Black hole [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczOor27h4d7E3DBOMW5tntvsW-8mBcGOrYygvYx3J9VqE64GcosCXjKRrGP3dsy6Y28AbGUVmB3jZbRwQkpOu2OkU91fCjyYC2HgXDylc8_6H0wbepPCLAUkl1v5dwy7Z0otfPFupduikancSrTfpPPJ=w639-h958-s-no-gm?authuser=0]
“Look, Ramir— Can I call you Ramir?”
“It’s Mister Mirimel to you, Noble Wayland,” the runeforged man said with venom in his voice, “You may have managed to move up in the world, but I still expect respect.”
“Mister Mirimel,” Dazien said calmly to the AOA functionary that was currently occupying the desk as though it were a throne, not wanting to argue with the man who had always seemed to despise him in particular, “I’m just asking for some time to present the evidence that we have gathered.”
“This is a waste of time and resources, which we have precious little of at the moment,” Ramir stated as he gestured towards the small stack of papers Dazien had set on the desk in front of him. “We have a long list of missions already waiting to be taken, and you want to chase after some random hunch about deaths that have already been looked into.”
Dazien could feel his anger rising at the obvious dismissal and likely refusal he was in store for. His party had met up with Camilla earlier at the World Tree before coming back to the capital for their next mission —which he assumed would be on the wall again— and he had decided to bring what they had gathered so far to the AOA for consideration of a more formal investigation.
He had believed that his new position as both a Noble and the rumored Herald of the city’s Saint would easily grant him an audience with the Assistant Director of Investigations, but not every gatekeeper seemed to be as accepting of his new titles as he had assumed.
The functionary lifted his nose in the air in a sneer as he continued in a mocking tone, “I know you’ve been rather removed from reality, chasing after that Saint Wayfarer and managing to weasel your way into the graces of a noble House, getting promoted to an Officer and Emissary like you actually matter, but you’re just another Sapphire Caster with no more Obsidian champion standing behind you to get special treatment.”
Ramir reached into a drawer, pulled out a piece of paper, and set it on top of Dazien’s own stack as he said with a smirk, “Here’s your new mission. Be grateful it’s not wall patrol again. Maybe try to do something actually useful.”
Dazien held back his tongue, realizing the man was just being petty out of jealousy. He picked up the mission to read over the assignment before his eyes went wide, and he asked the runeforged incredulously, “Night Lurkers? Are you serious right now?”
“Unlike you, I’m always serious. Your party meets the new requirements to work outside the city with four Sapphire Casters, one of which being a portalist that can retreat quickly. Plus, taking out a pack of these Sapphire monsters as a party should be easy for such an... elite group,” the functionary retorted, and Dazien gritted his teeth to keep from snapping.
“Unless the records are wrong and somebody made a… Well, let’s just call it a ‘clerical error,’ and your party isn’t actually as good as the rumors clearly exaggerate,” Ramir continued as though hoping for Dazien to refuse the mission.
The leader of King’s Dream picked up his stack of papers, mission included, as he said with clipped words, “We accept and will return once the monsters are dealt with. I expect to get that meeting I requested upon our return, or I will not hesitate to go above your head. Since, as you pointed out, I have the privilege of my reputation to lean on. Good day, Mister Mirimel.”
The runeforged man scowled as Dazien turned and left the desk to pass a line of other Adventurers waiting to get their next missions. Whispers followed behind him about said reputation, his new family name sweeping through the small crowd as people recognized him. He was just thankful for the privacy barrier that had kept the confrontation from becoming rumors that might paint him in a negative light.
It reminded him that even at the AOA, he still had a costume to wear, and he adjusted it quickly to the confident air of nobility and purpose. He’d long been accustomed to being the center of attention among the orphans, his own group of friends, and even the few mundane service jobs he had attempted; this was just on a larger scale. Instead of feeling like a weight, like Phoenix seemed to perceive the increased awareness, he was able to use it as a buoy. He just thought of it as practice for when he would one day create his own country and become a king that others could look up to and feel security in.
“Just part of the plan,” he muttered to himself as he made his way out of the building to return to his party. It had been a mantra to him over the years, trying to keep the path to his goals clear and not letting the minor setbacks get him down.
However, this current task was a slight detour on that. The news that his parents might possibly be alive had blindsided him. Too many questions screamed for his attention. What really happened to them? Were they enslaved like Veldrix had mentioned other gemites falling victim to? Were they targeted specifically or simply a target of opportunity? Due to the lack of answers, he found himself once more needing to adjust his plans for the future in lieu of the reality that had unexpectedly fallen into his lap.
