Cursed Explorer of the Arcana

19693 The 3rd Spring

A year. Sounds like a lot of time especially when it’s basically one-tenth of my entire lifetime but it didn’t feel long at all. I had no idle mornings and free hours spent with nothing but lazing around and whining about how bored I was. The Fist is shit-hot when it comes to pitting us kids against each other and creating competition at every waking moment.

Be it running, studying, hunting, verbal bouts, mental trickery, or straight-up fights, there is always someone ready to challenge you and something more important to earn than money or power in our community of cadets. Respect.

It’s not that I blame anyone for this atmosphere because this is where I thrive. I’m sure without anyone pushing me or backs bigger and more powerful than mine trailing ahead of me my effort would’ve been nowhere close to what I’m putting in every day.

I’m no longer satisfied with being one of the brightest among my peers, being brilliant compared to my age. I want to be brilliant, period. So yeah, stubbornness and petty were guided in a way that made them resemble diligence even though I never had any noble goal in mind.

Some people just can’t shut the fuck up and if they’re stronger than me then all I need to do is grow and practice until I can help them use their mouths to eat instead of yapping day in and day out.

Friendships here are… weird. August, Kayla and Victor have undeniably grown closer to me after countless small and big fights side by side. We’re friends I can’t deny it any longer.

With that said they’re also my greatest enemies here by far. Be it combat, mocking, racing or just straight-up bullying, they’re merciless. And none of them comes even remotely close to me.

“Can’t we just stay back and read something?” Victor stretches while groaning like an old man.

“Don’t whine, you slept through the lecture so this much should be nothing.” I try my best to act normal, even though the morning run has been especially brutal today. My legs are still on fire.

“Says the Mage.” He huffs. “You weren’t the one running around like an idiot while shooting at a moving target. I swear the instructors just make up some of these exercises to mess with us.”

It’s hilarious to watch though.

I don’t know why he’s even complaining when we’ve all been looking forward to going out tonight. We’ve made a deal with the devil and exchanged one of our two outings every second week for the right to roam Granhall until curfew.

I know there are no beasts in the city to kill but we needed some change. Martha was surprisingly supportive of the idea and the returns of our most recent hunts were quite a bit below expectations. For some reason, the old hag refuses to take us any deeper into the forest where the actual dangerous beasts reside so we’re forced to hunt the beasts about half our own levels.

“Do you think we’ll be tailed?” I ask on our way to the main gate.

“Three hundred percent. Remember we might still be hunted.” Victor chuckles with a sad smile.

“Understandably, you three always do something stupid.” August fails to shut the fuck up again. He’s been a great motivation to keep leveling that’s for sure.

As usual, we ignore his snarky remark because as we’ve learned this is the biggest punishment a prick like him can receive.

“Do we have everything? Are you sure we shouldn’t bring any money?” Oh please Kayla, don’t start it… “What if we-”

“Just go and pee, we’ll check the bags in the meantime.” I professionally defuse the situation.

“Okay!” She drops her haul and skips off in the opposite direction from the nearest toilet.

What are we carrying? Furs, fangs, and whatever organs we might be able to sell in the city. It took us one year to recognize something very important missing from our curriculum. Barebone basic social interactions. I guess there are people to mingle with both in Karon Fort and on our way to the forest for some good old hunting but that’s just not it.

“Are we really gonna rifle through the bags?” Victor asks in a hushed voice after Kayla leaves our sight.

“No way,” I huff jokingly. “just shake up the bags to make it look like we moved things around.”

“You’re evil.” He comments while doing exactly what I said with an impish smile.

“I’ll take the compliment.”

It takes a few minutes for our fourth member to return and quite a bit of explanation for the guards at the front to allow us outside. It’s been a year now so they’re quite familiar with us.

A year… one birthday. It was supposed to be a day when I celebrate and the people around me did put in some effort to make me feel loved but… I felt alone. It was just another day to remind me how much I miss my parents and how fucked up everything is. Not the best birthday that’s for sure.

