As soon as she exited the schoolhouse, she found the shirtless valkyrian she had seen the other day, his bright green mystriks splattered across his chest, sparkling in the sun. Today's children in the sand pit were the same ones she had seen before.

The man looked impressive — until he yawned widely. Guin snorted as she went up to him. “Excuse me? Are you Mr. Qii?”

Not bothering to look at her, he answered, “Yes.”

“Well,” she began, not bothering to hide her irritation at his curt reply. “My name is Guin Grey. Teacher Grimhai sent me to learn about combat from you.”

The man leveled his eyes with hers, then looked away. “That’s nice,” he said. “I don’t care.”

“Y-You don’t care ...” she repeated. “Great. Well, I care.”

Qii stared at her. “You want to kill?”

“If I do?” Guin put her hands on her hips.

“Then go,” he said, turning his attention back to the children fighting in the pit.

“Hey!” she half-shouted. “Aren’t you supposed to teach me?”

This time he glared at her. Guin felt herself shrinking back from the power of his gaze. Whatever else, she had underestimated him.

“You want to kill so badly?” he asked, venom in his voice. Guin began to feel like she had made a grave error in her approach to this NPC. “So keen on taking life? You don’t need skill to do that — and I’ll not teach you with so low a bar to be set.”

“Ah — but...!”

Qii walked away from her.

Guin sighed. Now what? She wondered. Was it possible to fail a tutorial quest? She had never heard of such a thing. Then again, this was TheirWorld.

There were other teachers she could approach, though she just then noticed that the archery teacher she had seen before was absent from the grounds.

Then she smiled. TheirWorld indeed. There was more than one way to skin a cat! Betting that Grimhai would at least be able to direct her to a weapon, she decided to forget about Qii for now and focus merely on earning the combat skill that the quest required. In the meantime, she decided it would be a good time to actively start working on the quest she had gotten from Garun, the spirit horse. Teacher Grimhai might also know something about the Veil Ants.

Grimhai looked very confused when she went back. “Why have you returned so soon?” he asked her.

Guin scratched her head, unsure how she would pull this off. “Uhh... you see,” she scolded herself internally for the hesitation in her voice. She took a deep breath to calm herself. “Mr. Qii told me I should get a weapon from you and then return to him.”

“Oh?” Grimhai asked her. “From me? Why would he send you to me for such a thing?”

“I’m not sure,” she said, perhaps too quickly, as she wracked her brain for a believable excuse. “I asked him that, but he looked away and ignored me. I don’t think that he likes me much.”

To her relief, Grimhai nodded wearily. “I apologize on his behalf,” he said, reaching into his desk and pulling out a small dagger. Guin took it from his hand gingerly. “Qii is a bit of a stubborn man. Admittedly, he is difficult for anyone to deal with. He is — well, was — one of the best warriors in the Mist Clan, before the accident. I’m afraid his wounded pride has turned a once prideful, kind man into a jaded, miserable one. He did not deserve such a fate.”

Guin tilted her head. “Accident?”

Face fallen, Grimhai nodded. “Back when he served as a knight in Xenthus, our capital. During the Festival of Lights, foreigners from all over had come to celebrate; celebrations mean merry-making of all sorts. As the story goes, Qii saved some poor boy from being run over by horses spooked by a gang of drunkards.”

Guin shifted awkwardly.

“It took him many months to recover, and much of his strength will never return. It was a true pity; it was said that he was in line to become a Tenmath.” Grimhai sat down at his desk with a heavy sigh. “Still, he is a good teacher.”

Good teacher, huh? Guin cursed herself. She had taken the wrong attitude with him.

“Tenmath?” she asked then. “He was in line to become a Tenmath?”

Grimhai nodded. “Do you know of the Tenmath? It isn’t common knowledge, at least not in these parts.”

“I’ve heard a little.”

He seemed surprised but nodded cordially, “So you understand what it means, to some degree?”

The Tenmath. Though it wasn’t a publicized part of the TheirWorld lore, it was widely speculated by the player community that becoming a Tenmath or achieving one of what was called a ‘Tenmath Class’ was the true goal of the game. Hidden like easter eggs throughout the game, the Tenmath Classes were considered the ultimate character classes, to the point of being horrendously overpowered. The last time Dassah had checked, five Tenmath Classes had been confirmed, two from the same branch. There was speculation about another twenty or so that seemed possible, based on lore and quest chains that people were still working on.

“I know they are powerful,” she answered honestly.

“Do you know of the Compasses, then?” he asked.

