“What do you mean 'let that be our problem?' This is our daughter we're talking about, not some stray dog.” Mom snaps at him seemingly forgetting all her fears and concerns.

The man just sighs. “Sit. Back. Down.” Authority oozing from his voice. “We don’t throw those incapable of fighting in the thick of it, she’ll be properly trained with the rest. We will treat her like a person, like any other orphan under our care and help her become something more. After she is ready she can repay our kindness with service.”

Is this true? This is just a joke, right? What if it is anyway… I saw it, mom and dad stood no chance. This man, although presenting it like a decision to be made, has no intention of leaving here without me.

Hesitation is still written on my parents’ faces, so Bennett uses his ace in the hole. “You could try to run but if I found her, the prince’s hounds would have no problem doing the same. Too many people know when her birthday is. The church, the administration, your colleagues...” He looks pointedly at dad and shrugs. Really, that's what led him to me? ”They will come for her. However, she could be safe with us. Even the nobles don't dare attack The Fist of Krieg, at least not while trying to keep things under the rug.” This last rationale seems to shake my parents as if deep down they already understand what the man says is correct, yet they’re unable to accept it.

“What proof do you have? How do we know your righteous Fist is better than the theoretical hounds of the crown prince who’s been good to the people all his life?” Dad asks chuckling without a hint of mirth. “You’re telling us to let our daughter go to entrust her future to a group famous for war and all we have is your word? How dare you even present this choice with a calm face and claim the moral high ground?” Every word of my father is filled with poison and the utter lack of fear in the face of a man so much more powerful than any of us.

“Watch your words!” The old mercenary hisses. “The fact that you’re still alive and I haven’t used force to get things done instead of wasting my time is all the proof you need.” He frowns. “We allow plenty of freedom for our members and pursue a career as fighters instead of conquerors thirsting for power. Do not mistake my benevolence for weakness, I am here because I know my words are true and would rather we profit from your daughter while raising her with honor instead of letting a fate befell her that I wouldn’t even wish for my greatest enemies.” He takes a deep calming breath after the rant. “If I must take the mantle of evil then so be it, but I know you will come to mature into realizing I was the necessary evil all along.”

His speech fails to convince anyone. Me and my parents just sit silently and try to deny reality, our reality. There is only one thing that’s without a doubt, I can’t stay. This old man intends to take me and even if we could convince him to leave us be or flee from him into the wilderness someone would just find us again.

The only question is… how difficult do we want this to be?

So I make my own move, for my sake, for their sake. “How long?” I ask. When he just raises an eyebrow at my question I continue. “How long until I can see them again? When can I leave that place?”

He seems conflicted, this mustn't be easy on him either. According to dad’s description, they are not actually bad people yet actions speak louder, they always do. Good people don’t come knocking on the door to kidnap a child and I’d say that’s even below bed people. Devils in human skin, that’s what those people are.

“Long.” He says, then takes a deep breath. “At least ten years.” Please no. “You might be lucky and get an assignment here so you can visit them earlier,” Just stop, please. “nonetheless for at least three years you’ll stay around Granhall as an orphan.”

His answer hits me with a devastating impact. That's as long as I've been alive. I know it's ‘only’ ten years but it's ten damn years for the sake of the Gods. Then an idea strikes me.

“What if…could they come with me?”

Bennett shakes his head. “No, we’ll take you in disguised as a stray orphan to mask the true motive. If you come with adults at your side it’ll be clear as day why you arrived and who you might be. We can protect you but staying unseen is the best defense even if your secret will leak sooner or later." His reasoning is solid yet again.

“And what if they come there, say… two to three years later?” Hope still lives in me.

He considers the suggestion, and then he considers even longer, eyebrows dancing up and down on his forehead. “Well, I don’t see too many problems with that. They could visit in three years and it wouldn’t look too suspicious as long as you don't meet openly.”

My face lights up at that.

To be honest, I don’t want to leave home already, maybe in the far future but deep down I know that if what Bennett says is true then this is by far my best option. And it isn’t even that far from my own goals.

