Chapter 8: Moving On Up In The World
As Joshua was out back cutting wood he hummed a song as he worked. He had made quite the pile of split logs and kindling and began taking the pieces in small bundles at a time. He began stacking some kindling wood and paper in the stove and pulled out his lighter to start the fire. It took a couple of tries with the lighter before he managed to light the paper and get the fire going. Sasha came in and asked him to fetch some water from the well as she began cutting up ingredients for dinner. Joshua silently nodded and trudged out back to the well, fetching the water, and bringing the bucket to Sasha in the kitchen.
"Thank you, Joshua. How did everything go at Magitec, today?" Sasha said as he opened the back door into the kitchen.
"King Castor and High Priest Noscrim were there, surprisingly, but the king has changed his mind about me. Oh well…the biggest lesson I learned early on in life is you can't please everyone." Joshua answered in a nonchalant tone.
Sasha looked at him with her jaw slightly hung open in shock. It was rare that High Priest Noscrim ever took interest in anyone who wasn't affiliated with the religious order of Lescatie or royal family, especially if they weren't one of Lescatie's heroes or a noble of some kind. A feeling of uneasiness began welling up inside her as she tried to reason with herself why he took interest in Joshua. Could he have possibly seen Joshua as a threat due to lacking a soul? High priest Noscrim wasn't above making rash actions on a whim even if he lacked concrete evidence.
"Did High Priest Noscrim say anything to you?" She asked him tensely.
"Not to me or about me personally, but he did make some remarks about Eristia and Elt that I didn't appreciate and I let him know that I wanted them both there regardless of what he thought of them," Joshua replied honestly with a smug smile.
Sasha felt her color run cold. No one has ever dared to stand up to High Priest Noscrim and lived to tell the tale. Even Wilmarina herself dared not to go against her father. Sasha gave Joshua a nervous smile despite internally screaming. She wanted to smack him, call him an idiot, and shake him, but couldn't find the strength in her to do so.
"Oh no…Victor Noscrim is most likely going to settle for an execution! Joshua had to have his reasons, right? He's been very kind towards the children and helped me with so much that he's starting to become like family here…what do I do? Oh, Chief god, please, save this man!" Sasha thought worriedly.
It was then they heard a knock at the front door. Sasha hadn't been expecting guests and neither did Joshua, but Sasha hesitantly approached and turned the knob and was surprised to see Eristia and Yuriy again. Eristia gave her a slight smile as Sasha greeted them and let them inside.
"What brings you two here?" Sasha asked them curiously.
"We're here to speak to Joshua. We have a job tomorrow afternoon and could use his help if it's alright with you?" Eristia replied happily.
Joshua was a bit confused as to why they would want him but decided it was probably best to hear them out. It would also be a good start towards paying Mimil back for the crystal ball should he make some money from the job. If he did well, he could find himself moving on up in the world, and potentially earn some money to give to Sasha for letting him stay at the orphanage. Joshua felt his hopes grow as Eristia approached him.
"Yuriy and I often do runs for an apothecary in Lescatie. This time he may need herbs from the southern forest. If you're interested, I have a dagger that captain Mersé told me to give you, but only if you're interested in joining us." She told him with a smile.
Joshua pondered her offer for only a split second before silently nodding. Sasha felt that if Joshua helped the two of them it might cause the high priest to lose interest and agreed to let Eristia borrow him as long as they were back within a few days. Joshua remembered he already had some of the necessary supplies in his backpack when he arrived in their world, so most of his packing was already done.
"Great. As promised, here is the dagger. We'll be here early in the afternoon with Luciana. She wanted to come to make sure nothing happened to you, so don't make her worry too much, okay?" Eristia said as she handed him a sheathed dagger.
The dagger had a short blade that tapered towards the point and a bronze hilt with a small cross-guard and a small, blue gem embedded in the tiny circular pommel. The dagger felt well made even in its sheath and Joshua shook Eristia's hand.
"Thanks a lot. Mersé will be pleased to hear you're on board with us. We'll see you tomorrow then, goodbye." She said with a smile before she and Yuriy departed.
Joshua turned to Sasha and saw the concern and worry plastered all over her face. Guilt began to build in his chest, as he knew what she might be thinking. She went and sat in a chair at the table with her head held down slightly. He noticed a single tear roll down her cheek before she looked up at him. This caused Joshua to gently approach her with his guilt rising.
