My destiny did await, but it had to stand in line. There was only one of the scanner devices so as we went down the line the rest of us talked to Beaker. It turned out most of us had heard of Beaker, or at least his accomplishments. The eccentric Enchanter had apparently created several products that were in regular use in the Conglomerate. Beaker explained that crafters could, for the most part, still gain stat points through crafting.

He smiled casually as he gestured to a few of his recent projects. "As you all know heroic cultivation, or Ascendant cultivation depending on your preference relies on performing great deeds. Since creating a product that sees heavy use is considered a great deed, it's possible to accrue stats in such a manner. Many a crafting genius has risen to power on the notoriety of their creations alone, remaining in the background personally so as not to draw attention."

Our humorless guide cut in. "Not many. Very few. Creating a device or concept that counts as a great deed is difficult. MOST crafters get out among the people and demonstrate their devices, which can give substantial returns. As you may know, Ascendant cultivation isn't linear. Especially after a rank up, stats become increasingly harder to gather. Larger and more impressive deeds are needed. Very few crafters who operate in the manner Beaker is describing reach E rank."

Beaker snorted. "Very few people reach E rank at all. It's no shame not becoming a powerhouse. The F rank is a respectable stopping point. A decent amount of Impact buys you a long happy life." At our surprise he turned to raise an eyebrow at our guide. "You hadn't started giving the speech yet so I assume you told them how stats work. Did you not mention the main advantage of Impact?"

The man looked annoyed. "No. I don't tell the newbies about that. It makes them rush their cultivation and unbalances their stats. But I suppose it's too late to avoid it now." He turned to look at the group. "As my colleague so helpfully pointed out, having a higher Impact does indeed protect you from the ravages of time. Somewhat. It's not exactly a clean comparison but the easiest way to think of it as that each rank up doubles your lifespan. Due to the exponential effects of stat values, the higher your Impact the more effective it is."

Jessie raised her hand, like we were in a class room, and I had to fight down a smile at how cute that was. "But, wouldn't Vitality increase lifespan? You said Vitality is life force right?" I paused. That was actually a really good point. I looked back to our guide, who was giving an approving nod, clearly impressed with the question. I hadn't even thought to question it, but Jessie had spotted that right away.

For the first time since I'd seen him the guide smiled slightly. "Well reasoned, but no. Vitality applies to healing, whether yourself or others. It prevents aging, but doesn't increase lifespan. Having a high Impact makes you live longer, having a high Vitality keeps you young while you are alive. We aren't really sure why it works that way honestly, but it's been proven that it does. Not many think to question that when first introduced to the concepts, however. I'm impressed."

Jessie lit up, her face flushing. "Oh, I was just wondering." She was distracted from her embarrassment though as the device finally made it's way into her hands. She swallowed hard, and looked at me. "Hope we both end up getting in!" She gave me a nervous smile then locked her hands around both of the grips and spoke the activation word that Beaker had given her. The screen lit up on the device, showing a version of the same screen I'd seen before with a few differences.

Jessica Evans. I-Rank

Ability: Minor Botany Impact 1 Fantasy 1 Vitality 1 Creation 1 Skills: Minor Flower Arrangement, Minor Herbalism

Our guide nodded in satisfaction. "Very impressive. Two Skills already so early in your advancement. Four unlocked stats is no small feat either. I can see why your brother had such high hopes for you. You haven't managed to reach two in any of your stats yet, but your scan data says you only recently acquired that point in Fantasy, and managing to unlock a new stat before your intake is certainly worth noting." He gave her a solemn nod, but I saw her shoulder relax a bit as he reassured her.

Finally, Beaker turned to hand the scanner to me. "Well, looks like you're the last one young man." It was hard not to roll my eyes at being called young man by someone in his early twenties, but I managed. Our guide was not quite so restrained. I smirked a bit at the interplay but nervously took the scanner. Jessie gave me an encouraging smile, seemingly trying to convey that I had this. Which was true, but I wasn't worried about not being noticed, I was worried about literally the opposite. Still I did what I had to do and grasped the handles.

The sensation of being scanned felt...intrusive. I wasn't sure why no one else had seemed to react to it, but maybe not being past I rank meant they couldn't feel it or something. Whatever the case it made me feel naked and exposed, and I was silently glad I'd gotten the obfuscator, because just knowing that not all my secrets hadn't been revealed gave me a profound sense of comfort in the face of the intrusive energy. Once the scan finished, my information popped up on the screen with a few minor differences.

Shane Wyndham. H-rank. Ability: Lesser Woodworking Might 2 Impact 2 Fantasy 2 Vitality 2 Focus 1 Perception 1 Creation 1 Skills: Lesser Doom Sovereign Mastery, Minor Piano Mastery, Minor Cooking Mastery, Minor Gymnastics Mastery, Minor Swimming Mastery, Minor Guitar Mastery, Minor Singing Mastery

I heard a sharp intake of breath from Beaker and our guide both as they stared at me in mute shock. Apparently Jessie and Zeke had both underplayed how big of a deal this was, because you could have knocked either of them over with a feather. I was annoyed by all of this honestly, but even though the obfuscator could change the way my stats looked it couldn't change what my rank was, so it was a moot point. I'd already tweaked it so my Fantasy and Vitality looked like they began at two, so at least that worked out in my favor. I was an H rank so I had to have ten points plus one in Impact, the distribution I had wasn't any more eye catching than any other combination of stats.

