Aria’s Adventures I
The village was the same as it always was. Sleepy and kind. Warm and gentle. It had recovered quickly from the bandits’ raid, though there were still huts here and there that stood as no more than blackened husks, their inhabitants having perished in that battle. As Aria passed by the muddy roads on the way to the adventurers’ camp, she noticed that her former home was much the same. Memories of the man that she and Arlin had called father passed briefly through her mind, and her footsteps slowed down ever so slightly. This village… she did not like it much. Their kindness was given freely without recompense, unlike that of her master. It was a kindness that she could not bring herself to trust.
“Aria? Aria, is that you?”
Unable to ignore the persistent calls of the villager – it would attract too much attention should he follow her right up to the camp – Aria turned around with a sigh, tugging her hood ever lower over her face as she did so. “What is it?”
“Aria! I knew it was you!” said the tall, muscular youth cheerfully. “Did you come to run some errands?”
She stared blankly at the boy’s ruddy face until he blushed and coughed. Enfeld, son of the village’s chief, Enzel. He was about her age, and had been somewhat of a nuisance, always trying to talk to her about matters for which she cared little. For the briefest period, when he had found her and Arlin, and led them to a safe route out of the village during the attack, she had actually, temporarily, thought that he was more reliable than he first seemed. Those slightly thawing feelings of hers had not lasted long. Now that she had traveled far and wide with her master, a man of far more strength and competence than Enfeld could ever hope to be, she could not see him as anything but the child that he was.
“Uh… Aria?” asked Enfeld. “Are you hearing me?”
“I suppose,” she replied disinterestedly. “What do you want?”
“Well, I was just wondering, did you come here for some errands? Is there anything I can help with, yeah?” grinned Enfeld hopefully. “Do you need to carry some crops back? I have a cart now, we could load it, ride to your place together.”
Aria scowled at his silly grin, causing it to falter. The only time her master would put on a stupid smile like that would be when he was going to put his mark off guard, but she knew that Enfeld bore the smile genuinely. “I’m going to the adventurers,” she said.
“Them? Oh, what for?” he asked with real interest.
“None of your business, Enfeld.”
“O-Oh, right. You’re right, Aria. Sorry for asking,” he said bashfully. “Wasn’t my place to pry, I know.”
He apologized so easily. Her master would never do that, not without a hidden reason. “If that is all, I need to be going, Enfeld,” said Aria coldly as she turned away.
“Wait… wait! No, that’s not all! As it so happens, I’m bringing some food over to the adventurers! We could walk together!” called out Enfeld desperately.
She ignored him and continued walking. Unfortunately for her, he followed in her tracks, pushing his silly little handcart in front of him. Fortunately, she has had years of experience in shutting down his attempts at conversation. And unfortunately for her, again, he has had years of experience in blissfully not knowing when he was not wanted.
They approached the tall walls of stone surrounding the encampment – summoned by powerful adventurers overnight, according to Enfeld. There were two guards at the makeshift gate who appeared to be more soldierly than what Aria thought adventurers would look like. She had heard that there were regular Methussian soldiers accompanying the expedition: perhaps these were those.
“What’s this, two peasant lovebirds out on a task?” said one of the soldiers in friendly mockery.
“L-L-L-“ Enfeld blushed very redly and began stuttering, unable to complete even a single word.
As the guards laughed at his reaction, an annoyed Aria tried to recall what it is that her master had said. He had told her several ways of gaining access to the camp but had neglected to mention which he thought best. Of course, she knew that it was all a test for her. Her master never did, or not do anything thoughtlessly.
***
A. Prove her strength. If she attracted attention by besting the soldiers in a fight, she would quickly become the talk of the camp and be ushered in. The boost to her reputation would add persuasion to her words later on. Aria was confident that she could do this with no problems.
B. Talk her way in. She would offer information about a mysterious castle in the forest that may be of interest to the adventurers. This should gain her access to the camp as well as ensure she was well-positioned to guide the adventurers where her master wanted them. Aria was not as confident about a diplomatic method, but she knew that her master would vastly prefer this approach even if he had not said as much.
C. Leave, and sneak in over the walls later under the cover of darkness. She would use this time to scout out the walls and plan her entry later. Once she was in there, she could pretend that she was always there all along. Aria thought that this approach might work better for Arlin, who could be so quiet that a mouse would not see him, but she did not feel that she would fare any worse.
D. Pretend to be bringing the food together with Enfeld. It was an impromptu approach, one not planned for by her master, but this would allow her to enter the camp. Then she would just have to find a reason to stay.
***
You yawn. It is another long day ahead. You have a lot of things to do, like:
A. Playing cards with Rin. Of course, it will be a card game of your own devising.
B. Taking a walk around the village. You need to parade your majesty around the goblins once in a while.
C. Practice making handicrafts out of magical ice. They might be a good side-business in the future.
D. Sleep. Sleep is always good, and helps you think better.
