Chapter 8
In Which Narlafayn travels to a secluded island and gives a complete stranger an injury which results in a conversation about women.
Damascus set the girls up in the inn for the rest of the night and then set up his own camp outside in the square, waiting for any Orc mercenaries dispatched to kill Sprissa. Neither girl slept, and instead Narlafayn found herself sitting up with the Orc and telling her of her life in Bastok. Sprissa made no motion of even understanding any of the words Narlafayn uttered, and sat staring out the window. Narlafayn finally gave up trying to talk to her just as the sun began to peek over the horizon, bathing the room in a blue-gray light. This was the second time she'd seen the cloaked man, in just two days time. The vision that she had seen disturbed her; the person she had seen killing without discretion looked like her, but yet it felt like it wasn't her at all. Still, she felt horror as if it had been her committing those horrendous acts.
"It's my fault…" Sprissa finally said, startling Narlafayn. She sat up straight in her chair and looked over to the Orc girl, who had removed her veil and stared at it in her hand. "It's my fault that he's dead…" her voice was thick with tears and Narlafayn felt pity for her.
"How can you blame yourself? You aren't responsible for what that loony tunes woman did, you didn't ask her to come in and kill him…" Narlafayn said, and then clamped her mouth shut at the look that Sprissa gave her.
Sprissa swallowed hard and looked down at the veil, clenching it tightly. "Yes, it is. I began to talk to her, to complain about things that I had no right in complaining about. She was so unstable…. she hated me visiting her, perhaps she came to kill me but got him instead…" her voice trailed off as more tears rolled down her cheeks. Narlafayn clucked her tongue and scratched her scalp, her hair fluffing in the movement.
"I wouldn't say that was the case then," she began. "The girl was a few dishes short of a feast, that's for sure, but she definitely came in there to go after that chief. Maybe she appreciated your visiting her, and getting rid of that which had hurt you was her way of thanking you?" Narlafayn frowned at herself, not really understanding where this insight was stemming from. Sprissa's mouth had dropped open in an 'o' shape, impressed by the speech Narlafayn had given. She nodded once and looked down at her hands again, sniffling loudly. Narlafayn sighed and sat back in her chair, relieved that her guess had been right. Sprissa didn't like living as that chief's personal slave after all.
"Even death has its own justice."
Shaking her head rapidly, Narlafayn made a noise and shut her eyes tightly. "Go away." She commanded the memory silently. Growing weary with exhaustion from the excitement, Narlafayn sighed and folded her arms on top of the table she sat next to, and rested her head upon them. Sleep claimed her almost immediately, her dreams blessedly absent.
"So where will you go from here?" Damascus asked the girls. It was a bright morning, three days after Emixia's attack on the Gandi chief. "I have to get back to Oren, so I must part from you for now, but I'm sure I'll see you guys again." He grinned, patting Sprissa on the head as if she were a kid. Narlafayn had begun to grow the impression that Damascus had known Sprissa for a long time and looked after her like a brother. Part of her was jealous at the security Sprissa had with that.
"I'm going south. There's a small farming community outside of the Wasteland, perhaps I can find work there until this calms down." Sprissa said bravely, pushing Damascus' hand off of her head and smiling at him.
"Good idea." He agreed, nodding. He turned to look at Narlafayn seriously for a moment before placing a heavy hand on her head. "And I suppose you're going to wander around some more yourself, Miss Curiosity?" Damascus asked, wiggling her head. Narlafayn waved her arms comically for a few seconds before pulling her head away from him. "Be careful on your journeys, you hear me? I'll be checking up on you from time to time." He said, winking. "Oh, be sure to stop in Dion sometime soon, I have someone I want you to meet." He grinned at her blank expression and turned away from the girls to approach the Gatekeeper and request a spell.
"Thanks big man, " Narlafayn murmured, smiling. Damascus was strange, but it gave her a pleasant feeling to have made a friend so quickly. Two friends, if Sprissa didn't mind her saying so.
"I should be going too." Sprissa said, taking Narlafayn's hand and squeezing it. "Thank you so much for staying with me these past few days. I enjoyed your stories, they were very imaginative." She smiled good-naturedly under her veil, the only hint of it being how her eyes crinkled. Narlafayn's friendly smile faded as Sprissa departed, and she frowned.
"It wasn't my imagination dammit." She grumbled. Sighing, Narlafayn retrieved her money pouch from where she had secured it on her sword belt and approached the sleepy-eyed airhead Gatekeeper once more.
"A spell to the Elven Forest please." Narlafayn requested carefully, hoping that she wouldn't have a repeat of the last time she requested a spell. The Gatekeeper blinked at her, then slowly smiled and raised a hand to her, palm up.
