The Way Ahead

Guardian Mentor

Lefi Forolova- that guy that Tara stuck me with so I wouldn’t immediately die and as a punishment for him.

Wow, I forgot how basic my Almanac tags were way back when.

“Hi Lefi,” Edwin greeted the man. It had been over a year since he and the adventurer parted ways, and Edwin could only hope that the man wasn’t as annoyed with him as he once was. Then again, the guy was an extrovert. Holding grudges might not even be a thing they could do.

Tara had hoped that Lefi might keep him out of trouble, and vice-versa, which… hadn’t gone very well. Especially considering Edwin had convinced himself that Lefi hated him and ran off in the middle of the night straight into Niall’s camp. That made Edwin suppress a shudder. It was a small miracle he hadn’t killed himself trying to take down the serial killing alchemist, but he had and the man was long dead and buried by now. That entire debacle had been one bad decision after another, and Edwin could only hope that it didn’t repeat with Lefi’s reappearance in his life.

“You are doing well for yourself, I see!” Oh yeah, the guy constantly shouted. Edwin mentally recalibrated Lefi’s interpretation for a more accurate representation of what he was probably trying to say, “You’ve made it to tier two with a truly exceptional set of Skills!”

Wait, could Lefi see Edwin’s skill list? Skillful Assessment showed he was using some sort of silver Skill, but it didn’t look like a perception or Identify-type ability. In fact, he couldn’t tell what sort of Skill it was, just that he hadn’t seen one like it before. Then again, Lefi was an absolute mess of constantly active Skills, so it was entirely possible he was just missing it.

“Yeah… yeah,” Edwin agreed, “Just carrying on, you know?”

Lefi nodded exuberantly, his golden fire-like hair bobbing and flickering in perfect sync to the motion.

“Ah! Before I forget, I must introduce you to my latest wards. Meet Yathal,” he motioned to a young boy about eight or ten, with messy brown hair and curious, yet wary eyes. He stood next to the dog, hugging its neck like it was a giant stuffed animal.

Loyal Companion

“And Kynigos,” that was the dog, who continued to study Edwin with curious eyes. Other than the color- caramel and white instead of black and white- and the slightly longer fur, the pup reminded Edwin of a border collie. Kyni struck Edwin as far, far more intelligent than the smartest dog he’d met back on Earth, though.

As he watched, both of them had their eyes flicker with the white Skill construct Edwin had learned to associate with Identify, and he realized he should introduce himself.

“I see. Well, hello,” Edwin awkwardly waved, “I’m Edwin. Lefi helped me get my feet a while ago, giving me some pointers for what I should do.”

Yathal didn’t say anything, shyly burying his face back in his dog’s fur. With a surprising amount of care, Kyni turned his head to wrap around the boy as well.

Edwin turned a questioning eye at Lefi, who returned the look. After a moment, Edwin realized Lefi wasn’t able to read his expressions like Inion was able to, and elaborated, “Did you annoy Tara again? Are they the next ‘me’ by any chance?”

“Well, no and yes. After Yathal here broke free of Management, claiming his truest destiny, his parents didn’t want anything to do with him. Fortunately, I was passing through at the time and so was able to take them along and show them the basics of Adventuring much as I did with you. Hopefully I won’t chase them away this time, eh?” he winked at Edwin.

“Ah…. Yeah, sorry about that. I’m… not really sure what came over me.” Edwin guiltily said, “Really, I’m lucky I survived that whole mess after leaving you.”

“Ah, you would have been fine.” Lefi waved his hand dismissively, “I made sure of it. It was my fault, after all.”

“I mean, it- wait, what? What do you mean, it was your fault?”

A golden Skill bloomed in Lefi’s chest, emanating outwards. Edwin felt certainty descend onto him like a mantle, and he developed the unshakable feeling of being able to do anything. Climb a mountain, fight a dragon, brew the greatest potion ever.

Edwin shook his head, trying to clear it. He was way more used to dealing with mental Skills than he had been in the past, though getting rid of an ostensibly beneficial one was a new experience. He wasn’t the only one affected, either, as Yathal stopped hiding in his dog’s fur, standing straight and proud.

