"We're going to go shopping for my what?" I almost shouted in pure shock, after listening to James's plans for this afternoon. Currently, sitting on the dining table, the family of three along with myself are having an almost impromptu discussion over some things. I say 'almost impromptu' because the only person who did know about this whole wish-wash of events is James Heartwood himself, who is sitting to the right of me.
Right across from the said man is his wife, Arianna Heartwood, leaving their only daughter, Rona Heartwood, sitting right across from me. No plates are on the table, oh no: we already had lunch earlier on, and all the dishes are rather disdainfully piled up in the sink right behind Mrs. Heartwood. A small, and by my thoughts a bit of an unnecessary meeting is taking place between me and the whole Heartwood family.
"Exactly as you heard, Ernie," said James, expressionless but eager to continue with this discussion. "We're going to go shopping through town, as my dear Rona has requested earlier this morning. This perfectly fits the agenda for a haul I was planning not long ago: to get your equipment for battle camp. Us four will go around town for a bit, then splitting up to buy our own needs. Ernie, you'll go with me to buy your kit, while Arianna and Rona do their own business."
My eyes are still wide with surprise, paramount to the day I first witnessed the glamor this world graced me with back when I first stepped foot in Elhera. Did I hear that right? Battle camp? As in, an actual training camp just for fighting? My heart skipped a beat every time I imagine what sort of situations I'll be put in. Duels with fellow students, perhaps? Rigorous training that will tear up every nook and cranny of your muscles to the point of no return? Shuddering, I shoot James a question that is most expected:
"Mr. Heartwood, by 'battle camp,' do you mean I'm actually going to spend day and night at the camp? I'd hate to leave this place after such a short while around." My face turned obviously sullen, and I can see Rona feeling the same as well. She absolutely loves to spend time with someone else, and to have me, a fellow close friend, gone not even within a week of meeting each other? I can imagine her heart shattering, almost.
"Oh, don't misunderstand," James replied without a hint of unexpectedness in my question, but actually sounding a bit amused. "Although it is called a camp, it doesn't actually require you to stay there by dawn. Actually, you can choose to stay at camp or come back to rest. Think of it as a day camp—for training adventurers, that is."
My forehead wrinkled at the sound of 'training for adventurers,' but I am more than ecstatic that I won't have to leave this family behind—I really do owe them a lot. And Rona seems to think so as well. As much as I am concerned for my own safety being placed in a potentially rowdy atmosphere of battle-hardened kids and teens alike, I can't help but feel a rush of excitement rebounding through the veins of my body. The idea of a battle camp is very much intriguing, but my worry-wart ass levels off the intensity of the excitement with my unexpressed inner concerns.
Nevertheless, for formalities' sake, I tried to sound as cheery as I could possibly be. "That's great, then! I won't have to leave your house. But, when exactly do I start?"
James smirked, though his eyes are full of a sort of apologetic 'forgive-me-for-not-telling-you-sooner' look. "Tomorrow," he voiced. My jaw hung open, though the surprise did not reach my eyes. I was half-expecting this already, given James's habit of leaving things to finish at the last possible minute. Resentment ebbed and flowed through my mind, though it receded so quickly one could say it was non-existent.
"Yes, yes, I know I'm very late on informing you about this," James pleaded his innocence, "but I wanted to make this a surprise. We still have a bit of time left for you to get ready, so everything's well and swell, isn't it?" I raised my eyebrows sceptically at him, but I chose not to pounce on him any further.
"Yeah, not really a good surprise, is it?" I said sharply. Sighing, I stood up from my seat. "No point in crying over spilt milk. We only have so much time left before tomorrow." James nodded vigorously.
"That's the spirit, Ernie!" He said, also standing up from his seat, though so rushed the chair almost fell over. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go shopping!" James childishly pumped his fist in the air; none of us except for Rona seems to be affected by the painfully corny attempt to revitalize our spirits, evident as she also jumped out of her seat and punching the air with both her hands curled up in fists, crying, "Yeah! We're going shopping!"
