There was a tense silence as the guards exchanged dark looks, then the leader turned back to tower threateningly over Mai.
"I don't care how or where the potions come from, but the main source is this tavern," the guard insisted, stabbing a chubby finger down onto the clean surface of the counter, leaving a grubby mark. "So you will magically find 650 bowls for our army by the end of this solar rotation."
Mai set her jaw prettily and said nothing, keeping her stance hostile as she glared.
"Do that, and we won't harm you, or your business," the head guard huffed, leaning away from the counter to wave his men out the door, adding over his shoulder, "…or your mentally retarded dragon."
"That injured dragon has nothing to do with this!" Mai hissed, and Seto blinked twice when he saw her aura flare dark red.
Oh…shit.
Yeah, don't threaten the damaged dragon…
Seto felt Yami vibrate with anger beside him, and he chanced a glance at the spiky-haired mage, seeing a wall of dark purple flames engulfing his entire body from head to toe, flaring up violently from his slender shoulders, and Seto had to take a nervous step back. W-Whoa…
"You're burning…" Seto whispered to Yami, giving him a soft nudge, and the mage blinked furiously before the wall of purple fire died down when the guards finally left in a single file.
Mai sighed and sagged against the back wall behind the bar, and Yami let out a similar sigh, but the air that came out of his mouth was a dark, musty red.
Seto clapped a hand over his mouth and nose, terrified.
What were Yami's insides made out of?! Poison?!
That shit looked toxic as hell.
"My apologies," Yami muttered, waving a hand to clear the air of his noxious anger leaking everywhere. "Hold your breath…"
Already doing that! Seto thought furiously as he watched Yami cast a silent spell to purify the air.
The ground slowly returned to its normal wood color beneath them, and Mai's footsteps could be heard pattering up the steps and towards their door. She shouldered it open roughly and stood before them, disheveled and exhausted.
"That can never happen again…! We are so screwed!" She breathed, eyeing the empty room and relaxed a fraction of an inch. At least the most incriminating part of her inn had been cleaned, but now there was another, bigger problem!
"I told you that potion was a dangerous idea," Yami was quick to assert that he'd been right all along, and Mai gave him a reproachful glare.
"Well? What do we do? Start making them!" Mai reached forward to grab Seto by the arm, but Yami held him back firmly, shaking his head furiously.
"I will take responsibility for this," he insisted, feeling Seto trying to twist out of his grasp and Seto ground his teeth in frustration. If Yami just let him make the soup to satiate the guards, it should be fine!
Mai threw her hands up in exasperation and flung the door back to stride out of the room while Yami followed her with Seto in tow, talking fast.
"Can you take care of him for a couple of hours while I pull some strings with the district generals? I also have another quest scroll coming up for another dimension—the human one."
Rolling her eyes, Mai reached down to place her palm protectively on Seto's tiny back and pushing him behind the bar, nodding tiredly.
"Fine. Yes. Hurry up," Mai sniffed, tossing a lock of her hair over her shoulder. "Where's he going to sleep in the meantime? You cleared out everything upstairs."
Seto lowered his head and stared at the tips of his dress shoes, feeling like an immense burden. The two adults were trying to house and feed him in secret while dealing with their own shit. Was this even fair? Did it have to be this hard?
"Could you take him furniture shopping?" Yami asked hurriedly as he pulled a sack of gold out of his sleeve and set it with a heavy clink! on the bar's countertop. "Thank you, Mai. I really appreciate it—"
"I'll babysit. You better save my shop," Mai replied icily, swiping the sack of gold off the counter. "And come back alive."
Yami swallowed thinly and nodded, tugging the cloak tighter around his shoulders as he hurried out of the door, calling over his shoulder, "I'll be back in a few days, Seto. Stay hidden and be good!"
As if I can be anything else, Seto thought furiously, glancing up at Mai and seeing her push the sack of gold towards him. Yami was dimension leaping and being a mediator for his miso soup mistake.
"Get to counting. This is your living allowance for the next solar rotation," she huffed, turning away to drape a cleaning spell over several dirty mugs that were propped upside down on a ratty towel. "And go shopping for your own stuff by yourself. You can manage. You're a big boy."
She never intends to babysit me, Seto thought blithely as he nodded and hugged the heavy sack of gold to his chest and marched his way up the steps.
He sank onto his knees in the middle of the barren room and dumped the coins out in a loud rush, his eyes watering at the sheer amount.
Counting this was a waste of time.
