32 Marcellia

While he was lying there motionless, people ran out of their houses and embraced members of their family. Everyone was going around thanking and congratulating others while some cried for the loss of someone they knew.

The injured were in an horrible condition and Emp knew that the damage done by that blood was much worse than the gash he had previously received. Without a mage, Emp wasn't sure they would be all right. Many were already dying.

The guards came back under the thankful cheers of the small crowd and helped however they could with the injured and the dead. Ten minutes later, the people were still trying to reorganize everything while Emp still had not moved an inch from where he had collapsed.

At some point, the huge figure of the armored woman appeared looming in his field of view and said something as she nudged him with her foot. He answered by simply raising half of his arm and letting fall back down on the road, completely out of strength.

"I cannot stand, I feel like, I am burning."

The woman put a knee down at his side and touched his armor where the blood passed through it earlier.

"The acid?" She said with worry and a funny accent.

Emp was glad she spoke in the noble tongue or we would not have understood what she meant at all. She was probably bad at it though considering the accent and the fact it was the first time she spoke it in front of him.

"No, not the blood, my muscles, are burning, I mean, I am just tired." He said between large breaths.

The woman laughed and slapped his chest twice as she sat at his side, looking towards the rest of the villagers.

After a while longer, Emp managed to sit back up and removed his helmet to escape the heat that had built up inside it. Seeing him remove his helmet made her remember her own.

She removed it as well to reveal her face. Blue eyes and golden hair, very common traits in the people Emp saw until now. Her facial structure was unexpectedly soft and caring for someone running around with a giant sword and her skin a little tanned by the sun.

He was the first to speak.

"I saw a group of kids on the road earlier. Did they make it back safe?"

"How many?"

"Around ten, running from the village towards the howling hill."

She frowned and called out to someone nearby. After a quick talk, he nodded, gathered two more guys with him and jogged towards the west gate. After, she brought her attention back to him, it was her turn to ask a question.

"Where is your brother?"

"I do not have any brothers." Answered Emp confused.

"The one who wielded Ray."

Understanding flashed across his face. She meant his copy. How should he answer that? He was tempted to say there was no one else since it was also him that she saw with himself but it would seem to her as if he was saying nonsense. Instead, he chose to get Ray from his bag and placed it on his knees. She seemed a little confused but asked for the other one.

"Then, the one who wielded Flame."

How did she even know the name of those two swords? In any case, he had to answer her and so, he got Flame and placed it on the ground in front of himself. Now, both of the magic swords were out and there were no clear explanation on how it was possible. She had no idea how to react, unable to decide if this was some sort of trick, if he was making fun of her or if it was some sort of miraculous ability. She exclaimed her thoughts in her language and Emp answered as best he could.

"Both are me." He presented her his card, this time making sure Muracier would not be shown and pointed at his blessing. "Space's treasure lets me make a copy of myself. The two person you saw were both me."

She made a huge grin and laughed heartily again. She was the person who laughed the most Emperor ever saw.

"Pretty good kid, Emp. My name is Marcellia Gladius." She said as she presented her hand for a shake.

The name was familiar, he had heard it recently. It explained why she knew the name of the swords. Emp took her hand and answered. Her grip was almost crushing, good thing he still wore his gauntlets.

"The sister of Tiberius? Your armor saved me many times already." He said while knocking on it. "I really wanted to thank you for making it."

"Ya bought it at my brother's shop? With the pair of swords and the hammer?" (1)

"Yes." He said With a big smile. "I love them. The swords both cut really well and Flame can scare most smaller monsters. The hammer too, it's just the right weight for me."

He had many things to ask her about them like if she could fix the armor now that there were holes in it but it could wait for later as she seemed to have much more to ask him.

"I am happy they served to help the village in the end. Did ya come all the way here just to thank me?"

"No, I was going to Bêtéclair."

"Alone?"

"Yes."

She seemed to find it strange but it was true that Galana was opposed to it as well so it must have been common sense to not walk alone. She searched for the right words a moment before she voiced her next question.

"And where are your parents kid?"

Why such a hard question to answer so suddenly? What was he to answer? The most simple truth was probably the best, no?

