Gnak

Changed the chapter title for those of you that may have noticed. Was sleepy when I chose it and it was a near duplicate.

Having prepared myself for the eventual trip through what seemed to be a very sunny day, I cleaned up the shards of the shattered jar, which is to say Qubit did, and while feeling apprehensive of the new day and what it might hold in store for me, stepped out of my room. It was much quieter now than the night before, and arriving downstairs into the barroom was a wholly different experience with it being practically empty save for Tristan and Lucie occupying one of the clean tables the one barmaid present had finished cleaning. It seemed the patrons had only recently left, or perhaps even been kicked out, as there was an unpleasant smell permeating the room.

"Good morning." I greeted as I took a seat on one end of the table between the two, dropping my backpack next to their own sacks. "Where's Larry?"

"Probably still passed out from drinking," Tristan responded.

"Pretty much. He replied when I called him but I bet he's out cold again." Lucie gave me a shrug with an amused smile before gesturing at the bar with her chin. "Food will be cold he said. Leftovers from last night. Hope you don't mind, but seems like he was up all night"

As if summoned, the innkeeper appeared from what was likely the kitchen carrying four bowls of the same vegetable stew, this time however not steaming. As he placed them down on our table, I remembered leaving last night's bowl in my room and felt a little guilty seeing how tired the big guy looked. I fished my room key out of my pocket and handed it back over.

"I may have left the bowl from last night in my room. Sorry. I can go and-"

"Tis fine. Nothin' compared to tha mess that lot left behind. I'mma hit the hay, so ask Mary if ya need anythin'" The innkeep pocketed the key while gesturing to the young barmaid cleaning before retreating upstairs.

"If it makes you feel better, Tristan also forgot his."

"I did not forget. Why should I bring it with me when they have someone here who is paid to clean?"

"It's called being polite, but I guess that's not something you learn to be when raised with a silver spoon in your mouth. You know what? it's too early for this. I'm gonna go drag Larry down so we can set off as soon as possible."

With that, she stood up and made her way back upstairs without even touching her breakfast. It seemed like something happened before I arrived, but all I could think about at the moment was an excuse to not have to eat.

What if Qubit stored it whenever I took a spoonful in my mouth? I'll have to try that when I get the chance.

"So what is your plan once we arrive in Arenol?"

Looking up, I saw Tristan intently staring at me while leaning forward over his stew, which was also being left untouched. The question left me slightly stumped as I thought about it. I was originally intending to contact my family, but with that no longer being a possibility, there was not much I could do, and with all the recent revelations bombarding me and my thoughts, I had not gotten to thinking about it yet. I had yet to ask for a place to stay at for at least some time, but beyond that, I was clueless at the moment. Money was the obvious priority, along with a source of blood. Printing things with Qubit was most likely my best bet, but I needed materials and something to replicate, neither of which I had. For now, though, I had to pretend I was looking for a way back home.

Not exactly pretending, just that I have no way back yet.

"I guess I gotta figure out where I am. See if I can get back home. Going to need money for that though. And a place to stay in the meantime."

I saw him scowl when I mentioned a place to stay, after which he leaned back and seemed to think.

"If you had any combat experience, and proficiency with your magic, I would recommend the mercenary's guild. Even here, an ascended would be in high demand. Spirits are not the only danger when traveling. When men get power that puts them above others, they will more often than not abuse it." As he spoke, he leaned forward once more. "You know, maybe you could get away with it. I heard they often make deals with bandits. When there are troubled roads, they get more business. The mercenaries give a cut to the bandits to let them pass. Win-win. Well, most of the time. Greed is a fickle thing. But as an ascended, they would probably think twice before betraying, especially since you would be paid in premium."

That sounds way too dangerous. I would just be bluffing, and I would have to keep my act up in front of many more. At the very least it is an option if worst comes to worst.

"I'm not sure if that is for me. I'd rather see if there is a safer option first."

"Why not, though? It would give you a means to travel. To get back home even. It does not seem to me like you have many options and this seems to be as perfect as it gets. Save for the little risk, but I'm sure you could handle yourself."

I felt uneasy about his suggestion, and could not tell why he was pushing it so much. I did not know him long, but so far my impression of him does not make me think he would want to help without reason.

"I want to get home without dirtying my hands, be that scamming or bloodshed. I'm not going to go down that road without being forced."

"Trying to be noble I see. I wonder how long that will last."

