I stepped through the portal last, deactivating it behind me. I didn’t see any signs of a second Sylvan Wyrm that Uncle Remy mentioned. Part of me wanted to fight one on my own, but I concluded that it either was still far off, or Remy had either massaged the truth or that my senses weren’t keen enough to pick up an apex forest predator in its own environment.
The sterile air of the spire hit me in the face like a fist, a stark contrast to the abundant and earthen scents that had populated both the forest, and before that, the glade of the Evernight Rose. What did the Evernight Rose even look like? Amaranthine hadn’t shown any sights or landmarks of her realm off to me. Was I supposed to have asked?
I inhaled a large breath to purge the scents of nature with the clean, unscented air of the command bridge.
“Welcome home, Herald,” despite being with me in the forest, Arx Maxima greeted me over the speakers anyway.
“Did that crystal just talk?” Claire pointed at the non-primary crystalline form of Arx Maxima, a shadow Arx called it, that operated the bridge.
“Yes, that’s Arx Maxima, my.. uh. Patron? Partner? I’ve three of her conceptual aspects enkindled. Arx Maxima, this is the Mistwalker Claire, and my Uncle Remy.”
“Welcome aboard. Emery, it would be best to enkindle the concepts that Claire is missing, while Chrys and I debrief Remy. Is that agreeable?” Arx Maxima asked in such a reasonable tone that I almost agreed immediately, but I even realized she normally wouldn’t phrase questions that way. Was she trying to make Remy and Claire think I was in charge? I didn’t feel in charge.
“You’re an enkindler?!” Claire sputtered.
I wondered if Claire had taken some head trauma recently.
“I mentioned it before we came through the portal, didn’t I?” I asked Chrys and Remy, who both nodded in agreement.
“I missed that, I guess. Must have been the shock of my childhood friend suddenly being a fucking dragon!” Claire sputtered, but she laughed at the end. Her sense of humor seemed intact, but I’d have to ask Remy later if we needed to heal her discreetly or not.
From what I recalled, Remy had no healing spells, only arcane spells. Chrys could heal, though, so if she had any problems we’d get it taken care of.
“Please make use of the conference room on the floor below the bridge. The elevator will take you there,” Arx Maxima asked me with a veiled command.
I almost called her out on it before the door whooshed open. I loved the sound of the doors in Arx Maxima, it put a smile on my face.
“This place is weird,” Claire mumbled when we stepped into the elevator. I didn’t have to push anything, the doors closed on their own. Whoosh, Hehe. Then the sense of travel made my stomach lurch, but it stopped almost immediately, before the doors rushed open again. Straight across from the elevator a door opened, revealing a room with a circular table and dozens of seats.
“Arx Maxima is pre-Gossamyr. She used to fly through space between planets, and house something called the Stellarae Enclave,” I explained to Claire, before I dropped into one of the chairs that would accommodate my bulk, and tail.
“Are you okay, Em? You’re different now.” Claire asked me earnestly; genuine concern filled her hazel eyes. I saw in her eyes a desperate need for me to say yes, so that she could let go of the guilt, the self-recrimination, for losing me in the first place.
“Yeah, I’m great. The dragon thing only happened recently, but it’s working out for me. Ladies love dragons,” I said with a smirk, but again, the teeth seemed to be a bit too much for Claire to deal with so soon. She nervously laughed.
“Really, Claire. I’ve got power, and once I rescue Etienne Arx and I are going to build a haven here, in the center of the Gossamyr.”
“The mists don’t have a center?” Claire seemed to disagree with me, but not vehemently, as her eyes closed, and she tried to sense where she was. Her eyes fluttered open, and she demanded answers. “They do have a center, and it’s here. How? When? Why?”
“Arx Maxima added a pole to reality? I think that’s how she described it. She tamed a bunch of chaos; I slept through most of it.” Not from a lack of wanting to witness things.
“Tamed it? She locked it underneath this place! The only thing beneath here is chaos, an abyss of power. Don’t fall off if you ever go outside the windows,” Claire warned with a terrified expression. Apparently just looking at the surroundings with her Mistwalker senses alarmed her.
“Huh,” I said with a shrug. It didn’t really matter. Maybe I could summon Katrina down there. I needed more time with the storm to deepen our conceptual ties.
“Anyway, what kind of concepts do you want me to enkindle for you?” I asked Claire, while I let my attention fall on her. She still had the cute face, her strawberry blonde hair had a few sticks and leaves still in it, and her leather armor hid most of her curves. I wasn’t looking for physical details though, I looked deeper, to see her. She had a sole concept enkindled, aptly enough named Mistwalker. It was bound to her agility.
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“Well, you know griffons? I want to bind them to my vitality,” Claire said after a moment of thought.
I let my mind blank, and breathed until I could sense the vast world of concepts at my fingertips. There were always a few sapient concepts waiting, chanting things like pick me, choose me, or otherwise trying to get my attention. I ignored them and focused on the mental image of the eagle-cat mixture of the legendary griffon.
It didn’t take long for me to find it. Ferocious hunters who could run down a horse on the ground, and agile enough in the air to dodge dragons. They were tough, strong hided creatures with powerful hearts, vast energy reserves, and the ability fight almost anywhere. I could see why Claire wanted to associate with such a concept, and when I compared the scout to the griffon, compatibility seemed high. So I envisioned the majestic gryphon, and burned its image into her vitality, or heart.
