by J. J. Thorn
“Generally, this Skill will have a cost of its own, can be manipulated, and might even have its own unique applications. And in most cases, the Goddess bestows a new name upon the Skill. 'Multi-Ball' might have used up thirty-five Energy to produce two fireballs. 'Barrage', the Goddess's new name, might take forty Energy to create three fireballs.
“Think of 'Naming' as a quick way to think of applications for a Skill. SWORD Affinity users do this when they create a new sword 'Art' or 'Technique'. It might not become a Skill, but it helps you remember what you're doing, and it's technically another application of their Affinity."
I love this class! I'd already been practicing ‘Quick Exhaust’, but I was definitely going to try those other techniques! I didn’t think I’d be able to apply 'Naming' to ‘View Weight’, but 'Trickling' and 'Meditation' seemed right up my alley.
"Okay, we've got one last one,” the professor said. “'Referencing'. Anyone? Come on, guys! We're so close; you've got this!"
She always did this while trying to get across a notable idea. She knew the class was smaller, so she would use her enthusiasm about the topic to keep us engaged.
"I'm going to start picking people at random if someone doesn't volunteer."
I felt a surge of nervousness come over me. I had no clue what it could mean.
Luckily, Chet raised his hand again.
"This is a shot in the dark, but is it like referencing another Affinity user? Trying to copy what they do so you can do it yourself? Like maybe with a mentor or someone you look up to?"
"Nice guess, but no. That's another technique that we aren't discussing. Mentors are useful, and they play a big part in your progression. 'Referencing' is when you think back on a specific feeling, an emotion you can remember vividly, and apply that to your Affinity or Skill. For example, you had a birthday growing up, and the memory brings you joy. You use that joy to put forward a type of Skill effect.
“Conversely, if your birthday was awful, you might use that sadness to impact how your Skill works. I'll give you a concrete example because this technique is likely how I managed to devise my own Rank 3 Skill. I've mentioned it in the past, but my Affinity is CLAY. I use that Affinity to create claw pots that are sold all over the world. If you ever hear about WILKS POTS, that's me. At Rank 3 I received the Skill 'Multi-tasking.' It's quite generic, and lots of crafters get something similar. It allows me to do more tasks simultaneously. My mind processes things faster, but I can also externalize my Energy while working to do multiple things at once.
“Over time, my ability to use these additional strings of Energy has progressed. I was working on a big project, and it made me think back to my early days, when my father and I used to craft pots together in his workshop. For reference, my father would make the most beautiful clay pots. He wasn't an Affinity user, but people would buy them because of their use and beauty. He's my most significant influence.
“So anyway, while working, I started to imagine my father’s hands helping me work with the clay. At that point, it wasn't random strings of Energy anymore. To me, my father’s hands were helping me craft. I used that powerful memory to manifest my father’s hands.
“And after months of practice, the Goddess granted it to me as a Skill. With that, I gained another Rank 3 Skill. I was blessed with the Skill 'The Hands Of A Father', and to me, it is the most wonderful gift I've ever received."
Professor Wilks started to tear up by the end of her story. She paused to grab a cloth before resuming her lecture.
"Sorry, that always gets me. My father never actually got to see the Skill because he passed when I was younger. So, my Skill is the main link I have to him now. Well, those are the techniques we'll be talking about in this class. As I said, this isn't everything, but they're some of the most popular. After class, you should try to consider how these techniques might be useful for you in the future.
“For the rest of the class, let's spend some time comparing and contrasting these different techniques. We'll also discuss how these techniques might have helped some of the people we've talked about in class before today. So…”
As Professor Wilks started to get into the next topic, my mind thought back to my mother and father, and Elise, and the letter they had sent me.
* * * * *
Terrence,
We are so proud of you and what you're doing at school. Even though your father and I want you to stay safe, we know how much you love Prep and would never want to stifle your goals.
Elise says she likes your new nickname and will probably start using it when she sees you next, but to your father and me, you'll always be our Terrence.
