<<<>>>
Skill: Divinity
Acts of faith are not unnoticed by the gods, and can, at times, grant miracles to their servants.
Skill Type/Level: Spell/Initiate
Cost: N/A
Range: 40 Meters
Cast Time: Instant
Cooldown: N/A
Effect 1: Your actions as well as those in your party gradually fill your Miracle Meter via acts of Fealty, allowing for unusual, context-sensitive spells in a pinch. Be mindful not to waste the gods’ goodwill.
Effect 2: Adds a bonus 10% to spell power x Divinity level when casting Holy magic per meter full
Effect 3: Meter will be renewed upon use.
<<<>>>
Immediately, I saw a new symbol appear on my HUD next to my Health and Spirit bars. I expected the double-snaked ouroboros of the Temple of Areste. Instead, it looked more like three sixes that shared the same circle. It reminded me a bit of a biohazard symbol.
Reading more on the matter from my codex, if I put another level into it, I could cast tier-two spells, which would be useful for dungeon bosses. Another point granted me access to tier 3 miracles when in a raid of twenty-five people. And if I didn’t need the panic button, that 10% bonus I got right now to spell power for light magic would certainly help in a fight.
I checked it against my character sheet:
If I was going to wield the power of the High Gods, of Gaia, of the Light itself to which we all returned, I wanted to cast miracles while I still had the chance. I certainly needed one to figure out how to keep my class.
Globed in a Drop of Dew
Therion and Kjen followed me outside. We left Rose in Matt’s care. Robby had left “on business” at some point. Eventually, they’d rebuild their group. The Inquisition would overlook their petty crimes in exchange for their information on the rebellion and the Thieves’ Guild. After they paid me back, of course, they reassured me. It’d be a few hours until their comrades resurrected, but at least now their bindpoint would be safe.
Robby met us outside. On a horse. I asked him where he got the horse, and he didn’t say anything, as usual. I ran my hand over the dapple-gray mare’s nose. Her black eyes, deep and intelligent, stared back at me. She rubbed her head against my hand as if asking for more pets, then nuzzled around in my pockets looking for treats. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, as they say.
“That’s not important,” said Therion, handing me the reins. “What’s important is to have her back before sunset.”
“Stolen horse isn’t payment,” I reminded him.
“Right, right, right,” he muttered. “Seriously, though. Sunset,” he said. “Let’s just say she was uh... ‘commandeered’ in service of the Inquisition.”
<<<>>>
Animal Companion!
Name: Skyla
You have “commandeered” a horse in “service of the Inquisition” from the Stables of Ravenkirk. The animal companion will follow basic commands and directions based on your riding skill and relationship. If your relationship dips below (3), there is a chance the animal will attack you and attempt to return to its owner.
Companion Type/Level: Quarter-horse (mare)/Level 1
Relationship: *********°
Health: 450/450
Stamina: 700/700
Current Effects: Well-fed.
Skills: Kick, bite, spook.
<<<>>>
“Skyla, huh? That’s a pretty name,” I said, feeding her some rowanberries out of my pocket. As she munched, Kjen boosted me into the saddle. A new skill popped up:
<<<>>>
Ability: Mount
Eldgard is a vast and wild land, filled with rugged, formidable terrain—jagged mountains, dense forests, treacherous swamps, and expansive waterways—not to mention a myriad of deadly creatures. Having a faithful mount can significantly reduce travel times, while making the hazards of the wild much more manageable. Not to mention, there is no more loyal and stalwart fighter than a battle mount.
Ability Type/Level: Passive/Level 1
Cost: None
Effect 1: Mount riding ability unlocked.
Effect 2: +5% to Mount’s Movement Rate, while you are riding.
Effect 3: Ferry (1) additional passenger on your mount (Movement Speed Reduced by 15%).
<<<>>>
Skyla and I headed north, following Therion’s directions. He had seen the Dawn Elf encampment, Ascomere, once when he and Kjen got lost looking for a place to build the hideout. But as Wodes, they were always chased away with arrows.
