A Drop-Out's Guide to saving the world
By: Anno Un
12 years ago in a small village just far north of the human kingdom of Solamira, It was Noon, and Moss currently 6 years old was practicing Magic With her mother
Moss cast a small fireball hitting a small boulder just outside her home
"I did it, Mom!" Moss exclaimed proudly before running towards her mother and hugging her tightly
Moss's Mom giggled and hugged Moss proudly "Yes you did!.. I'm so proud of you hun..."
These were happier times when Moss and her family were still complete, she would always practice simple spells with her Mother laughing and enjoying her time with her parents, But like they say all good things must come to an end
as night arrives a loud explosion is heard and causes Moss's house to collapse, waking up from the ruble moss standing amidst her burning house the full moon looming above the air smells like ash and blood, screams from the villagers and laughter from the Demons can be heard,
Her father saved Moss and had already been killed crushed by the roof of their burning home, and her mother lay nearby, barely clinging to life, her breaths shallow and labored.
the Demons from The Waste Lands attacked Moss's Village and started wreaking havoc displaying their powerful and sinister magic, Some of the demons were Breathing fire, while some were commanding lesser demons to cause even more destruction and killing the villagers.
Moss falls to the ground hugging her mother tears falling from her face
"M-Mother!...N-No!...", Moss exclaims her voice shaky
Her mother gently strokes Moss's hair blood trickles down her forehead "S-Sweetie y-you need to r-run.. M-mommy will c-catch up o-ok?..",
Her mother said her voice almost gone, her eyes almost completely closed
"N-No! I-I won't leave you!.. M-Mom! Y-you gotta!", Moss didn't get to finish her sentence when a lesser demon suddenly appeared and got ready to fire off its spell
Moss was gripped by fear, unable to move her legs were glued in place, and can only watch as the lesser demon started charging up a spell
"S-Someone... H-help u-us", Moss started crying, her tears dropping from her face and onto the ground, she didn't ask for this, she didn't deserve this she thought, why would something so horrible such as this befall her?
As the lesser demon fires its charged spell it misses Moss completely, instead hitting a nearby tree causing it to fall.
Moss's eyes widened as she saw her Mother grabbing one of the lesser demon's legs she managed to push the lesser demon ever so slightly causing it to miss its mark
"MOSS! RUN!!.. GO! AND FIND HELP!" Her mother shouted while grabbing the lesser demon's leg not letting go despite it punching her head
"D-Don't worry.. about me.. We'll see each other again... now GO!" her mother shouted... using the last remaining strength she had
"M-Mom...I-I'm Sorry!" Moss ran as fast as she could not looking back, Moss knew that even though if help did arrive, it was already too late for her Mom, tears dripped from Moss's face, and she pants as she ran towards the forest not stopping at anything.
As Moss runs tears still falling from her face her mind is filled with anger, rage, and sadness, she tightens her fist in anger Moss wants revenge, she wants to make the demons pay for taking her family away from her
"Demons.. I wear.. I'll make all of you pay.." Moss thought to herself and made a silent promise to herself to avenge her family...
Moss kept on walking for hours, her clothes all dirty, her eyes all dried from all the crying moss kept on walking before collapsing on the ground from exhaustion
"M-my head hu-hurts.. my vision is spinning T-this is it...", Moss thought to herself, her vision blurry she stared at the blue sky before finally blacking out.
A few hours later, Moss stirs awake, as she opens her eyes Moss is met with a wooden roof her body has rested, and has the necessary strength to slowly sits up right and scan the room, she's in a small wooden cabin, the walls are made out of tree trunks, and the room she's in only consist of a bed and a side table
"W-where am I?" Moss slowly wipes the tears from her eyes suddenly remembering what happened to her family, before Moss stands up and slowly makes her way out of the room
once outside, Moss is greeted by an Elf cooking food, She has a small stature, her hair is colored silver and her pointed ears are an indication of her race
"A-An elf? Was she the one who helped me...?" Moss thought to herself...
"Hello?.. Were you the one that helped me? Who are you?", Moss asked her tone curious
The elf turned around she had colored eyes she smiled at Moss as she slowly put the food on the table, her cooking consisted of a sunny-side-up egg and a few pieces of bacon
"You're up! I'm glad you're ok, Moss. Please sit down. I bet you're hungry from all that has happened," the elf said, her gaze lingering on Moss and her tone carefree.
