THE KANE FAMILY

Slow and with a great deal of caution, 4-year-old Michael poured the vial of dark green liquid into a larger vial filled with three drops of his blood. Watching the swirling mixture, Michael noted the change in colour and watched with satisfaction as it turned into a light red colour. Health potions were categorized based on their colour, and Michael just created his first successful ‘Weak Potion’. He was still far from his mother’s pure white potions though, but Michael was glad of the creation he had made. Clapping from behind him said that his mother was also happy.

“Awwww, 4 years old and already you can make potions. My little Michael was so adorable when he poured. Little scrunched up face… hands shaking a bit… ADORABLE.”

Relatively used to the crushing, Michael smiled at his Mother in return and lightly hugged her back. His Mother turned even redder and even gave a small squeal as she hugged Michael, her expression joyous. Michael barely returned such hugs so she was ecstatic.

Struggling a bit, Michael tried to free himself from her grip but only succeeded in tightening it. Gasping for breath, Michael’s movements started to turn sluggish and he lost feeling to his legs. The two collapsed to the ground and Michael started to imagine his own funeral, until he was saved by the timely arrival of his father who had barged through the door.

“Michael! Where are you, I need to have a chat with- AH!”

Spying the two on the ground, Aaron saw his wife hugging their child incredibly hard. He also noted Michael’s waving hand and his look of desperation. Instead of helping though, Aaron gave Michael a wink that made Michael involuntarily shiver.

“GROUP HUG!”

Easily picking the two up, Aaron warmly crushed the two in his arms and Celia released Michael with a laugh. The three hugged each other until they all dissolved into a laughing fit. Wiping tears from his eyes, Michael asked his father.

“So why did you need me?”

Wiping his own eyes, Aaron sat before Michael and looked straight into the standing Michael’s eyes.

“Me and your mother were in agreement that when you reached a proper age, I will be able to teach you how to fight. This is all up to you though and it will be hard training. What do you think?”

Michael stared at his father and the two stayed in that position for a few minutes. Michael was deciding if he should learn and he couldn’t really find a reason to say no. After the ‘Voice’ told him that he would be a warrior, Michael had several fantasies about what he would be in the future and nothing could really deter him from being a warrior.

Most of the stories he had read recently were high epics about legendary heroes and their adventures. Master Ranks and even lower ranking heroes went around the continent performing deeds of strength and wonder and Michael dreamed about going on the same adventures.

“Yes! Of course! Teach me everything you know!”

With a happy expression, Michael leapt into his father’s arms and laughed his agreement with him. With his own ecstatic expression, Aaron gave a quick squeeze to Michael before carrying him out of the Alchemical room and towards the third floor. His mother stayed in the room but there was a tint of jealousy and happiness in her own expression as she cleaned up the room.

The entire third floor was mainly in place for practical uses. Tall and large, the third floor did not have halls or rooms but instead had a giant space with a mat-covered floor. The mat had some enchantments to resist certain amounts of damage so the room was mainly used by Aaron to train or by Celia to experiment with toxic material.

On the north side of the room, lines of weapons were hung and displayed. Under each real weapon was a small bundle of its wooden counterparts and some materials to clean them, such as some soft fur and oil. To the south side was a large pile of scarecrows with several stands in front of the pile. The stands were used to place the scarecrow on top and was robust enough to take a lot of damage. Still, there was a small pile to the side that showed only piles of broken wood pieces and leftover straw filling. Those would be sent off to the woodworkers and recycled into more dummies for Aaron.

Victoria, the second maid, was a large robust women who was the caretaker of the house’s items. Her job was to clean and maintain Aaron’s weapons as well as to wash the dishes and clothing. Dressed in a comfortable full body suit that allowed for easy movement, Victoria was also a regular sparring partner for Aaron, even if she wasn’t as good as him.

Carrying Michael, Aaron charged into the room and surprised Victoria in her cleaning. She accidentally knocked the oil bottle over and the blade in her hand nearly slipped off the towel. Swearing, Victoria cleaned the oil and watched as Aaron and Michael approached her.

“Those are scarecrows behind us. Normally a person would use them to scare off pests that try to eat the crops, but they are sturdy enough to also be used for combat training. Now what weapon would you like to try?”

Put down before the vast array of weapons, Michael considered each and every one. Michael’s father took on a feverish light in his eyes as he looked at Michael choosing. Michael too was a little excited at finally wielding a weapon. He was also hesitant at choosing a useless one and not liking it later. Scanning the racks, Michael wondered how to go about choosing. Wishing he had more time, Michael concentrated on every weapon he could see.

Suddenly the world shifted...

