After we made it out of the building, Carrick spoke, “Sorry for not giving you any heads-up, but as you can tell, Sophia knows everything. It’s always better to just be truthful.”

  “Well, I am just glad it is over. I got lots of cool things,” I replied. “However, I felt like she was going to waterboard me.”

  “Waterboard? I don’t know how water on a board could be scary. But with the way you fight, I could see you being afraid of that,” Carrick joked with me.

  “Hey. I’m not even close to the same person who left. Right now, I am at level 14,” I said proudly.

  Carrick laughed. That was not the reaction I was expecting. “Aww, the little child is growing up. You are now at the same level as my daughter. You would be good enough to match her during sparring practice.” To my annoyance, he laughed again. “I’m sorry. I know you are proud of your level, and it is indeed something to be proud of. From level 4 to 14 that fast, it is unheard of. Those are the weak levels, though. Unless you start fighting against those at strong levels, it will take a long time to get to level 20 and beyond.”

  “Yeah,” I replied, knowing it to be true. “I kinda figured that out already.”

  Carrick slapped me on the back, grinning. “Good, then let’s get you stronger before your journey. You have a lot to learn.”

  “Speaking of learning, why is there a prohibition on asking about Abilities?”

  “It’s mainly because it’s a sensitive issue. It’s not so much the Ability itself, but how one came to possess it.”

  “Sensitive issue?” I questioned.

  “Think of it like this,” Jack began, his tone somber. “Imagine a parent who is a drunkard, and when out of control, uses Fire Magic to burn his child. That experience would deeply affect any child, but for some, it might even shape their Abilities. They could develop fire resistance, fire control, or even an immunity to alcohol’s effects.”

  That was a heavy revelation, and I could see why it was considered off-limits. I didn’t even want to respond to his example, feeling the weight of the subject.

  “We should go train,” Carrick said, changing the subject.

  At his words, I frowned. “What about dinner?”

  “Dinner is for a good day’s work. You still need to learn a lot.” But a lot had happened already. Couldn’t he give me a little break? Carrick glanced at me and seemed to acquiesce anyway, saying, “Fine. I was going to make it a surprise, but Kibi is making a special dinner for you tonight, for coming back alive. She is fond of you. It’s a weak-strong thing, you know, like a puppy and a person.”

  “She thinks of me like a person taking care of her?”

  “No, she thinks of you as a helpless puppy,” Carrick said with a smile.

  His grin didn’t last long. A moment later, he had me back on my feet, dragging me into another round of training. He kept me at it until I dropped from exhaustion, doing the exact same routine I had learned the first time we trained together, as if making sure I still remembered it. Once we were done, he helped me back up to my feet and made sure I bathed before meeting him and Kibi for dinner. I cleaned up the best I could and was at their house by evening, hungry and tired.

  “Well, hello there!” Kibi greeted me brightly when I opened the door to Carrick’s home. “I’m surprised you are still alive. My dad told me what happened, and I thought you were stupider than you looked. I guess you’re not.”

  “Was that a compliment or an insult?” I asked.

  “Hmm, maybe you are. I guess it’s too early to tell,” Kibi said cleverly.

  “I think we need to go to the alchemist,” Rabbit chimed in, in my head.

  “Why?” I asked internally.

  “Because of that massive burn she just gave you,” Rabbit voiced out and then started laughing.

  Jerk, I immediately mused, when Kibi spoke up. “Dad, he seems lost again.” Since she was standing in front of me, she noticed when I wasn’t paying attention. “Why do you do that?”

  “Sorry about that. I was thinking,” I replied.

  “Is everyone from where you are so slow, or is it just you?” Kibi asked with the seriousness that only a child could muster.

  At that moment, her dad came to my rescue. “Enough of the interrogation. Let’s get to the celebration dinner.”

  The front door opened into their living room, and it was connected directly to the dining room. The house wasn’t that big by modern standards, but without all the junk that I was used to, this place seemed like a perfect size for two.

  As I walked into the dining room, I was met with a gust of something delicious. On the table were three plates with fish on them and a cake in the center.

