Nend Ardhon Chronicles - Complete

Chapter 30.1 – Grandma's visit – part 1.1

Drezara gulped and slowly shook her head. “Not much, actually. I am starting to think more and more about that because of Paullu. He already knows what he wants to do, so I am trying to figure out what I am good at. My mother says I could be a very good seller if... I wasn’t so shy… but I am doing everything I can to change myself!”

Drezara quickly corrected herself when she saw Isi Holl biting her lower lip. Isi slowly nodded and sat properly. “I see. It’s good that you know your flaws because it’s halfway to correcting them. I know a particular female who is much older than you, but still doesn’t know how flawless she is. Right, Teera? Damn, she didn’t hear me. Pity, such a wonderful opportunity to annoy her! What about you, Paullu? I know you are studying to be a Healer and your mother told me that your grades are off the chart. How good are you as a Healer?”

Paullu shrugged and took a sip from his cup. “I guess I am okay. Mother is always taking me with her to the clinic to help and to learn a few practical things. She always says that theory is good, but nothing beats good old practice.”

Drezara spoke so quickly that she almost bit her tongue. “His grades are the best of our entire School! I know that sometimes he even substitutes his Teachers when they have a personal matter to attend and they can’t give the class!”

Paullu choked with his drink and asked, “Who told you that? I never said anything about that!”

“And you think I only know stuff that you tell me? I know other people besides you! Do you mind stopping thinking that my life revolves solely around you? I know that lately, I am always near you, but come on!”

Paullu quickly apologized when he noticed the way Drezara was rolling up her eyes. “No, I didn’t mean that; I was just surprised!”

Drezara made a gentle smile and poked his nose. “You really need to learn when I am joking. Maybe I can poke your nose when I tell a joke for you to understand I am not being serious. How does that sound to you?”

“Yeah, that would be much appreciated! I can never figure out when people are joking or not, and with you, it’s even worse because you are always joking, and I keep trying to find out when you are serious!”

Isi Holl winked at Byia and asked, making the couple turn bright red, “They look good together, don’t they? How about you, Byia? Is there any male under your radar? Someone that makes your heart pump like crazy, almost jumping out of your chest?”

Byia made an awkward smile, but she was saved by the arrival of her mother, who was carrying a bowl of appetizers. “Something to entertain us while the oven is finishing. So, what have I heard about heart pumping? Some kind of secret?”

Byia remained in silence, eating a few appetizers made of mushed algae and crispy vegetables, while Isi Holl was frowning at Teera. “You always have such great timing, don’t you, Teera? I was pushing Byia to a corner, trying to figure out who the male is that she likes, and you came with that bunch of calories. Do you want to make us all fat like you, or what? Some of us need to be slender to avoid a sword s***h, you know? I bet that if you were being targeted by an assassin, that huge butt of yours would get in your way, and you would be easy prey!”

Teera Calla felt her left eye twitching even faster, and she made a huge effort to answer without shouting, “I was never fat, and I will never be! I barely have time to eat; how can I gain any weight? Being a single mother with bills to pay does not allow me to remain on the couch all day or at a desk, eating! But that makes me notice one thing: you used to have fewer wrinkles, and your scales used to shine way more. Are you already considering leaving this World behind, or what? Not that I am wishing for your death, but you are way past your time, aren’t you? Do we need to prepare ourselves for that certain eventuality, or are you aiming to live forever?”

Isi Holl made a slight wave with her left paw while smiling at Byia. “Shush, you! I want to hear Byia’s answer! I don’t want to hear any of your nonsense! Go check the oven, will you? Byia was about to confess something! Come on, spit it out already! I am curious!”

Byia remained silent, and Paullu winked one eye. “I used to think that she liked our neighbor, Guyi Mohryi, but then I saw her reaction every time I was talking with an online friend of mine. The first time she saw him, she couldn’t control her Magic, and she blew up my entire room. She has a thing for the Nayga Race, especially for my friend Sare Andri.”

Isi Holl quickly turned to face Byia, just in time to see her glowing and with her eyes bright yellow. “Oh, like she is right now? Is it safe for us to be so near her? Shouldn’t we push her to the back garden so that she can blow up in peace? Not that an explosion here wouldn’t do wonders for this weird decoration so full of colorful plants! Why does your mother like so much to turn this house into a garden? It’s so weird! Wait, a minute... Byia! Take a deep breath! Everything is shaking! Concentrate, girl! I don’t want an explosion near me!”

Byia closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. After the third exhale, she felt her paws warm and looked at them, watching the rune that was forming. “Oh, cool... ‘Embarrassment Control Level 3 evolved to Calm Heart’. Nice, I need to check what this Skill is!”

Drezara quickly answered, “I know that one; I unlocked it recently! It grants the ability to face any danger or surprising situation without becoming too nervous to react. At Level 3 evolves to ‘Infinite Courage’, and that gives you courage in front of any sudden situation, even dead ones. I found a book in our School’s Library explaining that Skill!”

“Nice! Does this mean I need to get myself into more and more embarrassing situations to evolve this ‘Calm Heart’ Skill? If that’s the case, go ahead, grandmother, and annoy me as much as you want! Hehehe!”

Isi Holl made a weird smile and asked, “Really? So, what if I ask what you want to do in the future? Do you really want a peaceful job as a ‘Rodhocetus Trainer’, or do you want something more thrilling, like, I don’t know, being a Healer like your mother and Paullu? Or better yet, what about becoming an Explorer like me? That would be a blast, right? We could go on missions together and travel everywhere, even to one Nayga World or one of their colonies, for you to visit that Sare Andri male. What do you say?”

