by Stone Thomas
You’ve nailed it, I said. Your flourish was spectacular.
“All we’re missing now is wine,” Mamba said.
“You know,” Vix said, “I was telling Arden here that I wanted to build a wine press tower.”
Mamba leaned forward in her seat. “How would that work?”
“I’d need the deviser’s help,” she said, “though don’t tell her I said this: I think the goblins are a better bet.” Mamba laughed. “Anyway, we press the grapes, extract the juice, add a dash of yeast, and pump it into vats to let it ferment. It’s not that complicated, but what I really want to do is pump it into every residence with a plumbing system.”
Mamba’s eyes glazed over. “Oh yes,” she said. “People would come here far and wide for an amenity like that.”
“So you think it’s a good recruitment tool?” Vix said. “Interesting.”
“Only a fool wouldn’t like this idea,” Cindra said.
“Oh, you mean Arden then,” Vix said. “He’s all we need to work harder and let’s fight all the time and a wine press tower won’t help us smash cretins.”
I didn’t think Vix’s impression of me was accurate at all, but I was glad the girls were sharing a laugh. The three of them would jell together just fine.
You’d better hope they don’t team up on you, Nola said.
My back stiffened. She was right. Together, three women would make a more formidable foe than any general Duul could throw at me.
Ess paused with a plate brimming with food. “This,” she said, “was long overdue.”
“Speaking of long overdue,” I said, “Halcyon needs sewers. I nominate your children for the task.”
“That can be arranged,” she replied, “so long as the food continues to flow.”
I raised a drumstick in the air in lieu of wine. “I’d like to make a toast. Each of you met the challenge of tonight’s assault with every ounce of courage and strength you had. You protected our fair home, the goddess, and each other.
“Many of you came here with jobs and skills already, and we have worked together to improve them. Some, however, came here with less. Megra Blume was a temple servant in Landondowns with a penchant for bombs. Jessip Dreen came here from Valleyvale with no special skills at all. Today, both proved that they are ready for a difficult path ahead… as Halcyon’s first adventurers. Raise a fork with me if you can to congratulate them.”
A sea of utensils rose in the air for a moment before landing back on their respective tables.
“Are you sure?” Jessip yelled from halfway down my table. Megra looked on excitedly as I answered.
“Yes,” I said, “I’m sure. I may already have a quest in mind, but we’ll talk about it in the morning.”
Jessip and Megra went back to eating and talking excitedly. The other girls were all enjoying their meals, with Mayblin and many of her goblins taking up an entire corner of the temple and Ess stuffing her face with just two gi-ant attendants collecting the scraps that hit the floor.
Yurip kept stealing glances at Biddy, while Carzl tried coaxing extra food from Roda.
We won’t be able to have many more feasts like this, will we?, I asked.
The temple is already too packed, Nola said. If you keep recruiting like this, we’ll never all fit in here at once.
We’ll need an event hall, I said. And a place everyone can train. And a barracks. And—
Incoming, Nola said.
“You.” Lura poked me in the back. “You can’t commission adventurers from this backwater dump. You’re not a real city. This whole thing is just play-pretend for you and these chickadees you’ve duped into thinking you’re a priest. You’re not. This is a cult, and if the goddess is dumb enough to—”
“I’ll remind you,” Yurip interjected, walking toward the insultress from the other side of the room. “Under imperial decree 454, impugning the honor of a verified head priest warrants banishment from a temple, and repeated offenses result in banishment from cities, and then the empire itself.”
“But,” Lura said.
“But nothing,” Yurip said. “I invoke the Dire Directive in light of this evening’s assault. The settlement of Halcyon is hereby added provisionally to the list of recognized imperial population centers, under the care of goddess Nola and head priest Arden Hochbright.”
“Village,” Nola said.
“Oh?” Yurip asked.
“There are currently 190 residents of Halcyon, including the gi-ant Ess and the goblins,” Brion said.
“Goblins aren’t citizens,” Yurip said.
“They’re sentient, capable, and worked hard to defend the village,” I said. “Let’s call them provisional citizens.” I leaned toward Yurip. “If I find anyone else that impugns my honor…”
“No,” he said for my ears only. “There’s no such thing as imperial decree 454.” He tried and failed to stifle a laugh. “I’ve just always wanted to put an adventurer in their place!”
I nodded and patted him on the back. “Lura, I wanted to wait until after dinner, but maybe I should give you this gift now. Come with me.”
I pulled something from my pocket as I led the adventurers through the temple and up the stone steps to the hilltop. Out here I could use my map and compass to point the way.
“What are you doing?” Vix whispered. She had followed me up.
“You’ll see,” I whispered back.
“Lura,” I said. “I visited the temple of Avelle, goddess of safe passage. With the portal network down, she provided me a portalbella mushroom that will take you much of the way toward another city. Its use is limited to a single teleport. Or, of course, you could stay.”
“Give me that,” she said, grabbing the mushroom from my hand.
“You’ll face this direction,” I said positioning her very carefully with the aid of my map. “Then tear off the stem and throw the cap ahead of you. You’ll reemerge far from Halcyon in the blink of an eye.”
