I rushed back from the river, shaking myself dry as I dodged around trees and leapt over rocks. It was definitely annoying not being gifted a weapon skill, but being able to get around this quickly was definitely a godsend. I didn't even need to worry about running into ant monsters because I knew I could outrun them. I paused just outside the barrier and then strolled in, my eyes taking in everyone else around the fire. I went to walk over to my normal spot, but paused when I saw that all the groups were sitting next to each other. I hesitated, but snuck over to Sam, Sarah, Diane, Mason, Cyan, Kai, and Sylphie. I didn’t think I made a noise, but Mason and Cyan gave me a little wave and smile. I guess they were training under Halfi, so I couldn’t be too surprised that they noticed me.
Smiling, Mason gave me a fistbump and moved aside on the log he was sitting on so I could sit down. “Hey Matt, Xi finally let you off the hook? I know they have to hold you late, to get you more training or whatever, but it’s nice to see you make it out early today.”
I gladly took the offered seat and let out a small chuckle, “Yeah, Xi definitely works me to the bone. I guess the only thing my ability does is literally just gives me more endurance. Xi told me that once I can get a few skills it’ll be great, but for now I just need to work on what I have. They have to give me a separate workout regimen because you guys would all crush me without even trying.”
Kai laughed and turned to me, giving me that dazzling smile he was known for even back in our old world. “Ah don’t worry about it man, it’s not like we even asked to be dragged here. Besides, I’ve seen those running and sword swing drills Xi has been putting you through, and bro that shits wild. How fast do you think you’re running when you activate your skill? I bet you could beat every world record if you ran at even half that speed.”
I blushed and looked away, “Oh I don’t know really, though I did put it to the limits once. Obviously I have no way to know, but I think I got 20 miles in about 30 minutes. I think that ends up being somewhere in the 60 miles per an hour range? I can't keep that up for long though, and after I ran that hard for that long, I just collapsed and couldn’t really move for an hour. I actually ran past the end of the rejuve river, because when I managed to crawl to the river and slide in, I wasn’t healed at all.”
Sam chimed in, whistling appreciatively and nodded at Cyan, her eyes wide. “20 miles!? Bro what are you made of straight machinery? I don’t think any of us here could even imagine going that far in a whole day. I think Halfi wants us to do what, 20 miles at least, each day right, Cyan?”
Cyan, who had leaned in from where she was originally sitting, started wildly waving her hands as she spoke. It was actually quite eye-catching and I found myself following her hands as she waved them around, mesmerized. “Yeah… Along with me and Mason having to make sure we’re not being followed, we’ll try our best to find everyone food and safe water as we travel. Then, the rest of you can defend us and make camp and so on and so forth. It’s not the worst, but it’s still a pretty cut throat pace.” Cyan twirled her hands around and snapped, her eyes widening as if she’d just gotten a sudden idea. “Oh yeah! Halfi also said something about the four of them having to travel that far just to get to the waypoint. Then, when they got there, they could have Baern teleport them all to the capital to meet the Queen.”
Sylphie, who had been drawing in the dirt with a stick, looked up at Cyan, cutting her off mid sentence, “Could you stop waving your hands? It's really distracting.”
Cyan squeaked and laughed nervously, trying her best to hide her hands behind her back, “Distracting? Sorry Sylphie, it’s just an old habit of mine…”
Syplhie sighed and continued stabbing and poking at the ground, “You're okay Cyan, I'm just drawing a map of the route we have to take and I’m trying to remember the map he’d shown us by memory. Baern taught us a map print skill, so I can make the drawing into a map for us later.”
Cyan’s face brightened up and she scooted closer to Sylphie, peering over her shoulder, “Oh really? I was taking art this semester, maybe I can help you out with some of the details!”
Sylphie started to shake her head, but froze and looked away before she hesitantly asked, “... would you? It's really hard to draw this part if I’m being honest… I don’t want to be the reason we all get lost, ya know?” Cyan clapped her hands together and shuffled even closer to Sylphie, looking down at the drawing she had been working on and whispering with her animatedly.
I smiled and looked at the others as they went back to their conversations, occasionally chiming in and laughing at their jokes. It was… nice. But I could tell that there was an ominous undercurrent still. Everyone had the same thing on their minds… That this was going to be the last safe dinner we'd have for the foreseeable future. After tonight, we would be on our own. No more Cylkia to heal any serious wounds, no Baern to erect a safe barrier, no Halfi to help us feed ourselves, and no Xi to give us protection from any threats that may show up.
