Chapter Text
I stared at my teacher for a few seconds, waiting for him to elaborate. He stared right back, his gaze even and unbreaking. When it became obvious that no explanation was forthcoming, I felt a slew of questions slowly build up on my tongue. In my confusion, none of them made the journey from my brain to my throat, and I was left standing there stupidly. Eventually, his eyebrow twitched upwards, and the ghost of a smirk crossed his features. I was thrown for such a loop that I didn’t even expect the message that appeared, making me twitch in surprise as I read it over.
A quest has been created! Accept? Y/N
The First Task
Your new teacher Rhett wants you to pick out a tree from the nearby forest and chop it down using any means necessary.
Completion Reward: 300 EXP, Rhett Bond +2, Recipe: Basic Wooden Staff
Failure Penalty: Rhett Bond -5, 10% Chance to lose Rhett as a Teacher.
“I’m quite sure that you heard me,” he declared from my periphery, and I felt my face burn like a hot coal. I cleared my throat and gave my head a single shake to dislodge my brain from the lock of confusion it had gotten caught in. I hastily pressed ‘Accept’ and shot him a quick thumbs-up.
“R-right! Going!” I replied as I nodded once, turning around and setting off into the sunlit trees at a brisk pace. Get it together, Oliver , I chastised myself as I stepped into the forest proper, leaving the small clearing behind me and looking for a suitable tree. So apparently, I’m making a staff, if the rewards from the quest are any indication? So maybe something kind of thin, and small enough for me to actually chop down and carry alone, I reasoned to myself, using Far Sight wherever I could to try and spot an appropriately small tree.
As I searched, I reread the quest window, which was pretty much the same now that I had accepted it, though I did see that it had a little field that said ‘Trees Chopped: 0/1’ above the list of rewards. Seems like if I ever have a quest with more steps, my system will help me keep track of it , I noted with relief. Though my memory was improving slowly as I gained more points in INT, I preferred to not have to rely on my less-than-perfect recollection when I didn’t need to.
Speaking of memory… I thought before Scanning my new Title, eyes flicking from my screens to the forest around me as I walked a little deeper.
Wizarding Apprentice: A title given to those who have taken the first steps towards learning the ancient art of magic.
Gives +10% skill EXP for learning Magic-based skills.
Increases maximum MP by 10% and MP recovery by 20%.
Decreases MP cost of Magic-based skills by 10% and increases the MP cost of other skills by 50%.
I stalled my next footstep as I reread the window, frowning a bit at the last line. Seems like this will be awesome for when I’m learning magic, and not much else , I observed, already thinking of ways to fit it into my current vague schedule. All of my non-magic skills costing an extra half was absurd, but I chalked it up to the fact that the Title was only for an ‘apprentice’, so I figured I would probably get a better one when I became a master or something. It was a very focused Title, but I was still excited to try it out when I had some magic.
Technically, Sleight of Hand is ‘magic’, it’s just not, like, the usual arcane blasts and fireballs I’ve come to expect from a wizard. I wonder if it benefits from Wizarding Apprentice’s effects? I mean, maybe , I reasoned. Still, I’ll just wait to try it out until I’ve got something a little more ‘wizardly’ I can practice too.
I nodded slightly to cement the idea in my mind, and suddenly looked around, realizing I had gotten stuck in my own head and had just been walking in a straight line, keeping myself from running into anything but not really seeing the forest around me. I groaned in frustration at myself, resolving to turn back and just pick from the trees on the way back. It was right when I started turning that I saw my foot about to catch on something, the surprise of it almost sending me sprawling on the grassy forest floor. I hopped backwards, looking down, and froze when I saw a stick at my feet.
Or, kind of a stick. It was certainly long and wooden, but there were very deliberate carvings up and down the bulk of it, with a worn scrap of leather tied around the center. Right where I would hold it , I realized, and felt myself grow a bit excited. Maybe I can use this staff instead of chopping down a tree. I mean, the end result is the same, and it would save me so much time! I smiled happily, and bent down to pick it up. Just before my fingers grazed it, though, I paused, and reconsidered. Even though I wanted to take the easy, obvious solution, there was something altogether too convenient about this thing’s appearance, and I cursed myself for my initial naive response.
