Adventure Awaits! Huzzah! 25

Himmel was being interrogated.

Well, maybe interrogated was too strong of a word, what was actually happening was far less scary. Some soldiers were just asking him some questions and making sure he wasn’t secretly some continental travelling terrorist or whatever. Which was normal.

Maybe Himmel would have raised some eyebrows if he was the only one to be questioned like this, but that wasn’t the case. Kliff and Clair had gone before him, and the rest of his friends would go afterwards. So it was just a normal procedure really.

“So, you’re from Valentia like everyone else?” One of the soldiers asked him, one holding a piece of paper and writing on it.

Currently three men were doing the questioning, and while that wasn’t an intimidating number, this was a fairly big city. If Himmel decided to go crazy and started swinging for some reason, he would have probably been put down very quickly.

“Yes, I’m from Ram Village, in Zofia.” It should be fine to give that name. It wasn’t like anyone would care about such a small place anyways.

Still, Himmel wondered if Kliff had said the same thing. He kind of wished he had predicted this and made stories that would match with his friends. Now though, he could only hope everyone would tell the truths that didn’t matter, and the lies that did.

The man hummed. “Same as your buddy then…” He narrowed his eyes. “But you look like a noble, just like the blond lady.” Clair hadn’t lied about her station huh? Well, she just oozed sophistication, so everyone would know it was a lie immediately anyways. “And that sword you’re carrying is pretty expensive too…”

Himmel wouldn’t be surprised if they confiscated it. Hopefully they wouldn’t though. “I’m a commoner.” Of course he wouldn’t tell some random soldier he was actually the son of Sigurd. “That blond lady is the one who bought me these clothes, if you’re wondering.”

The soldier grinned. “Lucky kid.” Truly every person dreamed of banging a rich lady. Not that Himmel had done any banging. “But what about the sword?”

“Inheritance, my biological father was a pretty loaded merchant.” A lie of course, but an easy one to give. “I also have a horse inside of the ship.” Epona probably couldn’t wait to leave that damned thing.

Himmel himself had never felt so happy after he did.

The soldier nodded. “I see.” Whether he found that answer suspicious or not, he did not say. “Any other particular trait you wanna tell us about yourself.”

“...” He would prefer to say as little as possible, but he supposed that would only create more suspicion later on. “I’m a mage.”

The man whistled. “Aren’t you special? Your friend was a mage too. Are you carrying a Tome like him? Can you do Tomeless magic as well?”

Himmel shook his head. “No… well, I did make that Tome though. And yes, I can use Tomeless Magic.”

“What kind?”

Himmel cleared his throat. “Black and White Magic, Warding, and… well, you already heard about Tome Making. Oh, I can make Vulneraries too.”

The man almost dropped his writing. “Damn. How old are you again?” Maybe Himmel had said too much.

Though if he had said nothing, and then this information came out later, he was pretty sure a squadron of Grust soldiers would be throwing him into the ocean. As a corpse. “Fourteen, sir. My surrogate father hired a magic tutor for me at a pretty young age…”

“That inheritance again, I’m guessing? Well, that’s fine. White Magic is Staff Magic, right?” Himmel nodded, that was more or less accurate. “In that case, if you want you can volunteer at one of the churches later. There’s been plenty of wounded coming from the fro—”

Another soldier cut him off. “Yo, Acht, we aren’t here to recruit some foreign kid.”

Acht winced. “Right, my bad. I might as well get to the important parts… Your name, kid?”

“Himmel.”

“Reason for being here?” And there came the scariest question.

Telling him that he had come here to run away from king slaying wouldn’t go well, even if he said the king’s daughter was planning on pardoning him. And honestly, revealing Celica’s true identity would make things way worse.

So of course he lied. “Adventuring. I wanted to see something beyond Zofia.” It was a shaky lie, but it was what he had.

“You traveled to another continent solely for adventure? In times of war?” No he traveled to another continent to not get executed, he just couldn’t say that.

