"So... is it unusual for the guys to take off running like that?"
Garrett looked at as if I had grown a second head. "Huh? What do you an 'take off running'?"
"Well, the mont we arrived in the village you sent everyone out on tasks as if we were at war or sothing."
Garrett seed to realise what I was talking about now, as an understanding look dawned on his face. "Yeah that's just standard procedure, actually. I can't even count the amount of tis the party and I have gotten caught off guard in a new location because we didn't do our reconnaissance properly. The bigger towns and cities are safer, but little villages like this? You don't know what could be going on if you don't ask around. That leaves you open to an ambush. It's a good habit, kid. Get used to it."
He patted on the shoulder, as the inn ca into view. "Speaking of good habits, shut up and let do the talking. You're about to learn where we witch hunters get our reputation from."
His face turned serious and there was a certain sharpness to his eyes that I hadn't noticed before. I guessed it was ti for business and tried to emulate his attitude as best I could.
Garrett opened the front door of the inn as if it owed him money. As we entered, I could see a number of locals sitting around wooden tables and speaking in loud voices. After they noticed us, they quieted down and started speaking in hushed tones instead.
Garrett seed to take personal offense at their attitude.
"Alright you flea bitten peasants, listen the fuck up! The witch hunters are here, so if you've got any problem with our kind, speak up now!"
The inn beca dead silent, none of the villagers willing to draw Garrett's attention.
"If you've got any information for us, speak up now!"
Still no movent or sound. Garrett let his serious deaner slip and when I looked at his face, this ti I saw a huge shit-eating smile. The tension in the room seed to relax.
"If you want free ale, speak up now!"
I heard a chorus of agreent. Clearly the prospect of free alcohol was enticing enough to risk a possible run in with a witch hunter, even though we were known to be an sons of bitches. Garrett and I found an empty table and sat down, ordering an ale and so water for in the process. I looked at Garrett and spoke in a hushed tone.
"Did you just do all of that to catch them off guard? Why?"
Garrett laughed uproariously. "Surprised? I never get tired of that routine! It also has the advantage of calming down the locals while making what we want known at the sa ti. If we had entered all quiet-like, the villagers would have been as tight lipped as an alchemist is about his recipes. When looking for information, you have to calm people down first, before you can expect an honest answer out of them."
Right after Garrett finished his explanation, the barkeep arrived with our drinks. Garrett made so jokes about the quality of the liquor to him, while he quipped back by joking about Garrett's piss-poor taste. I sat there silently, trying not to seem too out of place. Honestly, I was never any good at talking to people. My entire childhood had been spent training, all to receive this cursed blessing of a class. It was only now, as I slowly started to get to know people other than my parents, that I started to realise how much I had missed out on as a kid.
I still rembered the first ti I set a goal for myself. It was right after my uncle gave that affinity crystal. I wanted strength so badly that I started this whole journey. This despite the fact that I neither needed that power nor understood what it ant. I only knew that I wanted it. Thinking back on it, that was probably because of my dark affinity. Affinities aren't properly understood, however it's known that your behaviour affects your affinity and that your affinity in turn affects your behaviour. Maybe that's why I received a dark affinity. I mindlessly pursued a single goal, even though this goal on its own would never bring happiness. My own personal form of insanity, oh joy! Maybe it was all pointless in the end...
Garrett, who noticed my pensive mood, spoke up. "Sothing on your mind, boy?"
"What... do you think..., wait, no, let rephrase that. What if you work your hardest at sothing... only to realise that you didn't really want that in the first place? Was all that effort worth it? Was it even you that put in that effort?"
"I'm not following, kid. But I'll tell you sothing I do know. It's never too late to switch paths. If you work hard at sothing and produce results, only to find out you want to do sothing else, you could and should make a change to pursue that other thing. A guy I know had rich rchant parents and worked his entire life to follow in their footsteps. He was damn good at it too, only to realise that he actually just wanted to own a bookstore and nothing more. He changed course and lives happily because of it. So don't ask yourself 'was it worth it' or 'why did I want that'. Just ask yourself 'What do I want now?' When you can answer that question you should be able to answer those other questions yourself. "
Reassured, I had a small smile on my face. Maybe that line of thought didn't really matter in the first place. Maybe I should just focus on the future and on living a more fulfilling life. To seek strength while not abandoning others or myself in the process! That would beco my goal for the future.
Garrett seed to notice my new determination because he laughed a bit at my expression. "Tell you what, kid. Why don't you go check on the others and see how they're doing? You probably won't find linda, considering she's running around the forest, but the others would welco your company, I'm sure."
