Some call me a messenger. Others call me a barefoot runner. And crazy. Some call me a deliverer\u2026of messages. A few people know me as [batman]. I think of myself as reasonably sane, but most people disagree. They have a lot of names for someone like me. But the little monster blocking my way just barks.<\/p>\n
Dogs. I hate them so much. The mangy dog with off-white fur and brown spots barks again, showing his teeth. There\u2019s a definite growl in his tone\u2014he\u2019s not just warning me, he\u2019s telling me he will<\/em> attack given an opportunity.<\/p>\n That\u2019s fine. If he goes for me I\u2019m kicking him and damn the consequences. I\u2019ve always wanted to kick a dog. I\u2019m not an animal hater, I\u2019m just a dog hater.<\/p>\n Consider my position. I, Ryoka Griffin, am standing in the snow a few miles out from the lovely city of Celum, holding a small wrapped package in my hands as I face down a dog blocking the way towards a house. It\u2019s not my fault I\u2019m here; I\u2019m on a delivery. And I don\u2019t want to get bitten.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been bitten by dogs before. Twice, in fact. Both times while I was running. Back home, in my world that is, some people like to think their dogs don\u2019t need a leash. I respect their opinion, and invite them to share it with the local animal control officer. Dogs who aren\u2019t on leashes chase moving objects like me. And they bite.<\/p>\n Maybe it\u2019s just my genetics, or something in me the dogs don\u2019t like. Or maybe it\u2019s because I\u2019m often a sweaty, adrenaline-filled unknown threat invading their perceived personal space at high speed that triggers their instincts to chase and attack. I don\u2019t know. But all I know is that every person who runs hates loose dogs.<\/p>\n Plus, I\u2019m a barefoot runner. That means I\u2019m even more anxious about bites, because I have what is for all intents and purposes, ten bite-sized snacks for a dog to rip off. The same problem goes for my hands, although I only have eight available snacks for a dog to chew on. A Goblin bit two of my fingers off a week ago. Fun story. I\u2019m not keen to repeat it.<\/p>\n The dog barks at me again, and this time growls loudly. I hold still, meeting his eyes as he crouches, hackles bared. He\u2019s in my way. I need to get to that house to deliver my package, but the owner hasn\u2019t come out and I think shouting will make the dog run at me. So. What do I do?<\/p>\n Kick the dog. That\u2019s what about 90% of me wants to do. The other 10% is arguing that the dog is only defending his home and he\u2019s innocent and that I should practice restraint. I\u2019m not inclined to listen to that opinion, but a fight in the snow against a dog isn\u2019t what I want right now. He\u2019s not a big dog; that is to say, not as big as a mastiff or a great dane, but he\u2019s not a poodle either.<\/p>\n He\u2019s just a dog. He deserves mercy.<\/p>\n But I really want to kick a dog. He\u2019s going to try and bite me the instant I move. Kick first, ask questions later.<\/p>\n And if I kick him, I\u2019ll have <\/em>to hurt him badly which won\u2019t go down well with the owner. Not a good idea.<\/p>\n On the other hand, he, or possibly, she, is in clear violation with my longstanding agreement with nature* and I have no desire to find out if he has rabies. I\u2019m still not sure if healing potions have the ability to cure diseases.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n *The Ryoka-Nature Accord reads as follows: Get in my way and I will kill and eat you.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is how my day starts. On the whole, I\u2019ve had better days.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHark! \u2018Tis a mutt and a lying Human-thing!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cGirl versus dog! As good as girl versus Dragon! Will there be more riddles?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n And my day just got worse. I glance up as I hear the familiar, high-pitched voices from overhead. Spiraling down out of the grey skies overhead, small, winged creatures laugh and point at me and the dog.<\/p>\n I guess you could say they look like small versions of Humans, scaled down, painted blue and given wings. But that would completely, utterly fail to describe these beings. Because they are faeries. The fae. And they cannot be compared to us so easily.<\/p>\n Yes, the Frost Faeries or Winter Sprites as they are known look humanoid. But their bodies are part crystal, part ice. And they have wings, but they are closer to an insect\u2019s set of wings than an angel\u2019s. And in every facet of every line that makes up their beings, they are breathtakingly beautiful.<\/p>\n Not just beautiful; otherworldly. To look at the Frost Faeries is to believe in magic, because that is the whole of what they are. Even as I watch, they fly around me, laughing and speaking in voices that are also part real, and partly immortal.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLook, sisters! The dog defends its home!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s eat it!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNae, let us give it a charge! The power to destroy any invaders!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAre there any cats?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n They fly around me and the dog, poking, throwing snow into my eyes and raining it on the poor mutt. Oh yeah. I sometimes forget, but the faeries helpfully remind me\u2014immortal wonders they might be, but they\u2019re also annoying as hell.<\/p>\n Only, in this case the faeries\u2019 arrival has an unintended benefit. The dog takes one look at the faeries and runs yipping<\/em> into the house. I don\u2019t know if he can see the Frost Faeries\u2014they\u2019re pretty much fuzzy blobs to anyone in this world thanks to the magic they wield\u2014but he knows better than to stick around where they can get to them.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not so lucky. The faeries fly around me, laughing, calling me names, teasing me. Some land on my hair which immediately freezes stiff, and others throw snow at my eyes. One drops a frozen beetle on my head.<\/p>\n I think they like me. I\u2019ve experienced them not liking me, and this is still preferable. But it is annoying. I curse and swat at them with my injured hand. The one with three fingers.<\/p>\n \u201cGet lost! I\u2019m working!\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOoh! Scary! And what if we don\u2019t?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes, threaten us! What would ye do?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The faeries know I can\u2019t back up any threats, so I don\u2019t bother making them. I sigh and take my hand away from my belt. I had been grasping another bottle with my finger on the cork while facing down the dog. If kicking didn\u2019t work I was going to hit it with a potion full of eye-destroying pepper concentrate, although that would<\/em> have been animal cruelty.<\/p>\n I can hear the dog that fled inside the house barking in fear, and now he pokes his head out the half-open door he first charged out at me from. The faeries throw snow at him and he whines in fear, but, credit where credit is due, he still doesn\u2019t want to leave me alone.<\/p>\n \u201cBarky!\u201d<\/p>\n A young voice shouts from inside the house. The door opens wider, and now a girl runs out. She\u2019s maybe eight or nine, and the dog anxiously runs out after her, circling around her. The girl takes no notice of the faeries, but stares at me.<\/p>\n \u201cWho\u2019re you? Are you trying to hurt Barky?\u201d<\/p>\n Instantly I regret my kicking-dog thoughts. A bit. The little girl stares at me with big, round eyes that creep me out.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you here for?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a Runner. Are your parents around?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA Runner?\u201d<\/p>\n She looks doubtful, so I reach into my pouch and pull out a small Seal of my own. The magic metal and stone forged into a circle glints as I show it to the girl. It\u2019s proof I\u2019m a City Runner; without it she would be right to be nervous.<\/p>\n \u201cA Runner!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right. I have a delivery for your father. Is he here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2014but I have a Seal! I\u2019ll go get it!\u201d<\/p>\n The girl runs inside the house. The dog takes one look at us and runs in after her. The faeries and I wait as I shift from bare foot to foot in the snow. After a few seconds the door opens again and the girl runs out.<\/p>\n \u201cHere, Miss Runner!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n I hand the package over to the girl. She takes it carefully; it\u2019s bulky and wrapped heavily. I have no idea what\u2019s in it, but at least she won\u2019t drop it.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright then, take care.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGoodbye Miss Runner!\u201d<\/p>\n The girl beams at me, and the dog barks. I try to smile; fail. Then she looks at my feet and gasps.<\/p>\n \u201cAren\u2019t your feet cold?\u201d<\/p>\n I look down at my bare feet. They\u2019re resting in the snow which practically covers them, melting the cold ground, but I barely feel a thing. I grin at her.<\/p>\n \u201cNope. I\u2019ve got magic feet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n She gapes at me, and I make tracks before she can ask any questions. The dog barks a few more times as I leave, but I\u2019m willing to give him that. So long as he doesn\u2019t chase after me. I check my shoulders a few more times, but he stays with the girl.<\/p>\n Good dog. The faeries on the other hand aren\u2019t quite so well behaved.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHah! The waif has a loyal dog! Like the king and the Hound of Culann!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat was that she said? Magic feet?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHow? Where did ye get them, mortal!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes, explain! Explain!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n They begin jumping up and down on my head as I pick up speed. I try to ignore them.<\/p>\n Despite the cold air and deep snow, I barely feel the chill as I run away from the farmhouse that I was making a delivery to. In the distance, the relatively tall walls of Celum beckon me. It\u2019s just past dawn and I\u2019ve got more deliveries to make. And I\u2019ll make them in record time thanks to\u2014<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cExplain!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Someone pulls at my hair and I grit my teeth.<\/p>\n \u201cStop that! I don\u2019t have magic feet. I drank some soup, okay? Magic soup.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The tiny voice on top of my head sounds disappointed. So do the rest of the faeries. I guess magic soup isn\u2019t as cool as magic feet. But then I hear another voice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI want to try some.