I walk down the street bored. Ilo and his wife are talking with Molly about something. Arthur had to go back to Baseline for something a couple days ago leaving Molly here to finilize certian things. Crassus also left soon after the will was read. Not that I'm complaining he's never been a nice person.
In total it has been five days sence the will was read. Making this the second day of Stemgrow. Stemgrow is one of three months that make up the year. The first is Plantseed then Stemgrow then Haverstmoon. Each month has one hundred and twenty days, but a day or two is added to a certian month depending on what holiday is comming up. Like you can imagine the calender is based on farming letting farmers know how on time they are.
I'm walking up the road away from the train station. The buildings stopped a couple of dozen feet back now its just small segments of grassland surrounded by dense forest. Truely everything on the east coast is forest just the segements we humans have cleared of trees is grassland. The sun beats down from the sky overhead doing a little to warm the suronding area. I see another small pack of mushmen walking down the street this one with about thirty members. I walk by it scaring the pack slightly.
"Times like this I almost wish school wasn't closed for break," I say peering over the landscape something catching my eye. Down the road aways a merchant cart glisens in the sunshine. Yes! He's back!
I run down the road waving my hands in the air. The merchant sitting on the cart with his hands on reigns that are wrapped around a pair of red donkeys sees the sight and laughs slightly. He is an old man with a long silver beard and grey eyes. He wears a hide shirt, hide pants and hide boots all the same color of tan brown. He also has a large straw hat that covers the majority of his face.
"Mr. Johnson," I yell hoping thats him and not some random merchant.
"Ahoy there lad," he yells back waving back with one hand."I have no idea who this young man is, but if he's comming for a good trade have at him," he mumbles to himself.
I skid to a stop by his cart. Its filled with stuff that's covered by a white tarp.
"Hello there young man," Mr. Johnson says laughing a little,"What can I do you for?"
"Do you have the Grimoire that we placed an order for?" I ask,"you came by a couple of weeks ago and said you would look for one."
Mr. Johnson nods thinking."I do have a grimoire and other magical related items, I'll still need to collect a finders fee of course, but tell me the names of the people who preordered them."
My body goes a little cold."Jim and Samatha they used to run the store in town."
"Correct let me go get it real quick. I'll need two silvers for the holding fee." Mr. Johnson says loosening the reigns on his donkeys. Then he crawls over to the back of the cart and pulls back the tarp reaching in. I scour my pockets pulling out my coin bag. My family(aka my sister) only let me withdraw twenty five silver. More than enough to pay, but I wish I had more. Yeah yeah I know rich kid problems.
I loosen the top part and take out two silver. Mr. Johnson pulls out a thick book that makes me gulp. Its a dark brown with torn edges and takes two hands to grip.
"Silver first," he says stepping off the cart and walking over to me. I hand him the silver and he hands me the grimoire.
"Thank you, what did you mean by other magical items," I ask holding the book close to my chest with my coin bag still out. Showing that I had plenty of silver still left.
"Oh wands, staffs, robes and cloaks that help regenerate mana quicker. Limited supply you see got to be picky who I sell too." He says leaning against the cart.
"Limited population to sell to," I say pulling out five silver,"and wouldn't you rather have more silver before going into a town, be easier to trade."
"Hmmm true more silver is always appriacted, but profit is profit and most of the items pertaining to magic are somewhat expensive." He says gesturering with one hand.
"I'd imagine," I say growing tired of saleman banter. I was raised in a merchant store so I know how to make deals and talk to people relatively well. Both my parents aquired the speech skill, anaylize skill and the calculations enhancement skill which after a while let them both get the merchant class. In simple terms they were very good at making a sell and buying good material and they liked it alot. I never really got the liking part down so I think I'll start talking numbers now.
"Well they can't be too expensive because you would never be able to sell them. How about ten silver for a staff and cloak."
"I was thinking more along twenty silver." He says.
Yeah not happening.
"I can go up to thirteen," I say.
