Age 6, Day 17
Phases/stages/steps all are a progress from point A to point B. The secluded life I had here at the compound was hopefully about to end with this interview. Although not normally prone to pacing, I walked up and down the length of my room trying to calm myself down. Around 1000 in the morning I heard a carriage pull up the main drive. At the same moment, one of the maids had knocked at my door to tell me the director was awaiting me in the library. Adjusting my clothes one last time in front of the mirror, I proceeded downstairs. Knocking on the library doors was reminiscent of my heart beat, loud and fast.
The director’s voice called out “Logan, come on in.”
Entering one of my refuges of solitude during my time here calmed my body and mind allowing me to take in the vista before me. Centered in the library were the director and two individuals. The lady towered over her husband by a good foot and as I drew nearer various elfish characteristics became more distinguishable. She had a calm assurance about her that emanated nature and further calmed me down. The brown eyes drew me in with a twinkle only for me to see them change slowly from brown into a bronze. Turning to face me fully, I was surprised by the fact that her left arm was missing from below the elbow. Trying not to stare at it resulted in me only staring all the more. It must have been an old wound though, as she just let me look at it. After a couple of seconds, I turned my attention to what could only be her husband. He was definitely human with a square frame about him. Standing five and half feet tall, in his stockings, he seemed to have every part of the room cataloged. During this interview, his back was never to the door or to a window for longer than a minute or two. Watching the two of them interact was great because she seemed to calm him down while he added a bit of the now to her longevity.
We each took a seat around a coffee table and began going over the basic introductions. She was Linsette, a Master Enchanter and the Royal Librarian of Solaris. He was Marion a trained warrior and leader of the Royal Wolves a mercenary group. They had met during a summer campaign seven years ago. The story went that his group was hunting goblins in the caves of Blacktop, a mountain roughly 4 weeks travel due west of here. As they were fighting a second squad of goblins surprised them and cut him off from his group. He continued to swing his dual knives around never letting go of hope that he would regroup with his friends. She came in and threw an area stun with several area charms. After being saved by her timely arrival, he succumbed to her charms and began to follow her around like a lost puppy. While their respective groups slaughtered the remaining goblins, he did nothing but gaze at the heavenly being that had rescued him. For the next 2 hours he followed their group professing his love to the elf. No one could understand why the charm spell would last so long and attempted several dispels on the warrior. Finally, she asked that he reveal status to her alone to see what was spell had affected him. To her astonishment there was none and his magic resistance was so high there was no chance that he could have succumbed to her charm spells. It took several more weeks of him following the elf about before she succumbed to his unrelenting pursuit and agree to marry him. They posted bans at the nearest church, notified their families, and were wed a month later. After a honeymoon to the Isles, they formed the mercenary group Wolves and started taking jobs. Two years later, their skills as a mercenary group were known throughout the land and were so famous the King had given them a commission. Long story short it was to kill a Black Dragon. That fight was where she had lost her arm. Upon returning to the King with the evidence of the kill, the King granted each member of the group royal favors. Linsette decided to use her Royal Favor to become the Royal librarian since her adventuring days were over. Marion used his favor to add the Royal tag onto his mercenary group. One might wonder why he chose to do that, but he could now charge triple the amount for each commission that came his way and the quantity of requests poured in from across the land. However, the one thing they didn’t have was a child to pass on their legacy to. It was possible to for an elf and a human to have a child; however, it was extremely rare. Hence they jumped at the chance to put in a request to adopt a Transferee.
“Thank you for sharing your story with me. You might wonder why I chose you as potential parents to me, let me explain. One your resume was down to earth and wasn’t embellished with titles and wealth. You explained yourselves and talents. Two, I saw the librarian portion and jumped at that. I love books and to have someone that could assist me in researching this world would be outstanding. Third, not to leave you out sir, but a mercenary leader will give me the martial training I will need to survive as I explore your world without the rigidity of the army. So, you can see I am being partially selfish in my choosing, but I would like to join your family. Before you ask, if you should have a child in the future, I will not take his/her inheritance. All I ask is that you train me and aide me in this world, and I in turn will be a supportive son. In time I hope that we can see each other as a true family.” With that declaration, I awaited their response.
“We can understand a selfish outlook. When someone has traveled like you have across the universe to start anew, wanting to set your feet on a familiar track is commendable. We extend the invitation to you to join our family. Be our son, and let us share our world with you.” With those words, Marion stepped forward with a hand outstretched that pulled me into a bear hug. My mother glided forward, planted a kiss on my forehead, and welcomed me into her world.
“Umm, thank you. Before we go on with the official paperwork there is some things you need to be aware of about me. I already have a class and currently I am level 9 Grand Beast Master.”
The director was surprised at that. He knew I had a class and had previously received some levels but to have gained four additional ones since that debacle four months ago was shocking. My parents seemed stunned as well, but recovered quickly.
