Before we could get on the road towards the capital, we needed to go into the city to resupply and to check in with the local Guild branch. Bea joined us, but she seemed nervous about going into town.
I decided to spend the walk to the city chatting up a storm with Bea.
I guess that would make her replies a firestorm?
“How do you do that with the fire?”
I studied how to manipulate ambient mana and refined my fire magic.
“What’s ambient mana?”
it’s the natural mana that exists in the world, outside of people’s inner mana. It’s everywhere, but few how to harness it, and even fewer care to do so.
“That’s cool. Why is it so unpopular, though.”
It’s magic that doesn’t get System support, so most mages are better off just making their existing magic stronger than practicing such a niche field of magic.
“Why did you decide to study it then?”
I read about it when I was a kid, and I love studying and research so I just really wanted to try it. And when I was able to start writing with it, it just became an everyday thing for me. Took a lot of practice.
I was having a hard time wrapping my head around it, but I knew it was super impressive. Bea looked a little calmer when she was explaining her magic. Seemed like she was happy to talk about her magic.
“Huh, guess that means you’re pretty unique and awesome then,” I said.
The calmness vanished into her blush as she tried to hide her face with her hands.
When we got to the gate of the city, I was surprised to see Bea pull out a Guild badge.
Huh, and she’s the same rank as us.
The guards checked all the badges and let us in, but that didn’t stop them from glaring. They did point us in the direction of the Guild, though.
I respect them being professional, even if they don’t like us for some dumb reason. I haven’t even done anything yet.
I had thought Oak Ridge was busy, but Freshna put it to shame. As we walked down what looked like a major street, there were people bustling in every direction as far as I could see. Merchants were practically shouting to advertise themselves on the sides of the packed streets. The streets themselves also looked interesting. They were made of very well-paved stone that must have cost a lot in both coin and time. It was a far cry from the dirt roads I had grown up on, but it still looked pretty filthy and worn down. Chips in the stone were starting to show here and there from constant use and an apparent lack of repairs.
Still the faint smell of shit, too. Wouldn’t be a town without it, I guess.
I saw a hair salon on our way, and my heart twinged. I wanted to get my dye so badly, but we only had a silver and 30 bronze left, and we hadn’t even gotten our supplies for the next leg of the trip yet.
I’ll get you one day.
I looked away from the salon to see that Corby and Bea had been distracted by another store. I went over and saw they were selling books.
“They made a sequel to Knights of the Deep?!” Corby asked excitedly.
Two, actually.
“I can’t wait till I can get them!”
Why not get it now?
Corby just looked at her, confused. “Because I can’t afford it, obviously.”
I could get it for you. Bea casted while looking very nonchalant, like she hadn’t just proposed to spend a whole silver for a gift to a guy she just met.
Corby blushed, then shook his head. “I can’t let you do that. I’ll just wait until I can afford it. Maybe a 4th one will come out by then and I can just read all of them back to back.”
Bea looked a bit sullen, but nodded.
That boy really doesn’t do well with gifts. Although, I guess giving up my arms for him probably didn’t help.
We eventually made our way to the Guild, which looked identical to the one in Oak Ridge. The receptionist was a burly human with a thick mustache that reminded me of Mr. Sool, minus the fire.
“Ah, you must be Nymia and Corbin,” he said.
“How did you know?” I asked.
“Grandle sent a fwip ahead to keep me informed. Sounds like you caused quite a fuss up there, eh?” He chuckled.
“But how did you know it was us?”
He stared at me.
“How many armless rabbitfolk do you think join the Guild, exactly? You’re not exactly a hard person to spot, lass.”
Oh. That makes sense.
I stop myself from futilely trying to scratch my head.
Ha! I win this round, dumb arm instincts.
“Anyways, I’m Davie, branch receptionist. I’m told you have a case to turn in?”
Corbin ruffled through his bag and pulled out the completed request, handing it to Davie. He also pulled out our monster harvest from our trip here. Davie skimmed over the items and gave Corby 40 bronze.
He also pulled out the second case we had just received. “The client also asked us to do a follow up job.” Corby then explained the details.
“That works out, actually. I had a party out there investigating mana disturbances, but I haven’t heard back. If you can find them on your way, I’d appreciate it.”
His eyes registered Bea, standing in the back of the room. “Is that lass coming with you?”
“Yup!”
“And you’re already aware of her aura?”
“Yup!”
His eyes narrowed. “Alright,” he grunted out.
Bea looked down at the floor. I was about to say something, but Corby cut me off. “We’ll be on our way then.”
“Good luck. Oh, and one word of advice: you’re better off getting food on the road than trying to buy something in town. Prices are getting crazy.”
“Thanks,” Corby said before escorting me out along with Bea.
I started to protest, but Corby gave me his don’t-argue-with-me face. He always looked like a lecturing parent when he did it.
“Fine,” I relented. Corby and I each had one ‘don’t argue’ face per month. It made life simpler. Bea looked at us with a mix of confusion and another emotion I couldn’t place.
“Sorry about that, Beakim,” Corby said. “Nym has a tendency to put her foot in her mouth.”
“Well yeah, that’s how I eat. What does that have to do with anything?”
Corby rudely rolled his eyes at me. Bea watched both of us and started shaking and her tail began wagging; I could just tell she was laughing. It was like you could see the laughter and joy course through her.
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Adorable.
We made our way to the provisions shop to stock up on water. We were left at 80 bronze after just getting the water. Davie was right about prices; one serving of bread for the three of us would have cleaned us out. That didn’t stop Bea from wanting to buy a shocking amount of food, given the price. I looked over at Corby. No way we could accept food from her that cost that damn much. We gently talked her out of it.
Bea then led us through the maze of a city to the gate we were looking for. The road to the village split off from this main road. I was relieved to get out of the city and back on the road.
We had to go slower than our usual pace. Bea didn’t have a running skill and was clearly not used to running all day. I had offered to let her ride me. My back. Ride my back.
My Best Stat was helping reduce the effect, but the horny aura was still getting to me. It didn’t help that she was super hot. That and the fact that Corby refused to do anything despite ample opportunities and invitations; plus my own inability to help myself on this front. Lots of factors added up to one pent-up bunny.
Regardless, Bea was staunchly against this plan. I still planned on doing it in an emergency, but I left that part unsaid. I’d rather her be angry than dead when she tried to protest or struggle.
To ease my boredom, I spent most of the time working on skills and talking. Echolocation was less useful in such an open space, but grinding the experience and getting some scouting in was still useful.
I was impressed at Bea’s ability to weave words fast enough to read while moving. I did make sure to avoid talking about her past for fear of prying. Occasionally, she’d ask questions of her own.
May I ask the story behind your blessing?
“Crayon let me trade my arms to save that cutie.” I nod my head toward Corby. “He liked my response when I woke up, so he blessed me.”
Bea had a confused look on her face, but Corby spoke up. “That’s her nickname for Cradon, god of truth.”
Bea had a look of alarm on her face.
“Do you not call your god by a nickname?”
Of course not! I wo. Her words cut off as she looked distracted, followed by her shoulders slumping.
Apparently she likes the idea of a nickname.
“See! Your god is Amor…something, right? So what about Amy?”
How cute! I love it!
The voice in my head had the same power and gravity to them that Crayon’s did, but instead of being kind of snide and teasing, it was smooth and alluring.
Right?! And yet Crayon keeps grumbling even though he likes it.
Darling, I must thank you for sharing that. I can’t wait to tease him about that.
See what you’ve done? Crayon voiced his irritation.
Oh don’t be like that, ‘Crayon.’ It’s quite cute.
Grrrrrr.
Oi, if you’re going to bicker, don’t do it inside my head, please. I’m getting a wicked headache.
I turned my attention away from the arguing deities to see Corby and Bea both staring at me.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“You’re smoking,” Corbin said.
“Aww, thanks! You never give me compliments like that!” I blushed a little.
I think he means literally.
Oh. Ugggh.
“Guess that’s what happens when you have a chat with multiple gods in your head. Are my hair and fur okay?”
“Y-yeah, the hair is fine. You were doing what now?”
“Amy and Crayon were arguing. Well, more like Amy was teasing and Crayon was pouting.” A massive chunk of my mana disappeared and my headache worsened.
Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, Crayon.
Another chunk left, but no correction ever came.
You speak of the divine ones so casually.
“Well yeah, they seem kinda lonely and bored. The ones I’ve talked to seem happy to be just treated as people. Maybe you should try it with Amy sometime?”
Bea looked completely bewildered. She hesitated a bit before writing out, I’ll consider it.
Well I guess a smoking head will do that. Then again, her tail is always on fire.
I went back to whistling and sensing ahead of us.
Is that sound magic you’re using?
“Yup! Only kind of magic I had access to that I could do without hands. How do you cast without using your hands?”
I got a skill that made me the conduit for my magic casting.
“That’s awesome! You’re so talented on top of being so gorgeous!”
Bea blushed and hid her face in her hands.
Corby piped up, “Nym, you’re gonna scare her away if you keep gushing over her like that.”
“Oh don’t be jealous. You’re cute and adorable and talented, too!”
I didn’t need to see his face to know he was blushing. I think he was too afraid of the truth aura to retort.
Victory. I am the champion of praise!
We still came across the occasional monster, but Corby and I had it well in hand. I had gotten pretty good at foot stabbing. Bea also chipped in on occasion. Her arcane magic was incredible and versatile. She could shoot lasers that poked through enemies (they didn’t go all the way through the bigger monsters, but it was still cool) and made small explosions.
We made camp, and Bea and I split off to forage while Corby went hunting. I would point my toes at edible things I saw and she picked them.
“So why did you want to come with us so badly?”
The professor has done a lot for me the last couple years, and I wanted to help pay him back somehow. He treats me like I’m made of glass. Bea got fired up.
“Aww, that’s sweet.”
And then Bea suddenly drooped again. Sorry for making myself a burden on this trip for you.
“Not at all! I’m loving having you around. Plus you’re a real powerhouse with the magic.
I was always too weak when I was adventuring. People had to cover for me too often. Bea’s face twisted as she recalled that.
“Having a niche is a valuable thing when you have a party that can cover your weaknesses. But a thing that’s always useful whether you’re alone or in a group is more mobility. Something to think about?”
Bea nodded firmly.
If you really feel you aren’t helping, maybe you could try teaching me some of that magic stuff? I’ve never been great at studying that didn’t involve hitting stuff.”
Bea beamed. I’d love to! No one besides the Professor ever wants me to talk about my research. Could you guys teach me how to fight? Or at least not die if someone gets close.
“Of course; it’s a date then!”
And she went back to blushing.
Ooh, this trip is gonna be so fun. And frustrating. But let’s focus on the fun part. And Crayon, I’m beginning to understand why you think honesty auras are entertaining.
A chunk of mana left me as I got the impression of a smirk.
We got into the pattern of giving her combat lessons at night and her giving us magic lessons during the day. Bea really got into the drills, even if she was a bit clumsy. The sparring was another matter entirely. She begrudgingly accepted that it was necessary to learn, but she really didn’t like getting that close to us. Which made it uncomfortable enough that I couldn’t even laugh when Corbin and Bea would grapple and end up blushing like crazy. We also did escape practice. She was highly motivated to escape being near us, so it was very effective training. It was also the one most likely to be helpful in the long-term. Getting away was always the best tactic for a long range fighter, especially one as squishy as a mage.
Corbin and Bea also got along pretty well. They would talk about their favorite books and characters and other nerdy stuff Corby never tried to talk to me about. It was nice to see both of them smiling and laughing. She was also someone Corby didn’t have to worry over and take care of. It was good for him to have someone to talk to that he didn’t need to constantly help, no matter how much he insisted he wasn’t put out by it.
Bea’s magic lessons were really interesting. Corby also paid attention in case magic knowledge helped him out for future classes. And it turned out it was technically possible for him to cast this kind.
Arcane magic is all about natural mana and manipulating it. You don’t need an affinity to do it because it’s just pure magic with no elemental flavor, Bea explained.
“If it’s pure magic, why doesn’t everyone use it?” Corby asked.
Two reasons: one, knowledge of arcane magic comes from pre-System texts, so very few people read it, let alone attempt it. The second is that it’s very hard. The System is like a shortcut to magic. Rather than directly manipulating magic, it imbues the person with elemental energy, and lets them use that to guide the mana inside them once it mixes together.
This was very much going over my head, but I got the gist: arcane magic hard. Elemental magic easier. But I needed every trick I could manage to get my feet on if I wanted to advance through the Guild. Weak healing and light foot stabs weren’t going to cut it forever.
She had Corby practice just moving the mana in his own body around. He needed to start from scratch. She tried to get me to connect with the ambient mana and tried to explain a bunch of technical words, but I just wasn’t getting it. She was getting frustrated at my dumbness, although she never actually put those thoughts into words. But I kept chugging away at it anyway. No such thing as too much improvement for an adventurer.
Name: Nymia
Age: 18
Species: Rabbitfolk Lv. 37
Class 1: Bard Lv. 17
Class 2: Locked
Stats:
Bonk: 67+4
Zoom: 154
Sturdy: 55+5
Senses: 151
Brain: 64
Mana: 81
Willpower: 135+49
Free points remaining: 0
Class Skills
* Sound magic Lv. 17
* Soundproof Lv. 17
* Story Time Lv. 13
* Good at Word Stuff Lv. 17
* Find stuff Lv. 17
General Skills
* Blades Lv 37
* Dodge! Lv 37
* Barefoot Lv 37
* Sneaky Lv 35
* Stubbornness Lv 37
Species Skills
* Rabbit’s Foot
* Enhanced Senses
* Forage
* Burrow
* Cuddles