Day 33- Month 4, day 5
—
Name: Phoenix
Journey Tier
Attributes: 0 points
Strength: 7, Constitution: 14, Coordination: 13, Mentality: 23, Will: 17.3, Charisma: 18, Luck: 13
Skills: Carousing 12%-14%
Arcane Skills: Magical Artistry 35%->36%
Magic Pool: 28.2
—
When Phoenix woke up, it was still very early in the morning, and quite dark, quiet, and still in the temple. He took the time to practice his spiritual exercises on his passageway, smoothing out any bumps, expanding it in size, and compressing the magic point flow. After several hours of this, he realized he could hear the crowd beginning to gather for worship services, so he made his way to the shrine of Arachnae, to give his devotion. Once again, the altar absorbed twenty magic points from his pool, which he restored without any issue. He spent some extra time just going through several of the rituals that were described in the back of the Tome of Arachnae. If he was going to do this, he might as well do this correctly, after all.
After services were finished, he joined the Acolytes for breakfast, with Acolyte Panna creating the stuffed buns this time. Her rolls were stuffed with fruit filling, much to his delight, an unidentifiable paste that tasted like cherries. He was intensely curious how different Acolytes came to have different flavors or recipes of stuffed buns when they used magic to create food, so he sat across from Panna and asked.
“Oh that has something to do with what the person casting the spell is like, inside. Some Acolytes have a meat pie like pastry, I have the fruit filling, another has a kind of sweet custard. Acolyte Veronica has stuffed buns that taste like chalk, no one can stand it, so she actually gets out of duty rotation. The Priestess makes her deal with Magus Yvonne.” Panna made a face, then quickly covered her mouth. “Oh, I’m sorry, the Magus is a very hard worker…”
“Don’t worry about me, I think Magus Yvonne forgot I existed the instant Lady Celeste left her line of sight.” Phoenix smiled.
Phoenix could practically see the wheels turn in Panna’s head at the mention of Celeste, and the Acolyte pounced. “So, Lady Celeste seems very friendly with you…”
Phoenix laughed it off. “Oh, nothing like that, I assume she is just keeping an eye on me. Thanks for the meal, and the info!”
Panna looked like she wanted to ask more questions, but smiled and waved to Phoenix as he departed. He decided to see if Magus Yvonne had any more paying work for him this morning, before meeting with Michael.
Walking around the temple to the tower entrance, he found Hella standing guard along with Tandy, and he waved happily. “Good morning! Neither of you look worse for wear after last night's revelry!”
Hella waved in welcome and Tandy smiled. “Hi Fena, nah that wasn’t nothing. It’s a poor grunt indeed who can’t drink a little at night and serve guard the next day! What brings you here?”
“I was hoping to see Magus Yvonne, and ask after some work. Lady Celeste has me talking to her for jobs.” Phoenix said.
“Is she expecting you?” Tandy asked, not aggressively but with a serious note.
“I, well to be totally honest I don’t know. She didn’t think much of me when we met.” Phoenix replied truthfully.
“Hah, ain’t that the truth for everyone. All backwater hicks and the lower classes out here. Her nose was any more stuck up she would drown in the rain.” Hella grumbled. Tandy made a shushing motion towards Hella but Hella just shrugged. “It’s truth and you know it. Anyway, yeah I can let you in, just sign the log.”
Phoenix did as instructed, and entered into the large metal doors, heading directly to the elevator. Taking it to the penultimate floor as before, he stepped off and announced himself. “Magus Yvonne, sorry to bother you, it's Fena…”
Magus Yvonne was once again hunched over her table, making notes in a notebook and observing an experiment of some kind. Phoenix decided to wait until he was acknowledged, which didn’t seem like it was going to happen any time soon. To kill time, he wandered over to the mechanical snake, fascinated by its intricate design. When he approached, it raised itself halfway up its length, and flicked a mechanical tongue out at him, then bobbed its head in what could only be a greeting.
“Anaxitrith, what are you… oh I see you are back. Done with the sewers already? You had the decency to bathe before returning at least.” Yvonne looked up from her notes to glare at him.
“Yes mistress, finished as requested. Amazing technical work on this snake, I must say. Masterful.” Phoenix replied.
Yvonne’s expression softened, and she came over to pick the snake, Anaxitrith, up. “Yes, my Masterwork as a Magus. I haven’t integrated her into my Designwork, as I would then be ready for Rune Tier, but it is only a matter of time at this point. Artificers are very straightforward after all.”
Phoenix raised an eyebrow and pounced on the comment. “Oh, a Master Tier Magus must create a familiar?”
Yvonne sighed and took Anaxitrith back to her original seat, setting the snake down near the notebook. “Ignorance of even the basics, so typical of those lacking a proper education.” She started making notes again, seemingly having forgotten his existence. He noticed that she hadn’t answered his question either.
He had a sudden memory of his past life, of a coworker like this who he could never deal with properly. Status conscious, self-important, cliquish. You could get in their face, but it would just create an enemy and if they were even a touch narcissistic, they would go out of their way to ruin your life. Given that Yvonne was a Master Tier, she probably had quite a lot she could do to ruin his life. A little careful flattery might get him at least a smidgen of support, which would be all he could really expect. Avoiding people like this unless you had no other option was really the best choice.
“I used to dream of going to the Academy. No chance of course, I am not one of the worthy ones, but can’t help but dream. We would all look up to the rare graduate who wandered by, glamorous, powerful, dedicated to community support. Even a crumb of their knowledge was a gem that was passed down, from generations, on to me. I won’t take up your precious time, but if you had a book or two I might struggle to understand, I am not sure how I would be able to express my gratitude.” Well, maybe a little thick, but…
Yvonne sighed and looked up at him again, looking torn between annoyance and a desire to impress. “Anaxitrith, I think I have some of my old class notes somewhere. Could you show her? And then I can be left in peace, finally.”
