Chapter 30 - Not So Subtle

Dinner at the Beaufoy’s, as Nate had learned was Kiri’s surname, had been an amazing experience. Her mother, Rania, had been incredibly welcoming and treated him like a part of the family. It reminded him of his dinners back on Earth at Michael’s house. Michael’s parents had always made him feel at home whenever he came over for dinner.

The food had been wonderful, some sort of homemade meat pie with a side of vegetables, a few of which Nate had recognized as coming from the garden. Jorge had been on his best behaviour, though Nate caught a few sidelong, considering glances. He knew it was intentional as he suspected if Jorge didn’t want him to see those looks, he wouldn’t have. If Rania or Kiri noticed, they chose to ignore them.

After dinner they sat around drinking something like sweet tea. Kiri’s parents had asked them questions but had stuck to things that had happened in the last couple of days, focusing on their meeting in the forest, to the squabbles with Torian in the Adventurers Guild, reserving most of the questions for their goblin hunt. Jorge had admonished them both on their sloppy work with the goblin shaman. He wasn’t wrong. They should’ve fled when Nate’s barriers were so easily subverted. It’d been the wrong decision and after ten minutes of Jorge’s reprimands Rania finally managed to get him to leave it alone. Nate felt sorry for Kiri as he imagined it wasn’t the last she’d heard of it from her father. They’d asked a little more about their plans as a team and eventually got onto Nate’s intentions to study the Guild's records and information on Enchanting.

After that discussion it was finally time for Nate to head back to his room at the inn. He’d given promises to Kiri to meet up in two days, before Rania badgered Jorge into escorting Nate back to the gates. Walking through the fields, the quiet was oppressive and Jorge was clearly taking his time, in no rush to get Nate back to Helmfirth. After what seemed an age of uncomfortable silence Jorge finally spoke.

“Why Enchanting? You’re not an Enchanter,” Jorge asked. Rather than demanding he sounded confused.

“There’s some overlap between the two. The sigils used in Enchanting are applicable to Runecrafting,” he answered immediately.

“Huh… didn’t know that. You’d be the first Runecrafter I’ve ever seen in person though. Heard of the Class before but never seen one. And definitely never heard of one at your… level.” The last word was said with loaded meaning and Nate got the jist of it.

“Have you met many people at my err… level?” he asked the older man.

“Only a few. When I was a member of the Royal Rangers. Not something you see every day. But you’re still just a pup. Got a long way to go,” Jorge mused.

“Kiri mentioned that before. The Royal Rangers and that you were a part of them. What are they?” he asked. Jorge already knew about his Class. Might as well shout his ignorance to the world and see what the man came back with.

As expected, Jorge gave him the side-eye. “You’re really not from around these parts are you, kid? Royal Rangers are the Kingdom of Etrua’s premier scouts. Monitoring the Kingdom’s borders, tracking down powerful beasts stirring within its borders. The best of the best. But I’m retired now and want to keep it that way. So you and Kiri better stay out of trouble, you hear me?” The last was said with a smirk.

“I’ll try, sir. Though trouble seems to be finding me a lot lately,” he mumbled in response.

Jorge snorted, “You’re young, kid. You don’t know what trouble is.”

Nate shrugged. Maybe Jorge was right. Maybe given this world's propensity for violence and the ability to ascend in power in a much more literal sense, what he had experienced so far was trifling. Though he’d have argued his lack of preparedness should be a consideration. Either way, it wasn’t something worth arguing.

They continued in silence till they had reached the gates, where Jorge waved him off and nodded to the guards. The guards spared a glance for Nate before returning to idly watching the fields and chatting quietly. Wandering alone down the dark streets towards the inn, Nate’s paranoia ramped up and he activated his barrier rune in a sphere around him. He needn’t have bothered as he went unmolested by the few people walking the streets all the way back to the Oaken Ring. Dropping his barrier he approached the double doors, the bouncer opening them for him. Entering the taproom he found it to be considerably fuller than the previous night, with over twenty patrons seated about the room.

Valeria approached him with a smile and Nate relaxed slightly.

“Welcome back, sir. Are you hungry?” Valeria asked.