"Appraise!" Seto growled, and to his mild surprise, the exact number of coins hovered above the pile, and he regretted dumping it out.
He could've just kept it in the sack.
Mai had been testing him.
1,200 Gold
Okay. Manageable, Seto thought as he swept the coins back and left the sack in the corner of the room, making sure to dump a few handfuls into his pouch before letting it sink back heavily into the pocket of his robes.
Time to buy furniture—his way.
Cheered up by this thought, Seto marched down the stairs and walked right past the bar counter where Mai was anxiously wiping it down. Two groups of adventurers were eating noisily at a table by the musty windows, and Seto hurried past them and stepped out into the sunshine, hearing Mai call out after him, "come back when the second sun sets! If you don't, I'll find you! I have your soul signature!"
I don't know what that means! Seto gave her a careless wave over his shoulder and shoved the heavy door open, nearly tripping his way down the steps because he wasn't used to his short, stubby legs.
Cursing under his breath, Seto straightened up and adjusted the cloak around his shoulders, deciding to explore the town first.
He kept himself close to the edge of the buildings, making sure not to walk in the middle of the path because he was so small, someone side-stepping could knock him over. The main street was loud and dusty, so Seto shoved his hand into his pocket for the quieting stone and also looped the hood on over his head, appreciating that it covered his eyes, shielding it from the sun.
He whispered an appraisal as he walked past a few shops, marveling at the intricate metalwork décor framing the windows and at the live plants set intentionally in front of the doors. Interesting…
The translations for the shop signs hovered brightly above the original elvish carvings on wood, and Seto read them hungrily, his fascination rising.
"Dwarven Handiwork"
Or 'greedy dwarfs' as Yami put it, Seto thought as he continued down the street and wondered if there was a toy store for kids in this dump.
A "Lvl100 weapons" shop had a line going out the door, so Seto had to chance stepping into the street to avoid the crowd, thinking he saw a familiar crop of blond hair in the line that made his stomach churn, and he was grabbed by the elbow with a tiny hand before he could get away.
He slipped on the hem of his robe after being jerked backwards so forcefully, and Seto turned around with a hiss, glaring at the elf boy whose name he remembered started with a P.
Piston.
Parish.
Porter.
Portable-toilet-Porter. That was his name.
"Dragon-boy!" The elf child breathed in his face, his green eyes wide with desperation as he gave Seto's elbow a firm shake. "Tell my father you're my friend!" And I'll give you 20 gold for it! The child finished silently, and he tilted his head up at the tall, blond adult who was standing above them with a wide grin on his face.
"Eyyy, dis your friend, Porter?" His father asked kindly, giving the mage boy a quick up and down glance, taking in the hem of his dusty robes to the top of his rounded apprentice hat where a pair of pointed ears were sticking out from the sides of his face. He looked like a baby…
Porter was 9. What was he doing making friends with 3-year-olds?
Seto contemplated shaking his head but received an ear-splitting plea from the elf child.
PLEASE! My father said he'd let me buy a level 100 weapon if I showed him I made friends in a safe zone!
So you're just using me, Seto replied icily, giving the adult above them a fanged grimace, his mind racing for a way to twist the situation advantageously for himself.
"He's my friend," Seto lied fluidly, feeling the elf boy relax and let out a sigh. "…If you let me come inside with you to touch a level 100 weapon."
"Really?! Come on. It's my day!" The elf boy insisted, his cheeks turning pink with rage, but his father above him sounded ecstatic at the idea.
"You wanna? Just gotta make sure your parents are okay with it," the elf father replied with a shrug. "Whassur your name, kid?"
Seto narrowed his eyes at the adult above him, hissing, "Seto." And he heard his demonic rasp come back at the edge of his voice. His blood ran cold with dread, and he clapped a hand over his mouth, his heart clenching with fury at himself.
"We don't speak in dragon tongues," the elf boy said nastily, and a large hand landed atop his shoulder, giving him a squeeze.
"'Course his name's gonna be in his language," his father explained warmly, and he held his hand out for a friendly shake. "Name's Jounouchi, but you can call me Joey fer short. I'm Porter's dad—"
"You're being embarrassing, father! The line is moving up!" The elf boy announced loudly, the tips of his pointed ears red as he took three firm steps forward to close the gap, choosing to stand by the shop window and pretending to be supremely interested in the simple display of daggers to hide his own embarrassment.
Seto grit his teeth and gave the adult another half-grimace, seeing the father beam at him and clap him on the back so hard, he had to take a step forward.
