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An Otherworldly Scholar - 47
🕑 Added 2023-08-25 23:22:05 +0000 UTCMy mind had trouble processing everything Dassyra had just told me. Not only had Mr. Byrne, the old and eccentric millionaire, actually traveled to Farcrest, he had also contacted Dassyra’s tribe, and revealed his otherworldly nature to them. On top of that, he had also sired a half-orc child that turned out to be one of my pupils.
“Let's gather those pesky herbs of yours and call it a day. I can see in your face that you are exhausted.” Dassyra said in a humorous tone.
“I wouldn't be if a certain someone hadn't tried to kill me.” I replied with a tired smile.
Wise or not, Byrne had instructed Dassyra to kill any person from Earth despite their true intentions. I glanced at Dassyra’s tattooed arm. After experiencing the raw strength of her blows, I could only hope for Wolf to inherit at least half of her mother’s strength.
“Mothers can be overprotective at times.” Dassyra apologized as she tried to get up, however, her knees gave out before she could stand. She clenched her teeth and placed her hand on her stomach.
I instantly jumped up to help her. Despite her endurance, the wound on her side was too recent for her to try to swat down a slippery Scholar with five levels in [Swordsmanship].
“It's just a small bruise.” Dassyra said, ignoring the fact that the Ice Wraith buried its claws deep into her flesh.
I could only guess what kind of pain she was experiencing. A mere scratch from the Undead Puppet had left my body completely numb. Considering how nonchalant Dassyra and Elincia were about big and powerful monsters, I guessed survival was different in this corner of the universe. My near-death-experiences counter was too high for a lifetime, at least for someone from Earth.
Dassyra placed her arm around my shoulders and dropped her weight on my back. My knees complained and I instantly regretted skipping leg day for the last seven years. Dassyra was built like a rhino.
“You are heavy.” I grunted as I helped the two meter amazon of an orc.
“Thanks, it's hard to maintain the muscle here in the outpost. We have no gymnasium here and training with the younglings barely makes the cut.” Dassyra replied as she displayed a tusked smile for me.
I didn’t mention there were times when Wolf and Firana left me gasping for air after sparring.
“Certain someone tried to kill me!” The Changeling barked before returning to its vulture form and taking off again. I saw it soar the skies and made a mental note to give it a proper treat next time.
Dassyra leaned on me and pointed in the direction of the cascade. “Fire Vines in that direction.”
I struggled to make the words leave my mouth but eventually, I managed.
“Godspeed.”
The edge of the valley was an almost vertical wall of white rock that raised several meters up the sky. From the top, a stream of water formed an arch just to land into a deep pond probably formed by years and years of erosion. Other than the waterfall, small trickles of water fell along the stone wall and formed small silvery streams that joined the creek down the slope.
I had a heated discussion with Dassyra because she wanted to help me with the harvesting. I was stalwart, she was wounded and lacked my cheat skills that let me harvest the right ingredients. Finally, after appealing to a whole litany of arguments, the orc woman agreed to let me do the dirty work.
“If a stray monster appears and something happens to you, the Caretaker is going to kill me.” Dassyra said as she slowly walked behind me. “She told me a whole lot about you.”
“If you still tried to kill me, then Elincia must not like me a lot.” I replied.
“Oh, don’t worry about that. She adores you.”
I had to endure the impulse of looking over my shoulder to see if Dassyra was joking and focused on the Fire Vines in front of me. The plants seemed to like humid places with lots of disponible water because they grew in dense clumps around the small streams of water.
I used [Identify].
Fire Vine. [Identify]: Rare plant that gathers fire mana from the environment. If mature enough, its pods can ignite dried plants. Grows in humid locations to avoid starting fires. Alchemy ingredient.
Was I going to bring great amounts of a potentially explosive plant into a manor mostly made of wood and full of cute orphans? I sighed. Experimentation would have to wait.
“The Caretaker told me how you appeared out of nowhere, acted like a damn maniac, and fixed most of the orphanage's problems.” Dassyra continued speaking.
Wolf must have inherited his reserved personality from his father.
“We are yet to solve the orphanage's biggest problems.” I replied, trying to dismiss the part I played in the orphanage's current situation. Stable but at the edge of the precipice.
“You are quite similar to Byrne-Samuel, Rob. Are all men from your country that prone to fixing people's issues?” Dassyra asked.
“There are lots of kinds of men back at home, but I guess it is generally expected from us to fix stuff.” I replied as I shrugged my shoulders. “Household appliances mostly.”
I didn't expect Dassyra to understand my joke. Back at the orphanage my jokes usually went over Elincia's head and got me only confused looks. However, Dassyra laughed heartily.
“You know what house appliances are?” I asked, shocked.
“Of course I do. I had Byrne locked in a cage answering my questions for a week before I could convince the Elders to let him go. He did enter our territory without permission after all.” Dassyra said with a smug expression. “I kind of wish we had vacuum cleaners in this world.”
“Vacuum cleaners are great.” I replied.
