Prelude 3 - Charmed

Rufus led them around a small hill next to the traveling wagon until they arrived at a small shed, which he unlocked. After a few minutes inside, he returned with a pair of sizable, lumpy bundles wrapped in tan canvas. Gesturing, he invited them, "Go on and open those up."

Cestia had hers open first and spread around in front of her. The first thing Kaye noticed was the map, which shimmered and shifted depending on how the light fell on it, making it appear less a map than a sky-bound view of the land. Mithgard, though the world, was marked towards the central, southern continent while the Federal Republic of Schwarzschild covered the top landmass with a variety of names he couldn't quite discern. Clearest of all was South Pronderosa, marked with iridescent, magical light.

"These maps can remember everywhere you take them, with the help of a little enchantment. But that'll be later. First, let me run through what you should have. Pull out the big one", Rufus continued.

From the bundle, they pulled out large, identical travel bags. Rufus turned over the dress and read, "This is your adventure inventory bag. Right now, it only has 80 special pockets. If you try to fill more than that, it kinda breaks...umm, reality. But that's alright! It will still store that extra load, but just for two days before it shrinks back to normal. We're not exactly sure where the extra things stored in those parts go. You're probably better off selling stuff at that point. And there are storage options in town. You have plenty of storage right now though. Go ahead and put whatever in there. Try it!"

Kaye pressed two fingers to his forehead. Reality breaking, temporary space, town storage. It wasn't information overload like a few minutes ago, but he still found himself frozen and lost. Cestia had to lead again, as she set her travel gear from their little, local general store at the front of the bag.

A swirl of pearlescent light enveloped her travel items and they winked away like a brilliant, broken sunbeam blocked by leaves. With a similar motion, everything that vanished returned to her without omission.

Rufus chuckled once Kaye had followed Cestia's example. "There you go! Easy as that. If not for the delicate woven mithryl and elimirum, everyone should have one of these. Diem Squad is fortunate to know several volunteers willing to donate and weave. Alright! Next thing!"

Cestia again took the lead as they retrieved a hard-shell white box with a bright, golden egg symbol across the front. Rufus explained, "Pet box. Crystaline eggs holding your pets will go in here. You can summon them as needed. Partners can share the same pet box. To get a pet, you need something that will appeal to them. A little kindness also goes a long way. And next to the box we have..." He encouraged them to keep looking through the canvas sack.

Kaye handled a little, felt-covered bag with ornamentation like fuzzy confetti. It reminded him of a decorative shelf item his mother once received for a birthday from his father. Some called it a blessing bag, but it contained a round of peat moss with oppressively fragrant materials inside, packed with a light, lacy mesh.

His mother kept it on a low shelf and made sure it didn't gather dust. The aroma faded with age, or he just got used to it lingering around the house. After his father passed, when she still had the strength for it, his mother would gently embrace the little bag as her first act of the day.

Rufus explained, "You can't use that thing yet but, once you have your first pets, you can use it to communicate with them. It will tell you what they need and allow you to give them jobs in town to help everyone out. Plop those both in your inventories."

For the next thing, Kaye thought he'd taken out his original travel bag, but Rufus explained, "This is your special storage. An older group of adventurers wouldn't stop complaining about losing things they needed for this or that. So, Master Reyvin of Gennep enchanted countless bags to separate out the most important things into their own spot. If you can't find a thing you need, remember to check there."

At the moment, both of their bags were empty and easily vanished into the inventory. After a handful of six Evergreen Coins, Rufus leaned against a nearby tree and stretched out a long section of the dress to read. "You may additionally blame those loud and irritated adventurers before you for this next part. Some good, some...not so much. These coins will go in your inventory like any item, but you also have a coin holder for the currency of the many kingdoms you will visit. You are likely familiar with golden Arlots or Triskles, depending on where you hail from. In the runic lands, the basic common currency is Zelver or Zels. Expect to acquire several dozen local currencies as you pass between here and the Border Zone alone. Relations used to be such that inns traded Zel or whatever and vice versa, but your enchanted coin holder is where you'll need to go instead. You'll likely never run out of space. And, if you do, I'm sure you'll have enough coin to figure out a solution."

Instead of going into the inventory bag, the coin holder slid into a secure spot on the side. Following this currency explanation, Rufus directed them to an enchanting board. Suray had shared one with them before, so they knew the fundamentals. In the presence of a Smith, she could use crafted runes to infuse more power into equipment and weapons.

"For the right price, you can get the things needed to do it yourself, if you find yourself far from a town Smith. Also, guilds sometimes have special sewing equipment like mine for wielding runes and mithryl. But it can take a steady hand. Remember not to neglect any tool bound to you. They connect to different energy points. Weapon, head, face, lead arm, off-arm, shield, armor, bracer...umm...lower defense, and well...post guard, are the nicest ways to put the last ones. Protect your sensitive and behind areas. Then you can add in two additional accessories with some that stack. And some allow essence card spell protection, so consider equipment that has space for that."

Kaye felt as though the landmarks of understanding were drifting away, and a lake of confusion was swallowing him up with just nodding as his only recourse for the waves rushing to drag him to the bottom. He only heard snippets about the blue roll with jeweled runes. He didn't care either, as his mind glossed over the instructions. So many things to make him stronger, but he resolved he would just work and fight and adventure. He didn't need all this. It didn't matter to him, so it went in the bag along with a dozen half-considered questions about a runic power pyramid and major and lesser jeweled runes.

Mercifully, just one last thing remained: A quest log. It was a dense, leather-bound tome with a thick cord holding the pages together. With a chuckle, Rufus admitted, "No enchantments on this. No magic. No runes. Just paper, regular paper, along with a quill and enough ink for now. I sometimes tell the eccentric sort that this is for them to write the first version of their heroic adventures to be recited in song. But use it as you wish. To doodle, to save your thoughts, your hopes, your reminders, and whatever else you need. It can be lonely out there, even with others, and sometimes you just need to grab hold of your thoughts and dash them across the page. It's only worth about 100 Zel, if you wish to sell it. But I urge you to save and consider it."

Out of the upwelling of things hoisted upon his shoulders, Kaye considered the clearest was the quest journal. The rest fell away as vague memories. He rarely recorded his thoughts, even when his father passed, and his mother followed all too soon after him. Cestia dragged him to the woods for fun when it felt like he could never smile again, and she desperately avoided talking about anything that might lead his emotions one way or the other. It was an escape but going back to the farm always reminded him of how quiet it had become, even with so many needy, busy animals.

He could write about that. But that was the before, that wasn't part of his adventure and it didn't matter. He was an adventurer, one day to be the King of them all. His heroic exploits were what mattered.

They each secured their new inventory loads. Cestia bounded on her heels, any encumbrance from the pack not showing. Kaye caught sight of her... "post guard" even though he urged himself to look away. So much of her jiggled and he wished to steady it with his embrace. No... He wanted more and yet he couldn't. Cee-Tee weighed on his thoughts, but also all their promises to one another. Besides, he knew...he knew he couldn't go there.

When Rufus handed them each a silver knife, it was a relief.

Focusing on the knife helped Kaye cut himself off from all the things that didn't matter. Like how he felt lost in all the details of being a hero and not understanding what thing did what. Here he was, a level one with a basic knife. He and Cestia would get stronger. The stuff that made heroes better would take root in them and they would follow through on all of their promises. He just needed to get rid of the evil monsters from the world.

Rufus consulted his own map a few times and checked the sun as it licked warm beams at the pinnacles of the evergreens, like it was one of those cats they'd seen, still eager to play but bending towards mealtime and a nap. The day was nearly away and all Kaye had to show for it was a scrambled name and a mind lost in uncertain lessons with only the frail, scattered feathers of hope.

His inventory felt like a handful of stones dangling from his shoulders, but he refused to grunt or grimace. Cestia had borne it without wavering, so could he. As they walked, she kept the best pace with Rufus despite her shorter stride. Kaye tried to push himself but anything faster than his measured hustle felt like he was nervously rushing to keep up. He indulged in a few practice strikes through the air with his knife aimed sideways, towards the anonymous forest full of trunk-barred secrets and darkness.

Cestia tested her knife too but with an elegant sliding motion, like she envisioned parting the stomach of her foe as easily as the air. Coming to a clearing, they all stopped to marvel at the sights before them.

Low, worn-down tan grass with hints of burrows and patches of dirt stretched all the way to the evergreens in the distance. And on that grass hopped pleasantly pink little living dollops with wide, expressive eyes and thin, jiggly mouths.

Charmdrops or Charmies. They were the mascot of one of the chocolate pies their local general store sold and the critters at the edges of Suray's stories. Kaye knew them by reputation and Cestia had attempted to dress as one for a Harvest Festival.

They were large enough to substitute for a pillow even with the rising point at their center but appeared squishy enough that it might still be a comfortable proposition. A hint of translucence made Kaye think of the cherry gelatin his mother sometimes made as dessert for special occasions. A pair of Charmies accidentally bopped into one another and uttered, in a child-like, squeaky voice, "Ponya? Pyyyaaaa?" Their mouths gave distracted, chagrin wiggles before they bounded off in other directions.

So many crowded the land that it almost seemed a challenge to cross the field without catching one underfoot. Kaye took a deep breath and adjusted the grip on his knife. Cestia needed no such preparation as her eyes flared and she charged at the nearest Charmie with fire nearly erupting from her.

