6 - When Sirens Blare (Patreon)

“Hey, show me those item descriptions before we leave. I wanna add them to my notes,” Rayna asked her as she stretched while looking out over the lake in the early dawn light.

“Sure. Are you certain I should keep them? I know you’ve been cold too. Maybe we can trade them in for multiple smaller items that just help us with the chill?” Phoenix replied, lifting a foot to show off a white furred boot, but also conjuring the book that Rayna had seemed to fall in love with almost as much as Dazien as it seemed to be a mobile loot generator.

Item: Snolf Paws

Boots made from the hide and fur of a snolf.

Caste: Crystal.

Availability: Rare.

Type: Apparel, boots.

Requirements: Crystal Caste or higher.

Effects:

- Grants better traction on snow and ice.

- Keeps the wearer from becoming chilled.

- Masks the wearer’s scent as belonging to a snolf.

“Thanks but we all agreed that your quest rewards should stay yours. With Dazien’s [Tribute] ability we can all loot monsters so splitting all of that makes sense, even if your aura beats us to it most of the time,” her newest friend said with a laugh.

Then the voxen pulled out a notebook from the messenger bag slung over her shoulder, “I just wanted to write down how your book ability is categorizing items,” Rayna explained pulling out a pen as well to copy the information, “I can also ask around town later to see how many Bits something like that is normally worth.”

“Don’t tell me when you do,” she said with a slight grimace, “Paul said I need to use the best gear I can get, no matter the price tag, and I don’t trust myself to not pawn it off for enchanting materials.”

Rayna laughed, “Noted,” the bard acknowledged, “Now, what about that sword too?”

Item: Caustic Floe

A magical sword carved from nevermelt ice and infused with Icespitter acid.

Caste: Crystal.

Availability: Rare.

Type: Weapon, sword.

Requirements: Crystal Caste or higher.

Effects:

- Attacks made with this weapon inflict additional Ice damage.

- Attacks made with this weapon have a chance to inflict or refresh [Acid Burn].
- Acid Burn (bane, elemental, corrosion): Inflicts ongoing Corrosion damage.

“Nice, a dual type,” the pugilist commented, scribbling furiously.

“Is that unusual?” she inquired.

“Not unheard of or anything but that’s why it’s listed as ‘Rare’ I bet,” Rayna explained, “It’s harder to craft multiple types of magics or elements into a single item. Easier than mixing magics and elements, like if this was ice and illusion it would be even rarer. Do you know what the next tier of ‘Availability’ is called according to your book?”

“I think it’s ‘Epic’? That’s what one of my Aspects was labeled as.”

“That makes sense and is likely what my hypothetical item would be listed as,” the voxen continued, then snapped her notebook closed and slipped it back in her bag, “Anyways, the more type mixing the more likely for a catastrophic failure.”

“Meaning it blows up?”

“It definitely blows up,” the bard confirmed with a solemn nod.

“Good to know,” she replied with a roll of her eyes, then asked, “Not interested in the knowledge tome I got?”

Rayna scoffed, “You mean the Book of Cheating? No, thanks. Despite my love of Bits, you won’t catch me touching one of those. Trash way to learn new things since it’s so shallow. You lose so much nuance!”

“Hey, Phoenix,” Uriel called out, walking up to the pair of women.

“Good morning. What’s up?” she asked, dismissing her guide book with a wave.

The cinderen paused and glanced upwards, “The sky?”

The Wayfarer shook her head, “Just an expression from my world to ask what you wanted to talk about.”

“Oh,” he replied then leaned forward slightly to whisper, “Don’t tell Daze I suggested this but you could probably release your [Starlight Qi] before we portal back so you don’t have to walk through the city like that.”

As the Mage gestured at her arm, he added, “I don’t think other people would care, in fact I think most like the effect, but I know you care about standing out too much. Don’t let Rayna’s advice, or even Daze’s orders, make you set aside your own happiness.”

Phoenix felt her cheeks warm at his words and she gave him a soft nod and gentle smile, “Thanks, Uriel.”

