Joe proceeded to do exactly that, pointing out how the digit changed, “That is only a very small drop and will remain so as it cannot heal. This drop represents the damage to myself, but not the healing used to return me to health. When I remove it, my health will rapidly drop again to heal my health.”

Joe removed the dagger and his health dropped by another dozen or so points. Joe pointed out his second digit.

“See, my second digit fell. I lost about ten or so health to heal the damage. But, if I were to remove flesh,” Joe paused for a moment and sliced off a small layer of skin, quite a bit larger than what he’d done on the wall while hissing from the pain, “You will see my health drops by quite a bit more.”

Joe pointed out which digits were affected. Man! Almost five hundred… six hundred HP lost for that small bit… I need to really get a lot more HP if I want it to be useful!

“So, if you can cut off entire limbs or parts of limbs, you will very rapidly destroy their HP.”

Gwenvair gasped, seeming to come to an understanding but her mother simply narrowed her eyes before nodding, “That is… interesting. We know very little of this, but it compares well with what we know as well.”

The two stared at one another before the Matriarch replied again, “I am… very grateful for your willingness to reveal this.”

Joe shrugged, “I just learned it today. It seems to be important to share. Another thing. If you attack the same place repeatedly, the damage done grows greater and greater, very quickly. So the fastest way to remove HP from an enemy is to repeatedly damage the same place by removing a portion of their body. Cut off the same limb again and again until it does not repair.”

Garnedell jumped in excitedly at that point, “That’s why you always attacked the same leg!?”

Joe nodded, looking at Garnedell, “I tried. Sometimes it was difficult, but yes.”

Gwenvair’s mother bowed, “Much thanks.”

Joe laughed, “I’m grateful that you offered thanks, but I’ll be honest, we’re friends. You don’t need to be so worried about my help. It was freely given with no expectation of return.”

Gwenvair and her mother shared a look before the Matriarch spoke, “We still offer thanks and will not forget. If you ever need a favor, please do not refrain from asking.”

Joe nodded his head, “Thanks… but I’ll probably not ask for it.”

The Matriarch nodded her head, then relaxed, Gwenvair’s mother smiling softly when a knock came at the door. She quickly looked towards the door.

Joe spoke quickest, “Someone for you, Matriarch?”

She quickly shook her head, “Actually, I thought you might like other company. Kukurnal told me of your love of knowledge exchange. Both my daughter and he have spoken of your thirst for knowledge. I thought you would like to learn more of spells and spellwork. And this is someone you already know and have spoken to, I felt it might be… less of an annoyance. Of course, if you wish to not do so toni…

Joe quickly shook his head, waving her off, “No! I would love to speak of magic and spells. It would be very interesting to me.”

* * *

Gwenvair watched with some envy as her mother skillfully invited Allanar to join their meal to benefit his new mist dao, while offering the eccentric the chance to speak. She did feel a tinge of annoyance that someone would take Joe’s time, but she recognized her mother’s wisdom.

“Actually, I thought you would enjoy company. Kukurnal revealed your love of knowledge. Both my daughter and he have spoken of your thirst for knowledge. I thought you would like to learn more of the dao. And this is someone you already have a connection with. I felt it would not be annoying. Of course, if you do not wish for…”

Joe quickly shook his head, waving her off, “No! I would love to speak of the dao. It would be very interesting to me.”

Her mother nodded her head slightly and the maid unobtrusively attending them quickly opened the door as soon as she realized the eccentric had offered permission. Allanar came in that evening, well dressed and prepared for a clan’s event. Gwenvair quickly grimaced, realizing that she’d failed to inform Allanar of his need to be less… proper. I hope he is not… offended… or…

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

Joe stood and turned to walk towards Allanar. She watched him closely. Is he… no? He seems… fine?

“Allanar! I didn’t know it was you. I’m glad you could join us tonight. Thanks so much for the help! It was… you really saved my life… four times, I think?”

Allanar quickly rejected the eccentric’s praise, “I did very little… nothing?!”

Joe laughed, “You did a lot. The beast is dead because of you.”

“You killed it.”

“And I would not have if I had died to its strikes.”

Allanar paused at that, uncertain what to say, before shaking his head, “You probably would have survived, surely?”

Joe seemed to frown a bit, then shrugged, “Possibly, but I just as likely might have been knocked out… at best. Then it would have been very bad.”

Gwenvair seemed a bit shocked, “Allanar saved you?”

Joe shrugged, “Or at least made it much easier. Each time the giant struck me, his water helped protect me from much of the giant’s attack.”

