The Grand Weave

Saying goodbye wasn't hard, but it wasn't the easiest thing to do. Bera was the first person I told, and seeing her tear up at the news shocked me. After a long and comforting hug, she wiped away any sadness from the revelation and cooked a delicious meal to celebrate. She promised to make some things for the sendoff despite my protests. In the end, I had to accept the good-natured action for what it was and thanked her sincerely before I left.

The trio took the news reasonably well. Over the last few days, I managed to sit down and talk to Nadia about Sam and explain what I knew. The two weren't in any serious relationship, but that didn't diminish her loss of a friend. Marcus had taken the news with a stoic attitude. I almost laughed when he came over and gave me a bear hug.

And over the days spent hunting while spending lunch and dinner together, it hit me how close I had become with the three, Warren especially. Time spent testing their new skills and teaching each other how to cook with the spoils of our hunt had created a friendship I was surprised to acknowledge. My memories were still locked behind the seal, but I knew I only had Sam as a friend back on Earth. And even if that was the case before, I honestly did consider them friends. The joy I felt while being around them helped ease the stress I suffered from the trauma.

When I told them about leaving, they seemed down over the news, but it didn't stop us from spending the rest of the day partying in Oleanders. There were more than a few jokes made about how the real tragedy was the loss of access to free candy. Of course, they didn't know the secret stash I had inside my storage space. Five days was enough time to amass a decent pile of the stuff, especially when the pouch was extra generous with its selection.

All too soon, night came and went. The sun rose and filtered through the window in my room. It was one of the rare times I managed to wake up without some nightmare haunting my dreams. I really hoped it wasn't because I got blackout drunk; I wasn't a fan of drinking and would rather not become an alcoholic.

For a while, I sat and enjoyed the quiet morning. It was going to be a long day, and I wanted the chance to enjoy some peace while it lasted. After thirty minutes, I got up and headed downstairs. Bera was up and already cooking delicious-smelling food. When she came out, I had to ward her off and inform her I was going to take a bath first. The odds of a magical bath appearing in the wilds were slim to none, so I wanted one last go at civility.

I didn't spend long as I only wanted the chance to feel clean more than I wanted to relax in the giant tub like I usually did. By the time I made my way back upstairs, Bera was already waiting with a large plate stacked with a tower of pancakes. Ever since I showed her how to make them, they became a hit with the patrons.

I sat down and stared at the mountain of food before me. "You know, I love your cooking, Bera, best in the world. But, I worry you think my stomach is a dimensional storage," I joked as I raised an eyebrow at the innkeeper.

She gently slammed a jar of syrup next to my plate before scoffing. "And I'm telling you, you're too skinny. Besides, let me spoil you one last time, yah? It's the least I can do since you showed me this recipe," she replied.

I opened the jar and poured a generous helping of the strawberry-like syrup onto the pancakes. Bera didn't have any maple syrup, but this was the next best thing besides ordinary honey. And while the honey had a hint of sweetness, it couldn't compete with actual syrup.

After I struggled to swallow a mouthful, I took a swig from the cup of water that was placed as I ate. "Not a complicated recipe. All I did was tell you the proportions and what ingredients to use."

She came out and dropped a few strips of bacon onto my plate. "That's the best part about these things. Super simple, does not require much prep time, and is very easy to make. Plus, I can use the bacon grease for added flavour! So don't downplay the wonder of what you have given me."

I made a decent dent into the mound of food before I finally paused for a minute to relax. When Bera came out next, it was to deliver food to the people who trickled in slowly as the morning continued. "Then let this be my final parting gift. These pancakes are only one half of a delicious breakfast creation."

She carefully set down her tray filled with mugs and stood with her hands on her hips. "Do tell."

Instead of speaking, I summoned a journal where I took the time last night to sketch out what I wanted. She continued to stare at me as I flipped through the pages. When I arrived at the page containing a design for a simple metal device, I ripped the page out and slid it over the counter. She picked it up and started examining it.

"You're really good at drawing, Cyrus. So, want to explain what this is?"

I pointed to part of the design filled with square outlines. "I figured you could show these to Volan and have him make this for you. The top picture is a simple design, two pieces of metal that open up like a book. You pour the batter on one end, close it, and flip it over before placing it on the stove." I then pointed to the bottom picture, which contained the same design but connected to a stand. "This one here is a bit more complicated. While essentially the same thing, the difference is instead of manually flipping the two pieces of metal yourself and risking spilling some of the batter. It is connected by a rotating piece that comes off the metal stand. Pour, close, twist the handle, and then untwist it back when it's finished cooking."

She continued examining the paper for a while before she made it disappear from her hands. When she saw my confused face, she winked.

"While I don't doubt this will be another big hit with the village, especially the kids, I want to know why you called this the second half. I can understand that it'll make the pancake take on a design filled with squares, but is this really any different?"

In response, I used my fork to skewer a chunk of pancake and held it up. "While pancakes are nice and fluffy if done right, that device will turn them into what I call waffles. It makes the pancake crispy and has those squares baked into it. It holds the syrup better, and some prefer the crispy texture over the normally fluffy food."

I spent the rest of the hour finishing my meal. It was good, filling, and made me want to take another nap. If I took my eyes off my plate, Bera would sneak in another piece of food. After eating the third sausage link for the fourth time, I caught on to her antics and had to stare her down. As I used a small towel to wipe away the excess food crumbs stuck to my face, I stood up and waited for Bera to finish.