Anaxitrith slithered down the table leg, winding effortlessly around it to the bottom in a sinuous spiral. She then led Phoenix towards the back of the lab, where an old trunk revealed a stack of notebooks, each filled with precise, elegant handwritten notes and illustrations. Bingo!
He quietly thanked Anaxitrith, who curled up nearby to watch him. Wary of disturbing Yvonne, he erected an Illusory Earth wall between them and then created a table and chair for him to sit at and scan the notebooks. He made sure to be very careful with each notebook, not creasing the pages and turning them slowly to avoid any damage, but he could memorize them as quickly as he could read them, so he spent the hours until noon cheerfully absorbing them for later assimilation.
Yvonne did not take breaks, opening a packet of food that she had clearly prepared earlier and eating it for lunch. Anaxitrith would assist in various ways as well, by making tea and clearing away any debris or trash, all with mechanical efficiency. It was quite a fascinating process, actually. For most tasks, the little snake did its best with its mouth and by wrapping around things, but when it became impossible or just too cumbersome to do so, its eyes would flash and it revealed the ability to move things magically. This telekinesis definitely piqued Phoenix curiosity, as he would love to be able to pull off a neat trick like that, but he didn’t dare ask. At least not yet.
As noon approached, Phoenix noted his location in the pile of notes- about half of the way through the chest, each book densely written on both sides of the bound parchment- and made his way outside. Hella and Tandy had been replaced by Watts and Reina, also from the fourth, who waved familiarly at him as he departed.
He met up with Michael for hir lessons in how to act, and was a little surprised that zie had brought a collection of what was clearly makeup. Powders, creams, a razor, stains, and the like all packed into a small box. Zie was sitting at the bed nearest his again, using the drawers as a table. As Phoenix approached he noticed that Michael had a knife attached to hir belt, a significant addition to hir outfit compared to last night.
“Should I be worried?” Phoenix asked, pointing at the knife and taking a spot on his bed across from hir.
“You should always be a little worried, but not about this specifically. It’s a gift, actually. Here.” Michael explained, unbuckling the sheath and holding it out for Phoenix to take.
Phoenix accepted the blade, and withdrew it from its sheath. It had a continuously wavy blade, like a kris, but instead of being made of bronze or steel, it looked like it was made from a kind of glass or crystal. It was no longer than the palm of his hand, and looked wickedly sharp.
“It’s beautiful, but I suspect it has a deeper meaning?” Phoenix said.
“It does. I want you to carry that hidden on your person. Don’t show anyone that you have it. Most won’t know what it is, but those that do will realize what you are because of it, for good or ill. If you find yourself without any other options, you can press it to your chest over your heart, or to your temple, or your stomach over your spine, and ask it earnestly. And it will end you, instantly and painlessly.” Michael’s voice was quiet and serious. “It’s a product of the God of Death. One use only and it takes the target's consent. So don’t go thinking you can commit mass murder with it.”
“Well shit. Arachnae put you up to this, didn’t she?” He said, eyeing the blade dubiously.
Michael’s eyes widened briefly in shock, before zie recovered.
“She and I talk. Not about you I mean. Other stuff.” Phoenix extemporized, sheathing the dagger once again. Michael was looking at Phoenix dubiously. Phoenix paused to assess Michael for a few seconds, pondering. A few things about hir were not adding up, and Phoenix dearly wanted to know why.
“Trade? My secrets for yours?” Phoenix offered.
“Secrets are best kept by one person.” Michael repeated, like it was an aphorism, a frown on hir face. “Besides, I think you are lying about having any more secrets.”
His suspicion was flowering now. “You are a spy.” Phoenix guessed.
“Hah! No, I am just a cute guy at a bar.” Michael replied. Phoenix almost believed it, hir acting was quite good.
“Uh huh. Hey how come the Arachnae shrine was so dusty anyway? Shouldn’t someone be taking care of that more often?” Phoenix prodded.
Michael just smiled, calm and confident. “I am just a bloke, here to make sure a fellow bloke doesn’t embarrass us all with their clumsiness. Here, let's start our lessons shall we? I only have so long before I have to get to my shift, and it’s not like I am getting paid by the hour here.” Michael said.
Phoenix let himself be diverted, partly because he was genuinely interested in the proposed lessons, and partly because Michael was right, he probably shouldn’t be spilling his guts out to any random person who came his way, not anymore.
The lesson was fascinating, especially since Michael spent as much time on Phoenix’s vocal training as zie did on his appearance. Lessons in how to move came next, walking like a woman (to exaggerate his hip movements just enough to seem natural), sitting like one, and so on. Oddly incongruous with his past life memories, as they would suggest he would act or talk or walk a certain way, while Michael’s lessons were orthogonal to that, taking a medium between various masculine (to Phoenix’s mind) actions and feminine ones. In the end, he was working towards acting less like a guy acting as a girl, and more like himself, with a few practices to disguise his biology.
“You pick up things quickly, that’s great. Saves me a ton of time.” Michael said, once they were wrapping up.
“Thanks, now I just have to earn some coins for the next few days until Lady Celeste comes back.” Phoenix mused.
“Come down to Salties, I can set you up with an interview. It would be great practice for you too, and the tips are good, especially for someone with a cute face like yours.” Michael offered.
“Ah, well… Maybe I will actually. I was hoping to get some more work from Magus Yvonne but she doesn’t seem to have a lot for me to do, or any interest in finding jobs for me anyway.” Phoenix replied.