“It isn’t as crazy as it sounds, my friends and I pretty much got safe passage by acting as bodyguards to the crew.” Revealing his abilities came in handy when claiming such things. “Besides, the captain of the ship expected that the war would be over by the time we made land…”

The soldier grimaced. “Sorry to tell you kid, but the war is still going on… Admittedly it’s about to end though.”

Himmel tilted his head. “Archanea didn’t fall yet?” Hopefully asking about this wouldn’t be seen as suspicious.

“No, it fell. It’s just that Aurelis is being troublesome… We basically conquered the whole thing and those bastards are still fighting. And this is just rumours, but Talys started moving its own little military force too.” The man scratched his chin. “That ain’t our problem though, our boys are already coming home. So now everything is up to the Macedonians.”

Himmel sighed. “Well, that’s something…” It would probably make finding another ship who would take them back to Valentia way harder.

But then again, if Grust had currently washed its hands off the war, maybe it was doable. Macedon, Aurelis, and Talys were on the other side of the continent. It was surprising though, that Talys even had an army to field.

Though in desperate times anyone could become a soldier, and so any country could field an army, Himmel supposed.

“It sure is, and… I’m sorry to rain on your little adventuring dreams, but the city is more or less closed off right now.” That didn’t sound good.

There were plenty of ships coming and going though, so the ocean wasn’t locked. Still, to fake interest in adventure, he tried questioning the man. “So nobody can leave? Is there any way to circumvent that?”

“Yeah, you need to get permission from the guy running the city. But here’s a warning,he’s a Manakete, above us common men or whatever, so he isn’t going to listen to some foreigner.” The soldier’s voice was dripping with irony. “Tsk. He doesn’t even listen to the noble that used to run the city.” 

Himmel’s eyes widened. “A Manakete… he’s a dragon then? I didn’t think there would be any in Grust. At least not anywhere that isn’t a major city.” Just hearing about it made him feel sick.

The man shrugged. “Those… freaks come and go. Though I guess this one is here to stay. You shouldn’t worry though, just stay out of the guy’s way. Apparently if you piss him off, he will make you a slave and sell you off to Dolhr… or just kill you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” So all he had to do was not piss off important people. Himmel had a great track record of doing that. “That aside, is leaving the city through the ocean still open?” Or were the crew hostages? That was the most important thing here.

“Sure. I guess that’s an option if you wanna keep adventuring, I doubt things will be different in any other port city.” It was a good thing that Himmel didn’t want adventure then.

As long as going home was still an option, things would be just fine.



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“This is going to take all day, isn’t it?” Kliff was clearly frustrated.

Himmel wished he was wrong, but he probably wasn’t. “Yep. We did enter a nation that is still technically at war, after all.” Much like Himmel himself, his companions had been surprised that the war was still ongoing. “We can blame the Captain for this later.”

After the Captain was set free that is. He, and many of Himmel’s other friends, were still being questioned. Which means Himmel was only with Clair and Kliff right now, waiting for the other brats. Even poor Epona was still on the ship… Apparently she counted as a good and needed to inspected

What a cruel world this was. If the dragon empire that wanted to enslave humanity wasn’t already enough of a clue.

Kliff sighed. “I wished I could chew him out for his wrong predictions, but I guess I can’t complain. The guy is basically our savior.” Indeed.

Clair cleared her throat. “Speaking of savior, now that our leader is here, can we start discussing our next move?” Leader huh?

The worst part is that he really couldn’t correct her. “We should wait for the others before making any solid plans, though… Well, I’m sure the plan will be some form of us finding a ship to go back home. It will be expensive though, so we might need to make some money.”

He still had his coins, but Himmel wasn’t sure that would be enough. He was sure though that a deal as good as the money the Captain had given them wouldn’t show up again. Worst case scenario though, he was willing to sell his Silver Sword, maybe his Paragon Ring too.

Kris might kill him for it, but Himmel was pretty sure Kris would kill him if he didn’t sell them either. He seriously didn’t know what to tell his guardian once he got back.

Kliff hummed. “Money huh… Maybe you can make some Tomes and sell them?”

