Arn’s optimism vanished the second his hand touched the door. What am I thinking? I’ve seen how my luck works. She won’t be here. She’ll be sitting with Talia. Or everyone inside is being eaten by wargs. Probably the last one.

Opening the door, Arn quickly saw Nina waiving at him from a table with steaming food on both sides. “Sorry Arn! I was hungry so I ordered for us. Hope you don’t mind!” Arn sat down and chuckled, “this is wonderful! But to be honest, the way things have been going, I’m just glad there isn’t a pile of rocks on the table.”

Nina’s mouth quirked cutely. “What in the name of the Seven Gods? Tell me everything while we eat.” Arn started talking, and to his surprise, told Nina everything, from dying twice, being eaten, stabbed, stoned, poisoned and humiliated. Nina looked concerned, “Arn . . . you are letting them torture you! They don’t do that to baby killers! You are the one with the class. You don’t have to walk the path someone else picks out for you.” Arn smiled ruefully and said “I agreed to it Nina. You know, except for the part with the slarn almost getting the family jewels. Talia said it looked like I lost my virginity.” Nina snorted, “come on Arn, you can’t entirely blame her for that one! A slarn biting you there, own it and laugh along!”

With Nina beaming, Arn couldn’t precisely disagree, but still…Nina just didn’t understand. “Nina. Its just, you know, I had no future, was going to be forced to leave the village. And then this class came along, and I thought my luck had changed. I signed up for the crash course, zero to hero in 1001 rocks and stabbings. It’s working. But … I don’t … I just don’t know what I’m doing anymore.” Nina looked shocked. “Huh! I always thought you were the smartest kid in the village Arn, but I guess I was wrong.” Arn’s mouth gaped in confusion as he asked “what do you mean?”

Nina smiled kindly. “The agreeing to be a human piñata thing is nuts Arn, but I get why you signed up to be tortured now. You got dealt a tough hand, true. But it seems you were so busy with doom and gloom you missed the fact that the Elder loves you, and always had a plan for you.” Shocked, Arn stuttered “wh..what the heck are you talking about? He all but packed my bags.” Nina explained, “so when Dannis had you try every non-physical profession in the village, like knitting, you seriously thought he envisioned you becoming a seamstress?” Suddenly angry, Arn forcefully said, “of course! There are only so many things a cripple can do!” Calm, Nina asked “and when he sent you to every physical profession in the village to learn, the ones you could never do like blacksmith, you thought what?” Suddenly less confident, Arn explained “that was a strategy to boost my intelligence so I could pick up something like scribe or something.” Nina smiled. “Really. So the great puzzle-solver thought that was a good way to train intelligence. And what, you just assumed that the city folk would welcome a random untrained village boy as a scribe?” Flabbergasted, Arn said “um, I’m starting to feel like I might have missed something huge, but I just can’t see it. The Festival was in three weeks when I got this class and the Elder said nothing.”

Nina took Arn’s hand. “Arn, the Elder was giving you the knowledge for the profession he had in mind. Not all classes are unlocked you know. Some are given. I don’t know the name. But you were to be his apprentice and train to lead the village.” Stunned, Arn protested, “no, that can’t be right. Did he tell you this?” Nina gently continued, “no, he didn’t tell me. I don’t know exactly what he was waiting for. You can ask him. Maybe I don’t have it exactly right. But I’m sure he had a plan for you.”

Arn put his head hands on his face. “I was such a jerk to him when he poisoned me. Well, maybe he deserved that one, but I never thanked him. Not for anything really.” Nina poked him – “snap out of it. Easily fixed! And your class? It is Legendary! You are on an unexplored path all by yourself, trying to run. Of course you are going to trip.“ Amazed at the tiny force in front of him, Arn couldn’t help himself. “Nina do you think that if I came back in two years with enough money to settle down…” Realizing what he said, Arn felt fire rush to his cheeks.

Nina put her hand on his arm. “Arn, I don’t think you know where you are going or why you are working so hard to get there. You are changing so fast, you need to figure out who you are, and who you want to be. You figure out who you are, you come back and introduce me. We’ll have lunch. I’d like that. Ok?”

Arn nodded. “Yes. Of course! I mean, I shouldn’t have…” Nina smiled and interrupted, “I’m your friend Arn. I’m glad we had lunch. But now, I think you have something you need to do.” Nina paused. “You need to go get your balls back!”