It was a terrifying future for sure, but secretly, I was all for it. The others had naturally fallen into their groups and had their own feelings on the situation, but I think most of them had truly given up on going back home. I couldn’t blame them for it, especially considering I personally loved it here, but it was surprising nonetheless. I would have expected a bit more complaining or problems, but everyone seemed relatively okay with the last few days. I sighed and looked at everyone. I guess it was hard to go from being a highschool student on the way to a clear and bright future, to stuck in another world with no idea what was going to happen tomorrow, but I was expecting people to be more angry, you know?
“Alright everyone, listen up.” Cylkia’s voice cut through everyone's chatter, and we all went quiet. It wasn't a demanding or harsh command, but one that demanded our attention. “Evening everyone, I wanted to begin with a congratulations and a warning. Congratulations on making it through the last few days of training! I already see the markings of greatness in all of you, and given a helpful hand, I know you’ll become even stronger.” Everyone whooped and cheered, and Cylkia let them for a while before she raised her hands for silence. “That being said, you are not yet fully ready for the dangers of this world. On your way to my home, I beg of you to avoid any and all strangers. The people of this world are hard and wary, and even given the gifts the goddess has bestowed upon you all, even the lowest ranked adventurer could defeat you.”
She paused, allowing what she had just said to sink in with us. Of course she’d told us all this before, but it was still chilling to hear nonetheless. At least, for all of my classmates. I eyed Xi and thought back to our conversation that we had, and frowned. After my conversation with Xi and what they had said, I had the sneaking suspicion she was warning us more so because she wanted to personally train us, and take the credit, than anything. I shrugged and turned my attention back to Cylkia. I guess I didn’t mind. She obviously had the funds and strength to really help us out, just these last few days had already made us so much stronger, what would a month or a year do for us? I’d just have to slide under her notice like I had been during this camp, and I’d be all okay. I tuned back in as Cylkia began speaking again.
“Tomorrow morning after we all eat breakfast, which Halfi and myself have agreed to make as a last farewell gift before you leave, we will take off in the direction of the teleport beacon. The barrier will drop once Baern is significantly far enough, but that does not mean you are stuck here. You will not have to wait on him and you can all leave at your own paces. I see you have already begun to break into separate groups, and this is good. As you all know, the larger the size of the group, the more likely you will be to end up encountering an enemy that you won't be able to defeat. Many of the monsters in this world are aware of the fact that they will get stronger if they kill stronger opponents. It is why every town here actively employs a large adventurer guild.” Cylkia shook her head and gave us all a cheerful smile, “Ah forgive me, I've told you all this before. When I meet with the Queen I will raise your case with her. She has access to much more knowledge related to the otherworlders who have come in the past, and she may be able to help us find a way to send you all back.”
At that, everyone erupted into whispers and questions. Why hadn’t she told us that there could be a way back before? What did we need to do? When would she be coming back from the meeting with the queen? Did we even want to go back?
I frowned as I considered that. Frankly, I didn’t know how to feel about this new possibility. It would be nice to go home I guess. Although… I wasn’t sure what I'd even tell my parents. Would they even remember me? When my other classmates had been summoned from the world, no one else had remembered them. Just me. I'd sprung up their names to siblings, friends, and hell, even my own siblings. When I had asked Brody if he remembered May, he'd given me a blank look. They'd been dating for three years. I pursed my lips at the memory. I hadn’t told anyone else about that, but now… If it really was a possibility, should I? What if we all were sent back and no one remembered us?
I hesitated, nervously bouncing my leg. If I did tell everyone, then I’d have to admit that I hadn't been summoned originally. Not only that, but I'd have to explain that I hadn't done anything after they had been dragged away to this world either… Fuck. I sighed and shook my head. No, I wouldn't worry about that right now. It wouldn't change anything about how we had all been dragged to this world, and it would just end up putting a lot of unwanted attention on me as well.
Besides, Cylkia had already mentioned that she didn't know of a way for us to go back. It wasn't even guaranteed that the Queen would know of a way. Just that she might. I turned my attention back to Cylkia, and scanned her, waiting to see what she might say next. To her credit, she had stayed silent the whole time, patiently allowing everyone to clamor over her and argue with each other. Only when everyone had finally quieted down did she begin talking again.
