Cursed Explorer of the Arcana

The next morning I wake up as usual, a sleepy mess of hair, saliva and groans. A nice face wash and a quick breakfast get me back in the usual rhythm; a tried and true strategy. As my mind decides to wake up after all my morning needs are satisfied, I remember last night's discussion and get all excited right away.

I scamper back into my room to get dressed, sandals, a skirt, green blouse before bursting out again, ready to learn. We live quite well as my parents are relatively high-level combatants making good money so my clothes are all pretty nice and comfy. The town, or city? It's too big to be a town but doesn’t feel grand enough to be a city like Megaris we visited last year. Let’s stick with calling it a city, those are supposed to be the cooler ones.

Anyways Meliorport is a safe place for the most part, the east side is kinda shady so I’m forbidden from going there until I’m older. Most of the people around know better than to mess with me because as Mom said 'It would end rea~lly badly for them, they might find themselves lost the next day in the nearby forest.'

Back to the city, a lot of stone was used during the construction of the buildings, something that has to do with the catastrophe before my birth. The location of the whole place is a bit special, it was created on a lagoon that a tsunami carved out; big scary waves as Mom described them. Most of the citizens make their money through fishing and trade as the docks of Meliorport are quite popular both amongst merchants and fishermen. Most buildings are light-colored with some blue paint matching the sandy beach on the Azure Coast.

As dad’s on hunting duty today it's mom’s responsibility to teach me the ins and outs of different professions. “Sweetie, as you know, Mom and Dad make money by fighting monsters... of one kind or the other.” She starts her lecture. “Fighting is dangerous and you could get hurt or worse if you aren’t careful, so if you were to go down that path remember to always prioritize safety.” She gestures towards her spear leaning against the wall.

It’s a really cool one made from some kind of dark metal. The stupidly heavy weapon is around as tall as Mom with a thin blade at the end.

She notices my gaze lingering on the weapon. “Oh yeah, Dark Needle has been my partner for many years.” She smiles with a distant gaze. “As you know Mom is or rather used to be an adventurer. I still do some odd jobs nowadays but it's nothing like before I met your father.”

I listen to what she says with my entire being. Whenever I asked her before she always told me that You are too young, maybe when you get older I’ll tell you. Bah, the last time she said that was barely a month ago, anyway back to her story.

“This continent, Eborden, is the largest of them all, meaning there's a thousand and one things to discover out there. I was born in the Tumarth Highland, where the giants live.” She pauses, smiling as she holds my rapt attention. “And where my kind also reside. It's not our original home; we were forced to flee there, though that's a story for another time.”

She puts two cups on the table and pours some tea, which tells me we’ll be here for a long time. I don't mind, the tea is nice and sweet and I’m hanging on every word mom speaks.

“When I turned twenty I left home to travel and explore, and oh gods, what adventures did I have during those eight? or was it nine years? Soon after I left …” And her recollection goes on for hours, not that I mind.

***

“... and that’s how I met your father, he was as arrogant as any other elf but was good at bantering which brought us together, as I healed up-” My painfully growling stomach stops her.

“Oh my, it's already lunchtime, why didn't you tell me?'' She acts as if it’s my fault. ”Whatever, today I wanted to tell you or in some cases show you what professions you could choose from. Remember whatever you decide, we’re fine with that, it’s your choice and we’ll support you. There are a few exceptions, and no, I won't name them.” She gets up and starts changing into outdoor clothes. “C’mon, let’s head to the market, we can get something to eat there and maybe run into Dad, sounds good?” She asks as if she's expecting any answer other than the vigorous nods I give.

***

The market is located in the middle of the city unsurprisingly. It’s one of the most important locations in any settlement along with the governmental building and temple, all in the same area. A single temple is erected for the … more Gods than I can remember off the top of my head; having a bunch of small temples wouldn’t be grand enough for the literal mightiest beings in existence and so they all have to share one big one instead.

I heard there are some grand cathedrals, super fancy temples dedicated to a single deity in some places; but we don't have any of them around here.

The governmental building feels like someone ordered a shiny building without too much purpose to take up a lot of useful space next to the market. I really hate it, especially because everyone working there looks stuck up and boring.

