Khiat trembled as she scrambled to prepare, having less than an hour to do so. She had managed to stay and watch the duel despite the full fury of the hero of her people unleashed on the space. The fear effect had even reached into the main Guild, though her family had been far enough to escape it. Her parents stood in the room with her looking as conflicted as she felt.
Xtalo, wearing the travel armor he’d needed for the monthly trips to Aughal, was the first to break the silence. “This must be part of the gods’ plans. I-I can’t make sense of this any other way.”
“You were given a choice, Khiat,” her mother reminded her. “You don’t have to do this. Aughal has a Tyrant again, but are they worse than what we had before?”
“Ytaya kept our people’s interests in mind, until she joined that madness. Perhaps the artifacts Armafus left were tainted.”
Khiat checked her quivers, making sure every arrow was in place. Special care was taken with the ancestral arrows recovered after the siege, made from the chitin of those few Blessed her village had awakened over the years. It was a tradition her people observed across Aughal, though it remained to be seen if it would continue with everyone returning to the city. She knew she wouldn’t be here to find out. “They gave so much to help us. To help me. If the rest of…” She paused for a moment before a surety entered her. “If the rest of my team is out there, I can’t be the only one not looking for them.”
“Threst is dangerous for our people, despite your power to withstand the sun, daughter,” Xtalo warned. “Still, I support whatever future you want, even if it takes you from us during these dangerous times.” He placed a hand on her shoulder, Achia doing the same on the other side.
“Will you be alright?” Khiat asked as they stood in front of her, the shaking in her body subsiding.
“Of course we will be, Khiat,” her mother reassured. “This Tyrant has proven kind to those who believe as we do. They could have left us to die but accepted us without question. Don’t be afraid for us.”
The words did make her feel better, and yet at the same time there was a creeping doubt in her mind based on what she’d learned about how Spokes worked. Was the Tyrant’s control of the region slowly infecting her parent’s minds? She desperately wanted to take them with her, but if what she’d heard of Threst was true, there was almost no escape from the sun. Her path was as unclear as ever, save for one thing. If she stayed with the creature Daniel had become, she would become powerful, and, maybe, rich enough to afford protection for them. And she couldn’t refuse if there was any chance she could help save her friends.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she promised as the three closed together for a hug.
…
Khare lasted an admirable minute before the gestalt ran over, even morphing their lower body to legs to give them a little extra speed. “Grafted!” they exclaimed, looking over Daniel. He was doing much the same to himself.
Daniel brushed at his arm as he looked within himself. His Artificer Focus wasn’t there to tell him everything, and yet it had been relying on that which had made him weaker than he was supposed to be. “It’s a bond,” he answered, the voice an almost perfect average of his old one and how Hunter’s incantation sounded when coming from him. Deeper and a touch more feral, though still mostly human.
“Who did you bond to?” Thomas asked, appearing to fear what the answer could be.
Daniel thought for a moment before answering. “Not a person. Hunter’s memory. I didn’t know what I was doing at the moment, but it’s obvious in hindsight.”
“You can’t form a bond to a memory.”
“Maybe you can now,” Daniel said pensively, remembering the information he’d gotten about the Collapse earlier this morning. “Do you need to pack up anything?”
“So we’re just ignoring this?” Thomas gestured to him again. “We’re ignoring all of this?”
Daniel sighed, the sound including a faint hiss. “I need more time to think about it than I have now. I’m not waiting around to get into it and have the Tyrant change their mind.”
“Daniel, if what you’re saying is true, that’s a one-sided bond. They can be…” Thomas stared at him and then shook his head, dropping the point. “I’ll run to the Divine Quarter and get a few things.” A man Daniel faintly recognized opened one of the interior doors of the restaurant and walked over to where the Fate had swooned, struggling under the weight of an almost comically large pack. “Wait, he shouldn’t be lifting that much right now.” Thomas stood, momentarily putting aside what might be a six on his personal weirdness scale, as Daniel continued trying not to mentally engage with the changes. It felt like how the language power had at first, it worked so long as he didn’t look too closely at what was happening. Even the pattern of his thoughts was slightly different, though not so much that he wouldn’t overanalyze at rest.