  “Kibi made all of this. She must have taken after her mother because she has a high Cooking Skill while mine is nonexistent,” Carrick shared as we all sat down.

  It was still strange to me that people could have an actual skill in cooking. However, if we were back home, and those skills were hidden, people could have them, and no one would know. I felt like, while you could eventually get better at cooking, some people were naturally born with the skill, while others couldn’t even cook an egg without breaking the yolk.

  “Wow, this all looks so good,” I gushed, causing Kibi to smile and blush a little.

  After saying a quick prayer and taking a bite, I was blown away. The food looked as good as it tasted, and so far it was the best meal I’d had in this world. Even Rabbit agreed, urging me that we should track down more food like this.

  “I have a question,” I said. “Where did you find the fish?” I knew that we were on a mountain with rivers, but as the water flowed to a large waterfall at the edge of the village, I doubted that fish could swim up the waterfall.

  “Well, there are fish in the rivers of the village, but they aren’t often taken from there. Most people go down the lift and fish at the bottom of the waterfall,” replied Kibi. She was talking about the lift next to the jail, which was used to reach a boat at the bottom, initially used for trade.

  “Good question,” Rabbit remarked. “I understand your confusion. My guess is that there are more rivers with shorter waterfalls that the fish have swum up that cross with the source of these rivers. It is also possible the villagers themselves brought fish from the lowlands to cultivate here.”

  After finishing the meal, I helped Carrick and Kibi clear the table. I thanked them for the dinner and complimented Kibi again on her cooking skills. She couldn’t stop grinning, and I could see the pride in her eyes. I bade them good night for the evening.

  With good food and the luxury of resting indoors, I slept the best I had in a while.

  The next day, when I woke up in the morning, Kibi was hovering over me, staring into my face.

  “You ready to train?” she chirped.

  After napping yesterday morning and getting a good night’s sleep, I was up and ready. “Yep, where is your dad?”

  “He is busy today, and you only have one day before you leave. That means you’re all mine to train,” Kibi said with a smile. I got up and walked over to the dining area for a drink of water.

  Being trained by a little girl seemed more embarrassing than anything. I knew Carrick had been training Kibi her whole life, but I couldn’t believe a little kid would be a good teacher. “Are you sure?”

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  “Well, you have two choices. Either I can train you today or…” Kibi drawled, “I can spend the rest of the day beating you like a tree.”

  ‘Beating me like a tree’ was an odd expression, but in a world without punching bags, that phrase made sense. “Well, I’m not sure…” I started to say, and then she closed the distance in the blink of an eye. She was much faster than I was, despite being on the same level as I was. I wasn’t sure if it was because she was part of the Human race, or because she was so small, or if she had been adding all her extra attribute points to Agility. Regardless, it was a little scary, even though she was just a little girl. “You know, I think you’re right. Let’s train.”

  “Good call,” Kibi smirked after the successful intimidation.

  We left the house and went to the area where I trained with Carrick. There were trees in the area, and the meadow had worn patches of earth from repeated training. Seeing the exercise spot, I stomached the painful flashbacks from my last session with him, but I wasn’t the same, and I knew I had improved in many ways.

  Kibi took me through all the training that Carrick had taught me so far to see how well I performed the tasks. She then went to the tree that Carrick had initially taught me on.

  It was an old and worn tree with a branch on either side as if they were arms, and another branch on the bottom. The trunk was thick and gnarled, with rough bark that was cracked and weathered. Its bark had been worn off in several places, revealing the lighter-colored wood underneath. The worn spots were concentrated around the branches and trunk where the tree had been subjected to repeated hits over time.

  Kibi went through the series her dad taught me a couple of days ago, but that felt like a lifetime ago. She wasn’t as tall, so all of her strikes hit lower than I could, but her hits had the same results, except she couldn’t hit the face of the target, only the chest.

  “Do you know why my dad taught you this routine?” she asked, taking a break to talk.

  “To defend myself hand-to-hand,” I replied.

