Franklin house was lively tonight. The extended family members could smell a party three towns away and started converging on the house bringing with them alcoholic beverages, musical instruments, and appetites. Local eateries strained to fill large orders on a moment's notice, but the payment was in gold upfront, so no one complained more than any chef normally did.

Ben and his new friends found themselves at the center of a large group of people eager to hear their stories. News of the destruction of the Golden Dome of the Gods and the cleansing of a possessed senior paladin had spread quickly. Several had stories of their own encounters with Sir Eustace, and whether he'd always been possessed or just recently was hotly discussed. Contrary to expectations, no one seemed worried about the building.

Darius Franklin summed up the general feeling, "It was tacky and ugly, and the gods were probably embarrassed by it. Doubly so if it was used to summon demons. Accidents happen when demons are around, doubly so with Franklins there too." They repeated their tale several times during the evening, followed by listening to the other family members' tales.

Several Franklin cousins were shameless about asking how much of a reward they'd earned. It seemed the taboo of asking to see another person's notifications didn't hold if you were family. Ben got no dissent from the others, who were quite frankly astonished by the results of their fight.

The Gods approve of your Perseverance in attaining your goals and the Courage to stand against a Daemon from The Abyss.

The Maid of Orleans grants each of you the Skill: Flaming Blade of the Phoenix.

This skill has a cost of 100 stamina to enflame your weapon with Phoenix Fire for one minute. Flaming weapons will do an additional 50 points of damage to your opponents. If the creature is Undead or a Daemon, add + 5xRAD to the damage.

You are awarded 1000 experience in any skills used in the fight.

You are awarded +1 RAD

You are awarded 25 Enhancement Points.

Aspect of the Phoenix has been added to your Enhancement options.

This brought a round of applause from the assembled people as Ben shared the announcement with them. There were calls to demonstrate the skill, leading to a singed ceiling. Harmonia put out the small fire. "Take it outside, you lunatics. How often do we have to say 'No flaming weapons in the house' ?"

Ben was curious about the last benefit. "Can one of you check your Enhancements? Does it give you the option of gaining Aspect of the Phoenix?

Dobie was the first to check and let out a yell. "I have the option to take it! But it will take all 25 points! Is that what gave you the Flame Strike spell?"

"Yes, and a few more. I also have a Lay Hands ability, Flaming Brand, and other spells."

Astrid made a face. "Easy come, easy go. I could have spent days thinking about how to spend those points, but a holy aspect that gives healing and damage spells? Easy decision." Ben watched as the other four decided to spend their points one by one. Each time he saw a small bit of fire grow inside of them.

Many people asked about their plans. Doby declared proudly that he would study at the Academy to become a full-fledged Paladin. "It's what I came here for, and the sword agrees. But when I graduate, I'll be heading back to the North. Someone needs to keep the wolf in check."

Astrid was joining him. "Seems a shame to kill a daemon and a possessed paladin and then not stick around to cause more trouble."

Clarice surprised everyone by saying she was going to continue as a courier. "I proved myself, but now that I have, I don't think it's the correct path. I will finish my training as a Courier and then see where things lead."

"I'm going to the Royal Academy of Mages." Bryce seemed both proud and scared. "Inquisitor Diego is writing me a letter of introduction. He says I need to be someplace where they can handle my gift and help me gain control. He seems to think that burning daemons with Holy Fire is a wonderful thing."

Ben was intrigued by the idea of studying at the Academy and had his invitation in his ring. Maybe in a few years when his contract was up.

As the evening progressed, Harmonia came from upstairs, followed by another of Ben's distant cousins, Fallston. The large man was toting a wooden chest filled with glowing weapons and armor.

Harmonia looked at the five new knights. "Normally, such a feat would be rewarded. I take responsibility for the task since the gods are sulking and forgetting their duties. If these aren't to your liking, let me know, and I'll find something else."

"Sir Doby, you already have a fine cloak and sword; see if this chainmail hauberk fits those broad shoulders. It's dwarven work and very tough." Doby immediately stripped off his old leather chest piece and slid into the shimmering chainmail that covered him from neck to knees with three-quarter sleeves. He choked up and couldn't talk but nodded his thanks. Someone brought a mirror from somewhere, and he barely recognized himself.

Sun-Touched Dwarven Chainmail

+ 20 additional mitigation of normal chainmail.

Self-repairing when exposed to the sun on a bright day.

