[11]

“So, I had an interesting dream last night.” Angelina said, giving me a shy smile.

The two of us sat across from one another in a horseless arcanotech carriage. A man, a family servant, sat next to me. Apparently, he was present to chaperone for Angelina and Elmont on behalf of her father. It surprised me to learn that Angelina had her own little house off the Ashmere campus. She had land, servants, and other such noble “necessities”. Of course, I found it absurd to go off to an academy and still have an entire retinue, but I was nonetheless thankful for the chaperone’s presence.

Angelina scared me.

Most of my life, people had treated me like a bottom burp. They would wrinkle their nose and try to get away, or worse, get angry at having to be in my presence. No one wanted to know me, except for two kind men that killed people for a living. Being ugly was awful, and it was lonely.

However, now I was on the other side of the fence. People wanted to like me. Yet it was still for no good reason than they had to hate me. Going from hate and ridicule to swooning and lust left my head spinning. I needed time to understand these things, time that the world would not give me.

“Oh?” I said, with a neutral tone, drinking from a cup of wine to hide my blush. It was hard to not think about her naked and wanting me. Angelina was not lovely like Florence, or angelic like Elaine, but she had her own appeal. Her pouty lips, hooded dark green eyes, and voluptuous body were very alluring. Being a consummate grump, I hated to admit that her carefree youthfulness was appealing to me as well. She was very much the fire to my ice in terms of personality.

“Yes, I dreamt I called off the betrothal to Elmont, so that I might be free to pursue my heart’s desire.” Angelina said, looking away from me and out of the window.

I did not know what to say, so I was silent. Her father’s servant shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable. Instead, I looked out the window along with her.

Pine and Holly trees swept across the land in intermittent clusters. Stumps littered the empty spaces, giving signs that the residents of Felbrigg cleared them to give a better line of sight into the northern territories forest. Though it was warm at present, I heard that Felbrigg and Ashmere got quite cold during the fall and winter.

Angelina resumed the conversation a few minutes later. “Of course, I am the eldest of Earl Snelling, and a girl. Choosing whom I might marry is only a fantasy. The political alliance gained by aligning our two families is so much more than what I want. Or what Elmont wants either.”

“I… I am sorry, Angelina.” I said simply.

“So, imagine my surprise when Elle stops by my room this morning to drop off an official annulment, written in his own hand. In typical Elmont fashion, he did not even say a word, just handed me the scroll and marched off to war with the undead. Anyway, it was almost like divine providence.” Angelina produced the scroll to emphasize the veracity of her words.

How little she knew.

The middle-aged man took it from her and began pouring over it immediately. Before he finished reading the entire document, the man rolled it back up, gave it to Angelina, then climbed out of the side of the carriage and onto the roof. Presumably to use a communication device.

Now that we are alone, she looked me directly in the eyes.

“There is a window, a very small one, mind you, before my father searches out a new suitor. Truth be told, I imagine he already has a list. If he doesn’t, he will by the end of the day—just as soon as he figures out how to punish the Whitby’s for breaking the agreement.” Angelina pressed her lips together, giving me a focused look. Though I had not known her long, seeing her this serious was off-putting.

“That sounds complicated,” I ventured.

Angelina nodded. “And… so, if I were to say elope,” Angelina swallowed, taking a nervous gulp of wine. Then continued, “With someone I wanted to marry, there would be little he could do after the fact.”

“I see,” I said, heart racing.

“Do you?” Angelina asked, with a blushing smile.

“No, no, I don’t,” I lied.

She laughed, breaking the tension some.

“What I want to know, Harald, is if you… might be interested in courting me.”

There it was.

Now that it was out in the open, I had no option but to consider it, and give her an answer. Did I want to marry an Earl’s daughter, securing a future not only for me but also my father’s business? Yes. Was I attracted to Angelina? Absolutely, I had barely thought of anything else but her naked breasts covered in pudding. Did I like her? Yes. She made me laugh and set me at ease. So what was the problem? I couldn’t get married! I had just gotten stood up at the altar! That wound had not healed. What’s more, I was now bursting with opportunity, youth, and beauty. It would be foolish to jump at the first opportunity that presented itself, right?

I do not know how long I sat lost in thought, but it was long enough for her to grow worried.

“D-do, you find me attractive?” Angelina asked, lip twitching.

“Very much. I mean, I do.” I said.

