Noble is the man who offers an olive branch to his foes after triumphing over them in battle, but he is only wise if he continues to keep his sword close to hand.
-Ferrinean Proverb
[UNCHANGED: DAY (UNKNOWN)]
[ WEEK OF: ERROR]
The great gears of Castle Carneath shifted, and the constellation visible through the open window of Meren’s study transformed. Instead of Yvain the Proud’s spear, shield, and shimmering helmet, the perpetual night sky surrounding the keep now showed the towering stack of books next to Auron the Wise.
It was daytime, then, or at least as close to it as the castle ever came.
Meren cursed as she closed the tome of earth magic on her desk and hurried to her feet. Freed from the effects of [Greater Focus], the demands of her body quickly made themselves known. Pouring herself a glass of wine, Meren shook her head and stared out at the unchanging expanse of purple tundra stretched endlessly in every direction. Once again, she’d been so intent on her studies that she’d lost track of time. Worse, she had nothing to show for it.
The tome she wrestled with was an old and powerful artifact, taken from a dragon’s hoard centuries ago. Each page was filled to the margins with powerful spells and alchemical recipes that the [Spellsinger] desperately wanted to master, but the book was protective of its secrets and thwarted her efforts.
No matter how many times she uttered the faded runic incantations, or twisted her fingers into the complicated gestures depicted – poorly, she might add – inside, Meren had yet to find even a shred of success in learning one of the tome’s spells. It’d been months since she’d first taken the volume from the castle library, and while she didn’t have to worry about Nemus the [Librarian] coming to ask for it back, Meren’s fears of failure grew stronger by the day.
Her melancholy thoughts were interrupted by three heavy knocks on her door, and when Meren undid the golden lock and looked out, she found Hemlock– another [Astral Paladin] – standing there.
Broad and muscular, with a perfectly square chin and narrow brown eyes, Hemlock was the epitome of a valor [Champion]. Allegedly part giant, he towered over almost everyone [Stationed] in the castle, and Meren felt absolutely tiny as she looked up at his grim expression. His gemstone-socketed armor sparkled and shimmered like a starry night sky under the hallway torches, and the [Spellsinger] sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of the large amethyst axe strapped across his back. After all, while armor was quite a common sight inside Carneath’s walls, it was unusual for [Champions] to carry their weapons outside of the Training Grounds or Sparring Hall. Artifact weapons were rare beyond that.
“What has happened?” she asked, stepping back so that the [Gemstone Knight] could enter her study. “What brings you here with such a serious expression?”
Hemlock closed the door and nodded to Meren’s wardrobe. “Prepare your field equipment. The [Seer] saw a star falling over the hardlands two nights past, but it appears that it rose once more not long after.”
Meren’s mouth went dry.
“An imposter?”
“Indeed. You and I have been ordered to retrieve our fallen comrade’s blessing. We leave as soon as you’re ready.”
“Shall I collect my stack as well, or have we been given permission to draw from the castle’s own forces?”
“The [Quartermaster] has agreed to accommodate our reasonable requests up to tier five so long as our selections are vetted by one of his assistants. Beyond that, we’ve been allowed a single tier six creature of our choosing.”
Meren whistled. That was quite the gift. Though Castle Carneath was home to plenty of creatures in the eighth, ninth, and even tenth tiers, most [Champions] couldn’t control such powerful beings. While any [Champion]’s inherent force of will was enough to corral tier threes and below with ease, the same was not true for minions in the upper tiers.
If one of the blessed tried to include a minion in their stack that was too much for them to handle, they ended up being a greater danger to their own allies than their supposed enemies. Still, Meren was confident that she could handle a group of tier fives and a lone tier six avatar. She was level 44 and a champion of wisdom; such a feat should be well within her domain. If it wasn’t, she could lower their avatar strengths until they were easy to control.
Throwing open her wardrobe, Meren sorted through her most powerful artifacts and equipped the ones she thought would serve her needs best, feeling their familiar powers cascading through her body as she did so. {Boots of Swift Travels} were an obvious choice, as was her {Robe of Magic} and {Circlet of Mana}, but she wasn’t sure whether to take her {Belt of Willpower} or {Belt of Amplification}. Ultimately, she decided to ensure her stack wouldn’t cause her any problems, and fastened the {Belt of Willpower} around her slender waist. For rings, she took a {Ring of Fire} and {Ring of Ice} to boost her spellcasting powers, and then grabbed her {Staff of Echoes}. Though a far cry from the powerful artifact Hemlock carried, the staff would let her save her mana by reducing the costs for successive casts of the same spell, which would probably come in handy should they meet another [Champion] strong enough to face them in proper battle.
Checking her gear one last time, Meren closed her wardrobe and turned around. “I’m ready. Thank you for waiting.”
Hemlock bowed, a small smile appearing on his otherwise serious light brown face. “Of course. We are to be allies in this venture. I think it would be best if we discussed the best way to construct our stacks before we built them, so that we might arrive at a mutually beneficial arrangement. Do you agree?”
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“I do.”
“Excellent. Now, as I understand it, you prefer Blue and White creatures, do you not?”
“You are correct. They synergize best with my class abilities.”
“Excellent,” the [Gemstone Knight] said as he headed for the door. “I am naturally suited to Red, Black, and Green creatures myself, which is probably why the [Seer] paired us together for this assignment. Let us hurry to the [Quartermaster]’s domain, so that we can make our selections and depart. My heart burns to bring this imposter to justice.”
Meren followed him. “As does mine.”
