Peek: Freddie

On a quiet night, a basket is left on the doorstep of the orphanage.  The larger orc considers if this is the right thing to do... and has to conclude it is.  The wrecked and raided caravan he found the baby in can't care for it, and he has no experience with trying to raise a child.  Delving is too dangerous a task for a serious parent.  The little bundle in the basket looks at him with a smile, tempting him to try it anyway... but no, this is what will be best for the baby orc.

He knocks, and vanishes into the night.

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"Freddie!" snaps the teacher, and her jerks to attention at his desk.  It's not that he's bad in school, it's just that some of the teachers are so boring!

"Uh... yes, ma'am?" he tries, having completely lost track of what she was trying to teach.  She glares at him, until a quiet voice speaks up from the next desk over.

"Um... t-they're principalities," manages the goblin sitting there.  The teacher quints at her, clearly weighing if she should punish her for speaking out of turn, or reward her for the correct answer.  She settles on giving Freddie one more glance, making it clear that the goblin girl just saved him, before standing and resuming the lecture.

As she returns to the chalk board, he gives his rescuer a wide smile, and she returns it with a more timid one.  He should hang out with her at lunch.

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Freddie wanders around, catching bugs, while Rhonda reads a little magic pamphlet from the library.  While an actual teacher would be better for her, it's not like she can afford it.  So the two just spend some time in the alley, relaxing after their lessons in their own way.

"So, do you know what affinity you have yet?" he asks as he pokes a large beetle with a stick.  It raises its rear at him so he leaves it alone for a few seconds, letting it return to a normal posture before he pokes it again.  His friend shakes her head.

"Not yet, I'm getting close though... I think.  I'm not earth, air, or water.  I tried fire, and that felt really wrong, so I'm gonna try ice next."

"Ice would be pretty cool.  It'll make shoveling the walk in winter a lot easier," replies the young orc as he flips the beetle over and watches it's legs wiggle in the air to try to right itself.  Rhonda absently hums at that, her focus more on the spell than her friend.

Freddie wishes they had been able to find anything interesting in the alley today.  They're behind Old Staiven's shop, and sometimes he'll throw out something cool, but today was a bust.  He's pulled from his longing by the sound of crackling and happy laughter.  He looks to see his friend has managed to freeze a small puddle of water!

"Ice affinity!" she shouts in happiness, and Freddie can only be happy for his friend.

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The two, once again, relax behind Old Staiven's shop after lessons, though now Rhonda can make a little ball of ice for them to toss back and forth.  Their enjoyable waste of time is interrupted by the angry voice of the proprietor, though it's not aimed at them.

"Spell spore!  Always out of spell spore!  Blasted Neverrest never had any to begin with, Hullbreak has gone mad, and the Southwood is a fortnight trip at the least!"

The two kids exchange a look as the aged ratkin rants to himself.  He's been getting more upset recently, with the reduced supply, and probably also the reduced demand.

"...And the ones that do bring me spell spore ruin half the harvest form not knowing how to do it!  Does nobody know how to properly handle herbs anymore?!  I've got plenty of books they could look into!  Why, if they had an inkling of magic, I'd even apprentice them, just to have someone who could get me enough spell spores to brew something more than once a week!"

Freddie sees that glimmer of hope in his friend's eye, just as he sees it smoulder out.  Where would they even get some spell spore?  It's not like there's any dungeons close by that they could try to delve.

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Freddie looks at the church of The Crystal Shield from down the street, trying to build up his courage.  Rhonda is talking to Old Staiven on her own, so he can talk to them on his own, right?  He wishes he had paid a bit more attention in school when it came to talking about the various gods to follow.

With how out of the way Fourdock is, though, it's not like he has a whole lot of options to choose from.  He does his best to steel his resolve, and starts walking.  They're not just the one he's interested in because he doesn't know what else to do.  He could always try to join the rangers, or the guard or something.  No, he wants to be a paladin.  He wants to help people and keep them safe.  Guards and rangers protect people, too, but the idea of always having help just feels right.  And paladins look cooler, too.

As he gets closer, he catches the eye of an older priest sweeping the steps, and the elder wolfkin smiles at him.  "Hello, young one.  What brings you here today, with such fire in your eyes?"

Freddie pauses at that, before answering honestly.  "I wanna be a paladin."

Instead of laughing the declaration off, the priest leans on his broom and looks the young orc over from head to toe.  "Hmm... maybe."

"Maybe?"

"It's not the easiest path, but if it's the one you want to walk, I'll not be the one to stand in your way.  Come, let's talk to the High Priest.  He can explain it to you better than I."  With that, he opens the door for the both of them, and Freddie takes the first step on a long and rewarding path.