Aleph and Tetora were careful to stay on either side of the line as we walked through the villages of Northwick and Southwick. The divided main street was rather short, but there were a handful of storefronts, suggesting Lala and Lulu weren’t the only merchants around. While Nora and I were permitted free rein, we stuck to the side we arbitrarily chose. At one point, I grabbed Tetora and yanked him with me as I looked over a small shop that had not just one, but two tiny bottles of perfume.
“I am not interested in pungent liquids like this,” he protested loudly.
“But I am! Which one masks odor best?” I held up a bottle in each hand so he could perform a sniff test.
“Why are you so worried about your scent?”
“I-I didn’t say it was for me!”
“Then who are you buying perfume for?” Tetora raised an eyebrow.
“... I don’t like being stinky.”
“Warriors work hard and sweat! It is the smell of victory!”
I set the bottles down to show him my coins. “Just tell me how much I can buy with this.”
“Two sprays. Maybe.”
“What?!”
“Perfume is expensive. Just get used to the smell.”
“Are you telling me Raelynn walked around smelling like… well… me???”
“Yes. Exactly the same smell, but worse because all teenagers stink. But it is a sign of health and growth!” Bacterial and fungal growth you mean!
“The author never wrote about things like that in the story!” I was still having trouble thinking of her as a content creator, let alone an actual deity.
“Because it is a trivial thing! The goddess does not care if you stink!”
“I don’t like being stinky,” I reiterated. “I enjoy taking a shower every day, and putting on fresh clothes!”
“How did you have time for all that when you sleep past noon every chance you get?”
Calling me out again! “By not mindlessly training all day in the hot, dry sun!”
“No wonder you are so delicate now. Just like a courtier.” Tetora jostled my head playfully, pulling off my hood and messing up my hair in the process.
“Don’t do that!" I scrambled to hide myself in my cloak again as he snickered at me.
“You fuss over the silliest things, but it is good to see you expressing your likes and dislikes. You…” he stopped and frowned. “I mean, she did not fuss.”
“Never?”
“No.”
“Not even before getting ready to fight Ep… er…” I knew the old king was dead, but with all the weirdness about names, I really didn’t want to jinx myself.
“She did not complain, not even once.”
I frowned. “I can’t imagine that. No one is that stoic.”
Tetora shrugged. “She is a hero, so… that is how a hero must be.”
I bristled. “That can’t be–”
“It is a mask you will need in the holy city,” Tetora warned. He looked out over the landscape for a moment before continuing. "I am sorry to tell you this."
“Ah,” I took a breath, realizing he wasn’t actually buying into the words he had just spoken. “Well, I'll work on it.” Pretend that nothing fazes me though? Impossible. I shattered my mask for that long ago.
Nora suddenly came running over, crossing the line. “Give me money!”
“For what?” I shoved the coins I was holding in my hand into my pocket, half afraid she’d just help herself.
“Fruit tart!” At the mention of dessert, I immediately surrendered it all.
“Thanks!” She ran off.
“You forgot to ask her to share.” Tetora noted.
“Crap!” I gasped and ran after her, with Tetora’s boisterous laughter trailing behind me.
I returned to Southwick shortly thereafter with my fair share of two fruit tarts. “Here,” I offered one to Tetora somewhat reluctantly. I might not have had any if he hadn’t spoken up.
Tetora gave me a long look before sneering. “Are you trying to bribe your teacher?!”
I pulled back the tart somewhat. “Huh?”
“Do you think giving me such a thing will make me go soft on training?”
“No, I was just trying to be–”
“If you are going to bribe me, do it with something I like! I do not care for the taste of confectionaries.” He turned his back on me, and I saw his tail swishing playfully.
I suppressed a chuckle. “Yes, great teacher Tetora.”