I was beginning to regret not hiding some of my Skills, but in my defense Zeke hadn't warned me how uncommon they were. I was beginning to realize I had a dramatically skewed idea of what power was supposed to look like for someone at my level of development. I smiled nervously. "I...uh, I guess those are good stats?" The guide was looking at me like he'd just won the lottery and Beaker looked like he wanted to cut my skull open and study my brain for science. Jessie, who'd already known my stats, just giggled a bit at my reaction.

The guide cleared his throat. "Ah, yes. That's...quite a few accomplishments. I see from your scan data that you had all your stats already unlocked and started with Fantasy and Vitality at two. I'm impressed you managed to obtain a second point of Might so quickly. You seem to have been an Ascendant for only a few days. Still, to be H rank at such an early point in your career, as well as having yet to acquire your Ascendant identity is quite extraordinary. I am Stricture by the way. If you can stay behind after the evaluation I dare say the guild master would love to speak with you."

Based on his tamped down excitement bringing the guild master someone with my supposed talent would net him quite a few benefits, but I didn't mind. I actually felt much better knowing he was making a big deal because he stood to benefit rather than some kind of misguided form of expectations towards me. Stricture (which I assumed was his cape name) simply nodded one last time and turned to face the rest of the group, clearly having more information to pass on before this thing could wrap up.

He cleared his throat again, this time to get attention rather than out of embarrassment. "Now, each of you have been evaluated and your data has been registered. A committee will vote on your status and one of two things will happen. First off you may be deemed to have the potential to join the Unity. If this happens you will be extended an invitation and given access to our resources as a member. You will work with our image consultants to design your new costume and brand and be given access to coaches to help you learn to spread your reputation and feats to the populace."

That was interesting. I knew that great deeds were the way we raised our stats, but I hadn't considered they might have people who could help train you on how to perform them. Stricture continued. " Secondly you may be deemed to have an ability more suited to the private sector. You will be referred to our overflow office and they will aid you in finding a job working for a local company in a field related to your ability."

He held up a finger to silence the muttering that followed. "I would like to clarify that this does not reflect negatively on those of you who weren't extended an invitation. Working with the Unity is a dangerous job, even in non combat roles. There are many groups who see association with us as a target painted on your backs, and we cannot in good conscience add a member to our ranks that we feel will be unable to flourish with our organization. In some cases a job in the private sector can be just as, if not more rewarding than becoming a Unity initiate."

His face softened for the first time outside of his brief smile at Jessie. "Each of you has embarked on a journey today. Whether that journey brings you back to us or on to other things, I truly believe it will be an important and life changing experience for everyone here. Even if you don't remain, remember this. Every ability can be great if used in the proper way. There is no Ascendant who cannot make a legend of their own. Now, follow the steps back down to the intake office and Beaker will see you out, I have something to attend to at the moment unfortunately."

Beaker looked completely betrayed and tried to argue, but Stricture just dismissed him and sent him off down the steps with the other evaluees. He turned to me with a sedate smile. "Now, Mr. Wyndham, if you would follow me, I can take you to see the guild master." He gestured me out onto the steps, and Jessie gave me a tight hug and a bright smile as she bumped my fist to exchange contact information. As we ascended the steps he filled me in on the situation in the Unity a bit.

Stricture only gave me the basic rundown on what to expect. "Now, as you may know the Unity stretches across the whole of the Conglomerate. The Unity is the name of our founder as well as our organization, but each branch has their own guild master as well, just to oversee matters in their territory. I tell you this so you won't be too stressed about meeting her. She prefers to be treated casually as you'll see when you enter, so no need for any worry or formality." I nodded my understanding and we came to a stop at the top of the invisible steps at a metal security door. Stricture gestured for me to enter. "Now, I'll wait for you out here so you can find your way out. Enjoy your visit."

I stepped up to the door, leaving Stricture behind as I knocked, and before I even touched it the door swung open. I jumped a bit at the sudden motion, but Stricture caught me by the arm and gave me a reassuring nod. With a loud gulp I stepped forward into the office of the guild master. When I first stepped in all I saw was smoke, it billowed up around me, filling my face and nose for a few steps blocking my view of the room.

After a few steps the smoke cleared leaving me standing in...space. Well, not literal space, it was too small, but sort of a scale model, with tiny glowing pinpoint stars and planets and asteroid belts. I saw tiny comets streak past me, but none of the celestial bodies came close to me. It wasn't so much them avoiding me as It just felt like no matter where I moved I just wasn't near them. It was a weird feeling that kind of reminded me of some kind of trick of perception.

The floor beneath me seemed to be some kind of cloud of cosmic dust, I had no clue why it supported my weight but it did. I turned around to try to go back, thinking I must have come to the wrong place, but the door behind me and the smoke that impeded me when I entered were both gone. All I could see in almost every direction was space. However, as I was turning to look around I managed to spot a flash of light in the distance that seemed wrong somehow. When that caught my eye I headed that way, hoping it might lead me to the guild master.

I'd like to say I was worried or afraid, but honestly I wasn't. I was in awe. This place was so beautiful it was hard to focus on anything negative. I wasn't even worried about being lost or anything, I was just taking it all in. I suspected based on what I was looking at that this kind of place would involve an absolutely monstrous Fantasy stat, and probably a pretty massive dose of Creation too. The planets and stars all looked so real, far enough away to seem like they fit with the scale but clear enough for me to see the slightest detail.