Mom and dad are just looking at me in silence. I know they want this to be my decision and I also know that if I wanted to stay they’d fight till their last breath to stop the man from taking me.

My answer is obvious.

I take a deep and sorrowful breath. “When do we leave?” There’s no way I’ll endanger the people I love the most. This is a small price to pay.

“In an hour, the sooner we’re out of here the less conspicuous my stay becomes.” That makes my stomach churn and hug mom and dad tightly seeking strength in their embrace.

We sob silently for some time.

I’m the first to break away as I need to pack for the journey ahead of me and the longer we stay like that the harder it’ll be to let go. I don’t want any problems right now, seeing them in three years does sound bad, except it's still the best outcome.

I can’t imagine how hard it will be for them. I feel like a part of me is slowly torn out of my body, dragging emotions, warmth and my strength with it. I’ll try to rise to the challenge, I’ll really do; but to let go of your child at such a young age out of necessity…

***

The next hour is spent with mom loading my backpack full of clothes, food and any other basics while dad braids my hair like when I was younger.

“No money and she’ll carry her own baggage.” Reprimands Bennett.

I’m partially thankful for that because there’s no way I’d have been able to carry that monster of a backpack for more than an hour.

I remember what mom and dad told me about keeping my class secret from strangers, yet I didn’t wanna leave without letting them know about my choice and plans.

I get a quill, some ink and paper and quickly retreat into my room. This is the first time my writing expertise actually comes in handy. I quickly pen down anything and everything about my class and what I hope it would do together with my Blessing. I also write down how much I love them and that I’ll be alright and not to worry about me. My letters are barely readable, smeared by renegade tears and the fact that I can barely see because of those same tears.

I wanted to tell them in person, show them, be smug as hell about it… That’s how it was supposed to be.

I leave the paper on my nightstand and return to the kitchen.

The minutes tick by and the time for departure draws ever closer. We just sit there in silence, unable to have a normal conversation. Around when the time runs out, Bennett stands up, nods at me and walks towards the door. I silently walk over to my parents for one last hug for the foreseeable three years. A hug that makes me want to stay like that forever.

A cough wakes me from the dream, I shoulder my now considerably smaller backpack and stop at the door.

“Mom, dad, I’ll be okay, I’ll beat the crap out of everyone who deserves it. Oh, and I’ll smash this asshole when I get there. He deserves it for hitting you.” This earns a huff from Bennett, probably not taking me seriously.

Just you wait… old bastard, your days are numbered.

“Stay safe, try not to miss me too much and we’ll see each other in three years, love you.” I whisper weakly.

I walk out of the door without looking back, as I wouldn’t have the strength to start walking again if I did that. With the bracelet on my wrist and the watch in my bag, my greatest treasures and the first things I’d save if my baggage were ever endangered, I leave home.

The boots they pulled onto my feet feel heavy, my light coat suffocating and my shirt soaking wet from all the tears smeared into it. It matters not how curious I was about the world outside of the city, everything feels just…blank.

***

The first hour of our journey southwest was spent in complete silence, me being unwilling to mention what just happened and him probably trying to be considerate.

Oh well, I’ll spend the next too many years of my life around him, I might as well get to know the man.

“What should I call you?” The first and most basic question.

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“For now Bennett is fine, around others you’ll call me Captain.” He says without looking back after letting out a sigh.

“What does being a captain mean? And what exactly are you a captain of? A ship?” I purposefully try to sound a bit stupid just to annoy him.

“Captain is a rank among the mercenary corps, it means I command multiple squads in larger operations. And no I don't have a ship.” Damn, a statue of patience, let's see how long that lasts.

First though…

“How will mom and dad explain my absence? I mean, all of a sudden I disappear… Won’t the bad guys want to use them?” The more I ask the more anxiety takes over my mind.

“We have it taken care of, I’ll have someone deliver a forged document of you studying in Sereban Academy on scholarship. Also for anyone to use your parents as hostages would be unlikely.”

“What do you mean unlikely? They’re all I have.” I snap at him. Learn to explain things damn it.

