I often think of the others. What if I had died that morning? Would Amy or Leo have survived this long, or would their lives only have lasted days longer?
"Three days. That's how long we have before you begin your test. It typically takes place in the forest outside of the castle walls," Elias said.
A forest...
Milo thought back to the map Fowler had given him.
"Deheilm?"
Elias nodded.
The process seemed simple enough. Milo, along with the others testing for their adventurer's tag, would be scattered across an area in the Deheilm forest. Each contestant will be given a dyed piece of cloth.
"The colors range from green, yellow, orange, red, purple, and black," Elias continued.
"Each color reflects a preassessment—your experience, build, age, anything that might help or hinder you, really."
Milo's foot caught on a small crack in the street. He stumbled, but caught himself. His lips quickly pursed in annoyance before he looked back at Elias
"What color rag did you get?"
"Never got one."
"You never got one? But you have a tag?"
"You're given priority registration if you graduate as a knight from the Royal Academy," Elias replied.
Elias turned his head. Wood swayed in the air above. The hinges holding the old sign creaked from the wind. He gestured for the boy to go inside, but Milo hesitated.
"Um, are you sure this is the shop?"
Elias sighed.
"Young people. Always disrespecting old things."
Two moss-patched brick steps led to a dust-clouded glass door. The windows were the same. Milo looked around before reluctantly following Elias into the building.
*Ding*
A small bell rang as Elias pushed open the door. Its jingle echoed through the store, but failed to stir any movement. The two stood in the doorway. Wood bumped Milo further in as the door behind him shut.
Two long shelves split the narrow shop into three tight lanes, leather stacked in careful rows. A counter for checkouts was at the back, and another on the left side. Behind each counter were shelves holding different makes of boots.
Shuffles from behind the back counter caught their attention. Suddenly, white hair sprouted up over the counter. It was wild, frayed, and disheveled. There was no semblance of conditioning or care.
The plodding of shoes approached the corner of the counter, and soon revealed a small man. He wore large, black glasses. His head was round, and his face was ungroomed. The most shocking feature was his height.
The man approached the two customers with his hands behind his back. His stubby legs forced him to take small strides, but Elias and Milo waited patiently.
He must be one hundred and twenty-five centimeters tall...
"Hello, gentlemen," the man said.
"Hello, my friend," Elias smiled.
Simultaneously, the two put their index fingers to their temples and cast their hand out a couple of inches from their face.
Was that a greeting?
"Milo, this is Darmond. Darmond, this is Milo, a new recruit of the forty-fifth."
"Nice to meet you," Milo said.
Instead of responding, Darmond let out some mumbles as he looked the boy up and down. He rubbed his fingers against his chin before continuing.
"Yes, yes. Come this way."
Darmond turned and waved them to the back counter. Darmond's slow pace made Milo shoot a questioning look at Elias, but Elias just smiled.
Milo was seated in a small chair by Darmond with a stool that propped his feet up. Using a small ladder, Darmond reached for a pair of boots on the back wall. They were sleek, black, and polished to a mirror sheen.
The boy was curious, but Darmond seemed engrossed in his own world, so he turned to Elias.
"Is he the owner?"
Elias nodded.
"The craftsman, too. He's the best in the kingdom."
Milo's eyebrow raised as he looked around the shop.
"Why is his shop so..." Milo didn't know how to say it, so he just shrugged.
"He's picky with his customers. I wasn't sure he'd take you, but it looks like you've passed his assessment."
Hm, I wonder how he judges people.
Before Milo could think for two long, his left foot dropped to the ground.
*Screech*
Darmond slid the stool back to its original spot before dusting his hands.
"There you are my boy. All done."
Darmond's thick foreign accent made Milo giggle.
Using the stool he'd just pulled away, Darmond hopped up to the counter. As Milo walked around the store in his new boots, Elias poured out some of the cash he had stashed in his pouch. Milo tried to peek over the counter, but wasn't tall enough to see the full amount Elias was paying.
Glints of gold caught his eye.
Gold? These cost gold?
It only took a couple of shops on the way back, and Milo's gear cost more than any amount of money he'd seen in his life.
"The boots should last a while, but I don't expect the tunic to last too long given the circumstances. It's resistant to slashes, but not jabs, so keep that in mind. The pants don't offer anything other than a little more comfort..."
Boots, shirts, a tunic, pants, a small dagger, and a lesser healing potion.
All of this is for the test?
Milo looked down at the black fabric and felt a little strange. Almost like his body wasn't his own.
"The black will make it hard to see you at night. That's when you'll thrive."
Elias tossed him another piece of cloth.
"This is the last thing, so don't get too happy."
Milo let the fabric drape, but had to catch it to stop it from hitting the ground.
"A scarf?"
"That's the idea, but it can act as a hood if you wrap it correctly," Elias replied.
The man took hold of the black cloth and wrapped it around Milo's head and face. Soon, only the boy's yellow eyes shone through.
"I feel... warm."
"This cloth is insulated well. It'll keep you warm during the nights."
Milo raised his hands to his head and coursed over the soft fabric.
"Thank you," he murmured.
Elias smiled, but turned so Milo wouldn't see.
"Come on, we don't have much time before it's dark. We need you to get used to the new gear."
The walk back to the partifold didn't take long since most of the shops were on the way back.
*Creak*
The sprawling doors opened to the field inside. Men occupied the large arena, swinging swords and brawling. Each one trained like it was their last day to do so. Milo clenched his fists.
The boy turned and looked out at the city. Over the horizon, orange skies faded to a midnight blue.
He turned back to the entrance, the hard ground below turned to a lighter, sandy soil as he walked in.
Elias veered away from Milo's usual training area. Instead, he walked toward those training in the center. The closer they got, the sharper the metal rang as it collided. Soon, Elias's voice began to drown out, so he raised his voice.
"This is where you will train."
Milo looked around.
"You've learned most what you need to know for hand-to-hand combat. Even more than that, you pick up on things fast, and aren't afraid to play dirty," Elias said.
Is that a compliment?
"I believe you've grown strong enough, and due to the time constraints, we're speeding things up."
"Uh, strong enough?"
Elias reached down to his side.
*Shing*
"To raise your sword."