A Quest for the Stars

~Alistair~

16th of Cobre, 1659, 1:30 am

Alistair checked on the girls after he was done getting ready, and they all agreed to meet up on the first floor. Alistair descended from the wooden stairs and walked over to the counter to get their orders ready. The half-orc from earlier was gone, but in his place stood a young girl in a gown who was currently counting the coins kept behind the counter. Her silver hair shone like metal, and her eyes - while downcast due to her task - appeared to be a simple brown with the vibrance of a gemstone.

When she was done, she noticed Alistair approaching the counter. She stored the coins away and put on her best customer service smile. “Hi! Is everything okay with the room?”

“Everything is fine, thank you.” Alistair gazed at the wooden sign above. “I hadn’t noticed the menu when we first arrived.”

“Good thing the kitchen’s always open. What will you have, sir?”

Alistair took a moment to go over the menu. There was no line behind him, so he took his time doing so. He skipped the breakfast section and went right over to lunch and dinner.

“No porridge with sugar almond milk? That’s a shame…”

“I’m afraid not, sir, but we do have a special on iguanodon meat today.”

“Iguanodon?”

“An herbivorous dinosaur local to the area. Pa killed one after it messed with the local farm, but he got a leg injury for his trouble.”

“Oh, is your father a hunter?”

The girl nodded. “Yeah. He’s been a bit grouchy lately because of his leg injury. I saw how he talked to you when you came in. Please don’t take it personally.”

So, the innkeeper has a human daughter? They looked…nothing alike.

“No need to apologize. I’ve met plenty of injured men, I know how they can be.” He turned his attention back to the menu. When he heard the door open behind him, he decided to make his choice so that the line wouldn’t be held up for long. “In that case, I’ll take a chicken stew and two orders of cooked iguanodon shank. I’d like one of them with a side of bread, please.”

The stew was for Clara, who had looked at the menu before going up to the room earlier. Lenoria didn't have the foresight to do the same, but she simply asked Alistair to surprise her.

“And the other?” The girl hastily wrote down the order.

“The second shank shall be the same. If she wants seconds, please don’t hesitate to make them right away. O-oh, and the same goes for the soup!”

“You got it. I’ll keep the pot boiling. And your drinks?”

“Two bottles of cider and a bottle of absinthe, please.”

“Okay, if that’s everything for you, then it’ll be one gold piece, please.”

Alistair happily handed the gold coin and sat down at the nearest table. He watched the man behind him stare at him for a second before he turned his attention to the girl behind the counter. He rummaged through his backpack to retrieve a book inside. “There it is.” He grinned victoriously as he grabbed his treasure.

A book titled ‘My First Love Story.’ Alistair was more into adventure books mixed with science fiction - the kind where the authors guess what the future would be like, such as having flying wagons or islands floating in the sky - but he got into romance shortly after he left Thule. He already finished two other titles, and this was his third because he liked the premise.

The story was about a sheltered noble and a spunky yet humble delivery girl. The two meet one day when a trio of haughty noblewomen took advantage of the noble’s gentlemanly nature to bully him, knowing fully well he could not fight back. The delivery girl happened to be making her rounds when she stumbled into the scene and beat the three women with her secret ninja skills!

Alistair learned two things after reading two chapters of the book: One, he felt joy reading romantic comedies; and two, not all books saved the confession scene for the climax of the story. This particular title had a confession scene only two chapters in, out of the twenty-one written. The paladin was intrigued by this idea, but he couldn’t help but feel something familiar from the book.

He started on the third chapter, which was titled ‘First Date.’ The noble was sheltered and had no real experience with women; all he knew came from his code of conduct. He planned for an extravagant first date after the girl’s shift ended. The delivery girl, having her fair share of enemies, was running late because everyone who hated her took time out of their lives to bar her path home. Hilarity ensued.

By mere chance, Alistair looked up at the counter. The innkeeper’s daughter gritted her teeth as she slowly slid the coins on the counter to the man in front of her. The tavern had grown quiet - with no sounds due to the lack of patrons; other than the sizzling of meat in the kitchen and a colorful man in a feathered hat playing the flute by the stairs, nothing else was heard - so the occasional coin clinking didn’t escape the lad’s notice.

When the girl turned to look at him, Alistair gave her a reassuring nod. When the robber turned to face him while firmly gripping his knife, all he saw was a dumb boy lost in his book.

Alistair got up and stepped closer to the entrance, pretending to make his way outside. What he actually did was approach the weapon rack by the door and grabbed his mace, which still had some of the giant’s blood on it. He concealed his mace around his waist, and the tunic he wore was long enough to hide his waistline. He could see the robber’s knife thanks to his peripheral vision. An anxious girl, the scoundrel’s quiet voice, and the knife at the counter was all the proof he needed to bring justice.