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Kaye watched as Cestia dove head-first into a pile of them. An explosion of pink rained down in all directions as the Charmies squeaked and spiraled through the air. Though he expected something like popping a balloon on appearance alone, Kaye marveled as the ones Cestia sliced through tumbled into little pieces like a block of salmon-toned ice smacked by a hammer.

A flash of golden light zoomed to her coin purse and pack. She didn't bother to check as she cut down another wave. Paying attention to the place where she had left the remains of the Charmies, Kaye noticed that bits, rather like that gelatin dessert or some melted popsicles strewn over the ground, swelled back into the plump, round dollop shapes of Charmies, filling the area with as many as before. Some scooted along nervously, quivering as they regarded Cestia an apex predator. Others cried out, shrieking, "Paaaaaaayyaaaaaa!" before Cestia returned them to a colorful smear over the increasingly rose-tinted ground.

No matter how many she sliced through, they popped out of the ground again, some with a newfound fear, surely to last generations, of an unassuming girl with blue hair and a swift blade. Kaye watched Cestia and gazed down at his own knife. He took a deep breath.

Before long, she had acquired 3400 Zel, 20 of something in her bag called Glompy Goo, and a pair of Charm Apples as well as rising to level 4, according to her parchment.

Kaye expected divine chimes to ring out with each level Cestia gained, like an announcement of her increasing strength. No sounds issued from the world, the sky, or even her parchment. It didn’t even bother to glow more than usual. The only way they knew her advancement was when she showed it off during a lull in her onslaught.

Rufus chuckled to himself, tapped the side of his head like checking a ripe melon, and mentioned aloud, “I never checked you for Daring paperwork, did I? I got a warning about that once. Totally ignored it. But excellent, enthusiastic work, Miss Eretawn.”

Eretawn. What Cestia always gave when asked for a family name by feudal lord guards when they spotted her on the road, roughing up the cruelest bullies and returning coins to those who had hidden them away deep in their pockets bound in cloth matted with dirt, rot, and leavings that unfortunately failed to deter such thieves. But Cestia made sure those thieves recoiled from such things after she was done with them. She couldn’t do the same to the guards who lingered, stroking her bright hair when she only came up to their wrinkled, bloated bellies.

Cestia didn't talk about it and neither did Kaye, especially when certain guards held onto his shoulders for too long and frisked him in places that didn't seem right. When his father was alive, he would sharpen his ax whenever the guards of local lords started roaming around without any official business. Every so often, one of the smaller, less careful kids would vanish, especially the orphans.

Rufus's attention soon returned to Kaye. as though he could sense everything that hadn't been spoken, and urged him, "Don't get caught up in worrying about it all too much. Just get in there."

He could feel the expectations on him. Cestia had managed to slice through a pile. Her resolve and strength were never in doubt. Doubt felt like all that Kaye had of his own. Doubt ever since it was just him on the farm. Doubt trailing after Cestia's determination, especially when it was just him playing catch up to the registration desk. Cestia launched at the inventory first. He followed.

Crouching with his knife in one hand, he watched a modest Charmie hop gently in his direction. It made little musical notes like a minstrel, but with more percussion to its tune.

"Yaabbaabaaadabadadadachapayanaya..." It had such an expressive face with big, round eyes. Stopping mere inches away from Kaye and his weapon, the Charmdrop drew its mouth back as the spell of its self-distraction broke and the creature realized his intentions.

Adjusting the knife in his hands, Kaye tensed his legs as the Charmie's eyes widened and stared right at him. It flattened down gingerly and spoke plaintively, "Payaaa...cha...chapaya...paaaahh...puu?"

He expected it to bolt towards the nearest tree, but it quivered like that fondly-remembered dessert on a freshly-set table. Instead of just poking out and getting the job done, Kaye set a hand on the creature and pet it lightly. Whimpers of concern came first, followed by soft, confused noises, and finally calm murmurs.

The weakest monster in the kingdom and he couldn't even bring himself to poke it.

Rufus took a deep breath and flipped the dress to the side before recounting that Charmdrops were questionably alive. Words about spirits of 'Mith', Odin's sweat, and some growing huge, all washed over Kaye as he focused on how oddly pleasant the creature felt. It was slick without being gooey or leaving slime as he brushed it. Also, while pliable, the Charmie still held a recognizable shape, unlike if it were filled with some liquid.

The creature slipped into happy humming as Kaye used both hands. When he started to release it, the critter stretched out as much as it could to follow his grasp, like it was one of those kittens they'd just left which wasn't done being pet yet.

"Uh huh hmm...well", was Rufus's next comment. Cestia jumped in, "I can kill them for you but that wouldn't count, right?" While flipping the fringe of his dress notes, Rufus gestured with his free hand and remarked, "You could party up, but that would take longer. Might be an option though. I can skip ahead to that....although, now might be a good time to explain pet capturing. Yes...a very good time, considering how docile this one seems to be."

