Deathworld Commando: Reborn - Chapter 150: Birthday Surprises.

After the javelin contest with Agnar, the three of us got a bite to eat. Since I was the loser, I ended up footing the bill. Our lunch consisted of just slabs of meat cooked over a fire, and I helped myself to an apple juice that was freshly pressed. Of course, Agnar being the monster he was, ate his weight in silver, so my funds were screaming at me. Cerila was also quite the eater. I guess maintaining that kind of physique requires it.

Regardless, it was a simple, but excellent meal. When I’m at Forward University or when Bowen’s maids cook dinner, it’s always extravagant and high-class. It’s not that I dislike that food. If anything, I think I prefer those meals as they are far healthier and more filling than what I had, but…this had its own charm.

Reminds me of my days of adventuring. Not that those lasted all that long.

After our lunch and a bit of walking around, Agnar bid us farewell and went to cause havoc in the lifting stone competition. I felt bad for anyone who tried to compete with him. They were destined to face off against a living titan.

It was almost midday when we parted ways. The cool winter wind swept through the snowy trees as Cerila guided me out into the forest. A few archery ranges were set up for people who wanted to get away from the crowd and just let loose. We also turned our dungeon items back in and got our deposits back for them.

I asked Cerila if she wanted to compete anywhere, but she told me that we could come back next year. That she actually wanted to have a competition with me, and that’s what led us to our current situation…

I signed weakly.

Cerila was off to my right holding her sides and letting out a thunderous laugh mixed in with some moans. Of course, since she couldn’t hear herself, she had no idea just how loud she was. But it was evident that when she made those kinds of noises…she was honestly laughing her hardest without a care in the world.

she managed to sign in between her laughs.

I looked down. that small,> I argued.

Because it is.

The short bow I was using was the one I pilfered from…uh…what was his name again? Ah, whatever. The same kid I rightfully secured my Spatial Ring from in honorable combat.

The bow was high quality, albeit it was just made out of high-quality material, a brown oak with random engravings. Unfortunately, the craftsmanship wasn’t much to brag about. Somebody was probably just trying to pull a quick one over some noble’s head.

Either way…the bow was small and had a measly draw weight. And much to Cerila’s enjoyment, in my hands, the bow looked silly beyond belief.

But that wasn’t the only thing she is laughing about…my skills with the bow are… lacking.

I lamented that fact in my last hunt, but I hadn’t done anything to change it, so it was no surprise that I was still behind. I just didn’t have much of a reason to use a bow and arrow these days since most of my opponents have been monsters or people. I was a far better mage than I ever was an archer.

And it was no wonder Cerila found it somewhat amusing. Back in the day, I was the archer going around in the woods hunting animals and tiny monsters while she followed behind me with magic.

But now…

“How is that even possible,” I muttered.

Cerila wasn’t coming from a place of incompetence but of pure skill. She hit the target dead center with ease and it wasn’t the first time she had done it. No, she was regularly smacking the bull’s eye like it was just another morning for her. Her skills with the bow far surpassed mine. Honestly, they were probably even better than my father’s.

And her bow…how does that thing even function?

Cerila’s longbow was made entirely of pure white ice. It was like somebody had carved it straight out of a glacier. If the light hit it just right, you could see straight through it and out the other side. Even the bowstring looked to be made of an icicle. I thought at first that Cerila had made it with her magic as it fit her perfectly.

However, in theory, that bow should have been the world’s most useless weapon, but since it came from a dungeon it could completely ignore the laws of…everything. Therefore, I shouldn’t even attempt to make sense of that weapon. I’d long since given up on trying to apply logic to items found in dungeons.

I asked her.

Cerila nodded and then proceeded to hit another perfect shot.

She quickly nocked another arrow, but this time something was different. The iron arrowhead frosted over as ice crept down the shaft. Before it reached Cerila’s fingers, she let the arrow loose, and it smacked into the middle of the target once more, splitting the previous arrow in the center.

Frost quickly spread out from the impact and consumed the target. It was as impressive as it was deadly. That begged the question…

I questioned.

Cerila shrugged. she explained.

I summoned an earth wall next to the target, and Cerila launched another arrow. Sure enough, as the second the arrow hit the stone wall it disintegrated, barely even chipping the surface. And I hadn’t done anything to reinforce the wall. A normal iron arrow should have found some purchase in it.

Mmmm…a bow that excels at killing soft targets is interesting. It might be a C rank overall but in the right scenario, it could be highly deadly.

Cerila let out a long sigh and looked over at me. I got the impression she wanted to say something but she frowned slightly and walked over to a wooden stump while beckoning me to follow her.

I asked.

she said as a long brown wooden box appeared on the stump.

The box didn’t appear to be anything special, but Cerila gave me an expectant look, so I went ahead and opened it. Laying inside a straw bed was a silver recurve bow with sky-blue accents. I ran my hand across the cool metal and marveled at its craftsmanship. It seemed to be made of Dwarven steel with a bit of cobalt here and there.

The black leather for the grip felt just rough enough to feel secure without being too excessive in any way. The weapon was uniform and sleek, but I noticed a small engraving on the upper limb upon further inspection.

K+C+P?

I looked at Cerila for confirmation, and she was just smiling softly.

I see…

I grabbed an arrow from the bucket and decided to give the bow a test drive. Pulling back on the bowstring revealed that the draw weight was on the heavier side, more than I was used to. But with a bit of mana enhancement, the arrow went back smoothly and I released it with a satisfying twang and woosh.

I chuckled slightly as my arrow missed my mark by a bit. Unfortunately, no matter how good of a bow Padraic made or how expensive and rare the materials were, it couldn’t compensate for my lack of skill.

Even still, the bow was indeed fantastic. Just thinking back to the first knife Padraic ever made me at his Dad’s forge, this was a night and day difference. He mentioned that he practiced while on the road, but it seemed that Bowen permitted him to use the forges at the school. He’d improved dramatically over these last few years.

