Becka

It wasn’t cold the morning Rebecka left Wolfpine, but it certainly felt that way.

Joining the Blazers was a wonderful opportunity that could lead to great things, but at the moment, it felt too much like a furtive goodbye. Still, Glenn had already accepted his fate as one of Wolfpine’s Town Guards, so Becka would accept her fate as well. They’d said their goodbyes, bittersweet as those had been, and now it was time to move forward, not back.

She had no excuse to dawdle. She’d packed everything she’d need for the road last night. She’d hugged her father goodbye before she went to meet Glenn at the park, and she’d fully pretended not to see Karl crying. She reached the gates of Wolfpine shortly after the sun rose to find Jenny Ambersun, Blazer Rank Four, waiting patiently on the Safe Road.

Jenny stood beside a single packhorse, a russet-brown animal that looked to have a gentle disposition. The horse was laden with packs and bedrolls but still had room for more, which was a relief. Becka had been prepared to carry her own pack all the way to Lakebrooke, and had actually left some heavier items behind in case she needed to do so, but having a packhorse was preferable.

Jenny wore thick brown traveling robes with a hood that hung down her back, and carried only the small [Unfilled Bag] on her belt. Becka knew it was possible to fit even a ballista inside one of those enchanted bags, so she doubted Jenny had need for anything so mundane as a [Traveler’s Backpack.] Becka had brought her backpack anyway, packed with a dozen custom-tailored blouses and corsets.

Skirts and pants fit fine from the tailor, but most tops were either too tight or too baggy on her until a Tailor used [Perfect Fit]. That made it a pain to buy new clothes, especially a sturdy corset. While there would be plenty of tailoring shops in Lakebrooke, Becka had no idea when she’d have money to spare for actual tailoring, and besides ... she liked her current wardrobe.

Given it was just past 9 in the morning, the town gates had only just opened. Two Town Guards stood stiffly at either side, a man and a woman. Becka didn’t recognize either of them, but these men and women would be Glenn’s family starting today. They’d be taking care of him from now on.

She walked over to the man, placed both hands on her hips, and stared up at the Town Guard from well below his height. His full-face helmet moved incrementally so he could stare down at her. When he spoke, his voice was calm and respectful.

“Can I help you with something, citizen?”

“Watch over Glenn for me,” Becka said calmly. “He’s absurdly brave and often overconfident, so don’t let him get himself killed by being unnecessarily heroic. Make sure he eats lunch every day as well, as he often forgets to bring one. Ribbing him about missing lunch should help.”

The Town Guard said nothing to her.

“Also, he tends to throw himself into work so much he forgets to have fun. So get him into trouble. Get him drunk. Make sure he’s irresponsible, at least some of the time, so he remembers he’s not a guard when he’s not on duty.”

Still the Town Guard didn’t speak. Becka suspected Kya forbid him from doing so. Yet the man was listening, and that was the best she could expect. The Gods only chose Town Guards who were brave, trustworthy, and kind, which is why they had chosen Glenn. He was in good hands in Wolfpine.

Becka thumped the guard firmly on the arm. She looked to the female guard and waved. “See you in three years!” She turned and walked to Jenny, who stood looking bemused.

Once Becka reached her, she slid her pack off one shoulder and looked to Jenny. “Got some more space on that horse?” She reached into her pack and pulled out an apple.

Jenny took the pack from her with a word and settled it onto a bare space on the horse’s flank, then adjusted the straps to make sure it wouldn’t fall off. The horse didn’t seem to notice the additional weight. Like Glenn, the big animal was all muscle.

Becka casually rolled the apple in her hand. “What’s his name?”

Jenny glanced at the apple in Becka’s hand, then smiled in obvious approval. “August.”

Becka was glad the packhorse had a name. The fact that the Blazers gave even their packhorses names suggested they considered horses a part of their team, not mere disposable beasts of burden. Becka had hoped that would be the case, of course, but she couldn’t be sure until now.

“May I feed him an apple?” Becka asked.

“If you must. We already spoil him.”

“My turn then,” Becka said. “Since we’ll be making a three day journey together.”

She walked confidently around to where August could see her past his blinders. She reached out with one palm raised, yet didn’t touch him. She waited for the horse to nod his head and snort agreeably. With that settled, Becka rubbed her hand firmly along his neck. When that elicited no protest, she gently scratched him behind his ears. August rewarded her with an approving snort.