"What's your level, lil' Seto?" Joey asked curiously, wondering if his son was really friends with this mage, because they weren't even looking at each other. "How'd you guys know each other again?"
Seto opened his mouth to say, "I beat him in a duel," when the elf boy rushed back to them in line to defend himself, "Particle field. I was with Zanir's mom and dad because you were busy. I came back with a ton of gold, remember? He helped."
And Seto received an icy green-eyed glare from the elf boy, hearing him in his mind. Right?! Say yes right now, Dragon-boy. 30 gold and I'll throw in one polishing amethyst.
"Right. I helped." Seto said simply as the line inched forward a few more steps, bringing them closer to the door. Whatever. He would lie for this boy so he could touch a high-level weapon for himself.
"Well that's nice. Look at that. Ya made a friend sorta," the boy's father shrugged carelessly again. "You guys don't seem chummy, issall."
"We are SO chummy!" The elf boy insisted, looping his arm forcefully around Seto's much smaller one, and Seto felt himself smile. Hilarious and sad.
They finally reached the doorway of the weapon's shop, and there was a mage woman at the bevel, holding a wooden staff which Seto recognized from the front gates, and he froze.
Wait. Shit. He wasn't supposed to be on anyone's radar…
But Yami said the cloaking ring was strong enough. It should be fine.
Joey stepped up proudly and tapped his chest, "level 500 for ya. Don't gotta check me, and this is my kid at level 92, and his best friend."
"The bestest," Porter added furiously, nodding and gripping Seto's tiny arm.
Seto bit the inside of his cheek until it stung and caught a disapproving frown from the woman.
"Nobody under 50 is allowed in here," she said firmly, resting the staff in front of her feet, casting so fast, Seto barely had time to prepare himself. "Appraise!"
Standing his ground, he planted his feet apart and was almost grateful for the elf boy hanging onto him because he felt the icy blast of cold wind sway him on the spot, drenching him from head to toe in a flash.
The mage woman's eyes widened, and she tilted her head to the side, the color leaving her face as she whispered, "Null species?"
Oops, Seto thought nervously as he wondered if he could change the stats while she was looking at them. Hey, he was touching the elf boy, so did this mean he could use him as a 'channel' the way the anteater girl had taught him?
Deciding to try it, Seto swallowed his fear and quickly tried to align his stats with Porter's as much as possible. Level 92, elf-dragon mix, hair brown, eyes blue.
"What? Null? Whassat mean?" The boy's father scratched his head, and Seto felt a rush of satisfaction when he watched the mage woman's face contort again.
"It means zero, dad. Didn't you do my homework for appraisal class?!" The elf boy whispered furiously, rolling his eyes. "He's a dragon-mix and can do a lot of magic, but his channels were broken, so it's wonky magic."
Joey frowned and gave his son a firm headshake, "ey, be nice now. No sayin' bad things 'bout your friends."
"Level 92 at age…38?!" The mage woman's eyes widened further and further, making Seto regret wanting to come inside the weapon's shop. "Who is your guardian—"
"He passed, so let us in!" Porter fumed, stamping his foot and eyeing the gleaming swords on the wall inside the crowded shop. "Let's go, Dragon-boy. I'll pay you back by buying you something."
Deal, Seto thought happily, and he was dragged over the barrier on the front step, feeling the woman's eyes on his back, and he turned around to stick his tongue out at her, forgetting for a moment that his tongue was split.
He clapped a hand over his mouth as he was dragged behind a huge display of blades, and he saw the woman's eyes widen further before she was blocked from view by the next ogre in line, towering over her and grunting, "how long the wait?"
"…We are at capacity…" Seto heard her reply, and a shiny dagger was shoved under his chin while still sheathed in a neat, leather pouch.
"Look at this! The color matches my vest!" The elf boy said proudly, pressing it to his chest and admiring himself in a nearby low-hanging mirror. "If you're my level, we can spar safely instead of dueling! Pick one! Wanna come over and fight with me? I just reinforced the barriers of my battlegrounds. No throwing rocks this time. Casting or wielding only."
I don't think I'm your level at all, Seto thought with dry amusement, but the sheer number of blades hanging on the walls made his excitement climb. There were axes, swords, hammers of all shapes and sizes, decorated with gems, or simple pouches. Some were incredibly flashy with extra bits of metal wielded into the handles, looking like rejected video game concept art, and others looked more classic, with one, long, simple blade.
So… Where was the kid's section?
