《Adventurer Book III - Metamorphosis Rising》 Adventurer Book III - Introduction: The Pantheon鈥檚 Games Clapping her hands excitedly as she skipped across the lotus filled pond in the garden of the gods, Euphrosyne, the goddess of joy, merriment, and cheer was a pure embodiment of those qualities on this day. Speaking to the young, athletic human appearing man at the edge of the pond, her voice was positively radiating mirth. ¡°I bet you are ever so excited Hermes! It is time, today marks the day of gathering. Soon we will choose when the next games will begin. The feasts! The friends!¡± A grin sparkled on her rosy cheeks. ¡°The wagers!¡± He held up his hand to take the water goddess¡¯ pale blue one and helped her step from the pond to the small beach. A twinkle in his eye and impish smile returned hers. ¡°I do look forward to the opportunity to see everyone. I may have something special in mind for one or two of our fellows that I have not seen in some time.¡± Brushing out the skirt of her robe, Euphrosyne, leaned forward teasingly offering the barest glimpse of her chest to the youthful god. He could be rather easy to tease and it was ever so enjoyable to vex him. ¡°As long as none of your tricks or pranks are pointed in me or my sister¡¯s direction you may stay on half-sister¡¯s good side.¡± Hermes gulped and hurriedly released her hand as he bent down to scoop up his lyre and staff. ¡°Nothing to worry about there Euphrosyne. How is Aphrodite? It has been some time since we have been social.¡± He paused awkwardly. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be the best idea.¡± That would be putting it mildly Euphrosyne thought to herself. Really, he could be too easy to tease, at least he had some shame, unlike so many of the others. She was about to respond when the pair rounded one of the gorgeous flowering bushes and almost ran headlong into another couple of visitors seemingly out for a stroll. An enthusiastic, tinkling greeting jumped from Euphrosyne¡¯s lips. ¡°Why hello, Apollo and Artemis how are the two of you on this splendid afternoon?¡± Each of the twins looked between Euphrosyne, a handmaiden to Aphrodite, and Hermes, one of her former lovers, and raised their eyebrows knowingly and smirked. It was Apollo that answered, giving the Sunsteel bow he was holding a test draw before easing the string back into place. His sun elf form¡¯s golden hair was positively glowing as it danced over his tanned shoulders. ¡°In good spirits, we have only now returned from a hunt in the true bodies of our avatars. It was not a territorial beast, but there was still some challenge to the pursuit. Took us a couple of weeks?¡± Artemis rolled her eyes and shrugged off her quiver before kneeling at the edge of the water to wash her hands and face, the stark white of her moon elf guise¡¯s hair truly a contrast to her brothers. ¡°Hardly, it was enjoyable regardless. What are you two up to?¡± Hermes embraced his best friend, and brother, Apollo in a warm hug of greeting. His response was spoken with an easy smile. ¡°We were discussing the gathering and the games soon to follow. Did you both not return because of the divine call?¡± Shrugging, Artemis stood up and snagged her quiver again. ¡°Not particularly, no. It is convenient though.¡± Somewhat stymied by Aretemis¡¯ typical blunt response, Euphrosyne shifted gears, her exuberant personality bubbling up again. ¡°Surely you must have followers you hope to see perform well at the games? Perhaps even one or two you would like to gain a divine jewel or boon? I remember seeing Theia inside earlier, she must have brought them.¡± ¡°Truly the competition is more enjoyable than the prizes, but there are several dedicated worshipers who are deserving of my favor. I have perhaps been too free with my regular allotment and it is always prudent to encourage a good showing, mortals can secure more than one of our divine patronages after all.¡± A building energy enthused Apollo as he rubbed his hands together while the group made their way past the blooming flowers and sweet alluring scents towards the grand hall. ¡°The best ones almost always do, and there are more interesting mortals to watch nearly every day.¡± The group made their way through a large ornate archway opening into an expansive marble floored hall. Braziers crackled and gave off soft glows, both warming and lighting the indoor area, even during the bright of the day. A heady, rich incense permeated the interior almost as much as the cacophony of conversation, music, and laughter. Glittering magic multi-colored orbs danced along the unfathomably high ceiling, lighting up the frescoes and tapestries adorning the walls. Tales of the gods, and rarely notable mortals, inspired and imprisoned the deities present, some of whom had inspired the very works portrayed. Adorning a place of honor in the center of the room raised on pedestals of various sizes were twelve glowing iridescent gems of divine potential, a jewel representing the preeminence of each Olympian. A serving statue made of pure gold with the visage of a gorgeous woman walked past and presented a platter holding various drinks. Apollo gracefully plucked a glass of wine and took a quick test sip, knowing that Dionysus would let nothing but the best be served on the day. However,he was nothing if not a god of habit and repetition. The others quickly followed him in selecting their beverages of choice.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Stepping up behind Euphrosyne a human looking woman of similar features, with long hazel hair, wrapped her slender arm around the goddess of mirth¡¯s waist and gave her a sidelong squeeze. ¡°Why hello there sister, it is just like you to arrive too late to help with any of the setup.¡± Thalia, the goddess of festivals, banquets, and comedy, teased her younger sister, who had indeed helped over the last few days. Albeit, Euphrosyne had flitted about and had never sat still. Thalia had put her to work on tasks properly corralling her boundless energy and happiness. Pouting, Euphrosyne sniffed and pointedly looked away. The others watched the exchange bemusedly. Well, Apollo and Hermes were amused, and it showed. Artemis simply nodded at Thalia and made a beeline for the food table. Hermes was about to say something, but then looked awkward and remained silent. Clearly he did not want to stir up anything with another handmaiden of Aphrodite, and was unwilling to insert himself between the two sisters. Apollo, full of wisdom, changed course and decided a compliment was the best direction to take things. ¡°You really have done a wonderful job this year Thalia, we should expect nothing less. Is there anything in particular to keep an eye on or that you have taken great care to prepare?¡± Beaming, Thalia took the bait all too easily and snaked her arm around Apollo¡¯s to lead him and the others deeper into the hall. The speed at which she abandoned her little sister giving no doubt to her true intentions. ¡°Why yes, it does appear that there have been a larger than expected number of new territories claimed, divine quests completed, or similar achievements as of late. We will have far more to watch than usual and I dare say a fair number more competitors if what Hermes has been telling me is true.¡± While Thalia spoke her eyes had made their way to the god of athletes and games as her statement of fact took on a questioning tone at the end. Hermes held his hands up palms out to fend off the verbal accusation good naturedly. ¡°Of course, of course. It is all true. I know that you needed accurate information to set everything up. Why would I mislead you?¡± Instead of a verbal response the divine trickster only received sidelong glances and scoffs. His only recourse was a bare recounting of fact. ¡°Over twenty territories have been claimed in the last year alone, many of them having gone without bonded mortals for centuries. Not only that, but there appears to be a new wave of heroes emerging with several epic monsters being slain above what is typical. I know that Heracles and Athena have taken note, one of them is a bit more stirred up than the other, I¡¯ll let you all take a wild guess at who that is.¡± ¡°It has been a while since a mortal has ascended to divinity through a trial or their own accumulation of power. Of course, the rest of us benefit more from other forms of worship and dedication.¡± Artemis rejoined the conversation with her typical apolitical adroitness. ¡°Has there been any re-balancing of note from these new bound territories? Have they been pledged to anyone surprising? Does anyone know?¡± They all looked around for the one divine attendee bound to have the information that Artemis had asked for, Charon. Hermes typically set the boundaries of territories, new and old throughout the land, but it was Charon who managed the dispensation of souls to and from the underworld to the overworld. If souls were bound to the land, he knew, and how. Besides, Hades, Hera, and many of the other gods who would also be privy to the details were not nearly as approachable, nor keen to give out the information. Charon, well, Charon could be bought a lot easier. Almost as if on cue, a distinguished older human looking man with salt and pepper hair coughed, cleared his throat, and downed the remainder of his drink while leaning against the wall mid-way through the room. Charon was busy grumbling to himself and there seemed to be an invisible barrier about ten feet in diameter between him and any of the others keeping the revelers at bay. Charon was standoffish at best with the vast majority of gods; although, Hermes was an exception. The messenger of the gods, who acted as guide to the underworld, was about the only confidant he had outside of the depths. So Hermes found himself taking the lead as the other dropped back behind him. A hand adjusted his winged cap, tilting it back slightly as he gave Charon a wink, before clasping forearms. ¡°You seem to be enjoying yourself as always when we get together for these soirees my friend. How have you been? It does seem a bit busier for us than normal, is that what¡¯s nursing this aura of grumpiness you are giving off? I can practically see the storm clouds, although that would be more dad¡¯s purview.¡± A visible shift occurred to Charon, his countenance brightened, his back straightened, and a palpable change to his demeanor followed. He may not be full of smiles, but Euphrosyne basked in the change. Her action made Charon glower for a moment, then he frowned further at himself, shrugged, and pulled Hermes into a full on hug before letting out a long stress-relieving sigh. ¡°You see straight through me don¡¯t you. So many more inductions now than ever before, and they get more annoying with each additional generation. Some of the fresh souls have made such peculiar choices...¡± Charon stopped talking, looked around at the small group around him listening intently, too intently, and then narrowed his eyes at Hermes. ¡°Here scrounging for information hmmm?¡± The group of gods all spectacularly failed at trying to look innocent. It was predictably Euphrosyne that was squirming the most, both mentally, and in actuality, it was just hard for her to keep still. Artemis had an expression on her face that said it was obvious, but that she was absolutely innocent and this was all Apollo¡¯s fault. Thalia was the host of the festival he was currently at, and Hermes was his friend. Apollo¡¯s felt like a fair target to unleash his pent up frustration and stress on, so he didn¡¯t hold himself back. ¡°You want to know about what?¡± Charon looked to the divine gems and smirked. ¡°I should have said who, you want to know about what sort mortals have been snatching up all of the land. Wondering who is going to get an extra harvest of worshipers? Looking to make some moves already?¡± He a way to twist the knife a bit for Apollo, one of the others too. ¡°Maybe wondering why a certain sun elf who has bound a territory hasn¡¯t already built a shrine to you? You¡¯re always one step ahead of most, and so forthright. Did you send a messenger and you haven¡¯t heard any news?¡± The other gods all stopped and looked at Apollo accusingly. Sighing Apollo put on a sheepish expression and rubbed the back of his head. When you got caught, you had to live with the consequences. He hadn¡¯t expected Charon to hone in on his specific interest so quick. Truth be told, he had sent a messenger as soon as the sun elf had entered the world. From another plane or not, vampire or not, there were so few sun elves in the overworld that they were woefully easy to track. He wondered what was taking Theophanes so long, typically he would have received word by now. Chapter 1 - Strange Bedfellows Languidly stretching on the luxurious four post bed piled high with pillows and silks, Theophanes yawned and let out a very uncultured hurumph. He had been enjoying his time toying with the gorgeous glamoured boy, but it was about time he wrapped up his fun and got down to business. Letting his fingertips slide through Cire¡¯s shimmering golden hair a final time, he gave the other sun elf¡¯s cheek a light pat and snapped his fingers. He didn¡¯t need to snap his fingers to free the young lordling from the charm effect, but he couldn¡¯t help himself, he loved the drama. Cire didn¡¯t immediately awake from the enchantment his mind had been ensnared by. It was more like pulling himself from an extremely vivid dream than anything else. The warmth of Theophanes lap, where his head was currently resting, and the soft silks of his robe along with the satin sheets all hindered the process, but did not delay it entirely. Struck dumb by his surroundings, Cire gawked and froze up. He was laying in a truly elegant bed, in the middle of the Shadowed Forest. Trees encircled the cushioned out-of-place piece of luxury furniture and animal calls rang out through the tree canopy. Once things finally all caught up to him he did a double take of the forest, then Theophanes, and then back to the forest before hurriedly sitting up and scooting backwards to the opposite corner of the bed. He was thankfully dressed, but this was an odd way and place to come to his senses. ¡°W-w-what¡¯s going on? W-w-who are you? Why are we in the forest?¡± Cire managed to stammer out, still getting a grip on things while memories caught up with him. He realized he actually knew the answers to a couple of those questions, at least partially. Shaking his head, he cleared out some of the cobwebs and gave Theophanes a suspicious stare. ¡°Why did you charm and abduct me?¡± A lazy smile broadened while watching Cire wake up, Theophanes didn¡¯t bother moving as the other sun elf panicked. He simply gathered up the end of his white feather boa and played with it waiting for Cire to come to his senses. Then, once he seemed to have grasped what had happened, he nodded. ¡°Really? Darling, that¡¯s what you want to know? Not why I have been watching you for months? Maybe thank me for saving your life when I stuck my neck out for you? Perhaps you¡¯re wondering how you could attain a level of beauty such as my own? Well, that last one you would have trouble with, but I am ready. You may praise and thank me.¡± The rambling, and quite frankly narcissistic, response was not what Cire had been expecting. He was successfully bewildered and managed to tilt his head in question. He could swear he had never seen this man before, but the swan. The elf had shape changed into a swan after charming him back at the Tempest Treetops. Theophanes had compelled Cire to shift into a bat and they had flown here together. Cire could remember the swan, he knew he had seen one around Sunset and even here. But why? Who was this elf? Why had he been stalking him? For months! If by design or not, the odd response had relaxed Cire somewhat. This was something far beyond his control, and he was clearly outclassed. He decided to roll with the punches and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right, well, maybe not right, but anyways. Let¡¯s start off with something easier. What is your name? And thank you for saving my life. When was that?¡± Reaching past Cire, obviously moving into his personal space to keep him off balance, Theophanes plucked an apple from a bowl on a nightstand next to the bed. Then he took a large juicy bite as he laid back into the bed. Slowly he tapped a finger to his chin as he chewed and deliberately stretched out the silence. ¡°You don¡¯t remember?