Veldrix Thevaris [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczOTN2e4vfRJekL5jC3Px-FbgncDPC-qYeGjUnEfoe847nI7XXHagdFNBUAopqw2Kkkj1lVRzdvNhAcyRcIBk4BzXvIocOWFumhGHi_BtOS7GQ6IxGUqe5BB0GKBnZuY999pCB9byZw8ZQsDWRgSZMKf=w613-h919-s-no-gm?authuser=0]
Everin had been looking forward to lunch with Veldrix, having been enjoying getting meals together with the Ruby Caster. Vel was an endless source of stories and seemed genuinely interested in his own.
The rainbow voxen hadn’t even made it to the restaurant before the alarms started blaring, and he expanded his aura out to try and find the source of the monster spawn. It was the words of someone passing on the street that clued him in that those alarms weren’t for monsters, however.
He had read about the potential for magical storms but had hoped that one wouldn’t coincide with the blood moon. Using his [Flight of Fancy] passive to spin his tails in a whirl to fly up into the air, Everin quickly realized the storm descending upon them wasn’t natural at all but a massive Soul Reaper vessel coming from the north.
Passive Ability: Flight of Fancy
Type: Utility (boon, movement)
Current Caste: Emerald 1
Crystal Effect: Greatly increased Agility.
Sapphire Effect: You can slightly hover over the ground. When not touching the ground, your senses are slightly heightened.
Emerald Effect: You can fly with your tails. For a high mana cost, you can greatly increase your flight speed for a very short duration.
Chaos was already erupting in the streets below as people fled from buildings to reach the others that had emergency shelters below them. Many buildings had them but not all. Panic seemed to ensue when they realized the monster alarms were now being added to the storm ones, stressing the urgency of not just sheltering in place but finding one of the lower reinforced bunkers.
“Oi! Rebel Fox!” a now familiar voice called out, and the Healer glanced over to see Veldrix dressed in a simple black sleeveless shirt with a matching sarong. It seemed entirely unrealistic attire for the frozen tundra, but it just emphasized the Caster’s Ruby attributes more. The cold was so inconsequential that they could don summer-wear from the southeast.
Everin landed next to them and sighed, “I didn’t think you’d start calling me that just because I told you about Paul’s Familiar using it.”
“It fits well,” the knight replied with a smirk, “Now, how about you and I go to help the incoming battle?”
The Avatar glanced toward the vessel and saw a streak of golden light crash into the barrier surrounding it. He grimaced at that, knowing that if it was strong enough to stop Kara then that meant either the ship itself was Obsidian or there was a Caster aboard that could power something that strong.
“I’m not sure I’ll be of much use against anything Obsidian, even if you might be able to help somewhat. I can give you my Boons like I did for Paul, but they are less meaningful to you since you’re a Caste above me.”
“They’re not nothing, though,” Veldrix tried to reassure him, “Every little bit helps. Plus, I need someone who can fly and not die just from getting too close. You mentioned being able to survive near Lord Wayland’s battle with another Ruby, which means you must have some talent for dodging at least.”
Everin chuckled, “You could say that, I guess.”
“Paladin Fairweather found me just a bit ago to recommend our support. She said there’s an Obsidian Caster somewhere up there, but she also sensed Ruby Caste auras beyond the barrier, that’s what we’ll be focusing on while Regent Wayland has requested reinforcements from the World Tree,” the Royal Knight informed him and Everin realized that the garnet gemite already had a plan, which was reassuring at least.
Then the sound of shattering glass filled the air as the Obsidian shield was broken through, and monsters began pouring out of the vessel. Most were incinerated before they even exited the ship, but a moment later more fell into the sea below, and the high-pitched whine followed by the bone-rattling boom of the new Emerald Caste wall defenses began firing into the mob.
“Should we focus on the ones falling into the sea?” Everin asked.
Another new sound joined the cacophony as a deafening screech reached them, and the front of the vessel seemed to open and release a giant bird of fire.
Veldrix wrapped an arm around his neck and gave a little hop up which caused him to react to catch them, suddenly holding the Ruby Caster like he was rescuing them as the knight said, “That’s our target. Now fly, little rebel.”
The voxen found himself chuckling as he took to the sky once more, heading straight towards his likely demise with how close he would need to get to actually be able to assist Veldrix. Paul had been easier to help because he simply kept his Boons going and watched from a safer distance, the avenging Paladin had his own wings to fly with at that time.
The main thing that gave Everin a chance at surviving was one of his self-channeled Boons from his Swift Aspect.
Ability: Never Still
Type: Boon (channel, movement, elemental, wind)
Cost: Low mana per second.
Cooldown: None.