"These are all too big for me," Seto said regrettably, eyeing the tables above his head where he wondered if there were smaller daggers.
He currently owned a cadet dagger, but he hadn't had a chance to test it out yet.
If his level was high, shouldn't he have a weapon that matched his caliber?
"Maybe ya need one of these," Porter's father knelt down to his height to show him a gleaming set of pocketknives folded into a leather roll-up pouch. "But these is for whittlin' stuff."
He's an idiot, just like Porter. The idiot gene is strong, Seto concluded as he gave the adult elf an appraising glance, mustering up his courage to say something humiliating.
"I can't see anything on the tables. Pick me up," Seto growled, praying his voice didn't rasp.
"Okay, goin' up!" Strong arms wrapped around his body and he was hefted onto the man's hip, and Seto's ears burned with fury, but he locked his arms around Joey's neck and hung on, appreciating the new view of shiny knives on the table.
Porter was apparently just as embarrassed, because he had to walk away, but his father called out loudly behind him, "hey, Porter, do ya remember when you was this big? I could throw ya across the room—"
"Shut up, dad! Get a replacement sword for the one you just broke and let's get out of here!" The elf boy hissed, balling his fists at his sides, his cheeks tinted dark red. "And put him down. You guys look weird."
"I don't think so," his father retaliated heartily, and Seto saw a few people chuckle and turn away after giving them an admiring stare. Ugh. This was embarrassing as hell, but maybe…worth it, because there was a slender, silver knife that was made of dazzling sapphire, glowing on the table, calling to him.
The bright blue stone left vivid lines in the handle, and Seto drooled.
I want that one! Seto cried, pointing his finger at the polished handle, and he felt Joey tense and tighten his grip around his body, replying quietly, "you're a lil' telepathic, eh? ...Alright let's look at it."
He was walked over to the table, and Joey bent forward to let Seto inspect it.
The tiny slip of parchment labeled underneath it held a short description, and Seto didn't hesitate to appraise it quietly. After waiting a moment, the stats of the blade hovered enticingly above it, and Seto nearly fell out of Joey's arms.
Weapon level: 900 (increases with wielder's abilities)
Materials: Sapphire, titanium, palladium, silver
Special qualities: Stealth 240, Speed 120, Healing 350
Crafted by: Elder Dragon Phi
A knife made by a dragon?! Fuck yeah! Seto reeled as he tried to reach for it, but Joey leaned him away at the last second and shook his head.
"Ah c'mon, ya kidding me kid," Joey gave the child in his arms a playful bounce as he laughed. "You want a level 900 dragon blade? C'monnnn. Let's look at some stuff you can actually wield… I was totally like you when I was yer age."
Put me down! I want it! Put me the fuck down! Seto raged as he tightened his grip around Joey's neck, contemplating choking the blond elf.
"Oh boy, tantrum time," Joey muttered, and he set the kid down by his feet, receiving an icy blue glare that made his blood run cold.
"Hand it to me. I want to at least touch it," Seto insisted, and he received an exasperated smile.
"I can't even touch it, kid, and I'm level 500. What makes you think you can at level 92?!" Joey cried, resting his hand gently atop the child's hat, feeling two sharp points digging into his palms, so he hastily withdrew his hand. Ah… the 'broken channels' as Porter said.
Fuming, Seto kicked the table until it rattled, and he saw the blade wobble until the handle peeked out over the edge, and he glanced up at it longingly, deciding to kick the table again to make it fall to the ground so he could touch it… but was swept off his feet at the last second by strong arms once again and hefted onto the adult elf's shoulder while everyone's eyes were on him. Even the cashier at the counter had paused in his motions to glare at them over the rim of his silver glasses. Oops…? Or not?!
"Okay. Tantrum means no more looking. You've lost that privilege," Joey announced loudly, feeling himself sweat as the mage woman at the door gave them a sharp glare. "We're leavin'. C'mon Ports. Let's go."
"What?!" The elf child cried, giving Seto a disappointed glare. What the heck is wrong with you?! BEHAVE! Were you cracked for months before hatching or what?!
Seto made a sour face back at the elf child over Joey's shoulder and felt a warm hand patting his back in gentle circles. He could hear the father's thoughts seeping intrusively into his mind.
Dis' dragon-mixed boy is almost 40. I heard the appraisal. He must be missin' his nest. Porter threw tantrums all the way until he was 80. They only just stopped… I ain't ready to babysit his friends, no sir.
