After hanging out with the others for a little longer, Andrew noticed it was getting late, so he said his goodbyes and headed back to the Shaman's house. The first thing he did once he got back was grab the skill list and look through it, trying to plan out his new skill purchases. "Okay, let's see… Ah, navigation! It's Walk plus… Observe." Andrew blinked. "But… I already merged Observe!" Survey wasn't an option either, since it was navigation plus record, record being a combination of Draw and… Observe again! Hold on… if this skill required two Observes… then there had to be a way to get Observe again, right? He'd have to ask the Shaman. Still, if he could… "Shit, my Sensitivity is just destined to be monstrous, isn't it?"

He sighed. If he was going to be an explorer making trade routes, navigation and survey were non-negotiable, and he needed to get navigation before his Class Advancement. He couldn't get to survey though, so… he didn't think Draw or Observe would help with his Class Advancement. He should probably find a different skill to get, one that would work better for his explorer path. It'd have to be a basic skill, so… Andrew frowned. None of the basic skills seemed to be directly exploration related. He could see how a few of them would be helpful though, such as Hide or Climb. Carry wouldn't be bad either… Maybe Pack, too? He had to consider the future though, something that he could merge or advance into something useful. He could learn how to pack or climb on his own, and Carry was basic… he was leaning towards Hide. It was useful on its own, and could be combined into all sorts of stealth skills which would be invaluable in the wilderness.

"What has you all serious?" The Shaman asked as he walked in.

"I'm considering which Class Skills to get before my advancement." Andrew explained. "I'm considering a navigation skill and Hide."

"Navigation and Hide…" The Shaman muttered, before frowning slightly. "What sort of Class are you looking to get?"

"Something exploration based?" Andrew replied, before briefly outlining his idea to find other people and resources, establishing trade routes between them all.

"Interesting…" The Shaman muttered. "So you wish to be a Pathfinder? That is a respectable position. A dangerous one, not to be undertaken lightly, but if you have the gift for it, you could be a great help to the tribe. And with your Sensitivity… you may have just been born for the role! Plus you're already adding magic into the mix… Oh, I'm getting excited already!"

Andrew frowned. "How would magic help pathfinding?"

"Magic helps everything." The Shaman replied. "While there are magic dedicated classes, which I would also support you at least considering, magic becomes a part of any class once it is unlocked. It can be interwoven with your skills, boosting or altering them based on your affinities. While a mage can create a fireball to throw at an enemy, a warrior could use magic to add fire to their attack, an archer could use wind magic to help them shoot further or to alter the arrows course after it's been fired, a tailor could use it to harden the material of a shirt to better resist damage… The uses of magic are truly innumerable. It turns whatever it touches into something more, and no one has ever regretted its presence."

Andrew nodded slowly. That made sense… "How do I know what my affinities are?"

"After you unlock your inner sight skill, your Class Advancement will allow you to unlock affinities." The Shaman explained.

Andrew frowned. "So even if you have an inner sight skill, you can't use magic until after your Class Advancement?"

The Shaman shook his head. "Magic is just controlling your Energy, so once you unlock your inner sight, you can use magic. However, without an affinity, the effects are limited, simply more specialized versions of Energy's natural use, such as focusing a boost on a single skill or body part, magnifying its power to a greater degree."

"Ah." Andrew nodded in understanding. That also made sense. Just being able to control your Energy didn't give it any special abilities. It was still just Energy. It was simply your control over it that changed. With his questions about magic answered, Andrew moved on to the next topic that was bothering him. "So, if I want a navigation skill, I need to merge Walk and Observe, but I already merged Observe with Concentrate for my study skill… that isn't a problem, is it?"

"Of course not!" The Shaman exclaimed with a laugh. "You still have the Observe skill, it's just bound up in your study skill at the moment. You simply need to take it as a Class Skill again. Just go to the menu for acquiring Class Skills and you'll find it, along with every other Class Skill you've previously had." The Shaman suddenly paused. "Actually… you may have a rare opportunity here."

Andrew raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?"

"As an explorer, your navigation skill will be of the utmost importance, yes?" The Shaman asked, Andrew nodding in agreement. "So why not take an advanced navigation skill? Instead of merging Walk with Observe, merge it with your study skill! You'll need to merge your inner sight skill next level, then it will cost you two points to repurchase the study skill, and then you can use one to merge it with Walk right before your Class Advancement! Perfect! Of course, you'll miss out on some stats for a level, which normally I wouldn't recommend, but in this case, the stats you'd be missing would go to your Sensitivity, which… Well, we both know you can stand to miss out on a couple points in that department."

"Hold on, hold on!" Andrew protested, struggling to process all the new info the Shaman had just dumped. "First, what do you mean by an advanced navigation skill?"

The Shaman cocked his head. "Just that? It's a navigation skill that is simply better than the basic one. Much like your study skill is an advanced version of Observe."

Andrew blinked. "It is?" He paused. "It is, isn't it?" The two skills were practically the same, it was just that his study skill was more focused. More… well, concentrated. "Does that mean I could have gotten an inner sight skill with just Rest, Introspect, and Observe?"