“I understand that you all are angry that I held back that information, and may be quite upset with me, wondering why I would lie to you, and what else I might have lied to you about. So, let me be truly honest with you, as I have strived to be so far. The reason that I withheld that information, was that I did not want to get your hopes up.” Everyone started murmuring to each other again, but stopped as she held up a hand, “Earlier, I said that the Queen might know of a way to send you home, but that is not guaranteed. In fact, it is quite a slim possibility. I may only be the Lady of a relatively small domain, but I have always been fascinated by the idea of otherworlders. I would wager that I have one of the largest collections of books concerning your kind, second only to the great Elven libraries of the south, and the Queens own library. Even given all of that, I have not yet read of a ritual to send you back to your home worlds, or even of an instance where that has happened in the past.”
Mrs. Fletcher spoke up, sounding more sure of herself than I had ever heard her before, “Lady Cylkia, I appreciate you speaking to the Queen about our situation and a possible way back home, but if you’re so sure that we really won’t be able to go home, why even bring it up to the Queen? How does that benefit you in any way? If I’m being honest, I’m still not even sure why you’re helping us as we are now? After all, as you said earlier and when we first met, we may be gifted by the goddess, but we are still so weak.”
Cylkia raised her palms and looked at us all apologetically, “I understand how you may be confused, and I have to confess, I am not just doing this out of the goodness of my heart. You may not be very strong now, but your potential is quite unbelievable. The otherworlders of old were always summoned as the world was going into a deep period of strife, and I have a strong hunch that this may be the reason that you were summoned here when you were. There are a plethora of legends about the great strength and power that they wielded, even if people have forgotten where they came from. As I collected more and more books, legends, and stories, there was one thing made clear. The stories of otherworlders in the past have always referred to them as heroes. Some did not rise up to the task, and the world suffered for decades afterwards. However, those otherworlders, no, those heroes, that did, went forth to save the world. History and the books do not lie, the goddess summoned you all here for a reason, one that only all of you may be able to accomplish.”
We all paused, and a long silence stretched through the air, as all of us looked at each other. Save the world? Heroes? We were just kids still, how could we save the world? I let out a long sigh. Seriously, what was up with that? What goddess looked at a bunch of hormonal teenagers on the cusp of adulthood and thought, yup, this is definitely what I want to save my world! It was actually mind boggling. I might have killed a couple of goblins, and I had seen the power of my classmates. I’d seen Lyla swirl her staff and chant, causing a strike of lightning to shake the world around her. I had seen the massive ice pillars, bigger around than I was tall, that Mrs. Fletcher had created. The power that James had wielded when he had subsequently chopped it down. Even the quiet power of Cassie, who had mended a disconnected limb like it was nothing. My classmates could wield a dizzying amount of power… and now, it sounded like there was a lot that had been placed on their shoulders… No, our shoulders. An entire world was possibly at risk, and it was up to us. Still… a part of me also realized how much responsibility that really was. To make it worth it, there had to be some kind of reward, right? The goddess wouldn’t have just brought them all here without giving them some… thing…
My eyes widened and I looked around at everyone, scrutinizing their faces. There it was… the furtive glance away, the whispers between each other, the guilty whistle… that was it. It made a perfect kind of sense in a way. The reason no one had really complained about being brought here. The fact that everyone had happily trained and accepted being brought to this world and dragged from our home one… I should have known that they wouldn’t have just naturally accepted it. The goddess had promised them all something. Something big. I narrowed my eyes at my classmates, and hummed deep down in my throat. If they were promised something, what were the demands? What could the goddess have promised them all if they had just readily accepted staying here? What kind of reward was worth that?
Sarah’s voice suddenly cut through the air, surprising me out of my thoughts, “Hey Matt, are you doing okay? You've been staring at that tree for awhile now…?”
I flipped around at the sound of Sarah’s voice, “Oh, sorry about that… I just… was… thinking.” My mind was spinning. Somehow, someway, the goddess had promised them something when she had brought them here. Something that was not promised to me… Was it because I wasn’t summoned here like the others? Wait… wasn’t there that voice that had whispered into my ear when I had been summoned? But it hadn’t promised me anything… It had just… whispered to me. What was it that it had said… that the goddesses system had a hiccup? And not to be… too boring? I grit my teeth, grinding them together until my jaw cried out. Only then did I slowly relax my jaw and let out a long breath. Boring… Bland… Inferior… Then I was brought here and all I was given was a stamina ability and a sprint skill. What a fucking joke.