Those two went out of their way to make this thing for me. It had been a while since I’d gotten such a personalized gift. I won’t lie, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face, nor could I suppress the feeling of happiness.

I really should thank her and—

“What! What the?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY TARGET?”

Oops.

—

We managed to sate the anger of the man by paying him handsomely for the damage done to his arrow and target. It was only natural that we do so…since the range was free of charge, and we did ruin the target of our own accord. Cerila apologized sheepishly, and since we got the feeling that we weren’t welcome at the range anymore, Cerila suggested we go hunting in the nearby forest.

Since I didn’t have any counters to suggest, I agreed, and the two of us wandered into the woods, looking for something to hunt. We were told that some monsters might be lurking about if we went far enough in so we did just that. The woods were deathly silent, eerily so. And Cerila and I hadn’t said much since we embarked.

She was constantly sneaking glances my way, and I didn’t know exactly what to say. It seemed that I had a lot to talk to her about, and it appeared that she was also considering some things. I also had to thank her for the gift as well as give her a gift of her own that I had prepared.

Cerila abruptly stopped and gave me a rather complicated look.

Although she asked it as a question, I got the feeling it was more of a statement. I agreed.

I made us some seats out of earth magic, and Cerila took out some wood to be used for a small fire. We worked quickly and had a small campsite set up in a few minutes.

The crackling of the fire was the only noise besides the occasional howl of a beast in the distance. Cerila’s amber fox eyes reflected the fire as she listlessly stared into the blaze. I stared into the fire for just a moment before I felt her gaze on me.

We stared at each other for a while before Cerila averted her eyes first. A worried expression formed on her face as she bowed her head low. she signed

Mad? What? Do I seem angry or something? I swear it’s just my face.

I told her.

Cerila raised her eyebrows at me, and her ears pulled back as well.

What?

I explained.

she asked, taken aback.

I signed with a smile.

Her eyes went wide, and I thought she would be happy with my response. Everything I said, I meant. I really did have a good time with her, and the gift was something special, just for me. I was thankful for her and for Padraic. I can only hope I got that across but…

she asked with downcast teary eyes.

Geeze…have I been so awful to her that it really made it seem like I hated her? I never intended to do that or make her feel that way. I wouldn’t have dreamed of it in a million years. She looked over at me, tears dripping down her face.

But…I can’t refute what she is saying because it’s true. Well, not the hating her part, but the driving away feeling, even I feel like that.

I wasn’t sure what to say at first, but I think…I have something. It may just be putting a bandaid on the problem and calling it good, but it’s better than whatever this is.

I admitted.

Her eyes widened in shock. She looked panicked like I was about to bolt off and never come back. But I had no plans of leaving her.

she signed with a pained expression.

I see…of course she does. She told me as much.

I asked.

She nodded as she wiped her face with the corner of her hood.

she asked hesitantly.

I signed.

Cerila shot up slightly and leaned forward.

We’ll see about that.

I asked.

she asked, looking a mixture of confused and anxious.

I explained.

Cerila looked at me with a mixture of tears and rapt attention. She wouldn’t even blink , fearing to miss anything I said. But I waited a moment for her response. she asked.

I told her earnestly.

She smiled bitterly at that and started nodding her head, wiping the tears from her eyes again.

I explained.

Cerila nodded sheepishly, and her ears folded down.

I narrowed my eyes, not in a hateful or angry way. But in a serious one. Well, I hope I did, at least.

She looked away, her ears still pressed down.

I said with a nod of the head.

Cerila jolted forward again, and I had to placate her with some hand warnings to stop her from exploding into a frenzy.

Cerila backed down and nodded her head thoughtfully, tears forming in her eyes again as she clenched her jaw.

she asked.

I interrupted.

Cerila winced slightly at that, which made me feel bad. Talking about my feelings for Sylvia right in front of her probably didn’t make her feel that good inside. I would understand if she grew to hate me after all of this.

she signed nervously.

Now it was my turn to look away from her.

I explained sternly.

Cerila looked rather dejected by that, but she nodded her head slowly. she asked.

Ah…that…I was hoping she wouldn’t bring that up.

I didn’t set these goals to be completed to confirm our feelings but to work things out. If I said yes, and it turned out we didn’t love each other after we did everything, then it would have been a lie. If I gave her some vague answer, like maybe or perhaps, it would just spur her on. That’s not something I wanted either.

I imagined that in the end, after these conditions were met, we would be different people. There was also a sense that there wasn’t a time limit. These could be done in six weeks or six years. There was no telling how long any of that could take.

But knowing me, it’s going to take some time.

I responded.

Cerila nodded weakly. Her shoulders slumped, and she looked defeated as her bloodshot and teary eyes closed slowly. I didn’t want to leave her like that so I stood up.

Cerila’s body jerked slightly as I hugged her from behind. I put my hands out front so I could sign and she could see.

I just held Cerila as she started crying. I’m not sure if what I’d done was the right thing to do. Maybe I was only prolonging her grief. But it was what I wanted to do. Well, not the grief part but…ah…whatever…this was hard enough as it was.

I signed as I dropped a Spatial Ring into her hand.

Cerila wiped the tears from her eyes and looked back at me in confusion. I just motioned for her to go ahead, and she slowly slid the ring onto her finger. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she frantically took the ring off and tried to hand it back to me.

I told her with a grin.

Sorry to interrupt but do please come here, Son.

I shot up and looked around frantically. I heard a voice. No, ‘hearing’ wasn’t accurate. It was like it spoke directly to me in my head. But the voice was familiar…one I had heard before.

Cerila asked, shaking me.

Damn…what is she doing here, and why do I know how to find her all of a sudden?