I waved goodbye to them and pulled up my next quest, The Birds and the Zombees. I studied it. The first step in the chain was simple: find the city in the Whispering Grove. That was easier said than done. The forest grew thicker, more, well, tangled in the Tanglewood. Skyla would trip on roots no matter how delicately she picked her way through the underbrush, and twisted, girthy climbing ivy vines sucked the life out of the trees around us.
The more time I spent in the woods, and the closer the trees were spaced, the more I realized something was off.
There were no birds singing. No small critters scampering away from Skyla’s hooves. No movement in the trees except for the faint howl of wind. It was as if the forest itself were dead.
What’s more, Keen-Sight spotted anomalies in the trees. First dark streaks that might be mistaken for a shadow, but then obvious black veins, gnarled and throbbing, that glowed against the environment. When I stopped to collect a small sample out of a hollowed-out trunk that appeared to be rotting from the inside, I realized the sample itself was a collection of shiny black scarabs that scampered in a horde across the rest of the tree.
I didn’t get off the horse after that.
Instead, I prayed, and used Veracity to cleanse the trees as I could. If Corvus could confirm the samples were indeed the corruption of Serth-Rog bleeding out like a fungus into Gaia’s realm... it’d grow back. I inspected my right hand where the infection had started to replace parts of me, the cells that made me who I was, with a doppelganger that served the Daemon Prince of Morsheim. One could hope that it wouldn’t always grow back.
Skyla was a beautiful, steady horse who held a lot more bravery than I did. Though in my defense, she couldn’t read a sign up ahead that said “Beware of—” with a bitemark where the words had been. I steadied her with a hand on her firm side, though it was more to steel my own nerves. I gently pressed my feet into her sides to hurry her. I didn’t want to be here when whatever it was came back. I could hear the dark echoes of Serth-Rog in my head from the corruption and understood why they named this place the Whispering Grove. I didn’t like it.
Eventually we found a path through a leafy tunnel of woven vines behind a tropical plant with sunny pink flowers. My reference book told me it was Sunroot, and sacred to the Dawn Elves. It had to be the place.
Ascomere, the city of the Dawn Elves, was breathtakingly beautiful. Trees towered over everything, shielding and shading the natural city from the sun. Magical lights in floating lanterns and attached to trees gave it a mystical, peaceful feeling. Occasionally brilliant rays would leak through. Particularly in a spotlight was a crystalline white temple in the middle of a pure, clear lake. Soft-pink and cloudy-blue water lilies floated on the water surrounding the building. Statues of the temple’s Aspects stood guard outside, and behind it was a massive tree, grafted from multiple trees to create almost prismatic multicolor leaves of every shade and hue. Smaller trees of light blue leaves leaked water off their branches like a shower. Elves bathed openly in the temple’s waters. A fine steam wafted off the waters, bringing the scent of the flowers on a gentle wind.
I pinched myself to prove it wasn’t a dream. After I shook out of it, I nudged Skyla past impromptu merchant stalls and homes built into the trees and connected by rope ladders. Everyone looked like me and gave me a second glance as I rode past. I paid them no attention. The temple drew me to it. This was the lake that I saw in my opening cutscene. If I h
ad gone south instead of north, would I have come here, instead?
Everything would’ve been different with that one decision.
The lake lapped serenely at the shore. A sacred wooden gate, draped with branches of wine-red amaranth and soft wisteria vines, prevented entry. Beyond it, slick wet stepping stones paved the way across the lake to the temple.
Placards on the gate described the statues standing guard. Zor’ya, Aspect of the Dusk, bowed her head to the west. She folded her arms across her chest as if laid to rest, wearing a shroud of carved stone that appeared almost sheer. Zar’yi, Aspect of the Dawn, greeted the east with a child in her arms and a smile on her face. Someone inside tossed a coin into a copper bowl, rang a bell, and bowed their head to pray.
I had often sought refuge from the stresses of the hospital in the chapel back on Earth, but before V.G.O., I had never been a religious woman. After meeting Jericho’s cult in the White City, despite the kindness shown to me by the Sophitians the night before, temples and chapels made me uneasy now. My hand went to my throat instinctively, and I reassured myself that the exarch wasn’t here, and this place was different. This place was peaceful, and beautiful. Yet so was the White City, and that still hid horrors.
