Imagine you spent years and years doing the wrong things. You worked jobs that didn¡¯t pay well. You did tasks that didn¡¯t fulfill you, and often didn¡¯t seem to matter to the people you were doing them for. All the while, you knew that it was all just a gigantic waste of time.
You did that while fighting off despair and sorrow just enough to keep trying new things, to keep pivoting around different talents and skill sets. You help hope of finding a worthwhile thing to do, something that was useful to people in a way that let you wake up every morning knowing that you were spending your time in a way that made both your life and the lives of others better.
Now imagine that one day you woke up and got to do that. The world that kept covering you in scrapes, bruises, and wounds had somehow shifted just a few degrees, leaving just enough of a gap in the walls of the prison that you could squeeze through into an open world of worthwhile effort. Imagine what that would feel like.
That¡¯s Arthur¡¯s story. It¡¯s also mine.
For years and years, I kept a family of four going on an amount of money that, if I told you what it was, would shock you. We had a list of tricks we¡¯d work through every time we needed to get something done. When we needed to buy new shoes for the kids, there would be a whole song and dance to figure out how we could do both that and pay the rent. In the meantime, I¡¯d be doing my best at jobs that were horrible fits for me in almost every way. I¡¯d never move forward because I didn¡¯t (by the standards of whatever business) deserve it.
And I think something like five years ago, I was so deep in the despair of uselessness and bad-fit jobs that I never felt like I¡¯d get out. And then things started to change. I got lucky in some non-fiction writing, which got me better jobs, which gave me more time to write, which let me meet people who encouraged me to do even more writing, and eventually led me to be confident enough and positioned well enough to make a big bet on Deadworld Isekai. Deadworld did well enough that we could take another bet on How to Survive at the End of the World, which in turn let us get to Demon World Boba Shop.
And finally, after a long, long journey, I feel like I¡¯m writing exactly what I¡¯m supposed to be writing, and doing exactly what I¡¯m supposed to be doing.
I¡¯ve had readers ask a question that usually goes something like this:
Why does Arthur feel so undeserving of success? He¡¯s been told he is liked. He¡¯s seen the effort he puts into his work. Why can¡¯t he accept it?
The answer is the same for him as it is for me, I think. When you go far enough into the dark, it becomes hard to imagine that the light even exists. You begin to believe that the physics of the world are such that it¡¯s impossible for a sun to exist. And then one day when you¡¯re finally lifted out of the blackness, the thought that sticks in your mind is that one day the world will realize that it made a mistake, adjust the physics one more time, and plunge you back into the pit of darkness. It¡¯s hard to imagine you deserve it, let alone that you can sustain it.
It¡¯s incredibly hard to feel like success is something you really earned.
And, in turn, it¡¯s incredibly easy to be thankful for what you have. As of the time of writing this note, the first Demon World Boba Shop novel has just become available for purchase in various places, joining the entire How to Survive trilogy. In a few weeks, Deadworld Isekai will be published through Podium.
To all appearances, all those series are doing pretty well. It¡¯s starting to look like I¡¯ll be able to keep doing this long term, which absolutely doesn¡¯t feel real for a guy who once had a job that stressed him out so much he threw up blood.
So, first things first, thanks for that. You reading this has contributed in a big way to me being able to keep doing what I like to do, and feeling for the first time in my life that I¡¯m doing what I¡¯m supposed to be doing. When/if you review the book, it helps that much more. If you recommend it to a friend, you help in real, substantial ways, and I¡¯m thankful to you for it.
Second, the current plan is to keep writing Demon World Boba Shop novels until people get fully sick of them. Part of that plan is because I really like writing them, of course, but a bigger reason is because people have told me they¡¯ve helped them get through hard times, or made already-good times that much better for them. I feel a duty to keep serving those people for as long as I can, to keep them as happy and as stress-free as a humble writer is able, until they, as a group, tell me to cut it out.
And, third, it means I¡¯m always looking for ways to repay that debt. One of the ways I try to do that is by giving you a peek behind the scenes of what I was thinking, feeling, and trying to do as I wrote the novel. It¡¯s not an exhaustive list of every single element of the story, but I try to paint a picture of what my writing process was like that¡¯s detailed enough for other writers to read and get some ideas from.
You don¡¯t have to be a writer to read them, of course. But it¡¯s a dream of mine that in some small way this might let someone who is trying to find their place in the world find it. If I can help with that, it¡¯s just that much more confirmation that, like Arthur, I¡¯ve found the place I should be.
I write these notes in a fairly stream-of-consciousness fashion, so you get raw, unprocessed, and honest thoughts of what writing the book was like. It also means it¡¯s going to be rough/weird in parts. Be forewarned, then, that here be typos and bad grammar. But also, I hope, insight.
Enjoy.
Setting
Coldbrook
I¡¯m imagining that most of you haven¡¯t read Twilight. I have. It¡¯s not an incredibly well-written book in a lot of ways. The prose isn¡¯t great. The characters aren¡¯t fantastic. But there is one thing it does incredibly well, something that I¡¯ve read and marvel at and that makes the book entirely deserving of its success.
The author manages to create a main character with absolutely no characteristics whatsoever. Bella Swan has no personality, no traits, and almost no appearance. Guys like her, but it¡¯s not because of anything she is or does. She just smells nice, very literally so, and that¡¯s enough for them.
If that seems like weak writing, bear in mind that it allowed an entire generation of young women to effortlessly imagine the book was about them, and that all the vampire-and-werewolf romance bits were happening in their own lives. They could do that because Bella herself was nothing. You can¡¯t have a contradiction without details.
When I was writing the setting for the third novel, I wanted a town that stole some of that non-specificity. Here are the things we know about Coldbrook:
-
It¡¯s kind of a peninsula
-
The town is walled in by cliffs on the peninsula¡¯s two ¡°long sides¡±
-
There¡¯s a stream that goes through the town
-
There¡¯s a beach on the far point of the landmass
-
There¡¯s generally terrain and forest outside of the ¡°mouth¡± of the town
And that¡¯s it. There¡¯s an actual place my mental image of the place was based on (Elk Creek Second Meadows, in Colorado, a place I¡¯ve only seen on deep-dives in Google Maps) but my intent was always to make it vague enough that you could imagine it for yourself. I don¡¯t truly know what makes things beautiful for you, and my description of a perfect place could never really match your own imagination¡¯s ability to tailor beauty for itself.
And so you are left with a vague image of two cliffs, a river, and a beach. But my hope is that you were able to fill in the gaps yourself, and that you were able to do a better job than I could. I think for most people that¡¯s probably true.
There were difficulties related to that, though. It¡¯s a peninsula, which means its size is somewhere between ¡°smallish¡± and ¡°Florida¡±. Since this is never made clear, it¡¯s hard to imagine at what point they will fill the cliff-bound space and have to create bigger and bigger walls around the town. We don¡¯t really know how wide it is, so it¡¯s hard to imagine how many rows of houses and shops can fill it.
Writing around that was kind-of hard. Believe it or not, vagueness is in some ways much more difficult than specifics. In the end, I think I was happy with how it turned out. It was a cloud of cobblestone streets (Slapstone, really, and then brick), buildings of tan and red, a cold, clear river and one beautiful terraced-tea farm. To me, it was beautiful. I¡¯m hoping it was for you, too.
Slapstone
Slapstone was a fun imagining for me. I myself am incapable of making buildings, so if I tried to talk to you about laying mortar down or erecting brick walls, you¡¯d almost immediately sense the bullshit and it would make the story less real to you. What I do know, at least a bit better, is how building works in video games. In video games, you stack blocks. It¡¯s electronic Legos, a situation where you point-and-click walls into place. And it¡¯s highly satisfying when it¡¯s done right.
Slapstone was meant to be the fantasy equivalent of the video game material. It¡¯s a stone that likes to break in straight lines (which is a real thing that falls under the geological concept of cleavage in some materials) and that ¡°heals¡± to other blocks of Slapstone it¡¯s adjacent to.
The demons tend to think of Slapstone as a great find, a kind of gift-of-the-system that allows people to build without having building classes. If you can cut it into blocks (which you can) and stack it (which Karra can, or anyone with a pretty good strength stat) then you can make structures.
Later on, the town¡¯s supply of the stuff becomes pretty unlimited. But at first, I tried to make it seem very much a finite resource, so they¡¯d have a reason to keep pumping out bricks and doing their best to not count on magic rocks to see them through all their troubles.
Trapped Dungeons
How do dungeons work, really? Because in almost every LitRPG setting, they make themselves and restock themselves with monsters and treasures. They have to be getting the energy to do that from somewhere, right?
Depending on the setting, they¡¯re either doing this as a function of the system, or as a function of the world and the way it works (and would work, even if the system wasn¡¯t there, like in dungeon-invasion novels). In DWBS, I tried to make it a hybrid. It¡¯s part of the world, sanctioned by the system, and it works by drawing in ambient majicka (which is a lot like how dungeons worked in Deadworld Isekai). That majicka is formed into monsters, which are then harvestable as materials/food/whatever. The only problem is that if you don¡¯t actually go in and harvest all that majicka-made-beast, it eventually overflows, the dungeon breaks and sends out a wave, and you get eaten.
But what if the dungeon was encased in rock, far underground? What you¡¯d get would be a machine that focuses majicka, overflows constantly, but is entirely contained. The area near it would be constantly fertilized by that power, and would benefit in a variety of ways. At least until the pent-up monsters explodes outwards.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
I wanted the problem of the trapped dungeon to be real, but not super dangerous or long-lasting. So when they find it, it¡¯s still mostly contained, and right until the boss-monster of the wave crashes out. When the boss monster does get out, the trouble it causes is pretty well contained to one chapter.
Mana Sensitivity and ¡°Allergies¡±
If you had a couple more points in vitality, you wouldn¡¯t get allergies. Some people on Earth don¡¯t.
There are some lucky bastards in real life with bodies strong enough/insensitive enough to toxins that they don¡¯t get sniffy noses from pollen. In the Demon World, this wouldn¡¯t be a thing. Having twice the vitality of a standard-issue human would pretty well nullify most of those kinds of problems.
Arthur, being from Earth, has never thought about this. To demons, allergies are a children¡¯s disease, something you get before the system steps in to make you stronger and hardier than any natural-born being should be. When he coughs and sneezes, he thinks of it as normal. Other people think of it as something he¡¯s probably smart enough to get checked out, and the problem continues building in the background of the book for a time.
When it finally floors Arthur, it¡¯s a dangerous thing. He¡¯s been in a majicka-rich environment for too long without treatment, and his skills have started to go haywire from the abundance. He becomes psychic, kind of, but that¡¯s just a side effect of the fact that he¡¯s about to get to fatally toxic levels of majicka buildup.
Part of why I included this (since I could have just, you know, not) was to get Itela in town. But I also wanted to start fleshing out the idea that health in the demon world is an odd thing. Most things can be cured, but the things that are left on the list of uncurables tend to be very commonplace or very dangerous.
Characters
Arthur
Arthur is still mostly Arthur. He doesn¡¯t necessarily understand why nice things keep happening to him, and doesn¡¯t feel like he deserves them. Worse, everyone trusts him in an absolute sense, relies on him constantly, and makes that reliance official by making him the mayor of the new town.
He deals with this in pretty standard Arthur ways, mostly by going hyperactive, forgetting he has a tea shop for a big part of the book (which is more understandable since the town doesn¡¯t have a ton of people in it yet) and doing every single thing he can do to help everyone.
The biggest moment of the book for Arthur, at least for me, is when he stands up to Mizu¡¯s mother. It¡¯s not his business, and it¡¯s something he could have easily avoided. But he¡¯s been watching his girlfriend-who-he-loves steadily wilt under her mother¡¯s disapproving gaze. He can¡¯t tolerate that, so he yells at her, which brings some problems out of the shadows and gets them dealt with.
I think that¡¯s less about development of character than it is about relationships. Arthur has always been the type of person who would stand up for a friend. But he didn¡¯t really know that about himself, and other people didn¡¯t really know it about him. After this, it¡¯s pretty clear that Arthur isn¡¯t the kind of guy who will let you hurt the people he loves without saying something.
Lily
Arthur¡¯s class development takes a major backseat to Lily¡¯s in this book, to the point where I don¡¯t think we see a status sheet of Arthur¡¯s until the novel is approaching the last third or so.
I have a brother who wrestled in high school and, because of the frankly insane way wrestling weight classes work, was forced to ¡°cut weight¡±. For the uninitiated, this means that if he wanted to be competitive in that sport, he had to maintain a weight much lower than his natural, healthy weight, which meant he had to starve himself periodically. He¡¯s much shorter than I am, probably as a direct result of that caloric deficit during his teen years.
I wanted the concerns around Lily¡¯s class to revolve around the same kind of concern I wish someone felt for high school wrestlers. She¡¯s not supposed to have a class yet at all, and she¡¯s too young and too in-a-hurry to make good decisions about it. For Arthur, Eito, and anyone else who cares about her, there¡¯s a real risk that she¡¯ll work herself into a corner class-development-wise, or else hurt herself in some way they can¡¯t anticipate.
Meanwhile, all Lily wants is to help people. The main person she wants to help, as always, is Arthur. While this is sweet, I think he correctly identifies a problem with that, in that she¡¯s her own person with her own future, and ¡°tea shop assistant¡± is a very limited scope for a person to build a future in.
As a result of the town¡¯s guidance, she ends up with a much more general class than that, one that lets her help people just by being around them. It¡¯s an aura-based buffer class, but avoids being absolutely passive by allowing her to be more effective the more she understands about the work she¡¯s observing.
The class will grow more later, but for now, she¡¯s in a class that mostly wants her to be around a lot of different kinds of work, rewards her for learning about a lot of different things, and gives other people a reason to keep talking to her. It¡¯s a good fit.
Character-wise, she stays mostly the same. I think she¡¯s naturally aging a bit as I write the character, and I think that mostly affects how she talks, rather than who she is at a fundamental level. I think I¡¯m going to start tackling more of ¡°who is Lily becoming?¡± in the next book, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
Milo and Rhodia
We see very little character development from either of these people, mostly because they¡¯re already who I want them to be. Rhodia works hard and is game for doing less appealing jobs (like brick making) and Milo is developing his mechanic class, but neither of these facts was interesting enough to hold up entire plots, and I didn¡¯t try to make them.
And then they get married. I think for some readers this will seem a little out-of-the-blue, but the context is that they exist in a low-stress world with very little in the way of financial problems, sickness, or other things that often tank marriages. They¡¯ve also been spending massive amounts of time with each other for what seems like year-to-years, and get along very well.
Combining those things, I tried to think of reasons why it would make sense for someone like Ella to object to them getting married, or for the demon world to have a prohibition against frontier marriages, and couldn¡¯t think of any.
So they got married, and this is a good idea long-term because they live in the same house now. Less walking, more talking.
Don¡¯t ask me about kids yet. I haven¡¯t gotten that far.
Spiky and Leena
Spiky and Leena had very little to do in this book. Their actual jobs are ¡°Taking care of books¡± and ¡°Writing things down about things they see¡±, which aren¡¯t always the most interesting things. I wanted them in the town, but they were necessarily not a huge part of this section of the story.
They won¡¯t get married any time soon, for people who were worried about that. I think the next few books will have more problems that need academic solutions, and Spiky in particular taking more leadership roles. In particular, I¡¯d like to see him take a swing at being the mayor. It makes sense to me that librarian classes would be good at leadership when things lined up well for them, so I¡¯d like to give them some room to do that.
Karra
Karra was an exercise in the idea that jobs in the Demon World would probably be much less separated by gender. Since anyone can stack points in vitality and strength, differences in frame would matter much less, and you¡¯d expect to see some warriors, workers, and ditch diggers who didn¡¯t necessarily fit the physical shapes you¡¯d normally associate with those things.
She¡¯s Karbo¡¯s niece, which I didn¡¯t want to mean she was a carbon copy of exactly what he was. To the extent she takes after him, I wanted it to be how she interacts with the physical world. She likes moving, she likes working, and she¡¯s exuberant when she gets a chance to do either.
Everyone likes her right away, which makes sense for the Demon World. That said, I tried to make her transition to ¡°full member of the friend group¡± take a little bit of time. She¡¯s appreciated and everyone is fond of her, but she¡¯s not as close to everyone right at the beginning. It takes a bit of time.
Corbin
Corbin is around almost the entire book. If you don¡¯t see him, that¡¯s because your perception stat is just not high enough.
Mizu and Maar
I¡¯ve said before that Mizu is not definitively autistic/spectrum. Some readers interpret her that way, and it¡¯s a valid way to read her character. But to me, she¡¯s mostly just¡ quiet. She watches things. She learns about people, and eventually talks more and interacts more as she learns more and gets more comfortable.
Maar, on the other hand, is spectrum. She is not a great communicator. She does not read other people¡¯s emotions well or easily. I tried to write her at the level of some of my friends who are spectrum in a way that actually hinders their lives to some extent, that have to work really hard to interact with people with very different communication styles.
And what happens when you put the quiet girl who is a little afraid of her own mother in a situation where she suspects her mother will disapprove of her with the mother who misreads the situation and doesn¡¯t communicate well? An emotional disaster.
Maar, for the record, is never anything less than proud of her daughter. She loves Mizu and is thrilled that she¡¯s trying new things. She¡¯s upset because Mizu doesn¡¯t seem to have trusted her enough to ask her for help. When Arthur tells her that Mizu thinks she¡¯s mad at her because his girlfriend wouldn¡¯t follow in her footsteps, she sprints to clear up the misunderstanding just as soon as she¡¯s sure Arthur won¡¯t die.
She adores Arthur for dozens of reasons, including that he stood up for her daughter. If they wanted to get married tomorrow, she¡¯d be against it because it¡¯s too soon, but would absolutely accept Arthur as a potential husband for her daughter.
Maar, unlike Mizu, uses an even more archaic version of the ¡°we did bad things to you¡± water demon greetings. She does this out of a deep respect for her family¡¯s history, and probably does not fully understand how terrifying it makes her.
Mizu is mostly just still Mizu in this book, but we learn a little more about her, mostly that she¡¯s not the kind of demon who gets married young, and that she¡¯s a bit more ambitious/brilliant than we might have known in the city.
Lith, Kout, Skal, and the Lumberjack
The town needed more people in it than just the main crew, and I tried to make them useful but not game-changing classes. Lith is a hunter, which means they have a bit more protein, and Skal is a fisherman, which solves that problem even more. The lumberjack (whose name is used once or twice, and I consistently forget) and Kout help solve some problems with actually finding and harvesting materials the town would logically need. Between them, we can imagine the town getting through its early days without starvation being much of a problem.
Beyond the mere mechanical setting-enabling functions, I tried to make a few of them more interesting. Lith is brave and protective of the town, serving as its only real defense for much of the book. The fact that he¡¯s only about half of a combat class (he¡¯s mostly about food acquisition outside of dungeons) means he¡¯s only slightly tougher and safer than everyone else.
Skal is a man in retirement, just trying to find a quiet place to fish and live out his elder years. He¡¯s a wise grandpa who knows enough to not hurt the kids by getting in their way, and who allows them to make mistakes as needed. He is, quietly, an old master on the level of the breakfast master from the second book. I¡¯m not sure whether or not I¡¯m going to use that too much.
The Adults and the Moms
Karbo, Ella, Itela, and Minos are all a good distance away from Coldbrook. I wanted them to be close enough to come by if there were huge problems, but not close enough that they could always be relied on for this. The only times they are called on as a strategic resource is when Karbo is needed to curb stomp a monster that would otherwise have eaten everyone, and when Arthur is very sick. In both cases, they barely make it in time.
These are characters who I absolutely want in the series, but the difficulty in keeping them there is that most of them can easily solve problems that are more interesting if solved by the young people, who are figuring them out for the first time. In future books, I think they will be needed less and less, and will eventually be people who visit fairly often but otherwise don¡¯t provide a ton of help.
The herd-of-moms was something I think would necessarily happen. Coldbrook was isolated for a while, well outside easy travel. The moms were discouraged from bothering them too soon too. Once the roads made travel easy and word that the town was doing fine got out, that would have unshackled dozens of worried mothers whose children were away for the first time. Better yet, it would have happened at a single point in time for all of them.
And thus you get a swarm of moms who verify their kids are safe and then find that it¡¯s exactly wine-thirty and go into vacation mode. However beautiful you are imagining that Milo and Rhodia¡¯s wedding was, understand that I¡¯m just a mortal writer. The moms made it more beautiful than I have the skill to describe.
Daisy and Rumble
At some point during the writing of this book, I went to Bearizona, which is a park where you get to drive your car right past rescued bears. Bears are, to me, ultra-cute balls of fat that tumble around the woods, climb trees, and do fun bear things 24-7. I am unapologetically obsessed with them.
Daisy and Rumble are not quite bears, but they are the close. If they had met Arthur out in the woods, they might have eaten him. Instead, they meet him in a context in which they both need help that he is able to provide. Daisy dimly understands that he saved both her and her cub, and proposes a strategic alliance.
When Arthur is attacked by a monster, she is only somewhat bound to risk her life fighting off the threat. That said, she¡¯s a big aggressive beast and sort of a badass, and makes good on her commitments in the most comprehensive way possible.
Because Arthur isn¡¯t a monster tamer, Daisy and Rumble are still mostly wild animals. They will always be around, but will likely never jump through flaming hoops or live in the village.
Conclusion
As always, this book was a blast to write. It was, as a novel, a transition to a slower pace. I want to keep writing these forever, and I think long-term that means a transition to a more slice-of-life, has-a-plot-but-moves-a-bit-slower format. I think I accomplished that pretty well here, and I feel good about the chances of this series being a worthwhile read from now until some projected eternity.
To all the people who choose to read it, I once again can only offer more writing and my absolute thankfulness that you make my dream job possible. I love you, and I¡¯ll see you in book four.
RC
Side Story: The System, Baking, and The Earthling
Somewhere far, far away and yet very close in ways that mattered, the System looked down as a few of her children were making an absolute mess in the kitchen. Their working space was covered in a mix of tapioca-like flour, sugar, and eggs. There was only a single clean surface left to prepare food on.
That didn¡¯t stop them. They were all hunched over in concentration. And they were making mistakes. Even the older, wiser child was letting things slip that she normally wouldn¡¯t, letting her enthusiasm leak through the cooking perfection she had built up over the years.
Her hands would reach for the wrong things. Her eyes would miss slight mistakes in measurements that normally would stand out like a forest fire. She¡¯d drop a plate or a utensil and just let it lay where it had landed, grabbing some other tool that was close enough for her purpose and using that instead.
To others, she might seem like an adult. To the very young, she might even seem to be an elder. But to the system, she was the same as all the thinking inhabitants of this world. A child. One who needed guidance like all the others.
Of course, the younger one was a tornado of wrong in comparison. He¡¯d crack an egg, getting more shell than white into the mix. He¡¯d spill entire bowls, add the wrong ingredients, and forget about things in the oven long enough to convert what should have been dessert bread into clouds of black smoke.
And looking down on all the chaos, the System smiled.
The boy had put more than enough effort into the process to qualify for the skill he wanted. She gave some people skills more quickly and with less work, but they tended to be people who either needed them immediately to survive or folks who couldn¡¯t or wouldn¡¯t get results without the skills.
But this boy? He¡¯d try and try and try. The System had only had a few visitors from other places over the years, but on average, they were shockingly positive influences on her world in their own ways. This particular boy¡¯s path to goodness seemed to be that he¡¯d work at anything that might make a positive difference. He¡¯d pound and pound endlessly at walls as long as there was a promise of something good once they fell, only stopping when someone else made him.
The end result was that for someone who came to her planet with the belief that he hated work, he did a truly shocking amount of it. He¡¯d work himself tired, sore, and stupid if there was a reason. Better yet, he¡¯d enjoy every moment of it without ever realizing that he loved the purity of good work.
For children like that, the System had something better than a free skill to offer. She could give not only the destination but also the journey, letting them steep their eventual prize into a deeper and richer thing, something that connected smoothly to the greater picture of who they were becoming.
The older child helping him was similar, just more set in her ways. And if the System planned to help her too. The boy would probably play a role in that, even though she couldn¡¯t ask him to do so directly.
It didn¡¯t matter. He seemed to have a knack for helping people.
¡ª
¡°Arthur, if you drop another ball of dough, I¡¯m going to crumple you up and shove you into an oven myself.¡± Ella scooped the dropped mess off the floor with her bare hands, chucking it into one of the several trash bins they had dragged into the room to help with the process. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be a seasoned professional now. A veteran. A bearer of learned hands.¡±
¡°Something I¡¯d take more seriously if you hadn¡¯t just dropped an entire bowl of spices on the counter,¡± Arthur said as his hands kept working. ¡°I¡¯d expect a bird of your age...¡±
¡°Careful,¡± Ella warned.
¡°Of your expertise. I¡¯d expect a demon of your illustrious reputation to be more precise.¡±
Arthur was, against all odds, the owner of a tea shop now. A boba tea shop, to be precise. And while the long, chaotic road that brought him to that point had taught him a lot of things, including how to make a proper cup of tea, it had been a lot shakier on other things people expected from that kind of shop. Specifically, he didn¡¯t know how to bake. Not really.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
¡°Actually, you aren¡¯t wrong,¡± Ella admitted. ¡°There¡¯s only so long a person can work at the same task before they start to slip. I think I¡¯ve probably hit that limit.¡±
¡°Really, Ella? Throwing in the towel?¡±
In addition to being the kind of person who would take in a wet-behind-the-ears human without a second thought, Ella was usually the kind of person who wouldn¡¯t blanche at the thought of a bit of extra cooking. Nine tenths of the time Arthur had spent around her been while she was cooking in some way.
She could do a lot of things besides that, including giving advice that always turned out shockingly accurate. But her primary way of interacting with the world always had and always would be feeding it, and Arthur was a little surprised to find she was giving up already, in just the fourth hour of overtime after a routine training all-nighter.
¡°Yes.¡± Ella lifted some bowls and spoons out of the way, then swept her arm across their workspace, sending a load of flour, spices, and sugar careening to the ground. ¡°And so are you.¡±
¡°I think if we just went on a little longer, I might get it.¡±
¡°You might. But you probably wouldn¡¯t. The system is a little tricky about things like this, Arthur. Some skills are easier to get than others. If this was one of the easy ones, I think you¡¯d have it by now. You¡¯re not going to get it with a few more batches of botched cookies.¡±
¡°I thought I was getting better at the cookies.¡±
¡°You were. Your failures have gone from horrific lapses of judgment to being much more subtle. Yet botched they remain. Honestly, it¡¯s impressive. Your improvements have kept ahead of the fatigue.¡± She clapped her hands together. ¡±The point is, kiddo, that you¡¯re not the kind of person who usually gets the system to move with simple grinding alone. Some people need something else mixed in with the practice to get there.¡±
¡°And I¡¯m one of those?¡±
¡°Arthur, you are their king. And it looks like a bomb went off in here.¡± Wincing at the mess, Milo brought the sparrow-demon count in the kitchen from one to two as he walked in, located a mostly clean stool and took a seat. ¡°Your skills all have stories. Always have. Hell, a lot of other people¡¯s skills have stories just from being around you.¡±
¡°You should have seen him earlier,¡± Ella teased. ¡°He used three different kinds of flour for a single batch of cookies. On accident.¡±
¡°And that¡¯s a story?¡±
¡°It is when it kind of worked.¡± Ella tossed Milo an only almost-burned cookie. ¡°Try that.¡±
Milo sunk his teeth into the cookie, which more or less exploded in his mouth.
¡°Huh.¡± Milo said through the crumbs. ¡°It¡¯s like it blows up into flavor. Only problem is that its a gross flavor.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t say he got anything else right on that batch. But something about the combination of starches did something here. Arthur, it was a good find.¡±
¡°You think so? I¡¯m not sure exploding cookies is something the customers are clamoring for. Look at Milo.¡± Arthur nodded at his brother, who was trying his hardest to brush the crumbs off his shirt. ¡°He looks like Karbo jumped him through a cafe.¡±
¡°Well, maybe it¡¯s not suited for cookie forms. But think about pie crust. That¡¯s thinner. Or crispy dumplings, where the oil will make keep it a bit more flexible. Or¡¡±
¡°Oh, I¡¯d better leave,¡± Milo picked up the conversation. ¡°She¡¯s gone.¡±
¡°Gone?¡±
¡°Yeah. Look at her. She¡¯s in food-idea land. This used to happen a lot, when I was a kid.¡± Milo waved his hand in front of Ella¡¯s face, who just went on mumbling about cooking methods, glazes, and ratios as before. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen it in a while, now that I think about it. But she¡¯ll be like that for hours. You might as well go to work. Or sleep.¡±
¡°Sleep, I think. It¡¯s been a long night.¡±
¡ª
The system watched as the majicka in Ella swirled and changed, as active as it had been in years. All her cooking skills danced with her in-born intuition for all things having to do with the kitchen, creating new ideas and concepts from thin air and combining them with the library of things she already knew.
Everyone hit bottlenecks, including geniuses of Ella caliber. When it happened to someone who was young, the natural energy of their youth tended to push them through. But when it was someone who had already reached great heights, the motivation was often lacking. And so, the system usually found herself like a cook with a pot of soup that needed stirring, only without a spoon to roil the mix.
In that time of need, the boy did not disappoint.
As Ella turned Arthur¡¯s chaotic inspiration into new culinary wonders in the days to come, some of the potential she generated would be preserved. Eventually, it would find its way to Arthur to speed his own growth instead of circulating through the population as it normally would. It was slightly inefficient, and took much more work than usual, but the System would do it anyway. She had given him the achievement that made it possible to help other people for a reason.
The disruption in the normal way of things was more than worth it, in the System¡¯s opinion. If the boy followed his normal pattern, he¡¯d pay it back tenfold.
DWBS Book 2 on Kindle and KU!
Hi guys,
So today''s the launch day for DWBS Book 2. As many of you might know, the original plan was for this to launch on July 28th but Amazon''s review process flagged us. Originally, we were planning a big launch announcement for both Book 2 and DWBS B1 audiobook but because the release dates are now out of sync, I thought we''d use this time to talk about being a self-published author and our relationship with Amazon.
To start, Amazon sales (including Kindle Unlimited, Kindle sales, and paperback purchases) account for roughly 90% of our earnings. And that creates some pretty interesting dynamics.
For one, we spend a lot more time thinking about Amazon than most people would. The first thing I look at is which categories to put the book in. DWBS is currently ranking in Gaslamp Fantasy (the defacto cozy fantasy category), Humorous Fantasy (because we try to be funny), and Coming of Age Fantasy (Arthur finds his place in the demon world). That tells Amazon what the book is about and also helps us rank among the other books in that category. But more important than categories are keywords. Most people don''t go browsing the Gaslamp Fantasy category on Amazon and purchase based off of that, they type in some keyword like "cozy fantasy boba." We care about those keywords a lot. And lastly, we spend a lot of time on covers and blurbs. Even though there''s the saying not to judge a book by its cover, people still do that. Book 1 and Book 2 have distinctly different art styles at the moment because we''re trying to figure out what conveys the wholesomeness of DWBS the best.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Kindle, on the other hand, is fighting a problem with fraud. It''s an unequal battle. The reality is that committing fraud is free so the incentive is for fraudsters to keep trying until something succeeds. Back when we were writing Deadworld, someone changed a few worlds and uploaded our book onto Amazon. It passed muster (because of what they had changed) and sold for at least two weeks before we caught on to it and asked Amazon to take it down. But Kindle probably catches dozens, if not hundreds, of attempts like these every day without us knowing. So when we uploaded DWBS B2, we triggered some copyright filter in the system and had to give extra proof that we were indeed the copyright holders of the book. It wasn''t a pleasant experience but luckily, it seems like we''ve come out on the other side of it.
The last piece of this puzzle is you, the reader. Neither us (the authors) nor Kindle would exist without you. So thank you. And if you have time, we''d really appreciate any support in borrowing, buying, reviewing, or talking about DWBS.
Thanks,
Dotblue and RC
https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0DBW1M4V1
Book 4 Authors Note
I¡¯ve said this somewhere before, but writing is both absurdly hard and absurdly easy. I¡¯ve had a bunch of jobs that were pretty bad in a lot of stressful, abusive, terrible ways, and writing is far and away easier than all of them. I get up, I have some ideas, I type those ideas, I slightly edit those ideas to be more pleasing to your eye, and then I take a nap.
The hard part, which anyone who has written knows, is doing it every day. For a large part of the writing of this book, that became hard enough that I could barely do it. Dotblue, my editor, has at several times during the writing of this book said something along the lines of ¡°Are you doing okay? Your pace is off, and this particular sentence concerned me.¡± I was fine, I was alive, I wasn¡¯t crumbling under the weight of an impossible life, but he also wasn¡¯t wrong. I was having a hard time writing.
Normally, when I write one of these author¡¯s notes, I talk a lot about characters and setting. This time, I¡¯m not. If you are four books into this sucker, you know the majority of the characters and you have a good idea of how I approach new ones. Instead, I¡¯m going to try and give you some pointers on the writing process, with bits and pieces of what you¡¯d normally get out of one of my writer¡¯s notes mixed in.
My hope is that the next time you are running dry, you can use some of these pointers yourself to get moving. Or, at least, that reading this is interesting. Either way, enjoy.
Defining Point A
Point A, the beginning, is where your story starts out.
For book one, that was with Arthur¡¯s face on the cobblestones in a new world, terrified of everything around him. For book two, that was a shop, a girlfriend, and a found family but not much knowledge of the world outside of that warm, safe womb. For book three, that was with an open field, a bunch of friends, but no houses, steady supply of resources, or comfort. For book four, that was with a town that had running water, enough resources to survive and enjoy life with, and an impending problem.
Defining Point A is important. ¡°Here is our main character,¡± you say, and then tell readers as much as you can without being heavy-handed and weird about it. ¡°Here¡¯s the world he inhabits, and what kind of initial problems he has to deal with. And here are the resources, whether human or otherwise, to solve his problem with.¡±
Once you know what your Point A is, you have to then decide how you¡¯re going to relate everything together, how fast, and in what order. And guess what: how well you can do this is probably the biggest differentiator between whether you get to be an author or have to go on being something else. It¡¯s the biggest, most foundational piece (unless I¡¯ve said this before, in which case you can read this as ¡°this is also very important¡±).
Handling Point A is the most important part of your book. That¡¯s where they are deciding whether or not they care about the characters and the setting, and whether they¡¯re going to spend their precious energy reading the rest of the book. If you botch it, you lose them. That¡¯s not unreasonable. At any given point of the book, the only things they know are what you¡¯ve taken the time to show them.
A very skilled author can create a Point A that has world building, problem, and solution pieces all in one.
Let¡¯s take an example:
If James is wielding a glowing dagger, we know he¡¯s in a magic or techy world. If he¡¯s wielding a glowing dagger against giant, molten-metal frogs in the lava cave, we know that world is dangerous. If he has the dagger and the frogs and has mental dialogue about how he can¡¯t wait to get back up to the nice, cool surface tavern and have a nice, cool ale, we know a bit out about the outside world.
James pulled his dagger out of the frog, spraying himself with juice in the process.
Of course, he thought. It¡¯s not enough that this dungeon spawned with lava and fires everywhere. Even the insides of the frogs have to be hot.
He wiped the sweat and filth from his forehead as he squared up to face the next shimmering amphibian in line. It was already sporting barbed arrows in each leg, and slowed down enough from the injuries to give him a chance to look over his shoulder at the archer.
¡°My balls,¡± David said, ¡°are so stuck to my leg that I¡¯m going to need a crowbar to get them off.¡±
¡°Too much information, David.¡± James sprung through the air, clearing the frog before rebounding off the ground, twisting in the air to face his friend again, and landing with one leg on either side of the frog¡¯s head as he brought his dagger down again and again into the thing¡¯s spinal cord. ¡°Far too much.¡±
¡°It¡¯s hot as hell down here!¡± David yelled. ¡°I just want an ale. A single drop of ale. I want to look at a piece of ice, even if it¡¯s from afar. Anything would help.¡±
¡°Are you going to bathe this time? Before getting that ale?¡± James dismounted from the frog before wiping off his dagger on his pants and dropping it into the scabbard at his belt. ¡°Last time you didn¡¯t. And I don¡¯t think it did you any favors with that barmaid. She almost called the guard on you for stench alone.¡±
Look at all the stuff you have there. I mean, just look at it. There are monsters, there¡¯s unpleasant work related to them, there¡¯s the comic-relief friend, and there¡¯s the implication of a safer world up top that sounds like it just might be medieval. With another page, we could give an implication of just what the MC is getting from all this, what he¡¯s saving up for, how he met David, etc.
And we¡¯d be fleshing the whole world out at the same time. Settings, characters, goals, all at once. Two pages in, our readers could know what our book actually was, and whether or not it was for them. Maybe quicker, if we optimized for that.
That¡¯s what your Point A is, and getting it right defines the entire rest of the novel.
Getting to Point B
At the beginning of a book, your characters probably have problems, but they don¡¯t necessarily have a BIG problem yet. In the world of Disney, there¡¯s a composer named Alan Menken who sometimes talks about writing ¡°I want¡± songs, which let you know what the lifelong dreams and desires of the characters are. Ariel wants a life on land. Belle wants to not be around hicks all the time. Aladdin wants people to know being poor doesn¡¯t make him worthless.
Those are things you resolve by the end of the book, but they aren¡¯t the big-crisis problem. For Ariel, that¡¯s being in a bad deal with a witch. For Belle, it¡¯s that she has a stalker who wants to murder her boyfriend and imprison her dad. For Aladdin, it¡¯s that he¡¯s trapped in a big lie that someone else has figured out and is using as a weapon against him.
In book four of Demon World Boba Shop, I wanted one big problem to be resolved by the end of the book. That was the monster wave. It was built up throughout the entire first quarter of the book, then resolved around the halfway point. I then went on to do a lot of lower-key stuff, which isn¡¯t as standard but seems to have worked out.
Before you start writing, it¡¯s worthwhile to at least have an idea of what your Point B problem is going to be. But here¡¯s a secret: You don¡¯t actually have to keep that problem. If you write in the general direction of one Point B, you¡¯ll find that other big problems suggest themselves to you as you go, and one of them might be better than what you started with.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
If so, switch. It¡¯s your book.
Finishing Point C
In some books, the basic form of Point C is just ¡°the Point B problem has been resolved.¡± That¡¯s definitely one part of what you need to do. Point B has to get fully or partially defeated to end your book. But Point C isn¡¯t just about the problem. It¡¯s also about the characters, especially the main character, and especially what dealing with the big and little problems of the book have done to them.
In book one of DWBS, Arthur is mostly just trying to find his place in the world and gradually learning that it¡¯s okay if good things happen to him. By the end of the book, he¡¯s resolved both, and resolving his big Point B problem by having saved Mizu.
In the second book, he ends the novel knowing he has the freedom to leave the cradle and take risks, partially because he¡¯s finally learning to trust that the world isn¡¯t out to get him. He¡¯s also resolved his point B problem of not losing all his friends, but that¡¯s sort of secondary to what he¡¯s learned about himself and the world around him.
I think in an ideal world, you come up with Point C BEFORE you come up with point B. That ¡°who is my character before, and who is he after?¡± development is so important you have to make sure the crises he¡¯s going to deal with are consistent with it.
Again, you can give yourself the freedom to change any of this during the writing process. It¡¯s just that Point C stuff is harder to change. ¡°Who my character is¡± is so dependent on where he¡¯s headed that changing your Point C necessarily changes Point A and Point B. It¡¯s worth the time and thought to get a really good idea of what¡¯s happening here before you start.
Plot Drives Story, Story Drives Plot
A lot of new writers think they need to know every single step their characters will take. To be fair, some do. I know some good writers who exhaustively plot every single aspect of their stories before they get started, follow those plans to the letter, and get very good results out of it. It¡¯s one way to go.
I still hate it because I¡¯ve seen far too many stories get several chapters in before the writers notice that the direction the story is going contradicts one of their pre-registered steps. This makes them feel like they are ¡°stuck,¡± and they either contort the story in ways it doesn¡¯t want to bend to make it work, or just stop writing entirely. I have seen this so many dozens of times that I¡¯m actively afraid to plot too much, lest I build the same prison around myself and wreck my books.
But that¡¯s not the only problem you can run into. Not having a predetermined plot at all kills just as fast as having too much.
Consider Bob and Dave:
Bob has a notebook he¡¯s filled with every single plot point his book will ever need. He¡¯s worked on it for years, getting every last part perfect before he starts to write what he¡¯s sure will be a perfect book. How could it not, with all that prep work?
Once he starts writing, he realizes what a mistake he¡¯s made. He¡¯s now immersing himself in his world, and finding out his characters have their own voices, and react in ways he didn¡¯t anticipate when he sketched them out in his notebook. Little details are piling up and tilting the scales of the story, and he doesn¡¯t feel like he can abandon all his prep work to go with the grain of the story and end up where it wants to go.
Dave, on the other hand, has no plot at all. He¡¯s working completely freehand. When something happens, his characters react to it completely organically. When the story wants to go a certain direction, he follows it.
Six months later, he realizes the book is nine tenths done, and while he¡¯s written a lot of good scenes, he hasn¡¯t really written a story. There¡¯s been no progression towards a goal. In a panic, he loads the last tenth of the book with all the plot points, notices that this does nothing to fix his meandering, terrible pacing, and burns the whole novel in a fire.
You have to find a balance between these things. Point A, B, and C beginning-middle-end stuff above is the bare minimum you need to not be Dave. More defined story points than that are fine, but you need at least that much, and to always be glancing up at the signposts to see how far you are from each point to get what you need to finish accomplished in time, and without crowding your pacing.
Avoiding being Bob is a bit harder. There¡¯s a writer who wrote tons of westerns name Louis L¡¯Amour who once said this, ¡°Start writing no matter what, the water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.¡±
And it¡¯s true. There¡¯s some small amount of work you can get done on your book without writing. Later, once you¡¯ve written a ton of novels and know how things generally go in your stories, you can get a little bit more done. But there¡¯s only so much you can optimize without actually turning on the tap.
For me, this looks a lot like this: I define who my character is at the start of the book, and who I want him to be at the end, and then I write a few chapters, and let some problems that stem from who he is spring up organically. I take a look at those problems, think about what they¡¯d look like if they were much larger, and try to create a brand-new point B.
As I¡¯m writing the book, I¡¯m keeping an eye on that point B constantly, as well as what¡¯s happening to my main character. If the book goes in a wildly different direction, I try to notice that as soon as possible and adjust before I¡¯m too buried in work that¡¯s taking me in a direction the story wants to go.
For you, that might be different. It might involve more plotting or even less. It might be more rigid and work anyway. The main thing I want to do is draw your attention to the problem. Yes, plots drive stories. But the stories also drive the plots. You have to respect both to make it to the end of a worthwhile book.
Creating Characters
There are two ways to create characters. Plot characters and story characters.
Plot characters are created to fill some sort of plot need. If our character is starving in the woods, he might need someone to teach him how to hunt. Creating a hunter that he meets by the side of the road makes sense for this. When we make a plot character, everything that character ends up being is secondary to that role.
Story characters are written with a primary focus on who they are. They exist to be pleasing, entertaining, and interesting. To the extent they exist in a plot, the plot either bends around them to accommodate who they are, or squeezes them into a different shape.
Milo was a plot character. Arthur needed to meet a male peer who could introduce him to the world of people his own age, so one was provided to him. Now, four books in, Milo is still an interesting and good character, but it¡¯s taken him a long time to really establish a full personality. I like Milo, but he¡¯s not the best character in the book and never will be.
Ella was a story character. I specifically wanted someone specifically like Ella in the story, cooking and giving advice. I wanted a turbo-mom who was great in all respects, who was an amplified version of the best parents you¡¯ve ever met. Because of this, Ella is one of the best characters in the book.
Is there overlap between plot characters and story characters? Sure. And you need both kinds of characters. I needed a mayor for the city at some point. I needed a trainer for Arthur. I gave these characters as much story-character flair as I could, but I think in both cases you can feel the parts where they were first and foremost cogs in a story. But since I couldn¡¯t do without them, there they are. They are good characters, but not the best.
And then there¡¯s Lily and Mizu, both of whom are pure story characters. And guess what? They¡¯ve driven more plot than anyone around them because they simply are good enough that I care about them, and know you will too. It¡¯s more interesting to have things happen to them.
My advice is to lean heavy on story characters as much as you can. You can¡¯t avoid plot characters entirely. But to the extent you maintain a flexible enough plot that your characters can brush it aside as they make their way through the world, you can avoid them quite a bit and populate your world with people instead of plot-machines.
Conclusion
Does all this advice seem stale? It¡¯s because you¡¯ve read a lot of it before, in different words. I think every writer who finds even modest success eventually stumbles onto these concepts. They all have different takes on them, sure. But for almost everyone I¡¯ve talked to about this, it feels like we are discovering them for the first time, even as we know we aren¡¯t.
The reason I¡¯m comfortable restating something as well-tread as ¡°have a beginning, a middle, and an end¡± is because the advice is just that valuable, and because I hope that putting it in different words helps drive it just a bit deeper.
And then, hopefully, you eventually get to a point where you can safely break those rules, knowing exactly why you are doing it. I hope that one day you reread this and say ¡°I disagree with basically all his takes on this subject¡± because you are so firmly established in your own style that none of it makes sense anymore.
We¡¯ll see how that goes.
As always, I can¡¯t write without you all reading. With every page you turn or friend recommend my stories to, you make it possible for me to live dreams and have thoughts just like these. I¡¯m more thankful for it than you could ever know.
Thanks for letting me have a nice world.
RC
(Book 5 Start) Chapter 201: On the Road Again
Arthur watched as Talca and Littal combined their wagon-moving forces to maneuver around a section of road that had, based on what Arthur could see, simply fallen away to the side, paving material and all. The actual motion around the hazard wasn¡¯t that impressive and even seemed like something Arthur could handle. What made it more of a feat was that Talca¡¯s wagon was moving so fast. As it swerved around the newly generated ditch, it must have been going forty miles an hour.
¡°Geez.¡± Arthur looked over at Milo, who was pretending that the whole thing hadn¡¯t stressed him out. ¡°He¡¯s really pushing.¡±
¡°He might as well.¡± Milo¡¯s feathered hand thumped the empty sliver of seat between him and Lily. ¡°With the improvements I made to the suspension before we left and the benefit of these roads, there¡¯s not much risk.¡±
¡°Except when the road isn¡¯t there at all.¡± Lily levered her little owl-legs and walked towards the front of the wagon. ¡°Talca, what happened there? I thought the capital was supposed to be this whole thing. They can¡¯t take care of their roads?¡±
¡°They do. Take care of them, I mean.¡± Talca set the reins down, letting his giant goat-monster-looking Hing friend take on the driving duties solo for a bit. ¡°That big storm that came through last night did this. It found some crack in the road where the stampers hadn¡¯t quite got everything perfect, widened it out, then fwooosh. No more road at that spot. It just flowed away.¡±
¡°Ah, that makes sense.¡± Arthur had barely noticed the storm, although the others had told him afterwards that it was a doozy. Most nights during their trip, he slept in a tent. Driving into the more civilized parts of the Demon world from the frontier meant there weren¡¯t a lot of inns to choose from at first. Later on, they had found some, but the timing hadn¡¯t worked out well enough to make use of them without losing the better part of a day of travel.
Arthur was no longer the mayor of Coldbrook, having passed that particular torch on to a much more intellectual, organized librarian who was much better positioned to handle the details of running a city. The settlement he helped found had moved past the dangerous, touch-and-go parts of its existence into a steadier, more certain existence, and that called for someone who could properly manipulate minutia to keep the town running smoothly.
Once he was freed up from the day-to-day grind of mayoral duties, Arthur had been almost immediately tapped on the shoulder to go to the capital as a representative of the town-at-large, giving speeches updating various who¡¯s-who about the progress his town had made.
Now that they were closer to the capital, Arthur began to feel excited about the destination of this trip. The capital had always been something that Arthur¡¯s friends mentioned, where the best of the Demon World could be found.
If nothing else, the population density was higher. It seemed like they were passing some small village or outpost every five minutes. They all had signs advertising their various specialties, all enabled by the talent and protection that radiated out of the city itself. In this part of the world, monster waves were so far from a serious threat that they almost didn¡¯t exist at all. Where Coldbrook was just now reaching the critical mass of warriors, hunters, and support staff needed to fight off a dungeon-break wave before it breached their wall, the capital had so many warriors at every single level of class development that they competed for whatever experience points any given monster might provide. Waves, when they did occur, were ripped apart like a six-foot submarine sandwich at a sixteen-year-old boy¡¯s birthday party, destroyed in service to the growth of the young and developing.
¡°So how much further?¡± Arthur asked. They had been on the road that morning for about a half hour, but they had been close to the capital when they stopped last night. Normally, Talca would have just pushed through, and had done so on several different trips that Arthur had taken with him.
This time, Talca pointed out that lodgings would be cheaper outside the city. Staying at them that night would allow them to arrive at the capital clean enough and fresh enough the next morning to make sure they gave the best impression possible. Since they weren¡¯t expected for another day anyway, there was no reason to hurry.
¡°Are you impatient?¡± Mizu, by Arthur¡¯s side, squeezed his hand. ¡°You were nervous about arriving before.¡±
¡°Not impatient. And I still don¡¯t feel great about having to give all those presentations.¡± Arthur had a pile of various documents, books, and notebooks by his side, all meant to prepare him for updating the Demon World on the progress that Coldbrook¡¯s crafters, builders, and warriors had made. The town had innovated upon the general way things were done and added their own unique flavor to almost every process. ¡°But I¡¯m worried Karbo and the others might beat us after all.¡±
¡°Karbo¡¯s group?¡± Talca laughed. ¡°They left at the same time we did, Arthur. I know the transporter they¡¯re with. He¡¯s good, but he can¡¯t keep up with me and Littal.¡± Talca reached down and patted the Hing on his side with a medium hard slap, the same affectionate way one might pat the side of a big dog or a horse. Littal grunted and shook his head, returning the sentiment as best he could. ¡°We¡¯ve been making pretty good time, even by my standards. That stop we made wouldn¡¯t be nearly enough to let them catch up. I¡¯m winning that bet. There¡¯s no question about it.¡±
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
¡°Well, maybe.¡± Arthur didn¡¯t have a good sense of how much Talca¡¯s bet was worth since the stakes tended to be knowledge he had assembled as a constant traveler. Winning a bet against him often meant he¡¯d give up the location of some secret restaurant or craftsman who otherwise didn¡¯t care to be found. If not that, he tended to bet meals at the same restaurants, or drinks at his favorite bars. Arthur knew that nothing bad would come if they lost, but he still had enough team spirit to want Talca to win. ¡°Their wagon really isn¡¯t fast enough to beat you. Unless Karbo got bored, decided he wanted to arrive sooner, and picked up and carried the wagon himself.¡±
¡°Ha. That would be funny if it could happen,¡± Talca chuckled, then stopped as he saw the expressions of his passengers twist into various versions of wry, knowing, or wistful. ¡°He couldn¡¯t¡ No, he could. But nobody would¡ Nope, he would. Gods. We need to get a move on, Littal. We are going to lose.¡±
Littal lifted his head and gave a trumpeting sort of goat-roar as the Hing¡¯s muscles tensed before the whole wagon accelerated forward with all the force of a battery of cannons.
¡°Just hold on tight,¡± Mizu said, grinning at Arthur, who was lurching around his seat wildly. He had a riding-in-wagons skill, courtesy of previous trips with Talca, that was supposed to steady him and make rides seem smoother than they really were. Riding with perhaps the best transporter in the world going all-out tended to negate that kind of thing though. ¡°I¡¯ll keep you safe.¡±
Arthur wasn¡¯t the kind to be prideful in that situation. Not only would it be nice if his slightly-stronger-than-him water elemental girlfriend kept him from flying out of the wagon, she was also pretty nice to hold on to. This wasn¡¯t the normal setting for that kind of thing, but he¡¯d take it, especially when the wagon tipped up at an alarmingly steep angle as Talca gave up on any pretense of winding around hills in a safe-and-comfortable way.
¡°Yuck.¡± Lily screwed up her face. ¡°Arthur and Mizu. We¡¯re the cutest in the entire world and we don¡¯t care who knows it.¡±
¡°We don¡¯t,¡± Mizu said. ¡°I don¡¯t, anyway. And I like it when he gets embarrassed. Anyway, Talca, you didn¡¯t ever answer Arthur when he asked. How long until we can see the capital?¡±
¡°Five seconds,¡± Talca said. ¡°Maybe less. It¡¯s coming over the hill just about¡ now.¡±
Arthur twisted around in his seat. The wagon was bouncing quite a bit, which would have normally made it hard to spot a distant settlement or town. That wasn¡¯t an issue here. The capital was huge, well beyond anything he had ever seen. He had dim memories of seeing earth metropolises from the sky in a plane, but this was both closer and more substantial. The wall alone was so large and thick it looked almost eternal.
¡°Wow. Wow.¡± Arthur glanced around the wagon, looking for someone who shared the same deep feelings he was having when confronted with the biggest and busiest city he had ever seen. Milo looked impressed, but only so much as one could be when they had already seen a place several times. Mizu was even worse. She had visited the capital dozens of times with her mother over the years.
Arthur needed someone who could share the first-time-seeing-the-grand-canyon amazement he was feeling. And like usual, Lily came through for him in a clutch moment.
¡°It¡¯s impossible,¡± Lily said. ¡°It¡¯s not possible for a city to be that big. It should collapse in on itself. Or knock itself down, or something.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not a city.¡± Arthur continued gaping at the tableau. ¡°It¡¯s a territory, or something.¡±
¡°It¡¯s actually three territories,¡± Talca shouted as he leaned forward and gave Littal what feedback he could through the reigns. ¡°It used to be three cities with their own range of influence. They grew until the borders didn¡¯t matter much, anymore.¡±
¡°So now it¡¯s all the same?¡±
¡°Kinda! Ask Mizu!¡± Talca yelled. ¡°I want to make sure we don¡¯t die once we hit the downhill.¡±
Arthur voluntarily withdrew from that conversation. Mizu was listening and laughing to the whole thing, and was more than happy to fill in the gap.
¡°The three cities focused on separate things. Agriculture was one. I can¡¯t remember the other two.¡± Mizu pointed down at the town. ¡°See that big building? It¡¯s a concert hall. That third of the city has tons of them.¡±
¡°Because of agriculture?¡±
¡°Kind of!¡± Milo yelled. ¡°Spiky could explain it better. Starting with different focuses set each city on a different path. They ended up in different places, but how they got there is more complex than I can explain.¡±
¡°Industrial!¡± Talca yelled, with no context at all, his voice shaking as the wagon careened around various rocks, plants, and sheer drops that would have otherwise splintered the cart into pieces. ¡°Entertainment! Academic!¡±
¡°What¡¯s he yelling?¡±
¡°The general flavor of the districts. Of course, they all overlap these days. The academic district has entertainment. The industrial district has researchers.¡± Mizu was still the most knowledgeable person besides Talca in the wagon, and seemed pleased to be the one explaining the capital. ¡°You¡¯re going to be spending most of your time in the academic district. That¡¯s where they have all the buildings and classrooms they use for this kind of thing.¡±
¡°And you?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll follow you around, but mostly I¡¯ll be at the center of the city, where the three come together. That¡¯s where the biggest of the wells are.¡± Mizu hugged Arthur to her a bit tighter, suddenly excited about the prospect of seeing all the newest weller innovations. ¡°I¡¯m going to be able to tour all the important wells and distribution stations in the city. I¡¯ll learn so much.¡±
¡°I¡¯m glad for you. And don¡¯t feel like you have to stick that close to me as a general thing. I¡¯d almost rather you missed all the talks, so I don¡¯t embarrass myself in front of you.¡±
¡°You¡¯ll do fine, Arthur. I promise. I¡¯ve seen one of these before. They don¡¯t expect professional speaking abilities,¡± Milo said. ¡°Just tell them what you know, explain that you don¡¯t know any more than that, and they¡¯ll get the rest out of the supplementary materials Spiky sent you with.¡±
Chapter 202: Anti-Karbo Pamphlet
¡°Milo, where are you going?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°The industrial district. No question,¡± Milo answered without any hesitation.
¡°That makes sense. I¡¯d imagine there¡¯s a lot of smithing there.¡±
¡°Not just smithing. It¡¯s bigger than that.¡± Milo made some sweeping arm gestures over his head, trying to indicate just how big. ¡°It¡¯s all of industry. Making things. Fixing things. Melting things. Pouring things. I¡¯m not just a smith now. I¡¯m a machinist. It¡¯s a rare class, but the capital has tons of automation and machine-builders compared to anywhere else. This is the only chance I¡¯ll get to learn about how they work. At least for a long time after this.¡±
Arthur took the opening Milo left. ¡°I can ask Spiky to send you next time. To make sure you get another bite at that apple.¡±
¡°Not a chance, sucker.¡± Milo smirked. ¡°You¡¯ll be the one explaining all that stuff in your little classroom. I¡¯ll be out messing with molten iron.¡±
Big chunks of the city disappeared from view as the wagon dropped in altitude. The wall was rising up to a blocking angle, meaning they could see less and less of the city and more and more of the tall, looming wall. As the cart finally crashed off the hill and onto a level road, Arthur was surprised to see just how many buildings were in place around the city, and how much more permanently they had been built and arranged.
¡°Is there no worry about monster waves at all?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Not here. Imagine a city with five or ten guys just like Karbo. Would they worry?¡± Milo said.
¡°I guess not. Although there¡¯s no chance that they¡¯re just like Karbo.¡±
The capital was all the more impressive to Arthur because they levied no taxes on other cities and colonies to support themselves. Everyone contributed to the government, which distributed funds to the various purposes that could use them best such as the expansion. And the capital supported itself through its own efforts, using city taxes on city activities instead of anyone else¡¯s work.
¡°So how do we get in?¡± Arthur leaned up closer to Talca¡¯s seat. ¡°That¡¯s a big wall. I¡¯m assuming there¡¯s a gate somewhere.¡±
¡°Lots of them. As the capital got safer and safer, the city cut more of them into the wall. We can just keep going straight and pick the first one we see,¡± Talca said.
The gate that popped up first was a pretty nondescript thing, just a pair of iron doors in a simple bricked archway allowing entrance through the wall. It was big enough to allow two wagons like Talca¡¯s to enter abreast, but smaller than Arthur would have expected for the massive capital.
¡°This is one of the minor entrances, I guess?¡± Arthur ventured.
¡°It is.¡± Mizu nodded. ¡°The main entrance is much, much bigger. This is better. There¡¯s no wait.¡±
Arthur didn¡¯t have to ask what the wait would have been for, as that question was answered by a rapidly approaching guard.
¡°HOLD!¡± the larger of the two shouted, clanking the butt of his all-metal halberd on the ground. He was, overall, the largest rodent demon Arthur had ever seen. He looked like someone had puffed up a rat with a bicycle pump. ¡°HOLD FOR INSPECTION!¡±
¡°For the love of every single god, Hyde. Pipe down. It¡¯s a wagon, filled with initiates. Do you think they have a monster wave with them?¡± A bored looking cat demon rose from a stool, approaching at a much more sedate pace. ¡°Where would they keep it? Under the benches?¡±
¡°They might have fruit!¡± Hyde said, undeterred. ¡°We are supposed to inspect fruit.¡±
¡°If we see it, and if it¡¯s clearly infested with some sort of plague. You need to calm down, Hyde. You¡¯re going to pop your heart if you keep going like that.¡± The cat turned to the group. ¡°Sorry. He¡¯s excitable.¡±
¡°No problem.¡± Talca picked a bit of dirt off the bench next to him and flicked it away. ¡°He¡¯s new to the job?¡±
¡°No. He actually trained me.¡± The cat frowned, helplessly. ¡°And I¡¯ve been in the job for five years. You look like you know the drill, right?¡±
¡°I do. I¡¯m transporting passengers, not cargo. Preserved food supplies, nothing fresh.¡±
¡°I¡¯m getting some feedback from my skill, Yata,¡± the large rodent said, only slightly quieter now. ¡°Some good I haven¡¯t seen.¡±
¡°Oh. In this bag?¡± Talca had jumped over the bench to the back of the cart, and pulled up Arthur¡¯s traveling sack.
¡°Yes! That.¡± The rodent nodded.
¡°It¡¯s Arthur¡¯s stuff.¡± Talca tossed the bag over to Arthur, shrugging his shoulders. ¡°I am not getting paid enough to explain this, Arthur. Figure it out so we can go on.¡±
¡°Oh.¡± Arthur unzipped the bag. ¡°What does your skill look for?¡±
¡°It flags anything I understand to be illegal, or anything I don¡¯t understand at all,¡± the guard said. ¡°It¡¯s called Well, well, well.¡±
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
¡°I want that,¡± Mizu said. ¡°Arthur, I want that skill name.¡±
¡°Maybe we can get it as an achievement. Let me handle this first.¡± Arthur unzipped his bag, reaching for a large leather storage pouch inside. ¡°It¡¯s probably this. Right?¡±
The cat nodded. ¡°Yes, yes. That¡¯s it. What¡¯s in there? Is it Jeremy blood?¡±
¡°No. Also, please don¡¯t say that ever again.¡± Arthur shuddered. ¡°It¡¯s boba pearls. It¡¯s a food item, made of flour.¡±
¡°Oooh, new food. You don¡¯t see that very often.¡± Yata walked up and sniffed the opening of the bag. ¡°The capital typically has everything there is to have. What do these boba pearls do?¡±
¡°You soak them in hot water and they poof up a bit. Then you put them in tea.¡±
¡°It¡¯s what his class does. He¡¯s a teamaster,¡± Lily said.
¡°See, Hyde? There was absolutely no reason to make a big deal out of this. It¡¯s food. It¡¯s not even dangerous food. You need to calm down,¡± the cat said.
¡°It¡¯s my job to keep the city safe,¡± Hyde replied.
¡°Yes, well, it¡¯s also your job to make the city fun to visit.¡± Yata waved the group past. ¡°You can go. Am I right that you are here for the expo?¡±
¡°Yes,¡± Talca said. ¡°They are, anyway. I¡¯m just the transporter.¡±
¡°Then enjoy your stay. And¡ one last question, if I could. For you.¡± Yata looked at Mizu. ¡°You asked him to get you a skill like you thought he actually could. What was that about?¡±
¡°Oh, right, you haven¡¯t met Arthur.¡± Lily cut in before Mizu could answer. ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain, and we don¡¯t have time. Talca has a bet to win.¡±
¡°I can¡¯t keep you, then. Anything I have to worry about?¡±
¡°Worry? No,¡± Mizu laughed. ¡°But if a bit of boba and me thinking Arthur might make something weird happen surprised you¡¡±
¡°Then hold on to your butts,¡± Milo said.
The wagon rolled on before Arthur could find the words to disagree with the group properly.
¡°You guys are going to give me a bad reputation,¡± Arthur said. ¡°They have no idea what you were talking about.¡±
¡°Oh, cut them some slack,¡± Talca said. ¡°It¡¯s better to give them a heads-up. Now shush. I need to get to the inn as fast as possible without mowing anyone down. That takes concentration.¡±
Talca spent the next ten minutes weaving through foot traffic and turning into side streets, cutting every fraction of a second from their travel time that he could. It was impressive, in a highly-specialized-skill sort of way. There were a dozen times Arthur thought some smaller, slower demon was going to get bulldozed by the cart, only to see the wagon shift subtly out of the way at the last second.
And it was all for naught. They turned one last corner, revealing a large, friendly looking inn down the street. It was a multi-storied affair, with a simple sign reading Capital Comfort above the door. It had food smells that wafted across the streets, as well as an overall sense of activity around and inside it.
Best of all, particularly from Talca¡¯s point of view, it didn¡¯t have a giant red infernal demon in the courtyard at all.
¡°We made it,¡± Talca sighed. ¡°We won.¡±
He was glad just a moment too soon. From the sky, a whoop issued, intermixed with a chorus of terrified screams and the bellowing of what sounded like a large bison. A crack sounded, and a massive crater opened in the ground as Karbo landed, cradling a wagon in one hand and a large, terrified ox-beast in the other.
¡°You maniac!¡± The small mole-looking transporter was off his bench in a moment, ineffectually kicking at Karbo¡¯s leg. ¡°Look at Bova! Just look at him! He¡¯s terrified.¡±
¡°And the ground, dear husband. You¡¯ve left a hole in the ground.¡± Itela was practical about the whole affair, having experienced Karbo¡¯s general Karboness a bit more than anyone else. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t do that.¡±
¡°Oh, huh.¡± Karbo looked down at the ground, which was slowly seeping water from some broken pipe. ¡°Yeah, I guess. Sorry.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t apologize to me, Karbo.¡± Itela pointed to the driver, who was still trying to connect his foot with Karbo¡¯s shins, then down the road at a fast-approaching group of guards. ¡°Apologize to them.¡±
¡°Karbo Battlemaster?¡± the guard asked, his voice dripping with annoyance.
¡°Yes?¡± Karbo glanced at Itela nervously. ¡°How do you know my name?¡±
¡°Every guard in the city knows your name. There¡¯s a whole dossier on how to try and keep you from breaking things.¡± The guard looked down at the crater, which was fast becoming a large puddle, then slapped his own forehead. ¡°Which we¡¯ve already failed to do. Goodbye, bonus pay.¡±
¡°Oh.¡± Karbo kicked at the water a bit, chastened. ¡°Sorry about that. Can I pay to fix it?¡±
¡°No, you can¡¯t. That¡¯s city business, and a city expense.¡± The guard took a closer look at one of the cracks in the ground. ¡°The bigger issue, Mr. Battlemaster, is that you¡¯ve broken a water pipe. A large one. One that will flood this entire street in less than a half hour, if I don¡¯t get a water specialist and a smith here in time. And then this becomes a much larger problem.¡±
¡°Oh. So just do that?¡± Karbo said hopefully. ¡°I can carry them if you want.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t want. And it¡¯s harder than that. The whole city is busy right now for the expo. With all sorts of problems. You¡¯ve just added one more that we can¡¯t easily handle.¡±
¡°Excuse me.¡± Mizu hopped out of Talca¡¯s wagon, which had by now rolled much closer to the general Karbo-devastation. ¡°I could probably help with that. I¡¯m a weller. I¡¯d need permission, of course, but¡¡±
¡°You have it.¡± The guard didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°I have no idea where the valves are, but if you can find them and get the water held back, that would be great. Of course, that leaves the entire street without water, which is a problem in and of itself.¡±
A window a few stories above opened as a rabbit demon poked his still-soapy head out, looked to find the source of his sudden lack of water pressure, found it, and then ducked back into the window as he realized it was too big of a problem for him to deal with.
¡°See? There¡¯s still a problem,¡± the guard said, starting at Karbo.
Karbo looked around, found Milo, and lifted him one-handed out of the wagon before depositing himself on the ground in front of the guard.
¡°This is a smith. Do the permission-giving thing with him,¡± Karbo said proudly.
¡°Is that true?¡±
¡°It¡¯s true. Although I¡¯ll have to unpack¡ a lot of things. It will take a minute,¡± Milo said.
¡°Use these men.¡± The guard nodded at the other guards behind him, who broke away towards Milo. ¡°They¡¯ll help you as much as they can. Just get it done quick if you can. Gods, I still have to find stampers to fix this.¡±
¡°But it¡¯s not a big problem now, right?¡± Karbo asked. ¡°I can go?¡±
¡°Yes. For now,¡± the guard sighed. ¡°Partially because I don¡¯t have the ability to actually stop you from doing so. But know this, Karbo Battlemaster. If you break one more thing, even a single brick on the road, I¡¯m going to invoke item eleven of the Anti-Karbo Pamphlet.¡±
¡°Which is?¡± Itela¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°It sounds scary.¡±
¡°It¡¯s just one line.¡± The guard grinned, suddenly sinister. ¡°It says this: In all our efforts to keep our town intact, there is one thing we have not tried. If you find yourself unable to control Karbo, you are cleared to contact his mother.¡±
¡°You wouldn¡¯t.¡± Karbo gulped.
¡°I absolutely would.¡± The guard turned to his men, instructing them on what to do once the road was patched up. Karbo waited patiently, looking scared and nervous for the first time Arthur had ever seen. ¡°So behave yourself. Agreed?¡±
Karbo gulped again. ¡°Agreed.¡±
Chapter 203: Teamaster of Earth
After the literal dust had cleared and the combination of Mizu and Milo emptied, welded, and reinforced a water pipe, the two groups finally had time to greet each other. As Arthur guessed, Karbo had gotten bored at some point and covered the last few hours of travel midair, dragging Itela, Ella, Minos, Eito, and a very terrified wagoner with him.
Now that the guards were gone, they were all reacting to this in very different ways.
¡°Dad! Mom!¡± Milo shook some of the water and mud off his hands and ran up to his parents. ¡°Sorry. I got sort of caught up in that project.¡±
¡°No problem. I needed to catch my breath anyway,¡± Minos said. ¡°You think being a great big adventuring type would help me weather that kind of thing, but¡¡±
¡°But he squealed like a little girl.¡± Ella put her arm around her husband¡¯s waist. ¡°He never liked heights.¡±
¡°The only little girl I know is Lily, and she loves that kind of stuff,¡± Arthur said. ¡°I¡¯m with you, Minos. Being carried by Karbo is terrifying.¡±
¡°To be fair, nobody was ever meant to endure those kinds of speeds. It would have hurt us if Karbo¡¯s protective auras weren¡¯t so big.¡± Eito yawned. ¡°They aren¡¯t supposed to be, you know. He¡¯s doing something to make the auras bigger when he has people with him. He can¡¯t explain it at all. He¡¯s forgotten how he figured it out in the first place.¡±
Off to the side, Talca was arguing with Karbo, trying to make his case that carrying the wagons was cheating. Karbo wasn¡¯t having it. Arthur was forced to take the infernal¡¯s side when they brought the argument to him and Karbo pointed out that if not carrying the wagons was a rule, Talca had to mention it before the bet was struck. He felt bad for Talca, since it was legitimately hard to remember that Karbo could do things like that, even after watching him bulldoze a monster army or level an inconveniently bumpy mountain.
After a bit, Talca relented.