What are the odds that someone just abandons a wooden staff, in this modern world, in the middle of the woods, directly into my path, while I’m looking for a tree to turn into a staff? I shook my head and glared at the staff, muttering ‘Scan’ suspiciously.
Staff of Apparition
An old staff of cedar wood, carved with runes. Can be used to freely create or alter illusions that are almost perfectly lifelike.
*Caution: Cursed.
Inflicts full-body numbness to unattuned handlers.
Charge: 16/300
Breaks upon reaching 0 Charge.
Currently Attuned to: Rhett Buristan
My eyes narrowed further as I read, my suspicions confirmed. “Rhett…?” I murmured under my breath. I turned around and took a step in the direction that I thought my house might be, but stopped short when I realized that I was already next to the clearing. I blinked in confusion, turning around to the staff, only to see Rhett standing there, spinning the staff idly between his fingers and smiling softly.
“Uh… Rhett? What the hell?” I demanded, throwing my hands upwards to gesture towards the nearby trees. He shook his head, and softly bonked my head with the tip of his staff before I could react. Ignoring my indignant yelp, he spun the staff around his hand once again, gesturing to the forest with his free hand. I cocked an eyebrow at him, shooting him a silent question, which he promptly ignored. Clicking my tongue in frustration, I stomped away from him and resumed my search for a tree.
That stupid ‘ mysteriously silent’ shtick drives me crazy! I fumed as I looked. I hurried my way around the area for a few more minutes before deciding on a target. The speed of which I found a good subject for staff-making this time just pissed me off further, since I figured I probably could’ve been done with this chore already if I had been paying proper attention the first time.
The tree was a lovely and young oak, with a few branches, and foliage that barely reached above my head in height. I took a second to test its strength, finding it sturdy but still pliable, and I promptly descended like a panther, muttering all the while about the stupidity of the so-called ‘lesson’. Ash flashed to and fro as I took out my aggression on the poor plant, severing all of its tiny limbs with a few timely Vital Strikes, before cutting straight through the top and bottom of its trunk with Song of Steel, my blade’s strong vibrations only serving the purpose better as it went through it like a chainsaw.
Panting for breath and weakened from the great amount of MP I had just burned through, I grabbed the trunk of the newly mutilated tree and hoisted it into both arms, sending Ash into my inventory with a thought to free up my hands. I grunted as I lifted it to my torso, and slowly started making my way back to the clearing, debating if it was worth it to use my Pathos to calm me down now that the objective had been accomplished. In the end, it was a quick glance at my MP bar that rendered the idea purely academic.
MP: 22/150
I sighed in frustration and exhaustion, making sure I had Survivor equipped. It was a marvel that I was even still standing, considering I had torn through pretty much all of my Mana in a few moments, but I chalked it up to a combination of anger and pettiness driving me forward, plus my decent Vitality stat.
Eventually, I made it back, and I felt my mood even out a bit as I caught a whiff of a sweet smell in the air. Looking through the remaining trees, I spotted Rhett sitting next to the array of materials, a pair of roughly-hewn cups and a crude teapot sitting on the grass in front of him. I stepped into the clearing, a small bit of shame and guilt coloured my cheeks as I saw that both cups were steaming and he was looking my way with a patient expression. I… probably overreacted…
Flopping the dismembered tree down besides the materials, I murmured a quiet “Thank you” as I sat down beside the other cup, deciding to Scan its contents on a whim.
Rare Herbal Tea
Main ingredients: Mint & Rosemary
Consumable. Gives +300% MP regeneration for 10 seconds after drinking.
I took a slow breath in, closing my eyes as I waited for him to speak. The scent of the tea filled my lungs, tickling my throat but leaving my mouth watering from its rich, sweet aroma. As I opened my eyes and brought the cup to my lips, gently blowing on the liquid inside, he spoke.
