Gifted

“Manage your distance!” George yelled at Etta as she tried to keep me from closing with her.

The advice fell on deaf ears as I stepped forward, sweeping my practice blade up from a low guard. Etta tried to back away and block at the same time. It was the right move but she didn’t commit enough and underestimated how much I was advancing. The clack of wood echoed over the backyard as her sword was deflected upwards leaving her body exposed. I finished my step and palmed her in the chest knocking her into the dirt for the third time that afternoon.

She ground her teeth as she clambered back to her feet in a small cloud of dirt. George moved towards us, checking his daughter for injuries before he helped dust her off a little. He whispered something to her that I didn’t catch though I did hear her reply.

“But he’s faster and stronger,” Etta whined quietly.

I looked away so that they wouldn’t see my face as I silently agreed with her. Etta was a little over a year older than me, but after training with her daily for months it was easy for me to measure her speed and strength against my own. She was quite fit from all the exercise, but I was fitter. A side effect from doing workouts in the mornings and evenings along with all my other lessons. Then there was the fact that I had completed enough tiers on physical Paths to further enhance myself. Still, I tried not to abuse my superior speed and strength in our bouts, relying instead on skill. I wasn’t always successful.

“Okay, ready to go again?” George asked as he backed away from us.

I nodded my agreement while Etta huffed and reset her position.

“Good use of the Wolf’s Paw,” George added as he reached his preferred distance to watch us from. I smiled in acknowledgement of the compliment and waited.

Etta came at me fast, clearly trying to gain the initiative.

So that was the advice he was giving her, I thought.

Giving ground step by step, I parried her attacks as fluidly as I could. Even I could feel how sloppy we both were in comparison to George’s movements when he demonstrated for us, but every day I felt I got a little bit better. Between slashes, I glanced behind me to make sure I wasn’t going to trip over a rock and then started circling right. Etta and I were both right-handed and circling to my left was only an option if I had already deflected her blade to open up her right-side. Otherwise it was just begging to get rushed in a position where I would struggle to defend. Of course, that is exactly what I was setting her up for. As she tried to match my footwork, I deflected a thrust so that her arm was across her body and quickly reversed my steps to the left, tapping her on the ribs gently with the blade before stepping back.

Even with the light touch, she winced at the contact and I figured it would leave a small bruise. Less than the fall to the dirt though. Still, her eyes smoldered with indignation. I thought she might try and rush me in anger.

“That’s enough for today, Etta,” George announced, heading off any issues before they arose. Etta stomped off towards her house in the distance and I watched her go, wondering what I had done wrong. She almost never managed to beat me in our spars, in fact the only time she did was when I was attempting to incorporate new attack patterns and forms into my existing repertoire.

I looked at George, my face adopting a childlike confusion which was not an act. “What did I do?”

“It’s not you, Bastian. Etta’s trying very hard to work on something and her lack of progress is bothering her. Did you want to spar or have you had enough?”

I grinned and squared up.

An hour later, after eating dirt more times than I could count, we finally called it a day. Trudging over towards our pile of firewood I mentally went over my sparring with George. I hadn’t landed a single strike on the man in our hour of practice. It wasn’t because he used his superior speed or strength, in fact, I thought he might even be moving slower than I was. He was just that much better than me, reading my movements like a scribe reads a book. Though I did acknowledge that he still had reach on me, and even though he tried to reduce that imbalance by using a shorter blade and keeping it closer to his body, the advantage wasn’t completely removed.

I smiled. Even losing, I had loved every minute of it. There was something exhilarating about fighting, even if it was just sparring. Pitting myself against an opponent and doing everything I could to achieve victory. I was still high on that feeling as I picked up the smaller of two axes and went back to work.

My mother watching me from her garden meant I didn’t get too adventurous with my movements as I practised with the hatchet. Normally it was just used to trim branches off the fallen trees that would then be used as kindling. In my hands though it might as well have been a full-sized axe. Thankfully, my Path of Hatchets didn’t care about the size discrepancy. Moving through different footwork, I swung the axe around, probably looking as much like a lunatic as someone who knew what they were doing. As the sun finally set, the notification I had been waiting for appeared in the corner of my vision.

You have advanced the Tier of your Path! Path of Hatchets II (25/25)

Reward: 1 Strength

I smiled as my strength increased again. I had completed the first Tier of the Path earlier in the week which had also granted an increase in strength.

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The rest of the evening was normal with another workout performed before bed and I went to sleep looking forward to the following day. I had some more questions for Magatha and I would finally decide whether or not to take the Path of Brewing.

Rather than walk to Magatha’s I convinced my mother we should run. Was I trying to eke out a few extra steps on my Path of Running? Absolutely. Did I still have a great time? Also absolutely!

