Fall of Autumn, Week 4, Day 8

I slipped out of my room with [Silent as a Shadow], dulling the world around me. Noir was tucked in my bag with some of last night's cookies and over half a dozen booklets. I'd quickly done my hair up in two simple braids and changed from my nightdress into loose slacks and a flowing shirt. Around my shoulders was the jacket I'd made on my journey to Fellan.

Despite my Skill running, I was still mindful of the dull thud of the soles of my boots as I snuck through the manor.

Don't break the illusion. Keep yourself contained—like in Twilight. Control every movement, embody the stillness of shadow.

>Use the outside of your foot, rolling forward rather than fully stepping. It'll help.<

I nodded lightly at Eunora's voice, choosing not to acknowledge the uncharacteristically helpful words.

Last night, after Juniper had returned, I'd had her sit and have some tea with me. It wasn't much, but it was what I could do to help relieve her fatigue. We didn't quite have a conversation, not a meaningful one, anyway. But we made small talk, about Fellan and the manor. About life in the borderlands. It was a simple thing, filled with honorifics and soft lies meant to make Juniper's words more palatable to my ears. I hated it, but it was progress.

I made my way down a set of side stairs that took me to the first floor and wandered, not quite aimlessly, around. I was looking for somewhere to settle for the morning. A place where I could sequester myself away. I passed a music room decorated with half a dozen violins of differing shades of wood. There was a room facing the dormant plants of the garden that contained an easel and what looked like pots of paints. I found a room with ten desks and a chalkboard. There were a half dozen differently themed sitting rooms. Before I turned down the hallway to Gristle's office, I abruptly turned around and headed in the opposite direction. I found two smaller dining rooms, both more intimate than the grandiose one I usually ate in. Not to mention the additional entrances to the kitchen and several stairwells leading down past the first floor that I had decided to explore some other time.

As I walked, I tried to organize my thoughts and clarify what I wanted to accomplish for the day. I wanted to finish getting through the first pass of all the monster manuals and refresh myself at what level of Arithmetic I should be at—because, at least in that, I was overly prepared. Especially with [Quick Calculation]. Then, I wanted to make it through at least some of the remedial books for Economics, Etiquette, and History. Economics, in theory, would also be easily understandable. The only problem was my lack of context for business in Maeve. And the next chapter of Shadow: Your First Spellbook. Not to mention the booklets for the Mage's Tower. And studying more on Mana Pearls. And Twilight. And the [System].

I grimaced to myself. That was too much for a single day. Some of it could wait, of course. Like Mana Pearls and Twilight. And other things I would learn over time and through conversation, like the [System]. But most of the work was just that. Work. There was no getting around it. I'd have to sit, and focus, and make my way through it as best I could.

That took time, mental energy, and willpower.

Once upon a time, I had gone through higher education. I'd sat and studied and achieved. It had paid off.

This was similar. I told myself I would take everything I could from the Dawns. Their education, their wealth, their opportunities. And when I took all I could, when I was old enough and strong enough and had the means, I would leave them behind.

So, I thought to myself, focusing in on the present, what is the payoff to this?

The answer was both simple and obvious.

Power.

I wound up in one of the sitting rooms towards the back of the manor, decorated both with the colors of lilacs and the iconography of the flower. The soft purple features were accented in silver, some pressed into the wallpaper to outline the shape of flowers, some true metal decorating the edges of shelves or the fireplace, and some were silver figurines. Then came the delicate glass decor, mimicking the flowers outlined on the wallpaper but made three-dimensional. Some refracted rainbows with the morning light, and some sparkled from within. The entryway was made up of two pocket doors pulled open and hidden from view so I could see the hallway from where I sat —surrounded by the unpacked booklets and a still Noir positioned into the corner crevice of the couch.

Pulling out the wrapped package of cookies from my bag, I gently undid the knot on the napkin that I had hastily tied before setting off earlier in the morning. Taking one of the jam-filled cookies, I began sifting through the next monster manual.

Fellan Swordsmanship Academy

Monster Manual

Volume 72

[Winter Minister]

[Deadwood Crow]

[Felled Jubi]

[Beavnero]

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[Luster Bear]

[Winter Minister]

Overview:

[Winter Ministers] are true mana constructs born of the path of the World. First-generation [Winter Ministers] manifest in areas of concentrated cold mana. If allowed to mate, second-generation [Winter Ministers] become flesh and blood, integrated into the local ecosystem. These constructs are classified as lower fae due to their similarities to [Winter Sprites], [Will O'Wisps], and [Pixies].

Depicted above is a scaled-up reference of a [Winter Minister]. Please note the four upper appendages, ending in prehensile limbs ranging in count from three to seven claws, and the two lower appendages that end in hoof-shapes. In addition, [Winter Ministers] also have wings that flutter at a speed higher than most [Uncommon] Classes are capable of processing before Tier 2, and they can range in count from two to twelve wings. The older and more mature of the [Winter Ministers] have more wings. Skin tone is typically bone white. And, should you find yourself close enough, the construct's eyes are known to glow a vibrant blue.

