Cursed Explorer of the Arcana

After Gods know how long I’ve spent in the pool of happiness, aka warm water, Martha calls out to me. “Is it fine if I call you Eli? Since you’re a Mage I’ll be the one overseeing your training most of the time so I think it’s best we get to know each other a little. Also, why didn't you take off that curious wooden bracelet of yours before entering the bath? The water might damage it."

“Sure, yeah a pleasure to meet you. It's a memento and kinda difficult to take off.” I can’t be bothered to hold a proper conversation here and the secret of this bracelet is mine and mine alone.

"Must've been the work of a nature mage, I'll leave it to your judgment. Moving on we need to discuss a few minor details while we’re at it. First, your hair can’t stay that long, it could get in your way during a fight and I’d like you to get used to a shorter cut. In our line of work, we rarely get the opportunity to clean ourselves.” I noticed. By the time I arrived here I could hardly stand my own stench. “Second, we'll need to get you some acceptable clothing and a good meal, the latter one is hard to find in the wilds.”

Damn, she’s spitting straight facts, I’d love some proper food.

“Lastly, we’ll need to introduce you to the rest of the instructors and the other younglings.” She muses, tapping on her chin. “Ah, and I’ll need to know your status. I know it's a sensitive topic but I’ll be the one to guide you as the head magic instructor. We’ll work together to bring out your true potential and find your own fighting style, however weird that may be.” She nods towards me satisfied with her own assessment.

She’s right, I really don't feel comfortable sharing my status, again. This is the same shit Bennett spewed when he soft kidnapped me, turns out one of them is lying about teaching me. What kind of secret is the one that you constantly tell others? Just throw ideas my way and I’ll work with them, or show me what works well and I’ll be on the right track. But nooo, share everything about yourself, make yourself vulnerable to complete strangers…

“I see this won’t go easy, would an Oath help?” She asks. The same old mind reading. “I’d rather hear it from your mouth than ask Bennett.”

“An Oath?” The hell is that?

“Yes, an Oath of Secrecy to the Goddess Althea to keep your secret or be punished. Said punishment can be quite severe so it's hardly ever invoked.” Despite her easygoing attitude, it's obvious this is a difficult offer on her part.

Do I really want to put such a burden on her? Wait… Bennett already knows my Status so this Oath would change nothing, he could still blurt out anything he knows. “Nah, no need. The old fart already got everything out of me and made no Oath of any sort so this one wouldn't change a thing.” I try to sound uncaring but I already kinda like this old lady, she seems kind.

“That senseless idiot,” She facepalms. “demanding something like this from a child. I’ll bash his head in.” This seems to have pissed her off quite a bit, I can’t wait to see the results. “Thank you for your faith in me, little one, I promise to live up to your trust.”

I quickly list her off my Status and Skills. “...and I have the Skill I received from the Blessing. I can’t exactly talk about that, as in, I’m incapable of doing so. My Class is, well… It’s easier if I show you.” I say, still sitting in the pool.

I lift my right arm and pull some water up from the surface, then ignite a small flame next to it, freeze a few droplets of water and spin the entire thing with a slight breeze. A huge grin climbs onto my face, satisfied with my performance.

I can’t control larger quantities or a bigger variety right now, even this much is quite taxing.

Martha just stares at my hand like a stranded fish. An appropriate reaction. She stands up and just appears next to me in the blink of an eye. This scares the crap out of me, and I almost release my little attraction before she crouches down and holds my arm up slightly, examining my magic.

“Incredible. Throughout my many decades of pursuing magic, this is the first time I’ve seen so many elements wielded by someone. It’s Arcane right?” She asks, not taking her eyes off my hand even when I nod. “The mystery of the arcane. Versatility or raw power… Most argue that the latter is more beneficial, but only because we’ve never seen the true potential of the former.” She touches the spell formation, which makes it collapse. “This… Can you teach me?” She asks in wonder. “I’d give up any of my Classes for this, how can one choose a single element when all of them are so beautiful.” She looks at me with hopeful eyes.

She understands me. She has the same dreamy look when talking about magic, and that’s why I can’t bear to make eye contact as I shake my head. The disappointment overtaking her makes my shoulders sag.

