One month passed quickly and uneventfully. Every day, twice a day, Layla and Trillia prayed to Ora'sys. Layla also offered prayers to Arlyss and explained to Trillia that many deities gained tiny specks of power for every prayer they received. She said it might not seem like much, but with tens of thousands of followers, it added up.

Any time that Trillia practiced creating new magic, she kept a strict eye on her mana. Never using more than a thousand mana on a given experiment. The meticulous watch on her mana had given her greater control over how much she could pump into something.

Before, it had been haphazard and a few hundred at a time. Now, she could pump individual points of mana into an experiment and slowly watch as the mana changed.

The biggest and most jarring change for Trillia was [Mana-Warped Vision]. The first day on the ship was overwhelming. So many little pings and notifications that people were using mana. People on this ship used mana for everything. Help getting to sleep, help waking up, some needed mana to walk properly. They used mana in their everyday tasks.

[Mana-Sight] had shown her a rough overview of things. [Mana-Warped Vision], once it was toggled on, was a detailed layout of mana. Trillia could see mana fonts and flows sprouting out of thin air. She didn't dare use Aether Sight, not wanting to risk whatever watched the Aether. At least not so soon after her first accidental foray into that realm.

Another change that was more startling to others. Was her new trait. Now that [Mana-Warped] was a trait and not a skill. It pinged to a lot of folks. Everyone on the ship, even the Captain, regarded her with significantly more caution. Anytime she used her mana, horns would sprout from her head and vanish once she stopped mana usage.

By the end of the month, [Stitch] had grown to level five, and [Mana Conduit] had gone up to level seven. In addition, a new notification that she had been waiting for finally popped up.

Due to your tireless devotion, The Goddess of Retribution, Ora'Sys, has deemed you worthy to become an acolyte in her service.

New Class Available!

Acolyte of Retribution

Acolyte of Retribution

Duration: Long, Extendable

Requirements

Gain the favor of a deity of Retribution that can have worshippers become Clerics.

An acolyte of Retribution believes in swift, unyielding justice for those who commit evil acts. As Acolytes, they gain some healing abilities, but many of their skills focus on intercepting attacks and countering such attacks. When using a weapon favored by their deity, an Acolyte of Retribution adds their base [Charisma] to all damage done with such weapons.

In addition, when interrogating creatures who have committed evil acts, your [Charisma] is tripled for the purposes of influencing the minds of the creatures you interrogate.

Acolytes of Retribution have a wide array of skills.

Acolytes of Retribution provide 1 Intuition and 1 Presence at every level.

Trillia walked over and gently shook Layla awake. The orc blinked and rubbed her eyes, glancing over at Trillia. "Is everything okay?"

Trillia nodded. "I can become an acolyte. I wanted to ask if I should take it as a long or extendable class."

Layla shot up in bed and dove into Trillia with a hug. "That's wonderful news! I'm glad that Lady Ora'sys has accepted you! If you only want the class for healing, take it at long. If you ever wish to become a Cleric or another class in dedication to Lady Ora'sys, take it as extendable. The class can only evolve if it's extendable."

Trillia nodded and returned the hug. She voided [Alchemist] and chose [Acolyte of Retribution] as her new class at the extendable duration. She immediately felt a stronger connection to Ora'sys. It almost felt the same as being pact-bound in a way. A little lifeline that she could tug on to receive divine aid.

"What are the favored weapons of Lady Ora'sys? The class description mentioned something about that."

"Umm. I know all bludgeoning weapons. I think that's it. But don't worry. All artifact weapons are considered favored weapons by all deities. So your rapier and that crossbow thing you have should both count."

Trillia was a bit surprised by that. "Oh! Wonderful. I feel guilty, though. Mother gave me such a wonderful weapon, and I am moving further and further away from its use."

Layla looked down at [Sliver of Fate]. "Maybe try to channel your mana through it? Next time we're in an actual fight, see if you can channel offensive spells and abilities into it. That might work. I've heard of classes that let you do it."

Trillia recalled [Rune Fencer] was almost exactly that type of class. But with [Mana-Conduit] being so open-ended, perhaps she'd be able to make the same thing happen. "I'll give it a try when we're on land. I don't want to risk anything like that on the ocean. Not after that mana storm."

Layla offered her a nod.

The remaining month was smooth sailing. There wasn't much progress to be made on classes. The system had mostly caught on that the two were fine and in no danger. Trillia got some more practice in manipulating her mana, but nothing that made a noticeable difference.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Sinclaire was nothing like Trillia expected. She had stopped her mana regeneration and allowed her sight to be enhanced. The city was absolutely massive. There were thousands of docks dotting the coast. All under the banner of Port Sinclaire. Massive towers had been erected in the ocean with huge glowing gems resting on each. Charged with absurd amounts of mana.

Illana put a hand on Trillia's shoulder. "Be wary. The Central continent is a different beast. Obfuscation is a primary skill for everyone in that port. Keep your belongings close to you and trust no one. Understood?"

Trillia nodded but didn't take her eyes off the coastline. As they got closer, she saw that the city ran for miles up the hills in the surrounding areas. It was easily two or three times the size of Rift City.

