BXBX NOVEL Chapter 110 - 110- That Campfire Pt.3
Sarda, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 39th day of Fall, Arenfall
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After that little scene, the men sat down silently and stared blankly at the campfire; unmoving. The dwarf threw stones at the fire, while the beastman cracked his knuckles; exhaling rapidly as his foot jerked with anticipation for tomorrow\'s activities.
Adaloun awkwardly sat there doing nothing as both of his comrades did their anxious quirks as they waited for the elf to return—or will she ever return? He certainly hoped that she did. This was the first time in a long time that they had a campfire session again, but everything seemed to be off.
Somehow someone had to break the ice. The chilling silence did not go well with the cold breeze blowing that night. The campfire felt so empty and too quiet.
"Ummm…How are the weapons going?" Adaloun finally had the heart to speak.
The dwarf looked at him while caressing his fluffy beard. "Tis goin\' great! I haf been shapin\' em accordin\' tah the diagrams!" The dwarf enthusiastically answered.
The beastman sighed. "Looks like we are…r-really doing it, huh?"
"Yeah…in a few days..." Adaloun took a deep breath, "I hate that hole! Sometimes I regr—"
"Halt it there, lad." The dwarf clicked his tongue. "Nay regrets! Tis a bettar life than whut we haf before!"
"We have food in our bellies and a comfortable bed." The beastman interjected. "We won\'t die starving. If we meet our end, at least we die choosing it."
"Like a lotta times I said, lad." The dwarf smiled. "We\'f agreed tah doh this!"
The elf came back a few moments after their conversation. On her hand she had 4 wooden mugs. The beastman immediately went to her aide and tried helping her but she refused. Instead, she signed to him something. The beastman and the dwarf\'s eyes lit up with excitement.
Adaloun was confused. He still couldn\'t get the few details from the elf\'s gestures, "There\'s…a….crocket o-of…bear?" He scratched his head. "What does that mean?"
"Yah silly lad!" The dwarf guffawed. "Tis beer! A barrel\'o beer!"
"Beer?!" Adaloun didn\'t know that it existed here in this world. "There\'s beer here?!"
The dwarf cracked the biggest smile, "Nay \'ere at the Crescent! Tis haf to be exported from Vridian!" The dwarf bit his lip. "I mean…Faerynhil." There was a sad tone on his voice, but the dwarf shook it off and laughed once more.
The elf gave them the mugs and they excitedly waited. As they did, another spree of awkward silence came about. Although the elf had a better mood now, Adaloun and the dwarf still treaded lightly around her.
"I apologize for the outburst earlier." She immediately began. "I was just…worried I-I thought—"
"It was the only way I knew to train him." Adaloun interrupted. "The beastman is strong, but he is too kind. Far too kind."
The dwarf silently listened to their entire conversation and only spoke to translate the elf\'s gestures.
"Is there something wrong with being kind?" The dwarf worded the elf\'s gestures.
Adaloun looked stared at the fire for a moment while tapping his mug. "Too much kindness in battle will get you killed." He rebutted. "Being kind is one thing but being kind to the point of not hurting someone during a battle is purely foolish."
The elf sighed as she closed her eyes and gave Adaloun a serious stare. "But still, you went overboard! I thought the knights beat him into a pulp!"
"It was the only way for him to learn." Adaloun explained. "If he won\'t do it or if he holds back while we\'re down there, we\'ll all going to die. Trust me on this!"
There was silence again. The elf understood his point and didn\'t want to further talk on the topic. Adaloun knew the struggle they had to go through when they faced the Obscurii. They had to be ready for it both mentally and physically since the monsters will manipulate you and command through fear.
"I curse that damned hole!" Adaloun complained.
"The same." The elf sighed and leaned closer to the fire to warm her hands.
The cold breezed once again blew its bone-piercing chill.
"Where\'s that beer?!" The dwarf exclaimed as he rubbed some heat on his shoulders.
"I brought the beer!" The beastman happily carried the barrel on his shoulders.
"Ah! Finally!" The dwarf stood up in excitement and applauded the magnificent oak barrel as it was being carried. "Something to warm us up!"
"So, is it real beer?" Adaloun asked.
"Yah funny, Lad!" The dwarf cracked a smile. "O\'course tis!"
Adaloun wasn\'t a heavy drinker even during his previous incarnations, but he did drink occasionally. Beer was the most common drink that he drank over all his incarnations. It came with different names and different preparations during his lifetimes. But one thing also remained the same, beer had a fizzy sensational taste in the mouth that he enjoyed.