Not sorry, Seto thought stubbornly as he was marched out of the shop and set on his ground in the sunny street, and a lizard-drawn cart dashed by, kicking up plumes of dust, forcing Seto to throw his arm across his nose and mouth to avoid getting dust in his face.
He felt a hard kick in the shins, and it took all of his willpower not to react.
YOU SUCK! The elf boy shouted in his mind, giving him an impressive pout. I waited all month to take this trip with my dad, and you had to ruin it!
Seto opened his mouth to argue that dragons, and dragon-mixes usually had higher base-stats but his voice died in his throat the second he saw another familiar face waving at them across the street.
Anteater girl and her human mother.
"Hey, Elf Leader Jounouchi!" The anteater's human mother shouted happily, and she whipped her head left and right to check if there was a gap in the busy street before she raced across the dirt path, dragging her reluctant child behind her.
Seto grimaced and caught a mental grimace from the anteater girl in return, noting that she was wearing a yellow bow in her dark hair.
"What's this? Am I missing a playdate?!" The woman gasped, giving her daughter a vicious shake. "Manners, Alisse."
"Elf Leader Jounouchi, hi." The anteater said flatly, tucking her hands at her sides and bowing stiffly.
Seto automatically ducked his head down, unable to stop his business-man muscle memory from reacting, and he felt himself bow his head at the same time as Porter beside him, and his father above him.
There was a shocked silence, but the mother pushed through it, intent on getting on with her agenda.
"So, would you all like to come over for some tea? Now?" She asked breathlessly, scanning the street for a spiky-haired mage. "Seto, where's your mage guardian Yami?"
Dealing with an illegal soup situation that I caused with the help of Mai, Seto thought nervously but what he decided to say was, "high-level questing."
"Then you can come over for tea," Alisse's mother insisted, reaching down to grab his hand and pulling him to her side so fast, Seto felt his head spin when he took a large step forward. "What about you, Porter? Finish all your homework yet?"
The elf boy turned red in the face and opened his mouth to retaliate but was given an encouraging shove in their direction by his father who said loudly, "I had some shopping left ta' do, and I'd appreciate it if you took them for a coupla hours. I'm goin' in a weapon's shop which is no place fer kids, and phew, look at that line—"
"We were just in there and would've stayed if Seto hadn't thrown a baby tantrum because of a stupid dagger!" Porter interjected loudly, and Alisse's eyes shone with interest. Her mother's shadow fell over them protectively, and Seto bit the inside of his cheek furiously when he realized his arm was trapped in her death grip.
"No problem, Leader Jounouchi. You know where to find us," the human mother bowed, and Seto caught an awkward head bob from the elven father before he rushed away to stand at the back of the line again. Godd…dammmiiiiiiit….!
It appeared Porter was throwing the same silent tantrum in his head, because he stared after his father with pink-tinged ears.
"Alright kids, let's go!" The mother chirped, and Seto grit his teeth, allowing himself to be led down the street, feeling the elf boy come up beside him and growl under his breath, "This is all your fault!"
Yes, I know, shut up! Seto replied as they walked up the steps of a large building flanked by sparkling pillars where a multitude of lizard-drawn carriages were waiting. He watched Alisse's mother wave down a driver and drop two silver coins in his outstretched hand.
"District 5 please!" She chirped, and the man nodded, turning to face the front silently while holding the reins.
The carriage door was opened, and Seto could hear multiple thoughts seeping into his head as his Quieting Stone began to wear off.
"Oh goody! A full day with my baby's new friends! One of them is a high-ranking elf and the other is an intriguing little mix!" Alisse's mother was consumed with tea party planning with more kids and napkin folding techniques, whereas Porter's thoughts were directed towards him, and they were angry.
"Dragon-boy, I know you can hear me. I take back all my gold promises because you got us dragged into a play date with long-nosed ALICE…!"
The man at the front snapped the reins and the carriage moved forward. Seto grit his teeth and was about to touch the stone in his pocket again when he heard another intrusive voice in his head, this time coming from the driver.
"That poor human nanny is having a full day, I hope she tips me well."
Ugh, Seto wrinkled his nose, and Alisse was quick to catch on.
What? She asked silently, her beady eyes shining in the dim sunshine coming from a crack in the carriage's curtain.
That man up there is making assumptions about your mother, Seto replied honestly, and he saw her aura darken fast, turning into a bubble of dark purple hovering around her shoulders.
"Darling, what's wrong? Tell mommy," Her mother prompted while patting her daughter on the shoulder, having felt her tense suddenly. "Did you smell something?'