"Dame Clarice, you have a fighting style like many other Franklins. We like to dodge and weave. I hope this helps." Clarice slid the ring onto her finger; she immediately felt the effects of three extra agility points.

Everlund's Ring of Avoidance

+3 Agility

+10 to Avoidance in combat.

"Dame Astrid, I've got a choice for you—either a Mace of the Shining Sun or a Hammer of Thunders. Astrid picked up a weapon in each hand, trying them out, obviously having trouble deciding. The man holding the chest laughed. "Take both of them, why don't you? We need to clean out that attic and put these things to good use. You look like you're halfway to being able to wield them both at once already. Astrid nodded, sketched a small salute, and stuck both weapons in her belt.

Mace of the Shining Sun

+10 Damage

+1 Radiance

Hammer of Thunders

+10 Damage

Thrice daily, you may release a Thunderbolt spell on any opponent you hit.

"And Sir Bryce, these may help you with your feedback problem. The leather is from a Balthanese Salamander, enchanted further with Fire Resistance and Minor Regeneration runes. Bryce wasted no time at all putting them on.

Gauntlets of the Salamander

+10 physical mitigation

Grants the effect of Minor Regeneration

Grants 30 mitigation vs. Fire

"Oh gods, my hands feel better already. I'd forgotten what it was like not to have constant burns and blisters."

Everyone turned toward Ben. Harmonia paused and smiled at him. "As for you, Sir Benjamin, I think I have an appropriate gift for you. But it comes with some responsibility." She threw Ben a large key. "Someone tossed you into Damien's old bed and pajamas. This might be some plan of Damien's or some quirk of the Gods, but let's make it official. He hasn't been back in fifty years or more, so I'm turning over his room and library to you. The house has already rekeyed the door, and only you, I, or someone you designate can open that door. It's all yours. Enjoy your library."

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

A set of private rooms in the Capital with hot water, a comfortable bed, and a massive library of strange books? Ben felt the idea of attending the Academy fade away. There was bound to be more interesting information in that room than in ten Academies. That was a reward he would have traded a pile of gold for. A very big pile. The rest of the family agreed with him. A round of 'My room is so small...' was started among some of the cousins. Ben found it interesting that everyone in the family had a room set aside for them. They might live elsewhere and roam the world, but they could always come home when they wanted.

Quite a few people wanted a tour of the infamous Damien's rooms, especially after they heard about his duel with Harmonia. Seeing her ink-stained hair was enough for some of the family to dig for the story. Ben had thought killing a demon would impress his new family, but that deed paled compared to surviving a fight with Harmonia. After giving in and agreeing to tell the story, she grabbed Ben, and they acted out the battle in the middle of the large room.

Ben bowed after he was gifted with the rooms. "I thank you and accept. Now I have to convince the Baron to give me more missions that take me to the capital."

Harmonia shared glances with several other people. "You may get your wish based on some of the things we are hearing. Your Baron is stirring up several hornets' nests and upset some important people."

----------------------------------------

As everyone else succumbed to the effects of alcohol and fatigue at three in the morning, Ben excused himself and headed off to his rooms. He was a bit tipsy but not too tired. This time of day was when he usually went to sleep, and as he increased his poison resistance and CON, alcohol had less effect on him. He had lost track of the number of times he'd been on a Courier Mission and been attacked with poison arrows and darts. They were a favorite of assassins, thieves, rogues, and highwaymen. A steady diet of poisoned arrows and raw sedge beast had brought his Lesser Poison Resistance to rank ten and his Poison Resistance to rank 7. There were some very disappointed players who found out the hard way that they needed to spend some cash on better poisons if they were going to take him down.

Entering his rooms, he was struck again by the size of the library and thrilled that it was all his. He resisted the urge to open some of the more interesting books. Damien's traps weren't for the faint of heart. A dim light came in from the gaslights in the street below and the many buildings of the city. He wanted time to go exploring and find every bookstore and coffee shop. From the half bottle of wine he'd brought from the party, he poured a glass and sat in one of the overstuffed chairs, enjoying the thrill of ownership. Tomorrow he would have to explore all the books, knickknacks, trophies, and oddities in the room. Tonight he wanted to sit quietly and enjoy himself.