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMe too!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cGive us the soup, Human!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe soup! The soup!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n They begin harassing me again. I try not to pay attention as I run back towards the city.<\/p>\n Magic soup. Yeah.<\/p>\n Did I mention I was in another world?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After the dog incident, I make good time running back to Celum. It\u2019s not as if I was that far away from the city, and I only had two more deliveries to make in the outer suburbs.<\/p>\n Fun fact: unlike the Drake cities to the south, Human cities may have walls, but their actual population likes to live outside the walls in lovely suburbs that nestle right up against the walls in some places. It\u2019s that old medieval-style method of building that allows cities to house a much larger population. If monsters attack, people just run inside the walls until they\u2019re gone and rebuild if they have to.<\/p>\n I wonder how well that worked in Esthelm. Given that the entire city was pretty much razed, I\u2019m guessing there might be a teeny flaw in this system.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s not my job to give architectural advice to people. In fact, the only words I speak are when people open their doors.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you know how early <\/em>it is? Who\u2019re you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a Runner with a delivery. Do you have a Seal?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? You\u2019re a Street Runner?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCity Runner. I\u2019m doing local deliveries. Do you have a Seal?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s\u2026quick. Normally we get messages late.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo I\u2019ve been told. Your Seal?\u201d<\/p>\n Eventually I get the Seal and hand the letter over to the person at the door and run away. That\u2019s what my job is all about. The talking and dodging dogs\u2014that\u2019s the worst part. I\u2019m just in it for the running.<\/p>\n Too bad everything seems to get in my way. Of course, that\u2019s my unbiased opinion; what could be more important than me delivering letters to people? Guardsmen on patrol? Merchants and farmers with their wagons?<\/p>\n Bah. All of that is less important than the almighty Runner. I dodge and weave around pedestrians, run down less-crowded back alleys and avoid the hell out of any carts rumbling down the wet streets, all the while being followed by my annoying entourage of faeries.<\/p>\n I must admit, for all I hate their fascination with me, they do help clear the crowds. In this world, the Frost Faeries are simply known as strange creatures that help bring the winter each year. Because they can\u2019t be heard and barely be seen by the people here, they\u2019re generally treated like natural hazards to be avoided at all costs.<\/p>\n Too bad I can see them. I\u2019m still not sure why, but that\u2019s led to me striking up an odd relationship up with the faeries. Namely, they annoy me and follow me about hoping I do something entertaining.<\/p>\n Like slip. I windmill my arms, but I still smack hard into the ground. The faeries\u2014and some of the Humans walking by\u2014chuckle, but I get back to my feet without a word and keep running. I swear that ice patch wasn\u2019t there a second ago.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDid you enjoy your fall? Be more careful next time!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTake care not to slip, Human.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe tripped you! Hah!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Damn faeries. I keep running, ignoring them as best I can. People give me odd looks if I start talking to the air in any case.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOoh. So<\/em> busy! Too busy to talk!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n One of the faeries on my head slaps at my head to get my attention. I grit my teeth and ignore her, although it hurts.<\/em> Then she pulls at my eyelid.<\/p>\n \u201cScrew you! Off!\u201d<\/p>\n I slap at her and she flies away, cheering. I guess getting me to react counts as a win in her books. Another faerie swoops down and flies around my face, obstructing my vision as she laughs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThis mortal is so <\/em>busy. Not too busy to play a game of riddles, though!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Twas not a fair game, though! She used numbers and lies instead of trickery! Shame!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The other faeries jeer and yell at me. I keep a straight face, although the fact that I\u2019m being berated by these obnoxious idiots for playing unfair is hilarious. They\u2019re the most unrepentantly vicious, mischievous, and deceitful creatures I\u2019ve ever met, and those are the qualities I like<\/em> about them.<\/p>\n The Frost Faeries continue to call me names as I run back into the city proper. I get the sense that despite their obnoxious tone, today they\u2019re a bit more annoyed with me than usual. How do I know? A bit more ice mixed in with the snow they toss on me, and a bit too many pinches and pokes than usual.<\/p>\n Normally the faeries respect\u2014well, they\u2019re equally parts helpful as annoying. Twice as annoying as helpful, but they do have limits. But I think they were disappointed in my game of riddles with Teriarch, the Dragon, a while back.<\/p>\n Yeah. A Dragon. I can barely believe it, but I did meet him. I keep telling myself that, although my only proof is the bag of gold at my side and the book of magic spells. Gods, I still can\u2019t believe I walked away with part of a Dragon\u2019s treasure.<\/p>\n It was a wonderful, magical encounter. But the faeries got mad because instead of having a proper Smeagol vs Bilbo game of riddles, I instead hit Teriarch with logic puzzles from my world. Apparently that doesn\u2019t count and they\u2019re mad about it.<\/p>\n Or something. I finally get rid of the faeries as I go one place they can\u2019t stand: indoors. As I run towards a familiar building, all the faeries hiss<\/em> and leap off my head. They throw snow at me as I open the door to the Runner\u2019s Guild and slip inside. The building is made with nails of iron and it has iron in general inside; ergo the faeries don\u2019t feel welcome and don\u2019t follow. Their rules are bizarre, but I\u2019m glad they exist.<\/p>\n \u201cDone with the deliveries.\u201d<\/p>\n The [Receptionist] at the counter looks up and gives me a smile which I don\u2019t return. I hand her the Seals I\u2019ve been given and she confirms all my deliveries are done.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was quick, Miss Ryoka! I gave them to you just an hour ago, didn\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n I shrug. I was given five different locations. I got to them all, and got the seals. And I did it fast, too.<\/p>\n \u201cYep. Got any more?\u201d<\/p>\n The [Receptionist] glances awkwardly at the board of deliveries. I look over there too, and notice some other Runners congregated around it. Only one or two today, though.<\/p>\n Normally, longer deliveries are posted on the board \u2013 these would be city-to-city runs, the kind I normally do. But there aren\u2019t many requests or many of the better type of Runner that can avoid or outrun bandits and monsters\u2014City Runners\u2014around. That\u2019s because of the Goblins. No one wants to run into them, even if none have been spotted on the roads as of yet.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m afraid we\u2019re all out of Street Runner deliveries. You and the other City Runners\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n I glance over and see where the receptionist is looking. The Runner\u2019s Guild has tables and places to sit, and they\u2019re occupied by an annoyed-looking group of younger Runners. They\u2019re all Street Runners, by the looks of them. They\u2019re not as quick as City Runners, and though they might know the streets well, I and the other city Runners can still beat them in speed. We\u2019ve been cooped up in the city, and so we\u2019ve been poaching all their regular deliveries.<\/p>\n Do I feel bad? No, not really. Running, doing deliveries, it\u2019s all a competition in a way. I run fast, and so I get paid more. Maybe I\u2019d try to give them some work if I intended to stay here for a while, but I think this is my last day of running solely around the city.<\/p>\n I turn back to the receptionist and nod.<\/p>\n \u201cFine, I\u2019ll come back later. Is Garia Strongheart around?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMiss Garia? I haven\u2019t seen her yet. Do you want to leave a message for her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust tell her I\u2019d like to talk to her if she comes in. That\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will do so. Have a good day, Miss R\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019m out the door before the [Receptionist] finishes speaking. Was that rude? Yes, it probably was. She was only trying to do her job, but I didn\u2019t want to exchange pleasantries. It\u2019s a bad habit of mine, and I\u2019ve been getting better recently.<\/p>\n But today? Today\u2019s a bit\u2026frustrating for me. Scratch that, I just woke up so I can\u2019t really say it\u2019s been frustrating as of yet. More like I\u2019ve been having problems for the last few days and today it\u2019s just\u2026<\/p>\n I jog down the streets, keeping an eye out for Frost Faeries. They\u2019re probably bothering someone else right now, but I want to get to my destination before they come back to check on me. Sure enough, I spot the familiar building and push the door open.<\/p>\n Unlike the Runner\u2019s Guild, I hear a babble of voices and find a full house the instant I walk in. Barmaids\u2014three of them\u2014bustle about the room, filling mugs and tankards and serving food to the room full of people eating breakfast.<\/p>\n That\u2019s pretty normal for an inn. But this inn is special, if only because it\u2019s under new management. The evidence of that is clear when I stare at what one of the barmaids is serving to the guests.<\/p>\n \u201cCrepes?\u201d<\/p>\n Yep. They\u2019re crepes alright, complete with sprinkled sugar, and lots of butter. Not any syrup; I guess it\u2019s too expensive for this inn\u2019s budget. But eggs and bacon make this a filling meal\u2014and food choice aside, I can see that each crepe is golden brown and cooked perfectly.<\/p>\n The small inn I\u2019m staying at, the Frenzied Hare, is packed today, just like it was yesterday. Although we\u2019ve only been in the city for a few days, word has gotten around that there\u2019s a new [Innkeeper] who makes great food, and so every day the common room is packed full of people.