Chapter 12 - The First Adventures(2)
— It's quite audacious of you to try and kidnap the heir of the city, huh. You definitely won't be doing that. — she proclaimed.
The other 2 henchmen were horrified to see this, while the leader seemed as unshakeable as if it were just any ordinary morning.
— Who... Who are you — asked one of the henchmen.
— I am Mave, I'm just an ex-adventurer friend of Elara's. — declared the seller.
In the blink of an eye, the henchmen's leader advanced while cutting through the various ice needles that Mave created. When his sword finally reached her, Mave was no longer there. She had dodged the slash, grabbing another sword near her.
— Little boy... I may not know how to use this very well, but I can still teach you something. — said the ex-adventurer. She began to pull the heat around her into the sword, creating a whitish aura on the weapon.
Taking advantage of the time she had given, the leader of the henchmen made a hand gesture. The two henchmen stopped hesitating and turned against me in a charge to try to capture me. The first one prepared a punch specifically for my stomach, but I dodged at the last moment. In exchange, I launched a very dense mana slash right at his chest. By my calculations, it wasn't supposed to cause any problem, but the density I put into the spell caused it to make a deep cut on the henchman.
The other one, seeing this, hesitated, which resulted in his legs being cut by Mave in a spinning strike that also defended her from the charge the leader made from behind.
The impact of her weapon caused the leader's sword to crack and the whitish aura to pass to it. The combat continued with Mave defending against 3 direct strikes from him, who was quite skilled with his sword.
The fourth strike was a vertical one that exposed his guard. Mave dodged it, and, suddenly, several sparks flew from his back. Right after, a figure used its own position to do a cartwheel over the leader with their sword driven into the wood and Mave's ice.
— Sorry for taking so long. — said Elara. Immediately after, she turned to Mave. — Thank you for helping me. I knew I could leave him here. —
The henchman, after freeing his sword, spun it with momentum to hit them both. They dodged, but he hit the counter full of merchandise.
— Look... He's going to get it... — commented Elara. — Come on, Lycon, it's better to get out of here, she won't hold back. —
She and I moved away to the corner of the shop, where it was out of Mave's attack range.
— You... — The strike he delivered was parried by a wall of ice utilizing all the ice in the room. Next, this wall moved against the Leader, shattering into several smaller pieces, and then they transformed into several smaller needles hovering in the air.
The air around the leader started to get extremely cold, while he writhed from the chill. The needles shot towards him, piercing his thick armor and stabbing from every possible direction. He fell right after.
Mave then turned to me. — Well, I'll explain what I did: I stole the heat from his entire armor into this sword. Now it is extremely hot, while he... Well, I returned his temperature. —
I was in disbelief at how she did that in the blink of an eye. — She is a great sorceress... I definitely have no chance against her. — I thought, shivering.
— Now... — interrupted Elara. — what are we going to do about these bandits? —
— Please, just don't tell anyone I was here! — I shouted to them, finally feeling my head working. — If my parents realize I'm here, I'll be screwed! —
— Man, but that makes it complicated, Lycon — it's not very nice to lie about this kind of information. — said Elara. — but if you really want to run away... We would need to leave for the missions right now. —
— No problem. — I answered. — Mave, could you please hand over the pieces of leather? —
— I'll hand them over now. — answered Mave with her harsh, yet welcoming tone.
After a minute of waiting, which worked well to calm our nerves, the ex-adventurer returned with the leather squares.
— There you go. Now, is it going to be a problem to hand over the 5 silver coins? —
— Weren't they 8? — I asked.
— They were, but I'm giving you a discount. You did a nice number on the henchman, you know! —
Elara took the rest of the money we had from her pocket, paid Mave, and then said. — Now transcribe all those circles from the paper to the leather before we leave. —
I obeyed the order immediately, finding a spot where water wasn't soaking the place. After that, I placed my papyrus circle next to me, along with some magical ink Mave gave me, and began transcribing the spells I already had onto the leather. The mana spells didn't pose much of a problem, but when I got to the wind gust one, there was a very practical little problem: Elemental nodes were missing. Fortunately, Elara had taken them as a precaution, but without them I wouldn't have been able to do it. Finally, with the ones left over, I made the simplified wind and fire circle.
We said our goodbyes to Mave and then headed to the tavern.
— Aren't we going by carriage? — I asked Elara.
