"What?" Noah asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You're pretty strong, right? You should put that to some real use—by being an adventurer? Just think about it, you'd make tons of gold in no time," Otto excitedly explained, tapping his finger against the table.
Astrid put her hand to her chin in thought before agreeing, "It's true, with your strength, you'd easily become a diamond rank, I'd say."
While the youthful elves certainly tried to sway him, he didn't budge, staring past the table to the window that showcased the peaceful valley. From the slumbering mountains to the pristine lake that glistened beneath the silver moonlight, he felt at home.
"I don't know if it's for me, really," he declined. "I'm plenty happy where I'm at. Thanks, though."
The twins exchanged glances before shrugging as they all quietly enjoyed the calm tea-drinking experience.
Amidst the momentary silence, Noah broke it with a quiet sigh, "I sure am starting to get tired of eating fish all the time."
"You don't hunt?" Otto asked, leaning on the table with an inquisitive look. "You've got plenty of options in the forest out there."
"No, I don't. Not really my thing, and I'd prefer to leave the critters alone if I can help it, y'know?" Noah reasoned.
Otto had a playful look, folding his arms over his chest proudly, "I'm something of a hunter myself. I can snag a rabbit from a hundred yards away—one shot, dead!"
"Impressive," Noah halfheartedly remarked.
"Oh!" Astrid suddenly let out.
The unexpected sound took the attention of both men as Noah looked over, seeing a lit up expression on the golden-haired girl's face.
"Oh…?" Noah repeated.
"You're sick of fish, right?" Astrid asked again.
"Right?"
"If you become an adventurer, you can buy all the animals you want—chickens, goats, cows, anything. You can start a farm!" Astrid recommended with enthusiasm.
It certainly was a suggestion, though it sounded a bit out of nowhere. Still, a part of him was curious about how the outside world operated and what was out there.
Beyond that, the giddy looks on the twins' faces convinced him somewhat.
He sighed, setting his cup down on the table, "I guess I can give it a try. Just one quest, though—then I'll make my judgment."
"Great! I mean, we'll show you the ropes," Otto said, containing himself with a cough.
"We should head into town then!" Astrid recommended, clapping her hands together.
The elven siblings were full of energy, somehow, as if having not just been in a life-or-death encounter.
Noah promptly shut down their hot-headed plan, "Hold on now, you both need to get some rest. Seriously, I just patched you up. You're in no condition to do any kind of traveling."
While it was the right call, he did seem to sap the excitement right out of the twins, who nodded their heads and accepted his helpful advice.
"Yeah, you're right. Really, thank you for your hospitality—if there's any way we can repay you—" Otto said adamantly.
"Don't think about it. Just get some rest, alright?" He said to both of the elves.
"Right," Otto and Astrid accepted.
Luckily, he had two unused guest rooms for the guests, giving them their own beds for their stay. With the coming days, the twins stayed with him, resting and recovering well, though neither of them felt right simply accepting his hospitality freely. Each repaid him in their own way–
"Steady, steady," Otto carefully guided.
Noah kept the string of the bow pulled back as a calm breeze passed through the field. His sight was locked entirely on the low-hanging fruit a dozen strides away, steadying and aiming the arrow before releasing it.
It soared across the luscious field, colliding dead-on with the object with a "splat" of fruit.
"Nice!" The blonde elf celebrated, raising his hand.
Noah returned the gesture, lightly slapping his palm against the elf's own with a bit of a triumphant smile of his own.
[EXP: +5] [5,250/10,500]
["Archery" Proficiency Up +1] [25/999]
"You're a natural, aren't you? At like, everything…" Otto complimented, a bit disheartened with his last few words.
'I've basically become a bit of a Legolas these past few days thanks to Otto. I feel a little bad for the kid that I'm catching up on his life's work this fast, but my system is a bit unfair like that,' he thought.
While Otto continued his own archery practice outside, taking out whatever frustrations he had on the poor oak, Noah sat at the table elbow-to-elbow with the elven girl.
She had a rather large, archaic book opened on the wooden surface, brushing her pale fingers over the old language, "You have most of the fundamentals down in terms of mana control and conjuration. I was thinking today, you could try and manifest a spell."
"You think so? That'd be pretty cool," he said outloud, finding the very concept of wielding magic to be straight out of his dreams.
Astrid held her hands in front of her body, cupping her palms together, giving just enough space for the air to pass between, "Manifest the power, starting from your stomach, and let it flow through your limbs, through your fingertips–visualize the element you want to bring forth."
"The element I wanna bring…" Noah repeated, mimicking the same stance as the elf.
They sat directly in front of one another, letting him have a clear view of the magical process. It seemed as natural as breathing for the young elf as she carefully exhaled through her pink lips, giving way to a flicker of embers between her hands.
The short-lived fizzle turned into tangible heat before a healthy, orange flame was born, its shining heat reflecting off her emerald eyes.
"And fire is made, just like that," Astrid showed, holding the harmless fireball above her fingertip before casting it into embers. "Do you think you can do that?"
"I can give it a try," he said.
Replicating the guidance given to him, he focused the sensation of energy within his stomach; it was a red-hot warmth, flowing through his body. The feeling came naturally, letting the friendly heat guide its way throughout his form, exuding through his fingertips–
With a flicker of embers, fire revealed itself with a roar, manifesting into a crimson sphere between his hands.
"Woah, there it is," he said in surprise.
["Mage" Proficiency Up +1] [21/999]
[Skill Acquired: "Mana Burst"]
He held it above the palm of his hand, feeling the heat radiate from the orb while the elf looked on with a surprised expression.
Astrid grew a smile, "That's…amazing. Usually, it takes beginners a month before they can even manage to summon a small ember. You've done this in just a few days–really, it's splendid!"
"I had a good teacher," Noah said with a slight smirk.
The elven girl giggled, "Well, I'm still learning a lot myself."
"So…how do I get rid of this thing?" Noah asked, holding the persistent fireball above his hand.
"Oh, just let your mana fizzle out…It's like tensing a muscle. Just release it, relax," Astrid instructed.
As instructed, he let his body ease up, feeling the concentration of heat disperse as with an exhale, the fireball was dismissed into passing embers, fading to the wind.
"You did it. Good job," Astrid praised.
It was a bit conflicting receiving such words from someone younger than himself, but he accepted it with a nod, "Thanks."