The girls had found a way to communicate with Arlyss, albeit in an extremely round-a-bout way. They could send a message once a week to the other rings. Arlyss said he'd keep an eye on the others just in case he needed to send a short message back or send in reinforcements, as it were.

The docks were varied and massive enough that as the Argo pulled close to the port, a spell latched onto the bow of the ship and pulled it to rest comfortably in the docks.

A gnome stood a top a pillar, shouting various commands to those around him. Every so often, his attention would turn to the ocean, and he'd pull another ship into port or do the reverse and push some of the larger ships back out to sea.

Heavy planks were dropped to form a bridge between the Argo and the docks. The crew began to offload various cargo. Robert made sure everyone knew not to cause trouble. They'd be here for a while. Illana was in charge of meeting up with the other followers of Arlyss and ensuring that Trillia had a group that knew how to get her to the dwarves.

Andromeda followed behind the two acolytes in silence with a hand on a dagger. She was more accustomed to the city. The docks were packed with cargo, goods, jewelry, and food. Everything one could think to sell and more.

Illana paused before a set of stairs that led further into the city. A massive human stood in front of the stairs. Covered head to toe in gleaming silver armor, with a massive two-handed hammer resting comfortably in his hands. There was a crest similar to the one the Captain wore on his tabard. "Illana Perishsong. Pact-bound to the [2nd Axle], First Mate to Captain Robert Highwind. Requesting permission to take the merchant quarters for a personal meeting."

The man looked down at her and then at the three following behind her. "Names?" The cobblestone under their feet trembled at his words.

Trillia stepped forward. "Trillia Demonsbane. Pact-bound to Lord Arlyss Darktone. These are my friends and escorts. Layla and Andromeda."

The man scanned her for a moment. She knew immediately that whatever he used to scan her had bypassed her protections. "Darktones." With a grunt, he stepped aside and motioned for them to pass. As soon as they were up the stairs, the noise vanished. Trillia looked around and saw that every home was nice and well-maintained. The loud ruckus of the port gave way to the sound of a stream slowly drifting its way through this part of the city.

Illana led them toward a large building made of white stone. What looked like a giant golden statue stood atop its entrance. As they neared, Trillia saw that it had a massive head and beak with a great mane of fur. A catlike body as its lower half. Each paw was easily the size of Trillia. The statue was massive indeed.

Trillia couldn't take her eyes off of the thing.

As they stepped up to the entrance, the statue's head suddenly snapped to Trillia, and it let out a screech.

You've heard the cry of a Golden Gryphon!

All debuffs from riders of the Golden Gryphons are 500% more effective!

All damage taken from riders of the Golden Gryphons is increased by 200%!

The creature stepped off of the ten-foot roof with ease, blocking the entrance. It's eagle eyes peering at Trillia.

Illana reached over and yanked Trillia into a kneeling position. Andromeda was already kneeling, as was Layla. "Forgive us, my lord! She has never seen one of your kind before!"

Trillia knelt on the ground but couldn't break the creature's gaze. "You're simply magnificent." She uttered the words before she realized what she said. The sound of laughter rang in the courtyard. An older human stepped out of the building.

"Come now, Monte. You're terrifying the poor thing. She is a servant to our Queen's son. We should respect her and teach her our ways." The creature turned its head to the man.

The two were having a mental conversation. Trillia could see the mana link between them. She also saw the golden markings of pact-bound creatures. The gryphon turned back to Trillia and screeched again before gracefully stepping back onto the roof and becoming still.

The man smiled and bowed deeply to the gryphon before turning to Trillia. "I got word from young Arlyss that you would be coming. A couple of my recruits are pact-bound to him. He's a good lad and looks a lot like his father. I'm told that my recruits are taking you to the dwarves. Is that correct?"

Trillia nodded but was unsure of what to say. The old man offered a smile and turned his attention to Illana. "You need to educate this one on proper manners. She will get eaten alive in a court setting like this. How have you been, Lady Perishsong?"

Illana stood with a smile and motioned for the girls to stop kneeling. They did so slowly. "As free as the wind on the ocean, Lord Michaels. I fear no one on the Argo is well-suited or versed in court politics. Would it be possible to ask one of your recruits to help her?"

The man nodded and motioned for them to follow. He wore the same armor as the large man from earlier. Except, this man's armor was so heavily enchanted it held a faint golden glow. Trillia's curiosity got the better of her, and she activated [Mana-Sight].

[Augmented Human - Golden Gryphon Captain - 971] Swift Mana Manipulation

Pact-Bound [That Which Sees]

Ten-Thousand Battle Veteran

Centennial Service

Butcher of Humankind

Butcher of Elvenkind

...

The list went on and on. The procession paused, and the man turned to look at her. "How interesting. A divine scanning skill. I'd recommend using that very, very sparingly and cautiously. I am a generous and forgiving sort. Others will kill you for bypassing their obfuscation so easily."

Trillia bowed her head. "Sorry, M'lord. I didn't mean offense. May I ask who your deity is?"

The man chuckled and turned back around to keep leading them. "Mathias Darktone. He rules over the Celestial bands in this ring of the universe."

Trillia nodded and followed in silence. She had a worrying inclination that she'd be meeting significantly stronger people. It made her wonder how and why her mother and Cordaos were not at significantly higher levels.