Chương 24: “A Name is Like a Parent”

Ch 24 "A Name is Like a Parent" Dante raised an eyebrow, "After what happened in Golden Sea City?"

"Yes, sir." Amber kept her fist clasped and her eyes shut. She had obviously caused a stir in Golden Sea City with the Jadehand family, so it made sense that the Lucky Tiger Caravan was wary of letting her inside of Blue Cloud City. But she had loot to sell, god damn it.

"What is your business there?" Dante asked in a calm and composed tone.

"I told her about the Sword & Wine Bar!" Wing quickly interjected with a smile.

"You know, plenty of the guards will be there… what trouble could she cause?" Dante eyed the two of them for a few moments. Wing had his usual casual demeanor while Amber tried to steady her little smile. Dante sighed.

"Wing, you're responsible for anything that happens."

"No problem boss!" Wing clasped his fist and Amber followed suit.

"Very well. Don't overdo it," the guard captain spoke and walked back towards the main camp.

"Wing…" Amber spoke.

"Thank you!"

"Eh, I was headed into the city anyway. My shift is for all night tomorrow!" The young guard shrugged.

"But, since I'm now responsible for you, you'll have to come to the Sword & Wine Bar with me."

"As long as I can sell some things, anything's fine!" The girl smiled, her black hair bouncing in relief.

"So you have things to sell. From your big night out, I presume?" Wing asked.

"Who knows?" Amber grinned.

"You think I won't ask questions?" The boy raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, fine, but I have a question for you first. Tell me about the Sword & Wine Bar?" Amber asked.

"So you've heard of it!" A delicate voice came from a small figure walking up to the pair.

"Is it fate? I've come to ask you to accompany me, my dear Amber. Did you already plan on going to the Sword & Wine Bar?" A girl in all bright red robes stood in front of them, gently fanning herself with a deep maroon fabric fan.

"M-My Lady!" Wing quickly bowed. Amber wondered if it was just her imagination that saw him blushing. A delicate laugh rang.

"Please, raise your head my dear guard," Ember observed the boy as she gently raised the corners of her mouth.

"Of course, My Lady," Wing raised his head to reveal a flustered smile, his fist still clasped. Amber crossed her arms as she was looking at Wing. Was this the "men's sickness" that her mother had always told her about?

"I actually haven't heard of the Sword & Wine Bar until just now. I'm going into town to sell some things I don't need," Amber smiled politely at Ember. She still wasn't sure how the older girl made her feel. She gave you an elixir! The thought rang in Amber's head as she felt the sting of guilt in her gut. She smiled a little more sincerely and uncrossed her arms.

"Let's go together, shall we? I need a break from cultivation, and as a mere passenger of this caravan, I also need a couple of guards," Ember let another delicate laugh float into the air as her long black hair fluttered in the wind.

"It's our honor!" Wing exclaimed, his fist pressed against his chest.

"Sure!" Amber forced a smile. She wasn't sure how she should feel about being conscripted, playfully or otherwise. Ember had proven enough of a friend to earn the benefit of the doubt, Amber supposed.

"As long as you don't mind me making a stop."

"Of course not, my dear Amber, we are a team after all," Ember smiled as she waved her fan lazily. Wing looked back and forth between the two.

"Team…?"

"Save the talk for our trip, guard….?" Ember trailed off.

"Wing!" Wing exclaimed proudly.

"Why of course you are!" Ember looked happy as the pair laughed together. Amber sighed. How did she feel left out when she was the one who had just introduced the two? The three agreed to split up then meet at the northern edge of the camp in an incense stick's time.

"Lulu!" Amber waved as she walked up to the blonde girl.

"Amber! How did you sleep? And what is that.. blood on your cheek?" Lulu gasped, putting her hands up to her face. Amber reached up and touched her face. Sure enough, there was blood seeping out. Her cut had opened again.

"Just the effects of hard training!" Amber tried to laugh nonchalantly as she wiped at the blood. The older blonde girl observed the black haired girl for a moment with a look of worry adorning her face.

"I'm glad you're okay! And I'm glad I'm mixing ingredients instead of fighting for my life at the Clan Trials," Lulu sighed a breath of relief.

"You must train so hard!"

"I know I couldn't do what you do Lulu!" Amber smiled.

"Ahhh, it's not that hard…." Lulu couldn't hide her smile as her eyes drifted away.

"But you've been studying so much! Do you want to come into the city with me today?" Amber asked with hopeful eyes.

"That sounds so lovely!" Lulu exclaimed.

