“Well Dorah hunted it.” Mama explained to Papa as she put out the rabbit stew.
“Oh, that’s impressive!” He said, looking towards me and smiling before turning back to his food.
“It’s not that impressive. There are lots of rabbits around, and Mama did teach me some traps.” I explained, bashfully, honestly I had to go slow so I wasn’t just wasting meat and stuff. I needed a lot of pelts for practice, but it felt wrong to just kill them and let the meat go to waste.
“Well I like rabbit.” Papa said firmly, and then started eating, which made me grin.
“You’ve been learning so well.” Mama whispered, sounding super proud, and again I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I was totally not gonna be a ranger.
Not that I wasn’t using the new hunting for more than just pelts. Each rabbit was 10 XP, and after a lot of work, and a lot of dead rabbits, I’d leveled up again.
Alah’Dorah
High Elf
Level 3 [10/300 XP]
Strength 12
Agility 14 +1
Stamina 15 +1
Intellect 10 +35
Spirit 11 +6
Even if it was just 1 point in every stat, it was incredibly useful. I felt stronger, moved faster, and I actually felt a bit smarter. While I seemed to get more mana from the Spell Mastery Bonus, I don’t think it really impacted me quite as much as just a normal intellect point. Something to keep in mind.
“Well it really helps give me things to work with.”
“My daughter is so productive! She’s got the energy of a fifty year old!” Mama said laughing and I blinked, having to process the words she said before just smiling.
“Is she?” Papa asked, and then seemed to realize that was a weird question as Mama sent him her ‘my husband is being cute’ look.
“Yes dear. Dorah is very energetic for an elfling.”
“Oh… Well that’s good.”
“It is. When she isn’t being precocious.” Mama said, sending me a look.
I instantly widened my eyes, to enhance my puppy dog eyes, and sent her my most innocent look.
She just snorted at my attempt, not buying it.
Oh well.
Then to my surprise there was a knock at the door, and all of us looked up.
“I’ll check!” I called out jumping out. It happened from time to time that I’d get a late Guild commission!
“Dorah, don’t run, and I’ll get it!” Mama called out, but I ignored her hurrying to the door and opening it.
Then freezing solid.
The man at the door was not someone from the village. The armor, the weapons, the smug superior look as if he was smelling shit despite the clean air.
This was a High Elf.
His blue eyes lowered down, the quiet noise of his metal armor shifting just slightly as he took in the sight of me.
“Papa! Mama! A weirdo is at the door!” I called out, noticing the narrowing of the elves' eyes at my call.
“Really Dorah, what are you… You.” Mama hissed which jolted me a bit as she instantly moved forward in a blur and had me pushed back. “What do you want? If you think-”
“I was invited.” The elf offered with a sneer, and even pulled out a letter…
“Ah, Uncle. You’ve arrived.”
“What!?” Mama turned to look at Papa who was stepping out the kitchen and even waving lightly at the other man…
“Uncle!?”
“Hmm? Oh yes, Alah’Dorah, this is your Grand Uncle Zo’Talana Arkhana’Shola.”
“You are mistaken. As you are just Aran’Alah, now Alna. We no longer share blood.” Was the prompt response, and Papa blinked a bit surprised, before nodding.
“Oh yes, I forget sometimes.” He uttered, and I frowned.
Was that… Papa’s full name? Alna… Nothing? I frowned, because anyone calling my father nothing was about to get a punch in the crotch.
“Aran, you invited him here?” Mama asked, pointedly, and Papa looked up from where he seemed to have gotten distracted and then saw the letter in… Well I’m not thinking of him as my Grand Uncle. So Zo’Talana. Then. It was in his hand, and Papa focused on it for a second.
“Oh yes! The deal! You are interested then Uncle?”
“Hmph. You ask for lessons for your spawn, in exchange for enchanting work, and you think the work of a man banished from the capital would interest me?”
“Well… You're here?” Papa said and I nearly snorted at the man's face shifted to irritation.
“Yes, because your failure of a reputation is meaningless to me when it comes to your actual talents. You will enchant it.”
“I will… In exchange.” Papa said firmly, and Zo’Talana looked irritated and then nodded.
“I did not come all this way for nothing. It is agreed.”
