by J. J. Thorn
As I reached the gate, a few prominent figures were standing in front of them. The Mayor was there, along with his assistant Melony. The Head Priest was also there and he spotted me as soon as I walked up.
"Terrence, I'm so happy to see you son. I hope you have learned to accept your gifts a bit more since we last spoke."
"Hello sir, yes, I was worried at first, but I do believe the Goddess has bestowed upon me a path that I am learning to appreciate. Thank you for your words of guidance, I think back on them often."
"No problem at all Terrence, you are but one of the many children who had troubles with their affinity that day. And you won't be the last! My job is not just to bestow the power to you, it is to help guide you down a righteous path."
"Terrence Stine, if I remember! Please don't let the Priest keep you long. The wagon wants to depart as early as possible, and the rest of us have other duties to get to." The Mayor interrupted, as he once again expressed how busy he was. It really makes you wonder, why does he even come to these things?
"Go speak to Melony over there to sign in, then make your way to the wagon on the left."
"Ok Mayor. Thank you, Priest, I’ll come visit the next time I’m in Huag."
"You and any of the Goddesses children are always welcome, Terrence."
I walked over to Melony.
"Hi Melony, I'm just checking in."
I wasn't expecting her to remember me, but she seemed to smile a little brighter when I came over.
"Haha, yes, Terrence - the bracelet thief! haha," She laughed. I could feel my cheeks turning red. I turned around to make sure the Mayor couldn't hear her joke.
"I... I didn't mean to steal any..." I began to stammer.
"Haha, I'm just kidding silly. Now, where are you? Oh yes, here you are. Terrence Stine. Ok, you've been noted down. You're the 13th child to arrive this morning. Each wagon will hold 15 children, before leaving. Please go take a seat and wait for a couple more to arrive before you head off. Feel free to acquaint yourself with the others as well, you will be with each other for the next 10 hours, after all."
10 hours, yes, that seems about right. A bit quicker than the wagons we used when we went to see the tournament, but it is to be expected for Prep School hired transportation to be of better quality. To walk there might take three times that long, and that's if anything doesn't attack you along the way.
"And one last thing. There are 6 School-appointed guards on the trip. Two for each wagon. You are to treat them with respect. They are there to keep you safe, not to babysit you."
"Understood, ma'am."
"Such a cutie with this ma'am stuff, that's why I can't forget your cute face! Now get over there, you have a long trip ahead of you. Best wishes and good luck at Prep."
"Thanks, M-Melony."
I waved her off as I walked towards the first and closest wagon. While I'd been speaking another child had arrived who was now walking up to Melony to hear the same things I had.
A slim man with dark skin and a grey beard waited for me at the front of the wagon. He held had a dagger at his belt, but he appeared to be the wagon driver, based on his clothing.
"You with me?"
"Yes sir, I'm supposed to go into the first wagon."
"None of that sir crap with me. Don't cause any gruff on my ride, don't touch the horses either, and we'll be just fine. Got that?"
Everyone seems a little on edge today.
"Oh leave him alone you old coot. He won't touch your horses, will you kid?"
"No, I had no intention of touching his horses."
"See Graham, there's nothing to worry about."
The wagon driver, Graham, looked at us both and decided we needed no additional talking to. He then took his place back at the front of the wagon, probably waiting for the last people to arrive so he could start the journey.
"Don't worry about Graham. We had an incident earlier where one of the kids used their Skill on his horse. It didn't do anything, obviously, but Graham didn't like the way they were staring at his horse. Said something about stressing them out with all that. My name's Adam, old Prep student, and one of your guards for today."
Adam was a normal-looking boy, who looked to be no more than 20. His hair was black and slightly spiked. His skin tone was slightly less tan than my own. He wore a full set of green and brown leathers. On his back, he had a bow and quiver, which he probably used for archery of some sort.
"Terrence, nice to meet you. Everyone seems a bit on edge, thanks for your help!"
"Ya, well, we're transporting a lot of kids through monster-infested territory today. Most years we get no attacks at all, but every now and then the wagon gets attacked by a stray. Nothing we can't handle in these parts of the world, but it spooks the horses and most of you kids are defenseless as is. Can't be too careful."
"That makes sense, should we be worried?"
"No, no - you'll be fine. As I said, nothing usually attacks, and even if something shows up, you have myself and one other guard to deal with it. I'm an E-rank myself, and Claire is even stronger than me. You have nothing to worry about."
"Claire, who's Claire?"
"Haha, Claire's the woman napping up in front with Graham. As I said, you have nothing to worry about. She's the strongest guard with us today, and that's by a lot. Head inside, looks like a kid walked in while we were talking. You don't want to lose your spot on the wagon."
Adam was right, while we were talking the kid who spoke with Melony after me had jumped on board.
"Ok, I'll see you around."
I walked onto the wagon with my bag in hand. The wagon had no roof, so I was able to stand, but everyone was sitting very close together.
I took a seat in the closest spot, which was at the back. Here's hoping the ride wasn't too bumpy, because I was right beside a wheel.
