Eliza grimaced at this news. She liked working with Alma and didn’t enjoy the idea of having to do quests for a bunch of mages to earn their approval.
“I suggest you take a walk into town and talk to a few of the class trainers. The fresh air would do you good anyway. You’ve been cooped up here for the last few days.”
“Okay,” Eliza said reluctantly and headed for the door.
“One more thing,” Alma called from behind her, stepping forward slowly and leaning on her cane. “Some of the guilds in town get a stipend based on how many travelers they sign up, so they can be somewhat pushy. You don’t have to pick anything you don’t want. Don’t let anyone pressure you into something you don’t want to do.”
Eliza nodded numbly, thinking to herself that Alma may have just described the sum total of her life outside of the game. She spent most of her time catering to her parents’ demands. Perhaps the older woman was right. If this was just a game, maybe she should focus on picking something she would enjoy.
She exited the cottage and made her way toward Falcon’s Hook. Alma’s cottage was on the outskirts of the forest. As Eliza ventured toward the town – following a rough-hewn dirt road – the tree cover began to thin. She was nearly halfway to the main highway into the city when she heard a person speaking loudly around the next bend.
“I’m telling you, she is supposed to come this way,” a young man’s voice echoed through the wood. “This is the only road between here and the town.”
“Ahh, there she is!” the Hippie exclaimed as she rounded the corner. He was sitting on a log beside the trail, Fluffy laying amiably beside him.
“See, I told you she would take this path.” He gestured to Fluffy. “He is always such a pessimist.” This earned him a soft snort, and Eliza could have sworn the sheep rolled its eyes.
“What do you want?” Eliza demanded in an irritated voice. She was still upset at how the Hippie had tossed her into Falcon’s Hook with no warning or explanation.
“I heard you were looking for a class,” he said innocently. “And figured I would offer my advice!”
“How could you know that?” she asked, puzzled.
“It’s a mystery,” he replied, steepling his fingers in what she assumed was some poor attempt to look calculating or mysterious. “Suffice it to say that I have my ways.”
Eliza shook her head. “I haven’t even spoken to the other trainers. I don’t know what class I want to choose yet,” she explained, trying to edge around the crazy young man.
“No need. I have the perfect solution for you. Drum roll please, Fluffy,” he demanded. The sheep proceeded to thump its tail lazily against the ground.
“You should be… wait for it…”
“A water mage!” the Hippie suggested enthusiastically.
Eliza just stared at him for a moment, adjusting her glasses. “That’s exactly what Alma said. But I’ll probably have to convince the mage guild to train me.”
The Hippie seemed a bit deflated by this news. “Huh. Well, then I can do one better. We can teach you!”
“You can teach me?” Eliza echoed, eyeing him skeptically.
“We,” he clarified, gesturing at his pet sheep.
“Okay…” Eliza said slowly, trying to figure out how to extricate herself from this conversation so she could head into town.
“Great. Then it’s decided,” the young man clapped his hands together and then his fingers began to wiggle through an odd serious of gestures.
“What’re you doing?” Eliza asked as she watched him.
Her question was answered a moment later as droplets of water rose from the plants around her. The water swirled and danced in the air, forming multiple liquid globes that orbited the Hippie slowly. Once nearly a dozen of the spheres had collected around him, the young man glanced at Eliza, and a grin curled his lips.
He gestured in her direction, and the orbs raced toward her. Eliza ducked the first globe, but the next two splashed against her chest. Instead of merely soaking her clothes, the water formed a thick coating on her woolen shirt and began to expand unnaturally. Distracted by the strange liquid, Eliza lost focus, and another orb slammed into her shoulder while a third hit her in the back of the head.
“What is this?” Eliza asked, panic creeping into her voice as the water began to coat most of her upper body and crawl up her neck.
“Think of this as a crash course. We don’t have time to tackle the long version,” the Hippie said glibly, sitting back down on his log and watching her with a curious expression. Fluffy also spared a glance in her direction before going back to sleep.
“It’s easier if you just try and accept it,” the young man advised her as the water crept across her face, and tendrils began to cover her nose.
As the water fully enveloped her face, Eliza tried to hold her breath – her eyes wide as she clawed at the liquid. This is just a game, she kept reminding herself. She didn’t really need to breathe. And yet, the burning sensation in her lungs didn’t seem to know that.
“Don’t try to fight it,” the Hippie said. “You’re just making this take longer.”
Eliza had some choice words for him in response, but she didn’t have the breath to speak. Finally, she couldn’t help but try to breathe, and she reflexively opened her mouth. The water immediately flooded her lungs and nose. She gasped and choked as the world began to grow black and stars drifted at the edge of her vision. A tickle burned at the back of her head, building swiftly in intensity. The sensation flooded her mind, and she collapsed to her knees choking and her hands clutching at her head.
Then, mercifully, darkness claimed her.
Eliza woke some time later, her eyes blurry and unfocused. “What happened?” she croaked, trying to sit up.
“You passed out,” the Hippie said in a bored voice. “You literally held your breath until you passed out. I told you not to fight it.”
The memory came back quickly, and Eliza glared at him. “You tried to drown me!”
“That wasn’t ordinary water. It was just a tool to teach you Veridian. You would have been fine if you had just tried to breathe normally.”
Eliza stared at him for a moment as she adjusted her glasses. “You… you could have said that.”
“I believe I did,” he said with a confused look on his face, before turning to the sheep. “Didn’t I, Fluffy?”
Then he shrugged, his multi-colored shirt flapping gently. “Oh well. In any event, you are now a full-fledged water mage! I also taught you the language of mages.”
He waited a few seconds with an expectant look on his face. “No rush. You can thank me when you’re ready. Any time now…”
Instead, Eliza muttered curse words under her breath, purposefully ignoring the irritating young man. As she managed to regain her feet, a barrage of notifications appeared before her.
Class Change: Water Mage
You have been given a class by the Great Black Sheep. You really should be honored. In fact, it would behoove you to thank your benefactor. He has been known to accept thanks in the form of head rubs…
+20 Willpower
+15 Intelligence
Increased Water Magic Affinity (Currently 21%)
System Notice: Affinity System Unlocked
Please see your Character Status for more information.
New Passive Skill: Mana Mastery
Your body contains natural mana, and you have a high affinity for magic. However, both of these are useless without the requisite tools to channel and cast your mana. You have learned the language of the original mages, Veridian. You may now manipulate your mana.
Skill Level: Beginner Level 1
Effect: -1% to the mana cost of spells.
“See? Wasn’t that easier than having to do a bunch of silly tasks for those mages?” the Hippie asked. “Plus, we saved you a trip into town!”
Eliza didn’t bother to respond. Instead, she turned and started walking back to Alma’s house. If she had it her way
, she might never leave the garden again – which was probably a good thing. She didn’t consider herself a violent person, but she wasn’t certain she would be able to resist the urge to strangle the Hippie if she saw him again.
As she walked away, she heard the young man call out from behind her, “Hey, wait! You forgot Fluffy’s head rub!”
Eliza didn’t turn around.
The End (for now…)
Awaken Online (Book 3): Evolution Page 66