The market square is a whole nother story. It’s one of the gang's and my favorite spots; filled with people and all kinds of sounds, smells and colors. Magic is openly displayed around many of the stands one way or another, which for our young and dreamy eyes is like a miracle, even if it’s just colorful flames dancing around the food while it's being cooked.

Mom bought us some baked potatoes with butter and grilled fish. Hella good. There aren’t just humans in the market square either, I saw some scattered dwarven craftsmen, gnomish merchants and money lenders or even elven singers and hunters selling their game. I can even see some animals with human features or humans with animalistic traits. Whatever those are.

“It’s good, right? Almost as good as what I make?” There’s no way she’s serious. “The old man working there has a [Seaside Food Lover] class or so I’ve heard. It's a craftsman archetype, which focuses on making delicious meals using ingredients from the sea. Similar to the blacksmith, potter, tailor, carpenter or many other crafting classes, the profession progresses by making your specialty. That's what they get progress for and what their skills help with. The more difficult a piece, the rarer the resources or the more exquisite the outcome, the greater the progress. They are peaceful yet crucial professions, maybe even more so than combat classes.”

So these people do their hobbies and get stronger and better at doing them. That sounds awfully convenient. However, if you think about it, every combatant needs armor and every living being has to eat, so their jobs are kinda important.

“Mom why didn’t you take a support class as your second one?” I ask the question that’s been bugging me for a while now.

If she already has a combat class why get another? If it makes her twice as good at it then it's fine I guess but if she could make food this good every time… Sheesh.

“Well, I could’ve for sure, however, to make the most out of your strong points you need to choose those that synergize.”

“Sin-energise?” What a difficult word...

“It means they work well together or sometimes even strengthen each other.” Comes the explanation. “You see, our kind is very proficient with mana manipulation. But also really weak to any disturbances and most mana-based attacks.”

“Ohhh, the Celestial one right?” I chirp in. “Then why spearman, why not a mage class with more mana?”

“Shush you dummy." Mom hisses after a mighty facepalm. "Yes, the celestial massage oil is very special. It makes the skin glimmer. it was my secret weapon in my youth and helped me wrap him around my finger like nothing else." She speaks in a loud yet secretive voice before whispering; "By the Gods, think before you speak."

"Sorry."

"Back to the point, I can still use some magic through my Skills as a melee fighter but more importantly I receive more Fortitude and Endurance to bolster my chances of survival. Stats are important, really important whatever you do. BUT skills are always the key. If stats show how well you can do things, then skills determine what you can do in the first place. My mage class is giving me elemental magic and a chunkier mana reserve, making these two a good combo.” The proud smile on her face grows ever bigger throughout the speech.

I still don’t get it. Where does her Celestial stuff become useful in this setup? Or do her warrior skills somehow also benefit from the racial trait? They should, right?

“So if someone is already a mage, wouldn't it be best for them to take a second mage class?”

“Well, that depends on what you want to do; the mage and tank Classes generally don't complement each other because they have very opposing focuses. A magic and a stealth class isn’t a good pairing either because as soon as you start slinging spells you’re easy to locate. Some others could be valid options. Generally, I’d say that yes, double mage classes work the best.” The thought process is a bit too long for me, but still, I get the gist of it.

Like choosing one key aspect/style and building around that is better than branching out. But is it? Like how does that cover your weakness? Eh… thought for the future me.

“What other kinds of professions are there?” I think I can still accept a bit more information, although I’m reaching my limits.

“Let’s see, there are ones we just call dedication classes, like a gardener, bard, singer, or philosopher, maybe even teacher. They don't make something useful for everyday life or for fighting, yet their work can still influence us. I’m not sure about the naming but generally, they choose something they’d like to do as a job or even a hobby and the System helps them progress along their path. How they progress, I have no clue. Any weird activity could be considered as part of their Class's competency yet it often has almost no impact at all. Still, many entertainers choose these classes.” Says mom finishing her food.