“The Skill says and I quote, Sharing the knowledge of the skill may draw repercussions.” Weird it allowed me to share that part. “I don’t know about showing how things work and guiding someone like that, although I doubt the Journey Guide would leave such a backdoor open. Besides I can’t use more than the basic four elements right now. I-i’m sorry I’m so useless, I-”

She sighs and stands up. “No worries darling, just the fascination of an old lady. You really have a wonderful Class, you know? Still, I feel like there’s one more thing, right?” She asks as if expecting to hear some more secrets.

And she’s somehow right, so I sigh and tell her. “I’m half Celestial, the other part is quite obvious.” I point at my ears.

“Hmm, celestials… in all my life I’ve probably only met like two of those rare people, and you… you might be as rare as they come.” I’d love to think she’s talking about me as a person and not just the result of Mom and Dad having a child. Well, I’m also one of a kind okay? “I know very little about how you shape the elements like you just did however I do know that celestials are especially sensitive to mana and have great talent at shaping it. The vulnerability is negligible as long as you don’t intend to get hit, with that said the arcane part might be a problem…”

Okay, I’m getting curious. This grandma-like lady, Martha is her name I think, is actually good at explaining things, unlike a certain someone whose explanations mostly come down to Just do it!

“I might be wrong but your magic isn’t the most… impactful is it?” She asks and I instantly realize what she means. “Your versatility comes at the cost of destructiveness doesn’t it?”

I mean, I can’t really compare. I only ever had this one Class and anyone fighting around me was either dead or way more powerful than me to notice something like this. With that said… she might be right. Wielding magic should be pretty straightforward, you call upon your mana and use it. Like buying the bread and eating the bread. I make the whole thing from the ground up.

After I nod her smile grows and she leans closer. “I think I already have a few ideas on what might make you a real little menace on the battlefield.” Was the little part really necessary? “9 Free Points, yes?” I nod again. “One Mana and the rest into Intelligence.”

I hesitate for a few seconds seeing her nonchalant attitude. This old woman who I only met just about an hour ago knows way more about me than I’d prefer and is already making decisions for me, no she’s advising me on my future.

In the end, I realize the reason behind her decision. It is to please the rule of three.

Elyssia

Age: 9

Celestial Elf

Mana: 480/380

Free Points: 0

+66/hour

Might: 7

Intelligence: 46

Mana: 48

Speed: 11

Focus: 66(+3)

Willpower: 66

Endurance: 8

Dexterity: 10

Fortitude: 8

Holy shit, those physical stats are just pathetic. The urge to bring them up to at least double digits is there I won’t lie but the reasonable Elyssia who’s in control now is beating those thoughts back with the future promise of a cooler Class.

“We’ll talk about your Skills after lunch. Dry yourself and get dressed. I'll wait outside.” Martha turns around to leave me to do my own thing.

Despite how much I enjoy the water, the promise of food and guidance towards getting better wins over my heart. I just jump out of the pool and draw all the water off of my skin and hair with magic.

Magic rules. No more towels and waiting for my hair to dry slowly. Nope. Time is mana and mana is time.

“Well, that’s one way to do it.” She nods, then smiles as the water on her disappears and splashes into the pool in the same second. “Then come with me right away, I’ll give you some clothes.” Says Martha with apparent amusement.

“Bennett already gave me a set.” I show her the wrinkly, oversized shirt and pants.

She takes a huge breath, like she wants to suck all the air out of the room, then exhales it just as slowly. “I sincerely hope, for his sake, that I don’t see him today. I’m this close,” She holds up her hand, her thumb and index finger actually touching each other. “to killing that idiot. This close!”

I think I found a kindred spirit.

“There’s no space between your fingers.” I point out.

“Exactly.”

“No, don’t kill him just yet.” I chuckle. “I have my own beef with him for the past two weeks. Leave some for me for when I get strong enough to hand him his ass.” I saved your skin today old bastard.

Martha just blinks in confusion before bursting into laughter. “Oh sweetie, I’m not sure I can wait that long. Even if he’s a stupid bastard, he’s a strong stupid bastard. It’ll take decades for you to even be able to touch him, but I’m cheering for you.” She wipes her tears and then holds up a finger. “Wait a sec.”

With that, she disappears for really not more than a few seconds then reappears with a bundle of clean clothes in her arms. “Here, you’ll look more like a girl and less like a ghost in these.” And throws me my new outfit. “You’ll be issued a new training uniform later after we take your measurements. C’mon try them on and let us get something to eat.”