¡± Instead of immediately responding Cire stopped to think about when he had seen the swan before, or even heard it. Now confronted with the reality that the swans he had rarely seen around Sunset was actually most likely a singular swan, this elf, he was more than sure he had seen him before. He couldn¡¯t place the exact moments, let alone one where his life was saved. Whether the elf¡¯s plan was to distract him or simply re-direct him, it had worked. Cire was more at ease. Besides, it was less likely by the moment that in the immediate he faced any sort of danger. ¡°No. I don¡¯t think that I do, my apologies. Care to remind me? And I am still waiting on that name.¡± It was undoubted that this other sun elf knew his name, but perhaps giving it would prompt him finally to reveal his own. ¡°I¡¯m Cire by the way. Maybe tell me a little about yourself?¡± ¡°As much fun as it is to tease you, you adorable boy you, I think drawing it out any longer would be a disservice. My name is Theophanes, but I am not here to tell you about me. I was sent here to tell you about yourself. After all, there aren¡¯t all that many sun elf vampires around who can teach you about us.¡± Theophanes flipped his hair and propped his head up with a single hand, his other still occupied by the apple. ¡°Apollo selected me to be your guide because those within the same divine race often know best how to help one another. We were both born as vampires as well; although, Apollo did tell me your circumstances were unique. Born as a sun elf vampire, but without an established bloodline or connection to any of the current families. You¡¯re interesting.¡± So much information had been crammed into Theophanes¡¯ short soliloquy that Cire took a moment to process it all. This was really one way to wake up, no, he wasn¡¯t waking up. He was still shaking off another vampires charm effect. Didn¡¯t he have resistance to enchantment? Then again, if this man served Apollo directly he was undoubtedly high level, and skilled at that. It was probably in his best interest to keep him talking while he continued to evaluate the situation. ¡°Nice to officially meet you Theophanes. So, Apollo sent you? As in the god?¡± Theophanes tossed the apple core away and sighed a little. ¡°You¡¯re being boring, you don¡¯t really want to know about that do you? Come on silly, ask me what you really want to know. I won¡¯t be able to keep you here forever, can¡¯t be stirring up too much trouble.¡± ¡°How do I get more vampiric talents? What should I know about being a sun elf? Why is my skill selection so limited? How do I get or establish a vampiric bloodline? What do you mean divine race?¡± Cire¡¯s flood of questions combined things he had been wondering about for a while since he had gotten to Elysium and queries newly uncovered by Theophanes introduction. It would have been pointless to ask these questions of anyone he had met so far besides Theophanes. It irked him that he could feel himself playing into someone¡¯s hand far more powerful than himself, even if they represented an actual god. Theophanes clapped his hands together before replying. ¡°Good, good. That¡¯s more like it. You have to have realized some of the answers to these questions already and are simply looking for confirmation. Correct?¡± Cire almost groaned, but he held it in. It appeared that Theophanes wasn¡¯t lying when he said he was there as a teacher. Suspicions of Theophanes aside, he had never been the biggest fan of the guided discovery process, Cire had always preferred things presented more directly. However, he did have one rather solid theory based on his own experience and information he had gleaned from Daphne, Selene¡¯s mother. ¡°Well, from what I have heard sun elves are generally worshipers or servants of Apollo, like yourself. That their, our, communities were tasked with protecting divine sites or important objects of the gods. If that is true, than the fact that my skills are predominately martial in nature makes sense. ¡°I know that humans have a larger breadth of skills than most, and that non-human races specialize in some manner based on their environment, lineage, and other factors I am not aware of. If a group of people were to be tasked with being divine guardians you would want their skills to match their task. Is there any sort of crafting or non-combat profession that sun elves excel at? Do sun elf villages have terrible food, bad clothing, and live in hovels?¡± Nodding along with Cire¡¯s explanation Theophanes actually grinned and then bopped Cire on the nose with a finger. ¡°You got the dragon by the tip of the tail there. One of the reasons you won¡¯t find many of us around except in Illyria. Apollonia, or the City of Sunlight, is about the only large sun elf predominant settlement left since the Age of Wilderness. ¡°Once the peaceful people splintered it made it much harder for us. And after vampirism was brought to our ranks, well, you can make some guesses as to how most gnomes, dwarves, and humans looked at us once Ambrogio, the first of us, began to share his gift. They don¡¯t resist the more negative aspects very well, it was messy at the beginning, before we had more understanding.¡± Cire hadn¡¯t thought about it up until now, but the way Theophanes talked made him feel like he was describing something he had seen, been a part of. How old was this other vampire? He needed to learn as much as he could without giving away more than what Theophanes probably already knew. ¡°On the note of understanding, mind sharing some details about vampiric ability advancement with me? I know that I gain ability points and strengthen the abilities that I have. I am assuming you have been watching me enough to know which ones I possess?¡± Playing with the end of his white feather boa, Theophanes tossed it away. ¡°Of course sweetie, obviously I know that you shapechange into a bat, an adorable one by the way. Not beautiful like my swan form, but you¡¯re still new to the ability. I could help you advance that one the most by the way. I don¡¯t have any regeneration or rage ability for that matter, so ugly, could you imagine? And we all have Bite dear.¡±Stolen novel; please report. Cire actually did groan this time, Theophanes was going to make him take guesses at things before spelling it out. He wasn¡¯t feeling too threatened by this point either. Sure, the circumstances were odd, but if the other sun elf had wanted to do something to him he had more than enough opportunity. Even if it was going to be difficult, having someone to help him through all of this, instead of blindly fumbling, would be beneficial. That didn¡¯t mean Cire wasn¡¯t going to eventually get back at this rather full of themselves vampire swan. ¡°Obviously one of your gifts is a glamour or charm ability. I have decent resistance to charm, but you overpowered me easily enough. I fell into it completely too. I don¡¯t think I could have broken out if I had wanted to.¡± Theophanes nodded again, happy that Cire wasn¡¯t as oblivious about all of this as he had feared, and handed over two scroll tubes. It was time he stopped having his fun and baited the hook. ¡°One will give you a basic understanding of the vampiric areas of ability focus, and therefore our lineages and bloodlines. The other scroll will do the same, but for sun elves. Considering that Selene has already personally interceded, I can offer you a gift from Apollo as well. I can awaken your sun elf abilities and grant you an impartment to raise one of them to level three immediately. You are unlikely to have another opportunity to have them sparked, it can only be done by another elf of your lineage.¡± Eye¡¯s widening at the implications, Cire took both of the scroll tubes and began to fiddle with them a bit in his hands. Forgetting himself in distraction, he lapsed into modern terminology. ¡°These are free gifts? No strings attached?¡± ¡°What a curious turn of phrase.¡± Theophanes luxuriated in the expression, letting it marinate on his tongue. ¡°No strings attached. Mmmm, yes. They are gifts, there wouldn¡¯t be any point to them otherwise. Apollo wishes for you to select him as the primary patron of your territory now that you have acquired one, as I am sure Selene and multiple other deities do. However, he sent a guide to you on this small insignificant low-level island far out on the fringe of the archipelago because of what you are, not what you have done. Remember, I was watching before you were bound to the territory.¡± Cire nodded and then uncorked the scroll tubes. He was more than familiar with magical scrolls at this point. It only took him moments to activate them and absorb the information. He had always wondered about non-vampiric abilities and this definitively answered that question. Theophanes offer to awaken his sun elf abilities really couldn¡¯t be passed up. He wanted to know more about what he had been missing.
Basic Vampiric Ability & Lineage Information ¨C Artemis¡¯ & Selene¡¯s Blessings
Principal Abilities Sub-Abilities Related Skills
Predator Shapechange, Talons, Poison Flight, Animal Control, Animal Summoning Animal Husbandry, Domestication, Monster Husbandry, Nature Magic
Sanguine Path Physical Augmentation, Siring, Regeneration Bloodline Dominance, Healing, Blood Transmogrification Blood Alchemy, Blood Magic
Sculpted Mind Glamour, Enthrallment, Suggestion, Command Telepathy, Telekinesis Psionic Magic, Observation
Shadowed Soul Invisibility, Aura of Night, Shadow Form Shadow Summoning, Magic Resistance Spirit Magic, Stealth, Perception
Basic Sun Elf Ability Information ¨C Apollo¡¯s Blessing
Principal Abilities Sub-Abilities Related Skills
Body of Sun Internal Purification, Resistance to Status Ailments, Resistance to Magic Short-term Durability Increases, Short-term Strength Boost, Increased Regeneration Physical Skills, Martial Skills
Star Heart Mana Storage, Mana Usage Penalty Reduction Short-term Physical boost, Short-term Perception Based Time Dilation Most Schools of Magic, Skill Abilities
Mystic Veins Increases Efficiency of Mana Usage, Skill Ability Overcharge Mana Manipulation, Increased Mana Regeneration Most Schools of Magic, Skill Abilities
Divine Guardian Channeling Divine Power, Aura of Apollo¡¯s Radiance Resistance to the Divine, Resistance to Planar Forces Light Magic, Holy Magic, Divine Lore
The more questions answered, the more Cire needed to know. He supposed that was the way of the world no matter where or who you were. Doing his due diligence at this point was a tad too late, but he figured it was better than nothing. Instead of jumping in head first, he could demonstrate some caution. ¡°Do you have some way to authenticate what you have been telling me? I can¡¯t imagine accepting your gift to awaken my abilities won¡¯t be intrusive in some manner.¡± Cire paused and looked around at the bed covered in pillows and silks, at his strange conversation partner, and then shrugged. ¡°So far I have been taking you at your word.¡± Peels of laughter and giggles erupted from Theophanes before he got himself under control. ¡°Darling, I could have trapped the scrolls if I had wanted to do something nefarious. Really, as if I would need to stoop to something so lowly to vanquish a foe. I would simply ensnare your mind once more if needed. You know-¡± Theophanes pulled at a chain around his throat revealing a pendant and held it out, forcing Cire to lean in close to inspect it. ¡°-you¡¯re lucky I find you so cute. I will do you a favor because of those adorable dimples and striking eyes. I don¡¯t think you are aware, but you have a hidden aspect that revealed itself to me when we linked earlier. It¡¯s one of the reasons you were more susceptible to my alluring charms.¡± A hidden Aspect has been revealed to you: Naive. You can be fearless in your ignorance. You often take things at face value when presented to you by someone you trust. Often, you are willing to assume the best in others or circumstances, even without cause. Effect: +1 to Good alignment, Others receive a +1 to their interactions with you for charisma checks, You receive a +1 to your charisma checks involving others of favorable disposition, Increase in prices by 10% or more when you are unaware of the standard price for an item or service, +1 to checks against fear based effects, and -1 to Perception. Cire chose to ignore the continued flirting, he thought it was flirting, he couldn¡¯t be sure. The notification didn¡¯t surprise him persay, it was more like acknowledging a part of him and getting a better grasp of it. Cire had always been on the guileless and trusting side of things when it came down to it. He already had the Accepting and Trustworthy aspects, this wasn¡¯t too far afield. At least it isn¡¯t only negatives, more of a mixed bag. Besides, Aspects can change, I don¡¯t imagine being a territory leader for too long will be conducive to me keeping this one. Focusing in on the pendant once he had dismissed the notification, Cire was struck by two things. First, there was no way the intricate medallion of a rising sun radiating a pulsing light was anything but a divine level item. Second, that the unmistakable feeling of a god¡¯s presence lingered within the object. Cire could still remember what it felt like when Selene had touched him through his crown and ring, this had a similar, if less potent, flavor to it. He instinctively knew that the authenticity of the pendant was genuine. Not knowing what Apollo¡¯s blessing to an item would feel like, Cire opened himself up and took in all that he could. Cire could feel music? Order, repetition, and light. There was a cheerful and benevolent underpinning to the symphony of sensation. This was as close as he was going to get. Maybe he was being naive, in fact, he knew he was being naive instead of suspicious, but he was going to believe Theophanes. That didn¡¯t mean he needed to beg. ¡°Okay, what do you need to do to awaken my sun elf abilities? Depending on what it is, I am amenable to the idea.¡± Theophanes leaned forward casually and cupped Cire¡¯s cheek, then without warning a sour look spread over his face and he let out an annoyed sigh and moved his hand away. ¡°Looks like I won¡¯t get a chance to show you any of the fun things.¡± Slipping off the bed, he took a long stretch before stating nonchalantly, ¡°We will do it quickly, I simply need to lay my hand upon you for a while and channel my mana. With Apollo¡¯s help it will be practically painless.¡± Cire was about to respond when Theophanes snapped his fingers and the bed started shrinking at a noticeable rate. He had to scramble to get off to avoid getting dumped on his behind on the ground. Questioningly, he looked at Theophanes. ¡°Why are you moving quickly all of a sudden?¡± Cinching his white silk robes in place, Theophanes waited until the grand four post bed was as small as a bar of soap, then he picked it up and put it in his pouch. Stepping over to Cire, he quite abruptly slid his hand up Cire¡¯s tunic and placed it over his heart. Holding him in place with a surprisingly strong embrace, Theophanes grinned. ¡°It appears to be time for you to get back. That feisty glade elf lass and your other friends have been out looking for you for a while. They are tromping this way now, so we might as well let them find you. Now, try not to throw up on me, I really like this outfit.¡± Cire jerked back involuntarily at the surprising and unsettling feeling of Theophanes groping him out of the blue. In his surprise it took him a few seconds to process what the other sun elf had said. He was about to ask what he meant when his entire body seized up and pain surged through him. It was like he was holding a live wire, every muscle in his body contracted and released rapidly. Cire¡¯s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out. When his head lolled forward he did indeed puke all over the front of Theophanes. Chapter 2: Fairy Dust Silveros and Olithia, both Silverstar family guards and slaves, ranged to either side of Selene within the forest. They did keep within sight and shout. Elias, the head manager of the house slaves, stayed close behind her keeping guard. They wouldn¡¯t let anything happen to the young elven mistress regardless of her own headstrong nature. Selene, on the other hand, was feeling equal parts caution, anger, and worry. She still didn¡¯t know if Cire had been taken or left on his own without telling her. It would be out of character for him to have struck out by himself, but he had changed rapidly since she met him and he was more headstrong now than he used to be. Cire was careful and forthright in most of his dealings, let alone when delving into dangerous places, it was highly unlikely that he had left willingly. Buzzing directly in front of Selene¡¯s face, Honeydrop Cinnamonswirl gestured effusively with her arms to their east. Fairies typically had musical twinkling voices. However, Honeydrop¡¯s was shrill, rapid, and too high pitched without the luxury of being delicate at this moment. ¡°There was a notable flux in the ambient mana in that direction. I¡¯ll go scout it out!