After their catharsis, Cless took off the replica of her mother's dress and laid it on the bed.
"That was the dress she was wearing when the... mob attacked," Karen confessed.
"My mother... I remember the dress, but I can't remember her voice or her face." Cless explained.
"That's a marvelous dress," Venaris ran her hand through the clothing. "It looks like something a princess would use. If only the beads were jewels."
Cless met Karen's eyes and poked. "I think the original had real jewels. But we will never know."
"I'm sorry, Cless,"
Karen's shoulders were slumped and she was probably feeling terrible. Cless hugged her aunt and kissed her cheek.
"You saved my life, aunt. Even now you are protecting me. You, Balthus and the Priest. I don't resent you."
Her words only made Karen cry even more. She shook her head and looked at Karen as if the girl knew nothing. Maybe that was true.
Cless clapped her hands. Making the dress reality let her put some of the weight away from her chest. She was going to cherish that dress and the last memory she had of happy times.
"I want a mannequin to put this dress on display here. Do you mind?"
Karen forced herself to smile. "It is your room. You can do what you want."
"Thanks. I need to finish learning my spells. Venaris, the Skills are with you again. If you want, go play with the fabric."
The gnome stuttered, "I don't think I can do what you did, Cless."
"Then do what you can. That'll be good enough. We are supposed to have fun."
She got a mixed reaction from everyone around her. "You are really something, Cless. I don't know how you can bounce back that fast."
Cless sighed. "I was thrown down more than anyone else, I guess." She looked at the gnome and felt like she had offended the other girl, "Sorry, Venaris."
The small girl shook her head, "No! We are both hardcore survivors. That's why we fit together this well. I want to learn how to be strong like you! Sister!"
It was the first time Venaris called her sister. Cless picked up the little girl and spun.
"Well, have fun, girls. We are going, we have an inn to run," Karen was out of the door when she came back and announced. "By the way, Balthus will be out of town for a week. He's going to run some errands, do some quests, slay a dragon. Dunno."
"Right. Thank you, Karen."
Cless sat back on her desk, tried to wipe the smudges of tears on the Priestess book and learned the Song of the Accord spell as her ultimate. Next, she took the Mage spellbook. She had three Skills that derived from the mage class. [Earth Magic], [Brownie Magic], and [Illusionist]. While having a broad repertoire of spells was nice, she could only cast as many Spells each combat. It felt like a waste to hog both Skills.
"Venaris, do you want to use magic? I got some Skills I could share. Pick, Earth or Illusion." Cless was keeping household magic for herself. It would be very bad if Venaris got the wrong impression. Besides, she was curious as it comes to see what it could do.
"You don't exist, Cless. Magic Skill clearance sale? Really? Others would hoard power. You share it around like stale bread." Venaris seemed angry for some reason.
"Strong allies can cover me. If I hadn't given Silverfang twenty on each Stat, we would've died to the Chimera."
"I want the Illusion one. That's Phiphina's Skill."
Cless noted that the gnomes were much more open regarding their Skills than humans. While here it was almost taboo to ask about other's Skills, Venaris knew almost all the other gnomes'.
"Venaris, would you be offended if I asked your Skill?"
The gnome shook her head. "Not at all. Mine is called [Indomitable]. I can ignore a fatal wound for a number of minutes and it also lessens pain and trauma. It also protects me from mind reading, interrogation, and torture. That's why I survived that long with the belly open."
"Wow, that is powerful, Venaris." Too awesome. "Gift the Skills [Illusionist] and [Spellslinger] plus twenty Magic to Venaris."
And it was done. Venaris fiddled with a prompt but probably just to look her Status. "Wow. That's the Magic Stat. It feels awesome."
"Yes, I'm glad you accepted. I'll pass the Mage book after I'm done."
Cless had to go and learn the spells now. She didn't browse this time. Level one. There were two spells. Detect Magic and Mage Bolt. They did what it reads on the tin. Makes sense that the first step is to sense magic and shoot something to earn some Exp.Level two, Light. It looked awfully similar to the Cleric one. In fact, it looked almost the same as the abridged, no-nonsense version. She was sure it was the same spell. Level four, Armor. Creates a deflective field of energy around the Mage's body that divests incoming blows away. While Protection just cushions the blow, this one deflects.
