36 - Fake It Till You Make It (Patreon)

As the sun was beginning to set, Paul stood in the office of Director Trayvious and appeared to be appreciating the view but was considering the semi-transparent scrap of paper displaying the information about his Sword passive that he had desired to see spelled out for him.

Passive Ability: Blade of Wrath

Type: Utility (construct, elemental, magical, arcane, fire)

Current Caste: Emerald 10

Crystal Effect: Construct a sword that reflects the wielder and can be used as a medium for Spells and cantrips for a slightly increased effect.

Sapphire Effect: Special Attacks with the Magical modifier performed with this weapon inflict increased damage.

Emerald Effect: Normal and Special Attacks made with this weapon inflict additional Fire damage and [Burning].

- Burning (bane, elemental, fire): Inflicts ongoing Fire damage.

“Is something concerning Wayland about this passive ability?” Orebela asked in his mind, seeing what he was.

“I just wish I was Ruby already and had the additional damage type that usually unlocks with it,” he mentally lamented.

“Wayland does not know if the type that will unlock will be useful against the Ruwena family,” his Familiar pointed out, “While passive abilities are the only ones reliably predicted, the higher Caste soul determines the direction of the cultivation. That is why Wayland’s passive changed at Emerald to inflict Fire and be called by this name instead of the original expectation of Arcane damage for the Mage Blade,” she recounted.

“I know, Bela,” he mentally eyerolled. Despite her knowing that he already knew that, she just loved to lecture him and prove her depth of knowledge, “But we can still expect another damage type based on the normal pattern. What does your mental algorithm predict the type might be?”

There was a moment of silence as she calculated before reporting, “There is a 3% chance of Covenant, 5% chance of Blood, 5% chance of Light, or 87% chance of Radiant.”

He raised a brow, “That high for Radiant? While I thought there’d be a chance, it’s not a common type to naturally cultivate.”

“Wayland has been a Paladin for over thirty years. With the recent rededication and blessing from the Avenger, the chance has increased dramatically,” the Familiar explained helpfully.

“Well, Radiant would be helpful. Not many people gain resistance to it,” the paladin said, returning to his previous reasoning for desiring the upgrade.

“Wayland is close,” Orebela said in an odd monotone that he thought was her attempt at consolation, “A few more suitable challenges should push Wayland past the threshold.”

“Not close enough,” he grumbled. With another thought, the ability information was replaced by a larger sheet of floating parchment that displayed his overall progress that he had seen Phoenix do from time to time.

Profile: Paul Wayland
Species: Human (Northern Pyrinese)
Current Caste: Emerald 9

Attributes
Strength (Zeal): Emerald 9
Agility (Sword): Emerald 10
Fortitude (Fire): Emerald 10
Mind (Light): Emerald 9
Magic (Wrath Blade): Emerald 10

Natural Talents
Corruption Slayer
Sun Attunement
Combination Disposition
Special Attack Disposition
Zealous Avenger

Divine Titles
Paladin of the Purifier
Fallen of the Purifier
Paladin of the Avenger

Titles
Adventurer
Corruption Hunter
Follower of the Purifier
Savior of the Tortured
Treasure Finder
Serenydi Exile
Traveler of Pyrin
Outcast
Emissary Adventurer
Lord of the House
– Focus to see the full list…

Aspects

Fire

- Flames of Purification (Aura Passive)

- Flame Javelin - Emerald 10

- Meteor Strike (Class) - Emerald 10

Light

- Penetrating Sight (Perception Passive)

- Child of Theia - Emerald 10

- Flicker Strike (Class) - Emerald 9 (99%)

Sword

- Blade of Wrath (Utility Passive)

- Accelerating Strikes - Emerald 10

- Swords of the Wrathful (Class) - Emerald 10

Zeal

- Strength of Purpose (Boon Passive)

- Righteous Fury - Emerald 10

- Judgment of the Zealous (Class) - Emerald 9 (99%)

Wrath Blade (Class)

- Rage Regalia (Utility Passive)

- Wrath From Above - Emerald 10

- Ferocious Assault (Class) - Emerald 10

“So close yet so far,” he sighed as he glared at the last two abilities to hit the cap. Until he finished getting those to the max level, he wouldn’t ascend to Ruby and be able to use more Spirit Gems to cultivate his abilities further and begin advancing his skills again.

