Exploration- Interlude 3

Have to say that the creative tank is feeling a bit low today. I wish I had an explanation for days like this.

I'll still get one more chapter done, but I need to step away a bit and write later.

Interlude 3- Drawing Closer

Allana’s breath felt like it left her as she looked down into the bowl of water in front of her. Her mother’s face glared back at her.

“What do you mean you aren’t looking for him any longer?”

“At least not until it’s safe. An ascendant from the Order has arrived on Aerth. I knew you wouldn’t want me to be harmed or to cause a disturbance by confronting him.”

The frown on that face Allanna knew so well only deepened. “What I expected was for you to have brought your nephew home. Have you even tried?”

“I created an awakened and sent them after him. He even found Tad, but the boy refused to come with him. I had to end the servant for his failure.”

A hand passed over the face on the other side of the scrying. “You are so lucky that I’m not able to come to Aerth right now. This is no game. I will not tolerate you failing at this. If you thought you were going to earn my favor with this, then you should know that right now you’re on the verge of being disowned. Get Tad and bring him home.”

The connection was broken and Allanna found herself staring down into an bowl of plain water. She let out a string of curses and then triggered her magic. This was going to be the stupidest thing she’d ever done and all for a nephew who was a mutt. Then the magic wrapped around her and she travelled to the coastline. She’d have to take a ship from here because using too much magic would alert the other ascendant.

This sucked.

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The void yawned before him, as Sion traveled from the world he called home. The Void Court wasn’t just one world, it was everything that his mother owned. It was all of the power she held and her will, but even then he could admit that it was nothing compared to the emptiness of the void.

There were presences a great distance away. The void was a realm where Will was everything and intention mattered. Right now as he slowly made his way to Aerth he was primarily focused on not being discovered. He and his beloved had discussed what to do about Tad. His mother wanted to wait, her mother had sent an untrustworthy sister.

Now the planet was blocked to divine tier beings. There was something going on and they had decided that Sion would go. He was better at stealth than his Adrianna was and thus better equipped to sneak in and find Tad. If it came to a battle, Adrianna would burn cities to save their son, but he was hoping it wouldn’t come to that.

___________________

Azuria stood back up. The evolution was over. The process had been everything that Cami had warned her for. She looked back over her notifications.

Wing Path is focused upon mobility and speed. Your Agility will automatically be boosted by 25% and you will gain access to a variety of new abilities, including but not limited to: Improved Sprint, Long Range Flight, and Void Flight.

Cost: 175 DKP

Before that would have been a staggering amount of DKP because it was very hard to gain on Ileria, but now thanks to her bond with Samvek, she had more than enough to spare.

That didn’t meant the process had been easy. The itching had started out as awful but manageable and for a moment she had dared to hope that Cami had been wrong about just how bad it would be. Soon, she’d found herself scratching uncontrollably, rubbing her back against some of the dungeon rocks, till they shook. She might have screamed in pain but preferred to think of it as a roar of defiance. At least that was what she’d tell anyone who asked.

When it passed, just as Cami had warned, her wings, her beautiful wings were gone leaving only bloody stumps before. Then another notification had appeared.

First stage of wing evolution completed- removal. Next will be regrowth. Choose a wing type.

Improved Sprint- Base flight speed is increased by 25%. Double your movement rate for 1 hour per day.

Long Distance Flight- You may now fly for 3 days without stopping.

Void Flight- the void is the space between dimensions, between worlds. With this ability, you may travel to other worlds or leave the prime material plane.

It seemed so petty to simply call that the first stage. Her wings were gone, but Cami had calmed her. Sometimes you had to clear the rubble before you could build a better hoard. So she had pushed through and chosen Void Flight as her evolution.

Then her wings grew back better than before. They still captured her blue, but at the same time they were trimmed with a smokey blackness that framed her beauty. When the wings had fully grown in she’d flexed them and felt the power within them.

You have evolved your wings to Void Wings.