—

I led Cerila deeper into the forest, following on nothing but pure instinct. I warned her about whose voice I heard and that it wasn’t something I could ignore, but she agreed to come nonetheless. But now that we were almost there, Cerila was shaking in fear. I could hear her teeth chattering against each other, but she still put one foot in front of the other.

Eventually, we arrived at a large clearing in the forest. Standing in the center was a tall woman with dark almond skin wearing a daring black dress that exposed her skin to the world. Despite the cold, she didn’t appear the least bit bothered.

Avasta’s deep reptilian amethyst eyes glowed with power as she stared into us. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up, and she grinned devilishly, no doubt relishing in the unease she caused by looking into my soul. But then her face morphed for a moment, her eyes went wide and her grin faded away like I had seen something that wasn’t really there.

The long nail on her slim fingers beckoned us over but Cerila stopped dead in her tracks. “Aww, you don’t have to be like that, dear. I’ve just been keeping away all the pests, that’s all,” Avasta said, the pressure surrounding her dissipating.

Cerila fell to her knees and gasped for air. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and glared at Avasta. “What do you want, Chaos Dragon Empress Avasta?” I asked pointedly.

She took a step back and covered her…immodest and nearly exposed chest, feigning as if I stabbed her. “Oh, you wound me, Son. Why are you being so cold? What have I ever done to you?”

…

…

Avasta frowned and walked closer to me. She traced my face and sighed to herself. “So grouchy, just like all those other senile fools. Does a mother need a reason to see her son? And here I was, being so kind as to wait patiently for you to finish your business with your adorable little fox. Me? Waiting? Imagine what the others would think…” she said with a sad sigh.

“I just figured you had a reason. Considering you are so important, Empress,” I said evenly.

Avasta batted her long eyelashes at me and puffed her cheeks out. If it were anyone else it probably would have been endearing. Avasta was a monster wearing the skin of an alluring woman. And since it was a creature that far surpassed anything I could fathom, I just held my breath.

“You’re no fun,” she pouted as she took a step back. “I came here to hold up my end of the bargain, but things changed a bit…” she said, trailing off with a finger to her chin.

Suddenly glasses appeared on her face, and a worn leather book in her hand. Purple particles left her fingers, and started flipping the pages only for her to clear her throat. “Anway, I have a question for you, and I expect an answer, yes? Okay, so what is…that?” she asked, pointing at me.

Huh?

I looked down at my chest, but I didn’t see anything wrong with me. As far as I knew, my body hadn’t changed. Even with Soul Sight, nothing was different. I raised an eyebrow at Avasta, but she shook her head.

“I’m not pointing at you. I’m pointing behind you. What is that…thing?” she asked, her eyes glowing with her magic.

I covered my eyes and looked away from Avasta, and turned my Soul Sight on. But…there was nothing. However, the edges of my vision were bursting with white light. If I turned around and looked at Avasta, I imagined it would have been the equivalent of staring into a sun that was at arm’s length, so I cut the mana off to my eyes.

“I don’t see anything,” I admitted.

Avasta hummed to herself and turned the pages of the book with magic. “I see. You aren’t proficient enough. I suppose you’ve been training your eye, yes?”

“I have been, yes…”

“Even then, you aren’t as far along as I initially planned. Perhaps I overestimated you,” Avasta grumbled, pushing her glasses up her nose. “Oh well, nothing I can’t change.”

“Change wha—”

Clank.

I didn’t get a chance to finish my sentence or process what happened as white-hot pain assaulted my brain, and that was quite literal, considering what happened. I didn’t even get to see her move. Blood spurted out from my left eye and Avasta’s long finger was almost knuckle deep inside of me. But Avasta wasn’t looking at me. She was just grinning off to the side with an amused expression.

“Oh my, you actually moved against me, little fox? How fun,” Avasta cackled. “But you are in the way…scram—”

“Wait! Please, don’t hurt her, just wait…” I managed to say, turning my head slightly.

A piece of beautiful blue-shaped icicle was caught between Avasta’s fingers. Cerila was pouring sweat, and her jaw was clenching so hard I could hear her grinding her teeth as tears rolled down her face. Cerila’s entire body was shaking, and she looked about ready to collapse.

I signed one-handed.

That’s right, Avasta isn’t going to kill me. If she wanted to kill me, I’d already be dead a hundred times over. I can fight a lot of things, but a Dragon Emperor is not one of them. It cost me everything just to defeat a regular Dragon. I can’t lose Cerila.

The ice melted, and Cerila fell to her knees, shaking. I rolled my working eye back to Avasta, and her smirk only grew.

“Now then, since you can’t see it for yourself, I’ll just have to show you,” Avasta chirped as her eyes glowed purple. “Prepare yourself.”

I gritted my teeth, and my world went black. When my vision returned, I could see through both eyes but quickly realized something was off because I was looking at myself.

“Would you look at that? Everything went swimmingly. How fortunate for you, Kaladin. I was expecting you to writhe on the ground in agony,” Avasta mused.

But it was odd hearing her voice. Because it felt like I was listening to my own voice…wait no, that’s not right, it was like I was hearing her voice through her ears…something along those lines.

“And here…we…go…” Avasta said slowly.

I felt a surge of mana unlike anything I’d felt before. Wait, that’s…this…it was immense, almost a bottomless ocean of mana. It was frightening but I’d felt something similar before…just once and only for a fleeting moment.

The dungeon core…this is…almost like that. But it feels more perverse. Wrong.

My vision shined brightly, and the world around me glowed with different hues of color. It was beautiful, the trees, the plants, everything. But my stomach churned, and my heart raced as I looked over at my body.

A black whirlpool flowed in my chest. It was like a torrent of inky black water that was raging. Which was odd, considering that’s not how it looked to me in my Soul Sight.

And as I looked behind me, lording over me was a dark misty figure made entirely of that blackness. The figure was vaguely Humanoid, but I recognized it.

How is he here?

