Cursed Explorer of the Arcana

“Hey sweetie, what did you do today?” Mom greets me as I drag myself into the kitchen.

“We were… busy.” I answer after careful consideration.

As planned we went to the market and there was indeed an alley with broken boxes and a revolting smell and something more… Stray dogs. Even though the twins are both Warriors and should be able to fight, we ran like crazy. Maybe because we infringed upon their turf or maybe because Nia tried to pet them but the dogs chased us around the market for a good minute before one of the guards scared them off.

It was scary… and somehow fun, nevertheless something new so…

[Your Class [Crimson's Blessed] has reached lvl 3, +6 Free Points.]

[The general Skill [Identify] has reached lvl 3.]

Wha- Ah, this one should be from when I used it on Mom and Dad. This is pretty easy.

Six to go. Reflexes, Running and Stamina also got their fair share of progress so at the end of the day it worked out pretty well. We sat down to do something boring albeit less dangerous in the end so by the time I got home, which was just now, the three moons were already up in the sky.

If I keep this up I might get that Class up in a week, which still sounds a bit too long.

“I see you got a level.” Dad arrives with… ewww, a rabbit carcass in hand. “What about the Skill?”

Some of my exhaustion vanishes instantly as he asks that question. “Oh, the others had brill- a pretty good idea. They came up with Calm.”

“That really is brilliant.” Dad nods, clearly noticing my blooper.

“Yeah but I got something else, it’s called Inner Peace.”

“That’s… a good Skill. How did you unlock it?” Mom takes the rabbit and I look away as the dismembering happens. The noises though…

“Nothing difficult, the others helped.” I try to avoid answering because, in the end, they might think my friends are mean and evil. Including me. “More importantly, why can I only have nine Skills? And why can’t Crimson’s Blessed have any?”

“Well,” Dad contemplates. “Some smartasses say that your soul can only hold so many Skills before it gets full. For us, that means six Skills for each Class and nine general Skills.”

That’s a bit lame, though I guess even a bag can only hold so many things.

“Uhum, why exactly that many?”

“Add all the skills you can have together sweetie.” Mom calls out.

“Uhhhm, twenty-four?” I guess. I don’t like numbers.

“Nope.”

“Thirty?” Yeah, this one has three in it and even nine, more likely.

“Okay, okay.” Dad shakes his head. “It's twenty-seven. Three times three times three.” Ew, math. “I wasn't the one who came up with the rule, it looks like the world just loves the number three. Many tried to decipher the origin of this obsession, yet it seems to be a natural thing. Just the way Aelion works.”

I really don’t like the ‘It is what it is’ explanation, but at the end of the day it could be less so I might as well skip the bitching.

“As for your other question,” Dad continues the lecture. “It’s because your soul isn’t developed enough yet. It can hold the nine general Skills and nothing else. For now.”

Just a week then, only a week and I’ll be able to use magic. Maybe even less if I put my back into it.

***

“Okay Eli, let’s do this again. We’ll take turns and throw acorns at you, don’t use your head too much, just rely on your instincts and Skill.” My heinous father instructs with a bag of acorns in his hand.

I spent almost half an hour running around and gathering those, just saying. We left Meliorport for this bit of training so I’d have all the space needed to dodge freely without disturbing anyone. We walked just a little past the fields of wheat and other stuff I didn’t recognize to the empty fields between slightly dangerous wilderness and civilized land. About fifteen minutes from home.

I keep my eyes on the hands grabbing the projectiles, ready to jump the moment they move, however Mom adds a twist. Of course she does. Instead of throwing she flicks the damn thing and I react just in time, throwing myself to the side and getting back to my feet fast enough to dodge the acorn coming from the other adult.

They explained to me numerous times why training my mobility and instincts is crucial for anyone as squishy as me when it comes to real combat. Namely, I either have enough Endurance and Fortitude as a Mage to survive a hit, which is not too realistic, or I learn the art of dodging. Survival first.

As if guided by an invisible hand, I tilt my right shoulder back, only for an acorn to fly past. “Hey, you’re supposed to take turns!” I shout at Mom who disregards the rules and starts rapidfiring with a fiendish smile. “Oh yeah? Try telling that to an enemy who’s aiming for your life sweetie, I’m sure they’d listen. Besides, you’re doing well.”

Fair and unfair at the same time. Let me keep doing well, I don’t want the difficulty to increase. My Skills do though.

Just as I stick my tongue out not one but two acorns are launched my way aimed at both of my shoulders. As much as these two argue, their teamwork is incredible. Quick Witted gets to work, trying to come up with an escape route when I remember the advice they gave me at the start.

