Thunder Mountain Trailhead, Sedona, Arizona - 7:48 PM
Everyone else, even Louise, looked shocked as the figure of Glaraphel rocketed down the beam of light to the surface. His wings extended at the last moment, catching him and allowing him to land gently in the parking lot with one knee on the ground. He kept his head bowed and his flaming sword in front of him.
“I, Glaraphel, 16th in the Order of Powers, Inquisitor of Heaven, respond to your summons, holy herald and Avatar of the Highest Sister,” he stated, his voice modulated somewhat by his helmet.
I tossed his halo back onto his head. It spun around him before resting where it was meant to. “Stand up, Glare, you don’t have to do that.”
The confusion in his aura was easy to see. “Glare?”
“Short for Glaraphel,” I told him. “Don’t like it?”
“Not particularly.”
“That’s fair. Still, man, stand up. I know you’re supposed to take orders from me but I’m not really big on the whole displays of hierarchy thing when it comes to Angels unless it gets me what I want. That’s not what I want right now, so get up.”
“As you wish, Avatar,” he said as he stood.
“Call me Anthony.”
“I wouldn’t—”
“I’ll be more comfortable if you do,” I told him. “Plus, it’s an order.”
He hesitated before nodding. “If that is your order, then so be it.”
“Good. Sorry, everybody, this is the first time I’ve summoned him and we had a bit of a rocky start,” I explained.
“That’s an Angel,” Antonio muttered in disbelief.
“I am. More specifically, I am a Power,” Glaraphel responded. “My purpose is that of a soldier, though my duties as an Inquisitor often supersede that. I am on a never-ending mission to find and destroy minions of evil, Hell, and blasphemies against the Heavens.”
“He’s kind of intense,” I translated before pointing at Della. “Glaraphel, your mission is to protect this woman at all costs, even at the expense of my life.”
“I could nev—”
“Come on, we both know I’m not going to be taken out so easily,” I told him, crossing my arms. “She’s going to be my trainee for the time being, learning how to be a Warmind just like me. In order to quell a family squabble about whether or not she’s going to be safe with me, I brought you in. I break the scenario, she gets to practice, you get to protect her. That’s the job.”
“Very well,” he relented. The Power retrieved his shield and walked over to stand near Della. His posture was that of vigilance as he waited for any threat to appear.
“Yeah, I think that’s going to be as good as it gets,” I said as I looked at the two together. “An Angelic Big Daddy for a psychic Little Sister. Couldn’t ask for a better protector. Or team, really.”
“A what now?” Antonio asked as Della frowned.
“It’s from a video game,” Merrick answered. “He’ll, uh, protect her. Really, really protect her.”
“Thank you, Merrick,” I said, tilting my head to look his way. “Glad you came along, sorry it didn’t work out, but I wish you all the best in the future.”
“I’m just glad I had a shot, Mr. Franklin,” he replied. To my surprise, he offered me his hand and I shook it firmly. While he might not have had the confidence I was looking for, he probably had the right temperament.
“Antonio, would you be a dear and escort Merrick back to the safe zone?” Louise asked. “I have one more thing I’d like to discuss with Mr. Franklin before they go off on their way.”
At first, the man looked conflicted. His eyes darted from Louise to me to Glaraphel before finally looking at Della. He placed both of his hands on her shoulder. “You be safe,” he whispered.
“Always,” she quietly replied before hugging him. “Don’t you worry about me.”
“No promises.” He looked up at Glaraphel and his aura became defensive. I almost thought he was going to threaten the Angel before he sighed. “Thank you for looking after my sobrina.”
Glaraphel simply nodded like it was nothing.
“Be safe raiding the brain worms,” I offered. After a few more goodbyes, Antonio and Merrick finally left.
“Glad you had this charmer in your back pocket,” Louise said as she approached me. “Otherwise we would have been here for hours longer.”
“My tio is a little long winded,” Della offered. “But, stubborn as he is, his heart’s in the right place.”
“Stubborn’s not bad, just something to be tempered,” I replied before looking at the Red Oracle. “You said that you had one more thing to discuss. What’s up?”
“It’s less of a discussion and more of a gift from my Patron,” Louise said as she approached me.
I arched an eyebrow. There really wasn’t any surprise that she had one, only that it had something for me. Most Oracles managed to find a Patron one way or another, or even get their class from one. There was no real consistency, either. Some were good, others were evil, but many of them wanted a mouth piece like an Oracle to give them a voice on Earth.
