Chapter 123: Age is just a number

Chapter 123: Age is just a number

“Always tell only the truth, and all the truth, and do so promptly – right now.”

A Buckminster Fuller

I returned to the world, able to hear and see more than the blue screen reality had hidden behind. There was a new line to my status.

Level: 12

Title: Lord

Name: Callen Kai Silversea

Métier: Apprentice Singer

Age: 5 years Experience: 0

Health: 1000/1000 Stamina: 1000/1000 Mana: 1000/1000 Psi: 1000/1000

Trait: Long-Lived, Fast Learner, Super Senses, Source of Mana, Quick Witted, Celerity, Durability, Supreme Strength, Charming, Lucky

Vitality: 100

Endurance: 100 This chapter was first shared on the Ñøv€lß1n platform.

Strength: 100

Dexterity: 100

Senses: 100

Mind: 100

Clarity: 100

Magic: 100

Charisma: 100

Luck: 100

Free Points: 171

There was also a certain tension in the room. I had taken significantly longer than everyone else in choosing their professions. There was also a knocking at the door to the sanctum of the Lodestar that Grandfather was casually holding shut. Despite the clear efforts of someone trying to enter they were unable to do so.

“Is he finally finished?” he asked gruffly.

“I’m finished,” I answered myself. No one seemed to be staring at me in astonishment more curiosity and possibly exasperation, so I assumed that there were no physical changes despite the changes within, just the fact that I took longer than the rest of them to make my choice.

“Aliyah, try to reign in your temper. Better yet Kaius hold onto my daughter. Aleera hold onto Kai just to be sure and Kai make sure you hold your tongue. Let Lady Acacia do the talking and hopefully, we can get out of here without ruffling any more feathers.” He said before he flickered, swiftly stepping away from the door and letting slam open. While he stood nonchalantly a few steps further than would have been possible for him to hold the door closed.

A white-haired old man stood in the doorway surprised at its sudden opening. One hand must have been pushing against the door because he stumbled forward into the room as it swung open and the other hand looked like it had been the one that had been rapidly growing closer to thumping on it rather than knocking.

“Lady Acacia, what do you mean by this?” he demanded once he had managed to stop himself from falling flat on his face and stood up straight to face us. He was flushed from exertion, either pushing to get into the inner sanctum or running back to the church it was impossible to tell.

“It was time for Lady Aleera to choose her first métier so we visited the Lodestar as a family. Is there a problem?” she asked as she emphasised Aleera’s status while seeming concerned that something else might be the problem.

“It is customary for me to oversee the selection.” He stated simply as he struggled to calm his breathing.

“Customs are only customs, not laws. Most nobility in the capital have their own chapels and so select in the privacy of their family chapel. We are of course planning to build a Lodestar Chapel but at the moment are only on the first step of the process.” She explained the reasoning behind our presence.

“I am aware. I have just had a meeting with Smit about such plans.” He replied. “I would have been happy to help Aleera make the best choice for the future. It is a shame that she did so uninformed of her full options.”

“I hope you are not implying, Aravan, that I am incapable of guiding a child in her options, young man.” She raised he chin further to look down upon him her posture already perfectly straight and tall.

“Young . . .” He sputtered. “I have been guiding children and adults’ choices for the last five decades.” He declared. “How dare you suggest a level of incompetence through inexperience.” He continued angrily defensive.

“Young Aravan,” she emphasized his youth once more. “I neither imply incompetence nor ignorance. That you have read such into my statements is all your own interpretation of my words.” She paused to push her hair back behind her ear highlighting the points to them before continuing, “What I am stating is that I have been advising children and adults for the last 10 decades on their choices, including the current Prince of Ponente and am fully capable of enlightening my students of their choices as well as affording them the privacy to do so privately.” She added pointedly.

Aravan’s eyes flicked to her ears as the realization of Lady Acacia’s race made itself known. Lady Acacia did not advertise her race keeping her hair falling over her ears but she was neither ashamed nor afraid to use it to browbeat Aravan into compliance. “Naturally, I was merely worried that Aleera would not be able to make the best choice for her future.” His conciliatory tone was as grating as his initial pretentious insinuation that he should have been present for the selection.

“Of course. Now if you have no further objections, we will be departing to discuss Aleera’s progress on the path she has chosen.” She stepped forward without waiting for a response. So that whether he was going to reply with a positive or negative response he would still have to step out of the way to let her proceed or he would find himself physically barring her path, which he was clearly not ready to do. Our family silently filed out behind her focused on getting home to discuss our discoveries. Although Grandfather had a huge grin on his face as he passed the old priest. He was on the side of his daughter or there was some other history between the two or just with the church in general. Our family had never been particularly religious. Judging by the frown on priest Arawn’s face as we left with him none the wiser about my recalibration or my sister’s métier something else was at play here.

. . .

We waited to talk until we had finally returned home. As a family, we were perfectly aware, of how stats and skills, could allow you to listen in to many a whispered conversation in town whether the participants wished it or not.