After I consumed both fruit tarts, we were told our grocery order was ready. Aleph and Tetora put most of the goods in their own rucksacks, including two bulky items wrapped in coarse burlap. They made several dull, clunking noises as they settled into their respective bags. The rest of the order was salted meats, dried beans, and somewhat shriveled root vegetables. Aleph had also kindly ordered some small honey candies that we promised to ration along the trip. Of course, we had to try one now while they were still fresh, so to speak.
“Are all the villages in the wastelands… like that one? Er, I mean, like those two?” I asked once we were well on our way again. Tun had been too small to warrant hybrid counts, so I hadn’t really noticed anything odd there, other than the residents avoiding us.
“More or less, yes. Many villages had been established before the rule came out, so they’ve all tried to come up with ways to meet compliance. The word location is quite vague.”
“Does all this really help to decrease animus?” Nora asked archly.
Tetora threw up his arms. “How would we know? We cannot see it, or touch it,” he paused with a slight twitch. “But animus is real. I know that much!” He was trying to head off another argument with Aleph.
“I am not sure the rule does anything except complicate matters for hybrids,” Aleph shook his head. “That is why we do not take it seriously.”
“Do hybrids really generate more animus than full bloods?” I inquired carefully.
“We are told we do,” Tetora sniffed. “But I do not think it to be so.” But what if it was true? What if it was having a global effect? Then I caught myself, ashamed. There had to be better ways to deal with it at a higher level, instead of vilifying the little guy.
Nora’s frown deepened. “Very suspicious. What other benefit is there that they’d make such an effort to enforce this stupid rule?” No one had a good answer.
The next few days were uneventful, filled with the routine of waking, eating, walking, and training before settling down in the evenings. Nora checked her journal routinely, but she did not receive any responses.
While I had gotten better at focusing during my meditation sessions, I’d still get distracted towards the end about how the hybrids were being treated. The thoughts would keep me from falling asleep at a reasonable hour. Aleph and Tetora gave up their family, their homes, and their clans to save the world from The Accursed One. This was not how they were to be rewarded.
***
“Iron Tiger Tetora,” Raelynn Lightbringer bowed deeply to the venerated grandmaster. “I beg your forgiveness for interrupting the grand finale of the tournament, but I urgently require the skills your clan has cultivated over the centuries.”
“Little girl,” Iron Tiger Tetora snorted derisively from his throne. “Are you lost? This is a place for warriors!”
“The fact that she made it this far into your forest should suggest to you she is not a mere little girl,” Aleph the Ox-like rebuked.
“My students are forbidden from fighting young children,” the tiger beastman snarled as he rose. “As well as weak herbivores!”
“Holy Captain, perhaps a member of the monkey clan would better serve our purpose,” Aleph murmured in a low voice. “It does not seem this one holds much in the way of intelligence.”
The Chosen One simply shook her head. “He will join us. His pride will be the pride of all clans when the world is made right once again. However…” she gave him a knowing look. “Please instruct him as you see fit.”
Aleph nodded, then slowly straightened to his full, seven-foot height. “Great Tiger. I have been given permission to correct your misgivings about my clan. I believe shared understanding between us will bring us closer together, so I do hope you’ll actively participate in the lesson I’m about to teach you.”
Iron Tiger Tetora leapt from the raised podium down into the dirt ring, landing in front of Aleph. “Ha! Show me what you think you can do, beast of burden!” The king of the great bamboo forest stood arrogantly, inviting him to attack first. The giant ox simply struck the tiger in the stomach just once with a controlled fist, knocking the belligerent wind out of him even as it hurled him to the ground.
“Well, Great Tiger?” Aleph asked as he stood over his dazed opponent. “Have you learned your lesson? Or should I repeat my instruction?”
“No one... has ever... defeated me... before!” Tetora gasped between ragged breaths, holding up a hand in surrender.
“At least you are honest about your loss. Journey forth with us to defeat the demon king, dear companion, and help bring glory to all clans, so we may stand unashamed when the Goddess calls us before her.”
