《Emberscale Alchemist》 Prologue 1 - It Begins Our tale begins deep in the South-East of the Kingdom of Glas, near the human town of Whatzakt, but has little to do with either of those entities, what we''re interested in is the mountain beyond the town, the Lone Peak, a towering mountain separated from the mountain chain known as Vor''s Spine. There, deep in the labyrinthine caves and tunnels below lies our focus, Emberscale Caverns, the wide reaching and sprawling home of the Emberscale clan of Kobolds. This particular clan of Kobolds have deep crimson red scales with black markings on their heads, hands, and feet as well as the scutes that run along their spines and tails. Within one of these caverns lies the Elder''s chambers, a place where the leaders of the clan congregate to discuss and plan. Like most places within the Cavern, the Elders Chambers is not particularly ornate or ostentatious, bare hewn walls and a floor smoothed by centuries of scaled feet more than intent, but it is large and furnished with wood, something traded for with the surface folk to obtain. Here we find the Elder, Broodkeeper Korse who is in charge of the hatcheries where all Kobolds hatch and are cared for until adulthood. Elder Korse is speaking with the chieftain of the clan, Spiritcaller Ortik, "Chief, I''m concerned, I''ve never had an egg take this long, the Festival is nearly here. The thing should have cracked weeks ago" With a somewhat pensive look, which only another Kobold could really discern, the chief responds "sure it''s not rotten? I don''t want that stink in my caves if it is" "No it''s not rotten. What do you take me for an apprentice? This is my 9th clutch as a Master Broodkeeper and there were dozens before that to get me here. It''s still a little warm, just like it should be, and hasn''t started to smell yet, otherwise I''d have fed it to the cave slimes already. I''ve had to put the thing on my table to keep its siblings from smashing it" "Well then stop bothering me and do what you''re supposed to, wait and let it do its thing." dismisses Ortik, "I''m too busy getting everyone ready for the festival to worry about a single tardy egg." Back in the hatchery, Korse returns to a lone black egg sitting on the stone table he usually eats at, sat in a small ring of furs to keep it safe and off the cold stone. "Won''t you just hatch already? your brothers and sisters are already tottering around and getting into trouble, so hurry up and join em." Though he doesn''t know it yet, Korse will end up regretting those words eventually.
As the day of the Festival of Emberscale approaches, when they give thanks Maladoxis Emberscale, the Garnet Tyrant, the great dragon for whom they are named, Spiritcaller Ortik has been becoming more and more agitated. "My tail has been aching for 3 days straight at this point, that only happens when something big is coming. Ylst, Blonc, have your scouts found anything?" Arcanist Ylst, the leader of the clans sorcerers and mages and elder in charge of all things magic, looks to her counterpart and fellow elder, Martial Blonc, the closest thing to a military leader that the relatively peaceful clan has, more likely to combat an incursion of badgers, a Kobolds favorite treat, than launch an assault, "We haven''t found anything, not hide nor hair of anything out of place, especially no goblins or pesky adventurers anywhere near our tunnels." and receives a nod from Blonc. "Well something''s amiss, my tails never wrong" as he gives it an idle scratch "Send the scouts up to Whatzakt, ask them if anythin''s goin on. I''m gonna commune with the spirits, might take all night, but I''ll be done before the feast starts tomorrow, I wanna know what this is before half your fighters are drunk and partying" Ylst gives a quick "fine, fine, just don''t use up all my slug ichor, I''m saving that for when my new apprentice Kore finishes figuring out how to inscribe a water rune. I''d call you an old fool for putting so much stock in your tail if it hadn''t predicted that collapse a few years back. shame it didn''t predict what happened to Korf a few weeks back..." "Just the Culling at play, the miners were looking forward to seeing what that one could do in his apprenticeship. Oh well." Ortik dismisses, a hint of disappointment, but no sadness to be found. "Now shoo, I want to get this over with." as he begins gathering up animal bones, totems, a brazier and a large red-black chunk of garnet, seen as sacred amongst the clan for its likeness to the Tyrant''s scales.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. The night passes and well into the next day just hours before the feast, a haze of smoke surrounding Ortik as he channels his abilities and skills, calling upon the elemental spirits, the ancestors, and even some of the darker spirits of the world to seek answers, he finds many answers, but none for him, an earth spirit delights in the coming of a major tremor half a world away, his ancestors decry the fall of a lesser clan far to the south, the dark spirits tell of a prophecy of the harbinger of the empty grave, the one whose flesh is twice taken, once by choice and once by force, which they''ve been talking about for centuries and will probably continue going on about for centuries more. His communion, unfortunately quite fruitless in its results, was interrupted abruptly, as the pain within his tail spiked and broke his concentration, before fading to a dull memory. Ortik ends his ritual and disperses the called spirits before his lack of concentration can cause catastrophe, musing that if he''s not careful he could cause the disaster his omen portended and rushes to find the other elders, unfortunately they have no answers either, not even the humans have any worries to explain the appearance or disappearance of this omen. "Maybe I really am just getting old..."
Several minutes earlier back in the Hatchery, Korse is becoming more excited, as finally the last egg is beginning to crack, as it wobbles in its ring of furs and the cracks begin to spiderweb across its black shell. Korse begins his preparations, bringing claw to a water rune above a stone basin to clean the soon to be newly hatched, the water trickles at a barely steady drip, the rune is nearly failing and will need to be re-inscribed, though they never last very long. Several minutes pass as beads of fluid leak down the sides of the egg from the various cracks and breaks until a small red snout begins to push its way through the shell, while little black claws pierce it and break apart the egg. As the head is finally freed from the confines of its shell an unexpected sound cries out, a sound somewhere between the wraaahhh whine of a newborn human and the Wraahh sound a small child makes when imitating the roar of a dragon, echoes through the hatchery. While the little bundle of ferocity may have meant it to be intimidating, it came off more on the adorable side of things. "My, my, aren''t you a lively one for such a late sleeper. let''s get a look at you" as Korse lifts the hatchling from the remains of its egg, dislodging a small section stuck upon its head, "A girl huh? and a bit on the small side, looks like we found the runt. Let''s get you into the basin and clean this gunk off before you start eating it. Now then, what am I to do with you? I can''t very well put you in with your siblings yet, otherwise the Culling will get its next victim fairly quick. I guess no feast for me, I''ll be staying here again tonight... Come on then, I''ll get you some cave moss to nibble on and if you''re good maybe even a nice crunchy beetle." Like most reptiles, Kobolds hatch relatively able to function, at least physically, and begin crawling within just a few hours. They are however generally about as smart as the beetles they like to snack on for at least the first year or so, though some never grow out of it. So before long the little bundle is chasing a beetle, which Korse has removed the wings from to keep it a little easier for her, across a cave floor. "Hah, that should keep ya busy for a bit and tire you out, maybe I will get to sneak off to the feast after all."
Arriving at the Elders chambers the following morning, Korse most definitely did not get to sneak off to the feast and his absence was noted. "Korse, where were you last night? Drink yourself under a rock so early I missed you?" Having barely entered the Elder¡¯s chambers Korse already finds himself the butt of his peers'' jokes, well some of them, the others are all a little too bleary eyed and looking a slightly paler shade of red after the previous night''s revelry. "No, no, I didn''t get a drop... That last damn egg finally decided to hatch just before the feast, little runt of a girl, barely 24 centimeters long, couldn''t leave her with the rest of the clutch or we''d be down another to the Culling by this morning." "Why didn''t you just have one of your minders sit with her then? That''s what they''re for." Laughs Ylst "They were all out helping with the feast, or had their own clutches to watch, it was easier than tryin to drag one of em back. With that one finally cracked it makes a full 63, not a single bad egg from the bunch. Though we''re already down 2. Still pretty good." Korse shakes his head while rubbing the top of his muzzle, "The little thing should have a pretty good shot, caught 3 beetles before I finally tired it out on the last one by leaving the wings..." This finally gets Blonc''s attention, "A scrapper huh? Hope she makes it so I get a shot at training her." "I''m going to put her in with her siblings this morning and see how she does. You''re welcome to come watch, but you know the rules, no betting on hatchling fights." Prologue 2 - It Continues The Elders spend the next few hours going over the happenings of the festival, Ortik shares that his tail suddenly stopped aching in the middle of his ritual to commune just before the feast ws to begin, so hopefully whatever ill omen has passed them by. This of course was met with several jibes about his age however he was quick to point out his much higher Racial level than the others, meaning that even at 50 years old he''d still probably outlive most of them. Racial levels work differently than classes or jobs, each day after your status is unveiled you get a small portion of experience just for having lived another day, by luck of birth, some people get more while others get less. There are many ways to gain extra for a day or even permanently increase what you receive for the rest of your life, but these opportunities are few and far between. These levels grant statistics the same as class levels, but also improve your individual longevity and move you closer to an evolution of your race. For a Kobold, this means moving towards their draconic lineage, evolving from a Kobold to an Emberscale Kobold for this particular clan. These evolutions come with varying benefits, from higher gains in Ability Scores each level, to racial Abilities, Affinities, and more. Ortik was lucky in his youth to acquire and consume the core of a flame sprite, raising his level significantly, though it also nearly killed him. He still hopes he''ll make it all the way to 50 again and be the first Greater Emberscale Kobold in the clan in over a century. With the meeting ended and little better to do, several of the elders follow Korse back to the Hatchery afterwards, always up for a bit of entertainment, even if Korse has eliminated the pastime of wagering upon the hatchlings, though to be fair without the goading and encouragement to fight amongst the themselves, the Culling¡¯s toll has lessened since the prohibition was put in place.
After arriving back at the Hatchery Korse retrieves the hatchling from one of the minders, having apparently spent much of the morning chewing on her keeper''s tail, Blonc barking out a laugh as he sees her hanging off the frustrated woman. "Well little one, it''s time for you to meet your brothers and sisters." lifting her up and carrying her over to the enclosed and inset stone pen that functions as a nursery, roughly 5 by 4 meters with one wall full of nooks and small caves for them to nap in and a small puddle just deep enough that they probably won''t drown. The pen teems with small red and black forms of the other 60 hatchlings of this clutch. some crawling around chasing each other, others wrestling and gnawing on each other''s scales, or splashing about in the puddle. "Now don''t be too timid, they''ll only bite a bit." As she is lowered down into the pen it becomes evident how much smaller she is than her kin, not only were they larger to begin with, but have also had weeks to put on weight, none of them shorter than 36 cm and many of them nearing 40. Many of the clutch appear fascinated by the new addition, they''ve spent weeks getting to know each other and suddenly someone new is here, what started as cooing and gurgling at her quickly shifts into one of the larger males scampering over on all 4 aggressively, apparently keen to display his dominance. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The larger hatchling quickly pounces on her, knocking her over and pressing her down with his superior size and weight, as she falls to her back under him. Going in to bite her exposed belly he quickly finds himself in an unfortunate situation, with a pair of claws stuck in his nostrils and yanking his head to the side away from her scales as he lets out a yowl of pain. "Hah! she''s got him now" bellows Blonc, "never seen a youngling think of doin that before!" The scuffle continues, the larger male rolling off of her to pull his muzzle from her reach and a bit more leery of his target than before, circling around her and looking for an opening he tries to catch her tail with his teeth, only to have it pulled out from his reach then get slapped by the same appendage in his face, the scutes along her tail narrowly missing his eye. "Oh I like her!" This continues on, the runt seeming ahead of her sibling every step of the way, hooking legs with her tail, poking the thin membrane over the ears, head butting, at one point even tripping him then standing on his head until eventually the male backed down, only to quickly get pounced by many of the other siblings, literally kicking him when he''s down. "She''s going to be one to keep an eye on, haven''t seen one like that since Korb. Damn those gobbos." Blonc spits as he says the last, "You think she''ll be your pick this year, Korse?" "She''s definitely in the running, I had thought it''d be that big one, but so far he''s just big, not anything special yet."
The next few months proceed as much the same, the hatchlings grow at an impressive pace, though the little female lags steadily behind, while her siblings are getting stronger and faster, she still fights dirty. The others mostly let her be, knowing that they''ll just end up worse off than she will, though occasionally they will still gang up on her, but planning like that is not particularly the hatchlings strong suit so it is not a common event. Between fights getting out of hand or an unlucky escape attempt, there are 4 less hatchlings now than there were, still doing quite well all things concerned. Korse has taken to the runt quite well, and she follows him like a little salamander whenever he takes her out of the pen, which he probably shouldn''t do at this age, any of the others would wander off and get stepped on. The hatchlings begin walking around this time at about 3 months old, the next few months of their lives will likely be the most dangerous, as it is much easier to fall and crack your skull while upright than at a crawl and they have a habit of trying to run before they learn to walk, or fall, properly. The clan has also seen a little upheaval, a group of adventurers seeking "treasures beneath the mountains." for some reason the daft surface dwellers think that the clan must be hiding down here since there''s all those traps, this sort of thing happens every few years, and every few years the chief has to send a group up to talk to the humans at Whatzakt along with an elder or two, usually Ylst and sometimes Brewer Aldr, never Blonc though, he''d declare war out of sheer boredom by the time they finished saying hello... A few threats to stop selling the town their stone and ore and their mayor usually straightens things out soon enough. Either that or they get past the warning traps and Master Trapcrafter Bolst gets a few levels when they find the real ones. This was one of those years, half the group ended up doused in acidic slime while the rest tripped a pitfall when they retreated, they may have been able to survive the fall, but the stone spikes at the bottom were liberally coated with a particularly nasty paralytic from a centipede found in the deep caves. Overall Bolst was quite pleased with himself, all those times poisoning himself to level **[Poison Resistance]** proved well worth the effort. Prologue 3 - Still goin Nearly half a year after the runt''s hatching, the clutch has diminished by a further 9 down to 48. This is still considered a good year as the Culling slows as they get older and sturdier. Around this time is when the hatchlings begin to actually listen to speech as words, rather than just noises made by the adults. Communication is typically limited to hisses and growls for another few months yet. One morning while sitting at his stone table, the same one upon which the runt hatched, Korse looks down after feeling something bump his tail, only to see said tiny Kobold tugging on it. "Well, how''d you get out of your pen? I figured I had a few good months yet of you guys being out from underfoot." With big, black eyes she looks up at him and hesitantly says, "What do?" "huh?! what did you say?" "What you do!" "Well, this is a first, six months old and already asking questions. I''m doing work" "Why?" Korse looked back at the table, not yet realizing the impact that one little word would come to bear, "I''m trying to figure out how much food we need for you and your siblings as well as the 5 older clutches in this hatchery, moss from the farms only goes so far, then you need meat and bu...." "Yay! Meat!" "yes, you quite like your meat don''t you. Like I was saying, and bugs, and even fish from the deep lakes." "Fishy!" cries the little ball of scales and happiness. "Meat best! Fishies good too! Beetle fun, but not as good." "Yes, but you have to be a good girl to get fishies and meat and good girls stay in their pen with their siblings." As he lifts up the still tiny, 42cm tall hatchling, opens the gate and places her back into the pen, the pen that is nearly a meter deep, as tall as most adult kobolds ever grow, inset into the stone floor by nearly half its height.
The next few weeks pass with much the same, every time Korse turns around he finds his tiny shadow following him, the minders that watch them in the later hours all experience the same, she''ll be sound asleep in the little cubby she''s claimed, turn your back on her and before they can take two steps, a tiny form is clasping their tails.. She isn''t the first escape artist Korse has dealt with, but she is the only one that hasn''t tried to escape the hatchery itself, one of the first hatchlings he picked out of the clutch after he became an elder was similar, he ended up having to have Elder Bolst set up snares and traps to keep her from slipping out, which Kora eventually learned to dismantle and even moved one late one night, catching the poor minder in it. She''s still one of Bolst''s best trappers. This one however, she doesn''t want to go anywhere, just to be with whatever adults are around. Usually to pester them with questions. One afternoon just as Korse thought he would be able to go get a meal, he felt that oh so familiar and somewhat dreaded tug on his tail. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. "You Korse?" "Yes, little one, that''s my name, Korse." "Why I no name?" "Well my dear, that''s just the way things go. you''re too young for a name." He knew the dreaded response was coming, he could just see it on her tiny little face... "Why?" "Well, what happens when you say or think ''Status'' little one?" "Stasus... statis... status... status?" "Nothing right" receiving a nod in return, "you cannot access your status until you take your first step into adolescence at 3 years old. It is then that you will be given your first name. and then when you turn 6 you''ll unlock your class and be able to pick jobs. That''s when you''re considered an adult and get your full name and become a true member of the clan." "Class? Jobs? Clan? what those?" "Patience little one, patience, when your siblings are a bit older and they start to talk too, then the matrons from the chapel will come to teach you about the system and the history of the kobolds and the Emberscale clan." "No wait! Now!" "Fine, fine, just a little, then back with the others you go." Korse sighs as he receives vigorous nodding in response, "When you turn 3 your status will unveil itself, it will show you the true things about yourself. How strong you are, how quick you are," As Korse says these things the little one begins to poke her arms and pose. "not strong, not like brother. but quick!" "Yes indeed. It will show you how healthy and durable and cunning, I think you''ll have this last one in abundance, and even if you''ll be able to awaken to the spark of magic naturally. These will all be the truths of who you are, and the point from which you''ll begin your life." She continues to stare up, "That tell me name?" "Not quite, we the minders and the elders will give you your name to celebrate the unveiling of your status. Then you''ll join the elders as an apprentice and they''ll teach you how to do work to help the clan, whether it''s farming and making food, mining and quarrying stone to sell to the humans above, or most likely for you, my little escape artist, helping Master Trapcrafter Bolst defend our caverns. Finding what you''re good at and how you fit into the Clan while learning Skills will help you get a good class, once you turn 6 years old. A class that you can begin your adult life with and in turn help improve the clan." Thinking for a moment on how the Matrons describe it to the hatchlings, "A class is like a goal to work towards for the rest of your life, the more you work towards your goal, the more it gives you Abilities and improves your Ability Scores making you stronger, faster, better at magic if you manage to awaken the spark, or even smarter, as long as you do the things that your class calls you to." The little one nods along, but Korse can''t quite tell if she''s doing so out of understanding or just happy he''s trying to answer her questions. "Now, take me for example, when I was a bit older than you, I would help the minders look after my clutchmates, or to clean up the brood chamber and when it was time for me to become an apprentice they placed me here with the minders to help them more with the younger hatchlings. I enjoyed the work and was good at it and when it came time for my clutch to go to the Chapel of the Scale, where they keep a relic of our ancient patron, the dragon for whom we are named, a scale from Emberscale, the Garnet Tyrant." A note of reverence bleeding into his voice as he speaks of the great dragon. "There one by one in a ceremony referred to as our ''First Ascension'' we each placed our hands upon the great scale and were blessed with a class and a choice of our first 2 jobs, but I''ll just speak to the class for now. For me that first class was Novice Brood Minder and I''ve spent the many years since here looking after hatchlings like you, gaining Levels, Skills, and new Abilities, that help me take care of you all, and tell me if anything is wrong in the hatchery and earned both Ascensions and even an Evolution of my class, to become today a Master Broodkeeper, and the Elder in charge of this and the other hatcheries for our great clan." At some point through the explanation the little one plopped down and sat, quite enraptured by the telling, still somewhat caught up on the mention of magic but mostly having listened to the rest. "Now, it''s time for you to rejoin your siblings. Go wrestle or whatever it is you do with them." Much to Korse''s surprise, instead of waiting to be picked up or trying to climb the railing into the pen, the little kobold totters over and easily unlatches the gate, hopping down and pulling it closed with a clank behind her. "Huh... Now I really want to know how she''s getting out, there''s no way she''s reaching the latch from the inside... Is there?" Prologue 4 - Almost done As the months pass and the questions continue unabated, they near the end of their first year, the nursery is needed for the next clutch of eggs. It''s time to move the hatchlings to one of the brood chambers, a larger set of caves with a central chamber and many smaller openings leading to alcoves about a cubic meter each dotted around its walls, some needing to be climbed to while others are crawled into, these will be their homes for the next 5 years, the clutch has dwindled at a relatively slow pace, slower than most years generally see, with 41 surviving to the full year mark, though this causes its own issue as there is a slight delay so that a new alcove can be carved into the brood chamber by the miners, there are seldom more than 40 hatchlings surviving to their move. The clutch has mostly decided that they do not like the little runt, which after a minder accidentally said the word it has taken off among the hatchlings, she interrupts their fun and doesn''t wrestle like the others, the only time she''ll even growl at them is if she has food and they all know not to try to take it... Somehow she has managed not to send any of her siblings that have tried to the culling, but many of them bare scars for their attempts. Surprisingly the odd one out without their own cubby the first few days isn''t the little one, it is the largest of her siblings, the one she fought the first day with the clutch, he has found himself at the bottom of the pecking order after that defeat and subsequent defeats from his attempts at retribution towards his sister or from his siblings that saw his repeated losses as openings to do the same, he certainly remains the largest of the bunch but has become much more defensive in nature, keeping to himself and letting the others get away with things no hatchling of his size usually would. Though he does not actually go without, as the littlest member of the clutch allowed, or rather nearly forced, him to share her own for the few days needed. At some point over the course of the year it would appear that they had settled their differences and in a turn of roles the larger sibling is now protected by the smallest of the bunch. Though none managed to catch them during the time in the hatchery, this was also how she was getting out of the pen, by being lifted by her brother to reach the latch and open the gate. Now within the Brood chamber they are free to move about the entire space, with a door blocking exit into the hallways and minders spaces. Much to the little ones dismay they no longer have a minder in their room at all hours however, so she is already plotting a means of opening the door. The entire clutch is talking now, though mostly clipped words and requests for food, with their education officially beginning upon moving to the new chambers this should improve over the months. A certain undersized hatchling however has made leaps and bounds in her speech, to the dismay of all those around her, as a more robust vocabulary means more words she can use to ask questions. Knowing the Matrons would soon take over her education and as the easiest targets for her many questions led the minders and Elder Korse to a sigh of relief. Though as it would turn out, more knowledge just leads to bigger questions and they weren''t out of the woods yet.
A new Kobold enters the brood chambers some days after they are settled in, it is infrequent that outsiders be brought into the chambers so the hatchlings are all quite excited by the prospect. "Greetings Hatchlings, I am Matron Rels, serving under the Elder Matron Kles at the Chapel of the Scale, some of you may have heard of that before while others haven''t, don''t worry, it''s not important for now. What is important is that I will be your instructor going forward, helping you learn your letters, numbers, and the great history of Clan Emberscale and the Kobold race." a somewhat diminutive woman wearing unfamiliar garb, a simple red and black robe cinched at the waist with red dyed rope, greets the clutch. "Now, I know some of you," looking directly at the inquisitive eyes of a particular pupil she has been warned of, "have heard some of what I will be teaching you before, but everyone needs a chance to learn and grow their minds as they have been growing their bodies." Also looking at the noticeably smaller little hatchling. "Today I will begin with the letters, who can recite all of them?" There are a few responses, notably not the smallest of them, all beginning at once, some starting at A while others at B or a very errant Q. The Matron holds up her hand, "quiet now, quiet now, if you would like to answer one of my questions please raise your hand and I will choose one of you to proceed, I''ll try to give everyone a turn." A few little clawed hands go up and the lesson begins in earnest.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. The following few months continues as much the same, a few hours of lessons with the matron, mealtimes, and recreational activities, ranging from chasing, wrestling, climbing, or hunting, sometimes bugs, sometimes each other, though one little Kobold frequently spends her time alone, attempting to figure out how the latch on the door works, though unknown to her this particular latch has been adjusted especially for her. As a new day begins a pair of Matrons arrive, this has never happened before and the second though dressed identically, is significantly older, the black of her scales greying at the edges, the red somewhat paler and without the shine. "Now pupils, I have a special guest for your lesson for you today, this is Elder Matron Kles. "Greetings hatchlings, it is time for a special lesson today, for me to tell you about the history of the Kobolds, and like all stories, it''s best to start at the beginning" as Matron Kles begins her tale and the hatchlings gather round, even the typically disinterested little girl is paying rapt attention to this new piece of knowledge she has never heard before. "Ages and ages past, before there were Kobolds there were the Great Dragons, and greatest of them all, even above the great Emberscale, was the Matriarch, Anazul the Iridescent." she pauses to create suspense and ensure she''s hooked their attention before continuing, "The Matriarch was the mother of all dragons upon our world of Icara, having taken her brood and fled here along with the many others to seek refuge from the unending war between the realms above and below. To this world, to Icara, that was to be sealed away from it all and sheltered from the conflict. For a time she was content upon her land, the continent that bears her name, Anazul''s Clutch, but she saw what the surface dwellers built, the riches they amassed, and grew envious. Envious because the dragons great claws could not fashion the intricacies of man, their works could tower above all but lacked the detail and depth of those she felt were her lesser. To abate this envy the dragons brought man and elf, dwarf and gnome, from their homes upon the other continents, like here where we reside upon Vor, and bade them to delve and build in their names. They created wonders for the Great Dragons, keeps and castles, gardens and monuments, but it was not enough. The lesser races held not the tenacity of the dragons, nor their flight or strength, the works took so long the artisans that designed the project oft did not survive to see it completed." Kles shakes her head making her disappointment in the place of the dragons clear. Even Rels, having heard this tale dozens of times, is taken in by the telling. "And so the Matriarch called forth their most loyal of subjects among the lesser races and bade them to change, that she would impart upon them a barest fraction of her essence that they might become alike to the Great Dragons in some small way. Many of those accepted, and they became the first of the draconic races, not Kobolds, but Drakkiri, our cousins. But they did not become just Drakkiri, those first, they were of the Matriarch, as only she had the power to create something new, the other dragons could breed, but they would only perpetuate the lines of their mothers not create anew. These new people were the Iridescent Drakkiri, both blessed and cursed by the Matriarch, as their lesser bodies could not withstand the weight of her essence." Pausing to allow the hatchlings to absorb, both Kles and Rels look around to see some of the faces before them distracted, some paying attention, but none with the same rapt look of sheer curiosity of their smallest pupil. "These Drakkiri were magnificent, and flawed. They had wings of shining scale that reflected the light in a shifting rainbow of colours, but were doomed to live even shorter lives than the lesser races from which they came. The Matriarch was not deterred, for she had the same problem with her own progeny, the weight of her iridescence was too much for even her them, and so she had split her essence amongst the twelve Great Dragons, she called upon those children to share their essence with the Drakkiri, to dilute her influence upon them and bring them the strength she desired of them. And it worked. The twelve clans of Drakkiri were born, they would each serve their own great dragon and their line and together all would serve the matriarch as the dragons did. And all of the Drakkiri still bore the slightest touch of the Matriarchs might, allowing them to grow and become more, or so the legends say." With a look across the hatchlings, "Now I suppose some of you are wondering how this pertains to the Kobolds, as I never did mention our beginnings there, we came after, while the Drakkiri flourished and created for the Great Dragons, they could not fulfil all of the Matriarchs wants, they were creatures of the sky, born to build and create above the earth, but they could not delve the deep places to retrieve the materials they needed, their bodies large and frames slight to aid in flight, and so did the Matriarch seek to create again, this time prepared and knowing her children would be needed to guide the final process." "Thus came the Kobolds, small, cunning, creatures of the earth, able to delve the dark places and furnish our cousins with that which the Great Dragons desired. And so again, there would be 12 new tribes, of us, to serve our Draconic patron, and in turn serve the Matriarch''s will. Over the centuries many of the Dragons expanded their reach and built homes upon the other continents, or sent their Kobold clans to retrieve materials for their works, such as here, beneath the Lone Mountain where the Great Emberscale bade us seek new resources unavailable upon the shores of Anazul''s Clutch. Which is how we may stand here today, as all who stood upon Anazul''s Clutch were lost on the dreadful Night of the Blood Skies, 5 centuries past. But you''ll have to await that tale another time when you are a bit older, if you listen well in your lessons and behave I''ll return to tell you of it." Matron Kles gave a slight wink to the hatchlings and a nod to Rels to begin the rest of the lessons as she departs, back to the Chapel, though with some difficulty upon reaching the chambers door. "Arh, what did they do to this door? I can''t get the latch open." "Allow me Elder, it''s a bit tricky" as Rels rushed to her aid. Prologue 5 - not quite yet The next year proceeded quickly, with a certain hatchling finally understanding the trick of the doors latch and making her departure, several designs followed before someone eventually started barring the door whenever the hatchlings were by themselves, even that proved insufficient as she just used the bone tools she''s fashioned for the door to lift the bar through a crack. Korse found himself yet again employing Elder Bolst to hinder a certain wayward hatchling, the old trapper finding the situation both hilarious and promising, Kora is one of his best after all. The Culling has proceeded at an unexpectedly low rate, with 32 surviving their second year, generally there are not many more to fall to sickness, injury, or accident from here on, leaving this the largest single clutch out of all the clans hatcheries. Under 50% is near unprecedented. With the door defeated, Korse has again grown to fear the unexpected grasping of his tail by the now larger, but still smallest of her clutch, hatchling and the utterance of "Why?" that surely follows. The only times he is guaranteed peace is when the Matrons are there for her lessons, they''ve moved on to more interesting topics like numbers and how to make tools and daily necessities and are managing to keep the little ones attention for the time being. Korse has mostly made up his mind on the pick of his clutch for this year, if nothing unfortunate happens. Today the Matrons were to tell another story from the history of the Clan to the hatchlings, the darkest day of their history, and Korse did not want to be there for the retelling, he could only listen to the tale so many times and he''d been hearing it for all his years in the hatchery. They always tell this story before their third year ends, so that they can go into their apprenticeships knowing what the clan lost those centuries ago, why their lives feel incomplete and they trade with the lowly humans instead of giving freely to their kin.
"Good Morning hatchlings, Elder Kles will be joining us again today for the telling of an important tale, something that though centuries past still affects our Clan, and all the Clans, to this day." Matron Rels introduces the aged elder joining her again, Kles takes over the space reserved for teaching and most of the hatchlings quickly congregate, knowing her lessons are both important and tales of wonder and Dragons. "Now, what I have to tell you about today is not a tale of greatness like our origin, nor of fancy like those of the Drakkiri. No, today I am here to tell you about the end of an era, the darkest day in our long history, and one that changed the very shape of the world of Icara. Today I am here to tell you about The Night of the Blood Skies." Small gasps can be heard amongst many of the young Kobolds, they have heard the name many times, and a certain inquisitive little girl has asked of it repeatedly, it is the one story she could never get any hints or pieces out of Korse or the minders. The one question that was always met with a ''When you''re older'', she was practically vibrating in anticipation of finally hearing the tale denied to her. Her siblings on the other hand, they could see the looks on the Matron''s faces, could see the apprehension and displeasure, they took no joy in telling this tale and the rest of the clutch reflected this somber attitude a little better. "This tale begins years before that fateful night, our patron and the other Great Dragons sent us Kobolds out around the world, to gather things they had never needed before, oils and woods, gems, and metals, even bones and blood, for a great working the Matriarch bade them, and thus us, to gather these things. We did our duty faithfully, a fact many now wish we had not, but what could we do but fulfill the Great Dragon''s wishes, for that is, was, our reason for being." Matron Kles shakes her head, disappointment and loss clear upon her scales. Whether that disappointment was in their ancestors completing their task, or in those suggesting that they should have denied their patrons, cannot be told by her little audience. "Years passed and we continued to delve and dig, stone and metals, precious and mundane, were sent back to our homeland. While our cousins built and toiled, conceived and created, all to the grand design of the Matriarch. All those things we gathered were crafted and shaped by our cousins, some abroad while the materials were fresh, most back home, building great rings and designs upon the earth and even in the skies surrounding and covering her great citadel." A feat seldom achieved, the young hatchlings all stared in rapt attention, not even a peep of a question from them, even the young girl who could always be counted on to ask something at any possible pause.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Her plan unknown to us, but unneeded. Until one day, it was done. The Matriarch recalled all of her kin, all of the Great Dragons and even the whole of their progeny, from all across Icara they were called to her great palace, built upon the highest peak of the tallest mountains upon her lands. We Kobolds remained spread out, as did what few of our cousins of the Drakkiri who had left the homeland, as what came next was a task for the Dragons alone." "Before I tell you of this great task you must understand another fact of our world, one that aside from this single instance is meaningless to our lives, but on that day became the only thing that truly mattered. As I have told you once before, our world, Icara, is sealed. The god of man, the Radiant, has decreed it so, and all who violate this commandment shall face divine wrath. In his arrogance even the dragons who could abide the commands of none but their great mother, the Matriarch, were subject to this restriction" Kles speaks of this god of man with disdain, as it had the gall to impose its will upon the Great Dragons. "We know now through the pieces left behind and years of divinations and communions with the spirits, that the great work was indeed a means to not leave this world, but bring the Matriarchs brethren, those left to the whims of war in ancient past, to her shores for succor. Our brethren and our cousins of the Drakkiri were able to put enough of the pieces together to learn that much. Her intentions were noble, but the results, catastrophic. None know what truly occurred that night, as none were ever found who could tell the tale, what we do know, and why we call it the Night of the Blood Skies, is that the whole world over a sanguine glow permeated the skies from the direction of our former home and a great roar of the earth and shaking of the world did follow. This glow lasted a full day and lit the night as though it were daylight in its bloody hue. A storm covered Anazul''s Clutch for weeks, battering ships and disrupting magics, when it finally cleared the entire continent of Anazul''s Clutch had been scoured to stone and sand." tears stream down both Rels and Kles'' faces as they conclude this portion of the story, the loss of the dragons still hanging heavy over them, even though they were both too young by centuries to have ever seen the Great Dragons. "Our ancestors debated long with our Drakkiri cousins, to return to our home and search the now desolate lands, to find some trace of Dragon kind, but as we still teach today, we are creatures of the earth, we gather and provide, exploration and discovery are not within our nature and so we chose to remain, to live as we have always lived. To dig and delve, to gather and procure, though we found ourselves with no one to provide the harvest of our toils, we turned to trade with the humans nearby. Our cousins could not abide such a course, they left bit by bit, clan by clan, until there were none remaining outside the shores of Anazul, there they could be found for years and years to follow, frequently sending news of their search, requesting supplies and provisions which we gladly provided, but contact dwindled. Until not even a century after we lost our patrons, we lost too our cousins, leaving Kobolds alone upon this world, the only draconic heritage to remain." "Matron Rels, I find myself wearied from the telling, could you conclude our lesson while I sit for a moment?" the elderly Kobold looking slightly unsteadied, the tale always taking a toll on her mind. "Of course Elder, gladly" As Kles steps aside and finds a space upon the floor to be seated, a small Kobold approaches, tugs her tail, smiles and sits alongside her, oddly silent for this particular hatchling. Kles gives her a pat upon the head and a sad smile as Rels begins her conclusion of the lesson. "We have learned much since the Drakkiri left for the shores of home, that they built ports upon the coasts of the continent now commonly referred to by the surface dwellers as The Desolate, and welcomed all who wished to explore those lands and find the truth of that dreadful night into their cities. This continued for decades and the cities still stand to this day as little more than shipping ports and hubs for the adventurous to gather and depart from. But slowly, over years and decades the number of Drakkiri dwindled, some claim that one by one they wandered into the desolate wastes never to return, some say it was a mass exodus, and others that they ended their own lives, though we dismiss such musings as the ignorance of man, we could not ever believe anyone bearing the heritage of the Dragons would do as such" "All we can say for certain is that they departed from their cities and were never seen again, where they went and why they did so was something they never told us, had they found some trace of the Great Dragons we are sure they would not have left us behind, so ultimately, we remain in our own ignorance." Rels clears her throat and looks across the pupils, some remain taken by the somber mood, some nearing the end of what attention span they can muster and glancing about for something to occupy themselves. "I believe that this is a good time to end our lessons for the day, think upon what we have imparted today, what it means to be a Kobold left behind in this world and our role in it. What it means to be the sole bearers of the true draconic lineage upon Icara. And how our prudence in living as we always have has kept us here, to this day, instead of chasing the past and becoming one with it like our dear cousins." Prologue 6 - Just a little more In the wake of the story of the Kobolds past and the loss of their once purpose, the hatchlings took little time to return to their usual chaotic selves, as is the way of children and especially of Kobold hatchlings, and often Kobolds in general, time passes and the end of their third year approaches, the hatchlings will soon take their first steps into life in Clan Emberscale, they will soon become Younglings and be taken as apprentices amongst the many trades and tasks of the clan, and most importantly to many, they will soon unveil they status and begin their life within the system. Korse remains quite pleased, at least with this particular clutch, not a single loss to the culling over the last 12 months, while the third year is generally the safest, it is not uncommon to lose one or two to the adventurous spirits of the young, many a promising Kobold has been lost at the cusp of their fourth year. For 32 to remain of the initial 63 is an astounding year, but most definitely an anomaly as the other hatcheries are reporting more typical numbers, nearly 2 in 3 young lost to the Culling. Even the most recent clutch in this very hatchery having lost nearly that in just their first year, the minders and even Elder Korse''s skills doing nothing to halt a sickness tearing through and the young having to be quarantined, locked in with their minders and the entrance sealed aside from providing food, supplies, and fresh water runes as needed, the minders themselves were not immune to the illness, though not struck nearly as hard a blow by it. The 28 remaining of the 57 in the clutch now moved to their brood chamber early and Elder Ylst herself being called in to cleanse the nursery in fire before the newly laid eggs began arriving. While most shied away from the event, a certain inquisitive soon to be youngling was enraptured by the expression of magic, having seen little more than the activation of runes to move the air or conjure the water. The sight of true magic wielded by the most accomplished practitioner in the entire clan, an Evolved class having risen to Arcanist at the third tier and perhaps even beyond as not all Kobolds record their Ascensions, only when their classes nature changes upon Evolution every third tier. was something she could not miss out on. While she was cautioned to keep her distance none moved to impede her view, they knew that if denied she would simply try to find another means of watching, perhaps one involving more risk. And who could deny such a sight? Even the adults having few chances to observe Ylst exercising her magical prowess were excited to observe. Looking to the Novice Mage present with her, "Are you ready to begin Kore?" Ylst receives a nod in response, the look of concentration on the young mans face, barely out of his own apprenticeship and into his first class by a year. Ylst returns her attention to the chamber and prepares herself. "**[Incinerate]**!" Echoing out as the spectacle begins, Kore standing at the reaches of the doorway invoking his magics next, a rare affinity for spells of wind and air, "**[Gust]**!" Channeling the ash and smoke through the ventilation shafts and away from the surroundings, though struggling to hold back the heat of the flames. Ylst standing amongst her own magic seemingly unbothered by the heat of it.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Flames lick out from Ylst''s forward thrust palms and coat the walls, rising to the ceilings, surfaces blacken as soot coats stone. She slowly waves the flames over the room in a methodic path, using the soot to mark her work as completed. Kore panting as the heat and effort slowly wear him down, as Ylst finishes her work he nearly collapses but manages to hold his **[Gust]** steady until nearly the last, as it fails and he falls to his knees, some ash and smoke begins leaking into the halls. "You''ve done well Kore!" Korse clapping him upon the shoulder with a beaming grin, "Just a year into your class and you''re keeping up with Ylst, at least a little, you should be proud of yourself." Clearly please with the young Kobold, one he raised from an egg himself, his choice of that particular clutch. "Yes, he is handling himself well, he has a long way to go but we should be able to get him to his second Ascension before his 9th year ends. If he works incredibly hard he may even reach his first Evolution within a decade or so." A kobold reaching the first Evolution before their twentieth year would be a significant accomplishment, the words likely said in encouragement, not expectation. Ylst, also a proud smile upon her face, praises the young man, knowing that equal parts praise and guidance where due will help raise a mage upon the right path. "He may even catch up to me some day, though no time soon. I''m only 32, and on the cusp of the fourth tier, hopefully soon, maybe in 3 or 4 years if I''m lucky. Or if I hog all the good work for myself, but I can''t do that now can I?" she says with a broad mischievous grin, implying she may do just that. Ylst herself considered a prodigy, the youngest of all the elders as despite the name the position is one of merit, not age. The highest level member of the clan appropriate for the job is given the title when the previous departs, usually succumbing to age, but the occasional retirement, or removal for egregious reasons. "That''s the place cleansed, I''d give it a few hours to cool then toss a bunch of cave slimes in and block the door again, lazy buggers won''t do the ceiling if they can wander elsewhere for an easier meal. It should only take them a few days to gobble up all that soot." Ylst knuckles her scutes and gives out a groan, "I''m gonna need a good meal and some rest after nearly bottoming my mana, I''m surprised Kore there hasn''t passed out yet, you hit bottom, even after I warned you, didn''t you?" Kore gives a slight nod, even that threatening his balance even though he was already on his knees, bottoming out Mana was never a pleasant experience. "Korse, can you put him up in one of the minders dens for now? He''ll be fine in a couple hours but otherwise we''re carrying him back to his residence." Ylst, shaking her head, though a slight chuckle in her voice, knowing how Kore was feeling all too well. "Of course, it''ll give me a chance to catch up with him," he eyes Kore''s state, "after he rests that is." Prologue 7 - Finally over After the excitement of the display of magic, the days seemed to drag on, knowing that just weeks remained until the clutch joined the ranks of the younglings and would both unveil their status and receive their names, an exciting milestone for all young Kobolds. As the days pass, the first of the hatchlings reaches the end of his third year, the oldest and largest of them receiving the name Losq, a fight nearly breaking out between Elder Blonc wanting him for the defenders and Elder Tuli wanting him in the mines, both looking only at his bulk and strong back. Ultimately when no decision can be reached the youngling was asked his opinion and neither were particularly pleased with his response. It seems young Losq''s desires lean more towards the brewery, much to Elder Aldr''s delight, someone big and strong is always handy to move the kegs. Unfortunately none of them truly seeing his thoughtful nature and careful hand, though eventually he''ll show them he''s more than his size. The days come and go, and more and more of the clutch reach the end of their third year, Plk and Itr and Beys and Qot and Ujr and Wlde and many more are named and begin their days traveling between their new apprenticeships and the brood chamber, their status'' for the most part as expected in the high single digits to low double, until just a single hatchling remains, weeks separates her from her siblings and that time is marked with frustration and anxious waiting. One morning when the cave sits empty save for a single hatchling wandering the hall, looking for someone to speak with or even just a tail to grasp and run away while the startled minder turns, spotting her favorite target the still quite little Kobold, at only 70cm, she is expected to be near fully grown but still a bit further to go over the next few years, creeps behind Korse, only herself to be surprised as he turns and scoops her into a hug. "I''ve been waiting for you little one, I expected your little tug on my tail much sooner to tell the truth. I know being the last must weigh on you, but that is simply the way of life, we cannot bade the sun rise and set faster to suit our whims, even if we never see it here beneath the mountain." Korse gives her a grin, "you''d either like or despise the sun, most of us spend our lives within the earth so we never take to it too well, but you''ve always been a bit different, and the warm radiance of it all does feel quite pleasant on the scales." "Now, why don''t I tell you a story and let you in on a secret that everyone knows but hasn''t put word to yet, at least not where your curious little ears could hear." Korse plants her down on his bench next to him and pats her head, rubbing that pleasing place right above the ear membranes. He opens a book, something the young Kobold has rarely gotten to interact with as they are few and far between, not keeping well in the caves. "This here is my personal journal, I traded with the humans above for it many years ago when I started my role as Elder and took charge of all the hatcheries." Looking to the hatchling, he would not get to call her that for much longer, his smile both proud and sad, as ending one chapter in life can somehow be both at the same time. "Do you know why I still work at one of the hatcheries even though I am in charge of them all?" "Nope... uhhh... maybe? Experience? Lots of the things adults do is cause experience." muses the still too smart for her age little one. "Exactly right! Well done. Well another perk of my class is somewhat special, each year I may designate a single one of the hatchlings as long as I have taken a significant part in their raising, I give them a special Title and it gives them a little boost, a title, that gives a few ability points and helps your growth a little and in return I gain a little bit of experience as they grow and succeed in life, but it has risks, if they fail to grow themselves, or die before their time, then I get penalized." Korse gives a slightly dour look at that thought, remembering the times he''s lost his chosen youths over the years. "It mostly only applies to the years between now and your class being unveiled, with the biggest boost for me based on how good a class you get."This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. The young kobold tilts her head, "why tell me?" "First a quick story, then we''ll answer just that." Korse shakes his head, he should have anticipated that response. "I Ascended to the 4th tier and became a Master Broodkeeper 9 years ago, the same year I became an elder, as my predecessor was just waiting for me to Ascend before he retired, I chose my first [Pick of the Litter], this is apparently a term the surface dwellers use to mean the best out of a group of young creatures, and named them after myself, this youngling was Kora, you''re very much like Kora, could never keep her where she was supposed to be either, she has since gone on to be one of Elder Bolst''s best trappers and was the one who made the last lock on your door, the one that trapped a minder in the chamber for a few hours, and I very much hope she gets to teach you. Next came Korb, strong and fast, he quickly learned the spear after he apprenticed with Elder Blonc, but unfortunately he passed just before he came of age when goblins raided an outer guard post... damned smelly gobbos." Anger and bitterness evident in his voice and snarling face as he nearly spits the last. "Then came Korc, don''t mention him in front of Chief Ortik, he''s still around but an unfortunate incident with the humans lead to a misunderstanding, they told the chief to ''put a cork in it'' apparently another of their odd sayings, and it was taken to mean something particularly obscene... He had placed a particularly nasty curse upon the offending human before things were settled, it nearly came to open conflict..." Korse can''t help but laugh as he tells the particular story, "Korc remains a valuable member of the clan working on one of the outer moss farms, but the chieftain''s mood always sours considerably whenever he sees or hears of him." "Then came Kord, he left the clan after the last great gatherings, like some of the young do, to bond with a pretty young Galetalon, I hear they''re doing quite well in one of the lesser clans, but news is hard to come by. Next you met Kore just a few weeks past, he is a promising young mage, one of the best since Ylst herself. The sixth is an unfortunate story, and left me quite affected when you yourself were hatched. It took me nearly a full year to recover the experience and levels I lost, Korf loved to dig, just days after his naming and his starting work with Elder Tuli, he decided to expand his alcove within the brood chamber... weakening the support for not just his den, but those adjacent to it, late in the night while his siblings slept. 3 promising young Kobolds lost in a single poor choice... He''d be gaining his class today if he were still here..." A somber mood fell over both Kobolds, pained expressions on Korse''s face. They weren''t supposed to get attached to the hatchlings, things happened and the Culling was cruel, but he could never really help it, Kobolds never knew which hatchling was whose, as all the eggs were raised in the same hatcheries, but he always considered his [Pick of the Litter]s his children. "The next two are still here, in their brood chambers, you''ve probably met them on your little wanders about the place", sighing as he remembers the futility of his actions, it wasn''t until Kora herself got involved that they managed to produce a locking mechanism that could keep her in, and by then it was pointless as it was too complicated for most of the minders to operate too. "Korg, not the best name for a young lady I will admit... But I had started a tradition and it didn''t feel right to stop. She''s apprenticing with the Matrons, a lovely voice for the choir and quite the memory for the lessons and stories. There is some contention over the last remaining of my children, Korh some say his name should be pronounced kor-he while others that it should be like Kore''s name, I''m getting a bit of pressure to change it upon his coming of age, the top suggestion is Khao, many of the others don''t know much about the surface, but I''m aware of a farm animal of a similar name and I''m afraid if he ever becomes a trader as he wishes that the surface dwellers will ''Moo'', the sound that particular beast makes, at him" a grimace on his muzzle and somewhat embarrassed look in his eyes as he attempts to make the sound. "And now that takes us to today, can you guess what I''m going to say next based on what I''ve just said?" "hmmm... you always pick a hatchling helping their growth and your own, and name them after yourself with the next letter in the alphabet after their name, but all of the clutch has been named and there aren''t any kors yet... " "You''re choosing me? Wait, my name is going to be Kori? I''m Kori! I''M KORI!!!!" The hatchling jumps down and dances about, nearly roaring her name and laughing, the wide smile on her muzzle and glee in her eyes infectious as Korse can''t help but laugh and join in. Chapter 1 - The truth of it The day had finally come, no longer a hatchling, now a youngling, and for her first day of her new life, Kori, was going to celebrate, which was good since there happened to be a festival today too. Hatchlings were not permitted to leave the Hatchery, so it would not only be her first time exploring Emberscale caverns, but also her first time being allowed to partake in the Festival of Emberscale, to a limited extent, the brewers would tear a scale off anyone caught giving such a young Kobold their wares. With all things exciting coming on the same day, Kori almost wasn''t sure what to do first, but that question was answered fairly quickly, exploring her status that was literally staring her in the face. She knew most of the definitions already, but the system showing them to her directly seemed so much more interesting than listening to Matron Rels droning on in the brood chamber while she tried to pretend, she was listening, which she thought she was rather good at. Kori quickly pulled up her status, opening and closing it many times just to see if it would change its answer by getting asked the same thing repeatedly, the adults often did, so this was just standard practice for her now.
Name: Kori Class: Locked Level: N/A Tier: N/A Race: Kobold Racial Level: 1 Statistics Health: 50 Mana: 80 Stamina: 55 Physical Ability Scores Might 9 Agility 14 Finesse 12 Endurance 9 Vitality 8 Mental Ability Scores Wit 12 Cunning 19 Attunement 15 Magic 12 Perception 15 Serendipity 12 Job: Locked Job Level: N/A Job: Locked Job Level: N/A Racial Traits Darkvision Lvl 1 Rapid Growth Draconic Ingenuity Class Abilities Class Perks Titles Emberscale Inheritor Pick of the Litter Skills
Quickly passing over her name and unavailable class, she focused on her Race and prodded it with a mental ''why?'', again, her standard approach to all things new, and it worked as a new box of information popped up in front of her status. Race: The species of origin of the described being. "Hah! it works!" This lined up with what Rels had said, though she used slightly easier words as they were still early in their second year when she went over this. Giving her races name the same ''why?'' prod resulted in much more information this time around. --- Kobold, Tier I Race, Common. Common Racial Traits include, Darkvision, Rapid Growth, Hardened Scales, Partial Regeneration Ability Score Growth: Health: 10 Mana: 5 Stamina: 10 Physical Ability Scores Might 2 Agility 3 Finesse 2 Endurance 3 Vitality 1 Mental Ability Scores Wit 1 Cunning 2 Attunement 0 Magic 0 Perception 2
"Wait, I won''t get any more magic? that''s not fair!" She begins pouting and moving while still looking at her open windows, nearly walking into a wall and biting her tongue. "Ohw." OK, time to just pull up all the rest and get it over with followed by a plethora of silent ''why?¡¯s. Health: An indication of personal well being, increased by Race and Vitality. Mana: The personal wellspring of magical energy one may call upon, increased by Race and Attunement. Stamina: The personal wellspring of physical energy one may call upon, increased by Race and Endurance. Might: The application of physical force one is capable of exerting. Agility: The application of physical speed and reaction one is capable of exerting. Finesse: The application of physical precision and deftness one is capable of exerting. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.Endurance: The measure of physical tolerance for exertion and strain. Increases total Stamina. Vitality: The measure of physical tolerance for injury and harm. Increases total Health. Wit: The application of mental acuity and insight one is capable of exhibiting. Cunning: The application of mental intellect and prowess one is capable of exhibiting. Attunement: The degree to which one is attuned to the magical energies surrounding them. Increases total mana. Magic: The force one may exhibit on the magic around and within themselves. perception: The application of mental awareness and ability to interpret sensory details. Why''s this last one off by itself? Serendipity: The weight a being exerts on the world around them, turning event to, or from, their favor. Cannot be raised by Class or Racial Levels. Huh, that''s strange, the Matrons didn''t really talk about this one much, they mentioned it, but never said much more than it was there... "Well, that was a lot, and it used a lot of bigger words than Rels did... Was she dumbing it down for the others? That''s no fair! Teach them the right words or they''ll never learn!" The small Kobold stomped her foot, as if her protests could change the way they did things. Now, what''s the rest of this stuff as yet another string of ''why?''s get called out in her mind. Darkvision, Common, Level 1 The ability to see within utter darkness, visible detail scales with the level of the ability and Perception. Rapid Growth, Common This being matures at a significantly faster rate than others, at the cost of overall longevity. "Wait, what? That''s bad right? We grow up so quick but don''t live as long? Wasn''t a long life one of the things the dragons Wanted when they made us? Or was that just the other guys, those Drakkiri... I think we got the short end of that tail..." Kori seeing the unfairness of this particular trait. "Wait, is this what causes the Culling too? We grow up too quick and can''t keep up? Well, that''s just not fair..." Gotta find Korse, plenty of questions now... last couple of things on the page first though. "This one wasn''t on the race list, maybe it''s a rare one?" Draconic Ingenuity, Epic The mind of a dragon never rests. Increases racial wit, cunning, magic, and Attunement growth. "Yay!!! I''ll be getting more magic, take that other Kobolds, I''m gonna do magic, I''m gonna do magic!" Thrusting her little hands in the air, claws splayed mimicking Ylst''s [Incinerate] and dancing around, Kori continues on to the next section where her title from Korse should be. "Wait, what is Emberscale Inheritor? I should just have the Title from Korse and that''s it, right?" With only one thing to do, she does what she does best, ''why?'' Emberscale Inheritor, Unique The next candidate eligible to bear the title of Emberscale, should you succeed in grasping it. Grants Racial Trait Draconic Ingenuity, Grants increased Racial Experience, May influence Class growth and availability of specific Jobs. This title is hidden and will not appear on any form of identification and cannot be shared. "Uhhhh...." For maybe the first time in her short life, Kori is left speechless. She rubs her eyes, only then realizing that she can still see the status windows with them closed, and then continues to gawk at the title. "Wait, cannot be shared? How''s that supposed to work, all the elders are supposed to see my status when I get my class! Does that mean I can''t share my status? or does it just not show up for other people when I do? I''ll have to test... Where''s Losq when you need him" knowing full well her brother is likely lugging earthenware and kegs that he''s not even allowed to drink from for the festival. "OK, last one, then I go bug Korse! Hopefully he''s not hiding knowing that it''s time." Pick of the Litter, Rare The chosen youngling of a Master Broodkeeper, expected to do remarkable things and getting a little help in that direction. Grants slightly increased racial experience until Class unlock, grants slightly increased natural Ability Score growth, grants slightly increase Skill growth until Class unlock, +3 to all Ability Scores until Class unlock. Measures total growth at time of Class unlock and may grant additional rewards based on results. Master Broodkeeper will be rewarded or penalized based on growth of chosen youngling. If chosen youngling perishes prior to class unlock, progress will be measured prior to death and reduced by one full tier before determining the results. OK, that''s a long one. Mostly what Korse said, but wow, reducing the reward by a full tier, it must of really, really, hurt when Korf died just days after getting the title. Though it doesn''t really tell me what the tiers are... Wait, Natural Ability Score growth, that''s new, what is that? And why is it the only one that doesn''t say ''''until Class unlock''? Is that what Korse meant it Mostly affected my time between now and my class? "OK Korse, you got some explaining to do, and not even just the questions I''m sure you''re expecting!" A slightly mischievous grin crossing Kori''s muzzle as she makes plans to corner her mentor.
Korse, sits at his little table, in a nook mostly away from the hustle and bustle of the hatchery and the festival both, he knows she''ll be here soon, it''s barely an hour before the feast and her status must have just opened. The Matron''s taught her all she needs, but that''s not how Kori works, questions are asked, answered, and repeated for confirmation, or to wiggle out any extra details that he may have missed. A grin passes his face as he realizes that come the next day, Bolst would likely be taking over as the target of her questions, Korse wasn''t off the hook, but he''d be closer most of the time. As he grins and chuckles to himself a shiver runs down his spine, bare moments before his tail is tugged and he hears laughter terribly similar to his own chuckle come from behind him.
