Chapter 46 colorless

Chapter 46 The Fae.

Only you can determine the value of your words.
Stay true to them, and their value will increase.
Lie too much, and they’ll become meaningless.
The path of lies is a lonely one.

Noxi, guardian of light.

Turns out, ‘not far from here’ is a thirty minutes walk. After the adrenaline ran dry, the bruises over my body turns every step into a torment. The ones on my back are the worst of all. The blisters on my skin burn and form bumps filled with pus, and the gash on my side trickles blood.

At least it wasn’t acid on the level of master Rushmia, or I’d only leave a skull behind…

We reach a thin waterfall fountain, with a small pond below it. The pond itself has a crystalline reflective surface, and despite the waterfall, there’s no foam in the water, only vapors around the point the water impacts. The sunlight flickers between the canopy of leaves above, and the trees here are thicker than the rest of the forest, even the grass is taller.

The weirdest part about this pond, is that the water do not run off anywhere, they stay in place, not forming a creak or any exit point. The place feels magical as if it came out of a fairytale. “Nice place right? You can wash off here." Berthold gestures at the pond theatrically, like a gentleman.

I am pretty sure you’ve brought me here so you can take a peek of me bathing, didn’t you? The question is… do I want you to take a peak or not? Hell, why not? It’s fun, flattering, and it’ll increase your willingness to help me next time… I could also use a good bath right now… It’s been days without one…

Let’s make it as teasing as possible, and he’ll forget I kissed his cheek covered in gore…

I undress slowly, pretending I don’t care that he’s still standing there. I giggle as he covers his eyes and turns with a yelp. The reaction is definitely worth it. Should I be this forward? He’s going to do things he shouldn’t at this rate… Maybe I should let him do things he shouldn’t… he’s not Kolag, but he’s cute… and I doubt he’ll be like Beydor… I almost died today, I don't know how long I have, and I’m tired of feeling so lonely all the time…

Let’s tease him some more… “Don’t you want to join me?”

He takes a peek between his fingers. “No, no, I am good!”

He’s adorable… “Are you sure?” The pond isn’t deep, and I walk further into it. The small round stones under my bare feet feel a little odd, but I get used to it.

I submerge myself under the water. The water here indeed feels magical. A pool of water in the middle of the winter so up high the mountain should be cold, yet the water is warm, and the healing part Berthold told me about isn’t a lie either.

The water has an amazing feeling on my bruises and blistered skin, causing me to submerge my face in the water again and again in order to heal my face.

After bathing for a while, all the pain is gone, and my skin feels normal again.

I move back toward the shore and examine myself. The gnash on my waist and the bite on my shoulder left a barely visible scar, but otherwise, my skin is as good as new. I wonder if I still have the root-looking scars on my back after soaking in this spring.

Still submerged in the water from the waist down, I move my hair forward with a grin. “Berthold? Can you tell me if my back has root shaped scars or not?”

He coughs awkwardly. “Yeah… you have those…”

Right… doesn’t remove scars then… good to know…

I get out of the water. I can’t help but giggle when Berthold yelps and turns. I go to Loyal and fiddle with my saddlebags, pulling out a change of clothes for myself. As I tug out one of my dresses, one of my golden earrings falls to the ground. Ugh… why did I even pack these things?!

“What’s that? It’s shiny!” a miniature sized woman with long green hair and colorful butterfly wings shows up out of nowhere, she grabs the earring, and flies up in my face.

Where the hell did she come from? I stare at her for a stunned moment, “It’s an earring are you a…”

“Are you two married? Do you love each other? You love each other, don’t you? Can you kiss? Can I look while you kiss? You want to kiss her right?” The little woman has a squeaky voice, she flies towards Berthold, hugging my earring to her chest. She wears a leaf as an odd dress, low enough at the back to expose her colorful butterfly wings, which shimmer in the sunlight.

“Aw, you want to do other things to her too! They’re so sweet… Don’t worry! She doesn’t really love you yet, but she’s really really lonely! And she also wants you to do those things! You can stop thinking this place isn’t safe for doing those things you know? It’s totally safe! This is the safest place in the forest! You can do those things here! As long as you let me watch, I’ll keep you safe!” Now she stands in the air with her hands on her hip, raising her little chin at me. The earring is somehow gone. I guess she can read minds… what is she? A magical butterfly?

“I am a pixie you silly! Don’t lump me in with those stupid bugs! I am fae!” she puffs her small chest in pride. “And you call yourself a mage?! You can’t even keep your thoughts from being overheard! Some mage you are! Now give me that other earring!” she flies toward my saddlebags and snatches the second earring that almost falls out.

“Hey that’s mine!” I shout as my face grows hot. I should stop letting her get to me!

Yeah… it’s funny how such a small creature can make me feel like a child… I never really had any training on preventing my thoughts from being read… didn’t know it was possible… I put my hand on the golden pendant in my bag when I see the pixie is headed for it.

“You are a child, shorty! How old are you? Fifteen? Eighteen? That’s a child! That’s less than a child! That’s a baby! Now give me that pendant! It’s mine!”

“It’s not yours! It’s mine!” I push her small twiggy hands off my necklace gently. Guess you can’t read everything can you? Just my surface thoughts?

“You took a bath in my pond! If you won’t pay me, I’ll unleash my magic at you!!!” Now she flies in a weird fast-paced pattern, my eyes have a hard time keeping up with her.

Well, I don’t know how strong she is… and considering she can read my surface thoughts… she can probably tell I am going to attack before I do… it’s just a…

“That’s right! You’ll be dead before you know it!!!”

She’s probably bluffing… but who cares… looks can be deceiving… I hand her my pendant. I could buy other cheap trinkets in town, it’s not worth my life.

The pixie grabs it and flies off, leaving a green trail behind her.

“Let’s go back, I think we wasted enough time as it is…” I address Berthold who stares dumbfounded at the magical trail the pixie left behind.

“Berthold?”

Loyal neighs and bites Berthold’s short hair when he keeps on ignoring me.

“Eh? What? You were saying something?”

Loyal neighs and nudges Berthold’s back toward me in a way that makes me snicker.

Berthold takes both of my hands in his, almost dancing tugging my arms. “Was it really a fairy? I wasn’t imagining it! Tell me I wasn’t imagining it!”

I chuckle. “You weren’t imagining it, she said she was a pixie…”

He stops dancing and frowns. “She did?! Why can’t I remember? It was a fairy! Please tell me it was real!”

Is he alright? I pull my hands out of his. “Are you alright Berthold?”

“Tell me it was real!” He demands angrily.

I sigh. “It was real. It was a fairy, you didn’t imagine it. She said the magical healing spring is hers, and she took some of my golden trinkets as a payment.”

He puts his hand on his forehead like he’s checking his own fever. “Yeah. I got this light fever now, it was real. I’m alright, it’ll pass in a minute. Please tell everyone about this, they’ll have to believe me now!”

I chuckle. “Sure thing.” I doubt it… people won’t believe what they don’t want to… and it seems like that pixie has a way of messing up with memories as well… or at least with people’s heads… I wonder how I managed to resist it… Maybe having fae blood helps... “And Berthold?” I say as I grab Loyal’s reigns, stopping him from nudging the boy’s back again.

“Hm?”

I kiss his cheek. “Thanks. You saved me a lot of time and trouble, and I wouldn’t have made it so well without you.” It’s well deserved.

“Hehe… erm… wanna thank me? Promise that you’ll back up all of my tale tonight!”

I chuckle. “Ok, you have a deal there!”

*

Since we wasted too much time in the forest, catching up to the rest of the mercenaries require us to ride on Loyal. To my pleasure, Berthold obviously feels rather awkward about it. Combined with the fact that he doesn’t have much experience with riding horses, teasing him is too much fun to pass on.

Late afternoon, we catch up with the group. And later at night, we’re sitting around the fire with alcohol and a warm soup in hand. Unlike the magical forest, the road area is rather cold half way up the mountain. I'm not the only one with a blanket around me. Feels like the fire and soup are the only thing keeping me from freezing solid.

The mercenaries take their turn teasing the poor guy. “Any fairies Bert?” “Why won’t you tell us about them naked ladies swimming in the forest’s spring, boy?” “Stop crowding the poor lad! He didn’t see anything eh?” “Any fun stuff son?” The last mercenary waggle his eyebrows and sneak a look at me.

Berthold stands up and raises his mug. “The first thing we hunted was a Two Tailed Camina Fox! I knocked it out with a single arrow in its eye!”

I nod quietly when a few of them give me a questioning look. The mercenaries cheer and whistle, raising mugs and flasks of alcohol.

“I even impressed the lady with that shot. ‘Oh Berthold! You’re the best archer in Axero!’ She told me. “As she stood there, a large angry bear came running down at us. Its eyes glowing green and his breath a deadly poison to all living beings! Its claws are sharp and long as a man’s arm! His teeth are long and curled in cruelty! Aaaaaand… I knocked it out with a single arrow in its left glowing eye right before it reached the lady!”

I grimace and nod when the mercenaries eye me. I promised!

“Oh Berthold! Your archery knows no bound! Your arrows are like snakes in my heart! There’s no man I’d rather be with! The lady said as she…”

Ok, that’s enough! This is horrible! Ugh… I promised… damn that stupid guy… I can’t stand this cringe! If he claims we had sex too I’m going to topple it on top of his head…

Not like I’d have stopped him if he tried, but why does everyone have to know about it? Not that he would’ve…

“…Alas, the bear had managed to wound the lady, and I took her to the magical spring.”

“Aye the springs!” “The springs!” the men cheer, raising their mugs.

“There were already many fine looking ladies in the spring. A ten of them at least, naked as the day they were born. They had beautiful long hair and the prettiest face you’d ever seen! Swimming and laughing, brushing each other’s hair. They took off with their butterfly wings and came to see me. 'Berthold! Have you brought us any gifts? Have you brought us any golden trinkets?' Then one of them demanded that if the lady want to use the spring, I’d have to snake her.”

“Snake who kid?” Salik asks dryly. “The lady or the fairy?” The men burst into loud laughter.

“The lady of course!” Berthold replies. “And I did! I took her arms and…”

I'm done! “Ok, I take all of it back! None of it actually happened!” I declare causing everyone around the campfire to laugh loudly and exchange coins.

“Don’t worry we know…” Salik says with a light chuckle, emptying his mug.

“Aye! We gambled on how long you gonna stay quiet lass.” Sorer’s grin and the coins in his hand tell me he won his bet.

“Marisha! You promised!” Berthold is crestfallen.

“That was before I knew you’d claim to have sex with me…” Funny you’d claim such a thing with how you acted back at that pool… “Careful what you wish for! It might just happen…” I move my hand on his cheek and back off, causing another round of comments and cheers from the men around.

“But there was a fairy! I wasn’t lying about that! You said it was real!!!” The laughter reaches the sky now.

“Yeah like we’ll believe that! Berthold, just stop with the fairy stories already, you’re snowing mad. Really lad, we’re tired of them, switch to something else. Trolls maybe? At least they're real.” Sorer throws a large empty pot to an orc who begins to scrub it clean.

“That is actually true, we did see a fairy. She wasn’t naked, and she was more interested in stealing my jewelry…” I add, but all of these people just burst into louder laughter, making me smile in a slight embarrassment. Coins exchange hands again. And again, Sorer collects his due with a wide grin.

“There really was a fairy! For real this time! Marisha tell them!” Berthold shouts in frustration.

If you had told me you’ve been trying to convince these people about the existence of fairies and that’s why you need me to back you up I could’ve been a better help… But the way you went about it… I am sorry, eat the mess you’ve created! I am not going to look ridiculous for your sake…

Let these people look ridiculous when they see a fairy themselves… which may never occur… As long as you yourself know what’s true or not what’s the point in convincing others if they won’t listen anyway?

“Like we’d believe her. You promised her something to lie for you, it’s obvious.” Elitar says. “I’ll believe those little elflings exist before I’ll believe in fairies!”

I can’t help you with the fairy, they won’t believe what they don’t want to believe… but I can make you look good. “He actually did save my neck out there.”

“Lass, if you tell me the snowy story with the bear was real, I am going to dance naked around the fire.” Sorer put his hand on his chest dragging another round of laughter.

“Nobody wanna see you naked man.” Elitar punches Sorer’s shoulder.

I raise my eyebrow at him “Tempting, but I’ve already had a large hairy thing after me today.” I snicker when I cause another round of chuckles.

“It wasn’t a bear, it was a large acid breathing badger. And I killed it with my magic. But after the battle, I got buried under it. Someone had to push it off me, or I’d still be out there buried under a ton of badger…”

This attracts a round of genuine applause and cheers from everyone. They’re good people and caught on to what I did. Berthold lowers his head, moving his hand on the side of his neck in embarrassment.

When the clapping dies down, I continue. “And his shot to the eye of the two tailed fox is also true. And I did compliment him. I never said he was the best archer in Axero city or that his arrows are like snakes… but if I am being honest, he is a damn good shot.”

Sorer hits Berthold’s back with a large beefy hand, “That he is! Finest archer I’ve ever seen!” He raises his mug forward, “to Berthold!”

“To Berthold!!!” The unanimous reply is too loud, and the poor short man doesn’t know where to bury himself. It’s satisfying to watch.

Now Elitar pulls out his lute, and plays a melody. A few people join him with another song around the fire.

So harsh, the winter’s wind.
Snow puffing, have me pinned.
Mayan may laugh, with a wheeze.
Cold gale of fury, gust and breeze.

Felula felula <wind wind>
tolo niwula.
Afeli adeno wu! <___ ___ toward!>
Amadi afelo
liseni meida wuelo.
Felula felula wu! <wind wind toward!>

For you my love, I’m coming home.
Wait just a little longer, in our dome.
I bring goods, I bring gold.
Just a little longer, in Mayan’s cold.