“It’s decided. Come by an hour before the day shift is over, four on the clock, and I can get you set up.” Michael smiled, and stood to leave.
“Thank you again Michael. I do appreciate it, whatever your motivation is in the end.” Phoenix said.
“LIke I said, just an older sibling looking out for a younger sibling. See you tonight!” and Michael departed with a wave.
Phoenix spent the remaining hours of the afternoon memorizing the rest of Yvonne’s notebooks. Occasionally, he would help Anaxitrith with whatever menial tasks Yvonne assigned her, heating tea or running out to get food or an armload of parchment. Yvonne barely acknowledged these efforts, for the most part, concentrating instead on whatever had her so focused. However, as he was preparing to leave for Salties, she looked up and held out a hand to stop him.
“You there, Fena correct? Don’t think I haven’t noticed. Fire, Earth, The Lie, Magic, Manipulation, and Conjure, all demonstrated quietly and subtly for my benefit. A mentality of at least seventeen, possibly as high as nineteen, along with a memory boon. Fully integrated the Fire Glyph. Journey Tier. For a self taught wanderer who never attended the Academy, that is an impressive accomplishment. You are also no stranger to showing proper respect, a solace in this barbaric hole I find myself. And finally, Lady Celeste has shown some interest in you. Come here.” Yvonne intoned, pointing at a spot near her chair.
Haven’t noticed have you? No point in me showing off I imagine, especially since she is voluntarily interacting.
Suppressing his natural spike of annoyance at her tone and assumptions, Phoenix practiced his acting skills, coming to stand at the spot she pointed at and casting his eyes down humbly. Yvonne reached out a hand to finger the collar around his neck. Phoenix had to master himself to keep from pulling back from her inquisitive touch, himself having forgotten the collar as it became just another article he wore all the time now.
“Who has the key to this?” Yvonne demanded, imperiously.
“Lady Celeste, Magus.” Phoenix replied, still in his humble role but starting to regret it.
“I see, well if anyone is to have it, it should be her or myself. I’ll talk to her when she returns, perhaps some arrangements can be made. Continue to show yourself to be reliable, useful, and quiet, and I think we can work out a mutually beneficial relationship.” Yvonne pronounced, smiling indulgently at him.
Wow, this lady is something else. But Phoenix kept that thought to himself, resolving to talk to Celeste before Yvonne got a chance to get her talons into him.
“Regardless, I have something for you. Call it a peace offering, if you will, for the rough start to our relationship.” She handed him a panel made of blue glass, etched in white. He raised an eyebrow and accepted it gently, recognizing it as similar to the ones he had been seeing in the hands of Celeste and Subiya before.
“Guardian, grant entry access controls permission to present holder Fena. Acknowledge please.” Yvonne said, loudly and formally.
A voice from all around the pair responded, deep and definitely male. “Guardian acknowledges entry access controls permission, assigned entrant Fena.”
“There, all nice and official. One of the jobs of the Magi is to maintain and operate the War Towers in the towns and cities that they reside in. This town has just one, but it's best to get used to it, should something happen to me during a crisis. I’d like for you to come by in the morning from now on. Please bring me breakfast and lunch, along with preparing hot tea in time for my arrival. Additionally, I’d like for you to assist in cleaning the tower levels, Anaxitrith can show you the details. In exchange, I have loaded seven spells on that panel for you. They are the seven basic familiar spells, which you will need to master in order to either bind a familiar, or to create one as I did with Anaxitrith. With my expert guidance, we should have you ready to show your Masterwork in a year or two, shortly after I am ready to become Rune Tier.” Yvonne stopped and smiled again, expectantly.
However conflicted Phoenix was by her tone, he was grateful for any step towards Master Tier he could take. “Thank you, Magus. I will do my very best.”
“Excellent. Enjoy your evening then, I will expect you tomorrow bright and early.” Yvonne turned back to her notebook, which was as clear a dismissal as he could ask for.
Anaxitrith intercepted him as he got off the elevator. The little mechanical snake led him over to a strong box built into the wall near the main gate, and with a touch of its nose, opened it up. Inside were a collection of coins, each nestled in a clay holder, stacked on top of one another. The snake carefully withdrew, one by one with its mouth, ten chits and four bronze scales, handing them to Phoenix as it did so.
“My wages, I assume?” Phoenix asked, and Anaxitrith nodded. “Thank you. Any hints on what she likes to eat?”
The snake gummed his hand closer to herself, then using its nose much like a quill, wrote out a series of letters as traces on the palm of his hand, spelling out a sentence for Phoenix.
“She likes pastries from the first pasterie on Orchard Street. For lunch, she cares not except that it is healthy enough. Never offer her stuffed buns.”
“Thank you, I’ll be sure to get it. How come you can’t talk, if that isn’t too rude to ask?” Phoenix was maybe too full of curiosity and not enough filled with tact.
“Different familiars gain different abilities at different times. Hopefully at Rune Tier she will grant me speech. Maybe not. She likes it quiet.”
He nodded at that, then waved goodbye to the snake.
Phoenix waved to the second shift guards, none of whom he recognized, but they waved back in a friendly manner. He left the temple through the gate that opened up to Dock-way and made his way to Salties. He didn’t really need the money now that Yvonne was paying him, but he was curious to put his lessons into practice. Besides, he had told Michael he would be there.
Walking into Salties, it was much the same scene- busy and raucous. He sat at the bar itself this time, not seeing anyone he recognized immediately, and ordered dinner. No alcohol he was expecting to need a clear head. Even though he took his time eating, Michael didn’t show, and Phoenix waved the bartender down.
“Michael works today right?” He asked.
“Yeah, and zie is late for hir shift. Zie are never late for hir shifts, so I am a little worried actually. You know hir?” The lady at the bar replied.