¡°Okay, everyone. Karbo is the official winner of the race to the capital.¡± He looked at the driver with some pity. ¡°And Hiu, of course.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t tie me up in this mess.¡± Hiu was petting his ox-beast''s neck tenderly while still glaring daggers at Karbo. ¡°I was perfectly content to take the loss without terrifying poor Bova. I don¡¯t want anything to do with this.¡±
¡°Well, there¡¯s a free lunch involved,¡± Talca explained. ¡°At a restaurant only I know.¡±
¡°Oh.¡± That did appear to change things for Hiu and even his beast, Bova. ¡°Is it as good as the breakfast master?¡±
¡°Different. But it¡¯s arguable, at least.¡±
¡°Hmph.¡± The wagoner was trapped between his own anger and hunger. ¡°Fine then. But I need to put up Bova first.¡±
¡°No problem. We all need to get ready, anyway.¡± Ella gently maneuvered her husband and son towards the door of the inn. ¡°Let¡¯s all get checked in and cleaned up. We can go after.¡±
The interior of the inn was very nice. Arthur had next to no experience with big-city hotels, but he had expected something in the marble-and-big-pillars kind of things. The foyer of the hotel was big, but wasn¡¯t at all intimidating in those ways beyond that. There were couches, chairs, and tables, but all were relatively simple, sturdy, well-executed designs. There were shiny things, but they tended to be brass, not gold, and showed real use instead of being buffed within an inch of their life.
¡°Welcome!¡± a heavy-set elephant man behind the counter yelled. ¡°Thanks for getting the water running again. I¡¯ve been watching through the window. It was good work.¡±
¡°It was the least we could do,¡± Milo said. ¡°Especially since we know the guy who broke it.¡±
The elephant dismissed this with a wave. ¡°Karbo always breaks things. They usually don¡¯t get fixed that fast. You¡¯re a net benefit for our city, as far as I¡¯m concerned. Itela, I found the reservation for you, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be enough rooms to cover your entire party.¡±
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s two parties. You¡¯ll be looking for Arthur Teamaster for the other reservation.¡±
¡°OF EARTH?¡± The elephant bumped into the counter as he stepped forward, looked down like he was shocked to see it there, and then circled around. ¡°My gods, it really is you. I¡¯m sorry. I thought you were some sort of ¡ª¡±
He stopped mid-sentence.
¡°You can say it.¡± Mizu looked amused. ¡°He¡¯s a shaved monkey, but he¡¯s our shaved monkey.¡±
The elephant stopped in his tracks and looked embarrassed. If there was any question about what he was going to say, it was resolved from his facial expression alone. He shook it off and bravely continued.
¡°My wife is a tremendous fan of yours. A huge admirer. Please, if you could find the time to talk with her during your trip, she¡¯d love it.¡± The elephant blinked, looking hopefully from face to face, but mostly at Arthur. ¡°It would mean so much to her.¡±
¡°Is this a prank?¡± Arthur looked at Lily and Milo with accusatory eyes.
¡°It wasn¡¯t me.¡± Milo shook his head.
¡°Me either.¡± Lily looked like she was about to laugh. ¡°You might actually be famous. Although I don¡¯t know how.¡±
¡°The boba!¡± the elephant yelled. ¡°The paper on boba tea!¡±
¡°What are we talking about, now?¡± Eito asked. ¡°Arthur, did you write something about your work?¡±
¡°I mean, yeah,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Spiky wrote most of it, really. It wasn¡¯t long or that important. Is that what this is about?¡±
The elephant became serious. ¡°Arthur, I don¡¯t think you understand how the capital works. Do you know how many teamasters there are in the capital? Not just beverage classes but classes that are specifically about brewing and preparing tea.¡±
¡°Dozens?¡± Arthur had no idea how to estimate things like that, but he took a stab.
¡°Hundreds. Hundreds upon hundreds. Tea is important. And past a certain point, there are only so many things that people can do to level. I¡¯ve heard about it from my wife thousands of times. You must know yourself. You can only boil the water so well. There are only so many leaves to try.¡±
¡°Oh, I¡¯ve got it,¡± Eito said. ¡°He introduced a variant.¡±
The elephant nodded vigorously, apparently pleased someone was following along. ¡°An offworld variant. A good one.¡±
¡°Still not following,¡± Mizu said. ¡°This is about boba?¡±
¡°Indeed,¡± Eito explained. ¡°Boba is a big deal, it¡¯s something new that people can get better at. It opens a whole new world of minor skills and achievements. Both tend to matter when one hits a bottleneck.¡±
¡°My wife was stuck at a bottleneck. She¡¯s been there for months, maybe even years. But she read your pamphlet, and by the time the dust cleared, she had gained two levels.¡± The elephant had been doing a pretty good job of controlling his volume, but lost it now. ¡°TWO!¡±
¡°Oh, good,¡± Arthur said. ¡°I¡¯m glad for her. I can absolutely meet her. I¡¯ll just have to find the time. It¡¯s just going to be busy while I¡¯m here.¡±
¡°Ah.¡± The elephant seemed to snap back into a normal frame of mind. ¡°Actually, in a strict hotelier sense, I probably wasn¡¯t supposed to do¡ any of that. You are a guest. I shouldn¡¯t be making requests of you, especially before you¡¯ve had a chance to rest and enjoy the amenities.¡±
¡°It¡¯s no problem,¡± Arthur said, getting increasingly uncomfortable with being treated like a somebody over something as small as a published recipe. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to be busy every single minute. And I¡¯d be glad to compare notes with her. If she¡¯s worked that much on it, she¡¯s probably noticed things I haven¡¯t.¡±
¡°Oh, just look at the superstar.¡± Lily was holding her ribs, trying not to laugh. ¡°So humble. So down to earth. He¡¯s really managed to stay one of us.¡±
¡°Shh, you.¡± Arthur flicked Lily on the head very softly. ¡°But yes, tell your wife I¡¯ll make it down there once I get settled. Speaking of which¡¡±
¡°Oh, yes, your rooms.¡± The elephant man fished out keys and handed one over to Milo, Arthur, Lily, and Mizu. ¡°Thanks to your efforts, the water should be hot and flowing. Will you be taking lunch here? I could send it up to the rooms.¡±
¡°No lunch,¡± Talca said. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking them to Uttap¡¯s.¡±
¡°Oooh.¡± The elephant¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°How do you even know about her?¡±
¡°I¡¯m a transporter.¡±
¡°Of course. Well, If you need anything, please let me know. I am here to serve.¡±
¡ª
The room was small, smaller in fact than Arthur¡¯s room at his own house. There was a chair by the window, which shared use of a side table between it and the bed. Otherwise, there was just enough room to get from the bed to the bathroom, and not a lot else.
It¡¯s a room meant for sleeping, not entertaining. Arthur was fine with that. He liked the simplicity of it. Although I might ask the elephant if there¡¯s a room for working in. And his name. If he said it, I think I missed it.
Arthur took his clothes out of his bag, hung them up in the closet, and dumped the things he had traveled in into a chute labeled laundry. With no further ado, he ran to the shower. On the road, there had been a few opportunities to bathe, but they had all either been while he was exhausted or in cold, cold rivers. The prospect of a real shower with a mostly rested body followed by donning more comfortable walking-around clothes was far, far too much to resist even if Arthur had a reason to.
The water was just as hot as promised, and the water pressure was almost as good as the Mizu-designed water supply at his house. Within a few minutes, Arthur was nearly boiled pink, but clean and relaxed in a way he hadn¡¯t been able to manage in a week. He dried off with a huge, fluffy towel and walked towards his clothes, feeling anticipation build in his heart.
It was time to really visit the capital.
Chapter 204: Noodles
By the time Arthur was done, everyone else was already out in the foyer waiting for him.
¡°There you are,¡± Mizu said. ¡°You smell better.¡±
¡°It¡¯s the soap. I think it has flowers in it,¡± Arthur said.
She went up on tiptoes, bent him over a bit, and smelled his hair. ¡°I think it¡¯s blue star. And something else. I really like it.¡±
¡°Oh, you love to see it,¡± Ella said. ¡°Did I ever tell you about the time I caught them on that bench, Itela? Both of them were sitting in my backyard, just smiling in their sleep.¡±
¡°That¡¯s very cute. And I¡¯d find it much more cute if I wasn¡¯t starving. Talca, where are we going? Is it far?¡± Itela stood from her chair, ready to go. ¡°And will they sell me three servings of whatever it is they make? I¡¯m starving.¡±
Karbo nodded appreciatively at his wife¡¯s words. It looked like he agreed in full.
¡°They will. And it¡¯s a bit far, but it¡¯s worth it, I promise.¡± Talca glanced up at a clock on the wall. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m not staying in the capital like you folks. Once we¡¯ve eaten, need to pick up my new load and get going.¡±
Talca was fully hired for the entirety of the trip, but only needed for the coming to and leaving of the capital. In the meantime, there were goods in the capital that weren¡¯t available elsewhere, or would be more expensive. The wagoner had rented a depot on his way about halfway back towards Coldbrook where he¡¯d be dumping things, making frequent back-and-forth trips until he had accumulated as many big-city goods as he could carry before it came time to head back to the frontier.
I¡¯d like to have him here, but I get it. Levels wait for no man.
As they walked through the city, Arthur was stuck by how different it all looked. The section they had started in was older than any other Demon World place he had ever walked through. It had a sense of antiquity, like it was built to an older style with older, richer materials. Then they turned a corner and found themselves in a place that looked almost futuristic by Demon World standards, using entirely different materials and much squarer angles.
¡°There¡¯s so much metal,¡± Arthur said. ¡°I¡¯m surprised it doesn¡¯t hurt my eyes.¡±
¡°This is what you could have had if you hadn¡¯t leaned into a brick-and-rock motif for Coldbrook,¡± Milo said. ¡°The whole town could have looked sharp enough to cut you.¡±
¡°I think I prefer the way we have it. Not that this isn¡¯t neat, but¡ how did this actually get built?¡±
¡°Part of the town was torn down. I think it was just deemed time to fix the infrastructure beneath it, and the houses weren¡¯t suited for newer amenities.¡± Mizu looked around, just as awestruck as Arthur by the sheer shininess of it all. ¡°I hadn¡¯t seen these buildings, but I saw the space when it was leveled.¡±
After the Demon-World-of-the-future section was passed, they found themselves in some kind of warehouse district littered with heavy-duty carts, big beasts of burden, and huge buildings clearly built for storage. Arthur was eagerly waiting to see what section of town they¡¯d go to next when Talca stopped outside of a giant, fragile-looking wood structure and motioned the others towards a staircase gracing the side of it.
¡°Up, up,¡± he said. ¡°I want to make sure we catch him before he leaves.¡±
¡°This?¡± Ella asked. ¡°It looks like a stone storage depot. He works out of here?¡±
¡°Yup. Uttap doesn¡¯t want people to find her. She says that transporters are easier customers.¡± Talca grinned. ¡°We are. Always hungry and more life experience. For the kind of food she makes, that matters.¡±
At the top of the staircase, a weather-beaten door creaked open to reveal a huge room that served as a sort of second-level attic for the shipping space below. In a corner and using about one percent of the space it could have was a shop, manned by a single fox woman who looked up, noticed them, then assumed a distinctly nervous manner as they approached.
¡°Talca,¡± she said. ¡°New people?¡±
¡°Yeah, sorry, I lost a bet. Don¡¯t worry. You don¡¯t have to explain anything, and nobody will complain. I promise.¡± Talca nodded.
Uttap screwed up her face in doubt, then tilted her head towards Ella.
¡°She¡¯s famous.¡±
It was a statement of fact and a complaint all in one. She said as if that was bad news and Arthur could understand why. If he was suddenly ambushed with the Demon World¡¯s best tea brewer and told to make him boba, he¡¯d have some nerves too.
¡°She¡¯s nice,¡± Talca promised. ¡°Ella, you are banned from saying anything at all unless you enjoy the food. Do you agree?¡±
Ella shrugged. ¡°Sure. Although I¡¯m sure it will be great.¡±
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
Uttap looked up in confusion. ¡°Why?¡±
¡°I can see your setup from here. It¡¯s perfect. Although I don¡¯t quite know for what.¡±
¡°Noodles.¡± Uttap motioned towards the chairs, commanding them to sit with an odd amount of authority from someone who didn¡¯t use words very well. ¡°I make noodles.¡±
Once they were in the chairs, Talca dropped his voice and started to explain.
¡°There are no menus here. Uttap is a little different from most people. I delivered something to her house once. That¡¯s how I found out about this place. There was hardly anything in her place besides a bed and boxes of salt. She either goes through a lot of salt, or doesn¡¯t want to run out,¡± Talca said.
¡°Or uses special salt,¡± Ella added. ¡°That¡¯s a thing. Different regions produce different flavors. It¡¯s subtle, but it¡¯s real.¡±
¡°Fair enough.¡±
¡°What kind of noodles does she make?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I kind of want meat.¡±
¡°Then you¡¯ll get it somewhere else.¡± Talca shook his head. ¡°They¡¯ll have it at the inn, I¡¯m sure. Uttap makes one thing. Exactly one. She makes noodles with butter, salt, and pepper. No alterations, no orders, no nothing. You sit down and she brings you a bowl.¡±
¡°Really?¡± Arthur pursed his lips. ¡°And that¡¯s enough to stay in business?¡±
¡°Well, she doesn¡¯t have much overhead.¡± Itela looked around. ¡°The rent has to be next to nothing.¡±
¡°But how good could it be?¡± Lily asked. ¡°There are hardly any steps. Where would the majicka go?¡±
¡°Hmm.¡± Ella looked thoughtful. ¡°I think I know. But let''s wait for the food. You might be surprised.¡±
Behind the counter, Uttap was puttering around, pouring water, boiling water, adding noodles, adding salt, and humming to herself. To Arthur¡¯s eyes, all the steps looked fairly conventional.
¡°She¡¯s not doing anything amazing that I can see,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Just what I¡¯d do.¡±
¡°I think, Arthur,¡± Ella said, watching with interest as Uttap poured the noodles into a strainer, ¡°that you¡¯re about to get a lesson is specificity. Am I on the right track, Talca?¡±
¡°Yup. She doesn¡¯t like to talk. Or do anything, I think, except make these noodles. It¡¯s what makes her happy.¡± Talca tapped his head with his finger. ¡°She thinks differently than most people. Nothing¡¯s wrong with that, of course. But her whole approach is¡ Well, there¡¯s a reason I rush here when I get to the capital.¡±
¡°And other places too, right?¡± Karbo asked. ¡°I want to know where those are too.¡±
¡°Then win some more bets. Now be quiet until I¡¯m done eating. Here she comes,¡± Talca hushed.
The cook approached the table, placed a tray with several heaped bowls of noodles down, then fled back to her corner of the shop. She really didn¡¯t seem to like interacting with people much. Talca dug in straight away, while Arthur picked up a pair of chopsticks and studied the bowl, trying to figure out what was going on.
Nothing about it seemed weird, at all. It was a bowl of fairly conventional, wheat-based noodles. It had fairly normal butter melted over it and had been peppered with, as he expected, fairly ordinary pepper. There was a slight feel of majicka enhancement coming off them, but nothing overpowering, and nothing that Food Scientist was giving him many clues about.
Arthur took a bite. It was normal. Almost disappointingly so. Standard in every way. He turned to Talca, only to find his mouth was full, and looked down at his bowl to see it was already halfway empty.
As the noodles hit his stomach, the subtle aftertaste of the bites he had taken hit him in tandem with the best, most powerful feeling of satiation he had ever experienced. He could still eat, but his stomach was rejoicing. This, it said, is food. Put more of it in me.
¡°Wow,¡± Ella said. ¡°That¡¯s really something. I couldn¡¯t do this.¡±
¡°Really?¡± Lily said, having cleared out her entire bowl already. ¡°It¡¯s good, but you¡¯re Ella.¡±
¡°And Ella cooks a lot of different things,¡± Minos said. ¡°It¡¯s specificity loss. The more you do, the less you can do at any one thing. This noodle chef wins.¡±
¡°Uttap can¡¯t cook anything else,¡± Talca said. ¡°At least that¡¯s what she says. That¡¯s why there are no options. She says she can¡¯t even grill meat.¡±
¡°I believe it.¡± Arthur rubbed his stomach and smacked his mouth. ¡°Is there any way¡¡±
¡°Sure,¡± Talca said. ¡°Uttap, keep them coming. I¡¯ll tell you when to stop.¡±
For the next hour, they ate. Ella broke away after her third bowl to go ask Uttap questions, which the fox answered as best she could, showing her kitchen setup and trying to explain the way she thought about butter. In the meantime, she kept the bowls flowing. At the end, it was just Karbo and Lily who managed to keep eating longer than the others. Karbo won, but not by much, putting down eight bowls to Lily¡¯s seven-and-a-half. The owl collapsed to the ground, rolling around in a sort of permanently puffed up state, holding her stomach and groaning in satisfaction.
¡°Lily, you¡¯re going to explode and become a ball of feathers,¡± Arthur said. ¡°What am I going to do with just feathers?¡±
Lily laughed before realizing that she was too full to even do that.
¡°She¡¯ll be fine,¡± Itela said. ¡°You might have to carry her back to the inn.¡±
¡°And you might have to do it now. Uttap, that¡¯s it. No more bowls.¡± Talca slapped down some large coins on the table, more than enough to cover their meal, and stood. ¡°She doesn¡¯t want us to stick around. Trust me. The best way to thank her is by clearing out.¡±
Nobody argued. Talca had been right enough about all things Uttap.
¡ª
¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Arthur said, shifting Lily a bit higher on his back as they made the trek back to the inn. Talca had already said goodbye and left to work various warehouses for goods, promising to check in periodically. ¡°Specificity is one thing, but is it worth it?¡±
¡°You had the noodles. You tell me,¡± Ella said.
¡°I mean, they were good. Maybe even in an impossible way. But she can¡¯t make anything else, right?¡± Arthur said. ¡°That feels awfully limiting, kind of like her place.¡±
¡°And everyone who eats there will never forget the experience. I guarantee you there¡¯s not a worker within a half-mile of that shop who wouldn¡¯t die to protect her. The woman is a treasure.¡±
¡°If that¡¯s the case, why does anyone go general?¡±
¡°The class picks the person, the person picks the class,¡± Ella said. ¡°Think about it however you want. But you make the tea that makes sense to you and will make your customers feel how you think they should feel. Right?¡±
¡°Right.¡±
¡°She does the same, only on a smaller scale with just her version of noodles. Probably with a little less emphasis on the customer¡¯s thoughts, but she works in a way that makes sense to her. She¡¯s lucky she¡¯s in the capital, I think. There are enough people to keep her going even when the noodles get old for some. They probably rotate out.¡±
Arthur stopped talking. Whatever explanations might have followed would have been extra because he grasped the real point. Uttap wanted the life she had. It fit her. And the system let her have it.
There wasn¡¯t a more Demon World thing than that.
Chapter 205: Double Shower Day
¡°I can¡¯t believe you didn¡¯t bring Rhodia. Whatever will you do with yourself?¡± Ella asked. ¡°I brought mine. See? If you bring them, they¡¯re with you. It¡¯s not hard.¡±
Minos patted his wife¡¯s hand as they walked arm in arm. ¡°Now now. The boy made a mistake. We can¡¯t all be smart all the time.¡±
¡°Mom. Dad. Come on,¡± Milo said. ¡°She didn¡¯t want to come. She¡¯s been here recently, she has her own work to do, and she said, ¡®you are going to spend all your time in smithies anyway, and I have no interest in that.¡¯¡±
¡°That is fair. Mizu has wells to go look at,¡± Arthur said. ¡°And if you go to a bunch of restaurants and cooking demonstrations, Minos isn¡¯t going to care. He¡¯ll be eating the whole time.¡±
¡°I really will,¡± Minos said. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to put on some weight lately. I¡¯m hoping this trip speeds that up.¡±
The combination of hiking everywhere, pushing his body beyond normal limits thanks to the use of system skills, and being generally active and social meant that for someone like Minos to try to gain weight, they had to really try. And when Minos tried to story body fat, it generally meant something very specific.
¡°Are you trying to go back out, dad? Already? The frontier just expanded,¡± Milo asked.
¡°It did. And one day it will need to expand again.¡± Minos made a grand gesture with his arm. ¡°And in that day, they¡¯ll need maps.¡±
¡°There¡¯s no hurry, though, right?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°I thought this was a once-in-a-generation sort of thing.¡±
¡°Oh, it is, but there¡¯s no use trying to stop him. He gets itchy.¡± Ella patted his hand. ¡°One time I managed to keep him home for a whole year and a half. He got so antsy he tried to build an addition onto the house.¡±
¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± Mizu said.
¡°Well, it didn¡¯t exactly turn out well.¡± Minos frowned. ¡°I sort of broke one of the walls.¡±
¡°Wait, wait.¡± Milo waved his arms and stopped everyone in the street. ¡°Are you talking about the wind room?¡±
¡°Yes, dear. I¡¯m surprised you remember it,¡± Ella said, then turned to address the rest of the group. ¡°When Minos said he broke a wall, he means he removed a wall from our house, then couldn¡¯t figure out how to put others up. He told Milo it was a wind room. For enjoying the wind in.¡±
¡°Which I¡¯m just now realizing today was steaming hot nonsense,¡± Milo said. ¡°How did I never figure that out before?¡±
¡°You were a kid, right?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°Everything seems normal when you are a kid.¡±
¡°That and all he wanted to do was stab furniture with his father¡¯s knife,¡± Ella said. ¡°He was in his warrior-class phase.¡±
¡°And with that, I think I¡¯m going to leave before the stories start,¡± Milo said smoothly. ¡°I can smell coal smoke somewhere around here. Someone¡¯s doing something with metal.¡±
¡°Meet you back at the hotel?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Maybe. If I don¡¯t run into you, I¡¯ll meet you for breakfast.¡± Milo disappeared into the distance.
¡°What about you?¡± Arthur looked at Ella and Minos, who were inching suspiciously close around Lily. ¡°Why are you ambushing my assistant?¡±
¡°Because she¡¯s coming shopping!¡± Minos yelled, as Ella got a hand on Lily and pulled her into a hug. ¡°Ella¡¯s been going stir-crazy without her. She calls it owl withdrawals. And I never got to buy her anything. Not so much as one dress.¡±
¡°Let me go!¡± Lily yelled. ¡°I¡¯m not a doll!¡±
¡°You are.¡± Ella hugged the owl to her chest. ¡°And I¡¯m going to buy you shoes.¡±
¡°I already have shoes!¡± Lily puffed up, as if by doing so she could expand beyond Ella¡¯s ability to hold her. ¡°Arthur made me buy them! They cost more than my furniture!¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t make you buy them,¡± Arthur said. ¡°It¡¯s a good investment. I counseled you to buy them.¡±
¡°You aren¡¯t going to save me?¡± Lily pleaded. .
¡°From them?¡± Arthur looked at Ella and Minos, who were visibly sizing her up for an all-new wardrobe, cost be damned. ¡°No. Absolutely not. I don¡¯t want my hand bit off.¡±
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
¡°And, to sweeten the pot,¡± Ella said, sweetly, ¡°If you come, I¡¯ll make sure Eito can¡¯t nag you about advancing your class too fast for two whole days.¡±
¡°Now hold on,¡± Eito said. ¡°That¡¯s not fair.¡±
¡°Three whole days.¡± Ella glanced at Eito, who snapped his mouth shut, then back at Lily. ¡°Deal?¡±
¡°No dresses.¡± Lily squinted. ¡°And no bows.¡±
¡°Skirts, and two bows. For your head, not on the clothes.¡±
¡°Practical skirts?¡±
¡°Only if I get to buy you a Coldfall dress.¡±
¡°Deal,¡± Lily said.
Minos and Ella didn¡¯t wait long enough to give Lily a chance to change her mind. They moved off in the direction of a shopping district, one of them holding each of her hands in case she decided to try and get away.
¡°So Mizu, me, Karbo, Itela, and Eito. That¡¯s five. What can five people get up to in a town this big?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Three people.¡± Karbo put an arm around Itela and kissed the top of her head. ¡°I¡¯m taking my lady to dinner. At a fancy spot.¡±
¡°Where?¡±
¡°The mayoral residence.¡± Itela rolled her eyes. ¡°We have a standing order to report within one day whenever Karbo is in town so the mayor can threaten him. The guards would have told him that Karbo¡¯s here by now, so we are expected.¡±
¡°There¡¯ll be food,¡± Karbo offered.
¡°That¡¯s true. The mayor has a very good chef on call.¡± Itela patted her husband¡¯s hand affectionately. ¡°Which means I don¡¯t have to kill you for making me sit through everything.¡±
¡°I¡¯m also leaving,¡± Eito said.
¡°You have responsibilities here?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°Already?¡±
¡°Well, not as such.¡± Eito suddenly looked awkward, more so than usual. More even than when he was explaining a Karbo-inflicted hangover to Arthur. ¡°I have¡ obligations. Of a sort.¡±
¡°Wait, what is this?¡± Mizu looked at Itela. ¡°Why is he being like that?¡±
¡°Because he has a¡ What would you call Jumie, Karbo?¡±
¡°Scary,¡± Karbo said. ¡°Thank the gods she¡¯s a dancer, or I¡¯d have competition. I still don¡¯t know how you two work.¡± Karbo shoved Eito the softest he possibly could, which was still enough to send his friend a few steps back. ¡°He sees her once every year or so, when he makes his way to the capital. And somehow she¡¯s still here waiting for him, every time.¡±
¡°An artist type?¡± Mizu tilted her head.
¡°You look confused, Mizu. Is that not good enough for Eito?¡± Itela¡¯s eyes twinkled as Eito began to visibly plot escape from the conversation at perhaps any cost.
¡°Just not what I would have expected,¡± she said.
¡°He broke her out of a six-year bottleneck,¡± Itela explained.
¡°He does that a lot.¡± Arthur looked at Eito in a new light. ¡°How many girlfriends does this man have?¡±
¡°It¡¯s not just that.¡± Itela nodded at Karbo, who caught Eito before he could skulk off. ¡°It was a six-year bottleneck that multiple very qualified trainers had been unsuccessful helping her break. Eito walked up, kissed her on the cheek, and said ¡®do a dance about that,¡¯ which really is quite the power move.¡±
¡°It¡¯s an acknowledged training technique! It¡¯s just a small amount of shock and discomfort, channeled. Any trainer would have done something similar,¡± Eito protested.
¡°According to Jumie, several of them did. But only Eito¡¯s little shock managed to sink in.¡± Itela grinned like a loon. ¡°Okay, Karbo, let him go. He¡¯s embarrassed enough.¡±
Karbo released his friend, who jogged away and around a corner before any more words could catch up to him.
¡°Is he okay? It¡¯s funny, but¡ I¡¯ve never seen him embarrassed like that.¡±
¡°Oh, he¡¯s fine.¡± Karbo said. ¡°He always wants to brag about her but doesn¡¯t know how. Bragging isn¡¯t really an Eito thing. Plus, even if he wasn¡¯t okay, he¡¯s going to see Jumie.¡±
¡°Is she pretty?¡± Mizu looked after Eito with interest. ¡°I bet she¡¯s pretty.¡±
¡°When she¡¯s just standing around, she¡¯s gorgeous,¡± Itela said. ¡°When she dances, she¡¯s like¡ oh, I don¡¯t know. All of the beauty of nature crammed into a single bottle, or something. I¡¯ll force Eito to get tickets to her next show. It¡¯s really worth seeing.¡±
¡°I thought the world didn¡¯t have real dancing classes,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Or something like that. No arts classes. Someone told me something like that.¡±
¡°It¡¯s kind of true,¡± Karbo said. ¡°She¡¯s not, either. Her real class is pretty close to mine. Closest I¡¯ve seen, anyway. Its¡ Jumper?¡±
¡°Mover,¡± Itela said. ¡°It is like Karbo¡¯s, except focusing on mobility. Jumie says that centuries ago, it was a versatile combat class. She found someone talking about it in a book. But the practical aspect is that it mostly just enhances what she gets out of her stats. She has a few very basic skills and a load of achievements that make them work better, but the rest of it is all her. And she likes to dance.¡±
¡°Huh. I wonder how far a cooking class could go, doing the same types of things,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Pretty far, but it¡¯s a different kind of thing.¡± Itela shook her head. ¡°Ask Ella about it, next time you see her. She¡¯ll explain it better than I can.¡±
¡°Will do.¡±
¡°Come on, Itela. We should get there,¡± Karbo said. ¡°He¡¯s going to want to yell at me for at least a few hours before he brings the snacks out.¡±
¡°I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s hungry again,¡± Mizu said. ¡°He just ate all those noodles.¡±
¡°Not hungry, maybe, but he gets food where he can get it.¡± Arthur took Mizu¡¯s hand as they started strolling back towards the hotel. ¡°So it¡¯s just you and me then. Any ideas? I sort of want to see the city, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve seen most of it already.¡±
¡°Not as much as you¡¯d think. Mom had a few places she liked when we came through. And then we¡¯d see all the wells. But not much besides that. We can just walk around if you want. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find something interesting.¡±
¡°Absolutely. Let''s do it.¡± A sudden thought hit Arthur. ¡°Except if it¡¯s okay I want to stop at the hotel first.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Its weird.¡±
¡°Just tell me.¡±
Arthur sighed. ¡°I just feel like I¡¯m behind on showers from the trip. I know that¡¯s not how it works, but the water felt so good earlier, and¡.¡±
Mizu kissed him on the cheek. ¡°No more explanation needed. It¡¯s genius. There¡¯s no law against taking two showers in the same day, Arthur. Nor could there be. I¡¯d rebel.¡±
¡°So double shower day?¡±
¡°Double shower day,¡± Mizu said. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you back in the lobby in an hour. Then we¡¯ll go out.¡±
Chapter 206: The Cup and Kettle
The second shower of the day was amazing.
Arthur had taken two showers on the same day before, but it had always been when he needed both. It was for utility. But this? This was raw hedonism. This was Caligula stuff. He swam in the water for a half hour, then used a small amount of soap, just for the pageantry of it. Just before he got out, he turned the water cold to stop himself from sweating. By the time he dried off with another huge, fresh towel, he felt fantastic.
Arthur chucked his nearly clean clothes onto hangers and put them into the closet. He wanted the full-fresh-clothes experience, but even in a free-energy, no-pollution world he felt kind of bad about sending almost completely clean clothes to be washed.
¡°There you are.¡± Mizu¡¯s hair was still a bit wet, and she was in the more casual of her nonwork street clothes, just the sleeveless shirt and skirt Arthur knew as her standard doesn¡¯t-know-what-the-day-might-hold outfit. ¡°I thought you¡¯d take longer.¡±
¡°It was mostly just for the feel of it,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Like when you take a bite of something just to get a taste in your mouth.¡±
¡°I know what you mean.¡± Mizu offered Arthur her hand and smiled. ¡°So, shall we?¡±
They strolled, In some ways, the capital was a lot like the city where Arthur and Mizu had met. There were businesses, busy streets, and a lot of people Arthur had never spoken to walking around taking care of business he barely understood. That in and of itself was a shock after spending so much time in a town where he knew literally everyone by name and most of them significantly better than that.
In some ways, it was very unlike the original city. The city had districts of a sort, but overall the edges of each different zone tended to blend into each other. In the capital, it seemed like every new street was a whole new environment. This street was restaurants and food carts. The next street was hotels, taverns, and inns. The street after that might have theaters, or residences, or even be the edge of a park.
¡°It¡¯s so weird,¡± Arthur said. ¡°I feel like I have choice paralysis. There are so many places I want to go that I can¡¯t choose one.¡±
¡°We could see a show. Or buy you a new coat. I know you wanted one.¡±
¡°I really can¡¯t decide. You do it.¡±
¡°No chance, Arthur Teamaster. What if I choose a place and we don¡¯t have fun?¡± Mizu frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be responsible for giving you a bad impression of a new place.¡±
¡°We¡¯ll have fun. We could have fun sitting on a bench,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s too much pressure. I have an idea, though.¡± She reached up and covered Arthur¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going to spin you around. When you feel ready, say stop.¡±
Mizu spun Arthur around, keeping his elbow in his hand while she span with him. After several turns of indecisiveness, Arthur decided randomness was better than dizziness and put a stop to it.
¡°Here,¡± Arthur said. ¡°You can take your hand off.¡±
¡°Are you sure?¡± Mizu¡¯s voice had laughter in it. ¡°I could spin you around.¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I made my choice. I¡¯ll live with it.¡±
Mizu took her hand off. Arthur found himself staring down an alley he had overlooked before, at a small shop with a simple sign. It was the kind of place he would have walked past if he didn¡¯t know it was there. Despite that, half the tables were full. People weren¡¯t ignoring it, even if it would have been easy to.
¡°No way,¡± Arthur said. ¡°You cheated somehow. There¡¯s no way this is random.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not random. It¡¯s Arthur,¡± Mizu said. ¡°We had considered that as the slogan for your campaign signs, but you were the only person in town who couldn¡¯t run.¡±
At the top of the shop, was a simple wooden sign reading The Cup and Kettle, the words set to the side of a simple but elegant carving of a tea leaf.
¡ª
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The owner of the shop was standing at another customer¡¯s table, having a friendly, quiet conversation. Arthur and Mizu sat down, and only waited a moment before a dog-demon boy just a year or two shy of having his own class walked up to their table.
¡°Welcome!¡± he said, brushing thick hair aside from over his eyes. He set a small plate of wafer-like cookies between Arthur and Mizu at the center of the table, then pulled a pad and pencil out of his apron. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯d like? I can help you with the menu if you don¡¯t.¡±
¡°What do you have that¡¯s medium-flavored? Spiced, if possible,¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Oh, plenty. Pepped, or unpepped?¡± the dog boy said.
¡°Mizu?¡±
¡°Pepped. We¡¯re going to be walking around all evening. And it¡¯s a while before dinner.¡±
¡°Hmm. If you don¡¯t mind a recommendation, I¡¯d try Evening Petals. It¡¯s a house favorite.¡± The boy pointed up at the shop¡¯s wall-mounted menu, which seemed to have a description of the blend but was just a bit too far for Arthur to actually read. ¡°I like it, anyway. It gets you going.¡±
¡°Where do you get your blends?¡±
¡°Oh, dad makes them. He does a big trip every year to get tea and ingredients, then blends them himself. He¡¯s been working on them since¡ well, forever. Mom complains that he spends too much time on it.¡± The boy realized he was probably talking too much and cut himself off. ¡°It¡¯s good, anyway.¡±
¡°We¡¯ll take it. A pot for two people.¡±
The boy nodded and walked back behind the counter, filled a kettle, and put it over the heat. Arthur was surprised to see that they used a wood fire here. As far as he knew, there was no real reason to. The water was separated from the smoke by a thick layer of cast iron, so it wasn¡¯t like it knew the difference. And wood fires, for all their good qualities, were harder to control. Magic heat was nothing if not even and consistent, and Arthur wondered what benefits they could possibly be getting from raw fire.
After a few minutes, the shop¡¯s owner ducked behind the counter as well. The boy had everything ready to go, but the man checked all the measurements with a trained eye and sensitive hand before brewing the tea himself. Watching him, Arthur felt like he finally knew what he looked like when he watched water boil and judged the best moment to remove the leaves from the steeping process. It was a focused face, one that paid as much attention to each and every pot and cared about the quality of the tea that was set in front of the customer.
Arthur knew the tea was going to be good before it even arrived. As the shop¡¯s owner went back to making his way through his small-talk rounds, the boy brought the teapot over and poured a cup for both Arthur and Mizu. Arthur held the cup under his nose and sniffed, breathing in as much of the powerful spice aroma as he could, before taking a sip of the still-scalding-hot-tea.
¡°Oh, careful, sir!¡± The boy started forward, then stopped when Arthur failed to wince or express pain. ¡°Never mind, looks like you got it. Cook class?¡±
¡°Yup.¡± Arthur didn¡¯t expand on that. There was no reason to blow his cover as a teamaster if it had even a small chance of ruining his and Mizu¡¯s date. It certainly couldn¡¯t have made the tea any better. The cup of tea he was drinking was about the best he had ever had. It blew his own brews away, so clearly superior that he wasn¡¯t the least bit ashamed to admit it. He looked up at the shop¡¯s teamaster, glad that he was at least a few decades older. Arthur had the benefit of plenty of time to perfect his class and catch up, which was great because there was a lot of catching up to do. The tea was, without exaggeration, perfect.
¡°Wow,¡± Mizu said. ¡°I¡¯ve had tea at shops in the city, but¡¡±
¡°Yeah. This is a whole different class of thing.¡±
The tea Arthur made was a different animal than what a pure tea shop made. Between the boba, the cream, the sugared syrups and whatever accessory ingredients Arthur happened to be using, the quality of his tea was a much less load-bearing part of the entire recipe. His class was very specifically for making boba tea, which was both more specific in some ways and more general in others as compared to a basic, hot-tea brewing class. Even so, this was better.
¡°It¡¯s better than your tea. The tea part, I mean,¡± Mizu said. ¡°No offense. There¡¯s this flavor in there that¡¯s just great. I can¡¯t place it.¡±
¡°No offense taken.¡± Arthur took another sip of the tea, activating Food Scientist and rolling the tea around on his tongue to get a better picture of how the blend was constructed. He almost immediately found the flavor Mizu was talking about. It was like a needle of flavor cutting faintly through the rest of the brew, distinct but not overpowering. He had been through enough flavors in his own research and development that he recognized it almost immediately. ¡°That taste is Blister Root, I think. It¡¯s hard to use. I haven¡¯t been able to make it work myself. It¡¯s always too strong.¡±
Across the room, the shop¡¯s teamaster heard the word Blister Root and snapped his head up, his long, shaggy hair flying back as he did. ¡°Treit, you just got boring. Someone just understood something about my tea.¡±
¡°Really? Don¡¯t waste time here then. You were getting pretty dull yourself.¡± The customer reached for his pot of tea and refilled his glass. ¡°Do give the wife my love, anyway. We can talk tomorrow.¡±
The teamaster nodded, clapped his friend on the shoulder, and hurried across the shop. Arthur shot an apologetic look at Mizu, who just smiled, shrugged, and went back to eating a cookie between sips of tea.
¡°Did you just say Blister Root? Are you an alchemist?¡± The teamaster put his hand on the teapot, flaring a bit of majicka as he did. ¡°No, that¡¯s Evening Petals. It¡¯s the only blend I have that uses that herb. How¡¯d you pin that down, son?¡±
¡°I have some skills for that kind of thing. I¡¯m a cook class.¡±
¡°I believe it, but that¡¯s not enough. That Blister Root is buried in that blend. You¡¯re a teamaster, aren¡¯t you? Here to steal my recipes. I know how it is.¡±
Chapter 207: The Breakfast Man
¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Arthur waved his hands in light panic as he tried to clarify that he wasn¡¯t a rival teamaster. ¡°I¡¯m just visiting the capital. This is a date. A normal date.¡±
¡°Not normal entirely.¡± Mizu smirked.
¡°Well, no. But I¡¯m not stealing recipes.¡± Arthur sipped the tea again. ¡°Not on purpose, anyway. How did you get the Blister Root to work? I¡¯ve been boiling it different ways for weeks. It¡¯s always too strong.¡±
¡°How many hours do you have? It''s not a simple plant.¡± The man motioned at his son to come from behind the counter and started barking orders as he approached. ¡°Get a Divine Census and a Tranquil Customer started. He¡¯ll want to try them.¡±
¡°Why?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Because they are weird. Some teas are for the customers and some are for educational purposes. I don¡¯t sell much of those blends, but I keep them around for people who can appreciate them. Proof of concept pieces, I guess you might call them.¡±
The teamaster jumped behind the counter and spent the next few minutes instructing his son in the finer points of the prep for those two blends before concentrating on his part of the task and returning with two smaller, sample-size batches of the new blends.
¡°Try those. I¡¯m too polite to interrupt your date, I think, but those will give us something to talk about if you ever make your way back to the shop. How long are you in town?¡± the teamaster asked.
¡°For the full expo. I¡¯m a representative,¡± Arthur said.
¡°That¡¯s a big job.¡± The old man¡¯s eyes flickered slightly, then lit up with understanding. ¡°You must be from the new colonies, then. At your age.¡±
¡°Coldbrook. It¡¯s out on the coast,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Coldbrook? I¡¯ve heard of it.¡± The old man slapped his leg. ¡°And now I know who you are. Boy, you better watch out. I know a teamaster who will be hunting you like a prey animal once she realizes you¡¯re in town.¡±
¡°Is she the wife of a hotelier? I think I might already have committed to meeting her.¡±
¡°Well, just guard your secrets, if you have any. Some people try to be sly about getting tricks of the trade out of folks. She¡¯s not subtle that way. Not about tea, anyway.¡± The old man nodded at Mizu and Arthur before lightly slapping the table. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll get out of your hair. Try those teas though. You¡¯ll find them interesting.¡±
The teamaster went back to his rounds as Arthur grabbed two of the spare teacups and poured one of the sample teas into them.
¡°You want to try this? I get the impression he didn¡¯t blend these to be tasty, exactly,¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Sure.¡± Mizu reached out and took one of the cups from Arthur, blowing over the top of it lightly to cool it. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll come back here? He seemed like he¡¯d be okay with that if you did.¡±
¡°Oh, absolutely. If there¡¯s time.¡± Arthur sipped the tea, and immediately felt the flavors of it blast across his tongue. ¡°Careful drinking this. Take a small, small sip.¡±
Mizu lifted her eyebrows but took the advice. She pursed her lips as Arthur watched her catch herself just before she spit it out.
¡°What was that? Arthur, is this tea a prank? It¡¯s¡¡± Mizu dropped her voice. ¡°It¡¯s gross.¡±
¡°I think he wasn¡¯t kidding when he said it was a proof of concept. Or that he didn¡¯t sell much of it.¡± Arthur took another sip. It was a blend of astringent flavors, all sharp edges and distinct impressions with no mellow tones or round tastes at all to balance it out. It was well-blended, in a sense, just well-blended so far in a particular direction it was almost impossible to enjoy. ¡°I don¡¯t know how this tastes to you, but for me, it¡¯s like a library. It¡¯s like drinking information.¡±
¡°About tea?¡± Mizu asked.
¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°You must be thrilled, then.¡±
¡°A little. Let¡¯s try the next one.¡±
The next blend was the opposite of the last, so round and sweet that it reminded Arthur of drinking melted caramel. There were multiple flavors in play, but everything was so indistinct and muddled that it was hard to tell what was what.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
¡°This is gross in a different way.¡± Mizu started as she realized she had said that at full volume, and wheeled around to look at the shop owner to see how he reacted. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡±
¡°It¡¯s no problem, miss,¡± the owner laughed. ¡°I should have said you didn¡¯t have to try them. Just ask him what they¡¯re about. He¡¯ll tell you.¡±
¡°What¡¯s it about?¡± Mizu was back to whispering. ¡°It¡¯s just sugar to me.¡±
¡°It has a lot of sugar. You almost shouldn¡¯t be able to taste anything over it.¡± Arthur took another sip. ¡°I think that¡¯s the point, though. All the sugar is from sweet things. He didn¡¯t add any sweetener. And given that you can still taste the ingredients that went into it over all that, I want to say that¡¯s the point. It¡¯s about getting flavors to come out where they shouldn¡¯t.¡±
¡°And this is helpful?¡±
¡°Kind of. I think.¡± Arthur took another sip of each of the drinks to set them in his mind, then went back to his normal, consumer-friendly tea. It was like a breath of fresh air, moving back to something that was supposed to be enjoyed after the two instructive teas. ¡°I haven¡¯t had time to think about them yet. But I think those teas are representative of how he thinks about making tea. They are experiments.¡±
¡°That I get. Like when I build a well to test out a new rune stack. Sometimes you build them in a certain way just to see how far you can push things,¡± Mizu said.
¡°That sounds about right. But yes, I need to come back here. This man knows a lot of things I don¡¯t.¡± Arthur thought for a moment. ¡°So does the hotelier¡¯s wife too, I bet. I wonder how many teamasters I can actually visit while I¡¯m here. There have to be a lot, right?¡±
Mizu smiled enigmatically.
¡°What?¡± Arthur looked around, then at Mizu. ¡°What did I do?¡±
¡°Oh, nothing.¡± She stood up, leaving a small stack of coins on the table as she did. She grabbed Arthur¡¯s hand and dragged him to his feet. ¡°It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve lost you to the sweet call of teashops. Come on. I want to get at least one good date night out of this trip before you fall down the tea-hole and don¡¯t come back out.¡±
¡ª
The capital was huge. Arthur and Mizu walked for a few hours, taking in the sights before they started to loop back, and they still hadn¡¯t seen even a small fraction of what there was to see. Not every street was meant to be visited anyways. Most places were just conventional in familiar ways, representative of the fact that people lived much the same way everywhere. There was food to eat. There were beds to sleep in. Everything was different, but nothing was alien except the sheer scope of it all.
¡°How do people get around the city?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°I mean, when they have to travel from one side to the other, or something. I can¡¯t think they just walk for four hours.¡±
¡°There are bigger roads, just for transporters.¡± Mizu pointed in an arcing motion off in the distance. ¡°They can get you across town a lot quicker. They just go as fast as they can in a straight line like it¡¯s a race. It¡¯s kind of terrifying.¡±
¡°Oh, we have to take Lily on that, then. She¡¯ll love it,¡± Arthur said.
They strolled back home on a different route, and in the process stumbled on a very nice park with a big, bricked platform in the center. There was a performer up on the stage playing a guitar-like instrument, backed by a percussionist on a small, handheld drum.
¡°He sounds pretty good.¡± Arthur¡¯s feet were starting to ache a bit from all the walking, even in his magic shoes. ¡°Want to take a breather?¡±
¡°Sure.¡± Mizu pointed at a bench near enough to the stage to hear everything was clearly. ¡°There looks good.¡±
They sat close together as the instrumental piece the players were performing wrapped up. The next song started, an up-tempo number that had the percussionists hands working like lightning. The guitarist started singing, turning out to be pretty good at that, too.
There¡¯s a town west of nowhere out beyond everyplace,
And he¡¯s firing up his oven and he¡¯s bringing out the plates,
And he¡¯s cooking up the bacon while he¡¯s frying every egg,
Don¡¯t look down, don¡¯t look back, it¡¯s too late,
It¡¯s the biggest breakfast ever made, a morning mealtime serenade,
He¡¯s cooking till you burst and then he¡¯s laughing at your shame,
He writes symphonies of bread and yeast and serenades with meat and grease,
He¡¯s breakfast-man the first and earned the name.
¡°Hey, I actually think I know that guy.¡± Arthur blinked. ¡°Not the musician. The breakfast man. This guy wrote a song about the breakfast man?¡±
¡°Wait, what? Arthur, everyone knows this song. It¡¯s a standard. The breakfast man is a legend. You¡¯ve met him?¡± Mizu asked.
¡°Yeah, I think so. Talca knows him. They¡¯re like friends or something.¡±
¡°Well, count yourself lucky. I hear there¡¯s an achievement if you actually manage to eat his whole breakfast.¡±
¡°That¡¯s true. We got that. Well, Spiky did, mainly.¡±
¡°WHAT?!¡±
Oh they say his toast is crispy and his juice is freshly squeezed,
And the smells, they say, the smells are much too good to be believed,
But he¡¯s feeding you and laughing while he knocks you to your knees,
Don¡¯t look down, don¡¯t look back, it¡¯s too late,
It¡¯s the biggest breakfast ever made, a morning mealtime serenade,
He¡¯s cooking till you burst and then he¡¯s laughing at your shame,
He writes symphonies of bread and yeast and serenades with meat and grease,
He¡¯s breakfast-man the first and earned the name.
Arthur sort of expected another chorus and to be done with the song then, but when the singer launched into another verse he battened himself down for the long haul.
¡°How long is this song?¡± Arthur whispered politely, five minutes in. ¡°He must have sung ten verses by now. There were two entirely about sausage.¡±
¡°Oh, this is the music version of an epic poem, Arthur. Depending on which version he¡¯s doing, this might go hours.¡±
¡°Well, he can if he wants,¡± Arthur said. ¡°I¡¯ll listen. Are you okay with that?¡±
Mizu snuggled in as the light started to shift a bit more red from the sunset. ¡°Of course. Put your arm around me, though. I don¡¯t want to get cold.¡±
Chapter 208: Ulan and Experiences
When the song wrapped up, Arthur tossed a few coins in the busker¡¯s instrument cases before they left. It was well worth it, doing a solid hour of breakfast-related material was an impressive feat in its own right.
Afterwards, it wasn¡¯t that long of a walk back to the inn. The stars had come out and even though there were more than a few lights on, they were a beautiful backdrop to travel to.
¡°So you really think this will be our only date? We have weeks here,¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Weeks go faster than you think. You are going to be busy, Arthur. You¡¯re important,¡± Mizu said, still a bit fuzzy from the song.
¡°Maybe. But not that important. I¡¯ll make time.¡± Arthur did some quick math in his head. He had tea shops to visit and he imagined there would be some meetings and dinners he didn¡¯t know about yet, but even if he was busier than he expected, that would still leave some time. ¡°What do you say to a minimum of three more dates, just like this one.¡±
¡°Sure. Although I¡¯ll be busy, too. Sometimes I¡¯ll have to be at the wells at night,¡± Mizu said.
¡°Because¡¡± Arthur searched his limited mental library of how welling worked and came up blank. ¡°I give up. Because why?¡±
¡°There are some runes that can only be drawn by moonlight.¡±
¡°They need lunar power?¡±
¡°It¡¯s more that the sun messes them up. There are some really delicate majicka gathering formations that just won¡¯t tolerate anything but perfect conditions.¡±
¡°Well, we¡¯ll work it out. And if it doesn¡¯t happen, it doesn¡¯t happen, but how often will we actually be in the capital?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Every four years,¡± Mizu answered. ¡°Once you do a good job, you¡¯ll be stuck with it.¡±
They were drawing up to the hotel now, and Arthur drew the door open for Mizu to walk through as made it to the front of the building.
¡°But I might do a bad job,¡± Arthur offered.
¡°Oh, Arthur, you? Do a bad job? You might do a job you aren¡¯t happy with, but nobody ever saw Arthur do a bad job at anything except axe throwing.¡± Mizu yawned, then stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. ¡°I¡¯m tired and I have to get up early to see the main well. I¡¯ll be there all day. Good luck on your first day at the expo. I¡¯ll be rooting for you.¡±
Arthur hugged her, kissed the top of her head, then followed her towards the rooms. He was more tired than he had thought he would be after the day¡¯s travel and seeing the small part of the capital he had managed to cover. He wondered if there was a person who had been around the capital enough to eat at most of the restaurants and visit most of the businesses and houses. Arthur refused to believe anyone could see all of it, even if they had unlimited time to try. It was changing too fast for that.
¡ª
The next morning, Arthur considered the fact that he didn¡¯t really need to take another shower. He had two yesterday, followed by some light exercise in perfectly clean clothes. And he wasn¡¯t dirty or smelly in the least. He could just comb his hair, get into his clothes, and go on with his day.
And yet, he knew the water in the shower would be hot and relaxing. Arthur figured that couldn¡¯t hurt, given that he was heading into a big day doing unfamiliar, scary things. He¡¯d have to cut himself off there though, with no more showers allowed until tomorrow. If he didn¡¯t, he could see this being the first step into a long shower-spiral, one that ended in a life where he never actually left the comfort of hot water and high-quality soaps anymore.
And what are showers, Arthur thought, if not a gateway drug for baths.
This time, at least, Arthur kept things short and sweet. Within ten minutes, he was clean, clothed, and heading towards the inn¡¯s common area. Nobody he knew was down there, which didn¡¯t surprise him too much. Mizu might be either sleeping in or out at a well already. Neither Karbo nor Itela struck him as early risers if they didn¡¯t have a specific reason for that. Ella, Minos, Milo, and Lily could have been downstairs but pretty much all of them were a coin-flip on either having something else to do, wanting to sleep in, and getting to work early.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°Oh! Hey there.¡± The elephant innkeeper caught Arthur¡¯s attention, then motioned towards the tables near the kitchen. ¡°Breakfast is on if you¡¯re looking for that. Just simple stuff, but lots of it.¡±
¡°That would be great, thanks.¡± Arthur glanced around the room to make sure nobody else was there who might make fun of him for it later, then set out to make things right. ¡°By the way, I feel bad. I never got your name before, and I¡¯ve just been saying ¡®my hotelier¡¯ when you came up in conversation.¡±
¡°Ha! Well, don¡¯t look so embarrassed about it. I¡¯d guess about half the people staying here don¡¯t know my name. It¡¯s not the kind of thing I get upset about. Some people forget. Other people don¡¯t want to know in the first place. They avoid knowing, I think. Whether they are aware of that or not.¡±
¡°That¡¯s odd.¡± Arthur tried to get into some mindset that involved not caring who his host was, and couldn¡¯t. ¡°Why? Is it some sort of class thing?¡±
¡°Oh, kind of. But not like you are thinking. It would take a minute to explain.¡±
¡°Well, I¡¯m told there¡¯s breakfast.¡± Arthur waved at the kitchen. ¡°Join me?¡±
¡°You know what? Sure.¡± The elephant scribbled a note on a piece of paper, folded it, and left his newly created I¡¯m eating, wait ten minutes sign on the countertop as he followed Arthur to the table. He even took the initiative of ordering for both of them. ¡°Two breakfasts, Rull. Everything. And juice.¡±
The cook nodded, portioned out some eggs, meat and bread from his growing piles of pre-prepared food, and brought it over to the table, nodding as he dropped it off and went back to cooking.
¡°Rull¡¯s pretty good. He handles two other hotels. Another breakfast and a lunch. I figure he feeds at least a hundred people a day, all by himself.¡±
¡°Is that a thing for some classes? Just a numbers game?¡± Arthur¡¯s class wanted him to make a lot of drinks, but that was secondary to making the correct drinks that the moment called for. But for someone whose job was fueling up as many people as possible for the day ahead en masse, those priorities were probably flipped.
¡°Not just a numbers game, He does good work, as you¡¯ll see in a second. But yeah. I¡¯ve talked to him about it before. He wants to add a couple of dinner shifts if he can get them, to help him level faster.¡±
¡°To help me level at all!¡± Rull yelled from the grill. ¡°I¡¯m bottlenecked.¡±
¡°There you have it.¡± The elephant dug into his food, taking a few big bites and a drink of juice before continuing on. Arthur ate a bit too. It was good, if simple in the way all hotel breakfasts were. ¡°Anyway, you were asking a question.¡±
¡°Yeah. You were saying that people don¡¯t want to know who their hosts are,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Sort of.¡± The elephant chewed a bite of eggs. ¡°They don¡¯t want to know my name. A lot of the time, they want to know a lot about me. How I run the hotel. If I do the laundry myself. How I feel about whatever¡¯s going on in the city. But they don¡¯t want to know my name, or about anything that happens to me outside of this place. It¡¯s not mean.¡±
¡°It sounds mean.¡± Arthur drank some juice. ¡°Or at least inconsiderate.¡±
¡°I thought so too, once. When I was younger.¡± The elephant set his fork down for a moment. ¡°Now that I¡¯m older, I think it¡¯s about the experience. It¡¯s people going to a new place, and how they think about the new place is wrapped up in the hotel they are staying at. And how they think about me is wrapped up in their impressions of the hotel. In some ways, I¡¯m like a part of the building to them. Its face, I suppose.¡±
¡°And not knowing your name helps them think of it that way?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Something like that.¡± The elephant glanced out at his empty counter and started eating a bit faster. ¡°It¡¯s like if they knew who I was, I¡¯d be a person, and not something that¡¯s making their trip better. Of course, I don¡¯t believe they think that out loud, to themselves. It¡¯s just something that¡¯s working in the background.¡±
¡°Huh.¡± Arthur shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s almost the first thing new customers ask me, at my shop. If they don¡¯t already know.¡±
¡°Different setting, different rules. Small restaurants and tea shops have a different shape in people¡¯s minds. I think so at least. I¡¯m not exactly a philosopher.¡±
¡°Could have fooled me.¡±
The elephant stood, leaving the last quarter of his breakfast uneaten, and gave Arthur a slight bow. ¡°I wear many hats. But the main one is manning that counter, so I need to get back. Thanks for inviting me to eat, by the way. That almost never happens.¡±
¡°No problem.¡± Arthur pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil from his bag. ¡°By the way, could you give me directions to the expo? I have no idea where I¡¯m going and none of my friends are down yet.¡±
¡°Sure. Keep the paper though. I have some maps up at the counter. You can just take one of those.¡±
The elephant was almost out of the room when Arthur realized the big mistake he was making. He almost yelled to get the elephant¡¯s attention again.
¡°I can¡¯t believe I forgot.¡± Arthur stood up. ¡°Your name. You never told me.¡±
¡°Ha! I had a bet with myself that you¡¯d forget. You won this one. It¡¯s Ulan,¡± the elephant said.
¡°Ulan. Got it. And nice to meet you. As a person, I mean.¡±
¡°Same, Arthur. Enjoy your breakfast.¡±
Chapter 209: Not Enough
Arthur didn¡¯t have a shop to run and could take his time with his eggs and juice. He ate them slowly, stopping just a bit before he was actually full. It wouldn¡¯t do to get the nerves while giving a talk and have the breakfast trying to leap out for fun adventures on the carpet. He didn¡¯t expect things to get that bad, honestly, it never hurt to be prepared.
¡°There you are.¡± Eito walked into the room, surprisingly un-hungover and in visibly good spirits. ¡°Getting used to the capital yet?¡±
¡°A bit. Mostly I¡¯m just struck by how much of it there is to get used to,¡± Arthur said.
¡°That¡¯s normal. Even people who live here have that. Jumie sometimes talks about doing shows in parts of the city she never gets to, and it being a whole different world.¡±
¡°How¡¯d that go?¡± Arthur couldn¡¯t suppress his curiosity. He told himself that however nosey his questions might be, they wouldn¡¯t compare to what Itela threw at the older trainer later. ¡°Good?¡±
¡°Oh, it¡¯s always good. Karbo wasn¡¯t wrong that I want to brag about it.¡± Eito shouted a breakfast order at Tull and sat down next to Arthur. ¡°She took me to a gymnastics competition where all the competitors are various beasts. A tamer thing. It was amazing.¡±
¡°It sounds like it. Do the animals actually do well at it?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Oh, it¡¯s unbelievable. There were a few trying to make it with bigger animals that aren¡¯t built for it, but even that was interesting in its way.¡± Eito sighed. ¡°She¡¯s an impressive woman. I wish I could see her more often.¡±
¡°How''s that work?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°You are dating, but only when you are in town?¡±
¡°No, all the time. We write letters back and forth. I come here more often than you¡¯d think on contract work. It was easier when I lived in the city. Lately, I¡¯ve been out on the frontier so much that there just hasn¡¯t been a good opportunity.¡±
¡°Did you talk about that?¡±
Eito paused and considered Arthur, apparently trying to decide if he was enough of an adult to trust with real, grown-up problems. Arthur attempted to look very mature until Eito relented.
¡°Oh, sure we did. It¡¯s almost all we talked about.¡± Eito tapped the table with his fork, thoughtfully. ¡°In the past, it wasn¡¯t as much of an issue. But we¡¯re both getting a bit older. We are about as far in our classes as we are likely to get. Before, we both stayed busy between visits. Now, that kind of busy doesn¡¯t fill the gap as well.¡±
¡°Is there any way you could get closer?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Just one, and there¡¯s the issue. She needs to live in a city. There¡¯s work for traveling dancers, but it¡¯s hard and rough. You go from mining colony to small town to small town. It¡¯s also carts, sleeping bags, and unfamiliar beds,¡± Eito said.
¡°Doesn¡¯t sound fun.¡±
¡°That leaves me moving here as an option,¡± Eito said as he took a swig of his juice. ¡°But it¡¯s¡ risky, I suppose. It feels that way.¡±
¡°Why?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°Things have been good with Jumie for a long time, right?¡±
¡°Years.¡±
¡°Why would it change now? I know it would be seeing her more often, but I can¡¯t imagine that would be a problem with the kind of woman who takes you to animal gymnastics.¡±
¡°It might not. It probably wouldn¡¯t. But it might. And then I¡¯d be in the capital, alone.¡± Eito tapped his fork again, a bit more nervously than before. ¡°And probably pretty broken up, if I¡¯m honest.¡±
¡°Ah.¡±
Arthur finished his breakfast, then his juice, just thinking for a few minutes. It was almost time for him to leave, but he didn¡¯t want to leave Eito hanging. Something about this moment seemed important, maybe even in a way he could help with.
¡°Eito, can I be honest? I know I¡¯m a lot younger than you, but¡¡±
The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°Young doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Eito shook his head. ¡°It really doesn¡¯t. You aren¡¯t young in a normal way, and even if you were, you¡¯re still more thoughtful than someone like Karbo. I¡¯d welcome your advice.¡±
Arthur nodded, then took longer than he had planned to get his words together. In the end, he went with simple.
¡°You love her, right?¡± Arthur asked. Eito blinked a few times, apparently stuck. Arthur repeated himself, which seemed to knock the tree out of whatever processing loop he was stuck in.
¡°Oh, sorry, Arthur. I just don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s ever asked me that before,¡± Eito said.
¡°I figured. Itela is a soft touch on that kind of thing, and Karbo wouldn¡¯t think to. But you do, don¡¯t you?¡±
Eito thought about it for a second, then appeared to surprise himself with what he found.
¡°Yes, I suppose I do,¡± Eito admitted.
¡°Then you move here. You already said that she can¡¯t move away. What¡¯s there for you on the frontier? More training? Other people can do that.¡±
¡°Not as well.¡±
¡°But well enough, right?¡±
Eito winced, then nodded reluctantly. There probably weren¡¯t more than a few trainers as good as him in the world, from what Arthur had been able to gather from Ella and Itela. But being the best was far from necessary when most people really needed someone just good enough.
¡°And you¡¯d be better used in the capital anyway. Worst case, if things didn¡¯t work out, the frontier would still be waiting for you. Nobody would turn you away. What¡¯s that leave as a problem? It¡¯s not money. You barely spend it. We both know how much you must have stashed away. So what is it? Are you just scared?¡± Arthur asked, driving his point home.
Eito wanted to argue. Arthur could tell. All it would take would be a quick jab about how Arthur was too young to give advice and it would be over. Arthur could almost see the future of the man unfolding after that. He¡¯d do good work, he¡¯d have good friends, and everything would be almost okay forever. Almost.
Luckily, Eito was too honest to do that.
¡°I suppose you are right. I¡¯m afraid,¡± Eito admitted.
¡°When Milo got married,¡± Arthur searched his mind for the details of that time, ¡°one thing we talked about for a long time was the feeling that you might not be enough for someone forever. I can¡¯t imagine that for me and Mizu. How could I, just me, keep her happy? For an entire lifetime?¡±
Eito cut in. ¡°I think you¡¯d be surprised, Arthur. There¡¯s a lot to you. I¡¯m almost surprised you don¡¯t see that.¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Arthur waved, dismissively. ¡°But I checked around. Milo feels the same way about Rhodia. I bet Minos feels the same way about Ella.¡±
¡°What about Karbo?¡± Eito asked.
¡°Fair point. I doubt he thinks about it at all but he¡¯s Karbo. That¡¯s par for the course. The point is, I think everyone has that thought. And I thought about why for a long time, and I think I came up with an answer.¡±
Eito ate his last few bites of breakfast, then looked at Arthur more seriously. ¡°Well? Let¡¯s hear that answer.¡±
¡°I think you can¡¯t be a good spouse or boyfriend or whatever without thinking that way. It¡¯s like with your class. If you think you are good enough, that you¡¯ve come far enough, you¡¯ll get stuck. You know more about this than me but I bet that¡¯s a lot of what causes bottlenecks in the first place. If they knew they needed to get better for something, for a real goal they could see, I bet people wouldn¡¯t get stuck nearly as often,¡± Arthur said.
¡°So thinking you aren¡¯t good enough makes you good enough in a relationship?¡± Eito asked.
¡°Not by itself. But I¡¯d bet my next breakfast that it¡¯s one of the bigger things that gives you a chance,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Huh.¡± Eito chewed on that for a moment, then stood. ¡°Well, come on. I¡¯ll take you to the expo. You need to be there today, correct? I¡¯ve delayed you from that long enough.¡±
¡°Is it far?¡±
¡°It would be by foot.¡± Eito glanced out the door. ¡°There¡¯s Lily, actually, if you were going to bring her. And on my branch did Ella and Minos go all-out on her clothes. I can almost smell the majicka coming off of them from here.¡±
¡°Arthur. Are you going?¡± Lily walked up in brand-new clothes, almost entirely black except for some pink pin striping here and there. Against her white feathers, it was a striking contrast. Eito was right about the majicka too. Arthur almost felt like the local energy was drying out around her. If it was any more intense, it would have been uncomfortable.
¡°Yup. Eito was about to show me where to catch the transport there, I think.¡± Arthur reached out and touched the shoulder of Lily¡¯s shirt. ¡°And what¡¯s all this? It¡¯s enchanted to the gills. Even more than your shoes.¡±
¡°I made a mistake. Ella asked me what I wanted, and I mentioned that my class drains my majicka whenever I use it actively. I think she and Minos saw that as an excuse. I have¡ I don¡¯t know, ten outfits like this now. A big suitcase full. They all improve my majicka regeneration rate,¡± Lily explained.
¡°And that¡¯s bad?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°No! It''s just a lot. And I couldn¡¯t tell them no, either. It¡¯s not like these clothes replace majicka pills, but they do a lot more than if I didn¡¯t have them. I had to take them, and I¡¯ll have to wear them.¡±
¡°It couldn¡¯t have been cheap.¡± Eito gawked at the clothes. ¡°Majicka regeneration is what everyone wants and this is the real deal. Does your town have a good tailor and enchanter?¡±
¡°We do,¡± Lily said.
¡°Good. Get these touched up every few months, girl, and wear them until you don¡¯t fit in them anymore. It¡¯s a small, passive increase to your growth that comes with no downsides.¡±
¡°I hate to even ask, but did you thank them?¡± Arthur said. ¡°Ella and Minos, I mean. You fight help the same way I do, I get it but did you remember this was really nice to do?¡±
Lily froze in her tracks. It was obvious she hadn¡¯t.
¡°Oh no. Do you think I hurt their feelings?¡± Lily asked.
¡°Those two? No,¡± Arthur said. ¡°They would have laughed about it. Still, fix it later when you get the chance. Nice is nice. Thanking people is the least we can do.¡±
Chapter 210: City Rider
Eito led them away from the hotel at a crisp pace, moving in a direction Arthur hadn¡¯t gone yet. Half a mile later, the group arrived at a sort of ramp that dropped into a covered area, big enough that four people could descend side by side at the same time.
¡°A tunnel? This takes us to where trucks are?¡± Arthur asked, accidentally slipping in an Earth-word.
¡°A tunnel, yes, but...¡± Eito moved down the ramp with Arthur and Lily in tow. ¡°Please stop using that word. The translator knows what it means but it¡¯s trying to include all your Earth-thoughts when it explains it to me and Lily.¡±
¡°Yes. It¡¯s terrible,¡± Lily said. ¡°Just say cart or wagon. That¡¯s what it¡¯s going to be anyway.¡±
The bottom of the ramp revealed that everyone was right on all points. As Arthur¡¯s eyes adjusted to the dimness, he was faced with a line of ten or so wagons, all built differently than the carts he had seen before. Even Talca¡¯s cart, which was fast, was nowhere near as stripped down as these conveyances were. They were two-wheeled vehicles with low walls, thin floors, and four seats. Arthur noted, with satisfaction, that all of them now had shock absorbers mounted on the axle. Nobody could pass on the extra stability and speed, it seemed.
¡°Wagon six can accommodate three,¡± the attendant at the ramp said, pointing. ¡°The others will try to get you to go into their wagons. Ignore them. It¡¯s just a joke.¡±
Eito nodded and all but dragged the other two members of the party towards the wagon, then got in himself. The other wagon drivers did hoot and holler at them, saying that wagon six was the slowest in the city and couldn¡¯t be trusted to navigate a straight line without accidentally ending up going in circles. Arthur, Eito, and Lily ignored them, which turned out to be the right choice. The driver in six fought back, reminding the others that it was his turn in the line and that their rides were just as unreliable.
Seatbelts weren¡¯t a thing in the Demon World, but each chair in the back of the wagon had a small handle mounted to each arm, presumably to grab onto for stability.
¡°All right, welcome, we¡¯ll be leaving in just a moment,¡± the wagon driver said. ¡°First capital transport wagon ride?¡±
¡°Not for me, but for them, yes,¡± Eito said.
¡°The rule is to stay in the wagon. If you do that, you¡¯ll be fine unless someone rams us as a joke,¡± the driver explained.
¡°Does that happen?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°The ramming?¡±
¡°Not often and basically never with new riders.¡± The driver picked up his reigns, whispered something to the pony-sized almost-a-rabbit attached to his cart, then turned around, apparently unaware how little reassuring effect his statement had on Arthur. ¡°Just remember the handles by the seats and you¡¯ll be fine.¡±
The driver stood up straight, bounced the reigns, and gave an audible yaw! order as the wagon lurched into motion. For a few seconds, the speed was reasonable. But only for a few. Soon enough, the wagon was hurtling down the underground road, then blasting, then blurring. It was faster than the fastest Arthur had ever ridden with Talca, so far beyond what he had experienced that he wondered if he¡¯d get a new riding achievement from it.
¡°He can¡¯t do what an outdoors transporter can,¡± Eito yelled over the winds. ¡°Terrain would be harder. Turns would be much harder. He¡¯s built for flat land, smooth riding, and going as fast as possible in those conditions.¡±
¡°Why do it?¡± Arthur yelled. He could barely hear himself. ¡°If it¡¯s that restricted?¡±
¡°Racing!¡± the driver yelled back. ¡°The job is boring, but it sets you up to be a racer. Most of us just work transporter jobs to pay the bills and to level. After hours and on rest days, we have our own track. You should come out and watch. Lots of people do!¡±
Arthur nodded, weakly. The sheer speed of it all was starting to make him slightly sick, although he was more and more glad he wasn¡¯t attempting to make the walk. Lily, on the other hand, was having the time of her life.