Moss's eyes widened; she was surprised as the elf knew who she was. Moss had never seen this elf, yet the elf knew her name.
"How did you know my name? I don't know you."
"She knows who I am?, I haven't seen her before, she could be mom's friend, maybe dad's?" Moss thought to herself, She hesitantly took a seat and Immediately got a whiff of the scent of the bacon and eggs placed in front of her
The elf smiled and said, "Oh, I know who you are. I've been expecting you for a while now, Moss Briar. Don't worry, I'm just here to help you." She spoke in a carefree tone, as if she knew Moss before they had even met and that Moss would end up at her home.
"I'm Fuyumi Nara, Pleased to meet you, Moss..." The elf smiled at Moss her tone carefree
Moss looked puzzled but she masked it with her usual stoic expression she was curious about Fuyumi "Fuyumi Nara?... This is the first time I've heard that name... If I may ask... Have we met before?...."
Fuyumi put both her hands on her chin while looking at Moss "Nope.. this is the first time we are meeting Moss," Fuyumi
said Fuyumi her tone carefree as she looks at Moss
"I know everything.. about what happened to your village, the past, and the future.. as well as your desire for revenge Moss..."
Moss's expression changed she was surprised, baffled, and curious as she grasped Fuyumi's words
"Is she for real? could she really have the ability to see the future... I find it hard to believe, but if she can help me then.."
Moss glares at Fuyumi her green eyes meeting Fuyumi's carefree gaze "How did you know all of that?... And what do you want with me? " Moss asks
Fuyumi smiled and stood up "If you want to find out then Meet me Outside... But before you do eat first..."
Fuyumi says before putting on her white robe and walking outside
Moss watched as Fuyumi walked outside, her attention turned to the food in front of her
"Can I trust her?... She did save me.. and if she had any Ill intent she would have already done something to me by now.. and she said she can see the future?.."
Moss slowly starts eating regaining her lost strength, "In any case I'm on my own now... If she can help me avenge my family and get stronger... Then.. I'll have to trust her.."
As Moss finished her meal, she slowly walked outside and met Fuyumi standing under a big oak tree in front of the cabin. Fuyumi slowly turned around and met Moss's gaze.
Fuyumi smiled, her silver hair fluttering in the wind. With a snap of her fingers, she summoned a table and two chairs. Moss blinked in surprise, finding herself seated on one of the chairs. In front of her was a small wooden table adorned with two delicate shortcakes and two steaming cups of tea, one for each of them.
"Now that you've eaten, how about some dessert while we chat?" Fuyumi said while smiling at Moss.
"How did she... What kind of magic did she use?" Moss looked at Fuyumi, clearly impressed by the sudden appearance of the shortcakes and tea. She had never seen magic like this before. Reluctantly, she took a sip of tea, savoring the delicate flavor, before staring back at Fuyumi in awe.
"Now, I want to know, since you said you can see the future and seemed to possess magic far beyond my reach, can you help me get stronger?" Moss's tone is determined, her drive to avenge her family driving her to trust Fuyumi.
Fuyumi sips her tea, not surprised at Moss's question as if she was expecting it from the very beginning. "Yes, of course I can. You are here for a reason, are you not? I'm here to guide you to the future I envision," Fuyumi smiles while gazing at Moss.
"When you mean become strong you meant becoming a strong mage yes?... If so, to truly become a strong mage you must first have a deep understanding of "The Rules" or "Laws" as some people call it"
Moss listens carefully, her eyes glued on Fuyumi as she explains "The Rules"
"The Rules?... What are those?.. I remember my mom mentioning it before but she can't explain it to me clearly" Moss asked, Fuyumi.
Fuyumi Smiles before standing up "The rules are what governs our world... everything is deeply connected to The rules, the falling leaves, the movement of people, the warmth of fire, death and life" Fuyumi explains while looking up at the huge oak tree
Moss stares at Fuyumi a bit baffled at what she just said "I don't get it... Can you give me an example?.."
