LEISURELY DAYS

The last few years of school showed more stricter teaching than before, especially when the students reached their 8th year. Students were not allowed to just idle through class with no actual will to study. Instead, the teachers asked questions to every student to make sure they had the knowledge ingrained into them before they graduated.

Michael had paid scant attention in the early years of class, but this new way of teaching meant he needed to listen and learn, lest he embarrass himself when confronted. This suited him just fine since the classes in the last years mainly covered the geography and history of Gaia.

“One thousand, two hundred and forty years ago marked the start of what is called, ‘The Magus Wars’. The war was between the mages and their greatest supporters at the time, the human alliance, against various other races. Elves, fey, beastfolk, dwarves. Historians in recent years question the sanity of the human rulers and the Magus community in their decision to face such a large array of races.

“Henry! Please tell me three of the most prominent human rulers during that war, as well as the leader of the Magus community at the time.”

Bishop Francis pointed to a boy near the front of the room and Michael saw him jump in surprise. Henry was a slight boy and around the same height as the rest of the class, which wasn’t saying much. Michael could see him trying to remember past lessons on speaking etiquette that was taught in earlier classes. He visibly went step by step through the instructions. Back straight, chest out, chin up and not touching your neck. The next lesson was to project your voice, but that went over most of the children’s heads and Henry spoke in a quivering, quiet voice.

“Yes Bishop. T-the three most prominent leaders of humans at the time were King Geoffrey, King Harn, and… ummm… Queen Io? The l-leader of the Magus’ was Lord Tuy.”

“Correct. King Geoffrey ruled in the south, a powerful king who obtained the throne using the backing of the Magus community and through careful orchestration of his siblings’ demise. King Harn was a business man through and through as he solely dealt in trading goods between the Magi and the rest of the realm. He ruled in the West, the area where the Magus’ home citadel dwelled. Queen Io was the beautiful sister of Lord Tuy and very powerful in her own right, a successful campaign in her early years meant she controlled a great territory in the North-East.

“Those three were heavily tied to the Magus community, and so bullied various other human domains into joining the war. Together, the human side made for a very strong collective force with a high number of elite forces. They were initially only facing the elves and fey and should have beat their enemies easily. Historians agree that they would have won if the fight was that straightforward but unfortunately for them...

“Various countries viewed the war with distaste and asked the Magi why they started it. The elves were great healers and helped most of the other races, humans included, with deadly diseases while the fey were so isolated that they became near mythical. They demanded that the Magus community give a full reason for the war, which included having it be said under an oath to the Goddess. When Lord Tuy killed the messenger instead, the people of those countries deemed the war an affront to the Goddess which gave them a proper reason to oppose the humans.

“The beastfolk had no great relationship with the Goddess but they loved to join the losing side and fight the bigger enemy, hence they joined the fey and elves in the forests. The dwarves and many other racial groups did not approve of the humans. They were angry at the territories they lost to human expansion and joined the war with the hopes of gaining those territories back - which was partially successful. The unicorns, pegasi, phoenixes, and the powerful wyverns with their draconic rulers, all sided against the humans. These Mythical creatures were disgusted by human greed and lust for the war - they provided healing and they treated anyone who was non-human while the more aggressive ones went around scorching human lands and attacking any forces they encountered. It is generally accepted that the humans were too shortsighted in this war and didn’t take other species into account.

“What was a war between two sides, soon became a world war. Dwarves and goblins overran the human mines and took them over, while some were ruined to deplete the human stockpile of iron. Merfolk and other sea creatures overtook the massive human ships carrying supplies and troops, destroying the human navy in a matter of weeks. Mercantile races like the gnomes cut off trade with the humans and destroyed the economy with ease by purchasing all goods. The lack of food, fuel, and other essential goods during the winter months made human survival harsh and dangerous, with many dying from the cold or hunger. The human alliance was further troubled by a rebellion from various forces within their own cities.

“Even with all of these problems, the Magus community did not care one whit for their allies. Gathering as many human troops as they could, the Mages led a huge wave of forces into the forests.

“Does anyone want to explain how the elves and fey responded?”

The question was directed to the rest of the class but failed in getting any volunteers. Most of the class immediately eyed their desk and avoided looking up, less the Bishop make eye contact with them and call them up. The others made their eyes wander to different areas of the room, Michael was one of them and tried his best to appear smaller than usual. Bishop Francis saw that no one was willing to volunteer. Sighing, Bishop Francis followed his superior’s order and called Him up.

“Michael, if you will.”

Michael cursed in his head, using words he picked up from passing bars. Did the Bishop have it out for him or something? It was the fourth time this week he got chosen and there wasn’t any good reason for getting chosen. Michael stood up and saw that most of the class had turned to watch him and he cursed once more before he quickly gathered his thoughts.

