More ale and conversations

The ale was brought to us by the same waitress who was servicing the four loudmouths before. She places our mugs in front of us but doesn’t go away immediately. Instead, she stood there for a moment, blushing profusely, and fidgeted a little.

“Thank you for dealing with those guys,” she mutters shyly. Then, she bows down to me, places a quick kiss on my cheek, and runs away. I was a bit stunned by that and was unable to say anything to her.

“Look at you collecting girls’ hearts like dwarves their precious metals,” Elora giggles.

I shrug with a smug smile and take a swig of the ale. It really is tasty. The lively atmosphere returns in the tavern. People continue drinking, eating, and laughing. I notice Elora’s eyes inspecting me. When it goes on for several minutes in silence, I decided to break the silence.

“What are you inspecting me so closely for?” I ask her.

Elora stays silent for a few seconds before replying. “I kind of thought I knew most if not everything about you. But I didn’t realize you could fight so well. Obviously, I know that you train in martial arts and weapons, but defeating four huge guys with such ease… I didn’t expect that.”

I shrug in response. “It’s not that surprising, is it? I mean, I train a lot, so I was bound to become good at fighting at some point. I also have a great instructor. Owen never goes easy on me.”

Elora was in the middle of taking a sip when she choked on the ale and started coughing profusely. When she got it under control, she croaked out. “Did you say Owen? It isn’t the ex-commander of the Royal Guard and current head instructor of the Royal Guards and the Royal Army recruits?”

I was a little confused by her reaction but answered. “Yeah, that’s him. What of it?”

Elora facepalmed. “For someone so gifted, you can be clueless about things,” she utters before lowering her hand. “Didn’t you hear what his nicknames were?”

Did I? I don’t think I did so I shake my head.

Elora shakes her head in disbelief. “He was famously known as the ‘Demon of the Battlefield’. He began serving in the military around 60 years ago, under the rule of the previous king of Astria. 50 years ago, a huge war broke out between the Principality of Hadria and the Kingdom of Markadia as it usually does every 70 to 80 years. The Kingdom of Astria, being the allies of Markadia, sent troops to assist them. The Empire did the same for Hadria. It was essentially a war of two nations against two, with the Kingdom of Castrevia offering their mercenary services to both sides as opportunists they are. Owen started as a regular soldier and quickly rose through the ranks. Wherever he was sent on the battlefield, he would cut through the enemies like a hot knife through batter. Not only that, but he demonstrated great tactical skills and leadership. In short two years, he rose to the rank of General, which is the second highest army title one can achieve. The Commander General of that time took him under his wing and made him his successor after the war. Owen is retired now, as you know, but his demon-like prowess is still renowned. In fact, he has a new nickname now, the ‘Hellish Instructor’, due to how hard his training drills are.”

That momentarily surprised me but it made sense. “Huh. I guess that makes sense. Owen is quite tough.”

“Quite tough? That is saying it lightly. I have seen him training recruits once. I was shocked the poor guys didn’t drop dead either from exhaustion or the beating they received during the mock battles,” Elora says.

“I mean, yeah, it was like that at first with me too. I literally reached an adept level in light magic healing all the bruises and broken bones myself. I got used to it after some time though,” I nonchalantly say.

“Hold up. You can use light magic?” Elora says loudly.

Oh. Woops. “Shhhh, not so loud,” I shush her. “Yes, I can use light magic but I only have a low affinity for it.”

“So you have affinities in five elements?” she asks incredulously. “Having four affinities is already exceptional, not even taking into consideration that all of the four have high affinity. Being able to use five is almost unheard of.”

Should I tell her I have a high affinity for dark magic as well? I’ve known Elora for a long time now and she is a friend. I can trust her.

“Well… I actually have a high affinity for dark magic as well,” I tell her quietly.

Elora’s head hits the table with a loud thud. Loud enough that the people, sitting at the tables around us, turn to look at her. After a solid minute, she raises her hand. On her forehead is a red mark where she hit the table.

“You mean to say that you have affinities in all six elements?” she asks exasperated. I nod in response. “It is a good thing you kept quiet about it. Having high affinities for the four basic elements can already be perceived as a threat enough by the unfriendly nations around this kingdom. If it got out that you could use all six elements, it would have been catastrophically. Less so now, since you are already so strong, but still not good.”

“Yes, I have been told,” I reply.

“What kind of dark magic type can you use?” Elora asks curiously.

Oh boy. She is not going to take this well. “I… can use more than one.”

Elora’s face doesn’t betray any emotions from this revelation.

I say looking a little to the side. “Six of the eight. Haven’t gotten to taming magic and had no luck with future sight magic.”

A shocked expression finally appears on her face.

“Six?!” she says louder than she intended to before lowering her voice. “Do you mean to say that you tried and can use mind-control magic?”

I nod. “I did and before you say anything, I will not be using it against others unless someone used it against me. I only chose to learn it to be able to defend myself if someone did.”

Elora lets out a deep sigh. “I need another ale.”

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