"On your mark, get set… Go!"

 

"Whooah"

 

Thud

 

"Come on Luise, you can't expect to become an adventurer if you can't run. Try not leaning into it so hard, it's messing with your center of balance"

 

My form as an abyssal had a tail. Because of that, when I ran I was able to lean more forward and I could still keep my balance. Now that my tail is gone, that habit keeps on making me lose balance and eat dust. 

 

"If only you could run as good as you can shoot"

 

"Ugh… hey, some of us are good at some things, others are good at other things."

 

As part of my lessons with Mr. Johnston he has been teaching me how to use a crossbow. Oddly enough, it feels like second nature shooting the thing, but the process of reloading the bolt leaves much to be desired.

 

"Yeah, sorry. Come on take my hand, lets do our exploring portion of today before it gets dark"

 

He stuck on his hand so I could get up faster. I've lost track of how many times I've eaten dirt since I came here. Once from Nicole, once from the boar, and so many more times from practice…

 

"Grab your gear, we'll head out in 10, got it?"

 

"Yep, on it"

 

My gear was relatively basic stuff, it was all surplus gear borrowed from the store. It consisted of a basic knife, small crossbow, first aid supplies, pack of bolts, and some tanned leather armor. I already had my own knife, but I was still unsure whether others knowing I could summon it at will would be a problem or not. That, and also the knife looks incredibly rusted so my current borrowed blade would probably be better anyways. 

 

"Ready?"

 

"Yeah, I'm ready"

 

"Calliope. Watch over the place while we are gone, alright?"

 

"... huh? Oh, uh yeah"

 

Calliope looked like she was passed out on top of a book. From the month worth of lessons that I have taken from her I learned quite a bit about who she is as a person. Truthfully, she is lazy. If I give her something to focus on she can talk about everything concerning said object or subject, but not once has she ever had a proper teaching plan prepared beforehand. Well, something is better than nothing I guess.

 

“Alright Luise, remember to follow me, alright?”

 

“Yeah yeah, right behind you”

 

Even now it still feels weird being called that. It's like a nickname that doesn’t quite feel right. I… I wonder what my name was before all this. The Goddess said my name, but every time I heard it I felt a pounding headache cover it up. 

 

“Hey Luise, something on your mind? You look out of it.”

 

What was I supposed to tell him? That I am a member of a species that will soon come to this world and obliterate everything you ever cared about? That before that I was some guy that I can barely even remember, and that even before that I was something else that I remember even less? Seriously, who would believe that from an adult, let alone a child. 

 

“Mr. Johnston, have you ever thought about your name?”

 

“My name? No, not really. Why do you ask?”

 

“Well, names are just syllables, sounds that others make to identify who we are. And yet, these sounds have so much meaning to us, that by being called by the wrong sound can feel wrong or even offend some people.”

 

“Um, yeah I guess that is true. I mean I would feel pretty peeved if someone called me Robert or something.”

 

“And even then, sometimes we will call others that we care about by other sounds. Sounds that are shortened, sounds that describe some attribute, or even something ironic that is the opposite. Depending on who says it, that could be a sign of endearment, or even a sign of disdain.”

 

“Hehe, yeah nicknames sure are something aren’t they. Although I’ve never actually thought about the stuff as in-depth as you seem to be doing. For me it's just something that exists, you know?”

 

“Yeah… maybe I am looking too much into it.”

 

“Nah, I don’t think so. If anything it's good that you are questioning these things at this age. I mean, curiosity leads to discovery, right?”

 

“Wasn’t the saying: curiosity kills the cat?”

 

“Yeah, but satisfaction brought it back!”

 

I think I’ve heard someone tell me that before, but before I could dwell on it further a familiar brightly colored moss caught my eye.

 

“Hey Mr. Johnston, what type of moss is that?”

 

I pointed to a moss hanging from a nearby tree. The brightly colored orange and red flowers were familiar, the same moss that I encountered when I first entered the forest.

 

“Oh that? Yeah don’t touch that stuff. It's the reason we don’t let the kids run too deep into the forest aside from all the wildlife.”

 

“Wait what? What does it do?”

 

“I think it's called a paralytic? Not sure the exact name but if you touch it your body will slowly become numb and you’ll lose the ability to move your limbs. If you touch enough then it’ll eventually stop your heart. Truly scary stuff.”

 

Wow. What would have happened if I had used that same moss as a rope back when I was trying to get the hog. That would have been a really really stupid way to die.

 

“Because the colors are so bright, many young children will often try and nab a flower or two and end up dying because of it. Just one of the many reasons why I was upset at Calliope for sending you out here back then. I still don’t know what she was thinking.”

 

“Eh she probably had her reasons”

 

“Very stupid reasons. She’s brilliant when it comes to anything concerning magic, but it seems the one thing her mentor never taught her was common sense. That and also planning ahead, although you can kinda bundle them both into one.”

 

And with that we continued to walk through the forest to find something to hunt. It was quite common for Johnston and I to have a conversation like this on our way into the forest, it was something that I really enjoyed, even if at times it brought up bad feelings.

 

It was just another day. Another calm day I would not give up for the world.