Her mother seemed very surprised, “Water is not known… for defense.”

Joe laughed, “Allanar and I had a long talk on it while on the wall before the fight. You understand it now, yes Allanar?”

Allanar quickly nodded, smiling, “Quite! It was truly remarkable. It was so amazing to be able to so easily defend such attacks!”

Joe smiled, “Just gotta think outside of a wooden crate!”

Everyone paused, confused, and Joe quickly realized their quandary and explained.

“Ah! Sorry. It is a saying amongst my people. It is teaching that if you think the same way as has always been done, you will never think in a new or different way. In so doing, you will never think of a new idea or a new way of doing things. So… think outside what is normal… think outside the wooden crate.”

Allanar seemed taken with the idea, “That is quite… clever.”

Joe shrugged, “It is not mine, but from long in the past of my people.”

Joe and Allanar soon explored deeply into the dao of water, her mother the only other seemingly able to understand the depths of the dao as the two explored it. Despite her inability to comprehend, her mother’s excitement proved that what Joe was teaching was incredible for her mother’s increasing of her own dao. They soon sat at the meal, the three still diving into the dao of the water whereas she turned to her peers, all four soon more comfortable enjoying their own conversation. However, when her mother turned the discussion of the dao from water to mist, her excitement quickly returned. Maybe… I can learn a little? It may relate to my dao of wind!

“Then, what of mist? You spoke to Allanar of the mist… and he was able to control it. I thought… I did not know he had the dao of mist!” her mother asked politely, if with a bit of excitement.

Allanar proved to be just as eager, nodding quickly, “Truly, the Matriarch speaks as I have thought. I did not know I could touch the dao of mist.”

Gwenvair quickly looked to Joe, excited to see his words, but became disappointed when she saw his confusion, “Mist? You cannot touch mist? Really? You… can touch water, right?”

Allanar nodded, but seemed to be growing disappointed as well, seeing Joe’s confusion, “Yes? I am of the dao of water.”

“But… mist is water! Mist, clouds, snow, ice… it is all water.”

Gwenvair felt her breath hitch, even as her mother and Allanar both showed shock. Her mother took over the conversation.

“How do you mean… that they are the same? They are not water.”

Gwenvair watched with some surprise to see Joe shocked, “You …” Joe closed his eyes and took a moment, seeming to calm himself, “why do you believe they are different.”

Gwenvair watched as her mother and Allanar shared a look. Allanar nodded to Gwenvair and she returned her look to Joe.

“Water and ice are completely separate. Water flows, ice does not. Mist is… nothing but air.”

Joe paused a moment, then continued, “Then how … what happens if ice melts?”

“Melts?”

Joe seemed shocked at that, “If you were to leave ice simply sitting upon a table, what would happen to it?”

“Why would anyone do such a thing?”

Joe’s confusion grew, “What do you do with ice?”

Her mother looked to Allanar and Allanar continued, “There are many uses for it, but it depends upon the use. Cooks use it for different recipes, battle mages use it to attack or defend, creating weapons and shields. There are many things.”

Joe cocked his head, “Then, for the shields or weapons, do the mages use them or leave them behind when done?”

Allanar nodded, “Some are left behind when broken, although there are some ice mages that use their ice weapons and shields as temporary tools.”

“Then they are left behind.”

“Yes.”

“What happens to those discarded weapons?”

Allanar shrugged, “We do not know. They are scavenged by mercenaries and the poor?”

Joe’s confusion seemed to grow, “Then, many mercenaries and adventurers have these weapons?”

It was Gwenvair’s turn to suddenly be surprised and she quickly saw her mother and Allanar also surprised. Gwenvair watched the other two and all three shared a look before her mother finally admitted the truth.

“We have never seen… any with the discarded tools of an ice mage.”

Joe nodded at that, seemingly relieved, “Then you do not know… that is… strange. Then, I can only tell you that ice, mist, clouds, and water are all the same thing. They are all water. Ice is simply cold water, and one can make mist or clouds with heat. It is the same as with iron. If you are to heat iron enough, it will turn to water iron, the same as ice becomes water. If you were to heat iron even more so, it would become air iron, the same as water becomes air with enough heat. Does that make sense?”

Gwenvair felt only confusion and sought out her mother’s help but both Allanar and her mother seemed as confused as her. Gwenvair saw that confusion and realized she would find no answer from them. Gwenvair quickly took over the conversation, not wishing for her mother or a senior member of the mages of the clan to be embarrassed.

“It… I am uncertain I understood. Could you explain again? How is water air water? How is iron water iron or air iron? I don’t understand.”

* * *