Seeds of Discordia

After Liam left the Fiddler’s Spider Web, he decided he had enough of the day and wanted to get some sleep. He made his way to the area that he told the others to meet and hoped they were there. He didn’t realize how much time had gone while he was talking to Vesely.

After her revelation of knowing who he was he was ready to flee out as fast as he could. However, since it didn’t come to that he ended up getting a free lesson on what he should do to grow his Shadow Magic. Which was another exciting thing for Liam.

While he was excited to learn more things, he knew he would have to plan how to practice everything. Gimmel and even Eri had informed him earlier that he would have to limit what he used when and where. When he was with his friends outside the dungeons or in a dungeon that allowed other groups to see them, he had to be a combative crafter. When he was doing Fiddler’s Spider Web work, he could use his shadow magic but not his Lunar, Discord, or Sin magic. Inside dungeons where he didn’t have to worry about people seeing things, all were fair game.

Liam sighed just thinking about it. This was going to be hard. He already felt exhausted thinking about it, and he hadn’t started any of that. It could also be because he hadn’t gotten any sleep yet.

As he approached the rendezvous point he noticed there was only one person there. It was Blair. She was leaning against the wall of the open crafting practice area looking like she was deep in thought. She felt a presence approaching and swiftly locked her gaze on him. It softened a bit as she realized it was Liam and waved.

“Everything alright?” Liam asked as he walked up to her.

“Yeah, I’m just tired,” Blair answered.

“I can understand that,” Liam said. “Once the others get her well go and set up camp and get some rest.”

“The others have already gone ahead,” Blair proclaimed.

Liam was taken aback by this. “What do you mean?”

“You’re the last to arrive,” Blair stated.

“What do you mean the others have already gone ahead? They don’t…,” Liam started to say.

“We got here a couple of hours ago waiting for you,” Blair interjected. “As we waited a Bear-folk male suddenly appeared and asked what we were doing. After we said we were waiting for you he asked why. We told him you were our teammate and was told to meet here and then he laughed. He told us he knew who you were and introduced himself as your Enchanting and Rune Crafting Mentor. He then told us he would lead us to the spot you were going to take us because you were busy with some things.”

Busy with some things? How would he know…does he know that I am a member of the Fiddler’s Spider Web? Liam thought before mentally shaking his head. No. There’s no way he would know that. He probably ran into Milly, and she told him I was helping with the cooking.

Liam brought himself out of his thoughts and said, “So you decided to wait here for me while the others went with Uncle Naro?”

Blair nodded her head.

Liam stared at her. He felt like there was more to it and decided to ask, “So then why do you look like you have a major concern?”

Blair looked slightly surprised at that before giving a small smile and responding, “Is it that obvious? I must be tired.”

Liam brought a hand up with a thumb and his index finger slightly apart as he said, “Just a little.”

Blair shook her head before giving him a stern look. “Liam, he is strong.”

Liam didn’t know what to make of that. He knew he was strong. He had witnessed how strong the man was first hand when the Demon-kins and Beast-folks tried to ambush him a couple of nights ago. “I know. A lot of people are in this world. However, I feel that there is more to that statement than what I am picking up.”

“I am concerned…,” Blair started again, but stopped almost like she was contemplating how to say it.

“With?”

“I know you mentioned that he wanted to go with you to find us, but what I am concern with is why,” Blair continued. “Someone that strong claims he wants to be your mentor in a couple of crafts and wants to take you to your teammates to see if you want to adventure again with them? What purpose does he have doing that? What does he gain for doing it?”

Liam was starting to see what she was concerned with. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about that. There had been plenty of times when he was left to his thoughts that he had the same questions.

However, the talk he had with him that night when he was ambushed and attacked then had to fight a Zombified Hobgoblin and then Cindy’s family’s declaration of wanting to cut ties with him so they could protect their family. He had told him about his teammates, the friends he had made in the Tutorial Area. He had then told him about his own group of misfits and the leader he respected.

Well he hadn’t told him a lot, but he had brought them up. He wanted to believe the bear of a man was genuine and didn’t have any ulterior motives. He wouldn’t be naïve enough to believe it was all for good reasons he had to want to take Liam to his teammates, but deep down he wanted to believe. He resolved himself that he would believe until proven wrong. After all, like Blair had said. The man was strong. He could easily make Liam do whatever he wanted if he wished to.

