16 - A Bad Oddity (Patreon)

Phoenix and Dazien shared furtive glances with one another as they sensed the odd atmosphere of the room they had been “politely requested to attend” to along with Kara.

The Crystal and freshly ascended Sapphire Caster, accompanied by an Obsidian Caste champion, wasn’t the only oddity among the collection of mostly Emerald and High Sapphire Casters that were currently in a private meeting room on an upper floor of the AOA building that towered in the southwestern district of the city.

Everyone was sitting around a long rectangular meeting table with the nine-tailed voxen placed right next to the seat at the head where the director would be sitting. Phoenix was sitting on the other side of Kara with Dazien next to her. The gemite was getting a few extra curious glances at the golden antlers adorning his head.

On the other side of Dazien were Everin and a few other Emerald Adventurers that Phoenix didn’t know the names of but remembered seeing during the frontline battles. The fact that she and her party leader were placed closer to the head of the table than an Avatar of two gods was not lost on either of them, and even the would-be king seemed nervous about the unconventional placement.

Across the table from the Adventurers and clergy was a group of cinderen and runeforged scholars donning the attire of the local Magi that worked for the OOM. Among them was a brunette woman who stood out from the others, not just because she was a human with a tan complexion similar to Paul’s, but because her brown eyes were looking around curiously behind a pair of silvery-framed spectacles.

Phoenix had never seen anyone wearing glasses in Makera before and had assumed magic, combined with a deity of healing in the Mender, was the reason for it. She briefly wondered if the woman was cursed with some incurable vision Bane then almost smacked her forehead and went with the more reasonable explanation that the spectacles must have been some kind of magic item.

Then the Wayfarer’s mind briefly marveled at the fact that her life had taken such crazy turns where “magic item” was the reasonable explanation for someone wearing a pair of glasses. She found herself once more grateful for healing magic and coming to this world despite all the negatives that had plagued her.

Her train of tangent thoughts ceased when the AOA Director, Agatha Trayvious, appeared in the room and began addressing the Obsidian Caster with a bow, “Paladin Fairweather, thank you once again for your assistance with the Soul Reaper’s forces that threatened our city.”

Kara smiled and wrapped an arm around Phoenix’s shoulders, “It is as my goddess decreed. I am Regent Wayland’s champion until the Soul Reaper’s invasion ends. Despite whatever my own desires might be, it is she I fight on behalf of, Director Trayvious.”

To Phoenix’s horror and Kara’s apparent delight, the entire room turned to look at the redhead and gawked at the idea of a Crystal Caster having any amount of authority over an Obsidian. It was simply unheard of. The fact that it was temporary and by divine order was probably the only thing holding some from attempting to squash her now for the sheer insolence of the situation.

Despite Phoenix’s rather lax attitude when it came to the Rule of Caste, having grown up in her sheltered world without it and taken in by an Emerald Caster that treated her like her words mattered, she was reminded at that moment that this world was heavily focused around personal power and Caste was the driving force behind the hierarchical system they lived by. More than wealth or pedigree, Caste decided who was above others and who bowed before them.

“As you say then, Paladin Fairweather,” the director said, breaking the awkward silence that had descended as the runeforged woman next gave a respectful bow towards Phoenix, “I thank you as well, Regent Wayland, for providing your champion and again for your father’s sacrifice before that.”

Agatha straightened, then gestured towards the side of the table that held the Magi. The man directly across from Kara was someone Phoenix recognized and she offered him a smile as the director introduced him, “This is Lord Teras, the current Chancellor of the Order of Magic here, and his associates.”

Lord Teras returned her smile as he said, “I have met Regent Wayland before, and it is an honor to meet Paladin Fairweather as well.” Then he gestured to the human woman placed beside him, “This is Miss Camilla Saren. She specializes in Reality Rifts and has been studying the Soul Reaper’s efforts for the last year after their plans of attempting to sabotage them were initially uncovered. She has been assisting us with the recovery efforts of Tulimeir’s own Reality Rift after the betrayal of House Ruwena and, more recently, in studying what the Soul Reapers left behind in the wreckage of their ships.” 

“Did they create something similar to a Rift?” Phoenix found herself asking the woman curiously –whose name she swore she recognized but couldn’t quite place– then promptly clamped her mouth shut again as all eyes turned on her once more.

“It– Um, Well It–,” the woman paused as if startled to be addressed directly and without notice, then said, “N–no. But it’s similar to the object they left inside Tulisuda I’ve been helping analyze.” Camilla fiddled with her glasses once more as she finished speaking. The brunette was rather soft-spoken and Phoenix had the feeling that she didn’t talk with other people very often.

“Miss Saren is one of our brightest researchers and is phenomenal with recognizing patterns and working with complex mathematics,” Lord Teras said as though having gone through the explanation a dozen times already.

Then he turned to lock eyes on Phoenix as he added, “We found the Reality Seed you reported discovering in the ship you and Avatar Starlark managed to take down. Along with two others from other downed ships. None of them seem to be dormant any longer, however.”