“I’ve heard of them,’ she told him. “I don’t know much about them, though.”

“It’s good to be familiar with them, though unless you get involved with the church, it won’t affect you much,” he said. “The Compasses are... Simply put, they are not a part of the Church of the Lady but servants of all gods and goddesses. There is the Compass of the Day, which Serves the Bright Lady, and the Compass of the Night, which serves the Void Lord. Each Compass comprises five elected members: the four guardians of the directions and the Heart. The Heart serves as the voice of the gods, receiving and interpreting visions, dreams, stories, and words from all over the world into a message from their respective power, choosing directions for the followers to travel, and thus the world itself. The four guardians serve the Heart, aiding in the collection of stories and spreading the messages of the gods. If the Heart falls, a new heart is chosen from one of the four by an election and replaced with a qualifying Tenmath.”

“Qualifying?”

“Only certain Tenmath may become a part of a specific Compass. For example, the Compass of the Sun will not accept any sort of thieves or mages who have anything to do with blood or demon magic. Those are seen as the workings of the Black Lord. Likewise, you’ll not find a holy cleric or true knight among the Tenmath of the Compass of the Night. From there, the Tenmath have a competition, though how that competition is formed is a mystery to those outside the circle.”

<<>>

Congratulations! You have discovered a skill!

[History and Lore – The Tenmath] :Rank – Beginner

<<>>

“Hmm,” Guin toyed with the dagger in her hand. Even she could tell it was a lousy thing; it was probably just a step above a letter opener. It would be fine for her for now, though.

Regarding the Compasses, it didn’t surprise her that Grimhai had said what he did, nor was he incorrect. About most of it, anyway, if you didn’t delve into it. If you did, however, it seemed that the game's so-called ‘surface lore’ was riddled with half-truths. The player community had confirmed the existence of not two but four Compasses, with a speculated total of eight. Not much had been revealed yet, but there had been a lot of speculation that these Compasses would be the focus of future expansions.

“If you have no other questions....” Grimhai waved her toward the door in a not-so-subtle suggestion for her to be about her business.

“Oh!” she exclaimed after thinking for a moment. “Teacher Grimhai, do you know what a Veil Ant is and how I could find one?”

“A Veil Ant?” he seemed taken aback. “Why do you seek a Veil Ant?”

“It’s just... Someone in the village was asking about them,” she answered. She wasn’t sure how an NPC would react to the idea that she had been talking to spirits in the village.

“I can’t say that I know anything about any sort of Veil creatures, but if you ask Miss Povari out under the Kelavo tree, she might know something,” he told her.

Nodding, Guin turned to leave the schoolhouse. She heard a ding, followed by a popup window.

<<>>

Congratulations! You have discovered a skill!

[Charisma - Deceit]: Rank – Beginner

<<>>

Sorry Grimhai! With a giggle, Guin stuck her tongue out and headed toward the young woman who had been teaching under the tree. She had no idea what a Kelavo tree was, but that felt like a safe assumption.

Edging closer to the group, she heard the young woman talking to the children around her about the purple flowers in red and blue pots scattered around the tree's base. From what Guin heard of the instruction, these were some sort of edible flower.

“Now, children, be advised that there is another flower that looks similar,” the woman said, taking a blue pot into her hands. “This is a Milaou flower. It is almost identical to the Seitbloom flower, except, if you notice here, a red vein runs down the center of the petals. Also, the Seitbloom flower has a total of six petals, but the Milaou flower only has five,” she lectured, pointing out the differences as she spoke. “While the Seitbloom can be used as an herb and a supplement to promote good health, the flower of the Milaou can make a person sick for several days, even to the point of death.”

<<>>

Congratulations! You have discovered a skill!

[Herbalism]:Rank – Beginner

<<>>

The window faded as the children thanked the teacher and ran off to play. After they all had gone, the young woman smiled up at Guin.

“Hello there!” she said. “Welcome! My name is Kaori Povari. I am an herbalist here in Bade. Did you come here to learn about healing and the natural world?”

“Not really. Pardon, Teacher Povari, I will come to learn from you some other time,” Guin said. The young teacher gave her a confused look. “I spoke to Teacher Grimhai earlier, and he sent me to you. Someone in the village asked about Veil Ants, and I wondered where I might find one.”

“A Veil Ant?” she repeated. “Why, that’s... Well. That might be considered common knowledge, though anyone who doesn’t know the land of the spirits would know about them. Veil Ants aren’t very difficult to find at all. In fact,” she pointed up into the tree. “There are some that live in this tree!”

