Reluctantly, he took her hand and the screens popped up before him. It had been, he suddenly realized, a shockingly long time since he had leveled up. The biggest surprise, though, was that he had gained levels, even if only two, in his secondary class. I guess Kas̆dael must have considered some of the bandits to be her ‘enemies.’
Jasper Welles
Exp: 350/3000
Health 1340
Stamina 2660
Essence 3640
Heritage(s)
Greater Djinn
Acolyte of the Secret Flame
Level: 71
Level up: x8
Hand of Kas̆dael
Level: 1
Level up: x2
Titles
The Blood Runs True
Betrothed of Kas̆dael
Survivor
Champion of Sappiya
Stats
Racial Traits
Class Abilities
Class Abilities
Weapon Skills
Strength 30
Scion of Flames
Shooting Star
Scales of Justice
Improvised Weaponry I
Endurance 47
Uplifted
Purge
Scourge of Despair
Sling V
Vision 20
The Broken Shackle
Eternal Night II
Hand of Judgment
Glaive VI
Inspiration 73
Locked
Fiery Shackles II
Dagger III
Willpower 73
Seraph Burst
Charisma 30
Heart Stopper (Undead)
He split his stat points from Acolyte of the Secret Flame between Inspiration and Willpower, noting with disappointment that he was one level shy of reaching the level 80 reward, and turned to examine the Hand of Kas̆dael.
He was pleasantly surprised to discover that he received 5 stat points per level from the class, rather than the usual 3. After a moment’s hesitation, he added the points to Strength. He knew he was still a long way away from meeting the requirements to unlock the racial trait The Wings of Gavu'el, but the temptation of someday flying was too great to simply pass up.
But the real surprise, though, was the reward box waiting for him. Now that he saw it, Jasper remembered that Bā’er had hinted at there being something special for the kalmû hunt, but it had completely slipped his mind in the mayhem of the city. He read through it eagerly.
Reward Box
Blessing of Hurbas̆u
By successfully participating in the kalmû ritual, you have found favor with Lady Hurbas̆u. You have unlocked the ability to perform the kalmû ritual and have earned a new title.
Blessed of Hurbas̆u - when in the vicinity of the lake, gain a 10% increase to health and stamina.
While he wasn’t planning to stay in the area for long, Jasper could easily appreciate how useful the title could be. No wonder the hunters had had no trouble taking on the bandits.
As he closed the reward box, another appeared. Confused, he opened it up.
Divine Path Unlocked
The Blessings of Nature
Unlocked by: Blessing of Hurbas̆u
A minor nature deity has taken note of you, and given you her blessing. Earn the favor of nine more nature deities to unlock a major reward.
He read the short note with surprise, not really sure what to make of it. If this had been an option in the game, it had been a well-kept secret. Ten nature deities, though? He had only stumbled into Lady Hurbas̆u by accident. He wouldn’t even know where to begin finding others. He closed the box, taking one last look over his new stats.
Jasper Welles
Exp: 350/3000
Health 1540
Stamina 3140
Essence 4600
Heritage(s)
Greater Djinn
Acolyte of the Secret Flame
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Level: 79
Level up: x0
Hand of Kas̆dael
Level: 3
Level up: x0
Titles
The Blood Runs True
Betrothed of Kas̆dael
Survivor
Champion of Sappiya
Blessed of Hurbas̆u
Stats
Racial Traits
Class Abilities
Class Abilities
Weapon Skills
Strength 40
Scion of Flames
Shooting Star
Scales of Justice
Improvised Weaponry I
Endurance 47
Uplifted
Purge
Scourge of Despair
Sling V
Vision 20
The Broken Shackle
Eternal Night II
Hand of Judgment
Glaive VI
Inspiration 85
Locked
Fiery Shackles II
Dagger III
Willpower 85
Seraph Burst
Charisma 30
Heart Stopper (Undead)
Then, his eyes meeting Kas̆dael’s, he steeled himself for what was to come. “I’m ready.”
Kas̆dael didn’t immediately pull him into her embrace. Instead, fixing him with a serious stare, she spoke carefully, almost haltingly, as if she was struggling against constraints. “There will come a day…soon…when you will need help. Do not forget you have a Hand.” She emphasized the last word, lingering on it meaningfully. Then, not giving him time to respond, the goddess drew him into her embrace, her lips cutting off his screams as his heart was ripped out.
----------------------------------------
When the time finally came for the auction, Jasper sent a messenger to Bā’er and his men, inviting the villagers to meet them at the auction house. Then, accompanied by the Moon-kissed, they set out. It was a beautiful day on the shores of the frigid lake. The skies were uncharacteristically cloudless, the cheerful sunlight wrapping them up in its warm embrace. Even the winds had largely fallen silent, with only an occasional gust finding its way off the mountains.
If the city had seemed busy before, it was positively bustling now. The streets were jammed with people, the vast majority of them all streaming in the same direction, the auction house.
“So what exactly happens here?” Jasper asked Qarda. “This just seems a lot busier than I expected.”
“It’s one of the biggest events in the city, basically their harvest festival. Twice a year, people gather from all around for the 'auction.' Most of the stuff is actually just sold in the marketplace - only high-quality merchandise is featured in the actual action itself - but it’s still a time for revelry.”
They passed by a trio of performers, one of whom was slowly sliding a flaming sword down his throat, while the others threw knives a target behind him.
“If it’s a harvest festival, then why twice a year?”
“There’s two harvests here, the harvest of land, where they bring in the crops before winter, and the harvest of sea, where they sell the bounty of the lake,” Qarda explained. “Now, when we get to the auction, unfortunately, you can’t sit with us.”
“Why not?” Ihra objected, a look of dismay on her face. “What if Lord Nabul tries something?”
Qarda grimaced. “He probably will, but we’ll just have to keep an eye out for you. Without the approval of my lady, there are limits to how much support we can be seen giving you.”
“The seating at the auction is divided up by the factions - Moon-kissed, Zaphonites, Seraphs, and so on. Letting you stay at our house the last few days was pushing it, but letting you sit with us at the auction would be basically the same as declaring you belonged to our faction. I simply don’t have the authority to authorize that, and frankly, considering the fact that you aren’t a Moon-kissed, it’s not really in your best interests. You’ll have to sit in the unaffiliated section. Your hunters can sit with you and provide a little extra security.”
Her instructions were cut off as the auction house came into view. It was a stately building; the large dome in the middle, flanked by two sizable wings, reminded him of capitol buildings back on earth, but unlike those, the building was made entirely of wood - unusual even here, where most of the grand buildings were constructed from stone. “Why is it made of wood?” he asked Qarda.
“The auction house predates the city. It was the home of a minor lord who, unable to afford to import better material, constructed it out of the local warodim wood. But as the city sprung up around it, it became an iconic symbol of the town.”
They passed through the doors, the crowd slowly inching its way into the building. The area beneath the dome was a single large amphitheater, rows of seating blocked off into different sections over which banners hung. “Alright, we have to take our leave now.” Qarda pointed at a large section not the far side of the room over which a simple, blood-red banner hung. “That’s the section for the unaffiliated. We’ll be on the opposite side, but if anything happens we’ll come running. I doubt Nabul will make his move during the auction, though, so there’s no need to worry.”
When the Moon-kissed had left, Jasper turned to face Ihra. “Well, are you ready for this? We could still cut bait, and run for it now.”
Ihra shook her head. “If we’re going to leave, we should have done it sooner. Let’s find the hunters.”
When he finally spotted the burly man through the crowd, Jasper had to admit that a feeling of relief flooded through him. While he didn’t think the Moon-kissed wanted to hurt them, he didn’t entirely trust them to have their best interests in heart, either. It was nice to see someone who wasn’t mixed up in all that political crap.
“My lord!” The man waved him over, greeting him heartily, as the other villagers quickly gathered around. Bā’er hoisted a full mug of beer in his hand, the liquid sloshing around as he led them over to their seats. “Today is a great day, my lord, a great day indeed for our village.”
Jasper smiled. “I hope you haven’t already spent all your profits on women and booze.”
The man laughed. “I think you’re underestimating just how much we’re about to make, my lord. It would take years of money and booze to waste this windfall, not a few days.”
They settled down in their seats, long wooden pews that were sadly bereft of any sort of padding. Jasper couldn’t help but notice that the faction seats were much nicer - small private enclosures with padded pews and space to stand. He found himself scanning the crowd anxiously, looking for any sign of suspicious behavior. But the mood in the room was relaxed, the crowd buzzing with a thousand loud conversations, the rise and fall of their voices like the waves crashing against the shore.