¡± Zipping off before Selene could give direction one way or the other, she wondered how Cire managed to work with the fairy. Older fairies were at least somewhat predictable, the only thing she could count on from Honeydrop so far was unexpected and impulsive action. Tracking the bright yellow trail of fairy dust that was quickly dissipating in Honey¡¯s wake, Selene sighed. It would be a miracle if the fairy didn¡¯t lead some terrible monster back to their small group. Reading Selene¡¯s thoughts on her face, Fizzilius, or Fizz for short, offered a few words of encouragement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Honey, she can handle herself. Besides, she¡¯s not nearly as hung over as I am. Cire should be too, so he couldn¡¯t have gotten too far. It¡¯s just like him to wander off by himself.¡± The sandy haired, and surprisingly fit, gnome kept up with the elven party easily as they moved through the roots and tangles of the Shadowed Forest. His movement was more run, tumble, and leap than the easy fluid grace of the elves, but it was working for him. In the sole encounter with forest beasts so far, a small hive of dog sized wasps, he had accounted for himself admirably. Daggers flew rapidly and twirled nimbly in his fingers. Selene snorted sarcastically, she knew that Fizz was trying to lighten the mood. However, this wasn¡¯t like Cire at all, and Fizz knew that as well as she. They had to move quickly, as a bat Cire could cover distance in this forest with ease. It was no telling how far ahead of them he had gotten. At least the swan should be easy to spot in sharp contrast to all of the browns and greens of the forest. Darting through the branches, the yellow glow of Honeydrop was pouring off of her. This signaled that she had found the wayward sun elf, but they still didn¡¯t know what to expect. It could be an emergency or he could be fine, in which case he wouldn¡¯t be by the time Selene got a hold of him. ¡°He¡¯s a few trees up, told me he was fine. I said he shouldn¡¯t go anywhere until we get to him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s fine? What happened to him? Why did he leave the ¡®Tops? What¡¯s he doing out here all alone?¡± Selene questioned. Honeydrop look flustered by all of the questions, but then stopped flitting about and buzzed in place a few inches from Selene¡¯s face with her hands on her hips. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask him any of that! Once I made sure there wasn¡¯t any danger I came straight back to get you!¡± ¡°You did the right thing. Sorry, I¡¯m frustrated and worried.¡± Selene hoped the direct and quick apology would mollify the fairy. She waited and indeed the small fairy took off in the direction she had come, but at a pace slow enough to let them follow. Elias scowled behind her, no doubt as a result of the disrespect shown to a member of the noble family of his house. Selene didn¡¯t have time nor care for politics, she pressed on. Selene, Fizz and Honey all converged on Ciresil at roughly the same time. When they reached the edge of a small break in the trees, a white swan took flight from a low branch and climbed quickly into the sky. So, Elias was right. Selene hadn¡¯t doubted Elias¡¯ word, but his story had been odd. Seeing the guileless and dopey smile on Cire¡¯s visage blunted much of Selene¡¯s rising fury. It was obvious how genuinely happy he was to see them all. Dying on her lips, Selene¡¯s chastisements and criticisms turned into an indelicate touch to his forearm as she caught herself short of hugging him in relief. It wouldn¡¯t do for the servants to see her be so casual with Cire. They had done a fair job disguising many things, their formation of a noble house being primary, but Selene¡¯s more uncouth habits picked up in the Valley of Sunset were high up on that list. The less suspicion they could raise with her mother, Daphne Silverstar, the better. Behind her regal manner and bearing lay a calculating and shrewd mind. ¡°You¡¯re alright? Gotten yourself into some more trouble?¡± Keeping him from dwelling on the dower events the last few days, the odd, yet revealing, morning defied simple explanation. Cire looked a bit perplexed and his reply left much to be desired, ¡°Something like that. I¡¯ll fill you in once I have a chance to figure a few things out. Let¡¯s get back to town and get some breakfast, maybe a quick nap, and then get things sorted.¡± Landing on Cire¡¯s shoulder, Honeydrop steadied herself by holding onto his ear, becoming a very over-sized earring. Her bright yellow gown, almost the same color as her glow and hair, fluttered from where it was tied down to her legs for ease of flight. She was still dressed for the banquet from the previous evening. ¡°Oooo! Breakfast! What a spectacular idea. Some sweet cream and berries sounds positively wonderful.¡± Fizz chuckled and gave Cire¡¯s shoulder a quick punch, he had scrambled up onto a particularly large root at the elf¡¯s side. ¡°If you¡¯re acting like nothing happened then we know it was eventful. You bluff about as well as the fae my friend and your teeth are just as pointy as most of ¡®em.¡± Put at ease by the teasing and steady presence of friends, Cire¡¯s unsettling conversation and trying physical trial receded to the back of his mind. He squinted and raised a single eyebrow Fizz¡¯s way. ¡°You¡¯re going to get flicked on the nose if you keep that up. I said I would fill you in once I had some time to process everything, and I will. Now, let¡¯s get a move on.¡± Watching him closely, Selene clocked the unease and confusion Cire was puzzling through. She had seen the look enough times on his face to know that the man was processing information and working out how it all fit together. It was the same when Maisy had revealed history of the Valley of Sunset, when he had explained some entries in Constantine Dawnslight¡¯s journal, and when her mother had told him about the origin of vampires. Truth be told, this trait was one of the reasons that Durg and her had selected to give Cire the territorial binding stone instead of one of them keeping it. His outside perspective, compassion, and honesty had all played into their decision of course. However, it was Cire¡¯s measured and considered approach to problem solving that was worlds better than Durg¡¯s impulsivity or her rather rigid nature. That had nudged their final decision more than anything else. Covering their flanks, the two guards continued to provide scouting as they made their way through the brush back towards the town. Selene used the opportunity to fill Cire in on a couple of key pieces of information. First, she told him about the remnants of the gnoll war band that him, the guard, and other student¡¯s had faced off against in their skirmish a few days ago in the southern reaches of the forest. The report from the guard captain she had questioned let her know that the gnoll pack had gone into the southern Chimera¡¯s Mane, and was not very well provisioned. The elves had not followed across the boundary of the territory, only lingering in the neutral area between them for a while observing when they could. From the ¡®Tops perspective, the threat had been repelled and that was that.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Selene had instructed Elias to bring up the rear and pressed in close to Cire for a private conversation. Resigning herself to trusting Fizz and Honeydrop, at least when Cire was involved, was necessary. Neither of the two were keen to move too far away from the sun elf. She supposed it wasn¡¯t too surprising, the ingenuous man drew certain types to him and these two fit the mold. The more pressing news, from their prospective as the noble house of a territory, was that Eliana had been dismissed as palaestra from the academy to assuage the Morningdew families anger. She was careful to not mention anything that would lead the others to making assumptions, but her suggestion would still be seen as curious. Knowing that she couldn¡¯t outright say what she was thinking she used her tone to exaggerate certain elements. ¡°So, given what I overheard, which I will be apologizing to her for, I think that it would be best if I approached Eliana. I know that back home in the valley there are not great accommodations, but she would free to pursue whatever path she desired. I do not think Stout or Maisy would give much care to another permanent resident. What do you think?¡± Practically able to see the gears turning in Cire¡¯s mind, Selene made a mental note. He really couldn¡¯t hide his thoughts, let alone emotions, unless he tried, and he wasn¡¯t. That would be something they needed to work on, otherwise he would get taken in by every siren¡¯s song as enemies and friends alike read him like posted scroll. Cire nodded and looked distracted, still obviously coming to terms with whatever odd circumstance had occurred this morning. ¡°Sure, that sounds like a good plan. I am sure that you know what to say to convince her it¡¯s a good idea. Not sure Cire had even picked up on the subtext of their conversation, Selene resisted the urge to snap at him or slap him. It wouldn¡¯t do for any of the house slaves to see her behave that way. Upon nearing the hedge wall of the Tempest Treetops, Silveros, Olithia, and Elias all came in from their sentry positions around the group. Unraveling and twisting, the thorned branches of the hedge wall created barely enough of an opening for their party to enter. Each nodded thanks to the guard on the other side once they had reached the safety of the settlement. The guard members simply returned to their stations when they saw the livery the slaves were dressed in and made note of Selene herself. Making their way towards the center of town in the direction of the pillars and the Undergrowth, Selene was pondering on how to shake their escort when Cire made the need mute. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild straight away, I¡¯d prefer not to put it off. There is a tavern in the Undergrowth near the administrative pillar right? Do you they serve food?¡± Fizz was the one of them who had spent the most time in the warren of shops, temples, and taverns built among the roots of the skyscraper like towers crafted from living trees that gave the Tempest Treetops their name. Casually he was working a bundle of pipeweed into his long stemmed instrument. Honeydrop buzzed from Cire¡¯s shoulder down to Fizz and a small ball of fire lit his pipe for him and he pulled in a long draw. Three smoke rings followed his administrations before a nod and response. ¡°Indeed they do, it would be the most convenient, but hardly our best option given we have to walk halfway across town to get to the tower.¡± Selene wrinkled her nose at the pungent smell from Fizz¡¯s pipe, it made her stomach gurgle uncomfortably. Not many in her house smoked, she was about to ask him to put it out when she stopped herself. She was slipping back into the privileged manner of behavior akin to her siblings and that was unacceptable. ¡°So, you intend to sign us up to be adventurers after all? It wasn¡¯t all fairy dust?¡± Cire¡¯s face screwed up, it was clear he was unfamiliar with the expression, but that once he worked it out he wasn¡¯t pleased. ¡°Of course, when have I said I wanted to do something and then didn¡¯t carry through with it?¡± Holding up both hands, Selene warded off the offense. It was understandable he was touchy and she still didn¡¯t know what he had been through. She would let him off the hook for being snippy though. ¡°Whoa there, calm down. I know we already talked about everything, but it is a big commitment and we already have a lot on our plate. Besides, there is no safeguard for adventurers out on quests like the guard patrols have. I want you to be sure.¡± Selene had a hunch about what was driving Cire so strongly to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild besides the most recent forms of impetus. The whole time she had known him he was never the real aggressor in fights. He only attacked when threatened or forced. Now he¡¯s been through what sounded like a morally ambiguous situation, at least for his considering countenance. The gnoll war party that invaded the Shadowed Forest came with families, children, and the elves had struck first. Cire wants to find a path without guilt or shame when having to take life. Selene knew that didn¡¯t exist, but he had to learn it for himself. After a pensive pause, Cire nodded and his boyish smile easily slipped back onto his lips underneath his miss-matched blue and purple eyes. Tension seemed to ease from his shoulders as he took her questions as warnings instead of admonitions. ¡°I¡¯m sure. It¡¯s important for more than the obvious reasons. I¡¯m not simply being reactive either. Now, everyone know what they¡¯re going to order?¡± The group managed to get some of the first fried fritters and meat skewers available that morning. Cire was even able to procure some scrambled eggs, which the group found to be an interesting addition to the first meal of the day. He did such a good job of assimilating to this world that Selene often forgot he was from another realm. Little things like his culinary peculiarities didn¡¯t really even stick out. Watching the meal with a critical eye, Selene was largely her quiet taciturn self when around newcomers. Even if Fizz and Honey were Cire¡¯s budding acquaintances, their relation to her was still undefined. Besides, she could feel Elias¡¯ observant eyes roaming and his ears perking to each curious part of the conversation. Honey, like most fairies, held nothing back and constantly changed conversation topics from one thing to another. Fizz was equal parts wry, sarcastic, and supportive. Selene couldn¡¯t be sure, but she suspected that Fizz had been ensnared by Cire¡¯s innocent charm and high Charisma, as well as, Honey. In both cases it was odd to see fae affected so. Cire always gave off the impression of a fuzzy adorable kitten at worst and too attractive gallant elven warrior at best. It was one of the reasons she was always so frustrated by him, and she knew how high his Charisma stat was. Others had to have it worse off than her. It felt like being party members with him through their Adventurer skill muted the effect his charms had on her mind. It wasn¡¯t exactly magical enchantment, but it wasn¡¯t too far off either. It was fascinating to behold. Selene realized she had tuned out of the conversation and started actively listening again. ¡°¡­ not fair. I sang about it with the frolic and the chorus said I couldn¡¯t join you.¡± Honeydrop said with disappointment evident in her voice. She was holding a single grape and eating it one cute bite at a time in between her complaints. Skewering a sausage, Fizz waggled the delectable morsel at her position in the middle of the table. ¡°Well, you know as well as we all do that you graduating from the academy has actual ramifications. In my case it¡¯s not nearly as relevant as the skills and experience I have gathered. Let alone the connections to various families I¡¯ve made. That appears to be the case for Cire as well. Besides, I¡¯m the only on that took him up on the offer, other than the lady here of course.¡± Selene gave the gnome a slight nod of assent, not overly committing, ¡°Which means we have a long-range fighter, myself. A dagger user, so mid-range, with Fizz. And finally a melee fighter in Cire. I can pin down multiple enemies if we really need me to, but we don¡¯t have anyone who excels in engaging with multiple opponents.¡± Chiming in like he had been waiting for someone to change the conversation in this direction, Cire had obviously been giving this more thought than she had accounted for. ¡°We need someone like Lander or Philip, preferably Philip. Pure defense. Willing to draw in the enemies while we engage around them. For our group we probably want someone in medium armor instead of heavy armor, so we can travel faster and move quiet if we need to. ¡°It¡¯s a real shame you can¡¯t join us Honey. We need someone who has supportive magic or skills, and you can do a little bit of everything.¡± He smiled at her to show he really was sorry and then took a quick drink of cider. ¡°Most importantly, we need a healer. Herbs and potions are great in battle, if you have the time and can get to them, but a healer provides the sort of security that can¡¯t be replaced. Besides, you can stay out on quests longer if you¡¯re able to heal yourself up. Guzzling potions eats into profits.