Khare followed him as he sought out Willow, the last member of his thrown together group. He needed to make sure she wanted to come, otherwise he wouldn’t force her. She represented the possibility of a better chance for Hunter’s return, and for a moment he warred with something inside of him as he decided that. He had said he’d do anything to bring Hunter back, right? Yes, he would fight as hard as he could to make that happen, but he wouldn’t lose himself doing it, not any more than he already had.
Seeking the avianoid without the tag he’d placed with Identify Creature was difficult, though Daniel was beginning to notice his smell and hearing had vastly improved. Not to Hunter’s levels of absurdity, though he had a suspicion he could change that when he had time to test it. Help unexpectedly arrived as three people intercepted him. Daniel stopped as most of Farthest Run approached, and after some time Qess spoke first. “Some fight.”
“I should have lost.” Daniel shrugged. “He gave me too many openings and didn’t take it as seriously as he could have. I should have been dead with his first swing but he cut off my arm instead.”
“The power that does that, where does it really come from?” the Druid Marky asked, eyeing Daniel warily.
“I reformed my bond with Hunter, and this happened,” Daniel answered simply, not seeing any reason to lie because the Druid wouldn’t believe anything he said. He turned to Gordon, ending that part of the conversation. “What are you doing here?”
“Seeing you off. Doubt we’ll get another chance to talk for some time.” A bit of tension rose in the air as Daniel waited for him to say something about the earlier ambush and Gordon avoided the topic. “The Saint wasn’t lying about the roads. You’ll run into at least a few monsters before Threst and there’s no way they’re securing this side of the border for us.”
“Saint?” Daniel asked, noticing the way he’d addressed Ashier. “You three made deals too?”
“No, we’re just smart enough to tell where the wind’s blowing,” Qess answered with a low warble. “No one here is going to go up against Gtoll or that draconoid over a word.”
“Sure,” Daniel grunted as his new appendage flicked behind him, Marky’s eyes following it.
“We should have been there,” Gordon said finally, disappointment and failure in his voice. “We were rushing to meet you when the Spire started shaking apart.”
“Well, thanks for the warning.” Daniel walked away without a further word. It had occurred to him that the team was one of the best options for finding Willow, but Gtoll was right. Relying on other people was a weakness. People without any levels at all had been able to ambush him because of how much he’d neglected his wisdom by letting Hunter observe the world for him.
It turned out he was onto something, because as soon as he began earnestly seeking out Willow he had an immediate awakening.
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Track Creature (Ability, Wisdom, Spell, Domain: Knowledge, Level: 2):
You possess the Power to seek out the closest individual Creature of a type you are seeking for a moderate amount of Mana. The effect and accuracy scales with your wisdom and your familiarity with the target, inversely scaling with the target’s Dexterity and distance from you. This is a Magical Ability that does not function in an area of Magical Suppression.
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The descriptions of his powers didn’t include an exact mana cost whether they were words on his phone or in his head, though the relative measure held mostly true. A moderate cost for a level 2 ability wasn’t something he could easily ignore, though at peak potential he could use it twenty or so times. He had enough left to use this at least once, and as soon as he willed it it became immediately clear where Willow was. It was as if he could see her aura without any visual indication. On a higher level monster some distance away, he doubted it would be as effective.
These powers are helpful, Daniel noted as no one challenged his departure from the courtyard. Still, it’d help to know exactly what happened when I took the bond. He had a sense, of course, but not as obvious a description of the powers that had come into his head. He thought back to those he’d gotten back in the fight, fully examining them as he walked toward Willow. While it was odd how detailed they were, considering no one else he talked to had the full description in their head, it wasn’t the first time he’d held onto some aspect of the Encyclopedia after losing it.
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Mantle of the Hunter (Feature, Charisma, Domain: Universal, Aura, Level: 2):
You possess the Power to sharpen the killing instincts of yourself, and allied Creatures nearby to a lesser degree. Any number of creatures within the radius can be affected. This aura is Spiritual in nature and functions in an area of Magical Suppression.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
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Intrinsic Focus Enhancement (Feature, Strength, Domain: Destruction, Focus: Intrinsic, Level: 1):
You possess the Power to enhance your body, bolstering the source of your magic. As a bearer of an intrinsic focus the nature of your Focus cannot change, but the effects of this feature function in areas of Magical Suppression.
