Courier Quest Chapters 36 & 37

Tomorrow, I'm going to be deleting previous chapters from Patreon that have already been on Royal Road so that I can remove some of the clutter. If it's not up on RR, then it's not getting deleted, so nobody will be missing anything.

36 - Keep Up Appearances

The quest Trevor had taken on turned into an almost all-day affair, but he didn’t mind it at all. While he could have used the rooftops to get around faster, the young man decided to stay down with the crowds and see the city. Whenever something caught his attention, whether it was the sights, sounds, or smells, he stopped to investigate.

Trevor spent some of his time looking at monuments of people around the city, getting to know a small portion of its history. Sometimes he would go for nearly a mile without seeing any, and other times he would see them after every major intersection. He could tell that Eskretet was a city that was proud of its history, though not all of it. Some pedestals were empty with no plaque to tell what was once there. He assumed they were from before the liberation, and there was a reason for their removal.

Musicians were set up on a lot of street corners playing a plethora of different types of music. Trevor heard a lot of styles similar to those from Earth with a heavy lean towards classical and jazz, the latter of which surprised him. Many of them had signs up indicating that they would be at the same spot for the Festival of Golden Lights, and he tried to do his best to memorize the positions his favorites were in, though with the city being as big as it was he only hoped he would remember where to visit.

The smells hit him the hardest, however. Almost every restaurant was packed with people, and a few even had lines outside. Whenever Trevor picked one out that smelled delicious but had a relatively small line, he stopped to see what they were selling. From pies to steaks to stews, even if he was full he grabbed what they had and set them in the temporal section of his dimensional pocket for later. He wasn’t expecting to go through all the food before they left, but Rashie would enjoy anything he brought home.

By the time Trevor finished with his quest, the sun was getting very close to the horizon. There were lights all over every street, and those floating lights were covering more of the city now than just the park, so he wasn’t worried about finding his way back. There was no missing the castle, after all.

[[Quest complete! You’ve set up flashy joy explosives in warehouses all across the city!

Klar was right about one thing, you sure can do a lot of work very quickly. Tomorrow, several people will be coming out to grab these fireworks and light up the night sky during the festival. Thousands, tens of thousands of people will be there to witness something that you, personally, helped set up. Your reward is that warm feeling you’re getting in your chest right now.

Also, a fancy lunch at Matteo’s and traditional minotauran outfit for your date, the latter of which has been added to your inventory. I hope you like flashy colors!

Also also, level Up! You have gained one (1) stat point. It has been added to your bank, which has two (2) stat points left.

You are currently level 8 and, fair warning, the next level up will take three quests to complete.]]

Trevor smiled at the Quest Master’s screen, not perturbed in the slightest that the next level took more effort to reach, and focused on the aspects that made for his date. He could absolutely handle flashy colors.

“Add a point to Stamina, please and thank you,” he requested. After all that walking, his legs were jelly. Not feeling bad, but they would definitely hurt tomorrow. Especially after the temporary buff from his Vigor Bottle ran out.

[[Stat increase complete. Stamina is now 3, 4 with the Vigor Bottle buff. You still have one (1) banked points remaining to be used at your leisure.]]

“That’s some good stuff,” Trevor sighed appreciatively as some of the weariness left his muscles the moment he got the message. Having one in the tank meant that he could spend it on Speed, start working on getting that up to 3, but right now he was feeling alright with where he was.

Not wanting to get lost on their date, Trevor asked around about the restaurant. As it turned out, Matteo’s was right around the corner from one of the park’s bridges near the front entrance of the castle. There was no way he could get inside to scope it out as he didn’t have a reservation, but that was fine by him. Just knowing its location was enough.

As he stepped onto the bridge that would lead him to the castle doors, Trevor noticed two teardrops of light fall into the forest from the halo. He could hear cheering coming from the general area where they dropped, and decided to investigate.

The closer he got, the more he could make out. Some people were chanting the name of Sir Aelius, which Trevor recognized as the knight who was guarding the passage that led to the castle from outside of the walls. Steel clashing with steel reached his ears, and he could faintly pick out a second name being screamed, though it wasn't nearly as popular. Lady Adabelle.

His heart raced as he picked up speed. Trevor had known that Adabelle was looking forward to conducting duels, but he hadn’t been sure where or when. Apparently the answer had been in the park and right now. Pushing through the crowds on the street didn’t seem like it was going to get him there quickly, so he left the path and went looking amongst the trees for a thinner patch of people.

