Kade watched as his companion seemed to melt back into a pile of silver chains, looking around curiously. The chains that appeared to make up the Aspect’s body seemed to shift around, and rolled like a small wave as Drake explored the courtyard. The process was fascinating to watch, but ultimately ponderously slow–or at least it would be in the heat of battle. Kade was wondering if indeed the strange being was more suited to crafting, when he was startled to hear Markis’ voice suddenly emerge from the nearby tunnel back to the Academy, “What in Karthas’ name is that!” he said with shock.
Immediately the courtyard erupted into chaos, as Drake apparently registered his master’s surprise as indicating some kind of an attack. Chains exploded outward in every direction, embedding themselves in every surface, and lifting the still enormous mass of the Aspect into the air, just above Kade and Sal’s heads. The two retreated a step in shock, not expecting the ponderous pile of metal to be capable of such speed. They hadn’t even properly taken in what was happening as Drake continued to react.
An entire wall of chains descended in front of Kade, dozens of them as thick around as his wrist, completely blocking him from the stunned priest, who was frozen in place as the madness continued. After only seconds the wall was as wide as Kade was tall, and apparently satisfying the Aspect at that point, the chains instantly shifted into a single, solid piece of metal. When Kade tried to move to one side to see Markis, the wall smoothly reformed in his new position–Drake was apparently very protective. The movement allowed Kade a brief moment to watch in horror as the remaining mass of chains dangling from the helmet burst forth, wrapping around the now terrified priest, and hauled him up into the web of chains now spread throughout the entire courtyard.
The display took less than a minute, and through it all Kade had been too stunned to react, but what came next snapped his mind into focus. More than two dozen chains emerged from the helmet as it raised the wriggling form of Markis up to its cold, glowing eyes. Each chain smoothly took on a new shape, all of them looking as if they’d come from some sort of horrific torture chamber, with blades, saws, spikes, and hammers all represented. Drake’s chains apparently shared few–if any–of Kade’s limitations in terms of the size and shape they could take, as some of the weapons were nearly as large as Markis was. Finally Kade yelled, “Stop! Drake, Stop!” in absolute panic, and the chains froze in place.
Kade had expected the Aspect to return to its original form, but it simply stopped, every chain perfectly frozen, and Kade could see Markis’ somewhat exposed face, staring wide-eyed at the collection of blades poised to eviscerate him. Kade took a breath and kept talking, “Drake, please put that man down. His name is Markis, and he’s a friend.” The result was almost disturbingly immediate as the priest was rapidly lowered to the ground. The moment his feet touched the courtyard grass, the chains fell into a heavy pile at his feet. At the same time, every anchored chain zipped back toward the helmet, which at last fell back into a pile at Kade’s feet, the helmet staring forward with its empty gaze.
If it weren’t for the minor damage to the Abbey walls, and Markis’ terror, it was almost like nothing had happened at all. Kade resolved to spend more time with Aspect before allowing it to run around freely again; it clearly had a high degree of intelligence, and had already taken a similar role to Anton as stalwart protector of its summoner. Kade glanced over at Sal, who was looking at the Aspect with a mixture of fascination and terror, then down to the mage’s stoney boots. He turned back to Drake, unsure exactly how to proceed. “Um, Drake? I think it would be best if you gave me some time to explain things to Markis here. Can you…turn into boots, or something?” The metal helmet turned to face Kade, then cocked its head slightly at him. Kade thought it was confusion at first, but he was somehow given the impression that the expressionless helmet was trying to convey…amusement?
Kade stared at the helmet for several seconds before he realized he was staring at a helmet, and grew slightly embarrassed. “Right, not boots, that was silly. Um, do I wear you?” He didn’t really enjoy the thought of walking around in a helmet which fully covered his face every time he dismissed the Aspect, but he supposed he might not have a choice. Without delay, Drake again moved with shocking alacrity, as the helmet flew toward Kade’s face, pivoting and splitting in half as it did so. Kade reflexively jumped back, but it made no difference as both halves of the helmet slammed shut over him, and he shouted in alarm.
He was surprised to find that he didn’t need to look through the small eye slits as the entire inside was somehow transparent, though slightly murky. The clear view was enough to witness the entire mass of chains flying toward him at a similar breakneck pace, and his own chains instinctively started rising to protect him. Black chains reached for silver, but moved as if underwater compared to those attached to the Aspect. Kade watched in fascination as every silver chain appeared to independently pivot and dodge to perfectly avoid their black counterparts, before colliding with his arms. As they did so, they shrunk down until they almost looked like wires, and began weaving together.
Kade held up his arms and let his own chains fall as he watched silver gauntlets form around his hands, covering just past knuckles. The majority of the chains just kept wrapping and weaving around his forearms, however, until they were twice as thick as his upper arms. Finally they appeared to melt together, leaving raised, interlocking plates on the outside of his arms. Again, the whole process had been completed in seconds, and Kade was left unsure how a wagon-sized pile of chains was now comfortably fitting on just his arms. They were certainly heavy, but not remotely what he would expect, and his newfound strength–greatly augmented by his Vanguard class–allowed him to move easily.
He assumed that the Aspect was using another metallurgic ability that Kade was still struggling to master–manipulating the weight of metal. He was certain about the massive bracers’ ability to block attacks and shield him however, as it seemed the information was imparted to him as soon as they finished forming. He was disappointed when he realized the Aspect wouldn’t be capable of much shape-changing while in this form, however, as Drake was essentially resting and dormant while it was joined to him. He could do very minor things though, and with a thought the helmet retracted and shifted into the form of a simple silver chain around Kade’s neck. He was also able to shift the metal on his left arm slightly, revealing that Dalton’s Fabulous Bracer of Hope was still happily functioning under all those layers.
At last Kade looked at the other two men in the room, and saw that while Sal was examining him with a look of academic curiosity, Markis was still visibly shaken. He looked from the gauntlets to Kade’s face. “What in the [hells-abyss-terrors-nightmares-dark holes-heavens-excrement] was that!?”
***
Kade was walking home alone, several hours later. After apologizing profusely to the distressed Priest, the man had calmed slightly and normal post-Trial proceedings had continued. The two participants were congratulated, and Selina made a brief appearance, but there was much less fanfare than was required to start the Ritual, as it was understood that most simply wanted to recover once they made it out.
Markis had taken the time to confirm that both Salarus and Kade had successfully begun their new Paths, and that Kade’s mystery path was stabilized. He assured them both that their new abilities should emerge very soon, though it may be slightly longer as they had received more than the normal number, and their bodies and Cores needed time to adapt to the new energies. Both the priest and Selina had been shocked that the two had each received boons, as Karthas had only done as much for a single Keeper in decades, and that person had received an item, not seemingly rare abilities.
Sal had still been nearly bouncing off the walls, and was eager to return to his family and share the news–he hadn’t been exaggerating, and there were several other Sorcerers anxiously awaiting news of his success. Kade had fewer people waiting for him, which caused him to feel a loneliness that the constant rush of excitement had been holding at bay for some time. He’d been surprised to find out that their Ritual had somehow taken nearly three weeks in real time, and was saddened to hear from Selina that Edwin was still out of the city. Kade did have someone to speak to though, and he hoped Alara was home.
It wasn’t that he wanted to share the results of the Trial, as he and Alara hadn’t formed a true bond even when living in the same house. Instead, he wanted to discuss what he’d heard from the horrible facsimiles who had begged first for their lives, then for their deaths. There was so much that had disturbed him about those moments, and he didn’t think he could keep going without hearing the truth about one in particular.
When he arrived at the estate, he was happy to discover that Alara was in, and actually using the training area, which was rare for her. At first he’d wondered if she trained elsewhere, but when he’d asked one of the servants who occasionally worked at the house, he was told that Alara was simply very, very good. Evidently she was so close to Secundus that training had little benefit, and her only real chance of advancing was out in the Chaos. He was curious why she was making an exception now, but when he saw her blasting training stones–imbued magical objects that were nearly indestructible–with every kind of attack she had, it was clear that she was venting some kind of frustration.
He approached cautiously, and announced himself loudly but still had an enormous bout of fire sent his way as she whirled at him in surprise. Kade instinctively brought up his heavy bracers in front of him, and was equally shocked and relieved as they somehow dissipated the attack harmlessly around him. He sensed that this ate into Drake’s mana reserves significantly, but was a powerful defensive maneuver, and he could feel the Aspect slowly regenerating its reserves immediately after.
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Alara stopped and stood up straight the moment the attack collided with Kade, and nodded to a nearby table and chairs after confirming she hadn’t harmed him. As she collapsed into one of the seats, she looked down at his new bracers, “So you’re a metallurgist after all? Wonderful, this house is getting old and it will be great to have someone take a look at the plumbing.”
