A Human? [Short story, ch.1] [Magick Untold]

"Oof!"

"Hey watch where your walking mister!"

Did some idiot just run into me full speed and have the balls to blame me for it? "You're the one who ran into me!" To late. The prick was already well on their way running off to who knows where. "Hey get back here!" The girl on the run clearly did not fit into Shedeth with her dark brown robe that was covering her entire body except for her overly cute face. Based on her facial features and the strands of hair that crept out of her hood she appeared to be a natural green-eyed red head with fair skin. The robe combined with her running amok made her stand out and made heads turn as she ran off into the distance.

"I'll get you back after my meeting with the Doyen, that is for running into me!"

That isn't even funny. She ran into me and ran off without an apology for it. "What do you mean later... and I did not run into you, wait did you say Doyen?!" The Doyen are the elders of Shedeth and make all of the major decisions. Free popcorn for the evening? Fired for chewing gum? You name it, if they want it and there are enough votes, it will happen.

To his dismay, the girl was gone in the time it took to blink three times. It is going to be hard to find someone so fleet footed without using magick. I could definitely use some magick and catch up with her but if she is meeting with the Doyen then it may be best if I didn't.

The town of Shedeth is a central hub for many races to trade their goods across Syldarim. As such, the use of Magick is not exactly forbidden in the main trading streets but it is typically looked down upon as it will usually disrupt some work or other.

What a chaotic girl! I wonder what her race is? Damn good way to start off your 200th centenary. I mean this is Shedeth! This place is supposed to be known for its peace and people like her go around running into things with little to no apologies. Why is there an outlander in the countryside, we haven't had a new arrival in how long now... well it's been a long time. "Despite that, she made a good choice in choosing Shedeth, it is definitely one of the best places to live in all of Syldarim. Everyone has heard of our broken and beautiful trees."

Having so many grassy rolling hills and dense fabled woods, Shedeth has become one of the top seven locations in Syldarim to live. Adding to the prestige of Shedeth, the woods are of a strange sort. There is a rumor that hundreds of thousands of years ago an overly powerful witch cast an enchantment on them to be in a constant state of autumn. Why would someone even bother casting a magick to make it eternally autumn... at least there is no shortage of beautiful yellow, orange, and red leaves in Shedeth!

"At least that dirt colored robe of hers matched the trees." Hesitating after saying this to himself the boy seemed to regret the harsh tone in his own words. "She is pretty cute...I guess I'll ask Emcess if he knows what her race and name are, he always manages to know about the new girls in town." Getting lost in thought, the boy began to walk askew of the path he was following. "I wonder how long she'll be meeting with the Doyen, more importantly, why has she been allowed a meeting with the Doyen?"

"Hey Danos, having partial conversations with yerself again?" Out popped a short, stout, bald character from the bushes. Being a 1.5 nurn shorter than Danos brought his height to roughly 1.9 nurn.

Good Emcess is here. It's so easy to recognize that Jasrai. "Hey, baldy!"

"Hey no hair jokes, it 'aint my fault Jasrai are incapable of hair growth!" After pausing for a few moments looking hurt by Danos' insult, Emcess looked up and caught his eyes.
"Do ya know who dat was that ran into ya just now?"

"Hahaha you know I'm only joking with you Emcess. No. I do not. Do you know her, do you know what her race is?" I swear I will find her again and hex her or something. Perhaps I'll have some godlike winds follow her for a week constantly disheveling her hair. "Uehehehe"

As if having lost all faith in his comrade, Emcess shrank back from Danos a few nurns. "Danos. Why ya gotta laugh like some kinda closet pervert. Damn creepy."
After some recovery from a minor wound to his pride, Danos pressed for an answer. "Well?"

Scratching his bowling ball of a head while making a face as if he was searching some sort of race Grimoire, Emcess finally answered. "If ya mean to get back at her before she can get back at you then I won't stop ya. Yer in luck though, being so cute an' all I know a bit on her. Except for her race."