<\/p>\n Again, thanks to the new management. I\u2019m not sure if she owns the inn, but she acts as if she does and everyone goes along with her because frankly, she\u2019s pulling in money by the bagful. I walk into the kitchen and see the mastermind behind today\u2019s breakfast flipping a crepe into the air. She holds out a plate to catch it, and it splats into the bowl of batter. I block some of the splatter with my hands as she exclaims.<\/p>\n \u201cEw! I guess [Advanced Cooking] doesn\u2019t help with that.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n She wipes some of the batter off her apron and licks it. Then she looks around and sees me.<\/p>\n \u201cHey Ryoka! Want a crepe?\u201d<\/p>\n I wipe the batter on my hands and shirt off onto an apron, suddenly realizing that I probably shouldn\u2019t be walking in here with my wet and dirty feet. Oh well.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll have some food, Erin. Do you want to have breakfast together or have you eaten?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUm\u2026I\u2019ve made breakfast, but haven\u2019t eaten. Let me just make one last stack\u2014I think everyone out there is mostly done! I\u2019ll be with you in a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGotcha.\u201d<\/p>\n I walk back out into the inn and try to find an empty table. One of the barmaids who\u2019s name I keep forgetting comes over with a plate of crepes.<\/p>\n \u201cAnything you want to drink, Miss Ryoka? Or is it just hot water again?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHot water. And Erin will probably have milk. She\u2019ll be out in a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be back with your drinks in a second!\u201d<\/p>\n The young woman smiles at me and moves over to another table. I start cutting my crepe apart and eating it. It\u2019s delicious, and the eggs and bacon I manage to get another barmaid to give me are just as good. But my eyes are on the kitchen, and soon enough I see her come out of it.<\/p>\n Erin Solstice. The inn doesn\u2019t exactly stop for her, but somehow she makes her own impression on it. As soon as she comes out she looks towards me. I raise my hand, but she\u2019s intercepted before she even sees me.<\/p>\n The actual owner of the Frenzied Hare, Agnes, has a plate of food in one hand and a huge smile on her face. She\u2019s acting as a barmaid rather than as the innkeeper, but she couldn\u2019t be happier judging by the look on her face as she sits Erin down at a table. She chats animatedly with Erin and other guests come over.<\/p>\n That\u2019s part of Erin\u2019s charm, I guess. She\u2019s friendly, open, and frankly interesting. As an [Innkeeper], I gather she\u2019s quite high-level, especially at her age. You could call her a prodigy without exaggerating, at least by how this world judges things.<\/p>\n Erin has many Skills in the [Innkeeper] class that makes her useful in any inn she walks into, and in a fight. She\u2019s also got great charisma, which is why I finish two plates of food and Erin\u2019s drink of milk before she even finishes her first plate. She\u2019s so busy chatting with Agnes and some other people that I have to wait a few minutes before I can even get her attention.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, hey Ryoka! Sorry, I must have missed you! Agnes was just telling me I should stay here and help her run the inn forever!\u201d<\/p>\n The woman chuckles as she sits next to Erin, eating the crepes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would be lovely if you would. You\u2019re such a good cook and frankly my dear\u2014you have such a way about you that even Jerom would be jealous of. He\u2019s still so sick\u2014but even when he gets better I could see you being the real manager of the inn. Why, you\u2019re like a second child to me\u2014not that I had a first. I\u2019d so love it if you gave it some thought.\u201d<\/p>\n I roll my eyes as Erin smiles and says something polite and friendly in reply. A second child, sure. One that can do Agnes\u2019 job and her husbands\u2019 without even needing them. Erin is a golden goose and they just want her to stay here and earn them tons of money forever. Even though she\u2019s splitting the profits with Agnes, they have to be earning more in these few days than they would in a month.<\/p>\n Maybe I\u2019m being too harsh. Agnes looks genuinely happy to have Erin here, and so do the other people. But I\u2019m not going to wait until they finish their chat about banal things. I clear my throat.<\/p>\n \u201cErin. Do you have a minute?\u201d<\/p>\n She looks up at me and nods, while the others look disappointed.<\/p>\n \u201cSure, Ryoka! Let me just eat one last crepe\u2026mm, this is good! You want another?\u201d<\/p>\n I shake my head and wait until Erin finishes stuffing her face. Of course, that doesn\u2019t mean she and I get to talk right away. Agnes, hovers around while Erin chats with her\u2026and then some of her guests\u2026and then finally has time to talk with me at a table in the corner.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s up, Ryoka? Did you finish your deliveries?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA while ago. But I was thinking today you and I should do more planning. We still need to get you back.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin\u2019s smile, present on her face since the moment I saw her today, fades. She looks at me seriously.<\/p>\n \u201cRight. We still need to get back. But didn\u2019t you say that was dangerous? You told me yesterday that leaving wasn\u2019t a good idea.\u201d<\/p>\n I nod. Erin and I are in Celum, a Human city on the continent of Izril. And while we\u2019re surviving well enough here, this isn\u2019t where Erin belongs. She needs to go back to Liscor, a city a hundred miles south of here, and that is an undertaking which has been bothering me since I found her here.<\/p>\n \u201cRight, leaving earlier wasn\u2019t a good option. The gates were locked for the first day, and we were still getting word of what happened yesterday. But there aren\u2019t any reports of large Goblin groups on the move today, so if we\u2019re going to look into getting you back to Liscor, we should start now.\u201d<\/p>\n Liscor is Erin\u2019s home. At least, that\u2019s where her inn is. And her friends. She belongs there, in a sense, and both she and I know it, no matter how much she might enjoy being here.<\/p>\n Erin frowns as she nods and drinks from her cup of warm milk.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to go back, Ryoka, I really do. I know Mrsha must be so worried! But Selys can take care of her, and I really do want to finish up my experiments with Octavia first.\u201d<\/p>\n I frown at Erin. She keeps saying she wants to finish her experiments, but over the three days we\u2019ve been here, she\u2019s gone to the [Alchemist]\u2019s shop nearly every day.<\/p>\n \u201cAren\u2019t you done yet? Or can\u2019t you finish your work in Liscor?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe\u2026but I need Octavia\u2019s help, Ryoka! She knows all kinds of rare alchemical stuff and she helps me with the food.\u201d<\/p>\n Magical food. Only Erin would think of it. But it works\u2014she made a soup that can give me partial immunity to the cold. I clench my teeth as I think.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I had to choose between you going now or later\u2026there are [Alchemists] in Liscor, I\u2019m sure, Erin. And maybe we could get Octavia to come with you? She\u2019d do anything for gold.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEither way, I want to know that we can get you back, so I wanted to visit places with you if you\u2019ve got time before you go to Octavia\u2019s. There\u2019s a market full of magical items\u2014I want to see if there\u2019s anything you or I could use in case we got attacked on the road\u2014and the Adventurer\u2019s Guild might have a party we could hire to escort us back.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin\u2019s eyes light up at the sound of magical items. She\u2019s still not over magic existing in this world, and neither am I, in truth. She nods eagerly as she finishes her drink.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d love to come along! Agnes says she can handle lunch, so as long as I\u2019m back for dinner\u2014I\u2019m sure Octavia wouldn\u2019t mind if I came by an hour or two late.\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019m sure she wouldn\u2019t. I nod briskly as Erin waves at Agnes to let her know.<\/p>\n \u201cFine. First we go shopping, then we\u2019ll ask about an escort and visit Octavia. Sound good?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGreat!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, and by the way, the Frost Faeries are back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. Um\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n It takes us a while to leave the inn, but by the time we do, thirty more minutes have passed, and the faeries are waiting for us as we leave.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh look! It\u2019s the duo! The food maker and the story teller!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s hit them with snow!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNae, let\u2019s demand food and a story!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Erin blinks up at the faeries as I groan. The other guests that came out to talk and socialize with Erin immediately decide to go back in as the tiny faeries begin swirling around us again, pulling at hair, laughing, conjuring snow\u2014<\/p>\n \u201cHey, do you all want a crepe?\u201d<\/p>\n They blink. I blink. But the steaming crepe is in Erin\u2019s hands and she tosses it up to them. Immediately, all the faeries begin to fight over it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGive it to me!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo, me!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In an instant the crepe is whirled up into the air and bits of it fall down as the faeries fight and devour it, ripping head-sized chunks away and gobbling them down like starving\u2026ladybugs. Well, they\u2019re bigger than ladybugs by a good bit, but you get the idea.<\/p>\n While they\u2019re fighting, Erin and I walk off. I see the door open behind us, and to my surprise, a plate heaping with steamed crepes is placed outside. I see Agnes waving at Erin before she closes the door and the faeries descend on the food.<\/p>\n I stare at Erin as she smiles, walking beside me.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you plan that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, they like food!\u201d<\/p>\n Why didn\u2019t I think of\u2014I walk along with Erin, shaking my head slightly. Bribe the faeries with crepes. It\u2019s so obvious, and so easy!<\/p>\n That\u2019s the thing about Erin. It\u2019s never boring when I\u2019m with her. In fact, she might have an even crazier life than I do at times.