“Hey, Cam,” Murinah said in her sing-song sweetness, “You don’t have a portal imprint near the Razorteeth Mountains yet, right?”

  Her younger brother shook his head, looking up from the book he was currently reading in his room, “No, why? Do you have a mission out there?”

  She nodded and closed the door as she entered, “There’s a mission I want, but Ramir said he could only give it to me if I had a full party or a porter to get me back faster.”

  Cam gave her a look of disgust as he said, “I don’t know why you go to that guy. He’s got sleaze written all over his face. The guy would probably sell his own mother for enough Bits.”

  “It’s because he likes Bits so much that I go to him,” she replied with a roll of her eyes as she sat on the edge of his bed, “I can make sure we get the good missions with a little bit of extra incentive.”

  “I hate that you bribe people like that,” the younger cinderen stated, setting his book on the nightstand, “We’re the noble House of Ruwena. We shouldn’t have to throw money around to gain people’s respect and consideration.”

  “Oh, my naive little brother,” she said with a sad shake of her head, the messy bun letting loose a few grey strands, “Anyways, that’s not the point of why I’m here.”

  “I’m not really sure why you’re still here,” he said in annoyance as he crossed his arms, “I already said I can’t portal you there.”

  “Yes, but I know of someone who can and–”

  “Then why aren’t you bothering them right now instead?”

  Murinah gred at her sibling, “I’m getting there if you wouldn’t so rudely interrupt,” she scolded, “Anyways, she can’t stay with me for the mission to portal me back. So, I figured we could get you a new aural imprint over there, and we could give her some friendly ‘welcome to the AOA’ hazing at the same time.”

  “Hazing?” Cam asked her, looking slightly concerned.

  “Just a little prank to scare her a bit,” she expined, “Nothing serious or anything, but she’s been so outcast from the rest of the Adventurers in our Caste that I thought it might help break the ice a little and let her know that she’s being treated just like everyone else who’s a new recruit, you know?”

  He slowly nodded as he agreed, “I know that the hazing is pretty common right after joining. Was she in your trial group or something?”

  “Yup! You know how we should be keeping friends close. The poor thing doesn’t really have any friends like that, what with not knowing much about our customs and culture at all. She stands out so much with that red hair of hers,” Murinah expounded with pity drenching her voice.

  “Oh, I think I’ve noticed her at the portal grounds before. The one with the silver ring around a portal that looks like the night sky?” Camrin crified. She nodded, and he seemed to draw more of a connection for her. “She seemed pretty quiet and stand-offish with everyone now that you mention it.”

  “See! Let’s make her rex a bit. I’ve got it all pnned out, okay?” she said. Her grin widened as her little brother agreed to join her, and yet another piece of her pn slid into pce in order to win back her love.

  “So I just touch it?” Dazien asked her.

  “I think? Paul said it was like using an Identification Orb, whatever that is,” Phoenix admitted sheepishly.

  “They usually go with Knowledge Tablets to help identify items and people. The fact that your ability is basically a free magical version of those is extremely beneficial. Especially when combined with a looting ability,” the Defender gestured towards Uriel, “We’ve both used those before to see our abilities. You have to will the information into the orb by touching it, then touch the orb to the tablet to dispy the information.”

  “I don’t have to touch my book; I can just think of what I want,” she expined and gestured to the [Guide Book], where the description of her portal ability appeared. Her two teammates read as they ate their morning meal in her dorm room after just finishing their eighth round of wall Watch that night.

  “That’s useful, if for nothing else than to easily see the progress of the ability,” Dazien replied, then pced his hand on the book, concentrating on the ability he wanted to view.

  Passive Ability: Eagle Eye

  Type: Perception

  Current Caste: Crystal 5

  Crystal Effect: You have greater control over your vision and can focus on details from a great distance.

  “Eagle Eye?” Phoenix said in dismay, “I thought you were all about kingly swordness? That sounds like a hunter or sniper skill.”

  Dazien chuckled, “I’ll have you know that eagles are very kingly birds that rule the skies. I also unlocked the Css ability for that Aspect already, so it’s much more advanced than the others. It will be one of the first to hit the Crystal Cap.”

  “Passive abilities increase based on the average level of the other two in their aspect, right?”

  “That’s correct,” he confirmed, “They’re both limited and empowered by them. It’s also the main reason they are considered ‘passive’ even if some might have more active components to them, like conjuring the door to my personal dimensional storage.”

