Day broke as Lucien was on his bed organizing his thoughts and trying to get a feel to from the healing spell.
Magic was taught everywhere in the world, any single village, even this backwater village had to have a priest, any religion would do, and it was that priest that was in charge of teaching the basics of life such as lore, history, arithmetics and magic. Readying and writing wasn't necessary but you had to have at least a way to count your yard earned money.
Lucien's village was no exception. Kids would be taught by the priest for free until seven years of age. If a kid demonstrates a proficiency with magic then they would be sent to the capital for future training, eventually given the "opportunity" to become part of the government magic sentry.
To Lucien and some of the villagers it just sounded like better payed war conscripts, for most it was an ideal goal, as such positions demanded some respect amongst the populace. Nobody had time for daydreaming with riches if a belly wasn't full.
After the age of seven there were two main lawful ways for the common, not magic skilled, folk: to find an artisan master and start an apprenticeship like Lucien or to do farm work.
There were lucky exceptions like catching a nobleman's eye and work for them but the odds weren't on anyone's favor.
As lands where vast most people would take to work the plow. That way they would save the classes fee's, but that came with the price of paying taxes as new child worker force to the Lord of this lands at soon as 9 years old, it was almost a quarter of the adult taxes, but it could bind someone's life just the same. In good harvest times it was manageable, when drought came and people starved taxes had a tendency to remain, making most people unable to provide for themselves.
Bandits, pirates and slaves usually had such backgrounds. So even if the apprenticeship was a little expensive and the work was hard, you could pay it by working extra hours for your teacher and it gave you a tax exempt until adulthood, at 18 you had to pay even if you didn't have a profitable job.
And lastly there was the adventurers route, or as the villagers called it "the cowards, crazy and traitors way"
One might think that in a world of gods and magic and adventurer would be well received, but such thinking could not be farther from truth, in a world where faith gives power and every person has to pay taxes and tribute to " their betters " traveling was seen as squandering resources by the common folk.
Let me elaborate, if a villager travels and broaden his horizons maybe he'll find a god more in tune with his personal beliefs, so the time praying to his original deity would lessen.
Faith gives power, praying is a two way street, the God hears you and may grant you a blessing if he's satisfied with the faith given to him. In that sense it was getting harder for Lucien to really believe that gods were better than demons.
At least demons were quite honest about their desires and the reward one would get if what they wanted was provided. Unlike the flimsy gods that may bless you today and curse you tomorrow.
It may be that reasoning of his that made his dealings with Zarte so easy and smooth. He also knew to not speak of anything like that in public, the results wouldn't be pretty for himself.
As for the shock of realizing the God had turned a demon? what was that? could you eat it? In all fairness Zarte might be worshiped as a great deity but that was just in hope he came back. People yearned for the power of life.
This is a world of gods and magic without anyone that could cast a strong healing spell. It was hard to cope, specially when reading of the tales of old, when Zarte's worshipers could reattach limbs or made them grow back, people could survive fatal wounds and revival had a price tag.
At the entrance of the old grand temple people can still see the sign "one thousand gold for the miracle of life"
Zarte's loathing of the humans could be understood by Lucien, taking back his blessings and magical skills was a appropriate punishment.
On the other hand, the leash that the Lord of this lands used to bind the people wasn't in any way softer than the one of the temples. Taxes were needed to manage a kingdom, Lucien understood that fact. From the army's salary to the road and the law enforcement, all came from taxes money.
So loosing taxpayers wasn't a good way to do business. Traveling peasants didn't help the kingdoms leaders anymore than it could help the gods.
A law was soon passed and approved in the Madden Kingdom "all those that wished to become adventurers would have to pay 50% of their earnings in taxes for the first 5 years" If missing in action a year of taxes would be put on the family tab, if there's no family members alive his hometown would be the one to pay instead.
After 5 years the adventurers kingdom taxes would then be reduced to 15%. This not coming from kindness, but from the fact that any adventurer that lived past the 5 year mark was a skilled one, and may be good cannon fodder on wars.
The neighboring kingdoms and Empires embraced this tax and put it on their own laws, so now days the adventurers tax could be said to be world wide.
The first five years for an adventurer were the worst, since you also had to pay a commission to the guild, weapons, food and of course the tithe to the temple of your choice. You couldn't become an adventurer without being registered with a temple.
It was the hardest way of life, people had to put their life on the line to earn money, killing monsters, battling demons, exorcise ghost, exploring dungeons, they would take any kind of job.
The guild was born of a necessity and all quests would be handled by them, normally all the employees were retired adventurers, whose body couldn't handle the kind of life anymore.
All and every branch of the guild must have a priest of the leading deity of the area, since only by being in the God's good graces could their life's thrive.
Lucien's older brother, Lasswell was coincidentally registered with the temple of Zarte, so no blessings for him. Lasswell had been an adventurer for 6 years already, as a matter of fact it was him who took the brunt of paying for Lucien's apprenticeship.
He loved, respected and owed a lot to Lasswell, even some of his way of thinking and the knowledge he currently had, could be said that came from the multiple letters that his brother sent to him over the years.
So with his new soul engraved spell Lucien was fearful the most not from hurting his parents but of loosing his brother.
His daily life could be said to be boring and monotonous.
wake up at daybreak, grab some grub from the kitchen, go to the old Howard's house and do any and every chore the old blacksmith would have him do.
Since this was a little village the work of a blacksmith wasn't much, and old Howard had built his forge next his house, so when there wasn't any work Lucien would have to clean his house before the old grinch decided it was a good time for a class.
Lucian was sure on his heart that the old fool didn't had anything more to teach him, and even if he did, he wouldn't, there was just enough work to feed his family and Howard feared Lucien stealing it from him. His own son would be turning 16 next year and by 18 could inherit the forge. So why give his family's means to survive to an outsider?
If it weren't because Howard still haven't given him the token needed to take the exam, Lucien would have long stopped coming here to waste his time.
Today was one of those uneventful days, when even the fire in the forge was out, a day for cleaning, washing and running errands.
He had a two hour lunch break at the afternoon, wich he usually settled with a hard bread with eggs. His family might not be rich but had some healthy hens at least. Then it was time for more menial tasks and coming back to the family home when the sun hangs low.
He only was only allowed to spend time with his family at dinner time. Some might think that this boring kind of life might leave them with regrets, but Lucien liked it.
He wasn't a sociable person, his only friend being his older brother whom hasn't seen in years, not a single girl in his life as there was no time for that, and even if there was time all the girls he knew were already betrothed to someone else.
If he wanted a bride he'll need to search for her on another village and no good parent would let her child go with a man that doesn't own a roof of his own.
So most second childs tended to wed older, since tradition dictates the parents house belonged to the oldest.