“We met yesterday, I was expecting to meet hir this evening as well. Hope zie is ok.” Phoenix frowned to himself, taking another slow glance around the room, then shrugged. “Let hir know I was here if she does show?” He offered.
“Sure, and if you see hir tell her we are worried.” The bartender nodded to Phoenix.
“Will do.” With that, he left the tavern, a frown of concern and a jumble of possibilities racing in his head. The night air was just the right temperature, and clear, letting starlight shine down on his way back to the temple. He didn’t know if it was worry over Michael’s odd no-show or his ongoing state of paranoia, but he felt eyes on him more than once as he made his way. Several times, he would stop to scan the road behind him and even the skies, to catch whatever was causing that feeling, but it was all calm and dark.
He made it back safe to his bed in the barracks. Still he decided to add a few extra layers of precautions to his defenses that night. A low level, long duration Spirit Ward and Ward versus the Lie, in addition to the Illusory Earth wall. It made him feel a little more comfortable while he faded into his trance and the night passed.
Day 34, Month 4, Day 6
—
Name: Phoenix
Journey Tier
Attributes: 0 points
Strength: 7, Constitution: 14, Coordination: 13, Mentality: 23, Will: 17.3, Charisma: 18, Luck: 13
Skills: Ritual (Worship Arachnae) 33%->35%, Acting 0%->21%, Disguise 0%->23%, Etiquette 24%->26%, Meditate 54%->55%, Singing 0%->22%
Arcane Skills: Magical Artistry 35%->37%
Magic Pool: 28.3
—
Phoenix revived from his trance to a strange feeling of unease. While in his trance, he didn’t dream, exactly, but sometimes stray thoughts would intrude and he was learning to just let them pass through his mind unhindered, without focusing on them. The effect could sometimes be akin to a dream, if the thoughts lasted long enough. This dream was about a figure slinking around the room last night, of a clawed hand scratching the Illusory Earth wall he had set up, of the flap of enormous wings. The curtains around his bed blocked his sight, and he strained his ears to hear anything that might be in the room. No sound intruded except the soft patter of rain on the skylights above, a soft surrash of sound.
Reluctantly he opened the curtain and scanned the room, but nothing moved and nothing was out of place. Paranoid or no? The temple was supposedly protected from intrusion after all. The sky was still dark and it was a few hours until dawn, when he would need to gather breakfast for Magus Yvonne. He left the curtain open equally reluctantly, his instincts for safety warring with those for privacy.
He turned to the profusion of notes and spells that he had gathered from Yvonne. He needed to spend time reviewing what he had read, work through the problems and examples, and learn the math and philosophy that was behind what she had put in those notebooks. Having it memorized meant he could do this now, rather than spend time in the tower, but it still needed to be done, so he devoted the next couple hours to starting on that task.
Then he went about practicing his makeup techniques and combined it with Illusory Fire to set up his appearance for the day. He still hadn’t been able to get Illusory Fire to duplicate his personal appearance accurately without a mirror to reference. It was excellent at making what was in his head, but he obviously didn’t have a very accurate idea of what he looked like as a woman. He resolved to buy a hand mirror with the funds he had been given by Anaxitrith.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
At that point it was time to start what was becoming his routine, practicing his ritual worshiping at Arachnae’s shrine, then joining the Acolytes for breakfast. Custard filled buns this time, a real treat. One thing he remembered from his life with great clarity was the variety of sweets and candies that his world had that seemed to be missing from this world, so the sugary custard filling was heavenly. Then it was out into the gentle rain, an Illusory Earth umbrella keeping him dry while he shopped for Yvonne’s breakfast and a lunch for both of them.
When he returned to the temple and entered the fortified area, the guards were once again strangers. However, after showing his blue glass panel to one of them, they waved him up to the door without question. The panel itself reacted to something in the door to open it, and he entered. Taking the elevator up, he was relieved to see he had got there before Yvonne had, so he set about making tea, putting out her breakfast, and then doing some basic cleaning. He was careful to avoid touching any of the experiments, guessing that any interference on his part would not be welcome, no matter how well meaning.
Yvonne came down from the top floor looking disgruntled and tired, but perked up when she saw tea already warm and waiting for her. She immediately sat down to eat and begin her experiments, without acknowledging Phoenix’s presence or saying a word of thanks. Phoenix just rolled his eyes, on the inside anyway. He didn’t want to risk her seeing him actually roll his eyes at her.
Once Yvonne was ensconced in her work, Phoenix was free to concentrate on assimilating all the information from her notes. Much of it was a repeat of what he had learned from the Tome of Arachnae, although to be fair it was better laid out and explained in more detail. One big revelation that he uncovered was the use of his Inscriptions unlock that he had noticed once he became Journey Tier.
Inscriptions were a kind of temporarily or permanently stored energy inside of an object. Any object would do, but it needed to have enough surface area to allow the inscribing of the Glyphs required on it. Thus, books and slates and the like were popular, but so were things like bracelets and necklaces. Temporary inscriptions were used for a lot of the magic-as-technology that Phoenix had been seeing- the lights down in the sewers and around Salties, the heated water in the showers and baths at the temple, even the blue glass slates. These were essentially independently charged batteries of magic points that powered a specific spell or set of spells. Once the battery was emptied the spell ceased to function until it was recharged.
Permanent inscriptions however took the actual Magic Pool maximum. This created a kind of magical boost item, which effectively supercharged a spell cast by the owner of the permanent inscription. A supercharged spell bypassed some, or with sufficient Magic Pool maximum sacrificed, all the limitations that a spell might have. This was the solution to the long casting time for his Spark Bolt spell, for example, or for getting past the weight limit on his Illusory Earth sled. But the price was naturally steep. Phoenix still had not recovered his Magic Pool maximum after sacrificing for all those Glyphs earlier.
Phoenix wanted to test them out, but from Yvonne’s notes he knew that even temporary Inscriptions were extremely expensive in terms of magic point cost. Without Yvonne to guide him, he would have to use trial and error, which meant either respirating for days at a time or using Draw Breath. Which he was leary of doing infront of Yvonne, given her vastly greater knowledge of the theoretical side of sorcery and her demonstrated personality. Truth to tell, he probably shouldn’t have used it in front of Hella, but it had been a habit to recharge. Maybe next time don’t make quite such an obvious deal of it, toasting his magical stamina in a bar was bound to raise questions.
Of course, if Yvonne could guide him, that would change things, but he got the impression that what help she was willing to offer was completely contingent on her whims and moods and would not be up to him to ask for. Which was a pity, he had hundreds of questions.
The other revelation was how to progress to Master Tier as an Arcane magical caster. This involved bonding or creating a familiar, which seemed to be a common theme for the various magical paths, although the names were different for each. For the Arcane, a familiar was either a spirit of some kind, a natural animal, or a construct. All the familiar types unlocked a higher soul, a first step towards a Hero Soul, that was stored in the familiar. This provided what amounted to an entire second magical passageway- a whole new pool of magic points, with its own respiration rate. In addition, the mind of the familiar could act as storage for Arcane spells, which was news to Phoenix. Apparently there was a limit to how many spells you could use at a time, based on your Mentality. An-in-all, a carefully selected familiar could as much as double the magical capability of a caster.
The seven spells provided by Yvonne were used for different types of familiar. Three for three different kinds of spirits (incorporeal spirits, elementals, and demons), two for animals (one for already adult animals, the other for animals in the womb), and two for constructs (created by the caster or by someone else). It was clear he wasn’t meant to learn all seven spells, but rather pick one and then work towards the necessary requirements to cast it. Of course, at this point in time he had no idea how to make a construct, which was his first choice of familiar as he was very impressed with Anaxitrith, and he had very limited access to spirits. None, in fact, that might be suitable as a familiar, his little plant spirit wasn’t even sapient. So he just perused the spells so that he had them in mind when and if he could make a final decision.
No sense rushing such things, a choice in a familiar seems like a very life defining choice.
As evening came on, Yvonne finally dismissed Phoenix from hovering around her every need, and he left the temple to make his way to Salties. Once again, the place was devoid of people he recognized, and once again eating a meal and waiting did not produce Michael. At this point, Phoenix felt it was worthwhile to elevate from ‘concerned’ to ‘investigate’. Querying the bartender, he was given directions to an apartment in one of the big tenements between Orchard-way and Lumbar-way.
Walking into the tenements central atrium was like walking into a combination sorority quad, block party, and residential apartment complex all rolled into one. Hundreds of women made their homes here, and most of them spent their leisure time out on the internal balconies of the tenement, talking, playing board games, even barbecuing food in bronze kettle grills. It was loud, and frantic, and everyone seemed to know everyone, which made Phoenix stick out like a sore thumb. Still, he bore with the scrutiny, making his way to the third floor and then to the apartment numbered 301. Inasmuch as there was a quiet corner to this mad house, this was it, with none of the occupants lounging around outside. It gave Phoenix a bad feeling.
Death Ward. Spirit Ward. Ward versus the Lie. Fire of Mentality. Conjure Fire. Draw Breath.
He buffed himself up, taking a few moments to recharge his Magic Pool at the end.
—
Death Ward. Spirit Ward. Ward versus the Lie. Fire of Mentality. Conjure Fire. Draw Breath.
Magic Pool: 28.3 [respiration halted, draw breath 7 per activation]
—
The clarity of thought and vision that came with Fire of Mentality was like downing a liter of coffee, while wearing a magical version of a zoom lens. He used that new found perception to scan the door and surroundings. Being able to look closely without actually approaching the doorway made it clear that something was wrong- the handle on the wood door looked odd, canted outwards like it had been broken and then just set back into the door rather than repaired properly. His heart rate and breath quickened. Phoenix did not like the implications of that.
His right hand held ready to discharge a Sun Lance, he hooked his fingers into the hole where the handle was meant to seat, and pulled the door open. Inside was the main room of the apartment, a combination living room, dining room and kitchen, with doors to the right and the left. It was sparsely decorated and furnished but it was difficult to tell under the mess, as all of the furniture was tossed aside or broken and shoved up against the walls. Deliberately scanning the room with his Halo, he saw no traces of blood.
At this point, he had to consider his options. It was clear something had gone violently wrong, and perhaps the proper response was to contact the civil authorities and have them investigate. But he was terrified of the thought that Michael was badly injured and barely holding on inside, and did not want his cowardice to be responsible for hir death. So, he cautiously entered the apartment.
He started with the door to his right, kicking it open and taking two steps in. What was revealed was a fairly ordinary bedroom, two beds, a couple chairs, a shared chest of drawers. Everything was more or less normal, although neither bed was made. He backed out after a quick survey and turned to the left hand door. With the same tactics, he entered the other room. The story here was much the same as the one in the main room. A bedroom, two beds smashed to flinders and torn up, both chairs crumpled against the far wall, the destroyed chest of drawers underneath them. Where the main room had been free of blood, a giant glistening pool of nearly black liquid occupied most of the center of this room. The scent of copper fought with a muskier smell, like a wet dog. Nothing was visible in the wreckage, no bodies, nothing to give a reason for the pool of what he strongly suspected was blood in the center of the room.
