The Endless Forest

After the distraction that was the pond, Felix felt refreshed. Even with everything that happened this morning, he was in a great mood. Unfortunately, he had a feeling that wasn’t going to last…

It was past noon by the time he and Eri were leaving. The others had simply gone on without them.

“Are you ready to be hounded by a bunch of people?” Felix asked jokingly.

“I suppose, but I didn’t realize it would be so draining,” Eri answered. There was a certain edge to her tone that made him curious.

“Hmm? What do you mean, exactly?”

She came to a sudden stop, making him turn to face her.

“I’m not sure. But when I was speaking earlier, it felt like I was using my mana. It was draining…” she trailed off, looking a little concerned.

Draining mana? Interesting… “Has it ever happened before?”

“No. At least, I don’t think so. That has me concerned,” she added hesitantly.

“And… How are you feeling now?”

“I’m feeling much better, but I’ve dealt with people before and nothing like that has ever–” Eri suddenly stopped herself.

“Last night,” she muttered, just loud enough for him to hear.

“Last…night?” Felix asked, before his face went red with embarrassment.

Seeing his expression she suddenly began stammering. “That’s not– I mean… It was before that!”

“Oh.”

Eri shook her head. “Last night, before we, uh…went to your room. I felt something. It felt like something was guiding me– No, it was warning me.”

“Warning you?” He took a deep breath. A new, eerie feeling was creeping up through him. Zira is right, I need to take these things more seriously.

“Yes, I was given two options. Either go with you, or… Let our relationship die.”

Felix’s eyes slowly widened. “Eri? Last night, were you in control?” he asked in a soft, confidential tone. Gods, please don’t tell me–

“O-Of course! Gods! Felix, I’m not doing a great job of explaining this. You didn’t do anything wrong!” she said, now looking mortified. A moment later, she rushed up to him and brought him into a hug.

“The decision was entirely mine. I love you.”

Relief washed over him, and he could only nod.

“It was just that I had that feeling… I decided that I wanted our relationship to grow. Last night was my commitment to it. I want to be with you.”

Felix pulled her closer and whispered, “I want to be with you as well. I love you.”

Releasing her just enough, he gave her a kiss.

Afterwards, they slowly separated and he gave her a warm smile. Yet, hiding behind that smile, there was still that eerie feeling. Something is going on, and it’s about time I figure out what.

There wasn’t much to go on, save for all the strange visions, dreams, and now this. However, he did have one lead.

Watcher.

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yedril found himself staring at a large selection of meat sitting upon a hastily constructed table. There was venison, pork, and what looked a lot like chicken. It was all spread out and sectioned off. In the near distance, smoke from a fire could be seen.

He was feeling much better after getting a nap at the pond. However, as he made his way over to the hatchery, two impatient and competitive cooks intercepted him…

“You’re going to smoke all this?” he asked hesitantly.

“Of course not! You’re going to take this portion,” one of the cooks, Kael, said with a gesture to a selection of the meat.

“Look, if it's too much, just say so. We wanted to challenge Chef, not you. I’ll be honest, I’m not that enthusiastic about this myself,” the other one, Daven, added.

Yedril felt his eye twitch at the not-so-subtle dismissal, even Zarrina let out a displeased growl herself.

You better than them! Beat them!

He allowed himself to smile. Despite how much energy she burned playing in the pond, his partner was fired up. And it’s for my sake, he thought to himself before sending her a mental nod.

“Too much? Hardly, this is nothing compared to what we do on a daily basis.” Yedril waved his hand dismissively.

The two cooks balked at his claims.

“Hah! Even if that’s true, it's just going to be you. Your kobold friends can’t help,” Kael said.

“Idiot Cooks done talk?” Chef asked from the side. He was tapping his foot impatiently.

The two ‘idiot’ cooks narrowed their eyes. “We’re ready,” they said in unison.

Rolling his eyes, Yedril spoke. “I’m ready.”

“Good! No time to waste– GO!” Chef shouted.

With that, Yedril set off and began to collect his share of the meat. It was all set out on wooden trays and already cleaned, all he had to do was cook it.

