Owl

Max was a little shaken up over the errors and vice, still lacking a full grasp of just what they fully meant as the carriage jostled and creaked whilst going along the dirt path as fragments of memory stirred in his sleeping mind. The bright red flashing of error messages and the system's slew of text made his skin crawl a good bit as he restlessly slept, keeping Max tossing and turning as the horses continued on, their own rest soon to come as a thin layer of sweat began to cling to the young boy as a familiar yet long-forgotten ding echoed in his head.

[[Well well, seems like someone let curiosity get the better of them huh? Well, it took a few years of being dormant but ol Tamir is back! Haha, how ya doing Nathan, or should I call you Max now since you replaced the withered soul that inhabited this body once it left?]]

This elected a slight groan to come from Max as he shifted a good bit, his face twisting and churning at the voice as it echoed in his head like an unchecked speaker, causing his mind to recoil from the system a good bit.

"Tamir? Gosh, I almost forgot about you but... What are you doing back? You said you would come back when you needed me and kinda hinted at the fact you'd be gone for far longer than this. What's going on? Is it because of"

A few more system dings interrupted his thoughts as Tamir began to talk to himself about the closest solution, possible outcomes, percentages, and other things before there was a sharp, apprehensive inhale through metaphorical teeth as he began to click his tongue.

[[That is going to be our main concern. Half-Elf huh? I don't know whether to congratulate you or lower your life expectancy but that's neither here nor there, for now, we need to fix these errors. After bypassing the head system locks I see the problem a bit more clearly but it doesn't make your situation better little Max. To make a long story short, since you're a, and take no offense to this, half breed you have the problem of mixed mana sources as well as shot mana circuits]]

This all had Max awake as he slowly sat up and groaned, this all being a lot for... Goodness, how old was he now, thirty-three? To make it simple it was a lot for him to take in and was starting to make his head spin quite a bit as he had way too many questions for Tamir and Tamir seemed to be in a bit of a rush.

[[Save the questions kid, I could explain but right now I have a very finite amount of time before I go to sleep again. We are only synced about fifty percent and I have to get you to one hundred by at max, 18 and I'd like to get you there earlier especially after seeing your race. I did some tinkering with your main system to prolong your hiding of race but I had to slightly expose myself a good amount but I need to stop prolonging things by explaining. I gave you access to a new skill or two as well. I also opened up the mapping and tracker, I marked points of interest and if you want any chance of fixing your problems you're gonna have to make a few night trips, that being said my time is up kid. I'll be here if you need me but uh, try not to need me]]

His voice began to slowly fade as Max's eyes began to slightly sting. He grumbled and rubbed them as he whined a little, blinking some as some pained tears rolled down his face and suddenly he had a bit of a HUD. He could see a slight tracker, willing him to follow a set path before him as he gulped and quietly began to get dressed once again. He was in long johns to sleep in, the blanket he adored so much only offered so much protection from nature's wrath as he slipped on a much more appropriate outfit.

The outfit he was now much more appropriate for someone of this world even if it was simple and rather basic. Adorned in tanned leather boots, thick burlap pants that lacked any sort of coloring, and a long sleeve cotton shirt tanned a dark blue as something willed him to adorn himself in his blanket. He unfurrowed it and looked longingly at it, hugging it close to himself as he took a deep inhale of it. The scent of lavender and some other type of flower filled his nose as he wrapped himself in it, a small clasp linking it together and making it a cloak as he gulped and looked in the direction he needed to travel.

He was antsy, nervous and unsure what dangers he was about to head first into as he gulped, biting his tongue as he looked out into the forest that seemed to stretch out and the tree line cut his vision about fifty feet out. He was never a night owl in this world, spending many nights enjoying the simple sleep as he stood at about four foot, his head encapsulated by the hood of the cloak as he gulped and took off into the forest, unsure just what exactly he was headed into as he dashed through the forest.

Things were dark for some time as he ran through the forest, dodging trees just before he hit them as his eyes slowly adjusted, the darkness shifting to greyscale as he ducked, bobbed, and weaved to avoid the limbs of trees and what lay on the forest ground as his steps seemed to lack a semblance of noise as even snapping of twigs and branches under his feet seemed hushed as his eyes darted about his surroundings to make sure nothing was followings he moved about through the woods. A full moon lit his path as he followed the marker, staying silent as the howls of wolves filled the night air, a twinge of fear striking his heart as he gulped, not wanting to find the animals that had made such a noise as he lost track of time. He was well into the night as he continued to move through the forest as fire's light came into view for Max, as he reached the edge of the forest and was met with the sight of a small town.

He was unsure of the town he was just outside of, seeing the flicker of flames was welcoming but this wasn't some game he was playing where he could stroll into town in the dead of night. His skin crawled with warning as he saw a few guards, lazily making rounds as the sounds of their boots almost seemed to echo through the dead streets as he looked about through the nighten cloaked streets for where his marker was to lead him. Unfortunately, it seemed to only lead deeper into the town as he gulped and looked about the moonlit town, looking for a way to avoid the guards as he spotted a stack of boxes that would allow him access to the roofs. He waited a moment and planned out his path, taking a deep breath as he quietly dashed towards the crates, not taking a moment to carefully climb atop them but jumping up with great speed, quietly gaining footing on the ceramic tiles that made up the roof.

Max didn't have time to stop and second guess his decisions as he quietly leaped from rooftop to rooftop, avoiding the weary eyes of the guards as he made it to a small unoccupied alley, a small shop with a light on is where the marker had lay and he knew this was it as he gently and quietly climbed down the side of the building. His feet hit the ground with little sound as he gulped and looked at the large oak door, hoping that this place didn't mind a small, unwelcomed guest as he gently pushed open the door.

