Chapter 9 - 6

Pulling out of Jade was a surreal experience. The farther she got from the bright, white stone walls the less she could believe it was happening. As the city gradually got harder to see, she could only focus on what was in the carriage with her. That was, Varcon, the younger priest, the blindfolded girl, and herself. Why does she have that thing on? Ash wondered. She'd met a few blind homeless people before and none of them wore that. It was like she wanted to draw attention to the fact that she was blind.

"So," she started. "Where are we headed?"

"You," Varcon specified, "are headed to the home of a retired Savior to begin your training."

"Huh." Ash nodded. "And you? What are you doing here?" She asked the blindfolded girl.

"I've told you, she is..." Varcon started but Ash interrupted him.

"Ex-fucking-cuse me, I didn't ask you," Ash quickly turned to Varcon. "Is she mute?"

"... No." Oh, Ash almost smiled. That one got him angry. She wasn't sure it was smart to antagonize the leader of the church, but it felt very good.

"As I was saying, then. You, why are you here?"

The blindfolded girl raised her head.

"I will be helping you train." She said. Her voice had to be the softest Ash had ever heard. Not in terms of its volume, but as far as her tone was concerned. She almost sounded like she was about to fall asleep. Not too happy to be here, are you?

"How?"

"Ah, my apologies." She bowed. "I didn't reveal my full stat line. Please, check again."

Level 1

MP: 100/100

Attributes:

STR: 4

DEX: 15

CON: 10

INT: 10

WIS: 10

L: 5

Traits:

Zayama Heritage

[Gain access to the unique Spirit Eye spell.]

What? Ash's eyes pretty much bulged out of their sockets. This girl is that strong?

It was fairly shocking.

"How the fuck are your numbers that high?" Ash asked. "You're level 1."

"I worked on my attributes directly." The blindfolded girl replied with her smooth voice. "I'm sure the Savior we'll be meeting will explain this in more detail, but there are two ways to increase an attribute. Either to level up and allocate points arbitrarily, or work on the attribute in isolation, through various forms of training."

"Well, I knew that but... You've been working pretty hard then, huh?" Ash was genuinely impressed.

"... Not hard enough." The girl replied.

That got Ash to raise a brow.

"So, training a half-demon counts as 'working harder'?" Ash asked, curious.

"... What?" The girl's head tilted up.

Instantly, Ash looked at Varcon.

"You didn't tell her." She said, with a slight amount of accusation in her tone.

"It is not important." Varcon shrugged. "She has a job to do. That is all."

I could say the same for you and your pricks, but it seems to matter a hell of a lot to all of you whenever you talk to me. She thought.

"Still, you don't just let that slip."

"You're... You're a..." She sounded panicked.

"Oh, great." Ash sighed. "See? She hates me now. And we were getting along so well."

Ash expected some form of anger. An insult or two.

Instead, the girl's head hung even lower.

She doesn't even look mad... She just looks sad.

They didn't continue the conversation. Instead, Ash laid her head back against the wooden wall of the carriage, feeling the rumbling of the vehicle as the horses pulled it along.

"Anyway," Varcon continued, "the name of the Savior you will be training under is Satsuhiro Miyoshi, a mage."

That got Ash's attention.

"A mage? Why? Isn't my job to bash things on the skull?"

"Even warriors need a healthy foundation of magic from which to build on," Varcon replied. "There are spells that are essential to success in combat against any creature, and some that make fights against specific creatures less arduous. Therefore, you will be seeing him first. Besides, the Witness over here will be seeing to your weapons training. That's enough, for now."

"Alright." Ash closed her eyes. "Well, whatever."

The trip was not a long one. Just about two hours away from Jade, the carriage stopped. Varcon gestured for her to exit the vehicle, and as the blindfolded girl heard them getting off, she did the same. When they were on the dirt, he pointed to the side to a path that led to a large barn-like building that was hugging the outer portion of a grand forest.

"That is the Savior's home," Varcon said. "Witness, you have documents, yes?'

"Yes." The blindfolded girl nodded with a dejected voice.

"Show them to him. He will know you are the ones he's been told to expect."

Curtly, the man closed the door to the carriage and signaled for the vehicle to get moving. Ash smirked. As it turned around and headed back to Jade, she yelled:

"No goodbye!? Aw, how come?"

With that out of the way, she turned to the path. A hand on her shoulder stopped her before she could start walking.

"Excuse me," the girl said. "I cannot see where we are going. Could you guide me?"

She sounded like saying those words actively hurt.