"There you are!" The youngling cries, immediately after sneaking up behind him. Her coming questions interrupted by a sudden flash of light near the corner of her vision, "Huh? What''s that?" "What is what my dear?" "There''s a little blinky thing like I stared at the torch too long, it keeps moving as I try to look at it" Kori waves her head around trying to see why the little spot won''t stay still. "A notification already? I didn''t expect you''d see one until tomorrow for your racial experience. what''s it say?" Korse looks at her curiously. "Uhhh... Oh! Matron Rels told us about these, she didn''t mention how distracting it was" Still spinning slightly to follow the dot as it blinks on and off. "I just think at it right?" When in doubt, go with the classic, ''Why?'' <> "It says I learned Stealth!" "Well that makes perfect sense I think, I imagine you''ll pick up several skills over the coming days just doing things you''ve already practiced." Korse leans on the table and pats the bench next to him, "now why don''t you hop up and ask your questions, hopefully there''ll be time for me to show you around a bit before I have to join the other elders for the feast." Kori hops up on the bench, twists herself around and looks at Korse, leaning her elbow on the table as she does, just barely tall enough that the pose isn''t entirely laughable. "So, I got a list of em." "Of course you do, I expected no less." His grin never faltering, but sighing slightly, seeing yet another missed feast in his future due to his young charge. Chapter 2 - The why of things "So, there are a few, should I start from the top of things?" Kori begins pondering the ordering of questions, if she asked the big ones first then maybe they''d forget about the little ones or run out of time, but she really wanted to ask the big glaring question, what in the Scale was that title... "Well, why don''t we do the easy part first, open your status and then think hard about showing it to me." Kori does as he asks, and it quite naturally happens, both of them viewing her status, with to Kori''s eyes a single glaring omission, like the title claimed, hidden. Thankfully it let her share the rest at least. "Well, well, I knew you''d be smart, but 19, even with the little boost from [Pick of the Litter] that is quite impressive" Korse continues to peruse the status, genuinely impressed by her Ability Scores. "High Magic and Attunement too, Bolst''s gonna be disappointed but Ylst will be ecstatic. I honestly can''t say I''m surprised by your Might, Endurance and Vitality; you will have to work on those." "That was one of my first questions! What is ''Natural Ability Score Growth?'' No one¡¯s ever mentioned that, and why is it the only thing the title you gave me that doesn''t say until class unlock on?" Kori sounding slightly indignant that knowledge was not shared with her. "Ah, that. We don''t tell the hatchlings about that; you''ll get talked to about it when you start your apprenticeship. Some years back a few of the minders got it in their heads that since some younglings had higher Abilities then they must be able to train them before their status unveils, which is entirely true, it''s why you get a varying education, but they wanted to see if they could get the hatchlings Abilities higher by pushing them to train. It ended terribly for most of the clutch with injuries and deaths that should not have happened, but a few came out with Abilities not quite as high as yours." "As for the Title not having that part listed, well that''s one of the ''additional rewards'' it mentions, make it to your class and it''s yours to keep. unless you sit in your alcove for the next 3 years and don''t earn any Skills or grow any Abilities. But somehow, I don''t see that being a problem with you. If there was a skill for asking questions, then you''d probably get that maxed without even trying." Korse gives her a big grin, showing enough teeth that a non-Kobold might find it intimidating. "What are the other rewards, and what are the tiers it mentions? It says rewards are based on tiers, but nothing about what those are or how to tell which one I''m in." the questions just keep flowing, Korse weathering the storm of them to answer best he can. "The tiers aren''t really clear, I can say that I''ve seen 5 different ones, from below 0 gains with Korf, to quite high with Kore, they all reward me with varying amounts of experience, I got nearly 2 levels with Kore got his class last year, and usually anywhere from part of one to a full level with the rest. Even Korb had done well in his training, so I received basically nothing, but also no penalty, when he passed." Thinking back to his other chosen children, "most of the others have either gotten to keep the plus three to all Ability Scores that they began with, or got slight bumps to it, as high as plus seven, and kept the increase to growth. It should be helpful throughout your entire life. Though individual Ability points will become less meaningful overtime." "Huh... OK. that makes sense, I can see why you wouldn''t want to tell us about the Ability growth, my siblings did dumb enough things without knowing they might get rewarded for it, can''t imagine what they''d do if they knew." As Kori muses about the topic, Korse''s grin grows wider and wider. "Oh, they weren''t the one I was worried about. If you knew that all of your escape attempts and questions and sneaking around would help you grow, I''d have never gotten a single moments peace." He begins giggling and laughing as he sees the look of consternation grow and grow on Kori''s face. "I... I... No... You''re right... I''d have been a little monster." Forcing it out between his laughter, "Would? That implies you weren''t."This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. "Hey, I wasn''t that bad!" Kori thinks of all her days of trying to figure out the lock for the brood chamber, the sneaking up on the minders for tail hugs, even way back to talking her brother into boosting her up to undo the latch in the nursery. "Ok, maybe I was a bit much..." "On an unrelated note, what happened to that really complicated lock from the door, bet I could get a skill opening that!" Her grin back in full force. "Kora saved it for you, was gonna be your welcome gift when you apprenticed with Bolst, I''ll ask her what she''s gonna do with it now that you''ll be going to Ylst." He can''t help but break into laughter again at her antics. "K!" quickly directing her attention back to her many questions, that she got to out of order and now needs to find her place again, "I have another question, ok, I have 4 more questions, but I have this one next." She continues, this time with a bit of a sheepish grin, having reflected, if only a little, on her past behaviours. "Only 4? I expected at least twice that. Go ahead. We can still make the feast at this rate." Korse does not believe this in the least. "Is Rapid Growth responsible for the culling? It reads like it is, like we grow faster than we can handle it, and our health can''t keep up?" "Oh... I was hoping you wouldn''t ask that one... "Korse''s face turns serious, "yes. Rapid growth is a blessing when we have much work to do, we can rebuild the clan after a disaster or to expand it quickly, but now, as a people who have settled into a routine life, it robs us of our young and it robs us of our wise." His voice lowering in tone and showing how deeply upsetting this topic is to him. "We can never know if it was intentional, but for as prevalent and populous race as we are across this world, Rapid Growth sits upon our shoulders like a boulder weighing us down. Reach a high enough racial level and you can cancel it out somewhat, but you will still live a shorter life than a peer amongst the surface races." "That''s... that''s... Not fair!" "No little one, it very much is not. But that is the nature of life, we live the one we are given and do with it the best we can." He scrubs the back of his hand across his muzzle and tries to put a cheerier look on, "Now, let¡¯s change things up a little bit, I think it¡¯s time you answer one of my questions for once." Kori gives him a tilt of his head, seeing the next item in her status sitting there, she is fairly certain she knows where this is going. "Exactly what my dear, is Draconic Ingenuity?!" Korse, having spotted the Trait some time earlier is completely baffled by the nature of it, in all his years and all the stories passed on by the Matrons, this is most definitely not one of the Racial Traits that is supposed to be available to a Kobold. "Ummm... I''m really not sure... it''s just kinda, well there... I''m not sure why I got it." Kori looking around somewhat bashfully, not sure if it''s something wrong or that she shouldn''t have. "I''m not mad dear, just confused, I''ve never heard of that trait, it is not in any of the stories told by the Matrons. What exactly does the Trait say?" He tries to calm her nerves, realizing the way he asked may have given her the wrong impression. "You can''t inspect it?" "No, I can only see the things you share specifically." "Can I hide it if I show someone else my Status?" "Well, yes, but it takes practice, is it something you think you should hide? Is there something bad about the trait?" "No! Definitely no, but won''t people be jealous that I got an Epic trait?" Kori still a bit worried about the whole thing. Korse''s eyes nearly bulge from his skull, and he sputters briefly, "E... pic!? The trait is Epic? You are certain." "Uh-huh. Says it right next to the name, Draconic Ingenuity, Epic" she knows that this is a high rarity, but is lacking in perspective, as a common race without any evolutions, this is nearly unheard of, to receive a rare trait would place her in a lucky few throughout the entire Emberscale clan, epic brings that number down to 1. "Ok, let¡¯s ignore that part for a moment, what exactly does the Trait say, the rarer an Ability, Trait, or Skill, generally the less clear it becomes." He has unfortunately realized that he most definitely will not be attending the feast again this year. As she reads out the text of her trait, Korse''s jaw parts slightly and begins to droop, going slack. "That is, and I say this with kindness, ridiculous. Kobolds can do magic, but until we evolve and become Emberscale Kobolds it is difficult at best to excel at it. It also explains why you''ve always had so many questions..." "What do you mean? What does a trait I just got have to do with my asking questions?" Somewhat confused by his statement, her anxiety over his reaction fades a bit to the background. "No, dear Kori, you have had your racial traits all your life, otherwise you wouldn''t have grown up so fast without Rapid Growth. Everything a trait says, especially at higher rarities matter. ''The mind of a dragon never rests'' that is not meaningless exposition, it''s who you''ve always been, a restless mind, always looking for more. This may explain a great deal of things about your time as a hatchling, little one." Korse is still trying to wrap his head around the implications. If trained properly, Kori could pass Kore and even Ylst in time, she could be the greatest practitioner of magic to come out of any of the clans. Chapter 3 - My status says Im unique "So, uhmm... I do have another question, well 2 really, but one leads into another..." Kori begins, though with significantly more insecurity than typical for her, her feet kicking on the stone beneath her and hands tensing and scraping her claws at the table "Hmm? You''ve never been shy of a question before, why is this one any different?" "Well... There''s something missing from the status I showed you, it''s the reason I thought maybe there was a way to hide my trait... it says it''s hidden and cannot be shared directly in its description..." "What? There''s More? Unlike your other trait I''ve heard of some rare titles being hidden by the System, things that may put you in danger if others know of it, though even those, like Kinslayer, a nasty little title, aren''t blocked from being shared." Korse ponders for a few moments, "you didn''t purposely kill one of your siblings, did you? It usually must be on purpose from what I hear..." "WHAT?! No! Definitely not! I tried so hard to keep them from killing themselves, I''d never do it on purpose!" A mix of outrage, disgust, and disappointment marring her face. She really had tried, so many of her siblings died even with her best efforts, but she''d been moving the sharp rocks, and breaking up fights that got out of hand for years, Kinslayer was definitely a title she''d never earn if she could help it. "Wait, you what? You were helping your siblings?" Some of the pieces finally clicking into place, the youngling¡¯s complaints that Kori ruined their fun, that she wouldn''t play with them, that they even started to ostracize her, that her clutch had the most survivors to their System Unveiling of any he''d ever raised. "Uh-huh! Losq helped too!" A proud smile quickly replacing the outrage she had felt. "I shouldn''t be surprised, but I must say I am. More of your siblings survived the culling out of any clutch I''ve ever raised, I considered it good fortune and the minders hard work, but if they had a little extra help that explains a few things." Nearly under his breath, "I wonder if I can poach her instead of giving her to Ylst..." "So uhhh... are all titles that hide themselves bad?" Still somewhat sheepishly trying to steer things back to her question. "Title? Wait, I thought this was another Trait? You''re asking about a hidden Title? My, this is turning out to be more exciting than I expected. To answer your question, no, not always bad, but they are always complicated. Something that will form a strong opinion about its holder, from the stories at least the system neither helps nor hinders, just shows the truth, so it hides things where revealing them freely would help or hinder in some significant way." This was clearly entering territory that Korse is unprepared for, "perhaps we should discuss with the Matrons, it is their duty after all to know these things." "Uhmm... But if it''s hidden to protect me then maybe I shouldn''t tell anyone else?" Kori still wavering between excitement of learning and discovery, and trepidation of being the odd Kobold out for yet another reason. "Oh Kori, the Matrons are here to help the clan, they''d never do anything you''d need protection from." Korse ponders for a bit, "perhaps just Elder Kles, she''d have the best advice." "If you trust her then OK. But maybe we should talk about it then you can ask her?" Rels'' always spoke so gently to her; I don''t want to pester the Elder and offend her with a question or have her scold me... "If that''s what you wish young one, we can do that. We may have to tell the chief too if it''s important, but we''ll decide that after we talk about it." The Chief?! Kori''s has never met Chieftain Ortik, though he met her briefly when he watched her introduction to the clutch and the fight with Losq, but she''s heard many stories about the former Shaman, now Spiritcaller, that leads the clan. This suddenly started to feel a lot bigger than she''d hoped... though calling herself the ''Emberscale Inheritor'' seemed pretty big to begin with... "Uhhh... OK... So... Uhmm... I got a title other than your one." "I gathered that dear, what does it say, is it Epic like your trait too?"The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Oh! No, not Epic, it says it''s Unique." Kori, seeing this as an out, put her foot deeper in it than she realized. "Unique... This is starting to sound a little far-fetched dear, Unique titles are for feats that cannot be repeated, saving nations, slaying great beasts, not something a little youngling would have done." Korse, having a hard time believing it, he knows that Kori isn''t one to make up tales, but getting even Kles to believe him if the title cannot be shared would be difficult. "That''s why I didn''t want to ask... calling myself the ''Emberscale Inheritor'' sounds foolish enough, not being able to share it just sounds like a dragon tale..." "Ember... WHAT!?!" for the first time in his long, long memory, Korse loses all decorum. His face nearly colliding with the table as he sinks like a puppet with its strings cut. Far and above all she''s shown him, the implications of those two words could shake the clan, all of the clans. "Sorry dear, we need to go talk to the Matron. Now. I''ll pull her out of the feast myself if I need to." "So, it''s a bad thing?" Her eyes were wide and fearful. "I don''t know, but it''s not something I can keep to myself."
Korse quickly leads her out of the hatchery, not nearly the grand tour and exploration Kori had expected of her first outing, the main chambers full of platters, kegs, fur cushions and more Kobolds than she has ever seen before. And more noise than she''d ever considered possible, the halls reverberating with cheer and warmth of a clan in celebration. The feast had long since started, their conversation taking them well past when Korse should have arrived. They pass through several large chambers and halls, all packed with Kobolds as they skirt the edges, until they arrive at the largest of the halls, the ceiling far above cloaked in shadows that even Darkvision fails to penetrate fully, and Korse leads her to a large opening. More decorative and ornate than any they''ve passed before, standing tall enough for her to stand tall on Losq''s shoulders and stride through unimpeded. The celebration seems to center around this door, a low table, the only she has seen so far, arrayed in front of it with many older Kobolds sitting on furs behind it. Here Kori sees several that she recognizes and some she can only assume to be the remaining Elders, Elder Arcanist Ylst, Elder Matron Kles, a spot near the center of the table open, and who she can only assume to be Chief Spiritcaller Ortik, an otherworldly haze about his body as he sits, almost as an afterimage of his movements. She stands in awe of the casual display of power while Korse approaches. "Made it finally? What kept you" Ortik begins, but seeing the young one nearby, "ah, her again? Robbing you of another feast I take it?" "Yes indeed. And I''m afraid I must steal away the Matron as well, it may be nothing, but we''ll tell you in the morning regardless." Korse bends to Matron Kles'' ear, her eyes bulging slightly as he whispers and staring hard at the young Kori. "If you''ll excuse us Chieftain." With that he waves Kori to follow and retreats behind the table, into the Chapel of the Scale, a place Kori did not expect to enter for some years yet. The chapel itself continues to be decorative, large lines etched into the walls, when taken as a whole they form unmistakable pattern of dragon scales, and form begins to reveal itself, the large circular chamber appearing as though they sit within the curled form of a sleeping dragon, the head rising above an altar at the far wall with an open eye of solid garnet. Upon the alter a mound of cloth draped over a hidden object.
"Are you certain Korse? Claiming something like this, on today of all days, isn''t to be taken lightly." A scowl crossing the usually genial old Kobold¡¯s face. "No, I''m not certain? I''m not even sure how I could be. She says the title prevents itself from being shared..." Korse shakes his head and pointedly looks at Kori, "I''ve only her word to go on, she''s never made things up before, and she does have a Trait I''ve never heard of, I think that lends some credence." "Well little one, Kori, yes? Before we get into this so-claimed Title, show me your Status please." The scowl still present, but somehow softening towards a motherly look of no-nonsense rather than displeasure. Kori brings up her Status and takes a few moments to share it with both of them. "My, aren''t you a little overachiever, you''ll need to work on those Physical Abilities though. It''s going to disappoint Bolst quite a bit to learn that Ylst gets her instead of him, I believe Kora was looking forward to having another member of your little family there with her too." Kles peers over the status, landing on the outlier, "Draconic Ingenuity, hmm. It''s not often we see a Draconic trait in the histories, the last was centuries ago, but they were apparently quite a bit more common when Lord Emberscale was still with us." "Now my dear, this Title you say you have but cannot share, what does it say, exactly please." As Kori reads out her title, describing how she may inherit the title of Emberscale, Matron Kles keeps a relatively passive face, though Korse fails to hold back his astonishment with his jaw hanging open and eyes wide. "Well... That''s... I believe you but I wish I did not... Eligible to bear the title of Emberscale, if that is truly what your title states then it could place you at the same height as the great Garnet Tyrant, in time..." Kles stares off into space, pondering with little outward evidence of her thoughts. "So, uhmmm, what do I do about it? I''m starting to think it''s hidden for a reason, Korse nearly fainted, you''re talking like I''m gonna rule the Clan or something..." "Oh, it''s hidden for a very good reason and it should remain that way." Chapter 4 - Oooh, it tingles! "Now, young one, I cannot force you to keep this secret, but I believe it best if you do, both for you and for our Clan. That you have told the two of us is already too many and as the Elder Matron and the guardian of Clan Emberscale''s spirituality," Matron Kles looking between Korse and Kori, her visage one of utmost seriousness, "I ask you both, here and now, to make a vow upon the sacred Scale that you will not speak a word of this again until such a time as I command it or you fulfil the potential spoken of in that Title." Giving the two some time for her words to sink in, "This Title is bigger than you could imagine, the return of the Emberscale would change this Clan forever, but beyond that it would change our place within the twelve great Clans, and some may not wish for that change." As Kles speaks Kori begins to shrink in upon herself again, knowing she has stepped into something that no youngling could be prepared to weather. "But I''m barely even a youngling? How could I change... Anything? Why would I get something like this?" Kori stammers through her questions "I do not know little one, but this is not something to fear, it may bring greatness to you, or it may be impossible to succeed in ''grasping'' its true meaning. No, it seems that this will be a great blessing. The danger is not in possessing the Title, it is in it becoming known to posses it. Some may seek to elevate you or isolate you for your ''protection'', others may see you as a threat to the balance of the Clans and attempt to control or even be rid of you. For you to meet the potential this promises, I feel you must be free to do so, and you will not be should this become known." "So, you ask us for a vow, upon the Scale itself, something I have never heard of outside of raising a new Elder or Chieftain?" Korse finally having settled from the shock of Kori describing her title. "Shouldn''t we bring this to rest of the Elders, or at least Ortik?" "No. Most definitely not.¡± Kles replies, vehemence and certainty in her voice, ¡°Should we inform Spiritcaller Ortik then he would by duty and necessity inform the rest of the Clans at the next great gathering, which is still over a decade away, but we cannot allow that. This Title, it says she is ''The next candidate'', who knows how many have come before her and failed or been removed, here or within the other Clans, and yet I have never heard of such, and I assume the same goes for you. No, if any others have such a blessing, then their own Matrons of the time have done the same, protected the Clans from a ''what if?'' and allowed it to run its course. Even the system itself deems that this Title is of such import that it may not be shared or spied with the various means to do so. " ¡°But what if they discover the Title and find out that we knew?¡± Korse¡¯s tone leaking incredulity at the thought of keeping this knowledge from everyone. ¡°The other Elders would be incensed.¡± ¡°Then I will take the blame, and you will tell them that you were just following my commands. My authority is second only to the Chief¡¯s in most things, and you know it. Where this is a matter of spirituality, it exceeds even his.¡± Kles moves towards the covered altar in the rear of the chamber, standing just below waist height and covered with a deep red cloth with black bordering. ¡°Now, both of you, come here.¡± Kori looks to Korse briefly and as he begins to move forward; she joins him approaching the altar. Standing much higher on her diminutive self compared to the others, the ornately carved altar embossed with deep red gems and even gilding glittering in the dim light. She watches as Kles raises the cloth revealing a shining polished scale with a deep red hue edged in smoky flecks of black, the scale standing nearly half Kori¡¯s height at 35 cm across and stood up with an ornately carved stone pedestal to present it to those standing within the chapel. As Kori looks at the shimmer of the gemstone like scale, she can feel it resonate within her being, both Korse and even Matron Kles, who probably has seen the scale hundreds of times throughout her long life, stand equally transfixed by the artifact. This single placard sized scale represents the entire history of the Emberscale clan, all the way back to their origin under the Garnet Tyrant¡¯s rule that sits like an indelible mark upon the Clan. Kori knows that she will return here in 3 years, to the very day, and that this scale will finally reveal her class as she begins her life as an adult. Kles clears her throat and breaks the spell holding both Kori and Korse, ¡°Now, both of you place your hands upon the scale alongside my own and repeat my words exactly.¡± Kori has to approach nearly to the point of pressing against the altar to reach, her height still decidedly below average, and as she places her hand upon the surprisingly rough surface of the scale, its shimmering polished surface belying the rough organic texture, she starts and her hand recoils slightly from the surprise as a another spot of light appears at the edge of her vision, a notification opening as soon as she acknowledges it with a quirked head and a silent ¡®why? << Bonus to daily allotment of Racial Experience gained >> ¡°Uhhhh¡­ I just got a notification for touching this¡­ was I supposed to gain a bonus to racial experience?¡± Still quite unsure of herself in this situation, a feeling of warmth from touch of the scale still lingering on her hand. ¡°I do not believe so? Matron, was that expected? I¡¯ve never seen a youngling touch the scale before their class is unveiled¡± Korse retracts his hand as he looks between the others. ¡°It is likely the bonus to Racial Experience she would have gained at that time, but we will have to wait and see if she gains anything more then as well to know for sure¡± Kles dismisses their concerns and motions her hand back to the scale, ¡°Now, return your hands and let us get this over with. I for one would like to go back to the celebration.¡± Korse returns his hand to the scale alongside Matron Kles¡¯ and watches as Kori hesitantly does the same. As her hand touches it once again, she flinches again slightly, looking around to see if there are any further surprises from touching the scale, but nothing happens this time aside from a pleasant, tingling warmth spreading through her hand and up her arm from the scale.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Good, now, repeat after me. ¡®I vow, upon the name of the great Maladoxis Emberscale, The Garnet Tyrant¡¯¡± Kles pauses as she waits for the others to repeat her words. ¡°I swear¡­ upon the name of the great¡­ Maladoxis Emberscale, The Garnet Tyrant¡± Kori shakily repeats along side a firmer utterance from Korse. ¡°¡¯That the matters discussed here this night shall not be repeated until such a time as ordered by the Elder Matron or should the Title of Emberscale Inheritor change.¡¯¡± The Matron watches closely as both complete the vow. Kori braces, expecting something as she finishes reciting the vow, only to be surprised by a lack of any response. ¡°Uhhh, was something supposed to happen? I didn¡¯t get a notification or anything?¡± Korse looks over to her with a quizzical look, ¡°No, that is it. You have made a sacred vow upon the name of our patron dragon, any Kobold who violates such a pact will be banished from the tribe as soon as it is known. Did you think this was some facet of the system we were trying to bind you with?¡± ¡°Well¡­ Kinda, yeah¡­¡± Both the Elders begin to chuckle at the youngling¡¯s innocence. ¡°I sometimes forget that despite how you act, you really are only 3 years old.¡± Korse continues to chuckle. ¡°Now, since the matter is settled, I suggest we inform the Chief of our young prodigy here¡¯s remarkable draconic trait that you felt the need to pull me away from the festival and discuss away from prying ears.¡± Kles gives them a flat stare as she gives them the story that they will be sharing, ¡°We should return to the festivities and try to enjoy ourselves before it winds down.¡± Kles slumps slightly, at least a little worn from the serious discussion they¡¯ve just had, ¡°Not sure about you Korse, but I could use some of the strong stuff that Aldr stashed by the head table.¡± Korse sighs and nods along with the Matron, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re too young for that Kori, you can mingle with the crowd, but I¡¯d suggest you return to the hall nearest the brood chambers, you¡¯ll likely find your siblings there as well. Try not to get into too much trouble.¡± As Matron Kles replaces the cover upon the Scale Kori feels as though something diminishes in her, she knows now why the Elders all speak of the Great Dragon with reverence, if just a single scale can bring a feeling of connectedness to her like that. As the three depart the Chapel of the Scale, questioning glances from the Elders at the head table turn towards them, curious as to what was so important as to cause Elder Korse to draw away the Matron during the celebration. Kles leans forward towards the chief but speaks just loud enough to be heard by most at the table, ¡°It can wait until the morning when we meet, it was worth the interruption but not a matter of urgency.¡± She waves the youngling off, ¡°Back to the outer hall for you and don¡¯t stay up too late, we may decide to call you to the Elder¡¯s chamber in the morning.¡± Kori begins her trek back to the outer hall where her siblings are likely feasting and socializing with the older clutches present. Unfortunately for her she does not exactly remember the path that led from there to the main chamber and with the crowds and noise it is even more difficult to tell her way back to the hatchery. After wandering in the direction she believed was correct, Kori comes to the realization that she is now well and thoroughly, lost. This was most definitely not the best night to begin her exploration of the Clan¡¯s home. Approaching several of the Kobolds celebrating in one of the halls, ¡°Hi! Can any of you point me to the hatchery? I kinda lost my bearings in all the excitement.¡± Nearly shouting to be heard over the noise of the revelry and an odd percussive beat that permeates the area from a raised plinth near the end of the hall. ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t look old enough that you should be out and about little hatchling, which hatchery did you wander off from? The minders won¡¯t be too happy with you when they find out you snuck off!¡± An older Kobold woman places her hand on Kori¡¯s shoulder thinking she might run off and get even more lost at the threat of getting in trouble. ¡°I¡¯m not a hatchling! I¡¯m 3 years old today and a youngling now!¡± Kori protests as the woman begins guiding her off to the side away from the crowd. ¡°I have my Status unveiled and a name and everything!¡± ¡°Oh, you shouldn¡¯t fib little one, now which hatchery did you wander off from.¡± She gives Kori a kindly smile, but clearly doesn¡¯t believe her. ¡°I¡¯m Kori, not little one, and I¡¯m from the brood chambers at Elder Korse¡¯s hatchery.¡± Kori protests, her face flushing a slightly pinker shade as she gets upset. ¡°Now, now, no need to get upset ¡®Kori¡¯, lets see you back to the Elders hatchery and to the minders. They¡¯ll know what to do with you.¡± Clearly still not believing her, but at least humouring Kori somewhat, the woman begins guiding her towards the hatchery, ¡°You really did wander quite a ways, Elder Korse¡¯s hatchery is several halls over, when you¡¯re old enough the minders will show you how to navigate around the caverns and whoever you apprentice with will make sure you know how to get around.¡± Kori grumbles under her breath, nettled by the fact that she is finally old enough to be called a youngling, but her height still causes her to be treated as a hatchling. The fact that she does need the guidance regardless of the way she¡¯s being treated irks her further and she sullenly trods alongside the woman, trying to catch sight of what she uses to navigate. As they reach the somewhat familiar territory Kori spots a few of her clutchmates in the hall, others having already returned to the brood chamber or celebrating elsewhere with those from their apprenticeships. ¡°There¡¯s my siblings, I¡¯m good here.¡± Hoping to get away from the woman and not get embarrassed to the Minders. ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m not falling for that little one, I¡¯m handing you directly to the Minders, they¡¯ll make sure you don¡¯t wander off again.¡± Entering the Hatchery the woman practically drags Kori off to the nearest Minder, ¡°I believe that this little one belongs here? She must have wandered off on you.¡± A little bit of smug derision in her voice as she seems to be suggesting that the minder has failed in her duties. ¡°Hmm, Oh, it¡¯s you. Welcome back Youngling, I assume the Elder must have finally given you your name today, so I guess I should call you Kori now, shouldn¡¯t I?¡± As the minder looks over the young Kobold and to the older woman, ¡°Now what¡¯s this about wandering off? She should have been out celebrating with the rest of her clutch?¡± The woman¡¯s grin fades as the Minder speaks and she begins to say something, likely an excuse or such but before the older Kobold can say anything, and with a mollified and equally smug grin on her face, Kori speaks up, ¡°Oh, I got a bit turned around and this woman didn¡¯t believe me that I was allowed to be out of the hatchery, but she was kind enough to guide me back to the halls here. Thank you for your help.¡± ¡°Oh, of course she¡¯s allowed to be out amongst the celebrants, she is a youngling after all. In fact, today is the first day she¡¯s been allowed to wander, bit of a late hatcher this one, so it¡¯s no surprise that she got a bit lost with everything going on.¡± The minder chuckles as he begins to understand what happened. ¡°Ah, of course, well then, I guess I should excuse myself¡­ Have a good evening,¡± Looking to the minder, then to Kori, ¡°And you as well littl¡­ Kori.¡± And quickly retreats as her scales begins to colour slightly with embarrassment. Chapter 5 – pulling on threads After being guided back to the hatchery and her brood chamber, Kori found that she was no longer in the mood to be celebratory, today did not go at all as she had expected it to. Laying on the leather pad within her den in the brood chamber, Kori stares at her status and its unexpected entry and remains that way, lost in her own thoughts and worries until she finally falls asleep. The morning begins as all others, a quick meal of fish and cave moss amongst her siblings, before they all prepare to head to their various apprenticeships. Seeing them getting ready and moving with purpose rekindles some of Kori¡¯s departed excitement, even if she gets called in front of the Elders today. ¡®Today¡¯s the day! Not only do I get to finally begin my apprenticeship, but I¡¯m even going to start learning Magic! I can¡¯t wait, I wonder what they¡¯ll teach me first?¡¯ Her excitement continuing to be stoked higher and higher. Shortly after their meals are finished and her siblings dressed in their robes, tunics, and other trappings for their various apprenticeship roles, another cause of some envy for Kori as she remains the only Youngling still in her simple waist wrappings that she¡¯s worn for years, barely more than a long strip of cloth wound around her midsection and thighs several times. She watches as her brother, Plk, leaves the brood chamber, wearing a grey robe that covers him from shoulder to knee. ¡®I¡¯ll have one of those soon!¡¯ Clearly back in her usual spirits, Kori even assists the Minders in tidying after their meal, partly for something to occupy herself, but also to hasten the completion of their morning duties. They know her well enough by now to see the questions coming, her not wanting to interrupt them until a task is completed is usually a sign of a big one. ¡°Well, my dear, we¡¯re nearly done cleaning up, why not ask it now so we can think on an answer while we finish.¡± One of the minders, who will likely move on to the hatchlings to help them through the day since there will be no other younglings around shortly. ¡°Oh, okay. I was just going to ask about being shown how to get around the caverns. I may have¡­ kinda¡­ gotten lost trying to get back here yesterday¡­¡± Kori replies to her a bit sheepishly. ¡°Ah, yes, I heard about that! Apparently, the look on her face when she found out you were allowed to be out, after she dragged you back like a wandering hatchling, which I will admit I¡¯m surprised that it was the first time that ever happened with how much you liked to wander from where you were supposed to be, was quite a sight.¡± The Minder replies with a light chuckle, ¡°Made Ord¡¯s night.¡± ¡°I¡¯m told Elder Korse might be looking for you this morning, he told us to keep you here for a while and if he didn¡¯t come fetch you then to take you about and show you the way to the training chambers for the mages, Plk will be able to help you make your way home and get used to the route over the next few days.¡± She gives her head a shake, ¡°That was a bit of a surprise, everyone assumed you¡¯d be heading to the Trappers. Congratulations, Magic is hard to come by, having it high enough to awaken the spark and learn the mana skills before your class isn¡¯t common.¡± ¡°Thanks! I¡¯m So, so, excited to learn magic, I wanna throw fire like Ylst or maybe batter gobbos with wind like Kore! Oooh, oooh, maybe collapse tunnels on adventurers with Earth magic? There¡¯s just so many options!¡± Kori working up her excitement and talking quickly as the minders look on with a chuckle. A few hours pass before Korse arrives, having already sat through most of the morning meeting and gone over the various events of the night before, as usual there were injuries, damages, and various Kobolds found passed out in places they were never meant to be, including a near drowning after someone decided to do some late night, and very drunken, fishing in the deep lakes beneath the mountain. This also resulted in a tale of the shadow of something quite massive being seen while she was beneath the waters. They had decided to still take the report seriously, though Elder Blonc was quite dismissive and suggested it was merely a small fish much closer than the accidental swimmer thought. ¡°Kori, if you would please accompany me this morning? The Elders requests your presence.¡± It is odd for Kori to hear the Elder use this tone, he sounds very official and authoritative, different than his usual tone with the young Kobolds of the hatchery. The Minders shoot surprised glances towards Kori, to summon a youngling to the Elders was definitely not something that came along very often. ¡°Oh¡­ OK¡­¡± She shuffles forward, even being told that this might happen Kori was hoping that it wouldn¡¯t, she almost believed with how long it took that it wasn¡¯t going to be necessary. ¡°Come along, it shouldn¡¯t take very long, and I¡¯ll give you a quick lesson on our way before leaving you with Elder Ylst¡¯s and her sorcerers to begin your apprenticeship.¡± Korse always knows just how to capture Kori¡¯s interest, his grin barely supressed when he sees her excitement return. As they proceed onward to the Elder¡¯s Chambers Kori does her best to keep track of the twists and turns made in the halls and caves, this is noticed by Korse as they walk, and he begins to offer explanations. ¡°You see the line there on the wall?¡± He points and waits for her to acknowledge, ¡°That shows which tunnel leads back to the great hall. It¡¯s always on the right heading towards it. You can find your way there from anywhere in all of Emberscale Caverns by following one of those lines. When we reach the hall, you¡¯ll see that the line is marked with a fang. As long as you know to take the door marked with a fang you can follow it back to the hatchery by knowing how many halls you must pass through before you leave the line, so for your hatchery you begin at the tunnel marked with the fang and go 5 caverns on the line, then take the third door on your left and follow that tunnel to the entrance to the hatchery.¡± ¡°There are many tunnels branching from the great hall, each leading in a different direction and marked in ways to identify their purpose. Hatcheries are a bit of a special case, we learned long ago to spread them out amongst the cavern to avoid disaster, like that sickness a while back, from threatening all our young at the same time. Your hatchery is in one of the residential tunnels, there are others spread about.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Kori nods her head along and thinks on what Korse has said for a while as they proceed along the route to their destination, ¡°Does that mean I¡¯ll head to the great hall then take a tunnel marked with a magic rune, or something to get to the training grounds?¡± ¡°Close, but not quite. You¡¯ll take the tunnel marked with a spear and flame, the training grounds are shared by the sorcerers and warriors of the Clan.¡± A proud smile on his face as she figured it out quite quickly. ¡°You¡¯ll take just the one hall from the great hall to reach there, the training grounds is actually the second largest of all of our caverns, and the largest that we dug ourselves, the great hall being natural. That¡¯s why you¡¯ll find pillars there but none in the larger great hall.¡± ¡°Now, we¡¯re nearly there. Once we arrive you will wait outside the chamber until you are called in, there is a space just by the door for that, then we will discuss the matter we talked about with Elder Kles, and they will likely ask to be shown your status. Only speak when they ask you questions and only to respond to those questions.¡± They arrive at the great hall and Kori is once again taken aback at the sheer size of it, several hundred meters across the hall is a hive of activity, Kobolds coming and going, tables set out with workers preparing fish and meat and other products for cooking the daily meals, sounds of metal tools being sharpened or hafts repaired from another side of the chamber, and a buzz of voices the floors of the cavern showing worn paths where Kobolds have trod the stone down over decades and centuries, work areas sitting just slightly taller than the paths. In every direction Kori can see more Kobolds than she had ever seen, at least before the crowds of the previous night. ¡°Elder, how many live in Emberscale Caverns? There were so many out and celebrating last night, I never knew there were that many of us.¡± Kori¡¯s head panning across the space as she speaks, trying to count just how many Kobolds are passing around her, though with them all nearly a third of her height taller than her it becomes fairly difficult. ¡°Hmm? Oh, I believe the Clan is somewhere around twenty-five thousand Kobolds strong presently. Nearly all of them live here in the Caverns, though about a dozen live on the surface as traders, taking the stone and ores we mine and some other goods and trading them to the people of Whatzakt for the things we cannot gather beneath the ground.¡± Korse answers her questions as they approach the doors to the Elder¡¯s Chambers, one of the few openings to actually possess wooden doors spanning its opening. ¡°Now, as I said, wait here.¡± She nods in response and sidles up to the wall near the door, watching the Kobolds pass through the hall, noting the differences in attire as they go. Many wear tunics of various cloths and pants of leather down to their knees, some robes bearing coloured belts of mostly red, though sometimes brown, the robes are similar to what Plk wore before he left, though he had no belt, while others still bear thicker leather coats that look stiff and hardened, she even spots a one wearing a robe dyed deep red, cinched at the waist with a belt of black rope, this is akin to what Elder Kles and Matron Rels wore, though the belt differed and she wasn¡¯t sure why. Her hands pick at her own wrappings, feeling self conscious as she sees the other Kobolds looking at her questioningly, she realizes she stands out and looks like a hatchling, standing outside the leaders of their clan like she is awaiting punishment. ¡®I wish I¡¯d gotten my robe before we came here¡­¡¯ Before she¡¯s had too long to watch the passers by Kori hears a voice call for her, ¡°Youngling Kori, please enter.¡± It was not Korse, and she does not recognize the man speaking, but does as instructed. Opening the wooden door, she finds the hall a little smoky from a pair of small braziers burning warmly to the sides of the room, a low table she recognizes from the night before sits with two others in an arc facing the door with space in front to address the council from. Several tunnels open behind the tables leading off to various other rooms and chambers Kori can only speculate at. Over a dozen Kobolds sit arrayed in front of her at the low tables, she spots those from the night before and can still only bring names to the 4 of them, Korse, Ylst, Kles, and Ortik. ¡°We have been led to believe that you possess something quite remarkable Youngling,¡± The Kobold sitting at the center of the tables begins, clearly the Chieftain, Spiritcaller Ortik, though lacking the haze he had displayed the night before, clearly something he did to impress rather than a permanent facet of his Abilities. ¡°Please, if you would begin by displaying your status so that we may verify this for ourselves.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ Yes Sir¡­ Err¡­ Chieftain¡­¡± Kori stutters slightly correcting herself. She moves closer and wills her status to be shown to all those present. They each study it with various levels of interest, most very little, but a few with quite a bit. One in particular on the lefthand table, quietly curses ¡°Dragon-shite¡­¡± as he peruses her status. ¡°Still not happy about this Korse, I was looking forward to this one. If she¡¯s half as good as Kora, then I¡¯d know the Clan would be in good hands for a long time to come.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ll just have to settle for having her protect the Clan as one of my mages Bolst, if this Trait is near as good as we¡¯ve heard then you¡¯re going to be quite the little caster, may light a fire under Kore¡¯s tail too to practice harder.¡± Ylst rebukes her colleague, a giant grin on her face as she looks at Kori¡¯s status. Ortik looks to the Elders and clears his throat, trying to restore a little decorum to the chamber, ¡°Now then, Elder Kles, can you verify that you were unable to find any reference of this particular Trait within the written records?¡± The elderly Matron looks up and for such a frail looking Kobold her voice projects strongly through the chamber, ¡°Yes Chieftain, my Matrons and I spent the early hours scouring our records, while there are records of other draconic Traits, this particular one is not recorded.¡± ¡°Very well, Youngling Kori, if you would please read out the text exactly, Elder Kles, please ensure that it is added to the records in its entirety.¡± Ortik commands them to proceed, both do as told, Kori reading out the text of her Trait to surprised looks of the others. ¡°That matches what you reported earlier. My, that is quite the Trait young one, to grow your magical aptitudes before your class is quite difficult for the majority of Kobolds. We will expect great efforts on your part in the coming years to ensure that you are awarded the greatest class possible to take advantage of this.¡± Ortik looks quite pleased with the news he has received. ¡°Thank you for bringing this to our attention Elder Korse, and for your researching the matter Elder Kles.¡± Ortik looks at the two Elders before he turns back to Kori, ¡°Youngling, thank your time here today. You are excused from this meeting.¡± Before Kori can respond Ylst speaks up, ¡°Please wait outside the chambers for a few minutes, you were the final topic to discuss. I will bring you with me back to the training grounds when I depart shortly.¡± ¡°Thank you, Chieftain. Yes Elder, I will wait by the door.¡± Kori quickly responds before retreating from the chamber and returning to her spot just outside the door, her heart racing as she does, thankful to be away from their watchful gazes, excitement building with every step. This is it! Magic! Chapter 6 – Idle Tails As Kori stands outside the door to the Elder¡¯s Chambers, letting her nerves settle after being presented to the council like a newly caught fish, she begins to shuffle and twitch not from her nervousness but as the excited energy builds. She¡¯s going to learn magic. Real magic. She can¡¯t help but imagine the possibilities and with each new idea her excitement builds. She¡¯s not really sure how long she stands there, lost in her imaginings, but eventually she starts as several of the elders pass out the door next to her, many glancing in her direction with a smile. For better or worse they all know who Kori is now and she feels the weight of their expectations as they watch her. Elders Ylst and Korse exit side by side and approach her. ¡°Now, you be good for Elder Ylst, she isn¡¯t used to all your questions yet so try not to go too overboard with them.¡± Korse chuckles, seeming as though he¡¯s handing off a problem rather than a bright young Kobold, which to be fair, he¡¯s doing both. ¡°Yes Elder.¡± Kori responds, trying to sound meek, but her eagerness showing as the words come out just a bit too quickly. Both Elders share a glance and chuckle. ¡°Come along Apprentice Kori. I will show you to the training grounds and have one of the other apprentices get you settled and begin the first stages of your training.¡± Ylst waves her hand forward towards one of the pathways in the great hall, one that will lead to the tunnel marked with a spear and a flame and to the next stage in Kori¡¯s life. The tunnel itself is not very long, there are no branches or doorways, just a single straight path into a massive opening, nearly as big as the great hall, Kori sees a multitude of pillars holding the stone above them, though one of the biggest things to stand out is that the floor is covered in gravel and sand, not bare stone as is typical. ¡°Elder, why is there so much crushed rock on the floor?¡± Kori pipes up, barely even realizing she¡¯s asked until after the words are already spoken. ¡°Hm? Oh, the sand is to keep the training areas safer for sparring, the gravel is to mark off paths and keep the sand from spreading everywhere.¡± Ylst absently responds. Continuing into the area Kori observes several large clear areas full of sand that contain Kobolds in armour sparring with each other, spears chief amongst the weapons wielded, but she also sees clubs, daggers, and even a sword or two, all made of wood for training. She can imagine them with real weapons, holding tunnels and pushing back invaders. Other fields have warriors in lighter armour as whirling slings send rocks, or shorter spears are thrown towards targets set in a line, a wall of stone raised not far behind them. The elder leads them off to the other side of the immense cavern that is the training grounds, here she sees what she has been waiting for, Kobolds in robes of various colours, grey, red, brown, green, and even a few blues, with the occasional having a sash of a different colour worn over their robes. ¡°Elder, why are all the robes different? There are several colours, and then yours is different still, white, is that because you¡¯re the Elder?¡± Kori¡¯s clearly forgetting Korse¡¯s earlier admonition as her curiosity escapes in fast paced questions. Ylst takes a moment and gives a little laugh as she listens, ¡°Korse warned me about you, you know? Curiosity is well and good, but temperance is a trait to be nurtured as well, we¡¯ll have to work on that. The robes denote a mages affinity, you¡¯ll be wearing grey soon as an apprentice, though you¡¯ll earn a sash once you are able to unlock a magical affinity, the full mages wear their colours to represent their affinity or class and a sash if they have managed to unlock a second affinity, or sometimes even a third.¡± As she says this she points over to one side where a rather elderly Kobold stands in a red robe with both green and brown sashes intertwined around his waist. ¡°Take Flamebringer Nol over there, his class is an advanced fire mage, but he¡¯s managed to learn 3 separate elemental magics over his years, rare and difficult, but possible.¡± Ylst continues walking towards some openings along the side of the chamber, ¡°My white robe is not a mark of the elder as you surmised however, it is my privilege as an Arcanist, one who has mastered the 4 primal elements. Should you work hard and manage the same you will be afforded the same right.¡± Kori begins to speak, another question on the tip of her tongue as Ylst continues, ¡°Now, the rest of your questions will have to wait. We¡¯re here at the place all apprentices begin. The meditation grounds.¡± The Elder points out across a space, enclosed by a short wall of stone and in which sit several young Kobolds in grey robes, as well as a few older in their colourful robes. ¡°This is where you¡¯ll begin training, one of the more experienced apprentices will guide you in meditation to help you unlock [Mana Sense], the cornerstone of all mage Skills, it is not until you can sense mana that you can begin to wield it.¡± Ylst points to a small group of grey robed apprentices, clearly the youngest present, following the low and calm voice of another apprentice wearing a red sash within the group Kori recognizes her brother Plk. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Ylst looks to another grey robed apprentice without a sash, sitting by themselves in the meditation grounds their eyes open and observing those around them, ¡°Apprentice, please take this youngling to the supply room and help her find a robe,¡± Ylst eyes Kori a moment, ¡°Whatever the smallest one you can find is, then show her how to wear it properly and return her to the meditation group.¡± The apprentice, likely a year older than Kori since he is not amongst the meditation group, stands up quickly and gives Ylst a quick nod, ¡°Yes Elder. Please follow me, Youngling.¡± And begins hurrying off without even checking if Kori is keeping up. Kori follows along the behind the other apprentice and is led to a small chamber off the main training hall, inside she sees a number of robes hung from racks along the walls, leathers stacked to one side, and even some staves in a pile in a corner. He begins sorting through the grey robes holding them up one by one, ¡°Well, this should about fit you.¡± Kori takes the grey robe and belt offered and begins to don them, finding that unlike the others where the robe ends around knee high, on her its well below her knees, just barely high enough that it won¡¯t impede her stride. ¡°Uhh, it¡¯s a little long, isn¡¯t it?¡± He gives her a look up and down, ¡°You''ll hopefully grow into it, besides I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to find anything that fits you any better, here, let me show you how to wind the belt, and you¡¯ve got the collar wrong.¡± He begins fussing with her robes to straighten the collar and wind the belt around twice and tie it with a looping knot. ¡°There, done, you¡¯re looking the part now.¡± Kori looks down at the robe covering herself, feeling oddly itchy and out of place in it. ¡°It feels awfully restrictive on my tail, is it supposed to be like that?¡± Plucking at the rear of the robe she looks at the other apprentices and sees that his tail is let out via a slit in the back, finding the same in hers she struggles briefly, twirling around a bit and twisting to try to maneuver her tail into place, catching on every little ridge, she almost has it as she teeters on her feet, the robe twisted around. ¡°Watch out, you¡¯re going t¡­¡± As she dances around trying to situate her tail Kori ends up stepping on one of the staves sticking slightly out from the pile, ¡°Ahhaa¡­¡± Her foot goes out from under her, and she ends up landing on her side in a tangled mess, just barely missing the stacked leathers that would have cushioned her fall, and nearly knocking over the other apprentice. ¡°To fall¡­ You¡¯re going to fall¡­¡± A somewhat exasperated look on the young Kobolds face as he holds back his laughter. Kori begins untangling herself, ¡°Could you give me a hand? Please?¡± He takes her hand and helps her steady on her feet. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Try undoing the belt, that might help a little.¡± His efforts to stifle his laughter barely succeeding. After a few minutes of fiddling and once again being shown how to tie the belt properly, Kori is finally dressed. ¡°Yay! Robes! No more looking like a hatchling for this Kobold!¡± Kori beams as she twirls around again, this time with less flailing and more attention to where she¡¯s stepping, though still nearly tripping over nothing but her own feet this time. The other apprentices¡¯ efforts are finally shown insufficient as he begins laughing at Kori¡¯s antics, watching her dance around with two left feet, just happy to be clothed. ¡°So, what¡¯s next? Back to the place everyone was sitting around?¡± ¡°Yes, back to the meditation grounds, someone should still be doing a guided session to help you first years learn [Mana Sense], you¡¯re pretty useless except for errands and chores until you get that and a few others under your belt.¡± Before he even finishes speaking, he¡¯s already turned towards the door to the storage area and is walking back the way they came, expecting Kori to follow. As she returns to the meditation area, Kori sees Plk and the others still sitting on the floor, listening to one of the older apprentices with a red sash around their waist drone on in a monotonous voice, ¡°Envision yourself sitting alone surrounded by an endless bed of coals, smoke wafting through the air all around you, breathing it in and feeling it through your body,¡± He pauses as he sees Kori joining them and nods to an empty space near the group before continuing, the other apprentices likely not even knowing she was there, ¡±Breathing it out, to rejoin the endless haze. Feel the wisps of smoke touching your scales and circling you, see the smoke in the air all around your body.¡± Kori joins the group near the others, tries to mimic their pose and closes her eyes, following the droning voice of the guide as he tries to help them envision the mana that apparently flows around them like a haze of smoke in the air. Kori makes it all of 2 minutes before she has a question, opening her eyes and looking to the guiding apprentice she gets the distinct feeling that questions are not presently welcome. This state of things does not sit well with her as more questions pile up and she doesn¡¯t seem to have any outlet, she tries asking those around her but is quickly shushed and given a dirty look by the apprentice leading the group. Trying again to settle her mind she closes her eyes; this time it lasts about 45 seconds. Her concentration broken by her tail idly swaying across the stone behind her and notices many additional dirty looks she has now earned from her fellow apprentices¡­ She¡¯s really not sure about this whole ¡®meditation¡¯ thing¡­ Chapter 7 – Medi-what? Over the course of her first few hours of being an apprentice Kori has come to an exceedingly difficult conclusion, she does not like meditating. Sitting still? No talking or asking questions? None of these are things that come naturally to Kori, hell, her Trait even says ¡®The mind of a dragon never rests¡¯ and she¡¯s becoming more certain of that single phrase¡¯s validity the more she sits and thinks and tries to follow the droning guided meditation of her senior apprentice. The image of mana drifting as a haze of smoke through the air lingers in her thoughts, but sinking into the state that her fellows seem to be able to evades her active mind. As she sits and fidgets, her tail swishing back and forth like a nervous salamander¡¯s, calling attention to herself from those around her and from the apprentice guiding the group and receiving dirty looks from those whose focus she disturbs. She tries to ponder on the whole ¡®nature of mana¡¯ thing, tries to look within to ''see what is around her'', but honestly it sounds like something that the Minders would have told her when she was being particularly inquisitive and wanted some peace and quiet for a bit¡­ Around midday the guide stands from his seated position and ends his droning guidance, ¡°Well done group, most of you looked like you were able to settle into the exercise today,¡± A pointed look at a certain newcomer, ¡°Has anyone attained their [Mana Sense] or [Mana Control] skills today?¡± A pair of hands are raised amongst the group as Kori looks around, both young Kobolds that she does not recognize, ¡°Well done! Once you¡¯ve gotten the hang of [Mana Control] you can join Zephyr Mage Kore¡¯s group in working on your [Spell Shaping] exercises.¡± These new skills sound much more interesting than simply sitting on her tail and trying to ¡®settle her mind¡¯ whatever that means¡­ ¡°Now, the part of the day you all would rather skip¡­ I know, you want to be mages, sorcerers, or whatnot, I do too, but when you¡¯re out of mana and facing a goblin with a knife, you¡¯ll be a lot better off with a staff in hand and some skill levels to back it up. Take a few minutes to stretch, gather a stave from the barrels,¡± Pointing over to the side near where the entrance to the supply room was, ¡°And meet me in the sparring ring.¡± Wait, staff training? I know I was bored but now we have to play with sticks? I thought I was going to learn magic, fling fire or something? I guess he has a point, can¡¯t cast if you¡¯re out of mana, but still¡­ Kori catches her brother¡¯s eye as he stands and waves, ¡°Hi Plk!¡± ¡°Kori? I thought you were going to be a trapper?¡± ¡°Nope! Apparently, I have magic! Though I didn¡¯t have much luck with the whole meditation thing¡­¡± ¡°Oh, congratulations! It took me a good few days to get the [Meditation] Skill, but once I had that it became much easier to follow the guide¡¯s instructions. I think I¡¯m really close to [Mana Sense] I caught a wisp of it today!¡± ¡°Wait, it¡¯s a Skill? Why didn¡¯t they mention that part, just the Sense Skill?¡± ¡°Not sure, but it is. Most of us have it already, it just kinda happens as you follow along.¡± Kori grumbles a little under her breath about not getting proper explanations for things, one of her biggest peeves really. ¡°Any tips? I couldn¡¯t get into it really¡­¡± ¡°Just stop thinking about anything, focus on the guides voice and let their words sink in.¡± Plk thinks for a few seconds, ¡°That¡¯s at least the advice they gave me, it worked eventually. Come on, we need to get to sparring, it¡¯s actually kinda fun. And here you can¡¯t break up the fights cause we¡¯re supposed to be bonking each other!¡± Plk sticks his tongue out at Kori teasingly as he says the last bit, still a bit sore over all the times that Kori stepped in and ruined his fun as a hatchling. ¡°You know I was just trying to keep you guys from smashing your head on a rock or somehow drowning in our puddle¡­ Right?¡± She¡¯s still a bit sad over some of her siblings, the Culling might be a natural part of Kobolds lives because they grow faster than they learn and sometimes just pass in their sleep even, but it doesn¡¯t mean she doesn¡¯t hate it and the [Rapid Growth] trait responsible for it. ¡°I know, I know, at least now, none of us really did for a long time. I¡¯ve talked with some of the other Apprentices since coming here, did you know that most of them didn¡¯t even have 30 hatchlings in their clutch when they moved to the brood chambers? All of them said that barely 20 made it to their apprenticeship¡­¡± His mood turning somber for a moment as he talks about the other clutches, ¡°I think the others are all realizing too as they get to interact with all the other apprentices and hear the other Kobolds speak about our clutch like we¡¯re an oddity. You and Losq really did make a difference.¡± ¡°Enough about that though, lets grab a staff and get to it, if we dawdle, they¡¯ll give us extra cleaning duty.¡± As he rushes off towards the barrels, Kori following behind. ¡°Here, use this one.¡± Handing her a staff, while it¡¯s just a bit taller than Plk, it looks comically long in her hands in comparison, easily 40cm taller than she is. ¡°That might be a bit big for you¡­ I don¡¯t think there are any shorter though¡­ Maybe they¡¯ll let you trim it down a bit?¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Stupid long stick¡­ Stupid oversized robe too¡­¡± Kori grumbles under her breath at yet another reminder of her less than average stature. Looking back to her brother, ¡°I¡¯ll make do¡­¡± The next hour becomes an exercise in frustration for the young Kobold, all of her fellows are taller, mostly stronger, and they¡¯ve at least a few weeks of practice on her. So, she takes to doing what she does best when in a fight, she starts playing dirty. Striking toes, knees, fingers where they grasp their staves, hooking feet and tripping, and all around just taking cheap shots. Their instructor admonishes her several times to stick to the forms, but every time she tries that it ends with her in the sand and her sparring partner¡¯s gloating looks of superiority, something Kori can¡¯t stand. Her brother watches all of this with great amusement, except for the times when he¡¯s paired with her, as he himself or his siblings have been on the receiving end of Kori¡¯s particular style of fighting for years whenever she was provoked to it, though he¡¯s glad that there is no food involved, the little glutton always got serious then. One particular opponent seems to take offense to Kori¡¯s tactics though, she sees her glaring at her after she knocked down a Kobold closer to her own height, though he was still a good 5+ cm taller than her. After a few more apprentices come and go in the rotation of opponents, she finds herself confronted by the one that was glaring at her. She¡¯s almost as tall as Losq, though with a lot less bulk on her frame, and still looking at Kori like she¡¯s in need of a good bashing with that staff of hers. ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy this; you didn¡¯t have to go that hard against my brother. He¡¯s not very strong and still learning.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that strong either and todays my first day, so what¡¯s his excuse?¡± Kori taunts back, clearly the wrong thing to say as she gets a sneer from her foe. With little warm up or setting of stances, the larger Kobold rushes Kori with her staff raised, aiming for a downward strike on Kori¡¯s head and not holding back. Kori raises her staff in response, angling it slightly to let the blow deflect, but fails to account for her fingers, which she should know better since she¡¯s done the same already to others, and the staff rolls over her hand causing her to flinch back her probably bruised knuckles. ¡°Ow!¡± ¡°Heh, just getting started runt.¡± Runt? Runt! I hate being called runt. Oh, I¡¯m going to enjoy this now. ¡°You¡¯re gonna regret that!¡± Kori immediately starts fighting like there¡¯s food on the line, her staff blocking a follow up blow from the side as she grounds the butt of it, then immediately she steps into her opponents reach, pulls back and drives the top end of the staff forward like a spear towards her muzzle, missing her target, but still connecting at the shoulder. A smile crosses Kori¡¯s face as her blow lands, not strongly enough to hurt, but still lands and throws off her foe¡¯s balance. They separate and this time Kori begins the attack, a wide sweep with her hands closer to the end of the haft, not a particularly stable position, but one that gives her extra reach, barely missing as the blow is dodged back. The melee continues, back and forth, Kori clearly outmatched but still giving her all. This is starting to be at least a little fun¡­her frustrations from earlier being channeled into swinging the staff around. She receives an unexpected surprise, a little blinking light at the edge of her vision indicating a notification. <> After gaining the skill she finds that there is a slight pull towards the forms that she had been shown in her swings, not changing them but guiding the swing slightly towards her targets, like her muscles know just a little better where to place her force to strike her partners toe or where to slide her hands along the haft of it to keep her balance when she blocks a heavy swing. The improvement isn¡¯t dramatic, but is at least a little noticeable and she starts having an easier time striking where she intends and blocking her opponent¡¯s swings. She uses this newly acquired deftness to take her opponent off guard, blocking a swing from the side and repeating her first somewhat successful strike of the bout, stepping into her reach, pulling back the staff, this time her hands positioned to get better control and accuracy, and driving the end of the stick up and into her foes chin. The larger Kobolds feet leave the sand as she topples backwards several feet, her staff rolling off to the side as she lands on her tail, not moving for a few seconds until groaning and rolling to her side, her hands going to her chin where a welt is already forming. Now that their little fight is ended Kori looks around realizing that she¡¯s the center of attention, several of the other apprentices having stopped to watch and even the instructor nearby. ¡°Your form is off, and that little strike of yours is liable to get you stabbed moving in on a goblin like that, but it¡¯s a good start apprentice, nobody else has dropped Ury like that. I¡¯d like to see less aiming for toes and knees though.¡± The instructor looks about to the others and calls out, ¡°That¡¯s it for today. Take a break, then it¡¯s time for chores.¡± To the displeased groans of all the young apprentices. Kori tries to give her opponent, Ury apparently, a hand up but just gets a glare back for her efforts. ¡°Scale off, runt.¡± Again? Oh, I¡¯m not gonna like her¡­ Approaching her brother while shaking her head at Ury¡¯s reaction ¡°What does he mean chores?¡± Plk¡¯s amusement plain on his face, ¡°Kori, that was great! I thought you didn¡¯t like fighting? Ury¡¯s been bullying us all week, everybody except her brother over there.¡± Pointing to the smaller kobold that Kori had knocked down earlier. ¡°I don¡¯t like fighting¡­ She called me runt¡­¡± Kori mumbles her response out, Plk must of still made it out as he winced when she said runt. Kori has made her dislike of that term well known. ¡°So, what¡¯s this about chores? I thought we were here to learn to be a mage?¡± ¡°Oof... No wonder." Shaking his head at hearing what Ury said. "Yeah, that¡¯s what we just did. Now we¡¯ve gotta do the dirty work none of the older apprentices or mages want to. There¡¯s a water basin over by where we got the staves, lets get a drink and I¡¯ll show you around what we¡¯ll be doing til we go back to the brood chamber for dinner.¡± Plk begins walking over while explaining that the first thing they¡¯ll have to do is clean the basin they¡¯re getting a drink from, and their staves, and then go rake the sparring area. After that they¡¯ll get broken up into groups and assigned tasks like running errands for the mages, fetching supplies, cleaning the meditation grounds, and the list goes on. ¡°When do we get to learn more then if we¡¯ve got all these things to do?¡± ¡°Tomorrow Morning.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ That¡¯s¡­ But¡­ I wanna learn more now!¡± Chapter 8 – Lacking Sense Kori spends the next several hours after cleaning up the sparring area following a more senior mage around as he trekked about Emberscale caverns, on the plus side she got to explore places she had never seen before, on the downside it was done while lugging about a load of tools and supplies that her meager strength is not particularly suited for. It was worth it though, she got to watch as new air and water runes were inscribed in several of the cave moss farms, these were different runes than she was used to seeing, they combined both elements together in a way that kept the air moist rather than to fill a basin or circulate the air through the ventilation shafts. The senior mage even explained a bit of what he was doing as she worked. ¡°You see how the two runes overlap here and here? That is the hardest part of the inscription, you need to meld the elements together here.¡± Pointing to small swirling portions of the rune where the two designs merge, ¡°These elements are very compatible with each other for applications like this, their patterns flow and swirl in similar manners so creating a junction doesn¡¯t disrupt the flow of mana between them. Trying this with Earth and Water or Air and Fire is much harder, it can be done but has a tendency to fail in a volatile manner.¡± She continues to inscribe the runes, first with a sharp metal chisel then following with a more precise tool and then inking it with fluids from several jars of foul-smelling concoctions. Kori begins to learn what the mage will need and when, preparing her tools and inks and having them ready before she¡¯s asked. ¡°Well, you seem to be keen on this work, maybe we¡¯ll make an inscriptionist out of you!¡± The remainder of the day passes with little change, moss farm after moss farm, apparently, they¡¯re all done in a loop over several days every few weeks to keep things running. ¡°I¡¯ll ask for you again tomorrow, this work is tedious enough without reminding my helper every second rune that the slug ichor is the pot with the thick clear, yellowish, substance and the drift spores are the white paste¡­¡± The day winds down and they head back to the training grounds, Kori tasked with returning the supplies to the places and marking down how much they had used using scales and weights to determine how much was left compared to what was marked previously. It took her a few tries to get the hang of the scales but once she understood them it became quite easy work. Reuniting with Plk before they head back to the brood chamber to get their dinner and rest for the evening, as they are walking down one of the corridors near home Kori feels a very odd sensation, the light of a notification blinking incessantly just out of sight as her body feels stiff, her thoughts stutter and go blank, her vision loses focus and the sounds of the cavern around her become a jumbled mess of noise. She falters mid step and nearly collapses as she topples to the side and into the wall. Whatever just happened fades as quickly as it came and she regains her senses and balance, waving Plk¡¯s concern off, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°You sure? Looked like you nearly fell flat on your face.¡± What the Scale was that?! With her usual prod of a silent ¡®why?¡¯ Kori brings up her notification. <> <> <> Wait, what? Two levels? It¡¯s only been a day! Was it the Title? Or touching the Scale? Or are the first levels just really fast? She straightens up from the wall and looks to her brother, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m okay, just got my first racial experience, guess I shouldn¡¯t walk and poke notifications at the same time or I¡¯ll get distracted¡­¡± ¡°Oh, right, you only got your status yesterday, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yup, always the last of us for everything¡­ What level are you now? I¡¯m not sure how long it¡¯s supposed to take to go up.¡± ¡°I got 2 in just a little under 2 weeks, that¡¯s about average, 3 will take another month from what the older apprentices are saying.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ That¡¯s slower than I thought¡­¡± Level three takes a month and a half? Maybe the scale just gave me a bunch. They should get all the younglings to go touch that thing¡­ I wonder what my stats are now? Kori barely resists the curious urge to peak at her status while they¡¯re walking back to the brood chamber, not wanting to walk into a wall or something so soon after using that for an excuse. Immediately after arriving home she heads straight to her little den and prods her status open. While she doesn¡¯t really have any reference for everything, Kori is pretty sure that her stats, at least on the mental side of things, are not where she¡¯s supposed to be as a level 3 Kobold.
