The next day after breakfast after mothers morning lesson I was back at the shooting ranch practicing.
I tried to feel the magic inside me as I was letting loose the arrows. Today I wasn't that focused on my accuracy, there was some other things that was on my mind.
One thing was what my father had shown me, 'To feel my target'. Thanks to my now access to magic studies and Urpie reading books from the library at night I had started to find clues in what father meant by feeling the target. It had something to do with magic that was obvious. The thing is I wasn't able to form the magic essence into mana yet to cast spells.
And this morning mother had explained that the first step we needed to take right now was to learn to feel the magic inside us.
Another thing that was on my mind was what mother and Rachel had told us yesterday over dinner.
"Five years. In five years Bellz and Maxime will be ten years old and Lilly will be eleven. At the age of ten kids are allowed to register to be an adventurer. It doesn't matter how strong or how much promising talent they show. From the age of 10-15 they will always be ranked as an F rank adventurer." Rachel had explained.
This had been amazing news. At least for Maxime who could barely control himself.
"So are we going to register as adventurers then?" He had ask as he was shaking from excitement.
"Yes..." Mother had said but continued to explain. "Yaggam the guild leader in Oakhill has agreed to something thanks to me collecting on an old favor from him." She had look at me as she continued. "First when you register he will be the only one to see your magic disc. This is including Lilly and Maxime. Secondly we are not going to allow you to register unless you meet our demands within these next five years."
"Demands?" I asked as father walked in with three papers and handed it to us.
Mother continued. "You have each individual weapons you have chosen. And individual primary elements. Well we don't know Maxime's yet but if you look at the list these are the things you have to succeed for us to allow you to register."
I looked down at my list.
|The five demends for Bellz:
1. Land a blow on Ton in a duel.
2. Have Magdala acknowledge your magic abilities.
3. Have a basic understanding or more in wind and earth element.
4. Show signs of one advanced element.
5. Successfully hit a moving target with a bow from four hundred meters.|
"What this sounds impossible!" Lilly called out. "If we would be F rank adventurers why does it matter how powerful we are?" She said with an annoyance in her voice.
Maxime had just look at his list of demands in silence. I looked over his shoulder to read it.
|Maximes five demands:
1. Unlock and pass a basic understanding of your primary element.
2. Avoid all attacks in a duel with Rachel.
3. Balance on top of your quarterstaff for two hours.
5. Build your own staff from the wood of a Treant.
"Balance on top of your staff?" I asked in a low voice. "What do they expect of you? To become a monkey? Maybe some kind of monkey sage." I said to myself in a mocking tone.
I didn't know this yet but Maxime had heard me.
"Lilly your brother and Maxime has similar tasks." Mother said.
"Similar?" Lilly asked as she looked at me. "Okay then...let me guess...you wrote the tasks for Bellz right?" Mother gave a nod in confirmation. "Rachel wrote Maxime's? So...father...tell me...how am I suppose to run to Oakhill and back in 4 minutes..."
Ton shrugged is shoulders. "It's not that hard. I am not as talented as I used to and I can run to Oakhill and back in maybe 2 minutes if I really try."
"Exactly! 2 minutes if you try!" Lilly yelled out. "And this second task. Jump one hundred meters high. And the third wound Ton in a duel. The fourth. Successfully sneak into Olaf's pub and steal a keg of mead...and fifth...Kill a Leech Bear..."
Silence hit the room as Lilly read out her five demands.
E!? That means a Leech bear is basically a monster.
"Well that is nothing!" Father said as he laughed. "When I was five I slew a pack of Night wolfs."
"Ton..." A low monoton voice came out from mother.
"And a hundred meters shouldn't be that hard to jump with the help of your wind magic the same with running." He continued. He hadn't noticed the temperature that started to rise in the room.
"Ton..." Mother said again this time a shiver ran down fathers back.
"I can agree with the kind of task you have given her. But there are a few problems with them dear..." Mother said as she walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder.
"First of all...4 minutes...no that is to difficult...10 minutes should be enough..." The smell of flesh burning started to fill the kitchen as mother continued. "Secondly, one hundred meters? No ten meters is enough..." Smoke started to rise from fathers shoulder. "Third wound you in a duel...no it shall be the same as with Bellz. Land a hit. And the fifth task...Leech bear...just kill a regular bear should be enough but lastly...the fourth task..." Father tired to scream out but Mother just pressed harder until his right arm hang by his side. "Sneak into Olaf's and steal a mead keg! A MEAD KEG! SHE IS JUST A CHILD!"
It was then decided that Lilly's new list of tasks would look like this.
|Lilly's five demands:
1. Run to Oakhill and back in 10 minutes.
2. Jump 10 meters high.
3. Land a hit on Ton.
4. Kill a bear and bring back it's pelt.
5. Steal a white stone from Ton, Magdala and Rachel.|
I continued my archery practice as I thought about yesterday. I threw a few glances back towards the now broken kitchen wall that mother had tossed father out of.
Father was now gone. Mother had tossed him out through the wall leaving a giant hole with scotch marks at its sides. "He will have to fix that after he recovers." Was the only thing she said.
"Mother?" I asked her after she calmed down. "Why do we need to do this? Like Lilly said. F rank is the lowest rank, do we really need to go through all this just to be F rank? It's not like we are able to do any dangerous quests at that rank?"
Rachel was the one that gave me an answer to those questions.
"At the age of fifteen you go through a test to register as an adventurer. This will decide your rank as a true guild member. But from the age of 10-15 you are allowed to do simple quests like gathering herbs and minerals or assist people of the town, work as a porter or most importantly apply to the guilds school of education as a student, The Phoenix Academic Institute of Tallanddi."
"You want us to go to school!?" Maxime said with a hint of panic in his voice.
"I thought you would be excited by the news?" Rachel looked at her son. Her bushy tail swaying side to side. "You always seem so eager to become and adventurer."
"But school it's..."
"Do you even know what a school is Maxime?" She interrupted him.
"Well no...yes... maybe...I read about then...yes! I read about them and it sounds boring." He managed to get out.
I lifted my hand to interrupt them as there was more I wanted to ask. "Do we really need to go to this school? You are already teaching us so much here back home? And can't we survive as adventurers when we become of age to take the test at fifteen?"
Mother gave me a knowing smile understanding that what I said was true. But there was more behind this plan. "My brilliant dear little Bellz. The truth is no you don't need to go to this school." She walked over to me giving me a hug. "But for us. Rachel your father and I, but also all the people of Oakhill. Even people of different races might need it."
"What?" I laughed as I jokingly said. "This doesn't have to do something about the kingdom of Luteria does it?"
Mother stroke the top of my head as she thought for a bit. We were young all three of us. Lilly, Maxime and I. But there was bigger parts apparently at play in this world.
"The Phoenix Institute is a neutral place and one of the few that is connected to both the eastern and western continents. If you do want to go to this school know this. It wont happen until you are at the age of twelve. There will be a test to get accepted, that is one of the reasons we want you to get stronger. But also so that you can handle whatever may come your way in this brutal world." She continued to pat my head as she looked at Lilly and Maxime.
"So...will you tell me the truth about it all...I know you have been hiding something from us..." Mother gave a nod.
"If the three of you successfully complete these tasks before you turn ten I will explain everything." She let me go and walked out of the kitchen. She said a faint whisper as she left the room. "And the truth of who I really am..."
Back at the a archery ranch I was shooting arrow after arrow.
To go to school...
To become an adventurer...
To get more answers about this world...
To become stronger...yes I will do it.
We will do it...Urpie and I.