“So you know that Storyteller guy, right?” Brian asked Cadence. The two were sharing space in the shade underneath a tree on the outskirts of town. Brian was absently snapping a twig, throwing the pieces idly, while Cadence braided together pieces of the soft grass they were sitting on into a little rope.
“The wandering adventurer that saved my life? Yeah, I guess you could say I know him.” Cadence replied sarcastically.
The response made Brian flush slightly, the look of embarrassment softening his features and making him appear younger than his seventeen years for a beat. “I know that, I just mean… like, he’s been living at your place, right?”
“No.” Cadence’s tone wasn’t quite sharp, but it certainly wasn’t soft either. There had been a time she was closer to Brian than anyone else in Felisen, but things had changed. “I don’t really think he stays anywhere, honestly. I think if he held still for a day he might die.”
“But I always see him up by your place.”
“He’s meeting with my mom, Brian. You know, the chief hunter? To discuss the training? That he’s giving to the hunters?”
Brian scowled. “Don’t remind me.”
“Going poorly?”
“He made me fight Denning yesterday! Denning! He's twice my size, and a higher level too!”
“Aren’t hunters supposed to be above complaining about stuff like that?”
“Well I’m barely a hunter, so I’m going to keep complaining, thank you very much.”
Cadence rolled her eyes. “I’ve got both my gifts now too, remember? Maybe you should start focusing, or I’ll be the one kicking your butt soon.”
Brian huffed, clearly embarrassed. “Whatever.” He winced, turning in place a little to stretch his back. “I think I’m gonna go see Ellie.”
Cadence stiffened a little. She kept her eyes down on her braid of grass. “Ellie?”
Brian blushed again, the reaction a lot more honest than his words. “Yeah. Y’know, uhm, Bridget’s daughter? She’s trying to get her alchemist gift while Storyteller is here. I’ve been uhm… letting her practice her potions on me.”
Cadence felt a flash of jealousy that made her frown, and she thoughtlessly ripped up her braid of grass. “Okay. Have fun with that,” she told Brian, pushing herself to her feet.
“Cadence?” Brian asked, confused by her reaction.
“I’ve gotta go. Some of us actually want to learn from Storyteller,” she told him briskly before storming off.
The boy watched, confused, as she left.
“Ass,” she hissed under her breath.
#
“Okay, now that I have the hunters in hand, we can start on your lessons.” Storyteller told Cadence. His normally dull brown eyes had shifted to bright yellow shortly after they sat down together, and Cadence listened closely.
The pair were seated on the ends of two stone benches at the top of the bonfire hill, facing each other. A gentle wind playfully danced around the hilltop while they spoke.
“Let’s start with the nature of gifts, and go from there.”
“Okay.” Cadence sat eagerly in front of Storyteller. She had always been curious about the unique powers that defined life in the Realm, but always had to content herself with what scraps she could pick up from the older gift bearers in town. Now that she had gifts of her own, and a more knowledgeable mentor than she ever could’ve hoped for, she was excited to finally get some answers.
“So, what do you know about gifts already? That seems the simplest way to start.”
“Well…” Cadence drew out the word thoughtfully. “They’re the form of magic that’s easiest to access, right? Reagents and other stuff that’s been infused with magic is great, but gifts are what actually allow us to use magic ourselves instead of just making things that are magical.”
“Somewhat correct,” Storyteller corrected her gently. “Gifts are not actually a form of magic, but a modification to our souls that allow us to tap the magic that already exists in the world. Do you understand?”
Cadence frowned in thought for a long moment, before reluctantly admitting, “No, I don’t. What’s the difference?”
Storyteller smiled approvingly. “Good. This is the sort of thing some adherents of the Mage spend their lives studying. If you claimed to get it immediately, I’d know you were lying.” The adventurer gestured around them. “Magic is one of the foundational building blocks of our world. You have better reason to know that than most–the entire life cycle of this village is built around the ebb and flow of magic throughout the seasons.”
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“Right.” Cadence nodded along. “My mom told me about that. It’s why there’s the most monsters to hunt and reagents to gather in the winter and spring, but the least in the summer.”
“Exactly. And that is another important trait of magic you’ve been raised to be aware of. Since magic is a fundamental component of our world, it can alter the nature of the flora and fauna that populate the world if it gathers in sufficient density.”
Cadence blinked. “Uhm. I think you lost me. I’m pretty sure we’re still speaking the same language, but I don’t know like… half of those words.”
Storyteller smiled, and for a moment his eyes flicked back to brown. His manner instantly relaxed, and he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Sorry about that. Uhm, let me rephrase… When enough of the magic in the environment, what we call ambient magic, builds up, it can start changing things, giving magical properties to plants and animals and such.”
“Like glintcaps!”
“Exactly.” At some point in Storyteller’s explanation, his eyes had gradually brightened to the eerie shade of yellow again. Cadence was starting to think it was an effect of one of his gifts. Did her own eyes change color when she used Soul Surge? “Glintcaps are a type of mushroom that absorbs life-aspected magic, giving it healing properties. We generally call these magical substances reagents, or imbued materials.”
