Callia runs through all the skills she has, firing arrows with supernatural speed and traversing across trees with grace. While not as impactful as Callen’s magic show, it still shows impressive results from her training.

  Grandpa claps his hands, ending the skill exhibition and assembling the family back together.

  “Ok everyone, I think it’s time we consider how best to support your growth. Callia, it seems you are already well on the path of the huntress, and it shouldn’t be hard to find support for you to grow into that role.”

  His attention shifts to Callen. “Port Town doesn’t have a mage tower or much support for aspiring mages. At some point we will want you to get a proper education, but it would be best if we hold off on that until you’re strong enough to deny the demands of senior mages. Your status will make you stand out in a manner that could be dangerous to both those who are jealous and those who would seek to exploit your potential in experimental works.”

  Grandpa paces back and forth in contemplation when an idea strikes.

  “If a conventional approach is difficult, maybe we try something less conventional. Let’s try to get you apprenticed under magic-adjacent professions, and then you can use those skills as a foundation for your build. We do have alchemists, enchanters, healers, and even a runemaster if we can convince them. I’m curious what kind of foundation that would make for you.”

  Seeing Callens interest, Grandpa nods in approval of his idea and switches his attention back to Callia. “Your build is conventional and in line with someone much older than you, but it doesn’t take advantage of your trait. While pushing the limits of where archery takes you, I think it would also be worthwhile to learn from your dad. Most archers struggle with two things: keeping distance from faster or larger monsters and finding materials to properly display your strength. Can’t do much about materials, but that isn’t a hurdle we need to consider yet. However, learning melee combat skills could be a useful trick that could likely save your life.”

  Callia and I silently convene, thinking over the merits of Grandpa’s plan. To be honest, learning so many different professions of magic seemed like it might stretch me thin, but at the same time I was excited by the prospects of what I could accomplish. Sis, meanwhile, insisted that I join her in physical training. I, while resigned at the thought of accompanying my strangely energetic sister, accepted what was going to be inevitable.

  “Brother will be joining me in physical training.” Callia declared.

  Grandpa weighed her comment on his mind before responding, “I think he could benefit from evasion training, but if Callen intends to specialize in magic, his stats won’t be able to meet the demands of both specialties. He has unlimited skills, not stats; spreading him thin will make him a menace to lower-level enemies, but in the long term it is unsustainable.”

  Callia thinks it over and quickly accepts Grandpa’s logic. “Fine evasion training with me every morning.” While Callia decides my future without considering my feelings, she can clearly feel my resigned acceptance. At least I can spend some time with my sister, even while our schedules are being divided. Thinking like this, it wasn’t so hard to accept having a sibling as close as Callia. It was something to cherish, even if she did make me want to hit her sometimes.

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  The next day I quickly learned to regret my decision as my sister dragged me out before the crack of dawn. While we both inherited a love for raising skill levels, I very much preferred my magic, so dodging fast-moving wooden balls wasn’t fun.

  *Thwip* crack A ball flew from Grandpa’s hands, pelting me in the ass with the power of a paintball. With tears in the corner of my eyes, I jumped behind a tree, nursing the soon-to-be bruised spot. Desperately searching for the next piece of cover before Grandpa switched back from Sister to me.

  “AGH!” Oh no, that was Sister. Which meant the demon would switch back to me! I dove from my tree for the cover of a dirt mound. Hitting the ground and rolling to safety. I feel the air whoosh by as Grandpa’s projectile flies right over my shoulder.

  Taking that as my cue to reposition, I break from my cover. Thump. I’m taught not to expose myself when another projectile beans me straight in the forehead. I flop onto my back and lie there for a second before staring resentfully at Grandpa. Only to watch him break into laughter while retrieving his projectiles.

  “This is always fun! A shame most of the recruits I used to train were never willing to train evasion skills. I think this is where we should call today’s session.” Grandpa announces as the ‘evasion training’ ends. For some reason, it feels more like having fun beating us up.

  He helps me up, and my sister limps into the clearing, also sporting bruises but clearly in much better condition. I can feel her smug satisfaction seeing her success in beating me in this game. For some reason I feel she is on some kind of vengeful streak, always trying to outdo me ever since I beat her in our infant competitions. My thoughts are interrupted by Grandpa.

  “Callen, good news for you. I’ve talked to my old friend Runemaster Yoren, and he’s willing to teach you. Whatever you reveal to him is up to you, but he's a long time trusted friend of mine and has agreed to teach you, so be sure to be respectful.”

  I’m visibly vibrating with excitement as Grandpa rubs my head. It just so happens he pats right where the latest bruise is forming, causing me to flinch away in pain. He freezes for a moment and then breaks into laughter as he sees me looking at him with as much resentment as I can project.

  “Sorry, sorry! Anyway, follow along and I'll show you to your first master’s workshop.” Grandpa sets a pace for me to keep up with him while leading me to the edge of town.

  A large building split into two distinct styles, with one side seeming like a library with a spacious central area and some large chiseling device mounted from the ceiling in the center, and the other half seeming to be a forge.

  Grandpa leads me into the library half, and soon I’m greeted with the sight of a dwarf straight from The Lord of the Rings engraving something on a brick.

  “Cal, this is Runemaster Yoren. He’s a dwarf from . . .” Before Grandpa finished, the dwarf threw the brick at Grandpa. For some reason I feel some kind of karmic satisfaction as the brick pegs him right in the forehead.

  “I told ye, dinna call me people dwarves; we be earthkin!” The Earthkin stares at Grandpa grumpily, and Grandpa looks at the stone that had pegged him.

  “You enchanted this to bypass my senses just so you could throw it at me?!” Grandpa held up the stone in outrage. The banter broke the tension, and soon the two broke into giggles. Yoren then turned the conversation to me.

  “When this decaying human told me he wanted his grandson ta learn runes, I accepted, but from tha looks o' ye he’s also teaching ye.” He looks at my bashful grandpa before continuing.

  “He shou' know enough ta judge whether it’s a mistake, so I won't ask anything more than this. Can ye learn at least 7 skills? That’s tha minimum ta consider this worthwhile.” Yoren sternly looks down at me. I can tell this is him making his initial take on my resolve and character. I straightened up and looked him in the eye, thinking the situation over. Grandpa clearly trusted him a great deal, and he was willing to blindly trust Grandpa in taking me on. I felt he deserved an honest answer.

  “Master Yoren, I have a trait that removes my skill cap. I am willing and able to learn whatever you teach me!” Yoren is thrown off guard by the blunt and outrageous answer and turns to Grandpa seeking confirmation. A moment passes in silence, and he looks back to me.

  “Then ye better start by organizing those scrolls.” He jerks his thumb over to a large pile of scrolls, almost a foot high, haphazardly piled at the base of a bookshelf.

  “Yes, master,” is all I can muster as I get to work. It seems Yoren shares Grandpa’s hobby of inducing child suffering. A small sigh of resignation passes through me as I watch Master and Grandpa walk out, arms on each other’s shoulders, with Yoren declaring he’s going to drink until he passes out. I notice Grandpa leave behind the stone Yoren hit him with and quietly pocket it.