- Fusion Aspect: Your body permanently undergoes an Effect: Transmutation that further aligns you with the Ideals of your class. The efficiency of Attributes: Physical is slightly improved.
- Level: 2: Further increases the efficiency of physical attributes for a modest Mana cost.
- Natural Expert: Weapons: Natural you possess gain Enhancement: Basic of Level: 1 potency.
- Level: 2: The potency of the enhancement increases to level 2 for a minor mana cost.
- Mana Conduit: The Mana cost of heightening Features and Functions you possess is moderately reduced. This effect also reduces the penalty to your maximum mana from heightened features.
- Level: 2: The mana cost reduction is further improved. This function automatically heightens upon reaching a higher level and does not cost mana to improve.
- Ferocious Healing: Improves your body’s natural Healing rate. This effect increases drastically for a brief time after you damage another Creature, scaling with the amount of damage dealt.
- Level: 2: Improves the effect of dealing damage on your healing rate.
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Fearless (Feature, Wisdom, Domain: Restoration, Level: 2):
You possess the Power to ignore Effect: Fear. You additionally gain greater resistance to hostile Effects: Mental, scaling with your wisdom.
- Level: 2: Gained at this level, no extra benefit
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Imbue Astral (Ability, Intelligence, Spell: Melee Weapon, Domain: Astral, Level: 1):
You possess the Power to imbue your attacks with the energy of the Astral. Using a modest amount of Mana, you can empower your next melee attack with Astral Energy. This is a Magical Ability that does not function in an area of Magical Suppression.
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No major surprises, and in the heat of the moment he’d only needed the general sense he’d gotten. Imbue Astral was the major outlier and he did regret the loss of a searchable Encyclopedia now as he had a sense that the information behind the Astral tag could be very important. Without anyone unidentifying knowledge he gained, he should be able to see everything on topics he hadn’t encountered yet.
He found Willow by one of the windows, and it appeared she’d retreated there to watch everything from a slightly safer distance. The building was cracked in other areas, but Daniel was sure the ever present but never seen Builders would handle that later. He didn’t open this conversation with silence. “I want you to come to Threst with me.”
She didn’t look at him but nodded as she continued to face the window. “This is every reason I did what I did.”
“What?” he asked blankly.
“You! Look at what you were able to do.” Her breath trembled slightly as she turned to behold the changes. “He isn’t in there, is he?”
“Hunter’s dead. This is just what I need to bring him back.”
“What if we had been doing this from the start?” Willow asked with the energy of any youth entirely convinced in their beliefs, as Daniel was reminded she was a couple years younger than him.
“You know your people tried to destroy this region, right?” Daniel asked, his voice straining with a sudden intensity that he explained with what he said next. “Your mother killed Hunter.”
She looked away and rubbed at her face, her voice betraying the emotion that was hiding beneath her courage. “Then why do you want to bring me?”
“Do you know anything? Anything that could help me bring him back? Anyone we could ask?”
“No,” she answered, fading a little more. “Everyone I was talking to before it happened, they either hate me or have become a pariah like me. One of them was killed.”
He sighed, amping down the fire in him. “I’m sorry about your parents, and your friend.” Even with his new confidence he almost didn’t ask the next question. “You haven’t seen Tlara, have you?”
“I don’t know if she’s still alive.”
“She has to be. Cockroaches always survive.” Willow gave him a very conflicted look at that but didn’t respond. “The only reason I wanted to bring you at first was that you might know something about the Spiritualists that could help. I’m starting to think you should come with me either way.” He assessed Willow again and felt a little pity for her. All of her enchanted items had been lost when she’d been captured by her own mother, and after Ashier had taken over her family’s holdings had been repossessed. In just a week her clothes had become bedraggled and stained in areas, and it was likely only her whole ‘woman of the people’ act that kept her going. A sheltered socialite would have fallen to pieces already. “I’m guessing your life isn’t that great now? I keep hearing how many avianoids are in Threst, I’m sure you’d do fine.”