“Before I explain exactly what had occurred, shall we go out to the stable there is someone I would like you to meet.”
Arriving at the stables, we didn’t have to travel far as Erebos’s stable was immediately on the right. Originally, he was offered an open stall in the middle, but once some of the more skittish horses caught a whiff of him the stalls were re-assigned. I peeked over the stall to see if Erebos was within, but there was no sign of him.
“Okay, folks just a word of warning, Erebos is up to his usual tricks, so be prepared and watch the shadows.”
“Shadows? Is that why you have two of them?” said my very observant father-to-be.
Stomping my foot to shake Erebos loose I stated “Come on out slowly Bos, don’t what to scare the folks.” With that Bos slowly coalesced into view. In the last four months he had grown slightly reaching about 4 feet at the shoulders and was close to 250 lbs. He had definitely filled out. The steady source of food and the consistent leveling had done wonders for his body since I found him cowering in the ravine.
My future parents took one look at Erebos and were astounded. “Is that a shadow bear” my mother asked “I have read about them in the library, but have never seen one in real life. I thought there were confined to the main continent.”
I gave them the shortened version of what had occurred and decided to show them our stats just to help them understand a little about us.
Status WindowNameErebosAlignmentNeutralAge2Level15ClassSpectreRaceShadow Bear (Elite)Strength70Vitality65Agility30Luck8Wisdom31Intelligence31Health (Vitality*10)650Health Regen ((Hp/100))6.5Stamina ((Str+Vit+Agi)/3*10)550Stamina Regen (Sta/100)5.5 sp/minMana (Int*10)360Mana Regen (Wis/10)3.6Critical Chance.08%ResistancesFire0Heat0Ice0Cold0Poison0Venom0Dark15%Light-5%Nature0Wind0Racial Benefits-Receive 6 points per level
-Low light vision
-Dark Resistance: 15%
-Light resistance: -5%
-Dwarven Relationship: SuspiciousSkillsDarkness (Beginner lvl 7)The ability to control the shadows around oneself to augment fighting abilities.
Absorb shadows within a radius of .7 meters
For every .1 meter absorbed: strength increases by 1%, agility decreases by 1%
Cost: 7 mp/minShadow (Beginner level 6)The shadows are your friend, shadows will absorb and conceal you. Any movement will cancel your concealment.
Cost: 60 mp
Status WindowNameLoganAlignmentNeutralAge6Level9ClassGrand Beast MasterStrength40 + (.4)Vitality45 + (.45)Agility80+ (.8)Luck31 + (.31)Wisdom50 + (.5)Intelligence72 + (.72)Health (Vitality*10)455Health Regen ((Hp/100)*2)9.1 hp/minStamina ((Str+Vit+Agi)/3*10)555.5Stamina Regen (Sta/100)5.55 sp/minMana (Int*10)720Mana Regen (Wis/10)5.05 mp/minCritical Chance3.1%ResistancesFire0Heat0Ice0Cold0Poison0Venom0Dark-5+ (.05)Light0Nature20 + (.2)Wind0Racial Benefits-Receive an additional point to Vitality per level
-Health Regeneration is doubled
-Low light vision
-Nature Affinity and Nature Resistance: +20
-Dark Resistance: -5%
-Elven relationship: Friendly
-Dwarven Relationship: Suspicious
-REQUIREMENTS NOT METBlessingsDo to being of the Aos Si race you are favored by the Aspects
Blessing of the Aspects: +1% to all stats and resistancesSkillsSummon Familiar (Beginner lvl 5)Due to forming a bond with a familiar, you are able to summon a familiar to your location once a day. All XP will be shared evenly between your familiar and yourself whenever you are within 5 km of each other. At later stages, multiple familiars may be summoned. If your familiar should die, it can be resurrected by sacrificing the XP equivalent to its level. WARNING: you can lose levels by resurrecting a familiar.
Summon period: 23 hrs 62 min 48 sec
Cost: 250 mpCall of the Wild(Beginner level 2)Due to your ties with nature, you are able to call animals to your aide. Any animal that hears your call within a 1km radius must be of Good or Neutral alignment and will be teleported to your location. WARNING: If an animal should die in response to your call, infamy and loss of XP will be applied in correspondence to the level of the animal.
Number of Animals: 2
Duration: 64 secs
Cost: 100 mana per animalAura of the Familiar(Beginner lvl 8)Due to the close bond with your familiar, you can gain a portion of your familiar status and resistances.
Percentage: 2%
Cost: 6 mp/minJumping(Beginner level 5)The ability to jump higher and farther, obtained after many attempts to jump over and across objects. Each level improves by 10%
Jump distance = 95 inches
Jump height = 48 inches
Cost=25spSkillsClimbing(Beginner lvl 4)The ability to climb higher, carry heavier weights, and support oneself, obtained after many attempts climbing trees rocks. Each additional level adds 10 lbs
Climbing weight = support your own weight + 40 lbs (105 lbs)
Climbing type = need full hand/foot holds
Cost=5sp/minImagination(Beginner level 7)The ability to imagine scenarios in greater detail and see it play out before you.