I opened my eyes in time to see a flash of power pass through Claire, and she held a hand to her chest while the concept conjoined with her, seeped into her, and made itself at home.
“How does that feel?” I asked once Claire’s breathing evened out.
“Good, really good. Am I going to feel this much more powerful with each concept?” Claire’s excitement for the process leaped considerably, now that she had two concepts bound.
“Yes, you will, and when you cross from ruby to topaz, you’ll feel even more powerful. What’s next?” I asked lightly. I maintained my breathing, and a light connection to the world of concepts.
“So, I want something about exploring, scouting, or pathfinding. I don’t know which would have the highest compatibility for me, what do you think?” Claire asked with a bit of embarrassment I’d never seen of her before. She lowed her face, her bangs hiding her eyes.
I let my mind wander. Exploration provided to be a vague and weak match for Claire, scouting was likewise, and pathfinding had an oddly low affinity for her. I mulled over my possibilities, and called out to the conceptual world for something that would match my friends needs. In my description of her as an arduous worker, a free spirit, and a seeker of knowledge, a concept spoke to me.
“Choose me, and I shall break trails with your friend,” a masculine older man said. He had an eye-patch, a raven on either shoulder, and a spear.
“Who are you?” I inquired politely.
“I am known as Farmagnuðr the Trailbreaker,” he answered bluntly.
I considered this concept and Claire. They had very high potential compatibility.
“What powers would you give her?” I wondered, uncertain.
“The ability to break barriers, and make barriers. The senses to know where to go, and the abilities to get there. What else she gets from me, will be from her shaping.” Farmagnuðr the Trailbreaker answered me.
I relayed the information to Claire, and she assented to enkindle him to her essence.
So, I envisioned the older man, crossing a mountain peak, and then a fire etched copy of that filled Claire’s essence, until it flashed in a burst of power and bound to her. Again, this caused energy to ripple through her body, strengthening her, making her faster, and all around a more improved version of herself. Her eyes seemed a touch greener than they had before, and the strawberry blonde hair caught the light more dynamically.
“This is amazing. No wonder Remy seemed like he could run me into the ground, despite being a mage,” Claire complained between happy laughs.
“Last attribute, what are you thinking about for strength?” I asked.
“I know a lot of people bind their weapon class to their strength, and that’s what I want to do, but I have an idea about that. I use short swords and my bow, could we combine them?” Claire looked at me pleadingly.
“There once was a race of humanoid type that used such a weapon. The Valtoran people valued grace, discipline, precision, and most of all skill. I happen to have one of their weapons if you wish to give it to Claire,” Arx Maxima chimed into my mind.
Yes, please, Arx Maxima. I thought back to my partner.
“I have transferred it to the Belt of Diana,” Arx Maxima responded boredly.
“Would something like this work?” I asked Claire and pulled the weapon from the Belt of Diana.
What appeared on the table looked like a bow made from a white-gray wood, with a semi-transparent transition to a curved blade split by where she would hold the bow, and a hand guard that would protect the hand, too. I had never seen a bow-sword before, but it looked like a convoluted and complex weapon to use.
Claire whistled and immediately leaned forward to run her hands over the bow.
“It’s beautiful, Emery. Does it have a name?” Claire never took her eyes off the bow-sword, even while she talked to me.
“This one is called the Archer’s Blade, in the tongue of the Valtoran, which I don’t speak.” I relayed the information Arx Maxima told me.
“Can… I have it?” Claire sounded shocked she’d even asked the question.
“You can, let me see if I can find a concept that matches it,” I waved away her surprise and slightly lingering suspicion about me letting her have it with so little care. It wasn’t like it was mine, Arx Maxima had a lot of stuff in her storage holes. Wherever those storage holes were. I was more interested in what else Arx Maxima had, than a bow I’d never use. I had lightning, and a spear that could cut anything, I was doing good.
I searched, my mind expanding through countless tides of weapon related ideas, until I found the very bow I had just set before Claire. It was a powerful concept, ancient, with sharp edges, but a depth that would allow for growth because it was a forgotten concept. Ancient, unused, willing to be shaped by a new partner to be reborn in glory.
“I got you, Clairebear,” I laughed, and bound the concept to her strength. The resulting surges of power were much greater than those of the previous concepts, since this filled her attributes and pushed her from ruby to topaz.
“How does it feel to go up a level?” I asked, the radiant glow still clinging to her pale skin.
“Amazing, but I’m so hungry now. I could eat a whole pig!” Claire narrowed her eyes at me, as if I were a meal to be eaten. I rolled my eyes at her.
“Let’s go find out if Arx Maxima has any food then, otherwise you can try a Stonefruit. Only its husk is stone, really tasty. It’ll energize you for the next leg of our journey.” I flashed one of the Stonefruits from my belt, before returning it. I didn’t have many left.
“Stonefruit, huh? Never heard of it. Why’s that Chrys lady with you, anyway? Are you into more than eating rocks?” Claire waggled her eyebrows, and I physically cringed at the innuendo and shook my head no. She seemed to be pleased at my quick dismissal of any interest in Chrys that way.
“You could ask her yourself, she’s coming to the Plains of Valor, too.”
Whoosh, the elevator greeted me. The world was a happier place with friends at your side, and doors that made pleasing sounds.