Magnifying glass [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczPr09Rpp2K6_weqee1eHJ3qpzDIEtUvBnjCFunDJc-EwB9D-LWchHZPclyZNKUievIfgBM-rd4dqYW9Ijsxpbk2Vh5iodUr2776usvUA8jF2DOu1sEcpmiecv2B2cYEqOHC_FibMN0p_4AKiaVdF6qR=w639-h958-s-no-gm?authuser=0]
Dazien stared at the gem Saiya placed in his hands as they were all working through the shelves of Spirit Gems Ambassador Wayland had brought them all to. They had been there maybe fifteen minutes when Saiya had bounded over to him. “Which one is this?” he asked the happy voxen with swaying tails that always brought a smile to his face.
“Control,” she announced with a grin, “I felt how much you wanted it when we were at the shop the other day. This one didn’t have a name claiming it already, either.”
He stared at the gem, swallowing nervously from just holding something valued at twenty Emerald Mana Bits, “Lady Saiya… We both know how much this is worth—”
“Which isn’t as much as you are worth,” she interjected, causing him to fall silent, “While we need Phoenix to be fully unlocked to get Paul back, we also need our Defender at his best. I’m sure if Paul was here right now, he’d be reminding you that you’re not some poor orphan boy anymore. You are Noble Dazien Wayland, Herald of the Saint, Leader of King’s Dream, and a Warrior King.”
The voxen tapped a tiny claw against the gem as she said, “But even if none of that is enough to convince you, I know you believe that we deserve to have our party be at its best, especially when it seems like there are others who wish to see us fall. Our lives are worth more than a few Spirit Gems. If it was any of us hesitating like you are, you would be saying the same thing I am. In fact, I know you’ve told Phoenix as much. Stop acting like you’re not important.”
They stared at each other for a few moments as though silently battling with their stares alone until he finally sighed and nodded, “You’re right. I’ve forgotten my own lesson that if I want to be a king then I need to act like one.”
Saiya’s smile almost blinded him with how bright it was as she wrapped him in a hug before running off to rejoin her twin to find more treasure. He held on tightly to the first gem selected for the five total he would need to finish unlocking all of his powers.
Dazien refocused on the shelf he had been looking at before the interruption and picked up the gem he had been internally debating about. Not because he wasn’t sure if it was something he wanted, but because he knew it was considered a Legendary one that was even more expensive than the Control one in his grasp.
The Domain Spirit Gem definitely spoke to both his powerset and mentality. If he wasn’t going to concern himself with the cost, then he most certainly wanted this one.
“Dazien,” Patricia said as she approached him from the opposite direction Saiya had gone, “I have something else I wanted to talk to you about and give to you if you have a moment.”
“Oh?”
She held out a small pouch in answer and he took it, opening it to find nine Spirit Gems glinting in the low light along with a small black box wrapped in a golden cord, “What are these?”
“For Uriel,” the runeforged replied, surprising him as he had to double take between the bag and her, “I said earlier that I had adjusted my plans, and this was part of it. It is also my attempt at another apology for my earlier mistake,” she nodded towards the bag, “Those gems will be good selections for Uriel’s powerset, though feel free to think of them as backups. If you or he finds something more preferable, you can return whatever you don’t use later.”
“What’s in the box?” he asked with a raised brow, having a vague suspicion.
“The one Paul had picked out for him as his ascension gift,” she confirmed, “He had selected one for all of you at the same time shortly before the Dewsong Ladies ascended. The notes he wrote shortly before he ascended to Ruby… just in case, he had said,” the priestess explained with a regretful look.
“It’s a tradition in our family for the lord to gift one to a scion, and he had extended that tradition to the rest of Phoenix’s party. I picked out the others based on the information registered with the AOA about Uriel’s Aspects and current abilities,” she added.
“Aren’t those records private? Last I checked, you weren’t an official with the AOA,” he pointed out.
She gave a sly smile, “Were you not paying attention earlier to what I said about the lengths I will go to for my family?”
He found himself returning her smile despite himself, “Ah, I guess that includes a little bribery?”
“Favors for favors, my dear nephew. It’s how a lot of politics works.”
“I feel like your mentality on the matter of family is the reason some nobles get a bad reputation while other scions become spoiled into believing they can do anything they want without consequence.”
“I said I wouldn’t abandon you, not that I wouldn’t scold you. While you’re not specifically mine to discipline, I’m sure Paul would have seen punishment dealt should you or Phoenix cause too much tarnish on our reputation.”
Dazien chuckled, “I guess he did make me eat the mat on the training room floor often enough,” he glanced up at the noblewoman before looking around to make sure his partner wasn’t near before adding quietly, “I promised Uriel I wouldn’t make a big deal of this unless it happened again, but since we’re on the topic of spoiled scions, have you talked with Padma before about respecting personal boundaries?”
Patricia merely raised a brow in response, and he added, “I just want to make sure it’s not going to become a problem. I know she really likes Uriel and it was most likely a misunderstanding, but you have talked with your children about approaching someone to court, right?”
She glanced around, shifting slightly, before saying, “I’ve talked with Patric and Padma about coming to me when things get serious with someone. When something more permanent like marriage is desired. There’s a lot of vetting and paperwork involved with something like that for a noble House.”
“I meant on a more interpersonal level,” he clarified, “Like not using your influence, money, or position of power to take what you want from a potential love interest.”
The older woman grimaced, “Not exactly, but I never thought it would be a problem with them. They’re both good kids, and I’ve never had any real concerns about their behavior in public.”
“Well, I won’t bring it up again then, but it might be worth the conversation, at least,” he said, “I highly recommend a chat with the Lover’s clergy.”
As the priestess contemplated that, Dazien considered the small fortune in Spirit Gems in the pouch he held, feeling himself relax more as he said, “Thank you for this. It really does mean a lot to me to see you supporting my partner even if you dislike him.”
Patricia gave a sigh, “I don’t dislike him, Dazien. I’m simply worried. Choosing him, with his past traumas and Chosen patron… that’s a very difficult path to walk, and you’re already at more of a disadvantage than most.”
He gave a soft smile, “I often find the difficult paths to be some of the most fulfilling. Neither becoming a King nor an Obsidian Caster are easy paths, yet I choose to walk them. I’ve chosen my Senechal, and he is as important to me as your family is to you, Aunt Patricia”
She returned his smile but they were interrupted by hearing Rayna call over to them, “Hey, Pati? Some of these gems are a little… questionable. Where did you even get a Spirit Gem of Punishment?”
The runeforged gave him a wink as she responded, “Didn’t you know? Paul is very good at that. I’m sure he’ll have plenty of it to catch up on when he awakens…”
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Phoenix stared at the Spirit Gem in her hand as she debated its inclusion in the ritual she was about to perform to unlock the remaining half of her abilities all at once. She wasn’t sure if her talent would let her do more than one at once, and she also wanted to avoid the pain that she had confirmed was definitely still there at Sapphire.
“I’m still not sure Sanctuary is something I want to use… What if it, like, makes me more Saintly? I’m not sure I want to double down on divinity…”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Dazien rolled his eyes at her, “Please, you’re probably already the most divine person on the planet aside from the gods themselves. If I’m going to be swallowing my own reservations to use the Punishment and Finality gems, you can risk a bit more divinity.”
“Those are gonna be badass, and you know it, King,” Rayna piped up, stretching a bit after having just finished her own absorption ritual and unlocking the last of her abilities. They had known exactly what ability it could bond to, so she had chosen a gem that she seemed particularly ecstatic to find, empowering her [Shatter] execute with the Overwhelm Spirit Gem.
“Patricia said we shouldn’t let our personal reservations for either fate, frugality, or social perception hinder us from obtaining the power we need to survive, and I think I agree with her, in this case at least,” Saiya reminded them. She had selected the Sharing Spirit Gem to go with her [Rain of Life] ability and was just as pleased with the simple yet effective results.
The Wayland Ambassador had left earlier after ensuring they wouldn’t back out of the decision to finish unlocking everything. Once they had selected it all, the party made their way to one of the ritual rooms Presley had available and began to do just as they promised.
Phoenix glanced at the other four Spirit Gems she had selected, “Well, Dazien did a Blood one earlier, and it didn’t turn out evil, so that’s probably fine. And there’s not really anything to be worried about with Synchrony, Judgment, and Control… right?”
