A Soldier's Life - 410 - Nausis

Chapter 410: Nausis

I pulled the small blade from my thigh, careful to stem the bleeding with a steady focus before wiping the blood off and handing it to her. A few drops stained my leggings, but my healing magic kept it minimal. She took the blade, her fingers trembling slightly, and I gave her a curt nod.

“Go practice with Lesna next. Blaze and Benito can take me on together.”

Evie seemed baffled, as she clearly thought she would immediately see her progress. “Can we not just end practice now?”

I couldn’t help but give her a half-smile. “You are losing your patience now? I think you can wait a little longer.” She sulked as she went to Lesna, who had been a good instructor on how small people were underestimated in a fight and how to take advantage of it.

I pressed Benito and Blaze hard as they tried to flank me, but my quick foot work made it nearly impossible as we danced around each other. I tried to limit the use of my air shield, but the few times the pair got close to striking me, the invisible barrier saved me and frustrated them. I had let Evie win today; I wasn’t going to let my friends win as well.

When I called an end to the practice, our sweaty bodies entered the inn’s dining room. It was more formal than most inns we were accustomed to, and we received some pretentious stares from other diners, but we were paying a premium to stay here, so I didn’t care. Lesna ordered the food, and I think she ordered the entire menu, as she didn’t stop talking for a few minutes.

The ale here was sweet and thick. When Evie poured herself a glass, I didn’t stop her but limited her to one to celebrate. On Earth, allowing an eleven-year-old to drink was frowned upon; in most kingdoms here, it was common for them to drink diluted ale. She drank it too quickly and became dehydrated, which caused her eyes to turn glassy from the buzz. She might fall asleep before she had a chance to see her progress.

Most of the dinner discussion centered on the Death Hunters and our plans for approaching them. The presence of the Death Hunters was acknowledged in every nation around the globe, but on this continent, they maintained only two strongholds. One was the training Citadel we were heading towards, and the other was in Esenhem, which functioned more as a recruitment center and fortress on the north side of the continent.

Evie cleared her plate with efficiency and was bouncing impatiently in her seat while we ate and talked. She was only half listening, even though it concerned her fate. Looking at the girl, she had grown in the two months since we had left Castile. Just yesterday, on the ride, she was flexing her arm to show Benito her tiny bicep muscle. Lesna, of course, teased Benito that Evie’s was bigger than his.

I stood. “Come on, Evie, let's go.” Evie sprang to her feet and followed me to the suite we had rented in the upscale inn. The suite had a large sitting room with four bedrooms. The large bath had running water, albeit cold, but it was where I planned to spend the evening. Dropping a thermal stone in the water would bring it to a suitable temperature.

“How many fortresses do the Death Hunters have on this continent?” I asked Evie as I closed the door to the suite. I knew the others would let their stomachs settle and refill them so they could take advantage of the good ale and scrumptious food. She looked confused. “Were you listening to the conversation?” I felt I was channeling Konstantin’s mantra of always being vigilant.

“Three,” she said, and I frowned. She elaborated. “The elven one, the Citadel we are going to, and the tavern in Linshan,” she said confidently.

I nodded slowly, signaling that she had been listening. The tavern we’d heard about during our travels was called The Last Gasp—a watering hole said to be run by a retired Death Hunter. According to rumors, the proprietor could still reach out to the Death Hunters if their services were ever needed. We had recently come across knowledge of this place, and I wouldn’t categorize it as any stronghold.

“What are the ranks in the Death Hunters?” I asked.

Evie rolled her eyes, knowing what I was doing. “Initiate, Watcher, Seeker, and Purgator. Can I use the table now?” She asked impatiently.

I nodded, and the elven reader appeared on the floor. Evie raced up to it, and I tempered her enthusiasm. “Do not expect to have made large gains. It is based on human physiology and you are still a child.” As if to emphasize my point, she stuck her tongue out at me and giggled. Her arms stretched as she reached and easily activated the reader.

“I only remember my magical affinities. Can you read my attributes to me?” She looked up at me pleadingly.

“No, it is a good chance to practice your Elven numbers,” I said, and she slowly read through the table. I did remember her first reading from over two months ago, and I was stunned by her progress.

Strength (+2/+2)7/32
Power (+3/+1)9/39
Quickness (+6/+0)14/67
Dexterity (+2/+0)13/42
Endurance (+3/+1)13/43
Constitution (+4/+1)13/42
Coordination (+2/+0)27/50

Intellect (+2/+0)26/52
Reasoning (+4/+0)23/60
Perception (+4/+0)29/44
Insight (+1/+0)12/39
Resilience (+5/+0)17/55
Empathy (+1/+0)30/40
Fortitude (+10/+0)25/58

Aether Pool (+7/+1)17/73
Channeling (+4/+0)9/50
Aether Shaping (+5/+0)11/66
Aether Tolerance (+1/+0)6/39
Aether Resistance (+0/+0)12/44
Prime Aether Affinity Necromancy

Her progress in physical attributes made sense when considering her essence and the training I had provided since taking over her care. However, her mental advancement was remarkable, especially her fortitude. I suppose she had been adapting better than I had imagined. Most humans have decent potential, but adults typically fall between 20 and 30 in terms of their actual attributes.

Her aether shaping had already equaled mine, and she had much greater control than I did, leading me to question the numerical equivalency for the reader. Perhaps I was just underperforming—or jealous. Her aether tolerance and resistance were only limited because her practice was under Lesna’s supervision.

After she read off her attributes, I informed her of her gains, and she grinned madly at each one. “The major essences increased your potential in constitution and power by one. The major strength essence increased your strength potential by two, which is about what I get for an increase in potential with a major essence.”