¡°Woo! Woohoooooo!¡± she screamed, kneeling on her chair. ¡°It¡¯s like Karbo on roller skates, Arthur! We have to do this every day!¡± She turned and yelled at the driver. ¡°You can go faster, right? Go all out! We can take it!¡±
¡°All right! You got it, kiddo!¡±
Before Arthur or Eito had a chance to stop him, the driver hit the afterburners. They slammed back into their seats as the wagon shot forward, accessing a new level of disorienting Arthur wouldn¡¯t have thought possible for a vehicle that would fit in with Earth¡¯s middle ages. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore it all, waiting for the achievement that would make it better.
Luckily, he didn¡¯t have to wait long.
City Rider
You¡¯ve ridden on the fastest, most intense mass transit system in the demon world. Without more body-stats or a class dedicated to not vomiting, you wouldn¡¯t be able to do this.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
In support of mass transit and superfast, efficient travel, the system is pleased to award you with this achievement, which ties into any other rider skills and achievements you might have as a city-specific transit boost. You will no longer experience nausea and disorientation from high-speed travel in that environment, unless you encounter a particularly extreme speed or an unusually unstable wagon.
¡°Oh, gods, already?¡± Lily put on a pouting face and sat down in her chair. ¡°It¡¯s much less exciting now. Stupid achievement.¡±
Arthur tried to feel bad for her and couldn¡¯t. When the achievement snapped into place, his stomach settled immediately and the sense of overwhelming speed got much better. He sighed, drinking in the relief of feeling stable for the first time in minutes. He enjoyed it for just a few seconds before the wagon lurched to a sudden stop, a couple steps from another ramp leading upwards.
¡°Thanks for the work!¡± the driver yelled, smiling ear to ear and shaking his head at Arthur as he reached for his coin pouch. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about payment. It¡¯s a city thing. Rides are always subsidized and completely free during the expo. I wouldn¡¯t charge you even if they weren¡¯t. That owl girl giving me permission to go fast made my day.¡±
Thanking the driver, everyone dismounted the wagon and moved towards the ramp. At the top of it, they were greeted by the biggest, most impressive complex Arthur had ever seen, on Earth or otherwise.
¡°It¡¯s the meeting grounds,¡± Eito said. ¡°All the parts that are made out of shiny rock are old. Older than some of our reliable history, really. The bear had them built during the early post-war era to have peace talks in. Well, except that one.¡±
Arthur looked at a large, round building Eito was pointing to, one that was especially gilt in shiny metals and statues of roaring ursine demons. It was smaller than a lot of the structures here, but very clearly had a special, more important role than most.
¡°What¡¯s that for? Speeches?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Now it is, sometimes. Originally, it was for naps,¡± Eito explained.
¡°Naps?¡±
¡°The bear needed frequent naps. And wasn¡¯t, by all accounts, actually that useful in more complex matters. If he was needed to roar fear into someone, they¡¯d wake him up.¡± Eito smiled. ¡°There¡¯s a whole poem about how bad of an idea it was to stand in the way of peace because it would awaken a very grumpy bear. I¡¯m very fond of it.¡±
Away from the ramp, a group of demons stood with hand-made paper signs, each displaying exactly one name. Arthur panned through them until surprising himself by find his own name in big, blocky letters. The sign read, Arthur Teamaster of Coldbrook (and Earth). He strolled over, followed closely by Lily. Eito stayed behind.
¡°I¡¯d imagine whoever that is can take things from here,¡± Eito said. ¡°And I¡¯m thinking about what you said, Arthur. I¡¯ve decided to go have a long, hard conversation about it now. I¡¯ll update you on my progress later.¡±
Arthur¡¯s heart jumped in his chest, then settled. Whatever his job was, he had completed it with Eito. He wouldn¡¯t meddle in Eito¡¯s affairs after this, unless the trainer specifically asked Arthur to do so.
¡°What was that all about?¡± Lily said. ¡°Eito has a problem?¡±
¡°Just a bottleneck,¡± Arthur said. ¡°I think I helped him get past it.¡±
¡°Arthur Teamaster?¡± The frog demon holding the sign approached quickly once he spotted him. ¡°It¡¯s you, correct? They told me you¡¯d look like¡¡± He stopped suddenly, swallowing whatever bald-animal-but-too-pink comments he had to say with a visible gulp. ¡°Like you look. I¡¯m Philbin. I work as a tour guide and enabler for those visiting the meeting grounds, and I¡¯ve been assigned to help you for the duration of your stay here.¡±
He paused there and glanced at Lily, which drew Arthur¡¯s eyes in the same direction. Lily had tensed as the frog had spoken, and Arthur could tell this was less about the frog or his offer of help than it was about any incursion, however small, into her territory as assistant. Arthur reached down and rubbed the top of her head affectionately, which did little to relieve the territorial aggression that had built up in her little feathered soul.
¡°Great.¡± Arthur nodded at the frog. ¡°Because I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing. I have these books, but I don¡¯t really know how presentations go at these. Or where to go. Or anything, really.¡±
¡°Fantastic. No problem at all, Mister Teamaster.¡±
¡°It¡¯s Arthur.¡± The mister stuff needed to be nipped in the bud. Arthur refused to live in a world where he couldn¡¯t just be Arthur. Any more respect than that fit about as badly as a salad-bowl hat and felt even more ridiculous.
¡°He also answers to you, hey you, or how do you not know this already? You¡¯ve been here for two years now,¡± Lily explained gruffly.
¡°Oh, right, offworlder.¡± Philbin clapped his hands. ¡°I bet I¡¯ll get an achievement for this. New world tour guide or something. They have that, you know. Nobody ever gets it because offworlders are so rare.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll do my best to help. But, Philbin? I feel like we should get started,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Oh, of course. No problem. Now, you¡¯ve never given a presentation or seen one before, correct?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right.¡±
¡°I think probably the most useful thing for you would be to watch one then.¡± Philbin looked at a small notebook and nodded his head. ¡°It looks like you aren¡¯t slated to actually give any talks until this afternoon. If we play our cards right, we can watch two full presentations before then.¡±
¡°What about set-up?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°Should we leave time for that?¡±
¡°Do you have much to set up?¡± Philbin looked at Arthur¡¯s conspicuous lack of cargo. ¡°Are more boxes coming later?¡±
¡°I suppose not. We¡¯ll have to clip some papers to a presentation board though,¡± Arthur said.
¡°That won¡¯t take long at all. If you¡¯d follow me, I¡¯ll be glad to pick some more accessible talks for you to watch. Unless you have a preference.¡±
¡°Is there anything about tea?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°Or assisting people, as a class function?¡±
¡°Maybe!¡± Philbin went back to his pad. ¡°Yes, it looks like there is, but not until a few days from now. After that, there¡¯s a total of three talks on various aspects of tea, brewing, and ingredient harvesting, and two talks on assisting. Would you like me to make time in your schedule to see them? There are some conflicts with your talks, but we can always move the start times a bit to make room.¡±
¡°Yes, please.¡± Lily was much more engaged now that she knew there would be some assistant information to steal. ¡°Can I bring snacks?¡±
¡°Are the provided snacks not enough?¡± Philbin looked shocked. ¡°I thought they were pretty comprehensive.¡±
Arthur glanced at Lily, eyebrows raised. ¡°I think we¡¯ll like it here.¡±
¡°Yes, Arthur, I think we will.¡± Lily smiled at Philbin, who had captured her heart at the abundant-snacks phase of the conversation. ¡°That will do just fine, Phil. Can we go to the talk now? I think Arthur is still a little sick from the ride.¡±
Philbin breathed out, apparently relieved to have finally broken the ice. ¡°Yes, of course. Right this way.¡±
Chapter 211: Majicka Understanding
Philbin told Arthur or Lily that he was taking them to something accessible and interesting. Neither of them cared enough to ask for more details, which meant it came as quite a shock when Mizu found them in their seats before the talk began, and stood over them with her hands on her hips.
¡°Where beasts failed to track your scents over rivers, our water-talkers found the history of your travel in the currents themselves, furthering our pursuit and driving you to the very edges of our civilization,¡± Mizu said.
¡°Oooh, that¡¯s a good one. Arthur, what did you do?¡± Lily asked.
¡°No idea. Mizu, why am I in trouble?¡± Arthur said.
¡°You probably aren¡¯t, but I can¡¯t be too careful. Did you follow me here, Arthur?¡±
¡°No! I assumed you just saw us coming in. Philbin brought us here.¡± Arthur looked around for the frog, and couldn¡¯t find him. ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you later. He¡¯s a big guy. Toady. Tour guide. Very nice. Why are you here, anyway?¡±
¡°So you don¡¯t know what this talk is on?¡± Mizu asked. ¡°Really?¡±
¡°Cross my heart. You can ask Lily too. She¡¯d think it was funny to get me in trouble if she could.¡±
¡°It¡¯s true. He¡¯s innocent. We have no idea what this is.¡±
Mizu sighed and sat down by Arthur. ¡°All right, then. You aren¡¯t in trouble. But you can only stay if you promise not to distract me with Arthur-things. This is an important talk for me.¡±
Before Arthur could ask why, A very blue man took the stage. He looked like a god of the ocean. Arthur said a silent prayer of thankfulness that whatever Mizu¡¯s interest in him was didn¡¯t seem to be entirely dependent on looks. If that had been her primary preference-driver, this chiseled-jaw, cyan man would have outclassed Arthur in an instant.
¡°We flooded our fields beyond what was needed for mere irrigation, wasting valuable water to stymie your progress to our settlements,¡± the man said, smiling. ¡°Welcome to all wellers, or anyone else who has an interest in our work. I¡¯m Mimasu, of Yasurt Village, and I¡¯m here to talk about the finer points of well enclosures, specifically on matters of usability and on-the-job comfort that work hand in hand with the runes they are built to house.¡±
Arthur felt a person move closer to him from behind, and turned to see Philbin there. ¡°Yasurt Village is a large settlement, known for its abundant water despite being built in an otherwise arid region. It¡¯s a huge field of green in a desert that gets almost no rain. Experts from there are particularly respected,¡± Philbin explained.
Arthur nodded and turned back to the talk. It was interesting. Almost none of it was relevant to him, of course, but it had to do with Mizu¡¯s work, which he was always eager to learn more about. Even more than that, it was just a complex subject he could still somewhat understand. Mimasu had a lot to say about the proper amount of elbow room needed for different numbers of people to work in harmony, as well as other practical concerns.
It was during the second ten-minute segment on pleasing well acoustics that Arthur turned and motioned Philbin forward.
¡°Phil, we have a problem,¡± Arthur whispered.
¡°What¡¯s that? Are you not enjoying yourself?¡± Philbin asked.
¡°No, I am. It¡¯s great. It¡¯s too great. I don¡¯t know this much about a single subject I¡¯m talking about.¡±
¡°You do about tea, I¡¯d imagine.¡±
¡°Well, sure. But I have to talk about wall construction. And wells. And smithing. And a bunch of other things. I can¡¯t match this for all of them.¡±
¡°Arthur, he¡¯s a weller,¡± Lily said. ¡°He¡¯s leading with this to get his nerves in order. He won¡¯t know anything about tea if he has to talk about it. At least not any more than you do about water.¡±
¡°The girl is right. Your specialty is your key speech, the one most people will come to see whether they have an interest in it or not. Your speech on welling, less so. Although having a weller with you helps.¡±
Mizu turned, nodded quickly, then went back to watching the talk. The water demon demigod had begun elucidating the relative comfort of different moisture-wicking stone types when used as benches, and Arthur dimly hoped that Mizu¡¯s interest in the subject was entirely professional. It probably was if he was honest. She complained a great deal about having to leave the well for lunch to avoid overly moist pants.
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
¡°Then it¡¯s going to be fine. You¡¯ll have help for more than a few of your talks, and a surprising amount of grace for those you don¡¯t know a lot about. Trust me, Arthur.¡± Philbin patted Arthur¡¯s shoulder with a webbed hand. ¡°It¡¯s going to be fine. Do you always worry like this?¡±
¡°Oh, you have no idea,¡± Mizu and Lily said in unison.
¡ª
The talk wrapped up sooner than even Arthur wanted it to. Again, nothing was super relevant to his own class or anything he did, but he felt like he had a better grasp of general space arrangement as well as a bit more knowledge of majicka.
Majicka, Arthur reflected, was weird. It was presented to him as a given of the universe when he had first travelled to his new home from Earth, and had seemed weird to him then. But at the time he had thousands of new things to learn and think about, and never really got much further on the subject than a very simple it¡¯s-just-magic-Arthur-please-make-more-tea understanding.
Majicka affected a lot of things. As Mizu went and asked a dozen very professional questions of the very professional water elemental who had given the speech, Arthur took some time to try to pin down what he actually knew about it.
First, majicka was something that was inside of him, in the same way blood was inside of him. It accomplished things and fueled his body and capabilities the same way too. The most obvious way this happened was through skills, since he could feel the majicka actually moving and pushing to make things happen when he tried to juice a particular tea with some effect or another.
He also suspected that it was fueling his stats too. He had never heard of anybody saying the system helped anyone accomplish anything except through majicka, and besides majicka and its various effects, physics seemed to be much the same on this planet as they were on Earth. The simplest explanation was usually right, and given that he had never heard anyone attribute his vitality stat¡¯s endurance-enhancement or his strength stat¡¯s ability to lift heavier weights to anything else, it was probably just plain majicka at work.
Second, majicka was outside of him. It was in the air. When he ran out, he didn¡¯t make more. He drew it in from the surrounding area. He didn¡¯t know if theoretical majicka dead zones existed in this universe, or if being in one would be the same as just being on normal, vanilla majicka-free earth.
Heck, maybe Earth had majicka and we just couldn¡¯t use it because we had no system.
Which led into the third thing, which was that the system guided majicka use a lot. You couldn¡¯t overdraw your majicka enough to seriously hurt yourself. The system wouldn¡¯t allow it. Like holding your breath, eventually you¡¯d just pass out. It wasn¡¯t exactly healthy to overuse it and everyone seemed to steer away from it, but to some extent the system made sure there were plenty of safeties between you and majicka that kept you from hurting yourself by using it.
Arthur knew how to use his skills, and his skills used majicka on stuff or to accomplish things. But that didn¡¯t mean, really, that he understood majicka even when using the skills he understood the best. It was like almost like how a person could play a video game without understanding how to code.
But it wasn¡¯t exactly like that. He was still interacting with majicka in ways he could feel, day after day. When someone described their work, he could sense the familiar patterns of how majicka worked in it. When he got really close to someone¡¯s work, it made him understand his own a little better, even if he couldn¡¯t explain exactly how.
Fourth, majicka came in a lot of different flavors. He had seen freezing mushrooms that changed majicka to be almost pure cold, and had felt the differences in the power driving Mizu¡¯s, Milo¡¯s, and Lily¡¯s skills when they did something class-based in front of him. Majicka changed people and things, but it was also changed by them, processed into different forms by different intents and unleashed for different purposes entirely depending on the goals of the people using it.
And fifth, none of this was metaphorical. It would have been easy to think of majicka as a very spiritual, non-physical thing, but Arthur had felt the differences in majicka in different environments. He had even been poisoned by being around too much of it once. It was magic, and it might very well defy thermodynamics as he dimly remembered them from Earth. But it was also as real as the oxygen in the air.
¡°You look deep in thought,¡± Mizu said. ¡°Was the talk that interesting?¡±
¡°It was. And it also made me think about how little I know about some things,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Like?¡±
¡°Like majicka. What is it? I feel like everyone knows but me.¡±
¡°Actually, no.¡± Lily popped up from the side. ¡°That¡¯s actually one place you aren¡¯t that different from everyone else. Nobody really understands it. One of the first classes I ever took as a kid was about majicka, and it was just¡ majicka is like the wind. It moves. Majicka is like fire because it can heat or burn. Majicka is like water. Majicka is like happiness, or sadness. But never exactly what it is.¡±
¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Mizu sat back down, putting her notepad away in her bag for the time being. ¡°There¡¯s a whole science dedicated to trying to detect majicka in ways besides how it feels and how it works through the system. We know there¡¯s moisture in the air not just because we can feel it but because we can extract it.¡±
¡°Like condensation on a cold glass,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Right. But we can¡¯t do that with majicka. Yet. Which means each person understands it in the way they understand it. And it¡¯s a little different for everyone and all those understandings are about equally valid.¡±
¡°Huh.¡±
¡°That¡¯s part of why we have the expo,¡± Philbin added. ¡°So people can understand majicka better, in general.¡±
¡°I get that,¡± Arthur said. ¡°I got a lot out of this presentation.¡±
¡°And hopefully you¡¯ll get something out of the next presentation, too. It¡¯s in just a few minutes. Are you ready to walk?¡±
Chapter 212: Karra’s Walls
Mizu left them to go on with the rest of her day¡¯s business, which included several water-related talks of different kinds as well as another handful of visits to important moisture-related sites around the city. Arthur and Lily found themselves in an agriculture talk next, listening to a farmer talking about how to care for soil, especially land being used to grow crop after crop at majicka-enhanced speeds. It was a bit more relevant to Arthur since he did grow a small crop himself. Still, the real value was in hearing how other people¡¯s work happened.
And, of course, he was learning how to give an engaging talk. Which was not at all how he thought it would be.
¡°I don¡¯t know what else would be interesting for you all. Tell me what you want to know,¡± the farmer said, surprisingly soon into his talk.
¡°What happens if you grind up dungeon monsters and put them in the soil?¡± Lily asked. Arthur was impressed. The town had an absolute overabundance of dungeon monster parts and was on the lookout for ways to make them useful.
¡°Good things. Almost always. They are majicka-dense beyond belief and have nutrients, all that.¡±
¡°What about the times that aren¡¯t the almost always?¡± Lily asked again.
¡°If you accidentally grind up a monster that¡¯s venomous in some way, sometimes it kills everything. Have you ever noticed how there aren¡¯t many weed problems outside of city walls? It¡¯s because of the monster blood during waves. There are usually enough venomous monsters in a wave to permanently sterilize the soil, especially over multiple waves. Anyone else?¡±
¡°How come some plants don¡¯t drain the soil as much?¡± another attendant asked.
¡°Lots of reasons. The first one is growth rate¡¡±
The beginning of the talk had been casual, but the second half was far more engaging. Anybody felt comfortable asking any question at all, no matter how ill-informed or barely-on-topic it was. The farmer did his best to answer, sometimes in a barely adequate way when the questions were outside of his personal expertise. Nobody judged him. It was fine.
Arthur felt a little better about things by the end of the talk, just in time for him to go give his first talk, which was on wall-building, a subject he was pretty sure he knew absolutely nothing about.
¡°You can do this, Arthur. You really can.¡± Lily was rubbing Arthur¡¯s shoulders as he sunk down in a chair the same way a boxer might before a championship fight. ¡°It¡¯s a frontier talk. People know what to expect. Do you have Karra¡¯s notes and drawings?¡±
¡°Right here.¡± Arthur patted a big stack of papers by his side. ¡°And thank the gods. She isn¡¯t a librarian but she¡¯s been taking notes on everything she does.¡±
Arthur stood up, cracked his neck, and tried to psych himself out. He mostly failed, but it didn¡¯t matter. It was time to start.
¡°Go get them, Arthur. Remember to thank Mizu later for being nice and not attending.¡±
He would. This would be harder if she was there. Arthur took the stage and was glad when everyone quieted down for his speech without him having to do anything. As he got his papers in order, Lily ran over to the snack table and stole another handful of nuts and fruit to eat while she assisted him.
¡°Hi, everyone. I¡¯m Arthur Teamaster of Coldbrook and I¡¯ll be presenting various notes and observations by Karra Workmaster, who has been overseeing our town¡¯s overall construction. This talk will focus on our wall construction in particular, and the lessons that we learned surviving our first full-monster wave.¡±
The audience perked up at that and the first question came in much sooner than Arthur had expected it.
¡°Coldbrook is a frontier town, correct?¡± an older lizardman raised his hand, but launched into his questions before Arthur called on him.
¡°Correct. Our founding was less than a month after the frontier itself was opened,¡± Arthur answered.
¡°And you survived a full-force wave? By what definition of full-force?¡±
¡°By the militia¡¯s. They judged it to be not unusually large, but not small.¡±
¡°And what definition of survival?¡±
¡°Umm¡ we all lived? I don¡¯t know what you mean,¡± Arthur said. ¡°The monsters were unable to breach our last wall until there were few enough of them that our warriors could clear them out.¡±
¡°Forgive me, but that¡¯s not possible,¡± a mole in the front said. ¡°Not without outside help, at least. With the wall or the fighting.¡±
¡°We had militia help.¡± Arthur leafed through his notes for a moment until he found one particularly large, printed sheet Karra had prepared. ¡°Actually, if you¡¯ll hold questions for a moment, I¡¯ll explain. I agree that it usually shouldn¡¯t be possible. But we had some advantages. Lily, could you hang this?¡±
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Once the map was up, Arthur explained Coldbrook¡¯s unusual local terrain, how that had allowed them to focus their construction efforts on taller and thicker walls. He watched the faces go from outright disbelief to grudging acknowledgement that it was possible.
¡°It¡¯s still quite the feat to pull off. If you¡¯ll forgive me for saying so, I¡¯ve been in wall-building for thirty years and I¡¯m just not sure the math works out.¡± The lizard was talkative, but that was okay. Arthur couldn¡¯t have asked for a better lead-in.
¡°Actually, I¡¯m glad you asked that. Because only part of this talk is about walls. In Karra¡¯s own words, the walls she built were good, but only a normal kind of good. What made the difference were innovations she and others combined to take advantage of the terrain and other classes.¡±
The room looked at him blankly. He couldn¡¯t figure out why. He knew they must understand it.
¡°Arthur, for the love of the gods. You are being so boring,¡± Lily said from the side. ¡°Just say it normal, all right? It¡¯s like your world tried to make presentations boring. Just do it more normal.¡±
¡°Oh, huh. Yeah, I could do that.¡± Arthur took a deep breath. ¡°We hung traps from our walls. Giant, crazy traps. We had stabbing holes at the base. We had pitfall traps in front.¡±
¡°Those would have filled up fast,¡± the lizard man said. He still looked suspicious of the story, but he was at least leaning forward now.
¡°They did!¡± Arthur said. ¡°But my girlfriend made an exploding well to wash the monsters into the ocean. That¡¯s really the takeaway here. It¡¯s not just the walls. It¡¯s that Karra built them to work with the traps and then to self-destruct in a way that killed even more monsters. This is stuff that should work for any settlement built near a natural bottleneck.¡±
After that, he had them. He couldn¡¯t educate the wall builders on how to build better walls, although some of them had some interest in Karra¡¯s more-or-less disposable walls, or how her newer, rammed-Earth walls were designed. But all of them had an interest in the tactical approach, especially considering it had actually worked well enough to preserve a town that by all rights should have been leveled.
Afterwards, Arthur fielded just a few questions before explaining that he really couldn¡¯t answer them well. Everyone accepted that with grace, especially once he explained that he was more than glad to give them access to Karra¡¯s notes for the remaining time on the schedule. All the more serious wall-builders sprinted for them, commenting amongst each other as they shared interesting tidbits from the notes.
¡°Not bad, Arthur,¡± the lizard-demon said, nodding. ¡°Sorry I came on pretty strong there. At first, I thought this was a presentation about fleeing from monsters. By most standards, the town shouldn¡¯t have been able to survive an attack that intense. It only made sense when I realized how much work you all had put into it.¡±
¡°No problem. The questions helped, really.¡± Arthur scratched his cheek. ¡°Actually, I have a question you can probably answer. Why does the government build as many settlements as it does?¡±
¡°Oh, you¡¯ve been thinking, I see. Yes, if they planned for fewer settlements, there would be more population at each site and more chance to build walls. We wouldn¡¯t lose as many settlements to waves,¡± the lizard said.
¡°Right. I think I heard somewhere that the average settlement gets leveled at least once,¡± Arthur said.
¡°That¡¯s true. Some lucky ones don¡¯t, but historically, it¡¯s a matter of chance. Or exceptional work, like your town¡¯s.Much of the infrastructure is always left for rebuilding. And, frankly¡ well, that would be a little harsh to say.¡±
¡°Wait, harsh? I¡¯m interested now.¡± Lily had a mouth half-full of crisped grains, but turned around immediately when she sensed a fun controversy in the making. ¡°Go ahead. Arthur can take it. If he can¡¯t, I¡¯ll take it for him.¡±
¡°Well, understand that this isn¡¯t the official stance of the government. But not every settlement is meant to survive, long term. Quietly, it¡¯s better for everyone of some of them fail.¡±
¡°Meaning?¡± Arthur said. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that the government would withhold support, or anything like that.¡±
¡°Oh, of course not. But imagine two towns get torn down, and one decides to rebuild while the other decides to give up and go to the other town. You can¡¯t say exactly what it is, but even from a story as simple as that you can know that one town has more to offer than the other. Whether its resources, or location, or something else, it has something the other town doesn¡¯t that makes it worth rebuilding.¡±
¡°So it¡¯s competition?¡±
¡°Never directly, but yes. If you build twenty settlements and keep the best three quarters, you end up with a better mix than if you had started with fifteen.¡± The lizard frowned, apologetically. ¡°And if that¡¯s harsh, understand that it¡¯s the kind of thing that ends up mattering for the better part of a century, all the way until the next expansion.¡±
¡°Huh,¡± Arthur said. Seaside and Peaktown, the two closest settlements to Coldbrook, had been ripped down and both were in the process of rebuilding. ¡°So what happens if Coldbrook helps some town enough that they keep rebuilding, where they otherwise wouldn¡¯t? Does that mess it up?¡±
¡°Oh, no, of course not. Because then Coldbrook is part of the resources and benefits of that other town. It still counts. Maybe more than other things.¡±
¡°See, it was a good idea, Arthur,¡± Lily said. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as giving too much help when it doesn¡¯t hurt you.¡±
¡°Wait, did you already do this? In addition to surviving the attack?¡± The man whistled. ¡°How? You¡¯d still have to rebuild your own walls, at least.¡±
¡°It was a lot of monster wealth,¡± Arthur said. ¡°More than we could use, more than we could spend before the next wave. We decided to share.¡±
¡°Huh.¡± The man seemed mildly taken aback by that. ¡°Awful nice of you. I¡¯m going to go take another look at those notes now, but good job. I approve.¡±
And just like that, the first talk was over. Arthur sat down by the snacks, pouring himself some ice water and shoveling in calories to cover over his ragged nerves.
¡°So how did I do, Philbin? You see enough of these,¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Oh, well enough.¡± Philbin smiled. ¡°The notes carried a lot of weight. This Karra is a treasure, I hope you know.¡±
¡°And the presentation itself?¡±
¡°You want my professional opinion?¡± Philbin searched Arthur¡¯s face.
¡°Yes. I¡¯d rather know than not,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Mediocre. Fine, not great. But not bad.¡±
¡°That¡¯s about what I expected.¡± Arthur sighed. ¡°I guess I can work on it.¡±
¡°Oh, don¡¯t get me wrong. Most non-specialist talks are downright bad when it comes down to it. You at least understood what your builder friend was doing on a layman¡¯s level. Some people don¡¯t go to that trouble. How long did you study with her before she left?¡± Philben asked.
¡°Arthur? Not at all. Maybe an hour at the most.¡± Lily laughed. ¡°He has tea to brew.¡±
¡°So how¡¯d he know?¡±
¡°Because he helped her build it. Arthur helps everyone with everything. We have to yell at him to get him to stop.¡±
Philbin laughed.
¡°You know what? I think I¡¯m going to like guiding you through this process. Good job, Arthur Teamaster. I¡¯m looking forward to tomorrow.¡±
Chapter 213: Professional Bath
Arthur and Lily had to handle navigating home themselves, but Philbin pointed them in the right direction and the high-speed-cart transit system took care of them from there. They got mildly turned around once they got off the carts and were wandering looking for a familiar sight when the beast made its appearance.
¡°What is that?¡± Lily asked, startling herself to a stop. ¡°It¡¯s like¡ a cloud? A stormcloud?¡±
A jet black shape was moving towards them, small puffs of black dust shaking off it with every step. It was vaguely humanoid, but hunched over, taking staggering steps between bouts of filthy, dust-expelling coughs.
¡°Get behind me, Lily.¡± Arthur swept Lily towards the wall of the narrow street, standing in front of her. He wished he had brought one of Milo¡¯s daggers with him now. He had no idea what this was, but it didn¡¯t seem good.
How is something like this wandering around the capitol? The guards should have¡ Oh, the guards!
Arthur almost got the scream for help out before the figure stopped him, with nothing more than a single hoarsely spoken sentence.
¡°Arthur. You have to help me find the hotel,¡± the figure said. ¡°I can¡¯t see through all this coal dust. I overdid things.¡±
¡°Milo?!¡±
¡°Oh, yeah, it¡¯s me.¡± Milo coughed out some more coal dust. ¡°I was working with some processors today, trying to figure out some things about forge coal.¡±
¡°And this happened? How?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°I may have tried to build a crushing machine. And then I may have tried to run it without testing it.¡±
¡°Is the building okay?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I remember when that threshing machine went sideways on you. It took out a whole side of the shop.¡±
¡°Everything is fine. Except me. I was standing by the output chute.¡±
Controlling his own laughter, Arthur sent Lily to find directions home while he knocked on a nearby door and begged for a bucket of water. It wasn¡¯t nearly enough to clean Milo, but the water washed off just enough of the coal dust that Arthur¡¯s smith friend could at least see clearly.
¡°Thanks. They tried to hose me off there, but it¡¯s hard to get someone clean in a place that processes coal,¡± Milo coughed.
¡°I wonder if Ulan can send someone to hose you off before you go inside. Just to get the bulk of it clean,¡± Arthur said.
¡°I¡¯d hate to bother him.¡± Milo shook his head, expelling little dots of black onto Arthur as he did. ¡°It¡¯s not really his job.¡±
¡°No, but cleaning the bathtubs is. This seems better than that.¡±
They made it home, finding that Ulan was more than happy to work a water-pump handle over Milo so long as it kept the coal dust outside of his clean rooms. Arthur and Lily decided it was a good enough show to watch, and tried not to laugh too much as Milo shivered and semi-dissolved into a growing black puddle.
¡°Why is my son in the yard getting doused by a laughing elephant demon?¡± Ella asked. ¡°It¡¯s funny, I¡¯m also curious.¡±
¡°He got very into coal processing today, I think,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Which doesn¡¯t really seem all that necessary, considering we have coal people in town.¡±
¡°Oh, you know how he is.¡± Minos walked up and joined the spectators in giggling at his son. They could almost see individual feathers on Milo now, rather than a thick layer of coal sludge. ¡°Necessary has never been his thing when it came to smithing.¡±
¡°You all could help, you know,¡± Milo said. ¡°There must be something that would make this go faster.¡±
¡°We could set you on fire!¡± Lily said. ¡°We¡¯d have to let you dry off first, but that would probably work.¡±
¡°Never mind. Please keep going, Ulan. And don¡¯t let them explode me, if you can help it,¡± Milo said glumly.
¡°Oh, I¡¯d never do that, Milo.¡± Ulan continued working the pump, grinning in a restrained, professional kind of way. ¡°It might disturb the other guests. I can¡¯t allow that to happen. This is a distinguished inn, you see.¡±
After Milo was finally clean enough that he wasn¡¯t actively inking up any surface he stepped on, Ulan sent him upstairs to finish the job with a shower and plenty of soap. Arthur and Lily ordered a late lunch at a sandwich shop near the inn, joined by Ella and Minos.
¡°You don¡¯t want me to order you something?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°I feel bad eating in front of you two.¡±
¡°We¡¯ve been eating all day, Arthur. Four meals, so far,¡± Minos explained.
¡°Why so many?¡± Arthur relented and crunched into his own toasted sandwich, immediately embracing by a perfect mix of condiments and meat. ¡°It sounds uncomfortable.¡±
¡°They were small meals. Cooks know what to serve to other cooks when they visit. But still, quite a bit of food. And more to come, if my wife has her way.¡±
¡°Oh, shush.¡± Ella elbowed Minos in the ribs, softly. ¡°My poor husband, getting to eat the best food in the world all day for free. How will he ever survive?¡±
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
¡°I suppose I¡¯ll be fine. And what were you kids up to today?¡± Minos asked. ¡°Ella already checked in your presentation. It sounds like it went fine?¡±
¡°It went good enough that I¡¯m not embarrassed.¡± Arthur fished a pickle out of a side-dish and ate it. This place knew their stuff. It cut through the grease in his mouth, leaving him with the perfect palate for his next bite of sandwich. ¡°Which is great. Better than I expected.¡±
¡°What about tomorrow?¡± Ella asked. ¡°Are you teaching about tea?¡±
¡°Not yet. Tomorrow I have Milo¡¯s help,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Which, now that I think about it, might be interesting. Is there such a thing as a professional bath? I¡¯d rather he be clean for this, if possible.¡±
Minos smiled.
¡°Oh, Arthur. You¡¯ve just ruined my plans for the evening.¡± Ella sighed. ¡°Just look at him.¡±
¡°A professional bath, you say?¡± Minos rubbed his furry hands together. ¡°Yes, I believe there might be something that meets that description.¡±
¡°Why does Minos look like he¡¯s plotting a coup?¡± Arthur looked at Ella with alarm. ¡°Minos, you aren¡¯t going to hurt anyone, right?¡±
¡°That, Arthur, depends entirely on your definition of hurt.¡±
¡ª
¡°What¡ is this?¡± Arthur stared at the building. It was possibly the first truly ugly building he had seen in the Demon World. It was a bright, almost neon green. It was built in an exaggerated, gaudy style, like someone had a bad dream and wanted to inflict it on everyone else.
¡°Is it shaped like a bathtub on purpose, or did the roof start to cave in?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°Minos, I know I¡¯m supposed to trust you, or whatever, but¡¡±
¡°It¡¯s ugly on purpose, Arthur. It¡¯s an acid bath.¡± Minos looked at it admiringly. ¡°See, acid baths are old now, but they were a new thing once. Nobody had heard of them.¡±
¡°I haven¡¯t heard of them, except for stripping metal,¡± Arthur said.
¡°They work for that too,¡± Milo said. ¡°Although usually stronger ones.¡±
¡°The point, Arthur, is that the government didn¡¯t trust them. Not initially. Even after they took baths and came out fine, they worried that low-level people or children would use them and get burned. Or melt.¡±
¡°You¡¯re really selling me on this. None of what you said sounds fun at all.¡±
¡°Oh, stop being a baby,¡± Milo said. ¡°Wrap your head around this. You have vitality points, right? You go in and tell them how many. And then they customize a bath, just for you, that won¡¯t hurt you but will hurt anything on you. Dirt. Grease. Unbelievable amounts of coal dust that have gotten just everywhere.¡±
¡°This sounds like something you need and something I don¡¯t,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Minos, why do people do this?¡±
¡°Because it gets you cleaner.¡± Minos said. ¡°And it feels hotter even though it isn¡¯t. And then professional bathmasters scrub you with rough sponges until you¡¯re working with an entirely new layer of skin. You don¡¯t like taking showers, Arthur?¡±
¡°No, I do.¡±
¡°This is ten showers. Maybe twenty. All stacked on each other at once,¡± Minos said.
¡°And it won¡¯t melt hair?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Or feathers. I gather it¡¯s a tricky enchantment to make that happen, but they figured it out.¡±
¡°Fine. I¡¯ll try it.¡± Arthur took a deep breath. ¡°But if I melt, it¡¯s you guys who have to explain it to Mizu.¡±
¡°Really, Arthur?¡± Milo laughed. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m scared of her. But you think dad is? My dad? The intrepid explorer?¡±
¡°Actually, I kind of am,¡± Minos said. ¡°Quite a bit, actually.¡±
¡°Really?¡± Milo looked confused. ¡°You face down beasts hundreds of miles from anyone!¡±
¡°More to the point, I run from things that look dangerous. Have you seen that girl when something threatens him?¡± Minos pointed at Arthur. ¡°And she¡¯s always watching things. I think she probably knows my weak points by now. Point is, Arthur, you¡¯ll be fine. I wouldn¡¯t risk it otherwise.¡±
¡°You never finished your explanation, though. About why the baths are so ugly,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Oh, it was a compromise. They could build them but they had to make absolutely, one hundred percent sure nobody would mistake them for a normal bath. Now they all look this way. You get used to it.¡±
Inside the building, the garish green was replaced with other shades of green that were not quite tasteful, but were much better than the atrocity on the outside of the building. True to the name, the air in the entire place smelled slightly tangy, like someone crushed a bunch of limes and left them lying around. While Arthur took in the overall weirdness of everything, a young, bright-eyed fox demon approached them, clearly on business.
¡°Acid bath, sirs?¡± the attendant asked, brightly, before his eyes settled on Arthur. ¡°Oh, oh no.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Sir, I¡¯m not sure where you got your bath, but I can assure you it was not here. Our hair retention enchantments simply wouldn¡¯t allow for it, unless we had wildly miscalculated the acid content, which¡ did we?¡± The fox¡¯s eyes filled with fear. ¡°Your poor fur. It wasn¡¯t us, was it? We can compensate you. Of course, we can. I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d want bath vouchers, though, considering¡¡±
Milo and Minos were both on the floor laughing. The fox was so fixated on Arthur¡¯s hair or lack thereof that he didn¡¯t notice. Arthur held up his hand to try and interrupt, but the fox went on.
¡°I don¡¯t know for sure about hair restoration treatments, although there simply must be some. Something alchemical, or perhaps clerical. You¡¯d want someone with experience with primate-demons, of course. And the capital acid baths would not dream of giving you less. Not a coin will be spared on this, sir, I assure you. I¡¡± Arthur was almost hopping up and down now, trying to break the fox¡¯s panic just long enough to correct him. ¡°Are you¡ in pain, sir?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not in pain. I¡¯m not an ape. I¡¯m not a monkey,¡± Arthur stated.
¡°He¡¯s not!¡± Milo gasped from the ground. ¡°He¡¯s¡ whooooooo. I can¡¯t. Dad, help.¡±
¡°He¡¯s just...¡± Minos sat up and took a deep breath. ¡°That¡¯s how he always looks. Nobody melted his hair off. He just doesn¡¯t have much to begin with.¡±
¡°Oh!¡± The fox looked pleased for just a split second before the foot in his mouth made its enormous shoe size clear. ¡°Oh, sir, I¡¯m so sorry. To think that you were an ape demon instead of¡ Sir, forgive me, but¡¡±
¡°He¡¯s going to do it. He¡¯s still digging.¡± Milo was laughing so hard now that he began coughing on his own spit. ¡°He¡¯s going to ask.¡±
¡°Just what are you, exactly?¡± the fox asked.
¡°I¡¯m an offworlder. Something called an Earthling or human. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±
¡°And your fur? It¡¯s¡ as it should be?¡±
¡°It is.¡±
¡°Oh, thank the gods.¡± The attendant¡¯s customer service mask fell completely off. ¡°You have no idea how much trouble I thought we were in. It would have absolutely ruined our reputation. No demon has been melted by acid here, partially or completely, in at least three generations.¡±
¡°What happened the last time?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°Just so I know what to avoid.¡±
¡°My understanding is that there was a bet between friends and alcohol was involved.¡±
¡°Ah.¡± Arthur could see himself making the same mistake in some situations. ¡°Checks out. So. Baths? My friend here is covered in coal.¡±
¡°Oh, he¡¯s not always that color? I just assumed he was¡ well, I¡¯m going to stop talking. I¡¯m glad to declare that offworlders have free admission to the baths. It¡¯s not a commonly used discount, but it¡¯s on the books, and I¡¯m going to expand it to include your entire party. For the insult, such as it was,¡± the fox said.
¡°Thanks, but why the offworlder discount?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°For the bear, or something?¡±
¡°Frankly, and I shouldn¡¯t be telling you this,¡± the attendant said, ¡°I think it¡¯s because it gives us experimental data we otherwise wouldn¡¯t have. If we can get an offworlder clean, first try, we can clean anyone. And if we can¡¯t, the innovations we come up with to make it work might be applicable in other ways.¡±
¡°Good enough. So¡¡±
¡°Of course. Right this way.¡±
Chapter 214: Half a Beach
¡°This is insane.¡± Arthur sat in the weird, kinda-citrus fumes of the room as the bluish water he bubbled and churned. The blue, he had been told, was because he had the lowest level of vitality that could safely take an acid bath and the cyan tint signified the weakest acid they had. The bubbles, he was told, would shake off whatever particles the acid loosened. ¡°There¡¯s no way this can be that much better than a normal bath.¡±
¡°Just relax,¡± Minos said. ¡°Give it some time to work. It¡¯s not really done until after the post-bath scrub, anyway.¡±
When Arthur had climbed into the bath, it had hurt, but only a pinch. It was like an itch that demanded you scratch it right away, the kind that popped up at a distant relative¡¯s funeral, but all over his entire body. He winced at it and tried to jump out of the bath, but the pain faded before he could do that.
¡°The body remembers when it didn¡¯t have stats. And it shies away from things that would have damaged it then.¡± Minos relaxed into his own hot-orange colored acid bath. ¡°Warriors train out of that, and so do people like Milo who work around intense heat. That pain you just felt? There was no reason for it except that your body expected to be hurt, whether it was or not. It goes away after a while. Or once you take a few more of these bathes.¡±
Now that Arthur had some time to adjust, it didn¡¯t hurt at all. The acid water was a little different from normal water, but not so much that Arthur was put off after he got used to the overall blueness of the thing. It was a little bit more viscous than normal water, clinging to his skin as he moved around. Milo and Minos soaked in their own baths, joking and sloshing around as the liquid did its work.
After twenty minutes or so, the attendant poked his head through the door.
¡°All right, that should do it. Any more will just irritate your skin. Minos, can you show the others where the showers are, for the rinse?¡± the fox asked.
¡°Of course. And the kid says he can¡¯t tell that the bath is doing anything at all, so it seems like you dialed it in pretty well,¡± Minos replied.
¡°Good, good. A lot like an ape-demon after all.¡± The attendant looked pleased. ¡°Once you¡¯ve rinsed, our scrubbers are ready for you. And don¡¯t let the kid go easy. If it¡¯s his first time, he might as well get the full effect.¡±
After the group got out of the bath and toweled off. Minos led them to the showers.
¡°The water here is from the building¡¯s own well. They have their own weller, an independent contractor who specializes in this kind of this. It¡¯s supposed to be better for rinsing,¡± Minos explained, excitement shining through his voice.
¡°How much better could it be?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°I¡¯ve had some pretty great showers so far.¡±
Minos shrugged his shoulders and turned on the tap to his own shower head. ¡°No clue. I¡¯m sure a weller could tell the difference. But this is the part where you¡¯re going to start feeling the difference, Arthur. Get that tap on.¡±
Arthur did as he was told, letting the water run over his head. He reached for the soap, then realized there wasn¡¯t any. Not only that, but he didn¡¯t need any. His skin was clean. It wasn¡¯t stripped like he had expected it to be or irritated. It was just somehow a bit cleaner and clearer than soap could have gotten it. Like the acid was an invisible soap that seeped into every pore and washed away all the dust and dirt.
¡°Milo, how did it do on your coal dust? Did it get it off?¡± Arthur asked, his voice carrying over the dividers.
¡°Yeah, Arthur. Good thing, too. It would have been days of baths before getting it out otherwise,¡± Milo replied.
¡°I was already clean, but I feel like I¡¯m starting to feel it.¡± Arthur looked down at the skin on his hands. It was almost shining.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
¡°Well, that¡¯s the first half,¡± Minos laughed in a good-natured way. ¡°But it¡¯s never over until after the scrub.¡±
¡°What¡¯s that, anyway?¡±
¡°Well, for me, it¡¯s a brush with the hardest bristled brush you ever heard of. Milo will probably get an oil and comb, which is the scrub that works for feathers. For you, though? No idea. Guess we¡¯ll see.¡±
¡ª
Arthur¡¯s scrub, it turned out, was an actual scrub in the most literal way possible. As the others laid down to get brushed, oiled, or combed, he saw his scrubber approaching with a bucket of sand and a stiff-looking cloth.
¡°This is the best we could come up with. It¡¯s close to what we use for deer demon, or anything else with short hair over their hide. A while back, some sand came in that was a little bit finer than what we normally use and we set it aside. Good thing, too.¡± The scrubber slapped the rag into the oil, then into the sand. It came out coated. ¡°Now get ready. It¡¯s your first time getting a scrub, right? This is going to hurt like hell. Trust me, it¡¯s going to be worth it.¡±
It did. The scrubber worked his legs, his feet, his back, and anywhere else on the very limited list of places Arthur was willing to let him go. It burned. It wasn¡¯t comfortable. And it wasn¡¯t in the least bit nice. Only repeated, intense mocking from Milo and Minos kept Arthur on the scrubbing floor.
Arthur was a big bag of wincing, whining, and generally hating his life ten seconds into the process. If it had been ten seconds long, that would have been bad enough. Instead, the scrubbing was a five-minute sort of affair, one that ended with a four-bucket douse of literal ice water and a not-at-all-soft, full-palmed slap on his back that he was pretty sure left a handprint.
¡°Minos, I¡¯m going to kill you. Once I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll tell Ella you fell down a staircase or something.¡± Arthur was fuming as they put back on their clothes and left the building. He didn¡¯t care if the attendants heard, which he was able to tell was happening by their laughter alone. ¡°She¡¯s still young. She¡¯ll find someone else. Plenty of life ahead for that woman.¡±
¡°But not for me, eh?¡± Minos was laughing along with everyone else. ¡°I guess we all have to go sometime.¡±
¡°Oh, he¡¯s not gonna kill you,¡± Milo said between chuckles. ¡°He¡¯d have to catch you first. Arthur is a lot of things, but fast isn¡¯t one of them.¡±
¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Arthur glowered. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for my chance. One day, Minos will pass by a dark doorway and I¡¯ll be there.¡±
¡°All that said, how do you feel?¡± Minos said. ¡°Really, I mean. You¡¯ve been cussing me out since the first handful of sand came out. Stop for a second. How¡¯s your skin?¡±
Arthur finally settled down enough to assess how he was feeling. And, despite being boiled in acid and scraped within an inch of his life by half a beach, he felt pretty good.
More than good, actually. It¡¯s like I can feel every thread in my shirt. My skin is brand-new. It¡¯s like the air is kissing my arms.
¡°I¡¯m fine, I guess,¡± Arthur lied. ¡°I feel okay. I¡¯ll recover.¡±
¡°Oh, damn. It really did work,¡± Milo said. ¡°I remember when I came here the first time, I managed to pretend to be mad at you until the next morning, at least.¡±
¡°Yeah, he¡¯s glowing.¡± Minos kept walking towards the hotel. ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Arthur. I¡¯ll let Ella know that you are going to assassinate me. So she can alert all the eligible suitors in advance.¡±
There were still more than a few hours left in the day, and as soon as Arthur saw Mizu waiting around outside the hotel, he knew how he was going to spend the rest of the evening until she set him straight.
¡°Mizu, come on. I¡¯ll take you out to dinner. Wherever you want. Or wherever we find first. I¡¯m starving,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Sorry Arthur, I can¡¯t.¡± Mizu smiled. ¡°I just came by to tell you that I wouldn¡¯t be around. I have two wells booked for tonight. I¡¯m learning a lot but I¡¯ll be out of commission until tomorrow afternoon.¡±
¡°Oh, dang,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Are you sure? I wanted to try and fit in one of those dates, but I guess if you can¡¯t, you can¡¯t.¡±
¡°And I can¡¯t.¡± Mizu went tiptoe and kissed Arthur¡¯s cheek. ¡°But neither can you, actually. You¡¯ve got a date with another woman.¡±
¡°Oh?¡± Arthur raised his eyebrow. ¡°Who? Lily? Ella?¡±
¡°Lily found a warehouse where they let you ride muzzled dungeon monsters,¡± Mizu explained with a smile. ¡°I wanted to stop her from doing it, but Ella said it¡¯s safe enough. She¡¯s busy, I¡¯m afraid. And Ella has been waiting for Minos to come back. She says she likes it when he¡¯s all nice and clean. So¡¡±
¡°So I¡¯m not going to be around either of them for the rest of the day.¡±
¡°Right. Anyway, it¡¯s a surprise, but I can tell you she adores you, if for no other reason than she sent a carriage to take you where you are going.¡±
¡°Hm.¡± Arthur was pretty sure Mizu wasn¡¯t actually setting him up with some random woman, but at the same time she wasn¡¯t giving up a lot of clues to what was actually happening. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll just have to find out?¡±
¡°You will.¡± Mizu gave him a hug and turned back towards the hotel, where Arthur¡¯s walking-around bag was waiting on the ground. ¡°You¡¯ll need this. The carriage is right over there, waiting for you. Have fun, okay?¡±
Chapter 215: Teamasters
Ten minutes later, the carriage had Arthur where he needed to go. It was the same plaza where he and Mizu had seen the tea shop the first time. He got out, accepted the driver¡¯s explanation that he had no idea where Arthur was supposed to go from there with a resigned air, and found a nice, inconspicuous wall to wait by until someone came to tell him what he was supposed to be doing.
¡°Oh, there you are,¡± a very tall ferret woman said, as she poked her head out of the alley and set eyes on Arthur. ¡°Ulan and that nice water elemental both said you looked like a boiled orangutan but I don¡¯t think so at all. You¡¯d expect them to be all wrinkled under that fur, right? You aren¡¯t wrinkled at all.¡±
¡°Even if I was, I wouldn¡¯t anymore,¡± Arthur said. ¡°I had an acid bath and they buffed me out pretty good after. I¡¯m Arthur, by the way.¡±
¡°Oh, of course you are. And I¡¯m Ceti,¡± the woman said. ¡°You probably know me better as Ulan¡¯s wife though. It¡¯s wonderful to meet you. I really mean that.¡±
Of course it¡¯s her. Who else? Arthur mentally thanked Mizu for remembering this little commitment for him. I would have just laid around the hotel otherwise. Now I get to spend the whole night talking about tea.
¡°It¡¯s good to meet you, too. Did you know I¡¯ve never had a long conversation with another brewer? I mean ever. Suppliers, sure. Teamasters? Not one.¡±
¡°How does that even happen?¡± Ceti asked. ¡°I know some of us are lone wolves in that way but not a single conversation with your peers?¡±
¡°It¡¯s my fault. I was so busy my first year here and then I got tied up building a town. I hardly left space for it,¡± Arthur said.
Ceti slapped her forehead. ¡°Of course. I know you¡¯re an offworlder, but I forgot what that means. Yes, I¡¯d imagine it¡¯s been a crazy few years for you.¡±
¡°They were good years too, luckily.¡±
¡°Oh, I¡¯d imagine. That little water demon is a fun one. Quiet, but fun.¡± The ferret turned and waved for him to follow. ¡°Come on. I¡¯ll take you to your other fan.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve got two fans now?¡± Arthur followed as the ferret woman laughed. After she took her first ten or so steps away, Arthur realized exactly where they were going.
¡°Oh, there you are, Ceti.¡± The shaggy dog-demon teamaster looked down at his only customer and grimaced. ¡°You finish your tea, then get out. I¡¯m closing up early tonight.¡±
¡°When don¡¯t you do that, you lazy leaf-monger?¡± The customer looked up and smiled. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you work a full day in decades.¡±
¡°Well, I¡¯m not starting tonight,¡± the teamaster said. ¡°I¡¯ve got a celebrity in the shop.¡±
¡°Really?¡± The customer glanced around. ¡°Where?¡±
¡°Over there. Nobody you¡¯d recognize. He¡¯s a tea celebrity. For refined fans.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t take you for being the kind to be a fan,¡± Arthur said.
¡°I¡¯m not. Not even of you, I¡¯m afraid. Although, you got pretty close when you sent your girl by to work on my water.¡± The teamster pointed over at his water spout, which was gleaming and freshly etched with runes. ¡°She¡¯s something.¡±
¡°Whatever she did was all her. I don¡¯t know anything about this.¡±
¡°Either way, keep her. The girl¡¯s a genius. She solved a water balance problem for me that ten other wellers couldn¡¯t make a dent in.¡± The teamaster shook his head. ¡°And it looks like she did it just so I¡¯d tell you more about tea. You must have a hell of a personality, kid. It can¡¯t be your looks.¡±
¡°Maybe she really likes tea,¡± the ferret said. ¡°Or maybe he¡¯s nice. Do you get her a lot of gifts, Arthur?¡±
¡°I bought her shoes once.¡±
¡°Oooh.¡± Ceti raised her eyebrows in what looked like actual admiration. ¡°That¡¯s a professional move.¡±
The last customer cleared out surprisingly quickly and then the doors of the shop were closed and locked. Whatever Mizu had done, the teamaster was treating things very seriously. They settled in behind the counter, each of the teamaster trio boiling their pots of water on every spare heating element the dog-demon shop keep had.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
¡°Arthur first. No offense, Lup, but I¡¯ve seen what you can do,¡± Ceti said. ¡°I want to see Arthur¡¯s process. As much of it as I can. From scratch, if I can get it.¡±
¡°From scratch might be hard. I¡¯d need some ingredients I¡¯m not sure I can get here,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Like root flour?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. I brought pearls, but not much in the way of raw ingredients.¡±
¡°Good news.¡± Ceti tossed Arthur a tightly tied bag. ¡°I came prepared for the occasion.¡±
¡°She¡¯s crazy,¡± Lup said. ¡°When it comes to tea, that is. Although I¡¯ve been wanting to see this too. She tells me it¡¯s like making gelatin but¡¡±
¡°But it doesn¡¯t quite make sense. Right. Well, keep your eyes open.¡± Arthur poured out some water into a bowl. ¡°It¡¯s really about halfway between a gelatin and a dough. You¡¯ll see. Now, the trick here is timing a couple of the steps just right. Look¡¡±
Arthur measured in the flour, waited for it to take on water, then let it rest for just the right amount of time before he kneaded, folded, and worked it to the exact right consistency.
¡°This is boba now. It needs to be rolled, but that¡¯s the basics,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Oh, I¡¯m glad. Then I haven¡¯t been doing it too very wrong. I missed a few points, but the end result isn¡¯t that different,¡± Ceti exclaimed.
¡°I wasn¡¯t trained in boba-making before I came here. I¡¯m sure that I¡¯m doing it wrong in a dozen ways too. But no way to check now.¡±
¡°I¡¯d guess not.¡± Lup laughed. ¡°That can¡¯t be all you do with it, though. It¡¯s a component of your class, right?¡±
¡°Yes. Although probably my biggest class buffs are granting the boba medicinal effects or just letting me make more of it, which doesn¡¯t affect how it tastes at all,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Medicinal teamaking. Whoo boy. I heard about it, but I wondered how it would work in your case. Can you show me?¡±
¡°Sure. What ails you?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°We might as well treat something if there¡¯s something that can benefit from it.¡±
¡°I get headaches, this time of day,¡± Lup said. ¡°Something about how the light comes through the windows. I¡¯ve been meaning to get them shaded.¡±
¡°Got it. That¡¯s easy.¡± Arthur started rolling boba, feeling a small amount of majicka leak out with every freshly made pearl. ¡°Get me some tea. Just whatever you¡¯d like to drink. Do you take it with cream?¡±
¡°Not normally, but I will if that¡¯s what you recommend.¡± Lup handed over some tea, a blend Arthur hadn¡¯t smelled before. ¡°Try that. Should go well with the boba, I think.¡±
Arthur brewed the tea, poured it into a bowl suspended in an ice water bath to cool, and got to work assembling the drink. The results were pretty boring as medicinal effects went, but had a few little modifiers Arthur had never seen before.
|
Headache Soothing Tea (Collaborative Effort)
This tea has responded to the call of your majicka and now grants a mild relief against headache pain, particularly headaches that have to do with vision and eyesight.
The boba and labor in this tea come from you, but the blend was provided by another teamaster of superior skill and carries traces of their own majicka. As such, the drink gains a bonus to its efficacy, as if a slightly higher amount of majicka was used to brew it.
|
¡°Oh, that¡¯s something,¡± Arthur asked. ¡°Was that tea medicinal in some way? The system recognized that it was majicka-infused.¡±
¡°Naw. That¡¯s probably just from my blender skill. Not every teamaster makes their own blends, but I always have. It¡¯s a critical part of my class skills. Has been for decades.¡±
¡°Ah. Too bad for me.¡± If Lup¡¯s blending skill was free-hand, just using conventional senses or majicka in ways unguided by a skill, Arthur could have duplicated it. If it was a skill, he could get bits and pieces of what Lup did, but he¡¯d never be as good. ¡°I mix a lot of my own tea. I was sort of hoping you weren¡¯t packing a skill. Should have figured though.¡±
¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry too much.¡± Ceti patted Arthur¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Lup is a special case. I¡¯d say his skill is responsible for about a quarter of what he can do. At most.¡±
¡°Really?¡± Arthur looked at the unassuming dog demon with surprise. ¡°How¡¯s that work?¡±
¡°It works because it¡¯s work. The blender skill makes my blends better by pouring majicka into them. But that¡¯s just on top of what anyone could do if they did enough experiments and took enough notes. You see that closet over there? That big cabinet looking door on the wall? Go open that up. Tell me what you see,¡± Lup explained.
Arthur gave Lup his tea and walked over, pulling the heavy door open off the wall. Inside, there were notebooks. Not one or two, but dozens and dozens of notebooks on every shelf, floor to ceiling, each labeled with a range of dates in the demon-world style.
¡°Are these all notes on tea?¡± Arthur¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°There must be thousands of pages.¡±
¡°Thousands and thousands. Every combination of every ingredient I¡¯ve ever used, with different prep methods, different aging times, mix quantities. You name it,¡± Lup said proudly.
¡°The ingredient costs alone must have been crazy,¡± Arthur whispered.
¡°Before my son was born, that¡¯s where the money went.¡± Lup looked a bit embarrassed. ¡°The wife had her own place, handled most of the bills. Said I was in charge of tea. I might have taken that a little too seriously.¡±
¡°She¡¯s a saint,¡± Ceti said. ¡°A living, actual saint. I love that woman. If she wasn¡¯t the way she was, those books wouldn¡¯t exist. I¡¯ve spent weeks reading those.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not going to have that luxury, sadly.¡± Arthur pulled out a notebook from ten years ago that appeared to be entirely about the use of molasses as a herb-soak. ¡°I¡¯m pretty busy until we leave town. I¡¯ll be lucky to get hours with them.¡±
¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Lup said. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing this so long that I¡¯ve managed to figure out some patterns. Not absolute rules but things that work in most blends, ingredients that tend to go together even when they don¡¯t seem like they should. I can run you through some of that.¡±
¡°And I¡¯ll give what pointers I can too,¡± Ceti said. ¡°How about you come over here and watch me brew some pots, and see what you can pick up?¡±
Chapter 216: Tea Messiah
The next time Arthur looked at a clock, five hours had passed. The knowledge he was tapping into was in some ways a lot like his own. These were people who loved making tea, loved making people happy with tea, and loved being around tea in general. They were both higher leveled than him, but not by that much. They had skills a lot like his, with similar wordings aimed at slightly different purposes.
The real difference was the depth of their experience. Everyone was an expert in their own way of tea making, so there wasn¡¯t much they could teach him about boiling water or organizing a kitchen. But the other two teamasters had their own branches of expertise. Fate had taken them down new paths of tea. In those ways, they knew orders of a magnitude more than Arthur did. He¡¯d get there, but they had just had more time.
And so Arthur talked about what he knew about boba, and got a wealth of information in return. Where to look for the good herbs, what gadgets were useful versus what gadgets were wastes of time, and how to dispose of unused tea at the end of the day. He learned how to get plugged drains clear without using majicka, bits and pieces about how to pry preferences out of customers, and even the best way to time bathroom breaks during a rush that just wouldn¡¯t stop.
It was years of progress, not in terms of his class but in terms of insights he was gaining. And that was on top of the practical things. Mizu had shoved him headfirst into a treasure trove and he wasn¡¯t sure she even knew it.
¡°I wish I could give you two more back.¡± Arthur tossed a boba pearl in the air and caught it in his offhand. ¡°I just showed you how to make boba a little better. There¡¯s nothing I can show either of you about being a teamaster, generally.¡±
¡°Well, that¡¯s the breaks.¡± Lup smiled as he tried to dismiss it. ¡°It¡¯s a bit expected, honestly. A lot of your class is tied up in that medicinal effect skill. It¡¯s not something we can copy. Unless you have some kind of majicka-enhancements you do freehand that aren¡¯t medicinal at all.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Arthur said before he realized he might.
Shit. How do those ones actually work? It¡¯s not like they¡¯re actually medicine.
¡°Actually, hang on. Let me try something.¡± Arthur picked up a bit of boba dough, rolled it into a few pearls, and hit them with majicka in a way that had long since become normal to him. ¡°Here. Tell me what you see there.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not an appraiser, but¡¡± Ceti pursed her lips. ¡°That feels jam-packed with majicka. What does it do?¡±
¡°It does whatever you want,¡± Arthur said. ¡°It works with other stuff you¡¯re trying to do with your brewing. It¡¯s just¡ majicka. I just stuck it in there. I usually think about it as being part of my medicinal brewer skill because it¡¯s my medicinal stuff that takes the most majicka.¡±
¡°But it¡¯s not limited to just medicinal effects.¡± Lup rolled the bead of boba around in his hand, thoughtfully. ¡°Does it help?¡±
¡°It¡¯s not efficient. But for big rushes, or monster waves? It¡¯s nice to be able to stock up majicka you wouldn¡¯t otherwise use. I run batches before bedtime, when I can.¡±
¡°That¡¯s¡ hmm.¡± Ceti¡¯s eyes dropped as she tried to figure out the implications. ¡°Would it work for tea?¡±
¡°I haven¡¯t been able to get it to. But I¡¯m not sure how it works for boba, so¡ maybe? Both of you are better at tea than I am. Do you have skills for processing tea?¡±
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
¡°I do. For storing it, or improving it slightly.¡± Ceti nodded. ¡°And Lup has Blender.¡±
¡°Maybe you can try to misuse those skills in the same way I¡¯m misusing medicinal brewer.¡±
¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll give it a shot,¡± Lup said.
¡°While you do, try this, as well.¡± Arthur tossed Lup a pouch of Portable Arthur. ¡°That¡¯s the other thing I¡¯ve made that works the same way, I think.¡±
¡°What¡¯s this one do?¡±
¡°The same kind of stuff I do. Medicinal effects. Pep enhancements. Just not as well. It works off user intent.¡± Arthur gave another packet to Ceti, for good measure. It wasn¡¯t like he actually needed it. ¡°I figured friends could use it at home, when I¡¯m not available.¡±
Ceti looked at Lup, and Lup looked at Ceti. Arthur waited for either of them to say anything, but neither did. The seconds ticked by, until Arthur was glancing frantically back and forth between the two teamasters, trying to figure out what he had done.
¡°Should I tell him, or should you?¡± Ceti asked. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know. I don¡¯t suppose he would.¡±
¡°I can. Arthur, remember how you were saying you didn¡¯t know how well your tea lesson would go over? That you didn¡¯t know much yet?¡± Lup asked.
¡°Yeah? I mean, either of you could run circles around me with practical advice.¡±
¡°Ten minutes ago, I would have been polite and said that in a nicer way.¡± Lup finished the last of his latest cup of headache tea, then put it down. ¡°But now I¡¯m guessing things don¡¯t go down quite the same way.¡±
¡°Why?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Were you planning on talking about these products? At all?¡± Lup asked.
¡°They didn¡¯t really occur to me. Most people should be able to do about the same thing, right?¡±
¡°No, Arthur, they can¡¯t. You¡¯ve made your skill, which nobody else can do, portable. Whether or not people can duplicate that, you¡¯ve turned yourself from a local variable to a wild card that can affect the whole empire,¡± Lup said.
¡°And if they can duplicate it, Arthur?¡± Ceti laid her head down on the table. ¡°Then you¡¯ve changed the entire world.¡±
¡ª
¡°So how did it go?¡± Mizu set down her book as Arthur arrived back in the lobby. It looked like she had been waiting up for him.
¡°I think Lup would kill for you now,¡± Arthur answered. ¡°What did you do to his well?¡±
Mizu wobbled her hand in the air a bit, uncertainly. ¡°This and that. But you know what I meant, Arthur. Did you have fun?¡±
¡°So much. They both know¡ a lot. Did you know they would?¡±
¡°Older people tend to. Even if they aren¡¯t famous heroes of the realm. They¡¯ve just learned a lot. I noticed you never really rushed to tea shops in the same way I go to wells. I figured you didn¡¯t know how big of a deal that would be.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Arthur decided to hold off on telling Mizu about how the two older people had decided he was probably a tea messiah of sorts. It seemed like the kind of thing that could wait until tomorrow. ¡°But yes, I¡¯ve probably shaved years off being good at my job. So thank you very much. Are you going to bed now?¡±
¡°In just a second. Come here.¡± Mizu held out her arms like she wanted a hug, but as Arthur leaned in, she grabbed his cheeks and pulled them apart. ¡°Oh, yeah. That¡¯s the stuff. Milo told me you had an acid bath. I decided right then to wait up.¡±
¡°Just for that?¡± Arthur tried to give Mizu side-eye, an attempt complicated significantly by the fact that she was actively rubbing her face on his.
¡°Just for that, he says. As if a freshly softened Arthur walking around wasn¡¯t worth it.¡± Mizu stood up a little higher, pulled down Arthur¡¯s head, and brushed her cheeks across his forehead. ¡°Arthur, we are going to have a kissing time.¡±
¡°What, right now?¡±
¡°Of course not right now!¡± Mizu flicked him. ¡°I¡¯m exhausted. And I don¡¯t even have snacks. But soon.¡±
¡°I accept this fate.¡±
¡°I thought you might. Now go to bed and I will too. We are meeting up tomorrow night.¡±
¡°Where?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°When?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll find you.¡±
With the knowledge that a water demon was now on the prowl for his satin-smooth skin, Arthur climbed the stairs to his room and collapsed back on his bed. His body seemed to realize all at once what a very, very long day it had been. He hadn¡¯t yet unlaced his shoes before falling over, and now was extremely reluctant to sit up to take them off. It took him a minute and two near-misses of nodding off to sleep to actually pop up, slip off his shoes and socks, and collapse back over.
Just before he fell asleep, he remembered that in addition to Mizu¡¯s quest to nuzzle his skin, tomorrow was Milo¡¯s day to help with Arthur¡¯s presentation. He needed to get whatever rest he could. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day.
Chapter 217: Potential
The next morning, Arthur decided to make his own tea. He had walked away from Lup¡¯s with plenty of expertly blended tea, and he brewed some of it now. This was primo stuff, he decided. It was much stronger than almost any of his own teas, but in a connoisseur¡¯s way, one where every flavor mellowed every other flavor just enough to allow for that strength without it being overpowered.
And, given that Lup, who had named another blend Evening Petals, **labeled Arthur¡¯s current blend as Stomach Punch, it was no surprise that it carried a big enough pep load to excite a Hing.
Arthur made it even stronger. He could already tell that it was going to be a long day. Suddenly, his doorknob turned. He hadn¡¯t locked it and it swung open without so much of a knock of warning. Milo stood there, looking haggard.
¡°What happened to you?¡± Arthur asked as he went back to the tea and got it ready. ¡°Weren¡¯t you done with your stuff after the acid bath?¡±
¡°I was, but apparently Lily found a place where you can ride terrifying monsters. I wasn¡¯t going to pass that up.¡±
¡°Was it good?¡±
¡°Oh, you have no idea. I rode a giant crab,¡± Milo explained. Crabs in the Demon World were unaltered for the most part. Arthur wasn¡¯t a biologist, but now wondered if crabs might be just crabs everywhere. ¡°There are like ten places you can ride on a crab. We had a whole crowd on it.¡±
Arthur realized that giant crab had a very different meaning to Milo if ten people could ride on it. ¡°The monsters probably don¡¯t like that.¡±
¡°The monsters, Arthur, like it fine. There¡¯s a whole class that pacifies them apparently. It¡¯s not useful for battle, so you don¡¯t see them much. But they are gentle as giant, deadly, tamed crabs can be. Anyway, it was a lot of fun.¡± Milo looked at the tea, greedily. ¡°Is that ready? I need it.¡±
¡°It is. Careful, though. It¡¯s strong.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll be the judge of that.¡± Milo poured himself a cup of tea, then took a sip. ¡°Gods. I judge it strong. You win this one.¡±
¡°Thought I might need it,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Lily, I see you out there. You can come in too.¡±
¡°Thanks. I think I could use some of that tea too. I was trying to figure out how to knock on an open door for almost a minute.¡±
¡°So the crab riding place is awesome then? I should go?¡±
¡°No, Arthur. Not your speed.¡± Milo shook his head and downed the rest of his tea before pouring another glass. ¡°Tell him, Lily.¡±
¡°We talked about it. It¡¯s too much. You¡¯d get overstimulated,¡± Lily said. ¡°We found something better for you, Arthur. The owner of the monster riding place told us about it.¡±
¡°Oh? And what¡¯s that?¡± Arthur¡¯s masculinity was not incredibly easy to challenge, but even he felt a bit slighted at the idea that he couldn¡¯t enjoy the same crabs everyone else found so thrilling.
¡°You know how the capital has a lot of beasts for agriculture and stuff?¡± Lily asked. ¡°There¡¯s a bakery that raises the really little orphaned ones. They need people to pet them and feed them, and you get to eat cookies while you do it.¡±
¡°Gods.¡± Arthur could imagine something like that. And in trying to do so, he was defeated. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m not even going to try and argue with you. That doesn¡¯t mean I agree to give up on riding monsters though. There can be two good things. I can do both.¡±
¡°I wish you wouldn¡¯t,¡± Lily said sheepishly. ¡°You¡¯re going to get all worked up and liberate the monsters or something.¡±
It was possible. He wouldn¡¯t do it on purpose, but there was Rumble and Daisy, two Pratas who were irrefutable proof that Arthur was a known wild card and such things were inside the realm of possibility. ¡°How small are the animals? At least tell me that. I have to at least know what I¡¯m trading for.¡±
Lily took a drink of overpepped tea, grimaced, then looked down at it respectfully. ¡°That¡¯s strong, Arthur. Really strong. Did you do something weird?¡±
¡°No, I met someone else who does weird stuff. We¡¯re getting off subject. How little are the animals?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°He told me some of them need to be fed from a bottle, and that holding them helps them not miss their mothers,¡± Lily said.