All good things must end, however, and eventually I made it to the spot where I'd seen the strange light. As I drew closer I blinked in surprise. A woman sat behind a desk. She was pretty in a severe way, with sharp cheek bones and bright blue eyes. Her platinum hair was pulled up into a tight no nonsense bun and she wore a well fitted business suit. She had a pair of stylish glasses on her face and she was lit by a desk lamp that was set out on an absolutely massive carved wooden desk at which she sat, filling out paperwork.

The sight was...confusing. I admit I stood there staring for a minute or two before the woman finally spoke up. "Are you planning to stand there for all eternity or are you going to sit down?" I jumped as I realized I'd been spotted. I was about to ask her where to sit, but upon looking I found an overstuffed black leather wing back chair sitting across the desk from her. I made another involuntary swallowing motion but found my mouth was dry. Still, I sat down in the chair across from her and waited patiently.

She finished signing a few forms with fluid, sharp strokes, and I noted she was using one of those feather quills you see in movies. Once she was done she capped the metal tip of the pen and set it down on the desk beside her neat stack of forms. From the way she had placed everything it was clear she was a big fan of organization. Once she had the stack just so she adjusted her glasses, despite them being perfectly positioned on her nose, and folded her hands, looking at me. "So, Mr. Wyndham. You're quite the talented young man. Tell me, do you know why starting stats matter?"

I'd been curious about it for a while, so I shook my head. She nodded approvingly to herself, as if pleased I didn't make something up, but continued speaking. "There are a few periods of importance in the early stages of an Ascendant's development. Firstly there is the development period, then the debut, then the integration period. We here at the Unity have studied the heroic method of cultivation for quite some time, and have developed a myriad of ways to maximize that initial entry into the community."

I opened my mouth, then stopped, but the guild master just motioned for me to continue. I cleared my throat, a bit embarrassed not to know these basic things. "Well, first off, wouldn't it be better if I had waited and done my development here? Also why does everyone keep mentioning heroic cultivation sometimes but sometimes they say Ascendant cultivation. is there a difference?" Stricture and Beaker had both done that at different times and it had been bothering me.

She smiled, the first expression I had seen on her so far. "That, Mr. Wyndham, is an excellent question. The answer is yes. There are many ways for an Ascendant to cultivate their legend. Heroic cultivation is the standard in the Conglomerate. Some of the other factions cultivate positions for their Ascendants to fill, allowing them to grow in power more quickly, but it tends to cap them at that particular level. Others cultivate stories and fairy tales about themselves and spread them across the universe. Regardless, heroic cultivation is what we practice here."

She shook herself a bit. "In any case, I seemed to have drifted off topic. To answer your other question no. The development period isn't done here, it's the period of time before you come to us. It's considered something of an initial test to see if you have what it takes. Some people just aren't meant to become legends. Because of the interests of rival factions within the city keeping untrained newbies around without getting them in the field is problematic. Can you guess why this makes you valuable?"

That was blunt, but I appreciated the candor, and was pretty sure I got what she meant. "If you can't train newbies for long before you give them an identity that means people who arrive with higher stats have an advantage. More power means more of a splash when we first hit the scene, and it means more people are talking about us, which in turn means we grow faster." She nodded again, pleased I was following along. I did have another question though. "What do you guys get out of all this?"

She shrugged. "Our revenue streams are massive and varied, suffice to say that creating powerful Ascendants associated with the Unity benefits us as a group and leave it at that. In any case, I'm here to talk to you and offer you an early bid with us. My name is Stella, by the way, and yes that is a cape name, we all use cape names here as a precaution. You will be expected to choose yours within a few days of joining. Now, if you'll hear me out I can explain the benefits you receive for working with us?"

I nodded and her smile widened a touch. "Wonderful. Now I'm sure Stricture mentioned our consultants. We have experts who can help maximize your image and bring in as much attention as possible. You'll be assigned a Unity mentor, someone from the active roster to take you out on patrols with them to let you experience missions in a safe environment. You'll be given a custom set of Ascendant artifact gear made to your specifications, and there are certain...opportunities that the main branches extend to our more talented members. Do you have any questions?"

Her tone was businesslike and to the point, but my head was spinning from all the information. To her credit she didn't rush me. She just returned to her paperwork, giving me time to process the offer and all the implications. I bit my lip. "So, if I did do this, what kind of "opportunities" would the main branch extend? That sounds like something pretty interesting. Also, who would my mentor be exactly?" I paused for a second, but couldn't resist asking. "Is Nightstrike available?"

The dignified guild leader image Stella was projecting shattered as snorted out a laugh so abrupt I thought she'd choked. She dissolved into peals of cackling laughter and I was starting to feel pretty stupid when she held her hands up, waving them to convince me not to jump to conclusions as she got a hold of herself. "Sweet Revenant, I'm sorry, it's just I forgot for a second despite being so freakishly talented you're still a boy. You were acting so composed, and that question was just such a stereotypical thing to ask."

Her mirth faded slowly, but her smile stayed. "No, Nightstrike isn't taking mentees, she's still too young. We prefer older members act as mentors. Yours will be Captain Polaris. My son, as it so happens. He grew up in the Unity and knows it backwards and forwards. As for the opportunities, well there are several. The Tournament of Champions is considered extremely beneficial for newbies, it's broadcast to all the branches in the local star cluster. There's also access given to certain legendary pocket dimensions where you can hunt for materials or powerful monsters to bring back as trophies."

