Act I
"Calm down Minerva, we have all day."
I spoke out calming the wild beast, as she thumped and moved as I tried to keep her from throwing me off her back. I can't keep the smile from my face as I rode her, as I held on using a bridal and the soft sandals between my legs.
Hoo* Hoo* She cooed, as I stroked her neck as she calmed down from her excitement. When she started moving slower again as I let go of the woolen bridal, with a practice motioned, I unsheathed the short composite bow at my side.
Crr* The sound of wood and leather creaked softly, as I breathed in as I pulled the hunting bow. Thump* within moments of releasing the arrow, it struck true as it stuck the side of a grass dummy.
"Alright, let's try this while we're moving."
I whispered to my bird, Coo* Choo* she replied with soft chirps as she started moving but unlike before she wasn't moving at a gallop, but with a stable walk. Thump* Another arrow flew true, as I gave a breath.
"You look lame!"
With a simple pull, I stopped Minerva from moving as we both looked towards the familiar voice. It was Eclipsa, she was wearing a comfortable grey belted tunic that reached below her trousered knees instead of her hunting armor.
"Well I'm not using my Arcana ability, I'm learning how to fight even without the ability."
I told her plainly as I gave her a smile, I felt my back and hips aching. . . I think taking a little break should be fine.
"Let me down Minerva."
I said softly to my bird as she sat down letting me to simply stand up to get off her saddle, instead of jumping off and accidentally ruffling her wings again.
As I jumped off she quickly ran off and then flew away. . . She was a free spirit, usually flying somewhere to hunt and then come back chewing on something small enough that she can carry it back. . . Usually a lesser basilisk.
"Are we doing something?"
I asked, we already hunted this morning and it's supposed to be our off time where we usually help around the village or train ourselves, which is what I was doing. . . And from how I can hear cheers near the walls I would expect that Seraphina, was sparring with the older Faennar clan warriors again.
"No, it's nothing like that."
That's odd, then why did she come by? Oh! Did she want to learn archery? It was a good guess, she was already learning sword arts from Seraphina, I suppose adding archery would make her more well rounded.
"Here, let's start with how to pull it without hurting yourself."
I told her with a smile as I placed my short bow in her hands as I patted her head. She didn't look like her but Eclipsa did remind me of a classmate I had. . . No, actually I think I just remember her whenever a shorter girl comes to ask for some help.
Act II
"Ah. . . sure?"
I was blanking, my mind muddled as Dani led me towards the archery dummies. Without me realizing it, he was behind me. I could feel his warmth as he held my hands, and is that his chest? I can feel heat and a beating heart on my back.
"Now relax, don't be so tense."
He gently advised as I pulled on the bow, it was a heavy thing as I can only pull it half way. Tsk* It didn't reach the target, the arrow embedded itself on the dirt a few meters from the dummy.
I felt heat on my cheeks as I almost threw away the bow, but then I paused as I felt my hands being led again.
"Practice makes perfect."
I felt his breath, as he spoke, it made my spine stiffen as I once again pulled on the bow as an arrow was placed on the bowstrings. Tump* I did it. . . I felt myself smiling as I saw the arrow stuck on the dummy's leg.
"I did it!"
I turned excited, then I felt his hand again as he patted my head. I froze as I took a step back to see him smiling.
"I. . . I need to do something. . . bye."
I turned around and started walking away, my virtue didn't appear as I left Dani.
"We can practice anytime!"
I heard him yelling, as I kept walking away, as after a moment I was running.
"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Why am I like this!"
I screamed silently, as I found a corner and felt myself shaking as I hid myself in the shadows. . . It was more comfortable than staying in the light.
Act III
Thump* Thump* Thump* The sound of bronze cutting into thick branches almost sounded like music as I watched a group of Faennar commoners work cutting the older branches from the large tree.
"Are there no forests nearby? Is this the only way to collect wood?"
I asked the Faennar Talon family warrior next to me, it was still odd that they only get names after they become elders. But thinking about it, they don't need them as most of them would prefer to be called using their profession and which family they're from.
"No, Friend Merciful Sun, the forest is a week long ride to get there and another two weeks to come back with the wood. . . The venture is a hard thing to do especially because it needs to be done during winter."
"Why does it need to be done during winter?"
I immediately asked as I looked at her, a little confused at what would make them lumberjack during the winter.
"The snow, plus there aren't many monsters or beasts during the winter."
It took me a moment before I realized they didn't have wheels, but they have sleds.
"You use sleds to haul the wood."
I spoke out, as I saw the warrior nod.
"It wouldn't be worth it if we do the venture during any other season. . . Remember the only times many of our clan has free time is summer or winter."
"Becuase during spring all of the commoners would be busy planting and weeding. While during the fall most of them would be busy harvesting."