“The minor endurance essence also increased your potential by one, but there was no change in potential from the minor dexterity essence.” His face fell at that. “Don’t get discouraged, the reader only shows whole numbers and not fractions. I am sure the next minor dexterity essence will raise your attribute’s potential. You still need to train hard to bring the attributes closer to your potential, though.”

“When do I get the other physical necessities?” she asked eagerly.

I exhaled slowly. “I will try, but hunting creatures is dangerous and they yield always has some flexibility.” At that moment, the others came into the room, a little tipsy. Lesna was the most sober of the three. “No elvish lessons tonight, but Lesna can help you work on your aether control, and I will come along in a bit.” Benito noisily headed for one room while Blaze went to another. It was early, but the bed was too inviting, and they knew I would probably monopolize the tub.

After Lesna and Evie took the third room, I cleared the tablet and checked my progress on my aether attribute and energy affinity. My aether pool had increased from 30/33 to 34/40 from the nine minor essences. It was a satisfactory advancement. I wondered if it could have been higher if I hadn’t given some to Blaze, Evie, and Lesna. Although I was not looking forward to the experience, Elaro thought I could unlock another affinity once my core reached a potential of 48.

The energy attribute was improved with eight aether pool essences that had improved my score from 8 to 17, an excellent step in the affinity, but still not high enough to learn the spell form for aetheric disruption, which required a 40. I would continue working on Dimensional Door for now, but as my aether pool grew, perhaps I should reevaluate my spell form choice for the displacement affinity. I cleared and stored the reader and joined Evie and Lesna in their room to practice my aether control.

It took three more days to reach the capital on the well-travelled trade road. With Lesna serving as our interpreter, it compelled us to converse extensively with each other. Blaze was in and out of the Elvish lessons I was giving Evie. Benito tried to participate, but learning a second language, especially one that required such precise pronunciation, was difficult for him. Raelia would have been a better teacher—on second thought, she probably lacked the patience I had with Benito’s stumbling through vocabulary and verb tenses.

The capital was impressive, sitting at the mouth of an inlet. We crossed a stone bridge over a wide, shallow river, and a massive aqueduct ran parallel to feed the city. There appeared to be a walkway on the aqueduct, as several soldiers walked along it. The harbor stretched along the inlet with dozens of flags flying from masts. If the Sensible Seahorse had not been damaged, this is where we would have docked.

I grew slightly concerned when mages appeared alongside the green-liveried soldiers at the gate. The city guard's chain mail also showed some signs of rust, and I guessed that the salty air from the sea made it difficult to keep clean. The salty air was heavy while we waited our turn for entrance into the city, and I had everyone display their adventurer’s medallion as that usually expedited things.

The mages alongside the guards wore black robes and were as skilled as Telhian mage commanders, as their spell forms were easily visible while they slowly crafted their spells. I changed my opinion as I got closer to our turn; both appeared to be in their teens, with dark blonde hair and skin a shade lighter than the guards, but still brown.

The divination stone inside my armor began to warm against my skin as our turn approached. I didn't understand the spell form, but they were clearly searching for something or someone. Lesna spoke to the guards as the mage’s spells washed over us; he dropped his hands, and the spell form dissipated. He stepped back, and the other mage advanced to magically inspect the next group.

Lesna turned to me, “A large copper for each of the horses.” I nodded to Blaze, who paid the guards and waved us through.

I studied the mage who inspected us and didn’t see any sign of alarm or interest on his face. Just the opposite, as he appeared bored and disinterested in his duty. My first thought was that he had been searching for artifacts, and we were openly carrying several of them. However, that didn’t appear to be the case; soon we were inside the city walls.

The buildings were mostly constructed of stonework, their facades weathered. Narrow alleys twisted between stout, tightly packed buildings. A few chimneys puffed smoke into the air, mingling with the scents of baked bread and the fishy, salty sea air. Primarily, humans walked the bustling streets—merchants calling out from their stalls to the new arrivals to the city. The city hummed with energy, as you would expect of a capital.

Once we cleared the gates, Lesna spoke as we led the horses. “The Death Hunters have a small recruitment building on the north side of the city. The east side is the upper district and has the best inns,” she said with a half grin. “Probably better than the accommodations in the Adventurers Hall. Blaze had spent a large amount of silver in Hinion from the bounty reward.

We didn’t really need to be thrifty—Blaze still had plenty of silver, and I wasn’t exactly hurting for coin either. I gave a slight nod. “Fine. It’s probably better for the horses anyway.”

We made our way through the streets, stopping at a couple of stalls for an evening bite before dinner proper. Evie, ever a product of her training, was constantly eating. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d grown an inch and gained a few pounds since we started—though that might’ve just been me measuring her against Lesna.

We settled on a large inn called The Drowsy Dragon. Its common room was almost unnervingly pristine—brightly painted walls, polished oak tables, and chairs that looked like they’d never seen a spilled ale, let alone a bar brawl. The moment we stepped through the door, road-worn and filthy, the proprietor gave a subtle wince. Reluctantly, he conversed with Lesna with a practiced smile and was shocked when we confirmed our stay.

Each room ended up being just under a gold a night, but at least that included meals, a private bath, an attendant, and stabling for the horses. I reluctantly agreed. The stable hands took our horses, and I told the group to remain. “Get some dinner. I will scout the city and the recruitment office for the Death Hunters.”

No one objected as they focused on ordering from a lengthy menu that was provided in Elvish on request. At least Evie could work on her reading skills while assisting Benito. Personally, I would have gone to the room first and bathed before dinner—and I think the servers would have preferred that too.

I stepped into the streets as the late evening was darkening the skies and headed toward the north wall. Perhaps I could do some shopping along the way.

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