Book Three – Chapter Two – Part Three – Blissful Days Won’t Ever Last

A couple of minutes later, they came across a broken-down wagon on the side of the road. A beige cloth covered the bed of it. And the back wheels were a little bit bigger than the front ones. A tall black lever, located a bit behind the front left wheel, acted as an emergency brake.

“How strange. I didn’t even see it from up on the hill,” Servi said.

“Neither did I. I guess I was blinded by the sheer prettiness of the flower field. Hey, do you want to check it out? Do you think they need help?"

Servi was a bit wary of helping complete strangers, but she figured it wouldn’t be that much of an issue if she just checked it out. “Sure. Why not?”

The two walked up to it and heard grunts of annoyance coming from the other side. Walking around it, they discovered an elderly man.  His face, red and strained, came from him failing to lift the wagon high enough to replace the broken wheel with the new one that sat right beside him.

“Umm… Hello?” Momo squeaked.

“Gah!” the man grunted as he admitted his defeat. Taking a small cloth rag lying nearby, he turned to look at the strangers as he wiped his sweat-filled face.

He was nearly bald except for a few strands of hair that stubbornly clung to life. His tired and baggy eyes almost seemed to glow yellow, but Servi later realized that was the sun's doing. On his right index finger, he wore a simple gold ring that was similar to Servi's. But unlike Servi, this old man had a scar that stretched from his left eye to his lip.

Contrary to his rough appearance, he was dressed in clothes that would almost be more suited for a noble. A clean brown vest covered a buttoned-up white shirt. Slick brown trousers sheltered his aged legs, and two black dress shoes finished him out. It was a weird dichotomy of being both a peasant and a noble or, at least having the appearances of both, that put Servi on alert.

She didn’t immediately go for her sword or even move a single muscle. Instead, she had a few skills at the ready just in case this man decided to do something stupid.

An air of roughness and unpredictability swarmed around him, but Momo didn’t let that bother her.

“Do you need some help?” she asked, ignoring his appearance.

If I were scared of appearances, then I’d never have met Servi. I have to keep an open mind.

“I’m afraid I do. I hit a rock, and the stupid wheel cracked on me. That’s what I get for going for the cheap stuff. That spooked my horse, and she ran off. I thought I had the ropes and everything else tied right, but I must’ve missed a knot.  I tried to lift the wagon enough to put this spare wheel I was smart enough to buy, but these old bones aren’t as strong as they used to be.”

“A horse? I didn’t see one from up on the hill," other than the fantasy-like flower field and lake, Momo didn't see a horse.

“She likes to go lay down in the flowers. She's been there for a little bit over an hour."

“You’ve been stuck here for that long?” Servi asked.

The old man nodded. “Yep. I was on my way to Arcton. I wanted to get there before nightfall, but it doesn’t seem like that’s possible.”

“Hmm…. Servy,” Momo turned from the flower field and stared into her friend's eyes, “Let’s help him. If you can help with the wagon, I think I can lead the horse back over here.”

“Are you sure?” Servi crossed her arms and looked at the wagon.

It probably weighs more than Feral’s shield, but I only need to lift it a little bit. At least I don’t have to pick the entire thing up.

“I am. Remember, grandpa and me took care of his friend’s horses for a while. I know how to act around and treat them,” Momo then turned to the old man. “Just leave it to us! Servy’s a lot stronger than I am, so she’ll help you with the wagon. I’ll go and get your horse back for you.”

“Really?!” his yellow eyes lit up. “Oh, thank you! Thank you! I don’t have much to pay you with, but I do have some salted fish.”

“Maybe we can have lunch together? If you share your fish, we have some chicken to give you. Is that okay, Servy?”

Servi nodded and took off her shield and backpack. “Sounds fine to me.”

“Great! I’ll go get your horse, mister.”

“Thank you, but please call me Old Man. I’m afraid my name doesn’t have much meaning anymore,” Old Man’s eyes looked like they were filled with the fogginess of yesterday: a memory that he could only look back upon with some kind of fond feeling.

