Luckborn

2-9: Something Different



The carriage rocked gently as it rolled along the worn dirt road toward Brighthaven. Otter leaned his head against the window, watching the

The carriage rocked gently as it rolled along the worn dirt road toward Brighthaven. Otter leaned his head against the window, watching the countryside drift past in hues of green and silver. After a year surrounded by brownstone towers, magic lanterns, and bustling teenagers, the quiet simplicity of open fields and weathered fences felt almost surreal. Smaller. Quieter. But not unwelcome.

He sat beside Erin, their backpacks stacked at their feet. She had her boots off, one leg tucked underneath her, a half-eaten pear in her hand. The scent of it mingled with the warm leather of the carriage seats. Her hair, usually tied back in some practical fashion, had come loose in soft strands around her face. She looked more at ease than he'd seen her in weeks.

"This feels weird," she said, staring out the opposite window. "Going back. Like we're ghosts slipping through a world that forgot us."

Otter smiled faintly. "I was thinking the same thing. Everything's the same, but it feels different."

"Do you think that's a good thing?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I think it just is."

They fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments, the sound of wheels crunching over gravel the only punctuation. Otter glanced down at their bags, then back out at the winding road.

"Any idea why Torrin didn't come with us?" he asked finally.

"Yeah," Erin sighed. "He's working on a project for Overseer Kane. For extra credit. He didn't do so hot this semester."

"I hear losing a friend can mess you up pretty bad. At least he's working through it."

"Yeah. I think failing Kaos Theory lit a fire under him. Harrow's exam wrecked a lot of people."

"Barely scraped by myself," Otter admitted.

Erin smirked. "I aced it, obviously."

He gave her a skeptical look.

"Okay, I passed. By one question."

They both laughed.

The carriage dipped as it hit a rut, and Erin shifted closer to him, their shoulders brushing. She didn't move away.

"Nervous about the guild work?" she asked.

Otter thought for a moment. "Yeah. Not about the work itself, though. I'm nervous I won't be useful. That I'll mess up. Or hold everyone back."

"You won't," she said simply.

He turned to look at her. "How do you know?"

She met his eyes. "Because you've grown. A lot. You're not the same boy who tried to pick the lock on the schoolhouse pantry with a quill stub and got stuck halfway through the window."

Otter flushed. "That story is going to follow me forever, isn't it?"

"Absolutely."

They sat like that for a while, the weight of the year between them, softened by laughter and proximity. Erin yawned and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"You make a decent pillow," she mumbled.

Otter swallowed. He didn't move, wanting to hold on to this moment as long as he could.

The carriage pulled over near a bend in the road where a large tree cast generous shade across a patch of grass. The driver, a thickset man with sun-browned skin, hopped down and tipped his hat.

"Stretch your legs if you like. Horse could use a drink. We're about an hour out."

Erin was already sliding the door open, boots in hand, stepping into the grass barefoot. She stretched her arms overhead, spine popping audibly.

Otter followed her out and breathed in deeply. This close to Brighthaven, he could smell the saltwater in the air. Or, at least, he imagined he could.

He turned to scan the roadside. Just beyond the ditch, he noticed a gap in the underbrush. It was partially hidden. He wouldn't have seen it if he hadn't turned his head at just the right moment.

Luck's Whisper: Active

"Erin," he said quietly, pointing. "There's something over there."

She shaded her eyes and squinted. "What, a deer trail?"

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Maybe, but I don't think so."

They picked their way down the gentle slope, following the overgrown track. The brambles weren't thick, but they were stubborn, tugging at Otter's sleeves like they wanted to change his mind.

Then the path spilled into a small clearing.

It was barely a circle of stone and moss tucked between a few gnarled trees, but it felt old. The grass was shorter here, like someone still tended it, but the stone altar at the center was chipped and half-buried under ivy. A small stack of offerings sat off to the side: smooth stones, a carved wooden charm, a feather tied with thread.

Otter felt something stir in his chest. A tug, soft but certain.

"Is this…?" Erin trailed off.

He nodded. "It's a shrine. To Altheris."

Erin looked around. "Makes sense, hidden away like this."

They stood there for a while in silence. Otter stepped forward and knelt beside the altar. He had nothing eloquent to say. No grand gesture in mind. Just a quiet, steady gratitude he wanted to express.

"Thanks," he whispered. "For getting us through the year. For the opportunity. For the protection. For the secrets."

He placed a dreg beside the wooden charm—a gesture of appreciation.

Behind him, Erin knelt too, folding her hands briefly in her lap before lowering her head. Her voice was soft.

"I don't know if you're listening," she said, "but he made it. We all did. We'll try not to waste it."

A breeze moved through the clearing—not a strong one, but just enough to rattle the ivy and lift the feather on the altar. It spun once in the air and settled back into place.

