Chapter 19: A new day.

Arriving on the street leading to the Puddy Muddle, Tobi spotted several men and Darien approaching from the opposite direction. With his heart sinking as he didn’t see Selene, the group opened up to show Selene speaking animatedly with another woman.

Pausing in his tracks and watching her walk closer obliviously, Tobi’s heart felt as though it melted there and then. He’d never seen anything so beautiful in all his life. Whilst she was missing, he was resigned to fate—but now she was walking toward him, nothing else seemed to matter. How had he even stayed still whilst she was missing?

Slowly walking forward as he waited for her to look up and notice him, her face finally turned. Perhaps it had been the mood or the setting, but neither rushed forward as their eyes locked. Walking to each other without blinking or looking away, the distance fell away a step at a time.

In his peripheral vision, Tobi could see the smile on Darien’s face and the group slowly moving further apart to let him through. None of it matter though and faded away into nothing as his arms lifted. Mirroring his actions, her arms flew up.

Colliding together with more force than he expected, Tobi buried his face into her shoulder and breathed her in. With his arms wrapped around her waist, Tobi pulled her in tighter and held her as though he’d never let her go again.

“Next time we are sharing a room.” Selene whispered as she buried her head into him.

Nodding into her shoulder and saying nothing, Tobi held her for a few moments longer. He wanted to stand there forever but they had spectators.

As he finally broke away from her, Darien smiled, “I didn’t know she meant that much to you.”

“Well now you know.” Tobi replied curtly, “You have your deal. I am guessing you have somewhere in your territory you would like us to stay until the tournament?”

Darien nodded.

“Lead on then.”

“Where is Cole, by the way? He was supposed to be tailing you.”

“He did more than that.” Tobi growled as he subtly moved Selene to his right between himself and the Talin, “He betrayed you and led us into a trap. He was killed in the fight that followed.”

Noting how Darien and Bubele gave worried looks to each other, Tobi decided to file that away as a potentially important memory.

“Cole was pretty good at his job,” Darien murmured, “one of the best. How did you kill him?”

They think it was me? Ah...they don’t know how strong I am—and it worries them?

“It was a brawl, I don’t really know who killed who. I just know that when it was over, Cole was no longer able to wake up.”

Breathing a sigh and glancing only once at the Talin, Darien nodded his head and told his men to pack up. After exchanging words with Bubele and leaving one of his men nearby, they set off for one of Darien’s safe houses. At least, that was what Darien called it.

---

Passing ‘Sulil’s Copper Lantern’ as they hit the Central Road, Selene let out a sigh and Tobi paused. After asking the Talin if he was hungry, Tobi called for Darien to stop.

“What is it?”

“We’re all hungry. How about stopping for some food. This is your territory, right?”

“Yes, but Sulil isn’t exactly a friend of mine.”

“That’s OK,” Tobi replied with a smile, “His son is a friend of mine.”

“Then you convince him to let us in. If he does, then I will pay.”

“Of course you were paying.” Tobi replied, “It can be compensation for your betrayer leading me into a trap.”

Without waiting to see Darien’s reaction, Tobi walked into the Copper Lantern with Selene by his side. He didn’t get more than two steps in before Sal spotted them both and opened both arms in greeting.

“Master Tobi and Lady Selene, it is good to see you both return so soon. You enjoyed our food so much that you couldn’t stay away any long, I am right aren’t I?”

Smiling at the enthusiastic welcome, Selene put on a mock angry face; “As I remember it, it was Tobi that did the cooking you are so proud of.”

“Details.” Sal laughed waving a hand. “Are you both well? We have been hearing strange rumors all day.”

As Selene laughed a little, Tobi found himself relaxing and answered that they were fine.

“We are hungry though. Unfortunately we are not alone. As you may have heard, we are also travelling with a Talin, is that OK? I have also picked up some others you may not be so willing to let inside.”

“You are speaking of Darien? I can see him across the street. The Talin I don’t mind about, but Darien...”

Looking over his shoulder, Tobi could see Darien and his men easily. From the outside, it was hard to see in. From the inside however, seeing outside was easy. The copper tinted glass had a one way reflection thing going on that set a nice dim atmosphere even in the day.

“Yes, I am speaking of Darien. I don’t want to cause a bother though. If you would prefer not to let them in, we will still come again some other time.”

“My father is still out of town so I will make an exception this once.”

Thanking Sal for his kindness, Tobi called out in Elven that it was OK. As everyone gathered in the doorway, Sal and a waitress led them below the balcony to a fair sized room at the back.

“It is a room we normally give to bookings only. We usually get couples but the occasional large party books out this place for their private functions. I will have someone bring over menu’s in a moment.”

Giving a nod to Sal as thanks, Tobi guided Selene to the far end of the room with the Talin close behind. Sitting at the head of the table with Selene to his left and the Talin to the right, Tobi gestured for Darien’s men to sit at the table. More than one seemed to be excited at eating there.

“Darien, you sit beside Selene.” Tobi instructed as the men started moving to random seats.

As Darien had been pulling out the seat at the opposite end of the table, he gave a small nod and moved beside Selene instead.

“Have none of you eaten here before?” Selene asked as the biggest man in Darien’s group nervously sat next to the Talin.

“Sulil is very observant,” Darien answered, “He seems to recognize my men on sight and won’t let them in.”

“Well you are all in for a treat then.” Selene replied with a fake smile Tobi had never seen before.

Quietly asking her if she was OK, she answered that she was but wanted to know why Darien had to sit next to her.

“I don’t trust any of them. I should have sat you here and sat there myself. I just didn’t think it through before we sat down.” He whispered back.

“A woman shouldn’t sit at the head of the table anyway. Not in this country.”

Noting how Darien had kindly attempted not to listen to their whispers, Tobi apologized to him for telling him to sit next to Selene.

“It is OK, I understand. After Cole’s betrayal, you don’t trust anyone to sit beside her. You only trust me because I will not do anything to jeapordize our deal.”

“Right.” Tobi answered without denying it, “Selene, I haven’t introduced him yet, but this Talin is a new friend of mine. He only speaks Elven though. He has no name though.”

“Hello,” Selene answered in Elven to the Talin, “My name is Selene, it is nice to meet you.”

