Kyrion scowled as he thought of a secondary solution. “Won’t your parents care if you're out late?”

“My mother is hospitalized with a brain tumor, and my father is an idiot who can’t accept reality. I currently live alone, so no one will miss me coming home late.”

Kyrion bit his tongue, preventing the first response from coming out of his mouth.

“Sounds rough. How long?” Kyrion swallowed the blood he’d drawn and shook his head.

“Two years ago, her condition worsened recently.”

“I see. So she’s been fighting though it for that long and it's progressed quite a bit. Why do you really want to come with me?”

“I suspect that I may find a means to help her via mystical means.”

“You mean with those powers I– er, the strange rift gave you.”

“Yes I mean those.”

Kyrion scratched his head above where his antlers tended to grow and sighed. “What a pain, fine let's see what you can do. You’ll have to be my bodyguard.”

“What? You won’t fight?”

“The power I specialize in doesn’t work well in teams where my ally doesn’t know what they are doing.”

“I don’t really know how my powers work.”

“Eh? It’s been at least three weeks. Have you not been training?”

“Where would I train? My living room?”

“I mean wind magic is better used outdoors.”

“How do you know it’s wind magic?”

“I mean your ring has a cinnamon roll with wind blowing the smell over it. Isn’t it obvious?” It was obvious to Kyrion because the element design was something he created to symbolize wind magic.

“It really isn’t. I thought it let me make cinnamon rolls faster or something.”

“And the knife?”

Moca pulled out the inert phoblade handle and sighed. “This is a stick.”

“Press the button on the side and feel the drain.”

Moca did so and a small yellow blade materialized from the hilt much to her confusion. “Why is it yellow?”

“Would you rather it be brown like coffee?”

“No, not really.”

“Good, cause I don’t know how to turn coffee into a weapon yet.”

“Yet?”

Kyrion opened the door and entered an eerily familiar underground dungeon. Only the town while ruined, looked more taken care of now than it did the last time it entered, full of quite a few 1920’s style homes, and modular stores. The statue of a young man with a bowler hat and briefcase stood at the neighborhood's entrance.

“Welcome to Grintown?” Moca read a sign that Kyrion hadn’t gotten to yet.

As though a summoning, with those words, four well-dressed gremlins holding machine guns walked up to the duo. The leading Gremlin, wearing a suit and tie paired with a hat, and also carried a lit cigar the size of a carrot in their mouth.

“Oh! Gremlin town! This brings back memories of my childhood.”

The gremlins fired, and Kyrion was pelted with pellets that may have caused a bruise to him when he was younger, or badly injured him if one hit an eye. However, he had more durability than most and had to confirm.

Slowly tilting his shoulder to the side Kyrion let the pellet hit Moca in her arm.

“Ouch!!” Moca rubbed at her arm and watched as not even a drop of blood seemed to pool.

“Are you ok? I know they can sting a bit but?”

Moca seemed stunned. “How dense are you?”

“I don’t float in water naturally.” Kyrion joked.

Moca walked up and flicked Kyrion’s elbow and winced as she looked at a finger. “So, you can’t fight, but you can take a hit.”

“That is an interpretation.”

“Then you’ll act as my meat shield. So, how do I get stronger?”

“Practice and understanding. Feel the wind around you, listen to its voice and let it guide you for a while before you try to guide it.”

“How long will that take?”

“You have a minute before I pass out to figure this out,” Kyrion stated that he was bombarded with countless magazines with weak projectiles.

Moca closed her eyes and tried to feel her magic. Focusing on her ring but it didn’t seem to do anything. Then she focused on her heartbeat and attempted to draw power from that area. Only to fail again as she gasped for air.

Air rushed into her lungs causing her to cough with enough force to cause a somewhat powerful gust of wind to pass over Kyrion who didn’t flinch while causing the gremlins to stagger back.

Kyrion scowled as he felt a tug on his core as though his wind affinity had gotten stronger.