Arthur might have wanted to keep arguing, but he wasn¡¯t a monster. They were going to go to the expo and do their work, and then feed tiny beasts so they wouldn¡¯t feel alone. That sounded like a pretty good day.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
¡°Okay, drink your tea,¡± Arthur said, nodding to Lily¡¯s plans. ¡°Our talk is early this morning. Milo, do you have a good idea of what you want to say?¡±
Milo wobbled his head a bit. ¡°Kind of. I think I¡¯m mostly going to push the angle of building a town from the ground up to work with machines. How that¡¯s looked. But mostly I¡¯m going to rely on people asking questions.¡±
¡°Good plan. There will be plenty of them.¡± Arthur found his shoes, laced them up, and stood. ¡°Let''s go, then. Philbin¡¯s probably getting the room ready. I don¡¯t want to keep him waiting.¡±
Arthur led the group to the carts, which were fast losing their appeal for Lily. She still enjoyed them, but the little adrenaline owl acclimated to the new rides fast. The tamed monsters would probably hold her interest for a few nights, but the only super-stimulus she never tired of was either riding along on Karbo¡¯s shoulder or getting thrown by him.
Arthur, on the other hand, was made very slightly sick by the speed. Not enough to really hurt him, but more than enough that he put off talking to his friends about the more serious things until after they had made it to the expo, checked in with Philbin, and were raiding the snacks on the table for enough calories to bridge the gap to their eventual late breakfast.
¡°So, guys. You know how sometimes I accidentally do something that I shouldn¡¯t be able to do?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°No, Arthur.¡± Lily dumped a handful of cheese cubes into her mouth. ¡°We¡¯ve never met. This is the first time Milo and I have heard of you doing anything unusual.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve always heard you referred to as Normal Arthur Teamaster, of Earth, who doesn¡¯t fall into any weird situations at all.¡± Milo tossed some crackers back. ¡°Good old boring Arthur. No madness to be had by hanging out with him, no sir.¡±
¡°Of course. Well, I might have messed up that pattern of normality a bit. I was talking to some other teamasters yesterday¡¡±
Arthur gave them the rundown of what he knew.
¡°So you can store energy? And make your products work when you aren¡¯t there?¡± Milo squinted at him. ¡°That¡¯s not a big deal really, right? I do basically the same thing with weapons. They work off what my majicka did to them, sometimes for years.¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± Lily agreed. ¡°Not seeing the big deal here.¡±
¡°You didn¡¯t really listen then.¡± Philbin was across the room, moving chairs. ¡°Arthur isn¡¯t making daggers and then giving them to people. That¡¯s not how things work with his tea. What he¡¯s doing is like sending the ability to blacksmith daggers yourself, by post.¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Which still wouldn¡¯t be a big deal, necessarily. I might have to make medicine for people sometimes. The bigger deal is that it doesn¡¯t seem to be part of any of my skills.¡±
Philbin truly understood what Arthur was saying first, and dropped a heavy chair on his foot. His yelp and little pained dance distracted Milo and Lily for a few seconds, but Arthur watched the implications of his words fully seep.
¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible, right?¡± Milo looked confused. ¡°An alchemist can store majicka for future projects in pills, but that takes expensive ingredients. They¡¯re limited. And they can¡¯t just make pills that do anything a person needs them to do. It¡¯s all very specific. If it were possible, they should have figured it out before.¡±
¡°Alchemists work off recipes, not intent. That¡¯s what they told me.¡± Lily spent a lot of time helping with a lot of different classes in Coldbrook. That knowledge was coming in handy now. ¡°I don¡¯t know of any class that just sort of imagines effects like Arthur¡¯s does.¡±
¡°Someone should have still messed with it at some point, right? People do experiments all the time. Sometimes for years.¡± Milo looked at Arthur apologetically. ¡°You¡¯re saying you stumbled on a new way of changing everything by accident?¡±
¡°That¡¯s sort of how he is,¡± Lily said. ¡°I mean, you¡¯ve hung out with him.¡±
¡°Still. It¡¯s not enough,¡± Milo said.
¡°I think both of you might be missing the point. Maybe because you know him so well.¡± Philbin limped over on his bruised foot and sat down. ¡°Arthur¡¯s an offworlder.¡±
¡°How does that matter?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think the system gave me a single weird power because of that.¡±
¡°Maybe not. But she wouldn¡¯t have needed to.¡± Philbin took two crackers, an almond, and a raisin from the counter. ¡°There are people who said The Bear was much stronger than anything the system ever made. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s true, but¡ look. Say this cracker is Arthur¡¯s world. And this one is ours. And the almond is Arthur.¡±
¡°He is a bit nutty,¡± Milo joked.
¡°Shh. We only have a minute before people start arriving.¡± Philbin moved the almond from one cracker to another. ¡°Say Arthur comes here, and that¡¯s all he does. Then the system just works with him in normal ways. She gives him skills, he progresses, and it¡¯s all normal. But say he had cargo.¡±
¡°In the form of a raisin on the back of an almond?¡± Lily asked.
¡°The raisin is representative of potential. It¡¯s one of the theories about why The Bear was what he was. He came from another world, apparently one at war. From what historians could gather, that war was waged under very odd circumstances. There were theories that he dragged some of the energy with him here, and the system had to figure out how to use it. And in his case, that meant creating the strongest demon there¡¯s ever been.¡±
¡°You think Arthur is The Bear?¡± Milo asked.
¡°Not necessarily. Arthur, how was your life before you came here? Did you die in a massive explosion or something?¡± Philbin asked. ¡°Sorry to pry.¡±
¡°No, I had a fairly normal life. Boring, even,¡± Arthur said.
¡°See? He wouldn¡¯t have dragged as much fate with him. But that doesn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t get any. He could have got just a small chunk of whatever energy his world uses to run. It wouldn¡¯t be normal, but the system would still have to figure out how to use it.¡±
¡°Which is beside the point. Sorry, Philbin, but how this is happening isn¡¯t the most important thing,¡± Arthur said. ¡°The point is, I have to talk about all this in my teamaking talk in two days. And then, if what the other teamakers expect to happen actually happens, everything is going to get a bit crazy. So I¡¯m warning you in advance.¡±
¡°Well, it¡¯s appreciated.¡± Lily grinned. ¡°Not that we can help but it gives us a chance to get front-row seats to the Arthur show.¡±
¡°And there¡¯s our first guest. I saw them peek through the window.¡± Philbin stood. ¡°Good luck with your talk, Arthur. And thanks for the heads-up.¡±
¡°You¡¯re welcome. And Philbin?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°Do you think all that stuff with potential is actually true?¡±
¡°No idea.¡± Philbin shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s one theory among many. It could be part of things, but maybe not. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time I was very wrong.¡±
Chapter 218: Milo’s Talk
Somewhere far away yet very close, the System chuckled and pulled up her own description for an achievement she had given Arthur. One that even he, by his own preference, didn¡¯t know about.
|
Rise Together (Achievement)
Again and again, you¡¯ve tired your success to the success of others. Far from riding coat-tails, you¡¯ve offered your own, again and again. To anyone you could help along the way, regardless of whether you knew them well or not.
If it were just once or twice, this might go unnoticed. The sheer density of your actions that include this in one way or another, however, has not only made it a common occurrence but in fact the defining feature the majority of your friends know you by. They think of you, one and all, as helpful in a way they don¡¯t quite understand.
Because of this, your fate is now tied to those you help in a more direct way. As you help others progress, your potential for progress will grow a small amount. There¡¯s only one catch: this perk won¡¯t work for someone who knows about it. It¡¯s a reward for altruism, and nothing destroys the altruistic impulse like knowing there¡¯s something in it for you.
If you¡¯d like to claim this achievement, you must first agree to forget about it. It will exist, working in the background of everything you do. If you don¡¯t, you will gain a significant amount of experience as with most achievements, but nothing more.
|
Philbin had got much closer to the answer than he knew. Over the course of the centuries, the system had changed in response to her children. She understood them better, and could see how things looked through their eyes just a little more clearly. But they had come to understand her better too. They built up a history of guesses about the intricacies of how she worked that was far more correct than it was wrong. They knew little bits and pieces of her personality, even if they weren¡¯t sure she had one to begin with. They were, after all this time, becoming quite wise.
That even applied to rarer events. There had not been a huge number of visitors to her world, but there had always been some, and they had always managed to help. Part of that had to do with the kinds of souls that were drawn to this place, but much of it was simply because they had the energy to help with in a way no demon could compare to.
The Bear had, of course, carried the most. The system hadn¡¯t brought him here. Neither had the old man, bless him. They couldn¡¯t have because the bear hadn¡¯t died or even come close to it. He had been blown there, carried on the waves of an explosion so large and odd that it bridged literal universes, all to carry a cargo of exactly one soul. He had been so loaded up with potential that she was forced to be quite crude in how she expressed it, turning it into massive amounts of strength that she simply counted on him not to misuse.
The Bear hadn¡¯t disappointed her on that count. The rest was history.
With other visitors, she had been more subtle. Arthur¡¯s Rise Together might not have mentioned the potential he brought with him from Earth, but it was built almost entirely on that foundation. Earth was, near as she could tell, a place of flexibility. They didn¡¯t have a system. They instead relied on constant change and progress to keep them safe and warm. When he came to the Demon World, the energy he brought was flavored in accordance to that change.
It had taken some careful tweaks to make all that potential safe to use, but with Arthur, she had time to figure out the best course of action. The Bear had not given her that luxury. If she didn¡¯t move quickly with him, he would have blown up, taking the better part of the planet with him. With Arthur, she was able to take a more relaxed approach.
Arthur¡¯s potential was tied to an achievement more powerful than most class skills, and its implications flowed both outwards and inwards. The first stop in that cycle was his friends. As he helped them, they gained just a little bit of the effects of his potential. It wasn¡¯t much, but she could see it at work in Arthur¡¯s blacksmith friend¡¯s machines, as well as his water-demon girlfriend¡¯s runes.
Lily, of course, was alight with potential. Arthur had helped her more than anyone. She would have eventually done just fine even without his help. With it, she had so much built up potential just from head pats that she had been able to force the system to give her a class much earlier than was normal. Normally, that would have hurt her, at least in the long run. Wrapped in Arthur¡¯s gentle energy, though, she¡¯d be just fine.
After all that help and potential flowed through his friends, it then made a U-turn and dove back towards Arthur, now tuned to the Demon World courtesy of its own citizens. Once the potential was changed to fit the world, there was nothing it could do to hurt Arthur¡¯s new environment unless he intentionally tried to use it that way. The system was sure he never would. She knew of butterflies more violent than he was.
She briefly considered rewarding Philbin. He didn¡¯t know about Arthur¡¯s achievement, so there was no way he could have guessed the particulars of what was going on. Still, he had come so very close in so many different ways that she felt she should award him somehow. She got to work making an achievement, something that would recognize what he had done without giving him too much confirmation he was right about his guess. It was tough work.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Halfway through, she stopped and sighed in relief. As Philbin sat and pretended to listen to the presentation, the system could see a familiar glow wend its way through the air, settling on top of the tour guide¡¯s system class like a cat making itself comfortable on a blanket.
There was no need for an achievement now. Arthur had, in his own way, helped the demon grow. And as a result of that, Philbin would have his reward in full, whether the system moved or not.
She sat down and tried to brew another pot of tea. She really did like Arthur more than before. Things just tended to work themselves out when he was near.
¡ª
¡°And that¡¯s where I was able to cheat,¡± Milo summarized. ¡°We have almost unlimited slapstone, and a good vein of iron. Not every settlement is going to have that from the get-go.¡±
¡°Couldn¡¯t you just make the rails from something different?¡± a turtle demon in the front row yelled at Milo. ¡°Granite, or some other hard rock.¡±
¡°It¡¯s possible. I couldn¡¯t do it because I don¡¯t have the class skills to make it work. A mason certainly could. A miner might be able to, as well.¡±
The talk was going pretty well. Arthur had introduced Milo, then gave a short explanation of what it was like to live in a semi-mechanized town from his own perspective. There were dozens of machines in Coldbrook, all of which were operating to make people¡¯s work easier. There were grinders, water pumps, and dozens of other little innovations that made things faster.
That hadn¡¯t had the impact he had hoped it would. Machinists were rare but they weren¡¯t unheard of, especially in the capital. And even if the information was more novel, there was only so much the average smith could do with it. But when Arthur mentioned getting lunch and mail through Milo¡¯s rail system, the room blew up.
¡°How hard would it be for a normal smith to implement this?¡± an infrastructure class in the front row shouted. ¡°Could they work from plans slowly and accomplish the same thing?¡±
¡°Parts of it,¡± Milo said. ¡°Even I couldn¡¯t do all the work alone. The brain of the system is too complex for me to have designed, even if I understand how it works. But a smith and clockwork class working together should be able to do it.¡±
¡°How does it scale?¡± another demon asked. Arthur suspected the speaker was a librarian. He had spent a lot of time around Spiky, enough to spot someone with the habit of obsessively taking notes just from how they held their pads of paper and pens. ¡°Given enough resources, could implement this at the capital?¡±
¡°Now that¡¯s a good question.¡± Milo nodded. ¡°Yes and no. The rails just cost what they cost. That¡¯s a per-mile expense. If anything, it gets cheaper the more you have to make and maintain. Efficiencies of scale and all that.¡±
¡°But not the brain.¡± The librarian looked satisfied, like a guess had been confirmed.
¡°But not the brain. It grows faster than the number of stops it serves. Exponentially faster. The first couple hundred houses are easy. You can keep that machine in a shed in your backyard. The first couple thousand need a dozen good-sized barns. For a city the size of the capital¡¡±
¡°A mountain.¡± The librarian¡¯s eyes glinted as he worked through the mental math. ¡°Maybe more.¡±
¡°Yeah. It gets unmanageable quick. The complexity multiplies by itself. You can break it up into a bunch of smaller systems and manage that, but then they can¡¯t talk to each other. You¡¯d need something where they meet to sort it all out.¡±
¡°That¡¯s less of a problem than you¡¯d think!¡± a woman yelled from the back. ¡°I¡¯m a postmaster. That¡¯s something our class allows for. You can make it into a hub and spoke model!¡±
¡°Right but that needs someone stationed there. I¡¯m still working on it. As is my clockmaker. But we are stuck. It¡¯s been months without much progress on the problem, but we hope that some of you might help crack the puzzle. Or might know somebody else who will.¡± Milo sighed. ¡°I wish it was as easy as figuring out how mechanical pumps can help wellers. That was easy.¡±
A handful of people in the audience audibly gasped. Milo was caught off guard as a dozen questions about how that worked flew towards him.
¡°It¡¯s just pumps!¡± Milo yelled. ¡°They move water.¡±
¡°But how?¡± a weller yelled. ¡°None of the popular rune stacks would work with that kind of outside interference.¡±
¡°And how did you convince your weller to let you?¡± a smithy-looking rhino demon asked before glancing at the weller who just shouted his question. ¡°No offense but they are pretty territorial.¡±
¡°That¡¯s true.¡± The same weller nodded.
¡°Well, she¡¯s my friend. So we just talked about who would handle what. As for the runes, I have no idea. That¡¯s outside of my pay grade. I¡¯d have to have Mizu here to explain it. She¡¯s giving a talk of her own tomorrow, I think. You could come to that.¡±
¡°Oh, wow,¡± Philbin said. ¡°That¡¯s going to be quite the thing.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Oh, yes. Look at that weller. He¡¯s going to tell every single water class he knows about it. They¡¯ll all be here.¡± Philbin looked around the room. ¡°Actually, not here. They won¡¯t fit.¡±
¡°Oh, that¡¯s going to be a lot of public speaking,¡± Arthur commented.
¡°She¡¯s afraid of it?¡±
¡°She¡¯s not afraid of anything, I think. But she doesn¡¯t love it. I¡¯ll warn her.¡±
¡°Do. And I¡¯ll start working on getting us the space we need. How did she pull it off anyway?¡± Philbin asked. ¡°If that particular weller is confused about it, she must have done something big.¡±
¡°A whole new rune stack. Her mom helped her work on it.¡±
Philbin nodded like that was normal and stood up to talk to the room. ¡°Everyone, it looks like Mizu¡¯s presentation will be on a new rune stack and its interactions with these pumps. Just to be clear.¡±
The people who had murmured about the pumps before almost exploded with excitement now. Philbin smiled in satisfaction.
¡°Thought so. I¡¯ll see if I can get access to one of the bigger backup auditoriums. We always keep a couple free for just this kind of situation. It will be off-site now though,¡± Philbin said to Arthur.
¡°Sorry for the trouble,¡± Arthur said meekly.
¡°Trouble? Arthur, I¡¯m getting achievements just thinking about this problem. It¡¯s a tour guide¡¯s dream. You¡¯ve made my whole year.¡±
¡°He¡¯s like that.¡± Lily finished off a plate of the complementary nuts and began working on the crackers. ¡°Don¡¯t try to get used to it either. He just changes tactics.¡±
Chapter 219: Cooks
Milo, Lily, and Arthur invited Philbin to breakfast. After dashing off a few notes to get the wheels turning on acquiring more auditorium space, Philbin accepted. It was a good thing too. If transporters knew a lot about where to eat, a tour guide in his own home environment knew more.
¡°Okay,¡± Philbin said. ¡°So you all know of the breakfast master, right?¡±
¡°We do,¡± Milo answered. ¡°He¡¯s something else. I don¡¯t think I want to eat that much this morning though. That was a tough presentation. Questions coming at me like rocks from a trebuchet.¡±
¡°Oh, you¡¯ve eaten at the breakfast master? Good on you. Well, don¡¯t worry. This is one of his apprentices, but he just makes egg and meat sandwiches, with cheese. That¡¯s it.¡±
¡°That¡¯s awfully specific. The buttered noodle lady was too,¡± Lily said. ¡°How do they stay in business?¡±
¡°In a city this big, people specialize. I know a guy who only makes door hinges,¡± Philbin said.
¡°Is that fun?¡±
¡°Oh, no, not really. Anyone else would be spectacularly bored. He seems to like it. Anyway, come on. There¡¯s a juice store to stop at on the way. The breakfast chef doesn¡¯t mess around with drinks, just sandwiches.¡±
Arthur quietly hoped the sandwiches would be good. He didn¡¯t say so, but the entire setup struck him as more than a little overdramatic. His sensibilities were clear on the matter, in that most restaurants should cover more than a couple of food items. He understood what Philbin was saying about specialization. But it didn¡¯t seem like a good strategy. Arthur wanted to have a full breakfast, which included juice or some type of beverage. To have only sandwiches felt incomplete.
Arthur was wrong.
The chef nodded as Philbin walked in with four fingers lifted up, and quickly pulled eight abnormally large slices of bread off a toasting rack. He cracked some eggs, pulled some meat off the grill, added both and some cheese to the space between the slices of bread, and regrilled them just long enough to get the cheese melted before serving them up.
¡°Enjoy.¡± The cook glanced at Philbin. ¡°He¡¯s an out-of-towner?¡±
¡°More than you know. An offworlder,¡± Philbin replied.
¡°Ah. I knew he must be something like that. He has that look.¡± The cook handed Arthur his sandwich.
The food was not better than the breakfast master¡¯s. It wasn¡¯t even clearly better than Ella¡¯s or the buttered noodle chef¡¯s. At their level, concepts like ¡°better¡± tended to fray around the edges anyway. What Arthur had found with masters is that they were, eventually, all working on being good at some specific aspect of things.
Ella wanted to be able to feed the same people every day, keeping them just as warm and safe from meal to meal. The noodle girl wanted to perfect one dish. Talca wanted to dominate every single land-speed record between any two given cities. Lup, Arthur guessed, wanted to create a unified theory of mixing ingredients that would capture every single possible combination of leaves and herbs in a single deterministic formula.
And this chef wanted to make the perfect breakfast sandwich. Arthur doubted he had done it or that it even could be done. Perfection was more of a concept than anything anyone could achieve, and there was always a little bit of room left for improvement. But he was close. Really, really close.
¡°I apologize,¡± Arthur said, after one bite. ¡°For my insulting thoughts.¡±
¡°That must be a new record.¡± The chef laughed. ¡°Most people finish at least half the sandwich.¡±
¡°There¡¯s no point. You make better sandwiches than I make tea. By far. It beats having a variety of options,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Oh, variety has its place. For example, you just made the mistake of telling me that you make tea. Do you have any with you?¡±
¡°Some.¡±
¡°Then get back here. The kettle¡¯s on the wall. Does it have a lot of pep?¡±
¡°Literally as much as you can handle,¡± Arthur said. ¡°System-limited.¡±
The cook leaned back from the grill and stretched. ¡°Thank the gods, then. It¡¯s been a long morning, and I haven¡¯t had a chance to pick up anything for myself. Get to work.¡±
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Arthur did. In the world of cooks, this kind of interaction wasn¡¯t as odd as it seemed. He kept his sandwich in one hand and ate as he got the water boiling and prepared ingredients, while keeping an eye on the grills and the cook as much as he could. Getting a close up look at someone else¡¯s kitchen, even without direct instruction, was valuable. Arthur was sure there were dozens of cooks in the city who would be green with envy if they knew he was this close.
Could he make full use of what he was seeing? No. But an experienced cook in their kitchen was a type of lesson in and of itself. Somewhere down the road, Arthur was sure some aspect of how the breakfast cook did business would be remembered and end up being useful to him.
¡°What are these little balls?¡± the cook asked once he had his pepped tea. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting that. Or for it to be sweet.¡±
¡°It¡¯s a regional specialty,¡± Arthur explained. ¡°Of Earth, I mean. It¡¯s something I brought from there.¡±
¡°Ah. Too bad. I could have gotten used to something like this. It¡¯s like half a meal.¡±
¡°That¡¯s the aim. Do you know Ceti?¡±
¡°Of course! She¡¯s the type to make herself known.¡±
Arthur chuckled. ¡°Well, she can make it. Maybe not quite as well on the boba pearl side, but the tea she makes is better than what I can do. It¡¯ll balance out.¡±
¡ª
On the way out of the sandwich shop, Arthur ran into Mizu.
¡°Oh, hey. Have you had breakfast?¡± Arthur yelled.
¡°No.¡± Mizu looked frazzled. ¡°No chance. I was up all night watching a rune etching.¡±
¡°Well, you are going to have one now,¡± Arthur said as he turned to the breakfast chef. ¡°Hey, Brian? Make up another sandwich. And save some of that tea.¡±
Mizu glanced into the shop, bleary-eyed. ¡°Did you subvert a cook?¡± She looked up at the sign and widened her eyes a little. ¡°Did you subvert a famous cook?¡±
¡°I wouldn¡¯t say subvert. We have a working relationship.¡± Arthur turned to Lily and Milo. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to tend to Mizu. I don¡¯t want her falling over into a ditch.¡±
¡°Good on you,¡± Lily said. ¡°I¡¯m going to go scout out something I heard about. There¡¯s a guy who lets you fire a giant crossbow at vases he throws.¡±
Milo gasped. ¡°I was going there too!¡±
¡°Then it sounds like you guys are going together,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Mizu, go sit down. And just so you know¡¡±
¡°Yes, yes. We are doing the crossbow thing later. Absolutely.¡± Mizu staggered towards the store. ¡°Please go make me tea. I have two talks to listen to after this. I¡¯ll need it.¡±
Arthur watched his friends leave and then went in side. He kept her from nodding off with the most basic conversation he could generate, then stuffed her full of a sandwich and over-pepped tea. She looked a little better afterward. Not fixed, exactly, but good enough to get through at least one of those talks.
She did. The combination of magical caffeine and note-taking kept her awake through an entire speech on innovations in artificial waterways, and even peppy enough to ask a few questions. She had high hopes for getting through the next talk too, until the person giving the speech ended up making the mistakes of both presenting on a subject barely deep enough to merit a talk and doing so in a dull monotone that left even well-rested people in the audience fighting heavy eyelids.
If they were having trouble, that meant Mizu never stood a chance. Five minutes into the talk, she was out like a light. Arthur managed to guide her to his shoulder, where she nestled in and breathed softly for the entirety of the presentation. Once it was done, people absorbed what they could from the presenting weller¡¯s notes before the room emptied.
Arthur was aghast when the last person in the room was the weller himself, and more horrified when he made his way to where Arthur was still cradling a deeply unconscious water-demon girlfriend.
¡°Sorry about that. It wasn¡¯t my most interesting speechm¡± the weller said.
¡°No! It¡¯s not that. She¡¯s just had a big week.¡± Arthur smiled weakly. ¡°It was a good talk.¡±
¡°No, it wasn¡¯t. It¡¯s not my main presentation. I wouldn¡¯t have given it at all, except for that one bit about rune stacks used near sources of salt water.¡± He looked down at Mizu and chuckled. ¡°I bet she was up all night at that rune etching.¡±
¡°I think so,¡± Arthur said.
¡°No wonder, then. Well, make yourself comfortable. It¡¯s a few hours until this room will be used again, anyway.¡±
The presenter turned to leave. Arthur sunk back down into his chair, trying not to fall asleep himself under the weight and warmth of an entire demon. Then, just in time, he had a realization.
¡°Hey!¡± Arthur called, softly. ¡°Can you do me a favor?¡±
¡ª
It was an hour before Mizu woke up, and then another five minutes before she really acknowledged she had.
¡°Hi,¡± she said, ¡°did I miss that whole presentation?¡±
¡°You did. The guy giving the talk said it was fine.¡±
¡°He noticed?¡±
¡°Yup. But he really wasn¡¯t bothered.¡± Arthur held up a handful of papers the man had given him. ¡°He gave you these, in fact. Something to do with welling near large sources of salt water.¡±
¡°Oooh. Gimme.¡± Mizu reached out and took the papers from him, quickly scanning the contents. ¡°This is actually really useful, Arthur.¡±
¡°I thought it might be. Did I do well?¡±
¡°Yes. Arthur is a very good boyfriend.¡± Mizu reached up and touched his cheek with her hand. ¡°And so soft right now.¡±
¡°Thanks, I think?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a complement.¡± Mizu stretched out in her chair, reminding Arthur of a cat waking up from a nap. ¡°So. How long is this room empty for?¡±
¡°This one? Probably another hour. Why?¡±
¡°Kissing times,¡± Mizu said, moving in. ¡°Unless you have any objections.¡±
Arthur didn¡¯t. Someone else, however, did.
¡°Actually, guys, could you wait on that?¡± Corbin said.
¡°Good sweet fancy gods!¡± Arthur yelled. ¡°Corbin, what are you doing here?¡±
¡°I¡¯m early for the next talk, and I don¡¯t have anywhere else to go,¡± Corbin answered.
¡°Not that, why are you here? In the capital.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡± Corbin asked back. ¡°I was going on this trip the whole time. We talked about it, Arthur. You remember, right? That Itela said I had to go? I refuse to believe you forgot.¡±
But Arthur had. And Arthur was pretty sure he wasn¡¯t the only person who felt this way. Corbin had proved he was one of the best people at hiding in the entire world. Once again, he had managed to stealth so completely that even the system had probably forgotten about him.
Chapter 220: Majicka Lamp
¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this is straight up insanity. Did you really forget to destealth this whole time? We were on the road for almost a week!¡± Arthur exclaimed.
¡°I agree with Arthur, Corbin,¡± Mizu said. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you but you should have told us. Even if we forgot.¡±
¡°Ah, yeah, so, the problem with that,¡± Corbin looked embarrassed, ¡°is that I started getting achievements. I got one for a certain distance spent stealthed, then one for making it through an entire new town undetected, then I got one for sleeping in someone¡¯s tent without them noticing¡¡±
¡°Wait, whose?¡± Arthur jolted at that. ¡°If I find out you slept in mine¡¡±
¡°Oh no, not yours,¡± Corbin said. ¡°I¡¯d be crazy to do that. You were always the person who could find me. Not that anyone had much chance of that after the first half-dozen achievements came in, but I slept with Talca. He¡¯s all endurance and dexterity. Not much risk there besides the snoring.¡±
¡°Does he snore?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°I¡¯ve bunked with him before. I didn¡¯t notice anything.¡±
¡°That¡¯s because you sleep like a rock, Arthur,¡± Mizu said. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like it.¡±
¡°I always wake up before you,¡± Arthur countered.
¡°Or if someone knocks on your door. But those are the only two things I know of that can do it.¡±
Arthur was nearly interested enough to keep on with that mini-argument, but in the end there were bigger fish to fry. ¡°Why now, Corbin? If you¡¯ve been hiding the whole time, why ever come out? You could have made it all the way back home and we wouldn¡¯t know.¡±
¡°Oh, yeah. That¡¯s actually why I came to get you.¡± Corbin winced the same way he always winced when he expected to be in trouble for stealthing too much or at the wrong time. ¡°Eito says you have to come back home. It¡¯s about Lily.¡±
¡°What about Lily?¡± Arthur snapped up out of his chair. The girl had been all over town, riding monsters and looking for whatever thrill rides were available to her. It wasn¡¯t exactly surprising that she might be hurt, but Arthur was finding out how woefully unprepared he was for it. ¡°Is she alright?¡±
¡°Eito said ¡®Tell Arthur not to worry and that she¡¯s fine. That¡¯s not a lie but get him here fast anyway.¡¯¡± **Corbin motioned for the others to follow. ¡°And for what it¡¯s worth, he¡¯s not wrong. But this is my fault. We don¡¯t know how yet, but it¡¯s my fault.¡±
¡°Oh, Corbin. It couldn¡¯t be that bad.¡± Mizu put her hand on Corbin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You hide too much, but you wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone. Right?¡±
¡°Unless I hurt someone by hiding too much. But we¡¯re wasting time. Follow me. I¡¯ve been walking around the city non-stop for days now. I know the fastest way to get you where you are going.¡±
Corbin didn¡¯t shave much time off their trip, but it was impressive he could shave any at all. He led them through a series of serpentine turns and narrow alleyways, each of them taking small fractions of a minute off their transit time. Arthur pushed his stats to the limit and beyond, losing the entirety of his wind before they even got to the fast-travel carts, and did so again once they got off them. He pushed through it, wheezing. By the time they arrived, his mouth felt like he had chewed on an alkaline battery.
¡°Don¡¯t puke, man.¡± Corbin patted Arthur on the back. ¡°Mizu, give him some water. I know you must have some.¡±
¡°I do.¡± She pulled a flask out of her bag and handed it over. ¡°Here, Arthur. Drink.¡±
¡°No time.¡± Arthur squeezed the words out between breaths. ¡°Lily.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. You think you can be helpful like this?¡± Corbin slapped Arthur on the back as he coughed. ¡°She can wait a second. Trust me on this one.¡±
It was a minute or two before Arthur¡¯s lungs stopped actively burning enough for him to more-or-less hide how winded he still was, and after that, neither Mizu nor Corbin could convince him to wait. He stormed up the stairs to Lily¡¯s room, ripping the door open and springing forward into the room.
¡°I win the bet,¡± Lily cheered, sitting calmly on the edge of her bed. ¡°I told you Corbin wouldn¡¯t get it right and he¡¯d panic.¡±
¡°What?¡± Arthur looked between the completely intact-looking Lily, Eito, Itela, and Ella before trying again. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you hurt?¡±
¡°Excuse me, Arthur. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t be laid out by all this weirdness.¡± Lily jumped up and hugged him. ¡°I will try to me more injured next time. A broken leg or something. Okay?¡±
¡°Yes. No.¡± Arthur looked around the room for someone he could have a hope of bullying into talking and settled on Eito. ¡°Explain please. Now, please.¡±
¡°Oh, calm down, Arthur.¡± Itela stood up. ¡°You¡¯ve only been here a few seconds. Lily just fell down like you do every time you level.¡±
¡°Although unlike you, she didn¡¯t wake up for about five minutes,¡± Eito said. ¡°Apparently uncovering Corbin was a little too much for her.¡±
¡°What does that mean?¡± Arthur said. ¡°I find Corbin all the time. Or at least I used to.¡±
¡°That¡¯s the problem. That used to doesn¡¯t apply anymore. When was the last time you saw Corbin actually get caught stealthing, when he didn¡¯t want to be caught?¡± Eito asked. Arthur thought for a moment and came up blank. It had been a long time. ¡°Exactly. I¡¯m Corbin¡¯s trainer, for all he ever remembers to actually talk to me about it. It used to be this old wolverine commander, but Corbin got to a point where he wasn¡¯t much help. When Corbin moved to the frontier, I took over.¡± Eito stood. ¡°The last person who found Corbin when he was hiding in a serious way was Itela, and I gather she had to coat an entire street in a blessing to do it. Until today.¡±
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
¡°Wait, you found him?¡± Arthur looked at Lily. ¡°How? Why?¡±
¡°It wasn¡¯t on purpose. It was just because of my stupid Majicka Lamp skill.¡±
¡°You had it on?¡±
¡°Yeah. I figured I¡¯d help out the hotel staff while I ate lunch,¡± Lily said. ¡°But it was drawing more than it usually does. Because of Corbin.¡±
¡°But that skill is supposed to only help a group of people who are working on the same task,¡± Arthur said.
Corbin looked guilty. ¡°Well, that¡¯s the thing. I had to eat if I wanted to stay stealthed. Which meant taking food. And I left coins but the elephant kept putting them in the lost-and-found box. I wanted to pay him back.¡±
¡°So get this, Arthur,¡± Eito said. ¡°This boy was in heavy stealth, probably as good as anyone in the world can do right now, and cleaning. Washing sheets. Picking up socks. Stuff like that. And he got looped into Lily¡¯s skill.¡±
¡°So I got curious,¡± Lily explained. ¡°And tried to see if I could tell where the majicka was actually going. I figured it out, mostly, just before I passed out.¡±
Arthur rubbed his eyes. ¡°Okay, so Lily tracked her skill to Corbin, who was hiding, and thus found him, and then¡ what? It broke her?¡±
¡°That¡¯s why we need you, Arthur. She¡¯s not in any danger. Corbin was supposed to tell you so.¡±
¡°To be fair, I did,¡± Corbin said. ¡°But I¡¯m worried too. She wasn¡¯t supposed to pass out like that. Most people don¡¯t.¡±
¡°Most people don¡¯t find a world-class hider at low levels, using their class skill.¡± Eito sighed. ¡°Which is why we need you. We tried to actually take a look at Lily¡¯s levels and skills, and we¡¯re getting this.¡±
Eito flicked over a status screen. Arthur opened it up.
|
System Class Locked!
Due to an exceptionally rare convergence of several factors, Lily Expediter¡¯s status screen and access to her class has been restricted.
As a general rule, classes are assigned to Demon World inhabitants between the ages of fourteen and sixteen. As Lily¡¯s class was assigned earlier than most, she is subject to several restrictions to her growth that become apparent only if and when they are triggered.
Further information on Lily¡¯s system restrictions is available to her guardian.
|
¡°None of us can access it,¡± Ella said. ¡°Not even me.¡±
¡°And we found out the system was fairly close to considering you as her guardian when you went to find her in that terrible hole, all that time ago,¡± Itela said.
¡°Why didn¡¯t you have Lily look at it?¡± Arthur said.
¡°It won¡¯t let me pull it up.¡± Lily pouted. ¡°It just shows me a version of what you read. Basically ¡®ask your parents if you want this unlocked¡¯ and nothing else.¡±
¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t argue it to death,¡± Arthur joked, finally calming down enough. ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯d normally do.¡±
¡°I tried, Arthur. It doesn¡¯t work when I¡¯m not in a system trance, or whatever. Now quick, unlock the thing so we can know what¡¯s going on,¡± Lily said.
¡°Is that a good idea?¡± Arthur reread the message, not seeing any indication that he¡¯d get anything but information when he tried to tap into her system screen. ¡°It won¡¯t hurt her?¡±
¡°The system wouldn¡¯t let you do it if would. Especially if that isn¡¯t what you were trying to do,¡± Itela said slowly. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Arthur. More information is much better than less, in this kind of situation.¡±
Arthur nodded and motioned at Lily to send him over her stat screen directly.
|
Caution!
The system recognizes you as Lily Expediter¡¯s guardian. As such, you may access her status screen and see the details of her skills during her class-restriction. As a default, this is only limited to information and will not affect the restriction itself.
However, any intent or attempt to lift the restriction may be successful, depending on the circumstances causing the restriction itself. If the attempt is successful, the restriction will be lifted instantly and completely.
|
Arthur wasn¡¯t worried about accidentally indicating that he wanted the system to lift this restriction. He was so recently freaked out about the whole thing, he was having trouble resisting the urge to lock Lily in a padded closet somewhere until he was sure she was settled and safe. He pushed past the restriction, opening her status screen for review.
|
Lily Expediter
Level 16
STR: 7
VIT: 10
DEX: 6
PER: 10
WIS: 12
INT: 5
Unassigned Stat Points: 8
Primary Skills: Expert Counsel (Level 11), Majicka Lamp (Level 15 effective, Level 22 absolute), Majicka Boost
Achievements: Filibusterer, Advised Advisor, Light in The Darkness, Headslap Vector, Civic Butterfly, Advanced Parent Wrangling, Monster Rider, Majicka Tracker
|
Most of the achievements were new to Arthur, since it was rarely necessary to see Lily¡¯s full status sheet and he tried to respect her privacy where he could. Majicka Tracker was not only among the new achievements, but was also bolded, which he hadn¡¯t seen before. If there was any explanation for the frankly bizarre jump in the level of just one of her skills, it was there.
¡°Any luck, Arthur?¡± Ella asked.
¡°One second. Still looking.¡± Arthur jumped down a level into the details for the weird achievement, finding things more or less normal.
|
Majicka Tracker
Your Majicka travels, empowering the skills and efforts of everyone around you. This is not a mere metaphor. Actual majicka leaves your reservoirs and travels through physical space to its targets. As it does, it can be followed.
Doing so requires a curious mind, a high sensitivity to a variety of majicka uses as expressed by various classes, and a not insignificant amount of luck. You¡¯ve met all three requirements in spades and managed to not only locate one of the end-points of your majicka output, but destealthed an incredibly advanced hiding skill holder in the process.
As a reward, you receive a permanent buff to your ability to sense details about Majicka Lamp¡¯s output, especially as it relates to how much energy is being sent and to where at any given moment. You also receive a significant amount of experience, adjusted to match the difficulty of the feat you¡¯ve accomplished.
|
¡°Okay, it¡¯s confirmed that the problem comes from Lily unstealthing Corbin. It apparently triggered an achievement. Lily, what level were you at last time you checked?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Eleven,¡± Lily said.
¡°Well, now you¡¯re at level fifteen. And it looks like Majicka Lamp jumped to level twenty-two.¡±
Chapter 221: Remmy
¡°No way.¡± Both Eito and Lily jumped out of their seats but Eito was the first to get his incredulity in. ¡°It was at twelve before, Arthur. Ten levels is too much.¡±
¡°Lily destealthed Corbin. The system adjusted the reward for how hard that is to do. It sounds like it¡¯s pretty hard to use her Majicka Lamp skill like that.¡± Arthur looked back at the screen. ¡°It¡¯s confusing, though. It says 22 absolute. She¡¯s at 15 effective.¡±
Eito threw up his hands. ¡°No idea what that means. Honestly no idea at all. See if the system will give you any information.¡±
Arthur bought up the Majicka Lamp skill, finding it to be mostly the same as the first time he had seen it. There was no more information on the situation and no other way to get any.
¡°No luck. You¡¯d think there would be more messages attached to this,¡± Arthur said.
¡°You never know with the system,¡± Itela said. ¡°Some illnesses, you get books worth of information. With others, you get ¡®This Demon¡¯s ankles are afflicted by a weakness*.¡¯* And then you hit the books.¡±
¡°I wish Spiky was here,¡± Arthur said. ¡°He¡¯d probably know. Or he¡¯d know how to find out.¡±
¡°Actually, that¡¯s not a bad idea.¡± Eito said. ¡°Not using Spiky, of course, but finding a librarian. Someone who specializes in this sort of problem.¡±
¡°Does that even exist?¡±
¡°Oh, Arthur.¡± Eito smiled. ¡°This is the capital. Everything exists here.¡±
¡ª
Arthur expected the library to be enormous. Even back in the city, some of the libraries were huge to the point of filling him with a weird, high-quantities-of-books type of awe. The capital was so much bigger in every way than any place he had ever been before that he expected their destination to track with that. The reality of the building Eito took them to was somewhat different.
¡°You look disappointed,¡± Ella said, laughing. ¡°What were you expecting here?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Arthur was staring at a building about three times as big as his house, large in some respects but very much smaller than the infinite field of literature he had beheld in his mind¡¯s eye a few minutes ago. ¡°Something more magnificent, I guess. Shouldn¡¯t capital libraries be¡ I don¡¯t know. Enormous?¡±
¡°Some of them are,¡± Eito said. ¡°Bigger than you are imagining even. But there are different ways for things to be big. The kind of library you are thinking of is general. They carry every book a normal demon could want, and then the more specific books they want after they read those.¡±
¡°And this?¡±
¡°This is several steps of specificity beyond that.¡± Eito sighed. ¡°This is a trainer haven. There are books in here that deep dive into aspects of classes so obscure that even I¡¯ve never heard of them. There have been demons who spent their entire lives documenting how certain skills work and whose books have never been so much as cracked.¡±
¡°That seems like a waste.¡± Arthur looked at Eito apologetically. ¡°Sorry.¡±
¡°It is a waste, until you run into a situation like ours. Then they are the most important books in the world.¡± The tree-demon moved towards the doors of the building. ¡°You¡¯ll see. Follow me.¡±
The inside of the building was clean and brightly lit, defying Arthur¡¯s expectation of a musty, dark environment filled with ancient tomes. The books themselves were also much more uniform than he expected, with some large majority of them sporting identical, stripped-down leather covers.
¡°Why are they all the same? I thought these were esoteric works, by underappreciated geniuses,¡± Arthur asked.
¡°They are, and the originals tend to reflect that. These are copies, Arthur. They¡¯ve been edited and reprinted by the librarians,¡± Eito said. ¡°And here comes Remmy. Let me talk. Trust me, it will be faster.¡±
Remmy was a raven demon, one with the most unkempt feathers Arthur had ever seen. As he drew closer, Arthur could see the librarian¡¯s clothes hardly fit, and were much more worn than he¡¯d seen on anybody since Lily had first wandered up to his stand in her street-orphan garb. Arthur kept his mouth shut. There were usually reasons for things, even if he didn¡¯t understand them off the bump.
¡°Eito!¡± Remmy yelled, much louder than seemed normal in a library. ¡°Good to see you! It feels like it¡¯s been years.¡±
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
¡°It has been years. Which is my fault. Sorry.¡± Eito hugged the raven lightly then stepped back. ¡°I do have a way to make it up to you. An interesting problem.¡±
¡°Oh, and what¡¯s that? This offworlder?¡± Remmy looked at Arthur closely. ¡°An¡ Earthling? Or something like it?¡±
¡°How do you know about Earthlings?¡± Arthur was shocked. This was a first, something he hadn¡¯t run into in his entire time on the Demon World.
¡°Well, we do keep records, sir.¡± The raven¡¯s back stiffened. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be much of a librarian if I didn¡¯t read them.¡±
¡°Oh, lighten up, Remmy,¡± Eito said. ¡°You know full well you are the only person who actually reads those things that thoroughly. Arthur¡¯s not the first Earthling on record?¡±
¡°No. There¡¯s been at least one I¡¯ve seen mentioned, from the era of the war. He dropped in, became very proficient with maces in a very short time, and was said to have created very widespread havoc in a local skirmish,¡± Remmy said.
¡°And what happened to him?¡± Arthur said. ¡°I''m guessing he didn¡¯t reach The Bear levels of fame.¡±
¡°The working theory is he simply died in a battle. There weren¡¯t many records past a certain point. Sorry.¡±
¡°Ah.¡± Arthur was once again glad he had aimed for a nice planet, rather than one where he¡¯d get to cut a lot of things in half. ¡°Thanks. Good to know.¡±
¡°At any rate, if not him, then who?¡± Remmy said. ¡°I¡¯m all ears.¡±
¡°It¡¯s a third type juvenile class, with active, personified system interaction during the uptake trance,¡± Eito said quickly. ¡°Now experiencing some sort of restriction on her system skills. The specific language being used is absolute and effective, regarding a skill.¡±
¡°Oh.¡± Remmy leaned against a bookshelf and took a hard look at Lily. ¡°Interesting. Does it hurt?¡±
¡°No. I just can¡¯t use my class.¡± Lily frowned. ¡°At all.¡±
¡°At all?¡± Remmy walked forward to Lily and stooped a bit closer to her. ¡°Let¡¯s see about¡¡± Then, before anyone could react, he reached out and shoved her, hard.
Before Arthur could make it to the raven, Ella and Itela were already almost on top of the librarian, moving forward with a combined mom-and-aunt fury that stopped Arthur in his tracks. Remmy scrambled backwards, waving his arms in a wild defensive pattern as the onslaught of rage advanced towards him.
Eito got between them just in time to keep the feathers on his friend safe.
¡°It¡¯s an experiment!¡± Eito yelled, spreading his arms wide and trying to act as a demon-shield buffer between Remmy and the coming storm. ¡°There¡¯s a reason, I promise. If there¡¯s not, I¡¯ll let you hit him. I swear.¡±
¡°He¡¯s right!¡± Remmy yelled. ¡°Little owl, that didn¡¯t hurt, correct?¡±
¡°No, I guess not.¡± Lily rubbed her shoulder where he had made contact. ¡°I was just surprised.¡±
¡°Good, good! That means she has access to her stats. She would have fallen over if she hadn¡¯t. I put a fair amount of my strength into that.¡± Remmy looked warily at the women. ¡°More information is better! We know something we didn¡¯t before.¡±
¡°That¡¯s good, Remmy,¡± Eito said. ¡°Just know that everyone here is very fond of Lily. It might be best if you don¡¯t surprise us like that again.¡±
¡°As if I would. That was terrifying.¡± Remmy brushed his messy clothes back into some semblance of smoothness and took a deep breath. ¡°I think I have some books that might help with this. I¡¯m not intimately familiar with them, believe it or not, so I¡¯ll need some help reading through them.¡±
¡°Good enough,¡± Eito said. ¡°What room?¡±
¡°Oh, I think the big one. And this won¡¯t be a quick process. It might be best to start considering the practicalities of the rest of the day.¡±
¡°Do you mean food?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°I do.¡±
Ella sighed. ¡°That¡¯s me. I¡¯m not going to cook today, but I¡¯ll find some solution. I¡¯ll see you all in an hour or so.¡±
¡ª
Four hours later, the reading room was completely covered in books. The large central table that dominated the space and all the chairs were loaded up with various tomes. There were dozens of them, an intimidating stack of scholarly writings that would have been completely unmanageable if it wasn¡¯t for a few factors.
The first was manpower. Eito and Remmy were monsters, able to skim this kind of material much faster than anyone else in the room, sorting out what was potentially useful and what was useless at lightning speed. Their stacks of reviewed books was more than twice as big as anyone else¡¯s, and that gap was only growing.
The second was the fact that many of the books were surprisingly short. Arthur had run into a couple that were more cover than book, a few pages of relevant information jotted down by some scholar, edited into a complete train of thought, and then stored for whoever eventually needed it. He got into a sort of rhythm of looking at the shorter ones first, determining whether they addressed the specific problems they were having with a short read-through, and getting rid of them if they didn¡¯t.
That irrelevance was the third reason they had a hope of finishing that day. All of the books were related to problems either having to do with system-enforced class restrictions, young class holders, or some other edge case that at least seemed like it might matter.
Still, most of them didn¡¯t. Arthur sighed and closed a short write-up of a young woman who voluntarily abandoned her class to give herself more time to play, then tossed it into a pile with his other rejects.
¡°No luck?¡± Lily said. ¡°Me either. I feel like I¡¯m going cross-eyed looking at all these.¡±
¡°We¡¯ll run into something eventually.¡± Arthur patted her head. ¡°I promise.¡±
¡°Something, or a combination of things. Just because someone hasn¡¯t had the exact same problem doesn¡¯t mean they haven¡¯t had similar problems at all.¡± Eito tossed Arthur another book. ¡°Trust me, this is how it always is. And there¡¯s almost always at least something that¡¯s useful.¡±
Arthur nodded, reached for the book, and then fumbled for some of the baked meat-bearing breads Ella had found to keep them sustained through this particular trial. Remmy, surprisingly, did not seem to mind if people ate while they read his precious books, and had looked confused that anyone would even ask.
It was another hour before Arthur found his first lead, buried on the tenth page of an unbelievably boring book about communicating with system screens in a more refined way. The author was determined to write in such a dull, plodding way that the reader¡¯s eyes would actively burn out of their head trying to read it, and Arthur was close to giving up on it when he hit the section that would actually end up mattering.
Chapter 222: System Unpreparedness
|
Trivial Rarity and System Unpreparedness
The system, for all its power, lacks time. Over the centuries, scholars of all stripes have remarked on some minor way the system has ¡°fleshed out¡± its ability to communicate some concept. In these modern days, most common situations are easily decipherable by even the least academic of status-screen readers, but it likely was not always so.
In times long past, records persist of status screen sages whose sole value appeared to rest in their ability to disambiguate these system communications, reducing them to a language the common man could understand or discovering hidden messages behind subtle closed doors.
These difficulties still exist, although they are less familiar in this advanced era. The system has improved to articulate its intention well in most cases, but not all. Rarer, less-encountered system messaging is still confusing, unoptimized, or betrays a lack of knowledge of the audience for whom it was intended.
It was Trayte, an early sage among those who first documented their thoughts, who said this:
¡°It was a challenge, to be sure. The system appears to expect that one¡¯s wants would be front and center when examining the sheet. Instead, I was searching through the text itself, expecting the system to know what I wanted and to provide it. It was only when I came to understand the importance of intent itself that progress began to show itself¡¡±
|
Arthur set down the book and tried to remember the exact way he had searched Lily¡¯s screen. He had, as Trayte said, looked through the screen as if the system would tell him all the important stuff on its own. It always had before. But it had been dealing with common enough stuff. Lily¡¯s situation was rarer than Arthur¡¯s, something that multiplied one incredibly unlikely class acquisition by another unbelievably rare achievement.
And if the system expects me to know what I want and ask for it¡.
¡°Lily. Toss me your system screen again,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Quick.¡±
¡°Do you have something?¡± Eito looked up. ¡°You look like you do.¡±
¡°Maybe.¡± Arthur took a look at the system screen again, which had only changed to the extent it wasn¡¯t highlighting the new skills and achievements, anymore.
|
Lily Expediter
Level 16
STR: 7
VIT: 10
DEX: 6
PER: 10
WIS: 12
INT: 5
Unassigned Stat Points: 8
Primary Skills: Expert Counsel (Level 11), Majicka Lamp (Level 15 effective, Level 22 absolute)
Achievements: Filibusterer, Advised Advisor, Light in The Darkness, Headslap Vector, Civic Butterfly, Advanced Parent Wrangling, Monster Rider, Majicka Tracker
|
Instead of bringing up any particular window or looking harder for some kind of alert, Arthur focused all his attention on getting his intent into line with what they were looking for. No, he didn¡¯t want to lift the restriction. Yes, he¡¯d like to know more about what changed. His practice with tea-making made that kind of thing easy. He imagined himself getting more information, and feeling pleased to have it.
Nothing happened.
¡°Dead end?¡± Lily asked.
¡°Not yet. Let me try some more.¡±
Arthur focused again, this time trying to get more specific.
System, what happens if I lift this? What¡¯s the danger? What¡¯s the benefit? Arthur thought hard, trying his best to communicate his desire to understand what was happening. And after a short delay he initially thought was failure, the system came through.
|
System Restriction Implications
Lily¡¯s rapid advancement through her primary class skill is both a boon and a detriment. At a higher level, her skill will perform more efficiently and powerfully, allowing her an increase in her general effectiveness.
Levels, however, are only one facet of how a class advances. When properly nurtured, classes not only grow more powerful but also are shaped by the needs, desires, and experiences of the class holder themselves.
As of now, the system has judged that Level 15 is the highest point Majicka Lamp can reach before it starts to suffer from the lack of those experiences. While a higher level might be desirable in some emergency situations or troubled times, the system judges that neither of these situations are relevant at the moment.
The greater restriction on all of Lily¡¯s class abilities was instituted as a method of drawing attention to the problem in general and assuring it was addressed.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
As this child¡¯s guardian, you are able to override the system¡¯s judgement, lifting either of these restrictions. While the general restriction on class may be lifted with no serious consequences, the more specific restriction on her skill level should only be lifted if, in your judgement, the situation calls for it.
|
Okay, great, Arthur thought. But what happens if I don¡¯t lift it, ever?
|
System Restriction Automatic Fadeoff
As Lily experiences the work and effort that comes as part of her class, her skill will restriction will fade at the maximum speed allowed within a healthy margin of safety. This will happen regardless of the restriction, as an automatic process similar to conventional leveling.
It should be noted that Lily Expediter¡¯s overall leveling speed in the Majicka Lamp skill will be much quicker than normal, limited only by her life experience.
|
¡°Alright, then. I think I have it.¡± Arthur relayed what the system had told him. He felt his own relief as he watched the tension wipe away from almost everyone¡¯s body, with only one exception. ¡°Lily? What¡¯s wrong?¡±
¡°I want those levels!¡± Lily puffed up. ¡°Do you know how much more powerful I would be at level twenty-two, Arthur?¡±
¡°No. But I can guess.¡±
¡°She¡¯s going to be a powerhouse.¡± Remmy said. ¡°If what she does already is impressive, and you all seem to think so, then by her absolute level she¡¯ll be an unstoppable, world-changing sort of thing.¡±
¡°See! Lily the unstoppable worldchanger!¡± Lily puffed up even bigger. ¡°Lily the magnificent!¡±
¡°You are already magnificent, dear.¡± Ella swiped at Lily in an attempt to pick her up. Lily was wise to the trick and barely evaded in time. ¡°Everyone thinks so.¡±
¡°Being soft does not make someone magnificent all by itself!¡± Lily screeched. Arthur tried his hardest not to notice Mizu staring at his skin again, in all its newly soft glory. ¡°I want to be magnificent for real.¡±
¡°Lily.¡± Arthur bent down. ¡°Shush.¡±
¡°You¡¡± Lily trembled in tiny-owl rage for a moment, just long enough for Arthur to flick her forehead. ¡°Stop flicking me!¡±
¡°Nope. You already know why this is a bad idea. Ask your skill,¡± Arthur said.
¡°I can¡¯t! It¡¯s locked!¡±
¡°Oh, right.¡± Arthur mentally pushed for just that part of Lily¡¯s class restrictions to melt off, and felt something give as he did. ¡°Try now.¡±
¡°Oh, there it is. Hello, little skill.¡± Lily¡¯s face slowly melted from rage to disappointment as she consulted her own good-idea-generation capabilities and found confirmation of what Arthur was telling her. ¡°Gods. I¡¯ll need to keep using the class over time to unlock all of these benefits.¡±
¡°Right. All the extra secondary skills, all the achievements, all the modifications the skills pick up over time. Those aren¡¯t set in stone. They come from life.¡± Eito nodded to himself. ¡°That¡¯s most of the reason I have a job, Lily. I guide people to find those beneficial changes.¡±
¡°Hmph.¡± Lily sat down. ¡°So I just have to wait?¡±
¡°Not long, if it¡¯s any consolation. The system saying you¡¯re going to level quickly is rare.¡± Remmy was moving around the room putting books back on the cart. ¡°You should be hitting your first serious bottlenecks around the time other people are just getting access to their classes. It¡¯s hardly slow.¡±
¡°Dangit.¡± Lily slowly let her puffed-up-ness leak out into the air, returning to her usual size. ¡°Fine. But I want more life experiences, then. Can¡¯t stop me from getting those.¡±
¡°No, we can¡¯t,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Unless they are dangerous, we also wouldn¡¯t want to. I¡¯ll even come along for your next one, if you think it wouldn¡¯t agitate me too much.¡±
¡°Baby animal cafe?¡± Lily¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°You have time right now?¡±
¡°Sure,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Although I¡¯d rather have a shower first, if that¡¯s an option. I¡¯m still covered in panic-sweat.¡±
¡°Oh, yeah, fine,¡± Lily said. ¡°But then we cuddle the babies. I¡¯ve been saving it for you, but it¡¯s been driving me crazy.¡±
¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Itela asked. Ella watched for the answer as well. ¡°Baby animals? Like at a zoo?¡±
¡°They¡¯re farm animals,¡± Lily said. ¡°Orphans. You feed them while you eat snacks and sit on little cushions.¡±
¡°Oh, wow.¡± Itela stood up and started loading books onto the cart. ¡°Clean up, everyone. If we¡¯re going there, I need to find Karbo.¡±
¡°Why?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s under attack?¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s just¡ I can¡¯t explain it. It will be more fun if I don¡¯t. You guys have this? Good. I¡¯m going to get him.¡± Itela walked to the door. ¡°We¡¯ll meet you at the hotel. Don¡¯t leave without us.¡±
The cleanup was done in a few minutes, and after a bit of coordinating and planning to get everyone in the same place at the same time, it was time to thank Remmy and leave. Arthur couldn¡¯t find the librarian, at least right away. He started walking through the library, finding Remmy and Eito standing behind one of the most remote stacks of books, talking in hushed tones.
¡°Of course it¡¯s not normal, Eito. But it¡¯s not because she¡¯s that abnormal and I think you know that,¡± Remmy said. ¡°What has your leveling been like? You¡¯re plenty old.¡±
¡°You¡¯re one to talk,¡± Eito countered.
¡°You know what I mean. How stable are your bottlenecks these days?¡± Remy said.
Eito hushed even more. ¡°I¡¯ve broken a few minor ones. Nothing huge.¡±
¡°You shouldn¡¯t be breaking any bottlenecks at your age. That boy is dragging potential. Have you told him about that?¡± Remmy asked.
¡°I haven¡¯t. Not in detail. And maybe not ever,¡± Eito said.
¡°Well, reconsider, Eito. Because if I¡¯ve learned one thing looking through these books, it¡¯s that potential like his can change more things than you¡¯d think. If he has anything but the purest, cleanest desire to help other people¡¡±
¡°Stop there,¡± Eito said. By now, Arthur had given up on his plan to say goodbye properly. He could do that later. ¡°You know the downsides of him knowing. They are substantial. They have their own dangers. And as far as his intent goes¡ do you know my greatest regret in the past few years?¡±
¡°What¡¯s that?¡±
¡°At some point, Ella came to me and said she was taking him away, that she¡¯d already decided to adopt him. And at that time, I was a fish out of water and let her. Intent, Remmy?¡± Eito laughed. ¡°That boy has nothing but good in him. Nothing at all. To the point where if I had been smarter, I would have made him my son.¡±
¡°You? Old Eito?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not that old. And it worked out better for him with Ella anyway. I don¡¯t think I could have provided the kinds of things he needed when he first got here. But if he goes on not knowing the details of his own situation, I¡¯ll be just fine. And you won¡¯t rock that boat. Agreed?¡±
¡°If you say so.¡± Remmy seemed to accept what Eito was saying. He could hardly not. Eito was forceful in a way that he normally wasn¡¯t, even in the presence of Karbo and liquor. ¡°Just keep an eye on him, okay?¡±
¡°Me and a dozen other people who love him. Always,¡± Eito stated.
Arthur hid instead of sneaking out, letting them move past him before he left the library. It was his only option. With as misty as his eyes were, he would have bumped something and got caught for sure.
Chapter 223: Fluff Balls
¡°For the last time, Itela, I don¡¯t have to have you guide me,¡± Karbo said. ¡°Even in a blindfold. I can just use my aura to maneuver.¡±
¡°And for the last time, Karbo Battlemaster, that¡¯s not the point.¡± Itela sighed. ¡°If you use your aura vision, you¡¯ll be able to see more than I want you to. This is a surprise. Let it be a surprise.¡±
Itela was still refusing to spill even a single bean regarding what to expect from Karbo once he saw the animals, but she had managed to rope virtually everyone she could into witnessing it. Corbin was there, as were Milo and Mizu. Lily was the leader of the expedition in general, so of course she was in attendance. Even Remmy had got roped in, despite not knowing Karbo at all besides his red avalanche of a reputation. Arthur got the feeling the librarian was coming along for the food as much as anything, but that felt fine.
It was a celebration of sorts. Lily, who had been perhaps sick, was now definitely well. And while Arthur suspected she¡¯d be getting into trouble sooner or later, she was at least okay for the moment.
He had decided, definitively, that he was not going to bring up what he had heard Eito say to anyone at all, ever. Arthur had a small amount of information on potential from Philbin already, and Eito and Remmy¡¯s conversation all but confirmed that the tour guide¡¯s theory was right. But Eito had also said that knowing about it at all might be bad for Arthur, and that seemed like a good enough reason to leave well enough alone.
It wasn¡¯t like his life was going poorly. He had every single thing he wanted except the ability to teleport back home to Coldbrook, and even that small flaw was almost entirely outweighed by all of the many upsides the capital had to offer. He was eating well, sleeping well, and was even about to go see dozens and dozens of tiny baby animals that Lily said were friendly to the point of a full, warm lap the entire time he was there to visit.
If that was the worst case scenario of not knowing more about his potential, he¡¯d be more than happy to live with it. There seemed to be some risk if he was a power-hungry turn-to-evil sort of guy, but if Eito¡¯s professional judgement was that Arthur would be fine, he¡¯d probably be fine.
¡°Okay now,¡± Itela said. ¡°I¡¯ve sort of hijacked this little excursion, but Karbo isn¡¯t the only one who hasn¡¯t seen this before. Anyone who wants to be surprised, close your eyes. Eito and Milo will guide you in.¡±
¡°What if I want to be surprised, Itela?¡± Milo looked mildly offended. ¡°Why am I the guide?¡±
¡°Because, Milo, you¡¯ll have more fun seeing people¡¯s faces and making fun of them for what they looked like later,¡± Itela said. ¡°I¡¯m a cleric. I have all these bases covered. Now, who is closing their eyes?¡±
Arthur decided to close his and so did Mizu, just to join in on the fun. After another twenty seconds of walking, the procession stopped, and he heard the sound of doors being pulled open before being guided out of the sunlight into a cool, indoor space.
¡°Everyone ready?¡± Itela asked. ¡°Good. Open your eyes.¡±
The world that rushed back to Arthur as his eyelids fluttered open was filled with small, furry things. He knew Hings but there must have been a couple dozen animals in the place and most of them were complete mysteries to him. Just like on Earth, the Demon World covered its common-animals-and-the-sounds they make education early on. When Arthur arrived, he was a decade or two too old for anyone to remember to teach him, depending on how he counted his own age.
¡°Oh, wow. That¡¯s a lot of cute in one place. It almost hurts my eyes.¡± Arthur was watching things jump, run, prance, and flounce, all in one eyeful of impossible adorability. Mizu, next to him, caught her breath. He felt her hands involuntarily flex in a petting motion on his arm. Even that alone was worth the cost of admission and they hadn¡¯t even sat down yet.
And then, just behind Arthur, a rumbling sound began to sound, so deep and resonant that his teeth felt like they were going to chatter from the sheer force of it. He turned around to see Karbo standing there with wide eyes, and an uncomprehending look of shock contorting every single one of his features. The growl got louder as Karbo¡¯s vision seemed to come back into focus and shift from one small, defenseless animal to the next.
This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
¡°Oh boy. Here it comes,¡± Itela said. ¡°Eyes on Karbo, everyone. You might only get to see this once.¡±
Karbo¡¯s voice was naturally deep. Sometimes, it was unnaturally so, like when he used his aura to amplify a battle roar and strike the fear of the gods into some gigantic monster. Arthur had seen that a few times, enough to start to think of Karbo as mostly nice, but ultimately deadly. It was the kind of voice that subtly reminded people that the fundamentally nice guy was not to be messed with in some absolute sense.
As a result, Karbo was not actually capable of squealing in the high-pitched, literal sense of the word. His voice just didn¡¯t have the range to make it happen, and even if it would have been possible with auras, he certainly didn¡¯t have the presence of mind to try at the moment. Left without the option of a high-grade squeal, his voice did the best approximation of one it could as it came out of his growl, sounding a bit like an avalanche that had just seen a bunny-like ball of fluff get distracted and fall off a pillow. Which, Arthur thought, was pretty damn close to what had actually happened.
¡°Oh gods. Gods. Itela. Look at them. Loooook.¡± Karbo grabbed Itela¡¯s arm and pointed. ¡°Look at that one. He¡¯s not even good at walking yet. I can¡¯t believe¡¡± Karbo wiped a tear from his eye. ¡°Thank you for showing me this. How long can we look at them?¡±
¡°Karbo, it¡¯s a baby animal cafe. You get to play with them,¡± Itela said warmly.
¡°No way.¡±
¡°Feed them.¡±
¡°If this is a joke¡¡±
¡°I¡¯m going to rent you a brush so you can fluff them up.¡±
Later in the day, a very confused mason would be informed that the reason he was replacing four separate stone tiles was that a very large warrior had jumped up and down for joy in them, shaking the entire street as he did. That would be later, though. For the moment, everyone waited for the localized earthquake to stop, then sat down on the various cushions scattered around the cafe and next to small floor-height tables.
¡°Oh, of course you get one first,¡± Mizu said. A small baby avian chick of some kind had bounced up to Arthur and was doing its damnedest to untie his shoe. Mizu was beaming with delight. ¡°Oh, look how fluffy he is, Arthur. Why do you get to be the animal favorite?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think I am. Look over there.¡± Arthur pointed across the room, where Karbo was already buried under a bunch of rabbit-beasts and Hings. Gods bless him, the big guy was actually giggling, moving as slowly and gently as a worried grandmother with a baby as he picked one of them up, petted it, and then put it back down to give attention to another animal. ¡°I wonder why that is?¡±
¡°My mother once told me that the trick to calming an infant was to feel confident you could. It makes them feel safe,¡± Mizu said. ¡°I doubt anyone can make anyone feel much safer than Karbo can.¡±
¡°What about me?¡± Arthur said, dropping his hand to the floor. The duckling-thing climbed into it, and he brought it up to his chest, leaned back, and let the duckling off there. It snuggled into his chest, honking softly in obvious joy. ¡°I don¡¯t make you feel safe?¡±
¡°Apples and oranges. You¡¯d do anything for me.¡± Mizu nodded at her boyfriend in satisfaction. ¡°For anyone, really, but especially for me. But Karbo¡¯s pretty nice too, and he can punch a hole in an entire mountain range if he wants.¡±
¡°True.¡± Arthur pet the duckling as a Hing baby found Mizu and began to bleat at her to pet it. ¡°I could start doing more pushups, I guess.¡±
¡°If you want,¡± Mizu said. ¡°You are the only person I¡¯ve ever met who was my type. You might not want to rock the boat.¡±
¡°Really? What about that giant water demon from yesterday?¡±
¡°The one who gave the talk?¡± Mizu asked. Arthur nodded, and Mizu began giggling uncontrollably. ¡°Him? Arthur, really? He¡¯s so boring.¡±
Lily ran by, chased by a small pack of rodent creatures. She was barely keeping ahead of them. They were little chubby round things but they were fast.
¡°Oh, don¡¯t get me wrong. I know I have offworlder charm. Or whatever,¡± Arthur said. ¡°But really? Not even a ping off that guy? He looked like a god of the sea.¡±
¡°There are no gods of the sea,¡± Mizu said.
¡°Really? Not one?¡± Arthur blanked. ¡°Earth must have had dozens.¡±
¡°It¡¯s a big boring empty place made out of undrinkable water. Who would want to be the god of it?¡±
¡°Skal.¡±
¡°Maybe. But no, no interest in that guy.¡± A little furry round thing without clear characteristics of any kind besides a general poofiness found Mizu and bumped into her leg repeatedly until she picked it up. ¡°Oooh, who¡¯s a cute little fuzzy thing?¡±
¡°Are you talking to the puffball or me?¡±
¡°You aren¡¯t that fuzzy.¡± Mizu leaned back to give the little fluff a flatter surface to scamper and play on, which it did for about three seconds before curling up on her stomach and trying to go to sleep. ¡°But you are Arthur. And it turns out that¡¯s my thing.¡±
¡°Good to know. You do know you''re my thing too, right?¡±
¡°Of course I do, Arthur.¡± Mizu pet her puffball and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s hard to miss. I bet there are some paving stones that know at this point.¡±
Chapter 224: The Talk
By the time Arthur and the others left the baby animal cafe, it was well after dark. Everyone took turns with what animals were available and the nocturnal beasts ended up being just as cute as the daytime ones, if in a slightly different, night-vision compatible way.
And throughout it all, Karbo was flat-out having the time of his life amid the presence of the little infants. He was still visibly the same man who could, given the right motivation, destroy a Jeremy with a single move. But that big mountain of muscle was completely tamed by the animals, to the point where he couldn¡¯t stop babbling about them even after they left.
¡°Did you see when the Hing jumped completely over me, Itela?¡± Karbo was almost bouncing on the balls of his feet as Itela clung to his giant arm. ¡°All the way over. And he¡¯s so little.¡±
¡°I saw, Karbo. It was very cute,¡± Itela said.
¡°It wasn¡¯t just cute. He¡¯s going to be a big guy when he grows up. I can tell. Good and strong.¡± Karbo smiled. ¡°And those little puffy things. I couldn¡¯t tell what they are. What are those?¡±
¡°Oh, I meant to ask about the little puffs but they were too cute,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Mizu, did you ask what they were?¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t. And there¡¯s no way to see what they look like under all that fur. They could be anything,¡± Mizu said.
¡°Lily?¡±
¡°No idea. I want one though. Itela, is there a way to keep animals little and puffy forever?¡±
Karbo looked hopefully at Itela when she lifted her head at the suggestion of permanent baby animals, then drooped visibly as she shook her head.
¡°Of course not. It wouldn¡¯t be fair to the animal. And it wouldn¡¯t be good for combat, so even the old combat tamer classes wouldn¡¯t be able to do it,¡± Itela said.