1 Scenario at a time
3 components (people, time, scenery within 10 feet)
Duration: 7 minute
Cost=1mp/secRunning (Beginner Lvl 4 )The ability to quickly get from one point to another.
Run distance = 1 miile
Run time = 15 minutes (1 level = 16 seconds)
Cost = 5 sp.minFirst Aid (Beginner Lvl 2)By applying cloth to an open wound you have learned first aid. You are able to seal minor cuts and abrasions with bandages.
1 hp/min reduction per level. (Bleeding out at 3 hp/min apply first aid now bleeding out at 1hp/min)
Cost = 40 sp and 40 mp
“Impressive, we thank you for sharing your status with us. To reciprocate your trust in showing us your information, with your mother’s permission, we will share our status with you as well.”
Their information was astounding to look at. Marion was level 121 Knife Master and Linsette was level 94 Enchantress. Each had outrageous amounts of health and mana. I am talking in the thousands for Agility and Intelligence/Wisdom. Marion’s skillset was definitely based on agility and there were several things that caught my interest. The ones I wanted to aspire to learn were dodge projectiles, knife throwing, stable footing, and battlefield awareness. The skills that Linsette used that also called out to me were aura affinity, enchantment, and reading comprehension. These were definitely the people to learn from in order to progress in this world.
Saying goodbye to Erebos, we headed back to the main building to fill out the obligatory paperwork that would list me as their adopted son. Why is it that no matter where you go humans insist on paperwork to make things official? I mean here they have these marvelous avatars that form communications links between friends and relatives acting as a 24/8 journal collecting data to be stored in etheric cloud. The means and ways they do this is beyond my current understanding, but one would think that the administrators of this world would utilize that to their benefit. I guess they were too stuck in their ways to transfer over to this storage cloud.
After the final i’s were dotted and the t’s were crossed I went and collected my belongings from my room and headed out the front door. Looking around that lobby, I thought back over the past year and realized that I would miss this place. But onwards and upwards. The compound staff had all gathered around the entrance to say farewell. Goodbyes were always awkward for me, so I shook hands and said the usual “Miss you, keep in touch.” However, Veronica and the Director were the two that I took the most time to say goodbye to as they impacted the most. Those two I would miss and would try to keep in contact with through our avatars.
Securing my gear in the rear of the carriage, I climbed in and sat next to Marion. Leaning out the window, I waved one last time as the carriage rolled down the cobbled path to the north gate. Erebos trudged alongside the cab huffing to himself and sulking that he couldn’t get a free ride with us. After consoling with promises of honeyed treats and succulent morsels of food I turned my attention to the countryside passing by my window. The road lead in a northeastern direction and was well used from the constant traffic of farmers, merchants and peddlers. Other than my escapades in the ravine I hadn’t really seen the world for its sheer beauty. The countryside was a mixture of tall oak trees, leaves vibrantly green, interspersed with cultivated fields of wheat and oats. The further we traveled the more indications of civilization became evident. Jamus had explained to me that the compound was set up so that if any mistakes should happen in the transfer, Solaris would be unaffected. Hence the 21 mile distance from the capitol.
My adopted home was on the far side of the capitol along the coast. The property was purchased as a place for Linsette to recuperate after her encounter with the dragon and loss of her left arm. It was thought that the tranquil site would be the best way for her to come to terms with her loss and come up with a plan to move forward. As we headed to this place where I too would be able to come up with a plan, I peppered my parents with questions. “How big is the property, would Erebos have room to hunt, when can I get to the library, when will I be able to go to the mercenary hall?” Each questions was answered with a smile and twinkle of the eye, but the final question shocked them I think.
“Why do you want to go to the Mercenary Hall so soon?” asked Marion with a puzzled look on his face.
“Aren’t places like the Mercenary Hall where individuals go to enhance their skills and learn from other Mercs?” I responded.
“Yes they are but nobody applies to a Hall without first gaining a class and that’s usually after their first year at the Academy.”
“But, I already have a class that I know almost nothing about. I have no skills in any weapons. Erebos is a powerhouse compared to me, but I have no idea how to utilize that power. I can think of several things that will enable me to improve myself, but that will be experimenting with forces I might not be able to control.”
Each argument I brought up seemed to chip away at their resolve until finally, Marion relented. “Okay, okay, how about this. On your tenth birthday you will come with me to see the guild master and you can persuade him to let you become an apprentice. Until then you will learn from your mother either at home or at the library. During that time I will personally train you in the use of whatever weapon you are interested in so that you won’t have to rely on luck the next time a Jimmy comes along.”