Everything seemed to become clearer and Michael started when he noticed the little discrepancies around him. Shocked at the sudden change, Michael tried to look around and found that his head moved far too slowly. Looking at the weapons in front of him, he also took in the details of them. The wooden weapons had minute problems in them which told of a shoddy workmanship. He also noted a metal core within some of the weapons so he knew they were deliberately weighted for training. Working on the other side of the weapons rack, he noticed Victoria, whom was sweating a bit as she oiled and cleaned the blades. As his focus on her increased her eyes flicked to his father every once in a while, gaining a faint blush in her cheeks as she kept at her work. And then the sword beside her was...

Staggering, Michael’s concentration cut off abruptly and he reeled from the pain. His head felt like splitting and he was sure he saw a weird picture in his head. It went away after a little while and Michael checked to see if anyone noticed. He saw his father was still staring at the weapons and missed his movements. Victoria, however, noticed and gave him a concerned look; he shook his head at her question. Wondering at what happened, Michael calmed himself down and waited until the pain went away. Then he tried to remember what that last thing he saw was.

The last thing he had seen before the… thing stopped, was the sword to the side of Victoria. Curved and cleaned, the blade and its wooden counterpart had seen little use, even to his eye. The grip was new and the blade gleamed with a shine. Seeing as how the curved blade would only be usable as a slashing weapon, Michael also looked at one of the daggers on the side. His choices were not all entirely based off how he imagined he would look when equipped.

Facing his father, Michael made his choice.

“Can I use that curved blade there? And the dagger?”

Michael looked up innocently at his father. His eyes wide and teary - he didn’t really need to fake the tears, his head was still killing him - Michael pushed his bottom lip out and pouted. Just like how his mother had done once before. His breathing was rather ragged but his father still didn’t notice anything wrong. In fact, his father was breathing rather heavily as he was looking at the weapons and Michael didn’t know how to react to that. Instead he kept his eyes clear of any suspicious thoughts, even if his body was inching itself towards the weapons. Catching this, Aaron gave a small smile.

“Are you sure though? The sword was an experiment by a friend across the city. It does have good strength but it is quite difficult to use. Also the daggers are small and would need close proximity to use properly. Both are quite hard to use...How about the sword and shield? Everyone likes that pair.”

Giving a look, Aaron tried his hand at trying to turn Michael towards the easier weapons but Michael caught on to that. Still he liked the weapons he selected and didn’t mind the warning either. Better to learn odd weapons than be common. Michael had seen pictures and imagined scenes where the warrior wielded a large shield and held a longsword. Fine and all, but rather… simple in his mind. Instead, he tried to imagine how he would look. A short dagger, sheathed at his side, left hand resting on it, yet ready to be drawn. Long curved sword at his other side, exotic looking and mysterious. And when he wields it, raising that curved blade for a slash... yeah, he really did think he would look cool with them.

Waving at his father in a vague manner, Michael gave him a smile and a few points of why both would be fine for him to use.

“Yes, yes. I still think I like my choices. The curved sword would be good for slashing and the daggers would be good for piercing or if anyone gets too close.”

Michael’s father was nodding and thinking about the uses of both as well. In fact, his friend had told him the proper uses for both and Aaron was surprised at Michael’s quick mind. In the end he gave Michael a thumbs up and brought the wooden weapons to Michael.

“Here, since no one close has any idea on how to use them, you can go ahead and just find your own style. Use the training dummies over there and find a good fit. Since you are using two weapons make sure to give enough time for both. Show Wooden Dagger to Michael. Show Wooden Unknown to Michael.”

With gentle instructions, Aaron gave Michael the weapons and said a command to show the items stats. Immediately Michael saw boxes appear in front of the weapons, similar to how his mother showed various Herb statuses to him.

Wooden Dagger[p=left]Rank F

Durability: 83/100

Damage: 2-4

A wooden dagger made by an average woodcutter. There is a metal core in the middle which strengthens the durability of this weapon. Damage stays the same due to the blunted soft wood.

Knowledge of the weapon grants a decrease in Durability loss.[/p]

Again more stuff Michael didn’t know, with the exception of a few things. Durability was the status for how long the weapon would last against damage to the actual weapon, and its overuse would result in a fast lowering of the durability stat. Usually a crafter could fix the item easily if needed. The maximum durability loss from time and an uncaring attitude was more troublesome yet the dagger still seemed to have max durability. Michael wondered about the rank though. The plants he saw didn’t have a rank such as that. Hrm...how about the sword…

Wooden ???[p=left]Rank FF

Durability: 150/150

Damage: 7-12

A wooden curved blade. It is unknown what the name or type of blade it is but the original was made by an eccentric blacksmith. A wooden version was then made in order to train a style for it. There is a metal core in the center which strengthens durability without increasing damage. Due to the style of the blade it is not as effective to stab with.