Edwin could tell Inion was stirring, too, but she stayed silent, hiding on the roof of the carriage. Then, Lefi released the Skill and the world finished returning to normal.

“So… you used that on me?”

Lefi nodded, “You were so shy and scared of everything, it was the least I could do! However…” he awkwardly trailed off for a moment, “I wasn’t expecting you to think you could take care of everything on your own and run off. That was a new reaction, and I have since declined to utilize it in such excess for fear that it would cause others to jeopardize themselves as well! You managed to survive, but I would never forgive myself if my Inspired Courage caused another to die in their pursuit of glory, particularly if I was unable to guard them then!”

“Slow down, slow down. You followed me?”

“That is what you took from my statement? Indeed, I did, as I merely wished to ascertain that you would be alright. You mostly were, too! There were very few times I found myself needing to intervene to save your life.”

“So you watched me fight the bandits, too?”

“Helped as well! Now, you managed most of it on your own, I merely assisted your assault go easier than it might have otherwise! Did you not notice the ease at which your limbs responded with your every attack, the way your Skills responded at the blink of an eye? That was my doing. My mere presence brings out the most Exceptional skills of my allies!”

Edwin found himself speechless, “Why didn’t you stop them, then? You must have known what they were doing.”

“To speak honestly with you, I did not know it all. For the sake of Yathal, I shall not go into details,” Lefi said, getting a… nod from Kyni. Okay then, “I did not know of their crimes prior to your own discovery. Much like you, I would have never found the place had I not been led there. I then observed you while you learned of alchemy- the time was as informative for my own Skills as it was yours- and when you moved to apprehend them, I assisted. Had you failed, I would have stepped in to save your life and apprehended the bandits myself.”

“Well… okay then,” Edwin still wasn’t sure how to take this new information, but there weren’t that many options. He quickly settled on accepting it and moving on. “So… what have you been up to since then?” he tried. That was normal friendly conversation right?

Gah. Human interaction was the worst.

“Well! Once I was certain you would be secure, or at the very least no longer in direct mortal peril beyond that which would typically be within the Verdant at least, I set out upon a glorious adventure!”

“Doesn’t sound much like an adventure.” Edwin couldn’t help but note.

“Ah! But I am an adventurer, therefore all I do is an adventure!”

“I… I don’t think… actually, you know what? Sure. Carry on.”

Lefi had barely even paused for Edwin’s statement, barreling on as he was with his story, “Now, as I was venturing along, I encountered this cave, you see? It was strange, encountering a hill with such a large cave in it, let alone a hill here, but I, as one who would never back down from a curiosity, ventured within! And once I was inside the cave I realized that it split off into seven more caves…”

“Now, this giant was so massive that I could scarcely believe it! Now, you know we don’t see many giants in these parts, but even compared to the giants you normally see, he was massive! They’d scarcely reach his knee! He invited….”

“…Rigged the entire thing! Set his half of the lot on fire, which was why….”

Lefi really liked to talk, didn’t he? Edwin was vaguely remembering why he’d gotten annoyed with the guy in the first place. However, the benefits he provided more than made up for the inconvenience, and he would stick with Lefi for as long as he could mentally manage to maximize his Exceptionalism or whatever. He could at least feel somewhat better about himself thanks to the knowledge that his decision to run off wasn’t completely his own sound mind.

That’s a lame excuse and you know it.

Shush, brain. It’s important to pay attention to people while they’re talking.

“So once I came across our fine young friend here and learned he needed help, I snatched him up and away before the Magistrate could have him exiled or worse!

“So now I am trying to meet up with Adventurer Rillah! She is far more experienced with this kind of trauma than I, far better with helping shy- but brave!” he reassured Yathal, who kept popping his head up and shying away, “Such utterly brave!- fellows learn how to claim the full world!

“Alas, she was… tied up in Sheraith and isn’t able to come! Thus, we’re off to see her and help her out!