She was speaking a little slow, which amused Tobi, but more than that he was surprised she spoke any Elven at all.

“Nice to meet you Selene. Just call me Talin.”

As the Talin had responded equally slow as if Selene were stupid, Tobi choked back a laugh and apologized.

“You don’t have to speak slow.” Tobi replied in Elven normally.

“But she speaks slow.” The Talin complained in a confused tone.

“Because I am still learning Elven.” Selene blushed, “I have been learning it in Secret since Tobi told me we were going to see the Elves. This is my first time speaking it though. Just speak normally and I will catch up eventually.”

With most of the men around the table failing to hide their smiles as she continued speaking slowly in Elven, Tobi covered his mouth and apologized to Selene for laughing.

“Do I sound funny?”

“You sound fine.” Darien hissed as he looked to Tobi reproachfully.

Rolling his eyes, Tobi waved the waitress at the door into the room. As she passed menus around the table, Tobi recognized her and said hello.

“So you do remember me, I wasn’t sure you would. Do you actually want a menu or the same as last time?”

Remembering the blue steak he’d ordered last time and the peppercorn sauce, Tobi nodded and said he would have exactly that. Selene in turn asked if the girl remembered what she had ordered.

“You had the same if I remember right, except your steak was cooked and lacking a heartbeat.”

As both women smiled at each other, Darien asked what was meant by a heartbeat. The waitress went on to explain that Tobi ate his steak whilst it was still bleeding. Passing the menu to the Talin without batting an eyelid, she asked him if the Talin had any special preferences for how their food was cooked.

“What did she say?”

“She asked if you have a preference to how your food is cooked,” Selene translated.

Looking down at the menu, the Talin passed it back to her, “I have same Tobi.”

Smiling, the girl complimented his Human and gave a small bow.

“You do realize I eat my steak with blood coming out?” Tobi asked in Elven as the girl waited for the others to give their orders.

“That’s OK, we Talin aren’t fussy eaters. We like to eat a lot but what we eat isn’t important. We will even eat an animal that is still alive if we are hungry enough.”

Fidgeting a little at the extra information, Selene glanced at the waitress and guessed she didn’t speak Elven.

Hearing a small groan and creak of wood whilst waiting for the next person deciding on their order, every face in the room turned to the Talin. Quickly moving his chair backward and out of the way, Tobi eyes locked on to the surprised look on the Talins face. Tobi was already laughing before the chair even collapsed. For Selene and the Waitress, their hands shot to their mouths in shock and horror; for the rest of the men, they were too stunned to say or do anything. Only Tobi openly laughed at the Talin.

Replaying the Talins shocked face the exact moment before he fell in his mind, Tobi’s laughter echoed through the room. Stopping only long enough to look at the Talin apologetically before laughing again at the image of the Talin smacking his chin on the table, the Talin sighed.

“I think you are cursed Tobi.”

“Me cursed? You’re the one who fell.”

Picking himself up and dusting himself off, the Talin nodded, “Since I met you, I have been deafened twice, blasted with fireballs, shot in the ass and now I fall through a chair and bang my chin on a table. You are my bad luck.”

“Since I met you, I have been deafened twice, knocked out, locked up, caught in a trap, hit over the head with a club and had my … and Selene got taken from me.” Tobi countered with a smile.

“You are the one that deafened us!” The Talin replied with wide eyes, “And Selene getting taken was your fault.” he added with satisfaction.

Tobi nodded more seriously, “I know. I will apologize to her endlessly later. Are you OK?”

The Talin nodded, “A little bruise on my pride, but it doesn’t hurt. I think I need a bigger, stronger chair.”

Asking the waitress if she had a bigger and stronger chair, the waitress nodded. When Sal returned carrying a chair that actually looked built to sit a Talin, Sal told Darien that the chair would be included in the bill.

Looking at Tobi as though it were his fault, Tobi told Darien that he would repay him for the chair. With all the drama over and the Talin looking especially pleased and comfortable in his chair, the orders were finished being made and the room settled down into silence.

---

When all the food finally arrived—with a complimentary double serving for no extra charge for the Talin; conversation began to flow again. Only Selene, Tobi and the Talin ate in silence. Even Darien seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere, food and drinks.

Feeling the last two days of fatigue start to hit him as his satiety bar filled back up, Tobi began to feel full. Frowning at the food and the sensation of feeling full, Tobi wondered when he’d last felt the sensation. He would feel hungry if his Satiety bar fell too low, but other than that he could eat indefinitely...normally.

“You OK?” Selene asked.

“Tired.” Tobi answered with a wan smile and continued eating. He was just shy of finishing the food before he couldn’t eat another bite.

Staring at the remaining two potatoes, Tobi was convinced that he’d not felt full since arriving in Aevitas. It wasn’t that the feeling was unwelcome, it was just that the feeling meant a change. Every time something changed in himself in this world, a change always occurred that affected his life. Even meeting Selene came after his first nightmare and a real scare at forgetting who he was.

Pushing the thought aside and moving the plate away, Tobi announced that he was stuffed. Echoes of agreement came down the table as leftovers were taken by the Talin and added to his plate.

“Talin eat a lot, huh?” Selene noted in Elven.

“We can go a long time without food,” he mumbled back with a mouthful of food, “but that’s because we stock up plenty when we get the chance to eat our fill.”

“How much does it take to actually fill your belly?” Darien asked curiously.

“About half of our weight if it is all meat.” The Talin answered instantly.

Raising an eyebrow at Tobi, Darien wished him luck on feeding the Talin when they leave the city. Tobi laughed but inside he actually wondered if it could end up becoming a problem; he still hadn’t refilled his pocket-purse since coming to Chadú.

Remembering the broken chair the Talin broke, Tobi wondered the cost of furniture. He’d not done much with his Elven Carpentry but it was high time he started making things other than chess sets. He’d definitely see about doing some work whilst stuck in the city waiting for the tournament to begin.

Well fed and sipping his drink, Tobi looked down the table and seen that everyone had finished eating. Even the Talin was sitting back comfortably with a drink in his hand.

“Time for us to move on?” Tobi asked, aiming his question at Darien.

Right on cue, the waitress walked into the room with the bill. She seemed to almost sing the numbers as she rolled off a bill exceeding 130 Gold. As Darien paid without so much as batting an eyelid, the woman ‘humphed’.

