Once we were all in the wagon and prepared to go, it started off. All of our gear was in bags between us. The benches lining the inside of the wagon weren’t comfortable, but I wasn’t going to complain. I was between Zaion and Deacon, with Paige being opposite with Elyane.
I was already uncomfortable.
It wasn’t the benches either, but the glare from Danielle’s former bodyguard. She was a taller woman, easily two heads taller than I was easily. She was dressed in steel armor that looked close to mine, though she wasn’t wearing the spaulders or gauntlets. There was a similar steel skirt, and like me she was wearing black pants beneath them, but had metal guards for her shins and sturdy looking boots. Resting next to her was what I could loosely describe as a sword.
It was leaned up against the wall of the wagon and was probably just a little shorter than she was. The blade ran most of the length and there were strange patterns scratched into it all the way to the tip. The handle looked like I could fit three or four hands my size there and the crossguard flared out and up towards the blade, like it wanted to catch whatever ran down it’s length.
It was also about as wide as my arm.
How the hell does anyone carry something like that? The blade certainly didn’t match the user, since while Elayne had some bulk, she wasn’t massive. I’d even call her nice to look at… if it wasn’t for the glare she’d affixed me with and the awkward atmosphere it created.
It was as I was returning her gaze with indifference that I felt something wash over the back of the wagon and I turned to look at the source. It was Deacon, whistling a soft tune and spreading his aura out. It was subtle, and the only reason I wasn’t affected by it was the constant low level Charisma barricade I’d learned to use by default. But he wasn’t trying to break through, just send a bit of calm through everyone.
The tense air evaporated, though Elayne still looked unhappy. Deacon didn’t stop his soft whistling though, continuing until I suspected he finished the song. When he stopped, Paige started to clap, causing Zaion to join her, with a more subdued amount enthusiasm.
“Emotional manipulation, bard? Cheap trick.” Elayne said, looking to the man.
He raised an eyebrow, “Better than us all being miserable. And besides, we’re all adventurers right now, right?” He threw his arm wide to take in the back of the wagon, “Same team and all. Better to be friendly until we don’t have to work together anymore, yeah?”
She huffed, but turned her head to stare out the back of the wagon instead of at me. I gave Deacon a grateful smile, and he just nodded, miming a bow. Paige giggled at his antics and I just rolled my eyes and rested my head against the canvas wall of the wagon.
The next several hours passed by uneventfully. Paige grew bored and started talking with Deacon. I tuned out after a while. Zaion had pulled out a book, which gave me the idea to read as well.
I’d tested Personal Library a few times, but never really used it for an extended time. Mostly just checking that the books were there and seemed complete. Now though, I positioned myself so I wasn’t staring at anyone and brought up one of the adventure books I’d pulled from one of the bookshelves in one of the lounges.
When we stopped for a break to stretch our legs, I was one of the first to hop out. The scenary was so different from what I’d been used to. All I’d really looked at were buildings and roads since for the past month or more. Now, every direction I looked at was hilly terrain and sparse forest. I even noticed a few buildings back down the road that looked like a village.
As I took it in, Zaion walked up beside me. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
I nodded it, “A little more yellow than I was expecting, but I’m told that’s supposed to change soon, right?”
He nodded, “The rainy season will start soon.” He squatted down at the side of the road where he plucked a few of the more withered grass stalks up and examined them, “Luckily, farmers don’t rely on the seasons, or we’d all starve, right?”
I shrugged, “I never really thought of it, but probably. Special traits and skills?”
Zaion stood, brushing his hands off and nodded, “Yes, as well as magic users skilled with manipulating water. Some of the more successful farms have enchanted stones to keep the fields at the right level of moisture and fertility year round.”
“Is that why you learned water magic?” I asked, curious.
He nodded, “Yes, though I won’t be happy until I’m at least in my third tier before retiring from adventuring. By then, I should know a few more schools of magic, hopefully.”
“What are you thinking of next?” I’d never really learned how mages acquired new schools.
Zaion was quiet for a while, his face hard to read. I didn’t think it was because of his elven heritage but just that he was a quiet person. “We’ll see when it happens. I’m hoping for Growth or Necrosis, though.”
I looked at him more directly, “Why Necrosis?”
“It is an offshoot of darkness, which I already have a manipulation skill for. Necrosis is good for making mushroom food. Mushrooms are tasty.” He said this all with a matter of fact tone, like it was the simplest conclusion.
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“So… you want to grow mushrooms?” I asked with curiosity. “Is there a large market for those?”
He nodded with more enthusiasm, “A lot of high end recipes require high quality mushrooms. It is also a primary ingredient in certain elven and dwarven delicacies and liquors.”
“Mushroom… liquor?” I was far more curious than I probably should have been.
Zaion smiled, “Yes. There are a variety of alcohol secreting mushrooms in my homeland that have been bred for that purpose. I want to make some in the tradition of more traditional alcohols, but it has been an expensive project. I am certain it is possible, but possible and tasting good are not the same.”
I nodded, “Agreed. I wonder how you’d go about even starting?”