Piercing techniques do only 10% of normal damage. Durability loss triples.

Knowledge of the weapon grants a decrease in Durability loss.[/p]

Hrm, FF rank this time. The weapon was probably stronger so did the ranking tell how good it was? Michael nearly hit his head at his own foolishness. After all, asking people questions would usually get them answered faster.

“Father, what does it mean when it says ‘Rank FF’?”

Nodding, Aaron smiled at Michael’s question and rubbed Michael’s hair as he thought up a proper explanation.

“You know how the herbs your mother gave you had no ranking? That’s because it is a natural object of this world. A raw material so it doesn’t get a ranking. Animals and Humans are the same. Anything that is naturally made will not be given a ranking but anything not, will.

“Those training weapons were made by a Blacksmith and a Woodworker. That meant that a raw material was consumed and effort was used to create it so it gains a ranking. Rankings begin at the lowest F rank to the A rank and beyond. I personally haven’t heard or seen a higher ranked item than a BB, so I don’t know. In terms of rankings, FF beats F and E beats FF. If you continue on it will end with A beating BB ranked items. Understand? By the way, this house is a BB rank creation.”

Michael nodded in response and thought up the possibilities. An A rank item would be a treasure to have but is there an AA rank item? Will Michael be able to get it in the future? Thoughts and dreams formed in Michael’s mind as he wondered what an A item would be like.

“These rankings allow a person to see how valuable the weapon is and the quality. Even if you see a very beautiful sword on display, it's useless if the ranking is only at E ranking. Therefore it's better to look at the ranking and stats rather than the weapon itself. Now, go to the other side and hit those dummies. You need to get some practice in.”

Another head rub and then Aaron pushed Michael towards the scarecrows. Aaron followed his son and Victoria kept an eye on Aaron’s backside until she noticed what she was doing and hurriedly got back to work.

Michael approached the dummies and hefted the weapons. The dagger wasn’t very heavy in his hands, but if he used it too much he was sure they would start to tire him out. His stabs into the dummy seemed odd to him, but Michael soon got the hang of sliding the edge along the dummy’s skin. A dagger wasn’t only a piercing weapon, and he should be able to slice for now.

Michael switched to stabbing into various areas of the dummy and got used to the feel of resistance when he stabbed. Even though the dagger couldn’t stab through, Michael felt that the motions were more useful than anything and he kept at it.

Michael then started his training with the unknown sword. Since it was too large a weapon - about as tall as he was - Michael couldn’t fully lift the sword and it dragged behind him. Made of wood with a metal core, the weapon was heavy and durable and Michael had to limit himself with full body swings. At first every hit he did to dummies was reflected and the sword was knocked out of his hands. Making sure to pay attention to where and how he hit, Michael soon got the hang of handling the sword. He changed his grip after a while in order to compensate for lack of strength and that helped in allowing him to properly use the sword.

By the time night came, Michael successfully got the Mastery skills for both.

You have gained the skill ‘Sword Mastery’. Consecutive training and newfound knowledge of your strength and the sword has given you +5 to Strength and Vitality

Sword Mastery. Beginner level 0. (7%) Passive skill[p=left]The blade is a common yet formidable weapon for a warrior. A tool of death, this skill must be refined and understood before it becomes a part of you.

Sword strikes are 5% more effective for every ‘Sword Mastery’ level.

Due to skill still being a Beginner ranked skill, constant use of the sword is needed to keep the skill. If long periods of time pass before you use the sword, proficiency will lower.[/p]

You have gained the skill ‘Dagger Mastery’. Consecutive training and newfound knowledge of your body and the uses of the Dagger has given you +5 to Dexterity, Agility, and Vitality

Dagger Mastery. Beginner level 0. (5%) Passive skill[p=left]The dagger is a powerful piercing weapon when used correctly. It can be concealed easily due to its small size yet can deal powerful one-hit strikes.

Dagger thrusts are 5% more effective for every ‘Dagger Mastery’ level.

Critical hits with all weapons gain a 1% chance increase per ‘Dagger Mastery’ level.

Due to skill still being a Beginner ranked skill, constant use of the dagger is needed to keep the skill. If long periods of time pass before you use the dagger, proficiency will lower.[/p]

Michael just barely managed to finish before night came and his father approached from where he was watching. Victoria had been gone since a long time ago leaving the two on the floor.