Level six, Firebolt. Damages and ignites the target. Level ten, Icebolt. Piercing damage and slows the target. Level twelve, Lightning Grasp. Deals damage upon touch and may paralyze the target. Very similar to what happened to the mercenary that groped Cless. Level fourteen, Shield. Creates a floating, shimmering disk of energy that attempts to block attacks. Level sixteen, Fireball. The classic mage attack spell and the first Area of Effect magic in their arsenal. Fire damage, burns, and knockback.
Level eighteen, Resistance. Increases resistance to elemental damage. Level twenty, Shockwave. Sends a pulse of energy through the ground to push away enemies and make them fall off their feet. Level twenty-two, Magic Missiles. Summon a volley of magical arrows that unerringly hit the target. They can crack an enemy mage's Shield. Level twenty-four, Wind Blade. Shoots an arc of condensed air that can cleave enemies in a line.
And it came to the level twenty-five ultimates. Cless decided to leave it for later so she could choose with Venaris.
"Every spellcasting class so far has one really big spell at level twenty-five. Mages have three to pick from. I'll wait to pick mine with you. Maybe we can make good choices among ourselves."
"Yes, that would be great!" Venaris agreed.
"Cless?" Vic approached. "Could I browse the book later? I can learn mage spells too."
Cless stood up and placed a hand on the lamiak's shoulder. "Vic. You too, Kurt and Silverfang. We are partners here. If there's anything you need or any thoughts you want to share, speak up! Any books here you can read anytime, Vic." Cless looked away, "I'm sorry. It was rude of me. I was surprised that you can read."
"I can't read!" Kurt shouted from the other side of the room where he was playing some kind of game with Silverfang.
"We are going to fix that. Silverfang, can you read?" The wolf shook his head. "That makes two. We are going to work on your reading proficiency every morning starting tomorrow. Also, maybe I can get a book on venonmancy at the association for you, Vic."
"I'd appreciate that." The Lamiak slithered back to the game they were playing.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"Good. Remember boys, speak up! Venaris, you're up. Here is the mage spellbook, I'll leave it on this shelf."
Cless picked up the Magic Maid spellbook next. The thought that a magic maid needed to wield mage magic to clean the house with magic was a contradiction. Cless would rather have healer maids than fireball-spewing maids. Not that she had any. Well, onward. She opened the book and saw the spells. They were as weird as Cless could imagine.
Level One, Detect Dust and Grime. 'Nuff said. Level three, Threshold Watcher. Places a ward at the threshold of the house that gives a mental ping when visits arrive. It even gives a mental image of the visitor. Level six, Prestidigitation. Allows one to make one light object fly around and use proficiencies remotely but too slow to make an attack. Dust the ceiling beams and pick up unnameable for safe disposal. Level nine, 'Never Overdone!'. Yes, the spell name has an exclamation mark. It enchants a cooking pot to give a mental ping when the food is cooked. Enable those multitasking maids.
Cless had to rein herself in because Venaris was glaring at each giggle, guffaw and snicker she was making.
Level twelve, Touch Up. Can do minor repairs on walls, roof, floors, and ceilings. Remove damage from termites, infiltration, and the likes. Level fifteen, Dry. It removes water and moisture from an area or an object. Level eighteen, Repair. Can fix broken small objects made of glass, clay or wood. Once again the caster's hand is the determining factor. Level twenty-one, Clean. Cutlery, crockery or laundry. All your Y's shall be cleansed. Polished and Ironed too, at the same time. Level twenty-four, Bloom. Causes one plant to grow and bloom. There was a note recommending to cast the spell right after harvest.
And now for the pinnacle of housekeeping magic! Cless rubbed her hands.
The first choice was unreadable, Super... something... something... frag something... cious. Brings good luck, wealth and happiness to the household. As if Cless would trust some doofus magic spell to do that for her. Totally passed. Second choice, Hearth Recall. The magical maid can transport instantly to the household hearth from a distance away. Must have a piece of the hearth as a focus. Can be used only three times each day. Interesting? What was the third choice? Here. Estate Enchantment. Perform a ritual to make the house resistant to damage, termites, weather, hail, and mold. Lasts for a year and a day.
Cless picked Hearth Recall. She went around her bedroom, practicing her new household magic. Detect dust and grime gave her a headache. There was filth everywhere. She spent the rest of the day cleaning the room.
> Deferred Stat allocation. +7 Wisdom. All deferred Stat pools are empty.
The next day Vic approached Cless after they finished with the morning routine.
"Cless, could we spend the day in the woods? It is getting really boring at the inn."
"A day? Should I pick you up at dusk? Or do you want to spend the night out?"