"What's wrong?" Joshua asked her soothingly.
"….You've been a great deal of help….even the children have come to appreciate you and consider you somewhat of an older brother just as they consider me an older sister…" She said with a dejected smile as she held back her tears.
Joshua's hunch was right: Sasha was worried he might get carted off and never seen again, and that scared her more than anything. He began to realize that even if it had only been a day and a half, he was surrounded by people who truly cared about him. Joshua had been in many fights before and came out on top even if he didn't start the fight to begin with so he had faith he could survive being outside Lescatie even if it was for a small task. It was at this time that Primera had come down to check on Sasha and heard what she said so she decided to eavesdrop on the two of them when she reached the last stair step.
"You don't need to worry about me. I've survived a couple of near-death encounters so I'm sure I'll survive this, too." Joshua said, trying to reassure Sasha.
Sasha gave him a tight hug, surprising Joshua as her large breasts pressed against him. He gently pat her on the back but that made her squeeze him tighter. Her tears landed on his left shoulder as she could no longer hold them in and she sobbed silently.
"Promise me….promise me that you'll come back." She said as she held him tightly.
"I promise I'll come back. I'll be with Eristia, Yuriy, and Luciana, after all, so I'll be coming back." He replied, trying to calm her down. "Anything you need me to do before they get here tomorrow?" He asked her.
Sasha shook her head as she released him. A smile spread across her face as she mussed his hair, again taking him by surprise. Joshua began to remind her of Elt from a few years ago before he decided to join the knights. She worried about Elt just as much, but he soon proved he could handle himself well and soon became a contender for best swordsman among the knights due to Mersé's training.
"You're beginning to remind me a lot of Elt from a couple of years ago. He became somewhat of a brother to me as we were growing up and when he joined the knights I was constantly worrying myself sick about him. But now he's a well accomplished young man who can hold his own…guess I'll just have to have faith you can do the same." She said happily as she wiped away tears.
Primera had been watching them with her usual disgusted look from the bottom of the stairs out of sight, but also felt bad for Sasha, which confused her as Sasha was showing concern for that thing. Primera was even more disgusted with Joshua for making Sasha cry as the two of them were friends and Sasha did save her life from monsters once. She wanted to smack Joshua upside the head for being so stupid and upsetting Sasha that she began to feel her anger boiling over once again. She watched as Joshua nodded in agreement and told Sasha he was going to go wash up for dinner before heading towards the back door in the kitchen. Sasha went and began placing the skinned rabbits Primera had hunted earlier into the pot with potatoes, carrots, and leeks to make a rabbit stew for dinner. She snuck by Sasha, closing the door quietly behind her, and quickly made her way outside to confront Joshua for making Sasha so upset. She tiptoed her way around the wall and stopped once she spotted him scrubbing his face and hands at the well. She quietly crept up behind him and grabbed his right shoulder, taking him by surprise.
"Oh, hey, Primera. Is dinner ready already?" He asked her casually as he faced her before she glared at him and grabbed him by the collar of his tank top.
"Listen closely, asshole…If you screw up out there those monsters will make sure you're never seen again. That'll make Sasha upset and make it so I have to hunt you down and place an arrow between your eyes. I may not like you, but I also care about Sasha and don't want to have to tell her I put you down like a filthy mutt. Understand?" She told him menacingly.
"Trust me, I'd shoot myself before that happens." He replied calmly, angering Primera.
"As I said, you better come back in one piece." She told him coldly as she released him.
Joshua silently nodded, causing Primera to roll her eyes in annoyance before storming off. Joshua finished washing and headed back inside the orphanage to see if Sasha needed anything else from him before dinner was ready. Sasha was adding the last of the vegetables to the pot when he walked in and the smell from the pot was mouth-watering. She gave him a warm smile as she put one final carrot into the pot and covered it with a lid.
"Now that smells good. Anything else you need me to do for you before dinner?" Joshua said with a smile as he approached Sasha.
"You could set the table for me. I have to make sure this stew doesn't boil over before it's done." She said happily as she pointed to the tablecloth, bowls, and silverware on the counter.