“The elves and fey went on the defensive. Using their powers, they had set up traps using their spells that were ingrained into the forests. When the attacking force charged into the forest, they were met with powerful moving plants. They were squashed, gutted, poisoned, and infected with diseases. There were also the beastfolk who hid in the forest and ambushed the humans with glee, ripping them apart with powerful blows or eating them raw. When the remaining human forces saw their future deaths, the remaining mages set fire to the forest. The blaze resulted in the death of a number of unaware beastfolk, elves, and fey, including the children.”

“Ah. Yes…”

Only then did Michael notice that everyone stared at him with round eyes. His details were a tad too descriptive for the 9-year olds and some of them had obviously tried to imagine what he had described. Michael quietly sat down as the Bishop tried to get everyones attention once more.

“Ahem. The forest fire killed off hundreds of the elves and fey, a devastating blow due to the relatively small number of births that the two races had each year. Coupled with long lives and memories, their relations with humans are, even now, strained. The human alliance, however, had lost most of their forces. The war died down as various kingdoms strove to keep their power and a quick treaty was proposed. The war ended but the remaining human-owned lands were now unlawful and dangerous. The Magus leader Lord Tuy on the other hand, had met his end in the forests. The community gradually collapsed and the remaining members were demonized by the war survivors.

“With very few mages left, the magic arts became rare and divided in the human lands and difficult to rebuild. With the addition of being hounded in various countries, the Magus community went into hiding among the humans and their numbers are unknown, even at this period in time. Only a handful of mages pop up every now and then, but they immediately go into hiding after they complete whatever task they needed to do.

“It was during this time that the rise of the Guilds in the other lands spread to the human territories and various branch guilds were set up by their few human members. The combat guilds of the orcs and beastmen, the crafting guilds of the dwarves, the stealth guild of the goblins and other shadow races, the healing guilds of the elves, and the merchant guilds of the gnomes. All of these guilds incorporated themselves into the human territories and grew in power. They soon splintered from their main Guilds and took over some of the duties of the kingdoms with the Five Guild System being the lasting remains of those many guilds of the past.”

Bishop Francis took the moment to peek out the window and see how he was doing on time. He saw the position of the sun and sighed in disappointment, not even close to finishing his lesson.

“Well, class is done for the day. Everyone make sure to read up on the guilds for next class. We will be discussing the origins of each of the Five Guild System and also the newer guilds that have been popping up in the last thousand years. We will also take a peek into the ‘Mad Emperor’s War’, which resulted in the end of kingdoms and countries.”

Michael stood up with the rest of the class and did his routine of stretches before starting for the door. Halfway out of the building, Michael casually used a command that had become a routine.

“Stealth.”

Stealth became one of Michael’s favorite skills to use. His high Presence and Charisma had made him stand out a little and he was getting tired of the stares from some kids. Stealth didn’t work so well because of those two stats, but it did have the bonus of diminishing them a little bit. He left it on during the way back so that he could walk without having anyone ogling at him. This made for quite the peaceful trip.

Lucy didn’t accompany Michael when he walked to or from school anymore and he walked home while thinking about the histories. The Magus war tied deeply with the ‘Silven Plant’ story that his mother had told him a few years back and he would try to see if he could get more information. Bishop Francis was a good orator, but the information he gave was too general. Plus there was no real mention about the plant, only that the cause had been kept secret by the mages and that the war diminished their influence greatly.

Michael didn’t want to think about the war or the plant since he gained more questions instead of answers. Asking his mother was a dead end as well, since she didn’t think him old enough to learn about the details of Green-Singer past, or how its society was now. Michael hoped to meet with other Green-Singers in the future, but if only a few dozen family lines existed, how would he be able find them in the vast world?

Arriving home, Michael entered and tried to see if Liera was around. It had been a few years since she became formally adopted into the family, and Michael was disappointed that he didn’t get to spend so much time with her. Michael passed by the kitchen and peeked in. He saw the small, familiar girl kneeling on a stool and pounding a large piece of dough. Her small hands disappeared in the elastic paste as she stretched it and punched it without stopping. Michael happily entered the kitchen and surprised Liera when he spoke.

“Liera! Lets do something fun today and hang out for once!”

Michael felt his words were awkward and rather weird, but the message should have gone across. Michael was lonely and wanted to play with Liera for a bit.

Liera looked at Michael and then took a long glance at the dough in her hands before looking back. Michael followed her gaze and turned red on the spot. What was he thinking? She was obviously busy, yet he asked her to go and play without thinking. Michael tried to contain his embarrassment and stammered out a reply while slowly backing out of the kitchen.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t notice you were busy. I’ll just go and… and…”

Michael rushed out of the kitchen without completing his apology and chastised himself as he climbed upstairs. He still wasn’t used to Liera since the only real time they spent together was during morning training. His father taught Liera while Michael was at school, and Michael was only trained at night. His mother took up most of his non-school days with lessons of Green-Magic, and Liera was constantly busy with either his mother or the maids..

