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Book 3: Chapter 16: Magic Affinities and Fear

Lone shrugged in response to his sister\'s question. "Not really sure. Once a month or so? I\'m invested in all of your growth, so much more often than once every half year at least. Speaking of half a year though, How\'re you guys doin\' skill-wise? I see Scott is an H-ranker now. Congrats, big man."

Scott wore a prideful smile. "Got in a bar fight and ended up an H-ranker after the dust settled."

"More like started a bar fight," Emma added.

Lone watched Hazel wipe her wet eyes before saying, "It cost us a lot to pay for the chair your broke, but you got stronger so I think it evened out. As for me, I put a lot of personal money into tutoring at the guild. My Tower Shield Mastery is at beginner-level-six and I got someone to teach me Longsword Mastery. It\'s at beginner-level-two. I\'m getting better at turning my unique skill off for sustained periods too."

"Ohh I don\'t have Longsword Mastery yet. Gonna need you to stab me at some point," Lone said casually, immediately regretting it when he saw all of the teens bar Scott recoil a bit. "Remember, I\'m super hard to kill and I learn skills by having them used on me."

"Right," George muttered.

Emma returned to normal, accepting Lone\'s words immediately. Her reaction was likely subconscious so it didn\'t trouble her to pivot and ask, "You can use magic again, right? Show me your lightning magic, please! You didn\'t use any against Prince Keining."

"My magic is too weak for it to have made a difference in that fight, but sure. A skill or freeform magic?" Lone replied, happy to see the mood shift back into a positive one. \'Got it. No gross stuff around the kids. It\'s hard to recall that it isn\'t normal to want to be cut open and attacked willy-nilly. Soph, Sophie, and Breena, have desensitised me since Breena never questions it and Soph and Sophie only object to life-threatening situations.\'

A previously unseen light of life entered Emma\'s eyes as she bounced out of her seat. "Both! Show me all of your lightning magic skills, please! I also wanna see your control of freeform lightning magic!"

Lone chuckled. He appreciated the enthusiasm, even if it was a bit weird that it was coming from a girl whose father had been crippled by Void and later killed by Sloth as recompense for Milindo\'s actions against him.

He reached into his Dimensional Storage and pulled out an entirely copper training dummy. The lightning magic might vaporise some of the metal but such a training dummy was common and cheap enough in the Farwinds.

Making dummies suited for all of his different magical talents was an interesting idea Lone considered pursuing in the future.

\'I would just hit myself but I doubt the kids\'ll like that very much, so sorry, Coppy. I\'ll fix you up with Creation Magic after I\'m done wowing Emma,\' Lone apologised mentally to the lifeless training dummy.

"You have Lightning Bolt, right, Emma?" he asked the teenager.

She nodded vigorously. "Mmmhmm! It\'s my only magic skill right now! It\'s at beginner-level-seven and I try to train it for a few hours every day at least!"

"What\'s your lightning magic affinity at?" he replied.

"76%. I was born with an affinity of 73%," Emma answered.

\'A three percent increase in 16 or 17 years? I have no clue if that\'s good or bad. When we reach the Crimson Foxkin Clan, I\'m gonna get both Breena and Soph to tell me their exact magical affinities and percentages. Gotta work on diversifying their skill sets, especially Soph,\' Lone thought before nodding.

he stretched out a hand, pointing his palm towards the copper dummy affectionately nicknamed Coppy. "This is a Lightning Bolt at intermediate-level-six with 100% affinity. Lightning Bolt."

Energy crackled around Lone\'s palm before a blue collection of magical lightning slammed into Coppy. The dummy\'s chest caved in a little but it was otherwise unharmed.

He brought his hand up to his mouth and blew away the smoke his skill had generated. "Not that strong but probably enough to fry the nerves of most... uh... E-rankers and below? I haven\'t done as much testing with my magic as I would like given it was sealed for over a year. It\'s a very concentrated skill. Good for immobilising specific limbs and making short work of people heavily armoured and lacking the proper resistance."

\'There\'s a thought. Soph is weak to lightning magic since she\'s always in armour. I\'m sure some magical metal out there can dampen such attacks, and there\'s always enchantments, but I have lightning magic and skills that can heal, so even if barbaric, a solution is readily available. I should convince Soph or Sophie to let me forcefully give \'em Lightning Magic Resistance,\' Lone pondered.

