Chapter 44 - Introduction to Magic
The wild boar crossed the gap between it and Bryn in the blink of an eye. Crazed by injuries and the adrenaline pumping in its body, it dashed. It made strong grunts as it ran, releasing smoke from its mouth and nostrils.
Michelle watched as Bryn realized there was no escape from their clash. Her arrow was ready as her friend prepared a sweeping attack with his bow. The hog was already covering half of Bryn's body from her angle, and she had to decide.
Bryn's eyes told what he felt inside as the creature running at him could look him straight in the eyes from its size. He readied his stance best to increase the strength behind his last attack. Looking at him from the sides, one would notice slight muscle shapes for the first time, a result of training combined with the added points in status he had gained.
As his bow increased its speed before impact, it found nothing to hit!
Bryn's eyebrows went from raised with his eyes almost popping out to one of the eyebrows lowering as his eyes tried to find the rushing animal. His momentum was so great that while his eyes went to his right and downward, his body spined left. He stumbled before kneeling on the mud between roots from a nearby tree. Regaining his balance quickly, he looked back to where he stood, trying to comprehend what had happened.
There on the floor lay the hog. Now, the animal's belly expands and contracts more lightly and quickly. It tried moving, but its body had no proper response to its commands.
On its side, less in touch with the floor, three arrows were planted half a palm from its front leg. The first one was at shoulder height, and the two others formed a small triangle about the size of a fist on the creature's body. Red and vivid blood oozed out of the wounds.
The creature was not dead yet, but Bryn could see its light fading. With Akusashi in his right hand, he walked around the beast and used both arms to lodge the short sword in the middle of all the arrows. The boar's body instantly let loose completely. Bryn was still processing everything as both hands released the sword, and he fell on his knees, looking at the sky covered by the canopies.
He looked at the scene before his eyes, the three arrows and the hilt of the short sword in the middle of them.
Am I ever going to get used to taking a life? It goes against all that I lived for in my past life… As his mind started to ponder, a double notification sounded.
- Level UP ! -
Level 8 -> Level 9 (100%)
Gained 8 status points
- Level UP ! -
Level 9 -> Level 10 (93%)
Gained 8 status points
As his eyes read level 10, every self-doubt faded. A smile that allowed one to count all his teeth formed as he felt a surge of excitement like never before.
Yea!! Finally, I can start learning magic!! Thank you; your sacrifice will not be in vain. Bryn told himself, placing both hands on the hog's body.
One level is entirely on intelligence, and the other shall be distributed as the previous one.
Name
Bryn
Age
8
Lvl
10
Race
Faun
Titles
Blessed by Lugh
Blessed by Flidais
Protected by Kwame Nkosi's Vow [Temporary]
Sensei
Pioneer
Status
Strength
15 (+4)
Intelligence
11 (+3)
Dexterity
24 (+13)
Agility
17 (+7)
Vitality
11
Luck
2
Skills
[Farming]; [Physical Improvement Begginer]; [Butchering]; [Parkour]; [Cooking]; [One-Handed Sword Mastery - Beginner]; [Stretching]; [Martial Art]; [Taekwondo]; [Archery Begginer]
"Are you that excited about magic?" Asked Michelle, arriving just after Bryn added his status points and looked at his smile.
"Of course I am! Who wouldn't be?" he answered.
"Magic is hard…"
"Even so, it will allow me to get stronger!"
"If you are so happy, let's call it the day. It will get dark soon. We shouldn't be out in the forest in the dark."
"One second, I'll take the tusks as future materials," said Bryn.
"Congratulations, you are becoming a hunter, B-" said Michelle, looking at the man trying to use his short sword to remove the tusks from the animal. She was quick to instruct and help him so both could head back to the village.
On the way, Bryn exhausted his mind, trying to imagine what magic was. The thought of it being so close almost turned his excitement into anxiety. Happily, the years of grinding corporate goals made him control his mind rather quickly.
Jez… Being able to learn magic is feeling similar to my first big bonus check. Leveling up is amazing…
"Bryn, did you already choose the elements you want to train on?" asked Michelle
"Elements?"
"You know nothing about magic?! You must choose which elements you want to train with… You might have more affinity to one or the others, though."
"Is there a way I can find out my affinity?"
"Of course, father can do it for you tomorrow… But if you could choose between Fire, Earth, Air and Water. What would you prefer?"
Even knowing that I would learn magic, my preparation was not that far ahead. "Hmmm… Can I learn the basics of them all?"
"You can, yes… But I think that would be a waste of time…"
"Why?"
She looked at Bryn as if his question was some type of joke. Noticing that he didn't break eye contact with her even after a long while, she realized he was serious.
"How will you evolve your fire magic if you keep thinking about water magic? The same goes for the rest…"
"Interesting."
I don't think she comprehends chemistry to understand that they have many things in common. Are our worlds similar in that regard? I'll have to do some experiments to understand it better.
Looking at the faun contemplating the skies, she asked, "What is interesting about that?"
"Well, if I don't know if I am good in any of them, why should I think which is my favorite?"
"Makes sense… Tomorrow we'll find out…"
Bryn continued asking questions about magic, but Michelle was not a great teacher… Archery was very self-explanatory and had many practical tips. Talking about magic theory, on the other hand, showed just how little of a scholar she was. That is until Bryn remembered she was still eight like him.