Linsette nodded in agreement and consoled me by saying “It’s okay young one to want to learn a profession as soon as possible. However, first you must build a platform to support your dreams. Over the next four years I will work with you on enchantments, the use of magic, tailoring, and cooking. All of these will be vital to your survival if you want to become a mercenary.”
Just then the carriage driver opened up the partition and called down “We are approaching the manor, sir.”
With that all conversation ceased allowing for me to look out and see my new home. It was nothing grand, but had a nice secluded feel to it. On one side was a nice little cove and on the other side was a heavily wooded forest. Pulling up in front of the house I saw three individuals come out and line-up in front. The first two seemed like the stereotypical help. He was probably an outside type either a gardener or a hunter. She was mostly likely a maid. However, it was the third person that caught my attention. It was an elderly lady (greyish hair, slightly plump, and the biggest smile you have ever seen), and I swear she reminded me of someone. Each was introduced to me by Marion as I disembarked.
“Logan, I would like to introduce you to Lional our groundsman. If it needs fixing or built he is the one to come to.”
“Sir.” He stated with a slight bow and head nod.
“This lovely lady is Joan our maid. She is in charge of the house and its upkeep.”
“Sir, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” She stated with curtsey and a smile.
“And finally, the one lady who keeps us all happy and running smoothly, Julia our chef.”
“Oh posh, I just cook the grub and you are crazy enough to eat it. Now little one, anytime you are hungry you just come on down to the kitchen and I will whip up something tasty for you.” With that statement and just her overall cheeriness, memories of my dear old grandmother came to mind. I reached out and gave this kind old woman a hug. I guess it was a shock to her as much to me, but she wrapped her arms around me and returned the hug. As I backed away, I am sure I had a tear in my eye “Sorry for that, you just reminded me so much of my grandmother and her down to earth spirit.”
“Ahh, that’s okay dearie, if ever you need a grandmother you can come to me, whats one more amongst the dozen I already have. Come on then let’s get you some food, you must be starving after that road trip.”
She wasn’t lying, my stomach was growling louder than Erebos when someone came near his honey. I bounded towards the door in anticipation of the meal ahead but came to a screeching stop. “What about Erebos, can he enter the house?”
“As long as he behaves and conducts all his calls of nature outside, he may enter. Furthermore, Joan is not responsible for cleaning up after his messes. If and when there is something that needs cleaning you are responsible with regards to Erebos.”
“Not a problem, he says he is more than willing to stay outside and patrol the grounds. Is there anything that he needs to stay away from?”
“Lional, I leave that to you?”
“Yes young one. Behind the house we have a several pens for goats and pigs as well as a chicken coop. If he stays along the edge of the pathways and doesn’t linger nearby anyone of them he should be fine. Hmm, if master doesn’t mind I might have a job that the bear would be perfect for.”
“Later Lional, you are keeping a starving boy away from his dinner.” Linsette interjected.
When mother speaks, all conversation ceases, and we headed inside for dinner. After that glorious first meal at the manor, I went to bed stuffed with pheasant, potatoes, bread, and vegetables all smothered in a brown gravy. I knew I was home.
Age 6, day 17
As the dawn light streamed through a window, a feeling of disorientation came over me. Where was I? It took me a couple of minutes to groggily figure out that I was in my new bedroom. Shoving the blankets aside, I grabbed my clothes off the floor where they had haphazardly landed last night and struggled into them. Guess I was going through a growth spurt. After checking myself in the mirror, I proceeded down into the house to see if anyone else was awake yet.
“Morning, Logan.” Marion called out to me as I wandered into the kitchen.
“Good morning, sir. Am I the last one up?”
“Yep, but don’t you worry, your still young in body and need the extra sleep. Your mother and I have spent a lifetime in the field getting up before dawn. Our sleep rhythms have never fully recovered.”
“There you are Logan, come and help me place the food.” Said Julia sliding the last egg onto a plate.
Just one whiff of cooked eggs and buttered bread got my stomach rumbling and I ensured the food was on the table in record time. After a Marion said a quick thanks to the Creator, we began to eat and plan out the day.
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“What your mother and I were thinking was to take you into the city and get you some new outfits to replace the schools uniform. While we are there give you a quick tour of the Library and Solaris so you can start acclimatizing yourself to our routine. And maybe get a few toys as well.”
“Toys??” I didn’t want to seem rude, but I hope he wasn’t thinking about getting me a stuffed animal, hula-hoop, or whatever equivalent this world had.
“You’ll see.” Marion laughed cryptically.
After breakfast, everyone spent a few minutes getting prepared and then we headed out the door. On our way out I saw Marion strap his daggers around his waist and tuck a few more around his body. Marion must have seen my questioning gaze “One must always be prepared. No matter what you plan, the plan will go awry once you come in contact with the enemy.”