When he finally found it, he excused himself and went to the front of the crowd to see the event. Just as he had expected, Adabelle and Sir Aelius were locked in combat. She wielded her plain straight sword while the knight held a claymore in his hands. They were armor-clad, and both glowed with a light similar to the halo’s, although his was much brighter than hers.

Enamored, Trevor watched as they fought at speeds faster than he could keep up with. He hadn’t known that Sir Aelius was a Summoned, but after this there was no doubt in his mind. The knight would block with his claymore while Adabelle flashed around the street, dodging attacks and going in for quick strikes. The young man frowned as he tried his best to keep a bead on Adabelle. She looked injured, though she showed no signs of it affecting her.

“Quest Master, would a Speed increase mean that I can see this better?” Trevor asked. “If it does, add my last point for me.”

[[It sure does! It also deals with your perception during fast movement so you don't run into walls unless you really, really want to.

Stat increase complete. Speed is now 2. Your bank is empty.]]

Focusing on the fight, Trevor noticed that it did become easier to see. Not by a lot, but enough that Adabelle’s quick movements could be seen in more than just flashes. The way she moved was graceful, and it was only enhanced by the boorish way Sir Aelius swung his sword. Not that the knight didn’t have a lot of power or skill behind those swings, but he just wasn’t landing any hits.

Eventually, speed beat out power, and Sir Aelius was kneeling before Adabelle with her sword against his head. She tapped him gently, and the light surrounding them disappeared. The knight’s movement immediately reverted back to that of a normal human, but Trevor wasn’t watching that. His eyes were on her.

Adabelle helped Sir Aelius to his feet as half of the crowd cheered and the other half passed off coins to the winners of their bets. As they bowed to each other, the knight left with his squire in tow, and she began scanning the crowd. She opened her mouth, about to yell something, when her eyes caught Trevor’s. He gave her a small wave.

Her face lit up, and he saw that she was breathing heavily from exertion. Adabelle held up a finger before sheathing her sword, which he now noticed had no blood on it despite the fight, and made her announcement.

“I am now done for the evening,” she loudly told the crowd. “If I am to duel again, it will be the day after the festival, but I make no promises.”

The crowd groaned, but did not protest too heavily, and began parting. Adabelle walked over to Trevor, hiding a grimace on her face, and smiled brightly once she stopped in front of him. Some of the bystanders congratulated her before they left, but soon the two were alone.

“I’m going to need a favor,” she said, her voice taking on a breathy quality from both pain and exhaustion.

“Yeah, anything,” Trevor said immediately.

“Will you offer me your arm? On my right side, but don’t make it obvious,” Adabelle requested. “I need to keep up appearances.”

Trevor didn’t hesitate to step onto the street and look around. The people were leaving in both directions now that their entertainment was done. “I didn’t know Sir Aelius was Summoned. His stats must be pretty high,” he remarked casually. Turning around, he offered her his arm. “Would you like an escort back to the castle?”

“Of course, Mister Trevor,” she said, her eyes sparkling in the light. Adabelle took his arm in hers, and for a moment he wished she wasn’t wearing armor. A second later, he really wished she wasn’t wearing armor. She began leaning heavily on him, though in a way that made it seem like they were moving normally. “And Sir Aelius is not, it’s just another function of the castle’s halo.”

As they started walking, Trevor put on a smile but he was becoming more worried about her with every step. “Do you need a healing potion?” he asked her softly. “I’ve got one in my inventory.”

“Once we’re back in the suites,” she whispered back. “I have to keep up appearances. I have a reputation.”

“I’d rather my friends not be in pain for reputation, but I’ll drop it for now.” Sighing, Trevor looked up at the halo. “What does it do in regards to duels?”

“The halo makes sure that no one dies when one is invoked, and if one of the participants is a Summoned then it makes sure the playing field is even,” she explained, following his gaze. “He was brought up to my level and stats for the duration of the fight. That’s one of the reasons why duels are so popular here.”

“Because they’re not only safe, but it’s the best way to become a Summoned without actually being a Summoned?” Trevor asked.

“Exactly,” she answered with a nod. Her breath was coming back, which was good, though she still clung to him. “I am happy to oblige, so long as I don’t have anything else to do. I have been fighting here for hours.”

“Hours? Well, no wonder you’re tired.”

“I could have fought for a few hours more,” she insisted.