***
The hot afternoon sun shone brightly as ever through the blue sky and lively commercial districts of the town. Residents and travellers alike lived in their own little world, chatting loudly, drinking and eating feverishly, dancing like there's no tomorrow, and cheers rose as the occasional fights broke out. The stalls had their business running better than ever, the shops in the terraced shophouses lining the cobbled street: bakeries, blacksmiths, apothecaries, clothing shops, bookstores, and the like, all buzzing frivolously with business.
Passers-by came and went, the chaos having admittedly a kind of charm that invites any person to follow along and chime audibly with the already-loud crowd. Wagons and carts moved slowly, the sea of people parting in their wake to let them pass. As if the festive atmosphere was not loud enough, merchants with their goods all lined on their sheets of cloth come shouting at anyone and everyone who passes by their little setup, some even going the lengths of using a ridiculously loud bell to ring in the customers.
It was hot, I'll admit that; though I couldn't care less for the beads sweat rolling down my neck. The four of us—Mr. and Mrs. Heartwood, Rona, along with myself—clambered through the orderly mess of the streets, glancing around at the displayed items on by-the-road stalls and behind the glass panes of shops. Jewels, accessories, tools, potions, crafting material—all the types of knickknacks you can think of were on sale.
"Let's help ourselves to a bit of an outfit shop. Ernie can definitely use some clothes from this world," James suggested, turning around briefly as he said so to glance at us. He walked in front of the three of us, parting the crowd for us to have an easier time going through. Rona held onto her mother's hand, and I walked beside her.
"Good idea," Arianna agreed, "Rona is starting to grow out of her clothes as well. I know just the place for that—" she held up her chin, taking the lead from James and guiding us to a clothes store of her choice.
Indeed, it is just the place to go clothes-shopping: a large, thrifty store with tall windows that are twice as wide showed off its fashionable outfits in mannequins, the walls painted in a multitude of colors to catch the eye of any pedestrian walking by, intending to buy some new clothes and not buy alike. I caught a glimpse of the signboard atop the two-story building, reading: Juschio's Outfitters—A perfect fit for every occasion.
The interior looks just as, if not more colorful than its outside counterpart. Splashes of bright blue, red and green covered the otherwise-empty walls, with orange or purple circles to mess up the already-unordered wallpaper. Shelves and railing containing shirts, jackets, pants and jeans alike covered the walls, if not then in racks and baskets aligned in grids. Many customers shifted endlessly through the clothing, intending to choose the perfect fit. Soon, we'll be doing the same as well.
"Classic Juschio's. Ari dear never loses her taste for this store," James whispered to me. I chuckled, following them into the heart of the shop. Just scanning the options instantly told me this clothing store isn't for any commoner—a lot of these are made of high-grade material, ranging from 'Hyrenim Silk' to 'Sonticon-Elred Leather' and even 'Evergreen Dragon Hide.' I don't even know what half of these names mean.
"Ernie, come look at this!" Rona beckoned me towards her, which I promptly obeyed and came rushing to her side. What caught my eye at first was the fashionable combination of clothes on a child-size mannequin: white undershirt with short sleeves, a brown button-up vest on top, grayish-blue pants that stretched down to the ankles, a matching brown belt, and a black leather bag that went around the mannequin's torso and over one of its shoulders with an equally dark strap. "I think this might look good on you," she said happily.
"Might," I repeated, not entirely sold on the whole look of it, though I do like the bag quite a bit. "I don't think this suits me, to be honest. It looks too... rough? And do I look like the sort of person who would go around town and march around like a twat?"
Rona nodded twice, making indistinguishable sounds of agreement as she did so. "Hmm... if you want something less 'rough'" —she giggled, and I rolled my eyes— "then how about this one?" She pointed to another short, child-sized mannequin a few paces to the side of the previous one we saw.
This one was adorned with a dark navy overcoat with an alarming number of buttons over a simple black shirt, knee-length brown pants to go with it. With the belts and black gloves going along with it, I can't say I don't dislike this look. "Less pizzazz and more comfort and I'm sold," I bargained to particularly no one. This shouldn't look too bad on me, even though I don't care about my outward appearance much, I do like to keep some formality going on with the appropriate clothing. And hey—this shop is here for a reason: A perfect fit for every occasion.
