Spending a whole day bartering and losing did a lot in terms of bringing me down from my high horse about being special, while yes I was an extreme talent in terms of children, if the skills of common merchants that through these parts is enough to stifle me like that I clearly need to get a lot stronger considering that there are people who count their age in centuries not decades.

 

The idea for tonight was to question my brother as well as my father in order to help me determine what kind of path I wanted to pursue. Out of the gate one as a runic mage or caster mage was out of the question, it would get me noticed way too quickly and end up with me forced to accept a lifetime contract, that gave me options as any other type of crafter or fighter, even as a farmer should I want to considering I could downplay my mana farming skill.

 

So after dinner, while mother and Judy were out with Kate I went in to start planning my future.

 

“Hey brother, I was wondering what being a guard is like?” He looked up from his drink at my question with an intrigued look on his face while dad just about choked on his.

 

“W-wh-where is this coming from Ajax?” Dad is starting to look panicked that I might follow in my brother's footsteps.

 

“Yeah little brother, didn’t you already start your training in blacksmithing?” he smirks at me knowing that he was the reason I started off with blacksmithing as opposed to swordsmanship.

 

“It’s just that after spending a day selling and buying things at the fair I thought about what job I might do in the future, as much as like blacksmithing it isn’t something that I can see myself doing for the rest of my life” I answer, all the while looking at my father as if to convey to him that as much as he might want me to follow in his footsteps it isn’t going to happen.

 

“You don’t really need to be so worried about that, with skills in drawing running and stealth you can always become a messenger, and those are always needed” brother seems to think that this is a great future and while I understand the importance of a timely delivered message in times of crisis, even thinking about being a career errand boy sends a shiver up my spine.

 

“Derk even told me that his dad was relieved today when he told him about your stealth skill since this village didn’t have a messenger to send should something happen” he blind sides me with something that I am very surprised to hear, where the hell did they learn about my stealth skill?

 

“How do they know about my stealth skill? I hadn’t told anyone about that until today. I thought the ability to read another person's status was extremely rare” I am downright panicked at this, do they know about all my skills?.

 

---

 

Tom P.O.V :

 

Ajax freaks out when he hears about the opportunity to have a calm peaceful life with a guaranteed job and few responsibilities. I instantly start feeling very guilty about having leaked out his skill to both Jonny and Derk, at the time it didn’t seem that big of a deal.

 

“N-No t-they don’t, I may have let it slip out that you have it… “ my voice runs out of volume towards the end of my sentence. I see a look of relief instantly take over him, morphine an instant later into one of rage, that just as quickly turns into something that seems like the mask of focus our strategy instructors get on their faces when they play each other in those weird strategy games, end ends up with a look that all but screams he has a plan in mind, and from the way he is eyeing me, I think it doesn’t bode well.

 

“B-B-But I don’t wa-want to be a messenger.” his eyes start getting wet and it feels like a dagger to my heart for having ruined his future.

 

“I’m sorry Ajax, is there any way I can make it up to you?” I try to placate him before he may burst out crying, I’ll end up sleeping in the forest if mom and Kate come back to find him crying because of me.

 

I catch the small smirk that flash on his face before he looks up at me, all signs of it gone his face a picture of innocence “Really, you’ll help train me in all the weapons you learned to use while being away, maybe if I get a skill in one of those it will make it easier for me to pick a different career.” And there’s the ploy: he basically signed me up as a full time instructor for a full two weeks, the question is how do I get out of this without causing a shitstorm to fall on my head afterwards.

 

Right as I figure my way out and open my mouth to answer, I see it in his eyes he knows I have my ticket out the door opens and in walks mother, Judy and Kate. I see him through a look at the door before he beats me by saying “You won’t do it?”.

 

“Do what?” Kate asks as she comes to take a seat by my side.

 

“After he told D-” that's as far as I let him get out before I quickly cut him off, the little brat he was ready to throw me in front of the cart, yes I might have done the same to him, but mine was an honest mistake, we were supposed to be brothers.

 

“Of course I’ll do it.”

 

---

 

Kate P.O.V :

 

Spending the afternoon being given a tour of the village by Silvia and Judy was a lot more enjoyable than I would have thought, after being raised in a city to a poor single mother I was so shocked to see how strong the bonds between these people were all the way out here in the forest. Despite not being family they all knew and helped each other without looking for an angle.

 

Having returned home I find my lover with a defeated look on his face and his brother Ajax with the same one he had as he was leaving the market despite not being able to buy anything after that bag of seeds.

 

“Everything okay?” I ask him after we retreat to our room for the evening.

 

“Yeah, it’s all fine, I may have spilled about Ajax’s stealth skill without asking him about it and he has me training him in everything I know about weapons until we leave, sorry I won’t be able to take you to see caves this village was named after.” he tells me.

 

It’s not a big loss, I don’t find caves that interesting in the first place so spending more time connecting to what could turn out to be my only family in the future, seeing how my mother died 2 years ago was a much better way of spending my time, especially since I found myself feeling welcomed and liking these people.

 

“Don’t look so down, come here I’ll make it up to you” I call to him in a sultry voice from the bed as I pull aside the blanket.

 

---

 

Sam P.O.V :

 

I can hear some suspicious sounds as I pass Tom’s room and call it a night as I get into bed.

 

“Is everything okay?” Silvia looks at me concerned, my façade of being indifferent to Ajax not continuing as a blacksmith must have fallen.

 

“I’ll be okay, it’s just that Ajax has decided not to become a blacksmith, he even roped Tom into training him how to fight, all because he doesn’t want to be a messenger.” I let out a sigh at how powerless I feel.

 

“Hmm, if he just doesn’t want to be a messenger I could try talking the rest of the crafters in the village into trying him out as an apprentice before he turns 10, lord knows they all owe me a favor or 2 from all the times they had me help them out with selling their wares after a dry spell in their income” She comforts me with an idea I hadn’t even considered.

 

She’s right, just because Ajax won’t become a blacksmith that doesn’t mean that he won’t be a crafter there are many professions that he could take up. My mood instantly perks up as we cuddle to go to sleep.

 

“What would I do without you?” I murmured before I fell asleep.