"2,000 Adena please." The Gatekeeper said in her turtle-speed voice. Narlafayn's jaw dropped and her eyes bugged out of her head.
"I thought it was only 1,500 Adena to the home villages!" she exclaimed shrilly. The Gatekeeper shook her head at a snail's pace, the smile not wavering.
"It was, but a siege on Gludio castle ended yesterday, the new Lord of the land has imposed a higher tax. The Ivory Tower decrees that all gateway fees be adjusted accordingly." She said. Narlafayn exhaled in disgust and threw her arms in the air.
"I can't possibly hunt the beasts outside of this village, where do you suggest I go to get money now, huh?" she spat angrily. What was with her luck lately? And what was with all of these factions waging bloody mini-wars on Gludio Castle? Two in one month now, it was becoming rather silly.
"Why don't you take a boat to Talking Island? That's only 1,000 Adena. You can hunt there until you retrieve enough money to get home, I hear the lands there are very friendly for novices." A Dark Elf stated professionally from beside her. Narlafayn jumped and spun quickly, startled by his presence. She went into an instant glare a moment later.
"Who says I'm a novice?" she challenged, clenching her hands at her sides. The Dark Elf, whose hair was a rich hue of crimson, raised his eyebrows at her in surprise.
"Your armor does, that's who." He said in amusement. Feeling that he was mocking her, Narlafayn's hair stood on end a bit and she tensed up enough to visibly shake. What is with all of these stronger people looking down on me, she wondered. They started off as novices once, too! "Anywho, I'd love to stay here and chat, but I must be off. See you on Talking Island." He said, giving her a curt nod and approaching the Gatekeeper. After depositing a sum of money into her hand, she cast her spell and he disappeared into the air.
Sighing heavily, Narlafayn trudged down the stairs leading back to the square and headed towards the harbor. Might as well try to make the next boat…she thought as she dragged her feet.
Narlafayn had only ridden upon a boat once, and it was a fishing boat floating peacefully in Bastok Harbor. She had been young then, so she did not remember how she felt while rocking on the waves. She didn't remember that is, until she had been on the ship for a half hour.
Seasickness hit her in the worst way possible, and she spent most of the journey with her head hanging over the side of the boat. There were very few passengers on this trip, and they all kept their distance from her, trying to ignore the sounds of her heaving.
"All passengers ready, we'll be arriving at Talking Island Harbor in five minutes!" the cabin boy announced from a raised platform the afternoon of the second day.
"Finally." A sorcerer stated in an acidic tone of voice, casting a glare at Narlafayn. Her stomach had given her a break for the moment, and she had slumped to the deck, one arm still propped over the railing on the side of the ship. She looked up wearily, her hair covering her face in strands, wondering if she had heard the cabin boy correctly or if she was suffering from delirium from vomiting for two days straight.
The boat docked smoothly, and Narlafayn dragged herself from the ship, walking at an angle due to her aching stomach. "Skirmish outside of the docks, just keep moving, everything is under control." The Warf manager announced as they filed past him. Narlafayn paused outside of the harbor archway and shielded her watering eyes from the glare of the sun to glance into the forest. Sure enough, in a wide meadow near the Harbor path, groups of what appeared to be teens were locked in battle with a small army of Orcs.
"That can't be right…" she mumbled. "Why would a village send children out to fight?" She pondered this for another moment before shrugging and moving to make the long trek towards the Village.
After a few steps, a knot formed in Narlafayn's stomach and she froze mid-step, staring blankly into the air, trying to decide if it were going to pass or not. To her dismay it didn't, and she bent over at her waist to vomit into the grass once more. She had hardly eaten anything on the trip; she couldn't understand where it was all coming from.
"Ugh, not again." The Sorcerer from the boat groaned as he and a woman who'd met him as he exited the boat passed her. "She's been doing that since we left Gludin." The pair hurried by, covering the sides of their faces as if to block her from existence.
"Yeah yeah, so sorry my stomach isn't out to please your high standards." She grumbled as she spit. A second later, a hand thrust itself in front of Narlafayn's face and she looked up wearily to see a human girl with straight brown hair cut just below her chin smiling down at her.
"Are you all right?" the girl asked, her eyes alive with concern. Narlafayn blinked at her, trying to get the sickness tears to diminish and sniffed. The Narlafayn inside Narlafayn's head began to weep in joy and flutter about the sky on wings of happiness at this simple show of kindness.
"Yeah I'm fine." She muttered, taking the girl's hand. "I jus' get seasick…" She was pulled to her feet by a surprising show of strength from the girl. Finding it hard to balance herself after being on the ocean for two days, Narlafayn's gratitude grew as the girl put a hand on her elbow to help steady her as she walked down the path.