Name Kori
Class Locked
Level N/A Race Kobold
Tier N/A Race Level 3
Job Locked Job Locked
Job Level N/A Job Level N/A
Statistics
Health 80
Mana 120
Stamina 105
Physical Ability Scores Mental Ability Scores
Might 13 Wit 20
Agility 20 Cunning 29
Finesse 16 Attunement 21
Endurance 15 Magic 18
Vitality 10 Perception 19
Serendipity 12
Wait, wow, that¡¯s a lot higher¡­ well some of them¡­ that means I got all my racial stats from Kobold and then another 3 each level from Draconic Ingenuity to Wit, Cunning, Attunement, and Magic? That¡¯s like three quarters of another level¡­ Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The following days pass much the same as her first day of apprenticeship, even weeks in she has yet to receive the [Meditation], or [Mana Sense] Skills, and it has only reinforced her general dislike for the practice. Sitting still for hours, no talking or questions, trying to follow the slow, monotone voice of whichever senior apprentice happens to be leading the group that day. To Kori it feels less like training every day and more like punishment. She now sits apart from the group at the rear, relegated there by both her fellow apprentices and the guide, so that her swishing tail and occasional grumblings and mumblings, do not break their focus. The number of other apprentices joining in on the meditations dwindles as the days go by and they pick up both the skills they¡¯re working on. Eventually even Plk moves on to the teachings on [Spell Shaping], leaving just Kori and a few others, including Ury, listening to the guided mediation, though the others are all working on attaining [Mana Control] rather than sense. Staff training continues to be a source of catharsis, working out the frustration after a morning of attempted meditation. Kori has even managed to get a second point in that skill. Kori¡¯s levels and added skill increase closing some of the gap between her and Ury physically, their spars continued to grow in intensity, Kori finding herself on the losing end just as frequently as not. The instructor did eventually have to separate Kori and Ury unfortunately, forbidding them from sparring and having them skip over each other in the rotation. While they were well matched opponents, their ¡®enthusiasm¡¯ came a little too close to injury a few too many times to ignore and being a bit disruptive overall when they start getting into it. Chores actually became one of the bright points of her day, several of the inscriptionists having taken to her as a helper and requesting her. She gets to spend the afternoons exploring the caverns with the senior mages as they go between the various areas to create new runes or reinforce existing ones. While the others are cleaning or doing things like collecting slime from dead slugs, which were easily as long as her arm, brought in by the martials patrolling the tunnels. It¡¯s during one of these days over a month in that everything changes for Kori¡¯s mage training, whether because of familiarity or for having achieved her fourth level of Kobold is hard to say, but this day, she notices something. The slug ichor seems different than usual, less vibrant of a yellow, less shine to its surface, ¡°Rune Etcher Lom, I think somethings off with this pot of slug ichor¡­ I¡¯m not sure what though¡­¡± As she continues to stare at the pot, ¡°It¡¯s like it¡¯s missing something¡­¡± Lom turns and looks at Kori focusing on the little clay pot of slime, trying to hide a slight smile ¡°Well, what do you think is missing? Think hard on your answer.¡± Kori continues to stare, ¡°I¡¯m not sure, it¡¯s the right colour, it seems to be the right consistency, but it¡¯s just¡­ off¡­ I wish I had another pot to compare it to¡­¡± Lom reaches into his robes, almost as if he was prepared for this, and pulls out a second clay pot holding it out to her while he takes the lid off. The slug ichor in the second pot looks identical visually, but still seems more vibrant, more right, than what she¡¯s holding. ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ yours looks the same, but this one¡¯s lacking a¡­ Luster? It¡¯s like mine is dead and yours is vibrant and alive¡­ it¡­¡± Kori¡¯s eyes widen. This pot, it¡¯s inert¡­ it¡¯s lacking the one thing that makes it useful for runes¡­ A light begins to blink at the edge of her vision. ¡°It has no mana!¡± She knows what the little light is going to tell her already, even before she prods it with her usual question. <> ¡°I just got [Mana Sense]! But I thought you had to be meditating, to do that ¡®haze of smoke¡¯ stuff to learn it?¡± Kori quirks her head as she thinks about that last part. Lom¡¯s grin breaks onto the rest of his face. ¡°Finally! It took you long enough. Honestly with as much as Elder Ylst talked you up I expected you to pick up sensing mana right off the bat. That pot you have there expired ages ago, it¡¯s completely lost it¡¯s mana, had to let it sit on a shelf open for nearly a week to get it that far gone. You were always paying so much attention to the runes and our inks while we worked that the other inscriptionists and I figured you might finally notice. Still took three days of swapping it for the good stuff before handing it back to you for you to finally get it.¡± He chuckles as he explains. ¡°Wait, you¡¯ve been trying to get me to learn [Mana Sense] this whole time? I thought this was just busy work¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s both, everything an apprentice does is training, even if it¡¯s just training you to navigate the Clan¡¯s home or about the duties of a mage. ¡°Lom shakes his head, a toothy grin still spread across his muzzle. ¡°Every now and then we need to take a different approach with an apprentice, help them find mana a different way if the meditation isn¡¯t working. And it¡¯s pretty clear that it wasn¡¯t working for you Kori. You were a better helper than most so the inscriptionists got together and told Elder Ylst we¡¯d help.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Thanks¡­ I guess I really don¡¯t get the whole meditation thing¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, like I said, we noticed, I think even the martials probably would have noticed. Gonna have to come up with something else for teaching you [Mana Control] too, if you couldn¡¯t even pick up the [Meditation] skill it¡¯s not likely you¡¯re gonna get far with the whole ¡®breath in the haze of mana and feel it flow through your body¡¯ part either.¡± We¡¯ve got a few ideas, but for now, congratulations on finally earning [Mana Sense]. Chapter 9 – Up in smoke As predicted, having [Mana Sense] made no difference in Kori¡¯s attempts to meditate during the morning sessions, in fact it just became an even bigger distraction as she now saw the eddies and flows of the worlds mana drifting about and her many attempts to reach out and seize control were exactly the opposite of the instructions she was getting very tired of listening to. I¡¯ve got the first part down, all the others have said the same thing, ¡®feel the mana within and guide it to flow from your limbs and into the world¡¯ that¡¯s all well and good, I¡¯ve managed that¡­ But how in the Scale do I keep it from billowing out in a loose mist and losing the stuff? Every time I try it¡¯s like shaking dust out of one of the leather mats, it just goes everywhere in a chaotic cloud¡­ Kori is not the only one frustrated with the situation, the last apprentice still sitting in on the guided meditation with her is Ury, who has apparently decided to blame her lack of progress not on her own incompetency, at least as Kori sees it, but on Kori¡¯s ¡®distracting antics¡¯ and the various senior apprentices who spend their time guiding these sessions have concluded that working with each individually to be the better course of action. This is great for Ury, but for Kori it just means that she is the sole focus in her failure, her repeated and fairly public failures¡­ Especially when Ury attains the skill a few days later, cheering and hollering as she does before making a rude gesture in Kori¡¯s direction when she caught her looking. After nearly a month of individual lessons she sits as a senior apprentice with a brown sash, denoting an earth affinity, once again continues her lesson off to a side of the meditation space, ¡°Feel the mana flow within your body, from the reservoir of power deep within, coax it gently towards your palm and let it sit there, just beneath the surface as you calm your mind. When your mind is clear and your heart at peace, allow the mana to spread from your palm, to flow into the open air and gently guide it to take form and shape it to your will, it doesn¡¯t matter what, a simple pebble will do as well as the most elaborate figure. Hold that shape in your thoughts and direct it to the mana as it escapes your scales.¡± Once again, she follows the guidance, gathering the mana from her reservoir within, as the days and months have passed and her Racial Level rose to now sit at level 6, so too has grown her mana grown. Drawing on it deeply as she lets it flow to both of her hands held in a cupped position before her, pausing as she tries to clear her mind of her frustrations, her nervousness, her errant thoughts, she pauses as the mana builds in her palms, trying to get that state of mind that her guide has described and finally releases it into the air, willing it to hold there within her cupped hands as a perfect little pebble, the same one she¡¯s spent days studying to get a perfect image, as once again the mana billows out. This time with perhaps at a bit more volume than intended as a grey white haze of mana rapidly spreads out around her, pushing against the mana already present in the air and flooding into the surroundings as it once again entirely slips her grasp, not even a speck resting in her hands where she attempted to will it. A dull ache begins to form behind her eyes and her balance falters as the world begins to spin slightly. ¡°Woah, woah, not that much Kori! You¡¯re going to bottom out your¡­ And it¡¯s too late¡­¡± While not the lesson they were attempting to teach young Kori this day, she did learn something quite important, letting your mana bottom out, to reach 0, is not a good idea¡­ She spends the next several minutes ruminating on this fact after she collapses to her back. Since she can¡¯t even stand up without her vision spinning and her breakfast attempting to revisit the world. All the while she can hear the quiet chatter from both apprentices and mages alike. ¡°Have you ever seen someone bottom out their mana like that?¡± ¡°Never, didn¡¯t even know you could¡­¡± ¡°Did you see how much mana she released?¡± ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s two years younger than me and I¡¯m not sure I could match it¡­¡± ¡°Think she¡¯ll be alright?¡± ¡°Not sure, even the most stubborn of apprentices don¡¯t take this long¡­¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. As the murmurs continue, Kori hears another voice rise above the rest, ¡°What¡¯s everyone standing around gossiping about? You all have better things to do.¡± Elder Ylst closes on the group as she speaks, her voice getting louder to Kori as she does. ¡°What happened? I told you to push her past whatever¡¯s blocking her, not try to break her.¡± ¡°Elder! She was trying the control exercise again and pushed a bit too hard, it seems like she bottomed out her mana¡­¡± ¡°Seriously? Alright¡­ Help her over onto some leathers and let her rest¡­ I need to talk to her when she¡¯s not seeing 3 of me.¡± Kori rests, unceremoniously dumped on a few leather mats and tries to recover her senses, all the while her thoughts whirl about through her mind, with many less than kind words for herself. What is wrong with me? Why can¡¯t I get this¡­ It won¡¯t listen to my will or whatever the Scale it¡¯s supposed to be listening to. Even Ury learned it¡­ Ury! She¡¯s about as smart as a cave slime¡­ [Mana Control] is the start of everything, [Spell Shaping] is just taking that mana and forming a spell from it, [Rune Scribing] is taking it and shoving it in a rune you¡¯ve carved and primed with reagents, everything starts from there but I can¡¯t get the stuff to do anything but drift away. Nearly an hour later, her vision no longer swimming about, she finally manages to sit up, not yet feeling up to the task of standing but at least progress. Turning her head nearly puts her back down on the mat as her visions doesn¡¯t seem to keep up to the speed she turned her head with. Once settled again she slowly pans around the area, finding Elder Ylst sitting cross legged nearby with a wooden board across her lap and working on several papers. As she quickly makes to stand up and greet the Elder, Ylst pre-empts her, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t, you¡¯re as likely to fall flat on your tail as you are to actually make it to your feet.¡± Kori hadn¡¯t even seen her look up from her work, let alone at her, but she realizes that the Elder is most likely correct. ¡°Yes, Elder¡­¡± She makes out meekly. ¡°I¡¯ll be with you in a moment, we need to have a discussion.¡± ¡°Of course, Elder¡­¡± She isn¡¯t sure what is about to happen, but she¡¯s starting to think that this will not be a pleasant conversation. After a few minutes pass, and as Kori¡¯s confidence in her limbs grows, Elder Ylst puts aside the little lap desk and the papers she had been working on. ¡°What you did today was both impressive and foolish, bottoming out your mana in a control training exercise, not sure if I¡¯ve ever heard of that one before. I felt the pulse of mana you unleashed earlier from halfway across the training grounds. I must ask, were you successful in finally attaining the Skill?¡± Kori¡¯s head begins to droop as she responds, ¡°No Ma¡¯am¡­¡± ¡°Kori, you¡¯re one of the brightest young Kobolds I¡¯ve ever met, you clearly have the spark for magic since you¡¯ve learned [Mana Sense], we have tried just about every trick any of us can think of to push you forward, but if you could put all of that out but not corral even a fraction of it, then I doubt there is anything left to try. it¡¯s becoming clear that the path of a mage is not one you are suited to¡­¡± ¡°But I¡¯m trying really hard! Everything the seniors instruct and even overnight back in my den! I¡¯ve tried making runes to push mana into, the inscriptionists have even let me try to power proper runes¡­ I¡¯m not sure what else to try.¡± Kori¡¯s words stream out in a flood of nervous energy, trying to convey how hard she¡¯s tried to learn the skills of a mage. ¡°I know, I¡¯ve discussed the topic in depth with your various tutors.¡± A saddened look on Ylst¡¯s face, ¡°It¡¯s been nearly six months since the start of your apprenticeship, just a few days until then in fact. For most apprentices, this date means nothing. But it¡¯s not always quite so simple, if an apprentice fails to acquire the basic skills required for their trade by six months, they are deemed to be inappropriate for that trade and their apprenticeship is cancelled¡­¡± ¡°WHAT!? What do you mean by ¡®cancelled¡¯?¡± ¡°Just that young one, cancelled, you will no longer be an apprentice mage. It happens at least every few years here with the mages, but never one with potential like you seem to have. I¡¯ve already argued with Chief Ortik to try to bend the rule, but he won¡¯t budge.¡± Ylst shakes her head. ¡°We¡¯ve exhausted our options. ¡°But, but¡­ I don¡¯t want to give up¡­ I want to use magic¡­ To hurl flame or stone¡­ To conjure the winds¡­¡± Tears begin to well up in the corners of Kori¡¯s eyes, her shoulders slump and her head droops further still , her inability to control the mana she clearly possesses robbing her of a dream she¡¯s held onto since that day at the hatchery when she watched Elder Ylst and Zephyr Mage Kore incinerate an entire nursey in order to protect the Clans young from an outbreak. ¡°I know dear. I know.¡± Ylst walks over to sit next to Kori on the leather mat, placing a hand on her shoulder and trying to comfort her, ¡°I think you should return to the brood chambers for now, we still have a few days, but I think this is where we part ways. I do have one option for you, it won¡¯t be easy, but it could lead you back to the path of magic. It may be the single most difficult option available to an apprentice, but if you¡¯re willing then I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± ¡°Anything! I won¡¯t give up.¡± Her words interrupted by a nasally sob, ¡°What do I need to do?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say yet. I need to discuss it with someone first, but if I can convince them to take you on, then you¡¯ll find out soon when your next apprenticeship begins. All I can really say is good luck Kori, whatever path you take next, you¡¯re going to be 6 months behind, and everyone will be able to guess why¡­¡± Chapter 10 - Begin again Late that evening Kori decided to finally head back to the brood chambers, slowly plodding along through the various tunnels and chambers on her way. Lines left by tears already scrubbed from her scales but her eyes still bleary and downcast as she ignores the looks from the various passers by. Entering the main chamber of the hatchery she sees Korse pacing about, the minders giving him space, worried looks all around. ¡°There you are!¡± Korse yells as she enters, ¡°Where have you been? Ylst said she sent you back hours ago, we¡¯ve all been worried.¡± He runs over to her and grabs her by the shoulders, looking her up and down and focusing in on her face. ¡°I needed to be alone a bit¡­ I went and watched the fishers haul in their catch¡­ Not like I had anything else to do¡­¡± She sullenly responds, clearly still not in the mood to be personable. ¡°She told me what happened¡­ I¡¯m sorry Kori¡­¡± ¡°Why should you be sorry?¡± Her voice raising as she continues, ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, it¡¯s mine. I¡­ I¡­ Failed¡­ I can¡¯t do it. I¡¯ve tried and tried¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter what I do, I just can¡¯t learn that dumb Skill¡­¡± The only recently banished tears threaten to make a return in her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going to do now¡­ Elder Ylst said I¡¯d get a new apprenticeship, that she was going to try to help¡­ but I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Korse releases her shoulders and beckons Kori over to sit with him. ¡°Oh Kori¡­ Some things just aren¡¯t meant to be.¡± He looks to her ponderously, ¡°Did the Elder say what she meant when she said she¡¯d try to help?¡± ¡°She only said that she¡¯d have to discuss it with someone first, not even who it was she needed to talk to¡­¡± Shaking her head. ¡°And that if I was willing to try it, it might be the single most difficult option for any apprentice¡­ But that if I did it, there might still be a way for me to learn how to use magic.¡± A note of desperation entering her voice as she reaches the end. ¡°She said that did she?¡± Korse scrubs his hand across his muzzle in thought, his brow crinkling and a deep frown forming. ¡°I think I may need to go have a word with the Elder¡­ If she means what I think she does¡­ I would advise against taking that route dear, but it is up to you.¡± ¡°What is it? Why do you both talk like it¡¯s going to be harder than giving up on ever using magic? I don¡¯t want to give up, I won¡¯t give up.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you go rest. It¡¯s been a hard day. I¡¯ll know more in the morning; we can discuss this again when I know for certain and you¡¯ve a clearer head.¡±
The night passes fitfully in a blur of interrupted sleep, tossing and turning, recriminations, self criticism and intermittent tears, all while starring aimlessly at the ceiling of her den. At several points throughout the night she even tries to go through the [Mana Control] exercises once again, pooling a little of her mana, just a little this time, in her hands, releasing it slowly, quickly, even trying to hold it in her mouth, all without a change in the results of her efforts. She forces herself to stop as her mana dwindles once again, not willing to repeat the previous days mistake. As morning arrives and she hears her siblings all getting ready for the day, Kori lays there and tries to shut out the noise. It¡¯s like before, they all have their apprenticeships to go to and I¡¯m stuck back here¡­ When she doesn¡¯t emerge from her den, used to walking with his sister each morning, Plk checks on her. Poking his head into her little cubby only to be rebuffed, Kori yelling at him. ¡°Go Away¡­ I¡¯m not an apprentice anymore¡­ They kicked me out cause I couldn¡¯t learn the stupid Skill. Might as well go back to calling me a hatchling¡­¡± ¡°What? Oh. Oh no. I¡¯m sorry Kori¡­¡± ¡°Why¡¯s everyone keep saying that. It¡¯s not your fault, I¡¯m the one too dumb to learn a stupid skill! Even a brute like Ury could manage it¡­ Go away, go learn magic and leave me alone.¡± Rolling over to turn her back on her brother, she doesn¡¯t listen to his attempts to comfort her, to assuage her feelings. She doesn¡¯t see the hurt look he gives her before eventually leaving to make his walk alone. Korse¡¯s arrival is met with an empty brood chamber, the minders not having even realized that Kori hadn¡¯t left with her siblings, nor even emerged eaten a meal. She hears the faint echoes of their discussion in the main chamber, only making out enough to hear her own name and to gather that he was telling them what had happened. Soon after a shadow appears over the entry to her den, ¡°I think it¡¯s about time you got up Kori. It won¡¯t do you any good hiding away in here all day and we¡¯ve a discussion to pick back up from.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°What¡¯s the use? I failed¡­ I¡¯m a failure¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter if I get another apprenticeship, they¡¯ll know that I¡¯m there because I failed, that I would rather be back at the training grounds trying, and failing, to learn magic¡­¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s about enough of that youngling.¡± His tone harsher than Kori can ever recall it being, ¡°You¡¯ll get out here, eat your breakfast, and we will discuss what happens next. Elder Ylst had to argue long and hard to get this opportunity for you, an opportunity I argued against I might add, and I won¡¯t have you put her efforts to waste over self pity.¡± ¡°Argued against?! Why wouldn¡¯t you want me to have another chance to learn magic¡­¡± A bit of a fire returning to her voice, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d fight against that, why?¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to come out here and eat something if you want to find out.¡± A mischievous tone entering his voice as he speaks. He knows full well that she can¡¯t abide an unanswered question. Without looking to see that she¡¯s following, Korse walks away from her den and towards the little table of stone he frequently works at. Kori, grudgingly and grumblingly, crawls out from her den and follows across the floor of the brood chamber, avoiding the pitying gazes cast her way from the other minders. She sees that food has been set out on Korse¡¯s table, a portion of pale skinny fish like what she saw hauled in the day before sitting atop a bed of cave moss dressed with a bit of oil. Sitting down in front of the laid out breakfast that he points her to and opening her mouth to ask her question once again, she¡¯s interrupted ¡°Food first¡±, pushing the shale platter closer to her. After a quick meal, eaten mechanically and that she barely tasted, she finally asks again, the question she¡¯s asked more times in her short life than any other. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°There are many reasons, first that it is as Elder Ylst said, the single most difficult apprenticeship open to a youngling. The second that it breaks a tradition older than I am. And the last is that I do not believe it to be the right path for you.¡± ¡°What is it then? Neither You or Ylst have actually said what you want, or don¡¯t want, me to do. Just that it¡¯s going to be hard and that someone had to be convinced to allow it.¡± Kori raising her voice again, frustrated with the secrecy of what her future will be. ¡°Did Ylst tell you that she had been arguing, for weeks apparently, with Chief Ortik to try to keep you with the mages? Did she tell you why that wasn¡¯t possible?¡± Korse returns her question with one of his own, still evading the topic but seeming to get a bit closer to what Kori desperately wanted answered at least. ¡°No, only that he wouldn¡¯t budge¡­¡± ¡°If there is one thing to be said about Chieftain Ortik, it is that he is strict about the rules. ¡®Traditions may bend, but rules exist for a reason. Unless you can convince me the whole rule is wrong, then there will be no exceptions to it.¡¯ Was in the end his response to Ylst.¡± His imitation not particularly good, but clear enough. ¡°And even still she kept arguing, but like she said, he wouldn¡¯t budge.¡± ¡°It turned out that that one phrase, spoken repeatedly in various ways by the Chieftain, was both the end of your chance at becoming a mage and the opening that Elder Ylst needed to get the Chief to break a long standing tradition and agree to take you on as an apprentice shaman. Not just any apprentice shaman either, as the rules would not allow that, but to take you on as his personal apprentice.¡± ¡°A shaman? Wait, ¡®personal apprentice¡¯? As in directly taught by the chieftain of our entire clan?¡± Kori¡¯s surprise showing in her wide eyes and open jaws, clearly this was not one of the many options she had considered. ¡°I just thought Elder Ylst was trying to get one of the old, retired mages to take me on personally or something¡­¡± She mumbles out, still in shock. ¡°Oh, she tried that too, but again, rules are rules. The Circle, as the shamans call themselves choose apprentices rarely and always early before any of the other Elders get their say. Traditionally it is something about ¡®The Spirit¡¯s blessing¡¯, which is to say the Circle gathers, communes with the spirits, and take on only those who the spirits choose. The important part of this is that it is a tradition, not a rule, and this is where Ylst struck, using his own words against him.¡± Korse pauses a look of incredulity and a bit of smug satisfaction on his face. ¡°She had a lot of nerve to make that argument, you must have made an impression for her to go that far.¡± ¡°Now there is a rather important rule about apprentices when it comes to the shamans, the leader of the Circle, who happens to also be the chieftain, may take a personal apprentice of his choosing to teach and to be his aid. Traditionally this is one of the older apprentices already versed in their ways or even a fully classed shaman, but there is no rule saying it must be, or even that it be an apprentice to the Circle. Just that they may take any apprentice of their choosing¡± Shaking his head in disbelief, that the argument held. ¡°So Elder Ylst argued that because it¡¯s not against the rules for him to take me, and he himself said that traditions can be bent if needed, that he should take me on personally?¡± Her jaw having opened wider and wider as Korse finally explained the situation, now simply hanging slack in disbelief and also a bit of awe for Ylst¡¯s tactics. ¡°Just so, yes. It seems that while Spiritcaller Ortik has not taken an apprentice for many, many years, that will end today.¡± Chapter 11 – A little dust up After their conversation and a bit of time for Kori to compose herself and to realize just what she¡¯s gotten herself into this time. Ortik? Really? No wonder Ylst said this was going to be hard¡­ If I fail again¡­ Korse directs her to the Elder¡¯s Chambers to meet with her new teacher. ¡°He¡¯ll be expecting you, you¡¯re not exactly late, but you may want to hurry along.¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not coming?¡± Nerves threading their way into her voice. ¡°Not after arguing against this, no. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m happy about this, but if it¡¯s what you want then I cannot stop you.¡± Korse¡¯s visage serious and displeased. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be mad at me, you¡¯ve done so much, but if I still have a way forward to learn magic¡­ I can¡¯t say no¡­¡± Clearly torn between Korse¡¯s feelings and her drive to learn. ¡°Off with you now, if you¡¯re going to do this then do your best.¡± Giving her a brief smile and then a shooing motion. Kori quickly readies herself and heads out, looking to Korse with a smile as she departs and receiving only a slight nod of his head as acknowledgment. She makes her way to the central chamber and its open door towards the Elder¡¯s Chambers, a few other Kobolds waiting nearby to discuss one matter or another with the Elders. Kori enters the chambers, though some waiting Kobolds seem to take some offense of her just walking straight in, the room laid out before her is much as she recalls. Three low tables arrayed facing the entrance and a pair of low brasiers, this time sitting cold, in the corners, several of the same Kobolds that she had seen previously sitting arrayed behind the tables. There are fewer of the Elders than the last time she was present here, likely off seeing to their duties like Korse and Ylst. Chieftain Ortik sits at the center of the tables listening to a burly Kobold discussing something to do with ore deposits with one of the other Elders, an equally bulky woman with rough scales and a no nonsense look seemingly perpetually on her face. As he spots her entry, Ortik shakes his head and points to a corner near one of the brasiers before returning to the discussion. The discussion continues for several long minutes, apparently a new vein of cobalt and nickel which may also contain silver if they¡¯re lucky and the merit of starting an additional branch in the mines to pursue it even though they do not currently have market for the cobalt. By the time the miner finishes speaking, Kori has learned significantly more than she had previously known about mining and trading its products with the surface town, not that it was a particularly interesting topic. After the miner leaves, as well as the Elder he was primarily addressing and whom she has come to know to be Elder Tuli, or sometimes Foreman Tuli which is likely her class, the next Kobold waiting outside peeks their head in as the room clears only to see Chief Ortik hold his hand out to halt them, ¡°A moment please. A matter of decorum must be discussed first.¡± Looking over to Kori, still standing where she was instructed, her fidgeting likely not going as unnoticed as she had hoped. ¡°Apprentice Kori, please come here.¡± As she begins approaching the center of the room where the previous supplicant had been standing, he shakes his head, ¡°No, here, to me, apprentice.¡± She falters mid step at the tone of his voice, clearly expecting his directions to be completed correctly the first time and not to repeat himself. Kori walks around the side of the tables behind the other Elders and approaches the chief, seeing him shake his head while he looks her over. ¡°I expected you earlier and not to appear before me dressed in the robe of a mage. Get rid of it. There is still another 2 hours of listening to petitions from the Clan, you will wait there,¡± Pointing to the wall behind and to the side of where he had previously been sitting, ¡°Do not speak unless I request something of you. If I give you a task, complete it quickly and quietly, then return to your spot.¡± ¡°Yes, Chieftain.¡± ¡°You will refer to me as Master or Spiritcaller Ortik.¡± His voice somewhat curt. ¡°Yes, Spiritcaller Ortik.¡± She takes her directed spot, only after a pointed look at her robe and a raised brow remembering that she was ordered to be rid of her robe. Removing it and the belt before placing them on the floor, left in only her waist wraps and feeling much like she had the last time she was here six months prior. I¡¯m starting to realize why they both said this was the most difficult apprenticeship in the Clan¡­ The next two hours passed at a glacial pace, Kori left to only her thoughts as she stood against the wall waiting for a request or even a word towards her that never came. Discussions about the catch of fish slowly dwindling, increased demand and prices from the surface for their stone, apparently a city some distance away was expanding their walls and quarried stone was in high demand, more discussion of the new mineral vein after Elder Tuli returned, and resolving squabbles and conflicts. To say that she was bored would be a serious understatement. She tried to run through the skill exercises with her mana, stopping at a sharp look of disapproval from Ortik before she¡¯d even begun pooling the mana in her palm. Sometime around midday Ortik stood and declared that the meeting would be ending after the current petitioner, much to the disappointment of anyone else waiting. After less than a minute more of discussion, likely the shortest time any other Kobold spent laying out their issue or desire, the meeting was ended and Ortik stood from his seated position. ¡°Come.¡± He did not look to see if she obeyed and simply began walking into one of the tunnels at the rear of the room, his stride precise and his posture ridged as he walked, Kori trailing behind finding it difficult to keep up even if his pace didn¡¯t seem to be particularly fast. ¡°Apprentice, I had heard from Ylst that one of your failings was that of discipline, if anything she understated her criticism. You are here to serve as my aid and to learn the ways of the spirits. To commune with the spirits is to be tested in mind, body, and soul, should you be found wanting in that test you will be consumed.¡± As he speaks Ortik arrives at a door unlike any other that Kori has ever seen, a pair of stone doors well over a meter tall blocking the tunnel. ¡°This is my den, my workshop, and my sanctuary.¡± Pushing open one of the large doors as though it weighed less than one made of wood, ¡°Your first duty as my apprentice will be to clean the chamber on the left, it is small, but it is where you will stay until such a time as you join the Circle proper, or your apprenticeship ends. There is a change of clothes,¡± Pointing off to a shelf near the same door on the left, ¡°There, you will wear that garb at all times until I say otherwise.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Kori looks to the neatly prepared stack of a leather tunic and britches with an odd sash of deep red fabric laying atop it. ¡°Wait, I¡¯m supposed to stay here? What about the brood chamber?¡± Kori lets out with some surprise; it seems that she won¡¯t even have the reprieve of returning to her own den in the evenings by the sounds of things. ¡°Was that a question apprentice? I believe I have already told you how to address me and that was most definitely not as I had instructed.¡± Ortik turning to look at her, disapproval painted on his face. ¡°Uhh¡­ Sorry, Spiritcaller Ortik?¡± Unsure of exactly what he wants from her in response. ¡°Hmph. Discipline indeed¡­¡± He shakes his head looking at her. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what Ylst or Korse told you, but you were clearly not prepared for today, I expect you to be ready and able to serve if we are to continue this apprenticeship.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t tell me anything, Spiritcaller, I have only been told that this is my only option to continue pursuing a path of magic. Until shortly before I arrived this morning, I had not even been informed that it was you who would be teaching me.¡± Kori¡¯s frustration showing through slightly in her voice, her speech speeding up as she goes on. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about the duties of the Circle, or their rules.¡± ¡°I see¡­ It is the same for most apprentices that come to us I suppose. While we are a central part of the Clan we do not interact with the hatchlings and they do not receive an education in our social structures until their apprenticeships generally. And I will not instruct you again, use my full name, or master, or you may depart now.¡± Kori gulps and nods, ¡°Yes, Spiritcaller Ortik.¡± ¡°Since you are ignorant in our purpose, I will give you a brief explanation. The Circle serves the Clan in many direct and indirect ways, we commune with the spirits to receive guidance and warnings of ill tidings, we employ our magics to strengthen our warriors or weaken our foes, we heal our injured and we create remedies and poultices to treat our ill, we are few because it is a rare and difficult path and our ways are kept secret to ensure that they remain unknown to those who would wish harm upon the Clan.¡± Ortik speaks with pride as he goes on. ¡°As a normal apprentice you would spend months at the beck and call of the Circle, aiding them in all of their duties and learning our ways as we go. You are not a normal apprentice, you are My apprentice, and I am a strict master to serve.¡± His tone once again severe and authoritative, ¡°You will attend every meeting, assist in every task, and learn not only the ways of the Circle but the ways of a leader. You will be expected to progress more Skills and to do so faster than your peers, for if you are to be the chieftains apprentice you are to be peerless.¡± ¡°What are the Skills that you want me to learn?.. Spiritcaller Ortik.¡± Stumbling at the end to remember to address him as instructed. ¡°I have heard from Elder Ylst that you have struggled with [Mana Control] and have been completely unable to attain the correct state of mind for [Meditation], we will forgo these skills for the time being, you are not to attempt the exercises shown to you by the mages again, especially not within the Elder¡¯s chambers as you had earlier.¡± A scowl on his face as he continues, his tone displeased but voice still steady. ¡°We will begin with [Basic Herbalism] so that I may gauge your work ethic on something untainted by past failures.¡± Kori nods in response, unwilling to speak once again. ¡°In addition to that I will have a Matron assigned to further your education in reading and writing, arithmetic, economics, and other topics valuable to a leader within the Clan. I expect you to pick up and raise at minimum the Skills [Basic Mathematics], [Negotiation], [Basic Calligraphy], [Basic Oration], [Basic Herbalism], [Mana Control], [Invoke Spirits], [Spiritual Communion], and [Mental Resistance].¡± Listing out several skills that he expects her to pick up, the number of which dwarf the few she¡¯s attained in the last 6 months on her own. ¡°That is a lot of Skills, Spiritcaller Ortik. May I ask why [Mental Resistance]?¡± ¡°It is helpful when dealing with spirits, they may attempt to cloud your mind to break your focus and escape your grasp before you can banish them from this plane. These are just the bare minimum I expect of you to not fail your apprenticeship six months from now. Should you succeed then you will be inducted into the Circle as a proper apprentice, I will not subject them to your presence until it is earned. They are upset enough as is for my taking an apprentice from outside¡­¡± ¡°Now, I believe I instructed you to get changed and begin cleaning out your den. If you haven¡¯t gathered as much yet let me tell you plainly, I do not like repeating myself. I expect the chamber to be free of dust and debris and any belongings transferred from your brood chamber by time for dinner, which you are responsible for fetching from the cooks. There are rags in the room and you can gather water in the cleansing chamber across the way. Dispose of any junk out in the hall by the doors, it will be collected this evening.¡± Clearly dismissing her. This might be harder than I thought¡­ I can¡¯t believe he wants me to call him ¡®Master¡¯¡­ As she enters the chamber she¡¯s been directed to clean Kori finds that it is much, much larger than she expected, her little den in the brood chamber a rough cube around a meter on all sides while this is very near to being six times that in size, two meters by three, and even a bit taller too. There is an elevated sleeping area already layered with leather pads, though caked in dust and smelling a bit musty, and even a small table to one side. The room is covered with dust and several random pieces of wood, earthenware jugs, or other debris set about as though it has been used for storage for many years. The rest of the day is spent attempting to make something useful out of the space, first piling all of the things to one side while she cleans it, then sorting the useful items from the pile, cleaning them, and moving them to the clean side before disposing of the various debris and cleaning the now cleared side. When it¡¯s all said and done, she has a space that half her clutch could curl up in relatively comfortably. She even found some of the junk to be useful, a pitcher for water and a couple of earthenware vessels to drink from that were still intact, and a few that weren¡¯t, a dried out inkwell that she thinks she may be able to recover, several bone pens to go with it and a few other odds and ends, more that she can claim as hers, at least to use for now, than she¡¯d ever had before. The garb she had been provided was also of greater quality than expected and actually fit her quite well. The brown leather tunic ending mid thighs and her britches extending to her knees, new enough that it was still somewhat stiff and without patches or places where they were visibly mended. The red circle of fabric confused her slightly, as it is much too large to wrap about her waist, but upon asking, with the correct form of address thankfully, she was informed that it is to be worn from the shoulder to waist, as a symbol that she serves the Chief. With her task finished she finds Ortik sitting at a low table, set for dinner, and clearly waiting for something. Oh no¡­ I was supposed to get dinner¡­ ¡°I will go fetch dinner now¡­ Uhh¡­ Where do I fetch dinner from exactly? Spiritcaller Ortik.¡± After a somewhat exasperated sigh, ¡°Of course you wouldn¡¯t know¡­ I will take you this once. Only because not showing you would make you late for reasons out of your own control.¡± Chapter 12 – Talking about shrooms The next few days passed in a slow march of mostly boredom, though Kori did learn a great deal about how the Clan was run. It seemed that each day different Elders were in attendance in their chambers for the morning, though the Chief was there every day, for members of the Clan to approach and discuss practically anything. From needing more dens dug, to wanting to trade for more barrels from the surface town, to an emergency meeting after a goblin scouting party was found in the far tunnels, impaled on one of the trapper¡¯s contraptions thankfully, and a multitude of other subjects. Her afternoons spent cleaning the entirety of the Chieftain¡¯s den and some of the workshop, though she was not permitted to even step foot in his sanctuary, where he preforms his spiritual rituals. The only bright part of these days was her time with the Matron in the evening, though it turned out her new teacher was actually another apprentice herself. To Kori¡¯s disappointment it was not her somewhat sibling Korg but another apprentice by the name of Vri. In her final months of her apprenticeship before getting her class, it was hoped that Vri would benefit from teaching in a one-on-one environment to help prepare for her first time teaching an entire clutch of hatchlings. Their evenings together were quite fruitful, with a notification of a new skill happening on the very first night. <> Now this was not too surprising, as Kori had learned her numbers diligently in her early learnings with her clutch and simply hadn¡¯t applied those skills over the course of the last half a year since unveiling her status and being able to acquire new skills. But it was still nice to see it happen so quickly. With the first of the skills acquired, they moved on to the more difficult of the trainings, at least in Kori¡¯s opinion, [Basic Calligraphy], while reading and the basics of writing were covered in her earlier years it turned out that Calligraphy was not about just writing, it required patience and practice to write well, which decidedly does not include Kori¡¯s idea of the written word, which in Vri¡¯s words was ¡®less legible than goblin scratchings¡­¡¯ The evenings spent writing in charcoal on slates, over and over, as Vri corrected her form, her posture, her way of handling the charcoal stick, and generally everything else about Kori¡¯s attempts to write in an acceptable manner were frustrating and slow. So, when Spiritcaller Ortik declared on the morning of the fourth day that he would begin teaching her about herbalism after the meeting, she was quite excited to start learning something actually interesting. This excitement worked against her for the rest of the morning, standing in her place within the Elder¡¯s chambers, listening to various complaints, proposals and reports, her only reprieve being sent to fetch an absent Elder when their input was deemed necessary. As the meetings and discussions finally ended for the day and Kori followed Ortik back to his chambers he began discussing the plans for the rest of the day. ¡°Now apprentice, you have had a few days to acclimate to your new duties, so today we begin on your first lessons. Today you will begin work towards gaining the [Basic Herbalism] Skill.¡± Arriving to their destination and guiding Kori into his workshop, he continues the lesson. ¡°Herbalism is a Skill that is centered around knowledge. It is acquired by learning the basics and then proving your knowledge in one of a number of different ways, either by properly identifying and gathering plants, mushrooms, and other natural ingredients from the environment around you, using those plants to treat ailments or injuries by creating poultices, tinctures, or other treatments, or even by using them in creating food, though that last one can be very difficult to actually implement successfully and a bit wasteful.¡± Ortik shakes his head as he says the last, a hint of humour at the thought of learning herbalism just to season food. ¡°Today I will be teaching you about 3 of our most useful and commonly used ingredients. First is Luminous Cave Moss, a cousin of our ever present staple food that grows near water sources and damp soil. This moss is used to create poultices to heal wounds and sores, and when ground and steeped in hot water the resulting tincture can be used to treat bandages to stave off infections.¡± Ortik continues describing the properties of the moss while retrieving an earthenware container from a shelf, opening the box he shows Kori the pale yellow-green moss inside. ¡°Properly harvested and dried the moss will maintain its properties for several months, though fresh is always better for poultices.¡± The description continues and includes details such as differentiating the moss from other types, habitats, harvesting methods, drying methods, storage and preservation. All told nearly an hour is spent on discussing this single type of plant. ¡°Now, for your first test. Take this slate,¡± Pulling a slate about the size of her head from a shelf, ¡°And write down everything I just told you about Luminous Cave Moss. I expect your writing to be legible and concise. I will return in a few minutes.¡± With that he walks out of the workshop, leaving Kori with a slight dumbfounded look on her face. Seriously? He expects me to write an hour worth of details on this little slate in a few minutes? She quickly begins creating notes, first about what it can be used for then beginning on the barest details about identification, harvesting and storage. When Ortik returns she has covered the front of the slate and moved on to using its reverse, which much to her and Ortik¡¯s displeasure caused the front half to be smudged significantly, still decipherable but decidedly not legible¡­ ¡°I cannot say I¡¯m surprised. Though I did not expect you to ruin your efforts by attempting to use the reverse of the slate. While potentially a clever idea, you must consider the consequences of your actions before implementing them.¡± He shakes his head, not as upset as Kori expected for having seemingly failed his little test. ¡°You seem to have gotten quite a bit of the lectures material but failed in terms of presenting it in a usable manner. This was to both test your memory and to teach you a key detail of learning new information, taking notes. While you are learning it is a valuable method of preserving that knowledge for your use.¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Now, we will move on to the next ingredient we deal with regularly. Drift Mushrooms.¡± As he speaks, he catches Kori¡¯s attention as she recognizes the name of the ingredient. ¡°Are those the mushrooms that Drift Spores come from, Spiritcaller Ortik?¡± His title feeling more natural to add to her question now, though she still refuses to refer to him as ¡®Master¡¯. Kori isn¡¯t sure why she refuses to use that it, but every time she thinks of it, she feels a revulsion to the term itself. ¡°Yes apprentice, the spores are an important part of the mushroom, they carry an affinity for Air and are used in many runes and rituals that need to invoke the element.¡± While not pleased with the interruption, Ortik does at least acknowledge her connecting the concoction that she had previous experience with and this new ingredient. ¡°We will cover affinities later when we discuss Ritual magics. For now, the mushroom itself unprepared can be quite dangerous, I expect you to pay close attention, if you fail to do so you will suffer the consequences when I have you prepare a fresh specimen later.¡± As he speaks, he retrieves another container, this one much smaller, its contents looking like scraps of thin brittle grey leather more than a mushroom. ¡°This is the prepared version of the mushroom; it is perfectly safe if done properly. If not, it can be a powerful hallucinogen before rendering you unconscious for several hours and causing vomiting and fatigue for days afterwards.¡± Kori backs away slightly as he mentions the symptoms. ¡°To prepare the mushroom you must first remove the spores from the underside of the cap, as the process will ruin them for other uses, this is done with a tool such as this,¡± Holding up a thin piece of stone with a blunt curved end on it. ¡°Once removed they can be preserved in a liquid of water and yeast from the brewery for several months. You must be careful to avoid breathing in any loose spores while working, it is best to be gentle and work with slow smooth motions to avoid releasing them, you won¡¯t get as ill as eating one, but it can be unpleasant. Very unpleasant¡­¡± A flash of discomfort across his visage as he says the last part makes it seem he is speaking from experience. While Ortik speaks Kori takes several notes, trying to keep the points she writes out both neat and short with only the essential details. The lesson continues for quite some time, going over again the ways to identify the mushroom by its grey stone coloured cap and white stalk, how to harvest it without disturbing the spores, how to prepare it to eliminate its toxicity while condensing its medicinal properties, namely its use as a sedative and pain reliever, before moving onto the complex method of preparing it. ¡°Now, it is important that you remove the stipe, the name for the stalk of a mushroom, thoroughly. Removing all of the white flesh of the mushroom until all you can see is the grey flesh of the cap. I will demonstrate this process, as it is important it be done properly. It is better to waste a little bit of the cap than it is to risk leaving any of the stipe¡± Retrieving another container, he pulls out a mushroom with a cap larger than both of Kori¡¯s hands splayed out. ¡°This is a fresh Drift Mushroom; the spores have already been harvested from the underside of the cap.¡± Showing the damaged underside that has been scraped down to grey flesh. ¡°Using a knife, you cut here, at the end of the stipe,¡± Doing so as he explains. ¡°As you can see there is still a small amount of white flesh left behind within the cap, use the knife to dig that out as well.¡± His explanation continues on from there, detailing a process of drying the caps over hot coals before re-hydrating them in fresh water and salt, then drying again. ¡°If done properly you should be able to soak them in water for an hour and the water remain clear. If it turns a muddy colour you will need to repeat the process. If the dried caps become brittle, then you¡¯ve exposed them to too much heat and the batch is ruined.¡± The lesson again takes over an hour detailing a single plant and as he finishes Kori finds that she is mostly out of room on her slate. ¡°Spiritcaller Ortik, if we are going over a third ingredient should I fetch my practice slate for additional space to write?¡± ¡°No, you will simply have to clear what you have and rewrite it in a manner that leaves space for more. I will give you ten minutes to do so before we begin on your final lesson for the day.¡± And he couldn¡¯t say that earlier¡­ It¡¯s like he wanted me to mess up and have to do it again¡­ Doing as she was told Kori manages to free up some space, likely not nearly enough, to add more notes. Trying to write as small as possible and keeping it at least a little legible is quite difficult when using charcoal sticks. Returning to the room with a steaming cup in hand, it seems that Ortik decided to make himself some tea during his break while Kori worked at condensing her notes, ¡°You¡¯ll need to do better than that apprentice, your notes are horrendous.¡± A now familiar tone of amused displeasure that Kori is coming to dislike in his voice as she continues to try to re-write notes. ¡°Now, the final plant we will cover today will be the Stone Nettle. This is a robust plant that can rarely be found in the upper tunnels and caverns, we use it sparingly but thankfully a little goes a long way. The leaves of this plant are jagged and covered small hairs that we scrape off before drying the leaf for several days until it falls apart at a touch and then grinding into a fine powder.¡± Showing a small pot of brownish powder to demonstrate. ¡°We use this to treat many poisons and toxins, particularly some that the goblins like to coat their weapons with.¡± Again, the discussion drags on as he goes over every little detail about the plant, how to use it, where to find it, how to harvest it, and more. Kori finds the discussion fascinating, but the volume of information that has been explained makes it difficult to keep everything straight, the impermanence of her notes making it much more difficult to retain anything, though writing them out is good practice and has seemed to make recalling the little details easier. ¡°Now, for your test I want you to retrieve the containers I showed you of each ingredient, pointing to a wall of shelves with dozens of nearly identical earthenware jugs and pots. I will name an herb; you will retrieve it and tell me what I would use it for and how I would prepare it to do so.¡± Without giving her any time to prepare he immediately asks her to gather Drift Mushrooms, it takes her three tries to find the correct container, but she manages to at least repeat most of the desired details. The other two go a little better, getting the stone nettle on the first try but the moss taking two, a few details missed but a large part correct. ¡°Acceptable, barely, we will go over these again in a few days briefly and then on to a practical exercise. We will continue this until you either learn the skill or I lose confidence that you will be able to.¡± Turning and beginning to walk away, ¡°Now clean the workshop and the tools I used to demonstrate, I expect this to be done before dinner.¡± Chapter 13 – Getting high on your own supply What followed Kori¡¯s lesson given to her on herbalism was yet more days of mind numbing meetings, afternoons of errands, cleaning, and occasional tests of her memory to write down various details of the herbs that Ortik had lectured her about. These were of course followed by evenings with her tutor, matron Vri, tried to hammer penmanship into Kori¡¯s head. It seemed that Vri had decided to take a page out of the Chieftain¡¯s book in terms of teaching, with difficult and unexpected tasks thrown at her seemingly at random and criticisms launched at her failings. The unfortunate part of this is, it worked, though not enough to earn her the Skill as of yet. Training calligraphy with charcoals and literal slabs of slate was not exactly the most effective method, there is only so much precision available when your writing implements crumble if they¡¯re too thin, let alone when writing on a coarse sheet of rock. Given the scarcity of paper in the caverns, it wasn¡¯t like they were going to waste it teaching her though. At least not until after she¡¯d acquired the Skill. These days continued for a week before Ortik announced in the morning before the meetings that they would begin the next lesson that afternoon, her first hands on attempt at processing ingredients for treatment. ¡°Your first task to that end will begin now, go start a fire in the hearth of the workshop with the fire rune and stoke it with charcoal, you will need the coals later.¡± While not as bad as the anticipation for the last lesson, she still found that the morning crawled along as if the meetings took more hours than there should have been in the entire day. Ortik was at least coming to avail himself of her services much more frequently over the days at least, sending her off to deliver messages, fetching relevant Kobolds for whatever topic was being discussed, or just to bring himself a cup of tea, though this last one was turning into a much larger chore as the other Elders complained that they were being left out. This at least meant she wasn¡¯t spending her days impersonating a statue quite as much. ¡°Well, your patience could still use some work apprentice. Today we will continue where we left off.¡± Ortik points to three containers on his work surface. ¡°You will begin preparing the ingredients within these and I will observe. I will only observe.¡± Walking to the side of the room to sit on a stool, ¡°Your recollection of the lesson seems adequate from the various tests this past week. You have the remainder of the afternoon to complete the preparations, at the end of this time you are expected to have all three plants either ready for use or in their final stages of preparation to be ready when we begin your next lesson in a week¡¯s time.¡± Settling himself into the stool and pulling out a small book. A little flustered at being put on the spot abruptly Kori just stares for a moment, wrapping her head around the task that she suddenly finds in front of her. ¡°You may begin anytime.¡± Seriously? Trying not to let the incredulity she¡¯s feeling show on her face Kori abruptly turns back to the work surface and inspects everything that is laid out in front of her, opening the containers she sees the near glowingly bright yellow and green moss, a single large mushroom, the cap larger round than her head, and several dull brown leaves covered with pointy looking hairs and jagged edges. Easily identifying these as Luminous Cave Moss, a Drift Mushroom, and leaves of the Stone Nettle plant. She also sees arrayed before her several tools that she recognizes, a scraper for the spores of the mushroom, a sharp knife, a mortar and pestle, several metal sticks a half meter long and long thin stone slates, the bottoms of which are covered in soot, and a little pot full of a whitish liquid with a familiar scent. The one thing she does not see is her usual writing slate. ¡°Spiritcaller Ortik, may I fetch my slate to make notes and plan the order of tasks?¡± She asks of her mentor, unsure if he will answer her question or not. Which he doesn¡¯t, raising a brow slightly but otherwise not responding. Taking his lack of response as committal to his ¡®only observe¡¯ comment, she decides that if he will not be interfering, then she can proceed as she deems best, and rushes to her own chamber to retrieve her writing implements. Talking to herself as she takes notes, Kori begins to go over the ingredients. ¡°Now, the mushrooms take the most work, so preparing them and placing them over the fire to dry should be the first tasks, then the moss needs to be shredded and placed to bake so that it dries as well, that should be ready in a few hours.¡± She wracks her brain for a few minutes on the last of the tasks, ¡°The nettle on the other hand has to dry out of direct heat, it¡¯ll take at least a few days¡­ I can¡¯t use the fire to dry them, otherwise I¡¯d have to pile in more fuel every few hours¡­ I think I can use a fire rune for that to keep the heat constant¡­¡± With her notes in order she begins doing as she planned out, holding her breath while she scrapes the spores out from under the cap of the mushroom, depositing it in the little pot with the white liquid, as she fills the pot it slowly thickens towards a paste she recognizes from her days helping the inscriptionists. She manages to not kick up too many of the spores, and holds her breath best she can to avoid ingesting any of them thankfully, still somewhat fearful of Ortik¡¯s warnings. When she believes the task adequately done she moves on to removing the stipe, skewering the cap with the metal rods and placing it over banked down fire from earlier in the day to begin the initial drying process. Moving on to the easier two processes she quickly shreds the moss and distributes it across one of the baking sheets before moving on to the nettle leaves, scraping off the hairs with the knife and laying them flat on another sheet she moves them to the floor near the hearth but not directly within it, intending for them to get indirect heat while the others are dried and letting them continue drying for the coming days. Checking progress over the next hour Kori finds things to be going easier than she expected. The mushroom dries relatively quickly, taking it off the heat after less than forty five minutes she lets it cool before submerging it in salted water for the requisite hour and placing it back on the heat, the water turning the colour of mud as it soaks. She ends up having to feed the fire during that time as well. I probably should have added a bit more fuel when I took the mushroom off¡­ it might be too hot now¡­ Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Taking the moss out of the heat and placing the mushroom at the higher level of the hearth to try to mitigate the difference in heat, she checks over the moss and finds it to be similar in texture to the prepared version she finds on the shelf, so she scrapes that off into the container it began in, one done and two to go. The rest of the afternoon continues along the same lines, turning the mushroom and nettle leaves to keep the process even, keeping the coals hot enough but not too hot, and cleaning up the work space as she goes. When she believes the mushroom ready she even takes a small cutting and soaks it to ensure that the water remains clear. Believing her work done she adds the dried cap to the container, covers the coals, and places the sheet with the nettles in the hearth, the fire rune glowing softly as it generates enough heat that it could ignite fuel were it present. ¡°I believe that is everything, Spiritcaller Ortik, the leaves will need to remain until they are dried and ready to be ground, the other two are prepared and stored within their containers.¡± Pride shining through in her voice as she describes her task as complete. ¡°Very well. When you believe the leaves are ready proceed with the rest of the process, we will test your product in a week on our next training day.¡± Unfortunately, Kori cannot tell at all from his tone as to whether she¡¯s completed the task successfully or not. As the week passes, Kori begins to become more and more apprehensive about whether she had prepared the herbs correctly, second guessing every bit of her process, the level of heat, if she let the cutting cool enough or if she used too much water when soaking it the second time. On the fourth day she checks on the nettle leaves and they crumble in her hands, the fire rune however is barely glowing at this point and may need to be reinscribed. She spends a few minutes crushing them with the mortar and pestle before adding them to a waiting jar, the fine powder making it hard to transfer it properly without some dusting the worksurface. As the week ends and her next lesson begins Ortik calls her back to the workshop, ¡°Well, it is time to discuss how you did last week. First, you will be trying a small sample of your moss and then the nettle, alongside properly prepared samples. You will tell me what if any differences you find and what you believe is the cause if there is a difference.¡± He begins opening the containers laid out with her work and gathering the same herbs off the shelves, tapping a small sample of each into hot water in a mug. ¡°These will take a few minutes to steep. We usually do not drink the moss tincture, its used to treat bandages after all, but there is no harm in doing so.¡± ¡°While we wait, describe the process that you prepared these in with as much detail as you can recall.¡± Kori begins going over the process, to Ortik¡¯s nods and non-committal sounds, still not giving anything away as to what he thought of her methods. ¡°These should be ready. Take a small sip of your moss tincture then the clean water, followed by the properly prepared.¡± As she sips the concoction, she finds that hers and the proper version are very similar, both taste quite a bit like licking a cave wall, but they taste like she¡¯s mostly licking the same cave wall at least. ¡°They both have a very¡­ earthy? Taste, similar but maybe a bit stronger in yours?¡± Kori responds with a bit of uncertainty. ¡°Yours is decent, for an apprentice, you did not shred the moss evenly which led to uneven drying, yours will spoil sooner but is otherwise fine. You do however, fail on this task. I asked you to prepare the moss, there are two methods of preparation, dried like this and ground fresh for a poultice.¡± Shaking his head with the same tone she¡¯s coming to hate. ¡°Now, to the nettle. Clean the mugs and refill them with hot water from the kettle.¡± Ortik sits on his stool while he waits for her to ready the mugs for the next test, adding the barest pinch of each powder to the water when she returns. ¡°Now, the nettle is used as an antidote for poisoning, but it has its own effects, not dangerous but not desirable if unnecessary, so when you taste these, do not swallow.¡± Pushing the mugs back over to her. Tasting her own, swallowing is the last thing on her mind when the acrid burnt taste fills her mouth and she nearly spits it out by reflex. Relieving herself of the mouthful she quickly rinses out with the fresh water. ¡°I assume it¡¯s not supposed to taste like I¡¯m eating the ashes out of the hearth, Spiritcaller Ortik?¡± Laughing to himself as he watches her antics, ¡°No, no it is not. The other will have a slightly sweet taste to it.¡± She tries and is able to confirm that quickly, nearly forgetting and swallowing it. ¡°You should not of used the fire rune, leaving the sheet on the floor next to the coals was the proper course, the leaves would finish drying on their own over the course of the week without any additional assistance.¡± ¡°Now, the final ingredient. You will try your own only, if you have a pleasant nap, then you did well, if you did not, I¡¯ll go over what you did wrong. Either way, the rest of your day is free. There are a few things you did wrong in general that you will need to correct. First,¡± Raising a single claw on his hand, ¡°The slate was a good idea, but you did not wash the dust from the charcoal from your hands before handling the ingredients, as such the drift spores were ruined. Second,¡± Raising a second, ¡°You did not mix the spores thoroughly before storing them, this will reduce their longevity. And lastly,¡± Raising a third, ¡°You did not wash the containers between storing their raw ingredient and the processed, this does not effect these particular ingredients but it could.¡± Shifting his voice to a bit more of an approving tone, ¡°You did however manage to not agitate the spores too much when harvesting them, though your antics holding your breath and puffing your cheeks out was a bit much.¡± Pushing the container with the mushroom cap forward, ¡°Now, cut a portion the size of one of your claws from the mushroom and chew it for a few minutes then spit it out. It can be crushed and swallowed if administered to a patient, but should lessen the effects if it turns out you made a mistake if you do not do so.¡± With a great deal of apprehension Kori does as she¡¯s told, slicing off a wedge of the shriveled grey cap and slowly raising it to her mouth. ¡°Spiritcaller Ortik, can¡¯t you just tell me if I did it right?¡± ¡°I could, but you wouldn¡¯t learn as much.¡± I swear there¡¯s a bit of a laugh in his voice¡­ I really hope I¡¯m not gonna be seeing things and vomiting for the rest of the night¡­ ¡°Well¡­ Here goes¡­¡± Popping the leathery mushroom flesh into her mouth and beginning to chew, it¡¯s not nearly a bad as she expected, a bit earthy but also a savory flavour that¡¯s almost nice, not something she¡¯d want to eat regularly, but not entirely unpleasant either. Spitting out the mashed up remains, ¡°So how long until I know?¡± ¡°Soon, maybe another 5 minutes at most. I recommend laying down, either way really. Though I¡¯d try not to vomit on your bed pads.¡± Amusement threaded through his voice. Kori¡¯s anxiety spikes over the coming minutes as she rushes to her bedding and lays down on her side, as the minutes tick by she finds the anxiety fading and not seeming quite so important anymore. Trying to roll over her body seemed to weigh triple what it should. The last thing she remembers is a genuinely mirthful Ortik chuckling from her doorway as her vision fades and she fell asleep. Her last thought that she must have made a mistake after all and be hallucinating, since she wasn¡¯t sure that was even possible, and wondering what that little blinky light in the corner of her vision was. Chapter 14 – The morning after Somewhat confused and more than a little dazed, Kori finds herself laying in her bed and struggling to recall exactly what had happened leading up to that point, ¡°Why am I in bed? Wasn¡¯t I just in the workshop?¡± The last thing she remembers, drinking some tea made with her herbs, but those wouldn¡¯t explain her current predicament. Her limbs felt heavy, her mind stuffed with fur, a musty taste of dirt and something else lingering on her tongue. If I tried the herbs¡­ Oh no¡­ Did I try the mushroom too? The more she thinks about it, the more she¡¯s sure that she did in fact try the Drift Shroom¡­ She experienced flashes of memories about chewing on the leathery dried cap, spitting it out, then nothing until waking. I don¡¯t think I hallucinated? But how would I know if I don¡¯t remember anything¡­ I do feel awfully fatigued, that was one of the symptoms, right? Oh no, am I going to be vomiting for days now? Bracing herself as she edges towards the side of the raised sleeping area, hoping to avoid messing her bed, and preparing for the worst as her stomach gurgles and grumbles at her, a feeling of an empty pit disturbed as it roils. ¡°I thought I heard something, finally up, are we?¡± Ortik walking into the opening of Kori¡¯s chamber, ¡°That cap was quite potent, I¡¯d expected you to be conscious yesterday evening.¡± ¡°Yesterday? How long was I asleep?¡± Some of the fur shrouding her thoughts shifting as she focused on Ortik¡¯s words. ¡°I will excuse your lack of propriety this once apprentice, you¡¯re likely still somewhat under the effects. You slept the entire evening and through the night.¡± Shaking his head, ¡°I was about to check on you before leaving for the Elder¡¯s Chambers for this morning¡¯s meeting. I was starting to worry that something was wrong.¡± Leaning in to get a better look at Kori, ¡°I will have to have the batch tested again to determine if it was simply your own lack of Vitality or if there is something exceptional about the specimen you prepared.¡± ¡°Apologies Spiritcaller Ortik.¡± She lowers her head slightly, finding the movement just a little easier than it had been. ¡°I will prepare myself as quickly as I can for the meeting¡­ As soon as I can stand without bracing myself on a wall¡­¡± ¡°You will do no such thing. I can¡¯t have you falling on yourself in front of everyone. Remain here until you¡­¡± His words interrupted by the loud bubbling gurgle from Kori¡¯s mid-section. ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Kori quickly lowers her head in anticipation of what may come, pointing herself away from Ortik¡¯s direction. ¡°Ah, I suppose you did miss dinner and are late for breakfast. There is food on the table.¡± The closest thing to a smile on his face and in his words that Kori had seen to date. ¡°Food? I can¡¯t eat, I¡¯m going to be sick¡­ Aren¡¯t I, Spiritcaller Ortik?¡± The thought of food sending her stomach back into its motions. ¡°Why would you be ill apprentice? Your preparation of the Drift Shroom was well done. I checked it days ago and the water ran clear. You were not at risk of anything but a good night¡¯s rest.¡± An outright chuckle escaping his muzzle. ¡°I wasn¡¯t? Oh¡­¡± Sitting up from positioning herself in anticipation of sicking up, ¡°Thank you, Spiritcaller Ortik. I guess I was worried for nothing.¡± ¡°Now, once you are recovered, I have laid out additional fresh moss and nettle leaves in the workshop, prepare them again, properly this time, and I will check when I return after the meeting.¡± Giving her an appraising look. ¡°And clean your tunic, you should not sleep in it.¡± With that comment Spiritcaller Ortik turns and walks out of her chamber, leaving her back to her own thoughts. ¡°I guess I didn¡¯t mess that one up at least¡­ Would he have still made me test it if I hadn¡¯t?¡± Levering herself up to sit on the edge of the sleeping platform, ¡°I think he probably would have¡­ yeah¡­¡± As soon as she could walk steadily without fear of her legs giving out, Kori made her way to the promised food, her stomach still loudly complaining, though at least now she was sure it was due to hunger rather than something worse. Finding that an exceptionally large portion of food awaited her, she digs in with abandon and a smile, enjoying the meal more than any she¡¯s had in a long time. ¡°I think that¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever missed a meal¡­ don¡¯t want to do that again any time soon.¡± With her immediate needs settled she finally pays attention to the little light of a notification that has been blinking at her since she awoke. Her typical ¡®why?¡¯ prodding it. <> < 16 >> Not what I was hoping for¡­ But two points of vitality? Wow, either that shroom was really potent or my Vitality really is terrible. This was not the first time Kori had seen such a message, she¡¯d gained a point in Magic and Attunement both during her many attempts to direct her mana, but this is the first time she¡¯s seen it jump by two points at the same time. I should check my status.