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSo, all of these things are magical?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin and I stand in what I can only call a cross between a flea market and a shopping street, staring at a merchant as he displays a small selection of old-looking rings, amulets, and even a few neatly tied scrolls.<\/p>\n Like all markets, supply is often matched by demand, which is why finding anyone who sells magical items in Celum is actually a harder task than it might seem. There are very few shops that do permanent trade in solely magical items, and most such merchants roam from city to city to find their clientele.<\/p>\n Erin and I were lucky enough to be pointed towards this [Merchant], a man of good repute who offers lower-grade magical items. He\u2019s a richly dressed man wearing countless rings and jewelry that sparkles and gives the impression of magic\u2014although I doubt the rings do much more than emit pretty colors. The effect is nice, though, and the man himself is quite the salesman, trying to get Erin or I to commit to a purchase.<\/p>\n Frankly, I\u2019m not sure I\u2019ll buy anything today. I\u2019ve got Octavia\u2019s potions which are quite useful, and I don\u2019t have any glaring needs for magical artifacts right now. I\u2019m just browsing. Also, from what I understand of how much any kind of enchanted object costs, I can only afford a very basic item even with the eight hundred gold pieces I received from Teriarch.<\/p>\n The man sits on a small wooden chair, watching us with a smile on his face while his two guards watch us and everyone coming near the display with considerably less cheer. Erin stares with fascination at the rings; they just look old and uninteresting to me, except for one ring that\u2019s visibly sparkling with red light. I guess most magical items are designed not to attract attention.<\/p>\n \u201cLadies, what would you two like to buy? I have quite a small selection today\u2014I was cleaned out a while back, but I believe I have a number of trinkets that could help you with all your needs. In fact, I even have a little potion for romantic\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not shopping for love potions. I\u2019m looking for protection.\u201d<\/p>\n I don\u2019t want to know if there are actual love potions in this world. The man blinks at me.<\/p>\n \u201cProtection? Unless you need a weapon\u2014no. Are you a Runner?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell observed.\u201d<\/p>\n I lift one bare foot. The [Merchant] is eying my un-frostbitten toes, and I can tell he wants to ask about them.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m looking for a ring of protection or something similar. Anything that can help me survive a run-in with monsters or bandits.\u201d<\/p>\n The man smiles thinly at me, and from the way the two guards shift, I can tell they\u2019re amused as well.<\/p>\n \u201cAh, I\u2019m afraid you might be under a bit of a misapprehension, Miss. Protection is a very general term. There\u2019s no such thing as a ring that simply guards against everything\u2014at least not outside of an artifact worth hundreds of thousands of gold coins\u2014but let me show you what you\u2019re probably looking for in your line of work.\u201d<\/p>\n The [Merchant] gives me a not-at-all condescending smile that makes me want to deck him as he selects a ring from the items in front of him. He shows me the ring; a slightly cracked circle that feels like it\u2019s made of stone.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a wonderful little trinket that I could sell you\u2014for six hundred gold coins, say? It will deflect arrows for one minute when activated. Arrows will swerve as they fly towards you, perfect for a Runner like you to make their escape.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy\u2019s it cracked?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin peers at the ring next to me. She touches the ring along the crack and the man practically snatches it back.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease<\/em> don\u2019t touch that. The magic on this ring is slightly\u2014faded. Hence the discount. But I can assure you it will last quite a long time if not subjected to undue pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLike an arrow?\u201d<\/p>\n He ignores Erin and smiles at me.<\/p>\n \u201cHow about it? You could weather any storm of arrows\u2014especially ones shot by Goblin archers. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve heard about the attack on Esthelm? Tragic. But in your line of work, you can\u2019t afford to stay behind city walls, can you? This ring will allow you plenty of time to escape.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA minute. Yes.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin frowns as she stares at the ring. I keep my face straight and try to sound disinterested\u2014I know how to haggle. But I\u2019m more interested in seeing how Erin deals with this [Merchant]. I\u2019m pretty sure I don\u2019t even want that crappy ring, but I do want to see the show. Erin points to the ring as she questions the man.<\/p>\n \u201cA minute doesn\u2019t sound like much. How long does it take to recharge?\u201d<\/p>\n He grits his teeth, although he\u2019s still smiling.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo days. But you can always recharge it if you have the gift, and I assure you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014And what did you mean earlier? Arrows \u2018swerve\u2019? Does that mean it doesn\u2019t really deflect them? Wait a second, why would anyone want a ring like that anyways?\u201d<\/p>\n My lips twitch, and I even see the guards grinning a bit. The [Merchant]\u2019s voice is testy.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s true that the ring doesn\u2019t send arrows in the other direction, but it does repel them from your person. If <\/em>you are running, I\u2019m confident the arrows would fail to hit their mark. It would take someone with a Skill to bypass the protection this ring offers, and again, let me say for five hundred and seventy gold coins, this ring is a bargain.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI bet Halrac could shoot an arrow that could beat your ring.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHalrac! He\u2019s this guy\u2014a [Scout] that I met at my inn. He\u2019s really good with a bow, and he\u2019s got tons of Skills. What would happen if he shot an arrow at this ring? Would it work?\u201d<\/p>\n The man stares at Erin, brow furrowed.<\/p>\n \u201cHalrac? You mean\u2026Halrac of Griffon Hunt? The Gold-rank adventurer?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, that\u2019s him. He\u2019s a friend of ours. Do you know him?\u201d<\/p>\n For two seconds the [Merchant] stares at Erin. Then he glances at something on his wrist. I look down. One of the gemstones on the man\u2019s bestrewn hands is glowing softly blue. Oho. A truth spell on a stone?<\/p>\n At once, the man\u2019s demeanor changes. He spreads his arms wide, all former irritation gone in a flash as he stands up, now trying to be very welcoming towards us.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you know Halrac, that\u2019s different. You know, he bought a very nice amulet from a friend of mine just last year? I\u2019d be very grateful if you\u2019d recommend my wares to him. And for a friend of Halrac, I could certainly offer you\u2026ah\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s clearly trying to figure out what kind of discount and pitch he should give us when I hear familiar voices and groan through clenched teeth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThere she is! Found her!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cShe can\u2019t run away this time!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOoh! Is she looking at magical items? Look how shiny they are! And how weak!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey barely glow of magic!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Erin looks around, frowning. I\u2019ve already spotted the Frost Faeries\u2014they\u2019re rising in a cloud over one of the roofs. Neither the guards nor the [Merchant] can hear the faeries of course, but they see us looking away and spot the faeries. They\u2019re probably only glowing blurs to them, but all three react when they see the Winter Sprites.<\/p>\n \u201cNot them!\u201d<\/p>\n The [Merchant] exclaims in a loud voice, and one of the guards shouts a warning. Surprisingly, every single shopkeeper on the street suddenly begins to scramble, shouting as they grab at their wares and try to get everything inside.<\/p>\n The faeries fly down, laughing at the chaos as the man grabs at his magical rings and amulets, face suddenly hunted. Erin looks confused.<\/p>\n \u201cHey wait, where are you going? I thought you were going to sell us that bad ring!\u201d<\/p>\n The man turns to us, looking frantic.<\/p>\n \u201cLook, we\u2019ll do business when the Winter Sprites are gone, alright? If I keep my wares out in the open they\u2019ll scatter my goods and chase away all my customers!\u201d<\/p>\n He rushes towards the nearest door, his guards grabbing the rest of his goods. Other shopkeepers do the same and the pedestrians scatter indoors as well, fearing the wrath of the fickle nuisances. In seconds, the street is deserted except for two humans and the faeries.<\/p>\n Erin and I stare up at the faeries. They stare back as they hover in the air, watching us. One of them waves.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After our short shopping trip in the market, the next place Erin and I decide to go is indoors, where the faeries can\u2019t follow. And where we find ourselves is the Adventurer\u2019s Guild. Erin and I stare around the big room as she whispers to me.<\/p>\n \u201cIt looks sort of like Selys\u2019s guild, but not, don\u2019t you think? I mean, this place is bigger. A lot bigger.\u201d<\/p>\n I nod as I stare around the Adventurer\u2019s Guild in Celum. This place is certainly a lot bigger, and the room has space for up to six receptionists at once, rather than the single desk for two in Liscor\u2019s guild. I tap on the desk for the receptionist as I ask about hiring a team. She directs me towards the adventurers sitting in one corner of the room. Apparently, hiring an escort is done by contacting the adventurers directly, not through the guild here.<\/p>\n I stare at the groups of adventurers sitting together. Some are Bronze-rank, most are, probably. And others are Silver-rank, whether individually or in teams. A lot of them look tired, cleaning their equipment after some mission, and others look like they\u2019re just here to socialize.<\/p>\n Damnit. Which group should I talk to? What\u2019s the standard rate for hiring them? Can I trust a Silver-rank team? I know none of this.<\/p>\n Neither does Erin, but she has an almost insultingly cavalier attitude towards this.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s just ask them. If any of them say they can take us to Liscor, let\u2019s try it!