Chương 112: Chapter 14: A Measure of Strength - Part I

I decide not to pursue the question for now. The Hollowmane seems perfectly content beneath the Heartwood, and I have already spent enough time worrying about possibilities that may never happen. If the cub finds another beaststone, I will deal with it then. For now, I have a contract to report. The following morning, I leave the Grove with the Hollowmane trailing behind me and make my way toward the Adventurer's Guild. The city is already busy by the time I reach the eastern district.

Merchants are opening their stalls; carts are moving through the streets and the smell of freshly baked bread drifts between the buildings. The Hollowmane receives considerably more attention than I do, though I suspect that has less to do with its appearance and more to do with the fact that it is now noticeably larger than when we left. I push open the Guild's doors. The familiar noise greets me immediately.

Adventurers occupy most of the tables near the entrance while others gather around the contract board, discussing notices and comparing equipment. Liora looks up from behind the reception desk almost as soon as I enter. Her eyes move from me to the Hollowmane. Then back to me.

"That got bigger." I look down at the cub, "So, I've been told." She studies it for another moment before shaking her head, "I don't think I want to know."

"That makes two of us." A faint smile appears on her face, "Here to collect the payment?"

"And report the contract."

"Then Darran will want to see you." That doesn't surprise me. Liora reaches beneath the counter and retrieves the contract before placing it in front of me, "The Veyrakh extermination?" I nod, "Completed." She looks at the document, then toward me again, "Any complications?" I consider the question, "There were two." Liora's expression changes, "Two?"

"The contract mentioned one."

"It did."

"Then there were two." She studies me for a moment before sighing, "Of course there were." I almost smile, "The second was an Alpha." Her expression becomes considerably more serious, "An Alpha Veyrakh?" I nod, "How close?"

"Close enough that I wouldn't recommend sending anyone into that part of the southern woodland without checking the territory first." Liora looks toward the back of the Guild, "I'll get Darran."

"You don't need to." A familiar voice comes from behind me. I turn. Darran approaches from the corridor leading toward the Guild offices, several sheets of parchment tucked beneath one arm. His eyes settle on me first before moving toward the Hollowmane. He stops. For a moment, he simply stares at the cub, "That is considerably larger."

"It ate something." Darran's eyebrows rise, "Should I ask?"

"Probably not."

"I appreciate the warning." He takes the contract from Liora and scans the document while I wait, "The Veyrakh?"

"Both of them." His eyes lift, "Both?"

"The first was the creature described in the contract. The second was an Alpha occupying the same territory." Darran's expression becomes thoughtful, "And you dealt with it."

"Yes." He looks down at the parchment again, "Then I'll have someone verify the carcasses."

"That's fine."

"Any other unusual findings?" I think about the Alpha, the territory and the way the creature had ruled that part of the forest, "No, nothing that concerns the Guild." Darran gives me a look that suggests he has learned enough about me to know that sentence probably means there is something I have chosen not to mention. I decide that the Hollowmane's newfound diet can remain my problem for the moment. He sets the contract aside.

"The original reward is two silver crowns." I nod. Liora reaches beneath the counter and produces two silver coins, placing them neatly on the wood between us. I look at them for a moment before picking them up. Two more coins. It still feels strange that something as simple as walking into a forest and killing a monster can result in money that would have seemed substantial to me only a few months ago. I put them away.

Darran doesn't immediately return to his paperwork, "There are also the Rask and bandit matters." I look at him, "I assumed you would have those records."

"We do." This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. He places another document on the counter, "The Rask colony was considerably larger."

"Twenty-three adults."

"That's what your report says."

"It was."

"And you eliminated the colony."

"Yes." Darran studies me for a moment before reaching for another pouch, "The Guild has approved twelve silver crowns for the Rask contract." He places the coins beside the Veyrakh payment, I stare at the pile. Twelve silver. It is considerably more than the Veyrakh contract, which makes sense now that I think about what the Guild originally believed I was dealing with. I pick up the pouch, "And the bandits?"

"Separate matter." Darran retrieves another document, "Their camp was confirmed, along with the identities of several members. Your account has been verified by the surviving evidence, and the Guild has recognized the bounty." He places another ten silver crowns on the counter, "Ten."

"Ten." I look at the growing collection of coins. For a moment, I simply stand there. The Guild had paid me five silver for the Tusker contract, though three of those had been additional compensation for the corrupted beaststones. Now I have another twenty-four sitting in front of me. Twenty-nine silver crowns. I suddenly understand why Aibell had insisted that I stop forgetting how much money I possessed. Darran watches my expression.

"You look surprised."

"I am."

"At the amount?"

"At the fact that I apparently have money." Liora laughs quietly behind the counter. Darran shakes his head, "I've met very few people who can kill twenty-three Rasks, eliminate a bandit camp and return from a monster contract without remembering what they're owed."

"I remembered eventually."

"That is reassuring." I gather the coins and place them into the leather pouch at my belt. Darran folds his arms, "There's something else." I look at him, "More money?"

"No."

"That's unfortunate." A faint smile touches his face, "I'll have to disappoint you." He glances toward the rear of the Guild before returning his attention to me, "We need you to use the appraisal stone." I stare at him, "The what?" Darran's expression remains perfectly serious, "The appraisal stone."

"I heard you the first time."

"Good."