Joshua silently nodded with a smile and spread the table cloth across the table. he made sure each seat had a plate, fork, and knife before Sasha handed him a small wooden box containing cloth napkins and some candles. Joshua folded all the napkins into triangles with care and set one at each bowl and put the silverware on them and placed the candles on the table. Sasha brought out the pot and set it on the center of the table.
"Could you fill the bowls, please? I have to go track down the children for dinner, so I'll be right back." Sasha asked him kindly.
Joshua silently nodded as he grabbed a bowl and carried it over to the pot. He filled each bowl with one helping of stew and was halfway done when Sasha returned with the kids. The kids could smell the delicious stew Sasha had made and were eager for their dinner. Primera followed close behind them and watched as Joshua finished filling all thirty-three bowls with stew and put the lid back over the pot. He silently waited for them all to take their seats before sitting down at the other end from Sasha and Primera.
"Let's all have a moment of silence to thank the Chief God for this meal and to Primera for bringing home some rabbits to make dinner," Sasha said with a smile before they all joined hands.
Joshua shoveled a spoonful of stew into his mouth once they all began eating. The stew was delicious and he slowly ate to savor the meal. Primera didn't like that her hard work was being used to feed the thing but this time she wouldn't even look in its general direction. Sasha kept her eye on Primera lest they had another incident like last time, but was surprised to see Primera keeping to herself. She noticed that Primera's right hand would twitch at times when she shoveled more stew into her mouth and that Joshua at times glanced at her. Once dinner was finished Sasha had Joshua help her wash dishes. She was thankful that nothing bad had happened at dinner, but found herself still worrying a tad about Joshua's job and began silently praying for his success.
Once the two of them were done with dishes Joshua said goodnight to Sasha who gave him the key to the dresser drawer and Joshua returned to his room in the cellar. He pulled his backpack out from under his bed and clenched his flashlight in between his teeth as he began emptying the contents on his bed and checked to make sure he had everything. He took a mental note of everything he had and pulled his three "sacred texts" from his backpack and locked them in the dresser along with his gun. Joshua walked over to the chair by the desk and began taking off his boots after sitting down. He could feel the blood pulse in the bottoms of his feet and the ache that accompanied each pulsation and began tenderly rubbing the bottoms of his feet after he pulled off his socks. The skin on the bottoms of his feet was dry and ragged from all the work he had done in the factory back home and small cracks had begun forming around his heels and big toes.
"I don't think I'll find a callus remover anywhere in Lescatie..." He thought, growing disheartened as he looked at the dry, white patches of skin on the bottoms of his feet.
"UGH! What on earth did you do to your feet?!" A familiar voice asked in disgust.
"I blame hours of hard labor from back in my world. You are right, though, I should find something to solve this problem or else my feet will start bleeding at some point." Joshua responded calmly as he looked up to see Primera standing in the doorway.
"I don't know what you did for a living, but as I said earlier, you better come back and in one piece at that." She told him with a scowl.
"I haven't forgotten. I'll be working with Eristia, Yuriy, and Luciana so I think I'll be fine." Joshua replied as he nodded with a smile.
Primera rolled her eyes. Eristia and Luciana were considered to be two of the weaker heroes of Lescatie, and Luciana was slightly better than Eristia, but nowhere near Wilmarina's abilities. Yuriy was Eristia's squire and nothing more. To her, Joshua's chances of success looked slim to none.
"Good luck….you're going to need it with those three around." She said in a condescending voice with a smug grin.
Primera turned and left, slowly closing the door behind her. Joshua's head hung down slightly as Primera's words echoed in his mind. He let out a sigh as he put his socks back on and slid his boots underneath the desk before standing up and wincing at the slight pain that spread throughout his feet once he put all his weight on them. Joshua slowly crept over to his bed with aching feet and crawled underneath the covers and the ache in his feet subsided and he placed his glasses and engagement ring in one of his coat's pockets. He slowly drifted off to sleep and began to dream about his original world and what could be happening there at the moment. He began to wonder if anyone knew he was gone. An uneasy answer crept over him as he remembered he didn't have any real friends or loved ones left in his world to report him missing. He then dreamed of a life with Reiko still alive in their apartment, but he had gone missing which left her heartbroken and alone just like him. In his dream he approached her from behind, trying to comfort her, but it was like he wasn't there even though he was watching her look at their photo set next to the T.V. wondering what happened to him.