Name Kori
Class Locked
Level N/A Race Kobold
Tier N/A Race Level 7
Job Locked Job Locked
Job Level This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. N/A Job Level N/A
Statistics
Health 150
Mana 205
Stamina 205
Physical Ability Scores Mental Ability Scores
Might 21 Wit 36
Agility 32 Cunning 49
Finesse 24 Attunement 34
Endurance 27 Magic 31
Vitality 16 Perception 27
Serendipity 12
Racial Traits
Darkvision Lvl 1 Rapid Growth
Draconic Ingenuity
Class Abilities
Class Perks
Titles
Emberscale Inheritor Pick of the Litter
Skills
Stealth Lvl 1 Basic Staff Mastery Lvl 2
Mana Sense Lvl 2 Basic Mathematics Lvl 1
Basic Poison Resistance Lvl 1
Not bad for just 7 months. Still a ways to go to get all of the skills Ortik wants for me. I was really hoping I¡¯d gotten herbalism¡­ With breakfast completed and her place at the table cleaned, Kori checks in the workshop and sees the herbs laid out as Ortik had said. Thinking back to yesterday¡¯s criticisms about her previous attempt she gets to work. This time remembering to set aside some of the moss to create a poultice with. It doesn¡¯t take long for the moss to be drying over a low heat in the hearth, the leaves set out nearby getting flipped and turned occasionally to keep everything even. ¡°Now, the poultice. That¡¯s just mashing the moss in the mortar and pestle and adding some water to get it to the right consistency, I think? It doesn¡¯t last for long though¡­ I don¡¯t want to let it sit and have Spiritcaller Ortik,¡± Not even noticing that even by herself she¡¯s using his title now, ¡°Say it failed because I let it sit and spoil. I¡¯ll have to do that right before the meeting ends.¡± She gathers everything she needs and waits, going over the results from the Drift Shroom. That was certainly more potent than I had expected, I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t end up messing that one up. I had assumed that it was called a drift shroom because of how its spores drifted¡­ But maybe it¡¯s more for its effect of causing people to drift off to sleep¡­ Spending her extra time practicing on her slate as the herbs dry, making sure to check them frequently, the morning passes quickly and quietly for Kori, the moss already dried and cooling to one side, the leaves will take several more days. Soon it¡¯s time to prepare the poultice to hopefully redeem her earlier efforts. I wonder if I get all of these right if I¡¯ll get the Skill? Setting up her space with the remainder of the fresh moss and some water, she recalls just before it¡¯s too late that she was supposed to use boiled water for the poultice, setting a kettle to boil she begins to think about what she¡¯s doing as well as the comment about the tincture made with the dried moss being used to treat bandages. Unsure if it¡¯s a good idea to go outside her given directions, but her curiosity peaked, her thoughts turn to what would happen if she were to use the tincture in the preparation of the poultice. It seems like it should be a good idea¡­ I wonder why they don¡¯t do it that way¡­ They have to have thought of it before, right? ¡°No, if I do it differently then I might fail whatever test this is¡­ But I really want to try it with the tincture¡­¡± Debating with herself, she knows that she is going to talk herself into trying it. ¡°Okay, how about instead I¡¯ll make it twice. Yeah, that works. I¡¯ll make it right and while I¡¯m grinding the herb with the pure water, I¡¯ll steep some of the prepared moss I made earlier and then make another batch with that. That way we can test both!¡± Following through on her little experiment took very little time, her first batch made and stored in a clay pot awaiting Ortik¡¯s approval hopefully, while she cleaned out the mortar and pestle and started again, this time using the steeped water, strained to remove the particulate, she gave it a quick taste to compare to her previous efforts and found it much closer to Ortik¡¯s sample, though still slight differences in the flavour of cave wall she apparently just licked¡­ As she grinds and mashes the paste within the mortar something about it just doesn¡¯t seem quite right, the colour, texture and everything else seems to be the same as her previous creation, but something about the product before her seems lacking. Like it could be more than it is, if only this one little thing wasn¡¯t wrong. Unsure if it¡¯s something about the consistency or if she needs to grind it harder, she keeps going, dribbling in a little extra fluid to turn it into a smooth paste. Focusing in on whatever wrongness she feels with her work, Kori doesn¡¯t even notice as Ortik enters the chamber. Initially, he¡¯s displeased that she hasn¡¯t completed her task, but as he sees the first batch of poultice sitting on the work surface in an open clay pot and that she is dribbling the water in through a filter even his curiosity is peaked and he settles in to watch without interrupting her. Kori keeps working the substance, pushing against that obtrusive feeling as she goes, slowly it begins to feel more right, like she is correcting whatever absence exists within her work. A little light begins to blink in her vision, interrupting her work and she looks down realizing that the finely ground paste that she¡¯s created, more an ointment than a poultice at this point, seems like it¡¯s finally completed. Looking up from her work she spots Ortik hovering nearby, giving a squeak of surprise and nearly toppling over her own feet as she jumps back. ¡°What exactly do you think you¡¯re doing apprentice?¡± His tone inscrutable once again. ¡°Uhh, Spiritcaller Ortik¡­ I didn¡¯t hear you enter¡­¡± Nervously she looks around seeing that there¡¯s no one else and Ortik is more focused on her work than on her, ¡°I was just trying something with the moss, I thought if the tincture was good to prevent infection, then perhaps a poultice with that instead of just water would be more effective?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been tried, it doesn¡¯t change things much unless a wound is already heavily infected. I meant what exactly were you doing with your mana, why were you trying to pour it into the poultice?¡± ¡°Mana? I wasn¡¯t using mana Spiritcaller Ortik¡­¡± Checking her status however showed that she in fact had been, her mana sitting nearly 30 points down from it¡¯s maximum. Thoroughly confused she checks the notification waiting for her to see if it could provide any insight. <> ¡°Oh¡­ I guess I was¡­¡± Chapter 15 – Unexpected but not unwanted. ¡°How¡­ How¡¯d I¡­ I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± Kori stares with a flabbergasted expression at the notification crossing her vision. ¡°I tried everything to get it¡­ How does grinding herbs finally work?¡± ¡°Work with what apprentice? You still haven¡¯t explained what you were trying to accomplish with your mana.¡± Ortik voicing his question with a hint of annoyance. ¡°What is it that you are referring to as having gotten?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even realize I was using my mana, there was just something¡­ Missing¡­ From the poultice as I was grinding it¡­ It just didn¡¯t feel right¡­¡± Her thoughts still a jumble of all the times she tried so hard to control a little bit of mana and then finally not even realizing what she was doing as she succeeded. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to use mana¡­ It just happened¡­¡± Still trying to wrap her mind around what just happened, she attempts the same control exercise she¡¯s done a thousand times, pooling mana in her palm and slowly allowing it to escape as she tries to hold it in place. Wisps of mana dissipate from her hand as it always has before, a crestfallen expression crossing Kori¡¯s face, until she spots a small bead of mana remaining exactly where she willed it. Whether her surprise, her inexperience with the skill or some other cause, the blob of mana disperses quickly enough that if she hadn¡¯t seen it, felt it, she¡¯d have doubted it ever occurred. ¡°[Mana Control]. How, apprentice?¡± Ortik¡¯s gaze fixed on her palm. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m¡­ Not sure¡­¡± Kori shakes her head and tries again with the same result, a grin exploding onto her face as she sees the mana beading once again, though it only lasts moments once more. ¡°I was grinding the poultice, wracking my mind to identify what was missing from the mixture, and it just kind of¡­ Happened¡­ Spiritcaller Ortik, I don¡¯t understand. Why now? Why not all those other times?¡± ¡°I am unsure as well. I¡¯ve not heard of the Skill being achieved in such a manner as this.¡± Scratching his chin idly as he thinks, ¡°I will consult the Matrons and Arcanist Ylst, though I suspect that if such a method were known it would have been attempted long before now.¡± Looking down at the paste on the workbench, ¡°Now, what is it that you¡¯ve produced here. The Moss has been ground much too finely for the poultice. Though there is a slight hint of mana still present in the paste.¡± Picking up the mortar containing Kori¡¯s concoction, Ortik examines the contents, eyeing and sniffing the paste before trailing a claw through it and bringing it closer to his face. ¡°It¡¯s times like these I feel I should have raised a merchant job and gotten an appraisal skill¡­¡± Rubbing the paste between his fingers and watching as it smooths across his scales before eventually sinking in. ¡°Elder Har may not have departed for the surface yet to consult with his traders, he may be able to shed some light on the nature of this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a paste though¡­ Isn¡¯t it? Spiritcaller Ortik.¡± Doubt and apprehension clear in her voice. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll find out when he takes a look.¡± Ortik glancing up from the mortar towards Kori. Not really taking the hint in his statement, Kori continues to look between Ortik and her creation. ¡°Well apprentice, what are you waiting for? Go find Elder Har and bring him back here.¡± His typical slight exasperated tone returning as he orders her to fetch the Elder. Still somewhat in shock, it takes a moment for Kori to comprehend what he¡¯s ordering her to do. ¡°Oh. Yes, of course, Spiritcaller Ortik.¡± She quickly dashes out of the workshop and out towards the Elder¡¯s Chambers hoping to find Har still present. Luckily, he is still there. Deep in close discussion with Elder Tuli about orders of hewn stone from the surface. Trader Har is an oddity amongst the Kobolds, spending more of his time in the town of Whatzakt than the caverns he has adopted the style of the surface races, wearing cloth pants, tunic and even a jacket in subdued earthen tones, even a ring adorned with a small garnet around one of his horns. Out of all the Elders, he attends the meetings the least, Kori having only seen him once before when she was brought before the Elders the day after the festival so long ago. Torn between interrupting the Elders and carrying out her task, Kori approaches the pair, ensuring that they notice her presence but remaining quiet until a break in their conversation. It takes a few minutes for them to give her an opening, ¡°Excuse me Elders.¡± Both Elder Kobolds turn to look at her, ¡°Kori, we are somewhat busy, do you require something?¡± Tuli addressing her, a smile on her face as she looks at the young apprentice. Tuli has always been pleasant with her. ¡°Sorry for interrupting Elders. Spiritcaller Ortik has requested Elder Har¡¯s presence in his workshop.¡± Looking towards the oddly dressed Elder. ¡°You were his new apprentice, yes? Did he say what it was about?¡± Har giving her an appraising look as he speaks. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°He requires your assistance appraising something, Elder.¡± ¡°That figures. I¡¯ll be along shortly once we¡¯ve hammered out some details.¡± Kori tilts her head slightly at the odd turn of phrase, assuming it is another surface saying that doesn¡¯t really make sense. ¡°Thank you, Elder.¡± She begins to walk away only to stop in her usual spot against the wall to wait. Both Elders eye her, one of Har¡¯s brows raising in question towards Tuli. ¡°That¡¯s her spot, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± She assures him before returning to their topic. Several long minutes follow as they continue to go back and forth, Har wanting the miners to focus more on stone while Tuli resists shifting focus away from exploring the new seam of ore. Both occasionally darting their eyes over to the waiting apprentice. After a slightly exasperated sigh, Har looks to Kori then turns back towards Elder Tuli, ¡°Well we¡¯re just chasing our tails here, how about I go see what the Chief wants and you and I can check our numbers and see if we can come to an agreement over dinner?¡± ¡°Sounds good. Don¡¯t take too long with the Chief.¡± Both Elders approach Kori, Tuli¡¯s hand on Har¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Thank you Elders.¡± Looking between the two Kori spots Tuli¡¯s tail slowly brush against Har¡¯s and begins blushing. ¡°Don¡¯t keep him too long, we don¡¯t get much time together these days with him in the town so much.¡± Continuing with over displays of affection with her tail. ¡°Uh¡­ Yes Elder¡­¡± Turning away towards the corridor to Ortik¡¯s den, though not quickly enough as she hears Elder Tuli¡¯s chuckle at the lightening colour of her scales. She quickly retreats towards the den with Elder Har in tow. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her youngling, she¡¯s always been a bit more overt in her affections.¡± Har laughs as he follows. ¡°Now what is it that the Chief is looking to have appraised?¡± ¡°I was training herbalism and attempted something a bit¡­ Unusual¡­ Spiritcaller Ortik wants you to take a look.¡± Trying not to have to explain exactly what happened she avoids the details, hoping that it will suffice. The trip to the workshop is a short one and doesn¡¯t leave much time for any more questions, for which Kori is thankful. Arriving they find Ortik still standing before the workbench, the concoction moved from the mortar into a small clay pot with a lid. Cutting through any pleasantries or greetings, Har goes right to the topic at hand. ¡°You needed my assistance, Chief?¡± ¡°Har, welcome. Yes, my apprentice here has created something out of the ordinary, I was hoping you could give me some insight as to what exactly it is she¡¯s made and if it is useful.¡± Pushing the small pot of paste across the table towards Har. ¡°I keep telling you to raise an apprentice merchant job, it¡¯ll raise pretty fast if you take over a few bulk negotiations. You¡¯d finish it off in a month, two tops.¡± Har shakes his head, obviously this is a frequently discussed topic. ¡°Yes, yes, but when do I have the time to spend months up on the surface with you and your traders to do that? I¡¯m busy enough as it is down here that Ylst managed to badger me into taking on an apprentice of my own¡­¡± Looking over to Kori, ¡°Though she has been more useful than I expected.¡± ¡°Now, the appraisal please?¡± ¡°Of course, one moment.¡± Har picks up the pot and opens the lid taking a good long look at it. ¡°Huh, imbued even. How¡¯d you manage that young one?¡± His gaze turning back to Kori with more interest than before. ¡°Care to share what you¡¯re seeing, Har?¡± Ortik back to his usual tone. ¡°Oh. Right. Apologies.¡± Quickly sharing the status window with both Ortik and Kori. Imbued Herbal Healing Ointment Tier 1, Common A topical ointment created from fresh herbs and imbued with a small amount of mana. Used to treat wounds and restore health over time. Can treat infected wounds up to Tier 1. Health restored depends on volume of ointment applied to a maximum of 100 health over one hour. ¡°Pretty handy to have around that. Can she make more? I¡¯m sure I could sell something like this for a few coins.¡± ¡°Profits always the first thing you think about Har, isn¡¯t it?¡± Shaking his head slightly and sounding slightly disappointed, though with a tone of levity underlying his words. ¡°Of course! That¡¯s why you made me the Elder in charge of trade isn¡¯t it? All good merchants think with their purse.¡± Laughing as he speaks and watching as a grin cracks Ortik¡¯s stony fa?ade. Kori begins to get the impression that these two have known each other for a very long time. ¡°Well, we¡¯re not sure if she can make more or if this was a fluke. Either way, you¡¯ll probably have to fight Blonc over getting your hands on it if she can. He¡¯s going to start drooling when he sees it.¡± Looking back to Kori for a moment. ¡°Apprentice, why haven¡¯t you copied down the wording of the appraisal yet? Elder Har won¡¯t always be around to show everyone what it says.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Of course, Spiritcaller Ortik.¡± Running to grab her slate and charcoal before returning to the workshop and starting to write. Arching a brow and giving her an inquisitive look as she begins, ¡°And what exactly is that supposed to do? It¡¯ll be smudge beyond recognition before dinner.¡± Pointing towards the other side of the workbench where a bone pen and sealed pot of ink sits. ¡°This should be inked, so that it can be referenced in the future and compared against new batches to confirm quality.¡± Looking at the pen with a bit of apprehension, she¡¯d practiced with one, but never with ink and paper, just in the dirt and dust. Gripping the stylus and dipping it lightly in the ink, she hesitates slightly and a droplet of ink falls to the paper below, getting a ¡®tsk¡¯ from Ortik as he observes. Blotting it to ensure it doesn¡¯t run, Kori grips the bone tightly, perhaps a little too tightly, and begins to drag the tip across the sheet in as slow and precise a motion as she can manage. Before too long she completes the short appraisal description and sets aside the pen. ¡°It could be better. Blot it with sand and set it to dry.¡± Taking the small jar of fine sand Kori does as she¡¯s instructed, dusting the page with a little sand as it sticks to the ink and draws the excess. As she finishes the process she sees that she¡¯s gotten another notification. Prodding the little blinking light with her typical response, a smile blooms on her face as the day just keeps getting better. <> Chapter 16 – Other side of the table An afternoon of attempting, and only occasionally succeeding, to reproduce her results followed for Kori, until they ran out of luminous moss at least. ¡°We¡¯ll have Har inspect the products to verify consistency, it¡¯s a good thing he¡¯s not leaving until the morning. At a glance it looks like you¡¯ve produced three more batches containing mana.¡± Looking over her results the other five pots of paste containing no traces of mana, ¡°I doubt these will have any use, but it is worth having him take a look as well.¡± Kori¡¯s gaze drifts from her own work over to the other side of the workbench, where another series of containers sit. ¡°Do any of yours contain mana, Spiritcaller Ortik?¡± Curious if her mentor has been able to reproduce her results. ¡°No. Not yet.¡± Clearly displeased with the fact, ¡°I¡¯ve yet to feel this sensation of something missing that you have described from the herbs as I work them. Just dumping mana into them doesn¡¯t seem to be enough either. I suspect there is another Skill involved; one you are on the cusp of acquiring in all likelihood.¡± ¡°Another Skill, Spiritcaller Ortik? Really? I¡¯ve already gotten two new skills today, could I really be close to getting a third?¡± Disbelief and excitement warring in her voice and on her visage. ¡°What Skill do you think it is?¡± ¡°Perhaps, perhaps not. It may take creating different products to acquire it and we don¡¯t even know how the first happened to try it with anything else. As for what the Skill is, I honestly have no idea. I will present this new information to the Circle to see if the others have any insight, and perhaps even commune with the spirits if necessary.¡± Ortik¡¯s voice betraying his calm fa?ade, hints of frustration at his being unable to accomplish the same task as his own apprentice bleeding through. ¡°For now, clean this up and then go fetch dinner. Your tutor will be here shortly and I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll want to push your new calligraphy skill.¡± The evening passed just as predicted, tedious cleaning and scrubbing, dinner, and then a new type of training from the apprentice matron, a bowl of fine sand laid out and smoothed over for Kori to practice using the bone pen. The method actually working well, the pen leaving clean lines in the sand almost as clearly as it would on paper. ¡°Vri, when will I get to use actual ink to practice? This is better than the charcoals, but it¡¯s still not the same as when I wrote properly earlier.¡± ¡°Soon. If you can get another skill level, maybe two, you should be ready. We can reset the sand as much as we need to, wasting paper while you¡¯re still new to the skill doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± The training repeats throughout the evening, smoothing over the sand in the bowl and writing her letters and words, only to smooth them over and try again. Vri changes up the words, has her write sentences, write smaller, write larger, but its still just more of the same task. The following morning, before the meeting while Kori would normally be getting ready for the day, Har arrives to take a look at the rest of the batches, ¡°Hmm. These three are the same as the one I appraised yesterday.¡± He continues looking over the other batches present. ¡°The remainder don¡¯t appear as a finished product, just a herbal concoction. Did it really take fifteen additional attempts to produce three more usable results?¡± ¡°No. She created eight batches and succeeded on three of them. Oddly she knew long before she finished whether it was going to succeed or not.¡± Pointing to the grouping sitting apart from the others, ¡°The other seven I made, though not a single of those was receptive to my mana.¡± ¡°Odd, does she have any Skills that would account for this?¡± Scratching his chin as he speculates. ¡°Not yet." Shaking his head. "I believe she is likely close to one though. I¡¯ve no other explanation.¡± "Sounds like a crafting skill of some kind, we don''t often have a lot of need for those." Har speculates as he turns one of the pots over in his hands looking at it from every angle. "Definitely a mage skill of some kind too, since it uses mana. I can ask about with the townsfolk, they might have some ideas, but not many magical crafters in a town like Whatzakt so not sure if I''ll have any luck." "Thank you Har, hopefully we can make some determination." Looking towards his apprentice as he speaks, ¡°It''s quite odd for this to happen without explanation, but there were oddities in her mage apprenticeship too, before it was ended for failing to acquire the requisite Skills.¡± He just has to bring that up¡­ I wonder if Ylst will take me back now that I got [Mana Control]? ¡°I did get one of those skills when I made that first batch though.¡± Piping up to defend herself. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Yes, yet another oddity apprentice.¡± Giving her a shake of his head, ¡°Go prepare breakfast. Har, will you join me?¡± ¡°Certainly Chieftain. I¡¯d love to.¡± A broad smile as he accepts. ¡°I¡¯ll need to leave for Whatzakt soon though, I¡¯m sure the others are already packing the carts.¡± Instead of getting to quickly and quietly eat her breakfast, Kori spends the rest of the morning prior to the Elder¡¯s meeting serving breakfast for the two Elders, brewing cups of tea, fetching food, and ensuring they had everything they needed, sneaking bites of her own between tasks as she could before they depart for the Elder¡¯s Chambers. Arriving at the Elder¡¯s Chambers, Kori, having been instructed to bring the clay pots containing her ointment stands off to the side in her spot with her arms full cradling the four containers and waiting for instructions. It doesn¡¯t take long once the Elders settle in and a call for any urgent business to be brought forward and go unanswered for Ortik to look to her, ¡°I would like to introduce new business before we begin with petitions.¡± Motioning Kori forward. ¡°My apprentice has something to show us.¡± Kori walks towards Ortik¡¯s side before he gives her a shake of the head and pointedly looks towards the center of the room. Realizing that he wants her to present as a petitioner would rather than from behind the tables. Scurrying around to present herself in front of the council, with a brief flashback to the last time she was in this position seven months prior. Ortik waves her on with a circular motion of his wrist, from him it seems less encouraging and more impatient. ¡°Good morning, Elders. Yesterday while preparing herbal remedies to train my [Basic Herbalism] skill, I produced an unexpected result, one which may prove beneficial to the Clan.¡± Shifting nervously at being the center of attention in front of the Elders, ¡°I am presently unable to reliably reproduce the results, succeeding on less than half of my attempts, but should I be able to gain an appropriate Skill that will hopefully change.¡± ¡°Please take a look while I read out the appraisal information provided by Elder Har.¡± She begins passing around the 4 pots of ointment. ¡°What you see here appraises as being an Imbued Herbal Healing Ointment,¡± She completes reading out the description, looking at each of the attending Elders. With a broad smile on her face Ylst speaks up as she finishes, ¡°Pardon the interruption Kori, this ointment contains mana and you¡¯ve produced multiple batches. Does this mean that you have finally learned [Mana Control]?¡± A beaming smile on her face as Kori responds, ¡°Yes! I finally got the skill when I made the first batch!¡± Before Ylst has an opportunity to praise her success, Blonc stands from his seated position behind the low table, holding one of the pots in front of him, ¡°How can I get more of these. How much does it take to reach the maximum effect? The entire pot of it or just a smear of it across the wound?¡± Barreling forward without giving Kori a chance to respond to his questions. ¡°How long does it take you to make one? Can you make them in larger batches?¡± His rapid fire questions driving Kori in on herself bit by bit, slowly slouching as she realizes that she doesn¡¯t have answers for most of his questions. Ortik raising his hand and clearing his throat interrupting Blonc¡¯s questioning. ¡°Please give her a chance to reply Elder.¡± ¡°Thank you, Spiritcaller Ortik. Unfortunately, I do not have most of the answers to your questions Elder Blonc. The only one I can reliably respond to is how long it takes to produce a batch roughly the size of what you are holding, and that is between 10 and 20 minutes, double that if my success rate remains as it currently is.¡± She gives him an apologetic shrug as she continues, ¡°The other answers will require testing. We¡¯ve not actually used it to treat a wound as of yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll volunteer to test it. I¡¯m sure there are a few banged and bruised trainees at the yard. Maybe I can send some out with scouts heading in the direction we found those goblin bodies a while back.¡± The excitement still evident in Blonc¡¯s voice and posture. Ylst gives a shake of her head as she laughs at his energetic responses. ¡°Your trainees would make great test subjects Blonc, but I¡¯d not trust them to do the testing.¡± Turning back to Kori, ¡°Give it to them to test and you¡¯ll have measurements like ¡®A handful¡¯ or they¡¯ll start treating sore feet when it should be saved for actual wounds.¡± It takes all of her efforts to not bark out a laugh as she listens to Ylst¡¯s words. ¡°What would you suggest, Elder?¡± ¡°I usually send a mage or two along with the scouts, let them hold onto it and preform the tests as needed. The feedback will be a bit more useful that way.¡± Giving Blonc a bit of side-eye as he tries to object but really has no valid argument. Ortik steps in to finalize the agreement and restore some order to things. ¡°Very well, that is acceptable apprentice, you may provide three of the prepared samples to Elder Ylst for testing. As to the matter of production, we will attempt to train this new Skill, which Elder Har will be attempting to identify with his contacts amongst the townsfolk as well. You will report back to the Elders as to your progress in one month. During that time, we will attempt to determine a method of training others in this skill beginning with the Circle¡¯s apprentices.¡± ¡°If there is nothing else on this matter?¡± Looking around to the thoughtful faces of the other Elders, none of them make any move to ask any other questions. ¡°Very well. Thank you, apprentice.¡± Dismissing her from her spot in front of the council. ¡°Then we will move on to other business.¡± Pointedly turning his head from Kori¡¯s position to her typical spot behind him. Kori takes the hint and moves back into position, another long and boring Elder¡¯s meeting stretching out before her as her mind jumps from speculation to theorization and back. Going over crafting the new ointment and what it means that she was finally able to learn the Skill that stymied her for months and led to being dismissed from her first apprenticeship. Several hours later the meeting finally ends. If you asked Kori what was discussed after her little presentation, it¡¯s unlikely that she¡¯d be able to describe a single topic, thankfully her lack of attention went mostly unnoticed as there were no tasks asked of her. Chapter 17 – The definition of insanity In her idle hours thoughts of creating ointments and other wonderous concoctions war in her mind with those of fulfilling her deepest desire, to finally wield magic. With [Mana Control] added to her list of Skills, Kori has a long awaited chance to acquire the [Spell Shaping] Skill. The Skill that bridges the gap between controlling mana and actual spell work that remains as the final barrier standing in her path to casting spells. Oddly enough the Skill is not among those that Ortik has assigned her to learn under his tutelage, though that is of course not likely to stop her from trying. She¡¯s unsure as to why the Skill isn¡¯t on his list, her time with the mages having taught her that all spells needed to be shaped to be cast. It must be one of the differences between elemental magics and spiritual magics. I do hope Ortik starts teaching that soon. The practice method for this Skill is fairly simple and it is one that she had overheard being lectured countless times in the training hall. Combine sensing the mana within and surrounding yourself and directing it with control to guide it into the shape of the simplest spell possible, [Lantern], which creates a floating mote of light held above your hand, or wherever it was that you formed it. The spell barely more than a three-dimensional knot of mana, not so far removed from the simple bead of mana she was able to momentarily hold after learning control, just stretched and turned in upon itself. Creating any shape more complex than a lump, let alone a specific shape, was however seemingly just as far beyond her ability as it was to corral that tiny bead of mana throughout all her months of trying. With practice she was able to maintain the floating spec of mana she produces for slightly more time, but still not enough to run out of fingers upon her hands if she were to count, not even making it high enough to need the second hand usually. Over and over again she attempts to alter the dimensions of the mana in her grasp, each time it dissipated the same as the last before the shape can stretch, twist, or enlarge in any meaningful manner. Reminding her of her many attempts to garner herself the control skill, though thankfully without any repeats of bottoming out her mana. That was at least one lesson she did in fact learn on her first try. She even made a few rather futile attempts towards entering the meditative state favoured by the mages. Those attempts turning out exactly as all those that came before, and exactly as expected, unfortunately. Each day she spent her time between attending to Spiritcaller Ortik, producing herbal remedies, both in her effort to attain the [Basic Herbalism] Skill or to gain whatever the unknown Skill that governs her ability to produce the imbued ointments happens to be, and to supply Elder Blonc, who was immensely pleased with the results of the testing from the first batch. Having found that each jar of ointment could furnish at least 4 treatments. The rest of her days were taken up by her evening lessons with Vri, her bowl of sand having produced results within barely a week of first acquiring the skill. < 2 >> And her nights spent summoning her mana until she fell asleep, only to repeat it all over again the following day. The more she worked with the ointments, no other manner of imbued creations having been discovered as of yet, the more she feels certain that something is similarly missing from all of her attempts to shape her own mana. When Ortik finally deigned to continue her instruction in herbalism, over a week since the last lesson, she had gotten a good sense for the three herbs that she¡¯d been introduced to so far. Their uses and quirks and how to best prepare them, at least with her burgeoning skills, and how they may be used to treat the ill and injured. When he finally introduced her to a fourth herb, she was eager for a change of pace. This new ingredient, Ashen Tuber, is unlike any of those she¡¯d prepared before. Consisting of a tall pale green stalk that fades to a dried golden brown adorned with numerous seedpods encased in a hard shell when the plant has completed its lifecycle. Originally found deep, deep beneath the surface near pockets of intense heat the plant developed a symbiotic relationship with fire; it can easily be cultivated by burning the above ground portion of the stalk and the seedpods, causing the pods to burst open in a spray of relatively flame resistant seeds, and mixing the burnt remains with ash collected from the various hearths and cook fires throughout Emberscale Caverns, before spreading it across the prepared cultivation area, provided the temperature of the area remains sufficient during its growth. This particular plant serves a much different purpose than those she¡¯d dealt with previously. It is not medicinal in the least and she was informed it is in fact one of the foulest tasting plants to be found in the caves. Not particularly dangerous in any way, but also not something any of the creatures that live in the depths find in any way appetising. The useful portion of plant resides below the surface, the pale grey root bundle which itself is much the colour of the ashes in which it grows. These roots bleed a sap when scored with a blade, a murky white liquid that slowly seeping from the wounds that has many uses. Given the nature of its growth, one of the primary uses is in creating fire affinity runes, something that she had watched countless times over her months with the mages, but it is also prized by the shamans of the Circle for its use painting ritual diagrams and binding circles when communing, or even summoning, the spirits. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! With the process for draining the sap from the roots detailed and, after a few less than ideal attempts when she cut too deeply, not deeply enough, or even just in an insufficient number of or improperly spaced places before hanging them to slowly drain, she eventually managed successfully reproduce the process. When she did, Kori found herself with a new blinking notification at the edges of her vision signifying finishing yet another goal from her list given to her by Ortik at the beginning of her apprenticeship with him. <> ¡°Spiritcaller Ortik, I¡¯ve gained the herbalism Skill. What should I work on next? Will we be moving on to spiritual magics?¡± Excitement and apprehension both vying for prominence in her emotions, unsure how well she¡¯ll do, given her difficulty attaining the rest of her mana skills so far. ¡°Excellent Apprentice. No, we will not be starting Spiritual magics quite yet. You are not yet prepared to delve into the nature of the spirits, we will need to begin your mental resistance training before you attempt to reach out to even the most benign of them.¡± She isn¡¯t exactly sure how one trains that particular resistance and from the look on Ortik¡¯s face as he says that; she isn¡¯t looking forward to finding out either. ¡°There is another very important task ahead of you that must come next now that you have acquired both the [Basic Herbalism] and [Basic Calligraphy] Skills.¡± Ortik retrieves a pair of books stacked upon one of the shelves near the ingredients and herbs. ¡°Your next task will be to improve your foundations in herbalism, this will both grow the Skill now and create a strong place from which it may continue to grow in the future.¡± Brushing some dust off of the books as he carries them over, ¡°As a skill that focuses on knowledge, the best way to advance it is to learn as much as possible. To that end, all apprentices, when they can be trusted with a pen and ink enough to not create an illegible mess at least, are given this task. This rite of passage.¡± As he lays out the two books, Kori sees that one is old and worn, its leather cover faded, scratched, and lightly stained by the passage of time, the thin cord of leather tying it shut smoothed by many years of handling, the second nearly identical in shape and size, but new and unblemished. ¡°This apprentice,¡± Pointing to the worn volume, ¡°Is my herbalism tome, a book I began writing many years ago when I was an apprentice about the same age that you are now. It was copied from my master¡¯s tome, who had copied hers from her master¡¯s before her. In many ways, this tome is a chronical of my journey beginning as an apprentice and continuing as I grew into a Spiritcaller, and that of all those who walked this path before me.¡± A note of reverence present in his voice. ¡°I have added to it over the course of my life, copying new information found by my fellows or adding to it myself from my own discoveries, which I in turn shared with them. I have even created an entry detailing your own creation.¡± His tone solemn and serious as he describes the book. ¡°Now it is your turn.¡± Pushing the newer volume towards her. ¡°You will spend your coming days creating your own copy, faithfully reproducing the information I have gathered. This book should serve you for many years to come and someday may even be copied by an apprentice of your own.¡± A moment of what might actually be pride showing through as he speaks to her. ¡°For the members of the Circle, our tomes are one of the most important possessions we will ever have, second only to our totems,¡± indicating to the bones, beads, and gemstones braided into the cord that hung around his neck. ¡°Which represent the spirits we have entreated with and with whom we hold pacts.¡± Pointing back to the books on the workbench in front of them, ¡°This rite of passage will be the sole focus of your efforts for the next ten days. You will not attend meetings and I will inform Vri when she arrives this evening that your lessons are to be suspended for the duration; though I suggest you make use of her to offer guidance or check your work. She may save you from costly errors or misspent time.¡± Untying the leather cord and opening his tome with a gentle touch, the paper decades old but remaining in impeccable condition. ¡°I expect you to finish creating your copy by the end of that time. Your tome must be written neatly and with precision, reproducing the knowledge held within to the best of your ability.¡± He idly flips through his tome as he speaks, a hint of nostalgia in his voice as he looks at each page. As he does so, Kori spies lines of neatly arrayed text and even drawings depicting many of the species of herbs, fungus, and other plants described on the pages. Kori looks between the two leather bound books, seeing that there must be at least 200 pages within, though unsure if they are all occupied, and with the amount of writing and even images to be copied, she most definitely has a great deal of work ahead of her. Ten days?! He can¡¯t be serious¡­ ¡°Is this really something that I can finish in just ten days, Spiritcaller Ortik?¡± ¡°It is not a matter of whether you can apprentice, you simply will. Most apprentices take as much as three weeks, occasionally more. But as I have said time and again, you are not to be most apprentices, you are my apprentice, and you will hold yourself to a higher standard.¡± ¡°Yes, Spiritcaller Ortik¡­¡± A sinking feeling in Kori¡¯s stomach as she contemplates the task ahead of her. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to be getting a lot of sleep over the next ten days¡­ ¡°I will warn you now, do not dare mar a single page within my tome. It is older than a few of the other Elders and precious to me beyond measure.¡± His stern voice returning from one phrase to the next. ¡°I suggest you begin; I will inform you when it is time for you to fetch dinner.¡± Chapter 18 – Context matters As the pages pass Kori learns many things, mostly about how to use plants to treat various illnesses or what plants are best to counteract the effects of other plants should you mistakenly ingest, handle, or in some cases just breathe too deeply in their presence. One of the other things she learns is that writing for hours on end has a distinct effect on your hands, namely that it causes cramping. There was one unexpected benefit from her work on the tome however, on her third day after copying nearly twenty pages, which placed her behind on her progress and to the decision to stay up later in the evenings, she received a notification that led to a bump in her speed from that point onwards. Not the one she expected, as her writing skill did not increase, but one that helped none the less. <> Copying the sketches was one of her largest hurdles on keeping to the schedule set by Ortik, her first images were rough at best, though she noticed that those she was copying from were not much better at the beginning either. As the days pass learning about cave mosses, there are a surprisingly vast number of varieties of the stuff, from nutritious to deadly in their properties, fungus, lichen, and even algae that blooms, though she wasn¡¯t sure why that word was used, it didn¡¯t have flowers, in the deep lakes. The wealth of knowledge present in the tome surprising in its breadth. There are even large sections filled with plants and herbs found upon the surface. That her predecessors had painstakingly preserved the knowledge of such plants, even though few amongst the shaman would ever venture from their subterranean homes, puzzled her. Seeking clarification from Ortik, and needing a break to rest her tired hands, she approaches him in the workshop on the evening of the fourth day. ¡°Spiritcaller Ortik, I have a question if I may?¡± Unsure if this is one of those tasks that he believed she should complete without further guidance or not, Ortik having been quiet during meals aside from basic enquiries as to her progress. ¡°What is it you desire to know, apprentice?¡± Arching a brow, ¡°You are not giving up on your deadline already, are you?¡± ¡°No, Spiritcaller Ortik, I will not be giving up.¡± A bit of fire in her voice, she might feel the task is daunting, but there is no way she¡¯d admit failure until she was dragged away screaming. Not again. ¡°I noticed that there are a number of plants listed from the surface, generally these are things that have alternatives listed in the tome, so why bother? It¡¯s unlikely that we¡¯ll ever encounter them.¡± ¡°Ah. I assure you there is a purpose. Think upon the purpose of this task and you¡¯ll find it.¡± A somewhat smug tone in his voice, the one that always means there is a lesson to be learned, if only she could find it. ¡°The task? To create my own tome so that I know how to use the resources around us¡± Mostly speaking to herself at this point as she puzzles out what he¡¯s trying to teach her. ¡°And to teach me how to record that knowledge in a way that others can comprehend so that the knowledge can be passed on?¡± Knowing that to only be part of the answer, she continues her musings. ¡°No, it¡¯s not just that.¡± Thinking more on the content and the act of her copying it, rather than just the end result of possessing her book. ¡°It¡¯s to push my Skills. That¡¯s why you set a tight deadline too, isn¡¯t it, Spiritcaller Ortik?¡± ¡°Ah, there you are apprentice, once you step back from the goal you eventually see the purpose of things.¡± That smug tone heavy in his voice. ¡°If the goal is to push your Skills, then what purpose do those surface plants serve?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve told me several times; herbalism is a knowledge Skill. The more we know, the more we prove we know, the higher our skill rises. But if copying the tome can raise my Skill, why not start with that instead of expending resources processing herbs?¡± ¡°Are you asking me a question, apprentice? Or simply musing aloud again?¡± ¡°Sorry Spiritcaller Ortik, I was musing aloud. This is something every apprentice does, and you¡¯ve said that it is a rite of passage that we are tasked with once an apprentice has both skills, so there must be a reason as to why it is better to wait¡­¡± Beginning to pace as she speaks, ¡°The [Basic Calligraphy] skill makes sense, the book is to last a lifetime so it must be written well enough that even an apprentice can comprehend and copy it. I¡¯ve even seen in your own how your penmanship improves the further into the tome you read¡­ But Herbalism¡­ I am unsure as to the answer.¡± Her pacing stopped as she stands before him again.¡± So, I guess I will have to ask. Why spend weeks working with herbs rather than go straight to writing, Spiritcaller Ortik?¡± ¡°The answer is a very simple one apprentice. Context.¡± Pointing to a seat to nearby and waiting for her to sit. ¡°Setting my tome before you on your first day in my care would be like setting it in front of a hatchling, you would have no basis for any of the meaning.¡± Reaching out to thin air as though plucking something from a shelf, Kori sees a shimmer coalesce before a tome she¡¯s become all too familiar with appears within his grasp. Her eyes wide and mouth agape as he sets the tome down before them and opens the pages, ¡°What?¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Hmm? Oh, you didn¡¯t think I¡¯ve kept this book all this time without protecting it in some fashion, did you?¡± The smugness reaching new heights, with a bit of mirth working its way in. ¡°I had the tome worked upon by enchanters from the surface decades ago, it¡¯s how I met Har, he brokered the deal for me after I delved the depths and retrieved materials from some of the beasts that the humans prize.¡± ¡°It¡¯s magical?! You let me handle a magical item? But what if I damaged it?!¡± Horror and disbelief in her tone. ¡°That would be quite the feat if you did apprentice. I even need to use special inks to even make a mark upon the page at this point.¡± A shake of his head and a brief chuckle. ¡°But you warned me of consequences if I ¡®dare mar a single page¡¯?¡± Incredulity at his casual handling of an enchanted object warring with anger of his deceit and how she had been treating the tome like it would fall apart at the slightest twitch of her claw when turning the page. ¡°Of course, I had to impress the import upon you somehow, this is a serious task after all.¡± ¡°Of course¡­¡± ¡°Of course, what?¡± ¡°Apologies, Spiritcaller Ortik.¡± ¡°Good. Now, back to your question. Context. The tome is dense with knowledge hard won over hundreds of years.¡± Pointing to an entry on an early page, ¡°Having you copy this upon your first day would garner you levels in calligraphy for certain, but you would be lacking the basis to understand the information held within. ¡°Directing her attention to a warning against mixing preparations of the plant that restored Stamina but caused jitteriness and impaired sleep with other herbs that caused drowsiness or sedation, ¡°Without handling ingredients like the drift shroom, the warning here would be a simple fact on a page, but afterwards, it has meaning to you for you to retain it and comprehend.¡± ¡°So having the skill makes it easier to progress the skill when copying it, Spiritcaller Ortik?¡± ¡°Just so. Now, if your curiosity is satisfied,¡± Looking down to her hands resting upon the workbench, that she had been flexing and squeezing throughout their discussion, ¡°And the cramps in your hands are alleviated, I suggest you return to your task.¡± ¡°Yes, Spiritcaller Ortik.¡± Looking down to her own hands. ¡°Any advice about the cramps? The ache in my fingers is barely gone from the night before by the time I start again in the mornings¡­¡± A nostalgic chuckle, remembering his own days of stiff knuckles well all these years later, ¡°Soak them in warm water before bed. It isn¡¯t much, but it feels quite nice and helps a little.¡± ¡°Thank you, Spiritcaller Ortik.¡± Returning to her work she continues copying through the tome late into the evening and she realizes how right her mentor¡¯s words were, the context from her early experiences helping her to connect details from the various entries and giving her insight into the knowledge presented to her. The realization itself pushing her over the next level of her Skill. < 2 >> < 37 >> < 50 >> The days continue and the more she reads and copies, the more she begins to notice little details and differences, some entries more similar to others in the way they are writ, some out of place in their stylings. All written in the same hand, but the words and patterns changing. The fact that this tome represents generations of work becomes more apparent the more progress she makes able to connect entries together as likely being the same original author, or perhaps their direct student continuing their work. < 3 >> Early on the sixth day Kori makes another horrible realization. Instead of getting faster as her skills progress, she was slowing down. Halfway through her time but not yet there in the work, she needs to go faster. She¡¯d already tried staying up later or getting up earlier, but with the strain on her hands the rest was all that left her able to continue. Stubbornly pushing through the ache, taking multiple breaks to soak her strained muscles multiple times a day, the end of the seventh day left her barely able to open her hands. She wasn¡¯t going to finish in time unless something changed. Fearing that she would be incapable of meeting her deadline Kori wracked her brain for a solution. She could attempt to prepare one of the concoctions that restored stamina and stay up all night to work, but that wouldn¡¯t help her poor abused digits. I¡¯m not giving up¡­ I won¡¯t fail again¡­ But if I don¡¯t take a break, a long one, I¡¯m not going to be able to keep going¡­ But if I do, I won¡¯t be able to finish on time. If my hands weren¡¯t in so much pain, I think I could make it, but I¡¯m just getting slower as I go¡­ Walking into the workroom late on the evening of the seventh day, Ortik already retired, her eyes roam across the various clay pots and containers lining the shelves. Recognizing the markings on the containers now as a system of labeling and recognizing many of the ingredients present after her time with the tome. She stops, her vision settled on one little jar that lacks a label, a jar she knows better than most of the others on the shelves. The one containing a discovery attributed to herself in the tome she¡¯s copying. Her ointment. Though she¡¯s starting to debate whether it should be listed as an ointment or a salve, or maybe a balm, but the appraisal called it an ointment she supposed, so that¡¯s what she¡¯d call it too. Could that help? My health doesn¡¯t say I¡¯ve lost any in my Status and the appraisal said wounds, not injury, but maybe? Pulling down the little pot of ointment, her head turning to check the entryway for any sign of Ortik, she opens the lid and immediately smells the fresh herbal scent of the concoction. Dipping a claw into the mixture she extracts a small dollop of the pasty mixture and begins smoothing it across her writing hand. She¡¯d handled and examined her work, but never actually applied it, her curiosity peaked as she rubbed the mixture on her scales watching as it sank into the crevices and gaps and even through the surface of her scales themselves. Almost instantly she began to feel a tingling sensation wash through her hand, like she had laid upon it after rolling in her sleep. <> Huh. I didn¡¯t know you got messages like that. Why didn¡¯t I get a message about being poisoned when I took the drift shroom? The appraisal said it restores health over the period of an hour, so I guess I won¡¯t know if it worked for a bit¡­ I guess I¡¯ll go to sleep for the night and hopefully it¡¯ll be better in the morning. Chapter 19 – Expectations subverted Falling asleep did not come as easily as she was used to that night, the slightly pleasant tingling feeling suffused through much of her hand and seemed to rise and fall with her pulse. Eventually fading to a peaceful slumber, Kori woke the next morning feeling refreshed and renewed in a way she hadn¡¯t for a very long time. ¡°It worked!¡± Stretching and contorting her formerly strained and abused fingers and wrist without a twinge of pain or stiffness was a blessed experience after days of feeling on the edge of crippled. Realizing she¡¯d been somewhat loud, she quickly checked for her mentor, unsure if he would approve of her using the ointment in such a way, though thankfully she saw no sign of him. He¡¯ll notice that I¡¯m not cringing every time I lift my food or carry something¡­ Maybe if I fetch breakfast before he gets up and get started in on copying right away, he¡¯ll just think I¡¯m pushing to finish. Rushing out to gather their usual breakfast, the cooks having already been up for hours to prepare meals for much of the clan, she quickly retrieves both of their meals and scarfs hers down on the way back as best she can while juggling the portion for Ortik. She arranges his portion on the table and retreats to her own chamber to begin the days work. Now that she isn¡¯t hindered by strain, she finally gets a glimpse of the improvement she¡¯d made over the past 7 days, the increases in skills that had allowed her to maintain a steady pace now freed to work unimpeded and her progress sprinting forward. Skill gains came quickly that day, with less focus on simply moving forward and more focus upon the work itself. < 2 >> Drawing being the first skill to raise was unsurprising, both being the lowest level and earliest improvement she had achieved during this task, but it was soon followed by another. < 3 >> As she passed the two thirds mark in her completion she received her third level in herbalism. While still behind on her work, given that it was the eighth day, she was getting much closer, and that was barely halfway through the day. By the end of that day she¡¯d completed more or her task in the single day than she had in the two prior. While not as bad as the night before, the stiffness and strain had already begun to return to her hand. I¡¯m going to have to use it every night if I want to continue¡­ There¡¯s enough left to do it, but there¡¯s no way Ortik will miss that it¡¯s been used. Pushing through until late in the evening, long after she should have been asleep on any other night, she receives another notification. < 4 >> A fantastic way to end the night before sneaking off to the workshop once again, to smear a claw full of the ointment across her writing hand before bed. The now familiar tingling sensation spreading across her scales as the ointment sinks in. <> This time not nearly as distracting as before, sleep coming much easier, she goes to bed satisfied with her days work and in using a product of her own making to ease its burdens. Another early morning follows, her ninth day of the ten she¡¯d been given to complete her tome, and like the day before she makes an early start of it. Setting out Ortik¡¯s food and quickly inhaling her own to return to her task. By the end of the days work she would find herself nearly caught up to the goal of completing the task within the ten days, barely an eighth of the tome left to be transcribed. While not as prodigious as her previous days work, she did manage to gain an additional level in her drawing Skill, the practice having been there from the previous days but now that her mind was free to focus on the task instead of being consumed by the force of will to simply carry on. < 3 >> Determined to maintain her pace in the same manner as before, sneaking out to the workshop yet again that evening she found herself startled by yet another notification. One that shouldn¡¯t have come as much of a surprise, but that she really hadn¡¯t been thinking about for a very long time. < 2 >> Forgot about that skill¡­ I¡¯m surprised that it leveled when no one¡¯s¡­ Oh¡­ Realizing much too late that [Stealth] probably requires practical experience to raise, not simply wandering around an empty room in a crouch, she turns to see Ortik eyeing her questioningly from the still somewhat illuminated workroom. ¡°Good evening apprentice, shouldn¡¯t you be resting?¡± Looking up from the tools arrayed before him. ¡°Spiritcaller Ortik¡­ You¡¯re working late¡­ I was just¡­¡± Looking about for an excuse but unable to think of anything suitable. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°You were just coming to avail yourself of the ointment you¡¯d prepared, yes?¡± Pointing to the jar already laid out on the workbench. ¡°I was quite surprised to see you working away the past two days, barely a break or complaint, when you¡¯d been near breaking just days beforehand.¡± Picking up the small jar, ¡°It didn¡¯t occur to me until just this evening that this may be the reason for it.¡± Tossing the container to her lightly, she nearly fumbles it multiple times before getting a firm grip on it, the lid in one hand and the jar in the other. ¡°It looks like it worked quite well, apprentice.¡± ¡°I¡­ I couldn¡¯t think of another way to make your deadline¡­ My hand could barely move the first night I used it and I woke the next morning without a single ache.¡± Guilt plastered on her face as she continues. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I used it without permission.¡± ¡°Why? You created the ointment; its purpose is to help in healing and recovering from wounds. It seems to me that you have made use of it to that purpose, is that not the case apprentice?¡± ¡°It is, Spiritcaller Ortik¡­ But this rite, working through the pain is part of it, isn¡¯t it?¡± His unexpected response completely throwing her from her expectations, confusion evident. ¡°And we all try to find our own way of dealing with it.¡± With another uncharacteristic chuckle before he continues, ¡°Though I must say your method there is much more effective than my own¡­ You should have already passed the pages on Swift Spine, yes?¡± ¡°Yes, Spiritcaller Oritk. Several days ago.¡± Focusing on what she remembers from the book, ¡°That¡¯s the one that the warriors like, brewing a tea with it grants a boost to agility if I remember correctly?¡± ¡°Indeed so, it should also note that repeated use will cause a withdraw status condition, reducing agility and perception, sharply.¡± The tone of voice making it clear that he is speaking from experience. ¡°We all think to use the knowledge we gain from the task to improve our chances of succeeding in it. That¡¯s nearly a part of the rite of passage in and of itself at this point. Now, off to bed, you still have one last day to meet your deadline.¡± A smile crossing his face as he speaks, a knowing glint in his eyes. He thinks I¡¯m going to fail¡­ I¡¯ll show him. Smearing a glob of ointment across her scales before returning the jar to Ortik and bidding him goodnight, she returns to her chambers to prepare for her final day. With under 30 pages left, her Skills raised and her muscles to be refreshed and ready to work in the morning, she goes to sleep with a smile of her own. Her tenth day arrives, and with a flurry of her pen she begins the final stretches of her work. Her renewed vigor quickly showing itself in a pair of notifications as she nears the end of the work shortly before dinner time. The final pages completed with time to spare, one of the notifications she receives however puzzles her. < 5. Maximum level reached >> < 4 >> Maximum level reached? How¡¯s that supposed to work? With a confused look masking her elation of completing the task she exits her chambers to find Ortik sitting at the table, food already present and waiting for her. ¡°Your deadline has arrived, young apprentice.¡± Gesturing for her to sit with him, ¡°I assume you¡¯ve realized by now the truth of the task?¡± ¡°The truth, Spiritcaller Ortik?¡± She responds quizzically. ¡°Yes, that pushing in such a manner slows your progress and your skill gains suffer for it.¡± Back to his lecturing tone, the hint of smugness back in its place. ¡°I will admit, working yourself to such extremes, your hand near crippled with strain, was unexpected. Ylst told me you were dedicated and stubborn, but you exceeded my expectations there.¡± Shaking his head, a bit of mirth sneaking its way in among the smug. ¡°I assume that you¡¯ve realized by now that this is not a task that can be completed in ten days.¡± I was supposed to fail?! But¡­ Oh that¡¯s just mean¡­ But I didn¡¯t fail, so I guess the jokes on him. Taking her lack of response and confused look as her not understanding why he¡¯d want her to fail, he continues in his lecture. ¡°All apprentices are given the task and set about completing it in a limited time, though I¡¯ll admit I pushed you a bit harder than the usual fourteen days we give most. The lesson is as much about learning to understand your limitations and setting expectations as it is to copy the materials. And a bit about standing up for yourself, though you didn¡¯t quite take that part to heart yet it seems.¡± ¡°I admit I did see my progress stagnate the harder things became¡­ but Spiritcaller Ortik, as soon as I was freed of the pain and able to work normally, my Skills caught up quickly. As did my progress.¡± Taking on her own hint of smugness, feeling it to have been earned in this case. ¡°Did they now? And how far have you managed to raise your Skills? Pridefully, she replies, ¡°I was going to ask something about that, Spiritcaller Ortik. Why did it say Maximum level reached when my [Basic Calligraphy] reached level five?¡± ¡°Level five? Already? Your lessons with apprentice Vri must have built quite the foundation for you to reach that already.¡± Clearly surprised by her having advanced the skill so far. ¡°It is a shame that your calligraphy Skill won¡¯t be able to benefit from the remainder of the task.¡± ¡°But the Skill has to go beyond just level 5 doesn¡¯t it, Spiritcaller Ortik?¡± Still confused, it couldn¡¯t be possible that there was no way forward from such a low level. ¡°Oh yes, it goes much higher. But not until you evolve the skill to the next tier. And that is not possible until you unveil your class and can take on Jobs.¡± Thinking a moment before he continues with his lecture. ¡°What have the Matrons taught you about Jobs so far apprentice?¡± ¡°Not a great deal, Spiritcaller Oritk. That they become available once our Class is unveiled and that they are key to raising Skills. That our class will provide us with and help grow Abilities, our Jobs Skills, Our race Traits, and our actions Titles.¡± ¡°At it¡¯s most basic, that is correct. But there is much more to it. Jobs become available based on the Skills you have and are able to provide bonuses to raising those skills. Leveling a Job to its maximum can provide you with a means to evolve the Skills associated with it to their next tier, which in turn can unlock higher tier jobs.¡± ¡°But that means I can¡¯t raise Calligraphy again for another 2 years?¡± ¡°Correct. Younglings tend to complete a skill or two by the time they reach the end of their sixth year. Korse¡¯s chosen usually get a few more than that from the boost. I¡¯m still a bit surprised that you¡¯ve already managed your first though.¡± ¡°[Basic Herbalism] reached level four just a short while ago too.¡± ¡°Truly? That is impressive. Most don¡¯t see level 4 until after they complete their tome and get to do some experimenting.¡± ¡°But I did some experimenting before the Tome with the ointment.¡± Kori responds proudly, ¡°And I did finish the tome, so I guess that makes sense.¡± Now it was Ortik¡¯s turn to be confused. ¡°You What?!¡± Chapter 20 - Dread ¡°What do you mean, Spiritcaller Ortik? You told me to finish in ten days, it¡¯s the tenth day, so I finished it¡­ How was I supposed to know you didn¡¯t actually want me to finish it today?¡± Her tone changing to one of feigned innocence, clearly trying to call him out without saying it. ¡°¡¯Want¡¯ is not the correct word here, apprentice.¡± His confusion compounded by Kori¡¯s vague answer. ¡°How in the Scale did you manage to complete your transcription in a mere ten days?¡± ¡°Uhhh¡­ I just did? Without the ointment I¡¯d probably have only made it about one hundred and fifty pages in, tops,¡± Rubbing her somewhat sore hands after the busy day of copying she¡¯d just had. ¡°But with it I was able to relieve all the strain and work really hard. I managed to copy nearly thirty pages just today!¡± ¡°Thirty pages¡­ That¡¯s quite the boast¡­ Well let me take a look at it then, if you wrote that quickly then it¡¯s probably an utter mess.¡± Rubbing the top of his muzzle as he looks at her, ¡°If your tome doesn¡¯t meet my standards then you¡¯ll be doing it again." A threatening tone entering his voice. "Once you earn enough working on producing extra ointments to pay for the cost of another book that is.¡± Fetching her tome, and Ortik¡¯s as well though she supposes he could just recall it to his hand like before, still a bit awed that she¡¯d been handling an enchanted object these last ten days. She cringes slightly as she looks at the first section of the book from before her drawing and calligraphy skills had grown, she didn¡¯t think they were terrible, at least not the writing, but the later entries were definitely of a higher quality. ¡°Here you are, Spiritcaller Ortik. My completed Herbalism Tome. I hope you don¡¯t mind I left a few pages blank at the start since the book had enough pages to spare some. I want to make a list of everything in the book and what pages they''re located on so that it¡¯s easier to find things.¡± A little bashful at having made an alteration, but ultimately she didn¡¯t want to have to flip through the entire book just to find a single type of plant. Realizing it''s a good idea he says nothing about the skipped pages, ¡°As long as the information is intact and legible, which I still have my doubts with how rushed you would have had to have been to complete it in this short time, it will be fine.¡± Setting the tome in front of himself and beginning to leaf through the pages. A smug half grin on his face as he makes his way though the opening pages, the worst of her work given the lacking skills at the time, though still no worse than the contents of his own tomes opening pages in Kori''s opinion. The grin slowly fades over the course of the first hour and is entirely gone by the end of the second. Inspecting each page one by one for faults he finds bare few, an ambiguous character here that can easily be inferred by context, a lacking punctuation there that can simply be added in without issue, or a line slightly off in a sketch that doesn¡¯t really affect identification of the plant in question. ¡°Hmph¡­ It is¡­ adequate, apprentice.¡± His voice neutral and lacking even the hint of his usual smugness. ¡°Your sketches could use some revision and there are some entries that need a bit of cleaning up, but overall, it is passable.¡± The phrase nearly paining him to admit. ¡°The fact that you have managed to create this in a mere ten days is beyond expectations. I will admit, were one of the other members of the Circle to boast that one of the apprentices did so, I would find it difficult to believe them.¡± ¡°Like you said Spiritcaller Ortik, I am ¡®not to be most apprentices¡¯ and I must ¡®hold myself to a higher standard¡¯.¡± While repeating his own words back to him, Kori found it incredibly difficult to keep a smug grin off of her face and out of the tone of her voice. A task which she failed at quite spectacularly, in fact. ¡°I suppose I did say that indeed¡­¡± a clear debate of whether to congratulate her for her accomplishment or berate her for her tone warring across his face. Thankfully the former seemed to be the winner. ¡°It seems that I must applaud your efforts. Today it was in fact I that learned a lesson, sometimes even my own expectations, though founded in decades of experience, can be surpassed.¡± ¡°Thank you, Spiritcaller Ortik.¡± All effort to suppress her grin having evaporated. ¡°What comes next, if I may ask?¡± ¡°Next? First you will be rewarded for your efforts, you have the next four days to yourself. Feel free to visit your clutch or any friends.¡± Neglecting to mention that had already planned for her absence, to be still working on her tome, and didn''t want to shift his plans ¡°Afterwards, well, let¡¯s just say that I will take no pleasure in what comes next, nor will you.¡± A bit of an evil grin of his own finally returning as he finishes his sentence. ¡°That¡­ Sounds¡­ A bit ominous, Spiritcaller Ortik.¡± What the scale is he gonna do next¡­ Can¡¯t be worse than making me copy a massive book in such a short time¡­ Can it? ¡°Nothing of the sort, apprentice. Just the necessary next step to preparing you for your first contact with the ancestors. You do still wish to learn spiritual magics, do you not?¡± His words dismissive, but the evil grin still hiding in his features. ¡°Of course, Spiritcaller Ortik!¡± She knows she¡¯s being toyed with at least somewhat, but the chance to finally try her hand at magic again is all it takes to completely disregard his earlier comment.
