RavensDagger

  Chapter Two Hundred ay - Okay-Authoritarian

  “Any pns now that you’re in Goldenalden?” Caprica asked. She leaned forwards a her teacup down with a faint k of por on por.

  “We have a few,” Amaryllis said. “Mostly, in order to see where everyoands, we want to speak with the representatives of eaation attending the summit. Otherwise, I think Broccoli wants to py tourist a little.”

  “And we promised to up the local Exploration Guild!” I added. “Oh! Actually, that reminds me. Bastion told me something and I kinda fot all about it.”

  “Oh?” Caprica asked.

  I nodded. “Yeah, he mentiohat there was a library in the capital that could help with skill-reted stuff.”

  “Do you have issues with that?” Caprica asked.

  “A bit? I got a new skill called Proportion Distortion, and I doly know what it does, or how to train it. I’d like to know if it’s useful at all before iing in it,” I said. “I did receive some less than useful skills before, so I’m hoping that this one isn’t like that. Actually, that’s ahing I’d like to look into, how to get rid of terribly unfair, no-good skills.” Like Adorable, but I wasn’t about to admit to that skill aloud.

  “Proportion Distortion, ’t say I’ve ever heard of that skill,” Caprica said. “The library is open until detly te, and it’s only barely noon. If you want, I could escort you over? Perhaps we grab something to eat on the way? I rarely have an excuse to try food outside of the pace.”

  “You’d do that?” I asked.

  “Of course! As long as you tell me more stories about your adventures with Bastion,” she said. “Besides, the library won’t give you trouble if I’m there.”

  “Is it a private establishment?” Amaryllis asked.

  Caprica shook her head. “Teically, it’s entirely public. But the librarians are quite jealous of their books and institution. They tend to show ruffians the door if they’re too noisy, and they might not offer to help someohat they think looks... bizarre.”

  I g my friends, then up to the ears h on the edge of my vision. “Yeah, we probably don’t look like the most normal bunch, do we?”

  Caprica giggled. “I’m sure Bastion didn’t think of that. He’s a great sylph, but on occasion he fets the impact that a padin has oizenry.”

  “What kind of impact is that?” I asked.

  “People tend to be on their best behaviour around a padin. Not just because of their abilities as w-enfort, though I suppose that is a factor, but also because... there’s a certain romanticism about padins. Those like Bastion--who tend to embody every part of that ideal--most of all.”

  That made some sense. If he was a respected person, then people would treat him with respect, and he might not notice that those same people weren’t treating others the same way.

  I could remember people who were popur and had lots of friends failing to notice those who had none, because to them, it was normal to have a lot of friends.

  I g Amaryllis and Awen and hat they were both doh their tea. “Well then, maybe we should head out? We talk on the way, and I bet you know all the best pces to eat in Goldenalden.”

  “I know a few good spots,” Caprica said. She stood and tugged her coat’s pels on tighter. “Do you dies mind giving me just a moment? My statio afford me the ability to leave on just a moment’s notice.”

  “That’s fine,” I said.

  Caprica smiled and walked off towards the room’s exit. The guards there were so quiet and had moved so little that I only noticed them now that one reached out to open the door for Caprica.

  “She’s pretty nice,” I said to my friends, voice low enough that we wouldn’t be overheard. We weren’t saying anything mean, but it was still a bit rude to talk about someone when they weren’t around, even if it was mostly to pliment them.

  “She’s strange,” Amaryllis said.

  Awen stifled a giggle. “Strange? I think she’s okay. She seems to, ah, really like Bastion.”

  “Yeah, to get a whole css with one of your friend’s names in it, that’s something,” I said.

  Awen’s cheeks reddened and she nodded. “I think, ah, well, it’s none of our business, I guess. Maybe she’s being nice because she’s jealous?”

  “I don’t think being jealous usually leads people towards people being nice,” I said.

  “No, no, she’s, ah, is it envious? Right, she’s envious that we spent a lot of time with Bastion, so now she’s being o us so that she find out what happened when we were with him,” Awen said.

  “That is strange,” I said. “Then again, I’d love to make friends with my friend’s friends, if they had any.”

  “Somehow, I feel insulted, but I’m irely sure why,” Amaryllis said.

  Caprica returned, now wearing a coat over her uniform-like outfit. “I’m ready to head out. I hope the presence of a guard doesn’t distract you?”

  “Of course not,” I said as I bouo my feet, then turo help my friends up. “What kind of street food is there around here?”

  “You won’t find mu the purple district,” Caprica said. “But further south there should be a few pces where we grab a bite. Street vendors are sidered a bit crass, but they o submit to frequent iions, so there’s little to worry about.”

  “Huh. Yeah. So far Sylphfree feels very... rule-heavy, and streetfood is like, the opposite of that?”

  “How is street food anti-authoritarian?” Amaryllis asked.

  “Well, it’s kind of messy but it tastes good,” I said.

  Amaryllis rolled her eyes. “You’re entirely nonsensical at times, I swear.”

  Laughing, I ed an arm around her wing, then turowards Caprica. “Let’s go? You tell us about the city on the way. We haven’t had time to do all the tourist things yet.”

  “Certainly.”

  When Caprica mentiohat she would need an escort, I was thinking something along the lines of a chaperone. Maybe that padin whose name I never caught who delivered her letter to us at the guild.

  I wasn’t expeg to follorica--who was making smalltalk about the pad its various additions over time--to the mairance hall of the pace where a squad of soldiers were waiting.

  “Oh, you’re here already,” Caprica said to the soldier that looked like she was in charge.

  “Ready when you are, ma’am,” was her quick reply.