Liam gave her a warm smile. “I can understand your concerns. Come. I’ll tell you a story of what happened on a certain day and night and what a bear of a man had done to knock some sense into a cat who was on the verge of losing his mind from being ostracized due to a stupid weasel.”

As they walked Liam told her everything that had happened that day and night. She asked some questions as he recalled what he could remember. She was surprised by some parts, pissed off by others, and even concerned with a select portion. When Liam felt they were getting closer to the camping spot, thanks to his heightened sense of smell and boy what he was smelling was delicious, he stopped and waited for her response to it all.

Liam could tell she was able to smell it too. He heard the light rumble in her stomach as soon as the delicious smell hit their noses. She had to focus hard to not just run towards the smell and looked him in the eyes. “I can understand why you have some trust in him. However, for the sake of you and the others if he shows any signs of distrust I believe it would be best we ditch him.”

Liam chuckled a bit at that. He didn’t have any words to say to that. Instead he nodded an agreement and then hiked a thumb towards the smell and asked, “You ready to eat?”

Blair blushed before she nodded. “I guess that is one good thing about the man. The food smells damn good.”

“Wait till you taste it,” Liam grinned as they entered the small clearing where everyone was at.

  As Liam and Blair approached the campsite, everyone turned to look at them and smiled.

“Took you long enough,” Roman teased. “Did you find stalls full of materials and lose track of time?”

Liam shook his head. “Nah, but now that you mention it I need to restock on somethings before we leave the island.”

Roman let out a groan. “I won’t help you.”

“I’ll go with you. I need to find some new ingredients for my Chef Craft, so we have some things to make while on the road,” Artem stated as he continued to help Uncle Naro with the finishing touches of the food they were making.

“Sounds good,” Liam said as he made his way over. As soon as he got there he stared at Uncle Naro who had his back towards him as he poured a hot liquid into a cup.

As soon as he finished pouring the contents, he slowly turned to look at Liam. A wide warm smile was already on his face as he reached his hand out to give Liam a warm cup of tea. “This should help soothe your body and soul. I’m glad to see you made it back in one piece. Your friends here have told me quite the tale of your adventures last night. Welcome back.”

Liam accepted the cup and took a sip, savoring the warm and minty taste that touched his lips and ran down his throat. He smiled back at the giant man and said, “Thank you. I see Artem has already gotten you to teach him some things.”

Uncle Naro let out a deep belly laugh. “The young man was really eager to learn. You know I have a soft spot for those who want to help around the kitchen.”

“You call this a kitchen?” Roman asked.

Blair smacked him behind the head as Uncle Naro laughed once more. “Boy, any place is a kitchen if you set it up right. If that’s your way of saying you don’t want to eat then I’m sure…”

“It’s a kitchen,” Roman swiftly stated, changing his tune.

Everyone laughed at that. Artem then brought people plates of the food they had made as Uncle Naro passed around cups of tea. Liam watched as Gimmel and Roman stared at the cups with hesitation but gleamed at the plates of food. Blair sat her plate down and took a few sips from her cup, looking like she was enjoying the feeling it gave her. Liam tried to envision the others that weren’t there.

He tried to think of how Mercer would act drinking the tea. How Ariyana would praise the food as she giggled at Roman’s comments while her Albino Crocolisk would try and snag a few pieces of meat from her or anyone’s plate. How Avery would be watching or teasing Roman as she enjoyed her food.

As he thought about this he realized he was a fool to think they wouldn’t want to join back together to go adventuring. While it was all to his imagination and it could possibly be something only he would wish to see, that didn’t mean he didn’t want it to be true.

Uncle Naro sat beside him. He had seen the look on Liam’s face and said, “While I was informed that the half-Orc, Kitsune, and Dragon-kin were a part of your team, it looks like you picked up someone new along the way. I know you had some fears before due to certain events, but from what they had told me it sounds like you do have people wanting to join you on an adventure.”

