Amalthia (the Romantic) has some reading to catch up on! This was a fun little achievement run to find all these pages. Too bad they’re only a page each! Anet was definitely poking fun, as well as acknowledging, all their fan fiction writers. It’s great to see this sort of interaction between the developers and the fan base.
Chapter 8
"Easy, son. We'll take this one step at a time. Just watch were yer walkin'," Daniel said to his son as they carried a wagon wheel over to the craftsman shed.
"I'm fine, father. It would take quite a lot for my wounds to spring any leaks."
"That's what they all say until it happens. Exercise is good for mendin' the body. But the way you abuse yours, those wounds might not ever heal properly."
Kaleb helped his father hoist the massive wheel onto the augur then placed a securing pin through the vertical spindle. He looked over the array of tools then picked up one of the rawhide mallets and began vigorously tapping some wooden pegs into place.
"I'm just trying to get back into the fight, that's all. Once this thing heals, I'll be good as new," he said while pointing his thumb towards his back.
His father just shook his head and scoffed. "No question where you get your tenacity from, that's for sure."
"Hey. Once I'm done here, I would very much like to head on over to see Ulfgar. I haven't seen that old norn since before my deployment."
"He'll be delighted to see ya of course. Go right on ahead, son. I'll take care of things from here."
The elder Grimwald waved for his son to leave just as the youngest member came rushing out from the back kitchen door.
"Kaaaleeeb!"
"Katie! Hi sweetheart." His youngest sister rushed up to him then gave him a big hug.
"My goodness. You have the strength of a bear. Did some norn kid slip some animal spirit ale in your drink?" Kaleb laughed as he spun his youngest sister around. Within seconds, he winced in pain forgetting that the war wound was still quite painful.
But in spite of his injuries, he made absolutely sure to hold onto Katie as he gently brought her down to the ground.
"Awww. Does it still hurt? You don't need to spin me around if it hurts you."
He knelt down to look her in the eyes. "You don't hurt me one bit. I'm just a big, dumb brother who sometimes forgets his own limits sometimes. Isn't that right dad?"
Daniel smiled and waved to his youngest daughter then beckoned for her to come to him.
"C'mon, darlin'. Wanna help me fix up a wagon?"
She nodded then ran off to greet her father. Kaleb headed back inside to get into some better attire.
Several things had changed in the Grimwald household since Kaleb was away. For one, their family was one of the first to have indoor plumbing with hot and cold running water. And secondly, Rachel was taking a serious interest in attending one of the Asuran colleges in Rata Sum.
The warm shower felt so relaxing against his skin. A days' worth of grit and grime all washed away in a matter of minutes plus he never had to leave the house.
Warmth. He missed that sensation when she held his hands those five months ago. Her smile, although not human, was enough to bring a glow to his heart. Those amber eyes... how he longed for a chance to stare into them more deeply.
Kaleb closed his eyes as the steaming water streamed down his face. He could see her feline form lying on the bed, grooming herself. His mind began to wander, imaging other possibilities.
How would it be possible?
He pondered as he could feel his manliness rise to its fullest potential.
How would we be able to...
"Kaaaleeb. How long are you going to be in the bathroom?"
"Ahhh! Wait! Hold on just a minute Katie. I've gotta get dressed."
Jeese! Can't a man be left alone for just five minutes to contemplate carnal thoughts?
***
Kaleb headed to his familiar haunt, the Jotun's Corpse. If there was anyone in town who had connections to getting in touch with Amalthia, it would be him.
As he walked through the doors and towards his favorite barstool, he was immediately greeted by the mountainous norn who gave him the biggest, but one of the gentlest, bear hugs he had ever experienced.
"Welcome back to the lodge, boy! If I didn't know better, I swear I was looking at another norn."
"It's good to see you too, Ulf. So what makes you say that?"
"My boy. Tales of your ferocious battle have reached all the way to this humble watering hole. Normally I reserve bragging rights for myself, but today is your day."
The old norn grabbed a large copper goblet and spoon then started rapping the base of the drinking vessel with all his might. Everyone immediately took notice as the thunderous echo of his voice resonated throughout the tavern.
