The Wilds between Delphianna and Araedi. Day 04.
Nix hadn’t gone on to Pella after serving as a waypoint for players from Orleana to get to Delphianna. The griefing, Nix couldn’t stand that word in this context, hadn’t been limited to just Pella. Nearly all of the surrounding villages had been touched by the unorganized mob of thousands of angry players lashing out with destructive use of their powers.
From the back of his brookite wyvern, Nix surveyed that destruction beneath him. Farmland as far as he could see had been reduced to ash and cinders. The harvest season was at its height and the loss of all this food would be felt by everyone. He wondered just how badly it would hurt them this winter.
With the help of a water wisp, Nix doused the fires below, putting out the occasional flare ups from still glowing embers while Raine sat behind him, aiming the lantern they were using to work with.
“I owe you an apology, Nix.” Raine broke their silent work.
Nix ceased his water casting and turned to Raine. “What for?”
“I lied to you when I said my oaths prevented me from helping you slay Avanyu. I still held my doubts about you and your friends. But I was wrong, you have shown me that twice now. And for that, I apologize.”
“You've known me for barely three days. I don't blame you for not wanting to trust your life secrets to me.”
“No, that isn't true. I have fought alongside you for decades. It might not have been that long for you, but it was for me. And in that time, I have seen the good you've done. The good you have enabled me to do. You might have been a puppeteer controlling the Summoner I fought alongside for much of that time, but that hasn't changed your nature. You have proven yourself more than worthy of my trust.”
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Raine took her necklace off and pressed it into Nix’s hands. It glowed with a faint white light. A prompt filled Nix’s vision.
A new summoning spell has been recorded to your Grimoire!
Spell: Summon: Soul Forger Raine von Alder, Level 100 (Scales indefinitely)
Mana Cost: 55,555 (Scales with level)
Spell Requirements: Summoner, Level 100. Soul Forger, Level 10 (Current level: 1)
Cast Time: 7.5 Seconds
Spell Duration: 65 minutes (Can be extended every 60 minutes for 50% of the summoning cost)
Cooldown: 70 Minutes (60 minutes to extend spell duration)
Description: A master of both the blade and magic, Raine von Alder was a feared pirate marauder before discovering her true nature as a Soul Forger. This summoning spell will allow you to summon Raine at the strength the legends surrounding her had never learned.
“Did it work? Did you learn the spell?” Raine asked.
The necklace was glowing now with a strong, blinding white light.
“I did. How did you do that?”
“The same way you learned all your other summoning spells. I impressed upon you the knowledge of who I really was. Not as the legends portrayed me, but as the me who tried to become better. That necklace served as the catalyst.” Raine put the necklace back on and tucked it under her shirt.
“And you’re a Soul Forger? You know what my subclass does?” Nix had been given the Soul Forger subclass at the time he’d summoned Clarent in the dungeon. He hadn’t known what it meant at the time and still didn’t understand it as the quest had no description beyond a message saying he could level the subclass by using things he summoned with it.
“No, I don’t,” Raine answered simply. “Neither do I know what it means that you and I are both Soul Forgers. But the fact that your friend owns a book with the same symbol as the religion of the man I once knew and you only acquired your status as a Soul Forger when you created a copy of a weapon tied to that very same religion cannot be coincidence.
“You say you were brought here by some unknown force. I think whatever remains of my former friend’s religion will hold the key to your finding that answer. And I believe those swords will help us find out more. As such, I have decided to help you fully and to the best of my abilities in that quest.”