Chapter 122 – Adjustment Period
That night is so chaotic, Shirasil would feel entirely at home. I speak to the room full of Travelers to try to keep everyone calm, then Kanin takes over, explaining their circumstances—and his involvement in them—in general terms. Blankets, drinks, and healers are rushed to the throne room to attend to everyone’s comfort as Mirzayael begins to coordinate accommodations for our new residents. By and large the Travelers are more disoriented than they are hurt, but that’s only the first of our problems.
“Um, excuse me, miss?” a low, grumbling voice addresses me.
I crane my head up from where I’m helping wrap a blanket around the shoulders of an older nereid woman. The climate here appears too cool for her species’ comfort, and I’ve already sent for some blankets with warming spells.
The man who addressed me is an orc, thick boned, green-skinned, and with tusks protruding from his lower jaw. Despite his imposing size and build, he’s rubbing one of his arms nervously.
“Sorry to bother,” he says in his low, grating tone. “But you mentioned these Roles we might be dealing with.”
“Yes, of course,” I say, already Checking him. “Is yours bothering you?”
[Name: Charlie]
[Level: 21]
[Species: Orc]
[Role: The Bard]
[Sanity Stat: 97%]
“Yes’m.” Charlie’s brows furrow. “It says I haven’t practiced recently. Ah, it says I’m a Bard, I think.”
“I see.” I stand to get a better look at the man, though I still barely come up to his chest. He almost seems to slump as I stand up straight, like a schoolboy before a teacher. “When did this start? How bad does it feel?”
“Not bad, I think” He taps his temple. “Like fuzz betwixt the ears. Started back when we were all locked up in those bubbles.”
Two percent in a couple hours—so he loses perhaps one percent an hour. We’ve got time before it should get bad, at least. “I imagine you need to play some music to alleviate the Role?” I muse. “Can you sing?”
The man chuckles nervously. “Not to save my life.” Then he winces. “Though, I suppose in this case…”
“It won’t get that dire,” I assure him. “Are there any instruments you do know how to play?”
He chews on a lip in thought. “Played the penny whistle when I was a lad. Been some time since then, but I suppose I could pick it up again.”
Good—of all the instruments currently available in the city, flutes are among the more accessible. Fyrethians didn’t really spend much resources on music back before our ascension, so the majority of instruments we have in the city were acquired by traders and guests. I stop a guard and ask him to go hunting for anyone willing to lend us a flute for the night.
“Thank you… Fyre,” Charlie says after a moment, his eyes going slightly unfocused before he says my name. Getting used to his Echo, no doubt. “Fyre… That doesn’t sound like any Earth name I’m familiar with, if you don’t mind me saying.”
“Not at all.” I smile. “I took a new name with my new life.”
“Oh.” His eyebrows lift. “Is that typical? Are we supposed to have new names?”
I chuckle at his sudden nervousness. “You aren’t supposed to do anything. Though if you’ve always been partial to a different name, this is an excellent opportunity to reinvent yourself.”
“Hm…” He frowns thoughtfully, looking about the room as Travelers and Fyrethians mingle. “Been Charlie for nearly eighty years. Would feel a bit odd to go by something else after all that time.” He looks down at himself with a rumbling laugh. “Then again, being green and over two meters tall is more than a bit odd as well.”
I smile sympathetically. “It can certainly be an adjustment. But you’re far from alone. Kanin and I are here to help every step of the way.”
He huffs out a laugh, his gaze shifting over to Kanin, who’s currently speaking with another Traveler. “Suppose it could always be worse, eh?”
My smile becomes strained—I hope Kanin didn’t hear that. He’d almost certainly brush it off, but I know how deep the insecurities with his form truly reach.
“FYRE,” Ollie says into my mind as I move on to the next Traveler who looks lost. “MY SPELL’S TIMER IS ALMOST UP. I’M GOING OUTSIDE.”
The little dragon has floated up above the heads of the others in the room, so I have a clear line of sight as he begins to playfully spiral toward the nearest balcony.
“Oh! Thank you for keeping track of that.” In the midst of everything else, I certainly hadn’t. “Of course. I’ll join you out there in a moment.”
“I’M JUST GETTING BIG AGAIN,” he objects. “I’LL BE FINE.”
“I know,” I assure him. “You’re so strong—and I mean that emotionally as much as physically. I don’t think you realize just how much of a super-power that is.”
I can feel him mentally squirming from the praise.
“You’ve got a big head start on adapting to this world,” I tell him. “The other kids haven’t had time to adjust yet. Whether you want it or not, they’ll be looking to you for companionship and guidance.”
I begin to weave my way through the crowd, following Ollie to the exit. Sure enough, Yuna is leading Chidinma after Ollie, pointing at the little dragon in excitement. The halfling woman has also taken the other two children Travelers under her wing: a sixteen year old felis girl named Aliz, and a thirteen year old lamia boy named Zhiyong.
“But no matter what,” I tell Ollie, “I’ll be there to help. Just because you’re the biggest kid doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself.”