“Oh, that is the easy part.” He said before digging into a small pouch near his water jug. He pulled out a small, dried mushroom. I’d seen him eat one earlier, but Paige had declined when he offered her one. I took it and examined it. It was dull orange in the cap with a short stem. I shrugged and popped it into my mouth.
I don’t know what I’d expected, but the massive amount of sweetness that exploded in my mouth wasn’t it. It tasted like an explosion of syrup in my mouth. I didn’t spit it out, but I only chewed it enough to let me swallow. “That was… very sweet.”
“Mhm.” He said and popped a similar one into his own mouth. “A type of candy cap. These have about five times as much sugar as the ones found in nature. It is a little stronger on flavor, but the children love them.”
I reached into my spatial closet and pulled out a sealed flask. Popping the cork, I drank deep from the water within and let out a relieved sigh. “So, the goal is less sweet?”
He shrugged and started back towards the wagon, “Or a better brewer.”
I let him go and took a few more drinks from the water flask. I spit it out a few times, trying to get the flavor out. Well, it’s good to have hobbies, I guess. I thought, looking after him.
Elayne walked past him, her hips swaying slightly with each step. I got the impression it was intentional, though the only person looking besides me was Jason who was leaning against one of the wagon wheels as Paige fed one of the striders bits of dried meat.
I offered her the flask and she took it and tilted it back into her mouth. After handing it back to me, we just stood there, looking back at the wagon. I corked it and made sure it was sealed before storing it into the Spatial Closet.
“Useful trait.” She said without looking at me.
“Got lucky getting it.” I responded, also not looking at her. I could see her in the corner of my eye though.
Things were quiet for a while before she finally spoke. “How’s Porter?”
I frowned, my brow furrowing, “I don’t know. He was supposed to be back with Cal weeks ago. They went to talk with my father.”
She stiffened, but relaxed after a few moments. “And Grimoire?”
“Probably fine. Pretty sure any frustration he gets, he works out before it bothers him.” I rubbed a the spot he’d stabbed me in the arm. I’d healed it, but it had still hurt. “Though I’d like him to stop throwing knives at me when I mess up.”
Elayne turned to look at me, the black hair that framed her face swishing in the breeze. “He’s been throwing knives at you?”
I nodded.
“Why?” She looked like she was trying to figure out a puzzle, and the pieces weren’t matching up.
“Training.” I said briskly. “Been doing that since I woke up in an alley covered in blood.”
A complicated emotion passed over her face. If I had to guess, part of it was guilt, but most of it was frustration. When she finally decided how she wanted to feel, she snorted, “And you think a little training is enough to be a real adventurer? Don’t make me laugh.”
“I don’t care about being an adventurer.” I said bluntly.
Her face scrunched up like she’d bitten into something disgusting, “If you don’t care, then why are you here?”
“To get practice against something that isn’t a person.” I said, turning to look at her. “Why do you care?”
She took a step back, and then leaned forward angry to have been surprised. “Because I’m here to make sure you all don’t get yourselves killed.”
I walked past her, “Hopefully you wait till we’re all back before you quit this job then.”
I felt a ‘wumph’ of air blow past me and an audible crack through the air. I turned to look behind me and I saw Elayne’s fist stopped by a transparent barrier. There was a faint whistling in the air as well and I turned to see Deacon keeping an eye out from the driver’s seat of the wagon. Everyone else had turned to look, and Elayne was turning red. She walked past me, “I’ll ride with the driver till the town.”
The barrier stayed between me and Elayne, floating to follow before dissipating. As Deacon walked past Elayne, I saw his mouth move, but didn’t hear what he said. Whatever it was, it had frozen the taller woman before she climbed back into the wagon.
When he was standing next to me, I turned away from the wagon again. “I didn’t expect her to try and hit me.”
“To be fair, you basically called her a coward and incompetent with the same phrase. My teachers for oration would have called that a murder.” He said, nonchalantly.
“You heard us?” I said, turning my head and raising an eyebrow.
He snorted, “I’m listening to you, her, and everything in two kilometers. Reason I’ve been quiet.”
“Are you also why the trip has been quiet?” At my nod, I nudged him in the arm, “Can you stop? I want to hit something.”
He shook his head, “No. I can’t guarantee no one will get out unscathed like this.” He said, motioning to his arm, “And there’s more than striders I’m keeping back.”
“How bad?” I asked, returning my gaze out to the hills surrounding us.
“We’re a little far from both the dungeons for it be to be one of them. My guess is some kind of nest nearby that’s gone out of control.” His voice was lowered so only I could hear.
My hand twitched, but I kept it away from the sword at my hip. Or the weapons in the closet. “Should we investigate?”
He turned to look at me and then flicked me on the forehead, “No, you daft idiot. There’s a whole guild of adventurers, and we’ve already got a job. If you’re that set, we can check it out when we’re back.”
I nodded, rubbing at the spot he’d flicked. “Fine. We can also wait till your arm is better. It shouldn’t be too many more visit to the hospital, right?”
“Two at most.” He confirmed. We turned to walk back to the wagon, “Let’s round everyone up and get going. I’d like to be in Daveville by tonight.”
Have you ever had a terrible road trip?