¡± Selene gave a sidelong look around the table and noticed that Fizz had the only appropriately matching skepticism displayed. Sure, it would be great to try and find each of those types of needs to make a well rounded group like he described. However, she had been to the Tempest Treetop¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild hall and seen the types of people waiting to group with others. There were normally pretty obvious reasons they hadn¡¯t found parties yet. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to account for Durg, he typically fills the heavy armor wearing front liner position. If we get along with someone it would be nice to be able to stick with them long term.¡± Cire nodded, there was a spark of something in his eyes, she wasn¡¯t sure what it was. Selene had seen it before, she had a feeling he was about to do something unexpected. Rising with everyone else, she sighed in her mind, at least sometimes his odd way of approaching things sometimes led to fantastic results. Even if she¡¯d been in more life risking scenarios in the last few months than her entire life previous, she couldn¡¯t argue with their current position. Still, she knew he was pushing through everything that had happened recently. ¡°Let¡¯s go upstairs and get registered, maybe meet a couple of new folks, and sign up for some starter quests. I mean, how hard can it be?¡± Tempting fate wasn¡¯t Cire¡¯s intention, but with words like that how could he expect things to go unnoticed? After all, the gods have a habit of listening in on mortals they have interest in. Chapter 3: New Quests, Old Enemies Trundling up the stairs, the group enjoyed moving around after breakfast. The platform elevator would have been quicker, but only if the line hadn¡¯t been so long. They only had a few flights up the administrative tower until they reached the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s floors. The first guild floor housed the reception desks, quest bulletins, and bar. Only members had access to the other floors they occupied. Upon first impression Cire was struck by the eerie similarity of a Veterans of Foreign Wars Post or Elk¡¯s Club. A hazy cloud of smoke hung in the air and jumbled with the scents of ale, body odor, and boredom. It appeared only a few types of adventurer were in the guild this early in the morning, a lot of them appeared hung over and the ones that didn¡¯t looked quirky, odd, or down right bizarre. Most had their heads down on their tables or were drowsing in the booths, but a few played cards or were conversing with hushed tones. Not willing to let first impressions dampen his spirits, Cire barreled into the common area and began to peruse the various quest postings. On the back wall towards one side were the receptionists and on the other was the bar. In between were a smattering of tables, chairs, couches, and the aforementioned booths occupied by those in slumber. Cire surreptitiously counted around a dozen presumed adventurers and half that number of staff. Several sets of eyes appraised their group, Cire hadn¡¯t done a good job hiding his survey of the establishment. There was a chance that they stuck out. The composition of their group; two elves, a fairy, and a gnome, wasn¡¯t exactly common, but it wouldn¡¯t be considered rare either he thought. Shaking his head, Cire stopped looking at the quest posters. He knew it was futile until they were actually registered. From his conversations with Selene, Fizz, and students in the academy he knew that there was a trial quest to join. You needed to have a class or rare skills, but there was also a level threshold that would allow you to bypass those requirements. Cire qualified as a class upgraded fighter. Selene was above level fifteen and had the needed skills to boot even if she hadn¡¯t chosen her class yet. He wasn¡¯t sure about Fizz, but considering how fast the gnome had agreed to join up when asked, he guessed that meeting the requirements wouldn¡¯t be an issue. He wondered how they were going to verify the prerequisite. Approaching an open receptionist desk, Cire¡¯s group formed a half circle around the open window. An elder moon elf with bone white hair and long bushy eyebrows peered at them through half-moon spectacles perched on his sharp nose. His nasally piercing tone disagreeably reproached them as he thrust a parchment into each of their hands. ¡°Prospective members need to fill out these forms and can only be seen at the first window.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Thank you for letting us know.¡± Cire led the group to a section of conveniently placed chairs for groups such as theirs lined up at the first window. There was a small line, but by the time they had filled out the basic intake forms with their identifying information like their names, class, level, and notable guild activity related skills their turn was up. Beaming with a warm welcoming smile, this wood elf receptionist was an odd polar opposite of the previous. She was young with a bright smile and eagerly took each of their forms. With a supportive and cheery tone, she addressed their next steps. ¡°Welcome! Welcome to the Tempest Treetops Adventurer¡¯s Guild Headquarters. Truth be told, we don¡¯t really have any other facilities in the town, or the territory for that matter. But, that hardly matters. You all were able to write and fill out the form, wonderful. We will take each of you into the magical attunement room so that we can make an imprint of your mana signature and to prepare all of your badges. ¡°If you have a basic class then you will be a copper level adventurer. If you don¡¯t have a class then you will simply be an initiate adventurer, unless you are fifty percent above the level and skills requirements for a given stratum. The stratum are copper, silver, gold, adamantine, and mithril. They match up with the class levels; basic, simple, advanced, complex, and intricate. An individual can only take on quests at their tier, but a party can take on quests one stratum higher than the highest level adventurer within the group. There are some exceptions, but no need to go over those today.¡± Nodding along in agreement, Cire was pleased that everything he had asked about prior had now been relatively confirmed. So far everything was checking out. Still, he knew that each branch of the guild could deviate from these rules in minor ways. He didn¡¯t want to be caught off guard. ¡°Will we be expected to swear any oaths? Do we need to be citizens of the Tempest Treetops to sign up at this branch?¡± Shaking her head, the receptionists freckled cheeks creased further with her widening smile. ¡°No, no. Well, yes, but not to the guild or the territory. You have to swear an oath that what you reveal is the truth, but nothing binding. We are not a military organization. While individual members may answer their territories or others calls to arms, the guild itself will not act. ¡°We are of the Ionian League, but we are not bound to any specific territory or house. Hence, whichever branch you take succor in, whether you be citizen, or not, it is of no consequence.¡± The other elven clerkfrom before actually interrupted, his penetrating shrill tone cutting in its abrasiveness. ¡°Bah, if your an adventurer here you better take heed when asked. The serpentfolk to our north and the banshee to our south will not differentiate between neutral adventurer or enemy civilian when they come. Skirmishes be one thing, but when it be territory against territory everyone must fight.¡± ¡°Do be quiet Gregorios. I am inducting new members into the guild. They can wait to hear your grouchy inane ramblings until afterwards.¡± The rosy receptionist, who Cire now realized they hadn¡¯t gotten the name of, snapped. Not letting the other clerks dower mood get to her, she plowed ahead. ¡°Now, which one of you wants to go first? Are you going to register everyone as a team immediately or do you need to wait?¡± Fizz beat Cire to the front of the line and gave his thigh a light jab while walking through the door to the back. ¡°I¡¯ll go first. Someone has to make sure it doesn¡¯t hurt too bad right? Besides, if I know Cire at all he¡¯s got more questions to ask. And we are going to wait on registering as a team for a bit, we need to scare up another party member or two first.¡± With Fizz departing alongside the friendly receptionist, Cire gave the room a quick scan before heading back to the quest posters. He did have more questions to ask, but he could wait for her to get back. Overall, the structure made sense to him. You would want a way to moderate the danger level individuals and parties could take on while encouraging parties of similar power levels to group together. Currently, their group would be able to take on copper or silver level quests. Based on some of the notices that stuck out to him, and the various levels associated with them, that was an appropriate difficulty level. Even if they managed to wrangle a silver level adventurer into the party he doubted it would be wise to try a gold level quest. Still, there was a tremendous amount of range within each given quest tier.
Guild Quest Title: Bounty ¨C Serpentfolk of Phobos Condition(s): Slay the serpentfolk from the Jungle of Serpents to the north of the Shadowed Forest. Help defend the borders of the territory by striking back at the eternal aggressors, the followers of Phobos. Collect fangs of the fallen to provide proof of your accomplishment. Rewards: 1 gold piece per fang, 1 uncommon magical item per 20 fangs, and 1000 experience points per 50 fangs provided by the guild per party. Experience points only provided to silver stratum guild members and below. Guild Stratum: Silver Guild Quest Information: Maps, Typical Skills, Common Magic Spells, and additional tactical information provided upon request. Quest Offered By: The Tempestnight House Do you Accept? Open Quest, no need to accept.
So, not being a military organization meant that while adventurers wouldn¡¯t be ordered on missions or tasked with patrolling borders. Although, they could be incentivized to help out in a more general sense with an ongoing conflict. It wasn¡¯t too surprising. Cire didn¡¯t really know enough about the serpentfolk to the north of the territory, but he hadn¡¯t heard good things. Unlike the gnolls where there were some civilized exchanges of prisoners, the serpentfolk had a tendency to eat the satyrs and centaurs they captured. The elves were killed outright. It was hard to engage with a group that viewed you as food at best.
Guild Quest Title: Bounty ¨C Stymphalian Gnolls Condition(s): Slay the gnolls from the Stymphalian Swamp to the south of the Shadowed Forest. Help defend the borders of the territory by striking back at the eternal aggressors, the banshee¡¯s pack. Collect fangs of the fallen to provide proof of your accomplishment. Rewards: 1 silver piece per fang, 1 uncommon magical item per 50 fang, and 1000 experience points per 150 fangs provided by the guild per party. Experience points only provided to copper stratum guild members and below. Guild Stratum: Silver Guild Quest Information: Maps, Typical Skills, Common Magic Spells, and additional tactical information provided upon request. Quest Offered By: The Tempestnight House Do you Accept? Open Quest, no need to accept.
The very gnolls he had engaged with in question. The encounter had felt more unsettling by the day with the benefit of hindsight. Everything he had heard about the gnolls was that there were essentially unending raids into elven territory. However, what if there was more to the conflict? It was easier for the noble families to whitewash the fighting than to explain it in nuance. Cire felt like there was a larger mystery at play, but he didn¡¯t have enough information to put the puzzle pieces together. With a small chuckle he looked at the next poster and couldn¡¯t help but remember their recent patrol. Honeydrop had been dead set to go and cause some mischief in the myrmekes colony. There was something about insects that bugged fairies and it carried over into their rivalry with pixies. If only the fairy was going to join up with them, this would be perfect.
Quest Title: Bounty ¨C Cull a Myrmekes Colony Condition(s): A myrmekes mound has been discovered to the west of the Tempest Treetops. Help regulate the numbers of the colony of dog sized ants before they overrun the local area and significantly disrupt the forest. Collect antennae of the fallen to provide proof of your accomplishment. Rewards: 1 copper piece per antennae, 1 common magical item per 100 antennae, and 1000 experience points per 250 antennae provided by the guild per party. Experience points only provided to copper stratum guild members and below. Guild Stratum: Copper Guild Quest Information: Map to the colony and a basic information scroll on the beasts provided upon request. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Quest Offered By: Tempest Treetops¡¯ Territorial Guard Do you Accept? Open Quest, no need to accept.
Cire thought that this quest might actually be a good first one to test themselves out with. The myrmekes were generally much lower level than themselves and the threat they presented was that of being a pest rather than an enemy. Depending on how many they could carry back to town, it might be possible to make a fair amount of coin. Gourmet dishes with the meat of the bugs sold for a fair amount at the various bars and restaurants in the Undergrowth. Overall, these types of quests reminded him over the very first one he had undertaken when arriving in this wondrous, yet dangerous, world. Hunting down the boars and dire boars for Eugene and Stacy had been a strange, but also terribly mundane, way to start his adventuring life. Even if he was signing up now officially with a guild, his heart had always been on the path. The next poster was interesting, not because Cire had any notions of taking on the quest, but because it spoke to the larger circumstances in the archipelago. Sometimes it paid to be on a backwater island at the fringe of all the action. Theophanes may be bored watching him, but larger threats were not poking around. Some adventure was too great to seek out at this time.
Guild Quest Title: Resist the Raiders Condition(s): General call to report to an inner island guild hall to be assigned to a specific task. Prepare to resist incursions of the orc clans throughout the Ionian League. Large scale movement has been scouted in at least four of the clans. Rewards: Variable, based on contribution Guild Stratum: Copper through Mithril Guild Quest Information: Adventurers will provide various services while the military troops are away from civilian centers. The orc clans raiding represent an existential threat to the Ionian League as a whole. If necessary, dispensation has been granted by the guild Council for quests involving limited military applications. Please talk with an inner island guild master for additional information. Quest Offered By: Ionian League Ruling Council and the Ionian League Adventurer¡¯s Guild Council Do you Accept? Unable to accept at this branch, please inquire for additional information at the reception desks.
The next two quests Cire was interested in because of their connection with the Order of the Unbroken Grove. He had an agreement with Maisy to become a member of the Order of the Unbroken Grove. As an elven lord of a territory he should theoretically be able to petition for membership. However, he would prefer to get to know them before revealing he was the new lord of the Chimera¡¯s Mane. Undertaking a quest in service to their druid sect would provide the perfect inroad.
Guild Quest Title: Curtail the Advancement of the Stymphalian Swamp Condition(s): Beat back the over abundant blighted swamp growth on the southern border of the Shadowed Forest. Kill the blighted creatures and burn fungal blooms. Use gathering stones to store the blighted essence that is released when the overgrowth is destroyed. Fill five stones worth of essence. Rewards: 10 gold per filled & returned gathering stone, 1 uncommon magical item per 10 stones filled and returned, and 1 minor blessing for a month with a minimum of 5 filled per party member. Guild Stratum: Copper through Gold Guild Quest Information: The local druid grove strives to contain the magically enhanced growth emanating from the Stymphalian Swamp. A particularly invasive fungal blight constantly spreads from the marshy domains. The grove requests assistance in maintaining balance along the territory border. Entry into the swamp is not required. Quest Offered By: Tempest Treetop¡¯s Druid Circle ¨C Order of the Unbroken Grove Do you Accept? No limit to the number of adventuring parties, no need to accept. Procure the stones from the guild quartermaster.