Fuyumi turns around and faces Moss, before holding out her hand in front of her producing a small fire
"Fire or Fire magic is deeply connected to the Rule of Combustion a process where the fuel or your Mana nature of Fire will react rapidly with the oxygen in the air causing it to heat up creating Fire, of course using fire magic in itself without much knowledge of the Rule of Combustion would still work but it won't be as strong, the deeper your understanding of The Rules the stronger your spells will become,"
Moss is quiet surprised to see how vast Fuyumi's Knowledge about the Rules are
"I see... But not everyone's mana is Fire Nature, So that means only people with Fire Nature would need to understand the rules of Combustion"
Moss is taken aback by the extent of Fuyumi's knowledge about the Rules. "I think I understand now... It's like how food rots over time because they're connected to the rule Spoil."
Fuyumi Smiles at Moss and claps impressed at how fast Moss is able to catch up
"That's right!.. you got it for someone your age you catch up quickly!, In addition, there are some things that are connected to more than one rule for example a speeding arrow is connected to the rule of Speed, Velocity, and Movement, with that in mind people with more than one Mana Nature tend to have the upper hand in terms in magic casting.."
Fuyumi then points at Moss, while smiling excitement evident in her expression "And you fall into that category my dear Moss.. unlike normal people who only posses one or two mana natures, you possess the rare trait of having almost all of the Mana Natures this will allow you to deepen your knowledge about multiple Rules,"
Moss's eyes widened in surprise, Moss stood up her gaze fixated on Fuyumi "H-How do you even know that? how can you be so sure about what you're saying??".
"Is she even telling the truth?? all I can use is Fire Magic... I don't even know any other spells except for the fire ball spell mom taught me.." Moss thought to herself, as she found it hard to believe what Fuyumi was saying,
Fuyumi smiles her gaze at Moss is carefree yet filled with fascination and excitement
"I know because like I said before... I have seen it all.. before it even happened I want to train you because I want an Apprentice that has similar traits to me, possessing multiple Mana Nature, an Apprentice I can entrust all of my Knowledge to" Fuyumi's tone was carefree but it has a hint of care to it,
Moss Stands there taking in what Fuyumi just said, her eyes fixated on Fuyumi
"I see, I guess I'll find out if she's telling the truth, being trained by someone like Fuyumi possessing multiple Mana Nature like me would be beneficial if I can become as powerful as her, I'll be able to"
she then hold out her hand towards Moss "If you let me train you... You'll become an even stronger mage, and after that In the distant future you'll be able to avenge your family.." Fuyumi's tone was serious a complete change from her usual Carefree tone
"Moss, you will be an important key player in the future. You must master at least half of the rules I know because, in 12 years, He will arrive. When the final judgment arrives, you will fight alongside Him. Although I didn't see the final battle, I have full confidence in my decision."
Fuyumi's thoughts were consumed by the future she had foreseen. Even though she could see the future, she knew it wasn't set in stone. There was still a chance that Moss could fail and the future she envisioned might not come to pass.
Fuyumi's gaze still fixated on Moss, she is confident in her decision to pass her Knowledge down to Moss
Moss slowly approached Fuyumi before taking her hand and gripping it tightly "If you can make me stronger.. and someday I can avenge my family.. then I accept... Master Fuyumi"
Moss's eyes are full of determination gripping Fuyumi's hand she is determined to learn about the Rules and to inherit Fuyumi's Knowledge it doesn't matter how hard she has to train or study, as long as she can get stronger Moss will do her best to prevail
Moss began her training the next day, working diligently to understand the rules. She trained every day, practicing magic during the day and studying the books and notes that Fuyumi had prepared for her at night. Occasionally, Fuyumi would take Moss out of the forest to teach her about adventuring and other useful skills, such as communication, which Fuyumi later found out Moss was not good at.
It didn't take long for 11 years to have passed, during that time Moss now 17 years old rarely left the confines of the forest where Fuyumi's cabin was located causing Moss's emotions to dull a bit always having stoic expression, she had now mastered almost all of the Rules and spells Fuyumi knew on
Moss now a young adult was training under the large oak tree in front of Fuyumi's cabin, she had grown taller than Fuyumi who as an elf had not changed a bit
Moss's training was Interrupted by Fuyumi, as she slowly approached Moss Fuyumi looked at Moss her eyes scanning Moss "It has been 12 years since I first took Moss as my student...Time is up.. in 2 months He Will arrive"
Moss looked at Fuyumi her expression stoic like usual "Master Fuyumi do you need something?" Moss asked her tone a bit aloof
Fuyumi smiled "Yes I do... It's been 12 years since you have been learning from me... now It's time.. to see how much you have learned.."
