Chương 17: Chapter 16

My young mind was working at a feverish pace as I tried to predict where this conversation that the old man had started was going. I may have been smarter than the average bear, but I was still slower than the words that followed.

"What did you have in mind?" Keryth asked.

"If you could spare a few days up here, spent teaching my grandson a thing or two about how you fight and operate, I could be convinced to part with this." Cornelius held up what looked to me like a simple red coin. I had, of course, seen coins in this world before, though only silver and gold. This red coin was new and had an oddly slick and oily appearance. Not unlike my Skill Seed, now that I thought about it.

"Just the one aether coin?" Keryth countered.

"That's enough for a day of our time. Maybe two." Cornelius produced a second coin, mirroring the first with its fiery red colour and shiny surface. Leo snorted.

"That's not nothing. Decent amount to be spending on a what? Four year old? What makes you think he'd even remember anything we showed him?" Grandpa didn't seem bothered by the warrior's words but I was! The gauntlet had been cast! I'm probably smarter than you, you bald bastard! Better be careful or you'll find another spider crawling up your leg and this time it'll be a real one! I yelled mentally. My eyes were already searching the room for places I might find a spider to sneakily deposit onto Leo's leg.

"What Leo is saying," Thomas interjected.

"Is that, are you sure you want to spend so much on him when he's so young? We could leave our contact information and perhaps come and spend some time with your grandson once he's a little older. It's the least I can do for the man who helped save my life." Next to Thomas, Vianola was nodding her agreement, drifting closer to her lover at the reminder of his near-death experience in these very mountains. Or, at least, that was how I read their body language.

"He's actually three years old," Cornelius corrected.

"And I think you'll be surprised at how much he retains. Either way, the offer remains. Two aether coins for three days of your time." Of the four adventurers, only Keryth looked intrigued by the idea. Leo continued to finish his meal, either not caring enough to remain involved in the conversation or perhaps just more interested in his food. Thomas and Vianola seemed willing to do whatever Cornelius asked, though their eyes did stray to the two red coins more than once. What had they called them? Aether coins?

I may not have all the context, but I was betting that the name was an apt descriptor of what those coins were. Physical objects made from aether. Is this a solution to my lacking aether? I mused. The question was, how much were they worth? The coins were relatively small, all things considered. Yet they were enough to pay for the time of four adventurers for three days. But I lacked the value of these particular adventurers to complete my little mathematical exercise. How valuable were these adventurers?

I didn't know. Perhaps I would find out while they taught me. As I could already see they were going to agree.

"Very well," Keryth agreed.

"Three days. Was there anything in particular you were hoping for us to teach him?" I could hear in the elf's voice how he remained somewhat dubious about teaching a three year old. I didn't blame him. Hells, even I wasn't sure what they could teach me. What was the old man's game anyway?

"Weapons. I want you to teach him the absolute basics of each of the weapons you use," stated Cornelius in a clear voice.

"What?!" The yell was, of course, my mother. How could she risk her little boy getting hurt? I, however, had caught on to where Cornelius was going with this. Three days wasn't enough to do more than teach me how to stand and hold a weapon without cutting myself. But his goal wasn't for me to learn how to use a weapon yet. His goal was very clearly to help me figure out which weapon, or perhaps weapons, I felt the most comfortable with.

I didn't blame him, even if my mother did, as she came storming into the room from the kitchen.

"Dad, what in the hells are you doing?" she demanded with hands on her hips. While Keryth, Thomas, and Vianola showed no reaction, the same could not be said of Leo. I could see the way his eyes lit up when he laid eyes on my mother, standing there in the doorway to the kitchen wearing a warm, woolen skirt, stockings dyed a dark blue, and a snug white blouse that revealed nothing of her upper body.

Her brown hair was curled up in a bun that was probably meant to be utilitarian but instead drew one's gaze to her blue eyes and heart shaped face. Leo was clearly smitten, but at least he looked more like a lovesick puppy dog than the leering glances that a lot of the traders' guards that passed through gave her. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

"You won't have to worry about a thing, lass. I'll keep your boy safe out there and make sure he doesn't get hurt. Besides, it's proper for a boy to start learning how to defend himself. Maybe he's a bit younger than usual, but that just means he'll be ahead of the rest of the lads around here." I tried not to roll my eyes at Leo's babbling. What other 'lads?' We're in the middle of nowhere! The Warden's boys will be men before I am even a teenager, you dolt! I scoffed.

My mother apparently felt the same as she gave Leo the same glare she had been directing at grandpa.

"He's too young," she stated.

"They won't be letting him use their actual weapons, Penny. He probably couldn't even lift most of them! But it'll help me determine who I should request to come visit and tutor him. Assuming that's what he wants?" argued the old codger. Six sets of eyes flicked to me, filled with either encouragement, curiosity, or worry, depending on the source. No points for guessing who was who. I, of course, nodded vigorously. The old man was planning for my future, and I was all in!

