Dinner and… a warning?

Travis looked at the door for a moment. It was an old yet sturdy construct, made of oak wood and still holding strong despite having some small cracks on its surface. He felt the slightly rugged surface under his fingertips. A smile made its way on his face as he felt a slight tightening sensation around his heart. Every time he stepped through this door, he felt… back home.

“Let’s go in,” he looked toward Leaf and nodded with an inviting expression.

She didn’t reply but didn’t seem very discouraged anymore. Was it perhaps because of what happened before? He wasn’t sure, but for at least a moment, she appeared at ease. Her sapphire eyes eyed him all over as she nodded, letting him know that she was ready.

Travis got hold of the heavy, metal handle and pushed down, opening the door. Without waiting a second more, he took his steps inside.

The inside of the house wasn’t huge, but it was nice and comfy. The pallet he stepped into was just large enough for one person to freely turn around, a few hooks on a wall waiting their turn to hold onto whatever articles of clothing would be hung. Next to the tiny room was something that was a mix between a living room and a kitchen, a small table with chairs sitting by near the kitchen part while just about 2 meters away, there was a fireplace affixed into a wall, already loaded full and with a fire burning slowly inside. Above the flames, a large kettle was affixed on a stand, letting its contents be heated up, some kind of soup slowly boiling inside.

The entire floor was made with thick planks of cement covering, causing every step to be at least faintly hearable. In front of the fireplace, at a distance of about 2 meters, was a large sofa, big enough to freely let about 4 people sit on it. While it was already worn down, its material wiped off in parts and showing the feather filling underneath, it was an adequate piece of furniture. Maxim sat on it, looking at the flames with a clear glint of amazement.

“You’re here,” they heard Crystal’s voice as she made her way into the room. “Dinner will be in about 5 minutes,” she continued, smiling lightly.

She now was wearing a similar dress to the one before, but this one had a nice green color, and the sleeves on her shoulders were adorned with puffy endings. It was also clearly larger, as this time, the outline of her breasts was not as noticeable. Still, seemingly to counter that, the cut in its top extended downward a little, showing a bit of cleavage. Her hair was now tied in a large braid, made with outstanding care and without a mistake.

Crystal now looked… like a wild, uncaptured beauty. Stunning.

Travis looked at her for a moment before averting his gaze. No, there was no reason to be distracted. Instead, he asked, “Where’s mom and dad?” he looked around the room again but failed to see them.

“They went out to sell the last of grain we had.”

“Where to?” he raised an eyebrow, seeing Crystal take a ladle from above the fireplace and stir the soup inside.

“Poiri. There’s been a massive increase in demand since last week,” she replied. “I heard that there’s a huge waiting queue in the northern parts. They set off two days ago, and if everything goes right, they’ll be back in about three,” Crystal said, coming by the table and taking a bowl.

“I thought the last of grain was to be used for sowing? Why would you sell it?”

“We sped up the sowing. Father has been working with Filons for the past two weeks. But let us talk after dinner. The soup is ready,” Crystal got some into a bowl before handing it to her brother. “Maxim!” she said sharply toward him.

“H-Huh?” he looked at her, visibly startled. Has he not noticed her presence until now?

“Don’t ‘huh’ me. Here’s your dinner, go to the table. And bring more bowls,” her voice carried some authority of an older sibling despite its pleasant tone.

The boy groaned but got on his feet without delay, doing as his sister commanded him to. Within a few dozen seconds, the four of them were sitting by the table, Crystal next to her brother and Travis by his companion.

“Miss Silva, I’m sorry, but this soup has meat, so… if you wish, I can give you some bread, but we don’t have a secondary dish,” the blonde woman said.

“It’s alright,” Leaf nodded lightly. “I eat meat, too.”

Crystal raised an eyebrow, but as the elf woman smiled lightly toward her, she didn’t inquire further.

He took a look at the liquid inside his bowl. It was steaming hot, greenish in color, with a few pieces of vegetables floating on its surface. He recognized some of them and realized that Crystal had made a meat soup. ‘As expected of late March.’ he thought, tasting it. ‘Is it even better than usual? Or is it an effect of only eating roasted meat for two weeks?’ he didn’t ponder much about that. In reality, it hardly mattered. For the past 2 weeks, he only ate what he and Leaf managed to hunt, and never did either of them venture into an inn to eat or sleep. Right now, it was like he was rediscovering what taste was like. Leaf’s meals were good, but… they also were mostly… repetitive.

It didn’t take long for the dinner to finish. After everything was done, Crystal urged Maxim to help her tidy up afterward, and within a minute or so she was sitting with only Travis and Leaf, her brother already gone to his room.