  “That makes some sense,” Phoenix admitted, then turned to Uriel and gestured once more to the book, “Want to try?”

  The Mage leaned forward and pced a finger on the page, dispying his own Perception ability for them.

  Passive Ability: Scent in the Air

  Type: Perception

  Current Caste: Crystal 5

  Crystal Effect: You have an extremely heightened and more controlled sense of smell.

  She raised an eyebrow, “Scent based? Interesting.”

  Uriel shrugged, “It has its uses.”

  Phoenix nodded, chewing the bite of her eggs before asking Dazien, “Can I see that immovable object ability of yours?”

  The Defender ughed, “I don’t think it’s completely immovable. I’m pretty sure Lord Waynd could backhand me across the room even with it active,” he said wryly but complied with her request.

  Ability: Stand Your Ground

  Type: Utility (channel, elemental, metal)

  Cost: Moderate mana per second.

  Cooldown: None.

  Current Caste: Crystal 6 (54%)

  Crystal Effect: Become rooted in pce, greatly increasing your resistance to physical damage, and gain an instance of [Tenacity] each second until your next movement.

  Tenacity (boon, elemental, metal, stacking): Increased Strength and resistance to Elemental damage. Instances are quickly lost when moving.

  Phoenix gave a low whistle, “That’s an impressive defensive ability.”

  “Metal Aspects are usually pretty good for Defenders. I’m quite pleased with it,” he happily said as he took another bite of food.

  Then Phoenix had an idea, and she asked the would-be king, “Hey, can you try touching it, but this time, instead of focusing on a single ability, just think of your whole self?”

  He quirked an eyebrow, “What are you hoping to accomplish with that?”

  She grinned mischievously, “I want to see your character sheet.”

  “Character sheet?”

  “Just try it, and hopefully, you’ll see,” she urged. He rolled his eyes before touching the book again and seeming to concentrate on what she had requested.

  Name: Dazien Smithson

  Species: Gemite (Amethyst)

  Caste: Crystal 4

  Attributes

  Strength (Potent): Crystal 5

  Agility (Sword): Crystal 3

  Fortitude (Metal): Crystal 6

  Mind (Noble): Crystal 6

  Magic (Warrior King): Crystal 3

  Natural Talents

  Treasure Attunement

  Drinking Buddy

  Earthborn

  Shiny

  Right of Divinity

  Titles

  Orphan

  Loyal Friend

  Warrior Trainee

  Syer

  Adventurer

  Aspects

  Potent

  Eagle Eye (Perception Passive)Duelist - Crystal 6 (88%)Rallying Cry (Css) - Crystal 5 (23%)Sword

  Armory (Utility Passive)Accelerating Strikes - Crystal 7 (12%)Metal

  Tribute (Utility Passive)Stand Your Ground - Crystal 6 (54%)To the Dungeon (Css) - Crystal 6 (5%)Noble

  Noble Subjects (Utility Passive)Lead the Charge - Crystal 7 (60%)King’s Banner (Css) - Crystal 6 (2%)Warrior King (Css)

  Monarch’s Dominion (Aura Passive)Call of Fealty - Crystal 6 (19%)

  “Huh,” he said after a moment of reading, then sighed in frustration, “I guess there goes all of my secrets.”

  Before Phoenix could start badgering him for every little detail about his own abilities, Dazien shut the book, causing it to disappear in a shower of stardust, and changed the subject, “Seeing my two missing Css abilities highlighted like that, though, reminds me; you got a Spirit Gem earlier, didn’t you? You never told us what your new ability is.”

  She flushed slightly and admitted, “I, um, I haven’t used it yet.”

  “Oh? Do you want us there for the Absorption Ritual or something? You should know it already; it’s a pretty basic one,” he asked thoughtfully.

  “No. I mean, I do know it, but I don’t need it,” she tried to expin before giving a sigh, “I’m just waiting for Paul to get back so he can be there too.”

  “Oh!” he excimed in surprise before shaking his head, “I should have expected that. Does he require you to check with him first? He seems like the strict type that would want to micromanage like that. I’ve met a couple of Mentors before who liked to pick everything for their Protégés and control what path they walked.”

  “No, I just… it’s just something I kinda promised him I’d talk with him about before doing,” she expounded, “I value his opinion even if you don’t.”

  Dazien shook his head, “Sorry, Phoenix, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s good to seek your Mentor’s advice, and we’re lucky to have any Emerald Caster offering assistance in our training, let alone a man with his position and experience.”