And so I give up on thinking and let my body do its thing. Instead of stepping in any direction I crouch and lean forward with my nose almost touching the ground before rolling to the side to dodge the follow-up barrage. Returning to a crouching position I lunge forward while twisting my body, avoiding the next four acorns.

I repeatedly weave between acorns, dodging with precision and accuracy I could never achieve alone. Obviously, Mom and Dad are going incredibly easy by throwing only fast enough for me to see them coming. Just as I feel like it’s getting too easy with my legs dancing beneath me, changing directions with swift spins and steps, I notice something dangerous in Mom’s eyes. She reaches into the bags and pulls out a fistful of acorns.

This time it’s not my body that knows what to do, my mind takes control the moment I recognize that childish look on my mother’s face.

“I give up!” I put my arms up and stop in my tracks.

It’s a miracle I dodge four acorns so dealing with like seven is a bit past my abilities. Mom drops the acorns, pouting slightly, while dad just shakes his head.

“Darling this isn’t a contest, we’re here to help Eli.” He chides not me but his wife this time. My goal all along.

[The general Skill [Dodging] has reached lvl 2 ->4.]

[The general Skill [Running] has reached lvl 4.]

[The general Skill [Reflexes] has reached lvl 2 ->4.]

Fuck yeah. It’s only the third day and I’m already doing great. It’s a shame I didn’t get my Class to level five.

“You move just like your father,” A half-smile climbs onto Mom’s face. “And he’s really damn difficult to hit.”

“And your personalities couldn’t be any more similar.” The man rebukes with a side-eye. “Jabs aside, you moved well Eli, did you finally stop thinking?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t like it.” I shrug. “It felt like everything was up to luck, like I was no longer in control.”

Everything worked and worked spectacularly, using just my guts and Skills to evade but… I don’t know, it didn’t sit well with me. Maybe because it felt like I couldn’t do it, without the instincts and Skills I mean, maybe I wanted to dodge those acorns myself. I know the Skills and everything else is me, a part of me, and the Skills do nothing more than assist and still…

“I’m sure you’ll find something that suits you or find peace with what you have.” Dad crouches down, so our eyes are at the same level and ruffles my hair. “What matters in the end is that you’re alive, that one matters more than anything.”

“Hey, Luna!” A voice calls out from down the road leading to the city and when I turn I see… I don’t know him.

Light armor, stuffy clothes and a slight belly. Oh, he’s also bald as hell.

“Angus, what made you leave your little hermit home?” Mom welcomes the man with a rare friendly smile.

As they hug each other like old acquaintances I hear Dad growl a little so I ask. “Who is he and why is mom so friendly?”

“A retired colleague of your mother.” He huffs. “One of the few who didn’t try to get in bed with her.” He adds.

Now it’s my turn to huff. “They can just sleep in their own beds.”

I hear him choke on something while morphing my face into a less tired and grumpy visage.

“You already know Lucious,” Mom guides the man over to us. “and this is my daughter Elyssia an aspiring Mage.”

Remember Eli, use Identify!

[Mage lvl ???]

The Skill is already capped, but every single use counts.

“What a pretty young lady,” Good start baldy. “a pleasure to meet you, my humble name is Angus.” He stretches out a hand for me to shake.

Since he’s already two in the plus column from Mom’s words and his own silver tongue, I oblige with a slight smile and shake his hand. “The pleasure is mine.”

I’ve never actually used that phrase before, meeting new people is never a pleasure, except when I can get something out of a meeting.

“Could you show her a few tricks and maybe give her some advice, we’re not the most suitable tutors…” Did I hear that right? Did Mom just ask someone for something?

That’s rare, that’s really rare. It doesn’t count between family members but acknowledging her shortcomings and asking for a favor in one sentence… So he really is a good man.

“A young Mage you say?” The man leans closer and his smell immediately drags the two plus opinion down to one. “I have about an hour till Thunkr’s Store closes so I might as well. Tell me you soon-to-be Mage,” He turns to me. “what element stands closest to your heart?”

Of course, he had to start with the difficult question. In the case of a Warrior the attunement of your Class doesn’t matter as much as for a Mage or even a Ranger so I would’ve just picked the one I like the most when the time of a class-up arrived. For mages like him, the element is like half his arsenal. It is super important.

So what is my choice?

“I don’t know yet.” I look to the side while answering.

I’ve been thinking for years and still couldn’t just pick one while disregarding the others. Mom uses wind and ice, while Dad rolls with the nature and wind combo as examples in my family. Wind is… not bad. It has its strengths like speed and some nasty cutting power, but the same can be said about any other element. Everything comes with advantages and disadvantages.

