After our two week training we all meet up for breakfast. We didn’t really have a chance to talk about our training before because we basically trained till we fell asleep.

  Sher Aka then asks, “So…How did your training go?”

  Ray is the first to answer, “It was horrible, absolute torture. She made spiders crawl on top of me! Venomous ones too!”

  “Oh my…What did she make you learn?”

  “How to stay quiet.”

  “Are you sure she wasn’t just torturing you for fun?”

  “Oh, she was definitely having fun but it did work. How about you Sher Aka?”

  “I had to learn how to parry an Onra…”

  “The A-Css monster!?”

  “Yeah…It was trained to not kill me but I was constantly beaten close to death by that thing. I do think ultimately it worked but I would not recommend this training method for anyone…Anyways, how did your training go John?”

  “It was horrible! A complete waste of time! I learned so much but nothing was useful!!! And you wanna hear the worst thing? He wants to stay in touch with me so I can help him further on his thesis!!!”

  “Well…At least you have a pce in academia if the adventuring doesn’t work out. How about you Thoma Ahad? Did you learn anything besides the usual?”

  “Hmm, I was taught how to spot poisonous pnts and how to make arrows. Also how to hide and move in the wilderness.”

  “Ah, so basic survival training?”

  “Probably, yeah.”

  “I see, I’m sure it will come in useful.”

  “Oh! I also was taught the basics of how to roller skate!”

  Ray lets out a chuckle, “At least one of us had a good time…I’m gd you didn’t get tortured as well, oki.”

  “Haha, me too.”

  Uli then approaches our breakfast table with a packet in hand, “Your new wagon is waiting outside. Instead of horses I opted for dwarven goats, they’re sturdier and less likely to have problems in winter. Also, Thoma Ahad, this is for you.”

  She then hands me the package.

  “Inside are both the formal wear I ordered for you and a magical letterbox. It is connected to another one I own and it will allow us to exchange letters over your journey. But be warned the further you get away from Berk the longer it will take the letters to both reach me and to reach you.”

  “I see…Thank you Uli, this is a wonderful gift,” I say as I give her a hug.

  She gently brushes through my hair as she softly says, “I believe it’s time to go, follow me to the front.”

  We then go to the front of her house where a wagon drawn by two hairy rams the size of a horse is waiting for us. Our possessions have already been pced inside and it is filled with rations for the next two weeks as well as camping equipment and beddings. It even has a small wood oven inside that has been screwed to the wagon. We then get inside the wagon and get ready to go.

  Ray who is sitting in the coachseat asks, “Are you all ready?”

  “Yep.”

  “I am as well.”

  “Uhm, ane could you give me a short minute?”

  “Sure.”

  I leave the wagon and walk over to Uli giving her one final hug, “I can’t wait to see you again in the future…I love you Uli.”

  “I…I love you too, my child. Please stay safe.”

  “I will, let’s meet again auntie. Goodbye.”

  “Goodbye…”

  I then return to the wagon, “Alright sis, I’m ready to go.”

  “What?”

  “I said I’m ready to go.”

  “Alright, say goodbye to Rostock. We won’t be back for a while.”

  We then start our travel and leave the walls of Rostock. Our next stop, Ray’s home town, is about two weeks away.

  “By the way Sher Aka, I’ve been wondering, every elven name has a meaning right? Thoma’s is ‘Lost One’, what does your name mean?”

  “It means ‘Red Sky’. I was named that because I was born during the sunset.”

  “Aaaw…That’s kinda cute. What about the Guild Master? What does Shara Seleen mean?”

  “It means ‘Pretty Eyes’.”

  “Gotcha and Meshir Bakan?”

  “It means ‘Unwanted Thing’. It’s the type of name you give to a child that you do not want.”

  “Damn…No wonder she became like that. Is it normal for people to just keep names like that?”

  “Yes, usually until they get adopted or married.”

  “Gotcha…Does John have an elven name?”

  “He…Does not.”

  “No I do. It’s Amsa.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Abomination. My mother made it very clear that she does not want me and will never associate with me again.”

  “I see…Sorry about that.”

  “It’s fine, it’s not your fault. Nor is it my mother’s. It's all my father’s fault.”

  There is a bit of an awkward silence for the next few minutes before Ray speaks up again, “Hey Sher Aka, could you come to the front for a second?”

  “Sure.”

  —----------------------------------------------

  Ray then whispers to Sher Aka, “So…I bought a book called Elvish for beginners and I wanted to ask if you could help me practice Elvish in secret. Preferably with a Highborn dialect.”

  “Are you trying to surprise Thoma Ahad?”

  “Yeah, I want to learn his nguage so once his curse is broken we can still hang out.”

  “How admirable. I’m not confident I can teach you a Highborn accent but I can still help teach you proper Elvish.”

  “That would be great!”

  “Also there is something I wanted to discuss with you. I found out something recently when telling Thoma Ahad children stories…”

  …

  “That is…Concerning. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

  “I wanted to confirm some things first before I told you.”

  “I see…Do you think I can watch tonight?”

  “Yes, but I’ll call you a bit ter once I already started or else he might get startled.”

  “Okay…”

  —--------------------------------------------

  “Hey, John? Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “What is Skar like?”

  “Hmm…That’s a pretty broad question. It’s pretty hilly and colder than Berk. The people are a bit more distrusting and communal. It’s also less safe, there are a lot of bandits in the rural regions and the big cities are full of travelers trying to get to either Berk or the Northern Union. Hmm…What else…They’re more religious than the people in Berk but it’s not as bad as Talon. I guess otherwise it’s pretty much the same as Berk.”

  “I see…To be honest, I’m a bit scared. I know we said we wanted to travel the world but this is still my first time traveling anywhere long distance.”

  “Ah, that’s nothing to be ashamed of, I felt the same way. It is pretty scary at first but the longer you go the more exciting it gets before mellowing out again. Right now the only really scary parts are getting into and out of Skar. While we’re still in Berk we’ll be in danger from that noble and when we’re going for the NU we’ll have to pass the Skar mountain ridge which, while pretty well traveled, is still a pretty dangerous area to go through. Once we’re in the NU though we should be pretty safe once again, I think.”

  “Wow, you know a lot don’t you John?”

  “Pfft, I’m not that knowledgeable but next to you everyone looks like a sage.”

  “Hmm, maybe but even so you are pretty smart! I mean you know a bunch of spells and you did magical research so you have to be, right?”

  “I mean…I guess.”

  “I hope that one day I can get as smart as you too!”

  “Oh come on, now you’re just fttering me, haha.”

  “Not at all! You totally remind me of my brother. He’s all grumpy and brooding too but also super smart! And he’d always make some time for me and be super kind.”

  “Is he a busy person?”

  “Yeah, he is always working on some paper or another.”

  “Do you remember his job name?”

  “No…It was something complicated though.”

  “Complicated, huh…Is he working for the government?”

  “Yeah! He is… He is…”

  “He is?”

  “Huh? Sorry, what were we talking about? I think I zoned out a bit, haha.”

  “Nothing important. Ray!?”

  “Yeah!?”

  “I need the notebook for a sec!”