"Here ye. Here ye! Good denizens of Claypool. A newly minted town legend has returned and is standing before you today in these very halls. Kaleb Grimwald, a boy whom I knew since he was a wolf pup, has returned from a great battle and I am here to tell everyone of his heroic deeds."
"For it was those many months ago that he, and four of his bravest comrades faced and army of thousands of ravenous centaurs who were bent upon their total destruction. Did they falter?" Ulfgar paused then inclined his ear to the audience.
"NOoo!" The patrons shouted in unison.
"Did they shirk their duties?"
"NOo!"
"Were they victorious?"
"YESss!"
Kaleb stood there looking like a midget, compared to the norn, and just smiled. He knew that Ulfgar's days of adventure were long behind him and being able to tell a vicarious tale helped the old norn return to his glory days.
After the highly embellished account was finished and the merrymaking festivities had subsided, Kaleb sat down on his ever-familiar stool then soaked up as many lagers as his body could handle. He waited for a break in the revelry before asking the shaman about how to get in touch with a certain someone.
The old norn could sense that Kaleb had a question to ask so he went over and waved for the patrons nearby to leave. With the two of them sitting side-by-side Ulfgar folded his massive arms and smiled.
"What's on your mind, lad? You've got that I've-got-a-favor look on your face."
Kaleb knew that whenever Ulfgar referred to him as 'lad' it was on a much more serious and heartfelt note.
"First, I wanted to thank you for boasting about my heroic tale. And second, the numbers were just a wee bit inflated. It was hundreds of centaurs, not thousands."
"Bah. Just numbers. The people here know of your deeds and that is what they appreciate the most. Anyway, what was it that you really wanted to tell me?"
Kaleb traced the top of his stein with his left index finger before downing a draught. "Our suppliers were a couple of charr. The owner's daughter was the one who saved our lives. I just wanted to get in touch with her."
"Charrs, eh? Give me names, boy. That would be a good start."
"Let's see. The daughter's name is Amalthia. She has no last name since she's a gladium. And her father's name is Ludrick Crushsomethingorother."
"Crushblow! Centurion Ludrick Crushblow of the Fifty-First Blood Legion Brigade. Now that's a name I haven't heard mentioned by anyone in ages."
"So you know him?"
"Know him. Boy, he and I used to hang out all the time back during our great hunts. Every other week back when I lived just outside Hoelbrak, we could get together at the local pub and exchange some amazing tales. He's a good soul, lad. Don't let his fearsome appearance deceive you. He will stand by those who have honorable hearts," Ulfgar smiled as he took another drink.
"He always seemed like a grumpy old charr to me. But then, I never really got a chance to know him on a personal level like I did his daughter."
"Is that so? Well, what I can tell you is that there is more to him then you can possibly imagine. But in time, and if you are patient, you will learn these things."
"I hope to be that patient. By the way, what do you know about his daughter Amalthia?"
"Not much, I'm afraid. She was sent off to a fahrar before I really had a chance to know her. What I do know is that she was exiled from her warband for being unable to save one of her bandmates. It was supposedly due to her small physical size. Her warband leader blamed her for the death of their comrades and cast her out when she was nineteen. She's been living with her sire ever since."
"What about her mother? Amalthia mentioned her several times and in a none-too-good light I might add."
Kaleb downed the rest of his stein.
"Siri Blastfuse. Now that's a dam who has a heart as cold as Jormag itself. My advice - never cross her path."
"That bad, huh? I do know that Amalthia mentioned her mother more than once when listing off the negative things that went on in her life. She must have been a real bitch."
"Aaww. Now don't go insulting wolves that way, boy. My mother was Wolf Clan."
Kaleb looked at him sheepishly. "My apologies. I think the lager is taking effect. But I understand if you are unable to get in touch with her."
"No worries, lad. I'll find a way of keeping you and her in contact with each other."
"Good. If you can, I have a letter here that I've already written to her. If you can find a way, I would really appreciate it if you could forward it to her."
Kaleb handed the old norn a sealed envelope.
Tucking it into his shirt pocket, Ulfgar responded. "Consider it done, lad."
Feeling the effects of the alcohol, Kaleb tried to steady himself as he got up from his stool.
"Oh. One other thing... where is the nearest library?"