“So, may I... inquire... where have you met such an honorable companion?” Crystal asked Travis.

“Crystal, there’s no need for a language like that. Lea-- I mean Silva, elves in general even, are not exactly as noble as you’d imagine,” He replied and looked toward Leaf, who glared at him, clearly upset about his misstep. He did the best apologetic expression he could and turned back to Crystal.

“…I see,” the blonde woman folded her hands together, visibly unsure how to react.

“But to answer the question, we met in Silvana,” said Leaf. “We have a common destination, so we decided to travel together for a bit."

“Oh!” was that a sparkle of light that Travis saw in Crystal’s eyes? “May I ask where are you from, Miss Silva?”

“From Nyxli clan, south from Forna.”

“I see. What about you Travis? What class are you now?” her green eyes turned to the man.

“I… I’m not exactly sure," he shrugged slowly.

“What do you mean?”

“My MID broke after I moved out of Silvana, and I spontaneously changed classes mid-road. I can summon some kind of magic bolts, but… I haven't figured out the nature of the class,” he summoned a wisp of pure mana to his hand for a long moment before dismissing it.

“What? I think I saw something similar a few times… It looks like a <Mana Bolt>. That’d mean you’re a Mage. I... could it be you're stepping into Kanya's tracks?” for a moment, Crystal’s voice sounded somewhat excited.

“Do you think so?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. A small, gentle smile appeared on his face. “That’d be nice.”

The blonde woman chuckled lightly. "Well, you can't know until you get checked, right?"

"I suppose," Travis nodded. "I'll do that once I return. But enough of that. What has been going on here?"

“Nothing much, really," Crystal shrugged, the motion setting her bust into light motion. The way her breasts bounced clearly informed that they were free of any restraints bar the dress. "Reaping season was generous, and we made good money. The winter wasn’t that harsh, so we managed to stockpile some wood, too. Other than that, nothing really happened. What about you? What business do you have in Autir?”

“I’m on a quest from my teacher. Before I changed into this class, I’d been a Rogue for half a year, and my teacher sent me to Autir.”

“Oh! A quest?” the green-eyed woman shifted in her position slightly, visibly interested. “What kind of?”

“Nothing much. I just have to steal something from uh..." he made a short pause. In an instant, he summoned the quest's contents, doing his best to not seem suspicious. "Eden Goldhilt, I think her name was. She's the wife of the landlord from Autir. It's nothing much, don’t worry about it.”

“Goldhilt? Hmm… I think I’ve heard that family name somewhere,” Crystal put a hand on her chin momentarily. “Ah well, maybe it wasn’t that important,” she shrugged. “You’re told to steal something… are you sure your class was Rogue and not Thief?” her lips curved in a gentle yet seemingly teasing smile.

He reciprocated the expression but didn't answer. The silence was beset upon the three of them until Leaf suddenly said, “Thank you for the meal, but I think it’s time we set off.”

“…yeah,” Travis nodded lightly.

“Already? But it’s dark outside,” said Crystal. There appeared to be a bit of uncertainty in her green eyes as they bounced between the two. "Wouldn’t you two like to stay the night? We have the space."

“…sorry, but no. It’s a shame, but we have to hurry,” he made a wry smile, rising from the chair. “Sorry.”

“...I see. Don’t worry about it. Come around in June, we can talk a bit more then,” Crystal’s lips curved up as she got up from the table as well.

Leaf quickly got hold of her backpack and made her way to the door without much hesitation. Within seconds, Travis was also leaving Crystal’s home, followed suit by the woman seeing them off. Taking a look at the streets, the elf didn’t register a single soul. It seemed that everyone had returned to their homes for the day.

She walked a few steps and turned around when she noticed that the man was not following her. Immediately, she noticed how Travis was standing with Crystal in the doorframe, speaking between themselves.

“Travis, one more thing,” the green-eyed woman said quietly. Her eyes shot toward Leaf, gauging the distance before returning to the man standing in front of her.

“What is it?” he inquired, lowering his voice slightly.

“Listen… I didn’t know if I could trust Silva enough to talk about it with her around, but… please be very careful.”

“Why? What happened?"

“I… I can’t explain this,” Crystal replied with a somewhat heavy sigh. Her eyes emanated palpable concern mixed with something akin to confusion. “It’s just... There’s been some kind of an uproar in the capital last week. It seems to be getting quieter now, but suddenly the demand for many things skyrocketed, especially for food. I heard that there were some soldiers from Moil and Chis going around in the capital, too. I just… have this hunch. A feeling,” she got a hand to her heart level. Squishing it into her breast, her eyes darted to her right, toward the direction Travis and Leaf had come from earlier. “There’s something… going on. I just feel… danger, when I look in Poiri’s direction. I know you’ve been out of touch because you’re traveling, so I’m telling you what I know.”