“What was that about?” Darien asked as the group started preparing to leave.

“You didn’t tip her.” Selene answered with a smile for Tobi.

“At those prices, who can afford to give a tip?” One of the man called back holding the door to the room open.

Selene shrugged, “How much did you give her Tobi? Just short of a gold coin?”

Tobi recalled the previous bill and worked out the change he’d let her keep was 97 Silver. He hadn’t considered it much at the time considering how happy he was, but it was probably on the excessive side.

Linking her arm but saying nothing, a couple of the men looked towards his waist where most men hung their money pouches.

Now they think I am rich? Oh well, good to keep them guessing.

Walking through the restaurant with all eyes staring at Darien and his men, the group turned silent and walked with a cocky pride Tobi hadn’t seen before. Even Sal at the main door glared at each man individually as they left. Only when Darien had passed did his eyes soften.

“You three are welcome back any time, but I would appreciate it if you didn’t bring his sort here again.”

“We won’t bring them again.” Tobi answered with a nod.

“A word of advice before you go?”

Hesitating in the doorway, Sal spoke just about loud enough to make sure Darien heard what he said; “There are some poisons in this world that are passed on by touch. You should remember that whilst traveling with your current company.”

“I will be careful.” Tobi answered looking directly at Darien, “I hope to see you again soon, Sal. You’re a good man.”

“You too, Tobi, Selene. And you too my green friend.”

The Talin understanding the words ‘green’ and ‘friend’ smiled and nodded. Tobi hadn’t seen him smile like that before but it was a little scary looking. Sal wasn’t bothered by it at all as he smiled back happily.

---

“We’re here.” Darien smiled as they reached a three story building just two streets from the restaurant. Spotting a building across the road with a blue flame and a gold circle, Tobi guessed it was a guardhouse and asked how he could dare walk so close to one.

Darien’s only response was a chuckle but he didn’t answer the question. Shutting the door once everyone was inside, he issued orders to his men and led Tobi up the stairs.

“This is one of my favorite homes, I even sleep here myself quite often. It belonged to Kleetz once but that was a long time ago. Oh, I didn’t ask...do you two share a room?”

“Yes.” Selene and Tobi answered in unison. After what happened at the Puddy Muddle, neither was willing to let the other out of their sight.

“Well you two take the room at the end on the right, the Talin can take the one next to you. Is that OK?”

Tobi nodded and repeated the instruction in Elven for the Talin. As they each went to their rooms, Tobi stopped at the bedroom door and asked the Talin if he was OK with how things were going.

Shrugging, the Talin considered it for a moment, “When I escaped the room with chains, I planned to save you and have you show me the way to the light Elves. Humans are not so bad though, this is good for now.”

Nodding, Tobi walked into the room and shut the door. Selene was sat on the bed but she didn’t look happy.

“What happened?” She blurted with more than a little anger in her voice.

Sighing as he sat on a chair nearby, Tobi took off his shoes and tried to figure out where to begin.

“As you know, I don’t sleep very often. I had been so happy with how the day turned out, I was excited and fidgety and pacing around my room. I ended up going outside for some fresh air to clear my head. I remembered seeing a man climb out of the floor when we arrived at the Puddy Muddle so I went to look at it.

I found an entrance to the sewers and was investigating it a little. I ended up seeing some men with the Talin in chains. They were stabbing at him and dragging him with large poles. I tried to rescue him and got myself captured. We escaped a few hours later and found our way to Darien who told us you were kidnapped by Scrim. I agreed to help him out with a job if he rescued you.”

Kicking off her shoes, Selene huffed and answered that she had not been kidnapped.

“Some guards and Scrim arrived at the Puddy Muddle and searched your room. Waking up to the noise, I opened my door and they spotted me. Scrim seemed to recognize me straight away. He told me that a man named Kleetz was out to capture you and he’d come to stop him. Unfortunately he’d arrived too late and you were gone.

I didn’t know what to do and I obviously panicked. Scrim promised to get you back safely and asked if I would be willing to go with him for my own safety. I believed him and I went with him. He treated me well and he kept me updated.

Then today he came rushing into the room he was hiding me in. I didn’t understand at the time but he said you had already escaped from Kleetz and was now with a dangerous man called Darien. He also told me that Darien was on his way to get me at that very moment.

I asked him what I needed to do and he smiled. He told me to go with Darien and I would be returned to you. He added this message for you; ‘I really did hope we could be friends, perhaps it is still possible.’

After that, he told me where to wait so that Darien would find me quicker and he left.”

Thinking back on Scrim’s words, the fact he got back to Selene first had definitely said something about his character. The last two statements Tobi remembered him saying were:

‘Be that as it may, I think it is still worth offering you a deal.’ and ‘If you want your Priestess back, lose the games. If you win, I will kill her.’

Scrim had reached her first and yet he hadn’t killed her. He pretty much released her to Darien. Confused and trying to make sense of it in his head, Tobi wondered what he would have done in Scrim’s position.

Of course he couldn’t guess, he didn’t know the whole story and couldn’t see the full picture.

“I am sorry.” Tobi finally whispered to the space between them.

“I am just glad you are OK, I was so worried.”

Hearing the choked up tone in Selene’s voice, Tobi’s head snapped up. Seeing her wipe away a tear rolling down her cheek, his heart plummeted.

Crossing the room and feeling choked up himself, Tobi sat beside her and hesitated. He was never good at comforting people, it was one of his bad traits. Plucking up his courage and stealing the action from a movie, he lifted a hand to her face and turned her head to look at him.

“I am sorry,” he whispered, “I will never do it again, I promise.”

Kissing her lightly to seal the deal, she seemed to cheer up a little and tried to smile. That was when her eyes turned mischievous and a devils smiled crossed her lips.

Oh… haha.

---

Waking up to a knocking at the door, Tobi tried to take in the unfamiliar surroundings before remembering where he was. When a second round of knocking came and the door started to open, he quickly covered Selene properly and asked what they wanted—whoever it was.

Relaxing with relief as the Talin’s head popped through the door, Tobi checked to make sure she was still sleeping before asking what he wanted.

“Something is going on outside.”

