt a tug at his ribs and looked down to find Enya gazing up at him with wide, eager eyes.

“Can I join then? My family can wait!” she exclaimed, practically bouncing on her toes.

“Gahh…” Pell groaned internally. Why does she have such a one-track mind?

“It’s your choice, I guess,” he said reluctantly. “I’ll need to send a message back to Elara in the First Realm to make sure she’s still safe, so I’ll probably have to stick around the city for a few weeks to get a reply.”

“Yay!” Enya cheered, hopping around like one of those horned rabbits in the forest.

“Is there an age limit or something? She’s only like…” Pell began, but then realized he didn’t actually know her age. “Well, she’s pretty young.”

“There shouldn’t be a problem with that. The tournament has different divisions for various age groups. Enya could probably join the Youngling division. My sister and I will be competing in the Advanced Division ourselves,” Manny explained, a proud smile creeping onto his face.

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Pell’s soul flames flickered in suspicion, rising a few centimeters higher.

“Woah—hey! Did you see that? Those little fireballs moved!” Berry exclaimed, grabbing Manny’s arm. “I think he’s skeptical of you! I told you, you need to work on your appearance and fashion! Take a note or two from adorable Enya here!” she teased, a playful grin on her face.

Manny could only roll his eyes in response, offering a light, dismissive wave in front of her face.

“I assume… you are a necromancer, Enya?” Manny asked.

“Yep!” Enya replied back, voice filled with pride.

“Is Pell here a summon of yours?”

“Uhh…” she hesitated. She wasn’t entirely sure if he counted as one of her summons. Technically, the dungeon had revived him, but she had repaired him and placed his soul back into his original body. In a way, she was both responsible for him, and not.

“No,” Pell interjected, cutting through her uncertainty.

“I guess he isn’t,” Enya agreed, nodding at Pell.

Berry and Manny exchanged a brief glance, clearly puzzled. “Then how is Pell… y’know what, never mind,” Manny said. Some questions were best left unasked—and in his mind, now was a good time to respect that saying.

“We’re still quite new to Talo. I haven’t been here for a couple of years. You kids know anything about how people feel about necromancy and all that?” Pell inquired, his tone shifting to one of curiosity. “Haven’t been an undead too long myself, but I ain’t sure if this city has changed at all since I’ve last been here.”

“Necromancers are a pretty uncommon class… maybe even rare. I don’t think most people in the city have ever seen one before, us included. But I’m pretty sure people don’t generally have a favorable view of them. However, it’s not like anyone will come at you with pitchforks or anything,” Manny explained, his tone reassuring. “Talo is pretty diverse, so unless you went around reviving someone’s dead aunt, there shouldn’t be much of an issue. Though you might get some… side-eyes,” he added with a wry smile.

That made sense. Ever since Enya and Pell had entered the city, they’d felt the weight of curious stares. No one approached them or looked overtly offended, but the wary glances were unmistakable. Enya wondered if it was more about her unusual companion than herself.

“Registration for the tournament will be open until the day before it starts,” Manny continued. “If you really think you can handle it, we can lead you to the sign-up area. The tournament begins three days from now.”

“There will be high-level healers at the tournament, so any injuries you suffer won’t matter much,” Berry chimed in. “I don’t think there have been any major life-threatening injuries in the tournament for a very long time. There’s never been a death from it either,” she added confidently.

Pell considered their offer. Although Enya wanted to meet her family, she seemed genuinely interested in the tournament. He suspected she might not want to see her family as much as she claimed, especially since she was willing to postpone her meeting with them for a whole month. It was unlikely she would place highly in the tournament anyway, so perhaps that wouldn't be an issue after all.

Back when Pell had stayed in the dungeon with Enya, watching her learn magic, he had been impressed by her abnormal comprehension. However, simply learning spells didn’t equate to combat prowess. This was particularly true for necromancers, who often relied on their minions to fight for them—at least, that was probably the common concept. If Enya didn’t grasp how to position herself in battle, she would likely be eliminated early on. Sure, she might win a battle or two, but the entire tournament? That seemed like a long shot. Though, he had never seen her properly fight, so perhaps, she was better than he thought?

He would need to send a message to the first layer directly to Elara, and that could take weeks or even a month to hear back. Traveling back directly to the first layer was costly; it didn’t require as much as ascending, but it wasn’t a trivial amount either. Besides, he had come to the second layer to make money, not to return to the first layer empty-handed. He also needed time to appraise and find buyers for the items they had retrieved from the dungeon.

