I gulp audibly, as the gnome looks me over. Sjendal grabs a wooden stool, placing it in front of me. She climbs onto the stool, and I do my best to endure as she begins to poke, prod, and pinch at my arms, legs, and face. When she reaches for my fluffy brown cat tail however, I instinctively hiss defensively, causing her to almost fall backwards off the stool.
"Feisty little catboy, aren't you?" She comments, flicking my forehead.
"Ow! What was that for, meow?!" I ask angrily.
Sjendal ignores my question, and continues to examine me. With a flick of her fingers, an orb of light appears in the air between us. I'm surprised at the sudden magic, but it suddenly shines quite brightly into my heterochromatic eyes, blinding me. As I blink forcefully, attempting to regain my vision, something hits me on the knee, causing my leg to kick out involuntarily.
"Hey, what's your problem?!?"
Color slowly returns to my eyes, and I see a mist emanating from her eyes once again. I shiver a bit, feeling a chill run down my spine, and watch her apprehensively.
"Hmm... yes... I think so indeed..." she mumbles after some thought, nodding her head slowly.
"...?"
A few more moments pass uncomfortably, as it feels like her eyes are staring through me, piercing into my soul. Finally, the mist dissipates, and she claps her hands together.
"Right! So! I will begin by introducing myself. I am Sjendal, Lady of the Forest, apprentice to Master Hyperion. As I have essentially saved your life just now, you will become my house servant for the rest of your life. Since you're healthy enough now, you're going to start by cleaning the place. Understood?"
My ears press back against my scalp. I tilt my head to the side, my brow furrowed, jaw agape, filled with upset confusion. After a moment of silence, I compose myself, and reply calmly.
"Excuse me?"
"Yes? What is the matter, catboy?" She asks innocently.
I massage my temples in annoyance.
"Well to start, that introduction tells me nothing. Also, you didn't save my life, the dwarves did, you just healed me. Thirdly, you didn't even let me introduce myself, which is very rude where I come from. Fourthly, who in the heck do you think you are to order me to make me clean your ho--"
My protest is cut off suddenly, as Sjendal slaps me across the face quite hard, gazing sternly at me.
"First lesson: respect your elders! I've told you all that you need to know right now, and I don't care to know you right now! You owe me a debt, now get cleaning!"
I hold my hand to my cheek, the sting of the slap reverberating throughout my face. I sit there for a few seconds, shocked and appalled, until she clears her throat loudly. At this, I feel a heat building inside me, and my hands begin to tremble. Not with fear. Not with surprise.
Flashes of my past life fly through my head, and I watch as the only real friend I ever made gets beaten up in a school bathroom. Older students surround him and take turns striking him, as he dangles in the grip of one of the students. They compete to see who can hit him the hardest, as I watch on from the doorway, trembling with anger.
"If you want my respect... you'll have to earn it!"
I yell as I surge forward, my hands glowing sharply with blue light. I swipe at the gnome madly, as she calmly dodges each time, a smile on her face. She leaps backwards, landing on a table momentarily, before I claw it to pieces. My hands pursue her small and frail form across the room, my mind stuck in a blind rage.
"My, my, you have some spirit it seems!" She taunts. "Not enough fire to do anything quite yet though, right now you're just a burning ember!"
I pant heavily, still trying to slash at her with my [Cat's Claws]. The destroyed room spins, as I desperately and fruitlessly continue. Something presses against my back, and with my lack of balance, I fall to the ground once more. Through the spinning, I can just barely make out the diminutive figure of Sjendal standing over me.
"Yes... very good, very good! Most impressive indeed!" She says, a tone of excitement in her voice.
I grit my teeth, and weakly swipe at her leg, but she easily sidesteps my pitiful attack, and lightly places her foot on my arm.
"Now, now, my dear kitty, no need for all of that! You'll need to save your energy! You've passed my test, yes, but look at the mess you've made... it'll take days to remake all of that furniture..."
The world's spinning gradually slows and stops, allowing me to piece together and voice my thoughts.
"Wh.... what?! I don't understand a thing you're saying... haaah.... And what do you mean 'test'?! What kind of test was that?!? I'll never serve you, you old hag!
Ow!"
I cry out as she flicks my forehead again. She waggles her finger, scolding me for my remark.
"Be nice! And calm down, would you? You're not going to be my servant. My provoking you just now was a test, see? And you passed, meaning you'll be my new apprentice! No academy nonsense for you, no, no, no... I won't let another child be ruined by one of those magically stunted sociopaths!"
"E-Eh? Apprentice? What makes you think I'd want to be apprenticed to you?!" I retort, still quite upset.
"Because I'm Sjendal, the one and only living apprentice of Hyperion! You have talent, and a good spirit to boot, and I don't want to see your potential squandered by some second-rate hedge witch who thinks she's a druid just because she can speak to some animals! You need a top-of-the-line apprenticeship, and I'm going to give you one, no questions asked. Oh, besides one, that is."
I rub my head, my overwhelmed brain trying to process all of this information.
'Well... maybe this won't be so bad... I'm in a world of magic and adventure, so why not learn magic to have on my adventures? I just hope she's actually nice, and not just tricking me or something like she just did...'
I sigh deeply and sit down on the remains of a wooden chair. After ruffling some of the splinters out of my hair, I look up at the gnome before me.
"I feel like I'm gonna regret this, but alright, I accept your offer. What's the question?"
Her eyes narrow at me, and she gazes over at me with a hint of suspicion. My eyes widen as she speaks.
"....What's your name?"
'My... name...? That's... ...wait... ...what...?'
I close my eyes, thinking hard.
'Why... can't I.... why can't I think of it? Why can't I think of my name?!?'
My fists clench, and Sjendal's gaze becomes wrought with suspicion and confusion.
'WHY CAN'T I REMEMBER MY NAME?!?'
"Something wrong, little ember?"
My eyes heat up, and moisture begins to collect in them, as my throat slowly tightens. I slap my knees in frustration. A tear slowly slides down my cheek, leaving a trail of moisture behind it. I try to speak, but my words get caught in the clutch of my throat.
'St-Status...'
[Name: N/A
Race: Beastfolk (Feline)
Level: 1
Exp: 10/500
HP: 41/50
MP: 23/100
SP: 9/50
Passive Skills:
- Feline Agility: Movement speed +25%, Jump height +50%, +25 to base SP.
- Cat's Grace: Fall damage -50%, Climbing speed +25%, Superior charisma.
- Beastfolk Senses: Superior Auditory Sense, Improved Olfactory Sense, Superior Darkvision.
- #^@`£&'s Blessing: N/A, N/A, Improved luck, +25 to base HP, +50 to base MP.
Active Skills:
- Cat's Claws: Melee, 10 damage per hit (5 MP/s).
- N/A (Level 15 Required)
- N/A (Level 40 Required)
…]
'N... A? Not Applicable...'
[Attention: Possible new name detected.]
'H-Huh...? New... name? What name?'
[Choice: Change Host name from "N/A" to "Ember"? |Y / N|]
I sniffle, and wipe my eyes. Clearing my throat, I look up, and see that her suspicious gaze has changed to one of concern. I smile weakly, and answer her.
"My name...? Y-yeah... hehehe..." I nod, sniffling again, and chuckling softly.
"Is something funny?" She asks, unsure what to think.
"Well...
I guess you can just call me Ember, hehehe..."