19 Chapter 19: What is an Arcane?
Skills.
Actual... skills.
A title granted a special effect, each a sort of achievement. According to the church they were given by Ketair in recognition of his chosen's achievements.
A skill was entirely different, yet a link existed in that by practicing something related to a title, it is easier to learn a skill.
So from 'Healer of Venom' came the skill 'Antivenin'.
Ryth knew all this. He also knew he likely would gain Skills a bit faster from what Fion said, and titles are easier to gain as a solo healer because... well...
If a title is to mark an achievement, most any form of hunting a solo healer can accomplish IS an achievement. Healer of Venom was granted in recognition of a beginner Healer managing to kill a much-high-Level monster of extreme poison after all.
But... wasn't this a bit too fast?
Barrier... was probably because of his potential being forced out in a moment of crisis yesterday. Antivenin... well he had been purifying a lot of poison and toxins lately.
Still though. Ryth was gonna need a second.
(Holy. Shit. By the Lords of Hell... I have skills. At level 2.)
Also some of his physical stats rose... because of the arcane core and removal of impurities quite likely.
Plus the stats had more to do with ones total potential rather than a base unit. So an increase of '1' in any stat for one adventurer wasn't equal to the same increase for another.
(Okay. Okay relax.)
Ryth lifted his head, the golden words fading into the air.
(What is actually happening in my life? Honestly?)
No wait. That's not the right question.
(Okay. Priorities. Tomorrow is my interview for apprenticeship. Today I can do basically anything. What I need... is to find a way to gain experience during this temporary lockdown, so I can level up and continue forming my arcane core. The further I get with it before level 10, the better my evolution... I think.)
Ryth began to walk back to the Dragon Chaser's home. (First, let's actually get some more information from Herald about the arcane core and what it really means... nobody bothered to explain it as I SHOULD be a bit too low level for it to apply...)
"Hahaha... yeah... that's totally not funny... pffft."
~ ~ ~
"Hey Herald!"
Herald looked up at the skinny healer from his work, a mess of papers with sketches Ryth couldn't quite read as he wasn't paying attention.
"Yes?"
"I was wondering if... well if you weren't too busy, could you... tell me a bit about how a healer progresses throughout the first stage?"
"...sorry?"
Ryth awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "W-well nobody ever really explained it... I get the obvious bits, reach level 10, make an arcane core by some sort of connection to your arcane, evolve, start over."
"..." Heralds face looked as if he'd been shot by lightning.
"You... wait. Is that seriously what you know?!"
The sentence grew louder at the end, shock coloring his face and tone!
"Well... yeah."
Herald stood up fast and sudden, almost knocking over his desk and hurriedly grabbing at the papers to catch them.
"Wha-SHIT!"
He sighed at the mess. Branwen stuck his head in through the doorway behind Ryth.
"You good?"
Herald sighed. "No, I'm not good. The Adventurers Association is getting lazy, and someone deserves to get fired. Honestly..."
Ryth just kinda stood there. Was... he an idiot? Missing something?
(Should be fired... lazy... so there was something I SHOULD have been told but wasn't in concern to the growth and changes a Healer experiences throughout stage 1?)
"Uh... right..." Branwen kinda just nodded in confusion, popping back behind the door frame.
A few steps, "tak-tak", echoed in the wooden halls before a yell.
"Hey Erakin! Herald said something confusing, can you explain?!"
"..." Herald looked at Ryth's dumbstruck expression, and finally snapped out of his own shock, beginning to laugh.
"I-is that... normal?"
"Haha... yeah that line is basically a daily occurrence for him. The people change though. So 'Hey -blank-! -Blank- Said something confusing, can you explain!' Is practically a catchphrase in our team."
Ryth now had a new appreciation for the patience of this team.
"Anyways... first off: what do you understand in terms of what an Arcane itself is? Cause at this point I'm betting you never got an official explanation of what an arcane is to us as those connected to them."
"Uh... the arcanes are the sources of magic, the primal centers of power that make up the forces of the world?"
"You're not wrong but... speaking theologically, it is said Ketair created this world and his people using the 6 Arcanes. He did not create them, but they WERE his tools."
"I'm guessing you don't believe in the church's religion?" Ryth leaned forward, interest turning to curiosity as his attention diverted.
Herald sighed. "Most elves believe that this world naturally formed from the Arcanes, and that Ketair is simply the first being born of them. But the topic of Notics vs Carisonists as factions of the church isn't the point here."
Herald sat down, splaying his hands out on the desk.
Lifting a single finger, he continued; "no matter what you believe, here is the truth as we know it: the Arcanes are the building blocks of all this world is."
"A mage may say water is exclusive to the Ocean Arcane, but a Sky Mage can wield it just as well, for he sees the water in the sky."
Ryth tilted his head. "Well... yeah. Rain."
"No, not just rain magic, but true water magic."
(Huh? How does that work?)
Herald smiled at Ryth's expression. (He's cute... ahh, if only he were 30 years older... but look at that scrunched up face! So adorable!)
"Yes. It works. A bit of EVERY Arcane exists in everything, just in different amounts. If you can see or understand it, then you can access it. Hence why a mage of sky can wield water-based magic, or a Sun Fighter might use lightning suddenly."
(...sorry. Sun and lightning? I'm interested!)
"Anyways, back to the point: the Arcane core."
(Right! Shit I almost forgot what we were originally talking about!)
"Right, continue." Ryth sat down on the floor, and Herald had a brief moment where he though of a scene where an elven teacher was sitting as he lectured students seated on the floor.
"First, you must come to an understanding of your arcane that creates a connection. Then you begin using that connection to draw in the power of the arcane into your body."
"As the power moves through you, it will remove impurities throughout your body, preparing it to evolve, and strengthening it. These impurities are actually in the parts of you derived from that arcane, so the purification of your body makes the arcane power within yourself clearer."
"Personally, during this process, I myself try to let the power run its course throughout all of me before gathering it together."
"Your core should form in your abdomen, a bit below your stomach but above the groin-"
"Why?"
Herald blinked. "Uh... that's where your bodies mana naturally gathers. It's the 'container' if you will."
"So the core stays in your 'container'?" (That doesn't sound right... from the beginning, my core is forming right where my heart is. Is my mana gathering in a different place!?)
"No, it doesn't. Also a better word might be 'mana well.'"[1]
"Eventually, after forming the core, you'll bond it to a specific body part/organ that will change to reflect your understanding. This change is evolution."
"HUH? I though evolution relies on things like monster flesh, and surroundings?!"
Herald scratched his head. "Yes and no? The largest factor is yourself and your understanding of your arcane. Monster flesh will have an effect, definitely, ESPECIALLY if the monster shares a connection to the same arcane as you. Also eating monster flesh of a specific arcane repeatedly makes it more likely to awaken that arcane next."
"...when DO YOU even awaken the next arcane? Is it when you evolve? That makes no sense, you can only awaken 3 at most and there aren't just 4 stages, there are 10."
[1] in their language, the word well is simply a accentuation on its contents. So a normal Well is Water with an addition couple letters, mana well is mana with a couple letters added, etc.