"But, I really need to practice harder for the alchemy trial," The blonde girl deflated.

"The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know anything at all!"

"It's fine… you really inspire me to train harder!" Amber smiled at Lulu, swallowing her disappointment. She was looking forward to hanging out with her first real friend, but she had nothing but respect for working so diligently. Amber also felt a bit of guilt tugging at her, wondering if Lulu didn't want to go into another city with her after their last experience. Maybe the blonde felt like she wouldn't be safe with her! Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

The thought stung. It wasn't her fault, sure. But somehow Amber still felt like she was to blame. After an incense stick's worth of time, Amber, Wing, and Ember gathered at the Northern side of the camp and began the short walk to the Blue Cloud City gate. Wing had thoughtfully brought her a large bag made of rough linens to carry Amber's "wares" in, rather than that blood speckled robe that she had shown him before.

They passed the entry station where the three registered their names, which were recorded and time stamped with the registrar. They were finally in. Blue Cloud City lay before them, its towering walls made of pale stone gleaming in the afternoon light. True to the city's name, blue clouds hung abundantly in the heavens above. Even though it was late morning, mist wrapped around buildings and clung to the streets. This was an even grander city than Golden Sea City!

Hanging lanterns were everywhere in the city, creating beautiful plumes of light through the mist. Boats moved down waterways that ran parallel to the street, their own lanterns hanging ethereally like floating spirits.

"Whoa! It's so pretty!" Amber exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Agreed. It is…. quite beautiful!" Even the ever unshaken Ember hovered on her words for a moment while gazing upon the beauty of the city.

"Yeah. It's not bad," Wing smiled.

"I've been to tons of cities like this with the caravan, though."

"So, my dears, where are we headed to first?" Ember asked, her fan pushing wafts of mist around.

"Well, it depends," Wing turned to Amber.

"Cabbage, what do you need to sell?"

"Cabbage?" Ember's face lit up in curiosity from behind her fan as she glanced at Amber.

"A nickname to honor our youngest guard's honorable farming roots," Wing grinned widely.

"Get it? Roots? …. Like a cabbage!" Amber rolled her eyes.

"How delightful!" Ember laughed, "May I call you Little Cabbage?" the girl in red asked Amber.

"Amber is what I prefer!" The black haired girl said loudly, crossing her arms and wondering how many comments she must suffer to equal the value of the Qi Vitality Elixir Ember had given her.

"Haven't you ever heard that a name is like a parent? You don't get to choose them!" Wing grinned.

"Ah, I think I have indeed heard that!" Ember's delicate laugh rang merrily through the morning.

"How wise our dear Wing is!" Wing cheesed a smile at the compliment. Amber thought about how they had called her a demonic cabbage girl back in her hometown of Green Wood village. She let out a long sigh of grief as she thought, indeed, you couldn't choose a name, just like you couldn't choose a parent. How long would this stupid nickname follow her around?

"I need to sell weapons, armor, and gold." Amber's two companions grew quiet.

"So, your night was really eventful after all!" Wing said.

"Our Little Cabbage does seem to enjoy herself," Ember smiled.

"At least you didn't return covered in blood Qi this time!"

"Dinner's on me at the 'Sword & Wine Bar,' you guys keep talking about," Amber waved her hand, inviting no further questions with the promise of dinner.

"Fine with me!" Ember sang from behind her fan.

"Good, a guard is only as honorable as their word!" Wing smiled.

"We're going to a local smith that our caravan has had contracts with. They'll give us a fair price and they won't ask questions. It's much better than a general store for what you need." The three walked and talked about all sorts of things as they made their way to their destination under Blue Cloud City's rolling hills of mist. Amber had to admit, Wing was a pretty good city guide. The girls asked all sorts of questions as they took in the new and wondrous sights. Eventually, they arrived at the blacksmith's.

The door of the smith's shop was large and heavy with huge iron hinges. Amber wondered how big the tree was that they took the wood from. Thankfully, one door was propped open during business hours. The inside of the shop was warm from the forge fires, with weapons and armor displayed along the walls. The scent of hot metal and coal smoke filled the air, mixing with the sound of hammers striking anvils from somewhere in the back.

Shelves lined with blades and axes caught the light from the hanging lanterns, their polished surfaces gleaming through the wisps of blue mist that had drifted in from the street outside. A crowd had gathered near the back of the shop, their faces huddled and murmuring. There was clearly something going on.

"Hello, and welcome!" A young lady in a flowing robe was there to greet them as soon as they entered the building.