“Oh, really? My bad, I didn’t mean to disturb you with my presence,” Trevor said. “Next time I’ll watch from a tree or something so I don't interrupt.”

Adabelle playfully slapped him on the arm as they walked through the large castle doors. The guards paid them no mind, and only those who had been around for the fight continued to watch the two walk arm in arm. Trevor suddenly felt very anxious at all the eyes on him, but stood up straighter. If not for his own image, than for hers.

“I’m glad you came,” she said. “So don’t you hide from me unless you’ve done something wrong.”

“Me? Do something wrong?” Trevor asked. “Never. I’m a paragon of all things polite and just, after all.”

“Of course you are, Mister Trevor,” Adabelle laughed.

They made their way into the elevator and Trevor closed the door behind them. Adabelle released a sigh of relief and winced as she pulled away from him. She stretched her leg now that no one else was watching, and he grimaced when he noticed the cuts and dents in her armor. The halo might have stopped deaths, but it  clearly didn’t stop injuries. “Are you actually okay?”

“Yes, I just fought harder than I thought I was going to,” she claimed as she pulled the lever that would send them higher into the castle. “Unlike the last couple of years, there actually were one or two prodigies that showed up when they heard that I was going to be accepting all challengers.”

“Will you at least drink the health potion now?” he asked.

“Not until we’re back in our room,” she replied. “Who knows who we’ll meet in the halls.”

“Can you just let me take care of you, lady?” Trevor pleaded. “It’s not like they’ll know.”

Adabelle opened her mouth to argue, but stopped when she saw the look on his face. She began pouting for a moment, which was a far cry from the fierceness that he had seen on her battlefield, before sighing. “Hurry, then.”

Offering her his open palm, he retrieved the health potion from inside his inventory and quickly uncorked the vial for her. She looked up, seeing that they were coming up on their floor, and downed it. A red glow emanated from her body as the magic flowed through her. Wincing, she stood up straighter and stretched her leg again.

“There, all better,” she said, handing him the vial back. “I’ll give you one of my spares once we’re in the suite.”

Taking it from her, he put it in his inventory. “Since you had a challenge, does that mean you had fun?”

Adabelle glanced at Trevor and gave him a positively radiant smile. “Yes, I did,” she said. “Thank you.”

“Thank me?” he asked, bemused. “For?”

“Taking care of me,” she said, taking his arm in both of hers. The platform stopped before dropping a few inches onto the floor they needed to be on. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

“Any time, lady, any time,” Trevor said, smiling as they left the elevator. She carefully rested her head on his shoulder, making sure she didn’t skewer his face. That wasn’t one of the things he had thought about when he asked her on a date, but he found he wasn't worried as they walked down the hall.

37 - A Sword To Overcome

As Adabelle had to remove her armor, which apparently took longer than Trevor originally thought, he was told to shower first. He allowed himself a little extra time to sooth his muscles in the hot water, but not too much. After getting dressed in pajamas, he left and saw that Adabelle was ready to take her turn. The young man gave her privacy.

Heading out to the balcony just as he had the night before, Trevor looked over the city of Eskretet. He had a newfound appreciation for it now that he had been all over. Seeing it from the castle had its charms, but it was in the streets and amongst the people where it really became the experience he had wanted.

A moment of pity passed through him as he thought about all the nobles and foreign dignitaries who skipped out on such things. Taking tunnels to get around may have been a good way to cut some time off of your trip, but you barely got to see the city that way. While Trevor was absolutely fine with visiting Kadrus, he figured that it wouldn’t be through the tunnels if he did so again. It was the streets or bust.

Trevor smiled as he watched the floating, glowing orbs that were now making their way around the city. He knew they weren’t needed because of the abundance of street lamps, but they were pretty to look at and very on theme for what the festival was named after. Glancing back up at the halo, he figured that it had to be incredibly important, as well.

It didn’t take long for Adabelle to join him, dressed in her black pajamas and her long hair wrapped up in a towel. She wordlessly offered him a health potion as she sat down, closing her eyes while enjoying the breeze. He took it and set it in his inventory, not bothering to argue since it was so handy to have.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Tired and sore, but fulfilled,” she said with a languid smile. “I wanted to get it all out of my system before tomorrow, and I think I’ve succeeded.”

“That’s good to hear,” Trevor chuckled. “I’ve been thinking about it all day, and I’m not sure how it works in this world, but I’m really glad you’re here to defend my honor if I ever get challenged to a duel.”