"Ah, I see you have taken a liking to this outfit, young man," a clerk came by and said that, his hands folded up politely in front of him as if he was giving a bow. "Would you like to try it on?"
"Yes, but is there an overcoat with less buttons? This looks utterly absurd, even if it's just for design's sake."
"Very well. I'll be right back with a new assortment of clothes." The clerk left us to find the set of clothes matching the mannequin, minus the many-buttoned overcoat that I looks utterly horrendous. He came back a moment or two later with the same undergarment, pants, belt and gloves, along with a similarly dark blue overcoat, but this time with less buttons. Yay.
I tried it on inside a changing room, its tiny space not even allowing me to fully stretch my arms from side to side. The fabric was nice and smooth, as expected of a high-quality shop such as this one. I looked into the mirror to check my new appearance. The navy coat goes well with my mess of black hair, the coat's ends trailing off around the same place as my pants end, only slightly lower. I could be classified as short, though statistics say otherwise—I am merely under the average height. Still, the clothes fit me nicely, with plenty of room to grow into if I ever keep it for long enough.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
After trying out that set of clothes, I'm off to find a few more casual and semi-casual wear for my daily use, dashing around the two floors of the shop and in between the aisles of clothes, doing my best to keep my eyes off the 'women's section,' lest I try to burn my eye sockets out. James snickered at my efforts, saying 'Oh, so pure, you are," like he was any better, making fun of a kid's longing to stay saintly. I'm twelve, for God's sake.
At the same time, Rona is also picking out some outfits of her own, with her gracious mother's professional help. Her choices of clothing—aided by Arianna—was, as expected, of noble choice. One garment had smooth silver silk, lined all the way from the high collars to the frilly one-piece skirt; another beamed with a sunny bright yellow, emitting a very summer-time aura from the sleeveless shoulder-straps; two more came, each distinctly different from scarily-identical eras to that of Earth: the former was a gothic-like gown, adorned with spectacularly over-the-top designs and a very uncomfortable corset, and the latter seeming to look quite inspired by modern-day clothes on Earth, sporting a turquoise blouse beneath a magenta cardigan, dark gray slim-fit jeans and even a colorful bracelet. Safe to say, the modern look pretty much captured Rona's heart the moment she walked out to our reactions.
After that hefty trip to the clothing shop—our hands now full with bags of clothes—we were out on the streets again. "Let's split up from here now. There doesn't seem to be anything left we need to buy in common. We rendezvous at the same place outside this store at three and a half, got it?" James initiated as we reached the fork where the path splits off into two different directions.
"Sounds good to me," said Arianna, holding Rona's hand as they prepare to take off—
"THIEVES! THIEVES! A BAND OF THEM, NO LESS! GET THOSE WRETCHED RATS BACK HERE!"
—but those plans were immediately put to a halt. Chaos ensued the moment that plea for aid came bellowing out of a lady in her late fifties. Shouts drowned out the cheery cries, people were running around aimlessly, heads turned to get a grasp of the situation—it was utter chaos. From the corner of my eye, I spotted a pair of tall men running off at their highest speed possible; in one of their hands held a purse, which I assume originally belongs to the woman shouting for help.
Not even a blink of an eye later, several guards chased after them, my skin only feeling the breeze left by the darting men in suits of indigo. A dozen or so pedestrians also trailed behind, to whom I assume would be adventurers or seasoned fighters confident in their skill for catching the bandits.
Amidst my own confusion—and many others as well—I only barely noticed something was wrong just behind me: Rona stumbled back into my left arm, and I caught her haphazardly, since it came as a surprise and all. I decided to take a peek at who pushed her, and lo and behold: another thief was running away from our position, his hands holding some sort of necklace; the pendant was beautiful, shaped like a tear drop connected to a silver chain strap. Its encrusted turquoise jewel bedazzled so preciously; the edges rimmed with gold that was etched with indistinguishable patterns: just the sort of necklace that a noble would wear.
James was shouting at the man, though he did little effort to chase after him; he came back in a hurry after a few paces and took Arianna by her hands. It was then that I realized: Arianna had been the one that was pushed down, now sitting on the ground looking terrified, shocked and repulsed all at the same time. She was the one who accidentally pushed Rona and caused her to stumble into me. James helped his wife up as I put Rona back on her feet as well, all of us in quite a moment of shock.