No, we haven't heard anything from your uncle as yet. We know you're worried, so are we, but it takes a long time to get up north, and after that, he could be in the Dungeon for months. If we hear anything, we'll let you know right away.
Your friends sound fantastic. We are aware of the Tellers, of course, but it sounds like your friend Zane has been disowned. What kind of parent would do that to their child, I will never know. We wouldn't tell you not to be friends with the boy, but please be careful. His father has a reputation, to say the least.
Past that, these girls sound nice. Your father says to go for it, but I think you should focus on your studies. You're young, and girls will still be around in a couple of years. You're smart, so I trust you to make the right decision.
We don't know when we'll hear from you next, so enjoy your break after the first semester, and we hope to hear from you again soon.
Love you tremendously,
Mom, Dad, and Elise.
Oh crap, I thought. I have to tell them about the hunting trip!
Chapter 5 – Skink Ink
"I tried that Visualization stuff you talked about last night, Ren. I imagined myself holding off thirty monsters, coming from every direction.” Britta held out her arm, like she was holding a shield. “It was dusk. It was just me and my shield. Monsters tried to get at me from all sides, but I wouldn't let them pass. I feel like I was trying to protect something, but I can't remember."
Jen, Britta, Cassie, Zane, and I were all seated around Britta's family table. It was finally Saturday, and we were all gathered to talk about the upcoming hunting trip.
"Britta, I think that's called dreaming,” I said. “Visualization happens while you're awake. Plus, it's something you need to actively do, not something that just happens while you sleep."
I had taken them all through each of the Energy manipulation exercises I learned in class. At this point, every single one of them was going to take the course next semester, but it didn't hurt to help them get a head start.
"Oh, whatever, it all sounded the same to me." Britta sat down and started to doodle on a piece of paper.
"Don't bother,” Zane said. “Remember when I tried to explain Meditating to all of you. Britta said she couldn't stay still for that long and it was a waste of time. Visualization seems cool, but probably isn't her speed." Zane had heard some of the exercises called different things by his tutors but had never heard about 'Naming' or 'Referencing' before.
"It's not the time for that right now.” Jen made a face at us. “Can we just focus? We wanted to make the best of tonight so we can figure out what we might need for the hunting trip."
She had been looking forward to tonight the most.
"Chill, girl, Britta's dad isn't even here yet. And besides, Zane was just going to tell everyone how awesome I was at meditation. Weren't you, Zane?" Cassie said while nudging his side.
"Ugh, yeah. You did pick it up quickly. No one else in class seems able to hold their meditative state for longer than twenty minutes. We've gotten better over the semester, but the fact that you can do it for thirty minutes without a single class is awesome, Cassie!"
"Yes, praise me!” Cassie started laughing maniacally. “I am the best at sitting still and doing nothing! I'll be Rank 3 in no time."
"Yeah, go you, Miss Rank 3.” Jen’s voice was dead fla
t. “Let's get you to Rank 2 first..."
"Stop being such a downer,” Britta moaned. “Dad’ll be here soon. You know he sometimes finishes a bit late. Right, Mom?" She yelled the last part to the other room, where her mom was sitting down.
Her mom walked inside, holding a book. She had gotten us some water and sweets when we first arrived before leaving us alone to go read.
"Yes, honey. Your father had to get some work done at the shop today, but he knew you and your friends were coming by. He should be home anytime now—" As Britta's mom responded, Britta's father started to walk into the house.
"Hello, everyone, I see you're all already here and eager to get started, but I've been on my feet all day and would like to use the washroom at least."
Britta stood up and hugged her dad at the door.
"But we—"
Jen started to speak, but looked at the others at the table. We all stared at her, mentally willing her to stop talking. She took the hint and slumped down into her chair.
"No problem, sir. Take your time." Zane spoke for the rest of the group, causing Jen to release a huge sigh.
* * * * *
It took twenty minutes, but Britta's dad was now seated with us at the table. He was a large man who also had the KNIFE Affinity but decided that fighting wasn't for him. According to Britta, he was still at Rank 2, and content with what it had already given him.
"Well, I bet you’re all excited about the Hunting Trip. I was squaring up some of the details with the leader today. Like I told you, you'll be going with five Dungeoneers. Your leader's name is Gavin Valis. He’s a D-Rank Dungeoneer who spends most of his time in Krader. We've worked together for years. He's a good man. He'll be bringing along his team and his apprentice."
"His apprentice? Dad, I thought we'd be going with a full team of Dungeoneers?" Britta said.
"I pushed to have a full team go, but he insisted on bringing his apprentice along. He takes him for all his commissions nowadays, so he wouldn't budge.” He noticed her crestfallen expression and added, “I told you I had to pull a few favours, and well, this was one of them. Most Dungeoneers wouldn't be willing to take along a team of students with them. That adds extra stress on the mission, let alone risk.
“Gavin is a good man who has watched Britta grow up. I could have paid someone else four times as much, and I wouldn't have felt as comfortable as I do with Gavin. Plus, his apprentice may be Rank G, but his teammates are also Rank D. They aren't as seasoned as Gavin, but they're all good at what they do. Honestly, I want you all to know that Gavin will treat all like his own kids."
"Okay, Mr. Rolle, we trust your judgement,” Jen said it fast, before anyone else could slow her down. “Now, can you tell us more about where we'll be going and what we're going to hunt?"
"Yes, onto business as always, Jen." Britta's dad laughed at her. "Well, I thought long and hard about what type of monster I wanted you to hunt. There are a few monsters in high demand this time of year, but I can't go sending my only daughter and her friends into areas with E-Rank and D-Rank monsters. So, I'll be sending you south-west to hunt the Skink."
I groaned, remembering the Skink from Monster Behaviour class.
"I'm sorry, Terrence, I know it's not the most exciting—"
"No, no. Don't get me wrong, I think that'll be a great monster to hunt, I think...I'm just worried about the smell..."
At this point, everyone else was looking at me, confused.
"Is the Skink some smelly troll or ogre, dad? Is that what Ren is talking about?" Britta asked excitedly.
He chuckled. “Heavens no. Could you imagine how much trouble I would be in with your mother if I sent you off to fight a troll? No, the Skink is a cousin to a normal animal called the 'Skunk'. They're vicious little buggers, but they're also only G-Rank monsters. Sometimes, you'll get an F-Rank Skink, but they're less common. Of course, you won't have to worry because Gavin and his team will be there, but if you wanted, I bet you kids could even take on a few of them.”
We sat forward, excited.
“You kids might not know, but the Dungeon is a forest. Because of the Dungeon Reset, they're able to cut down as many trees as they want between cycles. This has made Krader an excellent resource for wood-based goods in the Kingdom.
“Krader has several mills that use those trees to create paper products for the Kingdom. The paper you're all writing on now is actually from Krader, I bet. So anyway, the Skink is a useful little guy because of a gland found in its neck. The liquid found inside is an irritant for the skin of humans and also dries very quickly. When Skinks feel threatened, they open their mouths and expel that liquid towards the threat.
“Alchemists have found that they can separate the substance into its two separate components. The sticky part and the irritant components. The sticky part is mixed with colouring to create ink, and the irritant is an ingredient in poisons. The substance is quite valuable because of its many uses, especially in a town whose main export is paper.
“The more glands that Gavin and his team bring back, the better, because the amount of liquid I get from each one varies.” He paused to make sure we got that point. “You'll be leaving the day after the semester ends by wagon to a nearby town called Borson. From there, you'll leave your wagon and travel south to Pinslo Lake, where there are always several Skink nests. The whole trip should take a week and a half, but these things never go to plan, so it's good to have some room for error."
Britta's dad smiled and started to eat the sweets left at the table.
Looking around the table, our reactions varied.
Britta looked visibly upset while Cassie and Jen looked a little deflated. It was Cassie who spoke first.
"So, we're going to a nearby lake to fight a smelly rat, so we can take its stink gland? Could I switch with someone else? I've just remembered that I need to study for the whole two weeks..." She started to rub her temples in frustration.