“Oh, it’s up to me to defend your honor, is it?” Adabelle asked, opening one eye to look at him. “Should I be calling you Sir Trevor from here on in an attempt to get other people to challenge you so I can intercept them?”

“Please do not do that. The moment I get caught without you then I’m done for. There would be tales of brave Sir Trevor, the man who bravely ran away spreading like wildfire around the city.”

“Running away, you say?”

“Yes, running away. That’s all I’ve got going for me, isn’t it?” Trevor announced. “They challenge me, I’d politely decline, which will probably be ignored, and they’ll expect a sword fight or something. I’d say, ‘hold on, who said anything about swords? This is going to be a race!’ And when they’re confused, I book it, or if they agree, then I book it while they take it completely seriously.”

“You’re a scoundrel, you know that?” Adabelle laughed. “That would basically be an instantaneous loss, but something tells me that wouldn’t bother you.”

“I have very little stake in the game,” he said with a shrug. “I could be bothered to pick up a sword to defend your honor, but something tells me that will only work in my head, and only barely in my wildest imagination.”

“Well, you are wrong about one thing,” she claimed, reaching over to brush some hair out of his face. He was suddenly very glad he never got that haircut he was thinking about.

“What part am I wrong about?”

“That running away is all you’ve got going for you,” she said softly. “You’re far more than that.”

Trevor smiled and looked back over the balcony. “Ah, thank you,” he said, scratching his head. He wasn’t used to accepting compliments, and changed the subject. “So, about tomorrow. I have some thoughts.”

“Go right ahead.”

“First, I’m very much looking forward to it,” he said, his smile turning into a grin. “And I received some words of wisdom from Klar.”

“Thank you for that, by the way,” Adabelle said quickly before he could continue. “I received a message from the Quest Master saying that the first quest was done, and that you were being chatty so to wait for the second. That was pretty amusing to see.”

“My pleasure, lady,” Trevor chuckled. “He told me that I should stay ignorant of the festival’s big draw. I believe he said this in an effort to make the experience better, so I would appreciate it if you helped keep me in the dark.”

“Keep you in the dark? At the Festival of Golden Lights? I don’t know, that seems like it may be too hard,” she quipped.

“I’m sure you’ll manage.”

“Yes, I will,” Adabelle said with a content sigh. “Honestly, I’ve already had plans to do just that. I’m sorry to say that I’m going to be busy for the first half of the day, but what I’m getting in exchange is going to absolutely blow your mind.”

“That’s fine, so long as you can join me for lunch, even if it’s a late one,” Trevor replied easily.

Adabelle hesitated. “That’s fine with you?”

“If you say my mind is going to be blown, then I believe you,” he said with a shrug. “Though, now that I’ve got lunch on my mind, would you like some hot chocolate?”

“Yes, please.”

Summoning two mugs of hot chocolate from his inventory, he handed one to her before sipping his own. “So, you’ll never guess where I got us reservations for lunch,” he said smugly. “At least, I hope you won’t, because if you do then I was probably lied to about how exclusive it is.”

Adabelle sighed appreciatively after taking a sip of her hot chocolate. “Before I guess, is this one of the Haffle Inn’s mugs?”

“Yes, I asked for two more for the road and promised to bring the mugs back,” Trevor replied. “But I’m really excited about this place we’re going to eat at.”

“And what if I already made plans with, I don’t know, the castle chefs?” she teased.

“We can do both, then. I can store meals in my inventory and they won’t get cold, lady, we can visit every restaurant in Eskretet and have meals for weeks if we really wanted to.”

“Ugh, you’re so smug,” Adabelle complained before hiding her smirk behind another sip of hot chocolate. “I didn’t make any plans because I fully expected us to wander until it was night time so that you could see everything.”

“I’ve been all over the city doing another quest for Klar, delivering a huge pile of fireworks, so I’ve seen it,” he said, tapping her foot with his. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to see it with you at a much slower pace. Also, you’re getting off topic, you’re supposed to be guessing.”

Adabelle pouted. “I don’t want to guess; I don’t like being wrong.”

“So you think you can be cute and I’d just tell you?” Trevor challenged.

“Am I being cute?” she challenged back, no longer bothering to hide her smirk.

Taking a breath, Trevor shook his head. “Lady, it’s like you don’t even have to try,” he chuckled. “Fine, just one guess, then.”

“Alright, just one guess, but it’s going to be the fanciest place I know and I’m going to be incredibly disappointed when it’s not. Can you live with that?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

“No, but I’ll find a way.”