He already had the Ruby Caste Spirit Gems picked out and waiting in the vault at his home, having slowly curated them over the years, but they were just collecting dust until he increased his Caste.

Sometimes he bemoaned the fact that his already maxed Aspects were being held back by the others that were lagging behind, wishing his Agility, Fortitude, and Magic could be Ruby already but when he had proposed the idea to Orebela she quickly shut it down; pointing out that, without his Mind being the same Caste to process the movements, he’d likely run himself straight through the walls of Tulimeir.

Unfortunately, there just weren’t that many challenges out here in the Crystal Caste tundra that could progress his skills that last little bit to push him beyond Emerald. Even this raid that was about to take place against another noble house likely wouldn’t be what got him across the line as their strongest member was Lady Ruwena who had been the Head of the House for almost a decade now and she was only now getting to the peak of Sapphire.

His thoughts were interrupted by Agatha Trayvious entering her office and asking, “You brought your license, right?”

Paul gave a resigned sigh and lifted the small green marble card from his belt pouch which she quickly took before he could change his mind. Taking it over to her desk in the center of the room, she pulled out a small rune stamp and pressed it against the stone, causing both to glow for a moment as the rune became etched on his AOA license marking him as a Delegate Adventurer that was suitable to give Temple missions to once again. While the various deities would often assign quests to their own clergy, they would often come to the Alliance of Adventurers to complete a request if they didn’t have a suitable member nearby.

Agatha grinned at the mark and handed it back to him as she asked, “Ready to head out now, Delegate Wayland?”

The paladin rolled his eyes and nodded, conjuring his [Rage Regalia] as he turned to follow her out of the building to their rendezvous location with the rest of the strike force. While he could take any Caster in that entire estate, he couldn’t be everywhere at once and his powerset wasn’t the best at taking people alive; which was the actual goal of this mission.

While Lord Ohsen Ruwena’s confession and the Divine Sigil of the Avenger had been enough to warrant the raid, there were still children and potential family members who had no involvement with their leader’s plots. The AOA was also extremely insistent on confiscating any research or information regarding the Purifier’s Renseres or the Soul Reapers.

“Are you hoping to lead this raid, Lord Paladin?” the runeforged director inquired as they made their way down the AOA building. She was watching him with what seemed more like curiosity than resentment or fear.

He shook his head, “No. Despite my sister’s desires, I am no leader.”

“You led that temporary party in recovering that Reality Rift in Epa Toivo well enough,” she observed.

“I’ve gotten decent at faking it,” he replied with a smirk that caused the woman to laugh.

“Yes, even I’ve felt like that at times. ‘Fake it till you make it’ but it never feels like you've made it. Even at the top, I find myself second-guessing my decisions. I don’t think anyone is immune to that, so the best leaders are the ones that know how to hide it while asking the experts for guidance,” the runeforged said.

“Remind me to introduce you to, Mister Smithson,” Paul added casually, “He’s got that hiding it part down pretty well.”

The director chuckled as she quipped, “I’m guessing he learned it from you?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s some kind of Natural Talent that he somehow cultivated,” he joked as Agatha led him out of the lift and began navigating them through the city of glass, steel, and steam.

The sun had completely set by the time they finished gathering the strike team at the roof a few buildings down from the Ruwena residence. A few select parties that had been vetted for potential conflicts of allegiance to the targeted nobles and chosen for their particular specializations around capture over killing had been chosen to assist and were gathered around.

“Greetings, Noble Stratfured,” Paul said with a nod to a young Sapphire Caster with purple-tinted iridescent hair and a glittering dress covered in crystals. Then he nodded to the black kitten held in her arms like some kind of bonded Familiar, “Bliss. Thanks again for your assistance with tracking. I’m glad to see your party here.”

“Will you be leading, Lord Wayland?” the visiting noble asked curiously, as Bliss gave a pleased purr.

“People keep asking,” he said with a slight smirk, “But I plan to stand behind Director Trayvious for the most part and look intimidating.”

