Vichor was beautiful. That was all Kaden could think as he emerged from a FarPortal in the Royal gardens. The sun shone down in brilliant yellow against a deep blue sky. In the distance, clouds gathered for a thunderstorm that would arrive near midnight, and the grass was greener, the plants in the garden more active than he’d ever seen them. Kaden stored his coat to return to Olidar later and looked for Trella.
She wasn’t there, but that didn’t mean disaster.
Kaden summoned Trinity, Vip, and Rocky, letting them all out to wander. A few minutes later, Ashi stepped through the FarPortal. Her wraps transformed from deep tan to almost crystaline white, and her mana stones began to glow as they absorbed ambient mana in every flavor.
“Eve is right behind me,” Ashi said.
It was less than ten minutes before Eve stepped through.
She stored her coat and unbraided her hair, taking in deep breaths. “I presume Trella took off before we arrived?”
“She’s probably exploring everything,” Kaden said. “I did warn her not to enter houses. She probably won’t.”
“Asha!” A woman called as she ran to meet her. Ah, this was Ashi’s sister, the [Fate Weaver] Pretash. “Fate has been kind to you. You are stronger.”
“Do I thank you? Is this your work?” Ashi produced the tubes, showing pages.
“It is forbidden that I, or anyone, even Mother, tamper with [Fate] for a family member. But this is good. You are only a Fate Weaver for now. Fate Guardian is your role in the weave, and for that you will need more power.” Pretash looked to the others. “Najur gives an award in the south garden. Come.”
She willed open a portal, and Kaden headed through with the others following. He’d been here once. The Queen’s garden, though he didn’t sense her nearby. That meant the royal zoo was here, and his goal.
Najur stood with a Mage, speaking in quiet whispers, as the man wept, then gave the [Mage] a hug, and produced from Inventory a small book, which only made the man cry more.
A few moments later, he stalked over to wrap Ashi, too, in a hug. “It is so good to see you, Sister.”
“Please. I cannot breath!” Ashi pushed him away. “You have meditated. You have grown one with Vichor. And stronger!”
Najur’s face turned red and he looked away. “I have done only as I must. Did you hear? Estoban discovered the basis of [Lightning Bolt], [Primal Bolt]. It is a terrible spell, worse in every way than [Lightning Bolt], but what knowledge!”
“What did you say to him?” Kaden asked.
Najur thought for a moment. “He ask of me, ‘What is my work now? What is my legacy?’ I told him perhaps his life’s work would be his family. His legacy, his love for them. His duty to Vichor is fulfilled. Asha has told me of your request. It is a difficult one, but I will not say no.”
“You’ll give me a dragon scale from the undead dragon?” Kaden asked.
“She will do so for me. Deciding is not the difficult part. Surviving, that is difficult. Ghenia is Death Mana made incarnate. To survive this, we must counter her being with Life Mana. But that is for tonight, not now. I have adjusted Vichor’s time so you may relax without fear. Now, Asha, show me these pages!” Najur led them back to the pavillion.
Kaden stayed put, playing a hunch. “Wisp 71, you there?”
After long moments, Wisp 71 blazed into existence, a ball of light the size of Kaden’s head as Vichor’s rich mana engorged it.
“You’re the largest Wisp I’ve every seen anywhere. Can you find me Trella?”
The oversized wisp began to bob back and forth, leading out of the garden and through the streets of Vichor, to a pavillion where Mages crowded around, shouting encouragement—and conflicting instructions.
Trella sat at a bench in the middle, surrounded by Mages, her Alchemy kit open, and even the “grind” kit set up. “Now, here’s the reaction again. The materials haven’t changed, but watch what happens when I charge it with even more mana.”
Kaden loved the smile on Trella’s face. Sure she was a scout. And a kind of assassin. But she took joy in creating, whether it was healing potions or mixes so foul the System warned her against using them.
This was happiness, watching the people he cared about find their own hapiness.
“Less Mana!” several [Mages] shouted in unison. “You’re overflowing the capacity of the ingredients. You need to give it time to adjust, and the time is a factor of the ingredients. The Fire Mana from your burner—”
It broke down into arguments. Was it the heat? Was it the fire? Was it the mana? Was it an interaction of the fire mana through the flasks that let the ingredients hold the mana that would turn literal shit into actual potions?
Trella couldn’t hold her own on magical theory, but the interaction with Alchemy, well, she was the only Alchemist, and even if someone left Vichor to learn, she had years of experience on them. She spotted him watching and gave him a wave—then leaped back into an argument. “Fine, you think that will work? Let’s try it. Put your hand right here. You don’t need both hands, do you?”
Oh, he’d heard that tone before and knew the outcome.
“This, it is not so awful.” Ashi had snuck up beside him. “The people of Vichor are too trusting. Too open with power. Too sharing with destruction, to allow the world in. But it was, for thousands of years, a place of learning and peace. Let it be so again.”
“You don’t practice Alchemy.”