“So, I just have to make sure I am the enemy.”
“Nice take on that, but yes we should always be prepared. There hasn’t been any attacks or robberies along the coastal road in over a decade, but better safe than sorry.”
“So, how often do you go into the city?” I asked.
“Every day weather and health permitting. Marion normally takes his charger in around 0732 in the morning and I the carriage around 0800. Both of us have duties to perform and its best that we both have means to accomplish them. For myself, I need to have the library open by 0900 so that the Magi/wizards/merchants/ and the rest of the curious folk can have access. As we spoke of yesterday, until your tenth birthday you will be assisting me at the library with errands and further education. There will be plenty of time for you to roam the streets. I, for one, don’t want you to view the library as a place you have to be, but rather a bastion of knowledge where you want to be. Only a few citizens come to access our knowledge and usually it is for the betterment of themselves or to steal something from someone else.”
“If I am to aid you at the library, will I have to ride the carriage with you as well? Not that I don’t enjoy your company, it’s just that I am used to getting a long distance run in the morning and I don’t know where I can get it in with this new schedule.” The request burst forth without much control and by the time I was done I was almost out of breathe.
Marion laughed out loud “I do not see a problem with you running to the library; however, there will be stipulations. One: Erebos will be with you at all times. Two: never leave before I do, so that I can sweep the road for anything out of the ordinary. Three: you will always be armed. Do we have a deal?”
“Deal.” I extended my hand to seal the deal. With the deal concluded, I sat back and watched the capitol grow in size and splendor before me. The best way to describe it would be a horseshoe that extends out into the water. The walls were massive standing 16 meters tall and made of blocks that were easily 2 meters on a side. The towers rose another 8 meters above the wall and ballistae could be seen sticking out ready to reign fire and brimstone on any would be attackers. The blue and gold pennants wave majestically in the wind beckoning travelers to come and see the wonders of the Capitol.
The final stretch of road before the city gates was packed with merchants and travelers seeking to conduct their daily business within the city. As we waited in line to enter the gates, I kept a hand on Erebos collar to ensure he didn’t become startled at the bustle and noise. Truthfully, I think this was the most people either of us had seen since I had arrived on this planet.
“Welcome to Solaris, the brightest jewel in Sunhaven. Do you have any contraband to declare?” the centurion called out to the driver.
“No contraband to declare just Marion, captain of the Blood Wolves, his lady Linsette, the Royal Librarian, and their adoptive son Logan with his familiar Erebos.”
“Captain Marion, good to see you again. No hard feelings for the drumming the city guards gave you at the summer festival?’
“None at all Lucius. Next year we will get you. Now my boy needs a pass for his familiar so that he can walk around the city and not get hassled by the guards.”
“Not a problem, here you go Logan this is for your famIILLLARR!!” Lucius voice rose into a high squeak as he looked in through the window and saw Erebos yawning on the floor. “You could have warned me it was a bear. Here is the pass and get out of here before you give me a heart attack.”
Once we were out of ear shot, we all burst into a fit of giggles until we looked at Erebos curious face and then it overflew into laughter. “Thank you for that. Lucius always acts high and mighty after each festival. Just because the city guards have won the annual tournaments for the past 2 decades doesn't mean he has to rub it in our faces. One of these days, a merc team will win.”
With a final laugh at Lucius’ expense we pulled up in front of a massive building. “Behold the library of Solaris. Within these walls lies the history, the philosophy, the religion, the pontifications of madmen, the elucidations of lawyers, the remedies of healers, the words of the masses stored here ready to be read. The combined knowledge within these walls would take someone several lifetimes to understand and learn.”
Hearing Linsette’s voice talk about the wonders of her library would make anyone’s heart swell with pride. That heart was quickly deflated upon entering the building. Instead of a vibrant place of learning it was more of a mausoleum. There were books galore; the library stacks were filled from floor to ceiling, forming a convoluted maze. But there was no one there.
“I sense your confusion Logan. What you see is what I described, however, it is a status symbol.” There was a slight hint of frustration in her voice ”When the King’s family first arrived here he donated his collection to the city to help the masses. The nobles and sycophants around him saw what he did and tried to one up each other by donating their collections as well. So we have a lot of books, but no one is interested in reading. The lower classes don’t have the time to read, and the upper classes only come here hope to find something to blackmail another family.”
“That’s okay, I will use this place to my heart’s content.”
“Let me give you a quick tour. Are there any specific topics you would like to learn about? I have a couple things that you might want to start reading up on if you don’t.”
“I don’t know where to start. Probably something on the Aos Si race, something about familiars, and something about Shadow Bears.”
“All good topics, but I am afraid I have nothing on the Aos Si. Their art and literature disappeared from the world several centuries after their demise. There might be one or two books in personnel collections, but nothing within this library. As for your other requests, they I can grant.”