Satisfied that they’d become friends, Becka raised her other hand and offered the apple. August’s nostrils flared as he smelled the fruit. When she offered it, he gummed it out of her hand without snapping. He was gentle as he took the apple. He was a good horse.

Becka gave August one more appreciative pat on the flanks as he contently crunched the apple, then looked to Jenny again. “Shall we be off?”

“Not yet,” Jenny said. “First, we need to make sure you can safely leave Grassea.”

A vague tingle of danger crept up Becka’s spine. “Is there a reason I couldn’t?”

Jenny reached into her [Unfilled Bag] and produced a scroll. She unfurled it to reveal a page of elegant print that was too small to read unless one had a magnifying glass and a great deal of time.

“This is your contract to officially accept our invitation to become a Junior Blazer, approved by the Lakebrooke Guildmaster,” Jenny said. “Once you sign this contract, there’s no backing out.”

“Fine print,” Becka agreed. “So signing this is what allows me to travel to Evolan at Level 4?”

“It is, among other privileges and obligations. Would you like me to summarize it for you?”

“If I disagree with anything in it, can I still join the Blazers?”

“Unfortunately no.”

“Then I’ll sign it right now. I can read it tonight if I have trouble sleeping.”

Jenny produced what Becka immediately recognized as a [Flowing Quill]. It was an enchanted writing implement that never ran out of ink, and yet another item that was far beyond the price range of a low-Level Adventurer. The quill plus Jenny’s [Unfilled Bag] were reminders of the reasons so many clamored to join the Blazers. They got all the best stuff.

Jenny handed the scroll and quill to Becka. After a moment’s consideration, Becka moved to August. “Be a good boy and don’t move.”

The horse snorted agreeably. Becka flattened the scroll against August’s flank and signed as neatly as she could under the circumstances. She took great pride in her penmanship.

The moment Becka finished signing, she felt a familiar tingle throughout her body. She’d just accepted a Quest. Words appeared in front of her in the letters of the Gods, causing her to involuntarily suck in her breath. She might get used to taking Quests some day, but not today.

“You have accepted the quest ‘Become a Junior Blazer’. This quest cannot be abandoned. You may now freely travel with your Blazer sponsor to the nearest Blazer’s Guild, regardless of your Level.”

Becka shook off her momentary disorientation and handed the quill and scroll to Jenny. Jenny rolled the scroll up expertly and tucked both scroll and quill into her [Unfilled Bag], then motioned to August. “That’s it for the formalities. Since you’re already such good friends, why not take his lead?”

Becka obeyed without complaint. It would be presumptuous of a woman who wasn’t even officially a Junior Blazer to ask a Rank Four Blazer to lead their packhorse. She gripped August’s lead firmly and gave it a tug. As she’d hoped, the horse clopped forward agreeably.

The fact that August would listen to her, of course, was why she’d wanted to make friends.

Jenny felt into step on the left side of the horse, behind Becka. They set off down the Safe Road at a casual pace no different than one might Becka might take if she and Glenn were off to hunt Gloamwolves in the woods. At that pace, they wouldn’t reach the southern tip of Grassea until past dark.

That was fine. Making camp at the zone border was a fine plan. They could set off at first light and enter Evolan before lunch time tomorrow morning. The thought of finally seeing the expansive zone Becka had not thought to see for years yet was exciting, if a bit intimidating. Evolan was twice the size of Grassea, and the strongest Monsters there were four times her Level.

Fortunately, she had Jenny Ambersun, Rank Four Blazer, along to protect her. As a Level 20 Spiritualist, the Class to which Jenny had reClassed, Jenny would be a match for anything they encountered on the road. Not even the Monsters of Evolan could stand against her.

As they walked, Becka brought up her Status Sheet so only she could see it. Two important changes had come about since she’d turned in her Quest to rescue Azalea Whitetalon.

