Oren

  “Ever since that boy showed up at our front door with Coron things have been crazy around the House.” The Protector of House Ivory thinks to himself as he walks through the halls of the manor, making sure all of his shadow tendrils are still in place. The tendrils allow him to spread his danger sense through the mansion and beyond.

  He thinks about the young man he has taken as his trainee; a lightning-fast learner and a fantastic fighter considering the peaceful nature of his home world. “A starting Affinity score of High as well? Almost unheard of.” Oren thinks to himself, returning from his short patrol to his office, a small closet like space that is hidden by [Dark].

  Oren sits behind his small wooden desk, grown for him by the previous Matriarch of House Ivory. A gift and a sign of respect as he was officially elevated to Protector of the House, he leans back in his chair, small wisps of [Dark] dancing around his body, some grabbing pens and paper, other whispering secrets in his ears.

  “Magic changes when you start reaching for the pinnacle,” Oren remarks to himself smirking slightly at the monster he will make of the new Traveler, a monster that will protect Woodholme and all its inhabitants from the plagues of Undead.

  His wisps of [Dark] begin to write many different things; a training schedule for young Marco, a report of a new House rising in Woodholme, and a letter of summons to distant members of the House for their shift on the wall.

  He leans back in his chair casual while he does this, looking like a dozing elder. If you were to look at Oren closely however, using Mana senses you would be reminded of a spider sitting in its web, weaving threads of influence and death.

  Ben

  Ben sits in his own personal library and small research area, flipping quickly through a book he has read more times than he cares to count. Travelers and Their Quirks is emblazoned on the cover in black blocky letters, a thick book of maybe three hundred pages, it listens known Travelers within the Eldermyst Kingdom and what they accomplished during their time on Omnia.

  He flips through seeing the entries but not reading them this time, looking for one specific entry near the back, added within the last twenty years. He finally finds the person he is looking for and the entry reads:

  Oliver Taylor: Arrived in the Eldermyst year of 701. A young Traveler who appeared on the edge of the Eldermyst lands to the north, bordering the Kingdom of the Svarog Mountains. A few small skirmishes were fought over the young man, eventually the Dwarves of Svarog conceding and allowing Eldermyst to be the Travelers first destination. Approximately twenty-one years of age upon arrival.

  Progressed from an initial Affinity score of 35%, a low medium, to a score of 65% within a decade. Incredible healing magic paired with Traveler knowledge of medicine, biology, and anatomy made Oliver one of the most valuable Healers before his assassination by Cursed Lichdom forces.

  Known Affinities: Water and Light

  Origination World: London, United Kingdom, Earth.

  Ben snaps the book shut with a sigh, placing it onto one of the seemingly precarious stacks of books around his library. He knew Oliver had been killed a couple of years ago, the successful assassination of a Traveler was big news in Eldermyst, especially because Oliver was a resident of the Captial City, Mystholme.

  He summons his Mana, a small orb of light dancing between his fingers, as the light dances, casting strange shadows through the crowded library, Ben thinks of Marco and his incredible talent for Mana usage. When Ben heard about his strange ability of alter the Mana Circulation technique he nearly passed out from curiosity.

  The circulation technique had been in the Ivory family for generations, each learning it as early as they could manage so they would be more used to it when the time came for combat. The technique having been a common technique back in the elven home country of Pando, the Ivory family brought it with them when they left the secluded vales and towering trees of the ancestorial home behind to try and make a difference in the world.

  The family had moved to Eldermyst in the early days of the Kingdom, Ben’s mother Violet being nearly as old as the Kingdom. They settled in Mystholme originally but found the petty politics and scheming to be a waste of time and energy, so when Woodholme was settled nearly two hundred years ago, the Ivory family helped build it from the ground up.

  Ben had always lived in the city of Woodholme, only being thirty years old, however the young elf possesses a mind for research and makes advances in his chosen field of Systemology more often than some of his colleagues many years his senior.

  He smiles as he lets the [Light] dance between his fingers and around his palm, the kind man that he taught about the world around him and coached out of a panic attack was going to change the world, either through combat or food, Ben has high hopes for the former resident of Earth.

  Coron

  Coron panics slightly as Marco is launched away from him during their spar. He completely forgot to disable his passive defensive measure, not expecting the other man to be fast enough to close the distance. He quickly moves to the other man to help him up but Marco regains his feet with little pause.

  “I cannot believe he comes from a peaceful world and has been training for two days.” Coron thinks, “He will be a force of nature if he can continue this pace of growth.”

