Goodbye, for now

-7th day of AC, 07.04.1052-

7. Pick your enemies wisely, won't you?

[It’s not a trick question or anything. It’s a piece of genuine advice. Some people seem weak at first until they hit you in the face with a one-hit one-kill blow.

Most hide their real power. It’s natural to not show all your cards immediately, after all.

Do not assume someone is your enemy or wants you dead just because you have different world views or classes. Sometimes the one who appears to be an enemy right now might be the greatest ally in the future.]

'...For once I received a piece of advice that I'd consider genuinely useful.' thought Travis as he eyed the notification in front of him. 'It is true that most people hide their aces. Being cautious of others can't hurt, in all honesty.'

He glanced toward Leaf, who was fast approaching from behind him. 'She does, at first glance, look like a Hunter. So, this entry doesn't just tell me to be wary. It also wants to tell me that I should find a way to conceal my abilities.' he smiled a little, making a slight stretch whilst the woman reached his position.

"What're you smiling at?" Leaf asked, a tiny smirk appearing on her face as well.

"Nothing," he shrugged. 'I got 7 stat points today, and I was able to do the whole thing, too. What's not to be smiling about?' the thought rang in his head. "Just, you know... It's a good day today, isn't it?"

"Pfft. Maybe for you. *Achoo!* Shit..." the elf woman muttered under her nose whilst taking out a piece of cloth and wiping her nose. "Seriously, how are you alright just the next day? This'll take me a week to get through."

"Well, I never really was a sickly type. Whatever came to me just... went away quickly."

"...Nigulardo," Leaf muttered under her nose.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing," she shook her head a little.

"I believe I heard the word 'Nigulardoh', or something like that? What does that mean?"

"Oh," 'Damn, his hearing is better than I thought. "Uh, yeah, 'Nigulardo'... it's an elven word."

"So, what does it mean?"

"Well, that highly depends on the context of the sentence. On its own, it means something like 'showoff' or 'being prideful'. In a casual conversation, it's like a friendly insult. In a formal sentence or when you're talking with courtesy, it'd be a bit... stronger."

"...how much stronger?"

"It's... a little complicated to explain. Let's just say you don't want to be called that, alright? In an official meeting, that is."

"I see... hey, now that I think about it..."

"Hmm?" she raised an eyebrow, her sapphire eyes glimmering with inquiry.

"How many languages do you even speak?"

"Hmm..." Leaf put on a thoughtful expression, if only for a moment. " I mean, Forna's Palli, elven Slyvin, Chis's Frund... that's about all I speak fluently, really. I do know a few words in Akni's Wyyn, but it's... I can at most introduce myself."

"Well, that's still a lot, to be honest. I, for the part, never got to learn anything but Palli."

"And you're still in a good position. Forna, Galia, Vutan, and Rruta, all of those countries mainly use Palli. And honestly, it is pretty popular in other countries, too. I guess that's the fate of a language from a big country in the middle of the continent. It just spreads everywhere. I won't be surprised if, in a hundred years, you'll be able to get by with Palli just about everywhere."

"Well... I guess," 'Hmm, it seems to be another subject that she's interested in.'

"And besides, you'd be surprised how closely related some languages are. Palli and Frund are kind of similar, really, when you boil it down. In the beginning, they have a similar sentence construction and are ruled by mostly the same principles. Take for example introducing yourself. 'I am Leaf' in Palli. In Frund, it's 'Ich bin Leaf.' The same thing, really. Noun, verb, and then the rest."

"Oh, so... Ich bin Travis?"

"Yeah, exactly!" Leaf cheered, a wide smile appearing on her face. "The basic form of things is pretty similar in both languages. Of course, there are heavy differences when you get into the more advanced constructions. For example, Frund has very specific words meaning gender. Everything in Frund has a gender, and... sometimes, it's kind of tricky to wrap your head around them. Things that sound and are feminine in Palli or Slyvin are actually masculine or neutral in Frund."

"Huh. So, is it difficult to learn it?"

"Hmm... it highly depends on how optimistic you can be about learning it. Some people don't like Frund because it's a pretty sharp language. The 'R' sound in there is very strong, unlike in Palli. It can be difficult to learn to speak it properly."

"...I see."

"Oh well, but it's not like any language is perfect," she shrugged a little. "All of them have their ups and downs. You just have to get used to them."

"Yeah, I suppose that's true."

...

-8th day of AC, 07.04.1052-

-About 18:30-

Travis's mind was empty. For a long moment, the man wasn't sure what he was thinking about beforehand as he took in the sight of Guill. Though there was still some distance from the city, its walls were already visible. The forest had given way to the vast plains some time ago, the road diverging into several directions.

He and Leaf rested near a crossroads roughly half a kilometer from the city's walls. He was lying on the ground, head on her backpack, and Leaf sat leisurely, stretching her back a little as a small yawn escaped her mouth.

'I suppose it's my loss.' the man thought, looking through his quest log. 'Then again, it's not like I actively tried to finish that quest. I was afraid of the penalty... Though, it's not like I really need the optional rewards, either. I can make up for those.'