He shook his head and pressed his palm against Coppy again. "Amplified Current."

For five prolonged seconds, arcs of blue lightning swam around the metal dummy as if it were the natural habitat of such an energy.

"That was a skill I earned when the former crown prince of Milindo and I fought in the tournament way back when. It\'s only at beginner-level-four but I immobilised Princessling Yulia with it. It sends a current of lightning magic through the target and persists for five seconds so long as the target is a conductive material like most metals or blood," Lone explained.

He then put his palms together as if to clap. "And this is my freeform lightning magic."

Lone pulled his hands away but a string of crackling blue lightning connected them in an arch. The freeform magic was thick and coursing with power as if ready to strike out at anyone who would dare interrupt its master\'s casual handling of it.

"What the...!" Emma was starstruck and left in awe. "It\'s like, 50 times thicker and more vibrant than mine! 100% affinity makes that much of a difference?"

Lone put his palms together again and dismissed his focus, allowing the freeform lightning magic to dissipate. "I wouldn\'t know. Don\'t know enough about affinities, personally. Speaking of, do any of you have magical affinities? If so, what ones? I might have some magic of the same type I could try to teach you when I drop by for visits. I assume you\'re up for being taught Amplified Current, Emma?"

"You bet I am!" Emma replied, bouncing in place excitedly.

"26% affinity for earth magic and 81% for body fortification magic," Scott said proudly and with some anticipation. "Ah, but, uh, only my mana heart is awakened."

Lone stroked his chin. "I have two earth magic skills, Boulder, and Earth Spear. Nothing on the body fortification magic front, sadly. That is a magic I want though. Learned about it yesterday from Yulia."

Alisa stuck her tongue out at Scott and said, "You need a brain in the first place to awaken one. I have a 92% affinity for space magic but nothing else. Both of my mana organs are awakened."

"Ohh that\'s a powerful magic school. Yulia told me a little about it yesterday. I don\'t have it myself yet or any skills from it but please let me know if you, say, happen to learn a skill from a tutor at the guild or something," Lone replied.

Alisa nodded. "I, uh, did also get Quarterstaff Mastery and I\'m happy to give that to you later," the short girl with long blonde hair replied.

"That\'s awesome. Looking forward to that. And you, George?" Lone asked.

The lanky and awkward former noble\'s son smiled wryly. "I don\'t have any magic affinities."

"Shame but it isn\'t the end of the world. Magic is but one avenue to power among many. What about you, Hazel? Considering your unique skill, I\'d bet you have at least one affinity," Lone said.

"Contract magic at 12% affinity and mind magic at 38% affinity," Hazel replied a bit hesitantly. "I don\'t have either magical organ awakened, but, uh, I don\'t mind. Those magics sound evil, don\'t they? Contract and mind magic."

"No such thing as an evil magic type. The person using it and how they use it determine if it\'s evil or not. I\'ve seen both good and bad applications of contract magic. Lot of money to be had in that field if you decide fighting ain\'t for you. Don\'t know diddly-squat about mind magic, sadly. Sounds powerful though. Any questions for me? I\'m here all morning if you kids\'ll have me. I don\'t plan to leave until noon for the guild and then I\'ll be on my way to the Crimson Foxkin Clan come late afternoon," Lone said.

The host has developed the passive skill: Longsword Mastery.

Passive Skill: Longsword Mastery

A child skill of the skill [Sword Mastery] commonly used by mercenaries and soldiers alike. It is commonly held with both hands but can rarely be seen wielded with one by the truly skilled.

Any longsword used by the host shall be 5% less likely to dull.

Cost:N/A Mastery:Beginner Level 1

The host has developed the passive skill: Quarterstaff Mastery.

Passive Skill: Quarterstaff Mastery

A child skill of the skill [Staff Mastery] commonly used by monks as an aid to their mediation rituals.

When holding a quarterstaff, the host\'s balance shall be improved by 5%.

Cost:

\'Huh. More weapon masteries that don\'t boost damage in some way like Hatchet Mastery,\' Lone thought as he walked down the streets of Golden Pass City towards the nearest branch of The Adventurer\'s Guild.