"17, and I'll let you upgrade to a robe."
I bite my lip doing the math. I have twenty three silver now minus seventeen will give me six and I still have one hundred seventy five still in the bank. I can afford this it'll hurt though.
"Allright I accept," I say counting out the silver.
"Nice I'll go get them real quick." Mr. Johnson nods his head and goes back behind the cart reaching in. Finding the staff and robe quickly he hands them to me after I give him the seventeen silver.
I put my coin bag back in my pockets and wrapp my arms around the robe and staff. Along with the grimoire this stuff weighs a ton.
"Thanks Mr. Johnson," I say my face somewhat blocked by the stuff in my arms.
"No problem lad. Hay are Jim and Samatha running the store today?" Mr. Johnson ask climbing back into his seat.
"Uh no." I say feeling uncomforable,"there was an accident a few weeks back and they um they didn't make it."
Mr. Johnson goes stiff then slackens a bit."Really?"
"Yeah, wasn't anything they could do for them."
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"Huuhhhgg," Mr. Johnson sighs leaning back in his seat."Thats a shame they were good people. Real good people." He's quiet for a few moments then tells me something."Lad let me tell you something. In this world death waits around every corner. You just have to be strong enough to fight it off for as long as you can. And sometimes," Mr. Johnson looks up at the sky his wrinkled face with a sad expression,"thats not even good enough."
He pulls the reigns on the donkeys making them start walking again.
It takes me awhile to move my feet. What he said sounded sad and defeated. I hope I'm not like that when I'm old.
I go and walk into the woods. The robe sliding against the grass. I don't go in far only a couple of trees in. There I sat my newly aquired grimoire and staff on the ground. Now with my hands free I examine the robe. It's brown with a weird gleam to it along the edges. The gleam is a light purple and can barely be seen. I wish I had the analyze skill it can tell you the basic information on inatimate objects. I look over the material checking to see if there are any critters on it. It passes the test and I decide to put it on. It smells like old wood.
Pulling my arms through the arm holes I wonder how I'm supposed to tie this when there isn't anything to tie it with. Then to my amazment once one side of the robe overlaps the other it just sticks in place. I own magic items for five minutes and I'm already stumped. Doesn't matter now its time for the good stuff the grimoire. I pick a random tree nearby and make myself comforable. Picking up the grimoire I study the cover. It's brown with artistic markings drawn all over it. The center is marked with a circle with the name of the book embolded with dark letter on it.
Beginners Journey To Magic Volume One
I grin excited. I turn the first page inmersing myself in the words.
Introduction
The study of magic is a broad field of study. With many distinctive ways to use magic it is often confusing for newcommers to pick which field to study. This first book in a three part seriers hopes to educate you the reader on the basics of magic society. Though it is a collective consenses among every magic user that spells should not be shown to the whole populace given the dangers of an untrained mage. I will provide the reader three non compatant non threatening spells that can only be seen after you read the enterity of this book cover to cover. Now lets start the education.
Chapter One First Steps
You have just discovered you have mana. Even with the small amount that currently resides within you it makes you a possible mage. The first thing in order is to explain what mana is. Mana is the force that moves through the world supplying the living things and all non livings with power. As of now it isn't entirerly clear how mana operates around the world on a large scale but on small scale the effcts are noticed almost immediatly. For beast mana is regenerated by pulling it from the world, the same is true for humans, and then immediatly pushed into the body strengening it considerably. Humans on the other hand cannont subconsciously put mana into their bodies, but can consoiusly if they study a certain feild. A young human who has mana will not even notice it unless they have an upserdly high amount.
So for humans to cast a spell they must consciously think about it and understand it. So logically humans with mana need a large mentality stat to understand and control high level spells. But, the mentality stat in no way hinders or exells mana regeneration of mana storage. To be clear someone with one mentaility can still hold ungodly amounts of mana, and get themselves killed if they tried using it. But back on the topic of mana more importantly the way it works in the human body. Mana is exorbed into the body, by an unknown means, which is then stored in the center of the chest. The exorbtion or the Mana regeneration rate varies widely among people. It has been notice over several studies that more than ninety percent of mages can completetly refill their storage in one day or less. The last ten percent usual had a very high mana storage.