Still, he smiled. 'It doesn't matter. What's important is that I don't have to worry about my main quest any longer. From here, Silvana is almost literally within a hand's reach. Now it's just the final stretch. The hard part's all behind me now.' Travis peeked at Leaf momentarily. The woman seemed to be rather calm, not even noticing his stare as her eyes were focused on the city in the distance.

"So, how're you feeling?" Travis asked, prompting the woman to look back at him.

"Hmm? I think I'm rested," Leaf shrugged a little. "You?"

"I'm alright, too," he nodded before sitting up. '6 stat points today. For the final stretch back to Silvana, 3 into Endurance, 2 into Wisdom, and 1 into Strength. That seems about balanced.'

The two of them got up from their position. After checking that everything was in order (Travis made sure to pay extra attention to the earring from Autir, just to make sure that absolutely nothing was out of place), they started a rather slow walk toward the crossroads. As the fated moment was fast approaching, the two of them were beginning to slow down further, eventually coming to a stop where the two roads cleanly split.

"So, uh..." Travis started, looking at Leaf. "I was never good at farewells, so I'm just going to say: stay safe, alright?"

"Alright," the elf woman chuckled lightly. "But, let's not make it a farewell, alright?" her sapphire eyes glimmered pleasantly.

"What do you mean?"

"You know, 'farewell' implies we'll never see each other again. Let's instead make it: Goodbye, for now. Seems fair?"

"Sure," he smiled a little whilst nodding. "Thanks for all the advice on the way. And despite how the ride started, I did enjoy it."

"I'm glad I can say the same," Leaf replied. "Thanks for being one of those rare people who can stare me in the eyes when they talk with me," she winked at him, her smile slightly playful. "And also, feel free to come around to Midriff for a visit. I'm not always there, but it's the only constant in my travels, so I come around a lot."

"Sure. I hope next time we see each other, we'll be companions."

"I hope for that too," 'More than you'd know.' she thought.

Suddenly, Leaf lunged at him, hugging him closely.

"Man, you really do smell nice," she said. "But seriously, stay safe. Keep on your toes and be vigilant, alright? Many people won't treat you nicely."

"Will do," he replied, hugging her back for a moment.

As the elf woman let go of him, she smiled at him one last time.

"Then, I guess... goodbye, for now, Travis."

"Goodbye for now... Leavalja."

"...!" the woman made a slight step back when she heard her name. After a short second, she shook herself out of her state and started walking toward Guill, leaving the man behind.

As she built a bit of a distance, she let out a sigh. She wasn't sure exactly why, but she felt momentarily flustered by their goodbye. Her heartbeat was heightened as she was slowly approaching the walls of Guill. 'He really did remember my name...' a smile crept onto her face at the thought. It felt... nice to be remembered.

-Meanwhile-

Travis smiled, watching Leaf go toward the city. As a few seconds passed, his gaze turned west. 'And now I'm on my own again. I guess I can go at full speed now.' he peeked at the woman, one last time. 'I'll be sure to visit one day.'

And then, he started walking. Step by step, one after another, his movements became faster with every beat of his heart.

Every next time his soles touched the ground, he was gaining speed. Every time he breathed, he felt the wind brush against his face, faster and faster.

That was until he heard a crow's caw. Turning his head in the direction it came from, he came to a halt, seeing a jet-black bird approach him quickly. Travis reached out with his hand, and the avian perched on it. After a short moment, it jumped to his shoulder, leaving behind a snippet of paper, which it apparently held in its foot.

Glancing at the crow quickly, Travis reached out and unfolded the paper. Dark, coal-like markings converged into letters.

=Hope to see you again one day=

He smiled a little at the message. Looking at the crow, he saw how it was preparing to take off, but he quickly said, "Wait. I have something for you."

Without waiting, he got his backpack off and rummaged inside. Quickly, he brought out a runestone.

"This runestone is the one I used to get through Autir's walls. It requires mana to activate, but it may just be of help to you one day. Use it well," he said to the bird, which seemed to glance at the item momentarily. A little sloppily, it got hold of the runestone and cawed at him (happily?) before flying off.

Travis sighed to himself. 'Hope to see you again one day too.'

His gaze returned to the note in his hand. Immediately, he noticed that there seemed to be something written on the other side as well. As he turned the paper, he tried to smooth it out to help him read it properly.

=Always consider yourself a walking target=

'So she did notice it.' he thought, his expression stiff. 'I tried to keep the Rulebreaker's Piece hidden from her, but it seemed that she was watching me. Then again, it's my fault for simply throwing those away instead of burning them or something.' he scoffed slightly at the thought. 'For some reason, it feels like adding insult to injury. Not only does she not believe I'm an Apostle, but even when I did things that seemingly can't be explained, she didn't shake in her position, it seems. Hmm... that quest's difficulty really explains why it gives 30 stat points just for base completion.' A sigh escaped his mouth as he pocketed the piece of paper and threw his backpack onto his back. 'Perhaps the reason I got it was to show that not every quest can be fully completed. Can't tell, don't really care, either.'

