“I remember now!” he exclaimed, oblivious to everything around him.
“It was a forest with trees so tall they blocked out the sun.
But the strange thing was that all of them were this really weird gray color…
Now that I think about it, those creatures also had a similar color.
How weird.”
“Hey!” a voice called from the kitchen.
It was Alibert, who’d just come out carrying a tray of food.
“Don’t you dare break that table!
It’s one of the few still standing after the attack.”
Percival looked at the cracked table in embarrassment.
Immediately, he sprang to his feet and dropped to one knee before the tavern keeper with an exaggerated bow.
“My most sincere apologies, good sir!
You have my word as a knight that it won’t happen again.
And should I fail you in this manner once more, you have every right to banish me from your establishment for life.”
Alibert sighed, but his exasperated expression quickly softened.
“It wasn’t that serious, son.
Just…
keep your emotions in check.
It’ll be good for your future.” After an awkward pause, his voice turned more cheerful.
“Anyway, here’s your dinner.
Enjoy!”
He set the plates on the table with a kind gesture.
Evangelyne gave him a grateful smile.
“Thank you so much, sir.
You’ve been very generous, but you really didn’t need to bring us so much food…”
Alibert let out a booming laugh that filled the tavern.
He walked up to Evangelyne and warmly smiled at her.
“Don’t worry so much, Evangelyne.
It’s the least I can do to thank you for saving the village.
Eat as much as you like!
And since it’s getting dark, you can stay here for the night.
I’ve got spare rooms, and I’m sure you’ll find them comfortable.”
“Thank you so much, kind sir,” Amalia replied with a heartfelt bow, her eyes shining with gratitude.
“I promise that someday I’ll repay this kindness.
You have the word of a…”
But before she could finish, Evangelyne’s glare stopped her dead.
Damn it, Amalia thought, why do I always have to mess up?
Fortunately, Ruel barged into the conversation before the silence could become uncomfortable.
“Thanks again, old friend!” he exclaimed, mouth still half full of food.
“You have no idea how great your food is…
and it tastes even better when it’s free!”
“Don’t think I’ve forgotten about your tab, Ruel,” Alibert replied with a cunning smirk.
“At your age, you should be perfectly capable of paying for your own meals.”
The old Enutrof stared back with feigned outrage.
“You traitor!
Is this how you treat a friend?
Demanding money for a plate of food is an unforgivable offense!
A true Enutrof will never surrender to such extortion.
If you want my Kamas so badly, you’ll have to pry them from my cold, dead hands!”
His overblown speech set off a wave of laughter among the tavern’s remaining patrons.
Alibert joined in and clapped him on the back so hard that Ruel spat out the food he’d just swallowed.
“Relax, you old miser.
I was only joking.
You haven’t changed one bit in twelve years.”
The tension vanished from Ruel’s eyes and, after a brief moment, the two old friends laughed together and toasted to the good old days.
Wit the demon gone and the town saved by adventurers, the people of Emelka had every reason to celebrate.
It wasn’t every day a band of heroes took down a monster threatening their home.
The hours passed in a stream of toasts, music, and laughter.
The festivities stretched on until the customers, thoroughly drunk or stuffed, shuffled out one by one.
Finally, when closing time arrived, the tavern settled into a gentle and conforting silence.
Only Alibert and Yugo remained inside.
The tavern keeper had a good look the mess his customers had left behind.
Toppled mugs, scraps of food scattered across the floor, and even a few puddles of vomit.
He moved to start cleaning, but paused when he saw his son fast asleep at one of the tables.
It’s been an exhausting day for him, Alibert thought tenderly.
He deserves a good rest.
Tomorrow he’d tell him everything.
Now that Yugo had awakened his powers, it was time he learned the truth.
Gently, Alibert scooped up his son’s body, feeling the boy’s steady breathing against his chest.
As he did, he noticed that Az, the little Tofu, was also sound asleep on Yugo’s head, nestled in his hat as if it was his nest.
The tavern keeper smiled warmly at the scene.
That little bird has been his most faithful friend.
I’m glad to see them so close.
With steady, silent steps, he climbed the stairs and carried the boy to his room.
He laid the boy down softly on the bed and pulled the blanket over him, making sure he was tucked in tight.
Leaning down, Alibert kissed to the boy’s forehead and whispered into the room.
“Good night, my son.
Sweet dreams.”
With one last loving glance, he quietly closed the door and left the young hero to sleep peacefully.
Before the night grew any deeper, Amalia and Evangelyne headed up to their room to rest after an exhausting day.
After a refreshing hot bath, they changed into their nightclothes and slipped between the sheets.
The beds were so incredibly comfortable that the moment their heads hit the pillows, a wave of drowsiness washed over them.
Before blowing out the candle on the nightstand, Amalia let out a long sigh.
“What a day we’ve had, huh?”
“You can say that again,” Evangelyne replied.
“You could say it was anything but quiet.”
“Anything but quiet?” Amalia exclaimed with enthusiasm.
“That doesn’t even begin to cover it!
Just think about it.
