She almost ate my pig. If you asked anyone in the party about me, they would succinctly classify me as a calm and collected person, but she tried to eat my pig.
"She didn't know that Sir Oinks a lot was your pet, or even what a pet is conceptually till an hour ago."
Selene said, playing devil's advocate. We had been introduced to the fox who as of yet didn't have a name. Victor had been fascinated and insisted on joining Jax to lead her around the estate and explain things to her, and much to our surprise she was learning fast. She could name a good chunk of things just by looking at them, and while conversations alluded her, she seemed oddly motivated to learn.
"She still tried to eat my pig."
I said pouting as I squeezed Sir Oinks a lot who muddled into my arm, content after the fancy apple tray he had devoured. Selene, Liora and I had all sat down in the garden area. The Duke and Duchess despite their hospitality were aware of our tournament, and the quests we still had to do. The Kaelen thing had interrupted us and we still needed to do 6 quests, and the time we had spent here left us with a month and a week to do these quests.
So today was our last day before we traveled back to Lushfort. What made things stranger was the fact that we had lost one companion and gained two. One of which was a level 30 Werewolf of all things while the other was a level 6 warlock who didn't even have a name yet.
"How are we going to fit everyone, I mean don't get me wrong, the fact that we can drive instead of walk is one of the biggest benefits we get as a party, especially considering our rank, but It was already cramped with Kaelen, how are we now fitting the fox and Victor, plus his crystal legs weigh a ridiculous amount so that's even more strain."
Liora asked as she sipped her tea and grabbed another sugar cube.
"W-Well, then we may need to get an upgrade for the trailer, b-but the Duke said they would send some money with us, and I think it may be a good investment."
Selene offered as she nibbled on a small cookie.
"It makes sense, but it feels…. It feels?"
I said, trying to find the words for the strange mess of emotions swirling in my head.
"Fast?"
Liora offered as she sipped her tea, seemingly satisfied with the amount of sugar inside of it. I nodded as Selenne leaned forward as she spoke.
"I think that's why everyone is staying busy, sure on a rational level we all know that Kaelen died, and had no qualms about trying to screw us over, even at the very end. That doesn't mean that our irrational parts of us can just let it go. We traveled for almost a month together, sharing meals, dangers, and more. It's why some don't do this line of work, not for the danger but because people who you form a bond with die, often right in front of your eyes."
Liora and I stared at Selene for a moment as I silently nodded. She was right, the fact that Kaelen had died, no matter what he had done towards the end, wasn't something that could be glossed over. Because just as much as we could glare at the things he did in his last few days, and the things he said and see him as someone who never cared about us, that would also mean ignoring the man who sat with us around the campfire, who healed our wounds and made sure everyone was doing ok at the end of the day.
As we all took a moment to sit in silence we heard the small tapping of shoes on cobblestones as we all turned to see the Duchess. She gave us a polite smile as she said in a somber way.
"Your friends are gathered by the gate, I believe it's time for you all to get back on the road."
We all took a moment before getting to our feet. We all gave a bow as the Duchess walked over to Selene and to my surprise gave her soft hug as Selene seemed hesitant to hug back before the duchess whispered something to her.
She turned to Liora and gave her a hug as this one seemed more aggressive than Selene's. She lastly turned to me as she kneeled down and gave me a hug.
"Thank you for taking care of my son."
She whispered into my ear as she stood and silently walked away, back into the house. We stared after her as she went with Liora saying.
"Soooooo we are totally coming back here to visit at some point, right?"
"Oh unquestionably, it's a required stop if we are ever in Misagen."
I agreed as Sir Oinks a lot gave a small snort of agreement. We began to make our way towards the gate where Aiden, Jax, the Duke, Victor, and the new fox girl all stood. The fox girl seemed to be hiding behind Jax giving Victor wary glances as she noticed us approaching. The Duke waved as he gave us a grin.
"Looks like your stay at our humble estate has come to an end. Thank you for your assistance concerning my son."
The Duke opened the gate as I turned back and saw Kaelen's siblings waving as we waved back before departing. The walk down the cobblestones was oddly cold, the warmth that had welcomed us on our arrival to the duke's house was no longer there as we all walked in silence. I held Sir oinks a lot close to my chest as Jax and the fox girl spoke in their strange language. It was something Aiden said was called Natural, and only certain fullbloods spoke it. Aiden however was oddly cagey about it, saying Jax wanted to explain on his own on his own time, so for now that was what needed to be understood.
It was all so fast, what had happened to us going on quests with the goal of competing to show off for the guilds? All because Kaelen had kept a secret so big that it caused enough chaos to almost get all of us killed.
As I thought about it I could practically feel the pressure on my chest and neck, the weight of my own sins as I continued to walk. The silent number etched into my brain as we made our way to the teleport gate. The sound of rocks shifting as we were all walked to the pad to begin the teleport. The sound of sobs, and the last kneeing prayer of my grandfather as he and 613 other dwarves were killed because I didn't tell them to wait. Kaelen didn't even have any blood on his hands, and he almost got us all killed, but I don't want to keep this secret forever, especially if it will only become more dangerous the longer it waits. However as we arrived and stepped out and began too walk down the street, away from the sprawling trees of Misagen and back into the hills of Alucan I stayed silent, because as much as I knew the sooner they knew the better, I wasn't ready yet.
When will you be ready? A part of my mind asked as we walked as my only reply could be, only time will tell.