Within just a few minutes, he was running at top speed again, traversing through the plains, and then a forest between Guill and Icla. While running, he thought back to today's piece from Rulebreaker.

8. Always consider yourself a walking target

[Let’s not beat around the bush. Your class is… well, most people won’t see you in a positive light, to say the least.

You need to watch your every step, word, and action. Unintentional usage of psionic magic will definitely not end well for you.

Be especially wary of those who have ways of checking your mana. These people may be few and far between, but you never know when you’ve encountered one.

For your own safety, I would recommend not interacting with unknown people unless necessary.]

Useful, not useful... it was difficult to say. For 5th time already, Travis felt like the advice from Rulebreaker was just plain, common knowledge. What was the point? 'If the advice and items are this useless, then what's the point of that box at all? I would've been fine without either that piece of rock or perfume. At this point, it feels like they're just insulting me.' he grimaced at the thought. 'But that doesn't matter. Maybe that box will eventually give out something good, useful, even. And if it doesn't, I'll simply sell the things.' he decided, speeding between the trees.

-Meanwhile, near Travis' position-

'I know he was a Rogue before, but this speed seems too high to belong to a Psion of a low level...' Violet thought, jumping between trees in her way as she kept Travis just barely in her sight. 'The more I watch this man, the less sense normal thinking makes.' she thought, using one of her skills to shoot forward to a tree branch before pressing all her weight on it and discharging even further out.

'First of all, he has at least <Hypnosis> and <Mana Bolt>. Psions can't learn the latter, but neither can Mages learn the former. This already makes his class special. But that's just the tip of the mound. Every day, some things just appear in his hands out of thin air. I'm not sure if an Illusioner could really do something like this. All this evidence and that woman really can't seem to even budge from saying he's just a Psion. Is she ignorant? Or am I naive?"

...

'No. Even if I am inexperienced, surely I would've been taught about a class that combines the abilities of two very different classes, especially in such a case. Besides...' she thought, once again looking at the man. She has built up some advantage over him, crouching on a branch. 'His physical strength and agility seem far too great for a Psion. His running speed seems to be near Mister Joseph's level. How could a class like this exist... without a god's interference?' she asked herself the silent question. The more she saw the man, the more she was convinced that he wasn't lying to that elf woman.

Travis wasn't yet aware of this, but his acts so far - trying to convince Leaf to join his side - were starting to create him an ally he wasn't expecting to ever come across.

-Meanwhile, in Guill-

Leaf was walking near a marketplace, bow on her shoulder, slowly making her way deep into the city. Her objective currently was simple: to reach a herbalist's shop. If she didn't, she'd have to bear with a running nose for a week more at the very least. 'Damn that weather. I just hope that the road to Midriff goes smoothly. It's more than a month away, and with how the guards around cities are acting up lately, it might be tricky to resupply without trouble. I need to buy some extra food.' she thought, mentally doing some calculations.

After passing by a few buildings, she spotted a couple of plants through a window on eye level. She grinned slightly, finding a door and stepping inside.

Whilst shopping, the elf woman kept on thinking. 'This thing will surely be useful.' she thought, getting a hold of the runestone in her pocket. 'Though... why did he give it to me? If anyone, it should be him who should have it... unless... he got a new one?'

Leaf couldn't lie to herself. She could tell that spy woman all she wanted, but that didn't change the truth: Leaf really didn't know what Travis was. Normally, she'd just shrug the issue off, but... she couldn't, not with this man.

'That power he wields... it's bizarre. If his other words are true, then his level is roughly 25. Not sure how he can tell without an MID, but that's a secondary issue. Thinking about it, something doesn't add up. His magical power seems to be roughly matching a level 20 Mage, which does make sense since Psions are said to have roughly 3/4ths of the magical presence of Mages of the same level. But... his stamina, fortitude, and physical power are also good. I'd say, almost on par with a level 20 Soldier. That's really strange... A Psion with good abilities all around? And his hearing is also good for a low level, almost as if he were a fledgling Hunter.'

Browsing through the aisles in the shop, Leaf suddenly reminded herself of the conversation she had in Autir with that spy woman.

'Godly interference... back then, it sounded ridiculous. Even now, I'm really not leaning toward it even being a possibility, but... something tells me that there might be a seed of truth in there. I will have to dig about.'

The elf woman has made her resolution. If she could, she would try to find out the truth on her own.

It was difficult to prophesize the future. In the first place, there's a countably infinite amount of variables to take into account. Therefore, there was no way to know how Leaf's decision would impact her life. It only sounded like a tiny side quest to her, to just ask a few questions here and there, get answers, and make conclusions. Not in the wildest dreams could she have dreamed that such a silly little declaration of knowledge-seeking would cause her and Travis's fate to become intertwined again.

...

...

...

...But that is a story for the future.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/meedrowh

[A/N: Goodbye for now, Leaf, you will be missed.]