Felula felula
tolo niwula.
Afeli adeno wu!
Amadi afelo
liseni meida wuelo.
Felula felula wu!

Oh lady of winds, hear my plea.
Chase away your sister, and her glee.
Oh Koshavi, I beg for your zephyr.
Under the spring’s skies, we are all safer.

Felula felula
tolo niwula.
Afeli adeno wu!
Amadi afelo
liseni meida wuelo.
Felula felula wu!

I stare at the blond bard, surprised from the fact that a part of his song is spoken in Felul, the magical language of wind. There’s no magical effect whatsoever, and the bard put down the lute as the people around buzz in a quiet chatter. Some pat him on the back or say a word of compliment and thanks.

I cough to attract his attention. “I know that felula means wind… the accurate way to say it is felul actually… Where did you learn the magical language of wind?”

He smiles. “Felul means wind, felula means wind in all four directions. A shorter name for the eastern western northern and southern wind in a single word. La means four.”

“You speak the language?” I raise my eyebrows.

“No, not at all. Just a little bit. I simply learned the meaning of words for my songs in particular. My teacher could calm and warm the winds with this song. He wrote this song… but it doesn’t work for me unfortunately. Maybe I’m not as talented, or maybe I need more practice.”

“Sounds like an interesting man, I wish I could meet him.”

“Only if you pass by Tiyadi’s hands…”

Right… the man is dead… “I’m sorry… Mind telling me the meaning of these words?”

“Gladly. So…”

After I learn the words and the song. I head to my tent to get some rest. This was a very long day and I am tired. I need my beauty sleep.

*~*~*

Felula felula
tolo niwula.
Afeli adeno wu!
Amadi afelo
liseni meida wuelo.
Felula felula wu!

Four-winds four-winds
above and downward in all directions.
Drifting horizon toward!
Goddess high above
prayers worships upward.
Four-winds four-winds toward!

Windfour windfour
above, downfour
drifting horizon toward
goddess high
prayer worship flowing-up
windfour windfour toward.

*

tolo=above.
afelo=upward/high (the word means “higher than high air” it’d also be the word for atmosphere)
wuelo=moving up/shifting up/flowing up/upward wind
lo=up

*~*~*

Power level: 2nd stage apprentice.
Mana pools status:
Crown-knot: Affinity 10: formed: 1 gem replenished per five minutes.
Neck-Bridge: Affinity 6: formed: max amount of gems drained per day: 66
Abdomen-storage: Affinity 5: formed: 6 gems. Conversion ratio: 6:1
Air: Affinity 4: formed: 18 gems
Fire: Affinity 2: formed: 9 gems
Light: Affinity 3: formed: 14 gems
Water: Affinity 6: formed: 27 gems
Earth: Affinity 1: opened: 3 gems
Wood: Affinity 2:
Gravity: Affinity 9: formed: 40/41 gems

Cantrip known:
Air: Shavi’s Breeze, Shavi’s Sword. Shavi’s Hair Dryer, Aria’s Enhanced Hearing.
Fire: Nuriss’ Flame. Effrat’s Firefly, Effrat’s Fire Breath. Sorladika's Lesser Heating.
Light: Noxi’s Light, Lako’s Blinding Light.
Water: Water Evocation, Water to Ice, Ice to Water, Water to Vapor, Vapor to Water, Mayan’s Icy Spike, Ayla’s Water Jet.
Earth:
Wood:
Gravity: Lumina’s Kinetic Burst. Tukado’s Repulse. Tukado’s lesser shield. Imari’s Minor Telekinesis. Imari’s Jump. Leo’s Pull. Leo’s Grounding. Alino’s Light Body. Alino’s Heavy Body.

Spells known:
Gravity: Alino’s weightless bodyb.

Focus capability: 10 patterns

Social status: apprentice to the maven of mysteries.

Wealth: 909 gems. 1287 gold coins, 13 silvers, 47 coppers.

Items:
Two simple healing potions.
Two potions with unknown effects.
An enchanted belt with eight pouches, the enchantment keep the pouches’ content fresh.
Fresh rose petals, 8g
3 soul containers size 1. (Burrowed item. Ownership: Maven of Mysteries.)
Roll of magical cloth, any carcass wrapped fully in the cloth will not rot. (Burrowed item. Ownership: Maven of Mysteries.)
A magical pouch, any carcass attached to the pouch will shrink in size. (Burrowed item. Ownership: Maven of Mysteries.)

Companions:

Languages:
Toml’a <People’s tongue> Fluent
Sinteo <Speech> 9/10
Myrsha <Gravity> 5/10
Felul <Wind> 1/10

Injuries and scars: Back, lightning scar.