“Umm... This sounds kinda rude, but okay, Old Man. I’ll be right back,” Momo dropped her backpack but kept her sword and bag and briskly walked towards the flower field.

Servi, meanwhile, walked over to the broken wheel. “If you can lift it just a little bit, I should be able to slide this here wheel on there.”

“Sure, Old Man.” Servi positioned her hands right near the doubletree and tested its weight.

Hmm, it’s a bit lighter than Feral’s shield. Guess I’m in luck.

“Old Man, you’re ready?”

He nodded and strained himself a little bit when he picked up the spare wheel. Servi began to exert herself, and the front end of the wagon slowly rose into the air.

“Good Gods above… You are strong. Oh, just a little bit longer.” Impressed by Servi’s strength, Old Man quickly pulled the broken wheel off and slid the new one in place. “Got it,” he said while pulling out a small hammer from a nearby toolbox.

Servi gently lowered the wagon's front until it touched the ground.

Old Man knocked on the wheel with a hammer as he put a few nails in their place. “Mighty fine work, Servy.”

“Yeah, you’re welcome.” She sat down and took a sip from her canteen as she watched Old Man work.

He seems a bit odd. Itarr noticed. Servi only nodded as the last of the nails were hammered into place.

Around ten minutes later, Servi stood up after hearing a set of hoofs clomping against the dirt road. It was Momo, and she led a beautiful brown horse by its leather reins.

“That’s a good horsie,” she sweetly whispered. One hand went to the horse’s nose as she stroked it. “I’m sure you were scared when the wagon broke, but you’re okay now. Servy’s gonna help fix it.”

“I’ve never seen a Singi be so attached to a horse she just met," Old Man looked up over the wagon and saw a startling sight.

“Same here. Mosie said she loves horses. I just didn’t know how much.”

Momo's ears pricked up, and she glanced up and waved. “Servy, I’m back. And as you can see, I brought the horsie back.”

Still leading her by the rein, Momo led the horse to the spot where Old Man could start the process to hook her to the wagon. As he did the first strap, he stopped and undid all his progress.

“What’s wrong?” Momo asked. She was still petting the horse.

“I think she needs a bit of a rest. No doubt the broken wheel scared her. Say, if you two are hungry, why don’t we go ahead and have lunch? It was just about time to feed her.”

“That sounds good to me, but we don’t have any dry kinder or tinder. And we don’t know Fire Wall,” Servi said.

“There’s no need about that. I’ll handle the fire since I have the materials in the back. Say, why don’t we go over there?” Old Man pointed to a nice soft spot right by the lake. And as luck would have it, it was currently shaded by way of a thick fluffy cloud that was way up high.

Servi bent down to pick up her shield and bag, then realized she needed to pick up Momo’s backpack as well.

“Servy, I can carry it," Momo went to stop Servi by grabbing her bag first.

“You can, but I figured you’d rather lead the horse. That way, you can pet her a little bit more. Wouldn’t you rather do that?”

Momo turned to Old Man, who nodded. “It’s fine with me. Besides, it seems like she likes you.”

“Okay then! Thank you! Umm… What’s her name?” Momo turned back to the horse and ran her hand down its body.

“Lemonade,” replied Old Man.

“Lemonade? Like the drink?”

“That’s right. When Lemonade was a young foal, she knocked over a glass of lemonade and started to lap it right up off the ground. I don’t think it was good for her because she got sick for a few days after, but I figured it’s the perfect name for her.”

“Okay then. Lemonade, let’s go get you some food in your tummy!”

Old Man went to the back of his wagon and took out three bags. One had the fish he promised to give to them, the other contained some carrots, and the last had some tinder and kinder to help start the fire. He gave the bag with the carrots to Momo and started walking.

“Carrots are yummy!” she said as she turned to Lemonade. “Come on, Lemonade,” she lightly pulled the rein, and Lemonade followed her new friend, snorting and blowing air in the process.

“That’s the noise horses make when they’re happy,” the Singi explained. She was talking to Servi, who walked beside Old Man.

Their destination was only a few meters away. Right beside the lake sat a glorious sea of grass that complemented the blue water. It was vivid and bright and lightly danced in the swift breeze that made itself known.