“Do you know anything more?”

“…there’s been something going on with the Church’s servants as of late. A traveling merchant said he saw a squadron of higher-ups from the Church venturing between Poiri and Velia as if doing some kind of a pilgrimage. The lower priests and monks began venturing into Poiri, speaking with commoners. It’s hard to say any of that is true, but… please, just be careful.”

“Did you change your class to Sage?” Travis asked, chuckling a little.

“Still the same Classless you knew,” she smiled in response. “But this is no laughing matter. Please, promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I promise, Crystal. But don’t worry about me,” he replied. “I’m a careful person.”

The blonde woman snorted momentarily, closing her eyes and bending forward slightly. Her breasts swung tantalizingly, but she appeared oblivious to both that and Travis's eyes staring at them for a blink. "This is coming from the same person who climbed a tree to get me an apple and couldn't get back down."

“Hey, cut me some slack. I was eight. It's different now."

"Oh, is it?" Crystal raised an eyebrow, a momentary laughter leaving her mouth. “…I’m glad, then," she hugged him and planted a light kiss on his cheek. “Come around in June too, alright?”

“I will,” he replied, getting out of her hug. “You stay safe too. Say hi to mom and dad,” Travis added.

“Sure thing,” Crystal said, and Travis couldn’t help but notice that there seemed to be a glint of worry still stirring within her green orbs. Was she that unsure of his success?

Without much thinking, he fired a <Suggestion>.

<Travis looks more dependable now. He’s older, he’ll surely stay safe. I shouldn’t worry.>

The bolt of psionic energy traveled from his mind to hers, and it bounced right off.

…

...

...

IT WHAT?!

Travis felt his heart sink when he felt some kind of a barrier surrounding Crystal’s mind. Seeing a lack of reaction from her, he repeated the spell, but it bounced away immediately as well. He did it for the third time, attempting to shift his <Suggestion> to something that might’ve been more in line with Crystal’s thought, but… there was no difference in the result.

“Did something happen?” Crystal asked, a glint of curiosity appearing in her eyes.

“…nothing, sorry,” Travis replied. “Take care, Crystal.”

“You too,” she said shortly before stepping back a little.

Within a few seconds, Travis moved his feet, going in Leaf’s direction. As he passed her, the elf woman quickly followed in his tracks. Stealing a glance behind, the man noticed that Crystal was still standing in the doorframe, watching the two of them go away. Minute after minute, they went through some fields and then back into the surrounding forest.

Crystal sighed lightly to herself as the two travelers disappeared into the night. A light flush came from her heart with an exhale that appeared to create a bit of evening fog.

'...something feels off.' she thought after a moment. Her brows furrowed. Crystal closed her eyes for a long moment. Within her heart, joy flowed. However, inside her head, uncertainty stirred. She brought her steps into the road and looked to her right.

The few houses of her neighbors she could see had light spilling through the windows, lighting up patches of soil nearby. This trend, however, did not continue for long. Lifting her gaze slightly, she saw the path going into the forest beyond the village, completely dim.

The chilly air brushed against her skin and moved her hair, the braid swinging lightly before coming to a halt on her bum. Staring into the stars above, Crystal could not help but feel her worry become even more amplified. 'Why?' she wondered.

*BA-THUM!*

She felt her heart beat with more power as her eyes opened. The night sky reflected in her green eyes. At the very edge of her irises, a faint glint of blue danced like the shimmering objects up above. Some stars appeared to slightly shift from their position, floating around like fine, white dust.

*BA-THUM!*

Her heart beat again with redoubled strength. The surge of blood in her veins brought a vague sense of a headache stirring in her temples.

'Why do I feel so uneasy...?' she traced along the invisible lines connecting numerous constellations. Her lips quivered momentarily as she took a breath in. 'Why did looking at him give me the same feeling as Poiri...?'

Her eyes escaped to the south-east. It was dark, black as ****. Yet, staring into the nothingness, Crystal could not help but feel... something. It was as though the faint breeze that surged from that direction brought forth power that could change the world. A tiniest bit of white appeared to shimmer in the dark distance but it went unnoticed. Her body shuddered, an intangible pressure pressing down onto her for less than half a second.

...

Eventually, she sighed lightly.

'...maybe... I'm overthinking this...'

-Meanwhile-

Turning back to where they were headed, Travis quickly calmed his beating heart. It was no easy feat to do, though. It was not something he could’ve been anyhow prepared to encounter. This time, rather than encountering an obstacle, he felt like he just hit a wall.

An insurmountable wall.