The next four days pass in idle wanderings. Spending her evenings back at the hatchery and catching up with Plk and Losq and even her sister Qot, who is apparently working closely with Losq at the brewery. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Both of her brothers were at least quite happy to see her. The rest of the clutch still mostly ambivalent to her presence but at least not outright dismissive of her anymore, so that was progress. Though they were all a little surprised to see her, apparently there were rumours that she had run off or that she had been punished and sent to be a farmer in one of the more distant moss farms after her failed apprenticeship. The latter was at least a little related to stories of Korc, which wasn¡¯t much of a surprise since his story was both interesting and comical. She learned a lot catching up with her brothers, it turns out that Losq had not only attained the [Basic Brewing] Skill but even an uncommon skill called [Brewer¡¯s Palate] which apparently was quite difficult to acquire. The skill allowed him to more closely monitor the progress of any particular batch he had brewing, helping him determine if it needed more time or if the ingredients were out of balance. Plk as well was progressing on his path to magehood, being able to form the basic light spell and an offensive force spell that directed a bead of mana at speed towards a target causing impact, though in his case he could probably cause a stronger impact with a thrown stone, but he was excited non-the-less at his achievement. He still had not been able to determine his affinity or attain the basic skill for it, but he still had over two years to do so. Tales of his affinity training were quite interesting to Kori. Apparently, he¡¯d spend entire days meditating in rooms surrounded with blazing braziers, buried in mounds of sand, suspended in a tunnel that had a steady breeze passing through, or even submerged in water to his neck. All in some effort to feel a ¡®resonance¡¯ with the natural elemental mana. The longer she listened to his description of the training, the more Kori actually started to be glad she never made it that far herself, spending whole days trying to meditate, a skill that even now still eluded her, sounded horrendous. Having time to sit and talk and ask questions of Korse was probably the best part of having days to herself, and what most of her daytime hours were spent doing. At least when he wasn''t busy in the Elder''s Chambers, which she avoided as much as possible. She hadn¡¯t seen him outside of Elders meetings in the months under Ortik¡¯s tutelage and she missed him. As much of her free time as possible was spent with him over the four days. Their discussions ranged from the rest of the clutch, who were mostly doing well within their apprenticeships, with some praise from Elder Aldr about Losq and his Skill, to matters of politics within the tribe, which now that Kori had a much clearer understanding of the matter she had several opinions to share, which had to be bottled up normally as Ortik did not particularly invite her commentary. But much of their conversation was spent on matters closer to the two of them, discussion of her progress. ¡°So, I¡¯ve managed to reach maximum level with one of my Skills, [Basic Calligraphy], why didn¡¯t you tell me that we can¡¯t get past 5 until we can take jobs?¡± ¡°Already? My, my. I guess it¡¯s just never been all that important. Most younglings get one, maybe two, before the end of their sixth year. I only had the one myself, [Basic Rearing].¡± Taking a moment to think on his other children, ¡°The others I¡¯ve chosen usually have 2, sometimes 3, though Kore had 4 I believe.¡± ¡°Is there really no way to upgrade them until I can select my jobs?¡± ¡°None that I know of.¡± Taking a moment to consider, ¡°You could always ask the Matrons, but I expect you¡¯ll receive the same answer.¡± ¡°Maybe I should¡­" Taking a moment before dismissing it as something to do later, "So, I guess that once I am able to, I¡¯ll need to take a job related to writing to evolve the skill when I level it fully?¡± Pausing for a moment, ¡°Does that mean I¡¯ll need to do a bunch of writing to raise the Job too without being able to increase the skill?¡± ¡°Correct, though having the skill already at maximum level will make that task quite trivial. I believe that there is a ¡®Novice Scribe¡¯ job with calligraphy as its primary Skill, sole skill actually if I remember correctly, that you can take. With the skill already at its peak for the first tier you should be able to spend a few days taking dictation or copying scrolls of sufficient complexity and level the Job without much difficulty.¡± Back into his wise lecturer role, Korse continues to offer her the kind guidance that Kori has been missing for the past several months. ¡°Much of the experience required to raise a Job comes from achieving levels in their primary Skills after all,¡± Taking a moment to think before offering a slightly different perspective, ¡°Or perhaps a better way of saying that is much of the impediment to leveling Jobs is the lack of Skill levels. Never really been certain which is more accurate if I¡¯m being honest.¡± Giving his head a shake. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that because leveling this Scribe job will let me evolve calligraphy, I have to have it at maximum level in order to level the Job all the way.¡± Working through her logic as she goes, ¡°And since I already have it at maximum level then I won¡¯t have to work as hard as I otherwise would if I still needed Skill levels?¡± A grin of pride growing on her face as she worked through her deductions. ¡°Just so, yes. I think at least. There are many schools of thought on the workings of the system, and since it is quite reluctant with its answers, we are left to our own devices to figure out its inner workings.¡± ¡°So if I can raise skills without taking the Job, then just take the Job for a few days to evolve it, then couldn¡¯t I just wait until the evolved skill was at maximum level again and do the same?¡± Clearly now confused as to the purpose of Jobs. ¡°What¡¯s the point of taking a job while I¡¯m raising the Skill?¡± ¡°The Title of course.¡± Said like she had asked something completely obvious. ¡°The Matron¡¯s told you about all of this last year, did they not? When you take a Job, you receive a Title relating to it, one which boosts the rate of growth of the Jobs primary and secondary Skills while providing some other minor benefits.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ So I can raise a Skill while I¡¯m working on other things, it¡¯s easier to raise it if I have a Job specializing in it¡­ So apprentices are doing everything the hard way then?¡± A pout entering her tone near the end. ¡°Correct again, but doing hard work gets you better classes. You wouldn¡¯t want to sit in your den all day until your class unveiling and end up with some Wanderer or Hermit Class, would you?¡± Spoken with the tone of one telling spooky stories or delivering warnings to young children to eat their moss. ¡°I hear that¡¯s a thing with the soft skins up on the surface, ending up with undesirable classes and having to work all the harder to return to a proper path with their Ascension.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a thing?!¡± Clearly the tale of the boogey-class having some impact. ¡°Not amongst the Clan it isn¡¯t, us Elders make sure all you younglings work hard to ensure it.¡± Chapter 21 – Hazed and confused Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, or so they say, and Kori¡¯s days off eventually do as well. On the morning of the fifth day, her first day returning to her duties, Kori finds another surprise waiting for her. Having already fetched breakfast for the Spiritcaller, she¡¯s surprised by his attire when he exits his sleeping chambers, his usual garb still fairly high quality, what he¡¯s wearing today can almost be called ornate. His totems on full display, arrayed across a deep garnet red vest, a pair of britches in charcoal black peaking out from beneath. His own herbalism tome poking out of a satchel slung across his shoulder. ¡°Good morning, Spiritcaller Ortik. Uhh, is there something special about today? You look¡­ Different?¡± Quite unsure what to make of the change in attire, Kori remembers one of the last things that he had said before her days off, a comment that has sat in the back of her mind these past days and done nothing but invoke a sense of dread. She¡¯s still not sure what he had meant by neither of them will be taking pleasure in what comes next¡­ I was worried before¡­ now I feel like I¡¯m about to go before the Elders to get tried for some horrendous crime. ¡°Good morning, apprentice. Yes, today is indeed a special day.¡± He preens slightly as he speaks, straightening his satchel and making sure his totems hang just so. ¡°With the completion of your tome, and doing so in an impressive timeframe, I have judged you to meet the bare minimum of requirements to be introduced to the Circle.¡± An appraising gaze across her own clothing followed by a shake of his head, ¡°Though first you will brush and clean your tunic.¡± ¡°The Circle? Am I to be inducted as a proper apprentice then, Spiritcaller Ortik?¡± Her eyes wide and full of hope. This could be it! It¡¯s magic time! ¡°Do not get ahead of yourself apprentice. You will find out what you need to know when we arrive. Now if you don¡¯t hurry up and clean yourself up, you will not have time for breakfast before we depart.¡± ¡°Yes, Spiritcaller Ortik¡­¡± Oh, he¡¯s really going all out with that superiority and authority bit today¡­ I don¡¯t think todays going to be a good day¡­ Rushing to doff her leather tunic and begin the process of brushing it with a short bristly fur brush, one that she has frequently used, though mostly on Ortik¡¯s clothing. In her haste she nearly collided with the wall while her tunic was partly over her head, and did end up falling on her tail when she was startled by how close she was to the stone when her vision finally cleared. After righting herself and giving her sore tail a rub, it only took a few minutes to get herself mostly in order. There are a couple of ink stains that weren¡¯t going anywhere with the time and supplies on hand, but there was not much to be done about those unfortunately. Another appraising look follows as she exits her chambers, ¡°Hmph. It¡¯ll have to do. There¡¯s a satchel on the table, store your tome and whatever¡¯s left of the ointment in there. Wear it over your shoulder, like mine. Opposite your sash mind, not squashing it down.¡± Returning to the half-eaten scraps of breakfast left before him, ¡°I¡¯d hurry if you want breakfast, which I assure you, you do. I will not be waiting for you.¡± She nearly inhales her fish and chomps on the remainder of her meal as quickly as possible while slinging the satchel over her shoulder and running back to retrieve her own tome, which had been sitting on her table, right next to where she had just spent several minutes cleaning her tunic before fetching the small pot of ointment from the workshop shelves. Why couldn¡¯t he say something before I had already made a separate trip in here¡­ I swear, he enjoys making me run around. Having gotten the important bits, namely the fish, down, Kori gives a longing stare at the rest of her food as she trots out of the chieftain¡¯s chambers on Ortik¡¯s heels. Leaving the Elders Chambers, they take a passage that Kori hadn¡¯t really noticed before. A door closed and latched across the entrance to the passage. Tighter than other paths meant for many kobolds to pass by and without marking or symbol to identify it, seemingly without reason the path twists and turns through the earth. They pass through dozens of silent and dark intersections, not even an echo of a claw scuffing across the stone to be heard down any of the paths. Each time an intersection approaches Ortik continues his even pace and chooses their course without hesitation. No matter where she looks Kori can¡¯t find any method to his navigation, she even notes that all directions lack as much as a pebble or hint of dust, no discernible way to differentiate them. as far as she can tell they may have even doubled back at least once. After what felt like ages, but was likely less than three hundred meters, they encountered the first noteworthy change since leaving the great hall. A pair of curtains of stitched hide hang across the tunnel, overlapping in the center with few gaps, those that there are spill bright light from beyond them into the tunnel. Kori¡¯s senses tingle as she watches Ortik push aside the curtain, ripples of mana flow through the leather at his touch. As they part warm air drifts out and tickles her skin. Entering behind Ortik it takes a few moments for her eyes to adjust and what she sees belies all expectations. While she is unsurprised that a group that refers to themselves as the Circle would make themselves at home in a circular chamber, the fact that the roof is also domed and that the chamber is more of a half sphere however, does catch her attention. The chamber measures somewhere around one hundred meters in diameter and half that in height and the entirety of that half sphere save for the floor is strung with a multitude of leathers and hides, not a single stone showing. The effort of doing such is nearly boggling to Kori. As she slowly turns to take in the leather walls, she sees Ortik let the curtains they had passed through fall behind himself and for a sudden disorientating moment, Kori can¡¯t tell where she entered, one piece of leather simply blending into the next in an unending curtain. Logically she knows that it was at the point she¡¯s standing not even 2 meters away from, but even that fact springs doubts in her mind. It had to be right there¡­ Right? I haven¡¯t moved around the edge of the dome¡­ Have I? ¡°Spiritcaller Ortik¡­ This place is¡­ What just happened?¡± Worry and uncertainty heavy in her tone. ¡°Welcome to the Circle Apprentice. The guards on this place take some getting used to. Try not to think too hard about it for now.¡± The anticipated thread of amusement completely absent from his voice surprises her even more. His tone almost somber instead. ¡®Try not to think about it¡¯? Seriously? Has he met me¡­ Her eyes continuing to pan about the room. The bulk of the chamber taken up by a raised dais easily fifty meters across. Outside the dais are several long tables, stone hearths with multiple places to hang pots or lay trays to bake or dry herbs, even several large ovens of brick and mortar. A number of Kobolds busy themselves around these areas, each working with varied ingredients, some of which she feels familiar after her time copying the tome. Various techniques on display to prepare concoctions such as the ones Kori has been taught. She even spots a cluster of them working with the ingredients for the ointment she had produced. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. The dais in the center appears to be their destination as Ortik strides confidently towards the short stairs leading to its surface. As they ascend Kori is able to get a better look at the remaining sections of the room. Within the confines of the circular dais sit several sections progressing inwards, at the outermost stones, bones, and carved icons are strewn about, encompassing the perimeter in all manner of what she assumes to be totems. Beyond the seemingly haphazardly strewn totems sit braziers with slow plumes of smoke drifting from their coals. And beyond those a ring of clear water in an inlaid trench. ¡°This is both one of the most powerful, and most dangerous, locations within all of Emberscale Caverns, apprentice.¡± His tone deep and serious. ¡°We the members of the Circle have steeped this place in all manners of spiritual powers over the centuries, from the greatest of our ancestors we may still call by ties of blood, to the spirits of the elements, and those of the world itself. Some of those are welcome allies, others must be bound to prevent them from bringing calamity as they see fit.¡± Waving his hand out towards everything around them, ¡°This place exists so that none may escape its confines, be they spirit, beast, or even Kobold.¡± A slight sinister twinge in his voice breaking through the weight of his tone, ¡°The hides hanging from the walls confound the senses and cover a maze of exits, only one leading to the Clans caverns, those paths wind and twist and confuse the unwary, leading you to either become lost or wander right back to this place.¡± ¡°Is all that truly needed, Spiritcaller Ortik? Why call upon the spirits if it is such a risk?¡± A mix of trepidation and awe at the efforts taken as she replies. ¡°The spirits are some of our greatest allies, they warn us of great perils and guide us to great prosperity. But they must never be underestimated and only those with whom you have bound a pact and in this place forged a totem may be called upon outside it.¡± ¡°So does that mean I¡¯m here to finally try to commune with a spirit and make my first pact, Spiritcaller Ortik?¡± her excitement winning out over her apprehension as she speaks. ¡°No, it is too soon for that. You lack one final Skill before you can be allowed to make your first attempt. Today is for something much more important, a mistake I mean to rectify. And as I have warned, today will not be a pleasant day.¡± The pit of dread blooming into images of what torture must await her and what kind of mistake he meant¡­ Ushering her forward towards the center of the dais before raising his voice to address a ring of nearly two dozen Kobolds sitting upon cushions in the final ring of the dais, all facing inwards to the smoothed center of the room. ¡°Greetings friends. Today I bring before you my apprentice, Kori. She who you did all but forbid my taking.¡± A hint of anger bleeding through, ¡°The same apprentice who has brought to this Circle a new discovery of great value, and who I myself witnessed the creation of her own Herbalism Tome in a scant ten days.¡± Murmurs begin circulating with each statement, some seemingly pleased, others near outrage, as each fact is listed off. All of which turn to incredulity at the final statement. Several of the shaman present begin to speak out as Oritk pauses. ¡°Ten days? You expect us to believe ten days?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the one that made the imbued ointment?¡± ¡°You swear to having witnessed such?¡± ¡°You boast Ortik, none of the apprentices have done it in less than thirteen since before your time.¡± ¡°What concoction did you scrounge together for her to manage that?¡± ¡­ Cutting through the chatter Ortik raises his voice, ¡°I am not here to debate or to laud her achievements, though they may deserve such, I am here to correct a mistake.¡± Gently pushing Kori ahead of him as he speaks. ¡°This apprenticeship was begun improperly, a tradition denied to appease those who felt she must prove worthy of what should have been her first step amongst us.¡± Clearly singling out several of the oldest Kobolds present, ¡°So today, I am here to correct that.¡± Ortik pulls several parcels from his satchel, handing each to the sitting shaman arrayed before him, they inspect each and pass them onward, one by one, until they have made the full circuit. He pushes Kori towards where the items begin to gather, ¡°Take these supplies, you will need them.¡± ¡°Yes, Spiritcaller Ortik.¡± As she takes each wrapped bundle, she finds them to be filled with herbs, smoked fish, ground moss, a metal kettle, bowl and cup, and several prepared runes for fire, water, and one that is tightly tied in a thicker leather that she does not recognize. ¡°What is all of this for, Spiritcaller Ortik?¡± ¡°I will explain shortly, for now, stow them in your satchel.¡± A nearly kind note present, one of few she¡¯s seen from him. He leans in and lowers his voice for just her before continuing ¡°I will ask you a question in a few minutes, just repeat ¡®I do and I so swear¡¯, unless you wish to leave and end our relationship as master and apprentice.¡± He returns to his ridged posture, looking away before he can see her shaking her head vehemently at the idea of ending her apprenticeship. ¡°You have all checked her supplies and ensured they are as tradition demands. Within her satchel are two items that no initiate would possess. Tradition also demands that she cannot be denied these, for no other has come before the Circle with their tome complete or a discovery to their name.¡± His smugness bleeds through, though reined in to be closer to pride. One of the oldest Kobolds present, nearly of an age with Matron Kles as far as Kori can see, shouts above the din of others, ¡°But tradition demands¡­!¡± Ortik cuts her off with a wave of his arm, a simmering rage in his voice making it seem as though his quiet words were much louder. ¡°Tradition demanded she be initiated when she first came to be my apprentice. You yourself High Shaman Lowy, were one of the loudest to speak against it.¡± Waving his hand towards Kori, ¡°This! This is the result of the course you demanded. We have bent this tradition as far as possible by excluding her from this place until now. I will not outright break another for it by stripping her of her accomplishments.¡± ¡°I will hear no further debate.¡± His tone firm and final, ¡°This initiation begins. Any who wish to discuss it may do so, after.¡± ¡°Initiate, present yourself to the Circle so that you may be judged.¡± His tone shifting in a blink, all hints of anger gone and in its place the solemnity of before. The words sounding as though he knows them by rote, has proclaimed them countless times before. He waits as she walks to the center of the cleared circle, nervousness evident in her stride and on her face. ¡°Should you be found wanting, you will be expelled from this place, never to return under penalty of death.¡± Pausing to emphasise his words. ¡°Should you succeed, you will have earned your place to stand amongst the ranks of our apprentices and your chance to seek the wisdom of the spirits.¡± ¡°Youngling Kori, do you wish to undergo this trial of initiation, swearing before this Circle that you enter knowing naught of its perils or contents, in the hopes to one day sit amongst us as our peer?¡± Pausing as his words sink in, not only that this trial has perils, but that all she has to do is say no and she could walk away. Walk away?! Not on my tail. I¡¯m learning magic if I have to run off to a cave and teach it to myself. ¡°I do and I so swear¡± She proudly, and loudly, proclaims to the assembled Shaman. ¡°Very well, Initiate Kori. From this moment onward failure or reticence is to be expelled.¡± Ortik takes his seat in the opening that they had been standing, all of those present assuming a mask of indifference. Not even the curmudgeonly old High Shaman not daring to break from the others. ¡°Verify that in your possession you have supplies for seven days, a rune to provide water, and another to provide heat and one final rune which you will keep wrapped and untouched, to do so is to admit failure and end the trial.¡± Sensing the profundity of the situation, she answers as formally as possible, ¡°I do, Spiritcaller Ortik.¡± ¡°Very well, unless there are any who require additional preparation, we will begin.¡± Looking out across the others sat alongside him and giving them a moment to speak out, none do so Ortik continues. ¡°Initiate, you will be subjected to the will of the spirits and your task is simple. Return to your den. Do so and you will be granted your place here among us as an apprentice until such time as you are granted the Class of shaman, or you prove you are unable to walk our path.¡± With that he begins to chant in a low and indecipherable tone, one taken up by over twenty other voices in harmony. A gray haze begins to flow amongst the sitting shaman, encircling Kori as it slowly drifts inwards towards her. Her [Mana Sense] screaming at the density of mana held within, slowly enveloping her feet, rising to cover her bit by bit, unable to see any of her self below the mist until its covered her in her entirety. Dizziness and confusion take over as the haze engulfs her vision. Barely able to tell up from down, until she realizes that too is gone when she feels the cold stone pressing on her back. The haze slowly fades, revealing the Circles chamber as it was before, though indistinct and changed, the edges appear to waver as she watches and the Kobolds surrounding her featureless. The only thing appearing to be unaffected is Kori herself, her possessions, clothing, and scales appearing as they should. Her gaze drifts around the space as she sees it in a new light, the totems blazing with inner light, the water appearing to contain fathomless depths, the braziers billowing smoke in an array of colours and shapes. What in the scale did I just get myself into¡­ Chapter 22 – More than meets the eye Standing from where she had fallen, though still struggling to remember actually doing so. Kori peers around, looking to the shaman surrounding her, their faces a blur and forms featureless, she can¡¯t even tell which of them is Ortik. Around each of them float and swarm tiny lights, congregating in places around brighter spots arrayed about their person. Calling out to them as she slowly takes a few steps, the action feeling unnatural as her feet make not a sound on the smoothed stone and her body feels both light and constrained at the same time. ¡°What did you do to me?¡± Fear entering her tone as she speaks, her words sounding garbled and echoed even to her. ¡°What the scale?¡± None of the Kobolds surrounding her shift in the direction their facing, though she can¡¯t be sure of their gazes with the few details she is able to make out. Slowly getting used to the changes in her own movements Kori begins to take stock of her surroundings. After waving her hands in front of one or two of the sitting shamans and trying to make faces at them to provoke reaction, without success, of course. As she looks to her surrounds, she notes that the light no longer comes from torches or runes, but more of those motes, flitting through the air all around her. Looking out from the center she sees the blackened waters of the ring of surrounding them, the many motes of light drifting up to the border of the water before halting and changing direction. The depths of what she knew to be shallow waters now appearing unfathomable, as though a whole ocean lay beneath the still surface. The braziers beyond that, each now billowing in a distinct colour, each producing a column of smoke that disappears into the ceiling above. Where the entire room should be blanketed in sch a volume of fumes, but is not even clouded outside the individual plumes. The smoke flowing from the coals of the braziers drifting in unique patterns no breeze could explain, twists and twirls giving the impression of life, flame, falling snow, and more. The more she observes, the more depth and motion each pillar of smoke seems to reveal. Finally, the strewn objects between the braziers and the edge of the dais all glowing with their own internal light, staring at any one too long giving her impressions of emotion. Dread, joy, pride, and sorrow and many more, each object giving their own flavour of emotion, each with their own nuance. One strikes her as menacing pride, pride that will lash out to defend itself at even a perceived threat. Another a drowning sorrow, one of loss and regret that rivals the fathomlessness of the waters around her. Another, joy, unbridled and uncaring, infectious in its nature. These are the easier of the objects for Kori to focus upon, others are simply alien to her thoughts. The rigidity of a boulder taking joy in its own steadfast existence. The flowing grace of a river, merciless in its ever-rushing dance. The famine of a consuming flame, always starving for more and more, to burn ever brighter. The ambivalence of a breeze, uncaring if it ruffles the leaves of a tree or topples the home of a family, only that it be unimpeded. Concepts even more foreign to her mix with those she can identify, why water would rage at falling from the skies or what the leaping energetic thing that is not flame, but feels like it could burn the very earth to glass truly is, they do not make sense to her young mind. Even darker things stand amongst the others, the light they shed seemingly inverted to a glaring darkness, even a glance causes her to pull her vision and her thoughts away from those places. She sees these things as she looks about, knowing them to be obstacles she must pass but not understanding the why of them, not knowing what to make of each of these things blocking her path to what she thought would be the real test of things, finding the entrance and navigating the maze of tunnels. Approaching the first obstacle, she watches as the various motes of light dance about in the air until they reach the boarder of the waters, some retreating before they touch it, others striking it as though a cavern wall stood there. Kori reaches her hand to the same place, slowly extending towards the edge, and as she finally comes into contact, it feels as though a wall of smooth and polished stone lay beneath her palm. Sliding her hands about the barrier before her, she presses and leans, careful not to press with too much force at first in case she should pass through and find herself falling into the waters below. Escalating when nothing she does seems to change the solidity of what she faces. Following the entire circle with her hands upon the smooth wall she finds it unblemished and unbroken. She spends hours poking and probing the barrier, attempting to approach it in any manner she can think of slow deliberate movements without force, running leaps met with hilariously abrupt ends, lengthy sessions of struggling to push it as though it were a boulder blocking her path. Ok Kori, think¡­ This is a rite for the shamans, there¡¯s no way they just trapped me here in the middle, Ortik always has a point or lesson, so what would they want a new initiate to learn? Sitting and pondering upon what she knows, watching the flitting motes and trying to break down the logic of this test before her. Hours pass as she sits and thinks, ideas and theories created and discarded as she tries to understand what the Circle wants from her. Eventually taking some time to eat, she finds the fish to be flavourless and bland, the water rune filling her cup she looks with some apprehension, unsure if this water too will deny her presence, though thankfully those worries were unfounded. With an odd thought she flings what liquid remains in her cup towards the impenetrable ring and watches as it passes unimpeded to splash upon the stones beyond. With this new path of thought comes many tests, wetting her hands to see if she too may pass, adding some of her water to the ring to see if there are any changes, creating her own ring of water to see if it is the shape of water that dictates the function, attempting to redraw or divert the path of water upon the stones, and several other attempts, each getting stranger and less likely, each as unsuccessful as the last. Returning to where she had sat before, she begins to think upon the shamans themselves, the things that Ortik demanded she know as an apprentice and even her time training as a mage. The first skill on either list, one she was wholly convinced she would never attain, was [Meditation]. These tests being related to the skills of an apprentice would make sense. Oh scale¡­ If this is some test about meditating¡­ ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have any better idea¡­¡± Sitting and trying, for what feels the thousandth time, she attempts to quiet her mind and focus on nothing. The more she tries, the more the little motes of light occupy her thoughts, watching them flit and twirl about, gather and disperse, she falls into the closest thing to a trance she¡¯s ever managed. Hours pass, Kori oblivious to them all, as she watches the little motes, she slowly begins to see differences in them, some brighter, some dimmer, each with their own distinct colours. All of them just barely not a pure white, some with the lightest tint of reds or greens, blues or browns, a myriad of colour swarming about in this place. Her trance rudely interrupted as the motes come into a sudden clear focus, their differences once minute now so evident she cannot understand how she missed them for so long. A light of a notification accompanies the sudden change that shook her from her peaceful contemplation. Wait¡­ Did I just get meditation? All this time telling me to look within and it¡¯s literally the opposite that finally gets it? Oh that¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s¡­ Just unfair¡­ The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. <> Huh¡­ Guess not¡­ Didn¡¯t even know that was a thing¡­ Her new skill immediately changes the way she sees the world around her, the invisible barrier rising from the water isn¡¯t quite so invisible, an opaque wall of dark mist now surrounding her, while it obstructs this new sense, her eyesight still tells her nothing is there and reveals what lie beyond. The contradiction stressing her thoughts the longer she tries to reconcile them. The more she focuses on the barrier blocking her path, the more she sees the eddies and currents flowing through its mass. Rising from the waters below until it meets the ceiling of the dome and cascades down until it reaches the water below and disappears into it to rise again. Watching the many motes of light, she sees that those that strike the barrier always do so at points where the haze shifts and thins, those that veer off at the last moment avoiding places that seem normal or denser. She circles repeatedly, again and again, watching the flow of the mist and the motes, what she is coming to suspect are spirits of some fashion, battering at it, seeking freedom from its confines just like her. Knowing what she¡¯s looking at, she finally spots a single mote, bright and vivid compared to its cohort, streak towards the barrier and pass through its surface, dimming as it enters the mist, the further it goes weakening the light it emits, until it too vanishes in its depths. She¡¯s unsure if it made it to the other side, but the fact that it pierced the wall before her captures her attention. Moving to the place that the little spirit had ventured forth, she can see swirls of a wake it produced in the mist, the spot feeling less solid as she presses upon it. Though still unable to pass, her enthusiasm is buoyed by the thought of progress she presses on, seeking out the brighter motes and observing them, each one seems to originate from one of the sitting figures, though it appears that there are fewer of the shaman sitting around the ring than there had been before. She had missed their departure entirely. I¡¯m getting kind of tired¡­ I wonder how long it¡¯s been. Ortik said I have seven days to complete the rite, but I have no way of telling¡­ I guess I keep going until I make it, or they end whatever they did to me and I fail¡­ Wait¡­ What did they do to me¡­ I didn¡¯t get a status condition notification or anything¡­ Opening her status to check and seeing nothing. This has to be some kind of status condition, right? As if recognizing that she was under the effects of a condition was a necessary step, she watches as an entry appears on her status. No notification of it being acquired, just now listed. Status Conditions: ??? - Unknown Condition Oh well that¡¯s helpful¡­ Deciding that that¡¯s enough for now, she looks about and sees that where the various members of the Circle had departed there remained thin cushions that they had been seated upon. Looks like a better place than any other to sleep, hope they don¡¯t get mad I slept on their pillow¡­ Curling up on the relatively small pillow she finds sleep elusive, while she feels tired, it simply refuses to come to her. Sitting up after what had to have been a few hours in her attempt, her fatigue still wearing on her mind, though her body feeling simply worn, but not exhausted. I felt better after I sat and tried to meditate when I got that skill¡­ Maybe I¡¯ll give that another shot¡­ As she sits and watches, still upon the shaman¡¯s cushion, no reason not to be comfortable after all, she tries to replicate that feeling when her thoughts were absorbed by the little spirits movements and simple existence. Unfortunately for Kori, the thing about trying to enter a specific state of mind is that it¡¯s often impeded by the very effort of the attempt to do so, or at least for her that was the case. After a time that she isn¡¯t really able to quantify, she gives up on the attempt, though she does find her mind to be clearer and less fatigued. The stress of trying and failing somewhat weighing down that fleeting restfulness. Returning to her observations, Kori follows the motes, looking for the brighter ones that may make an attempt to pierce the wall. Following her earlier theory, she is able to find more of those luminous motes, gathering and swarming around points of light upon the shaman¡¯s person. That¡¯s probably their totems, right? Each cluster of spirits around the totems look similar to one another, their tones and shades, attracted to totems of like natures. The more she watches the more she sees the similarities, feels something resonating between the totems and the motes as they brighten and become more energetic than their compatriots. As she watches, getting closer and closer to one of the shaman. Her face mere centimetres away from their blurred form as she stares at the motes and totems. Her hand idly reaching out to try to capture one of the little motes, those flitting freely always escaped her grasp but this time it¡¯s almost as though several of the little specks of light allow themselves to be grasped. Her hand feels empty, the contents insubstantial and weightless, the light escaping between her fingers the only indication that she¡¯d managed to capture them. As she pulls her hand away, she feels resistance, not tiny pricks of it like grains of sand trying to escape her grasp, but as though she were lifting a weight away from the ground. The more she moves away from the glowing totem of the shaman, the less the pull to return her hand to it draws on her. Loosening her grip to observe the little spirits, they flee her grasp without hesitation, most returning to their orbit around the totem, one, the brightest, streaking away to assault the wall, striking a spot where the mist seemed thinnest and piercing barely past the surface before being rebuffed, returning to their confines, dimmer than before. Ok, so the bright ones can get through, but it takes a lot of effort for them to make it to the other side. They¡¯ll also let me gather them in my hand and move them away from the totems¡­ How can I use that¡­ Falling back into her thoughts Kori takes what felt like minutes but could have been hours watching and planning, adjusting and discarding ideas until she has a solid intent. Searching for the brightest cluster of spirits, these ones with a pale blue hue that circle a similarly hued totem, she waits and watches, the spirits brightening as time passes, until she sees one that looks to be fighting its own attraction to the totem, knowing from her time observing that this precedes it¡¯s escape and attempt at the wall. Reaching in and slowly closing her hand, several of the spirits seem to take this as a free ride out of their orbits and alight upon her scales. The brightest of them attracting others after it too perches within her grasp. Closing and withdrawing her hand slowly, the force arrayed against her heavier this time than before, she steps back until the draw becomes negligible, soon counteracted by other light pulls in several different directions. All towards places in the wall she can see beginning to thin in the cascade of mists, or thin places that are beginning to be swallowed by the surrounding mists, their pull lessening and vanishing altogether as she observes. Waiting until she feels a new pull upon her hand, she rushes forward along its path as she spots a thinning just starting to form, the closer she approaches, the stronger the magnetic pull of the little spirits becomes. She ignores a new blinking light as she thrusts her closed fist towards the spot and watches as it breaks through the outer edge of the mist, new larger eddies forming and swirling around its passage as she pushes forward. Her hand seemingly drawn through the gap she had created, crushing pressure surrounding her she leaps to follow and not fall into the waters below. The mists press in around her, compressing upon her painfully as she passes through, the forward draw lessens as her closed fist escapes the other side, as though the little spirits were being sucked forward by some force and are now free of it. The momentum of the leap carries her through, but the pressure of the mists leaves her gasping on the ground. For some time, the only thoughts she can manage are about why she isn¡¯t wet, unimportant and inconsequential, but nonetheless something she just isn¡¯t able to shake. After some time gathering herself, Kori looks at her new surroundings, without the haze of the water¡¯s barrier blocking her new senses she can see more spirits flitting about on this side, gathering at the various braziers, some changing and growing as they approach, others dimming and fleeing as though they had touched a boiling kettle. The smoke of the braziers now vivid in her mind, each feeling as though it holds a power beyond the scope of her experience. With a tone full of disdain, ¡°Hmph, two days. I expected more from your lauded apprentice Spiritcaller. I¡¯ve not seen many worse than that. And that meditation? She looked like a hatchling being told to sit still while a beetle crawled away.¡± A cackling laugh rebounds around the room as she finishes. ¡°I will admit it took her some time, but I expected this to be a difficult obstacle for her. I¡¯ve told you before Lowy, she has struggled to attain the [Meditation] skill, I think it¡¯s something to do with that odd trait of hers. Hopefully, she¡¯s finally done it this time.¡± Ortik and the other shaman go back to their observation of the initiation, most have come and gone over the past two days but only Ortik and Lowy have remained throughout. Though they did have to take breaks from supporting the spellwork with their mana to recover and rest from time to time, they still maintained their watch. Chapter 23 – Oh Scale Still observing her surroundings from where she lay after feeling as though the mist spat her out upon the ground. The feeling of being crushed and compressed as she passed through the mists lingering on her scales and in her bones. She notices that the spirits on this side are larger, brighter, and move more energetically as they flit about. Their hues that before were pale and washed out, growing more vibrant and intense as they gather around the braziers. Taking on the depth of colour present in the plumes of rising smoke. That was rough¡­ No wonder the little spirits dimmed as they passed through the mist, it felt like it was trying to roll me into a ball¡­ It looks like they recovered quickly enough on this side though, so hopefully I will too¡­ Kori takes her time, slowly rising to a seated position and giving herself a few moments to recover from what just happened. She watches the various spirits and eyes the braziers with curiosity as she recuperates. As her heart settles and mind slows down from the fear and pain of her experience she recalls something that happened just before she made to pierce the mists. The little blinking light still awaiting her attention just beyond her range of vision. < 2 >> That was quick¡­ I think¡­ How long has it been since I got the skill actually? I¡¯m kinda hungry, is it time for breakfast yet? Or am I on to dinner? Oh well, time to eat regardless. Her meal distracts, though its contents still bland and substance lacking, and aids in her recovery from the lingering effects remaining throughout her body, eventually feeling up to moving about to observe more closely. She stands and begins to approach the nearest brazier. Its plume a deep lazuli blue in shade and projecting a feeling of bone crushing pressure and icy cold. As she approaches, she feels a similar weight as when she drew the little spirits from the totems, except this time instead of fighting to pull the little motes away, she must fight for every stride closer. The depth of the chill permeating her scales the closer she draws. A great weight pressing down upon her shoulders as though she were holding the mountains up above her, growing with each stride forward. The resistance to her approach increasing with each shuffled step until she feels like she cannot continue forward both physically and for the fear of being reduced to but a smear of scale and flesh as the pressure mounts. Giving up on her attempt, retreating feels as though she¡¯s being propelled by a great gust as she moves back, nearly tripping as the resistance turns to expelling force, propelling her from the brazier¡¯s presence and the crushing pressure lessons every step she takes. Knowing that the slow and steady approach, one of observation and deduction, thought and planning, led to her previous success, she decides to follow in her prior methodology. Gathering the facts as best she can before proceeding. Walking the outskirts of the rising mists in a small band between it and the braziers, where the spirits freely fly about as they had within the inner circle. She watches the spirit motes as they circle about, seeking an escape from these new confines, slowly making their own way about and testing the approach to the braziers to find a match and be allowed to gather. Walking about the circle, she observes each of the braziers in turn as she passes, each emitting their own unique plume, each giving an impression of something beyond simple smoke. The one she attempted to approach earlier, feeling of immense weight pressing down as it seems to cascade downwards in a flow of chilling cold, all while the plume rises upwards. The next a brilliant moonstone white with the barest tint of blue, projecting a chill beyond freezing, something that strives to crush all warmth beneath its blanket of ice, flakes of ice dancing in the column as it rises. The next a jade green plume giving the impression of climbing vines and thriving jungle and the dangerous life that hides beneath its boughs. The orange red of sunstone rising like a column of flames fanned by blowing winds, an impression of great heights somehow imparted. On she goes around the circle, each feeling of great power held within the seemingly ever burning coals. The yellowed earthen tone of topaz, eternal and unyielding. The pale golden brown of citrine feeling of soil and growth, of a golden harvest offering its bounty to all. The deep black of onyx shadows, unseen terrors hiding within its confines ready to prey on the unaware. The more she observes, the more she realizes she recognizes these aspects arrayed before her. That these are more than just smoke. But she is unable to place that recognition, unable to bridge the gap between recognition and knowing. Two thirds of the way through her trip round the dais, what she sees stops her dead in her tracks. This brazier is different, from a glance it is no more unique than any other, a column of blackened smoke failing to hide the swirling red of flames within, embers drifting through as it rises through and beyond the ceiling above. But all the same it stands apart in comparison to those that came before it. Where others billow with unwelcoming power, denying her approach. This one beckons. This one resonates with something deep within as though it would embrace her, if only she were to step forward. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Her attention enraptured, nothing else exists but her, the brazier, and the echo of its power billowing out above it. The smoke evoking emotions through her being that are not hers, but feel as though they should be. The tyranny of flame, reducing all to smoke and ember. With no intent or deliberation, her feet move on their own and she steps forward. Where before there was a feeling of an outside force rejecting her movement, it is now turned. Now drawing her onward. A light and welcoming guidance from behind as she continues her approach, the meters between her and it close quickly until she stands before the glowing coals of the brazier. Black smoke wafts around her in an embrace, glowing with motes of blazing ember. Each their own little spirit joining with the smoke, dancing across her form and alighting upon her scales. As she stares into the depths of the coals, she sees that they are not the simple chunks of mineral or roots turned fuel, though those are present in a ring along the outskirts. No, the brazier contains something else, something she could never forget having seen once before. A scale. A single perfect scale of crystalline garnet red. The tyranny of flame, the Garnet Tyrant¡­ Emberscale¡­ Why is one of his scales here. Her thoughts drift to the other braziers she¡¯d passed, the recognition she felt finally drawing forth memories and names. The others, Tidetalon, The Lord of the Lapis Abyss. Rimetail, The Frigid Moonstone Maiden. Verdantfang, The Monarch of the Jade Cycle. Pyrewing, The Sunstone Flamelord. Stonehorn, The Topaz King. Loamwalker, The Citrine Matron. Shadespine, The Onyx Terror. All of them, the Great Dragons, they¡¯re all here. She continues her list, as she turns her head and completes the circuit of braziers with her eyes until her gaze returns to where she began. Barely needing to look upon the remaining braziers to call to mind their names from the matron¡¯s lessons, each name a Great Dragon, each name a clan of her Kobold cousins out in the world. The effervescent yellow green billowing in violent clouds, Galetalon, The Unending Peridot Wind. The shining faceted purple, flashing with bursts of light that leave spots dancing in her eyes, Fulgorstrike, The Amethyst Coruscation. The clear and bright illusion of faceted smoke, barely visible but at the same time unmissable, Brightspine, The Diamond Illusion. The sanguine striations, crimson upon the rust of dried blood, Crimsonscale, The Bloodstone Monarch. If her suspicions proved true, each brazier would too contain a scale from one of the twelve. Each brazier invoking some fraction of their power and spirit to protect the Clan. Something deep within her stirs as her gaze is drawn back to the garnet scale before her, as she¡¯s embraced by the swirling fumes and embers. A sense of solidarity bubbles from within as like accepts like. Moments or months, she cannot be sure how long her attention remains fixed, her body still and her mind racing, all focus locked upon the object before her. Breathing in the rising essence before her and basking in its glow. Thoughts of flames consuming all, reducing it until not even ash remains, only brightly glowing embers slowly blackening as they drift in the winds fill her mind. Like all good things since she began this trial, the appearance of a blinking light beyond her sight interrupts her thoughts, drawing them away from images of blazing skies and desolate grounds. <> << Daily allotment of Racial Experience permanently increased >> With the moment broken, the visions of flames recede from her thoughts. she takes in her surroundings once more and her mind turns to the newest revelation from the System. Bloodline? What¡¯s that supposed to mean? And a permanent increase? Aren¡¯t those like unbelievably rare? Where once she saw the braziers and their plumes as an impediment to her task, now she sees their marvel. She sees the twelve Great Dragons and the twelve Great Clans working side by side. The flitting spirits that filter through the mists attuning themselves with one of the Dragon¡¯s individual natures and moving on, towards the next step in the path from the center of the dais. And like the motes of spirits, she too moves on, her own attunement to the nature of the Garnet Tyrant bolstered. The moment passed and her task still lay before her, she proceeds beyond the brazier. The path before her open and unimpeded. The scale blocking passage of only those unlike itself, those unable to become like itself. And of all things, Kori was not that.
¡°Spiritcaller, what in the Scale just happened? It took her days to breach the waters, and now she just waltzes up to the Emberscale brazier like she¡¯s warming her hands?¡± Lowy¡¯s disbelief leaves her agog at Kori¡¯s act, what should have taken her hours or days to slowly approach and meditate one step at a time as she brought herself in line with the Clan¡¯s progenitor instead took a bare few hours. ¡°I find myself equally at a loss Lowy. I had hoped her acquisition of [Meditation] would allow her to proceed swiftly once she recognized the task, but this beggars belief for her to have spent more time recovering from the previous trial than upon the one at hand¡­¡± His gaze split between the unmoving form within the center of the circle and where he observed the youngling¡¯s progress. ¡°I dare say she¡¯s caught up with expectations for her completion though. All that remains is to entice a guide from the bound spirits and she¡¯ll be finished in short order.¡± While still unable to reconcile how she managed the latest feat, even he could not simply walk up to the emanations of the brazier under the same conditions, his confidence in his young apprentice stands firm. ¡°Hah, I bet she¡¯ll get tricked by some bitter old fool of an ancestral spirit or one of those nasty little dark spirits before she ever manages to find a true guide.¡± Lowy¡¯s cackle punctuating her sentence. ¡°Or maybe one of those tricksy wind spirits that just wants her to let them roam about endlessly.¡± ¡°I suppose we will see, won¡¯t we Lowy.¡± Chapter 24 – When in doubt, Guess! With the brazier behind her, its call still beckoning her to return to its side, Kori moves onward. The final obstacle left on the dais strewn about before her as she approaches. Stones of various shapes and sizes, some precious, some mundane. Skulls and bones of all sizes from all manner of beasts large and small. Icons carved from a multitude of materials, some blurring the lines between what she should count as bone or stone and what is an icon. All these things intermingle in the final meters between the edge of the dais and ring of draconic braziers. These items all glow with an inner light, the same as those worn by the seated shaman in the inner ring. Totems. Stronger than those she¡¯d seen earlier. Emotions swell within her chest as she takes in each. Clearly foreign. Giving her impressions of their natures. As she watches, more motes flit out from behind her. Fewer than before, but each with a bulk and brightness beyond the previous ring. Each step in the path seemingly winnowing their numbers but strengthening their form. These spirits continue outward into the field of totems. One by one, Kori watches the little spirits gather and land upon the strewn totems and their journey ends. A brightness flares and recedes from the mess of totems periodically lighting them each up and when it passes none of the gathered motes remain. Are the little ones just food? Struggling each step of the way, only to be fed to these larger bound spirits? Walking around the ring until she stands just beyond the brazier containing the scale of Emberscale once again, she sees the pattern repeat several times. Spirits gather upon a totem and once enough are present it flares with light and consumes them. Are they going to try to eat me?! That can¡¯t be right¡­ Though they mentioned perils a few times, didn¡¯t they? Picking her way around looking for one seeming to be the least threatening of the bunch. She settles on a chunk of quartz that gives her an impression that it is just content to sparkle, just contentedness and a little pride. There were others that seemed equally benign, but the path to reach them was cluttered with less pleasant totems while this one is near the inner side of the ring. ¡°Hello¡­ Shiny? Sparkly? Uhhh¡­ Little spirit?¡± Her voice still sounding to her ears like a twisted echo of itself. Making an attempt to address the spirit bound to the chunk of quartz larger than both her hands clasped together. There is no response, not a shimmer or change in the impression she feels from the crystal as she gets closer and closer. Reaching out to gingerly place her hand on the stone, flinching back as she first touches its smooth surface and sharp angled ridges between its faces. When nothing happens she gives herself a light chuckle, jumping because she touched a rock seemingly ridiculous, and returns her hand to its slightly warm surface. As best she can tell, it¡¯s a rock. A somewhat pretty rock, but still a rock. Well, that was a lot of stress over nothing. Moving her hand about the crystals surface she finds it no different than any other smooth stone. Reaching with her other hand and attempting to lift it however is found to be an impossible task, no matter how she pushes, pulls, lifts, or twists, it remains immovable to her. With nothing to be learned from the first, she tries again. A slightly bulged round stone and a carved form of an animal she does not recognize follow, neither quite as nonthreatening in nature as the last, but both equally without reaction to her touch. Okay, so these ones don¡¯t seem to even notice me. Can I just walk through this part? Is there no point to them in the test? Carefully threading her way between the various debris, Kori makes her way to the edge of the dais and the broad stairs that encircle its circumference. Nothing impedes her path, though she nearly jumps out of her own scales when a nearby totem flares with light, consuming the little spirits. Now how do I find the doorway¡­ Or tell if it¡¯s the right one¡­ Ortik said there were many. Giving yet another walk around the dais, now a much longer walk than when she did so upon its surface, she sees everything much the same as before. The glowing totems, the steps down to the floor of the rest of the cavern, and around twenty meters before the leather clad walls. When nothing stands out, she continues to the outer wall, poking at the leather as she tries to find a passage beyond. It takes her very little time to find her first exit, a dark tunnel hidden behind the hides, and less time to find her second. Then a third. Then more still until a dozen exits from the place are found and she believes she¡¯s made the full circuit. There wasn¡¯t anything different about any of them¡­ How am I supposed to choose which one leads me out¡­ Maybe there¡¯s something to do with the totems and this outer section is just all one big test? Heeding her thoughts, her ideas had been decent so far after all, Kori returns to the dais and begins to carefully pick through the variety of totems. Her spiritual senses giving her snippets of information on each as she passes. Emotions, desires, and concepts bombard her senses as she passes through them, trying not to look at the unornamented bones. For some reason, those are always the worst. She avoids them the best she can manage, having to weave in and out of the others to maintain a distance. Aside from the impressions they give, none of these totems seem to differ from the rest. Sure, some shine brighter, or are larger, but regardless they are all simple chunks of immovable substance. Even the one that feels like its flighty and weightless to her senses refuses to be moved in even the slightest. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Feeling hungry again, she could have sworn she just ate before the brazier but can¡¯t quite place how long ago that was, she sits down for another meal of bland fish, the moss lacking even texture to be pleasant. At least the water produced by the water rune she had been given was fresh and refreshing. Rooting through her satchel to see if there were anything at least semi appetizing, she spots the bundle of herbs she had been given. Opening them to give them a sniff she finds its scent to be rich and robust. I think this is tea? Like really good tea too, the stuff I make for Ortik or the Elders. Her mouth literally watering at the prospect of something with at least a little flavour, she begins filling the small metal kettle from her satchel with the rune. It takes little time to bring the water to a steady boil with the flame rune before she sets it aside for a moment to cool before dumping in a helping of dried leaves. Once poured into her cup she inhales the pleasant aroma on the steam and once cooled she savours the first taste of, well, anything in days. Why¡¯s the tea good when nothing else has any taste? Thinking herself in circles she can¡¯t quite seem to wrap her head around the difference between the tea and the fish or moss, her senses for mana or spirits giving her no insight either. Maybe I can reheat the fish in the tea? Would that taste any good? Experimenting with her remaining food seemed a bit wasteful, but she was getting pretty desperate for a halfway decent meal at this point. She places one of her remaining little fish into the bowl and reheats the kettle to boiling before adding the herbs and then dousing the fish in it. Okay, that¡¯s not great¡­ it¡¯s got flavour, and the fish is better warm, but it¡¯s really not great¡­ Her mealtime distraction settled, she finds a group of the work benches that had had Kobolds working at it when she first arrived and locates a tight space between several of the benches that is covered over and a bit confined and curls up to go to sleep. Much better, it¡¯s been weird sleeping with so much open space around me¡­ Especially above¡­ Several hours later, unsure whether to call it a good nap or a night¡¯s sleep, Kori wakes and begins assessing her options once again. Speaking her thoughts out loud, even though she finds the sound of it a bit disconcerting as she works through the issue. ¡°Well¡­¡± shaking her head at the sound of it. ¡°Not gonna get used to that¡­ What was I saying again? Oh, right. Well, I know the first ring was a test to follow the spirits, the second to find the right path through the braziers¡­ So, the third is to find the right exit and navigate the passage to get back to the Clan.¡± Pausing to ponder for a moment on what she knows. ¡°I know that past the curtain is a maze and I¡¯m nearly certain that Ortik moved so quickly without pausing so that I would focus on him and wouldn¡¯t be able to memorize the turns he took¡­ Which I didn¡¯t¡­¡± Walking about as she mutters to herself. ¡°There are twelve exits from the cave, I think there were at least the same number of intersections in the path to get here¡­ Which was two hundred and fifty meters? Maybe three hundred?¡± Thinking that it would be best to write these things down, Kori begins to search across the work benches and shelves that she can find. Unfortunately, the benches appear to be cleared off and none of the containers or objects on the shelves will even budge when she tries to grasp them. What the scale did they do to me¡­ I thought totems refusing to move was just weird spirit stuff¡­ but I can¡¯t even pick up a clay jug? Trying across multiple benches and shelves all around the chamber she finds the same, she can¡¯t even lift the lid off a jar. Checking on her person however she can manipulate anything she carries with ease, her satchel full of food, herbs, and dishes, the little clay pot of ointment, her tome¡­ As her hand brushes across her tome she realizes that half of what she wants is right there, dozens of spare pages at the rear and space for more to be added if needed. Provided she figured out how to unbind the stitching keeping it together and didn¡¯t make a mess of things putting it back together at least. One side of the problem resolved, she looks through the rest of her belongings once again and settles on the kettle and tea. It¡¯s not gonna be good ink, but if I boil it down really far it¡¯ll at least be good enough. Doing just that she is left with a thin but dark liquid, though the leaves floating about in it won¡¯t help her any. She tried to remove them as best she could by gently pouring the tea into her cup with her claws straining the liquid, but she could only do so much. Wait¡­ I don¡¯t have a pen¡­ Guess my claw it is¡­ Dipping her claw in the dark tea she slowly tries it on the final page of her tome, it runs and blurs slightly but does create a legible mark. ¡°Okay, so what do I know. There are 12 passages, each I think will have 12 turns, it¡¯s a special number after all. And each passage is no more than three hundred meters long.¡± Scribbling down numbers as she thinks it through, ¡°That means that each tunnel has nearly one hundred and fifty paths, provided the real and all the false paths are the same length at least¡­¡± Checking her quick math before scribbling it out. ¡°No, that¡¯s not right¡­ How do I do this part¡­ One path ends and splits to three options, which does the same thing eleven times¡­ So that¡¯s¡­ Uhhh¡­ Lots¡­¡± Potentially indicating she was doing something well beyond her meager mathematics skills as she tries to figure out how to calculate such an exponentially branching path, a notification begins blinking midway through her attempt. <Basic Mathematics level 1 -> 3 >> ¡°OK, so I don¡¯t think I can count that high¡­ I think it¡¯s over a hundred thousand possible paths from all twelve exits?¡± Scribbling out her work she starts again. ¡°Like before, twelve exits¡­ Twelve¡­ Exits¡­ Twelve!¡± Jumping up and running over to the edge of the dais, standing in line with the Emberscale brazier. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t make it that easy, would they?¡± She turns her back to it and quickly walks in a straight line out to the edge of the chamber and begins feeling around for a gap behind the leather. Finding what she was looking for exactly where she hoped it would be, she pulls aside a hide and sees the dark passage behind. ¡°Well¡­ Either I¡¯m right and this is where I want to start, or I¡¯m about to get lost. I¡¯ll need to mark down every turn I take to make sure I can get back here¡­¡± With reckless enthusiasm, Kori plunges into the dark tunnel and cheerily begins her exploration. ¡°Lowy, did you see which of the spirits led her to that exit?¡± Ortik¡¯s tone perplexed at the sudden turn around of his apprentice¡¯s actions, over a day without any progress, frantic scribblings in her tome, and then she rushes straight to the exit and out of the room without even a pause. ¡°I cannot say I did Spiritcaller¡­ It looked like she spent a day ignoring them all aside from poking and prodding a few totems like they were a strange mushroom on the cavern floor, then got excited and rushed off.¡± She pauses and a grin spreads across her features, ¡°You don¡¯t think she snapped finally, do you? Spirit walking¡¯s not for the faint of will after all.¡± ¡°That little Kobold is more stubborn than a goblin is stupid,¡± Looking over to Kori¡¯s form, still splayed out where she fell days earlier in the middle of the circle, ¡°She won¡¯t break.¡± A slight nagging doubt wondering what if she did is quickly dismissed. ¡°One of them must of gave her a hint or something without actually accompanying her¡­ Whatever guidance she got was correct at least.¡± Readers poll Hello readers, With a decent volume of content up for your enjoyment, I wanted to get your take on the progress and planning for the future. And to say thank you for joining me on this journey. I can honestly say that I have found a passion in this project that I did not expect. Presently we are about 75% through the current ¡°apprenticeship¡± arc, after which you¡¯ll get the event everyone¡¯s waiting for (and that¡¯s basically said outright by the title and synopsis) and we¡¯ll move into the second arc, (also alluded to in the synopsis). That said, there is a segment (7-10 chapters, representing a fourth apprenticeship) that I have chosen to remove from the first arc, partly because I¡¯ve turned the estimated 30 chapter first arc into closer to 35 even without it, and partly to reach the class unveiling that you¡¯re all anticipating before the story hits 100,000 words. The second arc will come with a bit of a tonal shift, adding in some external conflict, exploration, and action (which you¡¯ve gotten next to none of aside from a bit of sparring). You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. My questions for all of you are: Would you rather I present the story as originally intended with the cut segment intact or get on with the show and reach the big event? Volume length for publication, right now vol 1 is planned to be Prologue, Apprenticeship arc, class unveiling, second arc, maybe an epilogue chapter. At current pacing this may be as long as 180,000 to 200,000 words. Would you rather see vol 1 as prologue, apprenticeship (with 4th segment), class unveiling as the climax, epilogue, probably running around 90k to 105k words instead, even if it means there is a change in tone between the first and second volume? My fear in splitting them is that new readers will find the change in tone from very slice of life heavy, internal conflict motivated story of the first, to a slightly more balanced tone that adds external conflict and adventure (but will still have the parts you guys are loving so far), to feel like I¡¯ve done a bait and switch or something. If I go this route then I¡¯ll likely extend the segment between arcs to be a more gradual shift to avoid a sudden change, which will also delay getting to some alchemical warfare. Please vote below and let me know what feels like the best approach to you, I¡¯m looking forward to hearing from you and to bringing you all these wonderful story arcs and many more to come. Chapter 25 – Spiritual test, or logic puzzle? Slowing as she reaches the first intersection, Kori observes her surroundings more closely than her previous time walking through the maze like corridors. She makes several notes of things that she failed to notice the first time through. Like that the corridor between the Circle¡¯s cavern and the first intersection was ever so slightly declined, just enough that the ceiling at the intersection would be just below the floor of the cavern. Formulating an idea of the why of that, Kori makes a quick turn to her left, then again at the next intersection approximately 20 meters ahead twice more. When she arrives at the fourth intersection, she finds that instead of the path splitting into 3 options, there is no path to her left. In fact, she could safely assume that the entrance back to the Circle was directly above her head while she stood there. Going straight followed by another pair of lefts brings her back to the same spot she had started at, with the slightly inclined passage again on her left leading into the cavern. ¡°Ok¡­ So, it looks like the whole thing is a grid? Each square is twenty by twenty meters¡­¡± Pausing to think the problem in front of her through, ¡°If I assume I¡¯m remembering correctly and that there are twelve intersections that I have to pass through, then if I choose a path and then backtrack a single intersection and take the other options from that point¡­ I¡¯ll find the exit eventually¡­ If this was the correct doorway that is¡­¡± Flipping back to her attempts to figure out the options via math in the rear of her tome, ¡°That¡¯s a lot of potential paths¡­ but I don¡¯t need to walk them all individually¡­¡± Quickly sketching out a grid with her starting place, ¡°I have to assume the exit is the same as the entrance, either inclining or declining to reach the Clan¡¯s hall¡­¡± looking over her little grid, taking up nearly an entire page of her tome at this point. ¡°Probably inclining, the great cavern is too tall for me to have not noticed going up high enough for all of this.¡± Looking across her grid, the lines shaky but understandable, she makes the total height and width 30 lines each in a square, she draws in a circle above the center of the grid. When she looks at the cavern¡¯s placement a realization about the other paths of exiting the cavern dawns on her. ¡°I need to check that!¡± Rushing back, she drops her little cup near the exit she¡¯s chosen to make her escape through and runs to the next, and the next and finally the next. Her theory confirmed she confidently returns to gather her drinking vessel and re-enter the maze below. ¡°Only four of the paths lead straight from the cavern to the tunnels, the others have to take a turn just after the exit to line up with the grid!¡± New confidence in her first choice blooms, it¡¯s one of the four that lead straight on to the tunnels, and she doesn¡¯t remember a turn before they reached the curtain. ¡°Okay, so I¡¯ve narrowed it down to four paths, but I still think it¡¯ll be this one.¡± Going back over her little grid she begins counting out turns, ¡°If I take a straight path twelve sections ahead and either run into a dead end or reach a thirteenth, I can turn around.¡± Making an ¡®X¡¯ through to the thirteenth intersection in a straight line, ¡°Then I can turn back and try the other two exits from the last intersection,¡± Again, ¡®X¡¯s made at the ends of these new paths. ¡°If those are all incorrect, I can cross off that twelfth intersection and go back one, take the other two paths and repeat¡­¡± Looking over the breadth of her little map she realizes that this is definitely not going to be quick. ¡°I¡¯ll need to keep an eye out for blocked paths too, if an intersection only has two options, then the other side of that should be my exit¡­¡± Trying to do more math and break down how to calculate the number of potential paths she has begins to lead her thoughts in circles about what happens if she reaches the same intersection from a different route on a different path with more or fewer intersections remaining on her current attempt. Her efforts rewarded with a notification popping up, and a headache, mostly the headache. < 4 >> ¡°Well, nothing left to do but try it.¡± With that Kori takes off in her straight line, intersections pass as she walks, her path taking what she feels is about five minutes until she reaches a thirteenth intersection. ¡°Of course, it won¡¯t be easy and just dead end¡­¡± Looking over her map as she walks back to the last turn, she marks the line heading straight with an ¡®X¡¯ before taking the other two and finding the same, an ¡®X¡¯ at the intersection completing the set before she retreats and tries the other two paths. ¡°I¡¯m gonna get lost if I keep this up¡­¡± Digging out her cup again, she places it down on the floor at the eleventh intersection, ¡°There, I know that from here it is a straight line back to the Circle.¡± On and on she goes, walking in twenty meter segments as she makes her little tick marks off on her map, stopping for a drink each time she returns to her cup at the central line. After clearing all the way back to the eighth crossing, she slumps down, grumbling about stupid mazes. On the plus side, after what had to have been at least a day of work between wandering, wondering, and a lot of mapping, she did get a few rewards for her effort. <> <> Through the lens of her new skill, she knows one thing for certain. Her map is terrible. It serves her purpose, but it¡¯s still terrible. In desperate need of a break and to put her mind to a use other than tracking left and right turns, Kori decides that a bit of reading is in order. Before that she brews herself a bit of tea to help her relax. Tea in hand, she begins flipping through the pages of her herbalism tome. Letting her thoughts be absorbed with the words and pictures for a few hours leaves her feeling refreshed. Oddly so. ¡°This is just weird, trying to sleep on a comfy pillow was some of the worst rest I¡¯ve ever had.¡± Going through the events of the last few days events in her head. ¡°But getting lost staring at little spirits left me refreshed like I¡¯d slept in¡­¡± Thinking to her next rest after that, ¡°Then falling on my face and feeling like I¡¯d been ground in a mortar and pestle was rough, but the time spent on the floor staring out at rocks was also kind of nice¡­¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Running through her time spent staring into the Emberscale brazier and how good she felt afterwards, then her time in the little cubby she found between a few benches and how that was both relaxing and refreshing unlike the pillow. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure what they did to me in the Circle¡­¡± Pieces slowly falling into place. ¡°But each time I relax my mind and just let myself be, I feel more rested than if I had slept¡­¡± The haze of magic that had enveloped her back at the beginning of the initiation sticking in her mind. ¡°They did something to me, something powerful with how much mana was involved, but what?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s break down what¡¯s happened so far¡­ I was engulphed by their spell, in a place that Ortik said was steeped in spiritual magics. After that I could see the little spirits and the glow of those bound to the totems, but I couldn¡¯t make out the details of the shaman and I couldn¡¯t interact with anything except my own things¡­ Which were with me when they used their magic¡­¡± Trying to fit the disparate puzzle pieces into a semblance of a theory, she finds that there are just too many things she doesn¡¯t know. Too many aspects of magic that she hasn¡¯t been taught to make the leaps in logic required to tease out the why of things. ¡°Okay, I don¡¯t know what they did. But it let me see spirits before I got the sense skill, so it had to affect my perception in some way. Maybe like a hallucination like the mushrooms? I haven¡¯t passed out or become violently ill, so it wasn¡¯t those. Plus, I didn¡¯t eat anything they¡­ Gave¡­ Me¡­¡± Her eyes slowly drifting to the satchel she¡¯d set aside. ¡°Oh Scale¡­¡± Taking each of her foodstuffs out of the satchel and setting them before her on their wrappings, she slowly goes through each of them. Sifting through the ground cave moss to find any irregularities, checking the fish for any additives or adulteration. Unable to find anything that stands out, even cutting open the fish to check its stomach. Turning next to the tea she sifts it into a few different dried herbs that constitute it. ¡°This one looks like the normal tea leaves¡­¡± Flipping her tome to where she believes the entry she needs is. ¡°Yes, definitely white leaf camomile, that¡¯s normal.¡± Pushing around pieces of the next pile of ingredients she takes a bit of time to find a matching entry. ¡°Liverwort? That¡¯s an odd one¡­ I¡¯m not sure what variety, maybe if I had some that wasn¡¯t dried yet, but it says here that brewed it helps in relaxation and muscle stiffness¡­ It¡¯s also poisonous to many surface races apparently¡­¡± Taking her time trying to identify the final ingredient, a dried brown stem of some kind, proves useless unfortunately. Not that she can¡¯t find any matches, but that the ingredient is just too generic and there are just too many possibilities to narrow down. ¡°None of the potential matches are threatening¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the food thankfully.¡± Quickly putting her assumption aside and chowing down on the bland fish she¡¯d dissected. ¡°Giving me a bunch of nearly powdered moss is an odd choice though.¡± Sifting it through her claws as she ponders it. ¡°Oh well, I¡¯ll just have to ask when I get out of here.¡± Her little break, she thinks of a few hours, ended, she decides to continue her little exercise of mapping. After many more hours of crossing off paths, she finds that more and more of the options can be eliminated as they would cross and end in territory she¡¯d already covered. Each major intersection on the straight path making the next just a little easier.
