With a feeling that was unfortunately becoming far too familiar, Killian awoke with a shock. A smell like cat urine, but more herbal, pervaded his nose. The pressure in the bridge of his nasal passage threatened to make him gag, but he awoke.

Standing from her position, dusting her fingers of the herbs, was Sybould Abnoba. Killian was beginning to wonder if all the women he would meet from now on would dwarf him so much, but he supposed a god, a goliath and a guild leader weren’t necessarily everyday occurrences. She wore furs, though it wasn’t particularly cold in the area. Her off-white skin was offset by the pitch darkness of the clothing she wore. The fur of a shadowmink, Killian recognised. Looking around the room, Killian noticed other signs of opulence.

Killian had only survived as long as he had by being able to pick out value in a crowded place. This room set off so many of his instincts, he had to remind himself that things were different now. A table of genuine Palluswood, somehow seeming to have grown roots into the ground. His Display continued to confirm that aside from the dining room in the afterlife, he had never been surrounded by so much wealth.

“Does it surprise you? Anything you like the look of?” The goliath’s voice was quite different from her brother’s. It wasn’t deep, or high, but it was steeped with accent. She had clearly seen his eyes darting around the room. Her accent seemed to sound out every letter of the word, similar to her brother.

“Sorry,” Killian’s other survival instinct kicked in. He couldn’t help the instant retreat to past habits. Sorry was usually the answer anyone asking Killian a question had wanted. Looking up from the floor, he found sympathetic eyes and a tutting witch.

“I asked you a question, I did not admonish you. I am Lady Syb. My name holds power to some beings. Dack has been properly punished for the trick on both of us. I do not use my full name, lest something wild and dangerous hear it.” A soothing mood pressed out from the woman, Killian allowed himself to feel it too. It felt somehow similar to Pyre. Which reminded him of the gnoll shaman, and how it did the same thing. On reflection, the effect that Mycol had caused as he bore down on Killian had also felt the same.

“So you can at least tell it’s happening. That’s good.” Like he was about to fall asleep, the words shocked Killian back to alertness. “It takes some years to feel Pressure being exerted on them. Do you have an Aspect fused to charm?”

Killian blinked at how casually she seemed to know things that he’d thought his System was only capable of explaining. He answered that he did not, and Syb told him that to fully fend off another’s Pressure, he would need to gain an Aspect for his charm attribute. She asked Killian to explain his Aspects and how had he received them.

“That,” Killian puffed, “is a big question.”

“I have room in my mind for hard answers, Killian of the Phoenix.” Her words caused unexpected emotion in Killian. He clutched his chest, feeling the flame of his mana coursing through him. He had magic. She had given him as close to a last name as he’d ever had, and he had magic. Choosing to smile as his eyes brimmed with small tears, Killian explained everything.

It took some time before Syb stopped stomping around the room and calling Killian a heretic.

-----------------------------------

Quickly it was understood that although Killian had power, his base knowledge was non-existent.

“Aspects are split into five attributes. You choose, or find, the Aspect and then you bond to it. For most, that means attuning to the Aspect with a binding ritual. It’s simple, and cheap, but a serious commitment. An Aspect shapes your abilities and in a lot of ways, your future.” Syb had sat them both in front of a large fire as she explained the basics to Killian. Killian definitely wasn’t disappointed in having Destiny and the Phoenix as his Aspects, but he would be careful about the next that he chose.

“Your Aspects are definitely rare, so you will have to learn for yourself what their abilities do. It is the combination of all five Aspects that truly governs the powerset that an adventurer will have. As you have Aspects, but not all five, you are considered a novice. Once you have five, you will be bronze rank proper, and then you move a rank up when all five have moved up. You are only as strong as your weakest Aspect.”

Killian had absorbed a lot of knowledge in a short amount of time. He was able to grasp the different nuances and minutia quickly because of his Display. For Killian, most of Syb’s explanations simply filled in the gaps of his knowledge that his Display hadn’t fully explained. While his Power and Will attributes were technically bronze rank, he wouldn’t feel the true connection of his powers until he had all 5 aspects.

-Quest-

|The Five Aspects|

You are on the path to power, and the journey is a long one.

Your next step will take you to the true starting line.

Fuse your remaining attributes with Aspects.

2/5 Aspects binded

Yes / No

Reward: 10 Gol, Random Magic Item, God Pact strength increased

Killian accepted the quest quickly, telling Syb that it had just appeared.

“You get money from your power? And items? That truly is divine, it makes me believe your insane story more.”

“My story is true.” Killian said firmly.

“Of course, just like the Yaga witch that comes in the night, true as the truth. Irrelevant, many have powers that others will never understand. Your’s are definitely powerful and rare though, so keep them secret. I will not share your secrets.”