Magatha was waiting for us in her garden as we approached, a little tired and sweaty from all the running.

“Penny, dear, exercise is good for the body, but if you make yourself any more desirable then the heavens might descend to claim you,” Magatha said with a straight face.

I rolled my eyes while my mother simply smiled as though she heard such compliments every day. On second thought, if we lived somewhere more populous, she just might. Thinking about it made me annoyed. Poor mum never asked for all the attention and yet people were always showering her with it regardless. It made me feel a little guilty since the only reason she was seeing Magatha so often was because of me.

In a fit of pique I decided to try and refocus the conversation by being incredibly rude. “How many Advanced Attributes do you have, Miss Magatha?”

The Hedge Witch did a double take, eyes narrowing at me. I didn’t expect her to answer. The idea was just to make her pay attention to me instead of attempting to flirt with my mum. So, I was surprised when she did.

“That’s not something you normally ask someone, Bastian. But, since Penny did reveal your little secret to me, I suppose I can share a little as your teacher. I have five Advanced Attributes.”

My jaw dropped. “That’s so many!”

Magatha looked a little confused, her gaze drifting back to my mum. “Did Cornelius not explain Class Paths to him yet?”

I looked up at my mum. What’s she talking about? I demanded mentally.

“Not in detail. Just that humans do not unlock them until they turn twelve and that it is important to get a suitable Class Path.”

Magatha grunted in annoyance. “Well, I am teaching him too, and I say he should know. Do you know what makes a Class Path different to other Paths, Bastian?”

I shrugged and shook my head, absolutely enraptured.

Feed the knowledge straight into my brain, Mags! Just pump it in there! I thought.

Magatha barely paid attention to my mother as she drew closer.

“Class Paths are the only Path where every Tier is equal distance from the last one. Ten Tiers, each one-hundred steps. They also give some of the best rewards outside of Dungeons and Rifts. Like, extra Advanced Attribute slots. That’s why I have five. Before I got my first Class Path I only had two slots. Then my Basic Class Path gave me a third and my Adept Class Path, which I am currently working on, gave me a fourth.”

“But, you said you have five,” I pointed out. “Where’d that one come from?”

“A very expensive ritual,” she replied easily.

“Could we do that for me?” I asked excitedly.

“If you collect the required materials, I will help you perform the ritual,” Magatha agreed.

I pumped my fist. Even if it took me years to get everything needed, the idea of an extra slot for an Advanced Attribute sounded amazing.

“Will you tell me what Advanced Attributes you have?” I asked as I calmed down.

Magatha watched me with a placid face, without revealing an inkling of the thoughts going on behind her eyes.

“Very well. I have the Advanced Attributes of Aethersensing, Aether Stability, Herbalism, and Alchemy. The fifth is for me alone to know.”

I wasn’t about to begrudge the Hedge Witch her secrets when she was being so forthcoming. That didn’t stop me from asking more questions though.

“What do they do?”

“Aethersensing you should know. Aether stability helps my aether linger in the environment for longer which is very important for what I do. Herbalism helps me glean more information from studying plants and herbs. Mostly herbs though. I learn less from other plants. Alchemy makes my brews last longer and increases their effectiveness.”

“Makes them last longer?” I asked out loud as I thought back to my potion of nightvision with dread. “How long do they last?!”

“Depends on the brew. Most healing potions last around six months. A potion of bug repellent… around four months. A potion of adhesive probably lasts for decades if not longer.”

“What about my potion of nightvision?” I demanded.

“Nine months give or take. Depends on how it is stored. In the cold? Closer to eleven months while if it is kept warm more like six or seven months.”

Magatha sounded entirely clinical as she talked about the shelf life of potions while I screamed internally at realising my beautiful potion of nightvision was now just a fancy light purple liquid in a bottle.

My reaction was clearly painted across my face as Magatha smirked at me while my mother rubbed my head gently in support of my loss.

“You never used the nightvision potion did you?” Magatha asked.

I shook my head.

“Well, I suppose we’ll just need to brew a new one then, won’t we?” suggested the Hedge Witch.

My face lit up. “Really?”

“Of course. But not today. Consider it a reward to aspire towards over these visits. If you show me you have some capability and that you are taking these lessons seriously, then the reward will be that together we will brew you a new potion of nightvision.”

I glanced up at Mum, who was smiling encouragingly, then back to Magatha.

“Okay! Umm, but don’t we need something from a Grimfaced Owl to brew that?”

Magatha smiled at me and I think it might have been the first genuine smile she had ever directed at me. “Good memory. It does. But that’s what Hurin is for.”

I glanced around looking for the hunter as we entered Magatha’s house. If he was nearby, I didn’t see him. As I entered the house I made my decision, adding the Path of Brewing to my list of Paths.