  “And how often do you think you will fight hand-to-hand?” Kibi questioned.

  “Almost never, if I am smart,” I replied.

  “Then that wasn’t the reason he taught you,” she explained. “It’s a foundation for all other fighting skills. Yes, it’s for quick reaction hand-to-hand combat, but it’s mainly for controlling the opponent and the fight.” Kibi pulled out her knife and continued, “You are several times stronger than I am, but I am much faster than you. I could, if I wanted to, stab you multiple times without you being able to catch me.”

  She paused, and I swallowed hard. “Don’t worry. I am not going to do that. That is more my dad’s style. Instead, I am going to show you what the next steps of these exercises are for.” Her expression turned solemn, and the grip of her hand on the weapon tensed. “I am going to stab you. Defend yourself.”

  She then waited for a second for me to understand that she was serious. Unexpectedly, she opened the attack with the knife directly at my chest. Out of pure instinct, I grabbed her hand, and of course, with my strength, there was no way she would be able to stab me. Nevertheless, she brought her other hand in and hit the inside of my arm on the opposite side of my elbow. My arm buckled sideways, compromising my ability to resist the attack. That allowed her to push the knife forward into my chest. The blade connected with flesh, and she stopped, giving me a slight cut.

  “I thought you said you weren’t going to cut me?” I asked in anger.

  “No, I said I wasn’t going to use my speed to overwhelm you and cut you.” As she said this, she ducked low and had the knife at my Achilles tendon before I could react. “If I moved too fast and cut something like this, you would have a tough day. Trust me, I am being nice. In the last contest, I didn’t beat you in speed or strength. I beat you in skill. That goes back to what I was saying. If this were one of the tree branches, I would be getting inside the defenses and pushing resistance away. This allows me to control the contest. Since I was weaker, I had to move to areas with little strength and then apply my power forcefully. Have you allocated your points yet?”

  “Yes,” I answered.

  “My suggestion is to think about speed, not just strength. I have been concentrating on both, which makes me well-rounded. But focusing on strength to overpower your opponent is folly. I use mine to increase my mobility, my speed, and skill to overpower my opponents,” Kibi explained with wisdom that belied a teen.

  I was a little concerned about what she said because Agility was already my second-highest stat with 27 points. If she thought I was still slow, then she must either be putting her spare points into Agility, or maybe Humans received more points in that ability per level. Since other Humans I have fought weren’t nearly as fast, I was hoping she was just highly focused.

  “What is your level in Agility? Because mine is 27, and you are still a lot faster than me,” I admitted.

  “You’re thinking like a child again. It’s not just about your points and your level. I could have more in Strength than you and still not be as strong because I am smaller. Despite that, being smaller means I am faster if I have the Strength to match it. My Agility is only at level 31,” she explained, “but since I am small, naturally flexible, and have a good Strength stat, that’s why I am faster than you. I gave you that advice because you won’t only be facing humanoids. When you face a smaller creature, it might be faster. Yes, most smaller creatures aren’t as much of a threat, but that isn’t always true. It’s best to be able to choose between fighting or evading, and that’s what the combination of Strength and Agility will do for you.”

  She then inhaled sharply, tired of the conversation.

  Solemnly, she spoke, “Now, let’s go again.” With that, she threw me the knife.

  She then went through the motions of showing me exactly how to use the techniques I had already learned. Whenever I moved, the knife would be deflected, and the motion would flow back right into an attack. Kibi brought out another knife to make the counterattacks real. She turned the blade vertically so it wouldn’t cut me unless she were stabbing. I was thrilled about this because most of her moves were slices, not stabs. This was because she would use quick movements to make the enemy bleed and not get hit.

  After hours of practicing, Kibi didn’t knock me out once, and I felt like she was a much better instructor than her father.

  “You are making progress,” she commented, which was a slight uplift to my spirits. “I figure you have to get supplies for your trip. You should do that and come back when you are done. It will be a good time for me to take a break and eat something.”

