Paul Journaling [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHct2wtfUZrGHocfqkbEoWYcj9KXBK1rTNr3WakVvUgNUu6lKHu-_aR_OwThtUK79o5DSveAX9Hg5h0sdWLzNMn9lDRMEIgqerk6TVN94n-_ztTqc4FwEi2_E4wDe4rbLa1B34CZWGPod4KH19ylxN71=w621-h931-s-no-gm?authuser=0]
Once his Protégé seemed to have calmed down and he relocated them from the kitchen to the sitting room, making some tea that should help relax the young woman rather than more coffee, Paul tried to change to a lighter topic they hadn’t had a chance to discuss yet, “I heard there was some excitement at the wall while I was gone,”
She nodded and when she didn’t continue he prompted, “You constructed a giant bird made of stars? I didn’t think your ability would do something on the scale that was described to me.”
“I used one of the rituals in Scholar’s Knowledge Tome,” the Wayfarer explained softly.
When she didn’t speak further he gestured towards her book still floating nearby, “Anything new for me to read from that? No new items? I would have thought defeating all those monsters would have been lucrative.”
She shook herself, seeming to try to dispel her exhaustion as she nodded and an item appeared in her hand with the appearance of being a large pear-cut gem about the width of his thumb that had been hollowed out and filled to the brim with variously colored feathers.
Phoenix took another deep breath and said with a bit more energy, “Wing Spirit Gem. I was waiting for you to return before using it.”
Item: Wing Spirit Gem
A magical gem containing the spiritual concept of wings made manifest.
Caste: Crystal.
Availability: Rare.
Type: Consumable, ingredient.
Requirements: Crystal Caste with less than 5 unlocked Class abilities.
Effect: Unlocks a random Class ability weighted towards a suitable Aspect.
You are able to use [Wing Spirit Gem].
Do you wish to unlock a Class ability infused with the Wing concept?
He chuckled at her, “You don’t have to wait for my permission. There are only a few Spirit Gems you really need to watch out for, honestly. Things like Death or Void, apocalypse or cataclysm, corruption or discord, or the ones named after Fallen Gods. Unless you have a particular concern, you seem to know what to look out for.”
The young woman gave him a crooked grin, “I know, it’s just that I like having you confirm it,” she said then sighed and held up the gem to peer into it herself, “So. Wings. Flying ability?”
Paul laughed again and shrugged, “Potentially, but it could be any number of abilities that are wing-themed,” then he paused and asked, “You sure you’re up to this right now? You should probably get some more sleep.”
Red curls bounced as she shook her head in the negative, “Maybe in a bit. Let’s just see what this ends up being,” then she triggered absorbing the gem and it seemed to crack slightly before shattering into a myriad of feathers, swarming into her, and he found her hand suddenly on his sleeve and tightening in a death grip as he knew the uncomfortable feeling was invading her senses.
He wrapped an arm around her, to try and steady her against his larger frame and she seemed to breathe easier as the moment quickly passed. Her book floated closer again to offer up the new ability description and her jaw dropped as they both read it over and she asked incredulously, “Is that… Is that really what I think it is?”
Class Ability: Cosmic Phoenix
Type: Familiar (ritual, summoning, magical, covenant, dimension)
Cost: Severe mana and stamina.
Cooldown: None.
Current Caste: Crystal 1 (0%)
Crystal Effect: Summon a [Cosmic Phoenix] to serve as a familiar.
Paul grinned at her, “Congratulations. You got your familiar ability.”
She stood up quickly, catching the lord by surprise as she asked in a rush, “Now. Can we summon it now? Please?”
He laughed at the sudden excitement that seemed to overtake her and he was relieved to see her apathy and sorrow dissipate, “Do you have the materials? Some familiars take some pretty specific or hard to find components,” he warned, gently tapping the oddly-not-quite-diamond-shaped metal plate in the center of his forehead, deciding to show her a bit more trust on his own part, “Orebela here took a boat load of [Light Shards] at Crystal.”
Phoenix stared at the little metal plate that most people assumed was some sort of magic item implant and asked in utter shock, “That’s a familiar?!?”
Paul nodded and said, “She doesn’t really like being apart from me. Mostly, she increases my Magical resistance, damage and senses but she has a few other tricks.”
‘This one meets Little Miss now?’ the familiar monotone voice echoed in his mind.
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“Perhaps, I’ll introduce her properly to you later,” he clarified for the both of them, “Now, what does your familiar’s ritual take? You should know from the power itself.”
Similar to the feeling of remembering something from a Knowledge Tome, she recited, “100 [Light Shards], 100 [Dark Shards] and 200 [Crystal Mana Bits].”
Then she winced at the cost and admitted, “I don’t have those types of Shards. The local monsters have been mostly giving Water, Ice, and Earth typed Shards when I loot them, aside from the usual monster parts, or when I turn their Seeds into Shards. I got a little bit of [Void Shards] from those wights, which should sell really good. I guess I’ll have to stop by the AOA market again.”
“Perhaps you should get some sleep first?” He suggested again. Then to further support his position he pointed to the line on the book where the ability’s cost was listed, “This is going to take a lot out of you and I’m pretty sure you don’t want to pass out as soon as you get to meet your newest companion.”
She wanted to argue but knew he was right. She slumped and nodded then asked hesitantly, “Will you… um, stay here? Please?” He raised an eyebrow and she admitted meekly, “I just… I really don’t want to be alone right now.”
With a final assessing gaze, he nodded in acquiescence.