Killian was horrified as he couldn’t help a scoff come from his mouth. Instead of anger, Syb smiled her understanding smile again. Her eyes were dark, like her hair. She wore expensive clothing and carried herself like a witch. Killian didn’t understand her fully, let alone trust her at all. He was grateful for the help, but he also expected to pay it back. Nothing came for free.

Looking at the quest rewards, and remembering the weight of the 10 sal that he already had, that felt wrong now.

“I’m sorry. I don’t really know anything, so I don’t mind who you tell. I’m not important enough for that stuff to matter.”

“I think that may not be true, but I would like you to take my advice regardless. Your next thoughts should be on the kind of Aspects you want. In the right marketplace, any Aspect can be found. Destiny and the Phoenix. Those are auspicious, no? You will find it hard to remain in the shadows with a soul coloured by these things.” Syb looked Killian up and down. Under her dark eyes, the inspection felt far too revealing for some reason. Killian crossed his arms and legs, meeting her gaze.

“Anything you like the look of? Trying to sneak a peek? I knew people like that in Sanctia.” Killian sneered, not enjoying being judged. Her eyes turned a little colder at his words, seeing the mimicry for the mockery it was. For his part, Killian couldn’t even remember what he had said, it had been so instinctual. Having someone size him up sent him into fight mode.

“Aspect of the Idiot, perhaps. Maybe you will find they appear around you. Go. Enjoy playing with the idiots, idiot boy.” She turned to her alchemical resources and Killian felt regret at his words. He couldn’t bring himself to say any more though, and he left with a red face and frustration in his throat.

Dack found him sometime later, twirling a small flame around his fingers. As Dack approached, Killian flicked the fireball at him. It sparked harmlessly off his face, though he yelped, which was the desired response.

“Couldn’t hurt you with it if I wanted to, I have no idea how.” Killian had been beating himself up for not actually learning how to use his magic, instead learning more about the System that guided his abilities.

“Mine could.” Dack pointed a finger, the nail to knuckle becoming a shard of rock. He brought his thumb up and then down, saying “bang”. The chunk of rock shot into the tree Killian was leaning against. He tried not to flinch, but Dack would probably see that it caused him to shake. They’d had confrontations like this before, when one of them needed reminding how the world worked. Killian remembered the last time had been when he punched Dack in the mouth for getting angry at Sherrin. There was no room for that while the Nappers had been after them.

“Are you strong enough to be such a howling fool, Kil? Can you afford to make the people who want to help you mad?”

Like a rising fire inside him, Killian’s throat closed up and then his eyes burned. He didn’t meet Dack’s gaze, and he didn’t reply.

“When you came back, when you appeared… It felt like things could go back to how they were. I started feeling like a kid again, Kil. I still do, looking at you. Things have changed though, and Sanctia DaVaux is more than just a bad memory. It’s impossible to get in without being in a guild these days, and even then you need to be a higher rank guild than the Fangs. If you want answers to what happened to Rin, they’re in Sanctia, and if you want into there you need to get stronger.”

It wasn’t the practiced speech of a recruiter, but the honest advice and thoughts of a friend. Killian’s angry fire turned into a desperate need to show Dack how sorry he was.

“Ophana spoke to me, when you were knocked out. Told me to look at what I had just done, and looking at it, I hated it. A young kid, and you are a young kid now Kil, and I sent him to get brained by a high bronze ranker. I apologise, and I’m sorry for coming over here in a mood.” Dack sat down heavily. Killian had been so caught up in the similarities he still saw that he had missed the scars. He hadn’t seen the heavy weight behind the violet eyes.

“You’re a kid, Kil… And that’s okay. But you’ve also got the chance to be more. No one telling you what to do, no one stopping you from doing what you want. So choose, Killian. Sit there and stay as Killian the child. Or stand up, as Killian the whatever-you-want.”

“I don’t know how to do that.” Killian finally spoke. “It’s such a big job, Dack.”

“You don’t have to figure it out alone, Kil.” Killian raised his face and looked at Dack, seeing eyes glistening slightly like his own. Then Dack raised his chin towards the sunset. “You’ve made some interesting friends Kil. Keep doing what you’re doing. You haven’t done anything drastic, so don’t go thinking you have. Syb was in a bad mood to start with, so it was bound to happen. Apologise soon, it’ll be alright. Before that though, is that your phoenix?”

Killian’s novice rank eyes couldn’t see as well as Dack’s bronze rank ones could. It took a moment more for his eyes to adjust to the light, and see that a small chunk of sunfire seemed to be coming straight for him, with a shooting star beside it. Exaltation filled his heart, both his own and Pyre’s at the same time. He was glad she was back, and it looked like she had completed her mission.

“Killian!” The fairy, Jol, was weeping as he sped, full force, into Killian’s chest.