The paladin returned from the door and walked over to the counter, mace in hand. There was no point in tiptoeing his way there, for he was not a stealthy man. He was ready for a fight, and he wanted his dinner with the girls to go well. They had done enough, and he didn’t want to involve them.

The flute in the background fell silent. Silence was then followed by a high-pitched note. The robber, masked and angry, spun his heels and threw the knife at Alistair. The knife was deflected when Alistair raised his mace to defend himself. The knife clanked as it fell near the stairs, eliciting a hidden smirk from the robber.

The smirk would soon fade when he realized he was unarmed.

Alistair charged in and struck the head. Blood profusely dripped from the robber’s nose. The girl behind the counter shrieked when he reached for a weapon strapped to his waist, but this left him open to a punishing counter from Alistair, who went for the arm this time. The robber groggily drew his weapon, but soon collapsed in a pool of his own nose blood.

“Hey, Alistair!” Lenoria cheerily descended the stairs in her new outfit: A yellow yukata decorated with a white floral pattern. The wide sleeves covered her hands, and the skirt reached right below the knees. “I smelled iguanodon meat, so I had to come- eep!” The man in the feathered hat took advantage of the blind spot and placed Lenoria in a headlock from behind. “Hey, let go!”

“Fat chance!” The challenger smiled deviously at the angered paladin. He had picked up the knife from the ground and placed it on Lenoria’s neck. “She must be important to you! Give us the money and I’ll let her go!”

He must have been the lookout for his friend on the ground, Alistair thought. Keeping calm, he put on a sad face. “Hang on a second, please let her go!” Alistair pleaded.

“Do as we say, boy, and no one gets hurt!”

“I mean it! I’ve seen what she did to the last giant who challenged her! I don’t want to pay the innkeeper for the mess she'll make from beating your face in!” The boy then shot Lenoria a sly smile.

~Lenoria~

When Alistair smiled at her, she grinned back at him and swept her leg to knock down the man in the feathered hat. He banged his head on the table, which managed to knock him out cold. When Lenoria inspected herself, she found a tear on her clothes on her right shoulder.

“Are you kidding me? This is the only time I wear this and some creep tore it open!” There was little chance to say more when the door opened. The innkeeper returned with a stack of firewood, which he dropped when he saw the mess the brawl had caused. “We better explain ourselves first.”

“I concur,” said Alistair.

***

And so, the two explained themselves, but not before the local guards arrived. After all sides told their story, the two criminals were escorted away while they were still out just as Clara had finally arrived.

“I knew I shouldn’t have left you alone,” the innkeeper said to his daughter.

“It’s okay, Dad. I’m fine, thanks to them.” The young girl then pointed in the direction of Alistair and Lenoria.

“I’ll pay for the damages, sir.” Alistair grabbed his coin purse but the innkeeper stopped him.

“No need, boy. Those two clowns made this mess, not you. Adventurer or not, you shouldn’t have had to step in for me.”

“It was no problem at all.” Alistair looked back at Lenoria. “My girlfriend, on the other hand, got it worse than me. One of them tore her clothes.”

Lenoria froze in place. “G-girlfriend?”

“Well, yeah.” Alistair timidly sank his head. He seemed surprised, too. “Unless you’re having second thoughts.”

“N-no! In fact, this whole time I was making sure I looked good enough so you wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen with me! I wanted people to say ‘Wow, that guy must be great if he’s going out with a cute girl!’”

“Y-you don’t have to go through all that extra effort for my sake, Lenoria.” Alistair gulped and thought carefully on his next words. “You’re already beautiful.”

The lad’s words were as sincere as they were unexpected, giving the girl a rosy complexion. Hiding her face, she didn’t want Alistair to see her. She wanted to tease him, but it looked to her that he could give just as much as she could without trying. “Al! You can’t just blurt things out like that! You don’t have to say it if you don’t mean it!”

“But I do mean it. Why would I be embarrassed to be seen with you?”

A stark contrast from Carter, for sure. She remembered the days where they met in private, which in hindsight was a massive red flag. Alistair may be her second love, but he was the first to treat her normally.

"Sir, would you like for me to stand watch in case those thieves return?”

“I don’t see that happening. Most people are asleep around this time, and the guardhouse doesn’t release their jailbirds until the next day, at least.” The innkeeper patted Alistair on the back. “Just go on and relax.”

“Then it’s time to eat.” Alistair took his seat and beckoned the girls to sit with him. “Why don’t you get changed, Lenoria? I can wait a little longer.”

“No need. Watch this!”

With a snap of her fingers, two of the loose strands from the torn outfit moved on their own. They emitted an orange glow as they interweaved with one another. The tear soon closed itself, and there was no sign of damage whatsoever when the magic stopped.

Both of the girls took their seats, but Lenoria took the time to pose triumphantly before she did. “Clothes that repair themselves! Pretty neat, huh?”

“Magic is something I never got tired of seeing.” Alistair beamed with admiration. “I think this is the perfect time to learn more about each other. What do you say?”