"I do not know."

She seemed saddened by his answer but it was the truth after all, he had no idea where their trials, and by consequence them, were. She placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him but he didn't feel sad at all, maybe he should say something to help her understand.

"I do not really know them so it does not matter."

That seemed to be even sadder for her. Why was it so? He just meant to say that he only met them once before they sent him on his quest. Did she really understand this language? What was he supposed to say? He did not get enough time to find because she asked something else.

"Why were ya going to Bêtéclair alone?"

Another hard question! He couldn't tell her it was because Chinui asked him to enter the school over there. He did not want everyone to panic because he was a noble again.

"I was going there to learn things."

"Learn what?"

"Anything at all, everything."

Sage wanted him to know everything but his current self was just the opposite of knowledgeable. If he wanted to learn everything, he had to start with something, whatever that something was. Excluding knowledge about clothing of course, that, he would pass over if he could.

"Does it matter what it is ya learn?"

"No."

She tried to keep a smile from creeping up on her face but Emp saw it, there was no way to hide it. He had not seen that kind of smile often in his life yet but he knew what it meant. What sort of mischief was Marcellia planning on doing?

"You said ya like my work right?"

"Yes, I love the things you made."

"And you're pretty strong for someone you age."

What did she mean someone his age? He hoped he was indeed stronger than a one year old baby. Where was she going with this?

"You are much stronger than me, I saw you cleave through all those cats at once, it was impressive." He denied.

"That was just because of my self-magic, there is no way anyone is strong enough to cleave through them all with a single swing." She answered laughing.

That was an impressive feat none the less. He wondered if he would be taught some of those magic in the school.

"I will be straightforward." She continued. "I am looking for an apprentice. I haven't found anyone fitting in Dark-glint yet. Instead of going to Bêtéclair, why not stay here and learn my craft."

He had not expected such a suggestion at all. He was very surprised and curious to hear it. This was an exciting proposition but Emp wasn't sure on how to answer her. He was very interested, if she taught him, would he be able to make weapons as good as Flame and Ray by himself? It would be a great knowledge to have. Even Galana said that she was one of the best, learning from her would surely be worthwhile.

But, he really needed to go to that school, Chinui had made a lot of efforts to help him do so after all and he would learn many more things there. Emp did not think that this one knowledge was worth more than the many more from the school. Why did she think he would make a good apprentice anyway? He knew nothing at all about that sort of thing. He knew the basics on how to use a sword but nothing on how to make one. He decided to ask her directly.

"How do you know I am fitting? You do not know me at all."

"I know the most important, ya're someone who ran into a fight ya had no business or interest in. Ya provided more than your part and when I told ya to jump in the middle of them all, ya did. Even though ya could not win and even though ya didn't know anyone here, ya risked your life for them. Someone like ya cannot be a bad person. More importantly, ya know how to fight and how to survive alone, my knowledge and my time should not be wasted upon ya. Trust me, finding an apprentice is like finding the best material to craft something, ya just know when ya find the right one."

She may have been right but he really could not accept. It must have shown on his face because she decided to back off for now.

"Ya're not going to go tonight right? Take your time to think about it. Decisions made after a good night of sleep are always better. In the meantime, why not come back with me to meet the others, I'm sure there are many who would like to see ya."

Emp agreed even though he could not understand anyone aside from her. Even she, had a way of saying things so bizarrely that he had to focus on every single words she said in order to figure out what they were instead of what he had first heard.

After that, she led him across the bridge and like the cats he had just battled, the villagers swarmed him. After five handshake, he understood that they were all there to thank him for his help. Some were many times more excited of doing so than others, more so after a few words from Marcellia.

He also recognized some of them like the woman who used a door to hit one of the monsters. She came wrapped around the arm of one of the hunters he had helped, with five small kids in tow. That hunter was beaming of happiness. He went straight to Emp and took his arm with both hands to shake it strongly as he talked vividly. In the end, Marcellia had to intervene to help Emp since he did not understand what the man wanted to tell him. After a short chat and another round of grateful handshaking, she told Emp.

"In summary, he just wanted to thank ya for saving his wife and kids."