At this point, he resolved to get the authorities. All senses on high alert, he made his way out of the apartment, keeping his head on a swivel and checking behind him as much as in front, in case some creature was lurking about. Nothing disturbed his exit, and his shouts drew some of the occupants, who then quickly sent a runner to get the guards.
—
Luck Uses: 0 [1 recharging, 24 hours remaining]
—
It was not just luck that saved him. The heightened perception and mentality from his Fire of Mentality gave him just the barest hint of a warning, a slight whisper of motion behind him, and he threw himself forward in response.
—
Death Ward Failure
Hit Points: 12 (15) [healing halted, Death damage]
Death Damage III, Bleeding I, Shock I (effects deferred due to Fire of Mentality)
—
A stabbing pain in his back and the collapse of his Death Ward both were shocking in their own way. He was flung into a pile of limbs both by his own momentum and the force of the blow from behind, hot blood coursing down his back. The blow had hit his left shoulder blade, rather than his neck or spine, and thus was not instantly fatal. He deliberately didn’t hold back his scream of pain, hoping that the whole tenement would hear and react to the attack.
What he saw behind him was a horror. Almost three meters tall, but skinny, its limbs barely thicker than its bones. A shiny black armored shell covered it from head to toe, glistening in the lamp light. Its eyes were multifaceted like an insects, but its mouth was a wide open jaw akin to that of a saber-toothed cat. Its hands had two fingers and a thumb each tipped by wicked curved claws. Strange details jumped out at Phoenix as he struggled to make sense of the thing. Like how one side of its chest carapace showed a deep gash that pulsed with barely healed flesh. And how its right hand was crimson with his own blood.
It was already moving towards him, its left hand swinging up, and Phoenix let loose with a Sun Lance. The beam carved through carapace on the monster's shoulder, splashing hot black ichor against the wall and forcing a high pitched scree of sound out of the thing, incongruous with that gaping mouth. It slashed down, quick but not so quick that Phoenix wasn’t able to roll out of the way, the claws on its hands digging rents out of the wooden floor.
—
Magic Pool: 21 (28.3) [respiration halted, draw breath 7 per activation]
—
Phoenix tried desperately to put distance between them, but the monster easily kept up. Shouts and screams could be heard throughout the tenement now, running feat and slamming doors and cries for the guard. Laying on his back, he blasted a second Sun Lance, this time into the monster's face, which elicited the gratifying reaction of having the thing jerk backwards and cover its damaged eyes with its hands, howling and shaking back and forth.
—
Magic Pool: 14 (28.3) [respiration halted, draw breath 7 per activation]
—
Phoenix took advantage of its momentary distraction to carefully aim at its right knee, then blast once again. The Sun Lance pierced the hard shell and crippled the joint, but even as it fell, the beast lashed out. Its claws sank into Phoenix's left leg, tearing a horrific trio of gashes into his thigh and down to his shin.
—
Hit Points: 4 (15) [healing halted, Death damage]
Magic Pool: 7 (28.3) [respiration halted, draw breath 7 per activation]
Death Damage XI, Bleeding III, Shock IV (effects deferred due to Fire of Mentality)
—
The blow dragged Phoenix closer to the monster, which gaped its mouth wide, ready to bite. Beyond fear and pain at this point, Phoenix felt like the world slowed down. He didn't have enough Magic Pool for another Sun Lance. He didn’t have enough time to bring up his Death Ward or Illusory Earth wall.
He was going to die.
He should be panicking. He should at least lash out. A high pitched sound was in the back of his head, trying to shove its way forward, and for a moment it was all he could think about. Then quiet, as the monster's jaws closed another inch, reaching for his throat.
You know, this thing that is about to tear you apart is a kind of spirit. Not technically alive. A voice now, a thin whisper snaking its way through his mind to tickle at his thoughts.
You need power, and you need it dead. It doesn't need to breathe, it's true, but it needs its body to hurt you. Your hands are already on its corpus. What you need to do is. Soooo. Simple.
Draw.
Earth.
—
Magic Pool: Exhausted [effects deferred due to Fire of Mentality]
Death Damage XI, Bleeding III, Shock IV (effects deferred due to Fire of Mentality)
—
He felt the change. A sudden influx of strength, a black torrent of power pulled from the center of the monstrous thing on top of him. Its bite was halted in an instant, and instead it howled and screamed and thrashed, suddenly terrified and frantic to escape his touch. But he didn’t let it go, wouldn’t let it escape, and the power was a supreme high like nothing he had ever felt before. He felt his spell dig into the passageway of the beast, and with a surge of his power, he tore that chunk of the thing's soul away, and sucked it down into his own.
—
Hit Points: 1 (15) [healing halted, Death damage]
Magic Pool: 11 (39.3) [respiration halted, draw breath 7 per activation]
Death Damage XI, Bleeding III, Shock IV (effects deferred due to Fire of Mentality)
Impending Loss of Life: 1 minute 37 seconds
—
Shivering with adrenaline and pain and blood loss, his vision darkened and he went limp, drifting into a haze. He couldn’t quite grasp what he had just done, but in the back of his mind was a kind of throaty laughter, a sense of a victory. Was that his thoughts or…
He fumbled weakly for the gift that Tiana had given him, the brooch around his neck. The weight of the now quite dead monster impeded his movements. Once he felt the warm bronze on his finger, he croaked out the chant.
“Arachnae’s touch soothes my wounds.”