Is he still suspicious of me? Not that I blame him but what could I even do?

Just then two pairs of footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs and before long Lucie appeared with a rather miserable looking Larry trailing behind. She was carrying his belonging as well as the empty food bowl.

"You didn't need to wait for us," Lucie commented as she saw our bowls untouched before sitting down, dropping Larry's sack with the rest.

Larry mumbled something that vaguely resembled a good morning as he bleary-eyed inspected his breakfast, and surprisingly being the first to eat any despite being the last to show. The grimace on his face however showed that he instantly regretted it, as he abruptly stood up and sprinted for the front door, nearly tumbling as he pushed it open and expelling the contents of his stomach. We all sat there watching, and I heard a definite sigh of defeat from Lucie.

"I swear, every time and he never learns."

I was about to attempt using this as an excuse to have lost my appetite, but turning back I saw them both begin eating and I resigned myself to potentially joining Larry, albeit with less of an excuse. As I placed the first spoonful in my mouth, however, I was startled to find that the contents were empty, leaving me confusedly staring at my spoon for a second before I realized what had happened.

You can read my mind?!

It took all of my self-control not to turn to face Qubit and yell. I was outraged at the invasion of my privacy, and of not being informed, but I could not help and admit that it could be quite useful as it was now.

"All good?" Lucie seemed to ask me and I realized I had stopped eating.

I gave her a quick affirmative before continuing to shovel spoonfuls into my mouth.

Anything else I should know? Or should I come to expect surprises every day from now on?

"I believe this should be the last of what might surprise you, save for any new developments."

I lost my composure as Qubit suddenly started talking, causing me to whirl to look at it hovering at my side, before quickly returning my gaze forward. The two in front of me had confused looks as they peered where I had turned to, but did not say anything when they apparently saw nothing.

"Just uh... never mind." I hung my head in embarrassment and kept my gaze fixed on my stew as I got used to my mind having been invaded.

Great, now I look like I'm jumping at my own shadow. So, what, they can't see or hear you?

"Correct. While my stealth mode is enabled, only you can perceive my existence. Normally, you would be able to designate exceptions, however that function has been disabled."

It was quite unnerving having my thoughts answered out loud by an object that only I could hear or see. If I did not have proof otherwise, I might have begun to believe I was going insane and Qubit was a figment of my imagination. And if I was not in a world of magic.

Larry finally made his return, dragging himself back to the table, sitting down with a groan, and resting his head in his hands.

"I should not have drunk so much."

"No kidding." Tristan snorted as he seemed rather amused by Larry's self-inflicted misery.

"I'll cut back."

"You say that every time," Lucie remarked.

"Next time for real."

All he got as a response was a sarcastic agreement from Lucie and a chuckle from Tristan. I felt bad for him but still could not help but smile. Soon enough we finished eating, with Larry forcing himself to consume as much as his stomach would allow him, and got ourselves settled into the cart after they handed Mary the remaining keys. I kept on checking to ensure I was properly covered, a constant worry of disintegration nagging at my mind. Soon enough we were on the road and on our way out of this village and heading to wherever Arenol was located.

Today it was a lot more pleasant of a journey, at least for me, as it was Lucie leading the cart this time due to Larry being incapacitated in the back, leaning over the edge every so often to ensure what is, or was inside him stayed outside the cart. We ended up conversing a bit, mostly idle talk as she seemed to not want to pry too much.

Every so often we would encounter a merchant heading in the direction where we came from, and they tended to have at least one or two extra companions who appeared to be guards, or mercenaries, as Tristan had called them. From the ones I saw, there did not seem to be a uniform or any method to identify them as far as I could tell, but every single one of them was either really young, at least for that sort of job, or old, and always paired with one of each. Eventually asking Lucie, I learned that it was due to a mix of reasons, with one of them being that they were cheaper hires than experienced adults who were also few in this region due to those serious about that career path having left to more dangerous lands. Most of the mercenaries left here then pair up, young and old, based on their elements to complement each other as well as shore up the weaknesses of the other, them being experience and age respectively.

It might not be so bad of an option after all if I can find someone to teach me. Becoming a witch, if that is even what they are called here, would be sweet. A path of violence is bound to lead to blood at least if I really can't solve that. Qubit, how many days do I have left till I run out of the werewolf blood?

"If used sparingly and without incurring any injuries, you would run out in twenty-one days."