Cire liked that the quest did not explicitly require killing, and the animals they would be killing if they needed to were infected by a blight. The same with the next quest. These were the sorts of adventurers he wanted to go on.
Quest Title: Secure Wild Rainbow Asters from the Spine of the Island Condition(s): Collect 5 or more Wild Rainbow Asters and return them undamaged to the guild. Rewards: 1 Elixir of Hill Giant Fortitude (+1 to Constitution permanently) per five flowers collected and returned. Extra rewards provided for a flower plant with intact roots and appropriately stored still in good health. 10 gold per party member for per month of searching in the mountains. Guild Stratum: Silver through Adamantine Guild Quest Information: These rare flowers grow sporadically throughout the Spine of the Island near the snowline of the mountain chain. They bloom only under starlight during the summer months when fireflies are plentiful. The guild rating is due to the low threat level if harvested cautiously. However, their location, and the travel time to them, presents significant challenges to lower level adventurers. Caution is recommended. Meeting with the quest giver after acceptance required, only 5 parties can be active at any given time. Quest Offered By: Tempest Treetop¡¯s Druid Circle ¨C Order of the Unbroken Grove Leader, Melany of the Night Oak Do you Accept? Yes or No
Shaking his head, Cire sighed. There was little chance their newly formed party could attempt to take on the quest to hunt down the Wild Rainbow Asters. It was a large time commitment and it was too risky for them. Over his shoulder he caught sight of his gnome companion returning. Sauntering back into the common room, Fizz thumbed his long nose and then yanked his hand back over his shoulder. ¡°Chompy, you¡¯re next, or Selene. Either way, I could use a smoke and an ale. Didn¡¯t get much sleep, so I might as well keep the buzz going.¡± Cire took a step towards the door that the gnome had just come out of, but he stopped when he felt a tug at the hem of his tunic. Looking back he was a little startled. Either he had been totally engrossed in reading the quest postings or this female satyr had some sort of stealth skill, because she was standing right beside him. Still gripping the fabric of his shirt, the satyr tilted her head exaggeratedly causing her floppy ears to bounce past her twisting horns. The fur covering her goat legs was jet black, as was her short tail, hooves, and unruly mane of curly hair. A stained black leather top and green cloak covered her upper body. Dangling from one of her horns was a fist sized bulbous spider attached by a thick web only a few inches long. She had large doe like brown eyes, not goat-like at all. Another tug pulled at his garment and Cire realized they had been staring at each other silently. Fizz, Honeydrop, and Selene all stayed quiet, watching the awkward interaction play out. It was a toss up as to which of the two would speak first, and the tension was building so dramatically that it was palpable. Tug, tug. Cire couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He realized he had been holding in his breath and he hurriedly let it out. His words came out clipped as he was out of air and speaking after only one rushed inhale. ¡°Can I help you?¡± A visible wink from Fizz to Selene showed that he had won the silent bet that had been placed with eye contact alone. Selene got up from her chair and went to the back room to get registered with a sour expression. The satyr nodded silently and gestured with her head towards a booth. She still hadn¡¯t spoken or let go of Cire¡¯s tunic. It was both terribly creepy and oddly cute at the same time. Cire felt a constant pressure on his clothes as she led him over to the booth and he didn¡¯t resist. His friends cruelly abandoned him to his fate as they went to seek out libations at the bar. ¡°You are forming a party?¡± The words were so quiet that Cire leaned in towards her on reflex. He didn¡¯t see any purpose in subterfuge. It wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t reject her. He hadn¡¯t expected to be approached so quickly though. Especially not by someone so clearly socially introverted. Maybe they stuck out more than he thought. ¡°That¡¯s right. Came in today to register as adventurers for the first time. We have a few holes in our party composition. Are you looking to join one?¡± The satyr nodded shyly and fiddled with a twisted wooden wand with a crystallized purple flower on the end of it. Cire raised an eyebrow. She wasn¡¯t exactly loquacious, and it was a painful conversation to be sure. However, she had gotten up the nerve to approach him. If he was going to lead an adventuring party then he would need to do his fair share of social heavy lifting. Having someone in the group so sheepish, goatish?, that she was having trouble speaking in relative private to a stranger wouldn¡¯t be so bad. The spider was weird though. ¡°Hrmmm, okay. Do you have a name that you care to share? I¡¯m Cire and the other two members of our group are Selene and Fizz. The elf and gnome I came in with, respectively.¡± The satyr looked down at the table and pulled her cloak tightly around herself. The spider jostled in her horns at the movement, but settled back into a resting spot in her curls. ¡°Zoe¡± Cire supposed that the satyr would largely remain a mystery if she did join up. If the most he could get out of her was one word responses, sometimes non-verbal ones at that, then it was going to be a while before he knew much about her. That didn¡¯t matter too much, if he could count on her in battle then he or Fizz could handle the social scenarios. ¡°Copper or Silver stratum adventurer Zoe? We will all be coppers as far as I know. What is your class? Your role in a party?¡± A small smile darted across Zoe¡¯s expression, then she rifled through a large pouch at her side. She took out a crumpled and creased piece of parchment, and attempted to flatten it out on the table, before sliding it over to him. Cire was impressed that she had thought of a solution and a bit sad that she hadn¡¯t found a party. It wasn¡¯t hard to assume why the awkward, if a bit off, satyr hadn¡¯t found a group yet. Reading the text on the parchment made it clear that Zoe didn¡¯t have a hard time communicating if given a non-verbal medium and some distance from the actual people she was communicating with. ¡°Hello! My name is Zoe Darkwine, Copper Adventurer. I am an aspiring druid and follower of Pan. Currently my class is acolyte. I have a small repertoire of Earth, Water, and Life spells. My familiar, Mr. Spooky, is the super cute black spider that is probably with me somewhere. He excels at scouting and stealth. ¡°We would make a great addition to a team that can keep us safe. We are looking for a party for the summer, or longer, to make coin, get experience, and build up a reputation. We do not have any specific reward or quest objectives.¡± Cire couldn¡¯t help but smile at the endearing introduction. It wasn¡¯t how he would go about letting folks know what he brought to the table, but for Zoe it worked. He was completely taken in by her harmless, yet strange vibe. Besides, she would fill one of their needs nicely. Presuming she could provide some healing and supportive magic they only needed a front liner to round out their composition. ¡°I think we can probably work together Zoe, it¡¯s nice to meet you. Now, let me introduce you to another member of our group, Fizzilius Coppersprocket, or Fizz for short. He¡¯s the gnome over at the bar drinking with the fairy. I have a feeling that I am about to be called back for registration.¡± Nodding so fast Mr. Spooky had to cling onto her horn with all of his legs, Zoe kept her eyes averted downwards and snatched the piece of paper off of the table. When they both stood up Cire could feel a tug on the end of his tunic again as the satyr latched on. He was sure at some point the habit would get annoying, but for the moment it was still quite childlike and disarming. After dropping Zoe off with Fizz and Honey, along with a round of introductions, he was indeed called to switch places with Selene. Cora, the receptionist, was as friendly one on one as she was working with a group. She guided Cire through the process of meeting with a guild officer. The officer was another wood elf. She wasn¡¯t curt, but it was clear she was busy, so the interview was brief and all business. The officer had Cire swear to Pistis, the goddess of trust, honesty, and good faith, that he would be forthright with his answers. She recorded his class, his four highest skills, and took note of his abilities, both inherent and skill based. Cire wasn¡¯t too sure what would happen if he fudged any details, but he wasn¡¯t about to try. Whatever bane or divine geas that he would be afflicted by certainly wouldn¡¯t be pleasant. If sharing some of his secrets was what it took to join up, he was ready. Besides, the guild needed to know some of these details, otherwise how would they know he qualified for certain quests? Or to sign up at all? It actually took a bit longer for Cire to go through the process than Fizz and Selene. Primarily this delay was because the system for recording his vampiric and sun elf abilities was a bit more esoteric than the officer was used to. Satyrs, Centaurs, Fairies, Pixies, and other types of elves were common in the Tempest Treetops, but Cire¡¯s odd mix may have never been seen before by the branch. Cora clucked her tongue as she finished taking down his details and walked him back out to the lobby. ¡°Everything seems pretty straight forward for you. You¡¯re a copper level adventurer, but with your abilities you could probably fight up a level if needed, in single open combatof course. Well, if it¡¯s melee combat. Anyone with range or magic is going to give you a hard time.¡± Cire was about to ask how she had such an accurate assessment of his overall talents, but then it occurred to him that she was probably one of the more knowledgeable folks around concerning local adventurers and parties. She most likely had a keen eye, and if she had payed any attention to her job she would know how to asses people well. Correspondingly, she was likely one of the best people around to ask for advice. ¡°So, Cora, you¡¯ve been in the interviews for each of my party members; Selene and Fizzilius. What do you think of our makeup so far? Anyone around you think we should ask to join up?¡± Waving her hand back and forth in a so-so gesture, she stopped walking and paused before the door to the lobby. ¡°You¡¯re all copper level so far, even though Selene doesn¡¯t have a class. She can engage from a distance, Fizzilius is a rogue, and you¡¯re a fighter. You don¡¯t seem like someone who can soak a lot of engagement though. Maybe keep a fair amount of opponents off guard or distracted, but without armor or a shield you¡¯re not going to be blocking many doorways. Tapping a finger to her lower lip, she puckered her lips in thought and then blew a stray hair out of her eyes. ¡°Why did you sign up with the adventurer¡¯s guild?¡± Blinking, Cire realized that he hadn¡¯t been asked that question yet. The guild officer had only taken down details and processed him. It couldn¡¯t really have been called a conversation. He was signing up at entry level, and besides, there would be the auditor who accompanied them on their first trail quest to make sure the accounted for themselves appropriately. Without second guessing himself, he told Cora the truth, even if it was a little embarrassing. ¡°Recently I was training at the academy and we got a chance to go out on a chaperoned patrol mission with the teachers.¡± Cora sucked in some air through her teeth, but he kept going. ¡°Sounds like you heard about it. Well, it didn¡¯t exactly go to well. The thing is, it didn¡¯t go too poorly either. It was a battle, and there wasn¡¯t any nuance to it. I still don¡¯t know why it happened except that two groups ran into each other in the forest. ¡°Anyways, it¡¯s not only that. I want to make choices for myself, not be ordered to perform a task. I want freedom and to help others. From what I know, and from my experiences so far, being an adventurer checks those boxes. If I can make a decent living, advance my levels, and save up for some personal projects all the better.¡± Nibbling on her fingernail, Cora listed intently. Then she caught herself and pulled her hand away from her mouth. ¡°Good. You¡¯ll meet all sorts of adventurer¡¯s out there. Some of them really will not fit with your group. They are all about making as much gold as possible, or accruing as much power as they can. It does not matter what type of class the others you find are, or what skills they have, as long as they align with your values as a party.¡± Cire was about to respond, and of course ask another question, but Cora pushed the door open and directed him into the lobby with a movement of her arm. He could see Fizz, Selene and Honey at the bar engaging with Zoe, well sitting with her. She appeared to be listening to their conversation, but not participating. Putting an arm around each Fizz and Selene, he gave them both a squeeze. ¡°So, we are all signed up and you got a chance to meet Zoe. What do you think of signing up for a trial quest as soon as possible? If there is an auditor available I would like to get out there tomorrow, and the four of us should be able to tackle an initiate level quest.¡± Chapter 4: Assumptions and Misconceptions Strolling through the merchant district, outside of the central pillars and the Undergrowth, was a welcome change of pace. Despite Cire¡¯s wishes, a guild auditor was not immediately available to take the group out and they would have to wait a couple of days. This gave them a chance to outfit themselves properly, have a meal together to discuss some rough strategy, and get other various tasks done. Using the opportunity to shop for more than one purpose, Cire and Selene had calculating gazes as they ambled. They each had an eye on supplies they would need on the adventuring path, as well as back home. Getting out of the Silverstar pillar also had the benefit of evading prying ears. Since they were in town, and now both armed, the pair could avoid having an escort. Selene looked odd back in a dress of crushed blue velvet with large open sleeves and radiant silver highlights bringing out the cloudy blue-gray of her eyes. Obviously reinforcing her familial connections was noticeably grating on her nerves, but she was willing to do it. They were spending her gold, sold off jewelry to be precise,and she wanted it to stretch as far as possible. Cire swore he would reimburse her for his purchases once he sold some of the more valuable items stored with Maisy and Stout, notably the top and maybe the stasis box. That still didn¡¯t mean that he was comfortable going into her debt. However, it wasn¡¯t entirely his choice. Selene had insisted as another member of the noble house that they outfit themselves properly. Already tucked snugly in a bag wrapped in parchment paper was a new pair of boots, socks, and shirts for Cire. Thankfully, bootsdidn¡¯t count as armor, so he could wear them in combat without hampering his Fluid Motion skill. The leather shop they were entering now had some additional items that could fulfill a similar niche according to Elias. Sounding out with a clarion ring a small bell attached to the door heralded their entry to the shop. Cire let Selene take the lead making an introduction while planning to slip in mid-way to close the deal. Her associations helped with negotiations, but his Charisma generally pushed things a bit further. The shopkeep looked up from organizing a stack of uncut tanned leather hides, it was clear that they did custom jobs and sold ready made product. Cire was surprised to see a moon elf, as this was the first one working a job outside of the pillars he had come across. The man was well apportioned and had a smart cut tunic with a jaunty hat atop his gray haired head. With a youthful smile, showing that his hair color was more to do with his lineage than age, he welcomed them in. ¡°Good day, good day fine customers. A lovely one for shopping is it not? What brings you to my Hermes blessed store on this fine morning?¡± ¡°I would like to get my man servant here a proper pair of leather pants and perchance a matching vest. What do you think?¡± Selene looked back towards Cire, but then flicked her hand as if to dismiss his opinion. ¡°Never mind that. Yes, several pairs of leather pants, matching vests, and a new pack so he can carry my things.¡± Cire was honestly impressed at the charade that Selene was managing to put on. Covering his mouth with his hand to hide a chuckle, he had a hard time not erupting into laughter. A cold chill washed over him as he realized that she was emulating her sister Penelope, it wasn¡¯t as amusing as it had been any longer. He saw a glint in Selene¡¯s eye as she looked back, and he regretted his mirth all the more. ¡°Of course, my lady. It would please me greatly to serve you.¡± Giving his hands a quick rub, he pulled a segemented string from around his shoulders. He ushered Cire up onto a small box and began taking his measurements. Cire gave a quick cough, the leathersmith was not gentle when taking his inseam. ¡°Perhaps a new hat? Belt?¡± ¡°Yes, I do believe a belt would make a fine addition.¡± The gleam still danced in Selene¡¯s eyes and Cire counted himself lucky that she hadn¡¯t pushed things too far. Cire¡¯s moment of panic made him cast about for a solution to wordlessly communicate with her. The shopkeeper was still right before him, so he pondered. Suddenly Selene started backwards surprised. Selene and Durg were both party members with Cire through their Adventurer skill. So far this had demonstrated itself as a vague sense of the others well being when they were close enough to one another, and the ability to generally sense each other¡¯s location. Selene had relayed that while she was worried when he went missing, their bond had assuaged most of her fears. It had been difficult to pin down his exact whereabouts though, and Cire suspected that had something to do with Theophanes. Cire had discovered a new function of the skill though and he used it now. Sharing the table of his sun elf abilities took a bit of concentration, but Cire willed the exchange. By her reaction he knew it had taken place. Immediately distracted, Selene¡¯s eyes went distant. Extracting himself from the shopkeeper with care, Cire climbed down from the box.