—
Hit Points: 1 (15) [healing halted, Death damage]
Magic Pool: Exhausted [effects deferred due to Fire of Mentality]
Death Damage XI, Shock IV (effects deferred due to Fire of Mentality)
—
He was surprised that his hit points hadn’t returned, but grateful that the bleeding at least had been halted. At that point, the pounding feet arrived, four rough looking women all much taller than Phoenix as well as hugely muscular. Through groggy, blurred vision, he could see each was wearing a buff jack of layered and lacquered cloth, and carried a spear. Three of them simply stopped to stare in horror, but one of them immediately dropped her spear and hauled the monster off of Phoenix in an impressive display of strength. This seemed to break the spell of the others, and a second knelt to his side, muttering a spell and placing her hands on his bleeding leg.
—
Hit Points: 1 (15) [healing halted, Death damage]
Magic Pool: Exhausted [effects deferred due to Fire of Mentality]
Death Damage XI, Shock IV (effects deferred due to Fire of Mentality)
—
“Her wounds are cursed!” said the woman who had tried to heal him. “Someone make a stretcher, we have to get her to the temple at once!”
“You and you with me, we’ll check for any more!” The first woman commanded, apparently the leader of the group. More women in the same outfits were running up. “You all, get her to the temple. You, best speed you can make to the guard, give them an update, go now!”
The whole group moved with purpose. As woozy and out of it as he was, Phoenix was impressed, they looked like any of the dozens of lumberjacks or farmers he had seen, militia certainly, but their discipline and decisive action spoke to extensive drilling. A pair of spears were used with two of the buff jack armor outfits strung between them to form a makeshift stretcher, which Phoenix was placed upon. They then carried him down the stairs of the tenement, and into the plaza. As they went, a squad of eight guards in their heavy scale and pot helms, crossbows at the ready, rushed past, and Phoenix relaxed slightly from his combat readiness.
The note on his Magic Pool made it clear that his odd clarity and remaining consciousness, however tenuous, was due to the fact that Fire of Mentality was still running. He took advantage of the time it took to carry him around to refill his Magic Pool with Draw Breath, judging that being magically helpless was a far greater risk than someone noticing him using Draw.
—
Magic Pool: 39.3
—
He looked around the plaza as they carried him across. HIs enhanced sight let him see more of the crowd than he might otherwise, giving him a surreal feeling as everyone rushed about while he lay there helplessly. Three more squads were sprinting down each of the three roads that didn’t lead to the docks, while a mob of workers were dressing in armor and grabbing spears, starting to form a square of militia in the large open space in front of the temple. An older woman, her helmet crowned with a fancy crest, was barking orders, clearly in command. Everything spoke of a well drilled response, no panic or confusion, a feat several professional modern armies might struggle to imitate.
Phoenix was brought into the temple proper where a gaggle of Acolytes and the Priestess had formed up. Immediately, the Priestess came over and had Phoenix moved to the barracks room and placed on his bed.
“I certainly do not need all of you to assist me in this, go prepare for any further casualties in the entry room. Not you Panna, stay here in case I need to send a runner.” Priestess Reelwen, Phoenix thought that was her name, was examining the wound on his thigh and shoulder critically.
“Demonic wounds, whatever have you gotten yourself into girl?” Priestess Reelwen then placed her hands on his thigh, closing her eyes and praying.
“Oh Mother Lia, grant blessed relief from the curse of this wound.”
—
Hit Points: 1 (15) [healing halted, Death damage]
Death Damage VI, Shock IV (effects deferred due to Fire of Mentality)
—
A pale glow surrounded both wounds, and black smoke seemed to escape from them, dissipating into the air. Finally, Reelwen moved back, shaking her head.
“I can not cleanse them all at once, there is too much. But she is not at risk of dying. I will take care of the rest of the damage tomorrow, once we are sure my powers will not be further needed today. Panna, stay with her will you?”
Panna nodded and Reelwen left the barracks. Phoenix was still dizzy and weak, unable to effectively move, no more than feebly pick at his bloodstained clothes and slowly look about. Panna disappeared into the bathroom, and returned with a towel and a bucket of water. A moment of panic gripped him as he realized what she was going to do.
He reached out to put his hand on hers, trying to stop, but she calmly set his hands at his side, chiding him. “Don’t worry, I am just going to clean off the blood and make sure there isn’t anything left in the wounds. What did you get mauled by?”
She didn’t seem to expect an answer, which was good since he didn’t feel up to giving one. While she chatted, she placed a hand over his body, and easily raised him into the air, a pale glow of divine magic enveloping him, which enabled her to remove his tunic without much issue. Setting him down on his side, she started dabbing at the wound on his shoulder, wincing in sympathy at his groans.
After tending to his shoulder, she bandaged it up with gauze, wrapped loosely so as to not further pain him. She then repeated the process of lifting him into the air, this time tugging his pants down. At which point certain facts became immediately obvious. She gasped and her mouth made an O shape, and then opened and closed several times in a remarkable imitation of a fish.
Oh bother, here we go.
Before she could further react, the sound of heavy metallic foot falls reached both their ears. Galvanized out of her stunned reaction, Panna gently put Phoenix down and hurriedly covered his half naked form up to the neck with the blankets on the bed. She then stood and turned to greet the visitors.
“Captain Susan! Please, don’t disturb her, she is still very weak!” Panna said.
The woman who entered was indeed the impressively coiffed commander Phoenix had passed as he was being carried to the temple. She was armored differently from the rank and file, dressed in a chestpiece of bronze that was formed to look like her actual torso, complete with six pack abs and bumps for her nipples. Her arms and legs were covered by bronze vambraces and greaves, and a skirt of heavy leather protected her upper legs. She struck an imposing figure, even her face was handsome and angular as if carved.
“Understood Acolyte, but this is an emergency and can not wait.” the captain responded, striding confidently to Phoenix’s side. “She has a prisoner collar?” the captain had noticed his neckwear, with obvious surprise.