Current Caste: Emerald 1 (79%)
Crystal Effect: While moving, greatly increases the chance of inflicting and dodging attacks.
Sapphire Effect: While moving, greatly increases your Agility and Mind.
Emerald Effect: While flying, can channel additional mana to displace the air around you to avoid attacks.
First, though, he cast [Light Spirited] on both of them at once, which further increased their speed and reduced stamina and Boon costs. The latter didn’t help the Pyre Executioner much but it helped him a lot since most of his powerset was Boons. He also made sure to invite the gemite to his communication ability which he rarely used recently since Dazien’s was simply more useful than his own. His was only single-target based for communication purposes –not allowing others to talk with each other but only with him.
Class Ability: Social Network
Type: Boon (magical, covenant)
Cost: Low mana.
Cooldown: None.
Current Caste: Emerald 1 (11%)
Crystal Effect: Invite an ally to join your network, marking them with [Friendly Acquaintance] until the invitation is revoked. Allies with [Friendly Acquaintance] can pass secret messages between you.
Sapphire Effect: Allies with [Friendly Acquaintance] gain increased effects from your abilities.
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Emerald Effect: Allies with [Friendly Acquaintance] can sense the direction of one another and gain an increase to their Mind attribute based on how many allies with [Friendly Acquaintance] are nearby.
The plus side was definitely the benefits outside of simple communication. As for helping Veldrix more specifically, he used his [The Power of Friendship] Boon, which linked them together so some of his attributes could help boost the knight’s, as well as one of his longer-lasting Boons from his Spirit Advocate Class.
Ability: Freedom Fighter
Type: Boon (magical, covenant)
Cost: Moderate mana.
Cooldown: 1 minute.
Current Caste: Emerald 1 (58%)
Crystal Effect: Can cast on an ally for a long duration. Increases Strength and Agility by a moderate amount and increases the effects of Special Attacks.
Sapphire Effect: Additionally, increases Fortitude and Mind by a moderate amount and increases the effects of Combination abilities.
Emerald Effect: Additionally, increases Magic by a moderate amount and increases the effects of Spell abilities.
As they got closer to the massive Firebird slowly soaring through the air, Everin cast one last Boon before they would impact with the giant aval.
Class Ability: Fight for Life
Type: Boon (magical, life)
Cost: High mana.
Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Current Caste: Emerald 1 (25%)
Crystal Effect: Can cast on an ally for a moderate duration. Damage dealt heals a portion of that damage back.
Sapphire Effect: Additionally, increases Strength and Magic by a moderate amount.
Emerald Effect: Can cast this boon on multiple allies at once for a cumulative mana cost. Additionally, each attack dealt increases their maximum health pool by a small amount.
The Firebird gave another screech as Veldrix landed and immediately slashed down with a large two-handed weapon that looked like some kind of ax, but the flames trailing off it made it appear like a scythe as it cut through the air and into the beast.
Everin grimaced at the realization that the Pyre Executioner would likely be dealing plenty of Fire damage that the bird would be highly resistant to. The only saving grace there was that the garnet gemite was likely equally resistant to the Caged aval’s flames as well.
A shiver ran down the voxen’s spine when he noticed the patch of black rot appearing around the flesh and the feathers beginning to wither as he asked over the single target communication, “Is that Void damage?”
“No,” the knight replied firmly, lifting the weapon to bring it down again in the same place, “It’s Death. Chat later. Now, go save people from when I get this thing to fall.”
The Avatar didn’t need to be told twice as he left the Executioner to it and focused on the people in the city below. Still making sure to keep track of where the Firebird was and that Veldrix didn’t fall from its back as it soared across the port. Going low, the creature set the port ablaze as its tail feathers dragged along the docks and piers. The magical flames latched onto everything, whether it was normally flammable or not.
Everin went into rescue mode as he attempted to save and heal any people caught within the flames but luckily it seemed that most of the Mundanes had already been evacuated from this area. He couldn’t save the few Crystal Casters that had been caught in the Ruby conflagration, but most of the Sapphire Casters survived long enough for his healing to reach them.
The Avatar felt torn, trying to save lives while keeping an eye on the Firebird and making sure that his priority was the Ruby Caster that could eventually kill it instead of the people dying in its wake. If Veldrix fell, even more lives would be lost, so the knight took priority.
When the moment finally came that he had been expecting, he moved as quickly as he could to intercept the falling gemite. Having been finally dislodged from the large avals back, Veldrix fell freely, unable to catch themselves. Though they likely wouldn’t die from the fall with their Ruby Fortitude, the concern was that the Firebird would live longer to cause even more mass destruction.
Before Everin could reach the knight, however, a glowing blue portal ring appeared directly below them and the Executioner fell through it, reappearing from the paired orange portal ring above the Firebird to land on its back once more.