Max was quickly met with the sound of ruffled feathers and a curious coo, his body straightening and freezing as an unfamiliar sound of something walking towards him almost seemed to echo through the shop as Max gulped and waited. What he was met with was something he had never seen before, something unfamiliar to him but a good chance was a Teiet as large humanoid owl looked at him with big yellow-orange eyes, staring him down like prey for the hunt as the head craned to the side and curiously looked over the cloaked boy.

"Oh? A visitor it seems I have. Interesting, I don't believe we've met but you are not on the run it seems. No, No you seemed to have actively sought this place but why? Come now boy, remove your hood, with that cloak I can't tell if you're dwarf, human, beastman, or gnome. Worry not, I hold no judgment towards races not my own so long as you seek knowledge."

The voice was soft, long, and drawn out but notable notes of feminine within it. This didn't put Max any more at ease as her large eyes and ever-shifting head tilted about but he didn't need this woman squawking about her nighttime visitor as he slowly drew back the hood and her eying became much more intense as she stepped closer. This made Max flinch as a light chuckle came from her,

"Fret not boy. I am just a little surprised to see someone of your origins but I care very little to hold hate or disdain over it. A half-elf hmm? Interesting, interesting indeed but I doubt you are here to be studied and looked at hm? Just what is your reasoning for being here in the dead of night?"

Max was unable to speak, his mouth dry as she had found him out so easily as his hands shot over his lightly pointed ears as he looked down and pouted. This elected a very nice giggle from the owl before him as a wing gently patted his head. She stood about seven feet tall, her coloration in the feathers was similar to a great horned owl but adorned in a nice robe as he tried to find the words to properly say as he gulps and bites his lower lips.

"I-I was looking for a way to fix my magic circuits... My dad is a merchant and can't do much in the way of helping me and I was reading a book that said it was partially due to the fact that my heritages draw from two separate mana sources. My system kinda kicked in and"

If Max had her curiosity before then he definitely had her attention now as she gently moved away and beckoned him deeper into the shop as she took a deep breath and cleared her throat.

"You are lucky to have found me for more reason than one. I am the leading researcher on magic theory, something that most of my kind are well versed in magic but you are unique due to your parent's heritage"

Gently she leads him to a chair as she sat in one as well, the two facing one another as he gulps and looks about nervously. With great care she takes his hands into her own talons that were hidden beneath the feathers of her wings, the sharp nails on them careful not to nick or cut him as they gently hold his own small hands. He gulped, eyes slowly closing as he envisions the endless ocean and she appears beside him.

"I see, how curious. Your elven side doesn't take in magic but like a natural underwater spring, slowly grants you the magic as you use it where your human side varies so much that it actually taints the magic of the elves. I have only worked with one other Elf before and even they did not have this large of a reservoir but I can not ascertain if that is due to your mixed blood or natural talent. That being said I might have a solution but it is going to be a bit rough on your body but we shall try. Imagine two cups, each one full of water. The cup that fills faster is your elven side and the slower one that is slowly being fed water from a pitcher is your human side"

He could see just what she meant, envisioning the cups as each one began to fill but the elven was much faster and seemed more like mineral water from nature where the other cup was like water from the tap. Max was straining a bit as he was focused on only keeping the cups separated as he whined and moved about a bit. His body glowed a bit as he hissed in agony, his muscles tensing and flexing as she gently hushes him, a purr-like sound leaving her as her hands gently tighten as she squeezes on his hands.

Her image slowly disappeared and he was alone, darkness slowly creeping into him as loneliness slowly overtook him until suddenly he felt two cool rings slide onto his fingers, the mana pooling just as he had willed it but without the strain, as he took a breath and groaned, feeling so tired as he looked at her tired.

"I-Its doing it on its own?"

He looked down at the silver rings with jewels laid into them as a chuckle escaped her and she patted him on the head ever so gently as she looked at him with kind eyes.

"These rings will keep your mana separated and not let one dilute the other but these are not permanent fixes mind you. Every night you need to practice keeping them separate, never draw on one over the other. Elven magic is raw and chaotic, not filtered and bound by laws like normal magic. Become bound by one over the other and you will be reliant. chaos or order, neither is good but have order with chaos mixed in and you will exceed anything before you. Now I believe you have someplace to be Max?"

He gulped as they had never exchanged names before but she somehow knew his. But... He knew hers as well as he took a breath and in his mind glowed the name, Oliva. He gulped and nodded at her as she handed him two books and gently pushed him outside but not before pulling his cloak over his head.

"You are going to want to be back home before the sun's awakening. Be quick and agile young one and look not to be caught. The forest may have wolves but the true beasts are within this town. Keep your head up and I hope to see you soon again"

He smiled as he tucked the books away, nodding to her before waving goodbye. he took to the rooftops and disappeared into the forest's maw once again as sunlight lit his path.

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{{Maxamillian Ashcrop}}

Race: Half-Elf

Age: Five

Health: 255

Human Mana: 235

Elven Mana: 1175

Level: 1

Stats: Str(5), Dex(5+10) Con(8), Int(10+10), Wis(10+5) Cha(10+10)

Skills: Dwarvish (Fluent), Gnomish (Fluent), Common (Fluent), Elvish (Adept), Economics (Basic Lvl: 2), Math (Adept Lvl: 5), Drawing(Basic Lvl: 2), Sales (Basic Lvl: 5) Mana Separation (Basic Lvl: 1)

Racial Skills: Human Adaptability (MAX), Elven Magic (Untrained), Magic Circuits(Fixed, Untrained), Elven Dexterity (MAX), Elven Foot Work (Untrained Lvl: 1), Increased Charisma (MAX), Elven Mind(MAX)

Unique Skills: VICE (MAX)

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