Leo awoke, floating in a circle of light, with Alexis standing before him. He slowly lowered towards the ground, and the circle faded. As he landed, he stumbled forwards
"Welcome back. I see you survived." With a smile, Alexis caught Leo mid fall, supporting him easily. "I was worried for a moment there. You took longer than normal."
Leo looked around him for a moment. The room seemed slightly brighter than before, and a strange current seemed to run through him through the floor. "How long was I in there for?"
"Sixteen minutes. Most pass or fail within three. I've never had a candidate take above ten before." Alexis released his hold on Leo's arm. "Take it easy. It will take you a few minutes to adjust. When you're ready, you can show me your script, and I can tell you your stats."
"Is there a way to check it myself?" Leo asked. It seemed a nuisance to have to rely on others to check his stats for him.
"Only if you can see your back. And read it," Alexis laughed. "Or if you learn the scan ability. And if you want a copy of it, you'll need a Guardian to use their gift to scribe it. For everyone else, the stat list simply burns up."
Leo frowned at the news. But then he immediately lifted his tunic, exposing his back for Alexis. After Alexis laid his hand on Leo's back, and Leo immediately felt a strange warmth. A moment later, Alexis handed him a piece of paper.
---
Stats
Rank - 1 (0.00%)
Strength - 2 (F)
Agility - 7 (F)
Dexterity - 1 (F)
Wisdom - 5 (F)
Intelligence - 7 (F)
Charisma - 2 (F)
Constitution - 2 (F)
Luck - 17 (F)
Blessings:
Script of Aranyani
Mark of the Lady of Spring, Aurora
Severed Fate
Skills:
Nature's touch
Traits:
Hunter's Sight
---
"What does this mean? I don't understand," Leo looked puzzled.
"Let me explain. New Blessed have an average of 10 in each category, excepting luck, when they first begin. Each stat then improves with further use, from F to SSS, increasing with each successive letter level up. However, you have stats significantly lower than any Blessed I've ever seen. Even if they improved, you would probably be weaker than people two or three letter grades below you."
Leo looked down. He was this pathetic?
"That luck stat though. I have never seen one that high. Your average person would have 1 or 2 points in luck. People with extraordinary luck would have a 5. But you? I triple checked, and it really is 17." Alexis pondered this for a moment. "With luck like that, you might be able to improve yourself.
"As for your blessings, you received one from your deity, one from that faerie you contracted with, and that third one. That's new."
Leo still looked upset. "So I'm basically pathetic and useless, is that right?"
Alexis frowned at him. "No you are not. If you work hard, with some of that luck of yours, you might be able to improve your baseline values some. But it will be a struggle for you, no matter what you choose to do."
Leo stood silently for a moment. "Master Alexis, I need to return to the Faerie Glen. There's a promise I have to keep."
Alexis waved him away. "Yes, yes. As you are not a member of my guild or clan, I can't keep you, nor can I offer you help outside of my role as a Guardian. However, I would suggest you begin training your physical and mental training, and improve yourself quickly. Afterwards, you'll be able to pick up work, or even hunt monsters for their magical stones. I wish you luck, young man."
Leo bowed deeply, then turned and left.
'This is getting interesting,' Alexis thought to himself. 'But who is Aranyani?'