The monster's mother is that human?! The driver's gruff voice cut through Seto's head, and Allisse turned to pull the curtain back to look moodily out the window, her mother patting her rhythmically on her back.
Seto chose to look out the single window, intrigued by the change of scenery flashing by. He'd never been out of the safe town properly before, so he wanted to see what the outside world looked like.
They went over a bump in the rough road and the ride instantly smoothened out.
The road outside was paved.
His bones no longer felt like they were being shaken to pieces inside the tiny cart, and Porter was still grumbling irritably beside him.
"I'd so much rather have stayed in the safe town at your place, Dragon-boy! Why are we going back to boring District 5?! There's nothing to do there other than eat and study!"
"Shut up! I don't even want to spend my day with you!" Seto growled back silently, gripping his Quieting Stone and wishing it would re-charge faster. "I was supposed to be furniture shopping."
"Oh good. I can help with that," The elf boy replied pompously, and Seto wanted to kick the boy in the shins, but he knew better than to do that with a mom sitting nearby.
Their carriage rolled through a towering gate with golden-tipped spikes, and Seto gaped, biting back a shiver. There was only one pair of guards standing at attention atop the watchtowers like silent statues, and Seto didn't get a good look at their armor before the cart rolled to a stop by a set of white marble steps, and the door was opened for them by a pretty elf wearing a uniform.
Seto continued to gape. Elves everywhere! They were hustling and bustling through the streets, some with children in tow, others carrying well-groomed pets on their shoulders, some even having their winged pets circling loyally after them as they went about their shopping.
Was this an elven city? Everyone here was beautiful, with either pointed or rounded ears, wearing clothes that signaled silent luxury—leather straps, well-made boots, glittering sheaths for long swords, and soft, floor-length cloaks.
Seto stood on the step beside Alisse, taking everything in with wide eyes.
Sparkling glass buildings surrounded them on all sides. They knew how to make large panes of glass here, followed by metal fixtures and polished stone finishing. Holy shit.
The modern world exists…here! The safe town is an underdeveloped project, Seto concluded, noticing that there were paved roads here. The asphalt sparkled. It was completely unfair.
"Okay kids, this way!" Alisse's mother chirped, and Seto felt a warm hand clamp down around his wrist as he was led down the steps carefully. Porter was still grumbling unhappily beside him, and the anteater girl lagged behind them.
Seto marveled at the neat carriages passing him by, drawn by magic, and not beasts. The beast-drawn carts were few and far between, most of them leaving the gates after dropping off elven or human-looking passengers.
Holy fuck, magic is superior here, Seto thought mildly as he noticed mages standing on podiums along the side of the road, evenly spaced apart and helping the traffic pass smoothly with their magic. The streetlamps looked like the modern bulbs he was used to seeing. There wasn't a gross, glowing larvae-worm curled inside the glass like the lanterns at the safe town.
The sidewalk under his feet was a smooth, dark stone, and the walkway was wide, wider than the tiny dirt curbs he was accustomed to balancing on when trying to get around people's legs in the safe town. This was truly a modern city.
Why don't I get to live here? Yami is a mage from this district, isn't he? Seto thought sourly as Alisse's mother trotted him through a pretty, circular garden with a gate at the end, and all she had to do was wave at a glass sensor by the wall and the gate opened to reveal an idyllic row of cottages all lined up along a flowering, suburban sidewalk.
Anteater girl is rich! Seto realized, when the gate slowly closed behind them and chimed merrily.
He was led gently down the secluded street, and Seto continued to gape at the neatly trimmed bushes, the intentionally planted trees, along with the tiny bridge over a glittering river of clear water that flowed into a beautiful pond with hybrid monster fish.
The stone path led to a red door, and Alisse's mother pressed her palm against it, pausing for a second to deactivate the security shield, and Seto blinked rapidly when he saw tiny spiderwebs of magic thread across the entire door, similar to the ones Yami had been casting at his middle-of-nowhere-home, except the gaps in these threads were larger. When Yami had cast his security net, he'd seen Yami pick a tiny thread out of a bundle with a deft pinch of a finger.
Still reeling, Seto automatically took his shoes off at the doorstep before he walked inside and received a funny look from everyone, including Porter who was unbuckling his own boots.
"Are you half-elf?" Porter asked, wrinkling his nose. "Stop copying my customs."
"Your customs?!" Seto breathed, glaring at the elf boy. "Shoes are dirty, so they come off. It's logic."