Liam nodded. “You were right. About me being an idiot. I had let my fears get the best of me that night. However, these four don’t speak for the others. They said so themselves. I need to find the others and ask them myself.”

Uncle Naro nodded. “Good to hear.”

Liam eyed the giant man next to him. “What were you doing during all of the hecticness of last night?”

“I was completing a task that was given to me,” Naro stated. “When everything happened I was on a different island. By the time word had gotten to me about what was going on, you had already gone into that Black Dungeon.” Uncle Naro’s face turned to a disheartened one as he looked at Liam and asked, “What were you thinking going into a dangerous place like that? You could have died, and no one would have found out the cause.”

Liam looked down at the ground. After it was all done he realized how stupid he was. He wasn’t sure if it was because Artem, Blair, and Roman were there. That their presence made him believe that they could handle anything. The waves of monsters they had fought weren’t much. A lot of numbers and tricky things to pay attention to, but they were able to get through them just fine. It was really a battle of attrition more than anything.

However, after the final Wave Boss, the Toxo Brood Mother Queen, had appeared while trying to face the Demon-kins did it really hit home that he was in over his head. If the Final Wave Boss hadn’t had a grudge against the Demon-kins and had focused solely on him…he wouldn’t have made it out alive.

Adding in the  Raging Rabies, if Artem hadn’t been there to fully cure them then he probably would have succumbed to the venom. Blair and Roman had helped out and even Gimmel saved his life in exchange to losing his puppets. He was a real fool for overestimating his own capabilities.

“I…just thought it was something I needed to do,” Liam started. Naro was about to chastise him, but stopped as he continued, “I was foolish to believe I could do it. But I had half of my team back with me and I just felt like we could overcome any odds that came our way. It was only after it was all over did it really hit me how close we came to death.”

Uncle Naro waited to see if he was finished. When Liam didn’t have anything else to add to it he let out a sigh and stated, “Well, it is good to see that you have reflected on your actions. While having confidence in your own and those around’s abilities and skills, you must never think that you are invincible. That can and will always lead to death.”

Liam let out a sigh of his own. “I understand.”

Uncle Naro’s disheartened expression then slowly turned to a smile as he suddenly stated, “Which is why I have decided that after you see if the last members of your team want to join you I will personally help you grow in your strength.”

Liam swiftly turned to look at the man. Confusion was plastered on his face.

“Oh, come now boy,” Uncle Naro stated. “Do you think I am going to just sit by and watch you flounder in this new world you were thrust in? I still need to teach you how to properly fight using your Crafter Class. As I do that I can help the others with the lacking knowledge you all are missing while having a few acquaintances help them out.”

Liam stared at the man. While he knew Uncle Naro’s skills and abilities were terrifying when he fought, he just couldn’t wrap his mind around as to why the man would go to such lengths for not just him, but his team as well. He didn’t realize it, but his mouth started moving before his brain caught up. “Why? Why go to such lengths for us?”

“Why not?” Uncle Naro simply responded. “Do I need a reason to be kind and help out those who need it? I mean, if you are going to run headlong into danger just because you felt like you needed to…then why can’t I extend a hand by training and teaching to help increase your survival?”

He had him there. Liam blushed a bit as he realized not only was the man telling him that he just wanted to do it, but also added in the fact that he knew Liam was going to continue to be stupid every now and then. He couldn’t really argue when put like that.

“Okay,” Liam replied. “Then when do we leave?”

Uncle Naro raised a brow at that. “Oh? Eager are we? The Teleportation Tree will be closed for at least two days, except for the authorities. I have secured us a spot midday when they are opening them back up. Spend this time to rest and restock on supplies. I’ll also be helping your friend there work on some of his Chef Craft, he has the potential to grow it well. I can see why you asked me to train him in it.”

Liam smiled at the praise the man gave his friend. “He has an earnest goal with the craft. I simply wish to see him reach it.”

Uncle Naro smiled at that. After a few minutes of watching everyone talk amongst themselves, while enjoying the food and beverage, Uncle Naro finally said, “Get some rest. You look like you’re ready to drop at any second. Everyone will still be here when you awake.”

Liam nodded as he set his plate down. He then found an empty spot and set his tent up. After getting his bed set up he plopped down and instantly passed out.