I started to put my bag under the seat, which I'd seen the others do as well when I started to hear some of the conversations the kids were already having.
"Don't be stupid Trevor, you don't know what the heck you're talking about."
"Don't call me stupid, you're wrong and you just don't want to admit it. Mom always said your mouth would cause you issues eventually."
"I have no idea why I sat beside you, this was supposed to be my way to get away from you."
"We're twins, you're never going to get rid of me."
"Look, you've even got the big guy at the back listening to us now! Do you always have to cause a scene?" They looked at me as they took notice of me eavesdropping on their conversation.
"To be fair, I think everyone at the back of the wagon could hear your conversation" I responded since I had already been caught.
Others started to nod around me - it's not like they were whispering or anything.
"My name's Noah and this is my twin brother Trevor. Sorry to bother you..." He introduced himself. Noah and Trevor were identical twins. Both of them had light brown hair and brown eyes. Each of them had large-ish ears and a big nose.
"Terrence. My name is Terrence, and that's ok, I wasn't bothered at all. What were you arguing about anyways? We're going to be here for 10 hours, may as well try to make it interesting."
"Trevor thinks we should be leaving with the rest of the wagons. I was trying to explain to him that they are sending us at different times for safety."
"But wouldn't it be safer to send us all together? Strength in numbers and all that?"
"You're not wrong, but also consider the alternative. If we wait for everyone to get here, that could mean another hour, maybe more. We're already pushing it by leaving so late in the day. If we wait any longer, we could be traveling in the dark, when it's less safe. By letting wagons leave as people arrive it let's them try to avoid the dark."
"That makes sense, but doesn't that also mean that the first wagon will have to deal with any issues on the road first?"
Noah's mouth went wide as though he was going to say something, but they closed immediately. He looked st
umped.
"HA, I told you, Noah, I was right! We should have gone with the second wagon if we wanted the safest ride." Trevor stood victorious over his brother.
"You boys are forgetting Claire." Adam had shown up again at the back of the wagon.
Trevor was the first to respond.
"Who, that lady sitting at the front with the driver? What does she have to do with this?"
"You were wondering which wagon would be safest. Honestly, you both make good points, and they've all been discussed - that's why Claire and I are here with us on the first ride. I'll be on the lookout for anything during the ride - because of my skills and Skills, I'm one of the best to do so. And then Claire will deal with anything I can't. That's why the first wagon is the safest, you have her."
Everyone in the wagon held their tongues. What kind of weird year would I be having if this is the type of people I would be dealing with?
"And besides" Adam continued. "This ride happens multiple times each year, and nothing bad ever happens. Well, looks like we'll be leaving in a few minutes anyway, your last rider is walking up now."
I looked past Adam as he started to walk towards the last kid. The latest kid walked towards us and was intercepted by Adam.
They stood talking there as I looked at him. I recognized him immediately!
Again, the kid held confidence I couldn’t understand. He had two daggers on his hip against a pair of black trousers. He smiled brightly as Adam intercepted him, and his smile remained large as they continued to talk. His eyes were blue and seemed exceedingly bright. All of these things would have made him stand out on their own, but those weren't the things I noticed first. No, that was his hair. His hair was a bright yellow that looked exactly like Gold.
Chapter 11
Death
"Hi, I'm Terrence! I saw you at the Church after I got my affinity, and I just wanted you to know that your confidence and thumbs up really helped cheer me up." I ambushed the golden-haired boy as soon as he sat down in the wagon.
The wagon started to move as Adam took his seat at the front with Graham and Claire.
We were on our way!
"Is that right? Well, I'm happy to know I could help, Terrence Stine." The boy responded.
"Ugh, right, ya... um, how do you know my name?" I don't remember telling him when he came in. Maybe Melony told him, but why would she?
"Yes, sorry, that's a habit I'm trying to break when someone introduces themselves. I used my Skill on you, it tells me your name. As soon as I saw your name I automatically said it without thinking. Very rude of me, my apologies!" A Skill that lets him know my name? That seems weak... but who am I to talk?
Would it be rude to ask about it? I don't know how any of this works, I've never had to interact with other affinity users.
"My name is Zane Teller, by the way. It only seems fair after I rudely stated yours." The boy, Zane, continued.
"No, no, it's ok. I actually don't mind you saying my full name. Others might, but I don't! My Skill is even more intrusive, so I can't really talk." I tried to defuse the awkwardness between us.
"Oh, and what might that be, since you brought it up?" Zane asked.
"I guess it shouldn't be an issue to say what my Skill does. It allows me to see people's weight." I had tried to come up with an easy to explain my Skill to people and realized this was probably the most straight forward.
"Fascinating! I haven't heard of that type of affinity!" Zane's smile was back again, and his excitement was palpable.
"Haha, ya, everyone keeps telling me that."
Zane could probably tell I was feeling awkward about his level of excitement because he tried to change the topic immediately.
"Yes, and mine allows me to see people's names - we're very similar you and I."