“I thought I destroyed everything of note,” Kara said, with a slightly puzzled tilt of her head and adorable golden fox ears.

Lord Teras, along with every other magical researcher at the table, gave a sour look at the reminder of all the valuable magical infrastructure that had been recklessly decimated by the Obsidian Caster’s… thoroughness. 

Then he elaborated slightly, “Well, most of the ships Paladin Fairweather defeated are basically just piles of ash now, but the Obsidian Caste Reality Seeds weren’t in the ones she… exploded, only one of the three seeds was located in the ship closest to the city that she wisely didn’t use her more devastating abilities on.”

Kara appeared to ponder that for a moment before shrugging, “Yeah, not gonna apologize for destroying the enemy in spectacular fashion. So what did you find? It’s been days now. Surely you know what we’re dealing with?”

The cinderen man nodded, “Yes. From what we’ve determined, as soon as the seeds came into contact with the planet, they started embedding themselves to the surface and began growing.”

“To what end?” Kara asked, her curiosity seemingly piqued by her perked-up ears and ever-shifting tails.

Lord Teras turned to look at the awkward brunette again and waved his hand for her to speak as the director placed what appeared to be a map out on the table. 

Camilla stared at the man’s hand for a moment before standing and pointing out three locations on the map and taking on a tone of recitation, “The Reality Seeds are gathering up the ambient magic –which currently has a higher Caste and rate due to the blood moon– and refining it to be denser and even higher Caste before releasing it back into the surrounding zone.”

Some murmuring went around the room as people speculated on the information, and one of the Adventurers at the end of the table spoke up, “What does that mean? Is that bad?”

“Yes, they are a bad oddity,” the woman replied immediately, gaining a few quirked eyebrows at the phrasing.

Lord Teras interjected once more to clarify, “Essentially, they are cultivating the whole of the Tulim tundra.”

The chattering increased at the statement as the nobleman continued, “As we speak, the magical quality of the land surrounding the city is going up at a startling pace. Before the blood moon, Tulimeir and most of the tundra were considered a Moderate Rate High Crystal zone. 

“Krafti’s purge of mana increased the quality up to mid-Sapphire and the quantity rate to High, but now these Reality Seeds are raising the quality even further. It’s only been about a week since then, and once we recognized what they were doing, we began measuring. Already the city had risen to High Sapphire.” 

He paused to look at the AOA Director and emphasized, “With Lord Wayland being indefinitely unavailable and the presence of Paladin Fairweather only being temporary, Tulimeir and the surrounding fortress cities will not survive the blood moon if we start getting an influx of Emerald Caste monsters next week.”

Then he turned to Phoenix and her Obsidian Caste companion, “If your champion does not destroy the seeds quickly, then we will not survive after the blood moon either without higher Caste immigrants.”

The director spoke up then with her own question, “How long do we have until we get too high that we can’t manage with our own people?”

“I would argue we’ve almost hit that point already but at the current rate, we expect the potential for Emerald Caste spawns within another two weeks. Ruby within three months, but we’re not sure the moon will last that long. Obsidian in a year. However, it won’t matter much because by that point, I doubt there will be a city left to defend,” the Magi Chancellor informed dryly.

As the potential ramifications settled into everyone’s minds, they all turned once more to the pair of women who seemed to hold the fate of the city once more in their hands. Phoenix felt herself flush at the attention again despite her best attempt to keep her head up and her aura steady.

She glanced at Kara, who flashed her an evil grin as the voxen shrugged dramatically at her and said, “Well, it’s not my problem. I can handle anything that comes after you or the city, Regent Wayland. Until the Soul Reapers leave, my only job is to fight on your behalf. The choice is yours.”

Phoenix’s eyes narrowed at the blonde as she hissed in slight exasperation, “What kind of choice is that? You’re asking me whether I want to save the city or not?”

“Technically, the city isn’t in direct danger at the moment,” Kara pointed out, “If we act now, then, sure, future threats will be less of a threat, but less danger isn’t necessarily a benefit to an Adventurer like yourself.”

At the redhead’s raised eyebrow, the Paladin expounded further, “Wait a few weeks, let the magic rise a bit more, and you’ll have the perfect training grounds to get you through Sapphire and into Emerald. Sure, a few people might die in some tragic accidents, but you’ll be able to get stronger and save even more lives after that, yeah?”

Most of the room’s occupants looked at the Obsidian Caster in shock and disbelief at the cold tactics and utter disregard for life in favor of the personal gain the outsider had suggested. 

Her party leader almost growled at the champion as he finally lent his voice to the conversation, “Phoenix would never sacrifice the innocent simply to gain power. That you would suggest such is an insult to her honor and integrity.”

“Dazien,” Phoenix said, settling a hand on his arm to keep him from moving closer to the woman on the opposite side of her, “It’s fine. Despite what Kara might say, she and you both know that I’m not going to do that.”

“I would also like to point out that two of the seeds are Corrupted and, as such, are tainting the refined magic with it. Which means monsters that spawn are more likely to be Corrupted,” Lord Teras added with a sobering look.