I can tell Ollie doesn’t totally understand everything I’m telling him, but he doesn’t spend much time dwelling on it; he’s too excited to show the other kids how big he really is. I shake my head with a smile, following them out onto the balcony. A couple other Travelers hesitantly follow us to the door, though I’m unsure if it’s me or the little dragon they’re curiously trailing after.
Typically the night sky is lit with a subtle glow of moonlight and starlight illuminating the Drifting Isle’s cloudy walls, but tonight I can’t make out anything beyond the orange glow of the city’s dome. The reminder of the late hour—and our circumstances—summons a weary pit in my stomach.
I pause next to Chidinma, unsure how to broach the conversation. I haven’t really had a chance to speak to any of the kids, yet, and I’m not sure what to say now that I have the chance. Yuna and Zhiyong are both practically glued to Chidinma’s sides; I’m glad they’ve found someone to take comfort in at least. The older teen, Aliz, is standing apart, so I stop next to her instead.
“Are you doing alright?” I ask the felis. “I know this can all be quite a lot to process.”
Her tail twitches when I speak to her. “Alright?” she repeats, turning to look at me. She has yellow cat-like eyes, and the fur that covers most of her body is a striped tabby design of white and brown. “I mean, I died, didn’t I?”
A knot forms in my throat. I hadn’t expected her to put it so bluntly, but it has been a while since I’ve raised a teen.
“Yes, of course,” I stammer. “I didn’t mean…”
Aliz grins, revealing her fangs. “And now I’m a cat-girl! And I have magic. Look!” She holds up a hand, and a glowing orb appears above her palm. “Light magic!”
“Oh.” I blink, taken aback by the abrupt turn in the conversation. “Yes, that’s… that does appear to be light magic.”
She snorts. “Duh! Echo’s said I could learn other kinds of magic, too, if I try hard enough. I want to learn necromancy. That would be sweet.”
That’s certainly a choice. “With that kind of attitude, I’m sure you’ll be able to learn whatever you put your mind to.”
“Of course I can,” Aliz says matter-0f-factly, turning back to watch Ollie. His shrinkage spell is starting to reverse, and he’s already grown to the size of a large dog. “Dying’s the best thing that could have happened to me. Earth sucked, anyway.”
I give her another worried look. Despite her smiles and bold claims, talk like that has me concerned she’s still just trying to cope. I’ll have to keep a close eye on her and see how she adjusts in the coming few weeks.
In fact, while we wait, I give her and the other kids all quick Checks to figure out what sort of Roles they might be dealing with and how they’re currently managing.
On the bright side, they’re all still at 100%, so none of their Roles have activated yet—hopefully I can get ahead of their Roles and keep it that way.
Yuna has a Role that designates her as Artist. It seems she only has to make some art on a daily basis in order to fulfill her Role; it doesn’t even specify what sort of art she needs to make. That should be easy enough to manage with some slate and chalk. What kids won’t take the opportunity to doodle a little when provided with some drawing utensils?
Zhiyong has Baker for his Role. That one we will need to be a little more proactive about, since he won’t be able to do it one his own without access to the kitchens. Of course, access to the kitchens will be easy enough, and the chefs will all be happy to have extra help. Baking, according to Echo, requires cooking a batter or dough with heat. That part will be slightly more tricky; most Fyrethian food trends toward unprocessed materials. Grain wasn’t something we had until we began trading with other countries. One or two chefs have played around with bread, but it’s far from a staple. Maybe I can hire a foreign baker to come work at the Fortress and be Zhiyong’s personal mentor.
All that assuming the kid is willing to play along. From the way he’s clinging to Chidinma’s side, he could use some of Ollie’s confidence.
And finally is Aliz, the Cat Burglar. It definitely seems to be a play off her species, in the same vein that Ollie’s Role of The Dragon is both literal and a literary reference to someone who works for the Dark Lord. Her Role worries me the most.
I’m going to have to sit down with her soon to hash out the exact parameters of her Role. She obviously will be required to steal things to satisfy her Role Requirement. The question is, does it have to be literal, or can it be abstract? A stolen heart, for instance—or stealing one’s thunder. There certainly seems to be flexibility with how the System interprets things, if you can just find the nuance. Of course, it’s also possible she has to steal literal, physical things, which would present a bigger issue. I’m also not sure how often she’ll need to do this, or if the System will allow her to pinch anything or assign her the items to be stolen.
If Aliz is bothered by the Role, she hasn’t voiced it. But that only elevates my concern.
“Woah!” Aliz grins, taking a step back as Ollie continues to grow. He’s the size of a bus at this point. “How big does he get?”
“EVEN BIGGER!” he cries, still clutching his translation stone between his claws. I’ll have to help him put the jewel on once he’s back to his full size. “JUST WATCH!”
Yuna laughs as Ollie unfurls his wings and flaps them for dramatic effect, stirring up a wind on the balcony. Zhiyong just presses closer to Chidinma, his tail nervously wrapping around her feet. He hasn’t tried to communicate with anyone yet that I’ve seen, which has me a little worried, but he might just be a naturally shy child. At least I know he has Echo to translate, so he’ll be able to understand others even if they don’t sign to him. Losing one’s voice—and most of one’s hearing—is almost certainly a big adjustment. Perhaps if I tried talking to him in Common Signs it will draw him out of his shell a little. Another reminder for me to work on my foreign language studies at some point.