“So tell me, what is that? Mhm? I’m dying to know, considering it wasn’t there before. And it appears that Qylrenth is no longer with you. Did that thing eat him or something?” Avasta asked, sounding genuinely interested.

“I don’t know what that is,” I lied.

“Okay,” Avasta said simply.

What? That’s it?

My vision darkened, and the pain receded instantly. I opened my eyes, both of them, and nothing felt amiss. I could see just fine, considering I just had my brain impaled and played with by a Dragon’s finger.

Avasta was just watching me. A wide grin kept growing, revealing her sharp inhuman teeth. It was a wicked smile that sent chills down my spine. If that mana source wasn’t enough to remind me that Avasta wasn’t Human, then that was.

“How interesting! You are just so chaotic! Honestly, I love it!” Avasta cackled as she pressed her voluptuous chest together. “Oh, we are going to have so much fun, you and I!”

Chaotic? Wait…

“Be wary, and remain vigilant of tumultuous events”

Is this what the Moon Mother meant? Tumultuous can easily be seen as chaotic…

“What did you do to me?” I asked cautiously.

“Oh, nothing much. I just showed you the world through my eyes. Well, only part of it, considering even half of my power would have killed you,” Avasta said with a shrug.

Half? That was less than half of her power? Is she lying? Who do I even believe anymore?

“You should also be able to use that eye more efficiently. I suppose you can say I focused it…or maybe I made it worse? Who knows?” she giggled.

“Should I be thanking you or something?” I scoffed.

“Mmmm…not quite yet. But maybe after I introduce you to your long-lost brother,” Avasta said with a grin.

“What are you on about? This is—”

Avasta looked up at the sky and narrowed her eyes. “Kelzrenth? Would you come down already? Why are you still all the way up there?”

I followed her eyes, but I didn’t see anything but soft white clouds in the clear blue sky. Then the clouds broke apart, and I heard it before I saw it.

A blur descended toward the ground like a missile. I barely had time to protect myself with a barrier of earth as the ground wobbled and cracked, and a loud boom echoed throughout the woods.

I let the earthen barrier crumble away, and my eyes went wide. An enormous multi-colored Dragon had crashed into the ground. It wasn’t nearly as big as Qylrenth or even the adult Wyrm, but it was still larger than a two-story house. But it was an…odd looking Dragon. It looked far more majestic and unique than any Dragon I had seen or read about it.

Its breathtaking scales were a pattern of alternating pinks and light blues. The Dragon’s eyes were also heterochromatic, one a bright pink and the other glacial blue. Its long tail swayed behind it, and it bared its teeth at us. Yet, despite looking so majestic, it was still a Dragon.

But oddly enough, it lacked the inherent danger that Avasta or even the Wyrm produced. Or so I thought. One look at Cerila and I could tell she was terrified out of her wits. Perhaps I was just immune to this much? I couldn’t be sure.

Bonk.

Gleh.

The poor Dragon let out a guttural groan as Avasta smacked it on the head with her fist. “What are you doing, Kelzrenth?! What if you hurt them?! And why are you still in that form?! Did you think you were being an epic beast or something?! Change yourself this instant!” Avasta chided in a motherly voice.

What the…this is…odd as all hell.

This was a myth in the making if somebody saw it from the outside. Avasta, despite being a Dragon, appeared to be a Human woman for the most part. And seeing a Human woman smack a Dragon so hard on the head that it made the beast wince was a sight to behold.

“Fine…” the Dragon groaned.

Suddenly, a cloud of black smoke enveloped the Dragon’s form and out stepped a young boy around the age of nine or ten. His skin was a light tan, and his droopy Dark Elf ears were nearly covered by his long pink and light blue hair. His sclera was pitch black, but his Draconic eyes were the same as before. But…his face…

It looks…like mine….more than what should be natural. Is this some sick joke?

“What? Why do you look surprised, Kaladin? I told you, did I not? This is your older brother, Kelzrenth. Kelzrenth, play nice with him,” Avasta cooed.

Kelzrenth scowled at me and rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I just have to do what you told me to do, right?”

Avasta narrowed her eyes but ended up sighing instead. “All of you…why can’t anyone just play along for once?”

“I’m leaving,” Kelzrenth declared as he bent his knees like a spring and jumped away into the trees, cracking the ground beneath him.

And he was gone…just like that. What the hell?

Avasta put a finger to her cheek and sighed again. “My my, he’s getting so angsty these days.”

“What…was that?” I asked in utter disbelief.

Avasta looked back at me, slightly annoyed. “I told you. Are you calling me a liar?”

“No…that’s not it at all,” I groaned. I could feel a headache coming on.

“Just be a good boy and be nice to your older brother, okay? He can be a bit prickly at times, but I guess that runs in the family,” Avasta giggled.

She wiped away at her exposed chest and straightened her back. “Now then, I have matters to attend to. Let’s hope that your Human friend managed to do what I asked. Or it’ll be his head I’m taking back,” she said as she sauntered off into the woods.

Sigh. What is going on anymore? Gods and Dragons? If these aren’t tumultuous times then I don’t know what is. Does that mean I should be wary of this new Dragon and Avasta more than I already am?

What’s next? An eldritch being from the stars?

—

“I’m going straight to—”

“Going straight to where?” a beautiful voice asked me.

My head snapped toward the voice, and I let out a relieved sigh. “To bed, but why are you all dressed up? And why are you in my room? Are you waiting for me or something?”

Sylvia was lounging in a chair in the corner of my room, wearing a bright purple dress that I had never seen before. Her bare pale shoulders were exposed, and the dress fit snugly against her body. It was far less revealing than the last dress she showed me, but it accentuated her beauty nonetheless.

“I was waiting for you. You took a bit longer than I expected, but that’s okay. Why don’t you wash up and get ready? We are going out to eat,” Sylvia said softly. “And your clothes are on the bed,” she said before standing up.