¡°I really hate this part¡­ Wish we could see what she was doing.¡± Ortik mumbles to himself, ¡°She¡¯s been in the maze for nearly two days.¡± ¡°Whatever spirit¡¯s guiding her must not be all too kind then. Looks like your little ¡®apprentice¡¯ isn¡¯t going to make her deadline. Only a bit over a day left!¡± Lowy¡¯s cackles return, her demeanor pleased at the prospect of Kori¡¯s failing and needling Ortik with it for years to come. ¡°There¡¯s still plenty of time¡­¡±
¡°What was that about time you were saying, Spiritcaller?¡± Lowy staring at the corpse still figure in the middle of the circle. ¡°It runs out soon, just a few hours left.¡± ¡°Oh, scale off Lowy.¡± With a withering look of indignation towards him, ¡°Don¡¯t get snippy with me, I told you she wasn¡¯t right for the Circle.¡± Their bickering continues back and forth as the little figure laying in the middle of the room begins to stir, their attention on each other and not noticing their young charge waking from the state she had been reduced to.
After what felt like days, she was fairly sure it was days, her food was running low after all, Kori finally finds what she¡¯s looking for. Or at least a sure sign of it. An intersection with only two paths to choose from. It lay well off the left hand path from the starting point, she had completed the entire central path and most of the one to the left before she located it. Quickly tracing the path around the square and finding what she¡¯s been searching for, a slight incline raising above the meter and a half height of the tunnel over the course of its segment. Taking stock of the last several days, she thinks it was three, but this might be the fourth, she¡¯s not really sure. She recalls the gains she¡¯s made in her intensive lesson in navigation and map making. < 2 >> < 3 >> Navigation had certainly gotten the better of the practice, her map was still pretty bad after all. But the one she was proud of, and the one that had given her the most difficulty considering what she was attempting to calculate, was her maths. Who knew beating your head at attempting to calculate how to escape a maze was so good for growth¡­ It was also quite good at creating mind numbing headaches. < 5. Maximum level reached >> In addition to her skills raising, she was also pleasantly surprised by a number of other notifications. < 38 >> < 52 >> < 29 >> Overall, an excellent week¡¯s work, or near enough to. Her pace quickens as she ascends the slight incline, the path continuing uninterrupted beyond for a few dozen meters. Unlike all those that came before it, this path winds and twists and continues to rise on an ever so slight incline, until she reaches a door. A door she remembers from her first entry into this place. A door now glowing with inner light. ¡°Huh¡­ I guess it makes sense to bind a spirit as the last line of defense¡­¡± Moving her hand outwards she tries to push the door. Realizing that it, like everything else since she started this laborious trial, remains immovable to her hands. Before she can even begin to formulate a plan for this door, she sees it flare in the same bright light of the earlier totems. When they ate the little spirits. Scurrying back from the light she trips, landing firmly on her tail as she looks up at the looming door, seemingly grown in size to tower over her. Her sense of the spirit feeling a hunger and anger towards Kori. The first spirit that has seemed to even notice her existence. The total dark of the lightless tunnels suddenly flares with light and her vision is blinded. She¡¯d been relying on her [Darkvision] for days on end, so the natural light of her new surroundings left her eyes watering and blurred as she holds them tightly shut. She hears other Kobolds nearby, the sounds booming in her ears after days of near total silence save for the garbled echoing sound of her own voice. Rolling to her side and peaking through barest slits of opened eyes, she can just barely make out figures nearby. Less distinct now than they were when the trial first began. ¡°Uhgh¡­ Too bright¡­¡±
A sound interrupting their argument, drawing both of their attention, they look towards the floor of the dais just a few meters beyond where the pair sits. ¡°See, I told you she¡¯d make it.¡± Ortik exclaims, a smug look turned back towards Lowy. ¡°Did she now? I wouldn¡¯t be too sure Ortik. It¡¯s true the seven days aren¡¯t up, but we¡¯ll need to check her dispelling rune to be sure she didn¡¯t quit.¡± Her scowl turning from indignation at Ortik to just plain disdain when she sees the youngling stirring. Chapter 26 – Doing things backwards Slowly stirring from her stupor, her surroundings entering focus as her eyes adjust to the light of the braziers and runes lighting the all too familiar space of the Circle¡¯s cavern. ¡°What¡­ Why am I back here?¡± Looking around herself and trying to piece together what happened, ¡°Was the door a trap? Did I take the wrong path¡­¡± Dismay and disappointment clear in her tone as she contemplates all of her work being for nothing. Her limbs feel stiff, her mind foggy. Every joint in her little body feels like it¡¯s moving for the first time as she begins to stir. ¡°What did that door do to me¡­¡± She mumbles as she attempts to stretch out the kinks and cricks of her aching limbs. She slowly brings herself into a seated position. Reaching into her satchel for her tome and its map, her hands stop dead as she realizes she¡¯s not alone. Not that she ever was when she was in the middle of the dais, but now they¡¯re not just faceless monstrosities that resemble Kobolds. There are half a dozen of the shaman sitting slumped on their cushions, as though they had just finished running the length of the training yard several times over. Among them sit the beaming visage of Ortik and the disdainful one of the older Kobold he had referred to as High Shaman Lowy. ¡°Uhhh¡­ What just happened? Was that the wrong door and I failed?¡± Slowly her emotions begin to well up, after all that time trapped, she never made it to her destination. A terrible thought occurs to her, ¡°Was it the right door but my time run out just as I had found my way to the Clan?¡± disappointment and dismay filling her voice as she spirals. Tears gathering in her eyes as she contemplates failing yet again. ¡°Shh, there is no need for that apprentice. Kori.¡± Ortik approaching calmly and crouching down next to her. ¡°The door is the end of the path. If you found your way there, you have passed.¡± Placing his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, ¡°Come, let us sit somewhere a little more comfortable and discuss the initiation. I¡¯m sure you have questions, you always do, and I have a few of my own.¡± Helping her up and guiding Kori to one of the vacant cushions in the circle. Kori notices Lowy hovering in the background, clearly with her own questions or comments to add to their upcoming discussion. Bare moments after her tail is tucked around her legs on the pillow, Lowy interrupts the attempts to calm the young Kobold with her own abrupt demand. ¡°Before any of that, empty your satchel. If you¡¯re lying and have used the dispelling rune to escape the trial, then your punishment will be swift.¡± Not noticing the glare Ortik shot behind her back at the rudeness, Kori does as she¡¯s told. She completes the task mechanically, her mind still not really in the present but focused on the warring emotions still unsure if she¡¯d truly passed their test. She pulls out neatly wrapped packages one by one, the bundle of ground moss, multiple wrapped bundles of fish, and the tea. It¡¯s not until she¡¯s placing the drinking vessel, the one she had left on the path she had been working as a marker of her place, the one that had contained her tea turned ink, that she notices how wrong the objects before her are. ¡°What¡­ Why? I ate most of this¡­ I left my cup behind to mark my place in the maze¡­¡± Grabbing out her tome and flipping to the final pages, the ones she had made her map upon, finding them blank. ¡°My map! I filled pages in the book¡­¡± Running her eyes over the still neatly packaged foodstuffs, the blank pages of her tome, and even her own hands that had been stained by the tea she¡¯d been writing with. Finding them all as they were before the initiation even began. ¡°It wasn¡¯t real¡­ Was it?¡± Her mind spinning at the realization. ¡°It was, but it also was not, apprentice.¡± Ortik tries to calm her, ¡°The initiation is an important introduction to the power of the spirits for all young apprentices to the Circle. When you willingly allowed our magics to be cast upon you, you permitted us to separate your physical and spiritual selves for a time. No more than seven days to be precise. Any longer and it could become dangerous.¡± ¡°Is that why I couldn¡¯t interact with anything I didn¡¯t bring with me?¡± Going over the past week she sees the contradictions to that statement. ¡°Except I could¡­ With some things at least¡­ I slept on one of the cushions, or I tried to, and it was still soft¡­ And I was able to open the curtains into the passages¡­¡± Lowy pipes in from the other side, ¡°Yes, yes, objects steeped in the spirits power but lacking their own can be manipulated. Don¡¯t think yourself so bright for having noticed.¡± Clearly still impatient, her earlier demand not fully met as of yet. ¡°Now, I asked that you empty your satchel, do so.¡± ¡°Oh, yes¡­¡± She reaches back into her satchel to retrieve the remaining items, her kettle, bowl, and little pot of ointment. She had intended to use the ointment to soothe her feet should they become sore from all the walking. They never did and now she had a strong suspicion of why, since she wasn¡¯t actually using her physical feet. ¡°Yes what, apprentice? Seriously Spiritcaller, have you taught her nothing over the past months?¡± Lowy clearly not impressed with the lack of honorific. ¡°Apologies¡­ High Shaman?¡± Not really certain what the woman¡¯s actual name is, given they were never really introduced, she just uses what Ortik had said at one point. Getting an arrogant harumph for her efforts. She pulls the final items from her satchel, the fire and water runes, and the small hidebound bundle that she had been told not to open. Before she even sets it upon the floor with the rest Lowy snatches it from her hand and begins unraveling it. Within the bundle is a rune like the other two, though much more complex and baring both mana and spiritual power to Kori¡¯s senses. ¡°Satisfied Lowy? Not a scratch or crack upon it.¡± His tone clearly needling her prior complaint of Kori not addressing her properly. ¡°Now, if that is all, please allow me to discuss the initiation with my apprentice. You are welcome to remain, as are the rest of you if you so wish. Though I expect you¡¯d all much rather return to your dens and sleep.¡± Looking over the other four shaman who had been maintaining the spellwork, they had been at it for nearly an entire day since the last group changed over while he had taken several breaks in that time. He receives nods in response and all but Lowy and himself depart. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere. I still think she did something during the initiation and I intend to hear what it was for myself.¡± Shaking his head in disappointment, having hoped that Lowy would depart as well. She was his biggest critic within the Circle, believing that he should have stepped down when he became the chieftain rather than lead both the Circle and the Clan at the same time. It only being a coincidence that she would be the next in line to lead the Circle of course. ¡°Now apprentice, let us discuss your performance. We were able to watch your progress throughout the first few days until you left this chamber.¡± A proud tone entering his voice, ¡°I was quite pleased when you finally achieved the correct state of mind to attain the [Meditation] Skill, it is the foundation for a great many of the Skills you will need over the course of your life.¡± ¡°Uhhh¡­ what do you mean, Spiritcaller Ortik?¡± Confusion plain on her face. ¡°When you meditated upon the lesser spirits and were able to focus your spirit to step past the water confluence?¡± Unsurety as to why she would question it, he had watched her do it after all. ¡°Though it was a bit odd that you grabbed a handful of them, using that to find an easier breach was quite inventive.¡± ¡°I¡­ Uhhh¡­ I didn¡¯t get the [Meditation] Skill, Spiritcaller Ortik¡­¡± Her confusion plain in her tone and on her face. ¡°Hah, failing to get the most basic skill, and you think she¡¯s cut out to be one of us?¡± Lowy reveling in the apparent failure. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°But you entered a meditative trance, you clearly attained the Skill. If not, then how did you pass the confluence?¡± The entire concept of having completed the trial without the skill nearly Incomprehensible. ¡°Without properly focusing your spirit, it should be impenetrable for one of your level.¡± ¡°I did enter a trance of some kind, the little spirits were just so captivating as they flitted and danced about, but the Skill I received wasn¡¯t [Meditation]¡­¡± Seeing how he may have mistaken it for such as an observer, but now confused herself as well as to why she didn¡¯t get [Mediation]. Or how she had passed the barrier if the way she did it was wrong. ¡°I received [Spiritual Sense]¡­¡± Again, butting into the conversation, ¡°You expect us to believe that you, a classless apprentice, managed to attain [Spiritual Sense]? And not only that, but did so without being able to even meditate?¡± Her smugness rivaling that of Ortik¡¯s own during most of their lessons. ¡°But I did! It¡¯s even up to level 2 already!¡± Heavily pushing her new sense, she slowly points out the totems on Lowy¡¯s person, even a few hidden in folds of her clothing that she couldn¡¯t physically see. ¡°Your totems are all glowing, there, and there, and there, and¡­¡± Her little demonstration pushing her over the edge on the skill, one she had likely been sitting on since her time poking and prodding all of the totems at the edge of the dais. < 3 >> ¡°I even just got a level in it. It¡¯s at level 3 now.¡± Proud of her accomplishment and gloating a little. Here,¡± popping up her Status for the pair of them. ¡°See!¡±
Name Kori
Class Locked
Level N/A Race Kobold
Tier N/A Race Level 7
Job Locked Job Locked
Job Level N/A Job Level N/A
Statistics
Health 150
Mana 205
Stamina 205
Physical Ability Scores Mental Ability Scores
Might 21 Wit 38
Agility 32 Cunning 52
Finesse 24 Attunement 34
Endurance 27 Magic 31
Vitality 16 Perception 29
Serendipity 12
Racial Traits
Darkvision Lvl 1 Rapid Growth
Draconic Ingenuity
Class Abilities
Class Perks
Titles
Emberscale Inheritor Pick of the Litter
Skills
Stealth Lvl 2 Basic Staff Mastery Lvl 2
Mana Sense Lvl 2 Basic Mathematics MAX
Basic Poison Resistance Lvl 1 Basic Calligraphy MAX
Basic Herbalism Lvl 4 Basic Drawing Lvl 3
Spiritual Sense Lvl 3 Basic Cartography Lvl 2
Basic Navigation Lvl 3
With her little display and Kori¡¯s focus mainly on Oritk, she fails to notice Lowy¡¯s eye twitching and the look of incredulity as she goes over her shared status. ¡°Level¡­ Seven? You aren¡¯t even four years old yet¡­ How are you already level seven¡­¡± Lowy stutters out, still staring at the shared page. ¡°And two skills at cap¡­ You¡¯re putting that title from Korse to heavy use¡­¡± ¡°Your status is indeed impressive apprentice, and you have managed to acquire the Rare skill [Spiritual Sense], as you claimed.¡± Shooting Lowy another look of superiority as he does. ¡°But I am confused as to how you passed through the water confluence without meditating and focusing your spirit.¡± It doesn¡¯t seem to matter what it is she¡¯s doing; Kori always does something to shake the elder Kobold¡¯s expectations in some manner or other. ¡°The expected method is to observe the lesser spirits and focus your own to match their actions and pass through.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Yeah¡­ I didn¡¯t do that¡­¡± Sheepishly replying to him. ¡°I watched them do their thing, get brighter and all that. Lost myself thinking about the little guys really. And then I got interrupted by everything around me coming into clearer focus and the notification for [Spiritual Sense]. Once that happened, I could see everything. The barrier over the water, swirling and flowing, creating places that were thin and easier to pierce. The little motes flitting about, attracted to all of your totems if their colours were close enough.¡± Wonder finding its way into her voice at the memories of all the little spirits dancing about the air. ¡°Then I just kind of followed their example. Grabbed a few of the strong ones to guide my route to the thinnest spot and plunged through¡­ It was not pleasant¡­ I felt like I was being crumpled like a sheet of paper¡­¡± Shivering at the memory of her passage. ¡°You just¡­ Jumped¡­¡± Lowy still not speaking in full sentences. Her concepts of the world and how it is supposed to work being challenged by the acts of the youngling before her. ¡°That¡¯s foolish¡­ The confluence should have crushed you like a beetle between your teeth¡­¡± ¡°She is not wrong apprentice¡­ That was an extremely dangerous thing to do. The spiritual harm you could have caused yourself might have crippled you for months.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°¡¯Oh¡¯ she says¡­ I cannot determine if this apprentice of yours is a fool or a prodigy Spiritcaller¡­ Though I¡¯m leaning to the former.¡± ¡°Ignore her apprentice. Please continue¡± Chapter 27 – And upside down ¡°Well, after the confluence? Is that what it¡¯s called?¡± Getting a nod from Ortik, ¡°After the confluence, it took me a while to recover, it really hurt¡­ Then I saw all the braziers, burning in their bright colours, swirling with impressions of so many things.¡± The impressions left by the essence of the Great Dragons from each brazier once again filling her with wonder. ¡°I wasn¡¯t really sure at first, they all felt so intimidating, so immense. I tried to approach the one in front of me from when I jumped through. It felt nearly as bad as the mist did¡­ Like the entire mountain was pressing down on me. I had to retreat and try to figure out what the next test was.¡± ¡°It was a continuation of the first, having focused your spirit you were then to align it with our progenitor.¡± Ortik reveals while she pauses in her story. ¡°So, I guess I didn¡¯t really do things properly again¡­¡± Scratching at her horns and looking away as she spoke. ¡°When I walked around the ring between the water and braziers, I started to recognize what I was feeling from each of the plumes of smoke¡­¡± ¡°Your new sense aiding you in that I expect apprentice.¡± ¡°I think so too¡­ When I got most of the way around, well, it was like a lodestone to iron. I just couldn''t look away.¡± A touch of awe as she talks about the Emberscale brazier¡¯s effect on her. ¡°It was like with the little motes, my thoughts just evaporated in its presence and before I even realized I was standing right next to it¡­¡± A shiver travels down her spine as she remembers the feeling of the smoke embracing her and the motes of ember gracing her scales. ¡°It felt¡­ I¡¯m not sure how to describe it¡­¡± As Kori pauses to find the right words, Lowy breaths out in a low and awestruck voice, ¡°Divine.¡± At nearly the same moment, Ortik articulates it differently, but with practically the same meaning. ¡°Transcendent.¡± ¡°Yes! I just couldn¡¯t look away¡­ How long did I stand there anyway? It felt like it could have been seconds or days.¡± ¡°A few minutes. Maybe fifteen at most.¡± ¡°Are there really scales from all twelve Great Dragons in there?¡± Pointing out towards the various braziers, her gaze settling on the one she knows contains the garnet scale. Even now brilliant in her spiritual senses. ¡°There are, yes. This is one of the great secrets of the Clans. Please do not speak of them outside of the Circle.¡± ¡°Oh, okay¡­¡± Not really sure why they¡¯d hide that, but if that¡¯s what Ortik wants her to do, she guesses that¡¯s what she¡¯ll do. ¡°Anyway. I lost track of time and stood there for a bit, then I got distracted by a weird notification I¡¯d never seen before¡­¡± ¡°Of course you hadn¡¯t, you¡¯re barely out of the hatchery. There¡¯s more in this world you haven¡¯t seen than that which you have.¡± Lowy back to her obnoxious self, clearly the shock of Kori¡¯s status having worn off. ¡°I assume apprentice, you mean the one about your bloodline that came along with the daily racial experience increasing?¡± Ortik ignoring Lowy¡¯s outburst entirely in favour of answering his apprentice¡¯s question. ¡°That¡¯s the one! I¡¯d heard about getting increases to our racial experience allotments, but nobody ever mentioned anything about what a ¡®bloodline¡¯ is¡­¡± It was plainly visible on her face what was about to come next. ¡°Why not?¡± After a slight chuckle at her predictability, ¡°Because they don¡¯t really matter. Not to us at least.¡± ¡°But the System said it like it was important? Why would it do that if it didn¡¯t matter?¡± Clearly not accepting the non-answer she had been given. ¡°Bloodlines are complicated.¡± Falling into his lecturing tone once more, ¡°The strength or weakness of one¡¯s bloodline governs how much racial experience they gain and can influence many factors of their growth.¡± Pausing to think for a moment. ¡°It becomes even more complicated when it comes to how powerful a particular bloodline is. If one were to posses a powerful bloodline, but only weakly, you may be at a disadvantage compared to someone with a more common but less powerful bloodline. Resources to empower the former being much more difficult to acquire than the latter.¡± ¡°That sounds super important though¡­¡± Kori still not seeing why he is so dismissive of the concept. ¡°The surface races think them to be quite important. But for us? They matter very little. When it comes to the surface races, each one possesses all sorts of bloodlines, none more so than the Humans. For some reason they¡¯ll mingle their blood with just about anything¡­¡± Shaking his head at their folly, ¡°Other races, beasts, elementals, monsters, there are rumours of some angelic or even demonic bloodlines still survive after all this time sealed away from such beings.¡± Speaking the last like he is passing along interesting gossip. Continuing on, though sounding bored and disinterested in the subject. ¡°The problem for them is, the System doesn¡¯t tell you anything about your bloodline. So, with all those options the surface races have to keep track of all their relatives, their offspring, their offspring¡¯s offspring, who has what bloodline and so on. If they mix incompatible ones, they may cripple their children¡¯s growth. Or they could even manage to create a new stronger line.¡± Tones of skepticism in his voice. ¡°All this complicates things in their lives and creates an entire industry of around identifying bloodlines and figuring out what objects and resources resonate with them. Like the essence of the scale just did for you. Improving their Racial growth.¡± Shaking his head again at the thought of it, ¡°An industry full of supposed diviners and shysters looking to prey on those seeking guidance¡­¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Returning to his lecture, no real passion to his voice but more like he¡¯s just reading from a page. ¡°Should the strength someone has in their bloodline be sufficient, whether through birth or effort, they may find additional opportunities available when evolving their race or class or may find jobs that are more specialized to their bloodline or unlock additional traits. Such as your own trait for instance.¡± Finally sounding as though he had some enthusiasm for the topic when he turns it back towards the Kobolds. ¡°But us?¡± Pointing around them to the various Kobolds in the chamber, ¡°We don¡¯t really have to worry about any of that stuff.¡± Speaking with pride in his Clan. ¡°We all share a single bloodline, Emberscale¡¯s. We know that encountering the remnants of The Garnet Tyrant will resonate with us. Or that consuming resources aligned strongly with the concept of flame or tyranny will do the same.¡± ¡°Now, I believe that should be sufficient for this lesson, if you desire more ask the Matrons.¡± Clearly done with the topic. ¡°Back to the matter at hand. How were you able to simple walk right up to the brazier, you should have taken some time to acclimatize yourself and become aligned with our progenitor¡¯s essence.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know? I just kind of did¡­¡± Unsure in how to explain it, not really even understanding what happened herself. ¡°I saw the brazier, I saw the flames and embers, I felt the pull of it and my mind went blank save for the brazier. And then I was just standing there, next to it¡­ I barely even remember moving¡­¡± ¡°When I realized what it was, and what they all were, I was awed. All the lessons from the Matrons came to mind and each of their names and titles were there at the tip of my tongue.¡± Even now she can nearly picture each of the Great Dragons surging from their braziers. ¡°Then the notification came, and it was like a spell was broken. And I just walked the rest of the way passed.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Even having watched it happen, I¡¯m not really certain of the how or why of it myself either. Whatever lingering effect of the trance in which you attained your sense skill must have aided you.¡± Trying to sound confident as he dismisses the event, his curiosity still unsated as to how the youngling managed her feat. ¡°Onto the third trial. You approached several of the spirits before leaving the dais to find the exits but then came back and roamed through nearly the entirety of the totems.¡± With a bit of a cheeky grin, ¡°As you would say, ¡®Why¡¯?¡± Taking a moment to parse what he was asking, ¡°Spirit¡¯s? I didn¡¯t approach any spirits¡­¡± Trying to think on her actions, ¡°Do you mean when I tried to get the little chunk of quartz¡¯s attention, and it ignored me?¡± ¡°It ignored you? It didn¡¯t offer to guide you, or tell you to leave, or even just waste your time asking questions and trying to distract you?¡± ¡°Nope¡­ None of that¡­ They all just ignored me¡­¡± Perplexed at the idea that the spirits in the totems were supposed to actually communicate with her. ¡°You mean to say, after all of that, they didn¡¯t even try to swindle you?¡± Lowy¡¯s cackle returning with a vengeance. ¡°Not a single bound spirit so much as told you to leave it alone?¡± ¡°Uhhh¡­ No?¡± ¡°You know, I should be shocked that this trial too wasn¡¯t completed properly¡­ But I¡¯m not¡­ I¡¯m just¡­ Baffled¡­ I guess that¡¯s the right word¡­ Baffled¡­¡± Ortik completely unable to hide his exasperation at the situation before him. ¡°Please tell me you managed to get at least one of them to acknowledge you?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± With a shake of her head. ¡°Nope? That¡¯s all she has to say for herself? The most important rite for any shaman, bargaining with their first spirit, and all she has to say is¡­ Nope?¡± Even Lowy¡¯s cackle ended in stupefied expression at the monosyllabic response. ¡°They were supposed to bargain with me?¡± Confused at the premise. ¡°How do you bargain with a shiny rock? It just sat there, content to be shiny¡­¡± ¡°Apprentice¡­ How in the scale did you find your way back to the Clan if none of the spirits guided you?¡± Wiping a hand down his muzzle, clearly getting tired of her antics. ¡°Oh, that was a lot of work¡­ First, I made a few assumptions, like that the exit would align with the Emberscale brazier and that there were twelve intersections, I vaguely remembered about that many. Twelves a really important number after all.¡± Recounting her effort with great enthusiasm. ¡°Then I drew a map, I¡¯d show you but it¡¯s not in my tome anymore. I had to make ink with the tea.¡± Ortik¡¯s eye twitches as she says that with such pride, the stunned look on his face just growing more intense as she speaks. ¡°Then I drew a grid, I just arbitrarily chose thirty by thirty, figuring that was enough.¡± ¡°Then more deductions. Well, assumptions? Maybe informed guesses?¡± Tilting her head as she tries to find the best descriptor that doesn¡¯t sound like she just wagered everything on a guess. ¡°I figured that since if I hit a thirteenth intersection it would mean it wasn¡¯t the right path, so I crossed out everything that took more than that number to reach.¡± ¡°You saw the map and navigation skills I got from it in my status earlier¡­¡± Pausing as she considers the skills¡± I¡¯m actually a bit confused by the map one, cartography¡­ Why¡¯s it called that, it¡¯s got nothing to do with carts, it¡¯s maps. Shouldn¡¯t it be Mapology, or Mapography?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not really sure, apprentice¡­ Please just continue¡­¡± Ortik lacking the mental energy to even scold her distraction from the topic. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Disappointed to not get an answer, but there¡¯s something in his tone making her not want to press the question, maybe she¡¯ll bring it back up later. ¡°Anyway, I tried to calculate exactly how many potential paths were possible¡­ It was a lot¡­ Like more than one hundred thousand¡­¡± Her speech quickening as she goes on, excited to discuss her efforts. ¡°Except it wasn¡¯t, cause paths eliminated other paths that would end on their route, and it just became this big, long mess of attempting to figure out how to include that in the calculation and I never really did get a solid answer¡­ But trying maxed out my math skill, so that¡¯s pretty nice.¡± Interrupting her with a long and exasperated sigh, ¡°Kori¡­ Just describe how you made it to the exit please¡­¡± ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Slowing down and taking a breath, Kori returns to the point of the discussion. ¡°So, I made the map, and deduced the best way to search was to go twelve segments straight ahead, then backtrack a single intersection, take the other two paths to the end of their twelfth segment, backtrack again and repeat.¡± Clearly proud of her method. ¡°Each bad path I¡¯d cross out on my map and then try the next. It took me a couple of days to clear the straight path, then I turned left, thankfully, if I¡¯d tried right, I wouldn¡¯t have made it in time, and eventually following the same method found the exit.¡± Pausing for a moment, ¡°Well, I found the back of the exit, the intersection with only two branches instead of three, but seeing that I knew it had to be around the other side.¡± ¡°Once I found it, I just ran up the tunnel and found the mean door. Why was the door angry by the way?¡± ¡°Mean¡­ Door¡­ Why do you think the door was angry Kori?¡± ¡°Well, I think it tried to eat me? Maybe? It felt really hungry and then angry at me like it being hungry was my fault¡­ Honestly, I think it was the only totem spirit to even acknowledge I existed¡­¡± Chapter 28 – RAW or RAI? ¡°I¡¯m sure you must be imagining things dear.¡± Lowy pipes in in her condescending tone, ¡°That spirit has stood watch for hundreds of years, as long as it gets fed now and then, it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°That may be the cause entirely, Lowy¡­¡± Ortik ponders before he responds to their assumptions. ¡°Spirits gather around us and it takes a bit of their energy as we pass, initiates bring with them a guide that it can do the same from. Kori here had nothing. The guardian likely took offense and devoured the remaining energy of our spell.¡± ¡°Either way, Kori, please make your way back to the den. Given your new skills and the means you used to discover the path out I¡¯m sure you can manage.¡± Turning to address Lowy directly, clearly considering Kori to have been dismissed and no longer a concern, ¡°Lowy, please call the remainder of the Circle, I believe we have matters requiring discussion.¡± A glance at Kori¡¯s still present self and an arched brow all she needs to realize that her presence isn¡¯t wanted for what comes next as she begins to retreat back to the exit. Taking a moment to align herself with the correct brazier and considering the turns she had taken after taking the left-hand branch. Just before she exits from the cavern, she hears Lowy speaking, her tone of condescending superiority traveling the distance easily. ¡°What¡¯s there to discuss, she¡¯s clearly not suitable. The spirit¡¯s disdain more then enough to prove¡­¡± The rest lost as the curtain falls; her hand gone slack at the implication. ¡°Did I fail? Again?¡± Going through her actions in her mind. The instructions she¡¯d been given. Their discussion afterwards. ¡°I did what they asked¡­ They never even mentioned spirits or meditating¡­¡± Walking the path towards the exit, her mind on everything that happens and trusting her feet, and skill, to take her where she wants to be. Only having to backtrack once when part way through a segment the nagging feeling from her navigation skill insisting she¡¯d made a mistake. Aside from the singular error she arrives at the door with little effort, barely even noticing before walking into it muzzle first. Falling flat on her tail, for the second time because of this particular door, she gives it a dirty look. ¡°Meanie!¡± Sticking her tongue out at it. Her senses telling her little about the door, barely even registering that it is invested with a bound spirit let alone giving her any interpretation of its intent. Was the skill easier to use because I was like a spirit after what the Circle did? Slowly approaching the door again before prodding it a few times to see if it would react to her, she eventually decides that the door is just a door. At least at the moment. Lifting the little latch and opening her way back into the cacophony of the Clans great cavern, the noise strikes her like a tunnels collapse. It¡¯s no louder than it ever is, but even the early morning bustle sounds thunderous to her ears after nearly a week of silence. Trudging her way through the cavern and to the Elder¡¯s chambers, she sees the line of Kobolds arrayed before the entrance. The meeting must be in session. ¡°Good. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m up to talking with anyone. If the meeting hadn¡¯t started yet the Elders would probably ask how things went.¡± Walking into the meeting and skirting around the edge of the chamber, Kori catches many of the Elders eying her curiously. Including Korse. Of course he¡¯d be here today¡­ Thankful she made it past without having to talk to any of them, she quickly retreats to her chambers. Once there she realizes just how tired she really is and curls up on her sleeping pad. Sleep doesn¡¯t come easy to the young Kobold, her mind near exhaustion but her body oddly rested since it had been basically uninhabited for a week. ¡°Lowy was just being mean, right?¡± Worrying over what she heard as she left. ¡°Ortik said I passed when I first got up¡­ So hopefully he¡¯ll teach me magic now.¡± After nearly an hour of such thoughts chasing each other in circles, she finally succumbs to her exhaustion and falls asleep. What felt like minutes later, but could have been hours or even days, Kori wakes still feeling lingering exhaustion and stiffness, but also rested enough that she knows no more sleep will be forthcoming for her. Taking some time to brush her clothing and straighten herself before exiting her den. ¡°When was the last time I ate? Were they feeding me while I was in the trial?¡± Unsure if she¡¯s even had food for over a week at this point and her stomach rumbling in its agreement that food is necessary, she makes to exit Ortik¡¯s living quarters. Opening the door, she¡¯s startled to find a Kobold she doesn¡¯t recognize waiting outside the door. He¡¯s dressed much the same as she is, though without the sash and with a single large tooth hanging on a leather strip around his neck. An apprentice shaman. ¡°Good evening, apprentice Kori, correct?¡± The slightly older kobold addresses her while she¡¯s still processing his presence. ¡°Uhh, yes? Can I help you?¡± Unsure what to make of him. ¡°I was sent to fetch you, though told to wait until you woke.¡± Giving her a grin. ¡°The initiation leaves you pretty worn, right? You eat yet?¡± Stolen story; please report. ¡°It¡¯s strange, I slept during the initiation, but I felt like I¡¯d been awake the entire time afterwards¡­ Except I also felt like I could run laps at the same time¡­¡± Fearful he was about to draw her back to the Circle without getting a meal. ¡°I was just going to get some food now. Do I have time to? I¡¯m pretty hungry¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, not gonna drag you back on an empty stomach.¡± He starts moving with her towards the cook houses, ¡°You cut it pretty close, I was there when you came in and they started it. Your spirit guide point you in circles or something?¡± ¡°No¡­ None of them would guide me¡­¡± ¡°Really? So you failed?¡± A look of commiseration on his face, followed by confusion. ¡°But if you failed, why are they calling you back?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t fail¡­¡± The reminder of those circular thoughts thrown back in her face, her features droop and her voice drops to barely a whisper as she replies. ¡°I don¡¯t think so anyway¡­ I made it to the exit door.¡± ¡°Really? Without a guide? How? It took me months for them to let me enter or leave on my own. I got lost more than a few times¡­¡± A bit of shame in his tone as he gives her a look of astonishment. ¡°The senior apprentices had to beat the directions into me before I could remember it.¡± Explaining her feat of navigation as they made their way to get her something to eat, the older apprentice having a hard time believing that something like that could possibly work. Once satisfied with her meal, they passed through the door into the tunnels leading to the Circle, Kori still giving it a bit of a wide berth as she passed through the opening, not really trusting the spirit within. Moving through the maze, which Kori guided them through as though to prove her point, takes only a few minutes. Though more than it should have when her companion insisted that she was making a wrong turn, surprised to learn that there were more routes that would reach their destination. In short order they were passing through the dangling curtains of hides and stepping into the familiar chamber. Ascending the steps onto the dais let Kori see that the center was crowded beyond what she had seen before. In the inner circle sat the few dozen shaman sitting on their cushions that had been present when they started the initiation, but now there were several arrayed out behind each of them. And more still sitting beyond ring of water. There had to be well over a hundred Kobolds waiting, her guide walking forward towards the middle of it all. As he came to a stop just outside the ring of water, she caught a telling look from him. One of pity and condolence. He obviously did not think that this was a good thing. Stopping along side her guide it takes only moments for her to hear Ortik¡¯s voice from within the gathering, ¡°Youngling Kori, enter the circle and face its judgement.¡± That does not sound good¡­ He almost never calls me youngling¡­ Walking forwards as a gap opens between the others as they turn to look at her, she sees everything from pity to suspicion on their gazes. Trying not to think too hard about why, she locks her gaze forward to only look at where she can now see Ortik through the opening. Standing in the very center of the dais with a stern look on his face. Not his usual stern no-nonsense look, but a harsher gaze, untampered by what she thought was his growing affection for her. ¡°Have I¡­¡± Before she can even finish asking her question, Ortik interrupts her. ¡°Silence.¡± His voice booming in the enclosed space, though lacking the echoing that a raised voice might usually have within the caverns. ¡°You will speak only if asked and only to provide the answers to our questions. Approach.¡± Pointing to a thin cushion placed in the center of the circle, he strides back to the ring of seated shaman and takes his place on a cushion of his own. Though his appears more ornate than the others. Taking her indicated seat, she pans her gaze across the other seated forms. Vaguely recognizing some of them, the only face that stands out is the sneering visage of Lowy. ¡°Youngling, you are called before the Circle to determine your fate. Your performance within the Rite of Initiation has been called into suspect. We have conferred with the laws of the Circle and the spirits and we find ourselves at an impasse.¡± As he speaks, projecting his voice loudly so all those gathered can hear him, he pans his vision across the gathered shaman and apprentices. ¡°Each and every one of us here has completed the rite you so recently undertook. And each and every one of us communed with a guiding spirit, or in some cases a mischievous trickster, and gained their guidance.¡± ¡°You however, by your own admission, you did not. Normally this is a simple matter and you would have failed. Yet somehow you did what it seems you often do. As though it were a Skill you have already perfected, you complicated matters.¡± An exasperated sigh escaping as he pauses. ¡°You did what while possible, remained unprecedented and improbable to the point we never considered it so. You found your own path and succeeded in returning the Clan¡¯s caverns.¡± Murmurs fill the air as his words sink in. Surprise, shock, disbelief, and more ring out from everyone except those seated. Clearly, they knew already, but the others did not. ¡°Quiet!¡± Surprisingly it was not Ortik, but Lowy whose voice rose above the crowd. Her voice ringing out and several of the other Kobolds wincing in response to her statement. ¡°While the Circle is seated you shall remain as silent observers or you shall be removed.¡± Her voice almost seeming pleased with herself as she speaks. A nod in her direction the only outward sign by Ortik before continuing where he left off after his revelation. ¡°This creates a situation unaccounted for in our laws specifically, requiring us to debate the intent of those laws. Should we judge you by the bare writ of them, you have passed. But should we instead judge you by the intent of the rite, to introduce the initiate to dealing with the spirits and taking the first steps upon the path of invocation, you have failed. And in that intent, we must place the weight of the matter.¡± Locking eyes with her as he speaks his next words. ¡°Youngling, we ask this single question. Did you or did you not, commune with, bargain with, or otherwise receive contact from any of the spirits within this chamber?¡± Her words catching in her throat, apprehension and despair at what she could see coming tightening around them and preventing her from being heard. Her head droops in shame and disappointment as she manages to eek out her response, barely heard by even those closest to her, ¡°No¡­ I did not¡­¡± With her head hung low she fails to see the look of sadness that briefly crosses Ortik¡¯s face. ¡°Then I call upon the Circle to cast your judgement.¡± One by one she sees the seated shaman turn their backs on her until only two remain, Ortik and much to her surprise Lowy. With a gloating grin on her face Lowy then follows suit and turns away, leaving only her mentor facing her. Until with a shake of his head and an inaudibly mouthed ¡®sorry¡¯, he does the same. Chapter 29 – Vengeful Spirit Standing awkwardly for several moments, those around her with their backs turned and the surrounding Kobolds looking on in a mix between curiosity and interest, Kori waits. And waits. And several long minutes later finally gets the hint as one of the older lookers on gives her the universal motion for ¡®shoo¡¯. Turning her back on those that did the same to her, she strides away with her head held high. Not feeling the confidence but not wishing to give those following her with their eyes the satisfaction of walking away in shame. Slowly she begins her trek back to the caverns where the rest of the clan reside. Approaching the edge of the dais she sees a familiar apprentice waiting there for her and he tries to fall into step with her as she passes. Mimicking the same motion that was made to her as he does so to get rid of him. Departing alone into the mazelike grid of corridors beneath. Purposefully taking a wrong turn a few hallways away from the exit and finding a spot as good as any other. Assured she won¡¯t be disturbed, sitting down to process what just happened. Unlike when her apprenticeship with Arcanist Ylst ended, where she wailed and cried and sat with her tears for hours on end while she watched the fishers work in their lines and rigging across the surface of the deep lakes. This time the tears still came, but their passage burned their streaks down her scales. Her mood in a very different place from the sorrow of before. This time, all she felt was rage. I did all their stupid tests! Worked through all of that pain to copy their stupid tome! I even did it in the ridiculous ten days that Ortik told me to. Not that he ever expected me to actually manage that! But I still did it! Holding the satchel containing her tome, she very nearly let loose and flung it against the wall, holding herself back by the barest thread from ripping and tearing at her hard work to spite the importance that the Circle placed upon the pages held within. ¡°No! This is mine! I worked for it, I barely slept for ten days to create this.¡± Settling her tome back into the satchel and hugging it against her chest, the little pot of ointment digging in slightly as she did so. ¡°I spent a week figuring out their dumb cryptic tests. Got a skill even they didn¡¯t expect me to. Days wandering this blasted place all because their stupid spirits wouldn¡¯t even talk to me!¡± Her hands needing an outlet, not wanting to damage her tome she moved them to the sash hanging across her body from her shoulder. Wringing it as she rants. ¡°They couldn¡¯t even tell me what the test was about! Oritk should have know full well I wouldn¡¯t get that scale blasted [Meditation] Skill¡­¡± Growling out her distaste of the finicky skill before moving on. ¡°If I¡¯d known they wanted me to find a spirit that would guide me, I¡¯d have spent more time trying to get those stupid rocks and bones and junk to talk to me.¡± Grumbling and pulling at the sash more as she gets worked up. ¡°How was I supposed to know that they were more then little guard salamanders, sitting there to lap up any of the motes that broke free!¡± After nearly ripping a seam, she tears off her sash, the one Ortik was so adamant about her wearing to signify her place as his apprentice, before balling it up and tossing it aside down the corridor. Not that it traveled particularly far before it fluttered out from her attempt to condense it before drifting to the bare stone floor. Not quite the result that she was going for, but it was the thought that counted, and her thoughts towards it were quite violent in the moment. ¡°All that condescending ¡®refer to me properly or not at all¡¯ and ¡®stand up straight, apprentice¡¯.¡± Making the best effort to match his tone of arrogance. ¡°While he made me stand around and do nothing for hours. I could have been practicing skills, or learning, or doing just about anything¡­¡± Her grumbling continuing, not so much in words but more sounds of mockery and derision. Kori spent the next several hours steaming in her anger. The occasional loud mutterings, and even some yelling and rage filled screaming, echoing through the corridors. While she would never hear of it, the echoes of her outrage began rumors among the younger members of the circle to pass through the corridors that evening. Rumors that the spirits were offended by their acts that night. Though some claimed the offense was her very presence, so it¡¯s probably best she never hears of those. Having finally worn out her fury, Kori decided to return to the caverns. Though rather than heading to Ortik¡¯s chambers where she had lived the past 4 months, she instead decided to head to the only place that still felt welcoming to her. The brood chambers. On her path there, she realized that the day was all but gone. She¡¯d slept the majority of it before being summoned and then raged away the remainder. Her siblings were all within their individual cubbies of dens when she arrived, or at least she assumed so. Dens which now seem all too small to young Kori after the months spent in comparative luxury within the chieftain¡¯s residence. Still plenty tall enough for her to stand upright, though many of her siblings, especially her brother Losq, would likely be brushing their horns across the ceilings of their own spaces if they were to try to do so. Crawling into her long-abandoned cubby, finding it dusty and untended from her absence, she curls up on her thin little sleeping mat and tries to get some sleep. Having slept much of the day away she found sleep to be an evasive foe as she stared at the walls. Spending much of her night tracing the texture of the walls in her mind. Trying to think of anything but the events of the day. A fleeting thought of how it must be for the surface races. Most of them apparently lacked the [Darkvision] of her kind. Where even a youngling like her can sit in the pitch dark of her little cubby and make out many of the details of her surroundings, they would be unable to even see their own hands. Her musings about the other races finally distracts her enough to fall asleep. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Some hours later she was awoken by a commotion in the brood chamber, a head poking partially into her little cubby yelling, ¡°She¡¯s here!¡± Out into the main room. Awaking with a startle and shooting up from her sleeping position. For once she was thankful of her diminutive height that kept her from striking her head on the ceiling. It took her several moments afterwards to recognize Losq¡¯s face still poking into her den. ¡°What? Why are you yelling?¡± Groggily responding to her brother. ¡°Everyone¡¯s looking for you. What happened?¡± A little too cheerfully for her tastes this soon after waking up. Shooting her brother a withering look, ¡°They kicked me out¡­ Again¡­ I¡¯m back to just a nothing youngling¡­ no apprenticeship and nothing to do¡­¡± ¡°Again?! Really?¡± A look of disbelief on his face. ¡°Even Beys only got booted from her first apprenticeship as a warrior¡­ She broke her own arm trying to hit someone with a practice shield. Then again, they sent her off to be a farmer after that¡­ Not sure if you can flunk out of the farms¡­¡± ¡°Wait, really? When¡¯d that happen? Why didn¡¯t you tell me that when I was here last week?¡± Eager to change the topic away from herself and towards gossip. ¡°Plk and I didn¡¯t want to bring up a sore topic¡­ Guess there¡¯s no avoiding that now¡­¡± Shaking his head at his sister¡¯s attempt to divert him. ¡°You best get out here, pretty sure they wanna talk to ya.¡± ¡°Fine, fine¡­¡± Brushing the dust she¡¯d gathered from her sleeping mat off the best she can. ¡°Tell em I¡¯ll be out in a moment.¡± Watching him depart as she looks around her little den, musing to herself while she prepares to greet the day. I¡¯m gonna miss the extra mats I had¡­ and all the space¡­ After her brother had crawled back from his partial entry into her den and she took a few moments to right herself and stretch out the last of the kinks from her sleep. She followed him out of to find that all eyes were turned towards her, her siblings, the minders, and both Ortik and Korse standing there watching her. Approaching the pair of elders and addressing them as though nothing had happened. ¡°Good morning Korse, Spiritcaller Ortik.¡± Sticking to his preferred address, but with none of the typical respect or deference in her tone. ¡°Appren¡­ No, I suppose I don¡¯t get to call you that anymore do I, youngling Kori.¡± His voice genuinely remorseful and disappointed. ¡°We have much to discuss, please accompany me to my chambers.¡± Pausing a moment, ¡°If you would.¡± At least making an attempt it being a request instead of a command. ¡°Broodkeeper Korse, if you could come as well?¡± Succeeding with his request to Korse where he¡¯d failed with Kori. Not in the mood to be political or polite, ¡°What¡¯s there to say? The Circle turned it¡¯s back on me. You turned your back on me.¡± Her tone hard as she continued. ¡°I think that said everything that was needed.¡± Making no effort to hold her emotions in check. ¡°I¡¯m not your apprentice anymore, so why spend your precious time on me?¡± Clearly torn between his feelings on the matter and reprimanding the young Kobolds tone towards him, ¡°Your anger is not misplaced Kori. But there are still matters to discuss.¡± Looking around to the many other Kobolds surrounding them, the minders at least being polite enough to pretend they were not listening raptly. ¡°I believe a more private locale would be better suited to this conversation.¡± ¡°Very well, Spiritcaller Ortik.¡± Still laying the snide on thickly. ¡°Oh, enough of that Kori. I get it, you¡¯re livid.¡± Finally seeming to have enough of her attitude. ¡°You may not be my apprentice anymore, but don¡¯t forget I¡¯m still your chieftain. Now, come along, youngling.¡± Mirroring her snide right back at her. Not wanting to push it too far now that he¡¯d pressed the matter, but still seeing a way to get in one more little jibe in. One that no one but the pair of them would likely even notice, she replies, ¡°Yes, Chieftain.¡± Before following him and Korse out of the brood chambers. None of them spoke a single word until they had already passed through the Elder¡¯s Chambers and arrived at the Ortik¡¯s residence. Korse was the first to break the silence, ¡°When you did not return last night it caused quite a scene, many hours were spent trying to locate you, Kori.¡± ¡°I apologize Korse, I didn¡¯t mean to worry you. I just needed time to be alone.¡± Directing her response to her mentor and father figure. Ortik decides that an appropriate opening, keeping his tone cordial and without his usual airs ¡°Where did you go? We had quite a few Kobolds looking for you. They checked by the lakes where you had previously gone and your den at the brood chambers several times, I have to assume that you did not return there until late.¡± With an amused huff Kori smiles as she replies to the chieftain, ¡°I guess you should have checked your little maze more thoroughly; plenty of space to be alone down there if you actually know how to get around.¡± A bit of smugness and snide finding its way back into her tone. ¡°Though I guess you all just memorize the path instead of understanding the place.¡± Responding with a terse look, ¡°You left the path¡­ Do you even know how dangerous it is down there?¡± Bringing his hand up to massage the ridge of his muzzle. ¡°Last time an apprentice got lost it took nearly a week to find them¡­¡± The smugness growing in her demeanor. ¡°A week? It didn¡¯t even take me a week to escape that place nearly blind.¡± Playing it up a bit while she shakes her head. ¡°You could shove a pot on my head and plop me down anywhere in that little grid and I¡¯d probably find my way out in a couple of days. Less if I had some paper and a pen.¡± Her thoughts going to her book as she talks about mapping her way out. A hand protectively going over her satchel as she stares at Ortik, nearly daring him to try to take her tome. ¡°Once you understand the place it¡¯s not that hard.¡± Seemingly torn between rebuffing her attitude and being impressed with her resourcefulness, Ortik lets the matter lie. ¡°Regardless, I suppose that explains the other apprentices making wild claims about angry spirits within the tunnels¡­¡± A rueful grin appearing before he can wipe it away. ¡°Now, let¡¯s sit and discuss what happens next.¡± Gesturing to his table and cushions. ¡°I¡¯ll have¡­ Someone¡­ Fetch us breakfast.¡± Clearly having meant to say his apprentice and not really certain who would be taking up the task now. After a few moments of awkward silence he resumes in a lower tone, clearly a little embarrassed to have to make the request. ¡°Korse¡­ Could you go find one of the aides to get us some food?¡± Seeing it as a small victory, Kori makes no effort to keep the grin from her face. Chapter 30 – Inventing new swear words Taking a few minutes to track down one of the aides in the halls, Korse get¡¯s some breakfast settled on the table and they pause the more serious discussions. All three of them dig in, the exchanged glances and pregnant silences only making the meal awkward. Kori, still feeling spiteful and impish over the matter, takes this time to purposely savour her meal. Ensuring she is the last to finish and both of the elder Kobolds have to wait on her. OK, that was a bit petty¡­ But it felt good. With their meals out of the way, Ortik takes it on himself to clear the table. Setting the stoneware platters with the remnants of their meals off to a side to be dealt with later. Still not entirely certain as to who will be doing that. ¡°I¡¯m hoping that with our hunger satisfied and a moment to step back from the matter that cooler heads may prevail and we can hopefully speak about yesterday¡¯s events?¡± Ortik begins, hopeful that this attempt is not derailed as well. ¡°I will start with what may be the most important thing to be said. I am sorry, Kori.¡± It takes her a moment to digest what he had said. There was no smugness, no terse tone, just seemingly genuine remorse for what happened. In the face of his apology there¡¯s really only a single response that she can muster. A response entirely fitting for Kori, and possibly the word she¡¯s said most out of everything else in her life. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I could give you the easy answer, that I didn¡¯t have a choice. That if I had not sided with the others, I would lose the confidence of the Circle.¡± His voice raising as he speaks, mirroring at least a little of Kori¡¯s anger. ¡°That I was outmaneuvered by someone who has spent their long life being an utter pain in my tail.¡± Pausing to calm himself and letting a sigh escape before he finishes speaking, ¡°But I think you know me well enough to see the lie in that.¡± ¡°You said it yourself, I passed according to the rules.¡± A hint of her earlier venom bleeding through, even if she didn¡¯t want it to. ¡°We all know that you hold the rules above all else.¡± ¡°This would have been so much simpler if I could hide behind their shield as I always have¡­¡± Korse¡¯s reaction telling, his mouth gaping slightly as such an admission from Ortik was beyond out of character. Taking a moment to compose himself before he continues. ¡°Believe it or not, I did what I did for you, not to you.¡± Holding up a hand as he sees her about to interrupt him, the anger on her little face back in full force. ¡°Please, at least let me explain before you rebuff me once again?¡± ¡°Oh, I want to hear this. How could you possibly justify rejecting me as being ¡®for¡¯ me?¡± Korse shrinks back from the table as he listens to the pair, confused and trying to keep himself from the middle of whatever is going on between the two. Shocked that Ortik is letting his young charge speak to him in such a manner. ¡°Yes. It was. To understand I must tell you a bit about the circle.¡± Ignoring the youngling rolling her eyes as he falls into his habit of answering a simple question with a lecture. ¡°I will at least attempt to keep it to the pertinent details.¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± ¡°As you are aware already, we only take a select few apprentices to join the circle and we are guided to those by our ancestral spirits. Have I ever told you why that is?¡± Receiving a shake of the head and a circular motion with her hands as though to say ¡®get on with it¡¯ in response. ¡°Spiritual magics are unlike those of a mage. Each and every one of us possesses something within our own spirits which resonates with the spirits surrounding us. Some do so powerfully from the day they are hatched, others do so weakly, but the vast majority do so to at least some extent, and in the right conditions that resonance may grow beyond what they began life with.¡± Giving her a moment to consider his words. ¡°A bare few, are strong enough to bind a spirit and step foot on the path. Less than one in three hundred younglings in fact. These are the ones the spirits guide us to.¡± Seeing a moment where his presence is actually useful, Korse interjects with a fact of his own. ¡°Of the some six hundred eggs that are laid each year, on average less than two hundred and fifty new younglings reach their apprenticeship. Sometimes the Circle is lucky and manages to recruit two in the same year, others they are not and get none for years in a row.¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Under her breath, Kori responds to his facts cursing the culling responsible for the paltry numbers of her cohort that survived to unveil their system. Even if their clutch was considered exceptionally lucky, it was still too much. ¡°There are many others who could be candidates amongst the younglings, but without the strenuous test of the initiation it is near impossible to determine. Testing them blind we wouldn¡¯t even reach a quarter before the next clutch was old enough to be tested.¡± Trying to impress upon her the difficulty involved in the initiation, ¡°Spiritwalking is difficult when you do it yourself, it takes dozens of shaman to eject a single spirit from the unclassed body of a youngling, and several must maintain the spell for the entirety of the seven days.¡± ¡°There are however ways to tip the balance. Which I took every measure I could to increase your chances of success.¡± Pointing to several places the shelves around his residence, ¡°Reach out with your new sense and you¡¯ll find this place littered with totems. There are more in the workshop and even the inkwell you¡¯ve been using for the past months is invested with a spirit.¡± Following where he pointed, she can feel the echo of the spirits presence all around them. Darting off to her chamber. Her former chamber. She finds the little inkwell sitting upon the desk where she had left it, radiating spiritual potency unlike any of the others, while giving off emotions of being contented that it was being useful. Like all those before it, there are no changes in her perception of it when she picks the inkwell up, but now that she knows its true contents the weight of it feels tenfold what it used to in her hand. As she returns to her place at the table, Ortik continues on, ¡°Exposure over the span of months, preferably while the initiate meditates, is said to be the best method. We unfortunately had to do without the meditative portion.¡± Still not quite comprehending just how such a bright young Kobold cannot manage to acquire that particular Skill. ¡°It did not work.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that I wasn¡¯t strong enough in this ¡®resonance¡¯ thing? That once again I worked as hard as I could and I never had a chance¡­¡± Taking a moment to truly understand what he had just said before her anger returns in force. ¡°And you knew?!¡± ¡°I knew it was a possibility. But I had hope. Even those with a faint hint of resonance should have grown enough after months of this place.¡± Ortik¡¯s voice now getting heated as well. ¡°But you? Do you know why none of the spirits even bothered to reject you, let alone offer their aid?¡± His anger growing as he continues, though directed not at Kori, but the world in general. ¡°I Spent the afternoon while you slept spiritwalking to find out,¡± Mumbling under his breath, ¡°I hate spiritwalking, I¡¯ll have a dull ache in my horns for a week¡­¡± Rubbing them gently as he continues to rant, ¡°It was because they didn¡¯t even notice you! Not a single one of them! Even that blasted door just saw the remnant energy of our spell trying to get away from it when you backed up¡­¡± Shaking his head and continuing on, ¡°You spent months sleeping next to one of the strongest spirits I could manage while still being safe. And the only one of them with the faintest notion you had even been in the room was the light spirit that thought something was fondling its home to try and steal it¡­¡± ¡°What? Why would I want its rock?¡± latching onto the least important part of Ortik¡¯s statement. ¡°I¡¯ll admit it was shiny, but its still just a rock¡­¡± Ortik bringing his hand to cover his eyes, and gently rubbing his scales. ¡°I think you¡¯re missing the point dear¡± ¡°Indeed¡­¡± Mirroring the Broodkeeper. ¡°Your resonance isn¡¯t weak, it is non-existent.¡± ¡°But I learned [Spiritual Sense], I must have had some connection or I wouldn¡¯t have even gotten that¡­¡± ¡°I will admit, that confounded me for some time. It was actually one of the others that suggested an explanation that has merit.¡± Thinking for a moment before he replies, ¡°Spiritwalker Dvst¡± Giving a slight shiver as he states his peer¡¯s class. ¡°Proposed that your gaining that skill was not in fact in spite of your¡­ restrictions¡­ but due to them. That where I would rely on my spirits resonance to feel what the lesser spirits were doing; you were forced to take a more¡­ analytical¡­ approach.¡± A bit of mirth returning to him, ¡°Which is most definitely an apt description of how you tackled the remainder of the rite.¡± Noticing that he chose certain words he used very carefully, ¡°You paused to think of how to say that without offending me. Dvst used some less than flattering words, didn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°They do not bear repeating, let us leave it at that.¡± ¡°You still haven¡¯t explained why you think you did this for me. How can getting cut off from my last chance at magic not be the worst option¡­¡± ¡°Because!¡± Losing his temper for a moment. ¡°That Scale blasted gob¡­¡± ¡°Ortik! Language!¡± Korse interrupts before he can continue on with what were looking to be some very unkind words. ¡°Apologies¡­¡± Taking a moment to compose himself. ¡°Because I was left with a choice, either end your apprenticeship, or hand it off to someone else for ¡®intensive¡¯ training¡­¡± The grimace on his face as he said ¡®intensive¡¯ showing what he thought of the proposition. ¡°She would have broken you. She wouldn¡¯t care if it worked or not. Either you failed and proved she was right, or you succeeded and proved I wasn¡¯t up to teaching you¡­¡± His head drooping and tears sprinkling on the surface of the table. ¡°Either way you would have spent the next two months beaten, battered and abused until you broke, ran, or managed to form a connection with one of the spirits. And after what I found spiritwalking, I knew that that last option was not possible¡­¡± Chapter 31 – Veiled possibilities Before Kori could even stammer out a disbelieving ¡®why?¡¯, Korse breaks in with a remark of his own. Nearly making the same remark that he just prevented Ortik from making before holding himself back and saying something a little tamer. ¡°That slime sucker¡­¡± Not entirely tame, but at least a little, and Glancing Kori¡¯s way before mumbling out a muffled, ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Momentarily taken aback by Korse¡¯s tone and words, Kori just looks between the two for a moment. Before either can interrupt again, she proceeds with what she had tried to say earlier. ¡°Why? Why would she want hurt me like that?¡± Responding in a grim tone, ¡°Because she doesn¡¯t care. Lowy sees you as nothing more than a stone to hang around my neck.¡± ¡°Lowy? The woman with you when I woke up from the rite?¡± Looking confused, having only met the unpleasant old Kobold just the twice. ¡°The same. She and I have¡­ History¡­¡± Clear distaste of her in his tone. ¡°Beyond simply her desire to control the Circle, she hates me enough she¡¯d burn even it to the stones if it would singe my scales.¡± ¡°That¡­ what did you call her? Slime sucker?¡± Kori tests the new insult out, finding she quite likes the sound of it. ¡°Oh scale¡­¡± Korse nearly face-palms as she echoes his insult. ¡°Please do not repeat that term, while far better than what Ortik nearly said,¡± Tossing a glare in his direction, ¡°It is not polite and I should not have said it.¡± Ortik smiling as he listens to the lecture, ¡°And you can¡¯t even blame it on Blonc or Aldr this time around.¡± Laughing at his own remark. Trying hard not to laugh, ¡°It wasn¡¯t as bad as anything you¡¯d hear from those two¡­¡± Returning his attention to Kori, ¡°Please at least don¡¯t use it in front of your siblings¡­ Once one starts, you¡¯ll all be using it more than soap¡­¡± Pausing for a moment, before grumbling out a final remark, ¡°Not that most of them use soap very often¡­¡± ¡°Why does she hate you so much?¡± Both of them wincing at the question, obviously hopeful that the little distraction had avoided the question. Beginning slowly on what is clearly a sore subject, ¡°My mate¡­ May she serve the great dragons in the beyond¡­ Was Lowy¡¯s sister. They were inseparable from the moment they hatched. In an act I am certain she regrets to this day, she introduced us.¡± ¡°Wait, you had a mate?!¡± Considering for a moment. ¡°And she was Lowy¡¯s sister? But Lowy¡¯s so old!¡± ¡°Of course I did¡­ What, just because I¡¯m the Chief and a shaman you thought I was celibate or something?¡± A little bit offended at her comment. ¡°I uhhh¡­ Maybe?¡± Hesitantly she responds, still not quite getting the purpose of rhetorical questions. Patently ignoring the loud guffaw from Korse, Ortik responds to the comment about his age, ¡°And Lowy is two years my junior¡­¡± Unsure whether to be complimented that she thinks he¡¯s the younger of the two, or to be insulted at being, indirectly, called old. ¡°She¡¯s younger than you? How, she looks nearly as old as Matron Kles.¡± Chuckling at her comparison, ¡°Don¡¯t let Lowy hear you say that.¡± Pausing for a moment, ¡°Or do, I¡¯d love to see her face actually. The higher your racial level, and even more so after each Racial Evolution, the slower you age. I turn fifty-four in about a month.¡± ¡°Really? Then since I¡¯m leveling up fast will I live a really long time too? Everybody is always surprised when they find out I¡¯m already level 7.¡± A gleam of pride as she gloats. Korse, having not seen her level in some time, looks surprised when she reveals it, ¡°Already? Your siblings are level 4, maybe 5. Most of them should be 5 by the end of their fourth year and only 11 by the time they unlock their Class.