That doesn’t mean I slacked off or anything…

Elyssia

Age: 10

Celestial Elf

Mana: 2540/2540

Free Points: 3

+290/hour

Might: 7

Intelligence: 254

Mana: 254

Speed: 59

Focus: 312(+40)

Willpower: 290

Endurance: 38

Dexterity: 20

Fortitude: 38

General Skills:

Savant lvl 43

Identify lvl 48

Running lvl 44

Dodging lvl 46

Pain Tolerance lvl 21

Premonition lvl 47

Survival lvl 31

Maintained Magic lvl 23

Serene Spellcrafting lvl 41

I. Class: Mystical Daredevil - Arcane lvl 51

Arcane Mastery lvl 50

Armory of the Arcane lvl 46

Mana Perception lvl 44

Elemental Burst lvl 32

Arcane Focus lvl 36

II. Class: *Locked*

III. Class: *Locked*

Mystical Daredevil: Playing by the rules is only for those bound by the rules, following outdated standards and refusing to bend in the face of change. You on the other hand embrace the new ways and become change itself. Mana is your tool while unpredictability guides your hand to shape a new horizon.

[ +1 Free Points, +2 Speed, +2 Endurance, +10 Intelligence, +10 Focus, +8 Mana, +8 Willpower, +2 Fortitude per level]

Yeah, only one Class up. Supposedly it’s good by everyone else’s standard but I have my own standards and I think there was room for more. If only Martha wasn’t treating us like some fragile children…

With that said the Class is pretty fun. I tried to sneak in some survivability because standing in the backline, far from danger is just not my thing and that got me injured way too many times.

Despite all that talk about change, my new Skills are pretty straightforward. Maintained Magic is pretty self-explanatory, it keeps a spell going without my constant attention. Perfect for mana armor and shields.

Maintained Magic: Mana likes to flee as soon as one’s concentration isn’t forcing it into a form. Command the arcane to continue to follow your will even after you pay it no more heed. Make it obedient and lasting.

Elemental Burst is exactly what the name suggests, a violent burst of mana that has a surprising amount of utility. Mana Perception is basically the same except for the fact that I can sort of feel the mana on my skin like the change in temperature and lastly Arcane Focus, better known as Quick Witted.

A useful Skill evo that gave me just what I needed.

Arcane Focus: Able to concentrate on your magic even in the midst of life-threatening danger, through pain, through the apocalypse itself. Never lose focus, keep your mind on your magic as that is your greatest weapon wielded by the mind. Increased processing speed and concentration per level.

I also ditched Versatile Weapon Proficiency because it simply irked me how little use the Skill had even though I had the space to keep it around a little longer.

All in all, I’m pretty satisfied with what I got. Only need one more Class Skill to round out the build.

There are still a few hours of daylight which isn’t much but dealing with the hands we were dealt is something we’re used to. We’ve been allowed to skip most of the afternoon practice and even dinner because the time after dinner is nowhere near enough to get things done before curfew.

Solaire’s gentle rays, streets bustling with traffic, goods on our backs and a whole city to explore. I won’t even think of the What could go wrong? banality, problems tend to find me even without jinxing things.

“So, do we head to the big merchant building?” Kayla points to the multistory emporium towering over most buildings in the city.

“We’d be laughed at and turned away.” August finally adds something meaningful to the conversation. “Let’s try a small bazaar or local market.”

When it comes to the streets listen to the street rats. I don’t know the boys too well because both of them refuse to tell me much about their past other than living on the streets and grasping the opportunity of joining the Fist. I also didn’t really ask about it so that is that. Kayla on the other hand told me everything wholeheartedly even after I begged her to stop. Her whole life story.

Supposedly her parents raised her in the traditional elven way of letting the child become one with nature and forge their own path. Their children are perfect after all. Elves are all children of the World Tree and thus they find themselves perfect.

And thus Kayla was left in the forest with barely any supervision after she grew capable of walking. Long story short, she really is a jungle girl.

Following a quick debate, we elect to follow one of the main roads to avoid any shady alleys and possibly use the flow of the crowd to find the place we’re looking for. The amount of baggage people carry, how hurried they move, and the general layout of cities… it all feels very much like hunting for beasts.