Himmel waved him off. “I could, but I don’t think it would be worth it. We are in the land of Archanea now, so whatever Tomes I can make are going to pale to whatever the mages here are making.” They were specialized in it, after all.

Deirdre and Julia could maybe make something up to par, but… They would be leaving for Jugdral soon. Or whenever the Captain set sail for it, at least.

Once again, Clair interjected. “I am sure we will come up with some way, but… let us keep our wits about us, we are being watched, so trying anything shady would come with its own problems.”

Himmel scratched. “So basically, let’s not get into weapon manufacturing when we are suspicious foreigners, got it.” Would selling Vulneraries be okay? 

Kliff’s eyes widened. “Wait, we are being watched…!?” He let out what could only be described as a silent scream of surprise. “Why are you guys so calm about this?”

Himmel shrugged. “I would be surprised if we weren’t being watched. I mean, we just entered the city as armed combatants, during a time of war. Even if the war has long left Grust’s borders—”

As he talked, a strange man approached. “Hey, you three foreigners?” He sounded excited, but in a fake way.

Nonetheless, Himmel waved at the man. “Yes, we’ve come all the way from Valentia, friend.” 

Since this was a port city that did trade with places as far as Valentia, there shouldn’t be too much prejudice against foreigners. Hopefully that would mean he and the brats wouldn’t get too many stares due to it.

“Great, it’s always great to see people coming from far and wide! If you guys wanna check out the most important place in all of Port Brilehaven, you gotta check out the Arena!” And suddenly it became clear why this man had approached them with a fake smile.

He was here to do some marketing.

Still, Himmel was curious. “The Arena? You mean that stadium thing where people fight for money?” It was a common thing all around Archanea and Jugdral.

However, not a single one existed in Valentia. For Zofians the practice was considered barbaric. For Rigelians the practice was considered a mockery of real combat. 

“Yeah! I know it may sound a bit… bloody, but people rarely actually die. So it’s just some good fun.” Rarely was not never. “And you can make some good fun with betting… hell, you can make some good money by actually competing yourself.”

Kliff let out an annoyed groan. “I can already see what Alm will be imploring to do in the next couple of days.” Now that he said it…

Too bad for Alm, Himmel had no desire to let anyone risk their lives in a blood sport for some money.

To not be rude to the man however, Himmel put on a smile. “We will be sure to check it out in the future.” He wasn’t. He wouldn’t stop the brats if they wanted to watch a fight or two though.

Just watching was okay, actually risking your life is where Himmel drew the line.

Clair joined in. “Yes, it sounds like quite a wondrous place! But if you excuse us, we have places to be.” 

She began dragging Himmel and Kliff away, who did not resist. Thankfully the man didn’t try following them, maybe just giving up on it, or maybe considering that they were already successfully baited clients.

Once they were decently far away, Clair pouted. “The Arena… as if I would step foot in such a barbaric place.” And there it was, the common Zofian opinion. Not surprising when Clair was literally a Zofian noble. “But this serves as a good lesson, I suppose.”

She looked at Kliff and Himmel. “People here can all tell we are foreigners but with a glance, and they will try to sell us all types of products, and take us to all types of places, so do be careful.”

Kliff snorted. “The fact that we are so near the ships probably doesn’t help with hiding our origins, I bet guys like that wait around here specifically for people like us.”

Himmel chuckled. “Probably, he really wasn’t bad though.” He had experienced far worse during travels of his past life, the fact that the man didn’t try following them proved he was a kind soul.

As kind as a man advertising gladiatorial combat could be, at least.

Himmel put a hand on his chin. “Back to the money thing though, there is one more thing we need to worry about… finding a place to stay.”

Kliff frowned. “Don’t tell me you’re willing to throw money around just to not sleep on the ship.” That wasn’t it!

Admittedly, Himmel was unwilling to stay on the ship. He would rather stay on the streets than going back to that trap of death. But he did actually have reasons other than his own distaste for the damn thing.

