Chương 42: Chapter 41

The news of Etta unlocking her Status shouldn't have surprised me, but it did. Thinking about it as George and Etta entered the room made me realise, I had always kind of worked under the assumption that Etta had her Status unlocked even though I knew that wasn't truly the case.

"So, a celebration then?" Gramps asked, his smile pleased, though it paled in comparison to the pride writ clear on George's face.

"A celebration," George agreed while Etta cheered beside him before running over and throwing her arms around me. For my part I endured the attention. Outside the door I could hear three other voices in the kitchen, all female. That meant that Grandma Lucille and Kaylee were also here. The former was fairly common as Grandma Lucille almost always sat in on Etta and my reading and writing lessons. Kaylee on the other hand was a rare sight in the outpost except for dinners.

Etta released me and climbed into her own chair, ready for the day's aethersensing lesson with a huge smile still plastered to her face.

"Are we having the celebration for lunch or dinner?" Gramps asked.

"Dinner, Cornelius. The kids should still get their daily lessons in." Cornelius nodded before looking pointedly at George.

"Were there many changes to Etta's Path with the access? Or anything else I should know?" I could see the indecision on George's face. There was definitely something, though it was clear he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell it to the old man. Or was it me he didn't want to know? Both had their merits, after all Gramps was not family to the man and I was a kid who could very easily blurt out secrets to anyone who asked. George finally came to a decision as he answered, "I'll talk with you about it later.

After the celebration. There is something else I wanted to discuss with you anyway." Gramps nodded and settled in behind his desk, shuffling some paper around as he prepared for the daily lesson.

"Alright sweetheart, do your best okay? And remember how proud of you mummy and daddy are," George said encouragingly to his daughter before his eyes flicked to me.

"I will see you both this afternoon for sword practice." The rest of the day moved by in a blur, with Kaylee and Lucille cooking up a storm while my mother fed a trading caravan that stopped by the outpost for lunch while the merchant leading the procession made some quick trades at the Kellins' trading post. The lessons themselves followed the usual trend, with Etta beating me handily at aethersensing, only to lose to me by two points in Mother's reading and writing lessons.

Sword practice still saw me beating Etta easily, though we skipped over my usual one-on-one time with George to get cleaned up for dinner. While I scrubbed myself with the warm, wet rag under my mother's watchful eye, I considered how Etta had performed throughout the day. She had only just unlocked her Status, yet the only lesson I could confidently say she had performed better than usual at was aethersensing.

Normally, she would detect between four and five uses of aether in the two hours while I managed two to three. Today, she had located six, and the lesson had been slightly shorter than usual due to a few interruptions for questions about the celebration. In the other lessons, Etta hadn't shown any improvement which meant her Stats hadn't made a sudden jump. I was making an educated guess, but to me that sounded like she already had most of her Stats.

Thinking back to my own experience of unlocking my Status, it had unlocked early to give me access due to needing to make a decision about an Advanced Attribute. My thoughts on the matter were that Paths must be automatically assigned as you unlocked them, and for the normal base Stats, they were also assigned automatically. Most kids wouldn't complete a Path anyway until they were five or six, maybe not even then. It also had me suspicious about how the nobility forced an earlier unlock of the Status.

Did they force their children to train in a specific Path or Paths until they unlocked an Advanced Attribute? It was all a guess, but I was pretty sure I was onto something. In a way, it was both clever and cruel. These kids must be trained like child soldiers from the time they could walk, because the Path used would almost certainly have to be one of the simpler ones. It couldn't be Walking or Crawling as neither of those had awarded an Advanced Attribute. Running maybe?

I hadn't completed it yet so I didn't know.

"Time to finish up, my little man," admonished my mother gently as she brought over a towel. I was summarily dried and dressed before heading downstairs to the common room. A veritable feast had been made with lit candles decorating the long wooden table adding a flickering ambience to match the roaring flames in the fireplace. Grandma Lucille and Gramps were already there, and as I climbed into my seat, Etta rushed into the room with her parents right behind her.

Etta sat next to me, with Grandma Lucille on her other side. George and Kaylee sat across from us while Gramps and mother were at the ends of the table. After everyone had taken their seats and the drinks had been poured, George stood and raised his glass.

"To my little girl, Henrietta Miller. You've unlocked your Status and begun to find your own path in this world of ours. May it be long and full of love, laughter, and happiness. But let us all never forget that to have these things we must strive to improve ourselves, as you have been doing my little Etta and will continue to do. For our paths are myriad, but only through hard work will we find the happiness we seek. To my Henrietta, and her bright future!"

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The rest of the adults raised their cups, and I mimicked them.