I spoke out as I understood more of the life these dream realm native are living.
"Why don't your people use peat instead of firewood?"
My question made the warrior fiddle with her feathers.
"I'm not sure what this thing called peat is."
I paused, from what I've seen of their pretty sophisticated, how do they not know of peat? I shrugged as I tried explaining it to her.
"Well it's like charcoal but instead of wood it's made out of bundled leaves and grass."
I told her the process of making it and how they can use different rock dust to remove the odd smell while it's being used as .
"From what I know using animal dung mixed with compost makes the best peat. . . but I've never tried it before only the compost peat bricks"
After my explanations the warrior gave me a look, I didn't understand and then nodded seriously.
"I'll speak to councilor Talon about this Friend Merciful Sun. . . Thank you, you have shared a very useful secret."
I gave her a puzzled look, but then gave her a smile.
"I am a Friend to your clan, Warrior of the Talon family. It is only right to share what I can."
Tap* Tap* Tap* She gave me her clan salute, before we turned back and watched the commoners stack the logs into sleds.
Act IV
Trot* trot* trot* I barely felt the movement of Minerva as I rode on her back, I was riding infront of the column with the other Faennar warriors as the commoners and their birds of burden pulled on light sleds.
"I just had a thought, why don't your people use the tree oil for your fires instead of just candles?"
The thought was a new one as I realized why they would need to use wood, bush twigs and charcoal when they have trees with crude oil as its sap.
"Because of an ancestor, our [Story house] has a record of an ancestor of the first Faennar clan generation that tried using the black sap for more than bowl candles. . . it ended up burning one of his houses."
Cough* I felt my throat suddenly becoming rough, was that ancestor a dumbass? Why the hell would he try an experiment like that in a village made out of wood and dry grass?
Honestly I'm surprised he didn't burn an entire section of the village. . . but now that I think about it, was the reason why the houses were so far away from each other. Was it because of this?
A realization came, as I felt something inside me warmed my belly, as a thought came to me.
"The road canals, are they fire breaks?"
The thought was spoken out loud making the one I was speaking too nod.
"They are, just like the ones we use in our fields, we use firebreaks in our village because of how common fire accidents occur."
I nodded accepting the tid bit of information, as I felt my heart cry out. I really wish I had some kind of recording device, I really don't feel confident in memorizing so much when I eventually write this all down and make my own traveler's guide.
"My turn."
The warrior spoke as I gave her a nod.
"In your homeland. . . Terra, who's your head patron?"
I was quiet for a while as she asked me, it was a complicated thing to answer.
"Terra is a large place, Warrior Talon. . . I cannot say for the other cities, but my city, which is called Dawn city, doesn't have a head patron but believes in self determinism."
My words silenced the one on my right, as the one on my left shook.
"So it's true! You're people do live in a City filled with patrons and mortals just like our past Golden City of Tertia!"
I can feel passion in his voice as his voice made the other warriors ride near us, slightly breaking the formation we were using to travel safely.
Ignoring the small risk, I thought of the warriors words, their lore did say that their Golden city did sound very much like Dawn city, but less post-apocalyptic modern and more classical age in design.
"I'm not sure if I can call our champions as patrons, but they are powerful."
I said honestly as I thought about the high ranked heroes in Dawn city.
"I've only met one, her name is Rainmaker, she protects the Garden district in our city. She once moved clouds to make a rainy day into a sunny one so my friends and I can pick apples to turn into pie."
I spoke as I remembered the memory of the old Daniel Dawn, before I remembered my past life as Morten Fyrebird. It made me smile, those old friends had already found new family years ago, some even visit me from time to time. . .
I did the right thing, I did not want to disappoint a family expecting to adopt a child that wasn't truly a child. My smile was gone as the thought came, I looked up at the clear blue, slightly green skies of the dreaming.
"It explains everything, if you have that many patrons in your city, Friend Merciful Sun. it would explain why you're the only one in your party that's part of the Solar pantheon."
One of the warriors spoke, removing me from my thoughts.
"How does it work? Having so many patrons of different paths in one place, do they fight all the time?"
The question made me pause again as I thought about it, and no, there are criminals but they're mostly low tier rankers that lost control of themselves turning into horrors. . . It was another common way to die in Dawn city, death by madness.
"No, it's mostly peaceful but we do get invaded by Horrors all the time. . . Just in my last summer before coming here, the city had already gone through four invasions of different kinds of horrors."
"What are Horrors?"
The question was asked by another warrior to my far left.
"Those things, but even more terrifying."
I said as I pointed towards the pack of terror birds that were running towards us aiming for our birds of burden. Without another word I pulled out my bow as I felt for an arrow from inside the [Ivory quiver] dream essence on my belted hip.