Fuyumi jumps backward before Suddenly pulling out a pen
[ Artifact: G-Liner ]
Fuyumi exclaims
Moss taken back at the sudden actions taken by Fuyumi "A test?...alright then, but what's up with that pen?"
before Moss could take the first move Fuyumi scribbled 3 fireballs on thin air, Suddenly the drawings came to life and started speeding towards Moss
Moss was initially surprised how Fuyumi conjured the fireballs snapped back into focus and defended herself using hardened mana itself creating a forcefield.
"That pen.. she can use it to draw something and then it comes to life?.... What an amazing weapon to use.. even so.. I will still win!" Moss's focus remained on Fuyumi as she conjured steam covering the entire area utilizing Fire and Water magic
Fuyumi smiles her guard up as she gets ready for Moss's counter attack "Clever!.. using fire magic to Evaporate the water creating steam.. still.. you need more than that to beat me"
Fuyumi then scribbled once again on thin air summoning a gust of wind and blowing all the steam away
But before all the steam could be blown away, Fuyumi was overwhelmed by Moss's multiple barrage of fireballs, Moss's expression remains stoic her vast amount of Mana overpowering Fuyumi as she hardens her own Mana to create a forcefield
Fuyumi hides behind her forcefield overwhelmed by the sheer amounts of fireballs Moss is firing out "T-This is intense, I knew she had a lot of mana b-but this is too much!.. I-I can't even draw anything now since I need all my focus here on maintaining my forcefield... This...This is check mate.."
Fuyumi looked at Moss her eyes proud of how far Moss had gotten even though Moss didn't learn all of her Knowledge she was still able to overpower Fuyumi with just fireballs
as the battle continues Fuyumi's defense is overwhelmed by Moss, her Forcefield breaking causing her to get hit with all of Moss's attacks, as the dust settles Moss stands there with her wooden staff, with Fuyumi slowly walks up to her casting a healing spell on herself, her injuries slowly healing
Moss stood there staring at her master, "Master Fuyumi...I"
Fuyumi Smiles widely, her expression proud at Moss for beating her "You've come so far Moss!.." Fuyumi then hugs Moss proud of how much Moss can learn from her
"If you can beat me with just simple spells.. and with me using an Artifact then it's safe to assume I have nothing more to teach you.." Fuyumi pulls away and smiles at Moss
Moss smiled which is a rare occasion, her usual stoic expression gone "Thank you, Master!.. I couldn't have done it without you.."
"I-if I have finished my training with Master Fuyumi... Then..",
Moss is now a bit lost.. finishing her training with Fuyumi was her focus this whole time in exacting revenge against the demons, now she is finished she doesn't know how she would proceed from here..
"Now that your training is finished... I would guess you would like to leave now?.." Fuyumi asked Moss even though she knew what the future has in store for her
Moss stared at Fuyumi "Y-yes... But I don't know where to go.. my focus this whole time was finishing my training.. but now It's done.. I don't know how to proceed from here.." says Moss her tone a bit anxious
"If you want to avenge your family then.. you should start by traveling towards the Demi-Human Capital Shtohess," Fuyumi says with her usual carefree tone
Moss raised an eyebrow to Fuyumi's specific suggestion
"Why there Specifically Master? is there something special there?" Moss asked her tone a bit curious
Fuyumi Smiles and reveals a marking on her forehead hidden by her hair, it's a black line dashed across her forehead
"Not something, Someone, In 2 months time you should reach Shtohess once they register at the adventurers guild.. wait there until you meet a guy with the same marking as here on my forehead sorry I can't reveal his name but he has Black hair, Red eyes and tends to grin like an idiot"
Fuyumi's expression grew serious as she looked intently at Moss. "The person you are about to meet is your ally. To avenge your family, you must first understand who your enemy is and who you can trust as an ally. because you will soon find out that your adversary will be far stronger than you and I combined"
Moss bites her lower lip as she stares at Fuyumi her expression serious "My Enemies are the demons.. no matter how strong they are I will destroy them.. If helping the person Master is describing will help me get closer to my goals then so be it."