“You did good Michael. I suspect you managed to get the Masteries for both? Good. You need to continue training in order to keep your skills in top form and any lagging will waste precious time. Go to sleep for now. Tomorrow we start body training. Don’t worry I’ll go easy on you. Don’t disappoint though.”

At Michael’s expression, Aaron waved away his worries and just smiled in response. As Michael went up the stairs to the bedroom floor, he wondered about what they would do the next day. Contrary to Aaron’s words, Michael believed he would be pushed hard and that he would be expected to do everything properly. He didn’t know why he ended up with this thought, but he did not wish to disappoint his father in anything at the moment.

Michael went to sleep and dreamt of epic battles. His sore body on the comfortable bed felt heavenly and Michael had no discomfort as he slept.

“Hrm, that Aaron, trying to steal my little boy away from me. If I have to give up half the day for him… urgh… I guess I’ll start teaching my actual trade to him.”

In her own secret room, Celia was sitting on an upraised tree root and gazing into a green crystal ball that was placed on top of a thick bush. Connected to the wooden areas of the house, the orb allowed her to view and listen to anything that happened inside. She could see Michael hitting the dummies diligently and she ached to go and hug him. He was simply so cute as he hit with all his might and she could just see him struggling. Ah~~~

When her husband and son finally left the training floor, Celia stood up and directed some of her Mana around the room. A large oak tree split and pushed out a table that had a stack of dark green books. Celia took the bottom most and opened it to several pages. As she read the manual, Celia wrote down new schedule for Michael that would take place for the next few years. This should one up Aaron. Her smile was wide and happy and her features were still as beautiful as ever. There was however, a slightly mad glint in her eyes.

Shaken awake, Michael blearily opened his eyes to see his father’s hand on his shoulder. With a smile, Michael was gently lifted up and placed on the ground. Slowly but surely, Michael was led to change into a comfortable full bodied suit.

By the time he had finished changing and cleaning himself up, Michael was rather awake as he was led back into the Training Floor. Here the top portions of all the walls were bared open and Lucy was continuing her sweeping of the floor. The slight peek of the sun told Michael it was still very early but he guessed this would be his schedule from now on. His body was only slightly sore from yesterday, mainly his arms, so Michael was ready for what was to come.

“The first thing in body training is to reinforce your stamina and strength. Running is an excellent way to train Stamina so that is what you will start with first. Run around the room for the next 30 minutes. I’ll increase your speed if I see you slagging off in any way. START!”

With the barked command Michael started his run. At first he sped up to his maximum speed, until he got his concentration back and he knew he couldn’t keep the speed up forever. Michael slowed his speed appropriately and managed to run at a pace that was a few times faster than walking, but still allowed him to keep his breath normally. For the first 15 minutes he was fine but then he began to feel his legs weaken. His breathing started to quicken and his suit began to dampen with sweat. At 20 minutes he subtly lowered his speed and his father caught it.

“NO SLACKING OFF. FASTER! ADDING ANOTHER 2 MINUTES TO YOUR TIME.”

Damnit. Cursing his own weakness, Michael sped up once more and focused on his breathing. His head cleared up a little with the focusing but he still felt the fatigue building within him. At 25 minutes he felt like falling to the floor but one look at his grim father made him push himself. Didn’t he want to have adventures like the Heroes in his stories? Heroes didn’t fall down when they got tired. No, they pushed themselves to their limits! Michael continued his run with renewed determination.

At 30 minutes, Michael was utterly spent. He wondered how long he truly had been running. It felt like hours had passed, not minutes. When would it all be over? Michael threw that thought in his mind a few times and wondered…

“2 minutes Michael. Almost done.”

Aaron’s voice pierced his thoughts and Michael almost stumbled. 2 minutes? He could last 2 minutes, couldn’t he? Michael tried to feel if his legs could take it and he was amazed they lasted this long. Feeling his body about to give up, Michael stopped thinking and focused on only one thing. His breathing. Air going in, air being released. Repeat and repeat.

In that cocoon of concentration, Michael ran and ran. Almost in a trance, Michael barely noticed when the two minutes were up or when he was told to stop. Only when his father grabbed a shoulder did Michael finally hear what was being said.

“Michael! Michael! You're done boy. Rest yourself. Come on... Lucy! Grab some breakfast for the two of us.”

Putting Michael down on the ground, Aaron looked with concern at his son. For the first 15 minutes the boy went through it rather well considering his age and speed. The last 15 seemed to hugely challenge the boy though and Aaron had been waiting for him to collapse. He even tried to have Michael collapse by saying there was only two minutes left. Instead, Michael calmed himself properly and ran without even breaking a sweat. Very strange indeed.