Aleph and Tetora were careful to stay on either side of the line as we walked through the villages of Northwick and Southwick. The divided main street was rather short, but there were a handful of storefronts, suggesting Lala and Lulu weren’t the only merchants around. While Nora and I were permitted free rein, we stuck to the side we arbitrarily chose. At one point, I grabbed Tetora and yanked him with me as I looked over a small shop that had not just one, but two tiny bottles of perfume.
“I am not interested in pungent liquids like this,” he protested loudly.
“But I am! Which one masks odor best?” I held up a bottle in each hand so he could perform a sniff test.
“Why are you so worried about your scent?”
“I-I didn’t say it was for me!”
“Then who are you buying perfume for?” Tetora raised an eyebrow.
“... I don’t like being stinky.”
“Warriors work hard and sweat! It is the smell of victory!”
I set the bottles down to show him my coins. “Just tell me how much I can buy with this.”
“Two sprays. Maybe.”
“What?!”
“Perfume is expensive. Just get used to the smell.”
“Are you telling me Raelynn walked around smelling like… well… me???”
“Yes. Exactly the same smell, but worse because all teenagers stink. But it is a sign of health and growth!” Bacterial and fungal growth you mean!
“The author never wrote about things like that in the story!” I was still having trouble thinking of her as a content creator, let alone an actual deity.
“Because it is a trivial thing! The goddess does not care if you stink!”
“I don’t like being stinky,” I reiterated. “I enjoy taking a shower every day, and putting on fresh clothes!”
“How did you have time for all that when you sleep past noon every chance you get?”
Calling me out again! “By not mindlessly training all day in the hot, dry sun!”
“No wonder you are so delicate now. Just like a courtier.” Tetora jostled my head playfully, pulling off my hood and messing up my hair in the process.
“Don’t do that!" I scrambled to hide myself in my cloak again as he snickered at me.
“You fuss over the silliest things, but it is good to see you expressing your likes and dislikes. You…” he stopped and frowned. “I mean, she did not fuss.”
“Never?”
“No.”
“Not even before getting ready to fight Ep… er…” I knew the old king was dead, but with all the weirdness about names, I really didn’t want to jinx myself.
“She did not complain, not even once.”
I frowned. “I can’t imagine that. No one is that stoic.”
Tetora shrugged. “She is a hero, so… that is how a hero must be.”
I bristled. “That can’t be–”
“It is a mask you will need in the holy city,” Tetora warned. He looked out over the landscape for a moment before continuing. "I am sorry to tell you this."
“Ah,” I took a breath, realizing he wasn’t actually buying into the words he had just spoken. “Well, I'll work on it.” Pretend that nothing fazes me though? Impossible. I shattered my mask for that long ago.
Nora suddenly came running over, crossing the line. “Give me money!”
“For what?” I shoved the coins I was holding in my hand into my pocket, half afraid she’d just help herself.
“Fruit tart!” At the mention of dessert, I immediately surrendered it all.
“Thanks!” She ran off.
“You forgot to ask her to share.” Tetora noted.
“Crap!” I gasped and ran after her, with Tetora’s boisterous laughter trailing behind me.
I returned to Southwick shortly thereafter with my fair share of two fruit tarts. “Here,” I offered one to Tetora somewhat reluctantly. I might not have had any if he hadn’t spoken up.
Tetora gave me a long look before sneering. “Are you trying to bribe your teacher?!”
I pulled back the tart somewhat. “Huh?”
“Do you think giving me such a thing will make me go soft on training?”
“No, I was just trying to be–”
“If you are going to bribe me, do it with something I like! I do not care for the taste of confectionaries.” He turned his back on me, and I saw his tail swishing playfully.
I suppressed a chuckle. “Yes, great teacher Tetora.”
