“Son, we are going on a bit of an outing,” my father said at breakfast. I looked around and it was just the two of us. Dereck was visiting the capital of Terander with his new wife. My youngest brother had taken a lot of money and was being appointed Principal of the Farming School in the Duchy. My father’s first wife had gone back to visit her family for a while now that the madness of the wedding was over.
“An outing, where father?” I asked and he smiled.
“To Burnstock City. I know you passed through there while going to the dungeon, but I wanted to spend some time with you before you left,” he said. He wasn’t inattentive, but he had many duties which kept him busy quite a bit of the time. We often had meals together and he listened to my problems, but we rarely spent time together. I couldn’t recall the last time it was just the two of us and not some lecture.
“Really, what are we doing there?” I asked.
“A surprise. I know you feel quite bored studying book skills every day, all day. I know it is to work on your Mind stat, but a couple days would do you mentality good. Healer Castelle will be accompanying us, and I have informed Tutor Damian. Over training can be detrimental.” I was going to object, but then I remembered Squire Jessica saying something similar. My mother didn’t like the idea of breaks or relaxation, but I really wanted to do something different than studying all day, every day.
“That sounds great father. I can’t wait to see this surprise,” I replied, and he smiled at me.
“You are growing up so fast. And after…that unpleasantness at the wedding I know we haven’t been as close as I would like. Being a noble is exhausting. I am glad to be retiring. Might even travel a bit or work on a project I have had in mind for a while. It is hard to say,” he replied.
“Is it safe?” I asked.
“Once I am retired, killing me will just annoy other people, not damage anything important. At best I will be some footnote in your mother’s legacy and yours,” he replied.
“Well, the Duchy is run really well,” I said, feeling a bit awkward.
“Hahaha, I would hope so. But I am tired my son. Your mother has the endless drive that has taken her to supreme legend, but your father is a bit more laid back. Still, I can put in the effort when needed. I am not a completely useless noble,” he said with a small fragile smile.
After breakfast I got ready and then on board a magical carriage with my father. “You know these things are amazing, if insanely expensive. A Mana powered motor uses monster cores. Better than horses though. It doesn’t poop. The dwarves really outdid themselves inventing it,” he said the last bit softly and with a wink. We both chuckled at that.
There was another magical carriage behind us with Healer Castelle and elite guards following us in case there was any trouble while giving us our privacy in the main carriage. “It took a bit of effort, but I know your mother won’t have any objections to what I have planned.”
“Now you have me really curious,” I said, and my father just grinned at me.
“Consider part of your inheritance from my side of the family. The one thing we are good at is throwing money around,” he said. “So, what is your favorite skill so far?”
“Breathing, since I use it all the time,” I said after some thought, and he nodded.
“A simple yet core skill. I always enjoyed Dramatics. Almost no one knows I have it, but it is quite good in a lot of social situations,” he replied.
“Dramatics? Isn’t that an actor skill?”
“It is, but we are all actors in one way or another my son. I had some thoughts of actually becoming a famous playwright and performer when I was your age,” he said.
“What?” I asked in shock.
“As you know I don’t get along with my father. It was a bit of a rebellious phase I had. I went to many plays in this city as a kid with my mother who loved such things,” he said. I had some idea what he planned. We reached the city in the late afternoon.
The Duke had a private residence inside the city, which we stayed at for the night. In the morning the Duke had me change into training clothes. He then led me to a large stone building near the private residence in the center of the city. Healer Castelle came along with several elite guards who shadowed us. There was a sign proclaiming it as the Stillness Dojo.
I wanted to ask my father questions but held back as we made our way to an inner room. There was an old man seated on a floor mat, who was perfectly still. It had to be some kind of stillness skill.
“Be welcome Duke Darren Burnstock and young Justin Burnstock,” the old man said.
“Thank you for agreeing to my selfish request Master Ertor Ten,” my father said and slightly inclined his head.
