Rather than turning back and going home empty-handed, I’ve decided to seek out this Whitehelm merchant. I’m not sure how I’m going to explain today’s events to my parents, but maybe I don’t have to, as long as I can sell these scales. Cerila also insisted on coming with me. So right now we are searching for this Whitehelm shopkeeper.

It’s been about an hour and it's nearly midday. I’ve come up empty-handed in my search. I can’t seem to find this Whitehelm person. Cerila tugged my shirt to get my attention and began writing on her tablet,

Why didn’t I think of that… I’ve just been going around to random vendors asking if they are this Whitehelm person but I never even bothered to ask if somebody knew where Whithelm was. I might be stupid.

I gave her a smile and a thumbs up.

She smiled back at me and nodded her head. This communication barrier was arduous. I’ve already formulated the best strategy for her to learn sign language. Hopefully, she can learn it quickly. But I start school soon… and my training. I signed deeply. This is going to be difficult.

Not wanting to waste any more time I walked up to a pair of Wood Elf rangers that were patrolling the market and called out to the female,

“Excuse me, miss,” I said as politely as possible.

I didn't want to distract a soldier any longer than I had to. She turned and looked down at me,

“Oh hello there. Wait… are you Alanis’s son?” She asked me.

“Uh, yes I am.”

Seems Dad is more popular than I thought.

“Well, aren’t you just adorable! Look at your beautiful eyes!” She said bending down and pinching my cheeks.

Listen here lady, only my mom gets to do this to me.

She recoiled a bit and mumbled as I scowled at her, “But you sure got your Mom’s stare… Uh, can I help you with something?”

“Yes. Do you know where I can find a merchant named Whitehelm?” I asked curtly.

She winced a bit at my cold tone and her guard partner chuckled from behind her,

“That old Dwarf? He runs the only forge in the outpost. Just head up the street for a few more minutes and you can’t miss it, kid,” The other guard answered for her.

“Thank you.” I gave a nod to the ranger in thanks.

I walked away with Cerila in tow. I could hear the male guard chuckle as he said, “Ha. That kid is just like his mother. He's gonna be a dangerous one.”

What’s that supposed to mean? Of course, I’m like my mom, I am her son after all. And he called this place an outpost instead of a village? Never heard that before either, maybe it’s just a military thing?

I’ve learned that this nation is called the Republic of Syn’nari, it’s a Wood Elf archipelago nation on the westernmost part of this continent. The name of the continent is Illyrcium according to the book Grandpa got me for my birthday. The book even has an artist's rendition (Check Pre-Chapter Notes for Map) for this area as well. I even learned that this village is called Owlkirk. I haven’t managed to read too much more as I’m still trying to learn the Human language. And progress has been slow as I take on more and more things in my day. I’ve tried to dedicate at least a few hours before I go to bed to learn the Human language.

Hopefully, at school, I can devote more time to it. But Cerila… I didn’t want to leave my new friend out of things. Maybe she could come to school with me? I don’t think this school is charging anything for admission, it’s more like a charity system for the community.

I motioned for Cerila to let me use her tablet. Gah, this thing must weigh like 30 pounds. Is she just this strong or is she using mana to enhance herself?

I asked.

She seemed dejected.

Ah, that’s right, kids are brutal. I could tell this was a sore topic for her, something must have happened to her. But I wouldn’t let people make fun of my new friend, not unless they wanted to end up like those idiots in the alley.

I wrote to her in confidence.

She looked conflicted but her resolve was firm.

I wasn’t a very good friend to Nyx. I have to be a better friend to Cerila.

I’d have to talk to Mom about getting her to go to school with me. I didn’t know Cerila’s family situation after all and I figured Mom could help us. But after walking for a bit we finally reached the forge. It is one of the only buildings that is made of stone around here and black smoke is funneling up through a chimney. A short burly man was working the forge outside.

As I approached I got a good look at him. This was my first time seeing a Dwarf up close and I had been told they were just short humans, but that wasn't really the case. He was probably around 5’0 and had a long braided white beard that was caked in black smudges. He was currently hammering away at a farming tool, his massive arms bulging with every swing. I stood a bit away from him and let him finish his work, I figured it would be rude to interrupt the man. He finished, wiped his face in his apron, and turned to us,

“Thanks, you two. Most folks come here and bother me in the middle of my work, but you had the decency to wait, I appreciate that. Now, how can I help you, kids?” He said while dusting his hands off.