"Don't look so sour,” he said. “I'll have you know this is still a significant trip. It cost me a pretty penny to hire Gavin and his team, plus I needed to pay extra because he's bringing all of you along. I need you to bring back at least a hundred glands to break even, and even then, I'm hoping to get three hundred glands to make it worthwhile. I want to do something good for my daughter, but I also have a business to run."
"No, we understand, Mr. Rolle.” Zane smiled at Britta’s dad. “We're grateful. We really are. Cassie is just joking. We were just a little shocked about the monster. Most of us didn't know the Skink existed. I’d heard of Skink Ink before, but I’ve never seen the gland sold directly. Last I heard, you can buy Skink Ink for two gold a bottle." Zane sat up straighter in his chair, waiting for Britta’s dad to continue.
I did the same. He was doing a fantastic thing for us, and we were all being ungrateful. I needed him to know we truly did appreciate what he was doing.
"It takes about thirty Skink glands to make one bottle, and that's excluding any other ingredients. Price varies, but I can sell thirty Skink glands for fifty silver. So, I'm hoping to make about five gold from everything you gather. If I'm lucky, someone might buy the Skink bodies, but the gland usually ruins them. Their claws aren't worth anything, and their fur is too short and itchy to be worthwhile. So, unless you all bring me back something else, I'm looking at six gold. And I've already spent two gold on Gavin and his team, so the best-case scenario is that I get four gold off of this trip. And that's with a lot of ifs."
The others were starting to pay more attention as Britta's dad explained what this trip would mean for him and his business.
"How are we going to carry that many Skink bodies, Mr. Rolle? Shouldn't we just harvest the glands ourselves?"
"For other monsters, I would agree, but remember that the gland is the only valuable part of the monster, and it's extremely delicate. That's where my Rank 2 Skill, Steady Hand, comes into play. Because of it, I have a better chance of keeping monster parts in good condition. It's one of the reasons I
do so well here in Krader. Shops know my products are good quality."
"But still, how are we going to carry three hundred monsters?"
"Well, that's why I work with Gavin so often. He has an Inventory Satchel. Plus, his Affinity is ICE. He's able to keep the monster parts on ice in his Satchel. By the time you get back, the monsters would barely have degraded. His Satchel isn't the best, but he's the best I'm going to get for two gold. He usually costs one gold. I can't pay anyone any less than that since that only means twenty silver per person. He's also strong, so I know you'll all be okay."
"Honestly, dad, thank you." Britta stood up and wrapped him in a hug.
"Yeah, thank you, sir," we all echoed.
"I'm happy to do it. And don't worry, you'll still learn a lot from traveling with Gavin and his team. He's one of the good ones. Plus, you'll probably get to fight a Skink or two. They're slippery little bastards. My main advice to you all is to use your Skills as much as you can. You never know how it will come in handy. And pay attention to what the others do. They're D-Rank because they worked hard enough to make it that far. Most of us never do, so make the most of the opportunity."
"We will!" I said. "But there’s one thing I don't understand, sir. Why couldn't you tell everyone about the trip during the party? I understand that you might want to keep your business a secret, but by the sounds of it, the monster is difficult for others to sell either way. You probably aren't the only one selling it, but I doubt any of the kids there were going to tell anyone." I had been thinking about this since Britta's birthday party.
Britta's dad started to laugh and motioned for everyone to sit back down.
"Britta said Zane was the smart one, but I guess you all have a good head on your shoulders. I'm glad Britta picked you, boys. Now, I could tell you that you're right, that I don't want people to know about my Skink spot. I do run a business, after all, and I've got to keep a competitive advantage. But to be honest, I'm not the only one who knows about the spot, and most just don't bother because of the lousy profit margins. You lose a lot if the gland is damaged or empty. There are other ways to create ink for less money and with less risk. Skink ink just happens to be popular among nobles for how sticky and smooth the ink is. It's a premium product when created by the right alchemist.