"Why didn't you just take the Gatekeeper then?" the girl chuckled, smiling at her.
"You think I have that much money? Heck no!" Narlafayn exclaimed, slightly offended that she would suggest such a thing after the trouble she'd had with the slow Gatekeeper. Her head gave an unhappy throb with the force at which she had spoken, and she winced and pressed a hand to her temple. She blinked hard a few times, willing the pain to subside. Hearing commotion behind the girl, Narlafayn glanced around her head to watch the Orc and Human skirmish. She noticed two authoritive looking adults standing nearby the group, muscles tense and ready in both. A part of her relaxed, realizing that they hadn't sent the kids out there alone. She looked down at the girl's hand, and then up her arm and realized she was decked out in full leather armor herself, a sword sheathed and untouched at her hip. Her shield lay in the grass behind them, also unused. Her eyebrows quirking slightly, Narlafayn asked "Shouldn't you be out there too?"
An uneasy expression passed the girl's face and she shifted uncomfortably, averting her gaze from Narlafayn's intense one. "Nah…I'm kind of on break right now…" she said in a hard tone of voice, giving Narlafayn a tight-lipped smile. "I'm beginning to wonder if I'm really cut out to wield a sword after all." She mumbled more to herself than to Narlafayn. Instantly noting the attitude that she wished not to talk about it, Narlafayn pushed it from her mind and stood up a little straighter, feeling better now that she was standing on an unmoving surface.
Silence enveloped the two for a few moments as Narlafayn searched her mind desperately for a new topic of conversation, wishing for one to patch over any sore feelings she might've caused with her bold question. Realizing that she hadn't introduced herself, yet, she found herself blurting out "Narlafayn." After the words left her lips she winced, scolding herself silently for not phrasing it into a proper sentence. The wince turned into a more embarrassed sting as a confused look crossed the girl's face.
"I'm Sharmin." The girl finally said with a smile. Relieved that the introduction had been understood, Narlafayn paused and took a deep breath, her stomach stretching in the motion and returning to its relaxed state.
She stepped back and sized Sharmin up, her earlier grumbling of not being capable of wielding a sword still hovering inside her mind. Narlafayn circled the girl slowly, a hand to her chin in thought. She certainly looked capable enough, her stance was perfectly disciplined to where she could easily go into battle at any moment, and her bones were well structured. Narlafayn's pupils widened as she stared at the sinewy muscle that moved under Sharmin's back skin as she shifted nervously. Curiosity and awe overriding her better judgment, she reached out and poked the slight lump.
"What are you doing?" Sharmin suddenly exclaimed, jumping away from Narlafayn and covering her body with her arms. Not realizing what she had been doing was offensive to the human; Narlafayn tilted her head at her in confusion.
"Well you seem rather cut out to wield a sword to me. You've got great muscles for a girl." She declared, putting her hands on her hips. "I don't even have muscles that nice." she pursed her lips and looked away, remembering the differences between her body in the other world and the one she had here and added, "At least here I don't."
"Excuse me for having large muscles." Sharmin glared, her voice bitter. Narlafayn blinked at her, raising her eyebrows. What was this girl so defensive for? She had just paid her a compliment, one any swordswoman would be pleased to hear, but she acted as if Narlafayn had called her flat chested or brainless!
"Well it's not as if they don't look good on you, so don't get all offended. I'm just saying, since you've already gone this far, it'd be a waste to just go back to living a villagers life and loosing all of that." Narlafayn stated, shrugging. She was feeling better, and excitement at hunting in the forest for pelts and other things that she could barter for money was bubbling up inside of her. The longer she lingered out here with Sharmin, the less time she had to hunt. She turned away from Sharmin and walked ahead of her, waving as she went. "I think I can take myself the rest of the way to town. You'd better get back to your battle; they probably need you out there." The girl seemed to need some gentle pushing and a bit of esteem lifting, but she had the makings of a fine swordswoman. Part of Narlafayn twinged in anxiety as she realized she had been studying swordplay for several months but she was leagues behind Sharmin, despite having better armor. She chuckled in amusement herself, remembering Mune's words to her as she began her training; "You can have the fanciest armor in the world, but if you don't have any talent behind your blade, you'll be reduced to nothing in battle." How true those words seemed now. Narlafayn had the best armor for novices, but her swordsmanship was in dire need of work.
Making a firm decision as the town came in sight, Narlafayn told herself that this would be the end of her travels once she gained enough money to return to the Elven Forest. She would settle down and study until she coughed up blood if she had to. The world could wait, after all, she was a Light Elf now, and had time on her side to see it all.