Skyla busied herself by rooting in the grasses along the shore for a snack. I gently nudged her away from one of the blue lilies, which Herblore told me had a strong hallucinogenic effect if ingested. Surrounding the lake, strung on a line of braided red rope between equidistant light poles, were colorful scraps of cloth. I picked one up and untied it. It was a prayer, and a quest.
<<<>>>
Quest Alert: Catch the Rainbow
Strici the Alchemist needs unbroken rainbow stag beetles for her potions. Head east and bring them back to her, and she’ll be grateful.
Quest Class: Common
Quest Difficulty: Easy
Success: Gather 10 Rainbow Stag Beetle Shells
Failure: N/A
Reward: 500 XP; 1 gold
Accept: Yes/No?
<<<>>>
Curious, I unrolled the next one.
<<<>>>
Quest Alert: A Gesture of Love
“I don’t have the courage to give Esvy flowers myself. Please do me this favor on my behalf. She’s the most beautiful woman in the woods. You can’t miss her.”
Quest Class: Common
Quest Difficulty: Easy
Success: Bring Esvy a bouquet of 13 Laceflowers
Failure: N/A
Reward: 200 XP; 10 silver
Accept: Yes/No?
<<<>>>
I kept pulling slips of cloth and reading them, gathering as many quests as I could. Another wanted 10 Dewberry, another Woundwort and Rosehips to make a poultice. The lists went on and on as I untied the knots. Moonflowers, Sunroot from the entrance... it was like the Dawn Elves’ version of a quest board one might find at an inn. A lot asked for food. Wild Boar Meat, honey, apples, the Bee’s Nuts that were on my salad this morning, fiddlehead ferns, blackberries. Something called Chickenwood, which my cookbook told me was a sort of yellow mushroom that, well, tasted like chicken. Yarrow to stop bleeding and fevers in a bandage. Violets to mix with honey for a cough syrup. Goldenrod for soap. One ambitious quest dreamed of eating a “decent meal for once” and asked for chanterelles mixed with thyme and wild garlic in a butter sauce.
Each offered a reward of a few silver up to a gold as a reward. I wasn’t sure how I’d get boar meat, but the rest seemed reasonable to forage. Easy enough it didn’t make sense why they didn’t do it themselves.
Despite searching through a line of quests until I had a pile of colorful strips of cloth at my feet, the quest the Commissar had hooked me up with for Justiciar Olivia didn’t update. What the hell did these people want from me?
“Forgive me, sad’hvi, but are you answering all of the prayers? Personally?” asked a male voice in Hvitalfarian. I didn’t recognize the title, but understood it as ‘revered mother.’
I looked up from my task. A small group of Dawn Elves had congregated around me with curiosity and hope in their eyes. They seemed unnaturally thin, even considering we elves were naturally slender. New York City had been so diverse, and V.G.O. had a variety of races, so it felt odd to be surrounded by people who looked like me for once. The only thing that stood out about me was my Imperial temple garb. The other elves, by contrast, dressed in simple pleated pants of solid colors, with long-sleeved tops folded across the chest, some with beautiful nature prints. Some bound their chest with long white bandages, and others wore an additional shirt jacket with shawls or scarves to protect against the fall chill.
“I came to help,” I said, looking between the earnest faces, trying to place which man had spoken. “My name is Liset.”
“Liset the Blessed?” said an unknown woman in the crowd.
“Why does everyone call me that?” I muttered. I straightened my shoulders and addressed the group. “I’m here on behalf of Gaia. I followed the signs of corruption in Cernunnos’ woods. Nature is sick. But I’ve seen this disease before and have successfully treated it. Can you tell me what’s going on?”
They looked between each other. Several people stepped forward and spoke at the same time.
“Okay, okay, one at a time,” I said, holding up my hands. I pointed at a young woman holding a meager basket of foraged herbs, nuts, and berries. “You first.”
She shifted and rested the basket on her head. “Well, it started with those marks you mentioned. The flowers wilted early. They shouldn’t do so until the first frost. The sap from the trees is foul-smelling. The nuts are shriveled and moldy. The apples are poisoned,” she said, tears brimming in her eyes. She held up the basket for me. “This is all I was able to find today. It’s spreading from somewhere and getting worse each day. The En’Etailar think it’s coming from the mausoleum.”