Because of that inconsistency, I was a little hesitant. “Who is your Patron and what do they want to give me?”
“Now, now, young man, you don’t have to be so defensive,” she laughed. “My Patron is Coyote.”
“The Trickster?” I asked, arching an eyebrow.
Depending on Coyote’s mood, any gift could be dangerous. He appeared in several Native American myths as a being of great importance, but he was also known as a troublemaker. Coyote could be funny and mischievous or greedy and malicious, but above all else he was always cunning and willing to push the boundaries of what was possible. Not always evil, but certainly never completely good.
“Yes, and I understand your concern,” she replied. “However, his tricks at this moment are more mischievous than malicious. On that, you have my word.”
<<<>>>
[[Notice]]
The Patron [Coyote] cackles in your general direction.
<<<>>>
“Well, that’s helpful,” I said in a tone that clearly indicated it was not.
“We’re both worried about the natural order, especially now that you’re here to give us some clarity,” she continued. “Coyote may be a trickster and a capricious rapscallion…”This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
The Red Oracle paused, her head tilted slightly to the side.
“You most certainly are a rapscallion,” she argued, placing her hands on her hips. “If you don’t like that word, there are others. Rascal, scallywag, knave, scoundrel. The list goes on and on.”
I shook my head. Behind me, both Glaraphel and Della watched with varying degrees of interest. Needless to say, this was not how I wanted to be spending my time. It was annoying.
So Louise being the Avatar of Coyote made complete sense in that regard.
<<<>>>
[[Patron Message]]
Coyote was the only Patron here to get back to me when I first started asking questions. Eventually. He wasn’t very helpful, but he wanted to know about what was going on in the outside world. In an effort to make peace, I gave him a few things.
He still didn’t answer any of my questions, but he might just want to repay me by helping you because it helps Louise out at the same time.
I’m not saying trust the item, but it’s worth a shot. It would probably be best not to offend someone who has taken on the mantle of Coyote, even if it looks like she’s having a grand time scolding him.
<<<>>>
I snapped away the message and nodded. “Very well, I’ll see what the gift is,” I said, interrupting the woman’s discussion with her Patron.
Her gaze went from the sky to me before she swiped open her inventory. “This was gifted to me the very first day that I became Coyote’s Avatar,” Louise explained as she rummaged around the invisible screen. “He told me that he wanted me to lend it out in certain instances where the city might be in danger. As you could have guessed, that hasn’t happened until now. I’m a little excited to finally bring it out.”
Before I could ask what she was referring to, the Red Oracle pulled out a sword heavy enough to make her stumble. It appeared to have been made from a jawbone.
The hilt looked like the maw of a beast with teeth above and below the grip. It was thicker near the guard, which was only in the back, and curved near the end. There was only one cutting edge, and the side without one had spikes and ridges made for piercing. She wordlessly offered it to me, and I took it.
I was sure my Strength was much higher than hers, but it was incredibly heavy even to me. Curious about this strange blade, I pulled up the description.
<<<>>>
[[Equipped]]
Loaner Sword of Coyote (Do Not Steal!)
(Unique Item, Patron Item, Handsome Item; -5 Strength, -5 Dexterity, -5 Constitution, +21 Willpower, +17 Wisdom, +175 ???, Bringer of Fire skill acquired, From Clay to Life skill acquired, Hide The Water skill acquired, Sing with the Earth Maker skill acquired, Defeater of the Evil Moons passive acquired, Go For The Giant’s Legs passive acquired, Laughing At All Mistakes passive acquired, Like All Things, This Is Mine passive acquired, Sired a Horse passive acquired, Tongue of the First Liar passive acquired)
[[Skill]]
Bringer of Fire
Once per day, you may use my miraculous power to bring the sun down to you. What happens next is anyone’s guess.
[[Skill]]
From Clay to Life
Make some animal art! If they are coyotes, then something extra nice might happen.
[[Skill]]
Hide The Water
Almost all of it. Where’d it go? Only Coyote knows.
[[Skill]]
Sing with the Earth Maker
Sing songs! If you do well enough, you may be rewarded by Coyote!
[[Passive]]
Defeater of the Evil Moons
You have to watch out for moons, as you know, but evil moons especially. You know what I’m talking about.
[[Passive]]
Go For The Giant’s Legs
If it’s a real Giant, then it’s all you can reach. You could hit higher than that, but why bother?