And he would, if not for a small sound that barely broke the silence. Mice in the walls? It repeated twice more at regular intervals, scarcely audible. Curious, Ben tried to pinpoint the sound. He heard it thrice and traced it to a bookcase filled with fairly mundane fiction titles. None of the huge, locked volumes were here. The sound came again, and this time he saw a blue light. It was weak and came from the crevice where two bookcases butted against each other. Carefully, Ben examined the books. Four shelves from the top was a thin volume titled "The Hole in the Wall." When pulled out two inches, there was a click. The entire case moved forward and slid to the side, revealing what might be a metal door. As the book had predicted, there was a hole in the wall, a keyhole. Ben could hear the sound through it and see a small flash of light every half minute.

Examining the keyhole revealed a complicated locking system and a magical trap. But there was a curious depression around the keyhole. Ben imagined that Damien didn't always feel like looking for some hidden key and pushed his signet ring into the depression. The door slid to the side, and Ben walked into a laboratory. The place had seen better days. By its placement, it was behind the bathroom and shared plumbing with that room. He saw long metal and stone counters stained from much use. Boxes of chemistry equipment were packed up on the floor as if ready to go somewhere. The floor and walls showed where furniture or equipment had been for years but were now missing.

The mystery of the light and sound came from a gadget at the end of the room. Several rats roamed around a large cage while one was sitting in an exercise wheel. The rat ran in place, the wheel turning a small dynamo that generated electricity. The wires led to a small piece of blueish leather. As Ben watched, the leather grew brighter until it flashed, sending the accumulated charge along wires to two places. One was too a magitech battery like he had worked with before. The other wire carried a charge to a huge hopper, where it opened a shoot, and a food pellet fell out of the hopper. The rat grabbed the food, ate it, and the next rat climbed onto the wheel and started the process over again. There was a small notebook detailing the experiment.

Experiment # 54679: Investigations into the electrical storage properties of Varanthian Stormhead Eel leather.

Note: Decrease the size of the leather; the flash is scaring the rats.

Note: Decrease the size of food pellets. The rats are getting too fat.

Note: If a rat turns blue, sell it to the Academy before it learns it can breathe lightning.

Drawers and containers proved to hold bits of magitech components, and on a high shelf was a series of notebooks. They detailed simple magitech experiments, sometimes with disastrous results. They were all labeled similarly with the name Damien Franklin and his year attending a college of magic. Ben took them down and stored them in his ring, then looked around the room again, finding several crates of failed experiments with salvageable parts. A thick roll of thick blue leather caught his eye that matched the leather used in the experiment. Ideas were populating in his head.

He wanted to sit down at the workbench and start on a project, but for now, he needed sleep. After checking to ensure none of the rats were turning blue, he closed the laboratory and shut the bookcase. At one point, the wood of one of the cases had warped, producing that tiny crack. He'd see about fixing that so no light emerged. An automatic battery charger is a good thing to keep going. He could think of several uses for them.

It wasn't long until dawn would creep over the horizon. He was almost asleep when a notification brought him upright in bed.

New Heritage options for Tier 3 are available!

The House of Franklin is renowned for many things. Which path will you follow? (This choice may be delayed until a Tier 3 Class is chosen.)

Path of Invention: "For Science!"

+2 INT, +2 DEX, +4 PER

Skill: Storm Resistance, Skill: Explosion Resistance.

Perk: Jerry Rigged

Perk: The Ring is Mine!

Perk: Inventive (A better understanding of the theories of Magitech and Item Crafting. Higher chance to discover new ways to construct items. Less chance of things you make blowing up in your face.)

Path of the Pirate: "It's all about the large chests."

+2 AGI, +2 DEX, +4 CHR.

Skill: Close to the Wind, Skill: Lucky Captain

Focus on daring feats of skill and courage on the high seas and getting paid for it.

Path of the Heretic: "A burning empire keeps you warm at night."

+4 INT, +6 CHR

Skill: Demagogue, Skill: Rouse the Rabble

Focus on finding flaws in the political and economic structure of the Empire and making things better by breaking society.

Path of the Dashing Hero: "Do the right thing, but do it with style!"

+3 STR, +3 CON, +3 WIS, +3 CHR

Skill: Last Stand, Skill: I Haven't begun to fight!

Focus on saving the innocent, righting wrongs, and last-minute rescues.

Path of the Traveler: "Good things are on the path ahead, and the bad you can leave behind."

+5 PER, +3 AGI

Skill: Survivalist, Skill: Hard Traveling Hero

Focus on exploration and meeting new people and new cultures.