Jeb stopped by the Library before he went home.
“Hello Jeb,” the Librarian said, “what can I help you with?”
“I was wondering if I could get a list of Identification Skills and how to unlock them,” Jeb replied. Being able to see other people’s Classes seemed like it would be a useful Skill, and Jeb was sure there were plenty of other Identification Subskills that could help him.
Pages flashed through the Librarian’s eyes, though far fewer than normal. “I’m sorry, Jeb” he said, “the Identification listing is restricted to Tier Seven and above. Were you looking for that list for some particular reason, though?”
Jeb thought about that for a moment. “Mostly I was just hoping for a Subskill like you or the Bard has, so that I could see what Class other people have. I don’t have a great justification for that, it just seems like it could be a fun Skill to have.”
The Librarian grimaced. “Jeb, I’d appreciate if you don’t spread around too much that I can see Classes with my Skill. It’s a special evolution that my Class offered, and it’s a part of why I’m working here. It is interesting that the Bard has a similar Skill, though. Did you notice how it worked?”
Jeb cocked his head.
Seeing his confusion, the Librarian continued, “I’m not sure if you noticed, but my eyes flashed with pages when I read your Status Sheet. Most Identification Subskills have some physical manifestations when they’re activated.”
“I haven’t noticed that for either of my Subskills,” Jeb replied.
“Oh, congratulations Jeb!” the Librarian said. This time Jeb saw the pages flash for an instant as the Librarian looked at his Status. “Interesting. Soil Savvy makes sense as a Subskill, I presume your grandfather taught you that?”
Jeb nodded, “I learned it last week,” he replied.
“But Improved Glyph Groking, hmm,” pages blurred by, “interesting. How did you unlock that Skill?”
Jeb paged back through his Notifications. “So it became Improved Glyph Groking because I had Glyph Groking and Identification. I unlocked Glyph Groking as a Synergy Skill between Mana Manipulation and Spell Glyphing.”
“Ah, I see,” the Librarian said as pages flashed through his eyes. “That is a previously attested combination. It hasn’t come up in a while, though, so they’ve taken it off the Standard List. What made you try for those two Skills?” The Librarian seemed more interested in Jeb than he was used to.
Sure, the Librarian had always been polite and helpful, but it always came with some amount of professional detachment. Now, however, it seemed like Jeb was receiving all of the Librarian’s focus. That made his next answer all the more embarrassing.
“Honestly, I unlocked those Skills by accident. I was trying to learn Least Move Earth (Efficient), because I was curious what was so inefficient about the Glyph I knew. The next thing I knew, a day had passed, I had four new Skills, and I had unlocked the Glyph. Then I realized that the Primer had listed that Glyph as an example of how higher Tier Glyphs weren’t necessarily more powerful. So I guess the answer is that I didn’t try for the Skills, they just sort of happened.”
“Interesting,” the Librarian replied. “I still can’t give you the general Identification Primer, but there are some old Skill Guides relating to Glyph Groking, Mana Manipulation, and Spell Glyphing if you’d like any of them. Also, you mentioned that you unlocked four Skills. What was the fourth?”
“Oh,” Jeb replied, “I unlocked Meditation early on in the process, which I think is what helped me focus on the Spell Glyph.”
The Librarian chuckled at that. “Of all of the people in this world, Jeb, you are the one I think least needs the Meditation Skill.”
Jeb remembered the classes he’d had with the Librarian, where he didn’t notice that everyone else had left because he was still working on an arithmetic problem. “That’s fair, and more or less what my family said too,” he admitted. “I’d like the Guides, I guess, though I’m not sure when I’ll have time to look at them.”
“That’s totally fine. As long as you aren’t sharing everything in the books I’ve lent you,” he gave Jeb a pointed look, though what it was pointing to, Jeb couldn’t say, “then as long as you return them eventually, there’s no issue. I doubt that we’ll have anyone else unlocking Magic and waiting around here in the near future.”
“Thank you again!” Jeb said, taking the Guides the Librarian had gathered.
“Any time, Jeb. Sorry I couldn’t get you the Identification Skill Guide.”
Jeb left and started walking home.
“More books, Jeb?” his mother asked when he came back inside. “I thought you were meeting with the Bard?”
“I did! But then I was wondering what other Identification Subskills there are. The Librarian couldn’t give me that book, but he did have Skill Guides for some of the Magical Skills I’ve unlocked.”