— And do we have money for that? — she replied. — I dismissed the driver, I don't even know where he might be anymore. —
— I hope from the bottom of my heart that I don't have any more problems... Otherwise I'm dead. — I thought, my heart in my mouth.
The journey to the Boar's Tavern was a cruel reminder that I was definitely no longer in the safe and familiar comfort of my own castle. Without the carriage to isolate me from the plebeians, the true smell of Aritel, which had been conveniently hidden from me, surfaced. It was a rotten mix of sweat, dust, dirt, and mold.
My soft boots, hand-stitched and made to glide over plush carpets and polished floors, sank into the thick, dark mud with every step. I tried, without much success, to dodge suspicious puddles and scattered garbage, but the street gave no respite. Elara walked beside me, pushing the crowd away with her unfriendly face while resting her hand casually near her daggers.
The sun was beginning to beat down on the roofs, and the weight of my new leather magic circles swayed against my waist in an uncomfortable way. Even though they were more flexible and lighter than the steel plates Elara and I had discussed earlier, they were a physical and harsh reminder clearly showing that their extra resistance came at a cost.
As we moved further from the commercial center and approached the shadow of the city's thick walls, the buildings gradually lost their polish. The well-cut stones of the wealthy merchants gave way to splintered wooden hovels and patched thatched roofs. The sound of rhythmic hammering and the harsh murmuring of exhausted workers replaced the restrained conversations I was used to hearing at home.
That was when I saw it.
The Boar's Tavern was a far cry from any hall my family would agree to frequent. It was a sturdy two-story building made of rough stone blocks and thick dark wood beams, erected with a total focus on durability rather than elegance. The sign hanging at the entrance sported the carved drawing of a wild boar, creaking monotonously as it swayed gently in the breeze. From the half-open double doors escaped a strong smell of malt beer, hearth smoke, and roasting pork — an aroma that was probably paradise for the exhausted workers of that street, but which hit my banquet-accustomed sense of smell in a way that was far too dense and rustic.
I stopped for a second, swallowing hard as I evaluated the place. I had just survived a freezing kidnapping attempt, but entering that noisy and crowded environment felt like a social challenge I was not in the least prepared for.
— Let's go already — grumbled Elara, without even looking back, pushing the heavy wooden door.
— Hello, do you want anything from our tavern? — Said the attendant, a young girl accompanied by her mother beside her.
— Hi, I accepted your guild mission to clean your basement. I came here to help. —
She ran off to some corner near the tavern while her mother stayed there with us.
— I apologize for my daughter. Her name is Nila, she is always very hasty. I am Lia. —
— Mom, I'm back! — she interrupted Lia. — I brought dad and my brother. —
— Hello, I'm Robert, are you the one who took the guild mission? — said Robert, addressing Elara.
Elara placed her hand on my head. — No. The one who took it was this rich kid right here. —
— You purposefully omitted that I was a lord just to avoid formalities... I like it! — I thought, while seeing them confused because I looked very much like... myself, only from the rumors.
Robert grabbed an oil lantern from the counter and signaled for us to follow him. He guided us through the back of the tavern, passing through the stuffy kitchen, until stopping in front of a heavy oak door locked with two iron deadbolts. The cracks leaked a horrible, acidic smell of urine, feces, and wet fur.
We descended the creaky stone steps cautiously. As soon as the flickering light of Robert's lantern illuminated the basement floor, I understood the reason for the despair.
These weren't simple pests. They were hairy beasts, each the size of an adult riding boot, some so fat they looked like small dogs. They were scattered all over the room, gnawing on malt barrels, tearing sacks of grain, and destroying the reserves of salted meat. But, the instant the light hit them, the feast stopped. Dozens of pairs of red eyes gleamed in the darkness and turned towards us.
There was no fear or flight instinct. The rats squeaked in unison, a high-pitched sound that made my ears hurt, and advanced like a tide of dirty fur and yellowish teeth towards the stairs.
— Get back! — shouted Robert, pulling the door and slamming it shut with force the exact second the first rat leaped, smacking its face against the wood. The sound of claws scratching the door on the other side echoed right after.
— You see? — the tavern keeper panted, sliding the bolt back into place with trembling hands. — If we leave this open, they'll come up and devour the customers! The guild said an adventurer would handle it... but, with all due respect, are you sure you can handle this, boy? —
— Don't worry — I tried to reassure them. — I can handle it, I'll just need a counter. —
Lia took a step forward. — Of course, use whatever is necessary, just rid us of this please. —
I went back and started creating several Mass Fire circles on the pieces of leather I had bought. Even though I was entirely focused on the circles, the family's curiosity was clear, especially Lia's, who made a point of standing by my side watching.