“I see,” Angus hums. “The option of changing the element of a Class is always there with every class up but it is indeed advised to make a decision sooner rather than later. Changing the element is not without its drawbacks.” Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m hesitant. “How about I give you a better picture of what you’re choosing from?”

“Yes please.” I say as respectfully as I can.

Kindness, that’s all this man is offering me. Even I, as rude and bratty as I can be, know when to show appreciation and respect. Rare are the people like him in the world.

***

The meeting with Angus was pretty beneficial. I did get a little closer to choosing an element and learned a lot about how we, the people of Aelion, view the world around us compared to the Earthish stuff.

He told me in simple child terms what he learned in school about magic theory and the nature of mana. Wielding magic comes down to three things. The designated elements of the Class, the amount of stats to wield said element and lastly visualization.

The first two are taken care of by the Journey Guide and besides making decisions you have little else to do. The third one, however… Just like how Warriors train their bodies or Archers practice their aim, Mages also need to study rigorously in order to improve themselves alongside their Status.

That’s not to say a weakling couldn’t be a Warrior or an illiterate fool would have no control over their magic but it matters. A lot. The more you understand what you’re doing, the more potent the magic will be, the easier to control, and the lower the mana consumption.

He did share some of his wisdom on elements like water and earth, both of which contradicted Savant on many occasions before talking about more difficult ones. Lightning, light, and let’s not even mention space and time. We even touched upon the arcane element, its unique nature to transform into other types of mana, and the legends about anyone actually using it. People have observed the natural occurrence of arcane mana reshaping itself but have been unable to replicate the phenomena since time immemorial. Nobody knows how.

Savant went wild during the less than an hour-long conversation, reaching my level and probably flying past it comfortably. I had a hunch that learning and theorizing about magic would be the way to improve my Blessing, yet never in my wildest dreams did I imagine it’d be this easy. I know it’s low level and there’s so much I don’t know but still…

For the next three days, it was a rinse and repeat of going out with the gang and doing stupid stuff which increased my level. Then I was practicing my Skills under parental supervision to have those ready for the fateful day. Which is this one, today.

Elyssia

Age: 9

Celestial Elf

Mana: 200

Free Points: 0

+20/hour

Might: 7

Intelligence: 20

Mana: 20

Speed: 11

Focus: 30(+1)

Willpower: 30

Endurance: 8

Dexterity: 10

Fortitude: 8

General Skills:

Savant lvl 9

Identify lvl 9

Running lvl 9

Dodging lvl 9

Pain Tolerance lvl 3

Reflexes lvl 9

Stamina lvl 9

Quick Witted lvl 9

Inner Peace lvl 6

I. Class: Crimson's Blessed - Arcane lvl 9

II. Class: *Locked*

III. Class: *Locked*

I’m not really up to maxing out Pain Tolerance and leveling Inner Peace turned out to be a lot more difficult than obtaining it.

When it comes to my stats, my parents advised me to bring everything relevant for a Mage up to twenty and spend the last twenty points how I see fit. The rule of number three remains, meaning the System sets boundaries for better Classes at numbers like 9, 15, 30, and so on. Bringing three of the attributes up to thirty while disregarding one was never an option, as I was short of one point, so instead we chose a more balanced route before picking two for me to increase to the magical number.

The results are probably well beyond what anyone my age should have and I used all my willpower to keep this information from spilling out of my mouth whenever I played with the others. They would’ve skinned me alive out of jealousy.

“Have you decided on an element, Eli?” Dad asks the big question.

“I did.”

He tilts his head and raises an eyebrow expecting a proper answer.

“I’ll leave that to be a surprise.” I say cheekily.

“Fine.” He huffs. “Eli, when you get to select your Class, take your time, examine your options carefully and most importantly listen to your inner voice. Choose what you feel suits you the best.” Comes the words of advice from Dad.

“Don’t stress about it too much. If the chosen class is not to your liking, it's not the end of the world. Yes, it’ll take time to reset and get back to level nine again, but you’re young and many, many more years are in front of you.” Mom encourages me.

“Okay, thanks. Phew no pressure, huh?” I giggle and pull up that glorious notification that I dismissed in order to get Savant to level nine first.

I won’t lie, it was a real challenge holding myself back.

I lay down on my bed as this process will make me unconscious and it wouldn’t be fun to pass out while standing.

[Your class [Crimson’s Blessed - Arcane] has reached lvl 9. Class advancement is now available, would you like to proceed?]

[Y/N]