“Your help in arranging this place for my followers and the kindness you have shown to us Monks of Stillness is appreciated, even if you do it for selfish reasons. And I must admit a bit of selfishness myself for wanting to meet Justin. This is the legendary child of the Supreme Warlady.” I still had the ring my father had given me blocking out attempts to scan me.
“What level is your Dodge, Pugilist Skills, and Danger Sense?” he asked me. I looked at my father who gave me a nod.
“They are at 61, 14, and 33,” I answered.
“Impressive for one so young. I am Master in the Still Fist. A tier 5 fighting skill. Many students study years to master a fraction of the skills true power. For today, I will work on your foundation. I will not oppress you with my stats or skills higher than tier 1,” he said and slowly stood up.
I took a fighting stance and brought up my tiny fists. My father moved to the side of the room and took a seat on a chair there. I advanced forward and froze as I felt a sense of danger coming from my right. I stepped left as a kick moved through the space I had been standing in.
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“Good, you pay attention to your skills. Now we will pick up the pace. Attack if you can,” Master Ertor Ten said.
“Don’t hesitate on your strikes.”
“You are dodging a bit too soon. Your Danger Sense is at a high level, adjust accordingly to the speed of your enemy to leave them less time to adjust.”
“Good job on constantly moving.”
“Pugilist Skills also involves elbows, knees, and feet. Don’t hesitate to mix it up.”
The training continued through the morning until the early afternoon. Healer Castelle kept refreshing my stamina, but even with his help I was too exhausted to continue at that point. Master Ertor Ten pushed me at just the right pace to drag things out this long. He was more focused on having me think than just blindly fight, correcting and drawing out every possible improvement that he could.
“You did well for someone so young. In time as you grow, you will improve. While we can lean into our skills, it is a crutch too many people use. Falling back on what they know. Instead push yourself at all times and consider using skills you have mastered in unique ways. Progress is not just a number in your status.”
“Thank you Master Ertor Ten,” I said while trying to get my breathing under control.
“It was one lesson. Perhaps in time you will come back to learn the Stillness Fist from me. Safe journeys,” he said.
“Thank you for tutoring my son,” the Duke said and then we left.
“Thank you, father. That was a really nice surprise. He was really good at pointing things out. Even better than my mother’s Squires,” I said.
“I would hope so. The man might not have taken up the title of legend officially but he is over level 100, but he has reached that height in terms of his skills. The Stillness Fist is a very a dangerous skill meant to counter magic and movement with just a fist,” my father said.
“Really? How would that even work?” I asked.
“No idea. But that is why he is quite famous and has started up a dojo. He doesn’t want the skill to end with him. For many people like that without children of their own, they want to pass on their skills to others as a form of living legacy. I merely provided some money and place for him to set up a dojo,” my father said.
“I bet it was more than that,” I replied and my father gave me a smile.
“I learned about his situation during the wedding. He had run into issues in his home country. One of his disciples killed someone important and he was creating a mess. I managed to smooth the entire thing over with enough money and he accepted my offer to move to my city,” the Duke explained.
“Thank you, father. I can’t say it enough. I prefer to move and fight, not study all the time,” I replied.
“Well even with my wealth, I was only able to get the one tutoring session,” he replied.
“Only one?” I asked with a bit of despair.
“High level people don’t like teaching foundational skills. Your mother making her Squires do so, is a bit rude. But your mother has never been one to care of etiquette or unspoken rules,” my father explained.
“Oh,” I said, not knowing what else to say.
“Now you will get cleaned up and we will have an early dinner. There is a play I enjoyed as a kid and it is showing in the playhouse tonight.” My father had probably arranged things on purpose. “Twilight of the Eldarins is a timeless classic.”
My father loved it, but I thought it was boring and over the top. The costumes were incredibly bright and vivid, the lines of dialogue were slightly confusing since they used archaic sentence structures, and the plot was convoluted.
The Eternal Eldarin Empire had died, creating a panic in the court. His main wife tried to pass the corpse off as the Emperor, using his harem to assist in the plot, distracting the corrupt nobles and members of the court that the Emperor was actually dead. The nobles thought their assassination had failed and tried to kill the corpse. There was an evil necromancer who might have been controlling the emperor, or just a distraction for everyone else.