Alarmed, Tobi nodded and attempted to nudge Selene awake, “Get up, something is going on.”

Fully awake and alert instantly, Selene held the blanket to her chest as she sat bolt upright, “What is it?”

“I don’t know.” The Talin replied confused, “Many humans.”

Still partially covered by the blanket, Tobi started getting dressed and told the Talin he would meet him downstairs. The Talin gave a single nod before he left.

Looking back at Selene as he picked his robe off the floor, he grabbed hers to and tossed it to her. Blushing a little as she giggled, he gave her a quick, light kiss before leaving. He hadn’t put the robe or shoes on yet but he still had his regular clothes on.

Shutting the door behind himself and rushing down the stairs two and three at a time, he pointlessly asked what was happening before looking out of the window.

“That’s it?” Tobi laughed looking back at the Talin, “It is a festival. Probably has something to do with the day of Worship that Novali guy told us about. What was his name, Saron?”

“I don’t know this word—festival?”

“Er.” Distracted by Selene entering the room looking all shiny and new with a strange glow about her, Tobi tried to figure out a way to explain a festival, “A festival is a celebration. Many people gather and celebrate for a set period of time.”

“Oh. I know celebration. We have many of those. War Parties mostly.”

Hearing the conversation and looking out of the window, Selene sighed and visibly relaxed, “That’s it? That was the big important issue that made me get out of bed? I was having such a nice dream too.” She added punching the Talin in the shoulder. “Nice day out though.”

As the Talin frowned and stared at his arm, Tobi explained that it was a woman's way of showing affection.

“Our women are the same, I am just surprised by her strength.”

Oh, I was surprised by her strength too.. Tobi joked to himself.

Smiling and flexing a slender arm as though she had muscles to show off, Selene warned them both not to underestimate women.

“What is your strength anyway, Selene?”

“107, why?”

Raising an eyebrow, Tobi asked the Talin what his strength was.

“She didn’t hurt me, I just didn’t think she could hit so hard with such a small build.”

“That’s not why I asked…” Tobi answered dismissing the question, “never mind, where is Darien and his men?”

“Mostly outside. Some are in there.”

Heading for the room the Talin pointed at, Tobi guessed it was the kitchen. Smiling as Selene caught up to him and held his hand, Tobi walked into a room full of men and women. As all eyes dropped to the fact Tobi was holding the Priestesses hand, Tobi steeled his nerves and refused to let go.

“Where is Darien?”

“He had some business to do.” A woman answered as she slowly tore her eyes away from their hands.

“Well, we are going out. Could you tell Darien that I will be back this evening and that I need his advice on something?”

Half the room nodded but their stares were discomforting so Tobi left and shut the door behind him.

“Talin, listen for a second and tell me what they say.”

Waiting for a couple of moments before chatter in the room picked up, the Talin made a face as though he needed to take a dump.

“True. Couple. Together. Priestess. Wife. Married…” Picking off every other word that he either recognized or heard, the Talin passed on as much information as he could.

“That’s enough. It’s OK. I just thought there might have been some kind of taboo about holding hands—or maybe public displays of affection. It’s fine, let’s go.”

Leaving the house hand-in-hand, Selene asked if it was really OK that they were holding hands. She was happy to do it behind closed doors but people might talk if they do it in the street.

“People know already. They were probably whispering about it since yesterday when we hugged in the street. Better it be common knowledge than whispers behind our backs. You up for breakfast?”

Smiling, Selene admitted that a good breakfast was exactly what she needed. Not missing the hint to her words, Tobi blushed and looked down the street for a clue on which direction to walk.

“Females always hungry after mating rituals.” The Talin advised Tobi.

“Er, yeah, thanks.” Tobi answered with a wide-eyed stare at Selene. Her only response to burst into laughter and attract the attention of half the street.

“Come on, we can just ask someone along the way.”

---

Finding a nice little cafe in a little area reminding Tobi of the professions district in Brackley, Tobi browsed the menu. What he really wanted was a Full Traditional English breakfast. Aevitas didn’t even have bacon though so that was impossible. He wasn’t sure they had beans either and the only thing that came close to black pudding was a congealed sausage; those were only sold by butchers though and were classed as dog food.

After ordering and paying for the three of them, Tobi marveled at how easily some people accepted the Talin compared to others. He’d expected the kids to be most afraid and the adults to just show the right amount of respect. Instead, it was the kids who loved the Talin and the adults that feared him. It seemed that only Sal, the good looking waitress girl and Selene were the only ones to truly accept him.

Watching the Talin happily play with the kids and let them touch his horns, Tobi thought of his sister and the letters he’d wrote to them. At the time he’d been lost, confused, expected to be killed and worried about Selene. Now that it was a new day, it was like a new life. Warm sun and no worries—just a wait for the tournament to begin, play chess, get a follower of Chadú and leave. He wouldn’t mind if a few people did show up though, he could definitely use a few more allies in this place.

“Where next?” Selene asked sipping a warm drink of cocoa.

“I am not sure. I want to get some wood for my Carpentry and I should head to the Sanctuary this afternoon, but I don’t know. What would you two like to do?”

As both of them became silent, Tobi asked if neither of them had any ideas at all about what they would like to do.

“I generally just follow wherever you go.” Selene murmured to herself.

The Talin nodded, “Me too. You are like a Turok.”

“A Turok?” Selene asked having not heard about the Talin people before.

When the Talin finished explaining things, she asked how Tobi was like the leaders of their tribes.

“Turok are natural leaders. Our instinct tells us to follow them. Tobi is like Turok.”

“Praise me more.” Tobi laughed, “I think he is just saying it is easy to fall into my pace and follow me around.” he added in human.

Selene nodded, “Looks like we doing whatever you say then...chief.”

“We’ll go to the Carpenters shop next door first then; I want to know a place to get wood, he should know. Otherwise we might have to go out of the city to chop some. We’ll find a Tailors too. You do wear things other than that Loincloth don’t you?”

Looking at his loincloth, the Talin nodded, “I normally wear full leather armor and use daggers and a bow. The man that locked me up has it somewhere.”

“That’s fine.” Selene answered with a genuine smile, “I will bet gold that I can make something better than what you had. You will have to make him a bow though, Tobi.”