He gave a slight grin in return, “Just don’t trigger it until I’m back by Daze’s side and can deny any involvement.”

She laughed, “Deal.”

“Alright, Phoenix,” her party leader began, “Ready to portal us back to Tulimeir?”

It was already after noon and they had finally finished checking that the nearby village had been properly evacuated fully. She nodded and had Tala unmerge with her once more to sit atop her hair, “Yup, let me just get ready to return.”

“You know, it might be easier to keep her merged so she doesn’t get distracted by shiny things and attack a perfectly innocent gemite just walking down the street,” Dazien pointed out as he eyed the Familiar warily.

“I said I was sorry for that,” the Wayfarer grumbled then gave a pained smile, “And I’m sorry for this too.”

Before he could question her further she triggered releasing the built up [Starlight Qi] that was causing her skin to continue glowing. An explosion of swirling blue and purple energy burst out of her, littered with silvery sparkles that looked like glitter impersonating stars. The power washed over the party, instantly refilling a portion of their lost mana and stamina while increasing the regeneration rate significantly before quickly tapering off.

Phoenix giggled at the sight of her friends glowing like she had while their regeneration was boosted for that short time but her amusement was quickly cut off by the annoyed gemite, “Why?!” he cried, “That was a waste of the ability, Phoenix! You need to get used to glow-”

“Daze,” Uriel interrupted, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder, and stating simply, “King; not Tyrant, remember?”

The young man groaned loudly in frustration, pacing a bit as he tried to calm down, before nodding to his partner and straightening his posture as amethyst eyes locked onto her, “I hope you will learn to get comfortable with your powers but I understand that they are your powers, not mine. If you don’t want to use them in the city, I won’t ask you to again.”

The gemite’s expression softened as he added, “I know I’m listed as the party leader but we’re friends too. Honestly, the position is mainly so I can handle the talking and the paperwork,” he admitted with a laugh, “Don’t be afraid to correct me like Uriel does.”

“Oh, we will,” Rayna interjected, throwing an arm around her neck and causing the slightly taller Wayfarer to bend slightly, “You only lead cause we follow.”

Dazien grinned, “Exactly. Now let’s go home.”

Phoenix returned his smile and nodded, conjuring the portal of night and starlight. She had been a bit on edge, returning to the portal grounds where Camrin might spot her but the cinderen seemed to be elsewhere as they quickly left to see to their various errands after having been gone for a fortnight.

The first stop for the group was the AOA building where their party leader dutifully turned in their completed missions and signed them up for the city response rotation for the next fortnight. They would be on standby to respond to the monsters that were spotted by those patrolling on the wall. The party had agreed on this for the chance to train more with Paul in the city. After getting some practical experience under their belts and knowing where they wanted to improve, getting guidance from a willing Emerald Caster would be a boon for their progression.

They stopped for dinner at Belladonna’s again, Dazien claimed in celebration of completing their first missions as an official party, and agreed to go to the Market District within the inner city the following day to shop and restock on supplies.

The twins talked about needing to get a better item to protect from the cold, complaining that the magic scarves they had gotten years ago were not up to the task of the frozen tundra like they had originally hoped.

Top of the list for Dazien, was a new shield now that he had some money to spend. Apparently, the hit from the Crystalline Elemental had cracked the steel one he had been using and he wanted to upgrade to something a bit more magical. While Uriel seemed to be contemplating the idea of a staff of some kind to help focus his spells or give him some more single-target options.

First for Phoenix, however, was a hot shower. Her friends laughed when she spoke fondly of the warm water and thoughts of creating some kind of bird bath attachment for Tala to enjoy at the same time.

They reached her dorm first and she said her goodbyes as the others went south towards the international district where their homes were. When she reached her room, the Wayfarer found herself nervous about going to sleep again.