¡°Darn,¡± Lily said. ¡°I can¡¯t go adopting animals that end up bigger than me.¡±
¡°You have Arthur,¡± Mizu said. ¡°He¡¯s bigger than you.¡±
¡°That¡¯s true but he was always bigger than me.¡± Lily kicked at the ground. ¡°I guess I wouldn¡¯t be able to get the puff home. Darn.¡±
¡°Tell you what.¡± Arthur smiled. ¡°When we get home, we¡¯ll steal some fish from Skal. And then we can go find Rumble. Does he still let you climb on him?¡±
¡°He better!¡± Lily said. ¡°After all the cookies I¡¯ve brought him, he better. I¡¯m like his big sister, so he has to do what I say. He¡¯s bigger, not older.¡±
¡°Speaking of bigger and older,¡± Ella said, ¡°how¡¯d my boy¡¯s talk go? Was your genius properly appreciated?¡±
¡°Reasonably well,¡± Milo said. ¡°I think they mostly get the possibilities of automation, but it¡¯s a harder problem for big cities than you¡¯d think. Honestly, more people were interested in the work I¡¯ve done with Mizu. Which means I have to be present for at least one more talk, if Mizu wants me.¡±
¡°I do.¡± Mizu nodded. ¡°I hardly understand how those pumps work. I wish we had an enchanter with us, as well.¡±
¡°You could ask Philbin for one,¡± Arthur said. ¡°If he can get them here by tomorrow, that is.¡±
¡°Nope,¡± Mizu said. ¡°It¡¯s not tomorrow anymore. Philbin sent a note about that, while we were fussing around with Lily-research. He said there was going to be a lot of demand for my talk, and he needed to get more space, which meant he shuffled things around.¡±
¡°So what¡¯s next, then?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°I¡¯m not ready for most of them.¡±
¡°Your tea talk, probably,¡± Itela said. ¡°If he¡¯s competent, he would have picked what he knew you¡¯d be prepared for, even without notes.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Mizu squeezed Arthur¡¯s arm. ¡°It should be a nice calm break for you, Arthur. Just talking about what you understand.¡±
¡°Here¡¯s hoping.¡±
Arthur really was hoping it would be. He doubted he¡¯d get that lucky, especially given that two entire experienced teamasters were telling him he was going to cause a stir. He briefly considered just keeping his talk to his strictly defined medicinal teas and general innovations regarding boba, but realized that was a bad idea in more ways than one.
The expo was, in the end, meant for sharing the progress one town had made with the entire world. Not only would it feel weird to hide his skill, it would also be subverting the entire purpose of him being here. And it would be betraying the spirit of the expo and Demon World entirely.
Mizu brought Arthur back to the present by leaning hard into him once they got to the dark lobby of the hotel. The staff had long since gone home. In a nice way, Demon World hotels were more or less abandoned after normal business hours. It made sense, in their logic. Nobody here needed supervision for something as simple as taking good care of a rented room, and no lodger would be so selfish as to force someone to stay away from their family in friends just in case they wanted a fresh towel or a snack.
Stolen novel; please report.
¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve forgotten about our interrupted appointment. I¡¯m going to get you, Arthur Teamaster. I don¡¯t care how busy you are. I will have my Arthur-time.¡±
¡°Believe me, I want that,¡± Arthur said. ¡°How do I keep getting drawn into responsibilities, Mizu? We could both be at home right now if I could just figure out how to dodge them. Drinking tea. We could go up to the cliff platform. Just us.¡±
¡°Keep talking.¡± Mizu turned her body to look at Arthur in the dark. ¡°I like thinking about it.¡±
¡°I¡¯d bring that cushion thing I bought. The puffy blanket thing.¡±
¡°Picnic mat,¡± Mizu said. ¡°That¡¯s what they¡¯re called.¡±
¡°And that little heating thing. And we¡¯d stop before we went up there and get enormous steaks. And a loaf of bread. And that sauce that Hyio makes.¡±
¡°Hyio is a magician.¡±
¡°He is.¡± Arthur agreed. ¡°We¡¯d make gigantic sandwiches. The biggest sandwiches that have ever been. And we¡¯d eat them, and it would be warm¡¡±
¡°And we¡¯d be so full.¡±
¡°So very full.¡± Arthur kissed the top of Mizu¡¯s head. ¡°And then we¡¯d probably fall asleep, like last time. And people would be afraid of you, so nobody would wake us up.¡±
¡°Unless Onna was there,¡± Mizu added.
¡°But we get to decide. It¡¯s our little pretend, not hers. So she wouldn¡¯t be there, and we wouldn¡¯t wake up until halfway through the night, and then we¡¯d decide it was too much work to walk down to our houses, and we¡¯d sit up for a little while talking before we fell asleep again.¡±
¡°Mmm,¡± Mizu said. ¡°Yes. I want that. And the sandwiches.¡±
Arthur stomach grumbled. He looked down in confusion. ¡°Wait, we didn¡¯t get dinner, did we?¡±
¡°No. I was wondering when you¡¯d notice.¡±
It took the better part of an hour to find a stand that was still open. It didn¡¯t have steak sandwiches, but it did have huge bowls of stir fry loaded with meat, which was almost as good. And just as in their little dream, the fatigue hit Arthur and Mizu both like bricks as soon as their stomachs were good and full.
Between yawns and just before going to her room, Mizu managed to secure a promise from Arthur that he¡¯d try his best to make real time for her the next night. With that done, they both went up to their rooms and slept. As his eyes drooped, Arthur groggily blessed his Demon World reincarnator¡¯s body¡¯s ability to sleep in almost any circumstance.
Tomorrow was going to be a crazy day. He¡¯d need every bit of that rest.
¡ª
¡°Are you ready?¡± Lily asked. ¡°You don¡¯t look ready. You look freaked out.¡±
¡°I am freaked out. No question,¡± Arthur said. ¡°But I think it¡¯s like jumping in a pool, right? Once you jump, there¡¯s nothing you can do about it. You find peace midair. It¡¯s a kind of airborne enlightenment that¡¯s¡¡±
¡°Arthur. You¡¯re babbling,¡± Lily cut it.
¡°Fair.¡± Arthur took a deep breath. ¡°But yeah. There¡¯s nothing I can do about it now.¡±
¡°Why are you so stressed, anyway? It¡¯s just talking about tea. That¡¯s all you do anyway. It should just be another day for you.¡±
¡°It¡¯s hard to explain.¡±
Arthur avoided talking about the possible world-shaking effects of his talk. Lily was nice enough to not force him to. She seemed to sense there was something gnawing at Arthur¡¯s mind.
Somewhere in his thought process, Arthur was hoping it wouldn¡¯t be that big of a deal and he wouldn¡¯t have to talk about his new tea discoveries with anyone. Something about tea, of which he still felt like he was a novice, was scary to Arthur in a way he didn¡¯t felt with other subjects. He had just about managed his nerves before the door to the room opened one more time and some surprising guests arrived.
¡°Gods, that scared me.¡± Arthur turned to Lily. ¡°Did you know they were coming?¡±
¡°Eito and Itela? Of course. Ella is too, probably, although only if she can get away from another talk in time.¡±
¡°But why?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°They don¡¯t even make tea.¡±
¡°Because, Arthur, they love you,¡± Lily said. ¡°Would you skip a talk if I was giving it? Just because you aren¡¯t an assistant class?¡±
¡°Oh. I didn¡¯t think about it like that. I guess that makes sense.¡± Arthur watched them walk through the door, and waited a few seconds to verify nobody else followed after them. ¡°No Karbo?¡±
¡°Of course not. He¡¯d fall asleep,¡± Lily said. ¡°No offense.¡±
¡°None taken. It¡¯s who he is.¡±
Eito and Itela found seats and settled in, after which Arthur¡¯s stalling time was well and truly used up. He saw Philbin moving towards him, and decided to take mercy on the poor tour guide by standing up and walking to the stage.
Well, here we go. Let¡¯s see if I can get through this clean.
¡°Hi, everyone. I¡¯m Arthur Teamaster of Coldbrook. As you probably picked up from my name, I make tea.¡± There was a mild chuckle, which was more than the semi-joke deserved. He took it as a good sign. ¡°If my class name was a bit more detailed, I¡¯d be Arthur Boba Teamaster, but I guess that was too long to work with. My class focuses on a specific variant of tea that I first learned about in my first life, on Earth.¡±
The next bit of his talk focused on things Arthur had assumed would be entirely too boring for most people to enjoy. Happily, he was wrong. Most of the people in attendance were cooks or drink-makers of one stripe or another, and several of them leaned forward as he worked through the basics of how to prepare boba, from the grinding of the flour to the mixing of the final product.
Those that weren¡¯t there for the actual recipes and drink descriptions seemed to be in attendance to hear about the more magical aspects of the class. Philbin had written up the talk as both a description of a new kind of drink, and of an interesting semi-alchemical application of that drink which might have niche applicability to people who made pills and medicines. Given that there weren¡¯t pill-making talks going on at all times, he had a pretty good turnout of medicine-makers and medically interested people who tuned in when he started talking about Medicinal Brewer¡¯s many low-powered benefits.
¡°So it¡¯s not ingredient-driven?¡± an alchemist asked. ¡°You can do it with any food product?¡±
¡°Yes and no. I¡¯ve been working with more and more varied ingredients lately, and some definitely work better with some effects than others,¡± Arthur said. ¡°And some I can¡¯t carry off without the right ingredients at all. I have a cooling drink that absolutely requires a fungus which produces cold-focused majicka. But broadly, I can do most things with most ingredients, so long as I have the majicka to brute-force it.¡±
Arthur was thankful for the questions. People were engaged.
But I can¡¯t stall forever. Sooner than he liked, Arthur had given the audience everything relevant he knew about both making boba tea and making it carry magical effects to its drinkers. It¡¯s time to drop the bomb. Please, gods who may or may not exist. Please, let it be a dud.
Chapter 225: Arthur’s Big Day
It was not a dud.
Arthur¡¯s brief attempt at a dry description of his majicka-storing boba was a flash bang, fully shocking the room awake. The majicka boba was something only he could do, for the moment, but the fact that he could do it without explicit involvement from his class meant that anyone might be able to. That was interesting. That was particularly big for, say, an alchemist who might want to store majicka in a commonly used filler ingredient for later use in pills.
And if the battery boba were a working bomb, the Portable Arthur announcement was a full Castle Bravo Incident. It blew up bigger and hotter than he could have possibly imagined, a charging Littal level instant controversy that immediately got away from him, sprinted down the road, and turned a corner before he had a chance of getting reins on it.
¡°You¡¯re telling me this tea can package an effect your class can pull off and hold it indefinitely?¡± an old, robed crocodile rasped at the stage. ¡°And you can choose any effect? That is then performed by anyone, of any class?¡±
¡°Well, yes,¡± Arthur said, trying to sound bland. ¡°But I don¡¯t have to choose which skill. That¡¯s the customer¡¯s choice.¡±
¡°What?¡± an alchemist rat in the front row nearly screeched. ¡°It packages your entire class?¡±
¡°It¡¯s¡ a very weak effect. And my class isn¡¯t nearly as powerful at medicinal effects as an alchemist is in the first place.¡±
For the first time ever, Arthur wished that one of his skills and abilities had stayed worse. Originally, the Portable Arthur didn¡¯t do medicinal effects. It was limited, reasonably so, to things like increasing the pep in a drink or creating an effect that helped people get more comfortable.
And then Talca had a week of bad headaches, just a few days after Skal started to have worse-than-average pain in his aged joints. Arthur had felt bad for them. He poked and prodded the skill a dozen ways during his off hours until it gave way and included his medicinal effects in the overall package.
The skill read much differently, these days.
|
Portable Arthur
This drink abstracts the essence of your class into a product. If that sounds unusual, know that every crafting class does this to some extent. In a small way, every smith, tailor, tanner and baker leaves the imprint of their class on their work.
Where your tea differs is that where those other classes send out the completed version of their work, you¡¯ve managed to store a primitive, weakened and ultimately incomplete version of what you do. The product waits to resolve itself, in the same way a spring lengthens once the pressure constricting it is released.
When a user brews Portable Arthur with a particular goal in mind that your boba tea can accomplish, the tea will do its best to finish the job you started and satisfy their goals. This effect is unprecedented in the more mundane, day-to-day classes that make up the world¡¯s preparers of food, and is balanced by coming with severe restrictions you have only managed to slightly circumvent.
Portable Arthur makes poor use of the majicka supplied to it, giving only a fraction of the same effect a tea prepared by your own hands would give, even when seeking the exact same goals. It can¡¯t be used to enhance stats or abilities.
With a specific intent to do so, Portable Arthur can be created in a form that allows for medicinal effects. When it does, it enacts an absurdly high majicka cost on both the production and consumer ends of the process. As the creator, you will experience a massive majicka draw to create a small amount of the tea, and the user will now experience a severe majicka cost in preparing the tea if a medicinal effect is desired.
Despite these restrictions, Portable Arthur allows a customer to take some of what you do home, for use on cozy days reading by a window or late at night when shops simply aren¡¯t available to meet their needs.
|
Of course I couldn¡¯t let well enough alone. I just had to help Skal feel better on cold days. The fact that his good intentions were both appreciated by Skal and likely what made the system allow him to bend the rules in the first place were only small comforts now.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
¡°I don¡¯t think you understand. Not fully.¡± The crocodile stood and pointed his cane at Arthur. ¡°You can create a product that allows an augmentation on top of a fully layered alchemical stack, with no disturbances. You can then put that effect in a jar and send it anywhere. Anywhere at all, to be used by anyone at all, to almost any medicinal purpose.¡±
¡°Well, yes,¡± Arthur said. ¡°But it¡¯s a small fraction of a small effect. How much is a percent or two going to really do?¡±
¡°Arthur,¡± Itela said, sternly. ¡°Do you know how many people suffer, or even die, for want of a percent? There are a lot of demons in the world. You should know better than anyone how much a small improvement can help.¡±
¡°Ah. Of course.¡± Arthur had once made a great city stronger by a few percentage points and helped it to defeat a monster wave a bit quicker, which was one thing. Itela wouldn¡¯t have cared that much about that. But later, in a way that was smaller to most, she had invited him to help the chronically ill, people with ailments that magic couldn¡¯t quite cure. And his tea had helped, in small ways. ¡°I remember your people, Itela.¡±
¡°And yours. It wasn¡¯t much more than a percentage or two that saved Mizu,¡± Itela added.
¡°Point taken,¡± Arthur said. ¡°And I¡¯ll admit something to all of you. I¡¯m young enough or naive enough that I don¡¯t really understand the potential here. So what I¡¯ll do, if it¡¯s okay, is talk a bit less about these skills themselves, and a bit more about how I created them. That¡¯s probably the useful part.¡±
It wasn¡¯t quite as simple as that when all was said and done. Arthur was able to talk about his visualization-driven creation process quite a bit, but it was interspersed with the older and wiser people in the group asking about the particulars of just how much majicka it took to pull off various versions of his tea. He could almost see the math whirring behind their eyes, calculating just how many various needs he could fill.
¡°There¡¯s only so much you could do as you are now, I suppose. Of course, with a couple dungeon crawls,¡± a large, armored woman said, ¡°we could fix some of that? An extra five levels never hurt anyone.¡±
¡°Disagree,¡± Eito said, firmly. It wasn¡¯t impolite, or even a forceful statement. It spoke to his reputation that the woman backed down immediately, nodding in deference to his opinion.
The questions on all fronts continued to come in hot and heavy. The few that were actually about boba, the drink, were precious to Arthur. He clung to them like floating chunks of wood after a shipwreck. The good news was that, at some point, the next talk would start. He¡¯d be rescued then.
¡°Bad news,¡± Philbin said, pulling Arthur aside for a moment. ¡°Well, bad news for you. Great news for me, but I¡¯m not a jerk like that.¡±
¡°What?¡± Arthur glanced at Lily, who was once again raiding the snacks table and appeared to be in good health and spirits. ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±
¡°The next speaker showed up to give his talk fifteen minutes ago,¡± Philbin said.
¡°That¡¯s actually great. Where is he? I¡¯ll apologize to him and get him up on stage,¡± Arthur said happily.
¡°No, see, that¡¯s the issue,¡± Philbin said. ¡°He¡¯s an alchemist. He asked what all the hubbub was about and got caught up. He¡¯s that snake demon over there.¡±
Arthur decided to not groan. He was a grown-up. ¡°The same demon who has been asking me questions for the last fifteen minutes?¡±
¡°Right. He¡¯s voluntarily rescheduled his talk to make sure you have plenty of time.¡±
¡°Okay.¡± Arthur took a deep breath. ¡°Do me a favor. Find a little table and my stuff. I¡¯m going to try this a different way.¡± He turned back to the crowd as Philbin brought over the table along with Arthur¡¯s materials. ¡°Everyone! Stop asking questions for a few moments, please. I figure this might answer more questions faster than just talking.¡±
Under the watchful eye of the whole room, Arthur heated water, added root flour, and slowly began the process of creating the little starch-balls that drove his drink. At the appropriate time, he drove his majicka into them, draining himself to create his majicka-containing pearls in a way that everyone else could see.
¡°Did everyone catch that? If not, ask someone else in the room what went on. Preferably someone higher level who can explain it better than me,¡± Arthur said.
An older rabbit demon woman in the back raised her hand. ¡°I¡¯m an analyst librarian class of sorts. I got a pretty good idea of how that works. Would you be offended if I wrote something down and added it to your expo notes?¡±
The room got oddly silent at that moment. Arthur wondered if the woman had committed some social faux pas he didn¡¯t understand, but he knew at the very least that he certainly didn¡¯t care about that kind of thing.
¡°Yes, of course. That would be very helpful. Could you run it by Eito and Lily after you are finished? They¡¯ll check it for accuracy. Nobody understands me better.¡±
¡°Of course.¡± The woman bowed her head slightly. ¡°That¡¯s very wise.¡±
¡°Well, then. I¡¯ll get started on the Portable Arthur now. Does anyone happen to have some tea leaves on them? I¡¯m running low.¡±
Several brewers in attendance did have small quantities. Arthur lumped it all together, getting about a pound in total and adding some of his yet unused Powerplant Boba to the mix. It wasn¡¯t necessary, since he could do the mix with mere tea leaves. But the boba pearls would relieve some of the burden of actually creating the stuff, and he welcomed any help he could get.
Somewhere in the process, he felt a wave of majicka hit him, and turned to see Lily wincing as her own power ripped away to add to his. He could have hugged her. He was going to have headaches from this, but at least he wouldn¡¯t be woozy now. With the extra help and a couple of flourishes, Arthur finished enhancing the pile of tea leaves and began his demonstration.
In the end, one Portable Arthur stood proudly on the table.
Chapter 226: Summoned
¡°There. Done. Any questions?¡±
¡°I¡¯m an appraiser of sorts, too, as it goes.¡± The rabbit woman gave a weak half smile. ¡°Can I get a closer look at that? If you don¡¯t mind.¡±
Arthur nodded, and the woman moved forward. For reasons unexplained, both Eito and Itela looked a bit wary of her as she did, not in a this-person-is-dangerous way so much as a I-wish-I-could-have-planned-for-this way. He¡¯d ask them about it later if he could.
The woman ran her hands over the finished product and raised her eyebrows.
¡°Hmm. That really is interesting.¡± The woman reached for the pile of tea, then stopped her hand suddenly before looking at Arthur. ¡°May I brew some? I¡¯ll be able to write it up better if I do.¡±
¡°Are you a cook class as well?¡±
¡°No, but you said a layman could use the product.¡±
¡°Fair enough. Would that be useful for everyone?¡± Arthur asked. A good three quarters of the audience nodded in unison. Whoever this woman was, she was well respected. ¡°Then please do. I¡¯m eager to read your notes.¡±
The audience shifted their focus to the rabbit woman as she brewed some of the tea, which gave Arthur a moment to sit down on a stool and gather himself. He was tired. Whatever low level of adrenaline his brain thought his body needed to get through this speech had worn him down fast. The sooner he could get this done, the better.
After a few minutes, the tea was done. The rabbit woman sipped it, then flexed her hand in the air thoughtfully a few times. ¡°I have pain in my joints. But a little less now. Fine stuff.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
¡°No, thank you. And, for what it¡¯s worth, I apologize for your next few days in advance.¡± Before Arthur could ask what that was about, the woman turned to the audience. ¡°I¡¯m going to write about both of these products, as well as a summary of the talk in general. I¡¯m going to assume that will be enough for most of you. So I¡¯ll ask that you leave this young man alone now. He¡¯s beginning to look a bit ragged.¡±
Arthur nodded in agreement at that. He felt ragged too. The woman looked at him, smiled, and waved as she joined the throng of people milling out of his presentation. It was finally over.
¡°That was amazing, Arthur. It might be the most important speech of the expo so far,¡± Philbin said. ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t know that until the achievements for helping you do it start rolling in, but¡¡±
¡°You fool,¡± Eito said. ¡°Bless you, but that was stupid. You knew you¡¯d get that reaction, didn¡¯t you?¡±
¡°I¡¡± Arthur said. ¡°I might have. Some of the other teamasters said it was a possibility.¡±
¡°And you didn¡¯t tell me,¡± Eito huffed. ¡°You¡¯ve made a lot of trouble for yourself, Arthur. Of course, it¡¯s my fault too. I should have realized the implications of those skills. I just didn¡¯t take the time to understand them.¡±
¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been that bad if she wasn¡¯t there,¡± Itela said, gesturing in the direction of the now-missing crowd. ¡°I wonder how she got wind of everything.¡±
¡°The rabbit woman?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°She did seem to carry a lot of weight. Who was she?¡±
¡°Jaiko,¡± Eito said, as if that should mean something to Arthur. Lily, at least, jolted at the name. To his credit, Eito immediately sensed that Arthur was lost and clarified. ¡°The Demon World doesn¡¯t have an emperor. Even The Bear didn¡¯t try for that, although he might have been able to get it. We have a counsel instead, which is much better. But if we had elections for a ruler tomorrow¡¡±
¡°She¡¯d win. Hands down. No question.¡± Itela nodded. ¡°And we¡¯d be better for it, compared to anyone else.¡±
¡°Her? But she¡¯s¡ some sort of librarian?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°We can talk about that later. Hell, I¡¯ll find a book for you about her. There¡¯s plenty.¡± Eito shook his head. ¡°For now, just know that there are only a few people in this world that understand what you do better than her. Which means, sadly, that your plans are about to change pretty drastically.¡±
At the door, someone cleared their voice. Arthur turned around to see a courier-looking bear demon standing shyly, holding an envelope in his giant hands. ¡°For Arthur? Arthur Teamaster?¡±
¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Arthur said.
The bear handed over the envelope, nodded respectfully, and left.
¡°Yup. I expected that. She¡¯s quick,¡± Itela said. ¡°Just give it to Philbin. It will save time.¡±
¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Arthur said. He was very badly out of the loop in a way that usually boded poorly for him. That premonition got a bit worse as Philbin opened the envelope, gasped, and then started rubbing his temples with his off-hand as he read. ¡°Philbin? Can you fill me in on what¡¯s going on?¡±
¡°You have been removed from your remaining talks,¡± Philbin said.
¡°Canceled? Just like that?¡±
¡°Not canceled. Mizu will still give hers. I¡¯ll handle the rest, and bring in experts as needed to make sure your town gets representation and credit for its accomplishments.¡± Philbin gave a weak smile. ¡°But you¡¯re going to be busy in the coming days. You¡¯ve been summoned.¡±
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
¡°I¡¯m assuming we aren¡¯t talking about how I got here in general, in the offworlder way.¡±
¡°No,¡± Eito said. ¡°You should be so lucky. Every talk at this expo is important, in a way, but some more than others. Mizu¡¯s talk will have broad interest from wellers, but it¡¯s still a niche topic. Yours is¡ more generally important. To the extent that Jaiko took it upon herself to skip a couple council votes that traditionally happen and call you up directly.¡±
¡°To where, though?¡± Arthur rubbed his eyes. ¡°To do what?¡±
¡°In front of the demon council. To talk about your future.¡± Itela sighed. ¡°I really do wish you had talked to us, Arthur. Things are going to be a lot more complicated from now on.¡±
¡ª
¡°Look at you.¡± Mizu found Arthur slumped over a bowl of noodle soup, valiantly trying to get enough calories into his body to counteract his day. ¡°Arthur is a mess. You know you¡¯re no good to me like this, right?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡± Arthur forced a bite of frankly unbelievable flavor into his mouth, chewed the delicious food mechanically, and swallowed. ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s been kind of a big day. You heard what happened?¡±
¡°I heard. I wish I was surprised.¡± Mizu sat by Arthur, brought one of her hands up, and started working on rubbing out some of the tension in his neck. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t realize the implications of all your inventions earlier. I might have been able to help.¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine. I didn¡¯t even realize, and I made them.¡± Arthur twirled the noodles left in the bowl into one big lump with his fork, then forced them down. ¡°Did you ever see a high council meeting? With your mom, or anything?¡±
¡°No. She went, of course. But you are only allowed one second when you go in front of the council. It keeps things simpler.¡± Mizu turned in her chair and added her second hand to work out the stress-knots around Arthur¡¯s spine. ¡°There was always a reason for her to bring someone more helpful than her child. Which meant I got to just eat cookies at the hotel. It was a good outcome, for both of us.¡±
¡°I tried to get Eito to let me know what it means for me,¡± Arthur said. ¡°I know it¡¯s not all good. He didn¡¯t give me a straight answer.¡±
¡°He couldn¡¯t, probably. It¡¯s a big range. I think the least you should expect is what usually happened to my Mom. They¡¯d ask some questions to understand what you do a little better, and then maybe give you some advice or guidance on how to proceed from here. It wouldn¡¯t be mandatory. But you¡¯d probably want to take the advice. Council members tend to be there for a reason.¡±
¡°What¡¯s the most I should expect?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°If things go wrong.¡±
¡°Hmm.¡± Mizu stopped rubbing Arthur¡¯s neck and shifted in her chair, leaning her chin on his shoulder. ¡°Do you remember when you made all that boba for the monster wave? The first time. You told me you got a visit from the metal elemental assistants.¡±
¡°Yeah. They were cool,¡± Arthur said. ¡°I still wish I could have hired them.¡±
¡°The reason you couldn¡¯t is because they were a special kind of worker,¡± Mizu said. ¡°There¡¯s a title for it, but usually people just call them a strategic resource. The city has them on its payroll. They live there and the city assigns them work as it sees fit. They try to get the most use out of them.¡±
¡°Do they have to do it?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°Could they say no?¡±
¡°Of course, they could say no. It¡¯s just that nobody does.¡± Mizu patted Arthur¡¯s back. ¡°This is going to be one of those cultural misunderstanding things. I can tell.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll try to understand as soon as possible.¡±
¡°Okay. Thanks.¡± Mizu gathered her words for a minute or so, then started talking again. ¡°Imagine someone came to Coldbrook and told us that someone in their town had been poisoned. Just like I had. And that they needed your help to cure them, just like you did for me. Maybe it¡¯s a child, or an old person. Would you help?¡±
¡°Of course. I¡¯m not a monster,¡± Arthur said.
¡°And say it was a few days away, and it was raining very hard. Would that stop you?¡±
¡°No. I mean, it¡¯s a life.¡±
¡°It¡¯s a life. Now say you were in that town, and just as you got the sick person there cured, you got news of another sick person in another town. And then another after that, and so on. When would you draw the line and say the next person didn¡¯t matter and you were going home?¡±
¡°Oh.¡± Arthur grimaced. ¡°I get it. I think.¡±
¡°When the council asks people to do something, there¡¯s a good reason. Always. They are the council for a reason. People know that. They grew up knowing it. I did, at least.¡± Mizu breathed out a little frustration-breath on Arthur¡¯s neck. ¡°And now they know you are useful. This summons is to see just how useful.¡±
¡°And after that?¡± Arthur asked, suddenly a lot more apprehensive about the meeting than before.
¡°It¡¯s hard to say. Your skills are pretty weird. And the council members are smarter than me.¡±
¡°Impossible.¡±
¡°Well, they¡¯ve seen more things, at least. Once they ask their questions, they¡¯ll talk about what to do. Nobody could know what they¡¯ll decide.¡±
Arthur let his head drop onto Mizu¡¯s. He was glad she was here. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose I could convince you to be my second in all of this. You could see the council finally, at least.¡±
¡°I¡¯d be a bad choice. I¡¯m too quiet.¡±
¡°So who should I ask? Eito, or Itela?¡±
¡°Neither. Eito¡¯s your trainer. They¡¯ll interview him separately. He¡¯ll be able to help you then. Itela is your cleric on record still, and she¡¯s worked with you using your medicinal tea on her patients before. They¡¯d interview her even if they didn¡¯t know her already, and they do.¡±
¡°So they are already going to help. Who should I ask, then? Milo¡¯s pretty loud.¡±
¡°He¡¯s loud, but he¡¯s also not¡ dignified, I guess. He wouldn¡¯t know how to help. If you want my honest opinion, I think you should ask Lily.¡±
¡°Lily?¡± Arthur tired to imagine the little owl acting as an attorney of sorts. ¡°She¡¯s so little.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t let that fool you. She¡¯s not afraid to raise her voice, and she¡¯s smart. And nobody on this entire planet wants you to be safe and happy more than her. Maybe not even me.¡±
¡°Well, then,¡± Arthur said. ¡°I¡¯ll ask her. And now I think it¡¯s time for our date.¡±
¡°Oh, no. Absolutely not, Arthur. Not today,¡± Mizu said.
¡°Why not? This acid bath is going to wear off eventually, you know.¡±
¡°Then you¡¯ll get another one. I haven¡¯t seen you look this frazzled since you had majicka sensitivity, and I will not have my boyfriend passing out in front of the demon high council. It would be bad for my reputation.¡±
¡°So what, then?¡±
¡°First, we are going to shove another bowl of soup into your stomach. You need the nourishment. And then, you¡¯re going home to sleep until just before that meeting.¡±
Arthur thought Mizu was joking, at least a little. If he went to bed now, he¡¯d be asleep for almost fifteen hours before it was time to head to the center of the city to answer the summons. Even he couldn¡¯t sleep that much. But Mizu wasn¡¯t joking, and protesting to Ella and Itela when he passed them in the lobby didn¡¯t help him at all. They not only didn¡¯t set her straight, they agreed.
¡°If you can¡¯t sleep, just lay there with your eyes closed,¡± Itela said. ¡°That¡¯s a type of rest in and of itself. Have you decided who to take with you?¡±
¡°Mizu said to take Lily.¡±
¡°Good. Smart girl.¡± Itela nodded her respect to Mizu. ¡°She¡¯s right about everything this time, Teamaster. Go upstairs and lay down. We¡¯ll be with you in the morning.¡±
Arthur still didn¡¯t think he could pack two nights of sleep into one ultra-long nap, but it turned out he was wrong about that. He closed his eyes, and opened them a moment later to see the clock reporting he had just a few hours before the meeting that might change his whole life.
Chapter 227: The Council
¡°What am I supposed to wear for this, Lily?¡± Arthur said. ¡°These are the god kings of the Demon World, right?¡±
¡°God kings?¡± Lily looked confused but soldiered on. ¡°Why are you asking me? I¡¯m normal. I don¡¯t do Arthur things. You should ask Karbo. He¡¯s goes there, I bet.¡±
Karbo nodded sagely. ¡°A light shirt you can move in, durable pants enchanted against fire, and whatever weapons you can find. An extra dagger never hurt anyone.¡±
¡°Never mind,¡± Lily said. ¡°I forgot who we were talking about. Ella? Itela?¡±
¡°Just wear normal clothes. I¡¯m not sure what you are visualizing, but it¡¯s not a festival or anything. It¡¯s just people. They¡¯re not god kings or what you¡¯re thinking of. That was before The Bear,¡± Ella said. ¡°I¡¯m sometimes very curious how weird your world was, Arthur.¡±
Somehow, a half dozen people were in Arthur¡¯s room. Eito was missing and Milo was off causing some sort of metallic havoc somewhere, but Karbo, Ella, Itela, and Mizu were all in attendance. Minos had poked his head in and given some words of encouragement, although he had then wandered off to try and source some pep from a non-Arthur source.
¡°Got it. Any other tips?¡±
¡°They¡¯ll ask you questions. Answer them,¡± Itela said while brushing a bit of invisible lint off Arthur¡¯s clothes. ¡°Remember, they aren¡¯t that scary. They can do things you can¡¯t, and some of them could give Karbo trouble. But they¡¯re just people, trying to make sure other people do well. And you are a person. Make sure you tell them what you want, too.¡±
Arthur chewed on that as he walked towards the center of the capital with Lily. After a few quick jumps on fast transit and some burned shoe leather, they were almost there and he still hadn¡¯t quite calmed down.
¡°How,¡± Arthur said, ¡°do I possibly believe that?¡±
¡°What?¡± Lily gave him the side eye. ¡°You haven¡¯t talked this whole way, Arthur. I have no idea what you are talking about.¡±
¡°That it¡¯s okay to speak up here. I get that it¡¯s the Demon World, but these are rulers, right? The highest authorities in the land?¡±
¡°I mean, yeah,¡± Lily said. ¡°But when was the last time you saw them actually command people to do anything? Even the frontier expansion was a suggestion.¡±
¡°Still.¡±
¡°Still nothing. If you don¡¯t think you can speak up for yourself, just answer the questions as best you can and leave the other words for me. I¡¯m plenty loud all by myself.¡±
The doors to the council building were two separate continuous pieces of wood that must have been twenty feet tall and looked for all the world like they had been taken from one enormous, monstrous tree. They were set in a wall so ornately carved that Arthur could only imagine it had taken some artist years of chipping out various geometric designs before he was finished with the front wall.
He peeked around the corner to see if they had spent the extra years it would have taken to carve out the other sides of the building. They had and even done so for a square of massive, thick pillars that bordered the entire building, as thick as two Karbos standing shoulder to shoulder. The rock used in both the building itself and the pillars wasn¡¯t normal either. Arthur didn¡¯t know their purpose, but the material was so jam-packed with majicka it was literally glowing.
¡°I read about this in the library last night. The council building is just about the only big structure that survived the war,¡± Lily said. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t look like this if we built it now. You shouldn¡¯t let this intimidate you.¡±
Arthur broke down laughing, sitting on a nearby bench that very likely took some craftsman months to get just right and chortling until he got snotty-nosed. Lily looked on in shock, apparently legitimately afraid that Arthur had finally lost it.
¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m fine, I promise,¡± Arthur said when the laughs finally died down.
¡°You don¡¯t look fine. You look cracked up.¡±
¡°No, I¡¯m fine, I promise. I¡¯m not intimidated by this building. I¡¯m almost not intimidated at all, anymore.¡± He let out another long, wheezing laugh that had lagged behind the others. ¡°I should be. But when we walked up, I thought ¡®Oh, good, a giant, terrifying building. At least that¡¯s like how it would be on Earth.¡¯¡±
¡°And that made you feel better?¡±
¡°Much. The giant, terrifying building that glows with ancient power fixed it. Come on. Let¡¯s go before it wears off.¡± Arthur started climbing the stairs to the doors double-time.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Any worries Arthur was harboring about actually getting the huge doors open evaporated as they seemed to sense him, lit up in silver elegant runes from top to bottom, and swung open themselves.
¡°Looks like the doors can tell who we are,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Nope. Anyone can come here if they want,¡± Lily replied.
¡°And take a tour?¡±
¡°And complain. The doors open at certain times.¡±
¡°So they just walk through and tell the council they are doing a bad job? Just like that?¡±
¡°The book made it seem like they¡¯re usually more polite than that.¡± Lily shrugged.
An Aardvark-demon found them before they got much further into the building and waved to stop them. ¡°Arthur Teamaster?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Lily nodded. ¡°And Lily Expediter, who is coming along to save Arthur from the scary things.¡±
The Aardvark chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll tell them you said that, later. They¡¯ll get a kick out of it. Arthur, It¡¯s not as bad as you think.¡±
¡°You sure? I might not think it¡¯s going to be that bad.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not bad at all, so I still gotcha.¡± The Aardvark patted Arthur on the shoulder. ¡°It is, however, slow. If you end up wanting pep, there¡¯s a table with things to make tea. Which I understand you shouldn¡¯t have a problem with.¡±
¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡±
¡°All right then. The door you want is that way, labeled ¡®Teamaster Inquiry.¡¯ Have fun.¡±
Arthur and Lily walked alone and unaccompanied down the hallway. Whatever expectations they had of a fun Aardvark escort was dashed. Arthur looked over his shoulder and saw the demon intercepting other visitors, figuring out where they were going, and directing them there. Apparently, he was a front-of-house figure.
The actual door they needed was small enough that they almost missed it. It was a much more normal kind of wood, not the ancient, clearly magical stock that made up the building¡¯s entrance. And, just as the Aardvark had said, it was labeled.
¡°Is that a paper sign? Like a handwritten paper sign?¡± Arthur asked.
Lily nodded, dumbly, staring at the paper taped to the door.
¡°I expected brass. That¡¯s not even a full sheet. And they tore it by hand. What is this?¡±
¡°No idea.¡± Arthur put his hand to the knob. ¡°But there¡¯s only one way to find out. Are you ready?¡±
¡°Ready.¡±
The knob turned easily. It was a masterfully crafted lunk of metal, well-oiled, and put together by an experienced hand who took the time to perfectly fit it to the proper gaps in the wall. Arthur opened the door to see a mostly undecorated room and a group of four demons sitting on two of the four couches surrounding a perfectly normal coffee table. Their attention was entirely focused on the cookies in the middle.
¡°No, you can¡¯t eat all the jelly ones, Neppo.¡± A wolf demon woman of relatively advanced age slapped a squirrel demon¡¯s furry hand, firm but not hard enough to actually really hurt. ¡°Other people like them.¡±
¡°This is an open plate. There aren¡¯t names on the cookies.¡± The squirrel reached again, then pulled his hand back as a bear, huge beyond belief, pivoted his eye to look at the hand.
¡°That¡¯s why we are polite, you old tree-mouse,¡± the wolf demon said. ¡°See? Pomm agrees with me. Thanks, Pomm.¡±
¡°I thought we couldn¡¯t say tree-mouse anymore. We put out a circular or something about it,¡± a snake woman said, snagging one of the few remaining jelly-centered cookies from under the squirrel¡¯s hand. ¡°That it was best to only use the official names for each of the demon variants.¡±
¡°Well, it was, but¡¡± The wolf pivoted in her chair, suddenly seeing Arthur there. ¡°Oh. Hi.¡±
¡°Hi. I think I might have got the wrong room, actually.¡± Arthur reached around the door and ripped off the piece of paper. ¡°Do you know where this was supposed to go? I¡¯m supposed to be in a council meeting or something.¡±
The bear snorted, and gave a tiny smile.
¡°Oh, he got Pomm to laugh. I like this guy.¡± Neppo tried to sneak another cookie while he talked, and got another hand-slap for his troubles. ¡°Arthur Teamaster, right? Sit. There¡¯s cookies. If you can sneak any past Stygge.¡±
¡°He can have all the cookies he wants because he¡¯s the guest. See, this is why we shouldn¡¯t have people like you on the council. You don¡¯t understand anything,¡± Stygge said.
¡°What do you mean, people like me?¡± Neppo said, the faintest of potential offense slipping into his voice.
¡°Dummies,¡± Pomm said. ¡°She means stupid people.¡±
¡°Oh. That¡¯s all right then.¡± Neppo turned his attention to Arthur. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you sat? There¡¯s cookies. Actually, make tea first. You can do that, right?¡±
¡°You can¡¯t just ask him to make tea, you nut-stasher. He¡¯s the guest for this entire¡¡±
¡°Excuse me,¡± Lily said. ¡°You are freaking out my human being offworlder. Could you please explain why everything about all of you is weird?¡±
Neppo started to speak, and Lily shook her head. ¡°No, not you. Or the bear because he doesn¡¯t want to. Snake lady will do. Why aren¡¯t we in a giant room, intimidating Arthur from atop a huge dais?¡±
¡°Oh. Because that room is cold,¡± the snake lady said. ¡°And it¡¯s huge in a way that isn¡¯t useful. We use this supply closet when we can.¡±
¡°Ah. And the limited supply of cookies?¡±
¡°We had plenty, but¡¡±
¡°Neppo,¡± Lily concluded.
¡°Right.¡±
The conversation lagged. Arthur kept one leg out in the corridor in case he had to flee the insanity.
¡°Pomm?¡± Lily said. ¡°Could you pick up Arthur and put him near the tea? He¡¯s frozen. It might take him a couple minutes to get better if he¡¯s not around kettles.¡±
Pomm considered this, nodded, then blurred. Arthur didn¡¯t see the bear move, or even feel himself move, but in a moment he was across the room next to a table set up with a pitcher of cream, some sugar, tea leaves, and all the utensils he¡¯d need to work. He was also happy to find he was facing away from the insanity now, which helped him feel more settled.
He got to work while the others talked.
¡°So who are you, tiny owl girl?¡± Neppo said. ¡°I like the way you make Pomm do things. He¡¯s pretty lazy normally.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Pomm said.
¡°He¡¯s not,¡± the snake woman said. ¡°But it¡¯s still nice to see him move at full speed every once in a while. But that¡¯s missing the point. Who are you, dear?¡±
¡°I¡¯m Lily. I¡¯m here to make sure Arthur doesn¡¯t faint or get overstimulated, and to protect him from you.¡±
¡°Oh, good,¡± Neppo said. ¡°Well, there¡¯s not going to be much protecting today. Today we learn. Tomorrow we debate. And some time before the end of the expo, we decide.¡±
¡°Ah.¡± Arthur was feeling better off in his little corner, especially once he got the water bubbling on the heat element. ¡°Well, you can get started. I¡¯ll just be over here.¡±
¡°We can¡¯t, actually.¡± Stygge turned back towards the door. ¡°We¡¯re missing two members. There are supposed to be six of us.¡±
Chapter 228: Council Meeting
On cue, the knob to the room started turning again. As the door swung open on oiled hinges, a tiger demon stepped through, immediately zeroing in on the cookies and looking at Neppo with annoyance.
¡°There were four dozen of those, you speedster bush-tail.¡±
¡°Hi Jaiko. And nobody ever answered me about that circular. I don¡¯t think we are supposed to be calling him that,¡± the snake woman said.
¡°Addendum 5A says you can call him that if he agrees to it. And he lost a bet,¡± Jaiko said. ¡°And he ate two dozen cookies before the meeting even started so anything¡¯s fair play.¡±
Lily came to Arthur¡¯s rescue, reading his mind without him saying anything. ¡°Arthur formally requests you stop talking about the cookies. I can see him trembling over there. I think it would be better if you got some decorum or something. The unfamiliarity doesn¡¯t agree with him.¡±
Arthur nodded slightly. Lily was doing, as far as he was concerned, a tremendous job.
¡°Well, we have something for that too. He just walks a little slower.¡± Jaiko peaked out into the hallway. ¡°And there he is. You coming, you ancient?¡±
¡°You shouldn¡¯t talk.¡± A familiar voice rang out in the hallway as the last member shambled into view. ¡°You are my older sister, remember. And who ate all the cookies?¡±
¡°Skal!¡± Arthur yelled. He was glad to see Skal here, but the fisherman was also the straw that broke the nothing-is-normal-here camel¡¯s back. Arthur¡¯s mind was fully rebelling now, and there wasn¡¯t a single normal courtroom aspect of things in the room to drag it back into line.
¡°Pomm, catch Arthur,¡± Lily said. To Pomm¡¯s credit, he didn¡¯t hesitate. Right as Arthur would have plopped to the floor, he found himself cradled in giant bear hands. ¡°You should have warned him. He¡¯s delicate.¡±
¡°We thought you¡¯d like it. Called him out special,¡± Pomm said.
¡°Skal, you are on the council?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°You never said.¡±
¡°Ha!¡± Stygge barked. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t. We had to force him to be on the council in the first place. He¡¯s the shy one.¡±
In any other context, Arthur would have called this nonsense. But filled with a room of people who were comfortable stealing meeting cookies, roasting each other, or taking orders from a pre-adolescent owl, it seemed reasonable. This was very much not measuring up to his expectations of what rulers should look like. He almost wondered if this was some kind of joke that he wasn¡¯t in on.
¡°Everyone stop talking.¡± Skal put his hand up to his temples. ¡°Arthur, it¡¯s not generally known, and I¡¯d like it to stay not generally known. But I¡¯m part of the council, more or less. Less, these days.¡± Skal winced as he sat on the couch. ¡°They made me come in. Said they had a surprise. I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d be here, either. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t warn you earlier about your tea.¡±
¡°How did they even get you here? I just got the notice yesterday.¡±
¡°There are ways. Highest level on the council is¡ well, it¡¯s high.¡±
¡°It¡¯s you, you fish-finder. Why didn¡¯t you tell this boy who you are?¡± Jaiko said. ¡°Of course he¡¯s going to faint then.¡±
¡°Because, Jaiko, I¡¯m retired. I just want to sleep and try not to catch sharks. And drink tea.¡± Skal rubbed his knee. ¡°Arthur, could you?¡±
¡°Way ahead of you.¡±
Arthur had already begun preparing boba. Using up as much majicka as he could, he juiced it up to help with Skal¡¯s joints, added just the right amount of cream to suit the old man¡¯s preferences, and handed it over. It was the least he could do. Something about an old man wanting warm tea to comfort his old body was just normal enough to snap Arthur back into reality.
¡°Well, then. Arthur, do you have any questions for Skal before we get started?¡± Jaiko said. ¡°You are allowed right now, so now¡¯s your big chance.¡±
Arthur thought about it, then shook his head.
¡°Skal is Skal,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Good. Pour us some tea, then come sit. We can get started.¡±
The beginning of the meeting began to more or less track what Arthur expected from an official function. Everyone said their name and purpose in the meeting, and the purpose of the meeting, which, as Neppo had said, was just for questions today. And then they got down to brass tacks.
The cookies really are good. That helps too. Arthur glanced at Jaiko as she went through some papers, and maneuvered a stealthy human hand forward to sneak another master-baked treat off the plate. Nobody corrected his greed.
¡°I already know most of what your skills can do, but can you give a summary for the group? Just generally,¡± Jaiko asked.
Arthur had been thinking about this a lot, which let him give a pretty succinct answer. It was nice.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
¡°I just handed Skal some tea. Skal, could you say what it did?¡±
¡°It made my joints feel better. Over and beyond what alchemy will do. Small effect,¡± Skal leaned back into the cushion and sighed, ¡°but it really takes the edge off.¡±
¡°I can do the same thing with a lot of drinks. My skills let me make better tea for normal drinking, but they also let me address most medicinal needs. I¡¯m pretty good with simple stuff, these days. Think one or two symptoms. Whole sicknesses are harder, but I can do a little with those too.¡±
¡°Not unheard of,¡± Stygge said. ¡°Unusual for uses that aren¡¯t nourishment in a food class, but I¡¯ve seen stuff like this before.¡±
¡°There¡¯s a bit more.¡± Arthur pulled out the Powerplant Boba and handed it over. ¡°I have this skill that lets me store majicka in the boba pearls. It kind of uses my medicinal brewer skill, but not really. It¡¯s more like I do it kind of the same way.¡±
¡°Oh,¡± Pomm said. ¡°That¡¯s bigger.¡±
¡°And this,¡± Arthur continued on, ¡°is Portable Arthur. Skal, do you still have some of your tea?¡±
¡°Yup.¡± Arthur had poured Skal a big cup, and about half of it was remaining. ¡°It¡¯s pretty good. I missed it while you were gone.¡±
¡°You¡¯ve been using the Portable Arthur though, right? Could you show them how it¡¯s done?¡± Arthur put some already-prepared tea leaves down on the table. ¡°There¡¯s already boiling water.¡±
Skal shrugged, lifted himself off the couch, and made a batch of the tea both without boba, and also with the Powerplant Boba.
¡°Okay.¡± Arthur carried the two batches of tea back to the table. ¡°Try all three of these, please.¡±
Skal passed his cup around for sips while the others poured small glasses of the plain and boba tea he had made.
¡°Interesting,¡± Stygge said. ¡°Do you all understand what¡¯s going on here?¡±
¡°No,¡± Pomm grumbled. ¡°But it¡¯s good tea.¡±
¡°He¡¯s able to package his class. His entire class. And some of the power he uses to run it. Am I right that the difference with the boba would be greater if someone without an absurdly high level made it?¡±
¡°Yeah. And I think crafters are a bit better at making it too,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Huh,¡± Neppo said. ¡°So you can send this anywhere and someone just gets¡ the value of the tea? It¡¯s weak, right?¡±
¡°It¡¯s not just that,¡± Jaiko said. ¡°He¡¯s sending whatever his class can do. Arthur, if someone had a broken leg, could you help with that?¡±
¡°I could. The pain, mostly. Nourishment. Probably a bit of the healing too. I haven¡¯t had to do that much though.¡±
¡°And other things? Headaches? Fevers?¡±
¡°Oh, yeah. Those for sure.¡±
Jaiko turned back to Neppo. ¡°He can send one packet of this tea somewhere. Yes, it¡¯s just tea. But it can be used for any purpose he can pull off at the time he makes it. It¡¯s a weaker version, but it would help for edge cases. We lose a lot of people to edge cases.¡± She sipped her tea again before continuing. ¡°And it¡¯s delicious. Which isn¡¯t exactly a practical consideration, but¡ it matters.¡±
A flurry of questions started coming in. Skal mostly kept out of them, although he appeared surprised by some of the answers. Yes, the majicka cost was high. Absurdly high, sometimes. No, it didn¡¯t seem to suffer when Lily helped or when he made it while using alchemical products. No, he hadn¡¯t tried teaching alchemists to do what he was doing. Yes, Arthur said, concerned at the question, he did like frontier life. And no, he didn¡¯t find that the capital was calling to him in a way that made him want to leave home, no matter how many subtle ways they asked.
¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Skal growled. ¡°You all are just being hopeful, but he clearly likes his little settlement. It¡¯s a good one, too. Have you read the reports?¡±
¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± Jaiko said. That seemed enough to indicate nobody else had either.
¡°Well, it¡¯s beyond the norm. Far beyond. That town won¡¯t fall.¡±
¡°Well, not with you there,¡± Pomm said. ¡°High levels help.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t have a thing to do with it. Advice. Only. And fish, but they could do without the fish,¡± Skal said.
¡°Don¡¯t say such things, Skal,¡± Arthur said. ¡°I, for one, deny that I can do without Skal¡¯s fish.¡±
¡°Shh, Arthur. He¡¯s helping,¡± Lily said. ¡°Keep going, Skal.¡±
¡°No, I don¡¯t think I will. That¡¯s tomorrow¡¯s work.¡± Skal stood up, looking approvingly at his own joints as they failed to click or bother him. ¡°I¡¯m using my authority as a council member to stop this meeting. We have enough. Arthur, go get some rest, however you want to do that. I¡¯ll find you later.¡±
¡°And tomorrow?¡±
¡°Same room,¡± Skal said. ¡°This is the good one. The big one is cold. And echoes.¡±
¡°Yes, yes, by all means. Go,¡± Jaiko said. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it amongst ourselves. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll tell you what we believe the options are.¡±
¡ª
¡°So how do you think that went?¡± Arthur said. ¡°I can make the tea, which at least Jaiko knew. And it can be sent anywhere. It seems pretty simple, even if they want a lot of it. I¡¯ll just make a lot of it at home.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not that simple,¡± Lily said.
¡°How?¡±
¡°Well, I can give you majicka, right? My class is rare, but it¡¯s not that rare. And I¡¯m not the best at it. But I do make you better at making tea. You can make more of it if I¡¯m there.¡±
¡°And?¡±
Lily frowned. ¡°What if they had dozens of me? Just dumping majicka into you the entire day. And alchemy pills. And other things. How much tea could you make then?¡±
Arthur thought about it and didn¡¯t like what he came up with. Lily¡¯s power-injections didn¡¯t fill his majicka up all the way, but they got close. If there were a dozen people like her helping him make tea, he¡¯d make more. And since majicka was the major bottleneck there, he¡¯d make a lot more.
Maybe there was another limiter he hadn¡¯t run into, but if there wasn¡¯t, he might make dozens of times more, every leaf of it important for some outpost somewhere.
¡°I don¡¯t suppose they¡¯d send all those majicka experts to the frontier,¡± Arthur said. ¡°There aren¡¯t that many of them, right?¡±
¡°Maybe,¡± Lily said in a way that meant definitely. ¡°But don¡¯t lose hope yet. I get the feeling Skal¡¯s on your side here. That old man¡ I think he thinks of you as a grandson. Or something.¡±
That felt good at least. Arthur thought of him as a bit of a grandfather. He was starting to accumulate a lot of family members these days. Multiple fathers. Aunts. Horrifyingly destructive, good-natured red uncles. He had it all.
¡°I do like him a lot,¡± Arthur said. ¡°The town is better for him. Do you really think we would have survived without him, by the way?¡±
¡°Of course. He barely helped. The fundamentals of the town are good. Spiky always says so, and he¡¯d know.¡±
¡°Yeah.¡± Arthur sighed. It was a really nice town. He¡¯d hate to lose it. ¡°It really is good.¡±
Lily glanced at him, considered his face for a few moments, then nodded to herself in a way that Arthur recognized as a component of her caretaker mode. Especially on days like today, it was hard to figure out who was raising who. Arthur had learned, over time, to just accept the muddled nature of things. He was her dad-boss-brother, and she was his assistant-sister-counselor-daughter. It was just how things worked.
¡°Come on,¡± Lily said. ¡°You¡¯re getting depressed. When a new grandpa can¡¯t help Arthur, there¡¯s only one thing left.¡±
¡°And that is?¡±
¡°Mizu and me at the same time. Come on, Arthur. We are going out on the town.¡±
Chapter 229: Flowers
Out on the town was a big deal when Arthur was in the largest, most high-level-class filled city in the Demon World. That was especially true when Coldbrook was flush with cash, and had strapped the expo party down with more money than he could reasonably spend over the course of a couple of weeks. And it was especially, especially true when they also sent him with a firmly stated expectation that you at least try to spend it, disregarding the awkwardness-of-using-public-funds aspect of things if possible.
They had already, at Lily¡¯s guidance, been on a handful of terrifying rides and through a bunch of crazy, thrill-seeking experiences. Arthur had no idea how she had identified so many of them so fast, but it seemed like some adrenaline-filled amusement was behind every corner, powerless to stop Lily from becoming an instant customer. He had been twirled, dropped, hurtled down subterranean waterways, and generally jostled half to death by the time he called a stop to it. The rides were a good time, but he could only take so much.
Now freed from the obligation to cover the scary-rides-of-the-capital base, they were cruising the city in the way people do when they look for new things, expecting the city to show them experiences and fun they hadn¡¯t known about. And soon enough, it did.
¡°Is he frying dough around fried dough?¡± Lily¡¯s hand shot out and caught Arthur¡¯s sleeve. ¡°He is. Arthur, he¡¯s layering dough. He¡¯s making¡ Multi-floor doughnuts. Get the purse out.¡±
Lily¡¯s eyes filled with the purest greed Arthur had ever seen. When the stratified snacks turned out to be a carrier for various fillings, that look somehow intensified even more. There was something so primitive about the sheer growing-child-appetite aspect of it all that Arthur almost shuddered.
¡°Fine, fine.¡± Arthur walked towards the stand, sharing a laughing glance with Mizu. ¡°Hello, there. Can we have three of¡¡±
¡°Five,¡± Lily said, firmly. She unconsciously puffed to enormous owl proportions, by her standards. Arthur was surprised the seams on her clothes were holding up.
¡°Five of¡ what are these called?¡±
¡°Dolders,¡± the man said. ¡°Dough boulders.¡±
¡°We are friends now.¡± Lily looked up at the man in admiration. ¡°Good friends.¡±
¡°Good.¡± The man seemed accustomed to this kind of reaction, which Arthur took as a great sign.
¡°What kinds of fillings do you have?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Oh, plenty. Frosting is popular. I have a full stock of jams, too. Just ask and I have it. But for you, my owl friend?¡± The man¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°You don¡¯t get a choice. You are getting meat fraggles.¡±
¡°That¡¯s made up,¡± Lily said. ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s a real thing.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll have you know a thing can be made up and a real thing at the same time.¡± The man pretended to be slightly offended. ¡°I invented them. I can name them.¡±
¡°Show me then.¡± Lily¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Show me now.¡±
The man reached for a large bowl on another counter behind his stand and brought it forward. ¡°See? The problem with fried meat, for me, is that I¡¯m showing up for the fried part. The crispy breaded parts, in particular. But when you fry a big hunk of meat¡¡±
¡°You only get the outside. So you diced the meat before you fried it.¡± Lily pulled on Arthur¡¯s sleeve again, subconsciously. Arthur put a small stack of coins on the counter, and the man started assembling Lily¡¯s sandwiches. ¡°And then every part is crunchy. It¡¯s genius. Except¡¡±
¡°What keeps them from falling out of the sandwich?¡± the man asked. ¡°Good question. Let¡¯s talk sauce.¡±
¡°I would die for this,¡± Lily said. ¡°If you ever need me, at any time, just call. Arthur, we have to protect this man.¡±
Five minutes later, Lily was working her way through her third calorie-bomb in completely silent focus. Arthur watched with interest as she packed it away. Something about traveling and exploring a new city had taken just enough energy to push her over some kind of nutrient-need threshold, and there was not a moment he was around her in the last several days where she wasn¡¯t trying to make up for it in some way or another.
To the food-stand operator¡¯s credit, the Dolders seemed to be the first meal that made a dent in Lily¡¯s black-hole hunger.
¡°That is much, much, better,¡± Lily said, patting her stomach. ¡°Gods, where did those people come from?¡±
¡°They¡¯ve been here the whole time.¡± Arthur and Mizu continued watching the street performers in the square, as they had been. They were a troupe of dancers who appeared to work with whatever obstacles they had on hand, juggling, flipping, and climbing over fountains, benches, tables, and trees as they worked a complex, fully improvised routine into existence from nothing but talent and difficult terrain. ¡°They are pretty good.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
¡°Good, but not high-leveled,¡± Mizu said. ¡°You can see they are slowing down.¡±
¡°Ah, yeah. They are, aren¡¯t they?¡± Lily concentrated on the square for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction. ¡°There, that should help.¡±
Arthur saw a few of the performers give each other quizzical, almost startled glances as they began dancing a bit faster. Lily was juicing them with majicka, something that made them better at what they were doing, whether they knew where it was coming from or not.
¡°Do you feel fine doing that?¡± Arthur patted Lily on the head. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you do. I just don¡¯t want you to hurt yourself.¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine. It just feels like normal.¡± Lily looked at her last Dolder affectionately, then wrapped it up in the paper it came with for later. She had limits, after all. ¡°I think the system really was just worried about me progressing too fast. It doesn¡¯t seem like using my skills is any problem at all. Besides, I like the dance.¡±
Revitalized with Lily-power, the dance went on another ten minutes or so. Once they were done, other performers moved in to fill the vacuum. There were musicians, storytellers, and other entertainers doing things Arthur didn¡¯t have great names for coming out of the woodwork and displaying their creative goods in an unending stream of fun.
And somehow, even that had its limits.
¡°It¡¯s odd,¡± Mizu said. ¡°Any one of those acts would make a whole evening worth living through, back home. But here, with dozens of them.¡±
¡°You get tired,¡± Lily said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I could watch another act.¡±
Arthur thought about that for a bit as they strolled along.
¡°I think it¡¯s like food. Lily, you have a Dolder in your pocket, right? And if you were hungry, you¡¯d destroy it.¡±
¡°Absolutely.¡± Lily patted her pocket affectionately. ¡°I¡¯m going to sometimes tonight.¡±
¡°But not right now. It¡¯s like¡ there¡¯s a need. And once it¡¯s filled, it¡¯s filled. There¡¯s only so much the fun-bucket will hold.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t say fun-bucket anymore.¡± Mizu squeezed Arthur¡¯s hand as they walked. ¡°It sounds gross and ¡ª¡±
Mizu suddenly jolted to a halt, stopping in her tracks so suddenly that Arthur barely avoided yanking on her arm as he continued walking forward. He went through his normal checklist of sudden-stop-in-conversation things, ruling out danger almost immediately by looking around at the calm street, then her being angry or upset about something by looking at her face.
When he actually tracked her gaze to whatever had caused the reaction, everything came into focus. It was a flower shop. There were plenty of those in town, but this one was visibly different. There was less order to what it carried. The plants were displayed in an almost random manner, like they couldn¡¯t get enough variety to cover an acceptably smooth sweep of colors that pleased the eye. A sign above the shop reading Rare Petals and Stems shed some light on why. These were weird plants, mostly varieties he hadn¡¯t seen before. This shop dealt in the unusual for people who wanted it, rather than normal-florist-popular varieties of things.
And deep in the window display, at the very center of Mizu¡¯s gaze, was the eventual explanation that put all the confusion to rest. In small individual pots, growing happily and healthily, were a dozen Blue Stars.
¡°Ooooh,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Let''s go. I¡¯ll buy them for you.¡±
¡°That¡¯s silly. Where am I going to even keep one?¡±
¡°In the pots, by a window. Or wherever the shopkeeper says, for when we get them home.¡±
¡°They¡¯ll break,¡± Mizu said, not breaking her stare on the plants for a single second. ¡°On the way home. I can¡¯t keep them safe.¡±
Arthur put Mizu¡¯s cheeks between his palms, squished her face a bit, and turned her towards him. ¡°Talca will pack them for you. Or I¡¯ll hire someone to do it. Or I¡¯ll carry them home myself in my hands. But we are going to get them back to Coldbrook and plant them. You will have these, Mizu.¡±
They stood there and stared at each other for a few seconds, until Mizu suddenly flushed with color and she shook loose of Arthur¡¯s grip. From the side, Lily coughed conspicuously.
¡°I¡¯m going home now,¡± Lily said. ¡°Before things get worse.¡±
¡°But what about the rides?¡± Arthur said. ¡°You wanted to go on more rides.¡±
¡°I wanted, Arthur, to distract you from your troubles. And it looks like that¡¯s going to happen now. I¡¯m getting out of here before it does.¡±
¡°I have no idea what you mean.¡±
¡°You will. I¡¯m leaving.¡± Lily started walking and waved over her shoulder. ¡°Have fun.¡±
Arthur watched her walk away, confused. Especially as Mizu flushed into every more intense shades of blue, like a slowly deepening ocean.
¡°So¡¡± Arthur said. ¡°Can I buy you flowers?¡±
¡°Our people controlled the inlets and outlets of our nation for a generation, limiting the flow of those unlike us as we too-slowly progressed towards trust.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Sorry, sorry,¡± Mizu said. ¡°Reflex. Yes. Please buy me flowers.¡±
The purchase of the flowers was easy enough. The shopkeeper gave them some simple explanations on how to keep the Blue Stars alive in the pots, which turned out to be a very particular blend of nutrients and a limited amount of light within a certain range. Better, she was more than willing to have the flowers delivered to the hotel and seemed to have a special service just for that purpose that would ensure they got there safely.
After making the buy and giving Mizu a few minutes to gaze at her very favorite plant, they walked again. Arthur very slowly became aware that Mizu¡¯s heart wasn¡¯t in the act of strolling in the way it was before. Something was up, and he wasn¡¯t sure exactly what yet.
¡°Are you okay?¡± Arthur said. ¡°You seem distracted.¡±
¡°I am.¡± Mizu half-smiled. ¡°I¡¯m just waiting for you to figure out why.¡±
The conversation lulled for a bit. Arthur did some hard thinking, working over the last several minutes in his head. It wasn¡¯t just a buying-her-flowers thing. The difference had definitely kicked in when Lily had mentioned she was leaving, or even a bit before. It had intensified since then, but the idea of why was still eluding him.
And then, slowly, deep in the recesses of his understanding of Mizu, something started to click into place. He looked around at where she had slowly led him and found they were in a quiet corner of the park, away from prying eyes. Lily was gone. The night was quiet and comfortably warm.
¡°Oh, gods,¡± Arthur said. ¡°It¡¯s kissing times, isn¡¯t it?¡±
¡°You just figured it out?¡±
¡°I really did.¡±
¡°Well, you got there, at least,¡± Mizu said. ¡°Only a half-hour after Lily.¡±
¡°To be fair, she has a whole skill for having good ideas.¡±
¡°So this is a good idea?¡±
¡°I¡¯d say so,¡± Arthur said. Within a few minutes, he was proven very thoroughly right.
Chapter 230: The Perfect Job
¡°It¡¯s so much less¡ intimidating,¡± Arthur said on the morning of the second council meeting. ¡°Even though I know this is the more important day.¡±
¡°Any idea why?¡± Milo asked, leaning back in his chair. ¡°Because if we can figure it out what calms Arthur down, we can probably bottle it. Use it for emergencies when you see a very concerning flower, or something.¡±
Arthur, Milo, and Mizu had arrived at the city center about an hour before any of them needed to be there. Milo and Mizu didn¡¯t really have to be there at all, but had decided to come along as moral support and because Philbin had tweaked their schedules so they could be there for Arthur.
And, miracle of miracles, Arthur had found breakfast burritos. They weren¡¯t entirely the same because nothing on this world was, but some capital-based genius had gotten so close to the thin-oily-bread-filled-with-eggs-and-stuff experience of Earth that whatever variations were left didn¡¯t really matter.
¡°I think it¡¯s because I know they¡¯re fighting over snacks in there,¡± Arthur said. ¡°The council says that they keep them for the guests, but you can tell it¡¯s not. They just want their fair share of the cookies.¡±
¡°And that helps?¡± Milo said. ¡°They aren¡¯t any less powerful or anything just because they like sweets.¡±
¡°It¡¯s hard to explain. I guess the first question is if you¡¯ve ever asked yourself how weird all this is for me.¡±
¡°Of course we have,¡± Mizu said. ¡°We don¡¯t talk about it around you because we don¡¯t want it to be awkward for you. But coming here must have been a shock, and it hasn¡¯t been that long. Everything looks different, there¡¯s majicka and the system. It has to feel odd, even now. Right?¡±
¡°Kind of. Actually, it¡¯s not even so much all that. I mean it¡¯s a whole different world, yes. But the weirder part is who I am now.¡± Arthur shifted the last bit of burrito-filling lower in his semi-tortilla and folded the last bit into a single bite before dropping it into his mouth. ¡°I was a nobody on Earth. I don¡¯t mean that in a bad way, exactly. I had most of what I needed. It wasn¡¯t the best life, but it wasn¡¯t terrible either. But when I came here, the old man in-between places reminded me that it was okay that I was dead, that people would be sad for a while, but I wasn¡¯t exactly curing diseases or reshaping the world.¡±
¡°Really?¡± Lily gave him a fishy look. ¡°You weren¡¯t? That¡¯s like¡ your normal Tuesday here.¡±
¡°That¡¯s the point of what I¡¯m saying. On Earth, I was just a dude. Here, I¡¯m meeting with the emperors of everything. It was scary and strange to me at first but now that I know they bicker over who gets the last pastry. It helps a lot. It doesn¡¯t make things more normal, but it makes them weird in a way I can wrap my head around.¡±
¡°I guess that makes sense,¡± Milo said. ¡°When we were giving our talk, some guy asked me what I was doing with the impurities from the iron after I refined it.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a weird question?¡±
¡°The weirdest. You just stir them out when the iron is melted. You put in a big metal rod and they freeze to it because from the perspective of the impurities, the rod is really cold. The biggest problem is figuring out how to get them off the rod. Turns out he was a Reverse Engineer, which is a kind of researcher you hardly ever see. But for a bit there, before I figured that out?¡± Milo did a chef¡¯s kiss hand motion. ¡°I answered great. Not knowing what¡¯s at stake is a perfect way to forget about how terrible it is to have to talk in front of people like that. Absolutely great.¡±
¡°I would think you would like public speaking,¡± Mizu said. ¡°You talk enough.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a good burn.¡± Lily nodded. ¡°Good job, Mizu.¡±
¡°Yes, excellent,¡± Milo said. ¡°You are really good at it when you try. And, yes, I talk a lot, but about what I want to. It¡¯s whatever comes to mind. Answering questions is hard, even when you know the answer. And giving a speech with actual structure¡¡± Milo shuddered. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t want to do that anymore. So no more inventions.¡±
¡°You think you can pull that off?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°I can try. I¡¯ll just be Milo Normalsmith, making normal things for the foreseeable future.¡± Milo looked behind Arthur with a suddenly interested expression. ¡°Hey, Arthur, why is that guy coming towards you? He looks very official.¡±
Arthur turned and looked himself, immediately recognizing the capital building attendant from the day before.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°Oh, good, you are right here. I thought I¡¯d have to run all the way across town to find you. The council has met up and, I quote, is ready for you anytime and can¡¯t promise to protect the good things on the cheese and cracker platter much longer.¡± The attendant became visibly wistful as he mentioned the cheese. ¡°I¡¯d hurry if I were you. The woman who does those platters is an artist.¡±
¡°Oh, yes,¡± Lily said, somehow still hungry after eating a day¡¯s worth of burrito in ten minutes. She tugged on Arthur¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Can we go now, Arthur? He says there¡¯s cheese in there.¡±
¡°Sure.¡± Arthur stood up nodded at Milo before stooping to kiss the top of Mizu¡¯s head. ¡°Thanks for coming, guys. It helps.¡±
¡°Any time.¡± Milo stood up too, brushing burrito fragments off his shirt and stretching. ¡°Are you coming to the catapult thing tonight? I think I¡¯ve just about figured out the calibration problems now.¡±
¡°The catapult thing?¡±
¡°Oh, right. I didn¡¯t tell you.¡± Milo glanced at the attendant, who was waiting patiently but giving off an only partially concealed sense of immediacy as things wrapped up. ¡°Just ask Lily about it. She knows all about it.¡±
¡ª
¡°I said not right now, Arthur. There¡¯s a catapult and Milo¡¯s involved. That¡¯s enough for you to worry about at the moment.¡± Lily held up her hand as Arthur began to argue. ¡°Demon Council, remember? Your entire fate and all? We should probably handle that first.¡±
Arthur nodded, obediently. She had a point. He took a deep breath before he opened the door. This was, even without the burritos, an important day. He would handle it with the dignity and gravitas it deserved.
