"It would be my pleasure!" Yalch silently clapped his intangible hands together. "I think the most important thing to do would be to go over what exactly those words mean."

"Makes sense," Miwah replied.

"Let's start from the top!" Both focused on the mental image of Miwah's stat table. "Your Attributes fall into three main categories: Offense, Defense and Technique. Each one affects your fighting style. Since Martial Artists are more offense oriented, we'll go over those first."

"You mean Lethality and Proficiency? What do those mean exactly?" Miwah asked.

"Lethality is how powerful your attacks are! It's a combination of the innate power within your Purifier form as well as the weapon you use. Liberator is designed for offense, so that's why your Lethality stat is so high. Proficiency is how well you use your weapons. It's just like normal life. The more you practice, the better at fighting you become. You'll be able to attack in new ways and outmaneuver opponents."

"So those two stats go hand in hand then?"

Yalch nodded. "Yep! But all three of the Stat Branches work like that. If you put your points into the Offense Branch you can become even deadlier."

Miwah nodded her head. "That's a possibility. I could see myself focusing on that."

"Even though your class is Martial Artist and you're meant to deal damage, the other Branches are useful too!"

"Tell me about them."

"Defense keeps you fighting. Vitality determines how much damage you can take. The more points you have in it, the longer you'll be able to survive!"

"Oh, that sounds important."

"It is! And your Guard stat accompanies it. While Vitality is what keeps you alive and fighting, Guard keeps you from getting hurt." Miwah bobbed her head up and down in understanding as she watched Yalch continue his explanation with glee. "Let me put it this way. Let's say you get hit in the stomach with a fierce kick from one of those plunderers. With your current Guard stat, you'd probably get sent flying on your back and skidding across the ground like a rock across a frozen pond. But! If you invest enough points into Guard, you'd be able to take the hit like it was nothing!"

Miwah raised an eye at the notion. "Really?"

"Yep! Of course, it would take a while to get there. And it would come at the cost of not being able to focus on improving your other attributes."

"So it seems that Offense and Defense are self-explanatory," Miwah said. In her mind she focused on the last section of the table. "But I am somewhat confused as to what Technique could refer to."

"That branch is more about properly utilizing your Purifier form. Agility makes you nimble. Far more acrobatic than any normal person."

"How so?"

"Flips. Leaps. Climbing. Helps you get around a fight as well as more difficult terrain. I've seen Purifiers leap onto a castle wall and scale it in seconds."

"You have to be exaggerating," Miwah said with open eyes and an agape jaw.

"I'm being completely honest! Granted, that was a high-ranking Purifier that had diverted almost all of their Experience Fragments into that attribute. But it's definitely possible if that's what you want to go for!"

"So many choices," Miwah pressed her hand against her chin, focusing all her mental power on the table in her mind.

"Don’t forget the last one!"

"Oh, of course. Please, elaborate."

"Vigor lets you focus your Mana. It's what determines how long you can stay as a Purifier, how long you must wait before you can transform again and how many spells you can use. Having all of those nifty abilities and stats will only get you so far if you have to revert back to being normal after only a few minutes." Yalch's face became nervous. "Not saying that your normal self is bad, of course!" The ghost then let out an awkward chuckle.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"I understand." There was a moment of quiet. Only the sound of the boat passing through low waves and the occasional flying animal made any audible noises.

"Need some help, Miwah?" Yalch asked.

"Yes please. I'm nervous about spending my Experience Fragments. I assume once I use one, I can't redistribute it."

"Uh-huh. It's a permanent decision."

"So, it's essential that I pick the right path from the beginning."

"I wouldn't stress out too much about it right now," Yalch said. "It seems intimidating now, but you'll be getting a lot of Experience Fragments. Don't worry about putting these into an attribute that you might not want to focus on later. Remember, regardless of what you pick, you will be getting stronger!"

"I suppose that's one way to look at it." Miwah paused as she let out a sigh. "Could I get a suggestion though?"

"Sure! Just ask yourself. What kind of Purifier do I want to be?"