As we were walking, she handed me book after book. Thankfully she had the foresight to give me a backpack to put them all in. There was Thomas’ treatise Ursian Population of Aether, Familiarization of the Familiar by Frederick Finch, Enchantments by Elrond, Healing Applications by Nurse Nightingale, Energy by Alber Tein Stein, and others. All told I had 16 books that covered a gamut of information. “You are to read these each day, and at the end of each day you will discuss three things you have learned. This is not a punishment. Simply put you gain knowledge from reading, but unless you learn how to apply it and verbally explain it to others you will not gain wisdom.”
That was the missing piece or a least one of the missing pieces I had been looking for over the past year. Sharing of information leads to wisdom. One has to postulate an idea and then defend it to show understanding.
“Logan, come along now. I will show you to the reading room. This is where you will spend most of your time each morning. From the time you arrive here until lunch time you will spend your time reading, during lunch we will converse on the various topics you have learned or have questions about. After lunch you will have free reign to explore the city before you need to be back here to help close up at 1800.”
“Sounds like a plan, ummm, do have one question? Where are the chairs?”
“My gift for you. Anytime you are in here you will read standing up. Once you read a full 4 hours without having to take a rest, you will progress to the next level.”
“Why standing? Wouldn’t it be easier to just read in a chair, that way I would retain so much more information?” I was curious what she was thinking.
“Magic in general is tied into the body, and your fitness both mentally and physically. If your mind is trained but your body is weak the first protracted battle you fight could result in your death. My training regime will progress through five progressively harder levels. The first is simply standing while reading, the next is reading on one leg for 4 horus, the next is standing on a swing to simulate unsteady surfaces, from there it is back to a single leg, and the final level is various distractions including wind, loud noises, and temperature changes. It may seem odd and out of the usual, but all combined should give you several skills vital for a caster class. Concentration and balance are what hopefully the Creator will grant for your hard work. Not to mention the added bonus of various stat boosts to your core strength/agility. Let’s go we mustn’t keep Marion waiting.
“Now that you have seen the cerebral side of the family, let’s go somewhere a little more hands on. Remember those toys I promised you? Well, we are going to a blacksmith friend of mine who used to be in the Wolves. He should be able to assess the best weapons for you. Through his observations over the years he has compiled a database of races, classes and weapons. I swear there isn’t a weapon or race that he doesn’t know. Be warned he is a dwarf and does not take kindly to elves or in your case Aos Si. So be respectful and mind your manners.”
Dwarves, a solitary race, were rare in Sunhaven and I would soon have the chance to meet one. In order to meet him we had to travel east towards the harbor. Meandering down the various cobblestone roads we arrived outside a stone building. From within I could hear the steady rat-a-tat-tat of a hammer against some metal. The interior was full of flickering shadows cast forth from a white hot forge. Entering the confines of the blacksmith slowly we watched patiently as the smith delivered several more blows to his craft. A change in the light must have clued the smith into our presence as he quenched the rod into a bucket of water and set it aside.
“Marion, what brings you here to my humble establishment?”
“Hephaestus my son is in need of a suitable weapon and who better than you to come to for aid.”
“Come here boy don’t be shy.” Stepping into the light revealed my face and my ears to the dwarf who then loudly exclaimed “AN ELF, Marion what were you thinking, I tolerate your wife due to our friendship, but you are asking me to arm an ELF.”
I had to quickly interject before it got out of hand. Calling out in Dwarvish “Greetings keeper of the forge, may your hammer strike true, and your fire never go out. I am Logan sept Marion o Linsette of the Aos Si. I seek the knowledge of the ancients to arm myself to battle the unknown.”
“May you find the vein you seek and you profits be bountiful. Well, his dwarvish is terrible, but his manners speak volumes. Let me see, stand over here, I need to take some measurements.”
Over the next hour Hephaestus measure, prodded and ask questions. Apparently during his adventuring days he had come across a tome in an underground cavern that would allow someone predict height, weight, arm/leg length, and combined those into a useful spreadsheet.
“Age 6 years old, Height 54 inches, Weight 75 lbs, Arm length 20 inches, Leg Length 28 inches.”
“What is your class? Grand Beast Master, hmm okay, what familiar do you have? A bear will most likely be best suited to be a front line pet. That relegates you to a supporting role. Wait right here.” He then proceeded behind a partition and returned with two pieces of wood. One barely 6 inches long while the other was 5 feet long. Without saying a word he handed each one to me and observed my reactions.