The Shaman shook his head. "No, there's a threshold you need to surpass for true inner sight which requires the study skill. If you attempted it with simply Observe, you would be able to observe your body's state, but you wouldn't have the concentration necessary to find or control your Energy."

"Ah, I see." Andrew nodded. "Then, why would I need two points for the study skill?"

"Because it is a second tier skill." The Shaman explained. "In order to regain a skill as a Class Skill, you must spend an amount of skill points equal to the amount of skills used to make the skill, which in the case of your study skill, is two."

"Gotcha…" Andrew nodded again, going quiet as he considered the Shaman's suggestions. His meditation and study skills were getting close to level twenty… if he really worked on them, he could probably get them there by the time he leveled up, or at least not long after. Since that was an option, it came down to whether he wanted an advanced navigation skill, or the basic navigation skill and Hide… there really wasn't a choice, now was there? An advanced navigation skill would give him a better shot at an explorer class. Hide wouldn't. Once he was firmly on the path of an explorer, he could worry about auxiliary skills, but for now, he needed to focus on his core. He was even beginning to regret his Swift Kick Counter, as he could have gone right for survey… but what's done is done. "Thank you." He nodded to the Shaman. "I know what I need to do now."

The Shaman chuckled. "Let me know if you have any other questions. I'm always here to help."

*

Andrew's family moved into their new home, which unlike their previous relatively modest, though still upper class home, was a full blown compound. Andrew let out a low whistle. "Wow… how did we swing something like this?"

"Simple!" Arose grinned. "I bought it."

Stephen let out a sigh. "Four hundred and sixty and I'm living in my parents house again."

Arose chuckled. "Only technically, don't worry. Everyone will have their own place to make their own. I made sure there are three main buildings, one for Ertemis and I, another for you and Helen, and the last for Andrew, Cathryn, and Li Jing."

"We get our own house?" Andrew asked, surprised.

"He gets his own house?!?" Kate exclaimed incredulously.

"Of course." Arose replied. "They'll need the space once the babies start to come." He added with a wink.

"Babies?!?" Cathryn exclaimed. "But… we- we're only sixteen! Isn't it a little early to be considering babies already?"

Arose shrugged. "Feel free to wait a few years, the decision is obviously yours. I'm simply making sure you have what you need when the time does come. This shall be your home for as long as you wish, and I've ensured it is suitable for whatever situation you may find yourselves in."

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

"At least until something ruins it." Kate grumbled.

Helen gave Stephen a look, nodding her head towards Kate, and he nodded back. "Come on, you little grumpy goose. Let's find you a nice room. Maybe something right by the kitchen?" He offered, placing a hand on Kate's back and guiding her towards one of the buildings, Helen, Sarah, and Amy following a moment later, giving the two space to talk.

"Well, I guess they're taking that one." Arose muttered, before turning to Andrew and the girls. "So, which one would you like? The one by the pool, or the one by the gym?"

Li Jing turned to Andrew. "Pool?"

Andrew shrugged. "Works for me. Cathryn?"

Cathryn started, still clearly thinking about babies. "Huh? Oh, yeah, that should be fine." She muttered absently.

"Oh, right, that reminds me!" Arose suddenly exclaimed. "The ocean is only a few miles that way, through the forest. All private property, so Li Mei is free to play as much as she likes."

Li Jing's eyes practically sparkled as she gave Arose a slight bow. "Thank you."

Andrew smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. "Maybe after we finish moving in, we can take a trip over there and swim, eh?"

Li Jing smiled back and nodded. "Let's."

Andrew then glanced at Cathryn, who was still slightly freaking out, rolling his eyes as he reached out to grab her hand, pulling her along. "Come on, Cathryn. You can think about babies later."

Thanks to their storage rings, moving wasn't so bad. It was mostly just deciding where you wanted things to go and taking them out of the storage ring so that they'd be there. Simple. Or at least, that's what Andrew had thought. "What do you think about here?" Cathryn asked.

"We'd block the outlet." Li Jing commented.

"I know, but otherwise we'd be off center…" Cathryn frowned.

"What about the other wall?" Li Jing offered.

"We wouldn't be able to see the door from there…" Cathryn muttered.

"We could if we put a mirror here." Li Jing suggested.

"But if we put a mirror there, wouldn't we get a lot of glare from that window in the morning?" Cathryn retorted.

Li Jing frowned. "Drat… what if we put it in the corner here? Facing this way?"

"But then we couldn't use both sides." Cathryn sighed.

Li Jing paused. "Then how about we face it this way, but leave a walking space here, enough to uncover this outlet, and give us access to the one over there?"

Cathryn considered it for a moment, before nodding. "That could work."

And this happened every. Single. Time! Andrew knew he shouldn't complain, but he honestly couldn't see what the big deal was about where the bed should be, or why the dresser needed to be on this side, instead of that one. He was just glad they let him put a TV on it.

Andrew glanced out the window. "I don't think we're getting to the ocean today."

"Hmm?" Li Jing looked up, before glancing out the window herself. "Oh. Sorry." She apologized, turning back to him, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Eh, it's fine. We can always go tomorrow." Andrew shrugged. "It isn't like we're short on time."

