The Amazing Sidekick

Chapter 3 – Explaining the World

The red Unicorn jumped ahead and ran at full speed with a screaming Cat-girl having a blast. He then made a tight turn and ran in the direction of the Orphanage.

Nozomu tapped the white Unicorn’s neck and said, “It’s better if we follow them, but go slowly, okay? I don’t know how to ride, and my head still hurts a bit.”

The white Unicorn walked slowly and made a turn. After a couple of minutes, he changed to a trot, with Nozomu holding the mane and squeezing his legs against the Unicorn’s sides, so as not to fall. Like that, it took them longer to reach the building where a smiling Cat-kind girl was already talking with an old man that was dressed in a long dark brown robe with a rope tied around his waist as a belt.

Nozomu slowly got down from the Unicorn, and made a slight smile to the worried Priest, who noticed the bandage on his head, “Nozo, are you alright?”

“If we don’t count the memory loss, I am. Suna already told me a few things, but there are many things that I don’t remember. Like you, for instance. I suppose you are the Priest that raised us, but I don’t have the faintest memory of ever seeing you, I am afraid.”

The Priest checked the bandage and nodded, “Yes, Suna told me that you had an accident after catching these Unicorns. Suna, put them in the stable, I need to disinfect Nozo’s wound. Since Healing Magic doesn’t work, we have to use other methods, like washing the wound and pouring some alcohol over it. I am also going to put on a proper bandage. Is that Suna’s blouse?”

“Yeah, she used it to stop the bleeding. I think I owe her a new blouse.”

Taisetsuna spoke while guiding the Unicorns to the stable on the left side of the building, “You owe me a lot more, you brat! Like a bucket of tears that I wasted because of you!”

Nozomu spoke as he followed the Priest, “I scared her a lot, there was so much blood on the floor! I am not even sure how I am still alive, after losing all that. I am a little thirsty, I may need to refill the liquids in my body and rest for a while, if that’s okay.”

The Priest said while opening the small cabinet in the room they were in, “Sit on that chair first and let me take care of your wound. There’s water on that jug over the table, and… here is a glass. Let me get a bowl to clean the wound.”

Nozomu drank two glasss in a row, and he then took a slow deep breath, preparing himself for the pain of the removal of the soaked improvised bandage. As the Priest was slowly unravelling the lairs of cloth around his head, Nozomu was surprised because it didn’t hurt.

When the bandage was out, the Priest carefully washed his wound, and made a slight smile, “At least she gave you a Healing Potion. It’s almost healed, a few more minutes and it will close completely. Let me wash the dirt or you will end up with a dark line on the scar.”

While Nozomu was enjoying the freshness of the water, Taisetsuna entered and said while looking at the wound, “I cleaned it with my spit and tears because I didn’t have water nearby. It will leave a mark?”

The Priest unbottled the strange looking rectangular bottle that he had and said while carefully pouring the liquid on Nozomu’s head, “You did a fine job, and I bet you cried a lot, because the wound is very clean. Well, you learned over the years how to take care of his wounds, because every time he got hurt, we couldn’t use Healing Magic on him. And he got hurt a lot mostly because of him, he couldn’t ever stand still!”

Nozomu cleaned his face from the strong-smelly liquid with the clean cloth the Priest gave him. As he was staring at the old bandage drenched in dry blood, the Priest asked, “What do you remember, Nozomu? Or you don’t remember a thing?”

“Nothing, zero, a complete blank. Suna told me my name and that I was an orphan, because even that I don’t remember. She said something about leaving this Orphanage and living on our own, but I may need a few more explanations, because I have no clue of what I know or what I can do to earn a living.”

The Priest glanced at the worried Taisetsuna and said, “I did my best to teach you two how to defend yourselves in case of need, and you both always said that you wanted to work as an Adventurer. I talked with the Guild Master, and he has a job for the both of you, but not as Adventurers because you lack experience, and no Party will ever accept you without proper training. Suna has a job waiting for her as a waiter at the Guild, and you will be the cook’s helper and serve the tables as well, if needed. The Guild Master will see how much you know to work as an Adventurer, and one or two Adventurers might give you a couple of lessons. That’s the best I could do. Considering that you forgot your training, you may need to start all over. If you are not able to become an Adventurer at least you can help on the Guild, and Suna will be the only one to become an Adventurer.”

Taisetsuna bit her lower lip and spoke while nervously fiddling with her fingers, “Me and Nozo… We always said we would be Adventurers in the same Party and watch each other’s backs. But if he forgot everything… I don’t want to be in a Party without him, I won’t know anyone!”