“Can’t you just use your Blessing to pick which way to go?” I float the idea to Victor after only about five minutes of waddling through the crowd.

I know I said I prefer cities to the wilderness, yes, but at the same time, I hate people, and I mean stupid people who can’t walk straight or look one way and turn toward the other. It’s just walking, it’s not that hard…

“Nah, I’d burn out before we could get there,” He shakes his head and raises his hands defensively. “there are like a hundred junctions around here and you should know well the odds are not a guarantee.”

The usual excuse that constantly disappears when it comes to tests or when I try to lie my way out of an uncomfortable situation… At least his Blessing can’t improve, not like mine did.

I tried copying August’s light Skill and Kayla’s life magic along with a plethora of other elements without any results. I just can’t grasp the nature of darkness or more accurately its sibling, light, while life and nature are complete mysteries to me. The other four are supposedly the most difficult of them all so when Martha tried giving me a quick lecture about her Blink ability I felt like my head would burst into bits. No biggie, Savant will reveal things sooner or later. Hopefully.

So we’re on our way to a place we still need to find to sell things we don’t know the value of without any advice or money in our pockets… A challenge that’s for sure. Or is it?

We’re surrounded by people, adults mostly, all of them taller than us. We can barely see anything even if we disregard the loads they’re carrying or the racial diversity. We’re children, cute little lost children so how could they say no if we were to just nicely ask?

“Kayla come with me!” I grab her arm and look for one specific type of person. A woman, or more precisely a mother. “Look cute and don’t say anything!” I remember to give precise instructions considering who I’m dealing with.

It’s easy to find someone who fits my criteria among a few hundred people, a woman with a young child in her arms. Am I evil for targeting her? Nah, I don’t want anything besides directions, it’s really not that big of an ask. I don’t even look homeless anymore so things should go smoothly.

A quick thug on her skirt, looking bright and polite, voice plagued by uncertainty, the perfect act. “Excuse me,” I speak carefully and get her attention a second later. “Our parents told us to sell these,” I show her my backpack. “but we’re lost and don’t know where the nearest market is. If you could only point-”

“Oh dear, poor souls.” The woman gasps before I can even finish. This is accompanied by the familiar things are about to turn to shit sensation as the amount of worry on her face exceeds what I was looking for. “Those irresponsible parents of yours, don’t they know children your age shouldn’t wander around this late? Come with me, we’ll find some guards and they’ll help you get home safely.”

She reaches out probably to grab my hand but I back away before giving one last shot to defuse the situation. “It’s okay, really, we can look after ourselves. Sorry for bothering you we’ll be-”

“Oh no, young girls like you two are never safe.” It’s clear she’s genuinely concerned and that things will only get more troublesome going forward. “Guards!” She yells and I spot the standard pointy helmet through the crowd.

“It’s time to ditch!” I grab Kayla’s arm again and this time drag her back to the boys.

As we reach the two oblivious observers I quickly drop the handsign for retreat and lead us as far away as possible from the guards and the too nice lady. Who could’ve fucking guessed my idea of motherly pity would backfire and mean a short end to our city tour. What a fucking joke.

In the end, our escapade does bring us to the alleys, the narrow ones with tall walls on both sides and clutter all over the ground. It’s pretty cliche to hide around places like this when the guards are on your tail but being as far away from them as possible with many walls between us and our chasers is the only way to avoid their Skills dedicated to catching those who don’t want to be caught. Knowing tricks like this is the advantage of having a parent who served among the guards I guess. Besides, if they really tried to get us we’d have no way of escaping, the over-anxious woman was the bigger problem.

“Great plan Eli, so what now?” The sarcastic voice of Victor is the last thing I want to hear right now.

“Now you obediently hand over your bags.” I stand corrected, a random dude talking from the shadows in a shady alley is the last thing I want to hear. “Be good and nobody gets hurt.”

[Rogue lvl 43]

[Warrior lvl 55]

They’re dressed in rags covering most of their skin with dead eyes and the smell of some disgusting burnt grass filling the hair around them. They sound fairly young, maybe a year or two older than us, with bodies slim and teeth… wanting.