“The carrots are a snack for her. So, you know a lot about horses?” asked Old Man. He groaned as he sat down, crushing the grass beneath his weathered body.

“I do. Oh, I don’t think I introduced myself. I’m Momo, and that’s Servi.”

“I thought it was Servy? Was I mistaken?”

Servi shook her head as she sat down both backpacks. Digging into them to pull out the fire-pit stones, she answered him. “Servy is something of a nickname.”

“Ah, I see. In that case, then I’ll refer to you as Servi if that’s okay.”

“It is.”

“Anyway, my grampy and I took care of his friend’s horses a long time ago. He taught me everything about them,” Momo took a carrot out of her bag and gave it to Lemonade, who laid down beside her.

She bit off a piece and chewed before snorting again. Momo’s tail began to lightly wave through the air in response to her new friend’s happiness.

“I see. Ah, here’s the stuff I need,” digging into a bag, Old Man took out a small collection of dried leaves and sticks, as well as a small pack of matches. “Please, leave the fire to me.”

“Alright,” Servi took out the fire-resistant rocks and placed them in a nice circle. As Old Man started the fire, Servi went into her bag and pulled out some juicy chicken. Momo’s eyes lit up when she saw it, and her stomach growled when she smelled it.

“Now that we have the fire going…” Old Man went to talk but stopped as he pulled out some lean red meat from one of his bags. Very tiny white lines ran throughout it like it was just cut from the source.

“So, that’s fish?”

“Yes, it is. You sound like you’ve never tried it before.”

Momo responded while she watched Old Man and Servi stab the little meat chunks with a metal skewer. “I didn’t have the chance to eat fish that much since my village wasn’t near any lakes. I only had shrimp for the first time about two weeks ago,” she took out another carrot and gave it to Lemonade.

“I see. This is called salmon, and it’s by far my favorite fish to eat. I do hope you’ll enjoy it,” He replied.

Servi took out the two skewer holders and placed her and Momo’s skewers in them. “Sorry, Old Man. We don’t have a third.

“That’s quite all right. If anything, I wish I could do more to thank the two of you for helping me. If you didn’t show up, then I don’t know what I would do.” Old Man glanced around and saw a nice ‘Y’ shaped stick nearby. He went to retrieve it and sat back down. “I suppose this will do nicely.”

Momo took a swig of her water. “I’m sure someone else would’ve been by to help you.”

“Maybe,” he said, “But other than you two, I’ve seen only three other people. And they didn’t look none-too-friendly. It seems that Arcton isn’t that popular. Speaking of it, might I ask where you two are heading?”

“We’re on our promotion quest for Warden,” Servi replied.  She made sure to keep the destination a secret because she didn't want to give a stranger info they didn't need to know. Though as unlikely as it was, there was always a chance for this strange Old Man to want to steal the letter if he knew it existed.

And he didn’t until Momo told him.

“We have a letter we got to give to the Warden branch in Arcton,” Momo gave Old Man the info Servi wanted to keep secret.  The black-haired girl silently groaned.

“Congratulations!” Old Man happily clapped, and his face twisted into a smile. “I never had a chance to join Warden when I was younger.”

“Thanks! But can I ask why?” Momo’s nose became well aware of the delectable, delightful chicken and fish. Their savory scents permeated up and around, covering a wide area with assistance from the wind.

“I never really had the chance. Not to mention that I was weak as a stick. Instead, I chose to go to school and focused on nurturing and growing my mind.”

“I didn’t know they had those kinds of schools,” replied Momo. She held a hand to Lemonade and rubbed her gently.

“They do. Coincidentally, I went to a school for business. But that was then, and this is now. I’m afraid to say that it didn’t work out for me. But I don’t regret it. I dare say the knowledge and skills I learned helped me greatly in life,” Old Man smiled, and Servi felt alarm bells going off in her soul. She didn’t know why or how, but something told her that the schemer disguised as an innocent old man had blood on his hands.

Discretely, she activated Soul Essence of Primal Combat and observed his movements.

