Kite gave thanks to the adventure society functionary behind the requisitions counter, taking the small box before taking his leave. The day was crisp and his breath steamed in the cool air. Most people around the campus wore additional layers to ward off the chill, but those with bronze-rank auras generally strode around as casually as if it were a pleasant summer day.
He stopped next to a wall and opened the lid of the box. Two small piles of quintessence filled the interior. One was devoid of color and gave off no reflection, looking almost like small holes in the world. The other had more varied colors and looked as if they instead took in miniscule aspects of the world around them. He closed the lid again, nodding in anticipation. Those small piles of quintessence had cost just over a third of his earnings, but void and gathering quintessence of iron rank was not very common. This meant additional fees of transportation, but Kite had been pleasantly surprised that it had only taken a week.
During the wait, he’d passed the time with weapons training and completed a couple of smaller contracts, taking Serene along. Dragonfly had left a few days after their celebration, joining her master for some ‘complementary training’. Master Force had been suitably impressed that the trio had fought and defeated the bronze-rank spirit, but had found some aspects of Dragonfly’s post-battle insights quite lacking.
With the box in hand, Kite once more made his way to the magic society and a ritual chamber. He knew that the ritual would be more complex than any he had performed before, and was thankful for the instinctual knowledge on how to complete it properly.
It took about half an hour to finish the complex diagram, complete with the piles of quintessence and spirits coins in their proper place. Kite sat down to collect his mind, centering himself and the mental image of his path. Then he began the ritual.
“An existence among nothing demands to know everything.
A gathering of everything leaves nothing unseen.
Come forth, scholar of realities.
My world and my soul is yours to know.”
Kite felt prodigious amounts of energy leaving his body as the diagram glowed, consuming the gathered materials. In the air above him, a tear formed in the empty air as if someone had made a brush stroke depicting a hole in reality. More tears followed, an unseen cosmic calligrapher completing the image.
The result was a series of shorter, curved lines which formed a circle around a central symbol consisting of many abstract ‘strokes’. It felt like it contained meaning, conveying a vague concept even though Kite could not understand it. In that way, it was similar to the symbols of his conjured barrier, albeit he did not recognize this particular one. The whole thing was around thirty centimeters in diameter.
As the ritual was completed, the symbol was left hanging in the air. After a short delay, Kite could see it visibly animate. Each of the different lines and strokes felt more animated and organic, some wobbling slightly independent from one another. However, it moved as a whole as it floated down through the air and hovered before Kite.
He looked at the bizarre entity with curiosity, feeling a distinct bond to it through his summoning power.
“Ehm. Greetings.” he said, tentatively. Kite did not know what kind of being his power would summon, the magic society index not having such a creature in their records, at least not from what Kite had been able to find.
It wobbled slightly in the air, its central lines reconfiguring into another symbol which gave off a vague meaning of a greeting. Then, as if not being able to curtail some kind of curiosity, it floated off to one of the nearby walls, inspecting it intently. It continued through the room, being especially fascinated by the glass window and Kite’s hair.
“You seem to be a curious one.” Kite chuckled as he rose, swallowing two pills to start replenishing his depleted mana and stamina. “The ritual chant said that I apparently invited you to see my world. Want to come along?”
He got a definite affirmative feeling from it, and proceeded to absorb the familiar into him, following the instinctual knowledge provided by the ability. As the incorporeal being dispersed through his aura, he felt a slight tingle as its spiritual senses merged with his. It was a new sensation to not be alone inside his own body, even though the familiar did not do much to draw attention to itself. As he walked out through the corridors of the magic society building, he could once in a while feel a faint sense of curiosity as it reached out through his aura to inspect whatever caught its interest.
“Well, fellow traveler, hopefully you won’t regret tagging along with me. It feels nice to have someone join me on my path. I suppose that it’s more our path now.”
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That evening, uncle Walker returned after one of his longer contracts. The whole area north of Gilded consisted of terrain where bigger roads were hard or even impossible to maintain without a great expense in magical personnel and resources due to the dense forests and cliffs. While the region had natural resources enough to warrant settling, it simply wasn’t considered important enough to sink those kinds of resources into it.