  He smiled gently and added, “We’ll wait for the lord’s return.” Then his grin turned more pyful as he asked, “So, that ritual you used earlier to increase the size of your illusion, could we use that on Uriel to increase the area of his Spells?”

  She felt her lip pout as she shook her head and gred towards the taunting warrior, “I wish. It only boosts the area of non-damaging Illusion abilities. Pretty sure every mage would be using it otherwise.”

  The two men nodded in agreement, and Dazien asked, “Are we still pnning to train before dinner tonight? It’s the st night of Watch before we get a night off.”

  “Yeah, I just have to do my usual portaling stop. You know how they moved my time to the afternoon since we got the night shift, and I’m crashing in bed after you leave. However, it should leave plenty of time,” she said off-handedly before confirming, “Meet at the temple training room around seven?”

  They both nodded and finished eating before retiring to their own apartment for some sleep.

  Paul was relieved to be back in Tulimeir and to find his Protégé in one piece. However, he was not happy to get scolded by Patricia. She went on a rant at him about how said Protégé went and did exactly what he had said she wouldn’t: making a spectacle of herself while defending the city from a monster attack on the walls.

  He wouldn’t admit to his sister that the ingenuity of using the ability in that manner made him proud in a way that he hadn’t experienced before.

  As she compined about not being able to stamp out the questions and rumors as easily anymore, his brief etion turned to worry as he asked, “Are people trying to look into her?”

  “There are definitely questions about the mysterious redhead that guards the wall and portals people around the whole tundra,” the runeforged compined as she poured herself another drink from his own collection in his study, “You do fshy crap like a giant starlight bird, and there will be people who notice. I even have a Madam Malik who has traced her dorm payments to our House asking about setting up a meeting.”

  Paul raised a brow, “Isn’t that the proprietor of–”

  “Mother’s Cupboard, yeah,” she finished for him and slid into the seat across from his, taking a long sip of the blue liquid in her gss, “It sounds like she wants to offer her a job that would put the AOA’s part-time portaling mission to shame.”

  He scoffed, “She would be wasted there.”

  Patricia’s eyes almost bugged out as she said incredulously, “Well, Paul, I wouldn’t know because you refuse to let me meet her and judge her capabilities for myself!”

  “I’m actually impressed you held yourself back from arranging an ‘accidental’ run-in while I was gone,” he muttered as he pulled out a green leather-bound journal to begin writing down some thoughts as he conversed, “Have you still been keeping tabs on the party?”

  “Of course,” the woman said haughtily, “They’ve been stuck on the wall like you requested. The three of them train and get a meal before their night shift. She does that portaling gig for about an hour before they meet up. I don’t think she leaves her dorm for anything else, though…”

  Paul gnced up to see why his sister trailed off. He didn’t like the frown on her face as he prompted, “What is it?”

  “She never goes out, Paul. Cooped up in that tiny room all alone… There’s a whole wonderful magical world out there, and she seems to be hiding from it,” she pointed out with obvious concern, “It’s like she’s afraid of everyone and everything.”

  “She’s a bit like me when it comes to socializing,” he expined defensively, “Besides, there’s a blood moon going on.”

  “Exactly,” Pati replied, “From what little you’ve told me, all this girl has experienced so far is monsters and missions and people wanting to use her for their own benefits. I think those two boys are helping, but you should also help her understand what exactly it is we’re defending from the evil things she’s faced. Show her the wonders of Tulimeir and that its people will call her friend if she lets them.”

  Paul sat back in his seat, mulling over the advice. He pulled out a small card of paper from one of the drawers on his desk and wrote down two names on it before handing it to his sister.

  She took it and read aloud, “Saiya and Rayna Dewsong. What is this for?”

  “You wanted to be let in on my pns,” he started, trying to offer a peace offering in return for both her troubles while he was away and voicing her concerns without fear of him, “They are twin voxen from Epa Toivo who were part of one of the adventuring groups that had been dispatched to the Reality Rift I went to.”

  “Okay,” she said in confusion, “I still don’t see what that has to do with us.”

  “Saiya is a Backline Healer, and Rayna is a Forward Striker. Both are Crystal Casters whose party was decimated in the Rift.”

  “And you want them to join Phoenix’s party,” she said, finally catching on. He nodded, and the shrewd politician asked, “What makes you trust them with the position? You said the boys changed your mind with the way they talked about Phoenix and respected her skills over position, but I doubt these voxen have ever met her before.”

  “That’s why I’m telling you about them,” he expined with a small smirk, “Check them out and let me know if they’ll be a problem. I think the Healer specifically will help bance out the whole group, though. She’s very… calming.”

  Patricia gave him a skeptical look, then conjured a rge flower bud that she slipped the card into before making it vanish once more, “I’ll start with the AOA then,” she said and stood to leave, “While you start with having an encouraging pep talk with your little Protégé.”

  Paul nodded, “I was actually pnning to make my way over there now,” he replied. Standing with her and following his sister out the door.

  Their paths diverged as Pati continued west to cross the inner wall before heading south to the AOA building, and he stayed within the inner city and headed south to the dorms where he had set up Phoenix at.

  “Waynd does not think Little Flower will treat the twins as pets?” Be asked once his sister left.

  He chuckled and shook his head, “If she tried, I’m sure that feisty one would punch her for it, higher Caste or not.”

  “What about looking into that Rebel Fox?”

  “I’ll check in on him ter myself. Since he went straight to Rebel’s Temple after we arrived, there’s not much I can do about him until he makes any potential scheme clear.”

  It was almost five in the afternoon, and he knew his apprentice would be leaving soon to help at the portal grounds. He let himself in the front door of the single-bedroom dorm with his copy of the key, not liking to draw attention to himself in the hallway. He immediately felt his mood lift at the sight of Phoenix sitting at the small kitchen table by the window, drinking coffee and pying with a glowstone in her hand.

  She looked up as he entered and smiled brightly, “Paul! You’re back!”

  He returned her smile and moved closer to sit across from her, “I said I wouldn’t be more than two weeks.”

  “I guess we are almost there, aren’t we?” the Wayfarer replied before adding, “I’m not sure I mentioned before how gd I am that you all track time just like in my world. The thirteen-months thing is a bit different but much easier to adjust for than if you had different hours in a day or days in a week. Though it is a bit hard to get used to the different names for the days and months.”

  Paul chuckled, “I see you’ve kept learning things in my absence,” he noted.

  “Hate him all you want, but at least Dazien likes to give me answers to all my questions,” she teased with a roll of her eyes.

  He paused slightly, unsure how best to approach the subject that Pati had urged him to address without revealing that he had his sister essentially spying on her, “About those two,” he began, “It seems like you’re getting along with them…”

  She smiled softly and nodded, “Yeah, we all get along pretty good, I think. They’ve been teaching me a lot, and I think Dazien has taken it upon himself to show me all the different restaurants in the International District,” then added with a ugh, “I’m finally learning the names of all the things I’m eating.”

  Paul mentally berated himself; he should have thought of doing something like that. Perhaps he could take her to some of the pces around the city that are historically significant. She seemed to enjoy stories in general and might like interesting details that pces like that offered. Maybe he could show her the gardens on his family roof. Expin all the different pnts and flowers…

  “So, how did your mission go?” she asked, breaking him from his tangent thoughts.

  “We won,” the padin said bluntly, then offered up some more details, “However, there were some losses before I arrived. I met some people there that I think I’d like you to meet once they’ve settled here.”

  “Oh?” she prompted curiously.

  “Yeah, I think you might like them. Maybe… maybe even add them to your small group of friends,” he tried suggesting.

  Phoenix frowned, “I’m not sure I would call Dazien and Uriel friends per se. We’re a party, so more like co-workers, I guess? He made a point of saying it’s temporary as he decides for sure if he wants me on his team or not.”

  Paul raised an eyebrow and said, “I’m not sure they see it that way.”

  “I’m not sure if I have time for friends, Paul,” she pressed, “I have duties, training, patrols, and lots of learning to catch up on,” she emphasized the point by holding up the glowstone in her hand, “Did you know you can change the color of these little lights by touching a Shard to them?”

  He absently nodded, then said, “You still have time for friends, Phoenix. You just need to open up a little and trust that not everyone is out to use you,” he said and hesitated a moment, almost as uncomfortable with the prospect as she was, but suggested gently, “You can consider me a friend, at least.”

  She blinked up at him owlishly, “Friends?”

  He smiled softly, “We get along, offer support, and want to see the other succeed. Is that not friends?”

  “It feels a bit different with you,” she said, adjusting in her seat awkwardly, “You’re my Mentor, not just a friend.”

  Paul’s smile widened as he said, “More than a friend? I guess I can accept that. Now, don’t let me hold you up. Think about what I said and make some more friends. Okay, young one?”

  She rolled her eyes but matched his smile and said sarcastically, “Okay, Dad.”