“The same process that turns a mushroom into a glintcap can also transform other living things, like rodents, insects, or even weeds. Enough of it can even affect larger things like trees and full grown animals. While there are some words for certain types of these beings, like bramble-spawn or dire vermin, they’re collectively referred to as magical creatures, or simply monsters.”
“What does any of this have to do with gifts though?”
‘I’m getting to that,” Storyteller chided Cadence. “What’s important to know is that magic is incapable of changing humans in the same way, thanks to our souls. Souls give us personalities and thoughts and, some believe, free will. In many ways, they define what a human is, as only the most ancient of animals or plants are able to develop a soul of their own. But the most important aspect of the soul is that it acts as a sort of insulation, keeping the ambient magic from altering us the way it can transform other living things.”
“So… our souls are some kind of anti-magic?” Cadence asked. She lifted her hand up to her face, examining it as if she expected to see her soul through it.
Storyteller chuckled. “Not quite. No one is exactly sure why a soul does what it does. It’s another of those questions sages spend their lives pondering. What matters, for our purposes, is the end result. Our souls keep us from absorbing magic, which limits us to working with external sources of magic.”
“Like reagents.”
“Yes, like using reagents for alchemy, or forging weapons using aracite or brannen.”
“So our gifts are a way around this?”
Storyteller’s unnatural eyes glittered. “Very good. Yes. Gifts alter the nature of our souls, allowing them to intake limited amounts of magic in very specific ways. The gifts direct the magic we passively absorb, affecting us through the ten attributes, and trace patterns that our souls use for actively shaping that magic. That is how our abilities manifest.”
Cadence considered her own abilities, and with barely a thought, they both popped up before her eyes.
[Gift of the Wanderer]
Novice level
Experience: 2%
Explore new places and understand the heart of an adventurer to gain experience.
Abilities:
[Know Direction] - Active, Utility - Learn the direction of true north. No cost.
[Wanderer’s Knowledge] - Active, Utility - Learn rudimentary knowledge about any single target. May not work on exceptional or rare targets. Minor Focus cost per use.
[Wanderer’s Mantle] - Boon - Moderate boost to your Stamina and Awareness attributes.
[Gift of the Echo]
Novice level
Experience: 0%
Use abilities on unique targets to gain experience.
Abilities:
[Gift Reflection] - Active, Soul - Copy one gift ability from a nearby target. Gift abilities operate at Novice level regardless of the target’s level. Abilities from certain gifts cannot be copied. This ability has a one hour cool down, but the copied ability is retained until it is used again.
[Soul Surge] - Active, Buff - Increase one attribute by five points. Lesser duration, moderate stamina and focus cost incurred when buff expires.
Soul Empowerment - Boon - Minor boost to all attributes.
Augments:
[Gift Divination] - Wanderer, Echo - Active, Utility, Soul - Learn the gifts possessed by a target. Can only be used on targets your level or lower.
“So that’s what these abilities actually are? They’re just the gifts showing my soul ways to use magic?”
“Just so. It’s a gradual process, which is why you start off with just two abilities per gift. You’ll find that leveling up will both increase the complexity and strength of your abilities, and eventually even allow new abilities to manifest.”
Cadence absently turned over her hand, looking at her wrist, and at the bright blue brands that appeared there as she received her gift. The interaction of the rippling circle of the gift of the echo and winding road of the gift of the wanderer gave the impression of a path slowly meandering towards a setting sun, or perhaps a rising moon. She quite liked the imagery, and its ambiguity.
Suddenly, her head shot up. “But I don’t have four abilities, I have five,” she told Storyteller. “Is that because of my gifts? Because they’re special?”
The tall man waved a hand. “No, not at all. That fifth ability you’re referring to is your augment.” He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, and said, “Gift divination, right?”
Cadence blinked in surprise. “Yeah! How did… Oh. Right. You have the same gifts as me.”
Storyteller nodded. “I didn’t get either gift until a higher level than you, but I’m familiar with the essentials of how they interact.”
“So what’s an augment then?” Cadence asked. “How does that fit in?”
“Well, I told you that gifts are essentially patterns carved into your soul, making channels for magic to enter you. Think of augments as being produced where those patterns meet–they’re different for every combination of gifts, and often represent the most unique and powerful pieces of a gift bearer's skill set.” Storyteller gestured at Cadence’s brand. “Just look at your own. By itself, the gift of the echo is a potent support tool. In a capable, practiced team, it would allow you to always add to whatever the most needed role is. Reflect a caster and you can add additional damage from afar, or reflect a defender to add extra protection for your team.”
“Gift Divination changes that. By combining the utility toolset of the gift of the wanderer with soul-related powers of the gift of the echo, you get an ability that lets you learn about others’ gifts. It’s a simple power, but it turns gift reflection into a potent weapon, letting you throw your opponent’s attacks right back at them.” Storyteller gave Cadence a rueful grin. “It’s not going to be the most useful ability for a while, since you can only use it on people your level or lower, but it’s going to be central to your skillset as you level up.”