“You focus on the rescuing, young kit,” a stranger said from beside him, and he turned to see Emissary Mint of the Starfall voxen smiling at him while standing atop a floating blue platform that seemed like some sort of solid illusory construct. “Leave Ruby enemies to Ruby allies and help elsewhere like your younger friends,” the older voxen said with a nod toward the inner city.
That was when Everin noticed a giant illusion of a phoenix appeared in swirling blues and purples with silver starlight scattered throughout, spreading its wings wide before rushing towards the swarm of additional flying monsters raining upon the city.
When he turned back, Mint was already gone. With two Ruby Casters now able to focus on the giant aval, Everin focused on helping where he could, healing and supporting whoever he could nearby as more Emerald Casters began to join the fight from elsewhere in the city.
The Avatar was pushed to his limits and then beyond them as a massive specter seemed to appear above the giant bird, clothed in wispy black cloth and wreathed in eerie violet flames. It swung down with an illusory glaive as though decapitating the creature, and an inferno of deathly pale purple consumed the enemy aval. Everin could only assume it was Veldrix’s Death-based Execute. With that, the Firebird finally began to fall from the sky.
The Avatar almost had a panic attack when he realized the trajectory of the monstrously large aval was heading straight for the oddly glittering Cultivator’s Citadel. Thankfully, there were other capable Casters in the city as a massive beam of iridescent magic struck the side of the Firebird, causing it to alter its course.
Instead, the Caged creature crashed hard into one of the tall skyscrapers just beyond the port and in the northwestern Processing District, but at least the largest provider of food for the citizens of Tulimeir was safe.
“Rebel or Scholar! I need one of you to help me save them!” he mentally prayed, flying as fast as his tails could manage, even with his Boons.
“I’ll take this one,” Scholar replied happily, “I know where everyone is after all.”
Then Everin wasn’t in control of his body as a surge of Divine power entered it, and he fought for his sanity while Scholar used him to save the people within the collapsing building without him even being able to register their faces as his Agility along with the other attributes were pushed beyond the mortal limits of his Emerald Caste.
----------------------------------------
Veldrix grimaced as the Firebird crashed into the building they had been hoping to avoid with the tell-tale sounds of shattered glass and grinding metal framing. Their Death Banes and Execution abilities had finally eaten through the Ruby aval’s annoying level of health and regeneration along with whatever abilities Emissary Mint had thrown at it –which Veldrix knew included the Void type that Everin had seemed slightly fearful of.
Aside from their magic senses being able to simply feel that eerie nothingness creating an unnatural hole where something should have been, the bits and pieces of pitch-blackness and twisted reality made it quite clear that the strange voxen was wielding the Divine Void. It also made Veldrix very much want to avoid confronting the other Ruby Caster that was on their side… for now.
The portals had been exceedingly useful, letting them worry less about maintaining a hold of the withering feathers and more about landing their Execution abilities as much as possible. While Executions were most powerful as a finishing move –where the enemy was already at low levels of health– Veldrix’s support abilities and the Spirit Gems they had chosen had helped to compensate by adding various effects when used upon a healthier target.
It was a snowball causing an avalanche type of effect where each bit of lost life brought the enemy closer to a quick and inevitable demise. After landing their [Reaper’s Demise] Class ability, causing the Firebird to fall from the sky, they gave a final blazing strike from their [Blade of Execution] and felt the Ruby aura begin to unravel as the body died and the now-violet flaming feathers dimmed.
The Royal Knight moved fast towards the compromised building, rather than reveling in the victory over the enemy, and shouted at the mysterious Emissary, “Portal me into the top of the building! Help get people out!”
Then Veldrix triggered their Natural Talent [Treasure Hoard] and looted the creature, exploding the massive body into a river of red ash that rushed down the side of the building like a pyroclastic flow and hoping the loss of weight would help buy more time. As they fell through the ash and debris, a portal caught them. Appearing on the upper floor of the building they let their aura guide them to anyone still living.
The Ruby Caster could clearly sense the burst of Divine energy as it streaked through the building from below. Veldrix focused on getting survivors to Mint, who could portal them a short way away.
In over five hundred years, Veldrix had never seen an Avatar actually channel the power of a deity, but it was a mesmerizing sight to see the glowing rainbow eyes and know the man within wasn’t looking back.
“Oh good, you’re here,” the strange mixed voice of both Everin and the goddess spoke to the garnet gemite, “The building is empty now, but more buildings are likely to fall, and Everin can’t handle any more than this right now. Make sure this Vessel stays safe, will you? Excellent.”
Then Veldrix was left with an unconscious rainbow voxen in their arms.