Those sounded interesting, though she seemed a bit dismissive about my chances in the Tournament, she was probably expecting me to become a pure crafter like Beaker. I wasn't going to do that of course, having a higher rep meant better stats which meant better wishes. Still, this sounded like a really great deal. I knew Zeke didn't like the Unity or this branch in particular, but he'd been supportive enough of me coming here and trying to get in. Looking back I think he'd been pushing me to just this decision, given that I couldn't exploit the WCP for resources.

Of course the resources I could get from a place this small were limited anyway, but still, it would get me off to a good start. I smiled at Stella, holding out my hand. "I accept." She grinned, taking my hand and shaking it, clearly pleased to have picked up such a treasure. I was still curious about what exactly the Unity got out of the deal here, but Zeke would have warned me off if I'd been headed down a dead end, and I could always ask him when I got a chance. For now I had a new identity to work on.

She pulled out a form from the stack, initialed a few times and pushed it toward me. "Now, your contract is pretty standard. We give newbies a one year deal to start, depending how powerful you get we might invite you back. You won't be required to reveal your crafting secrets or anything like that, and are free to sign confidentiality agreements with clients as to your process. If you choose to donate any crafting methods that pertain to unique skills you believe you can help others acquire there will be rewards." She outline the entire process and it sounded like a pretty good deal.

I could see why Zeke hadn't been worried about me entering as a crafter, I could have people sign binding contracts to keep my crafting methods secret, which would let me use those crafting sessions as a cover for wish granting. I'd be able to create custom gear around my level instantly for people who needed it. Stella welcomed me to the Unity and I thanked her and headed back out to the stair well as I made my appointment to see their consultants. Tomorrow I'd be coming back in. It was almost time to make my hero identity.

The next day I arrived back at the Unity building as early as possible. Which was about noon for me, I am not a morning person, but hey, they never gave me a time to show up anyway. As the bus pulled up to the building I'd hopped off energetically, excited to start work on my cape identity. My name and costume were fundamental aspects of my legend and of my path in heroic cultivation. Even someone like me, who was going to be leaning hard on my Wish power, would need to rely on my image, especially in the early stages.

The more points I could get early on, the more wishes I could grant and the stronger I would get. All that would snowball into rank ups, which would form a virtuous cycle with my public image, creating a stronger impression and more points. In the early stages I'd have to fake being a crafter, since I could use the confidentiality to bind people not to talk about their wishes. Luckily, having their power growth based on public perception meant that trade secrets were sacred to crafters, so full NDA's weren't at all uncommon.

The candidate system wasn't exactly unknown, but in the early stages being outed was incredibly dangerous. Zeke had heavily implied I shouldn't let word of my candidacy leak until at least D rank. By then, I would be in the public eye enough that attacking me would be considered interfering with the trial, so I had quite a while to go. While the WCP didn't interfere with higher level candidates, once you were publicly announced, killing you challenged their reputation. At lower ranks the same was true, but you could more easily be killed off by other candidates if you became too visible.

I headed back to the intake office first, where I would apparently be meeting my mentor for the first time. Captain Polaris, who I'd seen on the news the other day. When I got there I found him waiting for me with a smile. He waved me over when he saw me, taking my hand in a firm grip and clapping me on the shoulder. "Shane! Good to meet you, my friend. Excited to be working with you. As I'm sure you're aware I'm Captain Polaris, but you can call me Ian when we're off work."

I smiled back uncertainly. "Thanks. I...um, I'm a bit surprised you would give out your civilian name like that. Stella said we always use cape identities inside the guild." I didn't want to screw up on my first day here, so I figured I'd better ask about that early. If he was just being polite and using real names was some kind of unspoken taboo he figured I would know about it was better to find out now.

He chuckled at that. "Usually true, at least at lower levels. Higher ranked Ascendents usually dispense with their other identity altogether, but people at our standard traditionally keep them separate. I'm a bit of a special case however, since I grew up in the Unity. My civilian identity isn't really a secret." He waved at his uncovered face. "Hence the lack of a mask. No real point to it, and I like it better this way anyway." Sure enough, looking around I saw Captain Polaris was one of the only capes nearby that didn't have a mask on.

His face worked well with the image I had to admit. He had strong cheekbones and bright blue eyes that matched his blue and gold suit well. The suit itself looked heavily armored, but in the lightest way. Kind of a full body leather armor one piece, with extra padding at vital areas. His black hair was cut short and he just generally seemed like a pretty stand up guy. I'd expected him to be snobby or arrogant, being the guild master's son, but he wasn't like that at all from what I could see. This mentor thing might not be so bad.

He motioned me to follow him towards the back, filling me in on how the whole process would go as we walked. "So before you choose your costume design we usually like to get your name hammered out, but we also know some people tweak their names based on the general impression their gear gives, so you can look at the various basic armor types before you come up with your cape name and then tweak the specifics to fit the image you want, if that works for you?"

They had clearly put a ton of thought into this. I nodded. "Yeah, sounds good, I just don't really know what to go with in terms of my name. It's a big decision you know? Plus there's so many options and ways to go with it. Any advice on how to narrow it down?" I'd been wracking my brain over my name for days honestly, and I was no closer to narrowing it down.

Captain Polaris clicked his tongue. "Nope, sorry. That's the big one that people usually run into a problem with. I picked mine because of my mom and where I was hoping my powers would end up. It's a bit cheesy I know, but people usually respond pretty well to it. My only real advice is try to pick something that has meaning to you. Even if it doesn't make sense to anyone else your legend will fill in the blanks as you rank up, but the person who most needs to be inspired by your name is the person carrying it."

