“Kite, there you are!”
The young man turned around from enjoying the view, chewing on a meat skewer he had bought from one of the nearby vendors here on the seventh pillar. As Dragonfly approached him, pink hair bouncing with each step, he held out another still warm skewer in offering.
“Why thank you, benefactor.” she said with a mock formal curtsy.
“Auntie Dove always said that the way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach.” Kite said idly as his gaze returned to view the city below, still held by the impressive vista.
“So you do view me as a woman, eh?” she said with a teasing grin while elbowing his side as she joined him at the low wall separating them from the ledge.
It was only then Kite realized that he’d actually said it out loud, as the phrase had sneakily taken the place of the intended “You’re welcome.” or “I thought you’d be hungry” that he had meticulously planned out beforehand. He tried to keep a firm grip on his suddenly very slippery calm as explanations rushed out of him just a little too quickly.
“Well, I mean- Auntie Dove is married to auntie Crow so I guess she would know- But I mean, it is just a saying. She said it all the time. And- I mean it really is interesting, now that you think about it, that the heart is a metaphor with so many facets-”
Dragonfly, being a most kind paragon of mercy, interrupted him by bumping her hip into his side. “Well I for one don’t mind getting food from polite and ever so philosophical young men as yourself.” she said with a wink. “Especially not with this view. I’ve been here many times, but it sure is something.”
Earlier this morning, Kite had followed uncle Walker through the now less crowded streets of the city. It turned out that their destination, the adventure society campus, occupied the whole top of the closest mountain peak. This was the reason uncle Walker had chosen that particular part of the city.
Each of the twelve peaks surrounding the city was a small district of its own, simply named in numerical order with the first peak housing the city lord’s palace. The adventure society occupied the whole of the seventh peak, second only to the first in size. Kite had been both excited and impressed as they rode one of the elevating platforms to the top.
Up there had been a sprawling campus of beautiful buildings, most being several stories tall and separated by different marshaling yards, dueling arenas and other kinds of venues requiring open space. Like the rest of the city, Kite saw many curved roofs ending in decorated peaks and spires. Every building was decorated differently, with murals and wall paintings depicting brave warriors fighting foul monsters of all kinds.
Walker had left Kite outside the administration building, one of the largest dominating the northern part of the district. He was going to be busy for the majority of this day, so Kite was left on his own while waiting for Dragonfly.
It was during that wait he happened upon the quite scenic overlook where the pair now stood, munching on their food. Between two buildings there extended a small ledge that extended from the top of the cliff out into empty air. A small wall was built around the edge from the same stone with white-gray marbling as most of the city.
Over the wall, one got a supreme view of the city as a whole. Spread out into an uneven circle between the twelve peaks, the vantage point allowed Kite to really take in the size and beauty of it, from the colorful wooden facades to the tiled roofs to the meticulously planned streets. He could even spot that the central network of streets spelled out the sign for ‘prosperity’ if viewed from the first peak where the city lord’s palace rose with a sprawling complex of towers and estates.
All of it rested among the sea of gold that was the foliage, gently flickering in the wind to give the impression of a glittering treasure.
“So, where do you want to go first? I know a lot of great places!” asked Dragonfly as she broke the silence.
“I am but a drifting leaf, my lady, and will go wherever your warm winds may take me.” Kite replied with a theatrical somberness.
“You planned that out in advance, didn’t you?”
“Yeah…” he confessed sheepishly.
“Well then, I shall do my best to guide the poor little leaf through the big, scary city. Let’s go!” she exclaimed before she took him by the hand and dragged him off.
----------------------------------------
As Kite returned to the small apartment he now shared with uncle Walker, he had a tired smile on his face.
Dragonfly had been a decently knowledgeable guide, making up for the lack of formal education on the matter with sheer enthusiasm. They had walked through busy streets, bought new kinds of snacks and treats from food carts and street vendors, perused stores and gawked at impressive buildings. Kite had been especially impressed with the temple district. While his home village had small shrines to many deities, a small altar beneath a wooden awning couldn’t really compare to the colossi of stone and wood that were the main temples of the area.
As he plopped down on the bed at home, he idly let his fingers run over the armband of small, clicking stone beads with the affixed charm. He had bought them from the temple of Fortune, giving one to Dragonfly while keeping one for himself. His aunties had often thanked Fortune that he had grown up to be healthy and strong, and Kite thanked the goddess again as he relaxed on the bed.
“May our lives continue to feel your touch, as I have done so many times these last couple of months” he mumbled.
He felt happy, and the feeling of connection he had made with Dragonfly in only a few days made him a bit giddy. “Forming bonds is indeed worth it.” He thought, dedicating it to his birth-parents, wherever they might be.
A while later, his reverie was broken as uncle Walker returned home. He put a bag of steamed meat buns on the table, and they talked as they ate. While both could get by perfectly well on spirit coins, Walker seemed to enjoy the food quite a lot.
“Why simply eat a spirit coin when the same coin can get you this treat here in the city? The forest paths have few food vendors, I assure you, so might as well take the chance.” He answered when Kite asked him.
“But onto more important matters. I have made reports to the adventure society, and also applied for your membership. Since you are my student, I managed to arrange an entrance examination for you in two days instead of waiting for the public one at the start of the month. I don’t know if you’d noticed, but your uncle is not entirely unimportant around here.” he said with some smug pride. “But it might have helped that Force had a similar request, so Dragonfly will come along as well” he added in sheepish afterthought.
“Is that why your badge had three stars on it?” Kite asked curiously.
“Ah, so you saw.” Walker said and produced the badge. He took a while to explain the system to Kite and what the different number of stars meant. “I got my third star rather early, as my path allowed me to travel far in these lands quite reliably, even when carrying complicated or sensitive cargo. The kind that can’t go into a dimensional bag.” He said while looking meaningfully at Kite.
“Have you done it a lot then? Delivered others like me?”
Walker chuckled. “No, little Kite. You were, and remain, the most unique contract I have ever taken. And look what came of it! Now I’ve got a young student brimming with potential, and someone to regale with my worldly knowledge too! I’m quite satisfied with the results.” he said before pausing, giving Kite a smile. “I’m proud of you, little Kite.”
“Thank you uncle. For everything. I’ll do my best to keep the flame of that pride bright and strong.” Kite answered, his voice carrying the thickness of emotion.
They sat in silence for a while, enjoying some tea and one another’s company.
“I think we are due for some more training before turning in for the night though. Can’t have you slacking off before the examination, so expect tomorrow to be quite busy. “
----------------------------------------
After an evening and subsequent morning consisting of intense physical training and sparring, Kite stood beside uncle Walker on the elevating platform that carried them up toward the adventure society, were they would seek out the trade hall for some last minute supplies.
“Did you bring the coins your aunties gave you?”
Kite nodded, unconsciously feeling for the second dimensional bag he wore hidden under his clothes.
“Good. They were quite generous with you starting stipend, but as you will soon notice we are entering a world where a lot of money is in circulation. We adventurer’s are paid well because we are willing to face a lot of danger. This means that an adventurer who wants to survive will spend a lot of that money on said survival.”
He gestured to Kite’s wooden armor. “You have quite an enviable power there, little Kite. It will save you a lot of money down the line on equipment, as long as you remain flexible and open the adapting after what you get. But unless you awaken a power or two to conjure equipment, it will still remain a huge money sink during your whole career.
But as you’ve got a decent amount of starting gear, we can instead focus on your powers. I didn’t lie when I said that you are talented and use your powers well. But as we’ve discussed earlier, you sorely need something more straightforward to gain a bit of an extra edge against those enemies that don't rely on fancy tricks.
It might not be possible at the moment with the funds you have at hand, but I thought we might use my access to the three-star part of the trade hall and see if we can’t find ourselves an awakening stone that might give you a chance for it. No guarantee of course, but it doesn’t hurt to keep an eye out for the opportunity.”
“I thought essences and awakening stones were only sold at auction?” Kite asked, remembering his uncle’s earlier lectures on the society and its workings.
“Most are, but the adventure society keeps a certain stock available to their three-star clientele. Mind you, this is rarely of personal use for us since very few adventurers are promoted to three stars before they’ve come into their full set of powers.
The stones are almost exclusively bought for those in the same situation as you. Personal students are quite common among more experienced adventurers, and to further encourage this the society created this option. That way, they get more competent young adventurers as well as additional income.
They did have to limit it to us three-stars though, both due to availability and to lessen the amount of nepotism and bribery. Those who reach three stars have already been thoroughly vetted and deemed to have good enough judgment, after all, so the risk of them using the opportunity for selfish gains is acceptably small.”
While they talked, they had stepped off the platform and were now ascending the stairs to the trade hall. The building was huge, both in height and area, and filled with different shops and stalls who catered to what Kite assumed was an adventurer’s every need.
Following uncle Walker, they passed by rows of weapons, potions and other everyday consumables. Through an open door, Kite could see a young man being fitted into a bright red leather armor by a severe looking tailor. There was quite a lot of foot traffic, with auras of iron and bronze mingling, sometimes struggling against each other. Kite noticed one woman they passed whose aura he could barely feel at all, only giving off the slight hint of even greater danger than his uncle or aunties. When he looked closer he could see the crowd subconsciously parting before her, many stepping aside seemingly without noticing.
“Silver ranker.” uncle Walker informed as he saw Kite’s gaze. “I’m impressed that you noticed. You’ve really been diligent with your training.” He nodded toward the back of the woman. “Her name is Frost among Morning Dew. Rather famous around here. A bit detached, but decent enough.”
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“You’ve met her?” Kite asked, a bit starstruck. The subtle power he’d felt from her aura had been impressive, as if gazing upon a snow-clad mountain peak from the stories.
“I did tell you that your uncle was rather important around here, did I not?” uncle Walker said with a rakish smile. “But a story best saved for another time. Up those stairs.” he finished while nodding toward a set of wooden stairs leading up.
Walker led Kite up one more flight of stairs, while the amount of people and subsequent noise lessened with each floor. Up on the third floor there were almost exclusively bronze rankers, where the occasional iron aura belonged to an often younger adventurer who seemed to be a personal student like Kite. Walker seemed to know most others on this floor by name, and nods of greeting or short stops for conversation were frequent.
They were on their way to a stall closed of heavy silk drapes when a call interrupted them.
“Kite! Master Walker!”
It wasn’t hard to find the source of the voice as Dragonfly came running up to them, her master following at a more relaxed pace.
As the young woman bounced up to them, she greeted Walker with a bow before wrapping Kite in a quick hug of greetings. Kite had by now gotten used to the young woman’s physical way of showing affection, be it hugs or punches on the arm.
“Walker, young Kite” greeted master Force. “How fortuitous to meet you here. I assumed you are here for the same thing we are”. She punctuated the last statement with a nod towards the silk-draped closed stall.
“Indeed we are, Force. While it's a bit of a gamble to awaken new powers so close to the examination, Kite is in sore need of a bit more power of the straightforward kind.”
“Ah, yes. Our young Kite’s methods are rather slow and steady. Fortunately for you, this humble teacher might even be able to help with that particular problem.” she said with a smug smile, before producing a small sphere from within her long, open sleeve which she tossed to Kite.
He almost dropped it out of surprise, before holding it up to inspect it. The sphere was clear, its inside divided by a single crack which should have cleaved it in two, yet did not.
WWJS (What would Jason see?):
[Item] Awakening stone of Sundering
Unranked - Rare
An awakening stone containing the power of breaking and separation.
Uncle Walker gave off a low whistle. “So, your power has reached silver? Which one is this? Momentum?”
“Sundering” Force answered with a satisfied smile. “And yes, it has. A few months ago.”
“You should see it, Kite! It’s amazing! Dragonfly exclaimed. “It's like master’s strikes just punches the ambient magic into submission.”
“You made this?” Kite exclaimed, wide-eyed. “But… but how?”
“In a way.” answered Force. “I have a power which allows the leftover force of my attacks to compress the ambient magic. In some cases, it’s enough to manifest something useful. Before it ranked up to silver rank, it mostly produced quintessence, but nowadays the occasional awakening stone has appeared a lot more often.”
“That’s amazing. But… isn’t this too valuable? I really can’t accept thi-”
“Oh hush, boy. I think you are in more need of it, and might as well help out a friend.” she said while nodding to uncle Walker. “But you truly are Crow’s little chick. She was always such a stickler for the formalities.” She straightened and took on a formal expression. “I, Force of Raging Torrent, transfer all karmic imbalances between us to my student, Dragonfly over Sun’s reflection. Be her benefactor, as I have been yours. Thus shall our karma be severed.
Really though, just think of our little Dragonfly if you find something fitting and we’ll call it even.” she finished with a sigh.
Kite looked gravely at the stone in his hands. “This is gonna require a lot of meat skewers.”
----------------------------------------
They entered the stall together, after both Walker and Force had verified their badges.
All noise was dampened by the interior, which was as draped in silks as the outside. The space inside was dominated by a single glass counter, manned by a young woman in crisp, black robes with a severe expression on her face. She gave them each a polite bow as they entered.
"Welcome, benefactors. To your right, you can find a list of what of our inventory is available at the moment."
She gestured toward the counter top, which was made of a clear crystal with subtle magical runes at the edges. Below it lay a multitude of awakening stones in orderly rows upon silken padding. They had many different shapes and sizes. Some matte and dull, other shimmering or flickering. The attendant remained impassive as the group perused the lists and spoke, the silent environment prompting soft voices even though there were no other customers in the stall.
Kite balked at the prices. He knew that the stones were expensive, but he had thought that more of them would be within his price range. Walker noticed his concerned expression.
“Don’t worry, little Kite. If you can pass the examination and work hard, these numbers won’t seem so staggering.” He looked over the list again. “Now that Force was kind enough to gift you the sundering stone, you should have a bit more flexibility. Which is lucky, otherwise I believe we would have left this place disappointed.” He pointed at the list of available stones. “The awakening stone of eyes should be a solid pick, since you haven’t awakened any perception power yet. Its price is affordable without leaving you destitute, and I’m sure you would not want to miss out on the utility a perception power provides.”
Kite looked over the list, imagining all the fantastical abilities the different stones could provide. In the end, he acquiesced to Walker’s suggestion. “I can’t do much for myself or others if I can’t detect an enemy after all.” he thought for himself before speaking. “Your wisdom is like the heavens, uncle. Ascendant and eternal.”
Walker had a smug expression as he listened to Kite’s praise. “Well of course, little Kite. Shall we?” while gesturing to the counter.
As they went over, Kite told the attendant which stone he wanted to purchase and produced the coins in neat stacks on the table. All of the bronze spirit coins gifted by his aunties went into the purchase, leaving him with a tidy sum for everyday needs but not enough to make any more big purchases.
“Very good, young master.” the attendant replied. Kite was just about to correct her choice of title, but his words got lost in fascination as she bent forward. She leaned on the counter top with her left hand while plunging her right through the crystal. It was only then that Kite noticed a crystalline bracelet on her right hand, glowing faintly.
She quickly produced the stone and pushed it toward Kite on the small silk cushion. It was round and slightly amber colored, with a darker patch at its core which gave it the distinct look of an eye which seemed to look straight at him no matter which angle he observed it from.
WWJS (What would Jason see?):
[Item] Awakening stone of the Eye
Unranked - Common
An awakening stone containing the power of vision.
He bowed in thanks as he stored the stone into his dimensional bag.
Dragonfly was up next, having chosen an awakening stone of the foot. Another common stone, she had the hope of receiving some power relating to movement which Kite knew she was lacking at the moment. He hoped to receive something similar in the future as well, but left those concerns for further down his path.
“Would you like to use our adjacent ritual chamber? It is included with any purchase.” the attendant asked as business was concluded.
“Yes please.” Kite answered after a glance at his uncle. “I can do your ritual as well, Dragonfly. If you don’t mind, that is.”
“Oooo, that would be great, Kite!” she cheered. “Iiiiiiihhh, this is so exiting!”.
The attendant led them into an adjacent part of the stall with a patch of floor made of smooth stone and magical diagrams sewn into the surrounding silk to stabilize the ambient magic. Kite began using chalk to draw out the ritual.
“When did you learn these rituals?” Dragonfly asked, curious.
“One of my aunties taught me. Auntie Crow. She’s really skilled with all sorts of rituals and arrays, and she made sure I could do this one in my sleep before our journey here.”
“You sure are handy to have around Kite. I don’t have the mind for rituals. Never could seem to get them right.”
Force took this moment to comment. “I don’t believe it is a matter of mind, little Dragonfly. Patience is probably the virtue where you need the most practice.” She received a sour pout from her student as a reply.
“You might want to calm yourself, Dragonfly. I believe it’s done. Remember, a still lake gives you the best reflection.” Kite added with a smile, as it was his turn to become the target of her pout.