“That makes sense,” his mother replied. “Remember that you’re starting with your Aunt tomorrow, though.”
“I do!” Jeb was excited to get Pollination and Brewing. They seemed like Skills that would help him no matter what he ended up doing.
In his room, Jeb started to practice the lute again. He set up the metronome. When he was trying to decide on a tempo, he looked to see if the Lute Method Book had any advice.
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When working with a metronome, it is best to start at a slow tempo and slowly build speed, rather than starting too fast and developing bad habits.
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That made sense to Jeb, so he put the metronome to its slowest setting.
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This might be a little too slow, Jeb thought, realizing that the slowest setting had a beat every two seconds. He turned it up to slightly slower than he remembered from his time with the Bard. That was a comfortable tempo where he really felt like he could play the scales well. As he did, he decided to try playing the scales with the different emphasis patterns that the Bard had taught him.
To his surprise, the scales started sounding much better when he did that. As Jeb started to practice scales and picking, he remembered the Meditation Quest. He focused on the beating of the metronome, almost releasing control over his fingers as they played up and down the lute.
The steady rhythm was lulling him deeper into Meditation, but he could tell that he wasn’t gaining very much from playing the scales at that tempo. Still focusing on the beat, he adjusted the metronome to start playing faster. In what felt like a few moments, he was completely comfortable with that, so he adjusted the metronome higher. As that new tempo became easy, Jeb tried doing both scales and his picking patterns at once. It took a little bit of adjustment, but he quickly figured it out.
That process continued until Jeb realized that the sun was shining on his face. Looking out, he realized that it was nearly time for dinner. He’d apparently spent the entire afternoon playing lute.
Jeb went down to dinner, noticing the looks on his family’s faces.
“Jeb,” one of his aunts said, “did the Bard give you some magical trick?”
“Not that I know of, why?” he responded.
“You just sounded much better today than you had the past few days. Not that you’ve sounded bad, of course, just that today you sounded, um, nicer.” She trailed off at the end, realizing how her comment might be taken more as an insult about his prior playing than a compliment about his recent practice.
“Thank you! He taught me about rhythm and dynamics,” Jeb said, trying out the word he’d read in the lute primer. “I didn’t realize how much of a difference they would make, but I almost feel like I’m making music now.”
“So Jeb, what’s your plan after you get the Lute Skill?” his Aunt Esther asked.
“The Bard told me to meet with him to discuss the next step, which I think is learning Singing. After that, I’ll apparently unlock the Musician Synergy Skill, and then the Bard said we can start on Bardic Magic.”
“That makes sense. Thankfully, Brewing is a fairly easy Skill to get. I’ll only need you for an hour or so a day, and it can be any hour, honestly. Of course, more time will help you get it faster, but I’m not in a rush if you aren’t.”
“Thank you Aunt Esther!” Jeb replied. The rest of the dinner went fairly normally, and Jeb went back to his room.
He set the metronome a few ticks slower than it had been and started playing again. Just as he was realizing he needed to put his lute away and start getting ready for bed, he got the Notification he’d been waiting for all day.
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Congratulations! Due to your efforts to learn the instrument under the tutelage of a Master Bard, you have unlocked the General Skill: Lute Playing.
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New Skill unlocked, Jeb put his lute away and went to sleep.
Jeb’s Status Sheet at End of Chapter:
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Jeb Human Age: 16 Class: Least Mud Initiate Level: 1 Experience: 619/100
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Total Statistic Load: 126 Physical Load: 59 Strength: 15 Dexterity: 8 Endurance: 17 Vitality: 15 Presence: 4
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Mental Load: 67 Intelligence: 21 Willpower: 20 Magic Affinity: 15 Mana Depth: 3 Charisma: 8
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Mana: 260
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Glyph Attunement: 8 Least Conjure Water Tier 1 Spell Least Shape Earth Tier 1 Spell Least Hold Earth Tier 1 Spell Least Create Earth Tier 1 Spell Least Destroy Earth Tier 1 Spell Least Shape Earth - Efficient Tier 3 Spell Least Move Air Tier 1 Spell Least Create Fire Tier 1 Spell
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Skills: Least Mud Magic Meditation Mana Manipulation Spell Glyphing Improved Glyph Groking Gift of Gab Running Identify Soil Savvy Animal Handling Fertilizing Lifting Athletics Lute Playing
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Achievements: Focused Meditator Student of Magic
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Quests: Major: Slay the Dragon of the West (Progressive)