"What happened to me? To us..?.. Why did you have to leave me so soon, Joshua?" She said as tears began streaming down her face.
Something about her words seemed familiar and caused him to come to a dark realization: she was alone because he must have died due to something. He reached out to touch her shoulder but his hand went through her, causing him to panic slightly. Reiko stood up and walked over to the kitchen with Joshua following close behind, worried she might do something drastic. Reiko didn't have an easy childhood growing up as her father had been a very successful hotel businessman and tried to choose everything for her and her mother without giving them a voice in any of it. This led to her mother divorcing her father and bringing Reiko with her to Michigan when she was young and her father decided to stay in New York.
Reiko had told Joshua how she would cut herself any time her father came to visit to deal with the stress he caused her and her mother during those visits and that she stopped once she met Joshua as he often listened to her complaints about her father's visits and showed a great deal of sympathy. Her relationship with Joshua slowly drove a wedge between her and her father which only worsened when she told him that the two of them were finally engaged and were going to be married after she beat her cancer. He warned her that he would disown her as Joshua didn't offer any advantage to the family but she didn't care. Joshua made her happy and respected her choices which is why she fell in love with him, to begin with. In this world, he must have been the one to get sick and it had affected her heavily to lose him just as it had for him when he lost her. Joshua watched as Reiko opened a drawer and pulled out a sharp kitchen knife. She pointed the knife at her stomach and raised her arms, and Joshua began trying to stop her by intercepting her arms to no avail as they simply passed through any part of her body he tried to grab to stop the inevitable. Just as she began bringing down the knife to her stomach Joshua sprang awake breathing heavily.
Joshua looked down with a terrified look on his face. The reality of a world where he had died and the consequences of it shook him to the bone. Another thought ran through his mind as he thought of how worried Sasha had been earlier. Joshua silently vowed to fully come back should his dream come true and Sasha did something drastic to herself. It was then that he heard a knock on his bedroom door. Joshua pulled his glasses and flashlight from his coat and tiredly hobbled over to the door and cracked it open to see a little girl with long blonde hair standing on the other side and holding a lit candle. Joshua was slightly confused, thinking she had been sent by Sasha to tell him breakfast was ready.
"Is it morning already?" He asked her in a tired voice as he slowly opened the door.
"The girl looked off to the side with a slightly embarrassed face before shaking her head. Joshua raised an eyebrow, wondering what a small child needed from him if it was still nighttime.
"Is something wrong then? Does Sasha need me?" He asked her tiredly.
"Ah….um…I had a…bad dream…" The girl said nervously.
"Oh..I see. Well then, come on in." Joshua replied with a tired smile.
The young girl hesitantly stepped inside and Joshua gently closed the door behind her. He walked over to his coat for his lighter and lit the candles on the dresser and put his flashlight in his left pocket after turning it off. He carried his chair over to the bed and motioned for her to sit on the bed.
"What's wrong kiddo?" He asked her soothingly as he sat down in the chair.
"I…dreamt that…you never came back from your job with Ms. Eristia….Sasha got upset and….disappeared after going to look for you."
Joshua was a bit surprised as he didn't think any of the children knew he would be heading outside of Lescatie for a short while. He gave the young girl a reassuring smile as he gently pat her on the head.
"You needn't worry about me. I've been through a few rough spots when I was young and always came out on top. I'll be coming back once I'm finished helping Eristia." He said with a warm smile.
"Really?" She asked him with a tentative voice.
"Yes, so head on back to bed and sleep tight," Joshua replied with a nod and confident smile.
The young girl nodded happily and she hopped down from his bed. As she was about to open the door they heard a gentle knock from the other side. When the young girl opened the door she found Sasha standing on the other side with a lantern and worried expression on her face.
"There you are, Emiyu!" Sasha said with a gasp and relief in her voice. "It's way past your bedtime!" She scolded.
"I'm sorry, big sis Sasha, I had a bad dream," Emiyu responded as she hung her head in shame.
Sasha knelt next to her and hugged her tightly. Emiyu hugged her back and Sasha began patting her on the back.
"Why didn't you come and speak to me?" Sasha asked soothingly.
"I dreamt big brother Joshua went missing…and you disappeared after going to find him so I wanted to see if he was still here…." Emiyu responded dejectedly.