I finished my drink and left the tavern, in search of a lanky old man wearing a robe. The sun was still out despite it being late in the day, so hopefully Nestor's shiny bald head would make him stand out in a crowd.
Sure enough, a few minutes later I could see a glint from a distance. Nestor was talking to a bearded farr who was leaning on a pitchfork. "So then we heard Ann from next door yelling at him about him drinking them out of house and ho after which..."
You know what, on second thought, maybe Barnold could have used my help more. Regardless, I walked up to the duo and interrupted them.
"Hi Nestor. Garrett asked to check up on you and Barnold. Everything going okay?"
Nestor seed relieved at my presence. "Oh yes, just fine, young man."
He turned back to the farr. "Well, as you heard, I really must go now. Pressing business and all. Good day to you, farr."
The farr tipped his straw hat. "Good day, hunter."
Nestor put his hand on my elbow and dragged twenty paces away within a few seconds.
"Thank Helios you arrived! That damn farr has kept busy for at least half an hour! He just wouldn't stop talking!"
I kept Nestor's own talking habits to myself as I steered the conversation into safer waters. I did kind of appreciate Nestor's talkativeness during our long journey on the road, after all.
"Well, why don't we go visit Barnold? He should still be with his herbalist friend, right? I have to admit that I'm sowhat curious about this friend of his."
"Oh yes, it's been so ti since I saw Nora. She's quite a lovely lady, she'll like you, I'm sure."
Nestor whisked away towards a little shack on the outskirts of the village. Despite the fact that the shack was completely overgrown, the garden seed well cared for. You could say it fed into the stereotype of an herbalist's ho. We walked up and knocked on the door. Within a mont, I could hear a soothing female voice coming from the other side.
"Coming! Just one second."
And indeed, a few seconds later the door swung open, revealing a lady who looked to be in her late twenties. She gestured us inside and showed us to a sitting room which was already half filled by Barnold's large form. Nora entered after we had sat down.
"O wow, more guests! What a lovely surprise. Why don't you entertain yourselves while I go and make so more tea? I'll be back in a jiffy!"
She left in a rush, reminding little of an overexcited puppy. From Barnold's red cheeked visage, I could tell that he held this lady in high regard, so to speak. I looked at Barnold with a smirk on my face. "So that was your paramour, huh Barnold? I didn't know you were so successful with the ladies."
He tried to make himself smaller as he blushed a little more, replying only with a grunt. Nestor seed keen on getting so of his own shots in, however.
"Oh yes, I rember this one ti in Rekou. Nora had travelled along with us, on a quest you see, and when we arrived at..."
He was silenced by Barnold giving him a death glare and the sound of approaching footsteps. Nora burst through the door and served us tea at what I was convinced was the speed of sound.
"Here you go, fresh mint tea! What were you guys talking about?"
Nestor was the first to reply. "Oh, I was just recounting our journey to Rekou to young Arthur here."
"Oh, I rember that journey! I was traveling along with your party to go catch that one vampire! What an adventure, right Barnold? Maybe I should head out on an adventure again in the near future! Those were the days..."
Barnold looked ready to light a campfire with pure embarrassnt by now. Clearly he wasn't used to being the centre of attention.
The conversation went on for a little while longer, before the sun started to go down. Nestor decided to politely excuse us from the conversation. "As lovely as your company has been, Nora, it's about ti we head back to the inn. I figured Barnold would lodge here for the night?"
"Yes he will, won't you, Barnold?" she replied, blushing a little herself. Barnold nodded quickly.
Nestor and I left with a wave and returned to the inn, where linda and Garrett were waiting. Well, Garrett wasn't waiting so much as he was falling over drunk, leaving linda with a frustrated look on her face. The three of us eventually convinced Garrett to head to bed.
After ditating for an hour or so, I too, tucked in, ready for tomorrow. In a few days we would arrive in Reito, a city of opportunity. Hopefully everything would go well.
Na: Arthur Titles [Dark prodigy] Class: [Death Knight] LVL 23 Strength 89 Constitution 92 Dexterity 87 Intelligence 25 Wisdom 25 Affinity 223 Free stat points 51
Skills:
Passive: [Simple dark core](53%), [Elentary dark sight](37%), [Novice Swordsmanship](37%),
[Novice lifespan](N/A), [Perfect physique](N/A), [Flexibility](N/A)
Active: [Dark augnt](56%), [Shadow apparition](12%), [ditation](55%)
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