Luckily enough, there were others on the wagon, and someone overheard our conversation. This young lady seemed to know who Zane was.
"Ya, you're the Teller who everyone was talking about. It all makes sense now! You can't see object names!" She blurted out as though she was a journalist solving a murder.
Zane's smile faded for a moment, before returning.
"Yes, you've found me out. I thought I could avoid most of the noble's children by getting on the first carriage, but I guess I was mistaken. It was bound to be found out eventually, so why not now. Yes, I am Stewart Teller's son, and my Skill does not work on objects."
Several children within the wagon started to whisper amongst themselves. Some were also confused, but enough seemed to understand that the rest started to fill them in.
"Golden Child..."
"Golden Spoon..."
"Broken Gold..."
"Forgotten..."
"Abandoned..."
These were all words whispered across the wagon as they started to appreciate what they just heard.
Everyone seemed to understand something I didn't because I was lost.
"Ugh, is this something I'm supposed to know?" I directed at Zane, while the others kept gossiping.
Zane looked at me stunned. He took a couple of moments to consider then started to speak.
"I can't comment on if you're supposed to know, but it seems to be common gossip going throughout Huag as of late. I guess it isn't universal knowledge, but most seem to have some idea about my father."
He said his father's name was Stewart Teller... nope. No clue.
"I have absolutely no idea who Stewart Teller is. By some of the things I'm hearing from whispers now, I'm guessing I don't want to know him either. He sounds like a shitty person."
Zane's smile turned into a smirk as he looked down towards the ground of the wagon. Despite the loss of his smile, he in fact looked a little bit happier. Maybe I had said something right?
Silence reigned for a few moments as the conversations around the wagon died down.
"No, you ask him!"
"I always do the asking, grow some Noah!"
"Um, Zane." Noah turned to Zane and started to speak. Zane's head perked up and looked at Noah expectantly. I also started listening in on the conversation.
"Well, my brother and I were talking. We're Noah and Trevor Baker, by the way, but you already know that. We were wondering what you thought you would do with a Skill like yours in the future. Like, I have a FLAME affinity and Trevor has a FIRE affinity. Our parents both work in a restaurant and we spent most of our lives in the kitchen with them. We have an idea of what our affinities might do, but what would you do with your ability to know people's names?"
Zane continued to look at Noah. At no point did his smile fade. Something about that smile seems just off... the more I look at it, the more I can't stop thinking about it.
"Well, I don't think I can tell you what I expect it to do in the future. That is for the Goddess to give me as I increase my Rank and gain new Skills." Zane responded and Noah started to look dejected.
"But" Zane continued "I can tell you about some of the value I've received from the Skill so far. I'll use Huag as an example. In Huag, we have four quadrants, with my family living in the richest quadrant. In my quadrant, a name has value. If I tell someone my name is 'Teller', they know of my father and they treat me differently because of it. If I meet someone and know their name automatically, I can also determine how I might handle that interaction. It's about knowing people. Think about how Miss Gallet's proclamation made most of the wagon act. Without knowing me at all, the majority already had an idea of who I was or what I was expected to become. A name is given to someone, but that name has the potential to determine who you are or how you are treated. For life. How would you feel if I judged you completely on your family's name of 'Baker' and nothing else?"
The wagon was completely silent. All we could hear were the wheels of the wagon as we quickly made our way along the forest path.
There was a level of pressure in the wagon as we all awaited Noah's response.
Trevor finally nudged his brother, which caused him to respond.
&nb
sp; "Ugh, I wouldn't like it. We are the first to get an affinity in our family. The rest of our family are regular people. I, we, don't want to be looked down on because of that."
"And I think that is an amazing goal. I would only ask the same of everyone else. Regardless of my parents, I deserve the same."
"That makes sense." Noah turned his head and started whispering with his brother again.
"I like what you said there. You seem to have a really good understanding of who you're going to be."
"Ahh, but that's where you have it wrong Terrence. You don't know much about me, so I'll say this just for your benefit. For my whole life, I was told who I was going to be. I was raised to be a certain person, and that person was killed a month ago when I got my affinity. I have always been a people person. I have always tried to treat people well and learn as much as I could about them. My family is all merchants, and I saw that as an opportunity to travel the world and learn about the different people I would be meeting if I went down the same path. Sadly, the Goddess took that too literally." Zane started to chuckle.
"Well, it sounds like you're learning a lot about yourself and your affinity. It must be pretty high percentage-wise."
Zane stopped smiling completely.
"Terrence, I appreciate how you have treated me today and I think you asked that out of genuine curiosity, but allow me to help you since you don't want to offend anyone in the future."
"Did I say something wrong?"
"To your close friends and family, it might not be an issue, but in general conversation, people don't usually like talking about their Rank or their current Rank progression. An affinity could mean anything, but a person's Rank is much more concrete. A high percentage is good, but a low percentage is seen poorly. It is usually left unsaid, so as not to embarrass the other person."
Another thing my father didn't tell me about! I knew there had to be some social nuances that I wasn't getting! His inability to fill me in might cause me to piss off the wrong person.