"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Trent jolted out of bed, looking for whatever had caused such a loud noise. As the fog of sleep rolled out of his brain, he looked around his room, eyes alighting on his family all standing in his doorway. His mother and father took up much of the space, with his little sister Rosa peeking out from behind their legs.
"Wah-huh?" Trent babbled, his mouth not yet caught up to his mind. After taking a moment to process, he ran and hugged each of them in turn, picking up Rosa and swinging her around his room while she shrieked gleefully. He would get magic today! There was nothing that could ruin his mood. His years of learning magical theory had been to better prepare him for this day. He was prepared to run out of the house, shouting his excitement to the world, but his father stopped him.
"Look Trent, I know you're excited, but you need to come back here at midday. We have a gift for you before the ceremony. As long as you remember that, you can go prepare for the blessing all you like. Have fun." His dad said sternly, only dampening his enthusiasm enough to actually pay attention. Nodding furiously, Trent ran back into his room, looking for his training equipment. Barebones as it was, the search wasn't hard. He had thrown his harness in the corner when he went to sleep the previous night, forgetting to take it off in his excitement. Picking it up, along with the few weighted stones he had forgotten to remove, he sped out the door, pausing only to hug each member of his family once more.
"Remember to bring some water in!" He heard his mother call after him, making sure to grab the bucket on his way out. Deciding to get his chore over and done with, he headed off to the river. The waterside was uncharacteristically empty, the early hour allowing him to beat the housewives usually doing the washing in the area. As he dipped the bucket in the water, Trent studied his reflection. Standing at a respectable 6'2", he was fairly tall for his age, with brown shaggy hair and striking green eyes. He wasn't too popular with kids his age, but that was definitely a product of his demeanor more than his appearance.
Those thoughts were far from his mind as he stared at the river, as he was lost in his own thoughts about the coming ceremony. It was set to take place in the afternoon, giving him plenty of time to worry about the outcome. Deciding he needed a distraction, Trent ran the water back to the house, before taking a walk around town. He was determined to remember every inch of the place in the event that he left.
The town of Tatesworth was fairly wealthy for its size, most of its money coming from the kobold lair just past the walls. Being made of wooden logs, they wouldn't stand up to much, but kobolds weren't often much. Longing for adventure, Trent had lobbied numerous times for a chance to go, but being sensibly shut down at every turn. Seeing as he wasn't able to train via live combat, an 8 year old Trent had attempted to create a rudimentary training area. Being 8, it was essentially just a group of large rocks, but it was improved upon when his father caught whiff of it. Received as a birthday present, a number of carpenters had turned a child's best attempts into a fully functional training area, complete with weights, bars, and a small obstacle course.
As Trent got older, he became accustomed to the training, and searched for a way to increase the difficulty, eventually landing on a weighted vest. Having learned how to stitch so he could create it himself, it would allow him to place metal scraps he collected from amused neighbours along his torso, making it harder to move. This allowed Trent to slowly scale the training with his growth, allowing the area to stay effective with little extra cost.
Strength training wasn't the only thing Trent did with his time. Spending long hours at the town library, little more than a shack with books, he memorized as much magical theory as he could find. While there wasn't much groundbreaking information, Trent learned as much as he could, and pestered the town healer into teaching him as much as she knew. For the price of helping her with menial labour, Trent was able to get actual teaching, if minimal.
All of this was in the hopes of getting a powerful blessing on his 16th birthday, one that would allow him to fulfill his dreams of adventure. Very few people in Tatesworth actually believed it would achieve anything, but they humored him all the same, and would comfort him if it didn't work out. He was rather well liked by his neighbours, despite his constant fixation on adventure. The younger inhabitants, however, weren't so accommodating. While they enjoyed going on adventures for a little while, they eventually got bored. Trent would refuse all offers for other activities, opting to study or train. Eventually, the other children just left him to his own devices, leaving him with very few friends.
All of this to say, when Trent left the house on his birthday, he did not run to his friends. Instead, he split his time between training and studying. He was determined to get a strong blessing, and even more so to pass the entrance exam to the Magic College. College admission worked based on test scores. If you had barely passed, you would gain admission to the nearest College. If you had managed a 70-80%, you were allowed to one of the five schools in each of the major cities of the Empire, again, whichever was closest. Finally, if you had managed an 81-100%, you would be allowed to entire the Vantall Magic College.
