Mysterious Masked Stranger
“Guys! You won’t believe this. We got rooms for free!”
“Really? What’s the catch?” John scoffs.
“The catch is that we can’t stay for too long. But we weren’t planning on that anyways. So how about we enjoy ourselves here a little? The people seem friendly and the music is good.”
“Eh, sure. Why not?” John answers. “How about you Sherry?”
“I guess a little bit of music will be enjoyable.”
“How about you, Scarlet?”
“Heh, I’m always up for a good party.”
“Perfect, then it’s decided. Rose, you don’t accept any food or drink that hasn’t been vetted by Scarlet first, you hear me? And absolutely no alcohol.”
“I know…I’m not a kid you know. Also, don’t call me Rose here, we’re under people.”
“Oh right, I almost forgot. It’s just become natural to say now, haha.”
“Sigh You guys have fun, I’ll just sit in the corner for a bit. It’s pretty loud in here.”
Rayla smiles, “If you want, you can also go to bed early.”
“No, I’ll stay. I still like the music, I just don’t like how loud it is.”
“Do you perhaps need some more beeswax, Rose?” Sher Aka asks me.
“Ah no, it’s fine, thank you. I already have mine in.”
“Hmm…Okay then. Would you like me to sit with you?”
“No thank you. I wanted a bit of alone time anyways.”
“I see…Just don’t leave without telling us, okay? And make sure not to follow any strangers. Especially when they offer you candy.”
“Yep, I know.”
Walking over to a quiet booth in the corner I sit down, let out a huge sigh and mutter, ”They’re really just treating me like a kid now…They lost all respect for me as an adult. Even John doesn’t fully see me as an adult anymore. I shouldn’t have stayed in my small form so long…Although, I guess if I didn’t, Ser Ulian and I wouldn’t have gotten so close so maybe it’s a worthy trade off after all. It’s sooo annoying though, I’m even on probation right now! I just made one dumb mistake, they’re making it way bigger than it actually is. I have no idea why they got so mad. It could have happened to anyone. Maybe ane is still mad that I ate her jerky…I swear I didn’t know it was yours…Oh man, what am I going to do…”
“Excuse me Sir! Do you mind if we sit down here?” A young man in his early twenties asks with a wide smile. He seems to have a group of people with him.
“Actually yes, I do mi-”
“Great, let’s sit down guys!” he says waving his companions over.
His party seems to consist of a Losta mage with a pufferfish head, a slightly younger human priestess, a Wolf-Beastkin covered in robes with a dagger on their thigh and a Frigant warrior with a club and a big shield. They all squeeze into the booth opposite to my table with the Frigant sitting on the ground next to us.
The human man then speaks up again, “I couldn’t help but notice you were in trouble, Sir.”
“I am not.”
“Oh? But I heard you say ‘What am I going to do’ quite clearly as I walked over here.”
“That is…None of your concern. If that’s all please leave.”
“And leave this golden opportunity alone!? No way. A masked stranger sitting in a dark corner mumbling to himself? It makes my sense for mystery and adventure overflow! I have never seen such a clear quest flag before! So, may I ask Sir, what is your name?”
“Heh…That’s a surprisingly hard question to answer. I have had many names throughout this life but you can call me Thoma Ahad.”
“I see, thank you Sir Thoma Ahad. My name is Guy Hiro. It is a pleasure to meet you. You see our goal is to-”
“Stop it, Guy. This man is too suspicious!” The Wolf-Beastkin covered in robes that hide her entire body says in a voice that sounds like a mans, “I am sure of it, he is no Elf! I have never smelled a scent like his before.”
“I never claimed to be an Elf, did I? You just made that assumption. Speaking of, do you want to be addressed as a man or a woman?”
“H-how did you know? My disguise is impeccable! Only Beastkin should be able to tell!”
“Oh? But I’m not Beastkin. Although technically, I do count as a sentient animal.”
“Don’t tell me… Are you a shapeshifter?”
“I can change my shape, yes. How did you know?”
“Guy…This guy is too dangerous.”
“No, he’s perfect. He must be an oracle of some kind…No, with that amount of divine power he might even be a sage.”
“Don’t make assumptions like that brother.” The priestess scoffs, “It’s blasphemous.”
“It’s not just an assumption. My ability allows me to detect divine energy no matter how small and this guy is practically full of it.”
“Look, I have no idea what you guys want from me but I’m not whoever you think I am. My body rejects light magic. So please, either you leave or I will.”
“No please Sir Sage!”
“Sage?”
“Please just listen to my request!”
“Will you leave me alone if I do?”
“Yes, I promise on my honor.”
“Sigh Fine…What do you want?”
“Please grant us an oracle!”
“A what?”
“A look into our future using your divine connections. You see, we wish to become heroes but we don’t know how, so please grant us an oracle.”
“I have no idea how to do that.”
“All you need to do is ask the angels to give us insight.”
“I don’t know any angels though.”
“That’s fine, they’ll heed your call I’m sure of it!
“Uhm…Okay? And you’ll leave me alone if I do that even if it doesn’t work?”
“Yes of course Sir Sage!”
“Right…”
This guy is obviously crazy. Let’s just do what he wants, if he doesn’t leave after I’ll call ane and manya…
“Okay, fine. What do I need to say?”
“Just say, ‘Great angels I seek your oracle. How will these people become heroes?’”
“Right… Okay.”
Annoyed, I just repeat what he said to me back to him in a somewhat mocking tone, “Sigh Great angels I seek your oracle. How will these people become heroes?”
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Light emanates from Rose’s mask as she answers in a foreign echoey voice that sounds like a man, a woman and Rose talking at the same time, “The path to become a hero is no easy one, especially not for someone as foolish as you. It requires great self sacrifice, determination and most importantly strength. Do you truly wish to follow this thorny path?”
The party seems shocked for a second but Guy quickly answers, “We are prepared!”
“Good,” Rose answers as she waves her hand causing a map from Guy’s backpack to appear and unroll on top of the table, “Your task will be to prepare the birth of a new saintess.”
Pointing at the map a dark circle appears around two areas.
“First, you must retrieve the divine hammer of the dwarven saint forge that was stolen eight hundred years ago. It resides in the icy cave of a beast that has devoured the thieves long ago. But heed my call, beware the mirror that lies covered in snow. It must never show your reflection but if it does, both you and the mirror must be destroyed.
Second, should you reign victorious you must travel north east. Return the hammer to the bloodline of Kalvadon and do not be swayed by money or intimidation. Only the rightful heir must hold the hammer.
Third, once the hammer is given, inform her that an unlikely saintess candidate will arrive. She must not turn anyone away.
Fourth, travel down the path that snow dares not to stick. You will find a girl there, protect her with your life.
Only once the saintess has awoken will you have earned the qualifications of a hero.”
“I understand. How much time do we have?”
“About three years.”
“That long? That seems pretty easy to do.”
“No, you have no time to spare. You must hasten. Leave at first light, if you fail this quest, not only will the saintess never awaken but so will you never become a hero. Now leave, I have already stayed longer than this body can endure thanks to your foolish inquiry.”
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Ouch…I’m getting a headache from this guy…
“I will leave then! Thank you for everything!”
“Uhm…Sure?”
They then leave as quickly as they came.
“What a bunch of weirdos…”