Chapter 88

“This feels stupid,” I complained loudly as I swung my arm back and forth. The wooden knives bound to my left hand with leather cords didn’t move despite my flapping.

“Is it working?” Nazim countered as he circled to the right, trying to position himself to attack with his claw.

I didn’t need to glance at my Status to know the answer to his question. I had already seen the steps being added to my Path of the Claw. Instead of lamenting how dumb it felt to have wooden utensils acting as faux claws, I started on the task at hand. Mirroring Nazim’s movements came easily since they were only a minor variation on what George had been teaching me for years.

The wolfkin matched my speed and strength, though he still had the advantage of a longer reach over me. For almost two hours, we circled back and forth, exchanging blows with wooden swords and claws. I still lost more exchanges than I won. Most wasn’t all though and Nazim had grunted in approval every time I managed to land a blow against him.

Finishing up as the sky finally started to brighten, we went inside together, sweat dripping from me. Mum turned to smile at the pair of us from where she was frying up a huge breakfast. I caught the smell of honey in the air, my mouth filling with saliva. She playfully batted me away with her hand when I tried to see what she was making.

“Go wash up, Sweetheart. Breakfast will be ready by the time you’re done.”

I didn’t argue with her despite my growling stomach demanding sustenance. Besides, it was the day of the festival and I had a couple of things to grab from my room anyway. Grandma Lucille had told me that you normally gave out your gifts for such events in the morning since the festivities were expected to start before lunch and continue long into the evening.

The stairs creaked beneath my feet as I dashed upstairs to my room. A quick wipe down with a cold, wet rag and a change of shirt was all I needed to clean up. Before I left my room, I scooped up the three presents, wrapping them up in one of my coats. I took the stairs two at a time on the way back down in my impatience to show everyone their gifts.

Gramps was already there when I arrived and gave me a curious look when he saw my coat. I flashed him a cheeky grin, arranging the material on my chair so it wouldn’t open before I veered off to brew him his morning tea. Nazim returned halfway through the water heating, still wearing his leather jacket, but with a few stray beads of water in his fur indicating that he too had washed up for breakfast.

Mum started serving as I carried Gramps his mug of tea. We never ate poorly, since the Adventurer’s Society was not skint when it came to providing us with supplies, but this morning's breakfast was a true masterpiece.

Fried eggs sat beside crispy rashers of bacon. Gramps and Nazim had cooked mushrooms on their plates while I got the same with tomatoes. The old codger couldn’t eat them often as they upset his stomach. But the crowning jewel was the four stacked pancakes drizzled with honey we each received. The three of us dove into our food headfirst as Mother laughed while admonishing us all not to choke. I’m pretty sure none of us listened.

Ten minutes later, I was sighing with a full belly. Across from me, Nazim was licking honey off his paws. Mum was still eating while Gramps sipped his tea, giving me the side eye.

“What do you have there, Bastian?” he asked.

My lips curled up in amusement at his inquisitiveness. If anyone asked in the future why I was always so curious, I was definitely going to blame it on the old man. Still, he always rewarded my own curiosity, so I felt it only fair I should do the same for him.

Hopping off the chair, I turned around and started unwrapping the festival gifts I had gotten for them. Gramps’ was first, and I pulled out the wooden pipe. The polish the woodworker had used had turned the wood a golden brown rather than the darker colour I had expected. The coloured helped to make the silver flames engraved into the side stand out. The crafter had even made a little wooden stand to sit the pipe on.

“Ta-da,” I said happily, waving my arm at the gift. “My festival gift for you. Do you like it?”

Gramps' eyes had widened slightly, and he looked away to brush at his face with his sleeve. When he shifted to face me once more, he reverently picked up the pipe, turning it in his hand. Mum had no such reservations about hiding her tears, a few leaking down her cheeks as she watched on.

“I love it,” Gramps muttered, rotating it back and forth in his hand.

“Kappu said it’s made of briar wood, so it should last a long time and not make your smoke taste funny.”

“Good choice for a pipe,” Gramps said with a snort, putting the tip of the pipe to his mouth even though there was nothing inside it. The silver flames wrought into the side of the pipe looked like they were racing down to the opening away from his mouth. “And here I thought we were going to surprise you with your gifts. Thank you, lad. It’s perfect.”

“I’ve got gifts for you two as well,” I said as I spun back to my pile. Pulling out a little woven bag that smelled of citrus that I had gotten from the Kellins’ trading post, I pushed it across to Nazim. “To make your room smell nicer and help you sleep.”

It wasn’t much, but I hadn’t known Nazim anywhere near as long and had honestly been stumped as to what to get him. I was pretty sure he knew as well, since he followed me around any time I went out, and his nose was incredibly sensitive. Still, he said thanks, taking a few sniffs of the pouch, his lips curling around his snout in the way I had come to identify as a smile.

I saved Mum for last because her gift was the biggest. Scooping up the folds of fabric that tried to slide over my arms like water, I gently placed them in her lap. Her eyes shot open as she touched the gown.

