“I see you thought a lot before telling me you wanted to be an [Acolyte]. Maybe even a bit too much. I don't know if you are aware that statistics mature at different speeds. You did not take into account that you are only thirteen years old when you looked at your statistics. There is a section on statistics maturing in the book.”
She opened the book and found the page before showing it to Metello.
“Here. With this, you can compare your statistics with the average ones for your age and deduct which are your weak and strong points for now. Keep in mind you can always work on a weak point to make it a strong point if you want to. It just that it requires effort and time, but it's worth it if it allows you to live the life you want.”
They took some time to compare numbers. It appeared to Metello that he was below average, especially for physical stats except for his pretty good level in Agility Hand. His Social Comprehension was pretty bad too and his Perception Sense was a bit on the lower side. On the contrary, he was greatly above average for Mind Resilience and Mind Imagination, by two whole points each. For the other stats, he was a bit above average. The result mostly described his life until now: reading, drawing, being bullied, imagining things, but neither using his body much besides doing chores nor interacting a lot with people.
“Ultimately, you were right even with wrong knowledge about your stats. [Acolyte] is probably the best fitted to you among the classic monster hunter classes as you are now statistics-wise. Be sure not to choose only based on statistics, but that said if you like the class too, it's all for the best.”
“Now, for your idea to follow all the gods...” She couldn't repress a chuckle. “Some [Scholars] studied the problem for centuries and it's definitively a no. You can't. You have to choose a god or a goddess as there is no general [Acolyte] class.”
She read the disappointment on his face.
“However, even if it's not much, you can do a tiny bit of all. I even advise you to do it. Did you read that you need to get a prayer to a god blessing? Concretely, when you come of age, it's the highest level among your prayers to a god that will determine which kind of [Acolyte] you will be offered to become. For example, if you have Prayer to Calor at level 2 and all nine other prayers to a god at level 1, you'll only be able to be a Calor follower. It is the way to indicate to the system which god you chose. Do you understand it well ?”
Metello used his favorite response, a quick nod.
“Now, you have to think about which of the god to follow. Some people choose with their feeling. If you feel more linked to one of the ten gods, you can just go on like that. But as you're choosing the class to be a monster hunter, you have to consider what kind of monster hunter you want to be. There are mainly three kinds of [Acolyte] power for monster hunting: direct damage, self-support, and squad support. Do you know a bit which [Acolytes] lean more to each kind of power ?”
“Does self-support means it helps you fight with weapons ?”
“That's exactly right.”
“Okay, I think I know then.” Remembering the stories he read, he listed. “For direct damage, it's more a thing for Calor, Lux, and Fulgur blessings. Blessings from Vegeta, Anima, Menta, and Nihil are made more for squad support. And, self-support, it would be Petrus and Aeris ?” After thinking a bit, he added, “I don't know what Aqua is good at as a goddess.”
Laughing, the [Priestess] warned the boy. “Hey! Don't say that. Aqua is a really good goddess! It's just that she is not a really good fit for [Acolytes] who wants to hunt monsters unless you fight on the sea. Even, as a [Priest] or higher tier, you can raise acidic fogs really destructive if well coordinated with an Aeris follower. Be a little careful about what you say about the gods. Some people could be offended and become violent if they hear you saying this kind of thing. For the rest of the gods, you were mostly right, even if it was a bit simplistic. Do you have a favorite role ?”
Metello thought for some time. On the one hand, the main problem he thought he would face was finding a friendly team in Ironholes. His black hair was really a curse, but he would fight it. For that, he needed some powers to be able to fight alone. On the other hand, he was not really a weapon enthusiast. Maybe he would have chosen to be a [Warrior] if it was the case. Thus, the remaining choices for being able to hunt alone were Calor, Lux, and Fulgur and that's what he told his headmistress.
“Hum... Good choice. Some ranged damages are always welcome in a squad. To decide which one to pick at the end, you should know more about these three gods. As a follower, you'll have to be aligned with your god's values to harness the full potential of your class. I know I have already given you a lot of information, so I will describe their values as briefly as possible.”
The headmistress smiled and winked jokingly while starting with her first phrase. “The best of the three, Calor, my god, rules heat and fire. His domains extend mainly into all forms of craftsmanship and family and love. He is the tutelary god of [Craftsmen].