“I apologize for the trick I played on you. I understand that it may have been… a bit difficult to read into,” he remarked dryly, and I gave a solitary chuckle in response. He smiled softly, his features softening a little, and I looked up to meet his eyes. “I have a reason for everything I will ask you to do, no matter how silly or unnecessary it may seem. That said, I know I was the one who set a pretense of seriousness, only to pull what may have seemed to be a prank immediately after. I did not expect you to be so quick to anger, which is something I expect you to work on.”
He paused and gave me a pointed look, and I glanced to the side as my face caught alight, unable to hold his gaze at the moment. I gave a short nod in response, and I heard him take a short sip of his tea. I followed suit, enjoying the taste and the heat of the drink as it washed down my throat and filled my sore muscles with a tingling sense of relief. My eternal headache still pounded away, but the spices of the tea soothed it slightly, and I sighed in relief as I felt my body perk up both from the tea itself and from the sudden rejuvenation of my MP.
“However, in the midst of you savaging this poor tree— a perfect choice of oak, might I add, wonderfully done— did you consider why I pulled that trick on you?” he continued, and I glanced up at him. I paused for a second, looking down in thought as I considered his question. The answer was obvious (of course I hadn’t, I just got irritated) but I was thinking about it now. Why do that, indeed? He said he has a reason for everything, I assume that means this too , I reasoned. Maybe… It was some lesson? But what could I possibly learn from finding his old staff? Unless… But wait. It was an illusion staff, or something, right? I looked back up to my teacher, my confusion growing, and I saw a gentle smile form on his face.
“What… was the staff about, then?” I asked, my desire to learn outweighing my petty reluctance to ask so directly. His smile widened and he nodded to me.
“Very good. Though I don’t want too many unnecessary questions, it is best to simply ask when something during my lesson is unclear, though you may not always receive a very direct answer,” he responded, making me flush with a small bit of pride and nerves. “The staff that you saw in the forest was never truly there. Or rather it was only there for a brief moment. When you decided to Scan it, I had to quickly slide it into its proper place so that you would not see through the illusion instantly. I admit, I had kind of forgotten about the comprehensiveness of your skill, which I vow won’t happen again.
“The reason for the illusion in the first place was a simple test of character. I was following you the whole time, you see, merely altering the illusion so that you would wander in place close to the clearing, thinking you were now deep in the forest. I waited until you realized that you were wasting time, and then I placed an illusion of my staff in your path, to see if you would take the easy way out and grab a pre-made staff, or if you would follow my instructions and select a tree to make your own. As I mentioned, I have a reason for everything I do, and it is imperative that you’re able and willing to follow my instructions to the letter.”
After he finished, I sat stock-still, a little gobsmacked. It was… so obvious now that I knew what he had done. Of course it was a test! I mentally berated myself for having the emotional maturity of a child, before looking up to Rhett and giving him a short nod.
“I understand now. I apologize for my behaviour, and will work on it in the future. Will you teach me how to make my own staff?” I asked in a serious tone, my fingers closing tighter around the still-warm cup in my hands.
My teacher and old friend smiled his trademark grin, and I smiled back in response.
“If you ask me so earnestly like that, who am I to refuse a fledgling mage?” At his words, I heard a tell-tale pinging sound, and I glanced to the side and read the window that appeared.
Quest Complete!
The First Task
Rewards Gained: 300 EXP, Rhett Bond +2, Recipe: Basic Wooden Staff
I beamed in pride at the completion of my first quest, my heart swelling as I looked at the uncut tree that would be my staff.
Rhett stood, finishing off his drink and stepping closer as I did the same. He sat down beside me and gestured to the wood, his eyes lighting up with a pulse of warm brown light. The same light enveloped the wood and it smoothly lifted off the ground and settled across our crossed legs, barely able to reach both of our outer knees. The light faded as Rhett blinked, and I tried not to look too obviously interested, though his smirk told me that I was pretty much an open book to the librarian.
Pun aside, I glanced at Rhett, waiting for his instruction. “Bring out your knife,” he told me, and I smiled before reaching under the wood and pulling Ash from its opposite side, giving my blade a dramatic twirl.