Damn, they’re stronger than us so this would be tough… if only there wasn’t two of us for each one of them.

I wordlessly drop my bag with my three friends following my lead before I start the show. “P-please, don’t hurt us we only-”

A loose brick sprang out of the wall, striking the first man with a second one following right behind aiming lower, around his hip, between the legs… the whole surrendering act just didn’t sit well with me.

With one severely immobilised, Victor and August jump at the stronger dude while he’s confused. Just as the three are about to clash I notice a group of rats swarming the second mugger’s feet biting and just generally being obnoxious, more than enough to distract him for a moment. Kayla’s doing, without a doubt.

The first to strike is August with a straight hook to the guts followed by Victor’s kick to the knee, bringing the bloke down for a hefty punch to the chin, and so on. While the boys beat the robber senseless and make him question all his life decisions I wrap the other one’s limbs in shackles of earth as he groans on the ground before patting him down.

“What are you doing?” Kayla’s head pops over my shoulder inquisitively.

“Robbing him.” I shrug and keep searching for coins or a pouch. “Who’s this idiot going to complain to, the guards?”

“Nice.” Kayla giggles and joins the search.

Plenty of grunts, some begging, and a few questions later we leave the alley. We’re a tad bit happier, a few silvers richer, and no wiser than before. According to Victor listening even to a word those two lowlifes said would be foolish at best so we’re still on our own.

“No longer such a bad plan huh?” I stand proudly because things did end well all things considered.

“Luck.” August huffs.

“Some serious luck.” Victor confirms. “Should we try again?”

I think he means asking some random passersby for directions but I don’t really care about that right now. Something familiar caught my eyes the moment we left the narrow backstreet.

A stag trophy green and brown adorns the facade of a sizeable wooden building in this city of stone and marble. I know the name of this place even without reading the sign below the emblem. Hunter’s Guild

“I think I’ve got an idea.” I mumble while walking out onto the busy street and toward the upscaled and upgraded forest hut in the middle of the city.

Those two can surely help. If I can find them here that is…

“Wait, shouldn’t we discuss-” Victor’s voice goes in and out of my ears as I enter the homey building.

About nine out of ten people inside, men and women alike, seem to have never heard of using water to clean themselves and the smell permeating this place only confirms that. A few curious glances, pointed fingers and hushed questions accompany my arrival but I pay them no heed.

I do the best my height allows me to check every table, looking for mostly Joseph since he’s easy to notice, and approach the reception-looking place after having no luck.

“Uhm, excuse me?” I politely try to get the dog-like beastman’s attention only to get ignored.

Okay, I know I’m a child but this won't do. If you don’t take the polite approach then fine by me, it’s quite a lot of hassle anyway. And I like being rude, the reactions are fun.

“I know you can hear me so I’ll say it anyway.” One of his ears twitches and I can see his mouth curve into a tiny smile. Except if he’s about to pant like an actual dog… “I’m looking for Darcy or that big oaf Joseph. I mean no trouble, I think, and would just like to meet them after two years. If you need me to describe them that’s fine although knowing her personality-”

“Second floor, corner near the window.” The man… saying barks would be racist, no? Eh, there was no kindness or care or anything positive in his voice so I don’t really care.

Without thanking for the direction I skip up the stairs, professionally slipping between the considerably larger bodies moving about on their business until I find myself on the top floor. Just after a quick glance, I find the people I’ve been searching for and indeed Joseph is hard to miss. I carefully approach their table moving quietly yet as inconspicuously as possible and still, my plan to surprise the two hunters who look just like the day we parted gets foiled just two tables from reaching them.

Joseph’s nose twitches like a hound on the hunt and then his head snaps right in my direction with his mouth slowly curving into a goofy smile. “HAH!”

Darcy needs a few more seconds to recognize me but only a second after her eyes widen I get scooped up from the ground in an all too familiar hug. “Elyssia~a! What brings you here? How are you? What happened? You look so…”

Yeah, I think we got today’s mission in the bag. I’m also a little happy to see them again, good people are rare in this world.