Laying on the ground, Michael sucked in air and tried to calm his shaking limbs. His hands felt quite cold and the rest of his body felt hot until he actually touched them. Even with all that though, Michael felt good. The run had been just what his body needed after staying inside for the last few years and Michael wanted to feel more of this. The pain, the exhilaration, the feeling of success. Michael would have laughed in delight if his body obeyed him. In front of his eyes also lay the fruit of his labours.

You have gained +3 Vitality

You have gained +2 Agility

You have gained the stat: Endurance. Stat has been absorbed by Concentration. You have gained +10 to Concentration. Concentration will now have the added bonus of Endurance

You have gained +2 Strength

You have gained +3 Willpower

When Lucy brought up a tray of steaming honey porridge and poached eggs with toasted bread, Michael found himself wolfing down everything. His mouth was burning a little bit, but his stomach didn’t care and soon enough his plate was emptied out. With a grin, Aaron passed his bowl of porridge to Michael and contented himself with the eggs and bread. They both still finished at the same time and Lucy cleaned up the plates and brought them all downstairs.

Wiping their hands on the damp towels Lucy had provided, Aaron motioned Michael to continue sitting.

“Yesterday you chose a good set of close combat weapons. Although good and solid, you still need some ranged weapons just in case. Lets practice with these one at a time. First is the bow.”

Picking up a short bow, Aaron passed it along to Michael and gave him a blunted arrow. First was to check his proficiency with the weapon. If he had any skill, they could then start lessons on stringing and unstringing the bow, and then on how to care for it. Aaron led Michael to the far north side of the room and motioned Michael to stand in the center.

“Aim for the dummies and try to fire at them. Legs apart, left leg forward, back straight, left arm straight, body tilted to the side. Make it so that the body’s side is pointed slightly to the left of the target. Now pull slowly on the bow. Aim and fire.”

Following all of the instructions, Michael aimed the bow and drew back the arrow. But then he was hit with pangs of worry and doubts. Was his hand supposed to be here? Or higher? Did he aim directly at the target? How far was his feet supposed to be? How much does he pull back? Why was the bow quivering in his hands? Ah what if he accidentally hits a person coming up the stairs? Better move the bow away from the stairs. Ah, what was the last instruction? Oh yea, shoot.

Releasing the arrow, both Michael and Aaron saw the arrow fly to the far left of the targets and hit the east window. A loud shattering followed as the arrow sped out the building, and both father and son could hear the distant crash and fuss of something being hit. They both rushed to the newly open window and peered out.

In the far street the two could see a man being pinned to his cart by Michael’s arrow. Michael’s strength was just barely enough to draw the bow, and his arm shook from the effort. That shaking added to his problem and was why he released so quickly. It was a blunt arrow but still had the strength to pierce both clothing and wood so the poor man was horribly traumatized at the attempted murder. He was shouting and crying as his legs tried to make him run away. The arrow had hit the clothing right above his collar and would have been quite fatal if it went a few inches to the left.

Aaron raised his voice to reach the growing crowd.

“Sorry! I’ll send some money as compensation!!”

Then they both ducked back before the man had a good look at either; though it was doubtless the man even heard Aaron. Both of them refrained from laughing at the mistake.The two of them then headed back to their original spot and Aaron took out a pile of knives that were exactly the same from one another.

“*cough cough* Well, I guess you can’t learn the bow anytime soon. I don’t even wanna try a crossbow. Here are some throwing knives. Just try throwing them at the opposite wall.”

Michael just casually threw the first one and found he didn’t hesitate as much with them as he did with the bow. The first few he threw veered off course, but he kind of got the hang of it soon. Michael brought his hand back and had his elbow by his head. He pointed his elbow to the target and then took aim.

Michael brought down the arm and ended with his hand pointing at the target. He released the knife a bit earlier before he fully extended and watched as the knife spun at the target. With a satisfied chunk, it embedded itself into the target. The handle was pointed a little high but Michael was satisfied with his first successful throw.

Happy, Michael did this a few dozen more times before the familiar boxes invaded his vision.

You have gained the skill ‘Weapon Throwing Mastery’. Consecutive training and newfound knowledge of your limits and the uses of various projectiles has given you +5 to Dexterity, Agility, and Concentration.

Weapon Throwing Mastery. Beginner level 0. (5%) Passive skill[p=left]Anyone can throw things yet to actually target something and accurately pierce it with whatever is at hand requires skill.

Targeting is 5% faster per ‘Weapon Throwing Mastery’ level.

