Playing with fire and...faeries?

"Since I can use mana now and you have given me a basic history of magic, do I start learning magic now?"

Leena peered up at me excitedly before running off to her enormous collection of books.

"Right'O, so let me get my magic for ignoramus books…joking, you're not stupid. I just have to find the book of cantrips I have lying somewhere."

Leena dove into a pile of books, completely disappearing under them. The only indication she was under them was the occasional movement from the mound and the few books that flew from the pile. After some minutes, a figure finally exploded out from under the pile.

"Ah ha! Found it. With this, I can start you on your journey of the mystical!" Leena shouted while extending her arms out from her sides and wiggling her fingers.

*Cough*

"Okie Dokie then. Let's get to it!"

Leena grabbed my hand and pulled me over to one of the desks in the room. She then plopped the book down and started to rifle through it, stopping once she got to the page she was looking for.

"So for your first spell, I am going to teach you….FIREBOLT! The great thing about this spell is you don't have to ask how big the room is." Leena said while looking proud with her wisdom.

"What?" I asked her in confusion.

"I have no idea either! I heard some other students talking about fireball and asking how big the room was. I thought it sounded profound and cool, so I just copied them."

Well, at least the little elf is honest. Maybe Leena is too honest, but she is likable because of it. We spent some time going over the spell. I was practicing the verbal and somatic components of the spell.

The somatic parts of the spell were a bit hard to learn as a few hand signs and gestures had to be strung together. It was neat, though, because the spell could be cast with one hand. The spell chant is short, with just a few syllables, but it sounds a bit like singing and sounds like I was speaking backward. Leena also told me that the chant must be loud enough to resonate with the mana weave.

I thought it was a bit dangerous to practice a fire spell inside the classroom full of books, but she insisted it was ok. An hour and a half later, I finally learned the spell and didn't burn anything.

"There you have it, your first spell. I recommend trying to unlock your bloodline for some spells before learning anymore. That way, you don't learn a spell you don't need to." Leena said with a proud look on her face.

"How do I do that?" I asked

"I'm not too sure. It depends on the bloodline. I know some people with a dragon bloodline had to live with dragons and their kin to understand their bloodline. For you, though, I couldn't say. Sorry." She had said while looking apologetic.

"It's fine, but now I can visit Old Man and learn the rest of what he wanted to teach me. Then after that, I will head to the capital. I heard there is going to be something going on there."

"Oh! That old codger is still around, eh? Tell him I said hi. Also, I have a favor to ask of you. When you go to the capital can you come and get me. I've been meaning to go there, but escorts are a bit expensive nowadays."

New Quest: Leena Escort

Quest Type: Faction

Difficulty: D

Leena wants you to escort her to the capital.

Rewards:

Favor Increase

5000 XP

I see another quest appear in front of me. I am starting to collect these things now. I suppose I am trying to complete them, starting with Old Man.

"Yeah, I don't mind you tagging along. I will leave no later than in two days as I need to be in the capital soon anyway. So if my tasks with Old Man aren't finished, I will have to put that off until later."

Leena jumped in the air doing a fist pump while dancing in circles.

"Sweet! I can finally visit my sister and pick up those new books I ordered ages ago."

"Thank you for everything you have done for me. I will see you again soon," I said, waving my hand and walking out the door.

Now I just need to see the old man.

In a forest stood a small figure. It was not the figure of a child as the race this figure belonged to was known as a halfling. A small human-like race that was known for their merriment and mischievous attitudes. However, this was no ordinary halfling. This was a player known as Yuki though her in-game name was Lenora.

Lenora was currently fighting off a group of monsters while defending a tiny fairy-like creature. One of the monsters looked like a small old man with red eyes and wearing boots too big with a red medieval-style cap wielding a sickle, not that it needed it due to its claws. The other creatures looked like small, hunched-over men walking on all fours while snarling. They were brown, as if they crawled out of a mud pit.

Lenora parried and blocked blows coming from multiple directions. Luckily she had geared herself up better with some scale mail and a decent shield. She intended to use her new armor to her advantage as she hacked her way through the hunched forms of the small creatures. They were large in numbers, but that didn't stop Lenora as she hacked, slashed, and blocked her way through their numbers. She seemed to notice the small old man was giving them orders.

After thirty minutes of fighting, she finally made her way to the commander.

"You cannot stops us!" The creature hissed while spit flew out of its mouth.

"We serves the Queen! She needs that faerie. Hands it over, and we will let you leave." The creature spoke while waving its sickle toward the small fairy-like creature.

"I can't do that. I can tell you lot are a bad bunch." Lenora said while radiating the aura of a hero.

"Then you enemy of the Unseelie. The Queen will haveses your head!"

The creature charged at Lenora, deftly parrying her blows and always seeming to find the right spots to strike. The fight continued on for several minutes, reaching the half-hour mark. Lenora was looking haggard and had wounds that her armor did not protect. No matter how many times she struck at the creature, it seemed to shrug off her attacks.

Suddenly the tiny faerie flew towards Lenora and spoke to her.

"I can help you, but it will use most of my energy. Please take this."

The faerie then chanted a spell, coating Lenora's sword in a mystical power. With haggard breathing, the faerie slumped into Lenora's armor, unable to move further.

"Thank you, little one. I won't let it go to waste."

Lenora charged the creature with a new zeal. Her sword strikes were visibly affecting the beast now. She pushed further, swinging faster until the creature finally lay dead at her feet. The remaining creatures scurried off into the forest while shrieking.

The faerie nestled in Lenora's armor poked her head out and spoke.

"Thank you. My mother will reward you for your bravery."

Lenora walked through the forest, following the directions from the small faerie. Soon she arrived at a wall of foliage. The sun shone through the trees' gaps, reaching the forest floor. The sight of the different flora and the sounds of birds gave this place a serene and peaceful vibe.

As she got closer, the wall in front of her opened up, revealing an elegant village filled with different fae folk. No one seemed to bother her, but that may be because Lenora was guided by the small faerie. Eventually, she reached a large gazebo. Inside it sat a woman, the same height as an adult human woman, except this one had elven-like ears and sported a pair of fairy wings.

The tiny faerie rushed over to the woman and started to chat happily with her. The woman noticed Lenora and bid her come closer. Not feeling so nervous anymore, she walked closer.

"Greetings, halfling. Thank you for saving my daughter from the vile clutches of the Unseelie. Is there anything you would like?"

Lenora pondered for a moment before shaking her head.

"No, I think I am good. I couldn't just stand by while she was ambushed."

The large faerie flashed a brief smile across her face before erasing it.

"Child, you have a good heart. Let it not lead you astray. Take this blessing of mine. It will mark you as kin and allow you to pass through the barrier of our village."

As she said that, a glowing orb flew from the woman to Lenora, entering her chest and disappearing.