“Knife, check.” I told him. His eyes glowed once again, and his staff slid smoothly to his hand from where he had been sitting. A gentle shimmer of bronze light rippled along its surface and I suddenly noticed that he was now holding an exact copy of Ash. I furrowed my brow in confusion for a moment, but before I could open my mouth to comment he just smirked. “Easier to show you the steps with an illusory copy,” he explained, and I nodded in understanding.
He scooted a bit away and created a copy of my wood as well and leaned to the side, close to one of the ends. I followed his example, positioning Ash against the edge of the material like he demonstrated, and watched as he gave several long, slow pushes with the blade. He spoke as he did so, explaining the process in words as well, and a moment later I began.
Ash bit into the top layer of the wood easily, and I marveled at the blade’s retention of sharpness despite the abuse I had put it through in the short time I had wielded it. Maybe it’s got something to do with the fact that it’s demonic in origin? I wondered, before shaking my head to clear the distraction. Bracing the wood steady against my knee, I used my dominant hand to guide Ash as it smoothly cut away the bark of the former tree, exposing the grainy wood. I glanced up as I received the notification I had been expecting.
A new skill has been created through a special action!
Manipulating materials with the intent of creating or modifying something has created the ‘Crafting’ skill!
I dismissed the window and continued stripping the wood under Rhett’s watchful eye, doing my best to keep my hand steady and my mind focused. Cut, cut, turn, cut, cut, turn . I tuned out all distractions as I worked, finding that it was surprisingly easy to focus while doing something I would’ve thought would be so stressful. Cut, cut, turn, cut, cut, turn.
I wasn’t sure of how much time had passed since I began, but I felt my awareness of Rhett, and of the forest around us, slowly dim as I continued. Cut, cut, turn, cut, cut, turn. My body stopped feeling anything but the grain of the wood in my hands, both Ash’s grip and the forming staff, and my whole body swayed gently with the back and forth motion of my long strokes. Cut, cut, turn, cut, cut, turn.
The only sensation I knew was the vibration of Ash’s blade cutting into the bark, and I swear that I could almost feel the tree’s former life within the unsanded wood, not truly gone but slowly transforming into something new, something less primal but no less natural. Cut, cut, turn, cut, cut, turn.
Something between minutes and days passed, and it was only when I had gotten to the very bottom that I even noticed. With my last long stroke, I completed stripping the bark from my new staff. The moment I did, I was completely broken out of whatever meditative state I had fallen into, and it took a couple of blinks to get the residual phantom image of the wood grain out of my eyes. I ignored Rhett’s cocked eyebrow that I spied from my peripheral vision for a moment, inspecting the relatively smooth wood in my hands. Turning it this way and that, I could see that my handiwork was pretty sloppy and inexperienced, but it didn’t look like I had messed up anything major.
I felt a bit of pride well up within me. A bit of smoothing work and a good sandpaper rub, and my staff would be complete. Turning to Rhett, I saw that he was watching my work with a soft smile, and I presented the staff with a grin.
“Well, what do you think, oh wise teacher?” I joked as he took the freshly carved wood. He turned it over once or twice in his hands, inspecting each end closely, and trailed his gaze along the center with all the meticulousness that his librarian position demanded. His lips moved silently as he took mental notes, and I considered asking him to walk me through what he was thinking, but the words got caught in my throat before I even opened my mouth. A streak of nerves ran through me as he went over yet another round of inspections. When he finally turned to me with his smile back in place, I let out a deep breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
“Looks like good work. For a first try, that is,” he said while planting the end of it against the grass and looking above us to the other end. “It’s not quite ready yet, though. This is fresh wood, which means it’s still green and moist, not what we want. Normally you’d leave it out for a few days to get the moisture out of it.” He paused, and turned to give me a quick wink as his eyes grew brighter. “However, with a simple drying spell…”
He muttered some words that made no sense to me, his eyes glowing with coffee-coloured light. The staff glowed in tandem for a moment, and I watched with immense curiosity as water began to leak out of the wood, drawn from the staff like beads of sap. Fat droplets formed along the cut surface and rapidly evaporated, and I watched in fascination as the wood drew into itself slightly, condensing from the lack of moisture.