And he made sure to tell Kliff that, even if he was blushing now. “Look, the Captain is going to leave for Jugdral eventually… What are we going to do then if we still haven’t found our own ship for Valentia?”

Clair nodded. “A fine point. If the Captain suddenly leaves and we have no place to stay… Well, I’d rather avoid becoming destitute on foreign soil. In fact, I would rather avoid becoming destitute at all.” 

Kliff hummed. “Now that you say it… How long is the Captain going to stay here though? Did he tell it to anyone?” The silence that proceeded was enough to tell nobody had any clue on what his plans were.

But Clair could make a dedicated guess. “When we visited Novis he did not even stay a day. I am guessing that as soon as he sells off his goods he is going to set sail to Jugdral. So we should probably hurry.”

Kliff’s eyes. “That’s…!” That was really bad.

Then they had to find an inn or something literally right now.

Before he or Kliff could freak out however, Clair continued. “Is what I would say, if I was not just teasing you. The sailors of the ship are tired, so they are probably going to stay here for a week or two.” So there was no need to worry.

Kliff pouted. “Ugh, did you really have to scare me like that?”

“Seriously…” Himmel put a hand on his chest. “I almost had a heart attack right here and now…” Another one for the collection.

Clair grinned. “My apologies, but I could not resist. Besides, getting your heart racing is fun, Himmel.” Was she just ignoring Kliff? “Speaking of heart racing activities, since we have acknowledged an issue, how about doing our best to fix it?"

She continued. “Let us set forth and find us a place to stay. I’m sure our comrades will be grateful for it once their questioning ends.”

Himmel stole a glance at the ships of the pier. “With the time we spent chatting I’m sure more of our friends have finished their questioning by this point, and we should have someone here waiting for them… Just so they don’t get lost.”

Himmel put a hand on his chin. “So how about you and Kliff wait here while I go look for an inn?” It was only fair to be his responsibility.

Not only because they would be using his coin for it, but because due to the existence of Epona, finding a place for them all to stay would be harder. He needed to either find an inn that accepted horses, or some other establishment that could take her in.

Clair narrowed her eyes, suddenly looking a bit miffed. “Ah, yes, just me and Kliff. Just Kliff and I. Exactly how I wanted to spend—” Was she treating this as an opportunity for a date? 

Kliff cut her off, coming to the same conclusion as Himmel. “You can go with him, I don’t care.” 

Himmel himself had other ideas though. “Sorry, but I think it’s best if you two stay together and I go look for it alone. This is a foreign place, after all.” He was the adult here, so he would be the one braving the unknown.

The two brats now looked a bit angry for some reason though.

Clair quickly made that reason clear. “Truly, how will we handle standing still on one spot without the help of a reliable comrade? Honestly, your charming traits can be vexing sometimes too. But fine, do as you wish.”

“I… sorry.” Here he went treating them as brats… which they were, but they had been forced into learning how not to be ones. “If any of you want to come, that’s fine.”

Clair smiled. “Then I will overlook the vex for the charm and come.” If he was a lesser man he would make a joke about her coming.

He was a lesser man. She would come alright!

“Himmel, come here!” An unfamiliar voice reached him, soon after his dirty thoughts. “Here!”

Himmel let out a gasp of surprise and looked around. “Huh?”

Clair raised an eyebrow. “Is there something wrong, Himmel?”

“It’s… nothing, I just thought I heard something.” He didn’t just think of it, he was certain someone had called him. It was way too clear. “Someone called my name just now.”

Kliff looked around. “Is it one of our friends?” 

“No, it’s a voice I didn’t recognize…”

“Well, I’m sure you’re not the only guy named Himmel in the world.” True enough.

And as the voice no longer called again, Himmel forgot about it.



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AN: The first chapter of Archanea is here! Arena!? EXP at a cheap price!? Satisfactory!

Except Himmel is obviously against it. It’s not even a thing he has due to being from the modern era either, it’s just due to being from Valentia.

Also the war is progressing, and has not ended at all! What an unsurprising surprise. Marth needs to watch some LTC speedruns and better his game!