It was a hard decision, and Erin had to continually remind herself that there would be more opportunities in the future to choose spells. Unless the spell specifically stated it was permanent, it was possible for her to gain a new rune and exchange the two, rendering the original spell dormant while the new one took its place. So far, she’d only encountered one spell that had such a requirement, and it was easily the primary reason she’d skipped it. She pushed the thought away as she focused on the list before her, continually scrolling up and then back down with a mental flick. One by one she eliminated options, her stomach doing odd flip-flops each time as she shut the door on another potential. As weird and crazy as everything had been since she got here, there was something about this process she enjoyed. A certain sense of limitless potential had taken root in her once she’d believed that she was here.

“Binding Point, or Devour Flame.” She mumbled aloud, which elicited a query from Sigrid. Erin was brought back to reality once more, reminded that she was sitting across the table from Sigrid, who was waiting for Erin to make her choice.

“Binding Point, or Devour Flame.” Erin repeated, more clearly.

“What do they do?” Sigrid asked, and Erin gave her the rundown of both spells. Though the menu existed only in her mind, Erin found it difficult to shift her focus back to her actual vision when she had it ‘open’ so it was with great effort that she forced herself back into the world outside her head, in order to read Sigrid's expression. Which was best described as incredulous.

“Why would you want to eat fire? That’s crazy.”

“I mean, I throw fireballs at stuff.” It didn’t sound like a good reason, but somewhere in the back of her mind, Erin had started to think of herself as a fire mage.

“Erin, you’re not trying to find shoes that go with your outfit. You’re talking about the most powerful tools at your disposal. Things you’re planning to rely on in life or death situations.”

“Does that mean you think Binding Point is the better choice?” Erin asked.

“Without reservation, yes. The situational limitations of Devour Flame alone are enough to disqualify it. You can’t even consume the flames you produce yourself. How often is a source of fire just going to be sitting around for you to eat.” Sigrid put a heavy emphasis on the last word, and Erin was on the verge of nodding her head in agreement when she realized Sigrid’s eyes were the wrong color, and also the wrong shape. Her heart skipped a beat, and her shock must’ve been apparent in her expression because Sigrid raised an eyebrow at her, a look of comprehension following quick after.

“Right, the eyes. I was planning to tell you after you finished absorbing your runes, but I completed my spell set while you were away.”

“What’s that got to do with you having cat eyes?”

“They’re not cat eyes,” Sigrid said with a frown. “I took the Dragon’s Blood spell.”

“You took the permanent one!? Why would you do that?”

“I’ll explain later. Focus.”

Erin pressed her lips together into a tight line of dissatisfaction, but nodded. It wasn’t really her business what spells Sigrid chose, or why. Knowing that didn’t make her any less incredulous, but she let it go. Mostly out of respect for Sigrid, but also because keeping herself present while under the effects of the spell was difficult. So Erin let the world fade away, to be replaced once more by the menus. She still had a choice to make.

Sigrid was probably right. Devour Flame was too situational. There was very little Erin could do to be certain of being able to use the spell when she needed it. There had to be easier ways to get a healing buff.

Binding Point had obvious benefits if wielded correctly, and with the addition of augments, there was a lot of potential.

Binding Point

Decision made, Erin felt the runes swirling over her skin fade away, the waking world returning as the spell she’d chosen became part of who she was.

Her vision returned to find Sigrid pacing back and forth along the length of the room, arms folded behind her. She paused as Erin stirred.

“You don’t eat fire now, I hope.”

“No, I bet it tastes awful.” Erin joked, as she plucked her last Spell Rune from within her inventory. Sigrid eyed the compact sphere from where she stood.

“That’s your last one, right?”

“For a full set, yeah.”

“Do you know which one you’re going to choose?”

“Well…” Erin said slowly, “I don’t know. There’s only so many choices for Specials.”

[Mirage Wyrm Spell Rune: Would you like to absorb the rune?]

Yes. Now familiar with the process, Erin only felt the smallest sense of trepidation as the glass dissolved away, and the runes moved across her skin, waiting to be absorbed. The only difference being rather than inky black symbols twisting and writhing disconcertingly, they did so as an ever shifting rainbow of colors.

Once again, the world faded away to be replaced by the menu screen. A dazzling spell list laid out before her. With a mental command, she eliminated all the spells that only fit the three slots she’d already assigned, and the offending selections vanished from the list. What was left was still sizable, a plethora of Special and unassigned options. With a deep breath, she began the arduous task of sifting through them.