That makes this so much easier, he thought to himself, remembering the massive elk he had to prep.

Grabbing his selection, he rushed for a set of cooking pits that were set up nearby. He could’ve used the kitchen but the thought of beating the cooks at their own game sounded better to him.

I can’t wait to knock that smug look off their faces, he thought with a smile, making it to his destination.

The cooking pits were big and surprisingly deep. He was almost certain magic was involved due to how quickly they had been dug. Not to mention that the dragons had been with them at the pond, save for Ithea and he doubted she would have helped.

With his tray heavily loaded, Yedril eye’d a set of tables set up near each pit. He chose one at random and dropped his raw meat down.

There was one slight problem, he realized as he scanned the area. There was no seasoning. No doubt they brought their own…

Muttering a curse under his breath, he made the decision to head for the kitchen.

Racing back, Yedril passed by the two cooks who were sauntering their way to their own pits. Not a word was spoken, but the looks on their faces told him everything. They thought this was going to be easy.

Making it inside, he went over to the well-hidden trapdoor and threw it open. With determination, he disappeared into the basement. A few moments later, Yedril came flying out with seasonings in hand.

With another mad dash, he was back at his table and quickly turned his attention to the various selections of meat. A plan was forming, but he was going to have to work quickly.

I just hope this works, he thought as he started his preparations. The cuts were decent, not perfect, but good enough. He was grateful for that, as he forgot to grab a knife.

At least they didn’t cheat by giving me bad meat. The cooks were smug, arrogant even, but they respected their craft and the challenge.

As he worked on seasoning, Yedril found himself getting into the zone. The noise dissipated and the stares from the crowd vanished from his mind. There was just one more thing he wanted to try…

Thinking of the pits and how magic was almost certainly used, he wondered if something similar could be done with his food. The concept wasn’t too strange, he had been there when Noria created that potion for Felix. Perhaps something similar could be done here?

Of course, he didn’t really understand how it worked nor was he sure it was a good idea. After all, mana was something his body constantly rejected yet needed. Surely, this could only end in disaster.

That, however, brought up another interesting thought. Come to think of it, since Zarrina’s hatching, I haven’t needed Felix’s help nearly as much.

He instinctively reached out for her and felt her mind brush up against his. A sense of excitement, of assuredness, and completeness filled him.

Yedril knew he could do this.

With the seasoning done, he closed his eyes and placed a hand on top. Okay, let’s see… How do I–

Something brushed up against his leg. But before he could crack an eye open a sudden rush of energy poured into him.

I help!

With a gasp, Yedril felt the mana welling up inside. His mind scrambled with what to do with it, however.

Yedril be Calm! Guide mana! It mine, it listen well.

Taking a deep breath, he listened to Zarrina. Guide the mana… Guide the mana… Guide– Ah!

A spell formed in his mind, one he never learned. It was strange, but he knew it to be correct. With it and the mana from his partner, Yedril began imbuing his cuts of meat with mana.

I’m going to win.

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So, is this everything you wanted enchanted?” Noria asked, looking at the freshly constructed barrels and tanning rack. She had to admit, the wood carvers worked fast.

“For now, but I can get most of my work done with just this. I brought most of my tools and they’re already enchanted,” Haldria responded, speaking confidently. There wasn’t any hint of her previous embarrassment.

Noria took note of Haldria’s demeanor but continued with the current topic. “I see. Well, what sort of enchantments are you wanting?”

“Hmm? Honestly, I’m not entirely sure. The stuff back in the village were already enchanted. I only had to use mana to activate them.”

That got her curious. Normally, enchantments needed repairs over time and she hadn’t performed any on Haldria’s tools save for a few. She certainly hadn’t worked on any of the larger equipment.

“Who enchanted them, do you know?”

Haldria looked thoughtful for a moment before frowning. “That’s a good question. If I had to guess, probably your mother.”

Hearing about her mother did cause Noria to hesitate for a moment. However, she quickly probed further. “You don’t know? Were they given to you or what?”

“Yes and no…” The other woman responded, trailing off. “After the previous tanner died, no one wanted to take it up because of the smell. That was until Gil suggested I do it.”