“Then my guess is Matteo’s,” she said confidently, crossing her arms with smug satisfaction. “And if you don’t take me to Matteo’s, I will be really, really, sad.”

“Dang, is this Matteo’s place really that fancy?” Trevor asked, doing his best to hide his smile.

“I’ve eaten there once and I’m on the waitlist for another meal,” Adabelle snorted. “My reservation is for the beginning of next year.”

“Wow, that’s some wait list. Is it really so impressive?”

“It is. And I made that reservation last year,” Adabelle continued. “There’s a reason why it’s so good. The chef is Summoned, and his Power is literally Cooking. Not only that, but one of his skills allows him to make little thin strips that you place on your tongue, and it figures out exactly what you like, or what you’re craving, and he makes it. There's no menu involved. There are few experiences that I would call transcendent, but eating there is one of them.”

“That sounds like it’s one of the greatest things of all time,” Trevor said, having to look over the balcony to prevent her from seeing his grin.

“Well, maybe if you’re good, then I’ll take you when it’s my turn,” she teased.

“I don’t know, waiting until next year?” he sighed. “Can’t we just go there, say, tomorrow? With my reservation?”

Adabelle’s confidence faltered. “… What?”

“Turns out the owner of the restaurant is a close personal friend of mine,” Trevor gloated, turning to face her. He grinned at the dumbstruck look on her face. “In exchange for doing a quest, he not only gave me an outfit to wear tomorrow, but we’re also going to be having lunch at Matteo’s.”

Jolting upright, Adabelle’s eyes went wide and her tail rapidly smacked into the side of her chair. “You’re not just teasing me right now, right?”

“I am not,” Trevor said. “Klar owns it and, not only that, he is absolutely over the moon for my Power. Says that all I need to do is say the word on where I want to go and, if he does business there, he’ll pay for the trip so long as I take goods for him. I did him a favor by stepping up to help him and his people with the fireworks tomorrow, and apparently he thought I was worth it.”

Trevor watched as Adabelle stared at him before she finally found her voice. “We’re going to Matteo’s?”

“Yup.”

“You do realize that our first date is going to be the pinnacle of our relationship, right?”

“Wow, really hyping this place up,” he said with a chuckle. “I always thought the pinnacle of our relationship was getting to know you and taking care of you, but you do you, lady.”

Adabelle blinked before shaking her head. “I’m sorry, I’m just surprised, is all,” she admitted, reaching out to place her hand on his arm. “This is the second time you’ve used your quests to help me. What I should really be saying is thank you, Trevor, for thinking of me.”

“It’s the easiest thing in the world for me,” he replied before realizing what he was saying. His face burned, but he didn’t turn away, instead taking her in under the soft glow of the castle’s halo. “And now that I’ve said it out loud I realize it was really corny, I’m sorry you had to hear it.”

“Don’t apologize to me about the way you feel,” Adabelle said softly. Setting down her hot chocolate, she scooted her chair closer to his and hugged his arm with both of hers, resting her head on his shoulder just as carefully as she had before. “If you apologize, then it’ll make me think you’re being insincere, and I don’t want to think that of you.”

Trevor paused, though he wasn’t sure if it was because of her words or her proximity, but he eventually nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind, Adabelle,” he said with a smile, eying her horns. That would make resting his head on hers difficult, but every relationship had their own set of growing pains. “So, to recap, tomorrow you’re going to do whatever it is you signed up for in order to show me a good time. Then, we go to Matteo’s and, afterwards, probably wander the streets?”

Adabelle nodded. “Until it’s dusk, and then you’ll see the fruits of my labor. We’ll return to the castle just before dark, and by then my surprise for you will be ready.”

“This kind of sounds like the ultimate date,” Trevor noted.

“It’s going to be one we’ll remember for years, yes,” she agreed.

“Then I suppose we should start heading for bed. We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow, and rest is important.”

As he began to stand up, Adabelle refused to let go. “I fought a lot of people today, and I deserve some friendly contact with someone who sees me as more than just a sword to overcome for glory,” she said quietly. “Maybe a few more minutes?”

Trevor was about to tease her again, but thought better of it. Pulling his hot chocolate back into his inventory, he settled back in and placed his now free hand on one of her arms. “Take as many minutes as you need, lady,” the young man said. Truth be told, he was absolutely fine with more of this, and they sat out for a little while longer.