Another of the Sapphire Casters snickered at the comment before quickly silencing at the look the director was giving them as she took the lead, “The Lord Paladin is here as a precaution should we be met with unexpected force. You’ve all been briefed on your missions, we want to avoid any more deaths that might spark a civil war or blood feud,” Agatha said solemnly and the rest of the gathered Casters quickly sobered, “Now, we believe the target location is below the–”

“Director! They’re regrouping!” a young Crystal Caster said as they stumbled through the door to the rooftop.

“What? Why?” the runeforged snapped.

“Somebody contacted them! They know about Lord Ruwena and have signaled their allies to the Stronghold!”

The director cursed loudly as she turned to look down towards where their target had been, “Change of plans. We go after who we can but if they reach the Stronghold we need to regroup and plan a larger force to launch an assault on that underground fortress.”

Paul met her gaze as she said grimly, “War it is.”

Patricia Wayland had been ecstatic when Phoenix had agreed to accept the Favor of her goddess. While she had tried to push the group in different directions, measuring their various reactions to her implications, she had been pleased in general at how loyal the group seemed to be to one another and that Paul had done well in guiding them together.

She had never imagined her stubborn brother becoming a Mentor to anyone, especially after the man took a hard turn into his own zealotry for the Purifier when their youngest brother had died, but the change she had witnessed in him first-hand was better than anything she could have hoped for and it was thanks to this quirky Wayfarer that quite literally fell out of the sky and into their lives.

The young woman had been shy and much more naïve than she would have preferred but the other traits the Wayfarer had displayed during their brief time together, and frankly the other more obvious benefits of being a God-Favored Aurabreaker, spoke volumes about the person under the red curls and glowing skin.

While she might have preferred for Paul to settle down and find himself a suitable spouse, ideally one of a high political station, and to have his own brood of children, seeing how he acted like a father in order to support this girl, who had nobody else to rely on, made her oddly proud of her wayward brother.

Now, she wanted nothing more than to hurry up and sign the stupid papers to welcome this child into her family. So, when Phoenix managed to find her room and request help with actually putting some new tome knowledge to practice while they waited for Paul to return, she jumped at the chance to have the girl meet her potential cousins.

As they gathered in the decent-sized lab on the lower fifth floor, she merrily made introductions, first of the party members of King’s Dream, then of her children that she had brought with to assist, “This is my oldest son, Patric,” she gestured to the runeforged man who had recently turned twenty-five and then to his sister who was five years younger, “And this is my oldest daughter, Padma. Both of them are Emissary Adventurers and are well versed in alchemy, each even unlocking a passive that supports it.”

Patricia grinned in approval as the party leader stepped forward and gave a courtly bow, “It is an honor to meet you both and we appreciate you taking the time to assist and offer guidance.”

The older of the two returned the respectful bow, “The honor is ours, Mister Smithson. Uncle Paul speaks highly of your party.”

“He does?” Dazien asked with a raised brow, “He never seems to lack in things to speak low of when beating us into the mat.”

Rayna patted the Defender's shoulder and said with a fanged smile, “I think that’s just you, King.”

Phoenix stepped forward as well, grinning up at the amethyst warrior, “I told you that he’s just trying to make you give up.”

The priestess spoke up once more as the group’s laughter tapered off, “Let’s drop with the formalities, please. As Paul’s Protégé you might as well be family already, whether you accept the additional position or not. Our home is your home. Now, Phoenix, you mentioned something about some rare ingredients?”

“Right!” the Wayfarer said, visibly brightening at the shift in topic and walking over to an empty counter, “Is here okay?”

She nodded and a large dark blue chest appeared. Phoenix pushed the lid back on it and began pulling things out, reading the labels on glass bottles, as the rest of them gathered around and moved stools to sit on, “Dragon’s Blood Resin, Powdered Mandrake Root, Berg Siren Scales, Eye of Newt, Gryphon Feather, Wait, Gryphons are real too?”

Uriel nodded, “Yup, though you won’t find them naturally on Pyrin.”

Padma smiled at the cinderen and scooted closer to him as she asked, “Where do they normally live?”