Joshua walked up behind her and pat her on the head with a smile. He understood why she would be so worried. He was proud she took initiative to check on things herself, a skill she would need as an adult. An idea formed in his head: She could watch over his engagement ring and the dresser key while he was gone to make sure the ring and key didn't get lost, stolen, or damaged. He knelt next to her and tapped her on the shoulder and she gave him a slightly sad frown.
"Emiyu, could you do something for me?" He asked her with a calm smile.
"What do you want me to do?" She asked him confusedly
Joshua walked over to his coat and pulled out the dresser key and his engagement ring and held them out for Emiyu to see upon approaching her again.
"In the morning I'm going to hand you this key and my engagement ring. I'm going to put three special books in that dresser in the morning that have information in them that could help Lescatie deal with the monsters. Those books were given to me by my late fiancé and therefore are very special to me. Those books and this ring are all I have left of her after I gave most of her belongings to her mother after my fiancé passed away." He said with a calm smile. "I need you to keep this key and my ring safe. The only other person you should give them to is Sasha if she asks, okay?"
Emiyu was stunned by how beautiful the silver ring was. The ring had four small, green emeralds set in four different points spread apart. A soft smile spread across Sasha's face as she realized what Joshua was doing. Joshua wanted to see just how much of a grown-up little Emiyu could be, so he was entrusting her with a rather grown-up task. Emiyu nodded with a happy smile and Sasha took her back upstairs and Joshua silently closed the door behind them. A short while later after Joshua placed the chair back by the desk he heard a soft knocking on his door. He cracked it open to find Sasha standing on the other side with a tired smile. He let her in and she sat in the chair by his desk. Joshua leaned up against the wall next to the desk, hoping Emiyu wasn't in any trouble.
"I apologize for Emiyu's actions. I don't know how she found out about all this, but it won't happen again, I promise." She said apologetically as she looked up at him.
"Its fine she was just scared is all. I'm glad she at the very least came and spoke to me. I now see what you mean when you told me even the orphans appreciate me and consider me like family." He replied, trying to reassure her.
"They're all good children and I'm glad they've accepted you. Even if it has only been a short while you have been a big help to us. Elt had visited me two days before we summoned you after returning from a monster-slaying campaign that didn't go anywhere as the village they were to attack was empty and he said I looked rather pale and worn out upon speaking to me in private. The children have all said I've begun to look much better now thanks to your help." She said happily.
"That's good news. Speaking of help, are you sure there's nothing you need me to do tomorrow morning? I don't want to leave here so suddenly if everything isn't quite squared away." He said with a smile before his face turned serious yet curious.
Sasha shook her head with a soft smile on her face. "We'll be fine, just be sure to stay safe outside the outer walls. There's a lot that can happen out there and both Eristia and Luciana don't know any healing magic."
"I'm trained in advanced first aid so we'll be fine. I carry a small trauma kit and some bandages in my backpack thanks to the dangerous nature of my job in the factory. If anyone should get seriously injured I can just carry them for a while until we get back to Lescatie." Joshua replied with a confident smile.
"Trauma Kit?…. Oh, that's right.., your world doesn't have any magic. How do the people of your world treat illnesses if you don't have magic? We had a nasty plague ten years ago and apothecaries and the clergy struggled to find a solution before it went away on its own. The church began condemning almost all the medicine men due to their failure as they were the ones doing most of the work but some managed to escape by going into hiding. Gali, the old man who owns the apothecary here in Lescatie, is one example of those who escaped persecution." She asked him curiously.
Joshua began rubbing his chin while trying to think of what to say. "We had a plague as well, but it was long before my time. It took many centuries to discover a cure for it but by then we had a variety of cures for a countless number of diseases. The people of my world are resourceful and turned to studying the world around them to find those cures but there's always something new looming over the horizon that could easily wipe out humanity because it was never seen before or resulted from a new and unexpected change in an already existing disease—we call that a mutation. On top of having far advanced medical knowledge beyond even my grasp. You've seen my lighter, but not the other far advanced technology we possess. Buildings that are taller than the castle, cities completely illuminated by hundreds of lights that the people of this world would think we pulled the stars themselves down from the heavens, and ways that make long-distance communication incredibly simple and efficient." Joshua replied as he rubbed his chin.