"H-Hello!" Wing had a large smile on his face. Amber recognized the symptoms of 'men's sickness' appearing on him once again.

"How can I help you?" The woman asked.

"You can-""We have some things to sell," Amber interrupted whatever Wing was going to say. With the look he had on his face, she didn't want to hear it.

"Of course! We'll have an apprentice smith help with appraisal. Right this way," the polite women bowed and extended her arm towards a counter.

"I didn't expect them to have fans! I'll be over there," Ember declared in excitement as she walked across the shop and towards a wall of fans. They were cast with various metals, as if they were weapons. Amber noted that ember's usual unchanging smile was bigger than she had seen it before.

"Actually, I need your help with something else," Wing's smiled so big towards the polite attendant looked like it might crack his face. Amber rolled her eyes and went to the counter alone where she unfurled her borrowed sack and laid out the items across the counter. A man that looked around 20 to 30 years in age came out, dressed in simple clothes except for a large dark red apron. Amber wasn't sure what the material was, but her impression of it was that it was thick and weighed a ton.

Soot covered most of the apron and much of the man's arms.

"You're looking to sell, I'm guessing," the man wiped his hands with a thick cloth.

"Whoa! What's all this now?" He started to inspect the items.

"You didn't kill a bunch of men for these, did you?" He gave the girl a funny look.

"O-Of course not! A bunch of men from our caravan had some things they didn't need anymore," Amber tried to smile inconspicuously. She wasn't against lying to prevent complications, but she didn't have much practice.

"There's blood on these…"

"We train hard everyday!" The girl gave a feeble laugh.

"Are these pieces of gold… tooth fillings?"

"Ah, they didn't need them anymore!" Amber smiled as a drop of sweat ran down the side of her face. Wing! Didn't you say they wouldn't ask questions here? she thought. The man behind the counter gave a hearty laugh.

"It's alright girl, I'm just pulling your leg. It's more common than you think. Conflict is the state of the world, and it's what keeps us in business. It's just a surprise to have someone so…. little, this time." Amber breathed a sigh of relief as the man went back to work running his hands over the items and checking the quality of each.

"Well, I can give you scrap value for most of it. Some of these knives are in a condition that I can re-sell. I'll give you market price for the gold fillings, even though we'll have to melt it down." From beneath the counter he drew 3 gold coins and put them on the counter. Amber's eyes sparkled at the glimmering metal.

"I can offer you these," the young blacksmith said.

"It's a deal!" Amber snatched them up and flipped them through her fingers, studying the look and feel of the coins. Although technically she had earned gold coins with her caravan pay, it all went to the citizens of Misty Hollow. She had never even got to touch them! They felt good and cool between her fingers as she studied the reflective surface with amazement.

"Is there anything you need while you're here?" He asked.

"It seems like with your… lifestyle, could use a bit of equipment."

"Well, I have a spear," the girl said thoughtfully, with a finger on her chin.

"What about armor? It seems like you don't have any on. That's a bad choice if you intend on collecting more 'wares' to sell me," he laughed.

"I'm a martial artist. Most armor gets in my way."

"Hmmm, how about-" The apprentice smith was cut off mid thought as a loud bang cut through the smith's shop front. A man screamed in pain and the small crowd across the store parted as he was tossed out from the group.

"Damn it! No touching! Read the sign!" The apprentice helping Amber rushed off to the scene and helped the man up.

"Sorry, sorry!" the man wheezed out. Everyone around them relaxed as they saw he was okay, and began to chatter amongst themselves about what just happened. Amber Fang however, was in a cold sweat. Her hand was on fire as she clutched her palm. Was there a demon here? The hot sensation quickly drifted away.

"Sorry about that," the apprentice spoke as he came back to Amber.

"Just another customer that can't read," he huffed.

"What was that?" Amber asked.

"Oh, that's a blade that we've had sitting for months. We think it's cursed."

"And you keep it?" Amber exclaimed in shock.

"Well, it's a pretty fine blade, and it has been attracting a lot of customers. To be honest, we've tried to find someone to remove the curse, but it doesn't hurt anyone that stays away from it," he said.

"Is there a reward for breaking the curse then?" Amber asked, tightening her grasp on the inky black design that lay in her palm. Her mind flashed back to the night before, where she broke a demonic tendril with a mere touch of her mark.

"Are you thinking about trying?" the man laughed.

"If I can? Then what?" He was taken by surprise at the girl's serious expression. She was even clenching her fist!