Trent was aiming to ace the test. He would not settle for one of the poorly funded schools near his Tatesworth. He studied for hours each day, and today would be no exception. Heading to the 'library', he reviewed every book he had access to, and then tested himself one last time. Satisfied with his efforts, he moved onto physical training. Putting on as much weight as he could get, Trent started with simply lifting rocks. There was no need to reinvent the wheel, and it was cheaper just to find large stones than to get the town smith to create more typical weights.
He built up to his usual max of one head sized stone and as much metal for his harness as he could find, lifting it from the ground all the way up to his chest, and then straight up. Holding it aloft, he slowly put it back down, as evenly as possible. After repeating this for about 10 minutes, Trent took a rest. He knew to not overexert himself this soon into his training regimen. After a small rest to rehydrate, he moved on to the obstacle course, skipping the bars entirely. While they were useful for training his upper arms and core, Trent wanted to test his limits today. looking down the obstacle course, he plotted his route. The structure was designed to allow any number of paths to the end, and Trent believed he had mastered the fastest ones. Deciding on the one he was least comfortable with, he took off.
The first obstacle was a series of angled pads across from each other, a simple task of retaining momentum as he hopped from platform to platform. Trent leapt across them, aiming to build up as much much momentum as possible for his route. Getting to the end of the first obstacle, Trent bounded onto the next section. This one was a series of balance beams, all at different heights. Some were cut off halfway, and some had horizontal beams blocking them, making this section an effort to find a viable path while balancing. Precariously, Trent sprinted across his chosen beam, lowering his center of mass as much as possible. Having chosen this path because of the horizontal beam blocking it, Trent showed no hesitation. Vaulting over the beam, he landed one higher up, and took off running once more. Ducking another beam, he slid off of his path and directly over the top of another horizontal block. Having just cleared the barrier, Trent ran in a dead sprint towards the third and final section of the course.
This was the place Trent was worried he would have the most trouble. He had practiced the previous maneuvers a number of times, but this next part had about a 25% success rate in the past. The section consisted of a series of poles sticking straight out of the ground, sparsely placed at first before becoming more densely packed towards the end, culminating in something more akin to a bamboo grove than an obstacle. Trent's issue was maintaining enough speed to swing across the poles without bleeding off most of his speed too early and hitting the ground.
Deciding that there wasn't much to lose if he didn't make it, Trent launched himself onto the nearest pole, maintaining his velocity as well as he could. Catching the pole with his hand, he didn't cling to it, but swung around it with his palm to the next one. In this way, Trent made it to the hardest part. Having so many pillars packed so tightly together, Trent would have a much harder time pulling off a swing without hitting something. Not letting that stop him, he sped forward, diving through a small gap in the poles. Making contact with his chosen pillar, Trent tried to make out a gap while smoothly retaining momentum. Unable to find one in time, Trent swung himself at a much steeper angle, launching him upwards. Directly into a pillar.
Catching the obstacle with his forearm, Trent grunted in pain before sliding to the ground. Grabbing at his arm, he felt around, hoping to get a sense of the damage. Not finding anything obviously broken, he slowly stood up and shuffled out of the obstacle course. Trent was used to injuries like this, having sustained much worse in much more ill advised practice sessions. He blamed this particular failure on his nerves, and sat down heavily on a stone just outside his training area. Taking a heavy slug of his water flask, he breathed out, upset with himself for such a stupid mistake. A heavy hand landed on his shoulder, jolting him out of his thoughts.
"Watcha' brooding about kiddo? I thought you'd be excited for your blessing ceremony?" A familiar voice asked, concerned.
"Gahh, don't scare me like that Uncle Terrance! When did you get here?" Trent exclaimed, turning around to look at my father's friend. Terrance Wilder was the town smith, and very good at his job. He specialized in making and maintaining weaponry to keep the kobold cave in check, but he was often known to take other projects that struck his fancy, such as Trent's training set. Terrance had worked together with Trent's father to make it, and often stopped by to provide maintenance. He had a kind aura about him, making him well liked by customers. He was like a second father to Trent.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
"Well, I had heard it was my favorite little wizard's sixteenth birthday today, and I came to drop off a present. You weren't at the house, so I left it there and went to find you, leave you some well wishes. But don't try to distract me. What's got you so down in the dumps?" He explained before immediately returning to his original question. Trent told him about his mishap with the obstacle course, and his newly forming bruise.