Michael entered his room and flopped down on top of his bed. He lay there and went through his schedule for the day. His yearly naming day had passed a few months ago and as an 8 year old, his training with his father had reached a peak as he completed the basics. Michael had fought with his sword and dagger for almost half a decade and felt that the weapons were almost like an extension of his body. After his Changing Day, he would get proper teachers who will pass on actual skills and knowledge to him.

Michael decided to take a bath before starting his training with Aaron. Submerging in a bath would relax his body. Having to speak out in class, as well as embarrassing himself in front of Liera had added some stress so a bath would do good. Michael went to the large washroom on the floor and filled a tub with hot water that was brought through the pipes of the house. Michael then stripped and immersed himself in the water and sighed as his muscles calmed.

Liera pounded the dough a few more times while thinking about Michael’s earlier reaction. He had seemed rather stressed out and couldn’t even complete a sentence. He also seemed a little lonely since he actually asked her outright to play. Liera gave him a look that told him to wait a little bit, but she didn’t think he actually noticed. Adding some flour to areas of the dough to get rid of some stickiness, Liera manipulated the dough with experienced hands; bread baking was one of the things she had been taught and she liked how active it required her to be. Liera looked over the dough with a critical eye and poked it a few times to see if it sprung back. When it looked and felt perfect, she gave herself a nod of approval before moving on.

Liera took out a bowl and poured some cooking oil inside. She then placed the dough in the bowl and started to turn it over to ensure that the bowl and the dough were lightly covered. She then took a cloth and wet it. She placed the damp cloth over the bowl and placed the entire thing to the side. Liera washed her hands over the sink and looked around the kitchen to see if there was anything to pass the time while she waited for the dough to rise. She had roughly an hour until she should check on it again, so there was time to see if Michael still wanted to play. Liera decided that she didn’t know Michael very well, so she went upstairs in search for him.

She peeked into his room but found it empty. A quick sniff told her that it had recently been occupied, so Michael had been in the room but had since left. Liera walked away from the room and went down the hall to see if Michael was in any of the other rooms. When she got close to the washroom, Michael’s scent washed over her. She started breathing through her mouth until her concentration came back, and she went to the door. She cracked the door open a little bit and saw Michael submerged in the steaming water, the source of the stronger scent.

Liera continued to stare and tried to decide what she should do. Michael wanted to play with her, but he was preoccupied now and she didn’t want to bother him. An old memory surfaced to the forefront in her mind. Liera watched as she played with the other adults in one of the lakes. They switched between forms to wash both skin and fur and she remembered that her mother washed her quite thoroughly. Liera remembered feeling content at the attention and care and decided to do the same for Michael. Her step was light as she went to her room.

The bath was incredibly soothing to Michael and he soon felt tired. Yawning a few times, Michael leaned on the edge of the bathtub and tried to remember why he didn’t take baths more often. Something about the dirt and sweat he accumulated or something. Another yawn broke through and Michael felt his eyes start to droop. Two sharp knocks sounded on the door and before he could properly respond, the door opened.

“I have time right now, so I’ll help wash you.”

Scrambling awake, Michael stared with wide eyes as Liera walked through the door clothed only in a towel wrapped around her body. It had only been two years since Michael first met her and Liera’s body had yet to change in any drastic way. She was quite small for her age, an aspect of her fey lineage that differentiated her from humans, and looked a few years younger than Michael. He knew she was close to his age though and that awareness, coupled with his growing awareness of himself and girls, made Michael quickly scramble towards the wall where his towel was hung.

Tripping over the tub that he had forgotten about, Michael rolled to the wall and somehow managed to grab the towel and wrap himself properly before Liera could see him. Michael stood with one hand holding up his towel and confronted the girl.

“What are you doing! You can’t just enter the washroom like that! Its… its…”

“I was just hoping to wash your back. You said you wanted to ‘hang out’ earlier, so this would be one way of ‘hanging out’. Washing each other’s back also feels nice, you know?”

Her cool expression was a direct contrast to Michael’s flushed face and he tried to figure out a response that would work. Liera continued to stare at him and that made him more nervous than usual, especially since they both only had towels separating one another. Michael stiffly walked back to the tub and pulled the plug. He didn’t bother to watch the swirling liquid disappear. He instead tried to calmly walk pass Liera and head back into his room. He only managed the walking part, calmly doing anything not being possible in that situation.

Liera watched as he passed and her brows furrowed in confusion. Did she do something weird? Or was Michael just acting strange for some reason? Not understanding him at all, Liera shut the door and moved towards the now emptied tub and replugged the hole. She turned the water back on and kept the temperature moderate, to match the feel of the lakes she started to miss.

Dinner was a simple meal of thick beef stew and slices of the bread that Liera had baked. The bread was soft on the inside with a thick crust that was perfect when dipped into the stew. One bite of a stew-soaked piece of bread, and everyone agreed that the meal was heavenly. So good Michael almost forgot his embarrassment after each bite. One glance at Liera though, was enough to bring up the memory of what had happened and Michael quickly averted his eyes.