"Are you alright, love?" James finally said, albeit very worriedly, to Arianna, who was still clutching his hands like she was hanging on to her dear life. "Did you get hurt?"
"A-Ah..." That was all Arianna managed to say, her eyes still wide with surprise. "O-Oh, no... No, I'm fine... I was just surprised... Very surprised that that man pushed me down..."
"It's alright, my dear," James reassured as he put his hands on her cheeks, observing her keenly with his own bright green eyes. Arianna sighed, putting a hand to her upper chest, where her collar lay just covering her breasts; then she realized something else was wrong. Her hands darted from one side to another, trying to find something non-existent on her chest. Her eyes widened with fright yet again—she realized something was missing. Something terribly important, it seems.
And then I realized as well. That missing thing—it was her necklace, the very same necklace that the thief had stolen and took off running with in his hands. An unrecognizable scowling noise drooled out from my mouth, but my face said otherwise. I was angry, for the bandit crew had caused such turmoil and dared to use it to their advantage to steal some extra profits, and they had to target Arianna, of all people; sorrow, for Arianna had lost her precious pendant to a team of scheming rats; and regret, for I did not notice the mishap happening sooner, as I—given the tiny chance I had—could've at least did something to capture or just stall that thief for a bit.
So much emotion roused up inside me, so much scorn for the turn of events and the miserable luck we had. The first one to come to their senses was, surprisingly, Rona. She said, "Mommy, is something wrong?" She cocked her head sideways as she stood on the tips of her toes to look at what her mother was touching—or, rather, trying to touch.
"Unforgivable..." Arianna muttered, her eyes tearing up while her hand finally rested on her chest. "Absolutely unforgivable..."
"Dear," James said, "has something bad happened? Is there damage on your chest?"
"N-No, darling," Arianna responded weakly, her voice wavering as a tear slid down her cheeks. "No, it's nothing of the sort. My pendant, dear... My pendant—it has been stolen!" She cried out the last few syllables, loud enough for several other people near us to hear.
"Y-Your pendant? Arianna, love, do you mean—"
"Yes, it's exactly what I mean. The pendant passed down from hundreds of generations of my family, a precious heirloom of the Savitas... and it was stolen! Stolen right under my nose! Oh, how unforgivable of me! To lose such a sacred piece of my family's heritage... I am a disgrace..."
"No, darling, you are not a disgrace, not even close." James now looked furious; his face tarnished with so much disgust I was surprised that it was the same person. "It is not your fault, Arianna. By no means should you blame yourself for this slip-up, you hear me? The fault all lies in that thieving miscreant—as well as those other few of his crew that caused this whole problem to begin with. Arianna, don't misunderstand—it is not your fault. You have done nothing wrong whatsoever. Listen to me, Arianna, and stop pushing all that disgrace upon yourself!"
His hands were on her shoulders, grasping with more strength than he intended. Arianna flinched, both from the overly-tight squeeze of her shoulders and the sudden authoritativeness in her husband's voice. Her tears stopped welling up, though it did take up much effort from her part to not sob even further. The distress caused by all this madness is only worsened by the fact that she is a Soneris—she senses distress around her as well. With all these panicked people around, rustling and tousling their way through the crowds, it was a great feat in itself that she can stand there with only a single line of tears now starting to dry up on her right cheek.
"Let's get you out of here for now—this place isn't good for your mental state. Especially with your pendant now gone. Come on; Rona and Ernie as well, follow up." James pushed his way through the still-rowdy crowd, his hands holding Arianna's tightly as he did so. Rona took my hand, while her free one took hold of James's tunic from behind. Losing the only adults who know of us amidst this turmoil is the last thing we'd want. I tightened my grip on Rona's hand, catching up smoothly from behind.
We wound our way into a less crowded area, where the chaos seems to have only just reached the ears of the pedestrians here. Arianna plopped herself onto the closest bench she could find, and James slid himself beside her, still holding her hands. Rona and I, with no more seats around, stood guard and surrounded the madame in distress, sheltering her from the waves of panic spreading throughout.