"At least until-" Cathryn began, before freezing and letting out a groan. "Ugh, my academic record is going to be a mess!"

"You do realize that's largely irrelevant, right?" Andrew commented, raising an eyebrow at her. "The Clans have enough influence to get you into pretty much any university or program you like. The issue isn't your record but your ability to actually perform in whatever program you end up in. But you're pretty smart, so I don't think you'll have any problems."

Cathryn scowled at him. "I know, but I wanted to earn it myself! I wanted to prove I could do it without anyone's help… but that isn't really an option anymore." She sighed.

"Yeah… seriously, fuck Benjamin." Andrew grumbled, Cathryn grunting in agreement.

"So, school?" Li Jing commented, getting them back on topic.

"Right!" Cathryn nodded excitedly, before pausing. "How should we handle it? I mean, we're joining halfway through the semester… that's going to be awkward enough. We should probably focus on adjusting before trying to get into anything new."

Andrew nodded. "Agreed. There's going to be enough to deal with already."

"So… no swim team?" Li Jing asked, sounding a bit disappointed.

"I think you may have missed that regardless." Andrew commented. "They usually only take new members at a certain time."

"Oh." Li Jing sighed.

"However, we should still find a way to make friends. Get connected with the community." Cathryn interjected. "Otherwise someone won't have any social life."

"Hey! I can make friends!" Andrew protested. "I've already made two!"

Cathryn raised an eyebrow at him. "You know we don't count, right?"

Andrew rolled his eyes. "No, I'm talking about Vinek and Corek."

"Vin-" Cathryn began, before narrowing her eyes. "Are you talking about your goblin dream?"

"I've told you, it isn't a dream." Andrew replied. "It's another world, just different."

"Andrew, it has a system." Cathryn pointed out.

"And we have Beasts. It isn't that weird." Andrew retorted.

"But that's magic! A system is- it's a game! Life shouldn't be a game!" Cathryn protested.

Andrew paused. "I mean, you're not wrong, but that doesn't mean it isn't true."

"I know, but it's just so- so- ridiculous! I mean, I can accept the extraordinary. Magic, Beasts, the Outside, whatever. But a different world that's run by a system?!? And it doesn't even have the same rate of time as us! I'd think you were in some kind of simulation, but that sounds even more ridiculous, because how would that happen? You just got rid of one of your cores… unless you were born and then immediately put into the simulation, but why? What would be the point?" Cathryn let out a frustrated groan. "It just makes no sense!"

"Does it have to?" Andrew countered. "As long as it's consistent, then who cares how unrealistic it seems? For the people who live there, it simply is, just like magic, Beasts, and the Outside simply are for us. I think you're just overthinking it."

Cathryn's expression twisted, while Li Jing let out a small cough. "Weren't we talking about Andrew making friends?"

"Right! I still say it doesn't count. They're goblins. And they're children. It's like making friends with a puppy, you're guaranteed to succeed!" Cathryn replied.

"That-" Andrew began, before pausing, considering the events that led to him actually becoming friends with the two goblins. He essentially just stood around the food stalls and then Vinek found him… "Okay, you may have a point, but friends are friends, right? I say it counts."

"Andrew, you need to make friends with real people!" Cathryn retorted.

Andrew frowned at her. "Cathryn, the goblins are real people. They're just small, green people. With claws. And fangs."

"Yeah, don't be racist." Li Jing added with a smirk.

Cathryn rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I still say Andrew needs some human friends."

"I dunno… would humans even want to be friends with a goblin?" Andrew replied with a snicker.

"Andrew, you can't assume all humans are racist just because Cathryn is." Li Jing countered.

"I'm not racist!" Cathryn protested. "And I meant in the real world! Not his dream, simulation, alternate whatever world!"

"Wow, now you're looking down on their entire world." Andrew shook his head in disappointment.

"We really need to get this bigotry under control." Li Jing nodded in agreement.

"Guys, I'm being serious!" Cathryn groaned, before pointing a finger at Andrew. "You can't use your life in this other world to avoid making friends in this one!"

Li Jing glanced at him, nodding. "She's right. One doesn't compensate for the other."

Andrew let out a sigh. "I know, I know, don't worry. I'm not planning on becoming a social recluse again. I was just saying I'm getting better. Even without pressure, I managed to find myself some friends, so you guys don't need to worry so much, alright? I just… I want to do it at my own pace. Find people who are worth being friends with. Not people who'll just abandon me the moment things go bad… cause if there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that in my life, things always go bad." He finished with a dark expression.

Li Jing reached out and grabbed his hand. "Not everything." She muttered quietly, smiling softly.

Cathryn nodded in agreement. "We aren't going bad on you. You're stuck with us, mister. No matter what."

Andrew paused, before smiling lightly. "Yeah, I know." He reached out and grabbed Cathryn's hand, pulling both girls into a hug. "You two are the best thing that has ever happened to me." He whispered, squeezing them tight, as they hugged him back. He then released and let out a sigh. "Now, let's finish unpacking, eh? If we end soon enough, we could still watch a movie and cuddle." He added with a wink.