“Gil suggested you do it? Why? Seems like an odd thing to suggest to someone.”

“Huh? Oh, I suppose it was before you were born but… Well, to start, Gil took me in when I was young. He became somewhat of a father figure to me and he taught me all kinds of things. He’s a practical man but he always encouraged me. It helped that I always had a bit of an artistic side.

“Anyway, I would take bits of scrap and fashion them together to make things. The previous tanner would often bring over leather he couldn’t use and gave it to me. That’s how I got started with leatherworking in general.”

Noria blinked in surprise. “I didn’t know that about you and him. I mean, I knew the two of you had some sort of special relationship but I didn’t know he took you in. Though, truth be told, I know very little about him. My mother knew him, and constantly complained about him.”

Haldria let a little laugh escape. “Sorry, but that sounds about right. He’s not the easiest to get along with, but if he comes and starts harassing you, then he likes you.”

“So then, he never liked me?” Noria asked, unsure how to feel about that.

The tanner suddenly gasped. “T-that’s not… You’re a bit different!”

She gave the other woman a curious look. “What do you mean, different?”

Now Haldria looked like she said too much, as she quickly explained. “Gil knew you father. They worked on many projects together. But then… Then your father disappeared. I don’t know the full story, but Gil felt terrible about it and did what he could to help your mother–”

“Until she passed away,” Noria finished for her.

“Yes… I think that was too much for him. But he never once said anything bad about you! In fact, he respected you quite a lot.”

Noria gave her a weak smile. Hearing not only about her mother, but now her father brought back a mixture of emotions. The sad, unfortunate truth was, she could barely remember anything about him. She knew only what her mother told her, and her mother barely spoke about him.

She couldn’t handle it… With her mother’s passing, Noria had only the vaguest of ideas of who her father was. She knew that he had loved them, and that there had been some sort of accident. But the details were never shared, and his body never found.

Even the villagers who knew never spoke about it, perhaps out of respect for my mother. She felt her jaw tighten at that. Eventually, everyone moved on… Even I stopped wondering.

“You should speak with Gil,” Haldria said after a few tense moments. “If you want to,” she added quietly.

Noria gave her a nod. “Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind.” And I might just do that… She cleared her throat and moved back to the topic of her enchanted gear.

“So, you took over the tannery? Was everything already enchanted?”

“Yeah…” The tanner trailed off before realizing Noria’s desire to move on. “But I suspect Gil had something to do with it, because he made a big stink about the quality of the equipment and the building itself. Before I officially took it over, he worked hard on repairing it.”

Haldria laughed. “He told me not to go there until he was done. He wanted to fix it up and present it as a gift.”

Noria let a more light-hearted smile show. “I see, so that’s why you don’t know who enchanted them or with what.”

The other woman nodded. “I wish I could tell you.”

“That’s fine, but it does mean this will take longer than I thought.”

“Oh? It will? If that is the case, then don’t worry about it right–”

With a raised hand, Noria stopped her. “It’s fine,” she repeated. “All I need to know is how all this works. Once I know that, I can make some suggestions about what enchants you might want. Bear in mind, there is a limit to the amount and quality. Material matters a lot, and wood isn’t the best for enchanting.”

That last statement wasn’t entirely true, material did matter but that could be easily overcome with additives such as dragon scales. But therein lay the problem, she didn’t want to waste scales for such a task.

Though, with six dragons– Technically seven, if we include Ithea. We have plenty to use– She shook the thought away. Even with plenty of scales, using them like that could cause other problems. Everyone will want me to embed them or infuse them…

“I understand.” Haldria said, bringing her back to the present. “Well, if you have time, I could give you a rundown?”

Noria gave a quick glance up to the sky then behind her. A large crowd had formed over by the manor. Looks like the cook-off has started, but it will take some time before anything is ready…

Turning her attention back to the tanner, she gestured to the new tanning rack. “How about we start with that?”

There was a sudden spark in Haldria’s eyes. “Certainly!”

Uh-oh… Noria felt a chill run down her spine. She knew that look, she had seen it before. It was the look of someone who was about to spend several hours explaining the intricacies of their profession.

Gods, help me, please!