After renting a room in a boarding house, Narlafayn exited with a mug full of steaming broth, her stomach thanking her for the nourishment. Talking Island Village was small, but lively. It was populated almost entirely with humans, a few Dwarves and Light Elves being the only other races in sight. People wandered about the tall pillar statue in the center of town, trading wares, gossiping or hurrying to work. Somewhere behind a cluster of houses to Narlafayn's left, she could hear the noises of a hammer on an anvil. A dog barked somewhere, and sheep bleated as a shepherd boy herded them past. A content smile passed over Narlafayn's face as she felt at ease. The atmosphere was very comforting despite the dim noise surrounding her.
Her broth finished, Narlafayn pushed herself to her feet from where she had seated herself on the edge of the pillar and deposited the mug into the washbasin outside of the boarding house. Stretching her arms above her head she wandered out the north gate of town, following the path to where she heard the townsfolk gossip of stronger monsters residing. There was a group of children wielding small swords near the town gates, chasing Elpy enthusiasm that only children could have.
The farther she walked from town, the larger the wildlife became. Keltirs gave away to wolves and goblins that eventually gave away to Orcs and Werewolves. Narlafayn paused on the path as a brown-haired boy darted from behind a cluster of trees, a large werewolf in pursuit. Adrenaline surging through her muscles, she reached for her sword, instinct to help him firing to life. She let go of her hilt as soon as she realized the boy had things under control, as after a short match, he ran the beast-man through smoothly. He sighed deeply, catching his breath, and sat down on the grass to rest. Smiling to herself, Narlafayn continued down the path, hoping there were still good places for her to hunt without disturbing the inhabitants of the island.
After nearly two hours of travel, Narlafayn found herself at another strange pillar statue, set at the crossroads of four paths leading to various parts of the island. There were large statues of armored soldiers standing around the stone pillar, holding their swords at attention as if respecting all those who passed by them. Seated at the base was a man in full armor, his head resting against the stone and eyes shut as if dozing. Next to him stood an exasperated looking young man with blonde hair that reached down to his jaw line. He wore a set of green and brown wooden armor that appeared to have seen a lot of use.
"Uncle, I'm tired of being sent out here to retrieve you, why can't you just stay in town for a few hours during the day and get done what they want you to do?" the youth asked, giving the older man an annoyed glare. The armored man opened one eye to glance at the teen before shutting it again, disregarding his nephew. "Fine, see if I care if they impeach you! Dad was saying how Sir Tanford would be better at this job anyway!" he growled, turning on heel and stalking away from the man with his shoulders hunched. He stomped past Narlafayn without noticing her presence and trudged down the path towards town. Tilting her head at his retreating figure curiously, Narlafayn turned to find the armored man peering over her shoulder with squinted eyes. Yelping in surprise, she stumbled over her feet and fell, landing on her bottom.
"Is he gone?" the man asked in a low voice, squinting down the path. Staring at him with large eyes, Narlafayn could only nod. Grinning, he reached down and grasped her by her bicep, hauling her to her feet with ease. "Good." Narlafayn rubbed her arm after he released it; his grip had been strong and bit into her muscle. "Gatz is a good kid," he continued saying, walking back towards the pillar, "but he listens to the villagers too much. Tries to mold himself into something he thinks they want, and instead makes himself invisible by being exactly like everyone else." He sighed and shook his head, putting his hands on his hips. "Besides, that Tanford git couldn't even keep his wife happy and ended up divorcing her to go live with his Orc mistress. Where does my brother think that he could govern Talking Island better than I could?" he grumbled, more to himself than to Narlafayn. Remembering her presence, he turned back to her, beaming widely. "So, what brings you to Talking Island, Miss Elf? I don't believe I've ever seen you before, have you come to hear about the Obelisk of Victory?" he asked, putting a hand on the pillar. "Such a grand history behind this statue you know, it all extends back several hundred years ago…"
"Could you point me in the best direction to hunt in? I'm trying to get back to the Elven Forest." Narlafayn quickly interjected, feeling guilty for being rude, but not really wanting to waste time by listening to the lengthy history she was sure this man was about to give her. "I'm sorry, I don't have time to listen to the history now, but I promise I'll come back and hear it later." She said with a nervous smile to the disappointed look crossing his aged face. He grew thoughtful for a moment and walked around the obelisk to point to a meadow north of where they stood.
"Over there, you'll find a good spot to hunt. The town is in dire need of venom sacks from spiders to make antidotes from, if you retrieved not even a handful of those, you could make a pretty penny." He said in a business like tone of voice. "Leon's over there right now, trying to retrieve some himself. I'm sure he'd be grateful for some company, especially attractive company in the form of a Light Elf swordswoman." He added, winking at her. "Leon is an excellent swordsman, star student at Cedric's Training Hall. He shows grand promise to be a Paladin one day. Sometimes I wish my nephew was as serious about training as that boy is." He sighed again and tsked, shaking his head.