“Michael, are you alright? Your face is red and you only took 3 bites in the last 10 minutes.”

Michael looked up and saw his mother’s concerned expression. He also noticed Liera staring at him from the corner of his eye and he quickly tried to assuade his mother and get back to the food.

“I-its nothing. I was just thinking about the history lesson we had today, and… and the stew is a little hot for me, so I’m letting it cool.”

Michael’s explanations were half-assed at best, but his mother nodded in understanding. Liera had gone back to concentrating on her food, though she did pay attention when Aaron spoke up.

“If I’m not mistaken, your class should be talking about the Magus Wars and the Guilds. right?”

“Just the Magus Wars, we didn’t have time for Guilds today.”

Nodding, Aaron glanced at his wife very briefly before continuing.

“Based on that schedule, your class will soon get to the Mad War. Although the war was pretty destructive, it did introduce three new God-ranked people. Kilrev the human Warrior, Luanden the elven Archer, and Tiurand the human Blacksmith. Since the War started about 400 years ago, Kilrev and Tiurand are both dead. Luanden is actually still alive, so you two may meet him in the future. Although his personality does leave something to be desired…”

Aaron’s tone became reminiscent at the end, but Michael wasn’t about to leave it at that.

“You met Luanden?”

“Ah… er… I met your mother first and then we both met him. She can tell you the story instead. Celia?”

“No.”

Not even looking up, Celia spoke the word in a cold tone that cut off any continuation of that particular conversation. Aaron smiled nervously at his wife before turning back to Michael.

“See? Your mother won’t talk about it now, but she’ll tell you when she can. Let’s just not speak about it. Ever.”

Michael stared at his extremely nervous father and caught the underlying message; If you want to know, ask your mother. Good luck with that. Michael decided the line of thought would be disastrous, so he went back to his meal. Luckily the conversation managed to ease Michael’s previous anxiety and the meal passed quickly without any problems.

When Michael woke up early the next morning, and he remembered everything from yesterday. His embarrassment rushed back like a tide, causing him to be wide awake. Face red, Michael tried to go back to sleep but his body became restless as his imagination took hold. Michael decided it was useless to continue sleeping, so he got out of bed and changed into the clothes he used for his morning workout.

The tight clothing was fitted to Michael’s frame and every year he got a new set to compensate for his growing frame. At 140 centimetres he was taller than average and general clothes were a bit too small or too wide for him. A yearly set of training clothes was a must for both Liera and himself ever since they both started fighting with real swords. Loose clothing were very easy to tangle and get damaged during training.

Michael and Liera had long since been in charge of their own morning workout, so Michael didn’t need to be under the watchful eye of his father when he ran. After an hour of running and climbing multiple circuits around the house, Michael ran back to his room and grabbed a few weights to start his exercises. The wrist and ankle weights were only 3 pounds each, but as Michael went through his sit-ups, jumping jacks, lunges, and squats, the weights started to take their toll on his body. After an hour of those exercises, Michael took off the weights and ended the morning routine with a few minutes of constant push ups, trying to add one push up more than yesterday’s count.

By the end of it, Michael’s clothing was soaked with sweat and he lightly dabbed it off with a cloth. Since he had only been training inside and was only covered in sweat, Michael went to the third floor to make use of the only shower in the house. A quick soak under the rush of water and he would be ready for school. If Michael timed this right, then Liera would just be getting up and starting her own runs. Michael hoped to avoid her until he left the house; he didn’t think he could keep his nervousness from showing if she confronted him.

Liera woke up at her usual time and groggily grabbed her set of black clothing that she laid out the previous night. Eyes still closed, she made her way to the middle of her room with familiarity and put on the clothes with practiced movements. Half of her thoughts were focused on going back to sleep so she raised both hands to slap her face several times. The pain woke her up a bit more, but a yawn still escaped her and she slumped a bit on the spot. Liera wished she had some tea to wake her up and daydreamed of the warm minty drink sliding down her throat. Instead, she poured herself a glass of water from a jug she left overnight and drained it in one go.

Feeling the liquid go through her body, Liera perked up and went to her room door with a little more haste. The sun hadn’t yet risen so the lamps were the only guide that led Liera down to the third floor. She reached the floor and was a little surprised to see that Michael wasn’t there. Michael always woke up before her, and since she wasn’t a morning person she always followed his routine as he exercised.

Liera waited on the floor for a few minutes before getting restless, so she started warming herself up by jogging on the spot and jabbing a few times. 10 minutes passed without any sign of Michael so she decided to check and wake him up if necessary. She was actually a little excited, since this was the first time she would be the one to wake him up.