Eventually.
When I have free time again.
The thought summons an ironic smile to my lips as I glance around at all the Travelers. And I thought I lacked free time before!
“OKAY,” Ollie announces back to his full height. “THAT’S IT!”
“Aw, man!” Aliz laughs. “How come I didn’t get to be a dragon? That’s sick! I’m going to have to learn some flying magic next.”
“WIND MAGIC,” Ollie tells her. “I COULD TEACH YOU!”
“Really?” Yuna asks. Her voice is quiet, but she sounds excited. “We can all learn to fly?”
It’s not actually that straight forward, but I’m also not going to stop them from trying. “You can study any type of magic you like,” I tell the kids. “We’re developing a class on the core arcanum types; it will be part of your schooling.”
Aliz hisses. “School? Ugh! I thought I got out of that!”
“IT’S MAGIC SCHOOL,” Ollie tells her, repeating a term I’ve been driving home to get Ollie on board with the idea. “LIKE HARRY POTTER!”
Aliz’s expression turns more thoughtful as she cranes her head up at the Fortress. “Well, magic school is something I could maybe give a try.”
As if education is optional.
“We’d love to have you,” I say. “And there’s much more than just magic to learn about in this world.”
Aliz shrugs. “Sure. But magic is the cool stuff.”
“MY HOARD IS ALSO COOL,” Ollie tells her. “DO YOU WANT TO SEE? I HAVE A BUNCH OF SWORDS!”
The cat girl grins. “Now you’re speaking my language!”
“Maybe in the morning,” I tell them. “We’ll have plenty of time tomorrow. I think Mirzayael just about has tonight’s sleeping arrangements sorted out.
“Boooo,” Aliz says. “Why sleep when there’s magic to learn and dragons to talk to?”
“Both magic and dragons will still be there in the morning,” I assure her. The teen doesn’t look convinced, but Yuna and Zhiyong both appear relieved by the suggestion of rest. Who knows how long they all have been awake? I can’t imagine the stress of being in those bubbles gave them much opportunity to rest.
“Come on,” I say to any Travelers within earshot. “Let’s go get settled in for the night.”
Ollie jumps off the balcony as the others follow me back inside.
“ARE WE STILL DOING STORY TIME TONIGHT?” he privately asks me as he descends to his lair.
The exhaustion is really setting in now, but there’s no way I could say no to the boy—especially after everything that’s transpired tonight.
“Of course,” I assure him, hoping I don’t drift off mid-story, as I’ve been known to do in the past. “Be down soon.”
“My Lord,” a guard stops me as we move back inside the throne room. “You asked for a flute?” He holds out a simple reed flute with six holes.
“Oh, yes!” I gingerly take the instrument from him. “Thank you, I’d nearly forgotten.”
I scan the room for Charlie, and his stature doesn’t make him difficult to find. As I head his way, Mirzayael joins me.
“You need some rest, too,” she thinks.
“I know.” I stifle the yawn her words summon in me. “Soon.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying for these past few days.” She shares a few more memories with me. “Until Dizzi forced me to actually get some rest.”
I smile fondly. “That sounds like her.” Then I startle. “Dizzi! I haven’t seen her tonight. Is she—”
“She’s fine,” Mirzayael chuckles. “As I just showed you. The healers fixed her up as soon as she got back to the Fortress; no permanent damage to her wing.”
I let out a relieved breath. “And tonight?”
“Her shift ended before you all arrived,” Mirzayael assures me. “I decided to let her sleep through the excitement.”
I give her a wry smile. “She won’t forgive you for that when she wakes up.”
“I assure you I can handle her ire,” Mirzayael thinks, amused.
We finally reach Charlie, who is speaking with a small group of other Travelers. He turns to me with a smile when we greet him, then does a double-take as his gaze lands on Mirzayael. I can’t blame him; I also had to set anti-spider prejudices aside when I first met her as well.
“A flute,” I show him, holding out the instrument. “I hope this will do?”
“Oh, thank you, miss.” Charlie carefully plucks the flute from my hands. It looks like a toothpick within his. He smiles nervously. “Been quite some time since I played. Loved listening to Mum play, though, her music was divine. Think this Bard Role comes with some musical instincts?”
I gesture for him to try. “Only one way to find out.”
The orc fidgets with the instrument as I lean against Mirzayael’s side. She wraps an arm around me and rubs my shoulder, and I relax into her hold, no longer fighting off the blanket of exhaustion.
“I think a lullaby is exactly what I could use right about now,” I sigh.
Mirzayael hums her agreement. Finally, Charlie summons the courage to lift the flute to his mouth and play a few tentative notes.
The shrill screech cuts through the room, causing most everyone to jump.
As it turns out, the Bard Role does not come with any musical instincts.