“What of you, my fine friend? What was your time spent doing since you entered the Verdant to make a home for yourself? Where are you headed? Perhaps she could help you as well!” Lefi tried to elbow Edwin, but he easily dodged. It was in good nature, though, so he didn’t mind that much.

“Well… I found a place for me to make a home, chopped down a few trees…”

It didn’t take that long for Edwin to relay all that had happened over the past year or so. Lefi had roared in amusement at Inion’s training antics, though he made a few murmured comments to himself that Edwin hadn’t been able to catch.

By the time he had finished his story, however, the adventurer was nodding along.

“So now the question remains! Where are you off to now, might we be blessed with the addition of yourself to our adventuring party?”

“I guess... basically in the same direction as you,” Edwin admitted, “I have a whole list of places I want to visit and get some alchemy ingredients from, and there’s at least something I want to get wherever.” Edwin stroked his chin, “And even more alchemy ingredients from creatures that are way out of my league. I’d be… interested in traveling with you, if I could get some Skill instructions? I don’t really know how to fight as an alchemist, and I guess… I guess I’m less disinclined to travel around with you if we can both get something out of the exchange. Or, I guess, if I can avoid being a drag. I’ll happily provide some alchemical concoctions that I make as my part of the deal, plus you know, just another hand around.

“Not like I can really provide anything else, after all,” he mumbled.

“Why, my friend! Of course I would love to travel with you! And you needn’t worry about compensation. Your carriage alone makes for travel to be so much easier!

“However, if you were so inclined, all I might ask of you is that you might teach me just a bit of what you are doing! It makes learning Skills far simpler.”

“Didn’t… didn’t Tara tell me explicitly not to teach you alchemy?”

“Bah! She doesn’t come out this far, I’ll have you know. We’re outside of her province! And her worries are misplaced besides. I already have more Skills than I could possibly raise to tier three, what’s a few more? Besides! I already have some levels in the Skill from watching you!”

“Okay… fine. But in exchange, I want your help learning how to fight with my alchemy. Inion helped me learn to survive, but I was just reminded that I don’t really know how to finish a fight.”

“You are asking me for aid? It would be my utmost delight to provide mentorship unto you, young adventurer. Particularly given the apparently massive hole you have found in your training. Truly, this Inion was not the teacher you needed.”

“Excuse me?” Oh hey. Inion finally decided to join in. Yathal seemed startled by the sudden addition of her into the conversation, but Kyni seemed relatively unsurprised by Inion popping her head over the side of the carriage- presumably, the dog had smelled her- and Lefi shot back without missing a beat.

“I do believe you managed to hear me just fine, my fair lady. It is far more important to win a fight than to merely not lose one. Not losing a fight simply delays the inevitable! Winning, however, sets you up for victory!

“At some point, you must face down your rivals. When you do so, the ability to dodge a punch will not allow you to overcome your obstacles, but merely seek to approach them. It is flawed both as a goal and as a tool. Finishing a fight is what matters.”

“And you should know that it’s more important to survive than it is to finish a fight!” she shot back, “You can always run away or just wait until I step in.”

“Ah, but doing so produces a crutch for the learner! It then means that the mentor will inevitably be disposed of and drop the student in a situation for which they are wholly unprepared for. You make both yourself and Edwin vulnerable to the vagaries of fate by introducing such an obvious weakness into him.”

“Well, better that he be in the situation where he’s alive and has to run away rather than- wait a minute. Joriah doesn’t work like that!”

“And what would you, my dear lady, know of the manner by which tales are carried out?”

Edwin tuned the pair out as Inion floated down to the ground to argue with Lefi on his own level, walking to join Yathal and Kyni.

“So. You seem generally pretty nice. What’s your story?” he asked the shy boy, “If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine. But I promise I’m not that scary,” He gave what was hopefully a friendly smile.

Yathal didn’t seem particularly impressed hiding his face back in the fur of his dog, but Kyni nuzzled his master with his nose until the boy finally relented, “I’m… I’m from the town, and I really love Kyni and trust him too. So when I got the Path offered, I…” he trailed off, mumbling into the dog’s fur.