  They finish their spar, having a hard conversation about growth and stagnation, Coron realizes he has much to think about and promises himself he will not just put the House’s needs in front of his once again.

  Marco finishes giving him the advice that he could and they part ways, Coron aimlessly wandering the halls of the mansion, thinking about the conversation. “I know I have pushed House and City needs before my own for many years, taking menial jobs that must be done in favor of positions that will allow me to growth.” He finds himself in front of the door to his mother’s suites, pausing before knocking lightly, knowing she is already aware of his presence.

  Having The Forestsong for a parent has its benefits but also its drawbacks. Having a legendary fighter as a mother opens many doors but the feeling that they know everything that is happening to you before you are done experiencing it is a hard to shake.

  “Come on in Coron.” Violet’s voice drifts to him, the large wooden door opens itself, soundlessly swinging open to allow Coron entry.

  “Hello Mother, I just had an interesting conversation with Marco and it has me thinking.” Coron says, wringing his hands in front of himself.

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  “The conversation about how you are pushing yourself into menial work that you feel others will not do if do not take it upon yourself?” Violet says, standing up from behind her desk, her silver-streaked hair pulled into a tight braid today, running down the back of her head before resting over her shoulder still falling to mid torso.

  “Yes, that conversation.” Coron says, knowing she would know already. “I just feel that the work I do is valuable, is there truly others that can do it?”

  “Yes Coron, we have a younger generation of trainees that is able to filter air in a similar manner.” Violet says, “They have all been inspected by Oren and any issues they had with their magic has been trained out them.”

  “Ah, I didn’t realize that I had been taking jobs from those younger, stealing valuable work experience from them.” Coron says, beginning to beat himself up again.

  “Stop it.” The tone sharp and loud, instantly causing Coron to freeze and stop spiraling down the hole of self-deprecation. Violet walks toward her first born, embracing the taller elf in a warm hug. “You have put the needs of your House before your personal wants and desires for years Son, it only got worse after the passing of your father.”

  Her stern facade breaks slightly at the mention of her husband and she continues the hug for a moment longer before pulling away.

  “I know, I think I’ve just been trying to bury myself in work so I don’t have to think about that.” Coron says, wiping his eyes slightly. “I didn’t realize that I was stuck in a loop of ignoring the world around me before Marco showed up in the Deadwoods a few days ago.”

  Violet nods, “I also apologize that I didn’t do more to pull you from that state, I threw myself into working on the House so I didn’t have to confront the feelings of loss that came with the passing of Xander.”

  “I feel like I missed all of Benjamin’s growth; it’s like I blinked and he has aged twenty-five years and become a prodigal scholar.” Coron says, sniffling a little.

  “Little Ben has become a force in his own right in the last few years, pushing System research ahead just like Xander did in his younger years.” Violet says, “Enough about your siblings, I want you to take time away from House affairs. After our shift on the wall of course.”

  “Truly? I don’t know what I would do with all the free time.” Coron says, “I haven’t thought about much other than House matters for the last few years.”

  “Young Marco is going to need strong fighters and your current teammates are looking to begin a hiatus.” Violet says, waving her hand causing a branch to grow from her desk supplying Coron with a small bundle of documents. “Join the Traveler’s team, push back the blight of the Lichdoms and do something for yourself.”

  Coron, slightly dumbstruck that he didn’t know his current adventurer team was seeking a break, nods and takes the bundle of papers. “I will, perhaps I can push my Affinity to 61% in the next few years.”

  “It is good to see you broken out of your thoughts. I must get back to work as there is much to do before our shift at the wall. I love you Coron.”

  “I love you too Mother.” Coron says and walks out of the room, a slight smile on his face at the thought of the future.

  Alexandria

  “Marco this, Marco that. It has been all I’ve heard for the past few days.” Alexandria thinks to herself, exasperated. She walks briskly through the halls to the practice room and ballroom where Oren told her that Marco was sparing with her brother.

  She passes by a deep in thought Coron on the way, unsure if he even sees her. Reaching the ballroom where Marco is supposed to be, she is pleased to see the man seated in a lotus position in the center of the room.

  She watches him for a time, completely still other than he shoulders moving with his breath. She opens herself to the Mana around her, feeling the movements around the Traveler. Alexandria is nearly struck dumb at the sheer scale of Mana moving around the young man in the ballroom.