Sun Elf Abilities Current Lvl Points until next Lvl
Luminous Physique: +1 to saving throws against most status ailments, 10% resistance to magic. Once per day can emit a strong flash of light from your skin that can cause temporary blindness and disorientation in a 20¡¯ radius. This effect can include allies and cannot be directed. 1 1
Celestial Heart: A heart specializing in the storage and release of large amounts of mana. Can currently hold an additional amount of mana equal to 70% of your maximum mana capacity. Can only be filled a quarter of the way within a given day. If both your Celestial Heart and mana pool are completely empty you will fall into a mana deficient torpor. 3 3
Star Vein Surge: Your bodies mana pathways have been strengthened beyond what is typical for a mortal being. Skill abilities can be overcharged with 25% additional mana increasing the abilities effect by 25%. This may have unintended results. 1 1
Letting Selene read and consider, Cire proceeded to duck behind a changing curtain and try on one article of clothing after the next. He set aside the ones that fit well, and provided full range of movement. Some of the breeks and breeches were far too tight to be practical for fighting in, but Cire knew the trader had been led to different implications of their uses by Selene. Blinking her eyes slowly, Selene shook her head and waved away the invisible screen. Disguising the action, she giggled using her hand to cover her mouth. Cire had walked out of the changing booth in one of the pairs of overly tight leather pants. They left nothing to the imagination. ¡°Enough, enough. Pick out the ones you liked and let¡¯s settle up with the purveyor. We have lunch with Eliana and I would prefer not to be late.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Wincing involuntarily, Cire ducked back into the changing booth and into his original set of clothes. Selene had shared that Eliana was being forced out of her position at the academy after taking the fall for the unfortunate deaths of the students during the patrol. They were going to try and recruit her to help their burgeoning territory. That didn¡¯t mean Cire¡¯s body had forgotten the countless times she had literally beaten a lesson into him during class. Leaning into the act, Cire would have to pay later for his response when they had time to themselves. ¡°Yes my lady, right away. Would you like me to select oil for the leather and myself here or will there be another appropriate store?¡± Waiting in a private, magically secured booth, in one of the upscale restaurants near the center of town, Cire and Selene took a moment to speak candidly and let their guard down. It was the first such time since Selene and the others had come and ¡°rescued¡± him from Theophanes, they had much to talk about. Selene was still caught up in Cire¡¯s new abilities. ¡°So, how do you think it works? Will you shine like a lightning bolt or more like a campfire? Do you think it will go through your clothing?¡± Leaning back on a plush pillow, Cire sat cross legged on the floor next to Selene with a large low table before them. A pot of steaming hot tea and a bowl of fruit, a quirk that he rather liked compared to bread, sat in the center of the table. Finishing his bite of fig, he shrugged. ¡°Who knows? It¡¯s not like I am going to try it out anywhere near your mother, or in town. Most folks still think I am an overly tanned wood elf, no point to give them any reason to think otherwise.¡± Cire tilted his head and grinned. ¡°Besides, that¡¯s what you wanted to ask about? You¡¯re not annoyed that Theophanes has essentially been stalking us for months now?¡± Puckering with the tart flavor, the quince that Selene chewed on was a delicious golden-yellow. ¡°He is a servant of the gods, they are as capricious as they are powerful. If he is truly a guide sent by Apollo then it is indeed a boon. Apollo is know for being honest and kind in his dealings with mortals. It makes even more sense if Selene has shown her favor. For all his positive traits, Apollo can be jealous, and you are a sun elf. Besides, being a vampire appears to be less common among them compared to what we expected.¡± Cire was still getting used to the idea of gods and goddesses that actively mucked around in mortal affairs, let alone garnering the attention of not one, but two of them. It was beginning to become more clear as to why Selene and Durg had given him the bonding stone, being a ruler was as much a danger as privilege, or path to power. How many people came out of interacting with gods for the better? If Cire¡¯s knowledge of Greek mythology had taught him anything was that it was as rare as a politician¡¯s conscience. ¡°You know, Theophanes said something else that I haven¡¯t had time to ask you about. It hadn¡¯t really occurred to me until now, but he called you a glade elf. I have heard of others being refereed to as glade elves, but I don¡¯t know which school of magic they are associated with. Wood elves are associated with the earth, Sky elves are associated with wind, et cetera.¡± A shadow fell across Selene¡¯s face at Cire¡¯s innocent, yet insulting statement. He immediately knew that he had said something wrong, but he still didn¡¯t know what. Assuming it had to do with magic, he was about to apologize, but Selene cut him off. ¡°Cire, glade elf is the term given to half wood and half moon elves, or other similar offspring. It is better than most and does not carry the negative implications of other terms commonly used. Whenever elves of different types produce children they are not linked in the same way to a specific element. They can have a bond with one, both, or neither of the elements of their parents. The same is true for their abilities.¡± A scarlet blush of shame and embarrassment erupted onto Cire¡¯s cheeks. This explained a lot, but in his ignorance he had hurt his friend. In times like this he wanted nothing more than to grasp the right words to convey his apology and sympathy, yet they were as as without purchase as smoke or thoughts. The two sat in a heavy silence. A single knock on the door stymied any chance at further discussion. The door handle turned and Eliana, dressed more casually than Cire had ever seen her, stepped into the room with a waiter following her. Setting a large bowl of salad next to the fruit, the server departed swiftly to inform the kitchen to start on their hot dishes. ¡°Eliana, thank you for coming. I wish the circumstances were better.¡± Selene said. ¡°Yes, we both do. Now, out with it. You were coy with the invitation, but I do not favor games,¡± Eliana laid out with her brusque tone. ¡°I am simply to old for them.¡± ¡°Yes, teacher.¡± Cire used the more general term instead of palaestra or instructor given her recent dismissal from the academy. Selene immediately followed, they had already decided she would make the ask. Selene had a longer, and more personal, relationship with Eliana. They would be going out on a limb, but it was fairly sturdy. Besides they were elves, so it wasn¡¯t unheard of. ¡°We would like you to relocate to the Chimera¡¯s Mane, specifically the Valley of Sunset, where I reside.¡± ¡°To be this young lord¡¯s tutor I presume?¡± Eliana¡¯s head tilted towards Cire, but they were the only three people in the room, so it was also obvious of who she spoke. ¡°When did you work it out?¡± Cire asked. ¡°Do not be daft boy. You all but confirmed it when you summoned a Prometheus cursed fortress from nothing. With your level and mana pool that should be impossible. I had my suspicions much earlier than that. Neither of you are as clever as you think.¡± Selene and Cire both grimaced, almost in unison. Piling a heap of greens and vegetables into a bowl, Selene distracted herself as she let Cire take over. If Eliana knew already then she hardly had to take the lead. It would be more convincing if Cire made the ask himself. ¡°You¡¯re right, we are making it up as we go along. Initially, we thought about asking you to be my tutor, but honestly if you would be willing to be an advisor also it would be most appreciated.¡± Seeming to mull over the confirmation and then Cire¡¯s words, the elder taciturn moon elf pulled her long graying braid over her shoulder and ran her hand down its length. The waiter returned, giving her more time to contemplate. A positively divine smelling roast of venison, delectable fried fritters, and some sort of soup filled the table. Dismissing the waiter, Cire started to serve the whole group, and Eliana raised an eyebrow. ¡°What sort of remuneration can I expect for performing such a task?¡± Cire knew that one hundred gold was generally what a skilled crafter would make over the course of a year. The leather shop they had been in most recently probably earned the proprietor two to three times that based on what they spent for his new clothing. What would be a proper wage to offer her? Was a wage even what she was asking for? Would he even be able to afford it? He hadn¡¯t expected to run into liquidity issues so rapidly, that was a clear lack of foresight on his end. Cire figured that he should simply ask instead of taking shots in the dark. ¡°What would be appealing to you? If it is gold, whatever you are worth. I have a feeling you¡¯re interested in something else though.¡± Eliana went in a different direction than Cire expected, as was common for her, only normally in combat. ¡°You are a hit and run fighter. Based on your current skills and abilities you are maximized to deal as much damage as possible with a single attack and then distance yourself. You need to keep moving, if you get pinned down or encircled you¡¯ll likely die.¡± The elder elf took a long drink from her tea and then swirled the liquid. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t learned that by now you would have been kicked out of the academy instead of leaving it voluntarily. What is your goal?¡± Instead of immediately speaking and trying to answer, Cire thought about the question. Eliana was always purposeful. She wouldn''t have left the query open ended if she hadn¡¯t intended to. All but sure that she wasn¡¯t asking about his martial path, he gave consideration to the direction he hoped for his territory. In a world of magic, wonder, and the fantastic there were also reciprocal terrors, horrors, and danger. He had heard somewhere that the radical nature of most revolutions was not in any dramatic shift from one form of government to the next, or even who the leaders in charge were. It was how the common people were enfranchised. ¡°To build a place of community based on merit that harmonizes with itself. A territory governed by empowered citizens, not built on a foundation of slavery.¡± Cire hesitated. Only Maisy, Stout, Selene, Durg, Daphne, and maybe Nic and Andre knew he was from a different world. Considering the number had reached so many, he doubted it would stay a secret to anyone who cared to uncover it much longer. Besides, it didn¡¯t seem to be the world shaking revelation he had thought it would be. In a land with fae creatures, demons, elementals, and other extra planar beings, he simply wasn¡¯t that special. ¡°I am from another plane. So, my sensibilities and perspective are a bit skewed from standard.¡± Clucking her tongue, Eliana cut and finished several bites of venison steak before setting her knife down on the plate. Her face a wooden mask betraying none of her thoughts or emotions. ¡°You keep telling me things that are obvious child, like I hadn¡¯t been teaching you day in and day out. What would the timeline for this position look like? What are your immediate plans?¡± Cire looked over to Selene, this was not going how they had planned. Eliana had figured out most of what they were going to ask her beforehand and was directing the conversation. They had shared a lot of information without a promise of keeping it secret, and he was beginning to regret that decision. They were already more than halfway across the lake though, and the far shore was closer than turning around now. ¡°We need you to go to the valley before us. The gnoll host that we fought retreated back to the Chimera¡¯s Mane, and the guard last saw them entering the southern part of the range. It is unlikely they will attack Sunset, but we can¡¯t take the risk. Selene and I should be able to follow towards the end of summer after we do enough quests to build up a reputation with the adventurer¡¯s guild.¡± A sharp nod and a frown followed, Eliana obviously felt the weight of her decisions. To learn that they had put a different group of people in danger couldn¡¯t have been easy. Cire hadn¡¯t said it to guilt her, but her expression let him know it had. Uncomfortable silence hung in the air like lazy smoke on warm summer evening. There was a lot left unsaid, lingering between them. They needed someone with Eliana¡¯s experience if they were going to succeed. Cire had all but told her that Selene was part of the ruling house, but not confirmed it. The group ate quietly, the only sounds being the clacking of utensils, slurp of soup, and chewing of morsels. Never one to rush when it was not prudent, nor a person who waited once she had made up her mind, it was only towards the end of the meal that Eliana gave them an answer. ¡°You know, I do not actually know where Sunset is located, you are going to have to draw me a map.¡± Chapter 5: Unexpected Pests Practically dancing around her room, Zoe was busy prepping her backpack for her first quests with a new party. She thought sheprobably couldn¡¯t participate in their trial quest, already being a copper level adventurer. However, she could offer her support and watch them in action. Mr. Spooky, her cellar orb weaver familiar, put the tip of a leg down onto her nose to get her attention and then pointed at the cabinet holding her potions. ¡°Ooo! I¡¯ll give you a treat later, I can¡¯t believe I almost forgot those,¡± Zoe exclaimed. She started shoving the potions into her bag haphazardly like everything else she had packed. A soft knock on her door made her jump. ¡°Eeep! I mean, uhh, yes mom?¡± Opening the door to her bedroom, a strikingly similar satyr wearing a simple tunic with red flowers woven through her raven hair gestured grandiosely with a serving spoon. ¡°Daughter of mine, don¡¯t go destroying your room just because you have finally found a new party to adventure with. I can hear you through the walls. I am sure you will make a great first impression on them when you go questing.¡± Blushing at her mother¡¯s chastisement Zoe started poking two fingers together. ¡°I know mom, I know. Thank you for writing the introduction letter for me. I was so scared approaching the party leader, but it worked!¡± Zoe had been waiting in the adventurer¡¯s guild for weeks looking for the right group to approach. Her last party had been comprised of entirely elves beside herself.While they had not treated her with any outward hostility, she knew she would never truly be part of their group. It didn¡¯t matter if she had a common elvish name or not, as a satyr in the Tempest Treetops she would always be on the outside. This band of new adventurers was already mixed, and there were other fae. Sure, satyrs, gnomes, and faeries all came from different parts of the fae plane, but they were more commonly found in the Seelie Court than the Unseelie. She knew that if she put her best hoof forward it might work out. ¡°I¡¯m very happy that you potentially found a new party my little alfalfa sprout, but they still have to pass their trial quest do they not?¡± Blackreed asked. Bundling up her pack, Zoe nodded. ¡°Yeah, they do, but it shouldn¡¯t be due to a lack of strength. All three of them have spent time at the academy. If anything, they may fail the character or representative portions of the trial, but my horns tell me they won¡¯t.¡± Zoe toyed with a long curly strand of her hair. ¡°The leader, Cire, was¡­ umm, disarming? I almost felt comfortable enough to actually talk with him, like you or dad. Odd, right?¡± Blackreed shrugged, then with a playful smile she gave her daughter a rambunctious hug. ¡°I bet he has high Charisma and you are taken with him? As long as I get grand kids, I approve!¡± ¡°Goddesses above and below! No, mother, no.¡± Zoe shoved her smothering mom away from her and pouted as her cheeks flushed crimson. There really wasn¡¯t any romantic interest in the elf with the golden hair, he made her feel comfortable was all. Now how was she going to be able to be around him without blushing. ¡°I am just joking dear. Besides, you know the rule, do not get involved with anyone else in the party. Other adventurers like when your father met me, completely fair. You never want there to be complexities when you are dividing the loot, or worse.¡± Bringing focus back to the reality of adventuring wasn¡¯t as bad as dousing her daughter with cold water, but it was close. Blackreed gave her another unavoidable squeezing hug. ¡°You come back safe you hear. Now, get going, you have to get clear into the center of town from so far away. We can¡¯t have anyone put a stain on the Darkwine name.¡± While waiting for everyone to gather in the adventurer¡¯s guild hall, Cire took another look over his new equipment. The sword staff, or glaive, Eliana had given him from the spoils of engagement with the gnolls had taken a bit of effort to get identified. However, after visiting a few weapon shops they finally found someone with enough skill. The leather clothing and accessories all came identified already by the shops.