“I have some scales I would like to sell to you.”

He motions for me to hand over the bag and I promptly place the small bag in his large palm. He opens the bag up and inspects the scales then starts counting them.

“Mm, you must have gotten these this morning. Still slick with slime and everything. I can do 2 silver for the lot of them.”

“Maybe 5 silver, please?” I suggested.

I gave him a big toothy smile and hoped that would be enough. He raised his big bushy white eyebrows at me.

“I can do 3 silver. Seems fair to me.” He nodded while handing me back my bag.

Tough crowd. I guess I have to work on my childlike charm.

“Okay, I’ll just go somewhere else then,” I said dejectedly.

I turned to walk away and acted like I remembered I had something to tell him as I spun on my heels,

“Oh, Mr. Whitehelm, Alanis has a message for you. He said he is gonna sell to Mr. Rodan from now on.” The old dwarf’s eyes bulged out of his head as he looked me up and down.

“Ah, fuck. I should have known you were that demon’s son. Errr, pardon my language youngin. Fine… fine 5 silver and tell your daddy to lay off of me, aright? I’m trying to run a business around here!” The old Dwarf pleaded.

I nodded in satisfaction, “Pleasure doing business with you Mr. Whitehelm.”

“Yeah sure. Whatever kid,” He handed me the 5 silver coins.

They were dull grey in color and the coating was worn down quite a bit. I wasn’t sure how much this was actually worth but it couldn’t have been that much. I should do some research in the market to see how much things cost. Understanding the local economy would probably be beneficial. But that was for another time. I didn’t have lessons with Grandpa today so normally I would just go home and study some languages or work on my mana control. But I had my new friend with me.

Cerila seemed content just following me around. She had her hood back up and was covering her face once again. She wouldn’t make much eye contact with anyone and it seemed like she wanted to just disappear. I wonder if she didn’t like standing out, I mean it was hard for her not to. Everything around here was either green or brown and here she was wearing a snow-white cloak. I was wearing a normal dark green shirt since Mom was still repairing my red tunic from the shadowling attack. But her cloak seems oddly familiar.

I got a closer inspection of Cerila’s cloak. Upton touching the soft fabric I could feel just how cool to the touch it was and immediately recognized my mother’s handiwork as I ran it through my fingers. Dang, I miss my tunic already.

It’s so stuffy wearing normal clothes out here during the day, this manaweave stuff is fantastic. I peered up at Cerila’s face through the cloak, she was taller than me after all. I guess she might even be a few years older than me as well. Her face was bright red and I realized I had invaded her personal space without asking. Whoops, I shouldn’t be doing that.

She took the tablet out and wrote to me, She asked.

I told her.

“Yeah, it looks very…” I wanted to write out that it looks very nice but that didn’t really sound like a compliment to a new friend. And the cloak was much more than nice, it was a product of my mom’s hard work and I really did like the snow-white color of it. Reminded me of the winter camo I used when I had to paint my armor for cold weather planetary invasions.

I told her.

That sounded like a good compliment for a young female friend, I hope. She hid her face a bit in her cloak and just nodded profusely at me. Looks like a success to me. I can be a good friend if I try.

I asked her.

I didn’t really know what friends did together, however. I don’t think she would have very much fun just following me around the market all day. She gave me a nod of approval and we made our way back to my home.

—

“Hello, I’m home,” I alerted my family to my return.

“Welcome back, Kal. How was the mark-…” My mom turned the corner and just stood stock still as she looked me up and down.

I was confused as to why she was staring me down, then I remembered I wasn’t alone. Cerila and I hadn’t said a single thing to each other on the way here. I also noticed she didn’t have much of a presence. Cerila walked so quietly I couldn’t even hear her most of the time. I had almost forgotten she was following me as I autopilot my way back home.

“And who is this pretty little girl, Kal?” Asked my mom.

“This is Cerila, my friend,” I said casually.

“You have a friend?!” My mom blurted out.

Mom, please. That really hurt, I’m trying my best out here.

