Chapter 8: Chapter 8 – A Name

It was morning, at least I think it was, there wasn't a window on this room, I simply groaned in my bed. Wait, opening my eyes in haste I got up, heading to the door, I was going to open it, but I could see a piece of paper under the door. 'Worry not about more work, it will be a few days before the next harvest, continue with the meditation, when you can visualize and feel yourself as the pond come to my house, NOT BEFORE THAT. Also train mana sense, it's a good skill to use.' That was all written on it, so I went back to the bed after taking the books, I was going to stay in one position for long, so the bed it is, even if somewhat hard, it was better then the floor.

I stayed like that for 2 hours, I read and reread the books sometimes, asking some different questions, Inquiry got to level 9, even with the breaks I used for that it was to boring. "This is boring, I know, let's train with the halberd... But I don't have a dummy to train with."

[It should be possible to use Light Shaper to create targets.]

That, that is a great idea, I immediately went to see what else Light Shaper could do, I had neglected it, "maybe I could make some sort of point system with the use of inquiry, I would just need to..." I started mumbling, the short version would be that I would make circular lights, with three colors, that also move. I would use Inquiry to keep the points.

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I had written down my idea, so I started seeing what I could realistically do with my skill, weaving my Idea as I activated my skill, I could see that I could have a preset path for them, my control was to low to have them move in complex movements, so I went with a circular path, with different speeds, the lights were also made so that they broke went I attacked them.

[Skill Light Shaper has leveled up.]

That easily gained me a level. So I started, I went first with 4 targets, each at different speeds, It took me an embarrassingly amount of time to get all of them, the first one was easy, from the second one it took me to much time, when I asked how many points I got... 5 only 5, the amount of points I got per target was 1, 2, 3 from the outer ring to the center, even the easiest one I only got 2 points, and I went again, I was not tired enough to justify me going back to meditating, I went through 2 more runs, the second one got me 6 points, mostly because I got the center on the first one, th3 third I went back down to 5. After that I was to tired to continue without a break, it was only when I sat that I realized. "I don't sweat, cool." With that amazing revelation I got back to meditating.

From a droplet I easily got to a bucketful, I knew what I had done wrong when I read the note, I had to be the water not feel it, but feel like it. I went like that for at least 2 hours, until i got boring, so I went back to the halberd. Intending to do at least another 3 runs, I went to back to creating the lights, finding that I could easily remember what I needed to visualize, maybe that is what the skill levels did. my ability to wield the halberd steadily increased, from 5 points, I got to 6, 7, 8, but that is where I stopped for the day, it was almost night, so I got back to the windmill, I had not seen Stubs at all, I knew he was there, because at evening the lights where on, shrugging I just went back to sleep, I knew I didn't need to, but I felt like it.

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It went like that for 2 more days, it was somewhat before evening, I had already got to a size I could call a pond, I still didn't got to 12 points on my halberd training, but I was close, I knocked on his door, I didn't know why he didn't want to see me before I got to the size of a pond, so I was just going to ask instead of guessing.

What opened the door confused me. It was a halfling, that was sure, they were small, point ears, but there was the lack of a beard, and an overwhelming amount of chest on this one, as the halfling was also checking me out from toe to head, she turned inside, there I could see Stubs, mid drinking something, frozen, with his eyes shifting between me and her, before I could ask anything, I could feel the temperature drop, not figuratively, because a mist started to form around, then I heard a voice that would've been heavenly if not for the absolute presence behind it. "Honey, who's this?" It was framed as a question, the expression that I could see on Stubs face told me otherwise.

"Just someone I'm helping, he was to weak to live through the journey on the way to the city." He hastily answered, she seemed to also have some lie detection skill, because the temperature got up, but just a few degrees, it did not got back to what it was before, because she turned to me, asking a different question. "And you what do you want here." The phrasing was weird, but I just answered truthfully.

"Well I was born in the middle of nowhere, got to walk east until I got here, I just don't have anywhere else to go." That seemed to be a good answer because she just went back to sit getting a cup of something, I could not recognize the smell, I was debating if I could or not just enter when she just waved me inside.

"I thought they found you, really why didn't you told me about this guy?" She asked to Stubs.

"Well, I was going to, tomorrow, I couldn't before, because ye know." He glanced to the side saying the last part. "I... Okay I can accept that." She blushed as she said that, I was only then, I could smell something, besides the tea they were drinking it was faint. Wait you mean they were-- "And where's my manners, I'm Annabelle, what's your name?" She interrupted my thought process, it felt weirdly forced but a just answered. "Don't have one, it's just blank."

"Ohh, sorry for that, should've guessed, I don't feel like calling you when trying to call you. Do you have a name you prefer?" The question made me pause, it took me some time to think, she even got me a chair which I promptly sat at. "No... I don't think I have" I wanted to name myself, it would make me less antsy about that part of my status.

"How about... jack." She offered, it was a simple name. "Why not?" When I accepted it I got to feel a difference, I knew my status would display my name now, but I didn't look at it. "Stubs... I got to the pond part, what do..." I stopped right there, I could see him gawking, but not at me, at Annabelle. And she was just smiling when looking at him. Maybe the name was not that simple.