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou want me to just walk over there and ask them about escort duty?\u201d<\/p>\n I hate talking to new people. I hate starting up conversations, and this is practically my worst nightmare. But Erin just shrugs at me. I grind my teeth.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you expect me to say? \u2018Hey, we\u2019re looking for a group of adventurers to escort us to Liscor. Know anyone who might be interested?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat sounds good. Why not?\u201d<\/p>\n I stare at Erin. Well, it might work.<\/p>\n \u201cYou say it. I think it\u2019s best if it comes from you.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin nods and begins walking over to the nearest table where two brawny warriors are sitting and drinking together. Halfway there she turns back and looks at me with a smile of realization.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know who\u2019d be great, Ryoka? The Horns of Hammerad! Why don\u2019t we just ask them?\u201d<\/p>\n I blink. Oh. Of course. That would save costs or they could redirect us. I walk over towards Erin, but then one of the adventurers sitting at the table raises his voice?<\/p>\n \u201cThe Horns of Hammerad? Aren\u2019t they all dead?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin beams at them.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? No! No, they\u2019ve reformed, didn\u2019t you hear? After they uh\u2014they lost people at the Ruins in Liscor\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n One of the men snorts. He\u2019s in his late twenties by the looks of him, and he\u2019s got day-old stubble on his face.<\/p>\n \u201cI heard about that disaster. Four adventuring teams dead and only a handful of survivors thanks to a bunch of incompetent Captains. You\u2019re telling me someone\u2019s stupid enough to keep the name after that? They should have quit being adventurers before they ever went on another mission.\u201d<\/p>\n I stop in my tracks and bite my lips. Erin pauses, and the smile on her face freezes. The second adventurer looks at his companion.<\/p>\n \u201cWho survived? I heard everyone got slaughtered down there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt least two made it out. The half-Elf and the Silver Captain.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCeria Springwalker and Yvlon Byres? I wouldn\u2019t join a group with those two even if they were the last team on the continent. Anyone stupid enough to work with them is going to get killed like their last groups.\u201d<\/p>\n Don\u2019t punch them. I know that. Erin\u2019s voice is flat.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re both great adventurers. They\u2019re my friends.\u201d<\/p>\n The two men shake their heads at her.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re idiots and cowards who got good folk who trusted them killed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou might think they\u2019re on your side, but mark my words, girl. Trust them and you\u2019ll end up with an arrow in your back.\u201d<\/p>\n They don\u2019t even bother lowering their voices. People at other tables look up as they hear the two men begin to argue with Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not true! Ceria\u2019s really brave! So is Yvlon!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe half-Elf? I bet she turned and ran the instant she got into trouble. She\u2019s a coward. Calruz was the only real fighter in the Horns of Hammerad.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTake that back!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin\u2019s getting mad, and I\u2019m eying the two men seated at their table. They look a lot tougher than the adventurers Erin got into a fight with at her inn. And they\u2019re just talking, not sexually harassing anyone.<\/p>\n But my blood is still boiling. The Horns of Hammerad don\u2019t deserve this. They were all brave, and I could tell them that, but what would be the point? The two sneering men clearly don\u2019t want to listen; the best thing I could do is kick them both in the face.<\/p>\n I could start a fight\u2014<\/p>\n But I close my hand and feel the stumps of my fingers. No. Not here. Not now. We need the help of some adventurers, even if it\u2019s not them.<\/p>\n I put my hand on Erin\u2019s shoulder. She\u2019s tense and glaring.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Erin. Let\u2019s talk to someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you want real<\/em> protection, Miss, you\u2019d best ask us or a real Silver-rank team. Not a bunch of half-wits that can\u2019t even slay a few undead.\u201d<\/p>\n I have to drag Erin backwards. She glares at me, but I manage to pull her back successfully. Five steps. Then I run into someone.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, sorr\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n I pause as I stare into a familiar, beat-up face. An adventurer pauses with four of his buddies as they walk towards the receptionist\u2019s desk. All of them look beat-upon; the result of a bar fight they were on the losing end of.<\/p>\n The lead adventurer certainly recognizes me.<\/p>\n He takes one look at Erin and begins edging towards the door. Too late. As my grip slackens, Erin pulls herself away. She walks back over to the table with the two adventurers and smiles at them as she puts\u00a0her hands on the edge of the table.<\/p>\n \u201cYou should take back what you said about Ceria and Yvlon. They\u2019re my friends and they did everything they could to keep everyone else alive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe said exactly what everyone else was thinking, Miss. The Horns of Hammerad\u2014both past and present\u2014are a team of fools.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin takes a deep breath. Her eyes are wide and she gives them a big smile.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay. Fine. If that\u2019s the way it\u2019s gonna be then\u2014table flip attack!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n On the whole, I sometimes wonder if Erin\u2019s the more violent one between the two of us.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWell, now we\u2019re banned from the Adventurer\u2019s Guild. At least for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n I sigh as Erin and I stump along down the street, followed by a cloud of faeries. I\u2019m resigned to them by this point. They fly after us, laughing about the fight. Erin walks behind me, frowning.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t regret a thing! Those guys were jerks!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, they were. But now they won\u2019t help us if we need to get back to Liscor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo? We\u2019ll just get the Horns of Hammerad to do it. Ceria and Pisces and Yvlon and Ksmvr can probably defend us against anything we run up against.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe. But we don\u2019t know where they are. I can try and make a trip to Albez\u2014or put the word out I\u2019m looking for them in other cities, but it\u2019ll take longer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin nods, and I glance up at the faeries flying overhead. They look\u2026slightly bored, actually. They\u2019re still laughing and one of them is dropping a steady stream of powdery snowflakes into my eyes, but the rest are just following along, quiet for once.<\/p>\n Huh. I guess even faeries get bored. I shrug and keep walking.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to do another delivery\u2014to another city probably. I\u2019ll be back tonight unless something comes up. You okay until then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m gonna blow something up.\u201d<\/p>\n I grin.<\/p>\n \u201cThat sounds like fun. Just try not to piss Octavia off too much, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n I try to drop Erin off at the [Alchemist]\u2019s shop, but to my surprise Octavia herself runs out, waving one of her arms at me as if it\u2019s a club.<\/p>\n \u201cRyoka? Ryoka!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Erin walks happily into the shop as the stitch-girl confronts me. Octavia looks stressed out, sort of understandable given that she\u2019s going to be babysitting Erin all day today. Again.<\/p>\n \u201cHey Octavia, Erin wants to blow something up.\u201d<\/p>\n The young woman\u2019s dark skinned face goes pale as she looks back at Erin in her shop. I feel a bit bad, so I try to reassure her.<\/p>\n \u201cShe probably won\u2019t. She\u2019s looking forwards to experimenting with new food recipes, Octavia.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely not! Do you know how much she\u2019s cost me already? One day was in our agreement. I could see two days, maybe three in light of our past arrangements and for future business\u2019s sake, but four? Erin\u2019s already cost me a small fortune in ingredients, not to mention all the time I could be making my own potions. If I\u2019ve got to keep helping her out I insist on some kind of reimbursement. I know we had a bargain, but this\u2014<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n I have to take a step back as Octavia shouts and waves her hands at me. Looks like she\u2019s hit the end of her patience. Damn. What should I do?<\/p>\n I hesitate, then take the most expedient course of action. Octavia\u2019s ranting slows and stops dead as I start pulling gold coins out of the bag at my side. From the looks of it, it shouldn\u2019t be able to hold all the gold that\u2019s in there, but it\u2019s magical. There\u2019s a massive book inside as well, and that still amazes me.<\/p>\n \u201cFine. I get it. Here\u2019s more money for Erin, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n I pour the gold into Octavia\u2019s hands as the [Alchemist] gapes at me. Twenty golden coins\u2014pretty darn heavy and glittering in the light, wink up at the girl as she looks from the money to me.<\/p>\n Twenty gold coins. Yes, it\u2019s a lot, but it\u2019s only a fraction of the money I got from Teriarch. And by the way Octavia goes silent, it\u2019s a lot more than she thought she\u2019d get.<\/p>\n \u201cSo. Is there a problem with Erin?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cErin? What? Of course not!\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia beams.<\/p>\n \u201cErin, my favorite customer. I\u2019d be happy to\u2014let me just say that as long as she wants to keep working with me, I\u2019d be delighted to help out. Her achievements really are stellar, and let me tell you that I think she\u2019s onto a real breakthrough\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGlad to hear it. Just get her whatever she wants, Octavia.\u201d<\/p>\n I let the [Alchemist] practically skip back into her shop and walk off, shaking my head. The faeries follow me, half imitating my shaking head motion, the other half debating whether it would be more enjoyable to watch Erin blow something up in the shop.