10 Classy game of the old shaman experiencing what true level means

Inside a certain cottage, darkness shrouded everywhere, as strange artifacts were strewn in two-by-two rows in a wooden structure, and strange and peculiar organisms were housed in jars of strange sticky material, which bubbled slightly and gave off an odd smell as it swelled.

An elderly man sat casually on the floor in the middle, his wooden staff propped up beside him, puffing out a plume of smoke from his wooden pipe, which contained strange carvings, as it slowly produced a mystical vapor in the air and drifted away into the breeze.

In front of him, he casually flung something into the bonfire, his face was lit by the brilliance of the flames, which rapidly changed color from violet to reddish and then slowly returned to orange again, producing a strange sight to see.

Nicolaus and Boarfang were heading towards the old shaman's cottage and not for long they had arrived. In their sight, there was no doorway at all, as only a modest velvet drape had been put there, with a slew of ornaments scattered about it, totally concealing it.

When Nicolaus looked up, he was curious to find that the velvet drape didn't move at all, as if there's some invisible force at work, causing the wind to slack up a bit. They were able to move the velvet drape with a mild brush of their hands, and Nicolaus then saw an elderly man placing some odd leaves into his pipe.

So this is the foretold shaman, eh? Not bad... I wonder what I could get coming here to this place...

A tiny fire salamander slept on the old man's shoulder, and in the spot, its lips opened as it shot a tiny bolt of fire right into the pipe, immediately lighting it up.

Upon puffing up a cloud of smoke, the old shaman gestured for them to find a seat on the carpet whilst beaming a welcoming smile over his face.

Boarfang bowed without hesitation, and Nicolaus did the same, but his eyes were wide with bemusement as he saw the strange items that this old man's home was filled with.

Afterwards, they took a seat and looked intently at the mysterious shaman in front of them.

The crackling of the flames cast a faint glow over their faces, which were barely visible in the dim light. After placing the pipe beside him, the old shaman said, "So... what do you reckon, Boarfang? Is your situation no longer pose a concern?"

"Wise be the shaman...," Boarfang said in a raspy voice in response. "This poor beast has no brains and just has Braun."

The shaman didn't respond to Boarfang's reply as he looked over to the kid beside him and asked, "Silver-haired kid, pray tell, how'd you manage to survive?" When an idea occurred to him.

"The wisest course of action I can afford right now is to postpone laying down any cards for this old shaman to see that the kid he spoke off died. For now, I'll go with the flow and answer as shortly and succinctly as I can. With just a rudimentary understanding of this world, a small mistake will result in my death." Nicolaus thought.

"Old shaman, I don't remember... I don't remember a thing. I just came home." Nicolaus answered shortly and in vague words for the old shaman, so as not to raise any doubts about him.

The old shaman didn't bat an eyelid, as he eyed the kid and said, "Would you like to give it a go, lad? I can tell you that you're in for a real surprise." He handed Nicolaus the wooden pipe he had been smoking earlier, which he had picked up from beside him.

Nicolaus's heart thumped, and he reasoned that if he rejected the shaman's goodwill, it would result in a small discontent on his behalf, and on the shaman's part, it would result in a slight displeasure.

After gathering his thoughts, he sneaked a glance over his shoulder at his adopted father, and when he realized that he didn't stop him from doing so, and instead just offered a small smile on his face, his heart began to slightly let down his guard.

Nicolaus knew he could count on Boarfang, not only because of the memories he had shared with the deceased kid, but also because of the way he interacted with them within their home and from his journey to the old shaman's cottage, which led him to estimate that he was a decent parent.

Nicolaus didn't hesitate any longer after he had made up his decision, and he replied by placing both of his hands in front of him respectfully.

"Good kid…" The shaman's pet, the fire salamander, opened its eyes as the old shaman placed the pipe on his shoulder. The fire salamander, then bit the pipe gently after seeing it and drifted through the air like a wisp of ember before resting in Nicolaus's hand.

Nicolaus stared at the fire salamander as it moved like a ghost as if it were some sort of spirit, and when it landed on his hand, he didn't feel any weight at all, since it really is just a lizard made of fire, not a lizard made of flesh and bone.

The fire salamander put the pipe into his hand without reservation as it returned to the old shaman, as it now laid on the top of its head.

"It's a fire spirit, so don't be surprised if you see one..." The old shaman nods his head, his hands coated in ashes from beside the fire. "I'm not sure whether it's a coincidence or not, but you seem to still be alive and well, to my surprise."

"So, you're suggesting you weren't under the impression that I wouldn't make it out alive?" After responding by smelling the leaves at the end of the pipe, Nicolaus became puzzled for a brief period of time but recovered quickly.

Fortunately, this old geezer does not have any ill will against me, or otherwise, I would have left immediately if he did so.

Nicolaus thought, As he got closer to the shaman and came to a halt in front of him, as he once again sat with his legs crossed.

"Considering your age, you don't seem to be the whiny kind, do you?" While keeping his gaze fixed on the silver-haired kid, the shaman let out a raspy laugh.

"Well, let's just say I'm built different," Nicolaus replied.

"Excellent... lines, especially coming from a youngster who is still a bit wet behind the ears." After putting his finger on Nicolaus's face, the old shaman started to draw a strange symbol that held complete mystery, and when he was finished, the old shaman placed both of his hands on each side of Nicolaus's head and said, "Puff up that smoke, kid... Take the plunge if you want to know what it's like to experience true level."

The old shaman's advice had Nicolaus follow them, and it was only a few seconds later that the young man breathed a mouthful of unusual smoke from the pipe then he realized what it was like to be on the true level.