"I just don't know what it is." Liora lowers her gaze toward the parchment in front of her, but I catch the faint movement at the corner of her mouth. Darran sighs, "Sometimes I wonder how you survived before coming to Fallowspire."

"Mostly by avoiding things I didn't understand."

"That explains considerably more than I'd like." He gestures toward the corridor leading deeper into the Guild, "The appraisal stone is used to assess an individual's physical and magical characteristics. Every registered adventurer undergoes an appraisal when they join, and the Guild uses the results to establish an initial understanding of their capabilities." I glance toward the Hollowmane, "Does it work on animals?"

"That's not what we're discussing. But yes, it does work only on magical beasts."

"Fair enough." I look back at him, "What exactly does it tell you?"

"Several things. Your class, your mana capacity, your mana control, your elemental affinities and your general physical condition. Strength, agility, endurance and willpower are among the measurements it can provide." I stare at him, "You can determine all of that from a stone?"

"Not quite." He starts walking toward the corridor, and I follow, "You provide the mana. The stone does the rest." That answer only creates more questions, "How?"

"You'll see." I glance toward Liora. She merely smiles. Apparently, I am the only person in the building who finds any of this surprising. We pass through a narrow corridor before entering a smaller chamber toward the rear of the Guild. The room contains very little furniture. A wooden table stands against one wall, while several shelves hold what appear to be old records and equipment. In the center sits a stone pedestal. Something rests upon it. I stop.

The object is roughly the size of a man's head, though its shape is irregular enough that calling it a sphere would be generous. Its surface is pale grey, almost white in places, with faint lines running through the stone like veins. A shallow depression sits near the top, surrounded by several concentric markings that I don't recognize. I walk closer, "That's the appraisal stone?" Darran nods, "It is." I stare at it for several moments, "It looks like a rock."

"That is generally how stones work." I glance at him. He looks entirely serious. I sigh, "Of course." Darran gestures toward the depression, "Place your hand there." I do. The stone feels cool beneath my palm, "And now?"

"Send a little mana into it." I hesitate, "How much?"

"Very little."

"How little?"

"Enough that you can feel yourself doing it, but not enough that you're consciously trying to empty yourself into the stone." That sounds familiar. I close my eyes. The mana within me responds almost immediately, and I guide a small amount toward my hand. The sensation moves through my channels before gathering beneath my palm. I let a fraction of it enter the stone. Nothing happens. Then the markings beneath my hand begin to glow. I open my eyes.

Light travels through the veins running across the stone, spreading outward from where my palm rests. The lines brighten gradually before the entire surface emits a soft glow. Symbols begin appearing across the stone, forming one after another as though written by an invisible hand. I pull my hand away. The light remains. Darran steps closer. I stare at the markings. Some are familiar enough to recognize as letters, while others are symbols, I have never seen before.

The display continues changing until several distinct sections settle into place. Darran reads them silently. Then he looks at me, "Interesting." I immediately become suspicious, "What?" He doesn't answer. Instead, he looks back at the stone. I step closer. The first line is clear enough. Class: Grovekeeper I stare at it. At least that one makes sense. The next lines are less familiar.

Mana Capacity: Iron Mana Control: Iron Health: Iron Strength: Iron Agility: Iron Endurance: Iron Willpower: Silver I read them twice.

"So, I'm an Iron?" Darran shakes his head, "No. Those are individual measurements."

"Then what does Iron mean?"

"Your current ability in that particular category." I nod slowly. That makes more sense. My attention moves lower. Primary Affinity: Earth - High Secondary Affinity: Water - Low I pause, "Those are my affinities?" Darran nods, "Yes." I study the words again. Earth and Water. That much feels familiar, though I have never thought of my magic in such simple terms. Then another line appears beneath them. Special Affinity: Nature I stare at it for longer than the others.

Darran's expression changes slightly, "That's unusual."

"Nature?"

"Not the affinity itself. The combination." He points toward the first two lines, "Your primary Earth affinity and secondary Water affinity have combined to produce a special affinity. That's why your mana responds so naturally to living things." I look at my hand, "So the druidic..."

"Is connected to that affinity," Darran says.

"Though I suspect there is considerably more to your abilities than the stone can display." I look back at the appraisal. One final line remains, Potential: Unclassified I frown, "What does that mean?" Darran studies the stone, "I'm not entirely sure." That answer surprises me, "You don't know?"

"Not everything has an answer." He reaches toward the stone but stops before touching it, "Potential is difficult to measure accurately. The Guild usually records it according to the same metal hierarchy, but your result isn't giving us one."

"Is that bad?"

"No." He looks at me.

"It means the stone can't determine where your current abilities might eventually lead." I stare at the words for several moments. Unclassified, not weak, not strong, simply unknown. For some reason, that feels strangely appropriate. I look toward Darran.

"So, what happens now?" He smiles faintly, "Now we know where you're starting." I glance back at the appraisal stone. The glowing symbols slowly begin fading, leaving the stone exactly as it had been when we entered. For years, I have measured myself by the things I could accomplish, the forests I could tend and the creatures I could protect. Now, for the first time, I have a collection of strange words telling me how the rest of the world might measure me.

I find myself strangely relieved that the stone hasn't given me an answer to the one question that matters most. How strong can I become? Perhaps that is something I will have to discover myself.