“Really?” Guin asked, looking into the tree and seeing nothing but leaves. “What do they look like?”

Teacher Povari laughed. “They are simply white ants. They aren’t even spirits, though some say in this village that those who can see spirits will be able to speak with them!”

“I see. So, are they in all the trees?”

“In most, I would imagine. They only live in trees. They help the trees they live in by fighting off other harmful bugs,” she continued. “They are edible as well. Eating a Veil Ant can cure many kinds of poisons. They are pretty tasty, too. If you ever eat the wrong thing in the woods, you can eat a few Veil Ants to stave off death. They can even help cure the poison of the flower I was just showing the children: the Milaou flower.”

“Really?” Guin wondered aloud, though she had no desire to eat any ants, tasty, life-saving, or otherwise. “So if I climb this tree, I could meet a Veil Ant?”

“Well, I don’t know about ‘meeting’ one,” Povari answered, obviously amused. “But certainly you can see one. Why don’t you go ahead? I’ll give you a leg up and make sure you don’t fall!”

“Really? Thank you, Teacher!” Guin exclaimed and ran up to the tree.

“Here you go!” Teacher Povari knelt and gave Guin a hand as she climbed up to her shoulders. Once she got her footing, she was high enough to reach a low branch. With that and another push from the teacher, Guin could scramble up the tree.

After finding a good, sturdy branch to rest on, one far enough away from the ground that a whispered conversation could be mistaken for the breeze, she decided to test the idea that those with Veil Sight could speak with the Veil Ants.

“Hello?” she hissed. “Veil Ants? Little Veil Ants!”

After a moment, it seemed that her call was being answered. Several little white ants appeared before her. They seemed to be talking to one another in tiny voices, wondering who she was and whether she could hear them. While Guin marveled at them, a larger white ant with crimson eyes came over to rest on the tree at her eye level.

“Who calls us? Speak now, or we shall depart with haste,” came a curt, barely audible voice.

“I’m sorry to bother you,” Guin said. “But I was sent here by a horse spirit named Giran Rune. He sent me to find a great wise owl?”

“Oh-ho!” the ant acknowledged her words pompously. “Greetings then, friend of The Watcher. I am Ji-Or-Pon, leader of the warrior ants of this colony and one of the Grand Guardians of the White Fox Forest!”

Slightly taken aback at the commanding aura the tiny ant gave off with his introduction, Guin nodded. “N-Nice to meet you. My name is Guin Grey, and I’m... well, no one. I guess.” She felt she needed some title or another when dealing with someone like this.

“You are as you are. A Candidate. Be proud, Candidate Guin. The path open to you is not just for anyone,” it said, bowing slightly to her. Not sure how she should respond, Guin felt her face flush warm. “I am afraid that you have been misled, Candidate, perhaps purposefully. You are not seeking just any great wise owl, but Wise, the Great Owl herself.”

“‘Wise’ is a name?” she asked stupidly, then realized she had no idea what it was talking about. “Wait — Candidate? Candidate for what?”

“Indeed,” it seemed to decidedly not answer her question.

“...So where can I find her?”

“I am afraid I cannot answer that for you,” he awkwardly told her. “Wise usually visits our tree every night, but it has been a few days since she last appeared. If Giran asks you to find her, time may be more important than not. I suggest you seek the Webspinner. She lives in the remains of an ancient oak tree by a little forest pond not far behind this grove. I will mark it on your map.” There was a ping, and he continued. “As the Prophet of White Fox Forest, the Webspinner should be able to tell you where Wise is preening these days. While you are there, tell her that Ji-Or-Pon has also asked that she provide a reading for you in return for your service.”

<<>>

Quest Completed!

<A Meeting For Tea>

You have found the Veil Ants, and with them, a great deal of information. You have moved on to the next stage of the quest and have started to earn a reputation in White Fox Forest.

<Reward:>

<Spirits, +100>

<Spirits - White Fox Forest, +250>

<<Difficulty: E><XP Reward: N/A>>

<<>>

<<>>

Quest Chain Updated!

<Finding the Webspinner>

The Veil Ant Ji-Or-Pon has asked you to go to the woods and find someone called the Webspinner. It has marked the Webspinner’s location on your map and informs you that time is a concern.

BONUS: It has also instructed you to ask the Webspinner to read your fate.

This quest is OPTIONAL. It can be skipped.

<<Difficulty: E><XP Reward: N/A>>

<<Accept?>>

<<Yes><No>>

<<>>

“Thank you, Ji-Or-Pon!” Guin said, accepting the quest. “I will make my way to the Webspinner!”