“Then… I mean, you don’t have to answer right away, of course. I would like you to think about it. I, um, I mean, I w-would like it if we were together. I think I can see a f-future with you.” Angelina said.

The chaperone returned, saving me from having to respond. But I answered her anyway.

“I will, Angelina—think about it. You will have an answer soon.” I said.

She gave me a lovely smile and leaned into her seat to relax.

…

A normal horse and carriage took a day to make the road from Felbrigg to Ashmere. Felbrigg was the last major city in Ergentein before one headed to the Ruinlands, and supplied all the major forts along its border, as well as Ashmere itself. Felbrigg had been a semi-military city itself, organized into neat, planned blocks, and it took equally good care of the roads of the places it handled.

Riding in an arcanotech carriage shortened the journey to roughly sixteen hours.

Angelina and I chatted to pass away the time, and I learned more about her life in Ashmere and the institution itself. Unfortunately, she knew little about the ascendants program, because Florence and I were the only two she knew. Still, the conversation between us had been good and somehow intimate. Now with her desires voiced, a dynamic shifted I could not readily explain, but liked nevertheless.

We arrived at her villa without incident, and I was happy to take up her offer of residence for the night. Traveling had exhausted us both, and we both had much to think on.

The moment the carriage had rolled into the city limit of Ashmere, I got a mental notice.

+100 Essence

I assumed it had been due to completing the quest to:

Quest

Report to Ashmere Academy for the Ascended as per Ergentein Royal Law

Servants brought a quick dinner to my room after I bathed, and as soon as I finished eating, I sat on the bed and pulled out my Soul Ledger to confirm that my quest log was now empty.

Much more exciting than that, was that I had ranked up for the first time and there were decisions to be made.

There were two more attribute points, which I dumped into willpower. I discovered spell work would be a greater part of my class than I had originally believed, and I did not want to be exhausted every time I cast a spell.

Next, I had to choose one of three hexes! Although, one of them was one I had already seen.

Spoil Vegetation (Rank 1): Cause plants to wither in a five by five-foot square. Usable once a minute.

Hypnotize (Rank 1): Cause someone who is looking you in the eye to enter a trance. May not work on someone with a higher will than you. Will break with eye contact.

Alluring Eye (Rank 1): Charm a person to want to tell you their secrets. Usable once per 12 hours. Lasts for one minute per Hex rank.

I wanted all three, but ended up choosing Hypnotize. My lack of combat ability was a serious problem, and this hex helped ease it. Just knowing I could stop someone from attacking me made me feel safer. Further, I already decided that I would invest in “Will” so I expected it to be strong.

Lastly, I got a new spell called Darkness. I tried it out in Angelina’s guest bedroom, dropping it right in the center of the room. At rank one, it was not too impressive, creating a pitch black globe that was ten foot in diameter. Thankfully, it did not prohibit my ability to see through darkness. There were surely some tactical uses for it.

Name: Harald Horste

Ascended Class: Hexcaller

Rank: 2

Essence: 150/300

Attributes

Strength: 1

Agility: 1

Constitution: 3

Intelligence: 2

Perception: 1

Willpower: 3

Presence: 3

Boons

Flawless Face: Your face is unforgettably perfect. Your looks will draw the opposite sex in, however you can never wear a disguise or hide in a crowd.

Know thy Enemy: Those that hold spite toward you cannot hide it from you with deceit.

Abilities

Fate Shielded: You are immune to curses.

Evil Eye: You can inflict Hexes with your eyes and can see in perfect darkness.

Summon Familiar: Call a beast to permanently aid you.

Hexes

Haunt (Rank 1): Curse a person with minor auditory and visual hallucinations for 24 hours. This will make it difficult for the person to get restful sleep. Usable on one person at a time.

Hypnotize (Rank 1): Cause someone who is looking you in the eye to enter a trance. May not work on someone with a higher will than you. Will break with eye contact.

Spells

Detect Magic (Rank 1)

Detect Poison (Rank 1)

Darkness (Rank 1)

Skills

(Class) Herbalism: F

(Class) Alchemy: F

Reading and Writing: A

Contracts: D

Math: C

Knife Fighting: E

Cooking: E

Skinning: E

Tracking: E

With that done, I settled in for the night. I had put off calling my familiar for long enough. First thing in the morning, I was going to summon it!