Sharp

I had a lot to process. Farrah wanted to start on my Aura training tomorrow, as it is a vital skill. They only have a five-day rest break, and then they have to go back to fight the undeath. They have already spent one on me. Nia offered to accommodate them at the Temple as a thank you. I should be the one doing that, but I have no coin.

“Theo,” Nia said, “Your summons are welcome in the garden, but please don’t let them disturb the other guests.”

I nodded. I was feeling much better. I had companions. Kai 1 was nestled in my arm, and I continued to stroke him.

When we arrived at Temple Kai, 2 and 3 ran off to explore. I soon made my excuses and left the others. Rufus and Farrah were going into the garden to meditate, and Gary went to the training room.

I went to my room and opened the arch to my garden. It was still bare, apart from Ardesia and Kai 4. Apparently, being in here counted as being adsorbed in my skin and claws. I am not sure how that worked. I guess they are all part of my skills and soul.

I wandered around and planned my garden. Berry bushes are on the edge, Blackberries are on the left, Blueberries are on the right, and both are alternating with raspberries. Seasons didn’t seem to matter, but the garden was not big enough to support trees.

I marked out my vege patch and a herb section. I would go to the local herbalists and see what they needed and grow the valuable ones to sell. My volume would be small until the skill levelled, but it should bring in some valuable coin.

I marked a path and a meditation area in the centre, next to where Ardisia would reside, as well as a rat nest. I looked around and then exited my space. I left the arch up. I would need the arch to be in a safe place. I was not sure what would happen if it was destroyed while I was in it. One of the Kai’s could stand watch.

I opened my storage space and stored my possessions. I would need to carry around some wood so I could open it where I needed to. Then I thought what an idiot I was and summoned a small round shield.

I concentrated on the shield skill, and the mana cost varied depending on the size of the shield I could make. The smallest was a hand buckler about 30cm in diameter. The largest was the kite shield I had first made. The mana cost was in creating the shield, not in maintaining it. I could, therefore, create shields for others. I wondered how much the shields would sell for. They were plain wood, not lined or reinforced with metal, so they were not the strongest, but it was worth investigating. They were iron rank wood.

I entered my garden again and, in my meditation place, created a large kite shield. I slammed the pointed end into the dirt so the shield stood upright. I created the small buckler and put it next to it. I opened my storage through them and retrieved a simple spade. I dug a shallow nest for Kai and used a small shield as a roof.

I wanted vegetables I could grab quickly and eat raw, such as carrots. I always liked raw carrots. With my Hunter's Feast, I wanted quick food in my storage that I had harvested and could grab and eat to heal. The amount of healing might vary depending on what I ate. I suspected that was the case, so the higher the level of the food, the more healing. Normal carrots would not do a lot. I would need to plant iron-ranked plants. That changes things. My berry bushes are going to be reduced to a couple each because I like them, and I need to find iron-ranked berries.

This garden is Iron rank. Will the magic change normal plants to iron rank over time? I don’t know. I will get my berry bushes planted as soon as possible, and we will see.

Iron-rank plants are not something I had ever considered. Farrah must have a book. I need to divide the space up. I can bring in implements like the spade so I can build some climbing frames, like the temple garden. That would be nice. Maybe I can plant some grapes and other climbing plants.

There is a lot to do here, and I am looking forward to it.

How do I hunt iron-ranked monsters? I know how to hunt them, but how do you get meat off them without a looting skill? Not long after you kill them, they dissolve into rainbow smoke and turn back into magic. So, hunting monsters is not good for me. I need to hunt animals that have become iron-rank. I know there are some. That is where you get the bonded type familiar. I need books on that as well.

I guess I need to get back into hunting. Can animals come into my garden? No, only my familiars.

I have a purpose again. I need some coins to buy things and plants. I need to see how much my Iron-rank wood will sell for. I exit to go shopping.

“Theo,” Farrah called, “Time to learn about auras.”

What? Already?

We went to a quiet corner, and Farrah explained that auras identify you and that a well-controlled aura is a sign of a good adventurer. Animals had auras, and some could hide them. In order for me to hide and stop people from seeing through me, I needed to have tight control of my aura. I was sick of being an open book to people, and if I wanted to hide, I needed to be able to control my aura. There was other stuff about suppressing others with your aura, but I was only really interested in hiding and being a closed book to others.

Farrah's basic training was thorough, even if I didn’t want it all. It was going to take work, but my efforts at controlling my emotions were, in fact, close to what I needed to control my aura.

“Where can I find out what Iron Rank creatures are around?” I asked Farrah.