“According to my calculations you will reach a height of 78 inches with an arm length of 30 inches, and legs reaching upwards of 42 inches. Those measurements will allow you to have a great range when combating opponents as you will be able to reach most opponents before they reach you. Reminder in combat every inch matters. Now what I have here are two facsimiles that represent a dagger or a spear. Each has their advantages and disadvantages. Since your familiar will be doing the attacking a spear would allow you to reach into any openings available but still keep a safe distance. Another key aspect is that you can use it to keep your foes at bay until assistance can arrive. A serious drawback to that is you are vulnerable up close so a backup weapon would be advised. On the other hand, the dagger is an up close and personal damage dealer as your father can attest. They are quick and designed to take advantages of weaknesses in your enemy’s armor. With them you will always have to be in the thick of things preferably attacking their back while their attention is diverted. Take each of these and see what you are comfortable with and then we will arm you appropriately.”
Of the two the one that appealed to me the most was the 5 foot staff. Just holding it my hands I knew there were many possibilities that could come from it. A javelin, a quarterstaff, a spear, a cane, glaive, or a plethora of pole-arms that could be made from this simple piece of wood. The dagger facsimile felt okay in my hand but I think my right hand dominance from my previous life influenced my decision. Dual daggers would be the way I would have to go, but I always had trouble using my left hand. Looking back at this I wonder if I had chosen the dagger would I overcome the mental block that much sooner?
“I choose the spear. I like the range and multi-purpose aspect of it. Sorry, Marion I knew you were hoping for me to take up the knife, but I have always had a fascination with pole arms.”
“You heard my boy Hephaestus, spears it is. I will need 1 dozen iron practice spears, 1 steel spear, and 1 spear to leave here with. Also, can you send Logan’s measurements over to Clotho and tell her I requested a leather brigandine, preferably that can be adjusted as he grows.”
“Fine, fine, I will and I will cut you a deal. 15% off the regular elf price.”
“Hephaestus!” Marion started to arch his back and reach toward a spot high up on his right shoulder. It seemed he was reaching for an old injury by the way he was acting.
“No, no, no, no, no. Don’t you dare bring that up? You didn’t have to shove me out the way and taken the cross bolt. I would have seen that Orc if it wasn’t for those pesky kids and dog running past.” Hephaestus tried to argue his way out, but Marion simply started pantomiming another injury to his side.
“Fine, you win okay. You get the family discount, now get out of here and go bother someone else.” He shooed us out of the blacksmith
The rest of our time in the city was spent going from shop to shop acquiring various clothing and necessities for me to live comfortably.
Age 6, Day 30.
Twelve days is what it took for me to successfully stand in one place for four hours while reading a book. You think standing in one place is easy for any amount of time try to support a 3 lb book while you are at it. That book can give a work out the long you hold it up. Not to mention the aches you feel in your feet just supporting your own body weight. But perseverance is the key and I wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. I left the reading room to find my Linsette to tell her of my accomplishment. She was in the garden getting ready for our lunch time discussions. Today it was going to be on enchantments.
“I finally did it, I went the full four hours standing without taking a break.” I am sure I was puffing my chest out at my accomplishment.
“Nicely done, and what enabled you to endure.”
“Three things: Legs should be shoulder width apart to evenly distribute my weight, keep my mind busy with reading, and finally place the book against my body to support the weight. Also, my strength and stamina went up by 2 each.”
“All are correct ways. The next stage for you is to read for four hours on one leg. This means that it needs to be 4 hours on left leg and the next day four hours on right without the other foot touching the ground once. When you can do both come back and tell me.”
“Yes ma’am” I replied meekly.
“On to our discussion on enchantments, please tell me what you have learned.”
“Enchantments come in two categories: the Enchanter class (enchants both animate and inanimate) and the enchantment skill (only inanimate). Of the two the enchantment skill is easier and more widely learned as no class change is required. Also, the enchantment of inanimate objects allows for an easier path for energy to flow.” I began to recite the information.
“Wait, expound upon the energy flow.”
“Enchantments are energy that a caster sends out from himself or herself as the case maybe. An inanimate object is something that an energy field that is dormant. Imagine if you came across stones in a pile. They are doing nothing; if you exert energy you can create a building out of them and giving them a purpose. Now take an animate object. A human’s energy field is in constant flux no discernable pattern. In order for us to enchant someone we would have to first get permission from them. Or if we exerted a greater force and overcame their energy we could thus enchant them. That greater force would align their energy field with ours. I like to think of it like a field of wheat or corn. A breeze won’t affect them greatly, but if a steady wind or a tornado came through a change will be seen.”
“Close enough you may continue.”
“To enchant one inanimate object another inanimate object is required. The primary tools for enchantments are metals and stones. As one advances through the ranks the use of different substances becomes easier.”
“List the Progression and the amount of materials per level.”
“Beginner – 1 stone or metal, Apprentice – 2 stones or metal, Intermediate – 3, Journeyman – 4, Master – 6, Grandmaster – 8. Since I am not an Enchanter the farthest I can go is to the Intermediate level.”
“Correct” For the next two hours Linsette would quiz me and ask questions. I could be mad that I was stuck inside learning and basically going through a college level education as a 6 year old, but I enjoyed every minute of it. That first week I think I gained at least one point of wisdom every day. That growth slowed to 1 per week by the second month allotting me 63 points of wisdom that year.