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know. I\u2019m glad that Erin\u2019s happy, and I\u2019m fine with leaving her alone to cause havoc in Octavia\u2019s shop. She\u2019ll probably be fine with Octavia to stop her from doing something too insane.<\/p>\n But\u2014<\/p>\n I\u2019m just a bit tired. At the end of my rope, you could say. It\u2019s not that I don\u2019t have anything to do; I\u2019ve got too much to do.<\/p>\n Time to go on another delivery. I start walking in the direction of the Runner\u2019s Guild again. I might not be feeling at the top of my game, but at least I can always count on running to take the stress away.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m looking for a delivery to another city, but I can\u2019t find any requests. Do you have any?\u201d<\/p>\n The receptionist in the Runner\u2019s Guild looks up at me and frowns. She taps one finger against her lips and nods at last.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2026have the daily letter delivery for Wales if you\u2019re interested.\u201d<\/p>\n Her hesitation is warranted. No one likes that delivery. I make a face.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing else?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing. Sorry Miss Ryoka.\u201d<\/p>\n The [Receptionist] shrinks back slightly in her seat as I stare at her. After a minute I nod.<\/p>\n \u201cFine. Give me that delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I run through the snow, and then onto harder, slippery ground that\u2019s been frozen over and not thawed. I frown and run back into the snow. It might be more constricting, but thanks to Erin\u2019s soup that I took another drink of before I left, it\u2019s easier to run through the grass underneath the snow than the slippery road.<\/p>\n I\u2019m doing the bulk letter delivery to Wales. It\u2019s\u2026well, it\u2019s not exactly anything to write home about. Or anywhere else for that matter.<\/p>\n Bulk delivery. Just like the post office, letters are taken in and a huge bag full of them is sent off with a City Runner each day to the other cities. It\u2019s a standard delivery, and since it\u2019s so easy, it pays next to nothing.<\/p>\n I haven\u2019t done it since I started working as a Runner. Where did all the big deliveries go? Do people just not need anything during the winter months? No, that can\u2019t be true. Must just be a slow day.<\/p>\n But, like always, I\u2019m not alone. A cloud of faeries flies around me, watching me with heavy-lidded eyes as I run at a good pace through the snow. But all the faces of the faeries aren\u2019t filled with their usual calculated expressions of glee or anticipation. Instead, they all look bored.<\/p>\n It\u2019s actually sort of bugging me. I glance around at the faeries. Some are frowning, and I rarely see them do that. Why haven\u2019t they gone to bother someone else? But then one flying furthest from me speaks, and I hear her voice clearly over the rushing wind.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo. This is boring. I don\u2019t want to do it anymore.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n That\u2019s odd. I stare at the faerie who said that. She has a very unhappy expression on her face. She flies into the center of the herd of faeries and raises her voice as she points at me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re boring now. Boring. <\/em>Mortal, do something interesting.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m no one\u2019s monkey. Get lost.\u201d<\/p>\n I wave at the faerie as she flies around me. She blows ice fragments into my face, making me curse and nearly trip as she shouts at the other faeries.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSee? She does naught! I won\u2019t follow anymore. Not even if a Wyvern flew down and dragged her screaming into the air!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n All the faeries look up hopefully. So do I. Nothing. The faerie makes a disgusted sound.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI am done. There are other places to be, other mortals to watch and bother. Not her.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n That sounds completely fine to me. Why wouldn\u2019t the faeries go annoy someone else if I\u2019m not entertaining them? They\u2019ve done so before.<\/p>\n But this time, the faerie\u2019s words seem to have a lot more significance to them. The other faeries exchange looks, and then begin to argue overhead.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBut she wants\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNae, I don\u2019t care as well! We\u2019ve done this too long!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYeah! She went to the Dragon<\/em> and nothing happened!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMe too!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m staying. No. Wait. I\u2019m going too!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s go bother a King! Or a Queen!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI want to eat berries in the jungle!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The faeries\u2026begin flying away. They flutter upwards in a storm of flashing wings and movement. I stare up at them, my heart beating out of my chest for some reason.<\/p>\n They\u2019re going? Forever? Or will they come back? What they said\u2014<\/p>\n I don\u2019t mind. Not at all. If the Frost Faeries leave me alone, no one will be happier than I\u2026<\/p>\n I stumble on something in the snow. When I raise my foot, I see blood. Cut my skin on a bit of rock. Damn.<\/p>\n Then I look up, and they\u2019re gone. The sky is clear, and the faeries\u2014<\/p>\n The Frost Faeries are gone. The winter they brought remains, but the magic has left. I feel empty. Relieved?<\/p>\n No. Not relieved. They\u2019re gone, and I don\u2019t know why.<\/p>\n I turn back to my run. Don\u2019t think about it. Why would they do that? What did they mean? How was I boring? Was it something I did? What was so wrong about the game of riddles with Teriarch?<\/p>\n A flash of liquid ice to my left. My head snaps around so fast I hear a crick<\/em>.<\/p>\n They\u2019re not all gone. I see a pale blue shape flying in the air beside me. A Frost Faerie, easily keeping pace with me as I run through the snowy landscape.<\/p>\n One of them is still following. Just one, flying up and to my right, sitting in the air as her wings beat disproportionately slowly to the speed she\u2019s going. Just one.<\/p>\n For some reason, the tension in my heart eases. I feel a bit lighter, although I don\u2019t know why. I stare at the faerie and nearly trip again. She waves at me and grins.<\/p>\n Why is she here? I open my mouth to ask, and then see something to my right. Something closing in fast.<\/p>\n Instantly, I reach for a potion at my belt and slow as I fixate on that, forgetting completely about the faerie. I see a blur\u2014something racing through the snow, and\u2014is that laughter? And I see a pale, pinched face, and catch a glimpse of someone for just one second before she\u2019s past me, speeding down the frozen road at a pace I could never match.<\/p>\n I come to a dead stop in the snow, my feet melting the snow I stand on as I stare at the already distant figure running past me, towards another city.<\/p>\n No way. It can\u2019t be. But I say it out loud anyways.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that\u2026Persua?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —-<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I have no idea. I think it was Persua. She has that same sallow* face and annoying complexion as ever, and her running form was crap.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n *I know sallow isn\u2019t the right word, but I\u2019m still using it for her. Pinched is probably a better word, but I like sallow.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But the way she moved! She was moving faster than I was\u2014way faster. How? No, I know how. A Skill. But can it really happen that fast? Persua was the slowest City Runner I knew, even slower than Garia because she took regular breaks. And now\u2014<\/p>\n I shake my head as I sit in the small room I\u2019ve rented in the Frenzied Hare. Erin\u2019s got her own room for which I\u2019m grateful; I need the alone time right now.<\/p>\n I finished my delivery. It was an easy thing; I don\u2019t even have to track down the individual recipients myself with a bulk delivery. I just hand it over to the receptionist at the local Runner\u2019s Guild and get my pay.<\/p>\n Easy. And now I\u2019m relaxing in my room, using the few hours I have before dinner to do some studying. Not dwelling on Persua; studying.<\/p>\n I sigh and look back at the massive tome in front of me. A book\u2014a magical spell book lies on the table in front of me, so big there\u2019s nowhere else on the table for me to put anything else.<\/p>\n I\u2019m studying magic. That\u2019s what I\u2019ve been doing every day, while Erin causes havoc in Octavia\u2019s shop and generally runs about the city. I\u2019ve cut back on doing my deliveries to make time for this.<\/p>\n Learning magic. Learning spells from the tome of wonders that Teriarch gave me. And how many new spells have I learned today?<\/p>\n Well, none, actually. And how many did I learn yesterday?<\/p>\n None, again. In fact, ever since I opened the book to this page I\u2019ve been\u2026<\/p>\n Stuck.<\/p>\n I stare down at the page covered with words that are part magic, part language. They shine at me, spelling out secrets in the magical language that I can only comprehend at a snail\u2019s pace. But I can read the words\u2014<\/p>\n I just can\u2019t accept what they say.<\/p>\n I raise my hand, and take a breath. It\u2019s not that warm in my room; there\u2019s not exactly central heating in this building, although heat does come up from the ground floor. But it\u2019s chilly even so, and I opened the window to let some air in, despite the freezing cold outside. None of the windows in this inn have glass, so either I keep the shutters closed and suffocate, or face the weather.<\/p>\n Ignore that. Concentrate. I fix all my attention on my hand and try to push an invisible force into the right place. Let it condense, like rainwater. Make it into a current and push\u2014<\/em><\/p>\n \u201c[Water Spray].\u201d<\/p>\n I say the words, and try to use the magic. But nothing happens. I stare at my hand, and say the words again.<\/p>\n \u201c[Water Spray].\u201d<\/p>\n Again, my hand and the air around it are completely still.<\/p>\n \u201cDamn it.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not working. I look back at the page in the book and clench my fists. Another failure.<\/p>\n \u201cIt makes no sense. It\u2019s not\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n I take another breath, and try to exhale slowly. No. It\u2019s really not working, is it? I can\u2019t figure it out. This\u2014<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t working.