Kade smirked at the light jab, but considered that he was ultimately grateful to not have to single handedly fight for the cause of combat metallurgists, if only so people would make fewer jokes. In answer, Kade reached out and the metal body of the Aspect seemed to pour off of him like liquid, once more rapidly forming a living pile of animated chains. When the helmet at last rose up slightly to look at Alara, Kade made hasty introductions, assuring his overzealous bodyguard that she was a friend–despite fiery first impressions. Kade then quickly went over getting his boon and new class.
“So not a metallurgist after all?” Alara said, while staring at the unusual Aspect, who was now freely roaming around the training hall.
“Something called a Vanguard? Markis–the affinity priest–said he hadn’t heard of it, but confirmed it’s the Warrior archetype. My abilities should manifest soon, but for now I only know their names, and that they’re not common. I’m supposed to report back to the Academy in a few days for some training, so hopefully I can use them by then. I was surprised they wanted me back so soon, but apparently they’re preparing the new Keepers for something, and need us ready as soon as possible.”
Alara had an unexpectedly strong reaction to that news, throwing her drink across the training yard. A silver chain fired out, and shattered the cup into pieces before it hit the wall, and Kade had to gesture furiously at the ominously shifting Aspect of Metallurgy to stop it from ‘defending’ him again. Kade then prodded Alara on her obvious irritation. “It’s the same all over the city, everyone is talking about something happening in a couple of months, but no one knows exactly what. There’s always rumors and speculation around Keeper activities, but I’ve never seen it like this.”
She poured herself another drink before continuing, “Apparently it all began when two groups of Bringers returned to Karthas a short while ago. Bringer activity always attracts attention, but this time they returned with two oddities at once–casualties, and the body of an Elder.” Kade did a double-take at the news, first because he’d begun thinking of the Bringers as virtually immortal–from what he’d managed to gather, their weakest members were Secundus, with most being Tertius or higher. But it was the second part that seemed completely insane.
“How and why would they bring an Elder to the city? Don’t they normally try to turn those things into valuables?” Alara let out a laugh.
“Not using Gathering Spears is only a tiny piece of the mystery. This wasn’t a small elder, it was larger than Altera, and they dragged it for weeks. It’s not the most impressive thing a Bringer can do, but they would have had to pull it through the deep Chaos, attracting an unimaginable number of monsters as they did so.” She paused to sip her drink, looking off into the distance as if imagining the trek. “I don’t even know how they stabilized it enough not to simply erupt, but what they could possibly need with it is the true wonder.”
Kade sat, pondering, and watched as Drake appeared to inspect the many rows of weapons in the training area. At last he turned back to Alara, “So which part of this made you throw a wall of fire at me?” She shook her head in frustration,
“That I’ve used all my resources, and all my influence to get any sort of clue as to what’s happening, and I’ve confirmed nothing. Somehow the Orders have managed to keep all the intelligence isolated to a small group, but have still undertaken massive efforts in preparation for–something. That they’re flat-out telling new recruits about a major expedition but my best spies have nothing more to offer is beyond irritating. I don’t know what’s out there, but I do know this is completely without precedent.”
Kade considered her words, but felt like whatever was going on was beyond him for the moment, as his mind was still reeling from the strain of the Trial. At last he asked the question he’d been avoiding. “Alara, did Nicky really die because of me? Would she have lived if she hadn’t used her ability on me?” The red-haired woman’s hand froze as she was bringing her drink to her lips, and slowly put it back down.
“So Edwin told you what I said,” before Kade could correct her, she kept going. “Look, that was a difficult time for me–for all of us. Nicky was so young, and she was…special. We all looked out for her, even Graves, and seeing the way she died…” Even when she drifted off, Kade didn’t feel it was right to interrupt. “It was a lot for all of us. I’m not the most affectionate person, but I cared about that ridiculous kid, and seeing her die like that, for nothing, and in such a horrible way, it was too much for me. I blamed you at first, and that wasn’t fair.”
The admission seemed to strain the proud woman greatly, and Kade waited a moment before speaking. “Were you right though? To blame me? Could she have survived if she hadn’t protected me?” Alara stared at him for a moment, then took another sip of her drink,
“I don’t know. It was a Soul Power, not an ability, so I’m not really sure of its limits.” Kade noticed the way she avoided eye contact, and could sense the truth. He wasn’t sure how to process it all, and knew that now wasn’t the time. But if what the false-Nicky had said in his Trial was real…
“Alara, I have to ask another question. Did something happen to Edwin? Maybe a long time ago? He mentioned a couple of things in passing that confused me a bit at the time, and much more as I’ve gotten to know how our Paths and abilities are supposed to work. Alara hesitated before answering.