We arrived at the end of a long hallway and he knocked on a large steel door. A ratlike man with goggles and sallow skin opened the entrance to the room, shoving his head out in a jerky quick motion that made him seem like he was animated in stop motion. "What! I'm working on a new design! Don't you see the sign?" He pointed sharply at the empty surface of the door where there was absolutely no sign, not even bothering to look at it before whirling around to stalk back inside, leaving the door open. "Well, hurry up then! I don't have all day!"

I blinked at the sudden change in demeanor as he shifted from angry hermit to imposing master of ceremonies. Captain Polaris just rolled his eyes and nodded for me to head inside. He followed me in, speaking to the strangely tall but very hunched man. "We know, Pack Rat, this won't take long. I just brought my new mentee here to take a look at some of your materials and style samples so he can pick his name and then we can get started on designing his gear. You know your collection is integral to the naming process."

The obvious flattery seemed to appease the fidgety man, who grinned at us, exposing incredibly large and very yellow teeth. "Of course, must bring the new blood up to speed in the most efficient manner. I suppose I can allow the interruption." He gestured grandly to the back of the room, dramatically proclaiming. "Very well! You may gaze upon the wonders of my collection! Be inspired, young neophyte, and know your rise to greatness is a debt you will never repay!"

Captain Polaris rolled his eyes again and spun a finger around his ear when Pack Rat's back was turned, the universal sign that someone was a few chickens short of a hen house. I had to choke back a silent snicker, but despite the joke he didn't seem to look down on Pack Rat at all. It was more like good natured teasing, and I saw Pack Rat's mouth quirk into a partial smile as he headed back. I was guessing this was an inside joke between the two, and I felt a bit more comfortable knowing I was somewhere with such a playful atmosphere.

When we got to the back of the room, I realized why he'd chosen to go by Pack Rat. The entire place was filled wall to wall with shelves. Square cubbyholes stuffed full of random materials, some sheets of fabric, some plants in display cases, some chunks of stone just laying around, but in general there were so many different kinds of mats I was dizzy just trying to take them all in. In front of the shelves were five mannequins, all in varying types of costumes, and I assumed these were the samples we were here for.

Captain Polaris gestured to the mannequins. "Ok Shane, here we have samples of the most basic costume types favored by the Unity. Granted you can ask for something a bit more unique and people sometimes do, but these are templates we've refined over generations of active users. Every branch of the Unity uses these same templates. They're pretty simple. First up we have the standard jumpsuit." He gestured at a mannequin wearing a full body one piece costume similar to his own, though the one on the mannequin seemed much less padded and reinforced.

Sure enough he pointed to himself. "As you can see I went with that. We also have the light armor style." He gestured to a leather armor type costume, then to another mannequin next to it. "After that comes stealth suit." That one was as unobtrusive as possible, clearly made for infiltration. Then he gestured to the fourth. "Full caster type." This one was just robes and layers, probably good for ranged casting. And finally he pointed to the last mannequin. "And lastly the heavy armor. That one isn't commonly used, doesn't fit the heroic image as well and it's an overt style, but some people make it work."

When he finished introducing them he just stepped back, letting me think over my options, but more importantly, letting me seek inspiration from the costumes. It did help, I had to admit. I had a short list of names that I'd been thinking of, and matching each name to a costume type and then deciding if I wanted that costume type or not let me eliminate a dozen or so of the more unsuitable ones. I browsed the costume styles, but in the end I already knew which one I wanted.

The light armor style spoke to me the most, and I planned to have a caped cloak with a hood to go with it. I also wanted to see if it was against the rules for Zeke to make me a mask, his stuff seemed really good and I was betting he could make more styles than just the really obvious one that marked me as a WCP member. All of this, however, required me to pick a name. I had to admit this was a tough one.

I combed through historical and mythological names. I wanted something that suited not just my image as a wishmaster candidate but that was obscure enough or oblique enough not to draw attention to my nature too soon. I thought furiously until I finally decided on something. Wishes could be granted by Djinn, and in the old stories Djinn were a kind of spirit often bound by a specific figure. Not just Djinn, but demons and spirits of all shapes and sizes. I walked up and tapped the light armor, making my selection before turning to look at Captain Polaris but paused before I spoke up, thinking.

I mentally went through color palettes and designs for my armor wondering exactly what it would look like, but in the end they had people for that, so all I could really do was let them know exactly what they would be working with. Plus it wasn't like I wouldn't have input once they started. I nodded to myself, I had officially decided. I shot my mentor a grin. "I want this design, with a big flowing cape and hood, details to come, and I've officially decided on my name. Call me Solomon."

Once I had my name picked out it was time for next big portion of the event. Captain Polaris was all smiles about this and clapped me on the shoulder proudly. "You lucked out here kid, for a few reasons. First of all because most initiates have to pay the guild back for their gear, and second because most of them get their costumes designed at I rank. H rank, as you may know, lasts much longer than I rank, requiring ten times more points to break through, so this costume will serve you for much longer."

I hadn't considered that, but it was certainly a plus. I gestured to the mannequin. "So, what do you suggest here? Any special features or little tricks you know that will help make my costume the best it can be?" I knew next to nothing about crafting or enchanting or whatever it was Pack Rat did, if he was even the one who actually made the costumes and not just the guy who held onto the expensive materials for the actual crafter.