I looked over at my bed and laid out clothes I had never seen before. “Where did I get these from?”

“They were a gift from Ren’s master. I believe the man who dropped them off was named Yage?” Sylvia said with a shrug.

“I see,” I muttered as I poked at the clothes.

It was a set of flowing black and silver robes in the same style as what the Mistwalker wore. Meaning it was more on the Asian side of things from my old world. I’d never worn anything like this, but…

“Can I get a rain check on this? I wouldn’t mind just eating at home and staying in tonight,” I somewhat pleaded.

Sylvia gave me an apologetic look but winked at me. “Sorry, Dear, but no can do. We have plans tonight that can’t be moved.”

“We do?”

—

“I guess we do,” I mumbled to myself. “This place is awfully fancy, and these robes…who knew putting clothes on was so difficult.”

We were on the second floor of a restaurant I had never been to or heard of before. The place was stunning as the high black marble dome ceiling had murals painted on it and was exposed to the night sky. And oddly enough, the entire circular room was cleaned out except for a single table situated close to the balcony.

Sylvia giggled to herself as she led me into the empty room, one arm wrapped around mine. “This venue was rented out by yours truly. Being a new noble and the face of this new Dragonheart Foundation has its perks.The clothes were a surprise to be sure but I think you look very handsome in them. Maybe this style is more your thing, mhm?” Sylvia asked as she looked up at me.

“Well, I don’t not like them. They aren’t very mobile, but I guess they feel nice and silky on the skin, and I have to admit they are comfortable,” I said with a shrug.

I imagine I look like some kind of samurai without his armor…

Sylvia gave me an exasperated sigh and looked at me with annoyance. “Mobility? Really? We are going to dinner, Kaladin, not to war…”

“You never know,” I said honestly.

Sylvia rolled her eyes, and we sat down at the table together. There was no need to order as the food had already been decided and the two of us ate a smorgasbord. I was a little hesitant at first, but I hadn’t realized just how hungry I was after a long day.

There wasn’t much to comment on. Sylvia and I just enjoyed dinner, and we caught up with each other, considering we hadn’t spoken to one another in a few days. I also took the time to explain what had happened in my journey.

Sylvia seemed concerned that an entity that was supposedly a god was talking to me when I was puking and crapping myself uncontrollably. I didn’t fault her. It did sound a bit insane. But I was confident that my conversation with the Moon Mother was real.

And after some convincing, she too agreed that it was the most likely case. But as to what we were going to do about it, that still remained to be seen. I sent a letter to Lin and was waiting to hear back from her. If anybody could dig up information on Prince Xander, it was her and her family of assassins.

From there, the conversation naturally drifted to what I did with Cerila during the day. Naturally, I had told my family where I was going before I disappeared for an entire day, but to my surprise, Sylvia knew more than I expected.

But I decided to keep Cerila and my conversation a secret for the time being. At least until Cerila made genuine contact with Sylvia, and I went through with my plans. Besides, there was plenty to talk about with what happened with Avasta.

Oh, and there was that one thing that happened before we got home…well, that’s a story for another time.

“You have a twin brother? That is older than you but looks younger than you? And he is a Dragon? Are you trying to mess with me?” Sylvia asked, exasperated.

“Dead serious. The kid could have been my blood brother, and I wouldn’t have denied it. I thought maybe you would know more about Dragons and their transformations,” I asked.

Sylvia rubbed her forehead with a pensive expression. “I…don’t really remember asking, to be honest. I was too young, and I just assumed that’s what my master always looked like. I mean I knew he was a Dragon, but I never saw him transform, nor did I ever see him in his Dragon form or any other Dragon for that matter.”

“Did you ever meet any other Dragons? In their Human forms?” I asked.

Sylvia shook her head. “No, I never did, as far as I can remember. It was always Master Keldrag, and that was it. As you know, I didn’t get out very much,” she grumbled.

“True,” I muttered.

Sylvia sighed and stood up from her chair, and slowly walked out to the balcony without a word. I followed close behind her, and a frigid winter breeze rushed past us, making her black and purple hair flow in the wind.

It was at times like this that I got reminded of just how ethereal and beautiful Sylvia was. She felt like a person straight out of a fantasy novel. The Bloody Vampire Emperor’s granddaughter had the looks that went with the title.

Even though she wasn’t cold, I decided to surprise her. I had her gifts sent to me some time ago in secret, so it was the perfect time to show them off.

“Here you go,” I said as I draped a cyan and white cloak over her.

Although it clashed with her current outfit, that was fine, it didn’t detract from her stunning appearance in any way.

“What? What is this?” Sylvia asked as she looked at the cloak.

“A gift. I figured you always wear dark-colored things or red, so I thought this would be a nice change of pace. I have an entire outfit for you in my ring. I hope you like it,” I explained.

Sylvia blushed slightly and hugged the cloak to herself. “Yeah, it’s pretty. Thank you, Kaladin,” she muttered under her breath as she looked away.

Adorable.

Sylvia turned her head slightly, and her crimson eyes locked onto me. “This was supposed to be your birthday, not mine. How can you give me a gift when I haven’t even given you yours?”

I smiled. “What can I say? I’m ahead of the curve and in a giving mood today.”

Sylvia rolled her eyes, and a neatly folded brown jacket appeared out of thin air and into her hands. “Here, this is for you. It’s actually a D-ranked dungeon item, so I hope you like it.”

I unfolded the jacket, and it was made out of soft brown leather from some kind of animal. The collar popped at the top and had white fur lining it. It was rather simple with its leather straps and design, yet I thought it suited me nicely.

Very mobile and stretchy. I could work out in this thing.

“Are you thinking about how viable that jacket is in combat?” Sylvia asked with a wry smile.

“Close,” I muttered as I put it on.

“So how it would feel to work out in…” she mumbled to herself.