It didn’t take her long to run across the Dragons’ Blood option, perhaps because the spell had been weighing on her mind. She read the description again and shook her head. She couldn’t guess why Sigrid would choose something like this. The woman had always struck her as relentlessly practical. Everything she did seemed calm and measured. Erin would’ve assumed that this was too vague, too lacking in versatility to be considered. She set her questions about what motivated Sigrid aside and focused instead on what motivated her.

A childish need to be some kind of hero? She jibed in her own direction. Admitting that she was motivated, at least partially by ego, didn’t take the sting out of the truth of it, but she knew that wasn’t everything. As foolish as her actions had been, when she’d heard the screaming as the qek attacked, she had leapt to their defense without a second thought. Not because she wanted to be a hero, but because those people needed someone and she was there. It was dumb; it was reckless, and without Sigrid, Erin would’ve paid a heavy price for her mistake.

Erin forcibly turned her thoughts away from her well-deserved self-recriminations and continued to cycle through spells. She still needed to find an answer. She was living her second life, and she had magic. Did she want to fight monsters? If she was being honest, not really.

Not for the first time, she wished she could talk to her father. He would ask questions and listen and when she was done talking, he would know what to say. He would give her advice and they’d make a plan, and she knew from experience that if she stuck with it, things would get better, easier. Maybe not the way she’d originally wanted, but there always came a day when she realized that whatever had been bothering her wasn’t bothering her anymore. She wanted that now, because this life was confusing and terrifying.

Erin took a slow breath through her nose, counting to seven before she exhaled while counting to five. There was a cavernous hole inside her where her family had been, and every time she approached it she felt as if it might fall into it, only to be shattered on the ground below. She stepped away, back into the present moment.

She wanted to help people; Erin wanted to protect those she could, but more than that. She could protect them. Maybe not yet, but she had power that others didn’t and a clear path forward. The System provided her with a clear sense of progress, and she knew what she needed to do in order to grow her ability. As she scrolled, her eyes landed on a familiar option, but one she had forgotten about until just now.

Companion-

Unranked Spell: Mirage Wyrm Whelp

Slot: Special

Description: You gain a lifelong companion in the form of a Mirage Wyrm’s offspring.

Note: Once selected, this rune can only be removed by the death of your companion.

Her eyes scanned the text several times, and something about it drew her in.

[I feel I must remind you, at the earliest stage of its life you will find your companion less helpful than other spells.]

Erin pondered over that for a moment.

Does that mean it will be more helpful later?

[Eventually it will grow into a dragon, one of the most powerful magical creatures on this plane of existence.]

So yes.

[Eventually is the key word. Its growth will mirror your own. Reaching its full strength will take many years.]

A greater investment now for a bigger payoff later, and a lifelong companion? That doesn’t sound so bad.

[Alright, but-]

No buts, I choose the Wrym Whelp.

Unable to ignore a selection command, Lisa fell into silence as the runes sunk into her body, to join the tangle of magic that was her already active spells. Once it was in place, Erin noted a strange sensation. Unlike the others, her new spell felt incomplete somehow, but before she could dwell on it, Lisa spoke again.

[All spell slots filled. Mage Rank: Bronze. Bronze State unlocked.]

What the hell is a Bronze State?

[Bronze State is an augmented state that provides a boost to your magical and physical abilities at the cost of a continuous drain on your stamina.]

But using Magic already drains my stamina.

[One effect of the Bronze State is improving the efficiency of spells in that regard.]

I imagine it’s still more draining than casting normally though?

[I have never experienced the state myself, so I can’t speak to its effects beyond what information the System has provided me.]

Guess I'll have to find out for myself then.

“Done.” Erin announced as she pushed herself to her feet. Sigrid paused in her pacing, frozen mid-step, with her foot hovering inches off the ground. Erin took in the whole of it and smiled. Sigrid for her part ignored the grin, and planted her feet as she turned toward Erin.

“So, what did you pick?”

“I took the companion, but…”

“What?”

“I don’t know. It feels strange. Like you know how you can feel the spells inside you.” Erin wasn’t sure how to explain it exactly. It was like a muscle she’d always had but only recently found out about, except more… something.

“Yes.” Sigrid agreed, one eyebrow raised.

“Well, it’s there, but it feels almost empty.”

[Of course.]

Lisa chimed in

[The bond has been forged, but the whelp will take some time to arrive.]

“What do you mean ‘arrive’?” Erin asked, brow furrowing in confusion.

“I didn’t say anything.” Sigrid said, equally confused, prompting Erin to point at her head, indicating she’d been speaking to Lisa.

[Did you expect the spell would conjure the creature out of the air?]

