2.2 The Merry Band: First Mission

 Small particles of light remained floating in the air as the boy collapsed on the floor.

“What kind of chaos is this…” I hopelessly murmured.

Odin stood up, placed his hand on my shoulder and asked, “So, whaddya think of my Gungnir? Cool, right?”

I took his hand off my shoulder. “It’s a good thing that you’re back on your feet, but we’ve got someone else to worry about now!” I pointed at the one who healed him, now passed out on the floor.

“Oh, him? Just leave that to me.” He swung the boy, who’s a little shorter than I am, over his shoulder. “We better bring him to the teachers. Haha, let’s go!”

“What are you so excited about?” I asked him as we ran through the hallways.

“Our first mission, Leith. This is our first mission!”

“This is hardly a mission at all! This is our first accident! Well, it’s our second one.” Once I caught my breath a little, still running, I asked him, “Why did you two collapse anyway?”

“Isn’t that obvious?” I honestly didn’t expect him to ever phrase anything in a way that would make me sound like the idiot. “We’re too low on stamina to use the spells we casted, so we collapsed.”

I, obviously, knew about magic stamina. Though it bugs me that I didn’t know one falls to the ground when their stamina isn’t high enough. I just thought they wouldn’t be able to use their spells.

“I guess that makes sense. Though I am surprised to see a spell like Heal All used on my first day of school…”

“Heal all?”

Odin was running on my left, but I was sure that’s not where that voice came from—much less was it his voice. I turned to my right and saw a girl with a cloak as black as her hair running next to us.

“Who—” Before I could ask, she disappeared. There was a girl just now… or am I just seeing this?

“You’re not dreaming. I’m right here!”

I had no idea where that voice came from. I looked to my right, then my left, below me as well. I could still hear her humming, but there wasn’t anyone in sight.

“Up here.”

I raised my head and saw her running… on the ceiling? When will this chaotic morning come to an end?

“Catch me!”

She did a flip off the ceiling and fell in my running path.

“Wait, don’t!”

She disappeared again.

“Why is that boy being carried? I want a piggy back ride, too!”

You can hardly call that a piggy back ride…

She appeared again, this time on my back. I was about to tell her off, because I’m not strong enough to carry anyone my age on my back, but she’s…

“…as light as a feather,” the words slipped out of my mouth before I even realised that I thought them.

“Hm, me? Wow, you’re such a flirt! You should know better than hitting on a girl from the Lord Kitagaki dynasty, you know,” she teased.

I already had a feeling, but now I know for sure. This girl is a ninja. Her dynasty, just like the other ones, reside in Scatoheim, hugging the border of East-Twynne. Though originally, they came here from countries in the Far East. Having lost their reason to clash over their lords, they live here in harmony. Still honouring their lord’s name by carrying it on.

From what I’ve read, I have nothing but respect towards their people and the many stories they brought from afar. Not just the stories that tell their history, their myths and fantasy tales are terrific as well. The tale that gets brought up most, the one I have yet to read, is titled Kurayami. In one of their languages, that means “darkness” if I’m not mistaken.

None of that really matters when we’re running through the hallways though. No time to think, time for action.

“Where to now, Odin?”

He looked bewildered as he looked my way.

“I was following you, Leith. I don’t know where the teachers are.”

“Odin-dono and Leith-dono, huh. I sense your deepest care for your injured comrade. The teachers’ building is right ahead.” She enthusiastically pointed her finger forward.

“Oh, you’re a life saver,” Odin said. “But what do you not know?”

“…What?”

“Yeah, you said Odin don’t know, Leith don’t know. So I thought, what’s it that you don’t know?”

She slapped her face with the palm of her hand. “Are you an idiot? It’s an honorific, but I take it back! From here on out you’re O’dunce! Anyway, let’s up the pace!” After that remark, she hummed the sort of music you’d hear in a chase-scene from a play.

The carpet below our feet was dark blue instead of the crimson red from earlier. This must be the teachers’ side of the building. “We’re here,” I said, before Odin got a chance to lash out at the girl on my back.

She jumped off and ran to the first door. After knocking twice, she asked, “Anyone there?”

When no one answered, she disappeared, but then quickly reappeared right in front of us. “No one there. What should we do?”

“You’re a bit of a dunce yourself, aren’t you? You tried one door of the,” I leaned sideways to see the doors, “fourteen rooms.”

“Just how quick did you count?”

“Well, anyway, we have to keep trying until we find someone that can help us.” Of course I am one to act as I preach. With luck on my side, the first door I knocked on was opened by a teacher.
“What’s wrong, young man? You look troubled.”

I pointed to Odin and the boy he was carrying. “The boy on his shoulder used a strong healing spell; Heal All and then he passed out,” I explained.

“Is that… so? Heal All… right. Of course. Children in this day and age are stronger, much stronger than what my peers and I had to show back in our youngster years,” he mumbled to himself. As he kept muttering out words I couldn’t understand nor hear, he placed his hand on the boy’s forehead. “Dje-shu,” he whispered.

The boy slowly lifted his eyelids up. “Where… Where am I?” He loudly asked in a panic. “I need to help, I need to help! Heal—” Before he could cast his spell, the teacher put him to sleep by placing his index finger on his forehead.

“How eager to help, but we can’t have you passing out again.” With another tap on his forehead, he woke up again. This time a lot calmer than before.

“What’s your name, healer of all?”

“My name…? Ah! Do-Doh-Dohman.” Odin put him down on his feet. He looked around, then bowed down. “I don’t really know what happened but it seems like I caused trouble. I-I would like to deeply apologize for every inconvenience I caused!”

Odin lifted Dohman’s back up straight and leaned on his shoulder. “Keep your head high, Doh-Doh-Dohman. You helped me out big time.”

“It’s Dohman, O’dunce!”

The teacher, who was staring out of the large windows covering the left side of the hall, said, “Your merry band should head to class. Until we meet again, young men.” He looked at the girl with a smile, “And you, too, of course.”

For some odd reason, she sang incomprehensibly until we reached the classroom.

She sure is one peppy girl.