While Saiya had been near during the nights they had camped out on the tundra, the Healer's soothing aura of tranquility had helped Phoenix sleep peacefully within Uriel’s icy fortress that had been more of a small two bedroom apartment with tiny seating area between the rooms they could all sit and meditate in. Now though, without the company of friends and the supportive aura, she worried the nightmares might return.

As she showered, her mind went over the events of the last two weeks. Her haul from the quests and monster loot had been pretty good but she found herself lamenting not getting another Spirit Gem when the fights had made it quite clear that she needed more tools to get the different types of jobs done. Right now, it felt like anything resistant to being stabbed would walk all over her.

Annoyance at the feeling of uselessness she was experiencing once more pestered her. For a poorly matched enemy, she was either relegated to standing aura beacon or needing to pull off some crazy stunt to have any impact. She clenched her fists as the warm water washed over her. She needed to get stronger. She needed to get to a point where there were no poor matches.

The redhead thought about trying to purchase some Spirit Gems instead of waiting for a quest to grant them but she was hesitant. Her guide book had become a comfort; an assurance that she was on the right path. Sure, it tried to kill her with blinding light at times but it mostly tried to equip her with both knowledge and gear in order to survive. She disliked the idea of risking buying a Gem that wouldn’t compliment her powerset.

Phoenix willed forth her book to look over the descriptions of her new equipment again, the water not seeming to affect it at all. Her book once more displayed how it would give her the things she was lacking, as though it was doing everything in its power to help keep her alive… unless it wanted to show her new information.

She found herself extremely grateful for the new items. Her [Dune Strider Boots], [Gloves of Gripping], and [Snow Shroud] cloak had all been shredded to ribbons by the miserlings and the tailor had regretfully informed her that the magic within them had died from the extensive damage. The jacket she had been using in the meantime had barely kept her from freezing and respawning.

The new boots would fix that loss, however, and the sword was also a boon as she had been wanting to fight more with a sword after her initial spar with Uriel. It had felt so natural to the Wayfarer and she thought it might give her a bit more versatility on the battlefield.

As Phoenix finished up her shower, feeling much more refreshed, she laid out on her bed and pulled out the last item she had received from the quests.

Item: Magical Tattooing I

A magical tome that can impart the fundamentals of creating and administering magical tattoos.

Caste: Crystal.

Availability: Rare.

Type: Consumable, Knowledge Tome.

Requirements: Crystal Caste or higher.

Effect: Imparts basic magical tattooing theory and techniques along with some Crystal Caste templates.

Magic tattoos were not a new concept to her, but she hadn't realized they were an actual thing in this world. She was curious what the limits on them might be and exactly how permanent the magical variety were. Perhaps, the other members of her party would agree to be her test subjects if she provided the materials.

She wasn‘t sure if her teammates, no, her friends, she reminded herself, had tattoos already or not but she thought it might be nice to get her own. Maybe something that could help her be less useless, she thought bitterly. She shook away the self-pity and triggered the tome with the phrase scrawled on the first page.

"Magical tattoos have been around for millenia to not only offer versatility or support to the already powerful but to empower those that have not bound aspects of their souls yet," she read aloud, adding thoughtfully, "Huh, that's a neat alternative for Mundanes," before letting the knowledge swarm into her.

Phoenix thought she heard an odd sound in the background, as she grit her teeth through the pain, but wondered if it was a side effect of the magic around her. As the process completed, she immediately wanted to try out the new skill but realized that she didn’t have the needed tools or materials. Maybe she’d pick them up tomorrow when everyone would be going to the market.

She took a few steadying breaths after the tome drained a bit of her stamina to absorb. That odd buzzing noise was still there in the background and she wondered if maybe it was coming from a neighboring dorm room. The redhead tried to ignore it and was about to attempt getting some sleep when a knock came at her door.

The Wayfarer cautiously got up and moved toward the door in the other room, “Who is it?” she called out, already preparing to portal away if anything sketchy happened.

“It’s Dazien. There’s an alarm. Everyone available is being called to the northern port district,” her party leader said from the other side.

