Chapter 13: Birthday
The mist gate led us out exactly where we had first gone in from.
"We made it out alive." Tifa hung her shoulders and raised to her chin. A shiver ran up her body, It could have been the cold from the wasteland when it started getting dark.
"Now you can go sleep in a bed and not pass out where you are." I started walking to the base while poking fun at her.
"Not that you'd know but I am super tired, takes a lot to fall unconscious while not well falling." She stuck her tongue out in my direction. "But how did you keep your calm the whole time?"
"You would like to know wouldn't you." She jumped and screamed 'KYA' when I poked her side with my index finger.
She gave me an 'angry' look and took off running to the base. I followed after her in a jog.
At the gate we found a lot of guards who asked us If we had seen a monster with so much magic it was terrifying, we both said we had not seen it and were allowed passage in. Tifa led me to an inn close to the gate.
The inside was not much to look at, for eating had a rustic feel to it. Sparsely decorated with some well-worn-looking tables dotted around the place. Adventurers occupied the table, talking boasting, and screaming. Pretty waitresses walking around delivering plates with delicious-smelling meat and mugs of ale.
I noticed Jessie on a table near a corner looking like she was a poke away from falling off her chair, with far too many mugs in front of her.
"Just spotted Jessie." I leaned over and whispered into Tifas ear.
She moved her head to reply to me in a whisper, "I know where she is, she always gets drunk in the same spot."
Jessie, proving she had a keen eye, noticed us even though her blurry vision worked against her. "Guys over here!" She started waving her ale to gain our attention as if she did not already have it.
When we got close she jumped from her chair into Tifas arms "What happened to you two? You were gone for most of the day?!" She motorboated Tifas chest for a moment, then went back to her seat. "Briggs was going mad over having a raid party to go hunt that creature." She pulled up her mug draining all of its contents. "We came here to fight new creatures that could come out of the wasteland but that thing was on a whole'nother level."
We took a seat at her table, we had to clear a part of it for the waitresses to bring food. "It wasn't anything too dangerous or exciting or dangerous, just visiting his home for a bit and yes it is a 'he'. The way they live and everything like that. He gave me the impression of someone who has so much power he doesn't know what to do with it." I asked the waitresses that came to our table for some plates of food with mugs of ale for me and Tifa. "Doubt he wants to fight."
"It was certainly peaceful but he released so much magic like nothing," Tifa said.
Jessie laughed so much that she fell off her chair, when she got back on she said "So you're saying he let it flop out for everyone to see? Did you get a good eyeful?"
"Ewww no, did you see him!?" Tifas face scrunched up in disgust. "Plus we are talking about his magic so don't make it into something obscene." She eyed me with a desperate expression "Its not true, okay? Her mouth just gets very dirty when she's drunk."
"Oho what's this, did you get an eyeful of someone else? I mean you two were gone for a long time, did something happen between you two?" She raised her mug as far as it could go and soon a waitress came and took the mug, switching it with a filled one. Seeing Tifa squirm and give her a warning glare "I mean last night she-" her mouth was covered mid-sentence by Tifas hands, her hands having a piece of bread she stuffed into Jessie's mouth.
"Do-don't listen to her, she drank too much." She finished with a little hehe laugh while Jessie tried to get her hands away to drink and wash away the food stuck in her throat.
"By the way where is Briggs? I thought he would be with you right now." I asked Jessie, she freed herself from the offending hands and with one hand lifted her mug to her lips and the other pointed down with her index finger.
I looked down at my food and then leaned to the side to see under the table. There I found Briggs in a fetal position hugging a half-empty mug and saliva pooling on the floor, his eyes shut and snoring noises coming from him.
"I'm surprised he can sleep with all this noise." I looked around the room full of rowdy adventurers.
"I had to make him stay put, so I got him drunk enough to have him fall asleep." Jessie said and I asked how he went along, "Made a bet that never fails."
"Must be a secret that's between you two." I raised my tankard and said under my breath, washing down the food. "Well I have to go home right now, I'll see you two later." I stood up to leave.
"Wait!!" Jessie jumped out of her seat and ran up the stairs to the second floor, coming back half a minute later with a bah in her hand. "Here this is your cut of our little misadventure." She handed me the bag and gave me a little wink, Tifa said 'Hey' and gave her a little punch. "Well see you tomorrow, but you sure you wanna leave? Your home is in Tsige, right?
"Yeah no worries, I can get there fast if I'm alone." I walked out into the cold air, and the temperature difference was quite apparent.
People still walked the streets even now, however not many were headed towards the exits. I jogged a bit to get my body warmed up and ready for the long run. Outside the gate, I took a deep breath and stomped the ground with my foot shooting myself in a straight run to Tsige.
Whenever I saw a group of monsters in my way I either ran through them if I thought I could get away with it, if not I went around. It took me half an hour to get to Tsige and some minutes to arrive at the entrance to my home.
Taking a moment to calm down my heart I heard the merry laughter of my father no doubt poking fun of my mother, I pushed the door and walked into the front yard. noticing no light on outside I headed inside and followed the noise that led me to the living room.
"Ah there he is!" My father pointed at me as soon as I walked in. "Ran away from your mother's clutches huh? I don't blame you, for a man nothing beats exercising!!"
"Shut up he just needed to stretch out a bit, he's ready to hit the books again!! Right honey?" She gave me a huge loving smile that sent a shiver down my spine.
"Y-yeah." I felt it, the tension like fighting a boos in Elden Ring when your out of healing flasks and in hit the boss dies, one wrong move and I would get a bad ending.
"Son!" My dad said with a serious expression commanding my attention. "You must learn to stand up for yourself and not let a fire-breathing creature such as her tell you what to do." He said in all seriousness, his arms crossed and his chin held high.
My mother's hand came down on his head but went through an afterimage. "What did you call me!?"
"If the shoe fits..." My father's voice came from behind me, I turned to find him leaning on the door frame. His eyes shut, nose crunched up and tongue pointed out toward my mother.
"Grrr" Mother's growling gave me the mental image of a fire-breathing dragon. "get back here you Barbarian." she stood up and ran to the door to hit him but he ran away. "Come back you you Savage-- Grrraaahhh!!!!!!!!!!!!" She chased him out of the room while screaming, a fire formed every time she roared.
Lilith gracefully took a seiza sitting posture in front of me. "Happy birthday Young Master." She gave me a small bow with her words.
My eyes started stingin' a little and my vision grew a bit blurry. "Thank you." I sniffed up something I felt dropping from my nose. "Let's enjoy the rest of the day all of us, together!"
My father and mother poked their heads from the side of the door. A face-splitting smile slowly forming on their faces, " Let's!!"
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Word Count 1511
If there are any grammatical errors let me with a comment on the paragraph.
Thank you guys. I appreciate your reading so far.
I really like some parts of this chappy, I felt like I have actually learned to write stories with a bit of the show-don't-tell. It is a small part but hey I got a little, tiny bit better.... I think
Does anyone have any tips?
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone