Trillia and Ialu avoided the undead where possible. She didn't know how to tell the really dangerous ones apart from the not-really-dangerous ones. [Mana Sight] showed them all as 'Undead' with a class. Apparently, being a rot undead wasn't a notable trait.
She made a mental note to ask Maldoun about those radiant abilities he used and if she could learn them. She also needed to speak with Kismet about proper healing magic. With a sigh, she leaned over and rubbed Ialu's side. "My to-do list is growing ever longer."
She had a pretty good idea of where all the shield pedestals were located. The two of them wandered late into the night, taking their time exploring the desert sands, admiring the starry sky above, and refilling the pedestals once more.
With a mighty yawn, Trillia patted Ialu's side. "Let's go back to the tower, girl. I'm tired, and I don't want to be caught out here like this."
With a little yip, the skoll darted off toward the glass needle in the distance. The trip back was uneventful. The guards let the two of them in. Trillia made sure to enter through the gate that held the merchant quarter. She had been told it was the safest place at night since so many of the merchants hired guards for their belongings.
After another hour or so, Trillia was once more in her room, and she plopped down on the bed and immediately dozed off to sleep.
-=- The Next Day -=-
A knock on her door startled her from her slumber. Trillia sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Hang on!" She shouted at the incessant knocking in the human tongue. Slipping out of bed, still fully clothed from last night, she sent a mental message to Ialu that she was awake as she made her way to the door.
She opened the door to a scowling Kismet. "Good morning, Lady Kismet. What did you need me for?"
Kismet rolled her eyes slightly. "Morning? It's well past midday. I was under the impression we were going to explore the city today? Unless you're otherwise indisposed?"
Trillia yawned and shook her head. "No, sorry. Let me get something to eat and take care of some morning necessities. I refilled the shield pedestals late last night."
Kismet's facial expression immediately changed. "Oh. S-sorry. I'll go down to the kitchen and ask them to heat you some leftovers."
Trillia offered a smile and a nod. " I'll join you."
"Is there a dungeon or a place nearby where I can safely gain experience? I don't want to engage the undead for fear they may be of the rot variant." Trillia spoke as they slowly made their way down the stairs.
"I know of a few dungeons. Most of them are only half a day away. The problem is all of them are undead-based. Let's ask Lord Arlyss after lunch and see if he would mind terribly if Maldoun, You, and I went to a dungeon to clear it. It would ensure your safety, and I am sure Maldoun would be grateful to leave the city and actually adventure a bit."
"The undead are a real problem, aren't they? They've basically turned the city into what you humans call a prison." Trillia responded and yawned again, shaking her head vigorously to wake herself up.
Kismet offered a rather solemn nod. "An apt way to describe our situation, yes. Maldoun is training more warriors in the holy arts so that the undead can be actively fought and sought out instead of just defending against them. I believe that is one of Lord Arlyss' goals as well."
Trillia remembered hearing something about one of his siblings being a holy warrior. "I'd really like to learn the abilities he has, as well as some real healing skills from you."
Kismet glanced over at her as they made their way into the kitchen. "Would you all be willing to heat some leftovers for Lady Trillia and I?" Whenever she spoke to workers, her voice changed to a soft silky smooth tone. All of the kitchen staff beamed with a smile and ran about to do as she asked. After they both took a seat, Trillia looked at her and then at the workers. Another skill she'd have to acquire.
"I'd be happy to teach you some healing skills. You're a Mage, right? I think, now that you have a deity, once you've maxed Mage out once, you can become a cleric. Clerics usually have potent healing abilities. Just understand that my brother and I have Radiant Mana Manipulation. So our holy skills are significantly more powerful. Is that something you've been taught?"
Trillia shook her head at that. "No. I know the basics of mana manipulation, but as someone with Universal Mana Manipulation, I didn't know there was a difference in power. I heard it described as intent and a slight alteration of results."
Kismet leaned back, bringing a hand to her lips and tapping them gently. "That's correct. There is slightly more to it. At least when it comes to high-level magic. If mages with Fire mana and Water mana both cast a fire-based spell. The spell will go off correctly. Both will produce fire, heat, and burning. However, the actual damage of the ability will be higher for the Fire mage. Because their affinity with fire mana produces stronger fire."
Kismet glanced at her before continuing. Trillia had pulled out her journal and was making notes. "That's also why most magical items and trinkets don't have as powerful of an effect. Since they are made with universal runes so that anyone can use them. I suppose in the same scenario with, say, a wand of fireball, the fire mana mage would still edge out a bit more damage. It'd be minimal, though."
Two bowls were placed in front of them, and Kismet dipped her head to the cooks slightly. "Thank you so much. You're so kind." She smiled and stared for a moment before they finished bowing and left the two to eat. Trillia stared at her once more.
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"What skill is that? Everyone is always happy to help you."
Kismet smirked as she looked at Trillia. "It's called being an attractive woman. Sure, skills exist for seduction and things of that nature. But my [Charisma] is quite high, and I'm rather easy on the eyes. As you get older, you'll have a better understanding of it."
Trillia nodded. At least part of it made sense to her. "Do people with a high wisdom learn faster?"
"It's a largely debated topic. We know without a doubt that someone with high strength can lift heavier things. Presence is a little less pronounced, but the difference between a hundred presence and a thousand is staggering when dealing with low-level creatures. Wisdom is a difficult stat to pin down in that regard. Wisdom in life is about knowledge and know-how. One theory that I believe is that the higher your wisdom, the higher your capacity to learn and take in new information."
As Kismet took another bite, she tilted her head in thought. "I suppose. Think of wisdom like a cup. The water in your cup is all the things you know how to do. Your skills, traits, and so on. You can have a single drink of water in a large cup. But you can't put a barrel of water in that cup because it can't fit."
Trillia slowly chewed her food as she thought about that. "So, because I have a high wisdom, right now my cup is empty but has room for more water?"
Kismet nodded with a smile. "I personally think that's how it works, yes. It also explains how and why you can learn things so rapidly. I'm going to go and speak with Lord Arlyss and Maldoun. I'll come and fetch you from the bathing area once I have an answer. Sound good?"
Trillia nodded. Kismet stood and took her empty bowl, walking over to the kitchen staff with a big smile. She once more bowed rather low to them. Their eyes stayed fixated on her. She motioned to Trillia, and they nodded absent-mindedly while staring. Kismet turned to her with a smile and a wink as she left. A few moments later, they brought Trillia another bowl of hot food. She smiled and thanked them herself.
-=- A Few Hours Later -=-
Arlyss was happy to have them all go to a dungeon together. It'd be good experience for the three of them. They also had the mission of clearing out any wandering packs of undead on the way to a dungeon.
By this point, Ialu was with them. Trillia rode on Ialu's back, Maldoun rode on the sandstorm blade, and Kismet hovered along beside them.
Trillia groaned softly to herself and did something she hadn't done yet.
[Human - Paladin of Knowledge - 71] Radiant Mana Manipulation
Notable Traits:
Tenacious Survivor
First Holy Warrior of D'Jamu
Sage Survivor
[Human - Earth Mother of D'Jamu - ??] Radiant Mana Manipulation
Notable Traits:
Tenacious Survivor
High Priestess of D'Jamu
Sage Survivor
Trillia blinked a few times as Ialu kept pace with the two. Despite their pace, they made very little sound. She only had to fight with the speed of the wind passing by itself to be heard when she spoke. "What is the trait [Sage Survivor]?"
The two of them slowed slightly as they looked at her. Kismet shook a finger in her direction. "It's very rude to scan people. You're going to do it to the wrong person and be attacked for it one day. We usually have obfuscation up, but keeping our obfuscation up requires a mana upkeep cost. In the future, ask before you scan. It's a habit I think you should learn."
Trillia nodded but didn't look away. Maldoun rolled his eyes as he spoke. "We have both seen the Sage in battle. Surviving the battle and fleeing with our lives was enough to earn a trait. The trait itself warns us of any undead tied to the Sage in a radius around us. We can focus and divert mana to the trait to expand its radius."
Kismet began speaking after he stopped. "It's a terrifying creature. The bones aren't human, and it's as tall as a building. Bones bleached from decades of wandering in the desert. Hollow eye sockets filled with floating red orbs that scream of a malice that we can't comprehend. Wherever it walks, undead rise around it from bodies decades old, half-rotten, and broken."
Kismet wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her arms as they continued. "I have faith that Lord Arlyss can fight such a creature. But I am terrified of him failing and what that would mean for all of us. An undead deity's corpse?"
Maldoun shook his head. "At worst, the Sage destroys Arlyss' body. Remember that deities can't be killed except by other deities and, in rare cases, pact-bound creatures, and only if the deity is present to allow such a creature to do so."
Kismet nodded. "Sorry, I let my imagination get away from me."
The rest of the trip was spent in silence.
-=- A Few More Hours Later -=-
The sun had begun its descent at this point. But they arrived at their location. Maldoun wore a worried look on his face. "What's wrong, Lord Maldoun?"
Maldoun looked at the mausoleum in front of them, then scanned the surrounding desert. "Not a single undead? Nearly six hours of overland travel, and we didn't see a single undead? Something is amiss in the desert."
"The desert is a large place, brother. Come, let's get some levels, and we can report back to Lord Arlyss after the fact." Kismet continued to gently hover above the sand and closed in on the mausoleum. Maldoun followed the two at the rear, walking along with his blade in hand. Pausing quite often to look around.
As Kismet reached out to the mausoleum doors, she also paused. Trillia could see the tiny, thin hair on her arm stand up. As Trillia turned to look at Maldoun, his eyes were fixed to the east. "Get inside! Bar the door with any barrier magic we have!"
Kismet hissed back. "No, you idiot! If we go inside, we're trapped between the Sage and whatever the dungeon has in store for us! We need to flee!"
Maldoun looked between Kismet and Trillia. "How? She's not fast enough to keep up?"
Kismet glided over to Trillia. "You need to close your eyes. Focus your energy entirely on Lord Arlyss and call out to him."
Trillia was calm. Sure, she felt the surge of panic and fear because her companions were, but her traits kept that packed down. "What's going on?"
Maldoun joined them. "The Sage. It's like it's gathered an army. I don't understand why. It's never attacked with a large force like this."
Trillia nodded. She closed her eyes and opened her mind to Arlyss. Another voice boomed in her head. In her mind, she saw a terrifying visage before her. It looked like an orc if the orc had a slightly more squished-up nose and was three times as tall. Bleached bones and red glowing eyes. The robes it wore were not tattered or worn as she had imagined. They were black silk with small white runes embroidered into them.
Most terrifying to Trillia. Was the fact that the skull was marked with the glowing runes of a pact-bound creature. Trillia tried to shout at the others to run, tried to open her eyes, and run herself. But her mind was locked in that in-between state by something far more powerful than herself.
She was forced to stare at the Sage. There behind it was a ghostly figure with a large scythe. The voices continued to jumble further into her mind. She didn't know what they were saying. She desperately called out for Arlyss, for her mother, or for anyone that could hear her.