▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
15. Magical Power in Another World
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Wexel guided us back to the adventurer's guild. Apparently, there were services and specialists you could take advantage of once you're a member, but no one seemed to want to help us when we first signed up. It was Wexel that assured 'you just had to be in the know'.
Bea tried to call him on the "crap" he was spewing, saying how she's been a registered member and never heard of underground services like he's describing, but eventually gave up on the matter. We entered the building and took two flights of stairs and a long corridor before approaching an office. Wexel knocked on the door.
"Come in," came a soft voice.
Wexel opened the door and guided us in to a smiley blonde haired elf in a pantsuit. She was smiling at first, that is, until she actually saw Wexel come in behind us.
"Ugh, what are you doing here you creep?"
"Ay, now now. This is official business Maynard. No need to be like that," said Wexel waving his hands in dismissal.
"Official huh," she said, crossing her arms in suspicion, "If you two are thinking of partying with this sluglord, don't. He's a real piece of-"
"Come on mage. You've got to let it go!"
"Look, um, sorry," Lyra spoke up, "But he does seem to think you can help me."
"Are you registered adventurers," Maynard asked, shifting focus and tone.
"Yes," she replied showing her adventurer identification, which keeps track of your name, party name, registered guild, affinity and position. Although, we didn't have much besides our names and F Rank, the lowest rank, so far.
"Ah, new ones I assume. Well, with my help as an official magistrate, if you have a magical affinity, it can become a part of your identification card. While the card is important for proving who you are and your feats, it can also be used as a bragging tool to maybe secure higher jobs or better clients," Maynard explained.
"Oh really? How's that?" asked Bea, taking out her card as well.
"For instance, say you're a Rank F, proficient in water magic, and there's a job for Rank Ds and Es to help with a forest fire or something along those lines, your proficiencies could lead to you being able to supercede your actual rank and take the job anyways."
"Well, that could be helpful, for those with magic I guess," Bea muttered.
"You are in the land of the elves. It's rare for an elf to not have some kind of magic, thus, a need for my job," Maynard said without getting snarky back, "Plus, it can be applied to weapon skills as well. Like the idiot behind you."
"Wexel? Him? How?"
"An F Rank degenerate that can't get a party, but has a proficiency of A Rank in sword and shield combat," Maynard said begrudgingly.
"Wait, so I can theoretically get a skill attribute too?!" Bea lit up.
"Any registered member can. But those require other testing methods. We can get to that, but doing magic is a lot easier and faster so let's start there," Maynard continued to explain as she took out a white glass globe, "In magic, there's light and dark, and the elements, and subsets that work in various ways. For instance, I am a light magic user myself."
"Oh, uh, I think I'm mostly healing magic, if that's one?" asked Lyra.
"Healing would be a subset of earth and drawing on life around you as would plant powers and the like, but while that may be what you're used to using, your affinity might be higher or better suited in another and that's what this orb will tell us."
Maynard handed the globe to Lyra. At first it did nothing, but then, it started to glow. A blinding flash of light surged out in a baby blue aura as the orb glowed and crystalized.
"Interesting." said Maynard who seemed sort of, taken aback, "It seems you have a high affinity for the subset of the element water in ice magic."
"Woah!" said Bea in excitement.
"Ice? Really? I've never used it before," said Lyra thoughtfully.
"I'm actually as surprised as you are. You see, magic has it's way of really showing in elves genes. Like how I'm a light user and have blonde hair and paler skin than most. That's why I was a little suprised that you're dark haired for such a strong affinity."
"Ohhh, yeah, I get it," said Lyra chuckling, trying to keep her secret identity in tact, "My mother did have white hair, but again, I only ever knew of her using healing magic as well, but she wasn't an adventurer or anything."
"I see," Maynard seemed to give in, "And just like the weapon proficiency, you'll have to be tested on it's actual usage down the line, but for now," Maynard reached her hand out and Lyra's card glowed and a snowflake symbol appeared in one of the slots.
"Nice boss!" said Wexel giving a thumbs up.
"So the human doesn't have any magic, and I'm not going near that thing," Maynard gestured towards Wexel, "Do you have another member?"
"Quack!" I said waddling forward.
"Uhhhh." Maynard seemed stumped.
"This is Duc and he is a registered adventurer," said Lyra trying to explain.
"It's a duck." questioned Maynard.
"Magic duck." said Bea.
"That is, a new one." Maynard said, resetting the globe to it's clear state.
I cupped my wings outward as the only way I could think of to hold it, and she bent over to place the orb onto my feathers. Unlike Lyra's test, there was no delay. The globe began spinning in place and glowing.
"What the hell?" said Maynard in bewilderment.
A bright flash of light shot out, first red.
"Fire?" she tried to determine, but then another flash came out in green.
"Wind?" she couldn't believe it as a blue flash came.
"Water. What in God's name…"
More and more colors flashed out as I sat there holding the globe. It started happening so fast that all you could see were pulsating rainbows. Lyra, Bea, and Wexel stood in awe. Maynard finally pulled the orb away.
"It's.. it's impossible. Had I not been here to witness it. Hell, I still don't believe it. You have all affinities. All of them?!"
Say what now?!
"Quack?!"
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
End Part 15
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Author's Notes #7
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
We're back with more ducking action! Setting out to continue the adventure with Duc, I had a couple of points I wanted to hit. I wanted to move along the story a little bit, but I really felt it was time to do some world building. Thus, we're hit by a handful of explainations for how the world works, mostly in conversation to be a bit more natural rather than info dumping.
While I addressed world building, I really knew my cast needed to expand. Stakes needed to rise. And ultimately, character's had to start growing more. Thus, Wexel was introduced. I hope where we're going will be a fun, exciting, and maybe even crazy journey! So, thanks for coming along in the next installment of Ducking Around!
𓅹𓅹𓅹𓅹𓅭𓅹𓅹𓅹𓅭𓅹𓅹𓅹𓅹
Duck Fact #7: Scientists have discovered that ducks seem to have a favorite color in green. They seem to find green and colors closest to it on the spectrum more pleasant than any other colors!
𓅹𓅹𓅹𓅹𓅭𓅹𓅹𓅹𓅭𓅹𓅹𓅹𓅹
⋆༺𓆩The.Fellow𓆪༻⋆