Liera’s room was the closest to the stairs so she didn’t pass Michael’s room when she went down earlier. Going to his room now, she knocked lightly on the door and listened for any movement. She didn’t even hear a rustle so she knocked a little louder but again there was no response. Liera decided to see if the door was open and was surprised when the handle turned in her hand as the door opened. Creeping inside, Liera looked around the room.

The room was the same size as Liera’s and was a near reflection in terms of furniture. A medium sized bed was situated in the far right corner of the room, the sheets in disarray, with a small chest at its base. To the left was a tall dresser used to keep Michael’s more formal clothes safe and clean while a basket to its side held his more mundane ones. Taking a short sniff of the room told Liera that Michael had left it only a short time earlier, so she exited the room and took a long whiff of the hallway.

Following the trail of the scent led her back to the third floor and to the shower room. If he used it already, then chances were he already finished his routine without her and was on the lower floors. Liera decided not to dwell too much on the fact and started up the routine that they followed yesterday. Instead of starting up exercises by the end of her laps though, Liera went to the far south-west corner of the room and took a stance. She closed her eyes and stayed in that position for a few minutes as her mind formed three distinct shapes. Two of them were humanoid in shape, one much bigger than her and one that was shorter but still a good 30 centimetres over her, while the last was a wolf much larger than her, even when on all fours. Usually shadow boxing partners included a humanoid shape that was smaller than her, but with her size it was more of a joke than an actual fight.

She opened her eyes and imagined the three in front of her. Liera moved first and jabbed at the head of the shorter shadow while sliding past several oncoming blows from the larger. Shifting her left hand to a claw she turned and swiped at the open jaws of the oncoming wolf and pushed it away before turning back and ducking under a fast right hook from the countering shorter shadow. Pivoting on the spot she kicked in the direction of the shorter shadow, making it back away, before turning her attention to the larger shadow. Several quick left and right jabs to the chest made it back away and in the middle of one jab she stepped back quickly before unleashing a full kick to its head. Liera was shocked to see the larger shadow only take a half-step back and only then did she notice the oncoming attack.

Liera quickly used the momentum of the kick to spin her body and dodge the attack instead, as the wolf shadow stepped past the humanoid one to attack her side. Shifting her head, Liera bit into the forearm of the wolf and used its momentum to throw its body over her head. As she tried to shift back to a human head, the larger shadow rushed into her vulnerable stance and delivered two quick jabs followed by a hook to her stomach. Liera backed away from the blows and only then noticed the return of the smaller shadow which was already in the middle of a jump kick. Closing her eyes, Liera cursed as she ended the shadow boxing there and erased her imaginary opponents.

Liera opened her eyes and made note of where she had ended. From the south-west corner, she only made 3 metres of distance before ending the fight and she shook her head in disappointment. The shadow boxing opponents were in the shape of Michael, Aaron, and the final wolf that died in Yim. Using the instructions of Aaron, Liera had the shadows use techniques that she was sure the originals would use, and she had to shift back from wolf form every time. Michael’s shadow was not even close to the same level of skill as Liera and even Aaron’s form was the same. The wolf also was a tad weaker since Liera was sure it could easily kill her at full power. Based on all of the handicaps she could see, she definitely should have won against the three, especially when they were based off her imagination.

The only problem was Aaron’s shadow. Instead of actual skill, it heavily relied upon teamwork with the others. When it faced her, the shadow timed when to defend and when to let the other shadows fight. That meant it waited for Liera to get close before stepping back and giving the wolf enough room to attack. It then gave minimal blows to her before stepping to the side and letting Michael’s kick become the deciding blow to the fight. Never dealing final blows itself, the shadow would try to stay to the side and coordinate with its partners to defeat her. Liera was almost as scared of it as she was of the original.

Liera decided she had enough of that and started work on exercises. Working primarily with her arms and legs, Liera did regular push ups and close hands push ups, one leg and two leg squats, incredibly slow lunges, and then went through a series of minimal speed stretches before ending with quick dashes from wall to wall. When her body felt loose and limber she toweled her sweat off and went back to her room.

She passed and greeted Celia on the way up the stairs and heard the returning greeting followed by a long yawn. Celia was also not a morning person and couldn’t understand the need for morning training at all. Liera herself didn’t feel any vestige of the sleep remaining in her as she grabbed a clean set of clothes and made for the unoccupied washroom. She passed a jogging Aaron, who took to doing morning training later than the kids, and greeted him as well. He nodded to her response but his quick pace left little breathe for a proper response and she was satisfied anyways. Passing a window in the hall, Liera glanced out the window to see Michael’s figure as he left. She decided he probably had a reason for starting everything earlier than usual so she shook her head at her own curiosity and made it to the washroom where she filled the tub with hot water and soaked for half an hour.

Breakfast was a simple affair of leftover bread from the night before with eggs that were poached to perfection. Bacon was water boiled to a crisp and Liera added a large helping of it onto her dish. In the middle of the meal Lucy appeared at the door wearing outdoor clothing and Celia spoke up.

