"Going… out, Nana!" I called out as I left the small shack.
"Don't stay out too long, child." She said, cutting up some carrots. "The spirits often take children who stray too far away."
"I… know…" I say with a smile before turning back to her. "Please… rest… okay…"
She of course only huffed. "I am not that old, stop worrying," she said in an annoyed tone but there was a slight smile on her face.
It has been three years since I came into the world of Yaleran, making me about eight. I had woken up on the side of the road to the town of Karla. The townspeople were nice to allow me to stay though they have always been wary of me.
I don't blame them, as I was a young child that appeared out of nowhere. Not only that, but she had limited speech and memory. It was suspicious. Thankfully, some kind people took care of me. One was an old woman at the edge of the town, who I currently lived with. She didn't have family herself and treated me as if I were her own. She was a bit striked at times but taught me a lot about the world.
The town of Karla is a hunting and farming town at the edge of the Qeca Kingdom. Qeca is one of three human kingdoms on the continent of Ifin. In total, there are twelve countries that hold different people and governments. They each have the same general god pantheon, but some worship specific gods more than others. Other than that, I did not know much about this world.
The Qeca Kingdom is the smallest of the twelve but was relatively peaceful. They worship the goddess of healing and light, Usmis. The current King, Romanos Sevada, rules his country alongside his wife and queen Martha Tajuddin. According to recent news, they recently had a child.
The town I am in, ships out supplies from farming and hunting, making a moderate prophet. They are not the richest but most work was paid in food. Most jobs around here were of meaning the fields, hunting and gathering in the forest, or becoming a priest.
Because of my age, I wasn't able to do anything too big to earn money and the old woman didn't work much. To help, I often took odd jobs to get some money and gather supplies to give to the old woman. She often made medicine for the town and got a decent profit from it.
Today, I headed towards the guild in the center of town where jobs were usually posted. The teller, Felix, often advises me on which ones to take and whether it would be dangerous or not. He and Nana have known each other for a long time and have been the main two people looking out for me.
"Working again, Sophie?" The old man asks as I come to his booth.
I nod, smiling up at him. "New… job…?" I struggled with the words. Even after all these years I still have trouble speaking to people. It wasn't that I was afraid or nervous but my words just didn't come out clearly no matter how hard I tried.
It bothered a few people about my speech but most have learned to accept it. Nana taught me a few gestures to help me communicate. Felix has also been teaching me how to read and write so I hope to use it in the future.
Felix smiles at me before shaking his head. "Afraid not sweetheart, nothing simple at least," he says pointing to the board. "There are still a few harvesting requests as well as a need for herb gathering. Though I wouldn't recommend either for you right now."
"Why… not…?" I asked, a bit disheartened.
"It's nothing to do with you, dear. It's more so what has been going on with the land now." He scratches the back of his head, in discomfort. "There has been an increase in beasts and magic creatures, causing the forests and fields to become a bit more dangerous. I don't want to see you hurt, and heaven knows how Mar will react."
I give him a small smile, happy to know he cares but frowns soon after. Though it can't be helped because of my age, I often feel useless when I am unable to help. I am aware that my body is far too weak to fight or work on the fields but I still want to try. The memories of being confined to a bed still haunt me.
"You know…" Felix says suddenly, catching my attention. "Theabie has been saying she needs help in the back of the shop. If you don't mind dealing with bugs or sorting materials, I'm sure she'll pay you well."
I look up at the man, my eyes beaming with joy and hope. Theabie was the person who ran this guild and was Felix's boss. She was quite young but was a strong woman that people rarely questioned. She had been the most skeptical of me entering the town but has been supporting me in my quest for knowledge and jobs. I instantly start tapping on the counter, indicating my acceptance of the job.
Felix chuckles slightly. "Calm down kid, I'll let you right away." With that, he led me to the back door and helped me get organized in the back. After I am set, he returns to the front.
The job was relatively simple, I would organize and clean the storage rooms, taking in the commissions that came from the adventures. I have done things like this before and the rooms are usually kept orderly, but there are points where the workers get overwhelmed. When this happens the rooms become in disarray, and need someone to deal with it.
"I see you're here again," I hear a voice to my left, finding Theabie standing in the doorway of the room. "Felix give you a job again?"
I nod in approval, smiling at her kindly. "Is… okay…?"
"You're fine." She says, walking into the room. "I'm just looking for lamb's ear, a trader wants it to sell in a neighboring town."
I nod before going to get the required item. Taking a crate, I removed the top, revealing jars of herbs. Looking at each one meticulously, I eventually found the lamb ear Theabie needed.