“Excellent!” Papa said seemingly quite happy, and I just shot a look at Mama asking her what the fuck was going on.
She obviously didn’t know either.
“I would like to know what is happening.” Mama said in her best authority voice and Papa actually squirmed a little as their eyes met for a second before his eyes drifted away.
“Ah well… You know that Zo’Talana, is a Spellbreaker, and the best swordsman I know. Dorah mentioned she wanted to learn to use a sword, so I reached out. A little enchanting work for lessons…” He trailed off probably realizing he hadn’t actually mentioned this to anyone.
But before Mama could berate him I slammed into him.
“Papa is the best.” I told him firmly. Even if this was super awkward, and might blow up in our face or something considering how snooty this guy was… My awkward wonderful Papa had decided to go out on his own and try and do something nice for me! Something I really wanted, just from a casual comment.
How could I not love him for that?
“Ah… I’m glad you are happy my Light… I forgot to mention it?” He offered to Mama and I as his hand ran through my hair.
“You did… But I will forgive you. Even if she is too young for sword training.” Mama said with a breathy laughing sigh.
“Am not!” I countered, I could totally do it!
“Hmph. She is, but I will offer her guidance while the enchanting is being done.” Zo’Talana replied blandly, and Papa nodded. But Mama’s eyes narrowed.
“That won’t be long at all, how long is he supposed to teach her?”
“Oh I said it in the letter… Six months?” Papa offered, and Mama instantly shot a look at Zo’Talana.
The man just looked disinterested in her look.
“That is longer than the time it will take you to enchant something.”
“Oh yes, the enchantment won’t take long at all, really. It’s just a few workings on his spellshield to-”
“Then it will be six months, or you will do no enchantments at all.” Mama demanded, and before Zo’Talana could reply, Papa did.
“I won’t?” He asked, almost plaintive, and Mama’s eyes I noticed rolled to the sky.
“Not without proper payment dear.”
“You are good for the fool. Six months. Now, it has been a long journey.” He replied and Mama realized he was just in our entry way, where guests would walk into the home without really being in the home.
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“Dinner just finished… You may join us.” Mama said, sounding grouchy about it, and with that, the man still in armor, with a sword at his hip and a large shield behind him stepped into our home.
I was pulled to the side by Mama, and I watched as Zo’Talana walked inside. His fancy armor and robes, just didn’t seem like it would fit inside our humble and cozy tree home. But entered it he did, walking in, and soon he was settled around our kitchen table, and Mama made him a plate of the rabbit stew and biscuits Mama had made.
“Hmm.” He commented I noticed obviously dismissing the food, but once we were all settled back around the table he did eat.
It was quiet for a long time. I noticed as I slowly started eating, the normal atmosphere of fun and chatter gone as if Zo’Talana gave off a stiffness aura.
I didn’t like it.
“Spellbreaker huh? That’s cool.” I offered, and he sent me a single look, his blue eyes locked onto me, with a clarity and then dismissing me.
Gonna be like that huh?
“Can we cancel the deal, I don’t think I want to learn from a jerk.” I said, and that caused the entire table to go doubly silent as I sipped at my stew.
“What?” Papa asked, blinking in surprise as he’d been staring at his stew.
“He’s kinda a jerk, so I don’t want to learn from him. Can we just send him back to the capital and be happy instead?”
“We can’t do that Dorah. I already said I would.”
“So? If you refuse, then he’ll just leave.”
“You can’t promise something and then refuse.”
“I mean… You can though? What’s gonna happen, he’ll go back and complain about you? They already don’t like you, so who cares? Everyone here in the village won’t care.”
“Are you sure she is your daughter?” Zo’Talana spoke, almost arrogantly. “She has more political acumen than you despite being a baby.”
“Baby?” I whispered, what an ass.
“Yes. Dorah was blessed with a sharp mind.” Mama replied a bit pointedly, but it was Papa that cut through Zo’Talana’s arrogance.
“She’s mine.” Papa said, more rude than I had ever heard him. “She’s got my talent in enchantment, and her mothers complexity. Someday father will regret exiling her along with me. She’ll be amazing.”
“Hmm. We’ll see.” He replied back, looking at my father strongly, then suddenly rising up. “I will find alternate accommodations during my stay.” He rose up without another word and walked out. Barely even ate his stew the jerk.
