It took two days until we were ready to move on towards the Cathedral. I spent quite a while with Medea, Circe coming along as well. We ended up joining a few lessons on etiquette and history since the little princess did not want to let us go. I felt it was good, especially for my fellow witch. She still had a lot to learn but at least she managed to realize that.
Hera had turned our connection with the royal family into a matter of fact. Her confusion had given way to a stoic placidity which she used to full effect. I saw her entering the palace before us and leaving after, even staying away from Alex for that time. It turned out she was learning more about her new Class from the royal servants. It had done a lot for her confidence and independence even though she still chose to be Alex’s personal servant. She did start to tease and talk back much more.
Cerberos had spent a lot of time in the church ‘looking for enlightenment’. If I did not know how much he loved his [Hunter] Class, I would have thought he was trying to join the clergy. Jane had accompanied him and talked to the Cleric once more. The old man had apparently calmed down but I still did not want to meet him again. His obsession with Truth was… uncomfortable. Against all signs, I hoped it would be better in the Cathedral. I was not looking forward to meeting the ‘real’ clergy, as Jane called them.
We had loaded our cart with a bunch of food to make the week-long trip to the centre of the human plains. Most of the area was farmland and small villages but it did not hurt to be prepared. Jane was guiding the horses this time around. The animals were borrowed from the Church. Cerberos walked alongside us, lazily observing the horizon. Everyone else sat in the back and chatted or napped.
It took almost two days before we reached the ‘outskirts’. The small towns and farms directly governed by the Church were called that since the area was only called the Cathedral, same as the central city and the building apparently dominating it.
I noticed a tone of vis and essence cropping up everywhere, the further we went. Lamps of growth, as I had expected, but also similar pink versions located near barns. I found they used victus and herba essence to speed up the growth of cattle and increase its fertility. It took me a moment to figure out that it specifically targeted farm animals and not any rodents or even dogs or cats. And especially humans. If it made them grow up faster, they would basically be wasting lifetime. And the fertility had its own issues… Luckily, the lamps had no effect. I did wonder if a sapient cow or sheep would be influenced.
There was also a node in every village. At least one, often several. [Thaumaturges] were working to supply the essence needed for the lamps. I noticed some interesting mirror designs that connected locations over long distances and let essence through. Maybe something more portable would be helpful for my favourite praying mantis? I made a note to look into it.
Still, the nodes were well hidden. Without my or Alex’s senses, one would not be able to spot them at all. Most of them were underground or in attics. A few had been placed in what looked like guard towers and were used as such by paladins.
Now that we were less distracted from the city, Circe found some more time to observe my potioneering and I could level my [Apprentice Witch] Class once more. We mostly just collected random herbs from the wayside or bought things in the towns and farms we passed by to play around with. Somehow, we figured out a potion that made one jump a little higher. It barely even doubled the apex she could reach from standing still but with some more Strength-focused builds like Jane that meant several metres more.
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My main activity during this leg of the journey was something else though: Scouting for a suitable target. I was still very much looking to get my Class evolved. Taking out some random cattle would not do it. Taking out a human was something I did not want to do unless suitably provoked. I almost hoped for an ambush of sorts but the Cathedral’s sphere of influence was well patrolled and, more importantly, the people were happy. Even a [Thaumaturge] gone mad with power would have been fine, but no. Somehow, everyone was reasonable.
Wild animals, on the other wing, were extremely difficult to find. Especially large enough ones to jump the level in one go. I kept hunting much more than I needed for food in hope of accumulating enough experience but it seemed to be a useless effort.
On our fourth day of travel, I could finally spot the city on the horizon. Or at least its namesake. The Cathedral looked to be a ginormous version of two of the Church buildings I had seen up until now. Together, both buildings formed a long oval that had been cut in half. They tapered off with spires and domes sprouting out of their backs like mushrooms. It practically glowed with vis, though all of it was very well regulated. The aspects appeared to be pushed away forcefully to spread into the air. It was mostly aer, aqua and ordo, with a little bit of perditio and ignis. Terra was surprisingly absent, so were any higher-tier compound aspects.
The flat sides pointed at each other had thin lines connecting them, most likely bridges. From this distance, even my superhuman eyesight was not able to make out any finer details. We were still four days by cart away, after all. That was almost 100 kilometres. Maybe even more. I was unsure if I should be seeing a building from this distance with how low I was flying. I could not have been more than 500 metres off the ground. Maybe the Cathedral was just really massive. I also noticed a lot of tiny shadows moving around the spires. It seemed like it was a prime nesting spot for all kinds of birds.
That gave me an idea. I decided to climb a little higher while carefully keeping an eye out on the nearby airspace. I had occasionally spotted a bird of prey or a murder of crows in the distance. One of the former might just be what I needed for my [Assassin] level. Or… for a [Familiar Bond]. I had put some more thought into my options and found the prospect of having something like a falcon or eagle at my beck and call would be wonderful. That definitely was my owl instincts talking but still. I would not deny that side of myself. Then again, I was already sad thinking about the day I would have to say my goodbyes to Circe. If only she would be able to endure my warp.
It did not take long for me to rise into the bottom of the clouds. Just high enough that I could still see without being spotted easily. It seemed like my presence had chased away some of the more common birds of prey. It barely took ten minutes for a falcon to take to the air from a guard tower’s roof. A few smaller birds also found the courage to hunt for food and soon the airspace had turned incredibly noisy. Was my presence such a deterrent? Maybe I should pay a little more attention to what it looked like when I sat on the cart.
No matter. I had plenty of targets to pick from. Or so I wanted to say but the only one really close enough to not be too much effort was the falcon from earlier. It had made its way about two-thirds up to the cloud I was hiding in and was scanning the ground for food. I made sure to cover my essence with [Mingling] just in case this falcon had a Skill to detect magic and slowly glided downwards.
The smaller bird flapped its wings quite a bit more than I would which gave it a little more speed. I made sure to align myself with its trajectory before spreading my wings of darkness. With one flap, I was right above my target. [Sneak] had completely muted any noise. I tilted my body and beat the air a second time. I could have tried to take it out with [Winged Death] but I decided my talons would be the better option. Gravity helped accelerate even more. Within moments, I was in range. My target must have noticed something off because it started to turn its head but it was already too late. My talons were closing in around the falcon’s neck. I flexed my 39 points of Strength and crushed its spine with a silent snap. The bird tried to screech but no sound would leave its throat. Then, a talon from my second foot punctured its brain.
Immediately, the falcon ceased its struggle. I quickly opened my storage and dropped the body inside. Before anyone could understand what happened, there was one less bird in the skies. Hopefully…
~ding~ [Assassin] reached level 100. 1 Attribute Point awarded. Congratulations! For reaching the fifth milestone in your class you gain +2 DEX and +2 PER. Please choose your further path!
Yes! Now, what were the options?