“Interesting if not concerning.” Kyrion sent a bit of Divine Essence into the odd connection and scowled as a list showed up in his face.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Greetings Patron, you have activated this world’s Patron System, from here you may determine what spells those who gain power from you can access. They cannot create spells on their own therefore you must give them spells you can cast yourself when you deem them strong enough, in return, you may receive a portion of the mana used or some other sacrifice.

Due to being a First Time Patron, please input your Title into the system.

“I need a title?”

“What?” Moca asked.

“Hmmmm…Is my hair crimson, ruby, or scarlet?”

“Crimson. Wait, why are you asking?”

“The Crimson Lord.” Kyrion said to the system.

“That makes you sound like a vampire.”

“What’s a vampire?”

“Blood sucking demons scared of sunlight. Or something.”

“The One That Always Endures Life and Death. Totaelad.”

“Do you need the life and death part?”

“Yes. I believe it’s important.”

“Does it need to make a word?”

“Yes.”

“Kyr Arbiter of Life and Death. How does that sound?”

“Kaolad. Kao… I can work with that.”

“What do you need this for?”

Kyrion input the name Moca came up with and smirked. He added a restriction on top of the sacrifices. 1, you may sacrifice a portion of your food to gain access to 1 week of power without upkeep, 2 you must give up 1/16th of expended mana to use your powers if you don’t pay the weekly donation. Restriction, those who are not in a contract with Kaolad cannot scry or comprehend information gained on them through you. Attempts to view memories via other means will send Kaolad a warning and an exact location while replaying the past ten minutes.

Moca squinted at the words that came up. “Something is asking if I want to become a Cleric of Kaolad? It’s a somewhat short contract. What do I get?”

Kyrion tapped an arrow in the air and sighed. “Spells: Fleet Foot, Whisper in the Wind, Wind Sense, Wind Blade, Wind Shield, Push, Pull, Wind Wall, Healing Wind, Wind Wall, Wind Step, Wind Spear, Rend, Flight, Vortex, Rending Vortex, Tornado, Sky Split, Typhoon, Lightning Storm, Lightning bolt, and Endless Rend. Minimum mana donation to create a core(This is temporarily taken off your maximum): 1/1,000th.”

“1/1000th? That's also alot of spells for someone who can only teleport. Are you going to tell me what you are?”

“I already did, now then with 1/1000 you will be able to use everything up to Rend multiple times, the more you use your magic the stronger your core will be and it will grow in size. Meaning you’ll be able to grow and in turn so will my power. Closing your eyes and focusing could help you regain mana faster, but sleeping or eating is more efficient.”

“So that appetite of yours is used to regain mana?”

“Among other things.” Kyrion yawned and a pellet hit his uvula before sliding down his throat. Swallowing the pellet Kyrion sighed and looked up at the gremlins that had left to get more ammo.

“All right, try Wind Shield, and Wind Blade.” Kyrion stepped out of the way and let his Cleric attempt to fight.

The bullets came in a hurry in an attempt to take Moca out of the fight.

Moca raised both hands and felt the wind around her gather as she said the spell aloud. “Wind Shield!”

Kyrion watched as the spell was boring. It was one he cast multiple times but it was simplified and bare of emotion. As though taken from a textbook with little individuality.

Kyion opened up the contract and hit the tab one more time watching the boon tier, set to when certain tiers of paying off the mana debt to create their cores.

“At 10% Freecasting Wind Magic, 25% 2 At will Wind spells, 50% Body of Wind, 75% High Speed Flight, 100% Weather manipulation.” Kyrion added to the boons area then hit the arrows a few more times filling out details before adding a tab to discern other types of Clerics under his banner setting one up for each of his affinities, setting the cost to 1/1000 to all who applied the others would also get their spells based on their elements sending a message to everyone with a connection to the rings Karl made. In time his mana took another hit as everyone seemed to accept the notification out of curiosity.

A plate of brussel sprouts appeared in front of Kyrion much to his curiosity. Kyrion in term consumed them with great fervor before sending the plate back through the portal. “Condensed Cabbage?”

“Wind Blade!” Moca summoned a blade and missed a gremlin that jumped to the side.

Kyrion looked up from his testing and sighed as only a few seconds had passed since the last edit.

“Wind Blade.” Kyrion mimicked the spell, swinging his arm downward, severing a gremlin's arm, causing the weapon to hit the ground.

“Swing into your cast to aim and add power to your spells. Also, keep moving, in a fight like this movement is both a shield and a weapon. Mobillity is what makes wind magic strong.” Kyrion stated as he moved like a blur appearing behind a Gremlin, his left hand holding the creature by its head.

“Wind Spear!” Moca launched a spear of wind at the Gremlin Kyrion was holding.

“Nooo!” Kyrion knew the spear was a dangerous spell as it was essentially an inverted wind condensed into a spear shape that tore through its victim and then continued relentlessly. Moving to the side, the spear tore the Gremlin's body from its head and forced him to dodge to the side.

The spear continued and continued passing through three walls before stopping.

“Yeah, I don’t use that spell for a reason. I know it, it’s very lethal but it also tends to pass through various targets and hit allies. It’s also illegal back home.”

“Illegal? Why would a spell be Illegal?”

“Plenty are. Forbidden makes more sense as a description. Before a target dies, it tends to cause a great deal of slow pain. It’s also nearly impossible the heal, thus unless at war or fighting for your life it’s not a spell to throw about willy-nilly. Especially when you have my profession.”

“What is that profession?”

“Now isn’t the time.” Kyrion slammed an elbow into the leading gremlin's head and turned it into a magical paste.

“Wind blade!” Moca yelled, slaying the last gremlin.

“Good job, three out of four kills. In time you can take out a few of these. Are you anywhere close to tired yet?”

“No, I used like five spells, and I don’t even feel slightly tired. Is this what 1/1000 of your power is?”

“Mana, and yes, for me it is a drop in a bucket. But any more than that and you might explode. You’ll need to expend as much as you can and get used to exercising regularly until your body is strong enough to contain your mana. That will create a new baseline then as your mana increases so will your physical ability, and after you return what I’ve given you, you’ll be quite strong for a citizen of this world.”

“So, you really were summoned here, by that cult.”

“Fine, yes it was me, and yes I covered myself in mud before finding that group. But, I didn’t mean to get involved with the people here. Find my sister then go back home, maybe eat some food and cause some trouble along the way.”

“So your looking for family and they were also summoned here?”

“Yes, though people seem to be hiding that information from me for the time being. Thus I decided to help people gain strength in any way I can before I head off.” Kyrion sifted through the gremlin copses and picked up 4 gold coins.

“Loot?”

“Your share.” Kyrion handed Moca 3 solid gold coins.

“This explains why Larkson really died down here. This much gold could drive anyone mad.”

“No that’s not it.” Kyrion moved forward into the familiar town and opened up his domain. With a drop of Divine Essence, Kyrion sucked the entire neighborhood into his domain leaving thousands of Gremlins homeless and surprised.

“Rending tornado!” Kyrion added Divine essence to that spell and turned to Moca whose jaw had dropped at the casual underground natural disaster.

“So, this is an easy fight for you.”

“Yes, but I wouldn’t learn much. Let's go get that Chicago style pizza before we head out. I should learn something from that.”

“You’re just going to let it run free?”

“Gremlins are made of the ambient materials. If the only thing left is gold then we get a hoard of Golden Gremlins. Mech’s are expensive to build thus I’ll need all the money I can get. Also, we should bring everyone else next time. Unless you don’t want money.” Kyrion looked to Moca.

Greed flashed in her eyes for a brief moment before sighing. “Fine next time we’ll bring everyone here.”

“Karl, I’m creating a doorway to connect this place to your dungeon.” Kyrion summoned spatial mana to attempt the connection, only to scowl as it failed to work.

“You can’t connect one dungeon to a separate dungeon without subduing its core.” Karl stated in their monotone.

“Isn’t this your dungeon?”

“I do not recall, but I do know this place is partially why I was corrupted.” Karl nodded mentally.

“Fine I’ll investigate this with my friends, better yet I can use this as a distraction.” Kyrion crossed his arms.

"Distraction for who?"

"Me, I should at least check and see if I'm still in shape for fighting.