Name: Rebecka Coldbreaker ==== Age: 15 Strength: 4 Level: 4 Divinity: 11 Class: Unassigned Luck: 6 HP: 60/60 Vitality: 6 Blood: 110/110 Wisdom: 11 Experience: 21999/22000(Capped) Prowess: 6 Gear: Common: [Tailored Dress] Common: [Travel Boots] Common: [Commoner’s Dagger] Common: [Traveler’s Backpack] Slotted Skills: Uncommon: [-Tracker’s Vision-] (Ranger/Dina) Slotted Blessings: None Known Skills: None Known Blessings: None Quests: Level 8 (Guild): “Become a Junior Blazer” (Blazer) (Certified)

Thanks to the experience she’d gained from rescuing Azalea, her experience was now capped. No matter how many Monsters she defeated, she couldn’t gain any more experience until she turned sixteen three months from now. And when she did so, the man she’d wanted at her side when she set off to travel the world would be standing guard at an open gate a whole zone away.

It wasn’t the first time the Gods had stolen someone she cared for. It wouldn’t be the last. When she’d first set out to become an Adventurer and reach the Divine Level Cap she’d simply done it to spite the Gods for taking her mother away. As the pain dulled, however, her goals changed.

She still missed her mother. She still blamed the Gods for their lies and deceits and machinations, as well as the plague that took her mother. Yet alongside Jenny, as a Blazer, she would truly be able to help people. People, at least, remained quite dear to her.

After they’d walked in silence long enough to leave Wolfpine behind, listening to the rustle of wind in the trees, the gentle buzz of insects, and the content clopping of August’s hooves on the well-worn Safe Road, Jenny spoke once more. “I find it interesting that you haven’t asked me any questions.”

Becka kept her eyes on the Safe Road. “Do those you recruit generally ask a lot of questions?”

“Most recruits have quite a few. Some can’t stop talking the morning we set out.”

“Very well. If you’d like a question, I’ll ask one I haven’t previously researched. How many Blazer candidates have you personally recruited?”

“Dozens, and some even younger than you,” Jenny said.

“How do you have time to Level if you’re constantly traveling?”

“I don’t,” Jenny said, and the admission surprised Becka. “Not everyone in the Blazers seeks the Divine Level Cap. My goal is to ensure we have enough Blazers to protect Landers, though I do take on the odd Quest here or there when those in my charge need aid.”

“That’s very generous of you,” Becka said. “I intend to reach the cap.”

“I’m sure you do,” Jenny said, sounding amused. “Though I do need to remind you not everyone completes this journey. This is just your opportunity to join the Blazers. It’s not guaranteed.

“How often do people fail?”

“Enough.”

“And what happens if they do?”

“They’re sent home,” Jenny said evenly. “Given all you’re leaving behind, both friends and family, would that be so bad?”

Becka knew this was her first test, at least this morning. Jenny was gauging her resolve to become a Blazer despite the fact that it meant a lonely life on the road. As fresh as her grief at leaving those she loved behind might be, the one thing Rebecka Coldbreaker did not do was fail tests.

“It wouldn’t be so bad to go home. I’d be teased a little, and regret not doing more, but I’d still be able to Adventure freely and Level at my own pace. Even so, you won’t be sending me home.”

“That’s reassuring to hear,” Jenny said. “Though ... didn’t you warn the Town Guard that Glenn was often overconfident?”

“Glenn is sometimes overconfident,” Becka agreed. “I’m simply a good judge of my own talent.”

Jenny’s laugh sounded quite genuine. “Please do your best to remember that once we’re in Lakebrooke. Your instructors will do all they can to make you doubt yourself and quit, so confidence like yours is a boon. No matter how hard things get, remember today’s confidence.”

“I intend to,” Becka assured her. “Yet why would our instructors try to make us quit?”

“The life of a Blazer isn’t for everyone. Many are too blinded by the chance to get the best gear and tackle the exciting Quests to realize that they’re giving up a chance to enjoy life’s comforts until too late. Better to weed those glory seekers out early than doom them to a life they won’t enjoy.”

“By life’s comforts, what do you mean?”

“The ability to choose where you Level,” Jenny said. “The ability to start a family of one’s own. No rules forbid us from marrying and requesting a child, but that rarely works out for anyone involved. Our lives are far too busy, and we’re on the road far too often. It’s not fair to those we’d leave behind.”

Becka had never really wanted a child of her own. Still, it was a bit annoying to hear that the option would be taken away ... though it wasn’t that much different for Adventurers. Most everyone who requested children from the church were Townsfolk, because it was still considered reckless for Adventurers to take on a child while risking their lives every day.

Yet Jenny’s admission felt like a hint. “By telling me my instructors will try to weed me out, aren’t you undermining their efforts?”

