Broseff, though behind, did not lose Peter.The angry Godchild was not pushing his bouva hard at all, not wanting to hurt the creature in his anger. After several minutes of angry galloping, Peter dismounted and started fast-walking into the surrounding woods, looking like he was stalking something. He looked straight ahead and kept an even, unbroken pace.

  He stopped at a rge fallen tree, obviously dead, and stared at it with a hardness that the Pixie who was sitting weightless and invisible on his shoulder had never seen before.He gripped the haft of his kanabō and unsnapped the cord keeping it slung across his back, heaving it around and, gripping it with his other hand, smming it into the dead, fallen, tree. “ARUGH!” He grunted, raising the long, heavy mace weapon over his head again and smming it down onto the fallen tree again. And again. And again.The pixie noticed tears starting to slip from the corners of his eyes and trickle down his cheeks as he rained blow after blow down on the dead wood sending splinters and shards and sometimes chunks of wood flying.

  Considering she had been there for his previous conversations with Broseff, the pixie had a feeling that it wasn’t just seeing the young girl at the Inn with her bruises bared that upset him so. She was all but certain this was him unleashing a lot of pent-up stress that he hadn’t had a chance to.Looking behind them, she saw Broseff with both their mounts, keeping well away from Peter at the moment, letting him have his release.

  Peter continued to sm away at the dead tree, turning it to kindling as the tears streamed down his cheeks.After a minute of making firewood, Peter dropped to his knees, his kanabō falling aside, his breathing heavy and near-sobbing as his emotions overflowed. Gently, the pixie reached out and stroked at Peter’s head, just above his ear, whispering to herself, ?What would you do if you had the chance to help, I wonder…? She had no idea that Peter, as a Godchild of Na’at could understand her and even if he wasn’t, his boon of allowing him to understand all sentient nguages did.

  ?I… I don’t know.? Peter admitted under his breath, ?What can I do to help, other than buy off that contract??The pixie was startled — not only did her new contractee understand her, not tell her to speak a common tongue, but he answered back in the same nguage. And from the sound of it, he had not realized he had. ?What if you could?? She asked.Peter stopped, looking to his shoulder, ?I…? He whispered, looking away, ?If it were that easy… I’d do it in a heartbeat… but then I’d be a part of a broken system. If I bought her contract and set her free… what good am I doing to her… she’d still be an orphan, have no pce to go…?The pixie smiled, ?Not no pce…? ?True. I’d watch her, take care of her until something was figured out? ?Can you trust me?? She asked, ?Because I can help you help her… but… it’s just…? ?Go on. Telling me the truth would help with a lot of that ‘trust’, too.? Peter whispered, taking his sunshades off and wiping his tears away. ?I can get you that money. Technically it’s yours, as my current contractee, but… I don’t want… or feel… like I can reveal everything yet. So… no questions, please.? ?I’ll trust you, little one… I just hope I can show I’m trustworthy of your whole story… when or if you feel up to revealing it.? Peter nodded, putting his sunshades back on as he stood.

  “Peytr?” Broseff called out.He winced, turning to face his friend, “I’m sorry about that. I’m sorry about today. I’m sorry I ran off like that… we didn’t get a chance to go to the Guild office in that city… I don’t…” He whispered hoarsely. “It’s alright.” Broseff said, “Coming from another world… it’s a lot of culture shock.” He nodded, stepping closer with the bouva, “I’m angry too. I just… this is the world, and circumstances, I grew up in. I’m not saying it’s right or it shouldn’t change… it’s just what I know.” “Yeah.” Peter nodded, “I know. I just… feel foolish losing it.” He motioned to Broseff, “Snapping at you. Lashing out at you.” “Snapping, sure. If you shed out at me I think I’d be worse off than I am currently.” Broseff tried to joke, nodding to the tree behind Peter. “…” Peter grimaced, looking ashamed. “Are… you worried I’m mad at you?” Broseff asked, surprised, “Or scared of you.”Peter nodded, picking up his kanabō, “I’m just gd Traya and Enna weren’t here to see that… I can’t stomach losing their trust or friendship.” He muttered, “It’s also why I didn’t want to tell anyone I was a Godchild. I was… am afraid of… causing a gulf between me and others. Because… I’m just so different.” “Yeah, you are different… but not so different that you’re… alien.” Broseff smiled, “Are you okay, friend?” He asked genuinely, hoping Peter could hear the sincerity. “I’m still… angry.” Peter said, embarrassed, strapping his kanabō across his back and walking over to pet Trigga, resting against that firm neck and soft fur, with the beast craning its head over Peter’s shoulder and resting along his back. “I am too.” Broseff agreed, “Seeing … things like that… remind me how broken things are.” “I want to help… but I don’t know how to navigate things ‘properly’… and I get frustrated because I can’t because I need to focus on Enna, the DaiMaou, and all of that.” He whispered irritatedly, petting Trigga’s neck, “To say nothing of feeling like any time I do do something I’m abusing my power as a Godchild.” “You wanna do everything you can but feel you can’t.” Broseff nodded, patting Peter’s shoulder, “That’s certainly an understandable mood.” “What can I do…” Peter sighed.Broseff smiled, “Right now, you can help the people who put up that Task at the Adventurer’s Guild.” He nodded deeper into the forest, “We’re close to the cave the Goblins are supposed to be camping at.” “Oh.” Peter nodded, taking Trigga’s reigns, and started walking in the direction that Broseff pointed them in, “So. Tell me about goblins. Why are they a threat… and how little of a threat are they that they’re newbie-Adventurer-level Tasks?” “Well, remember. This is a small troop, maybe ten tops. And it was meant to be for a ‘full party’ of adventurers. And those are usually made of someone who can take hits as well as give them, a healer, and a couple of others who can do quick damage or something from a distance.” He said, “But they’re aggressive, violent, and are known to raid nearby towns.” Broseff expined, “So any sightings of goblins are investigated quickly and taken out. It doesn’t help that… well, they breed pretty fast too. Not, like, insect brood fast but… fast enough.” He said, “They’re weird too.” “Weird how?” Peter asked, listening to his friend describe a ‘full party’ to be what Peter understood to be a ‘tank’, a ‘healer’, and at least two ‘DPS’. “Well. I’d say ‘wait and see’ but… even so you might not understand.” Broseff said, “They… don’t have normal insides. Like you or me would.” “… Pardon?”Broseff inhaled, “They… don’t have as many organs as a normal creature would. And… their flesh isn’t… flesh…” He expined, “It’s like… they’re half-natural creature and half-dungeon monster.” “Al~righty then…” Peter blinked, “Add that to the list of things to learn.” “What a dungeon monster is?” He asked. “Besides ‘a monster that lives in, or was created by, a dungeon. Yes.” Peter nodded. “Dungeon monsters have this weird… texture to what you would call their flesh.” He stepped over to the base of a tree and pulled something from the ground, holding up something that made Peter recoil and squidge his face up, “It reminds me of the texture of this shrum, and sorta like… an insect hive with all the little holes.”Peter shuddered, taking a step back from the thick-stalked fungus with the brown, withered looking cap. “Something wrong?” the guard asked as he put away the fungus into Blossom’s saddle bag. “I got puke-y sick for three days off of… well, not that thing specifically.” He nodded to the thing in Broseff’s hand, “But a dish made with… what I can only imagine is my world’s version of that.” “Maybe it was a bad variety. Some shrum actually are poisonous.” “This thing was sold in a store. So it had to be from a safe variety.” Peter nodded, “Okay so, seems shrum are the equivalent to mushroom. Good to know… so I can avoid them.” He put a hand over his stomach. “Shame, I love’m.” He said, continuing to walk. “More for you, then. With my blessing.” Peter muttered, “And the blessing of my godly parent.” “Who is?” Broseff asked, grinning. “Remaining a mystery for a while yet.” Peter grinned back.