After that little bombshell, Cylkia and the others had bade us all a good night and left us, heading to their makeshift beds. Everyone else had aggressively whispered to each other, filling the dark night air with the sound of secrecy and crackling fire. I contented myself in the darkness, silently listening in on everyone's incredibly loud ‘secret’ conversations. Though it wasn’t for long, as after only a short while, everyone eventually quieted down. All the talk of the chance to go home quickly being replaced by conversations of everyone's plans for tomorrow. Most of them seemed raring to go, and were going to leave as soon as they had finished breakfast. As for us, we were just going to relax in the morning after they all left. We’d let everyone else go first and wait for the barrier to drop, and then head off into the forest. Of course, we weren't the only group choosing to go through the forest, but I doubted that we'd run into anyone else who chose to go through the forest. James and his group were going to leave first thing in the morning, and Alyssa’s group was going to skirt the forest the first few days, and then enter the forest towards the last half when their supplies ran low.
The fire died out, and everyone went quiet, leaving only the singing of kuwaz (a night owl with a flurry of snakes where its tail feathers were), and crickets. I sighed and took in a deep breath of the chill night air. No one wanted to say it, but we all knew that this was the last taste of real safety we would have for a while. I actually wasn’t exactly sure what to say either, but that was fine with me. I was just going to take each day as it came, and try to enjoy the world as best I could.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Diane stood up and stretched, letting out a loud groan. “Alright, I'm gonna go hit the sack guys, I want to get all rested up for tomorrow,” she gave us all a wide wave before she headed over to where everyone had been sleeping together. I couldn’t help but smile as I took in all of the blankets and makeshift sleeping bags that Halfi had given each of them. It was sort of like a big slumber party. How cute!
Some of the other groups had already begun to head off to bed, and with Diane now heading out, the rest of the group was pretty quick to follow. Ah, fuck it, I might as well go too. I stretched and let out a groan turning to go and head off to my tree, but paused as I felt a tug on my shirt. I looked behind me and saw Sam and Sarah, who gave me a little wave.
I raised an eyebrow at them and sighed, “What's up guys? The plan didn’t change, right?”
Sam laughed and raised her hands, “Nah, the plan is the same. We’ve just been noticing that you never walk on over to where we all sleep. Matt, why do you always sleep so far away? Like, I know we're all safe in the barrier, but is there a reason you always head on off? Is one of the other guys bullying you or something? We’ll kick their ass if they are,”
I blinked at her confused, and a little amused. I hadn’t realized that anyone had noticed. “That’s sweet of y’all, but I’m not being bullied or anything. That second night that we came here, I ended up finding this really comfy tree on the outskirts of the barrier and I’ve been sleeping there ever since.”
Sarah frowned at that and looked at Sam, giving her a little shake of her head before turning back to me, “Are you doing okay Matt? I know its fucking crazy that we're here, but you're not going to do anything are you?”
Do anything? What does she mean by… Oh my god wait, there's no way right? I let out a loud laugh and shook my head, “Hey, I appreciate it, but I'm doing okay, alright? No need to worry about me. I'm coping with this whole ‘summoned to a different world’ thing the same as everyone.”
“Okay… see you in the morning?” Sarah was looking at her shoes, and Sam had a giant grin on her face.
I gave them both a smile. It was sweet of them to worry, but I was doing okay, mentally. Sure it sucked that I didn’t get anything good when I came here, but I could still see a path to becoming strong. I still could see my future stretching out before me. Besides, I had come to terms with killing those two goblins, and honestly Xi had been working me so hard that I hadn't had the chance to really think about my situation too much. I was good, and besides a future full of tired and sore muscles, I was excited for what this world had in store for me.
“Yeah, I'll see you guys in the morning! Good night, Sarah, good night Sam!” I waved and headed off in the direction of my tree again. Tomorrow was the day. I’d really get to test myself in this new world. No do overs, no restarts, no more rejuve river. It was just going to be me, my classmates, and the forest, for about ten long days.
I slept well, and had a rather dreamless night thankfully. When I finally woke up, I felt surprisingly well rested and a smile lit up my features. Today was the day! I laughed and reached up, grabbing all of my gear and loot from where I had stashed it in the tree's upper branches. During one of their training talks, Xi had told us that when we got to be higher level adventurers, the guild would show us how to create and access an inventory where we could store a lot of our items. Apparently it was pretty common knowledge, though it did take a runestone in order to access. When I did manage to, I would be able to store about 50 pounds worth of items before it filled up. I sighed and threw my bag over my shoulder. Unfortunately, Xi and the rest of them had not felt it in our best interests to learn that first thing. Though, I guess, we were also much too low leveled anyways. Instead I’d have to lug everything around… joy…
I stretched and let out a groan before I eyed the ground. Eh, might as well, right? I laughed and leaped down, wincing as I felt my legs scream at me at the impact. Thankfully, I’d already tied everything in my sleeping bag, before I’d flung it over my shoulder and jumped. I stood back up and shook my legs out, wincing at the dull pain pulsing through my shins.
Thank god for Xi's training, I don't know if I would have been able to do that in the past. I hummed and started heading over to the rest of my classmates, who had already started gathering around the fireplace. I hummed a tune to myself and watched the sun rise in the distance, calm flowing through me and quieting down my nerves. It already looked like it was going to be a gorgeous morning. I turned to the fireplace and let my eyes wander over to the fire again. I could see that Halfi and Cylkia were hard at work making breakfast, but… something was off. I cocked my head to the side and narrowed my eyes, peering at them as the heat from the fire wavered around their forms. As I got closer, I felt my jaw drop as I finally made out what it was that they were doing. Xi was slowly turning a massive animal on a spit roast over Baerns massive roaring fire.
I kept on looking, but then suddenly I was torn out of my thoughts when I suddenly heard someone call my name, “Matt over here!”
I jumped, and looked around for the source of the voice. It took me a moment, but I recognized it as being Kai’s. As I turned towards the fire, I finally saw him standing up by the fire. He was grinning and waving at me near where the rest of my classmates and group were. It looked like about half of them were already here, though… I glanced back at Xi and Cylkia again and shook my head. Yeah, what the hell was that?
I made my way over to where they were all sitting and gave them all a little wave and smile, “Hey Kai! Good morning everyone. So, uh… What a spectacle for our last day here, huh?”
Cyan laughed from where she was sitting next to Kai, “You can say that again! We all woke up to the sound of Xi hauling in all that firewood! Then Baern set everything on fire! I was looking in that direction unfortunately and was almost blinded! They've been going at it all morning… I honestly don't even know if they actually went to sleep last night honestly!”
I laughed at that, but then I frowned again, “Hey, I sort of noticed on my way over here, but where's James and his group? I know they'd mentioned leaving early today, but they didn’t leave before breakfast, did they?”
Sam let out a loud sigh, “No, they left before any of us had even woken up. I walked over and asked Cylkia, and she said that they had snuck out in the middle of the night. Didn't even say goodbye to anyone, though that’s not surprising since we were literally all still asleep… I hope we don’t find those idiots dead on our way to Cylkia’s domain.”
I chuckled light heartedly at that, and then sat down with everyone else, idly listening in on their conversations. Today was the day, no more training from Xi or lessons by Baern at night. It felt ominous almost, but I also knew that we should be okay. It was a long trip to get to Cylkia’s for sure, but with Sylphie's map and our group, I had no doubts that we should be able to survive okay. I leaned back and watched the fire, its flames flickering along the side of the beast as it turned on the spitroast. I frowned as I took it in. It was unlike anything I had ever seen back home. Though if I had to say, it sort of looked like a mix between a hog and a crocodile. It had the hooves and round barrel body of a hog, but its head and hide were more like crocodile ‘scales’. Its jaw was more reptile-like, and it had a mouth full of pointy teeth, sporting two tusks on either side.
Was that what an oglebon looked like? Xi had taught us about them after dinner once, but seeing it up close was way different. They were one of the main food sources of large wildlife here in Zalsh. They were a staple in the diets of the dire wolves and dire bears in the nearby forest, but they were tough to take down. Though, they apparently were still able to take most predators down. They were omnivorous, and it was one of the reasons they had evolved to be so large. Apparently, they would even chase and hunt down humans, and they were a common beast to kill at guilds. According to Xi, one of those could probably take on the whole class as we are now. At the time I’d doubted her, but now I was really beginning to appreciate that.
I watched as Xi finally took a step back from the roast, and pulled out a large knife from thin air. They whistled and turned to nod at Baern who laughed heartily and began chanting. After a moment, a table suddenly appeared in front of him, and Xi wasted no time getting to work. They took their knife and carefully carved off piece after piece from the carcass, the smell from the exposed meat filling the air. They made sure to set the majority aside on the table, saving a few choice pieces that they secreted away in their inventory. Cylkia, who had been working at a much smaller fire, turned and walked up, a basket hanging from her arm. She procured plates out of thin air and set them on the table with a flourish. Xi finally finished carving and took slices of meat from the pile and added them to each of the plates. Halfi added berries to the side from a basket he had dangling from his arm. Then, Cylkia reached into a basket that she’d brought and started putting down what looked like wait… pancakes?
Everyone's whispers started getting louder and louder until, finally, Cylkia looked up with a wide smile. “Alright everyone, food is ready, come dig in!”
We all rushed forward to the table and froze as we looked down at the plates wide eyed. It had looked delicious from where we had all been sitting, but up close? The smell was even better, and the heat from the crackling fires and the sounds of everyone’s mouths watering was audible. Even without seasonings, the meat glistened in the rays of morning light, and to top it all off? Cylkia had even procured a pitcher of what looked like syrup! It was enough to make a grown man cry… and out of the corner of my eye, I could’ve sworn I saw a tear run down Diane's face before she quickly wiped it away.
Sam turned and clapped her hands together, “Thank… Thank you so much Cylkia, Xi, Halfi, and Baern. This… looks so amazing. I think I speak for everyone when I say that you made all of our days with this. Best, breakfast, EVER!”
We all followed suit and thanked Cylkia and the others again, who laughed and waved us on towards the food once more. I grinned and sat down with the others after I took a plate and stared at the amazing looking food. I’d managed to grab a leg of the oglebon, and most of the meat was still glistening on it. My hand shook as I grabbed the bone and slowly brought it to my mouth. Then I took my first bite, my mouth watering before I even opened it. As I bit down, my eyes widened. It was… The best thing I had ever eaten. The oglebon meat was tender, juicy, and as I took a bite of it, I could feel tears run down my cheeks. Seasoning… Praise be whatever gods and goddesses were watching, the meat was seasoned. I devoured one of the pancakes and sighed. They were super thick, but still incredibly fluffy and light. The ‘syrup’ that Cylkia had procured would have put anything back home to shame. The berries were full of delicious juices, somehow being tart and sweet at the same time. I laughed and looked up at the others, seeing the same looks on their faces.
Sarah stood up, tears running down her face and with a wide smile, she called out to them “Thank you so much Xi, Cylkia, Halfi, and Baern! The table and plates were gorgeous, Baern! The pancakes are so delicious, I could die! The berries you found were so plump and sweet Halfi, thank you! And that oglebon… I've never eaten anything like it! What was that seasoning on it? It was so good!”
Halfi rolled his eyes and went back to his carving that he was working on not even deeming to respond. Baern chuckled, and gave a small bow, his eyes flicking up from a large book he was reading. Xi gave a simple nod, their helmet never seeming to leave their head, even when they ate.
It was Cylkia who finally spoke up, “I’m happy you all liked it! You know, just because we may seem to be less civilized than your old world, we have been here for millenia. While you are making your way in this world, you do not need to be among complete savages. That spice blend is native to Zalsh, and one we trade with our neighboring nations. In return we receive ores, knowledge, and even the nectar that we had with our pancakes. It’s an Elven specialty, and one that I can't resist but to take with me wherever I go!”
Sylphie, who was normally so quiet, cocked her head at that, and tried to secretly wipe the tears from her face, before asking, “What are the elves like Cylkia?”
Cylkia sighed and rubbed her chin, “Oh… they’re very secretive, and honestly it’s almost like they place themselves higher than others in this world. Though I guess, for good reason I am told, they are given a life of longevity by their goddess. As such, they have grown to know much more of this world than many would ever dare to guess. The only thing that stops them from taking over the entire continent is the Dwarves and Zcycol’s in the north, the greater deserts full of the ravenous Raashids, and the high mountains and the Zyons.” She grinned and waved her fork at us all, “When you make it to my home, I will make sure that you are taught by the best scholars available. I’ve already sent a message to them, and they are already making the home ready for your arrival! I’m sure the queen will also agree with that.”
Mason grunted and leaned back in his chair, “That sounds greeeaaaaat… but what about learning how to fight and use our skills better? I know the couple skills and abilities that we have are supposedly unbelievably powerful, but fighting can’t just be about that, right?”
Xi stomped their foot down, which drew everyone's attention. Then after a moment, they started clapping. “Finally! Someone finally asks the good question. All it took was ten goddamn days. Yes, there is more to this world than just having one or two strong skills. It is more about having the correct usage of many skills working in harmony. A single person does not win a war, and neither does a massive army! Simply just pushing forward until they cannot push forward any longer does not work ever! It takes knowledge, practice, and time. As Cylkia stated earlier, these are all things that you will be taught at Cylkia’s home, along with training that will allow you to become stronger and use your abilities and skills better. So, once again, don’t die before you get there.”
We all exchanged looks, but nodded after a moment, murmuring yes as Xi turned their helmet to look at each of us. I hummed to myself and rubbed my chin. Oh the plot thickened once more… What a wild bit of information to bring up at the last minute. Though, a part of me had gotten the feeling that, as hellish as Xi’s training had been, that this whole situation was all too easy. That there had been too simple an explanation when we had arrived here. While training us, Xi had not shown us many of their own skills, choosing instead to make us all train on using our own. But that wasn’t to say that I hadn’t seen any of our teachers' abilities in use. In fact, I had seen Baern using so many of his own, and I knew that was but a glimpse into their repertoire. There was the summoning of the table this morning, the procurement of chairs and tea that first day, the creation of the barrier that defended us, and even the ability to transport the four of them. I hummed and leaned back. Hmmm… Actually, that made me wonder what Xi’s skill set looked like even more now.
The rest of the morning went by smoothly after that. Breakfast really had been amazing, and it made me miss home once again. I sighed just thinking about it. My mom used to make these amazing breakfasts back when I was in middle school, but it had been so long since I had them that I’d almost forgotten them. Then when my older brother graduated and left, she would only make them on the weekends. Then that changed to once a month when my older sister had graduated. Then only for holidays when my other sibling had graduated. I sighed again and leaned back. I don’t know when the last time that I had actually had one was, if I was being honest.
After breakfast, Baern had snapped, and the table and everything folded up on themselves, vanishing in a blink of light. Cylkia and the others quickly started getting ready then, and it was then that everyone really started to accept that it really was time. That this little shell of safety and security was coming to an end. Ashtons party left soon after, having already been packed and ready to leave before they even came to breakfast. I’d overheard that May’s group was going to leave when Cylkia and the others left. Mrs. Fletcher's group was ready, but they were going to wait until the barrier dropped like we were. The difference in our plans though, was that they were going to take the plains and skirt around the forest at first, while we were just going to go straight through the forest and follow the river. It was a longer route, but safer for sure.
Cylkia and them got ready to leave, saying their goodbyes to us all. Then, which was a surprise for us all, they gave us gifts. Baern ended up even giving each of us a small vial, promising us that it would give us a small energy boost and increase the power of our skills for a brief period. Halfi handed us a thing of jerky and some rations. Xi for her part didn’t do much except give us each a handshake or a slap on the back, though, to be fair, they had supplied us all with weapons.
I expected them to say something to me, especially given all the training and tests they had put me through, but instead they just slapped me on the back and gave me a grunt. “Don’t die kid, I still gotta break you when I get back. You should really look forward to it, I’ve been thinking up some new tor- ahem, training regimens in my free time.”
I held back a groan. I knew that if I did, Xi would make sure that whatever workouts they thought up, would be ten times worse. Damn, they might even decide to skip a few steps and just break my limbs first. To try and make them stronger or denser I guess. Ugh… I shook my head and sighed. At least I didn’t have to worry about that for another few weeks.
Cylkia gave us all a wave goodbye, slinging her warmace over her shoulder and popping her neck, “Okay little heroes, it’ll probably be about a month before I see you all next. Baern passed along a message to my guard, so they’ll know you’re coming. Just tell them that you’re the otherworlders sent by Cylkia, and they’ll know what to do. I intend to train you all, but I do not intend to take away your lives. I was not lying when I first met you all, this world has much to offer, and I want to show you all that your new lives may not be the end of everything you once enjoyed.”
With that, she and the others left us. Then May’s group left as well, waving to us all and telling us that they’d see us at Cylkia’s literal mansion. We all laughed and waved goodbye, and hung out with each other and waited for the barrier to drop. It was tense, but I was ready. I had the sword from that first test night, the wooden shield I’d looted from the first goblin, the crystal and coins, my homemade sleeping bag, and a few rations that I had put together under Halfi’s watchful eye. It was going to be a long few days, but I was excited for them. It was time for my new life to begin!