“So, were you able to choose a métier?” Aleera asked me the question I was sure they were all wanting the answer to.

“Yes, but there were a few complications.” I gave a forced half smile. I was smiling due to the positive outcomes while at the same time grimacing about the complications. Also, I was wondering how much to divulge.

“It would appear to be a race that starts age with their stats at 100 — with a full set of traits, a perfect cascade of 10. That has to be at least 10 times better than the human race! Bow before your all-powerful brother.” I hammed it up in an attempt to make like of the situation and twirled for my sister’s benefit. A sister, who was having none of it and promptly rubbed her knuckles on my head to remind me of my place. The movement seemed to wake my parents from their shock. Reinstall Lady Acacia's laser-like focus and allow my Grandfather to continue drinking his alcoholic beverage.

“An Arithmos? Not an Elf or half-elf?” Lady Acacia almost sounded disappointed by the lack of a common race between us. Even though based on the numbers alone this ‘new’ race was objectively and subjectively superior.

“What is an Arithmos?” Mother asked the question Aleera had already asked once more.

“My new race at 5 years old at least seems to be 10 times stronger than a human race while retaining the key trait for each compass kingdom race,” I repeated as I shrugged my shoulders in response and we all turned to look at Lady Acacia to see if she had any words of wisdom on nuggets of knowledge to enlighten us with. But . . . she didn’t.

“I don’t know.” She replied stunned either by my new status or her lack of knowledge.

. . .

We sat in silence for a moment digesting the new information. But I had already had time to ponder my new predicament and I was not quite yet over revealing every change the system had enforced upon me and I was about to do so when someone else realized something didn’t add up.

“But you had over 1000 points spread out between your stats did the system steal the other 200?” Aleera asked afraid of what the system could do. “What happened to the rest of your stats?”

“It didn’t delete them,” I answered her immediate fear before extrapolating. “It seems that if you earn them you get to keep them. I just need to wait another 5 years to do so. Which is shorter than I was expecting to wait this morning so . . .” I was doing a lot of shrugging this morning.

“With a perfect cascade of traits and a pure harmony of stats you could assign them wherever you wished when you turn ten.” Lady Acacia seemed either humbled or lost in the revelations of this morning.

“This did not all happen for free though the last act system did as part of the recalibration process was to take over 800000 points of experience,” I whined. Everyone around the table winced at that imagining how long it had taken me to accrue all of that.

“That’s a lot to take in.” Lady Acacia continued to lead the conversation while my family mainly sat in contemplation of the changes I was revealing.

“Believe me, it was a lot for me to take in too! That is why it took me so much longer than you lot to exit. It wasn’t that I was taking a long time to make my choice of métier. I was unable to choose until the Lodestar deemed my status recalibrated enough to be able to make sense of it. The final choice the system gave me was to choose my metier.”

. . .

“So what did you choose?” Aleera realized that despite all the information I had given everyone I had yet to tell them what I had chosen.

“Tell me yours and I will tell you mine.” I sang to her unabashed at the immaturity of the moment.

“Merchant! Now stop stalling.” She demanded.

“What about Mother and Father? I’ve been answering all your questions all morning.” I refused to give up the last little bit of leverage I had without finally gaining a little more knowledge about the rest of my family.

“Spellsong Seamstress.” Mother answered proudly.

“How do you have two words to your metier?” Aleera asked “I only have the one.”

Ever the teacher Lady Acacia answered, “Apprentice Metier are generally a single word describing the profession. As your skills expand and your experience broadens you can take on a journeyman metier which often although not always can consist of two words broadening and deepening your profession.”

“Father?” I asked.

“Seafarer Sailor,” Father added equally happy with his improvement.

“Weren’t you already a Sailor?” I asked.

“Yes but this is my third metier. I was a fisherman first, then a sailor. Now thanks to working on the open water more often I can claim the Seafarer Sailor metier.” He described his progression.

“Grandfather?” I asked intrigued to see if he would answer.

We all waited to see if he would answer. We watched as he finished his drink. Then waited a little longer.

. . .

“I choose Honor Bound Guardian.” He quietly answered with the most personal information he had ever given us.

“A fine choice.” Lady Acacia commented equally quietly and I felt as if there was a layer to the conversation being carried out I was aware of but could not understand.

Aleera oblivious asked, “Is that a Master metier?”

“Yes, but not my first.” He answered ambiguously without adding more even Aleera took the hint and did not dig any further.

“So . . . Kai. What metier did you take?” she returned to questioning me.

“Well . . .

. . . I took . . .

the metier . . . Singer!” I drew it out extending Aleera’s frustration at not knowing and enjoying every second of it.

“Superb.” Lady Acacia sighed in relief at me finally listening to her lessons and advice. “We are ready for the next stage in your education. It is time for you to sing for your supper.”

Aleera laughed at my predicament until Lady Acacia turned to face the young lady merchant. “And you my dear will have to pay for it.”