Lux is the goddess of light. Beauty, arts, and battle against the undead are her favorite subjects. She bestows most of the [Artists]'s blessings.
Fulgur is the god of lightning. His domains include faith, future, and randomness. [Acolyte] is the class he supports.”
“If you're feeling more connected to one or more domains from a god, it would be best in the long run. That said, you don't really have to definitively choose the god you will follow now. I think the better for you is to learn Prayer to Lux and Prayer to Calor first. These are two of the most useful tier 0 prayers for monster hunting with Prayer to Anima and Prayer to Aqua. Being able to produce some light, fire, water, and healing can be in handy a lot in the long run when your team is in the wild or in tunnels. When you get these two first prayers to god, you can ask yourself one more time and learn Prayer to Fulgur if you don't like the other two too much. Do you agree with that ?”
He was glad about all the help he has received. “Yes.”
“Now, on more practical subjects, know that learning Calor's and Fulgur's prayers can be dangerous, so you'll have to train it at the House. You have heard about the Monster Hunter House I presume. They got some rooms for this specifically. I don't want you to set yourself, the children, or the orphanage on fire while you train fire prayers.”
“I'll write you the chants on paper. You can modify them a little at your fancy but if you change them too much they will not connect to its god. Perhaps you already saw me using one or the other of these, but look at it really carefully to be able to replicate it easier. I'll start with Prayer to Calor.”
After she made sure he had understood, she began the chant.
“Calor, fiery god, please let me share your great fire with the world,
let us bathe in your divine love. Ball of fire!”
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Then, a little speck of orange and yellow flame appeared in the middle of her palm, quickly growing into a gently wavering 10 cm well rounded ball of fire. The flames were growing and growing on the sides, snaking to reach the top and digging back into the heart of the ball while other tiny flames were ready to grow again from the bottom to close the cycle.
“Did you see how it started? All the effects of prayers to a god start with a little spot of the element coming and growing. Be aware of how the flames move too, it's important.”
After fifteen more seconds, the ball of fire extinguished itself.
“When you stop to fuel the Prayer with divine energy, it stops. If you have no question, I will proceed with the Prayer to Lux.”
“Lux, gorgeous god, shiny god, please help me pierce the night with your beautiful light.
Ball of light!”
As for the ball of fire, a tiny grain of dim white light appeared in her hand. Then, it rotated on itself while growing to attain a 10 cm perfect sphere of smooth white light. It was as if the ball was a motionless round white stone emitting light. The [Priestess] maintained the ball for some time before it vanished.
“Good. I'll contact a friend of mine who works in the House so they know I permit you to use the prayer training room. If you need to see it again or have questions, ask me. I have explained enough things to you for now.” The old lady then turned her head toward the library door. “Have you seen it well too Maria? You can go now.”
Metello turned to see the young girl answering with a big smile. “Yes, Madam.”
Quickly, Maria went out. She had been eavesdropping for a while after she finished her reading. When she heard the headmistress would chant the Prayer to Calor and the Prayer to Lux, she came nearer to see it and was seen at the same time.
Metello got up to go out too. He was eager to try the chant quickly before lunch, but as he went into motion, he was interrupted.
“Metello, wait just one more minute, please. I had nearly forgotten, but it would be better for you to choose a weapon to train with too.”
He sat down again, a little annoyed.
“Why is that? I'm not gonna be a [Warrior].”
“Yes, that's right. But imagine that you can't use your prayer because of a lack of Divine Energy. What would you do? Gently asking the monster to wait a minute to regenerate a bit? Letting your squadmates do all the work even if they are on the brink of being overwhelmed ?”
Metello growled. She had a really good point.
Mrs Richardson browsed the book while saying. “But don't worry, the training won't be as tough as for a [Warrior]. Let me check what kind of weapons are attuned to Lux, Calor, and Fulgur. Know that it's always better to choose a weapon linked to the god you're following, so it's another parameter to take into account.”
She browsed a bit her book and said. “If you pick Lux, you'll have to choose between a spear and a rapier, which is a kind of sword made only to pierce and can be taken with a shield. If you prefer Calor, you'll have to train with hammers or axes, one or two-handed, while Fulgur proposes you a whip or a foil, a kind of very flexible rapier.”