Tobi nodded and thought about the daggers and stuff the Talin also mentioned, “Maybe I should get Blacksmith instead of Tailor.”

“I have Blacksmith.” The Talin answered proudly, “Blacksmith, Farmer, Builder and Miner. Our skills aren’t as great as Dwarves and Elves, but we can at least match humans in making Blades, Axes and Hammers. Those strange weapons you make though, we don’t know how.”

Unsure what strange weapons he was referring to, Tobi started to form together an idea of how they could compliment each others professions if he worked it out properly. If he dropped Tailor for something else and left that to Selene, he could find something else to replace it. The drop to dexterity and intelligence wasn’t too much so it wouldn’t matter.

“OK, let’s go to the Carpenters first as it’s only next door. Don’t let me forget about visiting a Tailor though.”

---

Baleil’s Carpenters.

Entering the store was like going to Candy-land for Tobi. Christmas come early and all the rest of the silly sayings that expressed excitement. The biggest reason had been the wide range of staffs on the wall and on display. He’d completely forgotten about making a staff for himself and Selene.

Inspecting a staff that boasted +10 healing, +20 intelligence and +20 Piety; Tobi asked the man behind the counter if there was a special trick to making staffs.

“Oh, a fellow Carpenter, eh? You would have to be at least beginner 20 to make a staff. You up to the challenge?”

New Quest: Making a staffBeginners quest that teaches a carpenter the art to making staffs.

Requirements:

~Beginner 20 or above in any form of Carpentry.

Rewards:

~ Knowledge of Staffs

~ Ability to make staffs.

~ Keep the staff you make at the end

Options of staff:

Basic Arcane Staff.

Basic Healing Staff.

Basic Elemental Staff.

If the Quest Giver is impressed enough, you may be given a bonus reward or consecutive quest.

Would you like to attempt this quest? Y/N

“I am up to it.” Tobi replied with excitement.

“Excellent. First, you will need to gather the materials. For your first staff, I recommend common pine or common ash. Ash tree is better in my opinion but I might be biased as it’s the wood I used when I did this quest in my youth.

You can gather the wood yourself or head to the Lumberjacks down the street. Make sure you get one large enough. Take this basic design with you. When he knows what you are there for, he will instruct you on where to go next.”

Nodding with excitement as he looked at the blueprint of a cane, Tobi turned to Selene and realized what he’d just done.

“It’s fine, we can stop by a tailors whilst doing your quest. We only wanted to know where to get wood in the first place and it seems that we will be heading there next regardless.”

Smiling at Selene’s summary, Tobi looked back at the staff he’d inspected on the wall. It wasn’t anything grand but it did have a nice design carved into it. Deciding to make a healing staff for Selene, he hoped to make it at least that good.

Zanif’s Wood and Lumber Mill.

Hearing men cursing the moment they entered, Tobi asked the large man what was happening.

“We’re behind schedule and one of my guys hasn’t shown up. To top it off, my delivery of saws hasn’t arrived either.”

Sensing another quest, Tobi asked if they could go and gather the saws for him.

“Would you? I would be grateful. The blacksmith is by the Northern gates.”

New Quest: Collect 10 Saws for ZanifGo and Collect the delivery of Saws from Jared’s Smithy for Zanif

Requirements:

~ Right place at the right time.

Rewards:

~ Increased intimacy with Zanif

~ Increased intimacy with Jared

~50 Copper off Zanif

Would you like to attempt this quest? Y/N

“We’ll do it.”

Remembering similar quests he’d done in Brackley, Tobi felt the city was actually normal after-all. Getting caught up with Darien and everyone was already becoming a bad memory that happened a long time ago.

Finding the Smithy wasn’t hard either. The two main roads of the city either led from East to West or North to South. Once they located Central Road, they just followed it to the crossroad for the main street and went North.

Surprised to see green fields and a forest North of the gate, Tobi had wondered what he expected. A desert perhaps? He mostly thought of Lybernia as being like Africa so he’d probably expected a desert or something. Africa had some of the most beautiful forests in the world though, so he shouldn’t have been surprised at all.

Jared himself didn’t really spare them much time as he thanked them for collecting the order. He barely got out his thanks before running off to a different task he was busy with.

Returning with the saws as promised, Zanif thanked him and handed over 50 coppers to each of them. The Talin simply stared at the copper before passing it to Tobi.

“You don’t want it?”

“You paid for breakfast.” The Talin answered simply.

With the delivery finished, Tobi explained he was actually there for wood for the make a staff quest.

“Oh.” Zanif replied in surprise, “Here, you can have this one for free as you collected the saws for me. You should take it to the Enchanter before you craft it though, he will explain a few things about making staffs.

Quest Updated: Making a staffTake the wood to an Enchanter and find out what he knows about making Staffs.

Remembering that Kleetz’s man was considered a powerful mage and was also an Enchanter, Tobi made a mental note not to simply walk inside when they got there.

Spotting a Tailors shop when they were roughly halfway to the Enchanters, Selene reminded them they needed to stop in to grab some stuff.

Unlike the tailor shop in Brackley that was mostly full of clothes, the one they entered was mostly full of leather armor and robes.

“What do you think you will need?” Tobi asked looking at a display of Crag Boar leather that smelled a little funky.

“It’s sweet that you always buy everything for me, but I do have money of my own you know?”

Watching Selene walk off and leave him stood there, Tobi smiled at his own idiocy and went to see the owner instead. Resolved with the idea of dropping tailor, he asked the woman behind the counter how he could forget the profession.

“Why would you want to do that?”

“Er...my friend over there is a Master Tailor. As I will likely never be as good as her, it would be better if I learned something else.”

“Master? Really? Well in that case, you will need to go to the Alchemist and get a Potion of Forgetfulness. If he tries charging you an extra copper, hit him round the head for me. Silly old coot he is.”

Raising an eyebrow but saying nothing, Tobi walked over the Talin who was measuring some armor against his body. Spotting Tobi, he put it back down and claimed it was too small. Tobi didn’t have the heart to tell him that the piece was designed for women.

Eventually growing bored of waiting for Selene, both Tobi and the Talin went outside to wait for her. The sun was too nice to waste cooped up in a shop. The atmosphere was also nice to watch as all the people seemed to be in high spirits and enjoying the festivities going on. Tobi hadn’t paid too much attention to it all but 4 out of every 5 people were showing off their Sanctum necklaces.

