Chapter Seven: Bronze Rank


    “Why do we have to do that? Why can’t you tell us!” Rosalia asked, her hands bunching into fists, her ears twitching.


    Light, but she’s adorable when she’s mad. Ash couldn’t help thinking about it. Here he was, his family dead, many of the people he knew and grew up around likely dead, and he was mooning after a girl.


    A tingling shame crept up his neck.


    “I’d like to know what in the light those things are,” Nick added.


    Amalia answered Rosalia first.


    “All you need to know is that this is my condition. You cannot pry the knowledge from me, so you have little choice to comply unless you wish to remain ignorant.”


    She turned then to Nick,


    “Those were kobolds.”


    Nick raised a black brow,


    “You mean from that light-fucked story?”


    Amalia pursed her lips, and her violet eyes narrowed,


    “I grow weary of your needless swearing, child.”


    Nick smiled pearl white teeth at her and shrugged,


    “I don’t rightly give a light-cursed fuck, now do I? You’re naught but a storyteller to me, and as grateful as I may be to you savin’ my life and all, I won’t guard my tongue for anyone.”


    Amalia frowned, and for a moment, Ash thought she’d hit the dwarf with her staff. Then she shrugged,


    “I suppose I can respect that attitude. But it is as you say, Nicholas. They are indeed from that story. Many things you have seen this night were in that story. And if you want to hear more about it, you will strive to meet my conditions.”


    Ash mulled it over a bit, all lapsing into silence as they thought.


    What she was offering was a fulfillment of his dream. He had longed to be an adventurer. Adventurers knew the secrets of magic. They fought monsters, roamed the lands in search of glory, and protected the weak.


    But it left a sour taste in his mouth that someone was trying to make him do it to learn about the deaths of those closest to him.


    He felt like he had bought a ticket to his dream with his Aunt and Uncle’s deaths.


    But what other choice did he have?


    “We could look for the information ourselves,” Rosalia suggested. She spoke slowly, as if exploring a new topic she didn’t want to get wrong.


    Amalia remained stoic, saying,


    “You could try, but where would you look?”


    Rosalia frowned, ears reddening. Will shrugged,


    “We could ask around; surely someone knows where to go. Books are a thing, last I looked.”


    Rosalia pointed at him, nodding.


    “So they do, but I promise you that the books you seek are hard to find in random villages and farms. Further, the kinds of answers you need are even rarer in books. Who’s to say how long it would take for you to find these things? What will you do if you come across more monsters? Not all can be defeated with a knife and a hammer.”


    That was the final nail in the coffin of their search for answers. For most monsters, you needed an adventurer. That’s why local villages often put up notice boards, posting monster contracts for passing adventurers, paying them with coins gathered from every villager. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The four of them would not survive a lycanthrope, for example.


    Amalia gave a gracious nod, acknowledging her victory.


    “Do not look so defeated. I will assist you, in a manner of speaking, in fulfilling my condition.”


    “How?” Will asked.


    Amalia raised a hand, ticking off a finger,


    “First, I shall take you to Wyrmhaven Academy. Secondly, I will train and prepare you as best I can before we arrive.”


    “Um…I can put it together that this place is a school, but why would we be going there?” Rosalia shifted as if embarrassed to ask what she thought was a stupid question.


    It was Nick who answered,


    “It’s an adventure academy. You go there to learn to be an adventurer. I overheard my Ma talkin’ to a trader who said he was headed up there. It’s far to the west of us, in the Vynterium mountains near Drakoisia. You’d have us travel clear across Aleria, woman! Has the shadow taken your mind?”


    “Not yet,” Amalia muttered.


    Louder, she said,


    “Precisely. I''d say the journey will take us some time, a couple of months. Time enough to prepare you for the entrance exam.”


    Will groaned,


    “Never been any good at tests.”


    “What test have you taken? We never went to any school,” Ash said, his brows coming together in confusion.


    “I haven’t taken any, but trust me, I’m rotten at them,” Will grinned.


    Rosalia giggled, and Ash flicked his eyes between her and Will, frowning.


    “We leave tomorrow morning, so get some rest. I have a few bedrolls I tucked away; I’ll get them. I suspect you all must be hungry, too. I’ll get that prepared. It will be hard to eat after what you all went through, but I suggest you do so anyway. You will need your strength in the days to come.”


    Ash had a nagging feeling she was correct.


    Everyone had grown tired of the stench of the dried green blood on him, so he was made to shower before bed. Amalia had a shower in her room, which he found to be a bed, dresser, and nightstand. When he was done, she had somehow cleaned his clothes.


    “A script,” was all she said by way of explanation.


    Sleep was long in coming.


    __________


    They were woken up before dawn by Amalia pressing her staff into their sides.


    “Light, woman! Five more minutes!” Nick growled, pulling the bed roll further up.


    She poked him harder, and he growled again before reluctantly crawling out of the bedroll.


    Ash waved her away, already getting up and rolling up his roll.


    Was that his imagination, or did she look a little disappointed? Shrugging, Ash put the roll away.


    “I’ve prepared travel bags for you all. We are headed to Deharra and then Brilehaven after that. We will stop at midday and start your first lesson. Let us be off.”


    Yawning and stretching, the group left the cottage, with Amalia scratching the black cat''s head and bending down to whisper something Ash couldn’t hear to the animal.


    Morning dew fell from the tree leaves around them, and his breath turned to white mist as it met the air. A bird chirped nearby.


    Aunt Dara sure would have enjoyed this morning. The thought brought a sorrowful shadow to Ash’s face as they trekked through the forest and to the road.


    It felt wrong, somehow, for time to march on after what had happened last night. Yet here they were, traveling to an academy, moving on with life not even hours after everyone they had known had either been killed or lost.


    Ash felt his throat constrict, his teeth pressing together hard.


    “We’re doing everything we can, Ash.”


    Rosalia was beside him, her green eyes filled with understanding and concern.


    Ash looked away,


    “We’re betraying them. How can we move on like this? Like nothing happened?”


    Amalia’s voice cut in,


    “On the contrary, you’re doing exactly what your Aunt and Uncle would have wanted. Besides, you’re pursuing answers the best way you know how. Answers you’re not even aware you’re looking for, even.”


    An icy hand latched itself around his heart, and Ash bit back a retort. He didn’t want to argue with her this early in the morning.


    He ground his teeth together.


    She has all the answers and refuses to give us even one! Light, but the woman frustrated him. They were all being blackmailed, and what made it worse was that they could do nothing but dance to her tune.


    She did save your life. He reluctantly acknowledged the thought, which did nothing to help his mood. Rosalia took his hand and squeezed, giving him a comforting smile before moving ahead to talk with Nick.


    Her presence was a warm fire on a chilly night, lightening their unseen burden of grief.


    She did this even despite carrying her own.


    Rosalia was a good person.


    And beyond beautiful, Ash thought, dipping his head to hide his blushing face.


    Soon, they found a clear area a little ways off the road.


    “This is a good spot to camp. We will continue onward tomorrow. Go and fetch us some wood, all of you.”


    They all obeyed, setting down their packs.


    After a cheery fire had been built, Amalia nodded, lowering her hood and stretching.


    “Very well then. It is time to begin your training, children.”