Age 6, Day 31
Today was supposed to be a rest day, but nobody told Marion that. This morning when I had come down stairs, Marion wasn’t in his usual spot at the table. Upon asking Julia, she merely waved at the doors leading to the courtyard from where a steady grunting could be heard. I grabbed a roll of bread and went out to see what was going on.
Lo and behold, my spears had arrived and Marion was testing them out on a hale bale. His stood with his left hand centered in the middle of the spear and his dominant right hand towards the butt. His legs were slightly spread with the left foot forward. He seemed to collect his breadth and then exploded out at the bale with a large yell. With that yell he thrust with his body adding momentum as his body twisted into the thrust and his right hand extended. It was one smooth motion from beginning to end.
“Logan, did you see what I did there.”
“Yes sir, I did.”
“Good, you are lucky the mercenary hall requires us to maintain at least Beginner status in the standard weapon sets. I will be able to show you the basics and guide you until you are ready to become an Apprentice.”
“For now you are to perform that thrust a thousand times each day. I do not expect you to accomplish this readily, but set it as a goal to obtain. On average our recruits take 4 months to continuously thrust a thousand times within a 31 minute timespan, almost 2 seconds per thrust.”
Age 6, Day 245
I had become stymied in my pursuit of both my parents tasks (spear work and balance), as well as, my daily running. My routine was pretty simple: run to the library each morning, take a quick swim at the harbor, go to the library read my assigned books, travel back in the carriage with Linsette, and spear work until dinner. Everything was great with the exception I could not overcome the Beginner to Apprentice barrier for running, balance, and spear. Thus, my runtime was stuck at 13 minutes 48 seconds per mile, I could balance for three hours without wavering but not for four, and I could only bust out 800 thrusts in 30 minutes. What was I doing wrong?
“Come on Erebos, let’s see if we can beat Linsette into the city today.” Summoning him to the courtyard with a mental command. Saying that I was going to beat Linsette’s carriage to the city was my morning challenge, but she always passed us at the three mile mark. However, today felt different. I thought back to my days running track in high school and tried to remember some of the forms that I did for long distance running. Granted that was going back 90 something years, but surely Coach Threson instilled something that I was forgetting: posture, stride, or equipment. Outside of equipment, I was resolved to change up my run today to figure what I was missing.
Starting off with my normal stride I headed down the road waving to Lional who was leading the sheep to a new pasture. After three minutes of running, I was sufficiently warmed up to start experimenting. First off, I monitored my breathing. Short quick breathes, breathe in on the left and breathe out on the right. It sped me up but I tired quickly as my stamina drained rapidly to the point where I had to stop running to regain my stamina. It wasn’t until I began to breathe in on the one foot take three strides breathing out on the other that the stamina bar stopped draining as fast, especially when I alternated between feet. Score one point for the home team.
Now, to focus on my primary means of locomotion, my feet. In my previous life, sprinting was my forte; however, a constant sprint over long distance will not be beneficial. So, I didn’t resort running on my toes. Paying close attention to my feet made me realize I was running on my heels.
“I’m an idiot.” I gave myself a slap to the forehead not realizing sooner. Erebos lumbering along besides me just shook his head. For the past year and half I had been running around on my heels. I should’ve known better but I got lazy and ran by rote. Within a few steps, I combined both my breathing and stride and entered a surreal mindset. It wasn’t until I was covered in a cloud of dust caused by Linsette's carriage rumbling by that I shook myself out of my zone. A beautiful thing had occurred, I was at the 3.5 mile marker and I had gained an upgrade to apprentice in running. Footwork was the key to my troubles.
Later that day, I applied the same analysis to Linsette’s balance training and to Marion’s spearwork. For Linsette, I tried moving the un-supportive foot into various positions in front of me and behind me, all the while varying heights. Once I placed my foot up against me knee did I succeed in obtaining an optimal position of balance with my arms centered and clasped before me. Four hours later, I succeeded in passing the first day of her training.
As for Marion, I found that the positioning of the foot was vital, but it couldn’t be static like my balance training. For the spear the foot needs to have a dynamic aspect throughout the thrust. An attack must have a Point of Origin (not going to use POO). Up to this point, my point of origin was centered on my waist. By twisting into the thrust my waist added a slight increase in power to my attack. However, I was not getting the fullest range possible and the return to neutral stance was delayed. Thinking logically through the problem, I found that by adding a step forward by the leading foot allowed for a greater range. The lead foot also acted as the return mechanism pushing me back to my neutral stance allowing for me to attack again.
The main thing that I learned to day, outside of footwork, is that this world would not give its answers easily. My adopted parents might have set tough goals for me, but they were confident that they were surmountable. I look forward to whatever training they can give me over the next couple of years.