Handing it over to her, Theabie took them and scanned the leaves. "Good job," She said before leaving. "My office, noon."
At noon I went to the office to go through the worksheets. Theabie has been giving me secret lessons, teaching me about the world, money, and business. She has been teaching me about common trade, the price of items, tax, and several other things.
Each time I met with her, she became softer and kinder to me. As time goes on, we have grown closer, but she still keeps her distance from me.
"What does this equal?" Theabie asks me, pointing at a problem.
Thinking for a second, I did the numbers in my head. "Fordy… Seven…" I mumbled, looking at her for confirmation.
"Correct," she said, solemnly. "You've been learning faster lately. I'm beginning to think you might have a learning skill."
I looked at her curiously. "Learning… skill…?"
"It isn't rare or anything, but it could lead you to getting a higher education." She said, putting away her papers. "Though you still have six years before we can see your skills, let alone your job or class. There is no rush."
Theabie then looked out the window and sighed. "You should get going, it will get dangerous if it gets too late."
I nod before cleaning up my workspace. I bow my head in thanks before leaving the room.
Outside I am greeted by a commotion, townspeople running all over the square. Being careful not to be run over I watched from a distance, trying to figure out what was going on.
"Grab it!"
"Don't let it get away!"
"It's mine!"
I see a small ball of light fling away from the crowd, dodging all the people who came after it. I couldn't see right away what the thing was but everyone seemed desperate to grab it.
Initially, I didn't want to get involved, so I began to walk away. That's when I heard a small cry.
"Leave me alone!"
I looked up for a second, looking towards the light, hearing soft, almost whispers. It was odd. Though it was soft, I could hear them clearly over the clamoring noise.
Waiting as one man nearly grabbed the thing, I dove forward and took it in my hands, before dashing away from everyone. It wasn't the smartest move, considering how angry everyone became but I didn't know what else to do.
I could run fast and knew the streets well enough to find ways to escape. Once far enough away, I pushed the thing behind a pile of boxes before continuing to run. The people quickly spotted me and continued to chase me.
It took me hours to lose them and eventually hid under a bridge. It was nearly sundown when I could eventually leave to return home.
When I did enter the house, Nana scolded me for being late before resizing my disheveled state. She quickly took my soiled clothes and made me sit by the fire so I could warm up. I told her about what happened and she huffed.
"It seems like a pixie came to town," she muttered unhappily while brushing my hair. "Most people go crazy trying to catch them."
"Why…?" I asked, curious about the race.
"It is said if you catch a pixie you can get a wish," Nana explained. "The thing is that is what blinds people. Not only are they hard to capture, but they are also devise creatures. Even if you do make a wish it could become altered by them and bring misfortune."
"Scary…" I say as a shiver goes down my spine.
Nana chuckled. "Not all that scary. Some stories say their wishes brought prosperity to kingdoms." She was silent for a moment before facing me with a serious look.
"Lissen Sophie. If you ever meet a pixie or another fae, the best thing to do is treat them with respect. The fae abide by a list of rules so as long as you do nothing to anger them they won't cause you trouble."
I nod in understanding and she pats my head. "Good girl, now let's eat and get you to bed."
After that, we ate some soup together and talked about other things. Eventually, I went upstairs to go to bed.' When I opened the door, I was surprised to see a small blue light on my desk.
Sitting on my desk, staring back at me, was a small girl, no bigger than a foot. She was mid-bite in a sweet barry, and a few other berries surrounded her. She had bright blue hair and dark chocolate skin.
We just stared at each other for a while before she bolted to the window. Though in her panic she slammed into the glass instead of the open part. She fell to the floor in a slight daze.
Worried, I closed the door behind me and went to help her. She groaned in pain and didn't seem to realize my approach. The light around her faded slightly.
I gently picked her up and put her on a pillow. "You… okay…?" I asked gently, but she didn't respond.
Her light began to darken even more, causing me to panic. She began to feel cold and I took her and placed her close to my chest in hopes to warm her. I was beginning to think I should get Nana when I felt a surge go through me.
It was almost like an instinct took over, I felt an energy inside me enter the small being. A small light began to emanate from my hands, surrounding her. It was draining and tiresome, but I felt life return to the creatures.
Eventually, the light faded and the girl was glowing brightly, breathing steadily. Relaxing slightly I put her down on the pillow again, covering her with a soft cloth. I placed her on my desk, making sure the sweet berries were close by.
With that, I felt my exhaustion consuming me, and when I went to my bed I fell asleep without hesitation.