Wish upon the Stars chapter 4 pt 2 (Patreon)

I stepped up to the door, leaving Stricture behind as I knocked, and  before I even touched it the door swung open. I jumped a bit at the  sudden motion, but Stricture caught me by the arm and gave me a  reassuring nod. With a loud gulp I stepped forward into the office of  the guild master. When I first stepped in all I saw was smoke, it  billowed up around me, filling my face and nose for a few steps blocking  my view of the room.

After  a few steps the smoke cleared leaving me standing in...space. Well, not  literal space, it was too small, but sort of a scale model, with tiny  glowing pinpoint stars and planets and asteroid belts. I saw tiny comets  streak past me, but none of the celestial bodies came close to me. It  wasn't so much them avoiding me as It just felt like no matter where I  moved I just wasn't near them. It was a weird feeling that kind of  reminded me of some kind of trick of perception.

The  floor beneath me seemed to be some kind of cloud of cosmic dust, I had  no clue why it supported my weight but it did. I turned around to try to  go back, thinking I must have come to the wrong place, but the door  behind me and the smoke that impeded me when I entered were both gone.  All I could see in almost every direction was space. However, as I was  turning to look around I managed to spot a flash of light in the  distance that seemed wrong somehow. When that caught my eye I headed  that way, hoping it might lead me to the guild master.

I'd  like to say I was worried or afraid, but honestly I wasn't. I was in  awe. This place was so beautiful it was hard to focus on anything  negative. I wasn't even worried about being lost or anything, I was just  taking it all in. I suspected based on what I was looking at that this  kind of place would involve and absolutely monstrous Fantasy stat, and  probably a pretty massive dose of Creation too. The planets and stars  all looked so real, far enough away to seem like they fit with the scale  but clear enough for me to see the slightest detail.

All  good things must end, however, and eventually I made it to the spot  where I'd seen the strange light. As I drew closer I blinked in  surprise. A woman sat behind a desk. She was pretty in a severe way,  with sharp cheek bones and bright blue eyes. Her platinum hair was  pulled up into a tight no nonsense bun and she wore a well fitted  business suit. She had a pair of stylish glasses on her face and she was  lit by a desk lamp that was set out on an absolutely massive carved  wooden desk at which she sat, filling out paperwork.

The  sight was...confusing. I admit I stood there staring for a minute or  two before the woman finally spoke up. "Are you planning to stand there  for all eternity or are you going to sit down?" I jumped as I realized  I'd been spotted. I was about to ask her where to sit, but upon looking I  found an overstuffed black leather wing back chair sitting across the  desk from her. I made another involuntary swallowing motion but found my  mouth was dry. Still, I sat down in the chair across from her and  waited patiently.

She  finished signing a few forms with fluid, sharp strokes, and I noted she  was using one of those feather quills you see in movies. Once she was  done she capped the metal tip of the pen and set it down on the desk  beside her neat stack of forms. From the way she had placed everything  it was clear she was a big fan of organization. Once she had the stack  just so she adjusted her glasses, despite them being perfectly  positioned on her nose, and folded her hands, looking at me. "So, Mr.  Wyndham. You're quite the talented young man. Tell me, do you know why  starting stats matter?"

I'd  been curious about it for a while, so I shook my head. She nodded  approvingly to herself, as if pleased I didn't make something up, but  continued speaking. "There are a few periods of importance in the early  stages of an Ascendants development. Firstly there is the development  period, then the debut, then the integration period. We here at the  Unity have studied the heroic method of cultivation for quite some time,  and have developed a myriad of ways to maximize that initial entry into  the community."

I  opened my mouth, then stopped, but the guild master just motioned for  me to continue. I cleared my throat, a bit embarrassed not to know these  basic things. "Well, first off, wouldn't it be better if I had waited  and done my development here? Also why does everyone keep mentioning  heroic cultivation sometimes but sometimes they say Ascendant  cultivation. is there a difference?" Stricture and Beaker had both done  that at different times and it had been bothering me.

She  smiled, the first expression I had seen on her so far. "That, Mr.  Wyndham, is an excellent question. The answer is yes. There are many  ways for an Ascendant to cultivate their legend. Heroic cultivation is  the standard in the Conglomerate. Some of the other factions cultivate  positions for their Ascendants to fill, allowing them to grow in power  more quickly, but it tends to cap them at that particular level. Other's  cultivate stories and fairy tales about themselves and spread them  across the universe. Regardless, heroic cultivation is what we practice  here."