The rest of the night was the relaxation the adventuring trio needed. They laughed as the girls recounted stories from the Guild and Alistair did the same about his days in boot camp during his paladin training.

"...and so, my drill sergeant asked me why I didn't bring my rain gear during our hiking exercise. I didn't realize it at the time but that was a loaded question, and I foolishly answered that it was a sunny day and rain was unlikely. So, he had his druid assistant cast an [Aqueous Orb] on me before saying 'Don't worry, we'll make it rain.' I was drenched and cold for the rest of the hike."

Alistair did not seem sad or otherwise negatively impacted by the experience, so Lenoria took this moment to laugh. "My Alistair, a hellraiser? Say it ain't so!"

"No wonder you're so disciplined," Clara commented. "Your training shaped you to be as noble as the warriors of the Jaguar Lands."

"I heard about them," Alistair said. "According to the map, their border is located 16 miles north of here. We could travel along the border and head northeast and make a turn northwest, or we can cut through the Jaguar Lands and save ourselves a day of travel."

"That sounds fun!" Lenoria was thrilled at the thought. "Their empire is huge, but the strip of land cutting through Helixian territory is only a mile wide. We can be in and out on the other end by the day's end!"

Map of the immediate area, drawn by yours truly.

Food finally arrived at the table via delivery from the innkeeper and his daughter. Clara’s chicken stew had a decently proportioned skinless chicken drumstick mixed with potatoes, corn, and slices of squash bathed in hot water. The innkeeper carried the plates of hefty lumps of meat and set them before Alistair and Lenoria. He then took a long piece of bread, sliced it in half with a knife, and divided the pieces between the couple.

The innkeeper dismissed his daughter, and he himself left for a moment before returning with a couple of forks, knives, and three bottles. A bottle with green liquid went to Clara, while two bottles with reddish brown liquid went to Alistair and Lenoria. The utensils also went to them, the last of them being a simple wooden spoon given to Clara.

“Let me know if you need anything else. Call me Lewis.” With a bow, the innkeeper went back to the counter.

Alistair nodded and readied himself to dig in. Lenoria, however, just sat there, mouth agape.

“Um, Lenoria?” Clara shook her friend gently. “Everything okay?”

“Oh, sorry. But you guys, this is a lot of food! This chunk of meat has to be three pounds, at least!”

“I was surprised, too. But you can pack some of this for tomorrow’s trip.” Clara raised her bottle. “I was expecting a pint for each of our drinks, though.”

“Sorry, ladies. I just didn’t know how much to order.” Alistair sank his head defensively.

“It’s fine. We’ll just take a few sips and get up as early as we can tomorrow.” Lenoria wanted to get up and fetch some tankards, but Alistair’s words gave her pause.

“Actually,” he began, “I got in touch with Lady Gabrielle earlier. We can delay our trip by another week if we really need to rest. And after today’s fight, I’d say we earned it.”

That was another mystery she needed to solve, so Lenoria cut to the chase. “How did she contact you, Al? She should be on the other side of the continent by now.”

“With this.” Alistair retrieved the rock he used to speak with Gabrielle earlier. He handed it over to Lenoria, who wasted no time to drop her food to inspect it. “A wizard in Thule invented it, but so far he’s only handed out a dozen pairs of them. Each of the noble houses got a pair, though I’m not sure what happened to the other eight.”

“It looks like an ordinary rock, but it’s definitely imbued with magic.” Upon further inspection, Lenoria took note of a couple of inscriptions in a different language. They were written with a crimson color, and she felt a sudden burst of energy just by murmuring what they said. “It’s in Draconic. ‘Property of House Bisset.’”

She handed the rock back to Alistair, who pockets it away.

“Al, that’s amazing! So you can get a hold of Gabrielle no matter where she is?”

“Yes, though she has pleaded we do so during an emergency only. She reached out to me earlier, after all, not the other way around.” He uncorked his bottle of cider and raised it. “In any case, we’re free to sleep in tonight. We can depart tomorrow at any time, and if we sleep in, I was thinking we leave around nightfall.”

Clara raised her bottle. "That's great. Then maybe we can extend our stay in the Jaguar Lands, too. The indigenous people there have always been friendly, and I hear there's a festival across the lands that will begin, soon."

This was the perfect excuse for the girls to drink as much as they wanted. Alcohol helped induce sleep, and after a clink from all three bottles, they did just that. They ate and drank merrily as they discussed battle tactics for future adventures so that nothing was left to chance whenever the unexpected occurred.

For Alistair, this was useful information for future tactics. If he was the head, the girls were the limbs he could operate.

For Clara, she could relax knowing that Tsukuyomi will never be alone on the front line.

And for Lenoria, she no longer had to be the first to rush in. She took a celebratory swig of cider and used the remainder of the night as an opportunity to relax.