Gains:

          Agility +20%

          Perception +20%

                    Base Flight Speed: +20%

                    Void Flight- may fly into the void

They might not be as impressive as the emperor’s wings, but then he was a good, and she was merely an ancient dragon, although she was nearing the wyrm status thanks to the gains she made from her bond.

Thinking of the little furry man she was bonded with, made her wonder if she was becoming like some of these humans she had heard tales about. What were they called? Oh yes, cat ladies. Was she becoming a cat lady?

Azuria snorted. She was a dragon and the greatest kind, a blue. She could never be anything as silly as that and while Samvek was small to her like a kitten to a person, he was a warrior born and had proven worthy of their bond.

She bowed her head to Cami who teleported away as soon as she was sure that Azuria was safe and the evolution had gone well. Off to do demi-goddess stuff no doubt. Well, she had her own task. She had the wings, now she just needed a bit of practice. Distance would be no bar to her now and she would follow her bond to Samvek all the way until she reached whatever world he was stranded on. Then he better give her scales a good scratching.

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Vespa Saggen knelt before Arbiter Kalix with her head to the ground. She had just completed her report about the encounter with the two strangers. The encounter that had resulted in the death of two members of the Order. It wasn’t like they weren’t all soldiers and prepared to lay down their lives. Those who died in the name of their god were never condemned.

It was those who were left behind who had to bear responsibility and that was a problem now because not only was she that person, but her brother had been one of those who fell. No attachment was more important than their god, but they were still encouraged to keep family ties. The Lawgiver taught that healthy relationships brought stability to your lives and allowed for them to fulfill their potential as mothers and fathers.

The fact that Kalix hadn’t spoken since her report ended left her uneasy. She didn’t dare look up but kept her head down awaiting his command. Everyone knew that ascendants saw time differently, but it was still a form of torture to wait as minute after minute passed. She knew she likely wasn’t the only one in town with these fears.

“You may raise your head, Inquisitor Saggen.”

She held in the sigh of relief. He had used her name and title, so she wasn’t to be stripped of her position. Perhaps she would get the chance to strike down those who killed her brother.

“Tell me, Inquisitor, if you were in my position what actions would you take now?”

That could be a trap, but she chose to take it as a genuine question. “I don’t pretend to understand the limits of your power, but we should be raiding every building, until we find this festering cancer within our midst. This world has been consecrated to the Lawgiver.”

“Exactly, so you don’t understand the limitations that I am operating under. So, I will inform you, all of you, and explain why your failures must not continue. Surely, you have sensed the saturation of mana on this world?”

She nodded, unsure what other answer to make.

“Yet has it caused you to wonder why the native population is so weak? Why their levels are so low and why they have no awakened?”

Of course, she had wondered that very thing. It was something often commented about by the awakened who had been brought to Aerth, but she simply said, “It is as the Lawgiver wills it.”

“Just so, and now, I’m going to tell you another secret. The Lawgiver was born upon this world, a very long time ago. From the lowly ranks of a put upon race, out of favor with the fey tyrants who choose only elves, dryads, and their ilk, he managed to rise to become the most powerful god of the system. And he has decreed that this world be kept as it is, so that he can return here whenever he wishes. You know that many low level worlds couldn’t not support even my presence let alone that of our god.

“Thus, while I could act here. While I could solve your problems. I can only do so under very specific circumstances, because I am not to deplete the mana saturation of this world.”

Vespa was too well trained to ask the obvious question, but Kalix must have known her heart.

“As for why, the Lawgiver has not come here personally, that is as he wills it. Even one such as I would never presume to question his divine judgment. So, you are being told all of this because either you will be elevated for finding these intruders. They must be part of some fey machinations. You will find them and you will kill them, and kill this supposed fey prince. And thus you will prove yourself worthy of the knowledge that I have given you. Now, report to Inquisitor Khalen but he already knows that you will be in charge of this search. You want to avenge your blood, I can feel it in you. Go make it happen. I don’t want this week to end without having a fey head to give to our god.”

She rushed out. Drivnor Khalen was the head Inquisitor on this mission. He was much stronger than she was and high up within the Order. Hopefully, he would have some advice for her, not that she could show any weakness.