Servi, I’m getting nothing. Itarr must’ve felt the same exact sensation as Servi.

“Servy?”

She deactivated Soul Essence of Primal Combat and trusted Itarr with the rest. “Yeah?”

“What’s wrong? You had a scary look on your face?

“Sorry, I thought I heard something. So, you’re going to Arcton for business then?”

Old Man shook his head. “Just for a visit. I have some relatives who live there.”

A pleasant conversation and a few minutes later, Servi bit into her chicken. A little bit of juice squirted onto her lips, and she lapped it up using her tongue.

“Seems like they’re done,” she announced.

Momo said a quiet apology to Lemonade and began to eat, making sure to bite off a piece of fish. “This is good,” Momo smiled and took a second and third bite. She never had a chance to try salmon since fish expensive in her village. But Momo's grandpa always said it was a favorite of his.

Grampy, I’m finally trying it. And it’s just as good as you said it was.

“I got to say, I never believed chicken could taste so good,” said Old Man.

Servi replied. “Really? It’s just preserved chicken. It’d be better if we had some garlic and other spices to flavor it up.”

“Really. It might be so tasty because I thought I would die out here. It’s a little bit scary being stranded alone in a broken-down wagon. With my old bones, I don’t think I could've survived walking the rest of the way.”

“Servy, if we ever have to use a wagon, it might be best if we buy some extra materials,” Momo said after realizing how dangerous it would be if she and Servi became stranded due to a broken wagon or cart. “And some extra food for the horse, too.”

“Sorry, girlie, I didn’t mean to frightened you,” Old Man laughed and bit into his skewer. Much like his clothes, Old Man’s teeth didn’t match the rest of his body. They were white and bright, not yellow and cracked like Servi would’ve expected to find.

“Oh, you didn’t frighten me. A lot of little problems can pop up when you’re least expecting them, and it’s good to have the supplies to fix the problem.”

“That’s true, but we got to think about the weight distribution. If we take spare parts of everything, then the wagon would break down more often due to the heavier load, right?” Servi answered Momo's question. She had no more food left and sat her skewer on the ground beside her.

“I didn’t think about that…” Momo absentmindedly said. She turned around and looked at Lemonade. Her big blue eyes stared directly at the Singi. “If it’s too heavy, then the horse or horses wouldn’t be able to pull it. If they could, then they’ll probably get hurt. Grampy told me that if a horse gets a bad enough injury, then it’s hard to heal them.”

She really does care about horses. Itarr muttered. She was still listening, but she mainly focused on Old Man.

“There’s no problem with that department. The events of the day are evidence to the contrary, but I treat Lemonade with the respect and dignity she deserves. I always make sure she's fed before I am,” Old Man finished up his wooden skewer and drank some water from his own canteen. It was small and silver, and it clipped onto his belt.

“Mosie, how much water do you have left?”

“I still have a good bit. Why?”

Servi stood up and dug into her bag to pull out the pot and tripod. “I’m going to go ahead and boil some water. Old Man, you need some?”

He nodded. “If you wouldn’t mind.”

“Thanks, Servy!”

Servi nodded and walked over to the lake. She was back in a matter of minutes. During that time, Old Man asked Momo why Servi called her Mosie.

“It’s just a nickname she calls me. I’m Mosie, and she’s Servy.”

“Ahh, the days of youth. Reminds me of the past. A good friend of mine who went to school with me had a nickname for me. Oddly enough, it was Old Man. His reasoning was that I looked elderly even when I was in my mid-twenties. Bwhahah!!” Old Man bellowed before welcoming back Servi. “Oh, allow me to help you.”

“Thanks,” Servi replied. She let Old Man set the tripod above the fire and hung the pot from it. Then she sat back down and took a swig from her canteen while waiting for the water to boil.

“Lemonade?” Momo quietly muttered. The horse had gotten up and slowly walked over to the lake. A nice breeze took the time to introduce itself as ripples of water flowed across its shiny surface. Lemonade’s black mane elegantly blew in the wind.