She opened the door to confirm, “Everyone?” The rest of the party was already with him, looking nervous, which put her further on edge.

He gave her a grave nod, “A huge swarm of monsters have breached the breakwater walls and are attacking the boats and civilians. Every Adventurer available has been called to defend the city or help evacuate. Can you portal us there?”

The redhead nodded, her wild curls bouncing around her face but she wasn’t sure she had time to braid them, “Yeah, Paul made sure I visited each of the gates leading out of the city during my first week,” she explained.

With a thought, she exchanged her sleeping clothes with her normal combat clothes, new boots included. She gestured for them to enter her dorm and locked it behind them before summoning the portal and Dazien purposefully led the way through with Phoenix stepping through last.

Chaos was waiting on the other side for them, with screams filling the air mixing with the sounds of battle in a cacophony of terror. People were fleeing from the dock area the party had arrived in; some following the directions of Adventurers and government responders trying to herd them in the right direction.

The northern docks were the least inhabited section of the city but it was usually busy, since it was a major trade point to get supplies via ship. The city walls extended out into the sea and a large gate would normally control the access for ships. The gate was destroyed, however, and in its place was what looked like a giant man, roughly four stories tall, his grayish blue flesh covered with jagged shards of ice like spiked armor.

Phoenix had thought the Crystalline Elemental had been a monstrosity among monsters but this creature left it in the dust. She could feel the power radiating off it and she realized with horror that it was Emerald Caste. It could crush her entire party with a single swipe of its massive mace that seemed like some sort of modified shell made of blue cobalt.

The waters, meanwhile, were teeming with what looked like mermaids at first glance; beautiful people with pale hair, bluish skin, and finned ears. Instead of clothing, they wore a layer of ice as armor and once she finally heard the sound within the din of panic and combat, Phoenix recognized them for what they were: sirens.

New Quest: Call to Arms: When Siren Blare

Sirens have launched an attack from the coast.

Objective: Help defend the docks from the Sirens.

Reward: Epic Crystal Caste Spirit Gem.

She didn’t need to look at the book to know what her goal would be but it made her grimace to imagine what that kind of reward implied about the difficulty of the task.

The party took it all in and Dazien began administering directions, “We need to intercept any of them that leave the water.”

“Those are Berg Sirens, Daze. They’re Casters, like us, that usually have an attunement to water and song magic. If they’re attacking the city directly, they’re likely in the Sapphire Caste at least,” Uriel said in an unusual rebuttal.

The warrior stared at his friend, “We are not alone and our objective is clear. Innocent people are in danger. We need to defend people as we help them escape,” he stated, then turned to look at Phoenix, “I want you to go to the point where the Adventurers are herding people towards and portal anyone and everyone that you can to the western portal logistic center.” She nodded and the party leader looked at the others, “The rest of us will find a hole in the defending line of Adventurers and fill it.”

Phoenix caught his arm, “You don’t want me with the party?”

Dazien’s expression softened and he placed his free hand over hers and said sincerely, “Your portal is the most valuable asset we have in assisting people. You are needed there, while we are needed elsewhere. Once the alarms stop, we’ll meet back up at your place, alright? It’s the closest private location to here.”

She scrunched her face in frustration but nodded in acquiescence, “Stay safe. No stupid stunts.”

Rayna chuckled, “I think that’s more your style. We’ll play it defensively, don’t worry. We have the Healer after all.”

Phoenix nodded, releasing her aura over the area to grant her friends and any others nearby the added benefits. The power of her layered auras just barely covered a few hundred meters, close to a quarter mile, and she hoped her party would stay in range as she turned to run with the crowd towards a point of congestion. The rest of King’s Dream made their way to the seawall that many docks jutted out from and where pitched battles were taking place as the sirens left the water upon transformed legs.

She felt a familiar aura brush against hers and looked up in time to see a streak of bright light soar across the sky, straight into the Emerald Caste monster. It looked like her mentor got the message and had joined the fight and she felt her heart lighten. Paul would be able to handle it and everything would be okay.

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