He felt Alisse's mother breathe a tiny sigh above their heads, and he heard the anteater girl giggle.
"Okay, no fighting," the mother said calmly, waving her hand to shut the door behind the elf boy. "Come inside and drink something. Then it's upstairs for homework."
"No!" Porter gasped, his face paling as Alisse nodded furiously in agreement. It was a playdate, not a study date!
"Seto doesn't have any homework. He didn't bring any!" The elf boy insisted, his pointed ears reddening. "And my dad sucks at portaling stuff. He'll send the wrong books, and even the wrong homework!"
"Then I'll just ask your tutor directly," Alisse's mom said plainly, unfazed by the excuses. "What kind of tea, cider or nectar would you kids like?"
"The no-homework kind," the anteater girl muttered, walking down the spacious hallway and hugging the banister of a curving staircase that led upwards. "We'll eat our snacks upstairs mommy, thank you. Come up, Seto. Porter, you can stay down here and keep whining."
Seto held back a laugh and let himself get yanked up the stairs by Alisse's hand. The hardwood was a beautiful walnut color, and he stared enviously down at it, suddenly realizing the tiny floorboards of Mai's tavern was probably a bunch of salvaged, leftover, untreated pieces of wood. This was hardwood the way he was accustomed to seeing it.
Sleek, shiny, and in big, expensive-looking slats.
Damn, I've been so focused on survival, I forgot what luxury is, Seto thought bitterly as Alisse tugged him into her room and closed the door tightly behind them.
He received another shock at the beauty of her room.
There was an arching high ceiling, a crystal chandelier, a circular window decorated with live plants, and a double-wide closet that had a mirage of beautiful scenery displaying across the fronts like a pretty screensaver.
"Is that done by magic?" Seto asked, even though he already knew the answer as he rushed to her closet to place his palms on it, fascinated. "This is so pretty…!"
"Oh, that?" Alisse shrugged and threw herself down on the large lounge and flipped a thick book open on the low table in front of her for appearances. "Yeah, my dad is a high-level illusionist on the Board of Safety in this district. He said he'd teach me to conceal my face… sometime, but he says I need to be honest about myself to other people while I'm still growing." And she grimaced, and Seto nodded sympathetically.
"Yami is the same," he said with a huff, eyeing the green meadow illusion melting into a serene oceanside beach. "I asked him to teach me dimension magic and all kinds of stuff, but he keeps telling me to 'be a kid'." He made a face over his shoulder and watched her cover her snout to laugh.
There was a loud knock on the door before Porter burst in breathlessly, red-faced and angry, with a stack of books so tall in his arms, it covered half his face.
"I hate that your mom knows my tutor!" He announced loudly, kicking the door shut behind him with his heel. "Dragon-boy, c'mere and do my homework because you owe me."
"You know I'm not a dragon, right?" Seto shot back heatedly, growing quite tired of being called the wrong species by the runty elf. He deserved respect, dammit.
"Seto…don't!" Alisse said warningly, her eyes shining with a strange glow. "Porter can't keep a secret. He's not our friend. Don't trust him. He's an elf—"
"And you think I trust you? Because you look like that and you're still somehow half-elf?" The boy sneered, dropping the books on the ground with a heavy thump! and Seto tensed, sensing another fight.
Wait, he assumed Alisse's dad was an anteater.
That explained the animal head…right?
"Why do you care so much about how we look?" Seo asked gruffly, testing the waters and hearing footsteps coming up the stairs. "Your mom's coming."
And sure enough, after a few silent seconds, the door clicked open, and Alisse's mother bustled in with a giant tea tray which she set on the table and glanced at them with a beaming smile.
"Elf Katsuya of the High Court, please put your books on the table. Treat them with respect!" She sang as she swept her way out the door, waving over her shoulder. "Be good and play nice. Mommy will be downstairs, and I have enhanced hearing. I want to hear the sound of homework being done!"
The door closed again, leaving them in a cold silence, with Porter and Alisse having a hostile staring contest.
"I care about how my friends look because it reflects my status," Porter said pompously, not skipping a beat and sweeping his cloak up around his shoulders with a puff of his chest. "I want to be seen with powerful and smart company—"
"Because you're dumb?" Alisse taunted, and Seto pinched his brow with a repressed laugh.
"I meant smart as in smartly-dressed, you long-snouted pig," Porter fumed as he stamped his tiny foot. "Keep playing up your deformity so the teachers will be nice to you and grade you easy, but I see right through you. You're nothing but a magical deformity."