Ash sighed.

"Sure."

With the girl holding onto her left shoulder, Ash slowly walked forwards. Fields of wheat almost blocked her sight, but her eyes remained fixed on the barn-like building. Is this guy I'm meeting a farmer or something? Ash wondered. As she approached the front door, she tapped the other girl's hand.

"We're here."

"Oh, okay."

"By the way, what's your name? Or I could just call you 'blindfold girl'. Your call." Ash told her.

"Ah, my name's Keiko. It's a pleasure to meet you." She bowed as she clearly lied.

"A bit late for that, but alright. I'm Ash."

As she said that, the door in front of them opened. A tan-skinned man emerged wearing a black Ji like he was about to go to work or something. He had sharp brown eyes and slick black hair with bangs falling down his forehead. His hands were kept behind his back. Ash's eyes widened when she checked his stats.

Level 35

MP: 400/400

Holy shit. She blinked.

"Ash, was it?" The man spoke with confidence. "I overheard. So, Ash, care to tell me what a half-demon is doing on my property?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Keiko, the papers." She told the girl next to her, who was already preparing to hand them over. The man Ash guessed was Satsuhiro took them and his eyes scanned them so quickly, Ash couldn't believe he'd read them all already.

"Truly..." He sounded surprised. "Magia has chosen you?"

Ash nodded.

"That's what everyone keeps telling me." She replied with a shrug. "I'm supposed to receive some training from you."

"I read as much, yes." His eyes briefly flickered back to the paper. "No matter, if that is Magia's will, I shall be your teacher."

"Huh? Just like that?" She asked. "No, 'how dare they make me teach a filthy hybrid?' You've got nothing like that for me?" She asked with crossed arms.

"Do you want me to say that?" He asked, his eyes narrowed at her.

"No." Ash shook her head. "I'm just surprised is all."

"If anything," he replied, "I'm more annoyed at the fact that they're having me teach someone at all. The word 'retired' holds no meaning for Saviors. But, whatever." He shrugged. "If Magia wants me to teach you, I will."

"Magia? You mean the church."

"No, I mean Magia herself." Satsuhiro quickly said. "Something you will learn very quickly as a Savior is this: nothing happens that Magia and the other deities do not influence somehow."

Seriously?

"Satsu?" A feminine voice asked inside the home. "Who's there?"

"No one, just..." He was bumped out of the way. A woman came out that was basically his polar opposite in every way. A blonde, dark-skinned girl with more muscles than even Ash herself had. "You know, honey, if you're going to investigate, why even ask?"

"Shut it," the large woman said. "You, you, who are you two?" She pointed at Ash and Keiko.

Ash looked up at her level. 

Level 15

MP: 10/10

"I'm Ash."

"And I am Keiko."

"Oh, hi." The woman grinned. "I'm Metsumi~"

"Uh... What are you, his sister or something?"

"No." The man quickly said with barely disguised mockery. "She's my wife."

Ash raised her brows. She looked at him, then at her. Wow. She blinked twice. Weirdest couple I've seen, but okay.

"Well, what are they here for? Tax collectors?" Metsumi asked her husband.

"No, they want me to help train this one." He pointed at Ash. "Remember the letter?"

"OOOH!"

"Yes, she's to be the next Savior."

"Ugh," Metsumi groaned, "you may as well get out and run for the hills while you still can." She told Ash.

"Is it that bad?"

"Tell me about it. One decade, you're a hero, the next you're the church's servant."

"Don't listen to her." Satsuhiro sighed.

"And why the hell should they not listen to me?"

"By Magia's fucking grace, can you please just go inside?" He asked her.

"The fucking nerve!" She replied. "I clean, I cook, I watch the kid while you read in that fancy-schmancy library all day and this is how you talk to me?"

And, well, their argument kept going.

Keiko tapped Ash's shoulder.

"What is happening?"

"I... I uh... I don't really know." Ash told her.

Soon though, a third person emerged, though this one was far shorter than everyone else. A little girl popped up behind Metsumi's legs. She didn't say a word as the two people Ash assumed to be her parents argued next to her. Instead, she looked up at Ash. The half-demon looked back at her and the little girl hid slightly behind her mother's leg.

"A.ny.way." Satsuhiro said slowly, "follow me. Before we do anything, I'll need to see what you can do."

"Uh, sure."