Smiling nervously, Narlafayn thanked the man and began walking towards the north. The sun had already passed its high point in the sky and was descending towards the western part of the island. Narlafayn winced, as she had nearly spent all of her money renting the room in the boarding house, and now the daylight was running out.
Sure enough, after a half-hour of travel, Narlafayn came across an open meadow that ended in a drop-off into the ocean, a blonde-haired teen staring out over the water with an unreadable expression. She tilted her head at him curiously, as he seemed to be lost in thought. The serious look on his face almost made him look older than he really was.
He had a lean, muscular frame, and his bronze armor glinted in the sunlight. He was taller than her, but only by several inches. In one hand he held a sword that dripped with green spider blood, on the other arm was a shield, just as battered as the youth she'd seen fighting the werewolf's had been. His hair was long, not quite as long as the teen the man called Gatz, and it covered one half of his face, hiding his eye from view. He turned to look at her as she approached, his eyes lighting with curiosity, but his face remaining placid.
"Can I help you?" he asked, his voice taking a cautious tone. Narlafayn put on a friendly smile and clasped her arms behind her back.
"I heard you could use some help hunting spiders." She said brightly, her smile not wavering. She liked the aura he had around him, it was comforting and she felt protected by it. "The man by the… uh…" Narlafayn paused; searching her memory for the name the man had given in reference to the statue.
"Obelisk of Victory?" the teen asked, shutting his eye and sighing. "Sir Collin…" he sighed, shaking his head.
"Yeah, that's it, the Obelisk of Victory." Narlafayn scratched the side of her head thoughtfully, and glanced to the sky. "Why in the world would someone want to hang around a phallic object like that all the time…?" she mused to herself. Leon gaped at her as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard.
"Excuse me?" he inquired politely, staring at her.
Narlafayn shook her head rapidly and smiled, dismissing her comment. "Well, if you'd like some help hunting spiders, I'd be more than willing to give you a hand. I need to earn some money to get back home. Hunting in a pair would be better than alone anyway." She added lightly, hoping it'd be enough to convince him. Leon stared at her, his visible eye large, as his ears turned slightly pink. Not noticing, Narlafayn stood next to him and stared out over the ocean, stretching her arms. "Nice view." She said appreciatively. "This entire island is nice, I almost want to live here." Leon still stared at her, speechless, as a spider came charging from over a hill, two hooked front legs raised. "Behind you…" Narlafayn warned, stepping away from the cliff.
Leon spun quickly and chopped off one of the spider's legs, which went flying through the air and over the side of the cliff. Without pause, he deflected the spider's other hooked leg with his shield as it tried to stab him, and shoved his sword through the spider's head. It squealed loudly before crumpling to the ground, its legs splayed in every direction. Leon withdrew his sword and stuck his hand inside of the arachnid's mouth, searching for its venom sack. Narlafayn whistled, impressed by his quick recovery.
"Wow, no wonder that guy was so impressed with you. You're good." She complimented, raising her eyebrows at how his ears turned pink once more. He withdrew the venom sack gently, and inspected it for tears. "Is that the only way to retrieve them?" she crinkled her nose distastefully at the thought of shoving her hand into the mouth of a dead spider.
"Yeah… unfortunately." Leon said, carefully stowing the venom sack into his pack, which lay on the grass near a spindly tree.
"Alright then." Narlafayn stood with her feet shoulder-width apart and adjusted her leather gloves. She lowered her eyes, taking on a determined expression akin to someone entering war. "Bring on the goo."
Hours passed quickly, and before Narlafayn knew it, the sun was sinking into the western sea, casting the world in an orange light. She sat picking at blades of grass, watching Leon and chewing on an antidote herb. She had attempted to stick her hand inside the spider's mouth before he was fully dead, and ended up getting all of the venom sack she searched for pumped into her bloodstream. Leon's collection of sacks was quite impressive, while Narlafayn sat with only three to her name. She couldn't quite figure out the perfect place to stab the spiders, unlike Leon, and ended up tearing the sack with her sword.
"Were you born on this island?" Narlafayn asked, squinting at him. They'd spent the majority of their time together in silence, Leon seemed to be either too intent on his task to talk, shy, or both. He took a breath as he finished off a spider and stood, composing himself.
"No, I was born on the mainland." He answered her in a soft tone of voice. He knelt to the ground and lifted the spider's head to reach into its mouth. "I came here about two years ago to train under Sir Cedric." He pulled out the venom sack, his hand trailing slime from the arachnid's throat. Narlafayn gagged and looked away. "I'll be leaving here tomorrow though, to begin my advanced training on the mainland." He threw the venom sack across the meadow, finding a tear in it. "What brings you to the island?"