“Lura,” Prandon said, “it’s nighttime. Shouldn’t we wait until morning?”
“I’m not staying here,” she said. “If your standards are low enough to tolerate another night here, you can stay behind.”
He sighed and fell in behind her and Hork. Lura activated the mushroom, sending out a cloud of mist that enveloped them.
Before they vanished from view on a quick teleport far south of here, Lura turned to Prandon. “Hochbright. I should have known we’d find imperials out here too. They have their hands in everything.”
As the mist dispersed, I puzzled over what she meant. Yurip was the only imperial here, and even he hadn’t set foot in the empire’s capital city.
“That item looked valuable,” Vix said.
“It was,” I said. “But sending them away was its best use. Besides, they got a bad deal.”
“How so?” she asked.
A stone arch stood nearby with a statuette of Avelle perched atop it. The portal mages had built it, but this was my first opportunity to see it for myself. I walked toward it, and as I stepped close, the eyes in the statue lit up and the space within the arch crackled with green magic.
“Avelle opened the portal network for me with the mark she left on my chest. I couldn’t risk letting word get out that we had that kind of access though, so I sent the adventurers somewhere without a portal. Somewhere… odorous. There’s a bog of enduring stench out there that will take them days to travel across.
“I should never have doubted you,” she said. I smiled, walked toward the stairs, and immediately lost my footing. I fell hard, hitting my tailbone on the first step, then tumbling head over feet until I lay sprawled out on the ground before the temple doors.
The feast inside went abruptly silent before it broke out in riotous laughter. I stood and massaged my throbbing coccyx.
“Well,” I said, “that was bound to happen.”
As I limped back into the temple’s main room, I saw one of the workers who came over from Valleyvale approach the altar. She got
down on one knee and held out cupped hands. Nola bowed slightly, took a tiny, almost invisible energem from the woman, and held it to her lips. A moment later, she returned the empty pink energem so the woman could fill it again when she was ready.
One by one, people got up from their meals, leaving their chick-hens, their stews, their sliced fruit. They knelt, each in turn, and fed Nola not only through the vibrations their souls emitted day in and day out, but with the action points they hadn’t used in the assault. They were bruised and battered, but they weren’t done sacrificing for her benefit.
After forty offerings, she held a hand out to stay the next person waiting. “It’s time.”
Nola’s crystal shell was floating above her altar. She called it down with a wave of her hand, opening the front panel just enough to step inside. She laid her arms across her chest, closed her eyes, and began to radiate her familiar yellow light brighter and brighter.
I tried not to squint. I didn’t want to take my eyes off this strong, intelligent woman who never once complained about her constant evolution cycle. There was no break for her, no relief. Every moment was spent drawing in energy and building toward her next metamorphosis.
Finally, her light pulsed so bright that her crystal couldn’t contain it. It erupted in a million glowing shards that glittered as they wafted to the floor and disappeared.
Where once had been a goddess in a simple white robe, now stood a strong and noble woman whose yellow skin gleamed beneath a fitted white vest and a skirt that ran from her narrow waist to her mid-calf. Gold sandals adorned her delicate feet and a matching golden belt wrapped around her waist.
Her vest was cut low, just as her loose robe had been, but now she had more than minor wings to accommodate. Her new wings were covered in pure white feathers and had a wingspan befitting an angel, or even a skylancer. She flexed them. She folded them across her body, shielding her front entirely. Then she flapped them with full force.
A powerful gust of wind tore through the temple and she was airborne, hovering five feet above the ground as she fluttered her wings again. She landed gently and looked at her followers with a proud, serene expression.
How f’ing cool is that?, she asked. No one had to know that she wasn’t as poised as she appeared.
Pretty f’ing cool, Nola, I said.
“There are many things that make Halcyon a different kind of settlement,” I said.
“Village,” a few people called out.
“Yes,” I said, “village. One of them is Nola’s willingness to evolve in our presence. Her evolution provides her experience points that will allow me to improve her skills and attributes, but witnessing her evolution provides all of you the same.”
The people who had arrived from Landondowns didn’t seem to know that, and neither did Mayblin and her horde of goblins. All were suitably excited.
“I’ll skill you all up soon, but Nola comes first. Nola?” She nodded and I opened her skillmeister menu, scanning the new skills open to her.
“You’ve inherited advanced mathematics now,” I said.
“Ha!” she said. “I had a doll as a child with a pull-string that said only one thing: math is hard. I tore its head off eventually, saying, ‘Shut up, dolly! Math is hard for everyone, I don’t need to hear you complaining about it all the time.’ Maybe I can make it a little easier now for everyone.”
“You can also become the goddess of literary genius,” I said.
“Math,” she said, “literature. We could open a university here on the hill!”
“From Master Arden to Headmaster Arden, just like that!” I said.
We both laughed, but I also saw tears form in the corners of her eyes.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m just reminded of the gods and goddesses that died so that I could inherit these gifts. These are difficult times, Arden.”
“We don’t have to unlock all of them if that’s too much for you,” I said. “We could just pick the ones that will help us fight Duul.”
“No,” she said. “I can’t keep these gifts locked away. The world needs someone to keep them active. Please do everything you can.”