I walked along the stone wall, searching for more Fire Vines among the ferns and brambles, with Dassyra glued to my heels. I never suspected the amounts of enjoyment a conversation about electric appliances and small modern commodities could give me. Despite having green skin, ivory tusks, and arms strong as trees, having a conversation with Dassyra felt like interacting with someone from my own world.
Over our heads, the Changeling drew wide circles in its avian form.
“What happened to Byrne?” I asked as our talk about soda flavors died.
A search for the man had taken me into this world so I was curious about his whereabouts. If I managed to find him I could dispel a lot of doubts regarding the System and the origin of the portal between our worlds.
“I don't know. He liked to investigate things, he traveled to Farcrest every other month and met with the previous Caretaker to discuss whatever he was researching at that moment. One day, when I was away patrolling the northern frontier, he went to Farcrest without an escort and he never came back. The Farlands are unforgiving, so he may as well be dead.” Dassyra replied.
I didn’t want to hint that he could’ve just abandoned her so I pushed the conversation in another direction. As much as I wanted to figure out what Byrne knew, I was more worried about Wolf. A dead parent wasn’t trivial for a teenager kid.
“And Wolf knows this?” I asked.
“Yes. Wolf quickly realized he’s not a pureblood orc. Human kids are weak compared to orc kids so… I had to tell them. He took it well, all things considered.” Dassyra explained. “Don't get me wrong. Half orcs are welcome in our towns, they are kin to us. However, most of them choose to accept the System and live among humans. Ongo and Risha were raised with the old Caretaker and they both decided to not return.”
Risha. Elincia's best friend had been a half orc from Dassyra's people.
I didn't know how to feel about Elincia keeping it a secret from me. I shook my head knowing that I wasn't the one to complain considering the amount of lies I keep telling her.
I pushed those ideas to the side.
“Has Wolf mentioned something about coming back to the Farlands with us?” Dassyra asked with a shy tone and I understood how hard it had been for her to ask the question.
“Wolf hasn't said anything about returning with the orcs, but he has not mentioned anything about staying with us humans.” I replied. “In fact, he rarely speaks about himself. He's worryingly stoic for his age.”
Dassyra laughed again and the tension of the moment disappeared.
“It's good to hear he hasn't forgotten how to be a true orc.” The woman smiled. “What else? Does he have a fiance yet?”
My brain took a moment to click. People were considered adults with merely fifteen years in this world. I shook my head.
“Isn’t he too young for marriage?” I asked.
“Now you are talking like a worried mother.” Dassyra laughed. “What about a girlfriend, then?”
I didn’t know what the orphanage's dating policy was but I knew for a fact that a lot of schools forbid teens from dating. Not that it worked anyway. I made a mental note to ask Elincia if she had 'the talk' with the older kids, the last thing we needed was an unplanned pregnancy.
“As far as I know, Wolf doesn't have a girlfriend. But again, keeping secrets from parents and teachers is definitely a teenager thing.” I said, prompting another laugh from Dassyra.
Now that we were talking in English, she didn't seem as stoic as before.
“Wolf is mostly reserved. He never complains about anything and he's very diligent with training. The other kids respect him and, for some reason, the younger children like him a lot despite Wolf's attempts at ignoring them. I think they know Wolf is kind inside.” I said.
Dassyra nodded with a satisfied expression.
“Is he strong like us?” She shyly asked as if she was talking about something frowned upon.
“He's stronger than the other kids, probably stronger than an adult man but not a lot more than that.” I replied, sensing that there was a strong correlation between the amount of strength and the likelihood of Wolf coming back to join orc society.
Dassyra kneeled by my side and examined one of the smaller vine pods.
All the questions about Byrne’s discovery of the magic portal left my mind as we continued talking about Wolf.
“Do you want me to speak with him about returning with your people?” I asked but Dassyra instantly shook her head.
“No. Wolf's almost an adult now. Half-orcs have to make their own decisions, that's our law.” She replied.
“Wolf is a kid.”
“Byrne-Samuel used to say the same all the time.” Dassyra smiled just to continue mimicking Byrne's voice. “How dare you take twelve years old to fight Black Wolves?! Kids that age belong in a classroom! Half of you orcs are savages, and the other half are brutes!”
Dassyra's expression suddenly became melancholic.
“Listen, Dassyra, maybe Wolf don't have to live with humans.” I said, picking Dassyra's attention. “The Marquis will conscript the kids as soon as the winter ends. If you take them under your protection, they might have better chances to survive and Wolf will return home like you would want him to.”
Dassyra stopped picking small Fiery Vine Pods and looked at me.
“The Caretaker already asked me, and the answer was no.” She replied with a stone face.
“Why not?! He's your son!”
As far as I knew the orc woman, she didn't seem irrational nor cruel like the depiction of orcs from classic fantasy series back home.
“They would be safer fighting in the human army, Rob. Think about it. I can present the kids to the Elders, but they will not be accepted if they use the System. We don't deal with the Corruption, ever. Even in the case they reject the System, they will have to fight anyway, every orc in the Farlands has to fight for our kin to survive.” She harshly replied. “Do you think the gnome girl will survive a fight against a Black Wolf or even a Minor Slime without the help of the System?”