She came over and gave me one final hug as I pressed a small brown pouch into her hands. The pouch contained a bag of sugar cubes and some chocolate-coated almonds. From my time in this world, I learned that candy wasn't that common, and anything chocolate was considered expensive. Sadly, the Trickster's Bag didn't give me any bars of chocolate, but at least this way, she'll have something to snack on.

She shook her head at me playfully before tisking and marching back to the kitchen. She brought out a wooden crate wider than she was and about half as tall. When she set the thing down, it thumped heavily, which informed me that whatever was inside was heavy.

She stood up and slapped a hand on the box. "This'll be my departing gift to you. Don't open it yet; do it later whenever you stop for dinner. I assume Chomperz preserves things placed inside him?" I nodded my head suspiciously. "Good, then there is nothing to worry about."

She gave me one last hug and whispered in my ear. "You grow strong, boy. Awful things happened, but I know you'll overcome them. Next time I see you, I expect to meet more of your little friends. And remember, don't forget to live your life. Even in the journey to immortality, you must live beyond just growing more powerful. Be free, be adventurous."

With that, she gripped my shoulders and returned to the kitchen. I ignored the looks of the other patrons and summoned Chomperz. Even as a few kids pointed and stared as he vacuumed the massive crate into his tiny body, I remained tight-lipped.

It was already around eight in the morning, so I decided to head out and say my farewells to the guards. With the arrival of supplies from the caravan, the need for Áine's healing services dwindled. However, because I usually returned with the trio to the guard's building daily, I occasionally stopped and healed someone if they were injured. I refused payment from Cedric, but in the eyes of the guards, it only made them like me more. If the adventuring gig fails, I could always become a healer. The respect and generous payment makes the idea a solid alternative.

As I arrived at the building, I was greeted by the trio. We exchanged a round of hugs, and I wished them well. There really was little left to the farewell since we had taken care of that the night before. Another voice called out as I was ready to leave and head for the guildhall.

Cedric walked out of the guard building and slowly approached. He looked as intimidating as the first time I saw him. His red eyes narrowed, but his face remained neutral. I waited till he stopped a foot away to speak.

"Captain Cedric? Is there something I can do for you?" I asked calmly.

In response, he held out his left hand. Understanding his intentions, I reached out with my left and clasped his wrist. By now, I knew to clasp wrists instead of shaking the other person's hand. I already made a mistake once when I met the rest of Teddy's team.

"From my understanding, you are leaving today. On behalf of all my guards, I wanted to thank you. You saved several of my men, and with your generosity, we should have plenty in surplus for next month," Cedric explained seriously.

I released his hand and smiled. "The pleasure's mine. I'm glad I was able to help, even with the fiasco at the start. You can tell Lena all is forgiven," I replied.

His eyebrow twitched at the reminder, but he kept his cool. With a slight bow of his head, he stiffly marched back into the building. When I looked over to the three bystanders, I could see Warren gripping Nadia's shoulder with a stiff smile plastered on his face. Marcus signed at me what I recognized as 'naughty.' I responded by giving him a thumbs-up.

Before I could leave, Warren shared a look with the other two. I frowned a little when I saw Nadia panic and Marcus scowl. They silently communicated for a few seconds before Warren turned back towards me and hesitated.

"Cyrus, wait. There's something I need to tell you," he said slowly.

Nadia started squirming, and Marcus drilled a hole at the back of Warren's head.

"Yes?"

He sighed deeply and then squared his shoulders. When he looked up, he gave me a determined look but winced at the end. "I want to apologize. In truth, we used you." When I started to get angry, Marcus kicked the back of his leg. "What I mean is, our new skills are partly thanks to you. Er, at the beginning, we were ordered to find out information about your legacy mark. I'm sorry for not telling you. It's too late to apologize to Sam, but we can at least apologize to you."

I glared at the other two. Nadia refused to meet my eyes, and Marcus had the decency to sign the words 'I'm sorry.'

After a nudge from Warren, Nadia looked up and rushed what she said. "I'm sorry, Cyrus. And I'm sorry to Sam as well. I understand if you're angry."

I kept the glare pointed at the three of them for a long dozen seconds until I dropped the glare and chuckled. The confusion on their face only made me laugh harder. Nadia looked at me like I was crazy, while the other two looked concerned.

I turned around and paused at the end of the yard. "I already knew. Zharia overheard the conversation you guys had a few nights ago. So know that while I'm annoyed, I'm not mad. Thanks for manning up and admitting it," I said casually. I started to walk away as I heard them sputter in shock. With a flourish, I summoned the large sack of assorted treats and tossed them behind me. "And to answer that one question. No. There were only humans, and none of us had horns."

Part of me was angry, but I quickly crushed that feeling. In truth, even if what they did was a betrayal of trust, I was happy for what they gained. Now, with skills of their own, the chances of them surviving their patrols had gone up immensely. And if their plans to eventually try tackling a dungeon together ever succeeded, I would welcome them on their journey to ascension.

When I arrived at the guildhall, Brelten was next to Talis, and the two were looking over some papers. At the back left of the room, the members of Broken Tower sat at the table talking. When a giant fuzzy snout pushed its way through the open window, I had to hold in my astonishment.

As the others saw me, I found Isaac staring at me angrily. Before I could say anything, he looked away and poked Celanae's arm. When she looked up, she patted Teddy on the shoulder, and the two stood up.

"Uncle has already told us about you joining along. Have you settled your goodbyes?" Celanae asked.

I nodded, and Teddy placed a hand on my shoulder. "I promise we'll take good care of you. Are you ready to explore the rest of what our kingdom has to offer?"

I returned the grin he gave me and nodded my head. I was ready to go out and become a real adventurer.