This was… Complicated. I didn’t like complicated.
To my surprise the next morning he showed up again. He wore less armor this time, still wearing super expensive robes that were heavily enchanted, but at least he didn’t stand out quite as much.
After a short talk with Mama at the doorway, that I watched from the other room, she turned and nodded for me.
I padded up, and looked at Mama.
“Go with him, he’ll give you some sword training… He’s good. So learn what you can. I’ll be right here.”
“Okay.” I agreed, and he turned without a word already heading out. But he didn’t just stop in the front yard, he kept walking through town, as I followed after him.
“Want me to get my wooden sword?” I asked, but no response came, he simply walked on.
Great.
Are we sure we couldn’t just refuse his stupid enchantment and make him go away?
We traveled to a place I wasn’t really expecting.
“Why are we at Magistrix El’Tela’s home?” I asked, but I was still ignored, and I felt myself frowning. This fucking guy.
We walked to the back, and there sitting against a post was a metal blade. It was blunt, basically rounded edges, but no doubt still heavy as all hell.
He walked over and suddenly drew his own blade. A real blade.
“Pick it up.”
“You going to kill me or something? I doubt you’ll get your enchantment if you do.”
Instead of answering he just pointed the blade, and I walked over.
The metal blade looked iron, but it was actually fancy. A wooden, and leather grip and it was well made. Not something you’d just pick up in the village. This was from the capital, he’d brought it with him.
Or maybe not, it looked old as well. I grabbed it and winced, as I brought it around.
Heavy. Very very heavy. But I adjusted my grip, and then angled it more like a greatsword, than a normal blade as otherwise I wouldn’t be able to hold it, and when I finished, his eyes narrowed.
“I will teach, you will learn. Nothing else.”
“Yeah?”
Then he swung, and I just barely brought up the sword in time before his sword came down, my arms wavered and the metal blade of my own sword nearly smashed me right in the face.
He’d purposefully done that.
“Hmm.” He hummed as if surprised, and then it started, he would swing, and I would barely keep the blade from smashing into me. Bruises immediately started growing on my shoulders where I would have to use to stop the swing.
And then again. When I swung, or at least tried too, it amounted to nothing, it was too heavy, and I was too slow.
And then he came down hard, and this time even as my Sword skill had started rising, I wasn’t fast enough.
The blunt rounded edge of my own sword smashed me in the face.
“Ffff!” I cursed as I hit the floor, feeling blood already rushing, and I brought up my hand. Blood on my face. Not sure where from.
“This is all you can do. Go, come back tomorrow, for another lesson.”
“Nyoh.” I said through a mouth full of blood, as I rose up, glaring. Then I breathed in, and out, and light burst from under my hand.
A moment later while the pain was still there, and I still had blood on my face, It wasn’t the sharp pain of a wound, but just a dull ache. Like a painful muscle ache. “You have to teach me, and I’m not done.” I told him bluntly. Rising back up, my energy revitalized even with the pain, even as I wiped my eyes on my sleeve as the pain did make me want to cry.
I brought my sword up. “So pick it up.” I demanded to him. Where he’d already put his sword back in its sheath and started to walk away.
He said nothing all the while just watching, then slowly he drew his sword at first holding it loosely, and then raising it up.
He swung, and I barely blocked it again, but this time I did.
Come on then. If you want to just abuse me, then I’ll grind every ounce of XP for Swords out of you.
I closed one nostril and blew, blood came up, making even more of a mess. I barely held on, my breath was a hot rush of exhaustion. Holy Light might restore a lot, but it wasn’t a perfect replacement for Stamina.
And I was tired. My everything hurt. It felt like every inch of me was aching and bruised. I could barely get one eye to stop closing as blood had flowed into it, and worse my body was screaming.
I’d actually gotten a Stamina level out of it, putting me at 16.
But that was nothing compared to my sword improvement.
I stood back up nose clear, and moved to bring the sword back up again.
He readied his blade, but there was an interruption.
“And what is this?” The voice was sharp, and I looked over through one eye. Magistrix El’Tela, stood there in all her glory, her robes were probably worth more than the entire villages output for a year, but she was still old. Still tired looking, but right now her eyes were sharp.