  I followed her advice and left to gather some provisions. Though I’d only been here for a short time, I knew where to go because Kaylie had dragged me across the whole village looking for a skill that I would be good at. Of course, since I wasn’t good at any skill, I was treated with the full tour of the village. The first place I went was the herbalist. I figured with a pocket full of coins, I could get quite a few potions.

  When I entered the shop, the air was thick with the scent of various herbs and spices. The walls were lined with wooden shelves that were filled with an array of glass jars and ceramic pots. There were labels with multiple names of herbs. Dried flowers, roots, and berries were on display, all meticulously arranged in neat rows.

  “Good morning.” I drew out the words, happy to spend some money.

  “Why, hello there. You seem in a bright mood,” Vinya replied.

  “That I am. I have a pocket full of coins that I am planning to spend.”

  “That’s great.” Vinya returned my smile. “Where do you plan on spending it?”

  “I plan to spend a good portion here.”

  Her smile slipped into a frown. “I’m sorry, Alf. We can’t sell you any potions,” she declared with a serious tone.

  “No. It’s fine. See, I'm now allowed to carry a sword around. Sophia said everything is good from now on. I may not be a villager, but I am still allowed the privileges,” I replied with a smile, but she still was frowning.

  “I’m sorry, that is not the problem. We can’t sell potions or herbs to any of the villagers right now. We are low on both, and they are made for village protection. Why do you need them anyway?” Vinya asked.

  “I am heading out on a quest with Jack, Kaylie, and Sana. We are planning to retrieve something, and it may be dangerous.” Saying those words out loud totally made me sound cool. The only thing cooler would be saying we were on a secret mission, but that was overkill, and I didn’t think ours was confidential.

  “I’m sorry to hear that, but anything useful for that type of trip would take some time to craft. Have you tried talking to Bolo to see what he can make?” she suggested.

  Bolo was a crafter. From what I had seen, the people who made armor and weapons were middling in their skill. They were okay and tried hard. The problem Rabbit thought was that techniques, materials, and resources weren’t flowing through a place in the middle of nowhere. If they had some better crafting components, they could make better weapons or even experiment with rare metals. With new techniques, they could craft new types of arms. And if they had better forges, they could produce hotter temperatures to take out more impurities. Their current working conditions weren’t very effective.

  Bolo was different, though. What he lacked in resources, he made up for with techniques. When I first met Bolo, he told me that he had gone to Union’s capital city. He wasn’t their best crafter or anyone particularly prominent there, from what he told me. He learned their techniques and had an extremely high aptitude for crafting, but I never found out his skill level. When he came to this part of the world, he learned the techniques employed here too and has been experimenting with putting them together for some time. It had been successful so far, as people thought he was one of the best crafters around.

  I thanked Vinya for her help and made my way to the rest of the stops on my list. The crafter’s place wasn’t my next stop. I picked up some more rope, paper and ink, food rations, and a lot of salt. The food for my part was varied, and I even found oatmeal. No one would be crazy enough to buy that much food, but as I had my sack, I wasn’t too concerned. All of this had cost me one of my precious gold pieces. Rabbit forced me to get the salt even though it was insanely expensive. It seemed two pounds of salt was worth a copper Ring, which I thought was ridiculous.

  When Rabbit pointed out to me that the price was relatively low, he theorized that being so close to the ocean and the magic in this place was the reason for the discount. He also explained that salt could cost as much as its weight in copper under the right circumstances, and the word ‘salary’ was derived from the word salt because of its importance in ancient times. Seeing as I had a bag that slowed decay because time moved slower there, I didn’t understand what the big hoopla was about.

  Since I was adamant on not spending more of my precious coins on such a large quantity of salt, of all things, he tried a different approach. He went after my greedy side instead. He explained that as long as we were next to the ocean, salt was an abundant resource, but as we moved further inland, it would become more valuable. Not seeing his point, I argued with him over it, and he further explained that once we reached a town further inland, we could sell our salt at a profit. He estimated the price to be at least double. Rabbit was cunning. He knew I’d jump at the opportunity to get richer, because once he was done explaining, I bought the whole supply.