The ritual went off without incident, as did the two which Kite performed for himself. As they left the trade hall and went onto the plaza outside, Dragonfly couldn’t stop leaping about. She had been lucky, and her stone had given her a power which let her make enhanced leaps and increased the power of leaping attacks.
Kite himself had mixed feelings, but that was more due to the severe sense of nausea he was experiencing at the moment, having to lean against uncle Walker for support. The root of his suffering was one of the new abilities, namely the one from the stone of the eye.
WWJS (What would Jason see?):
Kite Flown in on Winds of Fortune has absorbed [Awakening stone of the Eye]
You have awakened Resolute essence ability [Gaze of Adamance]
[Ability] Gaze of Adamance
Special ability. Cost: None Cooldown: None Current rank: Iron 0
Effect - Iron: Provides perfect peripheral vision and increased ability to swiftly process visual stimuli.
As Kite had opened his eyes after the ritual, his world had literally expanded. All of his vision was clear, without blurry periphery. It was weird not actually having to shift his gaze around. It was a bit dizzying inside the chamber as his mind got used to the new, increased amount of stimuli, but manageable. He could immediately appreciate how easy it was to evaluate his next magical diagram as he could take it in as a whole.
The troubles had started when they were done and left the isolated environment. Kite’s brain worked overdrive to keep track of all the new details, leaving him wobbly and nauseous. They sat down on a stone bench outside, as Kite focused on not moving his head while letting his mind adapt to the new, improved circumstances.
“Hmm, this gave us an easy answer as to what to practice today for tomorrow's examination. Observation and perception training is important. I must admit that I am more skilled in the woodlands, but I should know enough to teach you the basics.” said uncle Walker as he sat beside Kite.
“You should sit in on this one as well, Dragonfly. Working on both awareness and patience will do you good” Force said as she nudged her student onto the bench beside Kite.
“But master, don’t you hate perception training? I believe you said something like “as long as one’s path is strong enough, it doesn’t matter if you can’t see it coming.” Dragonfly sulked.
“I have no idea what you are talking about, student. However, I shall leave you to it while I peruse the food carts nearby.” Force said hastily, already moving away.
“How you got that third star must be a mystery only the heavens know!” Walker shouted at her swiftly retreating form. “Oh go hug a tree!” came a shouted response.
Sighing, he proceeded to spend the next couple of hours leading the two iron-rankers through extended practices of observation and perception, part meditative mind-techniques and part methodology. Fortunately, the nausea gave way rather quickly, but Kite surmised that both he and Dragonfly would have a headache this evening.
As they left the elevating platform, now on ground level, Dragonfly suddenly halted.
“Kite, you never showed us the new special attack!” she exclaimed.
This led to them being gathered in the small back yard behind uncle Walker’s apartment house. It was mostly flat and open, but two rather large trees occupied a corner each. Kite looked at his trio of observers.
“I just want to point out that I haven’t tried this out myself either, so don’t expect anything… Well, competent.”
“Less explaining, more sundering!” Dragonfly cheered back.
Kite sighed and focused inwards, feeling his new power resting there. A force of destruction, ready to be unleashed.
WWJS (What would Jason see?):
Kite Flown in on Winds of Fortune has absorbed [Awakening stone of Sundering]
You have awakened Void essence ability [Void-Sunders-Firmament]
[Ability] Void-Sunders-Firmament
Special attack. Cost: Moderate mana Cooldown: 5s Current rank: Iron 0
Effect - Iron: Surround your melee weapon or unarmed attack with spatial tears, dealing high damage and resonating force damage. Can be used either as a wide, sweeping attack or as a more focused, directed attack.
Kite drew his halberd from the void sheath and spun into a swing. As the attack was channeled into the weapon, it started trailing what looked like a jagged, black tear into space itself. As the tear expanded, it did so with a sound like a thin sheath of ice breaking, although it was felt more than heard.
As Kite completed the sweep, the tear vanished as reality mended. He spun around, did a quick series of jabs and thrusts into the air before lunging and activating the attack again. As the bladed head of the halberd had extended fully, thrust into an imaginary opponent, Kite unleashed the attack. Multiple smaller spatial tears appeared in a chaotic tangle all around the head of the weapon for a split second before disappearing.
Both Force and Walker were nodding appreciatively at the display, while Dragonfly stood with wide eyes as she stared at the appearing tears which shredded the insides of said imaginary foe.
“I can think of so many things I’d rather have inside me…”