Deacon opened his eyes; he was still crossed legged and sitting on his cot. The sun was on the horizon, and he had several objectives for this day. He still hasn’t made it to Mentalba’s shop but that will have to wait until after his training session with that damn Old Pai. Now that he has upgraded his Auric abilities maybe he’ll be able to do something other than run around in a circle turning his aura off and on. Cheshire just dropped some nuggets on him as well. Zageracks is holding back and it’s time for a come to Deacon meeting, but now let’s look at those notifications Cheshire mentioned.

Notice: You have tapped the energies of three out of ten known hells. This is a feat accomplished by less than 3% of the population of this world. New Class Specializations will be available to you at level twenty.

Notice: You have earned a bound favor from Mr. Clean, Guild Master of the Mountain's Shadow. You are the first person to earn a bound favor from this entity. Bound Favors will be enforced by The Fates.

New Hidden Conditional Quest: You scratch my back- Why was the information you gave Mr. Clean so important to him? Find out the secret behind the Hidden Circle. Success Conditions: Don’t speak the name Hidden Circle. Upon successful completion you will earn a new level.

Notice: You have returned a fellow Guild member safely from harm. You have earned one hundred Guild Points. Your Guild Renown has grown by twenty points. At one hundred points you will be eligible for an upgrade in Guild Tier.

Deacon thought to himself that the favor being enforced by The Fates was another kind of bargain. Was there a bookkeeper for favors as well? There seemed to be a lot of interlocking systems that he was just skimming the surface of. Now he needs to find out about his bones and these halo’s. Deacon shifts the mirror on his little table so he could look at it. There were bags under his eyes telling him actual sleep needs to make it on his task list soon.

“Good morning Zageracks. I’d like to have a conversation with you.” Deacon said into the mirror.

“No time. Head down to training.” Came the dragon’s voice in Deacons head. He didn’t even grace him with the glowing eyes reflection show in the mirror.

“Why are my bones green?” Deacon asked.

“Now is not the time. You still have at least ten months before its important.” Replied the dragon.

“Nope. Now I have even more questions. What are you talking about?” Deacon asked.

“I thought I’d have more time to earn your trust. Fine. I’ve been upgrading your body from the inside. You have a second-tier body. You were born more durable and resistant than all the life forms with the basic first tier bodies. I gambled when we met that your body could safely host both of our souls until my plan came to fruition. You have started absorbing the energy of multiple holy dimensions. I did not account for that, and your current form will not be able to withstand it.” Explained Zageracks.

“What? What are you…upgrading my body into?” Deacon asked scowling into the mirror.

“Half-Spectral Dragon Blood. It’s a third-tier body type. It should be able to contain all the mystical energies you are absorbing. This will help you in the end once you approach the Earthly limit at level one hundred.” Zageracks said.

“One hundred? Are you crazy? I just hit eleven. One hundred is years away and I almost die every day! How fucked am I?” Deacon asked.

“This is why I wanted to wait to tell you. I am working at a primordial level on your body. You have far exceeded my expectations at this point in your journey. I was sure Bael would have claimed me by now. You do not have enough confidence in yourself. You have made good friends and have joined a guild. You learned a trade and have met with two of the most powerful people in this city. I’m along for the ride now and I assure you this is the best way for me to help you until you learn to summon me.” Zageracks stated.

“I don’t like it, but I can’t stop you. I thought your power was sun setting? Where are you getting the juice for this?” Deacon asked.

“Well your soul energy in this place is constantly refiling. I siphon off what I need to affect the change and I use our bargain to keep me bound to you. Otherwise I’d need more to stay on this plane. Anything else? You do not have much more time.” Zageracks asked.

“What are the other hells? I learned back in Gossamer that ten hells isn’t just an expression.” Deacon asked.

“Well you know of the Nether Plane of spirits. There is also the Infernal Plane birthplace of Demons, the Drowned Plane also known as the oceans wrath, the Perpetual Plane of infinite tasks, the Suppression Plane of weighted burdens, the Scourge Plane or hell of torments, the Tempest Plane of storms, the Malady Plane of disease and corruption, the Hunting Preserve where you are the prey, and finally The Black. Not much is known about it, but no one bothers to learn.” Zageracks rattled off hoping this would take his mind off the change.

“That was a lot. Will these bodily changes affect my outward appearance? I kind of like the look I’ve got going now.” Deacon asked.

“It should not.” Zageracks replied.

“Fine we’ll talk more about this stuff later. I have questions about these specialization options I’m supposed to expect in nine levels, but that can wait for now.” Deacon said standing up and looking away from the mirror. It was then he noticed several pieces of paper on the ground in front of his door. One of them was stuck to the underside of his boot. Must have been there from yesterday and he stepped on it on his way in last night. He picked them up and realized he couldn’t read the squiggles of this worlds common language. It was another reminder he wasn’t in Kansas anymore. Also the conversation he just had with the dragon nested inside him. He decided to consume a soul that knew how to read it. Using SAYance he blipped a soul from his aura out of existence and could now read the notes.

Notice: By consuming this soul you now have literacy in the common language. This benefit will last for one week.

The first note was from Jacob asking for a lunch time meeting. The second was from Elle and Typhus asking where he was. The third was from Armand. It had fancy letterhead and the script had more of a flourish to it. He was inviting Deacon to dinner at the Desentes family estate. There was also a personal message at the bottom stressing that he show up with new clothes not full of stab wounds or whatever else he’d gotten himself into. Deacon missed Armand. He got strong older brother feelings when thinking about him. Deacon looked at what he was wearing and decided it would be fine for training, but he’d spend his new guild points at the guild shop for something to walk around in, then grab his new threads from Mentalba’s.

On his way down the stairs he ran into Ralph on his way up. Ralph cleaned up and changed clothes but was very concerned that Deacon was still wearing the ripped-up rags from last nights adventures. They exchanged greetings and Deacon expressed how urgent it was that he get to the training grounds. Ralph nodded and walked down the stairs beside him.

“You really that worried about her? Sure she’s not your woman?” Deacon asked.

“You kid but my loyalties run deep. I won’t forget what you’ve done for me already, I went as far as to debrief Jacob this morning at breakfast. I didn’t mention the name though. I’m still creeped out by that guy.” Ralph said.

“I know I actually got a quest about that forbids me from saying it.” Deacon replied.

“I didn’t. So you want to party up today for the search?” Ralph asked.

“Crap I forgot about that. I have so much to do. Yes, is the short answer. First I need to talk to an old friend. Won’t do us much good to find her but not be able to save her.” Deacon replied.