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PW Chapter 35: To New New Beginnings
🕑 Added 2025-06-10 21:08:05 +0000 UTC“Yeah, thank you! I’ll be back! No, not tomorrow, the day after. Yes. The day after.”
Each of the clients obviously loved Ahna and her food. It wasn’t a surprise, and for the first time, Astrid considered why Ahna had become a Baker, as well as why she’d said she wanted to be a Healer. The cute girl loved this, being in the kitchen preparing food for friends and customers, experimenting with new ratios, new recipes. She’d always seemed like she enjoyed helping out in the local clinic, but was that an act? Was it just a small aspect of what made her a complete person?
Once Ahna returned to stand beside Astrid, the last of her deliveries complete, she grinned mischievously. “We were fast. I’ve got an extra 20 minutes, if we wanna eat a couple of those rolls together. You can share, miss rich delver, right?”
Astrid laughed and gestured towards a nearby front stoop. They sat on the stairs, Astrid spreading twice as far as Ahna to be comfortable. Then, they tore into a sausage roll apiece.
“Duchess above, they’re good. Even better, maybe, but I’ve missed pastries, Ahna. There really isn’t that much baking to be found in tiny towns of a hundred people.”
“They’re the same as usual.” Ahna replied as she took dainty bites. Astrid consciously kept herself from tearing through the roll in just a couple bites, pacing herself instead. “I think they’re slightly less spiced than usual, but with the war coming, that isn’t a surprise.”
Astrid sighed, already almost done with the roll. She’d eaten two meat pies as they walked, and she considered going for a second roll, but decided against it. Instead, she met Ahna’s eyes. She covered her mouth as she chewed, her head cocked to the side.
“What, Astrid?”
“I… it’s too late now, but I have to know. Did you ever want to be a delver?”
Astrid fought to keep her face neutral, not judgmental at all. She wanted to know, but wouldn’t be upset, no matter what Ahna said. Or, at least, that’s what she told herself.
“I wanted to!” Ahna met Astrid’s eyes. Astrid fought to keep her face schooled as she listened. “I want adventure, and to see what the world has to offer. I wanted to travel with you and Jan, to get levels and to be more than… more than I was.” Ahna’s voice faded.
“But you didn’t really want to be a delver.” Astrid finished the thought.
“Violence scares me.” Ahna whispered, her eyes flicked subconsciously in the direction of the bakery. The primary source of violence in her life.
“I know.” Astrid nodded, reaching an arm out and pulling Ahna in towards her. “Has that gotten any better?”
“Somewhat.” She shrugged. “I’m now required to be paid a wage and be treated a certain way. I’ve got good Skills, so I could go somewhere else and be fairly easily hired. That helps, and Jan’s around all the time. There’s nothing visible now, so that’s good.”
Astrid sighed. “I wish you’d move to live with Jan.”
“We’re getting close to that.” Ahna comforted Astrid hurriedly. “We’re both saving, and your parents said something about renting us their home for a while? A whole year for only ten silver! We only need a couple more. Is that why you’re here now? To live with us? I promise we won’t be too… bothersome.”
Astrid chuckled, though she also felt some heat crawl up her neck. “No, I won’t be living with you. I’ll leave your nights free, Ahna. My mother’s been called to the southern border again, and Papa’s going with her. The house’ll be empty, so I’m sure they mostly want you to make sure the garden doesn’t die and the roof doesn’t rot.”
“Oh, ok.” Ahna nodded, a bright smile crossing her face while Astrid’s stomach twisted in anxiety, knowing the question that was coming. “Where are you going to be staying, then? You don’t need to rent a room or find an inn, I promise!”
“I do.” Astrid murmured.
“Why? I’m sure there’s a dozen people that’d be… willing to…” Ahna’s face fell as she realized what Astrid was saying. “You’re not staying here.”
“Leaving today.” Astrid confirmed in a whisper, feeling the burning of tears at the corner of her eyes. “Going to Kznietch.”
“But you just got here!” Ahna whimpered, leaning into Astrid’s shoulder. “There was so much I wanted to do, to have meals with you, to, to, to just play around! To show you some silly things Jan’s given me. But…”
Astrid felt her own tears spill as her shoulder was wetted with Ahna’s tears. “This is why you bought so many?”
“Yeah.”
“You wanted to have them for dinner?”
“And breakfast.”
“But I’ll miss you. I’ve missed you.”
“Me too.”
“I don’t want you to leave.”
At that, Astrid couldn’t easily agree. She didn’t want to leave behind so many comfortable things here… but after months spent in the Dungeon, growing stronger, learning more and more and getting her fourth Skill… Ahna absolutely wasn’t close to getting to level 2 yet. They were so different. Their worlds had split, and though they could visit each other, see what the other did and how she lived, they couldn’t live there. In just a couple months, through the course of late spring and the first half of summer, they’d become wholly alien to each other. And how could Astrid explain that? She wouldn’t tell Ahna about how, of the over 40 delvers there when she arrived, half had died and half of the remainder had fled? That the racist Tobias stayed there but refused to delve? That Astrid had run for a kilometer with a dying man on her back, just so he could speak his final words to his wife?
“I’m going.” Astrid settled on saying. “I need to. This is what I want, what I’ve always wanted. And, not counting your mother’s presence, this is what you’ve wanted, even though I tried to convince you otherwise.”
“I… there’s… ok.” Ahna’s voice was quiet, almost broken as she spoke, but she nodded and threw her arms around Astrid in a hug. For the first time, Astrid really thought about Ahna in the Dungeon. Could she see her baking friend going into that place and dealing with the blood and gore and desperation? More than anything, Astrid saw that sapping away everything that made Ahna her friend, and as she wrapped the much smaller woman in her arms, Astrid was truly grateful that Ahna wasn’t forcing herself to delve alongside her.
“I’ll get some more back at the bakery before I leave.” Astrid mumbled into Ahna’s hair, and then, after the Baker nodded, they just sat there for a couple minutes. She couldn’t say what Ahna was feeling, but Astrid was sending off her childish dreams, already feeling years older just months after the Bestowal. That she would continue gaining levels and would thus not age nearly as quickly as her friend was another reality… that she refused to acknowledge.
***
“Since you’ve bought so many,” Ahna said loud enough for her mother to hear in the kitchen behind her, “we’ll include a complimentary sausage roll and meat pie.”
It would be humorous if Astrid didn’t know the reason behind it. She accepted the food, and wrapped it all into a spare cloth she’d brought for this purpose. As she tied the massive bundle of food into a mostly secure lump, Astrid shrugged helplessly.
“I’ll see you. Sometime.” She passed over the payment for the food, then wrapped Ahna in another hug. While she did so, she slipped two silver, leaving just another two pieces for herself, into the back neck of Ahna’s dress.
She yelped as the metal slid down her back and looked at Astrid accusingly.
“What was that?” she twisted and twitched, afraid it was some childish prank.
“Just hurrying up you and Jan’s plans. That should be enough.” Astrid smiled as she strode out of the storefront. Ahna charged after her, insisting she couldn’t accept this. Astrid just jogged away, far faster than Ahna could manage, just grateful this parting was so much more positive than their last.
Before long, she found herself back in front of her parents’ home, and she set about getting ready to go. It was strange how, after so long practicing before she’d been Bestowed with her Class, she’d always wanted to get out of her armor, but now, walking around all day without it felt foreign. As she pulled her gambeson back on and tied her hair once again in its tight braid, Astrid couldn’t help but feel a sense of… not belonging. This wasn’t her life any longer. If she wanted it to be, again, she’d have to throw out her plans, her dreams, and her aspirations. There were two prices she could pay—the pain of change, and the pain of losing herself.
It wasn’t a hard decision to make.
***
“If you send letters this time,” Brighid punctuated the word with a firm poke on Astrid’s forehead that pushed her back a little, “then you can address them to the 107th Infantry, Brighid Spellblade, or to the 2nd Corps, Brighid. Only send it to the 2nd if it’s immensely important and needs my immediate attention.”
“Why not send it to Burning Brighid?” Astrid laughed as she stood straight, observing her parents. Her mother wasn’t wearing her guard’s armor. Astrid had only seen her clean her real kit, but now… it was striking. She wore scale plate, the dark metal layered section over section across her torso, shoulders, and upper legs. Bracers of the same material as the main armor covered her forearms, and gloves made of a deep red leather covered her hands and went all the way to her elbows. Her boots shone with that same deep red, thick leather covering her up to the knees. Astrid know that her mother also had a magical armament Skill that’d cover what other parts weren’t covered by armor, but this was impressive enough.
Her mother’s blade hung in her hip, a seemingly unremarkable thing while it was sheathed. The blade, though, was covered with enough enchantments and glyphs that Astrid had nearly passed out the single time she’d touched its hilt. The only part of Brighid’s gear that Astrid hadn’t seen ever was the shield strapped to her back. Made entirely of a light material Astrid didn’t recognize, the shield seemed featureless and unremarkable. That couldn’t be the case, and that it’d always been hidden from her was enough of a testament to its value.
On the other hand, her father looked much the same as always, a thick robe over a tunic and pants. Instead of his usual robe, though, this one glimmered with talismans and enchantments, every movement of his leaving a faint afterimage of light. A thick book filled with talismans hung from a chain on his waist, and he seemed taller than usual, somehow. His red hair glowed in the light of the early afternoon, and he smiled as Brighid and Astrid half argued and half said their goodbyes.
“Because that’s where random people who don’t know me send mail.” Brighid poked at Astrid again, and though the daughter attempted to escape, she didn’t manage it. “I’ve given you specific instructions, so follow them, got it?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Astrid gave a lazy salute.
“Be firm and disciplined in everything you do, Astrid.” Brighid corrected her daughter’s stance with firm gestures. “Where Skills and attributes and Classes fail, discipline prevails. When you’re exhausted, you do and are what you practice.”
“Yes, Mother.” Astrid sighed, though she did correct the way she stood. “And I’ll be sure to write.”
“Good.” Brighid nodded once. Then, her face softened as she reached up and gently stroked Astrid’s cheek. “My little girl. I’m so proud of you. You’ve taken steps that you’ve planned for years, and you’re making them come true. Keep us posted as you delve. If there’s anyone that’s stopping you from doing what you need to, let me know and I’ll come sort it out, okay?”
“I won’t.” Astrid answered with a wry smile. “I’m a delver, not a kid too big to deal with her problems the ways the rest do.”
Brighid’s shoulders shifted the tiniest bit. A little crack in her disciplined bearing. “Okay. Okay, Astrid. Still talk to us, though, ok?”
“She was up late most nights worrying. Sending little prayers to the Duchess.” Savraba poked his head around his wife. Then, disregarding the look his wife gave him, he gathered Astrid into his arms. “I love you, Astrid. Be careful, be safe. We’re proud of you if you finish delving before you hit Iron. I’m sure you’ll go far beyond that, but I’ll be just as happy to sit with you swapping stories about paper pushing as to be regaled with tales about monsters slain and plots thwarted.”
Astrid’s eyes fogged up with tears again as she took him into her arms. She squeezed and let him go, just to turn to her mother. Brighid’s eyes shone with unshed tears as she wrapped her daughter in a tight hug.
“I love you. Be safe. Be strong. We’ll think of you every—” Brighid’s voice broke, the first true demonstration of the fear she felt for her daughter’s wellbeing. “We’ll think of you every day.”
“Thanks. I’ll be thinking of you, doing what you’ve always taught me.” Astrid nodded as her mother stepped back. She wiped at her eyes, the tiers refusing to permeate the red leather of her gloves.
“That’s good. Now, safe travels. You might be able to make it all the way to Kznietch if you push yourself, but I suggest against it.”
“That was already my plan.” Astrid confirmed. “No need to show up after dark and worry anyone.”
“Good. Good.”
The three continued the idle conversation of people who needed to go their separate ways but didn’t want to break off the conversation just yet for another several minutes before Savraba spoke.
“I love you. Send letters.” Then, he turned and started jogging away, his boots flashing with each step. Each one of his movements was accelerated unnaturally, and in mere moments, he was a hundred meters away.
“I love that man.” Brighid chuckled. “He’s always made the toughest decisions for us. But consider it a command. Send letters. Once a week.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Astrid spoke with the same lax tone, but this time, she snapped a sharp salute that met her mother’s approval. Brighid nodded once, then turned and jogged away. As soon as she was a little ways away from the walls of the city, wind burst into being around her and her steps carried her forward quickly enough to nearly immediately catch and pass Savraba. Astrid watched for another minute, just long enough for her parents to circle around the wall and go south. They’d met at the northern gate, so they needed to go around the town to get to their destination, but it was obviously not a problem for them.
Now that she was alone, Astrid took a last minute to check her situation. Her hammer was on her hip, her staff in hand, and her shield secured over her backpack. Looking at the sky, it was a bit past midday, but there would be light for another seven hours, at least. With her Alacrity and Fortitude, she’d be able to make it most of the way to her destination with the day’s light still overhead. Given tensions between Humanity’s Bulward and the Bloodshot Hordes, though, she’d spend the night outside and let the sun fully rise before she entered the unfamiliar town.
“Be safe, Mother.” Astrid whispered as she turned her back to her hometown and walked towards her next goal. The road was actually paved between Stalhardt and Kznietch, and with her attributes, Astrid made good time. Instead of stopping for any meals or breaks, she used Quick Recovery to bolster herself and continue further. When finally she was just too tired to continue the ground-eating lope she’d kept up for kilometers, she slowed to a walk and let Quick Recovery’s passive recover. Then, once she was in good enough shape to resume the jog, she did so at a less grueling pace that she kept up until about an hour before the sun set.
Setting up a blanket on the ground, Astrid pursed her lips. She wished she had a tent, or anything else, but with just the rough spun wool as a bed, she decided to find a more defensible camp. After searching for maybe half an hour, she found a fallen tree, one that’d kept its roots as it fell. The result was a wall of roots and dirt that was a great windbreak while the tree itself served as enough to keep the worst of any weather off her.
After thinking about it for a while, Astrid decided against making a fire. There wasn’t much of a need for her to do so, since the night wouldn’t be cold, and she was going to sleep in her armor, just in case. It would be an uncomfortable night, but that was better than getting attacked by something.
She laid on the ground, shifting uncomfortably, her chain mail slithering over itself as she tried to find a way to sleep. Finally, after hours of rolling over and grumbling, sleep found her.
And Astrid woke to voices nearby.