Due to skill still being a Beginner ranked skill, constant use of throwing and/or targeting is needed to keep the skill. This includes just tossing everyday items around and focusing on various objects. It is next to impossible to lose this skill…[/p]

Michael turned around and smiled up at his father who gave a smirk in response.

“Good, since we still have some time to go before the next meal, lets work on building up your strength. Lie down on the ground, place your hands close to your shoulders then push yourself up. Do 20 for now.”

Going through several strength exercises, Michael worked up a sweat once more and his breathing turned ragged. After the 70th push up in the session, Michael and Aaron heard the distinct ring of the midday meal. Michael stopped immediately and laid on the ground for a short while before the ache in his stomach forced him to get up.

Sitting around the dining room table, Michael was opposite his mother and father and devouring the plate of mixed rice with curry gravy that Lucy and his mother had made. Cooking was a hobby his mother enjoyed quite a bit and her skills were very high. An Expert rank, she created various styles of high quality dishes and served them to her family whenever she could. Lucy had an Advanced ranking in the skill and helped when she could. Both Michael and Aaron thoroughly enjoyed the pleasant meal.

“Ma’am, there is a person requesting permission to meet you.”

“Hmm? Who is it? I have no prior arrangements for visitors today.”

“A man claiming to be Sir Ulrend of the house of Lumnde. He does look like a member of their side branch and bears the crest of their house. His carriage is also of Illin make.”

“Yes, alright Valerie, lead him in and have Lucy offer some refreshments. I’ll be with him after the meal.”

Valerie, the third maid, was a fit woman of moderate height and above average looks. An old comrade of Aaron, Valerie had her Weapon-Master skills in the Advanced ranking and was experienced in creating and dismantling traps. This led to her being quite the expert in implementing various security measures around the house. She also had enough skill to give Aaron a proper sparring match so that was another plus for her. Right now she was clothed in a male dress suit and had her long silver hair tied back in a ponytail.

Even features over flawless skin, Valerie’s stern eyes took in everything around her and she was reportedly very good at her job. Her appearance usually surprised most visitors and she had told Michael that the surprise was her main goal. She also revealed a large assortment of weapons on her body, which amazed the young 3-year-old at the time. Equipped with those weapons and several vials of his mother’s best potions, and Valerie was the ideal line of security for the family.

With an exasperated wave of her hand, Celia waved away Valerie and went back to her meal. Curious, Michael ate faster in the hopes of being able to accompany her and seeing the man.

“Can I join the talk?”

Opening her mouth to ask why, Celia paused and thought about it a bit. Letting Michael see a true Noble in all their splendour should be a good lesson for him. Plus it would mean that Aaron would also be free to join the discussion. His presence usually prompted some irrational responses that were always fun for her to watch. Also he made Valerie perk up a lot more as well. Celia dwelled on her use of her husband’s attraction and men’s reliance on a need to show off and didn’t notice as her grin took on a sly tone.

“Of course you can Michael. Honey, you can join as well. Lets have the whole family greet the valiant Sir... whatever his name was.”

Aaron had been avoiding any eye contact in his wife’s direction but it was to no avail. He didn’t like to be around Nobles since he couldn’t help but get angry most of the time. He didn't have a heart big enough to include Nobles and he didn’t know how he felt that Michael would be meeting one.

The cities of Gaia do not have any Rulers. Rather, they had no need for them. Autonomous and well run, the cities had completely erased the shackles of a single leader and instead was run by the 5 guild system for the last thousand years. Nobles were the last remaining dregs of the old Monarchies and interactions between them and the people were very limited and most of the time it ended in blood.

Nobles were the main descendants of the old Kings and Rulers of the past. Prideful, arrogant, and extremely closed minded, the Nobles were disliked wherever they were received and it was very rare to see any communication between the social classes. Their wealth being the only reason some Noble houses survive, everyone views them with a very distasteful reaction and attitude.

Out of the 200 Human cities left on Gaia, only 10 cities had any semblance of a Noble family left. A dwindling treasury coupled with flagrant use of coin meant the inevitable downfall of those few remaining families, unless they changed. Michael’s family is situated in Bellen, a moderate sized city with no Noble families.

The house lobby was a medium sized area with a warm hearth and comfortable seats. The furnishings looked old fashioned and of low quality, but a sharp eye would be able to see through such mundane aspects and find the true quality. Paintings, tables, vases, sculptures, even the curtains. All of these items were made with a Master ranked skill and were worth thousands of Gold.