After I consumed both fruit tarts, we were told our grocery order was ready. Aleph and Tetora put most of the goods in their own rucksacks, including two bulky items wrapped in coarse burlap. They made several dull, clunking noises as they settled into their respective bags. The rest of the order was salted meats, dried beans, and somewhat shriveled root vegetables. Aleph had also kindly ordered some small honey candies that we promised to ration along the trip. Of course, we had to try one now while they were still fresh, so to speak.
“Are all the villages in the wastelands… like that one? Er, I mean, like those two?” I asked once we were well on our way again. Tun had been too small to warrant hybrid counts, so I hadn’t really noticed anything odd there, other than the residents avoiding us.
“More or less, yes. Many villages had been established before the rule came out, so they’ve all tried to come up with ways to meet compliance. The word location is quite vague.”
“Does all this really help to decrease animus?” Nora asked archly.
Tetora threw up his arms. “How would we know? We cannot see it, or touch it,” he paused with a slight twitch. “But animus is real. I know that much!” He was trying to head off another argument with Aleph.
“I am not sure the rule does anything except complicate matters for hybrids,” Aleph shook his head. “That is why we do not take it seriously.”
“Do hybrids really generate more animus than full bloods?” I inquired carefully.
“We are told we do,” Tetora sniffed. “But I do not think it to be so.” But what if it was true? What if it was having a global effect? Then I caught myself, ashamed. There had to be better ways to deal with it at a higher level, instead of vilifying the little guy.
Nora’s frown deepened. “Very suspicious. What other benefit is there that they’d make such an effort to enforce this stupid rule?” No one had a good answer.
The next few days were uneventful, filled with the routine of waking, eating, walking, and training before settling down in the evenings. Nora checked her journal routinely, but she did not receive any responses.
While I had gotten better at focusing during my meditation sessions, I’d still get distracted towards the end about how the hybrids were being treated. The thoughts would keep me from falling asleep at a reasonable hour. Aleph and Tetora gave up their family, their homes, and their clans to save the world from The Accursed One. This was not how they were to be rewarded.
***
“Iron Tiger Tetora,” Raelynn Lightbringer bowed deeply to the venerated grandmaster. “I beg your forgiveness for interrupting the grand finale of the tournament, but I urgently require the skills your clan has cultivated over the centuries.”
“Little girl,” Iron Tiger Tetora snorted derisively from his throne. “Are you lost? This is a place for warriors!”
“The fact that she made it this far into your forest should suggest to you she is not a mere little girl,” Aleph the Ox-like rebuked.
“My students are forbidden from fighting young children,” the tiger beastman snarled as he rose. “As well as weak herbivores!”
“Holy Captain, perhaps a member of the monkey clan would better serve our purpose,” Aleph murmured in a low voice. “It does not seem this one holds much in the way of intelligence.”
The Chosen One simply shook her head. “He will join us. His pride will be the pride of all clans when the world is made right once again. However…” she gave him a knowing look. “Please instruct him as you see fit.”
Aleph nodded, then slowly straightened to his full, seven-foot height. “Great Tiger. I have been given permission to correct your misgivings about my clan. I believe shared understanding between us will bring us closer together, so I do hope you’ll actively participate in the lesson I’m about to teach you.”
Iron Tiger Tetora leapt from the raised podium down into the dirt ring, landing in front of Aleph. “Ha! Show me what you think you can do, beast of burden!” The king of the great bamboo forest stood arrogantly, inviting him to attack first. The giant ox simply struck the tiger in the stomach just once with a controlled fist, knocking the belligerent wind out of him even as it hurled him to the ground.
“Well, Great Tiger?” Aleph asked as he stood over his dazed opponent. “Have you learned your lesson? Or should I repeat my instruction?”
“No one... has ever... defeated me... before!” Tetora gasped between ragged breaths, holding up a hand in surrender.
“At least you are honest about your loss. Journey forth with us to defeat the demon king, dear companion, and help bring glory to all clans, so we may stand unashamed when the Goddess calls us before her.”