Trying to engrave all that in his head, Metello replied. “OK. I'll think about it.”
“Now, you can go. Remember to not try Prayer to Calor in the orphanage. And do not to speak of anything too specific about classes and blessings to the younger kids.”
“Yes, Madam. Thank you.”
----------------------------------------
After he got out of the office, Metello bumped into Maria. Curious, she asked about his talk with Mrs Richardson as she had not heard the beginning of it. The boy started to walk while answering.
“We spoke about my coming of age. Mrs Richardson asked me not to talk about it.”
She followed by is side. “Why can't you speak about it?”
“Because she told me to. Something about not wanting the kids to think too early about adult life. Sorry, but I have to go.”
“Don't worry, I follow with you.”
A bit uncomfortable, he answered. “Don't you have some cooking chores for lunch ?”
“Aish! I forgot. Nox bollocks!”
While moving away, he heard the 11th bell being stricken.
He mumbled. “Not much time before lunch.”
Metello found himself alone in the corner of the cramped room, sitting on a bucket among various cleaning tools. His brimmed leather hat was bent by the walls. Before getting in the windowless space, he had read again the chant to keep it in mind.
Now was the time. He took a deep breath and made his first attempt. After he spluttered the first try, and the second one, he managed to spell it well.
“Lux, gorgeous god, shiny god, please help me pierce the night with your beautiful light.
Ball of light!”
He felt the tiny bit of divine energy flowing from his heart and invade his whole body as soon as the first words were said. Once the chant was finished, all of it rushed toward his hand through his veins. A little speck of light appeared there one moment before dying out quickly. He had lost control of the divine energy. It was not much, but he was ecstatic.
He started again, and again, and again, with no noticeable change. Every time, the divine energy escaped his control shortly after the speck appeared. He tried to chant slower or quicker to see what happens. There was no change. It seemed the energy stacked a bit in his body while chanting and that the prayer took effect once the chant was finished but it didn't alter the energy control.
He mumbled to himself. “What am I doing wrong ?”
He recollected what he saw in Mrs Richardson's office : the chant, the speck and the growing.
“The chant is good. Is there anything going on between the speck and the growing ? Or is there a specific way to grow the speck ?”
The growing had not happened randomly. He reviewed the prayer in his mind. The speck of light took rapidly a tiny cylindrical form, which had expanded vertically until the sides rounded themselves. Then, it expanded horizontally, faster and faster, until it reached a well rounded shape. Indeed, it wasn't a random growth at all. He reviewed several times how the light ball should grow in his mind before trying the chant again.
The speck appeared and a small cylinder formed itself. Then, the growing started while producing a dim light. But before the end of the vertical growing, it collapsed again. Despite that, it was progress and Metello was eager to try it again and so he did.
With each try, he progressed a bit. At the fourth time, the ball was growing in its cylindrical shape when the door opened and Maria's blond hair went into the broom closet.
“There you were!”
Her eyes widened when she saw the collapsing dim light. She quickly entered the small space before closing the door again. They were both in the cramped dark space.
“Are you already a [Priest] like Mrs Richardson ? That's why you didn't want to talk about it ? Did you come of age already you rat sucker ?”
He breathed heavily. He got caught not even an hour after getting out of the office.
“Not...yet ? I haven't attended the ceremony yet, I have no class and I'm not an adult. But, the class I expect to get when the time will come is [Acolyte], it's like a weaker [Priest]. But I won't say anything specific. Wait, shouldn't you be doing your chores now ?”
“Nah, I traded it with Caitlyn. Is it hard to become an [Acolyte] ?”
“For me, it'll be easier than to become a [Rogue] or a [Craftsman], but it varies from person to person.”
“OK. Can you do the light again ?”
A bit uncomfortable with the situation, he answered. “I can, but you need to promise me several things. One is to not tell it to Mrs Richardson or the others. Two is to not talk while I try it. And...that's all for now.”
“Deal.”
And there was light. A dim, fickle, unstable, intermittent while light, but light all the same.
As she saw it from the start, the girly voice of Maria stated. “Fucking shit!”
When they heard the 12th bell, they went out and headed to the dining hall. It was time for lunch.