We spent almost the whole day in the forest. Circe was slowly trekking through thick undergrowth or following trails whenever we came upon them. Mira had brought along some food to have lunch on the spot as well.

“So, are you taking [Apprentice Witch] when you get your second Class?”, the girl asked between bites.

“I feel like I have very few comparable options”, I answered.

“Like what?”

“Well… I was planning on taking a Class that profits from my magical Attributes. There might be some I haven’t thought about yet but other than [Witch], it’s really only [Thaumaturge]. I thought about [Librarian] or something similar but that doesn’t really offer much. The only real alternative would be a purely crafting focused Class like [Artificer] or [Alchemist].”

“Don’t take [Thaumaturge]! I don’t want you to leave!”

Mira nodded.

“It would be a bad idea to have that Class in human lands. The Church will hunt you down.”

“Not planning on it… It’s not like you need the Class to do thaumaturgy…”

The humans gave me weird looks at that. Circe took a moment longer to realize what I was talking about.

“Wait… Does that mean…”

“Let us put this aside”, Mira said, “If you are thinking to take [Alchemist], it offers little more than [Witch] when it comes to potions.”

I turned my head to her.

“And that’s not just your bias talking?”, I asked.

“Definitely not!”

“But [Artificer] sounds cool”, Circe said.

“Thaumaturgy is much better at that. And [Artificer] focuses on Dexterity and Perception.”

Mira smirked.

“Then you know what you are taking, do you not?”

I hesitated for only a second.

“Yes.”

~ding~ Do you want to take the Class [Apprentice Witch]? You can currently have two Classes.

‘I do!’

Nothing happened. Was that it? I opened my status.

Species: Sgiathan Dorcha Owl (adult)

Age: 2

Name: Fio Catori

Gender: female

Status: sapient, healthy, Beast Core (unique, enriched – medium)

Level: 100

Class: [Assassin lvl 91], [Apprentice Witch lvl 1], -

Strength: 38

Constitution: 36

Dexterity: 41

Perception: 42

Intelligence: 98

Wisdom: 97

AP: 0

Skills:

Racial:

Utility: [Owl Senses lvl 7], [Preening lvl 4], [Owl Stomach lvl 7], [Sgiathan Dorcha lvl 7]

Offensive: [Solid Grip lvl 4], [Intimidating Screech lvl 4], [Owl’s Shadow lvl 7], [Aerial Combat lvl 4]

General:

[Imaginatics lvl 7], [Hidden Identify lvl 7], [Telepathy lvl 4], [Guidance lvl 4]

Assassin:

[Sneak lvl 7], [Shock Attack lvl 6], [Mingling lvl 7], [Eldritch Shift lvl 8], [Winged Death lvl 6]

Apprentice Witch:

[Brewing lvl 1], [Ritualism lvl 1]

There it was. The Class was locked in. And there was another empty slot behind it? Did that mean I would eventually get a third Class when I reached a high enough race level? That seemed… insane.

The Class itself had given me the expected one point in each Intelligence and Wisdom as well as one free point which immediately went into the former. My new Skills were… [Brewing] and [Ritualism]. That was interesting. I refocused on the humans.

“I took it. I hope you’ll teach me well, Master!”

Mira blinked.

“You… took it? You are an [Apprentice Witch]?”

I bobbed my head.

“Yay!”, Circe shouted and hugged me.

I tolerated her for half a second before shifting out of her grasp. The girl barely caught herself before falling into the dirt.

Mira took on a stern face and turned to me.

“Very well then, Fio Catori. I hereby accept you as my apprentice. You will be at my hut every morning by dawn and I will teach you witchcraft until sundown. You will listen to my guidance on Attribute investment and Skills to take. You will also tell me the details of your status when I ask for them. Is there anything you object to?”

“I’m not sure I want to give you all the details of my status…”

“I will not ask for it unless it is absolutely necessary. This is a relationship of trust. I will teach you my secrets and expect you to share yours with me if need be.”

Maybe I had been a little hasty? Then again, this was a great opportunity. Who knew how many witches there were that would be willing to teach me?

“Very well. I accept.”

Mira nodded solemnly.

“Hereby I vow to make you a [Witch] proper, Fio Catori. Follow my guidance and you shall learn of our ways.”

A moment of silence spread through the small clearing we were sitting in. Circe was nearly vibrating with excitement.

“You have to say ‘Thank you, Master’ to accept”, she shout-whispered.

I blinked. Then I lowered my head. Only slightly, like a deep nod rather than a threat.

“Thank you, Master”, I sent.

Mira smiled.

“Good! With the formalities out of the way, I am not your superior. Mostly because you have such a high level, already. I will not force you to call me Master unless you wish to. I still expect you to heed my advice but also apply it to your situation. I do not know where your Attributes are and I do not need to know in detail but am willing to assist to my best ability should you have any questions. I will be telling you what has worked for witches and what has not. What I do need to know is which Skills you started out with.”

“That sounds reasonable. I got [Brewing] and [Ritualism].”

“Curious. [Brewing] is very common for those that earn the Class by learning how to make a potion. It is most often accompanied by [Herbalism], though. I am curious why it would be different for you.”

“Wait. There are actual reasons as to what one starts out with?”

“Correct. Whatever fits your actions and dispositions best will be what your Class will focus on. Of course, it has to fit the Class as well.”

“Then… Could it be because I’m an owl? I’m a carnivore. Herbs don’t interest me unless they are used to make tea.”

“But you like tea a ton?”, Circe asked.

“Yep”

“I think it is more of a case of [Ritualism] being favoured for you and crowding other options out. Which is highly interesting since you never observed one.”

“I wonder about that… Let me [Identify] the Skills.”

[Brewing]: Your understanding of essence lets you combine it into magical potions. Dissolve ingredients into their true form and give them form with your will. Effectiveness of potions improves with Wisdom.

[Ritualism]: The world holds magic all throughout its existence. Make use of it to create anew. Bring about what is needed.

I shared the descriptions I was reading with my new Master.

“Is this the same for everyone?”, I asked.

“Yes. Skill descriptions are fixed. They will be the same for everyone, initially. Only after a Breakthrough will you find them diverge.”

“Is see. Rituals don’t sound too strange to me. I have created new things often enough, most of them magical. The second part seems a little different but even that I did in a roundabout way.”

“Oh? You will have to tell me about that. But first, let us keep going. Circe is still looking for a familiar, after all.”

The girl sat still with a piece of jerky still in her hand. She had not even heard what Mira said to her.

“Circe!”, the woman said sternly.

She yelped and nearly fell over backwards.

“What?”

“Let us continue?”

“Yes… well. I think I want to have Fio as my familiar.”

“Still about that?”, Mira asked.

“Yup. Now that we both have [Apprentice Witch], we can be each other’s familiar.”

I shook my head.

“I’m not sure that would work out”, I said, “After all, I want to travel a lot. You plan to stay in this village, right?”

She tilted her head.

“I mean… Kind of?”

Mira tapped her chin.

“I am interested in that idea. Fio. Familiars can be far apart from each other and still communicate. Higher Breakthroughs can even let you summon each other.”

I felt a wave of vertigo as the [Witch] held out her hand to the side. Her palm was pointed down and purple vis poured out of it for a moment, visible to the naked eye. A moment later, Grunk sat next to us looking confused. He glanced at his partner and croaked when she started petting his back.

“Still… We would be far apart for a lot of the time.”

“Familiars can talk to their owner through the bond!”, Circe said, “So it would be better if we are bonded! I can talk to you no matter where you go!”

I eyed her warily.

“While I do like you, I don’t know if I want that…”

“Let me read out the Skill to you…”, she said, “Here it is: [Familiar Bond]: A [Witch] brings forth great change. To do that requires ingenuity. Two minds are better than one. Bond with a partner that agrees to your terms. Both of your souls will be connected and inseparable. Your familiar can not die while you live. Together you will be more than alone.

“Doesn’t that sound awesome?”

I narrowed my eyes.

“That sounds incredibly dangerous for you”, I said, “My soul… is not normal.”

“You’re my friend!”, Circe said as if that explained everything. And in a way it did.

“I don’t know. How bad is warp for witches?”

Mira narrowed her eyes.

“There is none. We are not insane.”

“Well, I am. Warped, that is. My soul was in the Empty before my birth. It’s gone so far that mind spiders and other eldritch beings can pass through my body to return there.”

“I see. Circe, we are looking for a familiar for you. Let’s move on.”

The good mood she was in evaporated quickly. A few minutes later we were walking again. This time, I was sitting on Mira’s arm again.

“Do not get me wrong”, she whispered to me, “I do not mind you being warped. I simply can not let my apprentice be exposed to it. Not like that.”

I met her eyes. There was a mixture of sadness and resolve in there. I made sure my next words only reached Mira.

“I don’t want to corrupt her. Unless she can go straight to where I have been, it might break her. And even that might be too much.”

“Thank you for understanding, Fio.”

I nodded. I knew the threats of thaumaturgy. I had seen what excessive and insane ideas some of the orks had. Many of my friends knew the basics but they kept to the basics. They would not seek for more than they could handle. I had made sure of that. Other than Alex, I trusted nobody to handle what I could. The simple test would be to bring someone along with [Eldritch Shift]. They would momentarily see beyond. Even the golem whose soul was almost as badly warped as my own had difficulty comprehending that particular experience. Someone entirely unused to it? They would go insane. There was no way I could do that to Circe.