Basic Combat Tactics:

The most straightforward tactic for handling [Winter Ministers] is to utilize heat in your attack. Having a torch rather than a magelight is handy in this scenario, or, if one is well-versed in magical theory, utilizing one of the lower-powered Fire Runes is sufficient. Due to the speed with which [Winter Ministers] can fly, it is recommended to make the largest mass of fire possible and begin dispersing the surrounding cold mana.

NOTE: This is a natural process once heat and fire are introduced into the ecosystem; do NOT attempt to convert the mana manually.

Once the area is sufficiently warm, the flight speed of the [Winter Minister] is slowed by an extreme margin. At this point, target the main body of the [Witner Minister] with the heat source.

If you do not have the above preparations made, focus on area-of-effect Skills. Without sufficient Perception (estimated requirement of 50), identifying the flight pattern of a [Winter Minister] is reliant on luck. Thus, attacking the widest area possible with your Skills will give you the highest chance of success.

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I worked my way through the booklet, taking in whatever I could before moving on to the next. Each section contained the origin of the monster, an image, a description of its physical properties, documented abilities, combat tactics, and potential uses of any second-generation monsters for harvesting. It wasn't incredibly detailed, with each monster only taking up about five pages, but it was more than I had known before.

It was interesting, learning how the initial manifestation of a monster doesn't have the same biological requirements of a second-generation beast. For instance, first-generation [Winter Ministers] subsisted off mana of any kind, but second-generation [Winter Ministers] require cold mana as well as traditional fae food. The booklet goes through ways to identify stockpiles of fae food that a [Winter Minister] may have collected, such as piles of seeds embedded in a crack in a tree or an area of the forest that is noticeably without fresh snowdrops on the leaves of plants. Some higher tier [Winter Ministers] are even capable of creating rudimentary preservation tombs in hollowed-out trees that can store solidified motes of cold mana.

While it is rare for a [Winter Minister] to survive through the harsh Summer firestorms, it is not impossible if their stockpile goes unmolested through spring and the creature has the Skills to insulate their tree.

Not so coincidentally, I was sure, the [Deadwood Crows] hunt [Winter Minsiters] in late Autumn when they typically begin to manifest. First-generation [Deadwood Crows] form in areas where mundane [Crows] nest and emerge from any un-fertilized eggs left in a barren tree. Thus, come the end of Winter, [Winter Ministers] are in competition with [Deadwood Crows] for homes.

I learned [Felled Jubi] are often found in areas where winter flowers bloom immediately after a harvest —which causes them to show up more often near civilization or grottos where animals eat, and [Beavnero] is a general name for a rodent beast that has different suffixes based on which element it is found nearby. [Beavignis], [Beavglacia], [Beavlus], etc. are some of the other titles, whereas a [Beavnero] is often found in cave systems with an elemental affinity for Darkness.

I studied that entry more than the rest to glean some insight into additional ways to utilize my own Skills. [Beavnero]'s most common Skills relate to sensing other beings in the dark rather than offensive Skills. Higher tier [Beavnero]'s do possess offensive elemental Skills. Still, they're often used as augmentations rather than on their own, such as extending and sharpening their fangs with solidified shadows or darkening the tips of their claws to make it more difficult to see their range in the dark.

[Luster Bears] are susceptible to any Darkness-attributed attacks due to their Light affinity and reliance on their power of illusion. [Luster Bears] do not manifest as any lower than Tier 2, thus their base Skills are more intricate. However, despite manifesting most often in Autumn, once the first snows appear late in the season and throughout Winter, the reflection of light off the blankets of snow helps the [Luster Bear] grow in power and finesse as they absorb the excess light.

Flipping the booklet closed, I leaned back into the couch and let my eyes drift out the window.

These booklets were issued in the final month of the season. The monsters in this booklet all had one thing in common. They don't manifest until Peak at the earliest. More commonly, they are found in Break and Fall, just before Winter begins in full force. These booklets build on the environment.

I mindlessly took a bite of a cookie, wrinkling my nose at the taste of sugar on my tongue.

Ugh, I thought, I'm still not used to everything being so sweet. I feel like my teeth are going to rot right out of my head if I'm not careful.

>That's a little dramatic. Besides, these cookies taste perfect.<

I blinked.

"Since when can you taste my food?"

>... They certainly look perfect.<

I snorted.

"You can't. You can't taste them."

>Not yet.<

I tensed briefly before sinking back into the couch.

"No, not yet. Soon enough, your control will increase. Whatever that means, we'll figure it out." Resignation filled my voice, but it wasn't desolation.

Eunora was no longer screaming at me over every choice, no longer insulting my very existence. It was an act of compromise on both our parts. And while we weren't perfect partners, we were taking strides every day. I was listening, not quite allowing her to guide my steps, but I was no longer shutting her out. And she was sharing, not everything was useful, but it was more than the rough words we'd started with.

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