“Sorry?” Edwin asked, “I didn’t quite catch that.”

“So Kyni helped me, but mom got really mad and yelled at me and him about something. Oh, but Kyni’s known me from when I was really little and he jumped… Well, he didn’t like the new medic, you know? Got mad at mister… mister… but he was just trying to protect me, I know it! Don’t like the guy. But Magistrate Tok… magistrate Tokl… So Kyni just wanted to help, and I knew he did! And he did help! If he hadn’t then…”

It took a while, as the kid kept jumping around between total non-sequiturs and telling the actual story, but Edwin eventually felt like he pieced together what had happened. Once Lefi and Inion were done arguing for the time being, he talked to Lefi to fill in the last few pieces and felt vindicated that his guesses were actually accurate.

Essentially, Yathal was a shepherd boy from a town in the greater Rhothos area, and Kynigos his sheepdog. At some point, the boy managed to evolve his Animal Handling skill into Companion, either as part of an unexpected upgrade or maybe an incorrect evolution? Edwin wasn’t totally clear on the specifics there. Either way, the boy was no longer under Management and had a non-typical Skill set, and so fell under the ‘outlaw’ banner. While he might have still been able to function more or less alright in society, his parents had basically disowned their boy- who wasn’t even ten!- for ‘disgracing them in such a manner.’

It made Edwin furious, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. He was mostly just glad that Lefi had been able to step in when he had, getting the boy registered and trying to protect him while getting hi to a place that he would thrive in. That said, Edwin was somewhat confused about what went wrong with the kid’s Skill.

“So how does the Companion skill work again and why is him getting it such a problem?” he asked as their group walked down the road. Well, Yathal rode on the cart, Kyni keeping the young boy company.

“Well you see-”

“It’s quite simple!”

Inion and Lefi glared at each other as they tried to answer Edwin at the same time. Inion opened her mouth to speak, but Lefi beat her to actually speaking, “The Animal Companion skill enables one to fashion a bond with a creature that they have a very close connection with. It is fairly typical for shepherds to get it, by evolving Animal Handling with a ‘Friend of’ Path. Now! The Animal Companion skill functions akin to the Status for your companion, akin to the Management of the Empire. In this way, it is possible to complete Paths and accept or reject Skills, strengthening your companion.”

“So it’s just Status for a pet?”

“Not entirely inaccurate. Although there are additional benefits at higher levels.”

“So… what was the problem?”

“The problem, you see, was that our good young friend did not get the Animal Companion skill, but the Companion skill.”

“And that’s bad… because why?”

“Because it goes the wrong way ‘round! The bravest and smartest dog that is Kynigos,” the adventurer leaned over to where the duo were and scratched the pup’s head, “was already classed! Now, instead of Yathal guiding and controlling Kynigos’ skills, Kynigos controls Yathal’s! Fortunately, he’s a good boy, aren’t you Kynigos? He knows he can do a lot of harm to Yathal and he doesn’t want to! But who would teach Skill-lore to a dog? Other than myself, at least.”

The dog barked in agreement, wagging his tail.

“So… you can understand me?” Edwin asked the dog, getting a nod in reply, “Huh. So… that messed things up?”

“You’re smarter than that, my friend! You can answer that question yourself surely.”

“Yeah, yeah. So basically the dog adopted the boy, not the other way around?”

Lefi nodded, “Which is why I must teach them! I learned about Companions from The Beastmaster herself, back when she still lived on the continent. Now, who I give the advice to is different from normal, but it is nonetheless valid!”

“You don’t have a Companion, though? How do you know your advice is good?”

“I do not have a companion for personal reasons, not because I know not the method!”

“Are those personal reasons because you haven’t found one that is exceptional enough for you?” Edwin teased.

“Personal reasons!”

“Yeah Edwin, aren’t you the one who’s always talking about privacy and stuff?” Inion was double-teaming with Lefi now. That was just great.

“I think I liked it better when you two were arguing.” Edwin muttered.