“Oh yes. Liera, you’ll be going with Lucy on her shopping rounds today. We’ll be having a large meal in a few days to take part in the successful fall harvest, so she needs a helping hand with the ingredients.”

Liera nodded in response and proceeded to quickly finish her meal, so that Lucy wouldn’t be kept waiting, and then excused herself from the table. Liera went back to her room and put on a simple white dress that was part of a set of regular clothes she received yearly. What she had noticed was that the clothes she had received barely grew in size at all. She was pretty sure she could still wear the first set of clothing she had received, and that made her very envious of Michael’s growing height. She sighed in regret as she put on the dress and then grabbed a pair of outdoor shoes she barely used, again of a size similar to the ones given a few years back.

Liera went down the flights of stairs and met Lucy at the entrance of the house. She put on her shoes and straightened her skirt nervously. Liera rarely headed outside and when she did, it was usually just a short distance to one of the training centers nearby to pick up some equipment. The marketplace would be in the Crafting District, which was the busiest district and had the most people travelling within.

The two of them made their way out of the house and walked silently to the east. Liera was only half a step behind Lucy and she stared at the ground and Lucy’s shoes as she walked.

Still in her early 30s, Lucy was a cute looking lady with a few admirers in the city. Catcalls and greetings came from the random people and Lucy waved in response to their attentions. Behind her, Liera could hear Lucy’s quiet words.

“The first step of bargaining is to create a face. What you choose depends on how easy it is for you. Right now, I am showing a happy go lucky face that is seen as good-natured. From the time I leave the house, to the time I go back, I have this face on so that no one suspects anything. It also becomes easier to do the more you do it, so I try to keep it on for as long as I can.”

Raising her head, Liera looked at Lucy and saw a smile on her face that looked quite natural. Even in the house, Lucy had a small smile on her face when she did her work, so Liera didn’t see any huge change. Keeping that smile looked like it would have hurt though, and Liera didn’t really want to try.

“For you, I would say a fierce appearance is better. With your short stature, an angry demeanor would only make you more cute. Oh, don’t pout. I’m just saying it as it is.”

Liera straightened her features and stopped her glaring to see where they were. Though it was still early, the sounds of opening shops and blacksmiths’ hammers started to fill the long street with an abundance of noise that rang in Liera’s ears. Shouts from the Blacksmiths to their apprentices were on the level of bellows, and she jumped once when a nearby Blacksmiths shop erupted in a cacophony of angry shouts and movement. After passing the Blacksmiths area, Liera breathed a sigh a relief that was swallowed when they turned a corner.

Shouts and scents overwhelmed Liera as shopkeepers immediately presented their wares at the sight of the two. They were the first few shoppers of the day and the two were the only ones that walked down the street to check out the items.

Liera followed Lucy with a nervous step and she couldn’t understand how Lucy could just ignore the merchants like that. She was afraid they would seem rude when they didn’t at least check out the wares, but she noticed that the merchants didn’t seem to mind in the least. They just shrugged at the lack of attention and waited for the next customers to approach and attract. Looking back at Lucy, she noticed her side glance and saw her smile loosen to a more gleeful one.

“Merchants are cold-hearted bastards who would try to sell some sob story in order to get business. First rule of business is that no one follows the rules. The richer they are, the more cold-hearted they are. Some would try to cheat a beggar if they thought they could. Ignoring a Merchant is the first step in bargaining.”

“I thought it was to create a face.”

“Glad to see you paying attention. Faces are first steps for real shoppers. Ignoring is the first step for everyone. Learn to ignore first.”

Lucy’s smile tightened back to her wide one and she quickly stepped to a nearby grocery stand. She grabbed a few potatoes from the stand and questioned the merchant with some questions on the quality. Liera listened and tried to note what Lucy did and why.

“Are these fresh?”

“Yes ma’am. Dug up just this morning from Old Hicks’ farm.”

“Old Hicks? I bought a few pounds of carrots from him a week ago. They were good, but definitely not fresh.”

“I assure you, madam, these carrots are fresh as can be. If you wish, I’ll cut them open right here and verify it.”

“No need, no need, I’ll take your word for it. How much for it?”

“For you lady, I’ll sell for 2 Radiates per pound.”

“I’ll take 2 Argentias worth then.”

Liera watched in confusion as the man frowned at what Lucy said and gruffly stuffed carrots into two bags. Still smiling, Lucy received the products with a gracious nod and handed over the coins before turning. Lucy explained what happened as they walked.

“That merchant was new to the street, so I played with him a bit. Old Hicks’ products are always good and fresh, but I showed a side that revealed my hesitation when I questioned the quality. I knew I had him thinking I would leave when he tried to show how fresh they were to me, so I ended it by displaying a level of trust. His response to that trust was to view me in a pleasant light and when you added my ‘face’... well, I got these potatoes at less than half price. On another note, I gave a few hints that said I only bought a few carrots last week. He thought I was only out to buy only 2-4 pounds of vegetables again, so he lowered the price a bit, but I surprised him when I pulled out two full Argentias. Did you see his face?”