Luckily, he had always been fairly adaptable. Adjusting to life in the orphanage and claiming it as his personal pseudo-kingdom was one of the first major steps he had taken for himself. The older kids mostly ignored him or found him endearing and charming in his confidence, while the younger ones looked up to him for his determination to support and protect them.
The clergy at the temple might have gotten annoyed at times with his self-proclaimed importance and his refusal to do things that he didn’t agree with, but he had learned early never to bow to others’ whims. A king never bowed to the demands of others. However, a good king was also considerate of the needs of their subjects, and he had often helped rather than hinder them.
Dazien knew his bold attitude wasn’t what kept adults from adopting him, however. He had quickly discovered that his oddly colored hair and lighter shade of brown skin made him different from the rest. Different wasn’t always good.
There were usually two types of people who would come to the orphanage. Those who wanted children who looked like them and would follow the path they laid out for their children, to be jewel crafters or warriors —not wannabe kings or gemites.
Then there were those other types that would ask for him specifically. The other children had called these latter types “purple creepers,” and they would always be turned down by the High Priestess.
Then Uriel fell into his life, a boy even more broken than all the other orphans that had shown up at the temple. A young teen so damaged that he locked himself away in his room. He had been mildly surprised when Uriel finally opened up to him out of all the other people there. Looking back, he guessed that was more an inevitability, really, since he was the only one willing to talk to the chained teen in the first place.
Dazien had noticed that, as they grew up, his adaptability became even more obvious as he and Uriel became more than friends or even just lovers. Uriel was a piece of his puzzle that fit so succinctly that he knew the man would forever be a part of him, and he had adjusted his plans to include his seneschal.
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Being the more popular kid growing up had given him plenty of experience with other people, including the intimate kind, as he got older. Each relationship came with its ups and downs but one constant thread through them all, aside from Xera, had been the fact that they never meshed well with Uriel. His other partners had either hated the man, misunderstood their relationship with one another, or just ignored his presence altogether.
Phoenix crashing into his life was the next major adjustment to his plans. He had been curious about the woman at first, not just due to her appearance and connection with the god, Warrior, but also because of her shy and introverted nature, which seemed at direct odds with the actions and abilities she would perform.
The Wayfarer had been a pleasant surprise as she became a friend to both of them, seemingly filling a piece of their puzzles that the two partners hadn’t even realized was missing from their lives.
“How did the meeting go?” the smooth bass voice that was so familiar to him said from his side.
Dazien had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed the larger cinderen fall into his usual place as he had exited the AOA building. Saiya reattached herself to his arm as Rayna followed behind them.
He gave an annoyed huff in response and complained, “It didn’t. The guy wouldn’t even look at the information. He heard my extremely brief synopsis, said it was a waste, then gave us a mission to hunt a pack of Night Lurkers that have appeared in the southern forest between Hallametsa and Vallinsarvi.”
“I thought we weren’t allowed beyond the walls without an Emerald escort or all being Sapphire?” Uriel said with a hint of concern.
“I think the guy has a personal grudge against me. He didn’t care at all for whatever titles I might have. It wouldn’t surprise me if he lied about ‘the new rules’ saying we qualify to go out,” he replied sourly before meeting his friend’s gaze and asking with a lopsided smirk, “Still don’t regret following me?”
“Never,” Uriel replied instantly, making his heart feel lighter, “Quit trying to take on more of Phoenix’s personality traits by blaming yourself for his actions. We don’t need the whole party becoming her.”
“A little bit of personality bleed is to be expected, no? We’re all changed and influenced by the people we surround ourselves with. You’re walking proof of that since you would never have given me an order had it not been for my dashing and confident attitude rubbing off on you,” he exaggerated with a grin, “Would it really be so bad if all of us became a bit more like her?”
Uriel gave him a flat look and whispered over their mental connection, “Considering she’s died more times than there are days in a week, I would argue that following her lead is probably not the healthiest path for us.” Dazien was grateful that his partner hadn’t said that bit out loud in public as Uriel added for any who might be listening, “How about you just lead us towards our next challenge, King.”
He smiled gratefully, then glanced around, realizing the mentioned bad influence wasn’t there to defend herself, and asked, “Where’s the Princess? You didn’t let her wander off alone, right?”
“She’s not a toddler, King,” Rayna retorted, “But no, we’re not that irresponsible.”