“Training.”
“Ruining my lawn.” She interrupted pointedly looking down.
Yeah that was kind of a lot of blood.
There was no words exchanged as Zo’Talana just stared, but… He also didn’t speak, which was kinda telling. He wasn’t going to argue with her huh?
“You’ll clean this up.” She demanded, and I just looked down…
Well… I could do that.
I still had plenty of mana, even with my Holy Light Heals. With a few seconds of thought I conjured a bottle of water. Without thinking I just popped the cork open with my teeth and started pouring it out over the blood, fairly quickly washing most of it away into the grass and rocks around the yard.
“I meant for him to clean that child.” El’Tela spoke after a moment, and I just shrugged.
“It was my mess.” Which was true, and a better answer than being embarrassed for not picking that up. With my second bottle I just bent back and poured it over my face.
“Ow.” I hissed as the water wasn’t too bad, but I reached up to try and wash off some of the blood, and that hurt like heck.
“She’s fine.” Zo’Talana spoke, pointing his blade vaguely in my direction, as I opened my eyes and rubbed a bit. Hey, that hurt like hell, but at least I could see out of both eyes now. New tech unlock? Wash away blood mid fight? Definitely something to keep in mind.
“You are too rough.”
“I was asked to train her. So I will. It is not my fault if a student can’t handle the training, besides. Look at her.” He spoke and I finished wiping and looked up. Both older Elves looked at me.
“What?” I looked down, was it something on my face?
“She’s only a decade. One.” El’Tela replied firmly, and he scoffed.
“She will quit, or she will succeed.” He said back, the first time he truly seemed to back talk her.
Her eyes narrowed and she looked at me.
Her eyes, blue and practically glowing with power, washed over me, and I once again wondered what the heck they were seeing?
But finally she seemed to come to a decision.
“Then continue if you must.” She said more to me, than him I think?
And instead of walking away she seemed to settle in taking a seat to watch.
“That isn’t-”
“Continue. If you must.” She repeated, interrupting Zo’Talan’s words with pure don’t get smart with me energy.
He looked away and I just shrugged at him. Wincing right after. Ow. My shouldies hurt. Stretching a bit I raised my blade up, and my arms wobbled before I once more got ready.
“Very well.”
To my surprise instead of just bashing me down, he came in slower, an elegant almost hypnotic movement, and my sword was pushed away despite my will and he nearly skewered me through, only stopping before his blade would touch me.
“You fight like a Troll. The sword is heavy, and you are tired, but you are not a troll.”
“Oh are we talking now?” I managed to get out before he lashed out and his sword smacked mine nearly into my head again. “Ow.”
“Listen, and learn.” He demanded, and to my surprise, he actually spoke from time to time, even reaching out and adjusting my grip and smacking an elbow when I let it fall too low.
I was exhausted, and yet…
My Sword skill was rising.
I could work with that.
[Swords Lv 6 35/60]
I’d gained four levels, in one session, and I knew I wasn’t even close to reaching the end of the XP train.
But I was also now flat on my back just staring up at the sky.
How I got here? I don’t actually remember.
“I told you she was only a decade.”
“I suppose you expect me to carry her home?”
“I expect you to carry her inside.” The tart reply hit just a bit harsh, and soon I was lifted up in arms that felt like steel rods and carried like a sack inside.
Couldn’t even princess carry me or something. I was right, he is a jerk.
Soon I was placed onto a fainting couch inside, and a drink, something cool and sweet was brought to my lips. I took a few swallows, and a few more, before backing away lightly.
“There that’s better.” El’Tela whispered to me, and I just sort of blinked at her.
“That’s really good.”
“Thank you dear.” She offered back and soon I winced, as she brought a wet rag across my brow.
“Ow.”
“Ah, healing pain. You over did it.”
“Ow.” I replied back simply because that’s about as far as my brain wanted to process things.
“She will live, I am finished for the day.” Zo’Talana replied from somewhere, and I blinked, ready to rise up and prove that he wasn’t, but a hand was there holding me down.
“You will inform her mother, or father. Then you may be finished for the day.”
“I’m not a child.”
“Then do not act like one.”
Ooh sick burn.
I blinked as both adults looked at me.
Oh I said that out loud. Whatever. I’m tired.