My mother still seemed uncertain, her bright blue eyes moving between me and grandpa, much to Leo's chagrin as he was summarily ignored. Good thing too. I wasn't looking for a step-father. Especially not this bald brute!

"You promise he won't actually touch anything sharp?" It was Keryth who answered, the elf returning to the conversation now that things were actually being decided.

"We'll carve a few sticks to mirror the weapons. Nothing sharp, I promise. Though, we will be limited to what we know, Factor Hawthorn." I paused for a second as it was the first time I had heard the word used in regards to the old man. I wondered if it was a title. Cornelius didn't seem to react so I ignored it for now.

"And what exactly are those?" Cornelius asked. Keryth didn't even need to look at his team before he answered, which told me just how well he knew them.

"Dagger, long-knife, short-sword, arming-sword, one handed axe, one handed hammer, shield, hatchet, and bow. You'll need to search for others if you want anything more unique or someone who wields a two-handed weapon." Cornelius nodded as I continued to remain glued to the exchange. My mother was still listening, and I could see her chewing her lip, caught between trusting her father and a mother's worry.

"That sounds like a good start. So, we're agreed?" Keryth nodded.

"No time like the present." He stood up, the others following suit and I listened closely as he gave orders.

"Vianola and Thomas, you two look around behind the Outpost for wood suitable for carving and light enough for a…three year old to lift. Leo and I will take the front." The elf paused to glance at Cornelius.

"We should be ready to start around lunch time, Factor. That's the earliest I can have something carved to fit the requirements without putting steel in the boy's hands."

"Perfect. Then he will still have time for his morning lessons. We'll see you out back after lunch." The two hours spent sitting in the old man's office were some of the worst yet. Not only did I not manage a single correct answer about where he was sending aether, even by guessing, but I was distracted the entire time by thoughts of weapons. Would I be a sword and shield wielder? Or perhaps something more brutal like the one handed axe?

I knew I would probably find a dagger the easiest, given my small body, but that wasn't a particularly heroic mental image and I kept discarding it. As for a bow, well, I had no idea. I'd never used one in my previous life, and it was hard to imagine how it might feel in my hands. I scarfed down my lunch like a raccoon that had found its way into a prized trash can, before being led out into our 'backyard.' My mother was in her garden, likely as much to tend to her plants as she was to keep an eye on me.

The adventurers themselves had clearly found a fallen tree or something similar as I could smell the scent of freshly hewn wood, which they had turned into seats for themselves. Each of them had a small knife in their hands, the blade no longer than their thumbs as they whittled wood. The shavings landed on the ground in front of them with a decent pile already collected. Keryth had noticed us exiting the outpost the moment the door had opened. His sister, Vianola, was aware of me within my first few steps.

The other two only became aware of us as we approached the wooden gate that fenced off my mother's garden from the barren ground that stretched to the forest's edge. I could spy little dark patches interspersed amongst the sparse grass and rocks of the mountain. Even with the snow melting, no new trees seemed to have grown beyond some short shrubs and sprouts which showed the wounds of my overactive imagination and poor excuse for swordplay. Keryth seemed to have noticed as well.

"Wise to keep the area clear between the forest and the outpost. Keeps the beasts away I imagine, and makes it easier to see threats without trees getting in the way. How did the previous Factor manage it?"

"He didn't," Cornelius answered.

"That's how he died. Goblin tribe passed through and burned the old outpost down after looting it. Word is he took quite a few with him, though for all I know he got murdered in his sleep. Haven't seen any of the little blighters myself since being here. Must have been a migration or a tribe expansion. But a few of those who have combed the peaks north of here have mentioned seeing signs of them. I suspect there is a tribe a few weeks travel north of here. Thankfully, goblins are lazy bastards.

They wouldn't hunt more than a few days away from their home. Still, it doesn't hurt to be prepared."

"Listen closely. That's how you live a long life," Keryth commented, his words directed at his comrades though his eyes flicked to me. They had begun to worry me, those amber eyes. Like they saw too much. Though if he had suspicions, he hadn't voiced them where I could hear.

"Alright. I'll go first," Keryth volunteered, standing up. His lithe body moved like an uncoiling snake.

"So, your name is Sebastian? Are you ready, Sebastian?"

"I am," I replied, hating how high pitched my young voice sounded. I may have been a child amongst adults, but I didn't want to feel like a child. Reality be damned! Keryth motioned for me to join him as he moved to a clear area with mostly grass beneath us. I moved to stand across from him, all eyes on me once more. I guessed they were waiting to see whether their time was being wasted on a three year old. Quietly, I resolved to do my best rather than pretend I was less than I was.

"Good. We're going to start with how to stand," Keryth began.