As the door swung open, that commitment dissolved. Pomm was standing on Neppo.
¡°Just keep standing there, Pomm,¡± Skal said, blandly. ¡°It¡¯s the only way he¡¯ll learn.¡±
¡°Skal.¡± Arthur took a step forward and plopped into a chair he suspected was for the attendant. ¡°I only have so much tolerance for this kind of thing. I was counting on you to be my anchor here. You do the wise-old-man thing so well at home. How are you involved in this?¡±
Skal shrugged. ¡°Neppo was trying to take two pieces of cheese for every cracker. I couldn¡¯t let that stand.¡±
¡°Not even two crackers for every piece of cheese?¡± Lily scowled at the downed squirrel. ¡°Let him have it, Pomm. He¡¯s a monster.¡±
¡°Lily, there is a bear standing on that squirrel. An entire bear,¡± Arthur said.
¡°He probably won¡¯t die,¡± Lily said. ¡°He¡¯s getting off easy.¡±
In a very real way, Arthur found he had no power over what was happening at all. He was vastly outranked by everyone in the room but Lily, and on a social level, was the only reluctant hold-out who felt that senator-types shouldn¡¯t stand on each other during official business. Neppo, to his credit, turned out to be surprisingly tough. It took minutes for Pomm¡¯s sheer mass to wring out the necessary apologies and promises the rest of the counsel felt were needed, and another little bit for him to catch his breath while Arthur finished making them all a nice, cracker-appropriate tea.
And then things finally got serious. Before the tea had cooled off enough to drink, the tone in the room matched what Arthur had expected as he turned the doorknob.
¡°All right,¡± Neppo announced. ¡°The first order of business. Arthur, Skal brought up that you may very well not know what your own personal options are, should you not like the choices we present. Do you?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t. At least not exactly.¡± Arthur¡¯s knowledge of the Demon World legal system started and stopped with a vague sense that all the laws seemed to work well enough that worrying about them wasn¡¯t productive. ¡°I can argue my case, at least?¡±
¡°Better than that.¡± Neppo was already back into the crackers. ¡°You can tell us to pound sand. You don¡¯t have to do what we say at all.¡±
¡°Really? Just like that?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°And I don¡¯t¡ I don¡¯t know. You don¡¯t lock me in a room to think about what I did?¡±
¡°No?¡± Stygge looked appalled. ¡°Why would we do that? It¡¯s not an emergency situation, Arthur. You are your own person. The government has a very, very limited ability to tell you what to do. How would we even force you?¡±
¡°You could ask Karbo. He could probably do it,¡± Arthur offered.
Stygge snorted. ¡°A very shattered portion of road outside my front door would claim otherwise. He visited last night, just to make sure we weren¡¯t mistreating you. I am fairly confident who he¡¯d side with, if it came to that.¡±
¡°Oh, sorry.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t apologize for Karbo, Arthur. We are all used to him,¡± Pomm said. ¡°Mostly.¡±
¡°The point is, Arthur,¡± Skal broke in, ¡°that none of what we ask you to do is binding. You don¡¯t even have to listen to the council¡¯s request, if you don¡¯t want to.¡±
¡°Huh,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Why is that? It¡¯s important, right? Or you wouldn¡¯t ask me in the first place.¡±
¡°Yes, of course.¡± Stygge said. ¡°The health of some significant number of people hangs in the balance, and the safety of a few more. It¡¯s far from unimportant. And I¡¯m guessing from your questions that in your world, the government would have been more coercive. Correct?¡±
¡°Something like that, yeah.¡±
¡°The reason we don¡¯t do that here is pretty simple, Arthur,¡± Skal said. ¡°We¡¯d never know when to stop. Believe me, it¡¯s been tried. There are books about it. But sooner or later, more people than anyone planned on are doing not quite the thing they should. There¡¯s just no way to feel what¡¯s right for someone better than they can for themselves. It¡¯s¡ how do you put it? It¡¯s not a thing.¡±
¡°Fair enough.¡± Arthur nodded. ¡°And thanks, I think. Although in a way it would have been easier if you had just told me what to do, and I just had to do it.¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t that the truth,¡± Neppo said. ¡°Some people even get that. Not the have to part, but the part where we¡¯ve done their thinking for them. Like your stealthy friend. We talked to Eito about him, and we think we know the perfect job for him.¡±
¡°Really?¡± Corbin said. ¡°What?¡±
¡°And that,¡± Skal said, as every other council member in the room spit out their tea, ¡°is why he gets it. Corbin, this is the Demon Council. It¡¯s not exactly against the rules to hide in the meetings, but that¡¯s because nobody has ever even tried. You really should not be able to do that at your age.¡±
Chapter 231: Two?
¡°How?¡± Pomm pushed out with his paw, nudging Corbin. ¡°You are real. How did you hide from me?¡±
¡°That¡¯s a good question,¡± Neppo said. ¡°He shouldn¡¯t have been able to hide from us, but definitely not Pomm.¡±
¡°I guess I have my answer about whether or not you all read my preparation documents,¡± Jaiko said. ¡°The boy is very good. Perhaps not the best, but it¡¯s at least debatable. Now, Corbin, I¡¯m going to ask you to leave. This is someone else¡¯s business. I promise you yours will be handled soon.¡±
¡°You can¡¯t just tell me part of it!¡± Corbin said. ¡°And then stop before you finish! It¡¯s not fair.¡±
¡°We didn¡¯t tell you any part of it yet, Corbin,¡± Skal said. ¡°Do you want us to pay closer attention to why you know about anything or to just leave before we think real hard about it?¡±
¡°Fine.¡± Corbin¡¯s shoulders drooped. ¡°When?¡±
¡°When we call you. We¡¯ve been trying, you know.¡± Stygge smiled. ¡°Maybe stay visible for a bit this evening. Our couriers are pretty good but they can¡¯t reliably work miracles.¡±
Corbin nodded and turned to leave. Arthur waited for what he knew was going to happen. Like clockwork, Corbin went back into stealth. Pomm stood and turned into a blur, stopping motion with a wriggling, uncomfortable Corbin held up by his collar.
¡°Sorry! Sorry!¡± Corbin said. ¡°Force of habit. I didn¡¯t mean to.¡±
¡°He¡¯s telling the truth,¡± Skal said. ¡°It¡¯s just how he is.¡±
¡ª
A minute or so later, things were calmed down again. Jaiko stood, brushing off her clothes and walking over to Arthur¡¯s couch.
¡°May I?¡± Jaiko said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to deliver this talk to Arthur from all the way over there in a corner.¡±
¡°Sure.¡± Lily stood and went over to Jaiko¡¯s old seat. ¡°Be nice to him.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± Jaiko sat across from Arthur, turning almost entirely to her left to face him. ¡°Now, Arthur. The options we have aren¡¯t exact and there are a lot of variables that could be added to them one way or another. But broadly, we came up with three things. Neppo, yours was the first we decided on, correct?¡±
¡°Correct.¡± Neppo nodded. ¡°The way I see it, the most need for your product is right here in the capital. Your tea can help people in ways almost nobody we have can help them, especially if we give you the majicka support you need. We talked to Eito and he isn¡¯t thrilled about getting you some extra levels, but even he admitted a few wouldn¡¯t hurt. Pomm here could get you them fast.¡±
Pomm nodded in assent, even though for the first time Arthur thought he could sense some actual displeasure from the bear. Maybe he didn¡¯t like acting as a level-bus, or maybe it was something else entirely. Arthur couldn¡¯t guess from as little as the bear gave out.
¡°You¡¯d have unlimited pills, unlimited work, and nearly unlimited support. You¡¯d get stronger, and a lot of people would be helped. When you make that portable tea, we¡¯d have the best transporters in the world to take it where it needed to go. It would do for your class what a fulcrum does for a lever, Arthur. No exaggeration. You¡¯d go from shifting rocks to flipping boulders overnight,¡± Jaiko said.
¡°But I¡¯d be here.¡±
¡°Most of the time, yes. You wouldn¡¯t be a prisoner, by any means. You¡¯d be able to travel, to visit people, to take time off. Working you to death is out of the question, in any scenario. But when you were working, you¡¯d be working here, from a workshop the capital provided you, or with patients at our hospitals.¡± Jaiko gestured around.
¡°No shop?¡±
¡°There wouldn¡¯t be much time for one.¡± Neppo looked a bit guilty about that, which Arthur took to mean he understood crafting classes at least a little. The fact that Arthur had ended up in a small town running a small shop meant he wasn¡¯t a chef in the system-class sense, someone who cooked for the joy of technique. He was a cook. The very existence of his shop meant he was the kind of person who got into cooking to feed people. And in a lot of ways, this would be the end of that.
Skal was looking at Arthur pretty hard. They knew each other well. There wasn¡¯t much chance the old man thought Arthur was thrilled with the idea of leaving the Coldbrook for a busier locale.
¡°There are other options, Arthur. Actually, the second one was my suggestion,¡± Skal said. ¡°You split the difference. You spend most of your time in one of the hub towns and work from there.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
¡°Hub towns?¡±
¡°Commerce towns. Shipping villages,¡± Skal said. ¡°Settlements that were founded, didn¡¯t find much in the way of resources, but were such convenient hubs for mail and cargo they never fully disappeared. Imagine a small town filled with postmasters and transporters and not a whole lot else, and you have it.¡±
¡°Weird that Talca never mentioned anything like that,¡± Arthur said. ¡°You¡¯d think he¡¯d know about them.¡±
¡°Oh, he does. He just despises them. It¡¯s cookie-cutter work, by the standards of that class. Talca¡¯s more like Corbin than you¡¯d think. An all-or-nothing class from the get-go. The man acts like easy is painful,¡± Skal said.
Jaiko threw a cracker at Skal¡¯s head. ¡°Says the man who spent a year hooking the mystery of the razor reef, which wasn¡¯t even supposed to be real.¡±
¡°Shh. This is about Arthur.¡± Skal¡¯s correction was just right enough to quiet Jaiko down. ¡°The point is, you¡¯d be in a small town. A town with plenty of big eaters and drinkers. It would be easy to get what help we could to you, and easy to get your tea out to places that needed it. And you¡¯d be a lot closer to Coldbrook, if you felt like visiting.¡±
¡°Visiting,¡± Arthur said. The word felt as dry as the fifth saltine in his mouth. It almost stuck on his beard-stubble. ¡°When I felt like it.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not ideal. But it¡¯s the middle thing, Arthur. And for a middle option, it¡¯s a pretty big compromise. Nobody here is looking to get you to do this out of guilt, but Neppo wasn¡¯t lying when he said there are a lot of people right here in the capital that could use your help right now.¡± Skal frowned apologetically. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand how you feel about that town. I do, I think. But there are stakes on the table.¡±
¡°And who decides about those stakes?¡± Lily said, eyebrows raised. ¡°Arthur, still?¡±
¡°Of course,¡± Stygge said, soothingly. ¡°After talking to him today, we¡¯ll give our official recommendation in the next meeting. And after that, it¡¯s up to him.¡±
Arthur looked at his shoes. It wasn¡¯t like anyone was wrong. He would have probably thought like they did too, if he wasn''t him. And when it came down to it, he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d say no even if they came to the conclusion that he should live in the capital most of the time. If there were lives at stake, he couldn¡¯t imagine a way around doing his best.
¡°Third recommendation. Quick, if you want him to hear it,¡± Lily said. ¡°He¡¯s already upset, and I¡¯m taking him out of here in the next five minutes, whether you like it or not.¡±
¡°It won¡¯t take that long,¡± Jaiko said. ¡°Pomm, your suggestion?¡±
¡°He goes home,¡± Pomm said, looking almost offended that he even had to say it. ¡°To his town. He¡¯s not supposed to be here.¡±
Arthur waited for the rest, but apparently that was it. Lily, gods bless her, pushed harder.
¡°And?¡± Lily puffed herself up to a full owl-size in a way clearly directed at the bear¡¯s unacceptable lack of wordiness. ¡°He¡¯s not supposed to be here, and?¡±
¡°And nothing.¡± Pomm shrugged. ¡°He¡¯s just not.¡±
¡ª
¡°Fat lot of help Skal was. The only good suggestion had to come from the one that doesn¡¯t talk.¡±
Lily was perma-puffed. The entire meeting had rubbed her the wrong way, and Arthur half-wanted to get out of the range of any feathers that might shoot out from the pressure buildup if she got any more angry.
Whatever new information the council wanted to get out of his reaction, Arthur was afraid he hadn¡¯t given them much. The conflict he felt wasn¡¯t faked at all. It was a legitimately hard decision, one that pitted what he wanted and the greater good against each other in a death match.
¡°Be nice to Skal. He¡¯s been very nice to you,¡± Arthur said. ¡°I think I sort of like Pomm. He¡¯s like Mizu, a bit.¡±
¡°A bit. I like him too, but it¡¯s not the same thing. Pomm¡¯s quiet because he doesn¡¯t like to spend the energy. Mizu¡¯s quiet because she¡¯s watching.¡±
¡°Still. No reason not to be nice to him,¡± Arthur said. ¡°I sort of want to make him tea now. Just him. I wonder what my tea-targeting skill would tell me he wanted.¡±
¡°I¡¯m just frustrated, Arthur. You heard them. They are having a full meeting just to argue about this, and the one guy who is really on your side is the one that doesn¡¯t talk. And Skal!¡± Lily waved her arms around, helplessly angry. ¡°Skal! Saying you should leave! Whose side is he on?¡±
¡°Mine, I think,¡± Arthur said. ¡°And everyone¡¯s. He¡¯s on the council, remember? He has responsibilities. He¡¯s not just my friend when he¡¯s there.¡±
¡°Maybe. So what are you going to do?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He wanted to give a better answer, but Arthur simply didn¡¯t have one. He was riding the fence right down the middle.
And poor Lily. She¡¯s just settled, too. It¡¯s not like she hasn¡¯t worked hard. As bad as Arthur felt about his own situation, he felt worse about Lily¡¯s. Coldbrook without him was something he could imagine if he tried. The same wasn¡¯t true for her. The whole idea just felt dead.
¡°You know¡¡± Arthur began. Lily knew Arthur enough to know some kind of curveball was coming and she puffed down. ¡°It¡¯s not like you are a kid anymore. Not in the same way. You¡¯ve been living in your own house and making your own money for a while now. If I were to leave, it¡¯s not like you couldn¡¯t stay.¡±
As much as she seemed to wish she had it, Lily simply didn¡¯t possess the body mass to tackle most people. This time, though, it worked. By virtue of her low center of gravity, she managed to hit Arthur firmly at his own knee-height, and just as he was cutting tight around the brick border of decorative raised bed of grass and trees that broke up the center of the main street they were walking down. He tumbled over it, then had to immediately correct so he didn¡¯t roll right back down onto the pavers.
¡°We¡¯re trying something different this time,¡± Lily yelled. ¡°Without me telling you, explain to me why what you just said was wrong.¡±
¡°I have¡ no idea. You don¡¯t want that, I guess?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t want it, you can¡¯t have it. Arthur, understand that wherever you go, you won¡¯t be alone.¡±
And with just that, it was okay.
¡°Because you¡¯ll be there. There will be two of us,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Two?¡± Lily punched him in the sternum, softly. ¡°Arthur, one of these days you are going to get smart about how things work. I know it¡¯s coming. Eventually, you¡¯ll get there.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°If you don¡¯t know, I¡¯m not telling you,¡± Lily said. ¡°You¡¯ll figure it out when she tells you, I¡¯m sure.¡±
Chapter 232: Catapult
¡°If it were me and I couldn¡¯t be where I wanted, I¡¯d probably choose Skal¡¯s middle-ground town, wherever it ends up being,¡± Karbo said.
Karbo lifted up another huge rock out of the quarry. He wasn¡¯t exactly Arthur¡¯s first choice for advice, but Karbo had wisdom in his simplicity. He tended to deal with most problems by punching them and trusted ones that he couldn¡¯t solve by punching or throwing to resolve themsevles. He was nice and cared about whether or not Arthur ended up being happy. That counted for a lot all by itself.
Laying the rock on the ground, Karbo began to circle it, poking and prodding it here and there as if looking for some kind of secret he would have otherwise taken for granted.
¡°Why there, though?¡± Arthur said. ¡°There are a lot of tough warriors in the capital, right?¡±
¡°Of course there are. Some of the best. Which is a problem. There¡¯s hardly any monsters to slay around here, and they get all pissy when I kill what¡¯s left.¡± Karbo shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s horrible.¡±
¡°That¡¯s reasonable.¡± Arthur watched as Karbo scooped a smaller, sharper rock off the ground and started etching into the much larger block, marking deep lines through the rock with no apparent sense of artistry at all. ¡°But you do know I¡¯m not a warrior, right? I make tea.¡±
¡°Yeah, but so do a thousand other people in this place. Do they even need you here?¡± Karbo glanced back at the city in the distance. There weren¡¯t really open quarries in the capital proper.
¡°That¡¯s the big question,¡± Arthur said as Karbo began tapping the rock deeper and deeper into the etched lines with about the same amount of effort a normal person would spend pushing a butter knife into too-cold butter. ¡°I think it¡¯s a little different. The monsters don¡¯t actually care how many people there are in a town, right? It doesn¡¯t make more spawn?¡±
¡°It actually does, a bit. There are always a few more dungeons around big demon settlements. Something about the majicka flowing better. But it never keeps up. The bigger towns get, the safer they are.¡±
¡°And you sell safety,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Makes sense.¡±
Karbo looked amused. ¡°Sell safety. That¡¯s funny. Yeah, I sort of do. But you sell tea, right? That feels different.¡±
¡°Yeah, but every competitor is another mouth to feed. And most cook classes don¡¯t focus on quantity or work all that many hours. There tends to be plenty of business to go around.¡±
¡°But more in the transit town, right?¡± Karbo asked. ¡°Fewer cooks per person, or whatever.¡±
¡°Sure. But I¡¯d be busy enough, either way. Especially since I don¡¯t think they want me making tea for fun anyway.¡±
¡°Really? They think that about you?¡± Karbo laughed. ¡°Do they think they can convince you to stop breathing air too?¡±
¡°They seem to. I¡¯m sure they¡¯d be flexible if I pushed it, but the idea is for me to make a lot of Portable Arthur and Powerplant Boba.¡±
¡°Which do what? With the way they¡¯re acting, you¡¯d think they are a new kind of booze.¡±
¡°It¡¯s mostly like¡ I think they want to send them with people like Minos as first aid kits. And to stock them for sick people they can¡¯t cure with just alchemical stuff. And since I¡¯m the only person who can do what I can do, I¡¯m the only person they can ask to do it.¡±
¡°Ah, yeah. That would do it,¡± Karbo said. ¡°It¡¯s the same in fighting. A little edge can be a lot, when things are close.¡±
¡°Yeah.¡± Arthur nodded. ¡°That seems to be about the extent of it.¡±
¡°Shame you can¡¯t cause a widening of the path.¡± Karbo finally brought his little rock down hard on the bigger one, busting off large piece of it, then picking up Arthur in his offhand while he measured the new chunk of rock with his main. ¡°It¡¯s a bit too heavy still. I¡¯ll chip it down.¡±
¡°Fine. Just don¡¯t pick me up if you don¡¯t need to. It¡¯s embarrassing.¡±
¡°That was the deal. If you come along to the quarry, I get to use you as a weight to calibrate these rocks,¡± Karbo said. ¡°Just shush. There¡¯s nobody here to see anyway.¡±
Arthur resigned himself to his fate. He really had agreed to it. ¡°Fine. But you said widening of the path.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. If you could pull that off, you¡¯d solve all your problems. Flat out, deus ex machina style. No worries, no problems, no leaving your little town.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
¡°That sounds great actually. How do I do that? Because I¡¯ll do it. Or try, at least.¡±
¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that. If it did, I would have widened the path around what I do a long time ago.¡± Karbo looked thoughtful as he set down both Arthur and the rock. ¡°It¡¯s like¡ Okay, first, you don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about at all. Right? Because you are an offworlder, and they are like little babies who don¡¯t know anything.¡±
¡°Basically.¡±
¡°A widening of the path is when the system looks at something one person has done, some innovation or something. Like a runner who finds a new way to run, or like a warrior who pushes a particular way of fighting way past what their class is supposed to do.¡±
¡°Like you.¡± Arthur motioned at Karbo. ¡°With your auras, and your freehand class, and all that.¡±
¡°Right. But if that¡¯s all it took, I¡¯d have widened the path ten times by now. I¡¯m not even bragging. I¡¯m the best. Nobody can beat me up.¡±
¡°What about Pomm?¡±
¡°We don¡¯t talk about Pomm. The point is, there¡¯s more than that.¡± Karbo chipped a few chunks off the rock, picked up Arthur again, nodded, and went back to work. ¡°It has to be something the system wants. At least that¡¯s what scientists think. And something that fits the age. I think that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t ever widened the path. This age doesn¡¯t need warriors, much. Just one of me covers probably half of the heavy-hitter battling anyone wants. It¡¯s not an era of fighting.¡±
¡°Do you think it¡¯s an era of tea?¡±
¡°Maybe. But even if it was, you still can¡¯t get out of your troubles that way. That¡¯s the biggest limit on it. Widening of the path stuff never gets anyone out of a jam. It¡¯s not for that.¡±
¡°How do you know?¡± Arthur says. ¡°It must have done it sometime, even if it was by accident.¡±
¡°We had centuries of war, Arthur. No city was ever saved by a widening. No battle was ever won. And they kept records on that kind of stuff. Eventually, the widening benefits everyone. But it never gets anyone out of a jam. Ever.¡±
¡°Well, that sucks. And this is a rule?¡±
¡°As much as anything is. I¡¯d like to say you could break it, but it¡¯s about as constant as gravity, and you can¡¯t fly.¡± Karbo looked at his stone and smiled, suspiciously. ¡°Not yet, anyway.¡±
¡ª
An hour later, Karbo had carved out several stones from the quarry, strapped a chain around them, and was carting them back towards the capital. But not quite towards the gates. Instead, he and Arthur were walking towards one of the farthest points they could actually see on the curved wall, a place where several hundred people had gathered between the outer border of the capital and a largish lake.
¡°This is stupid, by the way,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Someone¡¯s going to get hurt.¡±
¡°That¡¯s why we are trying it out on you first.¡± Karbo gently elbowed Arthur in the side, sending him flying a few steps to the side. ¡°And your friend is doing a lot of calibration he frankly doesn¡¯t need to. It¡¯s hard to miss a lake, and once he gets done with these rocks he could put you in a barrel if he wanted.¡±
The catapult thing, as Lily called it, turned out to be an entire event Milo had wormed his way into. Machinists were rare and so he had been allowed to observe since the very beginning. Once Arthur finally got him and Lily to give the whole story, he saw that a lot of other machinists, lumber specialists and metalsmiths had been working on a more sober, experimental sort of knowledge-building project.
Milo had immediately ruined that. His influence seeped in like dye into a t-shirt, slowly coloring the entire event until it became a circus. And, to his credit, Milo had managed to increase the appeal of the entire thing from something that interested a small handful of weapons enthusiasts to a party that had drawn enough people to populate a mid-sized town.
Everyone liked a circus.
¡°Milo, this is intense. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to move to the capital? You seem like you fit right in.¡± Karbo dropped the bundle of big rocks near the catapult, stirring up a small cloud of dust as they plunked to a stop. ¡°You¡¯d do well here.¡±
¡°My wife and me really like Coldbrook, thanks,¡± Milo said. ¡°Although we are definitely putting this on the list of vacation spots. Arthur, are you ready to get launched?¡±
Milo patted the side of the catapult with a threatening amount of glee. Arthur sighed. He had already said he would do this. He couldn¡¯t have said no. Milo wanted it too bad. They were best friends, and best friends made sacrifices for each other, even if one of those sacrifices was agreeing to let your friend terrify you entirely for their own amusement and the general fun of a crowd of spectators.
¡°Fine. Let¡¯s do it,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Ha! Not yet, we won¡¯t.¡± Milo laughed and began wrenching on the catapult with a huge, exaggerated metal tool. ¡°There are still hours of calibration to go. I just wanted to see if you were backing out yet.¡±
¡°Jerk.¡± Arthur looked over the machine. ¡°You really built this in a couple days?¡±
¡°Only some of it. A lot of the parts came from the smaller one. These guys aren¡¯t bad at what they do. The metal parts will hold up. Of course all of the base and the wooden moving parts are new. They couldn¡¯t get the distance we needed with the scale.¡±
¡°So when is this going down? I said I¡¯d ride it. I didn¡¯t say I¡¯d sit in suspense all day.¡±
¡°Four hours. Right at the end of sunset. We thought it would be scarier in the near-dark.¡±
¡°And he¡¯s right.¡± Lily appeared around the back of the catapult, pulling a small cart. ¡°But have no fear. I figured out what to do to keep your mind off it in the meantime.¡±
¡°Is that all my tea stuff?¡±
¡°Yup. All you need for this kind of thing. Mizu found an old well and got it mostly into shape for you, so there¡¯s water too.¡± Lily waved her hand towards the crowd. ¡°And hundreds of people. Get working. It¡¯s the best thing for you.¡±
It was. Mizu commandeered a few tables and chairs in addition to the well, which meant Arthur had everything he needed to get a makeshift stand going. He fired up his Empathetic Brewer skill, but almost immediately turned it off once he figured out the crowd was almost entirely of a single mind on what they wanted out of his tea.
And it¡¯s shocking what they want. Absolutely shocking.
They wanted tea. Plain, ordinary tea, untouched by majicka. They were there to have fun. They didn¡¯t need stress-reducing tea, or energy beyond what a light amount of pep could give. They just wanted to taste good things.
Arthur was far from the person to refuse that kind of request. He cracked his fingers, told Lily to give her majicka-lamp buff to the catapult people, and got to work making the best tea he possibly could.
Chapter 233: Tea Rush
¡°What¡¯s this, again?¡± A young metal elemental watched the boba pearls suspiciously. ¡°Are these eyeballs?¡±
¡°They¡¯re more like gelatin. Kind of.¡± Arthur threw some in a glass, tossed some of the tea he had brewed in, doused it with a bit of sweetberry syrup, and iced it before adding cream. ¡°Here. Try it. Tell your friends.¡±
The girl elemental took it, shrugged, and drank. Her eyes went wide as she started chewing on the first pearl that made it through her straw. ¡°This is very sweet.¡±
¡°Too much?¡±
¡°Nope. Just enough. Do you really want me to tell people about this? Because I could, but I¡¯m a crier. I can get a line going if you really want one. It costs though.¡±
¡°Oh, no way.¡± Lily laughed. ¡°Arthur, this is going to be great. You know how I don¡¯t ever really get to flex my normal-assistant skills anymore?¡±
¡°Kind of?¡±
¡°Well, get ready. Because things are about to get a little crazy.¡± Lily smiled at the girl and nodded. ¡°Is ten coins okay?¡±
The crier nodded at Lily, gave Arthur a brief, apologetic smile. ¡°Ten coins is fine. It¡¯s important I get paid, but not really how much.¡±
She turned towards the crowd, took a deep, deep breath, then bellowed louder than Arthur had ever heard anyone yell before in his life. Somehow, probably through majicka properties, this didn¡¯t burst his eardrums or blow up his tea glasses at all.
¡°An out-of-towner has brought a new drink!¡± she roared, with a voice Arthur thought probably could have been heard a few miles away. The elemental turned, dropped her voice, and talked to Arthur normally again. ¡°Where did you say you were from again, Teamaster?¡±
¡°Uh¡ Earth. You haven¡¯t heard of it, probably. I¡¯m an offworlder. That¡¯s where this comes from.¡±
¡°Oh, hell. You should have said so.¡± The elemental turned to Lily. ¡°Does he have any idea what I¡¯m going to get out of this? I should be paying him.¡±
Lily shook her head. ¡°None. He¡¯s really dumb. He¡¯d be fine with it anyway, trust me. Just do it. It will be fun.¡±
¡°The drink itself is an offworld delicacy! This crier can confirm it contains no eyeballs at all! If you want something truly new, get yourself down to the lakeside exterior wall. There¡¯s a catapult party happening, now complete with tea!¡±
Mizu grinned as the crowd started milling towards Arthur¡¯s stand as a group.
¡°That¡¯s going to be a lot of tea,¡± Arthur said numbly.
Lily pulled Arthur¡¯s largest kettles and heating elements out, then began to fill them from Mizu¡¯s well. ¡°And it¡¯s going to be an absolute disaster if we slow down at all. Are you ready to make tea? Like back in the early days?¡±
Back in the Early Days, entire afternoons would evaporate as Arthur and Lily worked as fast as they could to keep up with demand. Arthur found that he was actually excited about a return to that. Lily was right. It had been too long.
Luckily, neither of them had lost a step. They slid back into their well-oiled-teamaking mode without so much as a single hiccup. Arthur handled the vital, fiddly bits of the process while Lily took care of everything else. She moved like a tiny, feathered whirlwind, keeping just enough glasses ready to go at any given time to cover their dishware needs before moving back to filling drinks with ice, perparing boba, and generally expediting every little bit of the behind-the-counter process.
And somehow, she still found time to work the front-of-counter side of things perfectly, collecting coins, taking special orders, and relaying it all to Arthur in a way he could understand even if the thick of hardcore drink-creation.
¡°Don¡¯t you need more majicka? It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t spend it when you make normal tea too,¡± Lily asked.
¡°Nope. It hardly takes any to do this kind of work. The medicinal tea takes so much that I had almost forgotten. I could do this for hours.¡±
¡°Good. Because you might have to.¡± The line was just getting longer and longer as people who had heard the announcement inside the capital started showing up. ¡°That crier is something else.¡±
¡°I really am. Give me another drink, Arthur. I¡¯ll yell as many times as you want. Free of charge,¡± the metal elemental said from the side.
¡°I thought you needed to get paid to get experience, or something.¡± Arthur gave another person their drink before turning to make the crier another round of tea. ¡°What happened to that?¡±
¡°This.¡± The girl¡¯s eyes went glassy for a moment before she kicked Arthur over a status screen. ¡°Read it and feel happy for me, new guy. I got a level off that. I now work for you for free almost any time you need it.¡±
|
Cry From Beyond the Edge (Achievement)The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
You have heralded the coming of an offworlder, assisting a visitor to the Demon World in fulfilling their sacred, self-determined destiny. Using your shattering voice, you have broken down walls between the outsider and his goals, allowing him to reach the mouths and hearts of the populace much faster than he otherwise could.
The fact that this was to give them tea makes very little difference to the overall quality of this achievement. As a reward for your accomplishment, your skills will receive a medium increase to effectiveness when working to promote the work of an offworlder. You also gain a large experience reward, relative to your current level.
|
¡°I can pay.¡± Arthur gestured towards the big bucket where Lily was throwing their coins. It was getting more full by the minute. ¡°It¡¯s really not a problem.¡±
¡°You can, you could, you won¡¯t. There¡¯s only so much I feel comfortable taking from one person, and like I told your friend, I really should have been the one paying you for this. Criers advance by announcing important stuff or weird stuff. I¡¯m not sure there¡¯s anyone weirder than you in the city right now.¡±
¡°Thanks. I think.¡±
¡°Oh, shush, Arthur,¡± Lily said, popping her owl head up above the chaos. ¡°Like you don¡¯t know you¡¯re weird.¡±
¡°So what do you want your next yell to be about?¡± The crier looked over the prepared drink components. ¡°I can talk up the boba themselves, the tea, or¡. whatever. Doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡±
Arthur looked at his stuff as well. There was a lot less of it left than he realized. He barely had enough to clear out the remaining people in line before he would start to run dry on supplies. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want the free publicity, but the boba pearls would be impossible to replace without raw materials and a lot of time.
¡°No, that¡¯s okay,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Actually, are you staying for this whole thing? I had something else in mind.¡±
¡ª
¡°All right, are you ready?¡± Milo said. ¡°The light is almost perfect for pure terror. It¡¯s bright enough you¡¯ll be able to judge your speed, but dark enough you¡¯ll have a hard time telling where you are going. Ten more minutes should get us there.¡±
¡°I¡¯m ready. And I really have to be the first one to use this?¡±
¡°Well, yeah, Arthur.¡± Milo smirked. ¡°Even if I cut you slack now, you¡¯d still know you chickened out in front of me. It¡¯s a psychological game, and I¡¯ve got all the cards.¡±
¡°You sort of do. I guess I¡¯m stuck. Unless somehow there was a way to make you make ten thousand half-promises. At once. To the entire city.¡±
Lily shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous, Arthur. How would you even do that? Milo hasn¡¯t promised anything yet.¡±
¡°This is sounding more and more scripted.¡± Milo said. ¡°How worried should I be?¡±
¡°True that, Lily. But what if we could make a promise on behalf of Milo? One that he couldn¡¯t walk back on unless he wanted it to look like he was chickening out in front of a zillion people. He would even need to ask me for permission to take my turn. Like it was a favor.¡±
¡°So pretty worried?¡± Milo winced. ¡°I think I¡¯m pretty worried.¡±
The crier picked that moment to get going. If nothing else, she had style.
¡°Hear me, capital! Milo Metalsmith, the dove-demon companion of offworlder Arthur Teamaster, is doing something amazing today. Something beyond belief.¡±
¡°That¡¯s your plan? Most people already know about the catapult thing. This won¡¯t draw many more people than we already have,¡± Milo laughed.
¡°Just wait.¡± Mizu yelled from a dozen feet away as she desperately tried to keep from giggling herself out of her chair. ¡°Just wait. It gets so much better.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right, folks. You¡¯ve probably heard about the catapult already. But there¡¯s a bit you don¡¯t know yet, and it¡¯s this. Milo Metalsmith, bird-demon and gear-slinger extraordinaire, will be attempting to learn to fly tonight! As his mechanical marvel blasts him through the air¡¡±
¡°Oh no. How many people are going to show up, Arthur?¡± Milo had a note of panic in his voice.
¡°And as he flaps ineffectively against the unforgiving winds that blow above our fair city¡¡±
¡°I mean, there¡¯s only ten minutes or so left, right?¡± Arthur said. ¡°So probably not literally everyone in the city. Just the close ones.¡±
¡°You can watch him fail!¡± the crier ended, sacrificing prose for effective messaging in a way Arthur fully approved of. ¡°It will be fun.¡±
¡°It will be fun,¡± Arthur agreed.
¡°Will that do it, Arthur?¡± the crier yelled, in her normal, non-augmented voice this time. ¡°Oh, yeah, it will. I just got an achievement for some kind of mass persuasion.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Oh yes,¡± she cackled and rubbed her hands together. ¡°This has been a good, good day.¡±
Milo sighed. ¡°Dammit, Arthur. I have to recalibrate the machine now.¡±
¡°Is that hard? I could still go up first if it¡¯s dangerous.¡±
Milo¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°No, it¡¯s pretty much just a flick of a switch. And yes, you¡¯ve won. May I please go first, so I don¡¯t shame myself in front of an entire city?¡±
¡°You may,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Here, I made you some cold-resistance tea. It should help.¡±
¡ª
Ten minutes later, a countdown was rolling along merrily.
¡°Five!¡± the crowd yelled. It had swelled to thousands of spectators, with a gaggle of illuminating devices that would follow Milo in flight. They were packed back from the catapult almost to the wall.
¡°This was a mistake. I no longer care about my personal honor. At all. I need out of here,¡± Milo said.
¡°It¡¯s too late. You said so yourself. You can¡¯t get out once you are in the throwing-scoop thing for safety reasons,¡± Arthur answered.
¡°Four!¡± the crowd called.
¡°It¡¯s called a bucket!¡± Milo screeched.
¡°That¡¯s right, I remember now,¡± Arthur said. ¡°And you are the payload. He¡¯s a payload, Lily.¡±
¡°Three!¡±
¡°Arthur, I¡¯ll do anything. Anything at all. Don¡¯t launch me. I¡¯m frightened. I can¡¯t swim.¡±
¡°He¡¯s lying. Milo, we¡¯ve seen you swim,¡± Lily said from the side.
¡°Two!¡±
¡°I know you have, but I forgot. Or something. Don¡¯t launch me, Arthur.¡±
¡°One!¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, buddy.¡± Arthur put his hand on the lever and smiled. ¡°I just have to see this.¡±
He pulled the lever, and the entire apparatus let loose, flinging a screaming bird-man into the sky with a sturdy, satisfying chunk sound.
¡°Wow,¡± Karbo said. ¡°I never thought he¡¯d get that much air. It¡¯s honestly impressive. Launch me, now.¡±
¡°Why?¡± Lily said. ¡°You can jump that far.¡±
¡°Yeah, maybe,¡± Karbo said. ¡°But it¡¯s different when someone throws you. Trust me.¡±
Karbo was launched next, making a much bigger splash in the center of the lake than Milo had. Arthur watched then sighed. Milo was getting out of the water now, and as much as he had liked the joke, he had a promise to keep. Arthur climbed up into the bucket, trying to keep his trembling to a minimum.
¡°You are really going?¡± Mizu was on her feet now, her hand twitching near the lever. It was pretty clear who would launch him now. ¡°Are you afraid?¡±
¡°Terrified,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Which means I might as well kill two birds with one stone, while I¡¯m already afraid. Can we have a talk?¡±
Chapter 234: Memories
¡°A talk?¡± Mizu asked. ¡°Right now?¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± Arthur said sheepishly.
¡°While you are in a catapult.¡±
¡°I¡¯m on a catapult.¡± The conversation seemed to be getting sideways on Arthur already, and his attempt to claw back some control of the wildly spinning talk got him the fishy look from Mizu it deserved. ¡°But yeah. A talk.¡±
¡°An important talk?¡± Mizu asked.
¡°I¡¯d say so,¡± Arthur said.
¡°On or in a catapult.¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Arthur smiled. ¡°It seemed like the time.¡±
Mizu chunked the lever so fast that Arthur barely saw her move. His reflexes kicked in, and he attempted a quick, panicked grab at the lever to stop her, but it was much too late to actually do anything. Instead, before the air itself started molding his body into a more streamlined position, Arthur flew the first fifty feet or so with his hand outstretched, grabbing at some invisible nothing.
I have to pull my arm back before people think I¡¯m trying to be a superhero, Arthur thought. If they have that here.
Whatever calm thoughts he was capable of having just then were happening on their own level of consciousness, walled off from most of his active thoughts by a year¡¯s worth of constant practice in ignoring weird stuff he didn¡¯t quite know how to react to. The part of his brain that was handling looking cool was its own calm little garden, isolated from everything else and capable of dealing with things like hand positioning and looking adequately cool. Or, failing that, limiting the time people would talk about how uncool he looked.
If Arthur had to estimate how much of his processing power was going to the project of not looking dumb, he¡¯d have put it at a low number. At most, he thought that maybe ten percent of his brain was working on that, or maybe even less. It was a cheap expenditure of computing resources. Which was good, considering that every last bit of brain-force outside of that little fragment was dedicated to the task of screaming.
This wasn¡¯t the fastest Arthur had ever moved. Karbo, impatient as he was, would often grab people and carry them wherever he was going. Arthur got involved with enough weird stuff that needed immediate handling when judged by Karbo¡¯s standards of importance that his infernal-ride count had long since tipped over from a once-in-a-lifetime terminology to several-terrifying-rides language. Karbo jumped impossibly fast, and even a full catapult couldn¡¯t really keep up with what he could do.
That said, Arthur was beginning to really appreciate the complexity of how a Karbo-powered-literal-jump-scare was built at a fundamental level. Whenever Karbo jumped, Arthur had a sense of safety. Mostly, this was because Karbo was constantly using his aura to shield himself and his demon-or-human cargo from the wind when he carried folks.
Arthur¡¯s extra perception allowed him to see further than that. The aura wasn¡¯t just shielding wind, it was also somehow eating up force related to speeding up and slowing down that would normally be uncomfortable or dangerous for the people he was carrying. It was small, but the differences added up. And there was no doubt Karbo had long since forgotten why he was doing that, relegating the job to his muscle memory rather than distracting himself from finding his next fight or meal.
It was nice, though, whether Karbo was thinking about it or not. Polite. The catapult had no such training in social niceties.
Arthur could feel his brain getting yanked back slightly by the sheer g-forces as his eyelids and mouth filled up with air and flapped in the wind despite the efforts he was making to get them under control. Screaming, though? He could still do screaming. Somewhere, someone was lined up right to get the doppler effect of him moving away from them, and he imagined they were hearing what sounded like a very scared motorcycle whipping past them on the street.
Milo had been right about the light levels being just right to be terrifying. There were enough big-terrain things in his field of view to give him a sense of overwhelming speed, but the rest of the world was just obscured enough by dark to keep him from understanding just how far he had come or what he was headed towards. It was a surprisingly long time before a sudden glint appeared just ahead, and it was only an instant later when he hit the cold water.
Vitality points were a hell of a thing, as were any points Arthur had dumped into strength and dexterity. He was never much of a swimmer on Earth. The average pool party wasn¡¯t a problem, but he wasn¡¯t fast, and he wasn¡¯t the kind of person who got used to it enough to handle long distances or very fast speeds as he paddled through the water.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!
In the Demon World, the stats Arthur was pushing meant he was about as good at it as a high school swim team member who had kept up on their practicing. His improved perspective almost immediately righted him in the water and got him paddling in the correct direction, and once he broke the surface, he moved back towards the shore at a pretty good clip. For the first time, Arthur actually understood why people liked swimming so much. Being good at it was a whole different experience.
¡°That was brutal.¡± Arthur found Milo sitting on a rock by the lakeside, wringing water from his socks. ¡°Really terrifying on a fundamental level. Good work, Milo.¡±
¡°Thanks!¡± Milo said. ¡°And while we¡¯re alone, thanks for letting me go first. I couldn¡¯t figure out how to do that without seeming selfish.¡±
¡°I had my suspicions. Are you satisfied with how it works?¡±
¡°Absolutely. Although I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to work for what I wanted to use it for.¡±
¡°Wait, you had a practical purpose for these?¡±
¡°Yeah. Moving cargo. Or something.¡± Milo put his sopping socks together, balled them up, threw them in his shoes, and stood. ¡°There¡¯s a class for making thrill-ride type stuff, but I don¡¯t have it. If I wanted to get any real experience out of this whole thing, I needed a practical purpose for it.¡±
¡°No go?¡±
¡°No go. Anything sturdy enough to survive that kind of transport without any damage is too heavy to move that way. Even if they could survive the forces I just felt in the air, the impact with the water would break most things. And there¡¯s no way to slow stuff down in the air that¡¯s gentle enough to keep that from happening.¡±
Somewhere in Arthur¡¯s foggy Earth-memories, something pinged. He knew a way to slow down cargo in the air, once. It was¡ a thing. Earth definitely had this problem handled somehow. And if he could remember how, he could help Milo. He dug deeper.
It was hard to do. The man-between-places had once handed Arthur a contract that said why. There were certain things Arthur knew he couldn¡¯t remember at all because they had the potential of ruining the Demon World itself. There was a terrible weapon back on Earth that could level big parts of cities, for instance, but he couldn¡¯t even remember what it was called, let alone how it worked.
Big inventions were like that. Arthur couldn¡¯t remember how streetlights worked, even though he knew they couldn¡¯t have been running on majicka. He had taken pills for an infection once, and could remember knowing about how they had worked. That was gone now. Arthur didn¡¯t mind not knowing about them.
That didn¡¯t mean everything was gone. He had given Milo and Spiky the idea for Earth-style shock absorbers, once, and the System had played a role then. That might have been because he barely remembered enough to get them on the right track, but Arthur thought it probably mostly had to do with the invention being a pure benefit, something that would help the demons, but not in a way that would have any negative effects.
And somewhere, deep down in the fogginess of this new memory, he suspected the thing he was trying to dig up was the second kind of invention. It was something the System would allow, if he could just get to it.
But he couldn¡¯t. It was like grabbing at the shadow of a dream as it ran away. He stopped and concentrated, but the more pressure he put on himself to unearth the memory, the farther it got, until it dissolved away completely like a fog.
¡°Are you okay?¡± Milo asked. ¡°You just stopped. If you¡¯re hurt, Mizu is going to kill me.¡±
¡°I¡¯m fine. I was just trying to remember something from Earth. And couldn¡¯t. I can¡¯t even remember pieces of it.¡±
¡°Ah.¡± Milo drew back until he was shoulder to shoulder with Arthur and glanced at him. ¡°How is that, anyway? Forgetting things.¡±
¡°It¡¯s mostly just big stuff. Weapons and things like that. Most of it I don¡¯t mind losing.¡± Arthur sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just the stuff that could help friends that I care about.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t really mean it like that.¡±
Milo and Arthur were walking again. They still had a few minutes before they got back to the crowd, and Arthur was glad. For all Milo put on a manic act when he was dealing with crowds and inventions, there was a calmer friend in there at all times, waiting to come out when Arthur needed it. Milo seemed to think this was one of those times.
¡°I mean, you have this whole world tucked away in your head. And from what I¡¯ve seen, it¡¯s sort of melting away over time. You talk about it less. You seem to think about it less. Is that¡ hard? I guess? I worry about it, sometimes. And when I try to imagine it¡¡± Milo shook his head. ¡°I just can¡¯t. There¡¯s no way I can know what it¡¯s like.¡±
¡°Oh. Yeah.¡± Arthur wasn¡¯t bothered by it. Given the terms of the contract, the memories disappearing wasn¡¯t surprising. The rate at which he forgot, the contract said, was mostly controlled by the rate he even cared to remember. But it was nicer than even that, like the System interpreted it in the softest way it could. ¡°I can¡¯t remember a lot of stuff these days. I remember how cars looked, but not how they worked. I can¡¯t remember a single Earth weapon very well, but I don¡¯t think I ever could. But other stuff I remember better.¡±
¡°Like?¡±
¡°Like hugging my mom. I can remember pretty much every time I ever hugged my mom. It¡¯s foggy, but not in a way that gets rid of the important stuff about that. I can remember how food tasted. I can remember trips I took with my family,¡± Arthur said with a small smile on his face. ¡°That stuff isn¡¯t really going away. And that¡¯s the stuff I¡¯d care about if I lost.¡±
¡°Ah. It sort of makes sense. The System is pretty nice, but it¡¯s also¡ it¡¯s like your memories are forged into a shape that makes sense for living here. You keep the nice stuff, you lose the horrors.¡±
¡°There weren¡¯t that many horrors,¡± Arthur said. ¡°It was mostly okay.¡±
¡°Arthur, you once told me your boss tried to make you work on your birthday. And you told him you were at your own party, and he still kept trying.¡±
¡°Okay, there were some horrors,¡± Arthur said as the black of the night parted to admit a slip of blue walking towards him. ¡°But nothing I¡¯m not getting over.¡±
Mizu shook her head as she drew closer.
¡°Did you learn anything, Arthur? Did you figure out any puzzles up there in the sky?¡±
¡°Um¡¡± Arthur tried to pull some revelation out of thin air. It didn¡¯t come. He stalled. ¡°Maybe?¡±
Chapter 235: Knots
¡°I¡¯m asking the wrong person.¡± Mizu turned to Milo. ¡°Have you managed to explain to Arthur why what he did was wrong?¡±
It was a pivotal moment, as post-catapult moments went. If Milo revealed Arthur had forgotten about the issue entirely and hadn¡¯t thought about things at all, Arthur would be toast. Mizu would be firm-nice in pushing whatever lesson he was supposed to be getting out of this, but it would take a while in any case. If she found out Arthur had forgotten, that entire time would have her making fun of him too.
¡°I told him to stop,¡± Milo said, somehow managing to avoid gleaming with holy, heroic auras as he covered for his friend. ¡°I didn¡¯t want him to get too far off track before you got to him.¡±
¡°Good,¡± Mizu said. She reached out her hand to Arthur, who took it. ¡°We are going on a walk. That¡¯s where you do important talks. Not in catapults. You are not allowed to multitask fears, Arthur, unless you have a very good reason. Besides, it¡¯s a nice night for a walk.¡±
¡ª
The System had a bit of rope in its hands, more or less. When it wasn¡¯t working on some specific project, like understanding Arthur¡¯s tea or keeping the majicka flows stable and helpful, it almost always did. It wasn¡¯t really a rope, of course. She imagined if one of her children tried to understand what it was, they¡¯d see some kind of cloud made of colors and the sounds numbers made, or something of that nature.
But to her, it was a rope. She had worked on it for centuries, and by now she was sure that the not-an-object she had in her hands meant all the same things to her that rope meant to demons in the physical world. It served all the same purposes. Today, those purposes were as normal as they came, by her standards. She had centuries¡¯ worth of hours spent on rope alone, and most of those hours were wrapped up in using it just this way.
If anyone watching could have understood what she was doing, they would have seen that she was slowly and methodically tying knots, then using just as much care as she untied them. And she was pretty good at both those things.
Knots were of special interest to the System. Demons had invented them, and her first understanding of knots had come as she tried to figure out how to help them tie them better, faster, and more securely. Once they had knots, they could have boats. And once they had boats, they could fish, which needed even more knots. And once they had fish, they wanted more, which meant nets, which were almost entirely knots.
Somehow, in a way that even the system had trouble tracking, this also eventually led to shoelaces, which needed decorative knots. And then to clothing ties, which were often only decorative and had no use at all.
Of course, it had also led to ways to keep prisoners imprisoned, or to secure some parts of particularly nasty weapons to their handles. The system didn¡¯t like to think about that, but it had to. Because understanding knots meant understanding how demons thought about knots too. And not every aspect of that was good.
¡ª
¡°So,¡± Arthur said, after a minute or so of getting distance from the crowd. ¡°I think my clothes are mostly dry now.¡±
¡°They are good clothes. I¡¯m glad you have them.¡± Mizu leaned up toward¡¯s Arthur¡¯s face, putting her mouth close enough to his ear that her breath tickled his skin as she whispered. ¡°But stop stalling.¡±
Arthur winced. ¡°I don¡¯t know that it¡¯s that long of a conversation. And I can tell it¡¯s going to get me in trouble.¡±
¡°Oh, really?¡±
¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve got weak sense for it now. I just don¡¯t see any way around talking about it.¡± Arthur squeezed Mizu¡¯s hand a bit harder, more for his reassurance than hers. She was stronger than him in most ways. She always had been. ¡°It¡¯s about the council meeting. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s looking very good.¡±
¡°In what way?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not sure. It¡¯s just how it feels. I kept my tea-sense on the entire time, but it doesn¡¯t work very well on people like them. It¡¯s something about them not knowing me very well, and being at a high level. But I got bits and pieces, I think. And they were stressed and sad.¡±
¡°Which means?¡±
¡°I think they are going to send me away. Or keep me here, I guess. But I¡¯ll be away from home. From Coldbrook. Maybe forever.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
¡ª
The System nodded. There, if she had to explain it, was the bad form of knot-work. Or more accurately, the bad forms. The forms that bound things that didn¡¯t want to be bound. Mizu¡¯s people had a whole line of apology-greetings that were aimed at making up for just that kind of thing. And even though everyone handwaved them, the System was glad they kept apologizing all the same. Being tied up in a wrong way was a terrible thing.
Arthur was bound to a lot of things he shouldn¡¯t be. He was bound to his ideas of duty from his old world, which were nice in their own way but didn¡¯t and would never quite fit in the Demon World. His world, for reasons she didn¡¯t understand, had weaponized duty. People you didn¡¯t like and who didn¡¯t like you could use it to hurt you, there, by convincing you that doing the wrong thing was right.
Over generations of conscious effort, people in her world had ground that kind of bad-duty-knot-tying down to a gentler, positive form. It would have been hard to explain to people in Arthur¡¯s world that duty was supposed to run both ways.
Arthur understood that, on some level. But he hadn¡¯t ever really adopted it fully, which meant that at least some of the work the System had done in making a world where being nice almost always felt good eventually was lost on him. A demon would look at a situation where they knew something was wrong for them, and would jerk back from it like a very bad smell.
Arthur was on a track to be a little sad, forever. He was going to tie himself to going in a slightly wrong direction, thinking that he had to. He was knotted together with a weight of ideas and ways of thinking his old world had given him, and it was about to drag him down deep into waters he¡¯d never escape from.
But he always had been tied up in that way, at least as long as the System had known him. It had been the work of years now trying to loosen those knots.
¡ª
¡°And how do you feel about that?¡± Mizu asked, in a way that she understood but Arthur didn¡¯t. Neither of them caught the mismatch in communication. ¡°Is that right? Is it okay?¡±
¡°I mean, it¡¯s for other people. For the Demon World. And I¡¯ve got a lot from the Demon World. I feel that debt,¡± Arthur said, lingering on each word just long enough to give them additional weight. ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave Coldbrook at all. It¡¯s home. But I think there are just a lot of reasons why I shouldn¡¯t say no.¡±
¡°If that¡¯s what you think.¡± Mizu nodded, missing the point. ¡°Then you¡¯ll stay? If they ask you?¡±
¡°I think so. Which means we sort of need to talk.¡±
¡°Uh-oh.¡± Mizu smiled. ¡°You look serious.¡±
¡°I am.¡±
¡ª
The first trick with loosening someone¡¯s knots was understanding what kind of knot you were dealing with. You had to know that or you¡¯d never find the ends. Once you found the end, you could work the string backwards, slipping it through each step of its own self-built labyrinth until it was back to being straight and usable again. But if you couldn¡¯t find where the knot ended and the string began, you ran the risk of just trying stuff up worse.
Demons understood that offworlders came loaded with potential, but they¡¯d never know what it looked like. For Arthur and the bear, it had looked like a knot. The bear¡¯s knot had been easy to untie. It wasn¡¯t a complex thing, after all. The bear had been afraid of people yelling at it, and hurting it. The fact that it was very afraid of these things didn¡¯t make the knot any harder to untie. The system just had to be nice to him for a bit, then give him a few moments of real peace to think.
He hadn¡¯t had either of those things before, really. When he had them, the knot slipped loose almost immediately, and the bear was flooded with the power of being free of that. In Arthur¡¯s world, the most dangerous chemicals were reactive ones. There were some that would blow up just from being dunked in water, just because the changes they went through when they encountered something new and pure were so intense that they released all the power at once.
The bear was like that. And he had gone on to use that power in just as simple of a way.
Arthur was different. His world had stories about a knot so complex that nobody could untie it, and when the system looked at the jumble of things he had brought with him, she was reminded of that story. It had taken her a good portion of her free time since he got there to find the ends of that massive lump of rope, and then another chunk to gently work it until there was just the slightest bit of slack.
And it was looser now, but that didn¡¯t mean it didn¡¯t still bind. In some sense, it was like Arthur¡¯s hand was inside the lump. He could get it out, maybe, but only if he flattened it out, relaxed, and let himself know he was free. He¡¯d never get it if his hand was balled up into a fist. And for better or worse, it still was. He was stuck.
If she was going to have the slack she needed to really take the knot apart entirely, Arthur was going to have to relax the hand for the long years it would take to unravel all the ideas and fears he had dragged from his world to hers.
And he¡¯d never do that if he lived in the wrong way, or in the wrong place. He was so close to seeing that. She knew it. If he¡¯d just take a close look with the right kind of feelings in his heart, he¡¯d know.
¡ª
Arthur scratched his head, nervously. It was getting to the part of the conversation where he said the thing he felt was right but hoped he was wrong. Or at least he hoped so. Because being right would be terrible. It might be correct. It might be good for people. But he could feel his stomach tying itself up like an escape artist even thinking about it.
Arthur bit the bullet and just dove in. ¡°I think that you should stay in Coldbrook.¡±
Mizu froze. She had been amused up until now, but in that instant all the liquid fluidity of her seemed to bunch up into a single block of ice. This was wrong. It wasn¡¯t even wrong in the usual way, where he knew he had messed up. This was something he had never seen in her. He felt her hand go tense, then shake loose from his as she took a half step back and looked up at him.
And somehow, in the dark, he knew she was crying.
¡°Arthur.¡± Mizu¡¯s voice was wavering a bit. ¡°Explain.¡±
Chapter 236: Little Piece
This was the moment. The really important one. The system could feel the majicka in both of them churning, and there was no part of that turbulence that she could claim she caused. They were both knots now. The bad kind.
She could have helped them avoid this, maybe by gently nudging them away. But she hadn¡¯t. It was a hard thing, but deep down the system could feel it was necessary, even if she couldn¡¯t explain exactly why. Mizu would always be tied to Arthur, even if just by a single, weak thread. If his knots dragged him down, hers would always be dragged down a little too.
If he went the wrong way, so would she.
The system knew a trick with knots, something demons had done during the war to escape captivity and that they now did as a trick in magic shows. When someone was tied by knots, sometimes they would tense up within them. This made the knots tighter, but it also made room in them once the captive relaxed. It was sometimes enough for them to squeeze their way out.
Sometimes. If they were quick enough. If they weren¡¯t, they ended up tied that much more.
¡ª
¡°It¡¯s not fair to you.¡± Arthur¡¯s voice was breaking too. ¡°You worked too hard on that town. I¡¯ve seen your wells. I don¡¯t understand them, really, but I know enough to know how hard you worked on them. And that¡¯s just part of it. You built up that town with everyone else. It¡¯s your place.¡±
Mizu put her hand to her chest and took a deep breath, steadying herself.
¡°It¡¯s our place, Arthur. Ours,¡± Mizu said.
¡°Yes. But I have to leave. And I¡¯ll come here.¡±
¡°Here isn¡¯t that bad, Arthur!¡± Mizu said. ¡°The capital has a lot of the best wells in the world, it¡¯s known as the best city in the world.¡±
¡°Yeah. I mean, for now. But then I¡¯ll have to leave again, and again. Because of Arthur Stuff.¡±
Mizu didn¡¯t roll her eyes. She might have, if it was a really dumb thing to say. If there was nothing to base it on. But she didn¡¯t. There wasn¡¯t much direct evidence of Arthur Stuff being real. It could have all been a big coincidence, something that was just one roll of the dice after another. But in the few years they had been here, too much had happened for anyone who knew Arthur to believe that it was just luck.
He had been thinking about it a lot, the last few days. It wasn¡¯t just him. Lily had a class where she shouldn¡¯t at all. Milo had a rare class. Mizu had leveled and grown in a way that complemented her brightness perfectly. Karra was a supervisor class now, something she would have never picked for herself but was already growing into in amazing ways.
Even the adults weren¡¯t immune, if Arthur had made his guess right. It wasn¡¯t an all-the-time thing, but people like Ella and Eito used to talk about their own bottlenecks around him, and how they were probably stuck for the rest of their lives. And then, at some point, they just stopped.
The city had done well, while he was there. He had made a dent in how it operated, though the idea he had a significant impact was pure nonsense. He had brought every other city closer together with a simple memory of some unimportant-seeming technology. He had built what seemed to very honestly be the very best town in the entire frontier, the one people looked to for support and examples of how to do things right. And now the capital had found him and come calling.
The list went on. Rhodia was better than she should be, in some subtle ways. Corbin was the very best sneaky guy in the world, somehow, and while Arthur thought at least that one had more to do with Corbin himself, it still wasn¡¯t exactly normal.
Arthur was trapped in a current so strong and so fast that even the people who were helping him from the shore were getting dragged alone. Mizu might not have thought about it as much as he had, but she had to know. A force like that wouldn¡¯t just stop. It couldn¡¯t. The only chance she had of staying still was to get out of the river entirely, and let Arthur wash down to the sea alone.
He dumped all of those thoughts out as fast as his mouth would let him form words. He wasn¡¯t making much sense. He knew that. It was too much emotion and not enough fact for that. Arthur tried to make up for that in volume. He was drowning, and he was going to tell Mizu before she drowned too.
¡ª
There it was. The clench. The System could feel everything inside of Arthur bunch up and just stop, like too many people trying to use a grocery store aisle at once.
She had never told him how his Rise Together! skill worked once he had chosen to forget it. But that didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t get a sense of it eventually, some idea that he was tethered to the people around him in a way that affected them and their direction.
Of course, the boy had gotten every other detail almost exactly wrong. Knots worked both ways. Sometimes people used them to hold other people captive, and in those cases, the prisoners longed for them to be untied. But knots were also what people made to hold things that belonged together. People sometimes tied themselves to things to make sure they stayed close. That they stayed safe. That they didn¡¯t lose them.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
The System understood why Arthur had made the mistake of thinking about it as an involuntary effect, one that just happened to anyone who happened to be around him long enough. It would have been a happy thing if he knew the truth. If she could have told him. If she could just reach down and cover him with her hand and let him feel the warmth of what she knew about how others thought about him.
But she couldn¡¯t.
If she had lungs and a mouth in a way people would have understood, she would have sighed with relief when she saw the knots in Mizu¡¯s heart suddenly untangle all at once. She had figured it out. She could see just enough truth from where she was standing to determine what to say, if she really wanted to.
And she did. Mizu had always been a smart girl.
¡ª
¡°It¡¯s not a river,¡± Mizu whispered.
Arthur almost didn¡¯t hear the words. They were so quiet.
¡°What?¡±
¡°It¡¯s not a river, Arthur. You aren¡¯t dragging people downstream with you.¡± Mizu took Arthur¡¯s hands. ¡°I figured it out. A bit. It¡¯s all the same problem. You think people do things because they have to.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t they?¡± Arthur said. ¡°I mean, I know there are limits. But everyone talks about duty so much.¡±
¡°No. At least I think they don¡¯t, not in the way you hear it. Duty, Arthur, is about doing what¡¯s right. And sometimes something is right so often that it sort of becomes a rule. Nobody thinks of it like you are thinking about it.¡± Mizu gripped his hands a little tighter. ¡°I think it¡¯s because you haven¡¯t been around the System that long. It would have been different if you had grown up here, because of all the stories.¡±
¡°The stories?¡±
¡°Children¡¯s stories about people going the wrong direction for bad reasons. There¡¯s a ton of them because they all teach one very important lesson. In the System¡¯s world, people need to choose their own direction. They don¡¯t do things because they have to.¡±
¡°Even if it means a bunch of sick people don¡¯t get help?¡±
¡°Even then. Because eventually, you¡¯re going to be something different. You are going to change. And when people do things they really don¡¯t want to do, they end up being less than they could have been. All that stuff about the best things your tea could do, where it makes the most difference, that¡¯s just stuff on paper.¡±
¡°They talked about it like it was really important.¡±
¡°It probably was. This is more important, Arthur. It¡¯s about who we are.¡± Mizu suddenly dropped towards the ground, pulling Arthur with her, laughing she settled on the ground. ¡°Nobody does anything they don¡¯t want to do forever, Arthur. It wouldn¡¯t be nice.¡±
¡ª
And there it was. Duty was an important thing for the demons, to be sure. But it was also something they had understood after an unlikely rescue from centuries of war. They had the advantage of seeing a newly woven peace when the memories of widespread devastation were still fresh. They had seen their cities rebuilt. They had pushed back against beast tides together. They had attained new skills that made lives better instead of cutting them short.
And though that, they had understood as one that it was better that way. That when everyone worked in their own way to make the world better, they could build towards a perfect place.
Then, of course, they had immediately overshot. Things were better, but people would convince themselves that they would be better off with a reluctant, lackluster seamstress than a brilliant artist. There was always more to do and more to improve.
It took them a century to really learn that lesson. There were always little optimizations to chase, and there would always be emergencies that upset the balance of things. But when people did what they were meant to do, they had a chance at greatness. And a society built on greatness just did better.
Every demon was born with those lessons steeped into their bones. Arthur hadn¡¯t had that advantage. But where he understood duty as debt, the system had accepted it as a temporary thing, something that would eventually be unwound. Now that Mizu had her hands on the end of the string, the System knew it wouldn¡¯t be long.
¡ª
¡°Arthur, I wouldn¡¯t go anywhere with you if it would make me unhappy. When I said I¡¯d follow you to a desert, I meant something different.¡±
¡°Which is?¡±
¡°That you, Earthling,¡± Mizu said, ¡°Are my water.¡±
¡ª
Yes, thought the system. Keep going.
¡ª
¡°And nobody, Arthur, who has ever met you has been swept away in your current. You think that¡¯s what¡¯s happening because everyone who you meet ends up changing, like they were getting dragged along.¡± Mizu leaned in. ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you the secret about that now. Are you ready?¡±
¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±
Mizu put her mouth next to Arthur¡¯s ear and whispered so low he had to concentrate to hear her.
¡°You think you owe this world something. You always have. Every one of your friends has told you that you don¡¯t. The reason everyone seems to be dragged along with you is that everyone loves you, Arthur. They always have.¡±
¡°But...¡±
¡°Nope. If Lily wants to come with you to the city, it¡¯s because she wants to. I can speak for her here. And if I come, and I will if it comes down to that, it¡¯s because I want to. We¡¯d all still be your friends, Arthur. But you don¡¯t have to protect us. We are with you because we want to be.¡±
¡°Well, yeah, I mean¡¡±
¡°You don¡¯t mean anything.¡± Mizu settled back into the ground. ¡°I want you to look back at your entire life here, Arthur, and figure this out, once and for all.¡± Mizu gestured out at the general nothing-going-on around them. ¡°We have all night. Tell me when you get there.¡±
Arthur thought about it. Why did he always get back to feeling unsure about his place in the world? Mizu wasn¡¯t wrong. He always did. He was a Teamaster who spent less time making tea than he wanted to because every job that needed to be done felt like his job. He had a group of friends and family that he didn¡¯t feel like he deserved. Eventually, he always got back to feeling like he was in the wrong place, even though he couldn¡¯t imagine a better place to be.
¡°I don¡¯t feel like I deserve it,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Oh, none of us do. But that¡¯s because none of us built it by ourselves, Arthur. We each have our little piece we do our best on, and we all get more than we put in. That¡¯s it. That¡¯s all you ever needed to do, was your little piece of things, plus just helping out folks when you were in a position to because things are nicer that way. That¡¯s all you ever owed. You get that, right?¡±
And right until that moment, Arthur really hadn¡¯t. If she had told him the same thing a year ago, he would have nodded, and it would have made things feel better for a bit. But somehow, this time felt different.
Just my little piece, huh? Arthur thought. That is really nice when you think about it.
Chapter 237: Be Happy
Somewhere very far away but not that far at all, the System watched as the knot she had spent so much time loosening finally started untying itself, one convolution at a time. It wouldn¡¯t be untied overnight, of course. But it would be untangled sooner than Arthur could have imagined, she was sure. He was on track. Sooner or later, that rope would be available to re-tie in ways he chose.
¡ª
¡°Why does Arthur look stupid?¡± Lily asked when Arthur walked back. ¡°He¡¯s all happy-woozy.¡±
¡°She probably kissed him,¡± Milo offered.
¡°Nope, I thought of that. This is something different.¡± Lily went up and poked him. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you tense?¡±
¡°Oh. I¡¯m not going to stay in the capital,¡± Arthur said.
Milo and Lily whipped their heads around to look at each other, then back at Arthur.
¡°Just like that?¡± Milo said. ¡°You¡¯ve been stressing about this for a week.¡±
¡°He didn¡¯t get that he doesn¡¯t have to do things he¡¯d hate,¡± Mizu explained. ¡°I¡¯m not joking. He wasn¡¯t just being Arthur. I didn¡¯t get it until he told me I had to stay in Coldbrook so I wouldn¡¯t suffer.¡±
¡°Wait, you were going to give up Mizu?¡± Lily moved forward to punch Arthur in the leg. ¡°You have to tell me this stuff! I¡¯m supposed to keep you safe!¡±
¡°I thought you knew!¡± Arthur swayed out of the way of her tiny angry fist. ¡°I didn¡¯t look happy about it, right?¡±
¡°Arthur, just because¡¡± Milo rubbed his temples. ¡°You looking unhappy about a decision or something hard isn¡¯t that abnormal for you. We were all thinking you were fighting over two paths that looked mostly right to you. But you were thinking of taking the exact wrong path?¡±
¡°It was a little bit of a nightmare,¡± Arthur said. ¡°I get it, now, I think. Mizu explained it again.¡±
¡°Well, thank the gods for her.¡±
¡°Yeah, except now I have to figure out how to tell the council. They seemed to have their hearts pretty set on it, besides Pomm.¡±
¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy,¡± Lily said. ¡°I¡¯ll handle it.¡±
¡°Just like that? It seems like it should be¡ harder.¡±
¡°Just like that. Just watch.¡±
¡ª
¡°We call this meeting to order,¡± Jaiko said. ¡°And I¡¯m pleased to say that Arthur brought us sandwiches.¡±
¡°It felt like the least I could do.¡± Arthur put down a large bag of food he had picked up at a local stand on his way over. ¡°You all have spent a lot of time on me this week.¡±
¡°We have to spend time on someone,¡± Neppo said. ¡°And you make tea. I figured we were about even. This pushes you over the top.¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Pomm reached forward and grabbed a wrapped meal out of the bag. ¡°You are a very good person.¡±
With Lily momentarily distracted by available calories, Arthur was on his own for a bit. He made some tea, as was normal for him, then joined in the banter as everyone in the room re-energized thanks to the food and the break. As important as these people might have been, they at least didn¡¯t seem to have jam-packed schedules. They were the most relaxed ruling council Arthur could have imagined, and he had once been in a tether ball league.
When things finally got started, they went into gear pretty fast.
¡°Well, Arthur, it¡¯s the last day. After this, depending on what you choose, we can get down to the actual practical planning of things. Is that understood?¡± Jaiko said, brushing some sauce off her face in a distinctly unofficial, almost undignified way.
¡°I think I got it,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Is there an order to all this, or anything?¡±
¡°Unfortunately, yes,¡± Neppo said. ¡°We present the options from the other day, and you turn them down one by one until we get to your choice. It¡¯s a procedural thing Jaiko won¡¯t let us drop.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
¡°It¡¯s important,¡± Pomm said. ¡°Jaiko says so.¡±
¡°Yes, she does, but she won¡¯t explain why.¡±
¡°I do, you just don¡¯t listen,¡± Jaiko said. ¡°Now stop gumming up the conversation. Arthur, your first option was moving here. You¡¯d live in a house provided by the local government, you¡¯d have a workshop equipped and paid for by us, plus access to the best majicka-supplementation we could give.¡±
¡°And a bunch of other stuff that would take too long to talk about,¡± Skal said. ¡°The capital would take an interest in your leveling and class progression, which would mean a lot of support in various ways that are harder to quantify.¡±
¡°Right. It¡¯s a pretty valuable package, all things considered. I wrote down what I could here.¡± Jaiko handed over a sheet of paper, complete with a few headlined, bullet-pointed lists of benefits. Arthur looked it over and almost whistled. It was quite a bit. He imagined that if he had been a world-saving dungeon raider, it would have been impossible to turn down.
