Soul of a Human

Mor returned to Gorn's home, and on the way, his decision evolved into a grim determination. Is it said to be impossible for a single person to kill a strong monstrosity? Well, yes, but for Mor, it might be another impossible thing to put on his achievement list. Also Mor doesn't know which monstrosities were sticking close to the floating isles, meaning maybe the Ice-kin have wrong or incomplete insights.

The human was following Mor's thoughts proudly. They may be stuck here until that grand gathering, but anything is better than falling into despair. To become the best you can be, you must always thunder on. And if you can't do it on your own, get help. Well, Mor had it easy in that his supporting buddy was a bodiless soul bound to his own.

As Mor opened the door, his temporary foster family was waiting for him. Elly and Lize looked expectant, while Gorn seemed unconcerned. After Elly noticed that Mor was in a better mental space than when he had left, she let out a sigh of relief.

"What did you want from the chief?" Gorn asked before the women could.

"I wanted to ask him for an escort to the nearest Soul-kin isle because I somehow can't reach anyone with my magic," Mor replied.

"And he accepted?" Gorn asked, surprised.

"No," Mor stated, making the big man frown.

"Then why aren't you in a worse mood than before? Such news would have broken me." Elly asked.

"Yes, at first, it was a shock. And, of course, I'm disappointed, but crying won't get me home faster. Only one thing will achieve that." Mor answered, looking to Gorn.

The Ice-kin warrior smiled broadly. "You want me to train you and go on your own."

Mor nodded, and the big man laughed. "I like your determination, but I can't promise how long it will take."

"I know, if it can't be done, I can rejoin my kin at your strange gathering. After helping Elly and Jorgen with their first hunt." Mor said, and Gorn gave an appreciative nod.

"Then let's get started today, but first breakfast. You will need the energy."

"Good, but I have one question," Mor said. "What's a taunter?"

Gorn looked to his wife because she might be a better fit to explain the intricacies of Ice-kin hunting groups, and she nodded. Everyone sat down for a late breakfast. Ultimately, Lize made some bitter tea that Mor found oddly delightful.

"Now Ice-kin hunting groups." Lize started. "As you know or could have guessed, a hunting group comprises four hunters working together. This was the best configuration for our low numbers, and those four hunters often fulfill a specific role, giving the group well-rounded abilities."

Mor nodded in understanding.

"Though we have four hunters for each team, we only differentiate between three roles. Distraction, support, and attack. Most hunters incorporate all three and then specialize. That is where the other titles come in. Gorn is a guardian. He incorporates distraction and support while only attacking enough to hold his own. I'm a scout who mainly concentrates on support and attack, just as Elly wants to be. Now, a taunter is a mix of distraction and attack and requires an extraordinary ability to empower your weapon." Lize explained further.

"I see, so a taunter uses a big magical distraction to create an opening for the other members while staying on the offensive. Meaning a strange Soul-kin like me would be the perfect test object for that theory." Mor continued, again drawing three completely different reactions from the Ice-kin. Gorn was surprised at the boy's intellect, Lize smiled, and Elly was confused.

"How did you get that rambling?" She asked Mor.

"I don't like to brag, but if I can be proud of something, it's my brain." He replied with a shrug.

"You should know all this, young lady." Lize half scolded her daughter.

"Yes, mother." The girl replied with a drawn-out sigh.

"Then where do strikers come in?" Mor asked. "What I saw of Cutter is that they are pure attackers, but why don't they call them attackers?"

"You're asking because Jorgen wants to be a striker, right?" Elly added, and Mor nodded in agreement.

"Strikers are the other side of the coin for taunters. They can fulfill the role of distraction, but most strikers only use the high magic charge of their weapons to inflict maximum damage in a single strike. Often ending the hunt outright." Lize explained.

"I see. "Mor stated. "Then right now, our team has a strong distraction, with attacker qualities, a strong support with attacker qualities again, and a strong attacker with some distraction mixed in."