“No, I’ve already eaten,” he replied, glancing about the inn. One man stood out. Not because of his appearance, but because he was sitting alone and staring intently at Nate, a look of consideration in his eyes. Valeria followed his gaze.

“Ah yes, sir. That is the Mayor. He has been waiting for you to return. He inquired if you would be able to spare some time for him,” she said, hesitation clear in her voice. It made Nate wonder what power Nobles wielded in this Kingdom that she was so unsure about saying something that would offend him. Being caught between someone she perceived as a noble and the Mayor of her town would be an uncomfortable situation to be in. Well, the least he could do is not leave her in an awkward position he supposed.

Nate turned to her and nodded, “That is fine. Some of that sweet juice I had for breakfast if you have any left.”

Valeria brightened at his comment and nodded, “That won’t be a problem m’...sir. I’ll have some made fresh right now.” She turned to leave before glancing back, “Thank you, sir.”

Nate sighed. As much as he loved his robe, in some ways it was a curse, as he could’ve just been another random face in town if he wasn’t wearing it. No point lamenting already spilled milk though. With that thought firmly in his mind he walked towards the Mayor, prepared for another spill.

The Mayor was not what he would’ve expected. In all the fantasy books he’d read they were always short, fat men who wanted nothing but more money. This mayor however was quite tall and well muscled, looking like a warrior. Nate didn’t see a weapon on him, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have one. Maybe he even had a spatial storage. The glint in his blue eyes though said the last part was still consistent. This guy was looking for an angle, any way to get more gold perhaps? His clothes showed it. Clean shaven with black hair and black silken shirt hanging open to show off his muscled chest on which hung a gold chain. Three golden rings completed the ensemble.

As Nate got close to his table the man casually kicked a chair out for him showing off a great deal of control as the chair slid just the right distance to allow Nate to sit down. Nate didn’t ask to sit down, figuring a noble wouldn’t have asked permission. Staring at the Mayor he waited, trying to keep his emotions from showing on his face. He only had media from Earth to guide him, but he thought that in a situation like this it was best to make the other party speak first. Especially since the Mayor had expressed such interest in speaking to him.

The Mayor finally smirked and leaned back in his chair, the wood creaking slightly as he lounged, “It’s Nate right, do you mind if I call you Nate or would you prefer another title, m’... sir?” When Valeria tripped over his title it was always obvious it was a mistake, but from the Mayor it sounded more like a taunt. Was this guy trying to get a rise out of him?

“Sir will suffice. What should I call you, assuming I ever have need to call on your services?” Nate replied, leaning back in his chair. The movement felt awkward but the words seemed to hit a nerve as the Mayor’s eye twitched for a moment before returning to normal.

“Mayor Vallis should ‘suffice’ since we’re being so formal. I don’t see any heraldry on you or your robe? Any reason you’re travelling without such… sir, or entourage, or guards for that matter?” the Mayor asked, leaning forward intently.

Nate couldn’t be sure but he thought maybe the man was trying to intimidate him. He didn’t have a good answer to his questions anyway, so instead he chose to remain silent, continuing to lean back in his chair, staring back at the Mayor. After a few seconds of what amounted to a staring competition, Vallis finally gave up and leaned back in his chair, running his tongue over his teeth.

“Alright sir, just wanted to welcome you to Helmfirth, and to let you know if you had any issues while in my town, bring them to me first. Have a good night and pardon my interruption,” Vallis said with a smooth voice.

Nate inclined his head in response and that seemed to satisfy Vallis enough that he got up out of his seat and nodded, before making for the exit, calling over his shoulder for Valeria to put any drinks for his new ‘friend’ on his tab as he walked out the doors of the Oaken Ring. Nate sighed and stood, heading for the stairs. Valeria met him halfway there, being careful it seemed not to block his path but close enough he would be aware she wished to speak. This wouldn’t be the last conversation for the night. He had one more thing to handle before bed. Stopping next to her he waited patiently.

“Apologies sir, I should’ve warned you what he is like. I didn’t think he’d be so…brazen,” she said softly. Even that quiet voice Nate could still hear it like honey, flowing slowly. He was convinced at this point that it must be a Skill.

He assuaged her guilt with a wave of his hand, “You are not to blame for the behaviour of others. Though next time a little warning would be appreciated. Now, I have had a long and busy day. I would like a bath and some juice in my room.”

