Know Your Self

I have reached 14 years in this world, I am still alive and I count that as a victory. Would be impossible to achieve that alone, in addition to luck I am grateful to many people. Maestra Verenice and Maestra Fanielliailleiniimindallaif above all. The “human” healer mage saw that I had a home, and all the comfort, help, and time necessary to recover my strength. Despite the wait of this curse, that she transferred to my body in order to save the heir to the throne of our nation. The gnome healer had no responsibility for that, but still she decided to stay around as often as possible, and assist my recover.

To treat a patient without spells must be a stimulant challenge for magic healers. This curse grows stronger with magic, anti-magic spells are no better. Makes me an interesting case for study.

Sheva, my mentor in the arts of Cold-Iron martial arts visits twice a week nowadays. My strength and speed are back to what they used to be right before I get the curse, thanks to her. My endurance is still far worse, I lack the stamina Cold-Iron warriors are supposed to have. In part because my body cannot afford to receive healing spells, ever. My development is slow, but has not stopped.

I have learned to speak the common language of Demon Continent, and the dialect used by the Beast-Folk in Sheva’s region. The Fae have only one language, they are all born knowing it, unfortunately it is immensely more complex than human languages and even more complex than gnome languages. I could not yet learn enough Fae to read a newspaper or carry on a conversation, but I am able to do both things in the mother language of Aunt Fany now. The gnome healer is enjoying my enthusiasm, and seems to have infinite patience as a teacher.

However, my main interest is to learn magic. I cannot use it, but I can understand the fundaments, the strong and weak sides of different branches of magic.

This is not just for my personal satisfaction. In this world I can actually make a living just translating books about magic between the idioms I am already learning. Understand the concepts is important to be able to make acceptable translations of specialized topics like that. I am studding more Healing Magic than anything else, because the abundance of great material about this subject in this house is amazing.

I probably will never be able to enter an actual fight again in this life. Due to me “glass jaw”. Even a basic spell used against me could end my life. I can still enjoy watching spells, from safe distance.

About one year after the even in the prince’s room my father visited us.

He and Sheva did a combat training exercise. They are old companions of adventure. She is also his mentor in the Path of Cold-Iron.

Father uses spells in combat, combined with the techniques of the Path. Water, Ice, Wind and Ghost Magic, some Earth spells too. Level 2 spells, one after the other. Ghost Magic is not necromancy, is more like the Jedi Force, pushes and pulls of invisible energy, combined with some Star Trek stile force-fields. I was amazed by how strong my old man is. He was clearly holding back every time I saw him fight, and I realized that day, I had never actually watched my father fight a serious fight.

Only time we faced a life-or-death situation, I was knocked down senseless before the fight properly start.

Sheva still won this friendly dispute. Despite the fact that she cannot use a spell to save her life. The way that female beast moves with a black sword in hand is both tantalizing and terrifying. She is the ultimate master of our Path.

I asked him why hide that much power. He told me that is “impossible to underestimate the importance of surprise in a fight. Being underestimated is the most precious advantage you can have when your survival and the lives of those you love are on the table. In times of war, after some time both sides will have lost most of this strategic advantage. However, whenever possible, is good to undersell your skills. Then make the best use possible of the time your enemies need to get from the image they have of you to the real you they are facing.

We may use the expression ‘theatre of war’ but war is not theatre. And still, perhaps the single most valuable skill any warrior can cultivate is the skill to play a convincing fictional role.

The role of someone far weaker than he actually is. More often than not, that shall be your role in life as a warrior.”

After this visit father when back north, to the frontlines. We have not heard anything about him ever since. I don’t even know if he is alive or dead.

Father let an interesting piece of information escape during this visit, though. Later I confirmed it with Sheva. She asked me to never talk about, for some reason is not something she likes to share.

The specific branch of beast-folk Sheva is from usually do not get pass 25 years old. To them 30 years is like 100 to us. Sheva, however, was 91 years old that year.

She didn’t looked older than any 30 years old human, or the 10 years old females of her own specie. There was no magic involved, in the conventional sense the word “magic” has here. It was, however, a consequence of slowing down her internal mana.

Is not an effect every student of the path should hope for. My father was her most promising pupil, and he was still aging normally for a human. Only the most advanced masters of the Path achieve the extended longevity. Even for them, that effect is limited and unreliable. What is one reason why those who know the Path well enough to have learned about that keep the subject secret.