He just sighs and elaborates “If they manage to find them they’ll surely know that we took you away and even if they threaten with killing your parents we wouldn’t give you out.. What I mean is that your parents would have no value in a negotiation. Besides, they are strong enough that taking them out quietly isn’t an option, even for me.” He just keeps on marching as we were discussing the weather. “They could move in full force to capture them, except that would bring light to their operations. All in all, they are not worth it.” This sounds a bit insulting but more so reassuring that they’ll be safe.

Back to bugging him.

“What is this mercenary corps? What do you do?” I sure as hell won't stop asking questions if nobody makes me. Serves him right for hitting my parents.

“We are the Fist of Krieg, named after the God of War and Conflict. We exterminate monsters, kill outlaws with bounties and fight in wars if the pay is right.”

“So sellswords, huh? Doing anything for the right price?” I jab and this time actually hit.

“Listen here, lassie.” He looks at me from the corner of his eye with a deep frown. “We are not just a simple ragtag group that does anything if you throw some coin at them. We don’t accept unethical work and our average strength is far beyond that of a normal soldiers. If you tried to use that tiny brain of yours, you would have realized that by now if you Identified me.” Now that’s harsh, my brain is not small, just appropriate for my size.

I follow his advice and inspect him.

[Warrior lvl ???]

[The general Skill [Identify] has reached lvl 5 ->8.]

What does that even mean? It could be basically anything since I’m so low-leveled. “Duh, you could be level 30 if the question marks are anything to go by.” I voice my thoughts.

“Now I’m almost certain you’re not pretending to be stupid. Did Identify level up?” He huffs.

Oh right, that means he’s so much stronger and more significant than me that just using the Skill on him made it level up four times. I don't like that, beating him up will have to wait for a while.

“Why does Identify only say Warrior?” I will ask every single question that comes to mind, even the most basic and stupid ones as long as it takes my mind off from how shitty this day is and bothers him even the slightest.

“Because the skill is very basic. Some highly advanced variants can tell you the enemy's element or combat focus.” He replies as if talking to a book.

Yeah, not very plausible or exciting.

“Why not just tell us the name of the Class?”

“Because that would be an incredible advantage in combat.” He quickly replies. “If you know a Class's name that basically tells you their element and their fighting style. Some are more descriptive than others and so the information is restricted to more generic words.”

I can’t really agree with that. Just win, and everything will be okay. Even if you know the target’s class, if you can’t do anything against it you’re still screwed.

“So… What will I do there? In Granhall?” I try to change the topic because last time I wasn’t actually acting.

“Train.” Well, that's vague. After some silence, he continues. “You’ll live with the others around your age, improve your skills and learn what any respectable member should know.” Doesn’t sound that bad.

“What do you mean by others? You found more kids like me?” This piece of information draws my attention.

“Yes, two more and there are some other actual orphans too. We give them a choice in their lives among our ranks.” Sounding quite proud about the orphan thing. “What’s your name girly?” Fuck you. If you snooped around long enough to find out my day of birth then know my damn name.

“Elyssia” I grumble.

“From the blessed isles, huh? What blessing did you receive from the Comet?” Now we’re sailing onto sensitive waters.

“My parents told me to only share my Status with those I really trust. Sorry old man we’re not there yet.” I stick out my tongue defiantly.

“Good advice,” He chuckles at my antics. “Except you’ll be under my care for years to come and I won't be able to guide you properly if I don’t know what we’re working with.”

This oldster be damned, does he have a class that’s based on solid arguments? Fine, not like I can say anything

“I can’t share the details of the Skill.”

“Listen, lass, stop being so stubborn, you... Oh, you are unable to, huh? So a knowledge-based one. Tell me about your class and general skills.”

I just sigh in helplessness, this won't matter in the long term anyway. So I pull up my Status and start reading it out loud.