"To Henrietta!" We all drank. For Etta and I, it was just some juice, but I could smell the wine and whiskey of the adults' drinks. Then food was heaped onto our plates and whatever the adults were doing was forgotten as I gorged myself on honey-baked ham and crisp roasted vegetables drenched in gravy. I ate until I was fit to burst, Etta matching me mouthful for mouthful. The pair of us stumbled over to the rug by the fire and laid down to let our stomachs settle while the adults continued to chatter.

No presents were forthcoming so I figured that wasn't part of the celebration. Then, after another hour the adults all cleaned up the mess. Etta had already drifted off, snoring gently. Her father scooped her up as the Millers bid their farewells for the night and left through the kitchen door to head home. I wasn't far behind Etta and blearily opened my eyes as my mother carried me upstairs. Lying in bed, I was ready to fall asleep when I heard the back door open again. Did someone forget something?

I wondered tiredly. Then a second door opened that I recognised as Gramps' office door by the signature squeak right before it closed. Climbing out of my bed, I crept downstairs, avoiding using Muffled Steps as I didn't want to alert Gramps that I was awake. I could hear my mother in the kitchen washing the dishes and slipped up right next to the door so I could eavesdrop on what was going on inside. If it was just Gramps scribbling, I was going back to bed, but he never went into his office this late at night.

He'd normally be helping Mum or sitting around the fireplace with her enjoying a smoke on his pipe.

"... you've got your privacy now, George. What is it?" Even muffled through the wood, the first voice was clearly Gramps and he'd already told me exactly who was in there with him.

"This doesn't leave this room, Cornelius. Agreed?"

"Agreed. I've kept your secrets, George. What's one more?"

"That's the only reason I am trusting you with this, Cornelius. This is every bit as dangerous as my own secret. Perhaps more so. If mine was to get out, my family might come looking for me. If this one was to get out, my family would only be one of our problems."

"You're not filling me with confidence, George. I'm not even sure I want to know now."

"You would have figured it out anyway, because I am not just here to share a secret. I need a favour as well." I heard Gramps sigh loudly.

"Now I know I don't want to know."

"Etta has the improved version of my bloodline," George said quietly, though with my ear pressed to the wood I could still hear it.

"I don't know the details of your bloodline," Gramps replied.

"The Arman Bloodline Path has three variations. Arman Blood, Arman Heritage, and Arman Legacy. The first is what most of my family get. It's nothing too powerful, merely providing ten to twenty extra Aether and Unallocated Stats. Useful, but nothing to truly set us apart.

"The Arman Heritage version, which is what I have, does the same but also improves an existing Affinity. It may do more, but the last few tiers are difficult to progress. It is… rare in the family. Last I checked, only three of us have the Path. My father is one of them." George paused, and I heard Gramps mumble something but couldn't make out the words. My body was growing tired from holding so still, but I wasn't willing to move an inch.

This information was amazing, and though I felt a spike of envy for the rewards of these Bloodline Paths, I had to know what Etta possessed.

"And the Arman Legacy?" I heard Gramps ask quietly.

"Hasn't been seen in two generations. I don't know all the details, but I can tell you what Etta has already unlocked. She has managed to progress to the second tier. The first was the Aether Talented Attribute. The second was an additional Affinity slot. If the Path bears any resemblance to my own, then the third tier will improve an Affinity." Aether Talented sounded like my own Advanced Attribute, though I wasn't sure what to make of the additional word. Did it mean that it only worked on aether-related Paths?

I didn't have time to wonder more about it as the conversation kept going.

"If any of the ducal families find out…" Gramps commented quietly.

"I know, Cornelius. Believe me, I know."

"You shouldn't have told me. I don't want to know about this. I've got enough on my hands with Bastian."

"I had to. I need your help."

"With what? I'm already teaching her. With her Advanced Attribute, she'll likely complete the Path of Aethersensing within the next year and a half. Maybe even quicker. Then I will teach her the Path of Aether Manipulation. What more can you need from me?"

"The heart of a storm eagle," George answered, his voice firm.

"What… the extra Affinity slot. You want to grant her a tier two Affinity…" Silence reigned for a moment in the office with only the sound of pots and plates clinking and the slosh of water being moved around in the kitchen to fill the absence.

"And you need me because you have no real ranged spells," Cornelius said.

"Exactly. I'll protect us, but I need you to bring one of the birds down."

"And Magatha has agreed?" There was no answer but I was guessing George had nodded or something because the conversation continued.

"I'm not comfortable leaving Penny and Bastian unprotected," Gramps stated.

"Of course. I'm going to pay Martin and Griselda to come stay here at the outpost while we're gone. Etta, Kaylee, and my mother in law as well."

"And Hurin to come with us? Has he agreed?"

"I haven't managed to speak with him yet, but I am hoping he'll act as our guide up the mountains," George answered. Silence followed again before Gramps finally answered.

"Alright, on one condition. I'll help you bring down a storm eagle if you help me catch a few coldfang serpents." What in the hell is a coldfang serpent? I thought.