I ended up making 3 of those circles, totaling 4 with the one I already had.
With the four pieces of leather properly prepared and the magic ink already dry, I gathered my materials and stood up, feeling the weight of the entire family's expectations on my shoulders. Robert swallowed hard, grabbed the lantern again, and guided us back down the narrow, stuffy kitchen hallway, with Elara walking silently right behind me, her hand already resting on the pommel of her sword. The closer we got to the heavy oak door, the louder the disturbing sound of dozens of claws scratching the wood on the other side became, accompanied by high-pitched squeaks that made one's stomach turn. Lia and her mother stopped at a safe distance, huddled near some sacks of flour, while I positioned myself right in front of the locked entrance. I took a deep breath, adjusting the firing circles in my hands.
Robert gulps, cold sweat running down his forehead. He grabs the heavy iron deadbolts and pulls them back with a sharp click. With a trembling push, he throws the oak door wide open and immediately throws himself backward, sliding to the floor near the flour sacks in terror.
The light from the hallway invades the darkness of the basement. The grinding sound stopped. Countless beasts with the appearance of rats and the size of small dogs turn their dirty snouts toward the door. A collective squeak, high-pitched and deafening, echoes off the stone walls. As if they were a single mass of filthy fur, sharp claws, and yellowish teeth, the rats advance. They climb the narrow steps in a frantic avalanche, stepping over one another in a ferocious charge.
At the same moment, my magic circle began to glow, literally. Twenty spheres of pure mana struck several rats around us, with their blood spurting everywhere.
Just in that little move, some 10 rats must have already been killed, but there were still plenty of them left.
As expected, the horde did not retreat. The smell of blood only stoked the beasts' hunger. Using the bodies of their own dead companions as a platform, six giant rats leaped simultaneously. They flew through the narrow air of the staircase, claws outstretched and jaws wide open, aiming straight for me.
But that was when my bodyguard sprang into action. She executed a series of extremely fast maneuvers, slicing all the rats that were near me. The other 4 that were trying to come at us were summarily decapitated by the continuity of her movement.
Finally, a drop of fear appeared in the horde, providing precious moments of hesitation for us to utilize.
On an impulse, I shouted — Let's go — to Elara and positioned all 4 mass firing circles in every possible corner. The circles drawn on the four pieces of leather glowed with a blinding light, heating the air around me.
— Three... Two... One... MANA BALL RAIN!!! —
The conversion was instantaneous and violent. Dozens of mana spheres tore through the most varied spots in the basement, annihilating any and all rats that were there.
It wasn't an attack, it was a tempest in a teapot. The Boar's Tavern basement turned into a veritable arcane meat grinder. The front of the horde didn't even have time to squeal. The spheres pierced and crushed the furry bodies with the ease of stones tearing through wet paper. My
The sound was deafening. A mix of brutally silenced squeals, bones being ground, wood exploding into splinters, and beer barrels bursting under the pressure of the errant spheres. The shockwave of the attack made the floor beneath Robert and Lia's feet shake violently, causing the tavern keeper to cover his head, thinking the tavern itself was going to collapse.
When the light of the spheres finally dissipated and the stone dust settled, the silence that followed was absolute. There were no more squeaks. Of the horde of countless rats that had been there, not a single carcass remained. The basement floor was now a macabre painting of dark blood, fur, and shattered boards stemming from my "poor aim".
Elara, who hadn't even managed to draw her sword properly, lowered it slowly, blinking to keep the dust out of her eyes. She looked at the crater of destruction I had created and then turned her face to me, with a raised eyebrow.
— You said you were going to "clean" the basement, Lycon — she commented, in a tone half impressed, half sarcastic. — Not that you were going to demolish the place. —
Back there, Robert peeked over the flour sacks, his eyes wide as coins, dividing his gaze between the rats turned into pâté and his hole-riddled basement.
I turned slowly to Robert, with a somewhat embarrassed face.
— You... Can I pay for the repairs with the money I would receive from the mission? —
— No... — answered Robert, and immediately my mind raced. — Oh, no, I messed up again. This time I'm in trouble. I have to stay reclu... — but he continued speaking. — No... You won't need to pay anything, My Lord... The basement's structure was already deplorable, so I didn't think I would recover it anyway, but... —
Then I turned to Nila. She was almost fainting at the sight of the scene, however, Lia came running up to me and gave me a very tight hug.