That was why adventurers capable of traversing the inhospitable terrain, such as uncle Walker, were vital for the survival of some of the more remote settlements as they could carry wagon loads of supplies in dimensional bags. While certainly more expensive than more conventional merchants, it was still preferable to starving.
This meant that uncle Walker had traversed far during the weeks he had been gone, enough that even his bronze-rank body looked a bit weary. He did brighten considerably as he saw Kite sitting at the table, as it had been many weeks since they last saw each other. Soon they were both slurping down noodles and catching up to what both had been doing during their time apart.
“I’m glad to hear that you took my advice to heart, little Kite. A bronze-rank monster is not to be trifled with at your rank, and I’m relieved that neither of you suffered more permanent injuries. Once I’m a bit more rested, we should go through what you’ve learned more thoroughly.” He said before emptying the last of his bowl. “Was during that little adventure that you picked up your new friend? “
Kite looked at him blankly at first before realizing who he was talking about.
“Ah, yes. I had the fortune of receiving an awakening stone, and this was the result.” Kite answered as he let the familiar manifest. “This is Brave Walker of Paths, or uncle Walker.”
“Greetings.” uncle Walker nodded to the entity, which in turn floated over to him and inspected him curiously while hovering around to view him from different angles.
Kite told him about what he knew of its capabilities, leaving Walker as surprised as Kite and his friends had been after the awakening ritual.
“The first part feels easier to wrap my head around. You are fortunate to have awakened a familiar which meshes so thoroughly with your path, little Kite. It is the ability it confers when absorbed into you that has me more confounded.
I suppose you might see more manifestations around you in the future, albeit that usually would mean more monsters. Your path will have to work hard. Fortunately, the last few months have shown me beyond doubt that you are not averse to tempering your path through the fires of contracts.”
Kite smiled at the praise, and they continued to discuss different approaches to fuse the familiar into his current way of fighting. After a while, uncle Walker posed a question Kite had not previously pondered.
“What will you name it? I know that not everyone does that, but I believe it would be a better fit for you, Kite. I think you work best among those you feel close to, and a name should go a long way toward helping you work closer together.
As he said it, Kite felt a bit foolish for not giving the familiar a name right away.
“Do you want a name?” he asked the floating bundle of symbols which were busy inspecting the myriad pieces of memorabilia decorating the apartment. It shifted its attention to him, floating over and stopping quite close to his face, as if waiting expectantly.
Kite gave it some thought as he gazed into its shifting patterns, trying to discern what best would fit the enigmatic entity.
“You seem to be of the void, but you are not nothing. I don’t know much about you, but you seem to like knowledge and new things, at least according to the chant. ‘Scholar’ doesn’t really roll off the tongue, and ‘researcher’ doesn’t really fit…” he mumbled to himself, brows creased. After a short contemplation, something snapped together in his mind as he found a name.
“Sage!” he exclaimed happily. “Your name should be Sage. Would you be alright with that?”
The familiar, now quite close to his face froze before starting to bob up and down repeatedly while giving a sign that conveyed gratitude. Kite always felt his mind tingle slightly as his mind comprehended the meaning of a symbol he technically didn’t know, a sensation quite odd.
“Uncle Walker, meet Sage.” Kite repeated, as his uncle chuckled.
“Sage is not unusual as part of the names of children, given in hope that they grow up to become wise. Let’s hope that is the case for you as well, little Sage.” he said with a smile and a raised glass towards the familiar before turning to Kite.
“On another matter, I may have an opportunity for you. I stopped by an old acquaintance on my last contract. He lives even further up north than Starberry peak, and more to the west. He’s a practitioner of a martial art, one I believe that you could stand to benefit from.”
“Oh?” Kite queried, interest obvious in his posture and aura.
“You are coming along splendidly as an adventurer, Kite. But this old man would hope that your path will carry you further than mine has so far. You are coming into your abilities, even completely awakening one of your essences. But do you remember what I taught you regarding growing into this kind of power?”
“That it is not only having the power to act, but how you act?”
“Correct again, little Kite. This saying is a favorite of mine as it has nuance and depth. While it can apply to how you treat and act towards others, it can also be said about the way you fight. If we’d just awakened your essences and thrown you against monsters, you’d be dead at worst and a barely competent adventurer at best.”
“But you did train me, uncle Walker. You, and some of the other guests of my aunties as well.”