"Came to hunt stuff for money. I kinda got left behind in Gludio so I came here to get money to return to the Elven Forest." She said slowly, surprised that he continued the conversation instead of ending it.
"You came…from Gludio…. which is several months travel from here…. to get money to go home to the Elven Village, which is a month of travel from Gludio?" Leon repeated, casting a confused look.
"Yes." Narlafayn stated simply, wondering what was so confusing about her logic. She pushed herself to her feet slowly, letting her mind become accustomed to being upright once more.
"That's a rather…. well…" Leon chewed the inside of his mouth; searching for a polite way to phrase what was on his mind. "Wouldn't it have been quicker and easier just to walk back from Gludio?" he asked, his eyes dotting. Narlafayn tilted her head at him and thought for a moment.
"Yeah, but I would've had to spend who knows how long sleeping in the streets while I waited for some bozos to stop waging war on the castle. You know they've been doing that a lot recently, you'd think the castle had indoor plumbing or something by how they fight for it." She grumbled, brushing off her skirt.
"My head hurts…" Leon said, turning away from her and putting a hand to his head.
"Did you get poisoned too?" Narlafayn asked, concerned. Leon looked at her without expression, but his visible eye twitching at the corner.
"I think we should head back to town now, it's getting late." Leon stated quickly, changing the subject. Narlafayn sighed heavily at her small collection of venom sacks and gathered them up to carry back to town. "Do you have a place you're staying?" Leon asked, looking at her over his shoulder.
"Yeah, with some lady in a boarding house. She charged me almost all of the money I had left just for the down payment. I hope the rest of the overnight fee won't be anything I can't afford, otherwise I'm going to be on this island for a long time hunting spiders." She shuddered at the thought, suddenly finding the island very uninviting.
"Did she ask you how much money you had before you paid?" Leon stopped walking to look at her seriously.
"Yeah…" Narlafayn said slowly, turning her head slightly at his expression. "Isn't that normal? I mean, to make sure the person you're renting a room out to has enough money to pay?" Leon sighed heavily in response, and put a hand on her shoulder like an old man comforting a child.
"She's one of the town scammers, I'm afraid. She'll overcharge you and make you work it off for months." He said in a grim tone. "She's a former aristocrat from Schuttgart, but squandered her money away on frivolous things, Sir Cedric has said. She likes to catch unknowing travelers by surprise and force them into doing servant work for her. You'll find that the door will be locked tight when you get back, and she won't let you in until morning, I'm afraid." Narlafayn's face paled, and she suddenly felt thankful that she had no travel pack to worry about, as she would've had to leave it in the room.
"Where am I going to stay then?" she asked mournfully, her heart sinking. Leon thought for a moment, then smiled at her, and motioned for her to follow him.
"I'm sure Sir Cedric won't mind you staying overnight in the dorms at the Training Hall. We'll be leaving on the boat tomorrow; you can just come with us then." He said, smiling. Relieved that there was still kindness in the world, Narlafayn relaxed and returned his smile.
"Are you sure I'm going to have enough money?" she asked, looking at the venom sacks in her hands. Leon nodded, his hair bobbing in the motion.
"The man pays 1,000 adena a sack, so I think that'll be more than enough to get you back to the mainland and to your forest." He said, adjusting his shield. They walked in silence for a moment, their direction changing from the town to the Training Hall.
"Hey, I know!" Narlafayn suddenly exclaimed, startling the youth. She marched a few paces ahead of him and turned to face him, walking backwards. "If you don't have anywhere specific to train in the mainland, why don't you come with me back to the forest? It's quiet there, and much more of a forgiving atmosphere than trying to force yourself to become accustomed to the mainland all at once." She offered with a smile.
"I was raised in big cities until two years ago; being on the mainland again won't bother me." Leon said skeptically, lifting an eyebrow at her. Narlafayn stopped, planting her feet stubbornly in the ground and pouted at him. The longer he stared at her, the more she pushed out her lower lip, until she looked too comical to be taken seriously. Leon sighed in defeat and hung his head, his shoulders drooping. "Fine." He mumbled, "I suppose my first stop can be the Elven Forest. But only for a little while, ok?" Narlafayn threw a fist in the air and let out a happy cheer. Training went faster for her when there was someone for her to train with, and this young man seemed to be a perfect training partner. After watching him fight the spiders, she found that his style of swordsmanship was much more direct than the flighty style the Elven Masters had taught her. It appealed to her more than trying to meditate on the woods and 'move as if one were dancing amongst the tree limbs'. Mune might've mastered swordsmanship that way, but she liked a good old direct fight with her feet firmly planted on the ground over that any day. She hoped that by fighting next to him longer, she could learn some of his methods and become a better swordswoman.