Byia turned bright red again, unable to say a thing. She felt a warmth on her paws, and she could pretty much guess what the rune would be saying, with a Level Up for sure.

Then, Teera Calla came from the kitchen and asked with a trembling voice, making Byia’s embarrassment skyrocket and another rune appeared: “What are you implying, mother-in-law? Do you want to take Byia with you? For what? So that I might lose another member of my family? Byia, say something! Tell her that she is crazy, at least!”

Byia slowly looked up after checking the newly formed rune on her paw and spoke, “I can’t, grandmother. My mother would be very sad if I followed your line of work. Besides, being a ‘Rodhocetus Trainer’ is very cool. I can teach many things to those guys, and they can help a lot of Water-Dragons. As an Explorer, you can do what? Help the one that makes the Quest? As a Trainer, I can help a bunch of people at the same time!”

Isi Holl disguised a smile and shrugged. “I suppose, but your father was also an Explorer and a damn good one. What he did over the years forever changed the way we see our oceans. Even the Surface-Dragons and the Nayga Race still benefit from your father’s work. I seriously doubt that as a Healer or as a ‘Rodhocetus Trainer’, your name goes down in History like him. Unless you become as amazing as your great-great-grandmother, Senpyia Calla. Now that was an outstanding female! It’s just a pity that her Magic skipped your mother’s generation, but the way your eyes keep changing colors like the great Senpyia, I expect some great things from you. I am not so sure if a mere ‘Rodhocetus Trainer’ would be a good use for all that Magic you have. You could be more ambitious and aim higher!”

Byia gulped and glanced at her mother, who was looking pretty worried about all that talk. Byia took another deep breath and spoke with a slight smile. “Don’t worry, I will become an amazing Trainer, and my Magic won’t go to waste. I wouldn’t say no to a trip with you to another World or a colony to learn more about this type of work. I bet there are some outstanding ‘Rodhocetus Trainers’ in other Worlds or another City in Nend Ardhon. I know that in this City there aren’t many, and the ones there are, are just normal Trainers. I want to be an amazing ‘Rodhocetus Trainer’, and with that, go down in History as another famous member of the Calla bloodline!”

Isi Holl slowly nodded and glanced at Teera, noticing her watery eyes. Maybe it would be better to drop that subject. She always liked to annoy her daughter-in-law, but making her sad was never an objective. “I guess you have a point. Maybe when you have a few days off School, you can go with me to my City, Obar Àrdair. I have a ‘Rodhocetus Trainer’ in my Guild who not only trains those guys to help in missions but also trains them to be Service Aids. A Rodhocetus trained by him is always chosen to help a disabled or seriously ill Water-Dragon. He is now training one that will be sent to a Retirement Home for old Water-Dragons that don’t have a family to take care of them. Or are too stubborn to accept any help from their family! Unless your mother is afraid that I will attract you to my job, that is.”

Isi made a slight smile to a very nervous Teera Calla and continued, “Not that I am not tempted to turn you into an Explorer, but if you have to be something else, you might as well be a Trainer. That is indeed a very prestigious job. I bet your father would be very proud of you. Do you know that before becoming an Explorer, he was almost a ‘Rodhocetus Trainer’? He could once make a Mental Link with two Rodhocetus and order them around at the same time! I think he was ten or twelve Tides old. It was long before he met your mother, that, I am sure. He trained them so well that one was chosen by a Party of Adventurers and the other was sent to a Hospital to help injured Water-Dragons.”

Byia was looking at Paullu, completely mesmerized, and he was looking back at her with his eyes wide open. Byia regained her composure and spoke in a very serious tone, “That’s a novelty. I wonder why he never told us that. I always thought he was just an Explorer and Cartographer, but if he also had a talent for dealing with Rodhocetus, that explains why I have one out there that used to be a wild animal impossible to tame. And I became his friend in seconds!”

The way Byia spoke so calmly about something that would normally make her jump in happiness made Paullu wonder why she looked so peaceful. Then he noticed another rune appearing over her paws. “This evening is becoming very interesting... You just unlocked the ‘Infinite Courage’ Skill! Is this conversation making you so nervous because of what, Byia? It’s very suspicious for you to unlock a Skill just by having a conversation, evolve that same Skill, reach Level 3, and evolve to the next stage! Any other Water-Dragon would take Tides to do it, and many would never achieve that!”

Byia shrugged while looking at the rune above her paws that was slowly fading away. “Yeah... It could be because of my absurd amount of Magic, or maybe hearing grandma teasing me because of Sare, and finding out that our father was almost a ‘Rodhocetus Trainer’ can explain it. Imagine, Sergge, the Trainer, instead of Sergge, the Explorer… Maybe if he followed that occupation, he could be at this table, teasing me and laughing his heart out…”

Teera noticed the faded yellow color in Byia’s eyes, and she did her best to lighten the mood. “Knowing your father, that wouldn’t change. He would still go after his friend, no matter if he was a Trainer or not. He once told me about his talent with animals, and that’s why he always made sure that you learned everything he could teach you about Farm animals. We always had the dream of buying a small Farm when you two were big enough and had a partner and a life of your own. It was our retirement plan to live a peaceful and pleasant life on a Farm. But if you become a ‘Rodhocetus Trainer’ and Paullu a Healer, I bet he would be very proud of both of you. As I am.”

Teera quickly got up, saved by the sound of the oven, announcing that the meat was ready and giving her an excuse to clean her tears in the kitchen.

Isi Holl stared at her back with a slight smile. She always liked Teera, and the way her son was so in love with her always melted Isi’s heart. But she would never admit that!

The rest of the evening was peaceful, with Isi stopping teasing Teera and making it a peaceful family dinner, with Drezara loving every single bit.