“That we did. And you have used it well. If you had remained a normal-ranked person you would have been considered decently skilled. But as a walker of your path, you will rise above it. Far above, if you can manage it. That is why you need to keep looking toward your future regarding your martial skills as well.
When you have all your essences awakened, you will start to leave the earlier limitations behind you. And your fighting style will need to incorporate that. While I believe we did a decent job with your foundation, you will need to seek out another master, probably more, during your life to truly create the style that is in complete harmony with your path.”
“But I have seen you fight, uncle. Your skills with the blade are inspiring.” Kite protested. It was no overstatement either. To him, his uncle seemed like a deadly force of nature as he fought and Kite was always spurred on to one day be his equal.
“This old man is happy to hear he can still instill respect in the youngsters of this age” uncle Walker shuckled. “In all honesty Kite, I am decent but not more than that. I completed my set of essences rather late, and didn’t receive much in the way of weapons training during my youth. Most I learned myself while out on contracts. Don’t get me wrong, I am proud of where I am today. But I am a courier first and a warrior second, both in spirit and in skill.
But you Kite, you have potential. I didn’t mention this during your childhood, as I wanted to avoid the complacency that Force is always going on about, but you have a truly remarkable talent for picking up and mastering different fighting styles and weapons. It might not seem that way to you, but not many would have the mind, sense and discipline to constantly practice with all the different types of weaponry that you do. While you won’t reach the deeper, more profound specialization some strive for, you don’t have to as long as it harmonizes with your path. Heavens, your gift evolution alone even encourages a wide arsenal. ”
Kite was stunned by that particular piece of praise. He truly hadn’t thought about it, as he never had an opportunity to really compare. Kite mostly practiced his weaponry alone, not out of a particular need for privacy but more of practicality, such as during evenings or early mornings. He sparred with Dragonfly, but it was rarely singular weapons training that they evaluated or practiced together, instead focusing on their paths as a whole.
He could even envision her right now, giggling about how ‘earnestly humble’ he must seem. It was one of her favorite topics to jab him about, after all. As he opened his mouth to argue, he was forestalled by a gesture from his uncle.
“What I’m trying to say is that you, Kite, can go far. If you can manage to learn different styles of combat from actual masters, you yourself might be able to weave them into something heaven-defying. If you keep up that diligence of yours, of course.” he finished, seemingly remembering his persona as a sterner mentor at the last moment.
Kite’s mind warred between embarrassment, pride, excitement and a slight bit of disbelief.
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“It seems like I still have a long way to go in knowing myself, uncle. Thank you, for the kind words and the lesson. I will keep it with me in my meditations.” he said, voice low but a smile on his lips. Then he remembered where this conversation began, as he backtracked. “You did mention an opportunity earlier. A master residing far out to the northwest?”
“Ah, yes. His name is Unyielding Soul of Stone, a name he received about a decade ago as he was instrumental in the purging of the Unbreakable Chains sect. Like Force, he has spent a lot of time refining and developing his martial arts. As I happened to be in the area on my latest contract, I stopped by. We happened to talk about you, and after regaling him with the stories of a proud uncle, I believe his exact words were ‘Send the whelp here before you ruin quality raw material too much’.” Uncle Walker said the last part with an exaggerated, gravelly voice.
“How come you think he can help me develop? Will I even be good enough to study under such a master?” Kite asked, hoping that his uncle hadn’t given the man too high an expectation of Kite’s abilities.
“Stone is probably at the peak in the Autumn lands when it comes to effectively using all kinds of barriers, walls and other such creations in battle. While it is not the singular focus of your path, I still believe that it would be a good place to start. During our training, it is probably your barriers that feel the most disconnected from the rest of your path, and Stone should definitely be able to remedy that.”
Kite thought it over, knowing his uncle’s words to be true. His barrier power had been used quite a lot, but often as a completely different option to the rest of his skillset, such as when they were baiting the pack of galezards during the contract in Verdant steps. He had been practicing conjuring and removing it in short order to block specific attacks. It was a challenging power to use, as it was as solid to him or his allies as it was to his enemies. Using it at the wrong moment might hamper himself or the one he was trying to protect. Fortunately, its strength was quite decent for a power deployed so quickly, but it had still left it a bit underutilized.