“She’ll be fine. She’s probably just thirsty. Back when she was just a foal, the stubborn thing could drink buckets and buckets of water. It's a good thing she calmed down on the drinking. Imagine these old bones going outside and pumping the well ten or fifteen times a day.”

“A horse does drink a lot. It’s a good thing grampy knew Create Water. Though now that I remember it, he was pretty tired every night when we had them. I guess he used all of his Skill Energy to fill the buckets we had lying around.

“He sounds like someone I’d like to get a drink with,” replied Old Man.

“Sorry, but he never liked alcohol. He only drinks water, milk, or fruit juice when we could afford it. But I guess if you don’t mind sharing a glass of water, it’d be fine.”

And so, the time slowly passed on until the sun was visibly further along the sky. The nice clouded area they were in was now in direct sunlight, and tiny beads of sweat dripped down Old Man and Momo’s faces.

“Mosie, we might want to leave soon if we want to get there on time,” said Servi. She had her hand on Lemonade's mane and stroked it gently.

“I guess you’re right,” she went to get up and stretched her arms. “Sorry, Old Man, but we have to leave. We planned to get to Arcton tomorrow.”

“It’s no problem at all. I would offer you a ride, but I have to be there myself as soon as I can. I have some important things in the wagon that needs to be delivered.”

“That’s okay. Besides, I think Servy and I would rather walk. I mean, we’re going to eventually be traveling to other places that are way farther away, so we need to get used. But thank you for the fish.”

Old Man stood up and helped Servi fold up the tripod and pot. “You’re very welcome. And I must thank you again for helping me. Ever since we sat down to eat, not a single person has walked or rode by.”

“You’re welcome, Old Man,” Servi packed up everything else.

Old Man walked over to Lemonade and grabbed her by the reins. She was stubborn and didn’t want to move, but after a bit of consoling from Momo, the horse relented.

After making sure they had everything, the three of them, plus the horse, walked back to the wagon that stood undisturbed. Servi went to the back but was stopped by a timely cough from Old Man, who requested her help with securing Lemonade. “I don’t want the knot to come loose, and I’m not confident enough in my ability to tie them. You see, when you’re as old as I am, it’s…”

“I understand. Mosie, let me help,” replied Servi.

“Okie-dokie. If you can pet and keep her calm, I should have it. Grampy also taught me how to do this.”

After making a few knots and testing them, Momo did the final touches in attaching Lemonade to the wagon.

Old Man thanked them again and got up in the driver's seat. “When you get to Arcton, be sure to look me up. Just go to the general store on Cofflie Street and ask for Old Man. As thanks, I have some spare fish there that I want to give you.”

“Thank you very much!” Momo smiled at Old Man before turning her attention to Lemonade. “You be sure to be a good horsie, okay?” She hugged her neck and tussled her mane before stepping back.

Servi nodded at the Old Man when he raised the reins up. A loud snap and ‘hiya!!’ later, Lemonade and the Old Man began to move. It wasn’t long until they descended the hill in front of them and disappeared out of sight.

Something caught Servi’s eye, and she looked down. It was some kind of red liquid that must’ve dripped through the wooden bed of the wagon. She dipped her gloved index finger in it and rubbed it against her thumb, testing the viscosity of it. It was thinner than paint but thicker than water.

Is this—

“Huh, it’s paint. I guess Old Man might be delivering some paint to his family members?” Momo crouched down. Servi turned her head and stared into Momo’s eyes.

“Probably.”

But this isn’t paint... it’s blood...and it’s wet, too. Don’t tell me… Well, it’s not really my problem, but it will be if we meet again. But why didn’t he try to do something? Wait, it was probably too difficult and tiresome to hide three bodies instead of two. And there’s the weight problem. I better keep this a secret for right now.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, there was no place called Cofflie Street in Arcton.

“Servy? You ready to go?”

Servi unscrewed her canteen and rinsed off the blood. “Sure. Hey, about we run?”

“Okay. We did spend a while talking and helping Old Man, so it might be good to catch up on time.”

In a flash, the two friends were off at the races, and they didn’t care who came in first. As far as they were concerned, they were two best friends trying to complete the quest given to them.