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A few hours later, Paul was sitting in a plush chair next to Phoenix who was sound asleep in her bed and silently writing in his journal. He had tried his best to use his aura to soothe her nightmares as her rigid defenses were less resistant to his presence once she fell unconscious. He had been impressed with the improvement she had been making but it became harder for him to read her than when they had first met.
His aura was also not the most soothing and he was well aware of that. He found himself wondering what he could possibly do to help the sudden night terrors. In all the time he had known her, she rarely had nightmares despite knowing she had been through enough battles with monsters to warrant them. He knew miserlings were malicious however, and he had never met someone that had survived their frenzy like Phoenix had. Though he guessed she hadn’t survived it.
Then a whole new slew of worries plagued his mind as he contemplated the ramifications of going through horrible deaths and having to live with those memories. Perhaps he should go back to the Temple of the Mender and seek guidance once more.
His attention was drawn to the front door in the next room when he got the sense of a weak aura on the other side followed by a soft knock at the door.
Paul opened the door to a startled purple haired gemite with matching eyes that went wide upon recognizing him and the young man stuttered, “L-Lord Wayland. I… I was unaware you would be here.”
Dazien hesitated, then asked, “Should I come back another time?”
The older man just opened the door a bit more and walked over to one of the chairs in the small sitting area by the hearth and gestured to one of the other seats and gave a simple order, “Sit.”
The younger warrior hesitated another moment before straightening with resolve and stepping inside, shutting the door behind him, and taking the seat opposite the Emerald Caster. The gemite seemed uncomfortable for a moment before asking, “Is Miss Fraser not in?”
“She’s still sleeping,” he stated simply, his assessing gaze falling on the young man now.
The would-be king raised an eyebrow at him as though wanting to inquire exactly why he was here if she was sleeping but Paul cut off that inaccurate line of thinking, “I arrived here this afternoon to find a sleep deprived tinkerer, jumping at every little movement,” he gestured to the mess still on the table, “She unlocked a familiar power and I was able to convince her to sleep before attempting to summon it.”
‘Little King seems guilty,’ Orebela’s voice echoed his own observations, ‘Perhaps something else happened that Little Miss did not speak of?’
His golden eyes locked on amethyst ones as he pressed his aura on the young man asking, “Now what exactly did you do to her while I was gone?”
Dazien’s eyes went wide at the accusation, “Me?! My lord, why would you believe I did something?”
“Because you are here without your shadow,” he stated simply, then added, “And you feel guilty.”
The young warrior muttered under his breath, “Bloody aura senses…” then he straightened slightly and said, “I am here alone mainly because Uriel has a recurring appointment every other Unsol. I was concerned about Phoenix because she was acting very oddly last night. I don’t think my guilt has anything to do with that, however.”
The Defender explained what had happened the previous day with Phoenix seemingly coming back to her dorm to sleep and having nightmares after her portal duties and not seeming entirely coherent and acting much more subdued than even when they had first met. When the gemite finished, Dazien asked him, “Did she tell you anything?”
‘You trust Little King?’ his familiar questioned, ‘He talks a lot.’
Paul knew his familiar was right and even if he was starting to trust the young man, he wasn’t about to divulge this particular secret. So he shook his head, “Just nightmares. Until she decides to open up, you’ll just have to wait. I suggest not pushing her,” he warned, assuming that was exactly what the upstart sovereign had planned, “She seemed rather… volatile when I tried. You should trust her to come to you when she trusts you enough in return.”
Dazien frowned at his words but nodded in understanding, slumping in his chair slightly, “I’m not sure what to do,” he admitted, surprising the older man, “I’m supposed to be leading this party and I’m not sure how to help one of its members. How can I expect them to trust and follow when I’m uncertain of the course to take?”
The former paladin leaned back in his chair, thinking for a moment before saying, “Nobody leads alone. Find certainty in the knowledge that those who choose to follow you will not only trust in what you think is best but will support you when you slip.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, “If you want to help Phoenix, as she is the one currently slipping, you need to let her know that she’s not alone in whatever challenge she faces. Whether it’s from the monsters out there,” he gestured to the window then tapped at his temple, “Or the monsters in here.”
The young warrior grimaced at him and agreed, “I’m well aware that the monsters in our minds can sometimes be a greater threat than the ones we face on the battlefield. My partner has been a shining example of that fact.”
Paul tilted his head in acknowledgement, “Yes, he would know all about that, wouldn’t he?” he said rhetorically, then leaned back and asked curiously, “And how did you manage to help him?”
“Well, it helped to know that he was devoted to following me,” the gemite pointed out.
“Yes, but before that,” the former paladin clarified, “How did you get him to devote himself to you in the first place?”
The young leader contemplated for a moment before saying, “I just… I don’t know, I was just there for him. Defended him. Told him that no matter what he might believe he deserved, that I would always be there.”
Paul gave a slight smile, “I think you have your answer then. Now, since you’re here and obviously have the time, why don’t you tell me a bit more about your history and interactions with the other nobles in the city?”
“The other nobles?” Dazien repeated in confusion, then gave a wry smirk, “Trying to play the game of politics, Lord Wayland? You didn’t strike me as the type.”
“Let’s just say I have a new reason to be concerned about what some of the other houses are up to,” he side-stepped, “You’re probably more up to date on the current status of things, since you seem rather popular with the younger scions. Are there any that you would consider… more self-centered than most people?”
The gemite gave him a dubious look, “I feel like this is somehow a trick question.”
He chuckled, feeling a bit better about the party Phoenix had chosen, and clarified, “I guess what I’m really curious about is which ones you think might resort to dirtier tactics that one might need to literally watch their back for.”
“Ah, well… I will admit there are a few,” the young Defender said, shifting in his seat.
Paul grinned, “Tell me everything about them.”