Nodding in agreement with his uncle’s last statement, Kite posed another question which came to mind.
“What kind of payment or compensation will this master Stone require?”
Uncle Walker waved it off. “Stone isn’t interested in most things you’d have to offer, little Kite. His stations require more valuable and high-rank resources than you would reasonably get your hands on. If you were a supplicant from a wealthy or influential family it would have been different, since he has no compunctions getting what he can from them. I think you are an opportunity for him as much as he is for you. He has begun training students he deems interesting during the last couple of years in an attempt to gain new insights into his own path.
However, I think it would be best if you’d find the chance to awaken at least one more ability of your barrier essence before heading out. If that is your plan, that is.”
Kite nodded his ascent. “I think I should have the funds left for one of the more common awakening stones, if you wouldn’t mind escorting me to the emporium in the trade hall again?”
“That’s the spirit! Your path will be tempered to perfection in no time if you keep this up, little Kite. I once heard a saying attributed to some academy master from a far away land. It was something along the lines of ‘A great adventurer is able to turn opportunity into fortune’.”
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Kite and uncle Walker were leaving the awakening stone emporium and making their way back out when they were stopped by a minor adventure society functionary who relayed to them that their presence was requested at the administration building by Adelaide.
“We’ll go straight there then. This old man is curious to hear what warrants a personal summon, for the both of us even.” uncle Walker replied, Kite nodding along.
During the short walk, they discussed some possible reasons for being called upon in such a manner.
“I have heard some vague hints about the local branch undertaking something more ambitious in the future, but it has been hard to get anything more than that out of my acquaintances. Since neither of us should have done anything to warrant a slap on the wrist, it shouldn’t be unreasonable to hope for something positive.” Walker said as they walked up the stairs toward the administration building.
The lobby was a pleasant, functional environment with plenty of comfortable seating and tasteful decor consisting of curiosities gathered by the branch over the years. Not long after announcing their presence to the functionary manning the reception desk, they were led up to a meeting room Kite had not seen before. It was on the top floor of the five-story tall building, and the double doors they were walking towards had lavish decorations.
“The branch director’s office. It has been quite a while since I’ve been here.” uncle Walker said in a low voice.
They entered a richly decorated office with a magnificent view over Gilded and the golden valleys beyond. The room had even more paraphernalia as decoration, and was far more exotic than the lobby. Kite’s attention lingered on one piece in particular, which was a sphere of glass containing a miniature stormy ocean, complete with a waterspout in constant motion.
“A sliver of a Rimarosian storm. Safely contained, of course.” said a male voice unfamiliar to Kite. He looked up to see a man approaching him from the direction of the large desk dominating one part of the room, Adelaide in tow.
He was a handsome human with bronze skin and golden hair. His chin had a neatly trimmed golden beard along the whole of his jawline which combined with his shoulder length hair, combed back over his head, to give him the look of a lion. This was further enhanced by his imposing silver-rank aura, giving him an almost radiant glow to Kite’s mind's eye. Kite hurried to bow deep to him, hands cupped, as he realized that this must be Jarvan LanCaire, the branch director himself.
As with most branch directors and higher functionaries, he was not a native to the kingdom. Kite didn’t know much about the man, but his office indicated that he was widely traveled.
Uncle Walker bowed next to him. “Director LanCaire. We came as soon as we were called.”
“It has been a long time since I saw you last, Walker.” the director said with a smile. “And this must be the young protegé of yours. Greetings, Kite Flown in on Winds of Fortune.” he finished, directing his attention at Kite. His presence was one that easily filled a room.
“Greetings, branch director LanCaire” Kite said, trying to convey as much politeness as possible. “If you don’t mind, calling me Kite will do just fine.”
“Excellent!” the director exclaimed. “While I appreciate the poetry of your naming culture, it becomes quite a mouthful when in formal settings where the full name is used all the time.
Walker, Kite, please come sit with us. We have an opportunity to discuss.”
Not long after, they sat in a group of comfortable couches of a make Kite hadn’t encountered so far in his life. The plush, high-backed seating was quite different from the piles of pillows they had during his childhood. He could really understand the appeal.