Sasha tilted her head down dejectedly as she thought of how advanced his world was yet despite this his world's people still fought against each other.
"If the people of your world progressed so far then why do you fight amongst yourselves?" She asked him.
"Because rarely do the nations of my world come to an agreement on peace. The United States of America—my country—has a bad habit of getting involved in conflicts they should have stayed out of from the beginning. Sure we were allies with a bunch of other countries thanks to The United Nations council and the North Atlantic Trade Organization but said council and organization have achieved little to secure long-standing peace without violence. Now said organizations are no more and every country fends for itself. On top of all that there's always someone out there willing to cause problems for others and that one person has to be dealt with somehow. Greed is also another reason as he who controls all the natural resources needed to keep our advanced world running will always have someone else willing to fight them for those resources. Despite all that, people are trying to make my world a better place but there's only so much they can do." Joshua replied in a disheartened voice. "I can't imagine what this world would be like if there wasn't a common enemy unifying you all. My world has been through two world wars already and is close to engaging in a third which if that were to happen then a very special weapon, nuclear bombs, my world developed at the end of world war two to end that conflict would be used on a mass scale to almost destroy everything."
Joshua's words shocked Sasha. She couldn't even begin to imagine what a nuclear bomb or "world war" was like but it sounded terrifying, especially considering his world's advanced weaponry. Joshua saw the fear that slowly began spreading across her face, but knew this world lacked the capabilities to produce nuclear bombs and therefore had no way to destroy itself just yet.
"On the bright side, I told High Priest Noscrim and the king that I refuse to be responsible for humanity's downfall once the monsters are dealt with. I guess Mersé didn't like the fact that the king wouldn't listen to her ideas to turn me into a sharpshooter and train the other sharpshooters to hit the bright side of a barn or something like that which is why Eristia came to see me. Either way I wouldn't mind it if working here is all I'm good for since the kids treat me like family." Joshua said cheerfully.
Sasha looked at him with relief in her eyes. She was glad Joshua had turned down the option to make his world's weapons and chose the more peaceful route of working with her in the orphanage. She began to feel exhaustion taking its toll as her eyes grew heavy with it being so late. Joshua noticed this and he, too, began to feel it.
"Well, it's been a long day. I've got to get my rest so I can cook breakfast in the morning. I'll come and get you when the pancakes are ready." Sasha said tiredly as she stood up.
Joshua watched as she silently closed the door behind her and pushed the chair back against the desk. He groggily walked over to his bed and placed his glasses and flashlight back in the pocket of his jacket before covering himself in the welcoming warmth of his blanket and drifting off to sleep. He once again began to think about how Sasha's last name and how Lescatie sounded familiar but couldn't figure out why. He couldn't ever remember hearing them before he arrived in this world. Joshua knew the situation he was in was similar to Japanese isekai light novels and manga he liked to read back in his world via the internet but never imagined he'd get his own isekai story. Another thought entered his head: maybe the feelings of Déjà vu came from his interest in Japanese manga and light novels? He, too, brushed these thoughts off as he began drifting off to sleep.
"Sebastian, are you sure we'll be fine? We all heard what the innkeeper said. One of the Demon Lord's seven "God Generals" has been spotted the next village over." Joshua found himself asking. He was sitting in front of a morning campfire with a man who looked like a priest with short green hair sitting across from him.
"Where is this?… Am I dreaming?…."
"Now, Joshua, you remember I said to call me Pastor Fullmoon." A man in black church robes scolded. His short, green hair was neatly combed and a necklace with a gold cross hung on his neck. He looked to be at least thirty and was well mannered.
Joshua was wearing a royal azure blue, sleeveless tunic and long, light brown pants. A white headband was wrapped around his forehead and his shoulder-length blonde hair was messier than how he wore it now. On his feet were brown leather boots and on his hands were a pair of fingerless, brown gantlets. What appeared to be a Xiphos with a white gem embedded in its pommel hung off his right hip.
"Easy there, Pastor Fullmoon, he just likes to address people by their first name is all." A female voice said. The woman had light blonde hair done in a long ponytail and had dark green eyes. She wore a full suit of armor with a cross similar to the one Joshua saw all over Lescatie. Judging by her beautiful face and pleasant voice, her armor appeared to hide a beautiful and delicate-looking figure, but she was no delicate flower. A light smile spread over her face as she sat down next to Joshua and mussed his hair with a gloved hand.