"Love, how are you feeling right now?" James asked.
"I-I'm coping fine, at the moment... please, a drink would help," Arianna replied, slightly panting from a multitude of factors. James nodded and took his wife's purse, rustling the insides around before yanking out a small, square-shaped transparent bottle full of water. He uncapped the bottle of liquid and handed it to Arianna, the latter then slowly taking small gulps of it with shaky hands.
"I'm sorry for all of this," Arianna said after she finished drinking, wiping the excess water around her mouth with her hands in a fist as though she was coughing.
"Don't be," James assured. "It's not your fault that you're a Soneris, it's in your bloodline. And I'm hell of a lucky man to be married to one myself; your powers have saved not just me, but Rona and Ernie as well from our worries and regrets. Just settle down and try not to think of anything for the moment. We'll handle the rest from here."
I felt uneasy thinking about this—let alone saying it out loud—as it might not be the best time to do so, but this has been bugging me ever since Arianna's pendant got stolen. "Umm, pardon me," I asked, slightly timidly, "I want to ask why Mrs. Heartwood's necklace is so important?" I immediately shrank myself and fiddled with my fingers.
"Ernie," James replied, "the pendant is a family heirloom of Arianna's line. They have had it for generations. Surely you can imagine how precious it is to her?" His forehead wrinkled in accordance with his eyebrows tightening, his face obviously stern from my question.
"No, it's not just that," Arianna suddenly added. Her voice was not very stable, though she sounds considerably better than before. "It is quite a loss that my pendant has been stolen, but there is another reason..."
"Another reason?" I put a finger to my lips.
"Yes," she nodded. "That pendant... it is no ordinary pendant. It contains special magic that keeps the waves of emotions emitted by people around me in control. That is why I have it on this journey—to block out any unnecessary emotional or mental distress that might hinder my own mind. As you may know, my family comes from a rare line of Soneri... this pendant is specially made for my ancestors to fix this very problem, and it has been passed down so that future generations of Soneri don't have to suffer from the excess emotional waves as well. That is why my pendant is so important."
I was aghast. I couldn't say anything else, aside from a soft "Sorry" for asking such a personal question, all the while she was feeling an immense amount of mental pressure. Now I understand—this pendant is to keep the waves at bay, so Arianna won't have to feel any unwanted distress. That sole reason makes it all the more important that we have to get it back, somehow.
"It's alright, Ernie. This trip has been a train wreck, but all we can do is to hope that the thieves are caught," Arianna assured me as optimistically as she could sound.
"Now what do we do?" Rona asked. "Are we going to cancel this shopping trip?"
James pondered for quite a while. Finally, after a long moment of silence, he said, "We can't. Ernie still has his equipment to buy. Arianna, I suggest you go home with Rona first. Ernie and I will return after we finish buying his required things for camp."
Arianna frowned at her husband, though she did not complain. She stood up slowly, with Rona and James holding her up as she did so. "You can walk, right? Our home isn't too far from here. Rona," James shifted his focus from his wife to his daughter, "I am asking you to guide your mommy home safe and sound, alright? Are you up for the task?"
Rona nodded vigorously, enthusiasm sparking up like a blazing fire in her eyes. After a few goodbyes and "Stay safe!" farewells, James and I headed to our destination, with an extra sprint in our steps. It is for the better that my shopping should be done quickly. James has his wife to attend to, and the town isn't in a very safe state at the moment. With all the mishaps going on around us, it would be wiser to just finish our trip in a snap and call it a day.
We went to an adventurer's all-that-you-need shop, where they sold everything an explorer needed, like armor, weapons, potions, rations, bags, materials and many other things. James got me the standard stuff: a knapsack for my things, a set of light armor, a bottle to contain some water, and a few extra items that may come in handy in a battle camp. The other things like healing potions and food isn't need, as James can supply those for me. He does own a potion stall, after all.
After we finished paying for everything and stuffing the lot of items into my new knapsack, we hurried out of the store and rushed straight to home. Our disastrous shopping trip ended in a lukewarm feeling, our pockets considerably lighter, but our hands heavier with newly bought necessities. What a day it has been.