“She was given one as a precaution by Lady Celeste, Captain.” Panna answered for him.
“Lady Celeste. Certainly could use her advice right about now, but she took off to goddess knows where. Well, Fena is it? I won’t strain you with too many questions, but if you could please tell me what exactly happened, it might just save some lives.” The captain demanded.
While Phoenix found that his ability to move was still quite limited, he could talk, even if it was quiet and weak. “I went looking for a friend at hir apartment. The place was trashed and as I left to get the guard, this thing attacked me. I don’t even know where it came from.”
“A Myiktek, from reports.” The captain said. “It’s a kind of demon, they can merge with shadows and have a deadly slime on their claws. You are lucky to be alive. Do you remember any details? Anything at all might be relevant.”
“I remember everything, Captain. The Myiktek was wounded before it attacked me, some kind of gash on its torso. And there was a large pool of blood or goo in the bedroom of the apartment. It looked like some kind of vicious fight, but no blood other than that pool in the bedroom. No sign of Michael. My friend.” he clarified at the end.
“So, the wrong place at the wrong time. Impressive work killing a Myiktek all by yourself, however banged up you ended up being. We’ll have to send squads house to house through the whole community, to make sure there aren't any other surprises lurking about. I won’t take anymore of your time right now, but someone will be by when you are better to get a full debrief.” the captain stood and nodded. “Thank you Acolyte, should I assign some guards?”
“That is up to the Priestess, Captain, but we recalled the Paladins so we should have someone who can watch over her for the time being.” Panna replied, trying hard not to look at Phoenix. He hoped her shifty behavior wasn’t being picked up by the Captain.
“Very good.” With that, the captain made her way out, leaving Phoenix alone with Panna once more.
Phoenix watched Panna carefully. She was still avoiding meeting his eyes, wringing her hands together and biting her lip in thought. “Panna…” He started, and she jumped a little, whatever trail of thought she was racing down broken.
“Fena, um, I have to…” She said, gesturing vaguely to the exit.
“Panna, wait please. You have to keep this a secret.” He rushed to get it out before she could bolt from the room.
“How! How am I supposed to do that? Was it really just a coincidence that you were attacked? You are…” And she stopped to look at the doorway, before lowering her voice to a whisper. “You are a man! That thing could have been after you specifically! It probably was!”
“No, think about it, Panna. If it was after me because I was a man, it would have tried to capture me, not kill me. Right?” He said.
She gripped her forearms tight, thinking that over for a moment, before nodding. “Yes but… how are you going to be safe? What if more of those things show up?”
“Listen, my best chance lies in anonymity. If the town has been infiltrated by enemy spies, and I believe that it has, then it is imperative that they do not bring word back of my presence. The best way to do that is for them to remain ignorant of my existence. Locking me away and setting guards on me will just light a signal flare for the hags or whoever else is out there.” Phoenix was practically willing her to understand, his tone pleading.
“Ok I guess. I don’t feel good about keeping secrets.” Panna hedged.
“Ok, just, until Lady Celeste is back ok? We can talk to her together about it. Is that fair?” Phoenix tried again.
“Yes, that I can live with.” Panna sighed then. “It will have to be me who takes care of you though, can’t have one of the other Acolytes find out.”
“I’ll tell the Priestess that I am only comfortable with you. It even has the advantage of being the truth.”
Panna knelt back down and worked on cleaning the blood off him, once again. It was an intensely awkward process, her trying to keep his bits covered up while working on his thigh, him barely able to move to assist in either staying covered up or make things easier on her. Her blushes were quite impressive, and a dead giveaway if anyone else had chosen to enter, so Phoenix was grateful once everything was done and she left to let him rest.
At that point, he let the events catch up to him. He had been ambushed and very nearly killed, and it had all happened in a handful of seconds. No time to bring up an Illusory Earth wall between him and the demon, no time to reapply his Death Ward once it had been breached, no time for anything except frantically blasting away hoping to kill it before it killed him. And this hadn’t been the first time. Once his defenses collapsed, he was nearly helpless in the face of a melee attacker.
Despite his injuries, his mind was racing a thousand kilometers an hour and he needed something constructive to do with it other than relive that fight and the terrible feeling of those claws in his thigh. It was evening, but he had hours yet before his Fire of Mentality faded.
His conscience, however, had other plans. It was clear now, in the calm aftermath of everything, that he had done something that skated right up to the line of anathema. Perhaps even crossed it. Somehow, using Draw Earth, he had stolen the demon’s power for his own- expanding his personal Magic Pool at the same time as he destroyed the demon. It was crystalline brutally clear what Tiana had meant by temptation, and why no Magus would teach Draw. Here was the ability to bypass weeks, months, years of effort in an eyeblink. And all he had to do was tear a piece of soul out of a demon and graft it to his own.
I am sure that won’t have any repercussions.
He felt ill, and a cold sweat washed over his body like rain. Had he thrown it all away, in his panic and desperation? Was he going to be abandoned by Arachnae, or worse would she hunt him down? Could his actions be sensed by others, like Yvonne or Lady Celeste? He had no answers, just gut wrenching fear and guilt.
Why? I should have just died.
Nothing productive was coming from this. Staring into the dark, he decided to rest, let his mind settle, before grappling with this impossible conundrum. Before his Fire of Mentality exhausted its duration, he set up an Illusory Earth wall around his bed, and layered all three defensive spells on himself. He felt like his brain would be too active, too unsettled, with the Fire of Mentality for him to fall into his rest trance, so he let that spell lapse. The sudden exhaustion was like the crash after a sugar high. Bone deep tiredness dragged him into darkness, much deeper than the trance-like state he usually enjoyed for his sleep, and he lost himself in it as the night went past.