“She said she wanted to drop off some items she had crafted and wanted to donate to the AOA in her own efforts to assist the city’s need for supplies,” Saiya helpfully informed, “She just went inside the building to the drop-off counter. She should only be a moment.”
As if on cue, a smiling redhead came through the building doors and practically skipped over to them, “Alright, ready to report to the walls!”
Dazien laughed at his sister and ruffled those curls to her annoyance, “Well, I’m sure you’ll be happy to hear we’re going out of the city for a little bit.”
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Phoenix moved slowly through the towering evergreen trees as her Shifting Twilight armor and Dark aura helped her blend into the shadows. The [Blackest Night] Boon from the equipment was in full force as her hair and eyes became inky black, and the glow her skin normally produced as a side effect of her [Starlight Qi] was transformed into wispy clouds that hugged her form.
Passive Ability: Embrace of Shadows
Type: Aura (stealth, magical, dark)
Current Caste: Sapphire 1
Crystal Effect: Allies within your aura are obscured by shadows, making attacks against them less likely to hit. The effectiveness of the shadows scales up with the level of darkness of the surrounding environment.
Sapphire Effect: Allies within your aura are further obscured, negating produced scent and sound. The effectiveness scales up with how still the ally is.
Going slow was a pain but necessary to get the best stealthing effect as she got closer to the area the mission had reported the Night Lurkers were located in. Uriel had given them the rundown earlier about these particular monsters. They were closely related to Frost Lurkers, one of which she had died to months ago when she had gone off to hunt in her anger.
The Night variant was apparently Dark-attuned, and instead of lurking in the snow banks, they liked to lurk in the treetops. Ambushing prey from above in a fatal opening attack. The only reason that tactic hadn’t killed her before was because her aura had been enough to sense them.
They were one of the few monsters that could actually control their pseudo-aura signatures, making them exceptionally dangerous to most Adventurers and Hunters. These ones were also normally in the Higher Sapphire Caste, unlike the Frost ones, which were in the lower ranges of the Caste. Before the change in the ambient magic levels, they rarely spawned on the tundra.
Phoenix had her aura extended as far as she could while sneaking along —which was quite the distance now after ascending. The party’s hope was that she would manage to trigger their ambush early like she had before and then lure them back to the awaiting group. Her moving slower and stealthier was mainly for the reason that she wasn’t confident that her aura would be able to pick them up from far enough away to avoid instant death by moving at a normal pace.
She had almost been right on top of the Frost Lurkers and only narrowly avoided the initial attack because she was on edge, sensing something was off. She hoped it would be enough to save her this time, too.
Phoenix froze as something tickled at her senses, and she tried focusing on it. She was grateful once again that she didn’t need to breathe despite her increasing heart rate. Her eyes scanned the trees in search of the monster that she’d never seen before but got a rough description of.
There was nothing but darkness and a needled canopy.
She focused on the spot that her aura senses were buzzing at her about. A tree about a dozen meters away. It looked like any other tree. Even her eyes, which could see the traces of magic in the air as swirls of color, showed nothing out of the ordinary.
Deciding to trust her gut, she concentrated on the upper boughs of the tree and began to create a black hole from her [Ruler of Relativity] ability right where she knew something was off. She quickly poured mana into it, creating a spherical ball of nothingness about the size of a basketball, and was rewarded with a tree-shaking howl.
The large, vaguely humanoid creature was now visible to her as it was forcibly displaced from its hiding spot. Looking like a mixture of night sky and evergreen needles its silver eyes glared at her in anger as it obviously sensed her in return.
Before she could revel in her victory, more trees started to shiver and move as the Night Lurker had friends who were very angry about one of their own being thwarted.
Phoenix turned and ran back west towards where her party was waiting. She informed them through their mental communication, “Found them! Got one stuck with my black hole, but there’s at least three more chasing.”
“We’ll be ready,” Dazien replied, “Just watch for the [Arcanist Gems] that Rayna’s set up leading into her [Crystalline Distortion] zone.”
“Got it! I should be there in just a min—” Phoenix broke off as her concentration was interrupted by the feeling of her foot sinking into the ground. Her momentum came to a very sudden halt as she tripped and almost slammed her face into the snow.
“Princess?” Dazien questioned, but she didn’t have the mind to answer as she glanced back to see a lurker sprinting towards her. She tried using her gravity ability to push her away from the mud she was still sinking into.
It didn’t seem to work, and her eyes lit up with the light brown color of the Earth magic suffusing the area spell she was caught in. A spell that must have been a Caste higher than she was…