"That is a lot of attacking roles," Elly said.

"This means we are an aggressive team and should get someone with an attacker and support specialization," Mor said.

°Damage rules!° The human added.

"Shouldn't we get someone balanced in support and distraction, like a guardian?" Elly asked.

"Maybe, but as far as I understand, no Ice-kin could effectively taunt while I'm there. So that might be not as good as killing the monstrosity faster." Mor explained, and Elly nodded.

"Then you want a basher. Those guys use heavy, blunt weapons to deal damage without using much energy to reinforce their weapons, staggering and confusing their enemies." Lize explained, and Gorn nodded.

"But there is none in our village right now. Who's your age. You would need to find one at the great gathering." He stated.

"No sense fretting over it. Right now, I want to get strong enough to get home. The rest can wait." Mor stated, getting his mind back on track.

"Then we should get you a real weapon," Gorn said.

"But we're supposed to get weapons only when we go to the gathering!" Elly protested, and even Lize looked unbelievingly at her husband.

"I know, but there's a lot to learn for a distraction specialization that can only be trained with a special weapon," Gorn said.

"And where do you want to take the money from? You know Klang will only make a weapon outside of the first hunt ritual if you pay him." Lize sighed.

"Simple! The boy made me a ton of money in his little fight. That should be enough for a weapon." Gorn said with a big smile.

"You still have that?" Lize asked, surprised.

"Of course, I set it aside just for that," Gorn replied, hurt at the hidden implication.

°I guess, usually, any leftover money would go into booze.° The human chuckled, and Mor, remembering the storytelling evening, agreed.

Much to Elly's envy, Gorn took Mor to the village blacksmith, Klang, to get the boy a weapon to train with. Though Gorn might have expected it to go smoother than it did because the second he asked for a weapon, the old grumpy man denied it. The old Ice-kin blacksmith looked just as old as the headmaster, but this didn't diminish his imposing, muscular frame. The only clear giveaways to his age are the old leathery skin and the light hair.

"I won't make a weapon for an outsider," Klang grumbled.

"But why?" Gorn asked.

"Because he's an outsider!" Klang shouted.

°Really, that's his reason? I'm betting ten bucks it's some old blacksmith tradition.° The human grumbled after being excited to brainstorm a weapon with Mor earlier.

°Probably.° Mor replied but decided to let Gorn handle the discussions.

"If you want a weapon for the outsider, make it yourself!" Klang stated, not budging.

"You know I can't," Gorn said.

"Then the Soul should make one himself. They have magic. So it shouldn't be a problem, just a bit of magic, and without any skill, they have the best weapons made." Klang grumbled.

°I see. Somebody was outclassed by your blushit magic.° The human stated.

Gorn looked hopefully at Mor, who shook his head at the implication, making the big Ice-kin warrior sigh.

"Can you sell me a finished weapon?" Gorn asked.

"No, you can buy a blank, but nothing more." Klang decided.

The smith produced a metal rod, about 1.5 meters long, and Mor instantly knew it would fit his hand perfectly, with a bit of wrapping as a gripping point. Gorn looked concerned at the thing, but before he could protest, Mor nodded to him.

Gorn let out a sigh. "Good, we're taking that." He grumbled, handing over the money.

"Then get out!" Klang ordered them, kicking them out of his smithy.

While walking back, Mor weighed the metal rod in his hand until Gorn asked what bothered him.

"You're satisfied with the rod? It's pretty useless as a weapon." He asked.

"Yes, I have some Ideas, and it is still a heavy metal object. It will hurt and kill." Mor said.

°What are you planing?° The human asked.

°Well, we're training on freeing up more power and ability to perform more than body enhancement while fighting, and we learned a very fitting technique. With that and a heavy metal handle for more weight, we have something far more versatile than a simple weapon.° Mor explained, but the human didn't get it.

°You will see.° Mor said, happy to have the opportunity to surprise the human.