But here, it¡¯s not, he thought, thankfully.
¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not going with that one.¡± Lily nodded in approval as Arthur refused the option. Her mouth was too full for a more audible response. Neppo looked very pleased as well, almost to the point of an elbow-pump of joy, though Arthur had no idea why. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡±
¡°Next is the intermediate option. We set you up in some kind of commerce town, take advantage of the shipping, and give you a bit more independence. You equip your own shop, make use of the majicka supplementation we can send you, but also get the benefit of your goods getting where they are going a little quicker. It¡¯s not as impressive a list of help, but might suit you a little better.¡±
¡°I knew you¡¯d pick this one.¡± Neppo looked at Pomm triumphantly. ¡°The coins are mine.¡±
Neppo¡¯s happiness was immediately crushed as Arthur refused that option, too. ¡°I¡¯m not taking that one, either. I¡¯m sorry, by the way. I know it could have done a lot to help with a lot of problems.¡±
Jaiko raised her eyebrows in surprise. ¡°Really? Then home to Coldbrook? You seemed to be really considering the other options. I thought you¡¯d probably move.¡±
¡°How¡¯d you know?¡± Neppo interrupted, chucking a medium-sized, heavy-looking bag at Pomm in defeat. ¡°I know you knew somehow, you bear jerk. But how? Barely anybody turns down the capital.¡±
¡°He was miserable,¡± Pomm said. ¡°You could see it if you watched closer.¡±
¡°He wasn¡¯t! He wanted to know all the options!¡±
¡°No, Pomm¡¯s right. Arthur doesn¡¯t understand things very well,¡± Lily said. ¡°The whole idea of moving away from Coldbrook made him miserable. He doesn¡¯t understand optional as a concept very well.¡±
¡°Were you really that sad, boy?¡± Skal said. ¡°You should have said something.¡±
¡°It has been explained to me several times now that I should have. I¡¯m sorry. My world had a different concept of obligation than this one.¡±
¡°Plus, he¡¯s just weird,¡± Lily chimed in.
¡°True. But yeah. If we care about me being where I think I belong in terms of my class path, then I¡¯m supposed to be in Coldbrook.¡± Arthur looked around the room, feeling guilty and a bit apprehensive of how they were about to react. ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s just the only place I can see myself living. At least for now.¡±
¡°Oh. Well, good,¡± Jaiko said. ¡°That¡¯s resolved then.¡±
Arthur almost spat out his tea. ¡°Really? It¡¯s that easy? Even with all the good I could do here?¡±
¡°Arthur, you are on a path none of us can predict. You¡¯ve already come an alarmingly long way just by doing what you want to do.¡± Skal sipped his tea sedately. ¡°I¡¯m a little bit embarrassed I didn¡¯t notice how little you wanted to do this, but not that we know, there¡¯s no question. You should stay on your path.¡±
Pomm nodded. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of time to grow. And to do even more good.¡±
¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Jaiko said. ¡°Whatever plans we had will just have to wait, or be something different in the future. The system is a lot of things, but it¡¯s not stingy. If you really feel there¡¯s only one place you can be happy, she¡¯ll reward you for being there. I¡¯ve been along live enough to learn at least that much. You don¡¯t owe anyone any more than that.¡±
¡°Well, be that as it may, I do have some plans for Coldbrook. And for me, and making the tea. I still think we can get a lot done.¡±
¡°Oh, really?¡± Neppo said. ¡°Do tell.¡±
Arthur had worked on alternatives with his friends for a few hours the night before, looking for ways he could be helpful without being miserable. And there really were quite a few. The first was an exchange program of sorts. If Corbin¡¯s general stealthed weirdness had taught them anything that trip, it was that the system seemed to reward odd situations and travel in the pursuit of interesting work.
¡°So you are saying we should send you majicka reservoir people, to help you there?¡± Jaiko rubbed her chin. ¡°It might just be worth it, if it comes with a few achievements.¡±
¡°It would be more odd if it didn¡¯t,¡± Skal said. ¡°It¡¯s the edge of the world, a new exchange program, and a lot of time on the road. Picking up a few achievements should be almost a given if we pick people who have spent most of their lives in the capital.¡±
¡°It would be good for them, too. Get them some experience,¡± Pomm said.
¡°And I¡¯ll come back here a few weeks a year,¡± Arthur said. It wasn¡¯t even a sacrifice. Once he realized he didn¡¯t have to be in the capital full-time, the beauty and activity of the place looked very different. He wouldn¡¯t mind visiting the capital, spending a few weeks working, and taking in all the food and fun there was to have here. Mizu and Lily had already agreed to go with him any time he visited, and he suspected there would be others who would want to tag along most times as well. ¡°I¡¯ll work full days pumping out Portable Arthur to build up a sort of stock for you. We can actually get started this trip if you want. I have at least a few days before we were supposed to go back.¡±
¡°Hmm,¡± Jaiko said. ¡°It might be a little rushed to get all the pieces in place, but I think we could handle a bit of production on this trip. Do you know a good source for tea within the city?¡±
¡°The best,¡± Arthur said. ¡°I think literally. I met a blendmaster a few days before I met all of you. He should be able to help.¡±
¡°Well, then,¡± Jaiko said. ¡°I¡¯m glad this could end on a good note. Arthur Teamaster of Coldbrook, you are released from these discussions. Go and be happy. You deserve it.¡±
Chapter 238: Marriage
¡°Should we do a party?¡± Lily looked up questioningly not at Arthur, who was fully engulfed in a too-tight Mizu hug, but at Milo, who was patiently waiting for his turn to bruise Arthur¡¯s shoulders by squeezing them even more.
¡°Party,¡± Milo said, and nodded. ¡°I can do food. I¡¯m not good at the other parts, though. Are we thinking just back at the hotel?¡±
¡°I guess we could,¡± Lily said, Still hanging off Arthur¡¯s leg like a round, feathered lamprey. ¡°Although there¡¯s only just enough room in that lobby. If everyone comes, I mean. Arthur, you¡¯ve met at least some people here, right?¡±
¡°Oh, a few. The noodle shop lady, A few local teamasters.¡± Arthur shook loose from Mizu as her hug finally waned a tiny bit. Milo slammed in from the side for his turn. ¡°And the council, I guess? We could invite them.¡±
¡°Oh, yes, do,¡± Mizu said. ¡°They are so much fun. Mom used to let me ride on Pomm, when I was little.¡±
¡°Oh, wow. I should have thought of that.¡± Lily looked wistful. ¡°Is it like a Karbo thing?¡±
¡°No. Much more gentle. Like riding on a very safe cloud.¡±
¡°Let¡¯s get back on track.¡± Milo was hugging so hard that Arthur¡¯s feet weren¡¯t actually touching the ground, at this point. ¡°Is there enough room at the hotel if all of them come?¡±
¡°No, I don¡¯t believe so,¡± Philbin said, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me chiming in.¡±
¡°Philbin!¡± Milo yelled. ¡°Get in on this hug, if you want. We can get them done faster if we group up.¡±
¡°Oh, sure.¡± Philbin jumped inside the loop of Milo¡¯s hug as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and then just kept on keeping on. ¡°As I was saying, the hotel you are staying in is one I¡¯ve been to, and I think it might actually hold everyone you know, but it would be uncomfortable. What are we celebrating, again?¡±
¡°Arthur has refused a solemn, important task because it would make him miserable, and everyone agrees that¡¯s probably the right choice,¡± Lily explained as she puffed up, this time seemingly proud of Arthur instead of herself. ¡°That¡¯s the short version, I think.¡±
¡°Oh, well, then. Quite the occasion.¡± Philbin thought for a moment. ¡°There¡¯s actually always one big room that¡¯s almost always available, although it¡¯s not necessarily supposed to be used for that. And you might need someone to vouch for you. Someone¡ established.¡±
¡°Established?¡± Arthur said. ¡°I own a town. Well, part of it. But everyone knows me there.¡±
¡°He means high level, Arthur,¡± Mizu said. ¡°Which is suspicious. Because all of us are high level but Lily, so he means high level and¡ something else?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Philbin settled his chin on Arthur¡¯s shoulder and spun him around so he could face Mizu. ¡°You¡¯ve got it. Someone famous, basically. High level. Famous enough that it could be used as an excuse for things.¡±
¡°Oh. Well, no shortage of those,¡± Lily said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. ¡°And you are pretty sure this will get us a room?¡±
¡°Oh, no question. Provided you can provide some world-shaking talent that has, in fact, already shaken the world,¡± Philbin said.
¡°Oddly, that¡¯s no problem. If anything, it¡¯s just going to be hard to choose,¡± Arthur said.
¡ª
They ended up going with all of them. It was easy to forget, but pretty much everyone over the age of twenty-five that Arthur knew was a big deal. There were, as Lily said, plenty of people to choose from.
There was Ella, whose restaurant Arthur had never actually gone to, but had been absolutely packed every time he had ever seen it open. In the capital, she was busy doing consultations, development partnerships to perfect new recipes, and just visiting other world-famous cooks to check in on what they were working on. When she was free from that, she was holding expositions on various techniques and question-and-answer sessions filled with younger classes who desperately wanted her help. She was in demand.
Itela was experiencing a more structured week, but as the former head cleric of a major demon city, she had a full calendar of visits and meetings as well. She was here and there doing healing on hard cases that suited her specialities, consulting with other world-class healer-priest-cleric types, and generally advancing the highest level of what people who harnessed the power of both the system and the perhaps-really-existing gods did.
Karbo was Karbo. Arthur couldn¡¯t imagine anyone actually beating him in a fight, although he suspected the big infernal might have a hard time actually catching Pomm. He was the kind of guy who cities had pre-existing plans for, just so they could survive one of his visits. He was also the kind of guy they called anyway because sometimes something just really needed to be punched hard.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
Even Minos and Eito were famous in their own ways. They weren¡¯t household names, mainly because neither of them tended to make a lot of noise when they weren¡¯t actively on the job. Still, they were known as the people you called for certain problems that nobody else could solve.
It would have been a hard decision, if they actually had to make it. Rather than puzzle over who to bring, the group of young people caught the older group like a rip tide and dragged them out into the ocean of fun they intended to have. The only person they couldn¡¯t find was Eito, who had been conspicuously absent since a few nights ago. With as much who¡¯s-who firepower as they were packing, it hardly mattered. Arthur scribbled down a note for Eito and left it at the hotel in case he stopped by, and they moved on.
Philbin led them the full round trip from the exterior of the council building to the hotel to pick everyone up, then back in roughly the same direction. After a half hour or so of bantering and traveling, Arthur was shocked out of the general conversation by the location they finally arrived at.
¡°Wait, why? Philbin, explain this.¡± Arthur looked up at the highly enchanted, glowing-with-raw-majicka rock of the building. ¡°Oh, never mind. I get it. We can pick up the council.¡±
¡°Afraid not,¡± Philbin said. ¡°You can¡¯t pick up people to travel to a place they already are.¡±
¡°Oh, hell. I get it. There¡¯s one room in this place they don¡¯t like to use for meetings. And it¡¯s the actual meeting room,¡± Arthur said. ¡°The actual council room of the entire demon world?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Philbin beamed. ¡°And it¡¯s free. You just have to convince the council it¡¯s going to be a good party.¡±
¡°Ah,¡± Arthur said. The backwards-feeling shock of a very casual ruling council was seeping through his veins again. He wasn¡¯t going to come up with anything better than that. He turned to the most weirdness immune person he knew with a pleading look. ¡°Lily?¡±
¡°I got it. Don¡¯t worry.¡± The owl girl patted his arm affectionately. ¡°Philbin, we didn¡¯t need any of these people for this.¡±
¡°No?¡± Philbin asked. ¡°It¡¯s not like they know you that well.¡±
¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Milo said. ¡°It¡¯s Lily.¡±
¡°Pomm!¡± Lily yelled at the building, cupping her hands around her mouth to send her voice the extra distance. ¡°Pooooooommmmm! Come here, please!¡±
Nobody expected it to work, including Arthur. It wasn¡¯t the sort of thing that really could work, even on the Demon World. Lily¡¯s voice would have to get through feet of majicka-reinforced stone, down some hallways, through a thick wooden door to a very large maintenance closet, and then somehow successfully summon one of the more important people in this particular corner of the universe. It wasn¡¯t a realistic goal.
All those reasonable expectations stopped absolutely nothing from happening. There was a gentle whoosh like the wind was trying to hide from something as a full-sized bear materialized next to Lily, looking down on her with affection.
¡°Yes?¡± Pomm asked.
¡°We want to use the big official room for a big party. You guys are invited. Could you move the chairs out of the way?¡±
Pomm thought about this for a minute, as placid as a cow chewing its cud.
¡°Yeah. Sure.¡±
And then he was gone, his massive bear presence replaced by the sound of rapidly shuffling chairs coming out the open door. Everyone stood and considered what just happened, then shrugged. They had a room.
¡°And I¡¯ll go start working on food.¡± Milo nodded at Philbin. ¡°Good work. You do tour guide stuff, normally?¡±
¡°Outside of the expo, yes. Just send a letter beforehand if you need me.¡± Philbin pulled himself up into a prouder posture. ¡°I¡¯m pretty good at it.¡±
¡ª
The party was on, and like all Demon World parties, it was pretty good. There was food, there was milling around, there were footraces between Pomm and Karbo. The big red guy, to everyone¡¯s amazement, actually lost those.
¡°Could we do a strength-based challenge, or something?¡± Milo asked.
Jaiko clapped her hand down hard on the table and shook her head.
¡°Not a chance. Even in here. They might not be able to break the walls, but there¡¯s plenty of furniture that wouldn¡¯t survive. Imagine me trying to explain to the building maintenance folks why they¡¯re piecing back thousand-year-old chairs from splinters.¡±
¡°Couldn¡¯t you just¡ flex your council status, or something?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°Not that you should, but couldn¡¯t you?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think you know what a high level building supervisor is like, Teamaster.¡± Jaiko winced. ¡°Those people are scary. Like protective parent scary. No, nobody is going to bash the place up. Karbo, just accept that you are slightly slower than Pomm. And say something nice, Pomm.¡±
¡°Karbo is terrifying,¡± Pomm said. ¡°You can¡¯t run from a big enough explosion.¡±
¡°Oh, geez.¡± Karbo patted Pomm hard on the back. ¡°You know about my explosions.¡±
¡°Of course. Hard to miss them.¡±
As Arthur marveled at the fact that Karbo actually had a real, honest-to-god peer, people kept filing in. The crier made it, eventually, having gotten one of the several notes Arthur and the group had left with a specialized courier at Philbin¡¯s suggestion. While she seemed a bit surprised to be included, she melted right into the party and was soon having a good time with everyone else.
The teamakers came next, bringing a significant amount of cargo with them. Lup was loaded up with a pack containing several dozen different blends of tea in cleverly packed pouches, while Ceti had gone all out on the cookware side, carting in a collection of kettles, teapots, cups and heating elements that rivaled what Arthur normally had set out at his home shop.
And best of all, she had brought boba pearls, and the stuff Arthur would need to make more of his own.
¡°This is great. We can keep tea going all night, like this.¡±
¡°We can,¡± Ceti said. ¡°I¡¯ll help when you make your tea, you can help when I make mine. Same with Lup. Collaboration is an interesting thing. You can never tell what it¡¯s going to turn up.¡±
Arthur and the tea-makers got to work, turning out a variety of beverage wonders that rivaled or surpassed anything they could do individually. Small amounts of wine joined the mix a few hours in, and everyone was in a pretty damn good mood from one source of entertainment or another by the time the last guests finally came in.
¡°Huh, Jumie.¡± Eito turned to his lion-demon companion. ¡°Did you tell anyone?¡±
¡°No. I definitely didn¡¯t expect this,¡± Jumie said.
¡°Arthur, come here,¡± Eito called. Arthur shambled over and Eito caught him by the arm as soon as he was in range. ¡°How did you know, Earthling? We didn¡¯t tell anyone.¡±
¡°Know?¡± Arthur was legitimately confused here. Most of the time, nobody accused him of knowing anything. ¡°Know what?¡±
¡°That I¡¯m getting married. We¡¯re getting married.¡± Eito looked over at Jumie with a level of affection that could have melted an iceberg. ¡°Tonight.¡±
Chapter 239: Change
¡°Wait, what? Married?¡± Arthur yelled for a split second before he managed to get his voice back under control. ¡°Does anyone else know?¡±
¡°No. We were coming here to find Itela, and see if she could get us some reasonably dignified space.¡± Eito motioned out over the most historical of the surviving sites of Demon World antiquity. ¡°Which you seem to have covered.¡±
¡°I guess, yeah. It¡¯s so sudden, though. What brought this on?¡±
Jumie looked at Arthur, smiling ear to ear. ¡°Eito tells me you did, actually. Some sort of offworlder speech about how everything was more simple than he thought. Was he lying?¡±
¡°Not technically, no, but it wasn¡¯t very important.¡±
¡°Oh, I disagree.¡± Jumie squeezed herself in so close to Eito that Arthur thought they might actually merge. ¡°I think it was very important indeed. If you ever need something danced at, or absolutely destroyed, call on me. I will be there.¡±
¡°Thanks?¡± Arthur said. ¡°Hopefully I won¡¯t need the second.¡±
¡°The first is the more useful of the two anyway,¡± Eito said as he looked around. ¡°Really, though? None of this is for our wedding? Because it seems pretty perfect. There¡¯s a lot of space. It¡¯s pretty. It¡¯s solemn¡¡±
¡°Or it would be if everyone stopped drinking. What¡¯s this for?¡± Jumie asked. ¡°It must be celebrating something.¡±
¡°Oh, right. So I told them no. On the whole moving away from home to the capital to make emergency supplies thing. I¡¯ll still end up making a lot of tea to send around the world, but just what I can make from Coldbrook,¡± Arthur said.
¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Eito said. ¡°I honestly didn¡¯t know if you had it in you. I told them it was bad for your development, but I wasn¡¯t sure they heard. Besides Pomm, I mean. Pomm listens.¡±
¡°I got that impression.¡±
¡°Oh, that¡¯s too bad, though. Not that you get to have a party, but because it¡¯s right now. I guess we should push ours back?¡± Jumie¡¯s eyes dropped downwards as she mentally worked through her schedule. ¡°Tomorrow, maybe? We could have fun, and then figure something out tomorrow.¡±
¡°Absolutely not. No,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Do you have plans for tomorrow too?¡± Eito arched his eyebrows. ¡°Because I¡¯d like to marry this woman sometime, at least. I¡¯m not getting any younger, as you so eloquently pointed out.¡±
¡°No, I mean, it¡¯s not happening tomorrow because we are doing it tonight. Lily! Philbin!¡± Arthur yelled. ¡°I have an organization problem I need help with.¡±
¡°Arthur, no.¡± Jumie let go of Eito as she watched Philbin and Lily trot over. ¡°It¡¯s your night.¡±
¡°She¡¯s right, boy. Neither of us wants to just waltz in and ruin your party like that,¡± Etio said.
¡°And that¡¯s where you are wrong. One sec.¡± Arthur turned to Phil and Lily and pulled them into a close huddle. ¡°Eito and Jumie are getting married.¡±
¡°Eeek!¡± Lily squeaked, quietly. ¡°When?¡±
¡°Now. Tonight.¡±
¡°Aww. Good.¡± Lily looked up at the two much older people with a huge smile on her face. ¡°Good job, you two.¡±
¡°Thanks, but I¡¯m not sure we are actually going to do it tonight,¡± Jumie said, uncertainly.
¡°Don¡¯t be silly. Of course, you are.¡± Lily hand waved the objection and went back to the planning huddle. ¡°So what do you need?¡±
¡°Lily, I need you to go with Philbin and buy¡ flowers, I guess? Decorations. I¡¯m still not all that up on joining ceremonies. Phil, are you any good at them?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°I¡¯m okay. It¡¯s not my specialty.¡±
¡°That¡¯s more than enough. Go get supplies. And whatever food we need that we don¡¯t have.¡±
¡°Got it. Lily is coming along too?¡±
¡°Yes. For ideas, if she has them, and to help you get done faster. And¡ shoot. Jumie, you have friends, right? And family?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°I like to think I do,¡± Jumie said, slightly affronted. ¡°At least they say they are.¡±
¡°I mean in the capital, that we can get to,¡± Arthur clarified.
¡°Oh, yes, of course. Lots of colleagues, and more than a few relatives. Why?¡±
¡°Because I need Lily to figure out how to reach them all. Quickly. And to get all the stuff we need back here and set up in a reasonable time.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
¡°Oh, that¡¯s not a problem,¡± Lily said. ¡°I can handle that. Give me a few minutes.¡±
Lily wandered off to the guests, pulling aside a few people for a quick huddle of their own. While she did, Arthur felt Eito side up to him.
¡°You don¡¯t have to do this, you know. You are perfectly fine having your own party.¡± Eito coughed softly. ¡°We are both adults. We can wait if it means not ruining your day.¡±
¡°You aren¡¯t ruining anything. I can¡¯t think of a thing I want at this party more than you guys getting married. It doesn¡¯t ruin anything. It makes it perfect.¡±
Eito hesitated, then nodded. ¡°Fine, then. Jumie, he¡¯s got us. We can¡¯t fight with that.¡±
¡°Is he too old to adopt?¡± Jumie asked. ¡°I sort of like him.¡±
¡°I do too. But yes, probably a bit too old. You don¡¯t see a lot of former mayors getting adopted, these days.¡±
¡°Did you ever?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°See that exact thing, I mean.¡±
¡°Funny story about that, actually. Once, when I was doing my first trainings, I ran into¡¡±
Eito¡¯s story was cut off as a gigantic red monster clomped into range with a wagon behind him, terrible and huge in its poorly-put-together weirdness. As it drew near, Lily stood up from the wagon.
¡°I figured out that if we use Karbo, we can get this done much quicker. Philbin agreed to it,¡± Lily yelled.
¡°Does he know what he agreed to, exactly?¡± Arthur winced in sympathy for the man. ¡°Have you¡ ridden with Karbo, before?¡±
¡°No, can¡¯t say I have. He¡¯s pretty fast, I take it?¡±
Arthur thought about warning him. He really did.
¡°Yes. He¡¯s very quick. Have fun!¡±
Karbo asked some pointed questions about how prone to motion sickness Philbin had found himself in the past as they moved to the door.
¡°You really should have warned him, you know. Not that it would have done any good,¡± Eito commented.
¡°I guess everyone has to go through it eventually.¡± Arthur shrugged. ¡°And he might get an achievement out of it.¡±
¡°Yes, he just might. Although¡ Jumie, did they happen to mention how they are contacting your relatives? If they did, I think I missed it.¡±
¡°No, they didn¡¯t. Do you think I should catch them and check?¡±
As it turned out, she didn¡¯t need to. In a voice loud enough to cut through even the thickest, most enchanted stone, a crier helping an offworlder with a project got to work.
¡°Capital city! With permission from the ruling council, I¡¯m issuing a citywide announcement at the behest of Arthur Teamaster, of Coldbrook. And it¡¯s good news! Eito Trainer and Jumie Freedancer cordially invite anyone who knows them to the Demon Council meeting chambers, the big one, for their joining ceremony.¡±
The crier coughed a bit, clearing her voice, then came back to the task with a little more tremoring in her tone. Apparently, this much of an announcement took a bit out of her.
¡°As much as we¡¯d like to invite everyone, only people who actually know them should come for the ceremony itself. That said, if you want to set up a truly enormous party outside of the building that everyone can attend, there¡¯s nothing we¡¯d do to stop you.¡±
¡°Oh, well, I guess that covers it.¡± Arthur shrunk a bit in embarrassment. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it?¡±
¡°Yup,¡± Jumie deadpanned. ¡°I think it just about does.¡±
¡ª
An hour later, the room was transformed. Lily had incorporated as much Arthur-brand Earth-wedding elements as she could while still keeping the ceremony identifiable to Jumie as a Demon World event. There was a carpet laid down, even if it was circular. There were flowers, arches, and other pretty things, carried into place either by Karbo or Pomm. And on every edge of the room, there was food.
Jumie herself had been carted off to parts unknown as soon as Ella, Itela, and the other women present knew what was happening. Apparently they wanted to prepare her for the event, and Arthur had no doubt the already-pretty lioness demon was going to come out looking entirely different once they were done with her. In the meantime, Milo, Minos, and Arthur were trying to make sure Eito was prepared as well.
¡°This woman,¡± Milo said, ¡°is much better than you.¡±
¡°Agreed.¡± Eito smiled.
¡°Not that you are all that bad, but we are all frankly confused how you pulled this off.¡± Minos nodded sagely and continued the trend. ¡°It¡¯s confusing.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t disagree,¡± Eito said, as if it was the kind of common knowledge anyone might learn just walking down the street. Arthur winced in sympathy, glad that this seemed to be less offensive and more normal to everyone involved than it seemed to be to him. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I beat out hundreds of people for this chance. Maybe thousands. It¡¯s astounding.¡±
Milo clapped his hands together. ¡°Yes. And because of that, we have no idea what advice to give you here. If we understood how you had done it in the first place, we could probably do more. But¡¡±
¡°Milo is right. You¡¯ve given us an impossible task here. There¡¯s just no advice to give,¡± Minos said.
Eito sighed. ¡°I appreciate you trying, anyway.¡±
Karbo sauntered up in that moment, saw the concern on everyone¡¯s face, and let his own grin dropped as he became serious.
¡°Is there a problem?¡± Karbo glanced around the room. ¡°Missing bride? I thought that might happen. I can go look for her.¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s just¡¡± Eito shook his head. ¡°Arthur, you explain.¡±
¡°Milo and Minos think that Jumie is too good for Eito.¡± Arthur carefully distanced himself from the messaging as much as he could without being obvious, just to be safe.
¡°Well, yeah,¡± Karbo said. ¡°Everyone knows that. That¡¯s you and your weller, too.¡±
¡°Oh, yeah, for sure.¡± Arthur suddenly realized why the talk wasn¡¯t an insult. It was just true. ¡°Anyway, that makes it hard to give him advice. Since nobody understands how it worked out in the first place.¡±
¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy. I¡¯m surprised you guys didn¡¯t figure this out,¡± Karbo boomed.
Everyone present looked at him doubtfully, but Karbo¡¯s confidence was ironclad. He really seemed to believe he knew the answer here.
¡°Don¡¯t keep us in suspense, then. What¡¯s the advice?¡±
¡°It¡¯s easy.¡± Karbo balled up his enormous fists. ¡°Sometimes, in fights, you don¡¯t know what you are doing that¡¯s working on the monster or beast. Right? You change stuff up the whole time, and suddenly, you stumble on some combination of things that works. Only you don¡¯t know what part of it is doing the thing. Maybe it¡¯s the punches, or the kicks, or the tempo, or something else. But you can¡¯t tell just from the fight.¡±
¡°Okay?¡± Arthur said. ¡°Assuming that¡¯s true, and you are the expert there, what¡¯s that got to do with it?¡±
¡°You just don¡¯t change anything.¡± Karbo swept his hand out in a side-to-side motion in front of him, pausing suddenly when he reached the center point of his chest. ¡°You found the thing that works, right? You don¡¯t need to know what it is. Knowing what it is isn¡¯t the point. You just need to win the fight. So you don¡¯t change anything, you win, and everything¡¯s okay.¡±
Eito turned towards his friend, stunned. ¡°That¡¯s actually really good. How did you come up with that?¡±
¡°I had to fight a giant lake once. It was alive, or possessed, or something.¡± Karbo nodded like this was a normal thing that happened all the time. ¡°When you fight a lake, you learn a lot of things.¡±
¡°I guess so. Good job, Karbo.¡± Minos clapped Karbo on the back. ¡°That¡¯s settled then. Eito, don¡¯t change anything. Keep being who you are. That should work.¡±
Chapter 240: Ceremony
¡°And what are you telling my poor almost husband?¡± Jumie appeared behind them, scowling. ¡°I only caught a bit of that nonsense.¡±
¡°Oh, just that¡¡± Arthur suddenly realized he didn¡¯t really want to let the lioness in on the details. ¡°Just that he shouldn¡¯t rock the boat very much. On your relationship. At first. Just to be safe.¡±
¡°Oh, that¡¯s nonsense.¡± Jumie waved her hand. ¡°You do whatever you want, Eito. Forever. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll love it. You ready for the joining? I can¡¯t wait any longer.¡±
Eito looked doubtful, then seemed to catch something in his soon-to-be wife¡¯s eyes that resolved that doubt. He suddenly straightened a bit, like her words had put confidence directly into his veins. He nodded with a strength Arthur hadn¡¯t really sensed in him before, then moved off with Jumie towards the center of the room.
¡°Oh, huh,¡± Karbo said. ¡°She¡¯s going to make a man out of him. Already has, I think.¡±
¡°That¡¯s good, right?¡± Milo watched as they walked towards the center of the room, suddenly looking like they made much more sense together than they had before.
¡°Oh, sure. We can¡¯t make as much fun of him now, but we make too much fun of him anyway. He¡¯s one of the best people I know, you know. Ask Arthur.¡±
Milo looked to Arthur for confirmation. Arthur nodded, his head filled with memories of Eito¡¯s conversation with Remmy. Eito was good in a way that people couldn¡¯t always see, which meant everyone else got the full benefit of his presence, even if they didn¡¯t know it. That also meant Eito didn¡¯t get a lot of the benefit people normally got paid back for being nice. To his credit, that didn¡¯t stop him. Arthur couldn¡¯t think of a single interaction he had ever had with Eito where the trainer didn¡¯t try to help him in some way or another.
¡°Welcome, everyone!¡± Jumie yelled, bright as a bonfire. ¡°I want to be joined to this man, and he has agreed to it.¡±
¡°Good call!¡± an elderly raccoon-demon in the back of the room yelled. Everyone laughed.
¡°I know!¡± Eito yelled back, smiling. ¡°I¡¯m glad I did.¡±
¡°Shush!¡± Jumie said. ¡°We are wasting time. I want to be joined right now. And our officiant isn¡¯t even up here yet. Where are you at?¡±
The room went a bit more silent as everyone looked around for the officiant, but nobody budged. Arthur felt the cold creeps go up his back as he realized that, for the second wedding in a row, he had forgotten to make sure he knew who was running the thing.
¡°Is that¡¡± Arthur yelled reluctantly towards the front. ¡°Is that something I was supposed to do?¡±
¡°No, Arthur.¡± Eito shook his head. ¡°I just thought he¡¯d know without me telling him, since we¡¯ve been friends for so many decades. Karbo, where are you at?¡±
Arthur craned his neck over to look at Karbo, who for once in his vibrant life found himself not knowing what to do at all.
¡°Really?¡± Karbo said. ¡°Me?¡±
¡°Yes, you. Who else? Now come up here right now or I¡¯ll drag you up,¡± Jumie yelled.
The threat of being dragged by the only person in the world who might actually be able to do it seemed to shock Karbo out of his brain-freeze. Looking very small in a way Arthur didn¡¯t quite understand, He walked to the center of the room and stood with his friends.
¡°You want anything in particular?¡± Karbo asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know all of Arthur¡¯s weird Earth ceremonies, if that''s what you wanted.¡±
¡°Just whatever comes to mind.¡± Eito put his hand on Karbo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°However feels right.¡±
Karbo nodded. Arthur thought that, for just a moment, he could see tears in his eyes.
¡°So, I don¡¯t know how to do this. But I know I¡¯m happy.¡± Karbo let his voice boom and echo through the room. ¡°And it¡¯s been a long time coming. In a way, we are all just here to see this, to know it happened. Like witnesses at a classing. But I think¡¡±
Karbo cleared his throat.
¡°I think I¡¯m thinking of it like a promise to be happy with them. About who Eito and Jumie are. And who they are together. And that feels like a promise we can start keeping right now. Tonight. Is everyone fine with that?¡±
A cheer went up from the audience.
¡°Good. Jumie, are you okay with being joined to this guy?¡± Karbo wrapped his arm around his friend. ¡°He¡¯s pretty boring, you know.¡±
¡°It¡¯s a good kind of boring. So yes.¡± Jumie laughed. ¡°I¡¯d like that.¡±
¡°And Eito, you want to be joined to her? Bear in mind, if you say you don¡¯t, I¡¯m going to throw you.¡±
¡°No need.¡± Eito waved his hand dismissively. ¡°I¡¯d like that very much, too. Please make it happen.¡±
¡°Done. Lily, do you have the things?¡± Karbo asked.
¡°Things?¡± Jumie asked.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
¡°Things!¡± Lily said, tossing a few small boxes to Karbo. ¡°He scared a couple of crafters very much to get them.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t mean to. I guess I¡¯m scary when I¡¯m in a hurry. Jumie, this one is for you. I¡¯m giving it to Eito. And Eito, this is for you, so Jumie gets it. Can you open them?¡± Karbo said.
The two cracked open their boxes and gasped. Eito got his item out first. It was a ring of wood, two inches or so across.
¡°You know how to open that?¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± Eito said, dry-mouthed. Some majicka flared near his hand as the bracelet popped open and swung wide on a hidden hinge.
¡°Joining bracelets?¡± Arthur looked at Mizu, who had crept up to his side to hold his hand as he watched.
¡°Yeah. It¡¯s not a necessary part of it, but people like them. I like them too, for the record.¡±
Eito turned to Jumie, still smiling but also now visibly nervous for the first time that night. Jumie turned to him as well, holding on to a simple black canvas loop.
¡°Ready? Good. Put them on.¡± Karbo watched in immense satisfaction as his friends fastened their bracelets on. Some enchantments flared as they sized themselves perfectly to the wrists they were destined for, and Arthur got the distinct impression that the bands were much more durable and permanent than they might look. He doubted there was much that could break them, just like Eito and Jumie¡¯s relationship.
¡°Everyone, these two are now joined,¡± Karbo said. ¡°Yell or something.¡±
The crowd was very happy to oblige.
¡ª
¡°It¡¯s odd,¡± Arthur said. ¡°It suddenly feels like the trip is over.¡±
All around them, the streets were madness. Jumie knew a lot of performers, it seemed, and they were all eager to add their own little touches to the street-level party that burst out after the joining. There was food everywhere, courtesy of who-knew-what Demon World duty norm, all of it excellent and there for the plucking. Lily was laying on a bench near them, literally groaning in gourmet satisfaction after eating what Arthur suspected was enough food to keep a fully-grown Prata going for a few days.
¡°I know what you mean.¡± Mizu grasped his hand. ¡°It wasn¡¯t really what I expected, honestly.¡±
¡°Did you end up seeing all the wells you wanted to?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°No, not yet. But I think I¡¯ll get that over with tomorrow. There¡¯s only so much I can learn from the old way of doing things now. I¡¯ll have to convert a lot of it over to work with my new rune stack, but it meant I didn¡¯t have to pay attention to as many details.¡±
¡°And you are sure you don¡¯t want to swap me out for that buff weller?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°It¡¯s probably your last chance.¡±
¡°Gross.¡± Mizu stuck her tongue out in mock-disgust, then cuddled closer to Arthur. ¡°No, I think I¡¯ll keep my Earthling. He¡¯s pretty good, you know.¡±
¡°Thanks.¡± Arthur gripped her hand. ¡°You¡¯re pretty good yourself, you know.¡±
They sat in silence for almost ten minutes, watching the groups of entertainers circling the square, and only moving at all when an errant juggling-ball nearly caught Arthur in the nose.
¡°So did you get any achievements from all that?¡± Mizu said. ¡°The whole mess, I mean.¡±
¡°Oh, sure. A few.¡± Arthur would talk to her about how much a ¡°few¡± was tomorrow. It would end up being a long conversation. For now, he just wanted to enjoy the night.
|
Blender¡¯s Apprentice (Skill, Potential Outlet)
You have interacted with a world-class blender, managing to gain access to both his direct instruction and his notes. In doing so, you have managed to gain a glimpse of a whole new world of control around your brewing, your ingredients, and even the influence those ingredients might have on your medicinal boba.
This skill has been granted early in some ways, mainly as a way to off-load excess potential. As such, it starts at a negative level, one which you can quickly bring back to positive by spending more time seeking the council of the blender himself, comprehending the study materials he¡¯s given you, and creating your own blends. This is nowhere near as powerful as Lup¡¯s primary skill, but will be a useful and significant addition to your growing skillset.
Once leveled, this skill will give you a better inherent understanding of ingredients, especially as it pertains to interactions between them. As the skill grows, other qualities may be added on.
|
|
Mystery Achievement #1 (Openable, Potential Outlet)
You have gained a mystery achievement. When you find a quiet moment, open it to find out what it is.
|
When Arthur opened it earlier in the day, he found that it was something that would positively affect every single thing he did, especially his planting efforts. He had no doubt that keeping his own garden of tea had something to do with that, and he¡¯d be stealing every single seed Lup would send with him before he went home to make sure he had plenty of ingredients to work with moving forward.
|
Mystery Achievement #2 (Self-opening, Potential Outlet, Secret)
This achievement will reveal itself at the appropriate moment. Its best form will be achieved if you refrain from sharing its existence with anyone until after it opens.
|
The second achievement was weird, especially considering that none of these skills and recognition started to pour in until after the joining ceremony was complete. It was made even weirder once he considered the fact that it came with an identically timed sibling, like twins.
¡°Uh-huh. Just a few normal achievements and skills. Like always happens to Arthur. I definitely buy that.¡± Mizu said. ¡°Fine. Keep your secrets, for now.¡±
¡°I will. I promise I¡¯ll tell you once I get them all sorted out. For now, I just want to enjoy¡ all this.¡±
Mizu sighed and turned way from Arthur, looping her legs over the arm of the bench as she laid her head down on his leg. ¡°So what did you think? Of the joining ceremony.¡±
¡°It was good.¡± Arthur said. ¡°It seemed like it was a long time coming.¡±
¡°Yeah?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡± He leaned back on the bench. ¡°I feel like they were joined in a lot of ways for a long time before that. And it just took this one week for them to realize it.¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Mizu nodded. ¡°It is like that.¡±
They sat for another moment, until Arthur was sure he wasn¡¯t the only person feeling what was coming next.
¡°So when we get home, then?¡± he said, gulping. ¡°We can see who can come with us, but there¡¯s no way I¡¯d do the ceremony anywhere but Coldbrook.¡±
¡°Of course,¡± Mizu said. ¡°I¡¯d like that too. And remember I like the bracelets.¡±
Chapter 241: Homecoming
Mizu demanded Arthur put off telling anyone what they had decided until later, mostly so she could sneak away to look at yet another well before their decision brought more madness into their lives. By the time the night was done, Arthur was glad she had made that decision. It had been a long, long day. Holding on to a warm secret for a bit was a small price to pay to give for its own day.
Of course, as always, the system had other plans. After the first few minutes of the long walk back to the hotel, Arthur remembered he had a package to open. And once he did, any plans of a calm tomorrow evaporated away like dew at the zero point of a nuclear explosion.
System Wide Announcement! Path Widening Implemented.
Arthur Teamaster, formerly of Earth and now of Coldbrook, has made significant in-roads into the medicinal qualities of foods, especially as influenced and interacting with a cook¡¯s intuition skills and the needs of individual patients.
Due to Arthur¡¯s individual progress, an excess of offworld potential, a deep-seated desire to be less special in terms of his class, and the general sustained progress of the Demon World, the following general changes have been implemented:
- At a small but real cost to the overall efficacy of the taste-enhancement elements of food-based classes, medicinal secondary skills will be become available to many food-based classes.
- All food-based medicinal buffs are now capped at a slight effect, unless they otherwise enhance some element the food already possesses.
- To maintain balance, all of Arthur¡¯s innovations regarding storing majicka in food to buff the eventual product¡¯s effects will now be limited to products meant for layman, non-food-class use. In compensation, secondary majicka skills meant to be used this way by rationers and other similar non-classer food supply classes will be easier to obtain.
As with all path widenings, the details are much more extensive than the general overview. Some of them have been provided for you already in a supplement attached to this announcement. Others will have to be searched out and learned through efforts, as usual.
Congratulations to the Demon World are in order for this significant step forward.
|
¡°Dammit, System,¡± Arthur said, to nobody in particular. ¡°I guess it¡¯s good we¡¯re here for another day.¡±
Humming to himself and glancing over and over again at the spot on his wrist where he¡¯d soon be wearing a bracelet, Arthur strolled back towards the hotel, slept, and became one step closer to returning home.
¡ª
¡°You better be glad I keep my promises, Arthur. If they could have caught me, they would have kept you there for another week.¡± Talca reached down and patted Littal on the side, just as he had any of the dozens of times he had reminded Arthur of how lucky he was to have a good transporter on hand during the trip home. ¡°You¡¯d still be in that madness.¡±
¡°I know. And I¡¯m very thankful. You are, however, still going far too fast.¡±
The capital had exploded at the news of a path widening, and from the moment Arthur got up the next morning until Talca had yanked him away from the crowd, chucked him into the back of the wagon and rescued him, he had been beset by well-wishers and curious librarians alike. There had not been a single moment in which someone was not either congratulating him, trying to get him to accept some kind of commemorative award, or asking him complicated, librarian-type questions he couldn¡¯t answer.
Things were better now. Arthur had lost track of the days of travel, absolutely content to ride in the sun with a water demon on his arm, chewing up road in pursuit of his return home. The only wrinkle that stood in the way of a truly perfect trip was the fact that Talca had made a bet with Karbo.
¡°There is no too fast when that red menace is involved.¡± Littal grunted in agreement as Talca rehashed his reasons for pushing well beyond the capabilities of his passenger¡¯s rider skills several times a day, whenever his majicka allowed for another hour-long boost. ¡°I¡¯m not going to lose. Especially when I¡¯m giving you people a ride home for free.¡±
¡°I sort of like it,¡± Lily said. ¡°I try to take naps when he starts, and whenever I wake up the trees are all different. It¡¯s like I¡¯m teleporting.¡±
¡°Well, some of us can¡¯t sleep while the world blurs by.¡± Arthur steadied Mizu as they hit a particularly deep rut in the road, bounced a foot or so off the ground, and then crashed back to Demon World soil and continued onwards. ¡°He must be far enough behind by now, right?¡±
¡°Wrong. You are being tactically shallow.¡± Talca whipped the reins down lightly and encouragingly on Littal¡¯s back as the Hing pushed just a little harder than should have been possible towards Coldbrook. ¡°He knows I¡¯ll be pushing harder. So he might push even harder than that. Did you really have to invite him to your joining?¡±
¡°Karbo? Absolutely. He was almost the first person Mizu and I invited.¡± Arthur laughed. ¡°He and Eito were the first people I met here. Did I ever tell you about that? I had never seen anything like them. I ran. Just took off in a random direction like a scared beast. They had to chase me.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
¡°And then?¡± Talca did not slow down the wagon even a single bit for the story, much to Arthur¡¯s disappointment. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you didn¡¯t get away.¡±
¡°And then I fainted. Itela had to calm me down.¡±
¡°Sounds like you,¡± Talca said. ¡°There¡¯s always something with Arthur.¡±
¡°Well, maybe less now. At least soon. Now that everyone can do what I can do, I should be able to spend more time just giving people tea. Like I¡¯ve always wanted.¡±
¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not holding my breath,¡± Talca said. ¡°Now pay attention, even if it¡¯s for the first time this trip. I think you are going to like what¡¯s over the next hill.¡±
Arthur did pay a bit more attention. Suddenly, he realized he knew the exact combination of plants, smells, and sounds this forest was dishing up. This was Coldbrook terrain. They were close.
Talca¡¯s promise wasn¡¯t for nothing. As the wagon crested the next hill, Arthur found himself looking down on home. Somehow, it not only felt like it had been years instead of weeks. It looked like it too. Karra had apparently been working hard, and walls and houses that had barely had their foundations drawn when he left were now standing tall and strong, a combination of slapstone and excellent Rhodia-brick that he knew would outlive him.
¡°Oh, there it is.¡± Arthur sighed. ¡°Look, Milo. Look, Lily. It¡¯s home. I just wish Corbin was here to see it.¡±
¡°Are you sure he¡¯s not?¡± Lily smiled. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised.¡±
¡°Not this time. The council had some kind of special job for him. And he took it. He told me to tell all of you he¡¯d visit when he could.¡±
¡°Why didn¡¯t he tell us himself?¡± Mizu asked. ¡°I¡¯ll miss him as much as you will.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think he likes goodbyes. Honestly, half the reason that guy goes into stealth so much in the first place is that he just can¡¯t deal with¡¡±
Arthur stopped mid-sentence as an achievement he had almost forgotten chose that moment to open itself.
|
Homecoming
Arthur, it¡¯s good to talk to you again. You know the drill, or at least you will for just a few moments until I¡¯m forced to put the same restrictions on your memory you chose so long ago back in place. This is a type of conversation I¡¯m not really allowed to have very often, for reasons that are hard to explain.
While I have you, let me tell you some things. Since the very first time I had the pleasure of experiencing it, visitors to my world have always made me feel very lucky. Even when they found themselves surrounded by war, hardship, or other not-nice things, they have made things better in the ways they could manage. Every single one of them left a trail behind them that other people could follow towards better lives and ways of living, and you are no exception to that.
Far from it, really. Even with as much as all of my visitors from other places have accomplished, you need to believe me when I say that you have from the very first moment of your arrival been one of my very favorites. One of the few who I expected the most out of, and I knew would change the world the most.
It might not seem this way to you now, but what you¡¯ve accomplished is, in its own small way, something that will eventually rival what the Bear did. He affected a moment. He gave an opportunity. But you blazed a path to healing, comfort, and progress that will never stop paying out for as long as this world stands. People will always, always get to live in a place that¡¯s just a little bit better now. That¡¯s something you did.
It¡¯s an understatement when I say you belong here, Arthur. I can¡¯t think of anyone who belongs here more.
And that comes with a choice. Up until now, your life has been a bit chaotic, which I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed. That was necessary for reasons that are such a jumble of potential, transmigration considerations and other-things-I-can¡¯t-explain that I couldn¡¯t even start to cover them here. But now, with so much of your work done, those reasons hardly exist anymore.
So it¡¯s up to you how things happen, from now on. If you like, you can remember this entire message. If you do, things will continue much as they have before. You will be, for better or worse, a person to whom interesting things always happen. You will always have excitement around the next corner. You will see new places and do new things. If you wanted excitement, there will be plenty, coming at you from all corners.
It¡¯s an option you could take. And it would be a good life. But when you came here, you said you wanted something nice. I¡¯ve never lost sight of that, I hope, even if it seemed to you like I might have.
If you choose the second option, you will be yanked out of the currents of your own potential and set back on solid, calm dry land. Like anyone, your future will contain excitement and changes all its own. But for the first time, those peculiarities of life will be much like anyone else might experience.
In many ways, you¡¯ve always wished for more days that both started and ended in a warm, boring type of calm. For more time in your shop. For more dinners that were just about food and companionship, and for mornings that started out more slowly and fed into nights that ended conventionally.
If you pick the second option, you get all of that. I can¡¯t promise that everything will always be good, or that every day will always be calm. That¡¯s a guarantee even I can¡¯t offer. But in large part, I can give you a chance for those things that you¡¯ve never really had before. And, of course, you will forget this message ever existed, just like you did last time.
It¡¯s your choice, of course. And I think I can guess which one you will pick. Either way, know I love you, and that I¡¯ll always be watching you with a smile on my face.
You¡¯ve come a long way, Arthur, and I¡¯m proud of you. You belong here, and you are finally home.
|
Arthur closed his eyes and chose. It wasn¡¯t a hard decision.
¡°Are you okay there, Arthur?¡± Lily poked aggressively at his cheek until he turned and looked directly at her. ¡°You zoned out again. New skill?¡±
¡°No. Just an achievement. Nothing too exciting.¡± Arthur flicked the window over to anyone in the wagon who looked interested. ¡°See for yourself.¡±
|
Homecoming
You¡¯ve been on a very long trip, and you are finally where you belong.
Reward: A small amount of experience.
|
Arthur exhaled slowly as he settled back into his seat. Somehow, that little achievement had managed to confirm something he could barely believe a few moments ago.
The wagon rattled towards the town a bit slower now, but even outside the gates, he knew he was finally home.
Chapter 242: Some Years Later
Some years later¡
A garden, Arthur had found, was a series of sufferings leading to different kinds of success. The early part was pain in the most literal of senses. It combined the bumps and bruises of manual labor with most-used-surface general-applicability blisters of shovel work. It hurt while he did it, kept hurting for at least a while once he was done, and then led into another kind of pain before a single benefit was seen.
Once the seeds were scattered, the next kind of hurt started. It was the most real and most annoying of the several sufferings for Arthur, but the one that was least easily explained to others. It was, simply put, the pain of waiting. He had done all the work and everything in his primitive Earthling ape-brain was telling him that, as a hunter-gatherer, it was time to sit and enjoy the profits of his day¡¯s finds. Instead, he was hit with a long wait, something none of the primitive parts of his mind was prepared to either understand or take sitting down. Weeks or months would pass before his seeds germinated or, in the case of plants that were already in existence, new growth became visible.
And with that waiting came a tower-defense kind of weeding, one that took constant watching and tending lest the invader plants from beyond the garden managed to breach friendly territory and cause crop casualties. This wasn¡¯t pain, exactly, Arthur had to admit that. But he didn¡¯t like it.
And then, finally, after all the waiting, came the reward. He got to harvest the literal fruits of his planting, picking leaves and plucking berries, until he had a basket full of the benefits of his own work. He was then able to feed the raw materials through different kinds of processing, take them to different kinds of classes who would preserve them, or he could even eat some of them right then and there. There was almost nothing bad about this stage, and if everything ended there, the balance between good and costs would be much easier for Arthur to feel good about.
But then, at the last, there were decisions to be made. The plants were, in a lot of ways, Arthur¡¯s friends. Or at least allies, things he had been able to rely on that had done their damnedest to support him in his efforts. At the end of the process, he was always presented with dilemmas. Sitting next to his garden now, he had hard decisions about which of his friends to sacrifice in the name of garden-progress, and he just couldn¡¯t make them.
¡°You don¡¯t look happy, pop.¡±
Lily strolled up, tall, slender, and ever more graceful at each stage of her growth spurts. It had been more than a year since she had passed the period of time when most people gained their class, but the combination of having her hand in almost every part of the construction of a town and the sheer amount of energy she had thrown into everything she did in the past few years meant she was far beyond that in actual progress. So far, actually, that she was finally forced to slow down.
Arthur shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not not-happy. It¡¯s just time to reorganize my garden. There¡¯s not enough room to plant the new hybrids that came in from the capital, and I don¡¯t know what to cut.¡±
¡°Is this your inventory sheet?¡± Lily slid a piece of paper out from under a rock on Arthur¡¯s worktable, panning her eyes back and forth over the text. ¡°It¡¯s current?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°Then cut the sourweed, the king¡¯s scepter, and the roil-briar. That will make enough room.¡±
¡°The sourweed? Really? There¡¯s barely any in inventory.¡±
¡°And you barely use it. The two blends you put it into didn¡¯t work, remember? You only need enough to experiment with, and harvesting the plants you have now will give you more than enough for that.¡±
Arthur didn¡¯t argue with that. Lily¡¯s Long-Term Planner skill was still low-leveled, but she already knew about Arthur¡¯s stock and business off the top of her head than he did unless he referenced his notes.
It was one of the many, many ways she was more impressive than him these days.
¡°What about you?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°Are you happy?¡±
¡°I am. The year off was the best idea you ever had. I just laid in the sun most of the time. Skal¡¯s been teaching me how to fish. I can almost catch things now.¡± She smiled. ¡°And every once in a while I¡¯ll be baiting a hook or looking at a pretty flower, and my class would grow a little. I really needed the rest.¡±
¡°Good,¡± Arthur said. ¡°I wish you¡¯d take the time fully off though. I still see you out there working.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
Lily¡¯s class had grown into something completely different than the help-by-sitting-around configuration she had started out with. She still gifted majicka to people she was working with just by being around them, but the parts of her class that made her more effective the more she knew about an individual job had grown until they were the star performers of her loadout.
Any given day, Arthur would walk by some job site and see Lily hard at work side-by-side with some specialist, hands-on as she helped them do whatever they were doing. It didn¡¯t work as well if it was something Lily didn¡¯t understand, but almost nothing fit that description anymore.
She was a grown up now. At least as grown up as Arthur had been when he arrived at the demon world, and even older and more experienced in a lot of ways.
¡°Well, I can¡¯t help it. I tried doing real, actual nothing and I was going crazy. There¡¯s only so many hours a day I can spend drinking tea and telling boys I¡¯m not interested,¡± Lily complained.
¡°Is that still happening? I guess it would be. I was hoping it would¡ I don¡¯t know. Slow down,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Oh, it has. It was like they all started to go on the wife-hunt as soon as their classes hit level ten. Like it got them thinking about their future.¡±
¡°And they all wanted to spend it with you.¡±
¡°I guess?¡± Lily threw her hands up. ¡°I don¡¯t get it, but I guess.¡±
If she really didn¡¯t get it, Lily was the only one. She was a beautiful young lady who sometimes puffed herself up to look bigger and more intimidating. Arthur had seen her nearly kill some young demon man who was new to the town by doing it as he walked by, hitting him with both barrels of her cute-shotgun. It took him weeks to recover, at least according to the slightly older folks who helped him find his footing in the new town.
The fact that she would also promote the speed at which anyone she was around was just icing on the cake. She was a popular girl, something she seemed to hate with every fiber of her being.
¡°None of those guys is worth your time? There must have been dozens of them by now. Are they really all that bad?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Not all that bad. But nothing like¡ remember when you told me about how you met mom?¡±
¡°I do. A lot of times, actually.¡±
¡°You said that you were an idiot and could hardly talk. She said she was almost that way, but couldn¡¯t help talking to you anyway because you were so inept. And both of you say you sort of knew right then.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think I necessarily knew everything right at that moment.¡± Arthur tried to think back to how he had felt when he first met Mizu, and mostly remembered how incredibly hot his face had felt. ¡°But basically, yes. I knew it was important.¡±
¡°Well, that¡¯s what I want,¡± Lily said. ¡°I want to sort of know. Like you did.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think everyone has the same experience as we did, Lily. Plenty of people are happy finding out they work over time.¡± Arthur gave her a light hug from the side. ¡°You might have to compromise in favor of reasonable. At least someday.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t want reasonable.¡± Lily puffed slightly. ¡°But I¡¯ll think about it.¡±
¡°I¡¯m glad. And thanks for making the decision for me here. I might have been here all day, and I¡¯ve got an appointment to keep.¡± Arthur let go of the hug and shook his head at his garden.
¡°Who with?¡±
¡°Your aunt. Spiky is thinking about finally moving forward with his idea for greenhouses, and I told him I¡¯d speak to Rhodia about what that would look like in terms of glass. What about you?¡±
¡°It¡¯s about time for second-nap. Do you want me to pull those plants before I leave?¡±
Arthur shook his head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯ll just do it myself later. I¡¯ll process them when they¡¯re fresh.¡±
¡°Got it.¡± Lily and Arthur began to walk from his garden back towards the town, taking the bridge that crossed the artificial stream in his backyard as they did. ¡°Did mom change something with the river back here? It looks¡ green.¡±
¡°It is green. Some kind of experimental enchantment. She says it will help the tea plants. They all pull water from this stream, you know.¡±
¡°Is it working?¡±
¡°Too soon to tell.¡± Arthur shrugged. ¡°But it made your mother happy, and that makes me happy, so¡¡±
¡°I could just ask her how it works, I guess. Is she in?¡±
¡°No, she¡¯s out all day. Something about the brook needing her expertise, somewhere far out of town. I think Talca took her up there.¡±
¡°Later, then, I guess. You okay on your own from here?¡±
¡°Of course.¡± Arthur gave Lily a little hug before she left. ¡°Love you.¡±
¡°I love you too. See you later, dad.¡±
Arthur took a quick shower to get the garden soil off himself, dressed, and walked towards the mouth of the canyon. These days, the protective walls that had once sealed off the canyon were long gone, replaced by layer after layer of Coldbrook spilling out of the canyon into the terrain beyond, housing thousands of demons and surrounded by newer, taller walls.
That didn¡¯t mean the entrance to the cliff-protected portion of town was completely unadorned. When Arthur stopped at his and Rhodia¡¯s meeting place, it was in the shadow of a huge, iron statue. It stood like a sentinel watching the entire town, one wing extended nobly in front of it while holding a too-large smithing hammer.
And at the base, on a huge plaque, the name of the person depicted was inscribed.
MIlo Metalsmith Memorial Sculpture
May his heroism always be remembered
¡°This statue is so stupid.¡± Rhodia said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t even look like him, right?¡±
¡°It looks a little like him. It¡¯s a bird, at least.¡± Arthur looked up at the too-handsome, too-rugged face of the statue and winced at how far it missed the mark in some ways. ¡°It could be worse. They might have depicted him reading.¡±
¡°They should have never built this¡± Rhodia said. ¡°You should have never allowed it.¡±
¡°He didn¡¯t have a choice, honey. I beat him in a footrace, fair and square,¡± Milo said.
¡°People shouldn¡¯t have memorial statues made of themselves before they die!¡±
¡°I wanted to enjoy it.¡± Milo looked up and nodded in satisfaction at his own not-so-accurate depiction. ¡°And I do. Sue me.¡±
¡°Anyway,¡± Arthur said, changing the subject. ¡°Lunch?¡±
¡°Oh, yes, let¡¯s.¡± Rhodia looked up at the town clock. ¡°I still have at least an hour before I have to get back.¡±
Chapter 243: Nieces and Nephews
The three of them walked to a nearby stand and bought the kind of stir-fry-over-noodles dish that was so popular almost everywhere. Nobody ever messed it up, although some people were definitively better at making it than others. This stand was one of the good ones.
¡°So what does Spiky want this time?¡± Rhodia asked. ¡°And why am I the only person in the world great enough to do it?¡±
¡°He wants glass. Lots of glass.¡± Arthur reached into his pack and pulled out a small piece of paper, which he unfolded to reveal a drawing of a glass-panel greenhouse. ¡°He wants to convert one of the fields that got poisoned during the last monster wave to permanent cold-season growing capacity.¡±
¡°How many of these?¡± Rhodia asked. ¡°That¡¯s a big field.¡±
¡°Hundreds. I think he knows it might not happen all at once. He¡¯s willing to make it a multi-season job, if needs be.¡±
¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think so.¡± Rhodia took a look at the plans again, looking like she was doing some quick mental math. ¡°It will be a little harder without Lily to help, but lots and lots of conventional glass isn¡¯t that much of a challenge anymore. It¡¯s more about set-up, and I have a mechanist and a smelter. I¡¯ll need full access to that field, and it might look weird for a while, but I think I can mass produce glass, yes.¡±
¡°Amazing.¡±
There were other ceramics people who could do much better individual pieces than Rhodia could. They could make cups that were harder to break or more delicate. They could make plates that were more refined. There were even several of them in town. Rhodia didn¡¯t care. Her class path had always been about finding a situation where a whole lot of something was needed, then rising to the challenge of making it. Whether or not they upgraded later, each new resident in Coldbrook tended to start with a building made out of her brick, eating off plates that came out of her kiln, and using her glass for special projects.
The fact that she could, even in the worst of times, create almost limitless amounts of brick meant that the town¡¯s growth had always been more-or-less unrestricted. There was plenty of stone, and plenty of wood. But when either ran short or didn¡¯t fit the bill, Rhodia could make up the gaps.
And Milo did anything she couldn¡¯t, adding his own contribution to the conversation, ¡°I could rig up the buildings so the windows open automatically. By turning a crank or something. Then we could use those in the summer, too.¡±
¡°Sounds good. I¡¯ll run it by Spiky, but I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll say yes.¡±
¡°Why isn¡¯t he here to say it himself, by the way?¡± Milo asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t been keeping track of what he¡¯s up to, this week.¡±
¡°He ran over to Seaside. To pick up a new resident.¡±
¡°You mean that one?¡± Milo asked. ¡°I thought he was still a few weeks out.¡±
¡°I think they got tired of him at the last place. He¡¯s not¡¡± Arthur tried to think of a way to say what he wanted to nicely. He was just a kid, after all. ¡°He¡¯s not like me.¡±
¡°Oh, I bet not. Who is?¡± Rhodia laughed.
After lunch, Arthur walked Milo and Rhodia back to their workshop, where they were able to squeeze in ten minutes or so of drafting up plans to make as much glass as Spiky said he would need. They had just about confirmed that Rhodia¡¯s class could handle everything even before the cold season hit when the sound of shattering glass at the front door cut them short.
¡°That¡¯ll be Ash.¡± Rhodia shook her head. ¡°I swear she does it on purpose.¡±
¡°It could be Clay,¡± Arthur offered.
¡°No, not really. And you know it.¡±
Ash and Clay suddenly appeared through the door, speeding up to the top velocity their stubby pre-kindergarden legs could handle when they saw Arthur.
¡°Uncle Arthur!¡± Ash slammed into Arthur¡¯s legs hard, then bounced off and hit the floor. She dusted her feathers off quickly as she rolled back to her feet and hugged the same leg she just bruised. ¡°Did you hear me break the vase?¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
¡°I heard.¡±
¡°Momma says she¡¯ll put me in a kiln if I break more.¡± Ash sniffed. ¡°She never says that about Clay.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t break things. I fix things. With Dad,¡± Clay protested.
¡°You sure do, son.¡± Milo patted his head. ¡°He wants to be a maintainer when he grows up.¡±
Arthur nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a good job. I¡¯ve had a lot of maintainer friends. It sounds fun, right?¡±
Clay nodded too. Arthur had learned not to try to pry extra words out of the mouse-boy if he didn¡¯t have to. Ash started tapping his leg, only stopping when Arthur looked down to give his Uncle attention.
¡°What about you, Ash?¡± Arthur said. ¡°Did you change what you want your class to be?¡±
¡°No!¡± Ash said, pulling back and swinging an imaginary object with both hands. It was so heavy in her mind that it took her around for a couple of spins before she got control of it. ¡°I¡¯m going to be a Clubber. Then dad can make me a club as big as Aunt Karra.¡±
¡°And then what?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll club stuff!¡± Ash shouted, then ran around a bit pretending to club things until her twin got the business end of her non-existent blunt weapon, and they began chasing each other around the yard.
¡°Thanks for bringing them home, Mom.¡± Rhodia leaned over and gave Ella a quick hug. ¡°That piece was too touchy to have them around for, but it came out fine. I shouldn¡¯t need them out of the house much in the next few months. I promise.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t promise I can¡¯t see my grandchildren,¡± Ella huffed. ¡°I may or may not have taken them to a few cookie stands. You might want to go easy on the sweets after dinner.¡±
¡°That explains why they¡¯re so fast today.¡± Arthur watched as the kids zoomed around the yard, pretending to either repair things or break them, depending on the personality involved. ¡°Too much sugar.¡±
¡°Nope. They are like that all the time, now.¡± Milo smiled. ¡°Mom says it just gets faster and louder until they move out.¡±
¡°And sometimes they bring stray children home. Watch out for that,¡± Ella added.
¡ª
All in all, the time from looking at his own garden to when Arthur finally shook loose from the dual embrace of his niece and nephew was a little less than three hours. Arthur didn¡¯t mind spending the day like that at all. Nieces and nephews were fun, it turned out. He got to get all the cute little kid moments and fun trips around the city without any of the work, and his friends got alone time out of the bargain. It was a win-win-win for everyone involved, as far as Arthur was concerned.
But Arthur still had hours and hours of time to burn before his next responsibilities hit. Which meant he could do whatever he wanted in the meantime. There wasn¡¯t much question of how that would pan out, as far as he was concerned.
¡°Oh, hey, there.¡± Arthur saw a skunk demon leaning on the wall of his shop as he walked up. ¡°Did you bring me more leaves?¡±
¡°Yup.¡± Tryce reached into his pouch and grabbed a roll of leather, which he carefully waved at Arthur. ¡°You get the shop open, and I¡¯ll get these unpacked. I took notes this time.¡±
Arthur smiled, then took his key, unlocked the lock on his front door that was entirely for show, and walked into the best building he had ever seen.
Arthur had two tea shops before this, and he had thought both of them were perfect. Now he knew that past-him was wrong. Those shops had both been great, of course, but they had only been as great as his imagination and knowledge would allow him at those times. As he got older and older, he came to understand what he needed more and more. He learned more about what he liked. And, eventually, enough of those little pieces of knowledge piled up that he decided to act on them.
The first thing he changed had to do with alleys. Arthur wanted to be in one. Not a dingy alley, or a dirty one, but the kind of small-side street he had seen back on Earth in pictures of Tokyo. He was after the kind of place that made it just a little harder for customers to find your shop, but also made it feel more secluded, less busy, and more cozy as a result.
The second thing Arthur wanted was less room. That had come as a bit of a shock even to him. He still needed quite a bit of space behind the counter to do his own work, but the space he ended up moving to was quite a bit smaller than his shop at the plaza had been. He had a few large tables, and a bench on the wall that could accommodate a few customers besides.
The way the shop was set up now, anything more than three or four customers gave it a full feeling, and anything more than ten was noticeably packed. But at the same time, people seemed to talk a bit more when there wasn¡¯t as much room between them and the other people. It was more social. Anyone who just wanted tea tended to linger at the walk-by window outside the shop to do their ordering, and would limit their time with Arthur to a minute or so of chit-chat.
He still served plenty of people, of course, but nowhere near the capacity he really could have. The amount he did serve felt right. Living in a world where he could follow that feeling, even if it meant less business, was a wonderful thing.
And it wasn¡¯t like Arthur needed the money.
¡°I still have to get shoes like that.¡± Tryce, the skunk demon, looked down in envy as Arthur came back outside the shop to open the ordering window on the big glass storefront. ¡°Next monster wave, maybe. When everything¡¯s cheap.¡±
¡°Totally worth it. Trust me,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Once you have shoes, a house, and a family, the rest of everything is just sort of extra.¡±
¡°What about class growth?¡± the skunk asked. ¡°You gotta get those levels.¡±
¡°Maybe. I never noticed a higher level really making anyone happier, here. It might happen. But I¡¯ve never seen good shoes fail. They are a perfect, true thing.¡±
¡°Be that as it may,¡± Tryce grunted. Arthur watched his wisdom go partially to waste on the younger person. That was fine. They¡¯d get it eventually. ¡°I have leaves. Lots of them, today.¡±
¡°Then let¡¯s get started.¡±
Chapter 244: Euth
¡°Okay. This first roll is stuff I got off bushes. Nothing super strong in terms of scavenger-sense, but we¡¯ve sort of figured out it doesn¡¯t work so well for tea anyway. Most of it is stuff I could source a lot of,¡± Tryce said.
¡°Got it.¡± Arthur hovered his hand over the ingredients. He didn¡¯t need to do it for Food Scientist to kick in, but he found it helped him visualize what was happening a little better. After a few moments, he pulled his hand back. ¡°None of these are tea, I think. Sorry.¡±
¡°No problem.¡± The next roll opened up to reveal a bunch of roots, most with soil still attached. ¡°Some of these basically say they are alchemy ingredients. But I thought there might be some overlap for you.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll check them out.¡± Arthur¡¯s hand hovered again, then he shook his head. ¡°Nope. Sorry. They aren¡¯t showing up for me. I wish this was easier for you.¡±
¡°No worries. The harder it is, the more likely it is I¡¯ll get an achievement.¡± The skunk unrolled one roll of leather, laying it out with a grimace. ¡°Some of this stuff is gross. This roll is for bugs, bark, and bits.¡±
¡°Bits?¡±
¡°Bits of things that come off of other things. Fur caught in bushes. Mold. Stuff like that. Even if something worked for you in this roll, you couldn¡¯t use any of it because something else in the pack might be poisoning the rest of it.¡±
¡°Got it.¡± Arthur did notice some stuff in the roll that he couldn¡¯t identify but that he nonetheless didn¡¯t want to touch at all. ¡°Actually, this is hitting. This¡ twig?¡±
¡°Bracken. It¡¯s a small fragment of fern bracken,¡± Tryce explained.
¡°Well, it¡¯s something.¡± Arthur pushed a bit more majicka into Food Scientist, which gave him a few more details. At this level, investing the strange Demon World energy into his skills could get him a lot of detail. ¡°A clarifier, I think. Which is neat.¡±
¡°What¡¯s it do?¡±
¡°Basically, just makes liquids clearer,¡± Arthur said as he tried to gauge the effectiveness of the bracken. ¡°It¡¯s a cosmetic thing, but it matters for enjoyment. Can you get me a bunch of this?¡±
¡°How much is a bunch?¡±
¡°A few pounds, a few dozen pounds. It should keep.¡±
¡°Yup. Over time at least.¡± The skunk began rolling up his leather again. ¡°One hit isn¡¯t bad. Especially considering you¡¯ve been scrounging in those woods for years.¡±
¡°Absolutely. Do you want me to pay you in advance?¡±
¡°Nope. It¡¯s a scavenger rule,¡± Tryce declined. Arthur knew that, but it was still polite to ask. They loved turning it down. ¡°Coins come after the find. Always. It¡¯s bad luck otherwise.¡±
Arthur forced Tryce to stay for a cup of boba, and dumped so much majicka into the movement-enhancing effects of the drink that the scavenger would make the time up on his way out of the city to scrounge for things. Tryce was of a type Arthur was becoming more and more familiar with. They moved fast, looked for levels, and tried to game the system to get them much more than the Goose Sage would have thought wise. None of them thought they were doing something incorrect, or at least thought it out loud.
But when he could, Arthur tried to anchor them. He¡¯d buy them food, or give them tea, or sometimes just force them to sit down. There was always plenty of work, but the world looked different at every single age. They would only experience youth once, and every time Arthur could, he would slow the fast-moving kids down to enjoy it.
People filtered in and out of the shop for a few hours, ordering tea, sitting down, reading, or talking with other customers. Nothing exciting happened. He knew almost everyone, of course, and liked them. And they liked him, mostly, or they wouldn¡¯t be there. They did chit-chat and caught up on each other¡¯s lives, but there were no thrills or dangers of note in the air that day.