Nozomu held her hands, “Don’t worry, I will learn whatever I can and join you the fast I can. If I am not able, I will make sure to help the Guild and I will not be a burden to you. You can live your life without me around, you are strong and powerful, you don’t need someone like me near you, one that is not even able to use Magic.”

“What are you talking about, you moron? You can’t use Magic, but being able to disrupt Magic like you do, you are way more powerful than me or any Mage that exists! That’s why we never told anyone what you can do, for sure the army would draft you to join their ranks and send you ahead on every drill, to protect them from any Magic attack!”

Nozomu frowned, “Wait a minute, this country is at war with someone?”

Taisetsuna shook her head, “No, but the army has to protect our borders if needed, it catches criminals and rogue Mages, and also fights Magical Beings and Monsters that threaten everyone.”

Nozomu widened his eyes, “What kind of Magical Beings exist? And Monsters? Like, Orcs, Goblins, Harpies, Lamias, those kinds of Monsters?”

Taisetsuna vigorously nodded, “Yeah, those kinds of Monsters! And violent and mean Magical Beings, like Unicorns, Dragons, Drakes, Gailies, and sometimes, Fairies. Humans, Elfians, Dwarfs and Beast-kind normally are not a problem, but there were cases of some of them becoming criminals.”

Nozomu gulped, “I understand… I think! What are Drakes and Gailies? And there are Dragons around? They spit fire and use Magic?”

“Drakes are smaller than Dragons, they can fly and have long claws, tough skin and sharp teeth. They don’t use Magic, but Dragons do. Those big guys use Wind, Water, Earth or Fire Magic. Nasty fellows, Dragons. They can also be tamed, but at great cost. Well, maybe not for you, because they are Magical Beings.”

Nozomu made a slight smile, “And like that, their Magic doesn’t work on me, and they can’t touch me. It’s sounding better and better, my weird ability! What about Gailies? What are they?”

“Plant people. Or people plant. Walking, breathing, Human-like plants. Not all of them are violent and mean, many Humans married to Gailie and are quite happy, but that’s not for everyone, because they like to live in the forest, and Humans tend to prefer living in a City or village.”

“Amazing! What about Beast-kind? What kind of… I don’t know if half-animal or half-person is the right designation.”

Taisetsuna frowned, “No, it’s not. In fact, it’s a great insult. I will let it slide because of your memory loss, but don’t you say something like that to another Beast-kind. There are Cat-kind like me, free spirits and strong-minded with these ears and tail. Dog-kind that are different in behaviour, ears and tail. They are very loyal to their friends, and they are very peaceful. They can also be dangerous when needed. There are Rabbit-kind, a violent branch, all of them. Lion-kind, always looking for trouble or an excuse for a fight, don’t mess with them. Centaurs, half-Human, half-horse or Unicorn, if you want. Snake-kind, treacherous, defying, and rude most of them, with some rare exceptions. It’s better to be always on your guard with them until you find out if they can be trusted or not. There is also Bovine-kind, with pointy, dangerous horns. The males are big and able to crumble a house all by themselves, but they are very friendly, and the females have three big boobs. Human men tend to like them a lot, I suppose there is some weird attraction over their breasts, among the male population.”

Nozomu spoke with wide open eyes, “Yeah, I can totally understand the attraction over a woman with three breasts! What about the Fairies? How can a little Fairy be dangerous and life threatening, with what, five centimetres tall?

“You wouldn’t say that if you had to flee from a flock of them! They never fly alone, and two of them can easily kill a young Human such as you. They use Earth Magic and can make vines to grow from the ground and squeeze you to death. Or they can make you swallow a few seeds and turn you into a nice table garment, from the inside out.”

Nozomu made a disgusted frown, “Nasty little buggers, aren’t they?”

The Priest returned from the other room to where he went when Taisetsuna started to explain the Magical Beings and he gave three books to Nozomu, “Here, go to your room to rest for a while, and if your head doesn’t hurt, read these. It explains a lot of things. You do remember how to read, right?”

Nozomu opened the book and stared at the pages. He frowned and said, “I can, but there are some weird words in here, and runes. I don’t recognize them. Is this the normal writing?”

“Those are Elfian terms. You may need to know the runes and the words that Elfians use because they have been around longer than Humans. At least for three thousand years, because no one knows what happened before. We all know there used to live other civilizations in this World because of what they left behind, but no one knows why they disappeared. We have abandoned Cities, Magical Circles that allow for travels between them, and many caves with hidden relics from the past. Those are very profitable, at least the ones that still work or that people manage to understand how to use them, but most caves are infested with Monsters and it’s very dangerous to go inside. Only a big and strong Party of Adventurers dares to enter a cave, and even they lose a few members on a Quest to one of the most dangerous caves.”