As they finally reached the stretch of land past the Village that led to the Training Hall, a young girl, no more than ten, raced past them, her face distorted into a tearful expression. She tripped as she ran, as if blinded by whatever had upset her.
"Komugi?" Leon asked more than called, frowning curiously at her departing figure.
"Who was that?" Narlafayn asked, watching also.
"Sharmin's sister. I wonder what's got her so upset…" Leon wondered, scratching behind his ear. "Oh, Sharmin is a girl I know from town who just started school here recently. She's a good kid, just has a lot to learn yet." He explained as they began walking again.
"I think I met her on the way to town when I first got here." Narlafayn said, amused by the way Leon spoke of Sharmin as if she were nothing more than a child no older than the one that had run past them.
As they ascended the stairs leading to the courtyard of the school, they passed the angry figure of Sir Collin's nephew Gatz, who was angrily hurling rocks into the ocean. He grunted with exertion, as if it helped his letting out of steam.
"I detect drama afoot…" Narlafayn mumbled to Leon, watching Gatz warily. Hearing her, Gatz turned quickly, and, once he laid eyes on Leon, walked away from them just as fast. The pair watched him go with a matching bewildered look. "I do believe he's mad at you." Narlafayn stated matter of fact. "What'd you do, steal his girlfriend?" Leon gave her a look that belied on horrified, struck speechless by her accusation.
"Hey Leon, dinner's being served!" the brown haired boy Narlafayn had seen fighting the werewolf called from the doorway of the school. "Whoa, DiValmont with a chick." His eyes grew large as he stared at Narlafayn. She began to get the impression that he was checking her out, and fidgeted under his glance.
"You're too young for me, sonny." She said, sticking her tongue out at him. He scoffed and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
"Eh, you're not quite my type anyway. I like girls with hair that's a more rosy hue." He responded in a cocky tone of voice. "Nice legs though." He winked as he turned, leaving Narlafayn with a red face as she tried to pull her skirt down farther.
After a quick trip to the headmaster's room, Narlafayn's situation was explained, and she was given a room for the night. Next was food, and she found herself sitting in a loud cafeteria, surrounded by youth of all ages and feeling very old and out of place.
"Where's Gatz?" Leon asked the brown-haired boy as he sat down with a tray of food. Narlafayn eagerly ate without looking up, not realizing she had been hungry until the first bite of food hit her stomach. She paused, her cheek puffing out with the food she'd stuffed in it as she realized the boy was staring at her speechlessly. She swallowed her bite and cleared her throat politely, embarrassed of herself.
"I don't know, haven't seen him since Sharmin blew her top at Komugi and I earlier." He shrugged, taking a drink from his wooden mug. He put down his cup and turned an eager face towards Leon, his eyes bright and shining. "You'd never guess how far I got with her today, it was great man!" he said in pubescent glee.
"That's quite all right; I'd rather pass on this story." Leon said, holding a hand up before he told any more. "We're in the presence of a lady, Ryonai. It's not polite to talk like that." He said wisely, taking a bite of food. Narlafayn raised her eyebrows, surprised at his maturity. Ryonai scoffed and tossed his head, moving the hair from his eyes as he ate.
"Wait, that girl who was crying was with you?" Narlafayn suddenly asked, putting two and two together. "Isn't she a little young to be 'getting far' with?" She squinted at him, trying to intimidate him with an authoritive look. Ryonai scoffed again and rolled his eyes, turning away from her.
"Not you too. What's wrong with women these days? Just because you didn't get kissed when you were young by a hot guy doesn't mean you have to prevent other people from doing it." He grumbled into his mug as he took another drink. Narlafayn's shoulders scrunched close to her body as she attempted to control her temper. Only one thing pushed her direct anger button, and that was her lack of dating history. She had often been teased about it back in the other world, sometimes quite cruelly. Once she met Vuylay, the sore had been picked open again, as the Dark Elf enjoyed teasing her about her lack of flirting abilities.
"You tuna-baked, half-balled, compensating for a small such and such contemptuous blockhead!" Narlafayn seethed, clenching her fists tightly on the table. Temper growing as he ignored her string of insults, Narlafayn grabbed her butter knife and brought it down in the middle of Ryonai's plate, stabbing through the slice of Elpy meat on it and cracking the plate cleanly in two as it came to rest in the wooden tray. Ryonai jumped and stared at her with wide eyes, glancing down at the plate and back up at her, not believing what had just happened. "I'm going for a walk." She grumbled, leaving the table and walking out towards the courtyard as two sets of bewildered eyes followed her.