As the last of the water left the wood, Rhett blinked hard and the light faded from his eyes, making the staff stop glowing as well. He passed the staff back to me. Immediately I inspected it myself, turning it over in my hands as I got used to its new weight. It was significantly lighter from the lack of water weighing it down, only a few pounds at most, and it was harder too. Turning Ash over in my hands so that I was pinching the flat sides of the blade, I gave my newly-dried staff an experimental whack with the handle. The resulting sound was sharp and crisp, and I nodded in satisfaction at the wood’s strength as I slid Ash back into my inventory.
In the corner of my eye, I saw Rhett produce a palm-sized square of sandpaper, which I took with a grateful nod. I immediately set upon the wooden surface, bearing down on the ridges left from my carving. I worked feverishly with the sandpaper, smoothing any edges or bumps I had left behind, then turned the pad over to the smoother side and retextured the whole surface until my arms ached and my hands throbbed. There was something immensely satisfying about the feeling of the wood dust on the pad itself as I worked, and the smell of the oak permeating my nose.
Before my eyes, I watched as the wood was transformed from its natural rough texture to a smoother finish, softening around the edges and becoming perfect for my grip. I worked the staff from top to bottom, making sure I didn’t miss even a centimeter of the wood. As I finished the last section I felt my excitement building. I laid down the pad of sandpaper, blowing the excess sawdust away from the staff before holding it out in front of me and inspecting it.
“It’s…” I started, talking mostly to myself. “...Gorgeous.”
And it was. The oak had taken wonderfully to the smoothing work, resulting in a surface that felt soft to the touch but was hard and strong as ever. I stood up to get a better sense of it, and was pleased that it still had a nice amount of heft in my hands without being cumbersome. It was long enough for the top end to reach my nose when it stood up straight, so it was about five and a half feet tall. The shaft was nice and straight, probably owing to the fact that it was originally a tree trunk instead of, like, a branch or something. I gave it a discerning once-over, and found nothing I could really call an issue.
I had never made anything like this with my bare hands, and I immediately recognized that it was a feeling I could easily grow addicted to. The pride of having made something tangible, the knowledge that my next project would probably come out even better, the idea of adding something to the world. All of these appealed to me in ways I hadn’t expected, and I decided to devote some time to my Crafting skill once I figured out the proper ways to do so.
The appearance of a screen to my side drew my attention, and I felt my eyebrows quirk at its message.
Crafting Recipe Completed!
Recipe: Basic Wooden Staff
First-time Completion Bonus: Wood Affinity +2, +100 Crafting skill EXP
Manual Completion Bonus: +50 Crafting skill EXP
I certainly appreciate the experience for my Crafting skill, but what is Wood Affinity? , I questioned internally. I remember the description of Meditation’s new focus mentioning something about Fire Affinity, is this somehow related to that?
I felt Rhett’s eyes on me and decided that it was something worth mentioning. I valued Meditation almost religiously, so if I could learn more about anything related to it, I would be pleased.
“Hey, Rhett? What’s ‘Affinity’?” I asked him. I glanced at him and saw him frown slightly, considering the question. He took a moment to think, and I turned towards him, slightly astonished. I had kind of assumed it was some kind of magic thing he would know all about, so seeing him not immediately have an answer surprised me.
“Well, the definition is something like ‘the natural liking for or draw to a person, thing, or idea’. I take it from the suddenness of your question that this is relevant to the creation of your staff?”
I nodded, glancing back to the screen momentarily as I tried to fit the definition into context. “Yeah, as a one-time bonus for completing my staff, my Crafting skill gave me two affinity with wood. I guess that would mean I have a ‘natural liking for or draw to’ … Wood? I’m not sure what that means, though. You don’t know what it could be?”
He reached up and idly ran his fingers through his ginger beard, looking skywards as he considered. “Well, not exactly, no.” I felt a little disappointment stir in me as I looked at the window, before my mentor drew my attention again with a snap of his fingers. “Actually, I just might have an idea of what it could be. It’s going to sound a little out-there, but I think I may be onto something.”