[Volume II] Chapter 8: Horses at Last!

The day after our victory over the troll, word had already spread through the city. Even my parents had heard the news, and when I saw them, they told me how proud they were.

That morning, we met up and headed straight to the horse stables in Apple City.

“The day is finally here, guys—can you believe it?!” Alva said, his eyes shining.

“We’re really going to be unstoppable,” Talos added, grinning. “Just like you said all that time ago.”

Since we agreed that two horses would suffice until we could afford one for each of us, we decided Talos and Alva should take the first mounts, as they were the larger of the group, while Uri and I could ride with them without much trouble.

When we arrived, the stable master greeted us eagerly and led us to the horses he had for sale.

They came in every size and color imaginable. I could easily tell which horses were the more expensive—those with striking, exotic coats or with muscles that set them apart from the rest.

Talos chose a black stallion and named him Gabriel, while Alva had chosen a white mare he named Celestia.

As the stable hands prepared their horses, Uri and I wandered among the remaining stalls. That’s when one caught my eye—a beautiful chestnut horse with a rich, reddish-copper coat and matching mane.

“Juniper,” I whispered. She turned toward me as if she had been waiting for that name all along, and in that instant, I knew she was the one.

Uri saw the way I was looking at her.

“You have to get her,” he said. Apparently, he could see the connection too.

“I know,” I replied, my eyes still fixed on her.

Those ten gold coin couldn’t come soon enough. We already had five saved up.

Did Talos really need a new sword? He seemed to be doing just fine with his shield.

No… good things come to those who wait.

“I’ll be back for you,” I whispered to Juniper.

As we finalized the purchases, I asked the stable master if I could reserve a horse until we had enough money. He said it wasn’t something he usually allowed—but after our recent purchases, he realized who we were: the Talos Party. The ones who cleared out the troll, making it possible for him to finally receive new shipments. With that in mind, he told me he’d “see what he could do.”

As we were about to leave, one of the stable hands caught up to us and said, “That probably means yes.”

That was good news, or so I hoped.

And so we rode away—Talos and I on Gabriel, and Alva and Uri on Celestia.

“Horses, finally! I can’t wait to see all the quests in the other kingdoms!” Alva said, riding beside Talos.

“Where to now?” Talos asked.

“Let’s head to the Elf Kingdom. We might as well test out that bridge we cleared, right?” I offered.

“Okay. And maybe I can get a new sword while we’re there,” Talos said.

We made our way to Loris Bridge. Instead of taking several hours like it did the last time we walked, it now took just a fraction of that—barely twenty minutes.

If it wasn’t already clear, we rarely left Apple City. Before we were an official party, we had no reason to.

So, with that being said, you can probably guess I’ve rarely been to the Elf Kingdom.

As we entered the kingdom, it felt like stepping into an entirely different country. There was a sense of grandeur and luxury that just didn’t exist back home. The buildings stood tall, topped with rounded green roofs trimmed in gold and crowned with delicate spires.

The streets bustled with elves — tall, slender, with glowing hair in various colors and long ears. Shops lined both sides, offering everything imaginable. Maybe one day, we’d have time to truly explore it all.

“Woah,” Uri murmured, taking in the scenery.

“This is nice. Bet we’ll find a good weapons shop around here somewhere,” Talos said, sounding optimistic.

I glanced at Alva. His head was down, eyes avoiding everyone. I looked around. He was getting stares.

Being a half-elf carried plenty of judgment among High Elves.

I assumed full-blooded elves just called themselves "High Elves" because they loved feeling special.

“So… what happened during the fight, Alva?” I asked.

“H—huh?” He blinked, snapping back to attention.

“Back during the troll fight. When you froze up.”

Probably not the best question to cut the tension, but the words were already out.

“I don’t know,” he muttered. “That big blue behemoth came charging at me, and in that moment… I knew arrows weren’t going to cut it.”

“You could’ve run, like I did.”

“I couldn’t. My body felt like stone. I don’t know why.”

“Fear,” Talos said bluntly. “That’s all it was. But we’ll get better—don’t worry. I was scared too. Trust me, the more quests we take on, the smaller trolls will start to feel.”

“Look,” Uri said, pointing to a shop with a sign that read: Luxia City Weapons Shop.

“Good eye, Uri,” Talos said.

We tied up the horses and stepped inside. The shop’s interior stretched far larger than it looked from the outside. A myriad of weapons filled the walls and shelves—swords, axes, daggers, and bows of every kind lined the room in neat rows.

“Welcome, party,” the shopkeeper greeted. “Looking for something specific, or just browsing?”

He was tall and skinny, with shoulder-length hair that glowed faint red.

Talos gravitated straight to the sword section.

“We’re just looking for a sword,” I said.

“Ah, your warrior needs a new blade?” The shopkeeper strolled over and joined Talos, rattling off details about each weapon.

But Talos’s attention drifted further down the wall.

“What about that one?” he asked, pointing at a long weapon with a wooden shaft and an iron-tipped blade.

“Oh that, that's a halberd. Forged in the Orc Kingdom. Try it out.” the shopkeeper replied.

Talos plucked it from the wall and followed him into a side room lined with training dummies.

“Have at ’em.” The shopkeeper gestured.

Talos swung in wide, steady arcs, each strike landing cleanly.

“You look like a natural with that,” the owner said.

He probably says that to every customer.

“Really?” Talos said. “I was planning on getting a sword, but…” He turned to us. “Guys, what do you think?”

“Whatever you feel comfortable with,” I said.

The others nodded.

“I’ll take it!” Talos exclaimed.

The weapon was originally seven gold, but the shop owner dropped it to five for us — surprisingly generous. Between him and the stable master earlier, people had been treating us well today. Even though the elf shopkeeper hadn’t heard of us, it seemed like there were perks to being in a party — maybe some soft admiration.

Whatever it was, I could get used to it.

As we left the store, I could tell Talos felt even more confident than before, hefting his new halberd. Maybe it was fate he’d lost that old sword; the halberd suited him better.

I was genuinely happy for him.

As we mounted back onto the horses, Talos grinned and said: “Hey guys, let’s fight a dragon tomorrow.”

Okay, I take it back. The halberd needs to go.

“I need more experience with hostile combat, but don’t you think that’s pushing us into the deep end?” Alva said.

“Come on! We have horses now.” Talos pleaded.

“What does that have to do with fighting a dragon?” I asked.

“Horses mean a quick getaway, if needed,” Uri added, his eyes lighting up.

“Not you too, Uri,” I said, disappointed.

“Come on, guys! I’ve got a new weapon to test out, Alva, you need to face your fear of combat, Uri, you’re in, and Velara, you have spells!” Talos said.

Wow, so convincing. When you put it like that, how could I possibly say no?

“Fine. But this time, unlike with the fairy, I’m serious about bolting,” Alva muttered, patting Celestia.

“Alva, how did that convince you? We barely handled the troll unscathed, and now this?” I asked.

“Yes, but how else am I supposed to get better if we don’t fight harder creatures? Come on, Velara! I need to do this. I can’t freeze up again. Are you in?”

The three of them stared at me with their most convincing eyes.

I sighed. “I’m gonna need more spells, aren’t I?”

“Yay!” they all cheered.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but… tomorrow, we’re actually going to fight a dragon.

Please wish us luck.