  I didn’t see that many girl soldiers around, but half of this little unit had girls in it. Maybe that made sense, if they were going overboard with the prote like this, then they’d probably insist on following Caprica to the washroom and such.

  It was a bit mu my opinion, but maybe the streets of Goldenalden were a lot more dangerous than I expected them to be.

  Caprica had to prepare a few things quickly, mostly that involved quistrus t staff while my friends and I and the soldiers waited around. At least the lobby was quite nice, with tile walls all delicately pced to create pretty patterns that rose up to the arched ceiling above. It was more artful decoration than I was used to seeing in Goldenalden.

  “All done,” Caprica said as she returo us. She tugged on a coat around her shoulders, the fur inside looking nid soft. “Shall we?”

  “Sure!” I said. “Lead the way.”

  We stepped out into a bit of chilly weather. There were big zy snowfkes ing down from above, and the wind, though weak, had some bite to it.

  “Snow!” I cheered. I bounced up and caught a fke oip of my tongue. “I haven’t seen snow in forever.”

  The wind was carrying great white sheets across the mountainside, some of it rolling up and towards the peak of the mountain on which the capital hung.

  “It’s always a bit colder up here,” Caprica said. “We’re a ways to the north, and we’re high off the ground as well.”

  “It’s pleasant,” Amaryllis said. “The ing Kingdom often has to deal with cooler winds and snow, though we have the warmer wind from out west to keep things mostly mild in the warmer seasons.”

  “It’s c-cold,” Awen said.

  I spun towards her to find my friend hugging herself and looking even paler than usual. “Oh no,” I said before I moved to her side and ed an arm around her back. “You poor thing.”

  “Is she well?” Caprica asked. “I give you my coat. The staff will throw a snit over my being outside without a coat, but I’m quite used to the chill.”

  “A-ah, it’s just, um, colder than I’m used to,” Awen said. Her coat wasn’t made of a material suited to the enviro, it was more of a windbreaker in that way, and the little bit of armour she wore likely wasn’t helping.

  I nodded. “We should find you a b before we get too far. Caprica, I don’t mean to impose, but do you think there’s a spare b around?”

  “I’d be quite surprised if there wasn’t at least one iire pace,” Caprica said. “Although, Lady Awen, do you know any fire magic?”

  “Ah, not really? Enough to light a dle?”

  Amaryllis huffed a ‘I’ll hahis’ huff and walked over to Awen. “Give me your hands. Caprica’s likely thinking of a simple warming spell. There are a few that we use in the ing Kingdom.”

  “ you apply that on someone else?” I asked.

  “There are some that are mostly used to keep little chicks warm,” Amaryllis said. “They’re perfectly safe, though the spell will wear off in a few hours.”

  Amaryllis took Awen’s hands, and there was an exge of magic that I could only barely feel. Awe out a gasp and her cheeks flushed. “Oh, that’s nice.”

  “You’ll have to teach me that spell.” I said.

  “You seem to be handling the cold well enough,” Amaryllis said.

  “Well, yeah, I’m from a cold pce, this is nid fy weather, but I still want to learn that spell. Imagiing a hug from someone, and then you feel all warm and cozy inside?” I ched my fist, a new determination filling me. “It would bring me oep closer to perfeg the hug.”

  Caprica giggled demurely. “How determined. Are you an expert at hugging, then?”

  I shook my head. I wasn’t an expert. I was nowhere near as talented as someone like Momma. “Not yet. But I’ll get there one day. Which means lots of practig on my friends.”

  Awen ughed. “I don’t mind, hugs are nice.”

  Amaryllis sniffed, but she didn’t deny the obvious truth.

  We walked out of the front gate, a group of guards opening the path for us. “I hope you don’t mind walking all the way to the library?” Caprica asked. “We could get a coach, but the fastest route is through a few narrow roads. And stretg my legs would be nice.”

  “Sure,” I said. My friends didn’t seem to miher.

  “So, yging, did you try that on Bastion?” Caprica asked. “I ’t imagine his being, ah, willing to do that kind of thing.”

  “Huh? Of course I’ve hugged him. He’s a bit stiff, but he’s not too bad.”

  “You, you did?” Caprica asked.

  “A couple of times,” I said. “He was a member of the Beaver Cleaver’s crew. We’re all very close, you know.”

  Amaryllis shook her head, talon over her fa the way she did when I said something silly without realizing it. “So, which dire is this library in?” she asked.

  “Oh? Ah, yes,” Caprica asked. She seemed a little bit flustered. “This way.”

  And so, with the princess in the lead, we took off towards the grand library, a trail of soldiers behind us like orderly dugs.

  ***

  As you may have heard, I’m about to take my first ever vacation from writing! I’m pnning on taking the whole month of December off, which means that I’ll take a week off, get bored, theurn to writing i so that the people on my patreon don’t get angry at me for overw myself again!

  This’ll be your st chapter for a while, I’m afraid.

  But fret not!

  StoryWords in BacklogChaptersamon Bun32,901?16?Heart of Dorkness16,774?11?Past the Redline27,204?18?Strat Cat Strut17,248?11?Dreamer's Cafe4127?4?TOTAL?98,254?60?I currently have just shy of 100K words in my backlog avaible for people who join my patreon at the 5 and up tiers. Plus, you’d get to join my discord and py games with us! Oh, and you’d get to keep me fed and watered and living too, which would be awfully nice of you!

  I’m doing an AMA today over o, so if you have any questions, I’d love to hear them (also it would be embarrassing if I only got like, teions, so please e over!).

  And... actually, I think that’s it!

  Have a nice December everyone!