"Ooohhh, that looks rough, we should get that bandaged up. I know you tend to pull some risky maneuvers, so I happened to bring some with me. Now, why don't you tell me what's got you so worried that you would lose focus like that?" He said, wrapping the bandage around Trent's forearm. It didn't really do much, but it certainly made him feel better.
"I guess I'm just worried that I'll get a bad blessing. After all the work I've put in, I don't want to put it to waste. What if I can't do magic?" Trent gushed, pouring all of his worries onto the older man. In response, Terrance simply placed a hand on his Trent's shoulder, speaking to him calmly.
"There is no such thing as a bad blessing. I know you've heard it a million times, but it's true. Your blessing is a gift from the gods to help you on your path. It is what they believe will help you the most. However, even if you are completely barred from magic, I know you of all people would find a way to chase adventure anyway." He said kindly, his voice wearing away Trent's fears and replacing them with a sense of surety.
"Yeah. Yeah! I'll have my adventure if I have to fight the gods every step of the way!" Trent exclaimed, his resolve returning. Sprinting back to the training structure and working with renewed vigor, he left the old smith chuckling on the rock.
"I truly hope that tenacity will serve you well on your path." He said under his breath before standing up and making his way back to his forge. Seeing the youth's energy had filled him with a need to make something. Grabbing his hammer, he got work on his latest order.
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Trent walked back to his house, drenched in sweat. He had made good use of his time, training and study intermittently until just before midday. Trying to wipe off some of the sweat, Trent stepped through the door, curious about the gifts his father and Terrance had mentioned. Not seeing anyone immediately, he called out.
"Hello? I'm back! Where is everyone?" He asked, taking off his shoes while waiting for an answer. His father was very particular about shoes, demanding they not be worn indoors. Not having taken an interest in the family business, Trent could only guess as to why, but he followed the rule all the same. Wandering out of the entryway, he saw his parents sitting at the dining table. In between them rested two packages, one small and square, the other much larger, and rather long. Trent took a seat across from them, waiting for what they were going to say.
"Trent," His mother began, pushing the smaller box towards him. "We have decided to give this to you for your birthday. It is very important that you never take it off."
"What is it?" Trent asked, gingerly picking up the box. It was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand, decorated only with an insignia of a dragon flying over three mountains. Trent recognized the symbol from the book his father used to read to him as a child, one he affectionately called 'The Story'. Opening the small container revealed a small pendant, the design identical to the insignia on the box. Pulling it out carefully, Trent held it up to the light, causing it to glimmer in the midday sun.
"A pendant that has been in our family for a very long time." His father answered, clearly seeing Trent's familiarity with the design. "It was a good luck charm, bringing protection to your ancestors during adventures, and we hope it will serve you just as well."
Trent's head shot up. "Wait. Are you saying you are okay with me going on an adventure?" He asked incredulously. He had been hoping for their blessing, but hadn't broached the subject with them.
"Even if we weren't, we know that wouldn't stop you." His mother replied evenly. "We at least wanted the comfort of you having this charm. It will protect you, and make us worry less."
Trent placed the pendant around his neck before looking back up at his parents. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much that means to me." He said, eyes misting up.
"That's not all. Uncle Terrance dropped this off while you were out, along with a message." His father said, pushing the other object towards him. It was oblong, about the length of his arm, and wrapped in rough cloth. Trent removed the cloth, revealing a shortsword lying in a sheath. He looked up questioningly, noting amusement dancing in his father's eyes, contrasting the mild concern in his mother's. He gently unsheathed the blade with a metallic ring, taking in the simple beauty of the weapon. Replacing it in its sheath, he wondered why Uncle Terrance had given it to him. He didn't even know how to use a sword.
Voicing his question, his father simply handed him a note. Hey there little wizard, happy birthday! I made you this sword so you wouldn't walk into your long awaited adventure unarmed. A good adventurer is at least proficient in multiple weapons. Find someone to teach you how to use it at that magic school you wanted to go to. With how much you study, you'd have to try not to ace it. Also, don't stab yourself, your mother will kill me. Best of luck, Uncle Terrance. Trent smiled as he finished the letter, both at the closing statement and the faith the old smith had in him. Folding the letter back up, he secured the sheath to his belt. While slightly uncomfortable, the pressure on his thigh brought him comfort.