Soph was already there with Breena and they had been waiting for him ever since she had teleported him to the teens\' home.

Today was gonna be a nice, slow, relaxing day. Lone was intent on reporting his 18 new skills, 51 level-ups for already registered skills, and the few skill rank-ups he\'s obtained for already registered skills to the credit slate. Perhaps he\'d look up the information of a skill or two before they left for the long ride west to the Crimson Foxkin Clan.

Lone wanted to enjoy the journey and take his time with it even if teleporting with Soph wouldn\'t take more than a day or two. He had so much he wanted to test and play around with and the trip to the clan would be a good setting for a lot of that.

"Do I have your permission, Esteemed Father?" a man who looked to be in his late 20s with shoulder-length wavy blonde hair asked Prince Keining.

"You do, Domonic, but take your little sister Emelia with you. Do not let any harm come to her as it is her first expedition, but seeing an X-ranker like yourself in action might help her choose her path," the prince answered.

Princeling Domonic bowed his head deeply. "As you will it, Esteemed Father."

As soon as he had left the prince\'s training hall, a spindly woman taller than even the prince himself appeared out of nowhere. She was covered head to toe in tight black clothing designed to hide her. It clearly worked since Prince Keining had enchanted the gear himself and even he struggled to locate this daughter of his if she did not want to be found.

"Father, I have news on your new friend and his companions," she said.

Prince Keining ran his fingers across his chest where the scratch that refused to heal still remained. "Friend... Not the word I would use. Speak, Seres."

"After breakfast, Sofia Vladimirovich held onto Lone Immortus\'s arm and the two disappeared before only she reappeared less than a moment later," Seres claimed.

The Prince nodded. "I sensed it. It was the same disturbance of MP that the city felt half a year ago. A powerful skill, likely unique, that allows unanchored teleportation then, possessed by her and not him. Does your report involve the children we have been monitoring since the incident six months ago?"

"It does, Father. He was teleported right into their rented abode. I was intent on listening in on whatever conversations they might have to learn of their connection, but..." Seres was clearly hesitating.

"Speak, Daughter," the prince ordered.

She lowered her head and continued, "As Sofie Vladimirovich and Breena Redtail left the palace and walked to a branch of The Adventurer\'s Guild, every few moments Sofia would stop and look right at me, even halfway across the city, she would stare at me as if looking for something. Expecting me to do something... I... I don\'t know how she could see me and know exactly what I was doing. I didn\'t want to risk earning her ire, and by proxy, the ire of the C-ranker turned B-ranker who injured you, Father. I chose to do nothing. Lone Immortus just left the home of those children and is on his way to his companions. They did not discuss a meeting location this morning or last evening so they can communicate wordlessly and from a distance somehow, is my guess."

Prince Keining furrowed his brow. He believed his daughter, of course. Ceres was a higher X-ranker and his first female child. She was close to 5,000 years of age and had no reason to lie to him.

He focused his mind and poured his entire being into his passive skill, MP Sensor. It took little time at all to find the magnificent and all-encompassing sun that was Sofia Vladimirovich\'s MP.

Just as he turned to face the unbelievable mass of MP, it too, turned to face him. He immediately broke his focus. "Interesting. Keep the iron plated group Wayward Kin under surveillance but increase the grade from four to five. Do not interfere with their day-to-day lives at all and should you suspect you or your agents are compromised, back off and let me know."

"Of course, Father. I\'ll make arrangements immediatel-"

"No. Wait until my \'friend\' and his companions have left the city," Prince Keining ordered.

"As you say," Ceres replied. "Father... Do you fear them?"

"Two bonded individuals with multiple unique skills each? One strong enough to leave an unhealing scratch on me and the other with the ability to instantly murder an X-ranker? Yes, yes I do. I am still debating on how I should respond to this fear," the prince answered honestly.

His urges told him to kill the two right now. They could threaten everything he had spent millennia building. His logical side, however, knew that he had barely seen the tip of the iceberg in relation to the two oddities\' power. He hadn\'t lived as long as he had by following his urges.

That worked for some but not for him, a child of the Empress of Taslo. He frowned deeply for there was little else he could do right now that he wasn\'t sure he wouldn\'t end up regretting with time.

"Angered an Arch Devil and lived to tell the tale... Hypothetically terrifying," he muttered.