Figuring it was the equivalent of a cross on a chain for Christians in his home country, he wondered if the 12 Gods of Anderon also had symbols people wore.

“Done.” Selene declared as she walked out of the shop with four heavy looking bags.

“Did you get enough?” Tobi asked reaching for the bags.

“I don’t know, I can come back though if I didn’t.” She answered honestly, totally missing the fact it was a rhetorical question.

Ignoring Tobi’s hands reaching for the bags, she passed all four of them to the Talin and linked his arm. Guiding him toward the Enchanters in renewed spirits, Tobi glanced back at the perplexed Talin who was sniffing the bags.

“You told her I am a Master Tailor, didn’t you? Well, I am only advanced 18, but she seemed happy enough about it. She offered me a job.”

“Really?” Tobi asked taking note of her excitement, “You going to accept?”

“Already did. She would like me to call round tomorrow after the day of worship is done with. I told her I will help for as long as we stay in the city.”

Congratulating her and wondering what that meant for him, Tobi decided he would be close by at all times.

Finding the Enchanters right next door to the Alchemists, Tobi asked both to wait outside whilst he popped in the Alchemists real quick. He had the profession himself but he’d never used it so buying the potion really was his only option.

Asking the old man inside for the Potion of Forgetfulness, he instantly replied with a price of 1Gold, 50 Silver and a single copper.

“Why the extra copper?” Tobi asked smiling.

“It amuses me to annoy people.”

“I don’t mind paying it, but I will let Bernie know.”

“Old hag.” The alchemist spat and literally spat on the floor, “Fine, 1Gold and 50 Silver, but just for that I am not going to tell you I peed in the bottle before I made the potion.”

“Adds to the flavor.” Tobi shrugged as he prayed the man hadn’t actually had a pee in the bottle before he used it.

Taking the potion and handing over the money, Tobi drank it instantly.

You have drank a Potion of Forgetfulness.

Please select a profession you wish to forget:

Tailor

Lumberjack

Elven Carpentry

Alchemy

Herbology

Cooking

“Tailor”

You have chosen to forget Tailor, do you wish to continue?

“Yes.”

You have forgotten Tailor.

You now have 2 profession slots open.

“If I’d know you were forgetting Tailor, I might have given it to you for free.” The Alchemist noted with a smug satisfaction, “Did Bernie know you were forgetting Tailor?”

“She did. But my better half is a Master Tailor so I didn’t need it anyway.”

“Hmph.”

Laughing at the old man, Tobi went back outside and declared himself ready. Looking through the store window and ensuring the enchanter wasn’t Kleetz’s man, Tobi nodded with satisfaction and went inside.

“Quest to make a staff, eh?” The Enchanter asked after Tobi explained why they were there, “Staffs are tricky business. You can’t just carve a piece of wood and hope it works. You don’t necessarily need an enchanter, but for a beginner it is the simplest method. I recommend always using an enchanter though or you will never get the best result from whatever staff you make.”

“That’s fine,” Tobi answered, “I would happily learn to be an enchanter too; that way I can always get the best result from my work.”

“Oh? Well in that case, let’s teach you Enchanter first. You sure you are up to it?”

Do you wish to become an Enchanter?

“I am up to it.” Tobi answered, accepting the profession.

“Let’s begin then. First take a quick look at this beginner book for enchanters.”

Taking the book and looking inside, Tobi saw multiple squiggles with little notes at the side. The first was a blue heptagon with a pattern inside that was labelled ‘Mana’. Asking what it meant, the Enchanter smiled happily.

“Enchanters were once considered useless except for increasing the abilities of equipment and other such menial tasks. Enchanting locks, enchanting traps, things like that. After the Elves taught us about staffs though, we Enchanters discovered that we are actually adept at fighting. To use Enchanting in fights though, a wand, staff or other magical item such as a virge is essential.

The staff, you see, lets you channel your magic and draw a glyph in the air. You can then apply that glyph as a spell and direct it at your enemies or allies.

The Mana symbol you are reading there was originally a buff for magical robes. An Tailor would stitch it into the robe and an Enchanter would apply their ability to it and activate the glyph. This would boost the gear to make the mage stronger. Similar methods are used for making armor for warriors but a different glyph is used. These days, most glyphs are hidden in the fabric somewhere or on the inside of the armor. Every armor, weapon or clothing with bonus effects is enchanted.

Well, almost all. If the crafter is skilled enough, they can draw out some of the potential without enchantments. You would have to be highly Advanced though.

Anyway, if an Enchanter draws that glyph in the air and activates it, they can increase the mana regeneration of a chosen target.”

Staring at the symbol and committing its design to memory, Tobi asked how to activate the glyphs once drawn.

“Simple. Point your staff through the glyph at the target and send your mana out. When the mana reaches the glyph it will activate and then rush in the direction you have chosen. It is very easy once you are well practiced. The problem is finding time to draw the glyphs. Any mistakes and it won’t work. Not very battle friendly, but that’s why most enchanters stay right at the back.

You can take it one step further but I won’t teach you that until you are at least Intermediate Enchanter with proficient ability in making staffs.”

Accepting the condition, Tobi turned the topic back to staffs.

“Right, well you will need to be taught the other method by a Carpenter when you are good enough, but for the enchanter version of staff carving, it straight forward. Start by carving the staff.”

Stood waiting for Tobi to begin, Tobi asked the man if he wanted him to do it right there.

“Oh, you can use my back room if you prefer.”

Looking at the clean floor of the store, Tobi agreed to go to the back room. Noting that Selene had become excited, Tobi remembered their time on the beach where he’d once tried to craft a staff before. She had said back then that she wanted to him sing again.

Sitting on a stool besides a waste basket, Tobi placed the large log on his knee and took a deep breath.

“Where are your tools?” The Enchanter asked in confusion.

Selene letting out a little squeal pulled over one of the chairs and told him to sit and watch. The confused man did as he was told but the Talin seemed confused too.

Looking at Selene and trying to think of a song, the waitress from Sulil’s Copper Lantern came to mind. Smiling at the idea, Tobi chose a song he’d been addicted to during the summer he spent with Niamh.