Valeria bobbed her head, snapping her fingers at one of the passing girls headed for the kitchen before pointing upstairs and mouthing something at her. It wasn’t that Nate couldn’t see her lips move. He could. It was that without the translation spell he had no context for what she’d mouthed. He hoped it was ‘bath’. Though it just highlighted the need to not rely on the translation spell so much. He’d done alright so far in trying to hear both the translation and the actual words, but he’d only been at it for a day. He’d need a lot longer to learn the language. Though he could already understand quite a few of the more common words.

With a final nod to Valeria and her responding smile he made his way up to his room. It was as comforting and inviting as he remembered and he almost flopped down on the bed before he remembered that the bath wasn’t running itself. Moving around the wooden divider he found the attendant Valeria had sent up adding some liquid to the bath as the water ran from the magical faucets. It gave off that lovely smell he’d noted last time that reminded him of lavender. Breathing it in helped him relax and he smiled, which in turn seemed to make the attendant blush.

Less than a minute later the bath was done and the attendant glanced at him shyly, “Would sir require assistance bathing?”

“No, that will be all,” he replied too quickly. The girl responded as if rebuked, bobbing her head before fleeing the room, thankfully closing the doors behind her. Nate sighed. There was nothing to be done about that. Quickly stripped down he submerged himself in the bath, the warm water relaxing him and washing away the small amount of dust he’d accrued trekking out to Kiri’s house and back.

“Alright Frick, get out here. We need to talk,” he demanded.

A moment later the little blue goblin appeared before him, pretending to sit on the edge of the tub. The Familiar’s floppy ears were tilted down like a dogs, with his eyes downcast. If he was looking for pity he wasn’t going to get it.

“You knew, didn’t you?” Nate asked.

“Yeah boss, I knew.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? You let me think I was stuck in there till I had finished the Dungeon! I could’ve died Frick! I almost did! I could’ve left at any time after getting you!” Nate’s anger was boiling over and he leaned forward in the bath.

Frick looked uncomfortable, almost like he was sulking as he stared down into Nate’s bathwater before piping up, growing more confident as he went, “I thought you could handle it, boss man. And look at all the rewards we got. And how strong you are! You haven’t levelled in days, but in the Dungeon you got almost to level twenty!”

“That’s not the point, Frick! It should’ve been my choice to make! Not yours! You had important information and you withheld it from me. How can I ever trust you to have my best interests at heart again when you go behind my back like that? When you deceive me?” Nate got quieter as he went now, unable to even look at Frick.

Frick went back to staring into the bathwater, the silence between them stretching from seconds into minutes, before Frick whispered something so quiet Nate couldn’t hear it.

“What?” He asked.

“...you could break the Familiar Contract, if you wanted. Banish me, permanently.”

Nate thought about it. Did he want to break the Familiar Contract? The answer was an easy no. Frick had been with him through most of the Dungeon, his first friend in this new world. He’d also shown how helpful he could be and that was before Nate had even gotten to a point where he could make use of Frick’s ability to use his own Skills regularly. But at the same time, he wasn’t ready to forgive his Familiar for deceiving him and letting him risk his life unnecessarily. Yes, the benefits had been great, but it should’ve been up to Nate if he took those risks. Deep down, he knew he probably wouldn’t have. But then, without Kiri and her inviting him to join the Adventurers Guild and be on a team with her, he probably wouldn’t have gone out and fought goblins. He’d have bought an easel, some paint and paintbrushes and made art in his room in the inn.

“No. I’m not going to break the Familiar Contract. But I am not ready to forgive you either,” he said, getting out of the bath and drying himself. He suddenly felt like sleeping rather than sitting up any longer.

A knock at the door broke him out of his thoughts and he called out, “No.”

He heard a muffled, “As you wish, sir. Ring the bell if you require anything.” Followed by footsteps retreating down the stairs.

Climbing into bed he stared at the ceiling, both physically and emotionally drained. He heard Fricks voice, smaller than usual, “Did you want me to keep watch tonight, boss man?”

“Do whatever you want,” was his petulant reply, before rolling over and trying to go to sleep. He didn’t know how long he lay there, stewing in his darker emotions, before sleep finally claimed him.