“It’s better than the Cataclysm one you didn’t seem to be concerned about using earlier,” Uriel pointed out, giving her an amused smirk.
She stuck her tongue out at him causing her best friend to laugh as she said, “Well, if I hadn’t then I wouldn’t have gotten my [Supernova] which means Kara probably wouldn’t have gotten that overpowered version of it and then the city would have been destroyed,” she turned to look imploringly at her brother, “So really, Uriel’s the one who saved the city. Can’t we tell everyone else that and get them to beg him for favors instead?”
Dazien chuckled, “You know that’s not going to work, so suck it up and get to absorbing.”
“Fiiine,” she groaned, placing the gem down in its place for the ritual and proceeding to unlock her powers.
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King’s Dream had decided to spend some more time on their side project since they had some downtime between missions. They had claimed one of the newly converted rooms at the practically abandoned Wayland Estate as a hub for their investigation into the missing people and were combing through stacks of reports about the various incidents. The piles consisted of death records, combat reports, and witness statements from almost fifty years of Tulimeir’s past, as well as the outlying fortress towns.
Camilla had been correct about the unsettling pattern showing up and spiking during blood moons. Phoenix specifically had been working since dawn to go through the tedious process of placing a pin for every location a couple went missing on large maps of the four cities currently hanging on a wall.
The twins were still trying to find secondary patterns as they worked at a different table and wall in the room, grouping couples and individuals by a variety of similarities. Rayna was currently pouring more magical coffee into a cup as she slipped a Sapphire Mana Bit into her mouth, complaining about the sickly sweet taste the Bits had but needing the pick-me-up.
Dazien was still sitting at a table filling out the latest mission report and had asked what they all believed should be put down to explain why they had suddenly needed to go back to the World Tree without Phoenix. Needing an excuse for the actions without revealing her talent and hopefully without blatantly lying on an official form.
“Just tell them she got stuck in that Emerald Spell and managed to portal out of it,” Rayna suggested.
“We don’t know it was Emerald for certain,” the Defender pointed out, “Phoenix’s eyes can’t see Caste levels of the magic, just the flow and types of it, similar to mine. It could have just been exceptionally resistant to escape methods. Especially considering it didn’t deal damage. Being focused on containment like that would make it very good at that one thing.”
“I don’t believe Night Lurkers can cast Earth spells like that, though,” Uriel added, “And if not a Caster, then it should have attacked.”
“We do want to mention the interference either way,” Saiya pointed out as she moved another stack of reports out of the way and pulled another closer, “Patricia said she would ask her AOA contact about anyone that might have that particular type of ability and had access to the mission schedules.”
“She seemed to think it was a long shot, though,” Dazien reminded them, “I agree with her belief that someone outside the AOA paid for the information of where we were going to be.”
“Who would actually want to send an assassin after me, though?” Phoenix interjected, “With the Soul Reapers gone—”
“Any of the clergy for the Maniac, Necromancer, Villain, Thief, Torturer, Trickster… Abyss, even the Purifier, now that we know he’s got a thing against Wayfarers and the species they forged,” Rayna listed off in response, “All of those gods are part of the Voidsworn Syndicate.”
She turned to Uriel and asked, “Didn’t Trickster say the gods weren’t actually part of that?”
“I told you not to believe everything she said,” Uriel reminded then clarified for her, “She was only technically right. Both the Delegation of Radiance and the Voidsworn Syndicate are mortal organizations run by representatives of the clergy for the included gods. Those specific representatives are called Delegates and they are usually the Archon of their clergy.”
“Is that different from a High Priest?”
“A High Priest is the leader of the branch in a region,” Uriel explained, “High Priestess Anna is the leader of the Parent’s clergy here on the Tulim tundra. She answers to the Arch Priestess who oversees the continent, and they answer to the Archon who oversees the entire world.”
“That’s all at an organizational level,” Dazien interjected, “While the gods might choose and bless their clergy into various positions, each temple is still part of a mortal organization. Which is also the case with the DOR and VSS.”