The lobby was located right beside the entrance and it didn’t take much time to travel from the Kitchen. Michael and Aaron were both still dressed in their training uniforms and both didn’t seem to feel the need to change. Celia was dressed in her Alchemy uniform - that is, she was wearing a full body grey coat with stains, burns, and some scratches over her casual clothing. The motley family walked to the lobby and not even Valerie thought to ask them to change. That is how Nobles are normally treated. With a dirt stained handshake and spit.

Opening the door produced a large breath of warm and musky air which told the family that the fireplace had been employed. Situated where it was, Bellen had few winters that produced snow, so a fireplace served more as a decorative piece than a functional one, but it was still a working piece.

“Grahahaha, you have a wonderful home Dame Kane. Little cold though, so I hope you don’t mind the fireplace.”

Seated on one of the couches near the fire was a robust, clean-shaven man. Middle aged and handsome, he was dressed in many layers of clothing and didn’t even sweat as he sat comfortably in the sweltering room. Behind him was a line of five servants headed by an aged strong old man. The male and female servants were scantily clad and all of them showed impeccable bodies, even the hoary man had a great deal of muscle on him. To Aaron, they had the look of hard adventures and would make experienced soldiers shy away.

They all wore little, but each of them had different weapons within easy reach. The only useless one was a man with a large unstrung bow at his back with his quiver on his side. It would take time to get that ready and his only other weapon was a small dagger. The other four displayed a variety of swords and daggers and all of the handles had a worn look. The only person with no weapon was the old man but Aaron wouldn’t be surprised if he was a Monk. Unlike other types of classes, Aaron was not really sure what a Monk would do since they relied on different combat mechanics.

The three sat themselves down on a large sofa opposite the man but much further away from the fire. Aaron and Celia had their own way of dealing with the heat - Magic and Skills - but Michael didn’t have such protection. Placing him between the two of them allowed for their cooler bodies to absorb any excess heat he gave off. Valerie had entered behind them and placed herself beside their seats, on Celia’s side.

“How do you do Sir Ulrend, I am Celia Kane and this is my husband, Aaron. My son Michael will also be here if you do not mind.”

“Ah, of course not. This is a simple matter anyways. I have heard of your prominence in the Alchemical arts and wish to buy your wares.”

Ulrend raised his hand and waved it beside his head and the bow user stepped forward to bring them a large bag of clinking metal. Valerie intercepted the man and took the coins. An inquiring look from Celia and the head servant answered in his sonorous voice.

“My master has collected 3,000 Solide for the purchase. This is just the first bag of 200 to show trust. The rest is being kept in a temporary dwelling.”

The currency of Gaia was divided into three different kinds of Coinage. The smallest denomination was the Radiate, a copper coin. 20 Radiates made an Argentia, a silver coin and the most common among the simple races and people. The last was the gold Solide which was worth a staggering 50 Argentias. With low gold reserves, the silver Argentia was the most widely used. This currency set was common among most of the races, to some extent; only the barter systems of the wild races made the currency unusable. This currency was monitored and kept strong through the duties of the ‘Merchant Society’ guild.

“What potions do you require? 3,000 Solide is not a small sum.”

“I would like to buy as many of your top potions as I could.”

“The most efficient would be 600 of my Test VII potions. Recovers 5,000 Health, 3,000 Mana, and boosts recovery rates by 50% for Stamina and Mana for 1 day. They also increase several stats. I will even add in a pouch of Remedies, as a bonus.”

It may seem an expensive trade, but potions were on the rare side of the item market. A good Alchemist was hard to come by and only a few rose to any prominence. Clerics from Ket or the other Churches were favorably received in any party, but emergency situations always called for a good potion or two.

Valerie produced her own pouch, filled with clinking vials, and gave that to the head servant as Celia spoke.

“This is 20 of the vials, so that you can see the quality. I will start producing the rest of your order today. How long will you be staying in Bellen?”

“Hrm? Oh, about a month. I have some other business that I need to finish. Hopefully that will be enough time to complete the potions?”

“It is. I already have a stock of 400, I will just need to make a few more batches. I will send along the Remedies after you leave. If you can give Valerie your address at the moment.”

Sending one of his servants to give Valerie the information, Ulrend spent the next few moments making some small conversation. Michael started to get bored when he didn’t hear anything substantial about what was exchanged. Mainly some talk about family ties and the like. One piece of news did catch his attention though.

“Have you heard anything about the Church?”

“Church? You mean the Information Church? No I haven’t, why?”

“I paid them a visit through every city I passed before stopping here. Every place seemed to be quite busy and there were even a few Mages in some cities. Makes me wonder what’s happening.”

“I wouldn’t pay it much mind. Probably the Church wanted to record some more recent ideas about the Magus wars. Some Mage lines have different interpretations. You know how the Church is; more information never hurts anyone, just a lack of it.”