“I’ll do it!” Enya declared, her eyes shining with determination.

Pell sighed, realizing she had made up her mind. “If you two are offering to lead the way, then sure. I guess we can check it out,” he said with a shrug. “But we just arrived today, so we need to find an inn first. Is a place called The Silver Lantern still in business here?”

“Yeah! That place is still on the east side of the city,” Berry replied, her enthusiasm palpable. “Our dad is actually really good friends with the owner there. If you mention the name Henry, they might give you a discount! Well, maybe not. But it’s worth a shot!”

“We’ll be shopping around for some snacks and stuff too. Do you know where the city fountain is? We can meet up there in about an hour, and we can take you to the tournament registration,” Manny suggested.

“Alright, I know where that is. In an hour, then,” Pell confirmed.

“Yay!” Enya exclaimed, bouncing on her feet.

Berry’s face flushed with excitement as she suddenly dashed forward and wrapped Enya in her signature death grip once again. “You. Are. So. Cuuuuute!”

“H-h-he-lp… m-meee,” Enya mumbled, squirming in the embrace.

image [https://i.imgur.com/ZiLMGqb.png]

“Henry? Yeah, he’s a good friend of my husband,” came the voice of Sheryl, the owner of The Silver Lantern Inn. She was a sturdy woman in her early fifties, exuding a warm and welcoming presence. A heavy apron embroidered at the edges adorned her simple green tunic. Her once auburn hair, now threaded with silver-gray strands, was swept into a neat bun.

“Strong” was an apt descriptor for this woman, as she boasted a broad build that could handle any unruly patrons who dared to enter her establishment. Pell remembered her effortlessly carrying barrels, scrubbing floors, and maneuvering trays stacked high with ale all with ease years ago. She didn’t seem to have changed at all. Especially since she didn't give a rat's ass that a skeleton just walked into her inn. She didn't even flinch once, nor ask about his circumstances.

“He’s one of his drinking buddies and is quite the pleasant fellow,” she continued, a smile on her face.

“So…” Pell said, easing the word out slowly.

“No discounts.”

“Damn,” Pell muttered under his breath.

After retrieving a silver coin from his inventory sub-space, he and Enya headed upstairs to their basic room. He approached the door marked on his keychain and pushed through the wooden door. Inside, the room was moderately sized, about as large as the study he remembered. That was one thing he had always liked about this inn years ago—the spacious bedrooms, though they came at a higher price.

A simple bed sat against one wall, accompanied by a bedside table with a lamp. To the right was a small closet with a coat rack. Two windows flanked the opposite side of the room, offering a view of the back courtyard where the innkeeper tended to a small garden, just as he remembered. Beyond that, the bustling streets next to the vendor area came into view, filled with people peddling wares and strolling about.

Pell set down the dungeon core, propping it up by tucking in the white tarp around its base. Meanwhile, Enya wandered over to the side of the room, and inspected the simple furnishings.

“Is this… what I think it is?” Enya asked, her eyes wide with wonder.

Pell turned around, brow furrowing. “What? A bed?” he replied incredulously.

“This… that means I can lay on it?” Enya's excitement was palpable.

“Yes?” Pell responded, still confused.

A bright smile spread across her face, and in a burst of joy, her feet left the ground. With a plop, she dove face-first into the white bed, her face sinking into the soft sheets. “Itzz sho sofffht,” she exclaimed, muffled by the fabric.

The flames in Pell’s eye sockets flickered higher before a realization struck him. A bed—one of the most basic pieces of living furniture anyone with a home possessed—was something Enya had never experienced before. He thought back to his own childhood, remembering the old shack he’d called home. Though he had been alone, he had managed to create a makeshift life for himself, even crafting a bed of wheat straw for comfort. But this little girl? She had been sleeping on cold, hard ground—stone or dirt—this entire time.

Now, having moved beyond the dirt-poor existence of his youth, Pell had savored the luxury of an actual soft bed to sleep in. Yet seeing Enya revel in this simple pleasure tugged at his heart. It felt bittersweet, watching her embrace something so mundane and essential with such pure delight.

“Alright, kid, get up,” Pell said, erasing his thoughts and pushing himself off the small drawer he was leaning against. “We ought to talk about what to do from now on.”