“Sweetheart, this is spider silk… where did you…” she paused, glancing at the backdoor. “Lucille, of course. But honey, how did you afford this?”

“I bought it with my aether coins,” I explained, wringing my hands a little as I waited to see if she liked it. “But, umm, Kaylee seemed to think I wasn’t paying enough. Grandma Lucille only took one of my aether coins for it.”

Gramps snorted in amusement. “Seems to me Lucille was giving you a gift as well, Bastian. Go try it on, Penny.”

“Yeah, try it on Mum!” I said hopefully.

Mum looked between the two of us before smiling a little. “Alright, but not until I have cleaned up. I’m sure someone in Hornpeak has a Skill to remove stains, but best not to risk it.”

“We’ll handle that, Penny. You go get changed,” Gramps pressed as he turned words into action, standing and collecting the plates.

I jumped up to help Nazim and Gramps with taking the food scraps outside and scraping them into a barrel that Mum used to improve her soil before they brought the greasy wooden plates back inside for me to wash. While we cleaned up, Mum finally left to go get changed.

The three of us were waiting around the table when she returned. I had always thought my Mum was the most beautiful person in the world, but I was also a biased little kid who loved her dearly. The dress I had gifted her took what she already possessed and made it more. Grandma Lucille was a miracle worker. The dress hung perfectly down to Mum’s ankles, her brown leather boots peaking out from beneath them. The lower half of the gown was pleated making the dress flare ever so slightly from her waist when she turned. Above her stomach, the dress hung looser, breathing in the air before being cinched once more close to her neck. The same looseness was present along the arms with little silver buttons cinched at her wrists and some simple white scrollwork around her forearms.

Mum did a few little turns for us while we clapped, her heart-shaped face lighting up.

“You should have Kaylee braid your hair up,” Gramps suggested, his new pipe hanging from the corner of his mouth unlit.

“I will. But enough about that,” Mum cooed, her cheeks still flush from happiness or embarrassment at being the centre of attention. “Bastian has given us our gifts, but we still need to give him his.”

I perked up. In the heat of the moment, I had completely forgotten that they would be getting something for me as well. Gramps stood, exiting the kitchen for his office with Nazim following. When they returned, Gramps was holding a bundle of fabric which he placed down gently on the table. The clank of metal was distinct, and I raised my eyebrows curiously.

Nazim’s gift was far more conspicuous, and he simply placed it in front of me. The small shield was made from wood with metal bands on both sides bolting it together and reinforcing it. Down the middle were a series of leather straps and buckles so that it could be bound to my arm rather than held.

“When you’re a little older, we can work on defending with metal vambraces, but I thought giving you a proper buckler might help for now,” Nazim offered with a wolfish grin. “Plus, now you can use it in the tournament if you want”

I couldn’t stop grinning. There was no way I would be able to block the strike of an adult with my strength, but a few eleven year olds? That I could manage.

Mum was next, holding out a book to me. “I know you want to be an adventurer, and while I will never not worry about you I thought this might help.”

She opened the cover to show me the pages within. The book was far thicker than I had expected, the paper thinner than the brown sheets we normally used for my lessons. Page after page detailed creatures you might find in the wilds of Meravia and Ajinar along with their uses and what to be wary of along with common Skills they possessed. Mum flipped to halfway through the book where a page written in large letters proclaimed ‘The Echoing Depths.’

“This has information on Dungeons?!” I exclaimed.

Mum nodded, brightening at seeing my excitement.

“Come on, Penny, before we lose him to his new book, let me give him my gift?” Gramps said, interrupting us as he motioned to the piece of cloth covering whatever had caused a metal clank on the table.

“Okay, Dad,” she agreed as she pulled the book back and closed the cover. I couldn’t help following the movement, my curiosity screaming at me to get the book back and see what was inside. I restrained myself and turned to my final gift as the covers were literally drawn back.

Beneath the material sat a leather glove sized for my young hand. The inside looked to be braced with a soft, red fur which I instantly recognised as coming from a certain dead bear. Along the back of the fingers, braced by metal hinges, were steel claws.

“Since Nazim said you were learning how to use the Hunting Wolf style properly, I thought we should get you something a little better than wooden knives to practise with.”

I grinned at seeing my gifts. “Thanks, Gramps! I love it.. The shield and book too!”

“Well, now that is out of the way, shall we go see if Lucille and Kaylee need any help setting up their stall for the day?” Mum suggested as she fiddled with the embroidery near her wrists.

I jumped at Mum’s suggestion, carrying my new claw upstairs along with my book and setting them atop my clothes chest. Back downstairs, I put my wooden sword on one hip and hatchet on the other. Nazim grabbed a leather belt to loop over my shoulder so we could strap the new shield to my back. It would save me from having to run back home later to get it.

Then, with everything handled, we closed up the outpost and headed over to Etta’s house to kick off the first Hornpeak festival.