Why near Cloven lands indeed. The question lingered in the office, but Livia just smiled greedily at the little dude.
"Because it's where the good land is, obviously.” When Oscar looked dubious she tried to clarify: “Look, you might rightfully consider yourselves lucky here in Salcret, with the rare affinities and strong magic energy you've got–especially in the orchard, and some other nearby places–like that waterfall Kalle was using,”
Oscar knew that level of magic was plenty for training with even the most costly Spells for extended periods. Sure, maybe not everybody in Salcret could have a go at once, but still. The quality was undeniably sufficient.
Livia felt her [Wondrous Ambition] working to help Oscar picture something wholly different from what he’d grown up with. “In Cloven lands such places are a dime a dozen and with even greater prizes as rare as ours here to boot. But I bet those are heavily trafficked,”
Oscar looked at her like she was crazy when the thought of those Cloven riches actually made her trail off.
But her eyes lost the glazed look and she got back on track quickly. “Now, obviously I'm not suggesting we set up our main shop inside their borders, but even if we did commit to something small–it's not like there wouldn't be plenty of secret places left to be found in their realms–we could find somewhere that might be suitable for building something hidden; new valuable locations pop up all the time after all!"
Oscar nodded thoughtfully at that, he was starting to get it.
[No need to share too much yet.]
Livia got back up from her chair again. "That's why we just need proximity, both to them and Dormata,” They both got back to studying the map. “You might be thinking if there were great spots on the human side then humans would already be there… But not so, not on this god's damned continent, where such locations can just spawn within a decade,"
When she looked back at Oscar he had a funny look, the smugly ignorant kind only a fifteen year old can truly manage. "What a weird expression, you know gods aren't real right?"
He was talking like she’d said Santa's damned continent.
He caught on to her offense, and gave her a bit of a sneer. "Oh, sorry, I just mean you might make people think you don't know that, using that expression,"
Oscar knew she might just have the habit of an ancient custom, originally based on primitive beliefs, but when her only response was a glare he decided to just take the opportunity to rub it in: "It would be pretty embarrassing at your age, wouldn't you say?"
Now, it wasn't that Livia was a good god-fearing catholic or anything–she had been raised christian sure, but fantasy in various forms had sort of taken over her good book studies in her latter years.
She still enjoyed the occasional visit to church, mostly for the amazing buildings, but yeah. The bar was probably higher than that for true outrage.
"What would you know about it?" The words still came out a lot feistier than she intended, so she adjusted her tone. "I mean, don't you guys still worship something like,” She hesitated, as she recalled how the books were always rather vague on the details. “The Great Spirits and stuff?"
Oscar had been studying the map closely still, to cover his slight embarrassment at having teased his [Guild] leader, now that he was no longer riding the high of the moment. "Oh, some people do so, I guess; I think mostly other races do. But sure, it's not like we deny their existence, and some people try and help them out for favours, but how do they qualify as gods exactly?"
It was Livia's turn to be stumped. And she wasn't alone.
[Really, I had no idea this era had so few worshippers. I suppose it has always gone in cycles with us Humans while other races are better at holding the faith, but most of the time over 80 percent call themselves the follower of one Great Spirit or another. It was a lot lower in our time too, as you know. Wonder if there is a connection, maybe it’s why this time was chosen by Silversteine’s Spell?]
Oscar kept talking when Livia just looked perplexed. "Well, I suppose they are the most powerful beings around, no denying that. So, many others do of course worship them, but if you ask me I’d figure that’s still not enough to consider them deities,"
“Yeah, you’re right. Back home they’d say they have to be all-powerful, I think,” She said unsurely.
"Yeah exactly, but with us Humans it's more of a peer-to-peer relationship, or a senpai-kouhai relationship I've heard it called in stories,"
That made no sense to either Livia or Mr Beard, but before they could start to figure it out the next words quickly distracted them.
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"Besides, everyone knows the Great Spirits are still growing, what kind of god would do that,"
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Hours later they were back at the orchard getting ready for Operation: Catch a Healer
The words had stunned Livia, but when she asked for clarification, with Mr Beard yelling in her ear about knowledge lost to the ages, Oscar had little more to say.
It was all based on rumor and hearsay, but Oscar was very certain of the truth of his knowledge. Even more experienced and certainly trustworthy folk like Brunner would back him up, he assured them.
It gave them a lot to think about, but the implications were all for later, they had too much to do to get hung up for long on Great Spirits–or surviving Japanese expressions–for long.
Today was the day they established a real relationship with Sten; and the plan hinged on Hyde.
The mosswolf had truly started to become a part of the team, with Roldy finally beginning to bond with him beyond what his Skill [Bond of the Forest] could cheaply provide.
His ‘initiative’ to apologize to Sten on behalf of Livia had paid off, and the two had started bonding over their in common roles of both frontline fighter and aspiring healer, despite how they were fulfilling the responsibilities in different ways, and very different attitudes.
Sten had made it clear, when asked outright, that he was committed to his Class and had no further ambitions as a healer, having given up the chance to be an Aspirant and only finishing up with his last patients at the healer's house. But the sheer desire in his eyes– enough that even Roldy caught on to it–belied the lie.
That was what convinced them to keep the plan rather simple, this was the day Roldy had asked for a meeting to bring Sten into the forest to meet Hyde.
Once he established that Sten was up for it they would simply present it like Harold wanted this to be a start for introducing the growing magic wolf to more citizens in Salcret; and thought it best to start with someone who knew how to handle themselves and would not show fear, but who also wasn't a heavy-set adult who might feel too imposing.
Sten happened to love dogs, and found the idea quite exciting, so agreement was swiftly secured.
While they were alone in the forest Roldy was to act like the successful bonding session between Hyde and Sten was convincing him to bring Sten further into his confidences; as long as Sten would swear not to reveal his secrets for anything but a true emergency.
It all started out well. Roldy's impressive sincerity made the promise an easy one to make, figured Sten.
Livia was staying hidden at the location they’d scouted out ahead of time; while Hyde was now staring intently at Sten–who had started sniffing the air like he was searching–but that was when Hyde pretended to cause the [Quest] prompt to appear.
And its appearance did blow every other thought or suspicion out of Sten's mind, who had taken quite a few shots to the head, without ever suffering such a result, throughout his life.
[Rare Quest Issued: Gather 20 solblooms hidden beneath the snow. Reward: Class Progress. Hidden Objective Available. Reward: Advanced Blood Control–Conditional 14 hour Deadline]
Solblooms were a common but universally useful plant, baked and used in pungent pastes that helped to stop bleeding at home or on the battlefield.
It should be an easy enough task… In the summer. But Sten was not looking deterred.
What would happen next was known only to a few. The prompt only Livia knew the details of, and only Sten could see it.
The seventeen year old almost went rushing into the forest to search immediately, but when the more experienced forester in Harold held him up, to give him some provisions and advice, he halted for a minute.
Roldy spoke in a rush, seeing the eager look on Sten’s face. "Whatever you need to do specifically doesn't matter, just go out there and be a healer and you will come back a man with a new purpose, I'm sure of it," And then we too can grow together, like Kalle talked about back then.
The supportive words were warming but Sten barely heard Roldy speak through the buzzing in his ears.
There was too much on his mind; including how someone could possibly issue a System [Quest].
But the hunt was on.