"Ok I get it; I won't kiss girls four years younger than me anymore." Ryonai said, lifting his tray and staring at the tip of the butter knife, which protruded a centimeter from the bottom. He lowered it and looked at Leon with a frown. "Your girlfriend is scary." He said in a deadpan tone, lowering his eyelids at his classmate. Leon pursed his lips for a moment before returning to his food, lost in thought.
Narlafayn instantly went to the first tree she could find lining the courtyard and drew her sword. She began beating away on the innocent plant with all of her might, letting a string of insults fly each time her sword hit the trunk. She wore out quicker than she had expected, and leaned over, panting from exertion. When she looked up again, she found Gatz staring at her with large eyes on the other side of the tree, his mouth parted slightly in shock. Narlafayn's cheeks turned pink; she hadn't realized someone was sitting against the tree.
"You know we have a supply of training dummies for something like that." Gatz stated in a small voice, afraid to cross the angry elf. Chuckling nervously, Narlafayn sheathed her sword and gave him an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, I just got so mad I couldn't see straight." She said, rubbing the back of her head. "I apologize if I hurt you at all…"
Gatz turned away from her and returned to resting his back against the trunk. "Other than this splinter in my cheek, I'm good." He said in an annoyed tone. Eyes large, Narlafayn jumped to attention and knelt at his side.
"Wow, I'm really sorry!" she exclaimed. Sure enough, a splinter that looked about a quarter of the width of a toothpick was embedded in his cheek. She wondered why he just sat there calmly as something as big as that had to hurt.
"S'fine. Pain helps me clear my head." He mumbled, kicking the ground.
"Don't be silly, let me get that out." She insisted, raising delicate fingers to push on the wound. Gatz held still for a moment until she began forcing the splinter back through his skin. He cried out and jerked his head away from her, casting an annoyed glare.
"Just leave it be, it'll work its way out." He said angrily, scooting away from her. Narlafayn frown and put her hands on her hips, meeting his glare with her own.
"You're a swordsman, right? Just endure it like every other injury you get. Don't be such a sissy." She challenged, jutting her jaw out at him. Her words seeming to hit a nerve, Gatz steeled his jaw and sat back up, folding his arms across his chest in a pouting motion. "So why are you out here all by yourself?" she asked curiously as she worked at the wound. "I thought all boys jumped at food when it was offered." Gatz shifted uncomfortably, and Narlafayn couldn't tell if it were from her question or from the splinter.
"You're a girl, right?" he asked after a moment, looking at her from the corner of his eye.
"Last I checked I was, unless females have a new build now." She chuckled. The end of the splinter was coming back through his skin, and she squinted, trying to push it out enough to grab with her fingernails.
"What could a girl possibly see in a guy to have an endless crush on him?" he asked in a burst of breath, wincing as she pushed the splinter farther through his skin. Narlafayn stopped for a moment and looked at him in surprise. She snorted lightly and returned to her task, focusing on the piece of wood.
"Well that depends, does the guy show interest in her?" she asked, her voice amused. The tip protruded enough from his flesh for her to get her fingernails around, and she began to gently pick at it to get a grip on it.
"No." Gatz grumbled, glaring out across the ocean he faced. He groaned loudly and jerked away from her as she smoothly pulled the splinter from his skin. "That hurt!" he exclaimed, holding a hand protectively over the wound.
"I told you I'd get it out." She grinned, holding it up triumphantly. She flicked it into the grass behind them and settled herself against the tree next to him. "As for your question, I suppose he's got a quality in himself that she finds attractive. Maybe it's a quality that she herself desires to have, but since it's already manifesting itself in a boy, it's only natural for a girl to be drawn to that." She said simply. He gave her a blank look for a moment before sighing heavily and drawing his knees up to his chest, which he leaned heavily over.
"You women are confusing. That didn't make any sense." He mumbled. Feeling tired suddenly, Narlafayn stood and stretched as far as she could reach.
"Just give it time; I'm sure if you like her enough, she'll give you a chance eventually. Make sure you present her with your good qualities, maybe you'll have something she desires as well." She said with a smile, turning towards the school. Gatz shrugged lightly, brushing off her comment.
"I've already done that, and she didn't see it." He sighed, not looking at her. Remembering Sir Collin's words about how Gatz made himself invisible, Narlafayn licked the inside of her cheek in thought.
"Are you sure it was really your qualities you showed her, or just what you thought she wanted to see in a person?" she asked seriously. He turned to look at her, his eyes large. Satisfied that she got through to him, Narlafayn smiled and waved lightly. "I'm heading for bed now. Don't stay out here too long, you'll catch cold." She said, turning away from him and walking back towards the school. She entered the room given to her for the night and flopped onto the bed after hastily removing her armor. She was asleep before the secondhand on the clock in the hallway had made a full revolution around the numbered face, and dreamt strange dreams of a bright land that she had never seen before.