¡± Trying not to call attention to her little secret, which Korse is well aware of even if he hadn¡¯t considered its impact, she hesitantly replies, ¡°I¡¯m lucky? Not sure. Just kinda is what it is¡­¡± Looking back to Ortik, ¡°Sorry, I guess I interrupted your story with questions.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve grown used to it¡­¡± Amused by how true the statement is. Recalling where he left off, Ortik continues telling her of his former mate. ¡°She passed years ago, long before your egg was even laid. We went to the surface town to negotiate something or other with one of the human¡¯s nobles.¡± Taking a moment out to explain the foreign concept, ¡°Nobles are something like a chief, but if your parents were nobles then you¡¯re one too¡­ It¡¯s kind of strange, what if my kid were an idiot?¡± The last coupled with a dumbfounded expression. ¡°We were attacked by adventurers, blathering something about ¡®protecting the townsfolk from monsters¡¯ like we were a bunch of barbaric goblins or something.¡± A disappointed shake of his head as long buried emotions surface and a tear threatens to form in the corner of his eye. ¡°Nor died in the attack. Lowy has always believed that the attack was on purpose. Though she¡¯s never been able to give anything close to a reason that anyone would want to do so. In her pain she wanted me to send our fighters to raze the town of Whatzakt in retribution.¡± Anger leaking into his sorrow at the idea of starting a war. ¡°I wanted to¡­¡± His voice low and full of shame. ¡°But instead, I worked with an organization on the surface. One that works outside of the local rulers, called the ¡®Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯. They are supposed to manage the fools that go about ¡®slaying beasts¡¯ and ¡®saving the weak¡¯. Those who attacked us should have been their responsibility.¡± His disdain for the organization plain. ¡°I had Ylst up there for weeks working with them to investigate. In the end as best we could tell, the group were simply fools. Believing that because some of the lesser Clans are warlike and aggressive, that we are all nothing more than the worst of us.¡± Pausing with a rueful laugh, ¡°The same thing that pushed Lowy to demand what she did and drives her hate for me to this day.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. After a deep breath and a pause to clear his thoughts of what was. ¡°Enough about the past. I don¡¯t expect you to forgive my actions, But I hope you might eventually, now that you understand why I did what I did. I will understand if you do not.¡± Taking another deep breath now that he has said his part, though with many detours along the way. ¡°You will be expected to take another apprenticeship. I will let you decide where you would like to do so, I think you have earned at least that. But unless you manage to somehow acquire the Skills you are lacking, which I believe is solely [Spell Shaping], the path of a mage remains closed.¡± When he mentions the Skill, Kori grimaces, her many attempts to learn it on her own resulting in little to show for it. ¡°I have not¡­ I learned my other magic skills doing things different than normal¡­ Are there any ways to do that with [Spell Shaping]?¡± ¡°None. Learning the Skill to shape spells, requires you to, quite obviously, shape spells. I can show you other basic spells than what you¡¯re using, I assume [Lantern]?¡± He¡¯d observed many of her attempts, but given they¡¯d barely moved on from the ¡®blob of mana¡¯ stage, he wasn¡¯t exactly certain which spell she was actually trying to form. Once she nods her confirmation he offers, ¡°I could show you [Ward], it has its own complexities but the base shape is a bit easier than [Lantern].¡± Holding his hand out and moving his mana, Kori can¡¯t even see what happens before there¡¯s a small disc of translucent mana hovering in front of his hand. Staring hard at the casual display of spell work, unable to make out what exactly had been done, before looking back to Ortik. ¡°Can you go a bit slower? It looked almost like the spell just activated; no forming happened¡­¡± ¡°That was slow¡­¡± Grumbling as he continues, ¡°Trying to slow down such a simple spell is harder than casting the thing in the first place¡­¡± Thinking on the problem for a moment, and seeing Kori¡¯s eyes light up at the simple little defensive spell, ¡°That might work. Try to follow it all along and we¡¯ll see what you can catch. I¡¯ll need to concentrate though, so not a word.¡± Standing up and taking a few steps back before he begins. Kori leans hard into her sensing skill as mana begins to gather around Ortik, not the trivial amounts that had accompanied his previous casting, but torrents of the nebulous energy. The more she tries to take in, the more she¡¯s certain that she¡¯s barely seeing the edges of what¡¯s actually happening. Thick and ornate shields of opaque mana, in the actual proper shape of the large shields she¡¯d seen the warriors training with, begin to appear around Ortik. One after another form and hover in the air surrounding him, after the first six a look of strain appears on Ortik¡¯s face. At ten his brow is furrowed and fists clenched, the speed at which new shields appear slows to a crawl. At twelve he finally stops, his eyes shut tightly and entire body tensed. <Mana Sense level 2 -> 3 >> His voice sounding as though he were lifting a great weight as he strains to hold the many constructs of mana in place, each word sounding as though forced from him with great effort. ¡°Look close¡­ly, Kori¡­ I can¡­ Only do¡­ This¡­ Once¡­¡± Raising his hand and slowly unfurling it from its clenched state, Kori can see drips of blood on his claws from where they burrowed into his palms as his fingers open. Slowly, slower than even Kori¡¯s own attempts, mana forms in his open hand before being spun into a vertical ring at a glacial pace. Just before the spell is cast, she sees a film of mana spread like soap across the gap, meeting in the middle the same moment the spell activates and the plain disk of nearly transparent mana forms. He holds the spell for mere seconds before the entirety of the shields fall away at the same time. The little disk disappears like it never existed, while the mana slowly fades from the larger shields, the spell holding its form for a few moments before evaporating into the air around them. Huffing like he¡¯d run laps around the training hall for hours, he takes several moments to compose himself. ¡°Thirteen¡­ A new record for me¡­ And a level in [Advanced Multi-Casting].¡± Before he can wipe away the blood on his hand, he feels Kori reach over, having already pulled the pot of ointment from her satchel, and begin smearing the substance across his palm. ¡°Thank you. Were you able to discern the pattern for [Ward]?¡± ¡°That was awesome!¡± Her words blending one into the next as she asks questions as fast as she can manage. ¡°What spell was that? Did you say the Skill was multi-casting? How do you learn that one?¡± Only stopping because she needed to breath. ¡°You said thirteen was a new record? Can you do more if you cast small spells like [Ward]?¡± Her eyes nearly the size of the final defensive spell that he¡¯d just used, her prior foul mood washed away by the working of magic just demonstrated. Both older Kobolds laughing at Kori¡¯s sudden shift. Ortik begins to answer some of her queries, ¡°That was [Aegis], a higher tier version of the basic defensive spell [Ward]. Yes, multi-casting, it¡¯s one of the advancement options available once you¡¯ve raised [Spell Shaping] to the pinnacle of the third tier. You can either continue as is, or specialize it and reset the Skill to the first tier as [Basic Multi-Casting] or [Basic Flash-Casting], which allows for near instantaneous spell formation, but makes holding multiple spell patterns much more difficult.¡± His tone and cadence returning to a semblance of normal as the strain of pushing his Skills to their limit passes. ¡°Now, were you able to observe the formation?¡± ¡°I was, kinda like a ring with a soap bubble?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Giving her a nod. Korse clears his throat, trying to reign in the discussion that had gone quite far afield. ¡°I believe we were discussing what to do about young Kori¡¯s apprenticeship.¡± A deep frown on his face and his tone anything but approving, ¡°At least before you decided to give a demonstration in fourth tier spellcasting to get her hopes up once again.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Sorry. Yes, you will need to begin a new apprenticeship and without attaining your missing Skill, the way will remain barred for you to return to the path of a mage.¡± Laying the hint on a little thickly as he speaks. ¡°Now, we find ourselves in a bit of an unusual situation. By the rules, new apprentices are taken on only at the beginning of the year, or at the six-month mark when an apprentice fails to proceed.¡± Korse begins to say something, opening his mouth to speak until he sees Ortik giving him a harsh glare, clearly communicating for him to keep his muzzle firmly shut. ¡°So, I am afraid we will not have a position for you for another two months, Kori.¡± A self-satisfied grin replacing the look he¡¯d given Korse. ¡°Now you could wallow away your time in the brood chambers, should you desire. But I¡¯m certain you can find something worthwhile to occupy your time over the coming weeks.¡± Chapter 32 – The dominoes fall ¡°Before you go, please do gather your things from your chamber. Feel free to take the inkpot and pen with you, that little spirit is quite happy to be useful and I¡¯d hate to see it get lonely. Plus, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have use for it.¡± Waving Kori off to gather things that weren¡¯t really hers, but she would most definitely like to keep. ¡°Oh, I suppose I should ask for the sash back.¡± Finally realizing that she isn¡¯t actually wearing it, ¡°Where is it by the way?¡± Eying her satchel in hopes it¡¯s bundled inside. ¡°Oh¡­ Umm¡­ I was a bit mad last night¡­ So, I threw it. In the maze. It should be easy enough to find though, just take the righthand passage, then two center and then the right again from the third intersection away from the entrance from the Clan caverns.¡± She can¡¯t help but be amused as the mounting look of trepidation and unease comes over Ortik¡¯s face as she describes taking a bunch of seemingly random turns. ¡°Do you want me to draw out the route?¡± ¡°Please¡­¡± A quick map drawn, earning her another level in her Cartography Skill. < 3 >> She¡¯s still not happy with the name of the Skill, since no one can give her a proper answer as to what exactly carts have to do with maps. But letting it go, at least for now. After a few minutes and with her few meager belongings quickly packed into her satchel, a change of clothes that she¡¯s not going to mention if Ortik doesn¡¯t, the inkwell, pen, the broad shallow bowl and fine sand she had used to practice her writing with, her slate, and a few odds and ends filling the satchel to bulging, she departs Ortik¡¯s residence alongside Korse. I¡¯m going to miss having such a large room to myself¡­ I thought it was too big when I first got here, but now it¡¯s going to feel cramped back in the brood chamber. With the heat of anger drained and passed, Kori can¡¯t help but let the emotions those flames been holding back break through. ¡°Why?¡± Tears finally beginning to flow. ¡°Why can¡¯t I do this?¡± A gentle hand on her back as they walk through the tunnels and caverns leading back to the young ones once again home, ¡°I do not know, Kori. I wish I had an answer for you, but I do not.¡± Attempting to comfort her as she slowly breaks down. ¡°Magic is a mystery few have the clarity to understand and even within its disciplines there is little understanding of why some may use fire magics and others wind. Or why Ylst was blessed with all four of the primal elements.¡± Pondering before he continues, unsure if what he intends to say will be helpful or just more hope to be later dashed. ¡°Perhaps this is just more of the same. A fire mage seldom can learn water magics, perhaps you are unsuited for the path of a mage or shaman, but another we have yet to find.¡± ¡°But what else is there?¡± Clearly confused, as she¡¯d only ever heard of the two paths within Clan Emberscale. ¡°What else indeed.¡± The reply cryptic and unhelpful, but it succeeded in spurring on the young Kobold¡¯s mind to think of what else there might be for her. The rest of the journey passes in silence as she tries to puzzle out how she could learn more. Reaching the still empty brood chamber, several hours yet until the others are to return from their duties, Korse guides her towards his own workspace. ¡°I have some work to do, but you are welcome to remain here with me if you would like.¡± She gives him a shake of her head, still stuck in her thoughts and her tears still forming at the edges of her eyes. Entering her den, she¡¯s surprised by the state of it when she crawls in, with much of the dust cleaned from the floor. Even the roughly Kobold shaped impression of compacted dust she had left behind earlier in the morning wiped away from her thin sleeping mat. One of the minders must have cleaned it for me¡­ I should thank them. Later. She grimaces again when she recalls the sleeping mats that she had just left behind. Wonder if I could have gotten away with taking those too. Not that they¡¯d fit in my satchel. Slinging her satchel off of her shoulder and setting it at the farthest side. Gathering a few of her things, using the shallow bowl in place of a shelf or table and placing the inkwell, pen, pouch of sand, and little pot of ointment within it to keep them organized. Looking at the crystalline inkwell, unsure if it is glass traded for on the surface or if someone had painstakingly hollowed out and carved a piece of quartz. ¡°Well little spirit, you probably can¡¯t even hear me but this is home for now.¡± Leaning her slate on the wall behind her arranged belongings as she speaks, ¡°I don¡¯t know how much writing I¡¯ll be able to do for now, I don¡¯t want to waste the pages left in my book, but I¡¯ll try to make good use of you so you can feel useful still.¡± Sitting back on her now clean sleeping mat, the leather old and flat but well cared for, she spends some time just letting out her tears and bemoaning her inability to seemingly do anything right. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Maybe I should just go be a trapper like everyone said before they found out my magic Ability Score was high.¡± Sitting there, with her tail tucked around her legs, she begins to work on the skill that could lead her back to Ylst¡¯s tutelage. Over and over, mana pools in her hand until she tries to wrangle it into a knot or a ring. Gentle Coaxing, forceful pulling, even trying to mold it with her other hand, nothing seems to produce more than a non-descript blob. At one point she thinks she¡¯s made a little progress, instead of shaping the mana blob, she forms a second on the end of one of her claws and pokes it into the first where she wants it to grow. After nearly an hour of attempting this new method, she managed to get it to last long enough to add a third blob before two things happened. First, they all collapsed into the ambient mana. And second, her head began to pulse with pressure of controlling three separate mana constructs. ¡°Ow¡­ I wonder if that was like that multi-casting thing that Ortik did?¡± Soon after the mana leaves her control the pain abates and her head clears. ¡°I guess that¡¯s not going to work¡­ I¡¯d need like six of those to get even the crudest of rings and then I¡¯d still need to stretch the mana across the gap.¡± She¡¯s later reminded of the time as she begins to hear her siblings moving about the larger chamber, not in the mood to be social she remains in her little den, hoping none of them think to check if she¡¯s there again after seeing her in the morning. Oh¡­ I kinda yelled at the chieftain in front of the entire clutch this morning. Her hopes dashed quickly thereafter as Losq¡¯s head appears in the entrance to her den, ¡°Yup! She¡¯s here again.¡± Yelled back out into the room when he sees her. ¡°Hi Losq. Can I just be left alone for a bit?¡± she pleads as she see¡¯s her brothers excited expression. Clearly looking to hear the latest gossip. ¡°Nope!¡± Crawling the rest of the way in, though the space just barely fits the pair of them. ¡°Come on, dinner¡¯s soon and everyone wants to hear what happened. Well, they want to hear the rest of what happened. We all heard a lot of it this morning.¡± Moving carefully to not disturb her things, and staring at the little pile of possessions that she now has to call her own, he gently directs Kori until she¡¯s by the entrance and starts pushing her out. ¡°Don¡¯t make me pull you out of here by your tail.¡± ¡°Fine, fine¡­¡± Not willing to call her brothers bluff, at least she thinks it¡¯s a bluff, she crawls out into the main room of the brood chamber, most of her siblings already sitting about on the floor in small groups. Some talking, some wrestling, probably the warrior apprentices, and a few sitting in a circle holding strange pieces of clay with markings on them. ¡°What¡¯s that Itr and Qot are doing?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a game that Aldr taught a few of us, learned it up in the Whatzakt¡¯s taverns. It¡¯s called Dominoes, it¡¯s pretty fun.¡± A wide grin as he begins to explain the game to her. Her troubles at least partially forgotten for a time as her siblings begin to teach her how to play. At first, she finds the game to be confusing, trying to use up all of her own ¡®tiles¡¯, which is apparently what the little pieces of hardened clay are called, before anyone else while not being able to see what they have in order to block them from playing. Though the biggest problem is that no one can agree exactly on the rules, since they¡¯re not written down anywhere. After an argument occurred about whether you can draw a new tile before playing, Kori decided to ask Korse if she could have a piece of paper. It takes nearly an hour of arguing and writing out the potential rules on her slate first, and clearing it several times to make changes, to get most everyone to agree on what the rules actually are. Kori then takes out her tome and uses it as a flat base to write on. Her siblings gathering around as they see the shiny inkwell, clearly not something that a youngling would typically have, and the gossip starts anew. Having to answer that she did not in fact steal it brings up the topic that she, and most of her siblings, had been trying to avoid all evening. Brought to a head when one of them calls out, ¡°If you¡¯re good enough that he gave you a fancy ink thingy, why¡¯d he kick you out?¡± Her face droops as she hears the question, but before she can say anything both Losq and Plk yell at the offending sibling, ¡°Shut it Wlde!¡± Unfortunately for them the damage was already done and the effort to distract Kori ruined. Plk tries to defend her yelling out, ¡°Cause magic¡¯s hard. It¡¯s not like mining where you swing a pick and get your Skill, Wlde.¡± A different voice calls out from the group, ¡°Can¡¯t be that hard if you can do it Plk!¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s it!¡± A small orb of mana no bigger than a drop of ink races across the room, eliciting a yelp when it strikes Wlde. Though not doing much more harm than a flick of the claw would have. And suddenly, the majority of the clutch of thirty-two young Kobolds were piling on top of one another, pulling tails, tripping, pushing, and occasionally biting in an all-out brawl. With a glance to the minder near the entrance only revealing a put upon frown and shaking head, clearly not intending to intervene, Kori sidles up to him. ¡°They do this often?¡± ¡°Not usually this many of them, but yeah. You going to join them? I bet you could get a few good trips in before you¡¯re the bottom of the pile.¡± ¡°Not really my thing¡­¡± ¡°Why not? You know they¡¯re doing this for you, right?¡± Continuing to coax her onwards. ¡°They are? Why would they do that? They know I don¡¯t usually join in.¡± Perplexed at the minder¡¯s attitude. ¡°They¡¯re worried about you.¡± Giving his young charge a glance that says her siblings aren¡¯t the only ones, ¡°And it¡¯s a great way to blow off some stress.¡± Pointing over towards the near edge of the melee, ¡°Plus, Wlde¡¯s wide open over there while he¡¯s got Plk pinned, bet you could tackle him before he even sees you coming.¡± Holding his hand out towards her, ¡°I¡¯ll hold onto your satchel for you. Go forget why you¡¯re in a bad mood for a bit.¡± With that final bit of cajoling, Kori gives in. ¡°I guess I¡¯ve got nothing better to do tonight. And Wlde is wide open.¡± A mischievous grin coming across her face as she hands the minder her satchel. ¡°And don¡¯t think I¡¯ve forgotten how you used to fight; keep it at least relatively clean and try not to get hurt.¡± A final admonition as he see¡¯s Kori giving in. His face blanches as he hears Kori¡¯s final retort before rushing in and jumping on Wlde¡¯s back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have healing ointment!¡± Chapter 33 – Overengineered safety measures And needed it. The ointment was spread sparingly across many of her siblings by the time they had all tired each other out. Nothing more serious than a cracked finger or torn scale, things that would have perhaps scarred without Kori¡¯s ministrations with the ointment, but plentiful across the dozens of younglings involved. Though there may have also been a concussion, but not a lot an ointment is going to do for that. When all was said and done, the pot with its scant remaining residue of ointment was returned to its place in Kori¡¯s den. I wonder if I can still make more of this? It¡¯s not like they¡¯d stop me since they haven¡¯t figured it out yet themselves. The efforts of her siblings did not go unappreciated, or even unsuccessful. Kori found things just a little better afterwards, her anger and anguish given a more visceral outlet than her yelling and arguing had. Settled in for a much more restful night, though still mourning the loss of her sleeping mats, she managed to make it through the night with only a few hours of wakefulness spent trying various tactics of producing the spell forms she¡¯d been practicing. ¡°I wonder if Plk will show me that little mana bolt¡­ It¡¯s probably harder to cast but maybe something more practical than light will help?¡± Musing to herself as she continued to try and fail to form her mana into any appreciable shape. It¡¯s not like everyone couldn¡¯t see fine without the spell, so aside from being simple to cast it wasn¡¯t exactly useful. The next few days passed in relative peace for Kori. Her siblings around to share a meal in the mornings before she spent the days practicing mana control sat against the wall in the main chamber, after being admonished for hiding away in her den the first day by the minders at least. She was still unable to do more than create ripples on the surface of the blob of mana above her hand. The most frustrating part for Kori, at least ignoring the inability to actually shape the mana, that all her work hadn¡¯t managed to garner another level in [Mana Control]. In fact, she still remained at the first level in that particular skill despite all of her time spent trying to make use of it. On the third day after the brawl, Korse approached in the early afternoon her while she practiced, her three blobs of mana finally forming a ¡®ring¡¯, insomuch as three circles can overlap at their edges and have a space in the middle. The strain caused by a third construct just as debilitating as her first attempt and caused her to lose control after only moments. To all outward appearances her intense concentration looking much more akin to constipation. Especially if they lacked the ability to sense mana, which most observers did. ¡°Kori, pardon the interruption. May I have a word?¡± His tone not his usual upbeat and familiar, but more cordial while being somewhat formal. A tone she knows full well, as he only uses it with her when it¡¯s something official as an Elder. ¡°Of course, Broodkeeper.¡± Sticking to the same tone, the one she had ingrained in her months serving as Ortik¡¯s aid during the Elder¡¯s meetings. Her response garners a smile from Korse. She may not see it since her mind has been dominated by thoughts of magic, but she learned a great deal in her time as Ortik¡¯s apprentice and Korse¡¯s pride was plain for anyone else to see, regardless of the outcome. Walking into his alcove of a workspace with Kori in tow, she notes a pot of tea sitting on his table as well as a pair of cups. Nearly out of habit she checks the pot, finding it piping hot and ready to be served before pouring them each a cup. After a moment she finds his own little pot, similar to the one containing her ointment, and extracts a drop of honey to add to Korse¡¯s cup. A rare indulgence on his part. Her time spent with the Elders taught her that honey was one of the major items traded with Whatzakt in large supply, given the lack of any viable sweetener in their underground ecosystem. Beekeeping was a large industry in the region surrounding the surface town, propped up almost entirely by the Kobolds demand for it. Partially used in their cooking, but the vast majority of it dedicated to the brewing of meads and other alcohols. ¡°Thank you.¡± Gesturing to the pot of honey, ¡°Would you care for a dollop?¡± ¡°I would, thank you.¡± Adding a drop to her own. If she were honest, she finds it to be a bit cloying but does enjoy the addition. After savoring the first sip of his tea, a pleasurable sigh escaping before he begins to speak, ¡°Today was the first time I¡¯d been at the Elder¡¯s meeting since your departure. Apparently Ortik had failed to mention the nature of your absence having changed from ¡®Circle business¡¯ these last few days.¡± Shaking his head, a bit exasperated with Ortik¡¯s handling of the situation. ¡°When I commented to him about your improving state of mind, it led to questions and it caused a bit of a stir.¡± ¡°Blonc was particularly upset, given the Circle¡¯s inability to reproduce your ointment as of yet. Especially so when the details of your ongoing training being on hold until the appropriate time. A point which caused no end of grumbling I might add; it follows the letter of the rules, but no one else can ever recall it having been applied in this manner.¡± His brow furrowed and his tone indicating that he had clearly argued as such to no avail. ¡°A bit of a compromise was reached. You have been invited as a guest to visit with the trappers. While there, you are welcome to use their own quite expansive work space and tools, which I suggest you cleanse thoroughly, as they normally use them to mix poisons and whatnot for their traps.¡± ¡°So, they want me to make more ointment for them. Why can¡¯t I just do that in Ortik¡¯s workshop like before?¡± Pondering on her own question, ¡°Is it because then it¡¯s ¡®Circle business¡¯ again and they¡¯d get mad?¡± ¡°More or less, yes.¡± Agreeing with her assessment of the situation. ¡°There was also an invitation from Aldr that was much the same. Their facilities are more suited for larger volume production, so it may help in creating more at the same time, but they are busier and you would have to work between their own uses of the work space, or assist in them if you were so inclined.¡± ¡°Does Elder Bolst still have that door latch?¡± Nostalgia at the thought of the modified door that had finally stymied her wanderings and how she hated being constrained. The thought of learning it¡¯s workings, and any other device that attempted to block her path, so that she could bypass such in the future always somewhere in the back of her mind. Suppressed by the draw of magics, but still there.¡± I still wanna take that apart and play with it if I can get a chance.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°You will need to ask him. I take it you are amenable to the invitation?¡± A knowing smile on his face, though whether he knows the full extent of her ambitions in lock breaking is hard to tell. ¡°Sure. Sitting around trying to corral my mana all day is kinda boring¡­ I can only practice so much.¡± Pointing to their cups and the teapot, ¡°Then let us finish our tea and head over. I would suggest spending a few days at the brewery though before your two months are up though.¡± The two fall into a much more familiar tone as they chat over their tea. The topic dominated by a retelling of the recent brawl in the brood chamber and Kori¡¯s antics there in. ¡°You should have seen Wlde¡¯s face when I pounced him. He was so surprised he lost control of Plk under him and ended up pinned instead. Then Ujr shouldered us both off of him and¡­¡± The telling continued for some time, the end highlighting the fact that everyone was find after a little bit of ointment spread on their various scratches, slashes, and bashes, most only requiring the barest clawful of the stuff. Korse can¡¯t help but smile and laugh along at her retelling of the story, her mischievous joy in the event something he¡¯d been sad she¡¯d previously held herself back from. Not to say she hadn¡¯t fought with her siblings before, but it always seemed to be out of necessity rather than the simple fun of it. Kobolds might consider themselves be among the more civilized races of the world, well and above the ignoramus goblins they are sometimes compared to, a comparison they take immense offence to, but at the end of the day they really did love a good scrap sometimes. With the tale ended and the tea much the same, the pair head out to one of the highest points in all of Emberscale Caverns. The tunnels there on a steady and winding incline their entire way. Situated near the edge of what they consider their territory and the main tunnels to the surface, closer to where they spend their days working on the defenses that keep unwelcome guests from entering from any of the tunnels except the single ¡®trade path¡¯. Though it is generally their own traders that bring goods out and seldom others who enter. The trapper¡¯s workshop looks nothing like Kori had expected, she wasn¡¯t entirely certain of what she had expected, but this wasn¡¯t it. The large cavern housing contraptions of wood and metal in various states of assembly with Kobolds scurrying over them like ants on food, working on this part or that. Several enlarged corridors pass from the room, tall enough for three kobolds standing on one another¡¯s shoulders to pass unimpeded, each leading into a different type of workshop for various tasks and purposes. Several of those larger tunnels blocked by stout gates crafted from thick logs anchored in stone, smooth and without joining or seams showing it was clearly assembled with earth magics. Each gate barred with an equally large beam of wood across its width and attached to ropes to raise or lower them. Her eyes light up at the sight of the many unidentifiable devices being worked on in the chamber. To one side a mage in a brown robe taking meter long shards of stone and shaping them into sharp spikes of a uniform shape and size. Another a pair of Kobolds carving logs of wood and attaching smaller stone spikes into its surface. A final working with something much more complex, a wooden stave bent with a string held taut between its ends and affixed to a mechanism with a channel in it that looks like it could hold something to be propelled. After walking past all the fantastical examples of their craft, each harder to puzzle out the workings of at first glance than the previous. Each calling to her to be understood. They approached one of the few passageways that was not oversized. While smaller in size, the level of attention to its security was much higher than any of the others. A warrior stands, well he was sitting until he saw Korse and sprang up to stand rigidly, by the doorway. The door itself similar to the one to Ortik¡¯s residence Stone slabs stood upright, hinged on a post of magically reinforced stone to ensure that it opens freely. Unlike all of the other passages into this space whose doors appear to hinge inwards, this door pushes out, its size exceeding that of the frame by several inches. Her curiosity peaked, which after the room of barely understood contraptions didn¡¯t exactly take much, Kori asks the obvious question, ¡°Why?¡± While gesturing to the door. ¡°Hmm?¡± Following her direction, ¡°Oh, the safety door. This leads to Bolst¡¯s work space. He has a habit of working on some¡­ Volatile¡­ Creations. We installed this a few years ago after he spilled some of the poison he was working with into an open flame. The smoke cleared the entire workshop.¡± Grimacing at the memory of the event. ¡°Once it settled, it took weeks to clean. Somehow the residue left behind by it was even poisonous to the cave slimes¡­ Those things are practically immune to poisons so it was a shock.¡± After laughing for a moment and with a bit more levity in his voice, ¡°Bolst and Kora were the only ones who could even do the cleaning, and Kora had to take many breaks to be treated by the Circle. Leveled her poison resistance nearly a full tier though.¡± A beaming smile of pride for his eldest, ¡°A few of the others worked at the outskirts to level their own, but they were the only ones with it high enough at the start.¡± Once through the door she finds the long corridor onward makes a pair of sharp turns, nearly turning back on itself to the left then taking just as sharp a turn to the right to return to a straight heading. Seeing her curious look as they walk, ¡°Another precaution, hoping to arrest the progress of anything he lets loose¡­¡± The door at the end is much the same as the one they had passed through to enter, clearly with whatever history of mishaps Bolst had they were taking no chances with safety. Opening the final door Kori is stopped dead in her tracks by the sights before her. Whatever she was expecting of Bolst¡¯s personal work space, the neatly arrayed shelves of glass vessels and apparatuses arrayed across various metal work surfaces, several of which appeared to be dappled with pockmarks and lightly scorched, was definitely not it. A pair of Kobolds, both in long tunics reaching nearly to the floor with sleeves covering them to the wrist, working at the tables look up as they enter. One older and covered in scars, burns, and evidence of past injury, Elder Bolst. The other she had never met before. Though between the broad smile on Korse¡¯s face upon seeing her and the knowledge that the young woman was the heir apparent to the Elder¡¯s seat, it was easy enough to guess. The man was the Clan¡¯s Master Trapcrafter, his many years of building pitfalls, tripwires, pressure plates and other countermeasures as the first line of defense to invasion leading him to be one of the highest leveled members of the entire clan. His passion for traps having apparently led him in the direction of augmenting others traps at this stage in his class rather than crafting his own. Increasing the effectiveness of his juniors work while sharing in the spoils. The woman of course would be Kora, the young woman only nine years her senior but already a standout amongst the trappers for her knowledge and for being one of the few that could follow Bolst in his less than orthodox direction of work. ¡°Korse!¡± Running over to give him a hug, only pausing at the last moment as she looks down at the stained and pitted work tunic, not seeing anything immediately concerning she embraces him. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you!¡± Turning to the younger visitor, ¡°And you must be Kori. I¡¯ve been looking forward to meeting you.¡± Offering her hand out to shake. Grasping her hand, Kori¡¯s attention still enraptured by the incredibly well-appointed work room, ¡°Hi! There¡¯s just so much here! Why¡¯s it all glass? And what¡¯s that bit with the flame coming out of it? Why not a fire rune instead of an open flame? Isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡± The questions just fall out of her like stones in a cave in. Both Korse and Kora are left speechless for a few moments until Kora breaks down laughing, more questions still coming from the youngling. Between bouts of laughter Kora finally gets a word in when Kori pauses when she runs out of breath, almost like she¡¯d forgotten the necessity in her effort to ask her many questions. ¡°She¡¯s exactly as you said. I think I¡¯m going to like having my little sister around¡± Chapter 34 – Like a kid in a poisoned candy store During her pause for breath between questions about why a particular portion of the ceiling was blackened and what the long robe like tunics were for, she finally realizes that she was being laughed at. Her response to which a light harumph and an end to her questions. ¡°What? There¡¯s just so many things I¡¯ve never seen before here.¡± Trying to excuse her stream of questions only causing the laughter to intensify and for Korse to join in. After a minute or two, Bolst extricates himself from his work, gently hanging a glass flask on a stand of some sort before snuffing a flame, and heads in their direction. ¡°I¡¯m glad you chose to join us Kori, I¡¯m hopeful you¡¯ll make this placement more long-term in a few months.¡± Some annoyance in his tone at the delay, ¡°There is room over near the corner there,¡± Pointing to the left of where they entered, ¡°For you to work in, that should keep your products separate from my own. Wouldn¡¯t want to mix a paralytic with your healing ointment by mistake.¡± A large grin and chuckle escaping at the end, like he¡¯d said something truly funny as warns her about contaminating her work. ¡°There¡¯s just so much!¡± Eyes still wide, her questions barely contained. ¡°Why is all of this glass and metal when Ortik uses stone and earthenware for most of his herbalism?¡± Laughing at the comparison, as though she¡¯d asked why start a fire with a rune when a pair of sticks will get the job done, ¡°Because those materials are porous, they absorb a little of what¡¯s worked in them. What I¡¯m working on could be fouled by mere hints of contaminants, let alone the chance of violent reactions.¡± Pointing to his own mortar and pestle, which unlike what she¡¯d used before it is stark white and looks to be a bone like material. ¡°Take the mortar for example, mine washes clean in moments. A stone grinder might pick up oils from grinding seeds and no matter how much cleaning, there¡¯s always a chance it could carry over. It¡¯s the same with the glass. Plus, I¡¯ve got a few acids that¡¯d melt through a stoneware container given time.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t it so much easier to break?¡± Still awed by the expansive lab, essentially a playground laid out before her. ¡°Heh, yes. Please don¡¯t break too much. I had to sell so many batches of distilled White Skull poison to pay for most of this¡­¡± His laugh not really reaching his eyes, the warning clear. ¡°Kora, could you show her around her work station? I don¡¯t want to let my current work cool completely.¡± Waving towards the corner apparently set aside for her use. ¡°I don¡¯t have much luminous moss about, not much use for the stuff here, since we¡¯re trying to do the opposite of healing generally.¡± Again, chuckling at his own joke. ¡°It¡¯ll be a change to have something beneficial come out of this room for once. She¡¯ll give you the tour and then I¡¯ll let you observe my next project once you¡¯re done going over the equipment and safety procedures.¡± With that said he quickly turns back to his work, checking the temperature of his glass vessel and frowning before he begins to gently reheat it over an open flame. With a glance towards Korse, Kora asks him, ¡°Will you be staying for a bit or can I have her to myself to go over things?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave you both to it, let me know if there are any issues.¡± It¡¯s around then that Kori notices that he hasn¡¯t stepped past the threshold of the room and has been eying the corridor behind him the entire time. He pauses a moment before he turns to leave, looking to Kora, ¡°Come by for dinner sometime soon?¡± Departing after he received a vague confirmation from, quickly closing the vault like stone door behind him. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll get to as many questions as I can.¡± Seeing the glint in Kori¡¯s eyes, ¡°Well, a reasonable number of them at least.¡± Chuckling at the sheepish grin she received in response, ¡°But first the important bits.¡± Adopting a serious expression and the mirth in her voice disappearing, ¡°If anyone yells ¡®evacuate¡¯ then you run for the door. Doesn¡¯t matter who or why or if you don¡¯t believe it¡¯s a threat. You run for the door. If you don¡¯t think you can make it to the door, which you should be able to since you¡¯ll be close over here, then you run there,¡± Pointing towards a little opening half a meter up in the wall. ¡°Inside is a safe room. Before you enter yell your name, and ¡®north safe room¡¯ as loud as you can so people know where you went. Close the door behind you and after several minutes, once anyone else who needed to could have reached the room, bar it. It¡¯s stocked well enough to last a few of us a week in there.¡± The next hour is filled with details about cleaning ¡®lab equipment¡¯, Kora¡¯s words, how to handle spills or hazards, descriptions of what each piece of equipment was and what it was used for, and overall was a very enlightening experience for the young Kobold. She was unsure why, but this place felt truly comfortable to her. Like she never wanted to leave. ¡°That should about cover it. Now, I know I might regret asking, but any questions?¡± Like a spark tossed on dried moss, Kori¡¯s eyes light up at the permission to get her questions answered. ¡°Are the things Elder Bolst works on really so dangerous to need all of this?¡± ¡°Yes and no.¡± Shaking her head, ¡°The work can be dangerous and there have been accidents, but this is definitely overkill.¡± Gesturing towards the safe rooms and stone door. ¡°I think the accident with the Variegated Indigo Oleander extract scared him, badly. Next thing I knew this whole lab was being built rather than him working out in the main hall like before.¡± Pausing a moment to take in the effort that went into the space, ¡°Bolst is probably one of the wealthiest members of the Clan, not that we really care about that sort of stuff down here.¡± Her tone fairly dismissive the material wealth. ¡°He doesn¡¯t even sell the dangerous stuff and most of the profits go to the clan for our many necessities.¡± Proud that their work contributes more than just violence. ¡°That White Skull poison he mentioned earlier? It¡¯s a paralytic we use in some of our traps, but it¡¯s also an excellent way to train the early levels of poison resistance. He dilutes it as a tincture and the traders sell it faster than he makes it.¡± Lowering her voice a little, ¡°I can snag a bit if you want to work on yours. It sucks until you get the skill, but then it¡¯s not too bad.¡± ¡°I already got it! It¡¯s only level 1 though.¡± A beaming grin of both pride and glad that she had apparently skipped the worst part of raising it with toxins. ¡°Got it when I tested my drift mushroom preparation, which I did right thankfully.¡± A shiver running down her spine at how close she¡¯d come to suffering the ill effects of that particular preparation. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Great. Wait¡­ Drift shroom? That stuffs nasty!¡± Grimacing as a mirroring shiver runs down her own back. ¡°We tried making a trap that would drop a powder of the stuff from above. Worked great. Unfortunately the powder went bad too quickly to be useful.¡± The memories of testing that trap rather unpleasant. ¡°I¡¯ll try to get you some of the diluted tincture of the poison. Take a few drops before bed and you¡¯ll barely even notice it, then just up the dose as your skill grows. The raw poison is tier two and the distillation brings it up to a tier three before dilution, so it¡¯ll be useful for a long time.¡± The questions continue to flow as each is answered. Fire because it heats the glass more evenly as it flows around the base of the glassware. The black spot on the ceiling was from a dust explosion when testing how to disperse the powder from the drift shroom trap, thankfully they were using a safe but similar alternative during that test. The pock marks on the metal table from experiments with powerful acids, acids that were now in broad use in some of the more lethal traps in the tunnels. On and on the questions went for nearly as long as Kora had spent explaining the safety procedures. Eventually the back and forth was interrupted by Bolst from across the room, ¡°Are you two done yet? I¡¯m ready to start my next project.¡± Looking back, Kora yells over ¡°Coming!¡± and turns to Kori, ¡°Let¡¯s stop here for now and let you see a bit more of the place before you ask more questions, see what you can figure out for yourself in the meantime.¡± The latter added solely in the hopes of avoiding quite so many questions next time. Wandering over to Bolst¡¯s cluttered work tables, Kori sees the instruments present are better built and more plentiful than those on her temporary work space. Racks containing thin glass vials with various fluids inside, multiple of the burners that Kora had taught her about, clamps, tongs, and even stirrers made from glass. Several of the littlest pieces of glass even radiate faint traces of mana to her senses. Noticing that he now has an audience Bolst begins to explain what he¡¯s doing as he wipes down the surfaces with a rather fluffy piece of cloth. ¡°Now, I will be producing a batch of one of our mainstays.¡± Pointing down to her satchel and the book it contains, ¡°From what I understand you likely have an entry of your own for this plant.¡± Holding up a root, with tongs even though his hands are covered with thin leather gloves, ¡°This is Vorian Nightshade, and exposure even through our scales, can be deadly.¡± Looking towards Kori as he speaks in an attempt to impress upon her the danger the simple brown-white root presents. Glancing away from her, ¡°Kora, I won¡¯t need your assistance for this, you can go back to your own tasks for now.¡± He points off to the side of the table in a space next to the wall. ¡°You can stand there to observe, I will try to explain what I¡¯m doing as I proceed and you can ask questions. ¡°Thinking for a moment of the barrage of questions he¡¯d heard from across the room and trying to head off a repeat. ¡°Questions about the step in the process or its purpose that is.¡± As Bolst begins to describe why he¡¯s scraping the rough surface of the root off and chopping it into fairly uniform little chunks, Kori fishes out her tome and flips through to find the entry on Vorian Nightshade. The plant grows exclusively on the surface in the foothills of their mountain and the mountain range to their south east, unlike it¡¯s less potent but still very deadly cousins that can grow just about anywhere. There are also nearly a dozen warnings on the page to avoid ingestion or contact of any kind and with multiple treatment options laid out, usually with the warning of only being effective within the first several minutes. As she looks up and is about to ask her first question, Bolst obviously anticipating it as he uses the knife in his hand to point to a quartet of pale green vials sitting at the rear of the work table, ¡°Those are the anti-toxin, if at any point you suspect you¡¯ve been exposed, drink one. They¡¯re expensive, but not worth more than the risk.¡± The rest of the lesson passes with a few questions peppered in as he boils the root in a cylindrical vessel with just enough water that it won¡¯t burn before mashing them, simmering the solution until it turns nearly black before filtering it through a heavily stained piece of cloth that he handles like it¡¯s a live cave snake. The filtered solution then simmered again while sitting on a fire rune that is just barely hot. ¡°Now, this solution will reduce for another hour or so. The fumes are not particularly toxic but I wouldn¡¯t stick my muzzle too close to it.¡± Again chuckling at his comment, the Elder seemingly much more jovial here in his lab than his usually distracted presence at the Elder¡¯s meetings implied. ¡°Once it¡¯s thick enough and it cools, we use a brush to spread it on the tips of the sharp spikes in many of the traps. It is important I do that part, both to ensure it is done safely and so that it benefits from some of my Abilities.¡± Kori is intrigued at the mention of Abilities, unlike skills which have passive benefits influencing her knowledge, muscle memory, senses or body, Abilities are active things. allowing you to do things that are not normally possible without them, or to do possible things much faster when compared to those without. People don¡¯t usually discuss Abilities, as they are gained from your Class and matters of Class beyond the simple name or description are generally considered private. Seeing the budding query on her face as she fights the urge to ask what would likely be an impolite question, Bolst pre-empts her. ¡°They improve potency of any trap I help build, which unlike many members of my trappers, extends to the poison as long as it is part of a trap. As well as a few other things that I will not get into.¡± Her curiosity mollified; she refrains from further inquiry on the subject. ¡°Next we¡¯ll be moving a bit away from the familiar for you.¡± Pointing over to the corner across from where she¡¯ll be working. ¡°Over there you¡¯ll find a large glass tank, a cube of glass with an open top, with a centipede inside. Bring it to me please.¡± Once his request is made, he turns back to monitoring the simmering solution, ensuring that it reaches the correct consistency without burning. Wandering over to what appears to be mostly a storage space with extra glassware on shelves and several of the aforementioned glass tanks, some filled with water with spiney fish swimming about, others with frogs or snakes or insects. One sealed tightly with a lid and then placed in a second larger tank, that contains several small spiders. That last one sends a wave of unease across her scales. Sitting to one side is a small tank containing a single centipede covered in white markings. Nearly as long as her forearm and as wide as two of her fingers side by side, the creepy crawly makes a hissing sound as she approaches it. Sounds mean, but I guess he wouldn¡¯t have asked me to fetch it if it were that dangerous, I¡¯ll just make sure I grab it near the head so it can¡¯t bite me. Picking up the centipede proves difficult but eventually she gets it pinned between her claws and lifts it out of the tank. Bringing it back to Bolst she¡¯s suddenly caught by a tingling sensation radiating out from her hand and her feet not quite wanting to do what they¡¯re told. The light of a notification blinking at her draws her mind and what she sees isn¡¯t very reassuring. < 2 >> ¡°Why¡¯d I julst gey a lebel in poishon reswist?¡± She mumbles out, her panic growing as her words slur and she finds it difficult to feel her arm below the shoulder. ¡°What?¡± Bolst turns around, his eyes wide as he sees what she¡¯s holding, ¡°NO! The tank, I meant bring me the tank!¡± rushing over he grabs the wriggling insect before it slips the bonds of her claws. Clearly not as concerned about its poisonous mucous excreted through its carapace as Kori should have been. As her legs finally give out and she finds herself splayed on the floor, fully aware but unable to even raise an eyelid, she hears Bolst¡¯s voice. ¡°Oh, Korse is gonna kill me¡­¡± Chapter 35 – Youngling’s first hangover The only solace she could take in her paralysis was that her ability to interact with the system seemed unimpeded. Several notifications had rung out as she felt herself moved somewhere slightly more comfortable, though the tingling sensation prevented her from being actually comfortable. The first notification she saw, soon after succumbing to the effects was a welcome addition to her Vitality. Hopefully one that will help in overcoming the situation all the quicker. < 17 >> As she was being moved and settled, Kora talked to her all the while. ¡°You grabbed a white skull centipede, its poisonous and our scales offer little protection. The mucus it emits is a strong paralytic. It¡¯s only lethal when used in combination with an injuring trap preventing them from stemming the bleeding or whatever.¡± With seemingly enough information now available to identify the condition Kori¡¯s status reveals it to her. <> Wait¡­ isn¡¯t that stuff so strong that a dilute tincture of it made Bolst a fortune? Severity high? I think I¡¯m in trouble here... ¡°That wasn¡¯t very smart. Hilarious, but not smart.¡± Laughing at her junior¡¯s unfortunate situation before she continues her explanation of the toxin as Kori lay there unmoving. ¡°The centipedes primarily use it as a defense mechanism so it¡¯s a lot stronger than if it was just for their prey, but aside from not being able to move for a while it¡¯s relatively harmless¡± After a few minutes of silence, she hears Kora shuffling away and the sounds of talking that she can¡¯t quite make out with another woman present before the sounds of footsteps approach once again and she hears Kora¡¯s voice. ¡°This is an antidote; it¡¯s a mixture of stone nettle you may have encountered before with a few other additives to improve the effect with this particular poison.¡± Kori feels her head tilted back a bit as a slow dribble of a sweet tasting liquid flows over her tongue. ¡°You¡¯ll probably have a fever for a day or two afterwards and you may feel a bit ill, but it¡¯ll help with the poison.¡± As she lay there immobilized for the next however long it takes, she receives several notifications, one after the other. The first being yet another point of vitality. < 18 >> Followed by a reduction in her status condition. <> And then even more as the condition lowers and ends. < 3 >> <> At some point, she heard yelling before Korse came to talk, well not to exactly, more at her. ¡°Not how I imagined your first day going¡­ I¡¯m told you¡¯ll be fine, perhaps a little ill for a bit, but fine. So that¡¯s good.¡± He pauses as she hears some rustling sounds before feeling his hand on-top of her own, leading to a moment of panic before she remembers that someone had wiped any residue off of her hands already. ¡°I¡¯ve impressed upon Bolst that he should teach you the basics rather than jump straight in on hazardous poisons.¡± She hears his sigh and imagines his other hand is likely rubbing the bridge of his muzzle. ¡°I think he was a little over excited at having someone who was interested in his work instead of just wanting to make things fall in holes or impale them with sharp rocks.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave you here to recover, unless it¡¯s late I should still be at the brood chamber when you return. If you miss dinner, I¡¯ll have something set aside for you.¡± After a few more moments and a pat on her hand she feels him pull away and hears the clack of his claws on the stone floors as he walks away. Sometime later she finally gets the notification she¡¯d been waiting for, along with another unexpected gain. < 19 >> <> The barrage of needles under her scales slowly abating, Kori finds that she¡¯s able to move bit by bit, not much at first, but enough to open her eyes a little and see that she¡¯s in a large room. Once she can turn her head, she finds that she¡¯s on a sleeping mat not dissimilar to the thin one in her den and that there is a line of them stretching out before her. Each with a small raised wall of stone at the head of the space. All of the others are empty. It takes at least half an hour from being able to open her eyes to feel up to sitting up and staying up. Thinking back on the events, it was all in all, a very unpleasant way to spend, well she¡¯s not entirely certain how long. With her movement someone finally noticed that she was stirring and a young kobold approached her, ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Helping Kori scoot back a bit to rest her back against the slab of stone that stands beside her mat, ¡°I¡¯m Matron Erc, you¡¯re in the recovery room in the upper cavern by the trapper¡¯s hall. Bolst asked me to keep an eye on you until you were up.¡± Placing her hand on Kori¡¯s forehead and checking her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re already looking a bit flush and feel a little warm, it¡¯s just the antidote doing its thing.¡± ¡°How long since I was poisoned?¡± ¡°Oh, that was a good three hours ago dear. Honestly, that¡¯s pretty good for grabbing one of those squirmy scale blighters with a bare hand.¡± Her scrunched face telling Kori just how she feels about the centipedes. ¡°Bet¡¯cha even got a poison resistance skill for your troubles.¡± ¡°Already had it¡­ Did get two levels for my trouble though.¡± Forcing a smile that she didn¡¯t really feel, ¡°Could I get some water?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Likely having expected the request Erc grabs a jug sitting at the ready on the slab of stone Kori was leaning against and fills a small mug. Much to Kori¡¯s embarrassment, Erc holds on to the mug and helps her drink from it rather than placing it in her hands. Likely not trusting her to not drop it yet. ¡°You¡¯ll need to stay here for a bit, least until you can walk from one end of the room to the other without stumbling, twice.¡± Giving her a stern look to communicate that she¡¯ll take no exception. ¡°If you feel up to it, I¡¯ll help you up and we can get started. If not, let me know when you¡¯re ready.¡± Her first attempt went worse than Kori expected, with only Erc¡¯s help keeping her from meeting muzzle to floor, and several other trips and stumbles besides. Her feet felt like they¡¯d grown twice their size, claws dragging as she can¡¯t quite keep them lifted and pointed forward. It said the status was ended¡­ Shouldn¡¯t I be fine already? It took another half hour before she was confident of moving about on her own without support and managed to make two full circuits of the otherwise empty infirmary. ¡°Well, there you go. Up and moving and steady on your feet.¡± Erc beams with pride as though she were responsible for that feat of recovery. Which considering that Kori knew nothing of the woman¡¯s class she could very well be she supposed. ¡°I¡¯ll walk you back to the Trapper¡¯s Hall. You can find your way back down from there, right?¡± receiving a nod in response before guiding Kori out. A few short minutes of walking later, with only a slight stumble when she turned her head a little too quickly, Kori found herself back with the trappers, the stone door leading into Bolst¡¯s workshop closed tight and barely anyone remaining working on the various mechanisms strewn about the room in some form of haphazard organization. The path back to the Clan¡¯s caverns was a little winding with various offshoots and turns, but ultimately fairly simple to follow and she arrived back at the brood chamber well after everyone had finished dinner, thankful to find that while Korse had already left for the evening, he had left some food out for her in his little alcove as he said he would. Quickly eating what little she could stomach, her gut roiling at the prospect of any more, she joined her siblings in their evening conversations and games before she collapsed into a dreamless sleep as soon as her scales hit the leather of her mat. Waking to the sounds of her siblings out and about, still not feeling quite hungry but knowing she¡¯d regret not eating, she forced down as much as she could manage before the thought of eating more made her feel like she¡¯d rather lick a slime. Looking for Korse, he unfortunately was not present this morning as he needed to attend the Elder¡¯s meeting. One of the minders thankfully passed along a message that she was to return to the trappers, while also admonishing her to not handle any strange bugs. The walk back to the hall was much more difficult than the steady incline had been the previous day, she felt a bit winded and had to stop on more than one occasion. ¡°Is this cause of the antidote?¡± Mumbling to herself as she placed a hand on her brow like the matron had the day before, but not really sure what she was trying to feel for. Finally arriving at the hall she approached the stone door to Bolst¡¯s work space, without Korse alongside her this time the warrior sitting guard outside didn¡¯t bother to get up as she approached. ¡°Back already? I was sure I¡¯d never see ya again after they had to carry you out.¡± Laughing, she wasn¡¯t sure if it was at her guts for returning or her misfortune for how she left, either way it didn¡¯t really sit well with her. ¡°Sorry, ya¡¯ll hav¡¯ta wait here til I get the go ahead from the Elder.¡± Pausing a moment, ¡°Or the young miss. Either or.¡± He slowly pulls himself up, the butt of the spear that had been resting beside him bracing his ascent, before he disappears behind the door for a few minutes. While she waited Kori examined the various mechanisms being worked on again, starting to see a bit of the plan behind the chaos of the room with everything arrayed from the various stations that were preparing materials to be passed on to those making parts and then those to the ones assembling the complete traps. Oddly she sees that the last stage is actually taking them apart again, likely to be transported into the tunnels to be put to use. The Door eventually opened, revealing Kora alongside the guard. ¡°Good morning! Hope you¡¯re not feeling too bad from the antidote.¡± Giving her a quick look over and noting her flushed appearance. ¡°They leave you feeling pretty gross, right? But it¡¯s better than staying like that for longer.¡± Thinking for a minute, then laughing a bit ¡°Or it is until you¡¯ve got high tier two poison resistance, then the hour or so shaved off isn¡¯t worth dealing with the side effects.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not too bad, though I could barely eat half my breakfast before even looking at it felt unpleasant.¡± Giving her head a slow shake, not wanting a repeat of the last time she turned too quickly. ¡°Don¡¯t know if I¡¯m up for doing anything that needs a steady hand today¡­¡± ¡°Only steady hand you¡¯ll need for the next bit is to write notes.¡± Continuing to laugh at her predicament. For whatever reason her laugh didn¡¯t seem even mildly offensive like the guards had. ¡°After yesterday Bolst, with vigorous input from Korse of course, has decided that you need the [Basic Toxicology] Skill if you¡¯re going to be allowed to work in his lab.¡± ¡°Is that anything like Herbalism? It took me weeks go get that skill¡­¡± Not liking where it sounds like this is going. ¡°Yup!¡± Her grin spreading. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll help you. You¡¯ll have it in a week, tops.¡± The grin continuing to spread but taking on a more mischievous leaning, one could almost say an evil one. ¡°Besides,¡± The word stretched and drawn out, ¡°You already have herbalism, you¡¯ll get it much faster than a random newbie.¡± After greeting Bolst and apologizing for the events of the previous day, to which he also apologized for the lack of clarity in his instructions, she spent the rest of the day filling details about various toxins on a small stack of pages. Unlike her herbalism information, what was presented to her was in a more generic leaning. Things like the types of toxins and how some affect the blood while others the muscles and organs and others nerves and the mind. The difference between poison and venom was a very important lesson for Kori. If she had known that before she may have realized that the sheen on the centipede¡¯s shell was dangerous and been more cautious, rather than assuming the fangs were the dangerous part and focusing on not getting bitten. As was the lesson on bright markings being indicators of a creature being poisonous. These lessons went on for the next several days, culminating in a test of identifying which poisons or venoms descriptions belonged to which of the various creatures in Bolst¡¯s tanks on her fifth day there, not including the day of the mishap. She was able to identify most of the poisons easily, the animals they belonged to were more colourful and less violent in appearance making them easier to spot. But made a few mistakes on the venomous side, mistakenly believing that the little spiders in their multiple layered tank were the most dangerous of them, they weren¡¯t. That honour belonged to one of the fish. Apparently, the ugly little thing that was trying to disguise itself as a slightly fuzzy looking rock had a venom so potent it felt like your blood was on fire as your muscles seized. The spider¡¯s venom would of course still kill you; it just didn¡¯t go about it in such a mean way. That last push was enough to get her the skill that she would need to be allowed to work in the lab, and arm her with knowledge, precautions, and techniques for identifying and dealing with such creatures, both here and in the future. <> She was also eying what Bolst referred to as his ¡®big book of poisons¡¯ with hopes she¡¯d be allowed to make a copy of it if she could get her hands on another blank book. Maybe if I make enough of the ointment, they¡¯ll give me a book if I ask? Chapter 36 – Lesson learned, stop being dumb The next day, with her new Skill acquired and a much better understanding of just how dumb she¡¯d been in grasping an unknown insect in a room dedicated to producing poisons and other dangerous products for use in traps, Kori was finally ready to do a bit of work in Bolst¡¯s lab. With the differences in the tools she had available to her here, she was excited to see what she could make. Though the ointment would be her first project of course. Bolst had prepared a quantity of the luminous moss for her use over the past several days, enough for more than a dozen batches. Needing both the prepared and dried moss and the fresh moss for the concoction, she began her work producing the first. A task she failed miserably at. Using the burner and the glassware was so different from the stone and runes that she had used before as to be a completely different process. She burnt the moss long before it was properly dried. ¡°Why is this harder? I thought better equipment meant it would be easier¡­¡± Complaining aloud about the impediment to a craft she thought simple. Determined to figure out how to succeed with the equipment she ruined the next several batches, even managing in one particularly spectacular failure to light the usually moist moss aflame. She ended up using nearly the entirety of the available moss just to produce a bare handful of the dried moss successfully. Hesitantly approaching Bolst she clears her throat to get his attention as he¡¯s completely absorbed in his work, ¡°Uhh. Elder Bolst? I ran out of moss. Is there any chance you have more?¡± Jumping slightly as she had startled him, Bolst looks up from his work, ¡°Ran out already? How many batches did you get done?¡± Looking at her workspace and noticing a lack of any finished products and arching a brow. ¡°None¡­ I was only able to dry enough of the moss to make a few batches worth of tincture¡­¡± Her tone remorseful as she admits her failure. ¡°The tools here are nothing like what Spiritcaller Ortik uses. It took me all morning to adapt the process.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask for help? Kora could have shown you how to use the drying sheet¡­¡± Pointing over to a rack full of various tools and supplies that Kori didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°Let me guess, Ortik made you figure out everything on your own?¡± Getting a timid nod in response before sighing and shaking his head in annoyance at the wasted time. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not how we work here. If you don¡¯t know, ask, understood?¡± ¡°Yes, Elder.¡± Barely raising her eyes to look at him as she speaks. ¡°None of that either. It¡¯s Bolst.¡± His words showing hints of annoyance and exasperation. ¡°There¡¯s more moss in the cabinet.¡± Pointing off near the rack of tools to a tall cabinet with glass in the doors. ¡°But it¡¯s just the stuff I keep on hand, it¡¯s not nearly as fresh as the moss I¡¯d gotten for your work. Third shelf on the left, I think. The container is labeled.¡± Turning back to his work almost immediately after he finished speaking. Giving her thanks and scurrying over the cabinet she just barely makes out grumbling from Bolst as she walks away, ¡°Gonna take ages to break the bad habits after that stone headed shaman¡­¡± The rest lost as she busied herself finding the moss. What she found after rummaging, carefully, through the cabinet looking for the correct container was just as bad as Bolst had suggested, the wilted and partially dry moss having seen far better days. It turned out that using the inferior ingredients was probably for the best though, as the bone white mortar and pestle was harder to use too. It lacked the weight and coarseness that she was used to with the rough stone. Having learned her lesson the last time however, she asked Kora for advice. ¡°Kora? Could you give me a hand?¡± Calling over to the older woman and receiving a quick response that she would be over shortly. Kori continues to try and mash and grind the moss with the tools but finds getting the smooth paste she¡¯s going for nearly as easy as it had been with the supposedly inferior tools. After a few minutes wait while Kora completed whatever she was working on to a stage she could walk away from, she joined Kori at her work station. ¡°What can I help with?¡± ¡°The mortar and pestle, it doesn¡¯t seem to work as well as the stone I used before. Is there a trick to it or something I¡¯m missing?¡± She explains while demonstrating how she was mashing the moss. ¡°The porcelain is a bit different. It¡¯s not as coarse as stone, but that¡¯s also why it¡¯s better for cleaning. Using more of a circular motion and adding a bit of a twist with your wrist.¡± Looking at the contents of the mortar in front of Kori, ¡°You¡¯re also putting too much in, these work better in smaller amounts.¡± Scooting in alongside her, ¡°Here, let me show you.¡± She takes the pestle from Kori and uses it to scrape half of the mushed moss into another bowl before she begins grinding the remaining half with practiced motions. After less than a minute and adding a bit of the tincture the moss begins to take on a much smoother consistency. ¡°Is this about what you¡¯re going for?¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Running her claw through the mixture to test she looks to Kora before responding. ¡°A little smoother, but I need to add mana during this step so I¡¯ll have to do the rest.¡± Getting a nod in return before Kora hands her back the pestle and moves aside. ¡°Thank you. That was a big help.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome. I¡¯ll show you how to use the drying rack next time too. I forgot you¡¯re not used to all of this.¡± Waving her hand to the room around them. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I should have asked for help.¡± With that they both return to their work, Kori trying to copy the motions used by Kora to finish grinding the moss while letting a trickle of her mana seek out that same feeling of a void to be filled in the paste. Slowly grinding and trickling in drops of the tincture as she goes until she feels it and her mana flows from her hand. She continues her task as she feels the mana fill that empty space until it feels like it¡¯s beginning to overflow and she can sense more of it escaping into the air. With the process better understood she takes the remaining semi-mashed moss and continues, then moves on to creating more until there is no moss remaining. Out of what Bolst had on hand, she was able to produce eight batches. Though each was about half the volume as before. She also managed to succeed much more frequently than in her previous attempts, with six out of the eight taking the mana in. Something about the tools or the aged moss or perhaps her growing aptitude with the process made it easier to accomplish. Approaching Bolst again and waiting for him to be a little less engaged with apparently giving a centipede a bath as he used a pair of tongs to dunk the wriggling menace in a large jar of what looked like water. Something she was both curious of and terrified by. She was pretty sure this was not an enjoyable experience for the centipede, judging by the hissing sounds being made by the thrashing insect, which did put a bit of a smile on her face. Eventually returning the thing to its tank and dropping the tongs into another jar, Bolst looks up and notices her observing his work. ¡°This is what I was going to show you the other day.¡± Pointing to the jar of now somewhat cloudy liquid, ¡°It took me ages to find a way to get the mucus off of them without harming the centipede. Dunking them in pure alcohol does the trick, then it¡¯s just a matter of slowly boiling that off to get just the toxin.¡± Pouring the contents into a large metal vat with a weird lid with a twisted length of metal tube coming off the end of it and dropping into another jar, ¡°This¡¯ll take a few hours. How¡¯d your work turn out?¡± ¡°Good! Kora helped me get the grind right. There was enough moss for four batches, but the mortar worked better with less so I made eight smaller ones instead.¡± A bit of pride as she describes how successful she was. ¡°Six of them even succeeded, which is a lot better than my usual half.¡± Beginning to walk towards her workspace, Bolst responds, ¡°Let¡¯s take a look and see how you did then.¡± As he nears the bench he looks a little confused, not seeing eight individual little bowls of ointment but just two larger beakers, one with much more in it than the other. ¡°Did you mix them all together?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± She responds hesitantly. ¡°That¡¯s the successful product.¡± Pointing to the nearly full beaker. ¡°You should not have mixed them.¡± Pausing and clearing his throat as he softens his tone to somewhat less of a reprimand. ¡°There may have been things you could have learned from each, especially if we were able to appraise them prior to mixing.¡± Somewhat confused by the mention of appraisal, ¡°But we¡¯d need to get Har to appraise them, wouldn¡¯t we?¡± ¡°What? No. I have [Appraisal].¡± Shaking his head at the glaring gaps in her knowledge. ¡°My only knowledge skills are toxicology, herbalism, and trapper¡¯s insight, so I can¡¯t do everything like a merchant, but herbalism is better for this anyway.¡± He quickly shares an appraisal with her of her newest ointment. Imbued Herbal Healing Ointment Tier 1, Inferior A topical ointment created from withered herbs and imbued with a small amount of mana. Used to treat wounds and restore health over time. Can treat infected wounds up to Tier 0. Health restored depends on volume of ointment applied, restoring 5 health per gram up to a maximum of 50 health at 10 grams, over a period of one hour. Created using Luminous Moss and Water ¡°Your others restored 100 health, correct?¡± Confirming he was remembering correctly, ¡°Perhaps not all of them were so bad, but mixing them together left it all like this.¡± Thinking for a few moments, ¡°Or more likely it was the withered old moss and they all were this bad.¡± ¡°But I thought only merchants could appraise things?¡± Clearly still confused and not really registering that her ointment had been rated as ¡®Inferior¡¯. ¡°There¡¯s a more niche ¡®Appraiser¡¯ job, and a couple others that can get you the skill. But only merchants get a general knowledge skill.¡± Falling into a lecture mode, though unlike Ortik his tone remaining neutral and somewhat kind. ¡°[Appraisal] uses your knowledge Skills to create the information. I¡¯m sure my appraisal has more information to it than Har¡¯s did, because I have a more specialized skill.¡± ¡°Much more! That¡¯s neat. How do I learn [Appraisal]? Do I have to start staring at everything and trying to imagine descriptions?¡± Her enthusiasm at the idea causes Bolst to break down into a fit of laughter at the thought of the little Kobold staring at each of his beakers and flasks with a look of intense concentration. ¡°What? No. Though it¡¯d be hilarious to watch.¡± Another burst of laughter now drawing Kora¡¯s attention over. ¡°[Appraisal] is pretty much impossible to learn on your own. Need to take a job for it.¡± Pouting at yet another thing locked away from her for the next two years. ¡°Oh.¡± Chapter 37 – Explosions? With no moss remaining and still hours left in the day, Bolst suggested that she lend a hand with one of their easiest tasks, one he generally left to Kora as it had long been reduced to being rote. ¡°We need to produce some flame liquor. It¡¯s relatively simple to make, just a few ingredients and some pure alcohol that we get from the brewers.¡± Fishing around in a cabinet and retrieving a sheaf of papers, ¡°This has the process on it. Just follow the directions and it won¡¯t take too long.¡± Placing the instructions down in front of Kori before turning to face Kora, ¡°Set her up with the right gear to get her started on a small batch, she can scale it up once she¡¯s run through it once or twice.¡± ¡°Flame liquor? Are you sure?¡± Clearly doubting herself after the day¡¯s performance. ¡°I don¡¯t want to cause a fire in here or anything.¡± Kora approaches her and waves off her concerns, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s pretty stable as long as you don¡¯t bring it near an open flame.¡± She explains, ¡°The work is done in stages, everything that needs to be heated is done first and then after you douse the burner you do the mixing. Perfectly safe.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Okay.¡± She replies cautiously. ¡°What do I need to do?¡± Still a bit worried, but at the same time a little excited to learn the new process. ¡°It¡¯s all here,¡± Tapping the sheets of paper. ¡°Read through that while I gather a few things and I¡¯ll observe and answer questions as you go.¡± She steps away to gather beakers and flasks and ingredients, making several trips back and forth to Kori¡¯s work station as he hands fill. Reading through the guide Kori quickly finds that the process is relatively simple, if menial. Mixing several extracts and oils and an acid, she¡¯d need to be very careful with that part, over a burner for several minutes until the colour changes and then allowing it cool and gently adding it to the alcohol. Once allowed to set the mixture would apparently thicken to a slime like goop. ¡°Bolst? What is this used for?¡± Her curiosity demanding to know why they¡¯d want something like this. Peering up from his work briefly at her question, ¡°Hmm? Oh, it¡¯s mostly used in the warning traps.¡± He answers idly, most of his attention still on whatever he was working on. ¡°Much more effective than the sign saying ¡®Keep Out¡¯.¡± While the vague answer only raises more questions, Kori doesn¡¯t think she¡¯ll be getting much more out of him while he¡¯s engrossed in his work. Before she was done going over the notes a second time, Kora was finished gathering the necessary ingredients and equipment for them to begin the process. ¡°Okay. So, what¡¯s the first step Kori?¡± She prods, letting the younger kobold take the lead. ¡°Well first, like you taught me, is to verify that I have everything I need.¡± She replies, clearly not willing to disregard her earlier lessons in safety again. She begins checking off the ingredients one by one until she finds something out of place. ¡°This is the wrong extract.¡± She notes, ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be¡­¡± Looking back at the notes, ¡°Fraxinella extract?¡± The plant name seeming weird to her, ¡°This is an oil¡­ I think?¡± ¡°Correct. It¡¯s from a plant called poison ivy, causes nasty itching for soft skins.¡± Chuckling as she explains. ¡°Good catch.¡± Swapping the offending jar for one sitting on a nearby table. ¡°This is the fraxinella.¡± ¡°What would have happened if I used the oil?¡± Kori asks, she thinks it would still produce something flammable, but isn¡¯t sure what the difference would have been. ¡°It¡¯d probably still work, but could have been too stable, the frax is there to keep it easy to light.¡± She shrugs as she explains, the results untested but her experience guiding her to a likely answer. ¡°Though I¡¯d have stopped you before you got that far.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± A little annoyed at being tested, though understanding why. ¡°We¡¯re also missing the alcohol.¡± She adds. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll get that while the mixture cools.¡± She responds dismissively. ¡°Don¡¯t like having it so close to the burners while they¡¯re lit.¡± With a last look over the arrayed ingredients and apparatus before her, ¡°Then I guess we¡¯re ready.¡± She begins setting up the burner, leaving the wick unlit for now, and the stand to hold the beaker once she begins, before taking a number of small dishes and measuring out her ingredients ahead of time. ¡°Lanolin and sea shells to thicken.¡± Measuring out a dollop of the oil and powdered shell. ¡°Acid to break down the shells.¡± Carefully pouring a thin stream of acid into a glass measure. ¡°Fraxinella to keep it flammable.¡± The fumes spread quickly as she opens the lid on the fraxinella container. A somewhat sickly-sweet odour to them. She places a lid on the measure to prevent them from igniting. With all the ingredients measured out and ready she glances to Kora. ¡°That¡¯s everything for this part. Can I begin?¡± Receiving a nod in response Kori slowly begins combining the ingredients, first the seashell powder before gingerly adding in the acid, careful not to cause any splashes. She leans in closer and watches as the mixture bubbles and the powder slowly dissolves into the acid. ¡°That¡¯s kind of fun to watch.¡± As more and more bubbles form and rise in the liquid, pulling the powder along with it only for it to fall back down in a slow cascade. ¡°Don¡¯t wait too long to begin heating it. You don¡¯t want to leave too much water in it.¡± Kora cautions. Moving the beaker above the still unlit burner she scurries over to light a taper on another that was already lit and returns, lighting her own. The mixture slowly heats and sizzles with the acid vigorously doing its thing as she begins to slowly dribble in the lanolin and mixes the contents of the beaker gently. Once everything is incorporated and the fizzing bubbles stop, she snuffs the burner. Waiting a few minutes as the mixture stops bubbling and begins to darken before adding the fraxinella extract. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Well done, a little quicker on the heat next time, but otherwise well done.¡± Kora praises her. Kori doesn¡¯t really pay the acknowledgement much heed as she continues to watch the now stilled mixture. ¡°How long does it take to cool?¡± ¡°A few minutes,¡± Looking at Kori with a grin, ¡°Just long enough to clean up and reset to do it again.¡± With a sigh, knowing she walked right into that, Kori gathers up all the measures and vessels and plods over to the wash basin. ¡°Do I have to worry about washing out the acid?¡± She calls back, one of Kora¡¯s lessons about safety coming back to her just before she taps the water rune. ¡°Oh, that stuff? Nah.¡± She chuckles dismissively, ¡°The humans use that stuff on their food apparently.¡± A look of shock crossing Kori¡¯s face as she pictures humans drinking acid. ¡°It¡¯s harmless, kinda tangy tasting. Go ahead and try it if you want.¡± Her look of shock slowly fading to curiosity. She exaggeratingly slowly lowers a claw towards the residue of the acid in the beaker in hand, giving Kora plenty of time to halt her and tell her it was a joke. No warnings to stop ever come and Kori drags a claw through the remnants before bringing it up to her nose and giving it a sniff, a harsh stinging scent filling her nostrils. Giving it a lick a sharp, sour flavour invades her mouth with a pungent aftertaste that feels like it¡¯s robbed her tongue of its moisture. Her face twists in the displeasure of the entirely new flavour. Kora begins to laugh at the younger kobold¡¯s misfortune, beginning as a mere chuckle but devolving into a tearful, cackling laugh as she watches Kori¡¯s reaction. Even Bolst cannot help but join in on the laughter as he sees what has occurred. ¡°Ack.¡± Coughing and sputtering at the sudden intense flavour coating the insides of her cheeks. Quickly tapping the water rune, she practically shoves her head under its flow. Rinsing and spitting the water out to clear the taste still clinging within her mouth until she¡¯s finally rid of it. ¡°That is just foul! The humans like this stuff?!¡± Her voice and face both a picture of offended incredulity. Neither Kora nor Bolst able to control their mirth as Kori gives them dirty looks. With a glare at the pair of them she returns to her cleaning, vowing to get back at them eventually. returning to her station with the cleaned glassware and the pair of kobolds finally done with their laughing, Kora finally apologizes for the prank. ¡°Sorry Kori. If it makes you feel any better, Bolst did the same thing to me when I first started too.¡± She tries to commiserate with her, though Kori was definitely not ready to hear it yet. ¡°And yes, the humans enjoy it.¡± Shaking her head and trying not to start laughing again. ¡°Not sure how. They¡¯re a weird bunch.¡± A chuckle threatening to begin her laughter once again. Trying to ignore the pair and seeing that the now much darker concoction of ingredients was mostly cooled. Which she checked by waving her palm over the open lid before feeling the side with the scales on the back of her hand, she looks to Kora before asking, ¡°Are we ready to mix it?¡± She receives a quick nod in return before Kora points to a much larger vessel on the nearby table, already filled with over a litre of liquid. ¡°I measured out the alcohol while you cleaned up.¡± Carrying over the heavy pitcher of liquid and setting it on her workstation gently took some effort with the size and relative awkwardness, but she managed to do so without spill or mishap. A glance to Kora confirming there were no last-minute interruptions. She raised her mixture above the liquor and slowly began pouring it in. Using the long glass rod made for the purpose, she gently stirred the mixture. Her goal was for the liquid to thicken into a somewhat gloopy and viscous liquid that would splatter and stick if propelled against a surface. As she slowly worked the two liquids together a familiar sensation began to creep into her senses. A feeling of a missing ingredient. A void needing to be filled. This time around, Kori knew that she wasn¡¯t dealing with some harmless poultice designed to relieve wounds, but a volatile and dangerous, potentially even explosive, concoction. She hesitated to heed that feeling her instincts were practically screaming at her to follow and gripped her mana tightly to keep it from entering the solution. ¡°Uhhh, Kora!¡± Panic threading her voice as she kept to her same pace of stirring. ¡°It¡¯s doing something strange¡­¡± Even Bolst hears the note of distress in her voice and jumped up from what he was doing, the thought that he wasn¡¯t fast enough last time with the centipede still weighing on him. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± As he rushes over to her side, ready to drag her away if anything dangerous were happening. Her eyes still fixed on the slowly gelling solution before her. ¡°It want¡¯s my mana¡­ Like the ointment did.¡± Her panic not quite as pronounced since she didn¡¯t notice any reaction to not giving it the energy. ¡°Oh¡­ Oh!¡± Both Kora and Bolst exclaim looking between each other then back to Kori and her work. Both of them speak up nearly on top of each other. ¡°Don¡¯t do it!¡± Kora exclaims. Only to be almost immediately contradicted by Bolst¡¯s yelling ¡°Do it!¡± With her instincts agreeing with Bolst and driving her forward, Kori let loose her grip on her mana and allowed it to flow freely. The liquid drank greedily from her mana as it began to glow with a subtle fiery orange light and she started to feel a little light headed. She watched on as her mana dwindled, drawing down nearly a hundred points in moments leaving her with just over half of it remaining. As the draining sensation finally abated, they all looked on curiously as the formerly dark brown viscous concoction was now shimmering in a yellow orange as though from an inner flame. As they all watched, heat began to rise surrounding the pitcher and a rising haze shimmered in the air above the vessel. A wisp of flame ignited in the most distant fumes above but failed to follow them back to their source. The three shared a look, a mix of awe and panic, as they saw this happen again and the spark got a bit closer to the surface of the concoction the second time. Kora and Kori both started to slowly back away in fear, not wanting to stir up the air by breaking into a run. Bolst on the other hand threw that caution aside as he grabbed the nearby lid and hastily slid it in from the side. His eyes wide as the lid passed through the haze filled air just as a flame washed over his hands but was blocked from its destination as he sealed the concoction away. He joined the others at a distance, watching the dangerous fumes fill the space between the lid and the surface of the mixture. Their eyes wide and their attention transfixed on it as they waited for something to happen. Anything to happen. Minutes passed as the three barely even breathed, but nothing changed. Finally settling from their anxiety, the older pair talk over top of each other once again. Kora berating Bolst for how stupid he had been both for encouraging this and with the lid, Bolst exclaiming at Kori and asking as many questions as the youngling was apt to. And Kori? She was staring wide eyed at something the rest could not see. Something she¡¯d been waiting on for months. <> Prologue update Hello everyone, few updates for you all. First of all, I''ll address the main concern when you see a non-chapter post, there will be no interruptions in chapters. Next, I want to say thank you to everyone who''s rated or reviewed, with your support Emberscale Alchemist is now ranked in the top 2500 best rated fictions on all of RoyalRoad! And not just barely either, we''re presently sitting at 2291! Here''s hoping we can continue to rise in the ranks. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. And last but not least, the prologue update is now live! It''s always had some issues with run on sentences and not enough narration to break up dialog. Well now that''s fixed. I had debated leaving it for when the published Vol 1 eventually came around, but as the introduction to the story it feels better to have my best foot forward for new readers. I''d love your feedback on the changes. There are fewer chapters, but more words, in the new version. A couple of the old ones were consolidated where it made more sense for the timing. Oh, almost forgot, Wednesday''s chapter hits the 100,000 words milestone too! Chapter 38 – Explosions! The tension thick enough in the air that it could be mistaken for the earlier fumes, barely broken by the voices rapidly speaking over each other. A sudden exclamation, ¡°Finally!¡± Echoing through the room startling the older pair of kobolds and causing them to duck for cover behind the table they had all been cowering behind moments beforehand. Looks of terror fading quickly to aggrieved expressions as they both leveled hard stares at the youngling. A grin spreading across Kori¡¯s face as she watched the others react to her outburst. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to get back at them for that vinegar nearly this soon. With the moment passed and the others realizing that the concoction remained stable, they stood from their reactive crouch and gave the youngling an annoyed but curious look. ¡°Finally, what?¡± Bolst asks. ¡°I finally got the skill that¡¯s been bugging at me for months, the one that lets me make things like,¡± Pointing at the still luminous substance on the worktop, ¡°That. [Imbue Concoction].¡± Before Bolst can continue his questioning, Kora scoops her up in a tight squeeze of a hug, jumping around cheering her on with a boisterous ¡°Congratulations!¡± Struggling against Kora¡¯s grip while the older kobold celebrates her achievement. Finally settling back down, the pair separate, Kora looking between the lidded pitcher and Kori back and forth. ¡°So, uuhhh. What is it?¡± With her voice full of confidence and surety, Looking at Kora she gave her reply. ¡°No idea!¡± As though it were the final pebble too many, Bolst broke into their little celebration, ¡°What do you mean, ¡®No idea¡¯? You made it, you have to have some idea!¡± Her reply, a single, unambiguous, ¡°Nope.¡± pausing for a moment before turning his question back on him, ¡°What¡¯s [Appraisal] say?¡± A shake of his head and a look showing his frustration, ¡°Nothing¡­¡± Seeing Kori¡¯s brow rise and the question forming in her eyes, he pre-empted the word he knew came next. The word that he¡¯d been well warned of. ¡°Why? Because it¡¯s not a trap, herb, or a poison. I just told you that you can only appraise what you have knowledge Skills for.¡± Her face falling at being unable to determine what she¡¯d made. ¡°Oh.¡± After a ponderous moment, looking back at the pair. Her grin returning with her bright idea. ¡°What if we put it in a trap?¡± This time there was neither hesitation nor contradiction, the pair of older kobolds both exclaiming ¡°No!¡± in unison. The word hung in the air a moment to let their answer sink in and Bolst composed himself before he continued in a calmer tone. ¡°No. We know that whatever it is, it¡¯s not stable. Just the fumes off the stuff self-ignite if left uncovered.¡± He gingerly walked over to the workbench but paused before he touched it, his face still pale as he stared at the fiery glow. ¡°I¡¯m terrified to even move it, let alone try to incorporate it into a trap.¡± The other pair joined him at his side, no one willing to cross the final gap and touch the container, but everyone clearly wanting nothing more than to figure out what it was they stared at. ¡°What if I made more?¡± The other two turned, staring at her like she had said something utterly ridiculous. Which to be fair, she had. ¡°Not like that! What if I made a tiny bit of it. Something that isn¡¯t so¡­¡± Before she could finish Kora interrupted her thought, ¡°Terrifying?¡± Wincing at the implication, ¡°No! Uhm¡­ Intimidating?¡± She tested the word for a moment. ¡°Yeah, intimidating.¡± A look was shared between Bolst and Kora briefly as they thought over her proposition, both giving the other a nod before Bolst replied. ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea.¡± Looking over the ingredients already laid out on the workspace and back to Kora, ¡°Cut it to a fifth?¡± She shook her head in vigorous denial, ¡°No, definitely not!¡± Kora made the same look as he had between the ingredients, seemingly calculating how much she could cut the recipe by, ¡°A tenth? I¡¯d rather a twentieth, but I don¡¯t think we can measure it accurately enough at that point.¡± It occurred to Kori while the others debated quantity that they were both right. They¡¯ll definitely want to test more than once and they¡¯ll want to have more so a merchant could appraise it at some point. Extra would be good, but too much was obviously a terrible idea. ¡°What about a fifth, but I mix it in four smaller vials we can seal?¡± ¡°Genius!¡± Bolst responded and she got a grin from Kora for her suggestion. ¡°Do you think it¡¯ll work?¡± ¡°I think so?¡± Her response lacked any confidence, but was the best they had to go on since it was her skill. ¡°Well then, lets get to experimenting!¡± Bolst replied before repeating a motto that had gotten him in no end of trouble, ¡°No better way of learning than doing!¡± With all hands on the project, it took next to no time at all to prepare the equipment and measure out the reduced ingredients to begin the process. Well away from the ominous glow still pervading Kori¡¯s former workspace. Once the initial preparation is sat cooling, Bolst fetched four small, stout flasks. Each with a thick frosted looking glass stopper that swung on a metal ring of sorts. ¡°I use these for my most dangerous poisons. They hold about the right amount, maybe a little less.¡± With a glance back at their new light source, ¡°Should be good, if there¡¯s anything left then I say we mix it in a dish and let it do its thing.¡± Seeing the near immediate response he was about to get from Kora, he pre-empted her objection with a quick, ¡°From a safe distance.¡± Aborting her intended argument with a brief, ¡°Hmph.¡± Kora hesitated a moment before responding with a nod. ¡°Acceptable.¡± Turning back to Kori, a thought occurring to her as they finished their final preparations, ¡°Do you have enough mana to continue?¡± Looking up from her task of measuring the alcohol out into four small, even portions, ¡°Hm? Oh, yeah. The big one,¡± Pointing to it. ¡°Took around a hundred mana, so I¡¯ve still got a little over half left.¡± Taking a second to check her status, ¡°Bit more since I¡¯ve already gotten a couple points back.¡± Neither of her seniors were prepared for such a number. The idea that a four-year-old had nearly as much mana as Bolst, and a fair bit more than Kora, an utter shock. ¡°One Hundred was half?!¡± Bellows Bolst in utter disbelief, ¡°How? I¡¯ve barely got two hundred and fifty and I¡¯m nearly ready to evolve my race!¡± Kori looks back at him before giving him a shrug of her shoulders, ¡°My Trait. It gives me Attunement every level.¡± She replied matter-of-factly, not seeing any issue with what she had said. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Enough that you¡¯ve got forty of it at what, level 3? 4?¡± Bolst¡¯s disbelief growing as he does the mental math to try to pin down her stats. Her grin spreading as she was yet again underestimated, Kori looked at the pair of them while she pulled up her status and read out the number ¡°Nope. 34 Attunement.¡± Kora looked shocked but didn¡¯t seem to have done the mental math required yet. Bolst on the other hand, definitely had as she watched his jaw go slack, an incredulous ¡°Level six? Higher?¡± whispered out just before Kori tossed up her status for the pair to see. After a long pause Kora was the first to reply. ¡°No wonder they¡¯re pushing you to become a mage. Even without a mage class you¡¯ll have half as much Magic and Attunement as a common Class mage, maybe more, when you max out [Kobold]¡­¡± ¡°More than half¡­ Definitely more¡­ At least compared to a tier one mage.¡± Bolst comments. ¡°I knew your trait was special, I guess I just didn¡¯t realize how much. It¡¯s boosting your leveling too, obviously.¡± Reading the long list of skills she had already attained with two years left to go, ¡°And you¡¯re working Korse¡¯s Title for all it¡¯s worth.¡± His eyes going wide once more, ¡°If you¡¯re already at this point now¡­ He¡¯s going to get so many levels on your class day.¡± ¡°I know, right? I can¡¯t wait to see his face!¡± Kori responds, treating what the others are taking like walking into a pit trap as nothing out of the ordinary. ¡°So, can I start mixing? I wanna see if the Skill improves my success rate.¡± Shaken from his thoughts, Bolst took a moment to reply. Waiting until he had nodded the affirmative before beginning to carefully measure out the dark tarry solution into the vials. Once apportioned they saw that there was about a quarter of a flasks worth left in the original container and set it aside for a bit later. She slowly dribbled a stream of alcohol into the first vial before lowering the stir stick into the confines. Stirring gently in awkward, stilted movements because of the limited space and awkward grip. She quickly felt the void within the solution in her senses. This time it was clearer than ever before, her Skill letting her understand context and details that she¡¯d never noticed. She could tell that the vial demanded a mere five of her mana. Any less and it would fail to take hold and the mana would evaporate once she released her control over it. Once the five mana had entered the mixture, she could also feel that that limit was more elastic than expected. Though not without risk. She knew that the more mana added, the less stable the result would be. If nothing went wrong, the excess might still simply escape the concoction. If it did go wrong, the result would be much, much worse. Describing what was happening aloud as she continued, slowly stirring the mixture until it reached the desired consistency and the vial began to heat up in her hand before a spark of flame seemed to ignite within the heart of it. The solution seemed to explode within itself, a burst of yellow-orange flame spreading like an out-of-control blaze, leaving it the same glowing orange of the original. The vial continued to quickly heat from the reaction and became too hot to hold without burning her hand. Flipping and securing the lid on the flask before any of the fumes could escape, she set it in a purpose-built stand they had readied for the purpose before hastily retracting her hand. ¡°Ow! Hot, hot, hot.¡± Waving her arm about herself in an attempt to cool the over-warmed soft scales on her palm. ¡°That got really hot.¡± Both the adults gave a chuckle at her antics and tested the vial against the backs of their hands, once Kora made sure she hadn¡¯t actually burned herself at least. Returning their attention to her work, the sealed solution seemed perfectly safe, aside from being near scalding. What did not seem safe were the little wisps of flame coming off the stir rod that had been set down on the metal surface, clearly even the residue enough to be dangerous. After a shared look Bolst retrieved a clean replacement, dousing the first in a beaker of water before anything else was set alight. The next proceeded much the same, awkward stirring, exactly five mana, self-contained immolation, excess heat, flaming rod, nothing new to be remarked upon. ¡°Two in a row, that¡¯s a good sign.¡± She commented as she looked over the pair of flasks. ¡°Hopefully I can go four for four.¡± Giving herself a nod and beginning over again. The third was much like the first two and succeeded in producing the same bright result. Before she began adding the alcohol to the fourth flask, Bolst interrupted her process. ¡°I¡¯d like you to try something.¡± Placing his hand over the glass stir rod, ¡°The skill works fine through the rod, will it work through the vial instead?¡± Looking pointedly where she was gripping the container. Giving him a confused look, not quite understanding what he meant. ¡°But I have to mix it, don¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Just shake it.¡± He retorted, like it was the most obvious answer. Kora, aghast at his response, ¡°What? No. That¡¯s a terrible idea. What happens if it ignites in her hand or something?¡± She objected. ¡°Yeah, that!¡± Kori chimed in. ¡°The mix appears to be stable until the little bloom of fire inside, right?¡± Attempting to placate the pair. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any worry if she stops as soon as that happens.¡± Kora, obviously defensive of her adoptive sister, gave him a vehement, ¡°I¡¯ll do it then.¡± Not wanting to let Kori take any more risks. Kori shook her head and quickly dissuaded her of the thought. ¡°I¡¯m the only one with the Skill.¡± Looking between the pair before continuing, ¡°I¡¯ll give it a shot. But if anything feels off, I¡¯m stopping.¡± Nodding at her cautious response, Bolst replied, ¡°Fair enough.¡± Before gesturing her to continue from where he had interrupted. After Dribbling in the liquor instead of beginning to stir like before, she sealed the vial with the stopper and secured it with the metal ring before beginning to gently swish it around in her hand. When nothing happened initially, the thick mixture on the bottom stubbornly holding separate from the rest, she started shaking it a bit more vigorously until the two slowly combined. Once the solution was mostly uniform the tell-tale sensation began to pull her mana and she allowed the five points to mingle into the liquid. Instead of waiting for the bloom, something she knew would happen as soon as she released her control of the mana within the mix, she set her work into the waiting stand. The other three had already been moved a safe distance. Just in case. She ignored a questioningly raised brow from Bolst, paying him no mind as she worked. The reaction was immediate when she released the vial, in both the physical and magical sense. In comparison to her first attempts the change was subdued, the flame spreading in a sedate pace as it consumed the contents of the vial and transformed them from an ugly tarry brown to a shimmering orange. It¡¯s colour brighter with strands of yellow coruscating within. ¡°Shaking works better!¡± Kori exclaimed, looking at her work and comparing it to the distant examples whose colouration remained more singularly orange. ¡°It would seem so.¡± Mused Bolst, ¡°I just wanted you to stop burning the glass rods¡­ The last one cracked.¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s why you wanted her to risk it¡­¡± Kora deadpans. Shaking her head at him, ¡°It¡¯s always about the equipment with you.¡± Bolst tried to affect an innocent sounding, ¡°What?¡± But failed miserably in his attempt. Seeking to change the subject he asked, ¡°Now for the testing bit?¡± The pair both laughed at his unsubtle attempt, but still moved on to the next task. Everyone was curious what would happen. After moving the last flask off with the others and clearing everything else on the table away, Kori got started on the final preparation. It took mere moments to pour not much more than a few drops into the remaining goop before mixing, flashing Bolst a grin and getting a chuckle out of Kora as she used another of his stirring rods. Doing the same as the last, she stopped just as she felt the mana saturate the mixture, barely more than a single point required, and prepared to step back. ¡°Here goes!¡± Letting her mana loose and scurrying back to join the other two. The flame within burst out at the same pace as her final flask, though at the scale involved it took just a blink to consume the entire concoction. Much longer was required to see the telling haze rising from the glass bowl, wisps of flame beginning in the air above until they finally gained the momentum to flash down to the surface below. For the briefest of moments nothing happened. The mixture seeming to consume the flames without change. That fractional moment of reprieve quickly ended though, a shattering wave erupting from the concoction followed by bright flames spreading several feet and enveloping most of the otherwise empty table. The trio observing from several meters back felt the force buffet their scales and fragments of glass pelted the room. Resulting in only minor cuts, missing any of their eyes thankfully. Once the initial shock and acrid smoke cleared the trio saw the aftermath. The solid metal table sat smouldering with a dent large enough to sink an entire fist into, low flames still burning around where the dish had previously rested. All three slowly turn, looking at the corner where the first giant batch resides. The batch that was easily over eighty times the volume of their little experiment. In unison the three darted towards the door, pausing only long enough to gather the four vials that they wanted no where near the horrifying pitcher of fiery destruction. Chapter 39 – What did she do this time? The deep echoing thud of the heavy stone door practically slamming behind them as they fled into the main chamber of the trapper¡¯s hall pulled every eye towards the trio, who stood bent over with their hands on knees panting after the mad dash from the confines of the lab. Some smartly took this as a sign that they¡¯d be better off anywhere else, their tools clattering to the floor as they too fled punctuating the low base of the door with a cacophony of lighter sounds. Others rushed towards the potential hazard that was Elder Bolst, to render aid should it be required. One, a guard well out of his league should the worst come to pass, instead chose to take up his spear and face it bravely. Though what a stone headed spear could do in the face of what lurked behind those doors, besides becoming additional shrapnel that is, was anyone¡¯s guess. Stepping up in front of Bolst and raising her voice to echo across the cavern, Kora bellowed out, ¡°This is an Oleander incident people, you know what to do.¡± With her mention of the dreaded ¡®O¡¯ word, everyone, even the few workers who had kept to their work when the three first burst in, turned tail and scattered. Each fled to whatever doorway or gate happened to be closest. They however didn¡¯t flee. Kori watched as every entrance to the workshop was slammed closed and barred. Their task done the workers formed an orderly line awaiting instruction. Bolst quickly took charge of the situation, orders barked out to one trapper after another in quick succession. ¡°Fau, go fetch Elder Blonc and Elder Ylst, they should still be at the training yards. Wyb, Elder Korse, try the hatchery. Czh, Check the stockroom, I need a merchant, Har if you can find him.¡± Those named took off at a sprint the moment Bolst turned to address someone else. Looking back to the guard still menacingly pointing his spear at a stone door, ¡°Otr, stop that, the door isn¡¯t the problem.¡± Glaring at the young man, ¡°No, the problem is anyone who tries to go in.¡± Taking a deep breath before he shouted out into the chamber, ¡°The lab is off limits until further notice.¡± Definitely louder than necessary, but he got the point across. Looking back to the very nervous guard, ¡°Stop anyone except me entering,¡± After a glance to his prot¨¦g¨¦, ¡°Even Kora.¡± He was surprised to see her give him a nod of acknowledgement at that, having expected at least a little pushback. Pointing down to the spear in Otr¡¯s hand, ¡°Use that thing if anyone tries to push past. Even another Elder.¡± The guard¡¯s eyes bulged at the implication of the command, but he still nodded before squaring his shoulders and taking up a position in the middle of the doorway with the meanest look he could muster on his face. Which to be fair was at least a little intimidating. Kori¡¯s eyes widened as she watched the events unfold across the room, the grim determination of the gathered kobolds who were all dealing with an unknown danger, and doing so in a more controlled manner than she thought herself capable of. Most of her focus remained on the little stand of still warm flasks gripped between her hands. Her hold on it like she was grasping the wriggling menace of a centipede all over again. Firm and steady while trying to keep them as far away from her as physically possible. For the first time, the brief thought of the white skull centipede brought a smile to her face. It was still in the room with the horror she had wrought. ¡°Uhm, Bolst?¡± Calling his attention once he¡¯d finished roaring out orders, ¡°What should I do with these?¡± He glanced at her momentarily before turning back to the assembled trappers, ¡°Which testing room is the least cluttered?¡± Getting a quick response that the two was the best choice he quickly ordered everyone idle to remove anything and everything flammable from two. ¡°Kori, have a seat over there,¡± Pointing off to the side far away from anyone, ¡°And wait a bit. If anything changes with those flasks, scream your little lungs out, set them down, and run. Got it?¡± She gave him a nod before beginning to slowly walk over to the designated spot, plopping herself down once she was there to wait. While all of the rest was going on, Kora was rushing about talking to people, rapidly checking that doors were secure, and verifying no one was hiding in any of the side chambers or under any tables. When she had finished her circuit, she reported back to Bolst. ¡°Most accounted for, some of em bolted before we sealed everything so we¡¯re not certain, but I think we¡¯re good.¡± It was clear from her tone; the ones that bolted were going to be having a bad day once Kora caught up to them. From her idle place off to the side, Kori observed the chaos. She knew that this was her fault, not only hers, but without her it wouldn¡¯t be happening. The thought of causing all this couldn¡¯t really upset her though, not while the little glowing vials of liquid fire bathed her in their warm light. No matter what else was going on around her, that was enough to make it worth it. That wasn¡¯t to say they didn¡¯t terrify her, but the longer she held them, the less frightened she was of them. She checked them each regularly as the minutes ticked by, each of them warm to various degrees consistent with the order that they¡¯d been made in. Before long the first three had cooled to barely warmer than her own scales. The final flask though, that one wasn¡¯t cooling nearly as quickly. Something about mixing it in the sealed container or letting it settle before she released her hold on the mana had made it different than the others. Made it better than the others. The first to arrive, banging on the barred gate before he was let in, was Elder Blonc, with several of his warriors alongside him. Kori had seen him plenty of times before, but never ready for a fight. The burly man was clad in armour of overlapping metal plates, his helmet even covering his horns in burnished metal that ended in sharpened points. The sword strapped diagonally across his back equally as tall as he was, which still only put it at a little more than a meter. The blade as wide as both his hands side by side and a wicked spike at the end of the pummel. Marching in behind his warriors were an equal number of mages, most of them in the brown robes that signify they had an affinity for earth magic, the most useful when there was an accident or a cavern needed to be sealed off, but the red of a fire mage could be spotted in the crowd and the Kore¡¯s green robes contrasted Ylst¡¯s white in the rear. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Were it not for the circumstances, Kori would be happy to see another of her adoptive siblings present. Nearly half of their little family in one place, and Korse likely already on his way. Loud orders were yelled and the assembled warriors and mages spread out into the chamber, looking for danger and verifying all the gates for a second time. As the mage in the red robes began to approach Kori, clearly the contents of the vials having attracted his interest, he was quickly told off by Bolst to stay clear until everything was secure. It didn¡¯t take much longer for the aforementioned father figure to himself appear. The man, clearly not one to have raised his physical ability scores beyond what his race had provided, huffing and panting as he made his way into the room. Kore tried to give him a welcoming smile, but it was uncertain if Korse even noticed his presence, let alone the gesture. He barrelled forward towards the now off-limits lab, panic on his face when he saw Bolst and Kora standing together near the door without his youngest charge. ¡°What happened this time? Where is she?¡± His distress plain to everyone who can see him as he tries to find out what happened to Kori. ¡°Calm down Korse. It¡¯s okay.¡± Bolst tries to settle the other Elder, ¡°She¡¯s fine. Take a breath.¡± His placating tone having some of the desired effect. Though if only in taking him down from absolute hysteria to just run of the mill panic. Bolst placed his hand on Korse¡¯s shoulder before he continued, ¡°She¡¯s right over there,¡± Pointing off to where Kori sat, ¡°But you can¡¯t go over there right now.¡± Pulling against the grip on his shoulder as he saw her, ¡°What do you mean I can¡¯t go over there? Let go of me Bolst!¡± His lacking physicality again showing itself in his inability to extricate himself. He continued to struggle until Kora stepped between himself and Kori. ¡°It¡¯s alright Korse. She¡¯s doing an important job right now and we can¡¯t disturb her until we can secure what she¡¯s holding somewhere safe.¡± Pointing out the still slightly luminous vials in her possession. Calming down at his daughter¡¯s words, Korse spies the orange glow now that it¡¯s been pointed out to him. ¡°What the scale are those?¡± It¡¯s then that Blonc and Ylst, with Kore in tow, arrive at the small group and Ylst is the first to respond. ¡°That¡¯s what I would like to know. Why is the youngling handling something glowing with enough fire mana that I can see it from here?¡± Her words hit Korse like a slap to the face as he turned on Bolst, ¡°What the scale did you do? She was supposed to be working on more of that healing stuff!¡± ¡°Give me a few minutes Korse. Once we get everything settled down, we can discuss what happened. Preferably in a calm manner, please?¡± Bolst pleads with him. ¡°Blonc, could you reinforce the guard on the lab, no one, and I mean not even Ortik, goes in without my say so.¡± The smile he received back from Blonc was honestly a little disturbing. Despite this being the middle of a crisis, the grin that his helmet did nothing to disguise was akin to Kori¡¯s own when she saw the lab for the first time. It was clear that he was going to enjoy this way too much. He quickly ordered two of his troops to take over guard duty, telling Otr to go back to the yard. Ruining his fun just a little, Ylst offers her own suggestion that would make things easier, have her earth mages seal the door. Thankfully for Blonc, that suggestion gets turned down. At least for the time being. ¡°Maybe once we settle things. If anything happens, we may need to get in quickly, so I don¡¯t want to take that step yet.¡± Continuing to listen in on their conversation from her corner, it¡¯s not like they were that far away and they were definitely not being quiet, Kori heard as more orders fly about directing where things went as armloads of materials were carried out from the testing hall. Seeing the slow progress, another conversation with Blonc took place. This one left him with an unpleasant grimace, before his remaining warriors trotted off and started carrying much larger loads of things out of the room, she knew he hated it when his troops were used as pack-mules. When Bolst spotted one of them rolling a full-on barrel out of the room he yelled, a little bit of panic in his voice, ¡°Get that out of here! I don¡¯t care if you have to prop it up in your own den, just get it out of here! and keep it away from any open flames.¡± While she didn¡¯t know for certain, Kori had a good guess as to what that barrel was full of and she agreed, that stuff needed to be as far away from her imbued version of it as possible. It wasn¡¯t much longer before a worker called out the all clear on the testing room, a call that was verified by Kora who took several minutes in the room before confirming it as such. Bolst attempted to walk over to Kori by himself, but the other Elders would not be denied, Especially Korse. In the end they all followed along in his wake with the only concession he was successful in that they would allow him to do the talking. ¡°Everything alright Kori?¡± ¡°All good!¡± Her cheerful reply, rather than stressed or terrified as they had expected, catching most of the assembled Elders completely off guard. ¡°They¡¯ve mostly cooled off to the same low warmth, except number four, it stabilized a bit hotter than the others. And I don¡¯t see any loss or change in the mana, so I think they¡¯re stable¡­ Well, as close to stable as they¡¯re getting.¡± Her unexpectedly thorough report surprising the lot of them, leaving a beaming smile on Bolst¡¯s face as he listened to her. ¡°Excellent!¡± He responded, ¡°Now, we¡¯re going to store these in the test hall until we get this mess sorted out a bit. Hand them here and I¡¯ll take them over.¡± Without pause or deliberation, she quickly denied his command. ¡°Nope, I¡¯ll take them.¡± Again, the assembled Elders are agog at her cheery response, mostly for the tone that she just used to deny the one nominally in charge right now. ¡°I know them better than you. If anything changes, I¡¯ll be the one to spot it.¡± hesitating for a moment while looking at Ylst, ¡°Besides, you can¡¯t even sense mana, can you?¡± When he shook his head ¡®no¡¯ she continued, ¡°Then definitely not. If anything is going to go wrong, that¡¯d be it.¡± For all the build up and suspense around it, it took her all of three minutes to calmly walk across the room and deposit the stand of vials on the single remaining table in the now barren testing hall. The hall itself was odd, it had several movable walls made of thin stone all pushed off to the side and even stone planks that looked like they could be fitted as a ceiling in a pile beside them. It looked like a bunch of building blocks, except full sized. It didn¡¯t take Kori long to puzzle out that the room was intended to test out new trap designs, with the trappers able to simulate various tunnel sizes and intersection types by using the blocks. She had to admit, it was ingenious. With her volatile cargo deposited in its temporary home, Kori gave it a final appraising glance and when she saw that nothing had changed, she turned and calmly walked out. The slam of the gate the moment she was clear however, that was not a calm thing. As she rejoined the group of Elders, now up one Har, another slam echoed through the chamber that sent all of the trappers diving to the floor while the remaining kobolds stared at them questioningly. Thankfully the new sound was not a detonation, but a certain Spiritcaller having been a touch overzealous in his entrance. As Ortik approached the gathering, watching as Bolst and Kora retook their position standing amongst them, his eyes settled on his former apprentice. ¡°Of course, she¡¯s here¡­¡± Sighing heavily as he spots Kori, ¡°What the scale did she do now?¡± Chapter 40 – Unique’s not always a good thing Before any of the assembled Elders could make a reply, Kori answered what was more than likely a rhetorical question. She still struggled a bit with the concept of a question that wasn¡¯t meant to be answered. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault! Well¡­ No. It is my fault¡­¡± She stammered out as every eye in the room was suddenly focused on her. ¡°Bolst told me to do it!¡± Quickly pointing to him while throwing the Elder under the rolling boulder. Her attempted diversion worked as intended, mostly. Under the accusatory look she got back from Bolst, her sudden enthusiasm for deflecting the blame withered. But done was done and now all eyes but Ortik¡¯s were focused on someone else. So, Kori counted it as a win. With a shake of his head, Ortik turned his attention where she had tried to direct it before demanding an answer. ¡°I don¡¯t care who¡¯s fault it is, for now, but I still don¡¯t know what the scale is going on.¡± He glared at Bolst, ¡°Why the scale is everyone running around like you¡¯re trying to poison half the clan again?¡± ¡°Well, the good news Chief, no poison involved this time.¡± Bolst grinned as he tried to make light of the situation, the return glare telling him all he needed to know on if he¡¯d succeeded or not. ¡°The uhh¡­ The bad news. Well¡­ You know how your ap¡­ Former apprentice¡­ Made a much better healing product when she applied mana to your herbs?¡± His attempt to hedge around the topic instead of just outright saying it only seemed to make things worse. At least until Ortik¡¯s eyes went wide when he parsed out what he was saying about Kori¡¯s feat of improving a concoction with mana. ¡°Damnit Bolst¡­ Which one of your little experiments did you let her work on?¡± A defeated note in his voice accompanying Ortik¡¯s hand slowly rubbing the bridge of his muzzle between his eyes. ¡°She ran out of the luminous moss, since someone taught her not to ask for help.¡± Trying to get at least a little jab in where he could, ¡°So I had her help producing some flame liquor for the traps.¡± Most of the assembled kobolds didn¡¯t really react to that, unfamiliar with the product or not understanding how Kori¡¯s making a salve related. Ortik and Ylst having a better understanding of mana, and Ylst having seen the flasks, both go wide eyed at the implications. Ylst spoke up before anyone else had a chance to, ¡°All this for those 4 little flasks? Sure, their fire mana was pretty potent and I¡¯m sure they¡¯re dangerous. But they weren¡¯t enough to panic over.¡± Kori¡¯s lack of tact led her to put her foot back in her mouth once again as she answered Ylst. ¡°Oh no, those aren¡¯t the problem. Those were the small testing batch we made second. I made a full batch of the liquor the first time.¡± Pointing behind herself to the stone door, ¡°That¡¯s still in there.¡± Several of the Elders recalling the reaction when a certain barrel was rolled out of the testing room and lacking context on what a full batch entailed, quickly blanche at the prospect and had sudden difficulty in swallowing that lump in their throats. Bolst, seeing things going worse and worse every time Kori joined the conversation, looked to Kori and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t I take over and fill them in Kori.¡± Getting a shrug in response he continued on, trying to salvage the situation with the group. ¡°While she was producing what we normally consider a small batch of the liquor, a little more than a litre, her imbue Skill kicked in and the result was¡­¡± He paused a moment to find a word other than ¡®horrifying¡¯, finally settling on the simpler, ¡°Volatile.¡± Ylst gasped, suddenly realizing the nature of what was going on, ¡°You made a litre of that stuff?¡± She backed away from the door slightly as she spoke. ¡°Why the scale did you make more of it if you already had that much?¡± Kori almost broke in with her own answer, only to feel a hand had settled on her shoulder. She looked to the side and saw that it was Kora. Her senior gave her a slight shake of the head to tell her to stay quiet. ¡°Because, the substance seems to react to the air. It well¡­ It self ignites when exposed¡­¡± The stares slowly whittling down his usual confidence. ¡°Once we sealed the first batch, none of us were willing to re-open it to try to extract a sample. So, I had her redo the experiment and reproduce the results, on a smaller scale for safer testing¡­¡± Ortik glared at Ylst before she could interpose her question once again before speaking up himself. ¡°I want to go back to an earlier point; you specifically said her ¡®imbue¡¯ Skill kicked in.¡± He turned to face his once apprentice, ¡°Please elaborate.¡± Once again, the center of attention; Kori tries to shrink back from the crowd only to find Kora¡¯s hand still on her shoulder. Looking towards the woman she found an encouraging smile and an offer of silent support. With just a bit of her usual enthusiasm returning, she turned her attention back to Ortik to give her response. ¡°I finally got the skill! It¡¯s called [Imbue Concoction] and it lets me enhance anything considered a ¡®concoction¡¯. It¡¯s pretty vague on what counts as one though.¡± Before anyone can interrupt her, she continues on, ¡°You were totally right Spiritcaller Ortik, I must have been right on the edge of the skill from all the work with the ointment. I just needed to make something new to push it over.¡± Giving her a pleased look accompanied by an exasperated sigh in response to her revelation. ¡°Well done, Kori. Now Bolst, you said a small-scale test. How bad is it?¡± Ortik cuts back to the matter at hand now that his question had been answered. ¡°We made a batch at one fifth scale and bottled them in four fifty millilitre flasks.¡± He¡¯s interrupted before he can continue his explanation. ¡°Four? But she still had four when I arrived?¡± Ylst gives him a confused look, ¡°Have you set off all this panic without even testing?¡± Putting on a bit of an offended look, Bolst answers like she¡¯d just asked an incredibly stupid question, ¡°No. Of course we tested it.¡± Shaking his head that she¡¯d think he was the hatchling that cried cave in. ¡°The recipe makes a little more than a full litre. There was around ten milliliters left over after bottling. We tested that.¡± ¡°Ten mil, that¡¯s all this is about? How bad could ten mil have been that you created a panic like this?¡± ¡°Do you want to see what just ten mil of the stuff did?¡± Bolst nearing the end of his patience hollers at her. ¡°Blonc, I need two of your men. Whoever¡¯s got a strong back and a good grip. I¡¯ll show you why I caused ¡®a panic¡¯ over ten mil.¡± After a pair of soldiers were waved off to join him, and a brief argument at the door to let them all in, Bolst disappeared behind the heavy stone door. With the primary target of their attention no longer present, and Kora having mostly stayed to the background so far, Kori quickly found herself at the center of things once more. Supressing the frown she¡¯d worn since Bolst rebuked her, Ylst turns to Kori. ¡°So, this imbue Skill. What else do you know so far? What¡¯s it¡¯s description?¡± Quickly pulling up her status, Kori grabbed just the description, not wanting a repeat of the earlier reaction to her stats, and sent it to those assembled. Imbue Concoction Tier 1, Rare Allows mana to be imbued directly into a concoction during the final steps of the creation process in order to enhance and alter its effects. Results determined by the process used, quality of the ingredients, and level of this skill. Concoction may be overcharged at the cost of additional mana. Success rate of producing an overcharged concoction is determined by the quality of the concoction and level of this skill. While the others all read through her new Skill, Kori felt it necessary to add a detail that was missing from the description. ¡°The overcharge bit, it¡¯s really bad if it fails. Like blow up in my face bad.¡± Nodding to herself about her conclusion from how the skill felt. ¡°Well, at least we know what it is now.¡± Ortik replied as he finished reading the Skill. ¡°Now if only we could figure out how you got it¡­¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Kori, not one to abide an unanswered question, even if it wasn¡¯t one of her own. Interjected her opinion on the matter ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about that. I didn¡¯t learn [Mana Sense] until the inscriptionists tricked me with the slime ichor and I didn¡¯t get control until I made my first imbued ointment.¡± Giving the others a moment to try and put those together. When no one made any comment that they reached the conclusion she wanted them to she continued. ¡°What if imbue is because I learned with concoctions, not with the normal mana haze stuff?¡± Both Ylst and Ortik looked at her like she¡¯d grown an extra tail, clearly not accepting her theory. But before either of them could ask any other questions, the stone door slowly opened and the pair of soldiers marched out. They were carrying a familiarly deformed metal table between the pair of them, which Bolst directed them to place down next to the group. As they got closer Kori could see the expected divot in the surface of the table, a table that was over a centimeter thick solid metal. ¡°This,¡± Pointing to the table, ¡°This is what a mere ten mil of the stuff did¡­¡± All of those gathered paled at the sight of the crater left behind, deep enough for Blonc to sink his armoured fist into. ¡°And these two,¡± Gesturing at the guards next to him, ¡°Just verified that we¡¯ve got an entire pitcher of the stuff sitting in there¡­¡± As attention shifted to the guards everyone noticed that their hands were unsteady and their eyes were wide in dread. After everything else, no one needed to see their nod to verify what Bolst had said. Ortik mumbled out his reply as though all thought had left him, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s not good¡­¡± ¡°No, no it isn¡¯t, Chief. That¡¯s why we have to test the ones we have to try and find out just how bad it is.¡± Waving over to towards the testing hall, ¡°We¡¯ve got four vials of the stuff over there. If we¡¯re done yelling at each other, I¡¯d really like to get to figuring out just how much of a scale blasted fool I am for telling her to imbue that stuff.¡± Clearly frustrated with the situation, he let slip a few choice words. Clearly just wanting this to be done with, Ortik heaved a sigh before responding, ¡°Fine. This is your mess, what do you need to help clean it up?¡± Giving him a nod in return for his deferring to Bolst¡¯s expertise, ¡°First thing, we need a better idea of what it is. Har, can you appraise the vials?¡± Har, having stayed out of the conversation as he had nothing to offer up to this point gives a quick reply, ¡°You do know I have to touch them to do that, right?¡± Kori was unsure if the others knew that Bolst had the [Appraisal] Skill, but instead of saying anything about it, he just gave Har a nod before replying himself. ¡°Yes. Ylst, can you have a mage use your shield spell to protect him while he¡¯s in the testing room?¡± Several of her mages stepped forward as though to volunteer before Ylst waved them off. ¡°If something goes wrong there¡¯ll be no time to react. I¡¯m the only one with flash-cast and using a water barrier seems like the best idea. I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± After a few words between the pair, mostly consisting of Ylst telling Har to run as fast as his ¡®stubby little legs¡¯ could take him if he saw so much as a spark, they were slowly walking into the room. Before they left sight, Kori watched as mana gathered and Ylst invoked a spell as a blue barrier formed ahead of her. It looked very similar to Ortik¡¯s demonstration, though where his were opaque and colourless, hers looked like a shimmering sheet of water held in the shape of a large shield. Clearly, she wanted to be prepared. Within a minute of the pair entering the hall Har came out walking at a more relaxed pace than when he had entered. He was followed by Ylst slowly backing out without ever turning her back on the room, the shield interposed between herself and its contents at all times. The smile on Har¡¯s face was plain to see and several tensed shoulders seem to relax a bit as he got closer to them. Clearly he was already calculating profits, one of the few things that could cause Har to smile like that, aside from Tuli that is. ¡°Well?¡± ¡°Basic flame flask, I¡¯ve seen them before and they¡¯re not cheap. Some adventurers use em to whittle down large groups or soften up a particularly nasty beast. They¡¯re always in demand and Whatzakt imports all of em they get, so we can undercut them and rake in the coin!¡± He continued to smile at the thoughts of coins as he shared the appraisal. Basic Flame Flask Tier 1, Common This Alchemical concoction of viscous liquid will coat a limited area around the point of impact with its contents when thrown. Exposing the contents to air causes it to ignite and produce an explosive burst of flame. This concoction has reduced efficacy due to improper bottling. Due to the sturdiness of the vessel, impact may fail to shatter the container and cause the concoction to become unstable. After giving them a chance to read through the description he throws out a second one, ¡°Oh, but all of them weren¡¯t the same. Looks like one of them turned out a bit better than the rest.¡± Basic Flame Flask Tier 1, Uncommon This Alchemical concoction of viscous liquid will coat a limited area around the point of impact with its contents when thrown. Exposing the contents to air causes it to ignite and produce a powerful explosive burst of flame. This concoction has reduced efficacy due to improper bottling. Due to the sturdiness of the vessel, impact may fail to shatter the container and cause the concoction to become unstable. ¡°That all ya needed me for? I¡¯m a busy kobold, got a shipment of stone to get ready to go and Tuli¡¯s waiting for me to come collect.¡± The wink he gave to punctuate his sentence recalled a brief image of the last time Kori saw Har and Tuli together in her mind causing her to blush. Normally not an easy thing to see on a red scaled kobold, but somehow going by the knowing grins she saw on the others, they still did. ¡°Wait. Still got the big one to do.¡± Bolst piped in before Har could scurry off. ¡°We know what the little ones are, just you know, extrapolate¡­¡± A pleading look entered his eyes as he turned to Ortik hoping for a way out, ¡°Please?¡± ¡°Gotta agree with Bolst on this one. Sorry Har.¡± Replied Ortik to his reticent friend. ¡°Just a quick in and out Har, poke it at the bottom, definitely not anywhere near the lid, then you can go see Tuli.¡± Bolst tries to soothe his nerves and get him moving. Giving Ortik a hard stare at his apparent betrayal. ¡°That¡¯s it. When this is said and done, you¡¯re taking [Merchants Apprentice] and I¡¯m walking you through every warehouse I can access in Whatzakt until you¡¯ve got at least a maxed-out tier two [Appraisal].¡± He turns to the rest of them, ¡°The rest of you too! ¡°Panning his view across the other Elders before he paused at Blonc, ¡°Except you¡­¡± A look like he was about to argue his exclusion came across Blonc face, until several of the others all stared at him and he closed his mouth with a snap before giving them sullen glares and mumbling something about it only being ¡®one little tavern brawl¡¯. Bolst waved off Ylst from joining them, her barrier a bit too flashy for the confines of a lab, before Har and he ventured into the lab. Less than two minutes after they had departed, a few things happen. The first, was that Kori noticed the little blinking light of a notification. The second, just a few moments after the notification, was the door pulling open just wide enough for a kobold to squeeze through and then Har sprinting out faster than Kori had ever seen a kobold move in her life. Each of his strides covered ground faster than should be possible. Guess it makes sense for a trader to travel faster. Wonder if it¡¯s a Skill or something from his class? He didn¡¯t even come to a stop when he reached the group of Elders, simply sharing the system description as he continued his mad dash across the chamber. All the assembled kobolds could hear from the man as he passed was, ¡°Nope! Scale that! Not my problem.¡± The lot of them moved a bit further away from the entrance to the lab as they looked at the description shared by the already out of sight merchant. Unstable Massive Flame Flask Tier 1, Unique This alchemical monstrosity is similar to the basic flame flask, the viscous liquid will cling to surfaces on contact and self-ignite when exposed to open air. The increased volume and mana density in this concoction will amplify the effects of the reaction significantly in comparison to the standard flame flask. WARNING: This concoction has been exposed to air during the creation process, it has become unstable. The more of the description the group read, the larger the gap between the group and the door seemed to grow. With the spectacle of Har¡¯s departure ended and the Elders all sharing wide eyed stares back and forth from each other and the description hanging in front of them, Kori decided it was a good time to check out why she had suddenly gotten a notification. <> <> Huh? Titles? Why¡¯d I just get two separate Titles? Kori¡¯s eyes widened, though at a glance none would suspect the reason differed from those around her as she pokes the titles with her usual mental ¡®Why?¡¯ pulling up their details. Crafter of Curiosities, Tier 1, Rare A crafter who has succeeded in creating a Unique Tier one item. Whether through sheer determination or complete happenstance, you have succeeded where many others fail. Unique may be a boon or a bane when it comes to items, they are seldom easy to place on a grading of quality and are often unpredictable. This title grants increased Skill growth for tier one crafting skills and may improve quality of next class ascension for crafting classes. Grants +3 Serendipity. Unique Prodigy, Epic You have proven yourself a prodigy of the crafting world, whether an event of serendipitous fortune or the culmination of a generation¡¯s labours, you have crafted a unique item prior to unlocking your tier one class. This title grants increased Skill growth for crafting skills and will improve the quality of the next crafting class attained. Grants +3 to all Ability Scores. Not noticing that the commotion around her from the description of the flame flask had died down while Kori read and reread her new titles over and over again, and giving no consideration to the situation, she let out a bellowing ¡°That is awesome!¡± Drawing all eyes to herself as several of the Elders seem to take her enthusiasm to be for the destructive threat still waiting in the lab and began to glare at her.