Emp almost found it unbelievable. After all, he had only killed the few cats that managed to go around the hunters. Also, with the way his wife reacted, he was pretty sure she would have been able to kill that cat without his help anyway. He had only been faster.

"He would like to give ya something to repay ya but he doesn't know what yet, he doesn't have much money."

Emp nodded and answered something to escape this.

"I do not need money but if he could find me a new pair of boots I would greatly appreciate it."

He raised his feet in the air to show the sole of his boot to them. He could see through it in some places because of how much it had melted.

"I stepped into some of the blood and I think travelling with those will be hard now."

Marcellia Laughed and repeated it to the man who laughed as well with his wife.

"He says sure, a pair of boots for the safety of his family is quite cheap, Jenna will even fix that pair for ya if you lend it to her."

Why not? Though Emp. That was a great idea, now he would have two pairs! He removed his boot and happily gave it to them. The man, his wife and Marcellia almost collapsed of laughter. Emp did not understand what was this funny.

While this was all happening, a large fire was lit in the middle of the city square to provide some more light for the villagers. Either they wanted to grieve or feast, none of them had any intention to go back to sleep anytime soon. There was way too much to do.

The wounded were nursed by their relatives, the corpses of the cats and the villagers were moved into two separate places by the soldiers and people cheered those that fought for them while many started cooking food for the group. Over there, near the fire, the group of three boys that had killed one of the cats with knives where boasting about their achievement and showing their hunting card to however passed nearby.

Emp was led through all this by Marcellia who tried her best to give him the names of everyone they came across. Sometimes, she would call out to someone and present them to him. It did not take long for him to feel overwhelmed, after all, he had never met so many people all at once. It wasn't the same feeling as the crowds of strangers in Red-water at all. He was sure that if they continued like that, he would have heard the name of everyone living here before the end of the night.

There were much too many names and Emp was afraid he would forget some of them, if not most. Unfazed by his discomfort, she called on to another man. This one was a soldiers, he was as tall as her and still wearing his armor. On top of his rectangular face, he had a half bald head with only a ring of hair to cover it. He looked like quite the serious man but after talking to Marcellia for a moment his eyes flashed of excitement and the corner of his mouth slightly rose when he looked towards Emp. Was he also about to cause some mischief in a fit of laughter? What was it with the people living here?

The man went to see him and shook his hand as well before he started asking him all sorts of things Marcellia had to help him translate. Apparently, not only was he the commanding officer of the soldiers garrisoned here but he was also the village head. By the look of things, he seemed well appreciated by the people living in Dark-glint.

He was quite the friendly man and tried to discuss all sorts of things with Emp who had a hard time keeping up with the more than ordinary translation of Marcellia. He dearly regretted now that Galana wasn't around to tell him clearly what was happening.

He talked about food, the good-natured character of the people living here, the craftsmanship of the houses, the history of the village and all kinds of other things. He also tried to praise Marcellia but she quickly put a stop to it with a crease of her brows and a couple of words.

Most of the discussion proceeded in the same way, the head would talk about something for a while before waiting for Emp's reactions in turn. Emp understood he was looking for a particular answer to his many subjects of discussion but Emp had no idea of what to answer to almost everything he said. For example, when the village head said that the water of the river here was particularly refreshing, what was Emp supposed to answer? He had nothing to say about that, he had not touched that river and only knew two other beside that one, how was he to compare? In the end, he could only nod to most of what the head said.

At some point, he was saved from that one sided discussion by the arrival of the group he had met on the road. Apparently, those kids did not all belong to the woman holding a baby because many adults idling around took some of those kids in their arms when they arrived. The man that was leading the group earlier talked to the rest and pointed at Emp a few times. The other men all started laughing and before Emp could escape, he was trapped into another round of thanks.

Unable to place a word through all those villagers, the head was forced to retreat and exchanged a few more words with Marcellia while Emp received friendly taps in the back and many handshakes.

The moment he thought it was over, he was swarmed once more, this time by the returned kids. Some of them only reached his waist but a few were barely shorter than him. Did that mean that the age of his own body was similar to theirs or was it merely a coincidence?