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Having been managed carefully for centuries by some of the best and brightest [Champions] alive, the [Quartermaster]’s domain was exquisite. Production buildings of all tiers were neatly arranged in rows, organized by creature tiers, colors and clans. Thanks to the [Ruler]’s ability to shape existence to his will, Meren and Hemlock could have walked for two entire rotations of the castle’s gears without reaching the end. As they were in a rush and needed their choices to be approved anyway, Hemlock clapped his hands and summoned two of the [Quartermaster]’s many underlings. The androgynous figures were dressed in gray robes and masks that completely obscured their faces, and the [Gemstone Knight] politely asked them to lead him and Meren to the creatures they wanted.
Their plan was simple: Hemlock was going to fill his stack with as many Black and Red melee brutes as he could manage, and Meren would support him with Blue and White spellcasters and utility avatars that didn’t need much strength to be useful.
“When you finish building your stack, head to the Nexus, and we will depart from there,” Hemlock said as he followed his guide toward the Red buildings. “Do not tarry. Time is of the essence.”
Meren nodded and watched the [Gemstone Knight] disappear through the rocky gate of a Lava Golem Den.
Her own guide stood perfectly still, waiting for her directions. “Take me to the Blue tier fives,” she said. “I would like to [Recruit] some Sirens, Turtle Bards, and Frost Phoenixes.”
“Of course, blessed. Follow me.”
They stopped in front of a lovely blue pond, and after asking how many she could take, Meren added 40 Sirens to her stack. The lithe, silvery figures were physically frail, but they possessed a unique ability that occasionally made enemy avatars skip their turn. They also had a powerful magic attack that could reach across an entire hexgrid battlefield, though their small mana pool meant they could only use it once or twice in a single fight. Her mind tickled, but she felt no adverse effects from adding the creatures.
However, there was an easy way to get around this limitation: pair them with Turtle Bards and other spellcasting creatures to get the spellcasting bonus. The big, bulky lute-wielders provided her entire stack with a point of increased mana regeneration per turn, which meant that with prudent management, Meren would be able to use her siren’s skill as needed in a fight. With the approval of the robed figure beside her, Meren added fifteen Turtle Bards to her stack. The sensation in her skull grew slightly sharper, but was still easily manageable.
The Frost Phoenixes were taken from a snow-covered nest, and though they were fine tanks, they weren’t particularly interesting. Like all phoenixes, their ability created an egg if their avatar strength was completely depleted during battle. If the conflict ended without that egg being destroyed, three-quarters of their original number would come back to life to serve again. As such, phoenixes were useful protectors, and Meren would use all ten of them accordingly. She’d considered not bringing any such defenses and simply relying on Hemlock to stay safe, but knew all too well that accidents could befall even [Astral Paladins]. Like any [Champion], Meren was ultimately responsible for her own safety.
When the hauntingly beautiful birds joined her stack, Meren felt a color bonus activate. She looked at her ring, and read the text written in the small square of light floating above it.
[Blue (3) (Spellcasting): All creatures have +2 Magic Damage and +3 Magic Defense!]
That was good, but in addition to the bonus, Meren felt her new minions vying for control of her willpower and emotions. Perhaps she’d taken more creatures than she should have; the tier fives were more demanding than she’d expected. She steeled herself, breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth until her internal clamor quieted.
Should she reduce her avatar strengths? No, she decided. She’d be fine.
“My discomfort stems from having spent too long without more than a cursory stack,” she whispered to herself. “I’ll pass in time.”
Turning to her guide, Meren tightened her grip on her staff and said, “Please take me to the White tier sixes.”
“Any particular structure?”
“The Glowing Den. I’d like to recruit a Cloud Wyrm.”
“As you wish. Follow me, blessed.”
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With four of her seven stack slots filled and a tightness in her chest that she hoped would soon be gone, Meren made her way to the Nexus. Her Cloud Wyrm’s avatar had only three strength, but its healing ability should still be enough to preserve the rest of her forces during battle.
Hemlock was already there waiting for her. His face was drawn tight, and he seemed to be breathing slightly faster than usual. Perhaps he was struggling with the power of his stack too.
If that was the case, neither of them mentioned it. To be an [Astral Paladin] was to be stronger than other [Champions], and it would be unbecoming to admit weakness.
Meren shivered as she looked around. She didn’t much like the Nexus. All around them were massive gates thrumming with magical energy. As the castle existed in a space of its own, getting in and out required the use of special portals, which were created and maintained by the [Ruler]’s power. How any person could simultaneously maintain such incredible workings was beyond her. Truly, the [Ruler] was in a realm of his own.
“Are you ready to go?” Hemlock asked, gesturing toward a nearby orange portal.
Meren nodded. “I am. Where are we starting our search?”
“A small country a month’s trek south of the hardlands. Ferrin, I believe it is called.”
“Why can’t we go directly to the hardlands? Surely we lose time by starting elsewhere.”
Hemlock shrugged. “Surprisingly, Ferrin is closer to where the [Seer] saw the star fall than our portal to the hardlands would take us. We’re saving ourselves two or three weeks of difficult travel by doing it this way. If you need nothing else, we can leave now.”
Meren thought back to the tome on her desk. Had she properly realized how long they were going to be gone, she would have brought it along and continued trying to plumb its secrets on the road. However, if she was being honest with herself, a substantial portion of her willpower would be spent making sure that she remained in control of her stack. As if sensing her thoughts, the Cloud Wyrm stirred, and like a queen slapping an unruly servant, Meren forced its presence back into its proper place.
She didn’t have the energy to wrestle any new arcane secrets into submission.
It was a bitter thought, but perhaps it was also a blessing in disguise: a break from her studies might lead to a break-through upon her return.
“I need nothing else,” she said. “Let’s go.”
Hemlock nodded and took her hand. Meren grimaced at the [Gemstone Knight]’s strength, prompting the man to ease his grip with a muttered apology. Side by side, the [Astral Paladins] stepped into the portal and vanished.