— Thank you! I won't have to endure that horrible smell from the basement anymore! — She was solemnly ignoring the fact that there was a rat puree right in front of her. — What has she gone through to not be like her mother? — I quickly pulled away from the hug, out of embarrassment, but I was proud to have completed my first mission.
I received my reward: The 8 silver coins, nicely rounding out the morning.
It was already around noon, and my stomach was rumbling with hunger.
— Not even the most absurd heroes conquer hunger, right?! — Elara mocked. — Well, remember the slime I told you about earlier? Let's find somewhere to eat together. —
I was quite surprised, but not enough to refuse. After searching a lot, we found a small stall selling skewered slimes.
— Hello, welcome. Do you want a fresh slime here? — asked the merchant.
— Yes, we do... How much is it? — I answered him, with a somewhat restrained voice for never having tasted slime before.
— Don't worry. Slime tastes like practically nothing and is great with spices. A slime skewer seasoned with salt costs 4 silver coins. —
— All that?! One skewer is half my savings. — I thought. Even so, I nodded my head. — I want two, please. —
He grabbed two skewers he had prepared, put salt on them, and handed them to me. Then I paid him, and gave one of the skewers to Elara.
— For you. —
She thanked me and took one of the skewers for herself. When I ate the skewer, the sensation was... Weird. The slime felt like a large, firm egg, but it didn't taste like egg, or cake, or anything. Just the taste of the salt that had been put on it.
— Chew well, otherwise it'll give you indigestion. Speaking from experience. — she commented, letting out a laugh while I ate desperately.
After the second slime on the skewer, which held four, a knot formed in my stomach. It was just as Elara said: If I ate too much without chewing, I would get indigestion. I stopped my pace and started eating more slowly.
— So you got indigestion after all. I warned you. — she replied sarcastically to my misfortune.
— That's because it's not you. If it were, you wouldn't be standing there making fun of me. —
— That's happened to me before, but it was much worse. I ate a raw one because I had nothing else to eat. Have mercy, the sensation was horrifying. It felt like the slime wouldn't go down and at one point I almost thought I was going to choke. To make matters worse, I spent long hours with a terrible feeling of bloating in my stomach. At least I spent the whole day without needing to eat. —
I had barely finished eating the third one and the knot in my stomach intensified. — These slimes are definitely too heavy for the stomach. — I mumbled softly.
— It's incredible that you can eat so much without throwing up. At your age I could barely eat one and already felt full. Anyway, I know how to make you feel better. Let's get moving. Let's walk very slowly to the location of the next mission, which also involves slimes. —
Taking the suggestion masterfully, she and I walked slowly towards our destination while I tried to eat the slime. It was a rustic meal, but quite heavy, which would certainly help me when I needed it.
The pace of our walk slowed down considerably, dictated by the physical discomfort that took over my abdomen. Each step taken towards the city exit seemed to make the dense protein lump of the slime skewer jostle heavily in my stomach, proving that Elara's warning hadn't been an exaggeration. As we crossed the gates that marked the urban perimeter of Aritel, the gravel of the road began to replace the firm paving, and the landscape around us opened up towards the rock formations where our next task awaited us.
— If you keep walking with that posture of someone who's been poisoned, the slimes will digest you before you can even touch them, — provoked Elara, shooting a sideways glance while keeping a steady pace. I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the feeling of bloating that threatened to turn my stomach with every bump in the terrain, and squeezed the strap of the bag where my new leather circles swayed. The promise of yet another combat mission no longer seemed so stimulating now that my whole body begged for a break, until I remembered the fateful day, when I was a mere 6 years old, that wretched Alistair made me do a mountain of exercises with a belly full of food... I remembered that situation very bitterly... And this is definitely better than that.
After a few more minutes of slow walking, we finally arrived at the cave where the carriage was. The scene there was almost the same as the rats, but swapped for slimes. There were at least 10 slimes there, corroding the metals of both the carriage and the ores lying around. Near it, there was a traveling merchant crying.
— I can't believe it... Sniff, that I lost this carriage worth 300 gold coins. It cost me a fortune and it's being destroyed in a matter of days!!! — shouted the merchant. His voice was hoarse and his entire face, including his eyes, were red.