[[Passive]]
Laughing At All Mistakes
A good sense of humor is paramount to a healthy existence. Laugh, be healthy.
[[Passive]]
Like All Things, This Is Mine
This sword belongs to me. Remember, DO NOT STEAL!
[[Passive]]
Sired a Horse
Technically, this one is my grandson. I did not sire him directly! Misleading? Me? Never.
[[Passive]]
Tongue of the First Liar
Okay, I’m pretty proud of this one. Of course, am I really the First Liar? Or am I just lying about it?
<<<>>>
“This is complete and utter malarkey,” I said with a laugh as I finished reading it all. It certainly seems to have been forged in a furnace of chaos.
“It is,” Louise agreed. “However, it is still a very powerful sword.”
“I can tell,” I said, looking at the top of the description. “And what stat is that in question marks? The one that gives plus 175 to a stat?”
“A what?” Della asked incredulously.
“If I had to place a wager, I’d bet on it being a stat that nobody has access to,” Louise answered. “Regardless, I believe that this will serve you well out there.”
“Uh huh,” I said as I looked it over. “And what does my Patron think about this?”
<<<>>>
[[Patron Message]]
It’s more powerful than it lets on. I wouldn’t summon the sun around Della and Glaraphel if I were you, or make animals, or sing, but other than that it’s a solid weapon.
Just… don’t ask me what any of it means. There’s a lock on that kind of information that I’m assuming is Coyote’s doing. I can’t help you there.
Sorry, Ant. I’m sure you’ll do fine without it, but it might be worth taking along. You know, so you don’t get bored.
<<<>>>
I didn’t take long to make a decision when I finished reading what Sara sent me, and I carefully rested the Loaner Sword’s blade on my shoulder. “Patron approved, I suppose,” I said. “Thank you, Coyote, and thank you, Louise, for the weapon. Is there anything else? Or shall we finally head out.”
The Red Oracle shook her head. “Be careful, have fun, and teach young Della well, Mr. Franklin. I’ll be eagerly awaiting your return in a week’s time.”
“Bye, Louise,” Della said with a wave.
I gave her a nod and she turned to go back to the safe zone. Despite the fact that she didn’t have any combat abilities as an Oracle, I knew she would be safe.
“Alright,” I said loudly with a clap of my hands. “Let’s get going, shall we?”
“I am ready,” Glaraphel stated.
“Yeah, I know you are, big guy,” I replied, knocking his armor with my fist as I walked by. “You, Della?”
“I am,” she said with a determined nod. “But how am I going to be a Warmind?”
I Lifted the Medallion of Uuska out of my pocket and Pushed it over to her as we walked along the trail. Glaraphel was marching behind us, the most out of place of the group, and kept a watchful eye on our surroundings.
“Once you take that, it’ll give you the choice to be a Warmind,” I answered as she grabbed it from the air. “After that, I’ll give you a check from my checkbook that will allow me to transfer points outside of a safe zone. That will let you max out your stats and abilities, and we’ll go through them one by one.”
“You found a checkbook that lets you transfer points?” she asked incredulously.
I shrugged. “Came from a mall. It’s a niche item, but I’ll write one for 5,000 points—”
Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. “Hold on, 5,000?”
“Are you going to keep interrupting me every time I say something a little bit outrageous?” I asked with a chuckle. She shook her head, but I could see her enthusiasm rise in her aura. “That’s going to be enough to max you out to the third scenario standard with some left over. Now, you only have access to second scenario stats, but that’ll change once we’re done. Why don’t you go ahead and accept the class.”
“Okay,” Della said as she clutched the Medallion of Uuska in both hands. Reaching out, she tapped the sky. The next moment, she blinked and looked down at her hands as if she expected something to have changed. “I guess that’s really it, huh?”
“Expecting some fanfare?” I asked as I pulled out a pen and a thick checkbook from my inventory. As I watched her aura change, I started writing.
<<<>>>
[[Notice]]
You currently have 88,852 points.
You are trying to write a check for 5,000 points for player Della Luna.
Are you sure?
Yes
No
<<<>>>
“Kind of,” she admitted as I hit Yes.
I handed her the check. “Use this, level up your stats but leave your abilities alone, and we’ll start the lessons. We have a lot to go over, and there’s not enough time in the world.”
Della quickly took the offered item and accepted the points. Her aura exuded eagerness, and I could tell I had made the right choice.