“It is a derivative of magic, not the source. Though the practical applications are intriguing. You said you would speak to Pretash. I must warn you, she may not alter [Fate] for you, as it would affect mine.”
Kaden turned and headed toward the gardens, trusting Trella to decide when she was done. “I don’t want [Fate]. I don’t want to change it, I don’t want to follow it. I just want to be.”
“The Loom of Fate weaves lives together. It protects against Cataclysms. It is no shame, to be a fiber of steel in the weave of the world.” Ashi didn’t open the portal, instead taking the long route to the garden.
There, Pretash waited, along with Najur’s younger brothers. “Asha asked, and I am pleased to assist. What questions do you bear?”
Kaden took a seat, this was going to take a while. “I want to understand [Twist of Fate]. I won’t back away and watch people die, not even if it’s ‘Fate’s Design.’ So how do I avoid damaging the weave the way Oberix did?”
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Fate is not gentle. It does not care for the individual,” Pretash began, then launched into an explanation that took hours.
The purpose of Fate was never to reward or punish. People were the basis of of the weave, and it was people, not magic, not skills, or abilities, which held off on the cataclysms that massacred commoners. With every Cataclysm, the System adapated to produce stronger Adventurers who would protect the weaker ones. Fate was often harsh, occasionally unjust. Pretash believed strongly in [Fate] but Kaden thought that was because her family was largely safe from it.
Which led to his most important question. “Let’s say I decide Fate’s got it wrong and I take a Karmic penalty. How long until that gets reduced? Or is it only when the penalty hits? Or until I pass another branch of Fate?”
“There are ways to balance your actions. You have a Profession already, but perhaps you could train for another. I cannot promise this, but I will ask on your behalf. You did much to restore the weave in Omnor.” Pretash gave him a respectful bow.
Which led Kaden to his next ask. “Is there any place in Vichor which is actually safe? Somewhere I could store a weapon I don’t want destroyed but don’t want stolen? Even my Dungeon could be broken, or the core smashed.” He drew from Inventory [Fate Breaker], the knife which could undo any binding. “I’m not giving this to you. I’m not giving it to anyone, but trusing Dominion to protect something like this worries me.”
It was clear from the moment he asked, Pretash didn’t like the blade. If he didn’t know better, he’d say it was fear driving her as she refused to take it. “I do not know. I will ask. You do not enjoy our mother’s company, so I ask on your behalf, and will tell you. Asha, will you go with me?”
“I will.” Ashi accepted [Fate Breaker] from Kaden. “Do not believe those who say ‘Never should such a thing exist. The Fate Weavers cannot cover the entire weave of the world. Fate is not infallible. And I would trust the heart of someone who cares more than a thousand prophets.”
“Technically, I have [Prophecy]—” Kaden thought better of technicalities. “I think I’m going to go find something to eat.”
“Evelyn cooks now, in the market,” Ashi said. “Go and enjoy it.”
Eve had a crowd.
Eve worked the griddle and heat-stone before her with a ferocity Kaden rarely saw, with Trinity at her side, charring meat. Vip also assisted by waiting in faith for Trinity to accidentally drop a chunk every so often.
Kaden wasn’t convinced it was an accident.
This was like Trella’s battle with Desmona, the art and skill on display worth savoring as much as the end product, as Eve drained noodles, whipped sauce that smelled tangy and bitter, then plated. She flinched as a plate slipped and shattered, but the cheers of the crowd encouraged her onward.
“Stuffed [Terror Bird] on egg noodles with a biquma splatter and sweet honey mellon chunks,” Eve said, serving plate after plate. Then she looked over to Trinity. “And [Twice Charred Meat].”
Strangely, Trinity didn’t have a line of people demanding her dish. She did have Vip begging, pleading, and Trinity loved her own cooking.
It was so rare to see Eve with even a hair out of place, that watching her eat her meal with flecks of sauce still on one cheek and her platinum braide falling out of the hair net made him smile. “That was an amazing job.”
“I appologize,” She said through mouthfuls. “I didn’t know you’d be here, so I didn’t save you any.”
Kaden had picked up a plate of stir-fried vegetables and a bowl of soup from a vendor. “It’s fine, I got to watch the performance. Good work, too, Trinity. And Vip, the world’s furriest sous chef.”
There wasn’t much to say with good food to eat and beautiful Beasts to keep him company, but as the sun set, he began to worry about Trella.
Ashi returned without her sister, or [Fate Breaker]. “It will not be taken now, and I swear before the System, if you ask, it will be yours, no matter what the [Fate Weavers] desire.”
Oath heard and acknowledged. The weapon [Fate Breaker] must be returned to Kaden Birch immediately on request. Breaking this oath will: UNMAKE_REALM.
“Najur waits at the zoo for you,” Ashi said. “I wonder if it would be better to find another dragon. This one was meant to show Najur true power and make him desire it. Father never understood, Najur craves peace over power.”
One of the things Kaden liked about him. “What are you doing with those pages?”