He grinned at that. "I think I might have an idea or two yeah, but it really depends what you'll be doing with it. Not all crafters take the safe route and earn points through sales, some of them go out and actually use their gear. Almost all of the ones who make it past F grade do it that way. I don't know much about you yet Shane, but nobody who breaks through to H rank before their intake by getting a point of Might is a home body. I get the distinct impression you're planning on being in the field. You have a method you can use to make that work?"

I nodded sheepishly. "Skills. I have a Lesser Skill in Doom Sovereign Mastery. I can use it with my Minor Gymnastics skill and my Fantasy stat to pull off a kind of guided combat system. Predictive attacks and stuff like that. I'm not really one for sitting around tinkering. I mean I'm planning to craft for people for sure, but I want to do field work too. Best of both worlds. If that's ok?"

He snorted. "Kid we don't snap up Talents like you and then tell them how to progress. You have your own way of doing things and it clearly works. I'm here to give advice and guidance, not control your every move. You're welcome on patrols with me." He nodded to the mannequin. "That said, there will be a few useful tidbits that we can arrange for you that might help those patrols run a bit smoother. You said your combat style uses Lesser Doom Sovereign Mastery and Minor Gymnastics?"

I nodded and he chewed his lip thoughtfully. Rather than immediately respond he walked up to the armor, running his fingers over the lines before murmuring something to Pack Rat. The tall, hunched man responded in an equally low voice and they traded comments for a while before seeming to come to an agreement. Captain Polaris turned to me. "Ok first thing's first. What kind of color and style were you looking at? We need to know what kind of vibe we're working with. If you're going to be canary yellow camo is out for instance."

I squinted at the mannequin, trying to figure out the way I could most easily see myself walking around in it. I liked the black. I'd been considering blue and bronze but his comment about color and stealth made me rethink it. "I think probably black and violet. Like a deep purple with some blue in it but not quite indigo. Probably black as the base and the rest as trim." I gestured down to the chest of his costume, where a four pointed star sat against a field of white. "Do I need to come up with something like that? A crest or something?"

The surprise on his face when I asked about it told me that it wasn't something most people thought to bring up, which seemed odd, but maybe they were overwhelmed with the creation process. Still his smile told me I was on the right track. "Yeah, sigils are an important part of Ascendent culture. They act as a mnemonic device of sorts for civilians. When they see our sigils it reminds them of us and generates more renown. You can leave your sigil at important sites and battles to get the public thinking about you. Anything in mind for yours?"

I didn't have anything specific but I had a few ideas. I was considering using the six pointed star and a skull. It reminded me of my roots and I could claim the skull was a Doom Sovereign reference. Before I could answer though he seemed to take my silence as a denial and waved it off. "It's fine, no need to worry about it now. Sigils are usually the last step, and some initiates don't even get theirs until the graduate from mentorship. Sometimes a mentor can prove valuable help with crafting one based on the traits they observe during the shadowing process."

I shrugged, glad to have that off my chest. He turned back to the mannequin again. "In any case if you're going physical focus there are a few ways to go. Dense armor will slow you down but trading blows is a great way to generate Might, some kind of mobility enchantment will help you dodge and will usually boost Perception. People see you avoiding hits with ease and it leaves an impression that you can see things coming. If you're going for a synchronization with Gymnastics I recommend the latter. What kind of mobility suits you best? There are many ways to move."

I pondered that. There were definitely many ways to dodge or avoid attacks, mine had mostly been agility based, but some three dimensional movement would give me access to more of the attack patterns from Doom Sovereign. Nothing as crazy as flying, but even a double jump would be a huge asset. Captain Polaris was enthused about the suggestion and included a few more of his own that would compliment that fighting style, things like sticking to walls for short periods or hardlight shields I could push off to give myself more momentum midair.

That was apparently most of what an H rank suit could handle, though he also asked Pack Rat (who it turned out was indeed the crafter the guild used for costumes) to include a shock absorption setup that could store impact in the gear. He had release valves rigged up on hands, elbows, feet, and knees, so I could vent the accumulated force from my strikes, but he was very clear with his warning when he mentioned it. "Be careful with that, it's H rank which means it'll soak MOST damage below G, but there are some few monsters who can punch above their weight class."

That was definitely good to know, so I thanked him for his help as we left Pack Rat's place. Instead of heading back outside though, he took me further into the first floor, down another hallway, until we came out into a huge cuboid room with white, sturdy looking walls and hard wood floors. I looked around with interest before turning to the Captain. "So what's up with this place? I take it this is some kind of training room?"

The answering smile that he flashed me did not inspire a ton of confidence. "Of course. See, while I won't stop you from going on patrols with me, in order to know exactly what kind of places it's safe to take you I need to know what you're capable of, so we're going to spar." He cracked his neck, starting to stretch a bit. "Of course, I'm going to be on defense, my stats are much higher than yours, asking you to defend against me would be a bit ridiculous. So just come at me whenever you're ready."

I backed up and dropped my hoodie to the ground, bouncing a few times in place to get my blood flowing. I had to admit I wanted to see what my mentor was made of, and if he was just going to sit there and let me attack I had no reason not to go all out. I focused and felt Lesser Doom Sovereign Mastery resonate with Minor Gymnastics, but this time both points of Might resonated as well as Fantasy as the overlay faded into view across my vision. I felt my pulse pounding as I got ready to let loose on a superior opponent.

