Cautious Companions

The prince’s behavior left everyone unsettled. The malice he had displayed towards Andra for speaking against him felt like a step too far, but it didn’t seem as though anything could be done about it. No one wanted to abide by his rules, but his words served as a prison as we were now abundantly aware of his likely response to even a minor transgression. Scorched Earth. No mercy.

Prince Elias said a few more vaguely motivating things to the group, but it was soon clear he had lost interest in being there. He left us to continue planning, which meant it was time for our party to venture out of the room and into the city proper. As we walked together, a silence hung in the air, emphasized by the meek stature of the once boisterous hybrid girl.

Once we had made it out into the sunlight and among the bustling streets, Pira spoke up first.

“Picking a fight with a prince like that was beyond foolish,” she murmured almost to herself.

“He did go too far,” Estelar countered gently. “I think it’s best if we just keep a low profile and begin our journey as planned. I, for one, support the prince’s vision of humanitarian aid. It’s a positive and noble goal.” It was clear he was trying to keep the peace, which I could respect.

Andra would not be redirected by thoughts of doing good, however. “Would he really do that? To my family?” She asked no one in particular.

“Of course not, royals like him are all talk about su-” Pira started flippantly.

“He would.” I muttered under my breath. I hadn’t thought I had spoken loudly enough to be heard, but three dismayed faces turned toward me, the silence heavy.

“Hmph.” Andra finally spoke, looking annoyed. “You’d know, I guess.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

She shrugged. “I mean, look at you. You and the prince are quite close. Best friends, even.”

My blank expression must have indicated that I didn’t follow her logic, so she waved a hand at the trousers I wore. “You cross dress together and everything.”

Her tone was aggressive and dismissive on the surface but it was obvious she was still not over the prince's threats.

“We -” I started, then stopped myself. I supposed that, without context, it WOULD look a bit strange that both the prince and I were dressed that way. I sighed inwardly. This was not the way I wanted things to start. Mustering a slight smile, I shrugged.

"It's a long story but I assure you we are not 'best friends' nor do I even like him at all... I mean." I chuckled inwardly, "How could I?"

My mind began to wander briefly until I processed the uncomfortable expressions around me. Although brief and fickle, I managed to convince the group I wasn't close to that megalomaniac for the time being at least.

“You know what? Let’s reset over some food. We haven't even done proper introductions yet.” I turned towards the group and shook the bag of coins that held the remaining team budget. “My treat!”

The thought of a meal, and a free one at that, lightened the mood. The entire party was famished after the events of the day. On the mechanic’s recommendation, we chose a nice looking little cafe on a street corner to have lunch. I hoped that the meal would be the first step in building connections within the party.

The restaurant was a cozy little place, with well-worn wooden furniture and a perky fire in a nearby hearth. A slightly harried serving girl took our order; it appeared to be a family style place with large dishes meant for sharing, so I let the others in the group choose what we would eat. I wasn’t a picky eater, nor was I familiar with this world’s food beyond the breakfast I’d eaten with Elias, so I decided to trust that whatever they chose for me, it would be edible.

Once we’d ordered, I cleared my throat. It was time to lead the conversation in a more productive direction.

“Why don’t we all start with some background? Maybe explain why you’re here and what your personal goals are, aside from winning this competition of course.” I paused, waiting to see if anyone would step up to share.

The mage and mechanic both attempted to speak at the same time, but Estelar quickly nodded at Pira, encouraging her to speak first. She smiled at him and then focused on the group.

“I’m Pira, I’m from here in the capital,” she said. “I work on any technical issues around the manor or whatever is requested of me by the noble family I serve.”

She spoke frankly at first, but it wasn’t long before her enthusiasm began to emerge, both for her work and for the contest. “I can build, fix up, use and direct practically every basic magic item or weapon. You name it, I can work with it. If it doesn’t have magic then it's even easier.” She leaned back in her chair, grinning. “When we win this thing, I want to increase the scale of my operations to the entire royal family. I want to build devices so powerful that they’re regarded as national secrets. Creating a device to truly change the world is my dream, and I think I can get there.”

Rather than begin to unpack that, I simply nodded. I gestured to the mage. “What about you?”

Pira seemed to deflate a bit that no one had asked her more about her devices, but she shook it off quickly.

The mage inclined his head. “My name is Estelar and I hail from Belleview village, although I tend to travel between a few towns giving aid where I can. I tend to focus on basic healing, assisting with crops and livestock, and improving harvests. I never planned on learning magic as I have, but over the years I’ve garnered a reputation as a mage, it seems.” He spoke humbly, and from what I could tell he was being completely genuine. He had a gentle nature that aligned with his interest in humanitarianism. It was a breath of fresh air given the types of people I’d already been associating with in this world, although my experience was limited.

“I should add, I didn’t get a formal education,” he continued. “Instead, I focused on doing my own research and coming up with bespoke methods whenever I found a problem that needed solving. Because of this, my fundamentals are somewhat lackluster and my combat ability is next to nothing, but when it comes to helping people, I’m confident in my skill set.”

“That’s great to hear,” I said warmly. Estelar seemed modestly pleased. I directed my attention to the still-frazzled beast hybrid who was studying her own fingertips intensely. The tension rolling off of her was palpable. I considered pushing the next introduction onto her but, given her state, I decided to wait until the food had arrived at least.

“I supposed I’ll go next,” I said.

“As you already know, I am the proxy of the eighth prince. He summoned me from another world to guide this party to victory.” I looked each member in the eye as I spoke, then lowered my gaze to the tabletop. “To be honest, I don’t know why I was chosen to do this. In the world I come from, I am extremely average. I don’t have combat experience or special skills that I would think would be at all useful for this competition. But I’m sure the prince has his reasons for making the choice he did.” I lifted my head again, studying the group. “Since this is such an unfamiliar place for me, I’m sure I will be relying on you all for many basic things. I don’t know the land, the food, the weapons, anything. So I apologize ahead of time if I have a lot of questions. I will do my best to learn fast.”

I paused for a moment, half expecting a negative response. But none of the others seemed too bothered by what I had said. Maybe they’d expected it. I decided to continue.

“Although I am a bit unsure of my own abilities here, I do have confidence in others. I know our team is strong, but more than that, I know the prince is as calculating as he is twisted. He has a plan, and somehow, I fit that plan.” I knew better than to share what I already knew of the plan. “I will choose to trust in that, and I will do everything I can to lead this team to a successful outcome. After all, I have a lot to lose.” Pira’s lips turned in a wry smile at my words, and Estelar looked sympathetic.

“I have a fiancee and unborn child waiting for me back home,” I said softly. “Failure is not an option for me.”

I paused again, letting that sink in for the team. I wanted them to put their faith in me, the outsider. I needed them to know the stakes.

Three serious expressions met mine, and I was satisfied. “Thank you all for putting your trust in me going forward. I will make sure it’s returned tenfold.” I nodded my gratitude to each of them, and at that moment, the waitress returned with a tray laden with platters of food.

“On that note, let’s eat!” I announced to the group with a smile, letting the arrival of the food lighten the mood. It seemed to work; even Andra appeared pleased as we all began to dig into our lunch.