  {Speaking of godliness…}The voice that spoke was smooth and clear but a little ‘bombastic’ in his delivery.Peter started, Ahck! {Greetings, Nephew} The new voice in Peter’s head chuckled, {I had a bit of a question for you.} Alright… Peter ventured, unsure, How can I help you? {Tis I that wish to help you, Nephew. You know of me, at least, but we have yet to meet properly. I am one of the Pilrs. Jhe’fuh is my brother’s Stand-In, and you train with one of my other brother’s faithful.} Ah! Apologies… um… Yral’ere’nos… right? {Correct! And no need for apologies, Peytr} The god said, {You have been busy after all. The task set before you is a hard one. And I don’t mean the goblins.}Peter frowned, exhaling. Broseff gave him a quizzical look and Peter’s answer was to tap his temple then point upwards. Thankfully, Broseff, eyes wide, understood, nodding. {I sensed a great storm in your heart, Peytr, and as Lord of Storms, I wish to help.} Help how, if I might ask; politely, of course. {I wish to offer you a deal, actually. Now. I have seen you perform a few magik abilities. Your sword and shield and your athyrik bst. All very good, very theatrical in your delivery, I do so like your snarkery.} He grinned, Peter could hear it, {And I am informed you have quiet the capability to learn all sorts of different types of magic.} That is true. One of… one of mom’s gifts was allowing me to be able to attune to all magic types. {Very nice.} Yral’ere’nos chuckled in approval, {Now, my ‘deal’, such as it is, is truly minor and very much all your choice. I am more than happy to teach you some storm and sea magik, allowing you to manifest the storm in your heart, regardless of you accepting my proposal. However… if you do accept it… what you benefit from it is a boost to your storm and sea magiks.} A… Boost… Peter repeated. {Yes. A boost.} Yral’ere’nos grinned, {You have done nothing for me to deny you access to my realms of influence, so you are free to pass on this as you wish, I won’t be offended. But if you take the deal, every time you fulfill the parameters of the deal, you will get a boost to your sea and storm magic. Otherwise the magic is as strong as it normally would be for your skill and power.} Sounds… very nice. What’s the deal, and parameters? {That you own it.} … Peter stopped, blinking, “What?”Broseff paused, looking startled at Peter suddenly speaking aloud. {Oh please, you know exactly what I mean. I am not just Lord of the Sea and Storms, but I am God of The Theater as well. And Na'at, my dear elder sister, could not stop talking about some of the chaotic shenanigans you got into in your... tabletop ARR PEE GEES} "…Oh godsdamn it…" Peter muttered, again aloud and further confusing Broseff. {Come on~ You know you wanna…} Yral’ere’nos actually giggled, {I’ll even throw in the ability that, when you ‘own it’ the magik will match your personal color. That… gold and purple mix. Very snazzy, by the way.}

  “… Okay that is tempting…” Peter muttered, “Sold.” “Weh?” Broseff blinked. {Very well! Badaboom!}The was a small crack of thunder that spooked the bouva as small bolt of lightning pealed down from the heavens and struck Peter.Broseff was sure he saw the otherworlder’s skeleton for a moment. Rubbing his eyes to clear his vision he tried to calm their mounts down, “Peytr?!”

  Inhaling, Peter looked to Broseff, “The goblins?”He pointed, “That way… maybe a minute or two’s walk…”Nodding, and crackling energy over his body, Peter slowly walked in the direction indicated.

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