The first thing I did was increase my Precision Training skill twice. It took most of the XP that I had just gained, but it was worth it to know that Nola’s XP would stretch farther because of it. Then I got to work.
Δ
Skillmeister View of:
Nola
Base Attribute / XP to Next / Intended Change / Total XP Cost
-
10 Constitution / 250 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0
-
10 Vivacity / 250 XP to Next / 10 –> 20 / Total XP Cost: 3,625
-
11 Strength / 275 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0
-
11 Hardiness / 275 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0
-
12 Focus / 300 XP to Next / none / Total XP Cost: 0
-
12 Resolve / 300 XP to Next / 12 –> 16 / Total XP Cost: 1,350
-
TOTAL BASE ATTRIBUTE XP COST: 4,975
Stats Affected by Change
-
[Constitution] Health Points (HP): 437/1000
-
[Vivacity] Action Points (AP): 62/200 –> 262/400
-
[Strength] Phys. Damage Inflict Range: 110-134
-
[Hardiness] Phys. Damage Block Range: 59-84
-
[Focus] Mag. Damage Inflict Range: 120-146
-
[Resolve] Mag. Damage Block Range: 65-91 –> 86-122
Skills For Weapon Class: Sword
-
Locked. Sharp Mind 1. Activate to multiply XP earned from enemies slain by 2.0 times for a duration of 10 seconds. [15 AP to cast] [Require: Focus 2, Constitution 2] [125 XP to unlock].
Improve to Sharp Mind 2 to increase XP multiplier to 2.2 and duration to 12 seconds. [17 AP to cast] [Requires: Focus 3, Constitution 3] [250 XP to improve].
Intended Change: 0 –> 1
Cost Subtotal: 125
-
TOTAL SWORD SKILL XP COST: 125
Skills For Special Class: Deity
-
Clever Insight 2. Use your powers of perception to identify new approaches to old problems, with a 20% likelihood of arriving at your insight before the moment has passed. [20 AP to cast] [Requires: Focus 12, Resolve 12].
Improve to Clever Insight 3 to improve odds of prompt insight to 30%. [60 AP to cast] [Requires: Focus 14, Resolve 14] [1,125 XP to improve].
Intended Change: None
Cost Subtotal: 0
-
Premonition 2. Tap into the time stream to observe the future outcome of the present course of action. [180 AP to cast] [Requires: Strength 11, Hardiness 11].
Improve to Premonition 3 to reduce AP cost. [160 AP to cast] [Requires: Strength 12, Hardiness 12] [1,125 XP to improve].
Intended Change: None
Cost Subtotal: 0
-
Locked. Advanced Mathematics 1. Conclude difficult calculations at 5.0 times your normal rate of thought. [50 AP to cast] [Requires: Focus 10, Strength 10] [375 XP to unlock].
Improve to Advanced Mathematics 2 to improve speed to 7.5 times normal rate of thought. [75 AP to cast] [Requires: Focus 15, Strength 15] [750 XP to improve].
Intended Change: 0–>1
Cost Subtotal: 375
-
Locked. Literary Genius 1. Inspire yourself and others to string together words of beauty. [40 AP to cast] [Requires: Vivacity 10, Constitution 10] [375 XP to unlock].
Improve to Literary Genius 2 to reduce AP cost. [35 AP to cast] [Requires: Vivacity 11, Constitution 11] [750 XP to improve].
Intended Change: 0–>1
Cost Subtotal: 375
-
Locked. Summon Familiar 1. Conjure a Tier 1 familiar that will aid in maintaining and defending your temple. [200 AP to cast]
[Requires: Vivacity 20] [375 XP to unlock].
Improve to Summon Familiar 2 to add ability to summon Tier 2 familiar for 500 AP. [cost depends on Tier activated when casting] [Requires: Vivacity 30] [750 XP to improve].
Intended Change: 0–>1
Cost Subtotal: 375
-
TOTAL DEITY SKILL XP COST: 1,125
Summary
-
Available XP: 5,862
Cost of Intended Changes: 6,225
Precision Training Discount (7%): 436
Total Adjusted Cost: 5,789
Total Projected Remaining: 73
Confirm?: Yes / No
∇
“Whoa,” Nola said. “I just got a jolt of crazy energy. I feel like I ate an entire coffee bush. No, even more, like I ate an entire coffee farmer.”
“You just took a 10 point jump in Vivacity,” I said. “I also improved your Resolve as much as I could. I hope it’s enough to keep Duul from breaking into your mind again.
“You have a sword skill now, which should help you gain XP at a faster rate,” I continued. “There was also one skill that might come in especially handy. You’re ready to start summoning familiars of your own.”
“Duul has his cretins,” she said, “and as he evolved he unlocked new classes of familiars. War dogs. Generals. Let’s see what familiars will come to my aid.”
Nola closed her eyes and raised her hands. A ball of pastel yellow light formed before her. It gradually took shape into a creature four feet tall and without eyes, just like a cretin. That’s where the similarities ended. Nola’s familiars had faces that came to a point like a slightly curved beak. They had wings, like Nola’s, and they carried thin spears in their hands.