"That woman looks familiar…why does she give me the same intense and direct vibes as Eristia?…"
"That may be, but that is no excuse for rudeness, Ms. Vitral. He may be young, but he still has a lot to learn." Sebastian retorted sternly.
"I should be fine. Ilia has been helping me practice my sword skills. All I need to do is not lose my grip on my sword anymore." Joshua replied with a nervous grin as he scratched the back of his head.
"You're getting better, but you still seem to panic a little in battle which is what I think the real problem is," Ilia said with a slight smile.
Joshua and Ilia heard some footsteps behind them and looked behind them, but saw nothing so they turned back around. A woman with magenta-colored hair that reached down to her mid-back and magenta eyes then wrapped Joshua in a tight squeeze as a brown cloak dropped to the ground. She had beautiful pale skin and wore a short black sleeveless dress, a short black skirt, and a black corset. Each of her arms had a short, black sleeve around each of her elbows, and on her head sat a black witches hat with a gold buckle above the brim. Her lips were adorned with dark red lipstick and had a teasing smile spread across them.
"She also looks vaguely familiar…..Just what is all this?…."
"Tickle attack!" the woman said playfully as she tickled Joshua's stomach from behind, causing Ilia to stifle a giggle.
"Hello, Risha. Did you find anything?" Joshua asked with a smile as he looked up at her.
"Well for starters the innkeeper was right. The "God General" in question goes by the name Lilith and she's a succubus. She hasn't made any significant moves yet, but I think she's actually waiting for us." Risha replied in a serious voice before squeezing Joshua tighter and looking directly at Sebastian with eyes no one could tell if she was teasing or scolding.
"Sebastian, were you picking on my little brother again?" She asked in a scolding voice but with eyes full of mischief.
Sebastian groaned. Despite being twenty-nine, Risha often teased those around her and at times acted like she was still eighteen. Risha was a witch and a very powerful one at that and was able to cast some spells without any chants or incantations which was rare if you hadn't studied magic for decades. She had come to view Joshua as somewhat of a younger brother after he saved her life from being slaughtered by Orcs who had kidnapped her only daughter after killing her husband. Joshua vowed to help her rescue her daughter which took her by surprise as a fair number of people feared her magical strength and saw both her and her daughter as nothing more than pure evil, leading her to live out in the wilderness with her daughter far away from all the scorn.
"Don't you think you should act your age, Risha?" Sebastian retorted annoyedly.
"All this Déjà vu is making me feel like I'm losing my mind!…..UGH…my head hurts!…."
Joshua watched both Risha and Sebastian argue, but no sound came from their mouths. Everything began to fade to black, just like when all his dreams come to an end.
Joshua felt something shaking him awake and he tiredly opened his eyes to see the blurry image of Sasha looking down at him with her usual kind and caring smile. It was finally morning and Joshua was both tired and hungry. He groaned as he rubbed the back of his head which was pounding like mad and reached into his coat pocket for his glasses. Joshua's thoughts were focused on his rather strange dream, but his head only ached more the harder he pushed himself to remember all the little details.
"Good morning! Pancakes are ready. Make sure you eat well for your trip today." Sasha said happily.
"G'morning…I'll head upstairs once I get my boots and jacket on," Joshua replied tiredly as he adjusted his glasses on his face.
Joshua's hair was a mess which was no surprise. He soon saw Sasha was holding an old, royal azure blue, sleeveless tunic and light brown pants. They looked exactly like the ones from his dream which deep down startled him but his face just showed surprise. Sasha handed him the clothes with a smile before speaking.
"There was a hero from the time of the first Demon Lord who wore an outfit just like this. I managed to find these when going through some old trunks in the attic and figured they'd suit you as you look somewhat like that hero. I'm sure a change of clothes would also be welcome as you've worn the same white shirt and pants since you got here." She said as Joshua took the clothes from her.
"What was his name?" Joshua asked curiously as he looked at the clothes.