"Dusk is fine."
She led them out and released the three in the northern woods. She visited Olson and picked some coin he owed her for the black bear. Back at the inn, Cless picked up the Earth Elementalist spellbook.
It had one spell every four levels, plus spells for the first and the usual twenty-fifth level choice of three. For the first level, Soften. Makes a volume of earth and stone pliable. It hardens back after a time. At the fourth level, Earth Armor. Wraps the caster's body in an armor of earth or stone, depending on proficiency and Magic Stat. Level eight, Spike. Raises a stone spike from underneath a target to impale them. Level twelve, Stone Shape. Get 'em handholds in that wall!
Cless kept making these jokes to stave off the boredom of studying the inane drivel the authors mixed with the spells.
Level sixteen, Earthen Maw. Opens a rift underneath the target to make them fall and bury them when the rift closes. Level twenty, Earthwave. Liquefies the ground and sends a wave crashing away from the caster to knock, push away and damage the enemies. They might end up buried in shallow earth. Probably wrecks structures in the path. Twenty-four, Terrakinesis. Move and roughly shapes large amounts of dirt or moderate amounts of stone.
And we are at Cless' not-so-favorite spot. Pass away two opportunities for nice spells. The first choice, Golem. Animates a big chunk of rock into a lumbering warrior. The second choice, Petrify. Transforms a creature to stone over a span of time. Please refer to volume three for the reversal when it gets published. Third Choice, Earthquake. Want to destroy a town? Reshape the landscape? Earthquake is your go-to spell.
More friends are always better. Cless picked Golem.
Finished with the study of her spells, Cless sighed and pushed the Illusionist and Mage books onto Venaris' side. They worked on making the clothes Venaris designed the rest of the day. Near the end of the day, she returned to the woods and brought the boys back.
During the next days, Cless and Venaris' routine was just like that. Study magic, practice magic, make clothes without needle and thread. They got Vic and Kurt fashionable. Cless got her mannequin to showcase her mother's dress. It felt nostalgic and heartwarming to know that at least that memory of her lived. They also made clothes for Silverfang's wolfkin form. Venaris started practicing Illusion magic.
Cless wondered if she could learn and use magic outside her classes or Skills. She went to ask Karen.
"You can, but it is hard and the effects are lacking," Was her answer. "And it takes forever to increase proficiency. What school of magic are you trying to learn?"
"School? It's Illusion magic."
"Don't bother then. And 'school of magic' is how we call one particular category of magic. From the books in your bookshelf, Illusion, House magic, and the likes would be called schools. Some old wizard academy bullshit," The innkeeper explained.
"Okay. Thanks, Karen. Any news about Balthus?"
"He should be here by tomorrow at most. Unless he found a brothel he liked, then forget about him."
Cless crossed her arms. "That bad?"
"Yeah. Except us, he goes after anything with a skirt."
Cless went back to her room to practice magic. She opened her window and saw the bed hanging from the outer wall, ready for some flowers. The cold air of late autumn blew into the room, making Vic shiver. She took the pouch of dahlia seeds and placed the claw-shaped seeds in the soft dirt. She focused on the Skills she received from the gnomes. The knowledge of where to put the seeds, the spacing, even about the different colors she'd get. After the bed was full of seeds she cast the House magic spell made for plants.
"Bloom."
She had to use it once for each seed. The results were mind-boggling. The spell should only make the plant sprout healthy seedlings. The blooming of flowers should happen only if the plants were already mature. However, the synergy between her two F-rank Skills, the proficiency, and the spell made them go from seed to amazing flowers in the span of minutes.
From deep indigo to a deep red, through blue, yellow, orange, the dahlias filled the bed.
Cless squealed. It drew the attention of Venaris and everyone else both in the bedroom and in the street below.
"Cless! Where did those flowers... Was it your magic?" The gnome asked.
"Yes. And the florist Skill combining with the others."
She looked out the window and saw the people resuming their daily errands. One figure stood. A man in segmented metal armor and some swords strapped to his sides.
Balthus was back. He entered the inn and Cless sat on her bed to admire their bedroom. Sleeping places were made for Vic and Kurt. A bed and a perch. Kurt liked to sleep in a crouched position. Cless had no idea how he was able to stand asleep. Or sleep standing up. Silverfang was her hugging pillow as always. It let Venaris sleep on her own bed.
The two wardrobes were full of outfits for everyone. They soon would need to ask for a walk-in closet if their seamstress antics kept going. Over half the spools of fabric were already consumed. Between the twin desk sandwiching the almost-empty bookshelf to the mannequin with her mom's dress to the flowerbed drinking in the sunlight and gracing everything with color, Cless felt the warmth and calm someone can only feel at home.
She was almost dozing off when a knock on the door interrupted her reverie. She left a Doorwatch spell on her room so she knew Karen was there. She waved a hand to Venaris to inform she'd get it and opened the door.
"Cless, Venaris, and boys. Come downstairs. We need to talk."
She seemed serious, worried. What could it be?
> Name: Cless (no surname)
>
> Race: Human.
>
> Level: 50 ( 1,224,681 / 1,275,000 Exp )
>
> Class: — Dabbler 11 (56,542 / 66,000 Exp ) — Priestess 25 (975,000 Exp / ** )
>
> Profession — Veteran Warmaster 18 (158,689 / 171,000 Exp) — Crafter 16 (Skill) — Farmer 16 (Skill)
>
> Base Stats — Strength: 63 — Agility: 85 [136] — Health: 85 — Intellect: 96 — Wisdom: 40 — Charisma: 46 — Magic: 115
>
> Available Status Points: 66
>
>
>
> Skills:
>
> S-rank: [ Absolute Contract ]
>
> B-rank: [ Succubus’ Kiss ]
>
> C-rank: [ Crafter ], [ Dangersense ], [ Elven Longevity ], [ Eat Anything ], [ Earth Magic ], [ Master Miner ]
>
> D-Rank: [ Trick Shot ], [ Nimble Step ], [ Tinker ], [ Grounding ], [ Dancer’s Grace ], [ Great Leap ],
> — [ Tremorsense ], [ Gemsense ], [ Ore sense ], [ Brownie Magic ], [ Courtier’s Charm ],
> — [ Singers’ Talent ], [ Poison Resistance ], [ Merchant sense ],
> — [ Heavy Handed ], [ Farmer ], [ Druidwalk ], [ Twin Strike ], [ Curmudgeon crafter ]
>
> E-Rank: [ Gravebreath ], [ Architectural Ingenuity ], [ Coin Sense ], [ Weavertouch ], [ Silk Hair ], [ Wanderlust ],
> — [ Giant's Stamina ], [ Hearth’s warmth ], [ Seamstress Talent ], [ Lady’s Countenance ]
>
> F-rank: [ Gardener’s touch ], [ Florist’s Wonder ]
>
> Unkonwn: [ ???? ] x 18
>
>
>
> Spells:
>
> Cleric: — Mending: 50 — Detoxify: 36 — Light: 44 — Turn Undead: 34 — Blessing: 46 — Holy Bolt: 50 — Purify: 47 — Protection: 50
> — — — Hallow: 50 — Flametongue: 30 — Cure: 30 — Uncurse: 30 — Banish: 30 — Heal: 50 — Warding: 30 — Revivify*: 30
>
> Priestess: Censure: 22 — Bulwark: 35 — Mass Mending: 32 — Sacred Dance: 21 — Judgement: 27 — Song of the Accord*: 24
>
> Mage: — Detect Magic: 15 — Mage Bolt: 21 — Armor: 31 — Firebolt: 11 — Icebolt: 12 — Lightning Grasp: 11 — Shield: 25
> — — — Fireball: 8 — Resistance: 14 — Shockwave: 11 — Magic Missiles: 18 — Wind Blade: 17 — ????????????????
> House: — Detect Dust: 32 — Doorwatch: 16 — Prestidigitation: 22 — Never Overdone!: 15 — Touch Up: 17
> — — — Dry: 24 — Repair: 21 — Clean: 32 — Bloom: 35 — Hearth Recall*: 14
>
>
> Earth: — Soften: 16 — Earth Armor: 23 — Spike: 11 — Stone Shape: 31 — Earthen Maw: 6 — Earthwave: 7
> — — — Terrakinesis: 11 — Golem*: 13
>
>
>
> Proficiencies (values under 10 hidden):
>
> Appraisal: Status: 22
>
> General: Prayer: 48 — Reading: 16 — Skinning: 11
>
> Social: Negotiation: 31 — Persuasion: 16 — Bluff: 17
>
> Martial: Leadership: 38 — Intimidation: 44 — Tactics: 34
>
> Weapon: Long Blades: 27 — Unarmed: 27 — Archery: 34 — Maces: 32