The video felt both much shorter and much longer than thirty minutes. It didn’t dwell too long on any one thing, but it had plenty of different tests that they ran through. The attunements and aspects it talked about were different from the ones I knew, but he explained them really well. I could see how the tests they ran could apply to the attunements and aspects I had access to. At the end of the video he summarized the major points he had made:
“So remember, attunements are abstract and formless concepts like fire or sharpness. Aspects are general shapes or templates that can then be of an attunement. Put them together and you’ll get more than the sum of their parts. You can make an combinations complimentary, like a spear and piercing.-” a clip played of a spear sliding through a rock. ”-they can add a new layer to something like armor and strength-” an image of someone with strength attuned armor lifting the same rock with complete ease replaced the last one. “-ultimately even the craziest ideas can work if you put them together right. Just make sure to think about what your goals are and what you need to reach them and you’ll be fine.-” the outro music started playing“-So until next time. Stay safe, delving, and I’ll see you, Next week." The outro music got louder as their supporters' names scrolled past like the last video, and it ended.
I enjoyed the video. They were exciting without being overwhelming, they did practical demonstrations with their team. Most importantly they gave me good information I could use in an easy and digestible way. I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted for my avatar yet, but now I had a direction. I was pulled from my thoughts by a familiar voice.
“Hey Ethan, early too?”
Will sat down beside me with a grin on his face and no regard for my personal space. Before I had time to respond to what he said or did he resumed.
“How’s your day been? I’ve been on the job hunt, but nothing quite yet.” Will paused long enough for me to react, scooting to the left to get a bit more space. I wasn’t sure what part of that to respond to.
“Uh… my days have been okay, I guess.” Will took this as an acceptable answer and continued.
“I’m looking forward to today, my avatar is pretty close to reaching tier two, a day or two more and it’ll be there, and I can grab an aspect. I’m thinking cape, I think I would look good in a cape, what do you think?” as usual it took me a moment to muster up an answer.
“I guess a cape could look nice.” I gave it a bit more thought. “But what’s the point of a sticky cape?” Will expression somehow brightened more.
“I don’t know exactly, but aspects can stretch definitions a bit, right? Like your shield is made with armor aspect, right? So I’m thinking maybe my cape could be more like a shroud or something that slows down things around me.”
“Uhh, yeah, that makes sense.'' How was he so self assured? I was struggling to figure out how to improve a shield, and Will’s just decided to wrap himself in flypaper. Why was it that he still felt like he knew what he was doing more than me? Another, more important thought occurred to me.
Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
“Doesn’t cape aspect come from wasps?” I felt fear creeping up on me, but Will didn’t seem concerned at all.
“Yeah, I think so, why?” I didn’t want to seem cowardly, but giant wasps were terrifying.
“Nothing, its just that… Well, they’re really fast and strong. Plus they’re poisonous.”
“Oh, yeah, but we have Rose, so she can hit them a few times and then we can finish them off if they reach us.” Dang it, he made a good point. I can’t just say I’m scared to go up there again. Ah, of course the moment I join a group they decide to go up the tree. Maybe I should have just stayed with Paul. Well, at least if we go up I won’t be alone.
“Anyway I’m going in the dungeon for now, I want to check where my sync is at. You want to come?”
“Sure. I, uh, already checked mine a bit ago… But I can probably wait outside the shrine for you.” Will didn’t seem to mind, so we both entered the dungeon proper. He walked into the shrine while I took a seat on the root to wait. While I sat the same question that had filled my morning came up yet again: what is my next step for my avatar? I wished something would come to me, an epiphany. Nothing came, so I turned my attention to the entrance of the dungeon. Now I would see Rose when she got here and have time to make better impression than I did with Will. This strategy was rendered moot when I heard a voice beside me.
“Hey Ethan. Is Will here yet, or are we both early?” I turned to see Rose. Where had she come from?
“Uh, no… I mean yes! I mean… Will is here but he’s in the shrine.”
“Ah, alright, I was just there, ya’know, working on my new avatar and all that. I’m really excited to-improve-it's-going-tobesocool.” She sped up through the last sentence, making it a bit hard to understand. It was at this point that Will emerged from the shrine as well, walking over and completing our group.
“Hey awesome, now we have everyone. So I was thinking that we should go up the tree today, the wasps drop some cool shards and I kinda want cape aspect.” Rose nodded along.
“Yeah okay, I actually was thinking of getting a cape too, it’s how I’m using my cami right now so it should make it better, right?” Will immediately responded
“I think so, that’s what the guides say anyways, and so does everyone I’ve asked… everyone who answered anyways.”
“Same.” I quietly agreed. And Rose spoke up next.
“Alright, so it’s settled, we’re going up the tree to fight wasps. We can plan on the way up.” And a moment later we were on our way up, and I had to follow along without complaint. Hopefully Will was right and it wouldn’t be too bad. If a beetle could kill a tier two wasp so could I.
The trek up the root was just as bad as I remembered. The railing was just as unreassuring as I remembered, and I clung to the trunk as we climbed. Rose seemed completely at home as we climbed the tree, but I felt slightly vindicated when I noticed Will was also staying far from the edge as we climbed up. I tried to just listen to Will and Rose talking as they walked ahead of me, eyes on the wooden wall and not on the drop. Of course the conversation didn’t last long before I got pulled into it.
“Hey, are there any shards that the wasps drop that you could use?” It took me a moment to realize that Rose was looking at me when she said this. I jumped to answer to make up for missing the question and tripped on my tongue.
“Oh, uh, I ah. I’m don’t sure. know! I don’t know. I mean, I’m not sure what I want yet.” Well that was horrible. Luckily Will and Rose chose not to comment on the nonsense that I had just spouted, and Will jumped in instead.
“Fair enough, as long as you don’t go for cape we should have plenty for you to choose from, right.” I guess that was true, but now that it had come up again I remembered just what I had agreed to. I really should have just stayed with Paul. Unfortunately it was too late for that. We were here.