I could see dozens of attack paths and every one of them was full of openings, as if he didn't think he needed to bother blocking me. I bolted forward with every ounce of speed and power I had pulling into a few handsprings before tucking my body, using the momentum to speed up both feet as I brought them down on his head in a double axe kick. He smiled slightly, shifting back out of the way of the blow, but I just hit my feet and bounced back up. Catching myself on my hands as I came up, and spinning my body around my arm to shift my momentum into something circular as I came at him from the sides.

He shifted again, and the overlay didn't recognize it as a defensive possibility because he was just that much faster than I was so he didn't need to try to react until I was about to hit him. I gritted my teeth in annoyance and continued my motion through shifting to balance on my other hand as I kept building momentum, gaining speed and power as I went and I felt those points of Might strain as I pushed myself and my style as hard and fast as I could. Kicks and elbows flowing along the paths the overlay showed as fast as I could functionally throw them.

Captain Polaris was grinning and dodging constantly, not block or interrupting my momentum, clearly interested to see exactly how fast I could go and how much speed I could build up. My Vitality started to resonate with the other stats and my skills, keeping me from running out of energy immediately as I strained my body to it's limits but no matter what I did I couldn't fucking hit the other man. This style of combat wasn't weighted heavily towards attack, and without any of the in game skills to mix in I was at a huge disadvantage.

I flipped backward a few times to give myself space and tried to calm down and focus, pushing Fantasy as hard as I could to try to narrow down a path that would let me hit him, even just a glancing blow, I refused to be so pathetic I couldn't even touch him going all out. He raised an eyebrow as he saw my change in expression but smiled wolfishly as he prepared for my charge. I bolted right at him at top speed hurling my whole body forward into axe kick that I aimed right at his skull, as usual he drifted just out of reach.

As my right leg came down I landed in a crouch on my left, pushing every ounce of might into the bent limb, springing straight up at him as he was in mid step, my knee shooting right at his face as I put my all into hitting him at least once. I felt impact on my knee and I was overjoyed for a second, before I realized I'd slammed into his hand. He pushed me back and I pulled a handspring, bouncing back to my feet.

He held up his hands. "Enough. That was pretty damn good for a newbie H ranker. More than enough to defend yourself against most of the random thugs we'll run into, and I can handle any of the stronger enemies." He shot me a grin. "Go get cleaned up kid. Once Pack Rat finishes your costume I'll take you on a short patrol."

Pack Rat was shockingly quick at designing my gear. By the time I got out of the training room shower it was all ready for me to try out. I wasn't sure what kind of costume makers the other branches used but Pack Rat was aces at his job. He had me all wrapped up snug in perfectly tailored armor within an hour or so of getting the order, and he didn't even need to do any measurements or alterations. The armor felt snug and perfect around me and I couldn't help but preen a bit at how badass I looked in the fitting room mirror.

I looked fantastic. The placeholder wrap I was using instead of a mask worked well with my hood and the smooth armored contours of my new suit looked imposing in a sleek and dangerous way. I could see a faint tracery of runes running along the limbs and radiating out across my body. I grinned at the feeling of flexibility and protection around my limbs as I stretched through a series of gymnastics movements to limber myself up, feeling no tightening or pulling at all. Even the cape seemed to flow strangely to prevent tangling.

The next twenty minutes were a blur of instructions and rules as Captain Polaris and I got ready for our first patrol, and I couldn't help but be excited. As my mentor and I walked out he reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder, enshrouding us both in a dazzling stellar aura. I felt my body begin to lighten as we drifted up into the air and into the afternoon sky. Captain Polaris was clearly trying to stay relatively low so as not to scare me, but it was still a terrifying and exhilarating experience.

I was frozen for the first minute or two, paralyzed by the fear that moving would break the aura, but as I got used to the feeling (and remembered some of the three dimensional movement abilities my armor had, I started to calm down. I looked to my mentor, and couldn't help but ask. "Hey Cap, what exactly is your ability? I know you can do energy blasts and fly. Is it ok to ask people their powers? I talked to Jessie about it when I did my intake and she didn't mind but I wasn't sure if that was just personal choice."

He chuckled, his voice not muffled at all by wind or rushing air. The stellar aura kept us perfectly unruffled as we soared over the city slowly towards our patrol route. "You can ask, some people don't like to share, but no one will freak out about the question. My ability is called Star Power. I won't go into specifics but I made it through skill synergy.. For future reference, asking the skill combination needed to get a specific ability IS off limits. My power involves stellar manipulation and a heroic aura that affects me at all times."

That sounded useful as hell. "Neat. So just to confirm the rules I'm supposed to stay back and let you handle combat situations unless directly engaged, but when we talk to civilians you want me chatting with them directly to try to get my name and rep out there?" I could already tell that this job would be exhausting, but it would also be a great way to gain stats. He confirmed my recollection even as we touched down on a relatively quiet street. "By the way, whose territory is this, gang wise?"

Cap stretched a bit, limbering up when there was no one around to see us. He seemed excited to get to work and I had to envy that kind of enthusiasm. I hoped I liked my job that much once I got a bit further into it. He glanced around to double check we were alone then turned to me seriously. "The Nobody Man runs this part of town. His boys are sneakier but usually more low end, specifically because they don't make many waves. He goes for quantity over quality so it's a good place for a newbie to start out."

