by Aleron Kong
Name: ??? Race: Celestial Pixie Disposition: Trusted
Pixies have always been a force of good in The Land. Peaceful by nature, but deadly when necessary, the forest and plants of this world flourished under their care. The union of Queen Elora and the Quickening has created the race of Celestial Pixies! Celestial Pixies are bound to at least one of the Powers that comprise the Mist Village’s Place of Power. This pixie is bound to Dark magic. The customary magical attack of the pixie is now augmented by this magic and can cause momentary blindness. Magical attacks will increase in power with character leveling, and extra effects may be added. The evolved state of these pixies results in extra points to distribute per level. Celestial Pixies receive two points to distribute per level, and each level gives +3 to Dexterity, +1 to Agility and +1 to Intelligence, unlike their predecessors which received one point to distribute per level and +2 to Dexterity and +1 to Agility. Celestial Pixies, like their predecessors, receive a racial boost to movement speed.
Level: 1
Health: 30 Mana: 110 Stamina: 50
Strength: 2
Agility: 12
Dexterity: 13
Constitution: 3
Endurance: 5
Intelligence: 11
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 12
Luck: 10
Richter’s eyes bulged. The celestial pixies got seven points per level! Just like the angel Hisako had summoned once, he could see that beings of higher planes were in a different league than those who lived on his plane. The small flyer’s Dexterity and Agility were high for only being level one. On the other hand, her Strength, Constitution, and Endurance were abnormally low. It confused Richter for a second until he remembered the conversation he had had with Sion about characteristic modifiers based on size. It then made perfect sense that such a tiny creature would have lower hit points and Strength and a have higher Agility. It meant that as the pixies leveled, their speed would be truly amazing. On the other hand, even if they added every free point to Constitution, their health might not break one hundred. He also realized that the characteristics were probably lower because he was analyzing a child. Her stats might be higher when she was fully grown.
What was the magical attack that was referenced, though? Richter used Analyze on the other types of pixies. Their stats were basically the same, though the Strength and Constitution of the males were usually a point higher. The pixies with the blue wings had an attack that slowed enemies, and the pixies associated with Air magic had a chance to stun opponents. The gold pixies were associated with Life magic. Their attack had no extra effect, but apparently, they had a second ability to heal. The more he learned, the more one particular question started spinning through Richter’s head. Where could he get more celestial pixies?
The pixies had just been hovering after their song ended, as caught up in the emotions of the song as the villagers had been. They seemed to come out of their reverie all at once, however, and they let loose peals of joy. One hundred small voices seemed to speak at once as the pixies greeted their brothers and sisters and paid respect to their queen. Richter couldn’t follow the conversation of all of the small creatures at once, but he could at least understand pixie-speak, unlike most everyone else present. He smiled bemusedly as he was able to zero in on individual conversations. He discovered that though the pixies might look like teens, their babble was that of ten-year-old children.
The pixie children kept asking each other if one had seen this person or another had smelled that scent. It struck Richter that he was watching a race experience the world for the first time. Everyone else just gazed at them in amazement. As they flew about, trails of sparkles were left behind like an afterimage that faded a moment later.
Richter’s gaze was brought back to his Companion. Elora began flying towards him, and he accessed her status page.
Name: Elora
Age: 17
Level: 16, 72%
Health: 70 Mana: 270 Stamina: 80
Strength: 4
Agility: 32
Dexterity: 73
Constitution: 7
Endurance: 9
Intelligence: 27
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 11
Luck: 11
Abilities:
Celestial Pixie Song
Tree Communion
Fate’s Companion
Force Blast
Skills:
Herb Lore Lvl 58; 91% to next level; 96% affinity.
Air Magic Lvl 1; 0% to next level; 100% affinity
Life Magic Lvl 1; 0% to next level; 100% affinity
Water Magic Lvl 1; 0% to next level; 100% affinity
Dark Magic Lvl 1; 0% to next level; 100% affinity
Marks:
None
Resistances:
Air magic 16%
Life magic 16%
Water magic 16%
Dark magic 16%
Race: Celestial Pixie
Reputation: 0
Alignment: +3
Language: Pixie, Common, High Nature
Looking at her page raised far more questions than answers. The first thing that piqued his curiosity was her advanced level. If he remembered correctly, she had only been level seven when she entered the cocoon. Now Elora was level sixteen! Had she really been able to gain nine levels just from being his Companion as he completed quests? Richter thought about it and realized that she must have gained over one hundred and twenty-thousand experience since she had emerged from the chrysalis. He shook his head slightly in bemusement at his own industriousness. She stopped to hover before him. Before Richter could speak, one more prompt appeared.
Know This! Your Companion Elora has completed a Quest: Revival I. Your Companion had been given the impossible task of reviving her species. She has succeeded beyond the expectations of any god or goddess that might still observe The Land and she was rewarded appropriately. As her Companion, you will receive the same experience reward.
Reward: 93,750 (base 150,000 x 1.25 x 0.5) experience.
Richter’s mouth dropped open. Judging by Elora’s startled expression, the massive amount of experience was a surprise to her as well. It was the first time that he regretted using his talent point conversion. Once she got over her shock, he watched her face firm with a decision made.
“My Lord Richter,” she began with her musical voice. “You have kept me and my people safe. You are a man of honor and strength. In this new world, my people and I will need the strength of a ruler such as you. Will you accept us into your tribe? Will you accept our oaths of fealty?”
Richter hadn’t known what his Companion would say, but it wasn’t that! He looked at the celestial being in surprise, “You are welcome to reside in my village forever, Elora. You do not need to swear fealty to me to make this true.”
Elora raised her voice and spoke clearly in pixie-speak. All of her chattering children ceased what they were doing and flew down to hover behind her. Elora descended until she was only an inch above the ground, and then to his surprise, she landed. The graceful creature then knelt and bowed her head. All of her progeny landed as well, and they formed a triangle, fanning out behind their queen. Richter went down on one knee to help her up, but before he could, she started speaking again in Common, “I, Elora, Queen of the celestial pixies, formally swear allegiance and loyalty to you, my Lord Richter. From now, unto my very death, I will protect you and your interests, to the best of my ability and without deceit. Furthermore, I swear my line to you, my Lord Richter. Until another queen is born to make choices of her own, I ask that you protect my people and, in my absence, guide them. We will live and fight under your command.”
Elora, the Celestial Pixie Queen, formally swears fealty to you. More than that, however, she has sworn her entire clan and bloodline to your service until another queen is born, who will make decisions of her own with her progeny.
The entire meadow was silent. The people of the Mist Village held their breath as the
y watched a queen kneel before their lord. Richter felt the weight of their attention, but he also felt something else. The air was heavy with possibility. It felt like he could feel the fulcrum of the universe balancing in that moment of time. This was a moment. It might even be a Moment. What he did and said next might change the fate of worlds. He could refuse her pledge. Part of him felt that he ought to do just that. Elora was only seventeen years old, after all. She felt bereft and alone in the world. Maybe he shouldn’t trust the impulsive decision of a lonely child, queen or not…
Richter searched his heart. There were a thousand reasons why he shouldn’t accept and a thousand why he should. All of these arguments spun through his head in that frozen moment in time. Ultimately, he just stayed true to who he was. He was a man who would rather live his life by what he hoped to be true, rather than what he feared to be true. Words rose from something inside of him and spilled out into The Land, “I accept your oath of fealty, and swear to honor your pledge with the same gravity in which it was given. I swear to do my utmost to preserve your line and clan. If any raise a hand against you, I will strike that hand from their body. If any raise arms against you, my blade shall take their life. If any set their will against you, I will break their mind and soul.”
As had happened before, Richter felt that he was merely the conduit for these words. These were not merely words. They were the spoken component to a spell older and more powerful than any he had ever cast. He had bound the fate of a fledgling race to his will and power. Only time would tell if he had furthered the cause of good or evil. As that thought crossed his mind, a small voice inside asked, was there not a third option?
The pixies rose back into the air and started chatting again, but this time, they were joined by the villagers who oohed, aahed and fawned over the tiny celestial beings. Richter and his flying Companion just looked at one another and shared a moment of camaraderie, a calm island in the sea of noise around them. Richter was about to start peppering the queen with questions, but then something fascinating occurred.
Sion walked past everyone, moving towards the trunk of the Quickening. Above him floated a pixie male. His wings were yellow with Air magic, and he looked down at the sprite as he flew. The distance between them decreased as the pixie lost elevation until the two were eye to eye. Richter watched his friend, curious as to what was happening. Without ceremony, Sion went down on one knee. The sprite cupped his hands in front of his face, and the pixie landed in them. The yellow-winged man reached out and placed his hands on Sion’s temples before he leaned forward until their foreheads touched. Sion spoke a phrase in sprite-speak that had the cadence of ritual. The pixie responded in his own language and a silver egg sprung into existence around the two of them. The bottom of the oval spheroid was buried in the ground giving the shell that marked where Richter’s best friend had stood the solidity of an obelisk. All the chaos seed could do was stare into the reflective surface and wonder at his friend’s last words, “I accept my fate.”
CHAPTER 29 -- Day 112 -- Kuborn 2, 15368 EBG
Richter was alarmed and was starting to run over until Elora’s small hand touched his face. He looked at her, and she told him not to worry. “It is the meidon,” she said. Richter had to actively engage his Gift of Tongues ability to understand the concept she spoke of, but after a moment he knew she was speaking of the ‘fate bond.’ She went on to explain that one of the pixies’ racial abilities was Fate’s Companion. It apparently created a lifelong and irrevocable bond between the pixie and their meitu’meidon, the sprite that held the other part of their destiny. The bond was intense and eternal, apparently stronger than the Companion bond he already had with his friend.
He remembered when Hisako had first spoken of the pixie race several months ago. She had said that every sprite was born with half of a destiny and that a pixie possessed the other half. The chaos seed had thought the Hearth Mother had been speaking in hyperbole, but apparently not. Inside the sphere, Sion and the pixie were creating a bond forged of their very souls. Elora assured him that his friend would emerge stronger than before.