Nodding, Ulrend moved the conversation onto talks about Bellen, but Michael was still contemplating the talk about Mages. The ‘Voice’ had told him it had given him some talent of Magic, so Michael had been looking up anything he could find about the subject. He only ended up with some theoretical nonsense and histories. Well, not histories. More like folklore.

After another half hour of talking, Ulrend excused himself from the family and left the house. Michael had a rather ok opinion of the man; Aaron was even surprised at how amicable this Noble was. He didn’t dwell on it long though. Aaron picked up Michael with an arm and then waved his wife and head of security goodbye. They still had the a good portion of the day to go through training.

The leveling system of Gaia was used by every citizen of the world. From Farmers to Tailors, Soldiers to Nobles. Every person leveled up for a reason, but none of them made Leveling a reason.

For example, Farmers were people who decided to work the land in order to obtain a bountiful harvest for their family or city. Looked upon with a certain respect, a Farmer is a powerful person with high stats in Strength and Vitality. Their work is grueling and grants an abundance of stats, yet sometimes they feel the need to increase those stats. Strength makes work easier to do, and Vitality increases the amount of energy they would be able to use. They may even wish to increase Agility to allow for faster movements, or Intelligence and Wisdom, to keep the business afloat. When Farmers feel the need to increase these stats, they go hunting. Some farms are lucky enough to get hit with waves of Turnips or other monsters, but some would need to cooperate with others and go after monsters.

Once a month, an expedition group is formed. Led by a ‘Sons of Battle’ guild officer, the group is led through Dungeons or Forest hunts battling the monsters within. Under the officer they would fight with a high degree of cooperation and teamwork; the result of being citizens of the same beloved City. Even the officer would have been from the same city and thus feel a sense of friendship with the other members. Fighting in the dungeons allowed individuals to strengthen ties with others as well as to increase stat points. It was a common scene to see families hunt in dungeons to increase familiarity with one another.

Tailors would level in order to increase their Strength, Dexterity and Vitality. Soldiers would level for Strength, Agility, Vitality, and in order to reach the required level to be promoted. A level 200 soldier has the potential to be promoted, whereas a level 100 wouldn’t. There are still high level soldiers in an army, but they are mainly grouped together to form Elite Battalions. Because of this level system, most of the citizens in every city has some degree of fighting skills.

Although Adventurers fight strong monsters when they travel, none of them specifically seek such troubles. Monster hunting is mainly done for the resources they give or for leveling a few times to gain those few precious stats. A high level person was respected, but if their skill rank was low then they would be looked upon with derision. A person’s skills were everything, level wasn’t.

“Is it in the forest?”

“Yes sir. Our scout managed to get close enough to see the distinct detail.”

“Good, would we be able to get it ourselves?”

“... No. There are several hundred of them in the forest. We wouldn’t even be able to run if we tried.”

“Haa~. Alright, guess we will need to go back after we get the items. The Head will have to be told about this personally and I won’t risk a messenger.”

“Yes sir.”

StatusNameMichaelAge4Level1Class-Fame0-100Infamy0TitleTarget of EnvyGuild-Health310Mana410Stamina360

Strength26 + 10Dexterity21Vitality21 + 10Intelligence31Wisdom35Mana Control5Critical Chance0.05%Agility30 + 20Concentration48Willpower15Charisma15 + 20

[p=left]Special Skills and bonuses:

‘Target of Envy’ grants:

+20 to Charisma.

+20 to Agility.

+10 to Strength.

+10 to Vitality.

-100 Fame.[/p]

SkillsStealthBeginner level 0. (78%). Active and Passive skillInstant AnalyzationBeginner level 1. (9%) Active skillLanguage ComprehensionBeginner Level 1. (0%) Passive skillHerbologyBeginner level 2. (7%) Passive skillAlchemyBeginner level 1. (55%) Active skillSword MasteryBeginner level 0. (7%) Active skillDagger MasterBeginner level 0. (5%) Active skillWeapon Throwing MasteryBeginner level 0. (5%) Active skill

AffinitiesFire1Water1Earth1Wind1Light2Dark2Nature5

Michael now has:

A renowned potion making teacher

Combat lessons from his Expert Ranking Father.

The first chapter which you really should have read...School Days! Not. My story is vanilla and I'm scared to write something like School Days...

Welp, chapter 2 is up. Decided on twice a week until whatever chapter. So maybe 1 chapter more, then you gotta wait for the final PR touches. Haven't even started chapter 8 yet...

Please vote or review. Everything is appreciated (still want to get back into the top 50...).