Lisa asked, her business-like tone traded in for something like incredulity.

“Why wouldn’t it? Everything else does!”

[‘Everything else’ you have cast is not a living thing. You cannot summon a dragon, even a baby, the same way you conjure a fireball.]

“Well, that would’ve been nice to know before I picked it. How long is this supposed to take?”

[Depends on where it was when you forged the bond. You should get a sense of the distance between you as time passes. Likely as it moves closer.]

“So wait, I bonded to an actual dragon? Like a real baby dragon somewhere in the world?”

[That is what the spell does.]

Erin was blown away, her mind reeling with the implications. Not that she didn’t think the dragon would be real, she just didn’t think she’d be casting some sort of spell on a real animal that had already existed, independent of her.

“Seems like you didn’t really understand what you were getting into.” Sigrid commented, bringing Erin back into the present.

“I mean, I understood the general idea of the spell. I guess I was just missing some details.” She said, trying to refute the statement, at least partially. Sigrid didn’t look convinced. “Look, I’m just doing the best I can. I’m not an expert on magic, or anything else.” The dark-haired woman gave a one-shoulder shrug and then nodded.

“That’s fair. Just be sure to get all the information next time you’re considering a spell.” Erin leaned back in her chair, rubbing her hands over her face in a gesture of frustration.

“I thought that’s what I was doing, but setting that aside. Do you have this Bronze State thing, too?” Sigrid took her seat across from Erin, her straight-backed posture making Erin feel self-conscious about her own slouched position. Sitting up straight, she met the woman’s eye.

“Yes, I unlocked it when I finished choosing my spells. I haven’t tested it out so all I’ve got to go on is…” Sigrid mimed Erin’s earlier gesture, pointing at her head to show her Liaison. “There’s likely more to it, but we won’t figure that out until we talk to a Mage with more experience.”

“Any idea where we’re at with that?” Erin asked, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table. “Did you hear anything about those Academy Warden guys while I was gone?”

“No, nothing.” Sigrid ran a hand through hair, and Erin could feel the frustration rolling off of her. “I have to say, so far I'm not impressed with how this Academy City runs things.” Before Erin had time to ask her to elaborate, there came a knock on the door. It was Kiran.

“Afternoon.” He greeted them as Sigrid opened the door, Erin leaning around the edge of the frame to look out. “I was just wondering if you wanted to come get some practice in?” He shot her an earnest smile, gesturing with the training spear in his hand. Erin put her hands on her knees as she leaned forward in her chair, pushing herself to her feet.

“Sure thing. How’re your men?”

“Oh, they’re on bed rest, but it’s just a precaution. Our healer is a bit… intense.”

“Healer?” Erin asked, raising an eyebrow as she moved to stand next to Sigrid in the door.

“Yeah, yeah. I suppose you don’t think about that much. Magic potions and all. We’re the only village with a full-time healer within forty miles.”

“So, not a magic healer?” Sigrid asked, and Kiran barked a laugh.

“Ha! No, you’d never get a Mage to patch up First Tiers at the ass end of nowhere like this. You three staying in the village all at once have to be a first for Dangole. Anyway.” He said, waving his hand dismissively in front of himself. “We can chatter like nannies down in the practice field. It’s bad luck to linger in doorways.” Erin wanted to ask why, but Sigrid moved forward, stepping past Kiran on her way out the door.

“If you two are going to beat each other up, I’m not going to miss it.”

Name: Erin Young

Class: Bronze Mage

Tier 2

Soul: Bronze

Mind: Bronze

Body: Bronze

Spells

Spell Slot (Soul): Binding Point (Bronze: 0%

Aug 1

Aug 2

Spell Slot (Mind:) Devouring Fireball (Bronze: 15%)

Aug 1: Bolstering

Aug 2:

Spell Slot (Body): Mirage Wyrm's Wings (Bronze: 6%)

Aug 1:

Aug 2:

Spell Slot (Special): Mirage Wyrm Whelp (Bronze: 0%)

Aug 1:

Aug 2:

Boons:

Liaison

Bronze State

Mirage Mage (Bronze)

(Unknown)

(Unknown)

Inventory:

Inventory Item: Bronze Medallion

Equipment:

Torches (2)

Crafting:

0.5lbs of Iron Chitin

Currency:

Gold Maefars: 5

Silver Maefars: 53

Copper Maefars: 485

Artifacts

Slot 1: All-Purpose Hat (Bronze)

Slot 2: Refilling Vial: Stamina Potion (Bronze)

Slot 3: Empty

Slot 4: Empty