“Director, I must admit I am quite curious as to what brought on this meeting.” uncle Walker said while nodding thanks to Adelaide who was pouring him tea. “To call both me and Kite was a bit of a surprise, and I’m curious as to what matters concern the both of us.”
“While catching up with one of my hardest-working members is always nice, Walker, we do have some more official business to discuss. I asked Adelaide to join us as well, as she has had many professional interactions with the both of you.
First, and most simple order of business; Kite, the actions taken during your last major contract to Verdant steps has shown us that you are able to make sound judgment and cooperate with others, enough to react in an appropriate way to an unexpected level of danger. Combined with your otherwise sterling record of service so far, we have made the decision to promote you to a two-star member. Please present your badge to Adelaide.”
Kite was stunned by the sudden revelation, producing his badge in a daze as Adelaide used a small magical rod to add a second star to the badge. He felt a nudge of aura from uncle Walker, snapping him out of it to manage a “T-thank you, director.”
“Modesty is all good Kite, as I believe there is enough pride to go around in this world. But don’t hesitate to enjoy your success as well. I can assure you that the continental council would not have transferred me to this position if I was one to give out promotions for the wrong reason.”
Kite smiled and straightened, trying for a bit more confidence. “Then I shall hopefully continue to perform to your expectations, director LanCaire.”
“That’s more like it! Give confidence some practice and I believe you’ll be quite a presence here in Gilded.” the director said, while grinning at him and giving him the aura equivalent of a slap on the back. With a silver-ranked aura, this left Kite almost as winded as if the director had brought his physical strength to bear.
The director continued. “For our other matter, this regards both of you. However, I would have an oath from the both of you that, no matter your answer to our offer, you will keep it to yourselves.”
Kite looked at his uncle, who nodded encouragingly.
“Then I swear on my path and my place in the heavens that I will keep it secret unless I am told otherwise.” Kite said somberly.
“As do I” uncle Walker followed. “So please, director, enlighten us as to what it is you’re planning.”
“Very well.” director Jarvan said after giving them a long look each, apparently satisfied with what he saw. “As you are aware, cleaning up after the purge of the Unbreakable Chains sect has been a rather lengthy affair. Several expeditions have been arranged, each and every one delayed by sect politics as their pride prohibits cooperation in most situations.
However, we are beginning to see tendencies of increased activity from the scattered remnants of the fallen sect. You yourself, Kite, have already witnessed part of it. While my sources and scouts so far haven’t seen any evidence of attempts to gather the remnants of the sect again, it is still concerning. A long term plan needs to be formulated, but as usual I have to play around the local… idiosyncrasies.
We have made a proposal that has been approved and authorized by the continental council. While I am not at liberty to fully disclose more details, I can say that in around one year’s time, there will be a new attempt at scouring the remnants of the fallen sect from the region.
While both the Descending Star and Victorious Sunset sects will be participating, we have received resources to organize a force of our own as well with unaffiliated locals. ‘Outcasts’ as you are apparently called. And we believe that both of you would make good contributions to such a force.”
Kite tentatively straightened in his seat, indicating that he had a question. At a nod from the director, he asked:
“Even a relatively new iron-ranker like me?”
“Even iron-rankers such as yourself, Kite. We don’t have myriads of bronze- and silver rankers at our beck and call, but neither should our quarry. While you are young, you have already shown that you and your ilk can handle danger. Instructor Whisper even recommended you for this after your examination, as he believed that your rather unusual path would be a good match against other essence-users.
However, it stands to reason that those of iron rank will be the most vulnerable members of this venture. That is why we have an additional offer for those of you who choose to participate. It is of great importance that you can start to truly progres, and for that you need awakening stones.
The adventure society would be willing to supply you with an advance of additional stones to ensure that you are as ready as you can be for such a venture, but also know that the stones come with a price. You will repay the society in service at this venture, and will receive significantly less monetary compensation for it when the time comes. We also expect you to remain an independent adventurer for at least ten years.
It would not be wise for us to invest too heavily in having competent free agents in the area, only for you to directly join a sect to partake of their resources as well in exchange for your loyalty. I freely admit that I do not care much for the particular flavor of rivalry and politics, and will have no part in giving them more members.”
He turned to uncle Walker. “For those of you who are above iron rank, we will have substantial monetary rewards available, as well as a merit system which you can use to exchange contributions for services and wares from the society. I assure you that you will find it quite lucrative.”