Or most days, really. The average rotation of the Demon World brought absolutely nothing that got Arthur¡¯s adrenaline pumping, and no risks that got his heart pounding in his chest.
And it was wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. He made the same boring teas in the same boring way, talked to the same sometimes-boring people, and just lived. Somewhere along the line, somehow, he had finally managed to attain the default Demon World life. And that life was good. Very good.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
Did he need money? Do a little bit of work, and he was fine. Everything was cheap. Did he need friends? He could literally go up to just about anyone on the street and ask them to be friends and they would say yes enthusiastically. Was he sick? The clerics and doctors had his back.
And as good as all that was, it was getting even better. Progress was slow, mostly, but every day the demons conquered another kind of catastrophe, cured another kind of sickness, or invented a new convenience. The normal demon life involved being born, finding a job you loved, working at it as much as you liked, spending your off hours with good people, and then continuing on that track until your time was used up.
It was a good life, of which being boring was an important part. Arthur continued serving majicka-enhanced drinks for another few hours, cleaning up behind the counter as he went so he could leave on a moment¡¯s notice if it came to that. And it did. The last few guests lingered longer than he expected, and by the time Arthur was able to bid them goodbye and get out his own doors, he barely had enough room to enjoy the satisfaction of locking up.
He moved as fast as he could across the town, past the mouth of the canyon and towards the gates that led to the wild world beyond. Even those were safer than most would think, courtesy of the growing number of prowling, demon-friendly Pratas who guarded the town. Daisy ruled over them like an empress, impressing upon each newly born descendant the importance of leaving Arthur¡¯s people alone.
And when they got out of line, she was not above bringing in Rumble to even up the scales. At this point, Daisy¡¯s firstborn child was a sleepy storage shed of potential violence. A look was generally enough for him to get his point across to the younger bear-like-monster-folk.
This was, in a lot of ways, how most of Arthur¡¯s days went. He spent at least a few hours at the shop, he worked for a few hours making Portable Arthur or processing ingredients, and then spent the rest of his day working on a civic project of some kind. He wasn¡¯t the mayor anymore, but Spiky knew Arthur liked having his hand in the running-the-city pot and provided him with plenty of opportunities to help out. And so about a quarter of Arthur¡¯s light workload came from stuff like that.
But this new task on his plate? Totally different. This was a job Arthur did, not because of where he lived, but because of where he had lived in the past. This wasn¡¯t about being a citizen of Coldbrook. This new burden was being put on his shoulders because he was an immigrant to this place.
Because he was an offworlder. Because even if they tended to say ¡°of Coldbrook¡± now, people used to call him Arthur Teamaster, of Earth.
¡°Hey, Spiky,¡± Arthur said, spotting his friend leaning on a tree near the outer gate. ¡°He¡¯s not with you?¡±
¡°No, he left with Talca for a few minutes. To see Littal¡¯s armor.¡±
¡°The joke armor that Milo made for him? Why?¡±
¡°Because we didn¡¯t tell him it was a joke.¡± Spiky mopped his brow. ¡°I¡¯m very serious, Arthur, when I say that I don¡¯t know why I let him out of my sight this long. He doesn¡¯t have a class yet, and all he wants to do is violence. In his last town, he snuck off far enough to get into their dungeon twice before they could catch him. Unsupervised. Unarmed, except for a dull kitchen knife he found somewhere.¡±
¡°Yikes.¡±
¡°And he isn¡¯t considering anything else at all. Every cleric who meets him, every warrior who assesses him, everyone gets the feeling he¡¯s not supposed to be this way. You¡¯ve never met someone who feels so¡ off the track, I suppose? It¡¯s off-putting, Arthur.¡±
¡°And that¡¯s where I come in?¡±
Spiky motioned towards a bench. ¡°Yes. I hope so, anyway. And it isn¡¯t the sort of thing where we¡¯d usually be so pushy about getting you involved, but¡¡±
¡°He¡¯s an offworlder,¡± Arthur said. ¡°And you don¡¯t know any other offworlders besides me.¡±
¡°Something like that. I don¡¯t really have any advice except to do your best.¡±
¡°Fair enough.¡± Arthur stood as Talca appeared around the gate, another person in tow. ¡°I¡¯ll give it a shot.¡±
The first time Arthur saw Euth, he was shocked at how much alike they were. Every person in Arthur¡¯s life was mostly shaped in a human way, but that was where the similarities stopped. For as long as he had been in the Demon World, Arthur had been getting used to the fact that people came with fur and feathers. Some had claws. A few had bills or beaks. But everyone was something. He thought of them as half-human, but that wasn¡¯t really true. They were demons, and that¡¯s just how they were.
Euth was different. Euth had skin. A bit darker than Arthur¡¯s, but skin all the same. He didn¡¯t have a beak or claws. Arthur knew in advance that he wasn¡¯t dealing with an Earth human, and that Euth came from a place much different than Arthur¡¯s former home. But still, human was human. This guy was a little shorter, and a little more muscular, but he wasn¡¯t a demon.
Which was part of the problem.
¡°Hey.¡± Arthur walked up to Euth, who was studying the wall around the city intently and didn¡¯t seem to notice him. ¡°Interesting wall?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a very good wall.¡± Euth reached out and touched it. ¡°How do you get it all smooth like that?¡±
¡°It¡¯s clad with slapstone,¡± Arthur said. ¡°It¡¯s a sort of self-healing rock. Karra uses them on the outside of the walls for¡ Honestly, I don¡¯t know why. But she knows her stuff. There¡¯s a reason.¡±
¡°Probably to make it harder to climb.¡± Euth ran his hand down the smooth surface of the wall. ¡°That was a problem, back home.¡±
¡°They told me you had demons there, as well.¡±
¡°Kind of. They were more like animals than here. Less like people. And not¡¡±
¡°Kind?¡±
¡°Soft,¡± Euth said. ¡°They weren¡¯t weak like this.¡±
¡°Ah. To be honest, I kind of like them soft. They make better sandwiches that way.¡±
¡°You eat their sandwiches?¡± Euth looked confused. ¡°Willingly?¡±
¡°I do. They prepare the best sandwiches I¡¯ve had. Come on. You¡¯re hungry after that trip, right? Come on. I¡¯ll get you one.¡±
Chapter 245: Demons
The nearest sandwich shop wasn¡¯t Arthur¡¯s favorite, but it was good enough. He ordered a couple things, resigning himself to the idea that he probably wasn¡¯t going to have a standard dinner in the normal family way that evening. He let Euth make his own order, hoping he¡¯d get some more useful data out of the kid that way. He didn¡¯t.
¡°Sandwich,¡± Euth said. ¡°However you make them.¡±
The wind elemental running the stand went to work without a word of complaint about the lack of direction.
¡°No soup?¡± Arthur asked.
Euth grimaced. ¡°No. The soup isn¡¯t very good here.¡±
¡°I thought this stand did a pretty good job.¡±
¡°I mean¡ here. This world. It has bad soup.¡±
Arthur looked at his own soup, which was a masterpiece by Earth standards. ¡°Do you just not like soup?¡±
¡°No. I like soup. Just not here.¡±
¡°And the sandwich is fine?¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Euth got frustrated. ¡°You¡¯ve had that soup! You know it¡¯s not very good.¡±
Arthur glanced at the air elemental running the stand, who seemed to understand that something weird was happening and motioned in a way that probably meant he wasn¡¯t offended.
¡°You need to be more careful than that,¡± Arthur said, a bit more sternly than before. ¡°Whether or not you think the soup is good, the person running this stand is a person. They probably don¡¯t like to hear that it¡¯s bad.¡±
For a second, Arthur thought that bit of advice was going to take. Then the boy scoffed.
¡°Soft,¡± Euth spat. ¡°Just like the rest of the people here.¡±
By the time Arthur got Euth into the heart of the city, he had managed to crowbar a few more facts out of him. The walls in Euth¡¯s world were to keep demons away, and the war against those demons had been going on for centuries.
¡°Did you see the old man?¡± Arthur asked, once they got back to his house and settled into chairs. It was already arranged that Euth would be there for a week, and Arthur had the room all set out for him. ¡°Between places. The one with the tea, and the very soft sheets.¡±
¡°Tea? No. I had an old man between places, though.¡± Euth held his hands out, wide. ¡°A big, strong-looking guy. Wide as a barn. With a huge sword. He said I had to choose a place to go, but only gave me a single word to do it.¡±
¡°Oh. Huh.¡± Arthur thought about whether or not he should share his word, then decided it was probably better to be honest than safe. ¡°Mine was nice.¡±
Euth snorted.
¡°Yeah, yeah. Soft. What was yours?¡± Arthur asked.
Euth¡¯s eyes suddenly burned like fire.
¡°Demons.¡±
It was clear he hadn¡¯t wanted the demons for calm reasons.
¡ª
Arthur and Euth only talked for a bit longer before the younger man asked for his room and some time alone. Arthur gladly gave it to him. He was getting pretty exhausted of the conversation too.
From what he could gather, Euth¡¯s death hadn¡¯t been a happy thing. The boy wouldn¡¯t talk about it, but the particular way he shied away held an informational value all its own. And the way he said the word demon carried its own messaging, too.
Putting two and two together, Arthur was more or less confident why he had found his way here. The man-between-places was pretty good, but he couldn¡¯t choose your word for you. This was likely the planet with the most demons in it, and so Euth ended up here, with a heart full of anger and nothing good to point it at.
I can¡¯t let that boy become a warrior, Arthur thought. Not like he is now, anyway. He¡¯d hurt himself eventually even if he didn¡¯t hurt anyone else.
And that was a problem because¡
¡°You are thinking too hard.¡± Arthur felt a familiar pair of lips brush past his forehead. ¡°Much too hard. He¡¯s here, I take it?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡± Arthur scowled. ¡°He¡¯s in the upstairs room. He shouldn¡¯t be able to hear us.¡±
¡°Why does that matter? Do you have bad things to say?¡± Mizu asked.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
¡°Not bad things, exactly. He¡¯s a smart kid. He¡¯s strong. He¡¯s¡ I think he¡¯s been through a lot,¡± Arthur said, trying to find the right words. ¡°And it seems like he ended up in kind of the wrong place.¡±
¡°Oh?¡± Mizu slipped her shoes off, sat across from Arthur, and waggled her feet at him until he started rubbing them. ¡°What makes you so sure?¡±
¡°He wants to do a bunch of violence. But it¡¯s not like there isn¡¯t any violence to do around here. I¡¯m going to take him to the dungeon tomorrow, with Onna. Just to see how he reacts to it, firsthand.¡±
Mizu sighed as Arthur worked his thumbs across the swollen soles of her feet. ¡°But you don¡¯t think that will work? I¡¯m not following the problem.¡±
¡°The problem is¡ hmm.¡± Arthur was just putting these thoughts together when Mizu came in. They didn¡¯t assemble easily now. ¡°Think of Karbo. He¡¯s big, he¡¯s strong, he loves fighting. But he loves fighting like it¡¯s a game. Once he¡¯s done playing for the day, he¡¯s done. Then he goes and eats, kisses Itela, whatever he does on his off hours. He takes full advantage of the Demon World.¡±
¡°And you don¡¯t think Euth would?¡± Mizu asked.
¡°I don¡¯t. I think he¡¯s expecting war to break out any second. And because of that, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s noticing any of the good stuff. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s even seen it.¡±
¡°Ah. That sounds hard for you.¡±
¡°For him. I have a pretty blue girlfriend.¡±
¡°A pretty blue wife,¡± Mizu said, shifting uncomfortably in her chair. ¡°A very pregnant pretty blue wife. Who is very tired.¡±
¡°Oh, I bet.¡± Arthur slid off his chair and knelt near Mizu¡¯s stomach. His powers meant that he could vaguely tell that someone inside there didn¡¯t have a good concept of what type of tea they wanted. But otherwise, he was just like any other normal dad. ¡°Did mom do a good job fixing the river, fella? Did she divert it, or undivert it as needed?¡±
¡°I unblocked it. And fixed a little bit of the bed. With lots of help.¡± Mizu winced as she sat up a little straighter in her chair. ¡°And I¡¯m still like this. Also, Arthur, I am going to point out that once again you have no idea whether it¡¯s a fella in there or not.¡±
¡°Which is annoying. There¡¯s really no way to tell?¡±
¡°No! Why would there be?¡± Mizu said. ¡°Just wait like a normal person. The baby will just be who they are. It¡¯s not like you won¡¯t love them.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t love them. When is he coming out, though?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Tomorrow. For sure.¡±
¡°Really? Promise?¡±
¡°No, Arthur.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t. Now help me out of this chair. I need bed.¡±
¡°I can help with that,¡± Arthur said. ¡°I¡¯ve spent a lot of money on our bed.¡±
¡°I know you have. It¡¯s part of why I love you.¡±
¡ª
The next morning, Arthur was up bright and early brewing not just one but two pots of tea. Mizu, in her extreme pregnancy, was not supposed to have pep. Arthur subbed in some sweetness for her to try to make up for it, heavily juicing her drink with sweetberry syrup and hoping she could find some energy there.
For his and Euth¡¯s tea, Arthur went with the strongest, most pepped void-black tea he had on hand. If Euth was going to spend all his time playing the part of the hardened warrior, Arthur was going to give him a drink to match.
¡°Here.¡± Arthur handed off Mizu¡¯s drink as she came down the stairs in a loose-fitting dress and slippers. ¡°For you.¡±
¡°Thanks.¡± Mizu kissed him. ¡°Is Euth up yet?¡±
¡°I am.¡± Euth was bleary-eyed, even after what must have been ten hours of sleep. Arthur reminded himself that Euth did not have a class yet, and as such, was running on a stock, near-human body. One that had, at this point, seen the better part of a half-dozen towns as people tried to find a place for him. He had to be worn out from that. It wasn¡¯t even just that he couldn¡¯t sleep in his own bed. He didn¡¯t even have a bed of his own to sleep in. ¡°Is that¡ Tea?¡±
¡°Yup,¡± Arthur said. He handed over the tea, which he had gone ahead and dumped the entirety of his majicka into. It did everything, taking advantage of every level he had gained in the last five years or so. It would make the drinker stronger and faster, more calm while at the same time having more control of their mood if a situation called for something different. He took a sip himself, recognizing the jumble of effects as they hit him all at once. It was a mess, in a good way. ¡°Try it. It¡¯s good.¡±
Euth ended up drinking the entire pot, even after Arthur explained that more tea wasn¡¯t better in this case. After that, it was off to the races. Arthur couldn¡¯t have held the kid still even if he wanted to. He was wired to the gills.
¡°Hey, Onna,¡± Arthur said. ¡°You want breakfast before we do this, or after?¡±
¡°I¡¯m a fan of after.¡± Mizu¡¯s oldest and best friend, discounting Arthur, stood up and stretched. ¡°Hunger keeps you alert.¡±
Euth nodded. He had heard things like that before. They made sense to him, it seemed. Arthur had found that almost anything that sounded kind of badass did. But that knowledge was wasted on Arthur. There were only so many dark, gritty ways to talk about boba or one¡¯s pregnant wife.
They walked a good six miles to get to the dungeon Onna had in mind. Arthur watched as Onna started the walk at a slow, non-stat-augmented pace, let Euth get frustrated at the slowness of it, then fed him just enough rope in terms of walk-pacing to let him wear himself out a bit. By the time they got to the dungeon, the kid was huffing. To his credit, he hadn¡¯t given up.
¡°Let¡¯s get in there,¡± Euth said, patting a Milo-provided dagger at his waist. ¡°I¡¯ll show you I can do this.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not about whether or not you can. You know that, right?¡± Onna pointed at Arthur. ¡°He could have been a warrior. He shouldn¡¯t do it, but he could have. Karbo himself thought so, once upon a time.¡±
¡°Him?¡± Euth arched his eyebrows. ¡°He¡¯s a cook.¡±
¡°He¡¯s a very good cook. One of the most important cooks to have ever lived, I think,¡± Onna said. ¡°You might consider what kind of fighter he would have been if he did that instead.¡±
¡°Sure.¡± The kid still didn¡¯t believe Arthur was a potential warrior-king, just as Arthur wasn¡¯t sure he believed he was that important of a cook. But the child had also lost interest in talking about it anymore. ¡°Anyway, I just want to get in there. Earn my class.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t earn them here,¡± Arthur explained. ¡°I get that you did back on your old world. But it¡¯s different enough that¡¡±
¡°That blah, blah,¡± Euth said, his voice rising a couple of decibels. ¡°I¡¯ve listened to you talk for a day, okay? And I¡¯ve been polite. Now it¡¯s time for what I get out of this.¡±
The deal that had been struck, at least as far as Euth was concerned, was that he¡¯d allow himself to be carted all across the demon territory, and that he¡¯d allow people to choose his hosts for him. But in return, he would be allowed to spend a certain amount of time in dungeons, fighting. He was convinced, no matter how much he was told otherwise, that sufficient fighting would get him his class sooner.
¡°Fine,¡± Onna said. ¡°Let¡¯s see what you can do, kid.¡±
Chapter 246: Figure Out the Happy Thing
It turned out Euth could do quite a lot. This dungeon¡¯s rat-tier enemies were scaly insect-like things that gave Arthur the creeps. They spawned inside a central pit in the ground that was supposed to act like a nest, then scurried out to attack. Arthur kept well back while Onna took the kid up the edge of the danger zone.
¡°So the big thing to keep in mind here is that you can probably handle the pace of these things so long as you let them come out naturally. But if you disturb the nest, or jump in, or do some other stupid thing, I¡¯m going to yank you out. That¡¯s my job. Don¡¯t be dumb,¡± Onna commanded.
Euth nodded, then sent a questioning glance in the direction of the pit.
¡°Fine. Go ahead,¡± Onna said. ¡°Do your best.¡±
As the first of the little scaled bugs came out of the pit, Euth sprung into action. It wasn¡¯t like when Arthur had fought his first rat at all. Euth was, without a doubt, very thoroughly trained in combat. He was catching the monsters out of the air as they leapt at him, either stabbing them with pinpoint accuracy or batting them out of the way with his arms. Whatever else he might be, a novice to fighting wasn¡¯t part of it.
Euth worked his way around the pit again and again, killing at a pace that pretty well exceeded the maximum the pit was willing to put out. As smooth and perfect as he at this, there was something horrifying about how he went about it.
¡°What is it, Onna?¡± Arthur felt about the same way watching Euth fight as he would have felt about watching someone crunch their teeth through a raw egg. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong about how he does it, but I can¡¯t put my finger on it.¡±
¡°Oh. That¡¯s obvious enough. He hates fighting. A lot.¡±
¡°But it¡¯s all he wants to do.¡±
¡°Eh.¡± Onna flipped her dagger in her hand. ¡°It¡¯s what he thinks he wants to do. But someone trained this kid up before he even had any idea there was an alternative. No idea why, but he¡¯s been doing it for so long I doubt he¡¯s ever even thought about whether or not he likes it.¡±
¡°But on some level, he hates it,¡± Arthur said.
¡°Every level but the conscious, I¡¯d guess.¡± Onna suddenly grabbed her own dagger out of the air. ¡°And there¡¯s the dumbass move. Took him longer than I thought.¡±
Smooth and quick enough that it could have almost been just a mistake, Euth kicked a big rock just hard enough to send it tumbling into the nest, eliciting a series of low-pitched hisses from the swarm of bugs and spurring them to issue forth from the pit like a carpet of little horrors. Without points in perception, it would have been hard to see the stone move, let alone know that it was moved on purpose.
Onna had plenty of points in perception, and wasn¡¯t the kind of person to go back on a promise or a threat. Like a bullet, she sliced through the air, picked the kid up by the collar of his shirt, and flashed back to where Arthur was standing.
¡°Let me go!¡± the kid said. ¡°I don¡¯t have the stupid class yet.¡±
¡°And you won¡¯t get it, that way,¡± Arthur said before Onna could admonish the kid. ¡°The System isn¡¯t going to give you a class if it thinks you¡¯re going to hurt yourself with it. At least not without absolutely forcing it to. At the best, you are making this take longer by doing what you are doing.¡±
¡°Like you¡¯d know. You''re a crafting classer.¡± The words fell off of Euth¡¯s lips like a curse. ¡°Not even a smith. You make food.¡±
¡°You think that makes him wrong?¡± Onna lifted an eyebrow.
¡°Must. The System is for fighting. Always has been.¡±
¡°Not here.¡± Arthur shook his head. ¡°Maybe not even where you are from.¡±
¡°Fine.¡± The kid kicked his feet in the air. ¡°Sure. Whatever. Now set me down so I can go fight again.¡±
¡°Nope,¡± Onna said. ¡°I warned you, you heard me, and now you get to wait. Bring him back tomorrow, Arthur. We can see if he listens better then.¡±
After they got out of the dungeon, the droning, angry whining began. Onna had left almost immediately to go about her business in town, which meant Arthur had to serve as the kid¡¯s escort. And Euth, at this point, was pissed. He was pissed at the System, Onna, Arthur, Spiky for some reason, and even Talca. There were so many things he seemed angry at that Arthur was pretty confident it didn¡¯t have much to do with those things at all.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
He just carried around so much anger with him that it didn¡¯t really seem to matter where emotions went. The world was a spillway of sorts to his rage.
Which was bothersome, and annoying, and had begun to grate on Arthur by the time they managed to get back to the town. But it was still manageable. Arthur was an adult. A mature adult of the calming-tea-brewing variety. It was okay, right up until Milo found him to tell him about Mizu.
¡°It¡¯s happening. Mizu. The baby,¡± Milo said, glancing at the still ranting Euth behind Arthur. Right at that moment, Arthur became incapable of hearing Euth, which meant it didn¡¯t register when Euth became mad at being ignored, or when Milo¡¯s eyes got wider and more worried as the boy caught up with Arthur as he walked towards the agreed-upon birthing place and accompanying medical care.
Arthur was still processing Milo¡¯s news when Euth managed to circle in front of him, waving his arms and screaming. And then, the world came back into focus. If there was one thing Arthur¡¯s brain could always understand, it was someone standing between him and Mizu when she needed him.
¡°You will listen to me and you had better damn well fix thi¡¡±
Euth didn¡¯t get any further. Arthur threw him. He doubted it was a very good throw, but he had to hope it wouldn¡¯t hurt the kid much when he landed, since he was in no way prepared to waste another second on this out-of-town human.
The only advantage of the whole thing was the sudden realization that he had stats, and could get to the medical building much, much faster if he simply used them. Moments later, Arthur found himself at Mizu¡¯s side, comforting her as best he could. Whether it was because Euth was busy getting medical care of his own or because other people were wise enough to keep him away from Arthur at that moment, they had a relatively peaceful room for at least a while.
Arthur held Mizu¡¯s hand through the process, talked to her, fed her ice chips, and generally did everything he could to make it easy on her. Five hours later, they had pretty well determined that while the labor itself might end up being easy, it wasn¡¯t going to be short. The time dragged on enough that in a particularly calm labor-moment, Mizu actually sent Arthur away to grab some food, rest up a bit, and come back fresh.
It was while he ate an enormous bowl of what was mostly like shepherd¡¯s pie that Euth found him again. Arthur glanced up at the boy, grateful to see that he didn¡¯t seem to be wearing any medical apparatus. Whatever damage he took had either been light enough to not need treatment or to respond to it pretty quickly. The boy didn¡¯t look damaged at all.
Euth did look like he had something to say. It took ten seconds of silence and then a raised eyebrow from Arthur to get him to actually say it.
¡°I was wrong,¡± Euth said.
Arthur did not dare hope this was an apology. The kid didn¡¯t seem the type. He wasn¡¯t wrong.
¡°About?¡±
¡°About whether or not you could have been a warrior. You could have been.¡± The kid rubbed his own shoulder, as if remembering something happening to it. ¡°When you shoved me. There wasn¡¯t any hesitation. That¡¯s the main thing, my dad said. You can¡¯t hesitate. Or get scared.¡±
¡°I did try it once, you know. I wasn¡¯t very good at it.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t say you¡¯d be very good at fighting. I just said¡ you know. You could have done it.¡±
¡°Maybe,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Why does it matter?¡±
¡°Because¡ You¡¯re a human, right? Different world, but you must have had war.¡±
¡°Sure.¡±
¡°So why don¡¯t you fight?¡± the kid asked. ¡°You¡¯re obviously strong.¡±
Arthur didn¡¯t correct him on the whole strong thing. The misunderstanding seemed to be working out in his favor.
¡°Because¡ look. Your family obviously died. To demons. Or something worse. Let''s get that out of the way,¡± Arthur said.
The kid looked shell shocked for a second, then normal shocked, then nodded, grimly.
¡°And that sucks. I didn¡¯t have a perfect life on my original planet but it wasn¡¯t that. But on your world, it sounds like you fought for reasons, right? It wasn¡¯t just for fun?¡±
¡°It was never fun. I think.¡± Euth hadn¡¯t been very old when he had come over here, or else wasn¡¯t very experienced. ¡°It was just to keep the demons out. You had to do it.¡±
¡°But here you don¡¯t. You have to understand that.¡±
¡°There¡¯s no war at all?¡±
¡°Not only that, but even the stuff that warriors do doesn¡¯t trump everything else. I mean, they are useful, but a guy who swings a sword isn¡¯t more than a guy who makes shirts. Maybe even less, sometimes.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t even fight.¡± The kid held his hands up. ¡°All that training and I couldn¡¯t protect anyone. And now I just want to put it to use, and¡ it¡¯s useless. It doesn¡¯t even mean anything here. I never did my part.¡±
¡°Can I be honest? Like in a bad way,¡± Arthur said. ¡°I¡¯ve finished my food and my wife is trying to have a baby. I¡¯ve just stopped caring about you. At all.¡±
The kid nodded. He seemed to get at least that much.
¡°But I¡¯ll tell you this much. I bet on your planet, when people you knew died, you wanted them to be happy. You weren¡¯t mad at them because they were gone. You just hoped they had gone somewhere better. Probably. I don¡¯t know how you people were.¡± Arthur put his hand on Euth¡¯s shoulder and, much more gently than earlier, moved him out of the way. ¡°But if I¡¯m right, that¡¯s what you owe them. Figuring out the happy thing. Not getting killed in a fight.¡±
The kid took in a deep breath. ¡°That¡¯s¡ harder.¡±
¡°Yeah. Sucks to be you.¡± Arthur hoped the kid caught the sympathy in his voice because he was fresh out of time otherwise. ¡°I¡¯ll be back at the house¡ at some point. If you need something, ask anyone and tell them to put it on my account. Anything you need.¡±
Arthur left the kid standing in the street. Euth would figure it out, hopefully. It didn¡¯t matter if Arthur felt bad about it, even though he did. He simply had more important things to deal with right then.
¡°You look like you just talked to Euth.¡± Mizu grimaced in pain as the progress kept going. ¡°It¡¯s almost funny. It¡¯s like an evil version of anyone else talking about Arthur Stuff.¡±
¡°I did talk to him. But I did get an idea after talking to him that it surprises me I didn¡¯t think of before,¡± Arthur said. ¡°It should help you.¡±
¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±
¡°Tea. Am I right that this process is pretty stalled?¡±
¡°Seems to be.¡±
¡°Then give me a minute. Just a minute.¡±
Chapter 247: Sam
Arthur went around the corner to someone else¡¯s food shop, explained to that he was stealing both their kitchen and any spare tea they had around, and brewed a pot of what might have been the worst tea he ever made.
He would have liked to think the majicka made up for it, but even that was questionable.
|
Tea of Expelling a Child From One¡¯s Body
Childbirth is painful for a number of reasons, some good, some bad. It is, however, less painful on the Demon World than in other system universes. To some extent, what this tea attempts to do has already been done by the stat-enhanced Demon Body. Most other forms of pain relief are counterproductive, either because they hide warning signs of worse things, or because they replace a known variable with an unknown one.
The System is allowing this tea to exist exactly once, in the cup you hold in your hands. It is otherwise precluding it from ever being made again. As it stands, the Tea of Expelling a Child From One¡¯s Body will assist in the birthing process a slight amount.
|
More than ever before, Arthur thought he was probably getting some special treatment from the system. He didn¡¯t question it. He just protected the tea as if it was the most important thing ever created until he could get back to the medical building and give it to his wife.
After that, things went kind of quickly. It turned out Mizu didn¡¯t need much of a jump start to finish off the process. Sooner than Arthur thought possible, he was sitting on the delivery bed next to his wife, holding their brand-new baby son.
¡°Thank the gods he¡¯s blue,¡± Arthur said. ¡°I was worried he¡¯d look like me.¡±
¡°Why? You look fine.¡±
¡°Not like water demon men, though. Be honest. Have you ever seen one that wasn¡¯t all muscly and perfect?¡±
¡°I have not,¡± Mizu said. ¡°But I wanted him to be pink, anyway.¡±
¡°Pink¡¯s overrated.¡±
¡°Not to me.¡± Mizu glanced at the tea Arthur made. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to make that for me.¡±
¡°Well, I wanted to,¡± Arthur said. ¡°So we have a boy.¡±
¡°We do,¡± Mizu said.
¡°It suddenly occurs to me that we have not chosen a name for this baby.¡±
¡°I was thinking Rumble.¡±
¡°You were not.¡±
¡°No.¡± Mizu smiled, then reached for the baby. ¡°I also forgot. Water demons have a tradition of waiting a few days to name the child. It¡¯s supposed to¡ reveal what they are like, before the name is chosen.¡±
¡°Is that why your name is water?¡± Arthur asked.
¡°Is that what it means in your language?¡±
¡°In one of the Earth languages, sure. I figured it got translated.¡±
¡°No.¡± Mizu leaned back against the back of the bed. ¡°It means briar. They thought I¡¯d sit very still, but still be dangerous.¡±
¡°Ah.¡± Arthur relaxed. ¡°So close yet so wrong, somehow.¡±
Arthur was allowed to say for another twenty minutes or so before both Mizu and the doctor insisted he leave to let her sleep for a while. The baby, counter to what Arthur would have expected, was calm and completely not in need of him at that moment.
He found himself in an extreme post-adrenaline slump. He didn¡¯t feel like he could sit down or sleep himself, but also was more or less just staggering blindly around town. It had been a long day already, somehow, like his own fatigue was going for a speed run record. He wandered around aimlessly until he was finally knocked out of his funk by something he never expected to see.
¡°No. You wouldn¡¯t be good for a freehand class.¡± Lily shook her head at the poor human new arrival, who was peering down helplessly at an abnormally large book. ¡°Freehand classes are about creativity. You aren¡¯t really that person. It doesn¡¯t matter how trained you are. You¡¯d suck at them. I promise.¡±
¡°What if it wasn¡¯t fighting? Just¡ you know. Moving or something,¡± Euth tried.
¡°Do you want to be a dancer?¡±
¡°No.¡±
¡°Gymnast?¡±
¡°No.¡±
¡°Long-distance sprinter?¡±
¡°That¡¯s a whole class?¡±
¡°Of course. It¡¯s a whole class. It used to be a wartime scout messenger thing. These days, they¡¯re like a delivery courier thing.¡±
Something was off about Lily, something that Arthur couldn¡¯t quite place. He sat down on a bench, not so out of view that he could be counted as hiding but not so in-view that either of them would notice him, and shamelessly eavesdropped.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
¡°Ah. Well not that either,¡± Euth admitted.
¡°It¡¯s not surprising.¡± Lily¡¯s words were just a little stiff. Like she was choosing each one. ¡°I figure you need something that¡¯s in-between perfection and creativity. Something where you¡¯d make changes, but you¡¯d need to calculate them. There¡¯s calligrapher, but¡¡±
Lily went on for a while until Arthur finally figured out what was wrong with her. She was flustered. It was easy to miss, but she was uncomfortable around the boy. She seemed like she was choosing every word because she actually was, trying to make sure she didn¡¯t say the wrong thing. It was, by far, the weirdest thing Arthur had ever seen. Lily Expediter, who had once argued the system into submission, was worried about what she sounded like.
¡°Back on my old world, there was a class. They¡¯d draw magic into things.¡± Euth grabbed Lily¡¯s hand, uncurled her finger, and drew a circle on his own palm with it. ¡°Shapes and things, like that. Into objects, again and again, until they had magic in them. That was sort of neat. I asked my dad if I could try it and he said no.¡±
Lily stared down at her hand, senseless. Euth looked at her confused for a moment, then back down at the hand, which he promptly dropped.
¡°Oh. Sorry,¡± he said, flushing.
¡°No, no. It¡¯s fine. Yes. Rubbing magic into things. There should be something like that.¡± Lily flipped a few pages. ¡°Here. This is the rune section. I think what you want isn¡¯t exactly available, but some classes like enchanter are¡¡±
Arthur picked that moment to leave. If some combination of him hurling a teenager through the air and Lily dazzling him with her charm fixed the kid, he¡¯d take it. And if the kid was a little broken, then so was Arthur when he arrived to the Demon World. If Euth¡¯s contract was anything like his, the System was already working behind the scenes to fix things for him.
And besides, even if there was a problem, Lily was smarter than Arthur. She¡¯d be able to handle it.
¡ª
Most Demon World pregnancies went off without much of a hitch, but it was still considered to be a time that deserved some care. The rest of the day and a good part of the next morning were spent under the careful supervision of a doctor. Once Mizu¡¯s stats and Arthur¡¯s best healing teas had several hours to work and the baby was confirmed healthy, they were given permission to leave, provided they reported back the moment anything seemed wrong.
And, like a sneak, the doctor didn¡¯t tell them they were allowed to leave before he spilled the beans to everyone else. When Arthur and Mizu cleared the doors of the medical center, the entire town was there. They cheered, woke up the baby, took their half-serious scolding from Mizu in good spirits, then parted to let Arthur and Mizu through and towards home.
The next few days were a bit of a blur. There was a baby now, one that lived in Arthur¡¯s house and foolishly depended on him for protection and sustenance, if somewhat indirectly. He was suddenly even more aware of how incredibly unprepared he was for all this, and told Mizu so.
¡°You idiot,¡± Mizu said. ¡°How are you unprepared? This is your second child. Most people don¡¯t get practice like that.¡±
¡°Second? Oh, Lily. Yeah. I guess.¡± Arthur blinked. ¡°But still, I haven¡¯t had a baby before. Lily came half-grown. What do I even do? What does he want?¡±
¡°Right now he wants food, and to be warm. And he¡¯s figuring out what else he might want. Your job is just to be around when that happens. Can you handle that?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Arthur took the baby and looked down at him. ¡°He¡¯s a pretty good baby. I feel like I owe the old man between worlds more thanks, if I ever see him again.¡±
¡°Doesn¡¯t he have another name besides that? You always call him the old man.¡±
¡°If he did, he never said.¡± Arthur shrugged. ¡°He might not even be the kind of thing that has a name. But to the extent I ever thought of him as having one, I think I thought of him as Sam.¡±
¡°Oh. That¡¯s nice. Does it mean anything?¡±
¡°Probably. It¡¯s from a very old language on my old world. It¡¯s short for another name, but I don¡¯t like that longer name.¡±
¡°Well, fine then.¡± Mizu nodded. ¡°Done.¡±
¡°With what?¡±
¡°Thanking the old man.¡± She leaned over and ran her finger across the baby¡¯s cheek, lightly. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I owe him too. Hopefully, this evens the score a bit. Arthur Teamaster, meet Sam. The newest member of our family.¡±
¡ª
After a few days of figuring out mom-feedings, bottles, diapers, and general sleeping arrangements, things calmed down enough for Arthur to feel like he could leave the house a bit more often, mostly for food that Mizu wanted. It was on the first of those trips out that Euth finally found him, catching up to him as he walked through a park on his way to a distant doldur vendor Mizu liked.
¡°So¡ hey,¡± Euth said. ¡°I wanted to talk to you.¡±
¡°Sure thing. I have time this time, actually. And sorry for last time.¡±
¡°No, I mean, you were having a baby. I¡¯m sorry. Although just so you know, you throw really hard. Maybe keep a lid on that next time.¡±
¡°Oops.¡± Arthur winced apologetically again. ¡°Anyway, sit. It¡¯s nice out. We can talk here in the park.¡±
¡°I just wanted you to know that everything¡¯s fine. I went and talked to Talca about it, and he sort of dragged me around town, setting me up with things. A house, which I guess is just free here? And a mouse came by and gave me unbreakable kitchen stuff. She said she made it.¡±
¡°Ah. That would be Rhodia. A good friend. She was filling in for me. And, heads up, those cups aren¡¯t exactly unbreakable. They are tough, but you¡¯d need to enchant them for them to withstand a really solid drop.¡±
¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Euth reached into his pocket. ¡°That¡¯s what I was talking about. All that happened after I got these.¡±
Pulling out a small, stiff canvas bag, Euth opened the top to reveal a small set of silver needles. The kind enchanters used.
¡°I guess I don¡¯t need all five of these. They told me that I¡¯d figure out which one worked best, and then I¡¯d just use that size from now on. And I¡¯ve been trying to enchant the cups.¡±
¡°That¡¯s incredible, Euth.¡± Arthur knew just enough about young people from having been one to know he should give as much support and enthusiasm as he could manage right now. Euth nodded appreciatively and smiled as he confirmed Arthur thought all this was a good thing. ¡°Did you manage to successfully enchant anything yet?¡±
¡°Uh¡ no.¡± Euth shook his head. ¡°I kind of exploded most of the cups and mugs and things. And I don¡¯t know how to tell that lady. Mouse. Mouse-demon lady.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll handle talking to Rhodia,¡± Arthur said. ¡°And don¡¯t worry. I think I know what kind of set she gave you, and she has plenty.¡±
¡°Oh, good.¡± Euth breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to hurt her feelings. She was really nice.¡±
¡°Let¡¯s walk.¡± Arthur motioned towards the direction he was going anyway, and they set off. ¡°So how did all this happen? Last I talked to you, you were still dead set on stabbing things.¡±
¡°Kind of you, kind of something else. You told me that thing about¡ you know, being happy. And I realized it¡¯s true. Like wherever my mom and dad and sisters are. I just hope they are doing well. I don¡¯t want them to have to fight anymore. And I didn¡¯t think about it like that before you told me to.¡±
¡°Well, I¡¯m glad it helped. What was the other thing, out of curiosity.¡±
¡°A girl,¡± Euth said. ¡°I was not expecting that, for the record.¡±
¡°Because a girl wouldn¡¯t know?¡±
Euth gave him a fishy look over that. ¡°No. That¡¯s stupid. Because of¡ I mean, you should see her. She¡¯s the most beautiful thing, and she saw me reading on a bench, and could tell I didn¡¯t understand, and then she spent hours and hours helping me.¡±
Euth went on for a while describing the wonders of Arthur¡¯s owl daughter until Arthur got guilty and let him in on the secret. The cry of dismay Euth let out once he realized what he had done almost, but not quite, convinced Arthur the boy had missed his calling as a crier.
(End of Book 5) Chapter 248: Epilogue
¡°So what do you think?¡± The old man from between places sipped his tea. He was a different sort of thing from the System, which meant he didn¡¯t have to do centuries of study to understand tea in order to drink it in a way that made sense for him. He wasn¡¯t entirely physical, but that was a matter of proportions compared to the amount of non-physical he was. There was plenty of both forms of existence to go around and more than enough to enjoy a nice hot drink from time to time. ¡°Pretty good job, right?¡±
¡°Oh, yes. I like both of them very much.¡± The System poured her own tea, kind of, and drank a sip, sort of. ¡°This new one will be easier as well. He¡¯s a much simpler kind of thing. Especially with Arthur there to help him. You¡¯ve done well, Sam.¡±
Sam laughed and clapped his leg. ¡°You heard that, did you? I¡¯ve been doing this job for¡ well, you know about how long. And nobody has ever named a child after me before.¡±
¡°Well, I think you deserve it.¡± The system smiled. ¡°You are the best at what you do after all. Even if you are the only one who does it.¡±
The System and the old man had always been friendly, although she didn¡¯t know if that was because they were a good fit together, or if he was simply social enough to fit in with all the different types of Systems. Certainly, she didn¡¯t mind if he was a bit different in other places. He was perfectly pleasant when he visited her. Which was seldom, now that she thought about it.
¡°So,¡± she said. ¡°You must be here for a reason.¡±
¡°Oh, of course.¡± He set down his cup of tea and looped one of his ankles up to rest on his thigh as he sat. ¡°If you¡¯re in a hurry, I¡¯d understand and can come back later.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not that. Please continue.¡±
¡°Glad to. The reason I¡¯ve come is something you¡¯ve likely already noticed. Both your bear and that new boy came from the same universe. From different times, of course, and I tweaked that a bit. But two is quite the coincidence, considering how many system universes there are to draw from.¡±
¡°Granted. So am I to take it that you are closing the door between my universe and that one?¡±
¡°No! Far from it. It¡¯s more of a warning situation. You trust my judgment, right?¡±
¡°Of course. If not yours, I don¡¯t know whose I¡¯d trust.¡±
The man coughed a bit on his tea. ¡°Quite the compliment. Thank you. But if I¡¯ve judged the situation correctly, the upheaval that sent those two your way is not a simple thing. There¡¯s an instability in that universe. Something¡¯s gone wrong.¡±
¡°Oh, no. Is there anything I can do?¡± the System asked. ¡°I¡¯m always glad to help another System, if I can.¡±
¡°You can¡¯t. And you likely wouldn¡¯t want to, if you knew what kind of System it was. If I my guess is correct, it¡¯s the kind of chaos that will get much worse before it rights itself. And do you know what that means?¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
¡°Refugees?¡±
¡°Of a sort. Not only from that universe, mind you. That kind of stone casts a wide ripple.¡±
¡°Hmm.¡± The System sipped her tea and considered that. Sam¡¯s task was one that had to do with redirecting energy. The fact that the greatest sources of traveling energy between universes were people meant that he was built to understand those people and the way they traveled in a way the System just couldn¡¯t match. But it also meant that he needed something from her. ¡°So you are asking if you can send more of them my way?¡±
¡°Eventually, yes. And only if necessary. I know you had quite the job getting the last few settled, even if I¡¯m judging correctly in thinking the exciting parts of their stories is mainly over now.¡±
¡°You are correct. In both ways. They were a lot of work. And I do hope both of them are on to nicer parts of their tale now.¡±
¡°That¡¯s part of why I¡¯m here, really. It¡¯s to give you an opportunity to say no.¡±
¡°To more visitors?¡±
¡°To more chaos. More change. You are very good at wrangling that kind of turbulence, of course. Maybe the best I know.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
¡°But even you must have limits.¡±
He wasn¡¯t wrong. Eventually, given enough visitors, things would start to move in a way the System couldn¡¯t control. The people of the Demon World had freedom, of course, but her guidance was a part of things. At this point, they were so far from even the contemplation of war that it was hard to imagine a force great enough to shift them back in that direction.
Unless, of course, it was a series of visitors, each dragging their own unique chaos with them. She¡¯d been lucky so far, but the wrong combination of things at just the wrong time might change that.
She sighed and put down her cup. It might be dangerous, but she knew her heart in this matter. And she knew what the residents of the Demon World would tell her if she asked them whether or not the risk was worth it.
¡°Of course I¡¯ll take them,¡± she said. ¡°As many as you need.¡±
¡°No, no.¡± Sam waved his hands in front of his chest. ¡°It¡¯s not like that. Not entirely. There might be some, but you aren¡¯t the only friendly universe I know. I¡¯ll distribute them as much as I can. And as always, I¡¯ll try to sort them. People who either want a nice world, or who need it.¡±
¡°I¡¯d appreciate that.¡±
Sam finished his tea, waved his hand, and was suddenly standing in an empty space. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve enjoyed our visit, but I should probably be on my way now. Work to be done, souls to be redirected, and all that. I did have one last question though.¡±
¡°Oh?¡± The System perked up. This sounded interesting. ¡°Please ask.¡±
¡°Well, it¡¯s just the fact that you guided that boy towards those boba drinks. It wasn¡¯t his very favorite thing on Earth, you know. You almost certainly at least put the idea in his head, even if he ran with it later.¡±
The System hesitated. She still wasn¡¯t entirely sure she had made a good choice there, even if things had turned out very well. But this was Sam. If she couldn¡¯t tell him, she couldn¡¯t tell anyone.
¡°Would you believe me that it was just a hunch?¡±
¡°A hunch?¡± Sam shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t have those.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t have those. But that day, I did. Something spoke to me. And maybe it was just my imagination, but I realized it wasn¡¯t wrong. He wasn¡¯t a fighter. He didn¡¯t have the patience to do art. He just wanted to make people happy in the quickest way, and that was a fast way to get him there. Whatever that hunch was, it was right.¡±
¡°Hmm.¡± Sam squinted a bit. ¡°Well, I suppose if it¡¯s something that¡¯s able to talk to a System unobserved, it¡¯s probably above my paygrade anyway. It¡¯s a nice trick, though. Do you think you will send the next one in the same kind of direction?¡±
¡°Oh, no, likely not.¡± The System sipped her tea. It really was getting better, these days.
¡°If you really do send me someone new, I¡¯ll do my best to let them guide me.¡± She smiled, as nice as she could. ¡°There¡¯s no shortage of choices. Mine¡¯s a big world. And there¡¯s still plenty of adventure to have in it.¡±
Author’s Note
I always try to write an author¡¯s note. If you¡¯ve read my other stuff, you know that. Sometimes, the point of the note is to tell you what I was thinking when I wrote the book, to give you some insight into how I see the story and what I think it means. I know the death of the author is a thing, but I think it still helps to know where a writer was coming from, even if you disagree on where they ended up.
And I suspect that at least some of you, even if you like how this series ended, can imagine other endings that would have suited you better. You thought of different ways the relationships could have changed and grown. You imagined characters who could have existed. You probably even mentally plotted out a direction for Arthur to go in that might be completely new.
First, let me tell you this: that¡¯s fine. I hope that you know that when you read a book, there are ways the characters become just as much yours as the author¡¯s, and that the way you see them becomes more important to you than how anyone else might interpret them. If it makes sense for you to dream ways for this story to go that are a better fit, that makes you more happy than you otherwise would have been, then do that.
From the first book I wrote in this series to the last, I wanted each word I chose to be the one that led to you being the happiest. I wanted to create a spot you could shrink back into that was warm, secure, and comforting. I wanted to build a world where stress was replaced by purpose, and toil was replaced by capital W work in that productive, fulfilling sense.
If you have to tailor the world a little to get that perfect fit, please do.
And on that note, do feel free to write fanfiction of Demon World Boba Shop. We¡¯ve had a few people reach out to us about that, but here we¡¯re extending everyone an invitation. Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] if you write something!
Sometimes, the author¡¯s note serves a different purpose altogether. Usually, that¡¯s me telling you how I go about writing in general. I want you to be able to take the humble lessons I¡¯ve learned from writing these books, steal them, and get to use them for free. I want you to be able to disagree with my mindset and to build preferences of your own.
And let me be real clear here: I¡¯m not the only writing advice you should read. Believe me when I say that nobody knows the flaws in my writing better than me. My goal is, like Ash, to be the very best. Like no one ever was. But I¡¯m very aware that in some ways I¡¯m much less Ketchum and much more Brock. I¡¯m doing my best with the tools I have, swimming in the destiny I¡¯ve got.
But holy hell, guys. I¡¯ve written about 1,100,000 words in the last year, give or take a month. And while I might not be right about every single thing, I¡¯ve sure noticed a whole hell of a lot of stuff.
This note might end up being a little longer than others. If you like the notes, consider that a reward for getting this far, a present celebrating you walking with me this many miles. If you don¡¯t like the notes, no worries. You have my full and complete permission to stop reading here, if that¡¯s what makes you the most happy.
But you also have my thanks, note or not. I¡¯m glad you are here.
The Long, Rambling Everything About Demon World Boba Shop
I was, as you have already heard, once in a Boba shop with my editor Dotblue, who was asking me what I¡¯d work on next. My answer was half planned, and half bullshitting on the spot. The half that was planned was that I needed to write something calm and nice that had virtually no stress in it. The unplanned half was that it would center around boba.
It might surprise some people to learn boba isn¡¯t my very favorite drink. I like it well enough, but it¡¯s a pretty heavy drink to have all the time if you don¡¯t have a demon¡¯s constitution and spend all of your time walking. I have one about six times a year, like it a lot when I do, and then promptly go back to drinking a lot of iced tea and coffee, which don¡¯t make me much bigger than I already am.
I wasn¡¯t that worried, though, since the drink itself isn¡¯t very complex and the story was never going to be just about that anyway.
Here¡¯s a not-so-secret secret about both reading and writing: Most of the time, neither are nearly so much about setting and story concept as we like to think they are. Those things matter, especially becuase they are often why we pick up the books in the first place. But after that, most of us are there for the character and the way the writer draws the picture.
To put it another way, you¡¯ve probably read a book that wasn¡¯t exactly your normal cup of tea and enjoyed it because the author¡¯s writing was good enough to make that not matter. But you¡¯d be a lot more likely to drop a book with bad writing, even if on paper it was exactly the concept you usually like.
The drink could have been boba, or it could have been a soda shop, or it could have been tea, or he could have opened a bakery. All those would have worked just fine, because in the end the book isn¡¯t about any of those things.
It¡¯s about family.
I really think that anyone who is five books into this series knows that already. You aren¡¯t here for the shop. You are here for Arthur¡¯s sibling relationship with MIlo, or his quasi-fatherhood to Lily. You are there to see Mizu like him for reasons that he¡¯ll never fully understand, and for him to like Mizu for reasons she doesn¡¯t entirely get either (though she gets much closer.)
You are there to see Ella feed and nourish people, and not just with food. You are there to see Karbo break stuff, and for everyone to pretend they are upset while knowing he contributes so much to their would he just couldn¡¯t break enough stuff to tilt the scales of who he is over to a net-bad.
You are there to spend time in a place where rent is easy to pay, good food is cheap, and everyone agrees that the best life is one where everyone works to make sure there¡¯s plenty to go around.
But there¡¯s also, you know, the setting. The story. The things those things are hung on. And they mattered, too.
Here¡¯s a bit about that.
The Setting
DWBS started in a single room, in a house I¡¯ve always imagined was on the beach, with the light of an overcast day barely leaking through the windows and hot tea ready to drink on a side table. From there, things expanded a bit.
The first thing we learned about after that room was not so much about the city Arthur landed in, but how it runs. Right away, we saw that it was a friendly enough place that even a known alien (in the not-from-this-world sense) was immediately fed, housed, and helped. It was a place so good at helping people find their purpose that someone working in a job they don¡¯t mostly love is an oddity, and all that capability for good was focused entirely on Arthur just because he was there.
The city was about that. It was about introducing a society that was that way all the way from the level of any given individual, to the neighborhood level, to the municipal (think: mayoral, city-wide) level, and then worldwide.
Once we knew there was no place to go that wasn¡¯t nice, we branched out to see what nice looked like in rural areas and less developed places. And we saw more about how the demons handle a world that periodically sends disasters that level all but the best defended locations.
Which was all, in the end, to set up Arthur for quite the shock. While everyone in the world he was in was nice, and while everything was almost always perfect, almost always is not actually always. And when all those rural settings and frontier expansions threatened to take away most of the people he loved, we saw just a hint of what the demons had worked together to overcome.
Because once, that thing where families were getting separated and scattered to the four corners was not as nice as what Arthur¡¯s getting. The demons had to work to make these permanent places of safety. They sort of had to fight for them.
And then, once it was clear that Arthur could go with his friends rather than lose them, we saw what it was like to build a new place in the Demon world. And in some ways that was very easy, since it¡¯s a world of magic, skills, and plenty.
But it was still not easy.
That was the path that Arthur took in books 1-4, and by the end of those books, he was established in his own town, with the people he loved. But the entire series, there was another place that had loomed over the story but had never actually been seen. That place was the Capital.
The Capital is about what you¡¯d except from a manga-city. It¡¯s really big. It¡¯s circular, which is normal for both manga cities and DWBS towns of almost any size. It has an economy that dwarves everything else in the story, it has the best food (on average), it has the most entertainment, and if it wasn¡¯t for Arthur Stuff would also have the most advancements in culture and science.
But it is, from the first time we see it, not the right place for Arthur. Right away, when he arrives, we learn that he¡¯s on a schedule. In the capital, they have those. He has places he¡¯d rather not be that he¡¯s expected to go to and things that aren¡¯t his favorite to do that he¡¯s going to have to suck it up and do.
It¡¯s not that the capital is bad, exactly, but if you read the book you find that there¡¯s never any part of it Arthur is particularly excited to go. That¡¯s because the capital is a place that¡¯s about having plenty to do, and that¡¯s not who Arthur is at all. He¡¯s about having the people he loves close, which is much easier in a place like Coldbrook.
Arthur, as a character, is very much the kind of guy who doesn¡¯t really understand what he¡¯s feeling until after everyone else does, and the capital is a terrible place for people like that. Because when it¡¯s noticed that he has the power to improve a lot of lives, he doesn¡¯t fully understand how much he¡¯d hate living in the capital to do it until almost the very end of the book. You¡¯ll notice he almost always frames it as being away from Coldbrook, which is really bad for him, but almost never frames it as being in a place that doesn¡¯t fit, which is just as much of a problem.
Once it¡¯s realized by people besides Arthur how very, very much he doesn¡¯t like the idea of living there, any chance he will sort of evaporates. For any observer who grew up in Demon World culture, Arthur must kind of want to do this, and he¡¯s just torn between that and another equally good option. If it wasn¡¯t like that, he¡¯d say so, because everyone in this world knows you aren¡¯t supposed to be unhappy.
And then he gets to go home, and the setting changes wildly again.
The Future
I¡¯ll talk about the sort of emotional side of the ending for me a bit later, but there was one and only one thing I wanted to show about the setting when I wrote the future: That Coldbrook was thriving, in the sense that everything that Coldbrook was built to be was working.
And we see that. Arthur has a shop, one that¡¯s even smaller than what he had before, aimed at serving a few favorite customers and anyone that wanders by, but that leaves plenty of room for up-and-coming restauranteurs to grow. Coldbrook is developed, its children are becoming adults (as we see even in Lily¡¯s growth), and it¡¯s basically grown as far as Arthur and company could make it grow.
And now it¡¯s time for something different to happen. Because all that growth was for one purpose. Like everything in the Demon World, it was meant to equip a generation to help the next, to make sure the niceness was maintained, and to give people their best chance to find happiness.
When the newcomer comes to town and needs help, we find that the entire culture has been shipping him around from one sage to another trying to get him settled since he got there. Expense isn¡¯t an issue, and neither is his attitude, his standing, or anyone¡¯s effort. They just want him to be happy, and everyone is going to work and work until they figure out how to make that work.
And I hope, I really do, that that part helped people know that if they knocked on any door at all in the demon world, they¡¯d find someone who would help them find what they needed.
Writing Characters
Where do characters come from? I get asked that a lot. For people who have not yet sat down and churned out an entire story, I think it looks impossible. I remember being that person. It wasn¡¯t that long ago. I remember looking at the work of the better writers I knew of, seeing these characters who were fully fleshed people in most of the ways that mattered, and wondering how they did that - how they sat down and imagined an entire person.
Now I¡¯ve done a bit of that work, and even if I¡¯m no Lois McMaster Bujold, I think I have a better handle on it. For my money, I think there are three answers to the question of where characters come from. In no particular order and perhaps repeating stuff I¡¯ve said in other notes, here they are.
Necessity
Some characters are who they are because they simply have to exist that way for the story to work. I think the easiest place to see this, like a lot of simple writing things, is Disney movies. Take Jafar, for instance. For the story he¡¯s in to work, it has to make sense that Aladdin finds his way to a long-hidden cave of wonders, and then in some way or another ends up enemies with the thing that got him there.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
When you start to think about who would be able to get a poor orphan into a magic cave, yet not deserve the things he was hiring that orphan to find, you come up with Jafar. He¡¯s a bad trickster wizard, and basically nothing else. As soon as you give him a bad-guy mustache and stupid clothes, he¡¯s ready to go.
Some of your characters are going to be like that. This is especially true of smaller characters who won¡¯t reappear in the story that much. If you need a person to be angry with the main character after a car crash, it¡¯s okay if that¡¯s all they are. You don¡¯t have to know how many kids Dave McCrashvictim has, or what he does for a living. You just have to know he¡¯s yelling and whatever else is needed for the scene.
T-1000 is a great character, not because we understand his motivations (he doesn¡¯t have any), but because we know his purpose (killing 90¡¯s kids) and because he fulfills that purpose and nothing else. He has a job, and he¡¯s a great character as soon as he does it.
Not every character is entirely necessity. Most aren¡¯t. But the best characters have clear jobs to do, even if that¡¯s only clear to you as the writer. When they have a purpose like that, they tend to get a lot of the other stuff characters need automatically (personality, development) because it¡¯s so much easier for you to understand your character if you start out understanding what they are for.
Chaos
Sometimes, not always but often enough, you¡¯ll find a character that exists entirely to rock the boat. Moving back to Disney, the most prominent chaos character I can think of in any of their movies is Gaston. He doesn¡¯t need to be in the story until Belle and The Beast are almost happy. Then he¡¯s absolutely vital because he¡¯s the only person in position to mess up that potential happiness up in a way we don¡¯t have to blame on either of our romantic leads.
I think of chaos characters as people who exist not to build up the story in a particular direction, but to alter the course of a story that¡¯s otherwise on rails. They come in and break the story that¡¯s currently happening. If you do this right, they are like a pair of shears cutting through all the ropes of a parachute at once. They have the potential to create a sudden, drastic difference in the feel and trajectory of a story.
Karbo is a chaos character, at least after he takes Arthur into combat in book one. Corbin is almost entirely a chaos character in a really noticeable way, since he literally pops in and out of the story carrying trouble and solutions on his back.
Like a lot of things, the difference between a necessity character and a chaos character can be paper-thin; one is the creative yin to the other¡¯s destructive yang, or whatever. There¡¯s a lot of mix and match in these categories, something I¡¯ll talk about just as soon as we finish up our last category of character.
Love
Some characters aren¡¯t necessary at all. You know who doesn¡¯t do much of anything in the books he¡¯s in? Skal. You can remove him from almost any scene he¡¯s in and keep things going in the same direction. He doesn¡¯t create chaos, and he¡¯s not the load-bearing enabler of plot progression in every instance I can think of.
He¡¯s there because I like him. I wanted one very old man in the town, not for plot reasons, but because I simply like grandpa characters. I wanted him to not get in the way. I wanted him to have already achieved every last thing he dreamt of, and to now have the security to do whatever he wanted, whether it was useful or not.
And I got it. To the extent Skal affects the story, it¡¯s because I held the door open for him until he caught up. It¡¯s because I built little Skal-shaped holes to keep my Skal in.
This is, I want to stress, not only big-O big-K OK, but sometimes necessary so you can write a book at all. You know that thing where people tell you to write what you know? The best version of that advice is, I think, not only to write what you know, but to write what you like. Because when you are writing what you like, a story you actually enjoy, you get flow. You get things happening because you can see them happening to the characters you actually care about.
You know what would be a good thing to happen to them, and what would be bad. There¡¯s a writer named Lois McMaster Bujold I mentioned up above, who says that the best question you can ask about a character is ¡°what¡¯s the worst thing that I could do to him now?¡±To know that, you have to be dealing with someone you understand and care about.
You don¡¯t have to like every character. But you have to like some of them. If you don¡¯t, why are you writing about them?
Putting the Three Together
Let¡¯s talk about mixing and matching a bit. One time, I had an idea for a scene about a place between worlds that, in the sense that Isekai stories sometimes do, had an attendant in it. My idea was that this attendant wouldn¡¯t be particularly good at their job. They¡¯d do just enough work to sort-of-kind-of wing it, and then they¡¯d do a mediocre job even with the prep work they had done.
This character ended up being The Truck in Deadworld Isekai. The idea of ending up in the exact wrong reincarnation scenario flowed out of that (and some other stuff; creation is complex) and we got an entire story.
But it didn¡¯t end there because now this character I had built for Chaos had to do actual work. And because the cast of Deadworld was always so spare, he had to do a lot of work. Over time, that character revealed more and more of himself, and we learned that he was bad at making plans because he was lazy and greedy, and that his laziness and greediness often created problems that he then tried to get rid of in the lowest effort, lowest cost way he could.
If this sound evil already, know that the Deadworld System is the most evil character I think I¡¯ve ever written.
Now let¡¯s talk about a pretty extreme, pure Love character. The Old Man Between Places (Sam, now) was based on a concept that¡¯s popular in various religions of an immediate end to pain when someone dies, of an immediate comfort that wipes away all the bad you¡¯ve ever felt. The Old Man Between Places is a person who facilitates that. For me, he¡¯s not just the person. He¡¯s also the room. He¡¯s waking up in bed with nowhere to be except home. He¡¯s the exact food or drink you want at an exact moment.
So I wrote his scene, and with absolutely no other use for the character, based an entire series off the judgement of someone who facilitates the Feeling of Clean Sheets and Just The Right Amount of Light to Wake Up To.
And he¡¯s also a chaos character, believe it or not. He¡¯s not a necessity character. I could have done everything he does with the System, or just with a disembodied window and a vague sense that everything was going to be okay. But one day, if this series continues in some form or another, he¡¯s the guy who will come in, throw the switch, and change the entire direction the train runs in.
Or we could talk about chaos or necessity characters that became love characters. Ella was a necessity character. I needed someone who could cook and wouldn¡¯t stress Arthur out even a little. I decided the best way to do that was to create a turbo-mom who would immediately feed and adopt any hungry-slash-homeless children who happened to fall into her personal affection gravity well.
After that, I didn¡¯t really need her. But you¡¯d be insane to think I wasn¡¯t going to make room in the story for her. Entire storylines (Minos) exist because I needed her to have a home in the story.
That¡¯s a lot of words to say a single thing. You should make sure a character is either there to build a story, to break it, or because you really truly love them and are willing to do the work it takes to build them a home. If you have any one of those three, you can often tack on one or both of the other purposes. But you have to start from one.
If you ever find yourself writing a character who doesn¡¯t build your story, break it, or make you fall in love with it, kill them. They shouldn¡¯t have been there in the first place.
Creating a World
Let¡¯s keep this section short because I only know the answers to half of the questions that someone might ask about creating a world.
Some people (Frank Herbert, George Martin) create worlds because they love creating worlds, and they only then try to make characters that make sense to inhabit them. When George Martin introduces Ned Stark as a character, it¡¯s not to introduce you to Ned Stark. It¡¯s to, by killing him, show that people like Ned Stark (good people) are incompatible with the world he¡¯s built. From that point, you know it¡¯s a bad world filled with bad people, full stop. It¡¯s a world of pain.
Some people work from that direction. They build a place, then populate it. I work the other way. I build a few characters I like, then build a place for them to live that - this is important - makes sense for them, and the kind of story I want to tell with them.
Everything I add from that point, whether it¡¯s characters, majicka mechanics, or new kinds of plants, is me building a world around those characters.
I think you can do either. I very obviously can¡¯t do the Martin version of world building, so I can¡¯t tell you much about it, except that all those pieces really need to fit together.
Telling the Story You Have to Tell
There¡¯s something fundamentally ugly about, as a reader/watcher/listener/enjoyer-of-things, hearing that someone wrote a book, made a movie, or otherwise produced art because they needed money. It feels very counter to what art is supposed to be, and carries all sorts of warnings with it that the piece of art they made out of practical necessity might not be the good art they could have made if they had their choice in the matter.
The dirty, horrible truth is that once you start writing for money, you make a lot of choices that are aimed at making sure you have the resources to continue writing. Unless you are a runaway success, you have to keep having successes in those filthy practical ways or your rent doesn¡¯t end up paid.
Quick aside: If you are five books in and enjoyed them, please do talk about this series somewhere. As above, success lets me write more stuff like this. Five books in, I¡¯m confident when I say we both seem to want that.
The way I think this applies to you as a writer is to acknowledge you might not always have the resources to write the exact thing you want to write. But you should always walk into a new project hoping you do, and planning on changing just enough during the process to keep your work alive while giving it as much room to grow into what it¡¯s supposed to be as you can.
I think that, for most people, that means starting out with enough idea to write one very good book. Whether or not you want a series, you should plan on writing a story that, even if there wasn¡¯t a series of books after it, would be enough.
Into that book, you put enough of a world that it could live on in someone¡¯s mind even without more building. You put enough characters that, for the reader, it¡¯s populated. You include enough story that your customer thinks of you as having told them a complete story.
You know who does this great? Old detective shows. Columbo is amazing at telling self-contained stories that lend themselves to a greater series, but that live on their own. Ditto Murder She Wrote, or even Father Brown. Bujold, who I mentioned above, tries to write each of her stories in a way where if you encountered them out of order in the wild and read them in whatever order they presented themselves, you¡¯d still end up pretty okay with the experience.
I¡¯m not sure I get this part of things exactly right just yet. It¡¯s something I¡¯m working on. But I think if you write a chapter that doesn¡¯t stand on its own two feet, or especially a novel that can¡¯t exist by itself, it¡¯s a big warning sign that you might have written a chunk of story that doesn¡¯t actually have any story in it.
So if I have advice here, it¡¯s this: figure out what story you are telling. Do it every chapter, every section of beginning-middle-and-end, and every novel you write. And then do what it takes to tell that story in a way where it can support its own weight and live independently both as a piece of art and as a memory your readers end up carrying around for the rest of their lives.
Surviving the Process
The heading of this section is melodramatic. I fully admit it. I¡¯ve had manual labor jobs that sent me home in pain every day. Writing is better than those. I¡¯ve had super-stressful, mile-a-minute overloaded-with-stress-24-7 jobs. Writing is better than those. I fully admit that what I do is only work in a way where you sort of have to squint your eyes, tilt your head, and take it in at odd angles to call it that without feeling ashamed of yourself.
But it is still work.
I¡¯ve written about eleven novels in the past year, all of which were at least fairly well received. People liked them. Not too many people hated them. Very few people called me a hack, and most of the people who did call me a hack were nice about it.
It¡¯s the easiest, most fulfilling job I¡¯ve ever had. Do not ever get me wrong about that.
And still, about once a week, my editor-and-friend Dotblue will check in on me to make sure I¡¯m not killing myself by doing this. He doesn¡¯t say it that way, exactly. But he is, in a nice way, trying to make sure I¡¯m not outputting so hard that I¡¯m going to hurt myself.
Words are a well that runs dry. My output level is way, way above the norm, but there¡¯s still a limit. And once the aquifer of story is tapped, you can only get more out of your wells by jumping in and sacrificing muscle and sinew to digging the well deeper.
I¡¯m lucky enough to do this full-time, but not everyone has that advantage. I know people who come home from full-time jobs, then sit down and try to squeeze out some words before they fall asleep at their desks. I know people who are sad who are spending their lifeblood on writing happy characters, or people who are happy who are dragging themselves down by writing things that are sad.
I want to say this very carefully. I think that writing a book should hurt. If a character you love gets hurt, it should hurt you a little, too. If you write a love scene, it should be a little embarrassing. If you write an argument, it should make you a bit angry. All those things should cost you something. If they don¡¯t, they came cheaply, and I think most of the reader can tell if that¡¯s the case.
But writing should not hurt you, in the sense that you should lose family over it. It shouldn¡¯t hurt you in a sense that leaves you homeless, or in a bad mental health place, or abusing substances, or anything like that.
Let it cost you something. I really mean that. But don¡¯t let it cost you everything. Manage your time. Manage your rest. Take the breaks you need. Make sure you get enough sleep. Exercise a bit. Watch some TV, or play video games, or whatever cheap junk-food entertainment lets you feel good without much effort. Give yourself enough to keep going on with.
And, as Hemingway said, if you can manage it, you should leave just a little bit in the well every day, just a small handle on the next bit of story, and a small assurance that you have more left to write that you can take with you to bed every time you go to sleep, to play, or to otherwise rest so you are ready and able to come back to your art in a healthy way.
How I Feel About The End
I ended this book in an odd way. I think it was the right way, but it¡¯s certainly not normal to end things with a seven-chapter flash-forward epilogue. It¡¯s not that weird, either, but I can see some people walking away wondering why, even if they liked it.
My reason for doing things that way were pretty simple. When I started this out, my idea of Arthur was someone who had not quite found their place on Earth, had dove headfirst into the wrong kind of life, and was now being given the right kind of life for free. And at his core, I think the recurring essence of Arthur is that he doesn¡¯t ever really believe he deserves it.
At some point in book five, I was writing another scene that dealt with that and realized, no, actually, he does get that now. I understood that I was writing the last time I could plausibly claim that Arthur really didn¡¯t feel as if he was at home in this new world.
I ended the book a few chapters after that. I had to. Arthur¡¯s story, for better or worse, was resolved. Everything that came after that was everything he deserved, and everything you expected. He was married. He was having a child. The child he already had was grown. Everyone around him was safe, warm, and happy.
But Arthur¡¯s story was still done.
I don¡¯t know for sure that I¡¯ll ever write another DWBS book. But if I do, I think it¡¯s going to be someone else¡¯s story. I¡¯ll find someone else in the corners of my mind who needs to heal, and bring them in and let them bask in the glow of a place that really, truly is fairly nice.
Enough of you have told me that was important to you that I believe you. Even if didn¡¯t, I would still know it was true for me.
I¡¯m on to other series now, but I hope to see you not only there, but also back here, some day.
As always, thank you so much for reading these. It allows me to live the way I¡¯ve always wanted to, and it makes more of a difference to me and my family than you¡¯ll ever know.
Thanks,
RC
Stub Announcement - DWBS Book 5 is Stubbing in 5 Days
Hello everyone!
I am excited to announce that the next (and last) book of Demon World Boba Shop will soon be available on Amazon. In preparation for its upcoming publication, the story will be stubbed from Royal Road in roughly 5 days. Once it''s released I will publish one more chapter with the links.
I want to once again express my deepest gratitude for the support and love you have shown this story. Your feedback and enthusiasm have been invaluable and kept me going throughout this journey <3If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
For updates on the Amazon release and future projects, please consider joining our discord: https://discord.gg/TuGjxW3xw7
(Soon, SnowingPine will also have the ability to follow authors, which will let you instantly know when a new fiction is live!)
Thanks for being with me during this wonderful journey.
Cheers,
RC