So much for that. At least he knows something, it's better than no information at all. "It's too bad she resembles a Human, I can't be certain she is one though thanks to that exaggerated robe she wears. What do you know about her Emcess?" Thinking about it now, it is quite rare to see a Human in Syldarim. The predominant races are Elves and Jasrai with some minor races: Humans, Miucnur, Dwarves, Goblins, and Skrit. Gobs and Skrit are more of a wild beast than a race but they apparently have enough of a self-awareness and civilization to be considered a race. Humans and Dwarves, they are greedy races, similar to the Skrit, and are usually in hiding. Miucnur are essentially cat people that live in northern Syldarim; their fur keeps them warm despite the cold climate. As for Humans, they are few in number compared to the other races and this results in them usually being captured and made into slaves or servants.

Peering at Danos from behind a sign as if scared, Emcess provided some useful information. "I knows her name is Josay Pial, kinda suits her don't ya think? I also found out she's from the land of healing so she has probably got some serious business to have left the safety of her home."

What?! She's from Anlamthal? She must know some strong magick then. Maybe I can learn some healing spells from her? "Get out from behind that, I wasn't casting a hex on you. I was just lost in thought haha."

Emcess took care to look where he stepped as he came out from behind the sign. "I can never tell if yer using me as a lab Skrit or if yer just thinking!" I may or may not have tested several trap spells on him last year. "Yeah Danos, it would be good ta learn some support magick. You'd be crazy strong then with the offense and defense magick ya knows already!"

He is never going to learn, is he? "Don't forget that I'm learning magick purely as a pastime, not as a way to pick fights." That's my excuse anyway. In all honesty, I have become addicted to learning any and all magick I can get my hands on.

Elves usually fixate on a hobby or two so they can occupy their indefinite supply of time, unlike Jasrai with the lifespan of a mere ten centuries.

With a pathetic face full of hope Emcess asked: "hey Danos, are ya seriously gonna ask her ta teach ya support magick?"

Emcess was always quite hopeless when it came to magick so he loves seeing me use it whenever he gets the chance. Sometimes, he witnesses it firsthand. Throw in the heavily robed female outlander and this situation is a dream come true for Emcess. Tilting his head ever so slightly, Danos responded "If she really is from outside Shedeth then there is a high chance she knows magick that I don't. Especially if she is from Anlamthal. So, yeah, why not? She owes me a proper apology too." She's not bad looking either, but she is a little strange. Particularly when it comes to social interaction.

Looking overly pleased, Emcess replied with a smile reaching ear to ear "ok. Well, good luck on the first girl yer goin' fer and on yer 200th centenary! Aur Onnad Meren! Got any plans for this year?"

I don't know if I could call it "going after her" but, she is the first to pique my interest this much. Perhaps it is time I properly sought a woman? With a shake of his head, Danos dismissed the thought "no more plans than the usual Emcess. Magick training and another venture outside Shedeth. I'll let you know where the destination is in a couple days. Today we will be too drunk to make adequate decisions!"

Danos is a hunter of sorts; he leaves Shedeth for routine trips every year or two so that he can explore and hunt Syldarim for new magicks. The trips usually take several months to complete so bringing along company is standard.

Grinning like a fool that had been praised by the woman he fancied, "Drunk? I hope yer serving some of that stuff yer mother concocted a few decades back, what's it called-"

"Really Emcess is that all you think about? You can find mead similar to it anywhere, and it's called Waiss." Shaking his head in disagreement, Emcess continued "false, yer mother makes a completely different flavor and it don't make ya sick later on like most other mead does."
Only fools that drink more than they can handle get sick! "Maybe if you didn't drink so much of it then you wouldn't get sick in the first place" retorted Danos. With a snort, Emcess dismissed the concept of drinking less mead. "When do ya think the party will be? As soon as ya get back from yer walk, tonight, tomorrow?"Heh, typical Emcess changing the topic. "It's not even a guarantee there will be a party, don't get to worked up about it. Chances are we will stop by the bar and then finish up with some Waiss."

Danos and Emcess were nearing the final Waiss bush signaling the approach of their destination. The Echee estate is filled with Waiss bushes for the sole purpose of mass producing Waiss mead when they are in season. Seeing all the bushes put a notable increase to the pep in Emcess' steps. "Hey Danos, can we start with Waiss and end with Waiss?"

A wry smile crept across Danos' face "trying to get as much Waiss as possible tonight are we? Emcess really does love his alcohol, especially when it's free and from our barrels!"

"Oi! I heard that Danos! Ya mixed yer thoughts and speech again hahaha"

Rolling his eyes, Danos replied, "this is my stop Emcess, stop by the place later so we can get our drunk on!" As he grinned and skipped away, Emcess replied "Aye! I look forward to it Danos!"