Miwah closed her eyes tighter. She then mouthed the words that Yalch had just stated. "I want to be... fierce."

"Ooh..." Yalch whispered.

"For a moment back on the ship, I was a threat. I could fend for myself. I put those... savages in their place. I want to do more of that."

"Then Offense is the branch for you. No question about it. You should put at least one of your Experience Fragments into either Lethality or Proficiency. That way you take out your enemies faster."

"They can't hit me if they've been defeated."

"That's the mentality of someone who focuses on the Offense Branch! Now you've just got to determine which of the two attributes you want to focus on first. I'll leave that up to you."

Miwah went silent as she pondered her options. She raised her right arm, slowly moving it in a circle as her palms held onto an imaginary version of Liberator. "Now that I think about it, I did find holding my weapon to be somewhat unwieldy. Perhaps putting an Fragment into Proficiency could alleviate some of that discomfort."

"It would!" Yalch said with a big smile. "I'd say go for it! In order to use up a Fragment, just focus on it and then channel that energy into the attribute that you want to improve. It takes a bit of getting used to but after a few more Rank Ups, you'll get the hang of it."

"Right. Just focus." Miwah took a deep breath through her nose then exhaled through her nostrils. She straightened out her hands as she remained motionless. "I think I did it," she said with eyes closed.

"You did! See how your Proficiency went up by one? That means it worked!"

"Excellent!" Miwah replied.

"Now, you might not notice an immediate change since you only went up by one point but believe me! You just became a stronger Purifier!"

"So I should put this other Fragment to use, right?"

"Yeah. Unless you want to see a sudden jump in power by saving up a bunch of them and using them all at once. I've seen some Purifiers do that because they love the feeling of a sudden burst in strength, but it seems like a waste to me, you know? Those points are better off in use than floating around collecting… mind dust."

"Hmm. Good point. I already know where I am going to put this other Fragment."

"Tell me!"

"Vigor."

"One point won't do much. It'll let you stay as a Purifier for a few extra seconds and expand your Mana pool a smidge. But those few seconds could mean the difference between life and death!"

"That is exactly why I am investing my last Fragment into that attribute." Miwah focused, implementing her last Experience Fragment into Vigor, this time even quicker than before.

"Look at that! You're already got the hang of this," Yalch said excitedly. You're on your way to becoming a powerful Purifier."

"Thank you!" Miwah said. She smiled while waving at the ghost a few feet in front of her. "But I would not have gotten off that boat if it were not for you!"

Yalch's mouth opened wide. His eyes blinked slowly before shutting altogether. He let out a long yawn as he covered his mouth with his hand. "No worries. It's my job after all."

"Tired?" Miwah asked.

"Yeah. I've just about exhausted all my energy these past few hours. Staying out for so long really takes a toll on me. I'm going to have to rest inside a Beacon for a while."

"How long?"

"Maybe a day."

Startled, Miwah sat up in her seat. "A day?"

"Yeah. If I don't, then I won't be able to exist. At all." The ghost clapped his hands and then spread them apart. “Poof. I’ll be gone. Forever.” Yalch floated closer to the necklace that Miwah wore. "Don't worry, I'm nowhere near that point. But I like to play it safe and get rest whenever I can. I do enjoy existing, after all."

"What if I need to transform again?"

"You can still do it. Just press the jewel to your heart. It'll work the same. I've got faith in you, Miwah. You got a hold of this Purifier business pretty quickly. But there are a few other bits we need to go over. We'll talk about it once I get some shut eye."

"All right. Thanks again, Yalch." Miwah looked down and saw the sleepy-eyed ghost give her a wave.

"Uh-huh. See you a day from now." Yalch put one hand onto Miwah's diamond. The ghost turned into a mist and in an instant was sucked inside the jewel. She held the diamond in the palm of her hand and lifted it closer to her face. She could see a white cloud swirling within the stone.

"Get some rest, Yalch," she whispered. She let the diamond rest on her chest. Miwah then looked back at the island. "I have a feeling I am going to need you soon."