Lucy’s expression turned into a more sinister smile and she burst into laughter as they walked down the street. Liera turned back to see the merchant glaring at Lucy’s back and she caught his mouth moving slightly as he probably cursed at her retreating back. She turned around when he caught her watching him and she quickly caught back up to the still laughing Lucy.

Liera barely understood all of what she said, but she did understand that she achieved her goal successfully. Watching the next few purchases, Liera became more and more confused as Lucy displayed different stories and words that contradicted one another. In one shop she compared the vegetables with Old Hick’s and praised Old Hicks as the best while at another she showed a side of confusion when the name came up. Several other names also popped up, but Liera was overwhelmed at the different brands being sold.

Only when she heard other customer’s purchases did she finally see a pattern.

“How much for these peas?”

“5 Radiates for 2 pounds.”

“I saw these being sold in another store for a Radiate less. Why are these ones so much more expensive?”

“My dear customer, these were obtained from the soils imported from the far north and the soil was perfectly cooled to the right temperature for the peas to grow. Would you not like to taste peas perfectly grown in Yern soil? Or how about these bananas imported straight from Luin, the only producer of it? Or these fresh bundle of apples?”

“Oh, uhhhh. I’ll take 4 pounds of peas then. And two bundles of bananas.”

Liera saw that the merchants lead the discussion with most of their customers, while Lucy led her discussions instead. Her questions were to the point and required a right answer, else she would pounce on the opening and make the merchant sweat. When Liera paid attention to the different prices the products were being sold for, she noted that they were getting products for far less than usual.

“Bargaining is the art of using subtle words and expression to gain an advantage during deals. For me, I use my innocent smile and subtle words to paint a picture of a poor housewife and then I take advantage of the merchant’s geniality to get stuff at a cheaper price.”

Looking proud of herself, Lucy explained what she did to the impressed Liera. Money was still a new concept though, and she didn’t truly understand the importance of it. Lucy saw that and already had a plan in place.

Crowds of people walked the streets and the merchants were quite busy dealing with different groups of people. Liera soon got used the hustle and bustle of the crowd and her training allowed her to easily keep up with Lucy. Only once did she lose track of the older woman, but a quick use of her strong nose allowed her to pick out the unique scent and find Lucy in a short period of time. Lucy herself didn’t seem to worry about Liera getting lost, and she kept her pace throughout the trip.

The two of them stopped before a small blacksmiths shop and Lucy turned around to face Liera, her many bags swishing and almost hitting the little girl. Taking out her money pouch, Lucy placed a small gold coin in her hands and Liera watched as it glittered in the sun. Lucy pointed at the shop when she saw Liera’s confused expression and changed her smile to something more supporting.

“Your turn. Take that Solide and go inside to get a dagger that we ordered. Your goal is to get the price below fourteen Argentias. Oh, don’t worry so much. I’ll be out here watching and I’ll rescue you if needed.”

Liera was shocked at the random task and Lucy had to push her through the doors of the building. Liera stumbled a bit from the manhandling, but she quickly straightened when she thought people were watching. A quick glance around revealed no one though, and she gave a long sigh before going up to the counter to see if anyone was there.

She glanced to the left and right to see if anyone was there that she missed. Not seeing anyone, she tried to look over the counter, but found that only her eyes were a few centimetres above it. Cursing her own height, Liera cupped a hand to her mouth and shouted.

“Hello? Anyone there? I’m here to- Yiaa!”

The emergence of a form from below the counter caused Liera to jump back in surprise and give a small scream. The man was slight in appearance and sported a wide smile at the success of his appearance. It softened a bit when he saw the little girl and he spoke in a genial tone.

“Yes? How may I help the little miss?.”

“I-I’m here to pick up a package.”

Liera tried hard to contain the slight tremor in her voice and to stop her shaking. The shopkeeper noticed her struggle and gave a supportive and patient smile as he asked his questions.

“Alright, so what is the package, or just give a last name.”

Only then did Liera find out she didn’t know the exact package details and started to panic a little bit. Recalling all of what Lucy said, she gave the most basic information plus the family name.

“It’s a dagger a-and the family name is Kane.”

“Ah, the Kane dagger, I got it right here. It’s already wrapped up and ready for purchase, on my word. That will be twenty Argentias.”

“Uh. Um…”

Liera rocked nervously on the spot and gripped the Solide tightly in her hand as she tried to figure out how to go about with bargaining. She hadn’t even made a ‘face’ yet and she wasn’t knowledgeable enough to question the product and lower the price that way. Noticing her nervousness, the shopkeeper cocked his head in confusion and asked about any problems.

“Is there something wrong?”