The Mage seemed surprised that the older woman was actually talking to him and took a moment before responding, “Northern Alkupera, the other side of the world.”

“There’s a lot of variety here,” Patric interjected as he helped Phoenix sort through things, “We might be able to make some good Boosters.”

“What are those?” Rayna asked, currently exploring the cupboards for gods knew what but Pati wouldn’t stop her, hoping the direct personality would help Phoenix relax a bit more around them.

Padma answered and she was proud of her children as they helped explain without shaming anyone for their ignorance, “Temporary Boons that provide a specific boost to an attribute or type of ability. Like a [Strength Booster] or a [Fire Resistance Elixir].”

“Oh, we call those Uppers in Epa Toivo, like a ‘Fort Up’,” the bard replied, pulling out a small box and curiously checking what was inside, “I’m still trying to learn all the slang here in Tulim.”

“Makes sense. You can get some pretty strong effects from Boosters that can help overcome a challenging fight or shore up a weakness you might have against a particular monster,” Patric added as he pulled out a notebook and began writing down some recipes they could do with the present ingredients, “We won’t be able to make anything really good though, even with these ingredients. Might be better to cut our teeth on some of the simpler recipes.”

“Why not something better? I’d hate to waste these rare materials on basic health potions or something,” Phoenix asked with a frown as she glanced across the table at the list Patric was making.

“Well, none of us are actually dedicated Alchemists so we're a bit limited in what we can successfully and reliably make,” the runeforged man explained.

“But I was already able to learn all those recipes without being one,” the Wayfarer said in confusion.

The whole room seemed to pause for a moment as they were all simultaneously reminded that Phoenix was not from this world and lacked the common knowledge they took for granted. 

Patricia decided to speak up and save her children from potentially disappointing the woman, “Yes, basic recipes that most Mundanes can do. Simple effects with common magic ingredients. If you, or anyone else, wanted to make truly wondrous potions that turn the tide of a battle or bring a higher Caste person back from the brink of death, you would need both the skills and abilities to reliably do so. That goes for any item with a Caste. That’s why there are dedicated Crafter Casters whose entire powerset is focused on supporting their profession.

“One of the reasons Tulimeir needed to call my brother back for the blood moon was actually because most of the other Emerald Casters in the city are all Crafters or clergy; focused on healing or specialized support,” she explained patiently.

Phoenix looked completely stricken as the Supporter asked, “So, without crafting abilities, I’ll never be able to craft awesome legendary items?”

They all gave her a pitying look as Patricia said as gently as possible, “That would be extremely difficult. If you attempted it, the likely result is that the item–”

“Explodes?” the Wayfarer interjected and gave a loud groan dropping her head into her palms when the priestess nodded in confirmation.

“Hey, you have Spotted Ladybird Feathers, I think we might be able to make some [Magi Fortune Boosters],” Patric suddenly proclaimed happily as he lifted a small bottle with tiny red feathers inside.

“What do those do?” Phoenix asked curiously, momentarily distracted from the destroyed dreams and Pati silently thanked Patric for his good timing.

“They greatly increase the effects of the next ability cast after drinking it. Though it can be a bit unpredictable in its aftereffects. There’s a bit of a chance factor when you drink it.”

“What kind of chance?” Dazien asked pointedly, and she found herself glad that this boy was trying to understand the potential risks to the people he led.

“Well, it’s a bit of a trade. Boosts the ability effects but then has a drain backlash. The bigger the boost, the bigger the drain,” the Sapphire Adventurer explained.

“So it’s like my new Avatar power? Big boost for a while but then I’m out of commission for a couple minutes?” The Supporter offered in comparison.

“Exactly,” Patric confirmed, “So you’ll have to use them at just the right time but they can make all the difference if deployed well.”

Dazien gave Phoenix a sideways glance and asked, “You already have a boost with that ability, don’t you want to just go with something a little more sustainable?”

The Wayfarer scoffed and shook her head explaining, “This sounds like the best option for what we can make that’s actually worth using the ingredient on,” then added with a grin to Patric and Padma, “Let’s make the potion of awesomeness!”

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