  A veritable tide of Mana ebbs and flows around Marco, flowing with his will and breath. Alexandria begins to sweat at the thought of having to move that much Mana, but doesn’t see any signs of stress on the young man’s face. “He is quite handsome though.” The thought streaks through her head, a small blush splashing across her cheeks.

  “What kind of training has this man done to be able to move that quantity of Mana with such ease.” Not knowing that Marco comes from a Manaless place and that he has had one training session with Oren thus far.

  The Mana in the ballroom shifts, snapping into a near solid state, beginning to weigh on the shoulders of the Heir of Ivory. Goosebumps and cold sweat covers Alexandria immediately, not having felt anything like this before. She has spent countless hours with her Mother and Oren both with higher Affinity scores than young Marco but never had she had to resist a pressure like this.

  Alexandria quickly musters her own Mana and pushes back against the pressure alleviating it just enough for her to make a quick escape.

  The Sisters

  Much later in the day, approaching the time to begin dinner prep, the two sister’s sit in their room and think about the exciting young chef that has wandering into their home.

  Ethil and Doris, sitting in matching chairs and wearing matching outfits, basking lightly in the late afternoon sun. “We should start making our way to the kitchens.” Doris says, seeing her sister already nodding before her statement was over.

  “Yes, I wonder if Marco will help today and show us new food from Earth.” Ethil says, floating up her chair before quickly being joined by her sister. They leisurely hover to the wall of their rooms where a small staircase is inset into the wall. Floating down to their shared kitchen space the dance begins as it always does.

  They both wash up using [Water] before drying their hands with [Air] a frivolous use a magic and Mana but they have Mana to spare. Even though the pair didn’t start growing their magic until a bit later in life than normal, waiting until they were nearly fifty and fifty-one years old before beginning their journey to their High Affinity scores with dual elements.

  It took them two hundred and fifty years to make it from their Low score to their current High, all while cooking delightful dishes and pastries for the family that welcomed them with open arms.

  The pair of sisters that match in almost all ways are called Broken Twins in their ancestorial home of Pando. They look nearly identical and act even more similar, along with their matching affinities. Elven culture three centuries ago thought Broken Twins a bad omen for the future, sending the pair away to Eldermyst where they could not bring negative energy to Pando.

  The House of Ivory, having been in human lands for centuries believed differently than the crotchety bastards in their mile high trees, immediately welcoming the young elf sisters with open arms. From that day forward the pair swore to do the best they could by their adopted family, learning to cook and bake to the best of their abilities to supply a delicious meal to their family members.

  Pushing Mana into all of their equipment; bowls, pots and utensils begin to float, some filling with water to do blanch or boil and other just placed over heat to stay warm until they are needed.

  The sisters make pasta bough, the rich yellow dough full of egg yolks and hearty flour. [Air] blades mix the eggs and flour together before a dome of [Air] allows the dough to rest without drying out. Milk is set to warm on the stove, reaching a temperature just shy of boiling before a small amount of strong vinegar is added and the heat is cut off.

  Small curds form in the milk, breaking into curds and whey, a couple minutes of setting before the curds and whey are separated and the cheese is placed in a strainer to lose just a bit more moisture. The ricotta is mixed with a hard parmesan-like cheese, a couple of egg yolks, salt and pepper forming a smooth speckled mixture.

  The pasta is rolled out into long thin sheets before being cut into four-inch circles. A small amount of filling is placed in the center before egg wash is spread around the rim, the pasta circle is folded in half over the filling and then folded around a finger to form tortellini. The sisters make short work of the pasta making, wondering if Marco would have any ideas for side dishes or anything to add to their food.

  Marco has told them stories of his career thus far, starting in a bakery before moving on to a casual restaurant as a dishwasher and working his way to line cook. He spent a few years as a line cook in various restaurants before discovering his love of fine dining and moving on to traditional French cuisine. The sisters were confused about what a French was before Marco explained that it was a country back on Earth that had a strong history of food and culture.

  Marco explained that fine dining was a type of restaurant experience where food usually comes in courses, sometimes up to thirty. Food is usually small portions with expensive ingredients and sophisticated plating.

  Doris makes a simple tomato sauce, sweating down onions and garlic before adding tomato paste, white wine, and peeled tomatoes. Blending the sauce with blades of [Air] and quickly boiling the tortellini for a few minutes Ethil combines the fresh pasta with the tomato sauce, a splash of pasta water and a couple of pads of butter. The extra fat makes the sauce extra smooth and luscious, placing the finished pasta dish into large bowls and topping it with grated cheese.

  They bring all of the dishes into the dining room and feed their family.