I nodded to a little boy holding a fishing pole next to her. He stepped forward and showed me a yellow-green eel, then pulled out an ugly black one that writhed and twisted angrily.
“Sad’hvi, the fall festival is coming soon. My family is supposed to sell grilled eel, but this is all I could find,” he said.
I knelt and inspected the eel. It wasn’t black. It was covered in scabs and in pain. I held up my hand and cast Veracity and cleansed it like I had the trees. The scabs fell away in meaty chunks, leaving fresh green skin. The boy’s eyes lit up, and he threw his arms around my neck in a quick hug. I hugged him back, and he ran off to a worried couple in the distance.
“Ma’ami! Dadi’ji! I got supper!” he squealed with joy.
The parents glanced up, saw me, and sighed with relief. They waved. I waved back.
An archer stepped forward next. “Hunting is scarce, too. Normally we stock up on meat to smoke and salt for the winter, but the Beasts are upset and skittish or just missing. It’s throwing everything out of balance. The bears normally scavenge for food to hibernate, but they can’t find enough to eat either and are getting aggressive. We put up a sign to warn people—”
I remembered the bite mark and nodded. “Has anyone noticed any unusual monsters? Perhaps some where they aren’t supposed to be?”
Again, everyone spoke up at once. My quest updated so many times I had to dismiss notifications with a wave of my hand.
“Okay, jeez, yes. I understand,” I said. “I’m just going to take that as a yes.”
A little girl in a short pink dress with long, unattached sleeves tugged on my robe. I knelt to speak to her on her level. She pulled out a jar labeled honey that looked more like oily sludge. It seemed to move on its own. I closed my eyes and shut out the memory of Areste’s Acolytes “telling the bees” about the deaths of the priests who failed to survive the Martyr’s Poison test to become disciples.
“Can you show me where the apiary is?” I asked her. She nodded.
I handed Skyla’s reins to the archer. He took them silently with a curt nod, and I trusted she was in good hands.
The littl
e girl grabbed my hand and pulled me across the city to a clearing filled with multiple domed beehives made of thatch. Giant bees, as large as the size of my hand, buzzed around and bumped into each other. The pollen on their hind legs looked like black mold I’d find under my sink in Brooklyn.
I inspected the area, not daring to get closer. I only had the book to defend me from the bees, and it wasn’t the most effective bludgeon. I didn’t want to hurt the bees anyway.
“Does anyone have any incense or smoke I could use to calm them?” I asked over my shoulder. Life would be much easier if I had Corvus here. Their thurible’s miasma would be invaluable. Even Kismet’s armor would be a blessing. Even Yvonne’s randomized card magic would probably help in some way.
As planned, the little girl ran to get a proper adult, more adult than me.
My quest updated with this new revelation:
<<<>>>
Quest Update: Birds and the Zombees
You not only found the city of Ascomere by following traces of the Blight of Serth-Rog, but also one of the many problems afflicting the people of the Whispering Grove. Just like wounds must be debrided to uncover how much damage has been done and allow for healing, perhaps cleansing the blight will reveal its source?
Quest Class: Rare; Race-specific; Class-specific
Quest Difficulty: Average
Success: Cleanse 10 Blighted Apiaries and 35 Zombees; Locate the source of the blight
Failure: Fail to complete the quest by sundown
Reward: 1,000 XP; 3,000XP; 50 renown; Increased Reputation with the Whispering Grove.
Accept: Yes/No?
<<<>>>
I readily hit accept and cast Lenity on myself as a shield, not waiting for the child to come back.
House of the Rising Sun
I went down the line of apiaries, casting Veracity every chance I could to cleanse the insects inside. That didn’t seem to count towards my quest. The Zombees angrily stung at my glowing bubble of a shield, so I cleansed them, too, as much as I could before the shield wore off. I had fifteen seconds of the Sola Fide debuff before I could be shielded again and popped a HoT to keep my Health up. They didn’t do a lot of damage individually, but collectively, it felt like I was wading through a pool of hypodermic needles until I could refresh the shield. Then I could resume cleansing the blighted bees.
Viridian Gate Online: Schism: A litRPG Adventure (The Heartfire Healer Series Book 2) Page 7