“Mother had made from a thread of them a charm to help me seek more. They will be bound into the living spine of a book. I must find the hide for the cover and bring it to them. This book will welcome new pages as we find them, and with two Tier Two spells, I will be even more magnificent.”
“Two. There’s four pages.” Kaden knew how to count to nineteen on fingers and toes. Once he’d been able to count to twenty, but an accident with an axe he hid from his parents had reduced that slightly. The point was, four was definitely more than two.
“One is a tier three spell. And one is a Class Evolution. I will not be able to use it until I am a Centurion. Not even Mother knows what it does. They will remain hidden here until I can use them. Now, let us get you this scale.” Ashi led him through the gardens to the zoo, where King Najur waited alone.
“Come,” he said. “Ashi tells me you have a skill you can unlock through Dragon scales.”
Kaden explained about the Must Obtain Many quest. How it was probably meant to add power to someone who already had [Beast Form] but he was gambling it would unlock the skill. Since higher tier skills were meant to be learned from older members of a class, Kaden’s only option was to find edge conditions.
“It is a reasonable premise and a worthy goal. Now, I will set rules for your survival. You must not speak to the dragon, even if it chooses to speak to you. You must not step in its domain, only I will do so. You move as I say, you act as I say, and I will do my best. Here, the greatest [Life Mages] in Vichor wait to asssist.” Najur pointed ahead. Near the Dragon’s domain, a group of Vichoreans waited, almost all of them Centurions in dark green robes.
Kaden was less certain by the moment.
“Only in darkness does the Dragon truly manifest. Death walks unseen by day.” Najur gazed up at the bone bars. And the Dragon that materialied behind them. Unlike when Kaden had disturbed it, he didn’t sense active malice.
Najur swung his legs over the edge. “When I was young, I would come here to hide from Uri or Jagi. Not even they dared approach. But she is not evil, any more than Death is evil, any more than Mana is evil.”
The Dragon’s head was taller than Jagi, but the skull descended to brush his hand.
“Kaden Birch, approach the edge. Mages, empower him.” Najur motioned for Kaden to come closer. As he did, all the mages began channelling healing into Kaden. His life counter rocketed into what Eve called Over Heal, then the number continued to climb, glitching, becoming letters, then question marks, then __ERROR__.
“If you truly desire this, place your hand on her skull.”
Now was not the time to back out.
He pressed his hand on the cold bone. The ice cold bone.
The endless expanse of eternity, of oblivion. The forever that came for all that lived, patient and unyielding, that looked on cataclysms and laughed and stalked the strongest relentlessly. Centurions mattered nothing.
This Dragon had seen stars born and die, witnessed an explosion at the start of the universe and the last crackle of motion as cold claimed all at the end, and now, Kaden had offered himself to it. It wasn’t evil, but an offering was always welcome.
Kaden’s health counter had gone wild, reducing from the error to question marks.
He knew why. To receive a scale from a Death Mana Dragon was to take a physical, solid piece of Death into him. So be it.
You have received: 1x Dragon Scale (Death)
Quest Updated: Must Obtain Many (Part 1)! - Obtain three Dragon Scales (2/3) Reward: Beast Form Slot.
But Kaden’s health continued to rocket downward, one point at a time.
Najur shouted.
Kaden yanked his hand back as the counter continued to drop. “Ashi. When I say to, hit me with lightning, hard as you can.”
The Life Mages worked to heal him, but the scale he now saw burned into the top of his right hand was death, and death would not be denied.
“Ready?” He couldn’t actually count the drop, it was too steep. But he could exploit a glitch. “Now!”
Ashi didn’t hestitate. Lightning exploded from her hands, striking him like a thunderclap.
The world went silent and black.
Resilient Constitution blocks 6,99 points of damage
__ERROR_HEALTH_LOCKED__
__ERROR_PROCEDURE_VIOLATION__
CONSISTENCY CHECKER INVOKED.
Health may not go negative.
Health is locked.
Procedure terminated.
CONSISTENCY CHECKER ENDS.
Kaden opened his eyes. Ashi stood over him. His health would rise and then lazily drop, then rise more and drop, then finally, just rise. “I’m alive.”
On his hand, a black scale sat beside the golden one. One more to go, and [Beast Form] would probably unlock. He’d asked [Druids] and unlocking a [Taming] slot always unlocked the skill. Anything would be worth it. His second Tier Two skill would make him that much more deadly.
Kaden sat up, unsteady.
Someone went sailing far overhead, while Ashi sprinted, using [Hover] at the last moment to catch Najur. He stumbled back to Kaden, surrounded by [Life Mages] who worked to heal him. “I’ve never seen her so angry. I’m sorry, I didn’t think she would do that. I told her to grant you a scale. That should have left an outline.”
Kaden was more interested in a second notification.
Hard to Kill has granted you a new resistance: Resist Death.
Your skill with Resist Death has increased.
He checked his status sheet. “How exactly do I ‘Resist Death’?”