"Unfortunately…his name, as well as the names of those he fought alongside, have been lost to time. It has been several ages since they all fought the first Demon Lord together and very little history of their adventure survives to this day. I only learned of him from my mother when she used to read me the story of their journey and the many great deeds they did before sending me off to bed. I was no older than Emiyu at the time and I remember always hearing of that hero's kindness. When I first heard the voice of the Chief God and became a hero I thought about all that he did to help everyone he could no matter what dangers he faced. I guess you could say he somewhat shaped me into who I am to this very day." She said with a frown before a smile once again spread across her face as she remembered the old hero's deeds.
"Oh…I see. Thank you for the clothes, Sasha. It means a lot to me." Joshua said with a smile.
"You're welcome. I'll save some pancakes for you." Sasha said happily as she turned to head back upstairs.
Once Sasha closed the bedroom door Joshua began changing into the clothes she gave him. To his surprise, they fit rather well once he was done changing. Joshua folded his original clothes and set them on his bed then reached under his bed for his boots and sat down on the bed as he slipped them on and tied them tight. He put his M-65 field jacket on over his blue tunic and checked the pockets to make sure he hadn't lost anything then grabbed his backpack once he was satisfied and headed upstairs. As he approached the table he saw a plate of pancakes waiting for him.
"Hmph…took you long enough." Primera huffed as he sat down.
"Sorry. Sasha brought me some new clothes to wear. They fit surprisingly well, but that's probably because I'm thin and tall." Joshua replied with a smile as he sat down and placed his bag on the floor next to his chair.
"I have no idea what she sees in you? When I heard her rummaging around In the attic space above my room I went up there only to find her digging through several trunks of her family's old junk for those. When I asked her who they were for she pulled an old storybook from the trunk that was about the world's first group of heroes and said you looked a little like one of them." She grumbled.
"I'm just happy to have a change of clothes," Joshua replied happily as he began cutting into his pancakes with a knife.
Primera rolled her eyes as Joshua took a big bite of his pancakes. She wasn't sure why Sasha said he looked like one of the old heroes as Joshua didn't look like he'd last longer than two minutes once he was outside Lescatie. She began to eat her small stack of pancakes and looked to see Joshua was half finished with his. She flinched a little at how quickly he ate, causing her to start choking on some she had just shoveled into her mouth. She began slamming her fist against her chest and Joshua sprang up from his seat to help her. As soon as he got over to her, she managed to knock the pancake lodge in her throat free and took a couple of deep breaths.
"Are you ok? Maybe you should try taking smaller bites." Joshua asked her concernedly.
Primera glared at him angrily, causing Joshua to take the hint and return to his seat.
"The last thing I need is to be taking advice from the likes of him!…did I just call it 'him' again? But why?" She thought bitterly before realizing her "mistake".
Once Joshua had finished his pancakes he grabbed his backpack and carried his plate over to the kitchen where Sasha was washing dishes. He handed his dishes over and thanked her for the breakfast before walking out the back door. Once outside he went and sat on the stump used to cut wood and began emptying his backpack to check that he had everything he needed in it. Once he was done and satisfied, he headed back inside and down to his room tucked his pistol and holster in the right side of the waist of his pants, grabbed the dagger Eristia gave him, and locked his three books in the dresser. He set his backpack down, taking out his stun baton and undoing his belt, and put both his stun baton and the dagger on his left hip before re-doing his belt. Once he was finished, he donned his jacket and grabbed his backpack before opening his door only to find Sasha standing on the other side with Emiyu.
"Are you all set?" Sasha asked him with a smile.
Joshua silently nodded before removing his ring and handing it to Emiyu along with the dresser key.
"Please take good care of these. When I get back I'll treat you to something, okay?" He asked Emiyu with a smile.
Emiyu nodded happily and Joshua pat her on the head. He said thank you to her before telling Sasha he was going to wait outside for a short while for Eristia, Yuriy, and Luciana to arrive. She nodded and Joshua happily made his way upstairs to wait by the front door. Joshua leaned against the wall by the front door once he was outside and smiled as he looked up at the bright blue sky, thinking how this was a great opportunity for him. If he proved himself to Eristia, Gali, and Yuriy, then he'd have a decent and steady source of income. With enough money, and after paying Mimil back, he could help Sasha to pay for some renovations to her church. He soon heard the clopping of horse hooves approaching the church and saw Eristia, Yuriy, and Luciana riding on horses.