She turned to look at the golden voxen and said as calmly as she could, “Even more reason to destroy these seeds sooner rather than later. Paul wouldn’t want Corruption to spread when we have the power to prevent it.” 

Then she looked at Lord Teras who seemed to be watching her curiously as she said, “We can go destroy them now if that will help save lives.”

The man nodded gratefully, “Thank you, Regent Wayland. There are two that can be destroyed immediately with minimal risk.” He pointed at two of the locations at the northeastern and southeastern points of the Soul Reaper’s city where she and Paul had respectively downed ships.

Ethan paused on the northern one that she had destroyed and said, “Something anomalous and… potentially fortuitous has occurred with this particular seed that we are still trying to analyze, so I would prefer to hold off on destroying it for the moment. It is the only one not spreading Corruption.”

Then he gestured to the last one that was at the western point nearest the walls guarding Tulimeir, “This one, however, is the largest concern. Should Paladin Fairweather be…” he paused and glanced at the blonde before seeming to decide on his words, “As zealous in her duties to take care of the seed as she was with the rest of the city, there may be collateral damage to the walls that would leave us vulnerable to monsters while we rebuild.”

“Can’t Paladin Fairweather just be… precise in her attacks?” one of the other Magi asked the nobleman.

“That’s not necessarily the problem,” Lord Teras corrected, “It’s not that she might damage the city with her attacks, though that is a valid concern, it’s that the destruction of such a high-Caste magical item will most likely be volatile.”

“As in, say goodbye to the manufacturing district,” one of the other Adventurers said sardonically.

“Can we try moving it away from the city?” Phoenix inquired.

“We don’t believe so,” Ethan cautiously explained, “We suspect that aside from the vines creating the organic ritual there are also roots going deep into the ground to refine that magic as well. 

“Alternatively, there could be self-destructing triggers in place like what the Pseudo-Reality Seeds in Tulisuda had that could devastate the surrounding areas in the event we try to tamper with it. We won’t know for sure until we try.”

Phoenix studied the map a bit further, and some sparse chattering went around the room as everyone contemplated the issue. Then Kara prodded at her patience again by asking clearly enough for everyone to hear, “So what is our next move, Regent Wayland? Want me to poke the southern one and find out how big the boom is?”

She internally groaned at being put on the spot once more and found herself looking to Dazien for input. He was going to be her brother, after all, and the look in his eyes as he met her gaze reminded her that she didn’t have to make all the decisions alone. 

The party leader gave her a mischievous smirk and mentally whispered, “Go ahead, say what you want. You don’t need my permission for that. I just recommend staying casual with me, Everin, and Kara while in front of them.”

Then she grinned and asked aloud, “What do you think, brother? Should we have Kara try to destroy the southern one?”

The amethyst warrior’s eyes narrowed, but his smile never wavered as he mentally reprimanded, “I said ‘casual’ not ‘crazy.’ Calling me brother when I haven’t signed papers is asking for trouble.”

But when Dazien spoke aloud in answer to her public question he said, “Let’s start with trying to move it first and see if it gets angry. Then we might learn a better way of destroying the western one safely.” 

She nodded in agreement and returned the mental whisper, “Meh. Paul did it to me in front of the director, so I’m just doing what my mentor taught me.”

The Defender turned to the same AOA Director she mentioned and added, “If we’re assigned the mission, that is.”

The woman returned his smile with a wry grin as she dipped her head in acknowledgment and said, “That is acceptable. Work alongside the OOM to gather information then perform the test and destroy them if deemed safe. Report back to me should anything unexpected arise, or we need to handle additional complexity, or when the mission is completed.”

Then she looked at the rest of the room, “The Adventurers present will assist in protecting the Magi as they gather data in the field. While King’s Dream –along with Paladin Fairweather– leads this assignment, everyone else is now dismissed.”

The director glanced back at the gemite and finished giving her orders, “Noble Dazien Wayland, you will come with me for some paperwork.”

“If she asks me about any adoption, I’m telling her the truth,” Dazien warned her through his ability as she felt the groan behind his words.

“Good. Then she’ll know it’s inevitable since you’ve agreed,” Phoenix replied with a grin, “Apparently, I’m influential now. I can make things happen.”

He chuckled, “And you were worried about me becoming an iron-fisted dictator.”

The room broke out into a flurry of motion with people going to gather party members and organize a rendezvous point and Dazien arose to follow the director out of the room. 

Phoenix turned to give a glower of disapproval at Kara, but the Obsidian Caster forestalled her question and tapped a clawed finger to a temple, indicating that they should also remain silent and use Dazien’s ability.

So she mentally asked curtly, “Were you trying to get the entire room to hate you?”

Kara grinned and replied cheekily, “Yes.”

“Whhhyyy?” the Wayfarer whined incredulously. Not understanding anything this way-too-cheerful Obsidian Caster did.

The blonde leaned back in her chair and placed her hands behind her head as she stated happily, “So they would love you instead. Now let’s go blow up an alien baby.”

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