We defeated some bandits, crossed a massive forest, and saved an entire village from a Shushu.
It was a real adventure!
If we hadn’t run away from home, we would’ve never experienced an adventure like this!”
Evangelyne smiled at the excitement in her friend’s eyes, but her expression quickly turned serious.
“I get it, Amalia, but I have to ask you something.
Don’t go around giving so many clues about your identity.
We’re in unknown territory, and I don’t even want to imagine what could happen if people find out who you really are.”
“You worry too much, Eva,” Amalia said with a shrug.
“In the end, nothing bad happened and we’ve even become quite famous.
You could even say everything worked out great.”
Evangelyne sighed with resignation.
It wasn’t exactly reassuring.
“For now,” she emphasized.
“I’m just asking you, in the goddess Cra’s name, to take a moment to think before you speak.
We’re not in the Sadida Kingdom anymore.
This world is full of dangers, and if your identity gets out, we could be facing even bigger problems.”
“Okay, okay…” Amalia answered.
“I’m sorry if I’ve caused you any trouble.
I promise I’ll be more careful from now on.”
Evangelyne offered a reassuring smile.
“Don’t get too down on yourself, either.
You did a great job in the battle today.
“You really think so?” Amalia asked shyly.
“To be honest, I felt like you did way more than I did out there.
Most of the time I was just…
watching.”
“Of course I do!” Evangelyne insisted.
“If it weren’t for you, Rubilax would’ve finished Yugo off.
You bought enough time for me to rescue him.”
Her friend’s words filled her with pride.
Amalia grinned and let out a soft laugh, which quickly brought a smile on Evangelyne’s face.
“Thank you so much!
Honestly, it’s the first time anyone’s recognized me for what I’ve done rather than because of who I am.
I have to admit, it’s an amazing feeling.”
“Well, it’s getting late and we should really go to sleep,” Evangelyne said as she settled into bed.
“Good night, Amalia.”
“Good night, Eva,” Amalia whispered as she closed here eyes.
With a gentle puff, Evangelyne blew out the candle, plunging the room into darkness.
Exhaustion weighed so heavily on both of them that, within minutes, they’d fallen into a deep sleep.
The girls drifted off so quickly that neither of them noticed the tiny mechanical insect slipping silently through the window.
Its single eye glowed with a faint blue light as it disappeared into the darkness.
It had seen everything.
Hundreds of miles away from Emelka, a flying metal ship cut through the skies.
The hum of its gears mingled with the hiss of pressurized steam and the ceaseless tick-tock of a clock tower on its summit.
Its turbines roared like chained beasts as they propelled it through the night sky.
A deadly threat was about to arrive.
Atop the great clock sat the fortress’s sinister lord.
His face and body were shrouded entirely by darkness, revealing only two eyes that glowed with a cold blue light.
There, he studied the numerous holographic screens floating around him, displaying recordings of the images transmitted by his tiny mechanical spies.
Then, on one of the screens, he glimpsed something that made his expression harden.
Yugo.
The boy was in the thick of battle with Rubilax, opening several portals that shimmered with blue light.
For an instant, the lord of the fortress, remained perfectly still, still processing what he’d just seen.
Then, a sound broke the silence of the chamber.
A laugh, low at first, but it soon swelled into a sinister cackle.
“So this is what you were hiding, Grougaloragran…” he murmured with satisfaction.
“Twelve years tracking you down, and at long last I have the lead I’ve been searching for.”
His sinister voice filled with anticipation and hunger.
“Prepare yourself, Grougaloragran.
Your Wakfu will be mine…
and this time, you won’t be able to stop me.”
With a flick of his wrist, the mysterious figure commanded a change of course, making the metal ship shift its trajectory and head directly for Emelka.
Mechanical arms descended from the chamber’s ceiling and assembled a suit of metal armor over his body, concealing the grayish bandages that wrapped his body.
The last plate clicked on his face, covering it with a featureless metal mask that only revealed his glowing eyes.
Without a word, he stepped onto a mechanical platform that slowly rose, carrying him to a balcony at the airship’s peak.
There, where the night wind enveloped him in its frozen embrace and stars stretched out across the horizon, had a moment to reflect on the battle ahead.
Quietly, he pulled out an ancient pocket watch.
Unlike the machine surrounding him, this object was a rusted relic whose tick-tock was irregular and broken like a dying breath.
He studied it in silence, his fingers tightening with growing intensity around the worn metal.
There was no turning back.
Soon, very soon, he would complete his mission.
The colossal airship held its inexorable course toward Emelka, heralding the calamity to come.
A shadow from the past was about to return.
And this time, he would not tolerate failure.
Now, the group is finally complete!
Introducing Percedal has been very fun and he is one of my favorite characters from the story.
I originally watched the TV series in Spanish, so I’ve had to try my best to translate his personality and humor to English (if you have any opinions or feedback about that, please answer in the comments).
I hope you enjoyed this much more light-hearted chapter and, considering that some epic fights are coming up, it is always good to give our heroes a chance to rest.
See you next chapter!