I gave myself a once over, and Sylvia looked me up and down. “I think it would look good on you if you were wearing anything else right now. Maybe with your long sleeved white shirt you bought recently.”

“That’s fair. So what makes this dungeon item? It doesn’t feel all that special,” I said.

“I was told that the wearer would never feel too hot or too cold with it on, but it doesn’t regulate temperature like mana weave does. And it’s supposed to have minor slashing resistance as well as an additional defense against earth magic, but I honestly think they were lying about the last two parts. I just thought it looked nice more than anything,” Sylvia said with a proud smile.

“I’d have to agree. I don’t think this will be stopping a sword any time soon, but at least it’s comfortable,” I said while putting it into my Spatial Ring. “Thank you, Sylvia.”

She blushed and walked over to the ledge again and looked up into the sky, most likely to avoid her embarrassment. “The sky is awfully pretty tonight. It’s a shame we can’t see the moons. But at least we can see some of the stars.”

“Mhm, it really is. But it’s not as pretty as you,” I said softly.

Sylvia’s head whipped around, and her eyes were wide, and her face was almost as red as her eyes. She even let out these cute little noises of surprise. “W—wah—what!?”

“What? I said you were prettier than the night sk—oof—hey why are you hitting me?” I asked.

Sylvia skittered over to me and was pounding on my chest. “What’s wrong with you?! Who are you, and what have you done to Kaladin!?” she demanded in a high-pitched voice.

“You don’t have to scream like that. Your normal speaking voice is beautiful enough as it is. Have I ever told you that before?” I mused to myself. “Maybe I just thought it to myself all this time.”

Sylvia’s eyes looked ready to bulge out of her skull. Her face was so red I thought steam was about ready to pop out from her even redder ears. She gave me a harder fist to the chest.

“What’s gotten into you!?” she shrieked as she shook me by the collar.

“Mhm? Nothing much. I suppose I’ve just decided to jump off the ledge. I’m enjoying it so far, although it is a bit embarrassing, to be honest,” I explained awkwardly, feeling my own ears burn up.

Sylvia frantically looked over the edge and back at me. “No! Don’t jump off! Give me back Kaladin this instant, you stupid Dragon!”

Mhm, this is a nice change of pace. It’s a bit awkward but…

Those little fists are going to leave a bruise for sure.

“Excuse me, I hate to interrupt you, but everyone has gathered, and the downstairs is prepared, Ma’am” a voice called out to us.

Oh? Downstairs? And man, today is the day for interruptions, huh?

—

“Surprise! Happy birthday, Kaladin!”

The room erupted in cheers and congratulations as I walked in. Somebody was even controlling a bit of fire magic and was floating flaming balls of different colors around the entrance.

And in this room, I saw many smiling and familiar faces. Just about everyone I knew who was still in the Capital was here tonight. If anything, it was easier to name the people who weren’t in attendance and that included the young children who were being watched by Grandpa and those like Veme and Bella who were out on my quest. I didn’t see Sededa, Aunt Illyssia, or High Priestess Zydrae, but that was to be expected. At least Varnir was here with Tsarra.

Even Ciki, the Dragonkin hairdresser, and Gilumune, the gentlemen and owner of Silver Wolverine Tailoring, were here. King Maxwell was also present, as well as my friends from school. It was a diverse crowd, to say the least, and they had all gathered for my sake.

“Thank you, everyone,” I said earnestly with a small bow.

“So modest! That’s our Dragon Slayer right there, everyone!” King Maxwell bellowed. “Now, time for drinks!”

Lauren smacked her father on the back and whispered something fiercely to him. He rubbed his behind and frowned. “After gifts…” King Maxwell said, pouting.

I was guided to a large round table in the center and slowly but surely everyone went and passed on gifts to me. Going through all the gifts was impossible, so I didn’t even bother. We would have been there for ages watching me open everything, and I didn’t want to make a show out of it, so I just thanked everyone and stacked the gifts high.

“So, did you like the bow?” Padraic asked; he was one of the last people in line.

“I did. Thanks for that, Brother. I appreciate it,” I said earnestly.

Padraic grinned and nodded his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s not my finest work, but it’ll serve as to what’s to come in the future. I hope you are ready.”

“Oh, I’m looking forward to it. But before that, I have a gift for you,” I said as I fumbled around in my pocket.

“A gift for me? What—Kal, my brother, I love you, but I’m not going to marry you,” Padraic said way too loudly, enough for everyone to look over with concerned and confused looks.

This guy…always so chaotic. He and Avasta are soul mates, I swear.

“Just take the ring and put it on, you bastard,” I groaned.

Padraic had a snide grin as he chuckled to himself. “Don’t mind if I do—”

He slid the ring off his fingers and quickly slid it back on. “By my damn beard…this isn’t a gift! It’s an offering of a lifetime! I take everything back! I’ll marry you right now! Come here, my love!”

I kept the Dwarf at arm’s length with a palm on his face. I felt his wet tongue lick my hand, and I was half a second away from squeezing his skull if I didn’t find it funny. “I need you to be three Dwarves’ length away from me at all times for the rest of the night.”

“Baut—Iah—dahn—want that,” he said, his voice muffled from my hand.

“Padraic, you are embarrassing yourself and me please…” I pleaded, letting go of his face.

“Bah! Screw ’em all! I’d conquer the world for these materials! Any Dwarf would! I’d get on my hands and knees and bark if you asked me!” Padraic declared with a satisfied grin.

I wiped his salvia off on a napkin and shooed him away. After all, there was still one more person in line. I was surprised to see that she had waited till the end.

“Your friend sure is something,” Lauren mused with raised eyebrows.

“He’s quite the character,” I admitted. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine. It’s not every day you get to listen to a Dwarf admit they would bark like a dog…what did you even give him?” Lauren asked with an interested grin.

I returned her grin and shrugged. “Ah, nothing much. Just some monster parts.”