"Alright, now that you have your presents, let's get you ready for your ceremony. Can't have you looking like that for your transition into adulthood." His mother said, drawing attention to his sweat stained tunic. Embarrassed that he had forgotten it, he rushed to his room to change. Luckily, he had more than one clean outfit, a flat beige tunic and dark grey trousers, which he quickly slipped on. Attaching the sword back to his hip, he hurried over to his parents, Rosa having slipped next to them while he was gone. He was about to get his blessing.
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Anxiously waiting for his turn to come, Trent bounced in place. There was a line snaking through the temple, as the sole priest of the town could only bless so many children at once. Watching the other children shout with joy or run away crying was not helping his nerves, so he looked around the temple, not familiar with its layout. While the temple was open for prayer, most people opted to do their prayers in private. Taking in the large pillars holding up the ceiling and the altars to various gods lining the sides, Trent felt rather small. The small distraction not helping nearly as much as Trent would have liked, he decided to focus on what would happen after the ceremony.
Regardless of his blessing, Trent was determined to take the test and get into Vantall Magic College. The College sent seniors on recruitment drives every year before enrollment, so he just needed to stop by the caravan and take the test. They would mark it that night, and send someone to tell him if he had passed. He would then only need to say goodbye to his family before taking the wagon to, ideally, Vantall. Trent heard his name called, jolting him out of his thoughts, and he stepped forward.
"Hello, child" The priest said, preparing the ceremony once again. "Simply place your hands on the pedestal in front of you and close your eyes."
He did as he was asked, laying his hands on the altar, and bracing for whatever would happen next. He heard the priest chanting in the holy tongue for a few seconds before his chest started burning. He grunted, but assumed it was part of the ceremony and kept his eyes squeezed shut. Slowly, the burning cooled as the priest finished, and words floated into focus in his vision. Eyes still closed, he read the text, hoping to figure out what the burning was.
Name: Trent Gilden
Age: 16
Blessing: Adventurous Heart
Description: You have trained and studied for years to become an adventurer, knowing no other option. You have built your body and mind to your own standard, feeling the call of adventure in your heart. This blessing will let you continue to do so. You will gain more strength from training, learn magic faster, remember what you have studied longer, and not falter in the face of adversity. Adventure will call to you as you have so long called to it. Will you be strong enough to answer?
Trent's eyes snapped open, and he whooped loudly before running over to his family. This was perfect! He hadn't been expecting nearly this much from a blessing. Not only would it let him excel at Vantall, should he gain admission, but it sounded like it would even help him seek out adventure! He was about to tell his parents all about it, but they put a finger to their lips in near unison and started towards the door. Trent looked around, realizing that all of the people waiting in line probably didn't want to hear of his success.
Clamping his lips shut for as long as he could manage, he followed his family back to his house before letting all of the details spill forth. It was only after receiving congratulations for his blessing that he remembered the Magic College. Bidding his family a quick farewell once again, he sped towards the caravan. As he got close, he saw a makeshift stand detailing the requirements to take the test. Sitting behind it was a tall man with short black hair, a look of utter boredom belying how long he had been sitting there. Once he got within earshot, Trent called out to him.
"Hey, can I take the test?" He said quickly, not wanting to waste a second.
The man looked him up and down. "You look about 16. Just got out of the ceremony? Here you go, one hour starting now." He asked, flipping an hourglass without looking.
"Straight from the temple. Do you have something to write with?" Trent responded, realizing he had forgotten my charcoal in his rush.
"No worries, here you are. You happy with your blessing?" He said politely, pulling a piece of charcoal from somewhere under the desk.
"Extremely! Should help me with learning magic and building muscle, as well as a few more things." Trent said, eager to talk about his new blessing. He started the test, making small talk with the man, who's name he learned to Noah. The hour flew by, and while Trent finished right at the end of the timer, he was happy with his work. It had pushed his magical knowledge to the limits, touching on spell constructs, mana densities, and even mana formation interactions, something only one of his books had briefly touched on.
"That's impressive, Trent. Most people drop the conversation early to better focus, but you kept up the whole time. I'll hand this to Henry to mark, but I'm rooting for you. If you're lucky, I might catch you sometime in Vantall." Noah said right before Trent left.
"I hope to do magic with you someday. I'll have to rely on my own skill for that though. See you tomorrow, Noah" He said, confident he had scored high enough to at least get admission to one of the closer Colleges. Once he got back home though, he suddenly realized how tired he was. Not even bothering to remove his clothes, he fell onto his bed and was out like a candle. He could worry about his results tomorrow.