<\/p>\n I stand up and walk slowly around my cramped room. Yeah. I\u2019ve been trying to put off this conclusion for a while. Day after day I\u2019ve done this, but I\u2019m no closer to the answer than I was yesterday. I have to call it. I have to say it.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n This is the real reason why every day hasn\u2019t been great. Stress, Goblins, all of my worries are one thing, but I think I could have handled it all if it wasn\u2019t for this.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t learn magic. I thought I could, but I can\u2019t. I got this book from Teriarch, a complete beginner\u2019s guide to spells that should<\/em> allow me to learn every spell easily and quickly. Hell, I mastered one of the spells in the book in minutes! But I tried reading more spells before I delivered the book to Krshia and its\u2026just not working for me.<\/p>\n The first two spells were easy. I learned a basic telekinesis cantrip\u2014the ability to lift things up like Ceria and Pisces do. Nothing fancy, and I\u2019d have to really work to lift more than the few snowflakes off the table, but it was easy enough to grasp. And then I figured out how to blow air around, another fun trick. But then I started reading another spell\u2014[Water Spray], a very simplistic spell that\u2019s probably Tier 0, and I got stuck.<\/p>\n I stare down at the page again. There are no pictures, probably because magic isn\u2019t something you can just describe in words. But I look at the meanings described on the page and I know exactly what must be done.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Let the magic condense, coalesce into a liquid, a real thing. Let it pool and grow, into a current and ocean of its own. Hold it, and then let it manifest as you push it outwards into the shape you desire. Magic is like water, a rushing thing to be guided, but never forced. You cannot force the sea to move, but you can give it a channel\u2014<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Why can\u2019t I get this? Well, because I can\u2019t believe it works. Simple as that. I understand how the spell goes and how I conjure water out of the air but\u2014<\/p>\n I can\u2019t do it. It violates the basic laws of physics. To cast [Water Spray], I need to turn magic into water, anchor it in a form and then use magic to spray it out. Simple.<\/p>\n But I know<\/em> that it\u2019s impossible. Magic into matter? It doesn\u2019t work like that. It violates the laws of thermodynamics! What about conservation of energy? The water dissipates fast, but does it evaporate or turn back into magic?<\/p>\n And what about fire? How is it mimicking a natural reaction if it\u2019s burning\u2026magic? Would it still burn in an airtight room?<\/p>\n I clutch at my head. This is all wrong. It should be easy. I get how it works, but now\u2014<\/p>\n I can\u2019t believe<\/em> it works. That\u2019s the problem. All the science I know, all the laws of my reality I\u2019ve grown up with\u2014they\u2019re telling me what I\u2019m trying to do is impossible, making me doubt what I\u2019m doing and ask questions this book can\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n And magic is partly faith. It must be. If I don\u2019t believe what I\u2019m doing will work, it won\u2019t work. And I don\u2019t believe I can cast this spell. I suppose I just didn\u2019t think about it with the [Light] spell and even when I learned to make fire. But making water out of nothing just doesn\u2019t\u2014<\/p>\n The problem becomes a loop of errors in my head as I struggle to convince myself that I can<\/em> conjure water out of nothing. But it doesn\u2019t help. I can try to do the spell, but it won\u2019t work. I have to know. I have to understand, and I think\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t do this.\u201d<\/p>\n Not with this book. I stare down at it, wanting to throw up, or throw it through my window. It\u2019s so easy to learn with this book. It should be. But because I went to school and studied all these damn lessons about how the world works, I can\u2019t believe in these spells.<\/p>\n \u201cEducation ruined magic.\u201d<\/p>\n I don\u2019t want to believe that\u2019s true, but I\u2019ve been stuck on this one spell. I can\u2019t move on until I complete it\u2014I just can\u2019t. Even when I look at other spells, all the doubts that popped into my head from this one follow me from page to page.<\/p>\n Maybe if I stare at it longer, something will click. [Water Spray]. Magic turns into water, water appears. I can\u2019t\u2014<\/p>\n Damnit.<\/p>\n I\u2019m so miserable and angry at myself I want to put my fist through something. A wall, maybe. I clench my fingers on my right hand and stare at the deformed fist I make.<\/p>\n Something else to add more depression to my day. I stare at the book and my hand.<\/p>\n Today wasn\u2019t a bad day. Not really. I did some deliveries. I got to see Erin punch an adventurer in the face. I saw Persua\u2014<\/p>\n And the faeries think I\u2019m boring. They left.<\/p>\n All except one.<\/p>\n I look out my window. The sky is gray and the rooftops are filled with snow. But is she out there? Or has she gone too?<\/p>\n She\u2019s out there. I didn\u2019t even realize it at first. But I see something hovering just outside my window. A faint blue shape, holding so still in the air that I didn\u2019t even realize she was watching me.<\/p>\n A Frost Faerie meets my eyes as I stare at her and nearly tumble out of my seat. She laughs at me as I stare at her and feel the wind blow into my room.<\/p>\n \u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n She smiles at me, and floats forwards a bit. The wind is blowing hard, but she doesn\u2019t even seem to be affected by the air that blows my hair about and flicks the pages on the spellbook. She\u2019s in a little world of her own, but she stops at the edge of my windowsill.<\/p>\n Oh. Right. I stare at her and the room I\u2019m in. Faeries are a bit like Vampires. They can\u2019t enter unless invited. Do I have the right? I don\u2019t own this inn\u2014<\/p>\n But I am renting this room. I cough and clear my throat.<\/p>\n \u201cCome in. If you want.\u201d<\/p>\n The faerie stares at me for a second, and then nods in agreement. She alights on my windowsill and dances into the room, twirling and leaping onto my desk with effortless grace. Her feet leave frost on the wood wherever they touch, and I can sense the chill from her.<\/p>\n The faerie shivers, although I don\u2019t. She looks around the room darkly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cToo much cold iron here. \u2018Tis not a good place for true magics, or my kind. But then, ye can\u2019t even master a few tricks, so the iron doubtless hinders ye little.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s the first words she says. Not \u2018hello\u2019 or \u2018how are you?\u2019 or even \u2018sorry I was spying on you this entire time\u2019. She just jumps into the heart of the conversation like that. I like that about faeries.<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean iron interferes with spells? Is that why I can\u2019t master this one?\u201d<\/p>\n The faerie shakes her head at me as she scoffs at the large tome on my table. She steps on one of the pages and kicks the parchment with a foot.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPshaw. The magic yon book teaches is only a fragment of true magic. Ye should know that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI do. But I don\u2019t know real magic. A fragment is better than nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n The faerie nods, and looks at me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTrue. But you cannot learn even that, can ye? I\u2019ve been watching you, and a toad would pick up that spell faster than ye can.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I bite my tongue. But she\u2019s right.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd neither will you. You think too much and feel far too little. You look for rules where none exist, and make your own to hold you back. Ye won\u2019t learn magic like this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I don\u2019t want to hear that. But the faerie\u2019s words ring true. I clench my teeth again, but\u2014she\u2019s not trying to be rude. Okay, she\u2019s doing it without much thought, but I know enough about faeries to realize she\u2019s being direct with me, and as helpful as she can.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks for the advice.\u201d<\/p>\n She inclines her head regally. I know I shouldn\u2019t ever thank a faerie, at least according to legend, but she doesn\u2019t seem malicious. Hell, the faeries know my full name and they haven\u2019t done anything to me.<\/p>\n What do they want? I clear my throat awkwardly again as the faerie looks around my little room. Here I am, with a faerie in my room. I should\u2026she\u2019s the last one. I need to ask questions. First though, make her welcome.<\/p>\n \u201cCan I offer you anything? Something to eat or drink?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDo ye have anything?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c\u2026No.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThen don\u2019t offer, fool.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Okay, off to a bad start. I stare at the faerie as she leaps up into the air at eye height and sits there, as if there\u2019s an invisible cushion under her.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy are you here? By yourself, I mean. All of your friends flew off.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThey did. They grew bored of ye, and went to find excitement somewhere else.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A straightforward answer. But I still don\u2019t get why.<\/p>\n \u201cIs it because of Teriarch and the game of riddles I played with him? Is that why they all left?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIn part.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The faerie nods as she scratches at the bottom of her foot with a tiny digit. She yawns widely, showing me sharp teeth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMy sisters think \u2018twas ill done. They dislike the trickery of numbers, but it is just as good as the trickery of words to me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou disagree?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI like such things now and then, and it was well done to win even in losing. We are not all alike, my kin. Does it surprise you that one of us would like the dance of thoughts as much as the dance of tongues?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n No. I should have known not all fairies were alike. I just\u2014okay, maybe that was fairly racist. Speciesist? Why is it that the immortal species, Dragons and fae, tend to leave me thoughtless and speechless? It\u2019s like all of my cynicism and complex questions fade away in their presence. There\u2019s no doubting their presence when they\u2019re in front of you.