For the first time in their many years of knowing each other, Ulfgar was completely dumbstruck by the question. He scratched his beard for a moment with his fingers while pondering the question.
"Only one I know of is at the center of town. Why are you needin' a library for anyway?"
"Um. Learning new cooking recipes for when I get back into the army?"
"I think you've had too many lagers, boy. Go home to your folks and sleep it off. I promise it will all be better in the morning."
The following morning was cool and breezy. Kaleb slept off the effects of the alcohol and was - for the most part - sober. A couple of his buddies helped him get home without any issue and he managed to sneak back inside without his parents even being aware. He was also well aware that if his parents found out he had come home drunk, he would never have heard the end of it.
Kaleb made his way to downtown Claypool hoping to find the library. To his fortune he found that the building lay adjacent to the town college. He approached closer and could see throngs of students bustling in and out of the revolving doors, clumsily bumping into each other as they tried to squeeze into the all-too-narrow passageway.
On more than one occasion, his knees almost slammed into the faces of a couple of Asuran exchange students. As expected, they uttered a slew of perfunctory insults that were aimed at his large size.
Just what the hell is a 'booka' anyway? He pondered as he made his way past the librarian and towards the cataloging directory.
His eyes carefully scanned the various topics. There were certain ones he was specifically looking for, but was a bit too embarrassed to ask.
Non-fiction section - aisles 10 through 20;
Reproduction - aisle 15.
Romance - aisle 17.
He discreetly made his way towards aisle fifteen hoping to find some information. Scanning the titles, looked to see if anything matched what he was looking for.
Human reproduction, The Human Reproductive Cycle, Stress on the Human Reproductive System.
No, no, and nothing. He thought as he perused more titles.
Mating habits of Asuran.
Close but not quite. Let's see... cee, cee, cee. Ca, ce, ch. Change... Charge... Charr. That's it!
Charr: their Ecology, Physiology and Reproductive Cycle.
Mating Rituals of the Charr. Vol. XI.
Bingo!
He began to quickly flip the pages until he saw the topic he had been looking for. Interleaved amongst the Krytan text were several poorly drawn illustrations of what appeared to be two oversized cats in a mating position. As he began to read some of the text, he suddenly heard being called by an all-too familiar voice.
"Kal! Just what are you doing in a library of all places?"
Quickly snapping the oversized book shut, Kaleb turned around to face the individual in question.
"Oh. Uh. Hi Rachel. Aren't you supposed to be in school?"
"Hello, I'm between classes, moron! What are you doing here anyway? Mom sending you here to check on me?" His sister said sarcastically.
As he started to back away hoping she wouldn't see the incriminating book, he heard another sharp voice coming from below.
"Watch it! Clumsy bookah!"
The irate asuran darted right by him, its floppy ears brushing up against his hip.
"Sorry," he said as he tried to hide the book from yet another set of potentially prying eyes.
"Hey Glempt. Did ya find that book Ella was talking about?"
The small male elevated his oversized head then crossed his arms in a haughty gesture. "Hmph! I have come to the inescapable conclusion that dear miss Ella has been endeavoring every attempt to set me up for ruin. That girl will stop at nothing to be at the top of the class."
"Eh. No worries. You beat her out on the last exam. She can go suck on her pride."
"Okay. I gotta scat," Kaleb said as he made every effort to hide the book from his sister and the snooty Asuran. "Nice to meet you, Glempt."
"We never did..." the asuran replied arrogantly.
"Kal. What's the book in your hand anyway? Lemme see it!" She pleaded.
"It's nothing really. Just checking out a couple of books on culinary cuisines, that's all. Really boring stuff."
Kaleb knew his back was against a proverbial wall.
"Cuisines in the reproduction aisle? Um. You're just weird!"
Glempt turned around to look at the oversized human. "Charr: their Ecology, Physiology and Reproductive Cycle. Volume Eight is decidedly missing from the repository. I happened to observe the gap between the other titles. And. Ohh. The Mating Rituals of the Charr. Vol. XI. appears to have absconded as well. Very interesting!"
Nosey little big-eared twit! Kaleb thought to himself as he felt the walls closing in around him.
"Reproductive cycles of charr? Charr mating rituals? Ewww! That's just gross!"