He stretched and added, “But Rayna’s right. Any of those gods wouldn’t want you living for long. The only problem there is that I don’t believe any of those deities would actually give a quest to kill her since they all know about her talent. It would have to be an independent act by a follower, which I’m not discounting.”
“Could just be revenge, too,” Uriel pointed out, “A lot of people were impacted by the fall of House Ruwena and those associated with them.”
“Either way, I’m going to include the concern in my report and see if the AOA can assist with ensuring our party’s safety, which needs to include anonymity in what missions we accept,” Dazien said with finality as he went back to filling out the paperwork.
As Uriel brought over another list of locations to her, he asked, “Camilla said she’d be by soon, right?”
“She will later. She’s visiting the temple of the Undertaker, trying to get a more accurate record of the cause of death for the civilians and the more recent couples. She said it’s a long shot since, apparently, they don’t like revealing a lot of that kind of thing; more divine rules against encroaching on the domain of other gods,” Phoenix grumbled as she conjured another cup of coffee from her collection for herself as well.
Uriel nodded in understanding and remained at the map to help her place more pins.
“Hey, didn’t Everin mention he and Veldrix were investigating the Blackouts?” Saiya asked curiously as she was looking between two sheets of paper in her hands.
“Yeah, why?” Phoenix answered.
“Because I think I found a clue. A second smaller pattern,” she replied with a knitted brow, “Each time there was a Blackout, a pair went missing.”
That sparked a memory, and Phoenix said, “Now that you mention it, I remember Paul complaining about two bodies not being found when the Servant’s temple was destroyed in that first one. He seemed pretty down about needing to inform the families.”
“I remember speaking with Madam Malik about her son, Rayk, too,” Dazien said, “Do you remember him?”
Phoenix’s eyes went wide, “You’re right! She told me when I visited before my Noble Reveal that Rayk and another of his party members’ bodies were missing, and she couldn’t have a proper funeral.”
“Were the Blackouts just a cover for all these kidnappings?” Dazien asked, returning his attention back to Saiya.
“I’m not sure, but it looks like there was a missing pair with each one except for the one Kara intervened in. No deaths were reported for that since she killed the monster fairly quickly.”
“Probably scared off the kidnappers,” he pondered aloud, “I’m surprised they would even attempt it with her in the city.”
“It was more likely a kidnapping of opportunity then,” Uriel postulated, “They might know who was behind the Blackouts, though, if they were able to take advantage of the chaos so quickly.”
“Well, we’ll make note of it and maybe get Everin involved when we meet up with him later this evening,” the party leader decided before returning to the paperwork, “We’re going to discuss him joining our party until the end of the blood moon. I’m more inclined to the idea after this latest incident.”
They continued working in silence for another hour before Dazien leaned back in his chair with a loud sigh. He ran a hand through his long hair that he had freed from the ponytail it had been pulled back in as though brushing the stress out of his mind, and he said, “Alright, I think this report is good to turn in now. So, where are we at with…”
He trailed off as his eyes landed on the massive collection of pins on the map covering the wall. His face suddenly hardened, and he asked, “I’m guessing that’s our destination?”
“What?” Phoenix asked as she turned to look at the map. She hadn’t noticed the pattern that was slowly showing itself as they had been focused on placing the vast amount of pins. Aside from the outlying cities, there was a clear dead spot in Tulimeir’s northwestern district.
She took a few steps towards the map as she asked, “That’s the Processing District, right? I’m not familiar with that part of the city.”
The others joined her to look at the map as Dazien said with a grimace, “Yes, it’s where people will bring animals, avals, floravals, or other high-value monsters that are hunted, captured, or killed for turning into resources such as leather, fur, meat, alchemy ingredients, the list goes on and on.”
Phoenix frowned as she said, “It seems a bit ironic that the butcher is the killer. I guess nobody would question the blood stains, though.” She turned to her party leader and asked, “So, do we follow the bodies, or in this case, the lack of them?”
Dazien nodded and said, “We can go check it out. Maybe if we can get some hard evidence, the AOA won’t balk at my lack of protocol when subverting the chain of command and demanding a formal investigation. I didn’t want to leverage my very new position when all we had was a strong hunch.”
“You are doing this whole nobility thing wrong by actually respecting the rules, King,” Rayna said with a laugh as they all prepared to leave.