“I’m already confident you’re cut out to be a Blazer, but I’m simply your recruiter,” Jenny said. “Your instructors in Lakebrooke will need to decide that for themselves.”

Though Becka kept any obvious reaction from her face, she was pleased to hear Jenny express such confidence in her. It made sense that Jenny would be confident in Becka’s ability to become a Blazer—the woman had made a trip all the way out to Grassea to recruit her, after all—but it still felt good to hear Jenny’s confidence in her aloud.

“Any other questions?” Jenny asked. “We have a very long road ahead, and you won’t have much time to prepare once we arrive in Lakebrooke. I’ll be departing almost immediately after I drop you off at the guild to seek out other candidates. Three days on the road is all we get.”

“Three days is plenty of time for me to come up with more questions for you,” Becka said. “For now, why don’t we continue with whatever else you wish to ask me?”

“Fair enough,” Jenny agreed. “What do you expect will happen when we arrive in Lakebrooke?”

Becka looked to the clear blue sky. This would be the last day she saw the clouds over Grassea for three years. “Training?”

“Of what sort?”

Becka took a moment to genuinely consider the question, as well as everything she’d read about the Blazer’s Guild in Wolfpine’s modest library. Blazers handled all sorts of Quests for the people of Balarel: tackling high Level Monsters, escorting important people, handling urgent matters of diplomacy, and even solving crimes committed by those who exploited loopholes to cause harm.

So how, exactly, would one train another person to do such things?

The first thing to focus on, Becka supposed, was what she didn’t know how to do. The gaps in her knowledge, based on where she’d grown up and the resources she’d been able to access before now. Those gaps are where she’d expect her Blazer instructors to focus first.

She didn’t have the faintest idea how to act if she was called to testify before the Queen of Landers and her Council on matters of state. She had only the vaguest idea which utensils to use when at a fancy state dinner. She knew very little of the loopholes exploited by the infamous Shadowers Guild, other than the loophole of intent she and Glenn had discovered a few days ago.

So as much as Becka didn’t like the answer she came to, it was the only one that made sense. “I imagine we’ll be reading a lot of books.”

“You sound disappointed.”

“I’ve always preferred practical learning to reading and tests. But I recognize I can’t learn everything I need to learn about a Blazer’s duties by stabbing Monsters in the back. If this is what’s required of me, I intend to be a dutiful student.”

“You’ll still spend plenty of time in the field,” Jenny promised her. “You’ll have plenty of opportunities to stab Monsters in the back. But for the first few months after you arrive in Lakebrooke, you’ll primarily be reading books and being tested on your knowledge. A Blazer who doesn’t know the laws of the land, church, and province by heart really can’t really call themselves a Blazer.”

“Would I still be reading books if my experience weren’t already capped?”

“For the most part. All Adventurers learn whatever they can to allow them to safely fight and slay Monsters, but Blazers also have a larger responsibility to both learn and enforce the law. Rest assured you aren’t the only candidate to start this journey without significant knowledge of the larger world. Few are offered that luxury before they join us.”

Becka smiled ruefully as another pang of distant grief passed by. “Glenn would be thrilled, of course. By the idea of reading so many new books.”

“I do wish we’d managed to recruit him,” Jenny agreed wistfully. “And you?”

“And me ... what?”

“How are you feeling about leaving him behind? Even having only just met you and Glenn, it was clear how close you’d become as you Leveled together. You obviously adored each other.”

Becka wasn’t sure how much she wanted to reveal about her personal feelings right now, especially since she suspected Jenny was testing her again. “I’ll miss him. He’ll be fine.”

“Will you?”

“Of course. I treasure the time I had with Glenn, but we always knew the Gods might force us apart. We both knew this could happen. We had an accord.”

“Do you blame the Gods for pulling you apart?”

Becka wondered what mystery Jenny was trying to ferret out. “We’re far from the first.”

“That’s not an answer to my question.”

“Before I’d answer it, I’d like to know why it matters.”

Jenny said nothing for a moment. “Why it matters?”

“I doubt the Gods care if I believe Their decision to make Glenn a Town Guard is fair or just,” Becka said evenly. “I certainly know They don’t care that Their decision might make me sad. The Gods, I imagine, are far too busy turning people to salt to worry Themselves with such trivial matters, and as for the Blazers, you had no say in Glenn’s fate. No one defies the will of the Pantheon.”

