System Change

“I-I… We…?” Jacks stuttered while he continued to hold the door open for Rayna. His face was flush in embarrassment, then he furrowed his brows in confusion. “Reginald?”

“The two of you must have had some very intense training if that ended up happening,” Derek said with a straight face. “I mean, really? I knew the two of you were getting oddly familiar with each other during your training trips, but this…”

Jacks opened and closed his mouth more than a couple of times. He obviously had no clue what to say. While he was standing, stunned, Derek pulled a chair out for Rayna to sit. She hadn’t said a word yet and seemed to be enjoying Derek’s dressing down of Jacks. Surprisingly, she ended up joining in instead.

“I asked him if this training was really necessary, and he insisted,” she said stoically. “Who am I to refuse the tutelage of such a veteran?”

“I wouldn’t…” Jacks twitched and looked around the room, lost. “I didn’t… I would never…”

“Okay, the two of you, that’s enough,” Malorie cut in as Jacks seemed to be malfunctioning. “Can’t you see that his head is about to explode? You’ve had your fun.”

Derek and Rayna looked over at one another, then both burst out laughing. “So,” Derek said. “This guy?”

“He’s a little rough around the edges,” Rayna replied. “But he’s a big softy when nobody’s around.”

“Did you hear that, Jacks?” Derek looked at the man, who was still trying to put himself together. “It seems that you’re a big softy. We may have to cut your pay. I hired a scarred up, scary, gruff man to guard the shop.” He looked back at Malorie. “How much are we paying him again?”

“More than we should,” Malorie replied. “Your name seems to be all it takes to guard this place. And on top of having Ms. Savannah’s blessing… there has been almost nobody willing to make any kind of ruckus in here.”

“I see…”

“No! Don’t do that,” Jacks quickly recovered and said. “I’ve got a child on the way. Do you know how expensive children are?”

“I’m just joking around,” Derek replied. “Sit.” He motioned for one of the seats at the dining table. “I still have a few questions.” Once the man was seated, Derek asked, “So, what did happen? I’m curious. The two of you were already starting to act a little lovey dovey towards each other before I left… hell, you wouldn’t even go to the auction with me. What happened after that? Not just with the two of you, I’d like to hear what else you’ve been up to since I left. It’s been what? A year and a half for you?”

The two looked at each other, then Rayna decided to speak. “That’s right,” she said. “We grew close while we were training, then even closer when I became strong enough to not be too much of a burden to him. After that, we began raiding some of the easier dungeon around the kingdom. Eventually, Stella, Jake, and Jensen joined us and we had a full five person dungeon squad.”

There she is with the whole being a burden to others thing, Derek thought, but he didn’t voice them. Instead, he stayed quiet and let her continue her story.

“Our levels were still pretty spread out, so we had to choose our dungeons carefully, but Jensen is a great healer, so we did well. Also, since we were going into dungeons that were too high of a level for me, I gained a lot of skill levels, and I leveled up quite quickly. I’m feeling better and better when using my wind skills—well, I was feeling better and better when using them,” she explained.

I bet she’s gotten comfortable with them because her affinity has increased. Her weapons and style never fit her that well, but she was already too high of a level to start over. Maybe she’s grown into her power, he thought. “What happened next?” he asked.

“Well…” She started. “Next, the war began,” she said. “Eventually, all the teleporters were locked down, and the cities soon followed.” She sighed. “Jake and Jensen went to the academy to help, and Stella, who only joined us occasionally as it was, went back to work with Ms. Swan. At that point, our only training came from reserving rooms at the Adventurer’s Guild. Luckily, the woman in charge was very nice to us, and we found that we always had a room. She seemed to know you well, but we didn’t ask any questions.”

Thinking of the brown eyed, tan receptionist at the guild, Derek couldn’t help but wonder if Shae was still alive. He had left Judy with all the work when he left for the raid. Derek could only imagine the kind of life in the doghouse that he was currently living. Still, he was appreciative that she helped out some of his own people while he and her husband were away. “That’s Judy,” Derek said. “She’s Shae’s wife. He’s the Guild Master here, and he joined the raid dungeon with me.”

“Oh.” Rayna nodded. “It makes more sense now.” She smiled. “Anyway, after that, we just ended up spending more and more time together. The shop wasn’t very busy until Brandi started making those elemental weapons, and then it was only busy when we had them in stock. So, life became too routine and a little boring, and eventually…” she motioned to her big belly. “This, happened.”

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“I see!” Derek laughed. “In that case, congratulations! Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl yet?”

Rayna tilted her head. “How would we know that?”

“Uh… ah…” He was at a loss for words. I guess they don’t have any ultrasound machines around here, do they? “Well… maybe there’s a mid-wife class? Or… someone with x-ray vision that could tell…” he was thinking out loud, drawing odd looks from everybody. “That doesn’t matter.” He waved his thoughts and ignored the weird looks he was getting. “Again, congratulations! Both of you.”

“Thank you,” Jacks said with a smile, and placed his hand on Rayna. “I never thought I’d have this again.”