I opened my mouth to reply but I couldn't find any counterargument to Dassyra's words.
“You are a lot like Byrne-Samuel. You have a peaceful view of the world, and you want that for others. But things are just too different here. For one reason or another we have to fight. This is a dangerous world, Rob. Only the strong survive and no amount of pity you feel for the Caretaker is going to change that.”
The silence fell upon the valley, only interrupted by the constant singing of the waterfall against the stone wall.
“I don't feel pity for Elincia.” I finally said. “I do believe she would manage even without my help. She's a great woman; strong, caring, smart, compassionate. I'm not fighting for the orphanage because I pity them, I'm fighting this fight because I admire her, because I want to be more like her.”
My words got lost under the sound of the cascade as if I never uttered them, however, something changed inside me. A realization. I wasn't helping Elincia and the orphanage only to repay my father's commitment. I was fighting for the orphanage because I wanted to be more like him. I wanted to be a better person. More like Elincia. I covered my face with both hands. Even if the difference was minimal, it meant a world to me.
Dassyra examined me with a critical eye, as if she was sizing me, before speaking.
“Very few people would say something like that.” Dassyra smiled tiredly. “Most of the orcs, young and old wouldn't even look in a poor governess' direction and say 'I want to be more like her'. They would look at a freaking Wendigo and say 'yeah, I want to be strong like that'. This goes for you System users too. All they look for are more levels and powerful classes. Nobody looks up to the common farmer but everyone has to eat their grain to survive.”
Dassyra put both her hands on my shoulders and forced me to face her before she continued speaking.
“Maybe Byrne-Samuel was wrong about the peoples from Earth. Maybe you are not half as cruel and destructive as he pictured..” Dassyra said.
“Maybe.” I replied and she let me go.
I worked my way through the vines covering the stone wall until I managed to gather a pouch full of the red pods. Considering the amounts of herbs Elincia used to brew, I assumed it was more than enough for quite some time. Dassyra walked by my side in silence. I let [Identify] and [Awareness] scan the surroundings and soon after I found the remaining Moon Laurel that I needed to complete my shopping list.
After an hour, I wiped off my hands on my pants and stretched my back. We already had all the ingredients we needed to start making money. A wave of relief washed over my body and my muscles released tension I didn't even know I had stored. Now, we only needed to come back to bring the ingredients back to Farcrest, just like in the initial missions of RPG games. Go to the forest, retrieve ten herbs. Easy as it goes.
Dassyra guided me back to the cascade but instead of returning to the orc outpost, she took off her boots and dipped her feet into the creek.
“If your feet are as bruised as mine, this will help you.” The woman said as a blissful expression overran her face. “And you have to bring me up to date with Earth affairs. My last update was fourteen years ago and I have to know what happened with the Game of Thrones finale.”
My heart skipped a beat. Last time I had seen Byrne was five years ago at the office while Dassyra had seen him for the last time fourteen years ago. The timing wasn’t right unless time passed at different rates in this world. Maybe Byrne just gave up this world and came back to Earth. I wanted to voice my concerns but giving Dassyra a false hope of Byrne being alive and well left a foul taste in my mouth.
In the end, I sighed and got rid of my boots.
Footwear had been an issue since I had exchanged my comfy shoes with the bean seller. I did not regret the exchange, the orphanage needed the food and beans were god-tier nourishment, secondary effects aside. However, my boots were as uncomfortable as they were sturdy.
I left the herb pouch by a rock near the creek, then I rolled up my pants and jumped into the pristine water. Despite the fact I had drank it only a couple hours earlier, I didn't expect it to be that cold. My feet complained about the sudden change of temperature but after a minute I got accustomed to it. Just as Dassyra said, It felt great.
We sat side by side on the riverbank. A part of my brain was telling me to rush back to the orc's camp and return to Farcrest but I felt tired, my back was killing me, and the idea of talking in my native tongue was enticing. There was still so much I wanted to ask, but my mind felt numb and the only thing that kept me from falling asleep was the cold water running between my toes.
“Did Byrne use the System?” I finally asked.
If Byrne had a class and she told Dassyra about our world, then that meant the warning about keeping it a secret was just a suggestion without a threat behind it. Seeing Dassyra's interest in my world made me want to share it with Elincia without the risk of being punished by the System. Moreso, it would support my theory of Byrne coming back to Earth.
Before Dassyra could answer my question, a stinging pain sent an electric pain through my feet. My mind pictured a piranha munching on my toes so I reflexively pulled out of the water. What I didn't expect to see were ice crystals forming all over my feet.
It was magic.
Dassyra jumped out of the water at the same time as me.
“We have to get back to the outpost, quickly.”
Over the peaks of the mountains, a dense mist started to saturate and slip into the valley.
Comments
Chrystal 1776
Omg Yaaaas 🤣🤣🤣
Marian Ch
Of all the herbs Rob managed to pick a Cliff Hanger.