Her reply was disappointing: “There are very few Iron-rank animals. This area is firmly mid-bronze, so there are general bronze-rank animals with a scattering of iron and silver.”

“How is someone like me supposed to hunt and level then?” I asked.

“In a team under the care of a higher level person,” Farrah said. “That is why people either train with families or private guilds. The Adventure Society doesn’t run training for prospective members but leaves that to outside groups. That is why the academy that Rufus’s parents run is so important in this area, especially for people like you without family backing. You should ask him about it. Fair warning though, he will talk for hours about it.”

After Farrah, Rufus grabbed me and went through what he knew of basic shields. Bend the knees, step forward, and angle the shield slightly more to the left. Now again. It was a repetitive set of exercises, but necessary.

“Rufus, You mentioned that your family ran a school for adventurers?”

“Yes, in Vitesse. Did you want to go?”

“I need to get to bronze rank, and I don’t see any real chances of doing that around here. The temple is going to be engaged with the undead for a long time, and I need to start making my own way again. I need coin and more awakening stones and practice.”

“I will contact my Dad. They have scholarships for promising young people like you. They have a structured academic year with two starting times six months apart.”

“How long do people study for?”

“The recommended course of study is three years. That is usually enough to get a young person like yourself up to the Bronze rank. You pay for six months at a time, so you can stop at any time. The recommended minimum is a year, after which you should be able to pass the Adventure Society tests to become a member.”

“I need eight more Awakening stones to do that,” I said.

“Actually, you don’t need a full set of skills to pass the Adventure Society Tests. You just have to show you are competent at killing monsters. Do you think you are ready to do that?”

“I am not sure, but I am thinking about it.”

“Farrah, Gary, and I are going to be tied up here for another six months before our contract here is done. You need to see normal monsters, not undead. I recommend going to Vitesse and speaking to the admissions people. You should really speak to my mother. She is a Healer associated with the Church of the Healer, but she specialises in Mental Health and overcoming trauma. She is based at the Remore Academy, so you will find her easily. I can give you a letter of introduction.”

“I don’t feel like I am ready, but I can’t just stay here and do nothing.”

“My advice is don’t rush. We are heading back to the fighting in a few days, but the Temple doesn’t look like it's going to throw you out anytime soon. The next intake at the academy is over four months away. I would suggest you stay here and find a caravan to catch to Vitesse, which will be about a month on the road. Take your time and see the country. Then, you can start training in earnest when you get there.”

“That sounds like reasonable advice.”

Rufus nodded, “I will send a message home recommending you for a scholarship. It will go a long way, but you will still have to convince them when you get there. The standards are high, but they are there to train you.”

“What is the most important thing for me to work on?”

“You arua skills, definitely. Farrah is better than most with her aura. Learn and practice that.”

The talk with Rufus settled me down. There was no rush. I had time. I was sad to see them go when they left to return to the fighting, but they would be back, and they have given me so much that they didn’t need to.

I started helping out around the temple to earn my keep. I worked on my garden and spent time with Ardisia and Kai. I trained the spear with Anada until he went north to the fighting. Then, people, including the High Priestess, came back from the fighting. One of them was the shield and sword guy I had seen with the High Priestess. He helped me more with the shield and knew a little about axes. There were a lot of people in the temple who used knives, so I had plenty of trainers there.

Nia also went north to fight. I didn’t realise how much she was a comfort to me until she left. I worked hard on my aura. I practised, trying to move unnoticed around the city with middling success. My aura was my weakest link, but it was getting there. Hiding from Bronze-rank senses was hard, but I discovered that my enhanced Iron Rank Senses could rival a bronze-ranker’s senses. I was hard to hide from as well.

I started to earn some coins. Iron-rank wood is not that valuable in a bronze-level area, but I could grow herbs. I stuck to the high-value ones that were difficult to grow. I took three weeks to grow what would normally take two months and I didn’t suffer the losses to pests and climate that other growers did.

I was running errands around the city for the temple and getting paid for the occasional shift at the tavern. I didn’t realise it, but the temple owned the nearby tavern. It was a business in a position where relatives could congregate after a funeral and remember their loss. It brought in a tidy bit of coin for the temple.

I hired on to a caravan to Vitesse as a general labourer. When the time came to leave I felt rested and refreshed and ready to start the next chapter in my life.

My skills had not made any progress; in fact, the only ones that had levelled were my Aura and the Tranquil Garden. I had settled in my techniques with the spear, shield, axe and knife, but it was only at the beginner level.

I sold the two throwing axes I picked up and got a larger one-handed war axe with a spike on the end and a point on the back side of the blade. I also picked up a solid spear that I could use one or two-handed. I kept the knives I had picked up.

I was ready to start progressing.