She made a curious sound as air rushed into the nostrils above her beak, likely the equivalent of a sniffle, before nodding. “I’ve only ever wanted to make the world a better place. With everything that’s happened, I don’t think I can here. But I also can’t fight anything without what I’ve lost.”
“I’m not asking you to,” Daniel replied, a little surprised. Then again, he hadn’t been clear with his intentions aside from mentioning them a few seconds ago. “At the very least your people were right about spirits. There may be a way for you to help Hunter later, you just don’t know it yet. Besides, Wings of Craft is owed a lot. Assuming Threst still honors Hunter’s Guild debts, there’ll be enough for you to live on. This isn’t charity, it’s the price I’m paying for the smallest chance you can help with Hunter.” Ok, dial it back. “I know you only did what you did because you wanted to help. If you’d been in on it Casia wouldn’t have knocked you out and stuffed you in a mirror.”
“Ok.” Willow leaned against the windowsill. “Can I ask you about what happened down there?”
“On the way,” Daniel answered evasively. “I’m still figuring it out too.”
…
He didn’t see the Tyrant again before it was time to leave. Khiat’s family saw her off as the rest gathered. Apparently, the Fate’s servant was healed enough to travel and Ashier didn’t care about him. Rait was a mixture of subdued subservience and unease, the latter of which spiking whenever he looked at Daniel. Everyone’s reaction to him further drove the itch to further inspect the changes, but he knew once he opened that door he’d need time to think and wanted distance from Aughal before that. He’d gotten enough of a general sense by now anyway.
With little fanfare, they left, Daniel attracting the most attention out of everyone. Even the shavi straining to remain hydrated with a parasol and a cream Rait was applying every few minutes was mostly glanced over in favor of the once human walking at the head of the group.
“Thomas, can Silora let Murdon know we’re coming?” Daniel asked, ignoring the looks as he headed toward the gate. He could have asked the Fate himself but felt interrupting the steady stream of complaints about the weather coming from her would just have them redirected at himself. At the very least the shavi had put up no resistance to coming along, whether because Thomas had ordered her to or she really did hate the region. “Also, what else can she do?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask her to tell me all of her powers. I could, but I’m not going to.”
“I get it.” Daniel glanced at the shavi who was now yelling at Rait to get a spot under the tendril that protruded from the back of her head. “Any use in a fight?”
“Probably not more than me.”
“Less than you.” Daniel indicated the Cleric’s hands. “Can that affect other people?”
“Yeah, but it drains mana fast if I push it out too far.”
“You can make the bubble bigger?”
“Out to a few meters. Not like I have anything else to spend mana on.” A thoughtful look crossed the Cleric’s face. “Should I try Flash Balance on you?”
Daniel shook his head. “I don’t know if that works on bonds. Either way, not here.”
“You, you know how different you sound? It’s not like you’re completely different, but it’s a bit scary. This isn’t a vengeance bond, right?” Thomas took a breath and walked closer, speaking in a murmur. “Daniel, I know about these kinds of bonds. I was helping Quala with someone in danger of developing one. They can change people, and not for the better.”
“Casia’s dead. This isn’t about killing who’s responsible, it’s about getting Hunter and everyone else back.” They finally reached the northern gate, which was in the process of opening. One look at Daniel was all they needed, and he faintly made out a misty-eyed woman standing next to Rorshawd on the wall above.
As they crossed through, Thomas ever so slightly paused during one of his steps. He glanced at Daniel and in the next moment, he heard Silora’s voice in his head. I swear, it’s like he doesn’t realize how hard this is to do while we’re moving!
What is it? Daniel asked, and he heard a sharp intake of breath behind him.
Oh, that shouldn’t have- Well, hello there. Silora Thelonas, I think we’ve met? I have to say, I like the new look.
What is it? Daniel asked again, unable to stop himself from growling slightly to accompany it. As he’d already discovered, the shift was deeper than cosmetic and there were a host of instinctual responses he wasn’t used to suppressing. It helped in a fight, but not when the petulant voice of a fish person was annoying him.
Scary, the Fate thought sarcastically. Don’t look now, but we’ve got someone else with us concealing themselves with illusion magic. Low level, but something’s strange. I had a hard time noticing and clearly you haven’t yet, because they’re standing right behind you.