Glaive of the Pack Leader ¨C Phos Tribe Description: Attack: 1d20 (Slicing) or 1d8 (Bludgeoning) Rarity: Rare Quality: Professional Restrictions: 13 Strength minimum to use without a severe penalty. Effects: 1. + 3
Elven Leather Breeks Description: Rarity: Common Quality: Professional Effects:
Elven Leather Jerkin Description: Rarity: Common Quality: Professional Effects:
Minor Belt of Support Description: Rarity: Uncommon Quality: Professional Effects:
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Shoes of Sure Footing Description: Rarity: Uncommon Quality: Expert Effects:
Leather Bracers of Basic Deflection Description: Rarity: Uncommon Quality: Professional Effects:
Unstoppable he was not, but Cire felt far better outfitted now than when the class had gone on its patrol. He had been hesitant to ask Selene for support in this fashion, but that had been his boar headed pride at work. In order to bring out his true potential he couldn¡¯t wear armor, so he needed some specialty equipment. More importantly, the leather clothing was far more durable than the cloth pants and shirts he kept wearing into battle. Cire didn¡¯t have a blacksmithing, leatherworking, or inspection skill that let him see the durability rating of his items unfortunately. It was pretty obvious that leather would last longer and be easier to repair than cloth. Selene had come with him and was doing her own cursory look over the quest posting. There was still some time until midday, but Cire expected that Fizz would arrive early. First day jitters wasn¡¯t exactly what Cire would call it, but he felt energized and excited. He had a feeling he would be talking a bit too quickly and loud so he tried to consciously remind himself to slow down. Philip and Lander the two frontliners from their student patrol group waved as they entered the hall together and spotted Cire. The trial quests were all within the walls of the , and apparently it was common for people to watch from a distance. When Cire had learned this fact he had invited the two heavy armor wearing elves. He doubted either would be enticed to leave the academy, but it was nice to stay in touch and keep the connection fresh. Barreling into the backs of the two brawny elves and then falling down in a disorganized heap was Zoe. She had rounded the corner without enough time to stop. Cire had been planning to introduce her to the two elves, as she would be observing their trial with them, but his plans were going to be less impactful. Already on his way to greet Philip and Lander, Cire made the extra step and leaned down to offer Zoe a hand up. ¡°That didn¡¯t look very fun. You did bump into the right people though. Zoe, meet Lander and Philip. They are both students at the academy, and from the same cohort as Fizz and I. Lander, Philip, meet Zoe. We haven¡¯t actually worked together yet, but she is going to join our party prospectively to see if we mesh well together.¡± Mr. Spooky waved his legs about regaining balance while perched on Zoe¡¯s shoulder, and communicating his disappointment with her. Zoe took Cire¡¯s hand and stood up giving him a nod and a small wave. Then the satyr bowed quickly to both Philip and Lander before scurrying out of the way, and over to where Selene was looking at the quest postings. She had learned that Selene¡¯s tight-lipped nature meant that the two of them could be at ease with each others silence. Smiling at Zoe¡¯s awkward nature, he realized that the distraction was exactly what he had needed. Cire gave each of the two elves a forearm clasping handshake, ¡°Thank you both for coming. Glad we could give you an excuse to get out of the academy while there is sunlight. Now, don¡¯t heckle us too much, it wouldn¡¯t do to be embarrassed in front of the auditor.¡± Lander grinned wickedly, ¡°We wouldn¡¯t do that to you, maybe Fizz though. He is still an open target right?¡± ¡°Ohh, of course. You can really let him have it. Besides, I am still hoping that one of you chooses to join us.¡± Guiding the two to the bar, he bought them each a drink and they shared a laugh. After he made his way to Zoe¡¯s side. He could see her cheeks still glowing crimson through the dim lighting of the hall like neon lights at midnight. ¡°You don¡¯t worry about any of that now. I have some nerves myself. By all accounts the task should be simple, but that still has me a bit on edge.¡± Sniffing, Selene rolled her eyes. ¡°He¡¯s talking big now, but only a few months ago he was running through the forest naked being chased by dire boars.¡± Zoe¡¯s eyes went wide as she took in what Selene had said, and she did a double take looking back and forth between the two. Her head tilted slowly to the side questioningly. Even Mr. Spooky seemed shrug his spindly legs in inquiry. ¡°Ugh, okay, it wasn¡¯t a dire boar. It was a mountain lion and Charon dumped me naked in the snowline when he transported me from my home plane.¡± Looking like a war between curiosity and shyness was playing out inside her head, Zoe look both perplexed and desperate to ask follow up questions. Cire waved her queries aside, ¡°I know you want to know more and I would be happy to fill you in if we work out. Let¡¯s say during our first quest as a party after the trial we work on getting to know one another?¡± Zoe nodded hurriedly. A clap of hands sounded to their side drawing all of their eyes. A plump, friendly looking female elf with auburn hair adorned by a thin gray streak smiled at them. ¡°So, you are my prospective adventurers? I am looking for Ciresil Eventide, Fizzilius Coppersprocket, Selene Silverstar, and Honeydrop Cinnamonswirl. I don¡¯t see a fairy anywhere, or a gnome. Members of your party are missing?¡± Caught of guard, Cire nodded slowly. Honey had signed up to be an adventurer and joined their trial? He knew she wanted to join them, but that she would be unlikely to be able to sway the frolic, the fairy equivalent of a town hall meeting. It was a very welcome surprise. Out of breath and sorts, Fizz dashed into the guild hall with Honeydrop flitting beside him. The diminutive fairy had her traveling gear on, but if Cire had to bet most of her gear would be in Fizz¡¯s pack. It was much easier for her to fly around without extra weight. Cire was ecstatic, ¡°Honey, you were able to convince them? That¡¯s fantastic news!¡± Looking very guilty, Honeydrop halted moving forward and buzzed in place before Cire. She toed the air and shimmied back and forth. Holding up a hand in a plaintive gesture she looked like she wanted to speak, but couldn¡¯t form the words. It was Fizz who provided them. ¡°She¡¯s doing it without their blessing and hoping they agree after she has signed up. I told her it was a terrible idea, but little Ms. Sparklebutt here thinks she can get away with it.¡± Positively affronted, Honey flicked Fizz¡¯s nose with a tiny finger. ¡°They will agree once they know I am in a good party and it is truly what my heart is set on.¡± The auditor looked amused watching the antics of the two latecomers. Having had enough, she clapped her hands sternly together to draw everyone''s attention. Her voice was even, but authoritative, very motherly. ¡°I am Calliope Goldenspring, your guild auditor. We will be taking care of a minor infestation of dire gophers who have taken up residence in the royal Orchard of Dancing Winds. Once we get to the orchard I will give further instruction. Suffice it to say, word of your trial has gotten around and you should expect a bit of an audience.¡± Cire knew better than to express any displeasure at her statement, but now he was worried about a host of issues. Primarily he was going over what he knew about the orchard. It had been a point of interest when he had asked about notable areas in town, but he didn¡¯t have access and he hadn¡¯t gotten out much so he had never laid eyes on the trees. It was a heavily guarded location with unpredictable and powerful wind currents near the eastern wall, that was about all he knew. Cire didn¡¯t even know what type of fruit was grown there. The other members of his team had varying reactions. Zoe looked mortified even though she wasn¡¯t going to go through the trial. He guessed it was because there would be a large crowd watching them, and so far she had demonstrated clear social anxiety. Fizz didn¡¯t seem to be affected one way or another, but Selene¡¯s typically stoic countenance while in the Tempest Treetops gave way for a flash of a moment. A dark, painful, and intensely resentful expression was gone as quickly as it appeared. However, it was Honeydrop that let out a very unfairy-like groan before slapping both of her small hands over her mouth. Calliope didn¡¯t give anything away she walked over to the main doorway with the expectation that the group would follow her out and where she led them. To be fair, she was correct and the whole group gathered up behind her. There was a some jostling, but by the time they had made their way down the administrative pillar, and into the inner town proper, they were readily listening to the auditor¡¯s explanation of their trial quest. ¡°Your group will be responsible for eradicating any gophers in the orchard that you can find today. For the quest to be a success you need to kill at least ten, but preferably twice that number. Now, we don¡¯t expect you to dig them up, or burrow underground. That would be amusing though. ¡°The guild will be providing a full set of lures. You can set one off when you are ready and the little beasties will be drawn up out of the ground as long as it is giving off smoke. They will be in a bit of a frenzy because of the scent, so while they normally would not be aggressive that will not be the case when exposed to the lure. You are to approach this like an accepted quest from the guild. Any questions?¡± Questions, Cire had plenty. He knew there was a balance between asking too many, and asking the right ones. They were being evaluated on more than their fighting prowess in the end. ¡°Yes, Auditor. Will you be giving us any additional information on the gophers preferred skills or typical stats? Any environmental dangers that we need to keep an eye out for?¡± Her face a mask of indifference, Calliope shook her head in the negative. ¡°No. You will be expected to assess the conditions once we arrive. In fact, I will not be providing any assistance besides going to the orchard with you and providing the lures. For the rest of the day you should treat me as an observer only.¡± Cire had expected that response, but felt it was important to ask in the first place. Looking to each of his other prospective party members, they weren¡¯t official yet, he raised an eyebrow in question. ¡°Anyone else have anything they think we should inquire about? Any parameters that we might not be prepared for or have thought about?¡± Selene rolled her shoulders, ¡°Obviously it is expected that we do not damage any of the trees. Are there any special instructions for operating around them or the fruit?¡± ¡°The gardeners will be able to give you additional information regarding the state of the orchard,¡± Calliope¡¯s responses were getting more clipped and it signaled an end to the questions. The group made their way out of the dense inner neighborhoods around the pillars at the center of town. As the buildings spread apart and the roads widened their travel became easier. Each of the prospective professional adventurers began readying themselves. Even if the potential foe was little more than an overgrown pest, that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t dangerous. Approaching the orchard, they could see the tops of trees poking over the thorny hedge wall. Glistening with still clinging morning dew, fist sized golden citrus fruits similar to a cross between a lemon and orange. However, the delectable looking fruit was glowing while swaying in a constant swirling wind. A faint tinkling sound made its way over the wall, but not a single gust followed. Standing rigidly with regal bearing, two sky elf guards manned either side of the entrance they approached. Each held halberds with visible magic runes and wore armor tailored to their winged forms in the livery of house Tempestnight. This was the first time that Cire had seen sky elves outside of the central pillars, and most certainly the initial instance he had seen them performing such a function. The guards were of note, but they hadn¡¯t arrested the groups momentum like the crowd waiting bunched around the entrance. Selene¡¯s siblings, a positively thrumming swarm of fairies, the majority of their classmates from the academy, and plenty of others that Cire couldn¡¯t recognize at all. He was beginning to think that rushing things instead of keeping them under his hat was a bad idea. Chapter 6: Spectator Spectacle Opening the gates to the garden, the Tempestnight guards gave short nods to Calliope. Once the group had gathered inside, Cire was surprised to see the gates remain open and the crowd of onlookers flood in behind them. He was really hoping to lose the lookie-loos, but sadly that would not be the case. A wizened old satyr gardener with gray fur and beard leaned heavily on a shepherds crook. A brown leather apron filled with tools and odd baubles jangled as he turned and started walking towards an inner waist high fence. Without introduction he gestured out into the orchard, ¡°They came in from the forest about a week ago. Guild said they would send someone out, said it was high priority.¡± He spit on the ground and bleated. The smallest wrinkle in Calliopes nose gave away her irritation, ¡°High Gardener, it was made a priority. As you can see, we have a group here on assignment instead of posting it as an open quest. The reward offered no doubt would have attracted an adventuring party in, say, a few weeks to a month. Instead we will have this problem wrapped up today. Allow me to introduce Ciresil Eventide, their party leader for this quest.¡± Cire stepped up and gave a slight bow, ¡°Glad to be of assistance sir. We are informed that the pests are dire gophers, but we have no additional information on them or the environment. We would be pleased to accept any suggestions or instructions for operating in these esteemed grounds.¡± The high gardener snorted and then waved his crook back towards the well manicured rows of wondrous citrus trees. Now that they were closer Cire could see that each of the fruits was delicately wrapped in an iridescent, yet clear, cellophane-like material. Each tree was about fifteen feet tall and the leaves dipped down to the tops of the taller individuals heads. A constant erratic wind buffeted them chaotically, but was absent under the leaves. ¡°These golden storm citrons are sensitive to changes. A large nest of gophers tunneled in from under the main wall and into the roots. I need you to get rid of ¡®em. Do not damage the trees, each one is worth more than you are. Don¡¯t bump into them. The fruit will fall, and you cannot afford the five gold per treasure.¡± It was worse than he had expected, but Cire knew that it wasn¡¯t going to be as simple as killing a bunch of low level beasts. These gophers had evolved from base animals and were enhanced by mana, but their individual threat level was still very low. Watching Calliope step back and almost even with the crowd that had spread out along the inner fence, Cire waved to his party for them to gather around. ¡°Any last questions for our host before we go make our plans?