Name: Elyssia

Age: 9

Mana: 240/240

+36/hour

Racial Trait:

Celestial Elf

Stats:

Free Points: 2

Might: 7

Mana: 24

Speed: 11

Willpower: 36

Endurance: 8

Intelligence: 24

Dexterity: 11

Focus: 36(+1.2)

General Skills:

Savant lvl 11

Identify lvl 8

Running lvl 7

Dodging lvl 7

Pain Tolerance lvl 1

Reflexes lvl 5

Quick Witted lvl 8

Stamina lvl 6

Multitasking lvl 6

I. Class: Inept Magus - Arcane lvl 11

Arcane Affinity lvl 1

Elemental Influence lvl 1

Mana Shield lvl 1

II. Class: *Locked*

III. Class: *Locked*

[The general Skill [Savant] has reached lvl 10 ->11.]

[Congratulations, you’ve acquired the skill [Arcane Affinity lvl 1].]

Arcane Affinity: The wild breath of Aelion fills all and everything, changing like the weather. Mana in its purest shape, unattuned and untainted, is yours to wield.

[Congratulations, you’ve acquired the skill [Elemental Influence lvl 1].]

Elemental Influence: As it is the nature of blank magic, it flows and converts. Be the hand that shapes and guides the arcane.

[Congratulations, you’ve acquired the skill [Mana Shield lvl 1].]

Mana Shield: Call for the arcane to protect you and make a solid defensive layer of mana to shield you from harm.

“Brat, are you fucking dumb? Why in the Gods’ name would you pick an Arcane Class?” Bennett looks dumbfounded and a bit pissed about my decision.

“I’ll demonstrate.” It’s time to see if the gamble paid off.

“Trying to show the old dog new tricks?” He huffs. “I’ve seen them all by now and I’m way, way older than you might think.” He’s skeptical, but we’ll see.

“Okay, so I wanted to play with magic and be one damn cool mage. The only problem? I couldn’t just discard all the other elements in favor of only one.” I look at him with mischief. “So why not just pick them all?”

I call on the mana inside me, which is a really simple process just imagine some vibrant ever-present energy flowing through you, or that's how mom described it. Now comes Earthian? Earthish? Earth magic… no that’s something else. Science.

I try vibrating the particles of mana I command, at first it oscillates too slowly so I close my eyes to focus, to picture it better, forcing them to go faster and faster. When I open my eyes again, embers sit in the palm of my hand.

It's warm. Warm but not quite hot… Ah, the image, I need a proper image. Let’s see, fire needs air and fuel to burn, so… wood?

The fire reignites itself, tuning into a tiny inferno in my hand. It should have burned my hand to crisps by now. Despite that just as everyone said your own mana doesn't bite the hand that feeds it. They were right and so the scorching flame continued to dance in front of me without the burnt smell of flesh.

But is this it? What if it's not wood that I use, some gas burns hotter, right?

Just as my image solidifies, the fire shrinks down to the size of my pinky.

Did it fail?

Then it burns brighter, and brighter, turning first yellow than blue, the heat multiplying.

That tiny blue blaze in the palm wakes a primal fear in me, frightened by the spark of destruction in my hand.

As I marvel at the flame it suddenly extinguishes and I collapse on the ground breathing heavily.

“Kid… what was that?” Bennett grabs my shoulder. “You are an Arcane mage, right? You are level 11, RIGHT?” He basically shouts. “How the hell did you do that? And why do you look so squeezed dry?” He’s flabbergasted, bamboozled and confused to no end.

That face alone makes it all worth it. The youngling can still show the veteran some new tricks, huh?

I giggle then I look at my Status to find out why I feel so weak. Ah, I emptied my mana supply… What? How? I barely used magic for a few seconds and it was just ordinary fire.

Then I remembered that blue flame.

Oh… note to self, don't use that, for now at least. The drawback of my racial trait kicked in as my mana storage dwindled and now it cripples me as I have not an ounce of mana left.

Name: Elyssia

Age: 9

Mana: 0/240

+36/hour

“Thank the Gods it worked, hahaha” I can't help but fall over laughing in unbridled bliss. The gamble worked, I won't have to start again. “You do have eyes, don’t you? That was Arcane mana used by a level 11 kid. Cool right?”

I’m smug as hell, this weakness is all worth it although carrying my backpack will prove a pain in the ass. I didn’t think this through, did I?