That made some sense, and it honestly made me feel better I'd be dealing with low level mooks. "By the way, I know today is patrol but when should I look into working on getting some crafting clients? Do I advertise? Is there some sort of job board? Or do I go to some crafting center and work at a counter like a clerk?" I was in the dark about the crafting facilities in the Unity, but I wanted to get started on granting some wishes so I could get stronger and maybe get some more skills.

The pleased look on his face told me I'd asked a question he was hoping I'd bring up. "A reasonable question, the answer is...all of those. Or none of them. The crafting center has a few departments. You have your base level grinders, they usually work the counters, but since you're H rank already you can skip that. Next up is the job board for those who have proved themselves, that'll be what you'll be working off of, and finally the crafters with a name behind them can advertise for custom commissions, but it'll take a while for you to get to that point I think, though probably not as long as most."

We headed off down a side street, searching for any trouble, and pretty soon we stumbled upon just that. A pair of grey appareled Nobody Men were racing down a nearby alley, clearly up to something, and without even a word we took off after them. I made sure to lag a step behind Cap, not that it was hard because his stats were so damn high. He was clearly sandbagging for me but luckily the goons we were chasing were just as slow as I was so his holding back didn't put our quarry at risk of escape.

It took me a bit to notice, but I realized Cap was steering them out of the alleys they had run into and into a more open space. Not a crowd or anything, but at least somewhere with cameras and people looking out windows. He wanted my first take down with him to be in the public eye so I could get a great deed. From this I was able to guess that he'd noted how weak they were and was planning to let one slip by him so I could get some experience fighting in the field.

Once we got them into the open Cap circled around at lightning speed to engage the stronger of the two and then herded the other toward me with a star bolt. Clearly even though he told me to wait to be attacked he wasn't planning to leave me hanging here. The nobody man coming towards me wore formless gray clothes just like the others, though he was a bit shorter. He was pretty damn fast, but only early H rank speeds. Nothing I would have too much difficulty with. It was time to try out my new gear in actual combat.

I activated Lesser Doom Sovereign Mastery and Minor Gymnastics engaging Fantasy, Might, and Perception, as the other fighter closed in. Immediately I saw the massive shift in the patterns of the overlay as he charged in toward me. Having the extra three dimensional mobility opened up so many avenues of attack. Unlike Captain Polaris, this one had his guard up so most of the paths were red, but his guard wasn't perfect. There was one green path that I knew would get past his defenses. After all, he wasn't a high end monster like my mentor, so his stats wouldn't be too much higher than mine.

I stepped forward, conjuring a hard light shield to place my hands on and pulling a handspring up into the air right over the head of the charging man. Once I passed him I rebounded both feet with a double jump and smashed down at his head with a scything axe kick using my whole body to fire off the blow out of a back flip. Just like the overlay said he had no defense there, and as I approached I poured some of the force pre loaded into the impact absorbing portion of my costume into my feet.

There was a pulse of force as the Nobody Man got knocked flat out, and I gracefully caught myself on another hard light shield and flipped back up onto my hands. I turned to check on Cap but my mentor had already crushed the other man without much difficulty. He wandered over with a smile. "Very nice! Clean, efficient, and definitely enough to make an impression. I'll contact the guild to have one of the sweepers pick them up and we can get back to it. You get anything out of your first real fight?" Sure enough, when I took time to check, purple flames rolled across my vision.

Your name is on the lips of your enemies. You have done a great deed, and Tales of your Might and Perception have spread. Plus one to Might and to Perception.

I grinned at him. "Hell yeah, I got a point of Might and of Perception." He congratulated me and clapped me on the shoulder letting me know it was time to get back to it. We weren't approached by any civilians or anything for the most part, but the rest of the afternoon was easy enough. We took down a few more Nobody Men. I got a point of Focus in the process. I supposed someone thought my strategies were well thought out, plus Focus was low so it was easier to raise.

Unfortunately the easy days were not here to stay, because a few minutes before we were set to go back we heard a scream.

Cap and I bolted, but he was moving at top speed so I had to catch up. It took me a minute or two to enter that alleyway where he found the terrified middle aged man staring down at what I could only describe as a hunk of meat. Captain Polaris was staring at the meat too, specifically at a small scrap of green fabric laying on the center of it, and it finally hit me that I was looking at what was left of a person. The civilian took off to go vomit in a trash can and I wasn't far behind, but I came up to stand next to my mentor by force of will.

His voice was hoarse as he spoke. "This is Verdant. I heard you were in an intake class with his sister. He was G rank." He sounded shaken as he stared down at the body of someone who had been stronger than him, and was now just a destroyed hunk of flesh. He swallowed hard, turning to punch the wall. "Damn it! I can't believe he would attack in the middle of the day like this. He never took any of the others while the sun was up, and a G ranker at that? This is going to be a fucking mess."

I blinked at him. "Wait, you know who did this? How can you even tell?" Cap kept staring at the body, but one hand pointed up at the wall behind Verdant, the glow from his aura peeling back the shadows to show a crude eye sketched in blood on the wall with a smiley face for a pupil. I grimaced at the macabre show piece, but I had to admit, just looking at it gave me the chills.

Captain Polaris activated his scan ring, sending through a call, and the face of Stella appeared on the floating screen above his hand. "Mom? It's me. We have another one. It was Verdant this time. I'm sending you the location now." I couldn't hear her response from within his star aura for some reason, probably because he didn't want me to now that I thought about it, but after a minute or two he nodded. He turned to me. "Sorry kid, going to have to cut this short. This mess is going to take a while to clean up." Oddly, I didn't think he was talking about the blood.