“We need to talk”

Said Verenice one morning. Right after Sheva and I have our practical exercise with swords. When my mentor was taking a bath to relax.

“I am going to leave the city with my brother, no one can stay in the house. Therefore, I took the necessary steps to send you to the place where your mother and siblings are. We tried to contact your father, but could not do that yet.”

“When? Why??”

“Soon. The reason is not important to you”

The gnome healer walked in, that moment.

“On the contrary, the reason is absolutely fundamental to him. She is he mentor too! You have learned to think like a human too well, my friend.

Verenice and her brother are doing that to save Sheva.

The internal civil-war is finally over in this country. Or at least that is what looks like here in the capital. Ephesus escaped but the rest of his conspirators are in jail and should be executed for treason soon. Including the prince they had coronated as their king. Unfortunately Elizabeth’s grandfather, her father, and herself had chosen the losing side in that war. Only member of their family in the right side is precisely that uncle she feared would once kill her father.

Knowing Sheva as we know the woman, we know she will obviously rescue her pupil or die trying. That is the Royal Palace, she is going against the Red Guard itself. Alone. Die trying is the most likely scenario.

Therefore, Sheva is not doing anything alone. Verenice and her brother are joying the adventure, by their own initiative.

Even if they succeed, that means all people related to their family will end up executed for treason. Anyone found in this house tomorrow morning will die as traitor before the day end. What is why the house must be empty, and you must be out of the country, as far away as possible. I am leaving the country myself, better safe than sorry.”

“I see! Alright them. Let’s leave the house behind.

However, I am not leaving the city. If this rescue mission must happen, I want to be part of it. As you said yourself, Sheva is my mentor. Verenice is my mentor too, by the way. I cannot turn my back on them anymore than Sheva can abandon Elizabeth to the fate she has chosen herself. When she decided to play politics, and lost”

“See? That is why I didn’t wanted to share any information about that with him! He is not one of your gnome nephews, Fanielliailleiniimindallaif!! Gnome children are sensible and obedient! They have sense of reality! Human children on the other hand…”

“You clearly don’t remember gnome children well, my dear Faery Lady. I was perfectly aware that this could be his reaction, and that is why I told him what I just did. He may die in this adventure or not, either way, the decision to be part of it belongs to him by right.

We would be stealing his path from bellow his feet if we decided which risks are acceptable for him and which risks are not acceptable.

Besides, you two are far above your heads, you three if we count Sheva. Who is not aware that she has partners in that adventure yet! You need someone too watch the corners and pay attention to the details. He is the best option you have. Be grateful for his desire to help you! Knowing the danger, and the costs of get involved! Because any mercenary you contract in a situation like that is more likely to sell you out than it is likely to help you out this”

“He cannot fight!!! One spell and he is dead. Even being too close to intense magic energy would be too dangerous for him.”

“That is his risk, not yours. Consider his strengths and weaknesses in your plans and tell the man what his role in this shall be. Stop patronizing him, you cannot afford that luxury right now, friend.”

The small healer mage, who was a High Noble Fae disguised as human for so long that I could not imagine what her actual appearance look like. Stared my eyes for a second too long. As someone looking for an error in a mathematic equation that cannot be right does.

“Are you absolutely sure that you want to join us in this?”

“Positive!”

I was.

Couple hours later I caught myself revisiting that conversation in my mind.

Why, in the name of Holly Fuck in Bloody Hell was I sure about that?

During my 52 years on Earth I don’t think I was ever that sure about anything. Let’s not even consider something that involved imminent risk of death. Death by torture, or any other flavour, including previous conviction for treason or not.

All I wanted from this life was a family, children, and see my children grow into capable adults. No part of that adventure had any chance to contribute with that long lasting goal.

The Elizabeth lassie had a hot ass last time I checked it but she didn’t even bother visiting me when I was going through the worse part of that living curse!

Sheva was another case entirely, of course I wanted to help her. She was there for me when I needed. Despite the fact that she didn’t needed to be and had nothing to profit from helping me.

Nevertheless, she didn’t wanted my help, or anyone else’s for that matter! Should I not respect my mentor’s judgement? A matter of hierarchy was naturally implicit in this sort of relation, I had to believe she knew best!! Being sensible about this plan, in all honesty, Verenice was well grounded on her position.

I am useless in a situation like that!

On the other hand, I was now fully committed with my role in this adventure. Would be hard to look myself on the mirror after that day if I decided to walk away after came that far.