“Sure, sure…monster parts,” she mumbled.

We didn’t say anything for a while, and Lauren just smiled kindly at me. “It’s been a while, huh? Have you been too busy to visit with me?” she asked coyly.

“It has been. And yeah, life’s been a journey these last few months, to say the least. Sorry that I haven’t been able to talk to you all that much,” I said.

Lauren raised an eyebrow at me. “I didn’t expect you to admit that so easily. I thought you would have made some sly remarks. You must have changed a little or you are as tired as you look.”

I shrugged. “Maybe a bit of both.”

Lauren hummed to herself, and out of thin air came three wide-bodied bottles. They were unmarked, and the liquid inside two of them was a bright yellow. The third was an opaque white.

“And these are, what? Exactly?” I asked, confused.

Lauren pushed them closer to me and smiled. “Beverages, obviously. Very rare and special beverages made from the honey of some bug monsters in a dungeon you can only find in Krunbar. Apparently, the company only makes a hundred bottles a year. Even my parents have to be put on a waitlist to get their hands on a single bottle every two years. If you wanted a rough cost…it might almost be a Mythril coin.”

I coughed slightly. “A Mythril coin…for these three bottles of this stuff? You are joking, right? How did you get your hands on these?”

Lauren put a finger to her chin and shrugged. “Simple, really. I sent a request in as the Dragonslayer, and they were more than happy to send some bottles. But, mmmm, it might be a bit of over exaggeration, but it’s not too far off. Just look over there,” she said as she pointed a finger into the crowd.

King Maxwell’s deep blue eyes were gazing at me intently. I could only see him from his eyes up, but I knew he was staring at me. He looked like he was sizing me up, preparing to pounce at a moment of weakness.

“My father might ambush you in the night if you don’t drink them. I wish I could say that I was joking as well,” Lauren said with a wry smile.

I swirled the bottle around and raised an eyebrow at her. “This stuff…is it really that good? What is it exactly?”

“The Dwarves call it mead. The yellow is their standard bottle, and the white one is their new snowberry line. I’ve only ever sipped the yellow honey one, and I personally found it to be enjoyable. So I thought that since you weren’t a fan of most alcoholic drinks that perhaps this would be something you were interested in.” Then she shrugged and grinned at me. “And if not, then you can sell it to my old man. He may just offer me up.”

Mead? I’ve heard that before…was it from Apollo in my dream?

I just sighed. “Alcohol, huh…did you drug this or something?”

Lauren gave me a hurt look. “I’m not some villain, Kal. That lack of faith really pains my heart, you know? I’d never try to hurt you on your birthday.”

“Mhm, I believe you,” I said honestly.

“What? Really?” Lauren asked, unable to hide her surprise.

“Yeah, of course, I do. I think we’ve had this conversation before, but I don’t hate you, Lauren.”

She smiled faintly, and I didn’t miss the slight blush. She pretended to cough only for a wine glass to appear from her ring. “Well, here is part of my gift. Let me pour you a drink.”

“Pour me a drink? What am I, a child?” I asked.

Lauren giggled to herself as she carefully poured the golden liquid into the cup. “Do you know how many people would kill for me to do this for them, mhm? Yet here I am doing it free of charge just for you…can’t you just take a hint for once, Kaladin?”

“Maybe I just don’t want to,” I grumbled.

“Well, too bad!” Lauren said with a small laugh as she slid the drink to me. “There, it’s your birthday. You should enjoy it with everyone else.”

“Well…one sip won’t hurt—”

Oh, hey this stuff is actually really good. There is alcohol in this? I can’t even taste it. It’s so sweet and refreshing. It’s like cold liquid honey.

—

Linnetia “Nyx” Paine’s POV

After Kaladin received his last gift, the entire room descended into festivities. It was quite an interesting party. He had everyone from royalty to some of the most powerful individuals here to see him. I mean, Headmaster Taurus was casually sipping a glass of wine with his father while his mother, a former assassin, spoke face-to-face with a princess from the nation she once targeted.

It was indeed something to behold.

“Hellooo? Aree yeahhh there?” a slurred voice called up to me.

Then there was this guy…

“Who are you again?” I asked, despite knowing exactly who it was.

“Ayee! That’s not vary kiinnd oof you,” Padraic slurred. “Aren’t ye supposed to be a princess er somethin’?”

“You’ve got the wrong girl,” I groaned. “Can you just keep talking to Jen? She misses you already.”

“Aye, she does! That’s right! Butt shee left! So I’m here to talk tooo you,” he said with a hiccup.

This guy has been destroying drinks like…well, like a Dwarf. He was going drink for drink with the king. The fact that he isn’t keeled over in a corner is a testament to his bloodline. I mean, I can still understand him…but I just can’t grasp what he wants.

“What do you want from me, Padraic,” I said, pushing him back a bit.

“Oh! You do know me name! Hah!” he said as he bellowed a laugh. “And whaat? I can’t talk to ya?”

“I’m a woman of action. Just tell me what you want,” I said, trying to get this drunkard away from me as quickly as possible.

“Weelll! How bout a date, huh? I thunk it—”

I placed a finger on his lip. “I tell you what, Padraic. You make me a grandmaster rune-forged bow, and I’ll marry you. How about that? But you aren’t allowed to talk to me before that, deal?”

His bloodshot eyes went wide, but he just grinned and started laughing. “HAH! DEAL! Ah, my beard momma gonna be proud of meh when she hears about dis. Gonna marry ah princesses,” he stuttered out as he wobbled away.

Sigh…

I had heard about him from Kaladin, and he was a suspected Runesmith. In the future I’m sure he would make a fine weapon but at grandmaster quality? That was a feat less than .01% of Runesmiths were capable of. Most Forgemasters struggled to make a single master-quality item in their entire lifetime with most never succeeding. And becoming a Forgemaster was already one in a million in the world of Runesmiths.

