Chapter 3: Chapter 3: The Wendigo

Drenid Name: Esta

Hunter: Evrouin Diamarta (Deceased)

Tribe: Natrius

Form: [Wendigo] (3rd stage)

Class: Beast

Level: 87

Strength: 257

Defense: 225

Intel: 305

Agility: 244

Wolstan’s jaw hit the floor. His Dredot must have been bugged, it had to be. There was no way the Drenid in front of him was level eighty-six, but the screen didn’t so much as flicker as he held his hand at her. Such high numbers were usually only possible for Drenids who had hunters that spent their entire lives training such as those in the military and even then they would have to be a commander or something just below that rank.

His eyes glid over to the hunter's name and his stomach did a flip. Evrouin Diamarta, as in the king of Pluveria? He couldn’t believe his eyes, there was no way the king’s Drenid would be in some retirement village like Zertold, much less watching him for over a decade. What’s worse the screen declared Evrouin dead, which absolutely wasn’t the case.

“Why are you in our forest, Natrius!” Rania yelled and pointed her blade at Esta’s chest. The [Wendigo] laughed a terrible high-pitched laugh that made the hair on Wolstan’s neck stand on edge.

“Rania don’t!” He said taking the risk to look at Esta head-on. As he feared a silver sword sigil was emblazoned on the fur beneath her chest; the sign of the Diamarta royal family.

“Human, let me fight her!” Rania said and tried to move but Wolstan’s command kept her in place. “Letting the Natrius go after all she did would be a disgrace to Foresters everywhere!”

Esta laughed again. “If she’s that eager to get knocked out again you should let her.”

“Let’s not fight if we don’t have to, okay?” Wolstan said finally addressing Esta. She hadn’t attacked them yet and Wolstan planned to keep it that way as long as possible. If the woman from earlier really went to Kesta a search party would come sooner or later. “Is everything written here true? Are you really Evrouin’s Drenid?”

“Was. I was Evrouin’s Drenid, until about eighteen years ago.”

“Did you run away or something?”

Esta folded her arms playfully and smiled. “Come now, I know how powerful those Dredots of yours are. You already know the answer.”

“She speaks in riddles, let me hit the answers of her!” Rania hissed. 

Wolstan raised a hand up to her. “That’ll do.” He said and turned back to Esta. “You understand why that’s hard to believe, don't you? If the king of the country died there'd be news of it all over the kingdom. And you’re telling me he’s been dead for eighteen years? If that’s the case, what would a hutnerless Drenid want with a random human?”

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you, but this has little to do with Evrouin. I came on my own accord to make sure the baby I saved grew into a human capable of fending for himself.”

“The baby you saved?” Wolstan said. He tried to think of what she might have saved him from but the thoughts trailed off as he realized what she implied. “Do you mean you brought me to Zertold? You knew my parents, and you belonged to Evrouin?” His eyes widened. It was a long shot but he had to ask. “Then, Evrouin was my father, wasn’t he! And- and Ayafar- no, Isagaia, was my mother! That makes me a prince!”

His hands shook as the words came out of his mouth. He always hoped his parents had been important, but he couldn’t have possibly imagined they would be the king and former queen of Pluveria. But that left so many questions unanswered, if Evrouin died as the Drenid and his Dredot said, who sat the throne in Gelia?

Esta coughed loudly and Wolstan snapped back to attention. Esta wouldn’t meet his gaze.

“That’s not entirely correct…” she said. Her face went red. “The man who currently sits the throne was once Evrouin’s jester. The same man who killed him all those years ago. He’s been using a powerful Spirit Drenid to cast an illusion on himself to make him look and sound like the late king. He’s your father.”

Wolstan stumbled back into Zertold’s gate. She was lying, she had to have been. His father was a jester? And a murderous usurping jester at that? It was preposterous, there was no way so many people would be fooled by such a thing, especially Conrad and the six nobles that made up the king’s inner circle.

He looked up to Esta hoping she’d be laughing but her face was deadly serious if not a little awkward. 

“Your Drenid and sigil should be all the proof you need.” Esta added, pointing at Rania who still stood frozen but snarled at Esta. Right on her collarbone, the black fool’s cap that formed his sigil stuck out clear as day. She was telling the truth.

“Rania you can relax…” Wolstan said. “But don’t attack Esta.” He added quickly as Rania grinned. 

His stomach churned, it was too much to take in all at once yet he still needed something cleared up. 

“Why am I alive?” He asked wearily. “If my father killed your hunter, why did you save me?”

Esta walked over to him and caressed his head as Rania growled at her. It felt familiar somehow. 

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“Isagaia, the late queen, discovered the jester’s plot but by that point, it was too late. She gathered Evrouin’s other Drenids and tried to stop your father but for some reason ordered me to take you away from the capital and kill you; as Evrouin’s Drenid I was bound to listen to his wife’s orders.” Esta said and touched her hand to her sigil. “I did as she asked but right after I left I felt a sharp stab right here. Evrouin died, I no longer had to follow his commands.”

“So you chose not to kill me. You didn’t want revenge? My father killed your hunter.” Wolstan repeated.