They all started talking at once, the boys much more loudly than the girls and most of them with exaggerated gestures. Emp understood they were sharing their happiness and excitement with him but had absolutely no idea on how to react. What were they expecting him to do? It was the first time Emp ever interacted with young people. He could only smile and hope that Marcellia would come back to save him or at least tell him what was happening exactly.

Upon her return, she placed her hand on his shoulder and talked a little to the kids. Emp did not know what she said but most of them reacted with some variation of "Hooooo!" or "Heyy?". He almost laughed at their reactions but managed to keep it in. Then, Marcellia explained some bits of what they wanted to him.

"Mostly, they are curious about what ya did with the weapons ya had earlier and they want ya to show them the trick ya use to make a second ya."

Emp had hoped it would not be anything too complicated but this was really easy. Relieved, he started by trying to summon the second him but nothing happened. He frowned and looked around, confused as to why it did not work. It took him only a short moment to understand that it did in fact work but that he had forgotten to touch him before recalling him. Since he never really separated from it, he had completely forgot that it would stay where it was unsummoned if he was not at its contact.

The other Emp came running from the bridge and when he got at his side, he touched his arm and made him disappear once again. The entire crowd of kids that had seemingly got more numerous since earlier was in awe. To satisfy their curiosity completely, Emp took the hammer from his bag under another wave of surprised exclamation and the second Emp appeared back again with the same hammer now in his hands as well.

The crowd seemed impressed by both the second Emp and the bag which made Emp happy, he had managed to live up to their expectations.

One of the boys seemed to want to hold the hammer so the second Emp placed his own on the ground in front of them, with the handle pointing skyward.

After having received the approval of Emp and some hesitation, he tried to raise it but even by puffing his cheeks and turning his whole face red with the effort, he could not move it. The rest of the kids laughed with Marcellia who told them something before the rest of the kids tried to lift it in the air as well. In the end, with three of them holding it, they managed to get it in the air but afraid that they would drop in on someone's toes, Marcellia got them to put it back down.

Afterwards, the smell of roasted meat filled the air and overwhelmed the metallic smell that had held dominion over the village. Food was cooked and drinks were served to fill the bellies of the people who had survived the attack of the beasts.

Tables were hastily brought out of nearby houses and everyone took place around them. Of course, Emp was invited as well and was forcefully sat in between Marcellia and the half bald head of the village. With them, at their table, were also the guy Emp assumed to be a mage, one of the hunters and his wife, a burly guy also accompanied by his wife and many soldiers.

Everyone seemed friendly except for the mage who completely ignored everyone here aside from the head and some women. They all talked to each other seriously and Marcellia told him that they were still trying to organize the aftermath of this fight. They had corpses to dismantle, friends to bury, others to heal and a lot to repair or even rebuild from the ground up. The villagers were acting cheerfully but this had truly been a terrible blow for this small settlement.

There was a lot of meat in front of everyone but none of it came from the cats, Marcellia told him that they had to be drained from their blood first because it would be too dangerous to cook otherwise. It was at this occasion that Emp finally learned that those creatures were blood-spitters. It was the heart of one of those things that had fixed the cut on his arm, they truly had a fitting name.

Since Emp had not eaten yet that evening, he was quite glad they offered him some food. They also brought him a pint but it was only after he drank a mouthful of it that he realised it wasn't water. He choked on the unknown liquid burning its way along his throat and his surroundings laughed a lot. What was that? Was it poison?

"Have ya never drunk cider before?" Asked Marcellia with a big smile. "You should drink more, this one is pretty good." She said emptying her own large mug.

Should he really drink more of that? Was it even sensible to drink something that felt like it was burning you from the inside out? Since everyone else was doing it, it could not be that bad right? He took another, much smaller sip from his mug.

After half a mug and a large steak, he felt that this was a fun place to be at. Everyone seemed to be interesting and he was still very tempted to learn about crafting and smiting from Marcellia. An idea suddenly came to his mind and he shared it with her.

"I could summon the other me and have one of us stay here while the other goes to Bêtéclair like I am supposed to. That way I can do both."

After all, if not for this kind of thing, what was the purpose of this ability. Why choose to learn one or the other where he could get both? She grinned but still asked to be sure.