Moss nodded, her eyes meeting Fuyumi's with a stoic expression. Yet beneath this calm exterior burned a fierce desire to avenge her family. Her resolve was solid, her determination unwavering. "Understood, Master, I'll meet this person you are describing.. and once I do I will destroy all the demons!.." she said firmly.
Fuyumi Smiles widely her eyes meeting Moss's gaze, "Yes!.. I know you will..", Fuyumi says her voice confident at Moss's declaration
Fuyumi is confident that Moss will Succeed and In the near future she will help a lot of people and will play a vital role when the Final Judgement arrives
The next day as the sun rises casting Its radiant shine upon the forest where Fuyumi's cabin is located, Moss stands in front of Fuyumi's cabin she carrying a small brown briefcase and wearing a black robe reaching her knees
Fuyumi smiled and hugged Moss before handing her a small ring. It featured a smooth red gemstone in the center, engraved with Japanese writing "守る" that was foreign to this world and incomprehensible to Moss.
"Here.. have this.. a farewell gift from me.." Fuyumi says firmly her tone caring
Moss accepts the ring examining it before putting it on, "W-What is this Master? Is it a magic ring or something?"
Fuyumi Smiles at Moss
"This is an Artifact like the pen I used during our little test yesterday, Artifacts objects imbued with the Rules themselves this particular ring is imbued with the Rule of Divisibility allowing the user to be immune to getting cut or injured by slashing attacks, this will help you in future battles.."
Moss bowed thankful to how much Fuyumi had given her taking her in as her student and giving her a place to call home when she had no one to rely on
"Thank you, Master.. for everything.." Moss says her tone appreciative
With one final exchange, Moss waved goodbye to Fuyumi and began making her way out of the forest. As she walked, she looked around at the familiar trees she had always seen during her strolls near her master's cabin. A sense of nostalgia washed over her, knowing she would miss this place. Moss continued walking for an hour until she reached a small town, where she boarded a cart heading towards the next village.
Moss traveled from town to town slowly making her way towards the Demi-Human kingdom's capital Shtohess, upon reaching the City she was met with the unfamiliar sight of people with animal-like features, some had cat ears, while others had horns,
Moss Moss looks around the city her eyes in awe at the sight of the tall buildings and houses "So.. this is Shtohess?.. I didn't expect it to be this big..."
Moss starts to make her way towards the adventurer's guild while looking at the unique people inhabiting the city walking around the streets, and merchants hawking their wares
"And the people here.. are unique.. having animal-like features.. what could it feel like to have horns?.." Moss thought to herself
As Moss makes her way towards the Adventurer's guild she pauses for a moment and as she sees a guy with messy black hair and wearing strange clothes getting yelled at by one of the vendors
"Huh? What Kind of Money is that?", The man gestured to put the guy's money away "You can't use that Junk here in Shtohess, so that means you're flat broke?", The Man sighed "Scram! Quit interferin' with my business!" The man shouts at urges the guy to leave immediately
As Moss watches the two's interaction she pays it no attention and continues walking
"That guy was weird wearing strange clothes... maybe he's not from here," Moss thought to herself as she walked away
Upon reaching the Adventurer's guild Moss registered and filled out the necessary registration forms before handing it to the receptionist
The receptionist then examines Moss's registration form
"Oh.. So you have no combat experience? But you say here you can use all types of magic..", the receptionist asked Moss her tone curious on how such a powerful mage like Moss with no combat experience would just appear out of nowhere
Moss nodded her expression stoic like usual, "Yes... I only just finished my training and began traveling about two months ago."
The receptionist smiles "Well! In that case, I recommend you to form or join a party, going in alone on quests without prior knowledge about monsters is dangerous ya know!..."
