TheShingPen
Elven Wisdom, Human Luck
Gold Tier
Zarin’s mind got excited after learning how his Luck stat strengthened his abilities. It felt like a new world of possibilities had opened up for him. He couldn’t help but wonder what else he could learn, especially now that he understood more about magic. Sitting up straighter, he glanced at Arlya, who watched him with that curious expression.
“Hey,” Zarin began, trying to sound casual. “Since you know so much about magic, could you teach me some spells? Now that I know my Luck can affect them… it’d be great to widen my arsenal, right?”
Arlya looked thoughtful, but then shook her head gently. “It’s possible to teach you spells, yes,” she said, her voice soft, “but there’s a problem. Traditional spells work with a caster’s Mind stat, which governs how much magical power you can control. So if you learned them, the Mind Stat would still affect them.”
Zarin frowned slightly. “So, even if I learned a spell, it wouldn’t be nearly as powerful as the ones tied to my Fate’s Dice?”
Arlya nodded. “Exactly. Certain rare classes have abilities similar to spell-casting like yours, with their effects tied to different stats, like Strength, Agility, or even Endurance. However, each of those classes has the same restriction—their primary stat always influences whatever spell-like ability them use.”
“So, my spells would be weaker for me because my Mind stat is low, right?” Zarin asked, the disappointment creeping into his voice.
“Yes,” Arlya confirmed. “Your Mind stat would empower the spells you learn from a traditional magic system. While your Luck boosts the strength of your class-based abilities, it wouldn’t impact a normal spell in the same way. You could still learn spells, but they’d be far less effective than your current abilities.”
Zarin slumped back a little, deflated. “I thought maybe I could get the best of both worlds—learn some traditional magic to complement what I already have.”
Arlya smiled kindly. “It’s not entirely impossible,” she said. “Given enough time and dedication, one could decode a traditional spell and modify it to work with their special stat system. But that process is extremely tricky. It takes years or even decades of effort, immense talent, and a deep understanding of both magic systems.”
“That long, huh?” Zarin muttered, running a hand through his hair. “Sounds like a lot of work.”
Arlya chuckled softly. “Yes, it is. But that’s the nature of magic—it’s an art that takes time and patience to master. And even then, there’s no guarantee you’ll succeed in modifying a spell to suit you.”
Zarin sat quietly for a moment, digesting what she’d told him. “So, I guess I’m stuck with what I’ve got.”
Arlya raised an eyebrow, a slight smile on her lips. “You say that like it’s a bad thing. Most mages would kill to have Luck as their primary stat. No one I’ve met is like you—a spellcaster whose power is tied to Luck. In fact, as far as I know, you might be the first.”
Zarin blinked, surprised. “Wait, really? No one else has ever had magic tied to Luck?”
“Not in my time or any record I have read,” Arlya replied, calm but with a hint of awe. “And I’ve been around for a while.”
“How long?” Zarin asked, curious.
Arlya hesitated for a second, as if weighing whether to answer. Then, with a slight smile, she said, “About nine thousand years.”
Zarin’s heart nearly stopped. ‘Nine thousand years?’ He stared at her, wide-eyed, trying to wrap his head around it. Arlya didn’t look a day over thirty. How could someone so young-looking be that ancient? And then, the horrifying realization hit him like a ton of bricks—he had just got captivated by someone who, in human terms, might as well be his grandmother’s grandmother’s grandmother… or worse.
He could feel his face growing warm as the awkwardness set in. ‘Oh gods,’ he thought, ‘She’s thousands of years older than me… that’s like trying to date my grandma or something.’
Arlya noticed the sudden shift in his expression and raised an eyebrow. “Something wrong?”
Zarin quickly shook his head, trying to act natural. “No, no! I just… uh, wasn’t expecting that,” he stammered. “You, uh, look way younger than… nine thousand.”
Arlya laughed softly, the sound as melodic as her voice. “Elves age differently from humans,” she explained. “We live far longer, and our appearances change much more slowly. But I assure you, nine thousand years is quite young for an Elf.”
Zarin blinked, still trying to process everything. “That’s… young?”
Arlya nodded. “By elven standards, yes. Though, by human standards, I suppose it would seem ancient.”
Zarin couldn’t help but laugh nervously. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Arlya smiled at him again, her mismatched eyes gleaming softly in the firelight. “Don’t let it bother you. Age is just a number, as they say.”
Zarin nodded, though his thoughts were still racing. ‘Sure, just a number,’ he thought. ‘A really, REALLY big number.’
As the conversation shifted back to magic, Zarin relaxed again. Still, he couldn’t quite shake the lingering awkwardness of knowing how vast the age gap between them was. Still, Arlya had given him valuable insight into his abilities, and for that, he was grateful.
“I guess I’ll have to stick with Fate’s Dice for now,” Zarin said, his tone lightening. “But who knows? Maybe one day I’ll figure out how to make other spells work with Luck.”
Arlya nodded thoughtfully. “Perhaps. You’ve already shown that you can defy the conventional rules of magic. If anyone could figure it out, it might be you.”
Zarin grinned at the thought. “Well, I like a good challenge.”
As the campfire crackled beside them, the strange mix of curiosity and awkwardness faded into the background. Zarin had learned more about magic, about his own abilities, and about Arlya than he had expected. But even as the conversation turned lighter, a small part of him still couldn’t help but think: ‘Nine thousand years... I really need to keep my mouth shut.’