"But would the one staying be the true ya or the other one?"

"That is not how this works, both are the true me. Everything one learns the other knows and if either dies, the other does as well. There are no differences between us both."

"Then, does this mean ya would accept to be my apprentice?"

"Yes, but only if you help me learn that language too."

"I will even teach ya self magic if ya want!"

Marcelia smiled in triumph and clapped in her hands once before she shouted something at the village head on the other side of him. The man seemed really pleased as well. After that, they brought him more meat and more cider. The people sang and some even danced under the cheers or laughter of the rest.

He felt like he had a lot of fun but when he woke up the next morning, he had no idea where he was and didn't feel that well anymore. He could not remember how he had ended up here and he was missing both of his boots.

***

When warring in a forested area, you would typically avoid using archers as the dense trees would block most of the arrows for the enemy. Of course, the same is true in our Steelwood empire. An archer is only effective if he can both see his target and hit it from a distance.

Even with that being the case though, any stranger and foreign visitors would notice quickly the importance of archery in the empire. Our armies have a widespread reputation of containing a very large portion of archers, almost half of our total troops. It would have never turned out like this if not for the very forest that would hinder any other armed force from wielding bows. I am sure you know already for having heard it a million times before, it is because the ancestors are watching over us.

Steel and stones aren't living and contain no souls but our wood does. It houses our ancestors and through our bows help protect us from arm. Anyone born in the vast forests of the Steelwood empire wielding a bow made from that same wood can become a talented archer almost immediately. The arrows just fly true, through trunks, branches and leaves they seek their target like a bloodhound. It is already impressive but our soldiers aren't just anyone, they are extensively trained to use their bow to such an extent that it is said that as long as they can see their target, they will never miss.

A company of archer host around six hundred and twenty five individual or five thickets of soldiers, led by a captain designated from high ranked nobles. It is a great honor to lead a company of archer and many captains over the years wormed their way into this position without knowing how to draw a bowstring at all. Most of the time though, they are named for their tactical knowledge or quick wits.

Only a single legion composed fully of archers has ever been recorded in our history, about seven hundred years ago, and was swiftly disbanded at the demand of the great general of the time. I believe this decision to be the right one. Even with their might, there should never be a group of five thousand archer without any fighter to protect them, this would be plain madness.

Yes, our archers are superior to any other, as long as they both tread the grounds of our forests and can see their target. The moment they leave our forest, for the hills, plains or deserts in the east, they seem to lose all ability they had, or at least, the support of their bow. The souls of our ancestors cannot reach outside our forests. Through testing, it was revealed that as long as the forest stays in your field of vision, or what would be in your field of vision if not for obstacles like walls or a big hill, the ancestors will assist you.

In an offensive war, almost all our forces becomes crippled which is why the Steelwood empire can only remember a few instances of this kind of conflict. Such a war isn't worth it considering our neighbors. In reverse, while defending our homes, we are undefeatable in a large part due to our archers. Any approaching army would be drowned in a rain of arrows they can't escape with no real way to retaliate or even protect themselves but to use magic. By the time the two armies engage in melee, their numbers and moral are so low that our great general Muracier can easily sweep through them with is troops.

In no way am I claiming that the great general isn't as important or strong as people think he is. Absolute superiority in a field does not diminish the strategic value of our general and I believe that any of the great general we had over the long history of our empire would be able to grasp victory despite a lack of archers. In fact, by now our enemies should know very well what awaits them when they come knocking on our borders, who knows how many time the great general thwarted a devious tactic to get rid of our archers?

In conclusion, I would say that archery is a skill everyone should practice in our empire. If the army can't save you and your life is on the line, a bow might be much more trustworthy than a sword. Crafting the bow yourself is also strongly advised as the connection between you and the ancestors will be greater according to court mages. As long as you do not leave our territory, may your arrows fly true and protect what matters to you.

-- Historical musing, Archery of Steelwood.

(1) Marcellia speaks very badly in the noble language but I thought I didn't need to make it hard for the readers as well. You can imagine the weird chopped up sentences in a strange accent in your own heads.