Esta met his gaze and studied him. Her mouth started to move but then she shut it and looked away. “I’ll keep my reasons to myself for now. More importantly, what do you plan to do now? It’s probably not a surprise anymore but I’ve been watching you and listening in on you for quite a while. Are you still going to try to meet your parents?”

Wolstan looked from Rania to Esta and then to the morning sky. The optimism that guided him through the day had all but faded. Finding a couple that left a child behind eighteen years ago seemed doable compared to seeking an audience with a false king as some random orphan.

“You don’t have to know right now but it's something you should think about. If you go to Gelia, dealing with your parents might be inevitable.” Esta said. “As for right now, why don’t you go meet up with that mayor of yours? I’m sure he’s worried about you.”

“Right…” Wolstan said and steadied himself against the gate. He didn’t know how to explain even half of what happened in the forest to Kesta but the old man usually had sound advice.

“Thanks Esta, for everything,” Wolstan said and raised his hand for her to shake but dropped it as she raised her brow. He had no idea how to properly thank one for basically changing the course of their entire life. “Let’s go Rania.”

Rania scowled and glared at Esta but followed him through the gate back to Zertold. He looked over his shoulder but Esta vanished, the forest stood still.

“I could have taken her…” Rania grumbled as they headed for Kesta’s place.

“She defeated you and weakened Alanis without taking a scratch. She could have killed us both if she wanted to.” Wolstan said. It dawned on him that Esta knocked Rania out just so he could catch the Drenid with ease. Weakening Alanis so Rania would win more than likely served as some sort of odd test for him.

He raised a hand to knock on Kesta’s door but it opened a second later with Kesta and Lyra right behind it. Lyra’s eyes were sharp and determined, a long golden spear sat aloft in her hands.

“Spirits above Wolstan, I was just coming to get you!” Kesta exclaimed and started groping Wolstan’s face for nicks and scratches. Lyra exhaled, let her spear dematerialize, and smiled at Rania who didn’t return it.

“Is this the Drenid you caught?” Lyra asked. Wolstan nodded. “She’s cute, and she looks powerful. I knew you’d pick a good one!”

“I can show you just how cute I am, Gretian.” Rania growled. Lyra put a hand to her cheek and merely grinned brighter. 

“No more fighting for today, Rania.” Wolstan said. He had a terrible premonition he would be saying that a lot in the coming days.

“Why don’t we all come inside and you can tell me everything that happened. Camilia seemed worried about you, she said the Drenids were acting strange or something?” Kesta said and led them to a long table in his kitchen. His wife, Sylvia, was nowhere to be found.

Lyra got to work making drinks for the four of them while Wolstan launched into an abridged version of everything that happened. He left out everything about Evrouin, he had no proof on him besides his sigil and that wouldn’t mean anything to the man. When he finished Kesta sat back and smiled.

“Well, you did go in the forest looking for your ‘destiny’ and it looks like you’ve found it.” Kesta said. 

“It’s more than I bargained for, I don’t know what I should do.” Wolstan said.

“It’s obvious isn’t it? Your parents are in Gelia! You’ve talked about meeting them forever and now you know exactly where to look. What’s more, if they live in Gelia they could be nobles or even entertainers.”

Wolstan’s insides squirmed hearing entertainers, he swore he heard Rania laugh beneath her breath. “So if you were me you’d still want to meet them? Even if you knew they had the resources to look for you? That they probably didn’t want you…”

“Wolstan…” Kesta said sadly.

“Humans make everything too complicated,” Rania said and folded her arms. “Either go confront them and ask them or don’t. What good is moping about it?”

Lyra sat beside Wolstan and put an arm around his shoulder. “While I’d probably say it a bit more delicately than a Forester-” Rania shot her a dirty look. “-she’s right. If it’s really eating you inside you should definitely look for them.” She looked to Kesta to see if she should continue and did so once he nodded. “Just think, you’ve been waiting all these years to learn where you came from, can you really let that go after a single day?”

“No…” Wolstan admitted. It wasn’t as if not meeting them would make him stop thinking about them. The question of why they didn’t think to look for him when they had the resources of a king would loom over him for the rest of his life. Even if those resources were ill begotten.

He looked towards Kesta’s window and thought he saw a familiar shadow flash past it. He smiled. “You’re all right, I’m being stupid. I’ve got to try, haven't I?” 

“Of course!” Kesta said. “You proved me wrong by not getting mauled in the forest so how hard can meeting your parents be?”

Wolstan nodded and rose from the table. “I know I already said it this morning but thanks for everything. It’s nice to know you’re still here if my father really didn’t want me.”

Kesta’s mouth flitted up into a thin smile. “Good luck Wolstan. Make sure to tell me all about your adventure when you get back.” He led Wolstan back to the door and saw him and Rania off while Lyra waved from their window.

Wolstan was glad he saw Kesta again before leaving. He felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders even if it still hung inches above him. He walked back to his house but Rania grabbed his hand before he could open the door.

“Someones in there…” She said.

“Bet I can guess who.” Wolstan said and pushed open the door.

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