Seto grit his teeth, his ears humming with rage. He'd had it with the name calling. He wasn't from here, but he could feel that the elf child meant to hurt Alisse with his words, and it had worked, because the anteater girl was blinking rapidly and shaking in her seat.
Deciding to take action and be the mediator once and for all, Seto whipped the mage's hat off his head and rushed at the elf boy to grab him by the collar, pinning him to the nearest wall with a muffle thump! and hearing Alisse gasp at them, "don't fight! She'll hear you guys through my quieting spell!"
"Take a good look at me," Seto hissed, lowering his head slightly to give the boy a glimpse of broken horns peeking out through his strands of brown hair. "What do you have to say about my deformity? Spit it out. I can take it."
The elf boy had turned white as a sheet and was sliding lower against the wall, his knees weakening as he recognized unique grooves in the base of Seto's broken horns that looked like…demon horns…not dragon horns…
And it looked like they had been…sliced off intentionally…
"So he knows left from right," Seto said icily, releasing the boy and shoving him back against the wall for good measure, hearing him let out a soft oof! and rub his chest defensively, his eyes downcast.
"If I hear any more elitist bullshit come out of your mouth," Seto threatened, baring his fangs in a grimace. "I'll really send you into another dimension where you'll be hunted for the hair on your head, and I won't know how to get you back. So keep spewing about deformities and you'll lose every possible friend you'll ever have."
The elf boy sank into a sitting position against the wall and gripped his knees, his green eyes wide with fear and sorrow as he lowered his head in an apologetic bow and mumbled under his breath, "I agree to peace."
"Good," Seto breathed, rolling his eyes. Fucking brat.
"I don't want to be his friend," Alisse sniffed from behind him, and Seto turned to give her a steely look too while his mind raced for a solution. He needed them both to get along. They would be the greatest unlikely trio—a pretty, air-headed elf boy, an illusionist half-elf anteater, and a baby demon with broken horns. Some bonding was in order.
"I don't either, but you're going to have to, because I'm dimension leaping right now," Seto said flatly, walking back over to her closet to pick up his discarded hat from the ground. "I wanted to follow Yami to the dimension he's visiting, and I need to go now to catch him there."
Both their mouths dropped open, and the elf boy shook his head, his face flushing with color again, but this time with wonder.
"Wait! That's hecka illegal!" The elf hissed, raking a hand through his blond hair. "You're leaping without a license! Or a guardian! Or a scroll of intent! Or a declared location on your scroll of intent! Those are all imprisonable offenses! No one's gonna know you're leaving!"
"Yeah that's kind of the whole point!" Seto hissed, feeling his time slipping away the longer he stayed here arguing with two bratty children. "So cover for me, and I'll be back…in a few hours, which should only be one hour here."
Alisse blinked and was about to shake her head, but Porter stood up and picked up his books with an eerie sense of calm, and he sat down on the couch beside the anteater girl, flipping open the topmost one with a blank look on his face and said, "we'll be done with homework by the time you get back. And if you're not back by then…"
"I'm good at casting an illusion of you," Alisse said shakily, also pulling her textbook into her lap and nodding. "You'll leave particles behind, so warp away in my closet."
"Thanks. I'll…bring you guys something," Seto said hopefully, but to his surprise, both children declined with stony shakes of their heads.
"No thanks. If it doesn't come with a certificate, my dad will kill me," Porter declared.
"Same. My dad will definitely find out and ground me for the next 10 years," Alisse said with a groan. "But if you do, make sure it's something I can eat—"
"Heck no! What if it's poison? How will your body react to Other Dimension Food?!" The elf boy hissed, and Seto let out a genuine laugh for the first time in what felt like forever.
"I'll know if it's poison," Seto said seriously, getting ready to recite his spell. "Last question, sweet or savory?"
"Sweet!" Alisse demanded, while Porter called over her, "Savory!"
"Okay. See you before the second sun sets," Seto said with a nod at the glowing orb hanging outside the circular window, and he saw both their heads turn to eye the sun with worried frowns before he quietly chanted the spell under his breath and walked into her large closet, finding a space underneath some coats and tucking his knees underneath himself to fit in the small area, already feeling his legs tingling.
Home, I'm coming, Seto thought determinedly as he felt his arms fading away.
Author's note:
Seto, boldly dimension leaping and counting on his new friends to cover for him while he tries to encounter Yami again in modern-day