Before entering the front door, Danos waited for Emcess to leave his vision completely by watching him pass the last Waiss bush in the front yard. Now then, time to hunt down mother and find out how much Waiss she can spare.

Danos hunted for his mother all over the estate. The ordeal took a good hour or more considering just how large the property is and how mischievous his mother is. There have been many times where she would lay in hiding moving from spot to spot as Danos hunted for her just to pop up and scare the hell out of him.

With his arms crossed, a frown, and a tilt of his head Danos finally gave up."Ugh. She must have taken the day off to celebrate my centenary again. I was hoping that by some stroke of luck she wouldn't. I really don't know why she still bothers with it after so many years." Elves are like any other race when it comes to celebrating birthdays. Take a Human for example, the average lifespan of a Human is 80-90 years without magick aiding them. If one were to celebrate a birthday every year for one thousand years it would get tedious and lose its meaning. Thus, Elves celebrate yearly up to their 100th birthday and thereafter it is every 1000 years.

"Get over here Danos! What do you think you're doing so early in the morning and on your centenary!"

There it is, the heart attack inducing motherly figure.

I nearly jumped out of my skin, mom always pops up out of nowhere! "Would you stop it with your invisibility or whatever it is you always do! I'm taking my morning walk like every other morning Rumala." I noted that she tried, and failed, to hide the fact that her lips curled up after successfully scaring me yet again. It has become a daily thing now, "you would think that I would get used to it at lea-"

"Stop your muttering, you're supposed to be here at home still asleep. On your centenary, you're supposed to relax and do nothing, then party all night long!" Mom loves her alcohol more than Emcess does. That's actually how I came to know Emcess. Rumala and Emcess met many years ago at a mead hall. After passing out due to losing a drink-off challenge from Rumala, Emcess had been taken to the Echee estate to recover. From that day onward, Rumala, Danos, and Emcess had an inseparable bond. Thanks to this bond, Danos has had a regular travel companion that was able to keep up with him regardless of what messes he got caught up in.

Glancing out the window Danos noted that he could not see the sun. Meaning, it was to high in the sky for it to be visible from the window. "Rumala, if you cannot see the sun from the window then it is time to wake up and begin the day."

Grinning like a Skrit with a gold coin Rumala retorted "ah! But, every third year the second sun reveals itself from behind this one. Thanks to that I can never get used to relying on the sun for a time to wake up." Why do I even bother with her and mornings anymore. Syldarim has two suns and three moons. Their rotations work such that every third year the second sun can be seen as it is farther away and usually hidden by the primary sun. When the second sun appears every third year, the daylight hours are extended by three in the mornings and three in the evenings. As for the moons, they all orbit in the same positions roughly; they are always visible at night and are always grouped together forming a triangle if one were to connect them with a line.

"Hey, Rumala! Are ya gonna have a party for my man Danos here?"

"Yes, of course, I will Emcess, everyone has a party on their centenary!"

How the hell did he get here...everyone is sneaking about all the time! I hid my surprise that Emcess had snuck into the house, he had plenty of time to sneak in while I was running around looking for Rumala. "No, that's what you do on your centenaries. I prefer to be left alone on my centenaries if possible." That isn't actually true, I just don't enjoy Rumalas parties very much as they tend to get out of hand. Someone always has to get naked and start singly badly or some stranger ends up in one of our spare rooms because they lost a drink-off.

"Nonsense! Danos, if you keep up that attitude you'll never get a girlfriend."

What? It seems it has not clicked in mothers head that I do not fling about with just anyone. Snapping back at her Danos replied, "you're evil you know that?"

She ignored the comment, as usual, as if it were a given that she is offspring to Lilith herself. "Now then, go out to the market and buy the usual ingredients for Waiss for me."

"What happened to having to sleep in and relax all day?!" asked Danos vehemently.

"Hah! This is your punishment for calling your own mother evil. Calo anor na ven!"

Such a convenient time for her to act on my insults. I refuse to let her get the last insult in! "See you later Tanar'ri'Jaless!"

Half out the door, Emcess sneers at me, "who knew I had such a barad'ellil."

"Emcess you're no better, you can be just as bad when you want to be."

"Lies! Yer a liar!"

"Whatever you say you lyg."