My mother blitzed Cerila and embraced the girl, “Thank you so much for being friends with my son! I know he is a little rough around the edges but he’s really nice, I promise!”

My mother was practically squeezing poor Cerila to death at this point as she rambled on. Cerila just looked at me begging me with her eyes to free her. This is payback for squeezing my arm so tight.

But there was no point in making her suffer any longer than she had to,

“Mom, please let go of her. Besides, she can’t hear you,” I informed her.

“What do you mean? Look at her adorable ears! She looks just like a doll,” she said while rubbing Cerila’s head and ears. Cerila looks extremely uncomfortable and her face is a crimson red now.

I’ll have to apologize to Cerila for this. I was not expecting my usually reserved Mother to act like this. Perhaps not being able to control emotions runs in the family. Normally she is only like this with me. I should stop her before Cerila dies from embarrassment or decides she doesn’t want to be my friend anymore.

“No, Mom. Cerila is deaf. She can’t hear you or me at all. And Mom I think you are making her uncomfortable,” I informed her.

My mom immediately released Cerila and looked mortified.

“I..I, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. But wait, how do you talk to her?” She stammered out. “And this cloak… is this? Mmm.”

“Using her magic stone thing. You just put some mana on your fingertips and you can write on it,” I told her. I grabbed the tablet from Cerila and instructed her on how to use it, “Here. Just like this. You just write words and then it keeps the letters on the stone. And what about her cloak? You made it right?”

“It’s definitely my handiwork but it’s been a long time. I wonder… anyways. This stone is amazing. This must be a magic item from a dungeon,” My mom said while drawing on the tablet. “Okay. I got it now.” My mom began writing and started a conversation with Cerila.

I decided to just watch the exchange. It seems like my mom apologized and all is forgiven. I was a little confused about the whole cloak thing but I shouldn’t expect my mother to remember everything she makes.

They continued for a while longer conversing back and forth. Then, my mom giggled and gave Cerila the tablet back, Cerila's face turned bright red again and looked like she was about to cry as she read what my mother wrote.

Geez mom. Cerila is going to hate me after this.

“Mom.. stop teasing Cerila, please. She is my first friend, I don’t want her to hate me already,” I pleaded.

“It’s fine, don't worry Kal. We were just having a conversation,” My mother said while giggling.

I can only imagine what she is saying to poor Cerila. She is probably more dangerous to my friends than I previously thought. My mom continued,

“Anyways, she said she wanted to go to school with you?” I nodded in response.

“I see, it shouldn’t be a problem since she has already been to school. But she is going to have to ask her family of course.” My mother told me. “Cerila said she will talk to her family. I told her that you start in two days, so everything should be fine.”

Just then my dad walked in from the back yard wiping the sweat off his forehead,

“Hey, you’re back. How was Mr. Whitehelm?” My dad asked me as you looked over at Cerila and my mother, “I, uh. When did Mr. Whilehelm turn into a fox girl?”

“This is Cerila. Kal’s new friend, dear,” My mother told him with a smile.

“Kal has a friend?!”

Not you too Dad…

—-

I explained today’s events to both my parents. Cerila gave my mother an abridged version but I decided against it. I told them everything from me getting lost, then fighting the boys, and meeting Cerila. I didn’t want to lie to my parents about something so trivial, besides there is a good chance they would find out anyway. And the best son in the world didn’t lie. Just withheld some truths is all.

Of course, my mother was immediately worried about hearing that I got into a fight, and asking me if I was okay. I was fine, the other boys… not so much. My father seemed disappointed in me and I could see a hint of anger in his eyes, especially after I explained how I fought the boys.

However, Cerila quickly moved in and smoothed things over with him immediately. She might not be able to hear conversations but she seems very adept at reading the room.

I’d have to ask her later what she told him, and thank her. I understood why my father would be upset, I could have at least tried to run and get help, but I chose to stay and fight instead. But I wasn’t willing to risk getting hit with a rogue spell.

And in the process of fighting, I hurt 1 boy pretty badly and forced another one to nearly succumb to mana sickness. But in all honesty, knowing what I know now, I would have done it again. Cerila was being targeted and those boys started everything. I don’t believe I did anything wrong.