“You’re asking some particularly difficult questions today, Kade. Truthfully I don’t have the answers to this one. I’m aware that Edwin is unusual as he’s more powerful than should be possible as a Primus, but not much beyond that. He’s not much more powerful than a dedicated Secundus, so it’s not really something we think about much.” She considered for a moment, then continued, “I can tell you the same rumors everyone knows, but you should speak to him if this is something you really want to know. Edwin didn’t take his Trial at Karthas, but somewhere else–I’m not sure where–and for whatever reason, he’s refused to take a Trial since.”
Kade found himself even more curious, but before he could ask anything more, Alara got up and excused herself, claiming she had an appointment she was now late for. Kade watched her go, as the memories played out in his head. You don’t know what I’ve seen Kade, you don’t know what I’ve done! I killed them you know, I killed all of them! Over and over again. He made me do it, but I had to do it, and in the end I wanted to do it! Oh please Kade, release me, release me from this!
Kade shuddered as he recalled the copy of Edwin tearing at him, pleading and staring into him with haunted eyes as he begged for death. If what the false Nicky had said was true, how much else was as well? Kade wasn’t sure he was ready to know. That he was partially to blame for Nicky was bad enough, but Edwin had become a central figure in Kade’s life on Iros. He looked to the solid man as a mentor, and as a constant as the rest of this insane world seemed to be shifting continuously underneath him.
He realized he wasn’t ready for these thoughts, certainly not for doubting Edwin, and turned his attention back to his new companion who was gently reaching out with its chains to examine each new weapon it discovered. Sal had asked him about the name he’d chosen, and Kade himself had been at a loss. He didn’t know where the name came from, or why he was so convinced it suited the strange being. He was considering the name, and that it sometimes had draconic connotations, when Drake reached for a spear, and the connection suddenly dawned on Kade.
He quickly removed the Artifact spear from his belt, and inspected the blasphemous symbol he’d been ignoring since acquiring the item. The creature certainly did have a draconic appearance, and it was a metallurgic Artifact, but Kade was surprised his mind had made the connection. Suddenly a thought took him, and he forgot about the odd name choice for a moment as he approached his new companion. Drake’s helmet spun around, somewhat eerily, and it approached him when it noticed the spear.
Following an instinct, Kade presented the Artifact to Drake with a smile, “I’m not sure if you can use this, or if it even makes sense for you to use this, but now that I know I’m not a metallurgist, it’s a pretty terrible weapon for me.” The helmet rose up on its chains to inspect the spear, then looked at Kade expectantly. “Go on, it’s yours now if you want it.” With that, several chains reached out, and slowly wrapped themselves around the object, which began to glow with the same silver light that shone from within the helmet.
Kade took a step back, curious, and then all at once the spear seemed to shrink down–not just into its smaller handle form, but shrunk down completely, seemingly absorbed into the metal. For a panicked moment, Kade worried that his Aspect had somehow eaten the spear, and realized he didn’t know enough to be sure that wasn’t possible. Did Drake think he was giving it scrap metal to get rid of?
He needn’t have worried though, as the spear emerged from the entity only a moment later, rising slowly out of the mass of chains. Kade’s eyes widened at the sight, as the spear was truly transformed. Gone was the simple, arrowhead-like point, and in its place was a remarkably elaborate series of overlapping blades, running almost a third of the way down the haft. The largest blade was nearly the length of Kade’s arm, and extended from a razor sharp point downward in a sweeping shape, almost like a polearm of some kind. A smaller, similarly shaped blade reached out perpendicular to the first, and was wickedly curved–the spear could now be used as a slashing weapon, and pulling it from a target would likely be far more damaging than simply being stabbed with it.
Kade had little time to examine the elaborate design further, as the Artifact was quickly absorbed back into the pile of chains, and Drake smoothly flowed to a different position in the room. Kade watched in curiosity as his Aspect lined up with the training stone, then began to glow as it had moments earlier. After several seconds, the silver spear exploded outward with incredible force, and embedded itself into the training stone, something Kade hadn’t known was possible.
He looked back at Drake with a smile, about to explain how impressed he was, when he saw the Aspect was still glowing and appeared to be bracing itself. After several more moments, dozens of identical spears burst out of the creature, each one piercing into the stone, until it looked like a massive pin cushion, stone chips flying everywhere, and a single spear actually passed entirely through to embed itself in the far wall. As Kade watched, he realized each spear had a thin chain attached to its end, but rather than pull them out, they all dissolved back into the lengths of chain, and slowly withdrew.
“Well now,” Kade said, his mouth still hanging open. “I think you get to keep the spear.”