“I-I… fourteen Ar…”

Losing her voice due to nervousness, Liera only gave out those two sounds before stuttering to a stop. She glared at the ground and didn’t raise her head for a while as she wished for Lucy to appear and save her. After staring at the girl for a bit, the shopkeeper couldn’t help but feel sorry for her and reached out a hand.

“Alright alright. You were told fourteen Argentias, so fourteen it is.”

Taking the Solide from the girl, the shopkeeper shook his head at what he was doing and handed over the change. Liera slowly took a heavy pouch of coins plus the package and then bowed in thanks to the understanding man before turning. She quickly headed to the door and exited the shop, sighing in relief at finishing the task.

“Ho ho ho. Well done Liera. Not much talking, or bargaining for that matter, but you completed the task. Keep the change as your reward.”

Lucy peeled herself away from the side of the door and quickly took the package from Liera and stuffed it in one of her various bags. Liera looked down at the coins pouch in her hand and smiled a bit before remembering what happened. She raised her head to glare at the other woman, only to find Lucy already moving through the crowd at a brisk pace.

“Hey! Why didn’t you rescue me like you said you would?”

Catching up to Lucy was a struggle because of the woman’s head start and pace, but Liera managed it and had to lengthen her strides just to stay close to the older woman. She glared to the side from time to time and Lucy caught each look with a smile.

“What? So your sad and piteous look wasn’t something you made up on the spot? Its was quite effective, but now you’re telling me it was real?”

Being reminded of the embarrassment only increased Liera’s anger and she simmered in that rage for a short time. Lucy enjoyed the little girl’s reactions, but thought she might as well end it. There was also something she really wanted to ask…

“So, yesterday it seems something happened between you and Michael. Wanna tell me what?”

Liera’s anger diminished at those words and she became more thoughtful as she remembered what had happened.

“I don’t know why he was acting like that. When he came home after school, he asked to play but I was busy with making the dough. While waiting for it to rise, I decided I had about an hour to play with him, so I went to look for him. When I saw him taking a bath, I remembered that my parents washed me and it felt... nice. So I changed and went to help wash him. He became flustered and… what are you laughing at?”

Lucy was bent over laughing and making a spectacle in the middle of the road. She still looked quite cute laughing though, and most of the people ignored or smiled in response to her laughter.

“Ha~ To be so innocent…”

With those words, Lucy bent close to Liera and whispered into her ear. If they were anywhere else but the streets then a person would be able to catch the words bathing together… closer… touching… lovers… Michael’s parents… loud sounds…

Even though she was only 8, Liera had some idea about adult companionship and the relation between lovers. She grew redder as her imagination followed Lucy’s words and a picture of what happened formed in her head. The heat she felt increased when she remembered that Michael was also aware of this and she felt she must have steam coming out of her ears.

“Hohoho… kids these days. So bold…”

Liera whacked Lucy, but the older woman just ignored the weak slap and kept walking in laughter.

StatusNameMichaelAge8Level12Class-Fame0Infamy0TitleGreen-SingerGuild-Health700Mana900Stamina800Stored Rage29

Strength69Dexterity41Vitality70Intelligence70 + 20Wisdom60 + 20Mana Control11 + 5Critical Chance0.07%Agility66Concentration83 + 5Willpower19Charisma35 + 5Presence35Art30

[p=left]Special Skills and bonuses:

‘Silven Plant’ grants:

Double Mana Regeneration.

‘Green-Singer’ grants:

+5 Vitality.

+20 to Intelligence.

+20 to Wisdom.

+5 Mana Control.

+5 Charisma.

+5 Concentration.

+20 Nature Affinity.

[/p]

SkillsStealthBeginner level 2. (55%). Active skillInstant AnalyzationBeginner level 3. (2%) Active skillLanguage ComprehensionBeginner Level 1. (0%) Passive skillHerbologyBeginner level 5. (42%) Passive skillAlchemyBeginner level 5. (33%) Active skillSword MasteryBeginner level 4. (67%) Active skillDagger MasterBeginner level 3. (1%) Active skillWeapon Throwing MasteryBeginner level 4. (5%) Active skillGreen-MagicBeginner level 2 . (25%) Active skillHowlBeginner level 0. (0%) Active skillDevourBeginner level 2. (10%) Active skill

AffinitiesFire1Water1Earth1Wind1Light2Dark2Nature12 + 20

Michael now has:

A renowned potion making teacher

Combat lessons from his Expert Ranking father.

Green-Magic lessons from his mother

Silven Plant connection

Pack

Michael’s Pack:

Michael (leader)

Liera

Let's go back to that bloody mother part :DTime for Michael's Changing Day

Ha, Chapter 8 was complete so I uploaded this... wooo... Dunno when it will be Edited/PRed so meh.

I also have an SS complete for the Valentine Contest... I'll upload that as part of this in a few weeks...

Votes have been stagnant :( So close to beating First Draft... Please vote/review my fic :D