Nodding his head to the tune in his head and waiting for the trumpet to end and the drumbeat to begin. As he started to sing the song, he couldn’t help smiling. He hadn’t planned to but he even copied the accent of the singer.

Singing ‘Cheerleader’ by OMI, he hoped the lyrics would please Selene.

Carving away the wood with nothing but his fingers as he sang, Tobi smiled at the surprised faces of the Talin and the Enchanter.

“She walks like a model

She grants my wishes like a genie in a bottle (yeah yeah)

Cause I'm the wizard of love

And I got the magic wand

All these other girls are tempting

But I'm empty when you're gone

And they say

Do you need me?

Do you think I'm pretty?

Do I make you feel like cheating..

And I'm like no, not really cause...”

“Oh I think that I found myself a cheerleader

She is always right there when I need her”

Laughing as Selene joined into the chorus following the prehook and trying to keep his carpentry flowing, Tobi lost focus and looked at how far the staff had come. He still had a little way to go before he could call it ‘finished’.

Replaying the beat in his head and picking up where he left off, Tobi finished singing the song and welcomed the others to join in with the chorus. When the staff was finished, Selene started clapping and laughing.

“That was fun. I have been waiting for you to sing for so long!”

Well, thinking about it—it wasn’t even a week ago that she last heard me. Still...it does feel like a long time ago.

“That was amazing.” The Enchanter declared, “How did you do that?”

Answering with ‘Elven Carpentry’, the Talin moved forward and took the staff.

“I never see Elves craft like that. The ones I met used tools.”

Not sure why Elves would use human methods to carve stuff, Tobi didn’t know how to answer. Either way, he was ready for moving on to the next part of the task. He did feel a little guilty singing a song that he’d once used to describe Niamh, but it definitely suited how he felt for Selene more than it ever suited Niamh. Or maybe he was deluding himself. Whatever the case the song was now Selene’s and Niamh could go to hell.

“So what’s next boss?”

“Right, get your book and choose the symbols you want to use.”

Looking through the book, Tobi glossed over all the meanings beside the glyphs.

“Is this all the glyphs there are?”

The Enchanter shook his head, “They are beginner Glyphs. You will need a higher level to use others. I sell Enchanter notebooks for a silver, but for that performance I will give you one for free. Write all the symbols you learn in that book. You never know, you might find some of your own.”

Accepting the Enchanters words and the notebook, he asked how to make the Staff suitable for healers.

“A basic staff like that one can only hold a maximum of 2 enchantments so you won’t be able to yet. I will write a heal glyph onto it and activate it, you choose another one to go onto it.”

Looking back through the book and finding a glyph called reflect, Tobi asked what the glyphs purpose was.

“Depends on the enchanters intent. For example, when you write the glyph, it will just be a symbol. When you activate it, it will glow a specific color. If you plan to have the reflect cause damage to reflect back to the target, then the glyph will do exactly that. Not all of the damage but a portion. An Enchanter of your level would probably be able to reflect a single damage per strike.

Probably not worth it in truth. That would make the glyph turn purple as it is both a buff to the wielder whilst a negative for the aggressor.

If you intend for it to reflect damage from the wielder to a random ally, the glyph will turn green when activated. It will still only redirect a small portion of the damage, but it is usually a percentage of damage rather than a specified amount. 1% for example instead of a single unit of damage.”

“Can you make it target a specific ally?”

“You would need blood of the intended target to do that and a blood mage. The enchantment will break when the intended target dies though. You should never sell it or lose it either. It will work no matter where you are in the world. You should destroy the staff if you plan to stop using it.”

Working out the implications in the warning, Tobi decided it would probably be a bad idea. Choosing the defense glyph instead, Tobi hummed a little tune and carved the glyph with his nails.

When the enchanter confirmed it was done correctly, Tobi applied his mana and watched as the glyph turned silver.

“Oh. I don’t think you intended to do that...at least that’s not what I thought you planned to do.”

“Why, what did I do?” Tobi asked, frowning.

“You gave the staff defense. You basically increased it’s durability, and pretty well too I might add. Here, pass it over I will do the heal glyph for you. You want the healer to have more powerful heals, yes?”

Tobi nodded and watched the man apply his craft.

“OK, done, but the staff isn’t finished. Take it back to Baleil and have him teach you how to finish it.”

Thanking the man for his instruction, he in turn thanked Tobi for the entertaining show of Elven Carpentry.

Quest Updated: Making a staffTake the staff back to Baleil to finish your instruction.

Walking back through the streets for Beleil’s Carpentry as Selene hummed the tune for ‘Cheerleader’, Tobi laughed and looked to the Talin. The Talin in turn shrugged and gave a throat hum of the same tune.

He didn’t know how they appeared to others but he was definitely having a good time and joined in with their humming.

Walking into Baleil’s Carpentry in high spirits, Tobi handed over the staff and asked how to finish the process.

“Took you longer than expected, but a nice staff. Ash wood I see, good choice. Finishing it is probably the simplest process but it can be tricky. Oh, a durability glyph, that’s unexpected. Wanted your first one to last a long time, eh?

Well, to finish it off, hold the staff at the top and bottom with just your palms, like so.”

Taking the staff back, Tobi placed a palm on the top and bottom of the staff.

“Good, now this bit is important. Clear your mind and focus on what you want the staff to be used for. You aren’t competent enough yet to engrave it, but you can at least name the staff. As it has a healing glyph on it, call it a Basic Healing Staff—that’s what it is after all.”

Clearing his mind and thinking it’s purpose was for Selene to use as a healing staff, Tobi’s mind drifted to how uncomfortable it was to hold the staff the way he was. The damn thing was almost as long as he was tall, he could barely fit his hands on the ends.

Wondering if that was why all staffs were generally smaller than their wielders, he waited for Baleil to explain what came next.

“OK, I am guessing you are a Priest so this part is simple. Send a spell into the bottom of the staff and aim for your palm on the opposite end. Use a non-damage spell.”

“I don’t have one.” Tobi answered opening his eyes, “I am not a Priest, all the spells I send through my hands cause damage.”

“Through your hands? Where else do you fire magic from?”

Tobi shrugged, “Any part of my body I choose.”