“They don't sound too useful though…”

“They are Eli, just in a different way. Fighters help with preventing beasts from eating us, craftsmen satisfy the needs of the body and the dedication classes entertain or keep the mind active.”

I’m still not sure I understand. We can just play tag around our houses and be entertained, there’s no need for a class to do that. But wait, is there a class that makes you better at tag? That sounds damn useful; dedication classes might actually be good, huh?

“What about priests?” There can’t be that many more left; better to just get this over with, the bench isn’t that comfy.

“They are a support class I’d say. They pray a lot which may not seem helpful, seem being the keyword. If the Gods they pray to by chance listen and repay their devotion with a small miracle it can be a deciding factor. Heal someone on the verge of death, cure the mind, decide the outcome of a battle if not an entire war and many more.” So it's like gambling and instead of money you put up your life? Figuratively. I heard the odds in the lottery and things like that are terrible.

“There are other support professions like healers, commanders or the ruling Classes and a bunch more among the fighting variants. Despite their small number, their influence may be the largest, giving small buffs to many people can have immense effects.” She pauses, the silence stretching ever longer.

While I did learn a lot about different professions today and what classes I could pick, I’m still kinda helpless. The options almost seem endless. Making delicious food sounds awesome, but being the best at tag is also enticing. Ughhhh…

Thankfully I still have a few years to decide.

“I see that you’re lost in your thoughts, let's go home okay?” Mom asks and guides me with my overworked mind. “You can help me prepare for dinner.” I just nod, absentmindedly following after her.

This sounds way more cumbersome than I thought. Why are there so many options? Getting something nice is one of my favorite things, getting it at the cost of something equally as nice…

***

The next day is Dad’s turn to take the reins and add his own wisdom to the collection. I shot down the idea of becoming a Hunter off the bat. Lots of dangerous work far away from a comfy bed and a guaranteed meal, dirty and… maybe interesting?

Instead, he took me to his second job, the guards' barracks. He still has to make a living whenever the hunting grounds around us get too dangerous or empty, so he does some casual patrolling now and then. The people, again mostly men, greet me with some rare smiles and a surprisingly warm atmosphere.

“Why are you mostly fighterish?” I ask one of them.

They did introduce themselves but I forgot their names after the fourth one, so I’ll just dub him Guard 1. Looks like a generic middle-aged guard, with nothing outstanding about him except the armor with the white and blue colors of Valeria.

“Ah, so you noticed. In cities, we generally want to keep things together while upholding order. Mages… they're a little too destructive for that purpose. Let’s say I punch a wall really hard, then that wall will collapse. Now, if she for example.” And he points to an older lady nearby who waves back. "If she were to sling a spell at the wall, we’d be lucky if the house remained standing.”

“Ohh, so less mages mean more city?” I ask, enlightened.

“Hahaha, you hear that Edna?” He barks a laugh; the disgruntled Mage flipping him off in return. “Well Elyssia, you’re not wrong, although they too can hold themselves back. The other important aspect is that we don't get tired so easily and that becoming a mage is a bit more of a hassle.”

“The part about not getting tired so easily I can understand but why is it more difficult to be a mage?” I tilt my head, a tactic I learned would usually net me an answer.

This time Guard 2 chimes in. ”While warriors have to hone their skills and bodies regularly to stay in shape and strengthen their Skills, we mages need to learn about magic. For example, if you want to cast a fire spell you need to visualize it, imagine the effects and understand what fire is. The better you are at this, the stronger the resulting spell.”

I stay quiet for a few seconds, I can imagine fire, I can imagine its warmth and even then, what is fire? And the other things? I better ask Mom and Dad when we get home.

“And how do you learn what fire is? And why fire? And what is fire?” My questions seem to bounce off of him.

“Don’t work yourself up too much.” He replies dismissively. “Although these are important questions, in the end, you still don’t know whether being a mage is your path forward or something else would suit you better. Don’t rush, you have plenty of time.”

Jerk.

Do I really wanna be a mage? It doesn’t sound bad, just… again being glued to a desk and learning about stuff sounds boring. I need to search more, learn more, and maybe even try some professions out. Man I can't wait to grow up, it sounds fun. So much FUN.