"Hmm.. she is right.. although I can probably kill any monsters I can come across It wouldn't hurt to be cautious," Moss thought to herself as she considered the Receptionists words
"Here you can start with this quest... It's ranked E" The receptionist then shows Moss a flyer about a kill quest, slaying slimes for 20 copper pieces
"I'll keep it posted on the quest board... If someone else wants to take the quest I'll redirect them to you!.." The receptionists smiled at Moss
Moss bowed, the receptionists reminded her of Fuyumi and how she talks "Yes, thank you for your help, I'll just be sitting on a bench nearby"
The receptionist nods, before handling other adventurers who are in line, Moss then slowly makes her way to one of the benches
Moss waited for a few hours during that time she had just been thinking about the person her master was describing and that she was going to meet her here
Suddenly, in the corner of Moss's eye she could see the same guy who was getting yelled at by one of the fruit vendors
"H-Hello! I-I'm Lester Ishigami! E rank Adventurer! I'm a warrior who can use Attack magic!.. The receptionist said you're looking for party members?" Lester says his voice a bit shaky while grinning at Moss his shark-like teeth in full view
"A warrior who can use attack-type magic?.. he can't be serious... He doesn't even look like a warrior wearing those strange clothes.. but he does fit Master's description he has black hair, red eyes, and he's grinning like an idiot.." Moss thought to herself scanning the stranger known as Lester
"But.. he doesn't have that same mark as masters... Did master Fuyumi predict wrong?, N-no.. everything she had said by far had come true, maybe.. he has the mark somewhere on his body?" Moss says to herself assessing Lester if he truly is the person her master was describing
"C-Can I join your p-party!?" Lester asks while grinning nervously,
Moss sighs before standing up, meeting Lester's gaze still having a stoic expression, her green eyes darting at Lester's red ones "A warrior who can use attack magic?... I don't believe you... I say you just lied about the type of magic you use.. you don't even look like a warrior " Moss's tone is aloof while she scans Lester's strange attire
"Even so... This person is an exact match to Master's description, minus the marking she showed me,",
Moss thought to herself, before speaking again
"In any case, I guess you can be useful as bait... I'm Moss Briar Ranked E mage like you, a pleasure to be working with you Mr. Lester Ishigami.." her tone was aloof, and her expression remained stoic as she looked at Lester
Without wasting any more time Moss turns around and starts heading outside carrying her wooden staff, her movements smooth and calm, her expression still stoic.
"Lester Ishigami, a guy with strange-looking clothes... we'll soon find out if you truly are the person master wants me to help.." Moss walks outside the adventurers guild with Lester behind her, their kill quests start now
--Character Spotlight--
Moss Briar
Age: 17Height: 5' 5" (165.1 cm) I think...Weight: I Don't know... Didn't bother to check.Occupation: Mage/Adventurer Ranked EBackground: Moss's home was destroyed during the demon's attack on her small town of Hadje after running away Moss was taken in as an Apprentice of the rule bearer by an elf living in the forest Named "Fuyumi Nara"Personality: Moss often has a stoic expression and usually doesn't show any strong emotions toward anyone
Fuyumi Nara
Age: Not telling! You'll just call me an old hag!Occupation: MageHeight: I'm a shorty ok?!Weight: Too lazy to check... maybe 50kg?Background: Fuyumi is a mysterious elf who had taken Moss in as her student and gave her shelter after Moss's village was destroyed by the demons, Fuyumi also possess multiple Artifacts mainly the Artifact:
G-liner, and The Ring Of Undiminished. before giving the Ring Of Undiminished. to Moss
Personality: always easygoing and carefree often seen smiling
--Disclosed Artifacts--
G-liner
User: Fuyumi Nara
Ability: A pen-shaped artifact used by Fuyumi Nara it is imbued with the rule of "Future," it grants the holder the ability to see future events. However, the holder cannot share this information verbally; their voice momentarily disappears while discussing the future. There is a loophole: if the user draws, the drawing becomes a real-world object with full functionality. The drawn user can then freely speak about the future. Only three drawings can exist per user at a time.
Ring Of Undiminished.
User: Moss Briar
Ability: The ring Of Undiminished is also imbued with the Rule of "Divisibility" like the artifact "Sky Splitting Scissors" but has the opposite effect, the Ring of Undiminished allows the user to be immune to getting Cut or cleaved and will also provide protection against the Rule Bearer of "Divisibility's" attacks
--Others--
The Final Judgment: Described by Fuyumi Nara, an event that will decide the future of this world
Artifacts: Objects Imbued with the Rules themselves, can be used as weapons, for protection against certain Rules, or it can be used as a means of mobility
The Rules: Is the force that governs the world, everything magic and life itself is deeply connected to The Rules, The deeper the understanding of the rules the stronger one's magic will become