"Shut your pie-hole, sis!" Kaleb snapped.
"Well. It is quite easy for me to deduce that your elder sibling is a bona fide pervert. I'm leaving!"
"Watch it bud! Otherwise I'll knock those shark teeth out of that fat head of yours!"
Moments later, the librarian came rushing over as she pointed her finger at the bickering trio.
"All of you... hush right this instant! Don't you people know where you are? I could practically hear you all the way down the hall. The next time any of you says anything above a whisper, I'm going to ask you to leave. Am I clear?"
Kaleb nodded. "Yes ma'am."
Rachel and the asuran nodded as well.
By the time the bickering was over, Kaleb had checked out some additional books, mostly on subjects involving cuisines and wagon making. He didn't want to give those who saw what he was checking out the wrong impression. As he got to the checkout desk, he noticed his sister standing behind him with her own set books. She made numerous ugly faces whenever he looked her way.
"Your card, sir." The librarian asked in a shrill, monotone voice.
Kaleb frisked his pockets then quickly realized that he didn't even have a card.
"I can't seem to locate it. Anyway, I can register for one?"
"Didn’t you mean to say, may I? But yes… a card will take three days to process. Do you have a valid ID?" The librarian was quick to correct Kaleb’s grammatical faux pas.
"No." He huffed.
"I'm sorry, sir. Without a proper ID, you cannot check out any of these books."
"Oh. Come on, ma'am. Yer talking to a local war hero here! Practically everyone in town knows who I am. Surely you know who I am, right?"
"You are holding up the line, sir. I will say this once more: you will need..."
Kaleb abruptly finished her sentence for her. "I know, I know. ...a proper ID, yadda, yadda, yadda."
"Rawarrr!" Rachel giggled while making a catcalling noise.
"Just stop it Rae!"
"Okay. Never mind, then. Sorry for wasting your time, ma'am."
As Kaleb was about to leave, his younger sister suddenly grabbed his stack of books then presented the librarian her ID card. She then looked up at him with a devilish grin.
"He's my brother. Here you go ma'am. I'll check them out for him," she said as she set her own books on top of the ones he wanted to check out.
Her older brother looked at her skeptically wondering what kind of angle she was trying to play.
"You're being generous all of the sudden. What's your game, sis?"
She just smiled and grinned. "Nothing."
As the Grimwald siblings left the library, Rachel shoved the books he wanted to check out straight into his midsection. "Here! You can have these nasty books. Pervert!"
"Rawarrrrrr! Rarrrwww!"
"By the wrath of Balthazar, that's annoying! You weren't being generous back there, were you? What's your angle?"
Rachel walked coyly beside her big brother and grimaced. "You muck out the stalls and clean out the troughs from now on."
"Or what? Tell mom?"
"That you've been checking out kitty porn? Try me!"
"You wouldn't dare."
"Rawarrr!"
"Maybe I should convince my new girlfriend to eat you. At least I won't have to put up with anymore of this nonsense," Kaleb said with a chuckle.
"So you admitted it. She is your girlfriend!"
"Not in the way you are thinking, sis. Our relationship is purely platonic. Do you even know what that big word even means?"
"Duh! Of course I do. So why the dirty books?"
"They aren't dirty. They're educational."
"Sure they are. Uh, huh. Whatever you say, brother." His sister gave a snarky laugh.
Kaleb grabbed her by her shoulder then pulled her in for a hug. "Y'know... in spite of being a royal pain in the backside, I still love ya, sis. Don't you forget it."
Giving him a slight hug in return, Rachel pressed up against his chest as she pointed towards a refreshment shop down the road. "Have you tried their beverages? They are out of this world!"
"Come to think of it, I could go for a little snack myself."
When they arrived home, Kaleb opened the front door for his sister. As she walked in, he leaned close to her ear and said in a hushed tone. "You promise not to tell our folks about those books."
"Promise to do my chores, then."
"Deal."
"Okay. Deal."
Rachel turned to her brother as she picked some flax seeds out of her teeth. "Yanno. I kinda felt self-conscious about eating that salad that I had ordered from that sylvari clerk. It felt like I was eating her cousin."
Kaleb couldn't help but laugh at his sister's comment as he commented. "I will never look at a salad the same way again."