“So you do blame Them.”

“I blame no one. Life in Balarel is what it is, and while I’ll certainly miss Glenn and everyone I cared for in Wolfpine while I’m training, I’ve earned the chance to join the Blazers Guild and help many who might otherwise be harmed. That’s not a cruel fate at all. By our world’s standards, it’s quite kind.”

“That’s a good answer.”

“Thank you,” Becka said. “Are these questions to be repeated in Lakebrooke? By my instructors, I imagine?”

“If I said yes, would you change your answer?”

“Only if you hadn’t said it was good.”

Jenny laughed again. “I’m so glad you decided to join us, Rebecka.”

“Becka,” she said, and smiled as she walked. “Please. Not even my father calls me Rebecka.”

“Very well, Becka,” Jenny agreed. “And while we’re on the road alone, you may call me Jenny. You only need refer to me as Miss Ambersun in front of travelers or other Blazers.”

As Becka once again considered Jenny’s age—twenty-eight—and what the life of a traveling Blazer must be like, she found one more question that she couldn’t research in Lakebrooke. There might be something deeper behind Jenny’s questions regarding Becka’s relationship with Glenn. Something distinctly personal.

“Who did you leave behind?” Becka asked. “When you were recruited?”

Jenny said nothing. The fact that she’d suddenly gone quiet confirmed Becka had correctly guessed the subtext beneath Jenny’s questions. Jenny had been close to someone as well when the Blazers recruited her, and that person hadn’t been able to join her when she left her town of birth.

Yet Becka knew why Jenny hadn’t simply brought that up when they set out. If Jenny simply offered the fact that she’d left someone behind when recruited, just like Becka was now, she could easily have come off as insincere or even manipulative. Yet now Jenny had gotten Becka curious enough to ask the question herself ... so had that been Jenny’s intent all along?

If that was the case, Becka’s respect for her recruiter grew.

“We were very close,” Jenny agreed quietly. “As close as you and Glenn, I suspect. It was only once the Gods chose him as Townsfolk that the reality of what we’d never have settled in, though ... it wasn’t a complete surprise to me. Even when we Leveled together, I always felt his hesitation to fight. He’d fight bravely to defend me, of course, but not to kill Monsters. Not when we attacked first.”

Becka had sometimes felt the same hesitation herself—what had the Monsters ever done to her?—but she’d never mentioned it to anyone, least of all Glenn. “I imagine the knowledge that he might actually be happy as Townsfolk didn’t make you miss him any less.”

“It did not,” Jenny agreed. “But as odd as it may sound, I did miss him less as my training continued. That is the one good thing about endless reading, and tests, and field work. You will often find you’re too exhausted at the end of the day to pine for old loves.”

“Would it be presumptuous of me to ask his name?”

“Mattias Highbrooke,” Jenny said wistfully. “Once the Gods made their decision, he chose Cultivator without hesitation. He always had a nurturer’s soul.”

So Jenny’s common age boyfriend had become a farmer, though one who used the Skills of the Gods to complement his knowledge of plants, animal husbandry, and plows. It was not a life Becka would choose, but it fit a kind man like this Mattias. Towns would starve without their food.

“It was almost a year before Matty took a wife,” Jenny continued softly. “And while seeing him with someone else was bittersweet, Elza is a good woman. A Culinarian. They’re quite happy together, and knowing he was happy made it possible to let him go.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Becka said evenly.

Despite Becka’s insistence to the contrary, it was still difficult for her to think about Glenn in the arms of another woman. He was supposed to be hers, and he had been until the Gods chose him as a Protector of All. Yet she hadn’t been insincere when she encouraged him to find someone else.

It would of course hurt if Glenn found another woman, but like Jenny for Mattias, she would be glad for Glenn when he did. It was worse to think of him being alone. She couldn’t bear to think of him being unhappy and alone, and she, Becka silently acknowledged, didn’t deserve that either.

Yet before all that, before she even thought about meeting someone new or what might their future might hold, she needed to complete this Quest and join the Blazers. Become a Blazer wasn’t just what Glenn had always wanted, after all. It had become their dream, theirs together.

And once she completed this new Quest, she’d have a number of tales to share with Glenn when she returned to Wolfpine in three years ... as a Rank Eight Blazer.