Resisting his mind spells was one thing, but this time, the <Suggestion> was unable to find a single weakness to get through. It was reminiscent of what happened when he tried to influence Leaf’s summons but without a prompt about immunity.

Taking a minute to ponder on the situation, he started noticing certain things.

Firstly, there was absolutely no reaction from the woman. When he tried and failed before with Berry, there was an imminent reaction from the bear. The same happened with the bird summon in Icla. However, the blonde woman didn’t seem to feel his action in the slightest.

Secondly, there was an eerie feeling that Travis reminded himself of after a short while. Typically, when he shot the psionic energy to influence another’s mind, he could sense their minds. In the situation when <Suggestion> didn’t work, he was able to gauge how strong one’s mind was, even if it was an unsure estimate. However… he couldn’t feel Crystal’s mind at all. It was unlike anything he had felt before. Even with Berry, Travis could feel something that, while unreachable, was in there. This didn’t happen with the woman. He knew <Suggestion> was fired successfully, and it did travel toward her mind, but… it never reached.

There was some kind of… barrier around her mind, as though there was something, someone else shielding it. An instinctual feeling stung in the back of his mind.

It was a mind barrier. Only a Psion could do such a thing.

His fist shook with anger at the thought, but he **** himself to stay calm. Crystal didn’t seem different from normal. Travis would definitely get to the bottom of this eventually, but right now, he was far too weak, and he knew it. If he wanted to combat the Psion who dared play with her mind, he’d need to be able to get past their magic at the very least. And that meant one thing.

‘My current levels of Strength, Agility, and Endurance seem to be good enough. Sense seems to be high enough to counter too high Agility as well, so I can properly focus on Intelligence and Wisdom to boost WP and MP.’

So long he remembered to spend some points on other stats every now and again, he’d be able to maintain steady growth in both physical and magical aspects. ‘Once I finish Teacher’s quest, I’ll have to find a suitable dungeon for myself. Actually, make it a list of progressively stronger ones. One place for leveling can only help me so much.’ he sighed at the thought. 'I'll not be able to sit around much, will I?'

“What’re you sighing at?” he heard Leaf’s voice. Travis noticed how her eyes sparkled with a glint of interest.

“Nothing,” he shrugged lightly. “Just thinking about my quest in Autir.”

“…”

“…I’m sorry. I almost slipped your name.”

“*Sigh* You really should try being more careful, Travis. The next time might be the last."

“Yes, I understand,” he replied dryly. 'Even if it's a person I know well, I need to be wary of speaking too much. This time was a lucky miss.'

They continued to travel for about an hour more before they decided that it was time to set a camp. Stepping away from the main road, Leaf sent Bill and Jay to scout around while Travis found a decent spot to sleep.

The two lay on the ground, weariness hitting them both like a boulder. The dinner they ate at Crystal’s was already but a memory, but its warmth was still present.

They were both within each other’s hand reach as Leaf brought her backpack under her head. Quickly untying her bun, she let the hair down her shoulders as she lay on her back, looking into the sky.

“Say."

“What?” he asked.

“How much will it take to reach Autir this road?”

“Rinl is roughly 25 kilometers away. From there, we have to turn north, and we’ll reach Autir within roughly 2 days,” ‘Just in time for 1st April, I hope.’ he thought. ‘Then, I’ll have roughly 3 days to steal that earring, and then it’s the road back.’ “Why do you ask, though?”

“Just curious,” she replied.

“…anyway, goodnight, Leaf.”

“Sleep well, Travis,” she replied, closing her eyes. Within a minute or so, she was already sleeping, Bill and Jay sitting on her backpack for a long minute before they set off to scout again.

Meanwhile, Travis fixed his position, lying on his backpack and staring into the sky before he closed his eyes. Still, before he fell into sleep’s grasp, he kept thinking.

‘It’s not going to be a walk in a forest to just complete Teacher’s quest. Since she gave me this quest, she must believe it is possible with the abilities I had before I became Apostle. Still, Goldhilts are landlords in Autir, at least from what Cecilia said. It’s a no-brainer that they’ll be living in some kind of a protected place. That means there will be guards, and possibly also servants that I’ll have to look out for. Hmm… perhaps there is a way in that doesn’t require sneaking around too much.’

---

[[Name: Travis Salliv
Class: Apostle of Tricks & Manipulation
Level: 26
HP: 780/780
MP: 101/156
WP: 355/558]

[Strength: 55
Agility: 80
Endurance: 60
Intelligence: 52
Wisdom: 35
Sense: 35
AP: 0]

[Possessed abilities: Suggestion lvl.3, Hypnosis lvl.1, Mana Bolt lvl.2]

[Current status: No anomalies]]