Chapter 5: Apprentice

“First of all, if you want to study under my supervision, we have to set a few ground rules. Listen and do not interrupt me.”

“One. From now on, you shall never share your true knowledge of Jonas with anyone. If, and only if, you know for sure that they are no longer bound to him.” She’s clearly emphasized that first part. Does she know I’ve told my friends?

“Two. While common priests cannot tell your betrayal, higher-ranking members will sense it as soon as they lock into you. Do not meet them; keep a low profile within the Church of Jonas. Or even better, stay far away from it.”

“Three. Under my tutelage, you will have access to many resources. Some of them are dangerous. Do not step out of your bounds. Do not use anything without permission.”

“Break any of those, and my mentorship will immediately end. Understood?”

“Yes, master!”

“And four. No more master, call me by my name, Isha.”

“As you wish, Isha.”

“Very well. Now, I believe you already know what needs to be said about HP and Mana. You might still be wondering how you get stronger in this world.” I affirm with my head.

“Easy, effort and practice. Hunting the evil, performing tasks for locals, and even reading and learning will help you progress.” I nod.

“You might have noticed that your class, in the status window, has a number at its side. That indicates your class level. Higher levels grant you a deeper knowledge of both your existing spells and the class itself. Ultimately allowing you to improve and learn new spells. Speaking of which, proficiency with individual spells is also important.”

“Does that mean that I can, for example, get my Heal spell to restore more HP than it does now?” I use her brief pause to ask.

“That is certainly possible. Keep using it and level it up. Now, until I can teach you anything else, I need you to experience the real world. Go out there, ask for quests, and level up. Once you are level 10, come back to me.”

“Then I shall go, Isha. Thank you for having me as your apprentice.” I slightly bow and turn back, slowly but confidently walking towards the exit.

Now then, let’s see what those are up to. Should I call her? Ah, man… I wish I had the courage to do it.

*Ring* *Ring*... *Click* “Yeah?”

“Dorian, this is Mark. I have just finished here. Where are you?”

“Really? That fast? We just restocked ourselves and were about to go hunting. Wanna come?”

“Of course! I can be at the gate in about 15 minutes.”

“Perfect! By the way, have you already found a shirt? Otherwise, please, let me buy you one. And a weapon. Do you use a staff?”

“No, no! Dorian, there is no need for you to do that!”

“Yeah yeah, 15 minutes, don’t be late!”

The way back feels lighter; a weight has been dropped from my shoulders. I definitely was at Jonas’ will. And my friends… they still are. There must be a way to free them, I must ask Isha once I see her again.

Oh, it seems like I’m first? Nice! I go back to my random list of thoughts and let them guide me.

“Have you been waiting for long?” The voice, Dorian’s voice, comes from my front. But, once again, I can’t see him. It’s the second time he’s pulled this trick on me.

“Tell me, Dorian, is that one of your abilities?” I inquire about them as soon as he is within reach.

“Indeed. I’m a Scout, and that was my Wind Whisper. It allows me to communicate with anyone I have in my vision range. And yes, I do have a skill to extend my vision!”

“That’s amazing! What are your classes?” I ask while looking at the rest.

“I am an Elemental Wizard. I command the elements at my will and obliterate whatever is in front of me!” Not bad, a damage-oriented class, it suits him well.

“You can barely invoke a flame!” Rand’s voice casts a shadow over his attempt at showing off, making a scoff leave my mouth. “I am a Body Enhancer, which, as the name implies, uses magic to strengthen his body. I will be your shield!” He sure knows how to do an act. His hands rubbing and circling his belly while puffing out.

“What about you, Lillia?” My question makes her immediately turn his head a little, probably to hide her embarrassment. She’s so cute...

“I… I am a Duelist. My role is to enter the battle from the back, execute a few well-timed and precise attacks on the enemy, and then back off and provide cover for our back-lines. If I focus on evading only, I can also act as an off-tank.”

“Oh wow! That sounds so much fun! You have to show me when we have the opportunity!”

A genuine smile of happiness appears on her face. “Yes! I would love it!”

“Ahem,” Dorian fakes a cough to catch our attention. “Here, Mark, wear this. You call for too much unwanted attention like this.”

“Maan… you truly didn’t have to do it! This staff is wonderful! It must have cost a small fortune.” A quick look might fool the eye, a simple wooden stick with no particularities except for the bulb-like top. However, once closely examined, the carved patterns become apparent. Spirals and edges dancing around symbols and letters I can’t comprehend. Silver incrustations at seemingly random heights mark three separate sections of the staff.

“Oh, trust me, I’m not doing it for you. For once, I prefer you clothed. For the other, you might not know it, but staffs, along with some other magic items, amplify your spells power, mana recovery, and a large etcetera. You will be more useful for the team like this.”

“So, what can you do?” Mike asks me, cutting short the conversation.

“Right now, my spells are limited to the one I showed you and a healing one. Although I can only cast 4 of them per battle, maybe 5 if I regenerate enough mana in-between. Also... I have to wait 10 seconds between casts, and it only recovers 20 HP.”

“Isn’t that… a bit too useless?” I’m starting to regret thinking he cares for me.

“Don’t worry about that; leveling and frequently casting it will surely make huge improvements”

“Thank you, Lillia. I definitely hope so, although it did say in the class description that it would be hard at the start. Worst case scenario, I guess I can hit things with the staff. It seems robust enough.” I laugh at my own joke. Which must have been really bad, as nobody else does.

“Let’s go then! Today we are visiting the Kobold Mines on the west. We have a commission from the local merchant union. It seems they have been attacking their caravans.”

[Player Rand has invited you to a party]

Accept! So Rand is the leader? That is certainly interesting, maybe because he is our frontline?

[Party]

Rand (Leader)

Class: Body Enhancer (5)

HP: 133/133

Mana: 54/54

Mike

Class: Elemental Wizard (5)

HP: 71/71

Mana: 125/125

Dorian

Class: Scout (4)

HP: 112/112

Mana: 105/105

Lillia

Class: Duelist (5)

HP: 158/158

Mana: 110/110

Mark

Class: Inquisitor (1)

HP: 100/100

Mana: 100/100

The travel there has been mostly peaceful. Small talk for the most part, although nothing regarding our real lives. We have been good friends for a while, a few years actually, but we decided not to bring our personal problems into the games. We do talk about them occasionally, but always once we’ve finished our gaming session.

They have been telling me about their last 3 days. It seems like they did all that queue for Lea, where they lost a whole day. There’s also the church, or more likely the indoctrination center. They teach you about the almighty God Jonas and of his generosity. Bullshit! I might not know his motives, but they can’t be good.

Then they went out to roam the world and do some minor quests. It would seem that other trainers do not take you as an apprentice, which makes sense given the huge demand they have. They give out a few pointers, unlock your basic stats and spells, and you are ready to go.

“Look! That’s the mines!” Rand takes me out of my trance and makes me focus again on my environment. Maybe I should stop phasing out while walking?