¡± ¡°Is there a large open area or at least a place where the trees are less likely to be struck?¡± Fizz asked. With her siblings present Selene¡¯s lips were all but sewn shut and her face was a frozen mask. Zoe was hiding behind the moon elf, ineffectively. Her horns and small tuft of her tail poked out from Selene¡¯s silhouette. The satyr was angling away from the head gardener though, not from the rest of the crowd. Honey was flying in her typical lazy figure eight pattern and shook her head. Small sprinkles of golden fairy dust fell and sublimated mid-air. ¡°There¡¯s a fountain in the middle of the orchard, but the flowers, herbs, and structure are worth more than the trees. Well notice if any go missing. The place you¡¯re asking about would be the tool and material shed near the compost heap. Cut directly across the orchard and you¡¯ll find it against the town¡¯s main wall.¡± The scruffy satyr gardener grouchily replied. ¡°Thank you sir, we will do our best to rid you of these troublesome rodents. Now, everyone let¡¯s head to the fountain and out of earshot so we can come up with our plan. Zoe, you¡¯re not being tested, but no one said anything about you not being able to help. I think this is the best chance we will have to start integrating everyone, so come along with us please.¡± The satyr gardener¡¯s ears twitched when Cire said Zoe¡¯s name, but he didn¡¯t do anything else besides look positively put out by their presence. The party made their way down a worn dirt path between the trees. Carried on the blender of breezes above them the heady scents of blooming flowers permeated the orchard. Fizz sneezed and wiped his prodigious proboscis, obviously allergic to something in the air. Right before they arrived at the fountain Honeydrop misjudged how high she was flying and got sucked up into the jumbled winds in the tree crowns. By the time she fought her way through the tumble cycle and back down to them her hair was a hideous tangle. Musical tones from the observing fairies signaled raucous laughter and Honey looked stricken. It wasn¡¯t the most auspicious start and Cire had never seen the jubilant fairy look so acerbic, it was off putting. He needed to get them focused on the task, the crowd was obviously throwing them off. If he could place a bet down that Calliope, or someone else from the guild, had purposefully leaked the location of their trial he would have bet every last coin he could get his hands on. ¡°Okay folks, this really wasn¡¯t what we were expecting. Also, Honey I am overjoyed to have you as part of the team, but we don¡¯t have any strategies worked out. With five of us there is a larger chance that we get in each others way than when it was only four. With that being said, anyone have any ideas on how to tackle our quest?¡± Zoe raised her hand in front of her. When everyone turned and looked her way she held out a piece of paper with a note on it to Cire. Smiling, he took the note and read it out loud. ¡°Hello everyone! I can cast supportive spells, but they are limited to Minor Stone Skin and Minor Regeneration. Also, I have a Reflective Fog spell that shrouds an area and makes targeting difficult. My only real offensive magic spell is Stone Shards. It is best if I do not have to move while casting.¡± Cire nodded. Honestly, her spell repertoire was much larger than he had expected if she had additional non-combat magic. Honeydrop¡¯s spells and abilities were more specific to circumstance when being supportive or detrimental to opponents. For example, her faerie fire ability highlighted enemies and made them incredibly easy to strike or track. Adding Zoe¡¯s versatility, along with her ability to heal, was potentially amazing. Adapting to her idiosyncrasies and needs was a small price to pay for what she brought to the table. ¡°If we find a place we can position you and Selene securely it would make sense to have you both managing the engagement from a central point. I¡¯ll say out of most I will be grateful for the Stone Skin spell, I can¡¯t wear armor for some of my skills to truly shine. Since we never wrangled up a principal bruiser to soak the attention of our opponents I think that role will fall to me.¡± Fizz chuckled, ¡°Of course it was going to. Can¡¯t have Mr. Nippy ducking responsibility on our first time out, can we?¡± Cire raised an eyebrow, ¡°Mr. Nippy? Really? You can do better. I think you¡¯re running out of nicknames, or creativity, maybe both. No time for that anyways, I want to make sure we get twenty of these gophers. Fizz, until we know how aggressive these monsters are I want you to make sure none of them get in close with Zoe or Selene. Selene could handle anything in close if she needed to, but let¡¯s show Calliope we know how to execute a plan.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll mark a primary for the ranged attackers, then I¡¯ll lead them around with the lure. I can keep them off balance for sure!¡± Honey suggested with enthusiasm. ¡°Not a bad idea, but I would prefer to keep you safe. You have a ceiling on your flight here and I do not want you to get caught. At least for the first lure let me lead them around. If I get into trouble I will need you to distract them. Let¡¯s have you mark the targets though. Plan for something to surprise us. Now, lets go drop our packs, properly ready ourselves, and give these spectators a show.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. It was around the third lap past the gathered audience that Cire heard the first scattered laughs, hoots, and hollers. He gave an exaggerated wink as when he turned on his heel changing directions at a right angle before them. The astringent penetrating smell of whatever the lure was concocted from hung in the odd shimmering orange smoke billowing from the incense stick Cire held out to his side. Given the smell Cire assumed that his strategy was not common, but you worked with the party you had, not the one you wanted. Without a true damage soaking companion like Durg around the best he could do was play the bait. If he kept moving the ravening scourge of dire gophers couldn¡¯t actually hurt him. Getting pinned, encircled, or tripped up would spell disaster, but for the first few revolutions things were working out. ¡°I have him!¡± Honeydrop called out. Near the shed, Honeydrop buzzed past Cire¡¯s shoulder and a blueish-green glow shimmered into being along the surface of the lead gopher on his tail. The size of a medium dog, but sporting a pair of buck teeth around a foot long, the dire gopher¡¯s were not too much of a threat as far as beasts went. However, a chunk out of his calve and slice into Fizz¡¯s thigh already let them know the fight wasn¡¯t without danger. The first time they had done this their timing was off. About halfway through the second Selene had started to pepper the six trailing monsters with arrows and Zoe nailed the one marked with faerie fire right in the chest. That turned out to actually be a problem. The near fatally wounded gopher gave up the chase for the lure and tried to escape back into the grove. Improvising, Fizz had run down the limping and bleeding gopher before it got to any of the trees. It had been a close call. Up until this point Cire had managed to keep all of the gophers to the main path circling the whole orchard. On one side of him was the hedge wall and the party used that as their backstop to fire into. They all knew that if they accidentally fired into one of the gawkers that failing marks would be the least of their problems. Using the area in front of the workers shed proved to have another unexpected benefit. The view from the entrance was largely obscured and kept the majority of their actual fighting private. Cire¡¯s antics leading the herd of pursuing gophers past them every few moments kept them entertained, but the cheers and jeers were only directed at him. The rest of his party could focus on their primary task while he did the social heavy lifting. It took another four laps of constant, surprisingly quick, running around the orchard until the first lure burned out and stopped sending out it¡¯s plumes of likely toxic smoke. Cire had kept an eye on the incense stick and managed to time it right. There were only two gophers remaining when he reached the shed and Fizz set upon them with pent up frustration. By the time Cire had snagged his glaive from leaning against the shed there was only one remaining foe. He got a swing in, but honestly the poor beast was done for without Cire¡¯s assistance. Still, the sun elf was glad he had left the glaive and acted as bait without the weapon. He wasn¡¯t exactly winded, but he could use a rest before they sparked up the next stick of incense. ¡°Six gophers down. Not a bad start folks,¡± Cire huffed out in between sucking in breaths. Rifling around in his sturdy new backpack, he pulled out a waterskin and took a few quick pulls. ¡°I am glad we are not doing this front and center. I am sure my siblings, Penelope and Alexander, would have said something terrible and incendiary, but on the right side of politeness so they could not be questioned.¡± ¡°Most of the class is here to be supportive! When they found out that Fizz, Cire, and I were all going to be forming a party together they insisted on being here. Obelius would have had to punish everyone for skipping the practice session if he had not given them the day free.¡± Honey balanced Selene¡¯s dower observation with an upbeat one of her own. It was obvious she was trying to avoid thinking about the jumble of sparkling fairies awaiting her return. Cire was more curious about the smattering of adventurers he had seen in the guild on their few visits. Their strange cohort had garnered the attention of more than family and friends. ¡°Besides our classmates, the fairy frolic, and Selene¡¯s family does anyone recognize the others who are here watching us?¡± Bunched into the back of the crowd, there were nobles at the orchard watching, multiple members of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild observed the greenhorns. The party undergoing their trial was using an unorthodox solution for culling the gophers. Though you couldn¡¯t argue with its effectiveness. Well, you couldn¡¯t argue with its effectiveness and not sound jealous. ¡°You think that the blonde elf will make a mistake and get caught up by some of these gophers?¡± Simon hoped. The dower wood elf had been deep in his cups at the guild, and largely given up on finding a group to quest with. When he had seen these fresh faced novices arrive with all of their pluck and courage Simon was about to approach them. Then they had gone and taken that bitch of satyr onto their team without even looking over the others waiting. As far as Simon was concerned, he had dodged an arrow there. The mixed group of elves and fae was a disgrace. Snorting up a huge loogie, he hacked it onto the ground right on time to shout a jeer a the tan skinned elf as he rounded their side of the orchard again. The insult got mixed in with the hoots and hollers. Many of those watching wanted him to do a flip or show off as he paraded the charging gophers in front of them. Simon wanted him to try, if only so the pretty elf would fall on his arse and make a fool of himself. Nilus spit on the ground in solidarity with Simon, the two of them often on the same side of an opinion. It was a shame that the other wood elf and him were too similar in approach, otherwise they would be in a party together. It irked Nilus that the youth today were willing to pair with untrustworthy fae more readily than those like himself. It didn¡¯t occur to him that he need approach others, the right party would find him. ¡°We can only hope. I¡¯m willing to bet that he draws too many and one or two get loose in the chase. Say, one silver on three or more fruits going squish.¡± Raising her eyebrow, Melissa, a moon elf caster who had recognized Selene listened to the two obviously jealous hangers on. Sure, Nilus was quick with a blade, but he was as quick with taking first go at any loot too. Simon was an archer, and while talented, unlikely to have found a spot on this party no matter how you looked at it. The ¡®Tops had range and damage dealers aplenty, what was lacking for every party in the area were heavy armor users. This is what had caught Melissa¡¯s attention. The party described to her lacked a typical defender or guardian, so she had followed along with the others from the guild in her curiosity. So far, she had not been disappointed. If this overly tanned elf with golden hair and mismatched eyes could serve as a big enough distraction, he might be able to keep of his team free to do the dirty work. It wasn¡¯t exactly revolutionary, Melissa had seen parties like this before. That didn¡¯t stop it from being fun, and a little silly, to watch. She had lost count by the third or so circuit on the second lure, there had been no reason to keep track. Cire began to come up on the fenced off area near the entrance in his lap around the orchard. On one hand, it was incredibly nostalgic. He felt like he was a boy in P.E. class again running around on the track. If you discounted the ravening dire gophers literally nipping at his heels it was a peaceful way to spend an afternoon. Regular deep breathing kept a steady stream of the sweet wondrous scent from the magical citron trees passing through him. A tingly feeling on his extremities was either the onset of exhaustion, which seemed unreasonable given his combined Dexterity and Constitution stats, or something to do with the trees. Cire would wager that the grumpy old satyr gardener had left something out when giving his lackluster description of the garden. I should have asked what kind of magical properties the fruit and the trees have. Even if the guy was getting grumpier by the moment, I really should have pressed him for additional information. There will always be a good balance between appropriate customer service and interrogation. Lost in his thoughts, the lead gopher managed to lung and bite down hard on Cire¡¯s left calve. ¡°Shit! That hurts,¡± Cire cursed. Laughter erupted from the audience and Cire¡¯s cheeks burned. Thumping the gopher on the head with his fist, he yanked his leg free. Running muscles that were regenerating and knitting together hurt, it really hurt, but he didn¡¯t have any other options. Fizz and Selene couldn¡¯t take on the number of gophers still chasing him. Sparing his dominant hand, Cire passed the lure from his left to his right and began digging through his belt pouch. He hadn¡¯t thought he would need any potions considering his abilities, and Zoe being here, it sucked to be wrong. A tincture of minor healing was quickly guzzled, the dried mushroom leather pouch that had contained it discarded as he ran. Only one naga made potion remained. Catching himself before reminiscing about home, Cire concentrated on running with the injury. A grin flashed as the rest of his party came into sight Cire whooped and taunted the gophers. Honey drop flew over his shoulder and began casting her spell on the lead monster. ¡°Come and get me ya varmints!¡± Only half done, with tens of laps under his belt, Cire knew this was going to be one long day. Even while fighting through the injuries, pain, and embarrassment he was having a blast. A dopey, contagious smile plastered itself across his face for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening.