《Worth Fighting For》 1. A New Perspective Part I - Kya - Orrin - Sayrin - Aldrin - ___________________________________________ Kya felt the stone underneath before she opened her eyes. Sitting bolt upright, and then clutching her head and groaning at the sudden movement, she looked around in utter confusion. "Where..." she uttered before trailing off. Last thing she remembered; she''d been climbing into bed after an unconscionably long day. Now, however, she was... well she wasn''t quite sure where. Taking in her surroundings, it seemed to be some sort of old church or temple. As she looked about, from the walls to the ceiling, Kya started to get that feeling she imagined one gets when entering the great Sistine Chapel, or Notre Dame, or the Pyramids of Giza, one of those types of structures. She hadn''t ever been huge into architecture and the like, but you can''t help feeling awed at the sheer scale and sense of age from things like this. Hanging down from the ceiling several stories above were numerous worn and faded banners. While they may have been vibrantly colored once, there remained only hints at color now. Each one, however, had a distinct pattern of three interlocking triangles. Of course, the ceiling itself was the real wonder to behold. It had friezes of what looked like mosaic tiles, still trying their best to hold onto what traces of brilliant color they once held. On them was a depiction of the night sky so clear and crisp, Kya almost forgot it was a mosaic. If they''d still be in their full measure of beauty, without the harm done from the passing time, Kya wondered if she would have even been able to tell it was artificial at all. It was like being in a planetarium, stars and galaxies contrasted in stunning detail, although... depicting planets and constellations she''d never seen before. While the banners were interesting, and definitely worth note, and the ceiling artwork was magnificent in its own right, it was absolutely the stained-glass windows that stole the show. The sun seemed to be just rising or just setting, Kya wasn''t sure which, and the light hitting the windows almost seemed to bring these images to life. Several were broken of course, shattered remnants lying discarded on the dusty ground below, but the ones that remained were utterly magnificent. They showed epic battles of armies and what looked to be monsters or beasts. There were great mythical figures, men standing above all others and women in beautiful silk gowns. They were so lifelike and so radiant in the suns light; Kya could have sworn some of them seemed to be moving. However, no matter the scene depicted, there was always the unifying figure of a midnight black raven crowning the scene. Wings outstretched as if to hold it all together, it looked down at each glass pane with radiant rosy eyes. Every part of the building was a work of art. Each gray stone of the walls was intricately carved with an elegant design reminiscent of a microchip, interlocking and woven patterns of lines and symbols. Each column, those that remained at least, was a marvel of engineering splendor putting even the Romans to shame. She wished she could have seen it in its prime, it would have been truly... well, divine. After tearing her eyes from the wonders of the walls, Kya tried to take stock. It was so dreamy in here that she felt... actually no, wait. Of course, this was a dream. As if she had gone from her apartment to an old stone ruin. Still sitting on the stone dais, she tried to concentrate on making herself float away... to wake up... to manifest a warmer jacket as the sweatpants and hoodie in which she''d fallen asleep weren''t entirely keeping off the chill in this place... but, nothing. Frowning she opened her eyes and huffed in annoyance. "This has to be a dream" Kya thought. Afterall, turning head to gaze upwards, she saw that there was behind her a tree the size around of two car garage and the height of the building itself. Kya knew the stone pillars were pitching in an effort to, but it almost seemed that the tree itself was determined to hold up the ceiling of the temple by sheer force of will. It was almost a show of force, proclaiming its power by the simple virtue of its presence. Standing and walking over to the tree, she placed a hand on its bark, and felt an immediate sense of warmth and comfort. Like she was back in her bed, and like she was safe. Just as the thought of home crossed Kya''s mind, she heard a scraping noise behind her, and subsequently suffered a bout of whiplash from snapping her head around so quickly yet again after waking up and doing it then. On top of the stone table, a section had opened up and a small black box had risen out like this was a prop from a movie or video game. "Well, that seems portentous if nothing else." Kya mumbled as she went over to inspect the new turn of events. It was about the size of a shoebox, and intricately detailed. Every single other thing in the temple was covered in a greenish moss or thick layer of dust, but this box was pristine, almost unsettlingly so. The matt black lacquered material gave off absolutely no reflection, almost seeming to absorb the light around. However, to contrast this, thin streaks of white quartz worked their way out from the trim of the lid to form complex patterns she couldn''t even begin to comprehend. Feeling secure with the magnificent tree behind and the mantra of "It''s just a dream" looping in her mind, Kya reached out and opened the box. Not sure what she had been expecting, Kya was a little disappointed when all she saw inside was a simple brown leather bag. It was unimpressive at a glance, but "Come on" she thought to herself "this is a hidden chest at the center of an abandoned temple... this has to be important." At this point, she just hoped it wouldn''t be full of sand from someone having been here first and needing a counterweight. While Kya was skeptical, an overwhelming sense of curiosity won out over her trepidation. Gaining a sudden empathy for Pandora, she reached out. Picking it up, it was pretty light, but definitely had something inside. Something of the non-rough and course variety. "Here we go," Kya thought. Opening the small bag and pulling out a five-foot-long walking stick with a faintly glowing gemstone embedded to the top. "Huh" Kya said as she looked at the bag with a significantly more impressive gaze, being now unquestionably magical in nature. She stuck her hand in and rooted around, but there didn''t seem to be anything else forthcoming. She therefore turned an inquisitive eye on the hopefully magical walking stick. Other than the glowing crystal at its peak, there wasn''t much else going on. it was about the same diameter as a quarter. Tapering off down towards the bottom and getting slightly wider towards the peak. She gave it an experimental jab towards the ceiling, hoping for something cool and magical to happen, and immediately she got that wish granted as several things all seemed to happen at once. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. All the banners hanging above started leaning in towards Kya, as if drawn by magnetism. The closest one even tore and started falling much more quickly than was proper or appreciated for something coming directly towards her. Then, a heartbeat later, a feeling of absolute mental exhaustion started to overwhelm Kya, to the point of almost making her black out, until she dropped the staff and sagged in exhaustion. At the same moment of the staff''s waving, the eyes of every single crow in every single window on the wall glowed unnaturally bright with a blinding radiance. Even the tree behind her reacted. It wasn''t glowing, as its radiance would have overwhelmed everything else in the room. But rather it was as if it sent out waves of heat. However, as quickly as it had begun, everything came to a sudden and unceremonious end as the staff clattered to the floor, rolling a few feet away. The falling banner fluttered harmlessly to the floor beside her in a heap, as Kya reeled from what she had just experienced. The dizziness and blackened vision had already begun to subside, and she righted herself with a groan. "Okay, for now, no more playing with the magic stick" she said, regretting her choices and hoping it wouldn''t start again simply from holding it. With the feeling of holding onto a snake and very much hoping it won''t decide to bite, she put her absurd glow stick back into the small leather bag. Repeating her newfound and favored mantra "It''s just a dream" in her head, she went over what had just happened. Had Kya ever felt pain in a dream before? Maybe she had, right? That can happen. Again, this is all just a very lucid dream. She knew that at this point, she was more trying to actively convince herself of this than anything else. Every other possibility made little to no sense or meant she had gone certifiably insane... sooo... a dream then. "It''s just a dream" she thought again, forcing the confidence. Deciding that was that Kya turned away from the magic tree, the stone table, and all the crows she was certain were now looking directly at her. She walked down the center of the hall towards the impressively large stone doors. On either side of her, small channels only a couple inches wide had been dug and fresh clear water still flowed through them. Looking back, the water was flowing from somewhere under the roots of the great tree. Around the central walkway, the ground sloped down gently for only about a foot before leveling out again. The main area of the temple was filled with rotten wood. The remnants of tables and chairs, or pew perhaps? She wasn''t sure, but at this point, was more just focused on exploring the outside world. Arriving, the doors must have been at least twelve feet wide and thirty feet tall each. Would she even be able to open those? They had to weigh an absurdly large amount, not even daring to think about how thick they were. Kya was pretty active for an average person. She went on runs two or three times a week and tried to hit the gym every Wednesday. But stone doors that would accommodate an airplane hangar might have been slightly above her limits. Deciding that not only were there few other alternatives, but that this was also a dream anyway, she''d try her luck at opening them up. Bracing herself against the doors Kya pushed with all her might... to no avail. She stopped, took a deep breath, and then suddenly and without warning threw her shoulder into the doors. Cursing under her breath as she rubbed her now probably bruised shoulder, she stared daggers at the stone gate. Repositioning and focusing only on the left door, she kicked off her fuzzy slippers and tried again and again. All of it in vain. Sitting back and breathing heavily, she finally noticed something life changing. Something, she was almost ashamed she hadn''t noticed before. "Oh my god..." Kya grumbled with a deep sigh of someone realizing they''ve been very silly. Sweating slightly now she wiped a hand on her pants and grabbed a handle just about shoulder height. With the barest of pulls, the immense stone door soundlessly swung inward as if mocking her efforts to force it the other way. Shaking her head, Kya walked out to the overgrown but still beautiful courtyard. It was at least the size of a football field, with large (though not monstrously so) trees at each of the corners. Small hedges dotted the landscape in what might have once been an intricate pattern, but now was too unkempt with weeds and wild bushes to tell. Radiant flower patches of every shade dotted the lawn and lined the grassy cobblestone walkway leading out from the doors. Stopping at a fountain, or at least the remnants of one, she admired the stone sculpture of birds in flight, and regretted the damage it had suffered with age. Several of the birds were missing one or both wings and an upper part of the basin was missing, allowing most of the water to drain away. After taking another second to absorb it all, she was about to keep walking when something peculiar caught her eye, freezing her in place. Most of the water was gone, yes, but a small pool of clear water still laid within the basin. She saw, therein, the reflection of the sun. Nothing odd about that... so what was the second reflection? Looking up, and looking through the cracks in her fingers, she saw the normal yellow sun shining down. Then above it, and just to the right, was a small blue sun, shining upon the world for all to see its... wrongness. Admittedly, it was pretty damn cool, but Kya just couldn''t help except to be utterly thrown by the sight of a blue sun sitting just above the yellow. After what felt like ages, Kya roused herself, and continued along the cobbled path to find the edge of the courtyard. A worse for wear leafy arch was waiting for her right where the cobbles came to an end. Sloping down, she found herself on the top of a moderately sized hill overlooking a vast forest of what must have been predominantly cherry blossoms. The hues of pink were endless, creating an ocean of radiant beauty. And just there, at almost the edge of her vision, she saw the outlines of buildings. Just as the thought of "well I definitely need to explore that place" crossed her mind, an obnoxiously enthusiastic voice rang out in Kyas''s head, and a small message popped up before her eyes: - - - - - New Quest! A New Perspective: You have awakened in an unknown place in an unknown land. You have limited skills, limited tools, and limited knowledge. But one thing''s for sure, dying would totally suck! Find a way through the forest ahead and get to the village in the distance for help. But be warned, you are not alone in these woods... - Objective: Survive the forest and make it to the town ahead. - Time Remaining: 6d:23h:59m:53s - Reward: Class Selection - - - - - . . . Kya stood in silence watching the timer tick down on her newfound quest for survival. The thinly veiled excuse of ''it''s just a dream'' that she had been holding on to this whole time fell away. As she tried to comprehend her situation, where she was, what was going on, and how far into the cuckoo''s nest she had fallen, she couldn''t help but ask herself a single all important question. A question, she thought, that Plato and Aristotle themselves would be proud of. "What... The Fuck... Is Happening?" 2. Experimentation Kya was familiar with a few games. She had never had some crazy high end gaming PC or had the money to afford the newest next gen consoles or whatever, but she''d still grown up with some fun handheld games and had even forced her semi-adequate college laptop to run an old MMO she''d heard about. This to say, when the annoyingly excited announcer finished narrating the message that sat hovering in front of her eyes, she had a basic understanding of what it implied. However, that implication carried with it way too many add-ons. So many, in fact, that she had to take a minute to comprehend them all. The timer kept ticking down and down and down as Kya started to pace back and forth on the threshold of the ancient temple courtyard. "Okay" she said out loud, trying to organize her thoughts. "Possibility number one: this is a dream..." she trailed off weakly, her former security blanket of a mantra crumbling to dust. "Yeah, probably not." she muttered sullenly. "Okay, then number two: I''m in a coma and this is the ravings of my failing mind." she mused "Hopefully not, as the prompt said, dying would suck. Also, I have no way to verify that, so we''ll assume... probably not." Regressing a little further into the courtyard as she continued her contemplations, Kya sat on a stone bench next to the decayed fountain with startlingly clear water still residing within. It reflected the brightening sky and two small points of light from the two suns. One bright and yellow, the other small and blue. "Which brings me to possibility three." She said "I''m actually sitting on this bench in my sweatpants." This was... insane. Utterly and unquestionably. But she didn''t believe she had gone insane. She couldn''t believe that. If she acted foolishly on the assumption of this being fake, the consequences could be dire. So... she would have to act under the assumption this was real. Her actions had consequences and should be taken seriously. The message with the quest info was still displayed in front of Kya as she had walked and now sat. It wasn''t quite opaque, like a weird lens over her vision. Kya had just thought about how she could make it go away when, instantly, the screen popped out of existence as quickly as it had arrived. Thinking about it again, it popped back up, thank god without the accompanying narration. "Okay, so I have a quest UI... do I have anything else from a game?" she muttered, "Map. World Map. Index. Glossary. Help. Uhhh... Atlas?" But all of it to no avail. "Well, that''s disappointing" she thought "A map would have been pretty useful for getting through an unknown forest. Do I have a character screen? Do I have stats??" Another round of ''guess the synonym'' ensued as Kya tried to make any other screen or message pop up, with rousing success in accomplishing not a damn thing. Sighing, she stood from her bench and walked back inside the stone temple. The suns had now more or less risen, and a pleasant warmth was starting to dispel the night''s chill. Ultimately, Kya knew that no matter what was happening, dream, drug, psychosis, whatever, she would need to get to that settlement in the distance. If only just to contact other people and if only just to get some more information on what the hell was happening. She therefore compartmentalized her confusion, panic, uncertainty, all of that into a box in her mind and promptly put it to the side. Taking on a more pragmatic air, she looked at the tools she currently possessed, and what would help her make at least a dozen mile hike through the woods. Currently ''equipped'' she had on her sweatpants, t-shirt and hoodie, brown fuzzy slippers, and single hair tie on her wrist. Not the first things she would have chosen for... well anything outside her own home, and especially not a maddeningly magical trip through the woods. However, more importantly in her mind than her wardrobe was the magic walking stick. Taking it back out of the magic bag, and again marveling at the casual use of what was clearly and inexplicably magic, she held the staff in her hand. "Just in case... Identify?" and with an ecstatic whoop, was met with a small text box that popped up in front of the stick. It was about the size of an index card, and though it didn''t give much detail, it was something else she could do! - - - - - - Item: Unknown - Rarity: Unknown - Description: Unknown - Enchantments: Basic Attraction, Basic Repulsion, Spatial Affinity - Requirements: N/A - - - - - While she was slightly annoyed at the lack of information from the three ''unknown'' lines, Kya was excited to see the other two. Firstly, and most simply, there weren''t some arbitrary restrictions to her using the staff. That was fantastic as she had only known about the staff''s existence for maybe an hour and would have been rather upset to learn she couldn''t even use it. Secondly, and more importantly, she now had an idea what the staff actually did. Earlier when she had casually waved it towards the sky, it had affected everything around her. She imagined herself as a level one character in a game, trying to use an endgame spell. Obviously not going to go well. Torn between experimenting with her new staff, and her newfound identity skill, Kya went with the safer option and started trying to identify everything she could. Running back into the chur- actually, wait. Backing out again, she looked at the structure as a whole and said confidently, "Identify!" before immediately wondering if she had to say it out loud at all. - - - - - - Building: Temple of Space - Small - Status: Unclaimed - Description: The remains of a temple dedicated to the god of space. It has fallen into disrepair after years of neglect. - - - - - Again, chafing at the sparsity of the descriptions, she walked inside as she thought about what that told her. The temple was the small variant??? This thing was several stories tall, had beautiful stained-glass windows, and could have probably housed a thousand people at any one time... and this was small? What the hell were the bigger temples like??? Next, it was unclaimed. That made sense to Kya, as not a lot of gods or priests or whatever would let their temples fall into ruins if it was directly tied to their name after all. "Can I claim the temple?" she wondered out loud, before her third message window popped up: - - - - - - Area {Temple of Space - Small} is unclaimed. You are unable to claim the area at this time. - - - - - Well, that was pretty definitive. Although it did make her wonder under what conditions she could claim the temple. Dismissing the window with a thought, she kept walking towards the stone dais and the small black box. She placed the magic staff and leather bag on either side of the box, before starting the process again. This time with only a thought, she got the messages she hoped for: - - - - - - Item: Spatial Bag - Rarity: 1-Star - Common - Description: A bag once used widely throughout the world, it utilizes a spatial enchantment to create a storage space on the inside. - Enchantments: Basic Spatial Expansion - Requirements: N/A - - - - - So pretty much as Kya had assumed, it was her pseudo inventory. "Nice" she thought with a nod of the head. She took off her hoodie and tried placing it inside the pouch. It seemed to shrink the item being stored, so that despite the pouch only opening up to about 4 inches across, it cartoonishly sucked in the larger hoodie. That left only the black box remaining. With one last mental command, the message popped up once again. - - - - - - Item: Unknown - Rarity: Legendary - Description: An ornate box made of the highest rarity materials, resulting in a nigh unbreakable and undetectable container. It is impervious to almost all forms of magic, as well as detection and tracking, and cannot be opened by just anyone. - Enchantments: Unknown - Requirements: Unknown - - - - - Whistling in appreciation, Kya dismissed the notification as a single thought ran through her mind. "There is no way I''m leaving this thing behind." She quickly discovered... the box was unmovable. It was either immensely heavy, or simply affixed to the stone dais. After several minutes of trying to brute force it, she had an idea. Taking her magic gravity staff, for which she needed to come up with an actual name as her skill had annoyingly failed to provide one, she was about to try using it on the box when she stopped and thought "practice on a rock or something before using it on the insane and rare box." Going over to one of the holes in the wall, she found a small stone about the size of an apple. Hefting, she noted it was considerably denser than it should have been. hefting it over to the center of the hall with both hands, she dropped it, and took a few paces back. Before, she had accidentally used the staff on everything in her vicinity. This, she reasoned, was why it had put so much strain on her and why it had caused such a reaction. With trepidation, she focused all of her attention on the single stone, and feeling slightly silly, made a jab with the staff. Instantly, Kya felt a small pulling sensation in her stomach, like she was flexing her abs, and the stone wobbled towards her through the air. "Yeaheah!!!" Exclaimed Kya thrusting the staff into the air. Instant regret flashed through her mind as the stone that had been meandering towards her now flew like an arrow. A dense, heavy arrow. A dense heavy arrow, that would really hurt. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "Oh fu-" was all she had time to say before ducking down to the ground, dropping the staff. The moment the staff left her grip, the feeling in her stomach abated and the stone dropped like... well a stone. Thudding to the ground mere inches from her head, all Kya could do was stare. Then she started laughing, uncontrollably. "What the hell am I doing" she said, sitting up and whipping a tear from her eye. She took another look at the stone and got back to her feet. "Okay" she said "so I can pull. What about push?" Backing up several feet, she again focused on the stone with the exclusion of all else. She then repeated the gesture with the staff and got the same result as before. It wobbled towards her in a direct path. She noted several things from this. It went towards her, specifically the center of her chest, and not towards the staff. Secondly, it would follow her if she moved, always in a direct path towards her. As she walked around, towing her rock like a baby duck, the sensation in her stomach began to grow uncomfortable. She released the rock when the edges of her vision started to dim. "So, there''s a limit to how much I can do at one time" Kya thought, that was useful information. However, after only a few seconds of stopping, she felt right as rain once again. So, the downtime wasn''t too much, just a short recovery period. Adamant there had to be a way to repel objects as well, she took up her standard starting position. However, rather than a simple gesture towards the rock, she made a determined two-handed stab while mentally shouting "AWAY". The feeling in her stomach was like a punch to the gut, but maintaining eye contact through the pain, she saw the rock streak away from her, and collide with the wall. Again, she noted the directly straight line in which the stone had moved. It could have been the speed of it, but there wasn''t any sort of arch to its travel. Repeating her tests a couple more times, Kya felt reasonably good about using her magic staff. It was significantly more difficult to repel objects than it was to attract them, but she had managed to do it consistently now, albeit with concerted effort. The last test she did was one of scale. She could move the fist sized piece of ruble around, but what about something larger? Could she move boulders with this? Or whole buildings? So, casting about for the largest stone she could find, Kya settled on a chunk of the wall that had collapsed inwards, roughly the size of a refrigerator. Concentrating and giving a small movement with her staff, she felt an intense pain in her stomach and immediately her vision began to swim. Cutting it off as quickly as she could, and collapsing to the ground in exhaustion, she took stock of the situation. Can the stone be moved? Probably, yes. Was she able to move it right now? Definitely not. Whether it was a strength or understanding issue, Kya wasn''t sure. But either way, this wasn''t something she could do at the moment. Takeaway: stick to reasonably sized objects for now. Got it. Which brought her back to her main goal at the moment: the legendary chest back on the stone table. Feeling more confident with some practice under her belt, Kya walked back over. Holding her spatial bag at her chest with one hand and using the other motioned for the box to start moving, but instead was herself forcefully pushed backwards, skidding several feet before falling to her butt. Sitting there dumbstruck, she stared at the box for a moment, before pulling up the description again. - - - - - - Item: Unknown - Rarity: Legendary - Description: An ornate box made of the highest rarity materials, resulting in a nigh unbreakable and undetectable container. It is impervious to almost all forms of magic, as well as detection and tracking, and cannot be opened by just anyone. - Enchantments: Unknown - Requirements: Unknown - - - - - "Oh my god" Kya thought, reading it over again. Impervious to almost all magic right well then, that was a fat waste of time. Finally, she tried something that really should have been her first move. She opened the bag as wide as it would go and touched it to the surface of the box. And just like that, the box was sucked right in, like a milkshake through a straw. "I guess storing it wasn''t one of its immunities." She said with a massive grin. Done and done. With that, Kya was about to make her way outside again, when she stopped and doubled back. The banner that had fallen when she first used the staff was just sitting there... asking to be taken along. - - - - - - Item: Banner of the Spatial Path - Rarity: 1-Star - Rare - Description: A banner depicting the symbol of Space. It was crafted using uncommon materials to create a durable fabric greater than the sum of its parts. It is resistant to tearing and weak forms of magic. - Enchantments: Mana resistance - weak - Requirements: N/A - - - - - Pleased with the description Kya grabbed it, further happy with how soft it was to the touch and placed it in her bag. As she was about to leave, she again stopped and eyed the dozen or so other banners still hanging from the rafters above... ~~~ Walking to the edge of the courtyard, Kya pulled up her quest timer again, and saw it had been about an hour and a half since she first got the notification. She looked out again at the forest with its lush cherry blossoms and leafy green trees, to the cluster of buildings miles and miles ahead. Then looked down at her feet in her fuzzy brown slippers. This wasn''t going to be a pleasant walk. As soon as Kya took her first step off the cobblestones and on to grassy turf surrounding, she felt a perceptible change in the atmosphere. It was subtle, but definitely there. The wind felt a little harsher as it whipped at her hair. The suns felt a little hotter as they looked down from above. And most importantly, a small animal started running at her with reckless abandon. Backstepping quickly, the animal slowed as Kya stepped back onto the stone border of the courtyard, and she mentally tried to identify it, mentally groaning as the extraordinarily enthusiastic narrator made his return. - - - - - *** NEW CREATURE IDENTIFIED *** - Forest Dweller Rat - 1 Star - Common - The forest dweller rat can sometimes come in packs of up to a dozen, but they are usually solitary creatures. They will hunt and eat anything they find in their territory that they get into their tiny brains qualifies as food. For this little guy, that includes you! - - - - - The rat was about a foot long, and mottled gray. His fuzzy snout might have almost been cute, if he wasn''t baring his little fangs and hissing with drawn back lips. His beady black eyes remained fixed on her as he hunched down in the grass and began slowly stalking towards her, his long pink tail whipping through the air. Kya was ordinarily a pacifistic person. She ordinarily tried to solve her problems with a calm mind and find peaceful resolutions. Ordinarily. Foot long rats that considered her dinner were not ordinary. The rat pounced, sailing much further through the air than his small body should have allowed, landing a vicious bite on her arm which erupted in pain. "AAHHHHHH" yelled Kya as she swung her staff at it. The jewel began to glow intensely as the rat was hurtled away from her, taking a chunk of skin with it, and slamming into a tree fifteen meters away. Laying in a daze, the rat slowly started to stand and hissed defiantly at her, before trying to run at her again. Sprinting over and swinging her staff like a club, she beat the rat into the ground, then raised her staff and struck down a second, and a third time. Before going for the fourth, she heard that slightly patronizing voice again in her head and saw the message - - - - - - Good job! You have defeated a Forest Dweller Rat. Don''t get too cocky though, this was after all just a rat. - NEW QUEST! Foraging in the Forest: You have had your first kill! And to the victor goes the spoils. Before you''re out of the woods, you''re going to have to kill again. But at least this way, you get something out of it! - Objective: Kill 10 Monsters - Progress: 1/10 - Time Remaining: 23h:59m:56s - Reward: Boots of the Spatial Mage - 1-Star - Common - - - - - Sitting on the ground leaning back and breathing heavily, Kya dismissed the notification with a wave of her hand. She looked over at what she expected to be the gory remains of her roadkill rat, but instead saw it transform. A black void slowly covered its whole shape like food coloring in water, before simply dissolving right there in the grass "Well, that was..." Kya breathed out "Actually what the hell was that?" When she saw it dissolving, she thought again of video games making the monsters you''ve beaten disappear for you and leaving behind the loot. But where was the loot? She couldn''t even take the animal as meat, how the hell would she get to the village if she couldn''t even hunt for food? Her next thought struck her, and she opened her eyes wide. Fumbling with the pouch shed fastened to her waist with the cord of her sweatpants, reached inside. She''d found as she had begun filling it up with more stuff, she got a mental image of what was inside. Like a big empty room, she could see clearly that there were three new additions to her special storage sitting right there amidst several other pillaged goodies from the temple. Taking them out, she identified them one at a time. - - - - - - Item: Crystal Shard - Rarity: 1-Star - Common - Description: A condensed form of magic. Useful in rituals and spells of a wide variety. - Enchantments: N/A - Requirements: N/A - - - - - - Item: Health Potion - Rarity: 1-Star - Common - Description: One of the most widely produced creations of any alchemist, causes a weak heal-over-time effect on the one who drinks it. - Enchantments: Lesser Healing - Requirements: N/A - - - - - - Item: Lesser Monster Token - Rarity: 1-Star - Common - Description: The condensed memory of a life-or-death struggle. Can be exchanged or consumed. - Enchantments: N/A - Requirements: Possess at least a primary Class. - - - - - The token and the crystal were both the size of a quarter, one a dull metallic gray, and the other a vibrant purple respectively. Though she was curious about the coin, without a class of her own, it would have to wait. Putting them away, Kya turned her attention to the far more interesting health potion. It was in a small glass vial about the size of her finger. Inside was a deep red liquid that looked suspiciously like blood to her. Looking at her own blood still leaking down her arm, she pulled out the stopper with her teeth, and downed it in one shot. With a speed noticeable to the naked eye, her bleeding stopped, and the small bite on her arm scabbed over. It wasn''t completely gone, meaning these weren''t fix-all''s and wouldn''t help her with something more serious like a broken bone, but for smaller injuries? They were perfect. Standing and looking at her slippers, already inadequate for just a walk in the woods let alone for a life and death struggle, Kya walked deeper into the woods determined to get those boots. 3. These Boots Were Made for Walking - - - - - - You have defeated Aggressive Rabbit 1-Star - Common. - Progress on Foraging in the Forest updated: - Kill 10 common monsters, 9/10 - - - - - Kya sat back against a tree, feeling its cool bark through her shirt as she watched the 3-foot-tall rabbit dissolve into shadows. Interestingly, she noted an infinitesimally small spark of light at the center of the shadows left behind. It was like the spark of life, fading out so quickly after the smoke that she wasn''t even sure it had really been there. Regardless, this was the second of its kind she had killed. Along with four more of the rats, and two squirrels the size of beagles, she was nearly done. Each monster she had encountered in the forest so far was basically just an overgrown and more aggressive version of the ones with which she was familiar. They had all deposited the same supplies into her spatial bag: a small crystal shard, a gray token, and a crystal vial. She''d built up a small stock of the healing concoctions, as not every small scratch needed immediate medical attention. Additionally, the first rabbit she''d killed had also provided her with a pleasant surprise: - - - - - - Item - Aggressive Rabbit Meat, Raw - Rarity - Common - Description - Uncooked meat, harvested from a 1-Star common rabbit. Useful in cooking and alchemy. - Enchantments - N/A - Requirements - N/A - - - - - That was the second mention of alchemy, after the description of the potion bottles. She made a mental note and stowed that information away for later. If you could make your own potions, she would definitely want to figure out how. Her clothes were definitely showing signs of wear and tear. Her simple black t-shirt was torn on her side where a squirrel had launched a small acorn and caught her by surprise. While her sweatpants had several holes all along the shins and knees where she''d been bitten at and scratched by the rats and rabbits. She was hoping for a bit of an upgrade by unlocking new quests with further rewards, but so far, she remained with just the two. That being said, she had grown quite a bit more comfortable with her staff as she''d fought the little beasts. Her current strategy was to pull them towards her and then bat them away like she was playing baseball. The tricky part was maintaining concentration on them. More often than she''d like to admit, they''d be traveling towards her, when she''d falter and let them drop now significantly closer than she would have liked. Several times, they would ambush her from the sides before she even knew what was happening and score some lucky bites and scratches. But all in all, she felt reasonably confident about facing off against her tenth and final monster. Reflecting as she walked, she found it interesting how quickly she had adapted to this new environment. She''d always been fantastic at compartmentalizing, sure, but it had been a total of, checking the timer, about five hours since she had received her quest to escape the forest alive. In that time, she had learned how to manipulate the laws of physics to her will and use them to kill small animals. What''s more, she felt very little remorse about those deaths. She would never have called herself cold or calloused before. She hadn''t even killed animals, whether hunting or trapping or whatever, that just hadn''t ever felt like something she was drawn to do. But now, these creatures had all, each and every one, attacked her and tried to hurt her. She felt comfortable, then, attacking in kind. Kya left the site of her ninth fight and sought out lucky number ten. She had come to learn that monsters typically had a small territory they marked as their own. At least it seemed that way, as so far, she hadn''t encountered a second monster until quite a way away from the previous one. Idly wondering as she walked if this simply happened as beasts grew stronger, she encountered then a seeming refutation. Crouching down as low as she could against the mossy forest floor, Kya scanned the area trying to locate the sound of furious scraping that had alerted her. There, about 20 meters away, she saw a massive black and brown... thing tearing through the undergrowth directly towards the sight of her last battle with the aggressive rabbit. Quickly trying to identify the monster, Kya was puzzled at first, until noticing the slight difference. - - - - - - Forest Dweller Rat - 1-Star - Uncommon - The forest dweller rat can sometimes come in packs of up to a dozen, but they are usually solitary creatures. They will hunt and eat anything they find in their territory that they get into their tiny brains qualifies as food. For this little guy, that includes you! - - - - - Understanding dawned on her as she focused on the top part of the description. This was an uncommon rat, and she could clearly see why. This monster was twice as big as its common counterparts. The pink tail was now barbed at the ends, and it moved through the forest like a bat out of hell. A few more seconds and it was out of sight. Thinking quickly, Kya came up with a rough plan. That thing was headed right for her last battle. it must have either smelled the blood or heard the fight or something, but it knew where it was going. If it got there, and got her scent, it would be back for her in a matter of two or three minutes at the speed it was moving. Kya wasn''t confident about fighting something like that in straight one-on-one combat. If it came to it, did she think she could win? Probably. Would it be close and cause a slew of injuries? Also, probably. So then, she needed something to give her an edge. Taking several things out of her pouch in rapid succession, she began to drop them at her feet. More than two dozen of the dense temple stones were around the same size as her test rock, followed closely by one of the massive banners she had taken as well and laid it out the ground so it looked like a runway directly from her to where she assumed the rat would be. Keeping about half of the stones at her feet, she then moved to put the other half in a loose circle around her, and running back to the carpet, hefted a stone in one hand and her staff in the other. And waited. Kya could hear it before seeing it. The scratching and clawing of the undergrowth made it sound like an all natural wood chipper was hurtling towards her location. Skidding to a halt just outside her loose circle of stones, the massive creature stopped and stared with cold hard eyes at her. it really did seem to her like the lesser rats, but more. Bigger, faster, stronger, spikier for some reason, it was a direct and visible upgrade. She wondered if the same applied to intelligence. Kya knew that rats were relatively smart ordinarily. A rat with magic upgrades might be smarter too. It turned its head slowly, stopping on each stone she had placed in the circle, and then returned its gaze to her. A high-pitched snarl began in its throat as it slowly started forward. When it was about fifteen meters away, Kya decided to make the first move. The rat had, wittingly or not, perfectly lined itself up with one of her wayward stones. A swift jerk with the staff, and it began hurtling towards the creature like an arrow from a bow. Turning at the noise of it, and jumping to the side, the rat narrowly avoided her opening attack by actually jumping off of the stone like a springboard. This meant she now had not only the stone swiftly approaching, but also the thirty-pound ball of aggression in the form of a very screechy rat. Breaking her connection to the stone, she sidestepped quickly, before launching the stone in her hand directly at the airborne creature. This one was less powerful and less of a surprise to the rat, but as it was stranded midair, had nowhere to go. By the time her first stone landed behind her with a loud thunk, Kya had broken the front arm of the beastly vermin, as well as created a sizable gash along its left side. Grinning in triumph at what she assumed to be a debilitating blow, Kya was struck dumb at the sight of what happened next. The rat ate its broken limb without a moment''s hesitation, and after shrinking in size by a few inches, regrew the arm in a matter of seconds. Then it promptly screamed (a terrible noise that Kya hoped never in her life to hear again) and resumed charging at her. Leaping through the air, it landed on her left shin, and dug its yellow fangs deep into her leg, simultaneously using its claws to scratch at anything they could reach. Then Kya promptly screamed (a terrible noise that Kya hoped never in her life to produce again) and resumed channeling her staff. Not at a rock this time, no, at the rat directly beneath her. In a moment of clarity, amidst the scorching pain of an unwelcome tibia removal surgery, Kya thought the rat now looked rather funny. Its teeth were buried in her leg, and so deeply, that it allowed the rat to stay in place. The rest of its body? That looked to her as if a giant invisible ball had rolled on top of the creature. It was being forced into the dirt below, forming a crater of distorted flesh and earth, and yet its teeth and face remained buried. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Kya''s eyes began to hurt almost more than her leg, and she couldn''t see anything in her periphery. Just those black beads in the skull of the animal under her looking up at her. She was about to call off the spell, sure that amidst the mental, physical, or magical exhaustion, something was about to give... when the rat caved first. Literally. Blessedly releasing her leg, it tried to crawl away, out from under the pressure of her staff. The moment it moved slightly In Front of her, however, the force of her magic shot it across the forest floor like a bowling ball. Kya canceled the spell, falling to all fours as she heaved for breath. She knew she was in bad shape; she couldn''t feel anything below her left knee, and reaching up, found blood dripping from her right eye. But she would not let this fucking rat just walk away. Before it was for the quest. Now it was personal. With a roar of defiance, she used her staff one more time. Not on the slowly fleeing rat, and not on one of the several stones in the area, but on the meters long banner still laying where she had first stood in the center of her makeshift ambush. Streaming towards her, she lined up the shot. Focusing on the center symbol of the interlocking triangles, Kya launched it out towards the monster. Less than a heartbeat later, and it was enveloped, wrapped several times over by the slash-resistant fabric. Struggling more and more, and only entangling itself further, it was, momentarily, trapped. Crawling hand over hand towards it, she got shakily to her feet just as its head broke out of the tangle of cloth. For a long moment, neither of them moved. A beam of sunlight (sunslight?) had broken through the canopy of leaves above and now bathed them both in a natural spotlight. They stared at each other, unblinking, until the rat just barely started to growl, and opened its mouth as if to scream. A clearer sign, Kya did not need. She brought the butt of her staff down directly into the eye of the creature. It punctured right through the skull, and though she was planning to bring it up and strike down again, her injured leg gave out the moment she heard that familiar, grating, wonderfully condescending voice. - - - - - - You have defeated Forest Dweller Rat - 1-Star - Uncommon - Progress on Foraging in the Forest updated: - Kill 10 common monsters, 10/10 - - - - - - QUEST COMPLETED! You have successfully killed ten of the woodland creatures that, up until now, had been going about their days in the forest undisturbed. But hey, they were malicious assholes, so who can blame you! - Reward: Boots of the Spatial Mage - 1-Star - Common - Bonus Reward: Fang of the Feral Rat - 1-Star - Common - - - - - - NEW QUEST Climbing the Ladder: You have discovered that the 1-Star monsters come in multiple varieties. Sure, the discovery nearly lost you your leg, if not your life... but if you don''t seek them out, they will seek you out. Seriously, don''t make them come to you. It won''t. End. Well. - Objective: Kill 10 1-Star Monsters above common rarity - Progress: 1/10 - Time Remaining: 47hrs:59min:55sec - Reward: Gloves of the Spatial Mage - 1-Star - Uncommon - - - - - Kya hadn''t read these messages. Instead allowing the narrator to simply do it for her as she lay on her back, staring up through the pink and green leaves at the sky above. She didn''t know what it was, but that tone truly grated on her every last nerve. Beside her, the pile of cloth seemed to deflate, as the monster contained within had been taken by the shadows. This finally signaled to Kya to sit up and decide what to do next. Now, see, Kya had her priorities straight. Her leg was still steadily spilling out blood, the loss of which definitely hadn''t affected her judgment. Certainly not. It was absolutely the reasonable move to take out and see the new items she had earned through her hard work, and only drink the healing potion as an afterthought. Downing the shot of vital energy while identifying the first of her haul from the disastrous encounter, she read silently. A frown creased her face as she realized that even though it only narrated the important notifications, she couldn''t help but read every message in that same voice. - - - - - - Item - Boots of the Spatial Mage - Rarity - 1-Star - Common - Description - Durable traveling boots for a mage on the move. Although they don''t seem to boast the sturdiest of construction, they will resist most forms of damage from low level attacks. Additionally, they can enhance any spatial abilities used by the wearer. - Enchantments - Basic Spatial Affinity, Basic Defense - Requirements - Spatial Affinity - - - - - - Item - Feral Fang of the Rat - Rarity - 1-Star - Common - Description - Crafted from the upper and lower fangs of a 1-Star Uncommon Forest Dweller Rat, this dagger is not only incredibly sharp, but incredibly durable as well. - Enchantments - N/A - Requirements - N/A - - - - - Kya wanted to try on the boots immediately, who wouldn''t want to put on their new pair of magic boots but was rather forced to look down and study her leg. The single potion hadn''t done as much as she would have hoped. She knew the damage from the bite alone had been extensive, not to mention the clawing and scratching the little gremlin had done. The good news was, it wasn''t bleeding anymore, having sealed over somewhat. The bad news was the large dent in the side of her leg where the muscle and fat had been ripped out. She could still move her toes, but flexing her foot caused a bolt of pain to shoot up her spine like lightning. Taking out another healing potion, she was about to down it as well when a feeling in her stomach made her almost retch. It was like she had smelled a gallon of milk left forgotten in the sun for a couple of months, and then used it to collect dog poop for good measure. It was purely revolting, and her body would not allow her to drink it no matter what else was happening. Recoiling and throwing the vial to the ground, spilling its contents, she was stuck wondering what the hell was wrong with it. They had always tasted sort of bland, like warm water with a bit of lemon or something, but never... that. An idea striking Kya, she waited several minutes, before pulling out a second vial and hesitantly bringing it to her nose. She took a skeptical inhale and, to her intense relief, smelled only that faint scent of citrus. Downing it immediately, Kya nodded to herself in confirmation. The logic behind it was completely beyond her, but she supposed it made some kind of sense. Potions had a cooldown timer of sorts, meaning she couldn''t take five in the span of a couple seconds. Handy information to have, she thought. The pain in her leg subsided as the potion took effect, then with a groan, Kya felt her leg muscles reattach and regrow, looking like snakes wriggling under her skin. Even a second potion wasn''t enough to correct the damage a hundred percent, as she still had a large scar from the bite, and smaller scratches on various other places, it was good enough for her that she could now stand without pain. Eagerly, she kicked off the torn up and broken-down fuzzy slippers she had been calling footwear up until now, thanked them for their service, and stored them away in her pouch before finally putting on her boots. From the outside, they seemed truly nothing special. They were a dark gray, with the look of soft leather. They went up about half of Kya''s shin, just covering her newfound scar. They had a half inch heel on the back, and... well, that was about it. However, the moment she stood in them, Kya was almost brought to tears. They were comfortable. Transcendently, inexplicably, magically comfortable. It was like literally walking on a silk road, or a marshmallow cloud, or... Kya was at a loss. These boots would stay with her for the rest of her life. However long, however short, she would suffer no other footwear than these. Collecting her materials before leaving the clearing, she first began walking... then jogging... then full-on sprinting back towards the abandoned temple in which she''d awoken. Although she had spent several hours wandering the woods, she had stayed within about a mile of the structure, using it as her one and only true landmark for navigation. Kya was tired. She had just been through a taxing fight with a crazy Rat-demon and spent most of the day snacking on nuts and berries she could scrounge that her skill told her weren''t going to kill her if eaten raw. But caught up in the sheer wonder of stepping down in her god-tier boots as opposed to the slippers, she made it back to the temple in a matter of only a few minutes. Recalling survival training she''d had with the military, Kya took out her dagger, and used it to first cut several branches from the nearby overgrowth. Then shaving the bark off each into a small pile of scraps at her feet, she combined it with some dry grass and dead leaves that had been in the sun all day and struck a nearby stone with her blade to make sparks. Within an hour of her return to the courtyard, she was sitting on the stone bench by the remains of the fountain, eating a juicy, albeit unseasoned, kebab of aggressive rabbit meat. As she watched the suns begin their slow descent in the, presumably, western sky, she reflected on what she had learned in her first day here in this chaos. She had been delighted to find that the uncommon rat had provided quite the donation to her storage pouch in and of itself. Where the lesser variants provided a crystal, a token, and sometimes a healing potion, the growth seemed to be multiplicative as she went up in scale. She had received two crystal shards, an uncommon token, and four total healing potions. Which made her think... Kya pulled up the text of her new quest Climbing the Ladder to be sure. She had been laying on the ground half-conscious after all, and wanted to make sure she wasn''t simply misremembering. But no, the objective was clear. She wasn''t asked to hunt down ten uncommon monsters, but just ones that were above common rarity. She had assumed the bonus reward of her last quest was because she killed something stronger than was expected. So then... Part of her wondered why she was so excited to go out on the hunt. Twenty-four hours ago, she was grading papers and sipping a homemade cocktail. But at that moment, watching the setting of unfamiliar suns, she was filled with anticipation. She knew today had been bad, almost killing her, and proving just how unprepared she really was. But at the same time, it had been so damn exhilarating. Therefore, when she thought about the fact that she would probably get even more, learn even more, and achieve even more from going after a rare monster... Kya couldn''t help but eagerly await the next morning. 4. Make Haste If ever you asked, well everyone in the empire would say Orrin was a humble man. It might not be the first thing out of people''s mouths when speaking of him, but it was the most common one on which people seemed so often to land. He had worked his way up in power through determination and a work ethic bordering on insanity. He claimed deeds that were rightfully his, but never bragged or boasted about them, merely acknowledging them. This attitude and general competence had gained him universal respect and admiration from those under him, grudging respect and envy from those around him, and had gained him the attention of the only one truly above him. This is what had earned him his spot in the pantheon. Not as one of the gods, of course, not even close. But serving directly under his god, in a position of extreme honor and prestige. A position envied by every other mortal in existence, apart from the nine other aides, he supposed. But Orrin truly felt that even they had to envy him his position. Though he was sure they loved, admired, and respected their own deities, his was simply superior. Kind hearted, soft spoken, just, honorable, his lord was the very picture of a divinity. He looked resplendent in his armor, looking like the shifting sands as he moved, with accents of gold webbing across his shoulders and chest like cracks of the greater sun. His tanned skin contrasted against the shifting armor to show off his squared jaw and piercing yellow eyes. Though he had once had midnight black hair, it was now touched with streaks of gray at the temples, his well kept beard now more salt and pepper than the true black it had once been. His armor was, despite its quality, considered mundane. Plain looking when compared to the intricate works of art many of his peers and soldiers wore, but Orrin took care of it, and had for years, making it an inseparable piece of equipment for him. He had always been taught, always believed, and always maintained and instilled in his subordinates the idea that you should always maintain your equipment. If you have free time in the evenings, before resting in your bunks, before going out for drinks with your comrades, tend to your arms and armor. Take care of them and they will take care of you. Perhaps it was the humility, perhaps it was the genuine care he took for those with whom he worked, but his subordinates always knew they could come to him with any issue, any concern, any news good or bad, and be heard by Orrin. Which was why, as he stood on one of the great terraces in the capital city Loterre looking out on the city below, he was unsurprised when one of the captains under his command approached him. "Good afternoon, Sayrin. Tell me, how is your son recovering?" Asked Orrin, his voice a deep baritone, but touched by genuine curiosity. "Very well sir, the bone has been completely restored, and the muscles reattached. He still favors his right, but he''s slowly returning to normalcy. He should be able to return to active duty in a matter of weeks." replied Sayrin, standing formally at attention as he spoke. "Sayrin," Orrin chuckled, "I''ve told you countless times you needn''t stand on formalities for me, please, relax." Smiling in return, Sayrin relaxed his posture somewhat, clasping his hands behind his back and putting his feet shoulder width apart. "Of course, sir, it won''t happen again." Both of them knew well that it would, and most likely within the hour. "Sir" Sayrin said, taking a more serious tone "There was an incident in the crystal chambers early this morning." "Oh? Which crystal was it that reacted?" asked Orrin, intrigued but not concerned. "The rose quartz, sir." At this, Orrin''s entire bearing changed from one of routine to one of undisguised shock that showed on his face at the news "The spatial stone? That could spell trouble." He mused for a moment, and then a moment more, until finally he asked, "Any word of collapse from one of the breaks?" "No sir, we sent out status checks to all of our holdings immediately after and heard nothing out of the ordinary from any of them." "Hmmm" Orrin said, once again falling into momentary contemplation. "Most likely then, it means a collapse for another nation. We hold quite a few of them, but not all. Send word to our allies first, if they aren''t already aware of themselves. Though if we haven''t heard anything yet. it''s probably not one of theirs." "Sir, could this also be the appearance of a new break?" Asked Sayrin, excitement on his face at the possibility. "Absolutely it could" Orrin replied, wanting to foster that excitement rather than shoot it down out of hand. "They are exceedingly rare, but the appearance of a new break would be a century defining occurrence. The last one to appear was before I even gained a class, some... eighty years ago I think? I suppose we are about due for another actually" Drumming his fingers on the railing of the balcony, Orrin looked at Sayrin, waiting excitedly on the orders for which he held such hope. "Alright, take your company" He finally said with a laugh. "Go to the library and get the maps on the most likely locations for a new break. I have no concept of the logic behind it, but they somehow found a pattern to their appearances." Almost giddy with excitement, Sayrin beamed as he said "Absolutely, we''ll make preparations today, and make haste in the morning. Thank you sir!" He saluted, right hand across his chest fist to shoulder, and practically ran to alert his troops. "Sayrin!" Pausing at the door to the terrace and turning back, he asked "Yes sir?" "Start in the south. I can''t say why, but something tells me the rose forest is the place to start." The rose forest was notorious to their nation, and their army in particular. There was a good reason they stayed away despite its low leveled monster population perfect for their newer recruits. This had a sobering effect on Sayrin, who nodded sharply, then left the balcony to carry out his mission. Orrin returned his gaze outward, southward in fact. Again, not sure what drew his focus to that region, or why the forest in particular kept taking hold of his thoughts. A reaction in the spatial gem meant a strong instance of spatial magic had occurred in the world. Most nations had a similar apparatus to warn them of powerful events and allow them time to react. These normally took the form of natural phenomena. A powerful storm triggering the silver stone, an earthquake triggering their own golden one, and so on. But they also reacted to the gods. Each stone was attuned to the power of their respective divine, and if they were ever to use a direct and concerted form of their power, it would trigger a reaction just the same. So, of course, the most likely explanation of a spatial reaction was the birth or death of a break. Gazing so far into the horizon, he felt he should be able to see the end of the world, Orrin contemplated the other explanation. The only other explanation. A new spatial user had been born. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Kya woke with a sneeze as the blue sun peeked over the trees. Gazing up with groggy eyes, she looked up at the wondrous effect the little blue sun had on the sunrise. It was creating the most beautiful shades of purple and green she had ever witnessed. Before too long, it was joined by the second sun. Normalizing the sunrise into a familiar burnt orange sky, however it still held onto bands of emerald green streaking out here and there. It was something so simple, the sun rising in the morning, but the sheer and exultant wrongness of it held Kya''s gaze captive. She stared, unmoving, for most of the morning. Simply content to watch as the yellow sun slowly exerted its dominance, transforming the sky to its regular blue. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Stretching, Kya stood and began to pack up her campsite. She had slept on several of the banners layered one on top of the other to create a simple bed roll. It was a chilly night, but her sweatshirt and the embers of her fire had been more than enough to sleep comfortably. She left out the banner used on the rat yesterday, now easily identified by the dried blood streaked across its surface. Kya was delighted to find that it hadn''t soaked into the surface, and after a gentle shave with her dagger, the dried blood flaked away leaving the banner in pristine condition once more. At least, pristine for now. But not for long. It took several minutes of cutting and slashing, but eventually, she managed to overcome the inherent resistance to tear of stripes of cloth. Though they were thin, the fabric had shown, both against the rats, and her own blade, to be incredibly resilient. Pulling off her wrecked sweatpants, she began wrapping her thighs and calves in what would be a makeshift armor set. Tying it off, she stood and experimentally tried moving and walking. Her knees had been left unwrapped to maintain as much flexibility as possible, but hopefully, this would still provide a formidable layer of protection. She pulled back on her pants, then her *heavenly* boots, and moved to the next are. Her legs weren''t the only areas getting decked out. Her biceps and forearms were now also wrapped in the makeshift armor. It might not do much, but anything was better than nothing. She was also willing to wager these cloth strips would be a far cry better than nothing. Kya had wanted to make a shirt or cape or something as well, to protect her back, chest, and stomach. But she was worried about putting an intensely tear resistant fabric around her neck. She settled for a simple stomach wrap, almost like a tube top. It left her shoulders exposed, but scroungers can''t be choosers. Putting the leftover scraps of her banner back in her bag, Kya went over and studied her reflection in the still clear water on the surface of the pond. Twenty-Four hours since her awakening here, and already she felt... different. Oh, the dirty, makeup-less face wasn''t anything new. Too many days waking up in far too similar a position while doing field exercises had accustomed her being out in the wilderness. It was more the look on her face. Her shoulder length black hair tied back in a simple tail, her brown eyes alert and focused, she looked... Determined. Like the spark behind her eyes that had always been there had finally ignited. Her magic bag on her left side, her knife now joining it strapped to her left with a simple loop, Kya took her staff in hand and headed into the woods. She had some monster slaying to be getting on with. Pulling up the timers of her two active quests, she grimaced at the time wasted sleeping. - - - - - Quest: A New Perspective - Objective: Survive the forest and make it to the town ahead. - Time Remaining: 5d:22hrs:51min:32sec - Reward: Class Selection - - - - - Quest: Climbing the Ladder - Objective: Kill 10 Common rarity Monsters above 1-Star. - Progress: 1/10 - Time Remaining: 37hrs:46min:50sec - Reward: Gloves of the Spatial Mage - Uncommon - - - - - If the Rat was anything to go by, the uncommon variants were forces to be reckoned with. This meant simply charging in wouldn''t remotely be a smart move, but she was also certain that each one would take some time to find and kill. She hadn''t ventured far from the temple yesterday, but still had only found a single more powerful variant the entire time she looked. If she hoped to find any of the 3-Stars, Kya might spend the rest of her time searching and never even catch a glimpse. Still, without any knowledge of how these animals worked, or where to find them, all she could do for now was search. She headed directly towards the village ahead, keeping the rising suns to her right. This theoretically meant she was going north, but... who knew if this place even had a north. Or a single north. What if there were two norths? Such were the thoughts of Kya as she walked through the forest, in search of prey. Fortunately for her and her inner monologue, she didn''t have to wait long. Finding another common rabbit scrounging in the underbrush already pausing and looking around, she quickly hunched down and began slowly making her approach. The rabbits were, as the name suggested, overly aggressive. Although pretty cute with their fluffy fur and round ears, they gained not only about a foot in height, but also retractable talons the size of house keys that extended from their arms and feet, putting her in mind of a certain mutant from her world. This made their quick feet and fast swipes considerably more intimidating than the fluffiness would lead one to believe. The moment the monster saw her, it stamped its foot several times in quick succession, before launching at her like a rocket. Wanting to test her new makeshift armor against something reasonably tamer than the abomination of an uncommon rat fiend, Kya, who was now also up and running, used her staff to push back on the rabbit. Not repelling it completely, but just enough to stun it for a moment. She then caught the rabbit on one of her arms as it jumped up towards her. Scratching away with both front and rear claws, it furiously racked her arm for a full count of three before detaching and hopping away to reassess. Though there were noticeable scratches in her wraps, no actual tears. A more powerful or dedicated attacker could probably get through them or use sheer blunt force to break the bones underneath, but Kya was overall quite satisfied with her new slash resistance. The rabbit, on the other hand, looked confusedly up at her. Clearly, the frenzied scratch method was usually a winner for the little guy. However, as is often the case, confusion was quickly funneled into fuel for the aggression, and the rabbit once more launched an attack. Fully repelling it now, Kya shot the rabbit into a tree, where it lay momentarily stunned. Then, pulling it back to her, she held out her fang dagger as the rabbit was inevitably impaled upon it. A smart idea? Kya thought so. Heavily inspired by paddle ball? Of course. Did she regret it, absolutely. The blood of the rabbit so cleverly impaled two inches in front of her... had of course erupted out to cover her arm and most of her torso. Retching slightly as she got the notification confirming the kill, she felt intense relief when the black shade that claimed the bodies of the monsters also claimed the blood as well. She could swear it was still on her though. It was like when she took a shower after being covered in filth, but needed to take a second one to be confident she was actually clean. She was happy to find more rabbit meat in her pouch though, along with the usual token, crystal, and vile. She had gotten a chunk of rat meat from one of the lesser rats yesterday... but there was no way she''d eat rat meat when she had rabbit meat. She would if she had to, rats were better than starvation, but there was just something about the idea that made her stomach go a little queasy. Continuing on, Kya spent most of the day in this fashion. Hunting the monsters she saw, all the while expanding her understanding of the staff, and the powers it granted. Growing frustrated by the lack of suitable prey, she stopped as the suns began their descent in the sky, and made a small fire in a clearing. She had prepared a suitable pile of kindling last night, and stored it in her bag for later use, so after collecting some wood, the process went rather quickly of skewering and roasting some of her aggressive rabbit meat. She sat cross-legged, slowly turning the meat to evenly cook it, when she finally found what she had been searching for. Or rather, it found her. A small bird flashed by so quickly, it was like one of those flipbook animations she made as a kid. There was nothing... then a bird clutching at her food with outstretched talons... then nothing again, including the frustrating absence of her lunch. Looking wildly in every direction, Kya finally spotted the bird perched in a tree some distance away, taking rapid darting bites of her rabbit. - - - - - *** NEW CREATURE IDENTIFIED *** - Avian Isela - 1-Star - Uncommon - The Isela are small scavenger birds. They utilize the wind to allow them additional speed when airborne, letting them get in and get out without suffering much risk. But don''t let their size fool you. Though they are small, they can be vicious when provoked. - - - - - It was about the size of a Kya''s forearm in length, maybe a full foot if it stretched out its neck. It had dark burgundy feathers on the top, and a soft whitish-pink coat of feathers on its underside. It was about halfway through her rabbit when it looked up and noticed Kya staring. It opened its beak and released a shrill, high pitched screech at her, flapping its wings to try and intimidate, Kya guessed. It kind of worked too, as Kya noticed for the first time, it didn''t have two wings, but four. Two major ones that spread out to at least two and a half feet on either side, and two smaller ones further down its body only about a foot in length each. Going from the size of a large tennis shoe to the size of a large T.V. in appearance was a hefty intimidation tactic to be sure, but it mostly just excited Kya. She got to her feet, readied her staff, and drew her dagger. Finally, she had found a worthy opponent. Their battle would be le- The bird darted away, taking with it the skewer of meat. Dumbfounded, Kya stood still for a second, before making haste and sprinting after the isela yelling "Get back here!" 5. Running Ragged It had been fifteen minutes. A full fifteen minutes. A full fifteen minutes of running. Kya had always considered herself as someone who enjoyed running. She had run in high school, joined the running club in college, and always crushed the running part of any fitness test in the military. She still went running at least two or three times a week to stay in shape. She liked the feeling after a run of being sore, telling her that she had done something well, and had improved. However, Kya was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, she had an unhealthy relationship with running. It was like short term memory loss. She always looked forward to running. She liked to plan the routes, research the weather, and pick an optimal time day. She liked to recover from runs, savoring that first sip of water after a hard workout. Stretching her muscles and knowing the benefits of what she¡¯d just accomplished. As she chased after that damn bird, Kya thought about how terrible running was. Everything hurt, her breathing was ragged, her heart beating so fast she swore she could hear it. She knew she had felt it before, and that she would somehow convince herself again when this was over that running was great¡­ but she didn¡¯t think so now. The obnoxious bird wasn¡¯t helping matters. For the last sixteen minutes, the bird would fly ahead, perch on a branch, take a bite of the rabbit, shoot arrow-like feathers at her (which the description had NOT mentioned), and then screech loudly before flying on. Kya would have to, in return, keep running if she wanted to even remotely keep pace. All the while watching her footing for roots and vines, and deflecting the feathers periodically sent her way. And repeat. Just as they reached their seventeenth minute of running, the bird once again stopped, and took a bite of the food. The last bite of the food. The lunch that Kya would never get to enjoy. As it flicked away the small stick used to roast the meat, Kya decided that she had officially had enough. Normally, she would have let it go, as it was clearly too fast to chase down, and not worth the effort for only a chance at getting it back. Not only the theft, but repeated volleys of feathers and the taunting screech had made her determined to hunt it down. Though the bird was far away, Kya could clearly see it. And if she could see it, she could pull on it. With total and utter concentration, not a difficult task with the entirety of her ire from the situation and the extended and unexpected foot race directed at the bird, she pulled. Hard. She had failed to consider two things. First, the bird was a good distance from her, farther than anything she''d ever tried to affect with the staff. The sensation was similar to when she had tried to lift the massive chunk of stone in the temple. It still worked, dragging the bird towards her with a surprised and outraged screech, but it drained her immensely. Second was that the isela was, in fact, a bird. This meant that while the other monsters she had encountered would flail about helplessly as they were drawn towards her, the bird instead used its four wings to reclaim control over its path. So rather than uncontrolled chaos, the monster was gliding smoothly towards her, and rather unhappy about it. It sent a concerted attack her way, with more than a dozen feathers flying much faster than the bird itself. Not wanting to release the bird from her control, she quickly jumped to the right... and was immediately annoyed even further when the feathers changed their trajectories to her new position. The bird had god damned heat seeking missiles. Snarling, Kya let go of the bird and, targeting each arrow individually, used a mass repulsion. Again recalling the day of experimentation, she was struck by the first time she had ever touched the staff. Using it on every item in the temple at once and instantly staggering from the strain. This wasn''t nearly as bad, but nevertheless drained Kya''s energy to the point her vision started to get a little fuzzy around the edges. She might be able to use one or two more abilities with the staff, but she was nearing her limits here. If she were to pass out... she didn''t think the isela would let her wake up. This was all but confirmed as the bird was diving at her from above, four wings outstretched, razor sharp talons extended. Putting her left arm up over her head, she readied her dagger in her right hand. Starting to swing half a second before the monster struck, Kya was rewarded with the tug on the blade that meant she''d landed her blow. Wincing in pain as a jagged gash had opened on her elbow, but then grunting in satisfaction, she saw at her feet one of the smaller wings had been severed from her blow. Looking at her arm, she saw five shallow gouge marks on the cloth wrapping. The first layer had been sliced through, but not the second or third. It paid to be thorough, she thought in satisfaction. The slash on her elbow wasn''t too bad either, mostly just a shallow cut where the wrap ended to allow her arm to bend, but it was deep enough to cause her pain whenever she moved her arm. As she scanned her area, Kya saw the isela flying unsteadily to land on a nearby branch. It could still fly with just three wings, but it was clearly debilitated from the injury. Sensing the end of the fight was close, she ran towards the bird. Using her staff one more time, she pulled down on the bird dragging it from its perch. This time met the frantic movements she associated with her pushes and pulls. She was hit equally by the effects of the staff, draining her almost to her breaking point. She saw nothing except the monster in front of her as she prepared what would be the final blow. But she never got to strike. Just as she was bringing her dagger down, the bird detonated point blank like a frag-grenade. Nearly every feather on its body exploded out at an extreme velocity. They weren''t necessarily targeting her, but they didn''t need to. After only a few seconds, silence reigned around them. Leaves knocked loose from branches fluttered slowly to the ground, and new holes in the canopy above allowed in rays of sun like spotlights, dotting the now crimson forest floor. Every single piece of exposed flesh resembled nothing so much as ground beef. Fortunately, Kya had wrapped nearly her entire body. But her elbows, shoulders, and knees were almost destroyed from the final attack of the avian isela. Due entirely to luck, she had managed to move both of her arms to cover her face and neck, allowing her to at least survive the attack. But several feathers had passed her arms and taken chucks of hair and flesh from her skull, clipped her ear, slashed her cheek, and so on. At least thirty or forty of the feathers had lodged themselves in her cloth wrap armor. She could feel dozens of small puncture wounds all over her body. Nothing life threatening she hoped, but stinging and adding to the agony. She was alive. She was not unscathed. With excruciating pain, and losing more blood than Kya believed a person really ought to, she got a potion from her bag and brought it to her lips. She sucked in a sharp breath, it stung like rubbing alcohol in her mouth where her cheek had been slashed, but she felt the potion begin its work immediately. As with the rat, she wasn''t fully healed, not immediately. It would take two or three more potions to recover from this. But she could move her arms and legs again. groaning, she looked around for that fucking bird. Without feathers, without one of its wings, the bird had been slowly hopping away. It too was losing blood. It was regenerating the feathers on its head slowly, but it would be several hours before it could take to the skies again. "No you fucking don''t" she growled through gritted teeth. It still hurts to move. It hurt like hell. But she would not lose this fight. If the isela got away, she would consider that a loss. Taking aim, she threw her dagger directly at the creature. She might have been able to use her staff one more time, but simply didn''t have the confidence in staying conscious should she use it. Her blade spun end over end, and her luck showing again, hit dead center in its back. She watched, holding her breath, until a few seconds later, finally got the confirmation: - - - - - - You have defeated Avian Isela - 1-Star - Uncommon. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.- Progress on Climbing the Ladder updated: - Kill 10 monsters above common rarity, 2/10 - - - - - "YES" Yelled Kya, into the forest, only semi-coherent after her bought "Take that you damned chicken!" She slowly shuffled over, watching as the body was taken by the shadows. Interestingly, she noticed the shadows weren''t entirely midnight black. There was, deep within the void, a barely visible spark of light. But after only a few more seconds, the shadows dispersed, and her dagger fell soundlessly to the forest floor. She honestly couldn''t tell if the spark had really been there or not, but also honestly didn''t care much at this moment. As she returned the dagger to her waist, Kya reached in her bag, and took out the new uncommon token she''d received from the isela. It wasn''t much different from the plain dull gray ones she got from the common monsters. On one side, it had a dull iron looking star, and the other an image of the monster itself. It was a wonderful image, showing the isela as a majestic beast flying down with wings outstretched. It looked regal and noble, like something to be revered, not as a thieving scavenger. She still didn''t know what these coins were for, but this was the first fight she felt she did not for a random and ambiguous quest reward, but because she wanted to. Kya had felt driven and determined to hunt and kill the monster. For petty selfish reasons perhaps, but reasons nonetheless. She resolved to hold on to this one. It had been a damn good fight, and for that, she honestly thanked the bird. Oddly enough, the feathers it launched hadn''t disappeared with it. Meaning she now had a good four dozen of them to remove on her own. Taking a whiff on her next potion to make sure she was in the clear, Kya downed the contents and had just begun to pluck out feathers from her upper body when eight common rats, two common rabbits, and a weasel looking thing trampled their way through a bush thirty meters to her right... followed by two uncommon rats like generals on battlefield. Kya had always considered herself as someone who enjoyed running. She had decided that, sometimes, running is a fantastic use of your energy. It''s good for your health after all. The smaller rats tried to give chase but couldn''t keep up for long. They had a fantastic jump, but not the best ground speed. The uncommons, though, were built for chasing down prey. They were nothing compared to the isela, but they didn''t need to be. It just needed to wear her down. Not to be out shown simply by rarity, the common rabbits also kept up perfectly well. The aggressive little bastards had laid eyes on her and weren''t likely to let her go so easily. Kya''s only plan at this point was to stall until she could drink another potion. Her arms still blazed with pain when she bent them too far, and each step pained her knees like she had arthritis. If it was just one of the creatures, she could probably have taken it. But all four together, two rats and two rabbits, that was simply too much. And so, she ran. She had a potion in one hand, her thumb over the small opening to keep its contents from spilling out as she made her prolonged escape. After only a couple of minutes though, she was able to smell the sweet lemony scent rather than the nauseating one and downed the contents immediately. Step one complete, ensure I can actually fight these things. Theoretically anyway. But now she actually had to... yah know... do that. Wanting to take out the largest threats first, she had a stupid hare-brained idea that immediately seemed not only plausible, but pretty cool too. Jumping up and spinning to face the rat, she briefly saw surprise register in its black eyes before she used her staff to fire her dagger outwards like a gun shot while still airborne. It made her slightly woozy, still not quite recovered from the isela, but she knew she couldn''t take any chances with an uncommon monster. So, pushing herself, she also pulled the rat towards the incoming dagger with an incoherent yell. She ignored the notification, immediately minimizing it as the other rat snarled in outrage and jumped at Kya right as she landed. The two rabbits right behind following suit. Not thinking, and simply working on instinct alone, she repelled the giant rat with a powerful jab of her staff, launching it back the way they''d come. The two rabbits both landed, one on her leg and the other on her chest. They began clawing at her like paper shredders, but her cloth armor truly proved its worth, withstanding the frenzy of attacks and only showing minor damage as a result. Quickly, Kya slashed at the one on her chest, almost impaling herself in the process. Cursing the close call, she moved to take the second one as well, before it tried to jump away. But she was not so easily escaped as that. Pulling the knife back with a debilitating cramp in her stomach, Kya impaled the animal before it could hit the ground again. One final time, she ignored the notification as she looked for the uncommon critter she''d sent flying. It had easily been fifteen or thirty seconds by now, it should ha- It jumped on her back from the bushes behind her, having stalked around in the intervening time. "AGH!" Kya cried out as it bit down on her exposed shoulder, causing her to drop her knife to the forest floor. Its claws, luckily, did not find purchase against her cloth armor and could do much more than ineffectively scramble. That wasn''t much of a comfort to Kya at the moment as the same fangs used to make her dagger were currently lodged in her bones. Desperation winning out, she jumped and fell back on the rat, crushing it underneath her body weight. She pulled her dagger to her hand, then drove it over her shoulder and directly into the skull of the rat. This simple action proved to be a step too far. She felt warm blood roll down her cheek as her right eye went completely black from overusing the staff. Kya dropped to the ground with an "oof" as the rat dissolved into shadows. She laid there for several long seconds, just breathing. Her fight with the isela had been absolutely draining, throwing the rats and rabbits on top of that had been debilitating. But, not wanting a repeat of what just happened, Kya dragged herself up leaning heavily on her staff, and shuffled away from the fight. Not in any particular direction, she was too tired to think of things as mundane as direction. Just away. Pulling up the notifications as she walked, she looked through them all - - - - - - You have defeated Forest Dweller Rat - 1-Star - Uncommon. - Progress on Climbing the Ladder updated: - Kill 10 monsters above common rarity, 3/10 - - - - - - You have defeated Aggressive Rabbit - 1-Star - Common. - - - - - - You have defeated Aggressive Rabbit - 1-Star - Common. - - - - - - You have defeated Forest Dweller Rat - 1-Star- Uncommon. - Progress on Climbing the Ladder updated: - Kill 10 monsters above common rarity, 4/10 - - - - - Happy with the progress to her quest, but exhausted from the effort it had taken, Kya finally leaned against a tree and slid softly to the ground. Uncorking another potion, she downed its contents as well. It was fortunate the monsters were so forthcoming with their bountiful loot, or she''d be dead already. ~ ~ ~ According to her timer, she spent one hour and eight minutes sitting against the tree and recovering. The common rats hadn''t ever approached. Either giving up the chase or deciding that if the uncommons hadn''t managed the kill, they probably shouldn''t bother. In this time, Kya made some important, albeit unfortunate discoveries. Firstly, using her timer, she concluded the time between potions varied between ten and fifteen minutes. She wasn''t sure what the reason was for the variation, but assumed it had to do with the amount of damage recovered. As she got more and more healed, the potions needed to do less and less. It wasn''t a concrete theory, but it made sense to her. Secondly, while it seemed the health potions could repair, and even somewhat regenerate, they could not regrow completely. They also wouldn''t restore a muscle to its exact previous state. For example, while she had been healed of most of her wounds after taking 4 separate healing potions, they hadn''t fully healed her. Her left shoulder now popped uncomfortably if she lifted the arm too high, and she could feel the weakness in the arm compared to her right. It was if the muscles needed to reacclimate. Her leg had eventually felt good as new after regrowing the small piece of muscle yesterday, so it would happen. It just needed time. Kya also assumed if she could get her hands on some more powerful healing potions, there would be more marvelous effects. Instant healing, recovering from would be fatal wounds, even limb regrowth like the rats should be on the table. But for now, lengthy recovery periods were what she could expect. Through the trees, Kya could see the suns had drifted ever onward. She still had a few hours until sunset and wanted to make the most out of it. Determined to make further progress on her quest before returning to the church for the night... Oh. "Well damn" she thought with sudden realization. She had run several miles in a random direction following the isela, then run further in another random direction away from the subsequent mob. She was absolutely and totally lost. Climbing a tree, she tried to look around for any notable landmarks, but simply saw the pink and green trees in every direction. Dropping back to the ground, she thought about what to do. Ultimately, she was going to have to leave the temple tomorrow anyway in order to make it to the city on time for her quest. She knew from watching the suns rise on her right side and set on her left side that the city was vaguely to the north of the temple. As her only true guide at the moment, Kya set the suns to her left, and began walking in what she hoped was the correct direction. She still had a couple hours of daylight left and wanted to make the most of it. 6. How Many is Too Many As the suns began their final descent in the sky, the forest canopy above was set alight with radiant colors of deepest reds and oranges, richest purples and greens. They made Kya feel truly blessed to be where she was. Or they would have if this weasel would just die already. - - - - - *** NEW CREATURE IDENTIFIED *** - Wiggler - 1-Star - Uncommon - The Wigglers are a slippery bunch. They''ll track you down from miles away just to scratch you in your sleep and then leave before you can throw something at them. They also have a collection of odd abilities that are extremely helpful to know when fighting them. - - - - - Kya swore on everything sacred in her life, the fucking AI voice had muffled laughter at the end of that description. She''d be a lot more bothered by the apparent disdain it had for her life-or-death struggles if this actually felt life or death. She had walked for about an hour after fighting the small group, when the weasel looking thing from all the way back with the rest of the monsters jumped at her out of nowhere. She had, without even a second thought, slashed it out of the air with a back handed dagger blow. Only for it to seemingly bend space and move its body like a liquid to avoid the strike. Any other creature and this would have spelled disaster for her, but this little thing only made small scratches at her exposed flesh with its nails, not even breaking the skin most of the time. This had been a relief, but as the fight was dragging out, she became more and more annoyed. There was obviously some trick to its insane dodges, but her system wouldn''t tell her, leaving her trial and error to figure it out. If she slashed it wiggled out of the way. If she stabbed, it wiggled around the blade. If she whacked it with her staff, it curled around it like a snake, scampering up to bite her fingers. Again, it wasn''t that big or threatening, only about a foot long from snout to tail, but she genuinely had no idea how to deal with it. Until finally, something changed. The coloring of its fur, until now brown and red stripes working their way down its back, changed as she watched. One of the red stripes faded to the same rusty brown around it when it made one of its fantastical dodges. Catching on, Kya made another slash at the beast, and sure enough, another red stripe turned to brown. Thinking she had its number now, and it was only a matter of time, she slashed away like a madman, forcing it to use up its now limited number of escapes. However, when it had only a handful of red stripes left on its body, the weasel up and ran, not willing to risk its life for the attacks. This, more than anything else so far in this place, pissed Kya off. Every other animal, beast, monster, whatever, herself included, put their lives on the line to get stronger. Win or die, that was the way of this jungle. But when it was out of supernatural get out of jail free cards, the weasel wasn''t willing to stay and fight? No, no, no. That wasn''t how this worked. (In the back of her mind, Kya knew that she herself had run from a fight earlier that very day, but truly felt this was different... also she never claimed to not be a hypocrite.) Pulling it back, Kya slashed again, causing it to use up one more stripe. Squealing in panic now, it began writhing in the air, sprinting in sporadic movements on the ground, anything it could do to try and escape. But finally, with one more stroke of the blade, she got her notification. - - - - - - You have defeated Wiggler - 1-Star - Uncommon. - Progress on Climbing the Ladder updated: - Kill 10 monsters above common rarity, 5/10 - - - - - Kya was shocked but delighted to know that the dumb little weasel had in fact been an uncommon beast. Truly, not all monsters were created equal. If the isela had possessed this thing''s dodge abilities, Kya would surely be dead. Taking a cue from her last fight, she didn''t stick around at the site of the battle with the wiggler. She walked for about another half hour in what she again hoped was the right direction, before setting up a makeshift camp. The smaller sun disappeared first, returning the sunset to its more mundane brilliance. Kya started her fire in the dwindling light, happy with her small precautions. She had lined her small clearing with stones from the temple she''d stored in her bag and placed several sharpened sticks at regular intervals as well. It was far from an impenetrable wall, more like a vague outline, but she wasn''t willing to dedicate too much time and energy to what would ultimately be a temporary camp. Laying out on her sleeping roll of piled banners, she ate the last of her dinner before downing a health potion for good measure. She hadn''t really needed it, but without a readily available water source, figured these would keep her hydrated relatively well. She stared up at the sky, and the stars beginning to peek out from behind the clouds, and simply hoped for two things, and two things only. One that she wouldn''t be rained on, and two that she wouldn''t be murdered in her sleep. ~ ~ ~ It seemed the universe had a sense of humor. No, Kya was not dead, thankfully. But she was woken up by a sharp bite to her hand. Tearing off the banner she used as her blanket, she saw to her horror, a spider. Now, Kya had of course gotten fairly used to bugs in the woods. If she went into the woods, that''s where they lived. It would be like going to someone''s house and being shocked and appalled that they were there when you walked in. They live there, of course they''re going to be there. What she had failed to consider, however, was that this wasn''t some backyard wood in Wisconsin. This wasn''t a training area outside of Columbia. This was an unknown region in a far-off planet, and she had absolutely no right to assume anything about this place. So, she used the term "Spider" quite loosely. It had a body like a baseball, with eight shiny black legs glinting off of the dying embers nearby. If ever someone were to ask, Kya would not hesitate to say that eight legs... was far too many legs. After it bit her hand, it had crawled down her torso and was currently making its way up towards her knee. "ewaojnfoaejno" was her only thought, as she backhanded the demon spawn with all the might of Zeus himself. However, it didn''t even have the decency to die from the smack, but squished around her hand like a water balloon, before bouncing to the ground several meters away... where she then noted that the light of the embers came to a sudden and abrupt stop... - - - - - *** NEW CREATURE IDENTIFIED *** - Necro-Spider Soldier - 1 Star - Common - The Necro-Spiders are rather vulnerable individually. They can deliver small amounts of weak neurotoxin with each bite, so don''t let them! Oh, and the thing about Necro-Spiders though... They''re never individual. You sleep tight now! - - - - - Slowly, and with deliberate calm, she put on another piece of wood, and coaxed the fire back to life, then immediately wished she hadn''t. There was not one spider. There were dozens... hundreds of spiders. All in a ring around her sleeping mat. "Ewoonhnowohnownodh" She shuddered violently, looking around at the mass of eyes and legs. At the coaxing of the flames, the wall retreated slightly. "Okay, not a fan of fire" observed Kya "which makes fire my absolute best friend right now." Remembering the mantra slow is smooth, smooth is fast, she worked as quickly and efficiently as she could to pack up her little camp, wrap a spare strip of cloth around one of the sticks, and catch it ablaze. Despite all the resistances it boasted, the cloth from the banners burned wonderfully, giving her an easy path out. Walking haltingly towards the wall of arachnids, she held out her makeshift torch. Blessedly, it had the intended effect. The spiders hated or feared the flames enough to stay away, and back away when she approached. She took her time, ensuring they were all, each and every one, backed a good distance away before taking another step. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. This repeated for several steps, truly terrifying her with the sheer number of soldiers that had managed to surround her. Finally, she saw nothing but forest ahead, and the exact same moment she had the thought "I''m going to make it!" The universe played part two of its joke. It was a good one, Kya could even see the punchline objectively as funny. But in that moment, rather than humor, she felt more as if her stomach had just fallen through a hole to exit her body completely. It started to rain. Panic began to overwhelm her rigidly held discipline, as hisses of steam and wisps of vapor started to erupt from her torch. She began to walk faster... and faster... and behind her, the creatures began to pursue, easily keeping pace. But, as the rain began to fall in earnest, her torch''s light died, allowing darkness to reign. With it, had died her last shred of hope. And so the spiders attacked. Although resistant to her slap, it seemed pointy objects were just the trick. Every single movement of her blade led to a death. They really were like water balloons, a single puncture or slash, and they leaked out a sickly green fluid while deflating, and ultimately dissolving into shadows. She got notification after notification, but simply minimized them all and kept slashing. Yet Canute could not hold back the tides. For every spider she killed, five more took its place. For every slash of her knife, three more got bites in in her shoulders, or neck, or knees, or hands. Certainly, their venom was weak, but ten doses a second, and it didn''t really matter. Her arms began to feel leaden, and soon it was all she could do just to stay standing. With her last bit of strength, she stored her dagger back in her bag, and slumped down to the muddy ground, paralyzed. Above the neck, she still had full control of her body. Which was fortunate, as she didn''t lose consciousness. Even if she wished she would. She stared out, unable to move, as the spiders crawled all over her body, burying her. A single tear left her eye, before getting washed away in the rainfall. But they didn''t kill her. Not yet at least. They instead wrapped her in webs. Binding her arms to her chest, and her legs together, they were going to continue working, when suddenly they all stopped moving. Each and every one turned as if on cue to look somewhere in the forest. All was still for a moment, before, as one, they stopped their webbing, and simply began to drag her through the woods. This was the exact moment that Kya decided, no matter how wonderous or splendid this new world could be, she would never again think of it as such. This wasn''t a vacation to a theme park. This was... this was a nightmare. And she was terrified she''d never see the sun again. After what could have been minutes, could have been hours, could have been days, the dragging and scuttling came to a stop. During the entire transit over, the spiders had given her small, but regular bites in various places. Keeping the paralysis going, she assumed. Now from the limited field of view that she had, she tried to take in her surroundings. It almost looked like a layer of snow had covered the forest. With a sickening twist, she realized it was webbing. All of it. The trees, the branches, the sky above was covered in webs. Coming to stop just above her, was the largest and most horrifying thing Kya had ever seen. With a body like a watermelon, and an enormous head jutting out in front, this spider was too... much. It was too much. Its legs were too long, its pattern too distinct, its pincers too close, its eyes... there were too many. Far too many eyes. Each showing back her face, each showing how absolutely powerless she felt. As if reflecting her situation, even the narrator of her messages seemed subdued. Not quite so enthusiastic, more somber. - - - - - *** NEW CREATURE IDENTIFIED*** - Necro-Spider King - 1-Star - Uncommon - While the Necro-Spider Queen is the most important member of the colony, the King is ultimately in charge. Through sheer oppressive control, he maintains a firm grip on the order of arachnids it calls family. Real Dad-of-the-year material over here. - - - - - After what felt like a lifetime, the King clicked his mandibles in what must have been an order, and she was taken up to hang from a tree. A single spider was left on her hand, biting her about every minute or so. It was apparently his job to ensure that she stayed sedated and docile. However, for what she felt like the first time, her identify had actually seemed to try and help. With that single hope forming into a plan, her mind clung to it like a single life raft in a stormy sea. It didn''t matter how reckless, how stupid, how ill-conceived an idea was. When the alternative was death by a thousand spiders, Kya would do anything. Her moment came after biding her time for what felt like an eternity. In truth, with the rain still pouring down, she had no way to measure time other than the regular bites of the spider on her left hand. Just before each bite, she felt her strength return for the briefest moment. She wasn''t sure if it was due to her constitution, the potion she had taken before bed, or whatever... but she ever so slowly was beating back the toxin in her blood. Now, after having waited, and waited, and waited, she put her plan into motion. She still suffered mildly from the toxin, feeling sluggish and uncoordinated, but able to move, nonetheless. Just as the spider on her hand was about to bite her again, Kya used her hand, strapped right next to her spatial bag, to pull out some rat meat she''d taken from one of the countless beasts she''d slain over the past couple days. Instantly, the spider froze in place, before scurrying across her body after the meat. Involuntarily shuddering at the sight of the spider, and renewed sensation of it touching her as it moved, she dropped the meat. That was it, her plan was for naught. This would surely alert the other spiders, and soon she would be killed for being more trouble than she was worth... But... no. The spider on her hand simply lept down after it and started eating it up where it had landed in the mud several meters below. The rain seemed to be muffling sound or smell or both, because not a single other arachnid in the nest noticed a thing. She was now alone. "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast" she repeated again. Thinking through every action before taking it, she once more reached into her bag to retrieve her dagger. Bending her wrist as far as it could go, Kya could just barely reach the webs binding her arms to her side. With simple precise movements, she wore away at the webs. Every second was ten heartbeats, ten beats on a drum to her ears. Every slash that didn''t release her and send her rocketing forward into the next part of her plan was a moment of agony, a moment of unadulterated dread. She stopped. Kya''s hands had started violently shaking, and if she dropped the knife, no. No. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. "Free yourself" she thought "Then take your revenge." With two more cuts, she felt the webs loosen, and a savage rip later, her arm was free. Stowing her knife for the moment, she now had to move as quickly as possible to make sure the rest of the plan went accordingly. She pulled out and downed a healing potion instantly. Taking another out, she held it in her mouth for the time being. Then scanning her surroundings rapidly, she found her target. Sitting at the highest point in the tangle of webs, the king lounged in the rain. Countless smaller spiders moved quickly around him, carrying- No. She didn''t want to know what they were doing. It didn''t matter. Taking out her staff and dagger again, she took aim. With not just adrenaline, but health potion in her veins, she felt alive. She felt fury. Cold, righteous anger that would frighten kings. That would frighten this king. That would kill this king. "Rot in hell" she growled past the potion in her mouth, as quicker than anything she had ever launched before, her knife disappeared from her hand, and appeared again sticking out of the king''s head. Right in the center of his multitudinous eyes. Just as his smaller brethren did, the king gushed out an eerie green liquid. With a deafening screech heard across the forest, it dissolved into shadows. Already cutting herself free from the final restraint holding her in place, Kya almost missed the definite and noticeable spark that appeared in the center of the spider King''s demise. The moment the notification appeared chaos overcame the nest. Several hundred of the larger spiders came forward, and with reckless abandon, began killing and eating one another. The several thousand smaller ones either tried to join in the fight below, only to immediately get crushed and killed by their larger counterparts, or else fled into the heart of the camp where there was a large cocoon bigger than her apartment. But either way, none of the spiders spared her so much as a thought as she used the webs like ladders and climbed to the ground. Kya would finish this tonight. One way or another, she would need to kill the queen. Not wanting to approach the melee happening in front of her, she instead prepared the final part of her plan. During her time hanging from the tree, she''d had a lot of thinking and planning going on. A good chunk of the time was also spent suppressing her disgust, fear, and revulsion at the circumstances in which she found herself, but a good portion she had been in relative control. So of course, she identified the one thing that was almost universally around her, and that was truly when her ideas cemented into plans. Coincidentally, that was also the moment she felt true gratitude towards her identify skill and its narrator. - - - - - - Item: Necro-Spider Silk - Rarity: 1-Star - Common - Description: Soft. Strong. Burns when mixed with water. - Enchantments: N/A - Requirements: N/A - - - - - Using the metal gray coin of the isela and her dagger, Kya made some sparks against the webs in the still falling rain. Downing the potion in her mouth, Kya walked through the inferno of hell''s own flame towards the cocoon holding the queen spider. Notifications absolutely flooded her mind, until she simply muted them for the time being. Apparently, she was being credited with the deaths of every spider consumed in flame. Perfection. The cocoon burned hotter and brighter than anything around it. However, the inside remained untouched for now. As it was still dry from the layers of webbing on top, it was not so easy to burn. But as those layers burnt away, the exposed webs would get wet in the rain, and the fire would reignite in them. It was only a matter of time now. But Kya wanted to do this personally. The common spiders flew at her as she entered the heart of the colony, only to be blown back with a wave of concussive force. She instantly had blood leak from her eyes after using the staff on so many so quickly, but the potion in her stomach kept her walking forward, kept her lucid and focused. The walls of the cocoon started to burn. The queen was nothing like the king. He had been massive and built for war. She was big, yes, but was only here to lay eggs. She was softer, rounder, her legs were fuzzy, like enormous pipe cleaners. If the king had been a black widow, she was a tarantula. Somewhere someone might have thought it cute. Kya ran through the collapsing roof and fiery walls and stabbed the queen. Again, and again, and again. Through each eye, through every reflection of herself, she stabbed. Long after it had dissolved into shadows, after the spiders had burned or fled, after the entire forest had gone silent, Kya sat in the rain, her knife sunk to the hilt in the mud. ~ ~ ~ As the blue sun broke over the horizon, the purple and green sunrise heralded in a new day. Kya retrieved her dagger, placed the sunrise to her right, and kept walking towards the city, leaving billowing black smoke in her wake. She intended to keep her promise. She would not sleep in this forest again. 7. A Glimpse at the Top They had made excellent time. After the flare up on the Spatial stone, Sayrin had taken his entire company, and the next morning been on a ship bound for the rose forest, and the coastal city Lyra. After a mere twenty-four hours at sea, they had spotted land, and would be arriving shortly. "These new ships those creties built were damn fast" thought Sayrin with respect, watching his soldiers gather in the mess cabin. As they would be arriving in the next thirty minutes or so, he had called his troops below deck to have a final briefing. "Alright, brief me on the situation... Mouley." Called Sayrin once he had everyone. The entire cabin sighed collectively. "What? It''s important we''re all tracking the same information. So, one more time, Mouley, what''s the situation." "Sir" chimed in Aldrin "I agree with double checking, but if I''ve counted correctly, I think this will be quadruple checking. Maybe let the soldiers go back up and watch the approach?" "No can-do lieutenant. If every single one of you doesn''t know this plan forwards and back, we might as well turn the ship around. So, once more, Mouley you''ve had plenty of time for Delv to whisper the answer to you. What''s the situation, come on. In a rough, rural accent, Mouley stood and answered, "Well sir, we had a hit on the spatial stone, and as such, were ordered here to investigate by Orrin himself." Then he promptly sat down, looking pleased. "Thank you Mouley, Delv! Since you''re being so helpful anyway, what are we looking for?" Delv, a smaller man with a tightly bound bun of yellow hair, stood promptly and answered "Sir, we are looking for a new break! This would be wonderous for not only the nation as a whole, but for us as the first to explore it." "Thank you Delv, concise as ever. Wade, what about the locals of Lyra, what do we know?" Wade, a woman who stood a head taller than any other person on this ship, stayed seated, but responded confidently "This is an isolated port town, sir. Their main exports are 1-Star potions from the alchemy lab, and the woods harvested from the forest. The vast majority of residents are Zeroes, leading to a skewed hierarchy. There are less than a thousand 1-Stars, less than a hundred 2-Stars, and only a handful of 3-Stars in the town, including the Chief Alchemist, Guild Master, and the city lord." The whole room looked at her for a moment, before Trell, one of the other two War members in their company, spoke up "Wade is from Lyra, she knows the area pretty well." Nodding in understanding, Sayrin said "Excellent, then Wade, we''ll be relying on you to take point while we''re in town. After we make landfall, I''ll talk to the lord, and Wade, you and Aldin can talk to the Guild Master for me." Aldin and Wade nodded their acknowledgment. Sayrin liked Wade. She was still only a 1-Star, but was on the verge of earning her second, and the entire company knew it. If all went well, they would return to Loterre with a newly minted 2-Star. "Alright, and one more thing. While in town, make sure to-" A sailor of the ship they had hired hurried down the narrow flight of stairs and into the cabin. "Captain, sir, I think you need to see this." ~ ~ ~ Hurrying off the ship the moment they docked, the company found both the lord and Guild Master waiting for them. The soldiers all stood at attention behind Sayrin, as he touched his right fist to his left shoulder and inclined his head. His rank in the army put him on roughly equal footing to a provincial city lord, doubly so as they both had the aura and markings of a 3-Star. But it always pays to show respect when possible. "My lord, I am Captain Sayrin of Loterre, it is a pleasure." The lord, an aged and stocky fellow with a white beard set in magnificent braids, responded in a rough voice "No need for formalities captain, events move apace, and we need move just the same. But, very well then, very well. I am Lord Myrin of Lyra." Then without a second''s hesitation, he promptly turned on his heel and began walking up the dock back towards his city. Walking quickly to keep up, Sayrin asked "Lord Myrin, what is going on, what is... that?" He finished with a gesture towards the southern sky. It had been fading all morning, but a large pluming cloud of gray smoke still hung in the air over the forest and had been visible from miles away out at sea. Grunting, the city lord responded, "It''s a fire, boy, dead now thanks to the rainstorm last night, but I should think that would have been obvious." Myrin eyed Sayrin as they continued their brisk walk, "You''re not one of those mindless thugs who holds his rank on power alone, are you?" he asked bluntly. Frowning as his distaste for the lord began to take root, he replied "No, I don''t believe I am. Rephrasing, what caused the fire. Have you investigated, or sent out search parties from the local guild to uncover anything?" Glancing back, he saw that Aldin and Wade were on either side of said Guild Master and seemed to be having a much more amicable and productive conversation than he. Grunting, Myrin responded "No, we were going to when we saw the smoke in the blue''s first light, but when we caught sight of your ship, we decided to delay and let you take care of that for us. Much to that old Charcoal''s dislike, mind you, giving me twice the reason to do it besides not paying him." That firmly cemented Sayrin''s dislike of the man. Delaying action in what could be disastrous situations in order to let others do the work for you? Dishonorable. True, it had only delayed them about an hour, as they had arrived just after sunsrise anyway, but nevertheless, moments mattered in a crisis. A second later, they passed through the large gray stone walls bordering the outer edges of the city proper and entered into a small market square just on the other side. The lord walked them right up to the center of the square, next to an ornate fountain of deepest purple stone in the shape of an enormous bird spitting water out of its beak and the tips of its outstretched wings. Taking out a chip, the smallest denomination of coin, Myrin flicked it into the water and said "To your expedition, the best of luck. Send word back on the results of the fire. We''ve had sightings of Necro-spiders on the outlying farms, and it would be utterly delightful if the whole nest of them had gone up in flames." Making it clear that he wasn''t requesting updates, but demanding them, he turned with a smile hidden underneath his enormous beard and headed towards the gaudy carriage and steward waiting promptly on the main road away from the market. Shaking his head as the lord walked away, Sayrin turned his back to the man and faced his soldiers. He gave a quick nod to the Guild Master, who had moved off to the side to watch without intruding. He was a smaller man, not small in stature, but lean in muscle like an endurance runner. He had salt and pepper hair, a clean shaven face, and deeply tanned skin. "Alright," Sayrin announced to his soldiers "you have ten minutes to get anything you can find in this market and be back here. We''re not delaying a second longer, there could have been people out there in the forest who need us, and that fire could still be going." Grim faced and serious, not a single one of the two dozen men and women he had brought with him moved an inch. They understood like he did. When lives were on the line, you didn''t delay. "Right then. Guild Master, if you want to send any additional personnel, they''ll be more than welcome. We''ll be heading straight for the smoke, and from there heading further in, specifically to the temple. We''ll report back as often as we can, but it will likely take two, maybe three days to get there and back." In a warm tone, and with a broad smile, the Guild Master said "Go. I''ll send along a couple of my fastest to help scout and report back if need be." Nodding his thanks, he motioned for his group to move out. It was time to see secrets the forest held. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ - - - - - *** NEW CREATURE IDENTIFIED *** - Ancient Viper - 1-Star - Uncommon - The Ancient Viper has not changed for thousands of years. Why fix what isn''t broke? With horribly potent venom and a penchant for murder, this little guy can actually be super friendly once you get to know him! - - - - - Kya was finding her identify skill back to its usual antics and annoying tone. She couldn''t help but wonder at the night before when it had felt so... somber. She had taken it to be a simple mechanic of the world or power she had, but for the first time wondered where the knowledge came from and why it was narrated to her at all. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Unfortunately, these were questions she would have to save for later. The snake she now faced was at least nine feet long, probably longer, but it was hard to tell while it was moving towards her. It was as thick around as Kyas''s thigh, with dark red scales and the occasional bright pink diamond mark down its back. If this thing breathed fire, Kya swore she would raze this forest. Slithering towards her, the snake had one bloody gash along the side of its head, which was rapidly closing as she watched. Back stepping rapidly, Kya herself tried to heal with a potion from where the snake had dropped down on her and bitten her exposed hands. She had swiped at it with her knife almost instantly, causing it to dislodge and fall to the ground, but that "horribly potent venom" line stuck in her brain. The twin puncture wounds on her hand were already sealed up from the healing, but if it had injected any venom into her system, she didn''t know how effective the potions could be. Cursing silently, wishing she really had an actual set of equipment, she blasted the snake back with her staff. It thudded dully against a nearby tree, only having flown about five feet. That thing was deceptively heavy, pushing or pulling it would rapidly drain Kya of any strength she had. Stashing her dagger and pulling out one of her temple stones, she fired it at the viper instead hoping to do blunt damage. It had healed from her dagger strike in a handful of seconds, hopefully a crushed rib or cracked skull would be more debilitating. Unfortunately, she wouldn''t get to find out. Each stone she launched landed in the dirt or hit against the wood of a tree. The snake bent its body just perfectly to avoid any incoming rocks. Cursing, Kya desperately tried to think of a new plan, when she saw it coiling up. "That can''t be good" was all she had time to think, before it launched like a spring from nearly ten meters away, flying through the air towards her. Rather than blasting it away, this time she tried to accelerate it. Using her staff to pull it in even faster, she raised her right arm, she caught the fangs of the snake on her cloth wrapped forearm. There wasn''t any immediate pain, letting her know it hadn''t managed to bite through every layer of the cloth, but there was an acrid smell as faint sickly green stains started spreading out from the snake''s mouth. Everywhere it touched, wisps of smoke began curling up and Kya could see the viper bite down harder, trying to pierce into her arm. This was all in the span of about three seconds. With a surprisingly calm hand, Kya dropped her staff to her side, retrieved her dagger from her pouch, and proceeded to decapitate the viper in one fell stroke. But the venom still came. Her cloth wrap began to dissolve in front of her eyes like chocolate in summer. The snake''s head shrank considerably, fangs still embedded, to about a quarter of the size, before a new body and tail shot out the back like this was an anime and the snake was oddly themed after woodwind instruments. At only about four feet long and the thickness of her arm, the snake was much lighter and more maneuverable than before. This was evidenced when it whipped its tail up and smacked Kya in the face with a loud cracking sound, she wasn''t fond of. Finally letting go and dropping fully to the ground, Kya staggered back, and fell as the snake crawled up her leg. She saw two more tiny puncture wounds in her arm where the snake had eroded away the cloth, and her head immediately began swimming. The snake perched on her knees, staring right into her eyes. For a moment, they simply stared. The vipers tongue flicked out, tasting the air, before it unhinged its jaw and opened wider than should be possible. It darted its head forward, just as Kya brought her dagger up to pierce through its neck, and through its brain, left to poke out of its head like a unicorn. Ignoring the notification, Kya quickly tried to take a potion... but smelled only putrid rot when she uncorked it. She wasn''t able to take another potion yet, fuck. Her head felt like it was wrapped in wool, had it always been this heavy? She began lolling her head from side to side, giggling at how silly it was. She felt like a bobble head. Why was she on the ground, she wasn''t a leaf. Smacking her lips loudly for... Kya wasn''t sure for how long, but she finally decided that she was thirsty. She was so lucky, that the bartender had already given her another shot! Downing the crimson concoction in one dramatic swig, she... ... She... Felt something in her right arm. As she focused on it, she felt... a burning pain. Frantically peeling back the layers of cloth, she gasped in shock and horror. Her arm looked like a Halloween prop. From her wrist to her elbow, her veins were bright green, and the flesh surrounding them a dark gray. It looked like her arm had decayed, like it had died while the rest of her still lived. As she watched, the gray flesh gradually gained more and more color, and the green slowly retreated from her veins. She took two more potions the moment she was able, and after about forty-five minutes from the death of the viper, her arm no longer pained her. Sitting back, she pulled out the unexpected addition to her inventory the snake had left. - - - - - - Item: Fang of the Ancient Viper - Rarity: 1-Star - Uncommon - Description: A dagger made from the fangs of an Ancient Viper. It retains the venomous touch from when it was alive, delivering potent venom when its victims are cut. - Enchantments: Acidic Touch - Requirements: Must have slain an Ancient Viper - - - - - It was a simple instrument, a black leather-wrapped wooden hilt, small cross guard, and long white blade about eight or nine inches, tinged green along the edge. It even came with its own small sheath, simple unadorned maroon wood. Basically, it was a direct upgrade to her rat fang dagger. She would, of course, keep her former dagger on standby in her spatial bag, but there was no way she''d let this thing go unused. Returning the dagger to its sheath, Kya stayed where she was, sitting against the tree. That had been not only an unexpected fight, but it had also been an unexpectedly close fight. Kya was tired. Tired from lack of sleep. Tired of monsters. Tired of venom. Tired of ending each fight victorious, yes, but also exhausted and laying on her ass downing health potions just to stay alive. She wondered for the thousandth time at the carrot on the end of this stick, the selection of a class waiting for her after this forest. It had to make things easier or make her stronger. There was no way an average person was meant to do this. Without her magic staff and bag, she would have died ten times over by this point. Being able to select a class had to do something to give her an edge, an advantage, anything. Sighing, she got to her feet. New scars on her arm and hand, and the damaged cloth wrapping replaced and snuggly reaffixed. Kya only had two more monsters to kill before finishing the quest. She still had right around 12 hours left to find the two creatures and felt confident in her task. - - - - - Quest: Climbing the Ladder - Objective: Kill 10 monsters above common rarity - Progress: 8/10 - Time Remaining: 11hrs:55min:21sec - Reward: Gloves of the Spatial Mage - 1-Star - Uncommon - - - - - However, less than an hour later when her timer hit exactly eleven hours remaining, she walked into a forest clearing. This was a marked difference from the rest of the forest, as the area was strewn with large stone outcroppings and craggy ground. It reminded Kya of a sudden canyon in the middle of the lush rosy forest. There were crevices and ditches and spires of stone stretching into the sky, hardly a worn down, choked out bush to be found. It was more or less flat with a few exceptions here and there, but several of the chasms went down five or six meters, creating almost a forest of stone below. The passages were generously wide and tall, it was genuinely off-putting. But she was too tired to care too much. Continuing into the bizarre area, Kya just maintained her pace and her direction. She truly wasn''t concerned with the apparent shift in ecosystem, as she had seen the forest return about a mile ahead, truly making this just some odd, isolated crater of stone. Looking up from her plodding feet, the only thing keeping her going at this point being her magically comfortable boots, she gazed first upwards at the twin suns. Shielding her eyes with her fingers, she could swear they seemed... bigger here. larger in the sky, their light and heat felt more intense than they should. She had been assuming this was some natural clearing of stones, but it was like the suns had been focused through a magnifying glass to scorch this specific spot. She had already been tired and drained from the nightmare of a night, and the fight with the viper hadn''t exactly been rejuvenating. She now realized how much she had been taking the forest itself for granted. The simple pleasure of having shade turn the suns into dappled spots of warmth instead of oppressive heat lamps was more poignant in Kya''s mind than ever. Stopping for a second under an enormous rocky pillar, she rested in the shade. There was a small crack in the stone beside her that, looking in, seemed to open into a wider cavern below. Something to explore later if ever she had the desire to return. But not for today, she decided easily. Wiping the beads of sweat from her face, she pulled out and downed a health potion. It didn''t do much or help much for her exhaustion and sore achy muscles, but at least it hydrated and refreshed slightly. Kya was about to trek on, when every single instinct in her mind screamed all at once to freeze... and to not make a sound. Her breath caught in her throat, she was trying so hard to stand still, her left hand began shaking violently. What the hell was going on? Was she paralyzed? Was it a bad potion or something? Not even able to move her head, she scanned the area with her eyes alone, and found a pair of glowing golden eyes, surrounded by pitch black sclera. Padding slowly and silently towards Kya was a tiger with fur like freshly fallen snow, a light dusting of orange and vividly crimson stripes. Its underside, what should normally be the white fur of its belly, was instead the same radiant yellow of its eyes. The eyes that were undoubtedly and unblinkingly staring down Kya. She had to move, she had to run, she had to do something. This was not a creature she could fight, of that, she was sure. To start, it was the size of a minivan, with claws like her daggers, and fangs like an extinct saber tooth jutting from either side of its mouth. A quick mental command was all she needed to confirm her suspicions. - - - - - *** NEW CREATURE IDENTIFIED *** - Reaping Tiger - 1-Star - Rare - The reaping tiger is one of the most feared monsters you can find while still in the first star. If it so chooses, its eyes can freeze any weak-willed prey in place. With fur and flesh hardened by years of combat, the tiger is more ferocious and powerful than most any other 1-Star creature on land. - - - - - A Rare. She could tell just from its aura. Its gaze. This wasn''t like the isela she''d fought. That had been small, but due to the ability of feather manipulation, it had been formidable and powerful. This beast was different. It was a wall of muscle, teeth, and claws. It was a perfect predator. However, Kya''s fear turned quickly to pure rage when reading the description. She was tired, exhausted even. Perhaps she simply wasn''t thinking straight, or she was simply failing to completely contain and compartmentalize all of the feelings she''d been boxing up since arriving in this strange place to avoid a panic attack, but she knew one thing. One thing more than anything else, one thing that she could be unequivocally sure on... She was not weak willed. Not now, not in her weakest most desperate moments, not ever. With a yell of defiance, Kya broke free from whatever force was holding her in place, and without hesitation, dove for safety in the crevice of the stones behind her. 8. Making Plato Proud It was a further fall than Kya had expected. Peering into the narrow crevasse from above, it had seemed like a small space. At most the size of a broom closet or something like that. She had been thinking to maybe hide out until the tiger gave up on her and sought easier prey. But rather than tuck herself away like a turtle in its shell, she entered a whole new world. Not literally of course, she had done that trick already and wasn''t looking for an encore. No, she fell at least ten feet and landed hard on her ankle, causing a shooting pain to erupt up her left leg like bolts of lightning. "God-Fucking-Dammit!!!" She yelped out, falling to the ground and clutching her ankle. It wasn''t broken but was at least sprained. Maintaining pressure on the wound with one hand, she was about to reach down and get out a health potion, but felt her ankle begin to mend itself. The pain fell off with each heartbeat, until it was only a dull ache as she stood. It had only been minutes earlier, but she remembered downing a health potion to stave off the heat and dehydration just before she saw the tiger. Happy that it had done something more for her, she looked around and caught her breath in wonder. She had fallen into a cave to make Aladdin jealous. There weren''t forbidden treasures piled around her, a display of ostentatious wealth, but still, this was marvelous. Large deposits of gemstones, each the size of a baseball or softball, dotted the walls and ceiling of the cave. They were predominately dazzling pinks, deep reds, and lustrous silvers in color, but searching about, there was a whole rainbow of colors and crystals, each radiating a soft light of their respective colors. Staring around in awe, it reminded Kya of the northern lights dancing in the sky. It was a solid minute before she had a shift of temperament. These were truly stunning, but she would not be taken in again. If she let her guard down, these gems could each wake up and start attacking her. Or maybe they were all releasing a poisonous light and she would die if she stayed here too long. She had no idea, and that was the problem. Looking at the nearest crystal, a small silver one with shades of black to resemble almost a storm cloud, she started to correct that issue. - - - - - - Item: Wind Crystal - Rarity: 1-Star - Common - Description: A crystalized form of air mana found in an area of high magical saturation. Useful in rituals and air related spells. - Enchantments: N/A - Requirements: N/A - - - - - Then to a larger red one with sparks of purest white flashing throughout, she again focused. - - - - - - Item: Flame Crystal - Rarity: 1-Star - Uncommon - Description: A crystalized form of fire mana found in an area of high magical saturation. Useful in rituals and fire related spells. - Enchantments: N/A - Requirements: N/A - - - - - So, these were all mana crystals then, each color being of a different type. With a sudden surge of greed, Kya began to fill her storage space with each and every crystal she could find. She left several of the smaller, common rose (which she identified as spatial stones similar to her staff), fire, and air crystals so she wouldn''t be plunged into darkness, but otherwise began exploring the cave and mining the treasures as she went. All in all, there were several varieties of mana stone. The rarest one she had found, and one that paradoxically only came in the common variety, was a small vibrant green and faintly silver crystal that was solidified life mana. However, ''rare'' was a relative term down in the caves. as she explored, they seemed endless and wandering, like an ant colony built for people. She never worried about getting lost though, as there were constantly small cracks and openings into the sky above, meaning she wouldn''t need to get back to the same one through which she''d entered. The others she''d found told something of a story with their rarities, thought Kya. The most numerous crystal she found was a void black crystal that would have been impossible to see if not for the flecks of radiant gold dotting its surface like stars, identified as a death crystal. Space, Fire, and Air were a close second. Of course, there was also a golden crystal for earth, being underground that wasn''t remotely surprising. Most telling were deep crimson crystals, with black spots moving sluggishly within evoking a lava lamp, which were designated as crystals of war. She began to paint a picture in her mind of the barren wasteland above. A large-scale battle must have been fought here in the past, causing the vegetation and landscape to change drastically. She began to consider, truly, what magic would mean for a world. Her world had developed weapons of mass destruction through science, trial and error, and once-in-a-lifetime geniuses working together to find the best way at killing the most people at once. What if a random guy on the street had flamethrowers for hands? What if whole armies could summon hurricanes, or tear holes in the fabric of reality at a whim? It wouldn''t take secret codes and entire governments, a random group of determined individuals, if powerful enough, could sink a continent like it was Atlantis. A crater on the surface and scorched earth for a mile in every direction would be child''s play. She was 3 days into this world and could already kill monsters and manipulate basic laws of physics. Give her a year? Ten years? The possibilities were staggering... and worrying. She knew it wouldn''t be that easy to acquire power. Politics and economics would be different here, undoubtedly, but there was no way a wealthy elite wouldn''t, to some degree, control magical materials and power. She again cursed her simple lack of knowledge and understanding about the world in which she found herself and knew that she would need to be very careful on entering the city. For now, however, she would continue looting the cave. Her storage pouch was very nearly at capacity, the image in her mind of a small warehouse looked like a hoarder''s nightmare. The spiders, may they rot in hell, had been extremely lucrative for her. As she''d been credited with most of the kills for some reason, she had been granted a small potion from each spider, along with a coin and a crystal. Well, multiply that by the thousand spiders and, well, she had A LOT of stuff now competing for space. She''d take care of inventory management later. She wanted to make it to the city with as many supplies as she could carry. Whatever culture or customs these people had; one thing would be certain. If she came bearing valuable supplies to sell off, she''d be welcomed quite happily by the merchants. Especially if she had no idea what something was worth, and they could acquire it at a bargain. As she carried on taking crystal after crystal from the caves, she notices several tunnels sloping steeply down further into the earth. She had to weigh several things in her mind before making her next choice. The idea of a large ant colony kept coming back to her, and after her ordeal with the spiders, wasn''t something she took lightly. However, she felt it unlikely that this place housed any large-scale colony for some monster. She had been down here taking crystals for close to half an hour and hadn''t seen or heard any other living thing. Moreover, there was possibly the most powerful creature in the forest stalking around just outside what she assumed to be the main area of the tunnel''s exits. Not a great place to take up residence if one needed to go out for food. Of course, it was possible there was some crazy mushroom monster that survived off of soil and crystal light, but Kya was curious to see the rest of the tunnel. Also, possibly, a little greedy for better crystals than the mostly common ones near the surface. "Fuck it" she muttered under her breath. She''d be cautious and keep her guard up the entire time and would leave a trail of the rubble from the temple to find her way back. Breadcrumb style. With that, she took the plunge, and went deeper into the caves. ~ ~ ~ Kya felt... disappointed. There had been little mushrooms down here, which she scooped up and threw into her bag because why not, but more excitingly mushroom monsters as well, just as she''d speculated! . . . They had been common rarity pests the size of a water bottle, and she''d crushed them with her boots, not even needing to draw her new dagger. As reticent as she was to be once more forced into combat, she was itching to try out her new venomous offensive tool. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. What kept her from backtracking immediately was the soft warm glow of what she swore to be fire light just up ahead. She had seen it first several minutes ago, and cautiously been moving towards it ever since. Fire in the bottom of a cave likely meant people, or at least semi-intelligent creatures who''d learned to use fire. No matter what, she was interested in seeing the cause. But she was starting to suspect that something was off. She had been walking towards the light for, again, several minutes. and yet it seemed no closer, and not further away. Just there, off in the distance of the cave tunnel, right around a bend in the rock. She peeked around the corner of the cave wall, and immediately, her stomach did a little twist. There, sitting directly in the middle of the narrow tunnel, was one of her temple stones. Looking back, she saw that yes, the last stone she''d placed was still there about thirty meters back. Turning back and walking up to it, she hefted it with both hands, confirming it was hers. She had yet to find anything that was as dense as these temple stones, being so heavy and yet so small had made them perfect missiles so far, and she had been quite happy with them. But now, she wasn''t sure what to do. Leaving this one where it was, she back tracked to the earlier stone. However, the moment she rounded the corner of the cave to try and find it, she saw right in front of her, the stone she''d just tossed down again. The dust was still puffed out and settling to either side as she''d dropped it. Sighing, Kya walked up to the stone, and standing over top of it, looked left, and then right. In both directions, the cave turned sharply off to either direction, so what had been a narrow, but sprawling cave her first time through, was now a short corridor only about fifteen meters in length. Just to try her luck one more time, she ran quickly to the left and immediately upon turning saw the same section of cave, and the same small temple stone. "Well damn" thought Kya, sitting on the rock and putting her chin in her hands. She knew this was some sort of illusion trap. She had no idea why it was here, or even how it was here, but she did know, at least for now, she was trapped. - - - - - Quest: Climbing the Ladder - Objective: Kill 10 monsters above common rarity. - Progress: 8/10 - Time Remaining: 9hrs:40min:24sec - Reward: Gloves of the Spatial Mage - 1-Star - Uncommon - - - - - Dismissing the quest screen, she at least consoled herself that she had time to figure it out. Sitting and staring at the wall trying to come up with ideas, she suddenly saw a shift in the shadows. Jumping up and whipping her dagger to point at whatever was moving... She saw the empty cave and nothing more. Warily looking from side to side, she walked over to the far side of the cave, and still nothing. She tapped the blade of her dagger against the wall just in case, but it was simply stone. Nothing more, nothing less. Kya even carved a little "K" into the wall just to be sure, before walking back over and sitting down once more on her small rock stool. This one, being slightly larger, was still only the size of a deflated soccer ball, and not very comfortable with its jagged edges. So, after another minute of suspicious glances to either side, she took out one of the banners, folded it into a cushion, and sat on that. Now much more well situated, she sat looking out at the wider cave as a whole. This time, nothing happened. She waited and waited, but nothing. Not to either side, not on the walls or ceiling, nothing. So, turning back around to where she had seen the first shadow move, she began to look only at the wall a mere three feet in front of her. And the shadows began to move. Once more jumping up, Kya stared wildly about trying to see what was moving... But she saw the empty cave, and annoyingly, nothing more. "Hmmm" she toned contemplatively, before turning and sitting back on her now padded stool. This time, as the shadows moved, she simply stayed in place, watching. They began to take shapes. Buildings and vehicles and people. She thought she recognized it, but it was like something out of a dream. It tickled at her memory, mocking her inability to identify what was being portrayed. All at once, it became clear as drops of color began to fall on the shadows with ripples of water as on a pond. It was faded, it was pale and insubstantial. The people remained clouded and indistinct in their forms of shadow, the buildings slowly took on a reddish hue, giving Kya the impression of bricks. But what finally caused everything to click into place was the sky turning a vague pastel blue, and the sun taking shape as a worn out and rusty yellow. The sun. This was her world, earth. This was her home. This was where she had grown up, where she had returned to visit her parents when on leave. There was the ancient, gnarled tree in her front yard with a little swing. There was the mailbox she''d run into when she was six and learning to ride her bike, she''d needed four stitches from that, she thought with a laugh. It wasn''t like she''d been away that long either. She had just been able to go home for Christmas and New Year''s. The wall obligingly replayed these images, flashing into the house to show the simple, halfheartedly decorated tree. It showed the four silly stockings hanging over the fire, each with a little stuffed animal sticking out of the top. It had been a hard visit. They always were since her sister, but this one had been bad. They''d been so quiet, and then so... loud. The indistinct shadows now took on forms, they showed her mother and father. The three of them standing and yelling, her father trying to appease and calm, but her mother being so, so angry. Kya could handle gun shots, she could handle trucks and helicopters and planes and yelling, so much yelling, from anyone else in the world. Not from her, not from her own mother. She saw herself, the images growing more and more clear on the cave wall until she almost forgot they were shadows to begin with, apologize to her dad, overtop her mother''s screams and shouts, and burst out the front door, peeling out of the driveway in her rental car. She would come back, she knew. She would visit again, and she would talk to them, make her mother understand. Not today, today she would drive back to the airport and request an early flight back. Her phone started to ring beside her, it was her dad. She should pull over and pick it up. She knew she should, but just... couldn''t tonight. Not with everything that had been said, not with everything that had just happened. Kya did pull over though. She couldn''t see well through the rain on the cloudless night, no matter how fast her windshield wipers moved. She sat in silence, trying to take deep breaths through the sharp, shallow inhales, and listened to the drops hit her seatbelt. Eventually, she pulled out some makeup from her purse, and pulled down the sunvisor to look at her reflection. She wouldn''t go back into the airport like this, the USO might not even be open this late, and she''d have t- Why did she look like that? She looked down and checked herself, still wearing the same normal clothes, still in her car. But in the mirror, she was... different. It was her, but it also wasn''t. The reflection had no makeup, unless you counted mud and sweat. Her hair was a rat''s nest of tangles and knots, and it looked like a chunk on one side was completely missing. She had small bruises and little cuts, and a whole host of new scars. It looked like she''d been hit by a truck, and then healed miraculously well from it before the next truck hit her as well. She was healthy, but she had been through hell. Her eyes were hard but pleading. She saw in them a person trying so hard to maintain control, but on the edge of losing everything. There was a spark though. Defiance and pride, responsibility, determination, no, she wasn''t trying to maintain control, she was control. She would not be broken by her instructors. She would not be broken by her parents, and she would not be broken by some altered image she saw in a mirror. But... the mirror wasn''t showing her an altered version of herself. The mirror... wasn''t real. Then the mirror cracked. Then the illusion cracked. Then the cave wall cracked. Light began pouring through the newly made cave entrance, and Kya turned to see a small mushroom hopping away from her, and from the light. Walking over, she smashed down a kick, obliterating the tiny thing without a second thought. - - - - - - You have defeated Mentalist Mushroom - 1-Star - Uncommon. - Progress on Climbing the Ladder updated: - Kill 10 monsters above common rarity, 9/10 - - - - - "Of course, it was a goddamn mushroom monster, I hate this fucking forest" Kya muttered, walking back over to the light. But something was off. The sun was way too low in the sky, she had only been down in the cave for... FIVE HOURS? - - - - - Quest: Climbing the Ladder - Objective: Kill 10 monsters above common rarity - Progress: 9/10 - Time Remaining: 4hrs:12min:37sec - Reward: Gloves of the Spatial Mage - 1-Star - Uncommon - - - - - "God damn it, what the hell happened?" Ky thought, before cursing some more at the B.S. of that mushroom keeping her in a cave for five hours straight. She almost leapt out of the cave right then, before remembering the giant grim reaper of a tiger that might very well be prowling in the nearby area. However, as she thought about the night she''d had with the spiders, about the vision she''d had of home, of her family, and the eyes of the reflection she''d seen... She thought a tiger skin cloak would make a perfect addition to her wardrobe. Readying her poisoned blade in her right hand, her staff in the left, Kya stepped out into the craggy wasteland at the heart of the rose forest and yelled at the top of her lungs "I''m right here! Come on, face me you coward, face me and fight!" 9. Earning Respect The blackened ashes of the forest sat all around Sayrin as he inspected the area. This was unquestionably the site of a- well, used to be the site of a necro-spider nest. The webs were almost entirely gone, burned away in the fire. Small pits of soaked charcoal remained, weakly puffing smoke into the air. That being the case, who the hell started a fire in the middle of a rainstorm? There weren''t any residual traces of fire mana being used in the area. However, a weak ability used a single time to spark the webs likely wouldn''t show up to their ritualist, being so muddled by the horde of spiders. Sayrin was convinced, at this point, that it had been a who and not a what that had started the blaze. For one, there wasn''t any lightning or manifestations in the area they could detect to explain some natural cause. More importantly though, and more interesting to the entire company, was the distinct lack of bodies. True, they could have been cremated in the inferno. Necro-spider webs were notorious for burning easily and intensely when wet, after all. But where were the bones? What about the fangs and legs? These were things that could usually have survived a fire, even if the flesh did not. No, someone had done this, then looted the entire nest of them. It hadn''t been the guild either, as the Guild Master hadn''t known about this. A town like this, it wasn''t difficult to keep track of the people in power. Of the several hundred current members in the guild, a good portion were retired or inactive. If some pyro had snuck away in the night and the rain to have a hunt, they would have noticed. His thoughts were interrupted by Aldrin coming up and clasping his hands behind his back. "What can you tell me, Aldrin? Because I''m feeling somewhat at a loss here." Sighed Sayrin. "Well sir" he replied "there seems to be something odd happening." Turning and giving his lieutenant a flat look, Sayrin waited with a well-practiced look of ''please tell me you have more than that.'' "By which I mean the monsters in the area are acting strange. Obviously, this mess here requires an explanation as well, but any monsters we''ve noticed in the periphery aren''t coming to attack us. They aren''t even running from us. They''re all skirting this area, before continuing on north, northwest of here. All of them." He paused with obvious implication. "You think they''re going to the crater?" Sayrin asked skeptically. "Yes sir, I do." "Why?" "I''ve no idea but solving that mystery might put us one step closer to figuring out what happened here." Sayrin took a long moment before responding. The crater was something that every officer, 2-Star and above, learned about. It was one of the final battlegrounds in the last great war. Loterre had lost several thousand soldiers in a moment when a terrible spell from the enemy wiped all life clean from the area in a single cruel moment. They had specifically avoided going back there for decades due to powerful residual effects. It was assumed the area was safe now, and had been for some time, but soldiers had their superstitions. Even on their way here from the city, the company had stayed to the east by about a mile, knowing its location, and knowing to stay away from it. So it was with reluctance that Sayrin gave the order. "Alright. Tell the others, we march for the crater. It isn''t more than five or six kilometers, so if we move quickly, we can make it there in the next twenty minutes. I want those guild scouts ahead and reporting back every five hundred meters. Let''s not get careless out here." ~ ~ ~ Kya felt alive. If not for the steady stream of health potion the moment they became available again, she''d be long dead. But in this, in that knowledge, she felt truly and unquestionably alive. Oh, the tiger had come immediately. The moment she challenged it, it had come bounding over the stones like she''d opened a can of Friskies. It had tried to paralyze her again. She felt its gaze wash over her, and for a moment she felt like she moved through syrup, slow and heavy. But only for a moment. After breaking from the tiger''s paralysis once before, and especially after breaking from the significantly more powerful mushroom shadow illusion, this was nothing. Letting the tiger get close, not moving a muscle, Kya waited until the moment it was about to bite with its massive jaws, before stabbing up at it with her poisoned dagger, and then immediately repelling it with her staff. Both had... less than ideal effects. The dagger had made hardly more than a scratch on the chin of the beast, enough to at least start the poison a little, but truthfully not a remotely ideal outcome. The repulsion was even less so. It felt like back on that first day, when she''d tried to move a massive stone chunk and been confident it was possible, just not quite yet at her level. The tiger was repelled, but it drained her to the point of exhaustion just to send it back a dozen feet at the most. She would not be able to move him again, at least not all of him. She still felt she ought to be able to repel an incoming bite or a swipe of the claws perhaps, but she couldn''t use her staff much more anyway. It would kill her or knock her unconscious, which was all but the same thing. The tiger, for its part, stood stunned for a blessed three full seconds, before raising its head to the sky and roaring in utter outrage. "Roar" doesn''t quite do justice to the sheer scale of the noise created by this monstrosity of a beast Kya called her foe. It sent a small visible shockwave into the air, like a sonic boom, and blew away the dust and whipped up wind that snapped at Kya as it passed. It wasn''t truly a concussive force, it wasn''t explosive at least, just astonishing in its sheer amplitude. A sharp ringing sound filled the world for Kya, as she pulled her hands from her ears to find a small dappling of blood. But this wasn''t worth a health potion. Not yet. She''d wait until it was truly needed, necessary to live. She didn''t need sound regardless. Now with nearly muted and muffled thumps, the lustrous white tiger ran at her once more. Moving fast, she stowed her dagger, pulled out a temple stone, and shot it into the now far too close jaws of death. It had closed the gap of a dozen feet in two strides, showing off the raw power in its muscles, and nearly bitten her head clean off. However, having a sudden dense stone shot into your mouth will turn anyone off from a meal, she supposed. Its eyes were burning with hatred as it thrashed its head about, but its massive saber teeth to either side were acting like a cage, inadvertently keeping the stone lodged in. Kya wasn''t wasting this opportunity either. scrambling up a nearby rise of tan, red earth; she looked down on the tiger jumping about wildly. Though it strained her, she got out several more temple stones and launched one nearly straight up into the air as high as it would go before releasing it. The pure, dense stone fragment came speeding down more quickly than Kya could have possibly repelled it in her current state and landed on the left side of the tiger. With grim delight, Kya laughed. A far off, distant sound like it was coming from another room with her damaged ears, but one that she heard, nonetheless. The tiger was bleeding. Not much, but there was a definite wound now marking its back leg where the stone had marked its course downward. This more than anything, pushed the tiger over the edge. As Kya was about to launch another, feeling safe with the stone still lodged in th- It bit down through the stone, crumbling it to dust in its mouth, before launching up at her. Cursing and stumbling back, she held out her staff for defense, only for the tiger to bite down, snapping it in two. ~ ~ ~ "This feels like a wave!" shouted Wade over the screams of rats and rabbits "What the hell is going on?!?" "I''ve no idea, this shouldn''t be happening" called back Aldrin. They had made their way to the crater and were almost upon it. But as they went, the number of monsters they encountered grew and grew. They still weren''t attacking, at least not outright. If the soldiers got too close, they would naturally lash out. But a combination of their numbers and combined auras, or perhaps just the sheer focus they had on the object of their attention, kept them restrained for the most part. Finally breaking through the tree line, the entire group of twenty-two craned their necks to look at what was happening. Not sure what they''d been expecting for such an infamous place, it was... almost mundane in appearance. It looked like a plate someone had dropped to the floor, shattering it, but on a grand scale. It was almost perfectly circular, with ridges and cracks of stone dropping down into shallow crevasses. There were variations, almost corridors of stone and sand, hills and valleys, but overall, it looked like a broken landscape. A scar in the otherwise lush forest. "Not quite what you expected, eh?" Asked Sayrin, walking up to stand beside his junior officer. Turning, Aldrin replied "No sir, it''s not. To be honest, I didn''t quite know what I expected, but it wasn''t this." Nodding in agreement, Sayrin stared out at the shattered expanse of earth. "We should erect a monument here. Something to commemorate and destigmatize this place. It hasn''t been dangerous to people for a century or more, but still we stay away. " Before Aldrin could respond, another group of monsters, nine or ten common rats, stormed out of the woods and headed for the center of the crater. "Where are they all going?" He wondered out loud, not particularly expecting a response. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "That''s why we''re here, to find ou-" In that moment, they all collectively took in a sharp breath. A woman, yelling and cursing, was sprinting over top the stone platforms of the crater some half a mile away. That wasn''t what made them all gasp, though. At this distance, even their powerfully enhanced senses had trouble picking out exact details about the person, with captain Sayrin being the only one able to pick out exact details about her. No, it was what followed the woman that made the whole group stare in confusion. "She''s dead." Muttered Mouley "She''s insane, but not dead yet." Retorted Wade with a look of pride and excitement. Following the woman was a swarm of isela, screeches echoing off the stones, and stalking behind was a gods damned reaping tiger. keeping pace, but letting the birds torment the woman. ~ ~ ~ "Fuck this place. Seriously, fuck this place. One of the strongest beasts in the whole goddamned forest, and it calls for help??? This was absolute bullshit." Thought Kya, as she desperately ran from the swarm of monsters. Below her, in between the cracks she jumped over while sprinting, she saw the rats, rabbits, weasels, and more chasing after. Above and around her were five different isela birds, thankfully not using their feathers, but still dive bombing her with their claws. She was able to more or less take the hits with her cloth armor, but she was still taking hits to the exposed flesh around her body. And of course, behind was the tiger itself. After it had bit her staff in two, a magical backlash had sent it tumbling away in a burst of fire. Luckily, it seemed to be directionally focused. For Kya, she''d suffered what amounted to first degree burns on her face and hands, with a light singe to her hair. For the tiger, it had suffered severe burns to its face, part of its upper lip being blackened and burned off entirely. One of its massive saber teeth now had a large crack running down its length and would probably fall off if it didn''t have some self-repair ability. It probably did. It was probably healing right now, as it watched her suffer at the hands of the birds. Damn Tiger. Which had appeared moments after the tiger had been sent flying. Kya, mourning the loss of her first and only source of magic, hadn''t noticed them approach. She was sitting, stunned, with the fragments of wood in her hands and thinking this must be what it''s like to lose a limb. She''d only had it for a handful of days, but it had been something on which she relied totally and completely throughout these trials. She wouldn''t have been able to do half of what she''d done or survive past even the first step outside the temple without this staff. Now it was shattered like a toothpick. But she''d needed to get up. To move. To run. The tiger alone was enough of a threat, but with the several reinforcements it had called in, she''d die in seconds. suppressing any sense of loss from her staff''s destruction, she stowed the two halves away, before running. Why was she always running? These damn birds, it had started with them. Before that first isela, she''d not had to run nearly as much. Nor was she sure she could keep going. The suns were still oppressively hot in this part of the forest, and her extended dash was taking its toll. Not to mention the repeated slashes from talons above. She didn''t know what to do. She couldn''t do much more of this. One isela had been a lot, five? There was no way she cou- All five isela dropped dead in puffs of feathers, each with a small spire of stone shot through its heart. Whipping her head around, she saw a large group of people in radiant armor, almost blending in the stones around them, looking to be made of the shifting sands themselves. At their head, a tall man with streaks of gold throughout his sandy armor, reflecting the light of the sun to seem like molten lines of magma. He had an outlandish two-handed sword bigger than Kya held point buried in the stones, while around him soldiers had similar weapons at the ready. From spears to axes and hammers, they were fully equipped for war. What confused her, however, was not one of them had a bow. "They''re magic, you idiot." she realized with a jolt. ~ ~ ~ Aldrin wanted to do more. He yearned to do more. It was clear beyond a shadow of a doubt that this woman was at her limit. He couldn''t even sense an aura from her, making her either an exceptionally talented actress with a stealth specialization, or she was genuinely a zero. That alone was almost inconceivable. How in the hell had a zero made it out here, let alone survived against so many uncommon and rare monsters, even if they were just 1-star. She was either lucky, or had a fabulous magical item at her disposal. "To hell with this" He said, locking eyes with the reaping tiger as they assessed one another. It knew a superior predator when it saw one. However, it seemed more confused than intimidated. "I''m taking that tiger, the rest of you g-" "No, you''re bloody well not" growled Trell, stomping up to him The shorter man looked up defiantly at Aldrin, before Wade put her hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "What he means, sir, is that can''t happen." Said Wade, more calmly but no less insistently. "Why not? I know you can see her condition as well as I, she''ll die if we let her fight that thing." Barked Aldrin. "Because it''s her fight. She can ask for help, or she can be unable to continue. But until then, the tiger is hers to fight." "Why didn''t you stop me from killing the isela then?" Sayrin demanded. "Those were intruders, as surely as you would be," said Trell simply. "And if I decide that she needs help, regardless of what you say?" Dark looks came over both of their faces. In as quiet a voice as could be heard, Wade simply said "That would be heretical... sir." Looking back out, the woman was frantically gesturing below, through the cracks in the ground. Understanding crossed his face, as he turned to say "Fine," he said through clenched teeth "but I''ll be damned if we just sit around doing nothing." Looking back, he saw Sayrin had been silently watching the exchange, and nodded his approval at what Aldrin was about to do. "We might not be able to handle the tiger, but we can keep the rest of them busy. ~ ~ ~ Kya had genuinely no idea what was happening anymore. A platoon of what were clearly literal knights in shining armor had gone down underneath the cracks and were now violently and efficiently tearing apart the horde of monsters. The man at the head of the group, as well as a towering woman in black plate armor with large maroon slashes all across the breastplate, had stayed above, and now stood a hundred meters away, watching. She didn''t know how or why, but she got the feeling the woman was just as, if not more powerful than the tiger releasing a low growl in front of her, but the man? He was something else altogether. He radiated power, not just from the armor, but his mere presence. Though the woman next to him was larger, and the tiger dwarfed everything around it in sheer size, the man nevertheless loomed over them all with his presence. Taking out a health potion, Kya quickly downed its contents. The tiger had been pacing back and forth restlessly ever since the arrival of the soldiers but seemed to recognize the man and the woman intended to stay out of their fight. Kya armed herself with the rat tooth dagger in her left hand, and her snake fang dagger in her right. She wasn''t accustomed to dual wielding, but a creature that could bite through stones wasn''t exactly one she could take a defensive approach towards. As if a signal had been given, they both leapt into action. The tiger, literally, pounced forward. Covering the distance between them in a single magnificent bound, claws outstretched. Ducking and jumping forwards, Kya turned in midair as the monster flew over her. As if in slow motion, she slashed at its belly with both daggers as it passed. She landed in a tumble, quickly springing to her feet and turning to face the beast. The tiger let out a vicious snarl, and its eyes contained pure, unadulterated malevolence. The scratch on its belly had been laughingly shallow. Barely more than a flesh wound. But it had been enough for the venom. A gash that long, however shallow, must have delivered a fair dosage of the toxin. The only problem was that the tiger was the size of an elephant and wasn''t likely to succumb without overwhelming it. Hoping for a repeat, when the beast leapt again, Kya tried her duck and jump technique. But it wasn''t stupid enough for that to work twice. Whipping its paw through the air, the tiger batted her away with a horrifying ripping sound. Its claws had pierced through the cloth on her torso, managing to shallowly dig into flesh. What was worse, though, was the raw power in the swing. Kya knew instantly upon landing and skidding on the stones that several ribs were broken. Blood soaked through what remained of her cloth wrappings, the top layer of which had been torn away by the tiger''s claws. Groaning, she tried to sit up, but was pinned down by the massive paw of the tiger pressing down on her chest. Kya screamed in pain, as her ribs flared on her side, and slashed wildly at the paw with both daggers. Having none of it, the monster leaned down to try and bite her arm, so she stabbed up through the roof of its mouth instead with her snake fang dagger. It had worked well before... but this wasn''t the same as before. Recoiling and blessedly lifting the weight from her ribs, the monster shook its head in simple annoyance at being stung by her blade. In so doing, it took her blade with it, flinging it across the rocks and well out of reach. She saw, in a haze and almost uncomprehendingly, that the two people from before had moved in close. Though they looked ready to jump in at a moment''s notice, they remained apart from the fight. That was fine. She was fine. She was fine. She was fine. She still had her trusty rat fang dagger after all, the same one she''d used to kill every other powerful foe so far. This would be enough. She''d just need to plan its use well! Struggling to an upright position, she saw the tiger already looming over her, and with a deep guttural snarl, opened its jaws wide once more. Seeing the puncture wound from the venom dagger, Kya knew there was a shot here, a chance. Stabbing upward with all the strength she could muster, she drove the blade... about a quarter of an inch deep, before the jaws snapped closed, taking her left arm up to the elbow with it. Oddly, there was a moment of numbness. Not just in what was left of her arm, but in everything. The sun no longer felt hot, the ground no longer felt firm. There was no pain, no sound, no smell. Just stillness. She saw in the eyes of the tiger, massive topaz jewels barely a few inches from her own, a hazy cloud. She thought in a detached, strange part of her mind that the poison was finally kicking in. She doubted it had even felt the stab of her second dagger. She wondered if it knew it had her arm in its mouth. Then, all at once like a bomb going off, the world restarted. Her ribs shouted their defiance at the mere thought of movement. Her head pounded with the banging of drums. Her arm... oh her arm... it was a volcano erupting, set on destroying the planet that had angered it so. In blind fury, in raw hatred, in pure disgust, in divine wrath, Kya could not concede. Tearing at the fang of the tiger with her right hand, she broke it off like snapping a twig. Then gazing once more into those terrible eyes, she yelled in defiance of death itself as she pierced straight through the dilated pupil. Not merely content with blinding it, she quickly took out a temple stone and, like a hammer to a nail, bashed the rest of the fang deep into the tiger''s skull. The whole time, the tiger remained rigid, not even blinking at the stabbing of its own eye. For nearly thirty painful heartbeats, it stayed there, standing over her like it was made of stone. Before collapsing down with a soft puff of dust. From pain. From exhaustion. From joy. From despair. Kya followed suit. ~ ~ ~ Wade and Sayrin ran over, Sayrin as a 3-Star, almost seemed to teleport as he appeared at her side. "She just took a potion not five minutes ago," he said solemnly "otherwise I''d give her one of mine." Looking up at Wade as she skidded to a halt, kneeling next to the unknown and unconscious woman. "Can you do anything? If not, you stay with her and I''ll grab Lieutenant Hanrin." The commander wasn''t pleading but was asking. He was empathetic, but also pragmatic. Combat did that to a person. If something could be done, he''d do it in a heartbeat. If not, he''d watch over her as she died, ensure the family was notified, and the church of death called to oversee the proper rites. "Hanrin will need to reattach the limb, but I can keep her alive at least. My primary class might be from war, but my secondary is from life" replied Wade, removing her gauntlet and placing a hand to the woman''s forehead. She was about to start chanting when she recoiled slightly. "Sir, this woman is a human." "What!?" Sayrin spun, pure surprise showing on his face. He was about to start rooting around in the tiger''s mouth for the missing limb, when something else happened, cutting them both short. Shadows appeared to claim the beast, and in their wake, a tiny ethereal flame was left behind. For a couple of seconds it danced in the air, shining with white and yellow lights before disappearing entirely. As the shadows and flame disappeared, the arm and dagger it had been holding, fell to the stones below. Neither Wade nor Sayrin moved for several seconds. "Sir." "Yes Wade." "What''s going on?" "Honestly Wade... I have no idea." Turning and looking at the mysterious figure that lay on the ground, bloody and beaten, but not broken, he said "But I think we need to keep her alive. She''ll have several answers to the questions we''ve been asking, I''m sure." "I''d sacrifice a great deal to keep her alive sir. Even if it wasn''t in the job description" Wade chuckled putting her hand back to the woman''s forehead "I respect what she did here far too much to do anything else." 10. Awakening Kya felt the warm blanket before anything else. Sitting bolt upright, and then clutching her head and groaning at the sudden movement, she looked around in utter confusion. In addition to her head, she felt a terrible itching pain overcome her left arm. It was as if a molten steel bracelet had been placed just below her elbow. She scratched at it furiously for several seconds before it subsided to a more manageable, albeit uncomfortably warm pressure. Still clutching at her arm, she minimized the notifications obscuring her vision. She would sort those out later. She took in her surroundings next, noting immediately the sleeping figure of an absolutely beast of a woman. She was at least six and a half feet tall, probably more. It was hard to tell with her leaning back in a chair next to Kya¡¯s bed. She had ruddy red hair, like rust on an old piece of metal, pulled into a braid that went to the small of her back. She was wearing black greaves around her shins, and large black boots. Otherwise, she appeared to be unarmored, wearing simple pants of dark brown, and a voluminous shirt of deep gray. The room was overall, pretty nice. It was a simple square, with a dark wooden door at one end, and a window just behind her. The walls were a clean light gray stone, with a bright white glow stone hanging down from the center of the ceiling. A small wooden table sat next to her, where she saw her familiar spatial bag, looking full to the bursting. Seeing her boots neatly next to the bed gave her a sense of relief and took a weight off her shoulders she wasn¡¯t even aware she was carrying. She had hated that forest profoundly, but for those boots? It had almost all been worth it. As the woman continued to sleep, slumped sideways on the armrest of her plush chair, Kya decided to go through her notifications. She had a vague idea of what all had gone on, but wanted to piece it together more concretely. - - - - - - You have defeated Reaping Tiger - 1-Star - Rare - Progress on Climbing the Ladder updated: - Kill 10 monsters above common rarity, 10/10 - - - - - - QUEST COMPLETED! You have successfully killed ten powerful beasts while being entirely ordinary yourself. It nearly cost you your life more times than it probably should have, but hey, it is genuinely something in which to take pride. Have your rewards then, yah crazy. - Reward: Gloves of the Spatial Mage - 1-Star - Uncommon - Bonus Reward: Necklace of the Reaping Tiger - 1-Star - Rare - - - - - The memories of the final moments of the fight were¡­ hazy in Kya¡¯s mind. She knew it had bitten down on her arm though. She looked at the limb and wondered at its presence still on her body. She had seen that monster bite through not only her staff, but stones from the temple itself. Her arm should have been gone, and she knew that. She continued on, holding her questions until she got through everything. Then she would wake the woman beside her. - - - - - - QUEST COMPLETED! You have successfully survived the trial put forth ahead of you and made it to safety against all odds. As you have proven yourself more than capable and more than deserving, you shall have your reward. - Reward: Class selection - - - - - - You have been granted {Class Selection} - Normal Restrictions do not apply to your {Class Selection} - You may initiate your {Class Selection} whenever you so choose. - Initiate? (Yes) (No) - - - - - She wanted to say yes immediately. This was the prize she had been working towards, and she achingly wanted to know what the hell this was all about. Besides, what sane person wouldn¡¯t leap at the chance to have literal magic powers bestowed upon them. But she also knew this would likely be a no take back situation. Once she made her decision, she would be set on a path irrevocably, and this wasn¡¯t something to rush headlong into. Before moving on to the inevitable Q & A session that would undoubtedly follow from waking up the towering figure snoring away at her side, Kya decided to look at her spatial bag. She wanted to take inventory of not only what she had, and what she¡¯d received from her fight with the tiger and from her quest but check to see if anything was missing. Peering inside, and receiving back the familiar image of the warehouse overflowing with goods, she arrested most of her doubts. Not all, but most. At least she still had a good deal of the loot she¡¯d found from the forest. Her enormous stack of potions was still there, having grown immensely after looting most of the spiders from the nest. She still had several temple stones but realized with a pang of sadness she¡¯d left a good number of them behind in the caves, never having retraced her steps to collect them. Speaking of, she still had the crystals she¡¯d taken from below the shattered crater where she¡¯d fought the tiger. Seeing that nothing egregious was missing, she then looked at the quest rewards. She pulled them out, as well as one notable addition that hadn¡¯t been stated on a notification. - - - - - - Item: Gloves of the Spatial Mage - Rarity: 1-Star - Uncommon - Description: Durable gloves made of quality material. Though they look relatively plain in appearance, they will keep the wearer''s hands safe in all but the most extreme conditions. Additionally, they can enhance any spatial abilities used by the wearer. - Enchantments: Basic Spatial Affinity, Basic Defense - Requirements: Spatial Affinity - - - - - - Item: Necklace of the Reaping Tiger - Rarity: Rare - Description: Braided fur taken from the Reaping Tiger, the center piece is a fragment of its very fangs. Grants the wearer enhanced resistance to mental attacks, and gives a small passive bonus to aura strength. May only be worn by one who has slain a Reaping Tiger. - Enchantments: Basic Mental Defense, Basic Aura Enhancement - Requirements: Slayer of the Reaping Tiger - - - - - These two were known to her. Though the necklace was a welcome addition, she had more or less anticipated it. After all, she¡¯d gotten her first dagger as a bonus reward for killing an uncommon monster. So it made sense to her that she got a bonus for killing her first rare one as well. The next item, however, was a surprise to her. - - - - - - Item: Eye of the Reaping Tiger - Rarity: Rare - Description: The preserved eye from a Reaping Tiger. When used in a ritual of ascension, grants the {Death} class. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.- Enchantments: Class Awakening {Death} - Requirements: Less than two Classes. - You meet the requirements for use of {Eye of the Reaping Tiger} - Initiate Class Awakening by consuming {Eye of the Reaping Tiger}? (Yes) (No) - - - - - Kya firmly said no to this one. She was already being granted a class without needing to use some disemboweled eye. Plus, she had a solid suspicion this would be quite valuable to the right person. Besides, she wasn¡¯t sure a death class was really what she wanted in this world. Perhaps it would be different than she assumed, but that didn¡¯t strike her as one of the most friendly classes one could have. Contemplating her options for a long time, she decided to get dressed before talking to¡­ ¡°Holy fuck, I¡¯m in clean clothes.¡± Kya said out loud. A simple gray linen gown, but still¡­ It was clean! She then noticed for the first time since waking up that she was clean. Oh sweet heaven, she had missed this. Again, being covered in muck and grime had long since stopped bothering her. She could survive without a shower, and without soap. But that first feeling of cleanliness after a long period without was exceptional. She lavished the feeling of how clean she was, her hair was, everything. There wasn¡¯t any dirt under her fingernails or anything, this was truly¡­ well, magical. She laughed softly, before reaching out to gently wake the woman in the chair. Only to see she was already awake and watching Kya with a bemused expression. Like on the one hand she found it confusing what exactly Kya was doing by hugging herself and feeling her hair and the blankets, while on the other hand finding it hilarious she was doing so. In a steady voice, the woman said ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re awake. We weren¡¯t sure what was wrong, but figured you must simply be out from exhaustion.¡± It¡¯s hard to describe the feeling that Kya had when facing the woman. It reminded her almost of facing the tiger. It was different, of course. She didn¡¯t feel as scared, more just¡­ aware. Like when looking at a police officer with a gun on their hip, she got the feeling that not only was this person something of an authority, she was also unquestionably dangerous. Nodding to the yellow crystal eye in Kya¡¯s hand, she said ¡°That¡¯s a rare find. Was that why you went out in the forest? Trying to get yourself a class?¡± Finally, Kya responded by not answering her question and instead asking a simple one of her own. ¡°Who are you? Also, where are we?¡± Nodding like these were not only entirely expected, but also good answers to her questions, the woman responded ¡°I¡¯m Julia Wade, a 1-Star soldier down from Loterre. And we are currently in one of the clinics in Lyra.¡± Seeing that the names and explanation clearly meant nothing to Kya, she continued ¡°We¡¯ve all been extremely curious to know what exactly happened out there. Can you tell me about yourself and-¡± She stopped short as a man slid open the door, apparently it was a sliding door, and walked in closing it behind him. He was average height, with shaggy light brown hair that covered his forehead and ears, going down to his shoulders. ¡°Oh, you''re awake!¡± he said, with a practiced smile. ¡°You can call me Rory, I¡¯m with the Church of Life, and I¡¯ve been looking after you the last couple of days.¡± Color visibly drained from Kya¡¯s face at that, and both Rory and Julia noticed immediately. Shooting the man a disapproving look, she said ¡°Thank you Rory, I was getting to that.¡± Turning back to face Kya, she smiled apologetically ¡°Look, it''s been about two nights and three days since your fight. Rory here¡± She said, jabbing a thumb at the man ¡°Has been working to keep you stable, and I¡± she turned her thumb to herself ¡°have kept the locals from prying into you by claiming you were recovering from battle. As a disciple of war, I am given this privilege. But their patience is almost at an end, and we need to know a lot more than we do, a lot more quickly than we¡¯d like.¡± She now turned both her hands up in a gesture of helplessness and said ¡°I¡¯m only a 1-Star. And even with the backing of my church, that means I can be pretty easily walked over.¡± Turning to look at the befuddled healer, she said ¡°Truthfully, your city lord is¡­ I mean whew¡± ¡°Don¡¯t I know it¡± mumbled Rory under his breath, producing a stool out of thin air and sitting down with a huff. ¡°So I¡¯m sorry we can¡¯t do this more gently, truly I am, but we need to know what¡¯s going on, and how you fit into all of this.¡± She finished, again, with an apologetic but firm tone. Kya was thinking fast. This was¡­ a lot. In fact, this was nearly too much. Not only had she been unconscious for days, but she was now being forced to confront a large number of facts with even larger and crazier implications. She felt an odd sense of vertigo trying to keep everything straight in her mind. Trying to buy herself time, Kya asked simply and maybe too bluntly ¡°What can I do to buy you more time. So that we can do this in a better way?¡± She didn¡¯t really expect anything to come from it, she just wanted them, either of them, to talk more. The more information she could glean, the better she could plan to somehow get out of this mess. Sharing a look, the healer shrugged and said ¡°You¡¯re holding it, actually.¡± Then, after a moment ¡°Why do all healers have to be so uninformative, geez¡± said Julia ¡°He means if you accept a class. There''s a ritual room down the hall we can use. I assume you can do it?¡± Directing the last part at Rory. ¡°Oh yes¡± he said simply ¡°One of the most straightforward rituals we can do, actually.¡± ¡°I know death isn¡¯t a lot of peoples first picks for a class, but giving you a star would immediately change the tone of these people yammering for explanations. A random zero won¡¯t be treated overly well, but a 1-Star is given at least some respect. Especially in this town.¡± Finished Wade, clearly hoping she would accept. In a snap judgment, Kya decided not only did she like this woman, but she trusted her to some extent. Maybe foolish and definitely impulsive, but she was feeling impulsive at the moment. Trying to fish a little bit more, Kya asked, ¡°Can I trade this to get another class? How does class selection even work?¡± This was apparently a common question, as Rory responded with a sigh, saying ¡°No you can¡¯t trade, at least not in the short term. Class selection items like that are pretty rare, and pretty expensive. The better one¡¯s will grant you a wider selection of classes to choose from, but that one will only grant you the one. It would definitely sell at the auction house, but finding another one would take at least a couple days without an intense stroke of luck.¡± ¡°But if I had a class, things would be better for me?¡± ¡°Yes¡± they both responded at once, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Nodding, Kya asked one final question. "Is there a bad class?" Puzzled at the change in topic, they again shared a look before Julia explained "Politically, there can be some unwelcome ones. Certain countries only want people of a specific magic in their cities, or will shun and turn away some of a different type, but practically, no. They each work in their own way to grant power and strength to the user. They can all be good or bad depending on your imagination and how you use them." With that, Kya mentally called up the prompt for class selection, and said ¡°Alright then, let''s do it.¡± Everything around her immediately froze. The color bled from around her until she was living in a world of pure black and white, before a window popped up in front of her. - - - - - - You have been granted {Class Selection} - Available Selections: {Water}, {Fire}, {Earth}, {Air}, {Time}, {Space}, {Life}, {Death}, {Knowledge}, {Emotion}, {War}, and {Peace} - - - - - This was Kya¡¯s first look at what exactly lay out there waiting for her. She knew, at least now, that this woman across from her had chosen the path of war. The healer had probably chosen the path of life. There were a thousand thoughts running through her head, about possibilities and powers she could get. If she chose air, could she fly? If she chose time, could she control time itself? What would powers of emotion and peace even be? She likely could have talked it out more. She could have figured out more and come to a better, more reasoned conclusion on which path to take. But truly, from the first moment she laid eyes on it, she knew which one she¡¯d pick. In her world, since childhood, she¡¯d always loved using telescopes to gaze up at the stars. To read about other plants and see pictures of galaxies swirling about. Now, here in her defining moment, she had the option to choose magical powers that were directly tied to space itself? Not even mentioning the gear shed found so far, and the powers she¡¯d used via her staff to survive the forest? No, she knew what path to pick. The only one that really felt right to her. - - - - - - You have selected {Space} - You have unlocked {Character screen} - You have unlocked {Class Abilities} - You have unlocked {Class Benefits} - You have undergone a fundamental shift from a mundane to a magical being. - Status changed from {Human} to {Human - 1-Star} - - - - - *You Have Unlocked Class Ability {Push and Pull}* - Ability {Push and Pull} 1-Star - 0% - Description: Through your experience and understanding of space, you are able to moderately affect any object, directing it towards or away from your center of mass. - - - - - As the color returned to the world, Kya felt three points of terrible pain. The simplest was from her hand, which felt as though it were being branded with a hot iron. This, however, failed to even draw her attention as her eyes currently felt like they were being removed, and replaced with venomous, molten soup. It lasted for only a moment, blessedly, before she slumped forward heaving for breath. Rory rushed forward, and Wade was halfway out of her seat before they both stopped in shock. Blinking away tears of pain, Kya looked at them both, as their jaws hung down, slack. They had stopped because they both sensed the unmistakable aura of a 1-Star begin weakly pulsing out. Their jaws hung slack, however, because they both now saw the radiant pink iris¡¯s blinking away tears and looking at them in pride and defiance. 11. The inevitable Q & A session Kya sat in her simple bed, feet not quite touching the ground, and felt¡­ everything. She felt the normal things, the blanket underneath her, the simple gown against her skin, but she felt more than that. The other two had begun talking, but she had absolutely no idea what they were saying. She was simply trying to get a grasp on these crazy new sensations. She felt the other two across the room from her. She was aware of the table, of her bag, of the chair and stool and door and glowstone, it was all piling on, each thing tugging at her brain for attention, as if calling out to her. As she clutched her head, all of it, all at once, receded down, and down, and finally all she could feel with her newfound sense was the gown she wore. Looking up and seeing the radiant green eyes of Rory, she asked in a hoarse voice ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± He stared at her for a long time, his face once moderately tanned, had gone white as a sheet. ¡°We need to start over,¡± he said at last ¡°because there¡¯s a lot you don¡¯t know, and a lot we don¡¯t know.¡± He finished by turning to Wade, and said ¡°Jules, sit down, and put that away. I¡¯m head of this clinic and no one will interfere, at least not for now. If you can¡¯t bottle up your instinctual aura, though, things will get very bad very quickly.¡± Kya couldn¡¯t see anything for her to ¡°put away.¡± She was just standing in front of her chair, seat pushed back from the speed of her getting up, with a stormy expression on her face. At the words of the healer, though, she changed. It wasn¡¯t a visual thing, she didn¡¯t literally shrink, but her presence in the room seemed to. It felt to Kya like a puffer fish deflating after a shock. With a sharp nod, she pulled the chair back in place, and sat with a thump, her deep maroon eyes locked on Kya¡¯s. ¡°Thank you¡± said Rory, with an audible exhale. Rory had seemed carefree at first, almost uncaring in fact. But Kya decided to reevaluate the man. It wasn¡¯t that he lacked passion, but rather that he lacked energy. His shaggy hair and lustrous eyes distracted from the absolutely haggard look on his face, telling of a tedious and tiring lifestyle. He smiled at her, seeming genuine, but also so, so weary. ¡°I¡¯ve been head of this clinic for the last fifteen years, seeing thousands of people from every walk of life. Humans are a rarity in these parts, but there are a fair few of you still, and you¡¯re nothing new to me. But what we¡¯ve just seen is¡­ well it¡¯s extraordinary. To say nothing of the¡­ results.¡± He paused, seeming to contemplate where exactly he wanted to take the conversation. ¡°Let me start simply, which I think will benefit all of us. What is your name?¡± He said, sitting back on his plain wooden stool. Kya, however, had stopped listening part way through. She hadn¡¯t even really understood the question being asked. ¡°What do you mean, humans are a rarity? ¡° She asked, not entirely sure what to expect in reply. Seeming to catch Rory off guard as well, he answered simply ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t mean anything by it. Just that the only human settlement on this island is a couple hours south by carriage, and it''s a small town at that. Hardly more than a few hundred people working out of there.¡± ¡°So what kinds of people live here then?¡± Kya asked ¡°Elves.¡± Said Wade, speaking for the first time since her class awakening. Then, unclasping her hands, she pushed back her hair to show long tapering points on her ears. They weren¡¯t the simple human sized ears with a bit of an edge from fantasy movies back home, these were proper inhuman things, with points several inches long. Now that she knew what to look for, she could see the ear on the other side poking out of her hair, and the same went for Rory. ¡°How did you not know this was an elven city?¡± asked Rory, in astonishment ¡°Where are you from?¡± Again ignoring the question being posed to her, Kya stared at the two, going back and forth. ¡°You two are seriously Elves? And this is a genuine Elven City?¡± Both of their expressions changed at this comment. Rory grew puzzled, like he couldn¡¯t understand what was confusing about this concept. Wade¡¯s expression only grew darker, lighting beginning to form behind her eyes. ¡°Okay¡± Said Rory in a voice of forced calm, directed both at Wade and Kya ¡°let me be explicitly clear ma¡¯am. For the past several days, we have healed, fed, and looked after you. Wade here saying your battle was so extraordinary, she wanted to take you back to Partalis for training.¡± He let this last part hang for a second, apparently hoping it¡¯s implication would mean something to Kya ¡°But we need some information and answers from you before you can go anywhere. Believe me, you¡¯d much rather it be me asking in here, than Wade asking in Loterre. So, come on, what is your name? Where are you from? Let¡¯s start with the basics.¡± Kya knew she was against a wall. That was a threat, as clearly as any made in any culture, regardless of species or world, she could be sure of that. But she also got the impression that this healer genuinely didn¡¯t want to hurt her or put her in danger. Wade, she wasn¡¯t sure about, but she had a pretty good feeling from Rory. Trying her luck, she attempted to extend her first olive branch. ¡°I will answer one question from you for every one you answer from me. Deal?¡± Some of the tension seemed to ease from Rory¡¯s shoulders, and he said ¡°Deal.¡± without any hesitation. Nodding, she began ¡°My name is Kya, and I¡¯m from¡­ well, a small town a long way away from here.¡± All three knew she had just dodged the question of origin, but just happy to be moving in a positive direction, Rory didn¡¯t push it. ¡°Nice to meet you Kya, once again, I¡¯m Rory Mayler, and this is Julia Wade. I¡¯m a healer and she¡¯s a fighter, to grossly simplify things.¡± Thinking for a bit on her first question, she eventually asked ¡°What was the feeling I got after my class? Why could I feel everything around me?¡± ¡°Aura,¡± said Wade. She too had seemed to grow less tense as she grew more cooperative, but still looked more tightly wound than a clock tower. ¡°Exactly so,¡± said Rory ¡°Each aura power is unique in its specific effects, but they all have the same general features. For example, I get my aura from the Life class, so anyone within it recovers a little more quickly than they otherwise would. It can do other things as well, but¡­¡± He shrugged there, a smile pulling at his lips ¡°They¡¯re not very relevant right now. Yours, though, as a newly awakened Spatial aura should grant you some sort of heightened spatial awareness. I¡¯ve suppressed the effect for now, but you¡¯ll need to get a handle on it rather quickly if possible.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Aura? She had an Aura? It wasn¡¯t entirely shocking to her they existed. She¡¯d felt an intense presence from some of the monsters in the forest, and from Wade as well. A so called Aura being the reason just put a name to that feeling for her. But the fact that she had one too, and that it moreover had its own unique magical effects? Kya was giddy with anticipation as to what exactly she could do. But, before getting to explore abilities, or even pull up some of the screens she now had access to which would likely answer many of her questions anyway, Wade spoke up. ¡°I have a question, then. Who taught you to fight?¡± Rory had turned to look at Wade as she started speaking, but now looked back curiously at Kya. ¡°What makes you think I know how to fight?¡± Asked Kya in return. She trusted these two, but only so much. Apparently her hasty choice to pick Space as a class was seen as some faux pas to these two, and she needed to know what she was in for now. If it was simple discrimination, she could overcome that. If it was outright hostility, she didn¡¯t want to be the focus of a witch hunt. As she reached these conclusions, she decided to try and give away as little as possible while trying to get as much as possible. ¡°Answer me first.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a soldier. What made you think I could fight?¡± She scoffed derisively, before running an inspecting eye over Kya ¡°I watched your fight with the tiger. You were wildly outmatched in almost every conceivable way, but managed to stay calm and fight back. It was sloppy as hell, but you managed to pull it off. Now then, no nation I¡¯ve ever heard of would employ a zero as a soldier. Logistics sure, but never infantry. Were you being trained by someone, and they sent you here for your class?¡± ¡°So far as I know, I wound up here entirely by accident. Why is it bad that I chose space for my class?¡± This question returned the tension to the air that had been slowly easing with the rapid fire questions. Wade looked to Rory for this one, who sighed, scratching his head and gazing at the glowstone in the ceiling. ¡°Okay so¡­ Every class is powerful.¡± He started, trying to ease into it ¡°But some have inherent advantages in some aspects. No one has more raw killing potential than death. No one is better at healing than life. Well, Space and its complement Time were found to be¡­¡± he trailed off here, waving his hand while looking for the right word ¡°outliers, I guess. About a hundred twenty years ago, there was a breaking point. A big war was fought, with space and time against the world. She¡¯d probably know quite a bit more, but suffice to say, it left a bad taste in everyone''s mouth. For the last eighty years or so, there haven¡¯t been any new spatial users. I didn¡¯t even think it could still be claimed as a primary class?¡± This last bit was in the form of a question, directed at Wade. She nodded ¡°It can¡¯t. There are groups that find ways of claiming it as a secondary class, however. It¡¯s frowned upon, but the abilities it provides are so useful and versatile, even as just a secondary class, that many don¡¯t mind it. You¡¯ll find more than a couple elites throughout the world with space as their secondary class, especially if they¡¯ve been around since the war.¡± ¡°Since the war? You just said it was at least eighty years ago, how can they still be alive?¡± Asked Kya incredulously. They both gave her looks of absolute confusion, mixed with a little contempt. Like a four year old had just asked what two plus two equals. ¡°It¡¯s not your turn for a question¡± said Wade slowly ¡°So how about this. Why don¡¯t you know¡­ anything?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty new to magic, I literally just got my class five minutes ago.¡± Kya said, trying to deflect the question. ¡°Okay, so-¡± ¡°No.¡± Wade cut her off ¡°A lot of zero¡¯s, especially out in the country, don¡¯t know the first real thing about how users work. But they know about classes existing, they know about users and the guild and Elves. They know that, to answer your question, users live a very long time as they get more powerful. You don¡¯t know anything at all though. What¡¯s your story, that¡¯s my question.¡± Rory never broke eye contact with Kya the whole time Wade was talking. He had been watching for her reactions, and she knew he knew. They both knew. Not seeing much of a choice, Kya started to speak at least parts of the truth ¡°About what, six days ago now, I woke up in a temple in the woods. I have no idea how I got there, or where ¡®there¡¯ even is. Since then, I¡¯ve been trying to survive and get out of the forest. Where I come from, they don¡¯t have magic or classes or aura¡¯s or anything like this stuff. That¡¯s why I¡¯m pretty out of it when it comes to common knowledge. Just assume, going forward, that I don¡¯t know a single thing about magic.¡± Feeling as though she might have given away too much of the truth, and wanting to move the conversation along, she asked ¡°Now that I¡¯ve made my choice of class, what will happen?¡± The other two were sitting contemplatively. Neither in any hurry to answer, seeming to just¡­ stew on the information she¡¯d given. Eventually, Rory looked up and said ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you asked what happens now? Well¡­ that depends greatly on what you want to happen.¡± Wade picked up the conversation here ¡°You¡¯re most likely the reason we¡¯re here. You waking up and us receiving feedback from the spatial stone happened at the same time. I can¡¯t even attempt to think they aren¡¯t connected. Which means, Sayrin will want to take you back to Loterre.¡± She finished, letting that last part hang in the air. ¡°I¡¯m assuming that¡¯s not great?¡± ¡°Sayrin is one of the most respectable and honorable commanders I¡¯ve served under in the army¡± said Wade ¡°But in Loterre, you¡¯d likely be imprisoned or at least thoroughly questioned and magically probed for information on who you are, where you come from, and how you got this class.¡± ¡°So¡­ Not great.¡± ¡°No, not great.¡± ¡°However¡± Chimed in Rory ¡°If you were a registered guild member, they wouldn¡¯t be able to simple up and take you. Not without Foring¡¯s permission at least.¡± Nodding slowly, Wade stood, and looked directly at Kya ¡°My duty compels me to report what I¡¯ve learned about you. To keep it hidden would be to perjure myself, and although I respect your accomplishments in battle, I will not do this for you. But¡­¡± she struggled for a moment, her stormy expression softening just slightly ¡°If you join the Questers Guild, and I mean as soon as elvishly possible, I can get distracted on my way back to report these events.¡± Kya returned the towering woman''s gaze, feeling a profound respect for the woman being to take hold, as she returned the deliberate nod. ¡°I genuinely don¡¯t know what that will entail, but I¡¯ve heard from a reliable source that the questers guild is the one to join. Rory¡± She turned now to the healer, who had also stood and made his simple stool vanish ¡°Can you take me to register at the guild please?¡± He smiled at her, a genuine and delighted smile, and said ¡°I was just thinking of taking a break, and I¡¯d be happy to show you around. Not sure about that gown though, it practically labels you as just out from the clinic. Not to mention those eyes¡­¡± ¡°Oh!¡± exclaimed Wade, ¡°Did you kill a nest of Necro-Spiders in the woods a few days back?¡± ¡°Yeah, burned the whole thing to ashes, why?¡± She laughed, a full bellied thunderous sound, then handed over a small leather pouch that suddenly appeared. ¡°I¡¯m starting to take a genuine liking to you, Kya of the forest. Well done, extremely well done. I¡¯d like to hear the story of that encounter sometime. This the reward money from the city lord. He¡¯s a miserly bastard, so it isn¡¯t half as much as it should be, but it¡¯ll at least buy you some clothes, and give you some money to throw around.¡± Wade slid open the door, but paused with one foot out the door ¡°The road ahead won¡¯t be easy for you. A lot of people in this town won¡¯t know what it means, the color of your eyes, but some will. They¡¯ll hate you for it.¡± Holding up her left hand and brandishing a small tattoo, she said ¡°But as long as you¡¯ve got this, they¡¯ll respect you all the same.¡± With that, she turned and strode purposefully down the hall and out of sight. Kya saw that Rory had two fingers to the bridge of his nose, and was suppressing a smile. ¡°What?¡± she asked ¡°Nothing, nothing.¡± He said, his smile getting a little wider, the mirth audible in his tone. ¡°Once you get to know Jules, you¡¯ll realize that not only does her mood shift a little too easily, she also has a penchant for drama.¡± Straightening, he said ¡°Well then, come on. We need to get you registered at the guild, and then get you some new clothes. I¡¯d be happy to show you the way.¡± Kya gave her assent, and then slipped on her boots. They were as exquisite as ever and having them back on her feet truly made the world seem more at ease. No matter what happened in her life, she¡¯d be walking on clouds and pure, condensed softness. Besides, she was magical now. What could possibly get in her way? 12. The Benefits of Classism ¡°Rory, you have four other patients to se- Oh! I¡¯m glad to see that our mystery woman has finally woken up.¡± A young man said cheerfully from a desk just down the hall from Kya¡¯s room as they both walked out and turned away from her. ¡°Ah, yes Tom, go ahead and have Alexi fill in for now.¡± The man, who must have been Tom, made a doubtful face ¡°Alexi? Are you sure, yah know I¡¯ve actually been practicing, and I could probably-¡± ¡°No! Thank you, Tom, but your expertise and knowledge of the ledgers is invaluable, Alexi is a wonderful healer and she¡¯ll do a great job while I¡¯m preoccupied. Thanks Tom!¡± Rory finished by yelling the last part over his shoulder as he hurried Kya into the room at the opposite end of the hall. The moment the door closed, Kya felt a profound shift in the atmosphere. It reminded her of when she¡¯d stepped out of or into the temple grounds back in the forest, the difference was now she was magical too. ¡°Tom is a great people-person, but whew, do not let him try and heal you. He¡¯ll think there¡¯s something wrong and amputate a limb out of panic.¡± Rory looked back and chuckled at Kya¡¯s face. ¡°Yes, right, you¡¯re new to all this. So, this is a ritual room.¡± He gestured around the moderately sized room. It was all silver stone, shining brightly and reflecting the radiant green sigils set in the walls in intricate patterns. Glow stones sat in recessed alcoves, providing a steady light source without many shadows, and in the center of the room sat a round pedestal a couple of inches off the ground. It seemed to be made entirely of a greenish crystal, like a giant emerald. It was the apparent inverse of the room around it, with a large circle of silver runes already drawn in going around the entire perimeter. ¡°I thought you said this was for class rituals, why are we here?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Explained Rory, ¡°It¡¯s not only for class rituals, but it can also be used for any ritual we need here. The life attunement makes it especially helpful for any intensive or emergency care we might need to provide. All rooms like this do is purify and condense the natural mana in the air to make it easier to use more powerful abilities. That¡¯s probably what you felt when you walked in, an increase in pressure that made your ears pop right? That''s magic.¡± ¡°Again though, why are we here? Aren¡¯t we in something of a hurry to register at the guild hall?¡± ¡°Yes, we are. But if you walk around town with your aura on full blast, not only will people notice you and give attention we really don¡¯t want, but you¡¯ll also gradually tire yourself out. So, we¡¯re going to do a quick crash course in aura control. Yours is still pretty weak, but that doesn¡¯t mean I want to keep suppressing it all day.¡± With that, he started to gradually let off the pressure on her aura, and she once again felt her senses expand to fill the room. As soon as they reached Rory, she recoiled back. It was as if she¡¯d been traveling in pitch black darkness and stumbled upon a massive bonfire. She felt him blazing in her aura, not a dangerous wild force like Wade, but a warm and soothing flame that one might tell stories around. ¡°I like your aura¡± Kya said, coming to grips with the sensation ¡°It befits a healer.¡± Rory beamed, clearly pleased with the compliment ¡°Why thank you very much.¡± ¡°What does mine feel like?¡± ¡°Right now, not much.¡± Seeing her frown slightly, he quickly added on ¡°Sorry, sorry, I meant no offense with that. But because of how new it is, and how new you are, it¡¯s like asking to feel the warmth of a candle from the other side of a room. It will grow more powerful with time, and then you can use it more liberally. But, for now, let''s get started on simple control.¡± Her eye¡¯s growing sharp, Kya focused on Rory, banishing all other thoughts from her head. ¡°Firstly, you should be able to get an idea of what your Aura does by concentrating on it. It might be vague, but usually it can be¡­ What are you doing?¡± ¡°Reading.¡± ¡°Reading what?¡± Kya slowly looked up, and then tilted her head in slight confusion. ¡°Reading about my Aura. It says it¡¯s ¡®Spatial Awareness¡¯ and basically allows me to sense everything in my immediate vicinity. - - - - - Class Benefits - Aura Spatial Awareness - 1-Star Effect - Grants complete awareness of your surroundings in all directions; anything within your Aura is more easily affected by Spatial abilities. - - - - - ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re reading about your aura? Do you have an ability that tells you about your abilities?¡± Asked Rory, still not understanding. ¡°Is that¡­ Not common then?¡± Asked Kya, mentally face palming. She¡¯d assumed everyone got such abilities. ¡°It¡¯s not unheard of, but no, not common at all.¡± Said Rory, a look of jealousy. ¡°Right well then, that takes care of the largest hurdle in our way. It normally takes people quite a while to get a grip on their new aura abilities. So then, can you feel your aura itself?¡± ¡°I can, it''s like a bubble. It reaches a few meters in every direction, before it stops abruptly.¡± She took a few steps backwards, and felt Rory leave her small sphere. Immediately, it felt like the room got darker, though the glow stones stayed just as bright. Rory watched her experiment with her ability for several minutes before finally saying ¡°Right, now that you have a feel for it, can you make it smaller?¡± Concentrating, Kya thought back to when she¡¯d used the staff for the first time. Exerting her will, she felt the familiar clench in her stomach as her sphere of awareness slowly, ever so slowly, shrank, about an inch. Breathing hard, Kya wiped sweat from her brow, and looked up at Rory, now sitting on his little stool on the other side of the room. ¡°Perfect!¡± Exclaimed Rory ¡°that was quick, I thought you were new to magic! It usually takes people at least an hour to begin retracting their auras.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a similar feeling to a magic item I used to stay alive in the forest¡± Explained Kya ¡°Otherwise I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d have had any clue what I was doing.¡± Understanding crossed Rory¡¯s face, and he accepted the explanation in stride. ¡°Well keep at it, your goal is to make it as small as possible. It won¡¯t stop anyone who wants to identify you. Masking your aura completely is a whole other ball game. We¡¯re just trying to make it so fewer people take notice in the first place.¡± - - - About an hour and a half later, Rory and Kya walked out of the clinic with a goodbye to Tom, the front desk worker. Her aura was currently in an egg-shaped bubble around her body about as far away as arms reach. This was deemed passable by Rory, saying that ideally, it should be like a second layer of skin when not in use. But as her aura was only a few hours old, this was respectable progress. Stepping out onto the street, Kya got her first look at a city in a new world and was not disappointed. Most of the buildings, in fact almost every building she could see up and down the large road, were made in every imaginable color of stones. The clinic they had just left was lustrous silver and vibrant green, across the street was what looked to be a restaurant with large open walls and outdoor seating. The smells coming from the building were intoxicatingly delicious, drawing her into the bright yellow and gold store. Laughing from behind, Rory walked with her up to the large man behind a polished dark wood counter. ¡°Hello Rory¡± Said the man in a gruff, lightly accented voice ¡°Who¡¯s this you¡¯ve brought into my shop? Trying to impress another lady frie-¡± ¡°No, no!¡± Said Rory quickly, cutting the man off with a fierce blush. ¡°Come on Sugg, don¡¯t do that, besides, I don¡¯t do that that frequently.¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Sugg let out a barking laugh, before turning to Kya ¡°Apologies young miss, I can never rightly pass up an opportunity to mess with Mr. Mayler here.¡± Taking off his simple white cap and bowing to show off his shiny bald head, he introduced himself ¡°Eugene Suggilaran, at your service, but please just call me Sugg.¡± Inclining her head with a smile, Kya introduced herself as well, then asked ¡°I¡¯m new in town Sugg, what would you recommend to someone who¡¯s absolutely starving?¡± Replacing his cap and absently scratching at his scruffy gray beard, he said ¡°Is there anything yah won¡¯t eat?¡± ¡°I¡¯m open to trying anything you¡¯ve got.¡± With a broad smile, he shuffled off back into the kitchen, as Rory let out a small groan ¡°You definitely shouldn¡¯t have done that¡± ¡°What? why not?¡± ¡°Because, Sugg likes to do dumb stuff.¡± he said simply, and nodded as the curtains obscuring the kitchen rustled and parted to reveal Sugg carrying a large plate with¡­ noodles? Piled high. ¡°Do you want to try it before or after I tell you what it is?¡± Asked Sugg with a grin. Picking up the little green chopsticks placed to the left of the plate, she smiled back and said ¡°During¡± before digging in. The dark purple noodles were semi-transparent and oily, but tasted extremely good. It reminded Kya vaguely of pad thai, with crunchy little veggies and a sweet and spicy sauce. As she was chewing her first bite, Sugg said with a barely contained laugh ¡°Those are pickled viper spleens, with fried rat belly bits and sour eel milk sauce.¡± Kya stopped chewing and slowly met Suggs eyes as Rory silently shuddered next to her. She finished the bite she had in her mouth, before saying ¡°Sugg¡­ this is one of the best meals I¡¯ve had in my life.¡± Then promptly ate another bite. Rory, who had gone from a blushing pink to a sickly green, looked at her in horror, while Sugg took a minute to stare in confusion, before releasing a bellowing laugh and slapping his belly. ¡°Young miss, you flatter me. You¡¯re welcome back here anytime you¡¯d like, anytime at all.¡± As he walked away to greet another customer, she turned back to Rory who looked absolutely appalled at her continued dining. ¡°What''s the matter?¡± She said in between bites ¡°This food is delicious.¡± ¡°It¡¯s literally all animals,¡± He said before looking away again. ¡°Oh, are you a vegetarian?¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°Someone who doesn¡¯t eat meat.¡± Looking at the ceiling now, he took on a contemplative expression ¡°I guess that describes me. But I don¡¯t eat anything, I haven¡¯t had actual food in about two years I think?¡± ¡°What?!? How do you¡­ What???¡± Kya asked in astonishment. He laughed and replied, ¡°You¡¯ll stop eating as well, given enough time.¡± ¡°Like hell I will¡± She muttered ¡°Is this a magic thing or an elf thing, or both?¡± ¡°For me, it''s a magic thing, and specifically a class thing. As we become more and more magical, our bodies need physical matter less and less. As a 2-Star, I need a single life attuned crystal a day, and that¡¯s it. Plus, as a healer and user on the path of Life, it feels wrong to kill just so I can satisfy myself when I don¡¯t need to.¡± He shrugged and finished by saying ¡°You might still eat if you choose, but you won¡¯t need to.¡± Taking another look at her slimy purple noodles, he shuddered again and said "But still... pickled intestines..." Then shook his head and looked away again. At the mention of him being 2-Star, she mentally chastised herself for not thinking about it sooner and used her identity on Rory. - - - - - Name - Rory Mayler Class - Life - 2-Star - - - - - It was a pretty sparse description compared to the monsters in the forest, but at least she could confirm he wasn¡¯t lying about his identity or anything. Finishing the meal and leaving a single one of the coins from her spider earnings on the counter, she and Rory walked back out onto the street. ¡°You wildly overpaid¡± Rory said idly as they walked. ¡°How much is one coin worth?¡± ¡°You got about a hundred silver coins there, yes?¡± Nodding in confirmation, Rory continued ¡°A single auren, gold ones, are worth ten agrens, the silver ones. Which are worth ten curens, the copper ones. Which finally are worth ten ferens, the iron ones. There¡¯re also chips, but those aren¡¯t used that often in this part of town. It¡¯s one hundred chips to a feren. That meal was worth maybe, maybe a full curen. You paid for your next nine meals there, plus a handsome tip.¡± ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be returning for my prepaid meals¡¯ Kya said with a laugh, making a mental note on the currency exchange. As they climbed polished white stairs, Kya asked ¡°have we arrived?¡± Chuckling, Rory simply pointed as a massive wooden bus seeming to sit on a bed of clouds pulled into the elevated platform on which the pair now stood, along with a handful of other patrons. ¡°You didn¡¯t think we¡¯d be walking all the way to the guild hall, did you?¡± As they got on the bus, people made a path for them, a few even lowering their heads slightly as they looked at the pair passing them. After they were seated and flying through the air over the city, Kya wanted to look out the vast windows at the gorgeous city below but couldn¡¯t take her mind off of what had just happened. ¡°Rory, how does your society see people like us? People with magic, I mean.¡± He thought for a moment, having no trouble looking out at the beautiful setting suns. ¡°You mentioned you came from a life in a foreign military, right?¡± She nodded. ¡°Did your culture have any ways of showing appreciation to said military?¡± ¡°It was mostly just discounts at most retail locations¡± said Kya with a laugh, before adding on ¡°But I would get random people walking up and thanking me for my service to the country. It always felt¡­ odd. I knew what I was doing was hard, brutal at times. But it never felt like I earned their gratitude. I never knew what to say when they would say stuff like that.¡± Rory nodded, understanding her sentiment. ¡°In our culture, it¡¯s similar, I think. But a little more intense. I take it the monsters weren¡¯t bad where you¡¯re from.¡± ¡°We hardly ever saw any in our own territory. It was usually that we left to go fight elsewhere.¡± ¡°I think that might be the difference then. That feeling like you haven¡¯t truly earned the gratitude? You won¡¯t get that here. I take it from what little you¡¯ve said¡± this part was said dryly with a semi-accusing glance in her direction ¡°that you fought quite a few monsters in the forest. Well, they aren¡¯t limited to forests. This city has some strong walls, but the outlying farms? The lumber mills and the mines? The traders and the fisheries? We are treated well Kya, but sometimes you¡¯ll wish we weren¡¯t. Sometimes it can almost be too much.¡± The rest of the voyage was spent in silence. Rory¡¯s tired features had returned, and she thought perhaps it wasn¡¯t simply from working too hard at his clinic. He was a healer, yes, but he was also older than appearances would indicate. He¡¯d been running the clinic for fifteen years, and before that¡­ who knows. It was clear to her, then, that he was a soldier in his own right. They might be called something different here. Guild members or Users or Explorers, or whatever. Different names for the same things. The people who take responsibility. Kya looked out at the city now, seeing the vast rivers and canals that spread throughout the city, dividing almost into three main islands. She saw the walls and the docks. Trading squares, with colorful tents and magnificent churches. Turning away from the oceans they began heading deeper into the city and towards more large and ornate structures. At the far end of the city, separated with its own walls, was a small castle of pristine white stone with deep blue spires topping its many towers. But all the while, she wasn¡¯t really taking any of it in. She appreciated the sights, as they truly were magnificent. But her mind and her heart weren¡¯t in it. She remembered back to the night of the spider nest. She would not be taken in by the beauty of this world. For she knew it simply to be a cover for its darker sides. She knew why she was headed for the guild. She knew without its protection; she may be taken prisoner to a different city somewhere else. But she wanted to have agency in this. She wanted to choose this life, not be forced into it. She had chosen to join on earth for her sister, for her country, for herself. There were, in truth, a thousand reasons why she had joined. But here? Could she really sign up to protect a people she did not know, to risk her life for others she would never meet? As they got off the cloud construct and stepped into a massive city circle outside the castle walls. In each direction, another street branched off leading in a random direction or towards another ornate building. Again, there were nods and mutterings of thanks from the people they passed as they made their way to a six-story building with towering trees and beautiful fountains surrounding its perimeter. It wasn¡¯t a castle, but she preferred this instead. It had full length tinted windows running up to the top floor, with large columns of what looked to be tree trunks at regular intervals. The branches of the trees acted as frames and supports for the windows themselves, and the roof seemed to exist solely as a collection of dark green leaves. In several of the fountains, children laughed and played as they splashed each other. As the pair passed them, they all nudged each other, and their eyes got huge in their heads. ¡°Are they allowed to play here?¡± Kya asked quietly, breaking the silence that had gripped them. Rory gave her an odd look, something that was becoming a habit for him at this point ¡°They¡¯re kids. Even if they weren¡¯t it¡¯s not like that would stop them. But no, this is the guild hall. They know this is a safe place to do as they please, so long as they aren¡¯t hurting anyone.¡± Looking back before she passed through one of the several doors at the top of the front steps leading in, she saw the kids had all gone back to playing. Except for one. A little girl peeking out from behind one of the fountains and staring up at her. Hesitantly, she gave a jerky wave, and Kya couldn¡¯t stop from laughing and waving back. Turning and entering the hall, Kya knew then what she had known all along. Of course, she could protect. Of course, she would protect. Not because of her newfound magic, but because it needed to be done. And Kya was ready, able, and willing. 13. The Line, the Witch, and the Warrior Sayrin strode through the massive southern gates of Lyra as he, along with two thirds of his company, returned from their forest expedition. Sitting there, in the center of the road on a simple meditation mat, was the formidable form of a fully armored acolyte of war. ¡°Wade!¡± Exclaimed Sayrin, ¡°Stones of Gaius woman, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Sir, the woman from the forest has awoken¡± Said wade, standing and looking uncharacteristically somber. ¡°That¡¯s great, I¡¯m glad she was able to pull through, but let¡¯s get out of the middle of the road, we¡¯re causing a traffic jam here.¡± Wagons pulled by massive six legged beasts rolled by on their right, but were slowed down as they tried to skirt the large group of soldiers spilling out from the central walkway and on to the road. The pedestrians themselves could clearly see and feel the power of the group, and waited patiently at either side, giving them a bubble of space out of respect. ¡°There are things you need to know sir, many things. I was able to talk to her.¡± Motioning for them to cross over into an alley, the soldiers formed a rough semicircle around its entrance to keep out prying eyes and ears. ¡°Alright, what¡¯s so important then you¡¯d wait in the middle of the city entrance for my return.¡± He said, not a little exasperated by her actions. Looking him square in the eyes, she said one simple sentence. ¡°She¡¯s a Spatial User.¡± Sayrin¡¯s jaw hung slack for a moment, and then a moment more. His eyes grew wider as his pupils contracted to mere pinpricks in the sea of gold that made up his irises. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Not possible.¡± He said finally, ¡°explain, Wade, she was a zero when we brought her back. You checked her storage, there was only the tiger''s eye for death, how¡­¡± He trailed off, before finally repeating ¡°Explain¡± So she did. Starting from the moment Kya woke up, she explained everything they had said and done. How she¡¯d gotten a class without a ritual, how her eyes were now a radiant pink, and how conflicted she was. ¡°Sir, is there any option to-¡± ¡°No.¡± He said, eyes growing cold ¡°Where is she now?¡± Her chin dropping slightly, Wade nevertheless maintained eye contact and said ¡°When I left, she was still at the clinic with Rory.¡± Looking at her, his aura like a smooth iron shell betraying absolutely nothing on his own emotions, he said again, his voice matching his eyes ¡°Where is she now, Wade?¡± At the mention of her name, he crushed her aura like a candle before a storm. His eyes had gone from icy to burning as he demanded an answer. Even through her oppressed aura, and through his questioning, he didn¡¯t see any signs of cowardice in Wade. As much as he needed to sort out this business without any remote delay, he saw her set her jaw before eventually, finally saying ¡°I have taken her into my care for a battle well fought. You cannot harm her.¡± ¡°If she has left the clinic, she is no longer in your care, and is free of your ties. Besides, I think Orrin and even Sampson would agree with me that if she has embarked on the path of space, she must be dealt with.¡± He said, with uncharacteristic ice in his voice. ¡°Now, one more time before I have you charged with insubordination. Where.¡± In his words, his knowledge of not only the rules of war but the warriors themselves, he saw a crack in her stoicism. She finally broke eye contact, dropping her eyes to the ground and said quietly ¡°She¡¯s gone to the guild hall to register.¡± ¡°By the nine¡­¡± He leaned back against the wall of the alley, bringing a hand up and slowly dragging it down his face. Wade breathed out heavily, a breath she didn¡¯t know she was holding, and realized for the first time she was covered in a cold sweat. As Sayrin sat reeling at the implications of what she¡¯d said, everything she just said, her aura had been returned to her all in a rush. ¡°If she manages to register, the whole world will know¡­¡± He looked at her with utter contempt, and said with a distant and detached voice ¡°I¡¯ll deal with you when I get back.¡± He went over to the two lieutenants he had taken with him into the forest, now standing some ways away at the mouth of the alley ¡°Take her, go back to the docks, prepare for departure. The second I step on board, we¡¯re sailing home.¡± They both had clear and obvious questions at the tips of their tongues, but his bearing and tone were just as clearly a signal that now was not the time. ¡°Yes sir¡± they both said at once and turned to get Wade. She walked forward quietly, staring daggers at him as she passed. Sayrin stayed rooted to the spot for a moment, before staggering back and taking a deep breath. Had he really suppressed Wade''s aura like that? He once again brought up a hand and rubbed his eyes. He hadn¡¯t slept since they¡¯d arrived in Lyra and felt worn down. Thats all that was happening, he was simply exhausted. It was a lie he told himself. One of many. One that was needed to excuse away behavior that wouldn¡¯t fully align with the image in his head of the honorable captain. One that he¡¯d deal with when he got back, a spatial user dragged along with him. ~~~ ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Asked Kya, nodding towards the enormous hourglass at the center of the main hall. ¡°An hourglass¡­ What kind of culture did you come from?¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s an hourglass, I meant-¡± She started, but saw the slight smile tugging at Rory¡¯s lips and instead rolled her eyes. ¡°What happens when it runs out?¡± ¡°Ah, see now that¡¯s a better question¡± he said with a slightly forced chuckle. He was still thinking about whatever it was that bothered him, but he was trying to move past it, and Kya could both understand and respect that. He continued as they got into line for the front desk. ¡°It counts down to the next wave.¡± ¡°And what are the waves?¡± This drew confused looks not only from Rory, but from the people ahead of them in line. Seeing their eyes, and knowing they were Users, however, the people quickly turned back around. ¡°Your questions imply quite a bit about this nation you come from,¡± he observed ¡°but the waves are, simply put, a yearly occurrence when monsters form at an incredible rate. It happens every winter for about a week, starting on the solstice. There are some other nuances at play that affect it, but that¡¯s basically it. The hourglasses are in every guild hall in every city across the planet.¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°And why¡± Kya asked, trying to simply take all the information she could in stride ¡°are there so many people here?¡± They took a couple shuffling steps forward, inching closer to the front of the line. ¡°Well, since you¡¯re not already a member of any guild, you have to go through the registration process. Once they¡¯ve recorded your star in the records, and given you a badge, we can go through those doors over there.¡± He nodded off to the side of the grand reception room where large wooden doors lead deeper into the building. A single person had come out of there since they¡¯d arrived, a teenage boy with eyes like the purest sapphires. ¡°That¡¯s all well and good, but I can¡¯t imagine all of these people are here to register for the guild.¡± She said back. ¡°No, in the whole city I doubt there are more than a thousand total guild members, half of which are in retirement or otherwise inactive. These people are here to request something.¡± Kya waited several seconds, before rolling her eyes and saying, ¡°Care to elaborate?¡± ¡°Ask for yourself!¡± He laughed in response and gestured at the man in front of them who had suddenly gone very stiff. Staring daggers at Rory, and then sighing in resignation, she tapped the man on his shoulder. He turned, and gave a stiff nod of the head ¡°How can I be of service to the young miss?¡± As if he hadn¡¯t fully overheard every part of their conversation. ¡°Excuse me sir, but would you mind me asking why you¡¯re here today?¡± Their conversation had drawn further glances from others in the nearby queues. At her tone and use of ¡®sir¡¯ the man went slack jawed and stammered out in a distinctly different accent than that of Rory or Wade ¡°I¡¯m simply ¡®ere to ask for some help on me farm, ma¡¯am. There¡¯ve been a large pack of hellhounds in the area for some time now. They¡¯ve mostly kept to themselves, but last night one of em went an set fire to part of me fields. It¡¯s all well an good if they keep to their own, an a single one I migh¡¯ve handled it with me sons, but not the whole lot of em.¡± As he talked, he seemed to grow more at ease, and the words came more easily. ¡°So, me an some of me neighbors collected up what we could spare, to put in for a 1-Star contract.¡± ¡°That¡¯s awful to hear, I¡¯m sorry about your crops. Will you still be able to harvest this year?¡± ¡°Oh yes ma¡¯am.¡± he replied with a quick bob of the head ¡°Like I said, they¡¯ve been in the area for some time now, so we, that is to say me neighbors and most of us in the area, had been ready with buckets of water on hand just in case. Most of my field is safe, and should be ready to harvest in just a couple more weeks. I¡¯ll take a hit to me profits somewhat, especially with the financin¡¯ of the contract, but better that than an entire burned field, eh?¡± Rory watched quietly as she chatted with the sun tanned farmer, appreciating how easily she had gotten him to relax. It was a simple test he liked to give when hiring new healers for his clinic. It didn¡¯t matter so much how well they could heal, but if they would be able to treat his clients with respect. All of them. Zero¡¯s especially. Hence why he had hired Tom¡­ Maybe he should raise his standards on healing? ~~~ Sayrin sprinted through the city, which for a 3-Star, meant he nearly flew from the perspective of a zero. He had reached the central island, and could see the City-Lords manor, looming on the next island. He simply had to cross over one this bridge and he- ¡°Young man¡± said a stern yet melodic voice ¡°I think, perhaps, you ought to slow down, before you do something rash.¡± Sayrin pulled up short, stumbling for a moment before righting himself and staring about wildly. The voice¡­ it wasn¡¯t simply some woman calling out to him, there was a resonance to it. It was almost like someone had, for the barest of moments, sucked all sound from the world except for that of their voice. He saw no one, and nothing out of the ordinary. Pedestrians walked across the bridge, jostling each other and talking loudly to be heard over the sounds of the river below. They all saw Sayrin, in his uniform and with eyes of shining gold, and parted around him like water to a stone, as he stood rooted in place. He knew he needed to stop that woman from registering at the guild, he knew moments mattered and that he needed to go. But this feeling, and that voice¡­ What was happening in this place? Orrin himself said he had a bad feeling from the south¡­ but¡­ there wasn¡¯t anyway that¡­ no. No. He needed to go. He shook his head, the thought flashing in his mind dispelled just as quickly. Hopping onto the stone wall of the bridge, he resumed his swift pace towards the guild hall. ~~~ After what seemed like an eternity, they made it to the front of the line. The farmer ahead, who had introduced himself as Arthur, waved cheerily to them as he went, inviting them to come by his farm for dinner any time they were in the area. AS they approached the desk, Rory cheerily said ¡°Ah, hello Maggie, how are you doing?¡± The clerk, a young woman with brunette hair and eyes like polished copper gazed at him coldly ¡°Rory.¡± Before turning to smile at Kya ¡°Hello ma¡¯am, what can I do¡­ for¡­ you¡­¡± She squinted and then gasped slightly ¡°You¡¯re not fire or war, are you?¡± Then she made a strange motion that reminded Kya of the Hail Mary from her world, touching her forehead then heart, then forehead again. Observing not only her chilly reception of Rory, but her reaction to Kya herself, there was a pregnant pause until she opened her eyes again. ¡°What do you want?¡± Now with a distinct¡­ tone in her voice. ¡°. . . I¡¯m just here to register.¡± Said Kya haltingly, knowing full well that this woman, Maggie, had seen her eyes and knew exactly what she was. She hadn¡¯t been given the full background on why this was bad but¡­ it was pretty clear this was bad. After doing her weird hand motion, her eyes had begun to shine with visible light. Before they had been bright, now they were luminous, like a cats you see at night in the bushes. ¡°Why should, or would I ever let you register here?¡± It wasn¡¯t accusatory, Kya realized. She was genuinely asking. She realized the tone in her voice was like that of a person discovering some new aspect to their favorite toy. She was looking at Kya like a kid told all their life they weren¡¯t allowed to have candy, and then suddenly brought to a chocolate factory. Reluctance mixed with excitement to create an odd tonal dissonance. That meant, at least Kya guessed, that she wanted to let her register. If for no other reason than pure curiosity, but probably wasn¡¯t supposed to let her. ¡°Now Maggie, I think that-¡± started Rory ¡°What you think¡± She cut in ¡°Matters so little to me, I cannot think of a word to describe it. Now be quiet, I want to hear from her.¡± Rory¡¯s voice died in his throat, and he looked apologetically at Kya before shrugging. Taking a deep breath, Kya began ¡°If you saw someone about to get hurt, and could have helped, but didn¡¯t, are you at fault?¡± ¡°Is that rhetorical?¡± ¡°No. Because I¡¯ve been there before. I have watched someone''s back as they walk headfirst into danger. Knowing I could reach out and grab their hand to bring them back. Say something to them to change their mind. But¡­ I didn¡¯t. So I ask again, if I could have saved them, but didn¡¯t¡­ am I at fault?¡± Maggie thought for a moment, then nodded ¡°Yes. At least partially.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s why I need to register for the guild. Not just because I can. Because I need to. Because, for better or worse, I have been given a class and abilities. Because now, whether I¡¯m a member of this place or not, I plan to use those abilities. And everything else is crap.¡± For a long time, the two women stared into eachothers eyes. The people on either side of them jostling around, the noises of papers and conversations seeming muted in Kya¡¯s ears as she simply focused on this person, in this moment. With a sharp nod, and a ghost of a smile, she said ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be damned if I don''t see this through, so¡­ alright.¡± She took out a large polished wooden box, and opened the lid with a creak. She took out what looked to be a large stamp and a form. ¡°Show me your star then, and let¡¯s start this boulder down a hill.¡± ~ ~ ~ Sayrin slammed open the doors to the Guild hall, looking around in every direction for Rory, or the woman from the forest, they had to be here, he knew they had to be here, but there were too many people in this gods forsaken building. Pushing our through the crowd with his aura, he closed his eyes and started looking. ~ ~ ~ ¡°Make a fist with your left hand, and concentrate on your class.¡± Said Rory. As Kya started to do just that, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that he grew as pale as freshly fallen snow. Before she felt her aura be subtly diminished. She shot him a questioning look, but he just shook his head and said ¡°Focus.¡± Having some idea what might be happening, Kya hurriedly made a fist and concentrated. After only a moment, a small mark began to appear on her hand. About the size of a quarter, it was a single silvery star. It had seven points that looked like blossoms of a flower, and at its center was a simple black circle, a smaller dot of pink at the center of that. ¡°What a lovely star. Some of the ones are rather¡­ unfortunate looking.¡± Said Maggie with a discerning gaze. ¡°Maggie, could you please hurry a little?¡± ¡°Rory, I swear to Perdix if you try and rush me, I¡¯ll-¡± ¡°Maggie.¡± Rory said, voice taught with focus and a hint of panic ¡°Now. Please.¡± Looking up through the crowd, Maggie''s eyes went wide, and she simply said ¡°Right.¡± Pressing the heavy stamp to her star, Maggie held it there until the tip of the handle flashed white, then slammed it down onto the paper just as a vice of a hand clamped down on Kya¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Good evening, Rory.¡± Said the voice in a chillingly quiet tone ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be taking your patient with me now.¡± 14. Alone at Last ¡°Good evening Rory.¡± Said the voice in a chillingly quiet tone ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be taking your patient with me now.¡± The hustle and bustle of the guild hall continued to either side, most people unaware of the standoff happening mere feet from them. Rory, who¡¯s complexion was now as pale as a sheet of paper, looked on with dread while the clerk at the desk, Maggie, appeared calm, but was betrayed by the bead of sweat rolling down her face. ¡°Now, Sayrin, I think that-¡± ¡°It¡¯s Captain. For this situation, I think we ought to keep it official. I am acting in my duties, as you are in yours. Which is why I don¡¯t much give a damn what you think.¡± He turned his burning eyes to Kya, and the raw hatred he saw therein was enough to make her try and back away, but was unable to shake his ironlike grip on her shoulder. ¡°So it¡¯s true¡­ I have many questions for you, but that can wait. We¡¯re leaving, now.¡± ¡°Captain¡± Said Maggie, her voice only slightly wavering, ¡°That isn¡¯t possible any longer, I don¡¯t think.¡± Before holding up the piece of paper with her star mark copied and prominently displayed at the top. Below it clearly listed her class as ¡°Space¡±. A deep frown appeared on his face, and faster than she could track, Sayrin had yanked her left hand up to eye level ¡°Show me¡± He said, his voice still calm, but sounding a bit more like a wolf''s snarl than a simple request. Kya tried to pull away, tried to rip her arm free from his hand, but again it was like his hands were made of stone, unyielding and unmoving. ¡°Unless you want to lose the hand right here and now¡± He said quietly ¡°Show me your star.¡± The blood draining from her face, Kya reluctantly complied and her star once more bleed to life on her hand. No one moved, as this Sayrin person stared at her hand like it was the most disgusting, reviling thing he¡¯d seen in his life, before releasing her hand, but still holding her shoulder. He was taking slow deep breaths, and then said ¡°It¡¯s not sent out until completed, correct?¡± ¡°No, captain, it enters the log as I update it. Right now, anyone in the world can check their guild registrars and see a new spatial user has been added in.¡± At these words, his grip on her shoulder became painful, she felt like he was trying to grind her shoulder to dust in his fist. ¡°And is your guild master in today?¡± His voice could have frozen oceans at this point. ¡°Yes¡± She said, managing a smile ¡°A ring of this bell will signal that I need assistance at the front, he¡¯s just in his office you see.¡¯ Kya couldn¡¯t move, She simply waited with held breath as he slowly relaxed his hand, and finally let go. ¡°I¡¯m not fool enough to cross the guild. Even if I did, they¡¯d just reclaim you by the time we go to Loterre, and I¡¯d be¡­ disciplined.¡± Turning to face her directly, and gazing into her radiant rose colored eyes, he said with dripping scorn ¡°But you need to remember this, for the rest of your wretched life. Me, My army, and my country have not forgotten what you people have done. There are still people with memories of those events first hand, and the atrocities committed. A single step out of line, a single mistake, and you¡¯re mine. I will travel across the world to take you if need be, and bring you to justice. Permanently.¡± With that, he turned on his heel, and stalked out of the guild hall. The small group collectively let out a breath, then turned and all eyed each other. Speaking first, Kya said ¡°So what the actual fuck was that?¡± A smile tugging at Maggie''s lips, looking out of place on her now haggard face, she said ¡°let''s finish this, and then I can explain.¡± ¡°Actually, do you have a library in this place?¡± Her expression now lighting up with excitement, she hurriedly nodded, ¡°yes, it¡¯s one of the finest collections on this side of the ocean in fact! It¡¯s just upstairs, if want me to-¡± ¡°No. Thank you, but no. Turning to Rory, she said ¡°I¡¯m truly grateful for what you¡¯ve given me, and shown me. I suspect I¡¯d be dead without you many times over, or worse, and that¡¯s no small thing. I will never forget my debt to you, and I will come by later to speak with Tom about starting to repay you. But for now, I think I¡¯d like to be on my own. Same to you, Maggie, I believe you just saved me as well. I¡¯ve only been in this town for a few hours, but if I keep accruing debts like this, I¡¯ll never be able to stand on my own.¡± She took a deep breath and then simply said ¡°I want to explore the town, do research, and figure things out for myself.¡± Then shrugged. ¡°I hope you understand.¡± Nodding immediately, Maggie said ¡°Absolutely, I never let anyone do my research for me, I could never.¡± Then making a shooing motion at the flummoxed Rory, she said ¡°You go away, she has reading to do, and you¡¯ll just be bothering her. In fact, you¡¯re bothering me just by standing here. Go back to your little clinic and make yourself useful. Poor Tom is probably trying to remove some poor saps lungs to see if that¡¯ll stop his coughing, now go.¡± Sighing, Rory replied ¡°You¡¯re probably right about Tom. But Kya, if you need a place to go, just know my doors will always be open to you.¡± he put a hand on her shoulder and then walked away with a wave without looking back. In a delayed realization, she noticed her shoulder no longer hurt from where that other man had been gripping it. Rory must have healed her with that simple touch. Again, she didn¡¯t really know anything about him, but she didn¡¯t need to. He had healed, helped, and healed her again. No matter what skeletons may be in his closet, she thought he was a good man at heart. Grinning excitedly, her bronze eyes having dimmed to the color of dried soil, Maggie said ¡°Alright, lets get this form done and get you up to the library!¡± - - - Kya walked through the large double doors, and immediately appreciated the sheer silence of the space beyond. Maggie had excitedly told her the library was straight through these doors and up the stairs. Practically the entire second floor was books and records, and that she¡¯d be delighted to stop working and join her any time. But after only a few hours in the company of other people, Kya had grown tired of them. For reasons she didn¡¯t fully grasp, there had seemingly been a tug of war with her as the rope between different groups. She normally prefered solitude anyway, but after that mess? Definitely. Going up the stairs, and seeing the rows and rows of shelves, some with hexagonal scrolls neatly stacked and some with more standard tomes, she took her time to browse the many sections. There were few other people here, a couple with bronze eyes like Maggie sat reading thick volumes at some of the tables scattered between shelves, others with eyes of red or blue wandered the shelves like her, not sure where to start. - - - Finally settling into a thick armchair, Kya placed her eclectic stack of books on a table beside her. She had chosen a spot next to one of the large windows in order to have proper light and also enjoy the view of the capital circle in front of her. The crowds of people going back and forth like tides in the sea somehow calmed her. Before opening a book, however, Kya took a minute to try something she¡¯d been longing to do since waking up, but hadn¡¯t had the time to as they had rushed from place to place without much chance to stop and catch one''s breath. - - - - - Character Screen - - - - - The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. She stared at her own name for some time, not really moving on the other parts that should have been significantly more interesting to her. She hadn¡¯t gone by her family name in a long time. Not since the argument. It felt strange, seeing it there, like it wasn¡¯t really hers anymore. - - - - - Would you like to alter {Name} in {Character Screen}? (Yes)/(No) - - - - - At the first thought that this wasn¡¯t really her name, the window popped up, and again, she was frozen to the spot, simply staring at the two choices. - - - - - Character Screen - - - - - She took a deep breath, and tried to quell the errant emotions welling up inside her. They were an absolute mess, and not something she could deal with right now. Of course, they were never something she could deal with ¡°right now¡± which is why she kept them in a nice secure bottle in a corner of her mind, labeled ¡°later.¡± Shaking her head, and rubbing her temples, Kya went to the very next line and paused. Founder? What the hell was a founder? It still said human but... why wasn''t she just entirely human? Another question for the library she supposed, or at the very least later, as when she focused on it, nothing more came up about it. So then, she dove into her abilities, and what exactly they could do. She had already known about her aura, and though she wanted to work on it more, didn¡¯t feel the need to read about it right now. - - - - - Race Benefits - Loot the Corpse Effect - Upon the death of any magically attuned being at your hands, automatically converts their bodies into spoils of war. - - - - - This was pretty much as she had expected. Though she hadn¡¯t been able to see the exact description of her ability, it wasn¡¯t that hard to figure out. Moving along then: - - - - - Class Benefits - Inventory 1-Star Effect - Your soul has been attuned to the concepts of Space. Through this, you have gained the ability to open a soul space for the storage of objects. Note: Placing an object in your soul space does not constitute consent to soul-based magic. - - - - - This was significantly more interesting to Kya, and also made her wonder ¡°can I store a spatial storage in a spatial storage?¡± Taking out her bag, she tried to¡­ store it? She wasn¡¯t sure how this worked yet, but was rewarded with a new screen appearing. It looked exactly like the mental image she got when she looked into her spatial bag. It was a Large empty room. No real adornments or details, the walls were gray and indistinct, but she could tell it was about the same size as her current bag. Not sure what else to do, she tried to place the bag within, and¡­ got no response. Frowning, she took out a coin from one of the spiders and tried to place it in, and was delighted to see it enter the imaginary room, sitting directly in the center of the floor. After about ten minutes of using her arm as a vacuum cleaner to transfer everything over from the bag to what was apparently her soul, she was happy to know that now the entirety of her possessions couldn¡¯t be stolen by a clever pickpocket. She was also happy to see that her storage bag was able to go in without anything left in it. This was a relief, because although it was now semi-redundant, she had a soft spot for the little brown bag, and didn¡¯t want to simply replace it or sell it off, at least not yet anyway. Returning to her character window, she focused on the last benefit she hadn¡¯t really been aware of, but made practical sense when thinking about it. - - - - - Race Benefits: Translation Effect: Your soul was directly touched and altered by the concepts of space. There are thousands of planets, and on each one, thousands of languages. You have gained the ability to understand all languages at a base level in order to communicate in your travels. - - - - - So from confirmation that souls exist, to confirmation of extraterrestrials, this was getting to be a bit daunting with its implications. Putting that aside, she was curious about why this was a class skill. Presumably, she¡¯d been using it when she first woke up in order to talk with Wade and Rory. She guessed it had to do with her ¡°soul being touched¡± or something, but truly didn¡¯t understand the rationale, or workings of the world in which she¡¯d found herself. Which of course, brought her back to the stack of large books next to her. She hoped that her new magical brain was improved over her ordinary one, or this would take several hours longer than she wanted. Taking the top one off the stack, she opened Basic Magic for the Newly Ascended 1-Star and began to read. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Sayrin boarded their vessel, and immediately, they set sail back to Loterre. He was fuming, and had been since leaving the guild hall. It was possible he could have convinced the Guild Master to hand over Kya. Possible, but unlikely. He was from Kasei after all, and wasn¡¯t likely to make concessions to the Loterrans that easily. ¡°Sir, what exactly is happening? Why are we heading back so abruptly? And why was Wade confined to the brig???¡± Asked Aldrin heatedly, walking up to the senior officer. ¡°Aldrin¡­ Not right now.¡± Said Sayrin through clenched teeth, thoroughly at his wits end with any sort of interactions. He was tired. So tired. It had been four days since he''d last slept and was tearing at the seams at being denied the spatial user, let alone having to now deal with his soldiers and the situation with Wade. But, rethinking it, said ¡°On second thought, come with me, let''s go see Wade right now. We need information before I sleep for the rest of this voyage.¡± With a confused and upset Aldrin following behind, Sayrin stormed down the narrow flight of stairs below decks and sought out the imprisoned warrior. The brig on the ship was tiny. It was basically a single small bed with bars and a door. "You''re relieved" Said Sayrin to the 1-Star left guarding her, "Go and make sure that no one comes down here until I say so." Wade, who was sitting and defiantly looking out the tiny window at the sea speeding by underneath them, didn''t look as Sayrin addressed her. "Wade, we need more information from you. I want the whole story, every detail, including what I already know. I want you to brief you''re Squad leader here as well." But she remained steadfast, looking out the window, not uttering a word. "Blast it Wade" He shouted, slamming into the bars, bending them under his fists, "You need to talk to us. When we get back, I''m reporting straight to Orrin, and it won''t go well if I''m not crystal clear on what the hell happened." Turning and facing them at last, Wade said in a low voice "What happened was, you suppressed, arrested, and interrogated one of your own soldiers, on the basis of carrying out a personal grudge. You may know of Sampson, but I''ll be damned if he isn''t as outraged as you are now at your treatment of one of your own, especially in a stressful and complicated situation." Aldrin took in a sharp breath "Sir... You didn''t really suppress her, did you?" a shadow passing over his face. He was too tired for this. To be questioned and insulted, especially by those he outranked. This wouldn''t do, not at all. He needed rest. He needed to- "Sayrin, did you suppress her!?" Shouted Aldrin. Something snapped inside Sayrin. Reaching out, he clamped his hand around Aldrin''s throat "I think, that''s enough out of you" he said, his voice a dead whisper. He lifted Aldrin off the ground, while the younger man fought and resisted, his face slowly turning from tan to purple. He was just a 2-Star though, it would be months or years before he could match Sayrin in strength. His flailing arms grew weaker and weaker as the seconds ticked by, in some far-off place he heard Wade yelling and banging against the bars. As Aldrin''s eyes, bulging and bloodshot, finally closed Sayrin unlocked the door and tossed him in with Wade. "Be quiet now" He ordered, still so soft "He isn''t dead. He''ll just need to rest for a while. He was rather affected by the area, you see." Turning and walking away, he told the guard that Aldrin had been confined as well, and that neither were to be set free unless he gave the order himself. "Yes sir" the guard said, looking hesitant "and where will you be?" "I''m going to my cabin. Don''t wake me unless someone is dying, or the ship is sinking, do you understand?" "Yes sir, of course, sir." As Sayrin walked towards the rear of the ship where the officers'' cabins were, he realized that had been Mouley talking with so much respect in his voice. "Good. It was about time that man started to understand his place in the army." Thoroughly beneath Sayrin himself. He hadn''t gotten to explore a break and gain the wealth that would naturally come with it. He hadn''t been able to claim a spatial user and take her back for trial. He hadn''t even been able to interrogate Wade properly and had subsequently had to imprison one of his own lieutenants for insubordination. What a mess. He''d fix it when he woke up, however. For now, he was too tired to care. Too tired to worry. Too tired. He hit his bed, and, alone at last, finally welcomed the nightmares. 15. A Place to Rest It occurred to Kya that she may not have fully appreciated the library when first entering. Looking out the grand window beside her surprisingly comfortable armchair, she watched the twin suns break over the horizon. She had started off small, with books labeled for basics of magic and introductions to classes and whatnot. Now, several hours and several books later, she realized she had gotten totally and completely lost in the simple process of reading. She could tell, though she had spent a full night reading, she had only barely scratched the surface. For example, with her class, she had awakened an ability. - - - - - - Ability {Push and Pull} 1-Star - 0% - Description: Through your experience and understanding of space, you are able to moderately affect any object, directing towards or away from your center of mass. - - - - - However, it wasn¡¯t a guarantee that she would have gotten this ability. From her reading, she knew that this was the most common ability to unlock with any class, but there were others, and they were semi-random. The same went for each ability she unlocked from here on out. Which brought her to the next topic of advancing her class. More or less, it seemed she simply needed to use her abilities in a ¡°valid¡± way. What valid meant was frustratingly arbitrary, but was just as frustratingly critical to her advancement. The books she¡¯d read so far had all been extremely vague in their descriptions. Either not a lot was known on how exactly these things worked, or the more informative and useful information was in restricted books, and given out sparingly. The latter seemed far more concrete than the former, as she had been in the world for only a week and had at least a rough grasp on how this worked. The orange and yellow glow stones set in the walls and hanging from the ceiling began to dim slightly with the rising of the sun as she stood and stretched. She went about returning the eclectic collection of novels and scrolls she¡¯d acquired throughout the long hours, and again simply took in the architecture of the building. Since coming to this world, she had gained a newfound appreciation for building design. The temple in which she¡¯d first awoken had been an absolute marvel, only belied by the passing of time. The guild hall, however, was in its prime. The floors were a beautiful gilded marble, pearly white with streaks of gray and black running throughout. The perimeters of the large stone blocks were lined with a fine maroon wood, cut into elegant swirls and inlaid with darker black woods, contrasting wonderfully with the floors. Between the large shelves of leather bound novels were large voluminous pillars of black, with gold at the base and peaks. Joined by enormous arches supporting the domed ceiling above. The ceiling itself would put Michelangelo to shame. It had wonderful images captured in mosaic tiles of art and music and poetry, all of it illuminated by not only the glow stones of warm colors intermixed with the gold caps on the pillars, but a glass iris at the center of the largest dome letting in a single ray of morning light. How in the world this was possible, when by all accounts there were still two floors above this one, Kya had absolutely no idea. But it did make for what could only be described as a temple of learning, and it was magnificent. With reluctance, then, she left the grand hall and made her way down the stairs to the first floor. She had read that she needed to advance her abilities, and as she did so, she would not only get stronger, but get a slew of other benefits. The most prominent to her, and the one most difficult to swallow, was an extended lifespan. Right now, just by taking her class, she¡¯d already slowed her aging enough to live easily over a hundred, which was just¡­ mind boggling. And the more she went up in power, the slower and slower she would age. She just couldn¡¯t fully wrap her mind around it. She knew that Rory, who appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties, had claimed to be running the clinic for more than a decade. How old was he really? He could easily have been in his fifties and simply not shown it due to magic flowing in his veins. This was absurd. Regardless, Kya shook her head and refocused on the new room she was entering: The contract hall. She had, in addition to reading about magic in general, read briefly about the different countries of this new world, and the guild itself. The guild was like how people would say ¡®the united states,¡¯ it could, for most discussions, be classified as a single entity, and was often treated as such, but it was actually made up of dozens of smaller factions all working together. There was the research guild, dedicated entirely to study and experimentation, the crafters guild, who built and created magical items, the merchants guild, who bought, transported, and sold the items, and on and on. The most prominent and well known guilds were the quester guild and the fighters guild. The former was the most popular across the world, as they were the face of the guild to an average person. They would accept contracts to aid in society, and in return were paid fairly well. This could be anything from guarding a trade caravan, to helping dig irrigation trenches, to killing and slaying monsters. The fighters guild, on the other hand, was more interesting to Kya personally. It was like an entire genre of sports for this world, and while an everyday person respected and was familiar with the questers, it was the fighters whom they adored. Like how Kya would absolutely be thankful for a fireman saving her home, but would know the names of NFL players. There was one on one combat, team combat, scenario duels, build offs, talent shows, and on the list went. This was, of course, heavily monetized and was extremely lucrative for the User who was able to do well. But all of that, or at least almost all of that, was arbitrary at the moment. She was as new as a novice could possibly be to magic and its applications, and had absolutely no fantasies at walking into a one on one duel and immediately being the best. If she faced off against any other competent user, she would get demolished. Which meant before anything else, before confronting the weird situation surrounding her arrival, before competing for money and experience, and before having fun exploring the city, she wanted to be stronger. Strong enough that if some bastard wanted to try and take her with him, she could simply shrug him off without needing some nebulous threat of guild retaliation or whatever. She would stand on her own two feet, without relying on any other damn person in this city. To do that, then, she would need to get stronger, and quickly. Scanning the contract hall, she went from posting to posting until she finally found the one she was looking for¡­ only to be greeted by the wonderfully and aggressively enthusiastic voice of her narrator. - - - - - - NEW QUEST! - Guild Contract - Hellhounds on the Farm - 1-Star - Rare - A local group of farmers are being plagued by a roaming pack of Hellhounds. The size of the pack is unknown, but they certainly do leave their marks burned into your memory! You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.- Objective - Slay all hellhounds surrounding the farmland. - Time Remaining - N/A - Guild Rewards - Five curen for each slain Hellhound - Quest Rewards - Hellish Leather Armor - 1-Star - Uncommon - Accept Guild Contract? (Yes)/(No) - - - - - This was the quest the man in line yesterday had been putting in. She had wanted to go check out his farm anyway, and being able to do that, get paid to do that, get experience to do that, and likely get a home cooked meal to do that were all too many benefits to ignore. Taking the contract to the attendant at a heavy desk near the entrance, she asked ¡°Good morning, I¡¯d like to accept this contract, how do I do that?¡± The man at the desk looked tired, with noticeable dark circles under his burnt brown eyes. ¡°Are you new? You don¡¯t need to tear the whole blasted thing off the wall¡± His voice was groggy, and he seemed a little short tempered ¡°Go put it back and simply touch your star seal at the bottom. That will claim the contract as yours for forty eight hours. After that, it will reopen for someone else to take it if you still haven''t returned successfully.¡± ¡°Right, thank you for your help¡± Kya said, a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks. She always hated to feel like the fool in any situation, let alone one that was apparently so obvious to most. Focusing on her left hand, and calling up her star, she touched it to the paper and immediately the words describing the contract went from black to muddled gray, and in large letters at the bottom under a section titled ¡®active participants¡¯ her name appeared. - - - - - - You have accepted {Hellhounds on the Farm} - - - - - Returning the Contract to its original position, she walked out of the contract room, out of the back area, and returned to the main reception area with only a couple of people waiting for the desks to open for the day. The enormous gilded hour glass behind the counters poured sand ever downward, and in the absence of all the noise from yesterday, she could hear the light rustle it made as it piled up below. It was an oddly soothing sound, like leaves rustling in the wind, or ocean waves against the beach. At the moment, it looked roughly at about a one thirds/two thirds point, with most of the sand still sitting above, but already a large mound building up below. She decided then and there, before the hourglass ran out, she would be a 2-Star. She still didn¡¯t have all of the context on what exactly that meant, but she knew the dramatic increase it would have on her capabilities, and her standing in this new society. She estimated if that was a full year when full, she had around seven months until the monster wave would come. She knew it wasn¡¯t an easy task, or else everyone would be powerful already, but she was determined. She would make it happen through blood sweat and tears. However, as she stepped back out into the morning light from the guild hall, she had two quick realizations. Firstly, she had just spent all night focusing entirely on absorbing as much information as possible, and was therefore, rather tired. And secondly she was still wearing the dress in which she¡¯d awoken from Rory¡¯s clinic. This was far worse than the sweatpants and shirt, this was nothing. Any monster worth their salt would tear through this without a second thought. Sighing, she altered her course. She couldn¡¯t leave for the contract just yet. She needed a new wardrobe, and a place to take a nap. Quickly deciding the nap would come first, she began to explore the area around the capital circle, as it was apparently called. There were extremely lavish hotels and boarding rooms, but they cost outrageous sums for a single night, one costing five whole aurens, or roughly half of the money she currently had, for one night. That was not only absurd, but well and truly too much for her. She knew that the area by the lords manor and guild hall must be prime real estate, so would of course be for a wealthier clientele. Crossing over a large bridge, she found an immediate difference in the buildings and people. No longer early morning, but still early, the capital circle had been sparsely populated with a few well dressed people walking briskly here and there. But just on this side of the bridge only a quarter mile away, was a completely different place. It was probably more of what Kya would call a middle class area. There were nice shops, not extreme works of art, but still well built and clean. The buildings were shorter, only being two or three stories, and while they still had grass and trees dotting the spaces between, it was more densely built than the upper class area across the river. She stopped in the first place advertising rooms for rent, and found it would cost a single auren for a one bedroom with a balcony, and seven agrens for a smaller less desirable room. This was certainly more reasonable, and the area was more to her liking than the ostentatious area, but she wanted to keep looking. The farther she got from the Lords manor, the more dense and less opulent the area became. Finally she found what must have been a five or six story building, faded red stone with tan and gray accents around each floor and window, reminding her of literally every building on any military base in the U.S. Immediately drawn in, she walked up and talked to the bored looking man behind the counter. ¡°Good morning miss¡± he said, his voice shockingly deep for he looked like a spindly twig himself ¡°what can I do for yah?¡± ¡°Good morning. I was wondering what the cheapest room you have would cost me? It doesn¡¯t have to have a nice view or come with any perks, I just need a room and a bed.¡± pausing she added on ¡°And a shower would be nice too.¡± Chuckling with the sound of crashing boulders, he said ¡°The third through sixth floors are dormitory style. You¡¯d get a simple room, bed and desk, but you¡¯ll have to share the showers with everyone else on the floor. The plus is it only costs an agren and three curens a night, or seven agrens whole if you pay by the week. Fifty agrens if you pay for the semester.¡± ¡°Semester? Is there a school nearby?¡± He gave her an odd look, that she was getting rather sick of seeing people''s faces. The ¡®I must have misheard the very stupid question you just asked¡¯ look. ¡°Yes, down the road a ways in the heart of the city is the Lyran Academy. Mostly cater to rich fops who wouldn¡¯t know the difference between their ass and a hole in the ground, but they pay well for the private rooms on the top floor so I can¡¯t complain.¡± ¡°Interesting, thank you for your help.¡± She said, as she willed seven silver coins to appear in her hand. ¡°For now, can I take a dorm room for a week? I might extend it later, but this should do for now.¡± Swiping up the coins more quickly and smoothly than she would have thought even possible, he said ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Reaching below the desk, he brought out a simple metal key with a little crystal embedded in the handle. ¡°This will unlock your door for the next week, after that, it¡¯ll appear back here unless you come to extend your stay. Well give you a corner room, number 330. Your entire floor is for women only, but we aren¡¯t your babysitters so do as you please. Keep the area clean, and no magic indoors that risks structural damage, or you¡¯ll be kicked out and fined on the spot. Any questions?¡± Shaking her head no, the man nodded, and she was about to turn away when he said ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯m Wave. If you need anything else, don¡¯t hesitate to wait until morning. I won¡¯t fix your problems if both suns aren¡¯t well into the sky.¡± Laughing, Kya turned and made for the stairs. Her room was¡­ well it was as he had described. It was moderately sized, just big enough to not feel cramped. The brown stone floor had been crafted to seem like wood, and a thin rug was placed under the bed, which donned a single pillow and light yellow sheets. The desk and chair were both simple, but would be more than fine if she needed to use them, and the wardrobe was big enough to hang several pieces of clothing, and store some random objects besides. She was, however, grateful for the corner room. Instead of the single small window at the far side of the narrow room, it had two small windows, one at the end of the room, and the other on the exterior wall. It wasn¡¯t luxurious, but it would be more than enough for her. She looked out the window and saw the river separating her and the capital island, several small boats sailing lazily along in the current. She had a lot of work ahead of her, and she would need to figure out where to get some good equipment to begin her journey, but at least for the next week, she had a- Sitting down, the mattress was firm and a little lumpy. Well, she didn¡¯t have the softest bed in the world, but honestly, who cares. This place would be her home for a little while, and that alone made her feel profoundly better about the situation. No matter what else happened, she had a place to return, a place to rest. 16. Deal or No Deal Soft rays of gold shown through the thin curtains of the small dormitory windows, proving a warm and welcoming light. As Kya opened her eyes, a rousing yawn and full body stretch following soon thereafter, she sat up and looked around. This wasn¡¯t the most opulent of places to stay. She knew just over the river there were rooms and apartments that catered to the noble and the wealthy, with gilded rooms and mints on the pillow, the whole thing. But that wasn¡¯t something that truly interested her. She was, if nothing else, a practical person. She didn¡¯t like to spend energy on activities she didn¡¯t enjoy, or spend money on things she didn¡¯t need. This room, being a large closet, had a bed. Down the hall was a shower she was excitedly looking forward to. These were the things she needed. The excellent views of the water, or the excellent lighting from the setting suns, these things were merely extras. Appreciated and delightful extras, but extras nonetheless. With utmost reluctance, Kya slipped off her boots and stood on the soft rug under her bed. It felt terrible. Like sandpaper, like a gravel road, like hell. In reality, the carpet was thin, but still soft and sturdy in its build. Compared to her cloud like boots though? It was horrid. Shuddering with each step, she left her room, and went down the narrow hallway to an aquamarine door emitting a soft blue light, water echoes coming from within. The moment she opened the door, warm steam enveloped her, and she was met with a simple but elegant room. Small floor tiles in various pastel colors, soft blue lights gently pulsing from the walls, and white and gold arches adorning the ceiling made for an excellent and luxurious feeling shower room, even if, in reality, it was somewhat small and unimpressive in its facilities. Sinks and mirrors, fogged and useless from the steam, lined the walls directly in front of the door, with two sections leading off to either side, one for calls of nature, and the other held the glorious, and promised showers. Despite her self-claimed practical nature¡­ Kya loved a good shower with ferocity. And these did not disappoint. Rather than a simple handle for warm and cold water, there was a small deep blue sphere hovering above the stall, a magic circle etched into the wall at about eye shoulder level. Not sure what else to do, Kya hesitantly reached out and touched the circle, immediately glowing crimson, as a warm waterfall began to spill out of the sphere overhead. This would do, quite nicely. - - - ¡°Wave, how familiar are you with the local vendors?¡± ¡°Well, that depends.¡± He answered in his deep bass, ¡°What are you looking to buy?¡± ¡°I have some monster parts and various odds and ends to sell off, plus I need¡­¡± She trailed off, tapping the welcome desk with a finger, before continuing ¡°Actually, I need a tailor. Someone who could work with rare materials and not ask too many questions.¡± Wave gave her an appraising look, taking his time in answering. ¡°Head south towards the park district. Built against the city walls is a mossy stone building with a dark wood roof. Ask for Smiths. Don¡¯t use my name, they won¡¯t respect you if you rely on someone else. They aren¡¯t the best of craftsman in the city, but their work is respectable and if you want it to be of a more ¡°no questions asked¡± nature, that¡¯s your best bet. As for selling, you can go to practically any merchant in the city dealing in monster parts, and get a reasonable price. But don¡¯t take the first offer you get. Haggle if you can.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, he flipped up what appeared to be a large newspaper, and acted as if they hadn¡¯t been speaking at all. ¡°Thank you, Wave¡± With a simple grunt in return, Kya could tell he had done about as much talking as he was going to do. A straightforward man, if nothing else, but all the better for it in her opinion. She started making her way towards the southern part of the city in a somewhat roundabout way. She felt like she could trust wade, more or less, but that didn¡¯t mean she was going to be careless. She was tired of being caught up in one situation after another where she had basically no choice but to go along with the people around her, or to rely on them for help, or to answer her questions, etc etc. The moment she knew there was a library, and that she could have the freedom to do this herself? She had practically leapt at the chance to rid herself of company. She appreciated the help that Rory and Maggie had given, and would find some way to repay them in the future, but Kya had grown accustomed to, and prefered, to do things alone. Stopping in the first store she saw that advertised buying and selling equipment to deal with monsters, she curiously went inside. Small glass display cases holding fancy looking necklaces labeled as enchanted monster repellent charms and exquisite looking daggers of the finest make wrapped around the entire store. Of course she used her identify skill to get a different story. - - - - - - Item: Iron Necklace - Rarity: 1-Star - Common - Description: Emits a weak frequency that some creatures will find annoying. - Enchantments: Basic Air Emission - Requirements: N/A - - - - - It seemed like the exact thing a simple minded person might want to purchase to feel better about going out into a dangerous area, without realizing it won¡¯t do all that much in the first place. It did make her think, however, about the nature of her identity skill. If anyone was able to simply read and find out the actual effects of an item, how could they advertise things like this and expect to make any business? She thought back to her extremely brief aura training with Rory, and how he had been so caught off guard by her simply reading about her aura. He had said such abilities existed, but weren¡¯t common. They must indeed be rarities of no one had taken the time to- ¡°Ah, young miss, looking to purchase some of our fine goods to keep yourself safe? Or perhaps this is for a beloved one, going off on a trip outside our strong and sturdy walls? I can tell you that this item will guarantee a safe return for any who wear it.¡± An extremely thin and pale man with wispy strands of hair combed over a mostly bald head had come over to her, and was wringing his hands in front of him like he was trying to wash away the oil dripping from his voice. As soon as she looked up, and he saw her eyes, however, his posture changed entirely, though the tone remained just as slippery, ¡°Ah, I see, perhaps you are here for some more powerful items than this, or maybe to sell off some items of excess.¡± Taking out a single monster token, one of the hundreds she¡¯d received from killing the spiders, she asked ¡°What would you give me for this?¡± ¡°Hmmmmm, a monster token is it? We¡¯ll have to check for rarity and affinity before talking about a price, of course, identifying it for you will come at a cost.¡± He said, implying apology, but absolutely showing the opposite in his toothy grin. Looking at it again, she called up her identify screen - - - - - - Item: Lesser Monster Token - Rarity: 1-Star Common - Description: The condensed memory of a life-or-death struggle. Can be exchanged or consumed. - Enchantments: N/A - Requirements: Possess at least a primary Class. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.- - - - - That was all well, and good but what about an affinity. ¡°Young miss, I assure you the price for a simple identification is nothing for such as yourself, you musn¡¯t be-¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking it over, please be patient for a moment.¡± Kya said, trying very hard to keep from walking out of the store right then and there. She was looking at the coin intently and tried to glean anything more out of it, but wasn¡¯t able to for the life of her. ¡°Alright, let''s make a deal.¡± She said to the shopkeeper, his eyes immediately growing hungrier at the words. ¡°I¡¯ll give this to you, no cost, if you tell me how to identify its affinity.¡± ¡°Oh, my lady, I couldn''t possibly tell you something like that. It is a trade secret held by my family for generations, it would be to go against everything my dear father had ever taught me, may his soul rest comfortably for-¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you the coin, plus a full agren.¡± she interrupted, pulling out the silver coin, holding it next to the monster token in her outstretched hand. He paused for a moment, and licked his lips. She could tell he was tempted. ¡°And I won¡¯t tell everyone about your false merchandising.¡± She finally finished off. For the first time since meeting the man, he stopped wringing his hand for just a moment, before resuming at a more rapid pace. ¡°Of course this humble merchant has no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± He said with a forced smile and barking laugh ¡°However, I think my father would have been more than understanding to part with family secrets for a good deal such as this.¡± He said eagerly, taking the two objects from her hand. ¡°Without a skill to discern the true nature of items, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be rather out of luck at deciding the rarity. But for the affinity, it is quite simple.¡± He said, holding up the token. Interestingly, her silver agren had disappeared, and she had absolutely no idea how he¡¯d been able to hide it so quickly when she¡¯d been watching him. ¡°The image of the monster on the face will tell you everything you need to know.¡± He said simply. ¡°Now, can I interest you in anything else from my establishment, my lady? Perhaps a spider silk scarf? Fitting for one who carries the spider token, eh?¡± However, she had stopped listening and he had trailed off, when she took out a second spider token. She saw on its face the image of a spider burning alive. As she stared longer and longer, it almost seemed that the flames, dull and gray on the token, began to ever so faintly shine with a reddish light, while dancing just barely. Like the fire on the coin was trying its hardest to actually burn the spider above. ¡°Interesting¡± Kya mused, before looking up ¡°So what would you give for a common flame attuned token?¡± From there, the two began to bargain fiercely for the price of the coin, ultimately settling on the three curens, five ferons. She had started to think of the coins in terms of american money to make sense of them. By her reckoning, a feren was about as valuable as a single dollar. If her meal yesterday at Sugg¡¯s was worth maybe a full curen, that made her think of them as about ten dollars. Which meant her silver agrens were a hundred a piece. That also meant she had gotten ten thousand dollars as a reward for killing the spider nest, which was insane to think about. Even better though, was that each of these coins was, assuming she got a reasonably good deal from this guy, worth at least three curens, or thirty dollars. And she had hundreds in her inventory. Each of them smiling happily, thinking they¡¯d gotten the better of the other, Kya walked out of the store, and found another merchant to buy her tokens. This time there was much less haggling and much less character to the man behind the counter, his voice monotonous as he insisted he couldn¡¯t go higher than four curens each for the five tokens she was trying to sell. This would be a wonderful day for her wallet, Kya thought with a smile. By the time she had made it to the mossy building wade had told her of, she had sold nearly every spider token in her bag. She had deliberately taken a couple of hours to do it, spreading the tokens out across town and only selling in batches of six to ten so it wouldn¡¯t be too suspicious where she had gotten so many. The lowest she had gotten for a single token was two and a half curens, the highest being four and three ferons. All in all, she¡¯d more than tripled her nest egg of available funds. She had, however, saved each token that showed something other than the flames. For example the Spider King showed her dagger flying through the air. This one gave off the faint pink light she¡¯d come to associate with spatial magic, and was quite intrigued by the ¡°consume¡± option in the description. Regardless, for now she had a different objective in mind. She¡¯d explore the effects of the coins back in the privacy of her room after all, not out here in the middle of town. Pushing open the heavy wooden door with her shoulder and a grunt of effort, Kya found inside a shockingly well decorated sitting room, with a simple reception desk at the far end, and plush expensive looking couches and tables scattered around. From the exterior, she had thought this place to be rather run down, and had begun to question why Wave would ever send her here, except to get a good laugh. That might actually be all that was happening here, she thought with a grimace. A soft lilting voice called out from the desk ¡°Good evening, ma¡¯am, do you have an appointment?¡± Looking up, a tan young woman with curly red hair and an elegant evening gown sat at the desk, staring up at her with beautiful eyes, a combination of gold and bronze streaking throughout. She was slightly off put by her sudden appearance, as she was almost positive there hadn¡¯t been someone sitting there before. - - - - - Merivan Hark Class - Scholar of Terra - 2-Star - - - - - That was¡­ interesting. What the hell was a scholar of terra? Until now, she¡¯d assumed that people had to stick to the twelve classes that she¡¯d seen at her class selection, so what was the deal with this?¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± the woman repeated, eyes narrowing as Kya remained rooted to the spot. ¡°Hm? Oh, I¡¯m sorry, no, I don¡¯t have an appointment. But I do need a few things made, and heard this was the place that could do it.¡± ¡°No appointment, no service. Come back sometime next week, we might be able to see you then.¡± said the woman dismissively, as she turned in her chair and made to get up. ¡°Merivan, wait, I have some rather rare materials I think you¡¯ll want to see.¡± Sighing and then turning a pitying look on her, the woman said in a mock tone ¡°Let me guess. Your wealthy uncle was cleaning out the estate and found some uncommon rarity suit with a passive boost to your memory, and it would be a shame to let it go to waste, so you¡¯d like a repair job done asap? Something like that? Or maybe you¡¯re back from a quest and found some interesting beast leather that¡¯s supposed to protect you from all harm, plus it¡¯ll make you smell like sunshine in the morning!¡± She finished by bashing her eyelashes at Kya. ¡°I don¡¯t care¡± She finished, waving her hand dismissively ¡°Come back next week.¡± Not saying a word, Kya took out one of the banners from the temple, and laid it on her desk. Then stepped back and folded her arms. Snorting loudly, the woman picked up the cloth, her eyes flashing for a moment, before her entire expression shifted. ¡°Where did you get this?¡± She asked in an awed hiss ¡°I¡¯ll give you a full auren for it, right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not selling. Besides, maybe I should simply take it and ¡®come back later.¡¯¡± Kya said cooly, not wanting to play with her food too much. Sighing, and looking at Kya with newfound respect, the woman said ¡°Fine. Who are you, and what would you like to do with this?¡± ¡°Well, Merivan, my name is Kya, and I¡¯d like this cloth to be turned into something I can wear.¡± The woman winced at the sound of her own name, and then drummed her fingers on the table in front of them. ¡°Firstly, I would like to apologize for how I greeted you when you came into my shop. It¡¯s been a rather long week, and I hope you can understand that.¡± Kya laughed at this, hearing the understatement of the millennium. ¡°And secondly, I¡¯d like to be upfront with you. This is a rare material that will be somewhat difficult to work with, let alone the fact that it¡¯s marked with that.¡± She said, gesturing to the symbol of the three interlocking triangles. ¡°I don¡¯t know where you got this, and I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m also not saying I won¡¯t work with this, just that it will be rather difficult to do so. Which means costs go up.¡± She was now eyeing Kya¡¯s hospital gown. It was a plain dress, unadorned and simple, augmented only slightly by the torn and stained t-shirt she had put on underneath it. She had washed the clothes in the magic waterfall shower, so felt fine wearing it out. But it might have given off the impression that she was maybe not the most affluent person in the world. ¡°What can you make, and how much will it cost?¡± ¡°With this much material¡­¡± She picked up the banner, and eyed it, judging its weight and thickness, ¡°I could probably make a nice jacket or two, maybe some pants to go with them, maybe. But that¡¯ll be a stretch, and there won¡¯t be much more I can do with them. I could do a large cloak rather easily though, just the one however.¡± Merivan choked back a gasp when Kya dropped five more banners on the desk, as well as some of the leftover strips of cloth from when she¡¯d made her own armor with them. ¡°I¡¯ll take the cloak, and as many outfits as you can make from these. Cost?¡± Merivan started laughing, a genuine and heartfelt laugh. ¡°Kya was it? I¡¯ll do the cloak for free, simply because you¡¯ve brought me so much material. For the rest, we¡¯ll decide on the final cost after I can see about time and what all I can produce. How soon do you need them?¡± ¡°I would have liked them a week ago.¡± Kya said with a grunt, and smiled herself. A sharp nod, and the woman scooped up the pile of cloth, and pushed her way into a back room. Poking her head back out, she said ¡°Wait there for a moment. I¡¯ll do the cloak now, and you can come back for the rest of it tomorrow. Deal?¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Sitting, Kya lounged on the couch and relaxed, it was in fact extremely comfortable. "Wait, Merivan?" She called out sitting suddenly up "What?" Came the muffled voice from the back room. "Who is Smiths?" Raucous laughter filled the room, and Merivan came staggering out, wiping a tear from her eye. "Did Wave send you here? What am I talking about, of course he did. Smiths is my dumbass husband, currently asleep upstairs. Wave thinks the world of him, but I''ll tell you a secret." She leaned in and whispered, "Wave is a dumbass too." Then laughing, she walked back to continue her work. Kya couldn''t help but to crack a smile. Different world, different species even, but people were people. Funny that. 17. Thank You Two cups of steaming tea and a quick power nap later, and Kya was trying on her brand new cloak. She wasn¡¯t sure how, but Merivan had changed the colors of the cloak, which shouldn¡¯t have been possible with mundane means and such a short time period, but¡­ Merivan was hardly a mundane person. It was now a rich and mottled dark blue, resembling the night sky if there weren''t any stars. Directly in the center of the back was a thin, radiant white circle. Looking in the mirror, she admired how the deep blue contrasted with her rose colored eyes. She also liked the clasp connecting it just under her collarbone, a small and faintly glowing sapphire gemstone setting off even more, all of it working together to create a stunning effect. It was so entrancing, she was even able to look past the fact that she was, in fact, wearing a cloak. The material was soft and light, the hood was large, and swallowed her head when she put it up just like she preferred. It draped down to just past her knees, letting her move completely unrestricted and fitting her perfectly. But¡­ It was a cloak. She couldn¡¯t help but feel like she was going to attend a comicon event or something. ¡°Let me see your star¡± Merivan ordered, not really leaving it as a choice for Kya. Raising her right hand, she willed her seven leafed flower to appear on her hand. ¡°Hm, not nearly as distasteful as some of those War or Death stars¡± She said, and Kya wasn¡¯t entirely sure if it was directed at her, or if she was just talking to herself. Taking out a stamp almost identical to the one they had used at the guild hall, she pressed it to her hand for a moment before moving over to a desk with a large thin round sheet of oily metal. The moment the stamp touched down, the oil started to shift and move like water coming to a boil, as the colors and shape began to take form. Watching with wrapped attention, Kya saw her star take shape on the piece of metal, now expanded to the size of a dinner plate. Taking the sheet it one hand, Merivan spun Kya around with the other, and then slammed the metal disk into her back. ¡°Ow, what the hell?¡± Exclaimed Kya, stumbling forward from the force of the blow. ¡°It can¡¯t truly be yours without a bond, obviously¡­ and it looks like the pattern took, despite your flailing around like a three winged isela.¡± respond Merivan in a musing tone Taking off the cloak, and looking at the back, she saw the silver white circle was now a ring around her star crest, now prominently displayed on the back. - - - - - - Item: Kya¡¯s Cloak of Adventure - Rarity: 1-Star - Rare, Soul-Bound - Description: Made by an expert seamstress, the cloak has been enhanced beyond the materials used to craft it. It will completely or partially nullify weaker attacks and basic forms of magic. Additionally enhances any spatial ability used by the wearer. - Enchantments: Spatial Affinity, Self-Repair, Self-Cleaning, Mana Resistance-Weak - Requirements: Can only be used by you. - - - - - Item {Kya¡¯s Cloak of Adventure} bares your personal crest, and is available for a soul bond. Would you like to bind {Kya¡¯s Cloak of Adventure}? (Yes)/(No) - - - - - Merivan had been watching her closely while she read, and the moment Kya looked up, said immediately ¡°You have an identification skill.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question, but Kya still wanted to answer in hopes of getting a little bit more information from her ¡°Yes, do you as well?¡± ¡°Of course I do, I¡¯m a scholar.¡± ¡°Speaking of scholars-¡± ¡°Have you identified me?¡± She asked, her right eyebrow creeping up and a smile playing at her lips. ¡°It seemed like a good idea¡± Kya said with an awkward shrug She simply laughed and said ¡°You¡¯re wondering about my class?¡± ¡°I thought it could only be one of the twelve, I wasn¡¯t aware of others.¡± Kya breathed out, relieved she hadn¡¯t made some faux pas to upset the older woman. She couldn''t quite get a read on Merivan, but liked that about her. ¡°How new to all of this are you girl?¡± She scoffed, ¡°It¡¯s because I have a subclass.¡± Kya had read briefly about subclasses, but like everything else beyond the basics, it had been frustratingly vague in the books she¡¯d found in the guild library. ¡°How do you get a subclass?¡± Asked Kya, carrying the cloak over to one of the plush couches and collapsing down with a huff. ¡°After you¡¯ve gotten past the first barrier, and gotten a more stable grasp on your abilities, you can use a second class item the same way you did the first time around. However, due to the rarity of class items in general, and the niche of getting a second class anyway, most people never bother with it.¡± Merivan paused for a moment to sip at the glass of wine she definitely hadn¡¯t been holding a moment before. ¡°That¡¯s an excellent vintage. Anyway, that¡¯s why I have a strange class title. When you get a subclass, it combines the two aspects, your primary class being first, and sub class being second.¡± ¡°So then, scholar of tera would make you knowledge first, and earth second?¡± Kya said, looking for confirmation. ¡°Precisely, Kya the Spatial User.¡± She said with a sly smile, and a wink. ¡°But enough of that, I¡¯m tired of simply giving away information that I had to work for.¡± She started making a shooing motion with a gloved hand ¡°Go on. I have actual customers due soon, and if Smiths wakes up and finds us talking over wine, he¡¯ll think we¡¯re conspiring.¡± ¡°What? Conspiring to do what?¡± Asked Kya as she got up and moved towards the door. ¡°Oh, gods only know with that man. I¡¯ve been a researcher and crafter for the better part of a century, and no matter how hard I work or what topics I study, I¡¯ve never become fluent in idiocy.¡± With both women stifling chuckles, Kya opened the door to the calm cool night and was about to step out, when she turned. ¡°One last thing, about the cloak.¡± ¡°Alright, fine, but be quick about it. Every word from here on out is an extra feron on the bill when you return.¡± ¡°Soul Bond?¡± ¡°What about it¡± "What is it¡± Merivan chuckled ¡°It¡¯ll never happen without your knowledge and consent. Your soul won¡¯t allow it. It¡¯s pretty simple, it means an object will be totally and forever yours. Do with that what you will, now, I¡¯m going to go wake my husband, so be off with you.¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I thought you had customers due soon?¡± ¡°Oh I have time enough, trust me.¡± She drained her glass, gave one final knowing smile at Kya, then closed the door. Alone, the three moons shining overhead, apparently that hadn¡¯t been a hallucination from the spider venom, Kya looking down at her embossed cloak, with its exquisite craftsmanship and beautiful star symbol marking it as hers. ¡°Thank you, Merivan.¡± Kya whispered into the night. Sticking her head out of a second story window, merivan replied ¡°You¡¯re quite welcome, and just call me Meri from now on, now scram kid.¡± An instant later, her head withdrew, giving Kya the impression of a meerkat poking its head out of the ground. - - - - - Item {Kya¡¯s Cloak of Adventure} bares your personal crest, and is available for a soul bond. Would you like to bind {Kya¡¯s Cloak of Adventure}? (Yes)/(No) - - - - - ¡°Yes¡± ~ ~ ~ The ship slowly docked at the southern port in Loterre, as the crew threw out ropes to tie it down. It was at this exact moment that Sayrin awoke from his long slumber. He knew it would take them a bit longer to get back to Loterre as compared to sailing for Lyra. The whole of the Tibernus sea lay between the two cities, and that was no small lake to cross. If not for the fortified and powerful ship, the leviathans would have been a major concern, still were a concern regardless. However, after only a day on the fastest ship in the Loterren fleet, they had completed their voyage. Sarees, Platees, and Larian hung in the sky, all three nearly full tonight, with only Larian definitely still waxing with its dull green light. Sayrin saw them from the window of his cabin. Saw the workers tying down the ship. Saw his men disembark with Wade and Alrdin in chains, hands bound to their backs. These coming days were going to be difficult, more difficult than any in the past couple of years. He knew this. He knew he would have to face his actions. He always did. Slowly, he too disembarked from the sleek war vessel that had ferried them, and began a deliberately meandering walk to his home. He would stop in and see his wife and son, at least, before reporting to Orrin. Familial duties were a cornerstone of their society, and it was almost illegal to keep a man from his family, or at least his spouse. Even when deployed to war, any soldier was entitled to take their spouses with them, and ask for housing and food. Some time later, as the largest moon, Sarees, fled beyond the horizon, he pushed open his bedroom door and saw his wife standing at the window, humming softly as she oiled the strings on her beloved instrument. . She looked up sharply, however, at the sound of the door, and her silver eyes went wide at the sight of him. When was the last time she had seen him and greeted him with warmth? Damn woman, she had said she¡¯d understood, she knew what it meant to be with him. ¡°I¡¯m home¡± He said roughly, walking over to embrace her. She flinched back slightly at his touch, but let him wrap his arms around her, eventually embracing him in return. ¡°Welcome home. We missed you while you were away.¡± She said, her voice calm, but her muscles taut. Releasing her and sitting down on the edge of the large bed they shared, he said ¡°How is he?¡± She turned her back to him, and slowly kept working at the small knobs on the neck of her instrument, occasionally plucking at a string, before continuing to adjust. Speaking slightly louder, he asked again ¡°How is he, Mata¡± She replied, her voice as light and elegant as the day they¡¯d first met. Her accent had faded with time, but still gave a slight music to the cadence of her words ¡°What do you want me to say? That he¡¯s doing fine? That he¡¯s recovering well? He¡¯s not, Palorie, he¡¯s barely recovering. The healers all say it should be getting noticeably better, but he still walks with a cane and favors one leg to the other. It¡¯s a miracle they were able to restore the leg at all. Be patient and let him heal, please.¡± He stood, and she shrunk back slightly, but nevertheless gazed at him with fierce silver eyes. Walking over, he placed his hands gently on her shoulders, and began to massage the knots in the muscles he felt. His touch so soft, so tender, he could feel her begin to relax under his hands. ¡°I understand, Mata. I do. But he only has a few more weeks of leave before he¡¯ll be compelled to return, healed or not. I¡¯m going to speak with him, see what I can do.¡± ¡°No! Palorie, no, please.¡± Cried Mata, turning and grabbing his hands in hers, her precious instrument falling to the carpeted floor. ¡°He needs rest, it is late. Come and rest, you always feel better after you¡¯ve slept.¡± ¡°I slept on the ship.¡± He said quietly. ¡°I¡­ I had to, Mata. I tried to stay awake as long as I could, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t make it.¡± A complex series of expressions played across her gentle face. Ultimately, it settled on upturned eyebrows, and a glimmer of worry crossing over her eyes. Guiding him back over to the bed, she sat down, his hand in hers, and she said ¡°Come, tell me, what happened over your trip. After explaining the whole thing, Mata rubbed his back with three of her fingers, sending shivers down his spine. Somehow, it felt worse when she treated him with affection than it did when she greeted him with disdain. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t kill him¡± She whispered into the near pitch black of the room. By now the other two had joined Sarees, plunging the world into the void hour before the suns rose in the east. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you for losing control, I mean¡­ a new spatial user?¡± If nothing else, Mata shared or even surpassed him in her hatred of the users of space. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you let her go. Guild rules be damned, you should have brought her here to face justice.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I intend to do. After I see him, and I am seeing him mata¡± he added quickly as she started to protest, ¡°I¡¯m reporting to Orrin what all happened. He needs to know of these events, and hopefully he can simply reassign Wade and Aldrin.¡± She was silent for a long time, simply breathing next to him as they sat together. ¡°Are you not going to tell him what you did?¡± Shaking his head, he replied ¡°No. He doesn¡¯t need to know, and so long as those two are given a simple punishment detail and then allowed to carry on, their momentum won¡¯t even be stalled. Wade might even earn her second star during her punishment detail.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not right, Palorie Sayad, and you know it. The man I married-¡± ¡°The man you married is doing what he needs to do to keep you in this place.¡± He said firmly, standing from the bed. ¡°Unless you want to dismiss the servants and return to the lives we once led, you¡¯ll make your peace with it. Now its time I move along.¡± With that, he left his wife alone in the bed, head in her hands. At least she wasn¡¯t crying this time. At least he hadn¡¯t given her too much reason to cry. This was far from the worst conversation they¡¯d had, and it had even been sweet at times. Sayrin considered this a good sign, and then banished the thoughts from his head. Making his way down the hall, servants moving aside and lowering their heads, he pushed open his eldest son''s door, and beheld the sunken eyed, weakened frame illuminated by a single red glowstone in the ceiling. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he brushed some of the black locks out of his eyes. His touch again was so gentle, it was almost as though he was afraid to touch his own child. The golden eyes of his boy fluttered open and as he took in his father, he sucked in a sharp breath. ¡°Father!¡± He scrambled, trying to sit up. ¡°Wh-wh-what are you doing back here so soon?¡± He said, trying to speak and gulp at the same time. ¡°Hello, Carcelo. Please, lay back down, you¡¯ll make it worse if you keep struggling like that.¡± Said Sayrin, softly but firmly pushing his son back down into the bed. ¡°How¡¯s your leg?¡± Carcelo finally managed to gulp, and then looked down at his leg, elevated on a pillow and wrapped in fine white linen ¡°It¡¯s better, father. Everyday it gets a little better. I should be able to return to the ring soon, to fight with you again.¡± He said this last part with a strange mix of emotions coloring his voice. Like he wasn¡¯t sure if any of that was truly what he wanted, but what he thought he wanted. Sighing, Sayrin just nodded. ¡°Good, we¡¯ll need you to be at full strength. We found a spatial User in Lyra.¡± Carcelo went perfectly still, not a hair moving, not even a vein seeming to pulse. ¡°Father.¡± New conviction entering his voice ¡°I¡¯ll be ready to leave as soon as you need me.¡± The look in his eyes had now changed completely from conflicted resignation to determination. ¡°Good. I¡¯ll test you when we get back to see if you¡¯re ready. Have the servants make your pre-duel meal, and meet me in the training grounds at noon.¡± ¡°Yes father, absolutely Thank you for this chance, I won''t let you down like... like last time.¡± As he closed the door behind him, Sayrin breathed out a long breath he hadn¡¯t realized he¡¯d been holding. He loved his wife; he loved his sons and his daughter all. They were all so precious to him. He would have to treat Cal more gently in the arena than before. He might even let him score a few hits if needed, whatever would boost his morale. No matter what, it would not¡­ could not go the way it had last time. When the nightmares had started whispering and he¡¯d taken it too far. When he¡¯d slightly lost control. He took in another breath as Blue''s light broke the horizon, and began to flash towards the high terraces of the central city. 18. A Token of Friendship With her new cloak on her back, Kya walked with a purpose towards the eastern gates of the city. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was a new part of her quest system, or if it was a result of some magic of the guilds doing, but she had a vague feeling of the direction she needed to go whenever she concentrated on her quest. Thus, she knew it was one of the eastern farms out of the city, and she knew it was relatively far. Luckily, she still had a full twenty-four hours or so until the quest contract back in the guild hall would be available for another to take, so she had time to spare. Doubly so because there was apparently a train network that led out of the city and passed by the farmlands. She was trying to hurry though because she wasn¡¯t sure, and regretted not asking, if another taking the quest would disqualify her from completing it, or simply mean she had competition in completing it. Regardless, she made her way towards the train station out of the city in the morning light, a few other people beginning to open shops and buildings on either side of the wide cobbled streets. She wasn¡¯t sure if ¡°train¡± was the right word for it, as she had sincere doubts about a steam engine pulling little cars along a track, when their inner-city bus network involved flying clouds like it was designed by the monkey king. Kya reached a smaller city circle, looking almost directly like a downsized version of the one outside the guild hall. There was a small fountain in the center, bubbling merrily in morning light, and glowing faintly with inset glow stones. She had noticed several of these smaller circles throughout the city near high trafficked areas or around important buildings. This was no exception, as both important and likely a busy area of the city. To her right, was an incredible church, and this time there was no doubt in her mind this was a church. It had two resplendent towers to either side of the main building, bright blue stained glass making the illusion of waterfalls pouring down, and massive golden bells able to be seen within. Unable to help herself and justifying it by saying she had a full day so a little curious peek couldn''t hurt, Kya poked her head through one of the four massive oak double doors and whistled softly. The antechamber alone was gilded in aquamarine crystals and lapis lazuli tiles along the floor. Small rivers of water gurgled gently along the walls, with small trickles pouring down from above. Large pillars of teal and violet soared to the ceiling above, between which were large pews leading all the way up to a large stage and podium. She got a feeling of serene calm the moment she entered the church. It was similar to how she felt back in the temple of space in the forest, but more intense and almost deliberate. Rather than a vague sense of wonder and appreciation, it was more like someone was directly taking her hand and reassuring her that everything would be alright. Kya found it to be a profoundly and fundamentally wrong experience. She didn''t hear the man she hadn¡¯t even known was there, before a geyser of water hit her like a runaway truck, blasting her out the doors and sprawling onto the stones outside. "What the hell?!" She called "why would you just throw me out like that!?" ¡°''Why'' she asks, as if she knows not¡± Shouted an elderly man, standing framed in the doors of the church. He was undoubtedly talking to her... but she got the feeling his words were meant for everyone nearby ¡°How dare you even gaze upon the house of Kanaloa with your sinful eyes. If not for the will of our Pi¡¯leo, I would strike you down where you lay.¡± His sapphire eyes burned under his stark white eyebrows and topknot of silver hair. ¡°However, you are fortunate to have a second chance at life. Come here again, touch any part of our holdings again, and I will personally boil your blood from within your veins for the atrocities committed by your people. There are not many in this town who remember, but I do. I was there. I won¡¯t forget. Not ever.¡± Sweeping his white and aqua marine robes dramatically as he turned on his heel, he marched back within the church, slamming the doors behind him. Kya, for her part, sat soaked in her clothes, staring wide eyed up at the doors of the church, several goers by hurrying along and deliberately not coming anywhere near her. She knew that being a spatial user had something of a bad reputation around it, but atrocities? What exactly had happened to cause both such a visceral reaction from some people, and such a non-reaction in others. As she started walking towards the train station on the other side of the square, she was lost in thought, not really paying attention to her surroundings. First was that captain in the guild hall, and now a priest in a church. Both hating her, or at least reviling her, soley on her choice of class. She had hoped the man from the guild hall to be an outlier, afterall every other person had treated her with relative normalcy. Merivan even knew specifically that she was a spatial user, and still made her a cloak free of charge. She hated this feeling. Like there was a glaring hole in her knowledge, something she should know but didn''t. At this point, she had only one real thought in her mind: When I get back, I need to do some more reading. If for no other reason than to fully and fundamentally understand what all went on when her predecessors were eradicated. As always, she simply needed to know more. Trying to push it away for now, she instead refocused on her present surroundings and found them... oddly lacking. Compared to the marvels of architecture she had seen; the train station was positively mundane. Where the spatial temple had soaring ceilings and marvelous stained-glass windows, the guild hall with its pillars of living trees and library fit for Versailles, even the church next door with its integrated water features and magnificent towers awesome in its appearance¡­ well, the train station had a nice floor? It was made up of solid granite tiles, each about a meter long, and polished smooth. Stone benches ran along the walls, and the ticket counter held a very bored looking young man, practically falling asleep. The real showstopper was the train itself, housed in the long hall behind the gates of the booth. A sleek silvery metal, rather than wheels or clouds, it simply hovered in place, swaying side to side softly as bright golden crystals illuminated the tracks below. Although the train¡¯s body somewhat resembled bullet trains she was familiar with, it was like it plunged fully into the uncanny valley in her mind. So similar to something so normal, but so incredibly, fundamentally different. ¡°Excuse me, how much for a ride to the easter farm district?¡± She asked the young attendant. His head slipping off his hand and jerking up at her voice, he said ¡°Huh? What..? Oh! Uh, five ferens tuh the mines, a curen fur the fields.¡± he said with an accent reminiscent of the farmer she¡¯d met back in the guild hall. Wordlessly handing over a copper coin, he tore off and handed over a simple amber ticket marked fields and opened the gate to the left. ¡°You have a lil under half an hour ¡®til the train takes off. Have a good day¡­ Wait miss, yur eyes¡­ are you a User?¡± She nodded, growing wary, worried about a repeat or similar beratement of the interaction from minutes earlier. ¡°Miss, I-I can¡¯t take yur coin, you can ride for free anytime, p-please take it back¡± He tried to hand back her coin, eyes wide and hands shaking. ¡°So you¡¯re saying I spent a coin I didn¡¯t need to?¡± She asked, her voice cool and even. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°I-¡± He gulped past a lump in his throat ¡°I¡¯m sorry ma¡¯am, please, I was working the night shift and I didn¡¯t notice your eyes right away, it won¡¯t happen again, I swear!¡± She closed his shaking hands over the coin, and said simply ¡°Keep the coin, as a thanks for your honesty. And get some rest¡± Without looking back or waiting for a reply, she walked through the gates, again struck by the simple incongruity of being blasted by a priest, and ten minutes later being treated with courtesy and borderline reverence. She shook her head as she boarded the train, trying to clear her head. A task, she found to have absolutely no trouble with whatsoever. The entire hull of the train was see through from the inside. Where from outside it had been a silver and metal sheen, on the inside it was like the body of the train wasn¡¯t there at all. Cushioned seats sat on a carpeted floor, simply floating in the open air. She sat in her plush seat with only two other people in her section, both of whom were users like her. This must be a luxury compartment or something, because¡­ this was marvelous. The only thing to outdo it was when the train actually began to move, and rocketed out over the waves of the sea below, and it gave her the impression of pure freedom and joy. This is what magic is for. She thought, gazing out, waves crashing against the pillars of stone below. Finally alone, or at least relatively so, and after a good twenty minutes of simply enjoying her surroundings and the pure euphoria that was transit in this world, she took out the first monster token she¡¯d ever received, the 1-Star common rat from her first day out in the woods. It was hardly more than a week ago, but felt like years to her now. Eyeing the coin, truly studying its surface, she found what she¡¯d been looking for. The image of its death by her staff began to glow ever so faintly pink, telling her this was a spatially attuned coin. ¡°But how do I¡­¡± she muttered, calling up the description once again - - - - - - Item: Lesser Monster Token - Rarity: 1-Star - Common - Description: The condensed memory of a life-or-death struggle. Can be exchanged or consumed. - Enchantments: N/A - Requirements: Possess at least a Common Class. - - - - - ¡°Hmm¡­ Consume?¡± She tried with a fleeting sense of hope. Unfortunately, not only did nothing happen, but there wasn¡¯t even a text screen to explain what to do. Sighing, she resolves herself to do what she had feared might be needed. With reluctance, she placed the token in her mouth, and¡­ hang on she thought, as it began to dissolve instantly. It reminded her of maple syrup or raw honey, mixed oddly with pop rocks. It was a purely sweet and yet fizzy feeling as she felt a tiny well of power in stomach for just a moment before it all faded away and she was left sitting on her chair in the floating train wondering what exactly that had all been for. When, fortunately, she didn¡¯t have to. - - - - - - You have consumed {Lesser Monster Token}. Experience of the life-or-death struggle will be applied to a random class ability. - Class Ability {Push and Pull} has been slightly improved as a result of the struggle for life. - - - - - Her eyes like saucers and a small grin coming over her face, she quickly pulled up the ability screen to see her ability. - - - - - - Ability {Push and Pull} 1-Star - 0.5% - Description: Through your experience and understanding of space, you are able to moderately affect any object, directing towards or away from your center of mass. - - - - - ¡°Huh¡± was all she could say as she looked over the ability. Although it made a certain kind of sense, obviously the easiest monster to kill in the whole forest wouldn¡¯t be skyrocketing her abilities¡­ but come on, half of a percentage point? That was a bit harsh, and made her feel slightly bad for the rats if anything else. On the other hand, she could absolutely understand why the merchants had been so eager to get their hands on all of her fire attuned tokens; these things were a free experience to people who didn¡¯t want to go out and fight a monster. After she¡¯d gotten her own strength to a respectable point, she¡¯d absolutely try and farm these things to make money, that was ridiculous. But speaking of, she had quite a few tokens more, and from some notably more impressive monsters than the simple rat. She decided to try the polar opposite next so she could get both extremes. Placing on her tongue the token of the tiger, she felt this time a much more powerful reaction. - - - - - - You have consumed {Lesser Monster Token}. Experience of the life-or-death struggle will be applied to a random class ability. - Class Ability {Push and Pull} has been slightly improved as a result of the struggle for life. - - - - - - Ability {Push and Pull} 1-Star - 10.5% - Description: Through your experience and understanding of space, you are able to moderately affect any object, directing towards or away from your center of mass. - - - - - Ten percent? Again, she wasn¡¯t expecting to shoot up in level after a day, be an immortal, world conquering witch by the end of the week, but¡­ that tiger was seriously only worth ten percent? She was in for a long road of ¡®struggles¡¯ if that was the case. - - - By the time the train pulled to a stop at the farm land station an hour and a half later, she had consumed every monster token in her inventory she could. As she walked off the train, she pulled up her overall character screen to see the gains she¡¯d earned from her time in the woods. - - - - - Character Screen - - - - - This led her to an obvious and important realization. Her class went up one percent for every three percent of her ability. She assumed then, that this was the path of progress for her. Get her current ability to one hundred percent, and unlock the next one, and the next one. Get all three to one hundred percent, and she should rank up to two stars. From a single week in the woods, she had gotten enough experience to get one ability halfway there. So, unless something unexpectedly tedious and a side-tracking event comes up, she should be able to make two stars within a couple of months! It was at this point that Kya slapped herself in the face, found a nearby tree, and promptly knocked on the wood three times. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, universe, for tempting you. Please do not make my life any harder than it needs to be.¡± Several onlookers had seen this, and after staring in stunned silence, simply shook their heads, some with mutterings of ¡°Users¡± under their breath and kept going about their day. For Kya¡¯s part, she paid them no mind. She could tell she was in the right area, or at least a few miles away from it, and was ready to get to it. She had an ability to strengthen, a farmer to help, and a quest to complete. It was time to kill some demon dogs. 19. Out of the Frying Pan The quest so far was much more straightforward than Kya had feared. When she¡¯d been in the forest after awakening, she¡¯d been more or less blindly stumbling towards the distant goal of a city on the horizon, while in the meantime trying to find sufficiently strong beasts to kill. Without having any idea where she was, what was happening, or what the beasts in question were, there weren¡¯t many alternatives readily available to her, at least not with the addition of a pressing deadline. However, as she now had a vague idea of the area in which she needed to be, and an idea of exactly what monsters she was looking, things were much less nebulous. She marched through the rural farming community with a sense of¡­ disconnect. Since coming to this place, this world, every single aspect of the society to which she was accustomed had been here, and easily seen¡­ but they were all looked at through a new lens. The houses she passed were spread hundreds of meters apart, sometimes a mile or more would go by without much sign of human- er elvish civilization. Except of course, for the rows and rows of golden crops. She identified it as a staple food called ¡°foxtails¡± that was extremely ubiquitous in this region. This, on its own, wouldn¡¯t have been anything out of the ordinary. The extraordinary part came from the large green crystals placed every hundred meters or so, sending out barely visible waves of energy to the crops, encouraging them to grow. And grow they did. Most of the stalks were well over Kya¡¯s head, easily into the eight or nine foot range. This is why, whenever she did see a farmhouse, it was so jarring as it broke the constant backdrop of amber swaying in the breeze. However, as she came upon her destination, ¡°jarring¡± didn¡¯t quite describe it. If the idyllically swaying stalks of vegetation had been the life side of the coin, the blacked and burned expanse now before her was unquestionably the death side to the same coin. When talking with her in the guild hall, Arthur had led her to believe they¡¯d managed to contain the fire and mitigate the damage to their crops. Well, either Arthur was a liar, or he was too proud to admit when catastrophe had struck. There were, about every quarter mile, long meter wide trenches of water dug throughout the fields, dividing it into a large grid. Not one, not two, but five of these grids had been entirely consumed by flames, and now lay as a smoldering scar upon the fertile land. She saw, well into the distance to either side, the crops briefly continued and even what she suspected to be Arthur''s home, a tall and sturdy house built on a hill overlooking their fields. She shook her head in disappointment, knowing that even if she killed all of the monsters responsible, he wouldn¡¯t be able to recover from this for years to come. You couldn¡¯t destroy two thirds of a farmer''s fields and expect them to make a smooth recovery, no matter how frugal they had been. But that would be a future problem, and that bridge would have to be crossed when they got to it. For now, she would absolutely flay the hell spawn that caused this. Now she just had to find them. Equipping her necklace and gloves for the first time, she paid close attention to how she felt immediately before, and immediately after putting them on. For the latter, she felt very little. She suspected the impact would come when using her ability, as not only her gloves, but boots and cloak were all currently boosting spatial abilities. She once again mourned the loss of her staff, but she had been nurturing an idea for the broken item for some time, and would have to research it when she returned. For the former however, her saber tooth necklace had an immediate and noticeable impact. - - - - - - Item: Necklace of the Reaping Tiger - Rarity: 1-Star - Rare - Description: Braided on fur taken from the Reaping Tiger, the center piece is a fragment of its very fangs. Grants the wearer enhanced resistance to mental attacks, and gives a small passive bonus to aura strength. May only be worn by one who has slain a Reaping Tiger. - Enchantments: Basic Mental Defense, Basic Aura Enhancement - Requirements: Slayer of the Reaping Tiger - - - - - As soon as she affixed it around her neck, her aura pulsed with newfound strength. Ever since her brief crash course with Rory, she¡¯d kept her aura to it¡¯s minimum size just around her own body. Not only due to the sudden increase in its strength, but being alone in a field and actively on the hunt for monsters, she let it expand to its full scope, meaning at this point, she was able to sense everything for about ten feet in all directions. She took a moment to simply¡­ adapt. She could sense the worms and insects beneath her, appearing like small pinpricks of light to her mind. She couldn¡¯t ¡°see¡± them, of course, but her mind was still just as aware of them as if she was looking right at them. It was a marvelous sensation, and for the first time since awakening her aura, she was able to simply sit and be aware of everything around her without being overwhelmed by the deluge of people and animals and magic. Each small insect was a ball of life unto itself. It felt to her like she was finally able to see the stars in a night sky, dozens and dozens of little- a bird flew overhead and she took a sharp breath as it dipped in and out of her aura¡¯s area of influence. If the tiny insects were distant stars, the bird overhead was a raging comet, lighting up the whole night sky with its radiance. It had only been there for a moment, but Kya had that lingering feeling that comes from looking at the sun and still seeing its image burned into your eyes for several moments thereafter. This ability gave her a near omni-directional awareness, but also wasn¡¯t something she could immediately use and implement. She would need to practice and acclimate to its effects. If these were birds and bees, what would happen when a powerful monster wandered into her field of influence? On the other hand¡­ What better way to acclimate to the cold than jumping right in? A small part of Kya¡¯s mind was telling her she could overdo it and risk injury. That part of her was part she often told to shut up, because she wanted to try something probably ill-advised. - - - After only twenty minutes or so of looking around the area, she found her first concrete sign of the monsters. A set of large tracks in a mangled and confused mess, before heading off towards the grassland beyond the farm''s boundaries. The entire time, she had been practicing to look not just with her eyes, but her aura as well. She would have likely missed the tracks altogether in fact, except for that they poked at her senses almost like a small beacon. Excited to be on the right track, as these prints were unmistakably the remnants of some magic beast, she took off at a dash. It was here she began to notice the fundamental changes her body had undergone as part of becoming magical. She felt like she was doing a light jog. The kind when you¡¯re crossing the street and a car is coming, but you¡¯re in work clothes and you don¡¯t want to run because that would be unprofessional for some reason, but you also don¡¯t want to get run over or cause some sort of incident, so you do a sort of shuffle jog. That sort of pace, that¡¯s what Kya¡¯s brain told her she was doing. Except for the fact that she might have qualified for the Olympic marathon if she kept up this pace. That might have been a stretch, but Kya could tell, she was booking it. Coming up to the simple stone wall outlining the farm, she decided that rather than slow down and climb¡­ she was just gonna jump it. Feeling like a child in a daydream, she leapt at the four foot barrier and vaulted off it before landing and continuing on at her breakneck pace. At this point, Kya felt a genuine fear. Could this really happen? She¡¯d heard about it as a metaphor and exaggeration at times, but¡­ could this really happen? She was, of course, worried about her jaw falling off as a smile threatened to split her face in two. Afterall, she¡¯d always considered herself as someone who enjoyed running. Laughing, with a reckless abandon she hadn¡¯t felt in years, she eagerly looked for these hell hounds. All those times she¡¯d cursed her situation, thinking that there had to have been some easier way to survive in this world¡­ She¡¯d found it, and it was so simple. It turned out that the secret was the magic inside her all along. - - - She felt the first monster before she saw it. It had only been six or seven minutes, and she¡¯d already gone well over a mile from the walls of the farm. She¡¯d been rather lost in the simple joy of her newfound endurance and agility when a blazing sun entered her aura from behind and just to the left. Without even needing to think, she jumped right, twisted in mid air, while her venomous dagger appeared in her outstretched hand. When she¡¯d heard they were hellhounds, she¡¯d been slightly off put at the notion of having to kill a pack of dogs, even if they were fiery little monsters. She¡¯d always loved dogs and wasn¡¯t entirely comfortable with killing them wholesale. She was glad then, when looking at these¡­ well, they certainly lived up to the ¡°hell¡± moniker, without so much as acknowledging the ¡°hound¡± part. Rather than a rottweiler with red eyes or something as she¡¯d been imagining, this monster was black as pitch, with an almost shiny chitinous exterior. It had six powerful looking legs, matched by its six gleaming eyes, each looking to be filled with molten lava. If that all wasn¡¯t enough, it had long white accents all over its body, giving it a skeletal appearance, going well with the two ivory horns curving forwards to razor points over its head. - - - - - *** NEW CREATURE IDENTIFIED *** - Hellhound - 1 Star - Uncommon - Hellhounds come in two varieties, bound and unbound. The bound monsters are relatively tame and can make for great companions. The unbound are vicious killing machines, designed to be as efficient at their jobs as possible, including cremating the remains when they¡¯re done. Wanna take a stab at which one this is? - - - - - You know what? As a matter of fact, she did want to take a stab at it. Trying her new ability for the first time, she concentrated and pulled the monster. But what she wasn¡¯t prepared for was the incredible ease with which she¡¯d done it. She had been used to a certain amount of resistance, like the creature she pushed or pulled was fighting against her. Whether it was due to now being her own ability, the several effects boosting her abilities, her newfound strength, or some combination of the three, when she pulled on the hellhound, it absolutely flew. Again, letting out a joyous laugh, Kya canceled her pull, then side stepped and slashed at the monster while it sailed by on its own momentum. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. The beast let out a snarl as it landed, a long gash steaming on its right flank, sizzling drops of crimson hitting the ground below. What she hadn¡¯t been ready for, though she realized she definitely should have been, was the monster opening its maw and launching a torrent of flames directly at her. Not knowing what else to do, she ducked and covered herself in her cloak purely out of instinct. This proved to be the right choice, as when the flames touched her cloak, she felt a slight warmth but nothing more. It was then she remembered the cloak would nullify or weaken most spells that hit it. This was perfect, too perfect, it was truly like she¡¯d switched over to easy mode. As soon as the beast closed its maw, cutting off the rippling tide of orange and red, it tilted its head slightly in confusion. Standing before it was an entirely unharmed Kya, barely contained mirth bubbling out. Launching forward, she planted a kick across its face, careful to avoid the horns, and while it was stunned, delivered a powerful upward strike, impaling its jaw and giving a nice little third horn through its snout. - - - - - - You have defeated Hellhound - 1-Star - Uncommon. - Progress on Hellhounds on the Farm updated: - Kill all hellhounds around the farm, 1/?? - - - - - Along with the notification, she got an interesting sensation. It felt like she¡¯d suddenly inhaled a deep breath, it wasn¡¯t much, and only lasted for a moment, but it was definitely noticeable. Taking a look at her ability screen, she both confirmed her suspicions, as well as made an annoying observation. - - - - - Character Screen - - - - - Firstly, her abilities percentage had directly gone up. She checked her inventory as the monster dissolved into shadow, leaving behind the normal spark of light, and confirmed that there wasn¡¯t a new monster token. It seemed she¡¯d only gotten them as a placeholder due to having nowhere for the experience to go. Her second observation was that her ability had only gone up by one percent. One percent! She could think of a couple possible explanations for this, ranging from her having a class now diminishing the experience gained from a fight. Afterall, that had been relatively easy as far as fights went. Or perhaps since she¡¯d only used her ability once, it didn¡¯t result in a large windfall of experience. Maybe the rate of experience had just slowed as she passed some threshold, like after fifty percent in her ability, it became more and more difficult to advance. Whatever the case may be, she would definitely have to fight a lot more than she did in the forest if she expected to gain a second star before the next monster wave. Her last real take away from the fight was the quest update she¡¯d gotten. Before in the forest, it had told her she needed to kill ten 1-Star monsters, and then ten more powerful ones. Now, however, it was simply to kill all the hellhounds. She assumed the quest would complete when she killed them all, she just wouldn¡¯t be getting any spoilers as to how many ¡°all¡± would be. However, the monsters themselves seemed more than willing to help her find out. They were a pack, after all. And she assumed the sounds of their fight had drawn the attention of the others, when she felt and saw several more hellhounds pelting towards her from all directions. Readjusting her grip on her dagger, she began running towards the closest one, excitement and adrenaline pounding through her veins. She found that this was where her aura ability truly shone and could tell it would easily become a core component of not just her fighting style, but her everyday life. While she focused on the hellhound directly in front of her, two more tried to jump on her from either side. It had been several years since she¡¯d taken combatives with the military, but she still remembered how to move her body. The increased strength and agility from becoming magical made it all the easier. Sensing the two monsters pounce, she swiftly dodged back, maintaining eye contact on her one target. Sending out two quick pushes to the two who had pounced, she then simultaneously pulled on her designated monster while propelling her dagger forward. Unfortunately, her dagger had spun through the air, and the blunt pommel hit the beast first. It still likely hurt like crazy and the blade did continue spinning until it left a shallow gash in the hounds side, but it turned what should have been a killing blow into a glancing one. ¡°I need better throwing weapons¡± she thought as the three monsters all landed, two splayed in the grass some two dozen meters away, and one now slightly bleeding much closer. Everything that had just happened had occurred over the span of less than thirty seconds, and she was more than ever delighted with the sheer improvements she was able to feel from simply getting to her class. If 1-Star felt this good, she couldn¡¯t wait for more. Of course, she wasn¡¯t an unstoppable army unto herself. This was important for her to keep in mind, and it felt almost like the universe was trying to humble her over the rest of the fight. As she stood proudly, feeling powerful and mighty among the pack of hellish creatures, she was forced to acknowledge that fact. The two she¡¯d sent flying quickly recovered and after snarling, blasted her with flames simultaneously. At the same moment, the one behind her lunged forward to bite at her exposed left arm, and the several other dogs around her also began to surge forward, yapping and snarling. She quickly went from reveling in her new power to reveling in theirs. Yes, she could sense and feel the monsters all around her, but that didn¡¯t necessarily mean she was able to defend against them all, not at the same time. She simply turned her back to the flames, her hood up over her head completely shielding her from the heat. From there, she tried to repel two that were coming at her from either side, while launching a kick at the one with a slash across its hide. This is where her plan met with an unfortunate turn. The two she¡¯d sent flying collided into another two, making all four go tumbling. That was great. Less great was the one she¡¯d attempted to kick, catching her leg in its mouth. Her boots, of course, were a divine artifact sent from the gods themselves (or so Kya believed), and were able to withstand the bite of a common monster. What couldn''t withstand the bite was her exposed leg when another of the hounds pounced and snapped its jaws down on her flesh. Biting back a curse, she punched the beast square on the snout, shooting it away the moment it let go. She stomped the foot being held by the dog forcefully into the ground, breaking it free quite literally. As the monster let go with a howl, she saw its lower jaw bone was hanging loosely at an odd angle. She was about to summon her dagger from where it had fallen to finish it off, but another hound jumped on her back, and tried to bite down on her neck. If not for the cloak''s hood, she had no doubt the bite would have killed her, severing her spine. As it was, all she could feel from the bite was a gentle pressure. The bad news was that a sudden eighty pounds on her back threw her wildly off balance, and she toppled to the ground. This must have been the signal for dinner time, because every hellhound in the area surged forwards. Thoroughly and completely done with the experience after she felt powerful bites on her arms and legs, she shouted incoherently and sent out an all-encompassing wave of force. Not directed at anything in particular, but just wanting every beast to be forced away. The nature of her ability, however, was to push things directly away from her center of mass. This meant that rather than being forced sideways, the hounds were shot into the air, each one at various angles. The one onto which she¡¯d fallen, however, was compressed into the ground, and after only a moment, resembled nothing so much as roadkill. - - - - - - You have defeated Hellho- - - - - - She waved away the notification, not having the time right now. She summoned back her dagger with a quick pull as she stood, plucking it out of the air with a dexterous grab, and then scanned the hounds. Before a single thought had entered her mind, she saw one that had been launched almost directly into the air begin falling to the ground. Pulling on it as hard as she could, she turned a plummeting animal into an aerial bombardment as it shook the earth with its landing. Once again waving away the notification, she let out a barking laugh of her own. She was bloodied and bruised but damn it if she wasn¡¯t having a fucking blast fighting these demons. The one with the broken jaw was staggering away while the other five relatively healthy ones had returned to her and formed a rough semicircular to shield their comrade as he fled. ¡°Absolutely not¡± She growled and pulled at the one farthest away. This was the first time she¡¯d used her ability on one of them not directly within her aura and could immediately feel the difference. This was more like when she¡¯d been using the staff, and she got the familiar twist in her stomach as she wrestled it back to the fight. The others saw what she was doing and attempted to intervene, three blasting out flames while the other two jumped forwards, lips curled in inaudible snarls. Maintaining her pull on the injured hound, she dashed quickly to her left, evading the first hound and trying to get out of the way of the flames entirely. Her cloak shielded her from them, but notably her face wasn¡¯t covered by the cloak. The second hound altered course and leapt at her as she moved. Scoffing with delight, she slashed her dagger in a powerful backhand slash, burying the blade in its skull. She kept moving, leaving the dagger for now. It would be free in a moment after the beast dissolved into shadows, and she didn¡¯t have the time to stop and yank it free. The flames cut off abruptly as two of the monsters were caught off guard when the injured one finally reached them, and bowled them over as it continued inexorably towards her. The moment it touched her aura, the feeling in her stomach faded considerably, just as it commensurately picked up speed. The moment it was within arms reach, she dropped down to her knees and launched it skyward before once more yanking it down to help gravity bring about its timely demise. The remaining four were growing more and more hesitant as the fight progressed, and now as they stood some ways away, she could almost feel their reluctance. Yet, as one, they resumed their attempted onslaught. Calling her dagger from where it lay, it collided with one of them, tearing through its abdomen and coming through the other side. It wasn¡¯t immediately dead, but She knew it wouldn¡¯t be back in this fight anytime soon. Taking her dagger, and shoving it through the throat of the first one to leap at her, she took out another. Pulling the last one towards her, she launched it at the other, using the monster''s body itself as a projectile. Or at least that was her plan. As she started to pull, her vision darkened in both eyes, and the pain in her stomach returned with a vengeance. She had long since associated this with reaching her limits as far as magic was concerned. She knew she could push herself to get a little bit more done, but that it would have painful repercussions. Her momentary lapse as she recoiled from the pain cost her, as the monster, rather than helplessly being pulled towards her, had been given a speed boost. She felt it viscerally as it skewered her wrist with its horns, and began thrashing about, pulling her with it. The second one wasn¡¯t simply standing still either, as sensing its opportunity, latched onto her thigh. She couldn¡¯t do much more with her abilities, but she didn¡¯t need to. Pulling out her rat fang dagger, with her left hand, she plunged it first into the skull of the one at her leg, then pulling it free with blood and viscera streaming along, she killed the final hellhound, before pulling her wrist free of its horns, and downing a health potion. All around her, small sparks of light danced in the air, before finally disappearing with the atmosphere. The only exceptions were the two she¡¯d just killed, who were still dissolving into shadows, and the one with the split stomach. Its intestines spilled out across the grass, crimson blood radiating heat as it spread. Somehow, it still clung to life, taking rapid shallow breaths. It began to whine weakly as she approached, but wasn¡¯t able to move as it lay motionless on its side. She looked at it for a moment, conflicted, before giving it one of her health potions. She had found that she enjoyed the contest of the fight, reveling in the struggle for life and death. But a defenseless animal? She would either heal it and then fight it again, or- The moment the hound had drunk her potion and recovered the slightest bit of strength, it blew a small stream of flames directly into her outstretched hand. A shadow covered Kya¡¯s eyes as she kicked the maw of the beast, before killing it with a quick slice to the throat. - - - - - - You have defeated Hellhound - 1-Star - Uncommon. - Progress on Hellhounds on the Farm updated: - Kill all hellhounds around the farm, 8/?? - - - - - ¡°Bastard took my gift of healing, and then immediately used it to try and attack one more time.¡± She thought in annoyance. On the one hand, she respected the effort, and could easily see herself doing something similar. On the other hand¡­ Fuck that. On the third, vastly more interesting hand, she noticed the quest still wasn¡¯t complete, and concentrating, felt that there was still a sensation of direction, pointing her further onwards. She wasn¡¯t done with the hounds quite yet, it seemed. 20. And Into the Fire Honestly, Kya wasn¡¯t sure why she was surprised by what she found deeper within the charred territory of the hellhounds. Sitting comfortably under a blackened tree were three of the smaller 2-Star beasts, with of course, the pack alpha sitting with them. - - - - - *** NEW CREATURE IDENTIFIED *** - Hellhound Alpha - 1-Star - Rare - The leader of the pack, an alpha hellhound is a noticeable leap up from its brethren. It has achieved its position through wanton slaughter while simultaneously being a devoted protector of the pack. Basically, it will fuck you up just because it can. - - - - - Kya was¡­conflicted. That was a rare monster, presumably something on par with the tiger she¡¯d met back in the forest. Of course, there were variants in strength within a rating, considering the differences she¡¯d already seen in the rats, isela, and viper. But nevertheless, it was a rare. Although her identity skill was typically sarcastic to the point of being borderline unhelpful, she did believe this thing would tear her apart if she slipped up in the slightest. To say nothing of the three uncommons lying at its feet. She observed from a little over a hundred meters away, but even at this distance, she could see the alphas'' massive form as it stood and stretched. It was absolutely massive, no smaller than a black bear, and about the same color. It took all the features of the smaller hounds and turned them up to ten. The six legs were massive and muscular, the white accents now more segmented and spiked. Its tail was long and powerful, at least a couple feet in length, and tipped with twin spikes to look like a pickaxe. The massive horns on its head now jutted forward past its snout, giving it a sleek, angular appearance. All in all, it looked like a true apex predator. Scooting back, she ducked behind a large stone on which she¡¯d been laying and downed another health potion. She¡¯d been fairly annoyed to find that since advancing her class, they¡¯d apparently fallen in potency. Where before a single one could practically mend her bones themselves, she¡¯d taken three of the potions including the one she took just now and was only just getting to full strength after the previous fight against the majority of the pack. She could only assume it was because she was now a magical creature, so the potions weren¡¯t as effective as they were on a normal person. She was absolutely going to fight that monster over there; of that she was certain. Both because she was absolutely confident the quest wouldn¡¯t complete without killing the alpha as well, and also because she just really wanted to. She had found, in the middle of the fight with the hounds, that she genuinely enjoyed the contest. In the forest, she¡¯d been mostly focused on simple survival, and needing to make it out of there. But now, properly suited herself to fight against the forces arrayed against her, she was more than happy. Because this, this was living. Coming up with a general plan of attack for the monsters, she pulled up her character screen one more time to not only check her gains from the previous fight, but also see what she could anticipate from the upcoming one. - - - - - Character Screen - - - - - Seven individual uncommon monsters, and only a little over a ten percent increase? ¡°That¡¯s Bullshit¡± she muttered in dissatisfaction. The curve was definitely increasing more steeply than she had hoped. She still believed her goal of a second star in the next several months was attainable, but she would also have to basically swim in an ocean of blood to get there. Her rat fang dagger in one hand, and her snake fang dagger in the other, she confirmed that killing monsters and achieving what she wanted as a result was absolutely fine with her. - - - The alpha hellhound rose and stretched. She was growing a little restless, and a little hungry. She¡¯d sent her pups out hours ago, and they should have been returning by now with some of their kills. She curled her lip and huffed loudly, her three eldest snapping to attention the instant they heard it. With a flick of the tail, she sent them off to figure out what was happening, and where the others were. They had only just gotten to this region, but they hadn¡¯t met anything more powerful than them yet, and she felt reasonably confident that- In the distance, two of her three pups collapsed dead in an instant, their heads practically torn through by incredibly quick projectiles. She let out a fierce howl, but before she could take more than even a couple of steps, the final pup was slain when both projectiles reversed course, one catching its leg, the other its stomach. Flames began to leak out from between her chitinous plates as she bounded towards the small two-leg standing atop the stones. - - - Kya was certain she¡¯d been discovered, and her carefully devised plan of how to take out the three supporters before fighting the alpha went out the window. Without any other options, she threw caution to the wind. At least the alpha was staying back, just sending the three uncommons to confront her first. They were angled slightly more to her left of her, but she assumed this was just a flanking maneuver. Standing atop the stone, cloak billowing in the wind, she launched both of her daggers simultaneously, and opened the fight with a strong first move. Seeing a golden opportunity after the third and final uncommon skidded to a stop, she recalled her daggers and took this one out as well. This wasn¡¯t the plan she¡¯d had in mind, but the results were the same. Now it was just her and the¡­ Holy fuck. The alpha was, at that moment, bounding towards her like a freight train, complete with flames leaking out of its very body. It was honestly one of the most terrifying sights Kya had ever seen, and it filled her veins with the fight or flight response, causing her muscles to tense in anticipation. Of course, she chose fight. A quick thought and her rat fang dagger was stowed away, she¡¯d rather it be there when she needed it without the risk of somehow losing it in the middle of a bad situation. The very next second, she launched her venomous blade at the asteroid on six legs rapidly approaching her. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. The best didn¡¯t even flinch as one if its massive paws swiped the blade out of the air before it used the other five to perform an astronomical leap, as it opened its maw wide, showcasing dozens of radiant white teeth. Not sticking around to see how that would end, Kya jumped with all her might to the left, landed in a roll, and came up running just as the alpha landed and continued chasing her down. ¡°Shit. shit, shit, shit. Sh-¡± she kept cursing to herself in between breaths. She had planned to use her venom dagger to slowly poison the hellhound while evading or stunning it. What she hadn¡¯t counted on was how fucking fast it was, this thing moved like a sentient truck. She needed to get within range of some of the boulders she¡¯d identified earlier, where she¡¯d initially intended for the fight to take place. The one behind which she¡¯d hidden was enormous and half buried underground, and she wouldn¡¯t count on that to come loose easily. However, there were other stores nearby that were simply laying around, ready for action. Figuring that the alpha had a lot of forward momentum, Kya began moving in zigzags to stay ahead of it¡­ and almost immediately lost her head. It had been gaining on her, so when she suddenly took a sharp left turn, it lashed out with its foreclaws, and missed her by inches as she kept moving, forcing it to change directions and follow. This repeated twice more, with similarly close results, but she got better and better at sensing the beast with her aura and dodging reflexively. The moment the boulder she had in mind came into her aura, which at this point she had extended to its absolute limit, she pulled as hard as she could. Instantly, and disturbingly without a single sound, the boulder launched at catastrophic speeds directly at her, while in the same moment, all vision disappeared, and her world became darkness as twin trails of blood rolled down her face. Summoning every fiber of will she could, she tried to remain lucid, she relied solely on her sphere to dodge both the hurtling boulder and monstrous flaming hound. She found it¡­ almost easier to react than when she¡¯d had her vision. It was an extraordinary and surreal experience. She was entirely blind, and she knew she was. The world was nothing but a vast, inky darkness, not even light and shadow, just an all-encompassing void. However, similar to how during a power outage in a major city allows one to actually look up and see the stars, she was able to ¡°see¡± the actions and movements of everything around her with wondrous clarity. There was, behind her by barely more than a foot, was the blazing star that was the rare hellhound alpha. Her context for what luminous beings were continued to expand further and further now that she was aware of it, and of what she was seeing. A random normal bird had seemed incredible when compared to the worms in the dirt. Then she¡¯d seen the uncommons and had felt true awe at the raw magic and power her aura told her was in their bodies. Now the rare was an even more astronomical jump, like a spark, to a candle, to a raging fire. In front of her, dark and lifeless by comparison, was the boulder as tall as she was and weighing hundreds of times more. It had no spark, nor a flame that would come with life and magic inherent to its being, but nevertheless, she felt its presence, its speed and weight. Like a new moon in the night sky, it was notable by the shadows it cast. Feeling trapped, and thinking as quickly as she possibly could, she dropped like a rag doll, laying flat on her back. The absolute moment she dropped, the mass of stone and beast of flames collided head on. She¡¯d felt the alpha start to react, but there was simply no time for it. She felt stones and dust cover her face as the boulder broke upon the monster, and as it stumbled and teetered, Kya used her last push of the fight: she launched it as hard as she could straight into the sky from where she lay. It had worked on the uncommons, and hey, if it wasn¡¯t broke and all that. However, this proved to be almost more than she could take. Her limbs became as ice, both her fingers and toes losing all feeling entirely, with her arms and legs violently shaking. The boulder, and the beast right after were probably beyond her normal limits, only possible due to all the amplifiers and her aura lending her strength that wasn¡¯t truly hers. However, if she was going to finish this fight, she had a little bit more to do yet. Her stomach in so much pain, she thought her appendix must have burst, her eyes unresponsive and her arms and legs on the brink of detaching themselves, summoned a potion from her inventory, and almost couldn¡¯t get the contents down from fumbling. Ultimately deciding to just tank the pain that would follow, she put the entire glass vile in her mouth and chomped down, breaking the glass. Pain. Not just the glass cutting the insides of her mouth, but the liquid suddenly restoring her arms and legs. It was like a thousand needles were all stabbing her repeatedly throughout every square centimeter of her extremities. But at least she could feel them, which meant she could use them. Nearby, though how far she wasn¡¯t sure as it was outside of her aura¡¯s range, she heard the alpha crash to the ground. What she did not get was the feeling of slight euphoria that came with a confirmed kill, and gain of experience. However injured or damaged, the alpha was still alive. Good. It was time for some retribution. Running towards the sound of the crash, she abruptly came into contact with the beast through her aura, and saw it staggering to its feet. From what she could tell, it felt as though two of its legs on one side were crushed and badly injured, as well as missing an entire horn from its head. But it was unquestionably still alive. To make matters worse, it was collecting energy in its mouth, visible to her senses as every other part of its body dimmed while the snarling jaw glowed like metal in a forge. Covering herself with her cloak, but still attempting to move forwards, she was stopped and pushed abruptly back by the river of molten air that greeted her the next moment. Her cloak withstood the torrent, but that doesn¡¯t mean it was perfect. She felt as though her world had simply turned to ash, everything consumed by the heat. In an instant, she was drenched in sweat and almost incapable of any coherent thought other than ¡°So this is hell.¡± It was, in that moment, color started to return to the world of darkness. And all she was was rippling waves of yellow, orange, and red. Using the slight boost of strength and morale given by the potion restoring her sight, she rolled to the side, out of the flames, and sprinted towards the hound with everything she was worth. Taking out her rat fang dagger, she leapt up the side with the injured legs, and before it could reac- It reacted by simply rolling over to that side like a puppy doing a trick. While her right arm maintained its grip on the dagger, the left arm was shredded by the spikes of chiton on the alphas side before it rolled back and brought around its massive head, a single horn pointed straight at her. In the split second before she was impaled and her life came to an end, a thought occurred. Something she probably should have asked about sooner, and definitely should have practiced. She definitely should have practiced like¡­ at all before coming out here and fighting more monsters, but that was a hindsight issue, not a right now issue. Kya attempted to, for the first time, push only just a small part of an object, rather than the entire thing as a whole. To her utter delight, astonishment, joy, and bloodlust, it worked. The single horn of the alpha was blown away like someone had suddenly yanked on it, exposing the soft neck of the alpha mere inches in front of her. With an absolutely ruthless satisfaction, she of course went for the weak spot, tearing open its throat with her dagger and one good arm. There it was. That feeling of power, of energy flowing into her body. It still wasn¡¯t as much as she wanted, not nearly as much as it should have been in her opinion, but damn if this didn¡¯t feel amazing. With a sudden realization, she thought to herself ¡°hang on, am I getting addicted to this feeling?¡± It was a genuine question, though even if it were to be the case, she didn¡¯t know if that would necessarily be a problem. Just another drive pushing her forward. - - - - - - You have defeated Hellhound Alpha - 1-Star - Rare. - Progress on {Hellhounds on the Farm} updated: - Kill all hellhounds around the farm, 12/12 - - - - - - Quest Updated {Hellhounds on the Farm} - New Objective: Inform the Farmers the hellhounds have been eliminated, and report back to the guild hall. - - - - - Laying there, breathing heavily and waiting for her potion period to end before she took another one, she waved away the message as her kill dissolved to shadows. She was mesmerized by the sight, as the midnight black exterior of the beast was an entirely different black than the shadow that overtook it. In fact, only given the contrast of something so similar, did she notice the shadows almost seemed to have tinges of gold in them. But what happened next was vastly more interesting to her, there was a wave of radiance, dancing with white and red lights. Presumably, something similar had been around after the death of the Tiger, but she hadn¡¯t been conscious to see it, leaving her to stare wide eyed at the mesmerizing beauty of the lights until eventually they faded into nothingness. Not sure exactly how long had passed, she downed another potion and got unsteadily to her feet. With a rasping chuckle that turned into a slight cough, she thought ¡°If anything, I¡¯m addicted to these fucking potions.¡± As she hobbled towards the direction she remembered her venom dagger getting swatted, she made another item on her rapidly growing to-do list: Make/buy better potions. 21. Curious and Curiouser Kya was honestly pretty satisfied with her day. After retrieving her dagger, and downing another health potion, her vision had fully returned, and her arm was¡­ usable. It was still covered in deep gouges from the spikes on the Alphas back when it rolled on her, but fortunately the bleeding and most of the pain had stopped. She was definitely annoyed with the potions doing less than they used to, and of course she was annoyed with the pain and slow recovery speed. And, okay, if she was being honest, there was the aspect of diminishing returns that promised a longer road than earlier anticipated to earning the power and rank she wanted to be able to walk with confidence in this world. But to be even more honest with herself, she was okay with that. She had found through the use of her abilities and the rush of gaining experience a true and genuine enjoyment. She would undoubtedly prefer it to stop maiming her with the more complex fights, and she also wanted some way to better gauge her magic to stop the bleeding eye syndrome that plagued her as of late. But those were minor things to her. As long as she could be healed afterwards, and as long as she won the fights, it was unquestionably positive in her eyes. For example, from a single quest and one day''s work, she¡¯d made noticeable progress. - - - - - Character Screen - - - - - Her ability¡¯s percentage had risen quite a bit, but more telling was her class. Six percent after one quest didn¡¯t seem too bad, not at all. Although she knew that would inevitably slow down as well, she would simply have to compensate by fighting stronger and tougher opponents herself, and by training with her abilities and weapons. Closing out her menu, and continuing on, she started to jog after the most recent potion had made her feel more or less healed. She looked around, truly glad she''d killed those asshole dogs. A large chuck of the land behind her and as well as the farmland ahead, was utterly unusable. She had surmised they were in spring right now, which would have been the start of planting season back in her world. Though, judging by the two meter tall stalks of gold she could see in other areas, that wasn¡¯t really the case here. Either way though, the family would be screwed if they didn¡¯t get some sort of financial support. Kya had gotten a really good impression from Arthur when they¡¯d spoken in the guild hall a couple days back. She decided as she approached the massive farmhouse that she would try and give them a bit of money. True she didn¡¯t really know them all that well, but she did know what it was like to struggle, and to go hungry. She was doing pretty well for herself and would earn a fair amount of money from the quest, probably five or six agrens, so it wasn¡¯t like she was really struggling for money, to say nothing of the hoarder''s nightmare that was her inventory right now. ¡°New to do list, sort through and organize inventory space¡± she muttered, hopping over the low stone wall that bordered Arthur''s land. She then had a small laugh at how well she was adjusting to this life. It wasn¡¯t like her old one had been bad. Well¡­ Those were thoughts for later. Knowing full well that ¡°later¡± would likely never come except at the bottom of a bottle. But she was already thinking in terms of the foreign currency, checking her status screen for updates, and was about to complete a quest contract for the guild. She wondered then as she slowed to a walk on the gravel pathway to a large farmhouse on the hill if the magic or process of her arrival had made any changes or had any lasting effects on her mind. She had long concluded this wasn¡¯t some dream or hallucination, but she meant with her ability to cope and adapt. She hadn¡¯t really needed any sheltering or down time to recover. Even after that horrid ordeal with the spiders, she¡¯d spent hours lying awake in the rain until morning. But she hadn¡¯t had nightmares or flashbacks to that night since gaining her class. She neatly boxed this train of thought away to be continued later, actually intending to further this one, as she approached the large wrap around porch and hanging swing. These simple additions made her feel intensely nostalgic, remembering the hanging swing from her own childhood in her front yard. Taking a moment before knocking on the door, she leaned against the railing and observed the land ahead, bathed in lights from the descending suns. It was idyllic, like something a country singer would write about. The blight of the burned crops somewhat ruined the image, but she could easily imagine what it should look like, waves of golden grain with a couple large and ancient trees scattered around providing shade while they worked. She could even see a couple of tool sheds dotting the fields, long and low with red tiled roofs. Kya took a deep breath, appreciating the scene for what it was before turning and wrapping on the door with her knuckles. It was only a handful of seconds before a child opened the door. Or, what she had at first taken to be child. ¡°Can this one help tha young miss?¡± growled a voice like a piece of sandpaper with a smoking habit had learned to speak. He, for the creature was unmistakably a male, stood at maybe three feet and some change. He had a closely shaved beard of deep amber, and eyes like coal. Not just black irises, but entirely black void eyes, no sclera at all. Otherwise, he appeared humanoid, just short and stout. Meaning this was, unquestionably, a dwarf. - - - - - Taln Seven Race - Dwarf - - - - - There were several different things drawing her attention at this. Firstly, was that he was given a race identifier rather than a class one. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was because he simply didn¡¯t have a class or if it was due to him being specifically a dwarf. She¡¯d have to identify Arthur when she saw him to test this. But more interestingly for her was the name, why was he- ¡°Miss? Is something the matter¡± His grating voice had gotten slightly higher in octave, and she assumed he was simply confused at her standing there silently staring into space instead of answering. ¡°No, no, nothing matters. Is Arthur here? I need to speak with him.¡± He bowed his head slightly, before asking ¡°Who shall I say has called for him?¡± ¡°Kya, from the guild. I¡¯ve completed his contract.¡± He bowed further still, then closed the door with a click and she heard his footsteps receding. She wondered idly at the weight and density of the man, as despite being so small, his footsteps had caused thuds in the solid stone floor. It was several more moments before faint, but quick footsteps could be heard, and then the doors swung open to reveal Arthur standing framed within. ¡°Ma¡¯am, it is so good teh see yah again.¡± He said with a broad smile ¡°I apologize fur takin so long, Talk shoulda let yah in right away and given yah a drink, please, come come.¡± And with that, she was ushered into the home, and straight into the gorgeous kitchen of the house, which she was starting to reclassify in her mind as more of a manor house than a farmhouse. It was humble with its showings of wealth, but even having virtually no exposure to the culture of these people, she knew that homes this large and this well furnished less than an hour''s train ride from the city walls¡­ well these had to be up there as far as property value goes. Maybe he wouldn¡¯t be too poor if the harvest didn¡¯t grow so well this year. Arthur sat her at the head of a long and polished wooden table the color of milk chocolate and went over to ring a small bell. Barely had the sound left the air when a second dwarf hurried in from deeper within the house. This was a female dwarf, or she thought so at least, as she had no beard and was a bit less rugged in appearance. She still had the pure black eyes of the other dwarf, and still not a class when she identified her. - - - - - Hada Eleven This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.Race - Dwarf - - - - - Again with the odd numbering on the names. She was definitely going to ask about that when she got the chance, Arthur was busy instructing the new dwarf, Hada, to make them some refreshments and snacks as quickly as she could, and then start on an early dinner. Speaking of Arthur, though - - - - - Arthur Daris Class - None - - - - - ¡°So why are humans and elves shown class, but dwarves just show race?¡± she thought to herself, before Arthur turned back to her. ¡°Again, I apologize for Taln earlier, and for the unprepared welcome you¡¯ve had since arrivin on mah door step, ma¡¯am¡± He said, giving her a genuine look of embarrassment. ¡°Please, Arthur, it''s no trouble at all. I got to enjoy the view from your magnificent front porch after all.¡± she said, giving him a reassuring smile to put him at ease. ¡°It was a much better view before them blasted hound dogs came here and scorched half the land I own, but I believe Taln mentioned that yah solved that little problem?¡± As he said the first half of the sentence, an unnerving look of raw hatred crossed over his normally passive and fatherly face, before it faded just as quickly as it had come. Instead, he finished the sentence with such a look of hope and kindness that Kya wondered if she¡¯d been imagining it. Deciding she was just tired from the long night into day, she simply replied ¡°Yes! I¡¯m happy to tell you I¡¯ve eliminated the entire pack of hellhounds, as well as the alpha that had set up a little ways from here. And I am sorry about your crops and the land, will it be useable for crops again or do you have to do something because of the flames?¡± ¡°Hehehe!¡± He laughed with joy ¡°They got whats comin¡¯ to ¡®em! I¡¯m glad it was you what took the money we all put up for the contract miss, I know the guild will take a cut of it, but still, I¡¯m glad it was you. Excuse me a moment¡± he said, before turning and calling ¡°Hada! Them dogs are dead, lets celebrate with those dwarven rolls I like!¡± The small dwarf replied quietly, standing on a ramp that ran the length of the countertop giving her access to it ¡°Of course, sir¡± and while her voice was similar to Taln¡¯s, it was definitely much lighter and less heavy on the gravel. Still, she thought the diminutive reply was a little off, almost somber. However, she wasn¡¯t able to ponder on it long as Arthur turned back to her and kept talking, answering the question she¡¯d asked earlier. ¡°As for the land itself, won¡¯t be much of a problem, not at all I dare say. I paid hand over fist for them fancy life arrays from the city to ensure better crop yields, and after I left the guild hall a couple days back, I went and inquired on them for that very thing. They told me I¡¯d be alright if I let the soil rest for the next month or so before usin¡¯ it again, which is fine with me. I might try plantin¡¯ some hardier stuff there later in the season to make a little somethin¡¯, but I reckon I can take the hit and come back next year with an even bigger harvest.¡± As he finished speaking, Hada came over with glasses and plates and put them out for Arthur and Kya, respectively. Next, she placed three small hexagonal rolls on each with what looked and smelled to her like pigs in a blanket. Arthur rang the small bell again that was sitting at his side, and called ¡°Taln, bring the Crelue Violet!¡± before replacing the bell. Hada bowed low to the ground and said ¡°The food won¡¯t be ready for a while yet, please enjoy the finger food while you wait, and I apologize for the delay.¡± Again, her voice was so meek and timid. It sounded like someone put a piece of granite in a woodchipper, but still. Kya believed, and was ready to die on this hill, that the way a person treated their inferiors told you more about them than anything else. This was why when Arthur simply waved her away without a response, the warm first impression she¡¯d had of him faded to a more ambivalent view of the man. She didn¡¯t sense any hostility towards the dwarf, nor were there any signs she could see of obvious mistreatment, but the simple fact he had servants like this at all was¡­ Well, Kya didn¡¯t fucking like that. But he was a somewhat older man so maybe he just needed the help. Besides, this was his house, not hers. She wasn¡¯t about to come in here and tell him how to live his life. If he wanted to hire servants to help him, who was she to say anything about it. Talk came in a moment later and poured out a rich purple liquid into both of their glasses from a bottle that was a deep, deep green. ¡°The Crelue violet¡± he said, positively chewing on each word before getting it out. After bowing in turn, he was about to step out before Arthur said ¡°No, stay in case we need refills.¡± Inclining his head, he took up a position off to the side, out of their direct line of sight, but still there if she turned to look over her shoulder. Curiously, she identified the liquid. - - - - - - Item: Creole Violet Wine - Rarity: 1-Star - Rare - Description: A fine vintage of alcohol fermented in the Northern Creole mountains. Afterall, if it isn¡¯t from the Northern region of Creole, it''s really just bubbling wine. It has been flavored with alohui berries to enhance the natural flavors already present, as well as give it its signature violet color. - Enchantments: Poison-Alcohol - Requirements: N/A - - - - - Taking a cautious sip, she recoiled back. This was not wine, at least not by earth standards. Wine was supposed to be like what¡­ ten percent alcohol? Kya was never entirely clear on the exact distinctions between a beer, a wine, and liquor, but¡­ that shit was unquestionably liquor. It burned like the hellhounds as it went down, but to be completely fair, it was also quite bubbly and fruity, reminding her vaguely of pineapple. All around it was a delightful drink. Just a strong as fuck one. Seeing her reaction, Arthur let out a laugh before eating an entire hexagonal roll with a crunch and then taking a long pull from his own drink. Instantly large red spots appeared as his face flushed. ¡°Not ushed to the Creole, eh?¡± He said, his words already starting to slur just slightly. She decided that would not be a drink she would have much more of. She would not be staying the night in Arthur''s home. He continued on, eating the rest of his food and finishing his drink. Taln wordlessly stepped forward and refilled his glass. At the same time, he uttered out what was becoming increasingly difficult to understand with both his accent and alcohol coming into play ¡°It mihft be rhude, but are ya¡¯h gomna eat themes?¡± and pointed to her own rolls. She laughed and pushed the plate his way, much to his delight as he ate them all up. He talked a fair bit more about farming and life out here, where she learned his wife had died some years ago, only son grown and moved away, leaving just him and the servants to tend the fields. ¡°How do only the three of you manage all of this land?¡± asked Kya, curious if they had some manor of magical planting and harvesting. He just stared at her with incomprehension in his eyes and was about to speak when Hada came and set down two new plates, clearing away the other two in a quick practiced motion. The next moment, Taln came over and deposited a massive amount of bread, what must have been this worlds approximation of mac and cheese, and a roasted bird of some sort, slathered in a thick pungent sauce. "You arhent one of them Users who only like crystels, rihgt?" Arthur asked with a suddenly wide eyed look of horror. Laughing, Kya took a massive bite of her roast bird, and said with her mouth full "Nope!" They both laughed and ate, and talked. Though for her it was more translating and listening than actually talking. The pair of dwarves stood off to one side and made themselves as inconspicuous as possible. Looking over to Hada, Kya said "Your cooking is phenomenal, thank you for the meal!" You''d have thought she''d just dropped a flash grenade on the dinner table, none of them moved or responded, the dwarves looking like deer in headlights, and Arthur scowling and breathing very deeply. Kya wasn''t the greatest at picking out social cues, she knew that sometimes she missed pretty crucial information. She wasn''t that dense. Trying to waylay any cultural mishap she may have just stumbled upon, she said quickly "And of course, thank you Arthur for your generosity and warm welcome to your home!" This had a mixed effect on the room. There was still enough tension to hang clothes on, but it did seem to have helped a little. Regardless, she knew her time had come to leave, and so she stood, Arthur stumbling to his feet after her. "Again, thank you so much for the meal, and I wish you the best of luck with the rest of your crops this year." "Noh... thank yuuh fur killin them beastis... I think Taln will see yah out." And then fell back into his chair, snoring softly. She and Taln walked to the front door, and with a soft creak, it revealed the setting suns and the warm weird lights of their sunset. Turning, she noticed a new scar on Taln''s face. It definitely hadn''t been there before when he''d greeted her at the door, of that she was certain, for it cut into his beard on the left side. Shaking her head slightly, she bid her goodbyes, and was walking down the stairs when she turned back. Taln was just closing the door, but just before he was out of her sight, she used identify one more time. - - - - - Taln Eight Race - Dwarf - - - - - That... wasn''t the same "Taln" she''d seen when first arriving? So then... what happened to him and why were they named with numbers? She''d intended to ask Arthur over dinner about it, but he''d gotten so intoxicated so quickly, she''d thought it wouldn''t be the best time to get coherent answers. But there was definitely something... off about this place. Her narrator seemed to agree. - - - - - - NEW QUEST! Closeted Cultists: You survived the dinner with Arthur Daris, but of course noticed some of the many discrepancies around his property. Why is a struggling farmer living in such a lavish home? Why are his servants so unique in their dealings? And most of all, why were the servants switched out without you noticing? - Objective: Uncover the secrets to Arthurs Manor - Progress: N/A - Time Remaining: 47h:59m:41s - Reward: Reward dependent upon nature of quest completion. - - - - - "What in the world?" Turning back to look at the manor house in the setting suns. Interlude 1: Deeya The young woman with the radiant pink eyes waved with a laugh, before turning and walking into the guild hall. The young girl to whom she had been waving dropped her hand and began skipping towards the crowds of the capital circle, a small stick in hand, waving about like a magic wand. She veered away from the guild hall, the city bank, and the castle-like manor of the city lord, and towards the bridge leading to the heart of the city. An astute and observant watcher may have been able to pick out that while a young child stepped onto the bridge, she never stepped off the other side. Rather, an elderly woman, with a twisted cane of dark wood, matched in texture only by her gnarled hands and twisted wrinkles. She shuffled slowly off the other side, continuing on. While ¡®astute¡¯ was a relative term, it had been several centuries since any watcher had seen through her, so her standards were perhaps a little high. However, she did pause to interrupt a very hurried young man. Oh, she''d heard of this one, Oor''s little plaything. He liked to pick one every few decades to grant a blessing and this one had turned out more stable than the others, or at least better at hiding it. Regardless, he was at this very moment positively rocketing towards the guild hall, and she knew better than most what an extra few seconds can mean. ¡°Young man¡± she said a stern yet melodic voice, quite distinct with her aged appearance ¡°I think, perhaps, you ought to slow down, before you do something rash.¡± She let a fraction of her aura through, just enough to make the man freeze in place. For him, it was a blink of an eye, hardly even a fraction of a second, but it was enough. He had been to the capital when that boy Gaius has made appearances and was at least aware. She kept shuffling on, not stopping to do any more, and manipulating her aura, as well as the ambient magic around her to go completely unnoticed by the man''s piercing golden eyes. He whipped his head around a moment longer, before eventually dashing back off again. The elder merely chuckled to herself, pleased with the very slight alteration she''d made to the path of the inexorable march. Lethargically moving with two small steps and a sound of clanking wood, the woman passed under houses connected on upper floors to span the walkways beneath, passed inns and taverns, gardens and shops. Finally arriving at an ancient graveyard behind the only church of death in the city, she navigated past the single large tower, and the black and gold window reliefs to a simple rough iron fence. But as the woman reached out to open a gate, a passing monk said, ¡°Please young madam, allow me¡± and smiled amicably at her as he opened the wrought iron fence. He said this, of course, because what he saw was not a young child, nor an elderly woman, but a woman in the peak of her prime. Flowing silver hair poked out from under a black hooded robe, sharp observant eyes and a powerful, durable staff of clearly magical design accompanied her, as she nodded her thanks to the monk, she passed into the serene silence that accompanies a place of ultimate rest. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. She kept walking, and walking. The headstones and tombs became more weathered and worn, until finally at the very end of the last row of graves, she sat with her feet tucked underneath, and looked at the aged tomb. It was cut into the hillside against which the temple now abutted. A symbol that would now be completely unrecognizable to most lay eroded, yet detectable at the top. Once fine pillars of granite held up a ceiling of pitch-black marble. Inside the tomb, beyond the delicate bars of dull copper, lay a single raised stone lid. ¡°She¡¯s decided to enter a guild, after what I can only imagine to have been an interesting few hours in the city.¡± The woman said in a melodically accented voice. Like she was saying the words to an old forgotten tune that only she could hear. ¡°Blasted fool of a thing to do. She has no idea the powers involved, or what her entrance into the guild will mean. I give it a year at the outside before we see open warfare¡­ You¡¯d be proud¡± She finished with a laugh that fell away quickly, as the little girl hugged her knees to her chest. ¡°Oh, the fun you would have had with her, I''m almost certain she''ll use your item too.¡± She said, her voice unchanged, coming out as that of a much older person. She¡¯d been told it was unnerving to hear, coming from a child''s lips. She didn¡¯t care. She never cared. He¡¯d found it fun, after all. ¡°But now it all falls to me, and you know I never wanted this. I have no idea how to move the pieces on the board like you.¡± A little hand came up and wiped at a tiny nose. She sighed forlornly, and gazed down at her wrinkled and veiny hand, before making a weak fist. After a time longer, she brought out two small glasses, and filled each with a liquid so concentrated in its raw power, she had to actively suppress it before others noticed. It glowed like magma from the heard of a volcano but was colder to the touch than the peaks of the Cheole mountains. She raised her glass high in a firm powerful grip, "Here''s to hoping I can do things better. At least half as well as you could, my love. Here''s to wishing you well and wishing me luck." Before lowering it down to lightly tink the side of the other glass, and then downing the whole thing in one gulp. Muttering several curses in languages lost to the ages, stamped her feet and hopped up and down, looking every bit the silly child playing a silly game. "I know you loved that stuff, but it''s just... poison" she bit off the last word while pursuing her lips and nodding her head back and forth like a small bird. Finally, when the suns began to move again, she struggled to her feet, relying heavily on her beaten-up old walking stick to make the journey up to her full and hunched over height. She poured the contents of the second glass down over the stones in front of the gates to the tomb, before passively cleansing the area of the residual effects such a powerful concoction had. "I''ll help her again if she earns it. That''s always the first step. She cannot simply be able and willing; she must be worthy. How she goes about doing that is up to her, but I''ve given her a small boone already here today, I won''t do more until I know she''d worth it." She said, her sing-song voice carrying the words like a cadence. Skipping forward, she squeezed through a small gap in the bars just big enough for a young girl such as herself to reach, and then looking back at the city with deep, timeless lavender eyes, she pressed a hidden latch, and descended into the earth. Interlude 2: Cain There was always an end. To all things, to all life, to all existence, all creation, there was an end. The beginnings were oft easier to see and discern than the ends. The planting of seeds, the birth of children, some are more spectacular than others, greeted with greater fanfare and celebration. A farmer does not weep with joy at each new seed planted, but a mother will cherish a child above even their own lives. The birth of planets are cataclysmic events of terrifying power and magma and death for all but the most powerful of observers. The birth of stars filled with such wonder and majesty that no matter the power, all who witness such occurrences are driven to boundless realizations on the nature of reality itself. The ends, though, the ends were different. Sometimes only subtly, The birth and death of a planet may look shockingly similar, as endings are usually just beginnings themselves. The tipping points in favor of new life, the genesis event around new cultures and new elements and new existences. The deaths of stars are similar to their inceptions as well, filling any who watch with stunning glimpses into the fabric of fundamental laws, if not simply taking them with it into the great boundless beyond. The ends of animals and plants, then, seem mundane by comparison. What could the death of a child do to compare with that of a planet, a star? However, this is where so many fall into the yawning abyss that is the moniker of simplicity. A felled tree can be, is just as profound an end as that of a star or a nebula. The light show simply isn¡¯t as attractive in its flamboyance. To cut down a tree in the fullness of life, to fell its potential, its path, carving away at that which may have endured for generations to come, which has already endured for generations long passed, the insights were there. To mourn a child, dead before their time, the insights were there. Different aspects of the fold, of the overarching law of oneness, but not one iota less because of their inception, or their form, or their path. Cain awoke from his dream. He wasn¡¯t sure from where the dream had come. He had meditated for several years now, both in silent contemplation and in violent and defiant action against the world. He knew that was simply a misconception. He was of the world, of the fold, of the path, and could not ever be truly against it in any fundamental capacity. But it was still entertaining to play his part, all the while knowing it was an act of defiance and nothing more. When he died, as he knew he would, he would return, a wave crashed, once again part of the greater ocean. A memory, a drop, a part of the whole. However, he knew that not all waves were gentle. He had, through his ruminations, resolved himself to be the most spectacular wave on the world, a true tsunami at its peak. Rising from the small bedroll of animal fur he¡¯d long ago crafted for himself, he began his day as he did every day, whether he had slept or not. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. He knelt down on a ceremonial mat. It was the single exception that proved the rule for him. Everything he had, every possession in his repertoire, he¡¯d made himself. With blood, sweat, tears, and raw will, he had made clothes, weapons, armor, food, drinks, shelters, towns, cities, canyons, and more. This mat, however, was a gift. A gift from the divine, crafted specifically for him. Placing his feet behind, and his palms flat on the ground fingers pointed directly at one another, he knelt low until his forehead hit the ground. He said a silent prayer, staying in this pose unmoving and unflinching for as long as it took to feel a connection, to be noticed by the holy patron. Cain knew, of course, that the patron was simply another on the path, of the fold. However, his was a path of elevated status, one that very few in the world could ever even hope to walk, to achieve, to experience. As such, he knew it was part of his path to support the patron, and be supported by him. Like a pillar holds up the dome above, but would fall if not for the weight it held. He was shocked, however, when today the presence descended almost instantly, like it had been waiting for him to enter prayer, and was eager to accept him this day. He knelt, rooted to the spot until the presence eventually departed. He had stayed for quite a while, instructing and imparting as he saw fit to do with Cain. And the information it had given was¡­ unfortunate. Cain had spent more than three decades secluded on the mountain peaks, hunting and being hunted. It was one of the few places in the world that still held challenges for him. But after the information his patron had just granted, Cain knew his seclusion was coming to an end. Standing, he flexed his left fist, and four ornate stars slowly bleed onto his skin. Each was a rusty maroon, exactly like dried blood. Each star was comprised of three crossed war axes, their long handles extending down from the bottom, their curved and bladed peaks extending from the top. At the point where they crossed, a simple rounded shield held true details he observed. Three of the stars were identical, the center shield divided into thirds of darkest night with a single dot of brightest crimson at their center. The fourth was unfortunately only divided into half, with two red specks in their respective areas. Cain had felt he was close, tantalizingly close to getting his third crimson on the fourth star, but he could not delay. Not when the patron had demanded he go. Grabbing his own axe from where it lay in the bed next to where he slept, he then went out the well carved door to descend the mountain. If his patron was correct, something had happened that would undoubtedly spark war in the world, the likes of which hadn¡¯t been seen since the beginning of the current era some decades earlier. He¡¯d been merely a one star back then, and was ecstatic at the prospect ahead. His tidal wave might crash earlier than expected, but the idea of returning so many to the fold filled him with glee. Interlude 3: Aolani Aolani was a happy boy. Which, naturally, led into him being a happy teenager, and then into a happy man. He wasn¡¯t quite sure if ¡°man¡± was right yet. He didn¡¯t really feel like an adult yet. One week ago he¡¯d entered his twenty-first year, by all rights an adult. He was even a user, held in the highest esteem by his culture, and most cultures around the world. Despite having his star for three years or so, he still only had the one. Oh, he¡¯d grown quite comfortable with his abilities. At least two of them anyway. He¡¯d gained a third, and a subclass too. He had been extremely lucky to have found a second awakening item and felt blessed to the high peaks to have been given such a gift. It¡¯s just that the ability he¡¯d gained was so¡­ loud. He couldn¡¯t stand it, nor could anyone in the whole city. When he¡¯d first used it, there had been a quorum called to see if they would throw Aolani out simply for his use of the ability and the disturbance it had caused. They decided so long as he never used it near the city, he would be allowed to stay. Well, that was fine with him. He didn¡¯t like the ability anyway. Noise was meant to be beautiful, purposeful. If you made a noise, it should be a deliberate one, a glorious one. If you could not manage that, then you should not make noise at all. Aolani walked through the city with his large leather case on his back, padded shoes on his feet. The well paved and beautifully maintained streets making it easy and comfortable to walk almost anywhere in the mountain city. To either side, merchants peddled their wares with exaggerated movements and brightly colored cloth banners outlining their booths. Some of them signed to each other, fingers and hands moving rapidly as information passed, arguments were held, and secrets divulged. Of course, the most secretive interactions would happen behind curtains, or with backs to the street at the very least, not wanting to be overseen by prying eyes. However, today was different. One of the vendors, at the very end of the massive thoroughfare, had paid the outrageous asking price for a user¡¯s services. There stood a beautiful young woman with silky chocolate hair and skin of caramel, but with splotches of pale white standing out along her exposed face and hands. Her petite horns, curved back to barely rise above her hair, were clad in clear crystal rings. On her own, the woman might have only garnered a small amount of attention. She was stunning, yes, but they were a civilized people, and wouldn¡¯t dare to crowd around or harass someone merely for their appearance. Nor would it have mattered overly much that she was a user. Again, a wondrous thing, but nothing out of the ordinary for Lah¡¯heiana. No, the thing that made her extraordinary, and what drew such a crowd, was that she was singing. The otherwise silent streets were a comfort to many, not like the wilds at the base of their mountains, nor the raucous and horrid cities elsewhere in the world, the silence the lay over their city was as a blanket to a child. A soft, reassuring presence. However, music was the sacred exception, a blessing, a gift, a wonder to behold. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Joining the throngs of people, Aolani listened, enraptured by the sonorous voice she let out. Her voice was a mid-range, mezzo-soprano. It wasn¡¯t the lowest he¡¯d heard, but still resonated sweetly between the buildings along the street, drawing all ears towards this vendor''s shop in particular. She let out long, wavering notes, stringing them together to create a harmony with her own echo as it came back from the nearby peaks. But Aolani knew it could be better. It was magnificent, but incomplete. like a grandiose home without any furniture. He weaved his way through the crowd and set down the thick leather case he¡¯d been carrying on his back. Popping it open with a muted click, he took out his most precious and most valuable possession. The only thing in this world he truly loved. Both his weapon and his passion: His violin. Taking him in, the woman smiled with her eyes, the notes and song uninterrupted and unceasing, but he knew the sign to be her consent, and at the perfect moment when she was reaching her crescendo, he started to work his own magic, interweaving it with hers. The air bent and twisted, snapping into place like it had always wanted to carry their tones to the world. Her singing and his violin together, playing off one another and their returning echoes, propelled the song into new and uncharted heights. Aolani could never say how much time had passed when playing music. It could have been seconds, or days, it didn¡¯t much matter to him. What mattered was the air, the wind moving around him, dancing with him, playing with him, and carrying his music on to others. As their eyes met, her pure silver eyes radiant in the setting suns, and his just as bright and just as striking, even with their streaks of purest sapphire on the lustrous silver, Aolani thought that perhaps she could be the one to show him the path forward. The way to advance, even with such a cacophonous ability to train. She very well might have been, in another few years. He sensed power in her with his aura, as was common for all users, especially with their abilities intertwined in the playing of their song, but not enough. She had hardly the same as him, possibly less even. Her sounds were pure, her tones were clear, but the tempo was too slow. Eventually, his playing left her exhausted as she tried to keep pace, and she collapsed unconscious to the ground before Sarees had even risen fully into the night sky. She would not be the one to help him. She was good, but not enough. He needed someone more, a partner who could match his desire for strength, but also keep pace with his tempo, his cadence with the world. He played on, the sounds of his song turning sad and contemplative, seeming to weep with the vibrato chords and harmonies he made. Perhaps it was time to descend the mountains. He was loath to do so, to leave the peace and quiet for a world of depravity below. But the winds, his ever-present guide, were guiding him on. All three moons hung in the sky, one full, one waxing, and one waning. Their lights were on Aolani, he knew they were, he could feel them. The winds were guiding the moonlight just as they guided him, ever onward. Ever onward. He knew, as the moons started to set, and the stars began to fade, that it was time to move on. The winds were changing, and so should he change with them. With a final flurry of notes, and a quick gust of air, he opened his eyes and half the city out on the streets, on their balconies, sitting in trees and lining the rooftops. As he put down his violin, putting away his precious companion, they all waved their hands wildly in adoration and gratitude for the gift he¡¯d given. The gift of song, and the gift of a purposeful sound. 22. Circles Within Circles Part II - Kya - Sayrin - Wade - Carcelo - _________________________________________ "What in the world?" Kya said aloud, turning back to look at the manor house in the setting suns. She had just left and was still trying to parse the fact that the Dwarven servant who¡¯d shown her in and the one who¡¯d just closed the door after seeing her out weren¡¯t the same ones, when she¡¯d gotten her first notification in quite some time. - - - - - - NEW QUEST! Closeted Cultists: You survived the dinner with Arthur Daris, but of course noticed some of the many discrepancies around his property. Why is a struggling farmer living in such a lavish home? Why are his servants so unique in their dealings? And most of all, why were the servants switched out without you noticing? - Objective: Uncover the secrets to Arthurs Manor - Progress: N/A - Time Remaining: 47h:59m:41s - Reward: Reward dependent upon nature of quest completion. - - - - - And well¡­ There was a lot to unpack there. She¡¯d been somewhat off put most of the evening, not feeling that same warmth that typically accompanied people like Arthur. That good natured, grandfatherly air he¡¯d had in the guild hall had taken on a more forceful air, like he was trying to put that across, rather than it being natural to him. She hadn¡¯t thought too much of it, honestly. She didn¡¯t much care what the elderly man was doing in his own home, she¡¯d come for a nice meal and because his was the first quest she¡¯d done and wanted to tell him personally that it was completed. While she¡¯d taken care of the latter, the former hadn¡¯t really happened. However, all of that went out the window with the first sentence of her quest. She stared at the words hovering in front of her in their little semi-transparent window, reading them again and again as the time ticked down. ¡°What the hell does ¡®you survived¡¯ mean?¡± She muttered to herself, before pacing slowly away from the front steps and down the hill somewhat. She wasn¡¯t leaving, not yet at least. She just didn¡¯t want any suspicious eyes on her from the house. She dismissed the quest window, and started pacing at the bottom of the hill on which Arthur had built his home. She had forty-eight hours to figure this out, meaning she could absolutely leave and return in the morning. Kya knew her current quest and the whole reason she was out here wasn¡¯t completed until she turned it in at the guild hall. She could just as easily head back to the city, turn in the quest, sleep, and return in the morning to investigate. This appealed to Kya for several reasons, chief amongst them being that she was rather exhausted from the day''s events. Sure, she¡¯d been more or less healed from the battles she¡¯d fought against the pack of hellhounds, but that was a physical thing she¡¯d discovered. Her bones weren¡¯t broken, her muscles weren¡¯t torn. But mentally, she was pretty out of it. She idly thought about whether her rapid use of magic was related or not? Questions for later. For now, she thought it was pretty reasonable to leave and come back. Pulling up the quest description one more time to make sure this wouldn¡¯t trigger anything unintentional as she began to move away, she almost stumbled over when she noticed the glaring change, focusing in on it. - - - - - Quest - Closeted Cultists: . . . - Time Remaining: 11h:52m:14s . . . - - - - - Snapping her head around, she swore she saw the curtains moving in the front kitchen window, like someone had been there a moment before, watching her. ¡°The timer can change?¡± she thought incredulously, ¡°I guess that means I¡¯m figuring this shit out tonight then.¡± She was about to march right back up to the house and simply ask the drunken man what exactly was going on, when she thought better of it. Her timer had gone down rapidly as soon as someone in the house saw I hadn¡¯t left immediately. She wasn¡¯t sure if it had been Arthur himself or one of the servants, but someone watching her was bad regardless. If she went back up and confronted the problem head on, that would likely result in very little, possibly even losing the quest altogether. Besides, the servants weren¡¯t likely to tell her much, and the man was so drunk he¡¯d tell her they sky was neon orange if she asked. So then, Kya figured she¡¯d start her investigation elsewhere. She¡¯d seen a couple long low shed-like buildings dotting the landscape when she¡¯d observed Arthur''s farmland from his porch. She¡¯d taken them at face value as nothing more than sheds, and perhaps that truly was all they were, but at this point, she was beginning to question everything about this place. Making her way to the nearest one, she ducking off the pathways and crept along inside the seven foot tall stalks of golden grain. They wouldn¡¯t do much to hide her presence from observers, but any cover was better than no cover. The moment she arrived at the simple stone building, she knew it wasn¡¯t a shed, or at least, simply a shed. For one, it was massive, at least twenty meters long, and five or six wide, it was much bigger up close than she¡¯d thought when looking at it from afar. There were only two small windows about the size of dinner plates at about the same height off the ground as the tallest stalks of grain, before the simple slanted roof carried it up about another foot. There were no decorations, or symbols, or embellishments of any kind. It was simply a gray stone building with a darker gray roof. However, appearances can be deceiving after all. Without her aura, she might have assumed it truly was that and nothing more. But her senses stopped dead when they came into contact with that building, unable to penetrate any deeper within the simple gray exterior. The only other time her aura had hit a dead space like this was in the ritual room back in Rory¡¯s clinic. At the time it hadn¡¯t mattered that much to her, but after only a day of relying on it, she already found the incongruity staggering. More importantly, what simple shed would have magical defenses to protect against aura¡¯s? Stepping as lightly and softly as she could, Kya crept her way towards the simple metal barn doors on the shorter side of the building, and tried to open them. Of course, they were locked with a simple padlock and chain. This would have stumped her out in the woods perhaps, or undoubtedly before she¡¯d gotten her class and come to this world in the first place. It might have been a simple looking lock, but the chains were as thick as her pinky finger, and not something she would have been able to easily circumvent. But of course, now she was all magical and whatnot. Not letting the gravity of the situation prevent a smile from playing at her lips, she took out both of her knives, and slipped the blades into the middle of the padlock, before using her strength to leverage them against one another. She knew, physically, she was quite enhanced from her previous self. The ease and speed at which she could run was proof enough of that. But here again, she saw undeniable proof. It took a concerted effort, sure, but to be able to brute strength the lock like this was still impressive to her. Which is why she let out a soft chuckle when, after only a couple of seconds, the lock popped open and she pulled the chain off the door. Giving them a quick pull, they slid open with a thunderous cacophony that could no doubt be heard by everyone in the vicinity. ¡°Fucking hell¡± she cursed to herself, pulling up the quest timer and cursing again, with added color and variety. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. - - - - - Quest - Closeted Cultists: . . . - Time Remaining: 6h:41m:31s . . . - - - - - She¡¯d lost several hours from simply opening the doors? What the hell would happen if she failed the quest? Would Arthur get away with whatever was happening here? Would he get away in general? Walking into the dimly lit shed, she thought the same thing she¡¯d been thinking for most of her life really, but especially since waking up in that damn temple: ¡°I need more information.¡± However, all thoughts of ¡°that damn timer¡± left her mind as soon as her eyes adjusted and she could make out what was within the shed. Kya hadn¡¯t been big on video games. Growing up she¡¯d never had any next-gen consoles or anything. She¡¯d had a Gameboy Advance SP with a copy of Pokemon sapphire she¡¯d played to death, and a DS Lite with littlest pet shop and deal or no deal, also both played to death. Other than that, she¡¯d had a few computer games, but nothing really noteworthy. The same could not be said about anime. She wasn¡¯t crazy into them, watching every new show that came out or anything, but she¡¯d seen several of the most popular ones, and dozens more besides. She¡¯d really enjoyed them for the mostpart, even if the fanservice did get to be a little much at times. So when she saw the ritual taking place on the floor, she immediately said out loud ¡°Oh, so we¡¯re doing human transmutation then¡± to try and not throw up over what she was seeing. There were several wheelbarrows, hoes, shovels, etc. But past all of those, behind one of those accordion-like changing screens, was a massive pentagram filling up the entire space. It was carved into the ground, with a suspiciously red liquid filling in the carved earth like rivers from the old testament. At each spot where the pentagon touched the outlining circle, a large clear black crystal was placed, and at the center was an almost¡­ almost entirely decomposed skull. Parts of the muscle and hair were still attached to the body, making it look somehow much worse than it really should have. Staggering back, and then running outside, Kya promptly vomited up the contents of the dinner she¡¯d had earlier. ¡°What the actual fuck was going on in this place?¡± She said to herself, knowing that she¡¯d done it again. She¡¯d fucking done it again. She¡¯d told herself after the spider incident that no matter what, this world would not take her in again, only to blindside her with some atrociously horrific thing. She would be prepared and ready for it¡­ And she was proven wrong yet again. She didn¡¯t want to go back there, if for no other reason than the smell of the place was that of month old rotten eggs left in a car in July, but she also knew if nothing else, she needed to disrupt whatever the hell was going on with that pentagram thing. Deciding to compromise, she used her ability to pull on the black crystals, summoning them away from the circle. They resisted, quite firmly, like they were deep underwater, or moving through syrup, but with a sharp ¡°pop¡± she eventually got each of the five crystals free and tucked them safely in her inventory after identifying them. - - - - - - Item: Death Crystal - Rarity: 1-Star - Common - Description: A crystalized form of death mana found in an area of high magical saturation. Useful in rituals and death related spells. - Enchantments: N/A - Requirements: N/A - - - - - Seeing that that made the right amount of sense, she finished off by pushing the skull out of the center of the diagram, likewise meeting significant resistance for what could only have been a couple of pounds. The second the skull had left the circle, she knew she¡¯d done something important. - - - - - - Progress on Closeted Cultists updated: - You have diminished part of Arthur¡¯s ritual, however, this is only just a part. - New Objective: Destroy each of the smaller ritual sites to stop the main ritual from being enacted. - Progress: 1/11 - Time Remaining: 2h:22m::19s - - - - - Kya heard the skull dully thud against the far wall of the shed, before finally coming to a rest, rolling slightly off to one side. The patches of hair still clinging to its muddy red surface falling off in clumps, while the empty eye sockets stared up at her accusingly. Fighting off another wave of nausea, Kya left as quickly as she could, seeking out the next shed off in the distance. It was going to be a long night. ~ ~ ~ Arthur woke with a start, his head pounding like church bells and his tongue feeling like a shag carpet. ¡°Taln¡­ Taln! Gimme mah drinkin drink a¡¯fore I loose mah mind!¡± He called out to the dimly lit kitchen. The suns had disappeared beneath the horizon, and several candles had been ignited throughout the house, as well as a single yellow glowstone that hung from the ceiling above the kitchen table at which he now sat. Together, they made for warm, if a bit dull lighting in the large farm house. The damnable dwarf finally came through the archway into the kitchen, taking entirely too long for Arthurs liking. Entirely unbecoming for a servant to make their master wait. Speaking in their idiosyncratic way, that is two blocks of granite trying to squeeze by one another, the dwarf said ¡°I prepared it for you sometime ago. It¡¯s just there, in the goblet in front of you. Sir.¡± Eyeing the dwarf, Arthur tried to decide if that last part had been disrespectful, however, the only thing he could decide was that he couldn¡¯t think right now. He downed the contents of the glass in front of him in a swift motion, feeling the effects almost instantly. Sitting up straighter and looking directly at the dwarf with clear eyes and mind, he said ¡°How did tha evenin¡¯ with the young miss end? I may have gone a bit overboard there at tha end.¡± ¡°She suspects nothing. She has destroyed three of the sites. She¡¯s on her way to the fourth now.¡± The dwarf was utterly emotionless as he delivered the news, no inflection or cadence to the words. Taking a deep breath, Arthur backhanded the diminutive man, who had the courtesy to recoil from the hit, even when he likely didn¡¯t need to. ¡°Why in tha absolute hell did you not wake me?¡± Arthur demanded coldly. ¡°I tried. You were deeply unconscious. Too much wine.¡± Taking several more deep breaths, Arthur forced himself to remain calm. This was not the time for another replacement. He would need to act quickly, or this could all be ruined in one night. The plan had been going perfectly, but he was never supposed to sleep for that long. ¡°Have you warned mah son to be ready?¡± ¡°I did so the moment she discovered the first site, sir.¡± Finally, something good, Arthur clapped his hands together once before excitedly saying ¡°Excellent! Good work number¡­ Seven?¡± ¡°Eight, sir.¡± ¡°Ah yes. Excellent work number Eight. As long as Zag is ready below, we¡¯ll be all set.¡± It was all coming together. Years of work, and it would all happen tonight. Rising, Arthur walked out of the kitchen, and to the underside of the large staircase, unlocking the heavy door to the cellar. ¡°Eight, signal me if she does anythang we ain¡¯t expectin¡¯.¡± With a simple bow, the dwarf acknowledged the order, and Arthur descended into the darkness below. ~ ~ ~ This was almost going too easily. Kya didn''t say anything out loud, of course, she wasn¡¯t an idiot. But genuinely, she thought that there should have been something more happening. She had just found the fifth and last of the sheds as far as she could tell, and it had only taken some thirty minutes to destroy them all so far. They were all identical. A dismembered head, five death crystals, and a gut wrenchingly horrid smell. At each site, she took the crystals into her inventory, and knocked the head out of the circle, before moving on to the next one. But there were no signs of resistance or actions she could discern coming from the house on the hill. She¡¯d thought, after losing so much time from the quest, that they had noticed her snooping around and were taking steps to stop her¡­ but again, this was almost too easy. Looking around, she didn¡¯t see any more sheds poking out above the grain, but she could see, at the base of the hill behind the house, a door and wall leading to what could have been a basement or cellar for the large building. Her doubts were confirmed when she got that vague sense of direction coming from there, telling her to complete her quest, she¡¯d be delving into Arthur''s basement. Interestingly, she could also vaguely feel the other quest, the guild contract, telling her to head into the city. But that one was significantly diminished unless she focused on it. Helpful to know if she took on multiple quests. Turning her attention back to the door leading down beneath the manor, Kya was sure of two things. Yes, she would probably need to go down there, and no, she wouldn¡¯t be using the obvious door to the cellar. That seemed too¡­ obvious in her mind. She had taken care of the ones she could outside of the house, now if she was going to dive back into the belly of the beast, she wanted to get some information first. Getting down, she began to crawl forward both as quickly and as quietly as she could, trying to approach the house without being seen. 23. Apples and Trees Sayrin wore a troubled expression as he made his way down a ludicrously large bridge in Loterre. It was one of many, several dozen stories up from the actual ground, but that was idiosyncratic for the city. Terraces on terraces, bridges and stairs leading up and up, layered like an elaborate cake by some insane baker. Sayrin knew it was only possible due to their nation''s abundance of Earth focused users. When the elite had powers to shape the stone to their will, they wanted to have nicer and more elaborate homes than would otherwise be possible. And of course, it wouldn¡¯t do to be at the same elevation as those over whom you ruled, and so the upward expansion had begun just as quickly as the outward expansion. Multiply this over generations and you end up with the capital city of Loterre, unique in all the world for burying those less privileged in all but name. As a 3-Star, and a captain directly under Orrin himself, Sayrin¡¯s home was on a middle tier, with a view of the sky as well, making it exponentially more valuable than the same home on a layer below. However, at this moment, he wasn¡¯t going to his home, but rather coming from it. He had ascended one of the many lifts scattered throughout the city to ascend several tears to one of the peak terraces owned directly by the imperial family. They owned most of the higher tears, with only a few standout individuals or families being wealthy enough to afford them. However, this specific terrace was unique for its purpose. Everyone in the city knew of the fourth terrace, and often simply referred to it as such. There was, however, a more descriptive and helpful moniker for the level: The colosseum. There were four separate and identical coliseums, one in each of the cardinal directions, the four smaller ones in between each of them, and finally tents and smaller buildings between them selling any manner of equipment and vivations, boasting massive screens on which to watch various matches and events happening in any of the various rings. Each one was known for a specific¡­ type of competition. The smaller ones in the Northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest directions were for 1-Star and 2-Star competitors, with the larger arenas reserved for the more powerful members. From there, each one would host various events. From one-on-one gladiatorial fights, to beast fights, to feats of strength and so on. Underneath each arena were massive training yards and pre-production areas for the challengers and challenges. This was Sayrin¡¯s current destination. He was headed straight for the western arena and would be going down below to once again spar with his son. It was this that dominated his mind, pushing out all other thoughts. Of his wife, of the spatial user to the south, everything. He was solely focused on the upcoming match. Even the resplendent arena looming ahead could not tear his mind from the thoughts currently occupying it. On every other occasion, he would stop and marvel at the magnificent arches cascading into the heavens, the ornate columns, the hundreds of gilded statues filling in the alcoves above, but no. Today was not the day. His son was all that mattered today. He kept flashing back to the last fight- Sayrin scoffed quietly at himself. Fight? It hadn¡¯t been anything close. Nothing as honorable, nothing as civilized. Shaking himself, Sayrin took a deep, steadying breath. He¡¯d done everything he could to prepare for this. Or at least, he¡¯d tried to. He had to be the one to welcome him back into the arena with a formal sparring session, it was clearly stated in the regulations. Not because he was the father, but because he was the ranking officer on duty when the injury occurred. But he had been dreading it, was currently still. He lifted his hand and stared at his open palm. His fingers were trembling. He could with this hand punch a hole through a battleship¡­ but he couldn¡¯t make it stop shaking. He opened and closed a fist several times, again and again. Reaching down with jerky, bird like movements, he withdrew a simple white cloth from one of his trouser pockets and wiped at his forehead. As a 3-Star User, he should have long since left behind such mundane biological functions as sweating. Should have. Attempting once more to take a breath, Sayrin forced calm over his body, entering an almost meditative state for several seconds. A couple people had come up behind him but seeing him calming himself before the doors to the training hall, they stayed well back and waited patiently. They understood or thought they did at least. Eventually, sensing their restlessness, he opened his eyes before reaching out and opening the doors. The arena wasn¡¯t simply for the stronger competitors, it was a requirement to enter. The doors themselves were the most dense and heavy stone Sayrin had ever encountered, and if he were not well into his path as a 3-Star, he doubted he¡¯d even be able to enter. Someone weaker would have to be let in by a ranking companion or leave. The doors slammed shut behind Sayrin with a resounding, crashing, foreboding boom. He moved deeper within the antechamber, bathed in the cool emerald luminescence from the glowstones and warm glow from sparking torches in their wall sconces. The torches weren¡¯t strictly necessary, the glowstones alone did a wonderful job illuminating the grand hypogeum and smaller isolated training areas, but nevertheless, the sputtering flames remained with near universal approval from the gladiators and practitioners. Walking with a steely expression and taking on the air of someone with purpose, Sayrin marched down the central walkway towards one of the deeper areas. They were each separated by a waist-high, padded wall, and another few feet of crystal-clear stone, both as thick as Sayrin¡¯s outstretched arm. This meant that as he walked by, he could easily see the combatants within, sparring, meditating, or large groups all moving their weapons in slow, identical patterns. Sayrin breathed out, a breath he hadn¡¯t realized he¡¯d been holding, a slight knot of tension leaving his shoulder blades. He hadn¡¯t known when, couldn¡¯t pinpoint exactly when it had happened, but this place was where he felt the most relaxed. The most at ease. As difficult as the coming hours would undoubtedly be, this place was Sayrin¡¯s holy ground. He arrived at the designated arena with time to spare, but of course, his son had beaten him here. Carcelo sat, kneeling on the ground. His enormous warhammer standing resolutely beside him, massive head on the sandy ground of the arena, ivory-blue handle straight up several feet in the air. He wore his dueling armor, so deeply green, it was nearly black. The golden-brown accents lining it shining like molten veins on a summer leaf. It amplified his relatively frail to appear bigger and bulkier, better exemplifying the strength within. His pale skin and dark hair were a perfect match for Sayrin¡¯s own, except where Sayrin¡¯s golden eyes were tinged with streaks of bright orange, Carcelo¡¯s were pure and lustrous gold. It was like looking at a portrait of himself when he was younger. He had his mother''s nose, a small button compared to Sayrin¡¯s slightly larger hook nose, and his mothers ears, sticking out more to either side than his, but still, this was his boy. Sayrin¡¯s leg trembled involuntarily in a spasm, almost making him fall to one side. Righting himself, he quickly slapped his palms against both legs, before finally walking into the ring. The moment he stepped foot into the area, Cercelo¡¯s eyes snapped open, and he smiled hesitantly, eyes earnestly looking for something on Sayrin¡¯s face. Love? Respect? Adoration? Sayrin wasn¡¯t sure what, but the upturned eyebrows, and slight narrowing of the eyes suggested he hadn¡¯t quite found what he¡¯d wanted. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Softly touching his right fist to his left shoulder, he inclined his head. ¡°Hello, father.¡± Clasping his son''s shoulder, Sayrin tried his best to exude confidence and power, what his son expected of him. ¡°Please, Car, let¡¯s relax and keep this as casual as possible.¡± Saying the exact opposite of how he felt in that moment. It seemed his son had similar feelings on the topic, as he stiffly lowered his hand and looked evenly back at Sayrin. ¡°How''s the leg feel?¡± Sayrin asked, soundly lame to his own ears. ¡°It¡¯s good! Very good, feels better than the old one even!¡± He said this a little too quickly, too loudly to be natural. Looking closely, Sayrin could still see that he was favoring one leg over the other. ¡°Good! Good¡­¡± A thick, heavy weight settled between them, so palpable it almost felt real. ¡°Well, are you ready to begin?¡± ¡°Yes! Yes, absolutely, I¡¯m as ready as you are!¡± Sayrin sighed internally. If that was true, his son should have stayed in bed today. Sayrin summoned his own dueling armor, made specifically for such occasions, and a broadsword as long as he was tall appeared in his outstretched right hand. As was traditional, and as they had both done dozens or hundreds of times before, Carcelo accepted Sayrin¡¯s blade, while Sayrin in turn hefted his son''s hammer. At this point, Carcelo was still only a 1-Star, having gained a class only a year or so earlier, so a ¡°heavy¡± hammer for him should have been nothing for Sayrin. He would have been, should have been a 2-Star by now, but¡­ However, the hammer was enchanted to grow heavier to match the strength of the holder, and in the span of several seconds, it went from being no lighter than a single tree branch, to weight an entire tree, to the weight of a forest. They each gave several swings and practices for a few minutes with the others weapon, before wordlessly handing them back. ¡°I like that hammer of yours¡± Sayrin said with a laugh, as it fell through Carcelo¡¯s fingers and crashed to the sand below, still holding the residual mass for Sayrin¡¯s strength. Kneeling down, face going crimson, he placed a hand to the haft for a moment, before finally picking it up, and throwing it over his shoulder, blunt edge down and spiked point up. Without meeting his father''s eyes, Carcelo turned on his heel, and marched to one side of the ring, Sayrin doing likewise. He noticed, a stone settling in his stomach, that a few observers had stopped to watch the upcoming match. Not many, but¡­ still. Stopping and turning, Sayrin flicked his wrist and a sleek, angular helmet materialized over his head. From the outside it looked almost seamless with the rest of his metallic armor, only a small dark gray line where his eyes were. From the inside, however, it was like an observatory, made of the same crystal that the walls of their arena used. He had an unobstructed view of his surroundings and could easily see his son call forth an almost identical helmet, the same deep green to his own sandy brown. They were using different weapons and favored different styles. They were so different in bearing and application of abilities. But ultimately, fruit from a tree tends to fall close to the roots. Finally, he clasped onto both his wrist small metallic cuffs, with delicate engravings wrapping around its entire face, and a single small gem embedded within. One a rosey pink, the other a radiant bronze. Sayrin allowed Carcelo the first move, indicating this with a slight nod of the head. He noticed and immediately took the chance. Exploding forward, he opened with a wide, overhead swing, angling directly down like Sayrin was a pesky nail on a plank of wood. Of course, Sayrin could have easily sidestepped the blow, his perception, reflexes, and were a full two stars ahead of the younger man and gave their bounties accordingly. Likewise, he could have simply caught the blow, probably with just a single hand. If, of course, this was an ordinary fight. The small piece of metal began to grow warm as it was working its effects. Not burning, just a noticeable warmth. He had felt it the moment he¡¯d equipped it, his active abilities felt just out of reach, an unnerving hole in his mind where his ever present and always ready to use abilities were. Of course, they did nothing for passive abilities, hence his trepidation and fear, but still. And of course, the second one increased the effective weight of his own body to nearly three times what it was normally, including his equipment and weapons. This meant that while he could still move, and move relatively well, he was under near constant pressure to simply stay standing. As for the incoming blow? He did the only thing he could: Deflected it. Ripping his sword up and putting the flat of a blade at an angle to the incoming warhammer, he braced the underside with his other arm. As the hammer blow came, it jarred him with the impact of it, but was at least tolerable, as it slid harmlessly off to one side. The absolute second he sensed the attack had passed, he shoved his blade forward, slamming the crossguard directly into Carcelo¡¯s helmeted head before, causing him to stumble back. Light cracks appeared on the armor, before fading like footprints in the sand. Sayrin noticed he limped on his injured leg, he frowned under his visor. Clearly, he wasn¡¯t healed, at least not fully. But this was a test to see, and especially with observers watching, Sayrin wasn¡¯t going to let up. He chased after Carcelo, thrusting his sword point forward towards one of the pauldrons on his left should, and shattered it easily. One. Two to go. Sayrin could hear the growl from within the deep green helm, as Carcelo swung his hammer up from below to try and catch Sayrin¡¯s chin. Swaying back like a reed in the wind, Sayrin dodged the- Carcelo, picking the exact moment Sayrin¡¯s weight was shifted back in the dodge, dropped the hammer and vaulted forwards with an enhanced blow from his armored gauntlets, and Sayrin noticed for the first time the spikes that blended in so well against the color of the armor growing out in spirals to be five-inch-long hooked talons. ¡°That¡¯s new¡± Sayrin thought just before the claws struck the vambrace on his right forearm, shattering it as well. One all. It was at the exact moment of the armor, shattering like glass, that he began to feel it. The pulses in his mind, subtle at first but growing ever stronger. ¡°Oh gods¡± he thought ¡°this needs to end soon¡± while at the same time, he said out loud ¡°Excellent timing!¡± before returning to the offensive. He switched up his style to one of pure, raw attack. He furiously swung, blow after blow at his son, who defended himself well with the four claw-like blades on each gauntleted hand. But what really surprised Sayrin was the sudden leap back, where Carcelo, as if he¡¯d known instinctively where his hammer was, vaulted onto the very edge of his handle, and used his momentum to lift it easily over his head¡­ only to smash it point first into the sand behind him. Instantly, the sand at Sayrin¡¯s feet solidified like quick dry cement, as he saw a trail of now hardened earth leading directly from him back to the hammer now buried in the earth. He couldn¡¯t see his son¡¯s face, but he could tell. One could always tell. Carcelo was grinning like a fool under that visor, he just knew it. Dislodging his hammer, Carcelo dashed forward and threw all of his weight into a level swing aiming directly for his breastplate, which would count for two pieces, giving him the immediate win. Two things stopped him from landing the blow, however, and they happened at almost the exact same microsecond. First, his left leg gave out as he swung, making the attack go wide and hit the couter on Sayrin''s left elbow. One to Two, his favor. But at the same moment as Carcelo''s swing began to lurch, Sayrin had thrust forward with his sword, aiming for the other pauldron on his right shoulder. The sudden shift, however, caused him to catch his helmet instead, shattering it as well as slashing his right ear. The helmet counted for three on its own, giving the fight to Sayrin no matter what. The moment it broke, the bout was over. They both knew it. They both¡­ Sayrin¡¯s head.. swam. His opponent, blood gushing from the sliced ear, was grinning up at him. He was saying something, and then began to laugh. Sayrin smiled in return, feeling numb. He needed to¡­ Needed to.. Without another word, Sayrin turned and ran from the arena, tearing off the bracers confining him until he could run faster than the wind in his wake, not looking back. 24. Windows and Doors It had been several years since Kya had done the high crawl. This always surprised people, she found. Almost every film involving the army and basic training made it a point to show the obstacle course. Soldiers turning slowly from random joes into comrades, and of course, low crawling under barbed wire through the mud. That was another thing that surprised people. There were different types. There was the low crawl, where you turned your head to the side, put your cheek in the dirt, and drag yourself along the ground, staying¡­ well, as low as possible. Then there was the high crawl. This was similar, but faster and easier. This is where you''re slightly higher up, using your elbows and hands to move faster through the terrain while still remaining relatively hidden, with a small silhouette. However, outside of basic, and a couple times at her branch training afterwards, she hadn¡¯t really done it since. And in the intervening time, several things had changed. It had been a couple of years for one, and she¡¯d also become a demigod or whatever she was now, able to move faster and exert greater strength than ever before in her life. One thing remained absolutely constant, however: High crawling and low crawling were miserable experiences. Effective, absolutely. But miserable. In only a couple of minutes, she made it up to the same porch steps she¡¯d descended hours earlier. As far as Kya could tell, she hadn''t been seen the house''s occupants. She had decided to keep the quest timer pulled up and off to the corner of her eye where she could just see it if she focused, simplified down to just the name and time remaining. It had taken one final dip after she finished the last of the ritual sites on the exterior of the farm, but now remained steadily ticking down. - - - - - Quest - Closeted Cultists: - Time Remaining: 3h:11m:38s - - - - - A little over three hours, and one way or another, this whole absurd series of events would be over. Kya was determined that, if nothing else, she would figure out what was happening before that timer finished. She wasn¡¯t sure about stopping some grand dark ritual, as that may be slightly above her current pay grade, but she would at least know something before returning to tell the powers that be. Silently as could be, she picked herself up, and crept forward one stair at a time. Remembering how smoothly and silently the door had swung earlier, she knew if she could just get inside, she¡¯d be- The door was locked, of course. Kya sighed. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be that easy. Not sure what exactly she was going to do now, she briefly considered trying to scale the porch exterior and enter through a second story window or something dumb like that, when she had a much, much better idea. At least in theory. Still crouching low in front of the door, she placed her palm against the lock as she closed her eyes. With only her aura, she focused and reached out, feeling the mechanisms of the lock itself, the pins, and the bolt. She had watched a lot of this one guy on YouTube who just picked locks, any and every lock. She¡¯d never once managed to pick a lock herself but had found this guy''s videos oddly calming. So, as she explored the construction and mechanisms in the lock, she was actually able to recognize several of the parts. New world, similar lock design she mused. The next part was the tricky part, and it would require finesse she wasn¡¯t sure she had. Her idea was simple, she could push and pull on most any objects not enchanted, so could she just pull the bolt back and open the door? Concentrating solely on the bolt holding the door in place, she gave the smallest, barest pull she could manage. Instantly, Kya was reminded of a time when she was a young girl, maybe ten or eleven years old, she couldn¡¯t remember anymore. She¡¯d woken up around 4 a.m. on a Saturday after her first week of middle school. It had been a stressful week, and she¡¯d been feeling overwhelmed, or at least that¡¯s what she told herself when recalling the event in the years since. Not realizing it was a Saturday, or what time it was, she started her morning routine to get ready for school, going into the kitchen to get a bowl of cereal. She¡¯d poured out the cheerios or whatever it was, put a spoon in the bowl, and walked over to the fridge to get the milk. She¡¯d assumed it was still full. It had been the day earlier, or at least mostly full. What she hadn¡¯t been aware of was that after Kya had gone to sleep, her older sister decided to make some stew or soup or something, the details were fuzzy on what exactly she¡¯d done, but the result was a nearly empty carton of milk. Not realizing this, young Kya had picked up the milk with the force one would need to lift a full gallon, meaning it rocketed up much faster and more easily than she¡¯d been ready for. And of course, though she¡¯d denied it in the years following, Kya maintained that the cap on the milk was not put back on. So, when the milk sloshed out of the top as it hit the shelf above, Kya fully woke up and let out a shrill squeak in startlement¡­ dropping the jug onto the floor, spilling the rest of the milk everywhere. That entire event, and the exact feelings it inspired in Kya, were now replicated somewhat. As she tried to pull back the bolt, she quickly found that finesse and subtly were not quite hers yet with the new abilities. The wooden door splintered, with small shards of wood loudly cracking off as the bolt moved not out of the way, but was bent out of place, dragging the door itself with it. In the cricket-filled night, or whatever this world had instead of crickets, the sounds of the door breaking open was like a bomb going off. She sat, dumbfounded, staring at the now open door, and let out a simple curse. ¡°Well¡­ Fuck.¡± Not sure what else to do, Kya bolted inside the darkened home and bounded up the first flight of stairs she saw. She could hear the unmistakably heavy steps of the dwarven servants moving quickly towards the door and wanted to be out of sight as quickly as possible. She knew in the back of her mind that she had to descend, not ascend, but in the heat of the moment, she simply took the first available route to try and get out of dodge. Just as she dove around the corner, she heard the rasping, grating sound of the dwarf¡¯s voice call out ¡°Who¡¯s there!?! Show yourself!¡± Peaking around the wall until she could just barely see, Kya took in the mangled door hanging open, and the dwarf, quickly identified as Taln Eight, looking sharply in each direction, before sharply and forcefully returning the door to an approximation of being closed. The dwarf plucked a rope from a pouch at its waist and tied the door handles to keep them affixed, before beginning trudging off in another direction than the one from which he¡¯d come. Her heart in her throat, her pulse a roaring ocean in her ears, Kya took several deep breaths, The timer remained where it was, ticking down with just over three hours remaining. Despite her botched entry into the home, and the dwarf discovering her entrance, it didn¡¯t seem to have changed the ritual or whatever Arthur was doing. Deciding against following after the dwarf immediately, Kya figured she could learn more about what was happening in the area if she did some classic snooping around. So, feeling very much like her younger self, stealing from her sister''s room in revenge for the milk debacle, she began to slowly creep down the upstairs hall, before picking a door at random and walking in. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Kya guessed she¡¯d just walked into a guest bedroom. There was a simple bed, a fuzzy brown blanket neatly made and a single fluffed pillow. Polished light brown wood frame, and a chest-of-drawers against a wall, made from the same wood as the bed. A full-length mirror stood in the corner, and large windows let in light from the brilliant starry sky. It was remarkably unremarkable, feeling like a generic hotel room, complete with a random painting of a flower hanging on the wall. Going further down the hall, she skipped a door, before heading into another room. This one was¡­ surreal. The room was clearly that of a teenage boy, or a rough approximation of one. There was a candle holder in a small dish sitting next to the large bed, navy blue quilt laying at an odd angle. The wall was covered with posters that moved around in a loop, like gifs printed on paper. They were pretty standard stuff, Elves and weird scaly snake women in revealing outfits, blowing kisses out, before covering their mouths in silent giggles, and then repeating. There was a small desk in one corner of the room, an embedded glowstone that was so dim, she almost didn¡¯t notice its sickly yellow light. Two smaller windows facing out towards the front of the house, with one larger one next to the bed. There were pieces of clothing scattered across the floor, covering the large area rug, and a towel hanging across the chair to the desk. It was all so normal, apart from the moving posters, this might be straight from her world. However, the longer she spent looking around, the more odd the room became. Not that it seemed inauthentic, this was unquestionably the room of a young man, but the fact that it was so untidy seemed out of place. The kitchen, for all the weirdness of the evening, had been immaculate. Due in no small part to the servants, she was sure. So, in a house with at least a couple of regular servants to do the cleaning, why would the room be in such a state? It was at this point, Kya noticed the thick layer of dust covering the surface of the bed, and turning to look around, saw that it was covering everything, the rug, the clothes, the desk, all of it. She remembered that Arthur said his son had moved away some time ago and presumed this to be the room of the boy. But still, it pricked at her mind like an itch she couldn¡¯t scratch. She wasn¡¯t sure why, but she had a strong feeling that this room truly shouldn¡¯t be like this. Taking one last look around, she slowly backed out of the room, noting the footprints she¡¯d made in the dust. Picking the double doors at the opposite end of the hall, she crept as silently as she could past the stairs, before cracking open the doors and slipping inside. This was, without a doubt, Arthurs room. Probably? I was somewhere in between the other two, neatly made, clean and tidy getting obvious attention from the servants. Yet, there was still a feeling of emptiness to the room. The floral-patterned comforter was tucked in, a slight depression on the left side of the bed making it sink lower than on the right. The large carpet seemed like some sort of animal skin, its dark gray pelt softening the polished hardwood floors. She paid special attention to the rug not because of anything it told her about Arthur or the house, but simply the sheer size of it. She hoped it was multiple animals sewn together or something like that because otherwise¡­ this thing when alive, even at a conservative estimate, would make a bear look like a chihuahua. For a couple of minutes, she poked around the room, finding small trinkets and keepsakes. A collection of letters, photographs, clothes, and more. The compilation of a lifetime. She, shamelessly, took any coins she found. Mostly ferens and curens, but a couple of agrens made the snooping more than worth it. The whole time she¡¯d been walking around, looking at all the objects she found and the random assortment of objects, she couldn¡¯t shake this odd feeling. She didn¡¯t know why, again feeling strongly that there was something wrong with the room but being unable to say exactly why. It was like, even with regular cleaning from servants, there still should have been¡­ something more? More¡­ stuff or more mess or more¡­ something. At this point, Kya shook her head, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She wasn¡¯t even making sense to herself anymore. She had been relying so heavily on instinct for so long, the notion that she might be overthinking this had only just occurred to her. This was an odd creepy room, belonging to an odd creepy old man. Sighing, and rubbing the back of her neck, she walked over and picked up the framed portrait of a family on the nightstand by the bed. This was one of the moving ones, showing three people caught mid laugh. It was a much younger Arthur, receding dark hair only touched with streaks of gray was bent over, silently heaving for breath from laughter. Beside him, a woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties was cracking up laughing while struggling to hold onto a toddler trying his best to squirm out of her grasp. It was wholesome, and humanizing. Arthur, no matter how strange he was in the present day, had been a warm and happy man in his younger years. Had been. Kya knew from experience that any number of things could have happened since then, especially the death of his wife. That alone could turn what was a bright young man into a dour, even cruel elder. Trauma did that. It was like a crack in your foundation, sometimes leading to immediate and drastic changes, sometimes taking years to fully make itself known. Putting the photo back down, Kya took one final look around at the off-putting, shadowy room, before slowly making her way back out again, it was time to get into the basement or cellar or whatever. The heavy footsteps of Taln pounded by as Kya waited just up the stairs. She counted to ten in her head before peeking out again, and with as much grace as she could muster, made her way down. The second to last step, one that she¡¯d bounded past in her haste earlier, creaked loudly as she stepped down. Biting back a curse, she bolted to the left, the opposite direction she now heard steps coming from. She passed by a study with large bookshelves, a den with comfortable looking furniture and a wood burning fireplace, before finally, after turning a corner, saw a door. Dashing inside, she gently closed the door behind her, heart pounding, pulse thumping, and physically controlling her lungs lest her very breath give her away. She waited in the pitch-black darkness, hand held firmly to the door handle, taking long, slow, deep breaths. Her breathing was so loud, each one like heaving billows. She would be caught, she¡¯d have to fight, she didn¡¯t want to, but she¡¯d have to. Switching to holding the door with her left hand, she quickly readied her venomous dagger in her right. There it was, the clomping and stomping that belied the dwarf''s diminutive size. He was coming, he would try and push open the door any second, and she would have to stab him, to fight. She¡¯d killed beasts and monsters, but this was a thinking, feeling being. This was different. She felt sick to her stomach as she waited, muscles taught, a nerve spasming in her jaw. The footsteps¡­ receded? More than that, she could feel him leave through her aura, she felt his presence as he both entered and exited her senses. This was a trick, he was sneaking back to surprise her, catch her off guard. She glanced at the timer in the corner of her vision, how the fuck had she only been standing here for thirty seconds? She waited, and waited, but the push against the door never came. For several long moments after her heart had given up on pumping adrenaline, and after her lungs had decided to stop heaving and bellowing, she still stood, pressed against the door, sweat beading down her face. It was only after the fifth minute came and went that she finally, hesitantly, let go of the door. Still in utter darkness, she took a few steps back from the door just in case- She almost pissed herself as her back foot dropped down. Slapping her left hand to her face, she bit down on a finger before she let out a scream. They were stairs, there were stairs here, just¡­ just stairs. Her heart belatedly removed itself from her stomach, as she looked down seeing nothing in the almost absolute darkness of the stairway. But undoubtedly, this was what she had been looking for: the basement of the house. The final rituals should be down here, and with that, the completion of the quest. Stowing away her dagger, and taking several deep breaths, Kya cautiously proceeded forward. She pushed any thoughts about what had just happened away for now. This wasn''t the time to dwell on what she''d been preparing to do, or the reluctance around it. Those were later thoughts. She took each stair one at a time, eyes closed, aura out. She had a little over two and a half hours to resolve whatever was happening down here, and there was a lot more she wanted to figure out than just ¡°what the hell was going on with the rituals¡±. She stopped abruptly when, after only a few minutes of her slow descent, she suddenly hit flat ground. Snapping open her eyes, she saw there was a dim, ruddy red light ahead at the end of a dark tunnel from a single glowstone affixed to the wall. Turning back, she glanced up at the complete darkness from which she¡¯d come, deciding that she had gone far deeper than simply to the base of the hill. She was, well and truly, underground. Stepping forward with the poise of a dancer, and the trepidation of a scared rabbit, Kya approached the light of the glowstone, and the heavy black metal door it illuminated. For better or worse, this would all come to end on the other side. Reaching out, she gently pushed. 25. More than One Remembering her first experience with doors in this world, Kya let out a long-suffering sigh. She had pushed on the door, with absolutely no effect. She honestly hoped it was locked, in fact, it would probably be better if it- She pulled lightly on the door, and it noiselessly swung inwards. ¡°God damn it¡­¡± Kya muttered as she peered inside. She narrowed her eyes at the sudden brightness pouring out from the open door. There were still red glowstones, thankfully, but they were far more numerous and far brighter than the single one on this side of the door. The stone hallway continued for about twenty-five meters or so, before she saw an iron railing and a massive yawning cavern or complex. What the actual hell was Arthur doing down here all this time? She couldn¡¯t think that all of this was remotely ordinary for a random farmer to have. If it was, well¡­ that opened up several more questions, but she would assume the former for now. Creeping forward in a low crouch, Kya approached the railing, and her jaw went slack as she saw what lay beneath and ahead. Matching sets of stairs split off and curved ahead going down another story or so. The room looked like an enormous five-point star, with a single massive chamber ahead of her spanning at least a hundred meters from end to end, and five smaller rooms cut into the stone at regular intervals. She saw similar small rituals in each of the alcoves like the ones she¡¯d seen above ground. But she paid them almost no attention at all, merely acknowledging their presence. No, the thing holding her attention, the thing from which she couldn¡¯t tear her eyes¡­ was the enormous ritual at the center of the room. She wasn¡¯t exactly a scholar on magic rituals. She was unfamiliar at best, having seen them for the first time hardly a couple hours earlier with a decayed dwarven skull in a farm shed. But as far as ¡°clearly sinister magical rituals¡± went¡­ this one was pretty unambiguous. It was a massive pentagram, a star in a circle, deep channels cut into the stone housing suspiciously dark crimson liquid that filled the air with a metallic taste. Black writing lined the outside of the outrageously large circle, in a language she couldn¡¯t identify. Within each point of the star, ornate golden bowls held small, blackened hearts in pools of the same dark blood from the channels. But the cherry on top, the crowning jewel for the entire thing, apart from the dozens of glowing black death crystals, was the stark white, pristine human skeleton placed delicately and deliberately at the very center of the entire thing. It looked like it was taken directly from a coffin, the bones placed to look like it was lying there, hands clasped over its chest. Just as Kya was taking in the whole scene, and wondering if she should just go ahead and start destroying the rituals now, a door just below the balcony on which she stood clattered open so loudly, she almost jumped off the ledge entirely. She saw a tall, muscular with close-cropped black hair stride out into the main are mid conversation. He spoke with a similar rural accent to Arthur, though less pronounced. She wondered idly if her Translation ability was making it into a "rural" dialect in the way she thought of it, or if they just so happened to sound like that. " -ich is why yah need to let me simply go git her. In fact, she''s probly fled the area already." Walking stiffly after the man was none other than the hunched and wiry frame of Arthur. Kya had last seen him passed out drunk out of his mind and was momentarily confused before coming to the obvious answer: magic. "I''ve already told yah a hundred times, she hasn''t left the area yet. We would know if she had. The dwarf¡¯ll be¡­ signalin¡­¡± Arthur trailed off as he looked down at his wrist, possibly at a watch? Kya couldn¡¯t tell from this distance, but the other man had noticed the lapse in the conversation. Wheeling to face Arthur, Kya felt a heavy weight settle on her shoulders at the man''s radiant yellow eyes, discernible even from this distance. She consciously made an effort to narrow her own eyes, assuming they were as brightly pink as his were gold in this dim gloom. ¡°I swear if that¡¯s a message sayin she¡¯s left, imma lo-¡± He cut off suddenly at a sharp gesture from Arthur. Arthur held out his wrist, displaying the device for the man to see. Without a word, he dropped through the floor of the cavern like it was suddenly open air, disappearing in an instant. What happened next happened so quickly, Kya would have undoubtedly been dead if not for her aura. Ever since coming down into the darkness like this, she¡¯d been spending a concerted effort to keep it at a large radius, about fifteen feet in every direction, and to make a point of anything she could sense from within. Which is why, as the man rocketed towards her from under her feet, she sensed him a fraction of a moment before he appeared. Did Kya make use of that moment? Not in the slightest, no. She stumbled back, trying to both stand, turn, jump, and run all at once and instead failed at all four, falling to her butt on the rocks at the exact moment he vaulted up through the floor like a life-sized jack in the box. Stolen novel; please report. Without thinking, without waiting to see what would happen or what he would say or do, Kya attempted a full strength push to force him away. His feet, still buried in the ground, anchored him in place. The metal railing behind him, against which Kya herself had been leaning not five seconds earlier, braced him against the sudden push. She saw him struggling and straining against the force of Kya¡¯s ability, but not in vain. He looked like a kid pushing his face against a window, or a dog with their head sticking out of a car. All the loose skin and fabric of clothing on him was pushed back, and his muscles started to compress. The metal railing started to groan and began to bend, when he slowly and lethargically picked one foot up and out of the stone below, immediately struggling to keep it in place, before slamming it back down with as much force as he could muster. Kya had been so focused on maintaining the ability at such a high output, she¡¯d hardly moved since starting it. But seeing him begin to act again startled her out of her stupor, as she began to retreat across back towards the hallway behind. The man, with equal parts raw strength and pure will, stuck out his fist palm up like he was fighting against a hurricane, and again with a sharp motion, pulled his fist back. Again, through her aura alone, she saw a fist sized hunk of rock flying towards her. Whipping her head around on instinct, the last thought that crossed her mind before everything faded to black was that this was going to hurt like hell, and that she just wanted to wake up again. ~ ~ ~ It was the third week of basic training. They had, for some inexplicable reason, woken up at 0300 to form up with their rucks outside the barracks building. They, of course, didn¡¯t actually need to be there until 0500, but the day before, another soldier had hid in the barracks until after morning PT, and was also caught by a Drill Sergeant. There were several things you learned very quickly in the military. One of them was unquestionably the ability to read your Drill Sergeant. It was usually some variation of anger. Were they mildly annoyed? It was going to be a good morning, maybe they¡¯d get a light exercise and some extra shower time. Were they positively irate? The next span of time would be a living hell, and you could mentally prepare for that. That day, our Drill Sergeant had been calm. Quiet. Peaceful. It scared us more than anything else in living memory. A blind and raging bull was a beast best avoided. A cold and calculating fury was wholly unavoidable. Which was why, as they repeatedly got down into the pushup position, then stood back up in the cold morning rain in the fluorescent stadium lights for the twenty-ninth time, heavy ruck hitting the back of her head or causing her to stumble with each movement, Kya again reaffirmed that this was something she wanted. She hadn¡¯t truly been mad at the guy who had skipped out. He was a seventeen-year-old, here with his parents'' permission. Hadn¡¯t even graduated high school yet, he was just here in the summer before his senior year. He was young and dumb and did dumb things. Besides, in the weeks since arriving, Kya could feel herself changing. Oh, some days it was easier and some days harder, but this pain in her arms and legs, this soreness and tiredness, it was exactly what she had felt. This was what she had gone through and passed. If she could do it, so could I. At the bellowed, cacophonous command, Kya dropped in one smooth motion, and shot her legs out to the back. But this time was different, her ruck had loosened little by little each time she dropped and rose again. This time, the thirtieth repetition, the stuffed ruck slid up her back, and knocked her head against the only rock she had seen in the yard. Pain blossomed to life, as she collapsed into the mud. ~ ~ ~ Snapping awake, Kya tried to immediately clutch at her head, but groaned in both pain and frustration as she found her hands bound behind her back. Her eyes fluttered open as she tried to take in her surroundings, and then shot open when she saw the stark white skeleton laying just next to her. She then noticed the blinking notification in front of her eyes. The weird, excited narrator read this one in a hurried, breathless tone like it was trying to say it all as quickly as possible. She could see why. - - - - - - Objective Failed! You have failed to stop Arthur from beginning to cast his spell, and instead, become a part of it! - Quest Update - New Objectives: 1) Escape from Arthur¡¯s spell and/or stop it from being cast 2) Kill, incapacitate, or capture all cultists participating in the spell. 0/3 3) You still need to figure out what exactly is happening down here! - Time Remaining: 4min:27sec - Rewards: You won¡¯t be sacrificed. That should be reward enough. Further rewards contingent on manner of quest completion. - - - - - Holy fuck, holy fuck, holy fuck, holy fuck, she had four minutes before she was sacrificed for a death cult ritual or whatever, she struggled to an upright position as the channels of blood around and even underneath her started to glow from within with an ominous light. Searching frantically, she could see both the taller man and Arthur sitting at the top of the balcony where she¡¯d been earlier. Arthur, arms outstretched, and hand covered in a pale golden light, was chanting something she couldn¡¯t make out. As soon as she began moving, the man from earlier stiffened and then shot down the stairs, Arthur growing more frantic in his chanting. Kya pinned the new timer to the corner of her vision just as the clock hit exactly four minutes. She would not die in this cave, under this weird old man''s house, without a clue what the hell was going on. Without much idea of what to do next, Kya frantically prepared herself. 26. Making Arrangements Sitting in her cell in Loterre, Wade was relaxed. She reclined on her firm bunk, back to the hardwood walls, one foot on the floor, the other tucked underneath. They¡¯d taken her necklace, and with it, almost all of her equipment. That was fine, she knew from experience that they¡¯d safeguard it for her. She¡¯d been by here many times, usually on assignment or to help out one of the others who¡¯d been put away for a night after one too many glances at the bottom of a tankard. Not all, but at least most of the guards knew her. It had caused quite the stir three days back when they¡¯d brought her here. It took the guards a good ten minutes to understand that wade was the one being locked up, in what had been an almost comical series of misunderstandings and disbelief. It didn¡¯t help that Mouley had been one of the two assigned to bring her in, and he couldn¡¯t explain tree¡¯s were to an aggressive squirrel, much less that Wade herself was to be locked up for a crime they didn¡¯t know or understand. Gods dammit but she loved Mouley. He was such a¡­ unique member of their company. She couldn¡¯t hold a conversation with the man without shuddering inwardly or laughing her ass off, but he was a good soldier most of the time and tried his best. She cracked a smile now, thinking back to that moment, and then sighed. She felt restless, she hated being in such a confined space. It wasn¡¯t an issue with claustrophobia, she just hated being confined at all. Not only was there absolutely nothing to do in between meal deliveries, but it also brought back¡­ memories. Hearing a crocodoo¡¯s cry, she shook herself and rose from her bunk. She jumped up to grab the wooden rungs that made up the ceiling to her cell, and proceeded to do as many pull ups as she could before muscle failure. However, after only her fifteenth one, she was interrupted by the opening of the cell door just beyond the reach of the actual bars. Each cell in this place was a stone room with an iron door, inside of which was a thick wooden cage built from enchanted wooden beams. The entire structure could collapse around her, and the wood itself would likely stay unblemished, and without a doubt would stay unbroken. It wasn¡¯t a catch all solution, but in a city of primarily earth users, one couldn¡¯t simply have a stone cell, or metal bars. Wade knew they had different accommodations for users of higher stars, not trusting the simple cells to hold them, but wasn¡¯t privy to that sort of information. She had expected to make 2-Star while on the latest excursion, but¡­ well, she¡¯d found herself instead back here in this cell, so close to the next rank she could practically taste it. Dropping from the ceiling of the cell, and placing her hands slowly but deliberately at her sids, she looked across the room at the greasy, unkempt sight of Aldrin, her lieutenant. ¡°Sir.¡± She said curtly ¡°Relax Wade, please. That won¡¯t quite be necessary any more.¡± he said the last part with a sigh, idly scratching at the back of his head. She dropped the stance she was holding, and placed her hands on her hips before asking ¡°What¡¯s the news? They wouldn¡¯t have let you out, or let you see me if there wasn¡¯t something.¡± Wade had been fed regular gossip and updates from the guards that knew her. That and an extra ration or two at meal times had proven once and for all in her mind that it paid very well to make friends wherever she went. Thus, she knew that Aldrin had been locked up, same as her, in a different part of the prison, but had been let out some hours earlier and taken for a court martial. The fact that he was back now, not bound in chains, boded at least somewhat well for him. She could only hope the same for her. ¡°Well, for starters, you don¡¯t need to call me sir or Aldrin anymore.¡± He said, tapping his foot idly, then sitting as a chunk of the floor molded up to meet him. Wade took in a breath, genuinely shocked ¡°They demoted you.¡± It was said as a statement. He nodded glumly, the scruff on his normally clean face and haggard looking eyes had been enough on their own to give a sharp contrast from the man she¡¯d known just days earlier, but couple those with this air of defeat and she was almost convinced this was a different person all together. ¡°I am back to simply being Alder. They can¡¯t do anything about my second star, but they¡¯ve stripped me of my title as officer for the next three months. I¡¯m to go on a punishment detail for the guild. I¡¯ll be doing contracts for them, and forgoing payments, instead offering them up to Loterre as recompense. If I earn enough back, they¡¯ll restore my commission after I retake the officer course.¡± Wade sat down heavily on her bunk. There was a lot to unpack there. A hell of a lot. If this was to be his punishment, harsh as far as an officer went, what would hers be? Looking up from his contemplation of the floor, he met her eyes, and she saw that she¡¯d been wrong before. He wasn¡¯t defeated, but stunned. Like a man who¡¯d been going about his day, when he was out of nowhere struck in the stomach. He was confused and he was mad. Furious even, but keeping it contained¡­ for now. Wade found that she liked this fire infinitely more that a broken one. She understood and was compassionate enough to empathize with soldiers broken in battle. But empathy and understanding did not mean the same as respect. A man who took a blow and dealt it back ten times over was a man of will, of strength. It was what Wade would do, and it was why she could appreciate it so much in Aldrin¡­ or Alder she supposed. ¡°What does that have to do with me though? Will I also be taken before a magistrate? Are they going to bump me back down as well?¡± Her deluge of rapid fire questions let slip the anxiety she¡¯d been harboring over the whole affair. Though she was still a 1-Star, as was common for one who¡¯d unlocked all three abilities, she¡¯d been made a sergeant. Significantly more responsibility with hardly better pay. ¡°Well,¡± Alder said ¡°that¡¯s actually why they sent me in here first. I requested that in place of any demotions or hearings that might hurt your record, you simply accompany me on the guild detail, and serve out your sentence that way. They said we¡¯d have to take on higher difficulty contracts and owe a larger amount back, but if you agree, we can set out before the suns rise.¡± If she¡¯d been caught off guard before, now Wade was fully in open water. Apart from whispered news from the guards, meals, and working out each time she heard the crocadoo, she hadn¡¯t done much else. This meant that in the last three days, and going now into the third night, she had had lots of time to think. She¡¯d thought about stabbing Sayrin through the eye several times, cutting off his hands and stringing him up to rot. She¡¯d get back at him eventually, when she was more powerful. She¡¯d also thought about everything that had happened, everything with that woman, Kya. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. She didn¡¯t regret a single action she¡¯d taken. She respected the woman for her tenacity and for killing a 1-Star rare while still a zero herself? Hell, that did more to get her in Wade¡¯s good graces than almost anything else. She had also thought about the future, what was to come and what would happen to her after all of this. She knew, no matter what, Lord Sampson wouldn¡¯t tolerate one of his own being punished too harshly without at least sending a representative to look into it. But that just meant she wouldn¡¯t be executed or something like that, it did not mean she wouldn¡¯t be forced into a bad deal to sweep her under the rug and effectively halt her upward momentum. However, this¡­ this wasn¡¯t bad. Not at all. She didn¡¯t care about the money from doing contracts, and she could feel how close her second star was. It was just there, out of reach but so so close. Going with Alder and slaying beasts while also gaining experience and likely helping the populace all in one? She knew there¡¯d likely be minders, soldiers sent to oversee and keep track of their progress, or at the very least some minor noble or official or whatever. But fuck it, this sounded like a perfect chance to get away from all of the politics surrounding their current kerfuffle. Wade had been silent all this time, Alder staring intently at her through the wooden beams as she contemplated all of this. Finally, Wade stood and approached the door to her cell and stuck her left hand through. ¡°It would be my pleasure to join you, Alder.¡± Just as she¡¯d expected, Wade''s necklace and gear were all returned to her in rapid order, and the guards all wished her a fond farewell. The feeling of that gate being opened and seeing the open air again felt euphoric to her, matched closely by the feeling of her armor returning to her skin and her weapon back in her hand. She silently followed Aldri-er. Alder out of the containment building in one of the lower terrace districts of the city. They could just barely off in the distance see the water of the harbor, water glistening in the moons¡¯ radiant light. They walked silently through the main market streets, crowded even at this hour of the night. Alder turned as he walked to Wades right and just ahead, and asked ¡°Are there any supplies you need before we head out? We likely won¡¯t be back here for the next several months and while we can requisition supplies through the local guild branch, it would take time for any specialized equipment.¡± This actually came as something of a shock to Wade, and she studied his face for a moment. ¡°Where will we be performing our probationary tasks, Alder?¡± He smiled mischievously, the first sign of genuine mirth she¡¯d seen on him that night. ¡°Well, the contract actually says we are to work for the guild closest to the arrest location. For all intents and purposes, that means here. But if you think about it¡­¡± Wade too, cracked a grin. In her black armor, maroon accents running throughout like slashes of dried blood, the otherwise innocent sight looked almost malevolent. ¡°We¡¯re going back to Lyra¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Sayrin sat alone in the office of the magistrate. It was a lower magistrate, overseeing lesser disputes of 1 and maybe 2-Star users in the city''s sub-terrace districts, but in a capital city like theirs, that meant he was at least a 3-Star Peace user, likely with a knowledge subclass. This particular office was that of an old friend, one whom Sayrin had come to rely upon quite heavily in the recent years. The office was nice, if on the smaller size. The enchanted windows currently displayed what Sayrin knew to be the man¡¯s hometown, a glazed white marble colonnade with trees holding rich golden rustling above. Sayrin sat in one of the plush chairs on the visitor side of the ornate wooden desk, chin resting on his steepled hands, as he silently contemplated the scene. What felt like hours passed by, though they could have mere moments. Sayrin was so deeply ensconced in thought that it was an almost meditative experience. The office chambers were all soundproofed and enchanted for privacy, meaning the only sound he heard was the far off trees through the farseer windows. Finally, the twin doors clicked open and swung inward with a soft creak, before closing again with a gentle click. Sayrin stood as the shorter man made his way around and behind the desk, Sayrin only sitting when he did. Though, physically, he was shorter in stature, Sayrin could never quite grasp that he was the taller of the two. Sayrin, as with most citizens of Loterre, were elven. Long pointy ears and olive tan skin with raven black or starkly bright hairs were the most defining traits of their people. Filrin, though, was a Naiad. HIs skin was very pale blue, almost sickly looking. Like an elf with frostbite. They had shorter ears than was proper, though still pointed at least, unlike humans. The odd markings on their bodies, like pale white sickle scars, danced and moved. Some people found them fascinating, even alluring to look at Sayrin was of a more¡­ apathetic opinion on them. For Sayrin, it was rather the natural crowns the Naiad possessed that most drew his attention. Filrin had, emerging from either side of his forehead and curving back smoothly to closely follow the shape of his head, two void black horns with bands of pale silver wrapping them in decoration. They weren¡¯t thick or spiked or all that useful in combat, but they did lend a certain air of lethality to the Naiad, which was why again¡­ he never felt he overpowered the man in front of him. That could also, Sayrin thought idly, be a byproduct of the man''s class. Peace was an oft overlooked, and even more often underestimated class a user could have, but Sayrin knew from experience that Filrin had utilized it extremely well to garner his own amount of power. Filrin was the first to speak, breaking the reverie between the old companions. ¡°They took the deal. Even spotted and are planning to use the loophole as intended. They¡¯ll be out of the city for the next several months. You can even use them as an excuse to go back and find that spacial woman.¡± He said, his accent faded, but still easily detectable. Sayrin sighed an enormous breath, a very small amount of tension easing from his shoulders. ¡°Good. This will propel both of them forwards, and be better for them in the long run.¡± Sayrin leaned back in his chair, dragging one hand across his face. Filrin took a moment before asking ¡°How have the episodes been recently. I heard about the arena-¡± ¡°Not good.¡± Sayrin interjected, ¡°They haven¡¯t been good at all.¡± ¡°Does Mata know what¡¯s going on? When¡¯s the last time she played you a song?¡± Sayrin chuckled softly to himself, not a single trace of humor on his face. ¡°She hasn¡¯t played for me in¡­ in a long time Fil. Not since before Carcello.¡± ¡°Then you need to find someone or something else that can help you. This today¡± He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a file with several documents ¡°This was a close one. And I only managed to get it through because that Aldrin took the plea deal. That, plus these rumors from the arena with your son¡­ again¡­¡± Filrin trailed off, not needing to continue. ¡°I know, I know, I just need to clear my head. I can usually control it, and usually things are fine. But after Car¡¯s leg, things have just been¡­ strained.¡± ¡°The nightmares?¡± Filrin asked quietly. Sayrin simply nodded, not needing to respond more than that. ¡°As your friend, and as your legal counsel, Sayad, go talk to Mata. If for no other reason than a song. You need to get a grip before this next wave. I¡¯ve been hearing things. Lots of things.¡± Not taking the bait, Sayrin just looked at Filrin for several moments before finally, the Naiad relented and said something that caused the river behind Sayrin¡¯s eyes to flow a little more quickly. ¡°No one is happy about the emergence of a Spacial user. Word is spreading around the guild association, and soon people will begin to act. I heard that Lord Cain has been recalled, he;ll be arriving in the city in the next month or so.¡± ¡°Cain!?!¡± Exclaimed Sayrin, bolting up out of his chair ¡°Cain is coming to Loterre?¡± Also standing, Filrin leaned forward over his desk, ¡°Which is why I say again: Go to Mata. I don¡¯t care if you need to beg and bribe, make up with her. Do something to get her back on your side. Sooner rather than later.¡± They talked a little more, but it was clear they had said what they were going to for today, and Sayrin soon excused himself. He took his time getting home, lost in thought. Cain would be arriving in the city? That alone was portentous enough, but the mere thought of it set his mind whirring. He would¡­ Deal with the other issues tomorrow, he decided. For now, he needed rest. Before things became any worse. He didn¡¯t want to exhaust himself now. 27. Three.... Two... One? The towering figure of the yellow-eyed man sprinted down the stairs towards Kya. She was still sitting, a sharp aching pain resonating on one side of her head, her hands bound behind her back, and feeling entirely dazed and unprepared for what was happening around her. She had pinned the quest timer to the corner of her view and could watch as the time slowly ticked down. - - - - - Quest - Closeted Cultists - Time Remaining: 4min:25sec - - - - - Kya¡¯s brain was working so quickly, she felt an almost profound sense of certainty that there had to be steam coming off her head in wisps. She had just over four minutes to stop Arthur from casting this spell and killing her in the process. The man reached the bottom of the stairs and pelted towards her. Two of his steps landed differently than normal, both visibly and audibly resonating, like he¡¯d tried to curb stomp the ground itself. Immediately after his feet hit the spots, he''d done this, never breaking his stride, two basketball sized chunks of stone ripped themselves out of the ground and shot up in front of him. Then, looking like a boxer, he brought his hands and arms close to his face, and he punched the stones, firing them at her like cannonballs. Though he hadn¡¯t quite reached the limits of her aura yet, the stones rocketing towards her very much had. She could feel them the moment they did, like asteroids hurtling towards her. Not knowing what else to do, she pushed. What happened wasn¡¯t exactly what she¡¯d been anticipating. She hadn¡¯t exactly been the biggest science girl in the whole world and knew that physics especially wasn¡¯t remotely her strong suit. So, when she pushed on the stones, expecting them to stop or hopefully reverse directions, and instead they ricocheted off to either side of her as though hitting an invisible wall, she was left sitting in a stupor. The look on the man''s face was probably exactly what Kya assumed she looked like at that moment, until it was replaced with a suddenly shadowed look of horror and rage. One of the deflected stones had slammed headlong into one of the several golden bowls dotting the massive glowing ritual lines around Kya, spilling out their gray and lifeless contents. The glow got ever so slightly dimmer as the discolored and misshapen heart fell to the stones with a much-louder-than-it-should-have-been wet splatting noise. This was exactly what Kya had needed to know. Fuck with the ritual, and it would get less stable, or at least less powerful. Hopefully, shutting off at some point. This was all well and good and would have been easy enough. But the six-foot three-inch train of a man that had finally entered her aura with a look of pure determination and rage on his face wasn¡¯t likely to be the best help here. Deciding she might as well get started as best she could, Kya did the first thing that came to mind. She looked at the clear, perfectly white skeleton next to her, launched the entire thing directly at the man. Kya would later look back on this, and knowing more, feel the slightest bit of empathy and remorse for the man and for Arthur. Especially for this action. But in the moment, Kya almost grinned, settling on a half grunt, half sharp exhale when she saw his face. She hadn¡¯t launched the skeleton with any real force, just trying to startle the man and buy herself a few moments to not only think, but to act. However as the man stumbled to a halt trying to catch the skeleton that, of course, broke apart the moment he touched it, His face went from rage to terror to almost the same white of the bones themselves, and then flooded so quickly back to red, she thought he might be having a stroke. He bellowed out in a strangled cry ¡°You fuckin¡¯ bitch, I¡¯ll make you regret ever waking up, ever touching her! How dare you-¡± He didn''t get to finish. Kya had, unceremoniously, pulled another of the golden bowls that was behind and to the left of the man, both weakening the glow a little bit more, and hitting him upside the head with a hollow gong sound. He didn¡¯t fall unconscious or anything, that would have been too easy, but he did stumble forward, dropping and breaking the skeleton even more. The head was still connected to the spine and several ribs, as well as the right arm. But a few ribs, the other arm, the hip, and both legs were scattered haphazardly around him. Kya had, at this point, summoned her rat fang dagger to cut at the bonds holding her wrists, while at the same time, pulling bowl after bowl away from their designated locations. - - - - - Quest - Closeted Cultists - Time Remaining: 3min:42sec - - - - - Each displaced bowl hurt the spell, and each spilled heart made Arthur, chanting on the balcony some thirty or forty meters ahead, grow more and more panicked in his chanting of the spell. ¡°That is enough!¡± Shouted the man in in front of her. He was absolutely livid, and she could see it. Not only in his voice and body language, but his golden eyes had literally taken on a shadowed color. The whites of his eyes had turned to a blackish gray, and just she finally cut the bindings on her wrist, he slammed his heel into the ground like trying to kick a ball backwards. Kya was already on high alert, and more than that, he¡¯d tried the same trick on her earlier to knock her out. This time, though, this time she could see exactly what he had done as he did it. When he struck the earth, it was like a lightning quick pulse of energy had temporarily linked him to part of the ground behind her, and with the kinetic force of his strike, the earth responded. Dropping as quickly as she could to her stomach, she caught herself on her now free¡¯d hands in what was the achingly familiar position of collapsing after doing too many pushups. While the man grunted in surprise, he wasn¡¯t by any means unprepared. Looking up to see him make a claw-like hand gesture and then thrust his hand down, she felt the stone that had been about to strike her head instead rocket downwards and lock itself around her thigh, ratcheting her in place against the cold stone floor. He ran towards her and wound up like he was planning to punt her head for a field goal, before she hastily pushed against his boot with as much force as she could muster. The effect was almost comical. His right leg, about to slam into her, shot out behind him, taking him with it. He spun like a lopsided boomerang, landing heavily some ways away, slamming right into one of the only two remaining bowls. Panicking, Kya reached down and pulled and pushed and heaved awkwardly at the stone now holding her leg in place. She tried sliding out and away from it, realizing only now that her cloak wasn¡¯t on her back, but it felt like when she had put on a ring at the jewelry store that just barely fit going on, but sure as hell wasn¡¯t coming off. For now, she was well and truly trapped against the cave floor. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. - - - - - Quest - Closeted Cultists - Time Remaining: 3min:05sec - - - - - Things suddenly and horrifically took a turn from bad to worse when, out of the ground, another band of stone seemed to grow and take hold of her other leg, then another around her waist, and another around both her arms. ¡°You must think yerself so fucking powerful¡± Growled the man as he walked towards her. Arthur''s voice, unceasing in the background, took on a tone to it like he was both panicked and exasperated with the younger man. Waving him off with one hand, the man continued ¡°Dad told me about you, said you had only just registered at the guild what same day he was there, likely just got yer class then too. Are you tripping on power? Are you delusional or what? I¡¯ll be honest, I am impressed you were able to take care of that hellhound problem. But yer not even a few days into this shit and you thought to take on a more powerful more prepared opponent without even knowin¡¯ what they were tryin¡¯ tah do?.¡± As he talked, he continued towards Kya, while she struggled fruitlessly against the bonds holding her in place. ¡°A couple times you came close to derailing the plan. Killing the beasts was the first, we thought you¡¯d get taken by them and brought back here. But then we had the backup of inviting you tah dinner. Except, you didn¡¯t hardly eat or drink a damned thing from the table. You nibbled at yer food and took sips from yer cup, but not nearly enough for the poison to take effect.¡± A crazy, stupid idea had materialized in her head. She didn¡¯t know why she¡¯d thought of the dumb green haired swordsman in this moment, but without many other options, she bided her time as he talked about how she¡¯d unintentionally almost messed up their master plan or whatever. This was a classic villain monologue, she just hoped he would explain some of the shit she couldn¡¯t fathom on her own. Stopping off to her left, just in the corner of her eye, he said still growling out the words like he was chewing on each one before spitting it out at her ¡°But none of that matters now. Yer here in the circle, you¡¯re alive, your blood flows with power. All we need tah do now is rebuild the skeleton, and I have a good two minutes or so to do that after I git a few good kicks in.¡± She couldn¡¯t see, but she just knew he was smiling as he said that last part. What she could see was the same boot as before lift away in preparation. He evidently thought either Kya wouldn¡¯t be able to react the same way, or wouldn¡¯t be able to see him, or both, but with her aura, it was like she saw each movement he made before he did. So then, with the best timing she could manage, she activated her desperate plan: Operation Zoro. She summoned her viper fang dagger directly into her mouth, while at the same time pulling on his boot until his foot impaled itself directly into the dagger. - - - - - Quest - Closeted Cultists - Time Remaining: 2min:07sec - - - - - Howling with pain, and jumping back, she then blew him away with an almighty push, helped by the effect of her aura. He himself now was sent airborne until he slammed into the ground, sliding and skidding to a stop. Immediately, Kya turned her attention to several bindings holding her in place¡­ before turning elsewhere. She still had no idea how to deal with those at the moment, and without an obvious solution to the problem, she would have to work on something that she could actually affect. She spied the last of the golden bowls, and without a second thought, yanked it towards her with a mental command. The glow of the lines had, by this point, become quite dim. But with the last bowl being removed, it now sputtered like a dying candle. To finish the job, Kya pulled all of the death crystals to herself, putting them in her storage the moment they touched her body. With this final act, the glow entirely left the lines and circles of the ritual site¡­ - - - - - Quest - Closeted Cultists - Time Remaining: 1min:45sec - - - - - The timer was still going down, and Arthur was still chanting with a zealous fervor. For good measure, Kya launched the skeleton out of the circle, leaving only a few ribs, the neck, and the skull within any part of the circle. Still the timer ticked down. Fuck, what was she missing? She had removed every part of the ritual she would have thought¡­ essential¡­ She craned her neck from the limited perspective on the ground and, heart sinking, saw the several large alcoves dotting the side of the main chamber, each lit like an active volcano. There were still several of the smaller ritual sites all around her. She still didn¡¯t know what the whole point of this was, though she¡¯d assumed much of it by now, and was sure as shit she didn¡¯t want to be a part of it. Focusing all of her will power on the stone restraints, she blasted each one of them with waves of force, causing them to erupt in small frag grenades fashion. She¡¯d tried a weaker push earlier, but now was the time to pull out all the stops. Even as her own blood poured out from the several small cuts and gashes caused by the stones, she rose to her feet and downed a healing potion. Then, holding the glass vile in front of her, she launched it up at Arthur with a final, defiant blast¡­ he ducked down, hands over his head, and continued chanting. - - - - - Quest - Closeted Cultists - Time Remaining: 59sec - - - - - ¡°God dammit!¡± She cursed, beginning to sprint towards the elderly man. Looking off to one side, she saw that earth user, whoever he was, was currently staring up at the ceiling of the cave, a line of drool coming from his mouth. The dagger still protruding from his leg had inflicted its venom, and he was having a nice trip at the moment. Turning back to Arthur, she was going to try and- He was running down the opposite set of stairs just as she was running up them. ¡°What is this, musical chairs?¡± She shouted at the man, who just continued chanting louder and louder. At this point, the glow was rekindled in the central ritual, as the skull, partial spine, and four total ribs began to glow as well, levitating back towards the central circle. Not liking the sight of that even remotely, Kya gave what she well and truly hoped to be the final pull of this fight, dragging Arthur sideways off the stars, and dropping down four feet to the ground. This¡­ finally¡­ stopped the ever-ticking timer. - - - - - - Quest Update - - Objectives: 1) Escape from Arthur¡¯s spell and/or stop it from being cast 2) Kill, incapacitate, or capture all cultists participating in the spell. 2/3 3) You still need to figure out what exactly is happening down here! Determine the goals, motives, and affiliations of Arthur and his two companions. - Time Remaining: N/A - Rewards: Rewards contingent on manner of quest completion. Plus, you aren''t dead yet! - - - - - Kya breathed out a sigh of relief, before asking herself ¡°Wait¡­ two companions?¡± 28. One of These Things is Not Like the Other Kya moved slowly towards Arthur, the elderly man had been stunned and lay unmoving from the short fall off the stairs. She kept both her eyes and her aura on alert as she approached. There was the larger, muscular man about twenty meters away, lying in a waking dream caused by her venomous dagger. Kya wasn¡¯t entirely sure if it would eventually kill him, or just keep him sedated, but either way that was a problem for later. No, she was on high alert at the moment for the third member of their little band. She remembered only now that when she¡¯d first gotten the ¡°objective failed¡± notification after waking up, it had said to kill or capture the cultists. This was all well and good, but it had also said there were three then too. But she¡¯d been a bit unfocussed at the time and wasn¡¯t fully paying attention to little things like details at the time. However, she pulled up short as she heard a rattling, wheezing hiss coming directly from the center of the circle. Turning, she almost vomited on sight, but instead settled back on a horrified stumble backwards as she gazed on the¡­ the thing that lay there. It was the skull, she realized. The skill and parts of the ribs. They had been glowing at sent towards the center of the ritual right at the end, and she now saw exactly what was supposed to happen had it been allowed to complete. She also noticed that the organs and pieces of flesh all contained in the golden bowls, at least the ones that still remained within the confines of the ritual space, had been¡­ appropriated. She had thought they¡¯d all been hearts before, but either she was wrong, or they¡¯d been transformed in the process. If it had just been some cartoonish ¡°living skeleton¡± or whatever, that would have been fine. More than fine. Kya would have unquestionably preferred that. But this was¡­ it was like a diagram of human anatomy, but after a pack of wolves had eaten their fill and left it behind. Small intestines hung from the limp sack that was the rib cage, lungs like wet purple balloons flopped like fish out of water, and a thin, translucent layer of skin lay over the whole thing. It was, without doubt, hesitation, or exaggeration, the most terrible thing Kya had seen in her life. It wasn¡¯t even close. Belatedly, and with an almost terrified reluctance, she tried to identify the¡­ it. The narration seemed like a disappointed schoolteacher as it read the pop-up window in her head. - - - - - *** NEW CREATURE IDENTIFIED *** - Ghoul - 1-Star - Common - So, it¡¯s been that kind of a night, huh? Well then, before you is a ghoul. Well, at least part of one anyway. This thing was once a human but has been recalled from the great beyond to once again inhabit its mortal flesh. However, for whatever reason, the summoning process went awry as they so often do, and rather than get a fully-fledged lich or vampire, you¡¯re left with a hollowed-out husk. For now, anyway. - Divine Notice - Neither the current gods of {Life} or {Death} approve the creation of undead outside of the church, and as such, this creature has been marked for death. Associating with or aiding this creature may have unpleasant consequences. - - - - - As if she needed anymore reason for revulsion, not only was this an insult to her own personal beliefs, namely don¡¯t fuck with the dead, but also against the apparent GODS of this world too. That was a lot to take in. Like, earth shattering information for Kya¡¯s world view, but like so so much else, it needed to be put away for now. She would have time for theology when not in an underground ritual chamber. Calling one of the basketball sized stones the earth user had tried to hit her with, she pulled it to herself, before blasting it away and crushing the ghoul like roadkill. This triggered a couple of different and immediate responses. Getting an immediate string of notifications, she brushed them as Arthur, still lying on the ground but trying lamely to rise, had just witnessed Kya crushing the remains of what she strongly suspected to be his former wife. He let out a guttural scream of anguish and rage, fueling him more than she would have thought possible. He staggered to his feet, and pulling a sheathed knife from his hip, lunged at Kya with tears streaming down his face. She had been aware for some time, at least a few hours, that she had been somewhat enhanced by the acceptance of magic into her body. But Arthur, an unenhanced human, trying to attack her was almost laughable. She didn¡¯t, couldn¡¯t find it amusing in the current circumstances, but it genuinely felt easy. She wove into the strike, then grabbed his arm and twisted outward until the dagger clang to the ground and his frail wrist popped, hanging limply. He let out another scream, now, though a physical one rather than emotional. He deflated, now, the sudden fire in his eyes entirely doused by the quick altercation, and he crumpled to his knees, weeping. ¡°All I wanted was tah see her again¡± he choked out ¡°Tah hold her an¡¯ hear her voice.¡± This man, crying in front of her, had done unspeakable things. Killed and plotted, had planned on killing her in fact, but in this moment, she couldn¡¯t see him as an enemy combatant, or an enemy at all. He was a broken old man whose life had been ruined by the death of a loved one. She was equal parts sickened and relieved to find that she could honestly empathize with him. ¡°Arthur, I need to know who your third companion is before anything else happens. Where are they and why haven¡¯t they done anything ye-¡± She stopped, catching her breath, as Arthur''s head was suddenly gone. There was no sound, no explosion or gunshot or slice or twang of bow strings, just an empty socket where a second before had been the man''s aged face. There was no blood. That, more than anything, disturbed Kya. There was no slosh or spilled of blood from the decapitation, just a quiet thump as the body fell back. She also realized, after a moment, that she hadn¡¯t sensed a single thing with her aura. Neither man nor magic had appeared to her senses, which too disturbed her immensely. She then got another notification, waving it too away, but not before seeing the first words. - - - - - - You have slain¡­ This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.- - - - - which were not only new to her, but also gut wrenching in their implications. More disturbing, however, was the second identical notification popping up, before it too was waved away. Whipping her head around, she saw that the larger man had likewise been soundlessly and cleanly decapitated. Kya was now alone to face this third member of the group, who for some reason had just, in cold blood, killed their own men. Kya backed against the wall as quickly as she could, while the body of the earth user dissolved into shadows, but interestingly, Arthurs body did not. More and more and more on the to-do list. Rocketing quickly to the top of that list, however, was the simple ¡°survive and escape this hell hole¡± bullet point. She was rapidly scanning back and forth looking in all directions and extending her Aura out as far as it could go to try and sense the person she knew to be hiding nearby when, suddenly, he was there. She blinked, and there he was, simple as that. Her aura was telling her there wasn¡¯t anything there, not even a void or empty space but just empty air, but there he was, several feet ahead, a very slight smile playing at his lips. He was tall, thin, and pale. He had wavy hair the color of sand coming down to his shoulders, a well-tailored frosty blue shirt, and pants matching his hair. His skin was so pale white, it almost shone in the dimly lit cave. That would have been about it, except for two fairly important distinguishing features. He had a pair of thin golden horns coming down and framing either side of his face, and coming to fine points just below his earlobes, where they both dangled fine ruby drops. Again, this would have been it and on any other creature the most eye-catching part of the man. However, this man had one other noteworthy thing about him. The four eyes on his head. Both sets were placed¡­ wrongly. There were two slightly smaller ones set far apart and protruding slightly from his cheek bones, with the other two slightly larger ones higher up on his forehead. All four had sclera of the deepest abyssal blue, with streaks of vibrant pink outlining various parts of where an iris would normally be. This was telling and almost startling for Kya. She had seen the eyes of every other user, reflections of their class abilities. She too remembered Meri, with streaks of color indicating her secondary class. Was this man¡­ a spatial user too, if even just partially? For better or worse, the man was the first to speak. He gave a very slight bow, almost playfully, before saying in a soft yet rich, velvety voice that sounded suspiciously British "Good evening, ma''am. Terrible business, these rituals. Always so delicate a process, so intricate. I must commend you on your swift and decisive actions against them." He was still slightly bent at the hip, putting him at eye leve- well, lower eye level with her. That same sly smile still played, a twinkle in his eyes like he was telling a joke. Kya realized he was waiting for her, so eventually asked the only thing she could think to ask: "... Why did¡­. Why?" His touch of a smile grew into a wide grin, displaying his teeth, several more of which looked like sharpened canines than Kya was comfortable with. "Well," he purred "Arthur and Douglass, which was the name of that small spark over there, were rather upset when that woman of theirs had an¡­ accident. So, then they, in their desperation, sought out my little organization and enlisted our services in rectifying the situation." The way the man talked was so calming and relaxing, yet at the same time with such a formal tone that she was temporarily losing her senses, her perspective on the situation. The other user¡¯s name had been Douglass? What a.. mundane name¡­ wait why didn¡¯t she know that? She could have identified him at any point¡­ wait! She mentally chided herself for constantly forgetting about what was easily one of her most useful abilities in this world, and quickly tried to identify the creature in front of her. Yet she was met with the first instance ever of: - - - - - - Unable to Identify subject. - - - - - And that was it. No explanation, no further hints or details, just¡­ unable. Almost as though shaken from a daydream, she felt a little bit of awareness come back, realizing that he had dodged the question entirely, telling her what she already knew. With a concerted force of will, she managed to bring her mind back to the situation at hand and say in a weak voice "N-no¡­ why did you kill them?" She realized after speaking that her teeth were chattering as she spoke. His smaller eyes widened for an instant. Before returning to their half lidded twinkling contempt. He bowed ever so slightly lower "my apologies madame, I misunderstood" he said in a way suggesting he''d done nothing of the sort. He shrugged then, "when a tool is damaged to the point it becomes dangerous to the wielder, it is only natural to dispose and replace it, no?" Kya, deciding to contemplate that tangle after the situation was over, figured she¡¯d ask straight out if there would be an after. "And¡­ why didn''t you kill me? Will you..?" All four eyes crinkled with mirth, smiling at her with the purest most radiant joy she had seen. ¡°Madame, there would be no larger waste of my time and energy than to see you disposed of right here and right now. Even if it should be my utmost desire, I would still wait. One does not seek wood from a sapling, after all. As a founder, you more than most should have quite the path ahead. I am hoping you make use of that item in your inventory there when the time is right.¡± Bowing fully now, he elegantly placed one foot behind and swept one arm out to the side. Kya felt a slight tingle at the back of her neck, like someone breathing down her neck, before he said "Time moves a pace and I must take my leave, but it''s been a genuine pleasure, miss Kya. I look forward to the path you shall reap." And like that¡­ he disappeared. Like a ghost or an apparition, he simply vanished. Instantly, her senses flooded back to her, letting her realize only now how truly lost she''d been in those moments, how much sensation she''d given up looking into those four eyes. Kya decided, right then and there, not to take another contact until she could figure out some of the shit in this world because one of the few things she understood and agreed with from the night''s events was what¡­ Douglass? What Douglass had said to her. She''d been doing this for a day and had come in here to stop something she didn''t and couldn''t understand fully, escaping only because that man had let her. There was no doubt in her mind that he could have killed her like a fly on a wall. No one, not even that guy from the entrance hall that had tried to escort her away, had given her such a feeling of raw terror as he. Kya knew that there was a whole batch of notifications waiting for her when she was ready, and she knew that she needed to loot the room and the¡­ body of Arthur, but before she could do any of that, she had one notification that had just popped up, and was willing to let this one play out. - - - - - - Objective Failed! You let the third member of the summoning ritual escape before learning all of the information from him! - Quest Update - New Objective: Report the rituals events and circumstances to the authorities. - Optional Objective: Talk to the house staff, see if they¡¯ll talk now that their master is dead. - Time Remaining: 11hrs;59min:27sec - Rewards: Rewards contingent on manner of quest completion. - - - - - Of course, she would be completing the bonus objective, why the hell wouldn¡¯t she? Besides, it helped to have as much info as possible before making a report, she knew that from lots of experience. But with twelve hours to play around, Kya felt no need to rush through the process. and looking at the headless body of Arthur, she knew she''d need the time. 29. Taking a Seat Before anything else, Kya wanted to make sure that the area was completely safe before she even remotely relaxed. She knew that there was a room under the stairs, out of which Douglass and Arthur had come what felt like hours earlier but had been only minutes. She also knew, and had been tasked with, speaking to the dwarves above ground. But, as always, first things first. She¡¯d cross that bridge when she came to it. Making her way over to the heavy door set into the stones under the balcony by a couple inches, Kya studied it with a wary eye. It was solid dark red wood, a single narrow window running up from about the midpoint towards the top of it. It had a single iron ring on the right side sticking out in an unmistakable handle. She confidently pulled on the handle, and rather than swing outwards as she¡¯d expected, it slid ever so slightly off to the left, retreating smoothly into the wall. Sliding it the rest of the way open, Kya shook her head mournfully saying ¡°what is it with this world and fucking doors. I wasn¡¯t ever this bad with doors on earth.¡± Walking in, the room was almost cozy. She realized this must have been where Douglass had been sleeping for the last several years, with frequent visits from Arthur as well, it would seem. The room wasn¡¯t incredibly large, at least not by the standards of the grand architecture from the city and the massive ritual chamber behind her. It was about the size of a two car garage, golden glow stones hanging all around the room to provide a warm even light. In one corner, there was a moderately sized bed with some fuzzy brown blankets and a couple pillows. Again, the room screamed practicality, rather than opulence. Against the same wall as the bed were several chest of drawers, a few of the drawers still pulled out at odd angles here and there. There was a small kitchenette like you might find in a hotel, with what looked to be a stove and a sink, another door standing half slid into the wall revealed a small bathroom, and there was a rug and two chairs in the center of the room. One of said chairs was reclined, and seemed to have been used quite a bit for naps or sleeping the night judging by the blankets and pillows present on it as well. However, the thing that caught her interest was the writing desk completing the room, and the papers strew about it. She made her way there before anything else, and began sorting through the documents for any information on the two apparent cultists. Like, for example, the name of the cult to which they had so obviously belonged. However, despite spending several minutes looking from paper to paper and scouring the desk and even some random drawers, she found nothing of any use. There were lots of blank pages, a couple with normal notes about the farm above or supplies they needed to get. Not even good supplies though. She had hoped to find the ¡°magical death ritual supplies¡±, but instead was left with the ¡°we need more toilet paper and soap¡± supplies. It occurred to her the blank sheets of paper might be enchanted or something to not show their contents to any random passersby, but if they were, she couldn¡¯t sense any traces of magic with her aura. Though, as she¡¯d recently discovered with that man, her aura wasn¡¯t foolproof. Finally just throwing all of the papers and several of the more interesting mementos of the room into her storage space, she sat down in the non-reclining chair and let out a long sigh. She had no idea what time it was, or how long it had been since she¡¯d really slept. She knew she¡¯d been unconscious, at least for a while, but also that being asleep and being unconscious was a square rectangle situation, and she¡¯d definitely gotten no rest from the experience. After taking a minute and hearing the profound silence of the room, the chamber, the earth as a whole, she finally pulled up the several minimized notifications she¡¯d been getting throughout the evening to go through them all. The first one was simply for the Ghoul that she¡¯d defeated, and this one was pretty standard. - - - - - - You have defeated Ghoul - 1-Star - Common - - - - - As its death wasn¡¯t directly related to a quest or anything, that was all it had warranted was an acknowledgment. It was the next one, however, that caused her eyebrows to rise in astonishment and trepidation alike. - - - - - - You have defeated an enemy wished dead by one or more gods of this world. This action has earned you a boon from the following divinities: {Life}, {Death}. - Seek out the nearest church(es) or priest(s) of the above divine(s) to receive your boon(s). - - - - - Kya¡­ had no context for this. She literally could not fathom what an actual real life god would do as a boon for her, let alone two. Which again¡­ gods? Was she going to meet a god? What did that even mean? She was skeptical in the extreme to meet a god of life, and what would probably end up being his brother or something, the god of death. Much less skeptical than she would have been on earth, considering she had just stopped the resurrection of a dead woman with her own powers over space itself. But still, skeptical. Also, not that this was important, but what was with all the parentheses? Was it up in the air whether she''d get both boons? She decided to ask Rory about it when she returned to the city. He was with the church of life after all and could probably give her some pointers. Moving along then, she pulled up the next message, much to her abject disgust. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. - - - - - - You have slain Arthur Daris - 0-Star - They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Happy trails. - - - - - That¡­ nope. Kya did not like that. What the hell was that even supposed to mean? Kya had begun to appreciate her narrator, as it had seemed generally interested in keeping her alive and helping her to escape life-death situations. But now¡­ was it excited for her to kill people? And she hadn¡¯t even been the one to kill them! She¡¯d kill monsters or beasts as needed, hell she even enjoyed the rush of power entering her body to signify her ability had grown ever so slightly more powerful. But people were different. She didn¡¯t want to kill people. . . . She sat in the chair for several minutes, lost in thought. Lost in memory. She eventually pulled up the next one, starting the same, but taking a decidedly darker turn. - - - - - - You have slain Douglass Daris - 1-Star - Terrestrial Reaper - Another step, and so soon after the first. Good thing this can be addicting, you still have nine-hundred-ninety-eight miles to go. - - - - - Again, she hadn¡¯t been the one to kill him, and she wasn¡¯t sure what allowed the kills to be attributed to her, but it sickened her to her stomach. Journey of a thousand miles? Was it asking her to kill a thousand people? Her obnoxious narrator had suddenly taken on a wholly different vibe in her mind, and she despised it. Finally coming to the last one, and the only one she''d already read, she let it play out again. - - - - - - Unable to Identify subject. - - - - - Concentrating hard, she mentally urged to give any more detail, or any sort of explanation as to why it had been unable to provide even the slightest bit of information regarding the creature who had stood before her. Of course, however, she was left with the same message as before, no more and no less detail to be added in. She wondered then, as she had many times before, about the possibility for upgrading or evolving her abilities. She assumed when her push/pull ability reached one hundred percent, it would get some noticeable shift. But she wasn''t sure if the same would happen to her aura for example, or her identify skill or any of her other odd abilities. What would an advanced translation skill look like, for example. Or a better looting power? She said again for the hundredth time. She needed to know more, and she needed to know more quickly. Kya sat in the chair for a little while longer, letting her thoughts wander from one topic to the next, and simply taking a breather from everything that had been going on. When she found herself about to slide into an unwelcome sleep, she knew it was time to be moving again. Making herself busy and trying to keep her mind occupied to avoid any unwanted drowsiness, she began to loot everything else in the room that she thought to be of any value. Including, and Kya couldn¡¯t believe it had taken her this long to do this, grabbing several of the glowstones from their perches and storing them away. She took one back out just to see, and sure enough, it still glowed in her hand, warm to the touch. It did seem to dim as she moved it about, the light strongest when completely stationary, but that was a small drawback compared to a portable light source. She took with her the chair she¡¯d been using, a couple of the blankets, and a surprisingly dense and solid feeling pillow. She had the briefest thought of taking some of the clothes in the room, thinking to expand her very limited wardrobe as quickly as possible, but found herself unwilling. Likewise, she left behind anything that seemed personal in nature. Several small moving photographs of the family in happier times. A small wooden lizard looking animal toy. Stuff like that. She hadn¡¯t been the one to kill them, she knew, but being the last person to speak with both Arthur and Douglass, Kya simply couldn¡¯t bring herself to ever wear their clothes. She just wasn¡¯t there mentally. A small part of her, a part she was disturbed to discover was there, whispered quietly ¡°yet¡­. not there yet¡­¡± Walking over to the little kitchenette thing, she studied it for a while to see how it worked. It wasn¡¯t a stove top like she had known, but rather one of magical means. A flame crystal, like the ones she¡¯d found in that cave with the crazy mushroom, was placed at the center of a small glass dish, with tiny and intricate engravings all around it. A small dial was affixed to the bottom portion, sticking out of the entire enclosure and to where she could grab and control it. Giving it an experimental push, she found that it almost immediately grew to the temperature of a blazing fire. ¡°This would be extremely handy to keep around¡± she thought, switching it back off. She didn¡¯t want to damage it, but neither was she willing to leave it behind. After several minutes of tinkering with various pieces of the entire mechanism, she eventually was able to detach and remove the crystal and cylindrical glass casing. Without a second thought, she placed it in her storage space with a satisfied grin and took one last look around the room. She would be leaving it much the same as when she arrived, taking only so much with her. She wanted all the interesting things, but everything else would be left for now. Pushing out into the large ritual chamber where so much had happened, Kya scanned the scene. She reluctantly started with the body of Arthur. The moment she made contact with him, she knew. There was an instinctual understanding she had, and she knew. He could go into her inventory. If she could just pick him up, she could do it. The thought sickened her, and she tried her best to ignore the sensation as she went about inspecting him. For all the trouble she went to, there wasn¡¯t much of any real importance. She tried identify on anything she saw, but most of it was simple and unenchanted. There was a small ring that made it slightly easier to concentrate which she took, and there was the dagger he¡¯d tried to use on her. It wasn¡¯t enchanted but was a fine dagger and when one carried around a warehouse of crap anyway, an extra blade wouldn¡¯t go amiss. From there, Kya quickly moved about the entirety of the chamber, her footsteps echoing loudly around the hauntingly still place. So much had been happening and at stake when she¡¯d first gotten here, that Kya hadn¡¯t really taken in how empty this place was. There was the ritual site, but otherwise, this really wasn¡¯t some massive underground cult headquarters, but truly something a man and his son would have set up on their own, given that one of them had supernatural capabilities with earth shaping and several years of dedicated labor. By the time she¡¯d made a full circuit of the room, she¡¯d collected another dozen of the death crystals, several of the red glowstone variants, and several of the suspiciously clean golden bowls from the ritual. Cause why not. Making her way up the stairs, she decided it was time to speak with the dwarves above, and then, finally, get back to town. 30. Games and Rewards Kya slowly made her way up the long, dark staircase back to Arthur¡¯s farmhouse. While she did, her attention was focused almost entirely inwards allowing her aura to guide her through the dark passage. She was currently sorting through her internal storage space, looking at what she¡¯d received from looting Douglass, the earth user. Delightfully, she found her cloak and necklace in her storage, figuring he must have taken them and when he died they were looted back to her. However, more interestingly, she found a whole deluge of new and random supplies as well, plus a ring with a shattered gemstone that gave off some crazy vibes. Pulling out her cloak and amulet and donning them immediately, she then took out and examined the ring. It gave her a small tingle, like a mild electric shock. Not wanting to hold onto it for too long, she quickly identified it before returning it to her storage space. - - - - - - Item: Spatial ring - Broken - Rarity: 1-Star - Uncommon - Description: A ring once used widely throughout the world, it utilizes a spatial enchantment to create a small storage space inside the gem. Note: This ring was broken when placed within another dimensional storage space while itself holding items. - Enchantments: Basic Spatial Expansion - Dispelled - Requirements: N/A - - - - - That was interesting, Kya thought, remembering her own attempts at storing the spatial bag when it still had items inside. She¡¯d been unable to do it, and lamented the fact that this meant she couldn¡¯t get theoretically infinite storage, but now she was grateful it hadn¡¯t let her do it. She hadn¡¯t used the bag since before getting her class, but she would hate to have it torn or ripped or whatever because of a dumb mistake. She wondered if there was somewhere in town to repair enchanted items? She assumed that if someone could make a ring like this, then someone could probably repair it. Though, she still wasn¡¯t clear on the whole spatial user thing. Unless she was wrong, that weird four-eyed demon man had definitely had pink in his eyes, implying at least a spatial subclass. Maybe. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure, but that was what she guessed. Plus both this guy and she suspected others had items like this one for spatial storage. It would be pretty hypocritical to condemn spatial users and then turn around and use their inventions. Though, as she thought more on it, that sounded exactly like what most people in history would do. Take something great from a defeated foe, and call them evil while stealing it for yourself? Yeah, that definitely happened. Finally getting to the top of the stairs, she took a breath and prepared herself. She had no idea how this conversation would go, but knew it would be delicate. She had killed their master on the one hand, but on the other, she strongly suspected they had been killing the dwarves for body parts, and replacing them for at least a while now. So¡­ yeah, delicate would be best. She opened up the door and exited into the first floor of the home. It was dark, though the horizon outside was just beginning to lighten, giving everything around her a hazy look. With the return of her amulet, and the aura strength it brought, she knew where the dwarf was. Oddly enough, she could only sense him, sitting quietly in the other room. She would have expected the other dwarf, the cook, to be there with him. With reproach, Kya realized she¡¯d forgotten the female dwarf''s name. She was also curious where the other dwarves were, and about several other things besides, but hopefully she would get to ask him. Walking into the room, she tried to exude calmness, like she was approaching an animal without being sure whether it would run or attack. He continued to simply sit on the floor in front of the couch, legs crossed in front of him and hands in his lap. He looked odd, off. An android powered down. In front of him was a small tray, intricately detailed with red lacquered wood, with black and gold embossments weaving around the edges forming a flowing and beautiful pattern. On it was a brown bottle to the left, and a crystalline green bottle to the right, plus two small round dishes, like miniature martini glasses made for shots. Kya methodically made her way into the room, before sitting down opposite him, the small tray separating them. Only then, when she was seated and still, did he react. His voice that of a rockslide down the side of a mountain. ¡°The others have gone. Left with the lord.¡± The lord? The four eyed demon man? This just raised more questions, a lor more. ¡°And why have you stayed?¡± He seemed to droop at the question, just slightly. His rigid back bending and his chin dipping ever so noticably. ¡°It is as master wills it. I allowed you to sneak through the house. I am to be punished.¡± ¡°Your punishment is to speak with me?¡± She was keeping her voice low and steady, trying to keep him both calm and to keep him talking. The more he spoke, the more likely she was to get something useful. ¡°Speaking to you is your reward. We have not started yet, and I will explain the rules in a moment. But no, what comes after that is my punishment.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand, what is the punishment?¡± He raised his small, gnarled hand and waved away her question. ¡°You will see, you will see.¡± He then poured out both bottles, one into each glass. ¡°You must choose a drink. They each contain a small amount of both a powerful poison, and a powerful truth serum. You must drain your drink, then you can ask any question. My drink contains the same, but for dwarves rather than humans. This is the master¡¯s reward for you. I know everything that went on in this house, and everything that you wish to ask I can answer. The game stops when one of us dies, or if you are unable or unwilling to continue. You may inspect both bottles to your heart''s content before agreeing to play.¡± ¡°This is insane, why the hell would I do this, or make you do this?!?¡± Kya burst out. She could see that smug smile on the four eyed man''s face, amused by his own little set up. Taln again, sagged slightly. His voice kept the same rough tone, but his body language told another story. ¡°Because, if you do not play, I will drink the whole of my own bottle now, and end my life immediately.¡± Kya studied the dwarf for an extended period. His eyes, deep and vast, held so much therein. It betrayed the absolutely stoic exterior somewhat, she thought. She could just as easily have made this up in her own mind, rationalizing the plan forming in her head. ¡°Are you serious? If I don¡¯t play, you¡¯ll really drink that down?¡¯ ¡°Yes to both.¡± Kya picked up and inspected the clear liquid, small glowing blue particles floating within like glow in the dark sprinkles. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. - - - - - NEW QUEST! Drinking Contest - Objective: Drink the mysterious poisonous liquid with Taln the Dwarf to gain information on the cult operating in the area. - Time Remaining: N/A - Reward: This one¡¯s a gamble. Could pay off big time, could kill you outright. Take your pick without knowing the reward. - Note: Skill {Identify}will not function on either drink for the duration of the game. - - - - - That pretty much sealed the deal for Kya. She had been just about to identify it when apparently she¡¯d triggered the quest. But, for the first time, she wasn¡¯t going to follow a quest. Or more to say, she would deliberately go against the quest''s guidance. As quickly as she could, and in one instant, she pulled both bottles, both glasses, and the tray itself all into her inventory. Then, as Taln belatedly rose to his feet in protest, she lunged forward from her sitting position and summoned her dagger moments before the blade struck Taln¡¯s arm. His skin was like solid granite, she left a small scratch yes, but not nearly the wound that should have been inflicted from such a strike. Regardless, the venomfang dagger wasn¡¯t one to complain. Already moving late and struggling to keep up with Kya, she got three more cuts in quick succession, two more on the same arm and one on the other. Before too long, Taln collapsed back, succumbing to the venom and having hallucinations and daydreams all on his own. ¡°Yeah, sorry Taln, but fuck that. I¡¯m not playing a death game like this is early Yu-Gi-Oh or something. I will, however, take you back to town with me for some more qualified help.¡± Just as she bent down to scoop up the dwarf, Kya got the update she¡¯d been expecting. - - - - - - Objective Failed! You stopped the game before it could even begin! Now that you have Taln in your custody, seek out help. - Quest Update - New Objective: Meet with a healer for Taln - Time Remaining: 11hrs:59min:53sec - Rewards: Information from and/or about Taln - - - - - ¡°At least there weren¡¯t any negative effects to failing a quest¡± She thought, then paused, reached down, and knocked on the wooden floor, thinking herself an idiot for allowing the thought to cross her mind. Reaching down, she hooked her arms through the armpits of the dwarf and heaved. ¡°Holy hell man, what do you eat¡± she growled through clenched teeth. Kya knew she had been giving a boost to her base physical attributes as a result of the magic, but even still, this guy weighed a metric ton. This might not be as easy as she had thought. She¡¯d planned to simply carry the dwarf back to town, but at this point she¡¯d be tapped out just to reach the front door. Releasing him and stepping back, wiping the sweat from her brow and taking slow deliberate breaths, she thought if mundane means wouldn¡¯t do, she¡¯d turn to the magical. Way back when she¡¯d first been playing with the staff in the abandoned temple, she¡¯d found that by applying just a minimal amount of pull, and then walking forward, she could have an object follow her around like a baby duckling. This dwarf, for some absurd reason, weighed as much as ten men, but hopefully, she could still make this work. Taking several steps back, then concentrating her aura solely on the dwarf, she started with a small pull. His hair and beard actually moved up and towards her as though drawn by some invisible magnetism, but the rest of him remained as motionless as ever. This was expected, after all, it was only her first pull. She increased the force behind it gradually, and observed as the hair continued to stand straight towards her, while the clothes did not. She guessed because hair was a part of him and so could be affected? She needed to do some experimenting, and honest to goodness training. Eventually, Kya was pulling as hard as she could and still have it sustainable on the trek towards the train station, and still no movement except several hairs which had been pulled out only to fall harmlessly to the ground the moment they left his head. Releasing him, and again taking breaths to slow her heart rate, Kya downed a health potion for no particular reason, but they were cooling and thirst quenching. Then, with an almost casual step, walked over and gave him another couple slashes with the dagger. Couldn¡¯t have him waking up during all of this, that would be rather unfortunate. Kya began to take steps back and forth, pacing in the small room and considering what she ought to do when, she had an epiphany, or so she thought. Going over to a nearby shelf, she picked up a random object, some weird oblong piece of wood that kinda reminded her of a miniature football. It was dense, heavy wood and had a bit of detailing on it, but she didn¡¯t really care that much, she just wanted it for the weight. She once more began with the most gentle and delicate pull she could manage, not quite enough to lift the wooden object out of her hands, but she noticed an immediate decrease in its weight. She wondered for the first time, fundamentally, what her powers were doing. They weren¡¯t really ¡°pulling¡± on the object at all, but reorienting it. She could, for the first time with this object in her hands, feel its weight slowly lessen towards the earth, and instead begin moving towards her. She should have paid more attention in physics class, because this would likely make significantly more sense, but what if she wasn¡¯t just pushing and pulling like the name suggested, but rather changing the actual gravity of- - - - - - - HIDDEN QUEST DISCOVERED! - Class Quest: The Nature of Space - Objective: Determine the true nature of your abilities and translate that knowledge into understanding. - Time Remaining: N/A - Rewards: +20% to Class Ability {Push and Pull} - - - - - - QUEST COMPLETE - You have realized the nature of your abilities, centered in affecting the gravity of objects around you. Go forth with newfound strength and wisdom in yourself as you affect the world just as it affects you. Reward: Ability {Push and Pull - 1-Star - 76%} to {Push and Pull - 1-Star - 96%}. - - - - - A stupid grin spread across Kya¡¯s face. Part of her thought it was a little cheap, as she¡¯d been thinking it would take much longer to reach this point, but still, ninety-six percent wasn¡¯t half bad. Not bad at all. Taking her discovery to heart, she returned to the heavy dwarf almost bouncy with giddiness, and grabbed both arms. She then pulled with both magical and mundane means at the same time, and to her delight, he slid across the floor like it was made of ice. He still had a heft to him, and she wouldn¡¯t be full sprinting back to the train by any means, but this would work nicely. Flinging the door open, Kya walked out into the morning suns light, happy things were going so well as they were, and began back to the station. She got some rather strange looks from a group of children walking along the road, but when they saw her eyes, they quickly nudged each other in the ribs and talked excitedly in hushed tones, then they ran off ahead of her. She chuckled quietly, huffing with the effort. This was easier than it was, but didn¡¯t mean it was easy. Eventually, she pulled the body of Taln up the stamps to the train station, left a couple feron on the counter of the stunned attendant, and finally boarded the sleek silver bullet train, sitting back down in the plush chair of the see-through car. It had been what, literally a day since she first boarded the train to come out here? That felt like a week ago, maybe more. Kya had dried blood and dirt in several places, her hair was an absolute rat''s nest, though she couldn¡¯t see it, she knew it. Reclining with her eyes closed, she almost fell asleep right then and there, feeling the gently swaying motion of the train as she waited for their departure. However, her eyes snapped open and she turned her head sharply around when her aura picked up on another user entering the room. 31. Returning to the Scene The man stumbled forward, collapsing into a seat across the aisle from Kya. He was wearing a travel worn brown cloak, with dark gray clothes underneath that looked both much too warm and much too woolen for the temperate climate in which they found themselves. He had shaggy black hair, and a patchy beard. His deep maroon eyes smoldered as they peered out at the crumpled form of Taln from under bushy eyebrows. Literally. They seemed to emit heatwaves, and the iris¡¯ moved and flowed like pools of molten magma. Kya had seen several different variations of the signature bright eyes that one receives from classes, but this was the first one that truly seemed magical, like his very gaze held a heat and intensity that went unmatched in others. She was immediately wary of the man, given the last user she¡¯d seen had dissolved into shadows, and whose equipment she now carried around with her. However, despite the tension in her limbs and the wary glances she threw his way, he didn¡¯t seem to notice any of it. He was breathing deeply, his nose working like a great bellows at a forge, and eventually said in a gruff, haggard oddly accented voice: ¡°Not the most typical of thing be draggin¡¯ along to the city.¡± Still not relaxing in the presence of the unknown man, she mentally chided herself before quickly using identify. She had to get better at this. - - - - - Vulair Saaio Class: {Fire}- 1-Star - - - - - At least he was a 1-star she thought, then amended it to At least it actually identified him. Still annoyed about her skill not working on the four-eyed man. As for the observation the man had made, it was a true enough statement, and Kya felt no need to respond to it. She rather just moved slightly further back in her seat, still ready to act at a moment''s notice. The man, Vulair, his head was bobbing up and down like a cork on water until it finally came to a halt hanging low against his chest. Kya wasn¡¯t sure what was happening until he let out a slow heavy snore, that was immediately joined to another, and several more following on. Kya waited a good minute before she started to slowly unknot her muscles and sit back down into her seat. She was suspicious it was all an act simply put forth to lull her into a- Kya almost left her skin behind as she jumped. The train had started moving. Good god she thought, clutching to her heart, while at the same moment, Vulair snapped his head back with a sharp ¡°What''s this again?¡± and her suddenly tensed muscles and the shot of pure adrenaline were both redoubled when he looked around and once more locked his eyes upon hers. She had felt pressure like this before, back in the guild hall facing that man who¡¯d wanted to take her away, or before that when she¡¯d still been normal and facing the Tigers gaze, this man was supposed to be at her level, so why was he so much more¡­ intimidating than her? He squirted his eyes of liquid flame and said ¡°Nor the most typical of eyes to be viewin¡¯ the world with.¡± Again, not a question and again, Kya did not want to respond, but this one rather more put her on edge than the question about the unconscious dwarf. ¡°What do you know of my eyes?¡± He chuckled softly, and looked away, turning to face out his own side of the transparent vehicle as the vistas sailed by. ¡°Nothin¡¯, o¡¯ course, I meant nothin¡¯ at all, an¡¯ I know nothin¡¯ at all. But you¡¯d best watch yourself. People aer quick to forget, but quicker to remember. Lots of people have the nasty habit of rememberin¡¯ things you¡¯d sooner they forget.¡± Kya frowned, relaxing slightly at the casual way he spoke and almost comical lack of danger coming from him once he turned his gaze away. ¡°Care to explain what you mean by that?¡± ¡°No¡± He said with a large yawn, before settling in and pulling his old cloak around himself like a blanket, ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± After that, the man didn¡¯t speak another word the rest of the ride back into the city. Kya made a couple attempts at restarting the conversation and asking for more detail and information on other topics, but the man was either genuinely asleep, or flatout ignoring her. Reaching down once or twice to renew the venom flowing through Taln, Kya otherwise looked out at the large river over which they currently passed, and at the looming walls of Lyra in the distance. The man didn¡¯t move a muscle as the train pulled to a stop. Kya thought about trying to wake him, then thought that would be a really dumb thing to do, and left the man to his rest. Pulling talk behind her like a homemade wagon, Kya dismounted and once more found herself in the bustling morning streets of the city. It was almost incomprehensible that the day prior she¡¯d been here on her way out of the town. So much had happened all in one night. So much¡­ and too much. She reexamined the church with the waterfall windows, the one she¡¯d been unceremoniously thrown from, and remembering this time, used identify. - - - - - - Domain: Temple of Waters - Medium - Status: Claimed - Description: Holy grounds for the god of water. You have been warned never to set foot on their holy ground again. Probably best to steer clear. For now. - - - - - NEW QUEST! - Pirating from Preachers You have discovered a domain claimed by someone else. Domains are extremely interesting and magical places that do all sorts of neat and helpful things! However, you are not able to partake of these benefits while the holder of this domain has you labeled as unwelcome. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.- Objective: Gain access to the benefits of this domain. - Time Remaining: 21w:5d:15h:06m:42s - Rewards: Rewards contingent on manner of quest completion. - - - - - She stopped dead in the middle of the small-town circle connecting several small restaurants, the train station, and the church, along with several roads in different directions. Another quest? She was just piling these things on here. And what was with that time limit, twenty-one weeks? That would be what¡­ five months from now? That was a crazy long time, implying immediately for Kya that it would be likely the most difficult or most unlikely to succeed quest she¡¯d gotten so far. She pulled up her quest tap to take inventory of the ones currently active that she needed to do. - - - - - - Quests - Guild Contract: Hellhounds on the Farm - 1-Star - Rare Objective: Inform the Farmers the hellhounds have been eliminated, and report back to the guild hall. - Closeted Cultists Objective: Report the rituals, events, and circumstances to the authorities. Optional Objective: Talk to the house staff, see if they¡¯ll talk now that their master is dead. - Pirating from Preachers Objective: Gain access to the benefits of this domain. - - - - - She found she could mentally click on each of them individually to pull up the in-depth descriptions, with the timers and the progress and all of that. However, she rather preferred the minimal design of this to a massive wall of words she¡¯d have to read. This seemed more organized to her. Beginning to walk again, and leaving behind the large waterfall church, she contemplated whether or not the way her screens and quests and whatnot were set up specifically for her, or if they were how they were independent of her. She wondered if anyone else had access to the quests and updates like she did. She knew others had identify skills, but she wasn¡¯t sure about the quests. Shrugging, and then readjusting her grip, she continued to pull Taln the unconscious dwarf along through the streets of Lyra, attracting no small amount of attention in the process. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Wade was properly tired. Shed cleaned and oiled her weapon, her armor, her practice armor, her backup weapon, her pocketknife, and her boots¡­ twice. She hadn¡¯t slept at all since the previous evening when Alder had come to get her from her cell. They¡¯d left immediately, sailed through the night, and would likely reach their destination in the next couple hours. They¡¯d been fortunate to find a ship also carrying one of the weird little wind users, and the strange man had played his instrument through the entire night, for hours and hours continuously. She hadn¡¯t slept for excitement on the journey and path to come. She hadn¡¯t slept for the relief and anger both that she felt towards the Loterran army for how they were treating her and Alder. But mostly she hadn¡¯t slept because she¡¯d been simply listening to the man play. Wade could feel he was a 1-Star, same as her. Like her, he was close to getting his next star as well. Which made it all the more incredible that he had somehow managed to funnel the wind for their sails for the whole night. The concentration, the power, the control, this man was a savant of the highest order. Wade couldn¡¯t tear her eyes, shut her ears, force herself to miss a moment of his performance. The wind in their sails was a true gift to the whole ship, not just the music he graced them with. A journey that should have easily taken a full day, and maybe a little more besides if they met an unfriendly sea beast along the way, would hardly take them more than thirteen or fourteen hours with this man¡¯s help. It made Wade wonder why wind users weren¡¯t more ubiquitous, if they could so readily and easily aid in the sailing of ships. She knew there had to be some drawback, as all things had their balance, but from where she says listening to the performance, all she could do was marvel at the unrivaled skill. Alder trudged up the stairs a few minutes later, and sat down next to her, back to the railing as they watched the suns rise over the distant watery horizon. He handed her a ship''s biscuit, the dried but hearty travel rations ships often carried to get them through longer voyages. He didn¡¯t say a word, also listening and getting caught up in the music and melodies of sea and wind. They ate together, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the salty spray of the sea. He eventually took out a small notebook and began to write with a charcoal pencil he kept in a sleeve pocket designed for the purpose. ¡°Interesting news from the others¡± he wrote. Beckoning for the pencil, she replied simply ¡°What¡± ¡°The others still keep me informed about what¡¯s going on. Do you want Sayr-¡± He stopped writing abruptly as Wade tore the notebook from his hands and held it for a moment, before shaking her head and handing it back. ¡°World news then. Lots of big players are moving around.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Not sure on specifics, they don¡¯t know much yet either, but the rumors ar-¡± He stopped writing again when she scoffed and stood, stretching out her considerable height. He stood too then, joining her at the railing. The wind, whipped into a frenzy by the melodies streaming down from the rear of the ship, clawed at their hair and clothes like it wished to take them along for a ride. Leaning down over the side, Wade looked down at the waves crashing by, at the bottomless depths below, and then up at the sky around, lit a flame with greens, blues, purples, and oranges from the twin suns rising. Alder was at the railing next to her, not saying anything, not really looking at anything either. The pencil and notebook clutched loosely in his hands. At a gesture from Wade, he handed them over, and she wrote: ¡°I don¡¯t care about rumors. Let me know when one of them actually has something to say.¡± Alder chuckled, then put then pencil and paper away, before placing his fingers and leaning against the railing. Wade was tired, yes, but also anxious. She would deal with the supposed ¡®big players¡¯ if and when the time came. She wasn''t anxious for that in the slightest. For now, she was simply anxious to get off this blasted boat and get to working on her stars. She had been so close for so long and would start slaughtering the fish beneath their feet any second now if she had to wait any longer. She would be a 2-Star by the end of the week. Hell, by the end of the day if she could manage it. Wade began to pace back and forth back and forth, Alder not turning to look at her. He had watched and laughed the first couple times she paced the length of the ship, but after seeing the same things for hours last night and again today, it had lost its ability to amuse. Looking up at the man with the violin, she again wondered at the stamina and concentration it took for him to perform like this. Keep playing, stranger she thought with equal parts awe and greed, play as much as possible, and take me to my hunting grounds. 32. Clinical Theology Kya smiled to herself as she walked through the streets of Lyra, periodically pausing to reach down and stab her venomous dagger into the dwarf whom she was pulling along behind her like a sack of potatoes. Oh, I hope they have potatoes in this world. She thought idly. They probably have some sort of substitute for them, but I''ll be pretty disappointed to never have one again. She shook her head before broadening her smile. Another group of confused and mildly terrified pedestrians scrambled out of her path with eyes like dinner plates. That kept happening for some odd reason. Meanwhile, looking back, she saw the large troupe of random children following her some distance back. She didn¡¯t know where they had come from, nor where they were supposed to be, but at this moment, it genuinely felt to Kya like she was the pied piper, leading a group of children with her ragdoll dwarf. Deciding it was probably best to cut this short before it got out of hand, rather than later regret allowing it to continue, Kya ducked into a side alley way, then did so again, and a third time, until she had more or less shaken off the merry band of kids. She knew vaguely where Rory¡¯s clinic was, but the specifics were somewhat eluding her. Especially in a town of this size, she was absolutely beyond her scope of expertise. If she had lived here for several months, with a priority on exploration, then she might have known her way around. But this wasn¡¯t like the grid system she was used to in large cities back where she came from. These streets were wide in some places, narrow in others. Some had roads spanning miles and miles, others led to immediate dead ends. If not for the frightened populace giving her directions whenever she asked, Kya would likely have never found where she was trying to go. However, after much longer than she would have liked, and several more attempts at ditching the horde of kids now entirely hooked on chasing down and finding the elusive dwarf dragger, Kya finally arrived at the large doors to Rory¡¯s clinic. Not wanting to drop her hold on the dwarfs legs, Kya awkwardly raised her foot and pulled on the door to try and open it. After her third attempt, she sighed, and was about to acquiesce when none other than good old Tom came and opened the door from within. ¡°Ah, welcome back Miss¡­ Kya¡­ Why and how are you dragging an unconscious dwarf around?¡± He had started off so cheerily, only to have such a rapid and visual decline into utter confusion, that Kya couldn¡¯t herself and let out a lighthearted laugh. ¡°Hello Tom, how are you doing today?¡± His eyes never leaving the dwarf as he beckoned her inside, he responded ¡°Well, doing well. There is this one thing though, I can¡¯t quite seem to remember¡­ Oh yeah, and why is there an unconscious dwarf being dragged into the lobby of our clinic?¡± This only redoubled her fit of laughter, and still not answering him, Kya asked ¡°Is Rory in? I need to see him on a variety of issues, but I think it¡¯d be best if we talked one on one.¡± Sighing with the auditory power of a steam engine, he walked away mumbling ¡°I¡¯m a healer too, I could have helped. But fine, I¡¯ll fetch Rory. He probably won¡¯t even take bone samples, huh.¡± Leaving Taln in the center of the lobby, she went over and collapsed down into a chair. They were the kinds that seemed mass produced. She had no idea the types of industry they had in this world, some magical chair making ability didn¡¯t seem out of the question, but these were nice enough. Plush enough to be acceptable, but uncomfortable enough to not make you fully relaxed. Looking over, she saw an elderly man with rosy, red splotches on his cheeks, and bald scalp. His long elf ears were discolored and the skin on them seemed to be peeling. She didn¡¯t know what he had, but clearly it wasn''t something pleasant from the constant scratching he did. He likewise stared back at her, ordinary non magical green eyes meeting her luminous pinks, and they seemed to almost size each other up. - - - - - Aaron Svit Class - None - - - - - She had felt this from his aura, sensing that he was there and that there wasn¡¯t any magic in him, but it was good to have the confirmation. As she observed the man, and he her, several things hit her at once. Firstly, and most obviously, this man reminded her of Arthur. Not through any specific shared facial features or mannerisms, simply by being an elder, it made her think of the man whose body she¡¯d looted hours before. All the laughter left her then, sobered up in a moment like cold water had fallen on her face. The second realization was one of age. She didn¡¯t know how long elves typically lived, but assumed it to be roughly equivalent to humans. That put this man in maybe his high seventies or low eighties. Somewhere around there. What would she look like when she was eighty? Rory looked remarkably young, and yet she knew him to be much older than he looked. Would she ever actually grow old? So many parts of this new life and new reality remained entirely foreign to her. Yet to be broached or really faced by her conscious mind. ¡°You are a user.¡± The man stated in a quavering voice. Not from nerves, she thought, but merely age. His observation wasn¡¯t a question, but Kya answered him anyway. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°You have chosen the path of space, it would seem.¡± ¡°Yes, I did.¡± ¡°You are young. Human. I¡¯d guess not from around Lyra, maybe not even Loterre.¡± Kya wasn¡¯t wholly enjoying the line of observations made on her as the subject and decided to try and cut to the chase. ¡°Is there going to be a question at some point?¡± Her tone not unkind, but not the warmest it could have been. He smiled, showing off several yellowed teeth and a couple missing ones ¡°Not just now, no. But how about a recommendation instead. You ought to-¡± ¡°Alright now Milly, here¡¯s a toffee for being such a good girl today, and remember to hold onto the railing next time you¡¯re going down the stairs, okay?¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Rory was handing a small girl of about two or three a wrapped piece of candy, while the haggard looking mother smiled and said ¡°Thank you dear, we really appreciate all your help. Don¡¯t we Milly?¡± The child, Milly, was already loudly chewing on the toffee but garbled out a laugh and something along the lines of ¡°-ank yoo ¡®unny man¡± The mother did a small bow with the child in her arms, before turning and leaving a chuckling Rory waving her off. It speaks a lot to the relief of a parent about their child''s wellbeing that the woman didn¡¯t even stop to question the passed-out form of Taln not two inches from where she stepped on her way out. Rory, on the other hand, very much had noticed. ¡°Now then, I¡¯m sorry Mr. Svit, but if you can hold on just a little longer, I think I¡¯d like to clear up¡­ whatever this is before I see you today. Unless you wouldn¡¯t mind letting Tom see you?¡± The elderly elf chuckled softly, and Tom stuck his eager face around the corner, eyes full of hope. ¡°Tom is more likely to cut off my ears to cure me than to give me any medicines. I¡¯ll see him though, so long as he keeps the scissors in the drawers.¡± You might have thought it was Tom''s birthday, the way he let out an excited whoop before coming over to escort the elf back. Turning as he left, he said ¡°My recommendation. Read up on some history. It wouldn¡¯t do for someone in your position to go about not knowing any. I don¡¯t know how you managed to get the class you have, but it¡¯s a remarkable thing. Remarkable indeed.¡± Without saying anything else and leaving both Kya and Rory with mixed expressions on their faces, the too-excited-to-take-in-anything-happening-around-him Tom led him back into an examination room. ¡°I have just so very many questions, Kya.¡± Rory began, ¡°I think the most prescient would be: Why is there a drugged-up dwarf passed out and drooling on my floor?¡± Focusing her attention back onto Rory, Kya said ¡°Well, if you¡¯ll help me get him off the floor, we can talk about that in a less conspicuous place.¡± Nodding slowly, Rory came over and executed a perfect fireman''s carry, hoisting the dwarf over his shoulder and grunting as he stood back up from his squat in a single fluid motion. ¡°I hate caring for dwarves; their bones are so dense. Makes them impossible to move around.¡± Looking over his shoulder, he noticed that Kya had simply been staring open mouthed at him. It had taken her using a mix of spatial magic and brute strength just to drag him across the floor¡­ and Rory was just carrying him around, presumably with raw strength alone. ¡°Rory¡± ¡°Yes Kya?¡± ¡°How strong are you?¡± ¡°In what context? I¡¯ve done a bit of wrestling, but it¡¯s been a couple years since I did any fighting outside of the waves.¡± ¡°In the context of ¡®how the hell are you carrying that guy.¡¯¡± ¡°I¡¯m carrying him pretty much solely because of my second star. Come on,¡± he grunted, readjusting ¡°we¡¯ll talk about it after I put this guy down.¡± The resounding crash that followed Rory placing down the dwarf, as well as the groan of effort accompanied with him rolling his shoulders and taking a couple deep breaths, were both testaments to the sheer weight of the man. Kya realized belatedly that she could have probably helped him with the weight using her abilities, but¡­ oh well. ¡°Now then,¡± Rory said, clapping his hands together and rubbing them back and forth in what Kya had always called ¡®polishing your palms¡¯ ¡°There¡¯s a whole list of things I need to know. Firstly, who is he. Secondly, do you know the venom he¡¯s suffering from? Thirdly, what happened that led us here, and how does it involve the undead?¡± The last addition taking her back, Kya asked ¡°How do you know about the unde- oh is it the blessing or boon or whatever?¡± ¡°Yes, but we¡¯ll do that later. Start at the start, who is he and what happened? I can tell the venom isn¡¯t life threatening, at least not at this dosage and at least not for him, but still.¡± ¡°Do you want the long answer to your question, or the short answer?¡± He thought for a moment ¡°Can I have a medium answer?¡± Kya then explained about the hellhounds, the dinner at Arthurs, the discovery of the rituals, stopping the one in the underground chamber, and about Taln offering to play the game in exchange for answers, followed by Kya¡¯s knocking him out and transporting him back here. She intentionally avoided referencing the quest ability she had, as well as the mysterious four-eyed man. She didn¡¯t know why but had a strong feeling that those weren¡¯t cards she wanted to play just yet. Sitting down with a huff as a stool appeared beneath him, Rory ran a hand across his suddenly tired looking face. She noticed this time, unlike before, that his ring had flashed ever so faintly as the stool appeared. A moment later, her assumption was confirmed. - - - - - - Item: Spatial ring - Rarity: Common - Description: A ring once used widely throughout the world, it utilizes a spatial enchantment to create a small storage space inside the gem. - Enchantments: Basic Spatial Expansion - Requirements: N/A - - - - - She made note of the fact that he was wearing it, and that it was the same basic enchantment as both the other ring she¡¯d found, as well as the bag she still carried with her. ¡°A resurrection ritual right outside of the city, and no one even knew. That can¡¯t be right.¡± ¡°Well, I could have been wrong, but it really seemed like-¡± ¡°No,¡± he said, cutting her off ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that was a resurrection ritual based on everything you told me. What I¡¯m saying is there isn¡¯t any way someone hadn¡¯t detected that much death magic in one area. We need to have a talk with the death church.¡± He then heaved a great sigh and looked up at her from his wooden stool ¡°We¡¯ll take him to the guild hall to be interrogated, but we can take care of your boon right now if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°Interrogated? They won¡¯t harm him, will they? It¡¯s possible he was complicit, but I don¡¯t think he had any active role in what happened, nor do I think he was acting of his own free will.¡± Rory absently waved his hand ¡°No no, they won¡¯t hurt him. Just get the information from him so it¡¯s on record.¡± Kya let out a knot of tension that had suddenly sprung up between her shoulder blades. She didn¡¯t know Taln very well, or at all really past his name, but she still didn¡¯t want to see him blamed for everything simply because he was their servant. ¡°So then, the boon?¡± Rory said again. ¡°Explain what it is first. Like what will happen, do I have to convert to your religion or something?¡± Rory let out an amused grunt ¡°If you mean become a priest, no, no you don¡¯t have to do that. Basically, all it means is you did something my god has commanded. Depending on what it was and how difficult it was to do, you get a boon. I can already tell this is a pretty minor one, so most likely it¡¯ll just be some small passive boost to an ability, but they can vary wildly. The best effects come when the boon is given by your own god, but they¡¯re hardly ever bad things.¡± ¡°Hardly, so it might be bad?¡± Rory shrugged and made a half grunt half groan sound ¡°ehhh, almost certainly not. Definitely not from the church of life. Some of the other ones though can be pretty weird. The god of fire likes to give out a boon where your abilities get a slight boost the warmer you are. You get people wearing woolen cloaks and dying of heat stroke for a few extra powerful attacks.¡± He shook his head ¡°anyway, I digress. Let''s take care of yours in the ritual room, then we can get heavy here to the guild and clear up this whole mess.¡± Nodding her agreement, Kya wordlessly followed Rory down the hall like she¡¯d done days before when she¡¯d first unlocked her class, mind full of questions about gods and goddesses of this world. 33. Important Conversations to Have Kya wouldn¡¯t really describe herself as a religious person. She had been raised vaguely Christian, attending services on Christmas and Easter, as well as going to an occasional Sunday school service with her parents and older sister. She had vague memories of watching VeggieTales and singing about Noah saving the world''s animals from the flood, but after about the fourth or fifth grade, her family had stopped going. From there she more or less forgot about the idea of religion unless they¡¯d talk about it in school if they went to one of her many cousins'' homes and were scolded by their parents for eating without saying grace first. Kya wasn¡¯t against religion or anything, she¡¯d even read up on Islam and Buddhism in her college years, but more for academic purposes than spiritual ones. She¡¯d been invited countless times to one of her friends'' church services and decided to attend simply to stop the pestering. She¡¯d had a nice enough time, and all the people had been warm and welcoming, but she hadn¡¯t returned. Something about it just didn¡¯t jive with her. She hadn¡¯t really felt any connection or awakening or anything like people often described. Now, walking back into the ritual room after Rory, Kya had a very much different feeling than before in that large sanctuary. For one, she was on another planet, with two suns and three moons, and magic trains and dogs that breathed fire. Having experienced all of that since her arrival, she was finally on more of a ¡°there has to be more going on here¡± wave than before. She still didn¡¯t know about subscribing to become a worshiper or anything, but clearly there were beings of great power in this world, and apparently, she was about to be blessed by one. Rory, for his part, was being incredibly casual about the whole thing. Like, almost worryingly so. There wasn¡¯t any way he was about to summon a god, right? This was some ancient mount olympus type being here, they wouldn¡¯t show up because a random guy asked them to¡­ would they? Kya supposed not, as that made them seem rather like hyper powerful pets instead of masters, coming at the beck and call of their servants. But honestly, she didn¡¯t know what to think or expect at this point. They went to the center of the room together, Rory, despite his assurances that this wasn¡¯t anything to worry about, also seemed to be either nervous or formal as he no longer spoke to her. When they reached the central circle of the glowing green room, he simply pointed at her, and pointed downwards. His brilliant emerald eyes held hers for a long moment, and the haggard yet joking face he always wore was entirely gone. He seemed simultaneously ten years younger but a hundred older. Kya understanding that she was to stay, watched as Rory went around and placed down larger crystals than she¡¯d seen before, massive chunks of glowing iridescent gems into the cubbies around the ritual circle. The air around them began to feel thick and warm, like she¡¯d just stepped into a greenhouse. Though there was no visual change other than the additional lights from the crystals, there was an almost imperceptible buzz emanating from around the room. It made Kya think of being on a massive ship, knowing that several decks below as an engine the size of a residential house. Just a faint, omnipresent rumbling both ever so close and ever so distant. Beads of sweat began to appear on Kya¡¯s brow, and she hurriedly wiped them away. She still hadn¡¯t showered. She wished she¡¯d showered if she was going to meet a god. She quickly clenched and unclenched her fists a couple times, before taking a steadying breath. However, as Rory stepped back into the circle, she felt an almost profound sense of energy spread all throughout her body. Her legs started to twitch, and she felt no desire more strongly in that moment than to go running, jumping, dancing, something. She felt incredible, like she could climb a mountain, then tear it apart stone by stone to build herself a castle. That faint buzzing was getting louder, it was like a rushing crashing ocean now, all around her, all around the room. Kya was sure she could have, in this moment, done any task in the world. Done anything in her world. Hell, she could probably find a way back to her world. Her mind felt like it was racing a mile a minute. No problem too tall, no- Rory gently cupped either side of Kya¡¯s head, and softly kissed her in the exact center of her forehead. Again, visually, nothing changed. The room was still lit by encased vermillion glowstones. The same life crystals sat in their respective alcoves, no brighter or dimmer than they were a moment ago. Rory stood directly opposite her, looking exultantly ecstatic while his eyes looked so¡­ so old. But the roaring and rushing waves of energy around her cut out so suddenly, Kya was unequivocally certain she had gone deaf. That the ritual had cut out sound from the world, and soon the god itself would appear. Instead, she cringed back and almost cried before laughing when her fucking narrator started speaking like he was a pastor in some over the top movie. - - - - - - You have been the subject of a divine ritual from a member of the Church of {Life}. If you accept this ritual into your soul, you will be granted the following effects: - Holy Boon: {Life} - 1-Star - Your body will process the residual magic of healing potions more quickly, slightly reducing the time you must wait before taking subsequent potions. Note - This holy boon will not grant access to your soul. Note - Refusing a boon is an option, but the offering deity may not like that very much. One does not refuse a god''s grace so lightly. - - - - - - Accept Holy Boon: {Life} - 1 Star? - (Yes)/(No) - - - - - Kya was still laughing while Rory stood there, still as a statue and looking at her like she¡¯d committed some faux pas, but she didn¡¯t care. She mentally clicked yes as she got to her feet. - - - - - - You have added a Holy Boon to your soul. - You have unlocked the {Divines} Screen. - - - - - Seeming to sense that the ritual was over, or that she¡¯d accepted, or something, Rory visibly relaxed and then looked at her with an outright accusing glare. He stuttered out, taking halting pauses between each word like he couldn¡¯t quite string together a complete sentence. ¡°How¡­ what¡­ why in Ferona¡¯s name did you just laugh during a divine ritual?¡± This just made Kya laugh even harder, doubling over and holding her stomach with one hand, while holding up another for him to be quiet and let her be for a minute. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. When finally, she could breathe again, she managed to stammer out ¡°I-It was my narrator.¡± She heaved for breath, continuing ¡°That guy has always grated on my nerves, but I think he¡¯s just bored, honestly.¡± The sheer confusion so clearly displayed on Rory¡¯s face was absolutely priceless, making her crack up all over again. ¡°Your¡­ Narrator¡­ What does that even mean?¡± ¡°Rory,¡± she said between gasps for breath, deciding then and there to maybe reveal a few of her cards. Not all, but a few ¡°We need to talk about quite a few things, and I need your advice on quite a few more.¡± Rory looked at her for an almost uncomfortable amount of time, his face going through several variations of shock, disbelief, confusion, and what she thought was amusement or elation. Finally, he said something in a voice of pure trepidation that brought a chill down her spine and an end to her mirth. ¡°Kya, are¡­ are you a founder?¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Sayrin knelt on the floor at the end of his bed. He¡¯d slept fitfully through the rest of the night after leaving Filrin¡¯s office. He¡¯d arrived home and immediately gone to a guest bedroom in his home, leaving instructions to be roused by his house servants an hour before his wife. Sayrin¡¯s eyes were already open and staring into the inky nothing that was the dark room when the door opened. ¡°Master Sayrin¡± came the soft voice of his master servant, wearing the characteristic golden clothes with a white flowing sash draping down one shoulder and across the chest to the opposite hip ¡°It is time to-¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Thank you, Zita. I¡¯m awake.¡± ¡°Very good sir. Is there anything else I might assist with at the moment?¡± She said, inclining her head and clasping her hands together in front of her. Sayrin had been thinking of how to do this for some time now, trying to formulate the best strategy, the best avenue of approach for how he wanted the day to proceed. As such, when Zita asked him this question, he was able to more or less answer with confidence, though some slight doubt still lingered in his words. ¡°Yes, actually. What cheeses do we have in the kitchen?¡± Now he knelt, at the end of his own bed, in which he had not slept. In which his wife currently lay. In front of him, a tray of food he¡¯d prepared just for her. It was a small thing. But he knew Mata, he¡¯d known her for a very long time. She liked little things like this. It wouldn¡¯t be what repaired their relationship after the last several months, but it would be a start. He sighed, not for the first time. His stomach gurgling its emptiness up at him, and he eyed the silver cover hiding the food. ¡­ Would she really notice if he just¡­ took one? No, no. Probably not a good idea. Sayrin didn¡¯t know what he was feeling at the moment. His stomach wasn¡¯t clenched in knots solely due to the hunger pangs of his belly. He would much rather go out and fight a sand serpent than do this. But it had to be done. For his heart, for his home, for his sanity. He spent much of this time in introspective thought and concern for the conversation to come, yes, but Sayrin also spent this time merely observing his wife. Her chocolate hair fell in thick waves around her caramel skin, her eyelids fluttered ever so slightly as her eyes moved under their embrace. They¡¯d been married for many years at this point. At times it felt strained and difficult. At times he wondered if it wouldn¡¯t be better for them both to quietly separate and go their separate ways. At times, he thought he could never care for her the same way he once did. But there were also moments like this morning. Moments where he could just watch her sleeping form, chest gently rising and falling with each slow breath, the dim lighting of only a few candles dancing with their own reflections in her hair. Admiring the shape of her nose and how perfectly it curved up, how perfectly it fit her face. Each and every part of her was wondrous in his eyes. Her long slender ears poked out through her hair like rocks from the sea. Her cheekbones contouring and softly extenuating her ever so slightly parted lips. Sayrin looked at every part of her, and knew that no matter what else, he would never find another woman like Mata. Not in another hundred or another thousand years of life. Which is why he needed to start on the path to rebuilding as quickly as he could. And why he felt his gut clench again and again at all he had and would put her through. Maybe he should leave her, so she could find someone better, someone more worthy to be with than him. Sayrin didn¡¯t know what to do. Again, give him a golem or tartaryn fiend, not all of¡­ this. After what felt like an eon more, each passing century marked with the clenching of his jaw, or release of yet another sigh, Sayrin finally saw his wife stir, raising her head from the pillow. Her eyes opened to reveal wondrous stars in the dark of the room. They gazed at one another, lustrous silver meeting radiant gold, and simply held one another, paralyzed in the moment, neither making the first move. Finally, Sayrin spoke up, clearing his throat after an hour or so of disuse, and said ¡°Good morning, songbird, I prepared you breakfast.¡± She gazed at him a moment more before releasing a soft exhale. A sigh? A laugh? Disappointment or amusement or delight or apathy, Sayrin had no idea how to interpret it. He could see, though she feigned a calm and relaxed posture, she was anything but. Leaning back on a rigid and tense arm, Sayrin thought perhaps she was simply waiting to see what would happen next. Moving slowly, he rose from the floor, picking up the tray and placing it on her lap in bed, then removed the silver dome with a slight flourish. She cracked a slight smile at that, and emboldened, Sayrin took a quick bow and said, ¡°made especially for you, our finest collection of cheese, bread, butter, and a light medley of fruits.¡± She gave him a sidelong look, an almost imperceptible smile still playing at her lips, a full and genuine one on Sayrin¡¯s. ¡°What is this for?¡± Mata said in her characteristically accented and melodic voice. ¡°For?¡± Sayrin asked, his smile faltering slightly ¡°Why must it be for anything?¡± ¡°Because, Palorie, I know you. I know you wouldn¡¯t just make breakfast yourself; you¡¯d tell one of the servants to do it. So, what¡¯s it for?¡± ¡°I just wanted to give you something nice to start your day. I know you like to eat as soon as you wake up, and I got it for you myself for no other reason than I wanted to.¡± She looked at him for a while longer, still holding his smile, now a little less genuine. Eventually, and simultaneously, they both let out deep sighs. At this, Sayrin cracked another slight smile while Mata only a slight frown. ¡°This doesn¡¯t change things Say,¡± she said softly ¡°I can¡¯t just forget because you brought me some bread and cheese.¡± As she spoke, she crossed both arms across her chest, holding herself, while her eyes darted up to him and back down to the food. He reached out a hand to touch her shoulder. But the moment he moved his arm up, he noticed the slight flinch that wracked her body for a moment. She noticed him notice, and a complicated expression came over her face, while he rapidly withdrew his arm as if he¡¯d been stung. Silence held them both in its suffocating grasp, until finally, Sayrin slowly put his hand to her shoulder and caressed it as gently as he could. ¡°I¡­ know. I know this doesn¡¯t change anything.¡± His voice almost breaking as he nearly whispered the words. ¡°But I need to start somewhere. We need to start somewhere.¡± He felt her relax under his touch, and after a second of uncertainty, she reached up and placed her hand over his. Just for the briefest of moments, she held his hand to her shoulder, held him to her. Then it was gone, and she turned her attention to the food. Picking up one of the bread slices and a thin piece of some whitish-green cheese Sayrin had never heard of, she took a small bite. His heart did a little tap dance when her hand touched his, but seeing her eyes light up as she ate, he felt like a newly minted butterfly house. ¡°Pal?¡± ¡°Yes Mata?¡± She looked up at him in an almost sheepish way, and said ¡°Did you, by chance, prepare a drink to go along with the meal?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± He trailed off, one hand raised to shoulder level, one finger pointed in the air that slowly closed to a fist which he tapped idly against his leg. ¡°... is that a no then?¡± ¡°That would be a no then¡­ or rather, a not yet!¡± He smiled at her, feeling and showing that he could still be a little silly when he wanted to be, and scurried back down to the kitchens. It was a small thing. Sayrin knew it was a small thing. Mata knew it was a small thing. But in relationships such as theirs, those were what mattered. Those are what made her happy. Those would be his objective for the time being. Unless, of course, something else were to happen. 34. Social Cues Stepping off the boat, Wade took in a deep breath. Last time aside, she always loved coming home to Lyra. It wasn¡¯t the greatest city in the world. It wasn¡¯t the biggest or wealthiest. It didn¡¯t have the nicest architecture, or the nicest people even. But damn it if this wasn¡¯t her home. What else really mattered in the face of that? Wade looked to her right as she felt the noises of the world quiet and become muffled. The crashing waves beneath the gang plank became distant and far away sounds, the wind calmed, and the cries of the dock workers and sailors were faint echoes. The wind user that had so expertly sped them along walked haggardly past her, like he was struggling just to stay awake on his feet. He stood a head shorter than Wade herself, which meant he was a tall man indeed. His tanned skin and dark wavy hair contrasted sharply with a single large splash of snow-white skin on his left cheek, and of course, with the pale ivory horns that rose from his forehead and swooped back to follow closely along his skull. She¡¯d only met a handful of the horned folks and could understand why some people found them off putting. Although firmly shorter than herself, he felt much taller simply due to the natural head adornment adding hardly more than a couple inches. But truthfully, Wade didn¡¯t much care about things like that. There were many who followed Sampson with goals of supremacy and all that, but not Wade. Power was power, and this man was obviously a powerhouse of a 1-Star. Wade didn¡¯t blame the man at all for being exhausted, frankly astonished he was able to so much as lift an arm after what he had done. She knew of channeling abilities of course. Relatively low effort spells that could be used for however long you could maintain their casting conditions. They grew more difficult to maintain as time went on, however. Wade had several friends who also subscribed to the path of war with berserker abilities. These increased their strength and endurance by orders of magnitude for however long the abilities were channeled, but at 1-Star, that usually meant at most half an hour, maybe a little more if they were more skilled with it. This man had controlled the winds themselves for well over seven hours. Like how she had grown to respect the spatial user for her tenacity and dauntless attitude towards a much more powerful foe, and grown to admire her for overcoming the foe, she too had a deep and profound respect for this wind user. She cared little about national origins or racial differences. Power was power. This man was powerful, even if he was still a 1-Star. Deciding that she couldn¡¯t let this moment pass her by, she walked up to the man and said ¡°I¡¯m Wade, Warrior¡­ and¡­ ¡°but she had to trail off. Her own voice, too, had begun to sound distorted and wrong. Much deeper than normal and indistinct, like she was trying to speak underwater. The man looked at her, and made an odd series of hand gestures, then waited for several moments. A slight frown wrinkled his face, and he seemed to let out a sigh, before continuing onwards, down the rest of the gangplank and towards the import office. As he walked, sound gradually bled back into the world, before snapping back into place all at once when the man had moved far enough away. ¡°Never met one of them before, have you?¡± Disoriented, Wade looked back to see Alder suppressing a laugh. ¡°No, as a matter of fact I haven¡¯t. I knew wind users didn¡¯t like to talk, and had a thing about sound in general, but that was¡­ wrong. What was he doing with his hands?¡± ¡°Asking if you understood what he was saying¡± Alder laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t use their voices to speak, they use their hands. Remember they have a thing about sounds.¡± ¡°But he played music literally all night long?¡± ¡°Yes, they have a weird thing about sound.¡± ¡°Alright, yeah, I can see why people don¡¯t like those horned weirdos much.¡± ¡°Come on Wade¡± Alder said, chuckling all the while ¡°Let''s go check in at the guild and see if we can¡¯t get started today. Refocusing in an instant, all thoughts of the wind user left her mind as Wade excitedly led the way towards the city walls for the second time in a week, returning home. She could see off in the distance the city lord''s manor atop the hill overlooking the entire city. Its white walls like a beacon, gleaming in the morning light. As soon as they passed through the massive gates and arched tunnel into the city, they noticed the early rush of people beginning their days. Several had already been there for hours, as was obvious from the numerous stalls and store fronts calling out their wares for the passing customers. Stopping for a moment to buy a small container of deep-fried dough balls, Wade paid the man behind the counter, tipping him twice the cost of the food itself. He almost cried as he thanked her profusely, but she just nodded and shook his hand before she walked away. As they walked, not taking the public transit in unspoken agreement, Alder asked ¡°I remember you saying you¡¯re a local to the area, does that mean you have any family in the area?¡± Wade, who¡¯d been smiling happily while eating the nostalgia inducing snacks, looked down at him, eyes thinning slightly. ¡°Yes.¡± She took on a contemplative air then, not quite sad, not quite happy. Clearly picking up on the body language, but just as clearly full of curiosity, Alder pressed on ¡°Will we go and visit home then? We should have some free time between contracts.¡± Wade now turned her steely eyes back to the rapidly diminishing tray of golden fried goodness. ¡°It would be best to let sleeping dogs lie, I think.¡± Alder wasn¡¯t an idiot, at least Wade hadn¡¯t thought him to be one. It seemed to her she was being rather straightforward in her refutation of his questions. But for some reason, he was acting like an idiot. At least Wade thought so. ¡°C¡¯mon Wade, I¡¯d love to meet the family! How about we take a contact, and stop home for lunch before heading out?¡± Very slowly and deliberately placing the final fried snack into her mouth, and taking her time with each and every bite, she felt him finally begin to grow uneasy next to her. Then leaning against the railing of the bridge they were on, she threw the small tray into stream below and paused to watch it dissolve, she said in a low voice imbued with her aura to give it that blunt force trauma effect she was after. ¡°Alder¡­ We¡¯ll wait to see my family until I say, yes?¡± She watched from the corner of her eye as his eyes grew just a bit wider, before he finally said ¡°Yeah¡­ Yeah alright Wade¡­¡± He had a significant pause, before finishing by saying ¡°At some point, we should probably talk about-¡± ¡°No. Thank you, but no.¡± Wade pushed away from the railing and continued walking, Alder lingering for a moment longer before following. ¡°You¡¯ll understand when we do eventually meet them, but not just now. For now, we have a job to do.¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The people parting around them like a river around stones, the chatter of the crowds, and the calls of vendors were the only sounds that accompanied the rest of their journey to the guild hall. The silence around them wasn¡¯t uncomfortable, at least not to Wade, but rather just contemplative. They were each left to their own thoughts until pushing open the grand double doors, they found themselves in the guild hall, amidst a flurry of hectic activity. Scribes ran this way and that, papers fluttering like birds shuffled past overhead, and the sand in the enormous hourglass could hardly be heard for all the shouting and yelling echoing around. The guild master himself stood behind one of the windows, talking animatedly with a clerk who looked to be shrinking back with each and every word said by the man. Shrinking, and yet no less determined to give the information he evidently didn¡¯t want to hear. Side stepping the line altogether, Alder and Wade made their way to the man, having previously met and talked with him, they were at least acquainted. Besides, in a town like this, a 2-Star earth user straight from Loterre afforded some privileges. Wade had been aware of the guild master for many years now, although always in the back of her mind. He had started his tenure here some four years prior, before she¡¯d even gotten her class. In that time, he¡¯d heard mostly good things about him, he had a genuine personality, working diligently to ensure tasks were handled well and was doing his best to root out any talk of corruption. He seemed for all the world a diligent and earnest man. She also knew, both from reputation and simply by looking at him, that he was an immigrant. Loterrens were not only elven, but also had an olive skin tone. This man had skin like milk chocolate, with black hair tied in braids trailing down the nape of his neck. His attire, too, was mostly black, however the crimson accents along both his coat and pants served to accentuate and highlight his matching crimson eyes. She knew life couldn¡¯t have been the easiest thing in the world for a young immigrant, especially some decades past, but clearly he¡¯d done well for himself to make it so far as to head a guild branch. An out of the way one like Lyra, yes, but a guildhall nonetheless. However, looking at him now, losing his patience with a 1-Star clerk, Wade thought that either his reputation was overstated, or something major must have happened indeed. Looking over as Alder approached, he silenced the clerk with a sharp gesture of his hands, and then smiled at the pair ¡°Aldrin, and Wade I believe it was, excellent to see you back in our city. Are you here because of all this?¡± He asked, gesturing to the chaos around him. ¡°We weren¡¯t given many details before we arrived.¡± Alder said quickly, ¡°Why don¡¯t you catch us up to speed. What have you done so far?¡± Wade gave him a sharp look, just for a moment and just barely noticeable, before turning back to stare into the pair of blazing eyes. She wouldn¡¯t be the one to give Alder away, but in that single response to the man, he¡¯d just done quite a bit. Taking a deep sigh, the guild master said ¡°Well, as you may know as it was your unit that discovered her, we were the first branch worldwide to induct a new spatial user. There have been several more since then, and as well as several time users too. None in this city, thankfully, but that¡¯s only the start.¡± Alder¡¯s mouth worked for several moments, like he was trying to speak but not a breath came out. Cracking a weary smile, the guild master said ¡°Exactly. It hasn¡¯t been as noticeable, being that they aren¡¯t tracked nearly as heavily, but there have also been spontaneous class rituals happening throughout the world producing new users of every type. Here in the city, even, there have been two water¡¯s, a fire, and a war user that have no records of any kind attached to them. Not to mention the spatial user a few days ago.¡± Wade was feeling an absolute torrent of mixed emotions as she listened, but at this, she had to break in ¡°Spontaneous class rituals? What does that even mean?¡± knowing perfectly well what it meant. She had witnessed one, possibly the first one. ¡°Well, we don¡¯t really understand it.¡± Said the guild master ¡°There seems to be a sudden portion of the population that can simply choose a class. No items or rituals required. Again, several of them weren¡¯t noted initially as they chose the more common classes, but that damn spatial user started the ball rolling. And here of all places¡­¡± He trailed off, dragging his hands down his face. Alder got a far off look in his eyes, before losing several shades of color on his face. ¡°We aren¡¯t the only ones coming, are we?¡± ¡°No, not by a long shot¡± he replied with a dry humorless laugh. ¡°Nearly every nation is sending an envoy here to investigate and see what¡¯s happening under the assumption that it all started here. The pressure has alleviated somewhat as more of these spontaneous class users have popped up around the world, but still.¡± Alder took all of this in, and Wade could have sworn she was watching the gears turning in his mind as he contemplated what to do next and say next. Finally, as the silence began to stretch longer, Wade turned to study the young clerk who¡¯d been sitting on the side absorbing every aspect of the conversation. She had lighter skin freckles all across her nose. Her brunette hair was layered in bouncy curls that framed her ever observant eyes. Literally, her eyes were glowing so brightly bronze, Wade had no doubt she was using a memory ability to take in every aspect of the moment. That¡­ could be tricky for later on. ¡°What were you two talking about as we walked up?¡± Wade asked suddenly, prompting the guild master to pinch the bridge of his nose and once again let out a suffering sigh. ¡°A couple of things, but neither are really important righ-¡± ¡°We were talking about the spatial user that registered here a couple days ago. As well as a theory I came up with last night with¡­. A friend.¡± Said the firm voice of the clerk, for some reason choking slightly on the last word. ¡°Yes, but again neither of those things are really relevant at the moment.¡± Said the guild master, for some reason trying to steer the conversation away from the topic. Alder, however, wasn¡¯t picking up on the clear signals. Whether intentionally or not, she once again couldn¡¯t tell, but he went right ahead and remarked ¡°Oh, actually guild master, that¡¯s perfect. We¡¯d like to see the spatial user, talk to her even if we could. We have several things I think she could clear up for us, in fact. Do you know where she is?¡± For the third and final time, he let out an irritated sigh, casting a sideways look at the clerk, who at least had the decency to look mildly chagrined. ¡°Well, that¡¯s the heart of it. We don¡¯t fully know. Someone streamlined her admittance into the guild, allowing her to sidestep the normal testing process and become a full member straight away. So, she is currently out on a contract.¡± Alder scoffed derisively, also giving the clerk a look, before asking ¡°She¡¯s been a 1-Star for less than a week, what kind of contract did she take? Does she even know how contracts work?¡± The guild master spread his hands wide ¡°Excellent question, does she understand how they work? Does she have even the slightest understanding of her abilities or how to use them? Who knows! But we do know she went off to fight a pack of hellhounds on one of the outer farms yesterday.¡± Alder winced slightly, ¡°Oof, those could be trouble. Was she with any-¡± ¡°Nope. Solo.¡± ¡°Have you sent-¡± ¡°Sent two 1-Star scouts out to the site of the report early this morning. They should report back in the next few hours.¡± Clapping his hands together, Alder seemed to think that he had everything he needed. ¡°Right then, I think we¡¯ll stick around and wait for that report if it¡¯s alright with you, guild master?¡± Nodding as well, seeming to reach a similar conclusion about the end of their talk ¡°Perfectly fine. If you miss them when they enter, I¡¯ll send for you to come up to my office when they return.¡± Turning to the clerk, he said ¡°We have more to discuss, Magnolia. That was, everything else aside, an egregious breach of protocol. If she ends up dead from this contract, that weight will be on your shoulders.¡± Nodding to Wade, and clasping hands with Alder, the guild master placed both hands together in the small of his back and walked purposefully through the ornate doors leading further into the guild hall. The three of them stood watching him until he was out of sight, then looking at each other, Alder asked ¡°Do either of you know his name? I feel like it''s too late to ask without making both of us feel bad about the question, and for the life of me, I can¡¯t remember if I¡¯ve ever heard it.¡± Both women looked at each other, and as if an understanding passed between them, started laughing at the same moment. ¡°Is he always like this?¡± Asked the clerk, Magnolia. ¡°Every moment of every day.¡± Replied Wade. Wiping a tear from her eye, Magnolia said ¡°Everyone always just calls him guild master. His real name is known by any of us with an identify skill, but we¡¯ve all promised not to say it out loud. Trust me, you wouldn¡¯t believe me even if I told you. While we¡¯re on the subject, I¡¯m Maggie. Please don¡¯t call me Magnolia, or I¡¯ll feel like a grandmother.¡± ¡°Pleasure to meet you Maggie, I¡¯m Alder and this is Wade.¡± ¡°Alder?¡± She asked, and Wade noted the glow in her bronze eyes still hadn¡¯t diminished. She was still memorizing everything. Alder simply waved the question away, ¡°Not important for the moment, I promise to explain fully however if you tell me that theory you came up with.¡± Her eyes crinkling like she¡¯d just been given an unexpected and delightful gift, she smiled sweetly and said, ¡°You have yourself a deal!¡± She led them a bit away from the counter, putting out a sign that read be back soon then produced a few small chairs with the wave of her hand and glow of her ring. After they all settled themselves, Wade idly undoing her tightly braided hair and redoing it, and listened intently as Maggie began ¡°What do you know about founders?¡± 35. Read the Room Kya and Rory exited the ritual room after nearly an hour of deep conversation. They had gone over a great many things, and ultimately, decided on a plan of action for the rest of morning. For her part, Kya was somewhat reeling from the conversation, and somewhat relieved at everything she¡¯d been able to say and been able to learn from Rory. ¡°Pause for a moment in the lobby, I¡¯ll grab the dwarf, and meet you there.¡± Said Rory, his tone brooking no dissent. This was the first time she¡¯d heard him be this straightforward and blunt, rather than his usual air of tired amusement. Nodding without feeling the need to respond, Kya continued onwards out into the lobby, a single young woman with a newborn baby swaddled in her arms anxiously pacing around. Tom had come back out some time ago and was attempting to talk to the woman. As she walked in, she heard what was clearly the middle of an almost comical conversation: ¡°-just think that if I could take a simple look¡± Tom was saying. ¡°No, no¡± Said the mom, her voice soothing and calm while her body language was anything but ¡°I think that we¡¯ll wait for Rory dear, yes, we will, waiting is not... a¡­ problem.¡± with each last word, she booped the baby on the nose, getting an exceptionally weak laugh in response. Still bouncing and walking the baby around, the mother took a deep, shaky breath. Then forced a smile, blowing lightly on the baby''s face. ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m sure that I can give the perfect potion for this if I could just examine the child more closely. I know that last time wasn¡¯t ideal...¡± He trailed off at the utterly withering look he received from the mother, but persevered with a hard swallow and a voice a full octave higher than he had been using ¡°b-but I assure you nothing like that will happen this time, just a simple cursory examination and we¡¯ll-¡± ¡°Tom dearest¡± Said the woman, maintaining the soft warm tones while her words were anything but ¡°I am not letting you anywhere near my child without direct oversight from Rory. Better yet, I think we¡¯ll just wait for Rory.¡± Tom sighed, and continued looking on with nervous and anxious energy matching the mothers own, though for rather different reasons, Kya suspected. Interestingly, Kya paid specific attention to the baby with her aura, as it was giving off an unexpected response. When she felt magical beings, be they monsters or users, they felt like flames. She had no other word to describe, they were warm and bright, the more powerful they were the brighter and hotter the flame. When she felt normal people, it was still warm and still bright, but like the flame of an oil lamp. It was controlled and contained, not wild and free like magical beings, and each felt like the same level of intensity. No bigger or smaller than any other. But this infant, less than a year old if Kya had to guess, felt like something else entirely. Still a normal flame, still contained in glass like other normal people, but¡­ Kya struggled to identify what exactly she was feeling. Like the flame of the child''s spirit was sputtering one moment, and the next blazing as brightly as the Hellhound Alpha she¡¯d fought. The fluctuations were indescribable, and Kya knew she could easily have spent hours simply sitting eyes shut and contemplating the meaning behind these sporadic bursts of energy. ¡°Ah, there you are Rory,¡± Said the mother, her tone finally breaking from the gentle cooing ¡°he¡¯s got a fever again and he¡¯s eating far less than he should. Why do you have a dwarf...?¡± Turning, she watched Rory set the dwarf down gently into a chair, which groaned its loud protestations at the presence of Taln in its confines. Walking over, he took the child from the mothers'' arms in such a tender and caring way, Kya might have thought the child was his own. His eyes flashed chartreuse for a moment, and then he tsked softly under his breath. ¡°Tom¡± he said in a half whisper ¡°How many health and mana potions do we have left in stock?¡± Tom scratched his chin for a moment, then answered ¡°I¡¯m not sure, maybe two crates of basic health and a half dozen basic mana? Fewer of the more powerful ones. I¡¯ll go to the guild later to put in another order. Those crafters are also so stingy with their bulk order purchases, especially for a clinic like ours.¡± Rory nodded along, sighing, then said ¡°Alright, bring me two basic health potions and a single basic mana potion.¡± Turning to the mother, and gingerly handing back the small bundle of blankets that was the baby, Rory said ¡°Alright, same process as before. Morning and evening, light feedings from the red bottle, then around noon, light feedings from the blue one. No feeding should last for more than ten minutes, but try and get at least a good five minute in. He¡¯ll be okay, but the fever isn¡¯t where it should be. Did he take well to the last bottle?¡± ¡°Yes, he loved it! Downed almost the entire thing on the first day actually!¡± ¡°No, no, no. That¡¯s probably why he isn¡¯t improving. An instant wave of healing isn¡¯t what he needs, it has to be a slow maintained process for at least the full week! Again, no more than ten minutes of feeding the entire week. This time I¡¯ll give you two, please make them last the whole time, or at least as long as you can. The blue bottle especially, you cannot let him down too much of that all at once. A little is great, a lot is dangerous.¡± Here, Rory clasped the woman on the shoulder and said, ¡°You want him to improve?¡± The mother gave a silent nod in affirmation, looking both hopeful and stricken at his words. ¡°Then please do exactly as the instructions say, okay?¡± At that moment, Tom came out from the back rooms, bringing over with a small wooden box, a note with a wax seal attached to the top. Switching the baby to one arm, she took the box in the other and cradled them both close to her chest. ¡°Thank you, Rory, I-¡± She cut off her sentence with a suddenly sharp inhale, then let out the shaky breath before smiling and simply saying again ¡°Thank you.¡± Rory returned the smile and told her ¡°Please come back if anything changes for the worse, I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s the middle of the night, we¡¯ll figure something out.¡± After the woman left, Rory gave instructions to Tom about watching over the office while he was gone, and to specifically not do any invasive procedures until he returned. No matter how justified they might seem. Basic life support in an emergency, and routine examinations in all other cases. Making their way outside and smelling the pungent and intoxicating aromas of Sugg¡¯s restaurant, Kya decided that at the earliest possible opportunity, she¡¯d be returning for a meal. But not just yet, there was too much to do for the moment. As they walked to the transport terminal. Kya still didn¡¯t know to call it a bus or a train or a flying nimbus, she looked over at Rory and asked, ¡°How are potions made?¡± He readjusted Taln, still completely out cold and breathing in a slow contented rhythm, before responding ¡°The alchemists make them, there¡¯s a workshop here in the city actually owned by the crafters. Mostly Knowledge and life users. The actual process is relatively straightforward, but getting reliable and stable potions is a notoriously difficult process. Doubly so as the rarity and potency rise.¡± ¡°What would you rate this one?¡± She asked, taking out one of the dozens she had stored away. Rory stopped in his tracks and eyed the potion imperiously. He didn¡¯t put down Taln, however, and after a moment, continued on, leaving Kya to stow away the potion and catch back up. ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ bad. It¡¯s just not great either. Granted, I am not an alchemist, and this is a cursory look at a potion I myself haven¡¯t tried, but I¡¯d say it''s a middle of the pack potion. You got that from your looting ability?¡± She nodded her confirmation, this being one of the several topics they covered in their earlier discussion. Rory just nodded, apparently unsurprised ¡°Looting abilities, like your identify skill, aren¡¯t unheard of. They are rare, and extremely uncommon together, but their effects are still widely known. Monsters will always produce potions of a lesser quality than whatever they themselves were. I¡¯m guessing most of the potions you have are from the 1-Star monsters in the forest. So, they¡¯ll work relatively well for zeros, but significantly worse for a 1-Star user. They might be able to stop a headache for me, and they¡¯ll be a refreshing beverage for anyone 3-Star and up.¡± Kya thought for a moment, then asked ¡°Could you use potions like that one in the clinic though? It seems you treat mostly civilians anyway.¡± Rory laughed a little, then grunted as he readjusted Taln ¡°We could if you have some to spare, but I usually get bulk orders in the hundreds of potions every month. Not to mention yours seem to be a single dosage each. They¡¯d be helpful, sure, but with the city subsidizing¡­ what are you¡­ doing. Oh, sweet Ferona, are you kidding?¡± With a resounding crash, Taln hit the paving stones, causing the pile of roughly five dozen health vials to clatter and begin to fall. It was about two thirds of her current supply, she kept another three dozen with her, and was intending to get more of a higher quality variant before returning to outright combat. Besides, if they could be helpful to Rory and the clinic, what did she care? ¡°Kya, this is¡­ each of these is worth at least a couple of curens, this has to be at least fifteen agrens, this is a lot to just give away, are you sure?¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°There¡¯s a phrase where I come from¡­ well, an old obscure phrase that not many people know, in a language that no one actually speaks anymore except for pretentious assholes and military branches when they want to have a cool sounding motto. Anyway, it says the phrase is ¡®the good of the people should be the highest priority¡¯ or something like that. Rory, I don¡¯t need these, and I don¡¯t need the money. Trust me, I have a whole warehouse of stuff to sort through and sell off at some point. Take the potions. Use them to help people.¡± Rory was giving her a look of pure gratitude and happiness, and that alone made Kya sure this decision was the right one. He began to collect them all up, storing them in his own spatial ring, before finally they continued on, discussing the crafters guild, and the potions master at its head. They were a reclusive 3-Star user that no one had seen for quite some time. Rory wasn¡¯t even sure the gender or race of the person, just that they oversaw operations and regularly put out an insane number of 1-Star potions, a respectable number of 2-Star ones, and even an occasional batch of 3-Star creations that were immediately shipped off to Loterre. In time, they arrived at the terminal, boarded the fluffy cloud that was the intercity transport, with several strange looks and wide eyes, and were off to the guildhall at last. Looking out the windows as the city sailed by, she realized she could see the dormitory building she¡¯d paid for off in the distance. In the less affluent part of town, it stood out for being several stories tall, where most every other building was only one or two floors at most. Kya felt a sudden, almost overpowering urge to just head there right now. To collapse into her bed, to take a warm shower. She¡¯d only slept there a single time, but that had always been one of her great skills: making herself at home wherever she was. She was rudely interrupted from her reminiscence when the cloud bus slowed and descended to a terminal. When last they¡¯d rode to the guild hall, it had been a straight shot without any stops. Giving Rory an inquisitive look, he just shrugged ¡°Different days, different routes, stops for wealthy or important people that aren¡¯t normally scheduled, or for people on specific guild orders. Could be any number of things. It¡¯ll add an extra minute or two at most but then we¡¯ll continue onwards.¡± Kya relaxed then, realizing she had grown immediately tense after the bus had begun to slow. She wasn¡¯t sure why, but she¡¯d begun to fear the worst out of any unexpected situations. But honestly, a bus making a stop was about as ordinary as situation as she could ask for¡­ It was at this moment that Kya noticed that Rory was also slightly tensing, growing more so by the second. ¡°Rory, what¡¯s¡­¡± she started to say, before she too felt it with her Aura. Two other users were waiting on the platform outside, both of them moving their arms animatedly. The doors hissed open, and they both boarded, their conversation now suddenly audible. ¡°... makes no sense!¡± Said the first to board, a lean but muscular male Elf with a high and tight haircut, black tank top and black cargo pants. He looked like some paramilitary force, or John Mclean in the middle of saving Christmas. ¡°How could they do something that large without serious help? I don¡¯t even give a damn about that woman anymore, we have bigger problems.¡± Following was a shorter woman with dark almond skin and twist braids all taken back into a tail held in place by a simple dark red hairband. She responded in a light accent ¡°Yes, but how the hell are we going to explain that? ¡®We looked all over the place and found a thousand things we should have already known about, but no sign of the woman¡¯ would make us look like idiots.¡± Kya looked at Rory, who was already staring wildly at her. From there, they had an entire conversation with their eyes alone. He flicked his gaze at them, then opened his eyes wide for a split-second while giving a slight nod. Taking what she assumed to be his hint, she quickly used to identify on both newcomers as they took their seats on the opposite end of the bus so all they could see was the back of their heads. She started with the woman first, then immediately followed up with the man. - - - - - Koen Soeri Class - {Fire} - 1-Star - - - - - Felix Reager Class - {Earth} - 1-Star - - - - - Turning back to Rory, she shrugged, holding up a single finger on both hands. They could both sense them as 1-Star users, but it was good to have definitive confirmation. Rory then seemed to think for a moment, before shrugging in return, holding a finger to his lips, apparently a universal, interplanetary gesture to be quiet before we do or say something dumb, and then simply slouched lower into his seat. Kya snorted through her nose and did likewise. Undoubtedly, the pair would have sensed Rory and Kya just as readily as they had sensed them, but still, best to avoid any unnecessary conflicts for as long as possible. They listened intently for the remainder of the trip to the guild hall as the pair at the front continued to gripe about their situation. They didn¡¯t go into any specifics, being intentionally vague Kya assumed, but she was still able to glean quite a bit from them. Clearly, the pair had been sent after her, and instead found the remnants of the rituals she¡¯d interrupted, then come back to report their findings, even without locating her. Why they¡¯d been looking into Kya herself was still up in the air, but Kya had to assume it wasn¡¯t a friendly checkup to see if she was doing okay. People in this town didn¡¯t seem to stoked on spatial users in general, so she felt this was a safe bet to make. The moment they arrived, the two bustled out, while Rory stayed absolutely still for a moment longer. He hurriedly whispered to her ¡°We¡¯re going to wait a minute to let them get ahead, then we¡¯re going straight in to see Maggie and drop him off with the peace users. After that, we¡¯re heading back out, quick as we can. Understand?¡± ¡°What about turning in my quest? You said I just needed to talk to the clerk, and it would only take a few seconds.¡± Rory drummed his fingers in quick staccato bursts before finally whispering back ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll split up. You get to the quest hall and turn it in, tell them you want to defer payment until later. They¡¯ll add it to your personal ledger, and you can leave more quickly. Just find the piece of paper, give it to the guy, and leave. I¡¯ll drop him off, then we¡¯ll meet in the lobby with Maggie and then leave.¡± Kya nodded, and they both rose at the same time, Rory surging forward and throwing Taln over his shoulders in a fireman''s carry. ¡°Seriously, how strong are you?¡± ¡°Just hurry and go Kya, Ferona help us.¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Alder was staring at Maggie, mouth slightly agape as he reeled at the sheer implications of what Maggie had just told them, Wade was as well, but trying consciously to control her face. ¡°And all of that is happening right now!?! Are you sure?¡± Wade asked, in a much louder tone than she¡¯d intended. Maggie didn¡¯t seem to mind, as she was simply engrossed in the telling of her theory to a captive audience. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but the sheer influx of occurrences all happening at once, and even the possibility of space and time users appearing like this is impossible any other way. There certainly could be other explanations I¡¯m just not aware of, but to me, this seems the most likely. Even if it is just¡­¡± she let out a low whistle rather than finish the thought. ¡°In the past, how many have there been at any one time?¡± Alder asked, finally regaining control of his faculties enough to rejoin the conversation. ¡°No idea. Thousands probably, at a minimum. Tens of thousands seems a more likely number, if a bit on the larger side.¡± ¡°I just¡­ I can¡¯t believe this.¡± Alder said, shaking his head ¡°If this is true¡­¡± Wade and Maggie nodded, the latter finishing the sentence ¡°It will throw the world into chaos¡­ yeah.¡± ¡°So then, what happened last time? Was there an end to it, or will there be more?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the most interesting part for me, actually-¡± Alder let out a barking laugh ¡°That¡¯s the most interesting part? All of this is insane!¡± Maggie sheepishly smiled at Alder ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. But still, it would seem that¡­¡± She trailed off, rising to her feet ¡°It would seem that our time is at an end for now. Those are the scouts there. Go talk to them and then head up to hear the full report with the guild master.¡± Looking over, Wade saw the two people who had just walked in, looking like a bickering old married couple, and then stood and stretched out her arms with a mighty all-consuming flex until they shook. ¡°You can stay for a moment longer if you¡¯d like. I¡¯ll go talk to them and let them know we¡¯ll be listening in.¡± Alder simply nodded his head, a thousand-mile stare telling Wade his thoughts were racing far, far away with everything they¡¯d just learned. She didn¡¯t blame him at all, either. Wade thought as she walked that a large part of her didn¡¯t think it was even remotely possible what Maggie had just told them, there was too much there that didn¡¯t make sense to her, but then again, she¡¯d also witnessed first-hand the birth of a spatial user that by all rights shouldn¡¯t have existed in the first place. Waving to get the attention of the two scouts, Wade jogged the short remaining distance between them and said, ¡°Were you the scouts sent out after the spatial user this morning?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡± Said the man, an earth user judging from the golden eyes ¡°Why, who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Wade, from Loterre. We talked with the guild master this morning. Myself and the 2-Star over there are going to listen when you brief your findings.¡± The woman let out a suffering sigh, while the man full on slapped his own forehead ¡°That¡¯s just great, we get to brief the foreigners as well as the guild master.¡± He turned to the woman ¡°Isn¡¯t that great?¡± The woman just shook her head ¡°You do the talking, if I have to, I¡¯ll probably throw up.¡± Wade laughed and asked, ¡°First briefing?¡± They both nodded in unison, the woman answering ¡°We¡¯ve been scouting for a few months now, but usually it¡¯s little stuff. We come back and file a report about monster sightings in the area or about a bandit group or whatever. We had to tell a 2-Star about the bandits, but that was fine. Telling the guild master himself, plus an officer from Loterre?¡± She shook her head again, her dark skin visibly paling. Wade laughed again and was about to respond with some advice, before trailing off, her eyes snapping to the double doors of the guild hall. Kya and Rory had just walked in, and was that¡­ a dwarf on Rory¡¯s shoulder? What the hell? The pair had clearly noticed her and the scouts as well, because they both froze in their tracks, staring at her as she stared back at them. The two scouts, wondering what was happening, turned and they too stopped to stare at the two newcomers. This was fine, this was what they¡¯d wanted in the first place. Now they could all talk to each other calmly to sort out exactly what was going on and determine if this knowledge clerk Maggie had any idea what she was talking about. Raising her hand, she was about to call out when Alder came jogging over saying ¡°Hey, what are we all staring a- Gaius below that¡¯s the spatial user! And a dwarf for some reason? Hey! What are you doing with a dwarf!? We need to talk to you, anyway, come here!¡± Rory and Kya looked at Alder, looked at each other, and simultaneously they both turned on their heels and left out the front door. Wade started running forward, calling over her shoulder ¡°Alder¡­ learn to read a room, good gods.¡± 36. Tag ¡°Why the hell were they there?¡± asked Kya, as both her and Rory ran headlong in the opposite direction of the guild ¡°Have they stuck around this whole time?¡± ¡°No, they all left for the capitol after you registered at the guild.¡± Said Rory, ¡°I have no idea why they¡¯re back. We know those scouts were looking for you, I¡¯d wager they¡¯re looking for you as well.¡± A theory that was cemented into fact a moment later when, bursting out the doors behind them, came Wade, the two scouts, and the man who had called out to her. ¡°Stop!¡± Called the same man ¡°We need to talk to you!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s the guy?¡± ¡°He¡¯s Wade¡¯s lieutenant, Earth user. Nice enough, if a little dense.¡± ¡°Was that... a joke?¡± Rory flashed her a smile as they ran across a bridge heading deeper into the city. However, Kya could immediately tell something was wildly wrong. All of the people on the normally crowded street were panicking and running to either side of the road like fleeing from an oncoming truck. Turning and looking back, Kya could immediately see both why the average citizens were in a state of bedlam, and why the two scouts were chosen for their roles. The woman had decided to do a take on the human torch, and was currently sprinting at them with both arms and legs absolutely engulfed in flames that considerably boosted her speed because she was just booking it. Likewise, the man was flying towards them at an astonishing speed on a chunk of stone he¡¯d seemingly ripped from the pavement and was now riding like a skateboard. Huge plumes of dust and torn up street followed as he went, which when combined with the flaming woman at his side, made for quite the intimidation factor. ¡°Uh, Rory?¡± ¡°Yes, I can sense them, but they¡¯re not the ones I¡¯m worried about.¡± He said with a foreboding tone. Suddenly, Kya sensed a pulse of energy pass through the ground underneath her feet. She had felt something similar to this when facing Douglass, the earth user from the ritual site. Getting a bad feeling in her stomach, she began to look about wildly for any signs of incoming stones, sudden pillars of earth rising up and blocking their path. But she was both surprised and a little disappointed when nothing quite so dramatic happened. The ground underneath their feet suddenly became like quicksand, though its appearance was still that of a neatly fitted together black stone, both Kya and Rory suddenly cried out as they began to sink. Slowly at first, but as Kya struggled and fought more, she sank further and further down, only stopping when both of her knees disappeared beneath the cobbled road. Looking over, she saw that only about an inch of Rory¡¯s feet had sunk into the ground, and he stood there with an annoyed look on face like this wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d been in this situation. He had also, quite unceremoniously, dropped Taln to the now soft earth below where he lay, partially submerged. Only a second or two longer, and the two scouts caught up to them, both doing a full circle before coming to a stop on either side. The flaming woman, Koen she remembered from her quick identity, crossed her arms and looked down at them. At this proximity, Kya could see that while the largest and brightest flames covered her extremities, there were smaller flames of darker red and orange on most of the rest of her body that were simply less distinctive. Even her eyes and ears had small dancing flames streaming into the air. While she simply looked at them contemplatively, the man was another story. He hopped off his thin stone mount, letting it skitter off and tumble loudly to a stop nearby. ¡°Ahaha, and yet another fall prey to the mighty duo of Felix and Koen, how does it feel plebes!?¡± He laughed raucously, while the Koen just sighed, pinching her nose. ¡°Felix, we didn¡¯t do anything. We didn¡¯t even find them.¡± She pointed backwards ¡°He caught them.¡± At this moment, Wade and the earth lieutenant came leisurely jogging up, Wade looking exasperated while the man was grinning from ear to ear. ¡°Yeah¡± continued Felix ¡°But we were still here for the capture, so I¡¯m calling it at least a partial victory in my book. Meaning they partially lost to us. So again, how does it feel!?!¡± Laughing along like an excited puppy, the man, Wade¡¯s lieutenant, said ¡°Hello you two, good to see you again Rory.¡± Grumbling like an upset schoolboy, Rory said ¡°Hello Al, can you let us up now, this is¡­ dumb¡­¡± ¡°Hehehe, of course buddy. Just one thing.¡± Rory groaned ¡°Oh come on, really? Now??¡± Bouncing on his toes, the man walked over and poked Rory in the direct center of his forehead and said ¡°Tag.¡± Felix, Koen, and Kya all simply stared at the two in uncomprehending silence, while it was now Wade''s turn to shake her head, looking like she wanted to be anywhere else, saying ¡°You¡¯re both idiots.¡± ¡°Wade, come on, this was not my fault.¡± Wined Rory. ¡°You agreed to this idiotic game, this is entirely your fault.¡± she sighed, then turned to Kya ¡°Hello again Kya. How are you doing?¡± It took her a moment to find her tongue, but when she finally did, she blurted out ¡°Are you¡­ What is happening!?¡± Rory, looking chagrined, said ¡°Well¡­ Al and I are part of this game league in the guild. The finals are in a couple of weeks and I-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want the rules of the game, Rory, I want to know why the hell you were running if you knew we weren¡¯t in danger! I thought we were about to be captured or something.¡± Scratching the back of his head, Rory looked down and said ¡°Well¡­ I didn¡¯t want to be tagged¡­¡± ¡°Oh, my god¡­¡± Kya breathed out, then finally looked back and answered Wade ¡°Well, my heart rate is about double what it should be for a dumbass game, also I¡¯m sticking out of the ground like root vegetable, but otherwise, yah know.¡± Laughing, Wade said ¡°Alder, get her out of the ground already, will you?¡± ¡°Right, right, sorry. Just reveling in the moment.¡± Then the man, Alder, jumped up into the air, and crashed down with his right foot in a mighty stomp. The ground shook at its impact, literally, trembling as Kya was suddenly pushed from below like an elevator was bringing her up. The sensation was absolutely bizarre as the stones around her resolved and she came free with an audible pop. Rory brought up one foot and scratched at it idly, a strange look on his face. ¡°It seems we do have a lot to talk about. Alder?¡± Alder¡¯s laughter tapered off, ending in a pronounced sigh, ¡°Yeah, yeah we do. Come on, lets head back to the guild hall.¡± He paused to hoist Taln onto his shoulder with one hand before finishing ¡°we can catch up more after we take care of business.¡± Walking in pairs, the two scouts laughing and joking, Rory and Alder swapping stories in a more somber tone, and Wade walking with Kya at the rear of their little procession. ¡°So it¡¯s like a spectator sport?¡± Kya was asking. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Wade ¡°back in the capitol they have these massive arena¡¯s for all sorts of games. One of them is ¡®ultimate evasion¡¯ where there¡¯s a seeker and several runners. There¡¯s a time limit each round and whoever is seeker when the time run¡¯s out gets eliminated. Then, whoever was seeker before the now eliminated person is seeker once more at the start of the next round, and they keep playing until there is only one left. It¡¯s good for training evasive maneuvers I guess, but it¡¯s overall a pretty dumb game in my opinion.¡± ¡°We have a very similar game where I come from, kids love it¡± Kya said flatly. ¡°Oh yeah¡± laughed Wade ¡°It¡¯s largest fanbase is with children and teenagers. Most adults are drawn to the monster and gladiatorial fights more, but still¡± she gestured at Alder and Rory ¡°there are several adults who enjoy the game.¡± Wade then gave Kya something of a sideways look, half assessing, half hesitant to say what was on her mind. Finally broaching what was on her mind just as they passed back into the shadow of the looming guild hall, Wade said ¡°So speaking of¡­ where you come from¡­ Look, I¡¯m just going to be blunt, there¡¯s going to be a lot of things happening in the very near future directly related to you and we need to have a conversation about it. You, me, Alder, the guild master, all of us.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Stopping in the small courtyard of sparkling fountains and towering trees, Kya said after taking a moment to consider ¡°No.¡± ¡°No?¡± asked Wade. ¡°No.¡± Confirmed Kya. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, no to what, to talking?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not necessarily opposed to the talking, I¡¯m opposed to you saying we need to talk to you all. We don¡¯t. I don¡¯t. You want to talk to me, and so does the guild master, and often the wants of those in charge seem like needs to those beneath, but they aren¡¯t. Look, if you¡¯ve talked to the clerk Maggie at all, which I¡¯m guessing you have considering what you just brought up, then you have at least a vague idea what¡¯s going on, and probably a better grasp on it than I do, with some potentially large gaps I admit, but still.¡± ¡°Kya, you don¡¯t understand, we need to-¡± ¡°No, Wade, we really don¡¯t. Look, I¡¯m grateful to you for everything you did. Rory told me how you healed me after I fought that tiger, and got me back here to him for treatment. I will never forget what you¡¯ve done, and I¡¯ll be there fighting by your side if ever you¡¯re in danger yourself. But right now? Now, I¡¯m tired of talking, and I frankly don¡¯t give a fuck what some random guy I¡¯ve never met wants. I have a quest to turn in, Rory wants to talk to Maggie, then all of us are going to get breakfast or something before I pass out and sleep for a solid year straight.¡± Kya laughed then, a short, tired laugh ¡°Actually, just come to get food with us. Now that I know there isn¡¯t some manhunt for me that I need to actually worry about, this all seems a lot less important.¡± Wade, who had been staring down at Kya with a stoney face, finally just nodded once and then cracking a smile, clapped Kya on the back with one enormous hand, making the smaller woman stumble forward ¡°I knew I liked you, alright, I could eat.¡± Pointing at the scouts, she said ¡°You two, change of plans. Brief the guild master on your own, let him know we¡¯re talking with the spatial user, and everything is fine.¡± Felix puffed up his chest and grinned ¡°You got it boss, piece of cake.¡± Scoffing, Koen said ¡°Boss? Piece of cake? Are you not still nervous??¡± ¡°Pft, I never get nervous¡± He said with a wave of the hand ¡°Besides, now we¡¯re reporting good news with solid updates. Rather than we have no idea what¡¯s happening news. Oh actually¡± he said, spinning to face Kya ¡°What the hell was happening with that ritual chamber?¡± A long pause followed the question, where all five pairs of eyes looked at Kya, and she looked back at them. ¡°I tell you what, I¡¯m going to turn in my quest. Rory, tell them everything I told you, or don¡¯t, I¡¯m too tired of¡­ well, I¡¯m just too tired period actually.¡± Without another word, she strode past the group and through the opulent double doors of the guild hall, no one moving to stop her or go after her. Before the doors closed behind her, Kya could just hear the sound of silence, only broken by Rory¡¯s light laugh. ¡°She forgot to mention that at some point we¡¯re going to have to stop in at the church of death for an important conversation.¡± Rory said mildly ¡°But that isn¡¯t as pressing at the moment I suppose.¡± ¡°I told you she had spirit.¡± Said Wade, punctuated by the booming sounds of the closing doors. Kya felt mildly bad about leaving all of them like that, but she¡¯d been up all night, and was just not really in the right mindset at the moment to deal with any more lengthy conversations¡­ about¡­ Maggie was waving at her with both arms, trying to be seen over the sparse morning crowd of patrons, clearly hoping to get her to come over and speak. Kya smiled widely, eyes lighting up, waved back matching the same energy, and then without breaking eye contact, made her way across the hall and through the doors separating the main petitioner''s area from the guild interior. Again, should Kya feel about this? Maybe. Did she? Not really, no. She¡¯d come back and talk to her tomorrow. She needed to come back and talk to her. But for now, quest, sleep food. Or maybe food and then sleep? Kya was pretty hungry. She contemplated the ideal order of eating or sleeping as she made her way down the corridor, finally arriving back at the contract hall she had been in so recently, and yet that felt like so long ago. She once again took in the room, with its dozens upon dozens of postings for contracts. She appreciated for the first time exactly how they were all set up, and the ranking system of each. Starting right where she had walked in the door, and covering the boards along the walls wrapping around the whole room, each contract had a single star at the top. The stars at the beginning of the room were almost all a dull metallic gray color, then began to transition into coppery stars towards the middle of the next wall, then there were several silvery ones, and finally just next to the clerks desk, there were a handful of golden starred contracts, and a single one with a clear lustrous contact, like one of those embossed rainbow stickers. Finding her contract, the text describing it an indistinct gray compared to the rest of the contracts, and both her name and unique flowery star at the bottom of the page, she tore it off the wall and brought it over to the clerk, who seemed to be the same exact guy as before. ¡°You again?¡± He said, looking up from where he had been writing something behind the counter ¡°I told you last time not to tear down the posters. Whatever, I don¡¯t rightly care, so long as you put it back up. Are you here to ask how to remove a quest?¡± His tone was both unreasonably short tempered and, she thought, a little bit relatable. It was the tone of a man who was almost done with his shift, and was absolutely exhausted from pulling an all night, or at least early morning shift. Kya remembered her own experiences with such things profoundly well, and as these nostalgic memories played in her head, they allowed her to be more measured in her responses than her gut had told her to be. ¡°No, actually. I¡¯m turning it in, I killed all the hellhounds, as well as an alpha.¡± The man froze, pen hovering over what she could now see was an almost cartoonishly bad drawing of a fish swimming in a bowl. He looked at her, then seeming to decide she must be lying, scoffed and said ¡°Right. An Alpha? Okay then, miss¡­¡± He grabbed at the contract than curled his lip in apparent amusement ¡°Kya? Not even a last name given. Standard procedure: Turn in the mana shards from the monster¡¯s slain. I¡¯ll collect them and give you the agreed upon amount. Come on, My replacement should be here soon, and I want to take care of this and get out of here. Unless, of course, you don¡¯t actually have any¡­¡± He stopped, as one by one, she pulled out and placed on the counter the fiery red crystals each hellhound had produced when it died, as well as the larger, heavier one she¡¯d received from the alpha. ¡°There¡¯s no way¡­¡± He whispered, picking each individual crystal off the ground and identifying them with a flash of his bronze eyes. Kya was curious what the man got as feedback from his skill. Did he have a textbox and narrator? Or just like¡­ knowledge directly put into his brain? When she identified the crystal, all it told her was that it was a fire crystal. Could he actually tell the origin of the crystal as well? Did all skills have different variations like this? Her derailing train of thought was brought short as he, with newfound and grudging respect in bag laden eyes, said ¡°Well¡­ everything seems to be in order.¡± With a sweep of his arm, he took all of the crystals she¡¯d laid out and placed them into a metallic box the size of a Rubik''s cube. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back with your payments. You¡¯ll receive the normal amount for each crystal returned, including the alpha. However, I¡¯ll note it in my report and you may qualify for a bonus upon review of your work.¡± He nodded once, then box in hand, went through a narrow door into a back room, leaving her alone. Looking up at the area just behind the desk, she saw a much smaller set of bulletin boards holding the twenty or so contracts, all of which had two conjoined stars boldly stamped across the top of the page. Almost all of them were the same metallic color as the easiest one star quests, but there were two with the more distinctive coppery sheen. Out of curiosity, she focused on one of the higher level 2-Star quests, and¡­ wow, she was not disappointed with her narrator. - - - - - - NEW QUEST! - Guild Contract - Fell Serpent in the Korilus River - 2-Star - Uncommon - Do you even know what a Fell Serpent is? Do you even understand how fucked you would be if you fought one? Do you have any idea how painful it would be to have a cavitation bubble in your blood? The answer to all three is, drum roll please¡­ No! So do us all a favor and stay away from this one. You¡¯ll understand when you¡¯re older. - Objective - Slay the Fell Serpent roaming the waters of the Korilus River. - Time Remaining - N/A - Guild Rewards - Three Auren and selection of a 2-Star enchanted item from the Guild Armory - Quest Rewards - Sigil of Serpents, Reptiles, and Amphibians - 2-Star - Rare - Accept Guild Contract? (Yes)/(No) - - - - - When the guy came back with a small pouch full of clinking coins, he found Kya poorly suppressing a giggle. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± ¡°Hm? Oh, oh nothing, just realizing how far I have to go before I try my hand on any of those.¡± She gestured back at the posters behind him. Glancing back at the wall for a moment, he too cracked a smile. Less insidious than before, this one was more on the level of just slightly judgmental ¡°A very long way to go.¡± The moment he handed her the coin purse, Kya finally received the notification for which she¡¯d been waiting, and for the narrator who sounded like he¡¯d just won the lottery. She both read and listened to the voice as she turned and walked away with a huge grin on her face. - - - - - - QUEST COMPLETED! - Guild Contract - Hellhounds on the Farm - 1-Star - Rare - You have successfully eliminated every hellhound troubling the farmers of the area. Even if you then followed that up with causing more trouble than the hounds ever did, who cares! No one here needs to know about that. - Quest Rewards - Hellish Leather Armor - 1-Star - Uncommon - - - - - On the one hand, would she probably have some nightmares about the horrific skeletal ghoul? Almost definitely. On the other hand, was she excited to see the new item she got and continue growing even stronger as she moved forward? Yes, yes she was. Stopping just as she reached the door heading back out, she turned and called back to the man whom she identified as Mory, a 1-Star Knowledge class. ¡°Hey, one quick question before I go.¡± Mory looked up, sighed and called back ¡°What else do you want?¡± ¡°Is there a uh¡­ an ultimate evasion league or something for 1-Stars? Just¡­ curious¡­¡± 37. Playing Games As Kya left the large room on the second floor dedicated to games, sports, and contests, she was feeling a mix of both utter contempt and determined satisfaction.. She¡¯d always been pretty competitive by nature, so getting to play magical games? That was right up her alley. Putting up with the people in the games, though, that would be another story. The room had been like an old attic rec room mixed with a sports museum. There were glass display shelves hugging every square inch of wall space, with various trophies and awards on display, each with a plaque in front of it detailing who had one it, and for what. Saying ¡°trophies¡± might have been a bit of a stretch in some instances, unless she was talking in the style of ¡°I just killed this rhino, so I¡¯ll claim it¡¯s horn as a trophy¡± as there were several animal pelts, claws, fangs, and even a full skeleton of what looked to be a god damn pterodactyl hanging from the ceiling. She had been stuck staring at the skeleton for several seconds, reflecting that she was being awfully bold to throw stones, when she herself carried multiple fanged weapons around, when the attendant on duty called out to her in a gruff distinctly male voice with just a hint of an accent ¡°Can I ask the young miss what it is she¡¯d like in this¡­ Oh, it¡¯s you.¡± Turning away from the skeleton, Kya took in the attendant as he hobbled towards her. His left leg was gone from the knee down, replaced with an old fashioned wooden peg, making a distinctive chunk sound each time he took a step. He was otherwise a relatively average looking citizen from what Kya had seen. He was stocky, as if he¡¯d once been built like an NFL lineman, but in his later years was slowly beginning to lose it. He had the tan of someone who¡¯d spent most of their life working diligently in the sun, like a sailor or farmer, and was now probably more wrinkled than he should have been for his age. His salt and pepper hair was still black as pitch where it was dark, fading to a lighter gray around the temples. One of his eyes, which were both the palest, brightest orange she¡¯d ever seen, was gazing at her through a half lidded eye, on account she assumed of the large scar running from the center of his forehead down to the point of his jawbone under his ear, cutting through both his eyebrow, and a large section of his bushy black beard. ¡°Do you know me?¡± Kya asked, a note of irritation creeping into her voice. What did he mean, oh it''s you. ¡°No, but I know of you.¡± his top lip curled up in a sneer, and his good eye closed to match its partner and give her a fearsome glare. ¡°You¡¯re that brand new spatial user. Stirred up quite a storm here this mornin¡¯, you did. That old lump of charcoal¡¯s been up in arms since blue¡¯s first light. Been a right pain havin¡¯ to listen to him.¡± Every word he said, every twitch of every muscle in his face, they all seemed to work in concert to drive her up a wall. Idly, she noted that her tiger¡¯s eye amulet was growing distinctly warm against her chest. Not hot, just warmer than it had been a moment earlier. ¡°Well it certainly isn¡¯t my fault you¡¯ve had to listen to him.¡± ¡°Ah, but it is your fault for choosin¡¯ that damnable class, and for comin¡¯ and registerin¡¯ here of all places. That¡¯s what kicked up this whole storm in the first place.¡± ¡°Fine, but it isn¡¯t my fault for whatever the spatial users of the past did, I¡¯ve only had my class for like a week! Get over yourself and quit blaming strangers for your troubles like a child.¡± At this point, the man had gotten right up in her face, making her realize for the first time that he was about the same height as her, maybe even slightly shorter. ¡°One might mistake your words as an insult, girl.¡± ¡°Then make no mistake, if you blame me for stuff I didn¡¯t do, then you¡¯re a bastard.¡± she said right back, their noses almost touching. This guy had just hit on every nerve in her body, if he said or did one more thing, anything at all, she was going to- He threw back his head and bellowed out a deep, booming laugh. It had such a force and intensity behind it, some of the trophies hanging on the walls actually began to rattle slightly as he doubled over, consumed by his mirth. Kya, too, let out a joyous laugh. What had she been doing a moment ago, arguing with this man? Over what? It all seemed so¡­ silly now. She bubbled out her own silly giggles, and actually leaned against him for support. Noticing that again, her amulet was growing increasingly warm, like a piece of clothing fresh out of the dryer. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve never been one to judge a person on hearsay, girl, and I like your spirit. But you should be careful. Plenty of people in this town who are old enough to remember or knowledgeable enough to care while not havin¡¯ the moral scruples of yours truly will judge you quite harshly for those eyes of yours.¡± Feeling an overwhelming sense of magnanimous empathy and gratitude towards the man, her amulet now uncomfortably hot, Kya waved away the comment and said ¡°I¡¯m not the least bit worried about them, but thank you for your understanding and kindness!¡± ¡°Not a problem, not a problem. Now, moving past all of that, what can I do for you today?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking for the evasion league for 1-Stars. I think it sounds fun.¡± The man looked her up and down, the way a jockey might assess a race horse. It made her feel¡­ fine. She shook her head for a moment, puzzled, then clutched at her amulet which was now red hot in the palm of her hand. She narrowed her eyes at the man as he said ¡°You mentioned you¡¯ve only had the class for about a week? It feels like you¡¯re coming up to the first threshold though¡­ that¡¯s not bad progress, not bad at all. It usually takes four to maybe six weeks for most so you¡¯re moving rapidly. Do you have any kind of experience in the zero leagues?¡± As heartened as she was by the news of her rapid pace, she was still being filled with an overwhelming and irrepressible sense of suspicion towards the man. Growing sick of having to remind herself of this, she finally identified the man standing before her, waiting for an answer to his question. - - - - - Ladrian Aireze Class: {Emotion} - 2-Star - - - - - And just like that, several things clicked into place for Kya. The piping hot necklace which she was now holding by the corded band rather than the jewel itself as it was now too hot to even hold was slowly letting her regain her senses. A sly smile appeared on Ladrian¡¯s face, as he took in the amulet, and her increasingly angry expression. He said, in a tone much colder and devoid of the hints at an accent he¡¯d been using before. ¡°You can¡¯t fault an old man for having a little fun, eh? Especially with one of your kind¡± ¡°How do I register for the game?¡¯ Kya said, not restraining the edge in her voice. ¡°I know pattern recognition can be hard, girl, but come now. It¡¯s the exact same process as taking on a contract.¡± He gestured with one of his beefy arms ¡°Go to the 1-Star banner for whatever game you like and register. Some have more rules than others, so it¡¯s probably best you picked one of the easiest games to play.¡± He laughed, mostly to himself, as he clasped both hands behind his back, and walked away with the same chunk sound on every other step. Watching him go, and trying to control her flaring emotions while wondering if he was still causing them, Kya grimaced to herself. So that was an emotional user? Kya assumed her necklace, which was supposed to help resist mental effects, wasn¡¯t able to block a more powerful 2-Star ability, being only a 1-Star item. But still, that was insidious. She¡¯d have to find either more powerful items, or an easier way to protect herself from that kind of ability because¡­ that was awful. Eventually making her way to the correct banner, a large red, white, and gold tapestry hanging from the ceiling, she saw a large leatherbound book on a waist-high pedestal. The center of which had a single silver star. Opening up the cover with satisfying creak, she read on the first page: The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. - Ultimate Evasion - - Single Star - - Contestants by Current Rank - That was it for the page, except for a similar seal to the one she recognized at the bottom of the contracts she¡¯d seen earlier. Deciding to go for it, Kya flexed her hand, calling up her pink and black floral star, touching it to the seal. She immediately got a notification but waved it away as the book seemingly of its own accord, suddenly flipped through several pages until it stopped about three quarters of the way in, where her name flashed into place with a miniature version of her seal next to it like a bullet point. Apparently, she was currently ranked fifteen thousand four hundred and eighty fifth or in other words, absolutely dead last. She also took note of the fact that she currently had exactly zero points. It was the same for the next two thousand or so people on the list, before the points started to tick up, and going all the way back to the front of the book, she saw that first place was a wind user named Kialan with a staggering seven hundred and eighty-five points. This was also the first opportunity she had to study, in depth, the personal crests of other users. Granted, they were all miniature versions and likely lacked several of the finer details of the real things, but still, she couldn¡¯t help but take a closer look. She could see wind users, with wispy, almost indistinct blue gray clouds making up stars with any number of points, from as few as three to as many as twelve. There were water users, with deepest blue droplets of water joining to form elegant stars of many varying shapes, and even several death stars. Rather than what she¡¯d expected of death there wasn¡¯t a single star made from skeletons or bones or anything like that. Rather, they were black and gold flowers like her own. She even, somewhat paradoxically in her mind, saw what was unmistakably the black font of a death user accompanied by a star made from six black angels wings, like something straight from deviant art. All in all, she was reaffirmed in appreciating her own star and also filled with admiration for others. Finally closing the book, and taking one more look around the room, she sighed as waves of exhaustion and hunger crashed together simultaneously. It was beyond a doubt time for some food, and then more than that, time for an absolutely divine nap. As she walked to the door, she pulled up the notification she''d earlier waved away. - - - - - - Notice! - You have registered as an active participant in the guild-sponsored game of {Ultimate Evasion - 1-Star}. - This is not yet a quest and will not have associated rewards or objectives assigned. - - - - - That was interesting, Kya mused. She wondered what conditions had to be met before it would become a quest. Clearly it would eventually, she would just have to wait and see. Maybe she had to be tagged for it to come into effect? She suspected this was a strong possibility, and only then did she start to consider the actual rules of the game. If there was only a single person who was "it" at any one time, she would never be tagged. This was especially true if it was really guild wide across the entire planet. But if there were at least a couple in each major population center, then she could be reasonably sure she''d get tagged eventually. If that guy wasn''t so fucking unsettling, she''d go back in there and simply ask him what the rules were, or better yet, for an actual rule book. As it was, she decided to simply get out of there for now, and ask Rory or Alder or some rando off the street rather than walk back in there and talk to that guy again. However, after taking only a few steps out the door, she was greeted with a sudden notification that put to rest any concerns she had regarding how best to complete her final quest objective here in the guild building. - - - - - - QUEST COMPLETED! - Closeted Cultists - You have successfully completed all parts of the branching quest, and the situation will now be handled by those far more skilled, powerful, and knowledgeable than yourself. Rest easy, though, knowing you at least prevented something potentially terrible from happening. - Quest Reward - {Reward unavailable at this time} - - - - - ¡°Oh, what the hell¡­¡± First of all, Kya was absolutely delighted to be done with all of her active quests, apart from the newest one requiring her to gain entry to the church {Pirating from Preachers}. But on the other hand¡­ Reward unavailable??? What did that even mean? Alright, she knew that obviously, there was some condition or whatever that she¡¯d have to meet before the reward would be delivered. But why the hell didn¡¯t it tell her what the conditions were? She tried everything she could think to say, every combination of words both in her mind and out loud, tried to imagine herself clicking the information like it was a link on a website, nothing. Kya had had a lot of time to think about what the rewards contingent on manner of quest completion would entail. She didn¡¯t want to toot her own horn or anything, but she felt like she¡¯d honestly done a pretty good job with the quest. Sure, she¡¯d failed one of the objectives, but¡­ still. Crisis averted, nightmare fuel ghoul killed, cult neutralized¡­ possibly? She wasn¡¯t sure about the last one, with the dwarves possible participation and the weird crazy strong guy showing up at the end¡­ but whatever, she¡¯d been looking forward to a kick ass reward, or at least something. Kya rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she pushed the heavy double doors open, entering the reception area to the guild hall. The massive, gilded hourglass poured its sand ever onward, and though it looked almost indistinct from when she¡¯d first seen it, she could have sword there was a noticeable dip in the gargantuan amount of sand nestled at the top. Looking past her heavily lidded eyes, Kya saw in a large huddle, most of the group with whom she¡¯d made the trek into the building. Taln the dwarf was nowhere to be seen, but Rory, Wade, Alder, and Maggie were all talking animatedly, Alder in particular using his hands quite a bit more than she had ever seen him do before. She assumed that this, and wherever Rory had dropped off Taln, was enough to satisfy the requirement of her quest to report the cult''s activities. Kya guessed it didn¡¯t matter who actually did the reporting, so long as the information was conveyed. A roundabout way to accomplish the quest, she thought, but then again, it was already a bullshit quest to not give her a reward, so what did she care. Deciding to take her leave before anyone in the group noticed her, she headed back out into the city streets, in search of food, and then to her bed where she would finally, blessedly, get to sleep. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Sayrin stretched lazily as he looked over at the still resting form of his wife. They¡¯d talked for several hours straight before she¡¯d drifted back to sleep. They hadn¡¯t shared the same intimacy as they once did, but neither was there as thick a wall of tension between them as there had been. It¡¯s a start he thought for the hundredth time. He was ready for the long road to recovery, and ready for it to take a long time to walk. The simple fact that she¡¯d felt comfortable enough to fall asleep around him again was an incredibly heartening sign, however, and one that did not escape his notice. Slowly, as if stalking the most timid of the aggressive rabbits, Sayrin extricated himself from the bed with the utmost care. He would be damned if he ruined her rest right now, not after all the work he¡¯d done setting up their morning together to be as perfect as could be. Slipping on a soft robe, he crept to the door and pulled it open with all the patience of a river carving stone. The second that he clicked the door closed behind him, he let out a sigh, releasing the tension of his shoulders, and turned to face not one, not two, but three kneeling house servants, and the standing but bowed head of his master servant, Zita. ¡°What on earth is happening out here?¡± He asked, voice cracking slightly after hours of constant use. ¡°Sir¡± said Zita, stepping forward ¡°You left orders not to disturb the room under any circumstances, so we were forced to wait for you to come out.¡± Eyeing them all, he noted that each of the servants carried a sealed parchment in their hands, and each had a concerned look on their faces. A slight chill started to creep over the back of Sayrin¡¯s neck, and he asked ¡°Zita, what the hell did I miss?¡± ~ ~ ~ Twelve minutes. Twelve agonizing minutes. That was how long it took the servants to clean, shave, clothe, and get Sayrin out the door and into the awaiting carriage. All the while, through the two minute bath that was more just dumping hot water on him, through the shave that was so quick he feared to lose his throat, through the dressing where his formal uniform, freshly pressed and laundered, was tucked and buttoned on, Zita explained the situation. The first messenger had arrived not twenty five minutes after he¡¯d entered his wife''s room this morning. He hadn¡¯t said what it was about, only that there was, sealed within, an urgent note directly from Orrin himself. Not wanting to go against the direct orders of their master, they had waited. Even as the messenger returned an hour later with a more frantic look about him, and again as he came another hour after that, and about forty five minutes ago from the present moment, looking absolutely wild with anxious energy. Sayrin dabbed repeatedly at his forehead, again considering that by all rights, he really should have moved past the need for sweating as a bodily function as a 3-Star user. Yet here he was, drops running down his face as he unsealed and read the first letter, then the second, shorter one, and the third one composed of a single line. They all said practically the same message, just in increasingly urgent and simplified verbiage. The last one reading ¡°Cain is almost upon us.¡± 38. Cain Sayrin rushed up the grand steps of the central palace. Though he¡¯d been here many times before, and though he¡¯d also run late more than once for one reason or another, this was the first time he¡¯d felt truly, deeply anxious about it. Security had been a nightmare to get past, even though they all knew him by name, and knew he was expected, there weren¡¯t to be any exceptions to a full security sweep of the person and of the carriage. If he was lucky, and Sayrin usually wasn¡¯t the luckiest of men, then he would still manage to beat their guest and arrive if not in a timely fashion, then at least in time to greet him. Looking around, Sayrin felt at least a measure of reassurance at the fact there wasn¡¯t yet a large procession near the palace. Any 4-Star on the planet afforded some measure of grandeur when visiting any foreign city, and Cain of all people would have at least a full entourage of lower ranking 4-Stars and several dozen 3-Star attendants. Blasting open the doors without pausing or even a break in his stride. He did, however, have to leap to one side to avoid a pair of men in formal suits like his own, also three stars working in the building judging from the glimpse he took at their aura¡¯s, then kept running. He knew that his pace to a zero or 1-star would seem almost like teleportation, but this damnable city was so large and grand, that even just running down the hallway to the grand balcony where Sayrin knew he would find Orrin felt like it took a hundred years longer than it should have. It was in the opulently decorated main hallway of the palace that he usually started to feel the edges of Orrin¡¯s aura. It was common in high society to keep one''s aura contained, to avoid bothering those with it and to avoid¡­ mishaps that can come from blasting an aura on those not powerful enough to withstand its pressure. The only exceptions were when mingling with another person on an individual basis, as he¡¯d done with the pair of men earlier as a way of identifying each other and greeting one another, and of course if you were the most powerful person in the building. Sayrin felt it was an interesting custom, but one that he personally enjoyed when he was able to do it himself. The military had a custom wherein if a higher ranking individual than anyone currently in the room were to walk in, the entire room should go to attention. Once you reached 3-Star, this applied to any buildings you entered as well. There were several practical reasons this was done, in an emergency, you would always know where to find the commander, and the commander would also be able to, in the back of their mind, have some awareness of the goings on of the building. When a 4-Star entered a building, their aura control was at such a point that they could typically cover the entire area with ease, while simultaneously keeping to a manageable level, even for those of far lower ranks. The palace being as large as it was, and with its many enchanted protections and thick polished granite walls, Orrin¡¯s aura was not omnipresent, but rather only able to be felt a few rooms away. But as he was usually the highest ranking member in the central palace, aside from the king of course if he ever deigned to descend and visit from the Northern palace, it was his right to project his aura as much or as little as he wished. All this and more flashed through Sayrin¡¯s mind as, at least five hundred meters before he should have felt Orrin''s aura, he felt instead an overwhelming sense of profound bloodlust. Skidding and stumbling to a stop, Sayrin gaped like a fish out of water, as he took it in, then saw further down, several 2-Star palace guards and dozens of 1-Star staff and servants all collapsed to the ground, struggling to remain conscious. As he finally managed to continue his trek forwards, he instantly understood why. This aura, he was still only on its fringes, at its far reaches. As he walked deeper and deeper into its depths, he felt the pressure on his own aura increase by orders of magnitude. It wasn¡¯t a suppression, nothing so invasive as that, rather it felt as though he was staring down the face of a monster. One that he knew, deep in his bones, in his heart, in his very being, that he was utterly helpless against. Sayrin persevered, determined to meet not only Orrin, his own commander, but also to simply stand before the one who was capable of doing this to most of the palace. Each step was an ordeal, and he leaned against the wall as much for support as to simply remain grounded in the present. It was not so much as to be entirely debilitating, he could move. But damn if it wasn¡¯t difficult. For Sayrin, there was no doubt in his mind he¡¯d be able to get there, to stand before the source of this strength. However, with only fifty meters to go until the large embossed doors of black marble leading out to the terrace, he felt the river in his mind begin to stir. It was always there, he¡¯d found. Always flowing in the background of his thoughts. Most days it was simply thus, an ever present companion. Today, though, today he could feel it. Its power, it¡¯s magnitude, the waking nightmare that he so loathed. But¡­ no, this was different, unlike what he¡¯d always felt before. Sayrin found new strength entering his limbs, felt steel in his bones, and fresh air in his lungs. He felt the pressure of the overwhelming bloodlust lessen, little by little. It wasn¡¯t gone, it wasn¡¯t even diminished by half really, but it was lessened. Moving away from the wall, he found he could even stand up straight again. The raging torrent in his mind wasn¡¯t taking away from him, it was helping him. Boosting him along, as if it too wanted to see the source of this strength. Wanted to confront it and overcome it. Sayrin wouldn¡¯t question it. Straightening his olive green overcoat, and rearranging the medals he wore over his heart, he continued forwards now with confidence in his step, and fierce determination in his eyes. Pulling on the polished silver handles of both marble doors, he swung them open with an audible grunt, and then, as if entering the eye of a vast hurricane, stepped out into the utter bliss that was the open air terrace. So overwhelmed by the sudden and severe lack of the bloodlust, that he took several moments just to breath and orient himself to the feeling of not being surrounded by it. It was to the point that he didn¡¯t even notice the entire group of people not fifteen feet ahead of him, a couple of whom were turned and looking back at him with amused, knowing smiles on their faces. He knew most of the group, of course. They were all fellow officers in the service of Orrin. Moreover, they had apparently made it here under equally harried conditions judging by the haggard expression some of them wore on their faces. However, Sayrin paid them all hardly more than a cursory glance. Again, both he and the slowly building torrent in his mind were in agreement: they didn''t matter, not right now. Walking confidently to stand shoulder to shoulder with the other officers, Sayrin finally laid his eyes on the sole object of their fixation: Cain, the Conqueror. He was a large man, not fat but physically large, standing a head above even Orrin himself, who was by no means short. He had dark curly hair, kept relatively short, that flowed almost perfectly into his beard of the same color and length. His ears were perfectly round, confirming the fact that despite his herculean size, he was human, or at least once was. And herculean he was, he wore a simple flowing toga of mottled black and brown, draping over his left shoulder. Underneath, and barely concealed, were the mass of rippling muscles that made up his chest and shoulders. Each fiber, each tendon on each muscle, they all stood out in high relief. While muscles didn¡¯t matter overly much as one increased in magical power, neither were they inconsequential. This was a man who had forged his path through a brute strength and force of will that bordered on insanity. Without meaning to, Sayrin took a step forward, breaking from the group of 3-Star officers to approach Orrin and Cain where they were sitting in high back chairs, talking. He didn¡¯t know why he wanted to, he didn¡¯t have a plan on what to do or say when he approached, but nevertheless, he was compelled forward. He needed to be closer, to understand, to speak to these men, these demigods, these paragons of power. Then all at once, like a keen knife through warmed butter, Cain tilted back his head, and let out a raucous bout of laughter that boomed across the entire terrace with an almost physical force. Sayrin¡¯s mind cleared in an instant, yet he still found himself inextricably standing far closer to the two men than any other person in the room. Orrin, his direct commanding officer and de facto leader of the Loterran military forces in the region, was looking at him with a mixture of equal parts lingering amusement and cynical confusion as to what exactly Sayrin was doing. Having enough tack to use the situation, Orrin said in his deep baritone ¡°Ah, Lord Cain, this is one of my most esteemed captains, Palorie Sayrin. He was the one who discovered the spatial user down south in Lyra.¡± Sayrin had met and been in the presence of, and had innumerable conversations with Orrin. He himself was a powerful 4-Star user, and had an aura like an iron wall. Through the years, he had grown accustomed to being in his presence, and thought himself strengthened to the oppressive power that came with advanced ranks. As Cain¡¯s bright scarlet eyes settled on Sayrin, corners still crinkled by residual amusement, he saw therein a terrible, horrific depth. He saw decades and decades dedicated to destruction and decay. He felt no aura, no suppression, no power of arcane origin. But gazing into those eyes, and looking at the history of carnage they held, Sayrin felt the blood drain from his face, his hands grew numb, and ice entered his veins. All of that and more happened from his gaze alone, and then, he heard the man''s voice. Shockingly soft, and yet holding a resonance that allowed it to carry across the entire group, he said ¡°So it was you who allowed the fruition of current events. How came it to pass, pray tell, that you failed to capture a single child who had their class for less than a handful of hours?¡± Having snapped to attention the moment Orrin first gazed upon him, Sayrin clenched and unclenched his fists numerous times, before swallowing past the lump in his throat and answering in a voice that remained as steady as he could make it ¡°Lord Cain, I was away searching the area, when the woman took-claimed her class. She had been left with one of my soldiers, who came to get me as quickly as she could. But by the time I got to her, she had already¡­ registered¡­ at the guild.¡± Sayrin trailed off towards the end of his response, as both Orrin and Cain looked at him with disappointment. It was a classic mistake, and he realized too late that he¡¯d made it. Dropping his gaze, he said ¡°By which I mean, gentleman, that I have no excuse. It shouldn¡¯t have happened.¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Orrin opened his mouth as if he was about to speak, but was beaten to it by Cain, who said ¡°What actions have you taken since then to rectify your oversight?¡± Looking sharply at Orrin, hoping the senior officer would step in and save him, Sayrin was crestfallen to simply see passive stoicism on his face. Looking back, Sayrin said "I-I haven¡¯t been given leave to¡­ to¡­ I have done¡­ nothing, Lord Cain. I¡¯ve been taking care of my wife and son, and haven¡¯t taken any actions to that end. I have no other excuses or reasons.¡± Cain for a long moment, assessed Sayrin, taking in both his words and appearance. Sayrin watched the man¡¯s eyes move from the medals on his chest, to the polished shine of his boots, and back up to his face. Finally, after what felt like hours being the object of a science experiment, Cain said ¡°Let me see your hands, boy.¡± A moment passed wherein no one moved, and nobody said a single thing. Finally, Orrin said with a smile playing at his lips ¡°Sayrin, show Lord Cain your hands.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Yes sir¡± He said, belatedly raising his hands in a jerky, bird-like fashion. Taking first his right hand, and then his left, Cain studied them both for what Sayrin felt to be an inordinately long time. Cains own hands as they touched his were not only like the mitts a blacksmith might wear with their sheer size, they were also as rough as sandpaper all throughout, and each bore a large, deep scar along the palms, as if he¡¯d rubbed them nearly to the bone at some point in the past. Cain made an odd pinching motion as he flipped over Sayrin¡¯s left hand, he began to study the stars that had bled into existence there, without being called forth by Sayrin himself. The three stars, all appearing as the same five pointed cluster of golden topaz gems, were conjoined in a perfectly straight row in line with his knuckles. The first two were identical, two facets of the gems collared a deep sandy brown, with radiant gold shining out from within, with a third section holding midnight blue and orange brighter than a hearth''s flame at its core. His third star had only two facets, both sandy brown and both with their golden cores looking out like a pair of eyes in the dark. Cain caught Sayrin¡¯s eye, studying him as he himself was studied. Releasing his hands, and reclining back in his chair, he turned to Orrin and said ¡°This child has had a hard path. Do you know of it?¡± Orrin nodded ¡°I am aware of his particular¡­ abilities. Luckily his aforementioned wife, as well as some others in our unit, are able to provide support so nothing too untoward should happen.¡± Cain looked off into the far distance, at the rising suns, the ocean and ships in the sheltered bay, and finally said ¡°I had a brother once, many centuries ago. Though his was a shorter path than most, with a particularly tragic end, it taught me the true importance of family, and treasuring those around you.¡± Looking back at Sayrin and meeting his eyes once more, he said ¡°I would never fault a man who cares for his family before all else. Never lose sight of them, nor allow them to lose sight of you. You will look back and rue the day, should it ever come to pass, and curse yourself a fool for allowing it.¡± Mind moving a mile a minute, Sayrin took an extra, and unnecessary step, but one that felt right in the moment, and executed a formal bow. They were not common in this day and age, nor were they in regular use in the Loterran Military, but for some reason it felt the only right course of action in that moment. Sweeping his right leg out and behind him, then right hand over the medals on his chest and left fist in the small of his back, he bowed at the waist to the sitting Cain, and said ¡°Thank you, Lord Cain, for your sage words. I will always remember them, and take them to heart.¡± ~ ~ ~ After that, Sayrin stepped away, back in line with the other officers. He got several looks, some envious and some dirty and spiteful. He didn¡¯t care. Sayrin was a long way from caring what these men and women thought of him in even the tiniest of capacities. Orrin and Cain talked for a while longer about various topics, with Sayrin and the others simply taking it all in, appreciating each grain of wisdom as if it were the most valuable gemstone in the world. Eventually, however, Cain stood with Orrin following suit, and they bade each other farewell by grasping one another by the forearms, and releasing a sudden, powerful spike of their auras. The instantaneous clash of aura and will sent shockwaves through the onlooking crowd of officers, one or two of whom fell to their knees entirely, before Cain finally departed, leaping over the edge of the terrace and falling to who knows where with a full bellied laugh. Orrin shared instructions and guidance for the next weeks'' worth of activities that would take place as, after all, Cain was only the first of many who would be arriving in the city after the cavalcade of recent events. Dismissing them all, he said ¡°Sayrin, stay back a moment, if you would please.¡± He watched the others file through the double doors, and without glancing away from the distant horizon, Sayrin waved a hand and pulled the massive black marble doors closed. Joining him at the railing, Sayrin stood behind and to the right of Orrin, and settled into a parade rest stance, feet shoulder width apart, hands clasped at the small of the back. Neither of them spoke, the silence around them palpable in the distant crashing waves, and the warm spring winds blowing across their faces, and cries of people coming up from the city far below. ¡°What held you in getting here this morning? I sent three messengers.¡± Orrin finally asked. ¡°I was with my wife, sir.¡± Said Sayrin, moving immediately to attention as he began to speak. ¡°I had instructed my servants not to bother me for any reason, which they took to include your messages.¡± Turning to look him in the eye, Orrin said ¡°You were with your wife? Are you two...? And relax, Sayrin, please.¡± Returning to parade rest, even as some of the energy drained out of him, Sayrin said ¡°No sir, not¡­ not yet. She still flinches when I go near her, or move too suddenly.¡± Orrin didn¡¯t speak to the news, simply nodding his head, and looking back out at the sea. ¡°I heard about the sparring bout with your son.¡± He left the statement hanging in the air. It was an invitation to talk, and again, Sayrin deflated with the new topic at hand, leaving the invitation unanswered. As if able to understand this, Orrin once again nodded, without saying a word more about it. Finally, sighing, he turned and said ¡°Lord Cain is an interesting man. He¡¯s very much a creature of dualities. As serious as a blade to the chest, but with the levity and whimsy to leap from a building simply to enjoy the feeling.¡± Here he stopped and shook his head. ¡°More than that, though, he was right, Sayrin. We need to find this girl. She isn¡¯t the only new spatial user now, we¡¯ve gotten reports from across the guild networks of several more popping up, but she was the first.¡± ¡°Yes sir, I know.¡± Fire of passion raged in his belly, and the energy he¡¯d lost before returned three fold now ¡°I would be more than happy to head back down to-¡± ¡°No.¡± The single word reverberated through the air like the striking of a gong, it¡¯s power and effect stopping Sayrin in his tracks. ¡°No¡­ sir? Then what will you have me do, exactly?¡± He couldn¡¯t help it; a slight edge had crept into his voice. There was a spatial user out there, multiple spatial users. Sayrin didn¡¯t care if he had to go up against Cain himself, he would do that a hundred times more if it meant he could hunt down these murderous bastards. ¡°Sayrin... What happened with that Lieutenant of yours, and the 1-Star as well¡­ I know you intervened and directed them towards Lyra, and I know the spatial user is there as well. But with all that in mind, I won¡¯t- can''t let you near there again. Not for now, anyway.¡± Sayrin worked his jaw for several seconds, trying to physically work out his emotions before his tongue got the better of him. He had been in the military for too long, been too conditioned and well trained to respect those in positions of authority to lose himself now, in front of Orrin no less. But he came close then, at that moment. ¡°However, I will send you after one of the other spatial users.¡± Shocked into silence by the sudden prospect of a deployment to other parts of the world, he realized he didn¡¯t even know where the others were. ¡°Sir, where¡­ where would I be going? And how soon would I leave?¡± He seemed to think for a moment, before saying ¡°I¡¯ll give you to the end of the week. I want you to meet the next dignitary due in town as well before you depart. Give your men notice of the deployment as soon as you leave here and get your affairs in order.¡± Orrin eyed him with particular attention for this last part, then said ¡°you catch my meaning, yes?¡± Giving a sharp nod, Sayrin said ¡°Yes sir, I do, and I will.¡± ¡°Good. As for where you¡¯ll be going, I¡¯ll give you the choice. There have been six additional Spatial users registered at guild branches, two of which are in allied nations that would be willing to accept our troops without undue attention being called to the matter. The Cheole region, specifically the Tortian branch. As well as the Western Nioa islands, Kaoe branch. Almost literally polar opposites, and each set to be at least a several month deployment. Thoughts?¡± Sayrin looked down, lost in thought for a moment considering the two places. The Cheole mountains were frozen peaks so tall, they should by all rights be uninhabitable. Due in large part, however, to the air users dominating that region, they had formed, if not a comfortable place to live, then at least a suitable one. They were famous for their massive monasteries and world class musicians, but also regarded with a certain¡­ well, they were just odd. They almost never spoke a single word to anyone, not that they specifically lacked the ability to, but that they had this taboo about sound. Picturing his soldiers in such a place, he could immediately see several obvious issues that would eventually come about, due to cultural differences alone. The alternative location then, seemed the obvious and even desirable choice. The Nioa islands were viewed as a natural wonderland; several dozen islands set in the most calm and clear part of the ocean as if by sheer providence. They were all held on a continental shelf, meaning the waters between each island never got more than twenty or thirty feet deep at their lowest points, and the waters remained as clear and bright as the noonday sky. The people there, primarily water users, were long and historic allies of the Loterran kingdom, and would openly welcome any and all visitors with hearty excitement. Despite all of this, everything he had to consider and everything guiding him towards the tropical vacation for all intents and purposes, he found himself saying ¡°The Cheole mountains sir. That¡¯s where we need to be, and that¡¯s where we¡¯ll go.¡± Orrin nodded with finality and said ¡°Excellent choice. We don¡¯t have much of a presence in that region, so you¡¯ll be under the care of our allied commander while there. Report to her once you arrive, and follow her orders as you would my own...¡± He paused for a moment, before adding ¡°within reason.¡± ¡°Absolutely sir, understood. Will this be an accompanied tour?¡± Responding without hesitation, as if he¡¯d expected the question, Orrin said ¡°Accompanied. The Cheole people are certainly different from us in many ways, but it should by no means become a war zone. Non-combatants are welcome to tag along. Talk to finance to ensure you secure proper accommodations for those bringing families.¡± Feeling the end of their conversation was at hand, Sayrin said ¡°Roger that sir. Will that be all?¡± ¡°That¡¯ll be all Sayrin, go. Make ready your men and yourself. The next several weeks will be hectic and I¡¯ll need you as you are now, not as you were coming through that hall.¡± Snapping to attention, Sayrin gave a firm, crisp salute. Once it was returned by Orrin, he executed an about face, and began to walk firmly away, determination and purpose propelling his stride. Just as he pushed on the large silver handle of the right double door, he paused at the sound of his name, looking back. ¡°One more thing, Sayrin. Your son, I¡¯m returning him to active duty. I want this to be clear that he won¡¯t be part of your deployment to Cheole.¡± A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind, and a hundred emotions played out on his face. But finally, reaching the forefront of the tumult, an uncomfortable acknowledgment at the wisdom of the move prevailed. With a lump in his throat for the second time that morning, though this time for entirely different reasons, Sayrin managed to force out one final ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Before once more walking on, closing the doors behind him with the resounding boom of fate itself being sealed. 39. Effects Kya awoke, much less rested and much less restored than she would have hoped, yet at least in a somewhat better state of mind than she had been when first going to sleep. The suns rays seemed to be fighting against the clouds in the sky as they tried to illuminate her room, an occasional beam poking in, before being smothered out by the vengeful sky. She had gone back to Sugg¡¯s and cashed in on her wild overpayment for her first meal there, much to the very vocal amusement of the boisterous man. He had laughed and laughed, all the while serving her one of the absolute best breakfasts she¡¯d ever had in her life. It came close enough to rival some of the home cooked meals her dad had made when she was a kid, making it stand out as truly a masterwork of baking and cooking prowess in her eyes. Afterwards, half dragging herself from sheer exhaustion, Kya had made it back to the dorm building just as clouds began to gather overhead and a light drizzle began to fall. Wave was once again working the counter as she¡¯d walked in. She must have looked absolutely horrid, which wasn¡¯t remotely shocking to her in her torn, bloodied, and mud caked clothes, because the normally passive, stoic face of the man gave out an actual look of, well, disgust really, and he said ¡°Don¡¯t you linger, here. Straight upstairs and to the showers with you. I¡¯ll not be mopping up any more of your gunk than I have to. Go on now, go.¡± She had lazily and half heartedly said back ¡°yeah yeah, I¡¯m going.¡± Before trudging up the spiral stairs with a morose wave back at the frowning man. She wondered idly if anyone else actually worked here, or if he just ran the place twenty-four seven. Deciding that was, without even the most remote of possibilities in her mind, a question for later, she plodded to her room at the end of the third floor. Stripping of her horrid clothes, she wondered where abouts she might go to get them cleaned, before remembering that she had a wardrobe appointment back with Merivan the seamstress. That was a nice thought. One quick, luxurious, glorious, heart warming, life changing, mind altering shower later, and Kya collapsed back into her bed, uncaring about most anything else in the whole world quite so much at that point. ¡°Worlds¡± she thought, with a mental chuckle, before the warm embrace of sleep overtook her mere seconds after she¡¯d closed her eyes. ~ ~ ~ Douglass and Arthur stood ahead of her, both looking down with sharp condemnation written all over their faces. While Arthur¡¯s eyes were sunken and glassy, like a stuffed mannequin approximating his visage, Dougles'' eyes were nothing but black shadows and smoke. They turned, and revealed between them the half formed ghoul at the center of the would be resurrection ritual. Clumps of hair sticking to its skull, pieces of gore trying in vain to keep this ill fated creature alive once more. Both men ran to the side of the mostly skeletal body, and then knelt in utter despair and grief, each one taking a bony hand in theirs, and holding it tightly to their own hearts. Then, with a righteous fury, Douglass left his weeping father, and leapt to his feet, running at Kya. With each step, he seemed to grow more and more, until he finally towered over her like a raging goliath. Turning to run, Kya tried with all her might to get away, but every one step he took was equal to twenty of hers, and just as his massive rocky boot was about to crush her as if she were no more than an ant, shadows overtook everything around, and darkness overwhelmed her senses. It was all consuming, all encompassing, suffocating, blinding, she couldn¡¯t move, couldn¡¯t do anything. But then she started to feel¡­ feel drops of water on her face. Drops of rain as they fell from the forest canopy overhead. She couldn¡¯t move not from some nebulous unknowable things, but from¡­ from¡­ She cried out then, thrashing and kicking, it was the spiders. Those horrid spiders were again taking her back to their nest, back to the maw of the spider king. And then she was there, but not as she had been, in fact she could actually see herself. Wrapped in cloth strips of armor, covered in mud and soaking wet from the rain. She was within the nest, still unable to move, unable to even turn her head. Kya watched from her fixed perspective as this past self brought out her various supplies and ultimately set fire to the entire nest of spiders and webs. The flames moved at the speed of sound, rippling out in angry waves of destruction towards her. She felt them then, raging at her, singing her sides, the heat spiking up and up to quickly become unbearable. She once more tried to struggle, tried to break free, but was completely and utterly helpless to move. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Finally, her past self walked slowly towards her, glowing staff in one hand and long, savagely sharp dagger in the other. The ghost of her past looked down at her with a gaze so cold, she no longer felt the heat of the flames, and then with a swipe of the staff, everything once more went dark as a void. Dreading what would happen next, she realized once more that she actually could see, could hear and feel. Blinking open her eyes, she heard the rain pattering against the window shutters outside, and a moment later, saw the dim light cast through the window from the evening sun, choked out as it was by the weeping sky. Joined as it was by the light from the T.V. still playing the show she¡¯d fallen asleep to while laying on the couch, she could actually make out a fair bit of the living room once her eyes adjusted. There was the coffee table she¡¯d used as a stage for her stuffed animals when she was seven. There was the bookshelf she¡¯d tried to climb when she was three, earning her first hospital when she¡¯d fallen and broken her left arm. She sat up, pushing off the soft blanket and rotating to put her feet on the ground. In the back of her mind, she knew exactly where she was, and she knew exactly when it was, but yet¡­ she just couldn¡¯t quite bring it into focus. Getting up and walking to the kitchen, she saw the note left by her parents under a magnet on the fridge. ¡°K, Out shopping. Leftovers in the fridge. Be home by seven thirty... ish. Please bring some food to Gill next door, plate already prepared, and be polite! You know how she can be - Dad¡± Next to ¡°Be polite¡± was a little drawing of a face rolling its eyes. Her dad had always left little touches like that, and it made her smile. She opened the fridge to see the leftover thanksgiving feast, now perfectly divided up and stored into an orderly and neat collection of tupperware containers stacked like bricks in a wall. Again letting out a light chuckle, she reflected that he hadn¡¯t been kidding about leftovers. In front of the great wall of plastic, was a single plate, piled high with every healthy homemade vegetarian dish her father had contrived for them, and all once again neatly contained with a layer of cling wrap. A bright orange sticky note on top read ¡°K, this is the one for Gill. Please deliver!!!¡± Taking out the plate, she walked with it to the front door, and threw on her heavy overcoat atop the fuzzy pj¡¯s she had one. Putting on her slippers, she was just about to open the door to head outside when a firm knock sounded three times. Knock¡­ Knock¡­ Knock¡­ That small part of her mind was begging her, screaming at her not to open the door, to turn and run. But for the life of her, she couldn¡¯t figure out why. Putting down the plate of carefully prepared food, and wrapping the heavy coat around herself more tightly, she pulled open the door. Standing there, like grim specters, like men who rode upon pale horses, like men who hated the lot they had in life, who wished to be anywhere but there, were two soldiers in their finest uniforms. Medals glistening with rain drops, black berets neatly folded to one side and shoes polished to a mirror shine. The one on the left, the older one, spoke in a voice of horrid, soul crushing compassion when he said ¡°Ma¡¯am¡­ Can we come inside for a moment?¡± Kya remembered then. It was the smell of his breath, of chewing tobacco and peppermint, not really canceling out, but more mixing together to create a more muddled and yet distinct union of the two scents. She remembered what they were about to say, what they were about to tell her, and how her life was about to forever change. ~ ~ ~ Kya awoke, then, much less rested and much less restored than she would have hoped, yet at least in a somewhat better state of mind than she had been when first going to sleep. The suns rays seemed to be fighting against the clouds in the sky as they tried to illuminate her room, an occasional beam poking in, before being smothered out by the vengeful, weeping sky. She remembered after a moment the dreams she had had, and things she had done all the previous day. All the previous days. Previous Weeks. Months. Years. Sitting up, and pulling her legs into her chest, she wrapped her warm blanket around herself as tightly as she could, before putting her forehead to her knees and letting out soft, gentle breaths as the tears fell from her face, and quiet tremors wracked her arms. Against her torn and tattered hoodie, she barely noticed the residual heat from her amulet as it began to dissipate. 40. Appointments and Plans Taking about thirty minutes to herself, to simply be, and to recover, and then taking one less luxurious, more existential and introspective shower, Kya put on her tattered sweatpants and sweatshirt. Which were at least cleaner than her¡­ everything else, and was about to leave when she thought better of it. She¡¯d only had it for a little while, but she¡¯d grown rather fond of her new cloak. Whatsmore, as she pulled it on, she noticed that it had actually, at least somewhat, cleaned itself while she¡¯d been sleeping. Not for the first time, she reflected on how nice it was to have little conveniences like that in her life now. It wasn¡¯t much, but a clean warm piece of clothing can make all the difference sometimes. Making her way downstairs, she once more found Wave sitting at the desk, idly flipping through what seemed to be this world''s equivalent to a newspaper. ¡°Finally awake again. At this rate, you¡¯re turning into an outright nocturnal creature. Were you always this way?¡± His deep, monotonous voice still caught her off guard. He was just so thin and wiry, it was downright incongruous. ¡°Well, that depends on the day, I guess. If I have nothing going on, then I will usually stay up well into the night and sleep well into the day.¡± He raised an eyebrow at that, looking up from his paper ¡°And you¡¯ve had nothing going on, have you?¡± Kya laughed, a slightly forced laugh, but mostly genuine at least. ¡°No, I suppose I have been rather busy. Call it an occupational hazard then.¡± Wave simply shook his head and put the paper down on the desk. ¡°What can I do for you then?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to extend my stay here to cover the next three months. How much would that cost?¡± He let out a long, low whistle and said ¡°Three months? That¡¯s quite a jump. But, so long as you¡¯ve got the coins doesn¡¯t matter much to me. I don¡¯t normally do a monthly rate, but if you pay fifty agrens, I¡¯ll give it to you for the rest of the semester, and two weeks into the next one as well.¡± ¡°How much longer is left in the current semester?¡± Wave scratched at his stubbly chin and said ¡°Around about two months and some change I¡¯d say. They just started classes last week.¡± Kya now also scratched at her own chin in contemplation before saying ¡°How about sixty five agren, and I keep it for the rest of this semester, and the rest of the next one as well.¡± Countering without even a second''s hesitation, he said ¡°Ninety.¡± Kya scoffed and said ¡°Seventy.¡± ¡°Eighty five.¡± ¡°Seventy five.¡± He gave her a flat look ¡°Ninety.¡± Realizing she was beginning to push the limit here, she said ¡°Alright alright alright, eighty and five curen.¡± Narrowing his eyes slightly, he pondered this for long enough that Kya began to wonder if she¡¯d gone too far and he was simply ignoring her, before finally he said ¡°Seventy eight, and I can call in a small favor at my time of choosing.¡± Laughing, Kya reached out and said ¡°Lets just do eighty, I already owe you a favor for pointing me to Merivan.¡± A twinkle entering his dark brown eyes, Wave reached out as well and shook her hand. With a slightly pained feeling Kya remembered all too well, she paid out all the money she¡¯d just gotten for killing the hellhounds, and a bit more besides. She had discovered, to her utter delight, that upon thinking about how convenient it would be to visualize the money currently held in her storage space, that a new window had popped up in the corner of her vision, with little markers telling her exactly that. After paying the eighty agrens to Wave, she had left over fifty seven agrens, one hundred and eighty two curers, and five hundred and thirty six ferons. Each one was helpfully displayed with their corresponding metal, so a small gray coin for the iron ferons, a small copper coin for the curens, and a small silver coin for the agrens. All in all, she felt herself pretty well off, especially as she still had her entire amazon warehouse of randomly looted goodies to sort through. Bidding farewell to Wave, she made her way out onto the street, grateful for the hood of the cloak which she now pulled on over her head to ward off the rain. She began to lightly jog through the wide stone streets, more crowded than she¡¯d ever seen them before, but still not uncomfortably so. This was clearly a city built and planned for large groups of people walking everywhere they went, and with the freedom that magic brought, the wide open streets and colorful buildings, trees and fountains, lights and crystals, all of it worked together to make it seem positively tranquil despite the hundreds of people hurrying here and there in disparate light of the evening suns and rain. She saw, off in the distance, the brightly lit academy that Wave had mentioned. There were classes for users there, or rich kids who expected to become users. It would probably be worthwhile to look into that place. Not that Kya was overly anxious to return to a school setting or anything, though who didn¡¯t love a good transfer student in a magical school arc, but some structured education and teachers to help her navigate the twists and turns of this place and her abilities would be a vastly welcome prospect. Of all the people she¡¯d met so far, she trusted Rory the most, but she valued the opinion of Merivan above even that. She was also one of the only other people she knew for a fact had an identification skill, which for some reason, weighed in quite heavily for her decision. Needing to seek her out regardless for the promised wardrobe reunion, Kya made her way to the shop as quickly and quietly as she could. ~ ~ ~ Muffled shouting could be heard before she even opened the door, making Kya smirk for some reason, because she had a pretty good idea who was doing the yelling. Peeking her head in through the door, she pretty much exactly what she¡¯d expected to see. Merivan, dressed in an absolutely stunning outfit of muted bronze and a stark white overcoat that made her look simultaneously like she was ready to fight a platypus in a fedora or walk a runway in New York City, was yelling down at a pompous looking young man. He was well dressed, of course, but it was the kind out outfit that tried to tell you how wealthy the one wearing it was, rather than being simply quality in its construction. A form over function type of outfit. He had on brown boots that seemed to emit their own light on the floor around him, loose fitting pants with an interwoven pattern of purple and black, a jacket that sported several sewn in and luminous gemstones that radiated power, and half a dozen necklaces, bracelets, rings, and more just to tie the whole ensemble together. Again, it wasn¡¯t that any one piece was poorly made, or even that they didn¡¯t fulfill the design and function for which they were intended. It was simply that the clothes wore the man, rather than the man wearing the clothes. Kya had never once in her life been a person to put too much stock into the fashion of others, apart from checking on the uniforms of her battle buddies to make sure they were correct, so if she noticed this¡­ well, the man was likely about to be murdered right in front of her by Merivan. Coming into the conversation partway, the first thing she heard was Merivan shouting ¡°-think to come in here and demand ANYTHING of me, well Mr. Daddy¡¯s little favorite, I have some fucking news for you.¡± The man blustered, and responded in a voice that made Kya realize man might be less accurate than saying young man, or even boy, as he looked and sounded now that she studied his face, to be in his late teens at best. ¡°W- Well- I Can¡¯t- I don¡¯t- Wait until my father hears about this, you won¡¯t be so high and mighty the-¡± ¡°OH yes, please get little Brakis here. I would love to see him speak to me in half the indignant manner that you did you sniveling little- Oh my gosh, Kya! Hello dear, how are you doing this fine evening?¡± Changing her tone on a dime, she smiled and walked over to Kya, heels clacking loudly wherever she struck the parts of the floor not covered in the soft plush carpeting. Taking a full three seconds to register that she wasn¡¯t still in the face of the young man and was now talking to her, Kya¡¯s grin broadened into a full smile and she said ¡°Hello again Meri, I¡¯m better than I could be. Missing caffeine drinks dearly, but hoping to find a new substitute soon enough. Actually, can I bother you for a cup of tea?¡± ¡°Won¡¯t be a bother at all for a paying customer. Let me just take out the trash quickly, and I¡¯ll be right with you.¡± Chuckling softly to herself, Kya watched from the plush and softly cushioned couch as the verbal sparring match carried on for a minute longer, before the man left in a huff, looking simultaneously outraged and on the verge of tears. He touched one of his necklaces and an honest to god umbrella hat appeared on his head as he left the store. Kya simply stared out in shock and disbelief, unable to comprehend why he would have that, and then dreading that, perhaps, they were actually popular in this part of the world, or this region, or this city. ¡°Meri, I need to know this, desperately. Was that hat-¡± ¡°Oh gods no.¡± She said with a smile, and a toss of her bouncy orange curls ¡°The fact that he even owns such a thing was reason enough alone to never be seen within a hundred meters of this building. I can¡¯t breathe the same air as the inept, dear. What if it¡¯s contagious?¡± Snorting her laugh, she then called out as Merivan walked behind the counter and into a back room ¡°How''s your husband doing? Is he in today?¡± She called back, muffled through the curtain that separated the main sitting area from the back room ¡°He¡¯s doing wonderfully, he should be returning soon from the academy actually. Depending on how long you stick around¡± she walked back through the door, a tea tray in her hand with two small cups, and a steaming kettle ready to go ¡°You may just meet him.¡± She finished with a smile, placing down the tray on the table in front of them and sitting down next to Kya, crossing her ankles and resting her hands on her knees. Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Now then, I¡¯ve created several different outfits I think you¡¯ll appreciate from the banner material you brought me.¡± Kya listened closely as she poured herself a cup of tea, and then held the cup and saucer in her hands, waiting for them to cool but enjoying the warmth. ¡°I have two everyday wear outfits, two formal outfits, and of course, a combative outfit based as closely as I could to the specifications you gave me.¡± With a snap of her fingers, Merivan made a large rotating clothing rack appear, and then with a wave of her hand, five outfits appeared one after the other. Pointing them out one by one, Merrivan began to go over the different outfits, explaining materials, enchantments, and design choices or features. For the most part, they were all made of the same materials, being comprised of the banner materials she¡¯d looted from the temple, as well as some other pieces of fabric or monster hide that she¡¯d thrown in to enhance or add to the overall capability of the outfit to be as powerful as it could be, while also looking absolutely fantastic besides. The two everyday outfits were fine. One was reminiscent of a long sun dress that would go down to her ankles. It was dark gray with accents of pink from place to place to add distinction to the piece. It was as soft as silk when Kya reached out to touch it, but she knew it was as strong as steel from Merivans work. The next was a pair of deeply pink pants, not red, but the shade of pink you¡¯d get when holding a flower in a darkened room, as well as a vibrantly white shirt. The formal wear outfits were much more exciting for Kya. One was the clear favorite for merivan. It was the most elegant ball gown she had ever seen, and put her in mind of a disney princess when she saw it. It had two simple straps holding it at the top, with a glossy pink that almost seemed to bend the light, appearing both brilliant radiant in some parts, and a matte void in others. It came out towards the bottom, seeming to possess at least a dozen extra layers all hemmed with lines of the deepest black. But what really caught the eye, and what Kya knew Merivan took the most pride in with the garment, was the black relief of a cherry tree making its way up the side of the dress, branches reaching out all across to add contrast and definition to the piece. Although it wasn¡¯t really Kya¡¯s style ordinarily¡­ it was one of the most beautiful dresses she¡¯d ever seen, and she¡¯d be damned if she didn¡¯t attend some sort of ball in this thing eventually. Next was the first of her two specific requests to Merivan: The second formal option. This was a military style uniform, black pants and a black jacket with shining golden buttons up the front of the coat on either side of the stomach and chest, as well as for the epaulets on the shoulders. The only shades of pink that Kya could see on the entire thing was in the dress shirt underneath the coat, but even that was muted and overall, she thought it worked remarkably well. It wasn¡¯t exactly what she¡¯d had in mind, clearly influenced by this world''s customs and styles, and it had certain flares and changes that made it seem more like an odd cosplay uniform than a genuine one belonging to any real nation, but it made her simply delighted to have back in her hands. However, all four of the others paled when she looked at the combat outfit made for her, and was the second of the two that she¡¯d made specifications for. This, too, was almost entirely made up of black and gray fabric, with only the hints of pink accenting and accentuating here and there. But, more or less, it was exactly what she¡¯d asked for. Sturdy and well built cargo pants with pockets on the sides of both the thighs and calves, and a light and breathable, yet insulating jacket with, again, pockets on the arms and the chest. It again wasn¡¯t really close to anything they¡¯d had on earth, making her look like a paramilitary cosplayer, but the familiarity of it, she knew, would make it well worth anything else she could have hoped for. The whole time that Kya had been taking in the outfits, Merivan had been explaining different aspects of each one. Kya had been paying attention diligently to each and every part she said, but one thing kept coming to mind, and she simply had to ask ¡°So, why all the pink?¡± Stopping short, then letting out a sweet laugh like wind chimes in a breeze, she said ¡°Well, I basically have two options whenever I make outfits for users. Downplay their eyes, or heighten their effects. The eyes are the first thing anyone in the world will look at, they let everyone know immediately that you are not only a user, but a user of what, specifically.¡± She gestured at each of the outfits, then continued saying ¡°with each of these, with any of these, you¡¯ll strike such a fierce image that people won¡¯t be able to do anything but look at your eyes.¡± She pauses, going back to the white shirt ¡°Except this one. This one is for when you want to go around town without drawing all gazes your way. White pairs well with your eyes, but will also wash them out and keep them from being as startling as they could be.¡± She shrugged then and said ¡°your choice what you want to wear, or if you even want to buy them.¡± Going over and taking the other woman''s hand, Kya said ¡°Of course I want to buy them, Meri, thank you, thank you so, so much.¡± Meri laughed then, a genuine and delighted laugh ¡°Excellent to hear, that will be twenty agrens for the lot.¡± And there it was, Kya thought, the other shoe that had finally dropped. There was always a price to fashion, and here it was at last. Taking each piece into her storage space with a touch, she stopped on the combat outfit, and used identify out of curiosity. - - - - - - Item: Cloth Armor of the Spatial Path - Rarity: 1-Star - Rare - Description: Made by an expert seamstress, this armor has been enhanced beyond the materials used to create it. When word, it imbues the wearer with the following benefits: Increased effects of all spatial abilities. Nullifies or reduces the effectiveness of magic based attacks. Resistance to piercing attacks. - Enchantments: Spatial Affinity, Self-Repair, Self-Cleaning, Mana Resistance-Weak - Requirements: {Space} Class - - - - - She then tried something she¡¯d wanted to do for quite some time, but never had the option to try until now. She took the uniform into her storage space and then simply¡­ willed it to appear on her body. It took a moment of concentration, but then her entire body from the neck down blurred, as if viewed through a haze, and then a second later, and she was wearing the cloth armor, her cloak over top making her feel significantly more like tempting people to the dark side than ever before, but she quite frankly found the outfit too enjoyable to care even one bit. Beyond anything else, though, was that the outfit was soft as a cloud on the inside. Not as soft as her divine tier boots of course, but still softer than flannel pajamas in the winter time. ¡°Well, what do we think?¡± Asked Merivan, grinning a knowing grin and leaning against the full length mirror. ¡°Meri, I just¡­ This is fantastic, this is perfect. Thank you. Thank you so much. I-¡± She was going to say more, was planning to say more, but at that moment she sensed someone walking up with her aura, and turned to the door, noting that Merivan had moved a second before she did. A tall, well toned man walked with a nearly shaved head to either side, and then a mess of hair tied back on the top into a small bun. His skin was the same tanned color as most of the people in the city, and he had the radiant golden eyes she¡¯d come to associate immediately with earth users. She reflected to herself for a moment how true Meri was about the eyes being the first thing people would look at in this world, as she herself was already doing. Which is why, the next thing she noticed about him were the bags under his eyes that she¡¯d equally come to associate with the teachers she¡¯d known in her life. ¡°Hello Meri, I¡¯m home!¡± He called, his voice thick with exhaustion and yet chipper at the same. He went over, hugged and kissed his wife, then went into the back room, and called back as she could hear him walking up a set of stairs ¡°I¡¯ll get dinner started while you finish up there. I have a hell of a story to tell you about Professor Rishar¡± he laughed himself up the rest of the way, and then was gone. The two women looked at eachother, and then laughed knowingly to one another, Kya saying ¡°I like him, he seems like a good natured man.¡± ¡°Oh that he is, dear, that he is. He¡¯s married to me, after all. His life can¡¯t get much better, I assure you of that.¡± Speaking of the professors, I was wondering about the academy myself. Would you recommend that I-¡± ¡°No. Not yet anyway.¡± Sitting back down, and sipping at her tea, Kya listened intently, while also making a satisfied noise at the tea. It was, of course, delicious. ¡°You still haven''t reached the first threshold. I can feel from your aura that you''re close, but I¡¯d say take another week and go train in the forest. There are three kinds of students at that school. The ones who will use the monster tokens to farm their abilities up without ever facing real combat, as well as the ones who haven''t even managed to secure a class yet to begin with. I won¡¯t lie to you, that¡¯s a good two thirds of the academy right there. But that last part, the last third, they are the ones who take being a user seriously. They are the ones that earn the respect we take for granted, and the one¡¯s with which I would choose to associate. So don¡¯t show up there without having at least passed the first threshold. Honestly, taking the next several months to train until you reach even the third threshold would be even better, or find another awakening item and getting a subclass. Either way would be fine.¡± She finally just shrugged, and sat down to enjoy her own tea, making a similar noise of delight at its taste. ¡°And what¡­¡± Kya began ¡°is a threshold¡­?¡± Merivan paused, tea cup halfway to her lips for a second drink and stared at her blankly. Then closing her eyes and sighing, she placed the cup and saucer back down and the table. Muttering under her breath the whole time about lunacy and standards and society as a whole, she gave a quick snap of her fingers, and produced a pad of paper and a pencil. She drew a quick and simple circle at the top of the page, then a shaded in dot at its center. ¡°This is at the center of your star, right darling?¡± Looking down at her left hand, Kya mentally commanded her star to appear, and watched as the black and pink flower bled into existence. Sure enough, there at its center was the black circle with the single pink dot almost seeming to shine out from the void around it. Right, so that means you are still in the beginning part of your star, you¡¯ve yet to reach the next threshold and unlock a second ability.¡± She then drew a second circle below the first, and divided it in half, drawing two shaded in dots on either side. ¡°Once you reach a threshold, all of your abilities will take a noticeable step forward, this is true no matter where you are in your power from 1-star to 5-star. At your level it won¡¯t be as staggering of a leap as it will be later on, but you¡¯ll still get an appreciable step forward. Moreover, you¡¯ll gain your second class ability.¡± This time, she did stop and take a long sip of the tea, savoring its taste and warmth for a moment before continuing ¡°This is also the only time in your entire life you¡¯ll be able to unlock a subclass with a second awakening item. We can talk about subclasses in detail another time, but suffice to say, it immediately puts you at the peak end of your first star, and also gives you access to your third ability right away, but also means you have to train up both abilities simultaneously. This can be good or bad depending on the abilities, possibly resulting either an incredibly rapid advancement to your second star, or an outright stalling of your progress for far longer than it should ever take anyone who¡¯s even remotely trying to advance themselves.¡± Nodding along, Kya finished her tea and placed it back down before saying ¡°So then, the best recommendation for me for now is to go train.¡± Kya gave a fierce, wolfish grin and said ¡°I can do that. I can certainly do that.¡± They talked for several more minutes, Merivan trying to pry out any more secrets she could about Kya¡¯s origin and how exactly it had come to pass that she didn¡¯t know some or even most of the basic information regarding users. Not wanting to reveal too much, at least not yet, Kya kept her answers short and succinct, relying on the vague ¡°I¡¯m from a remote place¡± answer to explain away most of it. It was clear Merivan wasn¡¯t fully buying it, but equally clear that she respected Kya, or her patronage, enough to not poke at her too hard. Taking this time to also ask about the armor she¡¯d received from the Hellhound quest, Merivan was quite intrigued. The red and black armor was the classic ruffians'' leathers you¡¯d see in a medieval movie. It was a chest piece with flowing white sleeves to either side, and then armored bracers for the forearms as well. On the back were several buckles meant to loosen or tighten it to fit various individuals. Merivan offered to buy it off of her to study the fire enchantments that were upon it, and as she had no real need of it, she could simply have it for free. Explaining against her protests that it was ¡°For my first real lesson in classes, for the advice, and for the tea.¡± Whether due to her own skills as a negotiator, or Merivans entrepreneurial spirit, she eventually took the armor with a gracious smile and said ¡°I knew you were a good investment.¡± Bidding her thanks once more, and a good evening with her husband, Kya made her way back out onto the streets, which were rapidly becoming both deserted and dark as lights in shops were put out. The various glow stones along the street still glowed with a soft blue light, but it wasn¡¯t the same as the well lit and boisterous atmosphere that had been there just an hour or two before. Still, Kya felt like absolutely nothing in the world could touch her at this point, as she walked with a joyous step back towards the southern exit of the city. She was going to get some dinner or breakfast depending on how she counted it, and then¡­ Well, then she¡¯d be going hunting. 41. A New Challenger Approaches Wade was slightly annoyed at the moment, which, of course, came at the detriment of the woodland population around the city of Lyra. She and Alder had traveled all the way back here, back to this city specifically to help its populace and to help the spatial user, Kya. Or at least that was part of Wade''s reasons for coming back here. And how had either of these goals ended up thus far? Well, the spatial user had seen them, run from them, been briefly captured by them, and then left them with the healer Rory and an unconscious dwarf of all things, to go off on her own. They had not seen her since then. After that, they had all interrogated Rory for some time about what the hell was happening, and what exactly she had been up to for these past several days. Apparently there was a death cult in the area that had been trying at human resurrection in the basement of some guy''s farmhouse, and nobody had noticed that? Wade was still utterly baffled at that news. Then, as the unconscious dwarf began to stir, threatening to awaken from his stupor, Rory had said he needed to get him into the guild''s custody immediately. They all followed inside where the knowledge clerk girls flagged them over, asking what all they¡¯d learned from Kya, because both she and Rory had sped past her without saying a single word. Eventually Rory had rejoined them for a more in depth conversation on what specifically was going on, and the clerk had been absolutely incredulous at the news of the cult and the resurrection. They¡¯d then spent several minutes more waiting for Kya to come back down, but she had apparently slipped by them at some point, meaning all they could do at that point was go take a contract and hope for the best. Well, the only contracts they had for their level were once way out in the far reaches of the territory, and each one would likely take several days of travel just to get to the location, let alone actually carrying out the quests, which were killing monsters that Wade would have been excited as hell to fight, but which Alder said were beyond us until she gained her next star. So, here she was, as she had been for the last couple of hours, cutting down the rat population of the rose forest like a scythed farmer to a field of wheat. Alder was content to sit back and watch her work, running with her as they chased after new prey, and offering advice or observations on her technique, which while she genuinely appreciated, started to get tedious and borderline insulting after the first thirty minutes or so. Wade had long since gotten her first war ability and her healing ability to their respective thresholds, it was this last singular ability that was giving her trouble, for the exact reason they were now facing. She could feel, intuitively, what the ability was and what it did. In the same way she knew how to move her fingers and toes, she knew how to inhale a lung full of fresh air, she knew how to use her abilities. They were a part of her, and as such, were known to her. The ability was meant for a long, drawn out campaign. It was called Consuming Carnage and it was simple in its execution, which gave it unparalleled power if she could just use it correctly. So long as she channeled the ability, for every consecutive attack that landed, the following one would be slightly more powerful. Again, simple enough, and in longer fights it had proved its worth time and time again. However, in this gods forsaken forest where the only monsters available to hunt in large numbers were the simple common rats, which of course she could kill in a single hit, it was almost impossible to train. They¡¯d had a moment of success early on when they¡¯d found a whole swarm of them, a good eleven or twelve all in a bunch, and she had taken out her pent-up frustrations on them with a gleeful abandon. But since then, some rabbits, some birds, some annoying wigglers, and lots and lots of rats. Wade felt like the man who dies of thirst in the desert mere inches from the oasis of life. Her ability was so close to reaching its final point, and she just wanted to get it done and over with. It would happen tonight. She didn¡¯t care if she had to stay out all night to make it happen, because it would happen. What they really needed was another one of those reaping tigers she''d watched Kya fight. Wade wasn¡¯t sure if there even was another one in the forest, as this was a relatively low magic region. She¡¯d heard about a single 2-Star monster appearing here some fourteen or fifteen years ago, but since then, the best they could hope to find would be a 1-Star in the rare or epic varieties. But as the name suggests¡­ Those were pretty rare, and Wade was growing equal parts frustrated and impatient. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Kya was having an absolute blast. Reentering the forest had been a slightly anxious prospect for her at first, she¡¯d stood on the edge of the empty field that separated the forest and the city walls, looking into the darkened woods and wondered whether it was really a good idea to return to these woods. She¡¯d sworn the whole place off as hellish and something to which she would never return. And yet, with her aura, and her armor, and her twin daggers, and her abilities, it was feeling almost too easy. Inviting even. The absolute darkness of the cloudy night under a canopy of trees would have been hampering to her before, but now with her spatial awareness in her aura, she could see the beings all around her like pinpricks of light, painting a picture in her mind of exactly what was around her, and where. Eventually deciding to go ahead and venture inside, it hadn¡¯t taken long before she¡¯d found her first monster. The pair of aggressive rabbits she had woken up from their peaceful slumber had not been very pleased with her and reacted, well, aggressively. Wearing her new armor that enhanced her abilities, which would theoretically stack with all her other bonuses to spatial abilities, she¡¯d given the rabbits an experimental push each before they could even come close to her, just to see what would happen. With almost comical ease, she heard and watched with her aura as they were both launched at absolutely insane speeds until they smashed into the trees thirty yards away and put on a pretty good imitation of a pinata at the party of an unmedicated ADHD kid. After waving away the notifications for killing both monsters, Kya checked her character screen for the first time in what felt like ages just to see what, if anything, had changed from killing the rabbits. - - - - - Character Screen - - - - - As of yet, the same as before. She really hadn¡¯t expected much of a change from just the two rabbits. She would need to find and kill many more of them, or much more powerful enemies to make any real headway. Cracking her knuckles as she headed further into the forest, Kya thought to herself how fun this was going to be. A night of pure cathartic fun for the torment this place had put her through. She was ready and able, and most importantly, eager to fight any and all challengers who came her way. She just hoped there wouldn¡¯t be too much trouble locating the more elusive monsters that would give those bigger payouts she sought. Shrugging both mentally and physically, she took off at a quick jog through the forest ahead, seeking out anything she could find to simply flatten out for all they were worth. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Sayrin had spent all day with his wife convincing her that she should come with him to his deployment. He had expected it to take time, and had prepared several arguments he thought to be truly compelling. From the simple fact that it would allow them to bond and grow closer together, to that he would need her by his side more than ever on a months-long deployment to a foreign country, one to which he¡¯d never been. What he hadn¡¯t considered, and in hindsight really should have, was that this was where Mata¡¯s people originated. Though she was born and raised outside of the peaks, it was considered a sacred rite of passage in their culture that no matter where you were in the world, no matter where you lived and no matter how much land there was to traverse, you should make the pilgrimage to the mountain tops at some point to pay homage to your ancestors. Sayrin had known this somewhere far back in his mind, but he hadn¡¯t really considered it in a great many years, not since Carcelo was still a young boy really. With that matter settled, he felt like for the first time in a long time, that he was well and truly free. Free to just breathe, to act how he would. He had several days yet before he had to leave, his son was to be given his own assignment and his own mission soon, returning to the path they all walked as users, and there was no doubt the boy would earn his second star by the time he returned from his deployment, if not even sooner than that. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it This left Sayrin¡­ almost restless as he was suddenly without any of the mental burdens that had for so long plagued him. Sure, he needed to still heal the rift in his marriage, and his son was¡­ well, he needed to help his son as well, any way he could. But for the moment, he was free. Yet, he couldn¡¯t sleep, he couldn¡¯t sit still, he couldn¡¯t stay in the house even. Making the decision on an impulse, he rose and summoned a servant with the ring of a bell. Hardly more than a handful of moments later, and a soft knock came at his door, before a butler walked in and knelt saying ¡°Yes master, what can I do for you?¡± Hurrying about the room gathering supplies that he would need, he said ¡°Make ready a carriage, I¡¯m going to the colosseum.¡± The servant looked up hesitantly, and with obvious reluctance said ¡°S-sir, are you sure that that¡¯s¡­ best at this late hour¡­?¡± His restlessness making his emotions more bristled than he would have otherwise wished, he said ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have to repeat my commands to my servants, nor should I be questioned by them on the ideal course of action to take at any given moment. If I seek your advice I shall ask it. Go.¡± Bowing his head with a quick sharp bob, the man rose and exited the room almost at a dash. A flash of regret went through Sayrin¡¯s mind, but after all, he wasn¡¯t wrong. He¡¯d apologize later, he decided with a shake of the head. For now, he had to prepare, yes, prepare. He just wanted to do some simple sword work, maybe some sparring would be fine too, should he find a suitable opponent. ... Sayrin knew, in the back of his mind, that he would find an opponent. Suitable or no. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¡°There!¡± yelled Alder, ¡°run in your two o¡¯clock for about sixty meters, there¡¯s a band of three higher tiered rats, protecting several common ones!¡± Wade didn¡¯t hesitate for a moment, altering her direction, turning sharply to the right and barreling on ahead, cutting straight through any trees in the way with her war ax before they could even hope to slow her down. Another moment and she could feel them as well, there were nine of them here, not the best they¡¯d found and not the best they could hope for, but hopefully the bigger and stronger ones would put up more of a fight. Storing her ax into her spatial ring with a loud whoosh, she cracked her knuckles as she leapt into the fray. Using the flat of her hand, she activated her ability and hit the smaller rats with as light of an attack as she could manage while under the enhancement spells effects. It didn¡¯t do any good, unfortunately, as her fingers punctured right through the beast as if it were no more than paper mache, and a heartbeat later, it erupted in a shower of blood and gore. ¡°One¡± she called out, before chasing down the next. Deciding to switch up her target, she went for the stronger monsters first while her build up was still in a weaker state. Hopefully they could survive the baser attacks and give her a few more uses out of the ability. Approaching the three massive rats, Wade once more gave as light of an attack with the least amount of force she thought would be allowed. To her astonishment and delight, the monster moved with the attack, being shot a dozen feet away, where it lay twitching but not dead. ¡°Two! And it didn¡¯t die!¡± ¡°Gods be praised, let''s get this done!¡± From there she did the same to the other two enhanced monsters, getting the same result on the second one, but by the time she went to hit the third one, her ability had built up too much force for her to contain, and it died in just a single hit. That was fine. She¡¯d gotten two extra hits on more powerful enemies. That¡¯s all she could hope for. After a quick mop up of the rest, Alder keeping them corralled to this area so she could hunt them without losing them, she waited on bated breath counting her heartbeats¡­ Ten¡­ Twenty¡­ ¡­ Thirty¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Nothing. Wade let out a growl of frustration and punched the ground at her feet, causing shockwaves to ripple out for several meters around her, while Alder simply walked up and handed her a potion. ¡°You have to be close, Julia, but every little bit takes you one step closer. Come one, next time, for sure, you¡¯ll get it. ¡°I fucking better, or else I¡¯m going to tear this entire forest to the ground¡± she muttered, jogging off after Alder who¡¯d already left. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¡°I¡¯m tearing this forest to the ground!¡± Exalted Kya. It did not matter what enemies she faced, they each died. All of them one after another, it was like lambs to the slaughter. For the past half hour, she¡¯d been running around woods in a state of almost ecstatic glee, watching for anything that might offer more of a challenge. She¡¯d seen one of the ancient vipers, from whom she¡¯d taken her venomous dagger, and which had almost killed her when first she¡¯d faced it, but which was now killed in an instant when she pulled it towards her and onto her outstretched dagger with such raw force, it had split like a log at the saw mill. From snout to tail, directly in half, no struggle, no fight. That one had raised her ability to ninety seven percent, and she¡¯d guessed and hoped it had put it well on its way to ninety eight. However, since then, there hadn¡¯t been much else of excitement, a couple more rats and a random little mushroom monster, but she hadn¡¯t killed that one because¡­ come on, it was a little baby mushroom monster. She couldn¡¯t kill a lil guy. At least not until it messed with her, then she wouldn¡¯t care. Cute or not, it would have to go. She was starting to notice fewer and fewer monsters as she went deeper in, and she didn¡¯t quite know why. She had assumed that different types of monsters would be out at night, not no monsters out at night. But truth be told, Kya wasn¡¯t really bothered by monsters taking their time. She was just having fun being out here and running around with her abilities. Though she would like a challenge of some sor- ¡°Speak of the devil¡± she thought, as she just felt what she imagined to be one of the isela flapping by overhead. Waiting just a moment more until it was a little bit closer still, she gave it an powerful pull and it dropped like a stone onto her outstretched and waiting dagger. She was mildly taken aback when, rather than the feather four-winged form of an isela, it was a weird leathery bat thing that impaled itself on her knife. Identifying it in the fleeting moments before it died and went up in smoke, she was able to get the following message: - - - - - *** NEW CREATURE IDENTIFIED *** - Midnight Chiroptera - 1 Star - Common - These small nocturnal creatures may look cute now, sure, but man does puberty hit them like a truck. Here¡¯s your fair warning, kid: Don¡¯t let them hit puberty. - - - - - So there were nocturnal creatures out here, that was excellent news, excellent news indeed. Now she just needed to find a bat thing that had grown up a little and she¡¯d be in business. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The colosseum wasn¡¯t nearly as dead as Sayrin would have thought for this time of night. There were far fewer people than at any other time he¡¯d ever been, to be sure, but still more than he would have expected. Down below in the sparring grounds where he¡¯d sparred with Carcelo only a couple of days earlier. There were a good dozen or so warriors, several of whom were actively engaged in their own sparring matches, while the rest were alone and practicing sword movements against imaginary opponents or working with training dummies. Eyeing up the options, he saw a warrior at the very end of the hall in red and black armor that, unless he missed his mark, would be a war user. Grinning despite himself, he went over to the man''s private arena and watched him practice his sword play for several minutes. He was good, very good. He held two swords, both uncharacteristically thin for enchanted weapons, not to mention they were different sizes altogether. The one in his left hand was a good hand and a half shorter than the one in his right. Nevertheless, he moved the two in a complex series of patterns, at times keeping them parallel as if they were one, at others he would separate the blades into intersecting and almost playful strikes that didn¡¯t seem as though they would do any real good in actual combat. After a minute more, the man stopped and sheathed both blades on scabbards built unto the armor along either thigh. Turning, the man placed his right to his chest and said in an interesting accent that Sayrin couldn¡¯t place, rolling almost all of the vowels of his words ¡°Excuse me, sir, but rather than watch me alone, would you perhaps assist with a sparring match? I would like to get one more bought in before I turn in for the night.¡± With almost unrestrained excitement, Sayrin said ¡°It would be my pleasure.¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¡°Sampson, have mercy on me, I¡¯m begging you!¡± Wade bellowed up the sky until her voice went hoarse from the effort. They¡¯d found several more individuals or pairs of random monsters, a suddenly large amount of which were the chiroptera, and of course a whole lot of nothing. Wade had just finished off what must have been the hundredth kill of the night, only to feel herself inch closer, ever so much closer to her goal¡­ and yet still be just a hair''s breadth away. She couldn¡¯t go home, she couldn¡¯t stop now, a primal part of her would break if Alder said to turn back now. She gave him an accusatory, almost predatory glare as he walked up, once more gave her a health potion, and said in a quiet voice ¡°Come on. The next batch can¡¯t be far behind these ones.¡± Then looking up at her, meeting her eyes under the pale moonlight fighting to break through the cloud cover, he said in an uncharacteristically serious tone ¡°I don¡¯t care if we¡¯re out here for the next three days straight. We¡¯re getting you to your next star. No discussion.¡± Then, for good measure, punched her lightly on the arm. Letting out a semi-deranged laugh, she punched him back, and then they both laughed. ¡°Alright,¡± she said ¡°let¡¯s go find the ne-¡± A high-pitched screech sounded overhead, and both of them looked up sharply, though it was Wade who sensed it first. ¡°Ohoho, this is good. This is exactly what I needed¡± And she took off running after it. ¡°Wade, I don¡¯t know about that one, I might have to step in if it gets out of hand!¡± ¡°Then do it after I get my bloody star!¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Kya, after the past hour of running around and killing things like a kid with a magnifying glass who found an ant colony, was finally growing truly dissatisfied with the offerings from the forest. She knew that there had to be more difficult prey to hunt in the area, or else there wouldn¡¯t have been those hundreds of contracts in the guild hall. Unless they were all there for the simple reason of volume alone. Lots of little monsters bothering people all across the region¡­ but that couldn¡¯t be it, that can¡¯t be it. Besides, the forest had been harder when she¡¯d been in it originally. Not just because she hadn¡¯t had a class, it had straight up been more difficult, she was sure of it. Where were all the more difficult monsters? What happened to all the isela and vipers and tigers? And why did she just keep finding more and more of the little bat things? Which, they were not only weird, but gross too. She¡¯d pulled down the second one just to actually get a look at it now that the moon was finally out, and they were¡­ wrong. A bird had two wings, one to flap on either side. Kya got that. The isela bird had four wings. Again, she got that, it made sense. Seems like it''s a little excessive, but hey, she couldn¡¯t fly, and it could. What did she know? These bat things had three wings, and seemed to fly more like a weird jellyfish helicopter hybrid thing. Its entire body spun like a top as its wings propelled it forward by opening up and then snapping closed. Kya didn¡¯t trust the physics of it at all, which meant it had to be some magic nonesens helping that things stay aloft. Either way, there was just nothing natural abo- Her thoughts were cut short when suddenly, at the very edges of her aura, she felt a massive presence unlike anything she¡¯d felt since the Hellhound Alpha. It was moving at the speed of a runaway bus, and looking up and seeing its silhouette against the pale green moon, she grinned, finally finding the target that would put her over the edge. Bracing herself, and taking a deep breath, she gave the single largest and most fierce pull she could muster in that moment, and the responding screech it gave made her smile like crazy and start chasing after where it was falling. This was gonna be fun. 42. Peaks Wade ran through the woods, wishing dearly that Sarees or Platees had been out instead of Larian, the smallest and weakest of the three moons. Its pale blue light wasn¡¯t the best on even the clearest of nights, but on a night that was still deciding whether it wanted to rain, and the light was hardly enough to see her hands in front of her face. With Alder right behind her, they crashed through the Rose Forest with utter disregard for direction or obstacles. She was so close to her next star, so achingly close, and she had been for so long. She cared very little for what all was about to happen, for what the ramifications of it would be afterwards, whether they¡¯d end up lost in the woods for days on end, none of it mattered to Wade. So long as they kept after that beast, so long as they found whatever it was that was making that horrific, cacophonous din. ¡°There¡¯s no way this is an adult chiroptera¡± Alder said from just behind her, hardly seeming out of breath as they continued their mad dash, ¡°Most likely it¡¯s still just a juvenile.¡± Wade nodded, knowing that Alder would be able to see better in this murky atmosphere than she could, and would be able to see her movement. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll stand by and let you handle it unless it becomes obvious you¡¯re about to die. If this is an adult though¡± he said, his voice brooking no dissent, starkly contrasted with the goofy guy who was playing evasion earlier that day, ¡°I want you to follow my lead on every action. We may be able to take it, but a 2-Star beast is not something to be taken lightly, even with a 2-Star on your side as well.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll¡­ still fight it then?¡± Wade said between breaths. She wasn¡¯t nearly at her limit, but running full speed for several minutes could exhaust even the highest levels of endurance. Alder took a long moment to respond, during which the only sounds were the indistinct cries of the insects in the trees, the crashing of their feet against fallen leaves, and the cries of the monster as they rapidly approached. ¡°We¡¯ll see¡± he said finally, then put on an extra bit of speed, pulling ahead of her in the dark. Refusing to be left behind, Wade forced herself to follow as closely as she could, eyes peeled, and aura extended to its limits trying to sense anything and everything that she could. Ahead, they felt more than saw or heard the awesome crash the monster gave as it finally landed itself, willingly or not, on the ground of the forest floor. With a wave of the hand, and a flash of her ring, the midnight black helm materialized over her head, and her maroon pugilist gauntlets on her fists. She was ready to begin. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Kya felt like she¡¯d been playing tug-of-war for the last several minutes. She had seen the massive beast flying by overhead and after giving it an almighty pull, found that it was highly susceptible to her manipulations. The only downside was that it was significantly larger than she¡¯d been anticipating, so while her pulls made it both slow down and drop lower and lower to the forest floor, it was also like she was trying to stop a runaway train with a fishing net. After a split second of her pulling, the ability would simply cancel out, like the monster had resisted her or broken their connection somehow. She didn¡¯t know if it had an ability to cancel out foreign magic, or resist her attack specifically, or what, but as long as she was able to reapply her skills, even for just a moment, meant that she was able to slowly wear it down. After what felt like several minutes of determined chasing and periodic pulls at the very edges of what she considered possible with her own abilities, there was a noticeable change. The monster grazed the tops of the tree¡¯s spelling out the end of their chase and the beginning of their fight. The moment the first skyward branches scratched against the belly of the beast, it let out a fearsome and deafening roar, as its three enormous wings slowed, and it crashed into the forest below with an earth-shaking tremor. The sounds of wood splitting as it knocked over dozens of trees and gouged a landing strip into the earth were more horrible than the beast''s cries, and even the forest seemed to be reeling from the impact as absolute silence reigned the next moment. Not a bug, nor bird, nor animal seemed to make a sound, only the wind in the trees and the grunting retorts of the monster. As Kya entered the newly made clearing, she appreciated for the first time how absurdly large the dazed creature truly was. It stood at least five feet tall, with a single of its leathery wings standing out another seven or eight. The wings were the first thing she noticed, in fact, after simply marveling at the size of it. They weren¡¯t linear like normal bird or bat wings where there was an arm with feathers or membranes trailing behind, but rather it was more like a leaf in shape. There was a central bone as thick around as Kya¡¯s leg, with the epidermal wing membranes extending out symmetrically to either side. The thin veins and smaller bones trailing throughout the wing could just barely be seen in the pale moonlight, but even still she could see several small tears and holes where the wings had been damaged as she pulled the monster from the sky. It had the face of a bat with a pig-like nose and short fuzzy fur leading up to tall, pointed ears. However, from the neck down, the fur faded until there was only naked black, brown, and pink flesh. But it wasn¡¯t what Kya would have associated with any sort of ordinary mammal. It was semitransparent, like the body of an inordinately large jelly fish had been tacked on to the fuzzy bat head. She could somewhat see all of the internal organs of the monster, all pale white and washed out red, the heart beating slowly and powerfully, the blood pulsing out to the membranes of the three large wings. It was almost mesmerizing to watch it simply¡­ be. However, in a quick moment, that sentiment rapidly changed for Kya. Watching the tempo of the heart pick up to start beating more and more rapidly, she gazed on as it began to lift its head and let out a low rumbling growl that resonated in her bones. Not wanting to miss the golden opportunity she¡¯d stumbled on, and already berating herself for simply watching the past several seconds, she immediately used to identify on the creature while running forwards, venomous dagger in a reverse grip, blade pointed down. Her narrator took on an almost motherly, nostalgic tone as it read the description to her. - - - - - *** NEW CREATURE IDENTIFIED *** - Midnight Chiroptera - 1 Star - Epic - Ah, puberty. The cold bucket of water that wakes everyone from the whimsical dreams of childhood. And yah know what? This guy doesn¡¯t like taking baths! Significantly less little, and a lot less cute, depending on who you ask, this guy is currently in the midst of his pituitary transformation, and consequently suffering bouts of uncontrollable hormone induced rage! Also, he still likes to snuggle up under his mother''s wing for a nap every once in a while, but be honest, who doesn¡¯t? All jokes aside, he is in the midst of puberty at the moment. Do. Not. Let. Him. Mature. Fully. - - - - - With the last words read in the sickly-sweet tone of a proud parent ringing ominously in her ears, Kya leapt and thrust her dagger into the hide of the beast. Only for it to be wholly and unceremoniously ineffective, glancing off the transparent, squishy looking body as if it were solid stone rather than flesh. ¡°Well¡­ fu-¡± The monster, now thoroughly awake and none to please by its present circumstances, quickly batted its wings down at her, blasting her back with a concussive wave of wind. At the same time as she was buffeted, taking several quick steps back in an attempt to stay on her feet, she watched the monster ever so slowly, almost gently, rise into the air. Kya genuinely thought she could have come to appreciate this creature by simply watching it live out its life. It was so alien to her in its form and function, wings slowly rotating back and forth, it was almost majestic. For a brief moment, Kya considered letting it go, sheathing her dagger and moving on to other prey. The moment passed as the monster, as if in mockery of its gentle rise into the air, turned with a powerful simultaneous movement from all three wings, and shot towards her growling and barking. Taking a costly second to simply stare, mouth agape at the gargantuan living missile now headed straight for her, Kya tried to jump to one side while using her ability to push against the thing''s snout. But her hesitation had cost her. Moreover, that same feeling of trying to hold sand that was slipping through her fingers returned as she was only able to push on the creature for a split second before it outright failed. Still, Kya had managed to push, even if only for the briefest of moments. So instead of a snarling maw biting out her throat, she instead got clipped as it went by, sending her spinning and sprawling into the dirt, her breath leaving her lungs in a painful rush. She lay there for a moment, dazed and dizzy. The impact again told a different story than simply what appearance had led her to believe. The soft wings and transparent gelatinous body were as cold and hard as steel, making Kya suddenly empathize with raccoons on the freeway more than anything else. She couldn¡¯t cut into it, she couldn¡¯t use her ability on it, and moreover, she couldn¡¯t take any direct hits from it without being flattened like a pancake. She had her new cloth armor on, which theoretically would lend her some measure of defense¡­ but as excited as she was to test it out, letting that thing hit her head on wasn¡¯t the way to do it. Clearing her head by force of will and getting to her feet while staying in a low crouch, she saw that the bat hadn¡¯t been idle while she¡¯d recovered. Already it had returned to being a couple feet in the air, and about two dozen feet away from her, the same low murderous growl and wrinkled snout bared at her as before. The moment their eyes met, it let out another horrific yipping, barking howl, and launched at her again. This time, however, she was expecting it. Leaping forwards and rolling as she hit the ground, she came up underneath the monster as it flew past. Trying one last time to leave some sort of mark or injury on its flesh, raked her dagger along its body. But again, it may as well have been a passing freight train for all the damage and notice it took of her. In the precious few seconds, she had while it turned itself around, Kya thought furiously about what she knew of the beast, and what she could use against it. She briefly entertained the idea of trying to push or pull on the internal organs she could see through its transparent flesh but discounted that as impossible. She hadn¡¯t tried it before, the closest thing to it being when she¡¯d tried to open the locked door in Arthur''s house. Still, she had an instinct to tell her almost immediately that that wasn¡¯t an option. At the very least, she resolved to think on it more at a later date, as just now wasn¡¯t exactly the ideal time for random experiments. What did she know then? Both from the smaller ones and from this one as well, she knew they were nocturnal. That they skyrocketed in power as they got older, which was abundantly obvious to her when comparing this thing to the more common varieties. But what else? What was a weakness she could exploit, some choke point or vulnerability¡­ The idea came to her like a ray of light parting a cloudy sky. It was so obvious, Kya felt slightly foolish for not realizing it sooner. The monsters hadn¡¯t once been scratched or injured by her¡­ except for when it was pulled however unwillingly from the sky. She had seen the holes and tears in the wing membrane earlier, just not considered them. This thing would be a hell of a lot easier to kill without its ability to fly, now she just had to make it happen. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Carcelo Sayad wasn¡¯t as smart or strong as his older brother. He¡¯d watched, still just a young boy, as the proud first-born son left home to head for one of the monasteries of Knowledge to become a logistician and tactician for the Loterran military. Nor was he as adept with his aura manipulation techniques like his elder sister. She was the only one of them to get a second-class item, taking after both their father and following in their elder brother¡¯s footsteps to become a Scholar of Tera. She was working in another part of the kingdom, and was apprenticed to the branch''s guild master there, with ambitions to take the position when she earned her third star. Carcelo, though, well he had never been a real focus for his family. His father personally trained both of his older siblings, turning them into the warriors and thinkers they were today. His mother had taught them both more practical skills, as well as tutoring them in their aura control, making sure that by the time they went to the academy, they were both already top of the line contenders. Carcelo, though, well he got to spar on the rare occasion his older siblings were done early. He likewise got to sit in on the lessons his mother had given, but as he¡¯d still been too young to be a user, had simply sat and listened to the theory without getting any of the practical experience. Oh, his mother had still given him all the same lessons when he finally was of age, making his aura control more than adequate compared to most. They¡¯d additionally hired a personal trainer to come in and shore up his foundations in the six months he had before going to the academy himself, his father being away again on some other assignment. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but compare his outsourced training to that of his older siblings. Honestly? He was somewhat grateful for it. His father could be, well, strict at times, which led to a somewhat ruthless training style. His older siblings were more powerful and absolute demons on a battlefield, but they had had to endure their fathers training to get to that point. Carcelo respected their father as an implacable and almost unstoppable force, but that didn¡¯t mean he was eager to endure the training his siblings had undergone. He knew his father suffered from bouts of extreme fervor, and he knew that sometimes he didn¡¯t do his best to keep them away from his family like he should, but he¡¯d never been too bad to Carcelo himself, and recognized that the other¡­ incidents were somewhat out of his control so¡­ It was this penchant for empathy that had led to Carcello growing up and taking on something of a peacemaker role in the house. Neither suffering their father¡¯s training nor his tutelage meant that when the others had been at their wits end with him, it had fallen to Carcelo to speak. Even the serving staff had come to rely on him as go between, doing and saying what they could not. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. All of this meant that when, in the middle of the night, one of the house servants came to him, he already had some idea what it was going to be about. Opening the door a few seconds after the gentle knocking, Carcelo saw Zita, the master servant in her formal white sash flowing over her golden threaded suit. ¡°Car, it¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Father?¡± The curt nod that followed made Carcello¡¯s heart sink slightly, and he retreated into the room for a moment, coming back out with his spatial ring gleaming on his right index finger and a dark brown coat on his shoulders. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure he doesn''t go too far. Where¡¯s he gone Zita?¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Wade leapt into the clearing after Alder, just as an uncomfortably loud tearing sound echoed out from the monster making her skin crawl, followed by the most blood curdling scream she¡¯d ever heard making her blood run hot with anticipation. ¡°What in Gaius¡¯ name¡­¡± Alder said, trailing off as they both experienced an almost profound sense of deja vu. Ahead of them, thrashing and writhing as it fled into the air with loud protests and infuriated whines was the chiroptera, blessedly still only a juvenile. One of its wings hung in tatters, two large holes cut down almost its entire length. This, Wade realized, must have been the source of the hair-raising noise earlier. And, because of course she was here, was the Kya the spatial user, single handedly attempting to fight a monster that by all rights was out of her league to handle. She was looking worse for wear, caked in dirt and dried blood running down the side of her face. Her left arm looked to be at an odd angle and was hanging limply down at her side, but even as they watched, she downed a potion and with a half laugh half scream, clenched a fist and readied herself. Alder, for his part, started laughing. ¡°Looks like you have some competition tonight! Are you going to get in there?¡± Wade''s pugilist glove clanked softly as she both clenched and released her fists several times. Sounding utterly pained as she spoke, she said ¡°No¡­ no I won¡¯t interfere in the contest of another. Not without-¡± ¡°Hey Wade!¡± Kya called over her shoulder, ¡°get over here and help me kill this thing!¡± Without missing a single beat, without a single beat of her heat passing in the intervening time, Wade heard the call, and took off at a full sprint towards the battle ahead, the raucous laughter of Alder following behind. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Kya was feeling pretty good right about now. She¡¯d had a brief moment of doubt in her ability to take down this giant jellybat, which she¡¯d started thinking of it as, but after several failed attempts, and two more collisions with the idiotic monster, she¡¯d managed to land not one, but two large slashes with her venomous dagger. Which had immediate and noticeable effects on the creature. It was now moving much slower, and some of it¡¯s blinding rage seemed to simmering down into a more controlled malice as after the first successful hit, it had stopped simply launching itself at her like a battering ram, and taken a more considered approach, actually circling around her and attempting to flank her and faint at going low, before changing trajectory last minute and going for her left shoulder. That had been painful. She had definitely fractured the bone a little, and it had been dislocated as she was sent flying. But, at the same time as she¡¯d been hit, she¡¯d launched her dagger forward landing the second long gash on the same wing as before. Just as she removed a health potion from her storage space, she felt the approach of two familiar aura¡¯s at the edge of the clearing some thirty meters back. She realized it wasn¡¯t so much that she felt them, as the edges of their own aura¡¯s coming into contact with hers. Regardless, she grinned and downed the health potion, trying to laugh but inadvertently gurgling out a scream as her shoulder popped back into place. Flexing, she looked over at the two figures who were just standing there, staring straight back at her. Not knowing what the hell the problem was, but also having absolutely no qualms about a vastly more experienced duo lending her some support to speed this along, Kya yelled out ¡°Hey Wade! Get over here and help me kill this thing!¡± And get over she did. Within a matter of moments, the warrior sprinted headlong into the frey, activating some ability that made her glow ever so slightly with a bloody light, and promptly punching the jellybat into the ground with one hand, and then tumbling back with the other. Holy shit, that was the coolest thing Kya had ever seen. Actually, she thought, ¡°Hey Wade, that was the coolest fucking thing I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± Laughter sounded out from inside her helm, before the giantess of a woman replied more seriously ¡°Thank you. Now sitrep, quick as you can, what have you done so far and what do you know?¡± ¡°Wait, you haven¡¯t fought one of these things before?¡± ¡°No, just the common variety, this is my first time with one so old.¡± Kya nodded, thinking quickly ¡°It seems to resist my abilities almost entirely. I¡¯m able to get off momentary bursts, but after that it¡¯s like it¡¯s immune. Oh, and it¡¯s body is hard as stone, the only weaknesses I¡¯ve seen so far are the wings. Landed two good hits with a venomous dagger, but that thing¡¯s so big it might not have much of an effect.¡± Kya then simply shrugged, taking another ready stance as jellybat rose from the ground on it¡¯s boney and clawed arms. ¡°I see what you mean. My punch may have sent it flying, but it didn¡¯t have the effect I usually get. Let''s go for the wings first to ground it, and see what we can do from there.¡± Shooting her a brief smile, as she summoned her dagger back into her hand with a quick pull, Kya just said ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been doing. Nervous?¡± Wade looked at her, black helm disappearing with a flash to reveal tightly bound bun and ruby eyes streaked with emerald that glittered in excitement and anticipation. ¡°Nope!¡± And then the monster was once more upon them, half flying at them, half clawing at the ground, yipping and growling stupidly the entire time. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Carcelo pulled his coat closer as he walked up the massive marble steps to the three-star coliseum. He knew he¡¯d find his father inside, just as he knew he¡¯d find the carriage waiting out front before even seeing it. His father had made much better time than him, taking the carriage wasn¡¯t just for show after all, but still he should catch him at the very least in the beginning parts of whatever duel he¡¯d found. And of course, Carcelo knew he¡¯d find a duel. He always found one when he wanted one. Tossing a silvery agren to each of the 2-Star guards, they nodded and one said ¡°Thank you kindly Car, your father went in not too long ago. Though I hear he¡¯s already started a bout with some foreign dual sword user.¡± Sighing in resignation, Carcello just said ¡°Thanks Jay, if it¡¯s on the up and up, I¡¯ll put another five agrens on my dad just for the hell of it.¡± Both chuckling, Jay said ¡°You¡¯re on, little man.¡± as he turned and together with his companion, they barely managed to open the doors wide enough for him to slip inside. He hated the smell of this place more than anything. The smell of leather, and sweat, and metal. It filled his nose and threatened to turn his stomach, but needing to feign appearances even at this late hour, he managed to pass it off as a particularly violent yawn, before carrying on. He could almost feel the energy of the room guiding him towards the arena his father would be in. There were still one or two people not paying attention to the fight, but the majority of the training area¡¯s sparse occupants had all gathered around to watch a single of the clear crystal dueling champers. This wouldn¡¯t have been anything out of the ordinary, in fact it would have been more strange for his father not to have drawn some sort of crowd. No, the thing that made his skin crawl, and the hair on his arms stand on end, was the dead silence of the crowd. No one cheered, or cajoled, or cursed. It was almost like they were observing a ceremony rather than a sparring match. Running forward just as the dread thought entered his mind, Carcelo took in a sharp breath as a spray of blood flew up like a crimson mountain peak over the heads of the onlookers, who all recoiled back at what they saw. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Kya and Wade each broke to attack their respective targets, Wade simultaneously returning her helm to her head and activating an ability in her fists that made them glow and promptly started wailing on the jellybat¡¯s face like it owed her money while Kya began to strike, stab, and slash at the next wing, making sure it too was crippled and unable to be used for anything more than an excellent front porch awning. It wasn¡¯t a completely one sided slaughter. To jellybat¡¯s credit, it did manage to batter and claw at both Kya and Wade numerous times throughout their exchange. Kya had just gone in for another slash at the underside of the wing, when with a mighty bellowing growl, the entire body of the monster spun like a drill, and the wing she¡¯d been about to strike instead struck her into the ground with incredible force and power. Suddenly, Kya knew exactly what it was to be a fish flopping on the dock, unable to take in air no matter how much gasping it did. Looking up and around, she saw that it had, by using it¡¯s drill technique, also once more launched itself forward, managing to bite onto Wade¡¯s armored shoulder. Kya could visibly see the beads of red pooling from the wound, even in the pale moonlight, she knew the wound had to be something horrible to deal with. Nevertheless, she persisted. Her punches never stopped and her blows fell with an almost rhythmic quality, like the beating of some ominous drum. She didn¡¯t quite know what it was, but she felt a resurgence of strength enter her limbs. All of her aches and pains seemed to fade into background noise as her determination and spirit were roused like never before. Exploding up to her feet, Kya launched the venom dagger forward at the exposed skyward wing of jellybat, then summoned her rat fang dagger and repeated the process, all the while running headlong towards the pair. Through concentrated force of will, and through the indomitable spirit and fervor that convinced her she could not fail, she pulled the daggers back and launched them again and again, over and over like a storm of blades raining down from on high as she cut and slashed the wing to ribbons. She had no idea how she was able to do this, and she knew that even just moments before, this level of finesse and control over her ability would have been beyond her grasp. The whistling of her blades joined the percussive staccato blows from Wade¡¯s fist, and an almost melodic tune came from their combined onslaught of the poor jellybat. Truly, the moment Wade had arrived, its coffin had been sealed. This power flowing through her veins, though, that was simply the last nail before burial. She only stopped a full minute later as the feeling of being unstoppable faded away, and she first lost control over one of her daggers, hearing it thud softly to the mud below, and then the other joining it as Kya felt utterly spent. But that minute of raw damage dealing had been more than enough. Whether it was the poison in the dagger, or the sheer terror that had become Wade¡¯s fists, the monster lay broken and bloodied at their feet. Both women breathed heavily, sweat pouring down their faces, Wades now visible after she dispelled her armor. In the exact same moment jellybat was overcome with shadows, both Wade and Kya began to emit soft glows of ethereal light. Although she wasn¡¯t sure what was happening with Wade, as hers was clearly more powerful and even just looking at her with her aura, could tell something intrinsically amazing was happening to her, she was distracted by her own sense of wonder at the series of notifications she received next. Even her narrator taking on an almost reverent, hushed tone as he read. - - - - - - You have defeated Midnight Chiroptera - 1-Star - Epic. - - - - - *You Have Advanced Class Ability {Push and Pull}* - Ability {Push and Pull} 1-Star - 100% has changed to {Push and Pull} 2-Star - 0% - You must advance the remaining abilities on this star before any further progress can be made on this ability. - - - - - *You Have Unlocked Class Ability {Slow Fall}* - Ability {Slow Fall} 1-Star - 0% - Description: Through your experience and understanding of space, you are able to moderately affect the inexorable force pulling you down. May be extended to others in close proximity at an increased rate of mana consumption. - - - - - The moment the narrator finished reading the last word of the notification, she felt a burning on the back of her left hand, and saw that the glow in her body had all coalesced there, in her small star mark, as it was reforged. Kya wanted to scratch at her skin until it came off, wanted to plunge her hand into ice water or chop it off, but she rather stood rooted to the spot as the glow finally faded and she saw her newly evolved symbol. The single pink dot at the center of her pink leafed flower was now an exact replica of a yin yang symbol. A thin gray line separated the two identical halves, both fields of black with two radiant rosey dots on either side. Kya was torn away from her own star, however, as she heard and saw the other incredible things happening in the clearing. Alder, during all of this, had been whooping and hollering like a mad man, casually jogging to meet them. But what truly caught her eye, were the two simultaneous light shows in front of her. The beasts that fell to her shadows left behind small flames of light in their wakes. Like their spirit dancing around in one final act of defiance before fading into oblivion, she had seen the small sparks linger each and every time. This one, though, this one had been an epic rarity beast. The strongest she¡¯d ever fought, even if it had been something of a let down. Big and fast at times, but nothing she¡¯d have written home about. Still, it¡¯s spark or flame or spirit, whatever it was¡­ it was marvelous. Simply something to be marveled at on any other occasion. It was bright and bold, it rose and radiated out at least two or three feet like the blossoming of an ethereal infant tree, and whatsmore, it stayed around for significantly longer than anything she¡¯d seen before. Again, on any other night and in any other place, Kya would have simply sat and stared, awed at the sight of its dancing colors and brilliant effects. But unfortunately, it was shown up on this night. Because right there, not three feet from it, was Wade, who Kya could immediately, instinctually, and undeniably tell was advancing to her second star. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Wade saw the cosmos open up their arms. She saw countless warriors who had come before her. She saw wars fought for millennia, for eons, for vast swathes of space, for control over star systems and galaxies. She saw titans bigger than mountains destroy whole civilizations with the swing of an ax. She saw great armies composed of entire races, entire species, entire worlds, charge each other in a profound field of death and carnage, and sing all the while. She saw men who missed the birth of their children. She saw children who grew up without their parents. She saw the proud and the righteous, she saw the broken and beaten. Wade felt the most overwhelming sense of strength, vitality, energy, power, purpose, will, and determination. She felt the most debilitating sense of weakness, fatigue, apathy, distress, listless abandon, and cowardice. And beyond it all, she felt the ever so slight gaze of a god looking down upon her. She had never before experienced even the passing acknowledgment of her god, but it seemed now she had earned the right to his awareness. He had seen her existence and would not forget it. Just before her state of rapture ended, she heard one single statement in a tone so low, the heavens themselves must have been the ones to say it, for what else could echo with such singular purpose as this voice, with as much awesome and terrifying power. ¡°You have reached a peak. Do not let it be the last.¡± The words reverberating throughout the galaxy in Wade¡¯s head, she promptly lost consciousness as the seal of her second star formed on her hand. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ "I''ve got her, I''ve got her." Alder said quietly as he caught Wade before she could hit the ground. "Is it always... that intense?" Kya asked, walking over as well. "It can vary from person to person, and from star to star. But usually, no. I think this was just so long in coming for her, that it somewhat overwhelmed her when if finally, did arrive. Passing out isn''t too uncommon though, it takes a lot of mana to evolve your body like that. Kya contemplated his words while he took in Wade, her face having changed ever so slightly. Her once hawkish nose had been reduced somewhat, and her long-pointed ears seemed to have... gotten even longer? That could have just been her imagination, but it definitely looked like her ears had changed a little. Opening her mouth to ask about this, Kya stopped with the word''s half formed when she saw the utter tension and rigidity in Alders body and face. "Wha... Alder, what''s wrong?" Rising like the tide, he threw the mountainous form of Wade over his shoulders in a fireman''s carry, and in a voice harsh and urgent like a whip said "We''re going. Now. Follow as closely to me as you can and don''t fall behind." Then without another word or glance around the clearing, took off back towards the direction of the city. Pouring on as much speed as she could muster to catch up and stay with him, she asked between breaths "Alder, what the hell is going on!?" But a moment later, she didn''t need him to answer. A barking, yipping keen echoed out across the forest, only this one was much deeper in pitch and much louder in volume than jellybats had been. She already knew what was happening, but somehow still needed to hear Alder say it. To confirm her suspicious. "Mama bat is looking for her son." Interlude 4: Orrin Orrin felt exhausted as he watched Sayrin exit through the massive black marble doors of his personal terrace. It had been several days since he last slept, but even still, he hadn¡¯t felt this tired in years. Cain had been¡­ well, he had been Cain. Which meant that Orrin had spent the entirety of his visit fending off the man''s utterly oppressive aura to create a safe haven for his troops, even if only just a small one. He¡¯d been more than capable of doing it, and it helped that Cain seemed more than willing to allow Orrin¡¯s own fight against his aura, not truly trying to enforce his will on Orrin. It was a statement, as clear and blunt as if he¡¯d walked in the central palace and punched Orrin straight in the jaw. He was projecting to everyone in the building, in the city even, to the staff, the officers under his command, everyone that he was stronger than Orrin, and that his was the more powerful aura. Orrin hadn¡¯t minded, not really. He felt a small chip on his shoulder from the simple brazenness in the face of most customs of hospitality, but at the end of the day, Cain simply was more powerful than him. He wasn''t the most powerful in the city though, as the Royal family, the King especially, needed only to descend from the north to put Orrin, Cain, and everyone else in the city to shame. To say nothing of their divine lord, whose whims and whereabouts were known to none, unfathomable and unstoppable. All of this, Orrin thought about, and from all of this, he let out a sigh, allowing his shoulders to slump. He walked over to the small table and chair he¡¯d sat in while conversing with Cain, and collapsed down, hands rubbing his eyes to try and work out some of his exhaustion. He would never appear like anything less than the perfect soldier in front of his men. In front of his family. In front of the eyes of the fickle crowds. He always, always had to project strength. Orrin was fully aware that, for many, he was a rock. A foundation, an immovable source of relief and comfort. To appear as anything less, to act in a way unbecoming of such a station would be dishonorable. Reprehensible. Which is why he was at a loss as to how he should handle Sayrin. He knew his malady, and knew he was taking steps to keep it contained, to keep it under control as best as he could. But there was still far too much slipping through the cracks, far too much that man was unable to promise. In Orrin¡¯s mind, he considered Sayrin to be an exemplary officer and warrior. He was well trained, usually well disciplined, and usually held his own soldiers to the highest standard. Usually. But he had simply proven himself to be unreliable. When the going got tough, he needed to be sure, needed to know that he could count on the men to his left, and to his right. He needed to know that his orders would be followed without hesitation or delay and carried out to their ends. Not cut short to return because he had suppressed a 1-Star and choked out a lieutenant. No, sending him was good. It would do him good too, he hoped. Give him time to relax and to heal and get him away from the epicenter of this whole thing. Especially before it kicked off in earnest, as Orrin knew it would. They were so very far from the end of these events. Sighing once more, he leaned back and looked up at the golden banners hung from massive pillars, fluttering gently in the wind. He watched them for a long time, thoughts wandering from one topic to the next as he had a bit of time before his next commitment of the day. A good eleven minutes to himself? ¡°Practically a day off¡± he uttered under his breath. ¡°I am glad you enjoy this respite. Perhaps you need to take more of them.¡± Came the soft spoken words of a gentle voice, hardly spoken louder than a whisper but with such¡­ pressure. Orrin didn¡¯t sense anything, his aura telling him he was, in fact, alone on the terrace. Nevertheless, he recognized the voice, the feeling it sent down his spine, and the sheer power contained in those simple words. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Erupting to his feet and snapping to attention so quickly, to anyone below 4-Star, it would have seemed the world skipped a beat. One moment he was leaning back in his chair, the next standing rigid as a board. Eyes trained on the horizon; hands glued to his sides. The small chuckle that followed felt like a warm summer breeze, like rays of sunlight, like the dawn of a new day. ¡°Ori, please, relax. When have I ever asked you to stand on formalities.¡± Snapping to parade rest, hands behind his back, gaze still fixed on the distant horizon, Orrin said ¡°Lord, I couldn¡¯t possibly treat you with anything less than the highest of honors. Simply the privilege of standing before you is the greatest gift I could want.¡± ¡°Oh little Ori,¡± his voice softened to the gentle rustle of the field in a breeze ¡°Still so far to go with you. I still remember the day you got your first star, you were so ambitious and determined. Still are, of course, still are.¡± Face flushing slightly, Orrin nevertheless remained stoic as he said ¡°Please, lord, we needn¡¯t dwell on my younger years. I was something of a fool back then.¡± Blessing the world with a full bellied laugh, the sound seeming unnaturally loud, as if in response the world held its breath to listen, to cherish. ¡°You were seventeen, we are all fools at seventeen. Why, when I had just gotten my class, I was a simple pottery maker. Not even enchanted, just simple clay work. I still do sometimes, it soothes the soul to work with your hands. Didn¡¯t stop me from decrying it as the biggest waste of time and dropping it altogether for a couple of centuries. I thought myself above such mundane things as a 1-Star user. Again, we are all quite well and truly foolish when we are young.¡± Orrin nodded along at the profound words of his holiness, committing each one to memory and dedicating himself to discern their true meaning. Out loud, he said ¡°Your wisdom and experience are matched only by your graciousness in sharing these words with me. What can I ever do to repay you?¡± The gentle sigh that came next almost shattered Orrin¡¯s heart, for in the simple passing of breath, he felt the almost undeniable truth he had somehow disappointed the near omnipotent being next to him. ¡°You can repay me, young one, by sitting and talking with me. Nothing less will do.¡± Not sure if it was the proper thing to do, if decorum would allow it and- What was Orrin doing? He had almost slipped, almost made an error so egregious his skin crawled at the mere thought of it. He had almost made to question his patron, almost thought to ask better of his requests, as if he could even hope to match even a fraction of the sheer intellect and magnanimous thoughts of him. Sitting down without another second to lose on the very edge of the seat with a perfectly straight back and hands places on his knees, fingers extended and joined, heels together on the ground, feet angled outwards at perfect forty five degree angles each, Orrin finally looked at the lord Gaius, patron god of Loterre, and current supremacy among all earthen users. He was dressed simply, which was well and truly the best possible look he could have chosen. Perfection needed no adornments, no accompaniments. What use was there for artificial beautification when one was already the most beautiful just as they are? He had on flowing white linen trousers, no shoes or sandals on his feet, and a draping robe of gold, with green and purple trims accenting the edges and sleeves. His pointed ears poked out from the expertly layered and perfectly maintained waves of blackest hair, matching his closely trimmed beard and mustache. His skin was so deeply tanned, it seemed almost like cured leather or hardened clay, and yet was as smooth and unblemished as freshly fallen snow. He sat in the chair opposite Orrin, cress legged and relaxed. Orrin took in every facet, every part and every aspect and every detail, and felt truly, undeservedly blessed to simply be in his presence. The being before him, the lord of his life and the progenitor of his path smiled at him, and it was like clouds parting on a rainy day. Orrin wondered how he could have appreciated the sea and the suns and moons. The mountains themselves would bow down and worship at this man¡¯s feet, and of course, Orrin was no exception, nor was anyone in all of Loterre. If Orrin had his way, in all the world. No other god was as resplendent as this, as noble, as kind, as true. ¡°Good, good. Now that you¡¯re¡­ somewhat relaxed, we can finally talk.¡± ¡°Absolutely, sire,¡± Orrin said, immediately breaking eye contact and bowing his head ¡°Whatever you desire.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s time we talked about the spatial and temporal users¡± the wispy velvet of his lord¡¯s voice took on a hard, unyielding tone ¡°as well as the founders, and what we¡¯re going to do about them.¡± Interlude 5: Emery Emery gazed at her reflection in the several mirrors around her as the matronly seamstress finished with the last button on her latest outfit. ¡°There you are, miss, what do we think of that?¡± She asked in a tone that Emery could only describe as slack jawed optimism. ¡°I think¡± said Emery ¡°that we pay you far too much if this is the best you can offer. I have both a reputation and an image to maintain, I cannot possibly attend in such poor¡­ well, I was going to say clothes but I¡¯m not quite sure that term applies to this collection of rags.¡± Emery paused for a moment, seeming to consider for a moment, before saying ¡°I liked the fourth dress more than any of these others, though I¡¯m still not certain I would want to buy it. Get me out of this mess and go fetch that one so I can see it again, as well as any others you have like it.¡± ¡°Oh miss, that¡¯s so wonderful that you liked one of them! I¡¯ll go fetch it right away!¡± At that, the shorter woman began to bustle away, but stopped short at the door when Emery snapped her fingers several times. ¡°Miss..?¡± She asked. ¡°Look at me. What do you see?¡± Said Emery, feeling the need to talk a little more slowly so this zero would be able to comprehend her. A bright smile graced the woman''s slightly rounded cheeks as she said ¡°Why, one of the most beautiful women to ever grace my shop. You¡¯re like a radiant-¡± She cut short as Emery snapped again several more times ¡°What did I ask you to do?¡± she said in the same sickly sweet tone one might use when talking with a toddler or training a puppy. ¡°To fetch you the turquoise dress and¡­ Oh!¡± She laughed then, bustling back over and beginning to undo the buttons she had just finished moments before ¡°Forgive me young miss, you asked me to get you out of these clothes miss, how silly of me. I was just so happy you complimented one of the earlier ones that I missed the first part of your directions.¡± ¡°Never you mind, the fault was really my own. I should have known better than to give you more than one instruction at a time.¡± ¡°Oh, young miss, don¡¯t blame yourself please! The fault could never have been your own, never ever.¡± After only a couple more minutes, the woman finished, and Emery stepped down from the dressing platform surrounded by mirrors and reclined onto the nearby plush satin sofa. With two bows, several compliments, and four assurances that she would be back as quick as she possibly could, the older woman hurried out of the private room Emery had reserved for the fitting. The moment the door closed, Emery stopped channeling her class ability directly on the woman and let the passive effects of her aura take over as she walked out of sight, but not out of aura range. Emery had only had her class for around a month. Nevertheless, she was one of the older students to have started at the academy, already in her twenty second year. Still, she had made what she considered explosive progress on her class and was already nearing the first threshold. Not record breaking of course, she wasn¡¯t close to some of the meatheads who plowed through monsters with a massive hunk of metal, but still, she was doing well. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Taking up the cup of tea still gently letting its wisps of steam curl into the air, Emery took a tentative sip and found it¡­ passable. Considering the sheer amount of aurens and agrens her family supplied to this place, it should have been far better, but at least it wasn¡¯t entirely unpalatable. After several more moments, Emery let out an exasperated sigh, the simple fact she had been left alone for so long was almost deplorable. If she was going to make her wait for more than a minute or two, she should have sent in some entertainment, or at least brought her snacks! She shook her head as, through her aura, she felt the seamstress returning, she had begun to develop some lingering hesitancy, doubt, even a little bit of resentment towards Emery, towards her patron and her customer. Once again, simply deplorable. ¡°Let¡¯s soothe those feelings away, can¡¯t have anything but joy and honor at being graced by my presence afterall.¡± Emory muttered under her breath as the door swing inwards, and almost immediately, her beaming smile, round rosy cheeks, and dark, dim eyes poked out from behind a mound of fabrics in her arms. ¡°So sorry young miss, I tripped in the store room and-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your excuses,¡± Emery said, cutting her off ¡°just make sure you are faster next time.¡± Dipping her head in a small bow, the woman just kept on smiling ¡°Of course, of course, now, I¡¯ve brought back that fourth dress, and three others in similar styles and colors, as well as two more besides that are, I think, fantastic compliments to your exquisitely beautiful tangerine eyes.¡± Standing and returning to the platform, Emery stuck out her arms and allowed the woman to begin dressing her again. ¡°We¡¯ll see, hopefully at least one of them is up to my standards¡± she said, her nose angled ever so slightly upwards. ~ ~ ~ Approximately two hours later, or as Emery thought of it, thirty seven outfits later, she stepped out of the dressing room without paying for a single article of clothing. ¡°But, but¡­ young miss, please now, out of everything we tried on, everything, there wasn¡¯t a single thing that caught your eye?¡± Her tone was that of one trying to stay positive in an increasingly distressing situation. Like a woman on the verge of losing control but trying to salvage what she could. Emery didn¡¯t respond, not because she didn¡¯t long to, because she didn¡¯t need to. Her tall, almost comically muscular and intimidating looking butler stepped to her side immediately from where he¡¯d been waiting all morning. His bald head shone like waxed marble, and the myriad scars stood out in high relief against his pale skin. He had only one slender pointed ear on his right side, the left one being clipped short from where it had been cut in some skirmish some years past. He had a thick curly mustache of light brown on his upper lip, and eyebrows like gnarled hedges that grew from his luminous mint green eyes. ¡°The young mistress has decided to leave.¡± He said, his voice both unerringly formal and unyielding in its finality. ¡°Please control yourself, lest you risk offending her.¡± Emery, whose face was turned away, couldn¡¯t help but to smile. There was just something so satisfying, being able to feel the tumult of emotions raging inside the seamstress¡¯ head at the sheer and profound indignity of it all. And yet, through the combination of Emery¡¯s aura and ability, she couldn¡¯t do much more than smile. ¡°Of course, sir, of course. Right you are. Come back any time Lady Evergold, you¡¯ll always be welcome here.¡± With a dismissive wave, and not another word, Emery left the shop, Bory getting the door for her and following along slightly behind and slightly to the right. ¡°Did you enjoy your morning off, Lady Emery?¡± Asked Bory Emery sighed contentedly, heeled shoes clacking along the cobbled stones as she walked to her carriage, helped in by both the footman and Bory himself. ¡°You know Bory, I truly did. It was an excellent bit of training, and so many wonderful fashions for one of the commoners to have crafted. Still, keeping her emotions on track for so long has left me drained. Let¡¯s return to the estate for now. I wish to dine and rest before my afternoon class.¡± Nodding his head, Bory said ¡°Absolutely Mistress, we shall return at once.¡± Before closing the plush door and sealing her off from the outside world. With a slight rattle, she felt both Bory and the footman take their seats on the front of the carriage, before they set out for their residence in the academy district. Reaching down and taking one of the small, candied nuts from the bowl beside her, Emery popped it into her mouth with a delighted squeak, before languidly stretching out. She might have been new at the academy, but she intended to leave her mark on that place one way or another. She would have to, in fact. The thought of failure¡­ the thought of anything less than perfection¡­ was not something she could tolerate. Interlude 6: Aolani Aolani had always found joy in the simple parts of life. As a young boy he had enjoyed seeing the melting snow outside of their village. He had enjoyed fishing in the frigid streams, getting his feet wet and cold before returning to the warmer air at the peak of their mountain. He had always found comfort in those around him, all being like-minded people who too enjoyed simple pleasures and took each day as the blessing it was. Then he had participated in the class selection ceremony, as all did on the summer solstice of their eighteenth year. And oh, how he had played. It was the first time he could remember his fingers bleeding as he played for others, his ferocity and force of will so evident and so raw in his music, he tore apart his long built calluses just to show how earnest he was. The elders, peaks bless them, had seen this. They had been able to tell through his song and sound how much he wanted to be chosen and had granted him and ninety three others that year the right of ascension. Since that day, Aolani had striven ever onwards to live up to the elder''s faith in him. He had even defended his home village from a horrible river serpent that had swum up the same frigid stream he had played in as a child. That was the first sign of things to come, thought Aolani ruefully as he stood in a secluded alley in Lyra, aura at full strength in a concentrated bubble about a foot in every direction from his body. He¡¯d long since learned the art of aura control and several of the techniques usually meant for 2-Star users. He was the only one of the ninety four from that year to still be a 1-Star, though he knew a fair few of them had perished while serving the peaks. But he had never expected he would need to use them quite so¡­ unceasingly. This place, this horrible, awful place, was too much for Aolani. Not the monsters, he¡¯d faced more powerful beasts before even ascending. No, it was just¡­ well, everything else. The air this low to the ground felt thick and turgid, while at the same time moving far too much. The sounds one made carried far further here than they ever would have on the peaks, and moreover, everyone made so. much. noise. From the creaking of the ships to the shouts of the sailors, to the cries of salesman, to the arguments of patrons haggling on price, everywhere he went in this city, every sound that berated his eardrum, every thick noxious breath that entered his lungs, it was all too much. He knew that, just over the next bridge, was a temple to the sky. He knew that most of the temples could be found within the city, but he cared little for any of the others. He just needed to get somewhere the air would flow normally again, where he could breathe and where he could sign to people as was right. None of this¡­ ugly, horrid grunting these people called speech. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Steadying himself with several quick and shallow breaths, Aolani hurried out from his alley and back onto the main street of the city. It had taken him several hours of stopping and going to make it this far into the heart of the stone monstrosity they called a city, and delightfully, as the suns slipped down past the horizon, the crowds began to thin out somewhat. A new, different type of crows was beginning to come out, however, and Aolani wasn¡¯t sure which he would have preferred. Although there were more people under the suns warm light, at least none of them smelled of ale and poor life choices. But the simple fact he was a user, eyes shining like drops of silver, kept every would-be harasser at bay. Aolani had found that this city of almost exclusively elves, while mostly ambivalent towards the horned folk of the peaks, had the rare and very vocal minority that really didn¡¯t like his kind. Regardless, it was all finally at an end. He slowed his harried pace as he entered a softly lit fountain square, warm yellow glow stones emitting an almost calming presence as the water bubbled merrily away. Though he was sure the iconography was lost to the casual citizen of the city, Aolani smiled as he saw that the fountain resembled the seven true peaks of the Cheole mountain range, each one placed higher or lower to march its corresponding mountain. It was a small thing, a mere symbol calling back to a faraway home, but it made him happy all the same. After taking several more minutes to simply observe the fountain, and after touching two fingers to his lips and then to the gurgling water coming from what would have been the fifth peak, Aolani turned and truly took in the main focus of the square, the main focus of his heart''s desire: The temple of air. Seemingly made from two trees grown right out of the cobbled streets, a large gate of matte black lacquered wood stood at the opposite side of the square, their radiant silver leaves and branches joining above to make a circular entryway into the temple grounds themselves. The spires and towers of the temple itself could easily be seen above this, as they rose several stories into the sky. There were, all in all, seven domes that ascended steeply into the air, almost appearing like giant stone eggs. At their zenith were the thin spires of starlight silver reaching into the heavens, each one topped with a glowing beacon of light. The simple dark brown stones, silver spires, and radiant lights all built together, though on a much smaller scale due to the encroachment of the surrounding city, was still enough to set Aolani¡¯s heart at ease. But there were two final steps that needed to be taken to make him feel truly calm, and to once and for all begin calling this new and strange city home. Stepping under the wooden gates and into the temple grounds, he took a series of slow, deep breaths. This was what air should feel like, he thought with a small smile to be at ease again. More than that, the aura of his people, of the mountains, of Lord Taka himself was pervasive, setting the air around him to properly muffle the sounds as they should. For the first time since leaving the peaks, Aolani let his own aura, diminutive by comparison, relax. After only a few heartbeats, a monk in the familiar silver robes came out to greet him. Smiling broadly, Aolani touched his right hand to his right horn, then fingers moving quickly, signed ¡°Your eminence, I cannot express how much of a relief it is to be here, once again among friends.¡± Touching his left horn with his left hand to mirror Aolani, the monk smiled as well, brilliant gray eyes almost shut from the expression, signed back ¡°Blessings, my young friend. This one hopes your journey to our wayward home was a safe one. Come, this simple mind cannot know the trials you have overcome, but it can tell the story would best be had with a full stomach.¡± With a twinkle in his eye, and joy on his face, the monk lead Aolani into the second of the seven spires, from which warm pungent spices came wafting out like an invitation. Warm food, and warm friends. There was hardly more that Aolani could want than this. That was the moment the music started, and he almost wept for joy. At last¡­ the gift of purposeful sound. Interlude 7: James James¡¯ life had been going perfectly, or at least he thought so. He had been in his final year of undergrad, having taken only two years where everyone else took four. He had always had trouble understanding why others didn¡¯t see the system the way he did. Classes for credits, credits for degrees, degrees for money. At least for the most part, he wasn¡¯t some bleeding-heart idiot who wanted to study poetry or communication or any of that crap. Not all degrees meant money, but people kept choosing them anyway. Moreover, people intentionally took classes that didn''t quicken their path to graduation. Saying they enjoyed the experience? What nonsense. Truly this world was a bizarre place and populated with bizarre people. And people, James had discovered early in life, we¡¯re mostly just simple-minded herd animals. But at least that world had made sense. At least he had understood fundamentally what was going on at any given moment, even if he disapproved or disliked it. Then, he¡¯d been spirited away like this was some god damn Japanese cartoon. It was the middle of the night, and James had been up late completing another inane assignment for one of his engineering classes. He¡¯d taken a step away from his dorm room desk, now an acceptable size after combining it with the one that was supposed to be his roommates. James had seen to that imbecile within a week of term starting so that he¡¯d have the room to himself. But as he opened his door to the glaringly bright fluorescent light bulbs, eyes snapping shut from the sudden brightness compared to his dimly lit room, he felt a sudden pull from all directions. Like his skin, muscles, bones, every part of his body was being simultaneously tugged upon trying to go anywhere but where they were. His eyes fluttered open moments later as air reentered his lungs, like James had just emerged from a warm lake where he¡¯d been holding his breath. None of what he¡¯d experienced had been painful in any way, in fact he felt almost relaxed from the experience, but it had still left him with a profound sense of vertigo. Looking around, the first thing he became aware of besides the intensity of the bright landscape around him, was the biting cold. He was dressed in gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt, making the environment around him of wind and snow oppressive in its welcome. Squinting his eyes against the sun- or suns as there appeared to more than one fucking sun- reflecting off the snow, James hugged his arms around him and began shivering as he tried to figure out what the hell was going on and what he was supposed to do. He saw, far off in the distance, a neighboring mountain to his own, as he realized he was undoubtedly standing on the peak of some mountain. And there, on that distant peak, he saw the lights and colors of a town or city. Cities meant people, and people meant warmth and hopefully a way out of this mess. But just as he laid eyes on the city, and just as he comprehended the need to get there, a small window appeared in front of him, and a voice spoke in his ear with what could only be described as obnoxious and intensely enthusiastic. - - - - - New Quest! A New Perspective: You have awakened in an unknown place in an unknown land. You have limited skills, limited tools, and limited knowledge. But one thing''s for sure, dying would totally suck! Find a way through the mountain ahead and get to the village in the distance for help. But be warned, you are not alone in this snow... - Objective: Survive the mountains and make it to the town ahead. - Time Remaining: 6d:23h:59m:53s - Reward: Class Selection - - - - - James stood in silence for a long time after the narrator had finished reading the window in front of him. He was still shivering, still hugging himself, teeth still chattering. But his eyes never wavered from the words that hovered just in front of him. Finally, dismissing the window with a thought, and seeing to his muted delight that it worked, James took one more look around. Yes, there was the town ahead, but if he didn¡¯t get out of this cold one way or another, he would¡­ There behind him, half obscured in the wind and snow, was the unmistakable outline of a building. Grateful for his luck, at least as much as there was at somehow ending up in a frozen wasteland, he stumbled his way there. What he found, though, was disappointing in the extreme. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. It wasn¡¯t a building; it was barely even the remnants of one. Though it was slightly warmer as he entered the decayed stone structure, James was still shivering from the cold as he began to investigate the small singular room, he was in. One thing was quite clear to him: this wasn¡¯t a building, but the top of one. He could see at the center of the space what remained of a spiral staircase that he assumed wound its way down to what was once the rest of the building, but which was now entirely buried in packed snow. He might have been able to dig the place out if he¡¯d had several days or weeks with specialized equipment, but with bare hands? He¡¯d likely accomplish nothing more than losing his hands. Other than that, there wasn¡¯t much to speak of about the place. It was hardly larger than a two-car garage, and the shape of a hexagon with ornately carved pillars at each of the six corners. The slanting snow drifts built up to block all but the one entrance through which James had come, realizing now that it was actually supposed to be a window. James turned his attention to the only object in the room to speak of: a small stone table that seemed to be cut directly out of the wall itself. Walking over to it, he tried to look and see if there was anything useful hidden or even just the remnants of a tapestry or something he could use to fight off this cold seeping into his bones. The moment he touched the top of the table, however, the carvings on all the pillars around the room, the eyes of what he now saw to be faded murals on the ceiling, even the snow in the staircase took on a faint glow of light, and from the table rose a small ornate black chest. Without even stopping to consider, James flipped open the lid, and was further disappointed to find a simple leather pouch inside about the size of a softball. However, what he found inside was an entirely different story. ~ ~ ~ Exiting the stone room the way he¡¯d come James stomped forwards through the snow on feet losing feeling as he went. Before more than five minutes had passed, he stumbled across¡­ well, he wasn''t quite sure what he''d found. It was some giant bug the size of a watermelon that scuttled backwards along the snow pushing a giant snowball and was, for some disgusting and off-putting reason, covered in a thick layer of wool poofing out its profile. Too cold to care, and just wanting to somehow take the wool for himself before he froze to death, James just had time to idly think ¡°what the hell is that!?¡± before charging forwards to stomp it to death as quickly as he could. He got some weird haptic feedback at the mental question, but nothing otherwise happened as he closed in and began kicking at the tiny creature with the drenched and frozen converse he had on. Chattering angrily at him, and snapping small mandibles on its face, the beetle stood up on its front legs and attempted to launch the massive ball of ice and snow it had been pushing. But given that it was right in front of James, he simply did what a part of him had really always wanted the ability to do. He pulled out the flaming katana like sword and slashed downwards in what could only be described as an amateurish and clumsy swing. Still, the beetle hadn¡¯t been remotely expecting the blast of warmth that radiated out from the sword and was, apparently, stunned into inaction as the blade cleaved through not only the snowball but the bug itself. Dropping the sword into the snow as it began to sear his hands, James was rewarded with another window. - - - - - - You have defeated Wooly Snow Beetle - 1-Star - Common. - - - - - - NEW QUEST! Managing the Mountains: You have had your first kill! And to the victor goes the spoils. Before you''re out of the cold, you''re going to have to kill again. But at least this way, you get something out of it! - Objective: Kill {10} 1-Star Monsters - Progress: 1/10 - Time Remaining: 23h:59m:50s - Reward: Cloak of Embers - Common - - - - - Quickly lunging for and putting the flaming sword away in his bag before it sank too deep into the snow as to be lost, James got his feet once more shivering from the cold. He did notice in that moment, however, a few other things that had appeared in his bag. Taking out the only one that really mattered in that moment, quickly stuffing the piece of wool into his shirt and spreading it out so that it covered most of his chest and torso. It wasn¡¯t much, but immediately the front of his body felt, if not quite warm, then at least not as cold. James looked at the new quest he¡¯d received one more time, then dismissed it with a mental command. This place was bullshit. This system was bullshit. A sword he couldn¡¯t hold without developing second- or third-degree burns was bullshit. Only getting enough wool to cover one part of his body was bullshit. But he knew one thing for sure if he wanted to survive this frozen hellscape, he¡¯d have to kill a lot more beetles. 43. The Weight of Things Part III - Kya - Wade - Sayrin - Carcelo - ______________________________________ Kya stumbled on a tree root, arms flailing out to the sides as she struggled to regain her balance. She had always considered herself as someone who enjoyed running. Track, cross country, magically enhanced vaulting over burned out fields, there were lots of reasons and examples to go for a nice run. Of course, running had its drawbacks too. She sometimes got these awful, gut wrenching side stitches under her ribs. She could, as she¡¯d just done, trip over the various obstacles in her path and possibly injure herself. Although, in this new and crazy world, she had discovered several new reasons to maybe reconsider going for that quick midnight jaunt. Most of them, in fact as she reflected on it, all of them, were related to running from her life as some crazy demented abomination of flesh and nightmares chased after her. Alder had slowed just a hair to allow her time to catch herself, Wade still in a fireman''s carry over both his shoulders. Without turning or looking back, he barked at her ¡°Come on Kya, we need to move, and we need to move now.¡± Regaining her balance as quickly as she could, she continued sprinting after him, as they made their mad dash away from the¡­ thing that was chasing them. Again, Kya was struck by the contrast in the man''s bearing. It almost seemed like he¡¯d flipped a switch, changing from the carefree and goofy guy she¡¯d met in the city, or even the guy cheering them on in their battle earlier, to a hardened warrior and commander who gave commands with an iron will, expecting them each to be followed with immediacy. Alder, now that she was able to see this side of him as well, reminded her quite strongly of her platoon sergeant back in her world. The man was relaxed and easygoing ninety percent of the time. If you wanted to do some nonsense, he would almost always be on board with it too, such as the time they¡¯d stolen the lieutenant''s patrol cap and hoisted it up the flagpole. However, the moments they did any dangerous stuff that wasn¡¯t funny, stuff that they had no right to be doing, he turned into a different person. He had on multiple occasions, smoked the ever living hell out of them, but never without a good reason at least. In those moments, he wasn¡¯t the guy to tell jokes and shoot the shit, he was a monster that did ever exercise with them saying they wouldn¡¯t stop until he stopped. ¡°You¡¯ll be the smartest platoon or the strongest platoon, I don¡¯t care which¡± was his favorite saying. Kya, since becoming all magical and whatnot, had found her baseline physical abilities to be significantly enhanced. What was an all out sprint before was now a manageable pace that she could maintain for some time. However, this was doubly true for Alder as he stood a full star above her. Trying to stay with him, even while he carried the massive form of Wade and slowed himself down to be near Kya as they fled, she was still pushing herself to her limits just to keep up. Collecting her haggard thoughts and breathing together enough to finally ask a question, she said ¡°That thing¡­ is a 2-Star? Can¡¯t you fight it?¡± Alder took long enough to respond that Kya almost thought he hadn¡¯t heard her. Just as she was about to try and ask her question again, he finally spoke up and said in a voice that was frustratingly free from exhaustion ¡°Fight? Absolutely. Win? Possibly. Win while protecting you and Wade? I don¡¯t feel comfortable with those odds. If I had my team with me, it would be a different matter, and if it comes to it, I will absolutely fight while you take Wade and run.¡± Kya took in his words, then asked ¡°So¡­ you couldn¡¯t take it¡­ with just my support?¡± Responding more quickly this time, he asked a question rather than answer her directly ¡°What ability did you just unlock? I know Wade was stealing the show there, but I noticed your class advancement as well.¡± Before Kya could respond, the earth shaking screech tore at the air from the abomination flying overhead. Up until now, it hadn¡¯t done much, and Kya could feel why. Alder¡¯s aura was all around them, like a blanket or a shroud. She wasn¡¯t always the brightest crayon in the knife box, but she could assume that he was hiding their presence from the monster somehow. She hadn¡¯t asked, nor had he told her, but it didn¡¯t feel oppressive or hostile, and the screeching demon above hadn¡¯t yet descended so, that was good enough for her. As soon as the ear piercing cry faded, Kya realized that it might have literally been ear piercing. The world had taken on a semi muffled quality on her left side, like she had water in her ear or¡­ Placing a hand to her ear and pulling it away, she found a small trail of blood had begun dripping down her neck. Cursing while she ran, Kya summoned a health potion from her storage space, and using her teeth to tear off the cork, downed the shot of revitalizing liquid in one go. She noted that, after getting her second ability, it was beginning to taste more and more watered down. The original sweet fizzy lemon flavor was now barely detectable, and the fizz almost nonexistent. Smacking her lips, she compared it to drinking a flat soda several hours after the ice had melted. However, despite its flavor continuing to degrade, it at least still had enough potency to return functionality to her ears making the sounds of their mad dash through the forest return all at once. ¡°Did that thing¡­ just injure me¡­ with a screech?¡± She asked Alder, still breathing heavily as they ran. ¡°Yes,¡± he said, still calm and cold, ¡°it¡¯s a full blown 2-Star after all. Anything it does to you will naturally be more effective, while anything you do to it will be almost laughable. You saw the beginning of it with the juvenile, it was just about ready to try for an evolution itself I suspect and was already starting to shrug off your ability. But that¡¯s not important right now, come on, what ability did you get?¡± Kya swallowed before she said ¡°It¡¯s called¡­ slow fall¡­ it-¡± ¡°Slow fall? He said, cutting her off as he looked back for a moment, before quickly returning his attention ahead the very next moment. ¡°Now that¡¯s a fantastic ability¡­ I wonder¡­¡± He trailed off, and Kya swore she could hear the gears in his head whirring quickly as he tried to make a plan. ¡°Can you affect other people yet, or just yourself?¡± ¡°Uh, yes¡­ I think so. But I don¡¯t really¡­ have any idea how it works yet.¡± She said back, trying to make it clear that this was going to be an unreliable plan at best, and a terrible idea at worst. ¡°That should be fine,¡± he said, slowing to a halt so abruptly that Kya almost ran into him as she stumbled to a stop, veering off to one side just to avoid him. ¡°You¡¯ll need to learn sooner rather than later, but this is probably our best bet. We¡¯re going to have to be quick about it, but I imagine you¡¯ll be pretty quick on the uptake.¡± Shrugging Wade off his shoulders and placing her down gently against a tree, Alder then came over and stood exactly opposite Kya. He closed his eyes for a moment, and took an absolutely tectonic breath in, before seeming to release half the atmosphere back out as he exhaled. Kya could slowly feel the air around them¡­ shifting. It wasn¡¯t becoming clouded like fog, she could still see perfectly well, or at least as well as one could hope in the dim light of the small blue moon. Nevertheless, she felt as though- and then she realized what was happening. Her aura senses were being clouded. Her sphere of perception was growing slightly yet measurably weaker as Alder continued to breath out and out and out. ¡°What¡­¡± She started to ask, before the monster answered her question for her. Another yipping, guttural cry clawed through the forest, however when it met this small pocket of air that surrounded them, it almost seemed to simply pass over them. She still heard it, still felt it, but less so than before. ¡°You¡¯re hiding us? If you could do that all along, why didn¡¯t you?¡± She said, her voice steady once more as she tried to catch her breath in this respite, not sure what would happen next but eager to take the chance to recuperate. He took a moment longer to finish his weird breathing technique, before sucking in a sharp breath of air and then several more, all much more shallow than the initial one. ¡°Because, that thing still knows where we are generally, just not specifically. The cry it sends out lets it get a glimpse at the world as the sounds echo back. I¡¯m told it¡¯s not a magical ability as we¡¯ve tried to disrupt it several times before but that doesn¡¯t really matter.¡± He said, waving away the line of thought. ¡°The point is, this aura shield I¡¯ve made isn¡¯t a permanent fix, just a temporary measure to allow us time. Eventually, it will hone in on us, especially since you two¡± he jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at the still unconscious Wade ¡°definitely have the smell of her kid on you, so we¡¯ll pretty much never escape it fully. My hope was to get back or at least close enough to town that it backs off. At this point though, I think it will be better if you can quickly get a grasp on your new ability, then you can carry her while I take on the beastie.¡± Kya took a moment trying to reconcile what Alder just said with what he¡¯d talked about earlier with not wanting to fight it without the support of his team. ¡°But, you just said that you weren¡¯t confident about taking it down on your own, what do you mean?¡± For the first time since Kya and Wade had defeated the epic rarity 1-Star jellybat, Alder smiled and even let out a slight chuckle. ¡°Because, there¡¯s a solid chance I can win if I don¡¯t have to worry about two bystanders getting hurt in the process. And what you¡¯ll learn later on in your path if you haven¡¯t already is that this whole thing¡± he gestured all around, at himself, at her and wade, and the forest around them ¡°is all about taking risks.¡± Then with a fierce gleam in his eye, harkening back to the lighter side of him she¡¯d seen earlier, he said ¡°And besides¡­ I just wanna see if I can win.¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Kya, unable to help herself, smiled back at him. At last, she was able to understand exactly how he felt. Hell, if she could, she wouldn¡¯t have minded at all playing a support role and helping him take out something like this. It would probably be one damn good fight after all. Nodding, shaking out her arms and getting ready, she said ¡°Alright, let''s get started. Do you have some quick technique in mind to-¡± She was cut off as he suddenly appeared mere inches in front of her, smiling broadly and in an almost giddy tone said ¡°Yes, yes I do.¡± Then before she could react he grabbed her by the waist and launched her at least a good twenty feet into the air. ¡°AH DUDE, WHAT THE FUCK!?!¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ In the great capital city of Loterre, in the massive sparring area found underneath the grand western colosseum, there was only a single match currently underway. Sparring in the designated areas wasn¡¯t anything out of the ordinary, in fact it was highly expected that the powerful users and denizens of Loterre make use of the training grounds on a near daily basis. No, the thing that was different about this match, and the thing that was different about this night, was the particular singularity of this bout. It was the only bout currently underway; all others having stopped to observe and to bear witness. The sheer silence in the sparring hall was haunting, oppressive even. At all times of day, whether the dead of night or middle of the day, there were always, always practitioners in the various sparring arenas, the ringing of metal on metal, the clang and clamor of battles taking place. Not tonight, though. Tonight, there was still the crowd of people, never fully dispersed in a city like this. As Carcello entered the sparring grounds, and as he took in all of this, the silence, the crowd gathered around a single sparring ring, his hands grew cold, and he felt his chest constrict and his breathing quickened. He knew. Without needing to feel the complex tumult of auras, without needing to take a step closer to the fight underway, without even needing to lay eyes on the combatants in the ring, he knew without a doubt. His theory all but confirmed a moment later when he heard, or rather felt, the pounding and shaking of the ground beneath his feet. It was like a drum being played in another room, beat inconsistent and yet terrifyingly powerful. Nevertheless, he needed to confirm, needed to know, needed even to step in and get his father out if his wrought iron feeling of certainty turned out to be correct. As he pushed forwards, the crowd stepped back as flecks of blood and viscera were flung into the air, rising to tall peak overhead. Quick sparks of uneasy murmuring broke out in various places around the room, before ultimately dying out just as quickly. Carcelo persisted, pushing his way forwards through the crowd, the various 2-Star and 3-Star users all giving him dirty looks as he shoved through, but they nevertheless parted for him, perhaps sensing the similarity in his aura to that of the combatant ahead. He was absolutely certain now, he could feel the raging spikes of aura occasionally breaking through the barrier to meet the crowd, that alone an incredible feat of raw power in and of itself. But then, Carcelo knew he shouldn¡¯t have been surprised. His father was in the throws of an episode, he had little control at this point over his own actions, like a drunkard prone to sleepwalks. Carcelo hung his head for a moment, steeling himself against what he was about to see, what he was about to have to do. He fucking hated this, these moments, right here. At least this time it was just a random person and not someone with whom he was close. Taking a shaky breath, he continued onwards, finally making it to the front of the crowd and getting his first look at the unfolding scene ahead. There was his father Sayrin, as he knew he would be. His tan. Sandy brown armor covered in sprays and goblets of crimson blood standing out in sharp relief. His helm, normally having a sharp and smooth angular appearance, was webbed with cracks and chips to the point it looked more like it would fall apart at a touch than provide any actual defense. As he looked further, Carcelo saw that this was the case for almost all of his father¡¯s armor. From the greaves and bracers to the breastplate and even his boots. They were all badly damaged, and each one leaking out tiny rivers of scarlet from beneath. However grizzly his father looked, and he looked truly unwell, his opponent was far and away worse off. The man¡¯s armor looked marginally more intact, but where his father had been scratched and pierced dozens of times by the smaller twin swords black armored man, his father wielded his massive two handed great sword. It was clear he wasn¡¯t landing hits as frequently, but neither did he need to land as many. Carcelo saw only three signs of a clear hit. One lay on the ground in the form of a discarded sword that had been bent so badly the point of the blade now formed a forty five degree angle almost pointing back towards the handle itself. The second was on the man''s left thigh, where an apparent glancing blow had sheared off the armor there and exposed the bloody muscle and sinew of his leg. This alone would have been enough to call a stop to the fight, if either combatant had wished. It was clear that this was an injury that would take some substantial and dedicated healing from a life user, but 3-Star users were incredibly durable, able to take quite a beating and keep going long after a 2-Star or lower would have outright died. However, the hole in his leg wasn¡¯t the worst of it, oh no. he man''s entire right side, where the front half of his breastplate met the back was simply gone. A massive gaping hole in the armor exposed the similarly large, and similarly missing parts of his abdomen and lower rib cage. Through either some strange aura technique, ability, or something there was a stark lack of blood from the wound. Carcelo could clearly look in and see the stark white of bone, the tiny layer of yellow fat, and even the muted pinkish red of muscle and organs beneath. He knew that they weren¡¯t strictly necessary for a high ranking star user to survive, most organs becoming vestigial by late 2-Star or early 3-Star, but it was still a chilling sight to see the human body laid bare like that. The crowd, despite both combatants clearly being well past what most would consider a good stopping point, did not step in or call for the fight to end. On the contrary, they seemed morbidly invested in the fight to continue, to see these two combatants strive against one another in the fullness of their strength and to the best of their abilities. Carcelo¡¯s spirits lifted somewhat as he took all this in, he too looked on as the two broken, beaten, and battered combatants picked themselves up, and began clashing once more at speeds that he could just barely follow. Perhaps¡­ perhaps this wouldn¡¯t end how he¡¯d feared. Perhaps he didn¡¯t need to step in, or drag his father away, perhaps¡­ His thoughts were dead on arrival, proved idiotically naive in fact. The very same moment the thoughts crossed his mind, the man plunged both of his swords into his fathers chest as if his armor weren''t even there, while at the same moment, his father landed a powerful horizontal strike, severing the man''s arm completely. ¡°Oh gods no¡± Carcelo said under his breath, aura flaring as he ran forwards into the ring. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Kya felt incredible. She laughed like a child, giddy, excited, whimsical even. The first time Alder had thrown her into the air, she had flailed her arms out like panicked chicken, and laned painfully on her right side, accruing deep bruises on both her arm and leg. It wasn¡¯t as painful as it should have been, she suspected her cloak and armor distributed some of the force from the fall as their resistance to blunt force trauma kicked in, but it still hurt like hell. She sluggishly got to her feet, rubbing her sore bicep and was about to yell a particularly creative and colorful string of words at Alder, when he¡¯d appeared right in front of her yet again, still grinning with suppressed laughter. ¡°Hey, you know what they say. If at first you don¡¯t succeed, try try again!¡± ¡°No god dammi-i-i-it!¡± she screamed Her words and exclamations proved pointless, however, as she was once more launched airborne. Even knowing the fall wouldn¡¯t prove fatal, she still had absolutely no desire to repeat the experience of colliding with the ground at high speeds. Knowing this was intention, and simultaneously hating and respecting him for it, she searched within herself for the ability that was now hers, she would really, really love to slow her fall right about now. With her first ability, she¡¯d had some practice already with the magical staff she had taken from the temple. This meant that when she reached for the newfound ability, she was able to almost easily and without much difficulty master the ability. But this new one, trying to control her fall, affect the very gravity on her body. She was struggling to feel the ability, to know what to activate. As she reached the peak of her unwanted airborne excursion, she felt herself go weightless in the brief moment before she knew she¡¯d start to fall. It was there, right there, in that infinitesimal moment that she was able to feel it. Her ability to affect this, to recreate this, to control this. She reached for the ability even as she began her rapid descent, and felt as though she was on the verge of something when she once again landed, fortunately feet first this time, though she tried- and failed- to roll with the fall, ending up sprawled on her back, coughing slightly as she tried to get the wind back in her lungs. Flashing over in a burst of speed yet again, Alder started to say ¡°Alright, maybe this isn¡¯t the-¡± ¡°No,¡± Kya croaked out in a cough ¡°again. Let¡¯s do it again. I can feel it, like I just grew a third arm and don¡¯t know how to use it yet, but I can feel it when I¡¯m up there. So one more time, let¡¯s do it.¡± Alder grinned down at her, and then without further ado, threw her up once more into the air. ~ ~ ~ It actually took them a total of seven more times before she finally got her ability to activate. Grinning like a child with a brand new toy, she felt herself go weightless from the fall, and then¡­ she felt it in her bones, in her muscles and organs. She wasn¡¯t weightless, she could still feel gravity¡¯s pull into its embrace, and yet rather than a plummeting fall, she was like a leaf drifting slowly downwards at a gentle clip. Alder waiting below grinned and laughed, simply excited for her as she shot her fist in the air and yelled in triumph ¡°This is incredible, I feel amazing!¡± However, as if in response to her call of delight, of success and achievement, the massive beast that she¡¯d seen circling around occasionally letting out screeches for what she now knew was echolocation. This time though, the odd feeling of sound sliding off her ears like water on a raincoat shattered while she floated down, and even just the tail end of the creature''s cry made her ears ring and her head ache. ¡°Alright, aaannd¡­ good feelings gone.¡± Cutting off the ability and dropping the several remaining feet to the forest floor, she looked at the suddenly grim faced Alder and asked ¡°Was that you?¡± ¡°No. No it wasn¡¯t. I had hoped for at least a couple more minutes for you to grow accustomed to the ability but it looks like we¡¯ll have to get moving again as soon as possible¡± Nodding her head, Kya asked ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be able to take it alone? My first ability has reached the next level now, I¡¯m sure you could use the help.¡± He looked almost tempted to agree, but after a moment of hesitation, shook his head no. ¡°Take Wade. Even if we could take the monster without risking your own safety, I won¡¯t put her in danger while she¡¯s unconscious. It would be all too easy for the monster to take a swipe at her and kill her before she could do anything about it. No, better to use your ability to make yourselves both lighter and then get going.¡± Sighing, Kya nodded her head in agreement. However, when she turned to get Wade, he face broke out into a massive grin, looking back at Alder expectantly. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to countermand you,¡± said Wade, rising to her considerable and towering height over both Kya and Alder, ¡°but how about instead of taking me anywhere, we just knock this thing back from whatever nightmare it was created.¡± 44. The Shining Stars While still unconscious, Wade felt an almost ethereal sense of power. It was as if the entire world were at her fingertips, and she wondered if this is what it was to be a god. Limitless potential energy available to her, if only she had the will to control it. If only she had the power to harness it. She tried more than once to do so, to control it and bend it to her will. But each time she felt it slip between her fingers like she were trying to hold back the tide, like she were trying to grab the sands in the guilds hourglass. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of nothing, and then an eternity more, she was able to open her eyes. She hadn¡¯t even realized they''d been closed, completely unaware and unknowing of the world and environment around her. She wasn¡¯t, however, back in the Rose Forest, but rather somewhere wholly exotic and unknown to her, and yet feeling so achingly familiar it was like looking at her childhood bedroom. There was so, so much to take in, and yet it also seemed so barren and lifeless all the same. There was a beautiful sunset, but unlike the familiar and comforting yellow and blue suns to which she was accustomed, there were two suns, similar in that both were bright red and shining brilliantly, like massive ruby''s that had been set ablaze. The one on her left, however, was set apart from the one on the right by sheer sense of scale. Though both shone equally bright, and both held immeasurable power at orders of magnitude she could only just comprehend, the left one was simply¡­ well, more. It was bigger, more powerful, more radiant and brilliant and it contained a completeness, a oneness that belied all attempts to understand or glean more information from. The smaller sun next to it, though, well it was diminutive by comparison. Incomplete and new, it had so much left to do and so much room left to grow. Wade could tell just by basking in their light, these were hers and she was simply ecstatic to have finally made it to this place she had heard so much about. Tearing her eyes away from the sibling suns, she began to explore her surroundings, which again, were left rather wanting when compared to the glorious sky above. There was an open expanse of craggy stone as far as the eye could see. Not a building, plant, person, or animal in sight. Well, there were three structures she could see, but she already knew what they were and began to make her way towards them as quickly as she could. But just like that, as if the whole world had rotated without her having to take a single step, there she was. The only thing she could see for the countless miles around her, the three towering trees in the only patch of grass and life anywhere she could see. The two trees closest to her were thick, massive trunks of dark midnight red bark, their leaves so far overhead the color of wildfire, lavish yellows and crimson made it seem almost like the great heights of the tree was ablaze. While the third and final tree was an altogether disparate thing. It¡¯s trunk was much smoother and bulged quite a lot at the base, splitting off into dozens of smaller but still impressively thick branches after the first five or so feet, filling that part of the sky with its cool emerald green leaves. The small glade, such that it was, held only the barest of essentials for life to flourish. The three trees were each perfectly separated from one another, forming an exact equilateral triangle some three dozen feet from one tree to the next. In the center of the grassy patch laid a small pond with water so clear and vibrant, it practically radiated vitality and energy. Small wisps of light even seemed to steam and dance off the water''s surface, making it look all the more alien to her in its simple, calm divinity. Despite the trees being tall, despite their branches reaching out to cover the sky and their powerful, magisterial strength, it was the pond that truly made her feel a sense of awe and reverence. She knew what to do next, she¡¯d planned this out for a long¡­ long time coming, and had long since decided what to do when arriving in this place, in her place. She went over to the first void red tree, the one closest to her as she knew it would be. This tree had been with Wade the longest, and she could feel it. It was like an old friend, a constant companion for her since becoming a user, and she knew that without it, her life would have been wholly different to what it was now. She put a hand against its bark, and although she tensed when feeling how unexpectedly warm the bark was, she did not pull away. Eventually moving up to the tree, she wrapped both arms around it and rested her forehead against the bark. It really was like an old friend, and she felt content in its embrace. Like all the world would be okay if she just had the strength to stay here, to hold fast and to outlast. In fact, even as she wavered in her conviction to take the next step, she felt strength course through her from the tree itself. Encouraging her, giving her energy and power, the resolve needed to take the next steps and the will to follow through on that desire. Without taking even another moment to consider, Wade squeezed her arms together and the tree crumbled in her hands as though it were nothing more than a paper imitation, hollow on the inside rather than the solid wood it had been mere moments earlier. ¡°Thank you¡± she whispered to the tree, the sounds reverberating throughout the entire bleak landscape as she carried the tree, towering to the sky a heartbeat ago, no bigger than a small sapling by the very next. Collapsing to her knees by the banks of the small pond, Wade looked at it one last time, before gently dropping the piece of wood into the ethereal glowing waters. The remnant tree began to break apart almost instantly, and before she knew it, Wade looked again at the ethereal pond, seeming for all the world unchanged and uncaring of the infusion it had just received. Wade bowed her head, and sent a silent prayer to her god, before opening her eyes and turning around to see a new tree in the spot she¡¯d just torn away the old. This one was as tall as the other two, but thinner and less stable in appearance. She would be able to make it her own, to grow it and nurture it just the same as the one before, but it would take a good amount of time, she knew this instinctively as sure as she knew how to move her hands and feet. Walking over and placing a hand against the bark of the newborn tree, Wade felt its cool bark against her hand and stayed there for a long time, just as rooted to the spot as the tree next to her. When, finally, she was ready to move again, she made a simple nod at the sky, and like that the ground fell away and she began to lose sight of everything around her, the last thing she could see were the twin red suns, looking at her like the eyes of a galactic giant and founder of worlds. ~ ~ ~ Wade came to herself, regaining the awareness of her surroundings in bits and pieces. First she was able to feel the grass underneath her, the cool bark of an ordinary tree at her back. Then she could smell the sweet scent of sap, of wildflowers and pine needles and leaves flowering on their branches. Then she could hear, sound coming to her in a rush all at once as the wind rustles the branches overhead, as the cries of some monstrosity echoed throughout the land, and as her friend Alder was in the middle of saying ¡°-safety, I won¡¯t put her in danger while she¡¯s unconscious. It would be all too easy for the monster to take a swipe at her and kill her before she could do anything about it. No, better to use your ability to make yourselves both lighter and then get going.¡± Last but not least, she was able to open her eyes, and see the pale blue light of Larian illuminating the trees around her, as well as the smiling face of Kya. Rising to her full height, Wade said ¡°I don¡¯t mean to countermand you, but how about instead of taking me anywhere, we just knock this thing back to whatever nightmare it was created.¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Kya was absolutely fucking ecstatic. Wade being up and moving meant they would be able to stop this rushed shit of running or giving her a painfully literal crash course into the use of her new ability, and instead just focus on the actual thing itself. It seemed that Alder, too, felt this shift in their momentum as he was grinning from ear to ear, utterly delighted to see her up and walking around again. Walking over, they clasped one another on the forearm when Alder finally said ¡°Bit of a rough go in their eh? Having trouble letting go of the old to make room for the new?¡± Wade promptly hit him softly upside the head ¡°Don¡¯t be cheeky now, we haven¡¯t the time for it. But you can already tell?¡± He nodded, barely able to contain his joyous laughter, letting it out in a single bout of lilting giggles, ¡°Why yes, yes I can. So what is the ne-¡± Any further dialogue became impossible as the gargantuan form of the screeching animal they¡¯d been running from for the last portion of the night appeared overhead, its massive maw opening as it sucked in an impossible amount of air for the size of its lungs. Kya just managed to shove her fingers in her ears when the concussive blast of air ripped through her entire body, and she felt as though it had just given her an X-ray, able to see anything and everything about her. Though she¡¯d managed to preserve her ears, her nose and eyes hadn¡¯t been so fortunate. They still retained their function at least, being slightly less susceptible to soundwaves as her ears, but she could still feel them as they were shaken and rattles in her skull, as the blood began to drip out of her nose and her eyes felt like she¡¯d been using them to play beer pong. Staggering just slightly, she looked up and got just the barest of glimpses at the beast, and was therefore able to use identify on it and for the first time, see her first 2-Star monster. - - - - - *** NEW CREATURE IDENTIFIED *** - Midnight Chiroptera Matron - 2-Star - Uncommon - Did you ever get advice from your dad, advice at which you promptly scoffed? Maybe you told him he didn¡¯t understand what he was talking about and that whatever he was saying didn¡¯t apply these days or to you specifically. Then one day, maybe the next day or week, maybe years ahead, you reflected on what he¡¯d said and you realized that he was one hundred percent without a shadow of a doubt right and you were just being a stubborn kid to not listen. But by that point, you¡¯d already made whatever shity decision he was trying to dissuade you from, and it was too late to do anything about it. So you just had to sit there, knowing you fucked up and knowing it was all due to the choices that you¡¯d made and no one else was even remotely to blame. That feeling right there, that¡¯s how you should be feeling right now. You¡¯d best pick a god and start praying your friends are up to snuff here, or else this thing¡¯s going to absolutely ruin your whole night. In the back of your mind, just remember¡­ you were warned. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. - - - - - Alright, first of all, that told her absolutely fucking nothing so that was just great. Secondly, that entire monologue had been read in the tone of a disappointed dad, and frankly Kya did not need that kind of judgment from her own goddamn ability. Although, she had to, and hated to, admit¡­ this thing was just absolutely terrifying. She¡¯d seen the infant form, no bigger than an actual bat from her world had been, although with the word jellyfish body and third wing that had thrown her off. Then she¡¯d seen the juvenile form, the size of a small person with wings like front porch awnings, and now she was finally able to see the adult form in all its, well glory wasn¡¯t really the right word. Horror? Dread? All it¡¯s disgusting dread. It was everything that made the juvenile form seem almost gentle and respectable, turned up to 11 and then put through a Lovecraftian filter. It¡¯s translucent body had split open, allowing what she¡¯d initially thought to be the internal organs of the thing to hand down like a horrific mass of writhing tentacles. The three leaf shaped wings that softly spun around to allow the younger forms the gift of flight had elongated and gained sharp, bone white talons at each joint in the wing, of which there were at least two more than even remotely necessary. The face, the fuzzy overgrown bat face of the younger form, looked to have been set on fire and then covered in skin grafts by a very inexperienced or simply downright malicious surgeon. It was pink and black, occasional bits of it covered in a slimy white substance that Kya surely didn¡¯t want to go anywhere nearby. Kya looked ahead at the two experienced and jaded warriors, and once she saw calm determination, almost excitement on both of their faces, allowed the unease that had been slowly laying claim to her limbs to recede back somewhat. This wasn¡¯t going to be an easy fight, but it would absolutely be memorable. Kya brought out both her daggers, putting one in each hand. She let her aura spill out to its full extent, even as both of the others did as well, quickly overpowering hers. In a quick flash of light, Wade and Alder were suddenly decked out in their full war regalia. Wade, who¡¯d only taken off her helm, was now equipped in what looked to be brand new polished black armor, maroon accentuating the edges and points to make it look all the more intimidating, even while Alder next to her stood in radiant armor comprised of what looked to be solid sandstone, golden rivers of molten magma flowing throughout like the entire thing was about ready to melt into volcanic heat at any moment. In their hands, Wade still had on the pugilist gloves with small but sturdy spikes on each of her knuckles, but more than that, she¡¯d chosen to take out an absurdly simple yet powerful looking half moon battle axe. It had a deeply brown haft, leather wrapped handle, and shining metallic black blade with a crimson edge. It almost seemed to call out for action, as if the blade itself wanted to be used, wanted to be whistling through the air this very moment and was growing more and more outraged at the lack of inertia in its life. Alder, for his weapon, had two identical war hammers, each with handles the length of his forearm, and heads like infinitely compact sledgehammers. Their weight and presence was so immense that even with Wade¡¯s aura, even with her armor and the large ax over her shoulder, she wasn¡¯t able to look anywhere else than at the all consuming depths contained in the flats of those hammers. ¡°You take the tentacles; I¡¯ll take the wing joints. Once it hits the ground, I¡¯ll make sure it doesn¡¯t get back up.¡± Alder said calmly, in the same way someone might have asked their friend to pick up the milk from the store. Nodding her head in agreement and letting out a barking laugh ¡°You have no idea how I¡¯ve longed for this day.¡± The hammer in Alder¡¯s right hand flashed and disappear as he raised his arm, fist lazily held up as he said, ¡°Let''s make your first 2-Star fight a good one, eh?¡± Laughing more, unable to control it or contain it, Wade clanked her gauntleted fist against his and said ¡°lets.¡± ¡°And don¡¯t think we¡¯ve forgotten you back there.¡± Alder said, Hammer reappearing in his hand as he turned his helmeted head towards her, ¡°You can act where you feel appropriate, but don¡¯t take any undue risks. If you need help or find yourself in a particularly tough spot, one of us will try and help you out as best we can. Just in case...¡± He trailed off for a moment before producing a small vile with a brilliant lavender liquid endlessly bubbling away within. ¡°That¡¯s a more powerful healing potion than the ones I¡¯ve seen you using. Again, just in case. Now then¡­¡± He trailed off as they all turned skyward to see the abomination of a creature that hung suspended there like some storybook demon. ¡°Shall we begin?¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Sayrin felt more alive than he had in weeks. Months. Years. Ever. He was able to wholly and entirely dedicate himself to the fight with this strange mustached swordsman. This wasn¡¯t some complicated situation with right and wrong being in question. He didn¡¯t have to worry shout going too far, or putting on more power than an opponent could manage. He didn¡¯t fear. For the first time in a long time, he was able to fully, utterly, and completely lose himself in a struggle for supremacy. And gods above was this man a talent among talents. It had been a long time since Sayrin felt himself on the backfoot in a fight against an equally skilled opponent. They had both put on the glossy bronze cuffs that restricted their class abilities from manifesting, meaning it was simply a battle of auras and of techniques, and this man was a master at the dual sword style. He employed techniques Sayrin had never seen before, equal parts using his aura as a spiked lance of distraction to throw off Sayrin''s own, or dancing his twin blades up and down his own massive one, the fight had started out and continued on in an almost playful dance of back and forth, neither fully committing to the struggle as neither wanted to be the one to escalate it to something more than a sparring match, at least not yet. This changed as Sayrin¡¯s blood was the first to be drawn. It was an inconsequential strike, hardly more than a prick to the right shoulder. But the narrow enchanted blades of this unknown combatant were more like pointed needles than true swords of the Loterran style. This meant that when he wanted to, he could puncture with absolute impunity. He pulled the strike up short, only just breaking the skin and sinking the glowing yellow tip in by about a quarter inch until finally yanking it back out, sending fledgling drops of blood out across the sandy stone floor below. After dancing back a few steps, he twirled his blades in the air, clearly showing off or maybe even taunting Sayrin, relishing in the accomplishment of drawing first blood, and even being cocky enough not to go full on with the strike. The man''s face, for he hadn¡¯t chosen to put on his helm, was glowing with utter delight and even contempt, a smile playing at his lips, making his thin pointed mustache tremble ever so slightly. That, right there, the damn mustache, sent Sayrin over the edge. He just couldn¡¯t do it; he could not hold back any more against a man like this cocky little shit. Exploding forwards as the river in his mind began flow ever faster, he brought down his massive, and for most purposes impractically large great sword in a diagonal strike. The mans face had gone so quickly from gloating to shock and a touch of fear, that the ghost of a smile was still there, even as one of his precious blades was bent wildly out of shape, then clanged uselessly to the ground. The man¡¯s face looked at first horrified, and then immediately overcome with a white hot anger and fury that made Sayrin''s skin crawl and his own blood boil. With a sharp gesture, the man¡¯s helm appeared on his head, while a replacement blade appeared in his hand, and they began their fight in earnest, the choreography and artistry rapidly stripped away, leaving only the brutal savagery that was their blades meeting in a contest of strength, power, technique, and tactics. The man was able to land a dozen smaller wounds all across his body, his armor never cracking fully, never breaking away as it was designed to do, and thus, never award the man any points for their match. This was fine by Sayrin, though he could feel what the man was trying to do. He was slowly but surely hitting each and every weak point on the human body, the wrist, the elbow, the shoulder, the knees, he was making it more and more difficult for Sayrin to even simply move his body around the battlefield let alone fight back against a slippery opponent like this. But the body of a 3-Star user was more durable than most people ever even realized, and he was firmly in the middle of the rank. He knew that, given a little more time, he would be able to- There! Bringing his blade around and putting his off hand on the flat, he used it to shove at the man, forcing him back several steps and throwing both his sword arms wide. This flowed perfectly into the very next swing where he laboriously but efficiently maneuvered the blade up and then slashing straight down at his off-balance opponent. Taking an almost savage delight in seeing him panic, he was then almost tragically disappointed when he saw that the man managed to move mostly out of the way. Still, he caught him on the upper thigh, and like peeling a vegetable, took off not only the outer layer of armor, but a large chunk of flesh as well. Sayrin, laughing with savage delight, made sure the fight carried on, and on, and on. The brutality of their movements, the intensity of their auras and the slight note of fear detectable in the other man¡¯s were all blasted out for all to see and to feel. Slowly but surely, the other combatants in the arena stopped what they were doing to come over and be witness to the crazy fight between a captain of the military, and the unknown acolyte of War. Sayrin, for his part, didn¡¯t notice the crowd. He didn¡¯t notice the growing uneasiness as they watched him brutalize and beat down his opponent. He didn¡¯t notice the orange discoloration of the world around them as they fought on, and on, the river in his mind urging him ever onward, ever onward. The next great blow came when the man dedicated both of his blades to a horizontal strike coming on from one side and aimed directly at Sayrin''s neck, making as if to end the fight via decapitation. 3-Stars were durable, but not that durable. Sayrin didn¡¯t know if it was simply a fear tactic to try and undermine his confidence, or if he was truly that desperate in the current circumstances. But, upon reflection, he didn¡¯t really care one way or the other. The man was trying to kill him. Insolence like that demanded repercussions. Using his helm, he whipped his head forward and to the side, knocking away both blades and earning him a set of disastrous looking cracks all along his helm that further occluded his vision. But that didn¡¯t matter, as his sword was already in motion, already coming in like hell brought to their mortal plane, as it collided with the man and sent him tumbling across the arena, blood and gore flying up and away like some crimson mountain had suddenly erupted from the arena floor. Sayrin, spreading his arms wide as if to bask in the sight, didn¡¯t catch when the man launched his smaller blade directly into his arm, dashing and leaping after it, only to plunge the second one just above it into his shoulder. The pain felt like a fleeting dream, there in concept, there in memory, but hardly real, or something that Sayrin really needed to be concerned over. Rather, he was vastly more interested in the man¡¯s now bloodless gaping wound in the side. He was rather curious to know what technique he was using to keep the sap of his veins from watering the sands of the arena, but he could hardly stop now just to ask such an unimportant question. They eyed each other warily; the man having withdrawn both blades and backing up several paces with quick steps until several meters separated them and both stood still simply eyeing one another from across the field. One might think that this lull in the action was a chance to reflect, to catch one''s breath and perhaps come to terms with their own accomplishments from the duel and call an end to it there and then. Neither man felt that way. Neither man even had the thought cross their minds as, after a few moments more, they each brandished their weapons, holding them up for the other to see, Sayrin couldn¡¯t know for sure, but he got the feeling that this man, too, was grinning wildly under his helm. At least he hoped the man was, a good contest such as theirs was so fucking hard to come by. Once more flying at each other, and once more beginning their brutal strikes in an all out frenzy, it was hardly more than ten heartbeats later that Sayrin¡¯s lungs were both torn into by the narrow blades, while his own landed with finality as it lopped off the swordsman''s arm entirely, they both watched muted as it flopped to the floor with a wet squelching sound, before they once more turned their gazes on each other. Sayrin wanted to go for the kill, he wanted to end this right here and now, it would be so easy to deliver one more swing, one more and his head would go rolling on the ground just like his arm. He should- The spike of aura coming from the entrance of the arena caught both of their attention as they turned to see a young boy running at them, panicked eyes wide on his face as he was yelling¡­ yelling something at them. The man let go of his swords and backed away a step, and then another. Reaching down to pick up his arm, he held it casually off to one side before giving a low bow to Sayrin, bending at the waist and all but presenting his head as a trophy. It would be¡­ just¡­ so easy... But then the boy was there, standing and shouting between them and¡­ and that wasn¡¯t some boy, that was his son. That was his own son ranting and raving, and it was so clear he was shouting so why couldn¡¯t Sayrin hear any of the words. What was¡­ what was¡­ A moment later, and both men fell to the grounds of the arena, unconscious. The last things Sayrin could hear as the world around him went dark were the finally clear cries of his child, as he shouted not at them, at least not anymore. Now screaming wildly, the words tearing themselves from his throat, he called ¡°Medic!!! Isn¡¯t there a healer on duty, someone get the medic! Please, I¡¯m begging you, someone¡­ the¡­¡± Then all he saw, felt, heard, all he was became a black void and the dancing of the stars. Of course, until the blessed nightmares came as they always did. As he longed for and welcomed. 45. Taking to the Skies The midnight chiroptera matron, or as Kya was determined to call it, the jelly bat matron, was floating in place about twenty feet off the ground. Its enormous wings slowly beat out down, each gargantuan flap making Kya¡¯s teeth rattle just slightly at the sudden change in pressure. True, the thing was an absolute horror to look at, its weird intestines hanging down to form some macabre tentacles or the utter abomination that was it¡¯s face and wings and, well, basically the entire thing looked to be ripped straight from a child''s nightmare who had a fear of equal parts eldritch creations and jellyfish simultaneously. But what really did it for Kya, what really told her that this thing was, under no specific circumstances, to be fucked with unless you came absolutely armed to the teeth, was the presence it had and was able to deploy at a whim. She remembered her first days back in this very same forest. She remembered seeing the reaping tiger, and how much its aura had shaken her to her core. That thing had been an apex predator, a peerless hunter in its own domain with absolutely nothing to fear for miles in any direction. When it had looked at her, not even using its powerful eye intimidation thing, it had so totally and completely pressured her with its simple presence that she¡¯d been hard pressed even to move. She had felt something similar from the hellhound alpha, a presence of danger, of complete confidence that it was the most powerful thing around and could practically go anywhere it wanted unchallenged. For all it knew, it was the toughest thing bar none. Now, looking at the midnight black eyes of this demonic hell spawn, she felt almost nostalgic for those simpler days when all she had to worry about was a little fire breath or mental tricks. Because the aura of this thing, the sheer force of its very presence so close to her was just incredible. She had no words to describe the effect it was having on her, she knew it was powerful, transcendently so. It was literally a being out of her league, and she knew it, and it knew it. The look it was giving her now was one of such pure and utter contempt, that Kya was beginning to get a little offended by the monster not taking her as even a slight threat. Still, when looking at the duo that stood a few feet in front of her, it wasn¡¯t as though Kya couldn¡¯t understand why. Out of their impromptu trio, she was absolutely the odd one out. The two in front, the user of War, and the user of Earth, were without question the dominant forces on the battlefield this night. The monster ahead of them may have had an ever so slightly more powerful aura than either one of them, it was a massive beast from the very pits of their waking horrors after all, but when Alder and Wade stood together like that? There was no question, they stood head and shoulders over this thing, and Kya could tell that it knew it too. Acting quickly, and quietly, Kya took out two of the lesser healing potions she¡¯d been hoarding like a miser for the longest time, swapping the superior one given to her by Alder and putting it away safely for later use. Pulling out both tiny corks and then flinging the bottles away without drinking a drop of their liquids. Then, taking each of the small brown corks, she put one in her left ear and then her right. They weren¡¯t the best, and they certainly weren¡¯t the most comfortable things she¡¯d ever worn, but if they helped prevent her ear drums from melting then who was she to complain. While she¡¯d been busy stuffing little bits of wood into her ears, the other two had been quietly whispering a plan back and forth to one another. Finally, Wade looked back and said ¡°Target the wings if you can, but stay out of the way unless it''s a sure thing. If you aren¡¯t confident of surviving an attack, don¡¯t go anywhere near it, understand?¡± Before Kya could so much as nod her confirmation, the monster seemed to grow tired of simply floating, or rather, it seemed to have finished another of its gargantuan inhalations. Knowing what was coming next, and not wanting to give it the opportunity to do it again, Kya launched her rat fang dagger hurtling directly into the mouth of the jelly bat matron the second it opened it up to release its scream. There were three things of import that Kya took away from that one move right there in the seconds to follow. Take away number one, her ability had evolved and she could tell. It was vastly more powerful than before, the speed, force, power, and control she had over the objects she controlled was on a whole other level. Where before she¡¯d been a kid with a slingshot, now she was a teenager with a bow and arrow. It still had room to grow, she could feel that it was nowhere near the peak of what it could one day become, but damn if it wasn¡¯t a refreshing change to feel the sheer raw power now at her fingertips. Take away number two was that even beyond the simple rank up of her abilities, she was currently under some effect, she suspected from Wade, that was boosting her abilities. She¡¯d felt it back when going against the juvenile jelly bat, but it felt different this time. More general and at a slightly weaker level than the kind she¡¯d used before. Either way, she could again feel her concentration, her focus and her drive, they all increased noticeably, which might have been what spurred her on to take such an action and be the first one to act in their standoff because, and this last one was important. Takeaway number three, she was not the most powerful person here, nor was she the only one able to react when they all saw the monster open its mouth to screech. Because she had sent her dagger flying forwards, Wade, who had been about to leap forwards in an almighty bound, stopped mid action and stumbled forwards. This had the fun consequence that when her dagger was, albeit rather painfully, eaten and swallowed by the colossal beast, it of course let out a screech of pain and frustration the very next second. Both Alder and Wade looked back at Kya, who, to her credit, at least had the decency to look slightly abashed as the waves of concussive sound echoed around them, causing them all to flinch back a step. ¡°Just act as support!¡± Wade called over the sound, before turning back and carrying out the plan she had wanted to execute all along: leap up there and beat the shit out of the demon bat. Kya watched in a slight mix of embarrassment and envy as Wade carried out said plan, while eagerly trying to figure out some manner of following suit. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Wade, contrary to what she might have let on with her tone, wasn¡¯t the least bit annoyed at Kya. Hell, taking a literal stab at a monster that is way¡­ WAY out of your league was one of her favorite things to see someone do, and she¡¯d now seen Kya do it multiple times over. She didn¡¯t know the full details on where she was from, but it must have been a messed up place to make a person consistently seek out bigger and bigger targets like this. Wade decided that, as she sailed closer and closer to the main body of the flesh abomination in front of her, that she not only needed to clear her head of these erroneous thoughts, but also that she was going to absolutely enjoy her first 2-Star fight, as a 2-Star, as much as she possibly could. Landing with a ferocious and resounding crash of ax meeting flesh like stone, she was nevertheless delighted to find that with her new ability, the battle ax was able to cut right through like it was made of nothing more than warm butter. She didn¡¯t have the abilities like those knowledge nerds who could simply pull up a page of text describing their abilities, she had to go the standard route of understanding her abilities by instinct alone, and it looked to her like she was right on the money with hers. She knew it was going to be a powerful strike ability, she knew that the more momentum behind the swing, the greater the impact would be, and that it would work best with a large weapon. Anything more, and she was still in the gray fuzzy areas before she could make any definitive conclusions. Still, as she slid down the body of the wriggling monster, eventually falling back down to the forest below and all the while punching and beating the monster with her offhand while channeling her second war ability, making each hit she landed more and more potent than the one before. This ability, too, had gone through an evolution when hitting 2-Star. The same effect as before was still there, she was still getting greater and greater returns for each successive hit, but she could also feel something more now, something beyond simply that. It was as if, every so often, one of her strikes would land with the ferocity and explosive power of a far more potent attack than anything she could muster on her own. She didn¡¯t have a name for it, but gods above and below did it feel simply divine whenever it triggered. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The spot where Wade fell instantly turned soft and sandy, Alder cushioning her fall, before it resolidified underneath her, and with a leap into the air and an powerful crash to the ground, Alder made a chunk of stone the size of a wagon suddenly erupt from the forest, launching Wade back up into the air at the Chiroptera who was rapidly flapping its three wings to maneuver away and position itself to grab hold of her with one of its intestinal tentacles. But, unfortunately for the monster, Wade was an ax wielder. Chopping came naturally to her, and these tentacles were basically just large, suspiciously maneuverable trees. Wade let out a whoop of delight as she got to work. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Kya watched Alder shoot Wade back into the air with his stone catapult launch technique, and instantly knew that not only did she need to try this for herself, but this was also exactly what she was looking for. Running over to him as he kept his eyes skyward, blood and gore raining down from above, Kya shouted ¡°Alder, send me up there too!¡± ¡°Are you crazy?! It¡¯s bad enough sending her up, and she¡¯s a two star with a giant death ax!¡± ¡°Yes, but with my slow fall, I can stay up longer and target the wings with my venom dagger!¡± This actually seemed to give him pause, and he looked like he wanted to refuse, but just then Wade came shooting back down. He did a series of complex motions, like some strange martial arts movement as he softened the area around her into pillowy sand. Just as he was about to resolidify the ground and launch her back up, Kya ran over to stand with her ¡°Alder says I can go up thanks to my slowfall power!¡± Wade, armor and helm covering any recognizable features, just gave her a thumbs up and said ¡°Alright, sounds good to me. Alder! Let¡¯s go!¡± Groaning in frustration, but not wanting to delay any longer, Kya activated her ability to reduce her own falling speed the moment just before Alder sent them both airborne. Kya reflected that for all the crazy messed up shit she¡¯d had to do since arriving in this place, she was without even a hint or a question of doubt in her mind, delighted that she¡¯d taken this chance to try something new. She flew and flew and flew, realizing a little too late that if she makes the effects of gravity pulling on her less, then when she gets launched into the air¡­ she was going to get absolutely launched. After only a second or two of being in the air, she was already far above the tree canopy, the monster and Wade, she could see it all clearly from up here, and it was at this exact moment that a green crescent moon came up from the horizon like a blade stabbing the sky. Not being one for symbolism but taking that as about the most clear sign one can get from the universe, she canceled out her ability and plunged downwards, venomous dagger readied for action the moment she made it within striking distance. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Wade almost immediately lost track of Kya, but just as quickly put it out of her mind. If she had a slow fall power and she wasn¡¯t currently being eaten by the monster, then she would realistically be fine. For now, she had to focus up because, as with the previous two times, whenever she came even remotely close to any of the three massive wings, the monster went absolutely berserk, flailing at her with its tentacles and trying to take bites out of her from its unhinged jaw. This time was different though. She wasn¡¯t sure what had changed, but apparently the third trip up was one trip too many for the raging monster. Imitating the juvenile in its blinding rage, the matron flapped all three wings at once and sent itself flying at Wade, jaws of death open wide and putting on full display the multiple rows of jagged teeth it had for just such a task. But it never got the opportunity. Just as the verdant sage light of Sarees came above the horizon, casting the monster in an all new and putrid shade of green, Kya shot down from the sky like a meteor from the heavens, and pierced straight through one of its wings, leaving her venom dagger embedded in one of the wings knuckle joints. Wade, too, was falling at a tremendous pace, and quickly passed by Kya, who she presumed to have activated her slow fall ability. However, all of that was irrelevant next to the sheer strength and concussive force behind the scream that came next from the chiroptera. Wade was actually propelled faster downward, the force of the scream offering to accelerate her on its waves of energy. Kya, who was anxiously floating downwards, was sent flying back dozens of meters away and off course. Wade could hear her exclamations and see her clutching at her ears and head as she flew off and away. Hopefully, if she had any sense, she would leave the job as done, having contributed honestly more than Wade would have ever expected, and let Her and Alder finish this as best they could. And yet, this strange feeling in her as she hit the softened earth provided by Alder told her that she probably wouldn¡¯t be doing anything of the sort. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¡°Oh, God dammit!¡± Kya yelled in pain, clutching at her head as she was launched off course from the earth shattering scream, she¡¯d inspired in the jelly bat matron. Part of her was quite proud of that blow, landing her dagger right in its wing while flying at terminal velocity would have been enough, but she¡¯d also launched the dagger into the beasts skin, burying its venomous point as deeply as she could to ensure that not only would it hurt like hell, and not only would the venom get a chance to spread through the beast, but hopefully now the wing would be severely weakened or altogether useless. Still, she wasn¡¯t sure if it was worth the price of the attack as she was sent hurtling away from the battle in progress, and moreover, could feel her eyeballs trying their best to eject themselves from her skill. The power difference in the monster and herself was simply too great at this point. She needed to get stronger and needed to have better control over her abilities. She was confident that if she had mastered her abilities already, she could have taken this thing, or at least done more to assist the others. Finally coming to a less than ideal landing by colliding feet first with a tree and falling slowly down from there, Kya decided to take the moment and just breathe. Just recover and recuperate what she could. She didn¡¯t stay there for long, counting out thirty beats of her rapid heart before getting back to her feet and starting to dash quickly back in the direction of the fight. She knew where to go, if for no other reason than the cries and crashes coming from that part of the forest. Thinking quickly on ways to speed up her traversal, she began playing with her slow fall ability a little bit as she ran mad dash through the woods. At first, she didn¡¯t feel any difference, trying her best to just ever so slightly reduce the weight pulling down on her body. But eventually, as she focused on ever so gradually increasing the effect of the ability, she noticed her strides were taking her further and further, and that the effort of the run became easier and easier. She was just as strong as before but was carrying less weight for the muscles in her legs to support. Wondering how far she could take it; she went full strength on the ability and began to bound through the woods like she was an astronaut on the surface of the moon. This was great and all, and of course Kya found herself laughing as she bounded along, it was also incredibly slow as while she could leap a great distance, it took her too long to come back down for another jump afterwards. So, how about a mixture of the two? Pushing off the ground at full strength in both the jump and her slow fall power, she sailed forward smoothly and quickly. Then, at the moment she felt her momentum begin to stall, Kya turned off the ability and shot back down to the ground. By repeating this process, she was able to create an almost pseudo-flying technique that let her travel at simply hilarious speeds compared to her simple running techniques. It took her a couple of tries, stumbling frequently as she traveled, but by the time she made it back to Alder, she was able to do it at least consistently well. But making it back to Alder meant she was greeted with an awe inspiring demonstration the likes of which she had never seen before. Alder, Wade now standing next to him with her ax at the ready, was sending a terrestrial barrage up at the still floating monster, although it looked absolutely the worse for the wear. With each stomp of his foot, Alder ejected a small cylinder of stones from the ground, and then with a two handed shove like he was passing a basketball, he sent it hurtling up to bombard the jelly bat. For its part in this, it wasn¡¯t staying still. It consistently tried to come in close as it did dive bomb style fly overs, trying to pick up either Alder or Wade or both with the remaining tentacles it had trailing behind its bruised and battered body. However, as Kya watched, Wade almost effortlessly slashed through one of the sinuous lengths of flesh as though she were trimming a particularly annoying part of the hedges. As soon as the pair saw Kya re-enter their small clearing, they nodded to each other and both women got close together as they were once more sent skyward to face this leviathan of the skies. Not wanting to mess around this time, Kya kept her weight mostly normal getting a more regular trajectory towards the beast, before catching the glinting handle of her still buried dagger. Seeing her opportunity, Kya focused on it and gave the most powerful yank she could, tearing it free from the wing joint with a loud popping and hideously graphic depiction of the intra-skeletal system. Deactivating her slow fall altogether to increase her fall momentum, she let the dagger get closer and closer and then when it was just about right, she willed it to fly straight into the top most wing of the beast, and it once more buried itself at just the right point in the wing joint. With the shredding of its join on one side, and the skewering of a joint on this one, the beast had finally had enough of the skies, and fell to the earth for a crash landing. This wasn¡¯t over yet, Kya knew, not by a long shot. They had taken it from the skies, but they still had to deal with it on land. However, with the earth user Alder on their side, she simultaneously thought that, just perhaps, this would go as well as she hoped. Maybe. Possibly. 46. Grounded Sayrin passed in and out of consciousness for several minutes, each time he regained consciousness left him more confused and uncertain than the last. He saw his son standing over him at various angles, he saw crowds of people, some he recognized, some he didn¡¯t. He saw people clad in the green robes from the church of the healer, he saw, at one point, the mustached man with whom he¡¯d been dueling laying in a bed next to him, clean white linen sheets pulled up to his shoulders so that he was unable to see if the man still held onto any lingering injuries from their fight. But then the next moment he blinked, and the man was gone, replaced with an empty bed and neatly folded linens. At one point, he saw Mata, standing over him with a kerchief to her face, sobbing quietly and all alone. That one stayed with him. But more than the things he saw and remembered from when he was conscious, were the visions and dreams he had from when he wasn¡¯t. He knew his ability had been a trade off, he knew it had been slowly getting better with each rank, and that if he advanced just once more, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about these¡­ episodes any more, the only problem was actually getting there. In his waking nightmares, in his visions of the worst that had been, the worst that was, and the worst that could ever be, he saw everything. Every possible scenario played out under the suns bright light that could ever be, ever mistake he ever made, every embarrassment or shame he carried on his back, and every wicked thing he had ever done to another. He knew the price to be paid, he knew if he let the nightmares take over for a night, the next day he would usually have his sanity back, his freedom and his mental faculties. But¡­ sometimes Sayrin couldn¡¯t bear the nightmares any more. He would often times cut them short, choosing temporary reprieve in the night over a better day tomorrow. This choice always haunted him, always made him second guess himself and always, always appeared in his dreams. What if Sayrin had simply allowed the nightmares to reign supreme on that night, what tragedies could have been avoided the following day? What actions of his that he regretted and what words could have never been said if he¡¯d simply allowed the pain to continue for another night on. Another hour on. Another minute. But at his heart, Sayrin knew that these were never really options. That his nightmares could always, would always win. So long as they maintained their grip on him, he would never be able to outlast them, never be able to purge them from his mind. Sayrin was a nightmare, and the nightmares were inside of him. He had, through action and inaction, through words and through deeds, chosen this life for himself. Now he must live it. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Grounded. Kya didn¡¯t know the rest of the plan past get the monster on the ground because she didn¡¯t need to be told the rest of the plan. Kya had seen time and again, Alder''s ability to mess with the density and the solidity of different parts of earth. He had numerous times this night alone, altered the ground to give Wade a softer landing, and more impressively, and possibly more relevantly to the situation at hand, she had watched Alder sink both her and Rory into the ground by crafting quicksand where they had stood. She knew, or at least she suspected, that the moment they got this beast on the ground, the fight would be as good as ended. Of course, things were never that simple, nor would they be. Still, as she activated her slow fall and pulled her dagger back out of the falling beast''s punctured wing joint, she had the best vantage in the forest to watch it fall and crash heavily to the ground. This was it. This was the end. Kya had come out here on this dark and cloudy evening to get some quick experience, knowing that the next threshold was just around the corner for her. But as with all things in this place, it had turned out vastly more complicated than it really needed to be. Drifting slowly downwards, Kya waited until she was directly over the last and only relatively uninjured wing before canceling her ability and plunging down dagger first into the membrane of the wing. It came apart with a snap and a tear, like the surface of a drum drawn so tightly that the smallest puncture and the whole thing comes apart. Taking advantage of the fact that the creature was momentarily stunned from its unceremonious fall from grace, Kya worked her dagger up and down the entire length of the wing. It might not die, but it wasn¡¯t getting back up in the air anytime soon. She leapt off the beast the moment she felt the ground begin to shudder and shake. She floated away from it as she saw Alder, Wade by his side, making a series of complex movements, each one ending with a firm and powerful stomp into the ground. With every footfall, and every punctuating step that came with it, the ground all around the monster grew less and less stable, and eventually, the monster itself began to sink deeper and deeper into the ground. However, what was a rapid and seamless process for someone the size of a normal human being, was less rapid and less substantial for a being the size of a minivan with three wings to match. Waking from its stupor, the enormous creature began to thrash about wildly, eventually folding in its leaf shaped wings until it was at last clawing itself forward on what looked like three long thin legs covered in bone white spikes and cracked with tears and divots. It let out another roar at the trio, this one less assaulting than the last, rather more frustrated and angrier if Kya¡¯s gut told her anything. Any feelings of empathy and compassion that may have been fostering in her heart, died the very next moment when, after closing its jaws, it used the two side wings to claw forward, and then tried to use the third atop its body like a scorpion stinger, stabbing forward with blinding speed. The three scattered like bugs before a vacuum cleaner, all diving in different directions and all trying to simply not be skewered like shish kabobs. Well, Kya had thought that all three jumped. She saw Alder jump at the same time she did, he went low to the dirt, taking on a second armor of stone atop his more traditional metallic one, while Kya went high, already ingrained to use the slow fall ability to grant her greater jumping ability. Wade, on the other hand, had chosen to stand her ground. What either of them had truly expected, Kya didn¡¯t know, but Wade clearly didn¡¯t want to run from this thing any more, and was determined to end the fight on her terms. One way or another. Slapping away the barbed spike on the jelly bat matron¡¯s arm with a blow that seemed both much more powerful and was able move much more quickly than anything she¡¯d seen her do before, and then before the monster was able to, Wade filled her lungs with air and released a sharp, throat scarring, gut wrenching, animalistic and guttural shout of aggression and power at the matron. The entire clearing went still for a fraction of a second, just the smallest of moments where the monster seemed almost taken aback to be spoken to in such a way, before it responded in kind, screeching and bellowing at the top of its lungs, so loudly and forcefully, that the trees nearby whipped back and forth, the ground cracked and Kya slapped her hands to her ears as she recoiled from the blow. She almost took the high ranking potion Alder had given her but held off just in case she would need it should something go wrong. Instead, she withdrew one of her more mundane kinds and downed it in a flash, still using the other hand to clutch at her aching forehead. When she had recovered enough to look back and see what was happening, she almost stopped in sheer bewilderment and disbelief. Wade was wrestling with the third spiked wing, apparently having the strategy of ¡°it can¡¯t stab me if I''m standing right here with it!¡± Not knowing what else to do, she quickly looked to Alder who was¡­ who was currently trying to put on stone cuffs to the wing closest to himself, in an attempt to further immobilize, and restrict its movements and make it easier to just deal with overall. ¡°What a crazy bunch you all are¡­¡± She muttered to herself, then took a weight reduced leap forward, flying until she was just overhead, and then once more plunged straight down at the beast ¡°You guys can¡¯t have all the fun!¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Carcello waited outside the infirmary room with his mother, Mata. His mother had just come back out from her one on one time with him, but despite his insistence and urgings, his mother said that they couldn¡¯t possibly play a song here in the infirmary, what would they do if, gods forbid, they bothered another patient or even made their condition worse? No, she¡¯d been against it quite adamantly from the beginning. Now, he sat in one of the relatively comfortable waiting chairs as his mother paced back and forth, back and forth. ¡°Mom, you have to go in there again, you have to sing for him. I can even send for your v-¡± ¡°No, Car, you must listen when I speak, or else we¡¯ll be doomed to repeat the same questions and answers for all time. Your question is answered, now let it be.¡± ¡°No mother, I can not. Father is in there, and we both know what¡¯s going on. You don¡¯t want to tell the healers, fine. I can respect that there are things you don¡¯t wish to¡­¡± He trailed off as a healers aide walked by, giving them a look under a raised eyebrow, but otherwise not saying much of anything else. After he was sure the aide had gone out of earshot, Carcelo continued ¡°I can respect that there are things about the family you wish to keep to the family only, but there has to be a better way than this.¡± He watched his mother bring up her thumb and chew absently on the nail there, before finally saying ¡°Yes, I can agree with that, but¡­ what is the-¡± ¡°You mom! You¡¯re the better way, you have to sing a song for him, we both know that works, all three of us know it works, so please mom, just a quick simple song so he can wake up, or at least to recover just a little bit faster. Please Mom?¡± After several more minutes of frantic pacing back and forth, back and forth, Carcelo was about to ask his question again, to ensure that it was the thing at the forefront of his mother''s mind, when finally, she stopped and looked at him, the words dying on his tongue. ¡°Alright, alright. But make sure that there isn¡¯t anyone nearby, and you will have to wait outside. It won¡¯t do at all for someone to overhear this.¡± Jumping to his feet, Carcelo gave his mother a big hug, and then dashed off to the rooms on either side and confirmed they were empty. Nodding, Mata went quietly inside the room with her husband still lying asleep and unresponsive. She could still see evidence that what Carcelo said was true, he was covered in a cold sweat, and his eyes moved frantically under their lids. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Taking a deep breath and letting it out as a sigh, waited for the knock at the door to prove she was in the clear, and once it came, she began to sing, softly and slowly, each word imbued with one of her first ever class abilities. The song of peace. ~ ~ ~ Several minutes later, as Carcelo stood outside the door and listened as his mother finished her song. Then he heard muffled conversation and he felt his heart melt a little knowing that meant his father was okay, that he would survive if nothing else. He wasn¡¯t entirely certain about the other man, but he would find that out later, and either reassure his father with it, or distract his father from it. Either way was fine with him. For at the very least his father was okay. A few minutes more passed by the hushed tones carrying on, and Carcelo¡¯s mind, now freed from its storm clouds and burden, were able to wander from one topic to the next without much care for the in betweens. Finally, he heard a small knock on the door from behind and moved out of the way as his mother walked out again. ¡°I¡¯m headed home. Car, he¡­ he should be fine now.¡± His mother said, her eyes red and puffy, her voice shaking only slightly. ¡°He wants to see you, however. Best get in there and talk with him, then you come on home too. I¡¯ll have the staff whip up something nice for us to eat together, like those fluffy dessert cakes you like to eat in the mornings.¡± He nodded and then gave her a quick hug, which had grown slightly silly now that he was fully grown and dwarfed his much shorter mother. ¡°I¡¯ll see you at home mother, and thank you, genuinely.¡± Dabbing quickly at her eyes again with the same old handkerchief, she said goodbye once more, and then she was gone. Taking a deep breath, Carcelo entered the room, and closed the door behind him. Sayrin, his father, sat up in bed, resting comfortably against the pillows stacked up behind him. He was gazing out the farseeing window, currently showing the beautiful beaches of the Nioa islands. This place was on one of the interior levels of the city, which meant even if they did have windows, they¡¯d be a relatively bleak affair showing shadow and stone. So many places, health clinics especially, opted for the slightly more expensive, but significantly better for morale, farseeing windows. They could be enchanted to show an image of another place far away to help feel like they were really outside. Turning his gold and orange eyes on him, Carcelo let out an involuntary shudder as he met his father''s gaze. ¡°I think,¡± started Sayrin, ¡°I owe you a great deal, son.¡± Shaking his head vigorously from side to side, Carcelo said ¡°No, father, please. I am your loyal son, to do otherwise would be nonsense.¡± ¡°You have always stepped in to care for me when I suffer one of my¡­ episodes. You called for a medic right away and ensured I was seen to by proper church healers. You even convinced your mother to sing in public again, which she has not done for many¡­ many years.¡± His mouth gaping somewhat like a fish, Carcelo said after a couple failed attempts ¡°Yes father, well, it was what you needed at the time. I wanted to ensure that you were helped.¡± Sayrin looked at his son for several more minutes, before finally sighing and looking back out the window at the black sands and crystal clear waters. ¡°Carcelo, I know it hasn¡¯t always been-¡± ¡°Dad!¡± Carcelo suddenly found himself on his feet, not remembering how he got there, but before the nerve left him, said ¡°Dad, you¡¯re... I think you should be- that is to say, uh, grounded.¡± He started off at almost a shout but quickly lost steam partway through the statement and ended it in almost a cough as he swallowed hard on accident. A faint smile playing at his lips, while equally threatening to turn into a frown, leaving Carcelo completely in the dark about how to read the current situation. ¡°I¡¯m what?¡± he asked, slightly amused, slightly bemused. ¡°Grounded" he said, vigorous despite the trepidation. "Father, you have a deployment coming up, you¡¯re taking mom with you, which I think is great, of course, but you need to be able to take care of her in a foreign country, and how are you going to do that if you can¡¯t even take care of yourself!¡± The sheer weight of his words hit them both simultaneously, each one a new weight added to their shoulders, making them slump and slouch in identical ways. Sayrin nodded, taking a deep breath and releasing a ragged sigh ¡°You are right¡­ son, you are right, and... you have always been right.¡± Looking up and meeting his eyes again, he said ¡°I will never understand your way of thinking, but I do understand your way of reasoning. I will, for you and for your mother, stay at home these next few days until I leave with your mother.¡± Almost disbelieving that his father had actually made concessions to him, admitted he had been wrong and Carcelo had been right¡­ he truly didn¡¯t know what to do next. After all the years of acting as a go between, for the family and their father... this was unprecedented. ¡°Ah, okay, good, good. I expect that, uh¡­ will help then.¡± Speaking gruffly, as he took in another deep breath ¡°Yes, I- I believe it will.¡± They both sat there in silence, neither sure what to do next. Finally, and thankfully, Sayrin spoke up, a note of hesitance in his words as he asked ¡°So¡­ do you¡­ want to play tiles?¡± Then, maybe with not quite enough voice and quite a bit more breath than intended, Carcelo answered "Oh! Yes, alright." ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ It took them all working in tandem nearly another twenty minutes to finally¡­ finally subdue the beast. It did not go gently, it did not even know the meaning of the word gently, as it was shoved head first into the woodchipper that was the goodnight. After securing the two remaining limbs to the ground, Alder began to once more sink the remaining parts of the body as deep underground as he could. Above, Wade had finally decided she¡¯d had about enough of the final remaining extremity giving them trouble and causing them no end of grief, so she decided that there would in fact be an end. It came in the form of the once more incredibly powerful one off attack with her ax, entirely separating the limb from the body. From there, it was relatively simple. The three of them, in a single unified effort, had taken hold of the things snout and held its mouth closed as Kya got to do the honors, launching her venomous dagger directly between its eyes. Under the glow of the two moons, one vibrant green, one pale blue, Kya, Alder, and Wade watched as the enormous creature absolutely explode into shadows, vaporous trails of, whisps and tendrils of absolute darkness almost seemed to come alive and be given physical form as they trailed their way up the entire body of the once proud matron Jelly Bat. She had seen the sparks of the lesser monsters. She had seen the brilliant flames from the younger juvenile, and even beheld the death flames of Arthers son, Douglass, an earth user. Absolutely nothing could have prepared her for the sight and majesty of the 2-Star¡¯s flames. It was like they had been given their own personal aurora borealis, streaks of light pouring out from the depths of deepest shadow to light up the area all around them. The flames were harmless, they didn¡¯t contain any heat or at least weren''t hot enough to do anything. In the places the dancing lights touched trees, the leaves simply took up the rhythm and danced along. All three of them, as if in agreement over the matter, silently watched the lights weaving their way through the area all around them. These ones lasted for several minutes, but they didn¡¯t care, they were bloodied, and bruised, but not broken. They had worked well together, and Kya was happy with how the fight had gone overall. As she watched, Kya removed the cork from her ears and then tossed them aside into the forest. Finally, after the last vestiges of color and light had faded into the night sky, did Alder finally speak. ¡°I know the two of you just ranked up, but that means that uncommon 2-Star should have done a respectable amount for you Wade, and it should have absolutely rocketed you Kya.¡± Wade nodded her affirmation ¡°I can feel it. I gained an immense amount of progress towards my abilities for that, at least a good week''s worth of hunting smaller prey.¡± They both looked expectantly at Kya, but she didn¡¯t notice as she was already busy reading her character screen. - - - - - Character Screen - - - - - ¡°I only got about a twelve percent increase in my ability.¡± She said, not a little disappointed. She had just killed a monster a full and entire star ahead of herself, granted with substantial help from the allies she had with her, but that was still almost nothing compared to what it should have been. She had been expecting to open it up and see it already at forty or fifty percent. She was feeling a little dejected about the lower-than-expected power jump, but quickly put those feelings aside when she saw the faces on the other two. ¡°Over a ten percent increase from a single fight!?¡± Alder asked, a look of pure envy on his face ¡°That¡¯s disgusting.¡± ¡°Wha¡­ Wade is it really that-¡± ¡°Do not¡­ don¡¯t talk to me for a minute. I understand that you are still only on your second ability on the first star, but yeah that''s just¡­ unfair.¡± A small smile creeping onto Kya¡¯s face made the other two both scoff and start to walk away, shaking their heads in unison. ¡°Wait, where are y''all going? Don¡¯t you want to look at the loot?¡± Both stopping and turning back, Alder looked like he might be about to spit at her ¡°I knew that was your loot ability¡­ but you have an identification as well? Looting, info, rare classes, girl if I had half your luck, I¡¯d be a 3-Star captain already. I¡¯d probably have a really cool house, maybe one of those self heating bubbly pools in the back, that would be divine.¡± Alder seemed to get caught up in his own daydream, completely losing the thread the conversation until Kya brought out three unique items that she¡¯d received as rewards for the monster kill. ¡°I figure we each take one? You guys did most of the work, so you take first and I¡¯ll take whatever¡¯s leftover.¡± Kya said, using identify on all three in rapid succession to more easily compare their results. - - - - - - Item: Scepter of the Night Mother - Rarity: 2-Star - Uncommon - Description: The Scepter of the Night Mother calls back to the monster from which it was taken. Channel mana into the jewel at the scepters top to generate a piercing screech. Will alert others to your presence, but also serves to both give you information on your surroundings as well as a low-level mental attack. - Enchantments: Echolocate, Basic Mental Screech - Requirements: 2-Star class rank - - - - - - Item: Claw of the Night Mother - Rarity: 2-Star - Common - Description: This dagger was made directly from the severed claw of the monster for which it is named. Not only is it extremely durable to exterior damage sources, but each wound inflicted with the dagger will imbue the {Vulnerable}status. - Enchantments: Basic Durability, Basic Infliction - Requirements: 2-Star class rank - - - - - - Item: Ring of the Night Mother - Rarity: 2-Star - Common - Description: Carrying a fragment of the Night mothers'' own tooth, this ring will grant powerful resistances to all mental and sound-based attacks. - Enchantments: Advanced Mental Resist, Advanced Sonic Resist - Requirements: 2-Star class rank - - - - - ¡°Alright so basically, the ring will let you resist mental and sound attacks, the knife makes people more vulnerable to stuff, just like¡­ generally speaking, and the scepter will release a weakened form of the jelly bat''s screech that will both hurt people and tell you where stuff is.¡± Wade looked thoughtfully at each one, while Alder also looked lost in thought, before seeming to snap out of it and give Kya a sharp look. ¡°Did you just call the thing we fought¡­ a Jelly bat?¡± A slight shade of red coloring her cheeks, Kya said ¡°Well, it looks exactly like the body of a jellyfish and the head of a bat, what else would you call it?¡± ¡°The Chiroptera¡± they both said back in unison, like she was being an absolute idiot for not realizing that two and two made four. Sighing, and waving a hand at them, Kya said ¡°Oh just pick a lousy prize would you.¡± Both of them laughing, they each took a prize they wanted, Alder the staff, and Wade the ring. ¡°Oh, fuck yeah! A 2-Star dagger!¡± Kya said, excitedly running over and grabbing the dagger. It looked absolutely wicked, the barbed tip and rigged back giving way to the honed edge at the other side and the¡­ Why was it getting hotter?¡± ¡°Guys? Why does this keep getting hotter?¡± ¡°Oh yea, put it in a spatial bag until you are at least a 2-Star, or else it will gradually get warmer and warmer in your hand until it eventually burns you.¡± ¡°When the hell did, they start doing that?¡± instantly tossing the dagger into her storage space without a second to lose. ¡°Uh, since always pretty much?¡± Wade said, looking searchingly at Alder ¡°You know more about the technical stuff than I do, what¡¯s happening there?¡± He just snorted a laugh as he began to lead the trio away from the remains of their battle and said ¡°I don¡¯t know much more than you Wade, let''s be honest here. But from what I do understand, the item''s magic is stronger than your own, which means that your senses quickly become overwhelmed even just from holding it..?¡± He trailed off towards the end, making it unclear if he was asking a question, or giving an explanation. ¡°So basically¡± Kya finished with a laugh ¡°Don¡¯t touch it til you¡¯re stronger, and if you want to know more, go ask Maggie.¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Exactly¡± Shaking her head and letting out a laugh, Kya followed along after them as they returned to town for a well-deserved rest. 47. Piles of Coin The first light of dawn slowly broke over the horizon as the three warriors made their return from the Rose Forest. In the final stretch of their journey, they entered the mile or so of plain land outside of the city walls. The three walked at a casual pace, none of them in a hurry or trying to get back for any particular reason. Kya, for her part, was ¡°practicing¡± her new slow fall power as they walked. This of course meant that she was slowly bouncing up and down like she was on the moon as they all made their way towards the city gates, really trying to just hone her technique. ¡°-and this¡± She was saying to the mildly interested Alder, and the not so mildly annoyed Wade ¡°Is called a seven twenty. It was first done where I come from by this guy who basically just does cool tricks for a living and has one of the most enviable positions in our society.¡± While she talked, Kya was spinning slowly first once then twice to complete two full rotations. ¡°It¡¯s a lot more impressive when you¡¯re at full speed and, yah know, with the full effects of gravity and whatnot.¡± ¡°Oh, look at that¡± cried Wade ¡°It¡¯s the gates. I tell you what, I¡¯m going to go to the guild hall and see if Rory¡¯s there, then if not, I¡¯m going to go to the clinic. I think you mentioned something about needing sleep and a shower?¡± Deactivating her ability and landing firmly on her feet again, Kya said ¡°That sounds fantastic, yes. I haven¡¯t done it intentionally, but it seems like I¡¯ve more or less become nocturnal due to the weird shit I keep doing every night I¡¯m in this place. I think I¡¯m going to take the next day or... three and just unwind, explore the town, see what it has to offer me that isn¡¯t killing related. I haven¡¯t really done a lot of that ¡®not fighting for my life¡¯ thing since I got here now that I think about it.¡± That thought sobered the other two right up, as they quite distinctly recalled the circumstances of their meeting, and everything she¡¯d been up to since then. ¡°I think I would be fair in saying,¡± said Alder, ¡°that you should check out the academy here in the city. There¡¯s only the one for users, so you¡¯ll surely be able to find it. I think maybe starting with a structured learning environment before moving on to the life and death stuff can be pretty helpful. Plus, it¡¯s a pretty nice campus considering we''re this far removed from actual society.¡± Wade, without looking over, promptly punched Alder in the arm ¡°This is my hometown, watch it.¡± ¡°Ow¡± Alder said, faux hurt on his face ¡°I kind of feel like that actually makes my point pretty well then to be honest- wait stop!¡± Wade did not stop her second punch. Nor the fourth. Kya waved goodbye to the pair as they headed their separate ways, then took in a deep breath of the salty coastal air. She was absolutely going to get a nap, but first thing first. She had to get breakfast! ~ ~ ~ As it turned out, the city was absolutely fascinating for a casual walk around. Kya found literally everything under the suns somewhere in the city. While walking, she came across a beautifully maintained park with trimmed hedges, bubbling fountains, and those perfectly straight lines from a professional mower cutting the grass. She didn¡¯t know what the equivalent to the lawn mower would be in this world, but the simple fact that an appreciation for a well-maintained lawn was a trans-universal appreciation made her smile all on its own. However, as it was still early morning and the suns were not yet fully illuminating everything, she was able to catch the last moments of almost a hundred floating flameless candles that were all around the top of the park. Each one had the appearance of a candle, except rather than a wick at the top, there was simply a yellow, orange, or red glow stone. All the candles were placed seemingly at random, one of them stuck inside a bush, another caught in a hole in a tree. Throughout the entire park they bobbed and weaved and scooted along until finally, after several minutes of playing hide and seek, they all floated into a perfectly shaped little chimney coming off a small shed in the back corner of the park. ¡°What an elegantly designed lighting system for a park¡± Kya thought to herself, continuing to walk through the paved meandering pathways, eventually finding her way to a large white marble statue. The statue was kneeling, both legs folded neatly underneath the figure. Its arms were both outstretched, and in them was a single, long yellow and green banner or cloak, some sort of fabric. It was horribly distressed, the color faded in several places, tears and holes dotted the surface; it had been stained with countless rainstorms come and gone. She could tell, however, that despite its apparent disrepair, there were clear and evident signs of upkeep from everywhere else around the worn-down old statue. Taking several steps closer, a glint of metal caught her eye from atop the faded fabric. Going on her toes just for a little bit of extra height, she saw there was a simply ludicrous number of coins, gems, papers, it seemed to be a little bit of everything all thrown in together. The simple fact that no one had stolen it all yet told one of two stories, or some mixture of the two. The first and most obvious solution to why a thief hasn¡¯t tried to take their massive pile of coins was just that you couldn¡¯t. It was either some form of enchantment, surveillance, or a promised punishment that kept people honest. Kya was fairly confidently leaning towards the enchantment option for all things considered, but there was also the second possibility of it being merely that culturally and socially significant that even a thief would never do it. Kya¡­ did not have much faith in option number two. Why would she? She knew what people were like, and she knew there was no reasoning or getting away from the fact that most people, on most given days, will probably choose the selfish option that will benefit them. But still, a different world, different people, different history¡­ Maybe thieves in this world really did have honor and a penchant for respecting cultural boundaries. Who was she to say? As she continued on exploring the city inside the walls, she found houses of every design, some spanning over the streets to connect two halves of the same home with a sky bridge. She saw a community apartment building with a beautifully laid out garden growing fruits and vegetables and flowers to cover every color of the rainbow and several more besides. She saw what she took to be a museum, and a blacksmith''s shop, to which she definitely needed to return. She had several ideas for things she wanted to have made or even learn to make herself if she had the time and ability. Most of which centered around a certain gemstone she''d held onto since her first ever magic item had snapped in her hands. More than anything else, however, was food. Even in the early morning light, there were food stalls, booths, open wall restaurants, bars, taverns, upscale dining, clubs, as much as Kya could imagine, they had it somewhere in the city. Of that she was unquestionably sure. Stopping to buy a snack from a delighted looking merchant, she went ahead and asked him ¡°Where might I find the academy from here? I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m just afraid I¡¯ve gotten somewhat turned around since I¡¯m new in town.¡± She was still relatively new in town, right? She¡¯d only spent like what, a day or two of actual conscious time in the city, so yeah, she felt comfortable saying that. ¡°Not a worry young mistress, not a worry, you¡¯re just gonna head down that street there, cross the one bridge, take a left at the park, a right at the church, if you reach the train station you¡¯ve gone too far.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Tipping the man, a copper curen, she said, ¡°Thank you kindly!¡± and began walking in the directions he pointed out to her. When she passed the very same park she¡¯d been exploring earlier in the day, Kya knew what had happened. She¡¯d mistaken the academy for a museum, and walked right past it, all the while never knowing what it truly was. Imagine that. Wandering her way back over in that area, she noticed she could actually see her own lodgings just over the way, only now remembering it was Wave from whom she¡¯d first heard about the academy. She¡¯d been trying to place it for some time now. She briefly stopped in front of her front door and considered skipping out on the academy for a shower and a nice spot of rest and¡­ well¡­ ¡­ well.. Alright, quick shower then maybe a short nap. Then she would go see the academy. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Wade and Alder walked into the guild contract hall with one goal in mind. ¡°Excuse me, dear sir¡± said Alder, in a bold and needlessly braggadocio tone that made him instantly seem like an aristocratic fop, ¡°We require access to your 2-Star contracts at once, if you please.¡± Wade, acting out her part of the exasperated partner who¡¯s had a really long day, with perfection and practice like she¡¯d been training for it her whole life. The attendant on duty, a bored genuinely foppish looking man himself, took an instant liking to Alder¡¯s fake high-born act. ¡°Finally, a man of character who simply says what he means. What is it, dear boy, you¡¯d like the 2-Star contracts? Of course, of course, anyone in particular?¡± Alder tilted his head sideways, then asked ¡°Come again, old chap. Did you say, anyone in particular?¡± The boy''s eyes took on a shadowy, guarded expression at this response, making Wade wonder what exactly they¡¯d stumbled into this time, and for what possible reason she¡¯d gone along with Alder when he said it would be the fastest way to get what they wanted. ¡°Yes, I most assuredly did say anyone. Are you doing the quests for a noble house or are you a part of a noble house. Do not tell me you aren¡¯t even associated with one of the great houses, and you are just one of those new rich kids who are trying to pass themselves off as the same as us?¡± The laugh that Alder produced next was one of the most over the top, horrid, gaudy laughs Wade had ever heard in her life. But apparently, it was just the ticket for this young man. He seemed to visibly relax at the laugh, almost as though he had given some sort of password to the man to verify his identity. ¡°Well, it¡¯s all rather hush hush, as I¡¯m sure you can imagine¡± he gave the man a knowing look, and of course he nodded along very grim faced and serious, like this passing idle gossip was the most important piece of information in the world. ¡°I¡¯m actually here on behalf of the Evergold estate.¡± ¡°The Evergolds?!?¡± the man gasped, hand shooting to cover his own mouth as Alder made a show of getting all flustered and bent out of shape. ¡°I can¡¯t possibly tell you anymore, not if you¡¯re going to go yelling out the name of my employer for everyone in all of Lyra to hear you.¡± ¡°No, please, you can trust me I assure you, here, look, this is every 2-Star contract currently available, and every user currently signed out to them.¡± The attendant hurriedly presented a stack of papers, almost eager to make Alder keep talking. A twinkle in his eye that let Wade know he was going to be absolutely insufferable after this, Alder began to look over the contracts. There weren¡¯t all that many, but he made a big show out of reading and scanning each one, then sharing some random piece of idle gossip with the clerk about each one, this one doesn¡¯t seem quite suitable, oh this one sounds absolutely dreadful, until finally he arrived at the third to last one, and here he took on a bright, lustrous smile. ¡°This one, ole chap, this is the one that Mistress Evergold would like.¡± The boy who looked like he was having the absolute best day of work he could ever imagine, responded by saying ¡°Oh, yes, absolutely, do you have a writ of intent signed and sealed from the Evergold''s then?¡± ¡°Here it was,¡± Wade thought ¡°He might have been able to look at them, but there was no way he could possibly get the-¡± ¡°Well, you see?'''' he said then took a surreptitious look around the contract hall to make sure no one was watching. ¡°The Evergold''s want to keep it off the books that they¡¯ve already completed the contract quest. The young mistress is a true prodigal talent to have defeated a 2-Star like that.¡± The boy''s eyes went as wide as saucers at the news ¡°You mean she¡¯s already...?¡± He gasped slightly as alder took out the 2-Star crystal shard Kya had looted directly from the monster''s corpse. ¡°May I?¡± Asked the boy. ¡°Be my guest, good sir, be my guest.¡± Reverently taking the large glowing white shard in his hands, the boys'' eyes flashed bronze for a moment, and then he said in a tone of actual awe ¡°This was, just this morning, taken from the heart of a midnight chiroptera matron, oh my gods-¡± ¡°Hush my dear man, hush, please!¡± ¡°Oh my- yes, I¡¯m so sorry, yes of course. So then, what was it you wanted to do?¡± ¡°We need only from you the payment for completing the quest, and then to promise you¡¯ll forget we were here, or that such a quest even existed.¡± The boy looked utterly frozen with indecision. He knew it was wildly against the rules, he could be fired for this, and demoted in status from the guild as well. Alder, seemingly also able to sense the boy''s trepidation, put one last thing on the table that really sealed the deal and all but guaranteed the boy would say yes. Dropping a silver agren on the heavy wood desk with a resounding clunk, Alder added ¡°And of course, the Evergold¡¯s would be most appreciative of your help in this matter, and¡± another coin joined the first ¡°Keeping it quiet as can be.¡± This second coin, this obvious show of wealth and the way the two had been getting along, it was all too much for the boy. He was overwhelmed by the utter idiocy that was Alder when he was in fine form, and well he was in the finest form today. ¡°Well¡­¡± the boy said, clearly having already broken, but trying to play it off ¡°I suppose if it¡¯s for someone as prestigious as the Evergold family, we can bend the rules a little bit, right? After all, rules were made for those who don¡¯t make them.¡± He laughed the whole way back into the storeroom, having taken back the crystal core and the contract they were pretending to have completed. Coming back around with a small wooden box, he opened it to show three gold aurens, and thirty silver agrens. Sliding the box back closed, he handed it over to Alder, who promptly handed it over to Wade as he remarked ¡°Hiring only the best users can be quite draining, don¡¯t you agree? Good thing this one here has a storage ability!" They both laughed and laughed, sharing several other snippets of small talk, but it was clear they both wanted the conversation to be over. So bidding farewell to his unexpected and delightfully welcome new ally, the pair made their way out of the contract hall, out into the main lobby area, and finally pushed their way out the massive double doors and back onto the streets of Lyra. Wade looked at Alder, and Alder looked back at Wade, then they both completely lost their minds with laughter. They were beside themselves, hardly able to contain it, they were wheezing and struggling just to breath, just to hold it all together. Wiping tears from her eyes, Wade took out the box again and opened it for just a moment, confirming these were in fact real and genuine gold and silver. "I cannot believe you did that- Well, I believe you did it, I can''t believe you got away with it!¡± Again, putting on the look of an insufferably smug aristocrat, he said in a tone so throaty it was almost a gurgle, ¡°It¡¯s all about how you carry yourself, young miss.¡± which only served to reignite their fits of laughter. ¡°How did you know about the Evergold¡¯s? You haven¡¯t been in the city very long, and they aren¡¯t that prominent outside of Lyra.¡± asked Wade. Alder simply waved away the question ¡°I heard some passing traders mention how insufferable the whole lot of them are, figured they¡¯d make for a good and easy punching bag if it ever came to it.¡± Wade scoffed, finally getting control of herself ¡°That¡¯s true enough. So¡­ about the bet. Do you want to be the one to tell her, or shall I?" "Oh I want you to tell her, of the whole story too." Wade just sighed and nodded. Lowering her own percentage of the reward from a third to a quarter seemed reasonable enough to her anyway. Afterall, she¡¯d gotten a class advancement from the fight, that was reward enough. ¡°So, from here on out, we don¡¯t get any money from the rewards?¡± She asked. That brought down the mood just a bit, though Alder still had a smile on his face as he answered, ¡°That¡¯s correct, just living off the land for us¡­ the land and our¡­ four auren and thirty agren.¡± They both looked at each other, and yet again, let out fits of merriment. 48. Checking Off the To-Do List Kya opened her eyes to the brilliantly blue-green morning sky, light reflecting off the sparkling lake outside her dorm room window to dance on her walls and ceiling. Stretching languidly and then sitting up, her thin, soft blanket sliding off to the side, she touched her bare feet to the rug below. Compared to her extraordinary boots, the otherwise soft fibrous rug felt as rough and coarse as the forest floor. Standing up, and once more stretching out with both hands reaching towards the ceiling, Kya relaxed her entire body with a long exhale. She felt good. Really good. Far more rested than she really should have been considering she¡¯d only¡­ The brilliant blue light glinting off the lake¡­ that was coming from the east if the gentle blue rays were able to bounce into her room. The suns were rising? She had gone to sleep around noon, had she really slept four more than half a day straight? For the first time since coming to this world, she found herself scanning the room looking for her phone. Kya knew immediately that she wouldn¡¯t find it, it was left on her nightstand charging when she¡¯d fallen asleep on that pivotal night. But she had, for the first time, been looking about to try and check the date and time. She reflected on this for only a moment, thinking about how truly hectic things must have been for her to not once want for her phone. However, any and all thoughts in her mind were indelibly cut short by two things: the world was too damn uncomfortable without her boots on, and she wouldn¡¯t put on her boots without taking a shower. So, without a moment to lose and eager to return to the plush, godly comfort of her walking boots, Kya made her way down the hall and entered the steamy bathroom with its multicolored crystals and echoing sounds. ~ ~ ~ Kya exited the dorm building into the now bright and pleasantly warm air. It wasn¡¯t hot, but the second sun joining the first and making noticeable progress in climbing into the sky, meant that the chilled night air had been thoroughly dispelled. She knew that they were in the middle of what was more or less springtime for this planet, but that they were quickly transitioning into the warmer and rainier months. That all being taken into account, Kya had decided to try on one of her newly made casual outfits from Meri¡¯s shop she¡¯d just recently picked up. In addition to her blessed boots, the soft gray leather going surprisingly well with the rest of the ensemble. Tucked into the boots, she had the pair of soft, loose fitting pants the same color as the center of a scarlet rose, and her a long sleeve shirt as white as freshly fallen snow. She¡¯d rolled up the sleeves to her elbows simply out of habit, and completed the look with her reaping tiger necklace. The braided white and and crimson fur was intercut with small black beads every couple of inches, and the white shard of its fang seemed to glow with the faintest orange light. Her dark black hair, dried from a magical wind stone she¡¯d found in the bathroom, fell free to just past her shoulders. Kya wasn¡¯t normally one to spend hours on her clothes or tediously perfecting her makeup, but she felt good in her outfit, and was almost irrationally motivated to get stuff done today. She inhaled a deep breath of the crisp morning air, and gazed out at the distant spires of what she now knew to be the tallest tower of the Lyra Academy. She had an itching curiosity to head there now and simply immerse herself in the teachings and knowledge she knew they would give her there. Money wouldn¡¯t really be an issue either. With her loot ability, she was confident she could afford most anything she really needed for classes, and moreover felt comfortable that whatever she learned there would be well worth the cost of investment. However, since her first days in this world, she¡¯d been building up something of a to-do list, and while she wanted to start learning from the academy, she was far more eager to learn more about some of the basics on her own. From potions to items to gods and blessings, Kya had quite the list indeed. Turning away from the academy, at least for now, she began to walk with a little bit of an extra spring in her step as she activated a sliver of her slow fall ability to travel just a bit further than a single step really ought to carry her. This had quickly become one of Kya¡¯s favorite parts of this whole magic business. Sure, fighting to protect people and kill crazy monsters and the almost raw ecstasy she experienced when her abilities improved was all important, all delightful and impactful. Addicting even in the case of getting stronger. But this simple pleasure of acting like she was on the moon and getting to bounce around made her inordinately happy. After getting some advice from Merivan during the previous visit and then later scouting out the place during her walk about yesterday, Kya knew exactly where she was heading first. Along the flowing banks of one of the many smaller rivers flowing into the central lake of the city was built a squat gray stoned two-story building. It stood apart from the majority of the buildings in the city for those simple facts alone. During her short ten or fifteen minute walk there from the dorm, she had seen a tavern with walls the color of tangerines and a roof like chocolate tiles. She¡¯d seen several shops and homes colored teal, cyan, burgundy, lavender, lilac, mauve, every color she could imagine was somewhere represented in the city, like a rainbow had vomited on the stones that made up each and every building. The only exception was the uniform black of the paving stones that made up the main streets, and the gray of the gutters to either side. Here, however, she found what might possibly be the only ordinary building in the city. Not to undersell it, the construction of the stones was exquisite, showing a craftsmanship and attention to detail that was severely lacking in other buildings. It wasn¡¯t ostentatious, there weren¡¯t grand domes or soaring pillars, but there were hand carved friezes of weapons and armor in the stones. As Kya got closer, she even noticed and appreciated that the building wasn¡¯t uniform in its hue, but held multitudes in its coloring. From grays so dark they melded with the very shadows, to ones so light they seemed to emit their own light, there had to be dozens and dozens of different shades of gray. ¡°I swear to god this better not be some weird pervert thing¡­¡± Kya mumbled under her breath as she crossed over the threshold of the outdoor patio, imagining Meri laughing hysterically at sending Kya to such a place. However, her fears were, mostly, put to rest as with the simple act of stepping onto the patio, the heat in the air rose at least fifteen degrees, and most of the sounds from the city had fallen away, not quite muted but muffled. She was slightly caught off guard by the sudden shift, not expecting anything as her aura hadn¡¯t given any indication that she was about to walk across some magical barrier. She had sensed the one man inside the building, and could sense him even now scribbling away at something on the counter. Deciding to trust her instinct that nothing untoward was about to happen, she walked over to the door, passing by the carefully arranged tools, various anvils, pieces of scrap metal, and a sizable fire dancing merrily away, and knocked three times before pulling on the door. Then pulling slightly harder. Then swearing quietly and pushing. Swinging inwards on well oiled hinges, the door revealed an almost cozy interior. The same fire that burned outside lit up most of the interior as well, Kya realized, as a simple partition of tinted crystal let in its light. Kya saw, as she knew she would, the man staring at her from behind a heavy wooden counter, a wry smile showing through his patchy beard. She wondered if it would have naturally been more full and voluminous if it weren¡¯t so clearly burned and charred in several places, leaving large gaps behind. She even thought she saw part of the bushy expanse still smoldering, as if he¡¯d just recently swatted it out. Aside from the admittedly attention grabbing beard, the elf, for he was most certainly an elf, had a towering figure of at least six and a half feet tall. The bulging muscles of his arms were lightly tanned, with wisps of brown hair poking out from a soot stained and grime covered bald head. He had eyes like shining medals, the most brilliant scarlet, and streaks of polished gold throughout. - - - - - - Gobi Hadur - Class: Molten Magma - 2-Star - - - - - A voice that rivaled the dwarves she heard for the amount of grit and gravel it contained, while still remaining as warm and welcoming as the hearth fire next to her said ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but notice you had some trouble with the door there.¡± Pinching the bridge of her nose and not meeting his eyes, Kya said back ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s something of a recent development, I can¡¯t seem to get doors right in this blasted place.¡± Apparently taking her to mean the city, he chuckled and said ¡°Lyra can be somewhat strange to an outsider, true. But allow me to introduce myself. I go by the name of Hadur, Master Smith and craftsman, welcome to my humble shop.¡± Taking the catcher''s mitt of a hand he¡¯d extended and shaking it, she said ¡°I¡¯m Kya, pleasure to meet you. I heard from the seamstress Merivan that you were a, in her words, foolish and moronic man that could nevertheless create passable works. I figure for her, that¡¯s some high praise.¡± He bellowed out a laugh like mortar fire and said ¡°I think so, yes. And if she recommended me to you, that means you¡¯re at least a passably acceptable customer.¡± Clapping his arms together and polishing his palms before placing them firmly on his hips, he asked ¡°So then little user, what can I do for you today?¡± ¡°Well, I was wondering what you could make from these.¡± She said, and brought out the two halves of the staff she¡¯d taken from the temple in her first few hours being in this world, as well as the sparkling rose crystal that had been embedded in its top. The smith''s eyes flashed white hot for a moment, before he began to physically inspect the items. He picked up each piece of wood, though they were roughly equal at around two feet each, they looked almost miniscule in the vast expanse of his hands. He tossed them both up and down several times, held them both close to his eye and sighted down their length, he even bit down on one of them before giving it a contemplative look. Finally putting them down with a grunt, and faint mutterings that Kya couldn¡¯t quite make out, he pulled out a pad of paper from underneath the counter and began to scribble several notes. Then eyes flashing briefly once more, he began to inspect the crystal. She wasn¡¯t sure what exactly he saw when his eyes flashed, nor what information he would get from his various odd tests, but she identified them herself once more. - - - - - Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.- Item: Space Crystal - Rarity: 1-Star - Epic - Description: A crystallized form of space mana found in an area of high magical saturation. This crystal has been refined and enchanted to grant limited access to the spatial abilities of attraction and repulsion when affixed to a suitable conduit. - Enchantments: Basic Attraction, Basic Repulsion - Requirements: Spatial Affinity - - - - - - Item: Shard of the Spatial Staff - Rarity: 1-Star - Rare - Description: A splinter of uld wood that once acted as a conduit for a spatial gem. It has been enhanced by 1-Sar craftsmen. - Enchantments: N/A - Requirements: N/A - - - - - She had been hoping since the day the reaping tiger had snapped it, that she would be able to incorporate it back into her arsenal somehow. It seemed far too powerful and useful a tool to have simply been lost from a single attack like that. It seemed, or at least Kya assumed, that the smith agreed. He spent much longer examining the rose crystal with its faint glow, taking out several small instruments from shelves hidden beneath the counter. From a scale to weigh its exact measurements, to an eyeglass for a closer and exacting inspection of its surface, to even an absolutely miniscule chisel looking more like a toothpick as he wielded it to try and leave small scratches along its surface. As the minutes ticked by, Kya stood silently, watching the bear of a man work with almost delicate touch until at last he placed the stone down on a small tray he''d set out for the purpose. ¡°Before I speak,¡± said the smith, ¡°I¡¯d like some information about the crystal. Where did you get it? What do you know about it?¡± Kya felt he wasn¡¯t asking out of suspicion or malice, but genuine curiosity judging by the tone in his voice. ¡°I got it from an old derelict temple out in the forest.¡± She said ¡°I unfortunately uh¡­ broke it a few days after finding it though. I don¡¯t know much about it¡¯s history but is has an enchantment to mimic an ability from a spatial user.¡± Hadur nodded along to all of this, hand idly swatting at the embers in his beard as though this were completely normal for him. ¡°That makes quite a bit of sense. The staff, or remnants of the staff, are still somewhat young as far as artifacts go. They were crafted at least a good hundred, hundred and ten years ago I¡¯d say. The utility and sheer convenience of spatial storage items keeps them in high demand, but almost every other space related item was completely abandoned after the war, so I don¡¯t often get to see their likeness, let alone work with them.¡± ¡°So you are willing to work with them, then?¡± Asked Kya. ¡°Well of course!¡± Hadur scoffed at her ¡°I¡¯d be delighted to. Can¡¯t say I won¡¯t damage it in the process, but I¡¯d be more than willing to give it a go. What did you have in mind?¡± ¡°Well, I wanted to ask, how easily can an item be taken from 1-Star to 2-Star?¡± "Well, depends on the item, doesn¡¯t it?¡± He replied. ¡°But as a very general rule, it¡¯s not the easiest task in the world unless it''s soul bound. Soul bound items will grow with the strength of the soul. So as you get stronger, so do they. For everything else, it¡¯ll need to be reforged or remade with higher quality materials.¡± Bringing out her daggers, all three of the ones she¡¯d now looted from her various monster fights, she placed them down. ¡°Here¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking,¡± began Kya as she started to talk through the various ideas she¡¯d been nurturing. She held up each item as she talked, starting with the rat fang dagger, then the viper fang, and finally the claw of the night mother. Hadur nodded along all the while and began writing notes as she talked, not commenting yet on anything she said. Finally, when she took out the broken spatial ring she¡¯d taken from the fight with Arthur¡¯s son. At this, the giant smith began to laugh, a deep, full bellied rumbling sound. But before he could object, Kya again explained her idea and her overall hope for the items. Again, Hadur''s laughter faded as he listened and again, began to write notes and as she finished what she was saying, he was actually nodding along with her. ¡°So what do you think, first of all is it possible? More importantly, are you willing?¡± Idly twirling one side of his mustache, Hadur read over the notes he¡¯d taken, then once more picked up the items she¡¯d placed down, holding each of them in turn, the other hand holding the shards of wood or the spatial crystal. He seemed to weigh them against one another, eyes distant as he was lost in thought. Once again, Kya stayed silent as the man contemplated the tasks she was asking of him. ¡°The answer to both questions is unequivocally yes.¡± He finally said in his gravelly voice. ¡°My only hesitation is that such enchantments as these are relatively unknown to me. Crafting the items, that won¡¯t be a problem. But the effects you specified will be¡­ tricky.¡± ¡°What makes these more difficult than others you¡¯ve wrought?¡± Kya asked, genuinely curious about the process of enchanting and crafting. She wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d ever approach this type of activity herself, but she couldn¡¯t see any harm in getting as much information as possible from a trustworthy source. Seeming delighted to talk about his craft to an eager listener, Hadur answered ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t that it¡¯s inherently more difficult, yah see, it¡¯s more that it''s simply unknown to me. Each class, each form of mana, behaves in its own unique way. You¡¯ll see this for yourself if you ever get a second class. For example, my first class was fire. For the first few months I became as familiar with the magic in my body as moss to a tree. It was only when I killed a Quake Golem out east in the Kapari Desert and got an item for an earth awakening I realized just how different they can be. It made me realize, by simple contrast, that fire is.. is temperamental and yearning to act. It¡¯s almost eager to be put to use, to spread hot and bright. Whereas, earth is stable and calm. Content just as it is. If you want to act upon the earth, you must motivate it to act, enforce your will upon it. All of this applies doubly so for enchantments, each class of magic, each type of mana in each crystal has idiosyncrasies that mean a technique used for a life enchantment won¡¯t work for an earth or knowledge one. So while I¡¯m confident I can craft any item under the sun, especially one at a 1-Star level, even potentially an item that¡¯ll bind to your soul if we¡¯re really lucky, I¡¯m not sure about one with specific spatial effects.¡± Kya had been listening with rapt attention as Hadur had spoken, taking it all in like rain on a sun cracked earth. She almost asked for a piece of paper to start taking notes. However, as he finished, she asked the first question that popped into her head ¡°Is there any way to increase your chances? Or is there someone else in the city that might be able to do it more confidently?¡± It was as if an air hose had been attached to the smith''s body, he seemed to swell until he filled the whole room, and Kya could feel his aura spreading out as well, causing the very air to ripple as it did over the pavement on a summer day. ¡°There is no one in the city¡± he said with all the quiet intensity of an oncoming storm ¡°that could do a better job than me.¡± In the next moment, he seemed to return to normal, deflating back down to the size of an average brown bear and the air cooling back to an oven being preheated. ¡°That being said, if you¡¯re willing to buy the commission, I will consult an enchanter over in the noble district. He¡¯s pretentious as hell but the most skilled craftsman aside from myself that I know.¡± ¡°Should I tell Meri about that comment, or¡­¡± Kya said with a wry smile. Hadur returned her smile and said ¡°Be my guest. Been a while since she tried to tear off my ear.¡± Chuckling softly, Kya said ¡°Alright, alright. But how much then, for the whole lot? And how long do you think it would take?¡± Without taking even a moment to consider, the smith wrote out several numbers on the page in front of him, then tore off a section along the bottom. ¡°Holy fuck¡± Kya whispered. Her entire set of enhanced and powerful outfits from Meri had cost her twenty silver agrens. Staying in her dorm for the next several months cost her eighty. Getting these four items enchanted the way she wanted would cost her a full thirty-four agren, seven curen, and six feron. ¡°That price¡± Hadur added with a tone of sheer delight ¡°Does not include a tip.¡± Kya was reminded of a small shop owner she¡¯d visited when she¡¯d first gotten to Lyra. He had been a short oily man with inflated prices and sketchy wares who never stopped wringing his hands. Still, the man had been a sharp and frugal businessman, wringing every drop out of his wares. Sighing, and feeling the pain of emptying hard earned money from her wallet, Kya put down forty silver agren on the counter, which were gone a moment later with a swipe of the man''s dexterous hands, along with each of the materials she¡¯d placed down . He grinned through his beard and said in a tone that made her feel like she¡¯d just signed a deal with the devil. ¡°Excellent, excellent, now then, it¡¯ll take at least a day or two before I start working on them. Come back at the end of the week and they should be done. If I finish them beforehand, where can I contact you?¡± Kya told him she was in the dorm by the lake, and after conversing for a couple more minutes on various things, she said her goodbyes and went back out into the shining light of the two suns. She had two more stops to make, then she¡¯d be headed to the Academy for the first time. Next up would be the finest potion manufacturer in the city. The high tier potion she¡¯d gotten from Alder the previous day during the fight with the Chiroptera was still safely tucked away in her storage space, along with a hoarder''s garage of other random knick knacks that she needed to sort through. But when given the choice between ¡°explore the magic city to learn about cool stuff¡± and ¡°Clean¡± there really wasn¡¯t a choice at all. ~ ~ ~ Forty-five minutes and one food stall later, Kya walked through the gleaming white stone arch that marked the boundary of the alchemist''s estate. She¡¯d read about the alchemist association during her first night in the guild library. They were one of the universal factions present in nearly every branch of the Guild across the planet. This one was headed by one of the few 3-Stars in the city from what Alder had told her during their walk back yesterday, a reclusive woman most simply called the potion master. Kya¡¯s stomach wasn¡¯t happy with going to meet someone that powerful, as it kept doing little loop-de-loops with each step. She didn¡¯t give a shit about who they were or anything like that, she had never been one to get nervous because the boss or sergeant or whomever was watching. No, it was simply being that close to someone that overpowered her by such a degree, her last experience with a 3-Star was still at the front of her mind. She once again reaffirmed in her mind that she would get stronger as quickly as possible, enough that she could hold her own at least, no matter who stood in her way. However, despite her trepidation, Kya still appreciated the small but elaborate garden grounds located so deep in the heart of the city. It wasn¡¯t a sprawling estate, maybe a little over an acre in size. Still, especially in a city, that meant these people must be truly wealthy to have such a property. But more than just the size, it was the presentation that made Kya appreciate it. There were carefully kept plants in every direction she could see. Beautiful berry bushes, delicate beds of bizarre and fantastical flowers, small bubbling streams and quant wooden bridges running throughout, Kya felt like she was on set in a hallmark movie. Complete with couples and small groups walking about, holding hands or laughing softly at jokes she couldn¡¯t hear. It was one of the most beautiful and idyllic places she¡¯d ever been. This was undercut slightly, by what her aura had picked up the moment she passed through the stone arch at the entrance; there were people watching her. At least two, but she guessed more. They weren¡¯t doing anything, and were staying a respectful distance from her as she walked the main pathway leading to the large building at the center, but she imagined a single step out of line and they¡¯d get a lot less respectful about their distance. As she finally made it to the wide front steps, an affluent looking group of three young men walked quickly past her, excited and seeming eager to leave as they talked in exaggerated whispers. Watching them go curiously, she turned back and began to walk up the marble steps. However, she had hardly placed a single foot at the top when both of the large wooden double doors swung open and an older man with thinning black hair and a walrus mustache came out. He had on simple clothes the color of liquid gold, and a simple white sash running from his shoulder to the opposite hip. ¡°May I ask the young mistresses purpose in visiting us today?¡± he said, inclining his head slightly, bronze eyes flashing briefly. Inclining her head in return, Kya said ¡°I¡¯ve heard this is the best place in the city for potions, is that true?¡± He smiled, or at least Kya thought he did underneath the thick bristles of his mustache, as they moved slightly upwards on either side. ¡°Of course. The doors to the Wadrin Apothecary are always open to our worthy customers.¡± He said, before stepping to one side and beckoning her in through the open doors. 49. The Larger Picture ¡°What in the name of Sampson happened here?¡± Wade whispered under her breath. She, along with Alder and a group of other 2-Stars in addition to an entire contingent of other 1-Stars had been sent out to the local farmland following the report from Kya¡¯s excursion. Knowing what to look for, they had easily found several large sheds containing smaller ritual circles, each of which had been scoured by members of the research guild that made up a large part of their numbers. The real focus, however, and where Wade was now looking out in a stunned revulsion, was the massive chamber underneath an otherwise innocuous farm house. Wade had stopped at the bent and broken railing of a balcony overlooking the entire area, flanked on either side by twin staircases. Gazing out, she saw the remnants of a narrowly avoided disaster, researchers scurrying over every inch like the heart of some massive anthill. Enormous glow stones had been placed on poles all throughout the chamber, giving a cold, sterile light to the surroundings that somehow made them look even worse in her eyes. None of this was helped by the conspicuous rectangle of bright white cloth at the bottom of the stairs, the dried pool of deepest maroon poking out along the edges. However, more than the remnants of a fight, more than the bent railing or the body left behind or even the simple scale of the place, Wade¡¯s eyes were affixed to the carved circle of ritual magic taking up most of the central space. She wasn¡¯t by any remote sense of the word an expert on ritual magic, but she knew enough to know how fiendishly complex the diagram was. The numerous layers and intersecting lines in the diagram and the overall scale of it were simply on another level. As horrible as the intention of its design was, Wade could still feel herself develop a sort of morbid appreciation for its intricacy. Still leaning on the railing and simply watching, she saw Alder break away from a group of the 1-Star researchers being led by Maggie and climb the stairs to stand next to her. They stood side by side for an uncounted number of minutes. Neither saying anything, but neither needing to say anything. Though the pair didn¡¯t acknowledge it, they both took solace in the presence of the other. Finally breaking the retracted reverie, Alder asked ¡°What do you make of all this?¡± Taking a moment to consider before answering, Wade collected her thoughts and addressed the least tangled line from the bunch, saying ¡°I¡¯m shocked that Kya managed to uncover this¡­ all of this.¡± She finished by nodding her head towards the ritual, then added a sweeping gesture to the entire cavern. Nodding, Alder said ¡°And she was still only part way to the first threshold. Makes me excited to see what she¡¯ll do next. Well, excited and a little worried. If she can stumble across this kind of stuff now, what will her next discoveries be like?¡± He finished with a smirk, attempting to make it something to scoff at, find humor in. But Wade had always been one to adopt stoicism when tough situations arose, and this place was not where she would start making exceptions. ¡°What I want to know¡± she said in response ¡°was how a farmer and his son were able to do all of this. Even with an earth user to dig this place out, you¡¯d need a ritualist, suppliers, help from either the church of life or death, or both realistically. There¡¯s just no way this was as simple as a man trying to resurrect his wife.¡± Arms crossed, Alder turned and leaned back against the railing, tilting his head back to look at the shadowed cave ceiling above. ¡°I was just talking with Maggie, she¡¯s helping out with the researchers. They¡¯re all thinking along the same lines as you. The amount of residual mana in the air points an arrow firmly at the church of death, but that raises more questions than anything else. We¡¯ll likely be dealing with the fallout from this for a while yet.¡± After a moment more of listening to the echoing murmurs from the dozens of researchers, Wade pushed herself away from the iron bars and walked down the stairs. She was accompanied by the deep sigh and footsteps of Alder a second later. Stopping at the white sheet, Wade reached down and pulled it back with a slow, almost reverent motion. Alder stopped and said ¡°Oh Gaius below¡­¡± Though neither of them were strangers to gore, nor death nor wounds, it was different seeing the beginnings of decay on a lifeless body. Alder, shuddered once, then kneeled down next to Wade and asked in a whisper ¡°What in the divines are you doing?¡± Wade wasn¡¯t entirely sure herself. She studied the neck, looking almost like a healers model of the body. There was a thin pale layer of yellow around the faded pink muscle and stark white bone, a single depressed hole towards the top. Though she wasn¡¯t sure why, Wade also kept her voice to a whisper as she answered his question with a question. ¡°You¡¯ve seen Kya fight. She uses those two knives and shoots them through the air.¡± Nodding to the perfectly severed neck in front of them, she asked ¡°Does this look like the work of knives to you?¡± Looking more closely at the wound, Alder whispered back ¡°Her blades are what, a little longer than my hand?¡± He then scratched at his chin for a moment before shaking his head ¡°No, there¡¯s a chance knives could decapitate someone, but it would have to be an incredibly lucky shot, and I doubt it would have been as clean a cut as this.¡± Nodding, Wade said ¡°That¡¯s what I thought as well. Which means one of two things. Either Kya used some other weapon to end this fight, or-¡± ¡°Or there was a third party in the mix.¡± Finished Alder, eyes narrowing. Gently returning the sheet to its previous position, allowing it to cover the entirety of the corpse, Wade rose and began to walk away with Alder in step beside her. After walking several paces, not heading in any particular direction except for away from pale cloth, Wade now speaking normally asked ¡°did you actually read the report they managed to get from that dwarf?¡± Alder gave her a look of such profound incredulity, that it was almost enough to make her laugh. ¡°Like I don¡¯t have better things to do with my time than read reports. I was making breakfast while you were reading it though, and remember glancing vaguely at it while the eggs fried. Why?¡± Shaking her head in what she knew to be futile chastisement, Wade went on ¡°He didn¡¯t reveal much, kept saying his punishment hadn¡¯t been carried out properly. But with some emotional manipulation-¡± ¡°They got a rioter powerful enough to manipulate a dwarf?¡± Alder cut in. Nodding her head, Wade replied ¡°Yes, apparently, they have someone like that in the city. I¡¯d guess they¡¯re still a 2-Star but managed to get their ability across the next threshold.¡± Alder whistled softly in appreciation, and Wade couldn¡¯t help but agree. Emotion and peace were the two most difficult classes to advance, but they traded that with scaling to be much trickier to deal with at the later levels. Even against a similarly trained opponent, Wade knew she¡¯d have a tough time dealing with an effective manipulator. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Regardless,¡± she continued, ¡°after being manipulated, the dwarf finally let out that his master wouldn¡¯t be pleased he was talking to the guild.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t¡­¡± Alder gestured with his thumb over his shoulder. ¡°I thought the same thing, but no. After explaining that the farmer was dead, and that he needn¡¯t worry about him any longer, the dwarf just shook his head saying his master wouldn¡¯t want him to speak any more.¡± ¡°So, you think the dwarfs master is still at large? Someone else who would have more answers to all of this than just what we can find from picking apart at the remnants.¡± Wade held off her reply as they passed a group of researchers all carrying small glowing devices in their hands, little metallic boxes with an attuned mana compass suspended at the center. After they had passed the group and the harsh white light of their glow stone, she continued. ¡°Yes, I do. I think there¡¯s no way this doesn¡¯t have deeper connections, from the chamber itself, to the resources, to the dwarf, to the fight, none of it is adding up. There are several pieces to the picture we¡¯re missing.¡± Stopping next to a bare stone wall opposite the twin staircase and in the relative shadow between two glows tones, Wade looked at Alder and said ¡°I think we need to talk to Kya. Convince her to go back and talk with the guild. The Guild Master has held off after what we told him, but his patience won¡¯t last forever, and once he knows how much more to this there is, he won¡¯t ask nicely.¡± Alder, his characteristic good-natured air nowhere to be found, nodded. Then, as if trying to regain some of it, said ¡°not to mention we still need to give her the money we got,¡± then finishing in an airy tone, ¡°for services to her ladyship, madam Evergold.¡± Wade gave him a flat stare until he sighed and said ¡°alright, alright. Let¡¯s go talk to Maggie. Between talks of aion¡¯s and mana residue and all that nonsense, we might be able to tell her what we think.¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Carcello pulled away from the warm embrace he¡¯d given his mother. Their carriage had been packed for the last hour or so, but she¡¯d been double and triple checking to make sure they had absolutely everything they needed for their deployment. ¡°Oh!¡± she exclaimed as she broke off their hug, ¡°I almost forgot the spare resin for my bow!¡± ¡°Mother¡± Carcello half laughed, half groaned ¡°You packed it, along with the entire case of it, along with your extra violin already. I can see them from here, look¡± and finished pointing to the nearly identical black leather instrument cases leaning against the inside window of the carriage. ¡°Ah, yes, yes, of course. I remember now.¡± She turned to him, wearing a myriad of emotions on her sleeve for the world to see. The line of servants standing on either side of the front entrance to the home politely and professionally inspected their shoes, pretending not to notice a thing. ¡°Mother¡± Carcello said quietly, ¡°Mother.¡± She stopped for a moment and looked up at him. He still found it disconcerting to be taller than his mother for some reason. ¡°The rest of the soldiers will be there. Bynes will be there. Play a song each day, and this will be the smoothest deployment in military history.¡± She took a calming breath and gave him her attempt at a smile ¡°I know, dear, I know. Thank you for always being a rock for this family, we rely on you so much.¡± She drew him in for one more hug, and though he hugged her back, and though he smiled when they broke apart once more, he felt his insides had fallen somewhere on the ground far, far below. ¡°Come on, Mata, I¡¯ve been waiting in this box for over an hour!¡± Sayrin called from the carriage. The servants had helped him into the carriage earlier in the morning, at his mother''s insistence. She said it would be easier for her to check the house if he wasn¡¯t hobbling around behind her all the while. His words sounded like a whip, and immediately, Carcello noticed his mother grow tense and alert. He knew his father was in pain from his injuries. No longer life threatening, they¡¯d given him some lower ranked healing potions for a slower but more thorough recovery as they¡¯d done with Carcello¡¯s own leg barely a handful of weeks before. This was great in the long run, but for a man so accustomed to the power his father was, being not only limited, but also suffering a constant dull ache¡­ well, it left him slightly short on patience. ¡°He knows that just makes it harder to leave.¡± She muttered, casting one more look back at the house. ¡°Are we sure the candles are out in the bedroom? And that-¡± ¡°Yes mother, you checked them three times already. I¡¯ll be here, the staff will be here, the house will be okay. I promise.¡± Pursing her lips, and with a clear force of will, his mother tore her eyes away and began walking towards the carriage. Zita stood one hand holding open the door, the other clasped firmly behind her back. Her surly husband reclined across one of the benches, propped up with a pillow. ¡°Perhaps¡± Carcello said in a low tone ¡°You can sing while you travel? That would help a great deal.¡± She seemed equal parts mortified and electrified by the suggestion, and said in an equally quiet voice ¡°With all the soldiers around? I couldn¡¯t, not unless we had at least some measure of privacy.¡± ¡°Just¡­ think about it, alright?¡± She looked as though she¡¯d already given it four times as much thought as he ever had, but still gave a small nod. ¡°Finally. I know the army¡¯s motto might as well be hurry up and wait, but usually that only applies to the lower ranks, Mata.¡± Sayrin said gruffly. Carcello actually thought his father was attempting a joke, but the tone of it gave it a few more barbs than he¡¯d intended, and he saw his mother flush slightly. ¡°You know it¡¯s hard to leave, but I¡¯m sorry for making you wait.¡± Sayrin looked like he was about to retort, but the words died on his lips, and he just gave a long sigh instead. Turning from his wife to Carcello, Sayrin said ¡°Look after the house then, and good luck on your own upcoming deployment. I expect to hear all about it with regular updates and reports.¡± Leaning forward with some effort, he clapped Carcello on the shoulder, and despite being in a weakened state, still sent him staggering off to one side. ¡°Yes father, and same to you!¡± He grunted as he righted himself, then continued ¡°The moment you arrive at the foreign guild, send word back and let us know here. If I¡¯ve already left, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll forward it along. And father, please don¡¯t push yourself until you¡¯ve fully recovered. It will be a long journey, please take advantage of it. Remember our deal?¡± His father actually beamed, all traces of pain or annoyance gone, and said ¡°Oh I remember. My next sparring session will be with you once you¡¯ve gotten your second star.¡± He tapped the side of his head ¡°That one will be locked up here no matter what happens. I promise.¡± They clasped forearms, and then locked eyes, his golden meeting his father''s golden with those loathsome amber streaks. After holding for a moment longer, they broke apart and Carcello stepped back. ¡°Take care of them, Zita.¡± He said. Closing the door and storing the detachable step, she turned and bowed her head ¡°I will, master Carcello. You take care of yourself as well.¡± Then turned and climbed into the driver''s bench at the front of the vehicle next to the driver himself. Through the window, he saw his mother one arm around a violin case, the other waving at him as they began to slowly and smoothly move away. He waved back, but upon seeing his father turn in his seat to look back as well, snapped to attention and gave a crisp salute, right arm across his chest, fist to shoulder. Though they were already some distance away, he thought he could just barely see his father smile, and salute back. Carcello stayed just like that until the carriage was out of sight, having turned down the end of the paved stone street. Finally, he relaxed, and brought both hands to his temples. ¡°Gaius only knows how this will go.¡± he muttered, then as the servants one by one filed back into the home, he did the same. But just as he was about to close the door behind him, he heard the scuffling sound of quick footsteps on stone, and peered out to see who it was. ¡°1-Star Carcello Sayad?¡± The runner asked as he approached the steps to the house. Sensing the man''s 2-Star aura, and reading the rank of him from his clean but travel worn uniform, Carcello went quickly to parade rest, and said "Yes sergeant, how can I help you?¡± Taking out a sealed envelope with a flash from a spatial item, though Carcello couldn¡¯t see what type of item it was, he handed it up to Carcello. ¡°Orders son. Report to guild branch seven within the hour. If you have any questions that aren¡¯t answered there, ask them of the lieutenant you find at the guild, she¡¯ll be able to help you.¡± Taking the envelope in his left hand, he nodded and said formally ¡°I acknowledge receipt of the orders and will report. Thank you, sergeant.¡± Nodding, the runner turned on his heel and sped quickly back the way he had come. Not wasting a moment, Carcello turned inside and tore open the envelope, reading the contents within. Gulping, he felt his palms start to sweat and his hand start to shake ever so slightly as he lowered the paper down. He was going to Lyra, which in and of itself wasn¡¯t anything crazy. Wasn¡¯t even a deployment really, just a change in duty station. But with everything that had been happening there recently¡­ Carcello got an uneasy feeling about the place. None of that was helped by the fact that apparently, he¡¯d be going as part of a task force headed by none other than the infamous, blood stained 4-Star, Lord Cain himself. 50. The Potions Master Kya had hardly placed her foot on the top of the white marble step when the large wooden double doors swung open in unison. A man in simple clothes of gold and an unadorned white sash stretching from shoulder to hip stepped out. His bushy black walrus mustache must have been boosted by the hair that had begun to thin from the top of his head. ¡°May I ask the young mistresses purpose in visiting us today?¡± he asked, while inclining his head to what Kya felt was an exact and measured degree, while at the same time his bronze eyes flashed for just a moment. Inclining her head in return, though her eyes narrowed slightly at the flash in his own eyes, Kya answered ¡°I¡¯ve heard this is the best place in the city for potions, is that true?¡± The man smiled, or at least Kya guessed that he did as his lips were entirely covered by the mustache that twitched up to either end. ¡°Of course. The doors to the Wadrin Apothecary are always open to our worthy customers.¡± He said, before stepping to one side and beckoning her in with one arm held wide, and the other reaching to his shoulder as he bent at the waist. Inclining her head once more, Kya walked inside the apothecary, followed closely behind by the man in gold. She was just thinking that she ought to turn around and surreptitiously try to identify the man when her attention was dragged elsewhere by the sheer virtue of the entrance hall into which she had walked. From the outside, the building had seemed large by all accounts, but not sprawling. They were still in the heart of the city afterall, and space came at a premium. Kya would have guessed that the structure was around three stories tall, and about thirty meters in width. The large windows and wrap-around porch with graceful marble pillars at regular intervals put her in mind of an old manor house from England. Definitely nice, but again, smaller than she would have thought for a major business front in the center of a city. The inside, however, told a different story altogether. The windows which had seemed large on the outside were now enormous, at least twice the size they should have been. The ceiling, which should have been some eight to ten feet above, seemed instead to stretch up and up and up. Elegant white and golden curves transitioned the walls to the ceiling, wherein there were expertly painted depictions of nature in all forms. The scenes all varied, but different rooms were set to entire themes as Kya walked in daze through the main entry hall. Off to one side was an entirely blue room. The thick carpet was a deep navy, while the walls and furniture were all more opalescent cobalts and ceruleans. The ceiling was a soft baby blue sky with puffy white clouds. Just across the hall was an equally themed room of bold greens, subtle olives and light airy mints. Each piece of furniture, from the plush couches to the marble tables to the tea sets and silverware all went with the theme of whatever room they were in. Finally rousing herself from her awed stupor, she noticed that the mustached man had stopped a few feet behind and was gesturing into a small private room, with the most wood she¡¯d seen in a building since arriving in this world. As a general rule, Kya had found that stones of any and all varieties were the most common resource. She supposed that in a nation literally built on magic and the abilities to mold stone to your will, knocking out a building or two would be fairly straightforward. On the other hand, growing, harvesting, cutting, carving, treating, and transporting the wood itself was a much different prospect and likely far more expensive than stone. This small room then, only about a seven by ten foot rectangle, was probably more lavish than most of the others put together by sheer virtue of the various woods all put together to create it. And different woods there were: dark wood floors, cherry red wood cabinets, light and tanned woods criss-crossed in a trellised pattern along the two windows, even the cushioned chairs seemed to be softened only with a light and flexible wooden film and stuffed with sawdust. She had to hand it to them, when they went for a theme, they really went all the way with it. Sitting on the odd chair, Kya finally took a moment to identify the man in front of her as he poured her a cup of steaming tea from a kettle that somehow looked to have been grown into the shape. - - - - - Rickard Teymore Class - Knowledge - 2-Star - - - - - Proffering the delicate wooden teacup to her on an equally intricate saucer, Rickard said ¡°For the young mistress.¡± Then after she¡¯d taken it and placed it on the table next to her to cool, continued on by asking ¡°What specifically can the Wadrin Apothecary do for you on this fine spring day, if I may be so bold as to ask?¡± Trying to pick her words with care, Kya thought for a moment before saying ¡°I have, until now, been working with what I consider to be substandard potions, from less¡­ professional crafters than yourselves.¡± She could consider the monsters she looted potions from to be worse potion makers, right? ¡°What I would like to see are your selection of health potions for a user who often finds herself in combative situations.¡± Inclining his head, and mustache twitching with every word, Rickard said ¡°Very good miss, here is a list of our selections on hand, as well as a smaller collection of 2-Star potions in case you should have any desire for something more potent. I¡¯ll give you a minute to look it over; please let me know if you¡¯d like to sample anything you see.¡± As he spoke, he removed two small bronze crystals from the inside of his sleeve, and placed them down on the low table in front of Kya. Then turned and quietly walked out of the room. Now this was all well and good, in fact Kya felt being left alone to browse for yourself was an absolutely ideal shopping experience, able to quash the idea that he¡¯d be sitting there ¡°helping¡± her the entire time. However, she was now faced with the looming prospect of¡­ how to actually use these crystals. - - - - - - Item: Information Crystal - Rarity: 1-Star - Common - Description: A small knowledge crystal that has been attuned by a user to convey information when imbued with mana. - Enchantments: Knowledge Imprint - Requirements: N/A - - - - - Catching on quickly, a smile crossed Kya¡¯s face as she focused on the crystal and with a thought, opened a menu interface similar to her usual ones, but blue instead of the normal green that characterized her own. It was somewhat off putting to see a window like this, and not have it be accompanied by her overly jovial narrator. Looking almost like a menu at a fine dining restaurant, the window was divided into several categories. - - - - - ~ Wadrin Apothecary ~ Health ~ Mana ~ Stamina ~ Elixir ~ Poison ~ - - - - - Kya was almost blown away by the myriad implications this simple menu contained. Not sure why, she¡¯d more or less assumed that the only potions in this world were health potions, certainly there would be better ones and worse ones, but health potions nonetheless. Here now, she was given entire categories she hadn¡¯t even considered before. Mentally selecting one of the categories out of curiosity, she was delighted and a bit shocked to see how many varieties there were. - - - - - ~ 1-Star Poisons ~ ~ Available in all rarities from Common to Legendary ~ - Myotoxin - Directly affects the muscles and their abilities to move. 2 Ag - Neurotoxin - Affects the senses. Differing effects based on method of delivery. 3 Ag - Necrotoxin - Rots and kills affected parts of living flesh. 5 Ag - Hemotoxin - Directly affects the blood. 5 Ag - Manatoxin - Disrupts the ability to use and control mana. 7 Ag - - - - - Kya went slack jawed for a moment. There were more poisons here than she would have anticipated, and with far more varied effects than she would have thought. But that wasn¡¯t what gave her pause, oh no. The first was those prices. She couldn¡¯t be sure, but she anticipated that would be the price for a common rarity poison of each type. After buying her room for the next several months, and paying for an equipment upgrade at the forge, she only had about twenty agrens and some change left. If she wanted even just a few of these, she¡¯d be broke almost instantly. But more than the simple exorbitance of the price, was the last poison on the list. There was a poison someone could give that would limit or even nullify her abilities to use mana? That¡­ was scary to think about, even just conceptually. Backing out of the poisons, Kya went into the health potions and got once again a rather interesting list of selections. - - - - - ~ Health Potions ~ ~ Available in all rarities from Common to Legendary ~ - Basic Health Potion - Provides instant revitalizing energy to injured areas. 1 Ag - Advanced Health Potion - Provides a burst of instant revitalization, followed by a sustained period of weaker energy to all areas of the body. 4 Ag. - Class-specific Health Potion - A health potion with mana aligned to a primary class, increasing potency. 6 Ag. - Dormant Health Potion - Taken prior to anticipated injury, potion will linger and only be consumed when significant injuries are sustained. 8.5 Ag - Mind Mending Potion - Rare Rarity and Above Only - Works directly on the mind to reduce or reverse mental injury. 7.5 Au - Soul Mending Potion - Legendary Rarity Only - Can help a damaged soul find a path to recovery. Cannot heal permanent soul scarring. 30 Au - - - - - Again caught of guard by the implications of the list, Kya simply stared for a moment reading them over and taking them in, her mind racing. Soul scarring? Scarring? What the hell kind of an attack would leave you not just physically scarred but her soul as well? Moreover, this was her first time ever seeing Au, or what she took to be the golden Aurens. That meant those were astronomically expensive, and confirmed that she was simply seeing the base cost at common rarity for the rest. Sighing deeply, she backed out and looked at the other categories as well. Mana and stamina potions were much simpler, doing exactly what she¡¯d assumed they would. Mana potions restored your Mana pathways, allowing you to use more of your abilities than you otherwise could. Meanwhile, stamina potions went directly into the muscles and organs of the body, and acted to return energy that had been spent. Again, Kya thought these were pretty standard, if not more rare and niche than the always useful health potions. The Elixirs, though, were again intensely interesting in what they could potentially promise her. - - - - - ~ Elixirs ~ ~ Available in all rarities from Rare to Legendary ~ ~ Please Note: All elixirs will grant diminishing returns when used in quick succession. Excessive use has been known to cause harm. ~ - Body Tempering Elixir - Grants a small increase to the power and endurance of the body. 3 Ag. - Mind Tempering Elixir - Grants a small increase to the resiliency of the mind. 5 Ag. - Soul Tempering Elixir - Grants a small increase to the strength of the soul. 1 Au. - Class Elixir - Provides experience to a primary class. Price varies depending on Class. - - - - - Kya was about to spend all of her money right then and there. Warnings be damned, if she could increase her base abilities, her mental defenses specifically, she was willing to go all in. She still remembered with loathing the experience when signing up for the game with the emotion user who had treated her like a training dummy. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Looking up as Rickard walked back in the small room, Kya said ¡°Hello again, I have several questions for you before I¡­¡± Towards the end though, she trailed off and stopped talking as the man, who¡¯d been averting his gaze and keeping his eyes on the floor, turned to the side and made a deep bow. Then in a much deeper and almost reverential tone than he had used with Kya, said ¡°Her eminence, Master of Potions and Poisons, Mistress Wadrin.¡± The room seemed to grow much smaller all of the sudden. Kya felt, just mildly, like her arms had gotten heavier. Like she wasn¡¯t able to move, to breath as easily as she could before. Then she heard the distinctive clacking of heels on the wooden floor, and lethargically looked up from the bowing Rickard to who could only have been the potions master herself. Even without being announced by her servant, Kya still would have guessed her to be someone noble, wealthy or in the aristocracy or both. She was an imposing woman, tall with angular features like a bird. She wore a deep sapphire gown, richly accented with gold and emerald. Not just fabric either, but actual bracelets, necklaces, earrings, of the metal and jewels. Her scarlet hair was tied up in elaborate knots behind not quite a crown, but certainly an ornate hair piece. Her skin was pale, dotted with freckles all across her sharp nose and high cheekbones. As she slowly glided into the room, she had the air of someone who was nobly volunteering for a particularly distasteful task. Kya, still feeling like her body wasn¡¯t responding quite how she¡¯d like it to, tracked the woman''s progress and identified her just before she sat down gracefully in the chair opposite Kya¡¯s with the low table between them. The return of her boisterous narrator actually seemed to jar her a little, making Kya blink several times as she listened to the brief description. - - - - - Julliard Wade - Class - 3-Star - Waters of Life - - - - - Kya¡¯s brain made a connection almost instantly, but before she could complete the half-formed thought in her mind, the woman spoke out in a high, cold voice. ¡°I was told of you not even one day past by the high priest. He said to me I should be wary of the devil that has entered our city, and cast it out if they come to me.¡± She paused and gave Kya a searching, accusatory look, pausing briefly as they made eye contact. Then continued, her voice dripping with disdain ¡°I hardly needed the warning at all, but I¡¯ll gladly thank the rains above he prepared me for seeing you face to face. Else I may have¡­ lost my composure. Nevertheless, the moment I sensed you enter my home, I nearly did. Quite nearly. I had thought to give you a sample of one of my poisons, perhaps forget to tell you the health potions you bought had been¡­ corrupted. But that would have harmed my image, and therefore my honor and business. As would carrying out a corpse from my grounds. As that degenerate guild master even allowed you to register, I might face legal repercussions as well.¡± She paused, then a wicked, snakes grin pulled at her lips, and she laughed a small, girlish, unnerving laugh while covering her mouth with her hand. ¡°Oh dear, look at me. Despite what I said, I seem to be rambling on. Not quite as composed as would otherwise be proper I suppose.¡± Then, her cerulean eyes showing an utter lack of mirth despite her small laugh, she dropped her hands, face becoming the picture of apathy. With one final look, and a hardly contained sneer, she rose from her chair and walked slowly out of the room. Pausing next to Rickard who had remained bowing low since she¡¯d entered the room, the potions master said ¡°Throw her out, Mr. Teymore. As soon as you can feasibly manage it. Then burn the chair on which she sat.¡± And without another word or even so much as a look back, she was gone. Kya sat in stunned silence, having not spoken a single word the entire time the woman was in the room. Almost startled out of her revelry as Rickard began to move again, he gave her a now completely apathetic look. Not the relatively welcoming one she¡¯d gotten earlier, nor the one of cold fury the master had given, just¡­ nothing. Utter indifference. In a tone so slow and monotonous that would have been more at home at the bottom of the ocean, he said ¡°Stand. Walk. Ahead of me.¡± ¡°Now wait, let me just-¡± She tried to say, wanting to go back and speak with the woman, to convince Rickard that she wasn¡¯t some monster. She knew it was because of her class, and assumed the priest she spoke of was the one from the Water temple she¡¯d met briefly by the train station. But still, Kya had held on to some hope that if she could just explain herself, then the situation could be resolved peacefully. However, before she was more than a few words in, Rickard cut her off. ¡°No. Stand. Go. Now.¡± Mouth working without any sound escaping, Kya stayed where she was a moment longer, before rising from her chair and walking back out of the building. Past the brilliantly colored rooms, past the well manicured gardens, and finally back through the white archway that marked the end of the apothecary and back onto the streets of Lyra. The whole time she¡¯d been walking, Rickard had been right behind her, just to her left. He hadn¡¯t touched her once, hadn¡¯t even reached out but instead kept his hands clasped behind his back. She knew it as an ironclad fact as she could see him through her aura¡­ yet the whole time, the entire walk out of the building, it felt to her like she was being ever so subtly pushed out and away. Now back amid the throngs of people, she stopped and looked back at the building still visible over its square of hedges surrounding the perimeter of the property. So much information was clawing her brain for attention, and she was actively trying to stamp down and get hold of multiple strands of though at the same time, leading to nothing more than a jumbled mess. But one thing stood at the front of it all, one thing above all else. ¡°Fuck that place.¡± she thought with a sigh. She knew of other potion makers in the city, this place didn¡¯t have a monopoly on them. But it was the best, and boasted the greatest variety with the best effects, she knew that much. And she hadn¡¯t even gotten to look at the 2-Star list. Kya knew she¡¯d have to go somewhere else for her supply, and settle for somewhere a bit less than the best. That didn¡¯t really bother her too much, but seeing the elixirs and health potions she¡¯d missed out on slip through her fingers annoyed her more than anything else. Especially for so stupid a fucking reason as that. She knew her class was disliked, she¡¯d known that from literally the first moment she¡¯d picked it when Rory and Wade had looked at her like a ghost the moment she opened her rose colored eyes. But to this point she hadn¡¯t really bothered to look into exactly why there was so much antagonism against her class. Again, from the same moment she vaguely recalled that there had been some war a century ago, but it really hadn¡¯t seemed important in her mind. With a magical awakening, a city and by extension, an entire world to explore, a culture and race to understand, and from all of that a focus on how to get stronger in her class and advance as quickly as possible, it all but slipped her mind. Thinking back as she continued on her way through the city, Kya remembered each occasion where her class had become, if not an issue, at least a focal point. From Wade¡¯s captain, to Maggie hesitating to even let her join the guild. The game guy, whatever his name was, giving her a hard time when she registered, and of course the priest from the temple that had hosed her down with water. As she passed over one of the many bridges, Kya looked out over the clear blue stream and saw in the distance the guild hall barely visible over the tops of the other buildings. She would make one more stop, her one track mind not letting her move on until she¡¯d checked off this box. But after that, after that perhaps the academy could stand to wait for another day. She felt like it might be time for another library reading session to come to terms with her role in this world more thoroughly. ~ ~ ~ Compared to the Wadrin Apothecary, this place was a lot less¡­ well, it was a lot less. Instead of the more than an acre of land with the gardens and pathways, this crumbling tower was at most about ten meters at its widest point. It did, on the one hand, look truly like an old fashioned mages tower. It had a foundation and first floor made of stone bricks, most of which were cracked or moldy or both. Then a second floor of white stained wood and finally a miniscule third¡­ not quite floor but area with a tall dark pointed roof. Off to one side was a tiny little garden, with a handful of colorful herbs and vines growing on a freestanding trellis wall. Some of the plants, even though the suns were still bright in the sky, gave off faint pulses of light she was able to see from just a glance. All in all, Kya knew walking in this wouldn¡¯t be anywhere close to what she¡¯d seen before, but with a sort of determined optimism, walked up the two stone steps and pulled open the simple door. Inside, a thick blue haze hung around the ceiling, and the scent of lemon and honey hit her like a wall. Behind a knotted and chipped wooden counter, a wizened old elf looked up from a bubbling beaker he had on a low flame and said in a wheezing voice ¡°Welcome young miss, welcome to-¡± ¡°The greatest shop in the city.¡± Kya said, notes of reverence and astonishment in her voice. Confused, the elder said ¡°I uh¡­ well thank you miss, but what makes you say that?¡± Fighting to hold back a tear, Kya said ¡°Your door¡­ it¡­ it opened on the first try.¡± Now even more confused, and slightly distressed at the tone of the conversation, the old man said with a slight stammer ¡°Uh, well, uh yes, yes it did. Won¡¯t you have a seat miss, please. If you tell me what it is you''re looking for, I¡¯d be happy to either get it from my stock or I can even craft it for you right here. Does that sound¡­ uh, acceptable to you? Oh and you can call me Archie. Archie the alchemist.¡± Walking over and sitting down on a padded stool in front of the counter, Kya just nodded her head, and took a deep breath. After a moment more, she said ¡°Nice to meet you Archie, I¡¯m Kya. I was hoping, if you could, for some higher tier health potions than this one. A couple mana and stamina too if you have them. And possibly some elixirs?¡± As she spoke, Kya took out and placed one of her looted potions on the table for the man to inspect. The man''s face, which had lit up when she started with health potions, began to fall at the mention of elixirs. ¡°I can almost certainly help with the health potions and I should have a few mana and stamina potions in the cellar. But I don¡¯t think there''s much I can do for the elixirs, especially at the 1-Star rarity. Those ingredients are too rare, and making it for such a low rank is quite difficult even if I had the supplies. But let''s see about this health potion here.¡± While he had been speaking, the man was searching behind the counter for something. Finally taking it out just as he finished, it looked to be a jeweler''s glass. A sort of specialized miniature telescope that he planted firmly into his eye before holding up the potion over his head and squinting at it through the lens. While the man studied the potion, Kya studied the man. - - - - - Archera Meadows - Class - 2-Star - Scholar of Vita - - - - - The elderly elf had a completely bald head, looking shiny despite the liver spots she could see, making her wonder if the man took time to wax it. Though he looked to be in his seventies or eighties, Kya had also remembered that users were supposed to have extended lifespans. If this guy was a 2-Star and still looked this old, what did that make him? Two hundred? Three hundred? Breaking off her line of thought as the Archie lowered the potion back to the counter and removed the eyeglass, he said ¡°Yes yes, quite a standard looting potion. Not bad by any means, but I can see why you¡¯d like something a bit more potent. Just a minute if you don¡¯t mind, miss.¡± Then turning, he shuffled over to a trap door, and opening it, descended a creaking ladder down into his cellar. About a minute later, the creaking ladder once again announced his return with a small container tucked securely under one arm. Placing it on the counter, he took out a dozen vials in all. Six red, four blue, and two green. She naturally identified each one as they were placed down. - - - - - - Item: Health Potion - Rarity: 1-Star - Rare - Description: An enhanced version of the basic health potion. This will provide a greater heal-over-time effect when consumed. - Enchantments: Greater Healing - Requirements: N/A - - - - - - Item: Mana Potion - Rarity: 1-Star - Uncommon - Description: A slightly enhanced version of the basic mana potion. This will provide an improved restore-over-time effect to the mana pool when consumed. - Enchantments: Improved Mana Restoration - Requirements: N/A - - - - - - Item: Stamina Potion - Rarity: 1-Star - Common - Description: A mildly more difficult brew to perfect, the stamina potion will cause a weak restore-over-time effect to one''s energy reserves when consumed. - Enchantments: Lesser Stamina Restoration - Requirements: N/A - - - - - ¡°Those are the best I got.¡± The old alchemist said proudly. ¡°If you give me a week or so, some of my plants outside should ripen and I can get you another batch of the rare health potions.¡± Controlling her expression so as to not show the slight disappointment at the supplies on offer, Kya picked up each one and considered each one. ¡°These are great!¡± She said ¡°How much for the lot of them?¡± ¡°Well¡± he said scratching his chin in thought, ¡°I¡¯d have to say right around thirty four silvers should do it.¡± Wincing slightly, Kya felt an mild flush come over her face. That was nearly twice what she had on hand. ¡°I need to sell some stuff, and do more quests.¡± she thought dully, trying to outwardly show that this wasn¡¯t a big deal. But either her poker face wasn¡¯t that great, or the old elf was simply too good at reading people, because he said in sympathy with a knowing smile ¡°I could around nineteen instead for half of them, and I¡¯ll throw in an Uncommon health potion on the house.¡± Sighing deeply, Kya was about to just accept the probably more than generous offer, when she had a thought. ¡°Would you be open to trading for them? I have quite a few things you might find interesting.¡± Again scratching his face in contemplation, Archie slowly began to nod, and said ¡°Perhaps I could at that. Depending on what you¡¯re offering, that is.¡± What followed were several minutes of basically show and tell, where Kya pulled out various oddities from her storage space that she thought might interest the old man. Most of it he found intriguing, but ultimately rejected for one reason or another. Finally taking out the small stove she¡¯d looted from the farmhouse ritual chamber, she knew instantly she had the alchemist hooked. After several rounds of surprisingly intense negotiations from Archie, they came to an agreement. ¡°Alright, alright alright. I¡¯ll give you the stove, five agrens, five life-attuned mana crystals, and this wiggler meat, and you¡¯ll give me the dozen potions here, plus two uncommon rarities, and the recipes for both a basic health potion and a 1-Star mind tempering elixir.¡± Kya said with an exhausted, but highly amused smile, hand stretched out to shake on the deal. Reaching out his hand as though fighting against a weight, Archie took her hand and shook it. ¡°You¡¯ve got yourself a deal. Though what you¡¯re going to do with the recipe for an elixir, I¡¯m not sure. Even if you know, and have the ingredients, they¡¯re fiendishly complex to get right.¡± Scooping up the small stove, silver coins, crystals, and wiggler meat, the old alchemist piled them all into the box and carried them over to a back section of the little shop, before bringing back two more red health potions and adding them to the pile that Kya was sucking up into her storage space. Smiling, she said ¡°Hey, I have to start somewhere. Any tips for a prospective alchemist?¡± Grimacing, he said ¡°Don¡¯t drink it unless you¡¯re sure it''s one hundred percent correct, or you''re in for the longest trip to the latrines of your life.¡± Laughing, the old elf letting out a chuckle as well, Kya caught her breath, and then said in a more somber tone ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± Still smiling slightly, Archie answered ¡°You just did miss, but you can certainly ask another if you like.¡± ¡°I guess two questions really. If you don¡¯t mind telling me, how old are you?¡± Again chuckling softly, he said ¡°Seem awfully spry for my age, eh? I¡¯ve still got some years in me, I¡¯m not even three hundred yet.¡± Face paling at the words, Kya felt an unreal sense of vertigo just imagining that, trying to come to terms with the fact that this smiling old man was born before the United States existed. Nevertheless, she asked her next question with a faltering voice ¡°So¡­ then, do you¡­ care about my class? Why don¡¯t you care about my class?¡± Green and bronze eyes growing sad, and the smile fading from his wrinkled face, Archie said ¡°I haven¡¯t live nearly as long as some, but age is more about perspective than it is about the number attached to it. Some kids a tenth my age have lived through much more than me, for example. But nevertheless, I¡¯ve seen a lot. I remember a lot.¡± He tapped a finger to the side of his temple and said ¡°When you''re a knowledge user, it''s often harder to forget than it is to remember.¡± Taking a deep breath, and letting it out in a puff, he continued on, saying ¡°I saw what they did to you space and even to some extent the time users. Your people were far from blameless, don¡¯t get me wrong, but still it never sat right to me the lengths people were willing to go.¡± He go lost in his own world for a moment, remembering times long past. Shaking himself slightly, he finally just shrugged and said ¡°I¡¯ll never forget those days, but Perdix and Ferona both help me if I can¡¯t move past them. Move on from them.¡± Seeing the literal font of wisdom that was right across from her, Kya asked in a reverent tone ¡°Can¡­ if you¡¯re able, and willing¡­ can you tell me about it? The war? The spatial users? I feel like I don¡¯t know anything of my own class, or the history around it, and I just-¡± Holding up a wrinkled hand, Archie shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t need to explain, girl. The pursuit of knowledge isn¡¯t something that needs to be justified. But if I¡¯m going to tell you a story, we¡¯d best retire upstairs and get comfortable.¡± Nodding her head, Kya waited as Archie went over and locked the door, then followed him up the tiny spiral staircase to the second floor. 51. What Came Before Kya always felt uncomfortable saying she was a veteran. Was she even a veteran if she was still in? Was she even still in if she was in another world? She wasn¡¯t sure, but either way didn¡¯t like to admit it. She¡¯d gone through basic, AIT, and had been with her first unit for a little under a year. But she¡¯d never been deployed anywhere. She¡¯d never faced combat, feared for her life, never been shot at unless she counted blanks from OPFOR during an FTX. Sure, she¡¯d been screamed at by her drill sergeant. Been woken up at 0230 and had the absolute hell smoked out of her. She¡¯d had twenty-hour days, been sleep deprived, stood at attention or parade rest or at ease or just plain stood for hours at a time. She knew cadences, she knew how to march in time, who to salute, the honorifics for different ranks, and she was intimately familiar with the wear and appearance of the army uniform. But still, never, not once, had she been truly forced to confront a life-or-death situation. During her AIT, they¡¯d done community service as part of an outreach program. Some units went to food drives, some cleaned roads and picked up trash. Hers had gone to a veteran''s club nearby and helped out the older and disabled veterans there. The entire experience had been odd for Kya. On the one hand, she had already felt some detachment from her peers, being a couple years older than most of them, but a lot of them laughed and joked around during their visits. This wasn¡¯t terrible, and a lot of the veterans they were helping seemed to appreciate the jokes and smiles of the young soldiers. But some didn¡¯t. Some had far away looks and seemed almost pained by the laughter they heard. Joined by a few of her battle buddies, Kya sat down with a group of the older veterans, three in wheelchairs and all with hats reading ¡°Vietnam Veteran¡±. Kya didn¡¯t try to tell jokes. She didn¡¯t smile or tell an amusing story. Rather, she asked them for their stories. After exchanging looks, one of them whose sunken eyes seemed permanently affixed to something far off in the distance, and whose wrinkled skin hung loosely around his face while being framed by a white beard that glinted like freshly fallen snow, began to speak. And Kya listened. Without interruption, without being forced to stop or being questioned partway through, the old man told of his experiences in Vietnam. Told of the hell he had gone through, and that he continues to go through. Kya listened, her battles listened, the other veterans listened. Though they were scheduled to leave an hour earlier, there was no one in that building, especially not her drill sergeant, who would have told these men to stop talking, so on they went. One after another around the circle. Sometimes they stopped at the ends of the stories, sometimes when they couldn¡¯t or wouldn¡¯t say any more. When finally, the last was done detailing just a portion of his experiences, his voice catching in his throat and his ragged breathing coming in muffles and subdued gasps, Kya watched quietly her drill sergeant went over to the man and knelt down. Removing his brown round and speaking to him in a low steady voice while clasping him on the shoulder, most of what he said went unheard by all except the elder and those closest to him. But the one part she did catch was the one part she¡¯ll never forget. ¡°... and I just wanted to say, from myself and from my soldiers. From our brothers and sisters. From our country and our creed, thank you, gentlemen, for your service and for the path you paved.¡± And with quietly dignified tears dipping in and out of the wrinkles on his face, the last veteran who spoke said back in a voice now horse from use ¡°The greatest thanks you could ever give was simply to listen. To remember.¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Archie, despite being a self-proclaimed three centuries old, was still just as spry as an elf half his age. Kya didn¡¯t know if that said more about Archie, or the absolute absurdity of the world in which she now found herself. Sure, his movements weren¡¯t as smooth as a man in the prime of his youth, and there was a bit of a shuffle to his walk, but there wasn¡¯t any hesitation or weakness. He didn¡¯t struggle to climb the steep spiral staircase to the second floor of the alchemy shop, nor did he have any difficulty lighting the small wood burning furnace in the corner. In short order, he had settled himself into a plush armchair next to the merrily crackling flames as a comfortable warmth suffused the room. Taking out a small pipe, and lighting it as well, Archie took several small pulls until he was sure the flame was sufficient before finally gesturing to the smaller chair across from him. ¡°Come, sit. If I¡¯m to tell a story, it¡¯ll be done comfortably or not at all.¡± Settling herself in the chair, and refusing the offered pipe, Kya sat with rapt attention as Archie began to talk in a lower voice than he had used before. . ¡°It was at least a century ago, a century and some change if I remember correctly. Just a few miles south of here in the rose forest in fact¡­¡± ~ ~ ~ Archie heaved, struggling for breath as he rested for just a moment against a tree. ¡°It¡¯s not supposed to be like this!¡± he thought frantically, head peeking around the thick trunk at the bodies littering the forest floor, rosy red leaves above matched by the now crimson earth as vitality rapidly fled the soldiers. The setting suns casting the entire forest into an eerie landscape of cold pooling shadows and brilliant shafts of warm light. He¡¯d been a user for some seventy years at this point and wasn¡¯t new to any of this by any remote definition of the word. He¡¯d seen border disputes, minor skirmishes, and even the three years'' war when Loterre had all but annexed the Nioa islands. Archie had never really been a part of the military, never been through training and never taken the time to establish a real foundation for his class, but he made health potions of a respectable quality at the 1 and even 2-Star level, and any army worth their salt would welcome the presence of an alchemist. So with the army he went, traveling where they did and experiencing much of what they experienced as well. Most of the time, they were just smaller scale operations. Most of the time, most of the people weren¡¯t actually involved in the conflicts that went on. Sure the infantrymen deployed to the fields, earth, war, and death users alike would storm out from their camp to execute whatever raid or mission they¡¯d been tasked with. But the knowledge users? Peace and life users? The crafters, logisticians, and merchants? They were left behind to their own tasks, far removed from the dangers of front-line fighters. Most of the time. This time was different, oh gods, it was different. Archie had heard the shouts in the street, read the posters that had been put up in the taverns all around the cities and camps. This wasn¡¯t some minor conflict, but a war for survival. A noble war of justice and glory. But peeking out again, Archie was horrified by what he saw. No justice. No glory. Just¡­ pain. Taking faltering steps out from his tree, arms tired from lugging around the dense six-foot metal rod all non-earth users were required to carry, Archie hurried over to the soldier he could see with signs of life. The active battlefield had moved away from the area slightly, and he could hear the sounds of war only a hundred meters away, causing his already unsteady and panicked steps to fumble and stagger all the more as he sprinted, falling to the ground in skidding stop at the soldier''s side. He¡¯d clearly been at the receiving end of both a spatial and temporal attack; a perfectly circular hole about the diameter of three of Archie¡¯s fingers had simply been removed from existence out of the man''s upper abdomen. More than that, his entire right arm looked almost mummified, as the sleeve of his uniform had crumbled to dust and his arm had aged independently from the rest of his body. These types of wounds had long since lost their visceral effect on archie, being an alchemist and healer around the army for several decades and built up his tolerance for what often revolted others, but as he quickly looked up and around at the forest of blood and bodies, he felt the bile attempt to rise up in his throat. Hands shaking as he fought to suppress those feelings, he muttered out loud the old mantra his master had taught him in the distant past ¡°Focus on the problem in front of you, not those ahead of you.¡± Taking out several small vials and a small saw-like tool, he placed them down neatly on a towel he¡¯d placed on the forest floor. It was matted and dirty, but cleaner than the dirt and gore so it was better than nothing. He started to work quickly, flinching every few seconds at the sound of explosions and screams that were all too close by, and he kept the metal rod close at hand just in case. He started by pouring a clear teal liquid on his own hands from the first bottle, he then immediately spread half the health potion directly onto the gap of bone and flesh, then putting the other half down the man''s throat. Though he was unconscious, the soldier still swallowed the red liquid with an eagerness that told Archie his body at least recognized what it was. Watching for a count of five, moving on the moment he saw the bone start to sedately grow back, with flesh following a second after. It wouldn¡¯t even be close to a perfect heal, not after a single potion no matter how good, but sealing the organs and skin would give a better chance at preserving his life. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Then, Archie turned to the arm. Luckily, the aged marks weren¡¯t all the way up to the shoulder, stopping about midway up the bicep. Frozen with indecision for a couple of seconds, he ultimately decided that the arm, while horrific, wasn¡¯t life threatening at least in the short term, and could wait until¡­ until¡­ The soldier heaved a coughing breath, blood and bile coating his lips, before falling completely still. The wound must have hit the lower left lung, damaging it more than he¡¯d first thought. Now he¡­ Forcing his mind away, forcing his body to move and his face to stop scrunching, Archie couldn¡¯t help uttering curse after curse against the world, and against the gods who fought over it. Quickly rolling up his towel and supplies in one hand, and grabbing the dense metal rod in the other, Archie stumbled away towards the next soldier he felt clinging to life. Repeating the steps, he was about to begin treating the leg that had been crushed almost flat by an earth user, when the soldier''s eyes fluttered open weakly, showing the gleaming purple amethyst eyes within. Archie didn¡¯t care that she was a time user, and technically on the opposing side. He didn¡¯t care for the propaganda the Loterran''s were putting out. This wasn¡¯t a fight for glory, it was a fight for survival. The soldier''s eyes closed a moment later, as she lost the strength to stay conscious. He knew she was slipping and needed to act fast, cursing softly, he pulled out one of his few remaining 2-Star potions and poured it down her throat. Overcharging someone with a potion wasn¡¯t the safest thing to do, the risks getting exponentially worse the more powerful they went, but a 2-Star potion for a 1-Star wouldn¡¯t be too dangerous, especially if it let her live through the moment. Archie watched as, with comic speed, her crushed thigh seemed to inflate like a balloon as it was rapidly healed, and she took a deep, rattling, ragged breath. A moment later, the drawbacks started, but he could manage those, mitigate those, he just had to dilute the energies that were now ravaging through the body. Taking out a dark green vial no bigger than his thumb, Archie once again poured it into the woman''s mouth one drop at a time. This would hopefully avoid most of the negative effects that would result from an overcharged potion. From there, he simply bound the rest of her leg tightly in some boiled strips of cloth he¡¯d prepared earlier in the day and moved on. She wouldn¡¯t bleed out, and though the leg was far from usable, she probably wouldn¡¯t lose it. From there, Archie repeated the process, getting lost in the work. He saved two more, but lost a third, stomach clenching and ice in his veins as he had to stop doing chest compressions and close the dim sapphire eyes of the man. Exhausted, almost to the point of delirium, Archie was stumbling his way forwards to another body with several bloody gashes penetrating the skin when he realized where he was. Subconsciously or simply as a result of following the bodies, he had inadvertently come much closer to the ongoing fighting than he¡¯d ever meant to. Falling back as a boulder larger than he was landed mere feet from where he looked on in stunned horror, Archie felt the ground shake and tremble not only from the impact of the stone, but from the sheer power being thrown around in front of him. If a 1-Star was the physical limits of the body, 2-Star and onwards far exceeded that, going into the realms of myth. What Archie saw as he looked out on the ruined remains of forest and terrain. A new clearing had been made as the battle raged on, not by any true intention, but as an aftereffect of the almighty overhead. Auras raged around him, bolstering allies, suppressing enemies, amplifying abilities and adding to the chaos. Several squads of soldiers flew overhead, the 3-stars who had gained the strength of spirit to levitate cast abilities with impunity. There were water users channeling rivers to bend around them into massive tendrils to manipulate at their command. Fire users had set huge swaths of the forest alight, trapping and condensing the enemy to a confined space. Death users flickered in and out of the shadows never staying in one place long enough to be attacked, and yet wreaking havoc all the same. Not to be outdone, groups of spatial users were gathered in groups, repelling any projectiles sent back at their senders, pulling enemies out of the sky and one at the head of the group, would occasionally let loose a dark beam that seemed to erase anything it touched, causing the air to rush back into the space after with a cacophonous roar. Archie couldn¡¯t make out any time users, but he could feel and see their effects as objects shot towards the diminishing group of defenders in complete slow motion. He saw tree¡¯s that rapidly grew up from the ground to block, and he saw sections of ground puff away into dust as if decayed from the inside out. Archie was only drawn away from his stunned observations of the chaotic battlefield when a young boy fell out of the sky and landed with a sickening crunch several yards ahead of him. Instantly, the young boy screamed out, and a moment later, his severed hand and shin landed nearby. More dragging the iron rod than carrying it, Archie, shocked into action, crawled towards the boy. Though the suns had both set at this point, the faint ambers of dusk still hung on the horizon, and all three moons were already out, giving more than enough light to see the blood pouring out of the two wounds, and the panic-stricken face of the boy as it rapidly grew paler and paler. Taking his last 2-Star potion, he wasted no time in putting bits of it directly on both the arm and leg, before shoving the rest of it, glass and all, into the screaming kids'' mouth and slamming his jaw closed on it. His pink eyes bulged out as he flailed his arms and legs wildly trying to free himself from what he thought was an enemy come to finish the job. ¡°Stop! Ferona help us, you¡¯ll kill yourself if you keep moving! Please, I¡¯m a healer, I¡¯m trying to help!¡± A moment later, his movements growing weaker, they stopped altogether. ¡°Good,¡± Archie breathed out heavily. ¡°Now I¡¯ve just¡­¡± But he didn¡¯t finish the sentence. The boy, and he was just a boy, so, so young. Probably barely seventeen or eighteen years old, hadn¡¯t stopped from comprehension, but from falling unconscious. Hand shooting out to check for a pulse, Archie felt the faintest fluttering of life and felt a fire determination ignite in his heart. This boy was so young, still had so much life left to live. He wouldn¡¯t let it end here, not in this rotten landscape of blood and guts. Moving like a machine, he pulled out the tiny green vial to try and downplay the backlash from the powerful potion, while prepping another healing and mana potions. Though his aura shortened the amount of time the boy would have to wait before taking another potion, he¡¯d still have to wait around ninety more seconds before he¡¯d be able to administer another. Having set them both out and ready to use at a moments notice, He began to tightly bind the leg first. The 2-Star potion hadn¡¯t been enough to start regrowing bone, and though the bleeding had lessened considerably, the boy would surely die of blood loss before long if Archie couldn¡¯t stem the flow as quickly as possible. Tying off the leg, he was about to move onto the arm when he felt an earth-shaking impact only ten meters ahead of him. Head jerking up as he stared ahead, though his hands kept working to begin wrapping the arm, he saw a bloodied and ragged Loterran uniform first, then the gleaming golden eyes as the man walked forward a few steps out of the dust cloud that had risen around him with his landing. In a soft voice that nevertheless pierced through the cacophonous battlefield, the man said ¡°That soldier is an enemy of our Kingdom and our god. I will give you one chance to move away before I end his life.¡± Archies''s heart raced as he felt the soldier''s aura, with all the oppressive power the 3-Star could muster, settle on Archie. Leaning over the boy with tremors racking his body, he said ¡°No, you can¡¯t! I¡¯m trying to-¡± But once more, he didn¡¯t finish the sentence. The moment Archie said no, the soldier took an almighty jump towards the sky, and came crashing back down, driving his foot into the earth. A chasm opened up where a moment before there had been solid stone and soil, plummeting Archie and the boy into the dark depths below. Seconds before the earth closed back around him, Archie scrambled for the metal rod and clinging to it for dear life, felt the stones close back together with a grinding, reverberating snap. He would have been crushed, should have died right there. Archie had no idea if the boy still lived, as he couldn¡¯t see him in the dark void that now surrounded him, the only illumination coming from the dull golden runes on his metal staff, keeping the stones from slamming together and crushing him entirely. ~ ~ ~ Archie cut off his story there, with several deep, shaking breaths. He shook his head as if to clear off the memories, and then rose from his plush armchair to add another couple of logs to the small fireplace. Returning and sitting with a huff, he saw that Kya had been watching him with unblinking eyes, her expression one of empathy and sadness. She didn¡¯t say anything for a long time, nor did he. Instead, they sat together in silence, the crackling fire the only thing accompanying them on the roads their thoughts took. Finally, Kya said in a gentle voice ¡°Thank you, Archera, thank you for telling me that story, and for letting me see just a piece of your past.¡± Bronze and green eyes shimmering with a deep sadness, and yet crinkling with just a hint of amusement, he said ¡°Just call me Archie'''' then sighed and brought a wizened hand to rub at his eyes and forehead. ¡°The funny thing is, that soldier probably saved my life¡± he finally said with a dry, humorless laugh. ¡°Though I eventually dropped down even lower into the earth and found a system of caves through which I escaped, I could still feel it, and later saw its aftereffects when I eventually resurfaced. I found out sometime later that a spatial user, a 5-Star who appeared late in the battle, had seen that their forces were almost entirely wiped out and used some ability that killed almost everyone in the area. There were a couple 4-Stars I think, as well as others that, like me, had been buried or protected in one fashion or another. But other than that, every single other living thing had been killed. Not just people, either, but plants, monsters, animals, everything. If you go out in the forest, you can still find it, not a thing has grown there since, though the rich mana in the area has attracted no shortage of monsters and beasts to the area, so be prepared if you do go looking. I sometimes go there, about once every ten years or so just to-¡± His voice broke, catching in his throat, before he finally got out ¡°To remember.¡± Kya reached out a tentative hand from where she sat, and placed it on top of Archie¡¯s trembling one. ¡°Next time you go, if it¡¯s alright with you, I¡¯d like to accompany you there. To pay my respects, for those that came before.¡± Nodding his head multiple times, and swallowing past a lump in his throat, Archie finally just said ¡°You¡¯d be more than welcome, child. More than welcome.¡± 52. Unexpected Encounters Kya closed the door behind her as she exited Archie''s shop. They had talked for a while longer after he finished his story, but it had been clear to both of them that he was at the limit of what he was willing to share for the time being. After making a promise to return within the next few days to tell him a story of her past, as well as for some potentially higher rarity potions depending on the yield of his small garden, Kya bid the wizened alchemist a fond farewell and left with her purchases safely stored away. She started walking towards the center of the city and, with a flick of her hand, Kya seemingly pulled from thin air a small, yellowed piece of parchment on which was scribbled the skeleton recipe for a basic health potion. From her understanding after reading the scribbled notes, was that the overall recipe was rather forgiving on the ingredients, not needing any specific items but more specific effects from the ingredients she chose. The absolute most basic, easy to produce version Archie had given her was simply a few common plants she could find on a stroll through most gardens or growing naturally in the woods. Even if she collected these plants, however, and successfully made them into a potion, the common mundane ingredients would produce a laughably ineffective potion, likely not even at the 1-Star level. If she wanted to craft potions with a better effect than the ones she could already loot from the average monster, she would need to find higher rarity ingredients with more potent effects. Still, the concepts remained the same. Kya decided that she would spend each evening from then on trying to craft just a simple basic health potion until she was able to do it well enough. Though it didn¡¯t go into detail, the potion recipe did mention that she would have to imbue the concoction with a ¡°stabilizing mana stream¡± in order to change it from an herbal vegetable soup to an actual health potion. Kya had no real idea what mana was, or how to use it as an exterior force, unless it just meant her aura? She¡¯d play around with it later, she decided. Then, putting the recipe away with the same nonchalant movements, Kya continued down the road. Although Archie¡¯s story had done much to illuminate the reasons for the animosity certain groups had towards her, she still wanted to revisit the libraries to get a more objective view on the war and history of her people. She partially admonished herself for not doing it right away, but hey, when given the choice between reading books in a library and playing with newfound magic powers, it wasn¡¯t exactly a hard choice in her mind. ¡°Although I do like reading about the magic as well¡± Kya mused as she walked, actually taking a minute to consider. On the one hand, the feeling of her abilities growing more powerful after a fight was almost euphoric, rivaling a few recreational activities she could think of from back on earth. She could easily see it becoming less of a want and more of a need for some people if they grew addicted to that feeling. But more than that, much more than that, she felt an internal drive to grow stronger. She wanted more than anything else to become and remain as self-sufficient as possible. She wasn¡¯t an idiot and knew full well that she couldn¡¯t do absolutely everything on her own, but like with potions, she wanted to reach a point where no matter what happened, and no matter what circumstances she was forced into, she¡¯d be able to thrive all on her own. Actually, scratch that. She wanted to reach a point where she wasn¡¯t able to be forced into anything. Full stop. All that being said, she also knew that knowledge was as real a power as the daggers in her hands. Sometimes even more so. She was finally starting to see the logic in the Army, always running them through drill after drill. Making each of them sit in classrooms and actually study skills like map reading for navigation and basic first aid. It wasn¡¯t ever just ¡°go to that field and run around¡± but endless briefings on the plans and practice drills ad nauseam. Kya nodded to herself, having successfully reaffirmed her desire to actually sit and read some more on not only her class and its history, but well, everything she could. She¡¯d have to start with the basics like she did on that first night, but it would probably also be a good idea to get some more foundational knowledge before heading to the academy. She felt like it would be pretty bad if she showed up for the first day of class and- Stopping abruptly just before getting to one of the many bridges in the city, Kya stared across at the other side where a man stood in a void black robe, with the hood drawn up and an ominous pressure billowing out like heat waves over an asphalt road in July. She couldn¡¯t see his face, just the shadows in the setting suns that almost seemed to cling to him. Kya had been lost in thought, at least that was the excuse she told herself for not really noticing that the otherwise relatively bustling streets had become notably more deserted to the point that there was only a single elderly woman hobbling off the bridge towards Kya. She looked over her shoulder at the man, and sped up her shuffling slightly, making an effort to leave the situation altogether. They stared at each other for a moment, the only sounds the water below, the wind above, and the shuffling of the woman, punctuated with an occasional clacking sound as her cane hit the black stones of the road. This lull before was almost worse than- No it was worse than actual combat. Kya wasn¡¯t necessarily an anxious person by any means, but she was absolutely hyperactive, as was her imagination. She could imagine seventeen different scenarios before as many heartbeats had gone by, and most of them led her down less than happy trains of thought. She would much rather just start fighting if it was going to come to it. To that end, she called out to the man in a voice that seemed shockingly loud against the eerie quiet. ¡°I¡¯m not sure of the cultural parallels here, but I think we can all agree it¡¯s rude to scare an old lady out for a walk. What do you want?¡± The man, for though he was completely obscured by his cloak and the shadows around him, his build was still unmistakably that of a man, called back in a nasally voice as though he had a cold ¡°Are you the spatial user Kya?¡± This all but confirmed what was coming in her mind, but even if Kya still had some doubts, they were dispelled the moment he parted his cloak to reveal a long bow almost as tall as he was, ¡°If so, I¡¯ve been looking for you.¡± The odd pangs of anxiety and tightness in her stomach relaxed into an almost serene calm as she grinned back at the man, her own cloak appearing on her shoulders. ¡°Well then, what are we waiting for?¡± Pulling the string taught on his bow, an arrow of absolute darkness manifested itself and even from thirty meters away on the other side of the river, Kya could feel the power growing with each moment he held it. Knowing that time was of the essence, and distance wouldn¡¯t be her friend for what was clearly a ranged attacker, Kya activated her slow fall ability and took an enhanced leap forwards before hitting the thick stone railing of the bridge and bouncing suddenly to the side just as the man shot his midnight arrow. Kya felt she should be in the clear, having dodged at the last minute. But the arrow was flying at her fast and the aim was remarkably good, wanting to ensure she was in the clear, Kya reached out to push on the arrow and¡­ nothing. It was like there wasn¡¯t anything there, even though she could feel it with her aura, it was like it was intangible, or¡­ Letting out a groan of annoyance, Kya contorted her body in mid-air, and though the dark bolt missed her flesh, it still pulled at her cloak as it passed by, leaving a large trail of black shadow where it touched. It took her a moment to notice, but that part of her cloak suddenly felt¡­ heavy. Not incredibly so, but she could definitely tell it was pulling down on her body more than it should have. Canceling her slow fall ability, Kya fell swiftly to the bridge. She noted with distaste that the heaviness of the mark had only increased now that it was fully affected by gravity once again and looked up just in time to see the dark archer charging up yet another shadow arrow. Without a second to lose, she charged forwards, summoning her dagg- they were being upgraded at the smithy right now she realized, leaving her stunned into inaction for a moment. ¡°Shit¡± she snarled in her mind, the moments confusion and faltering costing her as the archer released and though she once more jumped with the aid of her slow fall, she was a second too late as the arrow seemingly bent the air around it and approached her like an inexorable force. Striking her right shin, Kya braced herself for the explosive pain and shattered bone but¡­ there wasn¡¯t anything, no pain or injury at all, just weight. Her leg suddenly felt like it had been transmuted to lead as she fell back to the ground in a sudden rush. She still had her slow fall activated, but even so felt dragged down from her leg. Looking down she saw that again, her clothes and boots were completely undamaged, but it was as though someone had thrown a bucket of black paint on her leg or like she¡¯d stepped knee deep in a vat of oil. She dared not deactivate her skill again, because although she couldn¡¯t be sure, she had a strong suspicion based on the mark of her cloak that she wouldn¡¯t be able to move her leg at all if she did. Throwing caution to the wind, as she saw the archer charge a third dark arrow, she reached out to him directly and pulled. She felt him with her aura as much as watched him stumble forwards, letting out a yelp in surprise, before falling face first into the paving stones and skidding forwards another few feet before Kya let go, all the while she¡¯d been running forwards. Even though her leg felt like stone, her enhanced speed from gaining a class meant it only took her a matter of seconds to reach the man, not nearly long enough for him to fully recover. She was upon him just as he climbed back to his feet. Getting a sudden burst of inspiration, Kya jabbed her fist out while simultaneously pulling the man towards her, giving the resulting gut punch twice the power it would have had before. She grinned in satisfaction as she felt her fist sink in, but something felt off. He didn¡¯t grunt in pain, or double over as she had expected, and it was only too clear why. While he had been caught off guard by the attack being suddenly landed in his stomach, the man was unfortunately wearing light but high-quality leather armor, so what should have been a debilitating attack, was downgraded to an uncomfortable but bearable pain. At the same time, the dark arrow he¡¯d been channeling into his bow hadn¡¯t vanished as she¡¯d expected it to but had stayed in the archer''s hand after he¡¯d fallen. The same arrow that was now poking through her left arm and into her rib cage after a swift retaliatory jab from the archer. Like a syrup slowly pouring over her body, she felt the weight come on gradually, but without seeming to end. Her leg, even with the slow fall activated, was already a burden just to shift around, but now her arm and torso were being affected as well. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Sensing she needed to finish this altercation as soon as possible, the thought of fleeing not even entering her mind, Kya decided to gamble on something she¡¯d been wondering about for some time. Kya pulled out one of the many glowstones she¡¯d looted from her trek into Arthur¡¯s house and chambers, this one slightly smaller than the palm of her hand. Though it¡¯s size limited the brightness, in the rapidly growing darkness from the setting suns, it was still enough to at least make the archer pause in whatever he was about to do, which gave her just the opening she¡¯d been wanting. Aiming directly at the ground and pushing with every fiber of strength she could muster, Kya launched the glowstone like an intercontinental ballistic missile strike. In theory, what should have happened was the stone shattering on impact and releasing a blinding light to stun her opponent, giving her the perfect opening to take control in the fight, rather than remain on the backfoot as she had been. If the stone had shattered, it would have worked like a charm. If the stone released all of its light in one go, that too would have been profoundly effective. If. What happened instead was the stone shot out of her hands and landed with thud into the stones creating a tiny impact crater and otherwise giving off its ordinary glow with a determined lack of reaction to her slamming it down like a Superbowl winning touchdown. Both Kya and the archer stared at the inert glowing rock sitting on the stones between them, then looked up and met one another''s gaze. She could see for the first time the pitch-black eyes of the man, accented with streaks of luminous pink. ¡°That uh, didn¡¯t really work how you wanted it to, I¡¯m guessing.¡± He said, with the nerve to sound amused. Though most of his face was still obscured in shadow, she got the absolutely unambiguous impression that he was smiling at her. Sighing with a mix of exasperation and slight embarrassment, Kya said back ¡°Yeah, I¡­ yeah.¡± Then, with an almost casual movement that made it seem slower than the whiplash speed it actually was, the archer plunged one final arrow of darkness directly into her sternum. It was smaller than the others, she assumed due to the lack of build up time, but nevertheless made her feel like she was sinking into solid rock, or buried alive in quicksand. Refusing to simply give up the fight, she tried for one final trick. Focusing all her will on the man, she blasted him back and away with a concentrated projection of her will. Rocketing backwards, he collided with one of the riverside buildings, and slumped forwards with an audible groan. Armor or no, Kya knew he felt that one. Taking out one of the temple stones she¡¯d used from way back before she¡¯d even gotten her first dagger, she took aim, intending to launch it at him and try to, if nothing else, incapacitate the man. She didn¡¯t want to kill him as she had too many questions about what was happening and not nearly enough answers. But yet again, she was forced to confront the fact that she didn¡¯t know enough about not just this world, but her opponent and the abilities that others had. Though the fight had only spanned maybe two or three minutes at this point, and she should have a lot more in her, the stone she shot forwards went only a couple of feet before falling harmlessly to the stones below. Her vision started to dim slightly around the edges, and with reluctance, she finally canceled out her slow fall. She recognized the feeling as when she had used too much of herself, even if it confused her as to why it had come so soon. She knew the arrows themselves had to be the culprit, but not how or why. The moment her ability to alter the gravity around her came to an end, so too did the fight. She immediately fell to the ground, her leg, chest, and even her cloak orders of magnitude heavier than they had any right to be. Laying there on her back, looking up at the first stars that were peeking through the twilight, she felt a raw, pure, and scorching hot fury. Although she partially felt it towards the archer, she honestly didn¡¯t hold it against him. She respected the way he¡¯d handled himself, and the abilities he¡¯d shown. Anyone who could so thoroughly counter her, especially while on the same level as another 1-Star, deserved their win. No, she felt furious with herself. Stumbling over herself just because she didn¡¯t have her daggers, trying out a completely untested and unproven strategy that backfired in her face, punching in the gut where any competent person would have some sort of protection rather than simply going for the head, she had made error after error in this fight. She did well against beasts, and she had startled and gotten the better of the earth user in the ritual chamber on luck more than anything else. But against an equally matched and prepared fighter? She had been proud of how well she¡¯d been doing and perhaps grown a bit overconfident in herself. But she had to remember one of her favorite quotes from one of her favorite characters in one of her favorite shows. Pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. And boy did she feel ashamed. Looking over, she saw the archer dust himself off and walk slowly towards her. Despite all of the thoughts running through her head, she still felt a bitter satisfaction at the limp in his walk, though it went away a moment later when he downed the telltale red liquid of a health potion. He stopped a foot away from her, and crouched down onto his haunches. then said a single word in a low, satisfied, albeit congested voice that Kya knew she could never, and would never forget... ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Carcelo hadn¡¯t taken more than thirty minutes to gather his things. He had been expecting something like this ever since he¡¯d heard that his father would be deploying out, and that Lord Cain was coming to the city. He didn¡¯t know all the details, alright, he didn¡¯t know most of the details. He was still just a 1-Star, even with a relatively well connected father, it didn¡¯t change that. So while he was privy to slightly more than most, it still wasn¡¯t much. He knew that there had been the reappearance of spatial users, with a handful cropping up across the world. But the first one the world had been made aware of was right in the Loterran Empires backyard, the small coastal city of Lyra. Carcelo knew that it had been his own father who¡¯d found the spatial user, and that it had resulted in an¡­ incident. He knew his father, and could quite easily hazard a guess as to what actually happened, but most people didn¡¯t know this side of his father, or at least weren¡¯t willing to discuss it openly. But all this to say, Carcelo had anticipated for some time now being sent, if not to Lyra, then at least to somewhere. This meant that he¡¯d long since made the preparations with a packed bag and orders for the house staff on what to do when he inevitably was sent out. It was happening sooner than expected, but the staff were efficient and professional, and in no time at all, Carcello had retrieved his belongings, all packed neatly and stowed into the spatial bracer he wore on his right arm. Though he¡¯d never once voiced the observation to his parents, he¡¯d always found it dreadfully ironic that they¡¯d been so violently, harshly, and vocally opposed to spatial users and their legacy, yet kept around spatial storage items for their sheer convenience. His mother refused to store certain things in them, like her instruments or sentimental items, but would nevertheless use them for everything else. Being the youngest, and being the least powerful of the lot, he wasn¡¯t given the higher valued spatial ring or necklace of his older siblings, but rather an old dull metal arm brace. Though he took pristine care of it, oiling it and cleaning it nearly every night along with his war hammer and both sets of armor, it remained an obstinate and inert dull gray. Still, even though he¡¯d been raised in their house, he still somewhat rebelliously liked the soft, intricate lines of pink quartz that wove their way up and around the otherwise bland surface. In a less ornate uniform than his fathers, Carcello nevertheless looked professional and distinguished as he stepped out onto the front porch and bid goodbye to the keeper of the house. He wasn¡¯t as high ranking as a master servant, with only a gray sash over his yellow clothes instead of the tell tale white, but he still held an important position in the house staff. ¡°Well, Bynes, look after the place. Don¡¯t throw any crazy parties, and no friends over after-¡± he cut off at the desert dry look Bynes gave, the elf''s silver hair and overgrown eyebrows gave him a unique ability to throw such gazes around. ¡°Sir,¡± he said in his aged and regal voice, ¡°I have never once held a crazy party, even if my book club tea sessions sometimes get quite heated with our discussions of the-¡± ¡°Bynes, I think I¡¯m going to miss you most of all.¡± His face remaining stoic as ever, Carcello couldn¡¯t miss the twinkle that leapt into his eye as he tipped his head slightly and said ¡°And I you, sir. Be safe on your journey and write often. I will arrange a link chamber as soon as I can, and expect you to update me at least once a week. That¡¯s nonnegotiable sir.¡± Grinning, and then letting the grin grow a bit sad, Carcello said ¡°Seriously, Bynes¡­ take care.¡± Bynes, still no emotion visible on his face, grabbed and pulled him into a quick hug. ¡°Go, sir, and don¡¯t be late.¡± and without another word, let go, walked inside, and gently closed the door. Fifteen minutes later, Carcello arrived at the grand docks of Loterre. As he walked down, he remembered times in his childhood when he would play in the hundreds of waterfalls flowing both to and from the dozens and dozens of layers in the city. He would giggle and laugh as the water took him up a level, then scream at the top of his lungs as he jumped down and landed back in the pool below. Walking past them now, he couldn¡¯t help the ghost of a smile pulling at his lips. He put out a hand as he passed by one pouring down just off the pathway, the smile he¡¯d threatened broadening into a full grin as the bubbles and water droplets all jumped and floated away into the air. Finally, he made it to the large carved walls of the military-owned docks, seeing at least a dozen platoons, and more than a hundred soldiers already forming up and beginning to board ships. Stopping in line, he patiently waited his turn until finally he stood at attention and gave his orders and name to the 2-Star attendant on duty. ¡°Excellent, cutting it a little close, but better than others.¡± The pale skinny man''s voice was slightly condescending as his eyes looked past Carcello to those still running up to get in line. ¡°You¡¯ll be with delta company, second platoon under Captain Jeerin. Report to there for more specific instructions.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir¡± and took back his orders. Before he could take a single step, however, the entire marshaling ground was brought to a screeching halt and absolute silence reigned as an overwhelming pressure overtook them all. Moments later, directly in the center of the yard, there was an explosion of dust and earth with the tremors knocking many of the already stunned soldiers to their knees. Carcello had no idea what was happening, he managed to stay on his feet, but this feeling, this pressure, his body seemed twice as heavy as normal. Still, he knew something was wrong, that much was clear. Had an upper portion of the city collapsed down? That almost never happened with the enchanted stones and expert crafting, but still, what else could have just¡­ A deep, bellowing laughter echoed out across the yard, the only sound aside from the crumbling stones. Climbing from the newly made crater was a man in a robe tied over one shoulder, leaving the left side of his chest bare and exposed. Despite the fact that he¡¯d clearly just fallen and landed from who knows where, he had only minor scrapes and the tiniest trickle of scarlet blood on his face. With a voice like a beating drum, the man called out like he was trying to tell the whole capital city, the sheer force of his voice blasting back the cloud of dust ¡°You were right Orrin! That wasn¡¯t bad, not bad at all. But I hope you¡¯re ready for mine!¡± Then he crouched down and Carcello honestly thought the world broke for a moment. One minute he saw the massive man crouching there, then the man was simply gone, and finally the ground around where he¡¯d just been cracked anew with the air catching aflame for a fraction of a moment in a pillar going almost straight up before dissipating, the only remnants the afterglow lingering in Carcello¡¯s eyes as he blinked rapidly trying to dispel it. ¡°What¡­ who¡­ what just happened?¡± He said while rubbing his eyes and finally feeling like he could once again freely draw breath. ¡°That¡± said the 2-Star attendant, likewise rubbing at his eyes ¡°was Lord Cain. And you¡¯re traveling with him so¡­ have fun with that¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Wade and Alder climbed off the silver tram, having just returned from the outer farmlands. They weren¡¯t doing a leisurely pace, but instead moved with at least a mild sense of haste as they made their way through the city. ¡°Which one did you want to take?¡± asked Alder, walking backwards with his hands behind his head. Despite her desire to move a little faster, he silently insisted on moving a little slower. ¡°And can we stop for snacks?¡± Wade didn¡¯t look over, didn¡¯t even respond to the second part. Internally, she really wouldn¡¯t have minded a snack, but her desire to make progress was stronger. ¡°I want the one with the Fell Serpent. My new aura should counter its venom at least partially, and with you to get it out of the water and ground, it should be doable.¡± Alder whistled and cracked a smile ¡°Fells aren¡¯t simple Wade. I¡¯m not unwilling but that¡¯s a lot of work for no pay.¡± Wade pursed her lips slightly, having honestly forgotten about the fact they still wouldn¡¯t get paid for contracts from the bullshit punishment detail. ¡°I won¡¯t lie, that is some shit¡± she said, ¡°but I still want to try it.¡± Turning around to walk forwards with a shrug, Alder said ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it. Could be a long contract though, we¡¯ll need to pick up¡­ some¡­ holy shit, is that Kya?¡± Wade had stopped and looked at him as he trailed off, then whipped her head back to look where he was staring and saw the sweaty, dirt stained Kya walking slowly through the city, her eyes staring downwards seemingly at nothing. ¡°Kya!¡± Alder called out, as they both made a beeline for her. Looking up and waving back with a sigh, she said ¡°Oh, hey guys, how are you doing?¡± ¡°We¡¯re doing fine, doing fine. Well, I¡¯m a little hungry to be honest, but-¡± ¡°Kya, what happened, you look like you lost a fight?¡± Wade cut in, before Alder could get too far off track. Her face souring, Kya looked down again and let out a deep sigh. ¡°Yeah¡­ I didn¡¯t really¡­¡± She looked up at Alder then, notably not meeting Wade¡¯s eyes and said with¡­ was that embarrassment? ¡°I er uh¡­ got tagged.¡± 53. Contracts and Contemplations ¡°Stop laughing, it¡¯s really- It¡¯s not even that funny.¡± Kya said, though she couldn¡¯t hold back a self-deprecating laugh. Wade was coming up on the ninety second mark of raucous laughter. The normally reserved giantess of a woman had taken several silent seconds to process Kya¡¯s confession that the dirt still clinging to her cloak and scuffs on her face were the results of being tagged for the game they had mocked days before and¡­ well, she still hadn¡¯t stopped laughing. Alder, who¡¯d been laughing himself, came over and put a commiserating hand on her shoulder, then said while trying his utmost to keep a straight face and in the tone of a parent consoling a child ¡°Yah know Kya, it¡¯s okay. I was tagged, you watched me tag Rory. It happens to the best of us. What matters is-¡± and here a glint came into his eye ¡°did you get the guy¡¯s name?¡± Wade slapped his back, laughing so hard she¡¯d gone silent. Fearing to ask, but feeling that she must, Kya said ¡°Why¡­ would I have needed his name?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s awfully hard to find a man without knowing his name¡­ wink wink, wink w-ugh¡± he finished with a grunt as Wade stopped slapping his back and instead punched him in the stomach¡­ before both started laughing again. Finally coming up for air as though she¡¯d been underwater, Wade said through gasps ¡°Oh, gods above and below, I can¡¯t believe you actually signed up for the league. You must be nearly in last place after having signed up so late. Still, you should have accumulated a couple of points on the last day, or else that guy wouldn¡¯t have targeted you. Any idea who you¡¯re going to go after?¡± Feeling once again like she really should know this but was, regardless, being forced to ask, Kya said ¡°How do points, uh¡­ work? Can I see how many I have? Can I see how many others have?I know some of the basic rules of the game, but I wasn¡¯t exactly in the mood to ask questions before with the games master.¡± A hard look of understanding coming over her face, replacing the merriment that had been there a moment before, Wade asked ¡°Oh, that pompous ass who likes to fuck with your emotions? Yeah, I don¡¯t blame you.¡± Taking a deep breath, trying to hold on to some of the levity from earlier, she said ¡°Alright, so basically-¡± ¡°It¡¯s crazy simple.¡± Alder cut in ¡°Every six hours you go without being tagged, you get points, and every hour you go while tagged, you lose points. There are some more nuances and whatnot, but that¡¯s really all there is to it!¡± He finished with a beaming smile, just before being smacked on the back of the head by Wade. ¡°Ow! Why¡¯d you-¡± Alder began in mock annoyance, before smirking and falling quiet at Wades roll of the eyes. ¡°Though that is the basic principle, there is more to it, obviously¡± throwing a look at Alder. ¡°The points double for the first several intervals, before going to a flat thousand. Likewise, you¡¯ll lose points you¡¯ve collected at every interval while you¡¯re tagged. Once you tag someone, you get half of the points they had, or a set sixty-four if they had less than that, making it worth your while to tag someone higher up in the rankings. But you can also go for someone who¡¯s far beneath you if you¡¯re just in a hurry to get the tag off your back.¡± She finished with a shrug ¡°Depends on your priorities really.¡± Kya nodded along as she listened, confirming what she¡¯d more or less suspected as there are only so many rules you can apply to a game of tag. More than that, though, this was all the information she needed that her new quest hadn¡¯t deigned important enough to include. It had triggered the moment the shadowed archer had tagged her, but she¡¯d been too absorbed in the moment and trying to fight back against the archer even as he turned and walked away whistling a merry tune. She had been in the middle of reading over it when Alder and Wade came up to her, and now she looked at it once more with greater clarity. - - - - - New Quest! No Tag Backs: Having accepted a place in the Loterran 1-Star Ultimate Evasion League, you have somehow failed to grasp the concept of evasion. You must now find another target aside from the one who targeted you, or risk losing the competition entirely. Take note that the greater the risk, the greater the reward. - Objective: Tag another 1-Star member of the evasion league. - Time Remaining: 12d:13h:12m:38s: - Reward: Rewards contingent on manner of quest completion. - - - - - She noticed something interesting that might give her a bit of a leg up in the competition, though she wasn¡¯t sure discussing it would lead to any positive outcomes. When she dismissed the window and focused on where to find someone to tag, she got the same vague sense of direction she¡¯d felt from her quest on the farm. It wasn¡¯t exact by any means, but it did give her several dozen potential leads to chase for a target. A sly grin spread across her face as she realized she might just have a chance at winning big. Alder had been talking while she was reading and focusing, some story about how he¡¯d been tagged last year, just missing out on the championships. An additional thing Kya noticed now for the first time, that although she hadn¡¯t really been paying attention to the story, she could still more or less remember what he¡¯d said and was even able to respond ¡°Wait, he was able to lift you into the air to tag you? Is that where you got the idea for trapping Rory in the ground?¡± ¡°Yes! My gods was that funny, the looks on-¡± Kya had never been the best multitasker, but as with the experience when she¡¯d run for the first time after gaining her class and felt an overwhelming sense of freedom and power, she was realizing that her mental capacities had increased as well. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to cut you off¡± said Kya, very much cutting off Alder, ¡°But I was just on my way to the guild library, I have some reading to do. Are you heading that way as well?¡± All around them, lanterns, glowstones, and candles had come alive, bringing a warm golden glow to the city. Alder¡¯s eyes took on a sharp look when she mentioned the guild, and though Wade opened her mouth to say something, he cut her off saying ¡°Yes, actually, that would be great. We were going to pick up a 2-Star quest, but I have a proposition for you instead, let me tell you about it while we walk.¡± ~ ~ ~ ¡°So let me get this straight,¡± said the increasingly exasperated guild clerk in the contract hall ¡°You¡¯re a team of three, and despite the two 2-Star veterans behind you, you¡¯re the leader. You¡¯ve been a guild member for what, a couple weeks?¡± Wade stood like a looming mountain behind them, wearing an expression of reluctance as Alder spoke up with what he had called his haughtiest voice that made Kya struggle to keep a straight face ¡°Yes, well, the family wanted the young mistress here to get some experience in a leadership role. Despite her being new to all this, she does have an immense amount of power for one so young. Regardless, it would uh¡­¡± Alder waved his hand, looking for the right word. ¡°Behoove?¡± suggested Kya, mentally cringing at herself. Smiling widely, and then inclining his head, Alder continued ¡°Thank you ma¡¯am, it would behoove you to make too many waves here over something so minor. Teams take multiple contracts all time. The 2-Star quest for us to complete while we¡¯re out, but the others are simply for her to gain experience.¡± The attendant frowned deeply, clearly still unhappy with the whole situation, but after looking over the group once more, his gaze lingering on the grumpy looking cliff that was Wade, he finally just let out a sigh and said ¡°Fine. Fine. You can have the 2-Star quest, and two 1-Star quests. If you complete those, then we¡¯ll see about more. This is already a compromise, so I¡¯m not budging from here.¡± Alder cast a dramatic look towards Kya, and when she didn¡¯t say anything, he turned back and said ¡°It seems the young madam takes no issue with this. We¡¯ll register for the 2-Star back there with the Fell Serpent, and then two others we¡¯ve already picked out in the same area.¡± Then in a less bombastic and more subdued tone, stated ¡°Should be gone to the western hills along the Korilus river for about a week depending on the difficulty, but it¡¯ll be a couple days before we head out as the young lady is waiting on some equipment from a smith. We¡¯ll send back word if we¡¯re delayed, and if you don¡¯t hear from us within that time at all, check the papers for our stars. As long as they''re still there, we¡¯re still working. If you don¡¯t hear from us in two-and-a-half weeks though, send a scout to investigate.¡± The clerk sighed before nodding, seeming much more at ease in familiar territory ¡°Standard contract terms then. Be sure to file a complete report of the monsters you encounter, along with any civilian interactions or damaged property. Will you be requesting minimum compensation?¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°No, but we will be requesting the hazard pay for taking on the serpent.¡± The clerk scribbled down some notes on the contract, then slid it to Kya. ¡°Look that over, make sure everything¡¯s in order and then seal it with your star. As for the other two, take your pick and simply seal them on your way out.¡± Picking up the paper, Kya got a somewhat familiar, though altered prompt to one she¡¯d read much earlier. Kya couldn¡¯t hold back a sigh, as her enthusiastic narrator spoke in a voice like an edgy Optimus-Prime. - - - - - - NEW QUEST! - Guild Contract - Fell Serpent in the Korilus River - 2-Star - Uncommon - There have been several reports of a Fell class serpent sporadically attacking ships and even a small village along the Korilus River. Though the claims have gone uncorroborated, even the whispers of a Fell Monster in the area are worth investigation. Seriously, good luck with this one. - Objective - Slay the Fell Serpent roaming the waters of the Korilus River. - Time Remaining - N/A - Guild Rewards - Depending on the verifiable hazards faced on the contract, rewards will range from nothing up to a maximum of two auren per team member (three members), a 2-Star mana crystal each, and selection of one 2-Star item from the guild armory. - Quest Rewards - Sigil of Serpents, Reptiles, and Amphibians - 2-Star - Rare - Accept Guild Contract? (Yes)/(No) - - - - - Looking over at Wade, who¡¯d been reading it over her shoulder, Kya finally accepted the quest after getting her nod of approval that everything checked out. The back of Kya¡¯s left hand itched slightly as her star emblem appeared at the bottom of the contract. Sliding the paper back to the clerk, he didn¡¯t even give it a second glance before placing it in one of his desk drawers, then gave them a haggard smile and asked ¡°Will you need anything else from me?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s about everything!¡± Alder called from where he was browsing the 1-Star contracts posted all around the massive hall. ¡°Thanks for your help!¡± Just then, another group of users came into the hall, three elves and a human. The two male elves had slender swords strapped to their backs, while the female elf had an elegant white bow. The last one, a greasy looking human man, had either some heavy armor or about six winter coats and was covered in beads of sweat. The other group sized them up briefly, and Kya felt a tingle on the back of her neck, before the eyes of the female elf went wide. The group made their way up the center of the golden carpet towards the counter speaking in soft voices as Kya and Wade walked past them towards Alder. As she was getting into the habit of doing, Kya identified the female elf. - - - - - Veridia Alson Class - Sand Storm - 1-Star - - - - - As soon as the small window popped up in front of Kya for her to read, the elf''s head whipped around, and her pale golden eyes locked with Kya¡¯s. For the first time, Kya realized that others might have the ability to tell if she identified them and wasn¡¯t sure of the implications of that. After the elf just narrowed her eyes and turned away however, Kya just mentally shrugged, but taking note of both the elf and what she¡¯d learned from the interaction. ¡°Here,¡± Alder said when the two were next to him again ¡°these two are in the same area as the serpent quest, so we can knock them out. They aren¡¯t the toughest monsters, but you could definitely use the experience based on what we¡¯ve seen.¡± He still wore what Kya was coming to think of as his characteristic half smile, but his voice had taken on a slightly more serious tone. ¡°Seal your star, then let''s get out of here before that elf you annoyed causes us any headaches.¡± A few minutes later, the three stood next to one of the large fountains in the stone circle outside the guild hall. In the late hour, there were still a few people going about their business, but the simple fact that there weren¡¯t many people around leant the area a sort of serene ambiance that Kya found quite soothing. The glowstones inside the fountain and candles floating around in the sky all made for a peaceful atmosphere. Alder, who¡¯d held off until they were outside, continued ¡°I can tell you¡¯ve had some training back when you were a zero. And that¡¯s good, I mean, it¡¯s better than nothing. But it¡¯s also clear that it was just that: training for a zero. I mean¡­¡± He scratched the back of his head and turned to Wade ¡°You can speak to this a fair bit more than I can, but from what I¡¯ve seen, it¡¯s an almost entirely unincorporated fighting style.¡± Wade, who hadn¡¯t spoken much at all since they¡¯d come up with their plan to get the quests, nodded and finally spoke up ¡°No, I agree.¡± Then turned her blood red eyes to Kya and said ¡°You are quick to adapt, and somewhat creative in how you apply your abilities. That¡¯s good. And in a minor city like this, that might, might let you skate by. But the path of power is not one so simple that you can just make it up as you go. We-¡± she gestured both to herself and Alder ¡°Went through several months of Loterran training to make sure we were at least competent. Before that, I went through two months of training entirely with the Church of War to lay down a foundation for fighting and rising through the ranks. If we¡¯re going to go through with this inane plan to earn money while on punishment detail, which I¡¯m still not entirely sold on by the way, then the least we can do is help you out a little bit.¡± Kya rubbed her jaw lightly, before asking ¡°So you¡¯re going to help train me while we travel? I can understand that I might need some refreshers, it has been a while since I was taught the basics but is it really that bad?¡± Wade looked at Alder, who just grinned back at her, and nodded with a thumbs up. ¡°Try and hit me,¡± she said simply. ¡°You can use any abilities, weapons, tools, whatever you want. Go ahead.¡± Kya laughed, before she asked ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Absolutely, go ahead, give it a try. I won¡¯t use my abilities at all, just try and hit me.¡± ¡°... alright then.¡± Alder jumped up and squatted on the wall of the fountain, eyes as wide as the moons overhead. ¡°Ready¡­ fight!¡± Kya leaped forwards, and threw a simple jab at Wade. The woman was built like a mountain, even though she knew there was no way she¡¯d be able to take her in a fight as she was a fully fledged 2-Star user, Kya still felt confident about at least landing a blow. But it was as if she¡¯d been attacking a ghost or an after image. One second Wade was standing in front of her, both arms clasped behind her back, the next her fist passed through open air as a knee sank into her ribs. Coughing and gasping for air, looked up from her hands and knees at the towering woman who simply looked down at her. ¡°Too slow. Too obvious. Too easy.¡± Activating her slow fall ability, Kya shot to her feet faster than the crack of a whip, and then deactivating it to give herself weight, she attempted a swift uppercut to- Her legs were swept out from under her, and she was on the ground before she even realized what was happening. ¡°Faster, but still too obvious.¡± Letting out a growl of frustration, Kya once more activated her slow fall, but this time launched herself up above Wade¡¯s head, her foot cleaving down like a guillotine aimed right at the crook between neck and shoulder. Only because she¡¯d been looking for it, she was able to blast away Wade¡¯s arm with her push-and-pull ability just as she was about to catch her kick, but the moment of triumph she¡¯d been about to revel in was torn away as Wade moved with her blast of force, spinning slightly to not only dodge her kick by a fraction of an inch, but also bring her other arm around in a left hook and slam Kya away with the force of a truck. ¡°This is my point.¡± Wade said after she helped Kya to her feet. ¡°You do well against beasts that can¡¯t plan, reason, or adapt well to your abilities. But that¡¯s not remotely viable in the long term. For the next couple of weeks, in exchange for us getting to go on actual contracts again, we¡¯re going to whip you into shape as much as we can. That way you won¡¯t be torn apart when you go to the Academy for the next term and can actually make it to the 2-Star level and beyond.¡± Alder sauntered over, both hands behind his head like he was reclined in a hammock. ¡°That went exactly as well as I thought it would- Ow!¡± he finished with a yelp as Wade punched him on the shoulder, causing him to stumble back and look hurt. ¡°Like you would have done better after only a couple weeks with your abilities.¡± Wade said, before turning back to Kya. ¡°Let¡¯s call it a night here. Tomorrow your training begins in earnest. Meet us back here at Blues first light. Once your daggers are ready from the smith, we¡¯ll head out on our quest. Good?¡± Kya had been silent since Wade helped her to her feet. She had been aware that there was a definite need for improvement, and knew that Wade was more powerful than her without a doubt, but still¡­ She nodded sharply. Eyes full of fire as she looked at the other two. ¡°Alright. Thank you, both of you. Any guidance you can give will be excellent, and I¡¯ll be beyond grateful for it. I know there¡¯s a lot I don¡¯t know, and a lot I need to improve, but this is something I more than understand. This is something I can do.¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Wade and Alder stood together, watching the retreating back of Kya as she made her way to the room she¡¯d rented out further into the city. After a moment, Alder said ¡°Are we¡­ doing the right thing Wade? I know we met her before she got to her class, and I know most of that propaganda is bullshit, but¡­ helping a spatial user get more powerful? Beyond that, there¡¯s the whole founder thing, which I still don¡¯t even fully understand. It just seems like the more we associate with her, the more trouble we¡¯re asking for. I like her, and I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with her but¡­ still.¡± Wade sat down on the stone rim of the fountain, Alder taking a second before sitting down next to her. She undid her tightly bound hair and idly played with the strands while looking up at the sky. ¡°I- I don¡¯t know. I truly don¡¯t know, Alder.¡± She let out a long sigh, and then looked at him ¡°If my aunt found out I was working with a spatial user, she¡¯d probably have me put in chains. Hell, she¡¯d probably close the manacles herself.¡± She said the last part with a humorless laugh. Alder smiled ¡°My grandfather and father both would do the same. My great-grandfather died in the war, you know.¡± They both kept their own thoughts for a while longer, before Wade finally looked up and said ¡°Tomorrow, after we¡¯ve gotten a few hours training in, I¡¯m going to have her fully explain everything to us. That whole thing with the ritual on the farm, how she got her class, what makes her a founder, all of it. Because, yeah, I don¡¯t fully understand it either. But we need answers. There¡¯s a storm brewing, and I won¡¯t be caught off guard. But if we don¡¯t know how to prepare, how can we prepare?¡± Alder nodded slowly ¡°Yeah¡­ yeah alright.¡± Then he stood and stretched before grinning over at her lazily ¡°Out of curiosity¡­ Can I try and land a hit?¡± Wade grinned back, standing as well ¡°You can try.¡± 54. Digging a Little Deeper Sayrin¡¯s eyes fluttered open as the rumbling carriage hit a particularly large bump in the road. He had been cramped into the carriage for hours and hours, his wounds aching as he recovered, and the road, though paved with smooth stones, was still bumpy and unpleasant to traverse for any great length of time. And yet he felt¡­ good. Really good. But he surely didn¡¯t have any doubts as to why. Though the suns had just set, the faint orange glowstones outside their carriage combined with the hazy purple and green of the evening sky, let in dull rusty shafts of light that lit up the long slender fingers of his wife as she moved up and down the strings of her lyre. This is one she¡¯d been tinkering with for years and had some dozen strings more than it was supposed to. But this unique design, though unorthodox, meant she could create the softest and most richly sweet tones that played off one another. The notes weren¡¯t loud, and yet they carried on the wind kissing his ears and filling his mind with peace. Every now and then, she would reach further to pluck at one of the thicker strings, creating a deep resonance that both seemed to fight against the melody and yet elevate it as well. It was an almost intoxicating experience, and before he knew it, Sayrin had once more closed his eyes, drifting back into a warm hazy sleep. Finally, the carriage pulled to a stop and Sayrin roused himself once more, the deafening silence and stillness without the regular movement of the road told him they had arrived at their first destination: The artisan''s city, Rosoon. Reaching out, Sayrin softly placed his hand on his wife''s, and said ¡°Dearest, we¡¯re stopping for the night. You can stay here for a little while longer, but I need to make sure the soldiers are settled and those that brought their families are given the proper accommodations in the barracks. I¡¯ll be back for you shortly.¡± he wrapped his knuckle twice and the carriage door was opened for him, but he paused as he climbed out and said in a whisper ¡°And dear¡­ thank you for the songs while I slept. Truly.¡± Then with a final squeeze of her hand, Sayrin left his half-sleeping wife and strolled outside for the first time in hours. True to form, the outpost in Rosoon was just opulently built. Sayrin was used to the rough and ready building style when it came to most military buildings. Get a few earth users together, have each of them construct walls and a roof of stone, and just like that you have your new base of operations. Of course, the cots, sleeping rolls, food, weapons, and all the other supplies needed to keep soldiers functional in the field had to be carried with them in spatial compartments, but at least they never lacked for shelter. Their more permanent bases of operation were given more focused attention by higher ranking users able to add more nuance and architectural finesse to the buildings, but they nevertheless had the same general footprint and construction as every other building. Dosoon though, Dosoon was different. Elegant columns rose from pedestals all around the central open-air courtyard, supporting beautifully carved arches between them, and large red glowstones that helped light up the gloomy night without sacrificing their night vision. This was just a small part of the city that the government had claimed as their own for any and all official military operations needing to travel through the area, but even still, it was as though the citizens wouldn¡¯t tolerate such ugly buildings in their vicinity. For each barrack building rather than being long and low with an occasional window, was tall and masterfully designed. The floors were honest to gods wood rather than rough stone, and there were even smaller rooms inside that slept four a piece instead of the long single bay room they were used to. Walking up to his men, Sayrin said in his deep commanding voice ¡°Well, certainly not the worst accommodations we could have had, eh? Don¡¯t get used to it though, I hear the mountain villages are quite austere.¡± At once the group snapped to attention, and the senior most one there, sergeant Delv, saluted and said simply ¡°Yes sir, we won¡¯t sir.¡± Returning the salute, Sayrin said ¡°Please, at ease everyone. So, sergeant, how are the soldiers getting settled? And where might I find lieutenant Hanrin?¡± At the command of ¡®at ease¡¯ the group of soldiers all immediately clasped their hands behind their backs and looked at him with entirely blank expressions. All except one. Mouley looked at Sayrin with gnashing teeth and eyes of ice and fire. Sayrin hadn¡¯t ever really respected the young man, as he was far too¡­ simple for Sayrin¡¯s liking, but here at least, he could respect the direct and unveiled hatred the man had developed for Sayrin. ¡°The lieutenant was at the head of the convoy last time I saw him, along with lieutenant Gorin. We¡¯re settling in fine, those with families are being given the room to themselves, everyone else is bunking up by squad. We¡¯ll do lights-out in thirty minutes, Sir.¡± came the dispassionate response from Delv. Sayrin remembered the formerly excited and hard-working soldier Delv had been, eager to prove himself and eager to assist. Sighing, Sayrin nodded and said ¡°Thank you sergeant. Come find me just before lights out once all the soldiers are settled in, we¡¯ll go over the hit times for tomorrow.¡± ¡°Roger sir, will do.¡± was all he got in response, before the entire group turned and wordlessly walked away. Mouley cast back one more look before following the rest into the work of art that passed for a building. Looking up at the little green moon in the night sky with his hands on his hips, Sayrin said quietly ¡°I can¡¯t help but dig myself holes at every turn, it seems. It just¡­ never stops, does it?¡± He stayed rooted to the spot for a minute longer, before shaking his head and setting off to find his two lieutenants, or rather, his two remaining lieutenants. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Carcello thought about how his father had made this trip earlier this month, and how uneventful the voyage had been. Sure, lots of unprecedented and borderline unhinged things had happened once they¡¯d arrived in Lyra itself, but the trip across the Tibernus sea was as uneventful as they came. Carcello shook the thought away as he once more brought down his massive war hammer, a percussive and deeply satisfying thud echoing out. It would have been better, Carcello thought, if there wasn¡¯t an absolute madhouse on the deck of his vessel, he could hardly hear himself breathe, let alone the impact of his hammer. ¡°I¡¯ve got about fifteen more off the starboard bow!¡± came a slightly panicked voice. Growling with determination, Carcello sprinted forwards, each step on his left sending a dull ache up through his spine. The wound was more-or-less healed, but more or less wasn¡¯t the same as completely healed. Still, he wouldn¡¯t let something like that prevent him from carrying out his duty aboard the vessel. The rough waves threw their vessel back and forth, frequently washing over the hull in an attempt to drown the ship and those upon it. At least it¡¯s not storming tonight, Carcello had time to think before he threw himself into the latest batch of the most annoying and persistent monsters plaguing these waters: The Sea Squirrels. Thirty minutes later and there was finally a break from the furry little demons. Sea squirrels weren¡¯t that dangerous on their own, being relatively slow and weak individually. The problems arose when they swarmed, and unfortunately for him, Carcello was realizing for the first time just how large the schools of sea squirrels were. That, plus their sleek fur that allowed them to shrug off weaker blows, clawed webbed paws for slicing at any exposed areas, and lightning-fast reflexes that made them difficult to hit anyway meant they were a real menace as they wore people down by sheer relentless volume. As Carcello slid down against a wall, he dismissed his dirt brown helm and took in deep breaths of the cool night air. The suit of armor he wore for combat was excellently made, and the helmet ventilated air well enough, but he still found himself having trouble breathing as battles went on and his endurance started to flag. While sitting there catching his breath, another soldier came over and sat down next to him. The man was clad in a midnight black fur coat with tufts of white dotting it in seemingly random places. He had a bushy, unkempt beard and eyes like burning coals set deeply in his skull. He reached over with arms of corded steel and proffered a small flask. ¡°That is some fine armor you have there¡± his voice was rich and heavily accented, telling Carcello he was from the far far north where the mountains never thawed. ¡°And an even finer hammer. Name¡¯s Hjaldin, it is a pleasure to be fighting with you.¡± Taking the flask, Carcello sniffed it, and smelling nothing, took a tentative swig. His face immediately grew hot, as he felt the liquid blaze a trail of fire down to his belly. Scrunching up his face, he replied ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Carcello, and¡­ pleasure, but what on Gaius¡¯ good earth was that?¡± Laughing raucously, Hjaldin said ¡°That is a special concoction of mine, it is Taertereldnvatsh in my hometown, but you can call it a clearwater home brew.¡± He reached out to take it back, but after hesitating a moment, Carcello took another sip before surrendering the liquid. ¡°It¡¯s nothing like the wines I know from Loterre, and it burns like hell''s own fire on the way down. But¡­ I like it.¡± Taking a swig of his own, spilling some of it on his mangled web of a beard, he gave a broad-toothed grin before spitting it back as a bout of white and blue flames just past Carcello¡¯s face. Taking a split second to comprehend what just happened, Carcello¡¯s head snapped around to see the burning and thrashing body of an enormous sea squirrel that had been mere feet from him. Acting without a second thought, and without rising from his seated position, Carcello swung his war hammer up with a herculean effort before bringing it down on the head of the creature, ending its life in an instant. Or that¡¯s what should have happened. To Carcello¡¯s shock, however, while the mighty hammer blow forced its head into the reinforced planks of the ship''s deck, it did not end the creature''s life. It had been severly injured and was bleeding from a massive gouge out of its head, but nevertheless rose and screamed a shrill, gut wrenching noise at him before a piece of molten slag suddenly appeared in the middle of its wound, dropping the monster in an instant, giving Carcello the warm energy that confirmed a kill. ¡°It would seem the big brothers have come to revenge us for what we did to their little siblings. Come, our shift has not yet ended, and we must defend.¡± Grabbing Carcello by the forearm, the shorter man hauled him to his feet. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Looking around, Carcello saw that he was right. Though the numbers were less than half what they had been, the sea squirrels themselves were now almost twice as large. Before, they would have fit in the palm of his hand and were almost cute in a weird fish sort of way. Now everything was blown up to uncomfortable proportions and they just seemed¡­ wrong. Where before they had fluffy little ears and small brown eyes, now they had gnashing teeth and eyes like a bottomless void. Carcello knew from sailor''s tales they could easily tear through flesh, bone, wood, metal, whatever they got their paws on. Though they were the weakest 2-Star monsters in the region, they were still 2-Stars nonetheless. With a snap of his fingers, Carcello¡¯s helm grew back over his head like grains of sand, and he hefted his war hammer to his shoulder as the calls began to ring out around the ship and the school of 2-star sea squirrels descended. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¡°What do you mean you won¡¯t fight, uh, my Lord?¡± Asked an incredulous 3-Star, with the tone of someone who¡¯s had a very long day and a very short fuse left over. ¡°I mean that unless a 4-Star monster, or better yet a couple of 4-Star monsters show up, I won¡¯t fight. I refuse. Honestly I might not even step in then. There are what, four or five 3-Star warriors dispersed throughout this sorry fleet? You should be able to kill a monster at your own rank each, and the lot of you should be able to handle one at a rank above. Come on Trevor, this cannot be surprising to you at this point.¡± Lord Cain said all of this, before casually sitting back and popping a tiny slice of a purple fruit into his mouth. His face scrunched up and he muttered ¡°whew¡­ that was sour.¡± ¡°Even if there are multiple 3-Star monsters, or even multiple¡­ You¡¯d watch us all sink to the bottom of the Tibernus, food for those¡­ those blasted squirrels?!¡± Cain just looked at him, stared at him, eyes never wavering or breaking contact for a moment. Even though Trevor wanted to look away, to blink, to breath¡­ he couldn¡¯t. It was as if he was held there by some force beyond his power to control, which for a 3-Star Captain in the Loterran army¡­ was something hard to grasp. Slowly, ever so slowly, Lord Cain brought another piece of fruit to his lips and munched on it loudly. Finally, he gave a protracted sigh and Trevor was able to finally blink again. ¡°You kids these days have no spines. Not like in the last war, now those were the days. Not backing down even to the last man. chomping at the bit to take on a good challenge¡± He scratched his chin as he ate another piece of fruit. ¡°Trevor,¡± he said ¡°Tell your peers there are three 4-Stars in the depths right now that I can sense. If you all can handle one, I will make sure the other two stay away. Understand?¡± Closing the door on his way out of the room, Trevor rubbed his hand over his face and took a moment to just inhale and exhale. He really shouldn¡¯t be doing this. As a 3-Star, he didn¡¯t need to breathe anymore and the benefits to not doing so were clear to everyone. Hell, he¡¯d been reprimanded enough times by Carla. But sometimes¡­ sometimes you needed to take a deep breath in order to let it back out to truly exemplify and address your annoyance and frustration. ¡°I think after this mission is over¡­ I¡¯m going to retire and become a chef or something. I¡¯ve always liked cooking.¡± Then his face grew pale. ¡°What if that monster comes to my restaurant?¡± He lapsed into silence before retrieving a small bronze crystal from his spatial ring and imprinting the message into it that Lord Cain had said. There were multiple 4-Star monsters on the way. And they¡¯d have to handle them alone. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Maggie rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she once more poured over the documents scattered infront of her in a complicated disaray. She had collected as much information as she possibly could from the past few weeks and felt so strongly there was a pattern to it all. Her instincts were screaming at her that there was something more going on here. Though they hadn¡¯t exchanged any words, she and wade had shared a long enough look at that ritual site in the farmland to let Maggie know she was on the same page, something here wasn¡¯t adding up. The dwarf that Kya brought in had, however reluctantly, given testimony about the ritual and it¡¯s events. Though it was almost impossible that he had lied, there was still so much that he didn¡¯t say. He more or less just confirmed what they already knew, that two farmers had managed to quietly accrue enough resources to build the ritual chamber and attempt to ressurect the man¡¯s deceased wife. The son being an Earth User explained how they were able to engage in such a large scale project. It would have been incredibly difficult for a 1-Star do have dug out that entire space alone, but given enough time¡­ sure. Maggie could buy that. Then looking at the son¡¯s contract history she¡¯d pulled from the guilds archive showed a steady stream of low risk, low reward contracts he¡¯d been comleting for the last nine months or so. Again, it would have required a level of frugality that borders on the insane, but saving every last scrap of money he made combined with the income from the farm itself¡­ alright, they maybe could have afforded all those death crystals. Maybe. But from there, Maggie was left with only questions that lead to more questions. How did the father, a Zero with no connections at all, get the training to enact a ritual in the first place, let alone one that complex and taboo. How did they aquire so many death attuned crystals without anyone noticing, and from where? There were no financial records of purchases by that family in the guild markets, meaning they had to have come from an outside source if they¡¯d bought them one or two at a time that would be one thing, but it was clear there were dozens and dozens of crystals at one point. Why were they even using death attuned crystals in the first place? Raising the undead could be done in two ways, through reanimation, or through undeath. If they wanted to bring back the mother in any meanigful way so that she would be able to even remember them, they would have needed to use life attuned crystals, not death. And there were a lot of dismembered body parts there which couldn¡¯t be explained in any real way. Either he¡¯d been a serial murderer for months, or had plenty of willing sacrifices to aide him, neither of which made sense. But all of that aside, discounting all of that... how had Kya even know this was going on? It wasn¡¯t like she had just stumbled into the secret underground layer of a resurrection ritual. Was she a part of all of this, and this was just setting up for something bigger? And she was a spatial user on top of everything else. Maggie didn¡¯t care overly much one way or another about people''s classes. Except for those disgusting Emotion Users, the rest were pretty much the same. What mattered more were their cultural ties and whether or not they were an ass. Rory was the best healer she knew and genuinely cared about trying to heal any and every patient he had, but he still had certain¡­ flaws that kept her icy towards him. Maggie rose from her chair in her guild hall office and stretched. She needed to take a step back and get some air. She¡¯d been at this for hours and hours researching everything she could about this case and needed to take a break before she went insane. Going up to the second floor library, Maggie took a deep breath as she looked around the magnificent place. She loved the library with a passion, and for her, sitting in one of the plush armchairs under the magnificent dome and reading a book was a break from the work downstairs. She took a while to parouse the familiar shelves like a gardener looking at rows of flowers before finally picking one and retiring to her favorite armchair. It was on a terrace with a light right next to it that perfectly illuminated the page she was reading, while also letting her see the eastern sky so she could watch the suns rise in a couple of hours. Tucking her feet under herself, and pulling out a blanket from the spatial pouch she wore at her hip, Maggie snuggled up into her chair and opened the book The Various Uses and Effects of Attuned Crystals in Magic Rituals by Apoxilus Talos. Lord Talos had tragically died some four centuries back, but he had been one of the most prodigous scholars of his time, and was a personal favorite of Maggie¡¯s. Opening the cover to the satisfying cracks of leather and smell of old pages, she began her ¡°break¡± in earnest and dug in. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Carcello had three abilities, just like every other fully awakened User in the world. He didn¡¯t have a subclass, never having felt the need or desire for one. He was pure Earth through and through. His family, more specifically the servants of the house, had done the research to find out exactly what abilities he had once he awakened them, as the Knowledge Users from Cretion had long since made a compendium of every known class and subclass, as well as the myriad abilities unique to each class. Carcello¡¯s first ability, the one he¡¯d awakened the moment he received his class ritual, was also his most commonly used and most simple in application. It went by many names in the many cultures around the world, but Carcello liked the simple Titans Strength. It did exactly what it sounded like and made him stronger. He could consume a little of his energy for small boosts, or a massive amount of energy for a power that was almost a full star ahead of his current abilities. This kind of attack left him drained afterwards, but usually, there wasn¡¯t much left of his enemies afterwards to take advantage of his weakened state, so it didn¡¯t really matter. Second to awaken was the only ability that was able to be unlocked by every class, making it hands down the most widely used skill in the world: Push and Pull. With this, he was able to manipulate any stone he was touching in almost any way he wished. These two abilities went almost hand in hand, and though it was all about technique and control, his raw strength certainly didn¡¯t hurt if he ever wanted to do enormous seismic impacts. His last ability to awaken, and the last ability holding him back from getting his second star, was a rare ability that was universally coveted by any User. There were some variations of it for other classes, and of course it was still recorded in the compendium, but it had been difficult to confirm that he had it. Due to its rarity, Carcello had taken to calling it by a name he¡¯d come up with himself: Mountain Climber. It was tricky to use, with difficult to confirm restrictions, but Carcello knew instinctively when it would work and when it wouldn¡¯t. And right now, on board the wooden ships in the middle of the ocean, there was no way this ability would work. Despite this apparent hamstringing of his abilities by losing out, Carcello''s lethality wasn¡¯t diminished in any real capacity. His war hammer was expertly crafted specifically for him, and even carried his personal crest on its face, binding it to his soul. An extremely rare volcanic stone had been used in its crafting, and an incredibly powerful enchantment had been wrought into allowing its weight to match the strength of the wielder. All this to say, his hammer was both powerful, durable, and very much susceptible to his pushes and pulls. Carcello almost flew across the deck of the ship as he vaulted off his hammer, spinning in mid-air to bring it crashing back down like a comet on the head of the next 2-Star Sea squirrel. After his initial shock at being rebuffed from the first squirrel, he had taken that as a personal challenge to never let it happen again. From then on, each and every one of his hammer blows meant death to an enemy without exception or fail. He¡¯d been using his strength ability to enhance every strike even more than his pushes and gravity itself already did, but each time he did so made the next swing a little harder, made his hammer feel a little heavier, made his muscles feel a little weaker. However, in these moments, it was Hjaldin that showed his incredible talents. The man wore what looked to be pure iron fingerless gloves, both with brightly glowing ruby¡¯s affixed to the back of the hand with intricate carvings extending to each of his knuckle joints. With each and every punch, the squirrels were burned and cooked alive in their own skin, and for every attack that didn¡¯t land, it just signaled that he was using his own pushes and pulls on the piece of stone he carried with him that had turned into a glowing piece of magma under his influence. The small molten spike flew around the ships deck, and though Carcello knew it was under his command, it almost seemed to have a mind of it¡¯s own as it killed one sea squirrel after another. But even the two of them, along with the other soldiers on watch, could only last so long. A turning point was reached when Hjaldin had to recall his powerful flaming arrow, and though he still bellowed loudly and punched wildly, Carcello could tell his strength was flagging just as he was. The helm on his head was growing unbearable as the fight wore on, he was panting and gasping for air. His limbs felt like lead and his bones felt like they weighed twice what they had mere minutes before. His damned leg was paining him more than ever before, he felt like it was about to break off at any second. But he had to hold on, he knew he had to hold on. There were soldiers below deck that were counting on him to hold. He knew he needed to dig a little deeper. He knew his time on watch was almost over, so he just had to¡­ had to¡­ Carcello, chest heaving like bellows and white knuckles on his hammer, stopped mid swing. There were no monsters directly in front of him. His haggard mind took a moment to comprehend that they were fleeing, webbed feet scampering over the deck and diving into the crashing waves. Carcello walked over to the edge of the boat and rested on the railing there, hammer propped next to him as he struggled to catch his breath and control his racing heart. He didn¡¯t understand, they had killed a lot of squirrels tonight, but he didn¡¯t feel like they had done nearly enough to drive off the horde. ¡°There.¡± Came Hjaldin¡¯s voice. He gestured with his head way ahead and to the west. There was a small island or¡­ or some sort of rock formation or¡­ or¡­ ¡°Oh Gaius, above and below¡± he whispered his quiet prayer into the abnormally quiet night air ¡°protect us.¡± The small island turned its head towards their fleet of ships¡­ and bellowed so loudly it blasted back the water from where it stood in all directions like a living catechclism wrought from on high. 55. Stairs, Squirrels, and Struggles
Kya¡¯s Notes: There are twelve primary classes, divided into three groups. The four elements: Water, Earth, Fire, Air. The four ethereals: Life, Death, Time, Space. The four enlightens: Knowledge, Emotion, War, Peace. You can combine two of the primary classes when attaining a subclass to create of the over a hundred unique combinations (Fire and Earth - Molten Magma, Knowledge and Life - Scholar of Vita, Space and Death - Astral Calamity).
¡°Hey¡­ hey¡­ Kya¡­ it''s time to wake up¡­ we have to start your training now¡­ Kya¡­¡± The sing-song voice of Alder came softly in the near pitch black darkness of the dorm room. Kya, for her part, inhaled a slow deep breath and muttered out something incoherent along the lines of ¡°hmm, elev¡­ teen¡­ minutes¡­¡± ¡°Last chance Kya, otherwise, Wade is going to-¡± He didn¡¯t get to finish, as Wade stepped past him suddenly and threw a splash of icy water directly onto Kya, before bringing out a radiant yellow glowstone to light up the room. Gasping and spluttering, Kya shot up in bed and screamed out ¡°What!? What the hell, what time is it?¡± Wade laughed, and Alder joined her before saying ¡°It¡¯s time to work. Come on, get dressed, we have a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it.¡± Kya, still trying to control her breathing and her heart, looked from Alder to Wade and back again. ¡°I saw you like, five hours ago, if that. Why are the two of you all bruised and Wade, where did you get that cut on your forehead?¡± Alder beamed even brighter and said in a tone dripping with condescension ¡°Well, after you left, we had a little spar ourselves. While her training is of the highest quality, it simply couldn¡¯t stack up to the raw power, sheer charisma, and pure- eugh!¡± Wade, stopping the short tirade with a jab to the stomach, said ¡°He won six of the eight, don¡¯t let him convince you otherwise. I¡¯ll match him in time if he isn¡¯t careful though.¡± Shaking her head, Kya stretched and rose out of bed. With a wave of her hand, her tattered sweatpants and shirt were replaced with her black combat clothes, enchanted boots, and cloak. ¡°Give me five minutes to wash up, and I¡¯ll be ready. What are we going to be doing?¡± The pair shared a look, and then said in unison, one with a passive look and the other with a residual grin on his face ¡°Running.¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Carcello had a white-knuckled grip on the haft of his Warhammer in one hand, while desperately clinging to the railing of the ship with the other. The waves beating against the hull of their ship were like concussive blasts, and it was all Carcello could do not to fall to the deck, or worse fall overboard. There, far ahead of their ship, was the towering form of a demonic 4-Star Leviathan Squirrel. Even at such a vast distance as this, Carcello could easily make out the disgusting details covering its body. There were hundreds and hundreds of smaller sea squirrels running up and down its glistening fur, making the entire thing look like it was writhing and churning just as much as the ocean around it. If the 1-Star squirrels were kind of cute, with the 2-Stars being kind of ugly as their proportions got magnified up, then this 4-Star was just¡­ wrong in every way. Its massive eyes seemed to swallow the light around them like pits of tar, except for their very center which gave off the faintest glow of sapphire. It had four massive arms that seemed to have too many joints, bending in unnatural ways and swinging wildly as the beast slowly progressed towards their fleet. But all of that, all of that was nothing. It was a giant monster, sure. Carcello hadn¡¯t ever seen a 4-star monster with his own eyes before, but the sea squirrels weren¡¯t that ferocious from the start. No, there were two things that really made it stand out, made Carcello almost unable to even move his body apart from simply hanging on to the rail and to his weapon. The creature had an aura of¡­ of the sea. It was vast, and wild, and ever changing. One second Carcello felt nothing at all, maybe even uplifted and emboldened. The next he felt an oppressive cold, a weight like he had never felt before. The power behind its aura was only one aspect though. The other was the malevolent intelligence Carcello could see in the titanic being. This wasn¡¯t some beast. This wasn¡¯t some base creature or fodder for soldiers to kill en-masse. This was a peak existence. A ruler of the depths. This was an old, powerful, crafty being that could crush his life with a casual wave of its claw. And it wasn¡¯t doing anything yet but walking towards them. Suddenly, from one of the ships off his port side, Carcello felt a towering aura blast out and encompass him like a warm blanket. It wasn¡¯t nearly the match of the 4-Star leviathan, but neither did it need to be. The simple reprieve was all Carcello needed to regain his composure and rise from where he had been crouching against the railing. He finally had the bright idea to stow his Warhammer instead of trying to hang on to it, allowing him to grab the railing with both hands and gaze out at the unfolding events with awe. The first aura was from one of the 3-Star captains on the expedition. Carcello could see him standing in deep amber armor, with a radiant golden spear resting easily on both shoulders. In the dark of the night, with the waves and the monsters, the simple sight of that man and his glowing weapon and aura was¡­ was nothing compared to the next aura overlapping his. And then the next and the next. Finally, from all around the fleet, five brilliant, wondrous aura¡¯s emboldened and enlivened the fleet, completely dispelling the effects of the 4-star beast. Individually, none of them were as potent as the monster, but all together, they were more than a match. Then they started to move. Carcello knew it was an exponential leap from one rank to the next. He knew that a 2-Star was a world away from his 1, and that a 3-Star had to be a world beyond even that. But knowing it and seeing it were two very different things. The 3-Star closest to Carcello, the one with the golden spear, crouched down and leapt forwards at the massive creature, spear out stretched like it was dragging him forwards with pure streams of radiant energy trailing from its blade. Carcello could hardly believe the speed of him, but a moment later he was joined by two other 3-Stars all launching themselves at terrifying velocities. The leviathan bellowed out, not quite with the same percussive force as it had before, but it still sent the sea shuddering and roiling like a pot of water over a roaring flame. Then, with a speed that belied it¡¯s gargantuan size, it dove forwards under the tumultuous waves and without warning leapt up at the spear wielder from below, massive gaping maw ready to swallow him whole. And then¡­ then Carcello wasn¡¯t quite sure what happened. In a singular brief moment of time, a single instant that lasted both too long and went by too quickly, the spear wielder seemed to move at just the right time and in just the right way to avoid the snapping jaws of the leviathan squirrel, and then glided along its body cutting into its flesh like scissors to paper before finally he kicked off and stood atop the apocalyptic waves without a scratch on him. The wound he¡¯d inflicted was minor compared to the creature''s titanic size, but from the way it howled and bellowed, it must if nothing else, thoroughly pissed it off. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Kya had always considered herself as someone who enjoyed running. Ever since she was young, she had found a simple kind of pleasure in running fast. She¡¯d gotten kind of sick of it later in life, but since gaining what basically amounted to super-strength from her awakening, that love for running had been thoroughly rekindled. But love has always been a fickle thing. And maybe, just maybe, she had been too quick to fall back in love. The sky was gaining a dusky green and purple hue. Neither of the suns had risen yet, but the light from the smaller blue one was trying its best to race ahead and illuminate the world. Kya was trying her best to focus on the sky, on the dark silhouettes of trees and buildings against the slowly brightening sky, on anything really other than the pounding of her feet on the pavement. The jarring shock that ran up her legs and into her skull with every step. The sound of her own breathing in her ears. They had been running for just¡­ so long. The city was huge, with canals and bridges and roads and lights and shops and dorms and everything Kya could imagine, and several things she never couldn¡¯t have imagined. But at this point it felt like she¡¯d seen it all, the entire place. A few feet ahead of her, Wade and Alder both ran at a pace that would have put Olympians to shame, and what¡¯s worse, is they were having a casual conversation all the while. Neither of them even looked sweaty or tired in the least. Kya could take the grueling run. She could do it. That was no problem, as painful and miserable as it might have been. She didn¡¯t even mind the breakneck pace they were keeping. Her muscles felt weak, and her lungs felt like they were breathing sulfur, but ultimately again, she could keep this pace. If she were on her own, she probably would have stopped long ago. But she wasn¡¯t alone. She was watching as these two in front of her discussed the weather and a new restaurant that had opened up and so on. Gritting her teeth as her muscles groaned in protest, Kya poured on as much speed as she could manage and came up even with the other two. ¡°... apparently they¡¯re making moves in the capitol to-¡± Alder had been saying in a low voice but cut off when she drew close. ¡°Hey hey, look at this, you¡¯re doing great! Actually though, we¡¯re approaching the first threshold. Basically, don¡¯t waste all your strength now. You¡¯re going to need it.¡± He finished with a smirk and gestured into the distance. Kya¡¯s stomach, already clenched in a knot from the run, dropped to somewhere around her knees. They were approaching a massive hill. A massive hill, with a staircase. A massive hill with a massive staircase holding no fewer than three hundred individual steps. ¡°We¡¯re going to do at least ten reps!¡± Wade said with evident relish, then thought for a moment and added on ¡°or until our legs give out. Whichever comes first, I guess.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been a fan of stairs, personally. But it is undeniably a great way to train¡± Alder sighed. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Ethereal crimson arrows larger than Carcello''s body rained down from above onto the leviathan in an unceasing maelstrom from one of the 3-Stars that hadn¡¯t approached. The fleet had come to a full stop, keeping their distance as their captains stood up and fought against the 4-Star. It had been going on now for long enough that Blue¡¯s first light was peaking over the horizon. In that time, one of its four arms had been cut off just above its first joint. While this had been a crippling wound for the sea squirrel, it had swatted at the 3-Star who had delivered the blow with one of his remaining clawed hands and sent him shooting away faster than Carcello could even process. The water erupting to either side of his path after he passed it was the only indication of where he¡¯d gone, as well as the large geyser of water that stretched several stories into the air with a concussive soundwave where he finally landed. The fifth and final captain of the fleet, a medical officer, dashed over atop the water covered in a warm emerald light before diving into the sea after him. This left only three to battle the leviathan and Carcello could tell, even from a distance and even with his limited grasp of the higher powers that clashed, it was a struggle. The golden spear wielder that had gone out initially had been joined by the archer firing crimson arrows and an ax wielder drenched in the bloodiest aura of them all. This was the only one Carcello knew of already, Captain Trevor Ramorin. He was a middle-aged 3-Star who¡¯d made a large impact some forty years ago by defeating someone a full rank above himself in the colosseum and breaking through to 3-Star right there in front of the crowd. However, he¡¯d apparently faced a roadblock on his path that was stalling him out and keeping him confined to 3-Star. Nevertheless, having fought for the last several decades, he was clearly experienced and accomplished in a way the others simply weren¡¯t. Looking on, Carcello was utterly mesmerized. It wasn¡¯t really that the spear wielder or the archer were worse than Ramorin, they were dealing just as much damage and dodging just as nimbly as he. But the way he moved, the way his ax came down with an inexorability and a weight to it, it was¡­ perfect. But it wasn¡¯t just his martial ability that was extraordinary. Each of the three displayed powerful abilities on another paradigm than anything Carcello could even attempt at his level. The arrows from the archer seemed to grow larger and deadlier the farther they flew, so when he fired them almost straight up into the clouds as little pinpricks of red light, they were monstrous by the time they made their way back down to the monster. It was harder for Carcello to see the delicate movements of the spear wielder from hundreds of meters away, but he would, at times, almost seem to teleport from one side of the creature to the other, before a line of purest gold would appear for just a split second, then a spray of hot blood would gush out connecting the two points from where he had been to where he was now. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.He only did this sparingly, but it was to devastating effect each time. Carcello couldn¡¯t be sure, but he knew the man to be an earth user like himself. Which meant he was likely also debilitated in his abilities while they were out at sea, so far from land. Still though, for each ability the other two displayed, they were nothing compared to Trevor Ramorin, he was an absolute menace to this creature. Each swing of his ax meant blood and injury to the beast. Each apocalyptic swing carried with it the weight of a god behind it, as though the strike couldn¡¯t be blocked, couldn¡¯t be avoided, just accepted. But more than any one of them, it was the concert of all three that made for such an inspiring scene. Anytime the leviathan was about to strike either of the two close combat fighters, an arrow came directly at the clawed hand and gave them enough time to get away. Anytime the spear wielder overextended and risked injury, there came the catechism that was the all-consuming ax of Trevor Ramorin. They were a perfect trio, but as with the fourth man who¡¯d been swatted away, Carcello knew it could only last for so long. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¡°I¡¯m so tired of this shit!¡± screamed Trevor as he once more used his ability to cleave down on the sea squirrel with more power and weight than he ever could have produced on his own. ¡°And ¡®sea squirrel¡¯ is a dumb name, by the way. This entire situation is just dumb. This is why I became a teacher. I don¡¯t want to be out here drenched in sea water and covered in rotting damned squirrel entrails!¡± Mercer laughed, a tired wheezing sound, then shouted back at the same time he used his spear to vault off the incoming claws of the squirrel to begin running up its arm ¡°just shut up and finish this thing, poor Mercy over there is draining a lot of mana to slow it down with all these arrows. Better not waste the opportunity or she¡¯ll skin you alive!¡± Trevor shuddered at that. ¡°Between Cain not taking action and Mercy taking action, I¡¯m not sure which is worse.¡± Trevor grumbled under his breath as he once more leapt at the monster. He knew he couldn¡¯t get sloppy, but he could feel the aura of the sea squirrel and knew it wouldn¡¯t be long now. 4-Star¡¯s had prodigious abilities to survive and keep themselves alive, but with Mercy sealing its abilities and Mercer layering on afflictions, all Trevor had to do was keep its attention and land debilitating blow after debilitating blow. Right in the middle of it all. While several ships full of gawkers all looked on. Where he risked death at the first slip up. ¡°I¡¯m definitely going to retire after this. I don¡¯t care if the world is ending, I¡¯m either going to teach, or cook, or both, monsters be damned.¡± But his words went unheard as his ax whistled through the air with a scream of bloodlust before impacting with a reverberating explosion of force. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Atop the stone walls of Lyra, Alder and Wade sat on the stone crenulations looking at the sparkling sea and the gradually lightening sky now that blue¡¯s first light had finally peaked out over the horizon. Both turned their heads as Kya came trodding up to them. ¡°Only three and a half minutes behind, not too bad¡± Alder whispered. ¡°Not too good either¡± Wade whispered back. Alder gave her a look ¡°Oh stop, you¡¯re too harsh, she did fine for her first day.¡± then hopped down and walked over. ¡°Alright! Now you can take a rest while we explain this next part.¡± Alder said, before laughing as Kya sat down with a thud before the last word had even left his lips. ¡°I know this has been challenging for you, but that¡¯s entirely the point Kya. We know-¡± he used his thumb and pinky to gesture at both Wade and himself ¡°you¡¯ve had some experience with combatives and physical training and the like, but that was at best when you were just a mortal. Now that you¡¯ve awakened, you need to both train your body and mind to get accustomed to that change. Plus, you¡¯re not that great at combatives in the first place.¡± He finished with a slight smirk. Kya just glared at him, but didn¡¯t correct him both because her simply being out of breath was proof enough that this had been hard. Brutal even. They had run for the better part of two hours, stopping only to explain how the stair repeats were going to work or that they would do the next stretch backwards or side shuffle, or on their hands instead of feet. ¡°Part of me had really hoped that awakening these abilities would sort of eliminate the need for training, to be honest. Like¡­¡± Kya waved her hand in the air, both searching for the right word and catching her breath from the exertion of talking ¡°magic me into a competent user and all that, I guess.¡± Wade and Alder both just laughed after sharing a look. Wade was the one to reply this time, saying ¡°Oh¡­ Oh no, not at all. If anything, it¡¯s the opposite. Your body has fundamentally changed, so now your mind has to catch up. This run we just did, we¡¯re going to do at a minimum half that each morning for the next week until we head out on our missions.¡± Before Kya could muster up anything to say to the absolute insanity Wade had just told her, she continued right now, we¡¯re going to begin your first combatives training. We¡¯ll do an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon each day. You¡¯ll swap between myself and Alder to give you a well balanced approach. If you spend too much time sparring against just one of us, you might develop some weird habits.¡± Kya nodded her head, ¡°Alright, abilities or no?¡± Wade started to speak, but Alder cut her off ¡°No, no abilities. You need to learn how to use your body before you start throwing in your abilities as well. At least for this week, we¡¯ll focus purely on martial techniques. After we head out and we¡¯re away from people, then we can start to use your abilities.¡± ¡°Fair enough¡± Kya said, before straining to rise to her feet. ¡°So then, who¡¯s first?¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ One final bellow echoed out all around them as Trevor Ramorin¡¯s ax came down one final time, cleaving through most of the sea squirrel leviathan''s skull from top to bottom. ¡°Be ready!¡± called an enhanced voice from somewhere on Carcello¡¯s ship. ¡°For those who¡¯ve never seen the lights of a 4-Star before, you may want to shield your eyes!¡± Though it was barely past dawn in the earliest part of the sunsrise, almost every soldier was awake and crowding the railings of each ship. When word had spread to the cabins below deck what was happening, well, one would have to be crazy to miss a battle between their leaders and a leviathan. But now that the killing blow had finally been delivered, many of the younger soldiers looked away or at least looked on through their fingers. Carcello had personally slayed 1-Stars, and had assisted a group in killing a couple 2-Stars. Their lights were nothing impressive, staying for hardly a matter of seconds, maybe a minute at most, and only being the size of his fist. He¡¯d heard that the lights of 3-Stars could get to the size of a small building though, and could stay for almost ten minutes for the more powerful ones. A 4-Star then¡­ Carcello didn¡¯t shield his eyes, he couldn¡¯t look away. Couldn¡¯t even fathom holding up his hands and obscuring his view. He¡¯d already gained so much inspiration just from watching the fight, there was no way he would miss this. He tried to temper his expectations. The Sea Squirrels were on the weaker side of each grade, no matter if it was 1-Star or 4-Star, so this one shouldn¡¯t- There it was. Oh gods above, there it was. He wasn¡¯t sure which of the captains had a looting ability, but one of them clearly did. The entire gargantuan form of the leviathan was swallowed in the void of shadows as they clawed their way up and around its entire form like insects over food. Then all at once, their world had a third sun. The light exploded out in waves of deepest blue and brightest white. They seemed to almost dance and twirl as they reached up towards the sky, and out towards their ships. The flame itself was enormous, larger than a two story home, larger than the ships they rode on. But that¡­ that was too much. Carcello could only look at it for a moment before a searing pain ran through his eyes, down his spine, into his whole body. He felt like his very soul would burn if he lingered too long on that flame. So he contented himself with the bands of incredible light that weaved through the air all around it instead. He went over the details of the fight again and again in his mind. He didn¡¯t care much for the archer or the spear wielder. They weren¡¯t connected to him at all, but the way captain Ramorin¡¯s ax moved, the impact it had¡­ it resonated with Carcello, with his path, with his soul. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was just the light of the creature, or the power contained in every swing of the ax he saw in his mind, but he sat down and closed his eyes right there on the deck of the ship. His path was that of earth. The soil, stone, and bedrock. The mountains and canyons. They were slow to move, but when they did nothing could stand in their way. Nothing. They were undeniable, intractable, inexorable and inexhaustible. He saw the swings of the ax again and again in his mind. Again and again. That word kept coming back, inexorable. Carcello was eventually shaken awake by Hjaldin, grinning like a fool and laughing. Carcello wasn¡¯t sure how long it had been, but he knew it couldn¡¯t have been that long, the lights were still dancing in the sky, though they seemed distant now. Still bright, but just far off. ¡°Wha¡­¡± He started to say before trailing off. After turning around and putting his back to the lights, he saw far in the opposite direction, a lighthouse on a wave battered piece of rock. Past that, the barely discernible walls of Lyra. ¡°You were sitting there for the better part of an hour!¡± Hjaldin bellowed, still shaking Carcello¡¯s shoulder ¡°I thought it would be best to just leave you be, but now that we can see the city,¡± he shrugged ¡°It seems like a good time to wake.¡± Carcello stood, legs twinging from being cramped for much longer than he expected, yet at the same time, he felt¡­ good. Really good. A sense of newfound vigor flooded through his veins and he grinned at Hjaldin, whose own smile had begun to wane. ¡°What, did you gain something from the fight? It seems a few others have had epiphanies of their own.¡± ¡°I think,¡± Carcello said, smile threatening to split his face in two, ¡°I need to get off this ship as soon as possible. I have something I want to try out.¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Alder grabbed Kya¡¯s wrist just as her jab was about to make contact with his rib cage, and pulled her arm past him to throw her off balance. She stumbled forwards, and tied to recover as quickly as she could, but by the time she whipped her head around to once more lay her eyes on him, his kick swept her legs out from under her, and before she knew what was happening, he sat on top of her, legs crossed and eyes twinkling. ¡°That was much better than the third bout,¡± he said casually ¡°you lasted at least seven seconds longer.¡± ¡°Ugh, get off me,¡± Kya grumbled, grateful at least that she didn¡¯t have any new bruises from this one. In the third bout, she¡¯d actually managed to block one of Alder¡¯s strikes, and been so excited by the accomplishment, she hadn¡¯t noticed the follow up from his other hand that sent her sprawling and spluttering to the ground, feeling like she¡¯d never breathe again. ¡°Let¡¯s pause here for breakfast.¡± Wade said, rising from where she¡¯d been watching the fight, back to the sea. She pulled out six bottles of some amber liquid, plus a tray of pastries with a small container of pinkish brown¡­ butter? Kya wasn¡¯t sure, but didn¡¯t really care as it smelled like heaven. Kya waited until Wade and Alder had both grabbed a pastry for themselves, before she finally and eagerly grabbed two, putting a dollop of the cream/butter/whatever it was on both and taking a massive bite. The flakey pastry almost seemed to melt in her mouth, and the soft warm inside made her feel fresh and rejuvenated, like she hadn¡¯t been working out nonstop for the past four hours. She was so enthused by the delicious food, that she almost missed the silent conversation of looks that passed between Alder and Wade. Swallowing, Kya asked before taking another massive bite ¡°What, is something up?¡± Alder sighed, apparently losing the staring contest and asked ¡°Kya, I know- we know you¡¯ve been reluctant to talk about your past and your history, to the point of refusing to see the guild master even. But there are things happening and we can¡¯t just be in the dark if we¡¯re going to be helping you with all of this. We need to know what¡¯s happening. Who are you, what¡¯s a founder, how did you even awaken Space, you need to give us something.¡± The bite of food in her mouth seemed to turn to mush all at once, and she had to try twice to swallow it. She sat for a long time, conflicted and hesitant about what to say, if anything. But finally, she looked up and met both of them in the eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t know everything. A lot of this is as confusing to me as it is to you, if not more so. I come from a place without any magic or classes or Users, any of it. About-¡± ¡°Okay, hold on.¡± Alder cut in, both delighted to finally get some answers, but also obvious confusion on his face. ¡°The gods have traveled the world, Users have traveled the world, there¡¯s nowhere I know of that doesn¡¯t have magic. There are certainly area¡¯s with weak ambient magic, but they still have Users. I guess I just don¡¯t¡­¡± He trailed off, looking at Wade and then back to Kya. ¡°I, uh¡­¡± She took a deep breath ¡°I¡¯m not from this world. I awoke here about five days before you all found me in the forest fighting that tiger.¡± Both Wade and Alder just looked at her for a moment, caught somewhere between incomprehension and disbelief. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± Wade said, but didn¡¯t finish the thought. She stood and began pacing, as Alder looked up at the sky, mouth hanging open. ¡°What do you mean? I think, we don¡¯t, what other world? Is that what founders are, people from other worlds?¡± Alder finally asked. ¡°Uh, okay so you know your world?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Now imagine¡­ another one. Another planet. Somewhere else. Different oceans, continents, people, nations. A different world.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Kya actually smiled, then laughed a little. It felt wonderful to finally be able to share this with someone, to see her own mixed emotions and confusion from those first hours on someone else. Wade suddenly wheeled around and said ¡°Maggie told us that founders had suddenly appeared in our world nearly two millennia ago, and brought with them a storm of chaos and magic unlike that which had been seen before. But, other than your class being attained without a ritual, you don¡¯t seem that¡­ ¡®chaotic¡¯ to me¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I do have some other abilities that-¡± ¡°Wait a second.¡± Alder cut in, still staring up at the sky, but now angling his head out towards the sea. Kya just laughed again, ¡°I know it¡¯s a lot to take in, imagine how I feel.¡± ¡°No, Wade, look at that.¡± Alder said, his tone startlingly serious. Together, the three of them walked over to the edge of the wall and looked out at the sky. It was hard to see in the brightening sky of dawn, with the second sun starting to poke out from the horizon as well, but it almost looked to Kya like faint whisps of the northern lights hung in the air just barely in view. ¡°How far north are we? It seems much too temperate for that to be there.¡± Kya asked, looking and seeing utter incomprehension on the faces of the others. Shaking his head, Alder said ¡°I don¡¯t- nope, not right now. The lights are one thing, but look just there on the horizon.¡± He said and pointed towards the water. Kya squinted, wondering if their eyesight was better at higher ranks, but she could still just barely make out a line of small black smudges that could have possibly been ships? She turned to ask what they were, but saw all color had drained from both of their faces. ¡°What, what are they, what¡¯s the problem?¡± But they didn¡¯t hear or didn¡¯t answer. ¡°What are they doing?¡± Wade hissed. ¡°This was a huge move.¡± ¡°It must have been Sayrin. His report would have been enough to spur on immediate action.¡± ¡°Then what do we do? If they find us- if they find her.¡± Alder nodded quickly several times, before looking at Kya. ¡°Alright, change of plans. We¡¯re leaving for the missions now. Right now. Go back to your dorm, get anything you¡¯ll need for a week or two on the move, and meet us back at the western city gate in fifteen minutes. I¡¯ll scrounge up some temporary daggers for you, and Wade-¡± She nodded, ¡°Provisions won¡¯t be a problem.¡± ¡°Good, go.¡± And she bounded off the wall, landing feet first three stories below before dashing off. ¡°Alder, what the hell is happening?!¡± Kya demanded ¡°Who are they, what are we doing?¡± ¡°That is the Loterran military. Very likely here to search for you, and any other founders that might pop up in the city.¡± Taking that in, and combining it with everything she¡¯d already learned, Kya didn¡¯t hesitate any more. ¡°Fifteen minutes?¡± ¡°Less, if you can manage it.¡± Kya turned and was about to dash away as well, before Alder called ¡°And by the way, that conversation isn¡¯t done! A different world¡­ This is all crazy!¡± ¡°I know!¡± Kya called back, before running as quickly as her tired legs would carry her. 56. Departures and Arrivals Kya¡¯s Notes: What might be the hardest thing for me to grasp: Lifespans. Archie is a good example of it I guess, but with each Star I gain, my life expectancy massively increases. It varies slightly between species and classes and whatnot, but on average, I can expect to live past 200 with just my 1st Star. By my 3rd, they say I¡¯ll be able to live for a whole millennium. Pure insanity.
The Guild Master put on his finest maroon waistcoat overtop his billowing white shirt. He carefully folded down the collar, ensuring the crease went exactly as it was supposed to. Though many saw him as somewhat hands off, he had always been of the mind that careful and well executed work should seem effortless from the outside. Finally satisfied, he took one last look in the mirror. He would need a haircut soon; it wouldn¡¯t do to have his appearance grow unkempt. Nevertheless, a part of him actually enjoyed the small streaks of gray at his temples in what had once been midnight hair. He felt it lent to his air of wisdom and authority, an air he quite liked to have. Finally, he put on his light overcoat, still breathable in the warm air of Lyra, but fashionable all the same. He had just finished adjusting the cuffs to be exactly at his wrist bones when a knock came at his door. With the suns having only just risen, this could only be one thing. ¡°Enter,¡± he called in a calm, measured voice. A shorter woman entered the room, her almond skin contrasting with the light gray shirt she wore. Her braided hair was taken back in a tail, a simple red hairband holding it all together. ¡°Miss Soeri, do you have an update for me? I assume they have realized what¡¯s about to happen and are taking steps to avoid it?¡± Koen Soeri, who was standing as rigidly as a plank of wood clenching and unclenching her hand in an endless loop, nodded her head. ¡°Yes sir, uh, Guild Master. They were training atop the northern walls this morning. We were about to step in when they saw both the light from the slain leviathan and the incoming fleet on their own. It seems they plan to head out as soon as possible and complete the missions they took in the neighboring towns.¡± Her ruby red eyes wouldn''t meet his own, instead gazing slightly downward. ¡°Good, good. I¡¯d rather not have them meet the Loterran¡¯s just yet. It will get quite messy after that, and I¡¯d like her to have a bit of a stronger foundation first. I must go with the Lord Myrin to greet the ¡®esteemed guests¡¯ but please continue to keep tabs on the group. If possible, have them take another contract or two while they¡¯re out even, I want them to stay out of the city for as long as possible-¡± ¡°Sir- oh, uh, were you done..?¡± The Guild Master tried to hide a smile, but just nodded and said ¡°please, what¡¯s your question?¡± ¡°Sorry sir, I just, I know you explained it to me somewhat after I briefed you on the dwarf and the ritual out in the farms and everything, but I still don¡¯t fully understand. Why are you helping her against the Loterrans? This is their land and their laws apply. By all rights, shouldn¡¯t we be helping them?¡± Walking over to a side table, the Guild Master gestured to an empty chair, prompting Koen to walk over and, somewhat awkwardly, seat herself. With a touch, he brought a kettle to boil and then poured out two small cups of Kaoe tea. The golden liquid steamed and bubbled slightly as Koen brought it to her lips, but one didn¡¯t dare let Kaoe cool. Finally, after sitting and having a sip for himself, the Guild Master finally said ¡°My job, more than anything else, is an act of juggling. You are a smart girl, Koen, and I know your father well enough to know he didn¡¯t raise you without a fair bit of rigor. So you tell me, look at what I¡¯ve done with regards to this girl, why have I done it?¡± Taking another sip, both to savor the delicious drink as much as to buy herself more time to think, she started talking slowly at first but gaining speed as the wheels started to turn. ¡°You said very publicly that she was to see you as soon as possible, an order she has all but refused to follow. You won¡¯t go after her yourself, as that wouldn¡¯t look dignified for someone of your status to go after a random 1-Star¡­ But still, she¡¯s the first spatial user to appear for over a century, I don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°What was our stance in the last war, child.¡± He prompted calmly, trying to nudge her in the right direction. ¡°We were neutral, but we¡­ we¡­¡± Her face suddenly shifted as realization dawned on her ¡°So you are going to remain detached from the situation on the surface, publicly following the tenets of Loterre as the host nation, while helping-¡± She paused when he held up a slender finger, then continued ¡°While not... actively hindering her progress to 2-Star. Once she has completed these contracts and gains a reputation for¡­ oh, oh!¡± Koen beamed, and the Guild Master returned the smile. ¡°It¡¯s not a terribly complex plot, but the Loterrans as a people are not very politically minded to begin with. They like things to be calm, stable, they don¡¯t like change and are somewhat slow to adapt. Still, that¡¯s why I¡¯m having you and the other two trail on in secret rather than making it an outright contract. You''ll get your second star within the month, Miss Soeri, and when you do, I''m going to start assigning you larger roles in this. Speaking of the current job though-¡± his ring glowed for a fraction of a moment before thirty silver agren appeared neatly stacked in his outstretched hand. ¡°A small advance to pay for your travels. Send word back if anything should happen.¡± They both stood, and Koen inclined her head ¡°Thank you, Guild Master.¡± She scooped up the coin and started to leave, when he called ¡°Koen.¡± She turned to see him standing palms together in front of his heart as he gave a small bow. ¡°Be safe.¡± Returning the gesture, she said with a slight tremor in her voice ¡°I will, Master.¡± As the heavy wooden door clicked closed behind her, the smile slowly fell from the Guild Masters face. ¡°Effortless.¡± he muttered, before finishing his preparations. It was time to meet with the city lord, and then the Loterran military. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Kya Raced through the lobby and up the winding stairs of her dormitory building, her legs twinged and ached with every step, still utterly exhausted from the morning''s workout, but she had only about eleven minutes left to be back at the gates and out of the city, and she wasn¡¯t going to waste them. There was one thing more than anything else she needed to do. One thing she almost refused to go without. Slamming open the door, startling two elven women who were at the sinks, Kya ran in and spent four of her remaining minutes to bathe and get clean and refreshed. She knew they¡¯d be on the move and though she knew there were wonderful magical means available, she doubted there would be much opportunity for another shower anytime soon. After drying off and changing into some light travel clothes with her storage ability, she swept through her room packing up everything she could and was down the stairs and back out onto the streets a moment later. With thirty seconds to spare, the city gates came into view with an ever-stoic Wade and ever moving Alder waiting for her. ¡°What took you so l¡­ did you shower off?¡± Asked Alder in an absolutely incredulous tone. Kya just grinned and said, ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, now come one, aren¡¯t we in a hurry?¡± ¡°I-¡± Alder started, but just shook his head and nodded as he started walking through the gates. ¡°Alright, whatever. Here, by the way.¡± He handed over two sheathed and unimpressively identical looking daggers. Not that hers had been anything special, but these were just so¡­ ordinary. The double-edged blades were about seven inches long, a simple cross guard separating it from the black leather wrapped handle. - - - - - - Item: Quality Iron Dagger - Rarity: 1-Star, Uncommon - Description: A simple yet reliable dagger for any fighters starting out on their path. The Self-Repair enchantment will keep it from chipping and rusting, so long as it is supplied mana. - Enchantments: Self-Repair - Requirements: N/A - - - - - ¡°They aren¡¯t much, but they¡¯ll suffice until we can come back for your nicer ones.¡± Alder said while Kya read over their description. ¡°Plus, I paid a little extra for the self-repair enchantment to keep them in good condition. So long as you don¡¯t lose it, it¡¯ll be fine for the contracts we¡¯ve taken.¡± Shrugging, Kya strapped one to her waist, and opted to store the other. ¡°Thank you, I appreciate it. So then, speaking of, which contract are we doing first and how far away is it?¡± Wade turned and looked over her shoulder before answering. Following her gaze, Kya saw that the line of ships was much closer now, not quite at the entrance to the harbor, but close. ¡°Come on,¡± Wade said ¡°Let¡¯s pick up the pace a little. We won¡¯t run the whole time, but for now I¡¯ll be a lot more comfortable with some extra distance between us and them.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Cringing inside and wishing they had chosen for afternoon workouts instead, Kya just nodded and started to jog after the other two, thankfully moving slower than they had this morning, but still at a measured pace. ¡°To your other questions, the crab-tide is the closest, about two or three days away depending on how fast we move and if we run into any trouble along the way. There should be an alignment in about a week which could slow us down, but it shouldn¡¯t be too bad.¡± Mentally pulling up the guild quest she¡¯d gotten from the guild hall, Kya read over it quickly, unfortunately with the ever-helpful assistance of her narrator. - - - - - - Open Guild Contract - Crab Tide in Cetus - 1-Star - Common - Well, it¡¯s that time of year again! Those mommy crabs and daddy crabs are trying their hardest to fall in love and make lots of little baby crabies, in one of those beautiful mating rituals of nature. Unfortunately for the people of Cetus, these crabs need a lot of food to feel¡­ properly motivated. Be the damper on their party and kill as many as you can to help out the village! - Objective - Kill as many Blue-Fanged Crabs as possible. Minimum number - fifty. - Time Remaining - This is a seasonal quest! It will continue for as long as the crabs keep coming! - Guild Rewards - Four agren at the minimum number, One curen per two kills after that. - Quest Rewards - The Magic Conch Shell - Unranked - - - - - ¡°So, we¡¯re just going to be¡­ what, killing a bunch of crabs all day? Also, what¡¯s an alignment?¡± Alder laughed in the most haughty, obnoxious way possible and said ¡°We? No, no, no, of course not. You, on the other hand, will be attempting to kill crabs all day though. I don¡¯t know if you saw on the contract sheet though, but we aren¡¯t the only ones on this quest. This is a good chance for you to get in not only some experience fighting in larger groups but fighting against larger groups. It won¡¯t always be one on one fights you know.¡± Wade spoke up then, ¡°It¡¯s a pretty famous quest around here, as the crabs come every year. The village was built close enough to the mating site largely because of them. Both in harvesting and selling the crabs, as well as being a way stop for the Users that either come for the quest or on their way out of Lyra and to further settlements, it¡¯s a nice little town.¡± Kya noticed Alder give Wade a look for just a moment, before he continued on as if it hadn¡¯t happened at all ¡°Right, so yeah. Should be a fun time for you. And how do you not know what alig- oh right. Other world. Basically, a couple times a year, the moons will come into alignment with either of the suns, flooding the lands below with ambient magic and increasing the rate at which monsters manifest.¡± ¡°I thought that¡¯s what the big wave was, that the hourglass is counting down to?¡± ¡°Yes and no¡± answered Wade. ¡°Think of the alignments as minor waves, the three moons will be aligned with either sun, but the wave is when both suns and all three moons line up perfectly. It happens every winter, though the day shifts from year to year, the hourglasses were built and enchanted to always predict it within a few hours or so.¡± ¡°Wait so¡­ in about a week, there¡¯s going to be a massive increase in monsters just¡­ appearing out of nowhere? Why is that not a bigger deal?¡± At this, they both started to laugh. ¡°It¡¯s not that it¡¯s not a big deal¡± Alder said ¡°It¡¯s just that an alignment is pretty standard and doesn''t lead to nearly as large of an impact as a Wave. Again, think of these as minor increases. They¡¯re a problem, but not a disaster. Something to plan and prep for, not something to panic over. We¡¯ll be fine, especially in this region with it¡¯s overall lower ranking monsters.¡± ¡°Alright, so then, what do manifest-¡± ¡°Nope, hold on.¡± Alder cut in ¡°You¡¯ve been asking a lot of questions, but about thirty minutes ago you told us you came here from another world. So, before we answer any more questions about¡­ anything, you¡¯re going to need to elaborate on that, I think.¡± Kya sighed, ¡°yeah, alright, that¡¯s fair.¡± She took a moment to collect her thoughts, the sound of the trio¡¯s footsteps on the simple stone creating a steady rhythm, their long shadows in the morning light leading the way. ¡°So, I¡¯ve only really talked with Rory about this-¡± ¡°Rory?¡± Alder immediately cut in ¡°What does he know about this?¡± Wade just hit him lightly on the shoulder ¡°If you let her get more than a sentence out, she¡¯ll probably tell you.¡± ¡°Right, right, sorry.¡± Hiding a smirk, Kya continued ¡°he actually knew quite a lot about it, from what I could tell. Founders is the term your world apparently has for people like me. I¡¯m not entirely sure why yet, though Rory thinks it will become more clear as I increase in rank. Basically, Founders are people that come from other worlds and have access to special abilities. It¡¯s pretty simple in concept but-¡± Alder scoffed ¡°Your definition of ¡®simple¡¯ is nowhere remotely close to mine. I still don¡¯t understand what other worlds even means, and moreover, what special abilities do you have?¡± ¡°We can come back to the other world thing again in a bit- seriously, I¡¯ll make it make sense to you¡± Kya said to forestall any further interruptions as Alder had looked quite ready to speak up again. ¡°-but my abilities are known for the most part. I have a looting ability, translation ability, and I can use an identify on items and people to see basic properties they have. Plus, my class gives me a personal inventory space.¡± Wade nodded her head, her tightly braided auburn hair coming out of its bun both from the running and the gesture. She slowed just slightly to put it back up while saying ¡°That makes sense. A lot of racial abilities are fairly utilitarian in nature, especially for you humans. The inventory spaces are extremely useful as well. They¡¯re common in knowledge and peace users, which is why so many of them choose to be merchants. But none of those sound particularly ¡®strange¡¯ or anything. Nor does it explain why you were able to simple¡­ choose a class, especially without a ritual or awakening source.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have a source?¡± Alder asked, head whipping around from where he ran just ahead of her. ¡°I knew about the weird no ritual thing, but it¡¯s crazy you didn¡¯t have a source.¡± ¡°That¡­ would be my last ability I guess you could call it. I can¡¯t find anything about it, and nothing I can find really talks about it. So¡­¡± She trailed off not really sure how to put her quest system into words ¡°You know how the guild offers contracts?¡± They both nodded, not saying anything. ¡°Well, I have something like an internal version of that. I don¡¯t understand how it works or why, but sometimes I get prompts that will give objectives and rewards I need to meet. They pop up in front of me as small growing green page of text.¡± ¡°Like an information crystal at the high-end merchant shops? That¡¯s interesting but¡­ hm. Can you give an example of a quest you have?¡± Asked Wade. Kya pulled up her active quests and picked one at random. - - - - - - Quests - Pirating from Preachers Objective: Gain access to the benefits of this domain. - No Tag Backs Objective: Tag another 1-Star member of the evasion league. - Guild Contract: Fell Serpent in the Korilus River Objective: Slay the Fell Serpent roaming the waters of the Korilus River. - Open Guild Contract: Crab Tide in Cetus Objective: Kill as many Blue-Fanged Crabs as possible. Minimum number - fifty. - Guild Contract: Phantom Lynx in Arnon Objective: Find and slay the group of Phantom Lynx plaguing the village of Arnon. - - - - - Simply deciding to go with the crab one, as it was the one they were on, she pulled up the quest again, and read off what it said. ¡°So let me get this straight. In addition to the rewards the guild offers, you get a bonus when you complete a quest? Also, why does the description sound so... weird¡± Asked Alder. Kya grinned, ¡°pretty much, yeah. And the descriptions have always been odd, but I feel like they''ve gotten weirder as time has gone on to be honest. I''m not sure why.¡± ¡°And this can sometimes just happen, it¡¯s not just with contracts?¡± ¡°Yeah, so the reason I was able to get my class - to answer your earlier question - was as a reward for my first quest. I woke up in the middle of those woods over there and was given the objective to survive and reach the city within seven days. When I woke up in Rory¡¯s clinic, I had a prompt that let me choose any of the twelve classes and I chose space.¡± ¡°Little offended you didn¡¯t choose Earth¡­¡± Muttered Alder. ¡°Or War, for that matter.¡± Added Wade ¡°It¡¯s the objectively best class.¡± ¡°Now hang on, that¡¯s definitely¡­ alright, calm down.¡± Alder, who had been heating up for a serious debate, realized that Wade had been goading him from the smile that played on her lips. Kya laughed and a moment later Alder joined in, before saying ¡°Earth is the best though, no question.¡± Ignoring Alder and looking at Kya with sudden comprehension in her eyes, Wade asked ¡°Hang on, is that how you uncovered that business with the cult out in the farmland? The laughter from a moment before suddenly seemed like a far-off dream as the mood between the three took a turn at that. ¡°Yeah, I uh¡­ did a contract in the area and when I was about to leave, I got a prompt telling me to investigate and well¡­ one thing led to another.¡± Silence sat between the group as each was absorbed in their own thoughts for a few moments, the sounds of the forest and the pounding of their feet the only thing to accompany them. Finally, Alder said ¡°So¡­ other worlds?¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Carcello, along with every other soldier from their expedition, stood at attention on the docks as the five captains walked forwards. Though one of them had a heavily bandaged left arm, and they all seemed a bit weary from their fight, they each still displayed their auras with expert control to lend an air of power and authority to their steps. Ahead, a group of nobleman and guild officials waited to greet the party. Carcello didn¡¯t know either of them personally, but from what he¡¯d been told, the Guild Master was the thin, black haired fire User on the left, while the City Lord was the gruff, larger man with a large braided white beard. Carcello wasn¡¯t close enough to hear the quieter words they said, but he did hear the standard welcomes and pleasantries. However, everything- literally all operations and movement in the whole harbor, came to a stop as Lord Cain blasted out his aura in a quick pulse. Not enough to harm anyone of a lower rank, not even a mortal, but still enough to get everyone''s undivided attention. He walked slowly down the gangplank of his vessel, then past each of the soldiers and finally stood before both the Guild Master and City Lord, the captains having made way, standing at attention like all the other soldiers. The city lord spoke up, the first person to break the silence. In a carrying voice, he said ¡°My lord, it has been quite a long time since someone of your prestige came to our city. I am Eulustees Mayfoll, or Mayrin to use my-¡± He cut off suddenly, as Lord Cain put a hand on both his shoulder and the Guild Masters. In a deep booming voice that carried all the condemnation of the heavens themselves, he said ¡°As the two highest ranking officials in the city, all successes and all failures fall to you, and fall on your heads. So then, which of you can explain to me¡­ What. Have. You. Done.¡± and here he punctuated each word with the weight of his aura, every syllable adding more and more strain to Carcello, even as a simple bystander. He couldn¡¯t imagine what the two who were the focus of his ire were dealing with. Finally, the Guild Master spoke up, face calm but voice hoarse with effort ¡°My Lord, let us return to my office where we can discuss this more¡­ privately.¡± And when neither the hand on his shoulder nor the weight of the aura seemed to budge, he added on with evident difficulty ¡°I have tea, and freshly baked sweet bread to help you relax from your long journey.¡± The weight disappearing like dust in the wind, Lord Cain spun both men around and put his arms around their shoulders. ¡°That sounds wonderful. Throw in some sausage links, and I think we can make a morning out of it.¡± Then slapped the Guild Master on the back, sending him stumbling forward a few dozen meters while Lord Cain just laughed. Hjaldin, who was standing next to Carcello whispered under his breath ¡°If nothing else, I think that man will make this an interesting trip. Whether it happens on its own, or he stirs something up.¡± Carcello could only agree with a grunt. They had finally arrived in Lyra, and it was time to get to work. 57. Learning and Growing Kya¡¯s Notes Each magical creature, monster, item, and user has a rating of one to five stars. This isn¡¯t just a determination of how powerful they are in isolation, but how much power they can exhibit when push comes to shove. From there, each star is broken down into five more categories, Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, and Legendary. According to Alder, this can sometimes be an even more important factor than the actual star level. A Legendary 1-Star can sometimes be more dangerous and difficult to kill than a Common 2-Star.
Sayrin woke early, already mostly rested from the trip yesterday, and went out into the barracks courtyard. He was once again struck by the simple beauty of the buildings in Rosoon, even the simple barracks looked hand designed by masterful architects with columns and arches all etched with intricate designs. He had around an hour before the rest of his men should start waking, and another hour after that before they were due to form up. As they had arrived late into the night, and because some of the soldiers had brought along family, Sayrin had made the generous choice to allow for some extra time to sleep. This extra time for them meant he could get in a morning workout and rinse off in peace. He exited out the courtyard and started to jog at a measured pace through the city heading the rising suns. Of course, his ¡°measured pace¡± was an ordinary person¡¯s superhuman sprint, meaning he all but flew through the quiet streets that were just coming alive. The itch in his mind had been quiet for days now following the incident in the colosseum, and yesterday had been utterly silent as he¡¯d fallen asleep to his wife¡¯s beautiful music. But now¡­ now he was alone. He could probably just slip off and- No. No. He couldn¡¯t-shouldn¡¯t. His wife was sleeping soundly in their bed. His soldiers were just there as well. He¡¯d nearly lost it, had lost it in Lyra. He needed to start asserting some self-control, he needed to put that out of his mind. He exited the city completely, through its ornate and beautiful white wooden walls to the lush green countryside. They¡¯d ridden north for a full day and well into the night, and the spring air that was just managing to fight of winters touch in Loterre was still a bit crisp here in Rosoon. Nevertheless, the trees lining the road were all blooming with flowers, and the large fields of grass and clover gave the air a sweet scent as they swayed in the breeze. Sayrin breathed in deeply and then let it back out. His wife was here. His soldiers too. He¡¯d made some mistakes, sure, but he could win them back. They¡¯d leave later today and continue on to their destination. There wouldn¡¯t be much he could do in these simple days to boost morale or gain back their favor in such a short time. But at the very least, he could maintain. Do all the right things and none of the wrong. He would be the textbook definition of what a commander should be, and eventually they would come around. One key part of that was food. If you wanted to succeed in the military as an officer, you needed to do two things for your troops: Get them paid and get them fed. Everything else would fall into place if they had money in their pockets and food in their bellies. So, part of his morning workout would be to acquire some fresh food and bring it back to the cooks for a hearty morning meal before another day of travel. He would limit himself, however. Nothing over 1-Star. Their meat would be far better than that of a mortal beast and would give the men an extra boost as they awoke. 2-Star might be better¡­ he would certainly enjoy that more as well¡­ but uh¡­ but no. No. 1-Star would be fine. It would be all they needed, and Sayrin knew he could hunt a dozen 1-Star monsters before they even knew he was there. Leaving the paved road behind, he ducked into a thick stand of tall gray trees, slowed to a walk, then began to crouch. He had been running for only about fifteen minutes, but moving as quickly as he did meant the city was now far behind him. Far enough, apparently, that a small nest of Green-Scale Drakes had taken up residence. Absolutely perfect. Drakes, unlike their more powerful Wyvern or Dragon relatives, were on the weaker side. They never grew larger than eight or nine feet, and though their scales were some of the toughest a 1-Star monster could have, they also made them rather slow. Though they could call upon magical abilities as they grew older, these seven here seemed relatively young, at only about five feet long each. Not that any of that mattered to Sayrin, they could have been fully grown with access to every ability they¡¯d ever get and still not much of a challenge for him. Picking up a handful of small stones from the ground, he quickly and quietly threw one through the skull of each one, finishing them before they even knew he was there. He breathed in sharply as he felt it. The rush. Oh, the rush. Pins and needles went up his spine, tickling at the base of his skull. These tiny creatures were nothing though, a small ember when he wanted a roaring fire. He could feel his eyes blaze and knew if someone could see him, they¡¯d see the faint streaks of orange glowing brightly therein. Sayrin¡¯s hands clenched tightly into fists, the stones he carried ground to a fine powder under his grip. He¡­ he wouldn¡¯t. He couldn¡¯t. He shouldn¡¯t. His wife''s face appeared in his mind as he closed his eyes tightly. Her gorgeous smile, her beautiful eyes, her elegant voice telling him it would be okay. Slowly, so slowly, he released his trembling hands and wiped them on his pants. He took several deep breaths, one after another, and then opened his eyes. He was fine. He was rested. His wife had played for him just yesterday. He could deal with these feelings, these¡­ temptations. He couldn¡¯t lose himself to something so small as this. He walked over and picked up each of the cold bodies. They still thrummed with latent energy as he touched them, and he knew the cooks would be able to turn them into something absolutely delicious. He stored them all in his spatial ring, and turned to leave when a thought struck him. These were all the babies, so where was the mother? She would probably be somewhere in the middle of 2-Star, perhaps even towards the peak if she was able to produce this many offspring. ¡°Should I go and hunt her as well?¡± Sayrin couldn¡¯t help but think. But¡­ he took another deep breath and turned his back with a monumental force of will. ¡°Think of Mata¡­ Think of Mata¡­¡± he repeated to himself again and again, making his way back to Rosoon. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Carcello groggily moved with the rest of his company into the large guild auditorium. He¡¯d been awed to witness the clash between a group of 3-Star Captains and a 4-Star leviathan, it had also come at the end of a long guard shift in the middle of the night where he¡¯d fought to the bone just to keep from being overwhelmed. All this to say¡­ he was tired. Exhausted even. He could feel the bags under his eyes like swollen pockets of pure exhaustion. Nevertheless, it was time for their in-briefing. So, Carcello sat in one of the surprisingly comfortable seats in the large hall, and immediately thought ¡°if something doesn¡¯t happen right now, I¡¯m going to pass out.¡± ¡°Would you like another taste of my brew?¡± Came the accented and partly mocking voice of Hjaldin. Looking up, he saw the man''s unkempt beard had been washed and combed, looking much neater, though still somewhat like a wild bramble bush. What caught Carcello¡¯s attention most, though, was that he didn¡¯t seem remotely as tired or wrung out as Carcello himself. ¡°Does that drink help keep you awake?¡± He asked haltingly ¡°I think I¡¯ll need my wits about me¡­ at least for a while still.¡± Smirking, Hjaldin took the small lid of the flask and filled it with the bright clear liquid. ¡°Oh, if you take too much, you¡¯ll certainly find your wits have fled you. But just a little bit? Ehh, that will keep you conscious and moving¡­ at least for a while still.¡± Shrugging as even during this short conversation Carcello had been struggling to keep his eyes open, he reached out and drank the little lid''s contents. To his mild surprise, it actually did seem to help. He wasn¡¯t suddenly refreshed and rejuvenated by any means, but his mind became a little sharper and he was more aware of the room around him. ¡°Thank you.¡± he said as he passed the cap back. ¡°At least now I can remain conscious.¡± ¡°No problem, no problem.¡± Hjaldin said in return, waving his hand dismissively. ¡°Though, why you want to be conscious for this is beyond me.¡± ¡°You never know, they might say something important or useful!¡± Hjaldin eyed him skeptically. ¡°How many in-briefs have you had in your life?¡± ¡°I think this will be my third, why?¡± He took a long sip of his drink, before replacing the lid and storing the flask away in his coat pocket. ¡°I have been to quite a few more than that. They will come out, say hello, tell us about the environment, tell us about the ambient mana, tell us about any particularly dangerous monsters that spawn frequently, as well as any particularly powerful people in the area, and then tell us our mission. They¡¯ll probably say the word ¡°behoove¡± at least three times as well.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be that basic, I thought the others I¡¯d gotten were somewhat lax because we were in a training environment, but now we¡¯re-¡± A young woman with messy brown hair and bright bronze eyes walked out on stage. She had on a white scholar''s robe overtop what looked like¡­ fuzzy brown pants and a fuzzy light gray shirt. Carcello got the distinct impression that she had either just woken up, or at least had slept in what she was now wearing. The moment she reached the center of the stage, calls for silence went out until one loud voice shouted, ¡°At Ease!¡± and they all looked onwards with suddenly rapt attention. ¡°Uh, right, yes, thank you for that.¡± She said, placing down some papers on a podium, rubbing her eyes, and then looking around at the group of twenty soldiers. ¡°Are you lot the first ones to come through? And no commander with you?¡± The senior lieutenant in the room spoke up, one from another squad that Carcello hadn¡¯t met before. He was a shorter man with sandy-blond hair and a large scar running from just under his left eye and back to under his left ear. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, we¡¯re the first of the day. Our commander thought it would be good to get it out of the way first thing before we settle into barracks and start our missions. And yes, he was unfortunately occupied with other tasks and won¡¯t be joining us.¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The woman nodded, then said more loudly ¡°Good morning, everyone. My name is Magnolia Farro, but please just call me Maggie. I¡¯ll be your point of contact for the guild, please come to me or let me know of any issues you have or problems that arise which will have any impact on the civilians or guild activities. Now then,¡± she turned behind her and pulled on a cord to lower down a massive map of the island to the left, as well as a more localized map of Lyra and its surroundings on the right. ¡°This is the island of Irval, home to Lyra as well as some two-dozen other small towns and villages. We are currently here on the map. The large lake at the center of the island flows out in four main rivers to the north, west, south and southeast dividing the island into four main areas of interest.¡± As she spoke, she pulled out a large staff with a simple metal point at the end to direct their attention on the map. ¡°Our region, and the main one you¡¯ll be dealing with in your time here, I believe, will be the large northern region where we are now. This is easily discernible as you have the Korilus river stretching from the lake all the way to the northern coast, as well as the Siberus river stretching east and south. Basically, if you¡¯re out in the woods and see a massive river, don¡¯t cross it without a good reason. Which brings me to the interior of the island, home to the Rose Forest, as well as an ancient temple of space. This is an off-limits site, unless you are given specific authority by the city lord. Seriously, don¡¯t go there without clearance or you¡¯ll get into loads of trouble and I¡¯ll have to deal with lots of paperwork.¡± This got a few laughs out of the crowd, but mostly they were all simply taking in the map as well as her words. ¡°Now then, it would behoove you to take note of¡­¡± Carcello looked over as Hjaldin snorted into his beard and muttered ¡°and that¡¯s one.¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Sparks flew up from the campfire as one of the small logs broke from the licking flames. Wade and Kya circled each other as they had been doing for the last thirty minutes, eyes locked, fists up and ready. Wade made her move first, rushing forwards and sending out a series of quick jabs at Kya¡¯s stomach, ribs, and jaw. Kya knocked away the first two attacks and tried to move out of the way of the one aimed at her mouth, but was slightly too slow, getting clipped in the chin. Recoiling back from it, she brought her arms up to protect her head on instinct, which was when she took a hard punch to the stomach and doubled over, before her legs were kicked out from under her and she was once again on the ground. Coughing as she lay there for a second, Kya clenched her fist in the dirt before arduously climbing back to her feet and retreating several feet before once again turning and facing Wade. ¡°Again.¡± She spat out through clenched teeth. They had spent most of the day jogging, not too quickly as to strain her already spent muscles, but still fast enough to get some distance from the city. They took about an hour break for lunch, where Kya had finally managed to make Alder understand exactly what it meant to be from a different planet. Wade, though she seemed to have very little trouble understanding that, was more baffled by her quest system than anything else. She had remained somewhat impassive about the whole thing, but Kya could tell by the burning look in her eyes that it was something she not only was intensely interested in, but that she wanted to see for herself. After that, though, they had spent another few hours running, finally stopping after having gone at least forty miles in that day, not including what they did that morning if Kya¡¯s guess was correct. It made her realize the true extent of her body''s new capabilities. Sure, there were people on earth who could have run forty miles in a day. Though she had been in decent shape before, that was nowhere in her realm of possibility even. What¡¯s more is even after having done all that, she felt tired of course, drained to oblivion and like her legs were made of jelly as much as of flesh and bone. But not catastrophically. It felt like she¡¯d done a gut-wrenching workout, not a death march. This kind of day wasn¡¯t something she should do regularly, but it was something she could do. This, to her, was just baffling. But finally, as the twin suns had begun to light up the sky with their radiant streaks of color, Alder had called a stop for the evening. ¡°This clearing will do, I think,¡± he said, wiping the first droplets of sweat from his brow that Kya had seen. ¡°There¡¯s a small river just over there, and I don¡¯t sense any real threats from monsters in our vicinity. Let¡¯s make camp for the evening.¡± Hearing that they were done, Kya had immediately fallen on her back, wiping the significantly larger river of sweat from her own face before asking tiredly ¡°Did either of you bring tents, or are we sleeping under the stars tonight?¡± Sitting up when she heard no reply, Kya¡¯s heart sank when she saw Alder trying and failing to hide a smirk as Wade just looked at her in confusion. ¡°We never finished the training for the day earlier, we aren¡¯t going to sleep yet. You do know that, right?¡± Kya just looked from Wades puzzled expression to Alder¡¯s insufferably amused one and finally sighed, getting to her feet. ¡°I¡­ had thought we were going to postpone.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get started on a fire, and then see what I can do about dinner. Give me thirty minutes and we can eat.¡± Alder said, before looking at Kya. ¡°If you can manage to land a hit, I¡¯ll cut our training short for the evening, and you can go to sleep early. If you can¡¯t hit her before we eat, then you¡¯ll have another full hour with me.¡± Kya nodded, her muscles sore and drained, her endurance shot and her mind all but drained. She would make it happen somehow. Is what she¡¯d told herself, before being sent to the ground sixteen separate times, only managing to block a handful of the incoming attacks, before ultimately succumbing to Wade¡¯s onslaught. She could feel the time limit drawing closer, or rather she could smell it. Alder had returned after about five minutes with two lizard-looking things about the size of his arm, as well as a handful of vegetables. Now, with a pot he¡¯d pulled from his spatial ring, a simple stew sat bubbling merrily over his fire, sending out rich tendrils of tantalizing scent over their small clearing. ¡°Two minutes!¡± he called, causing Kya to grimace as she yet again faced off with Wade. Deciding that this time she¡¯d move first, Kya sprinted forwards, legs twinging with every new step she demanded of them, and when she was only a foot away, threw the dirt she¡¯d picked up earlier in Wade¡¯s face. It was the oldest trick in the book, and Wade was well trained enough not to be thrown off by it for more than a split second, but it was precisely that moment of hesitation that Kya needed. Ducking the wild blow that Wade had sent her way, Kya threw out a left hook quick as lighting trying to catch her unguarded side. Taking the simplest route to avoid the blow, Wade backed up with rapid steps, but Kya wouldn¡¯t let her get away. She had control of the fight''s momentum, tenuous as it was, and if she let Wade recover then she¡¯d lose it for good. Pressing after her, Kya feinted with a kick at Wade¡¯s feet before throwing out a jab of her own. It was a quick right-handed move, and after Kya had already tried a kick from below, she anticipated that Wade would dodge left to avoid the punch rather than attempt another block. So, before she was even done with the right jab, she threw out her left fist in a powerful wide hook. Euphoria, ecstasy, raw dopamine and serotonin. Kya wasn¡¯t sure what best described the pure elation she felt when her ploy went exactly as she¡¯d hoped, as her left fist slammed into Wade''s shoulder, sending her back a step. Of course, Wade immediately grabbed the hand, yanked on it to unbalance Kya, and then plowed into her with the same shoulder, sending her sprawling to the ground without a spec of air in her lungs. But what did that matter? Breathing? Unimportant. Coughing and writhing like a fish on land, nothing could stop the smile that appeared on Kya¡¯s lips in that moment. She crawled towards the fire, pulling herself up to one of the log seats Alder had cut down for them, and gratefully accepted a bowl of stew. Laughing as she walked over, Wade clasped Kya on the shoulder and said ¡°You may have lost the bout, but extremely well-done Kya! That was a fantastic move there. You still have an immense amount of progress to make, but that was well fought and well done.¡± Rather than respond, Kya just bobbed her head in thanks, smiling through the mouthful of absolutely fantastic stew. It was thick, with small chunks of the lizard meat and cubes of various vegetables scattered throughout. She hadn¡¯t ever cared for foods with too much sauce or for soups in general, but at this moment, it was one of the finest meals she¡¯d ever had. ¡°When you¡¯re done eating, I won¡¯t keep you long. I¡¯m a man of my word after all.¡± Alder said. ¡°Wade, after you eat can you set up the tents while Kya and I get started?¡± In what might have been mimicry or might have been compliments to the food, Wade also couldn¡¯t respond but simply nodded her head, mouth full of stew. Shaking his head with a grin, Alder turned back to Kya. ¡°You already seem to have an extremely basic foundation for Aura¡¯s, but their finer points and any real application doesn¡¯t seem to be in your arsenal yet. Where Wade is going to take care of the martial aspect, I¡¯ll make sure your mental abilities don¡¯t fall behind either.¡± Finally coming up for air in between several spoonfuls, Kya said ¡°There was a famous martial arts master where I come from, an old hermit who lived with a turtle on an island by the sea. He said the only real way to learn. You have to work hard, study well, and eat and sleep plenty.¡± She looked at Alder with a glimmer in her eyes, as if she¡¯d told a joke she knew they wouldn¡¯t get. ¡°Thank you for the food, and you Wade for the hard work. And while I¡¯m looking forward to learning as much as I can from you, it¡¯s really the last one that I¡¯m looking forward to most right now. Oh, and can I get seconds please?¡± Seeming to think it over for a moment, Alder took her bowl and refilled it before standing up. ¡°Wade, I¡¯ll get the tents. Kya, it¡¯s been a long day, and we¡¯ve worked you harder than perhaps we meant to. Tomorrow morning before breakfast and evening after dinner we¡¯ll do aura training, and I¡¯ll hear no complaints about it. For tonight, just rest.¡± A few minutes later, three large and simple square gray tents stood in the clearing. They were much nicer than Kya had been expecting, blocking out a lot of the sounds of the forest at night the moment she walked inside, as well as being a much nicer controlled temperature. She turned her eyes to the sleeping mat and blanket that lay on the ground, as well as the small orange glowstone next to them for light. ¡°As much as I appreciate the sleeping mat and roll¡± Kya said, voice trailing off as her eyes grew dim for a moment. Alder and Wade both looked on incredulously as she pulled out a full bed with mattress and blankets included to place down in her tent. ¡°I¡¯ve already got that covered.¡± ¡°Wha¡­¡± Wade said, while Alder laughed and asked ¡°Is that from your dorm? They won¡¯t be happy about that!¡± Kya just waved a hand and said ¡°I paid for the room, which means I paid for the bed. I¡¯ll bring it back regardless, so it¡¯s finnee.¡± Turning to look at them, Kya simply said ¡°Wake me if you need me or if it¡¯s time for training. Goodnight!¡± And zipped up her tent. With a thought, her dirty, sweaty clothes were swapped out for clean ones, and she was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Walking back to the fire, Alder served another bowl of stew to Wade as she joined him. ¡°Can you believe that?¡± He said with another smile. ¡°Brought a whole bed with her on the go.¡± As she sat, Wade finally dismissed the armor she almost always had on, sitting down across from him in a simple black shirt and brown trousers. Letter her tight bun down all but completed the transformation in front of his eyes. From larger-than-life elven golem to a lean and muscular woman with bouncing curls of auburn hair. ¡°The real question is why we didn¡¯t and don¡¯t do that. We both have spatial tools, I don¡¯t have a ton of room in mine, but I could have probably made space for a bed. How big is her storage skill, I wonder.¡± ¡°Who knows. But now that we have an extra sleeping mat, you should take it. It¡¯s not a bed, but it¡¯ll make you a little bit more comfortable.¡± ¡°Such a gentleman. I will take it, but not because you offered. It only makes sense.¡± ¡°Uh huh. Well then, it might make more sense if you had a third one to make you as comfortable as you can possibly be.¡± Wade just rolled her eyes ¡°I am not taking your-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about giving it to you.¡± Alder interrupted softly, golden eyes never leaving her scarlet ones, admiring the flecks of green in their depths. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Wade said back, her eyes never leaving his. ¡°You¡¯re playing a dangerous game, you know.¡± ¡°Maybe I''m okay with that.¡± ¡°Maybe you¡¯re not ready for that.¡± ¡°Maybe I¡¯d like to find out.¡± ¡°Hmmmm...¡­¡± Wade said again, standing and stretching, arms clasped high over her head. Finally, she gave a small smile and said ¡°Goodnight Damon," before walking over to her tent. She stopped by the entrance, however, to look back and say, "let¡¯s talk about dangerous situations again, another night.¡± and then she was gone. Alder smiled as he watched her go, giddy at himself for finally taking that step and at her not negative response. ¡°Goodnight Julia.¡± He said quietly, before taking another bite of stew and sitting back to watch the stars above, and the three moons as they moved slowly across the sky. 58. The Living Waters Kya¡¯s Notes Blessings are slightly confusing to me, and neither Alder nor Wade were much help. Rory helped me get my first one from the god of life, but that only brought more questions to mind. Is there an actual divine being out there somewhere lending small pieces of power to people? I¡¯d believe almost anything from this crazy world but¡­ a pantheon of literal gods is a lot.
Rory woke up with a yawn and a full body stretch. Yesterday had been exhausting. There was apparently some disease spreading through the poorer parts of the city, not deadly enough to warrant direct measures from that bastard city-lord, but still bad enough that by noon, he¡¯d had a line out the door to see him. As a User of Life, and member of the church, his was a class focused entirely on the preservation and continued nurturing of life in all aspects. He¡¯d been lucky enough to get a coveted cleansing ability when he¡¯d ranked up to 2-Star. Its general effect to fight back almost any malady meant that what it gave up in raw power, it gained in raw utility. So that, combined with the multitude of weak healing potions and more mundane remedies that he kept in the clinic, had allowed him to fight off the illness for a large part of the community, even if he now felt like he had spent the whole day running like some lunatic. But at least today would be easier. Oh, he still felt like there would be a whole crowd of people coming in to try and get his help. Of that, he was sure. No, he just knew it would be easy as there was a gentle rain, the drops casting multicolored halos in the light of the morning suns. Rain while the suns were shining was a holy thing, which meant there would be a joint service in the massive cathedral of waters. An hour and a half later, Rory and Tom sat together in one of the hundreds of long stone pews, listening as the choir sang somewhere on one of the upper floors, while the gentle bubbling of water and no doubt several small enchantments, leant to their voices sounding otherworldly and ethereal with sounds bouncing all around them and echoing back on themselves. Rory knew very little about the culture of the Air users, but he knew they had some fixation on music as a holy thing. Even they would have to be impressed by this, he thought, as it was simply majestic. After several more minutes of singing, the large doors at the entrance to the cathedral were closed with soft booms, and the voices of the choir began to soften, until the faded away. As one, the congregation stood to the left, the priest of Life came onto the large round stage at the front of the room and stood behind a white marble podium with vines sculpted of glowing emeralds trailing up the sides. To the right, the wizened old priest of Water came forwards, to stand in the elevated pulpit, made of the finest dark woods, with accents of the same white marble and softly pulsing sapphires embedded throughout. In unison, the two raised their hands and smiled, before lowering them as the crowd sat in the same moment. The priest of Life spoke first, a woman that Rory had gotten to know somewhat well over the many years he¡¯d been practicing his clinic in the city. She was a small woman, with dark skin and black hair pulled back in a tail, a few strands of gray showing through. ¡°The living waters are a gift to us all¡± she beamed, as Rory along with the rest of the congregation said in response ¡°The living waters!¡± ¡°Through rain, plants may grow. Through water, life may flourish. Join me as we give thanks to our two great gods.¡± Rory closed his eyes, placing one hand gently to his forehead, the other over his heart, as he knew every other person in attendance was doing the same. ¡°Oh great Makoa, oh sweet Ferona, we give thanks to your guiding hand, your bountiful gifts, your living waters. It is through your powers that all life continues to flourish in this land. It is through your benevolence that we have found strength to face the daily challenges of this land. Yesterday, a great many of your faithful, your chosen, were hit by a wicked sickness no doubt brought by Kharag to this land. We ask for your help, great and wise ones, to purge this sickness from this land. To aid us in our recovery, so that we may one day leave this land, for the waters of your kingdom. Bless us, lords, so that we may go on to bless those around us. As you wrote so many centuries ago: Through high and low-¡± and here the entire hall spoke as one ¡°through thick and thin, through swift and slow, for kith and kin. Lead our paths, our rivers, our lives, guide us through promises turned to lies. Through you, we see the river and its bends, through you we see each other and our ends. Give us this day, this rain, and this shine, so we may gather together, as one, and dine.¡± Opening his eyes, Rory reached down to pick up one of the small pieces of fruit that had floated near him. Under their feet a thousand more pieces of fruit floated on the tiny rivers cut into the stone floor. As one the whole congregation sat up and ate their small piece of food, joining in this small ritual of solidarity and faith. As he swallowed, Rory felt a spark of warmth travel down his throat and blossom in his chest. It was something small, but he knew it to be the touch of Ferona. His shoulders relaxed as the tension of the day before slowly left him. Smiling and raising her hand once more, the priest of Life stepped away from her podium and down off the stage, as the priest of Water stepped up and cleared his throat, and began to speak in a soft, slight rasp that nonetheless carried his lightly accented voice throughout the hall. ¡°Thank you, Everly, for that wonderful benediction, and thank you, one and all, for joining me this wonderful morning. How beautiful to see the sun''s light on the clouds. The rain as it fell. I stood in the courtyard this morning with my arms outstretched simply basking in the glory of our gods. What perfection they have wrought on our land. What beauty, what majesty. Did anyone else do the same? Did anyone else revel in the morning''s light and rain?¡± He paused for a moment to the light chorus of murmur that greeted his words, the people all around eager to proclaim their faith and their similarity to the priest. He smiled a warm, grandfatherly smile and said ¡°As I thought. I knew it, I knew this city was blessed by the rains for a reason. As I stood there letting the rain drops run down my face, I could feel it. I knew that others were there too, though I stood alone. I knew that, like me, the faithful in the city basked in the glory of our gods. How could we not? How could we do anything different than stand in awe and reverence?¡± Again, voices surged as the priest lapsed in his sermon. Someone in the middle of the crowd shouted out ¡°We couldn¡¯t!¡± and another called ¡°blessings of the rain are a holy thing!¡± Raising his hand for silence, it fell almost at once. As he began to speak again, the hint of a rasp in his voice fell as his tone grew slightly colder, slightly harder. ¡°And yet, I knew too that there was something wrong with the rain this morning. Something that, as I stood there and felt the cool drops on my face, prevented me from truly accepting them, accepting Makoa¡¯s blessing into my heart. Did any of you feel this? Feel a weight, a block, a barrier between them and the rains?¡± There was a longer silence than before, as the congregation held their breath, unsure or unwilling to speak. Finally, as he let the silence drag on for one uncomfortable moment after another, someone finally spoke out hesitantly ¡°Some of us¡­ couldn¡¯t go out for the rains¡­¡± Slowly, the priest came down from his pulpit, down from the stage, and into one of the aisles between the rows of pews. He found the scared looking man who had spoken out. It was difficult for Rory to see the man from where he sat, but he could tell his face was cast downward, almost refusing to look up and meet the priest''s eyes. ¡°My child, raise your head.¡± Though the priest was undeniably whispering, the words spread out throughout the hall, able to be heard by every person in attendance. Raising his voice but speaking with a tenderness of a mother consoling her child, he said ¡°Life calls us all onto different paths. Makoa knows this, Ferona knows this. Not everyone can drop everything to run out and bask in the rains, however much they might wish it to be true, or however much I might wish it to be true. Did you want to be out in the rains?¡± ¡°More than anything!¡± ¡°Then you cannot hold yourself in such low regard!¡± He clasped the man on his shoulder and looked directly into his eyes. ¡°Your mind and spirit were out in the rains, even if you couldn¡¯t be. For our esteemed lords, that is enough.¡± Turning, he left the now beaming man and made his way back to the stage. Except, rather than return to the pulpit, he turned and stood behind the podium the life priestess had used earlier. ¡°I say again, for all of you this time, your belief, your faith, your devotion, these are what matter most. Even if you were unable to demonstrate that faith, that is regrettable, but by no means grounds for condemnation! You are the brothers and sisters of the living waters; you are the ones most loved by Ferona and Makoa both!¡± He raised both hands as he spoke, and when he finished, there was a unified chorus yet again of ¡°The living waters!¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Slowly, so slowly, he lowered his arms back until they hung limply at his sides. ¡°So, I ask¡­ again. Why did I feel as though there was something coming between me and our gods this morning?¡± The silence grew more suffocating the longer it dragged on. Rory fidgeted slightly in his seat, which was nothing compared to Tom who all but squirmed, hands tapping lightly against his bouncing legs. Someone finally said hesitantly ¡°Is-is it the spatial user that recently entered the city?¡± Rory¡¯s mouth worked like a fish on land, as he tried in vain to pick his stomach off the floor. His limbs felt cold, and he looked rapidly back and forth between where the voice had come from and the priest who seemed to grow darker and stormier with each passing heartbeat. A ripple of unease spread out among the crowd, some of the older members of the church grew just as tense as Rory, while some of the younger ones looked around in confusion and uncertainty. ¡°I see recognition in some of your eyes,¡± said the priest, ¡°and yet I see nothing in the eyes of others.¡± He took a deep breath, as if to compose himself, before going on. ¡°Long, long ago, when the world was new and the mana of the world was shapeless, there came the twelve.¡± People settled back into their seats to listen, the story as familiar to them all as the sound of their mother''s voice, or the songs they sang as children. ¡°One to shape the mountains, to carve out the lands below. One to fill the oceans, to show the rivers where to flow. One to cool the world with wind and storm and gust. One to heat and light the world, with flames as red as rust.¡± ¡°These were the first four, as we all know. These were the ones who helped turn our world right after the monsters had for so long made it wrong. But it did not stop there. You see, there was still too much, too much of everything. There was chaos in the world, there were monsters and demons and no matter how hard the four gods fought, they could do nothing against the endless tides. They even tried to raise armies, soldiers to assist them in their righteous efforts¡­ but it was all for naught. Despite the slivers of power they granted to the other mortals of their time, they weren¡¯t enough. They needed help, they needed to kill the monsters faster, they needed to keep fighting for longer. They needed to control the mana.¡± ¡°One to breathe new life in you, to heal, protect, and guide. One to steal that breath away, and help all those that died.¡± ¡°This was a turn, a chance, and a change. It was the appearance of the twin sisters of life and death that truly let the gods take the momentum in the first war. They carved out a small territory to become the first stronghold, the first bastion, what is now the holy city of Cien-Alu. But it still wasn¡¯t enough. It was like a wave came every day, the monsters that appeared were mighty and numerous. The war seemed never ending, and so, the six pooled there energies to call forth once more, and four more came forth in answer.¡± ¡°One to understand. To see, and think, and know. One to understand. To feel both great wonder and horrid woe. One to fight and defend, to avenge and finally win. One to maintain, to keep order and judge all sin.¡± ¡°These four, at last, brought an end to the ravaging in the world. The god of war was able to beat back the monsters, to push them from the lands and waters long enough for people to settle down. The other three made it possible to live, to form a better world. The world wasn¡¯t just a place of conflict and death anymore, but a place of knowledge, of passion, of peace. These were the ten gods, the ten paths, the ten defenders of life. And things were good. Monsters still came in horrible waves, but with the foundation and assistance of the gods, people could finally lead a life that wasn¡¯t purely martial. And it stayed like this for nearly a century, maybe not as peaceful as one would have hoped, but it was still a time of great growth for all citizens the world over¡­. But then came the last.¡± ¡°One to meddle with the passage of time, to see that it has no end. One to meddle with the ways of the world, to turn it, to see it bend.¡± ¡°These last two¡­ They were a blessing and a curse. They were what finally allowed the world to settle back into true peace. It was their ascension that marked the start of the true golden age of life in this world. They joined the others, and with all twelve of their hands wrought out the great binding, all but banishing monsters to the nightmares of children. Oh, they still appeared of course, there was no stopping them altogether, but it was through the help from the final two gods that peace truly reigned. But it was not to be. Always there is a betrayer, always there is one that schemes and plots in the dark parts of the world where things are better off left alone. The second holy war started as the monsters began to appear again. ¡®But why?¡¯ you might ask, ¡®why did they appear again if they had just been sealed away by the might of all the gods?¡¯. Yes, it¡¯s true that for centuries, civilizations grew unchallenged by the monsters in their memories. Generations came and went, populations grew, life went on. It was a glorious time. But it was not meant to last. The god of space¡­ I hesitate even to let him have the title but have it he did. He went behind the backs of the others, and in the heart of his own realm, opened a hole in the world, a wrongness the likes of which had never been seen before. It was a door to a place of shadows, the home of the monsters, the place they had been banished. He knew this! He saw this and did he stop?¡± Finally, the crowd that had been listening with rapt attention stirred, and a few scattered voices weakly said ¡°no-No-No!¡± ¡°No! He kept going, pushing on and on, opening up one tear after another. The god of time found out, how could she not, for she was his wife. But did she condemn him? Tell him to stop? To cease? Did she even tell the other ten what he had been doing all this time, or what it could mean?¡± This time, more voices were heard, and with more strength and unity in their reply. ¡°No!¡± ¡°No!¡± he slashed his hand through the air and said, ¡°She did nothing!¡± He had been growing slowly more animated, his voice slowly rising in anger and in volume. ¡°When monsters started to appear again, at first slowly and then in greater and greater numbers, did he stop then, seeing the pain and death he was bringing, that he would bring ever more?¡± ¡°NO!¡± Growing quiet again, his voice that same, resonating volume that was hardly more than a whisper and yet so clear to them all. ¡°The other gods finally found out what happened. Finally found out what he¡¯d been doing and that he was the root of it all. They came to him, confronted him, and did he stop then? No. No he didn¡¯t. Left with no other choice, the gods, together as one, struck him down.¡± The congregation were on the edge of their seats. They all knew the basics of the story, the beginnings era and the growings era were common knowledge to any of the faithful, and even taught to some extent in the schools. But this was more detail than most were ever given, it felt to many like a peak behind a curtain. ¡°But that wasn¡¯t the end of it, not by half. In their benevolence, in their mercy, the gods punished only the one responsible. It was not the fault of the goddess of time, for what wife wouldn¡¯t stick up for and stand by her husband. Nor was it the fault of the order behind the god, for even if his faithful had known, it was not the fault of theirs that their god had done these unspeakable things. It was mercy that stayed their hand. Kindness. And that was their mistake.¡± He punctuated the last line with a fist into a palm, the sound of the strike echoing out. ¡°When the next god of space came, he gave his word he would do no such thing, swore to the others that he would work to undo what his predecessor had done¡­ but did he? No. No of course not. Hundreds of years passed, and the monsters only came more and more. A thousand years more passed, and finally, there was a shift. A change. The first of the waves. How could this have happened if the god of space had been closing the tears and working to undo it? Said simply, he hadn¡¯t done anything. Or rather, he had done even more to worsen it. Working once more with the goddess of time, they had brought about the full return of the monsters, the horrors that plague us to this day. It was then the gods had to act, for they saw what had been done right under their noses. Yet, the god of space had been cunning. Had been telling lies and spinning tales of woe. This time, when the gods called on him to stop, they spoke not in one unified voice, but in many. This time, it was only four that went to see him, only four who tried to strike him down.¡± The priests face contorted in anger and fury, and saying his next words with spittle flying from his mouth, he shouted ¡°The slippery eel got away from them, got away and warned his followers that he had been attacked! Told the world that they had struck at him first, had broken their accord, that our noble Makoa and our fair Ferona had been the betrayers!¡± Taking a shaky breath, as if it was a monumental force of will for him to simply control his anger, he took another, deeper breath, before continuing. ¡°Thus started the last great war. The great last war. The war to end all wars, all monsters, all demons. The four gods who knew the truth, who saw what was truly going on, also saw the only way to stop the problem from getting worse. This time, they couldn¡¯t simply remove the one in charge, they had to remove the entire order from the world to ensure peace. And so they did. Through much sacrifice, through enough pain to darken the sun, through enough suffering to boil the seas and melt the glaciers, they did. And so peace was established. So the monsters fled, and so the world was restored.¡± The crowd, riled up from the story was anxious to hear more, and one of them was quick to point out the obvious in the silence of the priests words. ¡°But the monsters are still here! There¡¯s still deaths every day from those bast- uh, those evil things!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± said the priest, looking up and slowly turning his head to look at the whole congregation. ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right. Since the end of the war, at least three more tears have opened up across the world. And the waves have only gotten worse. For a long time, I too was at a loss. Why? How? All the spatial users were gone from this world¡­ right?¡± ¡°There was one in town just days ago!¡± came an angry shout ¡°I remember seeing her in the markets! She was using her powers to fight some guy on a bridge!¡± Nodding, the priest said ¡°I know your words to be true. I saw her too. In fact, she came to this very temple to our gods, tried to enter these sacred walls and do Makao only knows what.¡± Angered exclamations echoed out throughout the hall, hands clenched into fists and brows furrowed in anger. ¡°To many of you, she might just appear like another user. To many of you, she might seem like any other of the brave men and women who risk their lives every day to keep us safe from the dangers of the world. Let me assure you, she is anything but. She is a blight on the land, a curse to our island, to our nation, to our world, and to our gods.¡± A large man stood in one of the many rows off to the right and called out ¡°What are we waiting for, let''s get her!¡± And dozens of others shot to their feet, as dozens more called out in agreement. The priest raised both of his hands, and though it took longer than it ever had before, the crowd eventually quieted, though many of them stayed on their feet. ¡°Do none of you know the scripture? Do none of you know the law? ¡®Vengeance lies not at the hands of the many, but in the hands of the one.¡¯ says lord Makao. More than that, ¡®violence without cause is the root of darkness. Justice must guide the hand as it guides the sword¡¯ says lady Ilonia. I don¡¯t want a single member of this congregation to lay a hand on her.¡± Though Rory sat relatively far from the priest, he thought he saw a gleam in his deep blue eyes, even from so far away and even buried as they were under his thick white eyebrows. ¡°In fact, I want you to have nothing to do with her. Not. A. Single. Thing.¡± The grin that before had seemed so warm, so grandfatherly... now looked like it would fit better on a hell hound. 59. The Crabs of Cetus ¡°Close your eyes,¡± Alder said, his lips curled in a smile as if there was some unsaid joke that only he would get. ¡°I¡¯m going to extend my aura to directly focus on you. It will be subtle, but try and simply feel what I¡¯m doing.¡± Sitting across from him on the soft forest floor, Kya nodded and closed her eyes. ¡°Rory showed me something similar to this back when I first got my class,¡± she said. ¡°How similar is this?¡± Though she couldn¡¯t see, she could almost hear the smile deepen on his face as he said ¡°You tell me, how different is it?¡± At first, she felt nothing. Even with her eyes closed, she could still get a sense of the outside world. It was basic, telling her vague details. There was the ground all around her, there was Alder in front of her. She couldn¡¯t see him with her aura, not precisely. She knew he was there, and would know if he moved, but it was like looking at the silhouette of a person, like a shadow dancing on a wall. She idly wondered how exactly her aura worked, and how it related to the idea of space. Was she getting the impression of him, or the physical space he occupied? Her train of thought was cut short as she suddenly noticed it, there was a change. It was even more subtle than she would have thought possible from Alder, but she was forced to once again reevaluate her opinion of the man. He was quick with a joke and seemed so flippant, but his skills were real and he could exercise them when needed. Her awareness through her aura was slowly, ever so slowly, being eroded away. A minute ago, she could see about a foot past where Alder sat in front of her, now she could barely see him, and even that was slipping away. She also got to examine and feel Alders aura. Rory¡¯s had been warm and inviting, like a campfire for telling stories. Wades had been almost like a stimulant, propelling her and making her feel stronger and more confident. Alders though, was¡­ simple? Stable might be a better word for it. It felt strong and calm, patient. Gentle but absolutely unyielding. ¡°Have you noticed yet?¡± Her brows furrowed in concentration. ¡°Yes, I have, what are you doing?¡± ¡°You tell me, what am I doing?¡± Kya opened her eyes as she answered, ¡°it seems like you¡¯re slowly taking away my aura. When I first awakened, Rory clamped down on my aura so I wouldn¡¯t accidentally do something with it, but this feels different. It¡¯s like I¡¯m slowly losing control to you.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s not inaccurate. There are many applications of aura, we¡¯ll explore them all in time, but the basics need to be understood before moving on to more advanced applications. You¡¯re already able to pull your aura in, and you¡¯re able to relax it and let it go to it¡¯s natural limits. This morning, I want you to do the opposite. Right now, my aura is dominating yours by simple virtue of power. I outrank you by a whole star, and by years of experience on top of that. Your job, and the only thing I want you to do right now, is resist my aura. Maintain at least the space in arms reach until we stop for breakfast.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Kya rubbed her chin, ¡°why do I feel like this is more difficult that you¡¯re letting on?¡± Alder grinned and gave a noncommittal shrug. ¡°Close your eyes, let¡¯s get started.¡± Closing her eyes and focusing once more on it, she realized that Alder hadn¡¯t paused while they¡¯d been talking, her small sphere of awareness had shrunk even more until she could hardly feel more than an arm''s length away. Brow''s furrowing in concentration, Kya set about trying to resist the gradual, inexorable advance of Alders aura. She found it to be a paradoxically straining mental exercise while entirely relaxing her muscles. Her body felt completely fine, more than fine even, just sitting still in the glade. After the strain from the previous day, her muscles were grateful for it. Sweat beaded down her face as she pushed with as much strength as she could muster, and finally, she felt his aura advance slow and finally stop just where her outstretched wrist would have been. She grinned in triumph and was about to say something, but the momentary lapse in concentration allowed his aura to creep forward once again, even if only by a hair. The grin melting from her face, Kya renewed her efforts pushing against the force of Alder¡¯s aura. Thirty minutes later, Alder finally called ¡°Alright, I think we¡¯ll stop here for today.¡± Opening her eyes, she saw Alder was already on his feet, stretching his back and shaking out his legs. ¡°That was pretty good for a first attempt, though I had hoped you¡¯d be able to push back a little harder.¡± Kya, for her part, was drenched in sweat and upon hearing his words, just sighed and collapsed back in the grass. ¡°Is there a technique or something that I should know? That felt like trying to roll a boulder up a mountain, it was all I could do to not let it roll right over me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a pretty good comparison, actually.¡± Alder mused. A ghost of a beard had started to grow there, and he was obviously unaccustomed to it judging by how he rubbed at his chin and jaw. ¡°But no, there isn¡¯t really a specific technique or ability to enhance your aura strength. Not to say there aren¡¯t ways that might help you in general, but it¡¯s like any other skill. The more we practice, the better it will be.¡± ¡°Are we going to do this again tonight?¡± ¡°Absolutely, we¡¯ll do it twice a day every day until you can push off my passive aura entirely. Then we¡¯ll be ready for the real training.¡± Kya looked up sharply, ¡°Passive aura¡­ real training? What was that if not training?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ do they have kid''s books where you come from? Or maybe like¡­ a toy sword?¡± Kya¡¯s eyes narrowed ¡°yes, we have both¡­ why?¡± Alder''s eyes brightened ¡°Oh good! This kind of thing is like a kid just learning how to read, so they get the books with letters the size of their fingers, and a sentence on each page. This is just my passive aura, expanding outwards. If I were to push the way you¡¯re learning to do¡­ that would be quite a different thing entirely. We¡¯ll get to that eventually; actual aura manipulation is like a full-length novel. For now, you need to learn to read the kid books.¡± Kya just sighed as she laid her head back down, staring up at the fluffy white clouds in the aquamarine morning sky. She still felt thrown off by that sometimes. She knew it would return to its normal familiar blue as the suns fully rose into the sky, but each morning saw tinges of green and even purple that just felt¡­ wrong. ¡°Come get breakfast!¡± Called Wade. They¡¯d decided early on to take shifts in the preparation of meals while on the road, and Wade had been making food while they¡¯d been training with their aura¡¯s. Rolling to her side and lethargically to her feet, Kya walked over and sat on a log, where she was handed a plate of steaming vegetables with some spices on top. There was a mixture of orange, green, and dark blue cubes, all three of which were from vegetables that she couldn''t have guessed at if she tried. Excitedly taking a bite of the meal¡­ well¡­ it was something alright. Though she wasn¡¯t a professional chef by any means, she guessed that Wade had put all the food onto the heat at the same time, causing the orange one to have a sad mush to them, the green ones to be practically raw, and the dark blue ones were perfect, but that just made them stand out more compared to the other two. Kya looked up surreptitiously to see Wade eyeing both her and Alder as they took their first bites. ¡°I told you both several times I hate to cook. You cannot blame me for this.¡± Wade said, before attacking her own breakfast like it owed her money. Alder took a bite, and after chewing slowly and swallowing, smiled at her and was about to speak when she held up her spoon at him. ¡°If you tell a single transparent lie about how good this is, this spoon is going in your eye.¡± ¡°I-I was just, uh¡± Alder, still smiling as he fumbled for a line, looked over at Kya¡­ who made herself busy with her own meal. ¡°Betrayed.¡± he muttered softly before turning back to Wade. ¡°I just wanted to say thank you for the meal, and uh, maybe next time put the yerds in last so they don¡¯t lose their liquid and turn to mush.¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Wade held her spoon threateningly for another moment, then put it back to her plate and took another bite with it. ¡°You¡¯re welcome¡± she said through a mouthful of food. After a few moments of silence save for the scraping against plates, Kya asked casually ¡°So out of curiosity, would you have actually stabbed him with the spoon?¡± Wade nodded, and then said with a wave of the hand ¡°I would have healed him after, he probably wouldn¡¯t have even suffered permanent damage.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Kya nodded along. ¡°That makes sense. Plus, he¡¯s a 2-Star, so he would have recovered on his own eventually, right?¡± ¡°That depends, actually. Healing is a far more difficult art than a lot of people think it is. It¡¯s not as simple as ¡®use ability, Alder''s eye regrows good as new¡¯ but yes, with his natural regeneration and my healing, and if we had the eye still with us to reattach, then it would have been fine.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t like this topic. At least wait till we¡¯re done eating.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty interesting. So, if you have whatever it was that was lost, you can reattach it? What if you don¡¯t have the thing that was missing? Can you regrow an arm or leg or something?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not strictly needed to have the missing body part, but it does make it a lot easier. Time is also a factor, like when your arm was severed, we were able to almost immediately reattach it and-¡± ¡°Wait, I Lost My Arm?!¡± ~ ~ ~ Three hours and about ten slow paced miles later, and the small port town of Cetus came into view. It was a sleepy little town, most buildings looking to be no taller than two stories and a simple squat stone wall around five feet high going around it all, and even continuing out into the sea. The three Users came to a slow walk as they joined with a spattering of traffic heading towards the town, though there really wasn¡¯t as much as Kya would have assumed. Two wagons with bizarre furry chicken-ostrich looking animals pulling them, and a handful of other groups on foot. After waiting in the small line to enter, they came up to the main gate of the town where two guards were stationed to check people off. Both wore simple armor, a lightweight metal breastplate with straps around the shoulders and sides. Leather bracers and greaves for their arms and legs, and a pair of black gloves completed the look. It wasn¡¯t much, but Kya knew from experience that it would be enough for most of the smaller monsters in the forest. Not to mention the basic but quality looking spears each held. ¡°Next!¡± Barked one of them, a taller man with a black handlebar mustache that shook as he spoke. ¡°We just need your names and whether you¡¯ll be headed back out before nightfall.¡± ¡°I am Alder, that¡¯s Wade and Kya, and we¡¯ll likely be staying in the town for a couple of days while we deal with those crabs of yours.¡± Looking up from where he¡¯d been writing, the other guard, a stocky man sitting on an old wooden stool, squinted his eyes and gasped. ¡°Sampson¡¯s beard, Users!¡± he said in a gruff voice, jumping to his feet ¡°You didn¡¯t need to wait in line, please, welcome to Cetus and thank you for assisting our town.¡± Laughing good naturedly, Alder clapped the man on the shoulder as he walked by. ¡°Thank you kindly, but please, we wouldn¡¯t disrespect the queue. We aren¡¯t animals.¡± ~ ~ ~ The town had that same feel to it residential neighborhood on the beach. There were lots of small homes on pillars and stilts, with stairs leading up to wide porches. There was a smattering of tall trees with wide frons that made Kya think of palm trees, the only difference being the deep orange of the bark and the almost aggressively bright purple fruits growing at their peak. By Kya¡¯s request, the group split up at a small crossroads near the center of the town. Wade and Alder went off to find lodging for the next couple of days, while Kya wanted to simply wander the town before they would all meet back up again at the beachfront to begin scouting out the situation with the crabs. Not for the first time, Kya got flashes of something like the uncanny valley as she walked the wide stone streets. The small trails of sand and the tall trees blowing in the warm salty spring breeze were the exact hallmarks of a beach trip. But the architecture was just ever so slightly wrong, the scents of cooking food were foreign, and every now and then she would hear a bird call that sounded more like a drowning cat than any bird she¡¯d ever known. She stopped in several places just to see what they offered or to sample some of the odd foods. This morning during their slow jog, Alder and Wade had handed over a purse containing her share of the profit from killing the big jellybat and its offspring back in the forest, meaning that though she still wasn¡¯t exactly rich by the standards of some, she had more than enough to splurge a little on some snacks here and there. Though it came as no surprise considering their very purpose in the area, there was crab for sale in every single store, restaurant, general goods shop, everyone seemed to be selling crab in one form or another. There were children''s toys made from crab legs painted different colors, there were helmets and pieces of armor made from the shells, there were axes and swords made from the shockingly large claws, there were carts and wheels and boxes, everything Kya could have dreamt up was here, and made from some part of a crab. And above all was the food. Steamed, boiled, fried, smoked, baked, dried, charred, roasted on a stick, frozen and raw, in the span of twenty minutes, she tried no less than six different samples of crab, all cooked in unique ways and all delicious. Only two restaurants she found in all her searching sold any meat that wasn¡¯t crab, one seemed to be the nicest restaurant in town sitting just across from the mayor¡¯s manor, while the other was a stall set up by a farmer who had recently slaughtered three animals called Orts. The man had been extremely reverent towards her as a User, but after he got over his initial trepidation, helped along Kya assumed by her eagerly snacking on his wares while asking about the animals he raised, he described them to her as about knee high, scaly, and almost as round as the wheel on his wagon. They apparently rolled around in small herds eating all the insects they could find and were quite popular with children. Their hard scales meant they felt very little pain, and when kids found something like that well¡­ many games of Ort ball had been played on his farm. The entire time Kya had spoken with the man, as pleasant as he had been, she¡¯d remained guarded and closed off. Polite and curious, yes, but she hadn¡¯t asked his name, nor given her own. She couldn¡¯t help but look at him, tanned skin, hands like leather gloves from years of work, and think of Arthur, the last farmer she¡¯d spoken to. Her mind occupied and mood somewhat worsened, she decided to go ahead and make her way to the shoreline. She was maybe thirty minutes early from when they¡¯d agreed to meet, but whether it was a walk on the beach, or a walk on the beach killing some crabs, either sounded like just the thing to clear her head. At the edge of town, there was a large embankment of sand sloping up and blocking the view of the beach itself. Stone steps ran up the steep hill at regular intervals, with a wider set just in front of Kya. She figured this served both to ward off any crazy tides coming ashore, as well as the invading army of crabs they so regularly had to deal with. Even with all of this in mind, even with the sheer quantity of crab for sale in the city, the quest to kill as many as possible¡­ Kya wasn¡¯t ready for what she saw. She crested the top of the stairs, and found the sandy embankment actually had battlements built atop it facing seaward. Straight ahead, there was a single wooden ramp in place to make it down to the beach, and then to a single long stone pier on the water. Well, Kya assumed it was the only pier, she wasn¡¯t quite sure. Apart from a semi-circle of about a hundred meters around the ramp that was clear, almost every other scrap of beach was covered in crabs. And not the little sand crabs she¡¯d known on earth, not even some mutated Alaskan king crab, these things looked like they belonged in some crazy graphic from the History Channel about how aliens built the pyramids. The biggest were the size of a bicycle from end to end, and their bodies were oddly elongated to look almost torpedo like rather than the roundish shape she was familiar with. Mismatched claws extended out from either side, one large enough to snap a tree in half, white the other was thin and webbed, but still enormous. They were all various shades of blue, with spiky crowns poking up from their heads and what looked like two smaller arms coming out where their mouths should have been. Crabs were already crazy creatures on earth, but these things were the most alien, unnatural things she¡¯d seen since she arrived in this place. Even the spiders, as horrific as they had been, were still just big spiders. These things though, seemed wholly unnatural. What gave Kya hope though, was two-fold. One was that while they seemed to move around quite quickly in the water, on land their stubby legs and large claws slowed them down a lot. The other was that, even as she watched, a group of seven users was absolutely laying waste to the horde of crabs with the casual air of someone mowing the lawn. One man, a 2-Star from his aura, sat cross legged at the center of the clear area simply observing the other six. Following his gaze, she watched as they used various powers ranging from fire and ice to sand and even shadows to kill crab after crab after crab. Finally, she turned her attention to the last member, a younger man in a navy-blue robe wielding a sword covered in glowing runes, that she finally got a reaction she hadn¡¯t remotely been anticipating. - - - - - Quest Update No Tag Backs: Though it remains to be seen how this gap occurred, you somehow failed to understand the status quo of a game about evasion: evade the other guy. Nevertheless, before you now lies your chance at retribution. Your path to redemption. Your ladder to success. So, bop bop bop your way on over there and get that guy! - Objective: Tag another 1-Star member of the evasion league. - Time Remaining: 10d:17h:12m:38s: - Reward: Rewards contingent on manner of quest completion. - - - - - . . . Kya smiled, then laughed, then wiped a tear from her eye as pulled out her cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders. She wished she had one of those orts right now, because it was apparently time to get her head in the game. 60. Gods Above, That Wretched Game Kya¡¯s Notes Blue-Fanged Crabs - 1-Star - Uncommon. Size: Medium, Threat - Moderate. About five feet in length not including claws, they vary from deep navy to bright cerulean on the backs of their shells, which are also covered in numerous spikey points that resemble crowns. Though their speed is quite something in water, on land they become noticeably slower on their spindly legs. Though the massive vice of a claw is the main source of attack, the deadliest blow they can deal is a bite from a matching set of four large blue and very venomous teeth.
With a slight flourish that made her younger self both indescribably giddy as well as cringe internally, Kya donned her deep midnight blue cloak. She noticed for the first time the slight connection between the cloak and her aura, and ginned. She already knew how important and valuable the cloak was that Merivan had made her, but Kya had a feeling she would only truly begin to appreciate it as time went on and her power grew. - - - - - - Item: Kya¡¯s Cloak of Adventure - Rarity: Rare, Soul-Bound - Description: Made by an expert seamstress, the cloak has been enhanced beyond the materials used to craft it. It will completely or partially nullify weaker attacks and basic forms of magic. Additionally enhances any spatial ability used by the wearer. - Enchantments: Spatial Affinity, Self-Repair, Self-Cleaning, Mana Resistance-Weak - Requirements: Can only be used by you. - - - - - Everytime Kya put it on, the deep blue reminded her of a moonless night, and even though the sun was bright and the day was warm, she felt cool under the cloak. Bringing her hands to either side, she was suddenly holding her twin iron daggers that Alder had found for her. They weren¡¯t the weapons she¡¯d found in the forest and grown accustomed to, but they were good enough for now. Without further delay, she ran forwards and just as her foot hit the edge of the town wall, she activated her slow fall ability and leapt as far as her legs would allow. With a profound euphoria that suddenly everything was right in the world, she soared. Eyes closed, her cloak billowed around her, snapping in the wind, and she couldn¡¯t help but let out a delighted laugh. Magic might produce monsters, and demons, and horrors of the night. But this¡­ this is what it was about. This feeling of cutting through the warm salty ocean air, this was what magic was for. Then, much too soon, she passed over the sitting 2-Star man, and through her aura, felt the army of crabs come into range. Snapping her eyes open, she refocused her attention on the two goals she had for the day. ¡°Firstly,¡± she thought, ¡°I need to slay as many of the monsters as possible, without being overwhelmed. And secondly,¡± she eyed the man in the blue robe with the glowing sword about fifty meters to her left as he slew one crab after another, ¡°I need to get as close to that guy as possible.¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¡°Hey Ken, are you like¡­ absolutely sure we¡¯re going the right way? I¡¯m not trying to say we¡¯re definitely lost or anything, I just really think I¡¯ve seen that tree before.¡± ¡°Yes, Phil, like I told you the last thirteen times¡­ I am sure I know where I¡¯m going. I have the map right here, are you saying I can¡¯t read a map?¡± The squad came to a halt, letting out a collective sigh as the pair began to bicker once again. Carcello sat down on a fallen log, idly rubbing at his leg. It was still a little sore, though it had pained him less and less as the day went on. He found that his feet were complaining more than anything, though not as much as Phil. Their group had been sent out early that morning to begin scouting out the region. Carcello and Hjaldin were joined by three others to make up their scouting party: Phil was an inexperienced spear wielder and Earth user, and though Carcello hadn¡¯t asked him yet, he was quite sure this was the guy¡¯s first time on an actual assignment. Then there was Ken, the knowledge user who was¡­ well, he might have been great if he wasn¡¯t constantly getting spooked by every swaying branch and snapping twig. They had already been turned around at least three times that Carcello could tell, but they had been moving in generally speaking the right direction and they had all day to get to the objective and return. He knew from his father¡¯s rants about keeping soldiers busy as well as his own experience that if they returned several hours early from an assignment, the army wouldn¡¯t believe they¡¯d done it properly and either make them do it again, give them another assignment to do in the shortened time remaining, or just straight out punish them in some way. Clean the barracks, cut the grass outside the walls, paint rocks¡­ all this to say, Carcello didn¡¯t really mind as they clumsily began exploring the forest around Lyra. However, the same couldn¡¯t exactly be said for the last member of their group. ¡°Are we seriously having this conversation, again?¡± came the scathing voice of Narissa, the healer of the group. ¡°This is utterly and completely inane. How in the name of the twelve you two got approved to be on this mission is beyond me, I can¡¯t wait to tell my father about this. Just give me the map, and I¡¯ll lead us through this pink mess called a forest.¡± Carcello and Hjaldin shared a look, before the ladder just gave a shrug of his large shoulders. Carcello sighed and kept rubbing his leg. Narissa, as she was rather fond of telling them, was the daughter of a 4-Star in one of the northern cities, where they held some land and an aristocratic title. Meaning that while they were the same rank magically and in terms of the military, she outranked them all socially. A fact she was very aware of. The three continued to bicker for several minutes, until finally Narissa snatched the think parchment out of Ken¡¯s hand and declared that she would be leading them from here on, before marching off with the other two in tow. Rising to their feet, Hjaldin and Carcello bringing up the rear as they fell in line. Gazing up through the canopy of rose colored trees, Carcello let out yet another sigh as Narissa began her tirade again. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s like this is all a game to you people, you¡¯re worse than a pair of dwarves. My father would-¡± Ahead, Hjaldin took a swig and whispered back while holding out his flask, ¡°I¡¯ve decided to take a sip each time she mentions her father, house, family, or status.¡± He shrugged ¡°This might get me shitfaced a bit too quickly, but we¡¯ll see how it goes.¡± Stifling a laugh, Carcello took the flask and thought maybe Narissa wasn¡¯t far off calling this a game. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Kya¡¯s dagger sent out a spray of crimson sparks as it once more deflected the incoming claw of a Blue-Fanged Crab. After leaping into the fray with a reckless abandon, she quickly found that this may have been a less than ideal strategy for taking on the massive horde of claws and fangs. She¡¯d been immediately attacked on all sides by crabs using their single massive claw not to try and cut her in half or to grab her, but like a blunt warhammer to simply try and better her down. If not for her cloak absorbing most of the attacks, she knew she wouldn¡¯t have stood a single chance at keeping her ground. As it was, she knew that sooner or later, she would be overrun and one of them would land a lucky hit to cripple her, meaning that she needed to act fast. Both arms shooting out to either side, Kya felt a strain in the pit of her stomach and a pressure around her head like a migraine as she released a powerful blast with only one goal: away. All around her, it was like an invisible wall moved out and in a ring of almost five meters there was suddenly nothing but warm sand as nearly a dozen of the crabs were sent flying back. Chest heaving from the exertion, Kya focused on the nearest crab that was now scuttling sideways towards her much more warily, pitch black eye stalks recessed into its shell. - - - - - *** NEW CREATURE IDENTIFIED *** Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. - Blue-Fanged Crab - 1 Star - Common - They¡¯re fierce, they¡¯re fanged, and most of all, they¡¯re fecund! These horny bastards are focused on two things and two things only: finding a mate, and showing off for that mate. How do they show off? By killing things of course! Watch out for the massive claws on the females, and the massive¡­ shells on the males. Good luck! - - - - - ¡°That¡¯s about as helpful as usual¡± Kya thought idly as she and the crab slowly approached one another. ¡°I should just keep track of them all on my own, make a journal or something. Like my own pokedex or some- Woah woah woah!!¡± She said the last part out loud, as the crab suddenly flapped its other, fin-like claw to propel itself forward much faster than before. Dancing to the side, Kya dodged the incoming claw strike so narrowly, she felt the wind tousel her hair as it passed by. Dismissing the dagger in her left hand while reversing the grip of the dagger in her right, she used her palm to slap the claw away, knocking the creature off balance, before bringing her claw down on the thinnest part of the arm she could see. Sparks flew as her blade ricocheted off its shell, the shock sending pain lancing through her hand and arm like she¡¯d taken a baseball bat to a fire hydrant. Using her ability, she danced back several meters to disengage, noting that the ring of crabs hadn¡¯t gotten any smaller. They were circling the two combatants, making a sort of arena. A smirk crossed Kya¡¯s face for a moment as a memory of a similar circle forming at a school dance from many years ago, but she quickly banished the thought and refocused on the crab. Its armor was tougher than she¡¯d thought, especially for such a weak point in the arm. The crab rushed forwards again, and once more Kya dodged the enormous claw, but this time used her ability to push it forcibly into the sand underneath them. The moment it hit the ground, and sand erupted around them, Kya grasped her dagger in both hands and brought it down as hard as she could on the nearest joint. Just for good measure, she used one more push to add momentum to the blow at the last second. Once more, a flurry of sparks roared into existence as her dagger struck the iron shell, but to her enormous satisfaction, the dagger broke through the shell¡¯s resistance and met the soft flesh underneath. The blade¡¯s trajectory had been thrown off from what Kya had wanted, so what would have cut the limb off entirely instead only managed to seriously maim. With a nails-on-chalkboard screech, the crab tried to lift its claw out of the sand but between the severed muscles, the sheer weight of the enormous pincers, and the fact she had crashed the claw deep in the sand, meant the creature was thoroughly anchored in place. With another burbling screech, this time in anger, the crab threw its foaming mouth towards her leg. It might have lost it¡¯s its main weapon in the claw, but Kya knew the fangs for which they were named were no joke either. Blasting the crab away in the same moment she leapt up, she fumbled and almost lost her balance when her slow fall ability didn¡¯t immediately take effect. Hurrying to activate it, she lost focus on pushing the crab so even as her momentum carried her up and back, the crab regained its footing and once more leapt towards her. ¡°Fuck, this is gonna hurt¡± she groaned internally. She knew her clothing had some resistance, also made by Merivan, but her cloak was currently billowing all around her and her leg was quite exposed. Shutting her eyes, she waited for the stinging bite that¡­ that never came? Opening her eyes again a heartbeat later as her feet settled on the sand, she saw that the crab, still anchored in place, had pulled short by its own dead limb. Like a dog pulling at a leash, it strained and struggled to reach her, but she was safely out of its reach, even if just barely. Breathing heavily, Kya laughed out loud. At the absurdity of it and the sheer dumb luck. She had made a mistake, a potentially damning one, and discovered the strain of trying to activate two abilities simultaneously. She knew she could do it, but using them and channeling them in the same moment was more challenging than she had anticipated. Shaking herself and moving forwards slowly, Kya knew these were thoughts for after the fight. The crab was bleeding dark blue blood from the gash in its arm, and the tugging it was doing to drag the crippled claw forwards was only making it worse. With two quick strikes, Kya stabbed it through its eye stalks, but to her surprise, this didn¡¯t kill it. Now blinded both physically and with raw fury, the froth around its mouth grew to look like a bubbly beard and its slow tugging crawl became random thrashing. With a push from her power, Kya managed to flip the crab on its back and seeing the pale underside of the creature, realized this was the key . With a malicious grin, she slid her dagger past it¡¯s flailing legs and plunged her dagger deep into the belly of the beast. The shell put up a bit of resistance, but after a second of consistent pressure, the blade sunk in and the crab stopped moving. The notification came a moment later and seconds after that, the black shadows started to overtake the shell until only the small flame was left behind. Kya watched it dance above the sands, a deep blue, but with small flashes of orange at its core. Finally, the light winked out, and she looked up to see another crab had immediately taken the place of the first from the ring of onlookers. Shaking out her hands and rolling her neck, Kya took a deep, steadying breath, before she charged in to do it all again. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¡°I really don¡¯t know how you can eat that.¡± Wade said, her face showing the mild disgust at Alder¡¯s bowl of soup. Slurping up another mouthful, including the stringy light blue crab meat that came with it, Alder swallowed with an overly loud gulp and then let out a contented ¡°ahhhhhh¡±. Looking over at Wade, he grinned ¡°Blue-fang soup is one of the tastiest meals I¡¯ve ever had, I don¡¯t know how you can¡¯t eat it. Didn¡¯t you grow up around here?¡± She scoffed and looked away ¡°I¡¯m from Lyra, not Cetus. There¡¯s a huge difference. But I did visit the town all the time growing up. The smell of crabs is just¡­ pungent.¡± She finished, almost forcing out the last word. He just chuckled in response. ¡°In that case, I don¡¯t know how you¡¯re going to handle¡­ well, all of that¡± They had just crested the town''s sea-wall, and could now see not only the blue ocean of water, but the blue ocean of crabs as well. There were dozens, if not hundreds of them all scutting back and forth creating an almost hypnotic pattern as they churned. Dotted throughout the sands and crabs were Users fighting back. A couple fought in groups of two¡¯s and three¡¯s, using coordinated synergies to take out multiple crabs at a time and sweep through them like a broom to dust. Others fought on their own, small rings having formed around them as the crabs fought them one on one. ¡°Fighting monsters is fine, even if they¡¯re crabs. Engaging in fights to kill and win is a noble cause and one I¡¯ll gladly participate in. But¡­¡± then Wade smiled and pointed to one of the solo fighters ¡°It would seem she and I agree!¡± Looking ahead, Alder smiled as well when he recognized the billowing midnight cloak as belonging to Kya. She wasn¡¯t exactly having the easiest time against the large crab she was facing, but she was doing well enough that Alder knew she would come out on top. Walking forwards, they stopped next to a man sitting with his legs folded under him, a gentle but persistent aura around him both keeping the crabs from coming anywhere near him as well as identifying him as a 2-Star user. Looking up at the two, he said ¡°Greetings, it¡¯s a lovely day for the beach, don¡¯t you think? Alder nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but Wade spoke first ¡°A lovely day indeed, for a contest.¡± A glint in his eye, the man replied ¡°Or a conquest!¡± Then the two clasped one another on the forearm, and laughed. ¡°Well met, Wade, and congratulations on the rank up!¡± ¡°Thank you Drake, well met indeed. What are you doing all the way out here? Are you on a training detail?¡± The man, Drake, was a stocky fellow. He had the odd look of a man who spent far too much time using his upper body, and far too little using his lower body. His biceps and arms were almost as thick around as his thighs. His bald head and curly mustache that bounced when he spoke almost worked to make him seem friendlier for some reason, at least Alder found himself liking the man almost instantly. Drake laughed again and said ¡°I got a bit overzealous when meeting with the city lord. I told him I didn¡¯t like his beard, among¡­ other things. Well, the guild master didn¡¯t take kindly to that, nor did the headmaster. Sent me out for a two week circuit to the nearby communities with a batch of new students.¡± He nodded to the scattered combatants as they fought. ¡°It¡¯s been pretty nice, honestly. The majority of the group aren¡¯t anything special, there¡¯s a team of five off patrolling the woods right now that will be back for dinner, and these ones here are decent, but that one there-¡± he pointed to a dark haired boy with a glowing blue sword ¡°-he¡¯s something. If he wasn¡¯t so obsessed with water, I¡¯d be recruiting him to War like a hellhound after a bonfire. But the boy is a purist. Doesn¡¯t want to split his focus.¡± Drake shrugged his massive shoulders ¡°I can¡¯t really be too mad. What about you two? Are you here for that rather interesting girl?¡± He inclined his head towards Kya as she fought her own crab. Wade nodded ¡°We¡¯re helping her complete a couple contracts while on our way through the area. And ¡®interesting¡¯ doesn¡¯t begin to describe her.¡± The three continued talking for another couple of minutes, until finally, Alder squinted his eyes and asked ¡°What¡­ why is¡­ Hey Drake?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°That boy with the glowing rune sword there, does he participate in activities outside the academy?¡± The other two turned to look and saw why had drawn Alders attention. Kya was stepping on top of the crabs shells like stepping stones as she suddenly made a beeline for the boy with a sword. Drake looked back and made eye contact with Alder, and the pair began to laugh like schoolchildren. Wade looked back and forth between the two and finally said ¡°What? Why is Kya running at the boy?¡± The two stopped laughing and looked at her, then just laughed again all the harder. Wade looked from the pair, then at Kya who had almost reached the swordsman, then back to the pair. Finally it hit her, and her eyes rolled so hard, they threatened to fall out of her head. ¡°Oh gods above, is this for that wretched game you all insist on playing?¡± 61. Tylan I am writing this note in case you return here looking for us. And I know you¡¯ll return, I can feel it in my bones that you¡¯re out there. We don¡¯t have much time, we¡¯re all moving to a safezone in the city and the so-called ¡°watchers¡± are becoming insistent. Here¡¯s everything you need to know¡­
The Crabs of Cetus were an almost perfect opponent for Kya. Their nearly impervious shells and swift, powerful strikes always kept her on the tips of her toes, and made her time and again find interesting solutions to fighting them. Though it was almost always some variation of ¡°flip the crab over and stab it¡± each encounter proved unique in how she got there. The first one she¡¯d disabled the crabs pincer arm and anchored it in the sand before flipping it over to strike. However, she supposed the crabs were either smarter than they looked, or were all just better than that first one, as she hadn¡¯t yet been able to replicate that success. The second one she fought hopped out the moment the first one was taken by the shadows, and must have watched her first encounter. It guarded against her far more fiercely, never leaving a single joint exposed for her to strike. Its eye stalks were retracted almost entirely into it¡¯s shell, and it¡¯s pincer was always poised ready to strike. It even seemed like it had been expecting her to flip it, as the moment she used her ability to push on the crabs claw and send it toppling, it had instantly reacted with its other fin-like arm to counter the move and land once more in its half dozen legs. Ultimately, for this one, Kya had tried something new. She leapt up as far as she could over the crab using her slow fall, getting to a good fifteen or twenty feet in the air. Then swapping over, she began to plummet to the ground at the same instant she pulled up on the crab, causing it to come flying up towards her. As it flailed it¡¯s arms and legs around, Kya struck it blade first and continued to fall until they both crashed into the ground, her full weight and momentum pressing the dagger in even further, though it probably wasn¡¯t necessary as the crabs shell was crushed under her. She had worried for a moment as they fell that she might break her leg or sprain her ankle falling from that high. It seemed, however, that the magic coursing through her veins had also strengthened her bones as well. Though she was almost certainly going to have some bruises from the fall, and felt a dull pain all over her body as she stood, Kya was pretty sure she had come out of the fight almost entirely unscathed. A moment later she got a notification confirming the death of the crab, and shadows swallowed up the small impact crater they¡¯d made. Turning to eye the new crab that had leapt out of the circle to face her, Kya mentally sighed and downed a health potion. She might not have had broken bones, but she knew that facing these things while sore and slow could easily prove fatal. Yes, they were the perfect opponents against which to spar, but damn she was tired already. Kya spared a glance to see the blue swordsman still about fifty meters away. She¡¯d gotten closer to him with her jumping attack, but not by much. This was going to take a while if she was going to play it subtly to not alert the man. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Tylan was exhilarated. It was only his third week in the academy, and thus far the classes were all interesting and directly useful in the application of his abilities. The teachers were knowledgeable and experienced. It was truly a delight. This was the second outing they¡¯d taking as part of COM 1 - Practical Combat for Beginners course. Naturally, Tylan and the others in this particular group had been singled out as being a bit more than ¡°beginners¡± after their first outing up the river. Today would, if they performed well enough, be their last day in the beginner level course. And he had to say, it was going rather well. He alone had already killed eleven of the little devils, and was working on making it an even dozen now. The briefing they¡¯d received before venturing out here had been spot on: Aggressive and a tad on the idiotic side, they had a soft underbelly and slightly thinner sections at the joints. Tylan wasn¡¯t yet strong enough to slice through their shells altogether, but he knew he was getting close. Centering himself, he drew his aura in so it was hardly a hair''s breadth away from his skin. He took a deep, slow breath, the crab across from him leaking sapphire blood from a missing leg on the backside seemed content to watch rather than stop whatever he was doing next. Tylan let out all the air in his lungs, and only when he reached his natural stopping point did he move forwards. He gripped his blade with both hands, and as he swung the dull blue glow suddenly flared around the edge of his blade. He could feel it. The tide, the current, the raw energy and pressure of water in his mind flowing with him as he channeled form three from the stance of rivers. In an instant his blade went from angled downwards at his side to sticking straight up into the air, a blue afterglow the only sign it had passed through the space in between. The crab in front of him let out a burbling screech as its massive vice of a claw fell to the sand below. To Tylan, the scream sounded muffled, obscured. All he heard was the roaring tide as it rushed through him. Sucking in fresh air once more, Tylan¡¯s hearing returned from that place of waves and currents, the overwhelming roar of crashing waves subsiding until the sounds of the world were once more as they should be. Grinning, he used a powerful full bodied kick to flip the lopsided monster on its side, and in a smooth motion, brought his blade up and through its belly. It¡¯s body went entirely rigid for a moment, before it relaxed into death. Tylan got that tickle in the back of his mind, and felt that slightly euphoric rush as his abilities once more advanced, even if only by a bit. ¡°Thanks mate, that was a right good showing. Soon enough, I¡¯ll have the strength to make it faster for me, and easier for you.¡± Tylan said to his latest kill, before dipping his pinky in the blue blood of its wound, and drawing a large circle on it¡¯s shell. Stepping back, he looked and saw yet another one had stepped forwards into the small area around him to test its strength against his own. Reaching down and slipping a small vial from his belt, he downed the sky-blue liquid in a single gulp and looked around surveying his classmates and the almost endless tide of crabs. He saw much further down the beach that another group had arrived and begun a more unified fight, clearing them like a farmer would clear a field of tall grass. Much closer, he saw a woman had arrived close to his group, and was leaping all over the place as she fought, looking more like an acrobat than a warrior. Still, Tylan had to admit that she was effective, as he watched her drop from the sky onto a crab that had somehow been pulled up to meet her halfway. ¡°What¡¯s her class?¡± Tylan wondered ¡°Maybe Air and War? Air and Death? She¡¯s definitely not pure air, I don¡¯t see an instrument on her, but¡­¡± Stolen story; please report. Tylan¡¯s eyes narrowed as the woman stood and even from this distance, he could feel her gaze land squarely on him. Tilting his head in confusion, Tylan was about to raise his hand or something when he was quickly brought back to the moment. The crab opposite him had, apparently, grown quite frustrated with the extended wait and decided to launch itself at him, its massive claw clamping down on the blade of his sword. ¡°Oh come on, not the blade! Now I¡¯ve got to kick you a bunch, and that¡¯s never any fun¡­ well, maybe a little fun.¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Immediately after her aerial assault, Kya spared a glance for the blue swordsman. She had gotten closer, but not by much. She needed to start making larger moves towards him, but she knew she needed to be careful or else he¡­ would¡­ The swordsman in that moment looked up and over at Kya. It was short, hardly more than three heartbeats passed in the time their eyes met, but she knew he was looking at her. It didn¡¯t feel like a hostile gaze, just curious. Wondering at her presence, probably at her abilities, if he¡¯d seen any of that last fight. But almost before either of them really knew it, a crab launched itself at him and clamped down on his sword, almost trying to wrestle control of the blade from his hand. This was her chance. He was distracted with the fight, and would be for at least a few more moments. She spared a look at the smaller crab that had moved forwards to take her on next. It was the deepest shade of blue she¡¯d seen, so dark it was almost black. The tips of its legs, claws, and fangs however were all a radiant sky blue. What made it worrying, though, were the hisses as drops fell from it¡¯s fangs and hit the sand below. ¡°I think¡­ I¡¯m alright actually.¡± Kya said as she sized up the little spitfire of a crustacean. Turning, Kya leapt up and over the small ring of crabs, before using each one like a stepping stone to deftly move towards the swordsman as quickly as possible. Looking back, Kya saw that the little crab was doing much the same, using its large fin claw to make leaps just as impressive as her own as it skipped across the tops of the other crabs like a sapphire stone skipping across a lake¡¯s surface. Kya started to laugh, a deep belly laugh at the absurdity of it. The swordsman either hadn¡¯t noticed her and her pursuer yet, or hadn¡¯t turned to acknowledge them. She was going to go straight for him and tag him, but honestly, she had a way better idea that would in the long run, she thought, be a lot funnier. And after all, if you can¡¯t have fun hopping on giant blue crabs while playing tag with a man who, from what she saw, was basically an aquatic themed jedi, then there was something seriously wrong with you. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Tylan landed his seventh kick in a row, and for the seventh time, narrowly avoided the piercing blue fangs of the crab currently clamped down on his sword. ¡°Look, you¡¯ve made your bloody point¡± Kick. ¡°You have an excellent grip and I rely too strongly on my sword.¡± Kick. ¡°But you¡¯re really making me look bad.¡± Kick ¡°So just¡­ let¡­ Go!¡± Ki- In less time than it took to blink, the crab, Tylan¡¯s sword, and Tylan -who¡¯s grip on his blade wasn¡¯t any less than that of the crab- were pulled into the air as if the world had decided suddenly that they weren¡¯t welcome. Jerking his head from side to side, Tylan finally looked up and saw some distance above him that girl from before, the one in the midnight robe that had been leaping about. Out of shock, or panic, or sheer uncertainty, the crab that had been holding onto Tylan¡¯s blade for dear life let go as it began flailing around in mid-air. The moment the crab let go, Tylan dropped back to the sandy beach below, and had only moments to jump out of the way before his erstwhile opponent came crashing down beside him. Cursing softly under his breath, Tylan took a hasty breath in and out, before slashing down on the flailing crab. He didn¡¯t cut all the way through as he¡¯d hoped, but the few inches of his blade that did make it through the shell were more than enough to kill the creature. Tylan felt a trickle of energy that came from the kill, but it was such a paltry drop in the bucket, it may as well have been nothing. ¡°Hello there, miss. I appreciate the assist there, though I assure you it was well in hand.¡± Tylan said as the woman landed softly next to him, midnight blue cloak billowing over top loose fitting black combat attire. She turned and smiled at him, revealing a set of radiant eyes like rose-quartz. ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet, we have one more little friend to deal with first.¡± She inclined her head to Tylans left, where he turned and saw a little blue comet hurtling towards them like a runaway isela. Tylan didn¡¯t have the time to breath out and prepare his stance, he would need to swap to either wind stance for a hasty attack or stone stance for a hasty defense, but neither were- Well, neither were really needed actually. Just as it was within striking distance, Tylan felt¡­ something. A pressure or force that seemed to move around him like a warm breeze or gentle current. But while it did nothing more than send goosebumps down his back, the small cerulean crab was launched in the complete opposite as though shot from a bow. Tylan stood stunned for a minute, before the woman came up next to him and said ¡°That¡¯ll give us a couple seconds, but he¡¯s recovering faster each time I do that. You might want to get ready.¡± Tylan saw she had a single drop of blood coming from her right eye, like a crimson tear rolling down her face. ¡°Her mana is depleted to the point she¡¯s using her life force?¡± he thought, but aloud he said ¡°She. The smaller ones are female, though they¡¯re far more venomous in their fangs so they aren¡¯t any less dangerous.¡± Recentering himself, Tylan brought his blade to rest at his side, as though he¡¯d returned it to its scabbard. One hand held the blade firm, while the other rested just above the hilt, fingers splayed with the faintest tremor rocking them back and forth. He closed his eyes and concentrated his aura down¡­ down¡­ and then out into his blade. Tylan breathed deeply in, the ocean surging with him. The little blue demon crab was hurtling back, he could sense it. The woman said nothing, hopefully she could tell what he was about to do. He assumed as much when he sensed her move just behind him. Tylan slowly released every ounce of air in his lungs. He didn¡¯t force it out, but let it flow naturally until there was nothing left. The surging waves within him calmed to an absolute stillness, but with a yearning pressure to move, to flow, to act, to erupt. Eyes snapping open, Tylan let out a feral yell as he brought his blade up over his head and then down, cleaving through eighty percent of the crabs shell in a single blow. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Kya watched as the swordsman exhaled slowly, eyes closed in concentration. As he did so, an odd pressure fell over her. It was the moment before a storm breaks, when the sky grows dark and the air grows cold. It was the eerie stillness of the world before everything shifts, ever so slightly. Kya blinked, that¡¯s all it was, a blink of an eye. She both saw and felt the little blue crab approaching them, its leaps combined with the massive fan-like claw that spread out from one side, made it seem to fly at them like an out of control comet. But in that one blink, the man''s sword was embedded in the shell, almost managing to split it in two. Deciding to help out just a little, Kya pulled on the shell of the creature with her ability, and like a warm knife through butter, the man''s sword slid cleanly through the rest of the shell, and it¡¯s two halves fell to either side with a dull thud. Kya got the notification of death a heartbeat later, and was about to read over it when the man, sword now covered in a lacquered blue and black sheath, let out a full throated yell in exultation. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying all day to slice through one of those hard-shells! It was probably just the momentum of the thing as it flew towards us, but still! Gods above that feels good.¡± Kya smiled and even laughed a little as the man spoke. Though she knew it was another world, and another language that was being somehow translated through her ability, what she heard was a faintly British accent coming from the man. Reaching out her hand, Kya said ¡°Congratulations on the kill, both that one and the earlier one. I¡¯m Kya.¡± The moment his hand touched hers, she got a notification that made her grin widen into a full blown smirk. ¡°Wonderful to meet you Kya, I¡¯m Tylan. Are you a student at the academy? Why haven¡¯t I seen you around?¡± She waved away those questions, continuing to hold onto his outstretched hand despite him clearly trying to let go. ¡°All that can wait, I have something much more important to tell you.¡± The man, Tylan, cocked his head ¡°Oh, what¡¯s that?¡± Kya¡¯s smile was almost predatory as she said the three lettered word. ¡°Tag.¡± 62. Eve of Alignment News was sporadic at best, and what was being said didn¡¯t help the unrest. Of course, all of that was before the riots started.
Four days after Kya tagged Tylan, the group of six academy students and their instructor, as well as Kya¡¯s small group all sat together on the massive balcony of their inn, eating a light breakfast as the twin suns peaked over the horizon. None of them were particularly enthusiastic about the meal being served, as it contained the one ingredient that almost every piece of food contained in this city: Crab. Boiled, seared, steamed, sauteed, roasted, pickled, caked, breaded, fried, no matter how you cooked it, the same thing for every meal, no matter how good, eventually got dull. Kya knew from experience that eventually the mere smell of the crab would be almost nauseating, but at this point, they were still just disappointed in the meal and nothing more. Each day after the first had gone much the same. Kya practiced her aura control with Alder each morning and evening, sparred with Wade or Tylan during lunch, and any other time while the sun was up was spent exclusively on fighting and killing crabs. At this point, Kya could fight and kill crabs like a lawn mower kills grass. Alright, maybe not that easily, but she was becoming extremely proficient at it. Though he had been initially quite annoyed at being tagged, Tylan had quickly gotten over it, moving on to instead find Kya and her abilities utterly fascinating. The first day and a half had been nothing but questions on the exact nature of her pushes and pulls, how light, exactly, could she make herself with her slow-fall, how she had even gotten an extinct class in the first place. Kya had been absolutely on board with the questions and subsequent sparring rounds to test them as it gave her invaluable insight to her own abilities and limits. She¡¯d already found out a lot of it on her own through her various fights, but the exact and precise nature of her abilities was quite fun to pin down. First were all the tests they¡¯d done on her slow fall ability. - - - - - - Ability {Slow Fall} 1-Star - 29% - Description: Through your experience and understanding of space, you are able to moderately affect the inexorable force pulling you down. May be extended to others in close proximity at an increased rate of mana consumption. - - - - - Firstly, despite her regular and almost constant use of the ability in every fight since she¡¯d gotten it, it was only at 29%. If this was her first ability, she had a feeling it would have progressed at least twice as far. In addition to just the basic increase in combat ability that understanding herself and her abilities would bring, Kya had been hoping for a leap forward in her abilities like she¡¯d gotten with her push and pull ability. Still, she¡¯d been happy enough just sparring and learning about her abilities. She¡¯d even gotten a glimpse into what a class at the Academy would be like from watching the 2-Star, Drake, mentor the group of 6 students he¡¯d brought with him out into the academy. From what she had gathered, this was a somewhat atypical group of first year students that both already had their classes as well as combat experience that meant, if they performed well enough against the crabs, they would advance to a higher level course. The group consisted of Tylan, a boy no older than nineteen named Relis who constantly had the hood of his black robe over his head and who talked like he was straight out of a 1950¡¯s horror novel. One of the bad ones. And of course, he was a death user, surprising Kya not even a little bit. The others were less¡­ dramatic to Kya, but still a fun bunch. There was Volund the Earth User. Kya had seen him and fought with him, and his ability to use sand was almost scary considering he was still just a 1-Star. There was the brother-sister duo of Gelar and Galar. They were half elves, which was apparently something of a scandal back in Lyra. Matters were made worse by the fact that the Gelar looked especially elven with a lean graceful build, long pointed ears, and platinum blond hair. While Galar looked quite human with dark brown hair speckled with blonde streaks here and there, shorter rounded ears, and well, her figure certainly wasn¡¯t the lean runners build most elves had. They were both an Earth-Life combo class called Soul Soil that had some interesting applications from what she¡¯d seen. When either one attacked, they seemed firmly in the support class, but their abilities to suddenly call forth small vines to immobilize, while effective now, seemed like it would be far scarier later on. The last one of their group was a small woman named Celi who hardly ever spoke, but Kya knew was a Fire-Emotion combo called HearthFire. The emotional aspect of her class, even if it was a secondary one, instantly made Kya wary and kept her distance from the girl. Nothing had happened yet, but Kya wouldn¡¯t take any chances. As Wade apparently knew the man from when she¡¯d been training with her own class, Drake had allowed her to sit in on the morning and afternoon classroom sessions over a meal. She¡¯d learned the history of the crabs, the history of Cetus, She¡¯d caught glimpses of what her aura training was building towards in the offhand comments made by Drake, though none of his lessons had yet directly broached the topic. This morning, they finally arrived at something she¡¯d been eagerly anticipating but felt it would be rude to broach on her own. ¡°So then¡± Drake began as they all started in on their breakfast of crab sausages and crab soup, ¡°Who¡¯s made the most progress? I haven¡¯t sensed any of you passing a threshold yet, so you¡¯re all still on your second or third abilities, but how have we done this week?¡± While Relis started talking with his annoying, probably fake breathy and gravelly voice, Kya pulled up her character screen as she¡¯d been doing a couple times a day since arriving in Cetus. - - - - - Character Screen - - - - - Forty-Two Percent. Kya knew, from her talks with Wade and Alder, that she was making superb progress. But still, for her it felt painfully slow. She wanted nothing more than to reach a new threshold. Perking up slightly, she hid her grin when she finally heard Relis say at the end of his tirade that he felt himself about halfway through his second ability. The others didn¡¯t have a character screen like she did, and instead had to use a mix of introspection and instinct to get a feel for their abilities. Next came Tylan, who said he was nearing the end of his second ability, and was hoping to be on his third and final ability before returning to the school at the end of the week. Volund was right there with him, and the two grinned at each other with knowing looks. Kya senses either a budding rivalry, or a budding bromance there, but hadn¡¯t yet broached the topic. She had learned very quickly that anything remotely alluding to the concept of relationships was a raw nerve for Tylan. The twins and Celi were slightly different, as they had a subclass rather than one of the main twelve. They had already unlocked all three of their abilities, although the first one was the only one to have reached 2-Star. Their overall progression was on pace with the rest, but the twins said they were only about a fifth of the way through their abilities, with Celi being a bit further ahead at third of the way through hers. If Kya had to guess their percentages, she¡¯d place Tylan at around sixty percent; close to his next threshold but not quite there. Relis and the twins were in the forties with Kya, while Celi was probably in the low fifties. She couldn¡¯t be sure, and the others could be exaggerating their progress, but she felt good to be at the same level as them. After everyone including Kya had said their approximate progress through the ranks, Drake nodding at each one in turn, he said ¡°That¡¯s excellent work, truly magnificent. Each of you youngsters are blossoming into the powers and abilities you possess with remarkable speed and poise. I couldn¡¯t be more proud of you.¡± He turned his attention to another table on the balcony where they all sat. A second group of students sat there, laughing at something they hadn¡¯t heard, food hardly touched on their plates. Drake sighed when he looked at them and then turned back. ¡°Some are not as well suited to power as others, but blossom in time, they will as well.¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Kya had seen the other group fight, and they were¡­ less experienced than Tylan¡¯s group to say the least. From what she gathered, they were the children of nobles or wealthy merchants who weren¡¯t as suited to open combat, but still insisted on taking the placement test with the others. ¡°Now then¡± Drake began ¡°I know some of you have already heard this from teachers and mentors, family members and the like, but it¡¯s still worth going over again.¡± He turned his attention to the twins and Celi. ¡°You three already have subclasses, and can attest to this, but for you four, you are coming up on your last chances to go for a subclass.¡± On the table he laid out twelve pieces of crab sausage in a circle, grouping them in fours. ¡°You all have the main classes, of course. The four elementals,¡± he pointed to the first group of sausages, ¡°The four ethereal¡± he pointed to the second group of sausages, ¡°and the four enlightens.¡± He pointed to the last group of sausages. ¡°You lot all, through one method or another, managed to get a primary class. However, if you¡¯re going to claim a secondary one, the only time you can ever do it is before you get to your second threshold.¡± Drake paused for a minute, getting one full sausage link, and arranging the other eleven around it in a circle. ¡°Now, each class can be combined with any other class to produce eleven distinct and unique subclasses.¡± Kya raised her hand, and when Drake looked up, asked ¡°What happens if you try and get a subclass of the same type as your main class? Like a Water-Water or life-life situation.¡± ¡°There are seven of you Kya, you can just speak up, no need for hands. But good question! We call those people double dippers. Nine times out of ten, the class ritual will fail, and they¡¯ll suffer a minor backlash causing mild pain at best, or mental and spiritual strain at worst. When the ritual does succeed though, they retain their status with a primary class, Water, Life, etc. except that they are able to gain experience at a slightly faster rate than their contemporaries, as well as have a small chance to get better abilities at higher ranks. Not to mention it will immediately push them through the second threshold, meaning they¡¯ll have all three abilities unlocked earlier than is normal. It¡¯s not much of an advantage, but when it takes years or even decades to progress at the higher ranks, any advantage can compound.¡± Clearing his throat and turning back to his circle of sausages, Drake continued. ¡°Now, as I said, there are a couple of ways to unlock a class for the first time, but to get yourself a subclass, you need an awakening item- plain and simple.¡± The others all nodded along like this made perfect sense. Kya knew what awakening items were, having found the proverbial eye of the tiger back in the forest when she¡¯d been saved by Wade what felt like a lifetime ago. As Drake kept talking about the importance of subclasses, Kya pulled out the eye under the table and inspected it. About the size of a golf ball, it was cold and smooth like glass. The slit, diamond like pupil had a malevolent energy to it. - - - - - - Item: Eye of the Reaping Tiger - Rarity: Rare - Description: The preserved eye from a Reaping Tiger. When used in a ritual of ascension, grants the {Death} class. - Enchantments: Class Awakening {Death} - Requirements: Less than two Classes. - - - - - - You meet the requirements for use of {Eye of the Reaping Tiger} - Initiate Class Awakening by consuming {Eye of the Reaping Tiger}? - Yes/No - - - - - What would a Space/death hybrid look like? What ability would she get? Relis was cringy as hell, but Kya had seen him use shadows like knives and cause crabs to rot from the inside out. If her goal was to become not only more self-sufficient, but more powerful and deadly, then a death class wasn¡¯t the worst thing in the world. She mentally selected no, and stored the eye. Even if she didn¡¯t need a ritual and would just¡­ absorb this eyeball or whatever, she still didn¡¯t want to do it while sitting at the breakfast table. Looking up at the sound of scraping chairs, Kya met eyes with¡­ with Relis, who rather than cleaning up his plate was making a beeline for her. He stopped about three inches from her, which was about three feet closer than what Kya would have ever wanted. She could smell his odd cologne, like fresh dirt and onions, before he spoke like an asthmatic batman. ¡°I sensed the call of the void, the energy of oblivion. You have one, don¡¯t you.¡± His onyx eyes didn¡¯t glow the way others did, but seemed lustrous all the same, like a cut and polished gemstone. Now those eyes bored into her with the intensity of a man trying to convince others that his weird hobby is actually super cool and you should totally give it a try. ¡°Even though your primary class isn¡¯t one of my path, you still have an opportunity to join, to walk alongside those of my ancestors, those of the world beyond, following in the footsteps of Kharag himself. What say you, Kya Ophelia. I will personally-¡± ¡°Alright there, Relis, I think that¡¯s more than enough of that.¡± Kya interrupted, as she grabbed her half finished tray of food and stood. ¡°Your sales pitch could use a little work. Your sense of importance is fine, but maybe come down off your high-horse just a bit next time.¡± ¡°Kya, you don¡¯t understand what you are saying. As master Drake was saying, this is the only time-¡± ¡°Yes, yes, the only time I can claim a subclass. I know. But I think I¡¯ll make that decision for myself, though to be fair and give some sincerity, I do genuinely thank you for your help. If I have questions, I might come to you. Maybe. Fifty-Fifty. Well, seventy-thirty seems a bit more fair, but then I¡¯ve never been much for math.¡± Relis stood there for a moment, opened his mouth, then closed it again and shook his head. He walked away muttering to himself ¡°...don¡¯t know what a horse even is..¡± which, honestly, brightened Kya¡¯s day just a little bit more. ¡°Oh! One last thing before we head out there for the day,¡± Drake called as the group two tables began breaking apart. He smiled under his thick, curly mustache as he continued ¡°alignment tonight about an hour after sundown. Crabs should have retreated by then, so you¡¯ll have to stand strong and earn your keep against pretty much everything else. Should be fun!¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Carcello, Hjaldin, Ken, Phil, and Narissa had, unfortunately, been placed into a more permanent team than originally planned. Apparently they had ¡°done well¡± and ¡°mapped out the area efficiently¡± as they wandered and argued non-stop. This meant that, to Carcello¡¯s horror, they¡¯d been completing missions for the army, as well as contracts for the guild pretty much non-stop for the last four days straight. Normally, this wouldn¡¯t have been a problem. Fighting monsters, advancing their abilities, even if it was a forest teeming with low-level monsters, they had a well-rounded and well-trained team. The problem? ¡°You are utterly pathetic. This whole forest is pathetic, that snake was pathetic, and yet it still managed to bite you and make you, if this is even possible, even more of an idiot. I think that makes you less than pathetic. It makes you an imbecilic, lamentable, feeble, inadequate, moronic-¡± ¡°Narissa, just heal the man, no need to hit him over the head with a thesaurus.¡± Hjaldin said with a sigh. Ken had identified the monster as an ancient viper, and then about three seconds later been laying on the ground with two bites on his arm. Phil, who had been making steady progress over the past few days, rammed his spear into the snake''s body before stomping it into the ground. With a ripping, tearing noise the viper split off from the part of it¡¯s body that was impaled and tried to escape, but Carcello leapt forwards and brought down the head of his hammer with as much force as he could muster, causing a small eruption of green and red goo when he made impact. Now, the team sat around Ken as he lay on the ground staring blankly up at the sky. ¡°You uh¡­ can heal him, right?¡± Phil asked, ¡°He isn¡¯t already¡­¡± Whipping her head around, Narissa leveled such a glare at Phil that you¡¯d think her class was fire, rather than life. ¡°Of course I can heal him, this is child¡¯s play, don¡¯t be insulting. This venom isn¡¯t even particularly dangerous, it¡¯ll just paralyze and give him some hallucinations for a while. Give me a minute and he¡¯ll be back on his feet. Maybe it¡¯ll even help him think straight for a change.¡± ¡°Prettyyyyy lady¡± Ken said with a hiccuping giggle, his head rolling back and forth like a reed in the wind. ¡°You have a good nose. Not too long, not too short. A good nose. Boop, boop. Who knows. Knows nose knows nose. Why do we make sounds that mean different things. We should make different sounds for different thinks. Things. Thinks things. Why am I on the ground?¡± ¡°By Ferona¡¯s lost name, if he doesn¡¯t shut up, I¡¯m going to knock him out.¡± Narissa said, hand reluctantly still outstretched with a faint glow. She moved the rest of her body as far away as possible. Moving away from the group, Carcello stored his hammer after wiping off the gore from the snake, and looked around. About 300 yards ahead, there was a small rise in the terrain, and through the forest canopy, they could make out a the top of the hill. For the mostly flat and level forest, this was one of the largest hills they¡¯d seen. ¡°I¡¯m going to scout the top of that hill there,¡± Carcello called out. Hjaldin nodded before crossing his arms and looking back at Ken, who was already getting much of the color back to his face and arm. Storing his boots Carcello felt the soft forest floor with his bare feet. He had found that his ability worked with his boots on, but drained slightly less mana when he took them off. So then, focusing on his mountain climber ability, Carcello stepped forwards and in a moment was ten paces further than his step should have carried him. A wicked grin on his face, he stepped again, and again. This ability was a steady drain on his mana, meaning he could only use it for a couple of minutes at most, but since it gave him speed that rivaled a peak 2-Star, he really couldn¡¯t complain. In less than a minute, he stood in a small clearing at the top of the hill. There was a broken fountain with a small pool of clear water in its cracked basin. The overgrown and messy hedges were still faintly arranged into what once must have been a beautiful pattern. And ahead, past the bushes and gardens, was what they¡¯d been seeking for the past day and a half: The last temple used by the last god of space. Carcello took a deep breath, held it for a moment, before letting it hiss out between his teeth. ¡°Here we go.¡± 63. Lost in Translation At one point your mother, ever the optimist, said it would be total anarchy, that we needed to get out and hide somewhere, if for no other reason than the bombs. Then, luckily or unluckily, the watchers were formed.
Sayrin stood, surveying the lonely mountain ahead of them, the first real mountain they¡¯d come across. The massive hardwood gate ahead was a radiant gold on the closer side, and an elegant silver towards the mountain. It was largely a symbolic structure, but it was still an important landmark. In the four days since they¡¯d left Rosoon, His company of two dozen users had made it north to Welden, a city on the banks of the massive inland Ionic sea at the heart of the Terran kingdom. From there, they¡¯d taken one of the numerous passenger barges and sailed northeast along the coast until finally they¡¯d docked at the trade town of Ardell. The city itself wasn¡¯t anything special. There weren¡¯t any notable landmarks nearby, nor was it in a particularly mana rich area. The farms nearby didn¡¯t make anything extraordinary, in almost all aspects, it was like any other thousand villages that Sayrin had passed through in his time. What made it so important, then, was its location. Two days sail from Welden, two days sail to Palacia, the old capital city in the far north, and most importantly for Sayrin, it was only two days from Rollo, the border city between them and the Cheole empire. Finally, their trek was nearing its end. They weren¡¯t at their final destination just yet, the Tortian Mountain in northern Cheole, but at long last they had reached the border. Lieutenant Hanrin walked up and saluted, then after Sayrin returned the gesture, stood beside him gazing at the stone gate. The small village at the foot of the mountain was, according to a report Sayrin had read no less than nine times through, was essentially just an outpost for greeting foreigners. The Cheole people liked to live in higher altitudes where there was less air? Sayrin didn¡¯t quite understand what they meant by less air but assumed he would find out soon. ¡°Sir, some of the men -not me now- but some of the men are beginning to grumble. We¡¯ve been waiting here for almost two hours.. I know they¡¯re supposed to come meet us, but at some point are we going to call it a day and go meet them..?¡± Sayrin sighed, and for the first time, looked away from the distant village. ¡°If we take one step past that gate there, then there¡¯s going to be hell to pay. We need to be escorted by a representative of their country. Until then, we just have to wait.¡± He took another look at the suns. Blue was still high in the sky, but Amber was already beginning its descent towards the western horizon. As the seasons shifted, they would slowly trade places until Amber was entirely behind Blue, and then winter would settle in until Amber finally peaked back out. The moons weren¡¯t like that, they all moved across the sky at different speeds, sometimes during the day, sometimes at night, but they never traded places moving behind or in front of one another. Why was that? How did the heavens decide where and when to move? He had heard of new reports coming from the Cretes that some of their scholars had- ¡°Uh.. sir?¡± ¡°Hm, what?¡± Sayrin was pulled back to the moment and away from his idle contemplations. Hanrin was pointing towards the village, and following the gesture, Sayrin saw that, finally, there was a group of people flying out towards them. That was one thing Sayrin both envied and detested. The earth was solid, stable, he loved the earth and knew that the earth loved him. He hated getting on ships that took the ground from under his feet. But to fly so easily and quickly, the sheer utility was astounding. The group moved like insects during the brief weeks of spring when the air was sweet. They moved this way and that, doing loops, sometimes turning around entirely before resuming their journey towards the border. ¡°Tell the men to form up, get the families ready to move.¡± He ordered Hanrin ¡°Yes sir. Will you meet them alone, or should I send forward-¡± ¡°Send for Phellus, other than that just make the necessary preparations.¡± With a hasty salute, Hanrin ran off to carry out the task. He, at least, seemed to be getting over the... incident that had happened in Lyra. Moving forward as quickly as he could without breaking into a run, Sayrin made his way to the wooden border gate. He ran his fingers through his black Terran hair, feeling where his wife had cut it short in the back. He didn¡¯t feel nervous, he¡¯d stood before Orrin and Cain both at once, this was nothing. But he did feel a sense of trepidation. Something about the wooden gate, the border, the small village, the group flying towards them in leisure. It just seemed¡­ off. Just before the group of foreigners arrived, Phellus came jogging up and gave a salute. The man was one of only two Knowledge Users in the company, and the only one who could interpret the odd language of the Cheole. He knew Mata could also likely interpret for him, but while it was expected for families to travel with the military on longer movements, it was long held that they shouldn¡¯t get involved in most official duties. The small delegation touched down several meters in front of Sayrin, grins on their faces, and their hands twitching erratically as they made dozens of quick gestures over top of each other. ¡°What an absolutely bizarre language¡± Sayrin thought. He knew of the cultural differences, he knew that, religiously, they had this idea that they had to conserve or protect their air, something like that. But still¡­ how utterly bizarre. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. It was made only more strange by the fact that these were neither elven nor human people, but dyadic. Their skin was primarily a darker shade of tan or brown, except they had seemingly random splotches of pale white swirling around as well. They had long ears, longer than the elves, and small horns extending up from their temples and curving back along their head. The most unnerving for Sayrin, however, was the lack of sclera in the eyes. When they took a class, their entire eye would seem to shift into a gemstone placed within their skulls. Sayrin¡¯s wife, Mata, was half dyad, half elf. While she mostly took after her elven side, she did have a few swirls of pale on her legs and back, as well as a larger iris than he ever would have seen on another elf. In her, Sayrin found it beautiful, like pale full moons in the morning sky. But here in this group, it felt off. Clearing his throat and giving Phellus a side eye, the young man nervously stepped up and began to interpret. ¡°Uh, right, which one would you like me to translate? I can try to catch all of them, but that won¡¯t uh¡­ won¡¯t really work well¡± he finished with a nervous laugh. Sighing, Sayrin pointed to the one in the middle who seemed to be not only the oldest, but wearing the finest clothing. ¡°Just focus on that man for now, and we¡¯ll see how that goes.¡± Nodding, his bronze eyes seemed to get slightly brighter as he watched the man, then started saying ¡°-the music on, or maybe of? The music of the mountain this night last came was skyward and thick of meaning. Your mind and soul need heard and known it¡¯s rhythm, else you cannot see to seek or uh, maybe try to seek, it¡¯s experience through¡­ uh¡­ Sayrin was looking incredulously at the younger man, who trailed off in his translation before rubbing the back of his head and looking at his feet. ¡°So, I just started learning the language a few months ago, and while I can get the gist of most conversations¡­ I may miss some of the¡­ uh¡­ finer details. Basically, they¡¯re just talking about a concert or performance that happened last night, and how good it was. So¡­ nothing major, I guess.¡± Sighing, Sayrin just shook his head. ¡°This is going to be a pleasant trip.¡± Turning and walking the few remaining steps to the massive border gate, Sayrin stopped while standing just underneath it, and made a series of hand signs that he had been told meant something along the lines of formal greeting and respect. He started by touching two fingers to the center of his forehead, then bringing them slowly forwards until his palm was facing upwards. Then, twisting the two fingers around each other and bringing his other hand up to meet the first, he spread both hands out to either side, palms still facing upward. The group of five all stopped their own hand movements, placing their hands on their chests, fingers interlocked. Then, to Sayrin¡¯s surprise, a young girl stepped out and walked up to stand at an angle to him. He realized as she started to duplicate his greeting, this was so those behind could still see what she signed. Sayrin noted that, rather than the center of her forehead, she touched her left hand to the base of her left horn. After they both completed the greeting, she made several more quick gestures, lots of finger movement and twisting wrists, like someone playing an unseen instrument. ¡°She says, uh, thank you for your greeting, foreigner or other or¡­ outlander maybe? I am Celi, the child of the sky and of the sky watcher. It has been many time-days? - since we held one of you.¡± ¡°Please thank her for her greeting as well, and tell her that I am August Sayrin, commander of this unit and emissary of his majesty, the king of Terrin. Though I haven¡¯t stayed in your lands before, I am excited at this opportunity to bring our nations closer together and hope we may please one another and gain a mutual understanding.¡± Phellus, moving with much more care and deliberation than the Cheole, began to convey his message. Sayrin had a feeling this was going to be a bit of an issue, as he saw plain confusion on Celi¡¯s face, and smiles on the faces of the other four. Celi began moving her hands again, and Phellus said, with an increasingly red face ¡°Uh, she asks¡­ oh uhm¡­ she wants to know why you mention your excitement to her, and uh, what do you mean by please, as she is¡­ uhm¡­ she has a spouse already and does not seek another.¡± She then gave a few more quick gestures, and Phellus added ¡°No insult to you or our people, of course.¡± Sayrin¡¯s mouth worked for a moment, looking from Celi¡¯s slightly red, but genuinely uncertain face, to Phellus who was looking anywhere at all except at Sayrin. ¡°What in damnation did you say to her?¡± He hissed under his breath. ¡°Well, you see, I think the sign for excited that I learned might be of a more¡­ physical nature than the emotional one that you meant. That, with the addition of ''pleasing'', and well, uh, it might have come across like you were making an advance rather than just a greeting¡­ sir¡± Taking a step forward past the gate, the elder that Sayrin had noted earlier, a broad smile still on his face, placed a hand on Sayrin¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°This is always good fun, and little Celi needed the practice in talking to foreigners, but how about we just speak your tongue from here on?¡± His words sounded incredibly strange to Sayrin. They were pitched in the wrong ways and had emphasis on the wrong vowels. Like he had learned the language entirely from reading it, without ever hearing it spoken, which Sayrin supposed, was entirely possible. Still, after dreading what communication on this venture would be like for the past several days, hearing any kind of language from their people was an absolute blessing in his mind. ¡°I am Cloud. I have a more formal name, but I find far too often that the lowlanders who hear my name end up simply calling me Cloud for convenience, so it has become my custom to give that first. I am the nephew of the current monarch up in the mountains, as well as the city-lord for Straus, the settlement directly behind us. Come, bring your people along and let¡¯s get you acclimated before you begin the rest of your journey to the peaks.¡± Sending Phellus back with orders to get their people on the move, Sayrin took his first steps through the gate and noticed the immediate shift. It wasn¡¯t oppressive or overwhelming, but almost at once the simple sounds of the world around him seemed to dampen, like he¡¯d put a piece of thin cloth over his ears. He could still easily hear everything, the birds singing, the scuffing of boots on ground, the clamor of his people to his read. But it all felt farther off, distant and quiet. Cloud¡¯s gentle laughter caught Sayrin¡¯s attention as he looked towards the graying man. ¡°It is like that for all who enter our nation. Give it time, you will adjust. You may even learn to love it like we do. Our air is a stubborn thing, who hates to move more than needed. Come, we have much to discuss, and besides, there is an alignment tonight. Best not be out in the open for something like that, eh?¡± ¡°No¡­ No, certainly not. Thank you for taking us in during such a time. My soldiers will work to defend the town, if you¡¯ll permit them. It¡¯s what they do.¡± Once more, his soft laughter like wind in the trees sounded out, and Sayrin noticed the others giving him surreptitious glances. ¡°You think you have a choice in this? My dear foreign friend, when alignments and waves come, there is no choice but to have both hands on the pommel, so to speak.¡± Sayrin nodded, battles he understood. The culture might be different, the people, the language, the very race of those they defended. But fighting was what they had been trained to do. He felt himself relaxing as he followed the small group as they walked slowly, waiting for the crowd of people to follow along. 64. And So It Begins Well, you can see how that turned out. Most smaller areas, what¡¯s left of them, have been evacuated to the strongholds. That¡¯s where we¡¯re going in the morning, joining the exodus up to Norfolk.
Alder clenched his fist as hard as he could manage, his arms felt weaker than they did after climbing a mountain. He hated sand. It was more coarse and more rough than it should have been for something so soft under foot. Plus after a full day of fighting in it, it just ended up getting everywhere. Shirt? Sandy. Hair? Sandy. Boots? Sandy. Undergarments? He shuddered at the thought. Very, inexplicably, sandy. But worse than all of that, was that it strained his abilities to their limits. Alder¡¯s favorite ability, Solidity, let him alter the density of any earth he could touch. This meant that he could expand a stone to the point of turning into something similar to quicksand, or vice-versa condense sand into solid stone. But he was accustomed to rocky, lush areas with soil and stones¡­ not an entire landscape of sand. If he wanted to stand on solid ground, if he wanted to launch projectiles, if he wanted to do practically anything¡­ then he had to condense the sands around him. For now, it was simply tedious. These crabs were only 1-Star, and even the strongest 1-Star would have trouble against a 2-Star User, especially one as well trained as Alder. But tonight would be different, he knew it, Wade knew it, Drake knew it. These youngins might not realize from how new they are to their classes, but they still had a tension in their shoulders, they could feel the tinge of anxiety from the leaders, and when you saw someone more powerful than you growing anxious, you tended to get rather nervous rather quickly. Another hour of killing off any crabs that strayed in the wrong direction, another hour of watching the group of young guild members fighting and growing. ¡°I think, after we get past tonight, it¡¯ll be time to move on¡± Called Wade, pulling her massive pearlescent greatsword from the shell of a Blue-Fanged Crab. ¡°We need to get after our other targets, and we don¡¯t want Kya stagnating after fighting against the same opponent for so long. She could-¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I know.¡± Alder yelled back. ¡°I¡¯ve trained Users before, you don¡¯t need to explain it to me!¡± He crushed another pile of sand down and down and down until it went from the size of his head to the size of his fist, then with a powerful blow, launched the densely packed projectile through three separate crabs before it crumbled apart from the repeated impacts. ¡°I miss not having to make my own rocks¡± he muttered under his breath. Then, as he¡¯d done every other day when reaching a point of pent up annoyance, pulled out his twin short swords, and went to work with a grin on his face. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Carcello walked through the field of close cut grass around the city of Lyra, finally returning from their expedition. They had, in the past couple of days, mapped out almost the entire forest surrounding the city, including an extensive amount of time and exploration in the spacial temple and the crater. Both sites had, for the most part, been completely left untouched by the local populace, so it was odd, then, to find tracks in the dust, the remnants of banners that had been torn down, and the clear signs of a campsite that had been made. Several weeks abandoned, but still signs of a campfire in the gardens. Well, Carcello made no claims to know what was happening or why, but he nevertheless made his report on what he¡¯d found, and now, after nearly a full week of sleeping in shifts and aggressive rabbit meat roasted on a spit, he was exhausted and ready for a shower. Not to mention¡­ ¡°-and moreover, I just think and wanted to say that you¡¯ve really come a long way Ken. Even though I find your face to be somewhat¡­ rugged, I actually think this beard you¡¯re growing is really working for you in an unexpected way, almost as though it¡¯s reframing what I hadn¡¯t noticed before.¡± Ken, for his part, puffed up his chest a little and took on a sheepish grin while rubbing the back of his head ¡°Well, I-uh haha, I appreciate that Narissa, I think, and always have thought really, that you¡¯re one of the most beautiful women I¡¯ve ever met, I mean uh, I just-¡± ¡°Naturally Ken, that goes without saying, my heritage alone almost guarantees my nearly divine bearing, but you, you¡¯ve had to really work on it, and I must say-¡± Carcello didn¡¯t look back but he could hear her rub his scruffy beard ¡°Work on it you have.¡± ¡°Oh for the love Maria, I¡¯m going to stab myself¡± Hjaldin said. Carcello didn¡¯t really mind, and even thought their budding relationship was kind of sweet. It had certainly made the last two days much easier without Narissa¡¯s constant derision and condescension, but at the same time, her complete switch on Ken ever since she¡¯d healed him had been jarring to say the least. Stopping abruptly, Carcello looked around in confusion, then in concern as he noticed the city gate was already closed and the streets beyond seemed to be nearly deserted. ¡°Hey, focus up, something¡¯s wrong here¡­¡± He called to the rest of his group. To their credit, they immediately stopped talking and formed a defensive formation, Narissa practically forcing Ken, a scholar more than a fighter, to the center as she stared daggers out trying to spot whatever had set off Carcello. ¡°What¡¯d yah see lad? What¡¯s¡­¡± Hjaldin started, before trailing off as Phil cut in ¡°The people¡­ it¡¯s dinner time, the suns having hardly set, where are the people?¡± Narissa gasped, then spun and asked quickly, Ken, did you mix up the days? You said the alignment was tomorrow, is it¡­ is it¡­¡± They all looked up then, the three moons, Sarees, Platess, and even little Larian, so hard to see in while the suns were still up, were in almost perfect alignment. A weight settled on the group as the realization came over each of them in turn. They had been hoping for a warm meal, and a night to relax and recover before preparing for it tomorrow. By the looks of it, Carcello guessed they had maybe an hour until the full alignment. Until the monsters came. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°We need to report right now¡­ and find out where they need us.¡± Carcello said softly, and not even Narissa complained as they began to sprint towards the city. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Sayrin stood on the walls of the small, far too quiet village called Straus where it was nestled at the base of the mountain, gazing out west at the setting suns. The fortifications weren¡¯t anything grand, Sayrin was almost reluctant to call them walls at all. It was a series of stones, each of varying size, mortared -actually mortared- into place, about as tall as he was. A simple wooden platform was affixed to the right of the main gate in, but the majority of the walls didn¡¯t even have walkways, Why they went to the effort of actually building a wall, rather than just paying for a team of earth Users to shape it, he really couldn¡¯t fathom, but the result was something that, if he were determined to do, would take Sayrin about 10 minutes to completely take apart in a determined assault. Sure it was something but¡­ his wife and the families of his soldiers would be sheltering in this village. And these were the defenses they had to offer? Cloud, the city-lord and one of the only residents he has seen actually speaking rather than use their strange hand motions to try and talk to them, walked up and stood next to him, gazing up at the moons rather than out at the suns. ¡°Not long now,¡± the old man said. His voice like a calm summer breeze, not raspy but¡­ airy? ¡°We should feel the pulse any minute, and see them coming not long after that.¡± ¡°I mean no offense, city-lord, but these walls are¡­ not quite what I had hoped for. Moreover, I haven¡¯t seen many in the village armed and ready to fight. If my soldiers hadn¡¯t been here ready to defend you, what would you have done?¡± Cloud chuckled softly, making a series of motions with his hands before realizing and laughing again. ¡°We would have been fine either way. This area at the bottom of the mountains, it is¡­ less. Less quiet, less warm, less crips,¡± He shrugged and then finished ¡°The monsters that come here are also less. No more than 2-Stars during the waves, so a little alignment like this, we shouldn¡¯t see anything worse than some hordes of 1-Stars.¡± With a twinkle in his pale silver eyes, he leaned in and said ¡°The day I alone cannot handle any number of 1-Stars is the day the village needs a new lord.¡± Sayrin smiled back, and was about to reply when they felt it. In unison, they looked up to see the three moons in perfect alignment. Sarees¡¯ green light like an emerald ring around Platees¡¯ ruby light. Then little Larian like a drop of water in front of that. All three were noticeably brighter than they had been mere moments before, and the two men could feel their light. It wasn¡¯t oppressive, quite the opposite in fact. It made them feel lighter, warmer, energetic, ready to move. Taking a moment to simply bask in the feeling, Sayrin had to admit to himself he always loved these moments. Whether from the alignments of the waves, he had always found that these were the times he felt most alive, most happy. Well, there were a couple of things that surpassed this simple feeling of breathing easier and lighter. For example¡­ Screeches and howls began to sound from the fields all around Straus. Focusing on it, Sayrin could just make out the tiny pinpricks of light that began to fall, like a gentle drizzle of luminescent raindrops. Some made it all the way to the grasses, but some stopped while in mid-air, and began to coalesce shadows like curtains of dark mist. Moments later, the shadows would dissipate and in their place would be anything from little Chiroptera, to imps and even some wind elementals, those were going to be the most annoying of the bunch. Waves were worse, a downpour to tonight''s soft rain, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that there would still be hundreds of newly spawned monsters. Calling down to his lieutenants, Sayrin said ¡°just as we planned! First, second, and third, you¡¯re with me in the fields. Fourth, you¡¯re in the city for any that spawn within the walls or that slip through. Be safe, be bold, and by the sword of Gaius, I don¡¯t want a single casualty tonight. Let''s go to work!¡± ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Kya had thought the horde of monsters the Tiger called all the way back in the woods was a lot of monsters. She had thought the near uniform sea of more than a hundred blue-fanged crabs was a lot of monsters. Kya stood with Alder, Wade, Drake, and the rest of the 1-Star students gazing out from Cetus at the slivers of light that began forming into monsters. It was like watching her looting power in reverse, where the shadows would envelop a small light that had fallen from the sky, and out popped a monster. She would have been worried, nervous about how many there were, how they would fight them all, how they would defend the city. Two things gave her if not outright confidence, then at least reassurance. One was the number of users Cetus had ready for the defence. For days, small teams of three and four had been arriving in the city. Apparently because of the military''s arrival in Lyra, the guild master hadn¡¯t seen it necessary to keep so many there to reinforce the city, and had sent them out to as many towns as possible to reinforce them instead. That didn¡¯t mean they had an army of their own, not by a long shot. But at this point, Cetus had nearly fifty users ready to fight. Peering to her right, she saw Alder and Wade, both decked out in their full plate armor, Wade with a sword as big as she was, and Alder with his curved twin blades strapped to his back. Either one of them could probably take care of any random 1-Star monster that spawned in the area, and together they could fight most 2-Stars, especially if Drake, outfitted in his own lighter armor and helm, with a Two small war hammers in either hand, a black chain connecting them draped down in front of him, were to assist. They would be fine, more than fine, they would be able to kill practically anything on the island. At least, that was the impression Kya got from their carefully restrained auras. The three were confident and relaxed, which inspired confidence in her. The other thing making her excited to begin was the notification she had got at the same moment that strange feeling of invigoration washed over everyone. - - - - - Notice: Global Event - A global event, {minor alignment} has begun. Monsters will spawn around you in greater numbers and will be more powerful and aggressive in nature when they do. As a partially magical being yourself, you will also be affected by this event. - For the duration of the event, you will have the following effects will apply: Minor Body Enhancement, Minor Soul Enhancement, Minor Mental Enhancement, Minor Experience Boost. - Time remaining: 5h;56m;41s - - - - - New Quest! Minor Alignment: Oh boy, oh boy, this is a first. You¡¯ve fought little monsters. You¡¯ve fought big monsters. You¡¯ve fought a couple of them at the same time but now get ready for a team deathmatch! Hundreds of monsters, dozens of fighters, and one chance to get your experience points and get ¡®em fast. - Objective: Slay at least 100 monsters before the alignments ends - Time remaining: 5h;55m;37s - Reward: Ability Selection - - - - - Kya hadn¡¯t seen or heard of ability selection before, but if it was what she thought it would be, then she was extremely excited to get started. But she knew the plan, she had to wait for- ¡°Alright, that¡¯s long enough. Kya, stay within sight of the walls and either Wade or myself. Other than that¡­ gain as much out of this as you can.¡± With a grin on her face, and her daggers in her hands, Kya leapt off the walls, and with her slow-fall ability activated, sought out her first prey. Interlude 8: Rener Rener walked confidently through the Palace Mons in the center of the Kaoe isles, whistling a tune older than the island on which he stood. He wore his typical outfit, perfect for this weather. A perfectly tailored frosty blue button down, sandy brown pants, and loving crafted leather boots. He had chosen a pair of small glowing emeralds to hand from his horns today, as they fit well in the Kaoe islands and with the open-air colonnades looking out over a steep cliff that met the clearlake far below. The fantastic view with warm breezes and shade provided by the many varieties of tropical flora planted all around were almost divine. Oh, Rener had seen sights that would make these mortal minds tear themselves apart as they tried to comprehend what they were seeing, and he had seen palaces fit for actual deities that spanned across continents¡­ but he nevertheless had a certain fondness for the simple, natural way these people incorporated their buildings into the land around them. Of all the nations on this planet, the Kaoe people were probably his favorite. Like an interesting bug he¡¯d found in his yard, it was something to marvel at under a magnifying glass before squashing or forgetting about entirely. Two guards stood at the end of the pathway, on either side of large, dark wood doors with cute little drawings of what they believed to be their heritage and religion. Simply hilarious. One of the guards scrunched his face in confusion, before the other nudged him with the butt of his spear, and then bowed low, before opening the door without a single word. ¡°Hmm, that was a close one, gentlemen. Let¡¯s be a bit more careful next time, yes?¡± Rener said in a cooing voice, like chiding a puppy that almost peed on a rug. As the doors began to close behind him, the guards whispered to one another ¡°You idiot, that¡¯s the guest of the king, he could have you killed, and no one would say a thing!¡± ¡°That four-eyed freak is a guest here? Why do I never hear about this stuff! Yah know, my wife was just telling me-¡± But their words were cut off as the doors slammed closed with a resounding bang, and Rener held back the twin desires to let loose his laugh while at the same time repurposing their spines as new back scratchers. But a moment later, he decided they weren¡¯t nearly good enough to be back scratchers. If this nation were an interesting bug, those two were electrons on a piece of dirt stuck to the bugs back. Not even remotely worth caring about. Entering the simply adorable little throne room of the king, Rener gave an ornate bow and then sat down at a long table with a map of the world splayed out from one end to the other. ¡°About damn time, Ren. We¡¯ve been waiting for at least an hour!¡± Gruff old Tarat said. His wild mop of red hair making most of the way down his back was matched by the auburn stubble on his face and the copious amount of hair on his chest, arms, and legs. If Rener didn¡¯t know for certain, he would have thought this man some off-shoot of a bear. His left eye was pure darkness, no white sclera, just a black emptiness. His right eye was pure light, no iris, no pupil, just a radiant white. His third eye directly in the middle of his forehead was an ever-swirling mix of purple, pink, and black. ¡°Tarat,¡± Said sweet young Isolosi, ¡°You arrived here not five minutes ago.¡± Her chipper, bubbly voice was a perfect match to her immaculately done hair and perfectly arranged outfit. Her upper set of eyes glowing a fierce gold, while her lower set seemed to glow with an anti-light, a black on purple. ¡°Yes, but the rest of you were here an hour ago! And since I wasn¡¯t as late as this guy, I get to act all imposed upon too.¡± Smiling widely and spreading his hands out to either side, Rener looked around the table at his four associates. ¡°Greetings, all. I do apologize or getting held up, but¡­ sometimes in life, one must indulge to get the greatest benefit out of something.¡± He said before licking his lips. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Tarat shuddered ¡°I hate when you do that, just say you were playing with your food or something, you don¡¯t need to be all weird about it.¡± Letting out a soft chuckle, Rener retorted ¡°And you don¡¯t need to be so blunt, my good man. It¡¯s all part of the game, after all. I merely play my part.¡± ¡°And that" said Vezev, the most subdued of the group as she pulled out her pocket watch and sighed, "was your agreed upon sixty-three seconds of nonsense. Time to talk business. Tonight¡¯s the night for the first celestial movement, we should be ready for our initial strikes, yes?¡± Despite looking for all the world like a librarian with her oversized coat and hair up in a tight bun, she said every word to a slight rhythm, as though trying to match what she said to a tune in her head. Her eyes of deepest Amythest and darkest ebony seemed to shine and dull in tune as well, something which had always fascinated Rener whenever he got the chance to see her up close. All four others around the room nodded their heads. Before Vezev continued, ¡°Good. Are there any hopefuls so far? I had a promising one in the east, but he chose time as his class. Not a dead-end by any means, but that means founding the right path from a temporal background which can be tricky. I have some work yet to do with him though, so we¡¯ll see. Who else?¡± Isolosi grinned widely with a twinkle in her eye ¡°I have two, a pair of twins, one boy and one girl! They''re the way down in the south-eastern desert. They both chose space, which is wonderful, but are far too goody-goody at the moment to be worthwhile candidates. They''re both vying for a life subclass to work on healing and helping, which is a total contradiction, and the local goddess is liable to have a heart-attack when she hears-¡± ¡°I,¡± Rener cut in ¡°Have the perfect candidate on the large island west of here. She has not only chosen space, but she-¡± ¡°Uhm, I actually wasn¡¯t done with my point, Ren.¡± ¡°Iso, in the most diplomatic and kindhearted way possible, nobody cares, and you need to be quiet.¡± Isolosi looked aghast as she scanned the faces of her companions for someone to be outraged with¡­ and found only mocking smirks or impassive masks to greet her. ¡°Okay, each of you are just rude, and you know what... I hate you.¡± ¡°Yes dear, we know.¡± Rener said, patting her hand gently. ¡°Now then, for something actually important, I once more have a perfect candidate. She has chosen space to begin with and has the necessary items to take the next steps.¡± Vezev was about to speak, when she was cut off by the sound of a book closing at the head of the table as their fifth finally spoke up. His soft, monotonous voice matching so well with his pallid complexion and eyes dark as midnight. ¡°If she¡¯s able to take the next steps, why hasn¡¯t she?¡± Rener smiled a wolf''s smile and said simply ¡°I want it to be her choice, as it will make her that much stronger of a candidate in the long run. You should know that more than anyone, Lord Kirik.¡± Kirik, his posture straight and rigid, face impassive as the grave, nodded slowly. ¡°I agree that it will be better if she arrives at the choice of her own will, but I won¡¯t allow this opportunity to be squandered. This is one of only twelve planets in this integration that we can pull from, I will not wait for an entire epoch to pass by before trying again. Make it happen tonight, Rener. Pull the strings, send reinforcements, I want the suns to rise tomorrow with a new acolyte on this planet.¡± His mind already whirling with a dozen different ideas abandoned and a dozen more on how to arrange things to make this happen, Rener nodded, his grin now more contemplative. Finally in a voice that put silk to shame, he said, ¡°Absolutely my lord, it will be done.¡± The others spoke about other prospects, as well as the backup plans for what to do if their current crop of hopefuls didn¡¯t work out how they wanted them to, but Rener wasn¡¯t paying attention, not in the least. His mind was on the night''s activities, they had already been planning a small incursion into the region, but if he was going to force her hand, Rener would have to put his own cards on the table as well. ¡°Mmmmmhhhh¡± All conversation stopped as the rest of the table turned to look at Rener. Isolosi was the first to recover ¡°Rener¡­ for the love of the great astral star, can you please shut the hell up and keep your creepy blood lust contained? I can feel it from here, and now I need to shower.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Opening one eye, Rener realized he¡¯d been a bit too lost in thought. ¡°Oh dear, I¡¯m terribly sorry you all had to see that. I was getting a bit lost in the excitement. Sometimes the build-up is just-¡± ¡°No, that wasn¡¯t an invitation to explain.¡± Tarat said. ¡°I¡¯m with Iso, you really need to shut the hell up. I enjoy conflict as much as the next guy, but¡­ not if you are that guy.¡± Then he visibly shuddered before turning to Kirik ¡°My lord, I ask your leave to go. It will take me at least thirty minutes to get back across the ocean, and I must ensure tonight''s preparations are complete.¡± With a wave of his fingers, the four others stood and bowed to Kirik, before disappearing with a spark of shadow and a sound of thunder. Interlude 9: Emery Emery sat on the edge of a fountain in one of the many small open crossroads in Lyra watching as the zeros shuffled slowly down into the underground bunkers. The fact that they did this a two or three times a year had made it so they understood what to do, making it move with relative speed and efficiency. But nevertheless¡­ A baby cried out her discontent at the world from the arms of a haggard looking woman another small child clutched at her skirt also had tears in his eyes as well and looked like he was about to join the baby in letting everyone in the area know that this was, in fact, not acceptable to be walking into a strange tunnel and not eating dinner at the moment. Emery sighed, ¡°That¡¯s just really too much. Children are the worst.¡± Reaching out and concentrating her aura on the three, Emery tried to use as much subtly as she could so that her touch would go unnoticed. She pushed down on the exhaustion and stress, those weren¡¯t needed right now. The children were much trickier, ruled by their emotions as they were, she very slowly pushed down on the unhappiness in both, while pulling on their feelings of curiosity and sleepiness. A grin spread across Emery¡¯s face as the mother stood up taller, the baby yawned as if trying to inhale the whole world, before closing its eyes and growing quiet, the toddler rubbed his eyes, then nose, then picked his nose, then pulled on the mother''s skirts and asked a questions Emery couldn¡¯t hear. Shuddering at how gross kids were, Emery leaned back and closed her eyes, feeling all of the passing people purely through her aura. A party of Users ran by, no doubt headed to the guild staging area for their assignment. Most of them had already been sent to neighboring cities because the army was here in force, but a few had been out on contract or simply chosen to stay. They didn¡¯t need that anxiety or trepidation, but¡­ yes, nobility, determination, those were good. ¡°This is an opportunity for each of us to grow, for each of us to act, I know we¡¯re tired, but this is what we train for. We¡¯ve got this!¡± came the eager, energetic voice of what must have been the leader of their little group. The others all shouted in affirmation before continuing on, while Emery just scoffed. It was much more difficult to affect someone at the same rank, and almost impossible to influence those of a higher rank, so the fact she was able to push and pull on the whole group of them as they passed, even if only a little, told her they weren¡¯t exactly the cream of the crop. But still, that interaction alone let her improve her abilities measurably, she could feel she was close to her next threshold, so close¡­ As another user walked by, Emery concentrated on them, ¡°let¡¯s see¡­¡± she thought, ¡°same as the others, some anxiety and trepidation, but also¡­ hmm, quite a bit of excitement and eagerness. Another simple-minded brute gearing up for tonight. Well, let''s just take care of-¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you a hundred times I don¡¯t like it when you read my emotions like that, Emy.¡± Emery¡¯s eyes snapped open, before she grinned and embraced the taller woman in a hug, ¡°Am¡¯s! I thought you were off to Cetus with my fool of a fiance, what are you doing back here so soon?¡± There it was, Emery knew it without having to take a peek at her emotions. Every time, every time Emery brought up her fiance, Amy grew¡­ nervous? Anxious? Uneasy at the very least. She hadn¡¯t yet confronted her on it, but she knew as clear as day that something was happening there. ¡°I¡¯ve also definitely told you ¡®Amelia¡¯ or ¡®Amy¡¯, not ¡®Am¡¯s¡¯, but whatever. Yes, well, I spoke to the instructor and he said I could simply fight for the city here rather than there. He has someone watching me, though I don¡¯t know who¡­ wanna try and spot him for me?¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I¡¯m sure you reasonably explained everything, yes, not at all hurt by the fact that your last name is Evergold, that likely didn¡¯t even come up, hm?¡± Emery said with a grin, before closing her eyes and searching for the observer. They¡¯d likely be a weaker 2-Star or on the verge of it, so to her it would be a dead spot somewhere nearby¡­ but before she could really search in earnest, Emery¡¯s eyes opened as she heard a scraping right next to her. Amelia had sat down on the ground, back against the wall of the fountain. Though she really tried not to¡­ Emery couldn¡¯t help but pick up on the waves of hesitance that battered against her sister. Tentatively, Emery placed a hand on her shoulder and said ¡°Oh, come on now¡­ chin up, and all that, uh¡­¡± Her mind raced as she thought about what she should do to comfort her sister. She¡¯d never had to do this before, usually she would just¡­ pull on the emotions she wanted in a person. Unsure what else to do, Emery scooted closer, unwilling to sit on the dirty ground, and gently draped her arm around her younger sister. ¡°I- I have needed to talk to you for some time, Emy¡­ It¡¯s about¡­¡± Her sister took a deep breath, then pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. ¡°It¡¯s about your wedding.¡± Taken aback, Emery blinked three times in a row, before grinning and scoffing lightly, ¡°Oh, Amelia, is that all? I know you¡¯ve never been the biggest fan of arranged marriages, but you¡¯ve met him, he¡¯s young, handsome, it could be much worse. Besides, his family are minor nobility out of Koril, with, admittedly, rather small holdings compared to ours in Lyra, but they have a lucrative trade business and are very wealthy so¡­¡± Emery trailed off as she noticed that Amelia was still sitting there, now looking up with shimmering eyes, tears beginning to fall. ¡°Emy, it¡¯s- I know, I know he¡¯s a great guy and I know he¡¯ll treat you well, that¡¯s not the issue¡­ Look, I-¡± She took another shuddering breath, before dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve and starting once more ¡°Emy, Tylan and I are-¡± ¡°There they are! Augusta darling, I told you they were at this crossing and not the one by the park! I don¡¯t want to say I¡¯m always right or anything, I just simply can¡¯t remember a time I was wrong.¡± A powerful, oppressive wave of raw serenity and subservience settled over the entire square like a stormcloud. The people quickly bowed or curtsied, before continuing on into the staircase, heads down and mouths closed. ¡°Yes dear, I admit you were right this one time, however remember what you said about the servants? I was right to fire them all when none came forward about using our name to get some quests approved last week, even you must admit that.¡± At once the two girls stood and curtsied, before staring at the ground, hands clasped in front of them. In unison they said, ¡°Hello mother, hello father.¡± ¡°Oh, dear Amelia, what are you wearing, and why are you all covered in dirt? This is simply unacceptable young lady.¡± Her tone was soft and gentle, and colder than ice. ¡°Bory, come here this instant.¡± she commanded. Appearing as if from nowhere, Emery¡¯s master servant was suddenly there next to the girls, kneeling with his head bowed in his customary dark gold suit and stark white sash. ¡°Yes My lady, how may I be of service?¡± ¡°Amelia is covered in dirt, hair a mess, makeup running, this won¡¯t do, won¡¯t do at all. Take her back to the house at once and get her¡­ presentable. We are a beacon for this entire region, it would not do to present anything less than perfection, would it?¡± Emery could hear Amelia swallow hard past the lump in her throat before saying quietly ¡°No, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Good. Off you go then. And Emery, your control is still lacking, dear. I was able to overpower you in an instant and aside from that, there were people talking and what have I always told you?¡± ¡°A crowd that can talk is a crowd that can think. And if they can think, then you¡¯ve already lost them.¡± ¡°Precisely. I know you like to play your little games with them, but the alignment will start in less than an hour, and we simply do not have time for this. Get them all to safety and meet us at the western gate for your next lesson in battlefield control.¡± Turning on her heel, Lady Evergold gracefully walked away, arm in arm with Lord Evergold, waving and smiling to the people as they walked to the guildhall. As they went further and further, the overwhelming air of calm slowly faded until Emery alone was enforcing her will on the crowd of people. ¡°Amelia, I¡­¡± She started to say, but as she finally looked up and over, saw her her sister and Bory had already gone, and she was once more alone ¡°I will talk to you¡­ tomorrow¡­ Good luck tonight, dear sister. Fight well.¡± Interlude 10: Eshan Eshan¡¯s hand smashed down on the small device next to his bed three milliseconds after it started its angry buzzing. He¡¯d already been awake for hours, before the suns had risen, before the moons and stars had set, he wasn¡¯t exactly sure if he¡¯d even been asleep to begin with. How could he have slept, just the idea of going to sleep was simply laughable. He rose, moving with practiced slowness and care. The room was small, and he must not wake his younger siblings before Mama was ready for them. Moving into the washroom, he quickly scrubbed his beard¡­ scruff¡­ whatever- his face and short, dark hair, before applying the dark brown and stark white paints he¡¯d prepared the day before. Then he donned the tanned leather armor overtop his lighter clothes, tightening the straps just as he¡¯d been taught. Last, he grabbed his boy and quiver, checking each of the four-and-twenty handmade arrows. They were perfect. Eshan took in his appearance in the looking glass one last time. He had grown well, though not quite as tall as his Papa, he towered over his Mama. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but wish he had a bit more muscle to show for the years of work he¡¯d put in in the fields. Regardless, his black hair and light skin were now covered in mottled patterns of white and brown. With his armor, bow and quiver over his shoulder, and paring knife strapped to his waist, he thought he actually looked like a hunter. Eshan couldn¡¯t help the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. At last, he was ready. Finally, he wouldn¡¯t be a kid anymore. Finally, he would swap out his lifeless dark eyes for the eyes of war. Papa was already waiting for Eshan outside, the morning fog not having yet dispersed and a slight chill nipping at his face the moment he felt it. The giant bear of a man was wearing similar armor to Eshan¡¯s own, but of a noticeably higher quality. That, plus the thick woolen cloak over his broad shoulders, and Eshan thought he could pass for an actual bear if he wanted. His father¡¯s deep maroon eyes roamed over Eshan, checking his armor, his paint, his preparations, everything. Without a word, Papa held out his hand and with equal silence but a lot more trepidation, Eshan handed over his bow and one of his arrows. For several minutes straight, Papa examined every inch of the bow. From the flexibility of the lacquered rosewood to the tension of the spun and oiled necrospider-silk string, then moved to the arrowhead and fletching. He held it at eye level to see if it curved unduly in any direction and finally held it to his nose and breathed in the scent of the wood. Papa even went so far as to inspect the knife at his hip, making Eshan grateful he¡¯d jumped out of bed last night to give it a polish. Papa gave a single grunt of acknowledgement, sending Eshan¡¯s heart soaring. He had been meticulous in caring for his bow and crafting his arrows but had still¡­ still doubted. Still worried, still had that stab of trepidation in his heart. But no - No! He had made it. This last hurdle had been overcome, and now, now it was time. After slinging his bow and quiver back over his shoulder, Eshan looked at Papa and, fighting the roiling ocean that was rising in his chest, gave a carefully controlled nod. Looking back at Eshan, Papa nodded in return and then turned and took off into the snowy woods, not releasing a sound. Almost at once, Eshan was struggling to keep up. Papa wasn¡¯t running, he was just moving so smoothly, so effortlessly that it was hard for Eshan to match his speed without making more noise than a drunken beast. Still, somehow, he managed, refusing to lose sight of Papa. The grueling march soon dispelled any sense of cold as Eshan¡¯s back grew slick with sweat. The minutes eventually turned into hours as the twin suns moved high into the sky. Eventually, Papa came to a halt, his right fist going into the air before he crouched low against the frozen mud and patches of dirty snow. Panting heavily with shaking arms and trembling hands, Eshan reached out and picked up some of the snow and greedily shoved it into his mouth, savoring the refreshing icy cool that seared down his throat and into his stomach. Then he looked up and saw his Papa¡¯s flinty gaze and the next swallow had to pass the newly formed lump of shame in his throat. However, he could see quite easily why they had stopped here in this shadowy expanse of wood. There ahead, no more than a few dozen body lengths away, was one of the most magnificent Warbucks Eshan had ever seen. It stood taller than Papa, with rippling scarlet fur and four eyes like shining sapphires. Its set of three crowning antlers were magnificent, lacquered black, the two large ones angling forwards in a multitude of cascading points, while the smaller one on its snout glowed at its peak with a sanguine light. Eshan couldn¡¯t help it, his gradually slowing breaths all but redoubled at the sight, coming in rapid shallow whistles. Which only got worse when two smaller Warbucks and four does cantered up from the dense undergrowth. Fumbling for his bow, Eshan pulled the string tight aiming his shot but wasn¡¯t hardly able to see straight through the shaking in his ar- and he forgot the arrow. Biting back a curse, Eshan reached his arm up for an arrow¡­ when Papa caught his wrist and slowly brought it back down. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Gently but firmly, Papa took the bow from Eshan¡¯s hands and placed it on the forest floor. Then taking both of his hands, looked deep into his eyes. ¡°Peace before War, son. Peace first.¡± After another long moment, Papa released Eshan¡¯s hands. After another long moment, Eshan released his first and only arrow. ~ ~ ~ That evening, as the suns brushed against the eastern mountains, the entire family gathered outside as Papa drew out the ritual circle. Mama held Sala, his baby sister, while Kurik and Vatha played in the dirt, occasionally hopping up and diving in between her legs with squeels of laughter. Eshan beamed at them all, and Mama beamed back at him. In his hands, Eshan clutched the freshly harvested, still faintly glowing antler of the Warbuck. He could feel it as he looked down, with each pulsing glow, his heart seemed to flutter. Eshan¡¯s legs were ever so slightly trembling, he looked up again as Papa made another mark on the blackstone slab Eshan had helped him install last spring. The pattern was simplistic in design, but terribly complicated in execution. There were multiple circles all surrounding Eshan, six small, diamond shapes connected the concentric rings and in each one a rusty-red crystal was placed. Finally, symbols that had an intense, divine meaning were drawn all around the outermost ring. Thoush Eshan had learned his letters and numbers when he was younger, these were symbols he¡¯d never seen before, but nevertheless felt he understood. They were symbols of power, of prayer, of purity, and of knowledge. With a slow, deliberate movement, Papa made the final mark, then took three steps back to survey his work. Eshan, hardly holding himself back from hopping up and down with all of his pent-up energy, let out a whoop when Papa nodded. Immediately he felt chagrinned, but his heart soared when he saw Papa¡¯s faint grin. On his normally stoic face, the slight movement of his lips was like the suns peaking out from behind a cloud. Backing up fully and scooping up his two little brothers, Mama and Papa looked on with pride as Eshan began the ritual. He started softly, speaking with as much slow, careful enunciation as possible. What if he said one of the words wrong and ended up getting rejected? Or what if he said the wrong word, and somehow ended up with a worse class, like Life or Knowledge or something useless like that? No, that couldn¡¯t happen, wouldn¡¯t happen. ¡°Before there was time, before there were gods and monsters, there was the world. Before there were mountains, before there were oceans and seas, there was the war.¡± As he spoke, the lines around the circle bleed from a chalky white to a deep crimson. The crystals around the circle flared and then cracked as the wind died and a distinct¡­ pressure came over the yard. The three kids, though they had no idea what was happening, seemed to sense it as they grew quiet and looked on with wide eyes. Eshan faltered his next sentence but kept going after he swallowed and took a deep breath. ¡°To¡­ To be alive is to fight, to be at peace is to prepare for war. I wish to be at peace. To prepare, to fight, to be alive. I wish to walk the path of War.¡± The small bone white piece of antler in his hands seemed to melt into his skin, and he felt an indescribable rush of power come over him and a small voice that he could barely hear whispered in his ear ¡°welcome to path.¡± Eshan was about to call to Papa and Mama, when he suddenly doubled over clutching his left hand to his chest, before wincing and clawing at his eyes while dropping to his knees. For what felt like an eternity, Eshan felt like magma was poured into his skull while a red-hot brand was pressed into his hand. His mind was reeling as it suddenly expanded and stretched to become aware of more than it ever had before, and iron entered his limbs as strength he had always wished for but never had overcome him. Finally, blinking his eyes open, Eshan saw Papa¡¯s maroon eyes staring as he stood over him, while Mama¡¯s sky-blue eyes gazed down lovingly from where she held his head in her hands. ¡°Did¡­ did it work?¡± Beaming, Mama simply said ¡°Yes boyo, take a look at your hand.¡± Raising his right hand, he flexed his fingers, feeling strength and- ¡°Your other hand, lad.¡± Oh, right. A flush crept over Eshan''s face as he sat up and looked at his left hand. The skin was red and raw, but there on the back of his hand was a¡­ a¡­ star? About the size of his thumb nail, it was the color of dried blood, with six points and what looked like the needles from a pine tree coming off in every direction, some thick, some thin. There were small diamonds and squares all along the pattern, and there at its core was a black void with a single red dot looking up at him. ¡°What uh¡­ what is it?¡± Mama cooed while Papa just nodded in satisfaction and stood to clean off the sticky black ashes that had fallen all around the ritual stone. ¡°That, my dear Eshan, is a snowflake. You might walk the path of your father, but your crest is the same as mine. Peace and War indeed. Now then, come inside for dinner, you¡¯re far too thin deary. Extra helpings tonight before you and Papa go off under the moons.¡± ¡°Yes Mama.¡± 65. Trying to be Strong Part IV Kya ¨C Sayrin ¨C Wade ¨C Carcello ¨C Rener In hindsight, it was obvious. We should have seen it coming. We even found one of their setups early. But we were so preoccupied with so many other things: the army moving in, the religious resurgence from Life and Water, the appearance of the founders. It was all too much. The things that should have been larger concerns instead just¡­ slipped through the cracks.
- Thirteen Years Ago - Kya stumbled and rolled slightly forward, one foot on the pedals of her sister''s bike- well, the pedals of her bike. The other foot trying to keep her balance as she stood in the concrete driveway. ¡°The seat is definitely too high Dad, I feel like I¡¯m gonna fall over.¡± Kya said, awkwardly dismounting with a couple little hops, before wheeling the bike back over to her father where he stood watching from the shade of the garage. Though it was already September, and still relatively early in the morning, the North Carolina heat refused to abate, and would likely stay around for another couple of weeks before finally breaking for some relatively cooler fall temperatures. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll lower it down a bit more, but you know little one, despite the fact that you refuse to eat your broccoli and sprouts, you will grow taller at some point.¡± He said, his slightly raspy voice over what was once a rich tenor. He scooped her up by the waist, and held her like a sack of potatoes while he put the bike back on his work table. Her father, a tall man with dark skin and darker hair that had started to go a bit gray at the temples, had always been a well muscled man. His construction job made sure he stayed that way. Kya never really knew the details of what he did, just that he helped build buildings. Whenever they were driving through town, he would sometimes point to various offices or shops and say ¡°That was a tricky one.¡± or ¡°Built that one all on my own with one hand behind my back.¡± ¡°Dad! Dad, stooop!!! Put me down!¡± She was trying to sound angry, but couldn¡¯t stop the giggles from coming out. ¡°Oof, you¡¯re getting heavy. Remind me to stop feeding you until sometime next year.¡± He stopped and took on a contemplative look, all the while Kya continued to thrash back and forth like a fish on land. ¡°Now that I think about it, that would probably be a good way to keep you from growing taller.. Hmm.¡± With a casual shrug, he hoisted Kya up and sat her on the table next to the bike. Blowing hairs out of her face, she huffed at him and was about to say something when she saw him glance quickly at the watch on his left arm. She knew it was almost time for the switch. He held out his mit of a hand and said ¡°Allen wrench.¡± ¡°Uhhhhh¡­¡± all the protests over her previous treatment died in her mouth as she turned around and scanned the wall of tools trying to remember and then locate the allen wrench. ¡°This one?¡± ¡°Perfect, except for the fact that this is an open wrench, see how the ends are open on both sides? The allen wrench is the bent one that looks like a hexagon.¡± He gestured to the big red piece of plastic the size of her wrist with a bunch of metal rods sticking out getting progressively bigger as they went. ¡°Alright, well if this is the thing you wanted, you should have said ¡®wrenches¡¯ not ¡®wrench¡¯ cause this is at least forty wrenches or something.¡± ¡°This is a pack of twelve, little one, you can tell that by the big number twelve on the front right there. Remind me to stop feeding you, and call your math teacher later.¡± ¡°Remind me to come out here and mix all of your tools up and put them in random places.¡± ¡°Remind me to sell your bed and all your left shoes, you don¡¯t really need them.¡± Kya stuck her tongue out at him, and he stuck his out back at her before they both looked up at the sound of the garage door opening. ¡°Hey, how''s it¡­ right never mind, dad¡¯s being exactly as mature as I would expect him to be.¡± ¡°Wha- She started it! I was just responding in kind, that''s all¡± Dad exclaimed with mock outrage. ¡°You¡¯ve got to understand, she was threatening to ruin my organization system.¡± ¡°Ooh, Kya, you know that¡¯s a step over the line, Dad, I stand with you on this one, do what you have to do.¡± Her father was nodding along, while Kya just looked back and forth between them. ¡°Dad¡­ Mae¡­ I hate you both¡­ I hope your pillows are warm and your sleep is sweaty.¡± Maeva, or Mae as she liked to be called, shared their fathers height and their mother¡¯s beauty. While they both shared their fathers dark skin, Mae had their mom¡¯s blonde hair tied back in a ponytail extending down to her back. Her ¡°JROTC¡± T-Shirt she¡¯d gotten last week after joining the club. Kya wasn¡¯t sure if it was the coolest thing in the world, or the nerdiest. From the way Mae talked about it, she was basically joining the army as a fourteen year old. She would be getting a uniform next month if she stayed in the club and would have to go to ¡°Army training¡± after school. The trio talked and joked for another few minutes, and Kya gave the newly lowered bike seat another try, feeling much more comfortable on it at last. Just as she reached the end of the drive and was about to turn and fly back towards them, she saw the family car driving down the road. A small stone settled into her stomach as she made her way back to the garage, the car following alone behind her like it was chasing her. Kya wasn¡¯t sure how she knew, but she could tell the air had changed in the small garage. Her dad, once again checking his watch, had grabbed his duffle bag, lunch box, and bright yellow hard hat and was hugging Mae before giving her a quick kiss on the forehead. He turned once more scooped her up as she hopped off the bike and gave her the same bear hug and forehead kiss. ¡°Be good, your mother just had a very long shift so don¡¯t be crazy. Lunch is in the fridge, I¡¯ll make dinner when I get home.¡± And like that, he walked away. Kya stood there, one arm across her chest and holding her elbow, she watched as her mom and dad shared a couple quick words she couldn¡¯t hear. Both of their expressions seemed¡­ not what she would call delightful as her dad gestured to his watch before saying something. Her mother waved her hand in the air, turning her back on him to get her stuff out of the car. They quickly pecked a kiss, something that Kya still found decidedly gross, and then her dad called ¡°Love you ladies, have a great day! I¡¯ll see you this evening!¡± And like that¡­ he was gone. ¡°Good morning girls¡± Their mom sighed as she walked over. She ruffled Kya¡¯s hair, put an arm on Mae¡¯s shoulder and then walked on into the house. Mae and Kya shared a glance and then with a weird smile, Mae said ¡°Kya, do you uh¡­ like my old bike?¡± Beaming, Kya said ¡°I really do, it¡¯s way better than my old one!¡± Kya¡¯s old bike, the one she¡¯d gotten when she was six, was bright pink with sparkly tassels hanging off the white handlebars. This was all well and good, but now that she was ten and a half years old, she was ready for something a bit more grown up. Getting to ride Mae¡¯s bigger, dark purple bike was like Christmas coming early. ¡°Tell you what, take the next hour or two to get used to it, explore around, but come back at 11:00 for lunch, okay? I recorded the Kids-Next-Door movie last night, so we can watch that while we eat. Sound good?¡± Kya gasped and looked down at her Hellokitty watch surrounded by dozens of sillybandz and saw that it was already 9:20. ¡°Are you serious?!? Ooo, thank you Mae, that sounds awesome!!¡± Picking up her sister¡¯s- her bike from where it had fallen, she waved and said ¡°I¡¯ll be back in an hour then, byeeee!¡± ¡°Stay between here and Poplar street, and don¡¯t cross the highway!¡± Mae called back with a wave. For the next hour and a half, Kya sped like the wind all around the neighborhood. She went all the way to the waterfront and rode through a big group of seagulls all squawking at her, and so of course she turned and rode through them three or four more times while squawking back at them and laughing. She went to Walnut park and played on the swing set and playground for a while. Having just started 6th grade, Kya already missed getting to play during recess. The metal slide was way too hot to go down, so she instead climbed up it and looked out from the top of the playground while the wind tousled at her hair. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Taking her bike and walking it over to the shade of the trees along the side of the playground she sat in the shade and got out her Gameboy and spent the next twenty minutes or so playing Pok¨¦mon Sapphire. She was a little upset at the game because her adorable little Mudkip, she¡¯d named him Bubbles, had evolved into¡­ well, it was still cute but like¡­ it was also definitely less cute and more weird. Still, she had Bubbles, Fluffy, Pecky, Shroomshroom, and had just caught DumplingHead in a cave on an island. She figured with a little more training, she¡¯d be ready for the next gym battle, but every time she went in there the screen got tiny and made her question if she really was ready or not. Still though, she didn¡¯t want to keep Mae waiting, and so she eventually headed back home, once again marveling at the speed of this larger bike. Kya kept reminding herself that this was her bike now, not her sisters. It was harder to pedal than her old one, but the reward was much greater speed and to her that was a fantastic pay off. Dropping the bike to the garage floor and running up the three wooden steps, Kya all but slammed open the door. She was about to shout when she remembered that it was the weekend and needed to be quiet. Closing the door behind her gently, Kya walked into the kitchen and saw Mae was already heating up their grilled cheeses and there were two little bowls of tomato soup already steaming on the lap desks they would use. Kya turned wide eyes on Mae and asked in a hushed, unbelieving tone ¡°Are we going to eat¡­ on the couch???¡± Mae turned, a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her lips. In the same quiet voice, she answered ¡°It¡¯s hard to see the TV from the kitchen, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Oooooo!!!¡± Kya said, jumping up and down, before grabbing her tray and turning to run over to the couch. ¡°Leave it here, dummy, you still need the sandwiches! Go turn on the tv and pull up the movie, remember, low volume!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, alright.¡± Kya said, before darting over and sliding to her knees in front of the tv. About as wide across as it was tall as it was deep, Kya was pretty sure the tv was as old as she was, but her father said as long as it worked, they didn¡¯t need a new one, so this one they kept. Kya had asked Mae once if she broke it, would they get a new one, and Mae had said if she broke the tv, she would break her so¡­ She now treated the old thing with delicacy. Pushing the massive power buttons to both the tv and cable box, Kya grabbed the remote and scrambled back to the couch. Twenty minutes later, the sisters sat next to each other on the old sofa, demolishing their sandwiches with occasional spoonfuls of the roiling hot tomato soup and sips of ice water to help them not burn themselves. ¡°How do they have a base on the moon?¡± Kya whispered. ¡°Do we have a base on the moon?¡± ¡°I think with the rocket ships, lasers, and memory devices, they¡¯re basically magic. But, no, we don¡¯t have a moon base in real life.¡± Mae whispered back. A couple more minutes passed, and Kya leaned over again ¡°Why is he bald? Is he sick?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s sick, I had a kid like that in my class last year. It¡¯s some sort of skin condition that made all his hair fall out, eyebrows, nose hairs, everything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s weird¡­ I think he would look weirder with hair though, does that make sense?¡± ¡°Yeah, I can get that. Maybe you should go bald, could make you look better too.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Kya said and shoved her sister with a laugh. That was when it all went wrong. That simple action, not a thought put into it, was the start of the chain reaction that ruined the rest of the afternoon, Kya¡¯s shove made Mae lift up her leg out of pure instinct. A simple movement, without a single thought put into it. Mae¡¯s bowl of soup, half eaten and still very much hot, sat on the corner of her lap desk, toppled over, spilling out across both the couch and Kya¡¯s exposed leg. Recoiling at the sudden burning on her leg, Kya jumped up with a scream, sending her entire lap desk, plate, and bowl of soup tumbling to the ground. The plate and bowl, in a sound that was several times louder than it ever should have been, shattered, sending sharp shards everywhere and staining the gray rug red. With a slam that brought with it an oncoming storm, their mother flew out of her bedroom. Her blond hair was messy and in complete disarray, her bathrobe hung like mist around her shoulders, and her piercing blue eyes held lighting and thunder in their depths. ¡°Are you both alright? What was that noise, what broke?!?¡± Mae, now looking three shades paler than she had moments ago, said as calmly as she could ¡°We¡¯re fine mom, everything¡¯s fine. You can go back to sleep, I¡¯ll take care of-¡± Their mother gasped, hand flying to her mouth as her expression became three shades darker than it already was. For a split second, for the single beat of her heart, for the time it took for Kya to look from her sister to her mother and back again, no one spoke. The only sound was the movie on the tv playing at the lowest audible volume. Then the yelling started. The screaming, the fighting, the arguing. Mae looked over at Kya and said with more force than she had ever heard before ¡°Kya, go to your room.¡± Her mother yelled both for her to stay and clean up the mess, and for Mae not to boss around Kya. After a moment of indecision, Kya ran. She closed the door behind her, but she could still hear the shouting. She got under her bed, and put pillows in the gap between the floor and the bed, but she could still hear the shouting, she turned the volume on her Gameboy up as loud as it would go, the triumphant sounds of the gym blaring out of the tiny speaker¡­ but could still hear the shouting. ~ ~ ~ Hours later, and silence reigned in the house. Not the silence of a peaceful night''s sleep, not the silence of friends waiting to yell surprise, but a different kind of silence. The kind where you yearn for something to happen. The kind where you just want someone, anyone to say something. The kind you can¡¯t stand, the kind that feels like you¡¯re suffocating and drowning and.. and¡­ the kind that made it so even Pok¨¦mon wasn¡¯t enough. Click¡­. Click¡­ Click¡­ Click¡­ It was hard to see, and not just because Kya kept turning the flashlight on and off. It was hard to see because the lights in her room were off. It was hard to see because her blinds were closed, single black blue curtain drawn. It was hard to see because she lay on her stomach underneath her bed, where even the light that made it through the window couldn¡¯t find her. It was hard to see because of the hot tears that kept falling despite her best efforts to stop them. Somehow, that only made it worse, it was so¡­ frustrating. Why did hating that she was crying make her cry even more? Click¡­. Click¡­ Click¡­ Click¡­ She didn¡¯t know how long she¡¯d stayed there, she didn¡¯t know how long she could stay there. She knew that eventually, someone would come talk to her. Tell her to be strong, that everything was fine, that we would be okay¡­ Kya started to shake, which confused her more than anything. Her teeth were chattering and her arms were trembling, like what happened when she went out in the cold without a jacket. But she wasn¡¯t cold, she was even a little sweaty if anything. Her breathing came in short, shaking hisses, she¡­ she couldn¡¯t think about what had happened at school. She should just¡­ just focus on the flashlight. On the dim light showing the underside of her bed, showing some random pieces of toys she¡¯d discarded and thrown under here. Other than that, there wasn¡¯t all that much. They kept a nice clean home after all. Click¡­. Click¡­ Click¡­ Knock-knock¡­ Her breath caught in her chest, her throat felt crowded, like her heart had suddenly decided to relocate. Her door slowly creaked open, and a soft voice called out ¡°Kya? Kya, can I come in..?¡± She relaxed slightly, it was only Mae. Only¡­ only Mae¡­ She watched as the door opened a little wider, belatedly turning off her flashlight as the shaft of light from the hallway pointed right at her. A dull click sounded as the door closed and the room was once more plunged into darkness. Quietly, her sister got down on the ground, moved her pillow wall aside, and wiggled over until they were shoulder to shoulder under the bed. What had seemed like so much room moments before was now noticeably cramped and a bit uncomfortable. ¡°Scooch over you little troll, I can barely fit under here as is, and that¡¯s without you taking up most of the space on your own.¡± But Kya just turned and faced the wall. Better the wall than her. Better the wall see her face and her tears and her snot, ugh, why was crying so gross? A soft sigh came from behind, then after a moment, ¡°So I¡­¡± another sigh, ¡°Mom wasn¡¯t really mad, you know? She was just worried about us when she heard the crash, that¡¯s all.¡± Her body went cold again, she drew her arms and legs to her chest, she couldn¡¯t¡­ she didn¡¯t want to shake like this anymore, not in front of her sister, not in front of anyone. ¡°Kya, what¡­¡± But then, silence. And then¡­ warmth. So warm, the simple embrace, the hug that, though it was awkward because of where they were and how they were laying, nonetheless filled her with¡­ with blessed warmth. All at once, like they had thawed and were now flowing freely, tears and sobs spilled out from her in a torrent. Kya turned and wept into her sisters shoulder, all the while asking why; why they fought so often, why they couldn¡¯t joke with her like they did with dad, why did she always get hand-me-downs and never anything new, why, oh why, was there always so much shouting in the house, why¡­. Why did mom hate them so much. At the last one, Mae stiffened and squeezed Kya a little tighter. ¡°Mom doesn¡¯t-¡± Mae¡¯s voice broke, and with it Kya¡¯s heart. She hadn¡¯t even realized her older sister was crying too. ¡°Mom does not hate you, or me, or dad. She loves us all deep down, you know that. They both¡­¡± a sigh, a sniffle, and a deep breath, ¡°they both work so hard to make sure that we live well. When I turn fifteen, I¡¯ll get a job too, just to¡­ help out. Things will get better Kya, once we have a bit more freedom, a bit less stress, you¡¯ll see, things will get better. Can you just¡­ Can you be strong for me until then? Can you be strong for me and for dad?¡± Scooting back slightly, and breaking their hug, Kya could see in the murky darkness Mae¡¯s eyes as she looked back into her own. Wiping her nose on her shoulder and taking a deep breath of her own, Kya nodded resolutely, a new-found determination filling her heart. ¡°I can be strong, Mae. For you, for dad¡­ I can be strong.¡± ¡°Good, good. Now, I learned this calming exercise today, so let''s try that and then we can go get cleaned up in the bathroom before dad gets home for dinner, okay?¡± Kya nodded firmly, ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Alright, we¡¯re gonna count by one¡¯s ¡®til ten, two¡¯s ¡®til twenty, three¡¯s ¡®til fifty, fours til seventy, and fives til a hundred. Say it with me now, ready...¡± ~ ~ ~ Kya lept out from the walls of Cetus, her slow fall ability combined with her momentum carried her dozens of meters out to where an aggressive rabbit had just formed from the drops of molten shadow falling from the sky. It looked around, growling and stomping before one of her daggers slammed down on it from above at the same time she canceled her ability to use all of her weight to drive the blade home. A notification popped up, but she waved it away as she breathed out and stood tall, gazing out at the dozens and dozens of monsters forming all around her, lit only by the three moons in the velvet sky. ¡°One.¡± She whispered, joined moments later by the rest of the Users from the city, all striking out against their own enemies.