Walker sat in thought, considering the offer. Kite, however, did not need much time.
“I accept this offer, director LanCaire. In all honesty, it would only benefit me to do something that I intended to do anyway. While I am not entirely sure, I suspect that such politics are to blame for some quite significant parts of my personal life. So far, I haven't seen the allure to join a sect and restrict my path.”
“Then I think you haven’t seen the benefits they offer, but I shall not argue a point which benefits me greatly. Then I welcome you to this venture. While you are free to act however you want, I would strongly recommend that improving your strength during the upcoming year should be your strongest priority. See to it that you are in the vicinity of the city as autumn arrives next year.”
“May I ask something else then, director?”
“Go ahead.”
“As you may know, I have two companions who I frequently fight alongside. I believe they would each contribute to and want to join such a venture as well, albeit for different reasons. I would ask you to consider them as well.”
“I can already confirm that Force of Raging Torrent and her student will receive the same offer the next time they return to the city. I must admit though, that I hadn’t considered the priestess. That was mostly out of assumption however, since her clergy isn’t known for supporting such brutal business. Do you think she would accept such an offer.” the director asked, curious.
“I do. She would at least consider it, but I’m quite sure she will want to join.”
“Then we shall extend the offer to her as well.” said the director, nodding in satisfaction.
“You can count me in as well.” uncle Walker stated as he broke into the conversation. “I can’t just leave young Kite here without support. His aunties would be quite cross with me if I did. And it sounds like it might give me just what I need to take the next, great step on my path.”
“Splendid!” director Jarvan exclaimed. “You will be an invaluable scout and relay in this kind of terrain. Kite, Adelaide can help you come into contact with our scholars regarding the stones. I hope you understand that we don’t have the rarest stuff just lying around, but we shall do our best with what we have to make you as formidable as possible.
Then we seem to have concluded our business. Adelaide will be your contact for this venture, so please turn to her if you have questions.” he finished, rising from his seat.
Everyone recognized the dismissal, and left the office.
“See, Kite. I told you. Fortune from opportunity.” Walker chuckled as they walked along the hallway. “And thank you, Adelaide. Don’t think I wouldn’t recognize your hand in this as well.”
The elven woman gave a pleased smile. “It was just a nudge and a proposal, but I am happy with the results all the same. I don’t mind showing some favor to two of my most cooperative adventurers if it keeps the director happy and the amount of finished contracts flowing.”
“About that…” Kite said sheepishly.
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A few hours later, Kite and Adelaide exited another wing of the administration building after meeting with the scholars and keepers of magical items employed by the society. With their help, Kite had picked out two additional awakening stones. The scholars had seemed pleased that Kite hadn’t opted for more at the time, as he didn’t want to add too many new and unknown factors to his path at the same time. They had advised him to properly induct the new abilities into his fighting style at first, as it would help the final few that awakened to better harmonize with his path as a whole, as well as increase the chance to shore up weaknesses.
“I still can’t believe you are going away for a few months…” Adelaide muttered, still grouchy after the revelation as her amber eyes thinned, turning towards him. “Promise me again!”
“I promise I will take the time to do what I can on the contract boards along the way.” Kite repeated, trying to mollify the functionary’s frustration.
“Especially the far-off ones?”
“Especially the far-off ones.”
“Fine.” She harrumphed. “But you better learn quickly. I need all the reasonable people I can get around here."
“Patience is power; with time and patience a mulberry leaf may become a silk gown.” Kite stated sagely.
“You can keep all your normal-rank silk for all I care. I have magical problems requiring magical solutions. Magical violence is usually preferable," Adelaide sulked.
“I will miss you too, Adelaide. You have given me much assistance, and I shall never forget it.” Kite said, stopping for a low bow with cupped hands.
She froze, before sighing and shaking her head with a smile. “I can understand why Dragonfly always grumbles about your earnestness, Kite. Sometimes it’s okay to keep it more casual. Don’t keep her waiting for too long, you hear.”
“Waiting for what?” Kite asked, confusion plain on his face.
“Heavens keep you safe on your travels!” She called over her shoulder as she walked back toward the building housing her office.
“Waiting for what?!”