The house was bigger than it looked from outside. There were a few couches placed around a wooden kitchen table. There was a spacious kitchen to the left and stairs to the right that led to a second floor. They, though, were heading to the back, where a screen door led to another part of the farm. One where the grass was fully cut. Satsuhiro took a deep breath, walked out to the middle of the field, and turned around.

"Oh!" Metsumi called out to them, "we have a guest room. Give me your bags, I'll drop them there."

"Sure," Ash said as she passed hers over. Keiko did the same silently.

"Alright then." Satsuhiro put his hands behind his back. "Show me your stats. Your full numbers, of course."

Okay. Ash nodded.

Level 1

MP: 10/10

Attributes

Strength: 1

Dexterity: 1

Constitution: 5

Intelligence: 1

Wisdom: 1

Luck: 100

Traits:

Iron Stomach

Chosen

?

?

?

"Hm." He scratched his chin. "You're definitely not on the trajectory of being a mage, though I suppose if you so choose, it's never too late to go for that. Anyway," he shook his head. "The first thing I'll do is teach you a few spells and you'll try them out. This is to see if you have any affinities."

"What are those?" Ash asked.

"Basically, it goes like this. Most people don't have affinities and can perform spells from all categories of magic, but those who do, whether it's an affinity for Fire, Light, Dark, or whatever, can only perform spells of that category. In that way, it's a curse. The good part though is that their spells are enhanced. So, go ahead. Here, I'll give you one to do."

As soon as he said that, tendrils of multiple colors formed between him and Ash temporarily, and Ash felt herself learning a spell.

Oh fuck. She looked down at her hands.

"So, what spell did I give you?"

"Ice Beam," Ash said. "Holy shit, I just know it now."

"That's how teaching spells works if the person providing the spell has already mastered it. If they haven't, they can't do that."

"So, you're just gonna give me hundreds of spells overnight?" Ash asked.

"I could, but you wouldn't be able to execute any of them to an acceptable level. Spells have proficiency ratings, after all. Meaning, the more you perform a spell, the better it gets. Of course, if you've never performed it, it will suck. Well, go ahead. It's a beginner spell that only uses up 5mp, so you should be able to cast it."

"Alright. Take a step back, Keiko." Ash said and the girl did so. Then, Ash breathed in and raised her hand, saying the incantation.

"Cold of the night, purify!"

What was supposed to happen was that a blue beam of ice would shoot out of her palm, but instead, black lightning surged throughout her body.

"AGH, FUCK!" Ash got on her knees. "What the hell was that?"

"So, you do have an affinity. You have an affinity for Dark magic. How fitting." He said. "Okay, try this one out."

The same colorful tendrils passed to her, and another spell was manifested in Ash's memory.

Holy shit, that hurt. She got back up.

"Sure that won't happen again?" She asked and he nodded.

"Go ahead."

"Uh, corruption spread, corruption launch!"

Again, what was supposed to happen was that a black and slightly violet-colored ball would shoot out of her hands that would deal Dark damage to an enemy. However, instead, this time, white lightning came out of her. It hurt even more than the black one, to the point where she fell over.

"A-Ash?" Keiko asked, worried?

"Oh?" Satsuhiro said. "Well, this is a shock."

"What. The. Fuck!?" Ash barked out, while on the dirt.

"Something highly unexpected. Come inside, we'll sit down and I'll let you know why you're in the fetal position right now."

Ash hated this already.

Still, she got up when she could and walked back into the house. Satsuhiro was at the table, sitting there and drinking tea. His wife set down a few extra cups for everyone there. Ash sat down with a sigh.

"So, what happened?" She asked.

"You are probably the rarest individual out there, that's what," Satsuhiro replied.

"Why?"

"Everything I said about affinities is true, you see, but there's one exception. Sometimes, people are born with two affinities. Some people have affinities of Fire and Wind, for example, or Ice and Earth. In your case, it happened with two very peculiar categories. Light and Dark. Two categories that directly contradict each other. You have an affinity for both kinds of magic."

"What does that mean?"

"It means, Ash," he said, "that you are what's known as a Moonlight Mage." He clarified. "Someone with incredible potential to either heal or corrupt, or both. It also means that you won't be able to learn spells just yet."

Trait Discovered!

Moonlight Nature

[Affinity for both Dark and Light]

"Why?"

"Because in order for someone who has two affinities to learn magic, they require an intimate connection with both categories. A connection you clearly have not even begun to foster. Only after you've done that, you can learn magic."

"So, what the fuck do I do until then?" She asked, shrugging.

"There is a beginner-level forest near this house. Go fight stuff."

That simple? Ash asked in her mind.