Raising his eyebrows, Baleil asked Tobi if he had the ability to channel magic or if he used spirit energy.

“Both. I think.”

“No kidding? What kind of magic do you use?”

Sighing and dropping his arms, Tobi explained that he used Arcane Magic and asked if it mattered.

“It’s like this; I thought you were a Priest, that meant all your staffs would have a holy property. In other words, they would work well against the undead and blood mages, things like that. A fire mage would send a fire spell through the staff giving it affinity with fire. It would become resistant to flames and have increased damage when firing fire spells. Follow?

Now, think of a Berserker. They use rage and no magic at all. How do you suppose they activate the staffs they make?”

Tobi shrugged and impatiently waited for an answer.

“Even without magic, they have something that is still classed as a spell. It is a self harming technique where they trade health for rage. They use that technique in both hands at the same time. As a result, the staff is attuned to blood magic and higher damage output.

Now: You are Arcane, I have no idea what that does. Explain.”

Having expected the excited Carpenter to know exactly how an Arcane Mage used their magic, Tobi’s thoughts seemed to stumble over themselves.

“I don’t know myself, but to put it simply, I am supposed to be able to channel magic around my body and use it to do almost anything I can imagine. Or something like that. I have experimented a little but I almost killed myself.”

“I see,” Beleil answered, nodding, “that explains nothing at all. OK, try this. You can channel mana so I am going to assume it works similar to Spiritual Energy the martial artists use. Chi I think they call it in Anderon.

Anyway, send the mana into the bottom of the staff and guide it in a straight line through the center to your hand on the opposite it. Normally you should use an actual spell but it should still activate your staff.”

So complicated…

Focusing his mind, mana and emotions, Tobi merged his mana with his inner energy and felt it flow around his body. Thinking it was much easier to meld his mana with emotions when in a battle situation, he tried to remember the fight with Scrims men and failed. He ended up thinking of his time with Selene instead.

As a surge of affection and other ‘emotions’ rushed through his body, his mana latched on and began a rapid flow. It seemed to be unstable compared to normal but in —happy way?

Frowning at the mana, it really did seem as though the mana was happy and spreading happy warmth around his body. It was so different to the mana he’d used when fighting that was full of red, angry rage.

Sending a small stream of mana from his hand, through the staff and into his opposite hand, Tobi felt as though he’d been electrocuted and dropped the staff.

You have successfully crafted a staff.

~ You have gained knowledge of Staffs.

Rubbing the palm of his hand where the electric sensation had zapped him, Tobi eyed the staff with worry before picking it up.

“Inspect Staff.”

Beginner Staff of HealingType:Healing StaffDurability:55 / 55Defense:45This staff was crafted by a beginner staff Carver. As the crafter had not the experience required to finish the staff properly, it was infused with an emotionally unstable magic.

This staff is always happy and full of love and joy causing +25% Heal effects and -45% damage.

Infused with a glyph of defense; repairs have a chance to keep maximum durability.

+25 Heals.

Restrictions:

Heals stat must be unlocked.

“Is that a normal thing to happen? It says the staff is happy and it seems like it doesn’t like to hurt people.”

Scratching his head and puzzling over the staff, the Carpenter seemed incredibly interested in it.

“Can’t be. Nope. It would say so if it was.”

Interrupting Baleil’s muttering, Tobi asked for an explanation.

“Hmm. I thought you made a staff with a personality, which is impossible for anyone below Mastered. Even then you will be hard pressed finding someone who knows how to do it. Even I don’t know...but then I am only Advanced 9 myself.

I think you definitely stumbled onto a clue though. Can I keep it? I will give you something else for it. That staff you were admiring this morning maybe?”

“Sorry,” Tobi answered, “I made that for Selene, it is hers, not mine.”

As Baleil looked to Selene, the Talin sighed and took the staff off Baleil and passed it to Selene; “No deal. Staff is gift for mate.”

Taking a step back from the angry looking Talin, Selene held the staff in her hands and apologized to Baleil.

“Its fine. Sorry for being rude. If you ever get rid of it though, miss, please consider selling it to me first.”

Selene agreed and the three of them quickly departed.

“Who knew staffs were so complicated to make?” Selene asked inspecting the staff.

“I know, right? I made it and I still don’t get what happened. What’s next?”

“Novali.” the Talin replied still speaking human.

Remembering his agreement with Saron to visit the Sanctuary for the Listening, Tobi agreed and asked if they wanted lunch first.

---

Entering the Sanctuary with full stomachs and satisfied faces, the people at the back turned and took note of who walked in. Taking positions at the back of the hall, Tobi listened to the man on stage as he told a boastful story of his past deeds.

Realizing the man was Saron—the Novali that had been locked up by Scrim the day before, Tobi choked back a snort. His epic tale of battle was probably a load of crap, but he sounded like a capable story-teller at least.

Getting into the story being told and wondering what kind of magic had been used to amplify Saron’s voice, Selene nudged him and gestured to the crowd. Looking around curiously, he asked her what he was supposed to be looking at.

As she sighed and gave an exaggerated wide-eyed look around the room, Tobi searched the room again.

Oh…

More than half the room was turning around to look at them and more turned around by the second; it didn’t take long until Saron noticed the crowds distraction and tried to see what was happening.

Covering his eyes as if the sun were blocking his view, Saron asked what was going on; as soon as he did, the entire room turned to see.

“Is that Master Tobi? I can see the Talin? Are you there?”

Whispers broke across the room at Saron’s question and people struggled to get a look of him.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, calm down—please.” Saron called, “Master Tobi has been invited here today. He has agreed to be a guest speaker for us.”

I did what?

“Master Tobi, if you and your companions could come up here, that would be great. I admit ladies and gentlemen, my old and tired tale was nothing but a distraction as we waited for our star guest this evening.”

You lying codfish.

“You agreed to be a guest speaker?” Selene whispered.

“No.” Tobi hissed back staring at Saron across the heads in front of him.

“Too late now, let’s just go.”

Damn it. The day was going so well too...

***

Back to Main Page

***

Authors Notes:

Spoiler :

Think I might have exceeded 10k words on this one. I pretty much wrote it in one sitting but I did my best to get it ready for you guys today. Wanted to steer the story back on track and this is step one of achieving that.

Peace and Love.

~Aspirer