The center of the room was occupied by a large stage where a group of Djinn was milling about in red robes. The merchant guild, maybe? The crowd noise was almost deafening, but Jasper was impressed at how quickly the room fell silent when one of the red-robed men raised his hands.
“Greetings, lords and ladies of the mountains, traders of the guild, citizens of the city. The auction will begin in a moment. As always, the wares have been split into four lots: agriculture, livestock, clothing, and luxuries. Today, however, we have a special, final lot: antiquities. Two groups have submitted a large number of goods retrieved from ancient sites. I have examined them personally myself and I assure you, they are of the highest quality. This is an opportunity you won’t want to miss, my lords.” He addressed his final words to the faction seating, many of whom had appeared bored up until that moment.
He left the stage a moment later, the crowd’s noise swelling to an even higher crescendo at the news of the special goods.
Jasper surveyed the excited crowd contently, the dollar signs in his head flashing as he realized even the lords and ladies had perked up at the announcement.
A few minutes later, the auction began, the room falling silent immediately. It was…not stimulating. Jasper had read more than a few books where the auction scenes dragged on for chapter after chapter, the protagonist somehow snagging one miraculous potion or pill after another from underneath the nose of a rival faction, and he supposed that those tales had colored his expectations a bit.
Sadly, the auction was unprepared to meet his expectations. The first two lots were completely uninteresting. Large amounts of crops, livestock, and farming implements were sold off, primarily to the crowd in the unaffiliated section, with relatively little bidding actually occurring, as it seemed there was a general sense of what a fair price was, and few were willing to go past it. The only real excitement came when one of the horses got spooked and made a mad dash down the aisle before being reined in.
Clothing was not much more interesting, at least for him. Ihra was more intrigued, even bidding on a few lots whose clothes were supposedly made by the finest tailors in town. She won two of the lots, the parcels being set aside until the end of the auction, much to her disappointment. But it wasn't until the luxuries came on the block that Jasper finally became interested.
It quickly became apparent that “luxuries” was an extremely comprehensive category. Everything from jewelry to furniture, large shipments of exotic spices to finally carved ivory was put up for sale, the bids flying hard and fast as the faction merchants and lords joined the fray. There were some truly remarkable works of craftsmanship on display, but, in the end, Jasper had no place to put them, so he had to pass. Maybe one day I’ll have a home.
But gradually the furniture and furs were replaced by a parade of exotic pets that passed through the stage. Many of the creatures were entirely unrecognizable to him: strange, ethereal birds that flickered in and out of phase, cat-like beasts with scales instead of furs, miniature horses whose manes were made of fire rather than hair - a particularly popular creature with the Djinn lords, whose frantic bidding spiked the prices far beyond his means.
He was tempted to bid on some of them, but stayed his hand, until a small bird was brought on stage. The auctioneer lifted the cage up in the air, letting the room get a good look at the creature. It was nothing special really, a snowy-grey bird a bit smaller than a crow, although the edges of its wings were stained a deep midnight blue.
“We’ve got a rather rare find here today, a rīmakāl, fresh from the plains beyond the River. This little bird isn’t for you - it’s for your mount. The rīmakāl bounds with your mount, keeping it company when you’re away, and grooming it, as best as it can.
Jasper furrowed his brow. That really didn’t seem useful, unless you were neglecting your animal.
The auctioneer continued. “A popular choice amongst the cavalry of Stryn, a bounded rīmakāl also provides a slight boost to the evolution of a mount, if it evolves.”
That got his attention, his hand absentmindedly patting the bag where the pomegranate from Aphora was stored. On impulse, he joined the bidding. Fortunately, the little bird didn’t attract the same kind of frenzy that the ghostly birds had, but he still found himself down five gold crowns at the end. The bidding continued for another few hours before the antiquities lots finally came up.
The weapons they had found in the vault - more than a thousand axes and spears - proved to be the highlight of the show, much to Jasper’s surprise, when the auctioneer revealed they had been made by a famous, long-dead craftsman from the south. The prices soared quickly, but one bidder was particularly persistent - Lord Nabul. He sat in his own stall in the Zaphonite section, calmly matching each and every bid until he was left with the entire lot.
When the last of the treasures had been auctioned off, Jasper and Ihra had raked in well over 60,000 crowns, but he couldn’t bring himself to be excited. As Nabul watched them, with the smug smirk of the cat that ate the canary, the sinking feeling grew in the pit of his stomach.
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