<\/p>\n The faerie points at something close to falling off the edge of my desk. The bag of holding and golden coins sits innocuously; just large enough for a handful of coins at best, certainly not large enough to hold this magical book. But it can hold a huge amount of space\u2014all my bed covers and two chairs besides, I\u2019ve found. After that it just acts like a normal bag until I start pulling stuff out. I haven\u2019t yet found the courage to put my head inside.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYon lies your prize for a Dragon\u2019s duel. Golden coins and a magic bag to hold them. \u2018Tis every mortal\u2019s dream, isn\u2019t it? Or did you want something else from the old scales and smoke?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know. Did I?\u201d<\/p>\n The faerie flies forwards and smacks me on the nose before I can blink. I yelp and touch my frozen flesh\u2014she glares at me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cEither you did or ye didn\u2019t. Don\u2019t answer a question with a question, ye prat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Again, I have to restrain the urge to punch back. I\u2019d probably lose, and I know the faeries are prickly. And she\u2019s right. Sort of.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry. I don\u2019t know what I wanted from him. Maybe I could have asked him to teach me magic.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe would have said no. He\u2019s a lazy oaf, that wyrm.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMaybe. But I got most of what I wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n She nods, and I fall silent for a second. The real question is burning on my tongue. I have to know, so I ask it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy did you stay when the others left? What do the fae really want with me? With this world?\u201d<\/p>\n She looks at me archly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhy ask a question you know I will not answer? You want to know more than you should. You ask a question I could not answer with ten thousand words as if it were a simple thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSue me. I\u2019m curious. Is what I asked too broad? Why are you following me?\u201d<\/p>\n The faerie sighs with exasperated patience.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhy do I follow anyone?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI thought you said not to answer a question with a question.\u201d<\/p>\n This time I\u2019m ready and I swat at her as she flies at my face. The faerie flips over my hand with nimble grace and kicks my forehead. For a small creature she hits hard.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSmart as an ass, aren\u2019t ye? I follow and watch ye in case you do something of worth. You told me and my kin stories, and dared to defy the fates. You bargained with a Dragon, and met one who rules over death. Is there any other mortal I should bother following that\u2019s done more?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n When she says it like that\u2026I almost blush. I clear my throat. It\u2019s so awkward, but the faerie doesn\u2019t seem the least bit embarrassed, and that just makes me embarrassed. She doesn\u2019t lie; she just says what she thinks.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve been following me for a while, haven\u2019t you? I thought you were familiar\u2014have I spoken to you specifically before?\u201d<\/p>\n She nods and flashes me a smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOh yes. I followed you with the others as you ran, and I was the one you struck. I listened to tales of Humans from your world, and it was I who warned you of the armies and led you through the forest. I was there when you cast the bargain, and I accepted the second price. I am surprised you noticed; most beings cannot tell us apart.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I thought so. For the longest time I just thought of all the faeries as one and the same, but this one\u2014she and I have spoken more than I thought. I stare at the small faerie, and feel a sudden connection with her.<\/p>\n \u201cSo all of your sisters are gone because I\u2019m too boring and you\u2019re still sticking around. What do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat do ye think I want?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The faerie looks me in the eye, practically daring me to point out her evasiveness. I don\u2019t do that this time. Instead, I think. She\u2019s not answering me because she can\u2019t. Or she doesn\u2019t want to. So what\u2019s the answer?<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe\u2026because you want something of me. Or there\u2019s something I can do for you?\u201d<\/p>\n The tiny faerie rolls her eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHah!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Okay, that\u2019s not it. Then there\u2019s something else. Or\u2014<\/p>\n \u201cCould it be you just want to see what happens next?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAn obvious answer. I suppose ye are right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The faerie shakes her small head, disappointed. I feel guilty, as if I\u2019ve failed an easy test. But what could she want?<\/p>\n I wish Erin were here to answer. She\u2019d have the damn answer in a second, somehow. She\u2019s better with people than I am. She\u2019d be making friends with the fae in a heartbeat\u2014she could probably befriend a rabid bear.<\/p>\n But then\u2014even she\u2019s had problems with the fae before. She told me about their scam with the fake flowers. I\u2019m really the only person who\u2019s dealt with them for a long period of time. The faeries have hung around me, and I even managed to gain their respect.<\/p>\n And this one has followed me a long ways. Even when her friends are gone she\u2019s stuck around? Why? That\u2019s almost like\u2026<\/p>\n Like\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cA friend.\u201d<\/p>\n The faerie looks up at me. She\u2019d been busy spinning around in the air, but now she pauses, completely upside down and stares at me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIs that what you want? A friend?\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a stupid question. And a stupid conclusion to make. We\u2019re not in a kid\u2019s tv show, but maybe\u2014no.<\/p>\n Yes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cFriends? Ye would be friends with the fae?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n She scoffs at me, mockingly. But the tiny fae face isn\u2019t as genuinely annoyed as normal, and I see what looks like a smile twitching around the scowl. I grin at her.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe. I wouldn\u2019t mind having one of you floating about. I know of a certain hero that did that for quite a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m no pet, mortal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo, but you are interested in me. And if you\u2019re going to follow me about, why not get to know one another?\u201d<\/p>\n The faerie lies down sideways on the air and props her head on one hand as she stares at me. Seriously, this time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDo you know what would happen if ye dared to mingle with the fae? There are laws, mortal. Ones that shouldn\u2019t be crossed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I hesitate. Now I feel like I\u2019m being tested. But I can only go on what I know of her. I\u2019ve seen so much of the fae, and I think I understand the answer to this question. I nod at her, just as serious as she is.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are consequences. I know. Dire ones. But wouldn\u2019t a friend be willing to risk anything for another friend? I\u2019d be honored to get to know you, if you\u2019d let me.\u201d<\/p>\n For a second the faerie\u2019s face is blank. She stares at me from head to toe. And then she grins at me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGood! You finally understand a bit. You are such a fool, you, that I thought ye\u2019d never figure it out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I blink at her. But the faerie flies closer, and smiles again.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve grown interested in your kind again, after so long. If you want to talk with me, I suppose a friend would be better than strangers, eh?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I can\u2019t believe it. But suddenly my heart is beating fast, and I feel a surge of passion and life in my chest. I feel alive again.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2014of course. I\u2019d be honored, as I said. My name is Ryoka Griffin, but you know that. Can I ask your name or is that wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n The faerie considers this.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMy name\u2014my truest of names\u2014is a secret to all. And ye would not be able to pronounce it even so. But you may call me\u2026Ivolethe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ivolethe. The name rings in my ears for a second. But the faerie isn\u2019t done. Carefully, she extends a small hand towards me. It\u2019s such a small hand, but I extend a finger and let her shake that. For a second, the briefest second I feel coldness, the deepest chill, and at the same time a wonderful cool, a refreshing breeze and the taste of winter on my skin. It\u2019s not at all unpleasant; I could have experienced that forever. But then the touch is gone.<\/p>\n But the faerie remains. Ivolethe flies back and stands on the table. I stare at her, and see her grin again. Pointed teeth, and a gaze older than the world. Her insectile wings fan out, and she begins to freeze the wood under her feet. But she\u2019s here, and she and I are friends.<\/p>\n I\u2019m friends with a faerie.<\/p>\n Suddenly, everything\u2019s okay again.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Previous Chapter<\/a> Next Chapter<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Some call me a messenger. Others call me a barefoot runner. And crazy. Some call me a deliverer\u2026of messages. A few people know me as [batman]. I think of myself as reasonably sane, but most people disagree. They have a lot of names for someone like me. But the little monster blocking my way just […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52856846,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"patreon-level":0,"patreon_level":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11693083,349],"tags":[7224,250708,4330244,4472517,11693079],"twi_volume":[11693132],"twi_collection":[],"class_list":["post-2442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-volume-3","category-writing","tag-fantasy","tag-inn","tag-web-novel","tag-web-serial","tag-writing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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