The climax came when the Emperor’s body parts began falling off during an important ceremonial event. This never actually happened, but the entire play was a metaphor for the rot spreading throughout the Empire and the rebellions occurring with the Eternal Emperor’s death.
That was when a midget burst out of the Emperor’s body declaring that he was the true Emperor all along. The midget then tripped on a carpet, disappearing into a trap door never to be seen again. I was confused.
Then the necromancer burst into the scene and ran off with the Emperor’s main wife. That kind of made sense. Then the nobles all started a big final song and dance number to end the play.
“What did you think?” my father asked me. There was just one question that was really bothering me.
“What was the point of the midget hiding inside the Eternal Emperor’s corpse?” I asked.
“Ah, the midget in a body disguise, a classic.” I was clearly lacking in my education, since I had no idea why that was a classic. “It alludes to the fact that the Emperor was never really dead and is still out there somewhere, disguised as a midget. A popular conspiracy theory. Which is so absurd, it is hilarious.”
“So, the entire play is a metaphor about the fall of the Eldarin Empire and making jokes at crazy ideas?” I asked just to be sure.
“Yes. A timeless piece of artistry and comedy. My mother always loved the theater you know,” he said, and I just shook my head. “She loved to take us all to the city here to see the plays.” I didn’t ask what had happened to her, since my father hadn’t brought it up, and I didn’t want to ruin the moment.
I had clearly inherited my mother’s preferences for things and not my father’s taste for the arts. Fighting and going into the dungeon, not watching plays or drama. Still, it was a nice change of pace. We made our way to a fancy restaurant and we were escorted to a private room.
“Duke Burnstock, a pleasure to have you back at the Grey Goose. A fun night at the theater with your son?” the host greeted my father.
“Indeed. Just showing my son some of the finer points of the city. What do you have tonight?” my father asked.
“Roasted rack of lamb with a vegetable medley is the main course for the evening. Unless either of you would prefer anything else?”
“That sounds perfect. How is the Chef?” my father asked.
“A tier 3 cooking skill, almost tier 4. I swear it is hard to keep up some days. The recent wedding kept us on our toes, but we managed. Please sit, I will get the best wine to pair with your meal,” the host bowed and then left.
“You are a regular?” I asked.
“When I am in the city. This restaurant uses local produce and animals we raise here in the Duchy. A showcase of the vast harvests the Duchy brings in for rich merchants and nobles. I have made more deals in this room than most would imagine,” my father explained.
“Here, really?” I asked while looking around the room. While it was nice, it only had silver with some gold ornaments, unlike the estate which had a lot of gold.
“Don’t underestimate the power of good food when doing business my son. While adventurers might not always appreciate the finer things in life, one needs to live a life worth living. When you taste the food you will understand. While our staff is good, a true professional chef with high skill levels always cooks for a public restaurant like this to keep improving. I brought your mother here before we were married.”
“And what did she say?” I asked, curious about what my mother thought.
“’Basic food, nothing that impressive.’ The chef heard this from your mother and he challenged her. If she could eat his best cooking without appreciating it, he would retire.”
“What happened?” I asked.
“The chef retired of course. Once challenged your mother will never give in. Your mother is a woman of simple tastes. And we have some of the best chefs in the world due to all the food we produce in the Duchy. One of our smaller exports in terms of talent are skilled chefs. There are several minor culinary schools throughout the city, with the best chef cooking here at the Gray Goose,” my father explained.
“And my mother didn’t think the food special?” I asked in surprise.
“Food is nothing but fuel for her. Between a simple piece of salted meat and stale bread, and a lavish meal like we are about to have, she would pick the salted meat and stale bread for one reason. She could eat more quickly and get back to killing, since that would be the most efficient. Your mother cut out many joys in her life to reach her position. I am not saying she was wrong, since she did become the Supreme Warlady, but there was a cost to her choices,” my father explained. He had given me a lot to think about.