Cestia approached like she was stalking both Kaye and his prospective pet. The little Charmie sensed her aura before he did and desperately assaulted his trousers in frantic search of a good hiding spot. Gathering as much determination as possible, Kaye preempted, "I'LL DO IT! I'll do it myself."

The cry didn't echo far but the nearest creatures briefly turned with a scattered sense of bewilderment before muttering to one another and returning to their previous pace. A rerouting of bounce traffic left a wide berth for the "demon with blue hair".

A single glare from Cestia might've been enough to cause the whole lot to scatter for the safety of the trees. Rufus briefly scrunched up his face, with several thoughts unspoken before answering, "Fine. But I should walk you through it a little. I don't want to say it's simple. Honestly, it is, but I've known those who've messed it up every single time they tried to do it. Well, just one. Every single time. Even now. But just listen to me and you'll be fine."

Kaye felt reasonably comfortable in this position. His father impressed upon him at an early age how to soothe the temperament of an irritated farm animal. Cestia had tried it with his instructions, but one particular instance resulted in a potbelly pig somersaulting onto its back. He knew she had gentleness in her. All the cats around the cat tower could attest to that.

Rufus traced some ornamentation on the dress before reaching into his bag and extracting a trio of lime-toned apples, resolving, “That should be enough. Now, the important part is to take the shell base, the crystalline lattice you’ve been provided with, and present your gift. Each species has a different affinity threshold. So, you need to find what they love the most and overwhelm them with it. It’s very easy to lose track or lose count and waste a very expensive gift. You can also accidentally throw it out and your capture will escape. At the end of the day, still simple. Hopefully, for both of you.”

He presented Cestia with four of the same, strange apples and noted, “Just in case.”

As it turned out, the extra apple was unnecessary. Fitting a gift of three of the apples onto the edges of the capture device, Cestia didn’t need to do much more than lock eyes with one of the straggler Charmdrops as it passed by. More due to respect and fear, the Charmie chomped down on the presented gift and flowed into a pink crystalline egg without complaint.

Kaye settled into a long lingering breath, pulling it in through his lungs and letting it filter out his nostrils. Once again, Cestia knew just what to do. Truly, she was the Queen of Adventure, a title well-earned. And he could scarcely imagine himself above a court jester.

The Tersa green apples (as Kaye’s inventory named them) wiggled inelegantly as he managed to get them to rest properly as gifts.

[GIFT] ___ [CATCH] ____

All the irrational terror, fear, and frustration he felt when he screwed up the most basic of things came rushing back like a crushing, suffocating tidal wave. I couldn’t possibly screw this up, he told himself. Yet those were exactly the kind of scenarios custom-made to prove everything and everyone wrong about their friendly and encouraging expectations of him.

Bending towards his leg where the Charmie seemed to be making a new home, he barely thought to breathe. The squishy dollop of radiant pink bent its gaze around his ankle to peer with a half-open mouth at what he was presenting it.

“Paaayyoooeee? Swaapooo pyaaaann?” Soon, a relaxed, hungry, and loving expression crossed its simple but adorable features.

With hidden, clenched teeth, Kaye presented one gift, which it eagerly scarfed down, followed by a second, and a third that stuffed its little opening of a mouth.

Flopping down with loving contentment, it didn’t look like the Charmie wanted to or could move anywhere fast or soon.

Without needing to hear Rufus tell him exactly what to do next, Kaye took the initiative and used the egg to catch the creature in a sparkling stream of golden and ivory light. When the light winked out, there rested a pink, preserved egg, just like the one that Cestia had placed into her box. But it was his, it was his egg, his pet, his capture just as it was supposed to happen.

It may have felt like the smallest of victories, but it brought him such clearing relief that he had to resist the urge to cry.

Rufus and Cestia applauded and cheered for him together (which finally scattered many of the other Charmies in the vicinity). Kaye allowed himself to laugh and smile as he brushed back his dense locks of reddish fire. Excitedly, Cestia asked what he was going to name his. He’d barely noticed that was an option, but the side of the egg had a place for the light to engrave. It otherwise shimmered and twinkled with the name of the species.

Cestia hadn’t declared what she was going to name hers. She even looked a little uncertain on which name to choose, especially since there wasn’t much room for proper runic characters.

Fortunately, Kaye had some experience in this respect, since he had, at an early age, taken to naming all the animals around the farm, from the newest calves to the oldest, irascible sheep, no matter if they needed it or not. His father even kept some of the names.

So, after just a few moments of contemplation, he declared that his first pet would be named, “Leaky”.

It wasn’t especially clever. Something along the lines of Charm, Charmed, or Charmer may have been better. But this name made sense to him because it reminded him of his name, the one he was supposed to carry as a hero through his many adventurous exploits. It would be perfect if it had one more letter, like Leafly. But Leaky was the name he wanted for it.

And he finally hadn’t messed something up!