Well, whatever. Even an expert rune-smithed weapon would cost a fortune. And it was a bet, he’ll probably forget when he wakes up. And I just don’t understand what he sees in me…

I sighed again when a sudden realization hit me. I hadn’t seen Kaladin in quite some time. And the last time I saw him, he drank quite a bit of that expensive and rare mead Lauren got him.

Oh, oh no. Oh no, no, no, no. What if he gets drunk and becomes uncontrollable?! Crap! This is bad!

I panicked slightly and moved through the crowd. I “accidentally” elbowed Sylas when he tried to stop me, but I let out a sigh of relief when I saw him. Kaladin was just sitting in the corner of the room with unfocused, hazy eyes with a slight smile on his face. Thankfully, Sylvia was keeping watch over him, resting her chin on her hands and smiling at him.

I hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to him, so I decided to pay him a visit. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Curiosity was quickly replacing my diminishing fear. I had to know what he was like in this state.

Everyone would have lost their marbles if they had seen the commander like this.

I slowly approached him and sat down in front of him. He didn’t even seem to register my presence as he listlessly stared off into the crowd of people.

“So, what’s going on with you, Kaladin?” I asked quietly.

Kaladin slowly reached for his glass and took another sip. I realized that he had finished an entire bottle by himself, which was mind-boggling, considering he doesn’t drink. And it was well known that Dark Elves had a high resistance to most poisons but that they actually lacked any kind of resistance to alcohol, oddly enough.

“Good. Things are good,” he said in surprisingly decent English.

“Oh? Are things good? That’s all you have to say?” I asked back, probing him.

Kaladin nodded slowly. “Yeah, they are. This is nice. Really nice. I’m happy that everyone is here for me.”

He slowly turned his head toward me. “You too. Thanks for being here.”

I just chuckled at his words and smiled. He was a bit loopy, but at least he seemed genuinely happy. I guess that was far better than him going into an alcohol-induced PTSD episode.

“Say, how has practicing your bow been? It looked really big when I last saw it,” he asked me.

…

…

What? How? How does he know about that? And he saw me? I haven’t told anyone about that. I practice in the dark outside of the city. I haven’t even told my father about it yet.

“Kaladin, how do you know about that? Are you watching me secretly?” I asked, unable to hide my disbelief.

He blinked a few times and wiped the gold liquid from his mouth before taking another sip. “I guess I was. Kind of. It’s a long story I’ll have to tell you about later. I saw Artemis and everyone else.”

“You did? How…is that even possible?”

He shrugged weakly in his chair. “I don’t know. It just kinda happened. Anywho, did you get any information on the prince?”

Is he just gonna drop that absolute bomb on me and continue on with business as usual? Well, whatever. I’ll wring it out of him later.

“I don’t have any information on hand. Just the normal moves he has been making, which have been off and on for years. Getting information on any of the royals is highly taboo, considering our job is to serve them,” I said in English with a shrug.

That’s right, digging into any of the royal family’s business was highly frowned upon in the family. It could easily be misinterpreted as us trying to uproot dirt to be used on them. Or we could play favorites and use our tactics against them.

The Paine family was meant to be entirely neutral to the crown and serve the kingdom’s best interests. We were strictly forbidden from interfering with the succession of Luminar, it was the same way with Brax. It’s one of the reasons our family wasn’t purged despite Queen Maxwell knowing about us. It’s also why we don’t rise through the noble ranks or seek more public power. Our neutrality in the last war is what saved us from ruin, and I had to agree that it was the right path for our line of work.

Then there I was…making a scene that got our family promoted. It was a blunder for sure but I genuinely thought my life was going to end with that Dragon.

“Of course, if you could prove that Xander was a threat to the state…” I trailed off.

Kaladin frowned and shook his head. “I can’t, sadly. It’s all speculation. But maybe after you hear about my journey, you might change your mind.”

“Your journey?” I muttered. “What—”

Clank.

Crack.

All eyes turned to the sound of glass breaking as a High Elf in a white leather bodysuit jumped onto a table, knocking drinks onto the floor. Her face and ears were flushed bright red as she seductively danced on the table for all to see. Apparently, she and her party had met Kaladin and Cerila today on the road while they were being attacked by bandits only for Kaladin and Cerila to save their lives. I didn’t even know how they got in here.

I looked back at Kaladin, and he was unapologetically watching the woman dance to the music. I just smiled wryly and chalked it up to him being a young man and drunk. He was around that age, so it’s no surprise that he would be interested. She was a beautiful Elf with that exotic green hair of hers.

I wonder…that woman… does seem familiar.

Kaladin turned his head toward Sylvia and pointed back at the woman. “Can you do that?”

Sylvia’s mouth went agape at his bluntness, and I stared at him in disbelief. It seemed alcohol had removed all of his filters. I couldn’t believe he just said that out loud. Sylvia’s face went bright red, and she looked about ready to put him to sleep for good.

Well, he’s probably going to die tonight.

—

Randal, the Foreman’s POV

I swatted the dark cloud of dust away and glared down at the blackened Dwarf before me. “Watch where you’re throwing that, slave,” I spat.

The weird-looking Dwarf with all the funny marks on his body bowed his head and started lumbering away from me. “Where are you going, huh? I didn’t hear a yes, sir, or nothing?”

He stopped and turned on his heels. His face was caked with so much soot, it was impossible even to see the wrinkles of his beardless face. “I apologize greatly, Foreman Randal,” he said in a high-pitched voice that just made my ears ring.

“Gah, you really are an annoying bastard. You’re lucky you do good work, slave,” I groaned.

The Dwarf remained silent for a moment, and when he didn’t respond to my provocations, he just kept walking. “Yeah, you keep walkin’ baldy. You ain’t ever gettin’ out of here.”

I was hoping for anything, but as usual, he remained silent and went off to complete his work. Damn, bastard.