The two of them arrived after the sun had set for a while. It was time for them to eat and prepare for the next day.
While Bryn cleaned himself, he decided to have dinner at Lysanders. He wished to meet more people from the village, even though he never spoke with anyone when he ate there. He liked observing and making mental notes of other people's behavior.
He ordered a plate similar to curry and a cup of milk. This time, Lysander noticed that the kid was not nearly as traumatized as last time. On the opposite, he radiated enthusiasm.
"Had a good day out there?" Asked Lysander.
"Yes, I did! And I'll start learning magic tomorrow, Mister Lysander."
"Good. Magic can be a great help during battles." said Lysander. His face was the same as ever, his eyebrows furrowed and distant eyes.
"Do you know magic, Mister Lysander?"
"In this village… You might be the only one who doesn't." He said, touching Bryn on the shoulder as he returned to the kitchen.
This kid's future is going to be harsh. Why would he push himself so much? He leveled up regularly, but his status is high for his age and level… I hope he doesn't go crazy or that life treats him right. Thought Lysander after using appraisal on the young faun, looking back as he swung a cloth over his left shoulder.
After finishing, Bryn tried to pay, but Lysander ultimately said that kids should be responsible for feeding themselves. Walking home, he kept pondering about his magical options, but to no avail.
Luca was able to create that arena. Also, he used magic in a critical moment when fighting that Ice Leopard. Will I do that as well? How much training would it take to use it as naturally as breathing? I remember Gabriel's fight against that Gigantic magical beast. Bryn kept replaying every magic demonstration he had ever seen over and over until passing out without noticing.
The excitement was too great. As the sun started to rise, Bryn's eyes were already opened. He tried staying in bed more to relax, but it was impossible.
He got up and sat on the bed, moving his head from one side to the other, looking around the simple tent. Akusashi was on the floor next to a few clean clothes at the foot of the bed. He realized his hands were clenched, holding the sheet tighter than usual.
Calm down. Let's keep the routine, starting with the worst and classical parts. Stretching…
The morning went as usual. Physical, parkour and martial arts training went well. He started to comprehend the difference that status made in daily activities. He had to increase the number of repetitions a lot to get the same feeling of reaching one's limits. Bryn also noticed that without reaching such limits or daring to explore his current limits, the skills leveled up much slower.
Lunchtime was arriving as Kwame and Daniel met Bryn at the end of training.
"I see you are about to start magical training, young man…" said Kwame.
"I am Mr. Kwame!"
"That is nice for you two," said Daniel with disdain.
"Don't be like that, Daniel, you lost the duel you provoked... Now you keep your routine till the end of the month."
"Mr. Daniel, you can use the time to sharpen your physical training over the training grounds. They are much better than any other ever since Valorhaven."
"Do whatever you want; I'll have lunch alone today." said Daniel, leaving Bryn and Kwame alone near the barn.
"Don't worry about him. He's still troubled about not improving his skills with us…"
Bryn ignored Daniel's tantrum, focusing on the important thing for him. "Mr. Kwame, how are the lessons with Mr. Gabriel?"
"Both Gabriel and Jonas have a much deeper understanding of magic than others I discussed with. We also have people at their level on Astronia, but not many… I wonder who they were."
"What do you mean?"
"People strong as they have back stories, why they are in a village out of nowhere, I don't know…" said Kwame.
"Yea…" Said Bryn, remembering once more about Gabriel's demonstration.
"Let us eat and head to your first touch with magic…"
Both sat down with others from morning training to share a meal and walked towards the main hall.
Entering the building, Bryn realized that Gabriel and Jonas were there waiting with Michelle and Luca.
"Luca! Are you ok??!" Said Bryn as their eyes met.
"I'm Fine, almost ready for a second round with those leopards…" said the young man holding his left bicep.
"Good, good… Mr. Gabriel, Mr. Jonas, Michelle. Good afternoon!" Said Bryn. The smile on his face almost mispronounced his words.
"Good spirits, kid. At least someone is excited about today…" said Jonas.
"Bryn, Kwame, welcome. Come, the others are waiting for us behind the village."
Arriving at a clearing as one of the village entries, Gabriel asked Jonas to train the rest of Kwame's party and Kwame, Luca and Michelle.
"Bryn, you come with me." Said Gabriel.
"Sure!"
Both started walking into the woods; Gabriel was silent along the way. Afraid of pushing the wrong button, Bryn walked silently until they arrived at a rock formation. The trees near the formation were more prominent than usual, and the vegetation was more abundant.
"Bryn, we are in a small magic geyser… It will make dealing with magic easier…"
Bryn remained silent, realizing his lecture had just begun.
"As you can see around us, magical energy accentuates many things in our world…" Gabriel said, waving his hand and pointing at the difference in environments around the area they had entered.
"We don't know what magic is… Many people have searched their whole lives for that answer. In their search, we learned many ways to use it. Magic can be both wonderful as it can be dangerous."
Before continuing, Gabriel faced Bryn head-on, extending both arms up. He continued, "We can control some of nature's building blocks with it…".
As he said the words, both arms came down from each side. A small sphere of air and fire formed on his left side, and two others made from water and earth on his right. He made them go around him a few times before sending them into a rock near them with incredible speed. The rock broke instantly on impact.
"Some say there are other ways to use magic energy the more you understand it, but for now, let's start with the basics… Shall we determine if you are attuned to the four original elements?"
"YES!!"