“When will he come out?” Richter asked. He walked towards the silvery shell but stopped short of touching it. Other villagers had noticed the shining egg and were coming over to inspect it as well. Elora floated up beside him and gently placed a hand on the shell with a smile on her face.
“The meidon will end when they are both ready. You do not need to fear, my lord. Shetu’meidon (Fate bond shell, Richter translated silently) are normally very strong. With the essence of the Quickening involved, I imagine they will be quite safe until the bonding is complete.”
Richter still didn’t like the idea of his best friend being sealed away from the world, but excited exclamations caught his attention and made him look to the right. One of the pixie guards had gone down on one knee, and a gold pixie was flying down into his hands. Richter could see that it was the same guard that said he had heard voices. As soon as the pixie alighted, she placed her forehead against his and another silver shell sprung into existence. The remaining sprite guard looked around in disappointment, but no other pixies came down to join with him. There was one more meidon to be created, though.
Sumiko came running up to the Quickening, faster than Richter would have thought possible. She didn’t even seem to see any of the villagers around her. Before anyone could say anything, she knelt, said the words and bonded with a Life pixie. Another silver shell popped into existence.
WTF, Richter thought with irritation and alarm. How could she just bind to a pixie like that without talking to him first? What if there were more undead to fight? What if someone got seriously hurt? What if… Richter suddenly stopped his mental recriminations of the woman when he realized how he sounded. He just finished his last thought with, what if he just put his big boy pants on and made due until she finished her transformation? He shook his head at his own panic. When had he come to be so dependent on the sprite? He supposed that was how it worked in any world, though. One moment a woman is yelling at you, the next, you can’t live without her.
Several dozen pixies did start to crowd around Elora. They spoke in pixie-speak, faster than even Richter could understand and they looked agitated. For some reason, the existence of the silver shells had triggered something in some of the pixie children. One of the life pixies started flying away from the tree, but a sharp word from Elora brought the child back into the throng surrounding her. Her offspring continued to speak in excited and stressed tones, which was strange because dozens of others seemed not at all concerned and continued to play with the villagers. Three were even chasing Alma around, though they weren’t fast enough to catch her yet.
Elora listened for a few more moments, then with the special irritation ability all mothers are born with, she spoke sharply. One pixie had started to fly away. Her children quieted as she continued to speak, and they started hanging their heads, cowed. Richter smirked a bit. The loose translation was, “You WILL do as I say. You will NOT leave this village without permission. You WILL regret it if you try.” The last thing she said was somewhat confusing, though, “I will ask him. Yes, now!” Then she shooed them away with her hand. It was quite comical to see seven-inch tall creatures hanging their heads as they slowly floated away. If they didn’t have wings, he was sure they would be shuffling their feet.
The chastised pixie children flew back several yards and, for some reason, they all started staring at him. The other pixies continued to play with the villagers, much to his people’s delight. Elora came forward, and her expression was intent. Richter was still smiling, but his grin slipped a bit. “What is it?” he asked.
“My lord, I am sorry to ask a boon of you so soon after swearing my loyalty, but there is a problem.” She began to explain. When she was done, a quest prompt appeared
You have been offered a Quest: Fate’s Companion I. Some of the celestial pixies can feel their meitu’meidon through their ability Fate’s Companion. They wanted
to leave the safety of the Quickening immediately and search for the sprites they would bond with, but Elora wisely has forbidden that. The queen cannot ignore the needs of her people, however, nor can she refuse to honor one of the core facets of pixie nature. She has told you that the birth of the celestial pixies from the cocoon sent a signal through the land. Sprites that have a pixie meitu’meidon waiting for them will be drawn to this position. Queen Elora asks that you do what you can to safely bring the sprites to the village. You will be rewarded for each meidon that is successfully created. Reward: Unknown. Do you accept? Yes or No?
Richter accepted the quest. No matter what Elora had asked, he would have said yes, but inside he was gnashing his teeth. Sprites were natural woodsmen, so he didn’t really have too much fear about them making their way safely through the forest. The problem would happen when the sprites got to the mists. Richter couldn’t rely on the sprite’s “sense” of their pixie meitu’meidon to bring them safely to the village. Confusing Mists was a spell created to do exactly what it said. Even if you thought you were putting one foot in front of the other, the mists would lead you astray.
“Is there anything you can do to help me find these sprites?” he asked his Companion. “I will do what I can, but the mists around us cover more than three hundred square miles.”
“My children will be able to sense the general direction of their meitu’meidon when they are close, my Lord Richter. The ones that were speaking to me can feel their counterparts, so they must be relatively close. The one that tried to fly off told me that her meitu’meidon was very close and in that direction,” she gestured to the south. “My other children say that their meitu’meidon are approaching.”
Richter’s eyes followed the direction of her pointed arm, leading into the forest. The pitch black forest. The one full of monsters. The one where a lone sprite might be lost in at that very moment. After a deep sigh and a mental query of why things could never just be easy, Richter shook his sleepy, ale-addled head, and said, “Let’s do this.”