Otter stood and didn't look back as they returned to the road.

Some things weren't meant to be seen twice.

***

The carriage dropped them off at the city gates. Together, Erin and Otter made their way toward the docks district. Everything looked exactly as it had the last time they'd been here. Laundry lines stretched across alleys. Door frames were painted bright colors. People smiled and waved at each other as they passed. And yet, everything seemed smaller.

They held hands as they strolled—casual, comfortable. The road sloped gently toward the harbor, and the smells of salt, fish oil, and warm bread clung to the breeze like old friends.

As they reached the turnoff for Anchor Street, Erin slowed and gave Otter's hand a final squeeze.

"You want to do this part solo?"

Otter hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. Just for a bit. She'll want to talk."

"I get it." Erin leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

He nodded and watched her go, her boots tapping softly against the cobbles as she vanished into the alleys of Brighthaven.

Otter found his mother in the kitchen of their little home. She was waiting for him when he arrived and pulled him into a big hug as he walked in.

"I swear you've grown three inches since Binding Eve!" she said. Then held him at arm's length to get a better look at him. She scanned him up and down and narrowed her eyes. "You look different."

Otter nodded. "I am different."

She sniffed. "Growing too fast. Are they feeding you enough at that school?" She didn't wait for him to answer. She grabbed a bowl from a nearby shelf and ladled a healthy scoop of fish stew into it before setting it on the table. "Come on. Sit. Tell me all about it."

So he sat. He savored the scent of the fish stew, triggering a core memory. Not a specific one, but many, layered on top of each other. Such a meal was commonplace in this house. Cheap, easy to make, and nutritious.

His mother said nothing as he eased back into being at home. After a moment, he looked up at her. "I got a Class."

Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly, the only hint of her surprise. "Which one?"

"Something different. Something called Luckborn."

Now there was no hiding her surprise. She sat up straighter. "Tell me about it."

"It hinges on my Luck stat, obviously. I can bend probability. A little. Once in a while. And sometimes I just… notice things. Weird things. Things I shouldn't. Oh, and I have a chance at learning things a little faster."

His mother nodded along. "I knew you'd find your own path, though I never imagined it would be quite so ground-breaking."

"Yeah, well. There's a bit more to the story." He told her about finding Emrys Gales' journal, the compass, and how it had led him on an adventure in the ruins beneath Ironside Keep. He, of course, left out the fight with Marcus and the bit about giving a part of himself up to the guardian, but he told her most of the story.

When he finished, she sat there for a long time without speaking. There was a lot to digest. He polished off his stew and washed out the dish in silence.

Finally, his mother ran a hand over her face and shook herself a little. "Well, you were right. You are different, that's for sure. Experience changes us, and it sounds like you've gotten a bit of that over the last few months."

Otter nodded in agreement. He couldn't argue with that.

"So what about this summer job? Might as well get it all out there."

Otter dried the bowl with a faded dish towel and leaned back against the counter, arms folded across his chest.

"An Academy Overseer sponsored me and some of my friends to work with the Adventurer's Guild for the summer. It sounds kind of like an apprenticeship that tradesmen do. We'll do nominal tasks that they can't spare more capable adventurers for."

Mara arched an eyebrow. "That's not usually something they offer first-years."

"We qualified based on merit. And we all reached second level early. We'll be stationed in Aurelia, working under a Guild handler. We're not going into dungeons or fighting Kaosborn. It's mostly observation, light support, courier work. That sort of thing."

"Which means it'll be half grunt work and half whatever busy task your handler doesn't want to do."

"That's… probably fair."

"And are you excited?" she asked, moving to the sink to wash up some other dishes. "Or are you just saying yes because you think it's what you're supposed to do?"

Otter considered the question. "Both, maybe." He moved to sit at the table again. "I want to go," he said. "I want to learn. To do something. Not just train for some vague future where I might matter. This feels like a step forward."

His mother nodded slowly. "And the others?"

"They're in too. Jasper, Sage, Milo, Erin…"

He hesitated just slightly on Erin's name, but she didn't miss it.

"Is she the reason you're going?"

"No," Otter said honestly. "But she's one of the reasons I want to go. I trust her. I trust all of them. And this job—it's an opportunity. I don't know where it's going to lead, but I think it has potential."

She studied him a moment longer, then sighed and sat down across from him again. "I won't tell you not to go," she said. "Even if I'd rather you stayed here and worked the docks all summer, safe and boring." She reached out and rested her hand over his. "But I need you to remember something."

Otter looked at her.

"There's a difference between brave and reckless. You can still be careful and move forward. You don't have to prove yourself to anyone—not even to yourself."

He nodded. "I'll be careful."

She squeezed his hand. "Good. Now go sleep in your own bed while it still remembers your shape.


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