They set-up the barrel in front of them and took out the cork sealing of the barrel. The beastman easily poured the beer on their mugs and he never spilled a single drip of it. After filling up their mugs they went back and sat back down awkwardly looking at each other as if everyone were strangers.
"Why are we gloomy and somber?" The dwarf stood up and raised his glass. "T\'night tis time tah drink. Let\'s farget the troubles and welcome the spirit of merriness! Cheers!"
"The dwarf has a point!" Adaloun thought to himself. Instead of worrying what the future holds, they rather focus on tonight just for this moment. Let them enjoy each other\'s company the way that they did before.
He rose up and with his mug he made a toast with his mug, "Let\'s drown our worries tonight! For this time, let\'s forget about tomorrow!"
"Yah, lad! That\'s the spirit!" The dwarf seconded.
The elf smirked and stood up, "I will take a gander at this, even just for this time!"
The beastman sat down astounded with what he saw. Adaloun looked at him and asked him to join. The beastman took a deep breath and stood up, "Yes! Let\'s drink our worries tonight."
The made a toast and cleared the mug in one satisfying drink.
"Sylvian Maiden Beer! By Oyue\'s name! The best \'un der is!" The dwarf exclaimed.
They four of them once again relived those cheerful moments they had in the mines. The dwarf told his verbose stories while the elf kept on correcting him with the lore he was sharing. The beastman quietly smiled at them nodding at faerfolk\'s constant bickering on their folk stories.
Adaloun watched them endearingly as how he watched his other companions before. This was the calm before the storm. The beginning of the great upheaval that he wished he never chose for them. But what can he do? After saving them from being executed by the Commander, they never left him ever since.
No matter how many times they would say that they chose this kind of life for themselves, he couldn\'t help but think that it was him who caused that. He took another sip of his beer and listened to the loud and boisterous poetry about their lands as the elf tried her best to ask him not to make it into a song.
It reminded him of the hundreds of dungeon raids and pre-war preparations he had way back from before. The laughter that turned into desperate screams and the smiles that turned into grimaces as their life was slowly taken away from them.
He tried recalling their names and mumbled them in his breath. "Jonnathun of Neriam, Xyvenggo, Malapascua, Argentum, Nerdifina, Zolodim, Tarfera, Eloquine…Telefaria--"
His somber moment didn\'t go unnoticed. The beastman who sat beside him nudged his shoulder.
"Are you okay?" The beastman asked.
Adaloun was quick to realize the tears welling from his eyes as he reminisced his fallen comrades. He never wanted that to happen! Not in front of them! He immediately wiped his tears and smiled back to the beastman.
"Yes, I am okay." He answered.
"Nay, yer not, lad." The dwarf answered back. "Whut\'s on yer mind?"
His brooding never went unnoticed. He looked at each one of them, giving a sad painful smile. He never wanted to bring it up the topic of death during such merriful scene, but it looked like it caught up to them again—their impending demise.
"I want to know your names." Adaloun answered. "We will never know what the hole has in store for us. In case, one of us dies, it\'s best that we remember each other as a dwarf, an elf, a beastman or a human. We ought to be remembered as a person of unique individuality! A citizen and not a slave. We are not nameless slaves anymore and we need to be remembered with dignity by our names!"
The campfire went silent for the nth time. Everyone was looking at each other. Their eyes asking the same question as what he verbalized to them earlier.
"Let me start it off," Adaloun broke the ice. "I am Adaloun. The freed slave, my previous name was only labeled by numbers and alphabetic tomes I couldn\'t even read. My name was given to me by the Lord who freed me. I want you to remember my name so that when I am gone, you shall remember my story!"
"Yer right, lad." The dwarf stood up and drank up his mug. "Before tis one became a slave, Me wuz called, Ghwynmyr. I came from the Dwyrvyn clan of Wyrmllhtrs, child of the Vridian Mountains!" He thumped his chest with great pride.
"They call me Orphella, former citizen of Faerynhil and priestess-in-training of the Indecens Sect. A child of the Vridian forest." The elf signed.
The beastman stood up and roared his loudest. "I am Urfaal son of Ulsafar chieftain of the Meh teh people. I roar the loudest for I am he who succeeds the once who lead!"
Adaloun noticed both the similarities and differences of his comrade\'s introduction. It was different but endearing at the same time. He had a lot of questions as to why they presented themselves different. It could base on a lot of things, but he parted it for now.
At the moment, knowing their real names was all that he could ask for.
"It is good to meet you all, my friends.. Let\'s finish this task and live the rest of our days honoring each and everyone of us!" Adaloun drank the beer from his mug in one gulp.