Of course, Jacks’s previous wife had been killed by Gerald’s lackeys years ago, who then kidnapped his son, Jake. That had been what forced Jacks into his precarious situation before Derek met him, and was why it had been so long until he was able to meet his son again.

“And how is Jake?” Derek asked. “How does he feel about all of this?”

“He’s been great about it,” Rayna answered.

“Indeed,” Jacks said. “He’s happy that he’s going to have a little sibling. He…” Jacks got a little choked up as he continued. “He said that he was glad that I found someone again.”

“Good son,” Derek said, then felt a bit of his own pain in his chest as he thought about his past. He shook his head and got rid of the negative thoughts. “I’m happy that everything has worked out for you.” He then turned his attention back to Malorie. “You seemed disappointed that you didn’t get to go to a wedding. What about these two?”

“Those two? A wedding?” Malorie asked. “You couldn’t get them to have a ceremony if you tried… and I have. They just did it the old village way—except they didn’t need any approval, as Rayna was technically the chief. Just a couple of vows under the Great System and that was it.”

“And I missed it?” Derek asked.

“We all did,” Malorie said. “They practically eloped.”

“We are neither royalty nor nobles,” Jacks said. “There is no need for fancy contracts or celebrations when two such as us vow to be together. Most commoners prefer intimate vows under the Great System.”

“Oh…” Derek shrugged. That made him feel better about the situation. “As long as the two of you are happy… that’s all that matters.”

“We are,” the couple both answered at the same time.

“Good,” Derek said.

Not too long after, Silvi came through the door to the kitchen and began serving out plates of bacon-like meats and biscuits, and eggs. Derek couldn’t help himself, and tore one of the biscuits apart before placing eggs and bacon on it to create one of the greatest breakfast foods to ever exist. He bit into it—the crunching sound of his teeth breaking through the bacon ringing out.

Small amounts of the runny yolk dripped from his bacon and egg biscuit and landed on his plate. Everyone around him looked at him in shock, and he looked up. “What?” he said with a mouthful of food. His eyes landed on everyone else’s plates, and he saw that they were all eating with forks and knives. Prudes, he thought as he took another bite and let out a deep, content sigh.

About that time, the door swung open again, and Rudy came walking through. He looked around the table, and his eyes landed on Rayna, then on Derek. “Aw… I missed it,” he whined as he walked around to the other side of the table and took his own seat. “I thought I was going to get here early enough.” With that said, Rudy did the same as Derek and piled his bacon and eggs on some biscuits and dug in.

“Mhm…” he said. “I missed this… I know that we have plenty of stored up meals that Silvi made before, and that the food stays as fresh as when it was initially stored, but there’s just something better about food that has just been made that you know has never been stored.”

Derek had to agree. The only thing he could think of was that it was more of a mentality thing—knowing that the food had been pre-made just made it less… special. Soon, everything went quiet, and all that could be heard in the dining room was the sound of utensils clattering on plates, and the occasional sip of coffee or tea.

He had expected Brandi to come through the door to join them, too, but by the time they were all finished with their breakfast, and Silvi had cleaned up, she still hadn’t arrived. It looks like the best way to get any information out of her is going to the smithy, he thought.

With the table cleared, Rayna cleared her throat and got everyone’s attention. “So, me and Jacks have been thinking,” she said. “With the baby coming along, I think it would be a good idea for us to get our own place.”

Derek opened his mouth to object, but she raised her hand to stop him, just like he had to others so many times. He wasn’t a big fan of it being done to him and decided he needed to do it more often.

“It’s only natural,” Rayna said. “Plus, you have Bones here, and Ogre will be, too. This way, you won’t have to build a special add-on to the shop.”

Even if they moved out, Derek still planned on making those two their own building, so what she said there didn’t matter to him.

“We have been looking around in the residential district here in Savannah, and we’ve found a few different places. I know it will be a ways away, but I think it would be best if our son or daughter grew up in the residential area where there are more children around. I want them to live a happy life as a child—something that neither I, Jacks, or even Jake were able to do.

“That’s not to say that we won’t be here often—I’m sure we will. It is Jackson’s job, after all.” Rayna laughed. “I honestly never thought I would have a family of my own—actually, I wanted one, but didn’t dare to have one because of where I lived. But now, with the safety and security of Savannah, I can and am.” Rayna stood from her seat and faced Derek directly, then bowed. “And it’s all thanks to you, Derek. Thank you.”

Jacks stood from his seat and bowed, too—even deeper than Rayna had. “Thank you.”

Derek sighed. How am I supposed to say no to that? he wondered. Obviously, it would be best for a kid to grow up around other kids instead of in a shop where the only child is a smithing maniac… well, she won’t even be a child by the time their kid is of age to really start communicating with other children, he thought. Then, Derek sighed and said, “Just don’t let your kid turn out to be one of those spoiled nobles, and I’ll be fine.”

Jacks laughed at that. “Don’t worry, we wouldn’t dare.”

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