She  shook herself a bit. "In any case, I seemed to have drifted off topic.  To answer your other question no. The development period isn't done  here, it's the period of time before you come to us. It's considered  something of an initial test to see if you have what it takes. Some  people just aren't meant to become legends.Because of the interests of  rival factions within the city keeping untrained newbies around without  getting them in the field is problematic. Can you guess why this makes  you valuable?"

That  was blunt, but I appreciated the candor, and was pretty sure I got what  she meant. "If you can't train newbies for long before you give them an  identity that means people who arrive with higher stats have an  advantage. More power means more of a splash when we first hit the  scene, and it means more people are talking about us, which in turn  means we grow faster." She nodded again, pleased I was following along. I  did have another question though. "What do you guys get out of all  this?"

She  shrugged. "Our revenue streams are massive and varied, suffice to say  that creating powerful Ascendants associated with the Unity benefits us  as a group and leave it at that. In any case, I'm here to talk to you to  offer you an early bid with us. My name is Stella, by the way, and yes  that is a cape name, we all use cape names here as a precaution. You  will be expected to choose yours within a few days of joining. Now, if  you'll hear me out I can explain the benefits you receive for working  with us?"

I  nodded and her smile widened a touch. "Wonderful. Now I'm sure Stricture  mentioned our consultants. We have experts who can help maximize your  image and bring in as much attention as possible. You'll be assigned a  Unity mentor, someone from the active roster to take you out on patrols  with them to let you experience missions in a safe environment. You'll  be given a custom set of Ascendant artifact gear made to your  specifications, and there are certain...opportunities that the main  branches extend to our more talented members. Do you have any  questions?"

Her  tone was businesslike and to the point, but my head was spinning from  all the information. To her credit she didn't rush me. She just returned  to her paperwork, giving me time to process the offer and all the  implications. I bit my lip. "So, if I did do this, what kind of  "opportunities" would the main branch extend? That sounds like something  pretty interesting. Also, who would my mentor be exactly?" I paused for  a second, but couldn't resist asking, is Nightstrike available?"

The  dignified guild leader image Stella was projecting shattered as snorted  out a laugh so abrupt I thought she'd choked. She dissolved into peals  of cackling laughter and I was starting to feel pretty stupid when she  held her hands up, waving them to convince me not to jump to conclusions  as she got a hold of herself. "Sweet Revenant, I'm sorry, it's just I  forgot for a second despite being so freakishly talented you're still a  boy. You were acting so composed, and that question was just such a  stereotypical thing to ask."

Her  mirth faded slowly, but her smile stayed. "No, Nightstrike isn't taking  mentees, she's still too young. We prefer older members act as mentors.  Yours will be Captain Polaris. My son, as it so happens. He grew up in  the Unity and knows it backwards and forwards. As for the opportunities,  well there are several. The Tournament of Champion is considered  extremely beneficial for newbies, it's broadcast to all the branches in  the local star cluster. There's also access given to certain legendary  pocket dimensions where you can hunt for materials or powerful monsters  to bring back as trophies."

Those  sounded interesting, though she seemed a bit dismissive about my  chances in the Tournament, she was probably expecting me to become a  pure crafter like Beaker. I wasn't going to do that of course, having a  higher rep meant better stats which meant better wishes. Still, this  sounded like a really great deal. I knew Zeke didn't like the Unity or  this branch in particular, but he'd been supportive enough of me coming  here and trying to get in. Looking back I think he'd been pushing me to  just this decision, given that I couldn't exploit the WCP for resources.

Of  course the resources I could get from a place this small were limited  anyway, but still, it would get me off to a good start. I smiled at  Stella, holding out my hand. "I accept." She grinned, taking my hand and  shaking it, clearly pleased to have picked up such a treasure. I was  still curious about what exactly the Unity got out of the deal here, but  Zeke would have warned me off if I'd been headed down a dead end, and I  could always ask him when I got a chance. For now I had a new identity  to work on.

She  pulled out a form from the stack, initialed a few times and pushed it  toward me. "Now, your contract is pretty standard. We give newbies a one  year deal to start, depending how powerful you get we might invite you  back. You won't be required to reveal your crafting secrets or anything  like that, and are free to sign confidentiality agreements with clients  as to your process. If you choose to donate any crafting methods that  pertain to unique skills you believe you can help others acquire there  will be rewards." She outline the entire process and it sounded like a  pretty good deal.

I  could see why Zeke hadn't been worried about me entering as a crafter, I  could have people sign binding contracts to keep my crafting methods  secret, which would let me use those crafting sessions as a cover for  wish granting. I'd be able to create custom gear around my level  instantly for people who needed it. Stella welcomed me to the Unity and I  thanked her and headed back out to the stair well as I made my  appointment to see their consultants. Tomorrow I'd be coming back in. It  was almost time to make my hero identity.