The new white blouse and ankle-length light green skirt fit surprisingly well and match nicely with my own colors. For Martha to get the right size and best colors in such a short time… Big cookie points.

“Uhm… shoes?” I ask. It was almost perfect.

She freezes and disappears again, back even faster than the last time. “Forgive me, sweetie, I’m getting old.” She says with an apologetic smile.

“Thanks. I’m starving, where is the canteen or mess hall or whatever?” I look around eagerly as we leave the baths.

The lady just chuckles. “If you’re really that hungry then take my hand.” She holds out her hand palms up.

I hesitate for a second, then again around these mercenaries I often remind myself of one thing. If they wanted to harm me, there was nothing I could do. With that thought out of the way, I take her hand.

I feel like someone pulled the floor out from under my feet, new sounds, lighting and sensations rock my brain and body. I feel like throwing up, my vision blurry, head dizzy but thankfully Martha doesn’t let me fall over.

“Hold on in there Eli, we just teleported. It always has this effect on people in the beginning, even so, I wanted to get you accustomed to it as soon as possible. I promise your next teleportation won’t be this disorienting. Might still be unpleasant, just much better than the first.”

As my vision clears up I find myself in a huge hall, with a ceiling well over what most would consider tall. Massive chandeliers light up the room, and huge windows made of stained glass depicting glorious combat adorn the opposite end of the place, providing some natural light and making the place feel more lively. Comically long tables fill the floor with benches and chairs strewn all over the place with most of them occupied. The walls are all made of bricks of similar gray stone to the outside of the Fort, decorated with tapestries, portraits or trophies. The floor is made of dark brown wood most of it covered by vibrant red carpets, frequent usage visible on both.

The main spectacle is not the room however, it's the people. The rowdy and joyful men and women loitering in the room provide its true personality. Laughter and chatter fill the hall, people eat, drink, or even arm wrestle all over the place, filling it with… life.

It's not just humans either, lithe elves, sneaky halflings, stocky dwarves, a few human-shaped lizards and a wide variety of beastmen and demikin. Some are wolf-like, others look similar to rabbits, there’s one with bird-like features, and a giant bear downing mead like there’s no tomorrow. Incredibly diverse. Most of these species I’ve only heard about from Mom’s travels.

“Breathtaking isn’t it? It's not the place, it's the people. This is the heart of Fort Karon.” Martha nods proudly. “Oh yeah, that's the name of this place. Everyone just calls it The Fortress of the Fist but that lacks character so we named it after the founder, Karon.”

“I think I’ll like this hall… maybe even more if the food is good.”

I’m still in awe, seeing so many people having fun is not new, we had our own festivals in Meliorport. What’s special is seeing so many incredibly powerful people in one room. They could take down almost any city with this force.

“The rules here are as follows.” Martha says as she leads me down the rows. ”The higher your standing the closer you sit to the windows, cadets sit back there in the corner.” She points out. The only problem is that I’m too short to see anything. “No fighting in here, if you have a problem, take it outside. No gambling either, do that anywhere outside the mess hall. If you break anything you pay double its price. Lastly, respect the food. Don’t throw it around, don’t leave it there, just eat it properly. You’ll know after a few assignments how precious good food is out there.” She picks up a strip of meat from a nearby table while still walking. “You’ll grow to respect food.”

I can totally agree with the last rule, I’d let the fox bite me again for a proper meal in the wilds. The other rules are also understandable between a bunch of drunk or just twitchy people, some with egos the size of a house. Yeah, good rules.

Soon the child section comes into view, somewhat barricaded from the rest of the room but not locked away.

Probably to protect the average level 30 kid from the… what, level 400 mercenaries? Sounds reasonable.

This area is even louder than the rest of the mess hall, which isn’t a small feat, with kids arguing, playing and just chatting with each other.

“Do the same rules apply to this part as well?” I ask hopefully. I don’t want to get into trouble on my first day.

“Of course they do, we want you to get used to behaving like us as early as possible.” She throws a glance at me and reads me like a book. “Don’t worry, they can be a little competitive, but not in a mean way, rather in a let’s do our best and push each other for more improvement, kind of way.”

I somehow doubt that.