Now the last part of mana in the human body is mana storage. Mana is stored in the center of the chest with more mana it takes up more of the body. The storage of mana is the easiest part of mana to increase like a muscle the more you use it and the more of it you use the higher amount you can obtain. Mana storage is also shown by the color of your mana. Though not a clear tell tale it does give a range on a mages storage.
Purple (25-100)
Blue (101-500)
Green (501-2500)
Yellow (2501-10,000)
Red (10,001-50,000)
Pink (50,001-250,000)
Silver (250,001- 1,000,000)
Any mage can see another mages mana color, unless it it hidden by a magic item at which a mage can only see the mana of the item.
Now with that out of the way I will explain a young mana possesers body. Mana effects the human body in a variety of ways. Even if the reader has only just discovered they have mana you will find that you share the most basic of these effects. Strength you have never been very strong or it has been very hard for you to gain muscle. You can see a little bit of glow on some things but you can't tell what it is. And finally after you finish reading this sentence you'll find yourself pissing your pants. Fear.
"HUUUGHHH!"
........
[Mama's Inn]
Molly sits down at a round table near a corner with Ilo and his wife facing her.
"I don't understand why you're being so difficult," Ilo says leaning back in his chair."You know only a few city states have a good mage program and Baseline isn't one of them."
"The school doesn't worry me what worries me is the way you'll raise him." Molly shoots back. These three have been going back in forth for days on where Cobon should go. Molly wants him to go to Baseline and Ilo and his wife want him to go with them to their city state.
"What do you think I'll do bring him to a brothel. He will be given the best food the best clothing and the best education. And unlike you I have maids that can look after him everyday." Ilo says his voice raising.
"You never cared for him when you lived here whats changed," Molly shoots back.
"I was eighteen and was more focused on seeing the world and he was TWO. Things are diffrent now." Ilo is becoming increasingly agitated.
"How about we let him deside," Ilo's wife says shocked like it was unheard of,"sense it is his life we are discussing."
Molly and Ilo look at each other agreeing distastefully.
"Where is he?" Ilo ask looking around the inn.
"He left the moment you three sat down to talk," the inn keeper Mama an old lady with curly brown hair tells them rolling her eyes."With the way this conversation is going I don't blame him."
Ilo lets the remark slide.
"I'll go look for him," Ilo says standing up."He is more than likely walking around the woods somewhere, thats where I went when I was his age." He leaves the inn leaving the two women to talk with awkward silience.
Eventaully that gets boring so Ilo's wife starts asking Molly some questions.
"Why is it that both your brothers seem to dislike you," she ask Molly.
"Because I dislike them back," Molly says coldly,"No the real reason is because they are just like father. Liars and cheaters who can't stay loyal even if it cost them their life."
Ilo's wife laughs."And you think that makes them terrible girl you must be blind. You've been in Baseline long enough to know that there are more evil men than your brothers."
Molly sits in anger her face getting bright red.
"Oh don't get mad dear I'm just telling the truth. And back on the topic of Cobon what will you do with him if he decides to go with you. You can't be with him all the time and I doubt you have a nanny."
"Arthur's family would be willing to take care of him," Molly says trying to make her point.
"Oh a family you've known for a year vs the one you have grown up with, wow awfully trusting are we." Ilo's wife jabs at Molly her eyes squinting slightly.
"Why do you love him," Molly ask trying to fight back,"my brother you know he's cheating you have too."
"Know! Hell if it wasn't for me he wouldn't get half the woman he shags," Ilo's wife laughs hasterically,"And its simple the reason why I love him is because if a fire burns down everything we own he'll still be there helping me shift through the ruble."