“You should have called for help instead of getting in a fight with those boys, Kal.” My father scolded me, yet he couldn’t help but smile, “But you already know that, huh? You did a good thing helping Cerila. There is no point in having strength if you don’t use it to protect others, son. It seems you already understand that.”

Well, in hindsight, yes. I’m glad I helped Cerila and became her friend. But at that moment I was ready to abandon her and wanted nothing to do with the situation. I also might have let my anger cloud my better judgment. But I didn’t have the heart to tell him that.

"Just remember, violence isn't always the right answer. There are many ways you can solve problems in this world and it doesn’t always have to be by violence. And when you respond to violence with violence, it only adds to the problem. Does that make sense, Kal?"

"Yes, Dad. I understand."

Although I don’t regret what I did, I do understand where Dad is coming from. I guess overriding years’ worth of training and a lifetime’s worth of combat experience wasn’t going to happen in just a few months. Fighting came as naturally to me as breathing. I didn’t want it to be that way anymore. I didn’t need it to be that way anymore.

"It's nearly dinner time. Would Cerila like to join us?" My mother asked.

"I'll ask her." I motioned for Cerila to lend me her tablet and wrote to her,

She told me.

I gave Cerila a thumbs up and told Mom she would join us tonight. My father took the tablet and spoke to Cerila as my mother made dinner. It was nice to just converse with my new friend at the dinner table. Both my parents seemed to like Cerila and were very friendly towards her. Cerila was giggling and had a smile on her face the entire time she spoke to either me or my parents. Seeing her smile and enjoying herself like this brought a warmth to my chest and a smile to my face. This is nice, I like this feeling.

When Mom served the food Cerila took no time to dig in. She completely demolished my mother's mushroom stew before I was even halfway done with mine. She even asked for seconds. I guess the girl can really put some food down. The way she destroyed her dinner made it seem like the poor girl doesn't eat very much. With full bellies, we all enjoyed the post-meal silence until Mom spoke up,

“It’s getting late. You should walk Cerila back to the village, Kal.” My mother told me while smiling.

Yeah, guess it is getting late. I’m still convinced Cerila doesn’t need any protection, her strength is insane and she is only a few years older than me. Imagine her in a few more years, she could probably just destroy her foes with a single punch. But it would be rude of me to at least not walk her back, this is something friends do, I think.

Cerila said her farewells to my family and we began our walk back to the village. The weather didn’t really change around here, it was pretty much just a constant state of summer heat until the rainy season hit. But right now, the breeze was outstanding as it blew through the village, dismantling the jungle humidity and heat from the late evening air.

We simply just walked in silence and enjoyed each other's company. Today had been a long and eventful day and I was fully drained. I was looking forward to passing straight out tonight.

No, I couldn’t do that, not tonight. I needed to get some lesson plans down for Cerila’s sign language lessons before I called it a day. The sooner I taught her, the more narrow the communication gap between us would become.

I looked back at Cerila and she had her hood back on, covering her entire head. The cloak seemed just a bit too big for her. I wondered why she covered herself so much. I thought about it earlier but I can’t understand why. I guess I’ve just never been able to hide very well. I’ve always stood out wherever I go, not that I want to.

But for all I know, she might be uncomfortable with her appearance. My mother said she looked like a doll. I wasn’t sure what kind of dolls my mom had growing up and I had never seen any dolls myself. Yet, I found it to be an accurate description of Cerila. She almost didn’t seem real. Her ethereal snow-white appearance in the middle of a lush tropical jungle. She must be a long way from home, ancestrally speaking.

I didn't have much time to ponder as we finally reached the outskirts of the village, Cerila began to write to me,

I couldn’t really hide my embarrassment as I felt my face flush. Both my parents pretty much assaulted the unfortunate girl. She began to quickly shake her head no as she wrote,

I simply nodded and remembered one of the many things I wanted to ask her,

As she read the tablet she sunk deeper into her hood and I couldn’t get a good look at her face.

She hastily wrote out.

Mmmm okay. Keep your secrets then, I don’t mind.

I told her.

She wrote.

I read the tablet and gave her a quick nod. She packed the tablet away into her satchel and ran back towards the village waving goodbye to me.